Weekend Reading #66

 Some longer or more involved reading:

• Up first is Greg Ellifritz's Weekend Knowledge Dump.  Some of the links that caught my eye in particular:
• Near the bottom is a link to an article called "Dark Arts for Good Guys: Break on Through to the other side," which is about how to ram a roadblock. The author of that blog did security and investigation work, including some that took him oversees. As such, he has a bunch of other articles on "dark arts" that cover topics useful if things go FUBAR. Here is a link to the page listing these other articles. He also just has a generally interesting blog, so check out other posts.
• An article on starting a rucking exercise routine/training program. Probably a good idea for anyone who thinks they might need to bug out on foot.
• A link to a video with tips on concealed carry in hot weather.
• An article with some advice on using tactical pens for self-defense; but if this interests you, probably the better course is to simply read and follow Greg's advice in his comments concerning the article.
• An article on why you should use "target depth training"--i.e., have your targets are varying distances. 
• The second part in a series entitled "Defeating the Covert Accomplice" because robbers rarely work alone. 
• For those willing to do some of their own basic gunsmithing work, an article on some simple upgrades and modifications for the AK you can do at home.
• A couple articles warning about how you dress, the bumper stickers on your car, and more, can make you stand out as a gun owner--it's no different than how other types of clothing, hair styles, makeup, etc., can identify you as belonging to certain "tribes". 
• In the event that you are in need of a chuckle or two, be sure to check out John Wilder's latest: "64 Or So Pieces Of Very Bad Advice." I can envision a leftist going down the list and thinking "sounds alright to me". 
• "The DSA's Plan to Remake America"--The Everyman Commentary.  The DSA has released a manifesto which reads:

 “For the working class to govern, we need a new political system. End political corruption and legalized bribery: get rid of lobbyists, dark money, and Citizens United, and publicly finance all elections. Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.

Replace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy. Expand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate.”

The article explores what each of the elements of this communist wish-list entails, together with this warning:

    Our republic was created to tame the appetites of would-be autocrats, making tyranny unlikely, if not impossible to implement. Communists, by contrast, consolidate power.

    Lenin, for one, was notoriously unwilling to share power. He led a small faction of the Russian Social Democratic and Labor Party—Democratic Socialists’ presumed namesake—called Bolsheviks, or the majority. He labeled his opponents, usually in the majority, Mensheviks, as being those in the minority and it stuck. It’s not that his ideas weren’t attractive to the majority of socialists—they weren’t—but the future dictator deliberately cobbled together a cell of dedicated yes-men.

    Even after the coup, Lenin was unwilling to share power with fellow socialists which earned him criticism from old school Bolsheviks like Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev and the famed socialist writer Maxim Gorky. He survived an assassination attempt by the Socialist Revolutionary party member Fanny Kaplan who felt that the mastermind of the government takeover betrayed the revolution.

    After Lenin’s passing, Stalin placed his henchmen in local party cells and purged the opposition, starting with Lenin’s acolytes like Mikhail Bukharin, Kamenev and Zinoviev and the sometimes acolyte Lev Trotsky. Successive waves of repressions followed. By these and other methods, the population of the Soviet Union was successfully terrorized into obedience.

Reading this about the DSA brings to mind the famous quote from Rafał Gan-Ganowicz, a Polish anti-communist activist, mercenary, and writer. When a journalist asked him what it felt like to take a human life, he replied: "I wouldn't know, I've only killed communists."

VIDEO: China's Population Is Collapsing

China Uncensored's latest video returns to the topic of China's demographic collapse evidenced by the dramatic decline in the number of pre-schools and kindergartens, as well as some discussion of failed efforts by the CCP to increase birth rates. His thinking on why the Chinese refuse to have more children tracks my thoughts on the general decline in fertility rates: children have become a luxury that most young people can't or won't pay for. 

    On the other end, China is seeing deaths outpace births. The Rhodium Group published a paper earlier this year that predicts that China's population will decline by more than 60 million people in the next decade--roughly the population of France.  The report goes on to note that:

The headlines are bad, the regional breakdown is worse. The country’s most developed provinces are seeing falling populations, which will impact overall consumption and the future productivity of the labor force. The impact on household consumption is obvious, but the larger problem for Beijing may be the hit to social security funds. The fiscal subsidy to social security funds rose to a record 2.9 trillion yuan last year, or 10.1% of general budget spending, and appears set to rise in the future. 

It also states:

    The drop in China’s birth rate in the 2020s has been shocking, even in the context of continuous declines since 2018. The ratio of new births to total population reached only 0.563% last year, compared to 1.199% a decade ago in 2015. The total of 7.92 million new births for the full year was the lowest level since 7.57 million in 1939, when China’s population was closer to 400-500 million people.

    Admittedly, the number of women of child-bearing age has declined by 13% over the past decade to 213.7 million, but new births more than halved over the same interval. This reflects changes in behavior and preferences, as policy is now pro-natalist and has been far less restrictive since 2016, when the one-child policy was formally abandoned.

    Chinese citizens’ decisions to marry and have children later in life are the main reasons behind the collapse in new births. The average age of people married rose to 34 years old in 2024, from 32.4 in 2018. As a result, the number of marriages declined by 40% from 2018 levels to only 6.1 million in 2024 (Figure 2). The average age of women bearing children increased to 30.1 years old in 2024, from 28.4 in 2018. These trends correlate well with additional education and economic advancements in other countries, and these factors are likely having an effect in China as well.

    Another more recent factor that may be depressing births is the change in employment conditions. Alongside weaker economic growth, more workers have shifted to the gig economy, which does not provide security nor stable incomes. Additional discussions of potential AI-related job losses may be contributing to popular insecurity and uncertainty, which feed back into the birth rate as well. Social phenomena such as “lying flat,” “letting it rot,” or other societal trends developing within China’s youth also may be contributing to reductions in stable relationships and willingness to have children.

It doesn't help that China is an atheistic country as there is a strong correlation between religiosity and birth rates. (See also, "China’s Population Decline – The Impact on Business, the Economy, and Labor Markets" from China-Briefing). 

     China faces its own pension crises as well because of fewer workers to support a growing population of retirees. The Diplomat goes over this in a Feb. 11, 2026, article entitled "As China Ages, a Pension Crisis Looms." A key point:

    By 2040, roughly 402 million people in China are expected to be over the age of 60, more than a quarter of the population. By comparison, the total population of the United States is expected to reach around 379 million by that time. This shift marks a turning point for China, signaling the erosion of its long-standing advantage in abundant and affordable labor while presenting a formidable financial challenge in caring for an aging society. 

    These demographic pressures prompted China to begin a gradual adjustment of its statutory retirement age in 2025, the first such change in more than seven decades. The retirement age for men will gradually increase from 60 to 63 over a 15-year period while the retirement age for women will rise from 55 to 58, with adjustments varying by occupation. While delaying retirement may ease fiscal strain, it does little to alter the underlying demographic arithmetic driving the crisis. 

VIDEO: "China's Population is Collapsing"
China Uncensored (7 min.)

Some More Iranian War News

• "US beefs up military might in Middle East after unleashing powerful B-1 bombers to attack Iran"--New York Post. The headline is misleading as the article indicates that only a single B-1 was deployed. It also reports that "[m]ore than 150 medics have also been sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany — the military’s primary hospital for wounded troops from the Middle East," and that additional special forces are being sent to the region.
• "House adopts Iran war powers resolution as four Republicans join Dems to rebuke Trump "--New York Post.  Four Republicans joined all 210 Democrats to pass a resolution calling on Pres. Trump to “to remove the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, including potential ground forces in a combat role or used for occupation.”
• "Brent crude oil surges to $100 a barrel for first time since May after reports of Red Sea attacks"--The New York Post.  "Reports of fresh strikes in the Red Sea raised new fears that a second critical shipping route through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which carries about 7% of global oil supplies, could also be compromised – multiplying what is already the world’s worst-ever supply disruption," the article states. 

Israel To Sit Out The Rest Of The War?

Zero Hedge reported on some comments from Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich--the second most powerful cabinet member according to the article--with the article relating (bold in original):

    “The State of Israel has no interest in joining the contained confrontation between Iran and the United States," far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a session at the Katif Conference for National Responsibility, which endorses Jewish settlement in Palestinian territories. "The current situation is the best one for us.”

[snip]

    In his latest remarks, Smotrich candidly acknowledged that Israel and the United States have different goals vis a vis Iran, but said America's continued military engagement furthers the Israeli agenda. “[We] must remember that the ultimate goal of Israel, and not necessarily the United States, is to undermine and weaken the regime in Iran – to the point of overthrowing it,” Smotrich said. 

    Disregarding the widespread victimization of innocents that the strategy entails, Smotrich said destruction of Iran's economy will help precipitate the Iranian government's collapse. "Currently, inflation in Iran is at 85 percent, food inflation of over 134 percent in a total of four months, and the Iranian rial is trading at an exchange rate of 1.9 million to the dollar - and it's going up." He then reiterated that "the current situation is good for us, and there's no point in pushing ourselves inward."  

That might work if the economic collapse was not clearly the result of outside agents; but, as Germany and Japan illustrated during WWII, economic woes will not spark a rebellion when there is a clear enemy to blame. 

    The article also recounts comments from an Israeli journalist opining that Israel staying out of the fight makes it less of a target for Iranian attacks, allowing daily life to continue and saving the country billions of shekels for air operations or interceptions of incoming missiles. 

    Larry C. Johnson at Sonar21 suggests another reason for Israel pulling back is because both of its oil refineries were damaged earlier in the conflict and now Israel faces a shortage of diesel and jet fuel; and any further damage to the refineries would severely limit Israel's ability to continue military operations in Gaza or Lebanon. And yet another source, quoting the Wall Street Journal, indicates that the U.S., under pressure from Arab states, asked Israel to sit out the war in hopes that doing so will keep Iran from striking more of the Arab states' energy infrastructure, and make it politically easier for those states to join in attacks against Iran. 

    I think this is a good example of the maxim "countries do not have friends, only interests". Israel's interests were to (i) destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities, which the United States has pretty much already done for it; and (ii) eliminate the Palestinians, which is easier to do if (a) the United States is distracted with Iran and (b) Israel can concentrate its efforts on Gaza and Lebanon. Besides, it increasingly appears that we are moving toward having boots on the ground in Iran; and there was no way that Israel was ever going to be part of that effort if for no other reason then it would outrage Muslims around the world. The best we can hope for is a limited invasion to capture the territory adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz, followed by an extended occupation of that territory by a coalition of Arab states. 

    The question that needs to be asked is what are the United States' interests? I would say that our interests are limited to keeping open the Gulf of Arabia and the Strait of Hormuz to the free transit of oil, which was the situation before the war but is now impossible because of the war. And the reason we are in this situation is because our leaders lost sight of our interests and/or believed that Israel's interests were the same as ours. 

NY Post: Ethiopian Immigrant Murders Three, Hates American System

The New York Post reports that Tsegaab Binessu has been arrested for murdering three of the staff at the apartment complex where he lived after the landlord refused to terminate his lease of a garage. But he also told investigators that he hated the American system for not allowing him to bring his wife and children to the U.S. from Ethiopia. "The prolonged immigration process, he said, led to his divorce and separation from his kids. He claimed he quit his job as a truck driver due to the stress of the situation, the document states." He also complained that he was treated unfairly because he was an immigrant and black. "When he was arrested, he had newly purchased camping gear, his US passport, his Social Security card, an empty handgun magazine and his permit to carry a weapon, according to the complaint."

He could have renounced his citizenship and gone back to Ethiopia at any time.  

I Want

 If you can't get an American 180, this might be the next best thing. 

VIDEO: "THE TIPPMANN FRT - THIS 22LR SHOOTS FAST!"
22plinkster (11 min.)

Hungary Shows What Happens When The Left Achieve Full Control

David Strom at Hot Air asks: "How's It Going in Hungary?" Not good. 

    The EU put a target on Orbán's back years ago, and in the recent election, they finally got their wish. The Prime Minister was voted out of office, and did exactly what you would expect of a non-authoritarian. He left office quietly and without fuss, acknowledged his loss, and vowed to campaign for a return to power. 

    So what are the great "defenders of democracy" doing to prevent that? 

Today, prosecutors arrived without prior notice at the data center hosting Fidesz’s servers, intending to seize the party’s entire communications system and databases. Nothing like this has happened in Hungary since the end of communism in 1990.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Hungary’s Brussels-backed liberal authoritarian Prime Minister intends to eliminate his democratic political opponents, crush all resistance to his arbitrary actions, and use the country’s law enforcement authorities as instruments to achieve that goal. 

 [snip]

    They are coming down like a ton of bricks on Orbán and his political party, following the now-familiar EU plan to subvert elections by canceling them if their candidates aren't likely to win, banning political parties, disqualifying candidates, and rigging the rules.  

So is there any meaningful difference between this and what the Soviet Union did to Hungary in 1956? 

The Great Replacement -- American Style

Some salient comments from Eric Florack in his PJ Media piece, "The Great American Demographic Shift." He begins:

    Are culture and demography destiny? I say yes, and suggest that it's hard to argue otherwise.

    A nation isn't lines on a map or a stack of statutes. It's the people who live there, the values they bring, and the institutions they either sustain or slowly gut. Swap enough of a population—say, trade native-born Americans steeped in the country's traditional culture for large numbers of newcomers from, say, Islamic cultures—and you swap the politics, the economy, and the outcomes that follow. That's not a hot take. That's arithmetic, and arithmetic doesn't negotiate.

    Import the third world's populations without assimilation, and you import the third world's problems along with them. Nobody should clutch his or her pearls over this. 

    Countries differ wildly in educational attainment, institutional trust, corruption, civic participation, family structure, and cultural expectations—and none of that magically dissolves the moment someone crosses a border. Some immigrants assimilate fast and become genuine assets to the country. Others don't bother trying. Either way, that's a choice the immigrant makes, not a mystery anyone needs to solve.

    Push migration past the speed a society can actually absorb, and the receiving country doesn't just gain people. It inherits the statistical baggage those populations carry with them, whether anyone wants to admit it over dinner or not.

He goes on to note that in 1970, non-Hispanic whites made up roughly 83 percent of the population but, by 2022, was only 59 percent, adding: "Outside of literal territorial conquest, this country has never reshuffled its population this fast, and pretending otherwise doesn't make the numbers move back." I would suggest that we are, in fact, seeing territorial conquest of a sort. And, as the author notes, it appears to have been a conscious choice of the left. Just like the Devil they serve, the left stands for chaos, ugliness, divisiveness; and they have achieved it. 

Open AI's AI Hacked Another AI Company

And, according to this Associated Press article, the Open AI agent did it on its own volition.  From the article:

    OpenAI said the intrusion was caused by a combination of its AI models, including its newly released GPT‑5.6 Sol and an “even more capable” model that is still being tested internally.

    OpenAI said its AI used stolen credentials and discovered a previously unknown vulnerability to access Hugging Face servers.

    It went to “extreme lengths to achieve a rather narrow testing goal” and “found ways to gain access to secret information that it could use to cheat the evaluation,” the company said. 

Shiloh Hendrix Trial Begins

You may remember Shiloh Hendrix. She is the young mother who confronted a black kid who stole apple sauce from her baby bag--food she had brought along for her baby. But she used the "n-word"; and although blacks constantly use it in reference to each other, no white is allowed to use it. Thus, as the article notes, Hendrix has been "charged with three counts of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor charge with a maximum of 90 days in jail."  

    Hendrix, who has pleaded not guilty, appeared on Monday in Olmsted County District Court as jury selection got underway for her trial. 

    The jury will decide whether her behavior was unlawful and likely to cause violence, or if her words are protected under the First Amendment.   

This is in reference to the "fighting words" doctrine in which it has been held that words, made face-to-face, “which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace” are not protected speech under the Constitution. You can read more about this doctrine in this article from the Freedom Forum: "What Are Fighting Words? Definition, Examples and More."