Ace: aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com
joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com
J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info: maildrop62 at proton dot me
Saturday Night Club ONT - February 28, 2026 [2 D's]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. We've spiffied the place up a bit tonight. Hope you notice. The carpets have been cleaned. Starlight mints are now available at the bar. Fresh cakes in the urinals. Lavender and vanilla scented plug-ins in the ladies room. Coat check area has been sprayed with that stuff they use for bowling shoe rentals. Come on in!
This is an open thread, so report, speculate, and pontificate as desired. Current events continue to develop. Just don't be a jerk or a troll. Club ONT security will remove offenders.
[Top photo: Cataract Falls, Tennessee (ten minutes from Gatlinburg)]
An old man is walking along a river with a bucket of fish, when a game warden stops him and asks, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?"
The old man says, "No sir, I don't. These are my pet fish."
"Pet fish?!" the warden replies, skeptical. "How is that?"
The man explains, "Well, these are my pet fish. I take them down to the water and let them swim for about half an hour. Then I whistle, they jump back into my bucket, and we go home."
The game warden, not believing a word, says, "That's a bunch of nonsense. Fish can't do that. I'm going to ticket you."
The old man says, "Fine, I'll show you." He dumps the fish into the river and waits.
Five minutes go by, and the warden says, "Well, are you going to call them back?"
The old man looks at the warden and asks, "Call who back?"
"The fish!" the warden yells.
The old man asks, "What fish?"
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A police officer pulls a guy over for speeding and has the following exchange...
Officer: "May I see your driver's license?"
Driver: "I don't have one. It was revoked when I got my 5th DWI."
Officer: "May I see the registration for this vehicle?"
Driver: "It's not my car. I stole it."
Officer: "The car is stolen?!"
Driver: "That's right. But come to think of it, I think I saw the registration in the glove box when I was putting my gun in there."
Officer: "There's a gun in the glove box?"
Driver: "Yes sir. That's where I put it after I shot and killed the woman who owns this car and stuffed her in the trunk."
Officer: "There's a BODY in the TRUNK?!?!?!"
Driver: "Yes, sir."
Hearing this, the officer immediately called his Captain. The car was quickly surrounded by police, and the Captain approached the driver to handle the tense situation:
Captain: "Sir, can I see your license?"
Driver: "Sure. Here it is." It was valid.
Captain: "Whose car is this?"
Driver: "It's mine, officer. Here's the registration." The driver owned the car.
Captain: "Could you slowly open your glove box so I can see if there's a gun in it?"
Driver: "Yes, sir, but there's no gun in it." Sure enough, there was nothing in the glove box.
Captain: "Would you mind opening your trunk? I was told you said there's a body in it."
Driver: "No problem." Trunk is opened. No body.
Captain: "I don't understand it. The officer who stopped you said you told him you didn't have a license, stole the car, had a gun in the glovebox, and that there was a dead body in the trunk."
Driver: "Yeah, I'll bet the lying son of a bitch told you I was speeding, too!"
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Open that Bottle Night
In lieu of the drink of the night, Club ONT joins with oenophiles around the world in celebration of Open that Bottle Night. The last Saturday of each February has been so designated every year since 1999. It was begun by the then-Wall Street Journal Wine Columnists John Brecher and Dorothy Gaiter. It is a call to open that special bottle with friends and share the experience, instead of letting it continue to sit in the cellar.
What are you saving for a special occasion (and why are you waiting)?
Has anyone given you a special bottle that comes with a great story?
Do you have an agreement among a group to share a special bottle upon a milestone?
Club ONT patrons are not limited to wine. Any other spirit or beverage qualifies.
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Too soon?
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Club ONT Official Records of State
Random trivia: Did you know what 32 states have an official beverage? The first was Ohio in 1965 that went with tomato juice. 20 of the 32 states with official beverages have designated milk as their official beverage.
You may be asking: "what about DC?" In 2011, the District of Colombia designated a drink called "Rickey" as its official beverage. What is "Rickey?" Per Wikipedia:
The rickey is a highball made from gin or bourbon, lime juice, and carbonated water. Little or no sugar is added to the rickey. It was created with bourbon in Washington, D.C., at Shoomaker's bar by bartender George A. Williamson in the 1880s, purportedly in collaboration with Democratic lobbyist Colonel Joe Rickey. Its popularity increased when made with gin a decade later.
Shocking that a drink in DC is named after a Democratic lobbyist.
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Club ONT Department of Astronomy
Did you watch the planetary parade this evening?
The best time is/was about 30 minutes after local sunset.
Look from low in the west (Mercury/Venus/Saturn) to high in the east (Jupiter). Visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter visible to the naked eye. Binoculars or a telescope are needed to see Uranus and Neptune.
It remains to be seen whether the alignment signals the imminent appearance of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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Club ONT Department of Modern Combat Entertainment
Who says Club ONT doesn't provide great entertainment?
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The Club ONT Jukebox
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Top 10ish Comments of the Week
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Club ONT brought to you by:
Young members of the cartel
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Tonight's food offerings are proudly presented by our friends at Jimmy's Seafood. Should anything not be to your liking - well, you know what you can do!
Saturday Evening Movie Post [moviegique]: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die
—Open Blogger
Shockingly, I think I've only seen one other movie this 21-day-stretch, the 1945 classic "Brief Encounter," which is semi-relevant. But rather than talk about that masterpiece, I thought I'd give you a review of a new movie that doesn't suck--an increasingly rare breed.
-- I was talking to a friend (who's been on a David Lean kick) about this movie, and she sighed and said "I hate...today."
This isn't so much a reflection on the quality of Gore Verbinski's latest joint Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die so much as its character, and more the character of our times. She had watched Brief Encounter, which is intensely human, personal and moral, and it's a big, jarring jump to a black comedy about the death of humanity, school shootings, and the rise of "fake reality".
I like Verbinski. Early in his career, it seemed to me that he made a lot out of some thin material: Mousehunt is basically a cartoon about two guys versus a mouse, and is far more entertaining than it should be; The Ring I liked better than the Japanese original; and of course Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the BlackPearl—based on the smash hit amusement park ride?—was a remarkable achievement blending old Hollywood swashbuckler tropes with CGI technology.
It's probably his best film and very possibly his ruination, as the first two sequels dominated his output in the '00s with predictably deteriorating returns artistically (if not financially). He had a hit with his quirky CGI Rango—which grossed a little bit less than his flop, The Lone Ranger, showing how weird the movie biz can be sometimes.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die looks to be a flop, too, looking like it may not break $5M in its opening weekend.
As I sat there enjoying this film, I also couldn't believe that it had gotten made, as it's a dark comedy—extremely dark—and has not-at-all subtle message the world would prefer to ignore: Devices and social media are robbing us of our humanity. We are being manipulated by various forces into this, and we are also culpable in our own ultimate destruction.
It's a fun movie.
It's also, I hesitate to say, a thought-provoking one, and on a lot of levels.
Let's talk about the fun, first. I'm not going to reveal much about the plot because the first two-thirds of the film is tight, and the way the script by Matthew Robinson (The Invention Of Lying, Bird Box) turns various elements from gag/commentary into genuine plot points is very enjoyable. The characters' backstory is told in flashbacks, and the first one seems so over-the-top and so social-commentary, until you get to the second flashback, which really gives grounding to the first one.
I don't know, guys, it's like someone actually cared about the writing instead of just "Well, it looks cool." (It does look cool, though.)
The movie opens with Sam Rockwell materializing at Norms , a Los Angeles institution, terrorizing the patrons by looking and sounding like a maniac. He's from the future and trying to gather a team to—well, not stop the AI being created a mile or so away by a 9-year-old boy, but to deliver safety protocols invented by top scientists in the future.
Experts agree: The Apocalypse can be more rewarding when shared with friends or last minute acquaintances.
The opening shot is reminiscent of Strangers on a Train, which I mention because I just saw that picture again last month. We start with a long tracking shot done entirely at waist level, and zoom through the diner in such a way as to see all the dishes being served—and that everyone is on their phone. (I went to an In 'n' Out last week, and was somewhat startled to see twenty people in about four parties all staring at their phones. In fairness, half of these were guys at the end of their lunch break waiting for someone to come back from the bathroom, but it was still startling.)
Anyway, Sam Rockwell goosesteps over the tables, smashing everyone's food and phones, delivering the insane exposition which sets up a two-plus hour chase (with expository flashbacks) as Rockwell (whose character has no name) describes the various ways in which culture goes to hell, ever so gradually over the decades until things just fall apart.
A lot of uncomfortable truths here, but that's relatively mild.
His team includes of a couple of teachers with romantic issues (Zazie Beets, Joker and Michael Pena, End Of Watch), a possibly crazy mom (Juno Temple, Killer Joe), a legally-distinct-non-Disney party princess (Haley Lu Richardson) with a death wish, as well as a woman who just wanted pie and a man who goes along but isn't convinced by Rockwell's story.
Also starring some extras from "Toy Story" and the "Bad Robot" logo.
Oh, I just realized, this has two of my favorite tropes: taking place all in one night and taking place in a limited area of Los Angeles (see Miracle Mile, which this movie reminds me of greatly, down to starting in an iconic Los Angeles coffee shop).
Anyway, the team has many adventures, and we see Rockwell's character's backstory, which shows us a grim future where the world is a wasteland because everyone's much much "happier" in a virtual reality than the real world.
This is the through-theme, the punchline and the big idea, and it's pitched directly: I will create a perfect world for humanity, says AI, which is much better than the so-called real one, with all its suffering and loss.
Well, look, Hollywood's pretty much all-in on this rather Satanic notion so, yeah, I'm surprised the movie got made at all. And the general public is just champing at the bit to live in a virtual cage, so, no, I'm not surprised it's a flop. It's also not particularly politically correct. The two main female leads are basket cases. The story brutally mocks school shootings and the monetization of grief.
Rockwell runs around muttering, "Mindfuck. It's all mindfucks."
And...yeah. At one point early on I saw "The Cake Is A Lie" scrawled on the wall. This is a line from the video game "Portal". There's also an (out of focus) poster of "Portal" on a kid's bedroom wall.
Unfortunately, I don't know "Portal" much, but the Boy explained to me a little bit about the plot of "Portal" and "Portal 2" and...look, I've already forgotten how they relate, if at all, to the movie.
It's a message movie. The message? "We're doomed. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun!"
I wrote a story in the '80s which was sort of like The Matrix, except not cool, and the main premise was not that humanity had been enslaved by robots, but that humanity had opted for virtual reality to the point that real reality was entirely maintained by (perfectly well-mannered and solicitous) robots. I thought about it a lot watching this and thinking, "Yes, this does seems to be the more likely path than robot overlords." (I have not completely ruled out robot overlords, however.)
I only bring this up because, in the end, it was not clear to either of us what was real and what was not. There are a number of clues dropped in a number of places suggesting a number of things. The fact that this was a well-made film made these issues interesting to discuss (and the Boy and I did, extensively) rather than annoying. It's a movie you can go see and debate endlessly.
The music by Geoff Zanelli is on point. During a very Carpenter-esque sequence in a school, I wondered for a moment if they'd brought John Carpenter in to score it. The cinematography by James Whitaker similarly pleased me with the attention to detail and use of actual interesting camerawork instead of just relying on bombast and camera-clichés. People cared, and it shows all the way through.
I said to the Boy, "Hey, a Hollywood movie we liked. Probably the first since Mission Impossible 8." He responded with, "Hollywood made this?"
So that's where we are. And while we enjoyed it and enjoyed discussing it afterwards, I can still relate to the whole concept of "I hate...today."
POV: You're in an ensemble picture. I mean, you WERE in an ensemble picture.
Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) a spin and it landed on woodworking on a lathe.
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. I understand that some people pay attention to military hardware, tactics and strategy as a hobby. Discussion of current events permitted but must be made in the form of hobby commentary. Pants are optional. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.
Play nice and do not be rude. Do not be a troll and do not feed the trolls.
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The Grateful generously arranged for delivery of a new mini-lathe to our house to recognize a recent birthday. Hooray! Apparently I made a comment on a Hobby Thread at some point that expressed interest in a wood lathe. The idea is small scale tinkering (for now).
Anyway, by complete coincidence, the Hobby Thread is being repurposed for wisdom and recommendations relating to turning wood. Are you wise in the ways of the wood lathe? What do you make?
Suggestions for set-ups? Build or buy a bench to give it a stable base? Ideas to manage the resulting dust and debris?
Suggestions for other necessary tools, like calipers, gouges and clamps? (No need to suggest eyewear and sandpaper.)
Suggestions for types of wood to use for practice and for real?
Suggestions for beginner projects? Seems like candle holders and small bowls are the usual ideas.
Other advice, guidance or wisdom?
What is not intuitive, but important?
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Setting up your first woodworking lathe:
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Your first go on a wood lathe:
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Making snowmen:
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What tool should I use?
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Fun making spinning tops.
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This is not a mini-lathe, but features making wood bowls on a lathe. The name of the guy's channel - Jim Made it from Junk - earned it a place here.
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Simple, but clever:
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Making a Christmas ornament - inside out!
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an gold panning theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
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Notable comments from last week:
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Words of wisdom:
"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).
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If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.
This was our Plott Hound / Pitbull mix Wiley. My wife worked with a rescue to get him out of a kill shelter where he was scheduled for euthanasia in 2015. We were able to have him with us for 11 years, during which he was a wonderful companion who loved his family. He passed unexpectedly the night before writing this and is already greatly missed.
Best Regards,
MauserMedic
So sorry you have lost your wonderful Wiley, in whom you invested so much love. Thanks for letting us meet him. Keep in touch.
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My boy Koda on the beach in Carrabelle, Florida. A quarter moon on a clear night, taken with my iPhone. The cameras on these phones are getting better and better.
JMM (A loyal lurker)
A beautiful, calm photo with a wonderful dog! Just what we need today.
And to go with it, something a little off-topic that I forgot to add to the Gardening Thread. We love our pets in the rain, too:
Nazis, RINOs, Islamofascists, and Other Infiltrators Who Should Have Been Purged Long Ago Are Having a Bad Day
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡
@shanaka86
They did not bomb Iran. They waited for Iran's entire leadership to sit down in the same room and then they bombed Iran.
Months of intelligence. Thousands of hours of surveillance and signal intercepts. One variable: the moment the Supreme Leader, the President, and senior military command gathered in a single location at the same time.
That moment was 8:15 this morning. Daylight. Every previous Israeli strike on Iran came at night. June 2025 launched in darkness. October 2024 after midnight. Iran's entire air defense doctrine is built around the assumption that Israel attacks in the dark. Israel attacked in broad daylight because the target was not infrastructure. The target was a meeting.
Reuters confirms strikes targeted Khamenei and Pezeshkian. CNN confirms months of joint US-Israeli planning. Israeli officials confirmed the strike hit the location where Iran's top officials were gathered. Whether Khamenei was moved before the strike or extracted after is the most consequential unknown on the planet right now. If before, someone inside Tehran's inner circle told Jerusalem when and where the meeting would happen. If after, the strikes hit the room and he survived. Both scenarios are catastrophic for the regime.
Because Iran's leadership now knows three things. Israel knew where they were meeting. Israel knew when they were meeting. Israel knew who would be in the room. And everything we watched over the past month, the F-22s at Ovda, the tankers at Ben Gurion, Al Udeid emptied to zero, 270 transport flights, all of it was the delivery architecture for one precision strike on one gathering.
Every future meeting of Iran's senior leadership now carries one question: does Israel know about this one too.
This is not a military operation. This is the destruction of institutional trust inside a regime. Every general who sits with Khamenei tomorrow will wonder who told Jerusalem about today. Every IRGC commander who receives a meeting summons will calculate whether attendance is duty or a death sentence. Every secure facility in Tehran has been proven insecure.
In June 2025 Israel killed 30 generals in the opening minutes. That was brute force across dispersed targets. This was a scalpel. One meeting. One moment. Months of patience.
Iran fired missiles at six countries in retaliation. Most intercepted. One civilian dead from debris in Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia responded by pledging all its capabilities against Iran. The Gulf coalition that did not exist yesterday exists today because Tehran built it by attacking everyone simultaneously.
Israel traded one morning of precision strikes for the permanent destruction of Iran's command cohesion.
That is not a battle. That is checkmate disguised as a first move. https://open.substack.com/pub/shanakaans
Marjorie Taylor Greene
@mtgreenee
I did not campaign for this.
I did not donate money for this.
I did not vote for this, in elections or Congress.
This is heartbreaking and tragic.
And how many more innocent will die?
What about our own military?
This is not what we thought MAGA was supposed to be.
Shame!
Thomas Massie
@RepThomasMassie
10h
Acts of war unauthorized by Congress.
The U.S. is attacking Iran according to AP.
The "ex-" degenerate who supposedly converted to Catholicism and gave up being a living pincushion is now singing prayers to Allah in Arabic:
He's also calling for terrorists to blow up federal buildings.
Can we stop pretending this methed-up degenerate Nazi is somehow "on our side"?
They did not bomb Iran. They waited for Iran’s entire leadership to sit down in the same room and then they bombed Iran.
Months of intelligence. Thousands of hours of surveillance and signal intercepts. One variable: the moment the Supreme Leader, the President, and senior… https://t.co/I5l7iUI2HUpic.twitter.com/RXZSsSb12l
The photo above, of a Lady Banks' Rose not too far from where we live, is a repeat. But I thought the flag was appropriate for today. And the flag is up over the rose bush again, too. This is a prime season for lovely flowering shrubs and small trees. This rose only blooms once a year, but it stays in bloom for several weeks, and it is worth changing your traveling route a little to see it if you have one in the neighborhood. We have several in our neighborhood. Not all this big.
It's not hard to find conflicting information about this rose on the interwebs. On the North Carolina State University page, the yellow cultivar is classified as "white". Well, it's buttery, but it's not white. Though most people can't detect a fragrance from the yellow rose. Most of the other information seems OK, and there's a wonky general video about roses, too.
Many sources say that the white cultivar is fragrant, like violets. I haven't ever been able to detect a fragrance. But this rose is recommended for Central Texas, too. I think the individual flowers on the white cultivar are more distinctive than the ones on the yellow cultivar, but people seem to grow the yellow one here and the white one in Southern California. Don't know why.
Some of the roses on the plant I photographed are bigger than a quarter - not "dime-sized". Here's a close-up, with some skinny rose hips.
Though early European plant explorers were known for their derring-do, I think it is true that this rose was found in a famous Chinese nursery. The wild form is single, on an even bigger plant.
The rose I photographed is hanging over a fence, with the actual plant and a protective dog on the other side. Wonder if one of these would look nice with AZ Deplorable Moron's cactus?
Or with 40 Miles North's freeway daisies?
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Edible Gardening/Putting Things By
Sock Monkey passes a message along from his daughter: Leftists are trying to cancel Baker Creek Seeds even though they are aligned with many leftist ideals (vegans, etc.)
My daughter sent this to me and asked me to pass it on. She is a talented gardener. I am not. She has used these folks for years with great success.
They put Bible verses in their seed catalogue this year, and did fundraising for a Christian charity in Ukraine. Because of that, there is a concerted effort on reddit and bluesky to get people not to buy from them.
What a bunch of bigoted dopes.
Baker Creek specializes in heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, including seeds sourced from third world countries. They have a lot of interesting plants - veggies, herbs and flowers. Check them out.
See the blossoms and immature seeds on the dill? Perfect for pickles.
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Lots of corn varieties for different uses
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Interesting advice
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Single zinnias would probably be even better for attracting pollinators (if that is your goal). They also have those at Baker Creek.
Reactions: All the Right Nazis and Islamic Apologists Is Losing Dey Shit
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Noah Pollak
@NoahPollak
1h
One of Trump's greatest legacies will be how he blew up a half-century of western diffidence, restraint, and failure on terrorism. As the era of Islamic terrorism began in the 1970s, western countries (very much including Israel) spun up all kinds of pseudo-sophisticated theories and excuses to avoid carrying out the only successful policy, which is killing terrorists -- as many as you can, whenever you can.
There are entire university departments, think tanks, media outlets, NGOs, foundations, and political parties devoted to promoting self-defeating, enervating fictions about terrorism designed to tie the hands of the West. We just have to live with it, deal with it, accommodate it, accept the barbarism. Terrorists have grievances. It's partly our fault, after all, because reasons. There are no military solutions. If we're nice to the terrorists they will actually help us stabilize the region. The tropes go on forever and they are invented by people who want the west to lose, and who would rather be wrong but appear sophisticated than be right and appear crude.
Trump wants our side to win. The winning approach to terrorism is very simple. Bomb them to smithereens. Kill them off. Decapitate the regimes. Sanction them until they have no more money for jihad. Trump gets it, because unlike so many people in politics, he doesn't care whether Harvard likes him.
Winning is going to generate a real peace dividend for America. Finally dealing with Iran -- the head of the snake -- will enable the US to step away from the Middle East. It will send a message to our adversaries that the big dog is still in charge. And very enjoyably, it will sweep aside decades of dumb elite groupthink about how we have no alternative but to cut deals with terrorists. Thank you President Trump.
Guy Benson
@guypbenson
1h
The emerging consensus among many elected Democrats is some version of:
'To be a clear, Iran's outlaw regime is deeply evil, exports terrorism around the world, pursues genocidal nuclear weapons, is drenched in American blood, and slaughters its own civilians en masse. But..."
@CAGovernor
Gavin Newsom:
"The corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons. The leadership of Iran must go. But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends without justification to the American people. President Trump is putting Americans at risk abroad because he is unpopular at home."
"As this unfolds, California stands with the Iranian-American community in our state, recognizing they have many friends and loved ones who have fought bravely to chart their own future to end decades of state violence and denial of basic rights."
Cavernous Nostrils weighs in:
Candace Owens
@RealCandaceO
51m
We will never forget that they MURDERED Charlie Kirk for this war and he knew they were going to do it.
His spent his final days mentally anguished, texting the very people who would ultimately betray him.
I love when this guy comes out, like he did after our Venezuela strike, to say the UK played no role. NO SHIT. You're a complete nobody on the world stage, WE KNOW. You don't have to keep telling us. https://t.co/FhOy8Dkp8V
It must be really disorienting to have truly believed you worked for a messianic president only for reality to completely erase his entire legacy, both domestic and abroad, in a decade or so. https://t.co/WxYkeZhLap
— James Lindsay, anti-Communist (@ConceptualJames) February 28, 2026
Iraq was attacked by the US during Ramadan and it sickening to know that the US is again going to attack Iran during Ramadan. The US apparently loves to strike Muslim countries during Ramadan and I am convinced it isn’t what these countries have done to violate international law…
The head of Iran's "Justice" Department, responsible for the mass killing of protesters
the Ayatollah's number two
The commander of the Revolutionary Guards
You know how Muslims always pretend to want to have "negotiations" while they prepare for their next sneak attack?
Well Trump just did that to them. He's been pretending he wants to talk as he's been moving US assets into strike position, trying to get them to stop murdering citizens while he prepared the death-strikes on the regime. Awesome.
President Trump’s speech recites almost word for word my exact statement on Piers Morgan, proving what most of us always knew.
This was always common sense to the American public, from left, to center, to right. It was only the fringe alliance of extremists on both ends that… pic.twitter.com/r7SAEf8o1m
The Classical Saturday Morning Coffee Break & Prayer Revival
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
[There is something dreadfully wrong when you can see the bottom of a coffee cup.]
*****
Good morning boys and girls and everything in between. Before we enter the Prayer Revival just a few housekeeping matters to take care of. (Rulz for those of you in Kip's Bay)
1) This is an open thread. Feel free to lurk, opine and/or bloviate.
2) Be exceptional, don't be Pretti Good.
3) Running with sharp objects will result in permanent record activity.
4) Have a great weekend!
Please submit any prayer requests to me, “Annie’s Stew” at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks unless we receive an update.
Prayer Requests:
12/20 – Morgan, longtime lurker, takes tango lessons from Sebastian, whose son, Matias, is recovering from brain surgery. The MRI was read on 12/19, and the surgeons did not remove the entire tumor. Even though the biopsy indicated the tumor was benign, the boy is probably facing several rounds of chemo. Please pray for the boy’s continued recovery in El Salvador.
1/10 Update – Matias will have surgery in 2 weeks to try and remove the rest of the tumor, and then he will receive radiation therapy.
2/7 Update – Matias came through the second surgery, and was waiting for another MRI before he can start radiation. He has lost weight due to constant vomiting and didn’t sleep for 4 days, but he is sleeping better now and is able to keep food down. He and his parents are really struggling, though.
1/6 – Diogenes requested prayers for his best friend since college, who was diagnosed with cancer. Within hours or hearing this, the friend’s son, a man that Diogenes has known since he was a baby, collapsed from what appears to be a brain tumor. The prognosis isn’t hopeful. Please pray for both of these fine men.
1/23 Update – Diogenes’ best friend’s son Sean had emergency brain surgery. The labs are back and it’s not good news. He has stage 4 brain cancer. They were scheduled to meet with an oncologist on 1/26 to determine the best pathway ahead for the time he has remaining. This is just crushing news. Thanks to all the Horde for their prayers and support for this fine young man.
2/11 Update – Sean has not started brain cancer treatments yet. There are still some issues to work out. But he had more bad news when his wife’s sister was hit by a truck on 2/10 and is in critical condition (broken back, severe concussion, bleeding on the brain). Diogenes asks for anyone in the Horde to speak up if they know of any support groups for people in Sean’s situation. Thanks in advance.
1/8 - Doof asked for prayers for his mother. She was hit hard by the flu. She couldn’t get out of bed the morning of 1/8 and was sent by ambulance to the hospital. She is alert and communicating but prayers are appreciated for her recovery. Prayers are also appreciated for Doof, as he absolutely despises hospitals.
2/18 Update – Mom was moved to a different facility on 2/12. She is still receiving post-hospital rehab, but this place also has long term care and assisted living options, so more robust care is available. She is happier there and is improving daily. She still has a long way to go, so continued prayers are much appreciated!
1/24 – Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd posted some updates and requests. In the blessings department: blood glucose has continued to fall, well within normal range. BP is good. The hole where his molar used to be is coming along nicely. The youngest has jaw surgery coming up in February. This is many years in the making and should correct her bite and ease the pain in her jaw and ears. She’s not looking forward to the liquid diet, but is looking forward to the pain relief. Prayers are always appreciated, and based on what they have been through, he knows they are efficacious.
2/7 Update – He does not have any pain related to his lost molar anymore. And his (adult) daughter’s jaw surgery is scheduled for 2/9. She will stay overnight at the hospital in Ann Arbor.
2/14 Update – His daughter’s jaw surgery seems to be fully successful, thanks be to God. She is recuperating rapidly, the swelling is sharply down, and she’s counting the days to getting off the liquid diet.
1/30 – Bulg could use prayers after a distressing medical incident. His heart was racing and he was too weak to even really walk. His doctor thinks it might be AFib; he is wearing a heart monitor to gather more information, and he needs to keep a diary of any other heart-related incidents. Prayers are much appreciated.
2/6 Update – Bulg had two prayers of thanks. The first was that he had a good phone conversation with his sister, from whom he had been estranged for 20 over years. The second was that he does not have AFib.
1/31 – George V asked for prayers for his wife. She needs a heart valve replacement but first needs a heart cath to assess the valve and determine the replacement procedure and perhaps put stents in the coronary arteries that may be partially blocked. Also, the preliminary CT scan of her heart showed spots on her lungs that may be cancerous.
2/21 Update – The prayers are working. Thanks be to God and everyone who prayed. The heart cath showed no blockages in her arteries. The heart valve procedure will be in about 4 weeks. The pulmonologist said the lung spots have a very low chance of being cancerous, but a second scan will tell for sure. So far good news, and thanks to all who prayed for her.
2/4 – BifBewalski posted that it has been a little over a year since he took Smash to the ER for abdominal problems. After a full year of insurance BS, specialists, and other doctors visits, she has been taken back for abdominal surgery today. Please offer a prayer for her successful procedure and a speedy recovery.
2/7 Update – BifBewalski brought Smash home from the overnight stay in the hospital. She is recovering well. The post-surgery fever broke and the pain is minimal. A full recovery is expected. Thank you for the prayers – it truly makes a difference!
2/7 – Frankie asked for prayers for her godmother, Linda, who has been in declining health and recently had to move to a care facility.
2/7 – Vmom deport deport deport requested prayers for her hubby, who has had the coughing crud since 2/2.
2/14 Update – Vmom also asks for prayers on behalf of her husband, as his employer is expected to file for Chapter 11. They are hoping for a decent severance.
2/11 – Bluebell sent an update from grammie winger: "I've finished my 6th round of chemo. Thursday (Feb. 12) I will meet with the surgeon who will decide if surgery is an option for me. If not, I'm not sure if there's a Plan B. Maybe more chemo? Ugh - it's already deteriorated my vision and hearing. Nasty stuff. But it's all in the Lord's hands. I don't know how people who don't have faith do it. I miss Ace but it's something I have to set aside for now. I love each and every one of you. Even the trolls. LOL"
2/11 – Joe Kidd sent an update related to his friend, Bill, who we prayed for in December. Bill’s former girlfriend had passed away, and Bill and the girlfriend’s family were devastated by the loss. Bill has sold the house he (and the girlfriend) had lived in, and sent half the proceeds to his former girlfriend’s family. Just recently, Bill took early retirement to care for his 90 year old mother. Joe Kidd sends thanks. If you know, you know.
2/13 – Whigwife posted that Whig made it through surgery and was resting comfortably.
2/14 – TCN in Alaska asked for advice. She is currently allowing her son, his girlfriend, and their infant to live in a condo she owns, and they are providing a terrible environment for the baby: pot-smoking, booze, no food, no formula. TCN in Alaska asked for advice about how to handle the situation. Prayers would help.
2/14 – L gave an update on her brother Ron. He has been in declining health for the last 6+ months, and has been transferred to a nice facility for hospice. They had been discussing this possibility for months. He would make improvements, then relapse, each time ending up more disabled. The best part is that he is at peace with the decision. He is aware enough to assist with the final plans and is enjoying parceling out his remaining possessions to family and friends. L’s daughter’s cardiac recovery continues. L says she cannot thank all sufficiently for the many prayers.
2/19 – mindful webworker requested prayers for his wife. Milady Jo will be having surgery on 2/26. It should be outpatient, and then a couple of weeks of recovery. Prayers are welcome for her, her surgeon, and her hapless husband while she’s down.
2/26 Update – The surgery is for Respiratory Epithelial Adenomatoid Hamartomak (REAH) – basically a blocked up nose. It’s relatively rare. It took a while to find an ENT whose diagnosis and surgical recommendation gave confidence. The surgery should improve her life greatly. It is scheduled for 1 pm.
2/20 – Gouveneur Morris requested prayers for herself as she has surgery scheduled for 2/27 for spondylolisthesis.
2/21 - Skip asked for prayers for his sister and her two children, as they grieve their husband/father. The memorial service was on 2/21.
2/21 – Vmom deport deport deport asked for prayers for Gerry and Cathy, the elderly parents of her co-worker, B. Gerry and Cathy are in failing health, and B is bravely trying to keep them cared for and independent while also being a mom to her own kids.
2/21 – San Franpsycho requested a prayer for complete and immediate healing for PS, his oldest living relative, who is back in the hospital due to post-surgery fever and possible pneumonia.
2/21 – Sock Monkey asked for prayers of comfort and peace for Rickb223, who recently lost his wife to cancer. It was apparently a long battle and he was her primary caregiver. He is struggling. Please pray for him.
2/25 – LinusVanPelt posted a request for prayers for himself. He had a health scare and it’s freaking him out a bit. He had a real thing happen, and then received a clean bill of health, but has 2 more doctors to see. He can’t stop irrationally worrying that they’re going to say bad stuff (despite the real reason for the visits is to adjust medication levels).
2/25 – Teresa in Fort Worth posted that she might need some prayers. Her PET scan was less than encouraging. She will have more information on 2/26.
2/25 – Robert posted that he needed an ‘Ette to kindly bash his brains in. He is suffering yet another massive gout flare up, and needs someone to end it all for him. He asks for an ‘Ette because he knows women are capable of inflicting great violence with only love in their hearts.
2/26 – Farmer could use some prayers. A biopsy is scheduled soon. The dentist said he found a couple of suspect spots. After having had prostate cancer, anything like this really alarms him.
For submission guidelines and other relevant info, please contact Annie's Stew, who is managing the prayer list. You can contact her at apaslo at-sign hotmail dot com. If you see a prayer request posted in a thread comment, feel free to copy and paste it and e-mail it to Annie's Stew. She tries to keep up with the requests in the threads, but she's not here all of the time, so she may not see it unless you e-mail it to her. Please note: Prayer requests are generally removed after four weeks or so unless we receive an update.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
Much of the Iranian leadership is alleged to now be dead or to have fled.
Donald Trump: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it.”
Benjamin Netanyahu: “Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands.”
A lot of the stories just report the numbers and not the strings wrapped around them.
Amazon for example chipped in $50 billion, but only $15 billion up front. The rest requires OpenAI to either deliver AGI - human-level intelligence - or a successful IPO. And the deal requires OpenAI to commit to an additional $100 billion in spending on Amazon's cloud services, on top of the $38 billion deal they've already signed.
Nvidia invested $30 billion - much less than the $100 billion discussed previously but not a small amount either - apparently on similar conditions that OpenAI spend all of that and more on Nvidia chips.
SoftBank is also in for $30 billion, but I've seen no details of what they are getting out of it other than a slice of the pie.
All of them. Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, all 600 actively developed Linux distributions, the various BSD flavours, OpenVMS, OS/360 running on a virtual machine, the ZX Spectrum emulator you just vibe coded using Claude Code, the uncounted millions of Docker containers spun up automatically every day, all of them.
From a Reddit post included in that article:
What really scares me is that we have lawmakers stupid enough to propose a law like this.
This is basically impossible for California to enforce. Worst case, they are too stupid to know that. Best case, it is performative.
Even if Linux Mint decides to add some kind of age verification, to comply with CA law, there's no reason anyone would choose that version. There are hundreds of other jurisdictions in which Mint operates that don't require this kind of stupidity. It's more likely that they will put a disclaimer on their website "not for use in California".
Colorado is considering a similar law.
Time to wall them off until the infection burns itself out.
There's also a Crua (who I have heard of, as a maker of cheap monitors generally) model available that swaps one of the DisplayPort ports for USB-C - I think, details are very much lacking - for $160.
The Crua model is also available in Australia, at A$189 - US$135 - including tax and delivery.
I think I'll give it a try. The stand is not likely up to much, but it has a 75mm VESA mount so it can easily be replaced with something more solid and flexible. I've been tempted by the BenQ RD280U which uses the same panel again but is priced at A$1099.
I'd point to reviews of the Crua or Gawfolk models but... There aren't any.
Howdy Horde! Welcome to Friday night. This week, the hottest subject in meming has been the meltdown of our neighbors to the north over the US beating Canada for the gold, so there's more than a couple of memes on that topic.
The problem with AI slop is now I don't even post really good videos because most really good videos are fake. I now search for moderately-good videos, figuring you wouldn't use AI to make a fake moderately-good video.
The New York Times ran a piece on their homepage about a guy getting deported even though he had lived in the US since a teenager and had been here for 20 years, and waited until the end of the article to mention that 19 of those years were spent in prison for murder.
I would like to enter into evidence Exhibit A: Bioethics Professor at New York University, Arthur Caplan. As with most bioethics experts, we can stipulate based on undisputed public statements by Professor Caplan that he is ignorant of when life begins, so he supports abortion. He also does not know the difference between the DNA structure of a man and the DNA structure of a woman, so he believes in transgerderism. Others may argue that killing and mutilating human beings is an act of malice, but a) that does not disqualify anyone from being a bioethicist, and b) there is no rule that a professor has to be born with common sense or even a brain.
His ignorance of basic biology in these areas is not the point. It is more about his knowledge of chemistry. Under consideration is his public assessment of the properties of whole milk. "Nazis were enamored of whole milk as well," he wrote in his blog. "I am suspicious. Milk drinking is political. Drinking whole white milk has played a big role in racist and far-right thinking. In America, drinking whole milk has for years been a part of alt-right, white nationalist messaging in tweets, memes, and videos."
Per Google's AI digest, he finds RFKJr.'s and MAHA's preference for whole milk, with mlkfats included, is actually a Nazi Plot.
Bioethicist Arthur Caplan has argued that the recent, high-profile promotion of whole milk by certain political figures is linked to white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and eugenicist ideologies
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Key details regarding this argument include:
The Argument: Caplan suggests that the push for whole milk in schools is not just about nutrition, but acts as a "dog whistle" for far-right, white nationalist, and fascist groups.
Historical Context: Caplan notes that the Nazi regime was, in fact, "enamored" with whole milk as part of their ideology.
Modern Political Context: Caplan has connected this rhetoric to the promotion of whole milk by figures in the Trump administration and others, arguing that the effort is tainted by racism.
Reception: Critics have labeled this argument as "woke nonsense," arguing that the efforts are solely intended to improve health, not to promote bigotry.
In a February 2026 post, Caplan specifically referred to milk as a "symbol of neo-Nazi hate" and a "long standing obsession of fascists".
Remember about eight years ago 4chan was doing pranks where they claimed various outrageous things were "Nazi code" to get the media (and the very smart professors) to repeat these made-up lies? Well, one of those hoaxes was the claim that White Supremacists drink white milk to signal their allegiance to each other.
And now? A "bioethicist" claims it's really real, man.
The so-called "godfather of evidence-based medicine" is asked why he signed a statement calling genital mutilation for children "medically necessary" despite a complete lack of evidence. First he denies he signed such a statement, then concedes he signed it, because he hadn't bothered to read it first.
Me: "Why did you sign a statement calling 'gender affirming care' for minors medically necessary?"
Godfather of evidence-based medicine: "WHAT! That's RIDICULOUS! If you can find the words medically necessary in my statement I'll have to jump off a bridge."
Transgenderism is an ongoing project of attempting to normalize a bizarre subculture built around esoteric pseudo-medical practices from the outermost fringe of human extremity and make it compulsory for every American to join that subculture and to make that subculture the mainstream culture of the Western world. One requires only the most cursory understanding of the pioneering figures responsible for the mainstreaming of transgenderism -- who they were and what their motives were -- to understand this as a matter of certainty.
It is as if ascetics who scourge themselves with whips in public or amputee fetishists began teaching their beliefs to young schoolchildren and recruiting them to join their ranks. One is forced into the strange position of referencing practices that are not more bizarre than transgenderism -- that are indeed arguably less bizarre -- to make an analogy in an attempt to restore some semblance of sanity and proportionality to our thinking about this. The normalization has already gone far enough that the whole culture suffers from vertigo where it is unable to orient itself in space or time.
Giving the same off-label cancer drugs that are used to chemically castrate adult sex offenders to pubescent children who have been brainwashed to fear the decisive stage of mental, physical, and emotional maturation that resolves gender dysphoria in children in most cases is self-evidently an act of madness and medicalized child abuse unmatched by anything in the history of modern medicine. It took the self-lobotomization of the American professional and managerial classes for our truth-seeking apparatus not to see this fact that is self-evident to any normal person with normal human instincts.
This self-lobotomization occurred across mainstream institutions of all kinds -- all it required was the incantation of a few odious euphemisms, the manipulation of rewards and punishments, and confident claims by various authorities that self-evidently ludicrous claims were in fact settled science.
Now we are in phase one of recognizing that there was never any science to any of it.
It was all a lie told by cultists who managed to infiltrate and corrupt society's knowledge-generating, certifying, and enforcement apparatus -- it was the most outrageous of all such possible lies, so outrageous that nobody could believe that anyone would attempt it, much less succeed, unless there was some actual substance behind it, some real grounds for epistemic and moral confidence. There was none.
Eric S. Raymond
@esrtweet
To understand this, I think we need to remember the famous quote by Theodore Dalyrimple:
"In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is in some small way to become evil oneself. One's standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control."
Dalyrimple did not foresee at the time he wrote that that the emasculation would in many cases become literal as well as figurative.
The point of transgenderist propaganda isn't to persuade, but to degrade, humiliate, and destroy.
Underage prostitution flourishes in Los Angeles as a direct result of SB357, the law championed by State Senator Scott Wiener who is now the front runner to replace Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives. https://t.co/vz8oSMxGbmpic.twitter.com/aumpO8saKJ
Meanwhile, in California, they just released an old pedophile "monster" who raped multiple children aged six or less out of compassion for poor old aged criminals.
Child predator dubbed 'monster parents fear most' cleared for release through California parole program
David Allen Funston was convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting multiple children younger than 7 in the 1990s
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper tells Fox News Digital the convicted child predator cleared under California's elderly parole program is 'a definite danger to the community' and questions how the parole board reached its decision.
A California child molester once described by a judge as "the monster parents fear the most" has been cleared for release under the state's elderly parole program, a decision local law enforcement says puts communities at risk and prosecutors are now scrambling to stop.
David Allen Funston, 64, was sentenced in 1999 after a Sacramento County jury found him guilty of 16 felony counts for a series of abductions involving children younger than 7.
Funston received more than 20 years in prison plus three consecutive terms of 25 years to life. After serving more than two decades behind bars, he became eligible for consideration under California's Elderly Parole Program.
CDCR said that, on Jan. 12, 2026, Gov. Gavin Newsom referred the case back to the Board of Parole Hearings for further review by a majority of appointed commissioners. At a Feb. 18, 2026 meeting, the board panel reaffirmed its decision, recommending that Funston receive parole.
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"He's a definite danger to the community, and he's not rehabilitated," Cooper told Fox News Digital.
Cooper said he personally reviewed the original case reports and victim statements and questioned how the parole board could reach a different conclusion.
"What's ironic is the parole board read the same reports that I'm reading," Cooper said. "How the hell did they come to that conclusion versus what I came to?"
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He also pushed back on the premise that turning 50 automatically makes someone safe to release.
"Fifty is not old," Cooper said. "We know a lot of 50-year-olds. Everyone does."
Cooper noted that many people in their 50s and 60s are still working and active, underscoring that someone released at 64 is not necessarily frail or incapacitated and could be fully functioning in the community.
50 year olds are now "elderly" for purposes of California's pro-criminal lobby releasing child rapists from prison?!?!
In the quiet suburbs of Greenv>ille, North Carolina, Alex T. lived a peaceful life as a mechanic in his mid-forties. Like many, he minded his own business, and he believed that his locked doors would protect him from evil lurking in his community. He thought wrong.
Three men pried open a window and ambushed Mr. T. in his sleep. Two were illegals from Mexico with no prior U.S. criminal records. They bound him, and then -- for hours -- they beat him severely, sodomized him, and just for good measure, they ripped out his fingernails with pliers from his own toolbox.
Alex endured unimaginable torture with no means of fighting back. He survived only because he eventually crawled to his phone and called 911. Hospitalized with serious injuries, he faces a long recovery.
The attackers were arrested and now face charges including first-degree forcible sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, and use of a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. ICE has placed detainers on the two undocumented suspects. Expect the same if the third perp comes back as an illegal as well.
[Fox:]
DHS added that the "two sexual perverts and violent thugs" unleashed a series of horrific attacks despite having no known criminal record in the U.S.
The Soros prosecutor in Manhattan of course released the 27 year old armed robber "kid" who assaulted police without charges:
🚨 BREAKING: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has DROPPED the assauIt charge against 27-year-old West African Gusmane Coulibaly, who threw ice balls at NYPD officers
This guy was also indicted for robbery 3 weeks ago, but is ONCE AGAIN free.
And Ilhan Omar invited a left-wing terrorist to the State of the Union:
🚨 BREAKING: US Capitol Police ARRESTED Ilhan Omar’s State of the Union guest after she REFUSED to stop standing and BLOCKING others in the gallery during Trump’s speech
This is the SAME deranged activist arrested in Minneapolis for using her car to BLOCK ICE agents’ cars on a… pic.twitter.com/QoMIIE1sYH
Don't worry: The progressives are cracking down on the real criminals.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Secretary Noem just revealed @ElonMusk helped find that a few DHS staffers installed SPYWARE on her phone and computer, as well as on the devices of of other political hires
These people need to be JAILED! There HAVE to be consequences, or they’ll keep doing it!… pic.twitter.com/tjhnZyPnEP
Netflix Backs Out of Warner Bros. Bidding, Paramount Set to Win
In a stunning twist, the streaming giant's co-CEOs say the major studio "was always a 'nice to have' at the right price, not a 'must have' at any price."
In a stunning twist, Netflix is declining to raise its bid for Warner Bros., positioning David Ellison's Paramount as the winner in the battle for the fabled studio.
Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters released a statement Thursday outlining their decision, namely that the deal is "no longer financially attractive" and that it "was always a 'nice to have' at the right price, not a 'must have' at any price."
"The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid," the co-CEOs said.
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With Netflix out, Paramount's latest bid is almost a sure thing to be accepted by the Warners board, which determined earlier Thursday that it was a "superior proposal" to Netflix's deal.
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PSKY's latest proposal was for $31 per share, but had a number of other sweeteners, including a ticking fee payable to shareholders equal to $0.25 per quarter beginning after Sept. 30, 2026, as well as a $7 billion regulatory termination in the event the transaction does not close due to regulatory matters.
Paramount has also agreed to pay the $2.8 billion termination fee that Warner Bros. would be required to pay to Netflix to terminate the existing merger agreement.
Doesn't Warner Discovery come with $80 billion in debt from the last acquisition?
People are spending billions to own $80 billion in debt plus the right to remake Lord of the Rings in ten years. Which will fail.
i completely forgot about CNN. It's a very easy thing to forget, because its latest ratings are 6. Not a six rating, six people.
Mood is 'horrific' inside CNN as staffers brace for change amid potential Paramount takeover, insiders say
Netflix backing out of bid for Warner Bros Discovery paves way for CNN to fall under David Ellison's control
The mood inside CNN was "horrific" on Friday as network leadership sought to calm fears of anxious staffers, with parent company Warner Bros. Discovery appearing set to hand control of the network to Paramount CEO David Ellison.
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"The mood is horrific," a CNN insider told Fox News Digital. "People are very upset."
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A second CNN insider told Fox News Digital that staffers feel "a mix of despair, apprehension and curiosity."
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A second insider said the two main concerns are "job loss" and "editorial indifference," noting the former "greatly outranks" the latter. Specifically, CNN staffers worry about a potential "bloodbath" if CBS News and CNN were to merge.
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The first CNN insider is trying to keep an "open mind" but said it's easy to understand why staffers are upset given the reporting on Ellison and Trump discussing changes.
"It's existential for the brand to be owned by an individual who has personal allegiance to a political figure and is not even answering to public markets," they told Fox News Digital.
"But -- I mean what I'm saying. It's not just me trying to take a deep breath. I truly believe we can only react to what is, not what might be," they continued. "And we have no idea what the world will look like when this closes."
Waaah, Oliver Darcy reports on the Sads! and A-scareds! of his former colleagues at CNN:
Brian Stelter said two very funny things. Noting that Larry Ellison wants a fair and fact-based news outlet, Stelter said, hilariously, "That sounds like CNN."
Below, a few meh trailers. I like most of the people involved here, including Jorma Taccone, director one of my favorite comedies of the 2010's, MacGruber, but this doesn't grab me.
Meh: Mecha Predator.
Possibly something. I think this is based on some YouTube creepy short.
Update: Yes, it is based on an internet creepypasta about liminal spaces, spaces between the real and unreal. And that sci-fi standby of structures too big to exist whose internal dimensions seem to exceed the external dimensions.
As Georgia prosecutor pursued Trump, Biden DOJ 'invited' her to get lucrative grant, memos show
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' records, turned over to Just the News after an open records lawsuit, show her office received millions of dollars from the Biden Justice Department as she built her case against then-former President Donald Trump.
The Biden Justice Department "invited" Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to apply for a lucrative sole-source grant in 2022 at the same time that she was pursuing an election interference investigation against Donald Trump, the eventual GOP competitor to President Joe Biden, internal correspondence obtained by Just the News reveals.
"I want to document your recognition of our progress and services provided with dynamic partners, as we complete sole source steps for our new grant award, a grant in which you invited us to apply," Willis wrote to Justice Department Senior Policy Advisor Scott Pestridge in the Office of Justice Programs in December 2022.
The district attorney was highlighting the Justice Department's 2022 Office of Justice Programs Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative grant, from which her office ultimately received $2,000,000 to implement its programs, agency records show.
That award, which was opened in April 2022 as a competitive grant, appears to have been provided to Fulton County as the "sole source," according to the district attorney. The Justice Department defines a sole source procurement as "noncompetitive," meaning no other entity competed against Fulton for the award.
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Both [Darrius "Sweetdick" Honeycum, Esq.] and Willis [and her roomy, spacious 8x12 box] faced scrutiny in 2023 after their romantic relationship was exposed in court by a lawyer for one of the Trump allies charged in the Georgia case. Financial records showed that Willis hired her romantic partner to prosecute Trump and paid him more than $600,000 in legal fees while they were in a relationship.
And from Paul Sperry:
Paul Sperry
@paulsperry_
NEW: Fulton County officials falsely claimed no ballots existed four (4) times in response to requests by elections watchdog, VoterGA, for copies of 2020 ballots; yet the ballots it asked for "were the same 2020 ballots that the FBI seized on Jan. 28, 2026, at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Warehouse in Fairburn, Georgia," noted VoterGA founder Garland Favorito
Trump, GOP Push "Dahlia's Law" to Block Illegal Aliens from Getting Commercial (Tractor Truck) Drivers Licenses; Democrat Says That the Injuries Suffered by the Child Dahlia by the Third-World Driver Are No Big Deal
—Disinformation Expert Ace
Dahlia is one of the lucky ones -- she survived her encounter with Third-World Highway Safety Protocols, albeit with serious injuries.
Sen. Jim Banks is moving swiftly to carry out President Trump's call from the State of the Union, introducing the "Dalilah Law" just one day after the president urged Congress to bar states from issuing commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
Trump used his nationally televised address to press lawmakers on a range of border and public safety measures. Among them was what he said should be a clear federal standard: no state should be permitted to hand out CDLs to individuals in the country unlawfully. The president tied that demand to the case of 6-year-old Dalilah Coleman, whose life was permanently altered after a 2024 crash involving a semi-truck driven by a man who had entered the United States illegally.
Banks formalized that request Wednesday.
The Indiana Republican's bill would restrict CDLs to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and certain foreign nationals holding valid work visas. It would also require that CDL tests be administered exclusively in English and mandate the revocation of commercial trucking licenses previously issued to illegal aliens or individuals granted Temporary Protected Status, regardless of whether they possess work permits.
By the way, this doesn't really raise any federalism concerns, because the federal government has always had, as it must have, exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce and travel.
If these left-wing third-world states want to issue purely intrastate CDLs, so that third-world terrorists can murder American citizens in their states alone, they can do so.
But the CDLs are granted to give the foreign savages carte blanche to drive 50-ton trucks across the country. Georgia has no say about California's standards for issuing them, and is forbidden by the Constitution from setting up border check-points -- therefore the problem demands a national response.
"Too many people have been hurt. Too many have been killed," Banks said in announcing the legislation. "Americans are paying the price because illegal drivers are being handed commercial driver's licenses like candy and put behind the wheel of 80,000-pound trucks. That stops now. The Dalilah Law makes it clear: If you are here illegally, you do not get a CDL. We need to act, and we need to act now."
According to prior reporting, the truck driver involved in the June 2024 crash had crossed the southern border in 2022 and was later released into the country's interior. He eventually obtained a CDL from the state of California, allowing him to operate a commercial semi-truck. Dalilah, who was five at the time, suffered a traumatic brain injury and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. A GoFundMe established to support her long-term treatment has raised nearly $150,000.
Trump argued during his address that language proficiency and legal status are basic safety requirements when operating heavy commercial vehicles. "Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location," he told lawmakers. "That's why tonight, I'm calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Dalilah Law, barring any state from granting Commercial Driver's Licenses to illegal aliens."
A former congresswoman who prosecuted an impeachment of President Donald Trump dismissed the severe injuries suffered by Dalilah Coleman during a Wednesday panel discussion on CNN.
Trump called for passage of "Dalilah's Law," legislation that would prohibit states from granting commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) to illegal immigrants named after Coleman, during Tuesday's State of the Union address. Former Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Florida dismissed Coleman's injuries from a 2024 accident caused by an illegal immigrant driving a tractor-trailer on "CNN NewsNight" after bringing up the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good during "Operation Metro Surge" in Minneapolis.
"How do you not mention -- mention that two people died and that -- in that environment?" Demings, who was one of seven House Democrats who prosecuted Trump during his first impeachment, asked. "And the president was one of the most unifying speeches, the president who said, 'Look at the Democrats. Aren't they crazy?' He obviously does not understand that when he won election, he is supposed to represent all people."
"When you go through some of the moments he went through, right, he pointed to a little girl Dalilah, who was almost killed by an illegal alien, miraculously came back," New York Post reporter Lydia Moynihan responded. "She was there with her dad. When you have Democrats who won't stand and applaud her recovery, yeah, I think that's crazy."
Democrats remained seated during a moment in Trump's speech when the president asked if they could agree to put American citizens ahead of illegal immigrants.
"Sadly, people are killed in America every day, sadly, and the majority of them are killed by U.S. citizens. So whether an undocumented -- undocumented immigrant --" Demings said, with Moynihan cutting in with, "I'm saying, think about --"
"Whether it's an undocumented immigrant or a U.S. citizen who is the perpetrator, bottom line is, somebody has died or someone has been seriously injured," Demings said.
Hit the link to watch the infuriating exchange.
Democrats say this is no big deal. Dahlia, now crippled, disagrees.
🇺🇸 BEAUTIFUL: The father of 7-year-old Delilah, who was honored by President Trump at his State of the Union, proposed to his longtime partner at the White House
Delilah was left disabled after being hit by an illegal driver.
And even as the left attempts to hyptnotizing the nation into repeating "There is no problem except for Republican racism," bang, a Somali-owned truck drives many-ton truck the wrong way down a one-way street and actually increases speed as other drivers wrench their steering wheels to avoid a head-on collision.
🚨 BREAKING: The truck seen going high speeds the WRONG WAY down a Missouri highway is owned by a SOMALI IN MINNESOTA named Abdiwali Ahmed
SHOCKER!
Tim Walz's Minnesota granted the driver a license, and he can't even read ROAD SIGNS.
• Former President Bill Clinton's deposition is underway in the House Oversight Committee's Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to a source familiar with the matter. His testimony comes on the heels of Hillary Clinton's deposition. The sessions mark the culmination of a legal standoff with Republicans over the couple testifying.
• The former president and his lawyers expect that he could be in for a long day of questioning, according to a source. The Clintons and members of the House Oversight Committee have agreed to five topic areas for the depositions.
• Clinton traveled on Epstein's private plane at least 16 times, according to a CNN review, and was pictured with women in a jacuzzi in files released by the US Department of Justice. He was also pictured with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and accomplice in trafficking victims.
James Comer revealed that, in addition to flying on Epstein's plane 27 times -- I trust his number more than CNN, which I'm sure deployed various bad-faith excuses to claim a lower number -- Epstein also visited the White House 17 times.
I'm sure Epstein just came as an ordinary DC tourist.
By the way, Mark Halperin claimed that Democrats are "worried" that Bill Clinton will have a "Joe Biden moment" during his testimony, because, allegedly, his brain is slipping.
I haven't noticed Clinton showing Biden-like dementia. Let me propose a suspicion: Democrats are claiming Clinton might be demented to explain away the many, many "lapses of memory" Bill Clinton's lawyers have coached him to claim, and to provide himself with a perjury defense for all the lies he's going to tell.
"A well-meaning old man with memory issues," redux.
Hillary Clinton told a congressional panel she "had no idea" about Jeffrey Epstein's crimes, as she called for lawmakers to question President Donald Trump under oath about his past association with the late sex offender.
"I want to see the truth come out," the ex-US secretary of state said after testifying behind closed doors for hours to a congressional committee investigating Epstein.
Nancy Mace says that the elderly alcoholic lesbian was "screaming" during her questioning. We've certainly seen her raise her voice when she lies. But I wonder if the attention whore Nancy Mace isn't counter-productively hyping this up, setting us up for later disappointment, as leaks about a "red faced" Bill Clinton yelling during his Monica Lewinsky testimony did.
🚨 BREAKING: Hillary Clinton ABRUPTLY ended her press conference after being asked why Ghislaine Maxwell was invited to Chelsea Clinton's wedding—even AFTER the conviction—and Virginia Giuffre's suits
Iran once again pretended to "talk" while conceding nothing. The USS Ford is now in place for a strike.
Open Source Intel
@Osint613
Al Arabiya: The U.S. State Department has evacuated non-essential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
AFP: The United States authorised the departure of non-emergency embassy staff from Israel on Friday, as it threatened strikes on Iran and pressed its biggest military build-up in the Middle East in decades.
Ben Rhodes, whom you undoubtedly know as Barack Obama's Deputy National Security Advisor, once bragged that he persuaded the media by gaslighting them and creating an echo chamber. Since establishment Washington, rightly, opposed the Iran deal that he and Obama so desperately wanted, they invented a new establishment and sold it to America.
As Malley and representatives of the State Department, including Wendy Sherman and Secretary of State John Kerry, engaged in formal negotiations with the Iranians, to ratify details of a framework that had already been agreed upon, Rhodes's war room did its work on Capitol Hill and with reporters. In the spring of last year, legions of arms-control experts began popping up at think tanks and on social media, and then became key sources for hundreds of often-clueless reporters. "We created an echo chamber," he admitted, when I asked him to explain the onslaught of freshly minted experts cheerleading for the deal. "They were saying things that validated what we had given them to say."
When I suggested that all this dark metafictional play seemed a bit removed from rational debate over America's future role in the world, Rhodes nodded. "In the absence of rational discourse, we are going to discourse the [expletive] out of this," he said. "We had test drives to know who was going to be able to carry our message effectively, and how to use outside groups like Ploughshares, the Iran Project and whomever else. So we knew the tactics that worked." He is proud of the way he sold the Iran deal. "We drove them crazy," he said of the deal's opponents.
Ah, the "expert" class. We know them well.
Ben Rhodes helped pioneer and refine the "echo chamber" strategy Obama used so well--the creation of what I call The Narrative(TM). Ben is part of the Obama team's Crooked Media, which is known for its shows Pod Save America and Pod Save the World. Crooked Media was founded by the worst of the worst: Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, and Jon Lovett, all part of Obama's communications and foreign policy/intelligence teams.
Below, they praise Tucker and encourage all other media figures to follow him in his Iran propaganda. Tommy Vietor -- "That was like a 100 years ago, man" -- says he's a Text Buddy with Tucker Carlson, The True Conservative.
Pod Save America's Ben Rhodes & Tommy Vietor gush about nazi promoter Tucker Carlson. PSA's @jonlovett / Vietor have pushed hard for ppl to back Platner (nazi tat guy) in Maine.
They say they wish more media would act like Tucker. Vietor admits he's text buddies w/ Tucker btw. pic.twitter.com/SFtcyu8uXz
Tucker Carlson got sick of being called antisemitic by the perfidious Satanic Jews who drink Christian babies' blood, and so he reached out to one of these Jewish Mind-Controllers to ask him how he could convince the Worldwide Jewish Conspiracy to stop calling him antisemitic.
This particular Perfidious Jew, Yoram Hazony, told him he could start by ending his constant claims that Jews are engaged in a constant aggression against Christians and start all the wars in the world for no reason at all except to spread the Nefarious Jew Conspiracy.
Tucker Carlson then said, "Short of that, I mean."
Or words to that effect. Tucker did not want to stop accusing Jews of conspiring against Christians, he just wanted the Jews to stop noticing he can't stop accusing Jews of conspiring against Christians.
Yoram Hazony
@yhazony
Feb 21
My Contacts With Tucker Carlson About Anti-Semitism on His Show
A few weeks ago, a mutual friend asked me if I'd be willing to speak to Tucker Carlson off the record. I agreed and Tucker called me three weeks ago to talk. I continued texting with him for eight days after that.
But this past Friday, Tucker released a video in which he reported to the public on his off-the-record conversations with me. Inaccurately, of course. So here's some additional information on my short-lived discussions with Tucker Carlson about anti-Semitism on his show.
Tucker called me on Sunday, February 1. We talked for 1 hour and 23 minutes. Here's what I noted down on my desk calendar right after the call:
"8 am Tucker Carlson 83-minute call wanting to know how to end the charges of anti-Semitism against him. Trump told him to end it on Jan 11."
As you can see, Tucker explained that he was calling because he had come under pressure from President Trump at his famous meeting at the White House on January 11. He told me the administration wants him to find a way to stop his high-profile fights with Jews and Zionist Christians. Tucker told me that he wanted my advice on "practical steps" he could take to change the impression that he is an anti-Semite.
I thought he was asking me to host him in Israel. So I explained to him that I can't do much to help him, because just about every Jew I know believes he's been waging a savage campaign against Jews, Judaism, and Israel for the past 18 months--and that most think his aim is to drive Jews and Zionist Christians out of the Trump coalition and out of the Republican party. I said that even a year ago, quite a few Jews would probably have jumped at the chance to appear on the Tucker Carlson Show and to present an alternative point of view, but that this looked impossible to me now--and that it would stay that way as long as there's no change of direction on his part.
Tucker wanted me to explain to him why anyone would think he was an anti-Semite. I answered that question for more than an hour, giving him a series of examples of statements he and his guests had made on his show that seemed completely unhinged and motivated by a desire to slander Jews, Judaism, Israel, and Zionist Christians in order to do as much harm as possible. He kept expressing amazement that anyone would think he was an anti-Semite, and I kept giving him more examples of why I thought any fair observer would reach that conclusion if they were familiar with the relevant conversations he had hosted on his program.
The conversation ended with my agreeing to continue the discussion. I didn't feel he was open to dialing down the hostility toward Jews, Judaism, Israel, and Zionist Christians constantly being expressed on his program. But I also didn't want to close the door to the possibility that the pushback from the administration would eventually get him to make a change. (Anyone who has been following Tucker's program in the weeks since January 11 knows that, so far, there hasn't been any such change.)
On February 3, Tucker wrote to me asking if he could speak at the first Israeli National Conservatism Conference (NatCon), which is scheduled to be held in Jerusalem on June 8-10. I was taken aback that he would ask for something like that, given the content of our conversation two days earlier. But I did my best to draft a reply that would reinforce my previous description of what a great many Jews, Israelis, and Zionist Christians think of Tucker right now. Here's what I wrote in response to his request to speak at the first NatCon conference in Israel:
"Tucker, I appreciate the offer. But I need people to show up at this event. Realistically, Jews and Zionist Christians are not going to share a platform with you or come to hear you under the current circumstances. I'm just speaking descriptively about the situation: Much of the lineup will revolt if you join the program and that story will blow back on you [and other public figures] in addition to blowing up the conference. If you want to change this situation, there are things you can do unilaterally to shift the dynamic and I think that's the way to move forward."
I thought Tucker had finally gotten the message that he should stop asking me for favors, and instead consider how he could make unilateral changes that would help people get past the impression that he is one of the leading Jew-haters of our generation.
But then on February 9, he wrote to ask me if I would set up a meeting for him with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I'm not sure why he thought I was the right address for that request. But I knew very well that if someone were going to contact the Prime Minister's office with such a misguided idea, it wasn't going to be me. Here's what I wrote in reply to his request that I arrange a meeting for him with Bibi:
"I don't see how that could happen. It doesn't serve any interest I'm aware of. It could only damage him."
This was a perfectly honest answer, and Tucker could have thanked me for giving him my honest assessment of the situation he has created. But Tucker wasn't happy with it, and he typed an agitated little speech into his phone to indicate that our conversation had come to an end.
On February 20, Tucker released a peevish summary of the contacts between us as part of a wild video in which he also suggested that Israel might be trying to kill him and his family.
That's the story. I'll just add one comment. Most of what I do in public life is building coalitions. That means I talk to a lot of people who don't agree with me on all sorts of things, and sometimes that means meeting with people who don't like me very much. I have these in-person, off-the-record conversations because often people turn out to be quite different in private. Sometimes, I've just misunderstood who they are from their public appearances. Sometimes, I've understood very well who they are, but it turns out they are willing to explore the possibility of making a change. And also: Even when nothing else comes of it, I learn a tremendous amount about people from these private conversations.
In Tucker's case, the private person turns out to be exactly who we've been seeing in public. As of now, I'm not seeing any sign that he is willing to play ball with the mainstream nationalist camp in the Republican party, much less that he has any regrets about who and what he has become since leaving Fox News in 2023. Whatever his motives for turning his podcast into what seems to be a circus of anti-Jewish messaging, right now that project is clearly more important to him than helping the administration keep its coalition together so it can govern effectively and win elections in 2026 and 2028.
This is just like calling up the NAACP and asking them for a free "N-Word Pass," because sometimes, you know, n****r is just the mot juste.
Below, Tucker Carlson, who is not antisemitic, wants you to know that he is no coward and was not afraid to step into Israel proper, instead remaining in "Zone A" which I guess is some kind of zone which Israel does not have sovereign control over.
In explaining that he's not a coward who is afraid of Israel, he says that he asked the US to tell Israel the exact plane he was on, because this Non-Antisemitic Non-Coward really believed that Israel, which is "fighting a war with seven different countries, was plotting to shoot his airplane out of the sky and then claim they thought it was an "Iranian Drone," and he wanted Huckabee to tell them specifically he was on this plane so that Israel could not murder him by anti-aircraft missile and then pretend they didn't know.
He cites the totally non-antisemitic USS Liberty trope to show that Pefidious Jews love doing that kind of thing. (He continues insisting Israel knew it was an American ship, even though the NSA has released intercepted radio transmissions showing that Israel had identified the ship as Egyptian.)
See, he's not antisemitic at all, he totally isn't deranged with antisemitic conspiracy theories and paranoia.
And also: Not a coward. Definitely, N O T a coward.
Tucker is not afraid.
Not afraid of Israel or in Israel.
He just wants to make sure the IDF doesn't "mistake" his private jet "for an Iranian drone or something."
And, um, because of (false) stuff about the 1967 USS Liberty bombing.
Nick Sortor
@nicksortor
NOW: The crowd goes TOTALLY SILENT when Biden tells them HE closed the border -- not Trump
Even a crowd full of DEMOCRATS know that's a total lie
Maybe having a dementia patient out there attempting to rewrite history ain't the brightest idea, @DNC
Nancy Mace to force a House vote of sexual misconduct report and harassment by congress members and staff. The wood chipper is no respecter of persons. Do it.
Posted by: kingsman
Podcast: Sefton and CBD Talk SOTU and the Dem's vile behavior, Donald Trump's love of country, Iran is coming to a head, is Mexico intractable, Mamdani's NYC is circling the drain, and more!
Forgotten Early 80s Schmatlz Mystery Click Honey, I was your hero
And you were my leading lady
We had it all
Just like Bogie and Bacall
Ooof, it's worse than I remembered.
China Is Not Our Fren: Chinese government posts AI generated content featuring attacking and killing American soldiers. Pay attention to the ridiculous AI banter of the US soldiers. [dri]
Podcast: Sefton and CBD discuss AOC's brilliant entrance into geopolitical policy, Jesse Jackson's demise, Transsexual Psycho Killers, is NYC about to get taxed even more? Olympic athletes who bite the hand that fed them, and more!
Podcast: CBD and J.J. Sefton ramble about CO2, how Epstein's mess has crossed the Atlantic, the future dismal prospects for the UK, CA tax lunacy, To The Moon Elon!, the NFL, and more!
