Ride Public Transit? Not on a Bet

Also the Criminal Justice System needs to err more on the side of protecting the law-abiding citizens of Chicago. Man with 14 previous arrests sexually abused woman in CTA elevator: Chicago police - CWB Chicago

CPD records show Porter has been arrested 14 other times since becoming an adult in 2014, mostly for misdemeanors, but court files show nearly all of those charges were dropped. The only exceptions were a 2019 domestic battery case that ended with court supervision he did not complete satisfactorily and two trespassing charges at the same Old Town building that resulted in a 14-day sentence in November.

And so with no consequences, behavior didn't change. No, that's not true. Behavior got worse.

I miss civilization.

Electric Buses Versus Winter Weather

Vermont Daily Chronicle brings us a story of Net Zero insanity. 5 GMT E-buses, bought for $8 million, out of service due to fire risk, frigid weather

First it became apparent that the electric battery posed a fire hazard. (I'm shocked) So they cannot be stored in the garage. OK, so that is a problem, but not an issue, except for the fact that you cannot charge the buses if the temperature is below 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, they don't say it clearly, but it appears that the charging infrastructure is only INSIDE. The buses were pulled from service in November.

The buses, manufactured by New Flyer and delivered less than a year ago, were pulled from service in November after the battery manufacturer warned they posed a potential fire hazard. As a result, the electric buses cannot be stored inside GMT’s garage and must remain outdoors, per the January 29 news report by Laura Ullman.

Cold weather has compounded the problem. The buses require temperatures of at least 41 degrees to safely charge, conditions that have been scarce this winter. The vehicles have remained parked outside, dusted with snow, unable to operate.

That is $8 million worth of buses sidelined. And that means that the diesel buses still in service, are working overtime. Leaving little time for maintenance, and no margin for breakdowns or accidents.

“It’s been literally down to our last bus, where if we have another bus that breaks or some other accident that happens, you know, we would have to start canceling service,” said Green Mountain Transit General Manager Clayton Clark.

This the MGUY Australia video 🤡 Clown World! Yet ANOTHER electric bus DISASTER! He covers the story linked above, as well as the fanfare that greeted the buses when they were purchased.

The northern hemisphere winter is peak time for EV bus hilarity because of the cold weather, which invariably either affects range or charging ability. Perhaps electric buses would work okay in the year round warm climates of say Florida or Italy, but the idea that they could replace diesel in countries like the UK or Canada or northern USA is nothing short of insanity.

As MGUY Australia notes in the video, electric buses in Vermont are nothing but virtue signalling. The video is just over 7 minutes.

Officer Pradeep Tamang

The Other McCain brings a s story out of Georgia. ‘End of Watch’ for a Georgia Cop

So two cops show up at Holiday Inn where the suspect had fraudulently used a credit card (perhaps stolen) to rent a room and, after discovering he’s got an outstanding warrant, they try to put the cuffs on him and get shot because, although it’s illegal for convicted felons to possess firearms, you don’t become a convicted felons by obeying the law, do you?

This took place in Gwinnett County, Georgia about 20 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Click thru for the details, the photos, and the analysis.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 4 February

William Teach at Pirate's Cove starts us off with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

1. Victory Girls Blog: Nurses Union Holds Secret Training Sessions To Combat ICE
2. This ain’t Hell…: Stupid people of the week

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 02.02.2026

Shark Tank: Associated Industries of Florida Endorses Ingoglia For CFO
STUMP: U.S. Finalized Mortality 2024

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 3 February 2026: Spinning Wheel Edition

The Trump administration plans to spend $12 billion to establish a national stockpile of critical minerals. (Tom's Hardware)
Rare earth elements and the like, for when China decides to shut off the supply again.

EBL - Federal Court: ICE WINS! MN LOSES! PLUS Federal ID Order!

EBL: Pretti Shooting was Lawful, Dangerous Lie, Andrew Branca on Alex Pretti shooting, Renee Good shooting, and Gutfeld

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS

ITEM 1: Benjamin Ryan tweeted, “1st Detransitioner to Take a Medical-Malpractice Lawsuit to Trial Wins $2 Million Judgment.
“Fox Varian sued her Westchester, NY, area psychologist and plastic surgeon

The Glibertarians - Sunday Morning Lacuna Links

This flex may not be what they were aiming for (so to speak).
Anti-Semitism polls well in NYC.

Political Hat - News of the Week (February 1st, 2026)

The Administration and the Second Amendment: Damage Control
Gun rights are not Donald Trump’s main issue. Like Ronald Reagan before him, Trump has had his slip-ups with gun rights supporters

Vlad Tepes - A list of ten events that may give some sense of the trajectory of Western Civ at this time, and looking at Silver pricing and the machinery that determines it outside actual market forces: links 1 for February 1, 2026

3. It appears that the media is continuing to laser paint law enforcement for attack, and people who watch it continue to obey.
4. A proper response to Tucker “Qatarlson” and Candice Owens

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

Pirates Cove NY Times Apoplectic Minnesota Mostly Peaceful Protest Called “Insurgency”
Freedom Is Just Another Word.. .Saturday Memes…

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

‘Crisis’ in college math readiness prompts probe by Senator Bill Cassidy
RUMOR: Amy Klobuchar Running for Minnesota Governor, Will Appoint Tim Walz to Her Vacant Senate Seat

I leave you with Food for Thought – 1 February 2026 from Mostly Cajun, Sunday Funnies for 02-01-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Sunday Meme Drop from Midwest Chick's Place, Sunday Funnies from Flopping Aces,

Starfleet Academy Is Horrible Writing by Incompetent Writers

Real Life Fake Wizard is not a fan of Star Trek, but even he can see what is being done to this franchise.

Three things destroyed Star Trek. Incompetence, hubris, and defiance. Not just Star Trek, of course, but that is the focus of this review.

Modern writers have no experience, except watching TV shows. They believe they are always right. Defiance? They treat the audience as the enemy.

This is the Real Life Fake Wizard video Bad Writers Murdered Star Trek

I don't have to be a Star Trek fan to recognize when something is being ruined. I don't have to have watched every single episode to understand that 60 years of consistent world building is being thrown away for short-term demographic targeting.

The video is 23 minutes long.

... and for the love of God, cancel Disney Plus

Texans Are Still Armed

Home invaders are still getting shot. Homeowner shoots intruder in Fort Worth home, police say | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

You would think the bad guys would figure this out.

A man attempting to break into an east Fort Worth home on Monday afternoon was shot by the homeowner, police said in a statement.

Maybe he thought no one would be home at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

Cops showed up and had the guy taken to a local hospital. He is expected to be OK. No other information was provided.

Self-defense is a human right, and this didn't take place in New York City.

The FGC-9 is a Proven Firearm

Impro Guns has another story of the FGC-9 out of South America. The FGC-9 is Flooding the Brazilian Black Market

I wonder how many have been produced worldwide at this point.

Click thru for the photos. The photo above is of an unrelated FGC-9 Mk.II

FGC-9 stands for F*ck Gun Control, 9mm. It is mostly 3D printed, using steel tubing for the barrel, and bar stock for the bolt. There are even 3D plans available for mandrels that allow for some rifling using electricity and saltwater to etch the grooves.

They use standard AR-15 pistol grips, and Glock 9mm magazines. Those can also be printed, along with a mandrel for winding your own magazine spring. I think they use a standard AR-15 fire-control group, but I'm not sure about that.

Stand by Me

The Drifters came up at the end of last year on social media, thanks to their cover of "White Christmas." I lamented that not many people know any other song from The Drifters, and they really only know that song because of the movies Home Alone, and The Santa Clause. I thought I should do something to rectify that situation.

Membership in that band has changed a lot, and that isn't surprising since they were formed in 1953 or '54 and the band is still together today. This version was recorded live in 2015 as a tribute to Ben E. King, one of the many people who were in that group. King recorded it as part of his solo career, and he had passed away in early 2015.

This is "Stand by Me" as covered by The Drifters in 2015. It was originally released as a single in 1961 by Ben E. King.

OK, so this isn't exactly a song from The Drifters from back in the day. I think it is beautiful.

The Day The Music Died

A lot of people have heard the Don McLean song, "American Pie," from 1971, but I'm always amazed by the fact that they don't know what he's talking about.

On 3 February 1959 Richie Valens, J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, and Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, together with pilot Roger Peterson. They were leaving Clear Lake, Iowa, after playing a gig, on their way to Moorhead, Minnesota. The conditions on the tour busses were horrible, so Holly chartered a plane. Shortly after takeoff Peterson lost control of the plane and crashed killing all 4 on board.

This is "American Pie" by Don McLean. It was the title song to his 1971 album.

Tuesday Links - 3 February

Jim Treacher is up first with Don Lemon Arrested for Breaking the Law: This is an OUTRAGE or something

And before you start: The only people whose First Amendment rights have been infringed here are the congregants at the church Don Lemon invaded. He was part of the planning, he trespassed and refused to leave, and he called those churchgoers “white supremacists.” To make matters worse, he’s even profiting from his crimes.

Miguel Gonzalez - And now bodycams are a bad thing.

Karma is such an elegant bitch.

Libs of TikTok - Radical Nurses FIRED after being EXPOSED by LoTT

As ICE deportation operations ramp up across the country, calls for violence against federal agents and conservatives have skyrocketed.

Recently, there has been an upsurge of radical left-wing nurses promoting violent action or targeted discrimination against those they disagree with.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Bummer: UN Faces Financial Collapse

Maybe it should collapse. It served it’s purpose at one time, but, now it’s just made up of Jew/Israel haters, climate cultists, and other wackos, and is a major source of graft and waste, and has been all this for at least 30 years

Meep at STUMP - U.S. Finalized Mortality 2024: Highlights

GREAT NEWS! Death is down! Life expectancy exceeding pre-pandemic levels

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 1 February 2026: Carcainisation Edition

You can now buy a flying car. (Yahoo)

Well, more of a flying motorbike.

Actually, more of a flying hammock slung between two banks of rotors and surrounded by a plastic shell.

OldAFSarge at Chant du Départ - A Week After

The knee is better, gets a bit better every day and I'm happy with that. I have avoided walking on ice since then. Should have avoided it altogether but my attention wandered and BAM, next thing you know I'm on the ground wondering just what I was thinking.

The Bugscuffle Gazette - Keys aren't defense tools: Please stop acting like they are

Let me preface this by stating that your vehicle is many things. It is shelter, it is armour, it is storage for many useful items, it is triple-digit escape speeds, and — in extremis — it tends to be a 4,000 pound weapon.

It is none of these things if the keys to it are bent, broken, folded, spindled, missing, or in the possession of your attacker.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: One Big Crunch, which is also the Song of the Week (see the SOTW link).

After the last couple of weeks, this was a particularly bad week to be a Senators fan. First we got swept by the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, and then we came home to get whipped by the Expos, winning only one game.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - We’re Saved: Snowboarder Totally Trying To Save The World

It’s a small story, but, big enough for NBC News to cover it, which perfectly encapsulates what members of the cult do.

The UK Versus Freedom

JoNova has a post on the loss of freedom of movement in Britain. The 15 minute city is back

How could they resist? The 15-minute city is the fantasy idea that the unwashed masses can get everything they need within 15 minutes of home. But of course, their family may live somewhere else, as might their favourite dentist. How many old folks in nursing homes will miss out on visits because someone doesn’t want to fill out a permission slip or get a fine?

The Telegraph calls this Stalinist. Labour opens door to ‘Stalinist’ 15-minute cities across Britain

Under the scheme, drivers would need a residents’ permit that allows 100 days of free travel per year through six traffic filters during operating hours.

The surfs were tied to the land. How is this different?

When you add in their abandoning jury trial, and the assualts on free speech, you have to ask, "What F- is going on in England?"

In that place where Great Britain used to be... More like Airstrip One every day.

Hat tip to Pirate's Cove: If All You See…

International Suicide Rates versus Gun Ownership

The following article has been boiling in the back of my brain, for some time. During his recent trip to SHOT Show, Professor David Yamane reported on a suicide prevention seminar at the show. From his Light Over Heat substack: Suicide Prevention on the Gun Culture Agenda

Significantly, the NSSF organized the SHOT Show’s first-ever general session on suicide prevention - the SHOT Show Suicide Prevention Town Hall. According to NSSF Senior Director of Communications Bill Brassard, while the show has previously offered educational seminars on suicide prevention for retailers and ranges, this is the first general session open to all attendees.

Now I think that suicide prevention is a fine thing. It is why I have such a problem with way Medically Assisted suicide is going in Canada, and in some states, though Canada is by far the worst.

But there is an assumption that bothers me. That assumption is, or at least seems to be, "Access to guns, causes suicide."

In what follows I am going to compare suicide in the US to suicide in Japan. I am only picking on Japan for 1 reason. They have Draconian gun control laws.

In the late 1990s, or early 2000s, the suicide rate in Japan was 2 or 3 times higher than that of the United States. How can this be? Private ownership of firearms is virtually banned in Japan. Japan has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world. TheGunZone described the situation as "Unmatched Strictness." And yet they had what could only be described as a suicide epidemic.

Consider the study Comparative Study about Methods of Suicide between Japan and the United States (from 2005). That is from The National Center for Biotechnology Information and The National Library of Medicine.

Age-adjusted mortality rates from suicide in Japan were about 2 times higher for males and 3 times higher for females compared with the United States. The most common method among both genders in Japan was hanging, followed by jumping from a high place.

Use of firearms was the most common method in the US, which I suppose accounts for the seminar at SHOT Show. I still think it misses the point.

Trading Economics allows for creation of comparison charts on various dimensions. The following chart shows the suicide rates of Japan versus the United States for the years 2016 through 2021.

The Japanese rate is consistently higher during that period. (During a longer period, but without a subscription I am limited to 5 year graphs.)

Since the early 2000s, Japan's rate has come down considerably, and the US rate has trended higher. The information I can find says that the rates crossed, and the US now has a higher suicide rate than Japan. The US stands at 16.10 per 100,000 and Japan at 15.3 per 100,000 people, as of 2024.

That isn't to say that different sources, or different methods don't arrive at different rates. World Population Review shows Japan have a rate of 18.59 per 100k versus 17.43 per 100k in 2021. World Population Review shows that the Japan rate increased to 21.46 per 100k in 2023. (Click on the graph to enlarge.)

So why am I taking issue with the suicide prevention seminar?

Access to guns in the US does not cause people to kill themselves any more than access to rope in Japan does. People who are, for whatever reason, bent on self-destruction, select a method that they believe will be effective based on what they have access to. People with access to guns select guns. People without access to guns select rope. Or high places from which to jump. Is suicide somehow worse if a gun is used?

Again, I don't have an issue with suicide prevention. Some people in my life have chosen to end their lives, and I have been witness to what it leaves in its wake.

Given that, we could probably learn something from Japan on the topic of suicide prevention. Those rates didn't come down on their own. But that is story for another day.

The UK Government and Its Latest Gun Insanity

The UK is losing its mind. Impro Guns brings us the information. Channel 4 Tests ‘Converted’ Blank Firing Guns

Film makers and gun dog trainers in the UK are having to hand in their toy firework guns because they can be made into acrappy zip guns. The item ‘converted’ only has to successfully fire one shot to be declared illegal. It doesn’t matter if the piece of tubing glued to the sawn off chamber goes flying off afterwards

Meanwhile, the actual criminals in the UK are adopting 3D printed designs.

The Grammy Awards Are About Politics, Not Music

This is how you can tell. 30 Artists Who Haven’t Won Grammys

The Grammy awards were apparently given out over the weekend. I couldn't care less, and while there was some discussion on Social Media, most people didn't care either.

So how can you tell that the Grammy awards are NOT about the music? The list of artists who NEVER won a Grammy. (This is very incomplete) In no particular order.

• Queen
• Jimi Hendrix
• The Beach Boys
• Janis Joplin
• The Who
• Diana Ross
• Journey
• The Doors

There are more.

Then you add in the fiasco in February 1989 when they gave the Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental" to Jethro Tull. The band didn't bother to show up, because they weren't Hard Rock/Metal, so why would they win? They won because the people handing out the Grammy awards know next to nothing about music.

Danse Macabre

The Agonist is a band I tripped over a few years back. Probably during the lockdowns, as I had a lot of time to explore new-to-me music. I never really explored much of their music at the time, but of late I have started to dive into some of it. As usual, I like some of it, I don't like some of it. I featured a song from them in November, which started me listening to more of their music.

The Agonist is a Canadian Melodeath Metalcore band out of Montreal. Metalcore = Heavy Metal crossed with Hardcore Punk. (It isn't usually my type of music.) Melodeath = Melodic Death Metal. I should have known this band, because Alissa White-Gluz was the lead singer before she joined Arch Enemy. The lead singer for today's song is Vicky Psarakis, a Greek-American from Chicago. The rest of the band is as follows: Danny Marino playing lead guitar, Pascal "Paco" Jobin on rhythm guitar, Chris Kell playing bass, and Simon McKay on drums.

This song is "Danse Macabre" by the Agonist from the 2015 album Eye of Providence.

Good Guys 2, Bad Guys 0

The bad guys don't expect the law-abiding citizens of Chicago to be armed, and so you can file under "Another failure of the victim-selection process." Concealed carry license holder opens fire during attempted armed robbery in Belmont Cragin, CPD says; 2 in custody - CBS Chicago

Chicago police said a 39-year-old man was getting out of his car in the 5200 block of West Montana Street when two men walked up with a gun and demanded his belongings. Police said the victim, who has a valid CCL, fired multiple shots at the men. One was struck multiple times in the legs, CPD said.

The guy who got shot was taken to a hospital in good condition, and the other guy was arrested.

Belmont Cragin is one of the 77 neighborhoods community areas in Chicago. It is 8 miles northwest of The Loop. It was not one of the more dangerous neighborhoods has reported by HeyJackass! in 2025.

The investigation is in early days, but self-defense is a human right.

They stopped saying 77 neighborhoods, because some of the 77 areas are broken down in to multiple neighborhoods.

Euthanasia as Practiced in Canada Is Horrifying

I miss civilization. Canada Is Showing Us The True, Ugly Colors of Euthanasia

Canada's so-called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program isn't just failing vulnerable people -- it's actively betraying them. Time and again, it delivers fresh, horrifying proof that euthanasia is not compassion, but a moral nightmare dressed as mercy. Yet far too many still look away. Why?

Because it is far away, and they haven't come for you. Yet.

It starts off with the story of Mrs. B. My post on that incident is Euthanized 'against her will' - Isn't This Murder?

Then there is the case of Kiano Vafaeian. He was 26, blind in one eye and depressed. His family only learned of his application for MaiD after he was dead. He applied a couple of times, but his family saved his life twice. This time they were not able to intervene.

But MAiD's 2022 expansion to non-terminal chronic conditions reopened the door. Approved again and scheduled to be euthanized that September in Toronto, his mother once more successfully rallied support through petitions and media, even prompting her son's doctor to withdraw. Years passed. Then, in late 2025, Vafaeian was approved yet again, this time in Vancouver by Dr. Ellen Wiebe, who has carried out over 400 executions by euthanasia. This final green light exploited a loophole, framing his torment as primarily physical (diabetes-related blindness) despite depression's undeniable dominance. The young man, not even 30 years old, was euthanized on December 30, 2025.

And then there is the case of Canadian actress Claire Brosseau. She is 48 and depressed, but wants to die, and is suing for that right. She has manic depression, anxiety, substance abuse, but no chronic physical ailments. Not being offed by the medical profession violates her right to die. Or something.

It is certainly cheaper to kill people, than to care for them, but is that what civilized people do? Don't get me wrong. I have said that if I was suffering from acute radiation poisoning, I would not stick around for the mechanics of dying. If you knew what that kind of death involved, you probably wouldn't either. There are other ends I wouldn't want. Certain kinds of stage 4 cancer come to mind.

If there is pain, that I can understand. But killing people, medically, because they are depressed seems wrong to me. It speaks to the nihilistic nature of modern life.

Hat tip to MaddMedic at Freedom Is Just Another Word...

Minneapolis Shootings The Result of Sanctuary Policies

Police union leader says blocking ICE coordination led to deadly Minneapolis shootings | Alpha News MN

St. Paul Police Federation President Mark Ross said that if local police had been allowed to assist federal agents, the deadly encounters involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti could have been avoided.

This should surprise no one.

“Unfortunately, our local politicians would not allow us to do that,” Ross said.

Of course the violence and the shootings have been used to drive the Fraud Scandal in Minnesota right out of the headlines. Strange coincidence that. (Hat tip to INTERNED in Northfield!!!)

January in Chicago

HeyJackass! brings us the Chicago January Wrap-up

The return of the Polar Vortex on the back half of the month helped keep a lid on the nonsense or maybe it was the Justice Involved Violence Influencers™ hitting the streets in sub-zero temps.

The final totals for January were 31 killed, 103 shot and wounded. That was a slight decrease from January 2025, and down significantly from 2021 or 2022. And yes, the level of crime is influenced by the weather, especially extreme cold and snow, though even heavy rain can have a measurable impact.

Click thru for the breakdown by race, gender, the number of Shot-In-The-Ass, Selfies, and more.

In other stats, one non-fatal shooting was deemed to be justified self-defense.