The Defender Didn't Need to Fire a Shot

The Bad Guy showed up with a gun, and the bad guy ran. Armed Suspect Robs Victims In Their Yard, Shots Fired: New Haven Police | New Haven, CT Patch

He showed up in a backyard, and tried to rob people who were outside the home.

When another resident of the house saw what was happening on their surveillance camera, he went outside with his own legally registered gun to challenge the suspect, who then fired two shots before fleeing on foot, police said.

No one was hit by gunfire.

Police arrested someone who was wearing the same clothing, at a nearby store the next day. He was detained, and searched. It was discovered that he had a gun.

[He] is charged with interfering with an officer, carrying a pistol or revolver without a permit, criminal possession of a firearm/ammunition, illegal possession of a controlled substance, and stealing a firearm.

The investigation is in early days. It still sounds like Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

SWAT Raided Her Home Looking For Someone Already in Jail

Not only was he in jail, he had been in jail for 4 months. A simple Google search could have shown that. Atlanta Woman Sues Officers, U.S. Government for Wrongly Raiding Her Home in Search of Man Already in Jail - Institute for Justice

I have covered cops not knowing how to read a map. I have covered cops lying. This is perhaps the stupidest thing I have seen cops do. Perhaps.

Before the sun came up, Cathy George heard a loud pounding at her door. When she answered with her small, frightened dog in her arms, she found a heavily armed SWAT team of U.S. Marshals and DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies. After officers pulled her into the hallway and surged into her home, it became clear that they were searching for a man named Joshua Smiley.

But Smiley had been in jail for months, and the raid on Cathy’s home was both a terrible mistake and a violation of the U.S. Constitution and Georgia laws.

This doesn't even cover the fact that Cathy George had lived in her apartment for 3 or 4 years, and had never heard of Joshua Smiley.

So how did cops screw up so badly? All they will say is that they "made a mistake."

This is the Institute for Justice video He Was Already in Jail—So Why Did SWAT Raid Her Home?

And as stupid as this is, the record for the most useless SWAT team in America is still held by our friends from Uvalde, Texas. (Don't they look snazzy in their outfits?)

Who Benefits?

Mike Rowe asks the obvious question about Climate Science. Cui bono?

Paul Ehrlich was a distinguished evolutionary biologist who spent most of his career at Stanford University. He was also a highly respected environmentalist with all the proper credentials, and a media darling. (Johnny Carson alone had him on over a dozen times.) The Population Bomb was read by millions of people and reprinted no less than 20 times, making it one of the most consequential environmental books of the 20th century. And, just like An Inconvenient Truth, it was complete and total fiction.

Opportunists like Gore and Ehrlich have always been with us and always will be. The most charitable thing we can say about them today is that they were wrong, but I’m not feeling charitable these days. I’m looking instead, for the next grifter who wants to prosper by scaring me about the coming apocalypse, in whatever form it might take.

Are we shocked, that after 20 years, the doom and gloom from An Inconvenient Truth turned out to be wrong?

Sindarov Wins 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament with Round To Spare

Chess is just something I am interested in. 2026 FIDE Candidates Round 13: Sindarov Clinches With Round To Spare; Women's Still Wide Open

Javokhir Sindarov, age 20, is an FIDE grandmaster from Uzbekistan.

GM Javokhir Sindarov has won the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament with a round to spare after a draw against GM Anish Giri in round 13. More important than the €70,000 prize, he will be the next challenger to GM Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title.

€70,000 is a pretty good payday.

FIDE stands for Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or in English, The International Chess Federation. It is the governing body for chess.

Sindarov doesn't have much time to celebrate or even to rest, as in two weeks he'll play in the Grand Chess Tour's Super Rapid & Blitz Poland. Not to mention the preparation for the most important match of his life.

As I type this, there is one more day left in the tournament, thoug Sindarov has won. The remaining players are playing to determine how the purse will be distributed. The timing and the venue for the World Championship between Javokhir Sindarov and Gukesh Dommaraju has not been announced.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 15 April

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

Victory Girls Blog has Sunday morning cafe cocktails linkage.
Vlad Tepes has linkage.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.13.26

Upstream Reviews: Engines of Liberty
L’Ombre de L’Olivier: A Weekend In Geopolitics Is A Long Time

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 12 April 2026: Is It Real Edition

My [AI] baby deer plushie told me that Mitski's dad is a CIA operative. (The Verge)
Nobody ever expects the Butlerian Jihad.

EBL - How is Democrat Eric Swalwell doing?

Instapundit: Democrats forcing Swalwell out of CA Governor's race...
TOM: The Christine Blasey Ford Standard and the Sudden Destruction of Eric Swalwell

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEWS

ITEM 13: Morad Vaisi, a Senior Analyst at Iran International, reported, “52 senior Iranian officials and commanders killed in US and Israeli attacks.”
52 dead. Zero funerals or there would be more dead.

Vlad Tepes - The Pope, the Irish counter-revolution, and acid tests for how communist your polity actually is: Links 1 for April 14, 2026

2. I really wanted to address what is taking place in Ireland as a separate post, and even started one, but it looks like I won’t be able to manage it. So I’ll post a few data points and the thesis here.

Small Dead Animals - Saturday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: California’s Barbie bigot. Victor Davis Hanson – NATO free riders. Douglas Murray – Crush Iran. Deluded Trump haters.
Conman Carney’s Canada: Ban on biblical truths. Muslim values are Canadian values.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 04.14.26

Chicago Boyz: Worth Pondering, also, When David Met Leo
Da Tech Guy: Pintastic NE 2026 Video of the Day Some New Games
Don Surber: Rooting for Iran

Political Hat - News of the Week (April 12th, 2026)

‘A wow moment’: Democrats make big gains in key battlegrounds
They notched a landslide victory in Wisconsin and cut into the GOP’s margins in Georgia’s reddest House district.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Swalwell Rape Saga Breaks Out

Rod Martin notices Chinese Weapons Failed in Venezuela and Iran. Now Beijing Faces the Consequences. "Battlefield humiliation did more than embarrass the CCP. It exposed the rot in Beijing’s military model, badly set back its bid to become a major arms exporter."

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 4/14/2026

Disney to Eliminate 1,000 Positions
Walt Disney new chief executive Josh D’Amaro announced layoffs in an email to employees on Tuesday, as he looks to streamline the company’s operations.

The Glibertarians - Sunday Morning Financial Devastation Links

TACO Sunday. Which is not a Mexican dessert.
Commie Pope has opinions.

Flopping Aces - The most abusive President in the history of the United States

Joe Biden demonized Republicans, calling them a “clear and present danger.”
And as a means of dealing with that threat Biden chose censorship, in part by floating a Disinformation Governance Board, a thinly veiled plan to shut down the free speech

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

Pirates Cove Japanese Metal Fan, And PM, Squees Over Deep Purple Visit
Freedom Is Just Another Word.. .Saturday Memes…

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Foreign billionaires reportedly fund millions to groups that oppose American AI infrastructure
Jacobin Confusion on Social Security

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Globalism is a Crime Scene: Iran is the Master-level Reset.

• Hormuz Update: U.S. Navy Clearing Mines in Strait David Blackmon
• Show Me the Money – The Trump Tax Cuts Benefit the Middle Class Stephen Moore

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report 4/ 13 /26

The Green Mountain State is a textbook case of how progressives employ social justice causes to drain the wallets and dreams of citizens.
How progressives rob working-class Vermonters

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 04/14/2026

CIA Director John Ratcliffe: “Adam Schiff covertly conspired with the fake whistleblower Eric Ciaramella in an attempt to overthrow the sitting President.”

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 04-12-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Sunday Memes … from MaddMedic, Sunday Meme Drop from Midwest Chick's Place, Monday Memes from Granite Grok, and Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3574 from 90 Miles from Tyranny.

Defensive Gun Uses During July 2025 - a List

A collection of stories from The Crime Prevention Research Center. Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 35 Cases During July 2025 - Crime Prevention Research Center

Yes, the stories are from July of last year, but since there is more than one per day, I'm sure I missed some of them. While I haven't checked, I'm sure there is some overlap with what I did cover.

Take Public Transit? Maybe When It Is Safe

Didn't NYC just institute a tax for driving to force people onto transit? Exclusive | NYC train, bus robberies climb 21% from same period last year

There were 128 muggings on trains and buses as of April 5, a 21% surge over the 106 from the same period last year and experts fear it will get worse.

Felony assaults ticked down 6% in the same period, from 171 to 160, but that sum does not include the three horrific attacks on innocent straphangers Saturday by an unhinged, machete-wielding maniac. Assaults are up 60% when compared to pre-Covid 2019.

Mamdani's solution? Cut the NYPD budget.

Under former Mayor Eric Adams, the NYPD deployed 300 additional officers for train patrols in January 2025 to combat crime and improve the perception of safety. The cops specifically targeted overnight shifts with two officers per train.

Crime went down under that initiative, but overtime cuts in February under Mayor Mamdani’s new administration reduced those patrols.

Because things will magically get better on their own, or something.

Now I understand the NYC is broke, but maybe they should prioritize public safety a bit higher. I know the democrats won't do that.

Taxman

It is Tax Day in the USA. So here is something appropriate.

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold, I'll tax the heat
If you try to walk, I'll tax your feet

This song is "Taxman" by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. It was released as a single in 1995. I can't find if this was ever a part of an album, aside from the 2014 Greatest Hits album. It is a song that was originally written and recorded by The Beatles.

CNN Is Distressed By the Truth

Because it doesn't support their favorite narrative. Trump posts graphic video of deadly hammer attack in Florida, putting renewed focus on immigration debate | CNN

A Haitian national has been charged with murder after officials say he repeatedly struck a woman with a hammer outside a convenience store in Florida last week, the latest immigration case thrust into the national spotlight by President Donald Trump.

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirate's Cove: Media Seems Upset That Trump Highlighted A Murderous, Violent Illegal Who Killed Woman With A Hammer

See, it’s not the problem for the Credentialed Media that an illegal murdered a lady with a hammer, nope, it’s that Trump highlighted this

You only think you hate the media enough. You don't hate them enough.

Tuesday Links - 14 April

William Teach at Pirate's Cove is up first with Tiny Fossil Fuels Reliant Nation Of Vanautu Pushes For End Of Fossil Fuels

Yeah, well, we’ll see if the rich, 1st world governments do so, probably over the objections of their citizens. The US will shut it down. Even if China votes for it they’ll ignore it. If Vanuatu votes for it they’ll have to revert to living like it’s 1499

MaddMedic at Freedom Is Just Another Word… - Canada Moves Toward Criminalizing Bible …

Canada, the UK, Australia…all on hell bound train.

American Thinker - Democrats Are Killing the Country with Racism

As Root repeatedly points out, Democrat-run states are destroying themselves. By electing “evil, communist madmen like LA Mayor Karen Bass, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani,” Democrats have ensured that their cities “will soon collapse and drown in a sea of crime and debt.”

The Silicon Graybeard - Hard to think of a better conclusion to Artemis II than that

For the last hour before splashdown and the first 20 minutes or so after it, I was watching the NASA feed as it happened. It seemed that Every Single Milestone they called out was good.

Alice Jones Webb at Take It Outside - Camo Is Not a Costume

So when I hear someone say camo is having a moment, I don’t know what to do with that. Because I’ve seen it stiff with cold. Torn on barbed wire. Soaked in blood. Dragged through mud. Laid across a tailgate while somebody catches their breath. Cut off a barely-breathing body.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 10 April 2026: Peterbyte Edition

Anthropic has lost an appeal in its attempt to stop the Pentagon from blacklisting it for being a bunch of - and I quote, or something like that - "treacherous idiot commie weasels who smell bad". (CNBC)

I'm not sure what Anthropic expects to achieve here.

The Other McCain - The Big Yellow Button Is Back Again!

We are now less than three months away from the 250th anniversary of American independence, which means that the “Early Bird Special” at my favorite fireworks wholesaler will soon be ending.

The Silicon Graybeard - Now that that's over with

All that to say, NASA has visibly improved since Jared Isaacman took over. I suspect (without good, direct evidence) that it's because of his experience with the modern space industry (Space 2.0 as we tend to call it), flying in SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules a couple of times, when we called him Rook Isaacman.

Again from The Other McCain - Stop the Gerrymander, Virginia!

If the election of Abigail Spanberger as governor of Virginia has proven anything, it’s that there are no more “moderate” Democrats. Since taking office in January, Spanberger has been ramming through a left-wing agenda that might be more suitable to Berkeley, California, than to the Old Dominion, and the very worst of it is the proposal to redistrict Virginia’s congressional map by an outrageous partisan gerrymander.

Once again from The Other McCain - Memo From the National Desk: Tales of Fear and Loathing in the Commonwealth

There’s a reason I don’t believe in quitting, because I have seen miracles with my own eyes. If you believe you can win, confidence is contagious, and a real grassroots effort can overcome even the most formidable odds. Such are the odds facing Republicans in this Virginia referendum battle, where the GOP has been outspent at least 3-to-1 by the big-money Democrats (including, of course, George Soros).

Crazy People Are Riding Public Transit

Crazy people are dangerous, and making NYC transit the kind of place to avoid. Machete-wielding NYC maniac who slashed 3 elderly straphangers at Grand Central Terminal called himself ‘Lucifer’

A criminal slashed three elderly people with a machete — while calling himself “Lucifer” — in an unprovoked attack and was fatally shot by cops at Grand Central Terminal Saturday morning, police said.

This is the backdrop of NYC taxing people for NOT taking transit.

But they have that communist mayor doing stuff like cutting the NYPD, because reasons.

Officers also “attempted to deescalate” and offer assistance, saying “We are going to get you help,” Tisch told reporters.

But Griffin advanced toward them with the blade extended, she said.

“One officer discharged his firearm striking the perpetrator twice,” Tisch said.

It is a good thing that legal, defensive weapons are not allowed on NYC transit; someone might have been hurt. Or something.

The Swedish Rape Crisis

The authorities are ignoring the crisis, because you are racist for even noticing. UPDATED: The TRUTH about the Swedish rape crisis

So the crime figures for 2025 in Sweden is now in. And once again, it is looking very bad.

This is a follow up to an article from a few years back.

Sweden has a rape crisis and it is not being talked about because it doesn’t fit the mainstream media agenda of Sweden supposedly being some kind of Socialist utopia.

In fact, would you be surprised if I told you that El Salvador now has much, much less reported rapes than Sweden? The truth may shock you.

Most of the article is behind a paywall, but enough is available.

Things are so bad that 17.9% of 15 year old girls report having been a victim of a sexual crime in Sweden.

Click thru.

158-year-old Home Distilling Ban Is Unconstitutional

News you can use. US appeals court declares 158-year-old home distilling ban unconstitutional

Writing for a three-judge panel, Circuit Judge Edith Hollan Jones said the ban actually reduced tax revenue by preventing distilling in the first place, unlike laws that regulated the manufacture and labeling of distilled spirits on which the government could collect taxes.

She also said that under the government’s logic, Congress could criminalize virtually any in-home activity that might escape notice from tax collectors, including remote work and ‌home-based ⁠businesses.

If they could outlaw something, just because that means they can't tax it, they could outlaw your garden, you fruit trees, whatever. You're eating veggies you didn't pay taxes on.

To say nothing of home brewing or winemaking.

Not an issue I'm invested in, but I am in favor of liberty. (Hat tip to M D Campbell on X)

The Weekend in Chicago

Warm weather, 70 degrees or more, came to the Windy City this past weekend. 30 people shot across Chicago this weekend, a 50% increase from last year - CWB Chicago

Warm weekend weather helped drive a sharp year-over-year increase in shootings across Chicago, according to information released by the Chicago Police Department. While only one homicide was reported, 29 other people were wounded by gunfire, with victims ranging in age from 13 to 46.

The killed versus wounded ratio says more about the state of emergency medicine in Chicago than the marksmanship of the bad guys. Before a trauma center was opened on the south side, or re-opened, an ambulance ride to the north side trauma centers added considerable amount of time to reach a hospital for half of the city.

Data compiled by HeyJackass, a website that independently tracks Chicago crime using public records and open-source reporting

The details are both at the link above, and at HeyJackass!

Who Will You Follow

Evanescence is a band I've liked for years, since hearing their breakout single "Bring Me to Life" back in 2003. The combination of Amy Lee's singing voice, and the Hard Rock chops of the rest of the band make for a compelling combination.

The rest of the band consists of guitarist Tim McCord, drummer Will Hunt, guitarist Troy McLawhorn, and bassist Emma Anzai.

They released a new song on Friday, that is worth listening to, aside from it just being new music. They have a tour announced that kicks off at the end of April, but really gets rolling in June.

This song is "Who Will You Follow" by Evanescence. It was released as a single on 10 April 2026. It will be a part of the album Sanctuary, which is scheduled to be released in June.

How to Eliminate Representation

The Other McCain has some background on "redistricting" in Georgia. Natives vs. Newcomers in Virginia: What ‘Spanberger’s Lobster’ Is Really About

The two basic principles of a good map are that districts should be (a) coherent and (b) compact. By “coherent,” I mean that the geography of a district ought to make some kind of sense; counties shouldn’t be split up unnecessarily and districts ought not to cross mountain ranges or major rivers if such distortions can be avoided. By “compact,” I mean that a district ought not to go sprawling over the countryside for no reason. The shape of the district should not resemble a lizard or a crustacean.

Go read the whole thing.

Neighbor Intervenes in Domestic Dispute

This is a tragedy, with little information. 'He was going to shoot the kids': Stepfather gunned down by next-door neighbor while trying to kill his stepdaughters during family fight that 'spilled outside,' cops say | Law & Crime

A stepfather tried to kill his adult stepdaughters. One of them was killed, one shot and injured. They ran outside where a neighbor intervened by shooting, and killing the stepfather.

Another neighbor later described the shooter as being in shock.

The investigation is in early days, but the cops did not arrest the shooter, because Washington State has a long history of recognizing self-defense, and defense of others, as a legal right.

Puyallup, Washington is about a 10 mile drive southeast of downtown Tacoma, or about a 30 mile drive south of Seattle.

Self-defense is a human right.

Is The Buffalo City School System Obstructing an Investigation?

There was an incident in the Buffalo City Schools system, where an outsider gained access to a school and tried to abduct two children. It came to light in April of last year when Buffalo Police Detective Richard Hy (Angry Cops) went on the Unsubscribe Podcast and blew the top off the cover-up.

Since then, it sounds like the Buffalo District Attorney's Office is saying that the school district, and their legal team, is obstructing the investigation.

Richard Hy states in this video that his children will never attend Buffalo Public Schools, apparently because he has seen too much.

This is the Unsubscribe Clips video Buffalo Public Schools Are REFUSING To Protect Children - SVU Detective Exposes Investigation. It is a 20 minute video, but I think it is worth your time.

That is the highlights reel. The full episode, Unsubscribe Podcast 256: Police Detective Breaks Down The Buffalo Public Schools Investigation, which is one hour and 28 minutes. I have not made it all the way through the full episode. Yet. But I intend to.

UN Judge Convicted of Keeping Slave in the UK

Why is the UN still funded? UN judge convicted of slavery offences at Oxford Crown Court

Lydia Mugambe, from Uganda, is apparently not a nice person.

A United Nations judge has been convicted of forcing a young woman to work as a slave.

No narrative support from this story. Don't expect to see it on the national media on this side of the pond.

Prosecutors said Lydia Mugambe "took advantage of her status" over her victim by preventing her from holding down steady employment while forcing her to work as her maid and provide childcare for free.

Click thru for the details. Sentencing will be on May 2nd.