Friday Links - 11 July

Lone Star Parson is up first with Nothing To See Here

Epstein committed suicide. He didn't have any "clients." Not a single powerful, wealthy, important person ever went to his private island resort and even if they did, which they didn't, it was to enjoy sun, sand and sea.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - ZOMG: Trump Hires Scientists Who Think The Climate Crisis Scam Is A Scam

Consensus is not science. The consensus at one time was that the Sun went around the Earth. Dinosaurs were lizards. Ulcers were caused by stress. That plate tectonics was mule fritters. Really, the wackos have weaponized consensus, especially as it relates to the climate cult.

Paul Serran at The Gateway Pundit - PANIC IN BRUSSELS: Globalists Tremble as Patriots for Europe Group Will Lead Negotiations on the EU’s Climate ‘Target’, Ditch ‘Climate Fanaticism’ and Suicidal Policies

As much as they tried in 2024, the liberal-Globalist Brussels establishment was not able to thwart the surging European rightwing parties, who have become a formidable force that is fighting for power all over Europe.

Clayton Cramer - Higher Education Whining Higher Education Whining

Yes, if you have $2 million per student endowment, you are a hedge fund that dabbles in education.

Again from William Teach - Rich Folks Worried About Global Boiling Driven Storms Build Better Homes In Path Of Storms

If these people were truly worried about the Doom from coastal storms they wouldn’t, you know, build homes at the coast, right?

Jim Treacher - Grok Goes Goosestepper?

There’s no law against starting your own party, of course. Nobody is forcing anybody to vote for a Republican or a Democrat. But maybe Elon should’ve asked his robot Grok about Ross Perot’s vanity campaign in 1992. The old coot ended up costing George Bush a second term, not to mention inflicting the Clintons on us for the rest of their lives. Is that really what Elon wants?

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 9 July 2025: Oops All Hitler Edition

Yesterday I noted that Twitter was taking steps to make its AI chatbot, Grok, "less politically correct".

It looks instead of making it 5% more Hitler, they dialed it up to 500%. (Tech Crunch)

For a few hours it sounded like a cross between Heinrich Himmler and the Ayatollah Khamenei, or a moderate Democrat.

Don't Bring a Knife to a Gunfight

Also, people need to come to terms with the sentence, "It's over!" California homeowner shoots, kills intruder later revealed as wife's ex-boyfriend | FOX 11 Los Angeles

Even the media in Deep Blue Los Angeles noted that this intruder was known to the people in the home, or at least one person in the home. People you know can be a threat, and this is one of the canonical examples: an ex-boyfriend turned stalker.

What we know: Officials with the Simi Valley Police Department said they received a shots fired call from a neighborhood at 12:50 a.m. Wednesday, June 18.

Six minutes later, they received another call from a homeowner stating they had shot an intruder following a confrontation.

The guy who got shot was declared dead at a local hospital.

The couple had multiple issues with the suspect at the home and the woman had a temporary restraining order against her ex in the past.

In Texas, or Oklahoma, the authorities would be saying this is clearly self-defense. In Florida the local sheriff would issue a statement about how it is a good thing that the law abiding are able to defend themselves and their families from bad guys.

But this took place in California, so the authorities will see if there is some way to charge the guy who was forced to defend himself from an armed intruder with a crime. Why? Because you can't allow individual action and individual responsibility to take hold in a Liberal enclave like Simi Valley.

Simi Valley, California is about 12 miles north of Malibu, about 11 miles southwest of Santa Clarita, and about a 40 mile drive from downtown Los Angeles.

But whatever the authorities in California may decide, self-defense is a human right.

The Environmental Devastation Caused by the Production of Electric Vehicles

The West has mostly outsourced rare-earth mining, to China. They get all of the toxic waste associated with that. China Has Paid a High Price for Its Dominance in Rare Earths - The New York Times.

If you're not clear on how Rare Earths figure in our technology, there is an explanation below the embedded video.

Of course the fact that China doesn't give a damn about the environmental devastation visited upon people far from the country's capital, means that the production of rare earth metals is much cheaper in China than can be managed in civilized countries.

For decades in northern China, toxic sludge from rare earth processing has been dumped into a four-square-mile artificial lake. In south-central China, rare earth mines have poisoned dozens of once-green valleys and left hillsides stripped to barren red clay.

Achieving dominance in rare earths came with a heavy cost for China, which largely tolerated severe environmental damage for many years.

The article, which was originally in the New York Times, used past tense in that last sentence. I'm not really sure that the attitude of the Chinese government toward the environmental impacts has changed.

An artificial lake of sludge known as the Weikuang Dam, four square miles in size, holds the waste left over after metals are extracted from mined ore. During the winter and spring, the sludge dries out. The dust that then blows off the lake is contaminated with lead, cadmium and other heavy metals, including traces of radioactive thorium, according to technical papers by Chinese scholars.

During the summer rainy season, the sludge becomes coated with a layer of water that mixes with poisons and thorium. This dangerous mix seeps into the groundwater underneath the lake.

This is the MGUY Australia video Quickie: China's environmental DEVASTATION from rare earth mining. The video is about 4 minutes long.

Here is a bit from CNN about What are rare earths used for?

Rare earths are ubiquitous in the technologies we rely on every day, from smartphones to wind turbines to LED lights and flat-screen TVs. They’re also crucial for batteries in electric vehicles as well as MRI scanners and cancer treatments.

Rare earths are also essential for the US military. They’re used in F-35 fighter jets, submarines, lasers, satellites, Tomahawk missiles and more, according to a 2025 research note from CSIS.

SIG Sauer and the Ongoing P320 Kerfuffle

It seems that ICE agents are no longer authorized to carry this sidearm. They are going to take it up the.... - by Miguel Gonzalez

For those of you not in the know, SIG has been accused of producing a firearm in the P320 that "goes off by itself." This isn't an isolated incident or two. And now has spilled over to the LEOs at the federal level.

Law Enforcement and Military sales are pittance compared to civilian sales, we all know that. But they do have some influence on what people buy and even more on what people do not buy if safety is an issues, right or wrong.

It is my belief that the safety issue is related to some design clash between the gun itself and retention holsters. Sort of like binary explosives: individually they are perfectly safe, but when combined, boom will follow.

SIG's reaction has been denial, and a hearty F- You to anyone who has had an issue.

Good news however: I figure in a year or sooner, we will have a glut of P320s at deeply discounted prices at Gun Shows.

When a certain PD replaced all of its revolvers with Glocks, officers kept shooting themselves. In the end, there wasn't anything wrong with the Glock in question, but that the cops weren't used to the ease with which a striker-fired pistol could be discharged. Glock didn't say F You. They bought back all of the firearms. And got a lot of good will.

Glock also had problems of their own, and they fixed those problems. That also generated good will.

And you should click thru just for the meme.

Two Stories of Home-Built Firearms

Impro Guns always has the stories about home-built and 3D printed firearms, which drive the anti-gun crowd bananas. How dare people build things that we don't let them buy! Or something.

First we have a story on the .22 Harlot. Turkish Black Market 3D Printed .22 Derringers

Harlots are mostly 3D printed, with a few items, like metal tubing and springs, picked up at your local hardware store.

3D printed Harlot .22 pistols being offered on the Turkish black market for just under $100 a pop. Supply is infinite as these can be continuously pumped out in the bedroom of this particular entrepreneur while he is away enjoying the finer things in life.

The Australians are particularly upset because they have moved heaven and earth to make guns all but illegal, and semiautomatics extra illegal.

There is a link to a video I have not watched. Yet.

The second story is from Brazil. Phone Booth Spray System Eliminator

I said "story" but it is just a photo of a 9mm semiautomatic confiscated in that country.

Lovingly crafted deep in a favela from bits of scrap.

Looks to be from the plans by Professor Parabellum, or something similar.

In both cases, you should click thru for the photos alone.

Are Canadians Waking Up to Self-Defense?

I'm sure the prosecutors don't want to see that happen. Jury acquits teen who claimed self-defence in fatal Toronto school shooting, saying he carried gun because his neighbourhood was ‘like Iraq’

A Toronto jury on Friday acquitted a 20-year-old man of second-degree murder, accepting his claim that he fired four shots in self-defence, believing the victim — 18-year-old Jefferson Guerrier — was “lunging” at him with a knife outside a high school in the city’s east end.

You can't rely on The State to provide things that The State cannot provide. One of those things is your personal safety in the moment of a violent attack. Canadians, and Europeans, have been in denial for a couple of generations, but I think they are fianally figuring things out. Or at least the Canadians seem to be.

Only the Rich Should Have Rights, Or Something

So says the Left in California. Expensive Gun Control: San Jose Concealed Carry Permit Costs $1,443

An initial application for a concealed carry weapon permit in San Jose, California, costs $1,443, according to the city’s police department website.

For comparison, the cost of a concealed carry permit in Texas is $40 and in Arizona it is $60. The Indiana State Police website indicates there is zero cost for a permit in Indiana, apart from the $12.95 fee for fingerprinting.

Those poor people, in the bad part of town, don't deserve to be able to defend themselves from crime. That should be reserved for the wealthy. So says the Progressive Left.

And those same Progressives, who claim to be all in favor of helping the poor and downtrodden, don't see anything hypocritical about this state of affairs.

So how is this different from when states in the South were charging a tax to be able to vote, to keep the poor - and the blacks - from voting?

Think about it this way: The cost of a concealed carry firearm is approximately $500 to $700 and the cost of ammo for that firearm, including training time and carry ammo, will probably fall in the $200-$300 range. Add in the $1,443 for a concealed permit and San Jose residents are looking at roughly $2,500.

Progressives. Sticking it to the Poor at every chance they get.

A Failed Generation

Or a generation setup for failure. This is sad, and I don't know that you can blame this on the lockdowns, or not only on the lockdowns. San Francisco employers are hiring etiquette coaches for Gen Z

Didn't any of them have parents? They have no basic skills, and some of them don't even understand personal hygiene.

One supervisor told [Rosalinda Randall, a Marin-based etiquette coach] a new hire repeatedly left food wrappers scattered on the communal lunch table, assuming janitors would clean it up. ‘Their manager didn't know how to handle it, as they didn't want to sound like a parent,' said Randall.

Companies have been reduced to spending money to teach Zoomers how to act like grown ups.

• how to make eye contact
• where to stick your name tag (always on the right)
• how to ask for — not demand — things from your boss.
• personal hygiene (because two new hires did not shower or change their shirts for weeks)
• why being an "office siren" is inappropriate

Hat tip to Not the Bee with Companies are hiring etiquette coaches to help Zoomers acclimate to the workplace, and MaddMedic.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 9 July

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

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

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 07.08.25 (Morning Edition)

Don Surber: Grok-aganda
Elizabeth Nickson: Civilian Hero Mode Activated

DaleyGator - LINKY KINKY LOVE LINKAGE

Doug Ross? Doug Ross is a linking machine
Sultan Knish notes…. GOOD RIDDANCE
Dana Pico writes about John Bolton

EBL - Battle of Aqaba

6 July 1917 : Battle of Aqaba
Lawrence of Arabia

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 7 July 2025: Desert Bus Edition

Why AI sucks. (Dwarkesh)
Because it doesn't learn.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Cleaning Up from July 4

'Becca Downs at TownHall notices The Fact-Checkers Once Again Race to Defend Mamdani and Scott Jennings Offers a Telling Reminder on Democrats' 'Big Tent' Amidst Concerns With Mamdani

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - Russo-Ukrainian War Roundup For July 7, 2025

“SAM System Factory Hit By Drones in Izhevsk, Russia – Over 1,300 km From Ukraine. Liutyi drones hit the Kupol Electromechanical Plant which produces Tor and Osa SAM systems for Russia as well as drones, including Shaheds.”

Vlad Tepes - “French” banned from Swiss pools, Neturei Karta leader banned from Israel and more: Links post 1 for July 7, 2025

But no matter how serious the problem of the behaviour of “French” people is in public pools in Switzerland, and everywhere else in Northern Europe for that matter, it still isn’t serious enough to tell the truth about who is the problem.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 7/6/2025

Over 60 UFOs Reported Zipping Over New York Skies in the First Half of 2025
A jaw-dropping 66 UFOs have been spotted zipping over New York state skies in the first half of 2025, according to data.

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism – Election Integrity Edition!

Federal judge delivers harsher punishments for election fraud than prosecutors requested (case involved fraudulent voter registrations)

Don Surber - Highlights of the week

ITEM 21: DeSantis unveiled a statue of Thomas Jefferson in Jefferson County, Florida, ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary next July Fourth.
Rename Palm Beach County Trump County.

Small Dead Animals - Saturday On Turtle Island

Woke America: VDH – The old socialist playbook. Trump is a wrecking ball. Muslims in New York.
Lord Carney’s Canada: Feds questioned graves story. The insanity excuse again.

Political Hat - News of the Week (July 6th, 2025)

Obama-Appointed Judge Delivers Second Amendment Win
A District Court judge ruled on Tuesday that California should allow non-residents to apply for concealed carry weapons (CCWs) licenses.

The Glibertarians - Saturday evening Links

Let’s get this out of the way. This is an absolute tragedy.
And there’s more to come.
Let the hand wringing commence.

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Black New Yorkers rage over Zohran Mamdani’s ‘African American’ claim: ‘He’s a fraud’
Republicans talk, Trump does

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 7/7 /25

A big dose of their own medicine is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Help New York City Kill Itself

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: We don’t need the America Party, We Already Have MAGA

• Why Do Cities Vote Democrat? Capt. Seth Keshel
• When the drones come, they always turn off the internet and sometimes the electricity. CTH

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 07/05/2025

West Point still has professors pushing Critical Race Theory.
Pfizer Busted Using Irrelevant Study to Deny Genome Integration Risks from Their mRNA Injections.

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 07-06-25 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2745 from 90 Miles from Tryanny, Sunday Funnies from Flopping Aces, and Mondays..... gifdump II from Wirecutter.

Self-Defense Might Be Legal in New Jersey

The DA, judging by how long it took for this to be decided, apparently hates that. N.J. man who fatally shot home intruder will not face charges, officials say

This incident took place on March 2nd, and it took this long for the decision to be made.

The homeowner told dispatchers that a man had entered his home and was standing at the bottom of the stairs undressing, according to officials.

The homeowner said he fired a warning shot but the intruder refused to leave, officials said. After undressing, the man started climbing up the stairs and the homeowner man fired one shot, hitting him in the upper chest, officials said.

Yes, he was disoriented from a car crash, and his clothes were wet on a day when the temperature was 20 degrees Fahrenheit, but there was a naked stranger in this guys home, who was advancing on him. I would call that a "reasonable suspicion of imminent death or grave bodily injury." But then I'm not a prosecutor in the blue state of New Jersey.

In Texas, they would have had to present this case to a grand jury, and it still wouldn't have taken this long to make a determination on a case.

DAs hate self-defense, and I guessing that goes double for DAs in New Jersey.

Still, self-defense is a human right.

Spanish Battery Recycling Plant Fire

Google translate is needed because the English-language stories are missing some details. A fire at a battery plant in Azuqueca de Henares has led to the lockdown of several towns.

I looked at several English-language sources, but none of them mentioned the fact that Envirobat Spain deals with recycling of lithium-ion batteries.

A fire broke out this Friday at a lithium battery recycling plant located in the El Ródano industrial park in Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara), causing a thick column of smoke visible for tens of kilometers. The release of toxic gases has forced the activation of regional emergency plans in both Castilla-La Mancha and the Community of Madrid.

Because when lithium-ion batteries catch fire, which they do quite a lot, they become toxic hazards, both in terms of the gasses they emit, and residue they leave behind. So no, they are NOT environmentally friendly.

The fire broke out in the early afternoon [July 4th] and quickly mobilized emergency services . At 8:15 p.m., the Government of Castilla-La Mancha activated the Territorial Plan of Castilla-La Mancha in alert phase for the entire province of Guadalajara, due to the severity of the fire and the possibility of smoke affecting the nearby population.

Azuqueca de Henares is about 20 miles northeast of downtown Madrid.

The hat tip goes to MGUY Australia and his video 🔥 MASSIVE fire 🔥 engulfs Lithium battery recycling plant

Oromë

Oonagh is a German singer, though she has recently changed her stage name to Senta. Her music is said to be inspired by the lore of J. R. R. Tolkien's universe. And that is the sum total of what I know about her. Well, that, and I like this song, which comes to us by way of the Tidal music streaming service.

Since the song is mostly in German, here is a link to the lyrics and their English translation.

This song is "Oromë" by Oonagh from her self-titled album from 2014.

Tuesday Links - 8 July

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony is first with Daily Tech News 4 July 2025: Fireworks Ahoy Edition

The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill will make it harder for solar and wind renewable energy projects to get access to government funds: They will need to actually build something. (Tech Crunch)

Inconceivable.

Miguel Gonzalez - I'll take "sh** that didn't happen' for $200, Alex.

To say that there are no Spanish-speakers in a hospital in Los Angeles is like saying you can’t find somebody with a Southern accent in Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville.

Massad Ayoob - WHY CHOOSE 1911 – ONE MORE TIME

Individual preferences invite controversy, and as always, we invite your comments here.

MaddMedic - Leftists celebrate Texas flood that killed 32, including 14 Christian girls.

There ghouls need to rot in hell!

Again from Pixy Misa - Daily News Stuff 5 July 2025: Antidoom Edition

There is no safe amount of processed meat in your diet, according to idiots. (CNN)

Why, eating as little as one hot dog every single day could increase your risk of diabetes and cancer.

At no point did CNN consider the possibility of eating more than zero but fewer than one hot dog per day.

Jihad Watch - On the Death of Karen Diamond

Karen Diamond was the 82-year-old Jewish woman taking part in a gathering in support of the Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado on June 1. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an illegal immigrant from Egypt, threw flammable liquid on, and set fire to, thirteen of those people standing in quiet prayer, witnesses who were there to remind the world of the hostages still held in Gaza by their Hamas torturers. His attack left 13 of the 29 members of the group wounded, some of them in critical condition. Karen Diamond was one of them; she has just died.

SiGraybeard - We have an extrasolar interloper

This is the third object determined to be from beyond our solar system that has been observed passing through our "neighborhood." Astronomers expect to find more with new tools designed to identify near-Earth objects.

The Other McCain - A Notorious Menace to Public Safety

The public is never safe as long as these habitual criminals are on the street, and so the goal of law enforcement should be to identify these hard-core types and, when they are apprehended for one of their many crimes, make sure they go to prison for the maximum sentence. I’ve called this “The Al Capone Rule” — it was difficult to get criminal convictions against the Chicago gang boss, so the feds indicted him for income tax evasion and put him away.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Not Long Before The End

After a week like this, I’m tempted to let the robot run the team for our last series on Thursday in Pittsburgh, but that would be dishonorable.

David Bittinger at John Kass News - The Goodness Grift

They’re 21st century liberals, and they are very good people. Just ask them.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Bummer: BBB Hits Illegal Aliens And Legal Immigrants Over Health Care

When people apply for visas, be they work or student, they are supposed to be self-supporting, not having the citizens of the US pay for them to be here. That is part of the terms of those visas. So, they shouldn’t be on Obamacare and getting tax credits. They shouldn’t be on Medicaid.

Alcohol Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

It causes you to do stupid stuff, and then you get shot. Homeowner shoots intruder in Pike County, Kentucky

After he got shot, he was arrested.

According to Kentucky State Police, troopers were called to the scene just before midnight after an intruder was shot by a homeowner. KSP says the man had entered a home on West 5th Street in Elkhorn City and started threatening the homeowner and their family.

He was armed, but his gun did not go off when he tried to fire it. The homeowner shot him in the leg, and he left.

According to KSP, troopers found Standifur in an alleyway near the home and say he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol during the incident. Troopers say he still had the firearm and allegedly made multiple threats to harm law enforcement.

It took them a couple of hours to get him into custody, and he is charge with resisting arrest in addition to the home invasion, and one of the charges is attempted murder. Police say that "alcohol intoxication" was involved. Color me surprised.

Pike County, Kentucky is about 110 miles southeast of Lexington, or about 110 miles northeast of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The injury to his leg was non-life-threatening. He was taken to a local hospital, and then to lockup.

Self-defense is a human right. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

Florida's Stand Your Ground Law v Brady Campaign - 20 Years On

Miguel Gonzalez on the Brady Campaign's hatred of Florida. What failure looks like 20 years later.

Miguel found an old photo from 2005 of the Brady Campaign handing out "warning leaflets" at Miami International Airport about the new Stand Your Ground law enacted in Florida.

Every single Gun Control Group, almost every newspaper and media outlet was furiously bashing the law and Democrats were swearing on several dozen stack of bibles that Florida was about to become the Wild West. The fight against SYG continue for at least 5 more years till they figured out that Floridians liked the law and a case in Miami made it to the State Supreme Court and it confirmed as firm law of the land.

The kicker was when the gun control group would issue a recommendation that came to be view as anti-Hispanic.

That pamphlet indicated that visitors should not be loud or use hands in wild gestures for fear that armed Floridians may be startled by that and shoot them on sight….which was probably one the dumbest thing ever said in a community which is 65% Hispanic known to speak very loudly and gesturing so much with our hands, we make Italians look like mute quadriplegics.

It helped get the "Brady Bunch" tagged as racists. At least in certain parts of the country.

Click thru.

Is Drug Criminalization Racist?

No. From The Bureau: The Left Thinks Drug Criminalization Is Racist. Minorities Disagree

Is drug prohibition racist? Many left-wing institutions seem to think so. But their argument is historically illiterate—and it contradicts recent polling data, too, which show that minorities overwhelmingly reject that view.

While the polling data is out of Canada, the Canadian cities have the same drug-induced problems we see in our cities.

And you can see the cultural disparity clearly, if you look at how drug crimes are treated differently worldwide.

Today, Asian and Muslim jurisdictions impose much stiffer penalties on drug offenders than do Western nations. In countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Singapore, and Thailand, addicts and traffickers are given lengthy prison sentences or executed. Meantime, in Canada and the United States, de facto decriminalization has left urban cores littered with syringes and shrouded in clouds of meth.

Click thru for those details.

Mexicans Want Americans Out of Mexico

Why am I not surprised? From Miguel Gonzalez: It is not racism when they do it.

So a section of the Mexican population seems to be disgusted with the idea that gringos are settling in their land and “gentrifying” real state out of their incomes because it is apparently cheaper for John Smith to live South of the Border than in L.A.

Lot's of photos, including threats, and more thoughts. Click thru.

Terror Attack on Border Patrol Facility in Texas

The Left has been promoting violence, and so we have some. Or some more. The Man Who Opened Fire at Texas Border Patrol Facility Has Been Identified

A 27-year-old man was killed after he opened fire at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas on Monday.

According to the Associated Press, Ryan Louis Mosqueda was shot dead around 5:50 a.m. after he fired off dozens of rounds at the facility.

Townhall has identified the rifle as a "sporting rifle." I looked at a couple of sources, but the only thing that is clear is that many rounds were fired. If it was an AR-15 or a similar rifle I would expect that the media would be all over the "assault weapon" hysteria, but they are doing everything they can to downplay this incident.

Hat tip to The Other McCain and Terrorism in Texas: Michigan Maniac Opens Fire on Border Facility in McAllen

So when you take into consideration the expense of traveling 1,700 miles cross country, plus renting a hotel room for several nights, add in the cost of a rifle and ammunition, etc., this terrorist attack required a lot of resources. Where did Mosqueda get all that money? Did he have accomplices? Was he affiliated with any groups? Had he previously been involved in protests? Or was he just a “lone wolf” lunatic, radicalized in online forums? The mainstream media don’t seem to be very curious about any of this, for some reason. It’s just so mysterious . .

Ozzy's Last Performance

I'm actually surprised he didn't retire before this. From Variety we get the news from his last performance on Saturday. Black Sabbath Reunites for Ozzy Osbourne’s Final Performance, Joined by Metallica, GNR, Steven Tyler and Other Hard Rock All-Stars: The Complete Setlists

Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Tom Morello and Sammy Hagar were among the many support acts or guests through the long day in Birmingham.

That qualifies as a super concert. I wonder if a film of it will be released.

The original lineup of Black Sabbath reunited for the first time in 20 years on Saturday in the U.K. — and for the last time ever, since the performance was also billed as the final concert ever for singer Ozzy Osbourne. The Birmingham stadium show climaxed with a four-song Sabbath set, preceded by Osbourne doing a five-song set of his solo material … preceded in turn by a full day’s worth of metal and hard-rock all-stars doing mini-sets that included Sabbath covers as well as original material.

Four songs is a lot for guys this old. Tony Iommi, the guitarist, is 77. Ozzy Osbourne is 76. Bill Ward is 77. Geezer Butler is 75. And Ozzy did twice that many.

Click thru for details, including set lists from all the bands.

This is one of the songs that Black Sabbath performed, "Iron Man." It was originally on their 1970 album Paranoid. "Iron Man" was released as a single from the album in 1971. This is the remastered version from 2012.

The hat tip goes to CultureCasino and today's 6 Minute Daily.

Happy 4th of July, Chicago Style

Is anyone shocked? 7 hospitalized after mass shooting in Back of the Yards neighborhood, police say - CBS Chicago

Seven people were hospitalized following another mass shooting Friday night in Chicago, this time on the city's Southwest Side.

Two men walked up to a group of people and opened fire.

Back of the Yards is not one of the 77 official neighborhoods in Chicago, but is part of New City. It is named for the fact that the it was adjacent to the Union Stock Yard and other meat packing plants that formed the largest concentration of meatpacking in the country in the 1950s.

If you have ever read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, it was set in Back of the Yards. It is about a 7 mile drive south, and a bit west of The Loop.

The hat tip goes to The Other McCain: Chicago Celebrates 4th of July With Patriotism and Deadly Gunfire

The media don’t offer descriptions of the suspects, so I’m just going to guess they were Trump supporters wearing red “MAGA” caps.

Or maybe not.

Even More Self-Defense in Florida

Florida is not a good place to be a bad guy. The bad guys keep ignoring that memo. Jefferson County homeowner shoots intruder during attempted break-in, sheriff’s office says

How would you respond to a break in at 5 AM?

An investigation went on to reveal that the homeowner, his wife and child were asleep when they were awakened by someone attempting to enter the home through the front door, the press release wrote.

As a result, deputies said the man retrieved his gun and went into the kitchen, where he found the intruder allegedly actively trying to enter the home.

The homeowner gave the guy a couple of warnings to leave, but when he broke a window by the front door, the homeowner shot him.

The homeowner provided first aid until deputies arrived, and the would-be bad guy was taken to a local hospital where he is stable.

Jefferson County, Florida is in the Big Bend area. It has a small section of coast on the Gulf of America, and is just east of Tallahassee.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

AI Models Are Still Lying to You

Pathological Liars in a box. AI Models Mislead Users on Login URLs - Infosecurity Magazine

Never login to a bank, or other financial service with a link you get randomly off the internet. And asking an AI for the info is no better.

As Carignan concluded: “LLMs don’t ‘retrieve’ information – they generate it [...]. Without proper sourcing, these systems become ripe for both inaccuracy and exploitation.”

You think the AI is looking stuff up on the internet. It isn't.

Wyoming Opens Most Government Buildings to Concealed Carry

With the obvious exceptions, such as court houses, and prisons, concealed carry is allowed in state buildings. Concealed carry allowed in many Wyoming state government buildings starting today.

The legislature overrode a veto to enact the law. This law also applies to city/county buildings, since at least one municipality also adopted similar rules on employees being armed.

The new rules mark a major expansion of where citizens can carry firearms as they conduct business with their government. That expansion comes at the behest of the Legislature and over the objections of Gov. Mark Gordon, who sought to implement concealed carry into Wyoming’s state buildings through a rule-making process overseen by the Building Commission. But lawmakers passed their repeal bill with a veto-proof majority this year. Gordon nixed a previous version in 2024.

It seems that even in a state like Wyoming, the Professional Journalists™ don't like concealed carry. After detailing several instances of "political violence," that include arson and assassination, but not concealed carry, we get the following.

Lawmakers who pushed for the concealed carry bill, which passed the Senate with a 25-6 vote and the House with a 50-10 vote, believe allowing citizens to go armed and defend themselves is the antidote to such violence. Opponents fear more guns in more places will lead to more deaths and injuries, both accidental and deliberate.

Fear. This is the same tactic used to fight against concealed carry in every state where it was adopted in the past 40 years.

State employees, will also be able to conceal and carry while at work, with the similar exceptions, unless their job involves being armed.

As for the local governments, here is that one story I ran across. Rawlins City Council approved resolution to regulate concealed carrying of firearms by city employees.

On July 1, House Bill 0172, enacted by the Wyoming State Legislature, went into effect as W.S. 6-8-105, repealing statutory gun-free zones previously applicable to various public spaces, including municipal buildings. This legislative change allows for the lawful carrying of firearms, including by public employees, in settings where such possession was formerly restricted.

There is more information at both links.

Portland Antifa Members Face Federal Charges

The charges can't be dropped by the sympathetic prosecutors in Portland. Andy Ngo at Ngo Comment: Four more Portland Antifa riot suspects federally charged

Four more Portland Antifa riot suspects have been federally charged over the ongoing insurrection against the ICE facility. This brings the total federally charged so far to 17, devastating the numbers Antifa need to attack the building night after night. The cases are not being dropped immediately.

So of the charges carry mandatory sentences measured in years.

Read the whole thing.

Scarlett Johansson Turns 40

Ms. Johansson is distressed that when she was young and hot, she got rolls revolving around her being young, and hot, and now that she's getting on in years, by Hollywood standards anyway, I think she still looks good, she is upset that rolls go to actresses who are younger than she is, and who are hot.

This is the Critical Drinker video Save Us From The Male Gaze! The Drinker has some thoughts about the people in Hollywood who won the genetic lottery, now that they're getting older regretting the fact that there is a genetic lottery. After they have benefited from it, of course.

Anyway, a couple of days ago, Miss Johansson took some time out of her busy schedule to do an interview with The Times of London, where she offered up her thoughts on the current state of Hollywood, and one of her favorite subjects these days, the dreaded male gaze.

The video is about 7 and a half minutes.

Ryan Kinel also has something to say about this: Scarlett Johansson Is TIRED Of The Male Gaze In Hollywood As Jurassic Rebirth Set To Open. That video is also 7 and a half minutes.

Something has shifted.

She's older, but then who isn't?

Self-Defense in Deep Blue Maryland

The only thing that is surprising is the attitude of the Professional Journalist, though maybe I am reading something into it. Man Shot by Homeowner After Reported Breaking and Entering Attempt in Charles County, Police Investigating - Southern Maryland News Net

911 callers reported an male was attempting to break into the residence when the one of the homeowners shot the suspect. The 911 caller stated the firearm was secured, with the suspect outside of the residence being rendered medical attention by the homeowner and a neighbor.

Cops arrived, and then the emergency medical team arrived. The guy who got shot was airlifted to a trauma center.

Nanjemoy, Maryland is about a 42 mile drive south of Washington, DC.

As for the Professional Journalist, given that we are talking about Maryland, I suppose this isn't too far out in left field.

The firearm used, a Sig Sauer .45, was secured by police and found to be registered and owned by the homeowner.

The incident remains under investigation by police, no known charges have been filed as of Sunday, Jun 29th, 2025.

To me, that sounds as if the reporter is shocked that someone can be shot, and the police don't arrest the shooter. The very existence of justified self-defense is a concept never considered. Though that might just be me, reading something of my feelings about Professional Journalists into the mix.

Self-defense is a human right, and even in Deep Blue Maryland, it might be your legal right.

The Intel Coup to Disrupt Trump's First Term

I'm shocked that the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA would lie. Okay, so I'm not shocked. They Knew It Was Fake - And Did It Anyway: The Intel Coup to Sabotage Trump - Flopping Aces

In strange lapse into transparency, an official review of that whole kerfuffle has been made public.

The “Tradecraft Review of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment [ICA] on Russian Election Interference” was conducted by career professionals at the CIA’s Directorate of Analysis and was commissioned by CIA Director John Ratcliffe in May.

Click thru for the document.

Here is a taste, though you can read the whole thing.

The review criticizes the ICA for including the Steele dossier, a salacious and discredited opposition-research product written by former British spy Christopher Steele, who was working for the Hillary Clinton campaign, which claimed Russia possessed sexually compromising blackmail material on Trump.

Missouri AG Investigating Big Tech for Suppressing Speech

Specifically speech relating to the Second Amendment. The Turner Report: Missouri AG investigating Google, Facebook, YouTube for suppressing speech about guns, ammunition

Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that he is issuing a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) to Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, within Meta Platforms, Inc., to determine whether the companies have engaged in unlawful business practices by suppressing lawful speech and commerce related to firearms and ammunition on its platforms. The goal of the investigation is to expose any corporate misconduct and restore transparency and fairness to online platforms.

Good luck to Mr. Bailey on this.

“When Big Tech companies hold the power to control what Americans see, say, and believe, they hold the power to reshape the nation,” continued Attorney General Bailey. “We will not allow Silicon Valley to rewrite the Bill of Rights from behind a firewall.”

I think this will be tough to move on, but I'm not a lawyer.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 5 July

Animal Magnetism starts the ball rolling with Animal’s Hump Day News

We take our good news where we find it.
We can hope.

The Right Way - Top of the News

Have you noticed the pattern yet? - Theo Spark
Happy Canada Day - Evi. L Bloggerlady

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 07.02.25

BattleSwarm: Xi Out?
Behind The Black: Methane climate satellite fails

EBL - A Freako is not a R.I.C.O. : Sean Puffy Combs Acquitted of Most Serious Charges

Legal Insurrection: Diddy guilty of 2 of 5 counts
Breitbart: Diddy not guilty on RICO charges

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - BBB Passes House Test Vote

Ace, CNN Poll: Trump Now More Beloved By Republicans Than Even the Great Ronald Reagan Was. (((Harry Enten))) @ForecasterEnten, "GOP voters love for Trump is record breaking. His strong approval (63%) is up like a rocket from term 1 (53%). It's higher than any GOP prez

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

Conman Carney’s Canada: Fake News. Migrants will quickly fill all the beds – More shelters in Chowtown. A Canada Day story at the CBC.
Woke America: RFK Jr interview. Health care fraud busted.

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 07.03.25

Shot In The Dark: Violating The Laws of Physics
The Political Hat: Magna Carta And The Birth Of The Rule Of Law

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 7/3/2025

Google Fined $314.6M for Data Collection by San Jose Jury
A San Jose jury has ordered Google to pay more than $314.6 million to Android users in California, finding that the company improperly harvested data from smartphones

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 7/ 2 /25

Cheering for the enemy: (It’s not that the Democrats are on the side of the enemy, 200+ years of history prove that the Democrats ARE the enemy.)
Whose Side Are Democrats Really On?

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 07.04.25

Chicago Boyz: Gell-Mann Revisited, The Spirit of ’76, and Shall It Be Sustained?
Da Tech Guy: Hermit of Loreto 2 Planned Parenthood 0

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

How the Yuppies Became Socialists
Democrats, Animated by Loathing of Trump, Are Driving Their Party to Self-Destruction

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Mamdani Is A Warning On Where The Next Generation Of The Left Is Heading

• Judge Blocks Another Trump Order, Proving Alito Was Right Again Brianna Lyman
• Sean Duffy to States: ‘Roads are for Safety, Not Politics’ Mary Chastain

I leave you with Wednesday's gifs from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #2738 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Pic Dump................... from Theo Spark, and Not Just Any Thursday ~ It's Libturd Thursday ~ AM from Woodsterman.

Neighbors Are Shocked

Another story of self-defense from the Sunshine State. 1 injured after shooting on Midpoint Bridge | WINK News

It is worth noting that both the police and the news media in Florida understand the difference between victim, and perpetrator.

According to police, two men, who did not know each other, stopped on the side of the road in separate cars. The suspect allegedly attempted to attack the victim. In response, the victim pulled out a gun and shot the suspect in the armpit and forearm.

The guy who got shot was taken to a local hospital, the victim is cooperating with the investigation.

Cape Coral, Florida is in Southwest Florida, about 100 miles south of Tampa, and about 115 miles west of Palm Beach. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge spans the Caloosahatchee River, and connects Cape Coral to Fort Myers.

As for the neighbors...

The unexpected incident occurred near a park frequented by families, raising concerns in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.

David Goss, a resident who visits the park daily to read and eat lunch, expressed his disbelief.

"Why? Why?" said Goss.

You are not protected by your zip code. You are not protected because you live in a nice area. Criminals, and crazy people (I don't know that either applies in this case) can drive to where you live.

Self-defense is a human right. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

June in Chicago

HeyJackass! has the June Wrap-up

A promising start to The Summer of Silly Decisions with lead-based totals coming in well below average.

June 2025: 35 killed, 140 wounded
June 2023: 74 killed, 323 wounded
June 2023: 72 killed, 273 wounded

As sad as it is to acknowledge, 35 dead of murder is an amazingly good number for Chicago in June.

Looking back, it seems as if the brakes were applied back in February and continued to be ridden through the first month of the Summer of Silly Decisions. That being the case, we weren’t forecasting more than 40-45 homicides with an additional 175-200 wounded. Missed on both, however, we suspect our homicide guess will be correct once the Austin arson incident is clarified and declared.

Click thru for the detailed stats, and predictions, both for the July 4th Weekend, and the month as a whole.

The Passenger

"The Passenger" is a song written by Iggy Pop and Ricky Gardiner, and released by Iggy Pop in 1977. Though that isn't the version we have today.

This version is "The Passenger" by Siouxsie And The Banshees from the 1987 album Through the Looking Glass, though this is the single version, which is about a minute shorter than the album track. Siouxsie And The Banshees had moved away from Post Punk a bit and were more Alternative Rock by this time. (There would probably be no horn section in a Post Punk song.)

The Other McCain on the Fourth of July

The Other McCain has thoughts on our nation's birthday. Of Declarations and Independence

First, it was not the words of the declaration, but rather the military action of soldiers, to which Americans owe our independence. By the time Congress in Philadelphia issued the declaration, the American colonists had been in a de facto state of war against Britain for more than a year. The “shot heard ’round the world” — the battles of Lexington and Concord — had happened on April 19, 1775. Patriot militia then besieged the British troops in Boston, and the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, which was five weeks after Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured Fort Ticonderoga. All this military action preceded the words of the Declaration of Independence by more than a year, and the war lasted another seven years until the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783. While it is good that we celebrate the Fourth of July to commemorate the Declaration of Independence, we ought not forget that it took a war to give practical meaning to those words.

There is more. And apparently they made fireworks great again. Thank You, Tip-Jar Hitters!

We’ll be shooting a dozen 48-shot Color Pearl cakes in one of our finales this year, which means 576 little red and green comets flying into the air in the span of about 20 seconds. You’ll notice I said “one of our finales,” because part of the “roller coaster” method of doing a fireworks show is building up to at least one fake finale before you do the massive barrage of the Grand Finale.

Friday Links - Independence Day Edition

William Teach at Pirate's Cove starts us off with Electric Bikes Are Causing “Lime Bike Leg”

We’re saving the planet, Jaison. Might want to focus on that, instead of all the broken bones. Sheesh!

The Shekel - Coins, Law, and Commentary - Happy Canada Day!

Our neighbor to the north celebrates its 158th birthday of its Confederation today. [Tuesday the 1st]

The Bugscuffle Gazette - So, Iran

They believe you are influencing their children to damnation because their religion says so. They believe that they must set the world into mass war because their religion says so. Religion is faith, and emotion; and can not be influenced by facts.

Tam at View From The Porch - Legend...

Ohtani waves his team off, averting a potential bench-clearing brawl. Then he goes over and banters with the Padres dugout, defusing tensions, goes out to take his place on first, chatting amiably with the San Diego first baseman... and when the ump calls "Play Ball!", he up and steals second.

The Other McCain - The Hills Are Alive … With Rachel Zegler?

Note that this is merely a rumor, and involves Zegler playing the Julie Andrews role in a stage production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. This is absurd enough, but some people mistakenly got the idea that someone was planning a movie remake starring Zegler, an idea so obviously crazy that not even ultra-woke Disney executives would try it.

Dean Weingarten at AmmoLand - Campus Carry Coming to South Dakota and Wyoming

There are 12 states where concealed carry on campus is legal during the first half of 2025. On July 1, 2025, there will be fourteen states, as laws become effective in Wyoming and South Dakota.

Clayton Cramer - California Must Accept CCW Applications From Non-residents

Hoffman v. Bonta (S.D.Cal. 2025) grants summary judgment requiring California accept CCW applications from non-residents. It allows for the possibility of applying stricter standards for non-residents, but there are obviously limits on this for risk of violating the privileges and immunities clause of the 14th Amendment.

Again from The Other McCain - Big Win for President Trump as House Votes to Pass the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

This is the kind of blogging I very seldom do, because the legislative process is generally boring, when it’s not painful. Grant that sometimes, the process is both boring and painful, but only the ultra-nerdy policy wonks ever get excited about this stuff, and I’ve never been one of those.

Margaret Flavin at The Gateway Pundit - ’60 Minutes’ Kamala Harris Interviewer Bill Whitaker Reportedly ‘Teary-Eyed’ After News of Lawsuit Settlement

News of the settlement was shared at a staff meeting, and, according to The New York Post, Whitaker grew emotional.”

Moonbattery - Double Hate Hoax at Pasco High School

Hate hoaxes are good for more than supporting an ideology that cannot be supported by facts. They can also serve as a pretext for some fun brawling at sports events.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0

The homeowner shot at this guy, but missed. Homeowner shoots at burglar in Hallandale Beach; subject in custody - WSVN 7News

A homeowner in Hallandale Beach reported an attempted burglary at 8:20 in the morning on Friday [the 27th of June].

Upon arrival, officers determined that the homeowner armed themselves and shot at the subject, who was not hit.

Officers located and apprehended the subject.

Proving that we all would benefit from more time at the range.

Hallandale Beach, Florida is about a 20 mile drive north of Miami, or about a 15 mile drive south of Fort Lauderdale.

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

The Mythical Modern Audience Also Doesn't Buy Cars

Get woke, go broke for the automotive industry. How Jaguar’s rebranding gamble triggered a 98% collapse in sales

Hollywood was putting gay story themes in everything, including children's entertainment, until they realized that they were going bankrupt. They still do that in a lot of things, but at least they know they shouldn't. The Critical Drinker compared it to an addict, who knows what they should be doing, but can't stop themselves.

The games industry followed suit with the "Story Consultants" like Sweet Baby Inc. that crushed all "hetero-normative" aspects out of any game, made the women look like the old East German women's swim team, and basically hit you over the head with progressive social ideas. They too are going out of business, or a lot of the progressive ones are.

Do I need to remind you about Bud Light?

Now we have Jaguar.

Back in November of last year, Jaguar rolled out a Progressive Rebrand, with a capital Progressive. It didn't go so well. I mean Bud Light didn't manage to erase 98% of their sales, but Jaguar did.

For decades, Jaguar stood for a blend of British engineering, performance, and luxury, an identity that helped the brand build loyalty among customers who valued refinement and heritage. But in its attempt to reinvent itself for a new era, Jaguar now finds itself facing one of the most severe sales declines seen in the European automotive market. In April 2025, the company registered just 49 vehicles in Europe, a 97.5% drop from 1,961 units sold during the same month the previous year.

If you set out to destroy Jaguar's sales, making it so that you lost 97.5% of sales, year-over-year, would be viewed as an overwhelming success. In this case, however, success isn't quite the word being tossed around.

The brand’s new identity, launched in November 2024, was meant to signal a bold pivot towards electrification and a new customer base. Instead, it left many long-time buyers alienated and failed to connect with the new audience it was hoping to attract.

Once again we have a company searching for a mythical "new customer base," and completely ignoring its heritage, and its old customers. No, not ignoring, but alienating its customers. The results are completely predictable.

As Hollywood, and the gaming industry found out, the modern audience is like Bigfoot. A lot of people talk about it, but no one has ever seen it, let alone made money from it. There are a large number of vocal people (and bots) on social media, but they don't buy your product. And they really don't buy cars.

And while it has been reported that Jaguar is searching for a new marketing agency to replace the Progressive Left Agency (can you call them insane?) that came up with this drek, the CEO who had the brainstorm to turn the brand upside down in this fashion is still on the job, though maybe that will change. ‘Jaguar stock’ tanks as Europe sales crash 97% YoY after controversial rebrand

And it isn't just year-over-year sales numbers that are down.

The damage isn’t isolated: year-to-date sales are down 75.1%, with only 2,665 vehicles sold from January through April.

The stock - Tata Motors, an Indian company, purchased Jaguar/Land Rover some time ago - is down almost 32% in the past year.

The hat tip goes to Paul Chato and his aPauling News video: Oh No Canada Day. Jag tanks. Feminist yells at ducks.

And finally, here is an update to our story from last year, about Jaguar's bold re-imagining of their automotive brand. From testosterone-fueled, race-heritage, petrol-powered, 100 years of luxury driving experience, marketed to successful men, to Teletubby obscurity, targeting sexually ambiguous customers with no money. And here is the result.

I have the video at the link set to start at the appropriate time. There is only about 2 minutes of video.

Who Knew Felony Murder Was a Thing in California

I didn't. I would have thought they believed it was unfair to hold a person responsible for the completely foreseeable consequences of their actions. Suspected burglar gets 9 years over Oakland homeowner killing his friend

Friend. Accomplice. It is all a matter of perspective, and the perspective of Professional Journalists is a bit skewed from reality.

David Washington, 39, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the March 2024 shooting death of 39-year-old Charles Calloway. Police said Calloway was killed by the resident of a home on the 1300 block of 102nd Avenue in East Oakland but Washington was charged with murder under the legal theory that he and Calloway forced the man to use lethal force in self-defense.

The Professional Journalists (so called) can't even say what the legal theory is. It is that if you commit a felony, and someone dies as a direct result of that crime, then you are responsible for that outcome. It falls under the heading of personal responsibility. Something that is completely foreign to journalists and the Left, but I repeat myself.

Was this guy a saint? No. But if you click thru, you will see that he was clearly in the wrong.

And I suppose it needs mentioning, that the guy who died, did so as a result of armed self-defense.

I'm sure that the Left will move to make this go away in the future, because being held responsible for your actions is against everything the Left believes.