Get Woke, Piss People Off - UK Edition

People are tired of being lectured by Woke idiots. Halifax suffers exodus of customers after staff pronoun policy | Daily Mail Online

So Halifax Bank, a UK subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group, had an optional policy for employees to include pronouns on their badges. The first question is how optional that policy really would be, but that isn't the point of the kerfuffle.

When some people said that they were sick of corporate virtue signalling, a Halifax Social Media maven, who only goes by Andy M, said the following:

If you disagree with our values, you're welcome to close your account.

And given that the Halifax website says (or said anyway) that if you are perceived to be anti-trans, that they will close your account, or call the police. That is the epitome of tolerance and inclusion; calling the cops on people who don't do exactly what you tell them to do.

The Left has tried to spin this as a bunch of haters are leaving Halifax, but the truth seems to be that they are mostly upset with Andy M's invitation to leave. Even some on the Left are appalled.

Former Doctor Who scriptwriter Gareth Roberts, a Halifax customer since 1988, told the bank: 'I'm a homosexual man. I'm appalled by your adoption of this homophobic, woman-hating claptrap, and by your attitude to customers making perfectly reasonable objections to it.'

The best response by far:

One user said: 'Just closed my Halifax account after 19 years with them. They can stick their pronouns up their/his/her a**e'.

If you push people far enough, eventually they will push back.

It's hard to say how many accounts have been closed, probably not enough to warrant the attention that this is getting, but the whole thing has certainly not helped the Halifax brand.

There are many more responses listed than the 2 I've included here.

He Suffered a Failure of the Victim-selection Process

He apparently thought breaking into a home was a good idea. Intruder shot in chest after attempting to break into home in central Wichita

WPD confirmed that around 5:15 p.m. Saturday a man attempted to break into a house near east 12 street and north Broadway. The homeowner then shot the intruder leaving him critically injured.

The intruder was taken to a local hospital where he is expected to survive.

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

The Norway Pride Celebration Terror Attack

I missed this story of terror in Oslo mass shooting being investigated as Islamic terrorism

What happens when an armed bad-guy shows up in a gun-free-zone intent on doing bad things? Bad things happen, because there is no one to stop them.

Terrified revellers at a gay bar in Oslo hid in a basement and desperately called loved ones as a gunman went on the rampage, killing two people and injuring 21 on the day the city was due to celebrate its annual Pride parade.

Authorities said the suspect, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin.

As is always the case, some are excusing the terrorist act as mental illness. But not everyone.

“Everything indicates that this has been an attack by an Islamist extremist,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference.

It should be noted that even in America, bars are gun-free-zones, unless the bar has hired armed security. Some have. Some can't afford to. The Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando comes to mind. Also an act of Islamic terror. But I'm sure it was the gun's fault, actually.

The hat tip goes to The Gates of Vienna - The Islamic Terror Attack in Oslo: Swedish and Flemish Perspectives.

The two pieces ..., both translated by Gary Fouse, discuss the incident from Flemish and Swedish perspectives, respectively.

America and The Roman Empire

Vince at Flopping Aces points out some disturbing similarities. Commodus, Nero and the Punk Next Door, or at the Gas Station or in Walgreens…

When most of us think of the worst emperors Roman in history we think of names like Commodus, Nero, Caligula and Elagabalus. To a man they were vain, self centered, bloodthirsty hedonists who took what they wanted and tortured and killed many thousands of Romans and provincials. [SNIP]

Every day in America we see modern day Commoduses or Caligulas wreaking havoc on our streets and in our stores, restaurants, schools and more. Instead of a single entitled Emperor, America in 2022 is being ravaged by a generation of young men – many of whom have grown up fatherless – who have been told that they can do and say anything they want and that regardless of what they do, there will be no consequences for them.

I think it is worth your time for the few minutes it will take you to read it.

As If Bureaucrats in California Care

I doubt that people can even sue anyone. Though felony stupidity really should be a crime. Experts: California lacked safeguards for gun owner info | AP News

A day may come when governments take security seriously, but it is not this day.

California Department of Justice screwed up. 100s of thousands of gun-owners in California had there personal data on the internet with no access controls. Because the state of California, home to a bunch of technology companies, can't get technology right. But doctors are probably the only group worse than lawyers when it comes to "Don't tell me how to do my job!"

Cybersecurity experts say the California Department of Justice apparently failed to follow basic security procedures on its website, exposing the personal information of potentially hundreds of thousands of gun owners.

Bad guys did access the data, and it is out there.

Already some are attempting to use the information to criticize gun control advocates who they say were revealed as having concealed carry permits.

Once the bureaucrats were notified of the problem, it still took them 24 hours to act.

“Given the sensitive nature of the data exposed and potential impact to those directly involved, I would expect a response in much less than 24 hours from notification to action,” [Tim Marley, a vice president for risk management at the cybersecurity firm Cerberus Sentinel,] said.

Because they don't care. They're liberals; they hope that gun owners have their homes invaded.

In the meantime Attorney General Rob Bonta seems to be reluctant to disclose information about the security failure. Though some of the flak is no doubt due to the fact that he is up for reelection this year.

How's That Criminal Justice Reform Working Out?

Not so good, if you listen to the relatives of dead victims. Grieving mom of slain vet berates Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg

Hason Correa was stabbed to death in Harlem in 2018. He left behind a widow and three children.

The inconsolable mother of a US Army veteran who was stabbed to death in a Harlem brawl went off on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in court Wednesday, accusing the besieged prosecutor of botching the case. [SNIP]

“Take that restorative justice bulls–t and shove it up your asses,” [Madeline] Brame [Correa's mother] yelled in Manhattan Supreme Court. “Not for murder.”

The stabbing was caught on video, and there were more than 30 witnesses. Despite that, Bragg's office has made deals with 2 of the defendants. In this instance the guy was sentenced to seven years for his role in the murder.

I'm fairly certain that New York State did away with the idea of felony murder. Be held accountable for the completely foreseeable consequences of your actions? That's not fair, or progressive! "We just meant to beat the crap out of the guy, which sure, might have resulted in his death, but that wouldn't have been our fault either."

Oh, and the other defendant who reached a deal in the death of Hason Correa, spent a total of about 1 year in jail. For murder. Excuse me, she only admitted to being guilty of assault.

There are still two more people to face trial for murder.

Brame said if the original prosecutor on the case, who has since left Bragg’s office, were still there “all four of [the defendants] would have went to trial,” predicting that “a jury would have decided they were guilty based on the video evidence and the 33 witnesses!”

What a shock. A prosecutor who was actually interested in prosecuting crimes left Bragg's office. I wonder if he was pushed out, or if he was just too disgusted to stick around.

So, how is it that soft-on-crime is supposed to help anyone except the criminals?

Nature Will Kill You If You Don't Pay Attention

They thought hiking above 10K feet in the Colorado mountains would be just like hiking in Texas. It wasn't. Pair of unprepared hikers from Texas rescued near Lake Como in Sangre de Cristo mountains

I suppose if they had managed to die from exposure, we would have to give them a Darwin Award. As it is, they're very lucky, fairly stupid hikers.

“These hikers were highly unprepared,” [Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue] AVSAR said. “They had no extra clothing and no way to stay dry in their tent, with no rain fly. These hikers said they did not understand why it was so cold and rainy in Colorado, because it has been ‘so hot in Texas’ where they hike all the time.”

The hikers’ tent was inadequate for Colorado conditions, one of many errors AVSAR says could have resulted in their death had search and rescue not been able to reach them.

Most of Texas is at or near sea level. Well, a lot closer to sea level than the 11,765 feet at Lake Como, where they were camping. And Texas is famously HOT in the summer.

But back to our campers, and the cautionary tale.

“They never checked any weather forecasts and did not have any extra food, water or layers for the intense hike in or the night to camp,” AVSAR posted. “This is an extreme example of how ignorance can kill people suddenly in these mountains.”

You can click thru for the details, and you should click thru for this.

AVSAR and the American Hiking Society urge people to carry ten essentials when they venture into the backcountry, including proper footwear, maps and compass.

The National Parks Are Not a Huge Petting Zoo

Stay away from the animals, even if they are on the marked trails. Horror as charging bison gores man, 34, as he snatched a boy from attack in Yellowstone Park | Daily Mail Online

Park rangers warned that visitors should keep 75ft (25 yards) away from the creatures because they are 'wild animals' that feel 'threatened' if they are approached.

Video shows two adults walking towards the bison with the little boy on a path in the national park when the animal charged at them.

Just because you are on a trail or a boardwalk doesn't mean that the animals will leave you alone. It doesn't work that way. They are wild animals.

Rob Goodell, who filmed the attack, told the Cowboy State Daily: 'The dad and the kid were just walking up to the bison when the bison took off.

'Anyone who says that the bison just attacked that guy or whatever, that's bulls**t. The bison was just protecting his ground.'

Click thru for more info stupid shit people do in Yellowstone and the price they pay.

Don't Bring a Fishing Pole to a Gunfight

What's the difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense. Retired plumber, 93, shoots and critically wounds a burglar breaking into his home | Daily Mail Online

A "gang" of people were breaking into his home, so he called 911 and grabbed his shotgun. He told them that he had a shotgun, but that didn't stop them. They continued to throw stuff at him.

Teague told reporters outside his Moreno Valley home yesterday: 'I approached them to put them under citizen's arrest.

'They wouldn't adhere to that and then one of them came at me with a fishing pole.

He only had one shell in the shotgun - not a good idea - but he told them there were 3 shells. After he shot one of them, it didn't seem to matter.

When Riverside County cops showed up, attempted burglar Joseph Ortega, 33, was shot. The other (neighbors said "several people") ran like rabbits.

There are various quotes for relatives and neighbors. Some say he took the law into his own hands, others say he was justified. I am of the opinion that he was justified. He is 93 years old, so he isn't going to fight them off without a firearm. They were in his home and advancing on him. That is clearly a threat.

Cops questioned the homeowner, and then drove him back home.

The guy who got shot (it doesn't say in this article, but there are others on the incident) is in the hospital in critical condition. A shotgun blast at close range will ruin your day!

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

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 2 July

Wombat-socho at The Other McCain is up first with In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Afternoon Edition)

American Thinker: False Values Proliferate in Higher Ed, also, Progressives/Leftists Target Black Women
Animal Magnetism: Animal’s Hump Day News

The Right Way - Top of the News

Did President Trump Really Grab the Steering Wheel? - Theo Spark
Icelandic Stand Up ️ - Evi. L Bloggerlady

EBL - Queen: Liar. (A link roundup and a musical interlude.)

Instapundit: These show trials aren't even very good and The bombshell is a dud
AoSHQ: Hot intel, not so hot and Morning Repot 06.29.22

Battleswarm Blog - LinkSwarm for July 1, 2022

Welcome to the world’s most taboo legal case, a lawsuit over imprisoned woman having the right not to be raped by men who “identify” as women who

Again from Wombat-Socho - In The Mailbox: 06.30.22 (Evening Edition)

Victory Girls: EPA Slapped By SCOTUS, Bureaucratic State Loses
Volokh Conspiracy: A Broader Perspective on “My Body, My Choice”

Don Surber - Highlights of the News

ITEM 9: Paul Sperry tweeted, "Special Counsel John Durham has failed to beat the 5-year federal statute of limitations to indict any FBI officials/agents related to the fourth & final invalid application for wiretap warrant to spy on Trump adviser Carter Page OK'd by FISA court on June 29, 2017."

Wombat-socho again - In The Mailbox: 07.01.22

Adam Piggott: One Night in Bahrain
American Conservative: Lessons from a Turkish Coup
American Greatness: Trump Is the Greatest Man Alive

A View from the Beach - Something to the Effect of, KBJ Sworn In, Wrong Way Biden, Bidencession Begins

Capt. Ed at Haut Hair, Devastating: 78% of *Democrats* think country is going in the wrong direction in new AP/NORC poll. At Breitbart a different Poll: 78% Believe Nation on Wrong Track, Up 27 Points Under Biden.

Vlad Tepes - Brazilian President on his rejection of the vaxx with Tucker Carlson, Scotland abandons democracy: Links 1, July 1, 2022

3. Science.org: The ‘very, very bad look’ of remdesivir, the first FDA-approved COVID-19 drug
(The doctors I know, call this drug, “RunDeathIsNear”)

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 7/1/2022

Coinbase Reportedly Shares Data With ICE
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is allegedly selling user data obtained through its analytics program Coinbase Tracer to the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cafe Hayek - Some Links

Reason‘s Eric Boehm wonders if the Democrats really are so clueless as to end filibustering in the senate in order to protect abortion rights.
“Do mask mandates work? Bay Area COVID data from June says no.”

Maggie's Farm - Thursday morning links

Bon Appetit went woke
Colleges offer students counseling to cope with news of Roe v. Wade reversal

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 6/30/22

Daniel Greenfield: "The transgender pronouns, diversity training, and lesbian wedding ads aren't working."
The Military Went Woke. Now It Can’t Find Recruits

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 06/30/2022

Gun used in ISIS Bataclan attacks was sold by CIA-linked Florida company Century Arms. Not clear how the gun got from Florida to France. Needed to use an archive link because they wiped the page from the Palm Beach Post.

I leave you with Thursday gifdump from Wirecutter, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #500 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, and Senior moments from The Bluebird of Bitterness.

OMG!!! Colleges Exist in Red States

From The Other McCain: SJW Snowflakes Melting Down Again

Aside from the college students being afraid of Red States, even though as Robert Stacy points out, "The chances of you encountering a Republican at Oberlin are not much higher than your chances of becoming pregnant which, as I say, are very close to zero."

But the bit about the communists are what caught my attention. You should click thru for that. And the Dems...

Well, if Democrats couldn’t lie, they’d have nothing to say at all. But because they control the major institutions of education, journalism and entertainment, Democrats are able to create an echo chamber effect where people are bombarded with propaganda from all directions, so that it takes a strong mind to resist believing Democratic myths like the “constitutional right” to abortion as the essence of womanhood.

Click thru.

Hobbes' State of War Comes to NYC’s Upper East Side

You are not protected by your zip code. Mother walking with baby stroller fatally shot in NYC

A young mother pushing her 3-month-old infant in a stroller was fatally shot Wednesday night on an Upper East Side street, police and law enforcement sources said.

The police are saying that they don't have a motive. Random violence seldom has what one would call a motive.

Meanwhile, the politicians are shocked.

Councilwoman Julie Menin said in a tweet, “To think that this incident happened in front of a school with a mother pushing her baby in a stroller is beyond comprehension.”

Cue the video clip from The Princess Bride featuring the word "Inconceivable!"

Society is built on law and order. And that has been systematically destroyed in places like Manhattan, Chicago, and other large cities.

Here is my usual reference to Hobbes' State of War, which exists after the breakdown of law and order. It is characterized by a "continual fear and danger of violent death." I would say that people of the Upper East Side are now experiencing that fear.

Naomi Wolf Explains to the Left...

What happened with the Dobbs ruling from SCOTUS. On Losing 'Roe' | FrontpageMag

How could this possibly have happened? Easy. Pro-Choice movement, look in the mirror.

There is a lot in this article, and I think it is worth your time, but I will highlight one section that explains a lot.

Today, a woman — a woman — posted to me on Gettr: “I have always been on [board] with 1st trimester abortions. But when they started pushing for late term abortions I could no longer go along with that. So if I am forced to choose full term abortions or no abortions, I am going to side with no abortions. The left just had to keep pushing and that is where I draw the line. I am hoping that we can come together and dial back the insanity.”

I agree with this Everywoman. But organized feminist pro-choice activists increasingly ignored those millions who shared this woman’s reasoned position, and did so to their own destruction.

There is more. Click thru.

Beers and Sunshine

I figure that I'm not the only one who is looking forward to a holiday weekend. I usually post something vaguely patriotic on the 4th weekend, and there is something after the embedded video.

Well I ain't gonna work today
Just wanna sit around and play

This song, and these lyrics, sum up exactly how I feel about life these days. Actually for a long time... And even though I say I don't listen to country, and I don't, very often, more of it has been creeping into my listening.

This song is "Beers and Sunshine (Summer Mix)" by Darius Rucker. It came out as a single in 2020, but so far it hasn't been included on an album. Darius Rucker has released a couple of singles since his last album came out, so one will probably be released in the near future.

This is one of the better renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner." It is by Lady Gaga from the 2016 Super Bowl.

Crazy People Are Dangerous

He killed a guy because a restaurant shorted him on duck sauce on a delivery order. Accused Queens 'duck sauce' killer Glenn Hirsch released on $500K bail

And the crazy thing, as if this wasn't crazy enough. He had duck sauce in his fridge.

Earlier this month, a high-ranking police source told The Post that cops found a huge stash of condiments inside his fridge — which was also “filled with duck sauce.”

I just checked on Amazon. You can buy 100 condiment-sized squeeze packs for 9 bucks or so, or you can buy a jar for 10 bucks. The price goes way down if you buy the 3-pack. So he killed a delivery guy from a restaurant, where he orders take-out a lot, apparently a lot, because they shorted him about 50¢ of duck sauce. Which he had in his fridge. And you can buy. He could probably buy it locally. Oh, and there are recipes on line to make it yourself. Probably for even less money, though I haven't looked into that. Of course he could save more money if he didn't eat take out, but we're not talking finaces, just insanity.

And he is out on bail, because keeping violent people in jail would be unfair.

Civilization was nice while it lasted. (Hat tip to Gun Free Zone.)

Friday Links - 1 July

A somewhat abbreviated Friday Links, as this week has not been too kind. Though the weather was nice enough I did manage to make a dent in the yard-work.

The Other McCain - Like an Old REO Speedwagon Song

Madison Hutchinson claimed to have “heard it from a friend,” etc., that President Trump was so completely out of control during the Capitol riot that he attacked a Secret Service agent and attempted to grab the steering wheel.

SiGraybeard - The JWST Team is Teasing Us

A check of the "Where is Webb" site shows that the James Webb Space Telescope hasn't been declared fully operational yet because the team is in the last stages of commissioning all of its instruments. They are, however taking images and the people who have seen them are going gaga over them.

View from the Porch - Automotif CCCXV...

A 1973 Cadillac Eldorado convertible in Cotillion White with an Antique Medium Red leather interior.

Eighteen and a half feet long, this two and a half ton agglomeration of Detroit steel and sex appeal was propelled along the pavement by five hundred cubic inches of displacement divided between eight cylinders, a power plant better measured in gallons than liters

Granite Grok - The Founders Predicted our Economic Crisis. We are awash in fiat currency, which is starting to lose its value.

Jefferson and Adams were also discussing Chapter 6 of the 1817 Treatise on Political Economy by Destutt de Tracy, with Adams citing a passage calling the printing of fiat paper money more ruinous and a greater theft than empires of old shaving off a little gold from their coins and passing them off as full-weight.

Red State - In Scathing Letter, Firearms Policy Coalition Promises to Take NY AG Letitia James Up on Her 'We'll See You in Court' Offer

In James’ press conference she told those who believe her lawsuit is based on political animus and not the law that she’d see them in court. One Second Amendment advocacy group, Firearms Policy Coalition, responded to James (and Adams) in a letter Thursday morning, warning that she should drop the lawsuits or that they, indeed, would see her in court.

The letter is a work of art, and must be read in its entirety. [Click thru for the text.]

He Picked the Wrong House to Invade

He apparently thought that in California, he wouldn't have a problem. Intruder hospitalized after being shot by homeowner in Moreno Valley | KTLA

One person, described by [Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Sgt.] Swan as an intruder, was found at the location suffering from a gunshot wound.

The unidentified person was taken to a local hospital with severe, life-threatening injuries, Swan said.

Self-defense is a human right, and I have been seeing more stories out of California where the authorities are treating it like your legal right.

Good Guys 1, Bad Guys 0.

Expecting The System™ to Protect You Not a Wise Course of Action.

The cops called this a classic case of domestic violence. Legal Analyst: 'Our criminal justice system should've protected her' after the murder of a local mom

But also, you can't help someone who doesn't want it. She requested a court order of protection (a restraining order) but then she dropped it. Why? We will never know.

As for counting on the system?

"We certainly do not expect a protective order to protect her from a person like this. He had been arrested at least 25 times. On probation at the time he executed her. There were multiple opportunities for him to be incarcerated or receive help. Or serve significant time to stay out of her life," said Rodrigue.

Brown is also accused of shooting a cop in Tennessee while getting away.

Even if you get an order of protection, the police are under no obligation to protect you.

If you think you need an order of protection, then you also need a plan for your personal safety. I like firearms for personal defense, but they are not for everyone.

Now having a firearm may not have saved this woman; there are no guarantees in this life.

Nothing in this world is absolutely certain but death and next winter’s snow.
   — Marion Zimmer-Bradley. The Saga of the Renunciates (Darkover Saga)

But it has been shown time and again that relying on The System™ for your protection is not going to work out for you.

This is certainly a tragedy, that could have been avoided if the guy who killed her could have dealt with the statement, "It's over!" But he couldn't.

The linked article above was written before the guy in question was arrested. CAPTURED: Suspect accused of New Orleans execution, Tennessee officer shooting.

Early Wednesday morning, the man accused of murdering a woman in downtown New Orleans was arrested. The suspect is also believed to be the perpetrator in the shooting of a police officer during a traffic stop in Tennessee.

They aren't clear on whether he will face justice in Tennessee first, and then be extradited to Louisiana. Either way there is no statute of limitations for murder in most states.

An Interesting Question from the LA Times

So, if the answer is "no," ... Column: Is California ready for more Black people to legally carry guns in public?

If the prospect of a bunch of law-abiding, black citizens, being legally armed has Californians freaking out, does that make them racist?

Although the recent SCOTUS ruling was against a law in New York, California is also a "May Issue" state when it comes to concealed carry. Or it was, anyway.

And when you look at the big cities, like Los Angeles, where virtually no one has a concealed carry permit, the vast majority of minorities are locked out of the self-defense sphere. For their own good of course. At least that's how the Powers The Be™ see it.

You need to rely on the state for your personal security, even though the state has proven time and again that they can't be counted on. (Hello, Uvalde, Texas police department... are you listening?) When seconds count cops are minutes away, and then in a place like Uvalde even when they ARE ON SITE they refuse to act for an hour because their lives are more important than your life.

Still, over the past few years as Americans have stocked up on guns at record rates, it is Black people — especially women — who have been buying them the most. Between 2019 and 2020 alone, there was a 58% spike, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Emmanuel Choice, who runs a Black gun club in Los Angeles, has watched this trend play out in Southern California. Black people are not only buying guns in big numbers, but eager to get the training to follow the law and handle them safely.

Anyway, click thru for the history - the anti-black history - of gun control in California, and more.

And here is a bit that I didn't expect to see in the Los Angeles Times:

Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive organizations, including the Black Attorneys of Legal Aid, the Bronx Defenders, and Brooklyn Defender Services, filed an amicus brief in the case, urging the court to rule exactly as it did.

Their argument? That gun control laws in New York, like California, disproportionately harm Black and Latino people who carry guns for self-defense. They complained of clients who have been “stopped, questioned, and frisked,” and deprived of their livelihoods because they “exercised a constitutional right.”

The Second Amendment applies to all Americans, even if they're poor and minority.