Monday, June 30, 2025

Marc McYoung: "What Do I Do When Someone IS Shooting At Me?"

Bayou Renaissance Man (Peter Grant) recently linked to a great article by Marc McYoung at No Nonsense Self Defense entitled "What Do I Do When Someone IS Shooting At Me?" He begins:

    The most accurate answer to the question of 'What do I do ...?' is "It depends" 

    By that I mean it depends on where you are, who you are, who is doing the shooting, why the shooting is happening, who's with you, what options you've chosen and most of all your mindset. 

McYoung points out that " just because someone is waving a gun, that isn't the same as them shooting. And– in a bit you'll see why this is important– just because you're in an area where someone is shooting doesn't necessarily mean they're shooting at you specifically." He explains:

    The importance of [whether someone is trying to kill you or someone else] is simple: People who are trying to kill someone else don't really care about you unless you get in their way. Someone who is trying to kill you specifically will be more dedicated to that task than someone intent on killing someone else or anybody in the area. This strongly effects what your options are.

    That is why you must look at what happens before it becomes physical -- even with weapons. Because what is going on before the weapon is drawn and what occurs while the weapon is displayed is critical for assessing what is the best course of action for you.

    A threat display or the different kinds of violence are NOT someone trying to kill you! Can they escalate into physical violence? Yes. Can it go from a simple assault to an aggravated assault? Absolutely. Can they result in death? Yes (Especially if you try to counter a weapon-based threat display with one of your own). Can you catch a bullet meant for someone else? Oh hell, yes.

    However most violence is NOT about killing. It is about achieving a goal. And this includes someone displaying or brandishing of a weapon. The 'reason' to brandish is so that person doesn't have to use it.  Although 'brandishing' is illegal in most states, the intent is usually to show how serious someone is about their demands.  If the goal is to kill, he (or she) will just pull it and start putting lead in the air.

    I often say that 'I am negotiating until I pull the trigger.' The importance of this concept cannot be stressed enough. VERY SELDOM does someone 'just pull a gun and shoot.' Communication is the norm. While it is possible that the shooter is working his way up to shooting by talking, it is far more common that he is communicating so he doesn't 'have' to shoot. But, people caught up in their emotions about being in conflict don't look at it this way. In fact, because their monkey brains are driving the bus, they overlook the fact that MOST violence comes with instructions on how to AVOID it!

    Read that last sentence again, it's important.

  • If the guy is waving a gun at you telling you leave or shut up ... TAKE HIS ADVICE!!!!
  • If he's got a gun in your face saying give him your wallet ... DO SO!
  • If he's screaming at someone else, leave the area before he changes his mind and starts shooting.
  • Do NOT stay in area to see what happens! Filming with your phone doesn't make you bulletproof.

While this may sound obvious, the problem is that in conflict, when people are functioning in their Monkey they are NOT making rational decisions given the danger. 

 It is a lengthy and detailed article and there is much more there, including a lot of advice on what to do if the bullets start to fly your way, so be sure to read the whole thing.

VIDEO: What You Can Legally Do If A Mob Surrounds Your Car

Washington Gun Law provides an updated version of a video they posted a year or two earlier on when you can use force and when you can use lethal force should you get caught up in a mob while in your car. Although the title indicates it is a "Part 2" it is just an update, not the second part of a two-part video.

VIDEO: "What Can You Do When a Mob Surrounds Your Car? Part II"
Washington Gun Law (11 min.)

Saturday, June 28, 2025

The Diversity Report #29

A selection of articles and video showcasing the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion: 

  • This news report on the "jugging" crime trend may be one of the most racist videos you watch--all the criminals appear to be black. Also, watch for the mug shot of the criminal that looks like an orc.  

VIDEO: "This New Crime Trend is SWEEPING Across the Country..."
TheDC Shorts (4 min.)

The lesson from New York City is that BOTH illegal and legal immigration can ruin your country. It’s not just the open border, it’s also our suicidal mass LEGAL migration policies bringing in over 1 million people a year: green cards, chain migration, refugee resettlement, anchor babies, and asylum scams. This all needs to be ended. 

  • "Supreme Court delivers bombshell ruling on Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship"--Daily Mail. In a case on birthright citizenship, the Supreme Court ruled that federal district courts do not have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions. "The ruling allows Trump's executive order halting birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants to take effect in states and jurisdictions that did not directly challenge his action in court," the article reports, although "[i]t could mean citizenship rules vary from state to state, pending ongoing litigation." The challenged policy held that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens. The Supreme Court ruling did not address the merits of the case, just the issuance of injunctions. 
  • "Trump is creating new universes of people to deport"--CNN.  CNN's complaint? That the Administration will deport people who tried to game the system by falsely claiming asylum after they entered the country illegally:

    The plans that the administration has been working on are targeting people who came into the US unlawfully and then applied for asylum while in the country.

    The plan here is to dismiss those asylum claims, which could affect potentially hundreds of thousands of people and then make them immediately deportable.  

    An invasive species of flesh-eating flies has been discovered moving towards the US border, using the same route millions of migrants took to America in recent years.

    The New World Screwworm (NWS) lays hundreds of larvae in the wounds of animals and people, which hatch within hours and start consuming the victim's tissue.

    These infestations can lead to deep, painful wounds that become infected and often result in death if left untreated.

Germany’s population is estimated at 84 million people, and more than 25% of the residents have a migrant background. The term “migration background” includes both those who have immigrated themselves (first-generation migrants) and those born in Germany to two immigrant parents (second-generation). Nearly 16.1 million people — 19.4% of the population — were immigrants themselves, while an additional 5.2 million, or 6.3%, were born in Germany to two foreign-born parents.

This has obviously been a boon to the native Germans, as the article also relates: "According to a report last year, over 41% of crime suspects in Germany were foreigners while 75% of victims were Germans."

    Under the previous left-leaning government, Germany began paying around 2 million euros ($2.34 million) annually to non-governmental organizations carrying out rescues of migrant-laden boats in trouble at sea. 

    For them, it has been a key source of funds: Germany’s Sea-Eye, which said rescue charities have saved 175,000 lives since 2015, received around 10% of its total income of around 3.2 million euros from the German government.  

... It’s not just certain boroughs like Tower Hamlets or Acton where you’d be forgiven for thinking you were somewhere in the Middle East but central London too. In Mayfair, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Kensington and Chelsea you hear less and less English spoken on the street and it’s rare to be served by a British born person. Having lived in London for nearly all my adult years I have never known it so alien, so divided, more crowded, dirtier, less safe and less policed than now.

    Betz works with larger themes. Falling living standards and a dearth of well-paid jobs create an “expectation gap”, seeding resentment and apathy through whole generations. The creeping normalisation of identitarian factionalism across British life, both daily and political, weakens our ability to function as a coherent nation. Unprecedented levels of immigration produce growing anxiety in the majority population, an anxiety that may metastasise into something darker. Finally, and perhaps most damningly, Betz brings up a rising crisis of government legitimacy: “The primary thing to be tested is legitimacy. If you have legitimacy, you have no insurgent problem. If you don’t, you are very likely to have an insurgent problem. It’s as simple as that.”

    In his academic work, Betz has described legitimacy as a kind of magic spell. If polls are anything to go by, it’s a spell that has now been well and truly broken: a record 45% of Brits “almost never” trust the government to put the nation first. As the academic says: “There has been a collapse in trust over the course of a generation.” The once awesome magus has been revealed as a syphilitic old soak, his robes stained sacking, his staff a rolled newspaper. Public trust in politicians, then, is at an all-time low (“Journalists aren’t much more trusted,” he adds in a wry aside), but Betz is deeply worried that faith in all kinds of institutions is diminishing rapidly.

    There are often very good reasons for this trust deficit, especially in areas like crime and punishment. Take the recent furore over sentencing. “It’s ridiculous to deny that we have a two-tier justice system,” Betz says. “Just last week, the Justice Secretary said the sentencing guidelines are two-tier. Which begs the question of what a Justice Secretary is for… It’s outrageous.” Things are no better at the other end of the justice system. “Our police establishment is not neutral. It’s heavily politically biased,” he says, even as the Met fails to solve any neighbourhood crime across swathes of the capital. 

    According to an upcoming report from the independent National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) organisation, the number of people involved in the black market economy has grown by 80 per cent since 2016. The report found that as many as one in ten adults in Britain are connected to the underground economy.

    The Sun on Sunday newspaper reported that NatCen claimed that this has resulted in the black market expanding to a staggering £260 billion industry, enabling delinquent businesses to avoid around £2.2 billion in tax every year. The social research organisation specifically pointed to the illegal migrant crisis in recent years as a top contributor to the burgeoning black market. 

The U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, issued an alert over a series of kidnappings along certain Mexican border highways. The warning follows the actions by teams of gunmen who abducted at least ten people in at least three separate cases in recent days. It remains unclear if other similar cases have not been reported.

Also: "The border state of Tamaulipas is listed as a level 4 Do Not Travel region, the highest designation, which is also used for active war zones."

Chinese nationals connected to the University of Michigan have been federally charged with lying to law enforcement about taking photos near a military base, illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election, and smuggling in dangerous biological materials into the country in just the past year alone. 

    ICE Denver said that Friday morning, ICE agents and FBI Denver were attempting to arrest Jose Reyes Leon-Deras, who they claim is a “criminal alien” from El Salvador convicted of and wanted for the rape of a child in Italy.

    The agency said that during their surveillance of Leon-Deras, members of the immigration advocacy group known as Colorado Rapid Response arrived at the scene and alerted the man to the presence of law enforcement. 

“A 16-year-old citizen of Colombia, with a conviction for reckless driving resulting in death was arrested by ICE Denver officers last week and will remain in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing,” the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office announced on X. 

U.S. trucking companies are undermined by lower-wage Mexican truckers who use B-1 visitor visas to snatch delivery contracts from American truckers after they deliver a load from Mexico, says a May 8 article on the FreightWaves.com website. 

    The Department of Justice announced Friday that Walter Barnes III, the founder of government contractor Vistant (previously known as PM Consulting Group, or PMCG) and Roderick Watson, a USAID contracting official, pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme in which Barnes and two others conspired to pay Watson $1 million in exchange for $544 million in contracts.

    What has not been reported is that the Biden administration continued to steer contracts to Vistant/PMCG even after it knew of the massive corruption: the migration contract, even larger than the $544 million in the indictment, and others that are still active.

    The $800 million contract went to a joint venture between Barnes’ company and CollaborateUp, a tiny consultancy run out of a suburban home in Falls Church, Virginia, where its CEO, Richard Crespin — who runs the company while also working at a think tank — lives. The Virginia home was the address listed on the $800 million contract.

This June, many Target stores will feature a section of American-themed apparel in place of what had become their Pride month merchandising, marking a major step back from the company’s involvement in Pride month celebrations in previous years.

This means that they will slip back into being more deceptive and less open about their intentions.

    “A government burdens the religious exercise of parents when it requires them to submit their children to instruction that poses ‘a very real threat of undermining’ the religious beliefs and practices that the parents wish to instill,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority.

    “And a government cannot condition the benefit of free public education on parents’ acceptance of such instruction.”

    Varley is accused of murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration of a child, five counts of child cruelty, one count of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and one count of sexual assault of a child.

    He is further accused of 10 counts of taking indecent photographs of a child, one count of distributing indecent photographs of a child, two counts of possessing indecent pseudo images of a child, and one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image.

    McGowan-Fazakerley is charged with allowing the death of a child, as well as two counts of child cruelty and one count of sexual assault of a child. 

Friday, June 27, 2025

Where In The World Is Iran's Enriched Uranium?

From the Daily Mail: "Israel admits it has no idea where Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium is - as Tehran declares it has no intention of restarting nuke talks with US." Per the article, Israel's defense minister, "Israel Katz said that the military was unsure of the location of the 400 kilograms of enriched uranium that the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, claims Tehran has produced." The article also noted comments from Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Iran had not agreed to conduct new negotiations over its nuclear program.

It's Not Just The United States

 One of my sons encountered a person recently that insisted that serial killers was a purely American phenomena, notwithstanding accounts of such killers from all over the world. The latest example: "Japan executes ‘Twitter killer’ who murdered and dismembered 9 people in his apartment"--New York Post.

More Evidence of Nature Over Nurture

SciTech Daily reports on a recent study of identical twins versus fraternal twins that sought to determine the impact of environment versus genetics on general cognitive ability (GCA). If you read just the first few paragraphs, you would be left with the impression that the research found that "nurture"--i.e., the environment--was the dominant factor in determining GCA. I frankly was suspicious because decades of Head Start programs have shown no measurable long term differences. But deeper in the article was this:

    As expected, genes played a big role in influencing general cognitive ability, with genetic influences measured by age 7 accounting for about half of the variation in scores at age 30. But environment also had a significant and lasting impact.

    “One of the most exciting findings was that 10% of the variability in adult cognitive ability was explained by environmental influences before year one or two,” said Gustavson.

But!

The older the children got, the more influence genes had and the less environment had. “This suggests that even the pre-preschool environment matters,” Gustavson said. 

 So basically what prior studies had shown which is that early government intervention, such as through the Head Start program, had some temporary impact, but no long term benefits.

Dumb Headline: "As bombs and missiles fall in Iran, Isfahan’s architectural treasures face an uncertain fate"

"As bombs and missiles fall in Iran, Isfahan’s architectural treasures face an uncertain fate"--Los Angeles Times. There has been no targeting of Iran's historical sites in any of the attacks. The "journalist" and Chicken Littles of this article are stuck in a WWII mindset of massive flights of bombers with dumb bombs, crude and inaccurate bombing sights, conducting indiscriminate bombing raids at night. Really, their agenda is to stir up a knee-jerk opposition to the bombing raid no matter how stupid their argument. 

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Women Are Not Like Men

One of the most overused tropes in Hollywood for the past decade, at least, is the girl-boss action heroine who is just like male action heroes, but better because she is a woman. That means in the action hero or super hero genres that some 100 lbs. waif with biceps no thicker than an average man's wrists, is able to throw around men more than twice her size with ease. 

    I understand that some people enjoy this type of thing. Feminists, for instance, think it is empowering. The problem is when this attitude leaks into the real world. While I don't see them come across my feed very often, at one time I saw quite a few YouTube videos of women that thought they could pick fights with men and win. It doesn't work that way--the real world obeys the laws of physics. 

    This seems to carry over into sports. Thus, the many advertisements, TV shows, and movies that show women besting men in various sports. So it is interesting when you see reminders that even professional female athletes are generally no match for teenage boys: "'World's sexiest footballer' is on the losing team as Swiss women are beaten 7-1 by 14-YEAR-OLD boys ahead of Euros"--Daily Mail (h/t Instapundit). 

    The Swiss women's team slumped to a 7-1 defeat to male Under-15 side FC Luzern in a disappointing warm-up match as they prepare to host the Euros next month.

    Alisha Lehmann, previously dubbed the 'world's sexiest footballer' was part of the side which took the lead through Alayah Pilgrim before conceding seven goals in a row to the youth team. 

    The defeat was their second to an Under-15 side in their Euro 2025 preparations having also lost 2-1 to FC Solothurn.
 

    Footage of the match circulated on social media and reportedly received 70,000 views on TikTok before being deleted. 

It's not just the Swiss women's team. This story is from 2017: "FC Dallas under-15 boys squad beat the U.S. Women's National Team in a scrimmage"--CBS Sports. The boys beat the women's team 5-2.

Bombs & Bants #157

 A lighthearted take on current events and famous persons in the news:

 VIDEO: "Bombs and Bants Episode 157" (45 min.)

New Defensive Pistolcraft Newsletter

Jon Low posted a new Defensive Pistolcraft newsletter a few days ago, so be sure to check it out. He includes lots of links on self-defense, using a firearm, training, life-skills, etc. In this newsletter, he even links to a series of videos showing how to do calisthenics and gives some advice as to how to properly stretch. I thought this quote that he excerpted from a longer piece by Tom McHale to be something useful to keep in mind: 

     If you decide to carry a gun for self-protection, it’s your mission and responsibility to do everything in your power to avoid using it.  

     How do you do that?  At the top of the list is maintaining constant awareness and noting suspicious behavior.  However, it’s also important not to overreact.  Don’t be a paranoid freak.  That takes all the fun out of life.  

     You can dramatically improve your general awareness level by adding a few new habits and breaking some bad ones, like keeping your nose buried in your phone anytime you’re in public.  

     That one lifestyle change will do more than anything else to help improve your situational awareness:  put away the phone while navigating public spaces.  

     You may even find that a more switched-on lifestyle improves your daily life experience.  By paying more attention to your surroundings, you’ll discover new things and experiences to enjoy and appreciate.  By paying more attention to people and remembering that 99.9 percent of them aren’t out to hurt you, you might make some new friends and acquaintances.  

     Here’s the bottom line.  Keep perspective.  Being alert improves your odds of avoiding a criminal encounter and makes you a less attractive potential victim.  That doesn’t mean you have to become paranoid.  

     Most people are not actually out to get you.   

The rest of the excerpt discusses additional tips on situational awareness, so be sure to read the whole thing.

Ayoob on the Surreptitious Draw

 When you want to surprise an assailant...

 VIDEO: "Surreptitious Draw 101: Master the Invisible Handgun Pull"
Massad Ayoob - Facts and Firearms (9 min.)

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Trump As An "America First" Pragmatist

An article by Daniel Jupp entitled "Tucker’s wrong, Trump is an America First pragmatist," attempts to aggravate the divide that appeared in the MAGA movement prior to the strikes on Iran by chastising those concerned about the potential results of U.S. involvement. Jupp makes some good points about Trump (whom I've always maintained would have been considered a moderate in the 1990s). Jupp points out:

    Trump has almost zero ideological content. Trump is not looking for the Perfect Ideological Fit. He has it already, and it’s called America. He’s all indomitable self-belief and very simple patriotism. It’s expressed almost entirely in the two main slogans of his life in politics. America First, and Make America Great Again. That’s it. He means both, and there is nothing else attached to either. He’s not a Zionist. He’s not an Anti Zionist. He’s not a Democrat. He’s not a Republican. He’s not a Free Trade Fetishist, and he’s not a Crazy Lunatic. He’s not a lover of Nato, and he’s not a servant of the UN. He’s not a Conspiracy Theorist, and he’s not an Establishment Stooge. He’s not Perfect, and he’s not a Monster.

    He’s a pragmatist in an age of mad ideas.

 And:

    Trump’s lack of ideology, his simplicity, his hard-headed, totally pragmatic, completely common-sense grounding in reality and innate character-deep, DNA-deep distrust of bullshit can be deceived by flattery and deception from people he has mistaken for allies, as it was by covid architects of evil. But generally it gives a much better guide than ANY ideological construct does.

    Trump is not an ideological purist. He’s a pragmatic common-sense patriot. In many ways, and ironically, it makes him more moderate than anyone else, both those who have always hated him, and those who switch between love and disillusionment. They are judging by ideals and emotion, whereas Trump functions by common sense and results.

Jupp also notes that Trump's opponents are, on the other hand, very ideological:

... Soros is not just a crook. He is a believer. An Open Society, Open Borders fanatic. Obama wasn’t just a crook. He was genuinely a Marxist (all Marxists have always been able to exclude their own property and wealth from the equation). Climate Change is not just a grift, it’s also a cult. Globalists aren’t just purchased national traitors, they believe the insane abstractions they force on others. Even Establishment conservatives who fetishise Nato, howl for more Ukraine intervention, or went wild with grief when Trump used tariffs, do so because the 1945 settlement, the rules based international order, the mantra of free trade, the Cold War thinking and the Russophobia, have all become respectable fixations, ideological identity props, and part of an Abstract Whole. 

But to chastise Tucker Carlson and, by extension, anyone else on the Right that was concerned about the consequences of the U.S. getting involved in another conflict involving yet another Muslim state? I think that many of those urging caution on the Right were, in fact, also being pragmatic. After all, those old enough to remember have seen Marines blown up trying to stabilize Lebanon after Israel's invasion in the 1980s, troops killed on Mogadishu, two regional wars against Iraq with the second followed by a lengthy occupation, an invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, and the destruction of Libya and Syria.

    We didn't keep Lebanon from becoming a failed state. We weren't able to restore order to Somalia. Libya and Syria became failed states after our interventions. Iraq is a severely weakened state and, ironically, less secular than before our invasion. Afghanistan reverted to rule by the Taliban, except now equipped with modern arms and equipment. And as far as I can tell, none of these interventions made the U.S. safer or more prosperous. If anything, the opposite. So, no, it was not "nuts" to have doubts about our getting involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel. 

    But at this point, it is still not clear whether the cease-fire between Iran and Israel will hold or if Iran will abandon its nuclear weapons program. 

Karmelo Anthony Finally Charged With Murder

Karmelo Anthony has been charged by a grand jury with first degree murder for his stabbing Austen Metcalf to death. The article notes that a surveillance video that showed the scene " did not show any fighting, pushing or physical altercation between the boys prior to the knifing," but, rather, "showed several people sitting under the Memorial High School team tent," and then "[w]ithout any kind of apparent escalation, people can be seen running and walking away from the tent."

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Gun & Prepping News #36

Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful: 

VIDEO: "How to STOP a DOG ATTACK in 3 Seconds - GUARANTEED!"
American Standard Dog Training (16 min.)

This video goes over different methods of stopping a dog attack that all relate to a method of choking the dog without permanently harming the animal. He begins the video with some self-promotion and discussion of some techniques that don't work. At the 6:20 mark, though, he starts going over the techniques. If you have studied methods for choking out a person, you will instantly understand how and why each of these work. 

  • Be sure to check out Greg's Active Response Training Weekend Knowledge Dump from this past Friday. Links to articles on various firearm and self-defense topics including some "secrets" of shooting by Clint Smith, lasers versus red dots on handguns, a guide on surviving violent crowds, a link to an archive of nuclear survival resources, a look at after-market magazines for handguns, and a couple articles on revolvers, and more.
  • "Shoot and Scoot: A Day in the Life of a Blackwater Mercenary"--Athlon Outdoors. This piece is adapted from the book Guns, Girls, and Greed: I was a Blackwater Mercenary in Iraq by Morgan Lerette. The vignette recounted involves trying to move through traffic on the author's first mission "outside the wire". 
  • "Police sound alarm on dangerous 'jugging' robbery trend sweeping across America"--Fox News. In case you don't know, "jugging" is a form of robbery where the robbers case someplace like an ATM watching for people making large withdrawals, then follow them to another less public location (e.g., the victim's home or office) and rob them when getting out of the vehicle or otherwise more vulnerable. 
  • "Practicing with a Snub Revolver"--Tactical Professor.  Some of the author's favorite snub revolver course of fires to use for practice and training.
  • Speaking of snubbies: "Charter Arms Coyote .380 Revolver"--The Truth About Guns. This is a 5-shot, short barreled revolver using, as the title indicates, .380 ammunition. The ammo fits into a moon-clip to allow for easy extraction. Why something in .380? The author explains:

    I know what you’re thinking: why a .380 ACP revolver? Well, it sounds weird at first, but it makes some sense when you think about it. With a .38 Special you lose a lot of velocity out a short barrel. Sure, there are loads specifically designed for short barrels, but they’re generally more expensive and not always readily available. Plus, the .38 out of a light, short-barrel revolver with a small grip can be pretty snappy.

    The .380 ACP, on the other hand, is made for use out of short barrels.

    Any .380 ammo you pick up is going to work fine out of a 2-inch barrel. Any .380 defense loads is already optimized for a short barrel, too. Recoil is less with a .380 ACP than most any .38 load as well. On top of that, Charter Arms has added porting to the barrel of the Coyote to further mitigate recoil.
 

Of course, if the manufacturers shortened the frame and length of the cylinder to match, it would make even more sense. The old .38 S&W pocket revolvers had smaller frames and shorter cylinders than the J-frames (and similar) of today because the .38 S&W case is the same length as the 9x19mm case. Thus, the same size of revolver would probably work quite well with the slightly shorter .380 case. 

  • "A Beginner Tries NRL Hunter, Part 1: Background And Preparation"--The Firearm Blog.  Although there are other long range rifle competitions out there, the National Rifle League is intended to a be a more "practical" competition to mimic long range hunting and the equipment that you would use in that role.
  • "How The .223 Remington Became The Modern .30-30"--The Firearm Blog. The author notes that the .30-30 long reigned supreme as a "general purpose" cartridge capable of hunting small and medium game (being especially popular for white tail deer in the Eastern U.S.) and argues that the .223 is now filling that role: good for home defense or taking deer at the same ranges as the .30-30 was used. 
  • I wonder if this is in response to the lawsuits against Sig over the Sig 320 pistol: "Ruger Adds Two Manual Safety Variants to LCP MAX Line"--The Firearm Blog.  One of the models simply adds a manual safety while the other has both a manual safety and a magazine disconnect safety.
  • "Lipsey’s Exclusive S&W Model 629 Mountain Gun"--Revolver Guy.  S&W occasionally releases limited runs of of the "Mountain Gun"--.44 Magnum revolvers with a 4-inch tapered barrel and some other metal work to make the gun a bit lighter, better looking, and easier to operate. This latest version is coming through Lipsey and will be a version without a "Hillary Hole" locking mechanism. This article goes over some of the other differences between this version and earlier versions, the most significant (other than the absence of the internal lock) being a different front sight using a brass insert and walnut stocks (grips). The author notes that the original Mountain Gun model was intended to shoot bullets weighing between 240 and 280 grains, and apparently this model is set up for the same; and, as I gather from the article, seemed to work very well with loads producing muzzle velocities of just under 1,100 fps using 240 grain bullets, although he tested both more powerful and milder loads. 
  • "The Rimfire Report: The FRW Taquito 22 - The Silent Sizzle of 22LR"--The Firearm Blog.  A review of a $300 suppressor for the .22 LR. Unlike some of its wholly aluminum competitors, it uses some steel parts to make maintenance easier. 

Paul Fletcher recommends cleaning the aluminum components with some soapy water and an old toothbrush and avoiding any harsh chemicals. The 17-4 stainless blast baffle is okay to put into a suppressor cleaning solution or ultrasonic cleaner if you wish. The blast baffle and tube by far are the easiest pieces to clean, with the first K baffle and end cap being the most difficult due to those two pieces getting blasted with the most debris. 

  • "Weapon Lights for SHTF Survival Rifle Setups"--Ammo Land.  This article begins with a discussion of candela versus lumens, recommendations as to battery options, mounting and activation options, and options for IR (if you have night vision equipment). He then gives a quick comparison between 4 different models he has tested. 
  • "Is the Cyelee CAT0 Worth $150?"--The Truth About Guns. A review of a low-cost red dot pistol sight. For the price, its a bare-bones optic, but the review appeared to otherwise be mostly positive. For what its worth, it offers shake-awake technology but seems to otherwise offer only manual settings to adjust the dot brightness. 
  • "Armasight Sidekick 640 Mini Thermal Monocular: Power In the Palm Of Your Hand"--Recoil (warning: sounds starts automatically).  This is a $3,000 monocular intended for short and medium distances. The author notes: "In almost every way, the Armasight Sidekick 640 is a smaller, lighter, closer range version of the new Warden 640 monocular. But one major benefit of the Sidekick is the ability to mount it on headsets or helmets for hands-free use."
  • "FISHING 101: Worms & Bobbers"--Athlon Outdoors. A review of the type of bobbers and how to use them. The author also discusses setting an earthworm as bait. 
  • "Can speed beat drones on the battlefield?"--Bayou Renaissance Man. Like it or not, drones are going to have to be taken into consideration in a post-SHTF environment. I don't know if that means having to combat drones carrying munitions, but at least for surveillance and counter-surveillance. In any event, Peter Grant examines reports from the Russian-Ukraine War about a new tactic being used by the Russians: putting their men on motorcycles in the hopes that speed offered by the bikes will prove a defense against drones. It appears to have some success, with Grant quoting from an article: "Motorbikes can travel roughly 45mph across harsh terrain, while small first-person-view drones move at more than double that speed. But the drones have to get from their base to the battlefield, by which time the riders have enough time to reach the [Ukrainian] trenches." 
  • "A Beginner’s Guide to Bushcraft"--Outdoor Life (via Get Pocket). Moving beyond just surviving in the wilderness to actually being able to subsist in the wilderness. The author notes that the basic bushcraft skills include:
  •     Finding and purifying water
  •     Fire-making
  •     Foraging
  •     Hunting with primitive weapons
  •     Trapping with hand-made snares
  •     Knot-tying
  •     Navigating
  •     Shelter-building
  •     Using and making hand tools 
Although the specifics will need to be adapted to your specific environment. 
 
“In an area where you don’t have 365 days of sunshine, shelter and fires can be really important,” Knoke says. “In the Southern states, it’s [all about] getting water.” 
 
It discusses a few points in greater detail and includes links to a couple videos on specific skills. 

Monday, June 23, 2025

Not only No, but Hell, No.

Elitists doing what elitists do: "With border now secure, US needs to boost legal immigration to strengthen economy, workforce, study finds" reports the New York Post. A group calling itself "Unleash Prosperity" must be concerned that the increased deportations of illegals, and others not showing up to work for fear of ICE raids, are behind a recent but rather negligible increase in wages for blue collar workers, because the group has released a "study" that "recommends increasing the overall quota for annual immigration entries and expanding visas for high-tech foreign workers via the H-1B visa program" and "calls for expanding visas that allow companies to hire foreigners for seasonal work."

“Due to profound demographic changes in the United States, expanding visas for programs ranging from high-tech H-1B workers, to seasonal H-2B workers, to EB-5 investor immigrants, combined with an increase in the overall quota for annual immigrant entries will benefit the U.S. economy,” the study insisted. 

But benefit the economy for whom?  The average American worker or the ones incapable of mowing their lawns and cleaning their bathrooms without cheap, foreign labor? And why, when tech companies are laying off thousands of American tech workers, would we need to import more H-1B workers?  It's simple supply and demand at work, the purpose being to keep wages depressed by increasing the supply of labor. And, should you read the article, note that the most of the reasons they use for justifying the increase in immigrants are the direct result of increased immigration in past decades (including higher living costs and stagnant wages keeping couples from having children). 

    As a counterpoint, I would point out that the tightening of the labor supply that accompanied the Black Plague in the 14th Century not only saw the largest relative increase in freedom and wealth for lower classes that has probably been seen in the last two millennia, but ushered in the flowering of art and science that we call the Renaissance. 

Par for the Course

From the New York Post: "Anti-ICE activists help migrant child rapist escape arrest in Colorado: officials." Leftists doing what leftists do best: shield those that victimize children. 

Watson: "The Truth About The US Attacking Iran"

Whether you agree or disagree with Paul Joseph Watson's take on why Pres. Trump attacked Iran and whether it was necessary, he is correct about the fallout: our past endeavors at regime change in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, etc., has resulted in waves of immigrants (and the accompanying criminals and terrorists) flooding into Western countries and acting as destabilizing forces, and there is no reason to think it will be any different this time. Rather, given the population of Iran and the fact that it was, itself, home to millions of refugees from neighboring countries, the wave of refugees could be even worse.

VIDEO: "The Truth About The US Attacking Iran"
Paul Joseph Watson (10 min.)

Moreover, its not even apparent that the attacks were effective in stopping Iran's goal of developing atomic weapons, with the New York Post reporting that "Satellite images show trucks lined up at Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility before US airstrikes," amid speculation that the enriched uranium had been moved out of the facility prior to the bombing. But if both recent and decades old intelligence is correct, the uranium had only been enriched to 60% which is insufficient to create an atomic bomb--it would need to be further enriched to 90%. However, an op-ed at the New York Post indicates that Iran had a stockpile of 400-kg of weapons grade uranium, but its whereabouts is unknown. That op-ed continues:

    In addition, an even more deeply buried enrichment site than Fordow, known as Pickaxe Mountain, is now under construction at Natanz.

    It’s not clear how much damage that facility — said to be immune from the MOPs dropped on Fordow — sustained in Saturday’s strikes. If it survived, Pickaxe Mountain could allow Iran to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program. 

The authors also acknowledge the danger of terrorist attacks. 

    The immediate impact will be to the economy which was still in the process of trying to recover post-Covid and post-Biden. CNN reports that "Oil futures surge following US strikes in Iran," and forcing up gasoline prices. Of course, higher energy prices could translate into higher prices across the board. And note that these increases are based on the threat of war--no efforts have yet been made to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil production travels: "Some experts have said that if Iran were to cut off access to the Strait, it could spike oil prices by 30 to 50 percent immediately, with gas prices likewise rising."

Friday, June 20, 2025

VIDEO: "There's A Spy Plane Circling My Neighborhood"

The host of this video spots some sort of surveillance aircraft circling near his neighborhood and discusses some the the tell-tale signs, as well as noting information that has come out about these aircraft (at least those operated by the FBI). They are not just taking video, but hoovering up cell phone communications. 

 VIDEO: "There's A Spy Plane Circling My Neighborhood"
saveitforparts (7 min.)

The Pieces For An American Attack On Iran Continue To Move Into Place

    After an Iranian missile attack on  the Israeli army’s Command and Intelligence headquarters, known as IDF C4I, along with a military intelligence facility located in the Gav-Yam Technology Park went awry and struck the adjacent Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba, things seem to be heating up even more, if that is possible. The National Pulse reports: "Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz likened Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to Adolf Hitler following a missile strike on Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva, suggesting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will now move to 'eliminate' the Grand Ayatollah." The article adds:

Iranian missiles also hit areas in Tel Aviv and Holon, resulting in several injuries. However, the targeting of the hospital, a facility serving both Jews and Arabs, was described as a “red line” by Israel’s Health Minister Uriel Busso, who emphasized the importance of preparation in preventing casualties. 

    Zero Hedge reports that President Trump has already approved plans for a strike on Iran (although he is still giving time for Iran to enter into negotiations). Nevertheless, as the article relates, "[t]he USS Ford Carrier Strike Group is expected to be deployed to Europe next week, near the Middle East, putting a third aircraft carrier in close proximity to the conflict between Israel and Iran, a US official and two other people familiar with the matter said." 

A Reminder Why We Need To Expel The Illegals

In her article, "Going Soft On Illegal Labor Is A Betrayal Of American Workers Like My Family," Lyndsey Fifield noted recently in a post on X that her "parents' landscaping business was perpetually blown out of the water by local competition who exploited cheap, illegal labor while my parents hired and trained high schoolers (and ex-cons)." She received a lot of responses of people relating similar stories, adding:

It might not be a landscaping company. Maybe for you it was a dad in carpentry or an aunt with a cleaning business or the beach town job you expected your teenager to get this summer that no longer exists. Whatever the business is, it seems thousands of Americans have similar stories to share.

Discussing her parents business in more detail and how it was constantly undercut on prices by competitor that relied on cheap labor provided by illegal aliens, Fifield continues:

    Future generations will study the reverence liberals have for the heroic migrants from Central and South America who bravely came to pick our fruit and hang our dry wall while simultaneously sneering with contempt at the poor rednecks who do the same work. 

    While we’re on that, let’s settle the nonsense narrative that Americans “won’t do this work.” Americans did this work for generations, and though they’re barely hanging on, many are still doing it now. We must encourage young Americans to see the value and personal benefit of doing these types of jobs again. Deporting our illegal workforce is an important part of making that happen, but since that alone won’t end the stigma people have against manual labor, maybe common sense will. 

    And it is a myth that Americans won't do the work. In Stephen Kruiser's morning briefing from a couple days ago, he notes that "[t]he only semblance of an argument that the Democrats have ever had about illegal immigration is that the illegals are here doing the jobs that Americans won't do. Because of the historical lack of will to undertake the task of mass deportations, it was an argument that was difficult to disprove." But with the ICE raid on Glenn Valley Foods which decimated their workforce, we have the counter-evidence. Kruiser observes that within a few days, the facility was up and running again with new workers. And Kruiser throws out this last bit: "There is no compassion for the plight of the poor migrants (as they refer to illegal immigrants), only panic about losing a labor pool that they like to keep poor and available. I'm not saying that they're modern-day slaveholders by any means. I am comfortable, however, with saying that they're somewhat plantation adjacent."

     Arthur Sido touched on this "plantation adjacent" and "sneering with contempt" attitude of the elites in his recent discussion of why California's decline is the model for the elites, commenting:

What Senator Padilla won’t tell you is that a nation full of low IQ poor black and brown people ruled by a small elite oligarchy is the entire plan. If you are rich and part of the proper class, life will be good in the new “America”. If you are not? Well life is going to suck. Your lot will be barely above subsistence, never owning your home, barely able to afford food, filling your days with meaningless work or perhaps not even that, and the rest of the time will be consumed with streaming entertainment, video games and drugs. 

The fastest way to break the "wealth pump" that makes this future likely is to reverse the flow of immigration. 

Highly Trained Does Not Equal Safe

A sad story out of Utah. Joseph Lee--who "told cops he served in the United States Army as a Green Beret, with police later confirming that he had 'extensive training in the operation and safe handling of firearms'"--shot and killed his 18-year old stepson, Haven Alexander McBride, while allegedly showing his daughter how to handle a pistol. 

    Lee reportedly told police he was showing his daughter two different guns, one that was loaded and one that was not, calling the unloaded weapon a 'dummy gun.'

    He told police he accidentally picked up the loaded Glock 9mm and pulled the trigger. When the bullet left the barrel, the weapon was pointed at McBride, who was sitting opposite Lee, he said. 

McBride was shot in the head. After reviewing home surveillance video showing that Lee held off administering CPR for several minutes, police decided to charge Lee with manslaughter. 

Tech Layoffs

A lot of recent news of layoffs with tech companies. Intel's vice president of manufacturing, Naga Chandrasekaran, sent a memo to employees stating that the company planned on slashing its workforce by 15 to 20% (which would be about 16,000 to 22,000 jobs), although it was not clear whether those cuts would be at U.S. based factories. This comes on the heels of Microsoft announcing further layoffs (in addition to the 6,000 in May) and Amazon that it would be reducing the size of its work forces. Although the article didn't state what type of jobs were being eliminated, it did indicate that investments in AI and automation were behind it. Microsoft's layoffs are also being driven in part by AI, but also by an effort to use third-party firms to handle more sales of software to small and mid-size customers. 

    The article about Amazon also mentioned:

    Earlier this month Procter & Gamble, which makes diapers, laundry detergent, and other household items, announced it would cut 7,000 jobs, or about 15 percent of non-manufacturing roles. 

    As well as cutting jobs, P&G said it will divest a number of its businesses and restructure the organization, chief financial officer Andre Schulten said at a conference earlier this month.

    Part of this reorganization will involve more automation and digitization, as well as cutting down management teams, he said. 

Thursday, June 19, 2025

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Wit Or Wisdom

Rolling Stone Magazine is wailing and gnashing its figurative teeth over Texas decriminalizing the ownership of short-barreled rifles and shotguns. Thus, the author craps out such nonsense as this:

Access to such weapons is typically restricted because shortened rifles and shotguns remain incredibly lethal, but are more concealable. Sawed-off shotguns, in particular, create a wide spray pattern, allowing a single shot to potentially maim or kill a crowd of victims.  

Someone has been watching too many bad action movies. 

DNC On The Ropes

 The New York Post reports that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is "so cash-strapped that its officials have discussed borrowing money just to keep the lights on, with one source spilling to The Post that if things don’t turn around before the 2026 midterms the party is 'f–ked.'" The article mentions big donors that have defected, Democrats not willing to donate over disgust with the party's lack of direction and leaders inside the DNC that are leaving or thinking of leaving. It's tempting and whimsical to think that the sudden lack of cash is due to USAID funding being cut--and maybe it played a role--but I have to think that the two biggest factors are: (i) the Democrat politicians are no longer in a position to funnel money to the wealthy donors or make laws that favor them, and the big donors don't see this changing soon; and (ii) they've alienated Jewish donors by their support of Hamas. Whatever their differences, most Jews are united by the one thought of "never again" but the Democrats have made "again" a real possibility. 

California's Slide Into The Third World

 There is a saying that goes something like: "import the third world, become the third world." And California has imported a lot of the third-world. Thus, it is no surprise to see headlines like this: "Copper Thieves Cause Widespread Internet Power Outage in Southern California."

Harrell: Test of CCI Shot Shell Rounds

Paul Harrell's brother has continued the YouTube channel after Paul's death. In this recent episode, he tests various CCI Shot Shell rounds. If you are not familiar with these rounds, they are offered in several popular pistol calibers, but rather than using a bullet, there is a quantity of very light birdshot (#9 and #12 in this test) under a blue plastic cap. The idea is that it allows you to use a handgun (or perhaps carbine) for pest control in or around a house, garden/yard, or outbuildings without concern that the shot could go very far or cause much collateral damage. Some people carry them when camping or hiking for dealing with snakes. 

    But to what distance would they be effective on, say, a rat or snake? In this video, the host tests CCI Shot Shells in .22 LR, .38 Special, and 9mm calibers at distances of 3, 5 and 7 yards against both paper targets and a meat target appropriate to small critters. It also serves as a bit of a function test as the .22 LR and 9mm rounds were shot using semi-automatic pistols. If you don't want to watch the video, the short answer is that the effective range appears to be 3 yards or less (beyond which the pattern density is too low to ensure a good hit), and the rounds do not produce enough force to cycle a semi-auto pistol. It should go without saying that these are not intended and should not be used as self-defense rounds.

VIDEO: "CCI minni mag shot shell"
Paul Harrell (14 min.)

Bombs & Bants Episode 155 (Streamed 6/18/2025)

For one reason and another, it has been awhile since our last podcast, but here is a new one:

 VIDEO: Bombs & Bants #155 (40 min.)

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

New Defensive Pistolcraft Newsletter

Jon Low has published another newsletter for his Defensive Pistolcraft blog. Lots of great stuff, as always, but I liked these words of wisdom that he offers:

     You cannot predict the actions of the bad guy, because he doesn't think the way you think.  He is not civilized.  He is not socialized.  He probably has never had a father figure in his life.  He is probably intoxicated with drugs and alcohol (including nicotine, never let anyone tell you that nicotine is harmless, look up the word nicotine in the dictionary and read it carefully).  

     If you've never been addicted, you don't understand addiction.  The addict initially chooses to take the drugs, an act of volition.  He is chasing a euphoric feeling.  That feeling gets harder and harder to achieve with time, as his body builds up a tolerance to the drugs.  Eventually, he can no longer achieve the euphoric state.  But, by then he is addicted and must continue to use the drug to avoid the sickness that comes with withdrawal from the drug.  The pain of withdrawal will drive him to steal to get the money to buy his drugs.  And he will lie to himself, telling himself that he is okay.  And in his mind everything is okay, until it obviously isn't.  But hitting rock bottom is different for every addict, and many never do.  They die long before hitting rock bottom and realizing that they need help.  So, they never ask for help.  But, they do hurt a lot of people on the way.  Don't be one of those who gets hurt.  There is no nobility in that.  

     All humans are creations of God.  But, not all humans are children of God.  Humans have free will.  They can choose to turn away from God, as many do.  Your duty is to recognize them and avoid them, so they don't hurt you and your loved ones.  If you don't take the training to recognize them, you will end up defending yourself and your loved ones against the criminal predators.  If you don't take the training and practice, you're going to have a real hard time in the fight.  But, that is your choice, as everything in life is.  

 Most of being successful in self-defense is simply avoiding a conflict. Good lifestyle choices can do wonders for keeping you safe: if you don't go to bars and nightclubs and don't use illegal drugs, you generally will--unsurprisingly--not finding yourself going to stupid places at stupid times and doing stupid things with stupid people. But life doesn't always turn out that way. A trip to a different city, a vehicle breaking down, a late night run for some item from a grocery or convenience store might put you in a bad place. Or trouble might come looking for you in the form of a burglar or group pulling off home invasions, or the neighbor getting drunk or high or going off his psychiatric medications. 

    Jon links to a series of articles (and a couple videos) from CCW Safe on the civilian use of force and, more particularly, offering a civilian "use of force continuum." I've seen use of force continuum guidelines developed for law enforcement, but, frankly, the options of escalating force aren't open to civilians and the continuum often envisions an officer apprehending a suspect. In other words, it is not really appropriate for the civilian. The CCW Safe civilian version is less a "use of force" continuum but the steps you should go through before resorting to deadly force: avoidance, situational awareness, threat assessment, seeking assistance, action, and then deadly force. The individual articles are pretty short, so it shouldn't take long to read through the series. 

    Finally, another good point: in response to someone wanting to practice for a long time (a year) before getting training, the Mike Seeklander responded "No," "the sooner you can take a class, the less likely you will be to ingrain bad habits that are VERY difficult to fix later." Notice that this isn't saying not to practice, but, rather, that practice is not training but to ingrain something you learn from training and keep those skills from degrading. 

One Step Closer To Repeal Of NFA Tax On Suppressors, SBRs

 From The Firearm Blog:

 As of Monday, June 16, 2025, the Gun Owners of America (GOA) announced via a post on X that the Senate Finance Committee has modified the One Big Beautiful Bill to fully repeal the excise taxes imposed by the National Firearms Act (NFA) on several categories of firearms and accessories. These include suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and any other weapons defined under the NFA. ...

However, the article warns that the language in the bill does not clearly remove the application and registration requirements.  

Evolution in Action: Marijuana Users At Much Higher Risk of Death from Cardiovascular Conditions

The Daily Mail reports:

    University of California researchers reviewed 24 studies involving 200million people to investigate the relationship between weed and cardiovascular disease, stroke and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) - a group of heart conditions in which there is reduced or blocked blood flow to the heart, such as a heart attack. 

    They found there was a 29 percent higher risk of ACS, a 20 percent higher risk for stroke and double the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, which includes coronary artery disease, heart failure and irregular heartbeats. 

Cruz Calls Tucker "Crazy" For Not Wanting Another Mid-East War

The Daily Mail has a couple articles this morning about a contentious interview between Sen. Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson (see here and here). 

    The main point of contention seems to have been the amount and type of support that the U.S. was giving Israel in its bombings of Iran, and whether the conflict could result in a wider war. Interestingly, as both articles note, Cruz seemed admitted that while Israel is carrying out the actual bombing, we are supporting Israel (although, to be fair, there is no mention on how we are supporting them--certainly, for instance, we have been supplying them with weapons and assisting in shooting down Iranian missiles; and I suspect that we have provided tankers to assist in refueling Israeli aircraft). The first article continues:

    Cruz reacted to the early release of the interview clip on Wednesday morning on his own podcast.

    'I will say, on foreign policy, Tucker has gone bat crap crazy. He's gone off the rails. He is suddenly a hardcore isolationist,' Cruz said. 

I would like to know when opposition to the U.S. getting involved in yet another Middle-Eastern war became "crazy". By that metric, George Washington was also "bat crap crazy" when he warned the country to avoid foreign entanglements. In fact, most of our political and military leaders before President Wilson must have been "bat crap crazy".  

     It certainly not crazy to think that at some point the U.S. gets pulled more directly into the conflict. Another article from the Daily Mail--"The only way Israel can possibly take out Iran's most heavily fortified Fordow nuclear enrichment facility - with Trump's help"--indicates that Israel does not have the bunker buster weapons and capability to take out Iran's deeply fortified sites like the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or the underground nuclear facilities at Isfahan. Moreover, Dr Andreas Krieg, an expert in Middle East security and senior lecturer at King's College London's School of Security Studies, warns that "continued attacks by Israel may have the opposite of their intended effect."

    Going after Iran's nuclear programme could 'reinforce Tehran's belief that a nuclear deterrent is not only justified but essential for regime survival'. 

    'Rather than halting Iran's nuclear trajectory, the strikes may serve as a powerful vindication of the logic that drives Iran's long-term nuclear ambition - deterrence through capability,' he said. 
 

The implication is that even if Iran didn't want nuclear weapons before, they will certainly want them now. And, if Trump's policy that Iran not have a nuclear weapon is to see its fruition, the U.S. will have to become more involved in not just the destruction of the remaining underground nuclear facilities, but perhaps regime change. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The FBI Covered Up China's 2020 Plan To Help Elect Biden

From PJ Media: "The FBI Was Ordered to Destroy Evidence of China’s 2020 Election Plot to Help Biden." From the article:

    As PJ Media previously reported, on Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel handed Congress an intelligence report exposing a Chinese plot to interfere in the 2020 election. The report details how Chinese operatives mass-produced fake U.S. driver’s licenses to flood the system with fraudulent mail-in ballots, which helped Joe Biden in the process. ... 

More specifically, the plan was "[t]o enable tens of thousands of ineligible Chinese nationals — particularly students and immigrants sympathetic to the Chinese Communist Party — to vote for Biden using mail-in ballots."

     ... However, the intel wasn’t investigated, corroborated, or acted on. In fact, it was quietly pulled from intelligence agencies even as then-FBI Director Chris Wray told Congress there were “no known plots” of foreign interference. 

 * * *

    The report was sent out on Aug. 24, 2020, but was abruptly recalled by the FBI with a vague excuse about needing to “re-interview” the source. But it didn’t stop there. The bureau didn’t just recall the report; it ordered its destruction.

    According to the recall notice, intelligence agencies weren’t just asked to disregard the report — they were ordered to “destroy all copies” and “remove the original report from all computer holdings.” This wasn’t routine bureaucratic cleanup. It was a deliberate effort to wipe damning evidence from existence. The FBI didn’t just bury credible intelligence about Chinese election interference; it tried to scrub it from history. ...

Trump Reverses Course--Resumes ICE Raids on Farms, Hotels

The New York Post reports that "ICE resumes raids on farms, hotels and restaurants after briefly telling agents to avoid them." The article states: "Homeland Security officials instructed agency leadership in a call Monday to resume raids at those businesses — which have higher proportions of illegal migrants in their workforce — following the days-long pause, according to the Washington Post and CNN." 

  • Related: "Illegals Out, Wages Up: The Quiet Labor Shift Behind Trump’s Self-Deportation Plan"--Town Hall. According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment-population ratio declined by 0.3 percentage point to 59.7 percent in May. Per the article, "In other words, more people disappeared from the labor force altogether. This drop raises an important question: where did those workers go? The Washington Post asserted it was illegal immigrants taking advantage of the Trump administration's self-deportation program." Average hourly wages concurrently rose by 0.4 percent during May, to $36.24 in May, which the Washington Post also attributed to there being fewer illegal aliens in the workforce. 
Of course, if all the liberals and socialists that whine about illegals actually cared about poor people, they would be celebrating such an easy way to improve the lives of working class Americans. But they don't. Which reveals a lot about their personalities as well as their belief system. 

Using Cars Against Protestors

I've seen a few stories concerning a driver who, when hemmed in by protestors in LA this past weekend, drove over a woman standing directly in front of the vehicle. While there are probably a great number of people who think the woman deserved what she got (see, e.g., this Not-The-Bee article, "This mob of protesters tried to win a wrestling match with a Kia Forte") that is not necessarily the way criminal justice system may see the situation--particularly in liberal jurisdictions. You are probably going to get in trouble with the law. For instance, in the particular instance in L.A., the police are not looking at it as self-defense; rather, because "the involved driver ... fled the scene, failing to stop, identify themselves and render aid," the police are investigating the matter as a hit-and-run. The article mentions that "[a] similar hit-and-run occurred Saturday evening at a 'No Kings' demonstration in Riverside, according to the Riverside Police Department." That driver is also being sought by police. 

    In another incident,  USA Today reports that "[a]uthorities in Virginia arrested a 21-year-old man they said intentionally drove an SUV through the crowd at the town's 'No Kings' day event."

    Culpeper police officers arrested Joseph R. Checklick Jr., of Culpeper, on June 14, at the conclusion of the demonstration. Participants were leaving the area and crossing through a business's parking lot when an SUV drove "recklessly through the crowd of pedestrians," the department said in a news release.

    Culpeper Police charged Checklick with reckless driving, according to the release. He appeared before a magistrate and was ordered to be held without bond at the Culpeper County Jail. 

 The article indicates that Checklick had struck one of the protestors. 

Monday, June 16, 2025

FBI Warns of DMV Fine Scam

The New York Post reports "FBI issues urgent warning to 150M iPhone users: Delete this text as soon as you get it." The article relates:

    Here’s how the scammers trap unsuspecting iPhone users in their web — by posing as the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of different states.

    The messages look like they could be legit, telling people that if they don’t pay an unpaid toll or fine, they might be subjected to having their driving privileges revoked or possible jail time.

    The text includes a link and instructs people to reply to the message then open the link.

    But officials warn that all of this is just someone trying to steal your personal data — and urged users not to click the link and rather immediately delete the text.

    These kinds of texts can “put malware on your phone, which then can go in and steal information from your device, or collect your payment information,” FBI Tennessee’s Supervisory Special Agent David Palmer said in a statement.  

Judge Orders Continued Funding Of Eugenics In Contravention Of Federal Law

CBS News reports that U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani has ordered Heath & Human Services (HHS) to continue funding Planned Parenthood...