Wednesday Link Roundup - Christmas Eve Edition

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

Don Surber has highlights of the week.
Doug Ross has Larwyn’s Linx. And more Larwyn’s Linx.

EBL - MAGA Clinton Epstein Files ☀️

Bill Clinton in the Epstein files
Instapundit: Bill Clinton frolicking in the pool...

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 12.22.25

Transterrestrial Musings: The Dark Ages
Victory Girls: Walz And Lapdog MN Media Cover Up $9 Billion Somali Fraud

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 20 December 2025: Warp Speed Edition

LG is allowing customers to delete the Microsoft Copilot app it forced onto their televisions. (Tom's Hardware)
Or will do at some point.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Plays Battleship

Ace woke up and noticed Epstein Files Reveal Bill Clinton Cavorting With Very Young Women on Pedo Island; Democrat Flacks and Leftwing Media -- But I Repeat Myself-- Claim Trump Is "Curating" the Photos to Make Slick Willy Look Bad, "Plus a rousing chorus of "But Trump!!!""

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

The Midwest Chick Saturday Meme Drop………….
Pirates Cove Extinction Rebellion Goes Dark For Their Protest

Vlad Tepes - Religious war is for all the marbles: Links 1 for December 23rd, 2025

This is the joint effort by communists and Muslims/Islam to take down Western civilization to the very roots. What will replace it will be so much worse it can’t even be described. Think of Saudi Arabia with all the public beheadings and no oil money.

Political Hat - News of the Week (December 21st, 2025)

New York’s Death Wish: Abandoning the Most Vulnerable to Assisted Suicide It’s not surprising, but it is shocking and devastating all the same. Empire State Governor Kathy Hochul is about to sign the assisted-suicide bill.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 12/20/2025

Gas Prices Drop to Lowest December Levels Since 2020
Gasoline prices are expected to fall further this holiday season, giving travelers relief at the pump as national averages dip below 2020 levels.

Small Dead Animals - Monday On Turtle Island

Conman Carney’s Canada: Hamas in Chowtown. Censoring Rebel News. Canadians voted for this.
The Democratic Party’s America: L.A. legalizes assaulting ICE agents. The Story of America.

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

ITEM 11: Breitbart reported, “All net job growth is going to native-born Americans as foreign-born employment continues to decline, a new jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued on Tuesday reveals.”

The Glibertarians - Tuesday Morning Links

Trump DOJ Sues D.C. For Banning ‘Most Popular Firearms’
DHS Raises Self-Deport Bonus to $3K

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Peter Earle is correct: “Eye-catching statistics about executive compensation tell us nothing about fairness, and distract from the real drivers of wage growth and worker prosperity.”
“Fiscal policy is raising costs for American families.”

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Why Johnny Can’t Read
Tis the Season for Jihadist Christmas Attacks
Zero Republican professors found across 27 academic departments at Yale

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 12/22/25

Leftists excuse perpetrators and vilify victims.
Leftism Promotes Psychological Abuse

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: The Fulton County 2020 Election Bombshell

• 5 Years Too Late, Fulton County Proves Trump’s Call To Raffensperger Right - Hans Mahncke
• Demons Despise the Sound of Shaking Paper - Chris Bray

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 12/23/2025

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Contains Hidden Election Integrity Gem – Could Have Huge Implications for Voting Machines. Voting machines will have to undergo penetration testing by security experts before being approved for use.

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 12-21-25 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Monday Memes …. from MaddMedic, Mondays..... picdump from Wirecutter, Monday Memes from Granite Grok, and Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3245 from 90 Miles from Tyranny.

Another Idiot Shooting At Someone In His Driveway

Why would you shoot at someone who was leaving? Homeowner charged for shooting at Amazon driver in Richmond County

According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the delivery driver knocked on Sidney Pittman’s door to deliver a package on Dec. 14 in Ellerbe. He told her it was the wrong address, but as she was driving away, detectives say the homeowner shot into her car with her 16-year-old son inside.

Ellerbe, North Carolina is about a 90 mile drive southwest of Raleigh, or about 75 mile drive east of Charlotte.

So now this genius homeowner is facing felony charges, and it will be hard to prove he had a reasonable fear of death or grave bodily injury, because she was leaving.

Your home is not a free fire zone.

Sadly he cannot be charged with felony stupidity in North Carolina.

So What Were You Doing at Age 11?

I'm guessing that stealing cars wasn't on the activity list, but that is just a guess. 'Somebody could have been killed’: Video shows kids leading Newburgh Heights police on stolen car chase before crash

“Shock. One word. Shock,” said Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy.

This is the Police Activity video 11-year-old Leads Cops On Stolen Car Chase in Ohio

Police later determined the driver was an 11-year-old child, with two other children, ages 8 and 12, inside the vehicle. The pursuit continued westbound over the Denison Bridge, where the driver lost control after an abrupt turn and crashed into a nearby home.

That quote comes from the video description at YouTube. It also says the kids learned how to steal the car by watching YouTube videos.

The video is 7 minutes.

Together

While I am getting sick of the standard Christmas Carols, there are some not-so-standard songs that I still like.

This song is "Together" by Tarja from her 2017 album Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas).

The Horrible Movies of 2025

Despot of Antrim is a YouTube movie critic who shows up on some channels that I like. He is often a guest on Critical Drinker After Hours, which I quite like.

He considers the year 2025, and the 13 worst movies of the year. Big-budget, Hollywood movies. Of the 13 movies he mentions, 12 lost money, some lost a lot of money. And that is based on the numbers published by the studios. We know from history that the real budget numbers for Disney movies won't come out until Disney files tax forms with the UK government for films that were shot in the UK. We should see those final numbers in 2026.

It was a terrible year for the box office. Movie theaters can't survive on this kind of revenue, and if Hollywood keeps making slop, no one will see a reason to go to the cinema, and no one will have a reason to subscribe to streaming services.

This is the Despot of Antrim video The Worst Movies of 2025. It is a long video at just over 2 hours, but it is conveniently divided into chapters so you can watch what you want, and come back later if you're interested. I love this kind of thing, but then I love movies. I just wish Hollywood would make some worth seeing.

It Is Sad, That Things Have Fallen So Far

Holiday advice from Miguel Gonzalez: Out of Pocket

And please: Be careful driving and be extra careful wherever large crowds gather.

Carry and pack extra mags with the proper defensive ammunition.

Every Christmas gathering is a target.

Tuesday Links - 23 December

William Teach at Pirate's Cove has some news on the Climate Change front. NY Has Backed Off Of Climate Goals Or Something

Bummer. NY and Hochul just need to crack down, because the majority of New Yorkers voted to do this. They need to suck it up.

Chicago Contrarian - Downtown Alderman Moves to Strengthen CPD Curfew Powers

Alderman Brian Hopkins (2) has moved to give more power to the Chicago Police to deal with violent and dangerous teen takeovers of the city in the wake of the many crimes — including murder — that have occurred during these chaotic mob scenes which have wracked the city for years.

Doug Ross - 10 Steps to End Jihad Against the West - An Infographic

Call Islam what it is. Call dishonesty what it is. And call apologists for Islam what they are.

Aaron Hanscom at PJ Media - From Kristallnacht to Today: Why Jews Fear History Repeating

After the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust on Oct. 7, 2023, Jews throughout the world are becoming increasingly sensitive to signs that eerily parallel those preceding the Nazi genocide. Is this paranoia? An overreaction? Let’s look at a warning this week from a non-Jew, radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt.

Again from William Teach - Surprise: The Amount Of Fraud In Minnesota Is Vastly More

It’s funny when Democrats say “It’s only a billion dollars” like that is chump change in Reality Land

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: A Week In The Ruts.

Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley et Hamas delendam sunt.

The Other McCain - Thoughts From a ‘Heritage American’

Perhaps you’re not on X (formerly known as Twitter) and therefore have been spared the quarrel over “Heritage Americans.” Don’t know who coined that term or in what context it originated, but it seems to be a critique of the “proposition nation” ideology that George Will did so much to promote. Far be it from me to embrace or endorse a crypto-Nazi “blood and soil” ideology — the polar opposite of “proposition nation” — but the problem is that we are (or should be) talking about public policy.

Again from Wombat-socho - Rule 5 Sunday: In Honor Of Alice Cooper. (And there is a link to a song-of-the-day, but it might not jump out at you.)

The protagonist, Rally Vincent, was not only a hot babe who could shoot, but she could drive like a bat out of hell. What better gal to look for, if you need a girl with a gun and a job?

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 21 December 2025: Door Out Of Summer Edition

Privacy is marketing. Anonymity is architecture. (Servury)

The value of your service provider not being able to recover your password is that they can't do anything else to your account either because they don't know who you are.

Alice Jones Webb on Women and Shooting

There was a time this line of questioning was fairly common. Maybe I've just become too reclusive in my old age. From Take It Outside: So You Want Your Girlfriend to Like Guns

This is an article by Alice Jones Webb from a few years back, that is no longer on the original website where it was published. She thought it would be worth rescuing it from oblivion.

For those of you who don't know, Alice Jones Webb has written for Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Hook & Barrel, MeatEater, Free Range American, Recoil, and other outdoor publications. She describes herself as "a professional outdoor writer, solo hunter, muddy-boots homesteader, and unapologetic conservationist."

Do you love guns? Do you love your girlfriend? Do you wish your girlfriend loved guns?

Don’t despair. There are a few things you can do to turn your girl on to shooting.

While I’m not typically one to give relationship advice, I am one to regularly give shooting advice.

There are variations on some of the advice I used to give.

One is enroll her in a class. While men usually do love their wives and partners, they are not usually the best person to be teaching them about shooting. Too much baggage from the relationship. When I was teaching NRA classes we usually "discouraged" husbands and wives from sitting together for similar reasons.

Another is let her select her own firearm. A gun needs to fit your hand, the way your shoes fit your feet. A grip that is comfortable for you, might not be comfortable for her.

Here is probably the best piece of advice.

Make Her First Experience a Good One

If you want your girlfriend to love shooting, you need to do everything within your power to prevent a bad first experience. This is especially true if she’s never fired a weapon in her entire life.

Think about shooting with your girlfriend like your first date. If that first romantic encounter had gone south, you wouldn’t have had the opportunity for a second.

The same is true of shooting. You want to woo her with that first trigger pull. If it isn’t enjoyable, she probably won’t be making a second trip with you to the range.

When I was teaching people to shoot, I had access to a .22 short Beretta pistol. It was a small gun, but it was solid metal. The .22 short ammo resulted in virtually no recoil. For that first shot, or first magazine, it didn't really scare anyone too much or seem overwhelming. Usually the first trip to the range was some basic safety instruction, and fundamentals of shooting, but then it was mostly trying various caliber firearms to see what they were comfortable with, starting very small and working up. And since most indoor ranges today have some rental firearms, we could make sure that the grip issue was addressed.

I have seen too many women handed a .44 snubbie, either because someone thought it would be funny, or because they believe it is the best firearm ever manufactured. I routinely shoot a .357 Magnum revolver, but I don't enjoy shooting .44 special out of a short barrel, let alone .44 Magnum. Sometimes it is a brother/cousin looking for a laugh. Those guys are idiots, but the sisters know that. Sometimes not. The result is the same.

Don't be that guy, not even toward your sister.

So. Do you want the women in your life to be able to defend themselves, their children, and others? Do you want to occasionally take them to the range? Or do you want a quick laugh, and a long argument?

There is much more more. click thru.

Network Update Errors Can Cost Lives

When you are updating a firewall, mistakes can make it impossible for your systems to talk to the outside world. If you work at a telephone/telecom company, you can disrupt phone service for a lot of people. From The Register: Ten mistakes marred firewall upgrade at Australian telco, contributing to two deaths

As The Register reported at the time, Australia’s equivalent of the USA’s 911 and the UK’s 999 and 112 emergency contact number is 000 – Triple Zero – and local law requires all telcos to route emergency calls to that number. For 14 hours on September 18, Optus could not route some customers’ calls to 000 and was unaware of any problems on its network. The company eventually learned of the situation from customers who complained to its call center.

During the 14 hours of the outage, 455 calls to Triple Zero didn't go through. Two of the callers died.

Click thru for the details, and there are a lot of them. How the change was made without review. Why people noticed a problem but didn't escalate it. The fact that the call center never expected to be the front line on Triple Zero problems, and they didn't know what to do. And other issues.

Calling 911 in the US, 999 in the UK or 000 in Australia is a fine thing to do, but as we have seen all too often, it only takes a missed bit in a configuration update, or a guy with a backhoe, to make a huge hole in those services. You should figure out what your Plan B is. These are complex systems built, run, and maintained by flawed humans. They won't work perfectly all the time. Sometimes, they won't work at all.

I won't compare the internet, and the technology that we've built on top of it, to a house of cards, but it isn't far off. The recent, and what seem to be escalating, outages make that point for me.

What's the Opposite of Diversity?

University. In particular, Yale seems to have a problem with diversity of thought. From The College Fix we get the following. Zero Republican professors found across 27 academic departments at Yale: research

Out of the 1,335 faculty members reviewed, only 30 were identified as Republican, while 1,099 were identified as Democrats, revealing a stark imbalance in political affiliation among the Ivy League institution’s educators.

“Yale remains an ideologically monolithic campus with an intellectual orthodoxy that makes expressing even mainstream alternative viewpoints challenging,” Lauren Noble, Buckley Institute founder and executive director, told The College Fix.

40% of students self-censor, because diversity of thought is not permitted on that campus.

Is anyone shocked? (Hat tip to Maggie's Farm.)

Chicago's Continuing Downward Spiral

From Chicago Contrarian we get an update of Chicago finances. Chicago Mayor’s Progressive Budget Fantasy

As I type this, Chicago still does not have a budget for the coming year, though of course that can change at any time. Mayor Brandon Johnson has been fighting for a "head tax," a tax on every employee of every business with 100 or more employees, payable every month. Even the Democratic governor of Illinois, not so affectionately known as Fatso, doesn't think it is a good idea.

The balance of the mayor’s budget will remain largely intact, including almost 20 tax and fee increases that are not tied to the taxpayers’ income bracket. This includes the regressive increase to the Cloud Tax that will increase the nation-leading 11 percent tax on computer use and services to 14 percent. This will further solidify Chicago’s standing as the highest taxed city in the highest taxed state in the nation.

Add high and increasing taxes, to high crime, and it is little wonder that people and businesses are fleeing the city. And while crime in Chicago is somewhat lower than it was during the lockdowns, or during the Summer of Love, it is still high.

Unfortunately, while many City Council members have become emboldened to tackle the mayor on single issues like his proposed property tax increase last year and this year’s Head Tax proposal, they have neither the access to the information nor the analytical expertise to undertake the needed comprehensive review of city spending despite the [Ernst & Young] road map.

So Chicago will continue on its course of financial collapse.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

This isn't really appropriate for a Monday afternoon slot in Metal for Mondays, but since I make the rules... And Tarja is one of my favorite Heavy Metal singers.

I scheduled this for today early in the holiday season, because I'm fairly sure the Christmas Spirit will be beaten out of me long before the end of December gets here. Commercialism sucks. I hope the rest of you have luck keep the spirit of the holiday going.

This song is "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" by Tarja from her 2017 album From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas).

Self-Defense Is Legal in Missouri

But then I thought it was. Officials release details in Erik Spencer shooting, witnesses support self-defense claim

Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri. It is about 100 miles west of St. Louis, though the driving distance is about 125 miles.

Throughout the investigation, law enforcement interviewed 14 independent witnesses about the shooting. Wilde said witness testimonies were consistent.

Scrivner told law enforcement he had shot Spencer while intervening in a domestic assault involving Spencer and Spencer's girlfriend.

Erik Spencer was in the middle of a "domestic dispute" with his girlfriend. She was just trying to get into her car and leave.

Spencer Scrivner retrieved a gun from his car and intervened. Erik Spencer threatened to shoot Scrivner, and made to reach for his waistband. He had no gun. He was shot once in the chest.

"Missouri's self-defense laws are some of the strongest in the county, and right, wrong or indifferent we are bound by the laws passed by our legislature. It does not mean we stand up here today to condone the shooter's actions," [Cole County Prosecutor Locke] Thompson said.

Because prosecutors HATE self-defense. This clearly would be better if Eric Spencer had been permitted to continue his domestic dispute. Or something.

Of course, all Eric Spencer had to do was NOT threaten the man with the gun, and walk away. (Hat tip to Concealed Nation.)

Electric Vehicles Were Always a Bubble

Command economies NEVER work. They fail spectacularly when the commands revolve around power generation and vehicle production, and the politicians issuing those commands have absolutely no understanding of the physics and engineering of power generation, or electric vehicle production.

Let's start with a story from The Manhattan Contrarian. The Electric Vehicle Collapse: Wow, That Was Quick!

It is always wise to vote against central planning. And electric vehicles were mostly a creation of central planning.

As soon as the push (incentives) were removed, that artificially created demand evaporated.

This is the MGUY Australia video The EV bubble finally BURSTS

Apple Punishes a Guy for Being a Victim. Sort of.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony brings a "horror story" from Apple. Daily News Stuff 19 December 2025: 12 Days Of Rechristmas Edition

People wonder why I don't like Apple. This is a particularly horrible example, but it is not isolated.

Do you think all of your photos, contacts, emails, etc. are safe because Apple is in control of everything? Don't trip over anything, not even something completely outside of your control.

The unfortunately named Paris Buttfield-Addison bought a $500 Apple gift card at a major Australian brick-and-mortar outlet.

Turns out the card had already been redeemed, and when he tried to redeem it, it was rejected.

The outlet agreed to provide a replacement gift card, so all was well.

Then Apple terminated his account and bricked all of his devices. (Hey.Paris)

   My Apple ID, which I have held for around 25 years (it was originally a username, before they had to be email addresses; it’s from the iTools era), has been permanently disabled. This isn't just an email address; it is my core digital identity. It holds terabytes of family photos, my entire message history, and is the key to syncing my work across the ecosystem.

   I effectively have over $30,000 worth of previously-active "bricked" hardware. My iPhone, iPad, Watch, and Macs cannot sync, update, or function properly. I have lost access to thousands of dollars in purchased software and media.

You might be thinking at this point that this guy is an idiot for giving a single company complete control over his personal and work life in this way.

You would be correct.

That's nice collection of tech gadgets you have there. Be a shame if anything happened to them.

The next story at the Daily Tech News (first link at top) is how Apple is not a computer company, it is a protection racket. It is a completely different story.

If you have stuff that is important to you, documents, family photos, your unfinished novel, whatever, you should have 3 copies of it, in different places, not under the control of one company.

On the 2020 Election ...

From the Other McCain - ‘Yes, We Stole the Election. Oopsie.’

Do you believe the the democratic process?

Five years after the election — when it is too late to rectify the crime, and never mind all the injury inflicted on those branded “election deniers” for protesting this fraud — we learn the truth.

We have laws for a reason. But it is increasingly clear that the Democrats don't believe in the law. Not election law. Not the law against stealing. They want to rule the chaos, or so it seems to me.

Click thru for the details.

Zachary Levi on Hollywood’s Decline and His Plans to Build a New Studio

This is the Nerdrotic Daily video ZACHARY LEVI BREAKS IT DOWN – Hollywood’s Decline, Wyldwood Studios & AI Slop. It is a one hour (or so) excerpt from the 19 December episode of Friday Night Tights.

Zachary Levi was one of the few Hollywood types to endorse Trump, and while he doesn't agree with everything Trump is doing, he recognized the lesser of two train wrecks. He has paid a price for that.

While the last 20 minutes or so, are question and answer, they are edited to include his long answers to some of the more serious questions. And his last statement shows he is a decent human being.

If you're interested in the entire episode of Friday Night Tights, you can find it at this link: Hollywood's DOOMSDAY! WB FIRESALE! - Friday Night Tights 385 w Zachary Levi. It is 4 hours and 10 minutes, so no, I have not seen it all.

A Sunday Afternoon Musical Interlude

Today we get a beautiful and peaceful, musical interlude from Miguel Gonzalez. Sunday Repose

Click thru for "Arcangelo" by Thijs van Leer. It is adaptation of "Gigue From Sonata Op. 5 No. 9" by Arcangelo Corelli, which was first published 1 January, 1700.

A gigue is a baroque dance that evolved from the English jig, and was eventually included in more formal musical offerings. (So ends the music history lesson for the day.)

UPDATE: I should have said that "Arcangelo" is from the 1979 album Introspection 4. I should also have mentioned that Thijs van Leer was the keyboardist, vocalist, and flutist for the rock band Focus.

Self-Defense in the San Francisco Bay Area

It seems that self-defense may be legal in California. No charges in shooting death of 20-year-old Richmond man

And this police department and DA have moved at warp speed, considering it is a blue state.

Contra Costa County prosecutors won’t be filing charges in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Richmond man, saying the person who shot him Nov. 8 did so in self-defense, Richmond police announced Friday.

Richmond is in the east Bay Area, being about 10 miles north of Oakland, California.

On Friday, police revealed new details, saying Hammond pulled out a gun after a person brandished a gun at him inside the store. Hammond then exited and fired multiple shots, hitting a second person who was entering the store.

That person returned fire, fatally wounding Hammond, police said. They left the scene and sought treatment for their wounds at a local hospital.

Self-defense is a human right, and it may even be your legal right in California.

They Had to Become Fascists to Stop the Fascists

They can't even hear how tone deaf they are. From Tyler O'Neil at The Daily Signal: The Orwellian Excuse the Congressional Black Caucus Gave for Trying to Block My Congressional Testimony

When the Congressional Black Caucus and 260 left-leaning organizations sent letters trying to prevent me from testifying before Congress, they claimed to be opposing efforts to “undermine civil institutions” and to prevent the use of “government power to silence people.”

His crime? He was criticizing the Southern Poverty Law Center for targeting conservatives, such as the time the SPLC got the FBI to investigate Traditional Catholics.

To the Left it is simple. If you oppose anything and anyone that they like, you are evil and must be silenced. That they don't see that as fascist behavior is a testament to the low quality of education in this country.

The details are every bit as insane as you think they would be.

The Police State Required for Nationwide Gun Confiscation

And it would be a police state. The Reality of Nationwide Gun Control - by Holly MathNerd

If you think the lesson of what happened there is that we need nationwide gun control, I want to persuade you of something uncomfortable but important: you really don’t want that.

I promise that you don’t, and if you keep reading, I think I can explain why.

Click thru for the insanity.

Hat tip to Eric S. Raymond on X and to Sarah Hoyt at Instanpundit.

Joe Biden on The War on Drugs

It's funny how the Democrats' take on the War on Drugs has changed pver the years.

In 1989 George Bush addressed the nation on new steps he was taking in the war on drugs. Immediately afterward Biden addressed the nation.

He said Bush's plan was not strong enough and called for more prosecutors, cops, and border security. He even wanted to bomb the cartels. pic.twitter.com/ttkTVy6sJ1

— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 20, 2024

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 20 December

Wombat-socho is first with In The Mailbox: 12.17.25 (Afternoon Edition)

Dana Loesch: Chick-Fil-A Caves On DEI
Don Surber: Why I Am Defending Trump,

Animal Magnetism - Animal’s Hump Day News

Wait, what?
No shit, Sherlock.

The Right Way - Top of the News

Chicago is descending into Thunderdome - Viking Pundit
The Grooming Gangs Issue is Destroying the Liberal Regime - Richard the Fourth (video) - Theo Spark

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Reiner Charged in Reiner Murder, Brown Shootings Stays Unsolved, The Scene in Sydney Curdles the Blood

GAO finds serious abuses in Obamacare exchanges, "Remember when Americans were told that the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) would lower health care costs and that if you liked your doctor, you could keep her?

EBL - Who is Brown University's Mustapha Karbouch?

Instapundit: Identified about tweleve hours ago...
Legal Insurrection: Lack of information...

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 12.17.25 (Evening Edition)

Victory Girls: Mamdani Math Does Not Add Up, Trump Response To Reiner Murders Was Unnecessary And Awful, and Bondi Beach Was Not a Surprise – It Was Permission
Watts Up With That: Environmental Groups Urge Congress to Ban Data Centers

Flopping Aces - The Week in Radical Leftism, 12/18/2025 – Back to The Washington Post!

Democrats lambaste Noem, demand she resign at combative congressional hearing
Yep, they’re angry that our Secretary of Homeland Security is cleaning up the mess of her predecessor and is protecting America.

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: He’s Spartacus. Anti-Israel school materials.
Stories You Won’t Find At Carney’s CBC: Heroic Muslims. One day, one newspaper. France is a no-go zone. Paul Joseph Watson – What really happened at Bondi Beach.

The Glibertarians - Friday Morning Links

Haitians Allegedly Bilked Taxpayers Out Of Millions In SNAP Scam
Indicted Defendant In Somali Fraud Scandal Still Getting Millions From Minnesota, Says GOP Lawmaker

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 12.19.25 (Morning Edition)

CDR Salamander: Diversity Thursday
Dana Loesch: Trump’s Bad Texas Endorsement

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For December 19, 2025

Minnesota Democrats did nothing about the vast Somali fraud going on because they benefited from it.
More: They lied to the state government lied to the Feds about it as well.

Vlad Tepes - James Woods joins the Counter-Jihad and MUCH MORE: Links for December 18, 2025

2. In the Tweet above, James Woods retweets an account called Casey Babb who we are unaware of till tonight. But independently, someone sent me this Tweet from the same account:

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 12/18/2025

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has won his case at the Italian Supreme Court regarding accusations of kidnapping migrants, which could have resulted in a long prison sentence.

Once more from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 12.19.25 (Evening Edition)

Dana Loesch: The Brown University Shooter Is Dead
Don Surber: Assimilate or go home

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Phil Gramm and John Early make clear that “something is profoundly wrong with the U.S. welfare system—a problem that runs far deeper and is more dangerous than the shocking fraud in Minnesota that has been making headlines.”

Maggie's Farm - Friday morning links

This AI Keeps Getting Dumb and Dumber, and I've Got the Receipts
The Electric Vehicle Collapse: Wow, That Was Quick!

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 12/17/25

Democracy dies when citizens demand benefits instead of freedom.
Democracy’s Great Temptation

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Trump Halts Diversity Green Card Lottery After Brown, MIT Shootings Trace To Non-Citizen

• Do Not Look Away on This One - CTH
• Providence-area Radio Host Asks Brown University About Their Intentional Disabling of CCTV Systems - CTH

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 12/17/2025

Dan Bongino’s Staff Has Quit, His Office Is Empty And He Is Set To Officially Resign Within The Next 48 Hours. Maybe. Or it is fake news. Either way, the conspiracy had to wargame full control of the FBI, so I was never thinking the FBI would save us.

I leave you with Wednesday's memes from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3230 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, and Friday Memes … from MaddMedic.

If You Break Into Homes...

You will eventually meet an armed homeowner. Homeowner says intruder shot, killed after entering Las Vegas house. This is more true in a state like Nevada.

Dispatchers received a 911 call from a homeowner who said he had shot an intruder. The homeowner, identified only as a man in his 30s, said the individual, identified as a man in his late 40s. came over uninvited and unannounced, investigators said.

After a fight the homeowner shot the intruder, who died at local hospital.

The two guys apparently knew one another, so this is another example of people you know, being a threat. The gun-hating part of the Left is always on about how if you own a gun you are more likely to shoot someone you know, than a complete stranger. That statistic may be changing as civilization collapses, but typically people you know are more likely to be a problem. Disgruntled employees, ex-partners turned stalker, the creepy guy at your favorite coffee shop, and more are people you know.

Police did not arrest the homeowner, because this didn't happen in a Blue State.

Fake Racism in Montana

When there isn't enough actual racism to meet the needs of the Left, they create some fake racism. 18-Month Sentence for Anti-Asian/Anti-Gay Threats Sent by Montana State Univ. Chinese Culture Club President

Is there racism in this country? Yes. But it would seem that there is not enough for the needs to the Left. At least there wasn't enough anti-Asian hate for needs of Rex Wu, president of the Chinese Culture Club at Montana State University. He was convicted of creating some harassing emails.

And since at least one person's name was smeared by this, as being a racist, there were more consequences.

The incident has led to a defamation lawsuit against Wu, in which Wu has defaulted, by not defending it. According to the Complaint, Wu and a fellow MSU Chinese Culture Club member (Lin) "weaponized false racism accusations to achieve their political goals" (recall that this is of course just the plaintiffs' side of the story, and that Lin isn't a defendant in the case and therefore hasn't filed anything with her side of the story).

This is a long and complicated post about a long and complicated series of events. Click thru for the details. They include how a bunch of emails were tied back to Wu.

Hat tip to Clayton Cramer: How Much Racism Remains in America?

I know it persists but articles like this involving anti-Asian racism invented by a gay Chinese-American activist suggests [that] demand exceeds supply.

'Zat You, Santa Claus?

Emmaline is a Nashville based, independent artist that I found in July, when someone (Miguel Gonzalez) was celebrating Christmas in July. Not something I usually am down with, but I always appreciate finding new artists, and Emmaline is a great singer.

This song is "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" by Emmaline. It is a cover of a song originally by Louis Armstrong. Emmaline released it just before Christmas last year, at the end of November.

Friday Links - 19 December

Jews Can Shoot Starts us off with a reaction to the Australian terror attack. Following Sydney massacre, US Jewish security groups reiterate guidelines

The Secure Community Network, the Community Security Initiative, and the Community Security Service — three leading Jewish community groups in the US — issue a set of recommendations.

Divemedic at Areo Ocho - Intel

Property rights are anathema to commies. They don’t want to work for it, but they want it. So they take it. At the end of the day, that is socialism and communism is- the theft of goods and services, wrapped up in a pretty bow.

Theo Spark - If you want a great Christmas listen to these guys....

This is the 'It's a Wonderful Life' in a Radio station.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 16 November 2025: Stone Circuit Edition

LG has force-installed Microsoft Copilot on its smart TVs. (Tom's Hardware)

And you can't remove it.

Planning to buy Samsung instead? Same deal with their TVs and Google Gemini.

Massad Ayoob -WHO KNEW…?

I didn’t know that the great actor James Earl Jones was One Of Us…

…and had one HELL of a gun collection

SHTF Plan - Trump Files $10 billion Lawsuit Against BBC; Let It Burn

President Donald Trump has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (“BBC”), alleging the broadcaster deceptively edited clips from his 6 January 2021 speech to make it appear he incited violence during the Capitol riot.

Irons in the Fire - This was a range day

One thing I need to look for is a better spotting scope. This one works fine on .30-caliber holes and larger, but at 200 it's damn near impossible for me to spot .22-caliber holes. Which I suspect means that one which will work for that is going to cost more than I may be willing/able to spend.

Legal Insurrection - Harvard Program Caught Trying To Hide Discriminatory Language After Complaint Filed By Equal Protection Project

On December 7, 2025, our Equal Protection Project filed a complaint and request for investigation with the U.S. Department of Justice regarding a paid internship run jointly with Harvard and AFSCME (the municipal workers union).

Miguel Gonzalez - You say that like it is a bad thing.

Once there are more people working for a federal paycheck than citizens in the private economy, they are no longer working for you, but you are working for them.

And to the idea of 271,000 less people in the federal payroll, I say this:

Jack Wylder at Monster Hunter Nation: Internet Zoologist Field Notes: TSCW

A common tactic used by dishonest bully assholes is to pretend that the internet is a real place, which functions on the same rules of civility as in real life conversations.

Doug Ross - Racism Under the Banner of DEI is Still Racism

A 2025 ResumeBuilder survey found that 31% of companies de-prioritize white males, with 10% openly avoiding them. This aligns with data showing white men making up only about 6% of recent U.S. hires, despite being a larger share of applicants.

Brown University Shooter Found Dead

From The Other McCain, an update on the 2 university shootings. Claudio Neves-Valente Identified as Brown University Gunman, Found Dead

Claudio Neves-Valente had been enrolled in the physics program at Brown University before leaving in 2003 without completing his doctorate. He also attended the same program at a university in Portugal as MIT physics Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro. Loureiro was apparently murdered by Neves-Valente.

Whatever the motive turns out to be, it apparently had nothing to do with radicalism on the Brown University campus, which means that apologies are owed to the chubby Palestinian student whom many Internet sleuths had suspected as the gunman.

Click thru for details on how the police tracked down Claudio Neves-Valente.

Self-Defense Is Legal in North Carolina

But then I thought it was. Sheriff: Knightdale Boulevard shooting was in self-defense | Raleigh News & Observer

The suspect in a Nov. 22 shooting acted in self-defense and will not be charged, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

It also didn't take very long to come to the following conclusion, and when you consider that the Thanksgiving holiday fell in between then and now, everyone was moving at warp speed. It can take jurisdictions months to reach that conclusion, even in the face of video evidence.

Witnesses reported seeing a car crash and a physical altercation between two men before Hansen was shot, the Sheriff’s Office said. After consulting with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office, the incident was determined to be an act of self-defense.

Wake County, North Carolina is the county that contains the city of Raleigh.

Self-defense is a human right. (Hat tip to Keep and Bear Arms.)

65 No-Go zones in Sweden

Sweden will no longer exist as a part of western civilization. From Peter Imanuelsen at PeterSweden we get the following post. SHOCKING: Now 65 no-go zones in Sweden

Police recently released their new report on dangerous areas in the country and the news is not good.

There are now 65 areas that police list as ”vulnerable areas” in the country. This is just a politically correct term for what is essentially a no-go zone.

They also have another term called ”especially vulnerable areas” where things are the worst.

But then eliminating western civilization was the goal of at least some of the immigrants. I'm not sure that was the goal of the people in charge of letting the immigrants into Sweden.

There are also reports of people in these areas taking on themselves the role of ” Islamist morality police” enforcing strict rules on women in some of these areas.

They act as ”religious enforcers” and attempt to impose sharia like rules in these areas.

Click thru.

Impro Guns has an Interesting SMG

The guns are looking better every year. Hybrid Square Tube SMG | Impro Guns

This appears to be a combination of a Professor Parabellum designed submachine gun with some 3D Printed furniture, and maybe a lower borrowed from the FGC-9.

9mm hybrid square tube submachine gun

Click thru for the photo.

The pearl-clutching, gun-fearing part of the Left is all upset about 3D printing and firearms, but really the Professor Parabellum designs, which are decades old at this point, strike me as better. Square tube for the receivers, some basic welding, and no tools more advanced than a decent drillpress are required to make some pretty nice firearms. Better than the early 3D printed stuff, though even that is getting better.

Building firearms is not rocket science. Most shadetree mechanics have the tools and knowhow to build them. That was the entire point of the Professor Parabellum designs.

A Person of Interest/Suspect in Brown University Shooting

From The Other McCain we get the following. Finally: ‘Suspect of Interest’ Reportedly Identified in Brown University Shooting

After six days of double-talk and obfuscation, at last authorities in Rhode Island claim to have gotten a clue about the killer.

Might be updates after the press conference.

Self-Defense Is Legal in Florida, Though Sometimes in Doubt

This just goes to show that prosecutors hate self-defense, even in Florida. Charges dropped for Broward teen after new evidence emerges | Miami Herald

I'm sure the race of the shooter had absolutely nothing to do with the decision to charge her... How can you even ask such a thing?

Two years ago, Esther Sanon — then an 18-year-old Broward high school senior — met up with Jason Sapp, a man more than twice her age that she had connected with online months before.

That decision ended in a shooting — and with Sanon facing decades behind bars in a Florida prison.

She claimed he tried to rape her. Broward county prosecutors didn't care about that. They saw a win and went for it.

But on Thursday morning, prosecutors, citing new information, dropped charges against Sanon, who throughout the case maintained she acted in self-defense.

Sanon’s alleged victim, Sapp, a then-42-year-old, had been arrested on a slew of charges, including human trafficking and lewd and lascivious acts with a victim between 12 and 16. Since November, Sapp has been at the Broward Main Jail.

I guess they decided that prosecuting an 18-year-old for shooting someone now facing heinous charges wouldn't look too good if it came to light during any upcoming elections. Or something.

Anyway, justice was finally done, though this was nearly a miscarriage of Justice.

Before prosecutors dropped the charges, Sanon had accepted a plea deal that would have placed her on probation for six years.

More details if you click thru.

Just one more thing.

Deputies, prosecutors and even loved ones didn’t believe her, but [Sanon’s attorney, Adam] Goodman did.

Why would anyone listen to a black teenager?

Broward county is just north of Miami-Dade, and includes Fort Lauderdale. (Hat tip to KABA)

More Improvised Weapons from Around the World

Two stories from Impro Guns.

The first story is from South America. Airsoft body hybrid SMG (Brazil)

A number of these have been seized in the last few months, mainly in Bahia state. It appears to be an improvised PA Luty style SMG with the innards dressed up inside an inexpensive spring powered airsoft body. Reportedly chambered in 9mm.

The second story is from Africa. Kidnappers engaged (Nigeria)

There was one AK-47 rifle. Two improvised pistols chambered for shotgun shells were recovered. It isn't clear what gauge but one appears to be 12 gauge, and one in .410 bore or perhaps 20 gauge. There was one 9mm pistol recovered, that may or may not be improvised. (It's a bit rough, but it just may be old.)

As always, click thru for the photos.

Luty-designed firearms usually look pretty good, given how he specified they be built, but dressing them up with Airsoft furniture make them look quite nice. The rest are a bit rough, and the rust doesn't help. Well, the AK looks like a bog-standard AK that's been around the block a few times.

Nature Magazine: The Sky Is Falling. Or Maybe Not

From John Sexton at Hot Air: Nature Retracted a Study Predicting Global Economic Catastrophe

In April of 2024, the scientific journal Nature published an article titled "The economic commitment of climate change." The conclusion of the paper's authors was that climate change would lead to spectacular catastrophe for the world's economy both in the medium term and the longer term. This message, that the world's hair was on fire because of climate change, was immediately picked up and spread far and wide by the media.

Central Banks jumped on the insanity to set policy, because of course they did.

In other words, this wasn't just more screechy climate catastrophism it was going to have a major impact on banks around the globe. Only it turned out the paper all of this was based on was bogus. Those terrible predictions were not supportable.

In fact, it turned out that most of the bad news was the result of data for just one country: Uzbekistan.

It took more than a year for the report to be retracted. It was retracted last week.

Why should the public trust Nature when it chooses to publish junk science like this and then takes well over a year to retract it?

Trust the science. Just don't put too much faith in the scientists or their journals.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 17 December

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

Maggies Farm has Links. And more links. And does this all during the week.
Ned Hardy has cat owners.

EBL - Bondi Beach Hanukkah Attack RIP 🕎

Instapundit: Bondi Beach What We Know, Globalize the Intifada, and California
AoSHQ: Rampant Antisemtism in Australia

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 12.16.25 (Afternoon Edition)

Dana Loesch: Weekend Evil – Multiple Terrorist Attacks & A School Shooting
Don Surber: Police malpractice in shootings

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 14 December 2025: Skorking Or Non-Skorking Edition

Why AI makes bad systems more convincing. (Chaincoder)
Because AI is not just a stochastic bullshit generator. It's a stochastic plausibility generator.

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: A change is coming. Victor Davis Hanson – Europe is angry. Hamas support. The affordability crisis. Dementia Joe’s library.

Political Hat - News of the Week (December 14th, 2025)

Assisted Suicide Legalized in Illinois
Of course Governor Pritzker signed the assisted suicide bill. Was there ever any doubt? Assisted suicide has become part of the progressive policy agenda.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 12/13/2025

Arizona Couple Sentenced in $1.2B Medicare Fraud Scheme
The owners of several Arizona wound graft companies have been sentenced in federal court for orchestrating a massive Medicare fraud scheme

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam on a Snowy Sunday Morning

At Da Signal, the Great Victor Davis Hanson notes Europe Is Angry Trump Told It the Truth and wonders Will Western Civilization Still Exist in Europe in 100 Years? Chronic chronicles Europe’s Unending Tragedy.

The Glibertarians - Saturday evening decrepit Links

Something about this story smells.
Yep, love them open borders.
Looks like we’re still in Syria.

Bacon Time!!!! - Sunday Linkange

Pirates Cove “Experts” Racing To Save Connecticut’s Christmas Tree Industry
Freedom Is Just Another Word.. .Saturday Memes…

Don Surber - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

ITEM 5: Zero Hedge declared, “Once Again, London Has The Most Pathetic Christmas Tree On The Planet.”
Maybe Linus Van Pelt will give them his security blanket to prop it up.

Vlad Tepes - Tucker Carlson and Matt Walsh on Canada’s slide into an anti-life state, and Bondi: Our analysis of the way the entire attack was deflected by the state-media complex to avoid any actionable truths at all: Links 1 for December 15th, 2025

A Canadian politician does a masterful job of converting the slaughter of a dozen Jewish people into a complaint about Islamophobia. This is perhaps a perfect example of Hegelian dialectics as practiced by Muslims.

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Arnold Kling identifies humility as the defining feature of his political philosophy – a political philosophy that I share. Arnold calls this philosophy “humilitism”; it’s what I call classical liberalism.

Maggie's Farm - Monday morning links

“Experts” Racing To Save Connecticut’s Christmas Tree Industry
Norway Avoids ‘Green’ Energy Quicksand
Energy Affordability: A Blue State Problem

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: More Tax on Tips: Blue States Erase New Federal Tax Cuts

• Ford's $35.1 Billion EV Fiasco - Robert Bryce
• Valero Eats $1.1 Billion Loss to Escape Newsom’s Toxic California - Elizabeth Stauffer

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 12/16/25

Fomenting mutiny in the ranks? Yup that's pretty damn serious IMHO - JJS
Pentagon Escalates Investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly for ‘Serious Allegations of Misconduct’

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 12/13/2025

FBI Director Christopher Wray did, in fact, have DNA evidence that confirmed Ilhan Omar did, in fact, marry her own brother, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, and admitted she would “do what she had to do to get him ‘papers’ to keep him in the U.S.” — but covered it up.

I leave you with Sunday Funnies For 12-14-25 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Sunday Meme Drop from Midwest Chick's Place, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3221 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Mondays again, but in gifs this time from Wirecutter.

Concealed Carry in Indiana

He was a rowdy bar patron. Violence at South Side tavern leads to Muncie man's shooting, arrest

According to an affidavit, city police were called to the Red Dog Saloon, 1600 W. 23rd St., about 8:45 p.m. after Scott "became belligerent with an employee ... punching at her from across the bar."

He went on to attack several employees and bar patrons, with various items including bar stools. He ended up sending a couple to the hospital. Eventually, someone had enough.

The officer reviewing the video said Scott then armed himself with a pool cue and broke it over the head of a female victim.

The Muncie man was reportedly continuing to strike the woman with the broken cue when one of the other victims shot him, apparently in the buttocks.

After that he left, but cops picked him up and took him to the hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound, and then they took him to the county lockup.

This guy is charged with two counts of aggravated battery, four counts of battery with a deadly weapon, and three counts of battery by bodily waste, for spitting on people.

The guy who did the shooting was not arrested, because Indiana is not New Jersey.

Self-defense is a human right. (Hat tip to Gun Watch)

They Accuse the Conservatives of Subverting Democracy

But it is the liberals, specifically the UK Labour government, that are canceling elections. From the BBC: New mayoral elections to be delayed in four areas of England

Elections for newly-created mayors will be delayed in four more areas of England, the BBC has confirmed, pushing back regional devolution plans.

New mayors were expected to be elected in Greater Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk, Hampshire & the Solent, and Sussex & Brighton in May next year, but will now have to wait until May 2028.

The need time to organize, or something.

Opposition parties are crying foul, and it is odd that the plans are changing just as membership in Labour seems to be on the decline.

From the Financial Times: Labour membership plummets since general election

Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK becomes the largest political party by members

That's not suspicious at all. The guy who was the face of Brexit, which the right-thinking technocrats in the government hated, is now head of a popular political party. Well, we can't have elections under those circumstances. The "right people" might not get elected.

The Labour party has lost about 100,000 members since last year’s general election, underscoring the dramatic fall in Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity and the surge in support for smaller parties.

This is against a backdrop of the British and the French telling people that they might have to face a war with Russia.

From the BBC again: Outcry at army chief's warning France must prepare to 'lose children' in war

The French don't want to fight wars. That's why they started the Foreign Legion. (Does that still exist?) That's why they pretend to support NATO.

A stark warning from France's new army chief about the country "losing its children" in a potential war with Russia has sharply divided political opinion.

Gen Fabien Mandon, who took over as army chief-of-staff in September, told a congress of mayors on Tuesday that France's biggest weakness in today's dangerous times was the lack of a will to fight.

And it isn't just France. From Sky news: UK 'rapidly developing' plans to prepare for war

Underlining the role civilians would have to play in a major conflict, Al Carns said armies, navies and air forces respond to crises but "societies, industries and economies win wars".

Al Carns is a Member of Parliament, and was a Colonel in the Royal Marines, and is now in their reserves.

I would have to do some serious research, but my guess is that neither the French or the British military are in any state to fight against Russia. For decades NATO countries have not met their commitments to funding their military budgets to the levels specified by NATO. They just rely on the US to foot the bill. Germany has been particularly lax, so that at one point before the COVID lockdowns, the German military didn't have enough guns to outfit the German army. Poland, and one other country that I can't pull out of memory, were meeting their commitments during the 1st Trump administration.

Looking back at these stories, two things occur to me.

The first is that the Left is projecting their own attitudes and desires on the Right when they say conservatives are threat to democracy.

And the second thing that comes to mind is ...

Oceania was at war with Eurasia; therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia.
    — George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

More like Airstrip One every day. And they have an emergency to justify the cancelling of even more elections.