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.

Why Have the French Authorities Checked Out?

Stephen Green at PJ Media asks Where Are the Gendarmes?

I've seen France's Gendarmerie Nationale up close and in person, and since I just looked up the French equivalent of tough hombres, they're the des durs à cuire you don't want to mess with.

It's almost as if the powers that be want chaos in the streets.

Lone Star Parson said it more plainly in Marking Time.

How long d'ye think the State would've taken to knock that protest down if they'd decided to engage? In about 10 minutes, but they didn't. What does this suggest?

Time to buy more ammo.

Hollywood's Decline Is Sad But Unsurprising

The mainstream entertainment press can't hide what is happening. From Variety: California Tried to Jumpstart the Film Economy. Production Keeps Falling.

The state of California and the City of Los Angeles have tried to work around the margins, but the film industry in California isn't hurting because of the margins. Production levels in LA dropped 3.7% in the third quarter, despite the efforts.

California’s $750 million bet on Hollywood has not reversed the overall decline in production, according to data released Wednesday by FilmLA.

Instead, production levels fell 3.7% in the third quarter — even as the share of projects receiving state subsidies continued to rise. Location shoots remain well below the five-year average.

And why would productions film in LA? Los Angeles was once a beautiful town. Today it is plagued by homelessness. From Christian Toto at Hollywood in Toto: New Films Give L.A.’s Homeless Crisis a Shocking Closeup

'Animals, 'Misty Green' can't hide what Democrats have done to city

The homeless are plagued by drug addiction, mental illness, and the violence that accompanies those two things.

How can you work under those conditions? Why would you want to?

Both of these articles make mention of the film credits that the state has on offer, but California is not the only state offering credits, to say nothing of places like the United Kingdom.

Things will need to get a lot worse in California, before they even recognize that they have a problem requiring more than tinkering around the margins.

Wednesday Link Roundup - 21 October

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

Theo Spark has Minnesomalia.
Victory Girls Blog has Sunday morning cafe cocktails linkage.

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 10.19.26

The Bugscuffle Gazette: Because I like it complicated
Born Lucky: Michael Tracey – Hero For A Crazy Time

EBL - Thaddeus Kosciuszko Polka

Thaddeus Kosciuszko Polka
18 October 1776 : Tadeusz Kościuszko get a commission in the American Continental Army

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - France on Fire

Sundance sees Riots, Looting and Arson Erupt in France with Chaos across Urban Regions in Western Europe. Dr. Eli David @DrEliDavid, "As France is burning, I keep thinking of what the UAE Foreign Minister said a few years ago He accurately predicted this."

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 20 October 2026: Filthy Commie Edition

Elon Musk meanwhile plans to give a share in SpaceX to every child in America. (CNN)
Some of whom aren't communists or at least could grow out of it.

Small Dead Animals - Sunday On Turtle Island

The Democratic Party’s America: Victor Davis Hanson – A one-way street. Trump makes a phone call. A book review. Something to worry about. California fraud.
Mohammed Carney’s Canada: Crying in cabinet. Book review. Jason Kenney.

Political Hat - News of the Week (October 18th, 2026)

The Senate Is Breaking Closer
The headline Senate races have tightened, and the battlefield has widened. That means there is hope, but also a lot more peril, for Republicans.

The Glibertarians - Saturday evening Links

I’m pretty much done with this twerp. Go beg to the EU.
Speaking of the EU, Europe appears to be heading into the Find Out phase.

Don Surber - Highlights of the week

ITEM 13: Vote Hub still gives Republicans a 16% chance of keeping the House.
Democrats need to win just 3 seats.

Vlad Tepes - New book club at Carlton features work on Jihad by the Ayatollah Khomeini, Trans-refugees to Holland get bitter pill and Eric Zemmour calls it as it is: Links 1 for Oct. 20, 2026

1. Eric Zemmour is in a rare class along with Geert Wilders. Someone who is not Muslim, and manages to speak the truth about Islam and related issues publicly and still has a pulse.

Maggie's Farm - Saturday morning links

Make Lightbulbs Great — And Safe — Again
Elon Musk exuberantly introduces flying cars
Federal Agents Are Searching Ilhan Omar's Trash. Something Else Might Be Going On

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 10/20 /26

This is about people who want to destroy the West.
America Is Watching Its Own Future Unfold

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Extreme Makeover: Democracy Edition

Macron Orders Curfew in Primary Tourist Regions of Paris to Stop Discussion of Riots, Arson and Looting CTH
This Is Perhaps The Most Dystopian Thing Ever... Tyler Durden

I leave you with Sunday Funnies from Flopping Aces, Sunday’s Meme Drop 10-18-26 from Midwest Chick's Place, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #4312 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Monday Memes from Granite Grok.

Homeowner Kills Intruder

What would you do if someone broke into your home, after pounding on your door at roughly 5:30 in the morning? Sheriff: Homeowner fatally shoots man after crash, vandalism and break-in | KTBS

Sheriff Jayson Parker of Webster Parish, had some strong words on self-defense.

Our citizens have a right to defend themselves in their own home.

It started when the guy who got shot attacked a woman, who was driving, causing her to crash. He then went to trailer park and broke into a home. It was described as starting as a domestic incident.

According to Parker, McFarland went to a nearby mobile home and began banging on the door. When no one answered, he went around to the back of the home, stood on an air-conditioning unit and cut through a window screen to get inside.

He smashed 2 car windows on his trip around the home.

The homeowner was armed and waiting for him when he entered through the window. The homeowner fired multiple times. The injuries were fatal.

An investigation is ongoing, but no charges are expected to be filed against the homeowner.

That is because this didn't happen in New Jersey.

Minden, Louisiana, is about 25 miles east of Shreveport, or about 195 miles east of Dallas, Texas.

Self-defense is a human right.

UK Home Office Insanity - Teaching Migrants Not to Rape

At least they have admitted that they have a problem. How Can This Be Real? | ZeroHedge

The Home Office in the United Kingdom is now handing asylum seekers a nine-page booklet and posters spelling out that rape is illegal, sex with children is a crime, women are equal to men, and you cannot mutilate girls' genitals.

What could possibly go wrong?

There are few links to X, and even the media in the UK is flabbergasted. Well, some of the media.

Leave a Light On

When Papa Roach released their breakout single, "Last Resort," in 2000, they were on the radio constantly. Then I sort of lost track of them, and then I stopped relying on the radio for my music, and I really lost track of them. It turns out they are still making music, and some of it is good.

Today's song is nothing like "Last Resort," however. (I'm not sure if I don't like "Last Resort," or I'm still sick of how much it was on the radio.)

Here is a link to the lyrics, though I don't think you will need them.

This song is "Leave a Light On (Talk Away The Dark)" by Papa Roach from the 2022 album Ego Trip. It was released as a single from that album in late 2024.

North Carolina Cops Used Flock Cameras to Target Black Drivers

Allegedly. Wouldn't want to imply that I think cops are always the bad guys. Officers in North Carolina allegedly competed to pull over the most Black drivers, report says

A state investigation into the misuse of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras"uncovered text messages in which Charlotte police officers competed to pull over the most Black drivers, WBTV reported.

At least six officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department were recommended to be fired or to resign after the messages were discovered, according to the CBS affiliate in Charlotte. In a statement to the station, the department neither confirmed nor denied the details.

This state of affairs was discovered when another officer, or one of these, was investigated for using Flock to help a friend who ended up on the wrong side of a drug investigation.

The details can be found in the video below. One of the details is that the racist (allegedly) behavior of the cops involved goes back a decade.

This is the Liberty Doll video EXPOSED: Cops Held Contest to Target Black Drivers

WSOC has an article from after the production of the Liberty Doll video. CMPD releases names of seven officers linked to racist text messages

Channel 9 first reported on the controversial messages last week, and CMPD Chief Estella Patterson said in a news conference that several of the officers had already resigned. She said all of the officers involved were cited for termination, and she was working to revoke their police licenses in the state.

And as bigots are almost never limited in their views...

CMPD Chief Estella Patterson revealed in last week’s news conference that the text messages dated back several years, and they included racist, sexist, and religiously biased messages.

Is anyone shocked?

Tuesday Links - 20 October

Mike Rowe is up first with More than ‘Dirty Jobs:’ Mike Rowe’s fight for the trades, veterans, and America’s future workforce

The trouble with a generous article like this one is that it makes a long series of questionable career decisions look like a plan. I’m tempted to take the credit, but too many of you have been here long enough to know better.

The Silicon Graybeard - Blue Origin expanding its expansion

Blue Origin, already enlarging its operations launch facilities on Cape Canaveral, announced an expansion of this expansion with the intent to launch over a hundred times a year.

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Netanyahu Tells Obama To Pound Sand On Stolen Land

Will Obama be giving back the land for his house and “Presidential Center” in Chicago to the Council of the Three Fires? Or his home on Martha’s Vineyard back to the Wampanoag? It’s stolen land, right? Oh, wait, that doesn’t apply to Democrats?

Again from William Teach - What Are The Best Horror Movie Endings Of All Time?

Entertainment Weekly has the list: do you agree?

Lone Star Parson - France is Revolting

Back in ye jolly olde Englande you'd read about revolting France and your average Clubland punter would typically write it off as "they're always at it." True, but as of today things seem a little more serious, with parts of Paris, Marseille, Lyons and elsewhere going up in flames, not least Limoges' beautiful town hall.

Womat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: Ouch

We actually beat the Twins at RFK this week, but lost the other two games of the series before going to New York and getting swept by the DayTraders.

Stephen Kruiser at PJ Media - The Morning Briefing: The Burqafication of France Is Nearly Complete

Regulars here are familiar with my penchant for bashing the Eurotrash "leaders" who are continual embarrassments to all freedom-loving people in the West. I would prefer not to have a reason to, but they make it easier all of the time.

Again from Wombat-socho - Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee Please

Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley et Hamas delendam sunt.

Texans Are Still Armed

The bad guys keep not getting that memo. Mesquite homeowner shoots intruder during early morning home invasion, police say | FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth

How would you respond to a person breaking into your home at 4 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday?

Mesquite Police responded to a report of a shooting around 4:15 a.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of Brushwood Lane. Upon arrival, officers found a man outside the home with a gunshot wound and rendered first aid.

According to investigators, residents inside the house woke up to the sound of loud banging. When one resident went to investigate, they saw an individual breaking into the home and fired a weapon, striking the suspect.

The guy who got shot, was arrested by the cops, and taken to a local hospital by EMTs.

Mesquite, Texas, is about a 5 or 10 mile drive east of downtown Dallas.

Very little information, has been released about this incident, but I have a few of basic questions. The first being why on earth would anyone break into a home in Texas? This guy got shot. He could have been killed. What was he expecting to happen in Texas when he was banging on a door or window at 4 in the morning? What did he expect to get away with?

For all of this I want to believe that drugs must have been involved, but the truth is that people are just that stupid.

Self-defense is a human right, and this didn't happen in Massachusetts. Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

Second Amendment Foundation Revisits Anti-Gun Predictions

The predictions of the anti-gun crowd don't have a good track record of being correct. SAF FACT SHEET REFUTES ANTI-GUN RHETORIC AND PREDICTIONS - Second Amendment Foundation

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) has compiled a new fact sheet refuting 85 documented claims from anti-gun groups, advocates and public officials who stated pro-Second Amendment court rulings and reforms would produce more shootings, more deaths and immediate surges in violence.

From the Bruen Supreme Court decision, to permitless carry across many states, the anti-gun crowd is always screaming about how blood will be running in the street. (If you go back far enough, that is exactly what they said about the change from "may issue" to "shall issue" concealed carry permit laws.)

That link above is to the press release. The actual PDF is at this link: The Bloodbath That Never Came.

Dreams of Darkness

I love learning about new music. New-ish, anyway. This particular band came to my attention by way of social media. It isn't too bad if you can ignore the insanity. It can be hard to do, even if you try to stick to movies and music.

Lex Legion is a super group. It consists of vocalist Nils K. Rue, with Andy LaRocque and Pete Blakk playing guitar, bassist Hal Patino, and Mikkey Dee on drums. Mikkey Dee (born Micael Delaoglou) played for the English, Heavy Metal band Motörhead from 1992 until 2015, and then he moved to the German band Scorpions. LaRocque, Blakk, Patino, and Dee were all part of the late 1980s lineup for King Diamond. Rue is one of the founders of the Progressive Metal band Pagan's Mind, which he started in 2000.

This is "Dreams of Darkness" by Lex Legion from their self-titled, debut album, which was released on 12 June of this year.

77-Year-Old Woman Defends Herself From Attack

How should a 77-year-old woman defend herself, if not with a firearm? 77-year-old woman fatally shoots man who attacked her in Baker County parking lot, deputies say

A 77-year-old Baker County woman shot and killed a man who attacked her early Monday morning in the parking lot of Macclenny Veterinary Hospital, according to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.

This took place at 4:30 a.m., so I assume that she worked at the veterinary hospital, though they say almost nothing about her because she was the victim of a crime.

Without the means to defend themselves, the old and the infirm would be at the mercy of the young and the violent, the small could be preyed on by the large, and anyone could be overwhelmed by a number of attackers. I would really like someone from the gun-hating part of the Left to explain to me, how the world would be better, if that 77-year-old woman was disarmed. I'm not expecting an explanation. Or if an explanation is offered, I don't expect it to make sense.

Hat tip goes to 2 places. The first goes to AmmoLand: 77-Year-Old Florida Woman Shoots Attacker Outside Veterinary Hospital

A 77-year-old woman should not have to depend on winning a physical fight to survive a violent encounter. Carrying a firearm gives someone who may be smaller, older, or less physically capable a means of resisting an attacker who would otherwise hold the advantage.

That is a central purpose of the right to keep and bear arms. Constitutional protection does not expire with age, and it does not belong exclusively to people strong enough to defend themselves with their hands.

The second hat tip goes to to Keep and Bear Arms.

Biden Administration Blocked Political Adversaries from Getting Banking Services

The Biden Adminstration weaponized the banking regulators and industry against its political enemies. I find this disturbing.

From the New York Post: Exclusive | Banks closed accounts of MAGA, pro-life and other conservative groups disfavored by Biden admin

If you ask them, the Democrats will tell you how much they love diversity. As long as you think and believe exactly the way they do. Otherwise you are evil.

And you don't even have to ask to hear how much Trump is going to destroy democracy. Or something. And then there is this.

Major banks closed accounts and refused credit to MAGA merchants, pro-life causes, religious groups, conservative organizations and sectors disfavored by the Biden administration, such as firearms, oil and gas, and private prisons, a bombshell report from the federal banking regulator has found.

The Debanking Review by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) investigated 100,000 complaints and scrutinized 50,000 internal bank records to reveal how customers were “debanked” based purely on their political, social, or religious beliefs.

The Southern Poverty Law Center was used to "justify" debanking organizations, because they weren't completely biased. Or were they?

The hat tip goes to EducatëdHillbilly™ on X.

The people screaming about fascism sure do a lot of it.

— EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) October 14, 2026

Stupid Security Blunders

Someday people will take security seriously. Sadly, today is not that day. Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 14 October 2026: Sulfur Blond Edition

Meanwhile the password for the Danish national registry, holding the personal data of more people than actually live in Denmark, was reportedly 123456. (Tom's Hardware)

Oops.

That was reported by the hackers, after they had been in Denmark's system for 12 days.

I generally feel bad for the victims of hackers, but you can't protect people from their own stupidity.

Other instances of stupidity...

Indonesia realized that it had no backups when a ransomware attack in 2024 affected over 230 public agencies, while South Korea lost 858 terabytes of data after a catastrophic fire at a government data center last year. (reference)

How do you have no backups? How do you have no off-site backups?