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.

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.

60,000 Deaths from the COVID Vaccine in Germany?

From Peter Sweden we get the following: BOMBSHELL: Former Pfizer head toxicologist WARNING about covid vaccines

The man formerly responsible for testing toxicity of medicines at Pfizer warns of up to 60 000 deaths from covid vaccines in Germany.

The phrase, "up to," is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. In other articles, the numbers quoted were between 20,000 and 60,000.

Don't expect this to be covered by the legacy media. The narrative must be protected.

This is absolutely groundbreaking news. Yet I have not seen this being reported extensively in the mainstream media at all.

In fact, this news is so big that it should have warranted headline news WORLDWIDE. But it hasn’t.

Click thru.

Gluten Free IPA

Several years ago, I discovered that I needed to remove gluten from my diet. That is harder than it sounds, as gluten is added to everything. The local supermarket chain adds it to their house-brand coleslaw and potato salad in the form of "modified food starch." I guess it is even cheaper than corn starch as a thickening agent.

As you can imagine, this created a problem when it came to beer, which is a wheat or barley product. The early brands available convinced me to drink hard cider, and whisky on those occasions when people were drinking.

This week I'm back on the Stone Delicious Double IPA. The regular Stone Delicious IPA is easy to find, but of the 3 they are still producing, it is my least favorite. Their gluten free gluten reduced^‡ Hazy IPA is my favorite. Which ever one you try, the one thing Stone gets right, is the head on GF beer and ale. Some of it comes out of the can or bottle looking like apple cider. Stone holds a proper head. (Though the image I picked from the website doesn't show that.)

‡ Some of the beer and ale are brewed with gluten free ingredients. Quite of few of them add an enzyme to remove gluten at some point during the whole process. That 2nd option is what Stone does, but they can't claim to be gluten free, even though they meet the Celiac organization's metrics.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 18 April

The Right Way is first with Top of the News

In The Mailbox: 04.14.26 - The Other McCain
Here’s How Much Trump’s Hormuz Blockade Is Costing Iran EACH DAY - Town Hall

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.16.26

CDR Salamander: What are the details for 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships?
Don Surber: Trump orange-pilled the world

EBL - Believe The Women: Swalwell Accusers Come Forward

Feeling vindicated now
EBL: How is Eric Swalwell doing? and Fang Fang

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For April 17, 2026

Now is no time to let the Iranian regime weasel out of their complete surrender.
“Seven Myths About the Iran War.”

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/17/2026

Downtown Seattle Falters as Jobs and Businesses Exit City: Report
A new economic snapshot from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) is being framed as a story of recovery, but a closer look reveals a city on the brink of economic collapse.

Vlad Tepes - Identifying the various lines of operation to make North America communist: Links 1 for April 16, 2026

4. New Brunswick judge reduces man’s sentence so he won’t get deported from Canada
And the charges were for domestic violence.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - The Blockade is Working

At Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog Two Slimeballs Depart Congress. the Victory Girls are happy about Tony Gonzales – Trash Finally Takes Itself Out. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "With Swalwell Resigning, Just 534 Perverts Left In Congress "

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.16.26 (Evening Edition)

Shot In The Dark: Badly Managed Decline
The Political Hat: Not Leviathan’s Digital Device
This Ain’t Hell: ROTC Cadets on Col. Shah’s Heroism

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism, 04/17/2026 – The Washington Post Continues to Die in Darkness!

Biden’s Save student loan plan is dead. Borrowers will have to quickly pivot.
It took a few years to catch up, but it’s time to start obeying the law again.

Small Dead Animals - Thursday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Savanah Hernandez. Moderate Muslims in NYC. The next Obama.
China Carney’s Canada: A Yukon garage. Panel shames college.

Don Surber - Trump orange-pilled the world

Flopping Aces, a pioneer blogger, tweeted, “Trump just wrapped his hands around China’s throat and started squeezing hard.

The Glibertarians - Wednesday Afternoon Linkages

This is the cyberpunk future we deserve.
The Irish are now just like the French.

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 04.17.26

This Ain’t Hell: Disenfranchised? You betcha, also, Valor Friday
Transterrestrial Musings: The Latest From Jared

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

Paying your fair share?
Mammalian ancestors laid eggs
Gerrymandering and the Tyranny of Big Cities

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: The CIA Tried to Remove a Sitting President

• Seven Myths About the Iran War - Michael Doran
• Fudge Jeb “Scumbag” Boasberg's Contempt Trap Snaps Shut - Julie Kelly

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report -- 4/ 16/26

Notice that events are developing. . .
Democrats Can't Update Their Script On The Iran War To Incorporate New Realities

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 04/15/2026

Trump says to Maria Bartiromo, Iran war is ‘over’ as Vance prepares for second round of peace talks in Pakistan.
If they had not kicked him out of Congress he’d have kept his mouth shut

I leave you with Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3586 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Wednesday Memes … from MaddMedic, Well Shucky Darn, It Must Be Libturd Thursday ~ PM from Woodsterman, Thursday Meme Drop from Midwest Chick's Place, and Friday night's gifs from Wirecutter.

Seattle Woman Charged in Attack on Journalist Outside ICE Facility

It was looking like no one would ever be charged in this attack. ANDY NGO REPORTS: Seattle woman charged 10 months after Brandi Kruse violently mobbed outside ICE facility | The Post Millennial

A Seattle-area woman has been charged with assault 10 months after journalist Brandi Kruse was violently mobbed during an Antifa direct action outside a federal immigration facility.

Fabiana Lucia Cantera-Silvestre (b. Aug. 15, 1995), 30, faces one count of fourth-degree assault and one count of disorderly conduct stemming from a June 14, 2025 incident in Tukwila, Wash., a suburb south of Seattle.

Hat tip to Andy Ngo himself at Ngo Comment:

Her assailants were masked and as the months went by with no arrests, it appeared the case would be closed as so often happens to journalists assaulted by Antifa. However, this week it emerged that prosecutors in Tukwila, Wash. quietly filed charges against a far-left Seattle radical named Fabiana Lucia Cantera-Silvestre.

Brandi Kruse was a reporter for Fox in Seattle during CHAZ and the riots. Since then she has been an independent journalist. These are often targeted by ANTIFA and the like, because they know, that unlike the legacy media, they are not controlled by the Progressive Left.

eBike Catches Fire and Causes Fatality

Not from the fire. From the carbon monoxide. A Small E-Bike Fire Inside a California Apartment Became Fatal Faster Than Anyone Expected

Inside a quiet apartment, an electric bike sits charging. At first, it feels perfectly normal; there is nothing unusual about that. Then a thin stream of smoke begins to rise. Within seconds, the situation shifts from normal to deadly.

Two people are inside. One senses the danger early and escapes. The other stays behind, trying to fight what appears to be a small fire. It is a decision that proves fatal.

He made it outside, but he had likely breathed in several times the lethal dose of carbon monoxide from the battery fire.

In a matter of seconds, the battery begins to release enormous volumes of toxic smoke. A single lithium-ion cell can produce about six liters of smoke. Multiply that across roughly 100 cells in a typical e-bike battery pack, and the result is around 600 liters of dense, poisonous gas flooding a room in under half a minute.

That smoke is not just thick. It is chemically dangerous.

The StacheD video below is a good overview of this incident.

This is the StacheD Training video He Tried to Put Out an E-Bike Fire… and It Killed Him

That's why I recommend evacuating immediately if an ebike, e- scooter, hoverboard, or any other large battery goes into thermal runaway. And I know how this sounds, because I see it in the comments all the time. "So, what? You just want my house to burn down?" Yeah, I kind of do, because the alternative could be your life. As a firefighter, I'd rather come to your house and fight a room and contents fire, or spend a couple hours putting out the whole house if I have to. What I don't want to do is put somebody in a body bag.

The video is 4 and a half minutes long.

Superhuman

I first heard of Charlotte Wessels when she was lead singer for Delain. The guy who is the lead composer for that group had "creative differences" with the rest of the band, and they all quit. I believe that was in 2019, but I would have to look to be sure.

Since then Charlotte Wessels has embarked on a solo career. She has released a few albums, and recently announced a tour for 2026. I think she has a beautiful voice.

This is "Superhuman" by Charlotte Wessels from her 2021 album Tales from Six Feet Under.

There is an official video; I find it very distracting. It is easy to find if you're interested.

Ibogaine in the News

From The Other McCain - Fear and Loathing at Mar-a-Lago? Freaky Friday Flashback to ‘Big Ed’ Muskie

Hunter S. Thompson brought up Ibogaine in relation to the 1972 Campaign of Ed Muskie.

For reasons that were never adequately explained at the time, and which seem ridiculous in hindsight, the media pundits and Democratic Party power brokers decided in advance of the 1972 campaign that Muskie was the front-runner, the man to beat. Thompson had other ideas.

Strange coincidence that Thompson, working for Rolling Stone, was covering George McGovern at the start of the campaign.

The very idea of Rolling Stone sending a correspondent to cover the presidential campaign was weird, at the time, and Thompson’s eccentricities were notorious enough that his hunch about McGovern’s chances didn’t get much credit from other reporters on the campaign trail, and yet in the end he was vindicated — especially in regard to his contempt for the “mainstream” consensus front-runner Ed Muskie.

That is (some of) the background. Click thru for more and the news from today.

There is apparently some use of Ibogaine to treat PTSD. Whether it actually works or not is the issue. The Other McCain has the details.

The Spotify Top 10 - "Other than that, it sounds great."

Rick Beato listened to these songs, so you don't have to. The Spotify Top 10 Got Even Worse

This is what he had to say about number 10 on the list.

There's just nothing interesting here.

The melody is not interesting, the lyrics are not interesting, and the chord progression isn't interesting. I don't think the production's that good.

Other than that, it sounds great.

Number 9 didn't do much better...

Honestly, that song had everything but what it needed.

There are a few songs that he can say good things about, and maybe even one song that is good, though it isn't a genre I like. (American country music.) Most of it is schlock.

The video is 15 minutes long. You can either laugh at popular music, or weep for the state of music in America.

Friday Links - 17 April

We start with Chicago Contrarian, and a critique of the Chicago political mess. How to Address Chicago’s Affordable Housing Needs

Mayor Johnson’s affordable housing plan is an expensive mirage that will do nothing to address the city’s housing crisis. A strategy that unleashes the housing market and caps housing costs is what’s needed

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Grinding Forward

Another good week to be a Senators fan!

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Today’s Yutes Still See Massive College Loan Debt As Pathway To “Purpose”

A college degree is worth what the degree is in, and, too many of the yutes are not looking for hard sciences, hard disciplines. It’s mostly squishy stuff, degrees ending in “Studies” and such. How many are getting degrees in installing solar panels, building hydo-electric dams, making wind turbines? Sciences in order to create actual cleaner energy sources?

The Silicon Graybeard - Three years from now...

So here's just an interesting look at April 13, 2029 - three years from now, but a Friday not a Monday, that we will get the closest known flyby of an asteroid in history, and of the biggest body to ever approach Earth.

The Other McCain - NY Times Keeps Lying About Everything, Including the Basic Facts of Life

The Upshot is a section of the New York Times that advertises itself as providing “analytical journalism in words and graphics,” which is to say, this is the part where they try to add the aura of statistical certainty to their dishonest propaganda: “See? Here’s a chart — numbers don’t lie!”

Sarah Anderson at PJ Media - When 'If We Need to Die, We'll Die' Doesn't Quite Mean What He Says It Does

That's what Cuban "president" Miguel Díaz-Canel said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. He was talking about the fact that Cubans would defend their homeland should the United States invade militarily. (More on that interview in a moment.)

"What does he mean by 'we'?" has been the response of most of the Cuban people.

Bayou Renaissance Man - Points to ponder about small handguns

First, as a general rule small handguns are harder to shoot well than larger handguns. There are several reasons:

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 14 April 2026: Greasy Spork Edition

Sam Altman's home has been targeted by violent idiots for the second time in a week. (SF Standard)

That's not it, guys

Again from The Other McCain - Crazy People Are Dangerous

Say hello to Noemi Guzman and, while you’re at it, go ahead and say good-bye, because Omaha Police on Tuesday saved Nebraska taxpayers the cost of incarcerating Guzman forever:

And again from The Other McCain - Thanks to All the Tip-Jar Hitters!

That is a 200-gram firework “cake,” a multi-shot repeater that shoots 20 aerial bursts in about 24 seconds. We just ordered a case of 18 of those — $154.90 wholesale, but with the 25% Early Bird discount, we paid just $116.18 to add 360 shots into our Fourth of July finale.

Again from William Teach - LA Mayor Karen “Failure” Bass Has New Climate (scam) Plan Or Something

Does it involve failing to have the firefighting infrastructure in place, letting it burn, and screwing with homeowners, making it hard to rebuild, and then trying to get them to sell so they can build “affordable” housing, making sure NGOs, friends, and donors get a cut?

A Misleading Headline in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Does this make it sound like he was shot, while lying on the ground, under the car? Man shot in Arlington while stealing catalytic converter | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

He wasn't lying on the ground, under the car.

The shooter stayed at the scene, and police said they detained him for questioning. He told officers he’d heard a noise outside and found a man who was trying to cut and steal a catalytic converter from his vehicle.

“During their interaction, the shooter fired a shot, striking the man,” police said.

Police didn't arrest or charge the shooter, though the investigation is just beginning.

The would-be bad guy was taken to a local hospital.

If you think you can only read the headlines, and maybe the first paragraph of an article to determine what happened, you are kidding yourself. Even in Fort Worth, Texas, the Professional Journalists™ appear to be biased against guns and gun owners.

Do I need to say that Arlington, Texas is between Fort Worth and Dallas?

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

Anti-ICE Liar Facing Defamation Suit

Good. Make it extremely expensive to fabricate evidence. Wisconsin sheriff sues Skokie woman for defamation in ICE detention claim | WGN-TV

A Wisconsin sheriff is now suing a Skokie woman and a Cook County politician for defamation after she claimed she was held at an out-of-state jail after being detained by immigration enforcement officials.

The stupidity is amazing. She apparently doesn't realize that there are security cameras in airports, or in hotel lobbies, or that if you use a credit card you leave a paper trail. She claimed she was held by the Dodge County Sheriff's office in Wisconsin. The Dodge County Sheriff, Dale Schmidt, launched his own investigation.

“At no point was Sundas Naqvi in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Schmidt said. “This is not a misunderstanding or a minor discrepancy. This is not a violation of the constitutional or civil rights of Sundas Naqvi or those allegedly with her. The timeline being claimed is not physically possible based on the evidence we have, and that matters.”

She claims she was held by DHS, but security video shows her leaving the screening area by herself.

She claims she was held in Wisconsin, hotel records show Naqvi stayed at a Rosemont hotel.

Schmidt said Friday that while he has no evidence that Naqvi broke the law in Wisconsin, he would like to see charges filed in Cook County since Naqvi allegedly used someone’s credit card without their permission.

Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison is also named in the suit, because he jumped on the bandwagon, and held a press conference "denouncing" the situation.

Hat tip to Pirate's Cove: Sheriff Sues Women Who Falsely Claimed She Was Held In ICE Detention

Why did she do this and drag others into it? To demonize ICE? To add Islamophobia into it? Because liberal women are broken? Too bad all the news outlets who jumped on the story and ran with it instead of doing Journalism 101 can’t be sued, as well

Cops Save 3-Year-Old Kidnap Victim

This is a case of crazy people are dangerous. Woman who allegedly cut, tried to kidnap toddler at Walmart is fatally shot by police

Police fatally shot a woman who they said cut a 3-year-old boy in the face during an alleged kidnapping attempt at a Walmart in Omaha, Nebraska, Tuesday morning.

She took a knife from the store, threatened the child's "caretaker" and tried to leave with the child.

When she was confronted by police, she sliced the child across the face. Cops shot her.

The child was taken to a local hospital, and is recovering.

Hat tip to Miguel Gonzalez: Absolute Righteous Shooting.

Not the most Christian thing for me to say, but I hope it hurt her all the way to Hell. Yes, she was a mental case and she previously (2024) cut her own father and then tried to set him on fire only to go to a local church with the knife, break in and destroy property inside.

We need to stop turning people who cannot face trial free on the street to create more mayhem.

Atlanta Isn't What It Used to Be

Another story of people with blinders on... The Dumbest White Liberal in Georgia : The Other McCain

Because I’m a native of Atlanta, I’m old enough to remember when DeKalb County was nice — affluent, prestigious, even. But the DeKalb County of 40 or 50 years ago has ceased to exist, and the only white people who live there now are those too stupid to understand their imminent peril.

Pretending otherwise...

So what would you do, if you called 911, and no one bothered to respond to your situation?

This is the story of a woman caught in a "chaotic street takeover" in DeKalb County. Click thru.

It is probably worth quoting John Farnam's Rules of Stupid, even though nothing bad happened to her. Well, 45 minutes after her initial call, when she was "safe at home," she did get a text message from 911 asking if she still needed help.

“Don’t go to stupid places; don’t associate with stupid people; don’t do stupid things.”

That's by way of the The Bugscuffle Gazette

Now there are 2 things to note about the 911 call. The first is that she was scared when she called 911, and the situation was such that if the crowd turned violent, she would have been screwed. She was, however, not being attacked, so it wasn't a high-priority call. The second thing to note, is that 45 minutes is a really long time to wait if something bad happens, and if the crowd did break open her car window, she probably wouldn't have had time to call 911 back. So she would have been screwed, and been on her own.

Which brings me to the Graham Combat Killhouse Rules, because our whole modern world seems to be predicated on the idea that you are not responsible for your own safety.

The Graham Combat Killhouse Rules:

1. NOBODY IS COMING TO SAVE YOU.  Whether an event lasts a few seconds, a few hours, or even a few days – you have to work as though nobody is coming to save you.

2. You are your savior, so start working because EVERYTHING IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.  You are your security, you are your medic, you are your rescuer.

3. You are your own best resource to SAVE WHO NEEDS TO BE SAVED.  Nobody wants to save your life more than you, so set yourself up for success by having the simple tools and knowledge to do so: do what you can with what you have.  Recognize that nobody is in a better position to start saving your life than you.

4. Sometimes saving lives means you have to KILL WHO NEEDS TO BE KILLED.  It has been almost 15 years since I first wrote “the more effective you are at taking a life, the more successful you’ll be at saving one” and nothing in the intervening time has changed my mind.  Be swift, be decisive, be final.

5. Mostly, ALWAYS BE WORKING.  There is always something you can be doing to improve your position.  Always.  Because nobody is coming to save you.