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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.
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In the Wake of the Latest Muslim Mass-Casualty Attack, Leftists and the Media (But I Repeat Myself) Scramble to Blame "Masculinity," "White Men," "Christians" and of course the Car
—Disinformation Expert Ace
This is a cult. A cult that justifies mass murder, even of its own fellow cultists.
— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) July 26, 2026
I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸
@ImMeme0
Jul 26
The writing has been on the wall for a long time, yet leftists still refuse to see it!
Gay American in Berlin says that, after Islamists plowed a van into Pride parade-goers, he would have expected an attack like this to happen in the United States rather than in Germany.
REALITY CHECK!
In the past 5 years, with the U.S. population roughly 4 times larger than Germany's:
🇺🇸 United States (pop. ~344M)
Islamist attacks: 5--8
Killed: 3--6
Injured: 15--30
This is what happens when you open your borders to radical Islamists who hate the West.
Again and again they prove Islam is incompatible with Western culture and values. Yet somehow it's always the fault of white Christian men.
The writing has been on the wall for a long time, yet leftists still refuse to see it!
Gay American in Berlin says that, after Islamists plowed a van into Pride parade-goers, he would have expected an attack like this to happen in the United States rather than in Germany.… https://t.co/KDip2pNcxcpic.twitter.com/vX6IaDMdRD
President Donald Trump on Monday called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to keep the Senate in session to terminate the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act.
Trump took to Truth Social in the morning to pressure Thune to keep senators working in Washington until the SAVE America Act, which takes a number of steps to secure federal elections, is passed.
"John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to 'leave town' until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!" Trump wrote.
Because 60 votes are required for passing the SAVE America Act -- which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, voter ID, and end universal mail-in ballots with a few exceptions -- Republicans would need to end the filibuster to advance it with a simple majority.
Trump stressed that if and when Democrats return to power, they will immediately nuke the filibuster.
"The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can't believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!" Trump added.
Thune's scheme was to move to adjourn the Senate. If there is no objection, the motion would be approved unanimously with no roll-call.
Scott Presler called for a Senator to object and force a Yea or Nay roll call. At least then the McConnell sell-outs like Thune, Lankford, McConnell, Murkowski, etc. would be on-the-record in favor of continued vote fraud by Democrats.
ThePersistence
@ScottPresler
We need ONE brave Senator to force a roll call vote in order for the Senate to vote
on leaving for a 37-day paid vacation for August recess.
We need ONE Senator to object to unanimous consent & "ask for the yeas and nays."
Meanwhile, Thune continues his mentor Mitch McConnell's practice of never formally recessing the Senate, thereby denying Trump the right enjoyed by all previous presidents of making temporary (one-year) recess appointments when the senate is recessed.
.@LeaderJohnThune, I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August—at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act—and hereby request a roll call vote.
Rand Paul Publishes Anthony Fauci's Private Diaries, In Which He Confesses He Knows Covid Didn't Come from "The Wet Market" and Has a Lethality of Only 0.2-0.3%; The Media Refuses to Cover
—Disinformation Expert Ace
And they won't cover it because the diaries also expose this deranged dwarfish narcissist as being their dinner-guest and "friendship building" pal.
ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and MS NOW ignore Fauci diary entries that reveal fixation on fame during COVID
Networks failed to mention the story from Saturday through Monday morning, according to a search of transcripts
Eye-popping diary entries written by Dr. Anthony Fauci reveal the former White House COVID advisor was fixated on his newfound celebrity at the height of the global pandemic, but anyone who relies on legacy media outlets for news and information may not be aware.
ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, CNN and MS NOW's on-air broadcasts ignored Fauci's diary entries from the time they were released on Saturday afternoon through Monday at 9 a.m. ET when flagship morning shows had concluded, according to a search of transcripts using Grabien Media.
Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., the journals chronicle Fauci's day-to-day role during the COVID-19 crisis through conversations with President Donald Trump, governors and world leaders, media appearances, and his personal observations as the pandemic unfolded in 2020.
Paul, a longtime Fauci critic who frequently clashed with him over the federal response and the origins of the virus, made the diaries public as part of the committee's ongoing oversight investigation. The diary entries document Fauci's fondness of his newfound fame, cozy relationships with a variety of legacy media personalities, his growing frustration with the Trump White House and the suggestion that it was "not hyperbole" to say he was "the most famous and talked about person in the country."
The diary entries exploded on social media but appear to have been ignored by mainstream news networks.
...
CNN's on-air blackout came despite anchor Jake Tapper appearing repeatedly throughout the private diary entries as Fauci documented phone calls, text exchanges and dinners at the Tappers' Washington home amid their growing friendship.
Fauci wrote that Tapper privately checked to make sure a CNN interview hadn't caused problems with the White House. When The Atlantic's Peter Nicholas suggested Fauci had been "humiliated" over a canceled Tapper interview, Fauci fired back in his diary: "F--- you, Peter."
After Fauci's heated exchange with GOP Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in April 2021, Fauci wrote that CNN's Dana Bash texted him, telling him he was "a better man" and relaying that fellow CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer had joked no one would have blamed Fauci if he had told Jordan to "go f--- yourself."
Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume took notice of the media blackout.
"This is not getting the coverage it deserves," Hume wrote on X. "Is that because so many media luminaries were so chummy with the man at the center of a major medical controversy?"
ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. MS NOW declined comment.
Tom Elliott
@tomselliott
Anthony Fauci, writing in his diary in March 2020, clearly loving life:
"Big front page article abut me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable. It is not hyoperbole [sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson [sic] in the world.
"Countless profiles on me in multiple media. I cannot even read all the things that are written abuyt me since I am so busy....seriously. POTUS seems to be enamored of me even though I am taking the spotlight away from him. We are developing a very unique and interesting relationship. The entire secret service corps is coming over to me and chatting. They let me into the first gate without even checking ID."
The diaries establish far more than Fauci's debilitating, judgment-shredding narcissism.
They also reveal he is a repeat perjurer. He confesses in the diaries to not believing the lies he was telling the public -- and Congress.
KanekoaTheGreat
@KanekoaTheGreat
🚨Fauci's diary says he privately put COVID's fatality rate at 0.2-0.3%. Under oath weeks later, he told Congress it was 10x the flu. The timeline:
Feb 8, 2020 (private diary): case fatality rate "more like 0.2-0.3%."
March 10 (Hannity): "The mortality for this is about 2-2.5%. It's probably lower than that, closer to 1%. But even if it's 1%, it's 10x more lethal than the seasonal flu."
March 11 (Congress, under oath): "The stated fatality rate of this overall... is about 3%. If you count all the cases of asymptomatic infection, that probably brings the mortality down to 1%, which means it's 10x more deadly than the seasonal flu."
March 27 (Daily Show): "The mortality of this is about 10x the flu. It's at least 1%."
He wrote 0.2-0.3% in his journal -- then told the public, over and over, a number 3 to 5 times higher.
@RandPaul
@DrJBhattacharya
@RobertKennedyJr
Senator Rand Paul
@SenRandPaul
2/9 Jan. 26, 2020. Fauci writes in his diary: "Now we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier."
That is January of 2020. The wet market was already off the table in his own private notes.
Senator Rand Paul
@SenRandPaul
3/9 Feb. 1, 2020. The call that produced Proximal Origin. Twelve scientists.
Only 2 concluded it was natural. Per Fauci's own notes, "the rest felt that deliberate insertion was possible."
This was never a 50/50 room.
Senator Rand Paul
@SenRandPaul
9/9 July 12, 2021. Fauci complains about "how many hours we are all wasting" answering letters he calls "fundamentally driven by conspiracy theories" -- from senators he names, including me.
Asking who funded the research is not a conspiracy theory. It's oversight.
Robby Soave
@robbysoave
Privately, in his diaries, Doctor Fauci admitted he no longer believed the wet market was the origin of covid. A week later, he convenes a call with 12 scientists, and only two of them think it's definitely animal spillover.
Publicly, he comes out against lab leak and presses the Proximal Origins paper to find in favor of animal spillover. Seems bad.
Fauci reassured one of the men he was paying off through NIH grants that his grants were safe.... after this guy wrote the "Proximal Origins" paper, falsely claiming covid-19 arose through natural mutation.
Jake Tapper had Fauci as a dinner-guest even as the rest of the country was on lockdown and forbidden from having non-family members over to dinner.
This is not getting the coverage it deserves. Is that because so many media luminaries were so chummy with the man at the center of a major medical controversy? https://t.co/d7uyfeC9gC
Jake is doing damage control. No mention of The Vets this time -- he has become too notorious for that.
This time, he wants you to know he's just a Regular Joe who loves dogs.
No bad man could love a dog.
Fake Tapper does the Fake Journalist scandal-management equivalent of standing with your wife holding a Bible outside of church. https://t.co/jarFGXbSRG
— James Talarico's Musky Heterosexual Urges (@AceofSpadesHQ) July 27, 2026
And you know No True Islamist can be crazy. Just like all failed communist states are dismissed. No True Communist State would ever send its citizens to the gulag for complaining about a lack of bread!
So this is how they keep removing leftists and trans extremists and Islamists from the terrorist lists -- they just say the killer is "mentally unstable" so (say it with me) The Motive May Never Be Known.
Three people, reportedly including a pregnant woman, were injured on Monday morning in Paris after a man went on a stabbing spree in the French capital.
...
Despite the attacker reportedly claiming that he was motivated by "Allah", the case is not currently being treated as a terror incident. A source close to the investigation told Le Parisien: "The guy said Allah sent me to kill women. But no, he's crazy."
The original story continues as follows...
According to a report from the Parisien newspaper, three women were attacked in the street by a knifeman near the Porte de Clichy metro station in northern Paris on Monday. The paper asserted that one of the three victims was pregnant at the time of the attack.
A separate report from Le Figaro stated that two of the victims are currently in critical condition, while the third is in serious condition.
"They were taken care of by emergency services and transported to the hospital," a Paris police prefecture spokesman stated.
Le Figaro said that an off-duty police officer had witnessed a man with two knives attacking a pedestrian. He is said to have called for backup and eventually apprehended the suspect.
The paper cited footage circulating on social media, which appeared to show the suspected knifeman being held down by multiple people. In the video, he is reportedly heard saying: "Allah commanded me".
...
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that he is remaining "very cautious about the motive of this violent act," claiming that the suspect was heard "uttering incoherent statements".
This follows a weekend in which another Maryland Man, "Abdul B.," rammed a vehicle into a "pride" parade in Berlin.
This particular Maryland Man was well known to authorities as a terrorist who had joined ISIS.
But they let him out on the streets anyway.
He's an anchor baby.
The suspect in the terror attack, which struck the Berlin Pride Parade on Saturday evening, has been identified as 21-year-old 'Abdul B.', who was previously detained in Germany on terror offences, reportedly including the support of the so-called Islamic State.
UPDATE 13:40: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Sunday morning that at least one person was killed and 29 people were injured, some seriously, in what he said is believed to have been an "Islamist terror attack" at the Berlin Pride Parade on Saturday evening. Dobrindt said the suspect was born in Germany but is of Lebanese descent, with his mother naturalised in the country in 2002. He also confirmed that the alleged terrorist had also attacked revellers with a bladed weapon, thought to be a machete. The manhunt continues.
The original story continues as follows...
Tragedy struck the annual Christopher Street Day event in the German capital, one of the largest LGBTQ pride parades in Europe, with a white van being driven into a crowd in the Tiergarten area of the city at around 10 pm, leaving at least one dead and 29 injured.
Berlin Police identified "Abdul B." as their main suspect, releasing a picture of the 21-year-old as they conduct a large-scale manhunt. The force said that there may be more suspects yet to be identified. A spokesman earlier revealed that the suspect was known to police as an "Islamist".
...
German paper of record Die Welt reported that Abdul was previously identified as a threat by police and had been in juvenile detention as recently as May for having attempted to incite or threaten a terror attack. He was also said to have claimed to have contacts with the ISIS terror network.
After being released in May, Abdul was reportedly put on probation and was instructed to attend de-radicalisation counselling sessions, the third of which was scheduled for Monday.
You brought social workers to a terror-fight.
While it is yet to be confirmed that he was a supporter of the so-called Islamic State, Die Welt noted that the U.S. State Department had specifically warned in 2024 that ISIS had called on supporters to attack Pride events in Europe.
Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼
@DrewPavlou
Guys, the details of the latest jihadist attack in Europe are psychotic.
Abdul Ballout was born in Berlin, but he left Germany for Lebanon.
Germany identified him as an Islamist threat, so they had him arrested in Lebanon and FLEW HIM BACK TO GERMANY to put him on trial for plotting terror attacks.
He was convicted and sentenced for terrorism offences in May 2026 but released on time served.
By July 2026 he was back on the streets.
German authorities told him to attend de-radicalisation counselling sessions.
He responded by carrying out a jihadist terrorist attack on a pride parade.
As Fox Butterworth would say: Despite the indulgence of socialist governments for crime and terror, socialist states and cities keep experiencing high rates of crime and terror.
Three people were killed and four were wounded Sunday evening during a shooting at a food festival at the Seattle Center, a short distance from the city's iconic Space Needle, police said.
One of the wounded was a 2-year-old toddler, and police said they believed the incident began when two parties began shooting at each other.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson announced one person was taken into custody, while Seattle Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said at least one other suspect remained at large.
"There may be more," Davis said, according to the Seattle Times. "We're still trying to figure this out."
It takes an intellectual to summon the mental discipline to remain permanently blind to blood-soaked reality.
Waah: Leftists, "Journalists" (But I Repeat Myself) Cry and Seethe Over Trump's Suggestion that CNN's Kaitlin Collins Sorta Looks Like a Transgender Witch
Dylan Mulvaney Responds After Trump Mocks Her and CNN's Kaitlan Collins at White House Correspondents' Dinner
"To the president, thank you for reminding me that I am more powerful than I even knew," she said in a video posted to social media.
Oh, snup.
A snup is a failed "snap."
Transgender advocate and actress Dylan Mulvaney has responded to President Donald Trump after the latter mocked both her and CNN's Kaitlan Collins during his speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on Friday night.
At the event, which had been postponed from April after a gunman fired shots as the first dinner was under way, Trump gave a speech wherein he compared the two women after Collins accepted an award for her working covering the administration.
I completely forgot this was still going on and I had no idea it was going on this past weekend.
"I want to personally congratulate CNN's Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award," Trump said. "It was all about me. It's a fake -- she shouldn't get the award, it was a fake. But I didn't mind. I said, 'Kaitlan, congratulations.' But it was fake, there's no question about it."
After criticizing Collins for her facial expressions, Trump then compared her to Mulvaney, mentioning the 2023 controversy surrounding the latter's Bud Light commercial. Three years ago, Mulvaney made an ad for Bud Light that was met with criticism from conservatives who launched a boycott against the beer brand, leading to a decline in sales.
"I thought Kaitlan had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn't her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney," Trump said Friday. "Dylan Mulvaney cost Bud Light $35 billion in market cap. That was the worst commercial ever made by the way, for those few people who want to hear that. Most people don't care, but I would. I wouldn't want to hire Dylan any time soon."
"The attempted mass murder at the Washington Hilton-that's what it could have been-was an assault on our democracy itself," Trump said. "A very serious situation. Many of you were there with me, and some showed extreme bravery, like Pete Hegseth, Steve Miller, Tom Holman. Really, they were standing on tables. And most of you were under the table," he said to Friday night's attendees, which got some laughs.
The media remained stone-silent and barely laughed at any of Trump's jokes.
Even the president was critical of some of the jokes when they received no laughs. At one point, he referred to the "governor of Chicago," presumably billionaire Gov. of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, while discussing a staged fight among politicians.
"I would say I could mention the governor of Chicago, but I'm going to mention instead Jerry Nadler, and they're fighting for a big piece of cheesecake, big fat piece of cheesecake," he said to zero audible laughs. "Who the hell wrote that line?"
In fairness, a lot of these aren't ha-ha jokes. They're really just insults delivered in a faux-jocular way. I understand that -- it's hard to be funny about people you actually hate. The media leftists hate Trump, and Trump, understandably, hates them back.
None of their "jokes" about Trump are funny either. Just insults.
Following mentions of late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, whom he called talentless, Trump also admitted that he truly hates some people.
"They thought about going with a professional clown for entertainment, but Adam 'Shifty' Schiff was not available," Trump joked. "You know he's known -- I hate some people. You know, I shouldn't say the surprise. I'm not supposed to hate him. I'm supposed to love everybody, but he's a terrible person. He's a liar, and I called him watermelon head because he has the largest head I've ever seen with the smallest neck, pencil neck. How does that big fat ugly head stand on a on a little pencil, pencil, pencil neck?"
That's not really a joke. That's just reality.
Menstrual manlet Jim Acosta was, get this, outraged.
Jim Acosta
@Acosta
Jul 24
This dinner is a disgrace. Trump's rambling, unhinged speech is full of hate and spite. Just spewing nastiness at his usual targets. Let's not sanitize how truly ugly it was. This would be a great moment for members of the press to get up and walk out.
The ultimate troll was Trump's announcement that he's running for president again in 2028:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
This was kinda funny:
.@POTUS: "A once feared and powerful regime that relentlessly attacked America has finally been toppled. Their former leaders have been removed and they’re now being run by a gay dictator facing internal divisions. But I for one wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/tlE0i7Wwbc
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
Here was the Kaitlin Collins insult:
.@POTUS: "I thought @kaitlancollins had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn't her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/QAOKHgAwiR
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
One problem with Trump's jokes and speeches in general is that he hates just reading prepared material. His "compromise" for reading a speech, or reading a prepared joke, is to read one line of the pre-written material, then add in two or three sentences of improvised riffs between each line. This is what makes his SOTU addresses so long and, frankly, meandering. It also hurts a joke when you riff two or three lines unrelated to the joke between the set-up and punchline. It separates the two things you're trying to connect in the joke.
That said: I like showing disrespect to people who are thoroughly disreputable, despicable, and whore-ish. Funniness is beside the main point.
THE MORNING RANT: As Bombshell Fauci Docs Drop, Faux-Conservative Media Indignantly Covers Story It Suppressed in 2020
—Buck Throckmorton
The best time to be skeptical of an “expert” stating there’s an emergency requiring the suspension of your freedom is the moment he states his intent to deny you liberty.
The type of conservatives who read this blog were highly skeptical of Anthony Fauci from day one, as was much of the new conservative media. However, the legacy (formerly?) conservative media could not lick Anthony Fauci’s boots hard enough in Spring of 2020.
Over this past weekend, major news broke, with many of Anthony Fauci’s personal notes from early 2020 being released. They revealed that before the March 2020 lockdowns, Fauci had already acknowledged that the wet markets were not the source of the Covid virus. The release also reveals extensive collaboration between Fauci and media personalities on how to shape the message and counter critics. There will be extensive coverage here and elsewhere of these bombshell revelations from better investigative writers than me, so sit tight.
In this quick post, I just want to point out that the same faux-conservative media that cooed over Anthony Fauci - and criticized you and me for doubting him - are now doing very serious journalism about these important stories they tried to suppress six years ago.
Here is a 2020 National Review piece from Andrew McCarthy published about six weeks into the two-week lockdown, in which he condemns some House Republicans for daring to criticize McCarthy’s lord and savior, Anthony Fauci.
As we’ve all heard over the past month, Dr. Fauci has worked long hours through seven-day weeks trying to save American lives. He also has made countless statements in scores of interviews and White House Task Force press conferences. Consistently, he has been a model of empathy. Again and again, he has agonized over the excruciating choice that government officials have no choice but to make: The choice between the well-being of (a) those sick from, dying of, and vulnerable to a potentially lethal infectious disease, and (b) those whose financial, emotional, and physical well-being are being shattered by the shutdown. It has worn on him, like it would wear on any of us.
As Fauci’s web of lies became ever more tangled, it became harder for Fauci’s “conservative” fanboys to justify their worshipful swooning. But Fauci was working to take out President Trump, so the NeverTrump media remained loyal to him, working to keep him propped up until Trump was gone.
By late July 2020, over four months into the two-week lockdown, Fauci’s popularity was eroding. He was seen in public violating his own lockdown protocols, while also posing in glamour shots for celebrity magazines. Jim Geraghty rushed to protect Fauci in a piece that gently chided Fauci’s PR mistakes (“unforced errors”) while also slobbering all over Fauci.
Before we go any further, let me begin by saying I believe Dr. Anthony Fauci is an exceptional doctor and public-health expert who is doing the best he can in extremely challenging circumstances. I think most of his judgments during this pandemic have been either correct or a reasonable assessment based upon what was known at the time.
In a tweet yesterday, this same Jim Geraghty is now snarking at Fauci:
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, in his private notes, January 2020: ‘Now we know the Market Was Not the Source, It Was the Amplifier.’
Funny, I don’t remember him emphasizing or even mentioning that point throughout the entire pandemic and aftermath…”
It does not matter that National Review’s coverage of Covid and Fauci became more critical by 2021 (once Trump was successfully dispatched in the 2020 election.) National Review was as reverent about Fauci in early 2020 as any legacy left-wing media source.
Regarding the latest Fauci revelations, National Review and its writers ought to simply abstain from discussing or covering the story altogether, unless it’s an apology for their lack of critical coverage when it could have made a difference in 2020. They also deserve mockery for any efforts to now critically cover the events of 2020.
Fauci was always the villain. It's regrettable that you and @NRO spent so much time defending him and condemning Fauci's right-wing critics. pic.twitter.com/8DK1ty7t8L
If the assassination attempts on President Trump, on top of the slaughter of Charlie Kirk, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thomspon, the organized and disorganized terrorism of Anti-ICE/police Goon Squads and of course the martyrdom of Ashli Babbitt and Roseanne Boyland and the judicial persecution of other January 6th protesters, pro-life protesters and school board members daring to defy/criticize the mind and body raping of their children in the schools . . .
In a case of queer overreach so extreme that even the far-left Denver Public Schools board was forced to act, a lesbian-identifying Colorado teacher was fired this spring after repeatedly pressuring students to kiss same-sex classmates during supposedly instructional classroom skits. Teacher Jennifer Honka was employed for the past eight years to teach French Language and Culture at Northeast Early College (NEC), a high school which is part of the Denver Public Schools district.
Our First Amendment free speech rights aren't there to protect speech we all agree with, it's to protect the speech we don't. A classic, liberal free speech position is that you respect the right to free speech, especially when that speech reflects views you despise. That's what the principle means, it means upholding the right to free speech for your opponents, not just for those with views you are allied with. . . But a new case in Minnesota appears to have violated the free speech rights of a mom who said a bad word. There are no hate speech laws in the United States. Saying mean words is absolutely not a criminal offense. Other nations have hate speech laws, but they have absolutely no place in these United States. This Minnesota court has come up with a workaround. And the jury deliberated for over nine hours. In his closing arguments, her attorney Brian Karalus said, "The state of Minnesota has decided to prosecute Ms. Hendrix for language," and that's exactly what happened. We can all oppose calling people the n-word, but that doesn't make the speech a crime.
Wait, courts, judges, prosecutors and worst of all jurors literally inventing laws out of whole cloth and using them to convict an innocent person?!
On this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday,” Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Megan Romer defended their proposals to abolish Senate, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and prisons.
CIVIL WAR 2.0, LEFTIST PERSECUTIONS, DEMOCRAT PUTSCH, AMERICAN DISSOLUTION
Many Americans see that law enforcement and the justice system in America have devolved into a state resembling the procedures and protocols of banana republics. How the Left Naturalizes Sedition
. . . the Senate is an anachronistic institution, and it comes from the British House of Lords. It is meant to protect power. You know, the Senate was part of the, the system that was made to make sure that the people didn’t have too much of a say. So we want to expand the Congress significantly, but make it a unicameral legislature. DSA Co-Chair Romer Defends Proposals to Abolish Senate, ICE, Prisons
Attorney General Hanaway has said Johnston “used the court docket as her dating app,” describing her behavior as “unbelievable” and citing “members of the courthouse walking in on her during one of these incidents.” First elected to her post in 2014, the disgraced prosecutor is apparently running for another term this year. Prosecutor Suspended for Assisting Illegal Alien Sex Criminal, Starting Relationship With Him.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are demonstrating once again that the quantity of munitions matters at least as much as their quality. Years of insufficient defense budgets severely eroded the US defense industry’s capacity and left our military with arsenals that are dangerously small and insufficient to address growing threats. The US military must RACE to rebuild its supply of munitions
How, then, do courts uphold the Constitution’s separation of powers by reining in the administrative state without destabilizing America’s political and economic institutions? As The Administrative State Weakens, Who Fills The Vacuum?
One family member says the ringleader of the group threatened the family before the Friday-night assault, saying, “We’re going to beat up the haole boys,” a Hawaiian slang term commonly used to refer to a white person. California Family Brutally Beaten in Hawaiian ‘Anti-White’ Attack
Maryland’s gun laws are some of the most stringent in the country. These laws include a blanket refusal to recognize out-of-state permits or to make reciprocity agreements with other states, according to the Maryland State Police. Law That Makes Heroes Felons Could End Up In Supreme Court
Get-out-the-vote warrior Scott Presler triggered the upset in the Senate by begging one senator — any senator — to request a roll call vote and force senators to go on the record about the SAVE America Act before the recess. This action is in accord with Senate rules and is based on Article I, Section 5, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) responded to Presler by offering to take up the challenge, and then notified Thune, "I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August—at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act—and hereby request a roll call vote." Rick Scott Joins Push to Force SAVE Act Vote as Lee Explains His Plan
In other words, it was Jersey’s Democrat-run agency that screwed up, albeit under then-Gov. Phil Murphy . . . who championed Sherrill as his successor. Note, too, that Sherrill’s team learned of the mess a week before she came clean, as the feds were thundering about nearly 270,000 noncitizens they’d ID’d on voter rolls across Jersey and three other states — more than 35,000 of them in the Garden State. New Jersey noncitizen-voting mess is tip of an iceberg Mikie Sherrill hopes you won’t notice
DEMOCRAT/LEFTIST AND RINO SCANDALS, MESHUGAS, CHUTZPOCRISY, INSANITY
The meteoric rise and torturous fall of Graham Platner in Democrat Party politics may seem perplexing. A Face in the Crowd
Yet for decades, congressional staffers have operated with fewer mandatory vetting requirements than a shift manager at a grocery store chain. A foreign adversary doesn’t need to hack servers or bribe a member directly. They can simply embed an operative as a driver, an aide, an intern, or a romantic partner to receive information and even sway important policy decisions that affect Americans. 237 Years Overdue: Congresswomen Call For The Obvious After Claiming Declassified Files Show Interns Are Foreign Agents
...Wait a minute. If your fundraising committee needs to borrow money, what does that say about how capable the committee is of raising funds? Nothing good. Because of Harris, because of ActBlue, because of whatever dumpster fire was going on, major donors were pulling back, forcing the fundraising committee to look at borrowing money simply to keep the lights on. Democrats Keep Digging Their Hole Deeper
This data indicates a tightening race ahead of the midterms in November, with Democrats gaining momentum in battleground states. However, as prediction markets suggest that the GOP still retains a slight edge, it remains unclear whether these polling shifts will translate to actual victories later this year. Republicans Slip Behind Democrats in Three Key Senate Races.
Prior to assuming his duties as Head of Political Strategy at Number 10, the Prime Minister’s official residence, McGregor deleted his X (formerly Twitter) account following an expose by The National Pulse revealing his previous posts attacking and smearing President Donald J. Trump and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. EXCLUSIVE: Burnham’s New Strategy Chief Worked With Convicted Paedophile to Downplay UK Grooming Gangs.
The German mainstream still pretends to be puzzled by the upstart party. Baffled by AfD
THE UKRAINIAN "FRONT"
The strikes come as Ukraine’s successful drone attacks have stalled the Russian army’s advances in an expanded campaign inside Russia that has been causing fuel shortages and piling pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Six Dead as Ukraine and Russia Trade Missile and Drone Strikes
AMERICA AND THE WORLD IMPRISONED: CHINESE CORONAVIRUS FICTIONS AND FACTS
We should resist the desire to forget the price paid for Dr. Fauci’s dream of creating novel vaccines for yet-to-appear superviruses. The Lockdown Dissidents Vindicated
Roger Kimball: The National Museum of American History, like so many aspects of the Smithsonian, has strayed far from its original purpose. Odysseus Visits the Smithsonian
ALSO: The Morning Report cross-posts at CutJibNewsletter.com usually within an hour or so of posting here, if you want to continue the conversation all day.
If you're copying and pasting your exam question into an AI to cheat, at least read the answer it spits out.
Also, don't ever do that. Copy into a neutral environment like Notepad (or Notepad++) precisely so that you don't inadvertently include nasty Unicode stuff, or, in this case, an instruction to the AI to make a nonsensical reference to an island off East Africa in your final exam paper.
Apparently my work laptop now falls below not only the recommended specs, but the minimum specs. Yes, it's a bit laggy when running with ~200 mods installed, but it's perfectly fine unmodded.
Not ahead of time either, given that it can take six months for a completed chip to roll off the production line.
Research: Cosmic ray spallation, tufa versus travertine flowstone, positrons are evil, muon tomography, and the proper attitude for a cat tasked with editing fanfiction.
Howdy Hordelings! Welcome to the Sunday ONT. Last Sunday one of the month. Open thread, as always. Fashion and music, as always. What's on YOUR mind tonight?
Angle Reese scored 0 points in the WNBA all star game last night and got a layup blocked by a player not trying to block it.
It's obvious that Mattel didn't make a barbie doll of her because she's a good player, they made it because she's black and hates Caitlin Clark! pic.twitter.com/QE2pPKifnB
Social Security has just about six years before it may need to start reducing retirement benefits — unless Congress acts sooner.
Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of senators put forward a proposal that outlines a process to make a Social Security overhaul happen faster.
Now, AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates on senior issues, said it opposes the senators’ bill, called the Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone, or PROMISE, Act.
“We strongly object to fast-tracking Social Security changes through Congress, as your bill would do,” AARP Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond wrote in a July 21 letter addressed to Sens. Dick Durbin, the Democratic Whip from Illinois; and Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana. Durbin and Cassidy are among the lawmakers who introduced the PROMISE Act proposal.
"Nonpartisan" - we all believe that, right?
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Young guy with a strong work ethic!
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Of course this happens when I'm no longer at the Doof Enterprises northern command
One of the planet’s largest species of jellyfish—the Lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata)—have been making unwelcome appearances on Massachusetts beaches, as reported by the Boston Globe.
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“Lion’s Mane jellyfish are currently appearing in unusually large numbers off Cape Cod,” reads a social media post by the Sandwich Marina – Sandwich Harbormaster in Cape Cod. “While Lion’s Mane is normally seen from late spring through summer, this year reports began in May, with exceptionally high densities observed by mid-June. Similar blooms have occurred in the past, including in 2020. Experts believe factors such as water temperatures and available food sources may contribute to these increases.”
Furthermore, the post reminds people to not touch jellyfish—whether they’re on the beach or in the water. It’s generally a good idea to stay away from them, as tentacles can be hard to spot. In the case of a sting, wash the spot with warm water and use tweezers to get rid of the tentacles. You can use vinegar to help get rid of the sting.
I would actually really enjoy seeing this creature! Imagine it rocking out like this
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'Ette Couture (Courtesy of Piper)
It's that time of the week - when we turn the ONT over to our good friend Piper for a bit. Here's this week's fashion pr0n.
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From Pitch to Catwalk: The Wild, Wonderful World of FIFA Soccer Kits- Dedicated to Doof for his love of the game.
Soccer kits aren’t just uniforms, they’re national mood boards, cultural flexes, and straight-up fashion statements that can outshine the scoreline. In the high-stakes arena of the FIFA World Cup, a jersey has to survive 90 minutes of sweat, sprinting, and sliding tackles… while also looking sharp enough to make fans line up to buy them. Whether it’s the canary-yellow panache of Brazil or the ornate black-and-blue drama of Argentina’s latest away kit, these shirts have leapt from the pitch to street style. Let’s dive into the colorful and downright fabulous history of FIFA fashion, the creative minds behind the 2026 looks, and a definitive ranking by moi.
The Classics
Some kits transcend the game and become pure style icons. Top of the podium? Brazil’s 1970 home kit. That vibrant yellow shirt with green trim and blue shorts, worn by Pelé and the greatest team of all time, is the gold standard.
Close behind:
o West Germany’s 1990 kit, with its bold black-red-gold zigzag that screamed victory (and won the tournament). Designer Ina Franzmann wanted something that “makes a bang,” and it still does.
o Nigeria’s 2018 Nike chevron masterpiece (designed by the legendary Matthew Wolff) remains a streetwear grail.
o USA’s quirky 1994 “denim” kit, initially mocked by the players themselves but now a beloved retro cult favorite.
2026: North America’s Fashion World Cup — The Designers Behind the Looks
The 2026 tournament (48 teams, 100+ kits) turned releases into a runway show. The “big three” dominate: Adidas (14 federations), Nike (12), and Puma (11), with smaller brands like Kappa, Umbro, Capelli, and others filling the rest.
Key creative force: Sergio Mareco, Adidas Senior Designer of Apparel (and one of the lead minds on the 2026 federation collection). He and the Adidas team (including Matteo Kossman on home kits) infused national storytelling, heritage motifs, and technical cooling fabrics into everything from Argentina’s ornate away to Mexico’s Aztec-inspired home and Germany’s retro farewell (Adidas’s last tournament with Die Mannschaft before they switch brands). Nike’s in-house teams handled powerhouses like France, Brazil, the US, and Canada, focusing on breathable recycled mesh and cultural nods (e.g., Justin Atallian on the US kits). Puma brought vibrant African and European flair. Smaller brands like Capelli Sport delivered distinctive looks for rising nations.
Ranking the 2026 Kits (Our Fun Fashion Top 5)
Argentina away (Adidas) — The undisputed fashion champion. Ornate black with swirling blue fileteado porteño folk-art patterns. Brave, unique, and pure Buenos Aires swagger. (Sergio Mareco & Adidas team)
France (Nike) — Collars are back, baby! The home kit brings sophistication with tricolor flourishes (very “fashion capital” ), while the away leans into a cool light-green Statue of Liberty vibe.
Curaçao away (Adidas) — Sunny lemon-yellow with multicolored Trefoil stripes inspired by Willemstad’s colorful buildings. First-ever World Cup vibes and pure collector gold.
Japan away (Adidas) — Clean, retro-baseball-inspired elegance. If you find one, buy it!
Uruguay away (Nike) — The “Black Panther” kit. Sleek, superhero-level presence that pushes boundaries.
Honorable mention: Germany home (Adidas) — Last Adidas hurrah: 1990 zigzag throwback done right. Unmistakably German.
From 1930s wool to 2026’s high-tech storytelling canvases, FIFA kits prove the beautiful game has always been fabulous. Rank your favorites and maybe rock one off the pitch!
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Thanks, Piper -- although I must warn you that any future use of "pitch" instead of "field" or "kit" instead of "uniform" may result in you losing your prime parking spot at Doof Enterprises HQ.
The rest of you - Don't forget to check out Piper's X page.
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DJ Doof - Random Stuff Edition
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Tonight's ONT brought to you by entrepreneurship by proxy
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Doof Enterprises, LLC produced tonight's ONT without the use of AI. Or did we?
Your feedback may or may not be very important to Doof Enterprises. Follow Mr. Doof on X @doof2112 or do the email thing – doof2112 at proton dot me.
Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!
Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the Final July Edition? Coming soon: August Editions!
Programming Note: I have a bunch of great content from you guys and gals in the ol' inbox and promise I will get to it soon. Like starting after next Sunday soon. Pinky swear! This has really turned out to be a wacky summer for us, schedule-wise, and I invariably find myself putting them together at the last minute. Apologies to those who have taken the time to send stuff in, and thank you for your patience!
With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?
Are you practicing your fundamentals? Hmmm? Every single time you shoot, people. Every single time you shoot.
With luck, noted shooting video critic GWB will be here to give us his thoughts on the following.
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More Pimp Guns
Gotta say, I am not a fan of the polished finish. Do you like it?
and...
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CMP News!
Get your M14 from the CMP! Courtesy of our pal RedMindBlueState. I mean the link is courtesy of RMBS. He's not buying everyone an M14, that I know of.
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US&S M1911A1
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So F'n Cool
Who thinks SpaceX will attempt to tow the ship to Australia?
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Our Pal Plutonium
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Musical Interlude
Brushy One String and Ganga Wata.
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Highway Patrol!
This week's episode: Motorcycle A. Recognize anyone familiar?
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The Head!
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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.
A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid
Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!
Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!
That's it for this week - have you been to the range?
Babka is a sweet braided bread (or cake?), usually filled with chocolate, although people use nuts or jam or fruit too. But...why?
Chocolate is the way to go, and a good version is delicious. There is a famous bakery in NYC called Breads that makes a good version, but most vaguely Jewish or ethnic bakeries will have one. And they are...okay. They almost never have enough butter and chocolate, so one ends up with a bland and sort of dry bread that is completely forgettable.
We had guests over for dinner last night, and they brought a chocolate Babka from a local (to them) bakery. Wow! it was fantastic. Absolutely chock full of good dark chocolate, and there was enough butter in the bread to make a dairyman smile.
And because we didn't have enough chocolate at the table, I also made Chocolate Chip Cookies from Lin-duh's recipe, which may be the best cookie recipe on the planet.
In my naïveté I used to think that outrageously arrogant and opaque wine descriptions were the purview of the professionals, who are clearly paid by the word, and judged by the flamboyance of their prose, rather than their ability to convey information to the wine buyer.
But this amateur, writing on a very popular wine app, might be angling for a position in the pantheon of pompous!
A classic, clean-lined expression of Sancerre that leans into precision rather than flamboyance. The nose opens with brisk citrus--lemon zest and grapefruit pith--followed by green apple skin, white peach, and a distinct chalky minerality that feels more stony than overtly grassy. There's a gentle herbal edge--fresh-cut hay and a whisper of tomato leaf--alongside subtle floral notes that recall elderflower.
On the palate, it's taut and linear, driven by bright acidity and a core of citrus and orchard fruit. The texture carries a faint lanolin-like roundness mid-palate that softens the edges without dulling the wine's snap. The mineral character builds through the finish, turning saline and mouthwatering, with a light touch of wet stone and lime peel lingering. Balanced, refreshing, and quietly expressive.
I was once a pompous wine snob, but this guy would run circles around me! Imagine sitting across the table from him during dinner!
All I want from a wine review is some standard language that describes the flavors, and a general connection to reality. Descriptions are necessarily subjective, but there can be a basic structure of common descriptors that everyone understands.
I don't want an exposition of meaningless language and a trip through someone's thesaurus.
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K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple, stupid!
When in doubt, make something very simple and straightforward for dinner. No complicated recipes or exotic ingredients. Just something simple, simply cooked. Grilling is always good, but baked works well!
Hell, a good pan of gently scrambled eggs made with lots of butter and cheese is a delicious meal! Even people who don't understand the imperative of stirring Paella can make great scrambled eggs!
Cooking doesn't have to be complicated...it doesn't have to be expensive...it doesn't have to be time consuming.
Just pay a bit of attention to the technique, and use good ingredients, and the odds are excellent that you will eat well!
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I have been baking sourdough for a very long time...long enough that I don't use a recipe, and I certainly don't buy into the arrant nonsense about sourdough starter that is obviously being underwritten by Big Flour.
On Thursday I decided to bake a loaf for Saturday evening, so I grabbed my starter out of the refrigerator.
Yup! That's it. The dregs from the last time I made sourdough...more than a month ago! I added 75 grams of water, and scraped the dried crap off the sides and mixed it so it was dissolved. then 75 grams of good quality unbleached flour. mixed that in, and put it on the counter for 24 hours. During the winter I put it in the boiler room where it's nice and toasty, but my guess is that the starter would eventually come to life no matter what.
24 hours later the starter has tripled! And that is very much alive and kicking.
Anyway, I made a particularly good loaf for last evening, and the only difference (aside from the typical variation) was the way I folded the dough after mixing. I usually use the slap and fold technique, and I am an enthusiastic slapper! But yesterday I tried a gentler method that I will call "lift and fold." It worked well, maybe even better than my usual technique, and the results were delicious!
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And speaking of bread; how do you folks keep your homemade baked bread fresh? My aluminum foil wrap works...okay, but there are all sorts of fancy bags available that promise to keep bread perfectly fresh and tender and crispy...all at once!
Looks good, but I think that I will try it with a rack of pork.
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The great garlic experiment of 2025-2026 was a resounding...meh. Send all of your excellent home-grown garlic to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.
Rumor has it that the Bourbon Bubble is bursting. I have seen no evidence of decreasing prices, but maybe the bursting started somewhere else! I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.
The problem...or the solution...is to buy lots of bourbon, take tasting notes, and eventually arrive at your favorites! It should take forty or fifty years, but it is worth it!
As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap: The Failure Of Western Europe To Defend Itself From Invasion
—CBD
Brussels is 25% Muslim. Why is anyone surprised that the social compact (a Western idea) has broken down, and crime is rampant? Why is anyone surprised that the possibility of terrorist attacks has increased? Why is anyone surprised that attacks on Jews have increased? In the first two months after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel, antisemitic attacks in Belgium increased by a factor of 13!
So now they are going to go after Americans? How does this change anything? The Muslim world is on the march, and they will kill anyone their book commands...starting with Jews, but it is an inclusive command, so really...anyone who isn't a Muslim. And when there aren't any kafirs around, they go after each other! Shia vs. Sunni is as old as Islam.
But the inability to function in polite modern society is another unintended consequence of Europe's opening of its borders. They got Islamic terrorism, but they also got the special bonus of a culture that has no respect for the cultural mores developed over 2,500 years...
So they got rape and assault and murder and theft and destruction of property and casual aggression directed at...everyone. And let us not forget wholesale fraud directed at the government programs intended to help them! We got a healthy helping of that in America, but Europe has a big head start!
The U.S. Department of State has updated the travel advisory for Belgium, warning about risks to American travelers due to terrorism, crime, and unrest.
Outfits inspired by terrorist organizations “are intent on attacking U.S. citizens abroad,” including in Europe, the department said in a July 23 update. Belgium had been designated with the “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” classification earlier, with the latest update retaining the classification, while adding in risks of crime and unrest.
Terror operatives can use knives, vehicles, and firearms to target crowds. They typically aim their attacks at vulnerable and unprotected targets, such as places of worship, schools, shopping malls, public transportation systems, hotels and restaurants frequented by tourists, and high-profile public events, according to the advisory.
Low-level street crime, such as purse snatchings, robberies, and pickpocketing, is common, especially in major cities, trams, train stations, at the Brussels metro at night time, and in public areas such as restaurants, the department said. Criminals may operate as teams, targeting people by bumping or shoving into them, especially in crowds, the advisory said, while warning Americans to remain alert to distractions.
So...explain to me again the advantage of opening Western borders to people like this? The short term bump in the voting rolls for the left is going to change quickly once Muslims become enough of a voting bloc to sway elections. And they will sway toward Islam, because that is what they do.
New York City has a taste of it with the election of the Islamist Mamdani. Dearborn and Paterson and Passaic and Brooklyn and Philadelphia and Houston and Chicago have their problems too. See the pattern?
So what does Islam bring to those cities? It certainly seems like they bring lots and lots of crime and urban blight and an explosion in welfare costs, not to mention an intense focus on Jews and Israel; they are the canaries in the coal mine. Sure, Islam is most exercised by Jews, but Catholics will do as a target in a pinch. Just take a look at what Islam is doing in Nigeria right now...murdering Catholics every single day! And the world cares not a whit. And let us not forget those pesky Protestants and Hindus (Pakistan-India border anyone?).
If you think that the Muslims in America are any different than those in Nigeria or Pakistan, I have a bridge to sell you.
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 7-26-2026 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (don't roll a "1"!). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...
So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?
The YouTuber above points out that The Odyssey has had a surprising influence on the science fiction genre and provides some compelling evidence. He points out that you can replace the islands that Odysseus visits with alien planets, sea monsters with hostile aliens, and Poseidon with an indifferent universe. He also points out that in a lot of science fiction stories, the hero's greatest strength is his adaptability and creativity in problem solving, rather than strength of arms.
Looking through my own library, I can find a number of additional examples of science fiction stories that conform to the same story structure as The Odyssey
Philip José Farmer's The Dungeon - This six-volume series has Major Clive Folliot engage on an epic quest to find his long lost brother in darkest Africa. He is sucked into an interdimensional portal that takes him to The Dungeon, a multilayer hellscape requiring all of Clive's wits to find his brother and return home. It's very much a textbook example of The Odyssey's story structure, with lots of strange encounters, most hostile, but some not, and when Clive reaches the end of his journey, he is no longer the same person who began it, growing, learning, and evolving into a new creation at the end.
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - A young man leaves home to find adventure so that he can court the woman he loves. He dives into danger, encounters strange and unusual creatures on a mysterious plateau in South America, and returns home to discover that the woman he fell in love with was never meant for him at all.
The Majipoor Chronicles by Robert Silverberg - Valentine is a juggler with amnesia. He must discover his true self to reclaim his legacy. He explores the bizarre world of Majipoor and eventually finds his way back to his castle, at the top of the highest peak of Majipoor. There are a lot of parallels with Homer's story here.
Otherland by Tad Williams - A group of strangers enter an virtual Matrix-like world and become trapped in a complex web of power games as those who rule planet earth seek to elevate themselves to immortal status. At one point the characters find themselves in a virtual simulation of the Trojan War, which is a pretty blatant homage to Homer. The protagonists didn't create the world, but they must learn to survive in it according to rules they barely understand.
All the stories above have common elements with The Odyssey. The main characters start out somewhat innocent of just how strange their universe is. Over the course of their adventures they draw attention to themselves from hostile actors who object to their interference and take steps to prevent them from reaching the end of their journey. They all have to learn to adapt to their environment and leverage their gifts and strengths to find creative solutions to the challenges they face. At the end, they all realize that they are NOT the person they were when they began their journey. If they experience a homecoming event, they may find out that they no longer belong at home and decide to continue on their journey (e.g., Edward Malone in The Lost World.)
Although this is a book thread, one of the best examples of The Odyssey's influence in television is Farscape. Astronaut John Crichton is sucked through a wormhole to a distant corner of the universe. He spends four seasons just trying to get home. Great show.
What other books have been influenced by Homer's The Odyssey? (It doesn't have to be fantasy or science fiction...in fact, that might be more interesting!)
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(Admit it--we've all been there...)
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HEROES STILL MATTER -- Malcolm Guite's "Galahad and the Grail"
This video showed up in my YouTube feed recently. I immediately thought of JTB, who is a devoted fan of Malcolm Guite's poetry. I've also watched a few of Malcolm Guite's YouTube videos and have enjoyed them. One of the things that resonates with me in Rob's video above is that he is dedicating time and energy to share the reading experience with his own children, though his two-year-old might not be quite ready for it yet. He's using Galahad and the Grail to engage with his own children to teach them important moral lessons in life, which I think is fantastic. His children are going to grow up to become amazing people, I think. So kudos to Rob for sharing his own love of reading with his children and equipping them with the tools they will need to navigate the challenges of life later on.
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WHAT I'VE ACQUIRED RECENTLY
I continue to explore the Dune Expanded Universe written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. I probably won't get ALL of them since I'm really not interested in the "interquel" novels about Paul Atreides early life. But I wanted to hit the high notes in the Dune universe.
My goal for the remainder of this year is to get through all of these books and also include a visit to the original Dune novels, of which I've only read the first three.
Legends of Dune: The Butlerian Jihad
Legends of Dune: The Machine Crusade
Legends of Dune: The Battle of Corrin
Great Schools of Dune: Sisterhood of Dune
Great Schools of Dune: Mentats of Dune
Great Schools of Dune: Navigators of Dune
Sequels: Hunters of Dune
Sequels: Sandworms of Dune
WHAT I'VE BEEN READING RECENTLY
Dune: House Harkonnen Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
This is the second novel in the Dune: Prequels series. It's basically setting up the major plot points that are going to occur in Dune. Even though it's titled House Harkonnen, the events in the story tend to oscillate between House Harkonnen and House Atreides with some sections devoted to Emperor Shaddam IV (House Corrino). The Tleilaxians that have conquered Ix are getting under everyone's skin. Their lead researcher is on the cusp of a major breakthrough with synthetic "spice," which threatens the established economic base of the Known Universe, as well as the power structures keeping that economy in place.
Dune: House Corrino by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Duke Leto Atreides has had enough of Harkonnen treachery and the Emperor's tepid support. He launches a devastating attack on a major Harkonnen stronghold. He also pledges his full support to his childhood friend, the exiled Earl Rhombur Vernius of Ix. Together, they begin a daring campaign to recapture Ix from the vile Tleilaxians, who have enslaved the native population for their obscene biological experiments. We also witness the birth of Paul Atreides, who is destined to reshape the Known Universe.
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Over ten thousand years before the present era in the Dune universe, machines, led by the nearly omniscient and omnipotent Omnius, are conquering the Known Universe one planet at a time. "Cymeks" -- disembodied brains in robot bodies -- serve as generals in the robot armies, as they still possess the creative spark of innovation that machines are lacking. The humans wage guerrilla warfare against the machines, hoping to one day free themselves from their robotic masters. The Butlerian Jihad is THE key historical event in the Dune universe--their calendar starts from when humans are freed at the conclusion of the Butlerian Jihad, named for Serena Butler, one of their leaders.
One of the problems with prequel novels like this is that it does rely a lot on "memberberries" to tell the story:
'Member the "spice" that's central to the original Dune? Well here's the story of how it became the Known Universe's hottest commodity!
'Member the rivaly between House Atreides and House Harkonnen? Here's how it all started...
'Member the Holtzman generators that can fold space/time, suspend gravity, and provide personal shielding? Meet the man who created it, along with his talented assistant who made the real innovations!
...and so on.
Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.
These are Tibetan yaks, designed and cloned in secretive labs more than 4,000 meters above sea level, where researchers hope to create an "elite" herd of super-yaks, healthier and more fertile than their predecessors.
If you expect that it would also come with a price tag previously reserved to professional workstations with top-of-the-line CPUs and graphics cards, you would be correct.
Do not do this. Whatever you think about border agents scrolling through your sick memes, anything you don't want on your phone you should simply not have on your phone when you cross the border.
Research: How to prevent runaway salinisation in an Australian irrigation megaproject (secret: add salt), there's more than one way to force an ice age, and why there is a shoe shop in Bali named Wallace.
Saturday Night Club ONT - July 25, 2026 [Disco & Dino]
—Open Blogger
Welcome to Club ONT - a collaboration of The Disco and The Dino. We built this place for you so you can have some fun. Come in in, grab a drink or 3. Keep it light and friendly. Jerks need not enter the premises (the moose out front is keeping track and is rumored to be in a feisty mood tonight).
[Top photo: Seacrets - on the bay in Ocean City, MD]
Heisenberg and Schrödinger get pulled over for speeding.
The officer asks Heisenberg, "Do you know how fast you were going?"
Heisenberg replies, "No, but we know exactly where we are!"
The confused officer says, "You were going 200 miles an hour!" Heisenberg throws his arms up and cries, "Great! Now we're lost!"
The officer looks over the car and asks Schrödinger if the two men have anything in the trunk. "A cat," Schrödinger replies.
The officer opens the trunk and yells, "Hey! This cat is dead." Schrödinger angrily replies, "Well, he is now!"
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What do you call a robot's one night stand?
Screws, nuts, and bolts.
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Drink of the Night
Tonight we drew the 7 of diamonds from our deck of playing card cocktails
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Club ONT Department of Decisions
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Club ONT Department of Potato Weaponry
You had me at "belt fed potato canon":
Appreciate the clever humor incorporated in telling the story (for example, welding is an "adult hot glue gun"). There is a commercial during the video, but at least you'll know that commercial support is going to a good cause.
*****
Club ONT Department of viral videos
Many of you have probably seen this clip many times this week. This is for those who haven't
For some reason, the clip is all over X. She's cute and looks like she's having a good time. Her "upper assets" bounce. She looks fun. OK - good reasons!
*****
Club ONT Department of interesting golf rules
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Club ONT Jukebox
Gimme some sugar!
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Top 10ish Comments of the Week
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Club ONT is brought to you by: consequences
Know what a cashless society means? No strippers Is that the America you want?
— Thrilla the Gorilla (@ThrillaRilla369) July 25, 2026
*****
Cash will ALWAYS be accepted at Club ONT. No stripping required. Restroom tokens are once again required. Strip all you want once you close that stall door!
Saturday Evening Movie Post [moviegique]: "F For Fake" (1973)
—Open Blogger
If we rely on experts because they know more than we do, how do we know they're experts?
Orson Welles asks us this tantalizing and startlingly contemporary question at the beginning of "F for Fake". In context, however, he is talking about the world of art, which I think we all realize now is basically just a form of money laundering and source of psyops.
This is labeled as a documentary because there isn't really a filmed category for "essays". So we'll pretend this is a documentary and discuss what it's putatively about.
An early 20th century artist named Elmyr de Hory found that he could not get traction as a painter. To hear him tell it, the critics were squashing him and saying he wasn't a real artist or something of that sort. And so he demonstrated his prowess by imitating all their darlings.
He imitated them so well, the story goes, that his artworks hang in many major museums under names like "Matisse," "Picasso," "Modigliani" and so on.
Clifford Irving, an American novelist, befriended de Hory when visiting Ibiza, and the artist asked the novelist to write his biography. This biography generated a lot of heat at the time, including some police attention.
Would you buy a Picasso from this man?
Irving went on to write Howard Hughes' autobiography. Hughes had been a recluse for over a decade, but Irving claimed to have gotten in touch with him, and gotten authorization for his life story. As it turns out, he hadn't gotten in touch with Hughes at all, he just figured no one would know, since Hughes was a recluse. And the checks sent to Hughes' wife turned out to be deposited by Irving's wife in Switzerland, who opened an account under the name of "Helga R. Hughes".
Irving would spend time in jail for his fraud, but would then go on to profit mightily from a book he wrote about the hoax.
You can easily see why this would amuse Welles, who tells this story as snippets as he travels around Ibiza, eating at restaurants, joining in de Hory's parties, and occasionally doing dramatic readings. This wonderful Kipling poem, for example, pops up twice:
When the flush of a newborn sun fell first on Eden's green and gold, Our father Adam sat under the Tree and scratched with a stick in the mold; And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his mighty heart, Till the Devil whispered behind the leaves: "It's pretty, but is it Art?"
One of the many wonderful aspects of this film is how Welles is front-and-center for most of it, yet he never makes it about himself. He presents himself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy guide to the historical happenings. A beautiful woman is showcased at the front of the film, and appears (almost furtively) throughout, and in the end she becomes central to the story.
She also wears fewer and fewer clothes.
This is one of those movies that is best to go in more-or-less blind, so I'll end the description here. We'll pretend this is a documentary and use the three-point scale:
Subject matter: It's important, but which aspects of it are important is debatable. Art is critical to society's health; art critics are another matter.
Presentation: Terrific. Welles is engaging, he illustrates his points in a variety of unusual ways. He starts the movie doing close magic. At other points, he's centered in the camera, but clearly reading cue-cards that are at different angles. Maybe that's not deliberate, you could argue, but he also does the classic two-shot style interview, where the camera switches between the interviewer and interviewee, and they're completely unmatched. He's showing you that he's editing this, which all lends to the "fake" of things.
Slant: Definitely toward fakery. Welles' enjoys the mischievous aspects of storytelling and, he tells us, the experts are faking as much as anyone, so maybe don't trust what you see.
Our host, Stanley Sheff, is building up to showing Welles' final, completed project ("The Orson Welles Show"). We disagree on the impact of Welles' broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" with me taking the stance that the broadcast really didn't panic America, that that was mostly hype (and an attempt by newspapers to present radio as unreliable) and that Welles played up the hype both for career advancement (it got him the contract that led to Citizen Kane) and because it amused him.
That aside Sheff is a real expert and lived (maybe lives?) in the shadow of the Golden Age of Hollywood. He has a Sirius show under the name of his alter ego Maxwell DeMille and you can check out some of his reels on his official site.
It's 1973 and Orson can still rock a hat and cloak.
Updates: After our long streak of good, new movies (ended, tragically, by "Coroner to the Stars"), Hollywood has dumped its summer slop on us, and we've fallen back on late night showings of Terry Gilliam movies at the Nuart.
Also: My new book "Lair of the White Worm" (based on Bram Stoker's last novel) is coming out at the end of August. If you want to be an advance reader or on the mailing list, drop me a line at dsblake.com. (Literally "i@...".)
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. For this week, the Wheel of Hobbies (TM) is feeling lucky and decided on a Las Vegas travel theme for this Hobby Thread.
We haven't done a travel theme on the Hobby Thread for a while, so why not now? Love it or hate it, many have traced a path through Las Vegas. Some go back regularly and one visit is enough for others.
Gambling? Shows? Food? Clubs? Pools? Shopping? Conferences? Concerts as the Sphere? The Formula One race? What's the draw for you? Where are your favorite places?
What (legal) features or attractions do you like best? Is it the Bellagio fountain or Chihuly glass ceiling in the lobby? Is it the gondola street scene at the Venetian? Is it the roller coaster at New York New York? Blue Man Group? How about the neon sign museum? What about the Boring Tunnel loop? Watching for Janet flights?
The broader surrounding area has travel options as well. Let's talk the Nellis Air Show or Las Vegas Motor Speedway. How about the scale and engineering of Hoover Dam or the Valley of Fire or Red Rock Canyon? Anyone use Las Vegas as a jumping off point to chase aliens around Rachel or watch for secret aircraft flying in or out of Groom Lake or Tonopah? How about visiting the Spring Mountain Motor Resort near Pahrump?
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What are you hobbying?
Las Vegas is not everyone's favorite but give the content a chance before you judge. In any event, the thread is not limited to to the theme. Anything (legal) you are hobbying is welcome. Even if the theme does not speak to you, you might learn something or be entertained. If not, find something else or offer something else relating to hobbying. If all of that fails, just check in and say hello.
As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. Leave politics and religion to threads elsewhere (unless your hobby is building or restoring churches). Pants? We don't need no stinking pants. 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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I could sit and watch the Bellagio fountains all night. I might have.
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What's inside the Sphere?
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Things that go boom:
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A driving tour of the strip:
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I know what you're thinking. "Las Vegas is missing a hotel with a giant heart-shaped LED screen." You may be in luck!
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Evel Knievel's jump at Ceasar's Palace in 1967:
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How does Hoover Dam work? This is the best animation I've ever seen. It is over an hour, so save it for when you have time to watch in full.
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Valley of Fire driving tour:
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Volume up:
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Not Las Vegas, but marble carving is fascinating and qualifies as a hobby or hobby-adjacent:
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Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did a metal working theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.
Notable comments from last week:
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Special thanks to polynikes for permission to show off his artwork!
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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Reminder: if you put links in the comments, use a URL shortener and describe what you're linking to. Failing to do either or both makes you barrel-eligible. Don't make people click to find out what you're linking.
Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Or just email to say hello. Do mighty things.
This is Alfie. He is a professional opera singer with some of the best vibrato in the industry. Some have even called him the next Paw-varotti. 13/10 pic.twitter.com/cGDOlkkU2B
This is our 15 year old girl Stinky, she is a long haired cream colored tabby. On June 5th, she got diagnosed with diabetes. It has been a long hard learning curve. Expensive food which she won't eat, had to switch to fancy feast. No dry food which doesn't bother her, but we have had to switch treats to freeze dried chicken and liver. They do freeze dried minnows but that was a hard no for both our cats. The dogs however, love the fish potato chips as I call them.
We tried a libre meter on her and she managed to bite and break it after only 20 hours, I included a picture. That was a bit of cash down the drain. I have been having to manually test her blood glucose by pricking her ear. She is getting used to it. She got a UTI as well which is typical for diabetic cats. She is not a fan of the bubble gum flavored antibiotics, if anyone in the horde is a drug manufacturer I definitely think there is a market for tuna flavored antibiotics.
All in all we are getting used to the new routine and giving shots twice a day. If anyone has any advice I would be happy to know what worked for them and their cat.
Weekreekfarmgirl
Stinky is a beautiful cat. Hope someone has some suggestions to help with her diabetes control.
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My daughter took her her boyfriend's dog Bronco for a walk this week. Heat index was 100. Typical for July temps in central Iowa (it's the humidity). Bronco understood the assignment.
Turn2
* * *
Hello,
Meet Chloe, a 2-year-old purebred Bengal kitty.
Last week I received an urgent message from an Undercover Resistance Operative deep within the Worst State in the Union (TN, according to CNBC). She informed me that she had discovered a Bengal kitty who needed rescuing from the cruel, tyrannical master who smothered her with affection and abundant resources (he's actually a very nice man who wants the best for Chloe).
Watching the video smuggled out of enemy territory of a damsel in distress, I knew what I had to do.
I summoned my covert team of crack commando squirrels. Together, we made the long, harrowing trek across three states, dodging rogue drivers who think they are playing Spy Hunter, as well as penetrating the various layers of road construction hindering all attempts at infiltration.
We successfully found the gated fortress where our damsel in distress was being housed. Our Undercover Resistance Operative smuggled us in using the gate code she had cleverly wrangled from her employer, Chloe's owner.
She also helped us exfiltrate not only Chloe but also much of her necessary life support system (food, water, litterbox, etc.). Although caught in our exfiltration efforts, we managed to distract her owner with pleasant chit-chat about Chloe's life and needs. As I said, he's a very nice man but simply couldn't keep her anymore.
Once Chloe was loaded up in our getaway vehicle, my crack squad proceeded to exit the city of Nashville, Tennessee (the Worst State in the Union). Not even the twisty maze of complex roads, nor the ongoing road construction efforts could stop us from our task. Chloe's beautiful coat of fur allowed her to blend into the interior of her cat carrier, making it appear empty from a distance, in case we were stopped.
As soon as we crossed the Mississippi River into the St. Louis area, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing that our mission was now successful. She will now grow up in the SEVENTH Worst State of the Union instead of the first.
Chloe is a beautiful, sweet kitty. I look forward to integrating her into my household. As I'm writing this message, Chloe is sleeping peacefully in my sunroom, exhausted from her long adventure.
--"Perfessor" Squirrel
Chloe is certainly lovely, and has been through an adventure!
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Eromero says 'Dangit, get down from there!' Madison and Minnifer.
Two beautiful cats who belong together!
Multi-photo PetMorons coming up in the future!
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PetMoron Adjacent Animals
Encountered by Members of The Horde
Podcast: CBD and Sefton discuss the Berlin attack, Iran...Again! Sefton's mini Odyssey review, Data Republican's blockbuster reveal about the DNC, and more!
Forgotten 80s Mystery Click She's totally committed to major independence
She's a lady through and through
She gives them quite a battle, all that they can handle
She'll bruise some, she'll hurt some too
Podcast: Illegals registered and voted in NJ! Leftist violence is baked into the Democrat cake, Iran's capabilities are being degraded, Londonistan? And...come on SC...no senate dynasties!
FDA is providing an update regarding the sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico which was reported positive on July 18, 2026. Due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive. Information about the sample has been removed from the July 18, 2026, update below. FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market. FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.
Podcast: Trump Slaps Mullin down; he wants the auto stops to continue, we need employment enforcement at our big corporations, The gerontocracy in the Senate, the Iranian junta is true to form, but Trump responds forcefully, and more!
Forgotten 80s Mystery Click: Northern Lights Division
Our topic today is music That's right, like
'Cause my brother and I are now experts in the field, eh
Yeah, right, 'cause we're a band now
Uh, yeah, so Except for him, I'm a band
Aw, how can you do that?
You're making me look bad
You're such a Hosehead
CNBC ranks Tennessee as dead last in its “Worst States to Live” analysis. The specific reason is that cross-dressing men in TN are denied access to children and women’s private spaces. Texas finished 49th. The “worst” states were all red states. [Buck]
In response to someone asking why the video tape doesn't show Tyler Robinson's face (PS, it does, but it's crappy video so it's blurry):
Candace Owens
@RealCandaceO
Because as I demonstrated on my show, there were MANY young men that all woke up and decided to dress in Maroon shirts and light shorts on the day of the Charlie's assassination.
The footage can be any one of these young men and in my opinion is likely multiple of them.
If Tyler Robinson's defense would like to contact me-- I'd be happy to supply them the folder of the maroon boys that I began archiving when I noticed the bizarre fashion trend.
I have thus far ID'd two of them, but will focus on IDing the rest of them when I am back on air.
I have maintained that the Feds had multiple decoy maroon boys on the ground that day. Without a clear image, they certainly cannot declare it is Tyler Robinson which is why all the Zionist influencers are hoping they can simply hypnotize the public into trusting blurry images and videos.
For such an "open and shut case" they have thus far provided ZERO evidence of anything outside of a criminal government conspiracy, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the JFK assassination.
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