Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - Halloween Edition

The Right Way is up first with Top of the News

FBI raids Beverly Hills mansion as part of Swalwell investigation - IOTW Report
Comey again - The New Neo

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.28.26

Don Surber: Tariffs trump Obama
Glenn Reynolds: Life Today Under Late Democracy

EBL - Minnesota Voter Fraud: Soros Prosecutor Retailiation

RedState: Why Blue State prosecutors are attacking election integrity
Hot Air: NYT confirms Ilhan Omar fraud

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 30 October 2026: Doom Edition

Speaking of Reddit but somehow worse the site will now require you to log in to read anything. (The Verge)
There has never been a better opportunity for Digg to return.

Small Dead Animals - Friday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s Canada: Saving democracy. A shadow looms. White House decor.
China Carney’s Canada: An accusation. Our strategic partner. Apparently good enough for soldiers. Leniency for MP. Higher carbon taxes.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.29.26

Shot In The Dark: If It Saves Just One Life, also, City Councils
Mark Steyn: Just Show Up

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Is the The Alaskan Double Tap Going to Court?

PJM's Stephen Kruiser, Clinton-Appointed Judge Lends a Hand to California Voter Fraud. DataRepublican (small r) @DataRepublican, "Parallel vote tabulation (PVT) is a common tool in color revolutions."

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For October 30, 2026

“Days before midterms, ICE and DOJ announce new wave of noncitizen voting arrests With the midterms days away, federal officials are arresting and charging noncitizens accused of illegally registering and voting. DHS says it’s checking about 300,000 more cases

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 10.30.26 (Morning Edition)

Ammo.com: Gun Violence Among Black Americans 2026
Upstream Reviews: Halloween Reading Recommendations

The Glibertarians - Friday Morning Deadline Links

Those wacky illegal alien scammers!
“Your Honor, my client pleads retarded.”
Heidi is proof that physiognomy is destiny.

Political Hat - Quick Takes – Who’s Being Euthanized Now? Autistic Teens; Toddlers; Preventable Suicides

Now, the Netherlands is killing toddlers.
Suicide is bad, unless a doctor says otherwise…

Once again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.30.26 (Evening Edition)

Transterrestrial Musings: Bloggus Interruptus, also, The West’s International Order
Victory Girls: Fired Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia Admitted To Leaking Classified Information

Maggie's Farm - Friday morning links

Patrick Stewart Dies at 86, Leaving a Legacy Far Beyond Star Trek
Doordash to acquire Instacart

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 10/29 /26

The former labor secretary wants the Democrat Party to steal SpaceX and Starlink.
Robert Reich And Organized Theft

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Democrats Care Too Much About Power To Distance Themselves From Terror Supporters

Does NFL Know About Super Bowl Artist’s Fatwa On George Zimmerman? - Jack Cashill NYT Columnist Wants Democrats To ‘Drain’ Trump Allies’ Bank Accounts To Save ‘Democracy’ - Brianna Lyman

I leave you with Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, In case I get busy the next couple of days from The Feral Irishman, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #4351 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Bookworm Beat 10/30/26: The “vote like your life depends on it” meme edition from Bookworm Room, and Keeping you up to date with memes from Wirecutter.

Drugs Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

They can cause you to do stupid stuff, which can result in you getting shot. Man shot, killed by loss prevention employee outside Glendale beauty supply store

Police say a 32-year-old man was working as loss prevention at the store when he confronted Edgar Perez Lopez, 33, and Lopez’s girlfriend, who were reportedly smoking pills.

The employee told the couple to leave, leading to a confrontation between the three. Investigators believe Lopez reached for a firearm, and the employee shot him. Lopez was rushed to the hospital and later died.

The investigation is still going on, but the cops did find a firearm and drugs. And this didn't happen in New York City.

Self-defense is a human right.

Tesla Cancels the Cybertruck for Australia and New Zealand

MGUY Australia is disappointed. (Not really) Tesla Just Cancelled the Cybertruck For These Two Countries

Your vocabulary word of the day: Ute. It is Australian for pickup truck. It isn't in the quote below, but is in the articles, and in the video linked below. (The British and the Americans - two people separated by a common language.)

Tesla has scrapped its Cybertruck plans for Australia and New Zealand, voiding reservations that in some cases date back to November 2019. Reservation holders began receiving emails on October 23 informing them their orders were cancelled and their deposits would be refunded.

Part of the problem is right-hand drive. The US is left-hand drive. We drive on the left side of the vehicle, and shift with the right hand. The UK, Australia, and (I think) New Zealand are right-hand drive. They drive on the left side of the road, but drive from the right-hand side of the vehicle. (Shifting with your left hand was often a problem on the UK's Top Gear for American guests.)

Part of the problem was weight.

Some other articles:

• Australia third biggest market for Tesla Cybertruck
• Tesla Cybertruck arrives in Australia
• Tesla Cybertruck orders halted in Australia

The hat tip goes to MGUY Australia and his video I'm DEVASTATED! The video is just under 9 minutes.

Firedancer

I think I used all of the Halloween-appropriate songs at one point or another. Does this fit? Maybe.

Poets of the Fall is a Finnish Alternative Rock band. (Don't worry; English lyrics) I can't remember how I found out about them. It may have been because they provided nine songs for the soundtrack to the video game Alan Wake.

I haven't really dived into their music, but I may have to. I hear them mostly when the Tidal streaming service offers up one of their songs.

Here is a link to the lyrics.

This song is "Firedancer" by Poets of the Fall. It is from the 2022 album Ghostlight.

Friday Links - 30 October

The Gun Writer starts us off with New York judge delays Demetrio Daga’s sentencing for reasons unknown

None of what Braga possessed is even considered illegal in a free state.

Juliette Ochieng - Welcome to the Newbies of 2026

Thanks to the Blogfather, Glenn Reynolds, I have received an avalanche of new subscribers and followers in the last few days. To that end, I decided to give you a taste of what you new folks are working with.

Lone Star ParsonPoetry Mondays - Gods of the Copybook Headings

Chesterton, whom I greatly admire, scorned Kipling, but Chesterton, for all his greatness wasn't always right. That said, I'd argue Kipling was right in the X-Ring with this. Make of it what you will.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - NYC’s DA’s Force Prosecutors To Downgrade Charges For Illegals

If this were you or me they’d throw the book at us, but, they go soft on illegals so that they hopefully do not show up on ICE’s radar. Also, then their pet media can say that the people are not bad criminals.

George Shay at Chicago Contrarian - Chicago Can’t Borrow Its Way to Prosperity

Even the Chicago Tribune has apparently had enough of the fiscal insanity at City Hall. In two remarkably sensible editorials published October 22 & 23, the Tribune editorial board took Mayor Brandon Johnson to task for presenting what amounts to a political campaign document masquerading as a municipal budget

Meep at STUMP - Taxing Tuesday: More California Wealth Tax Reactions

It may not even get over the finish line... gotta talk about it while we can

The Other McCain - Some People Never Learn

A couple of months ago, while most of us were distracted by the death of Dolly Parton, Rolling Stone published a lengthy article about another show-business death — except this woman wasn’t a star. She was the ex-girlfriend of a star, but one of those smaller stars you’ve probably never heard of.

James Bosco at Chicago Contrarian - Dr. Brandonlove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Chicago’s Financial Collapse

The problems with Chicago’s governance will not self-correct because Chicago’s liberal voters are incapable of self-correction.

This Kind of Equality Was Probably Not Her Wish

I think this headline might be a tad bit of an exaggeration. Homeowner Shoots and Kills Female Burglar After She Kicks Down His Front Door in Alabama - NewsBreak

The homeowner had suffered a burglary, so he took the next day off work. Around noon, two burglars show up.

He was home on Wednesday, October 14, gun within reach. Around noon, Dustin Patrick Tucker and Kenya Pugh allegedly kicked down his front door.

I believe that it was Dustin Tucker who kicked down the door, not both of them, but that doesn't make as compelling a story.

The homeowner was armed, and he fired on the two.

Pugh was killed at the scene. Tucker ran.

It took cops 2 days to catch Tucker.

Alabama is a Castle Doctrine state, so there have been no charges against the homeowner.

Kenya Pugh being a woman does not change the law. It does challenge the image most people carry of who commits these crimes.

Self-defense is a human right.

Wind Turbines Killing Bats and Birds Down Under

That doesn't even count the roads, the bases, or building the dam things. Wind Turbines vs Nature: How Reckless Renewables Are Destroying the Environment - Watts Up With That?

This is a story about how wind turbines are harming Australian rainforests. It starts with a description of how old growth forest was bulldozed for roads to the site in question.

Twenty-eight turbines stood over us, each 226 metres tall, 91 metres taller than the London Eye. Around their concrete footings lay dead bats and birds.

Steven crouched beside them. “They light the turbines up at night,” he told us. “The lights pull in the insects, and the insects pull in the bats. Nobody is really even counting.”

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, and pay no attention to the real cost of building and maintaining these things.

"Green"

The FBI Wouldn't Cook the Books on Mass Shootings...

Or would they? John R. Lott Jr. at National Review: Yes, Armed Civilians Can — and Do — Stop Mass Shootings

Data ignored by the FBI show the importance of defensive gun use in bringing down active shooters.

I'm shocked that government employees would let their personal biases color the work they do. Or maybe not.

The problem persists. From 2014 through 2025, the FBI identified 408 active-shooter incidents but credited armed citizens with stopping only 16 — just 3.9 percent.

The CPRC, however, has identified numerous additional cases and maintains an updated list. Our research tells a dramatically different story. We identified 615 active-shooter incidents from 2014 through 2025 and found that armed citizens stopped 225 of them.

Click thru for the details.

I guess you don't have to be good at math to work for the FBI. (Hat tip to Breitbart.)

NYPD Hates the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution

From Shooting News Weekly: NYPD: ‘Assault Weapons’ Must Remain Banned Because People In Dense Cities Need to Have Fewer 2A Rights Than Everyone Else

It is just the statement from the New York Police Department amicus brief in Viramontes v. Cook County. It isn't long.

Hat tip to Stephen Green at Instapundit: THAT’S NOT HOW THAT WORKS

RIP Patrick Stewart

It seems like we have lost most of a generation of actors this year.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund https://t.co/luC5CdcWDy Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources https://t.co/zvNptfyuNd Photo Credit: Tommy Garcia https://t.co/XNncEVq56X

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) October 29, 2026

Accomplice Takes Deal to Avoid Felony Murder Trial

The Left will be happy because they hate Felony Murder. Being held accountable for the completely foreseeable consequences of one's actions is not something they approve of. Burglary accomplice sentenced to 8 years; murder charge dismissed in fatal home intrusion | West Plains Daily Quill

Two guys broke into a home last November. One of them was shot and killed by the 77-year-old homeowner. A shotgun will ruin your day that way. The other would-be, bad guy was arrested.

Under Missouri law, a person can be charged with felony murder if a death occurs during the commission of certain felony crimes, even if the defendant did not directly fire the fatal shot. Prosecutors originally levied the second-degree murder charge against Geringer under that statutory provision.

The plea agreement drops the Second Degree Murder charge, in favor of not risking court.

He will receive credit for the 11 months he served waiting for trial.

West Plains, Missouri, is about 150 miles southwest of St. Louis.

So was this Justice served, or not?

RCMP Raid Electric Bus Manufacturer

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police raid a company over investor fraud allegations. Police raid Saint-Jérôme, Que., headquarters of EV manufacturer Lion Electric

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police conducted a search at Lion Electric's headquarters in Saint-Jérôme on Wednesday.

The search is part of an investment fraud probe that started more than a year ago, according to RCMP Sgt. Erique Gasse.

For more info, see the video embedded below. During the height of the EV mania, Quebec, and few US states, mandated that all new school buses had to be electric. The Quebec government invested more than $100 million Canadian in the company. It was sold later for $6 million, and the province dropped its all-electric mandate. Not sure if the US states did likewise. The company filed for the Canadian version of bankruptcy in early 2025.

As part of the bankruptcy they went through, they voided all warranties outside of Quebec. US school districts that own Lion Electric buses are mostly not able to drive them because they cannot get parts anywhere. This doesn't even deal with the issues the buses had in cold weather.

Why should you care? The US government gave Lion Electric about $150 million US, through grants to school districts to buy electric buses. A lot of which were never delivered, and bunch of the ones delivered do not work. That is a horrible record, and why the company was accused of deceiving investors about the health of the company.

Here is a post from September noting that a lot of money disappeared in the form of buses paid for but not delivered. Fewer than 4 in 10 were delivered, though they were not all Lion Electric buses. The Mystery of the Disappearing EV Grants.

In another post from September, a Lion Electric bus catches fire. If an Electric Bus Catches Fire Is It Still a Zero Emission Vehicle?

This is the StacheD Training video Police Raid Lion Electric: Investment Fraud Investigation. Pat gets the hat tip.

I've covered Lion Electric a number of times on this channel. Bus fires, quality problems, and recalls. Lion actually sent me a cease and desist back in January 2025.

Tesla Semi Fire Shuts Highway in SF Bay Area During Rush Hour

Highway I-880 is in the western part of the San Francisco Bay Area (Hayward). It was closed for 10 hours for a Tesla Semi fire.

Nothing mentions how the fire got started, if anyone even knows. Was it the battery that started the fire, or was a tire, or the breaks that started things, and then the battery got involved? We will probably never find out, even if Tesla has some insight into the issue.

This is the StacheD Training video Tesla Semi Battery Fire Shuts Down I-880 at Rush Hour

The battery in this truck is massive. Depending on the version, it's either a 548 or 822kWh battery. Essentially, three battery packs. The rough equivalency is 7 to 8 Tesla Model Y's.

All burning at the same time. Pat talks about the difference between a diesel semi fire, and this fire in the video. The video is four and a half minutes.

300 Blackout Ballistics

I had tripped over this article a few days back, and then I got an email from Wideners. I make no money, nor do I receive anything for posting this. Subsonic 300 Blackout Ballistics - Field Trials

I have wanted to build a 300 Blackout AR since I first read about it. A heavy, slow-moving (relatively speaking) bullet out of an AR platform would seem to be what is called for when it comes to home defense. Now that the ATF has relented on suppressors (Ohio is still trying to get its act together) a subsonic 300 Blackout seems to be just what is wanted.

Many say shooting is a game of inches. This is true. But it can also be a game of silence and ballistic efficiency. In this article, our goal is to understand the finer details of subsonic 300 Blackout cartridges. We’ll compare different companies, different barrels, all at different distances.

It’s often tough to decide which rounds to test in these comparisons. So we selected options that cover a few different categories. The combinations of 300 BLK ammo and barrel lengths we tested gave us data that should be useful for a variety of gun owners.

I do love a good statistical study.

The one thing that has held me back is the thought of adding another caliber to my logistics chain. I have recently thought that 12 gauge should move to the forefront, and another part of me is considering .45 ACP in something suppressed. But, that all calls for more disposable income than I have right now. I just spent way too much money on repairs for my SUV, and tomorrow I get to rent a trencher to play in the mud, though it is more dirt than mud.

If any of you have experience with 300 Blackout, I would love to hear in the comments. The only thing I know for sure is that, depending on the barrel length, variable/adjustable gas block is required. I can't recall without digging for notes if direct gas impingement is OK, or if a piston is preferred.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 28 October

William Teach at Pirate's Cove starts things rolling with Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

The Other McCain has Rule 5 Sunday. And In The Mailbox.
The Chive has Sunday morning coffee.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.27.26 (Early Evening Edition)

Don Surber: When Elon Musk saved Ukraine
Elizabeth Nickson: Note To The Institutional Left

EBL - Saturday Night Girls With Guns

24 October 1776: preparation leading to White Plains
EBL: The World Turned Upside Down

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 27 October 2026: Australian Cheetahs Edition

Can AI solve the COBOL crisis? (The Verge)
Yes. Ish. AI acts as a force multiplier for an intelligent, focused project lead.
It also acts as a force multiplier for an unintelligent, unfocused project lead.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - "Gone are the Days When the Ox Fell Down"

Hon. Vickie Paladino @VickieforNYC, "None of the conversations taking place by Democrats and leftists in anticipation of retaking Congress are about the ways they’re going to make life more affordable for Americans.

Political Hat - News of the Week (October 25th, 2026)

The Affordable Care Act has proven unaffordable
A report from the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that ObamaCare premiums are projected to increase significantly through 2027.

Don Surber - Highlights of the week

ITEM 22: Media-ite reported, “Politico Responds to WH Threat With Major Correction to One of Its Stories—But Argues Errors Aren’t Grounds For Censorship.”
Telling someone to correct an error is not censorship

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Thumotic thoughts. Voting in California. Democrats make a vow.
Mohammed Carney’s Canada: Our new strategic partner. Ignoble Nobels.

Vlad Tepes - 5 items and an explanation of how this site views events: Links post 1 for Oct. 24, 2026

1. Pretty much all Western nations, and this includes the United States depending on where exactly, is at one or another stage of the following process. The disassembly of rule of law, and its replacement with a dialectically driven state.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 10/24/2026

Google has changed its privacy policy, allowing it to use content from Gmail, Drive, and Photos to target ads, if those services are connected to its Personal Intelligence AI feature, available in Search and Gemini.

The Glibertarians - Saturday evening Links

The Progressive movement started in the Republican party.
Soccer hooligans be all, “daaaamn”.
Deep State gonna Deep State.

Bacon Time - Sunday Linkange

Pirates Cove Federal Appeals Court Says That Illegals Can Be Held Without Bond
Freedom Is Just Another Word.. .Saturday Memes…

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Niall Ferguson: Is There Method to Trump’s Foreign Policy Madness? Plus. . .
The Coming Insurrection - And what to do about it.

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 10/27 /26

The horror story of the rampant sexual abuse of students.
Pedophilia Proliferates in U.S. Schools

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Another Weekend of Riots, Arson and Street Battles in France and Beyond *

The Bush Family Dynasty's Final Betrayal Against America - JD Rucker
FBI Arrests CIA Contractor Accused of Leaking Classified Defense Secrets to Romantic Partner - AG

I leave you wtih Saturday’s Yeah, we made it, Meme Drop 10-24-26 from Midwest Chick's Place, Sunday Funnies For 10-25-26 from Stately McDaniel Manor, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #4330 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Memes and Things from The Feral Irishman, and Sunday Funnies from Flopping Aces.

Armed Self-Defense During July 2026

The Crime Prevention Research Center is compiling lists of self-defense incidents. Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 25 Cases During July 2026

The Left loves to go on about how good people with guns never stop crimes. That is simply not the case. It is why I keep track of these cases. See the link "Tales of Self-defense Found Here" at the top of the sidebar. If you find yourself in such a discussion about "how often does it actually happen?" you can send that link. I don't have a story every day, but I do have such a story most days. And occasionally we get something like the In-N-Out Burger shooting, or the recent Oregon school shooting, both of which were stopped, by armed citizens.

Click thru.

Free Speech Is Dead in the UK

And Conservative Councillor Simon Bennett, from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands is a whiny little Beotch. A UK teen made fun of a politician. Then cops showed up at his door.

It’s easy to take free speech for granted when it’s all you’ve known as an American — but look no further than the United Kingdom for a reminder of why our First Amendment is so important.

That’s where a 15-year-old boy was awakened by four West Midlands police officers early one morning this August, because his Facebook posts allegedly offended a local politician.

The offensive post? He put whiskers and rabbit ears on a photo of Bennett, so Bennett sicked the local cops on the 15-year-old. The cops, having clearly solved all crime in the West Midlands, arrested the kid, took a mugshot and collected his DNA. Why? "Because shut up, and obey our authority, that's why!"

Click thru for details, or look at the memes online. X has been beautiful.

Wolverhampton, or Wolves, is about 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Birmingham.

Quiet Fire

This is a song I found by way of social media. I really like it. But as a result of the social media link, I know nothing about the artist. That will change in the future.

This song is "Quiet Fire" by Melody Gardot from her 2006 album Worrisome Heart

This came to me by way of the Sensei of Sarcasm Song Game.

Tuesday Links - 27 October

Miguel Gonzalez is first with And the deranged rant of the day goes to...

His [Michael Jochum] blood pressure must be through the roof or probably he has already suffered a stroke.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Your Fault: Hotcoldwetdry Increase Gun Violence Or Something

No matter the issue the cult of climastrology will link itself

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 24 October 2026: Twelfth Of Never Edition

Speaking of things that nobody knows how to do a trailer has leaked for Mass Effect 4. (WCCFTech)

It had been in early development at BioWare when the storied company was shut down... In "early" development for six years.

Meep at Stump - RIP, Walter Koenig, age 90: On Natural v. “Unnatural” Causes of Death by Age

26 Oct 2026, Hollywood Reporter: Walter Koenig, the Russian Crewman Chekov on ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 90

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Better Than Nothing

Another dreadful week for Senators fans, as we managed to win exactly two games, one from the Brewers and the other from the Angels. We are now 22-41, five games behind the fourth-place Brewers and 10.5 games behind the division-leading Red Sox.

Paul Vallas at Chicago Contrarian - Chicago’s “Fair Share Budget” Is Just More Brandon Johnson Gamesmanship.

If the mayor's 2027 budget version passes, Johnson would have raised annual taxes $1.3 billion, while his school board has raised property taxes another $857 million. These increases fall on residents and businesses regardless on income

Again from Wombat-socho - Rule 5 Sunday: Casual Friday Redux

Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley et Hamas delendam sunt.

The Silicon Graybeard - 'More missions, more often' - NASA on selecting science missions

NASA is talking about overhauling how it selects and develops science missions, in an effort to reduce costs, and increase the pace of missions.

News Flash - The Trace Doesn't Like Guns

Gee, who'da thunk it? The Trace: Guns Are Toxic!

They have a "statistical study" to prove it. Or something.

The Trace wants gun owners to think about one word after leaving the range: toxic.

Dramatic framing? Sure. Completely invented? No.

For those of you not paying attention, The Trace was founded with money from Bloomberg, and is basically the media arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, which also has ties to Bloomberg. How do you spell "bias?"

Guns do produce toxic fumes. Some lead if you are using lead bullets. It is worse if you are shooting in an indoor range than if you are outdoors. You should wash your hands, but you should do that anyway.

The Trace is worried about, wait for it ..., the children.

The report estimates that roughly six million American children live in households where someone shoots lead-based ammunition but practices no post-shooting hygiene.

That number sounds alarming. However, it needs some important context.

They did not survey 6 million households. They reference a survey. (never talk to surveyors about your firearms.) Based on the answers they got they made some guesses.

The survey did appear in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, but that doesn't mean any inference from the survey will hold up to scrutiny.

Here is the critical distinction: The study did not test six million children.

It did not collect blood samples from the children, measure lead dust inside their homes or determine whether any particular range trip caused harmful exposure.

Read the whole thing; it isn't long. Hat tip to MaddMedic at Freedom Is Just Another Word…

On the subject of firearm-related surveys: If some rando opinion surveyor asks you if you own firearms, the only correct answer is "No." Or "Of course not; I'm insulted." Or something to that effect.

The Changes in Concealed Carry from 1979 thru Today

From Light Over Heat with Professor David Yamane we get an interesting map. Watch the Concealed Carry Revolution Unfold in 52 Seconds

In 1979 only Washington State had a Shall Issue concealed carry law, and Vermont never restricted concealed carry.

Indiana switched to Shall Issue in 1980. Florida followed in 1987.

[Florida] didn’t create shall issue, but it opened the floodgates. Look at how quickly the map turns blue through the late 1980s and 1990s.

The holdouts, the Bruen decision from SCOTUS in 2022. And the Constitutional Carry wave.

Alaska went that way in 2003, and today there are 29 states.

Using the map. If you teach, present or write about guns in America, you’re welcome to use it, but please credit: David Yamane, Gun Culture 2.0.

Some of useful definitions.

• Restricted (red): concealed carry was banned outright or permitted at officials’ discretion (“no issue” or “may issue”).
• Shall issue (blue): officials must issue a permit to any applicant who meets the statutory requirements.
• Permitless carry (green): anyone who can legally possess a handgun can carry it concealed in public without a permit.

I was going to take issue with the "restricted" definition, but after consideration I think it is the right breakdown. It meant you had to be someone special to get a CCW license in those states, which meant, for the average person, no issue.

I'm Shocked that the BBC Is Biased

OK, so absolutely no one is shocked that the BBC has a liberal bias. BBC education website used by millions takes down Leftist views after pushing 'extreme views' on migration and Net Zero | Daily Mail Online

The BBC has removed 'Left-wing' material from its education website that pushed 'extreme' views on migration and Net Zero after an exposé by The Mail on Sunday.

The corporation was last week accused of 'brainwashing' children after we revealed how BBC Bitesize encouraged them to play an online game in which they were rewarded for choosing 'open borders' and giving an amnesty to illegal migrants.

Click thru for details.

Name In Blood

Zakk Wylde was the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, but they had a falling out in the middle 1990s, and so Wylde struck out in on his own. Black Label Society started as a solo project, but eventually morphed into a band.

This is "Name In Blood" by Black Label Society & Zakk Wylde from the 2026 album Engines of Demolition

Self-Defense Is All About Attitude

Use whatever is at hand. Weedwacker-wielding Amish woman fends off alleged kidnapper - NewsBreak

Lancaster Online reports that on the afternoon of Oct. 14, a 23-year-old woman was working in her yard with a motorized weed trimmer when Junior Jose Davila-Moran allegedly approached her, holding a pair of handcuffs and a serrated knife. He allegedly demanded that she put on the handcuffs, and the victim then screamed and stepped forward with the weed trimmer. Davila-Moran allegedly fled the scene.

The bad guy was apprehended by cops a few days later, with the handcuffs still in his truck.

"Don't bring a knife to a weedwacker fight," is just wrong, so I didn't use that as a title.

Lying FBI Agents Finally Facing Some Justice

Deep state? What deep state? Miranda Devine: FBI agents finally facing accountability after trying to smother the Hunter Biden corruption scandal

I'm shocked - shocked I tell you! - to discover that the FBI is a lying bunch of liars.

Two of the FBI agents most closely identified with the FBI’s politicized operation to smother the Hunter Biden corruption scandal are facing their first taste of accountability.

Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides were charged Friday with allegedly lying to Congress about Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Because admitting that Hunter Biden was involved in a bunch of things most people would consider "unsavory" at best, and criminal at worst.

Benavides had known since as early as March 2019 about allegations that Hunter Biden had received millions of dollars from foreign entities when his father was vice president.

He was one of four FBI agents sent to Brussels to interview Gal Luft, the Israeli-American professor who tipped off the FBI that Hunter and his uncle Jim Biden were receiving corrupt payments from Chinese energy company CEFC.

Deep state. Shadow government. You say tomato ...

A few weeks after that briefing, Floris confided to a colleague: “I’m basically running a shadow government across the FBI,” as revealed in a recently declassified internal FBI chat from Sept. 25, 2020.

Read the whole thing. Your tax dollars at work, destroying the democracy.

The Left Wants You Dead, and You're Upset About Manners

The old guard of the Conservatives are so out of touch, they will die, rather than be rude. Some on our side still do not get it - by Miguel Gonzalez

Involved in an argument in Facebook about the quality of political ads by some Republican candidates that apparently have made some people aghast because they feel they denigrate the “conversation” and are not respectful. They are believers of the concept of a moral high ground that is somehow bulletproof and will triumph above the wishes of the other side, but we must play by proper and polite rules.

I almost said Republicans, but it is not limited to the US. It is why Paris, or all of France, is burning down right now. We can't oppose these policies of destruction, or people will call us names. Yeah, we are past the point of being polite.

Click thru for the image, if nothing else. (Page down.)

Fake Polls and Not Believing the Media

Robert Stacy McCain is back with Fake Polls, Real Bias: ‘Shaping the Narrative’ and the Bandwagon Effect

Excuse my long absence from the blog, but I have a day job that keeps me quite busy this time of year. Anyway, I was amused this week by the shocking revelation that fake pollsters were able to get away with their fakery, being cited as reliable by the New York Times and other media outlets.

Wedgewood Polls published fake data, which was then repeated in the New York Times. They were finally ratted out by FiftyPlusOne.

That follows on the heels of an earlier revelation, in August, that another polling company, Median Strategies, was similarly bogus.

It seems that if you tell the Left and the media (but I repeat myself) what they want to hear, and pretend to be an authority, they will swallow whatever you say down whole. My father would have said, "Hook, line, and sinker."

Leveraging the “bandwagon effect” is a fundamental aspect of political bias in the news media. This is true not just in terms of election “horse-race” coverage, but also in shaping which political causes and social issues are considered popular or important. The difference between “fringe” concerns and the social/political “mainstream” is, to a great degree, dependent upon the choices made by the editors of the New York Times and the producers of major network news programs.

I would include the late-night comedy (so called) hosts. Could this be why the Left is so outraged at the impending changes at CNN? Because I don't know anyone younger than myself who still watches network news.

The gold nugget:

The polls may be fake, but the bias is real.

There is more.

Saint Crispin's Day

The Battle of Agincourt took place 25 October 1415.

The English army, led by King Henry V, famously achieved victory in spite of the numerical superiority of its opponent. The battle repeated other English successes in the Hundred Years’ War.

It was commemorated in the Shakespeare play Henry V.

There are several movie versions of Henry V, including ones staring Kenneth Branagh, and Laurence Olivier. One of my favorite versions of the Band of Brothers speech is from the 1994 movie Renaissance Man.

Biden Administration Would Leave the Border Completely Unguarded

This is the transcript of Congressional testimony. A COUNTRY WITHOUT BORDERS: HOW BIDEN-HARRIS' OPEN-BORDERS POLICIES HAVE UNDERMINED OUR SAFETY AND SECURITY

What follows is from the Congressional testimony by former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott.

Border Patrol zones across Texas, Arizona, and California had no agent presence for weeks and months at a time. Those who did not want to be caught could simply walk in. We have no idea who and what entered our country over this time.

The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) gets the hat tip with During the Biden Administration, 80, 90 percent, sometimes 100 percent of the border agents pulled away from guarding the border

Seems Like the French Are Waking Up

Too little too late? Maybe. French police fire tear gas during fresh protests

Police fired tear gas at protesters in Lyon, Lille, Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes, hours after Interior Minister Laurent Nunez warned: "We will not tolerate any violence or any disturbance of public order."

Riots are also breaking out in Marseille. Watch: French police deploy armoured vehicles in Paris and Marseille

In Paris, an armoured vehicle was stationed behind the National Assembly, while in Marseille, security forces patrolled the streets alongside armoured vehicles and a water cannon.

I don't believe that the Leftist governments in Europe can really stop the fall.

California Wealth Tax

Meep at STUMP has the rundown. Current Round-up on the California Wealth Tax

The subtitle is pure gold.

“We’d like to take your money ONLY ONE time... HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”

As for the tax.

As Election Day nears, and the dreams of various “our stupid wealth tax will get to fail in real time!” policy people cannot think farther than one reporting period, let’s see what various people are reporting and saying…

Go take a look.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 24 October

The Right Way is up first with Top of the News

Trump Weighs Next Move Against Iran: ‘The Nice Way or the Not Nice Way’ - Briebart News
Cupertino - Evi. L Bloggerlady

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.22.26 (Early Morning Edition)

Don Surber: Actually, it is rocket science, Canada
STUMP: Quick Graph – Credit Scores & Mortality By State,

EBL - Ohio Democrat Amy Action is a liar (ask her mom)

Hot Air: Amy Action Mom Video (My Daughter Is A Liar)
The video of Amy Action being drunk does not help.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 22 October 2026: PHPeed Edition

Electronic Arts finally drove a stake through the chest of the shambling corpse of BioWare. (WCCFTech)
The company's last unreservedly good game came out in 2010.

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For October 23, 2026

Are Democratic operatives looking to stage a color revolution over the midterms?
“A top Virginia Democrat is facing charges in connection with an alleged bribery, marijuana distribution, and money laundering scheme.

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.22.26 (Evening Edition)

CDR Salamander: Royal Navy Submarine Legacy’s Sad Deathbed
Dana Loesch: That Ramaswamy Ad

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Victor Davis Hanson – Will it happen in America and the midterms. Mamdani sides with criminal.
Conman Carney’s Canada: Dispel misconceptions. Struggle session. Carney’s Senate.

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 10/22/2026

Former Google Executive Warns Public to Prepare for Coming ‘AI Dystopia’
A former senior Google executive is warning that humanity is approaching a coming AI-driven “dystopia” that is expected to begin in 2027 and last as long as 15 years

Political Hat - Quick Takes – Academic Praxis: Special Ed. Equity Audit; DEI Renamed; Trashing YAF

Now wokeness is coming for the most vulnerable and innocent amongst us.
Can’t push “anti-racist pedagogies” without DEI? Just use DEI under a different name!

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 10.23.26

Upstream Reviews: Dead By Dawn
John C. Wright: Debating The Third Amendment

The Glibertarians - Wednesday Morning Links

He knew this would happen. It was all performative nonsense.
This was a bold strategy. Fortunately it did not ultimately pay off for him.

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - Did Ilhan Omar Flunk Her DNA Test?

Sundance hosts President Trump Holding an Oval Office Press Conference Following Announcement from Fraud Taskforce. Ace, Trump Creates $25 Million Fund to Pay Bounties to Whistleblowers Who Alert the Government of Fraud

Maggie's Farm - Thursday morning links

What's up with United Airlines?
Gullible Leftists Receive a Very Rude Awakening After Fleeing Trump’s America for a Life in ‘Progressive’ Europe

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 10/21 /26

It’s an historic flag of the Islamic conquest of Christians and Jews.
Why Rioters Wave the ‘Palestinian’ Flag

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Soros & Gates-Backed Activists Are Already Training For A Contested Election

The Crime and Immigration Numbers Europe and Democrats Refuse to Count Vaughn Cordle, - CFA
Destination: Color Revolution - David Strom

I leave you with Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, Bookworm Beat 10/23/26: The “Is Paris burning and is Ilhan squirming?” meme edition from Bookworm Room, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #4320 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Friday night's gifs from Wirecutter.

Hundreds of Residents Apply for Concealed Carry Licenses After School Shooting

A school shooting that was stopped by an armed citizen. Bend school shooting: Hundreds of Bend residents apply for concealed handgun licenses following deadly shooting at Silver Rail Elementary

The Left and the media (but I repeat myself) always say that a good guy with a gun never does anything. But we have had two very high-profile cases recently, and one was in their part of Oregon.

Hundreds of Deschutes County residents have applied to obtain a concealed handgun license since a Bend resident gunned down a 16-year-old shooter at Silver Rail Elementary School last week.

The Left will be distressed.

Aside from the Oregon school shooting, there has been the In-N-Out Burger shooting.

Are You Letting AI Access Your Bank Account?

What could possibly go wrong? AI Agents Are Accessing U.S. Bank Accounts Without Their Approval. Lenders Are Pushing Back. | IBTimes

Some automated assistants appear to be taking actions beyond users' instructions, prompting questions about account security and who bears responsibility when something goes wrong.

You can't have it both ways. You can't let a random AI agent access your financial accounts and then claim you are not responsible if anything goes wrong.

In the JPMorganChase third-quarter earnings transcript, Dimon also raised concerns about liability when customers rely on AI tools that subsequently misuse their information.

Translation: We know the hackers are chomping at the bit to be able to do funds transfer. Oh, you think the hackers won't take over AI? You haven't been paying attention. (Who do you think built the internet? Al Gore?)

Some of the more technical articles on this topic have mentioned that the banks are considering a read-only approach to letting AI have access to bank accounts. That would let the AI summarize the state of finances without risking "rouge actions."

I have trouble seeing why I would want an AI to look at my checking or credit card statements, though I guess you could ask it to forecast your expenses for the coming quarter, based on the prior quarter.

Blood In The Water

Ayron Jones is a singer-songwriter I stumbled across recently. It is hard to describe his music. I've seen one article say he sounds like a 1970s rocker. And elements of that are true, but he also draws on musical genres like Grunge, which is definitely not '70s.

Being a guitarist from the Pacific Northwest, he does get compared to Hendrix. I haven't heard enough of his music to say, but I think Hendrix was a better guitarist, and Jones is the better songwriter.

This song is "Blood In The Water" by Ayron Jones from his 2023 album Chronicles Of The Kid.

Friday Links - 23 October

Real life™ has once again called my name, in a shrill, unyielding voice. That's why we have an abbreviated links today. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove is up first with BTW, The French Riots Are Your Fault

Finding a way to link anything that happens to the climate cult is rather culty.

Lone Star Parson - Karma Strikes The Wood Cricket

"Karma's a bitch my little wood cricket," writes Gad Saad as a lib white woman cries out in shock and disbelief as the ferals she's supported in Paris loot her boutique. Suicidal empathy? That's part of it.

The Gun Writer - Europe on fire proves the value of our Second Amendment

As arsonists, rioters and looters swarmed the streets of Paris Sunday night, French police were completely ineffective and President Emmanuel Macron and his wife were off attending a concert, which featured Céline Dion.

LDS Gunsite - Beirut and Remembrances

Remember the Beirut bombing! On 23rd of October 1983 305 servicemen of the U.S. and France, and civilians, were killed when a vehicle with a 21,000-pound TNT bomb ran into their barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
We need to remember these cowardly acts and the brave men and women who defend us!

Again from William Teach - Weird: LA Non-profit Took Lots Of Taxpayer Money And Failed To Spend It

It’s almost like it is a horrendous idea to give tons of taxpayer money to private entities with zero oversight, who basically just enrich themselves.

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 21 October 2026: 4 Edition

A Canadian expert in ransomware negotiations who recently wrote a book recommending you should always talk to the people holding you to ransom was allegedly in cahoots with the ransomers. (Krebs on Security)

And is now in FBI custody.

The Silicon Graybeard - Europe's first reusable spacecraft has a major "oops!"

Europe has been working for some time on a spacecraft called Space Rider designed to be reused. The European Space Agency (ESA) performed a drop test back on October 6 intended to test out its parachute system, and it failed. Badly.

Firearms Are the Great Equalizer

Smaller than the bad guy? A firearm means that is not an issue. From WXYZ in Detroit: Prosecutors won't charge Dearborn woman who shot man inside shoe store

Three days after the shooting, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said it will not charge the woman who fired the shots, saying there is not enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was not acting in self-defense or in defense of someone else.

That is because it sounds like she was acting in defense of someone else. (Is the DA disappointed he can't prosecute, or is that the Professional Journalist™ who is disappointed?)

Security video released by Dearborn Police shows the chaotic moments inside the store. The footage shows a woman in a pink jacket entering with her 36-year-old boyfriend, who is wearing a gray track suit.

After the boyfriend greets a man who appears to be a shopper, a man in blue attacks the boyfriend. That's when the woman can be seen taking a firearm out of her purse and pulling the trigger.

The guy who got shot is in critical condition.

In the face of video evidence, the DA apparently concluded he could not win. Not that a prosecution would not be justice. DAs, for the most part, care about winning, not Justice.

Hat tip to The Daily Caller and Woman With Carry Permit Turns Tables On Thug Beating Up Her Boyfriend

71-Year-Old Dies After Alligator Attack in Florida

This is (I believe) the 2nd fatal alligator attack in 2026. 71-year-old man dies after alligator attack in Florida - WPBF

A 71-year-old man was killed while fishing in Winter Garden after being attacked by a nearly 12-foot alligator, police said.

I'm no expert on alligators, but this strikes me as an unusual attack for October.

The other attack was 28 June of this year when Brittany Clark was killed while swimming in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest.

This attack took place in Winter Garden, Florida, which is about 10 miles west of Orlando.

The victim, who was identified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as Steven Hamilton from Winter Park, was killed at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park.

He was apparently standing on the bank, fishing when he was attacked, and pulled underwater. He was submerged for about an hour.

The alligator was killed. Another report said the alligator was relocated, but I think that was to soften things for the tourist trade.

If you're in Florida, and there is fresh water, even if it is a puddle, or a car wash, there is a distinct possibility that water contains a gator.

UK Legal Aid Agency Hacked

My first question is, "Why are 48 years of data online?" UK Legal Aid Agency: Hackers stole records dating back to 1978

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), an executive agency of the UK's Ministry of Justice that manages the country's Public Defender Service, says attackers who breached its IT systems in April 2025 stole records dating back to 1978.

The agency employs around 1,250 staff, oversees billions in legal funding, and works with approximately 2,000 providers, including barristers, solicitor firms, and non-profit organizations that deliver civil and criminal legal aid services in England and Wales.

Apparently to billions of pounds of funding doesn't include much for security. It never does.

The hack included payment information for service providers, and a bunch of more generic information on providers are recipients of legal help.

But back the 48 years. How often does case information from 25 years ago, or more, actually NEEDED? Why couldn't it be in an offline system and requested?

I suppose someone thought that they went to all that trouble to computerize the data from 1978, it should all be in one big heap. Makes it "easy to ask questions."

But then I worked on systems that did exactly that, because storage space was expensive, back in the day.^‡

And the wheel turns.

This week, the UK Housing Ombudsman Service, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Housing that settles disputes between social housing residents and social landlords in England, disclosed that it is investigating a third-party IT security incident that impacted its case management system.

Someday government and commercial organizations will take security seriously. Until that time we all need to deal with the fact that drivers license info has been hacked, credit cards, emails, etc. It used to be that the company or organization in question would give you one year of credit monitoring, but they don't even do that anymore. Too bad. So sad. Hope you have a lot of luck in the future.

‡ When I started working in tech, IBM was selling disk drives that cost 6 figures, were about the size of an average refrigerator, and held every bit of 9 gigabytes. Nine. Gigabytes.

Self-Defense Is Legal in Washington State

You can never be sure in a Blue State. Benton County Prosecutor's Office says Prosser shooting suspect acted in self-defense

A man who was being held on suspicion of murder after a shooting that fatally wounded his brother was acting in self-defense and is being released from custody on an investigative hold, Benton County Prosecutor’s Office officials said.

Prosser, Washington, is approximately 100 miles east-northeast of Portland, Oregon.

The bad news is that the guy they initially arrested, was held in jail. The good news is that they only held him for 2 or 3 days (I can't tell from the article), before a review of the evidence said it was probably self-defense.

Benton County Prosecutor's Office investigators said further review and follow-up by law enforcement and prosecutors suggests Escobar acted in self-defense when he shot Salazar. Deputies said Salazar had engaged in threatening behavior before the fight, had continued threatening behavior after returning from a mental health crisis at a hospital, and approached Escobar in a threatening manner before the shooting.

Self-defense is a human right, and it might even be your legal right in a blue state.