23 April 2026

Texans Are Still Armed

Home Invaders are still getting shot. HPD: Homeowner shoots alleged intruder in Independence Heights

Houston police said a man crashed his car near Truman Street and Old Yale Street just before 2 a.m. Sunday.

He allegedly jumped over a fence and broke into a home by smashing a window in the door.

The homeowner took exception to that, and shot the guy.

Cops showed up and and the guy taken to a local hospital where he was listed as stable.

They don't say anything, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that drugs were probably involved. Or why do you break into a random house after crashing your car?

Self-defense is a human right. Good guys 1, bad guys 0.

The CIA versus a Sitting President

The Last Refuge, or The Conservative Treehouse, describe themselves as a "Ragtag bunch of Conservative Misfits." The CIA Tried to Remove a Sitting President - The Last Refuge

This is the warning.

The CIA tried to remove a President.

Unfortunately, now we watch the silence.

I see a lot of punditries missing the forest as they peer intently at the trees.

The CIA tried to remove a sitting President.

We now know the real reason CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella’s name was never ¹permitted to be mentioned. It’s not the name Eric Ciaramella that presented the issue, it’s the organization where he was working, the CIA – That’s what needed to be protected.

Click through for the details. There are a fair number of links.

AI Hallucinations from Wall Street Law Firm

Stop using AI for important stuff. Sullivan & Cromwell law firm apologizes for AI 'hallucinations' in court filing

This would be funny if it wasn't happening all the time. The client in the case should sue for every dollar they've spent with S&C in the past 3 years. And then some.

April 21 (Reuters) - Sullivan & Cromwell, a premier Wall Street law firm, apologized to a federal judge for submitting a court filing with inaccurate citations and other errors generated by artificial intelligence.

The unstated undercurrent... "Please don't disbar us for being stupid!"

This is from X. (The NYT article is behind a paywall - as they all are)

  • Fictitious Case Names: The filing included names of legal cases that do not exist
  • Fabricated Quotes: The document contained direct quotes that were never actually spoken or written
  • Non-existent Statutes: The AI incorrectly analyzed or entirely invented provisions within the U.S. Bankruptcy Code

Are you using AI to do your work? God help you, because the AI will not.

I don't actually know if the partners charge that $2000 per hour, but I wouldn't be surprised. This is how S&C describe themselves:

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients around the world. The results the Firm achieves have set it apart for more than 140 years and have become a model for the modern practice of law.

They might need to rethink that "modern practice of law" part.

Large Language Models are NOT Truth models. They do not know what is true. They know what sounds good.

22 April 2026

Wednesday Link Roundup - 22 April

William Teach at Pirate's Cove is first with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

  1. Victory Girls Blog: Clarence Thomas, National Treasure, Praises Declaration
  2. Virtual Mirage: Can I Talk Like a Pirate?

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.21.26 (Morning Edition)

Don Surber: Even electricity is leaving blue states
Elizabeth Nickson: Trump Is A Moderate – What’s Coming Is Far More Conservative,

EBL - Saturday Night Girls with Guns

Battles of Lexington and Concord
EBL: More Girls with Guns : Revolutionary War

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: The party of perverts. A moderate cleric. Dumb and Dumber.
China Carney’s Canada: She fought back.

Political Hat - News of the Week (April 19th, 2026)

Bioethicists Argue That an Unborn Baby Is Merely a ‘Gestator’s’ Body Part
Anyone paying attention knows that the medical establishment does not believe in any restriction on abortion, and moreover, that it should be provided free anytime

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/21/2026

Global electricity demand rose by 3% in 2025, with growth nearly triple compared to the 1.3% increase in total energy consumption, as data centers and electric vehicles continued to push power use higher

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - US Navy Fires On, Captures Iranian Blockade Runner

Ars Technica shocked Trump picks qualified, normal health leader to head CDC; experts still cautious. Hat Hair's Salena Zito is pleased to reports Kash Patel and Sen. David McCormick Team Up to Fight Fentanyl in Pennsylvania.

Vlad Tepes - Forget WHY they are doing this to you. Come to understand WHAT they are doing, the why is a distraction: Links 1 for April 21, 2026

2. The switch of Great Britain into a totalitarian police state must not be dismissed. Much like once Texas is Islamic, the rest of the US will fall like dominoes, once the US is Commu-slamic then so goes the commonwealth.

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

ITEM 8: The Moscow Times reported, “Putin Demands Answers as Russia’s Economy Undershoots Expectations.”
Invading Ukraine became the biggest mistake in Europe since Hitler invaded Poland.

The Glibertarians - Tuesday Morning Links

Dems Push Bondi Contempt Over Epstein Files No-Show
ActBlue Employees Plead the Fifth over 100 Times During House Depositions

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

The Midwest Chick Saturday Meme Drop………….
Pirates Cove WP: Collapse Of Spirit Airlines Pretty Much Biden’s Fault

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Is America on the Verge of a Nuclear Renaissance?
This Piece From the NYT Drips With Contempt for Him, So You Gotta Love Him

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 4/ 21/26

Women feel profoundly unhappy, distrust men, loathe their country, and view motherhood as optional at best.
Young, Angry Leftist Women are Destroying Britain and America

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: The Shifting and Regressive Nature of Progressivism

• Schadenfreude Of The Week: Majority Of New York's Pending Wind And Solar Projects Getting Canceled Francis Menton
• Looks Like Commerce Raiding is Back on the Menu CDR Salamander

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 04-19-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3600 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Tuesday Memes … from MaddMedic, and Monday Memes from Granite Grok

Your Home Is Not a Free Fire Zone

Not even if you are confronting bad guys. Augusta teen car burglar booked, homeowner still charged with shooting him - The Augusta Press

Investigators say homeowner Antonio Davis, 49, reported seeing three masked individuals targeting his black 2019 Mercedes-Benz. Davis told deputies he retrieved a firearm and opened fire as the suspects fled, striking Mosley in the leg.

The key part of that statement is, "as the suspects fled."

In most places in the US, you can only use deadly force to defend against imminent threat of death or grave bodily injury. You cannot use deadly force if people are running away.

The homeowner was charged with aggravated assault.

Electric Buses Sit in Landfill

This was completely foreseeable. Local 10 examines why expensive electric buses sit in disrepair in Miami-Dade, Broward

Ninety-six million dollars’ worth of electric buses sit idle across South Florida, some parked in a landfill, others lined up at the Homestead Air Reserve Base.

n Miami-Dade County, commissioners are demanding answers.

In Broward County, officials are working with the federal government on a plan to get rid of them.

That is a lot of money.

Miami-Dade Transit confirms 69 Proterra buses were purchased at a cost of $61.8 million, including federal, state, and local surtax funding.

The electric fleet was "unveiled" in 2023. If you spent that much on diesel buses, you could have gotten about 3 times as many, and they would have lasted 10 years. Or more.

The buses had repeated problems, broke down all the time, and the Proterra went out of business.

Now the problem is how to scrap them, because they represent a toxic waste problem. This bit is from Broward County, Florida, just north of Miami-Dade, County.

Thirty-one electric buses are currently sitting in a remote section of a landfill off U.S. 27, each one costing roughly $1.1 million.

And Proterra buses are not the only ones giving Broward County, problems. They bought from 2 other manufacturers, and those buses don't work either.

In Miami-Dade, County, the buses are parked at the Homestead Air Reserve Base.

And because your tax dollars paid for part of all those buses, by way of federal grants, scraping them before the "approved lifespan" is over is a bureaucratic nightmare.

Click thru for all the details.

This is the MGUY Australia video UNBELIEVABLE electric bus GRAVEYARD (they're broken...). He gets the hat tip for this insanity.

I'm old enough to remember when we were told electric vehicles were simpler than internal combustion, and would last longer and be cheaper to maintain.

Seven Days

There are not many songs in what you would call Popular Music that are in 5/4 time. A few. Today's song is one of them. This was pointed out on social media recently.

This song is "Seven Days" by Sting, from his 1993 album Ten Summoner's Tales.

21 April 2026

Patrick ‘Tate’ Adamiak Is a Political Prisoner

The Gun Writer brings us the following: How you can help free Patrick ‘Tate’ Adamiak

Things are moving very well in our efforts to free Patrick “Tate” Adamiak from prison, but we need your help.

We need letters—tons of letters—that explain why President Donald J. Trump should pardon Adamiak.

There is a long list of reasons that he should be pardoned. Here are a few:

  1. He was investigated and prosecuted by Joe Biden’s ATF.
  2. He did nothing wrong.
  3. Nothing ATF found in his home was illegal.
  4. He had no criminal record.
  5. He was an active-duty U.S. Navy sailor.

Click thru for the rest.

At the bottom of that article, there is a link to a bunch of articles on Adamiak.

The places to send the letters:

Mr. David Warrington
White House Counsel
Office of White House Counsel
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

OR

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of the Pardon Attorney
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20530

Tuesday Links - 21 April

The Other McCain starts us off with The Ivy League Is Decadent and Depraved

Zimmerman has located the exact source of the problem, i.e., that the Left now dominates higher education so completely that those inside the campus bubble can’t even see what the problems are, much less think constructively about possible solutions.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - The New Republic: Why Won’t Democrats Act Like They Believe In Climate Doom?

People can only listen to doom and gloom for so long before they mostly check out, especially when the doom doesn’t ever seem to materialize. And, also, when they see the people pushing it the hardest are complete hypocrites.

Again from The Other McCain - Aspiring Rapper Update

“Gee, Stacy, is it really fair to post a picture of the deceased performer brandishing illegal firearms?” Perhaps, but good luck finding any pictures of Jalen Carpenter in which he is not brandishing firearms.

Clayton Cramer - Letters of Marque and Reprisal

think we should seriously consider whether there would be time to use such in the worrisomely likely war of Taiwanese Independence. Imagine the resale value to privateers of capturing a VLCC (very large crude carrier): about $100 million worth of oil.

The Feral Irishman - Joe and José

Joe legal works in construction, has a Social Security number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.

Jose illegal also works in construction has no Social Security number and makes $15.00 per hour cash, under the table.

Ready?... now pay attention....

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Probably Not This Year

You would think that six games in the Launching Pad and Wrigley Field would have seen Dave Winfield, Jim Northrup, and Dave Kingman jacking homers in all directions, but unfortunately the Bravos and Cubs have some tough pitchers, and we finished the week 1-5.

The Other McCain again - Guess Who Made an Interesting Point? UPDATE: Sarah Palin Explains Herself

Frum has never abandoned his #NeverTrump stance, and his criticism of Vance is for “going with the flow” of grassroots Republicans — siding with the actual voters, rather than with the Aspen Institute elites.

Second City Cop - Indoctrination Proceeds

Those who can, do.

Those who can't, teach.

Those who can't teach, indoctrinate children:

Smitty - VA’s 21Apr Vote: This Dog Don’t Hunt

Somebody I know who is credentialed in the art of surveying people (pharma, for drug trials) was unimpressed by then quality of the question on the ballot tomorrow in Virginia.

Lone Star Parson - Your Old Pal

Well here we all are, dancing on the bonfire of the vanities, and what a fire it is. NetZero, Open Borders, Diversity is our Strength, Islam is a religion of peace, debt is wealth, Gender's a "construct," ffs, and on. We live, dear friends, in a world of lies and they're evaporating as lies always do.

Amazon Driver Defends Himself from Dog Attack

From 11Alive in Atlanta we get the following story. Amazon driver kills neighbor's dog after it attacked him in metro Atlanta neighborhood: deputies

I'm sure a lot of people will be upset by this because they are not rational about dog attacks.

The driver reported the dog was off its runner when it approached and attempted to bite him. Deputies said the driver then shot and killed the dog, according to the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.

The cops are treating it like self-defense.

Coweta County, Georgia, is about a 35 mile drive southwest of downtown Atlanta.

I know that Amazon drivers don't actually work for Amazon. They work for a contracting firm, or maybe it is multiple contracting firms. Does anyone know if Amazon has a policy about drivers being disarmed?

Hat tip to USA Carry: Amazon Driver Forced to Shoot Loose Dog That Attacked Him on Georgia Delivery Route

Self-defense is a human right.

The UK and France Are Ready to Jump on the Bandwagon

William Teach at Pirate's Cove has an update on our "allies" and their ability (or lack thereof) to aid with war. LOL: Starmer And Macron Try To Stay Relevant With Post-War Strait Of Hormuz Shipping Plan
Yeah, so, once the United States gains control of the Strait and eliminates all naval and land dangers from Iran, which we mostly have, these weenies think they can waltz in and provide security? Hell, they can barely project sea power now, despite the size of their navies, France ranked 8, UK 9. Most EU navies are for defense of nation only, not for deploying power. Italy, Germany, and Spain are the only other top 20, and they cannot project power. France with 1 aircraft carrier and Britain with 2 aren’t exactly powers. They, like Canada, pretty much rely on the United States.

Click thru for the details.

Because The Media Can't Use the Term, "Gang Violence"

The Other McCain has the details. ‘Several Young Individuals’: At Least Two Dead in North Carolina Mass Shooting

Euphemisms are amazing, aren’t they? Perhaps you can think of some other phrases that would be more helpful in describing the likely participants in the situation that “escalated” into a mass shooting Monday morning at Leinbach Park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:

The AP is calling it a "Mass shooting" because several people were shot, which I suppose makes the term technically correct. When most people think of "Mass Shooting" they think of targeted attacks on schools, malls, or other soft targets. What is often described as terror. What most people don't think of is gang activity.

So what happened?

Police said the shooting escalated from a planned fight between “two young individuals.” During the brawl, several people “began shooting at each other,” resulting in “multiple victims,” according to officers.

Maybe I'm being harsh, and these two upstanding members of the choir were not associated with a gang, and none of the other people, who were armed, were associated with a gang. Maybe I'm being harsh, but I don't think so.

You can't fix a problem, if you cannot describe the problem accurately.

20 April 2026

Judgement Day

We had the acoustic version of the song back in 2025, but I love it so much I thought we should listen to it again.

This song is "Judgement Day" by Five Figure Death Punch from their 2022 album Afterlife.

Relatives of Dead People Don't Like Self-defense

Self-defense is becoming quite the thing in the Windy City. Chicago Homeowner Shoots Intruder Who Charged at Him in Middle of Night, Family Says Man Had Alzheimer's - USA Carry

A late-night encounter inside a South Deering home ended with a 62-year-old man shot dead after he entered the residence and charged at the homeowner, Chicago police said.

South Deering, which is located on Chicago's far South Side, is the largest of the 77 official neighborhoods community areas in the city. It is only a mile from the Indiana state line. It isn't clear how the guy got from Harvey, Illinois, to South Deering, Chicago, as that is about 10 miles by car.

As for the family... Family of man with Alzheimer's shot, killed after entering wrong home in South Deering demand answers

A family is demanding justice after they say a Harvey man who has Alzheimer's disease was shot and killed this week when he mistakenly went into the wrong residence on the South Side.

He presented as a threat, and was dealt with. I realize that this is a tragedy, but your feelings are not a basis for a legal proceeding.

No one wins in a situation like this, as Luke McCoy at USA Carry points out:

The tragedy here is real on both sides. A family lost a loved one who may not have been acting with criminal intent. A homeowner made a split-second decision he will likely carry for the rest of his life. Alzheimer’s and other cognitive conditions can cause a person to believe they are in their own home, and in some cases to act as though they are confronting an intruder themselves. That possibility cannot change the calculus for a homeowner who has no way of knowing what is happening in the moment.

The Chicago Police have not arrested the homeowner, and the Cook County State's Attorney is not calling for charges. It is early in the investigation.

80 Tonnes of Lithium-ion Batteries Burn in Australia

This is the StacheD Training video Perth's Battery Recycling Fire: 80 Tons of Lithium-ion Batteries

Someone described dropping off a swollen lithium-ion battery at that collection facility and staff told them just to throw it in with all the other batteries. When they pushed back and asked if they're sure, all they got was a frustrated look and the staff turned their back on them. Not a great situation. A swollen lithium-ion battery is one of the clearest visible warning signs you could get.

The video is just a bit over 5 minutes. Stache is a fire fighter, and a trainer. His videos concentrate on the issues firefighters face today, and a lot of them today deal with lithium-ion batteries, and what happens when things goe wrong.

The hat tip goes to MGUY Australia and his video Lithium ion battery fire sends MASSIVE PLUME of toxic smoke over Aussie suburb

A news article form The Western Australian: Smoke warning for Perth suburb after fire at recycling centre storing lithium-ion batteries

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services warned people in the area to remain inside with windows and doors closed and air conditioners off due to potentially hazardous smoke in the area.

You can click thru for the details, but really StacheD does a better job explaining the situation.

A Gun of Her Own Author Talks to Professor Yamane

This is a long conversation, and probably not for everyone, as it skews heavily toward the academic perspective. That said, I found it interesting. Q&A with "A Gun of Her Own: The Everyday Lives of Women Who Shoot" Author Margaret Kelley

Welcome to this Q&A with Margaret Kelley, author of the new book, A Gun of Her Own: The Everyday Lives of Women Who Shoot.

As you will see in the course of this hour-long discussion, this is a very special book and Professor Kelley is a special author.

While it is an hour long, you don't really need to watch it, as it is just a conversation/conference call. I keep these kinds of things on in the background, while I am doing other things. As I said, I found it interesting. Most of it anyway.

The video is at the link above, or at Virtual Book Club Discussion of Women and Guns with Author Margaret Kelley (Light Over Heat #154)

One of the statements that Margaret Kelley made, which I appreciated, is that she is tired of people dismissing others whenever they have a different opinion. Both sides do it, and both sides accuse the other side of doing it, though I will readily admit that the main push of Cancel Culture is currently coming from the Left. I'm old enough to know that it hasn't always been that way. Or why was there a Free Speech movement on UC Berkley's campus, back in the day? ("How the turntables, have ...")

The video is an hour, but there isn't much to see. I do recommend listening.

19 April 2026

Six Years to Replace Infrastructure

On May 19th, 2020, during a storm, the Edenville dam in Michigan failed. It was a Tuesday evening. The flood waters caused the Sanford Dam to fail on the 20th.

After a lot of finger pointing, and at least one lawsuit, it was decided to rebuild those 2 dams, and repair/upgrade two more that were also impacted by the storm but did not fail.

Refilling of Sanford lake began on April 15th.

This is Jordan Mowbray's video Final Test COMPLETE… Sanford Lake Refill Starts in DAYS! - Drone -Dam Collapse

When the plans were first announced to rebuild the dams, I was disappointed that they would not be hydroelectric generators, but that would have made permitting more complicated. They are only for flood control, and creating recreational lakes.

Amazon is Keeping Project Hail Mary in Theaters

Taking it out of theaters right now would be a bad business decision. Project Hail Mary Won't Be on Streaming Anytime Soon

Audiences who have grown used to films rushing from theaters to PVOD may be in for a surprise. Project Hail Mary is not going to be streaming anytime soon. The surprise blockbuster’s theatrical performance has apparently encouraged Amazon MGM Studios to extend its theatrical exclusivity.

The ailing theater industry is happy, and MGM is even putting the film back in IMAX this week.

Click thru for the details.

Theaters have been crushed by the insanity of the past 5 or 10 years. Woke movies that half the population won't see. COVID lockdowns. Strikes. Even more movies that no one wants to see.

But the current lineup in cinemas proves that people will go to the theater, if you give them a reason. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie movie isn't for me, but it is on its way to making a billion dollars at the box office. Project Hail Mary has made over $500 million and will probably make over $600 when all is done. Even the Creepy Pasta movie, Exit 8 is making money, and it isn't even in wide release. The fact that it is in Japanese isn't helping.

It is at this point I always feel it necessary to mention that studios don't get all of the box office. It turns out that movie theaters don't show movies for free. Theaters get roughly half the gate. The exact figures are different in North America, than in Europe and Asia, and China has its own deal, where studios only get about 25% of the Chinese box office.

If you want details on that, for any movie you're interested in, I suggest this article from a few years ago by Odin of OMB Reviews, that was published at Geeks & Gamers: How to Break Down Box Office. He covers everything from budgets, estimated marketing spend, split between theaters and studios, accounting for the differences across markets, etc.

Odin at OMB Reviews

Self-Defense Is Legal, Even in California

There are still going to be some weapons charges. DA calls Natomas High shooting ‘self-defense,’ declines charges

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, April 14 said the shooting was an act of self-defense during an attempted robbery. The DA’s office said two people who were not students at Natomas High went onto campus looking for a specific student. One of them was wearing a ski mask and carrying a handgun. Prosecutors said the pair approached a student and tried to rob him. During that encounter, the targeted student, who was also carrying a handgun, shot and killed one of them. Prosecutors said there is not enough evidence and have declined to file homicide charges, though the shooter will be charged with various weapons charges. They said the third person involved will be charged in juvenile court with attempted robbery.

They are starting to get it.