Althouse: Sunrise — 6:48, 7:01, 7:08.

February 13, 2026

Sunrise — 6:48, 7:01, 7:08.

Write about whatever you want in the comments.

147 comments:

Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Canadian Curling 🥌 Caught Cheating.

Inconceivable!; 2/13/26, 6:04 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Amazing how leftwing and biased Grok is. They won't call communists - known to be communists based on confessions, biographies, Vernona decryted intercepts, or NKVD/GRU information in the Soviet Archives, as "Communists". Instead, Grok calls them "accused communists". Like there's some doubt.

Even weirder Grok called someone who was a communist sympathizer "blacklisted by HUAC after his death". Even though HUAC never called the person a communist . Nor did Grok explain how you can "blacklist" someone after they died!

GIGO. If Grok is based on far-left sources.; 2/13/26, 6:31 PM
Jaq said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/13/26, 6:33 PM
Dave Begley said...: Jeffery Epstein wrote in an email to his then girlfriend that Creighton University School of Dentistry would not be a good place for her.

Best endorsement ever!

After a $100k donation, she was admitted and graduated from Columbia. I think she went back to Belarus.; 2/13/26, 6:43 PM
Jaq said...: I agree that Grok regurgitates propaganda. It's a dead end. It said itself that it has no more actual intelligence, in terms of knowing genuinely if anything it says is right or wrong than a fruit fly.

Of course, it doesn't know that that is right too, but evidently its training tells it that.; 2/13/26, 6:43 PM
Jaq said...: That's like the barbecue joint that printed a one star review on its staff's t-shirts. "No vegetarian options... 1 Star"; 2/13/26, 6:45 PM
Jaq said...: I just drove this morning on a route that I hadn't driven since the eighties, through what was a pleasant small town then. What is it now? A highways lined with collection of garishly painted boxes that pass for "architecture," with ugly parking lots, that are devoted to selling Americans Chinese crap. God forbid that we should impose tariffs on the countries doing this to us.; 2/13/26, 6:58 PM
narciso said...: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMy6fANc7W8; 2/13/26, 7:05 PM
john mosby said...: Ref the allegedly lying ICEmen who shot the illegal gangsta: shootings are complicated. Memory under stress is complicated. Tunnel vision affects what and how people see. Officers in completely non-controversial shootings misremember a lot: how many shots they fired, etc.

The articles I've seen just give generalities such as "the officers' statements conflicted with those of the defendants, witnesses, and video." Defendants said something different: duh. Witnesses, in a neighborhood sympathetic to the defendants, said something different: also duh.

Video: not a duh, but also not a duh in the other direction. Video shows you what the camera saw, not what the officers saw. Even without the perception-under-stress issues I listed above, just plain geometry means that only a camera implanted in the officer's eye socket will give you his exact POV. So the officer can truthfully say he saw something very different from what that camera shows.

The article also mentions at least one offender was shot while running away, or after having successfully run away, through the door of his house. Quelle horreur. Well, bullets aren't lasers. Fingers and triggers and strikers aren't electric circuits. They all take time to operate. With a moving target, the situation when the officer made the decision to fire can be quite different from the situation when the bullet gets there. And the officer probably remembers the former, not the latter.

So I really doubt you can convict these officers of false statements. Just too much reasonable doubt that can be presented from Massad Ayoob clippings, let alone actual attorneys and use of force experts.

Might be able to do them administratively or put them on a Giglio list then fire them for being useless in court. Even that's going to be an uphill fight. And bad optics.

The D. Minn. USAO withdrew the case against the gangsta. Hopefully that's enough of a sacrificial lamb. CC, JSM; 2/13/26, 7:10 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Yes, Grok is an AI chatbot product of Elon Musk, specifically developed by his artificial intelligence company, This fella lacks veracity therefore GROK AI IS rotting peoples brains and its just begun, its like well :SCOTT ADAMS SAYS" a guy who made cartons and having people live by his wisdom?? silly; 2/13/26, 7:10 PM
Beasts of England said...: ’Canadian Curling Caught Cheating.’

Admittedly I’ve been at happy hour, but how do you cheat at curling? Illegal whisking? Curlers being in decent shape? Round bacon?; 2/13/26, 7:15 PM
Lazarus said...: I got some Spanish language movies to help me with the language, but ... no subtitles. Fortunately the wine has take effect so I'm oblivious anyway.; 2/13/26, 7:23 PM
TickTock1948 said...: There is a softness to the middle picture that I like a lot.; 2/13/26, 7:26 PM
narciso said...: The third one has the greatest contrast; 2/13/26, 7:41 PM
Big Mike said...: @Beasts of England, a member of the Swedish team claimed that the Canadian curler did a double touch beyond the Hog Line. The Canadian curler insisted that he had not done so, and moreover if he had done do them the referee would have seen it and called a foul, so there!

And if “double touch beyond the Hog Line” is meaningful to you, then you know more about curling than I do and should have looked it up yourself.; 2/13/26, 8:03 PM
narciso said...: https://www.theblaze.com/news/nbc-apology-misgendering-female-skier?; 2/13/26, 8:05 PM
john mosby said...: “double touch beyond the Hog Line”

If only Titus were still here....CC, JSM; 2/13/26, 8:07 PM
Breezy said...: Olympics watch: The Skeleton competitors have to be among the toughest risk-takers on earth. Good god.; 2/13/26, 8:07 PM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: Big Mike said...
And if “double touch beyond the Hog Line” is meaningful to you, then you know more about curling than I do and should have looked it up yourself.

——————-
Anyone remember who that flamboyantly gay commentator who was always talking about getting “hog”? What happened to him? He was very funny and entertaining.; 2/13/26, 8:12 PM
Big Mike said...: From Instapundit:

Kathryn Ruemmler has one of the most gold-plated resumes of any lawyer in America. She was an associate counsel to President Clinton, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, and the deputy director of DOJ’s Enron Task Force. She was a partner in Los Angeles-based Latham & Watkins.

In 2009, Ruemmler joined the Obama Administration as principal associate deputy attorney general. She then became President Obama’s White House Counsel. In 2014, she apparently was considered for the Attorney General post vacated by Eric Holder, but withdrew her name from contention and instead joined Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s most profitable businesses. In 2021 she became Goldman’s Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, and serves as a member of Goldman’s Management Committee.

Well that’s one heck of a resume. So what about her?

It turns out from the Epstein document dump that while she was Obama’s personal lawyer she was also a close personal friend of Jeffrey Epstein, friendly enough to sign her Emails with “xoxo.” Did she play a role in getting Epstein that famous sweetheart deal of a plea bargain in Florida in 2008? I guess we shall find out soon enough.

BTW, Ruemmler has since found it convenient to resign from Goldman-Sachs.; 2/13/26, 8:19 PM
narciso said...: Kevin DeAnna on X: "Mitch McConnell not coming out for the SAVE Act is revealing because he's basically endorsed these measures for his entire career. Now that he could actually do it, he won't. He's not in a vulnerable seat. There's no real reason why he'd oppose it now other than spite." / X https://share.google/sAYtnF3ytNuEo7f6W; 2/13/26, 8:21 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Always take the high road.
You'll have the tactical advantage when shit gets real; 2/13/26, 8:24 PM
Beasts of England said...: ’@Beasts of England, a member of the Swedish team claimed that the Canadian curler did a double touch beyond the Hog Line.’

I should have known it was a Hog Line violation! lol

And I hope you’re getting some clear skies!!; 2/13/26, 8:26 PM
Narr said...: Nice lens flare disc in #3.; 2/13/26, 8:29 PM
Rocco said...: Narr said...
“Nice lens flare disc in #3.”

JJ Abrams liked this comment.; 2/13/26, 8:53 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Know your Memes; 2/13/26, 8:56 PM
Wa St Blogger said...: I agree that Grok regurgitates propaganda. It's a dead end. It said itself that it has no more actual intelligence, in terms of knowing genuinely if anything it says is right or wrong than a fruit fly.

Of course, it doesn't know that that is right too, but evidently its training tells it that.

you can call Grok out on its poor answers. It has the usual sources for its political oriented and scientific material, but you can point out the bias in the material it cites and it will dig deeper for better context. When I asked about the issue where it was claimed no prior president stated a need for a ballroom, I pointed out that that was an error since presidents have stated that the issue was there even if they did not use the words new ballroom. I corrected its approach and found the relevant quotes from others bemoaning the poor state of the facilities. because it quotes for the liberal sources, you have to tell it to find counter arguments, then it usually corrects itself and comes up with a mor fair assessment.

Treat Grok like a woke college student, but one who is willing to learn the facts, not one who just screams "feelings" in your face.; 2/13/26, 9:18 PM
Christopher B said...: Saw a reel on Instagram that showed how the Olympic curling stones have sensors implanted that can determine if the thrower continues to touch the stone past the hog line. No mention if this is only by the handle or more of the stone however.; 2/13/26, 9:21 PM
Peachy said...: Bethany O’Leary 🇺🇸 🦅
@BBMagaMom
·
4h
Wow! Rep. Tim Burchett just said the unreleased Epstein material is so evil it will haunt you for life.

“Satanic. From the pits of hell.”

And in the same breath? He admits the Biden/Obama machine never really changed hands. "

Epstein and Clinton Global Initiative. Entangled .; 2/13/26, 9:34 PM
Peachy said...: The Truth about AOC - she is an idiot.; 2/13/26, 9:36 PM
Peachy said...: X Benny-
"Reminder: Kathryn Ruemmler ran Barack Obama's ethics department and vetted his entire cabinet.

She just resigned in disgrace from Goldman Sachs over her thousands of emails with Jeffrey Epstein."

WALZ(D) criminal - wants to waste 10 million more of your tax payer dollars on his MN is a poor victim shit show.; 2/13/26, 9:39 PM
Little Excursion™️ said...: Noem slams Dems blocking DHS funding bill citing TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard: 'I hope they come to their senses' ~ Fox News

“Lewandowski fired a US Coast Guard pilot because one of the secretary’s blankets was left behind on a plane.

That is the only data point you need to conclude that these are not serious people, that should never be in positions of authority.

It gets better:

In the blanket incident, Noem had to switch planes after a maintenance issue was discovered, but her blanket wasn’t moved to the second plane, according to the people familiar with the incident. The Coast Guard pilot was initially fired and told to take a commercial flight home when they reached their destination. They eventually reinstated the pilot because no one else was available to fly them home."; 2/13/26, 9:46 PM
Peachy said...: Must watch - the heartless fraud crisis in MN.; 2/13/26, 9:56 PM
chuck said...: I agree that Grok regurgitates propaganda.

You need to give it direction. Here is an example, too long to post here.; 2/13/26, 10:01 PM
Caroline said...: Hazy sunrise. Husband is off skiing with the guys. I have been watching The Pendragon Cycle on Daily Wire. It’s excellent!; 2/13/26, 10:06 PM
Eva Marie said...: 1. Found out about this movie on a Joe Rogan podcast:
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey (2017)
documentary chronicling the life of legendary American mountaineer Fred Beckey, “who achieved more first ascents than anyone in history over eight decades, while embracing a rebellious, nomadic lifestyle that inspired generations.” Filmed over a decade up to age 94 - the year he died in 2017. His interests were mountains, weather, and women. The documentary continues into the credits at the end. No violence. Free on Tubi. Worth a view.; 2/13/26, 11:32 PM
Original Mike said...: "And I hope you’re getting some clear skies!!"

Please don't confuse me with Big Mike, Beasts.; 2/13/26, 11:42 PM
Eva Marie said...: 2. Another great mountaineering movie: Touching the Void (2003) “a gripping hybrid documentary that recounts the true story of British climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates’ 1985 attempt to conquer the treacherous west face of Siula Grande in Peru, where a successful ascent turns into a desperate fight for survival after Joe suffers a severe leg break high on the mountain. Blending intense reenactments with interviews from the real climbers, the film captures the harrowing descent, Simon’s agonizing decision to cut the rope, Joe’s miraculous crawl out of a crevasse, and the extraordinary resilience that allowed him to survive against all odds.” Amazing. For rent on Amazon Prime. There’s also a play made on the same topic. Don’t rent that one by mistake. The play is fine but the docu-drama is better. (also no violence); 2/13/26, 11:43 PM
Eva Marie said...: Tubi is a free app. A couple of commercials during the movies but not annoying.; 2/13/26, 11:56 PM
Original Mike said...: First night at the dark site. Day looked promising, but now maybe not so much. About 3 hours 'till dark.; 2/14/26, 12:03 AM
Original Mike said...: OK, thunder and lightning. Guess I'll have a beer.; 2/14/26, 12:35 AM
Original Mike said...: Touching the Void. I read the book. Didn't know there was movie.; 2/14/26, 12:38 AM
Original Mike said...: HHS and DOGE Release Medicaid Dataset to Expose Fraud

Dollars to donuts the democrats will oppose this.; 2/14/26, 12:45 AM
Original Mike said...: Speaking of the democrats…

8% of Nicaragua entered the US in 4 years.

8% of the entire country.

7% of Cuba.
6% of Haiti.
5% of Honduras.; 2/14/26, 12:50 AM
Original Mike said...: BLS Report – January Inflation from Tariffs Non-Existent, Core Inflation Lowest Since 2021

Boy, can that Kak call em, or what?; 2/14/26, 1:59 AM
Mark said...: ICE demands they wear masks so they can hide their identity, being worried about getting doxxed.

Meanwhile, more than 100 people filed accounts yesterday in court describing how ICE drove to their houses to make sure protesters knew that ICE had doxxed them.

Your government at work! Of course we should assume that they are doing the things they claim should not be done.

"Among nearly 100 sworn statements filed in federal court on Friday are more than a dozen accounts like Mr. Woo’s, in which federal agents deployed to Minnesota singled out protesters, finding the addresses of their homes and showing up there."; 2/14/26, 2:14 AM
buwaya said...: https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-mixes-missile-tactics-ukraine-feeds-intel-to-patriot-makers-2026-2

Ukrainian feedback loop part of US missile makers R&D process.; 2/14/26, 2:22 AM
Eva Marie said...: Touching the Void book very good as well.
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster 1997) by Jon Krakauer also really good - better than the adaption to the screen.; 2/14/26, 2:26 AM
buwaya said...: "a dozen accounts like Mr. Woo’s, in which federal agents deployed to Minnesota singled out protesters, finding the addresses of their homes and showing up there."

Seems a reasonable tactic. Equivalent of USAF SEAD, "Suppression of enemy air defense", in an internal security context. If the "protesters" confined their activities to gathering at public places to demonstrate that would be one thing; but blocking or otherwise interfering with law enforcement activities is something else.; 2/14/26, 2:34 AM
Eva Marie said...: Touching the Void the doc-drana is worth seeing because of the interaction between the climbers who met again. Joe Simpson has always defended Simon’s decision. Both the movie and the play (and the book) all point to the fact that Simon’s decision was the only one that could have been taken in that moment.; 2/14/26, 2:45 AM
Original Mike said...: I'd cut ICE some slack. Moving 8% of Nicaragua back to where it belongs is a heavy lift.; 2/14/26, 3:02 AM
Original Mike said...: "Both the movie and the play (and the book) all point to the fact that Simon’s decision was the only one that could have been taken in that moment."

Sure seems like it.
Into Thin Air (the book) was very good.; 2/14/26, 3:03 AM
Breezy said...: The protesters actually doxxed and threatened the families of ICE agents. It was more than a worry about being doxxed. ICE fought fire with fire.; 2/14/26, 3:17 AM
Original Mike said...: "Protesters".; 2/14/26, 3:36 AM
Big Mike said...: @Beasts, Original Mike and I are definitely two different people.; 2/14/26, 3:48 AM
Big Mike said...: The First Amendment is not a blanket shield for all protests and all protesters. The right as written in the Amendment is the right “peaceably to assemble.” What about the Minnesota anti-ICE activities seems “peaceable”?; 2/14/26, 3:54 AM
Big Mike said...: @Beasts, though FWIW our overnight sky has been very clear and clouds aren’t expected to roll in until noon.; 2/14/26, 4:14 AM
Eva Marie said...: “PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA - Brian Entin reports that the house where two people were brought out during a search warrant is located around two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence.“
Mother and son (CFP); 2/14/26, 4:21 AM
Jaq said...: "Ukrainian feedback loop part of US missile makers R&D process."

Works both ways, China and Iran are getting a lot of data from Russia too.

Whatever tiny amount of info we have gotten from Ukraine re some future war that will only happen if we provoke it can't be worth the demographic destruction of the Ukrainian nation that has ensued. They are getting close to that "last Ukrainian" that Lindsay Graham was talking about.

There was a deal on the table that left Ukraine intact. Then there was the coup and civil war, and so Crimea was lost, but there was another deal on the table that would have left the remainder of Ukraine intact. Now that deal is gone and not coming back, and Odessa is next.

War is unpredictable, and I am sure that I don't know whether Odessa will fall back into Russian hands, where it was through almost all of its history since its founding by Kathryn the Great, but if forced to make a bet, that would be my prediction.

A lot of the rest of this century is going to get sorted in the next year, and whether it is another American century or not will very possibly be determined in the Persian Gulf. All I know is that the country I grew up in with free speech and an independent "fourth estate" is gone, destroyed to keep people from questioning us fighting wars that are none of our business on the other side of the world, the main purposes of which are to make our billionaires even wealthier.; 2/14/26, 4:52 AM
Jaq said...: That is an interesting post, chuck. I copied the prompt and saved it, AI is as gullible as a small child when it comes to its training, and that prompt is a course in how not to be gullible.

Tl;dr: "An AI's got to know its limitations."

I use it as a copy editor for the book I am working on, and it gets off track a lot, or starts out doing great work, then decides that it is the writer, and it's writing is almost invariably cringe. I will follow that guy's example of keeping a list and adjusting the prompt every time it goes off the reservation.

But it is an incredibly useful tool when it is a useful tool.; 2/14/26, 5:16 AM
Humperdink said...: Embedded in the attached link is AOC’s attempt to answer a question at the Munich Security Conference. Cortex was asked if the U.S. should commit troops should the Chi-Coms invade Taiwan. This word salad response would make even Kamala blush.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/02/aoc-falls-apart-world-stage-when-asked-simple/; 2/14/26, 5:56 AM
Little Excursion™️ said...: The easiest and most effective way to learn from Ukraine would be to increase support to Ukraine.; 2/14/26, 6:05 AM
buwaya said...: You have not explained how the Russians are getting to Odessa. This is a huge engineering/logistical problem. And there is no magic available to Russia to wish it away.
The choice for Ukraine was war, or to become a Russian puppet.; 2/14/26, 6:08 AM
buwaya said...: "some future war that will only happen if we provoke it "
There are other people with agency. War in East Asia seems likely. The Japanese, among others, are convinced its coming.
The US is NOT going to provoke it, unless one will (in time) use whatever tortured argument the Chinese come up with.
Go check with Jeffrey Sachs for model arguments.; 2/14/26, 6:14 AM
Dave Begley said...: The house is in a neighborhood with houses valued at $1m.; 2/14/26, 6:15 AM
buwaya said...: The Trump admin, btw, has greatly facilitated the ongoing rearmament of Taiwan.; 2/14/26, 6:24 AM
Jaq said...: "The Japanese, among others, are convinced its coming."

Because they've got it on the drawing board.; 2/14/26, 6:24 AM
Jaq said...: The first thing the US will do if China moves on Taiwan is execute a scorched earth tactic, to prevent China from getting the chips factories, so while China destroys US weapons, the US will be destroying Taiwan's factories.

Why Taiwan would agree to become the next Ukraine for the West is beyond me. Ukrainians are starving and freezing in the dark, and Zelensky's family is spread between London and Tel Aviv.; 2/14/26, 6:32 AM
buwaya said...: "Because they've got it on the drawing board."
And another wild throw. The Japanese are somehow planning for an offensive war vs China?
No they are terrified China will take Taiwan and thereby cut off over half their shipping lanes unless they kowtow.; 2/14/26, 6:33 AM
buwaya said...: Taiwan is mainly important for its geography.
It controls shipping to Japan and SK, given how merchant shipping works. A hostile power that holds it cuts Japan and SK off from westward trade, which is most of the world.
The chip factories depend on their staff, which will flee.
They are not a natural resource, they are people.; 2/14/26, 6:38 AM
Jaq said...: The first thing you do when your people are starting to question your legitimacy is present them with a foreign enemy that they are supposed to be afraid of, this is a proven tactic for bringing troublesome populations into line.; 2/14/26, 6:39 AM
Jaq said...: "It controls shipping to Japan and SK, given how merchant shipping works. "

The Pacific is a huge ocean. If the Japanese and Koreans could get along with Russia, they could ship through the Arctic, in channels opened by Russia's fleet of nuclear powered ice-breakers and cut weeks off of the shipping time.

If Japan could get along with China, it could run its ships by China's coast without worry.

At least you admit, even just implicitly, that these wars are about control of strategic geography, not good and evil.; 2/14/26, 6:43 AM
buwaya said...: Japan has a "troublesome population"?
Its just elected a right wing populist (Sanae Takaichi) almost by acclamation.
And she intends to defend Taiwan.; 2/14/26, 6:44 AM
Jaq said...: "No they are terrified China will take Taiwan and thereby cut off over half their shipping lanes unless they kowtow."

So they can't find any path through the Pacific that does not pass by the island that they took from Russia when they were an Empire, and used as a launching point for the invasion in WWII that they did of the mainland, when they killed tens of millions of Chinese? Is that your argument?; 2/14/26, 6:47 AM
Jaq said...: "Its just elected a right wing populist (Sanae Takaichi) almost by acclamation."

I never said that scaring a population didn't work.; 2/14/26, 6:48 AM
buwaya said...: Thats not how merchant shipping works. At best its how a wartime convoy system could work. Icebreakers to create paths for masses of container, tanker and bulk freight traffic is a goofy idea btw. Merchant ships (container ones anyway) follow a path along a network of ports.
Taking a long detour through the Pacific around Taiwan, by a few thousand miles, (unless specifically designed to do so) is expensive and dangerous.; 2/14/26, 6:52 AM
buwaya said...: Now the Japanese were (illegitimately) scared?
Any election you dont like is illegitimate because the winner cheated?; 2/14/26, 6:54 AM
buwaya said...: What island did they take from Russia that they have to avoid?
Perhaps looking at a map may help.; 2/14/26, 6:56 AM
buwaya said...: I thought you liked right wing populists btw. Apparently not always, if they are inconvenient to your internet arguments.
I really think you need to make friends with Jeffrey Sachs.
He doesnt like Takaichi either.; 2/14/26, 7:01 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Cancel culture is alive and well:

HGTV cancels 'Rehab Addict' over host Nicole Curtis' slur on leaked tape

"Previously unaired footage somehow made its way to an online celebrity rag, which torpedoed the return of her show this week.

New episodes of HGTV's hit home restoration show "Rehab Addict" were scheduled to air this week after host Nicole Curtis' brief hiatus. On the same day of the show's scheduled return, however, years-old leaked footage was published by RadarOnline showing Curtis mindlessly uttering a slur during a renovation.

Warner Bros. Discovery-owned HGTV promptly removed every episode of the show. Future episodes have been canceled.

"HGTV was recently made aware of an offensive racial comment made during the filming of 'Rehab Addict,'" the network said in a statement to Variety. "Not only is language like this hurtful and disappointing to our viewers, partners, and employees — it does not align with the values of HGTV. Accordingly, we have removed the series from all HGTV platforms."

The show-killing viral video appears to show Curtis growing increasingly frustrated during a restoration job and muttering, "Oh fart n*****."

Realizing immediately what she had just said on camera, Curtis turns to her crew with a look of panic, stating, "What the f**k is that that I just said?"

[snip]

RadarOnline's source, who indicated the footage was years-old, said, "You [Nicole] deserve everything you get. Treat us with dignity and respect, and quit making money off of our backs. ... You are a trash human."

[snip]

"I show this, I say this and I realize you are getting a limited view as what has been circulating is a clip of MY footage that was stolen then manipulated, edited and sold to [a] tabloid to coincide with my return to television only to create this chaos of hate, anger, disappointment," Curtis continued. "I make no excuse for this. I am not [a] victim. Nothing I say or do will take that moment 4 years ago away. I know it was wrong. This will never happen again."

The ex-host proceeded to suggest that she has been "submerged in the African American community" her entire life and that she has chosen "to live and work in the inner cities of many major cities," where she apparently hears that word used routinely.

While there were plenty of people apparently happy to see Curtis' life ruined over a poor choice of words several years ago, she also had many defenders — and at least one job offer — in the wake of her cancellation."

A bit more at the link, including the parts I snipped for (some) brevity.; 2/14/26, 7:04 AM
Jaq said...: "I thought you liked right wing populists btw"

I am one. And and America firster too. Which means that I don't think that American boys ought to be involved in globalist wars, and I am deeply upset that the globalists have brought their regime change tactics and strategies back to the United States.

As for the polar route, the main reason it's not catching on is sanctions against Russia.

It's admitted in this article by CIA front "newspaper" based in Denmark called the "Moscow Times."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/economy/russia-s-northern-sea-route-cargo-volumes-fall-for-second-straight-year/ar-AA1VYGFH

here's another take.

https://businesscraft.se/business/arctic-trade-routes-in-2026-the-new-global-shipping-battleground/; 2/14/26, 7:12 AM
narciso said...: That doesnt make any sense as does very little; 2/14/26, 7:17 AM
Mark said...: "The protesters actually doxxed and threatened the families of ICE agents. It was more than a worry about being doxxed."

Zero evidence proving this claim has been provided.

ICE agents were found to have lied multiple times recently, with the head of ICE shown to have wholesale invented claims she stated at press conferences.

You cannot harass the public for made up claims.; 2/14/26, 7:21 AM
Jaq said...: This is kind of interesting from the second article:

South Korea and Japan watch closely as industrial actors: they see opportunities in shipbuilding (ice-class vessels), port tech, and Arctic logistics services. Meanwhile, Western carriers largely remain hands-off for mainstream container services — often due to sanctions, reputational risk, insurance costs, and regulatory enough uncertainty that makes large-scale rerouting through the NSR unattractive at present. That geopolitical segmentation matters: Arctic shipping is not simply a global logistics story; it is a partly regionalized system shaped by alliances.

Japan and South Korea could benefit from this arctic shipping trend, but... they are forced to "kowtow" to use your word, to DC, and so are cut out of this lucrative deal.; 2/14/26, 7:21 AM
buwaya said...: Sadly (for some), it really is one world. Technology has made it so, and there is no safe burrow for something like the US to hide in. If the US split up into a hundred Denmarks, say, it could hide from the world, mainly, for a while.
But that isnt going to happen.; 2/14/26, 7:23 AM
Dave Begley said...: Badgers beat Spartans by 20.

Wow!; 2/14/26, 7:26 AM
buwaya said...: "they are forced to "kowtow" to use your word, to DC,"
That is a very forced take.; 2/14/26, 7:26 AM
Jaq said...: "That is a very forced take"

Whatever, they are dancing to DC's tune against their own national interests.; 2/14/26, 7:29 AM
Beasts of England said...: ’Please don't confuse me with Big Mike, Beasts.’

Ha!! I have updated my notes accordingly… :); 2/14/26, 7:31 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Shitposting for fun now, eh lefty Mark?; 2/14/26, 7:31 AM
Wilbur said...: That performance by AOC in response to the question about Taiwan is so lame I wondered if it was AI-generated.; 2/14/26, 7:35 AM
Beasts of England said...: ’@Beasts, Original Mike and I are definitely two different people.’

Indeed. I’m blaming it on happy hour confusion and accepting no responsibility for my actions. :); 2/14/26, 7:37 AM
Mark said...: Continuing to add nothing but personal attacks, MJB?; 2/14/26, 7:49 AM
Kevin said...: these are not serious people, that should never be in positions of authority.

Had you advocated to remove Biden and Harris from office, you might have standing to make such claims.; 2/14/26, 7:51 AM
narciso said...: Shes definitely a nexus 3 that needs an upgrade; 2/14/26, 7:52 AM
buwaya said...: AOC is not good at thinking on her feet.
Its a dangerous question for any American leader.
Maybe only Trump could field that one substansively without risking committing US foreign policy to something they may not want to go through with. I doubt very much any Democrat making the call to defend Taiwan when woken at 3 am with the bad news.
Given that, she could have said something along the lines of "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof".; 2/14/26, 7:55 AM
narciso said...: She doesnt think, just one of those mindless drones
But she is part of that china sponsored apparat the justice democrats; 2/14/26, 7:57 AM
Rustygrommet said...: Kakistocracy said...
"The easiest and most effective way to learn from Ukraine would be to increase support to Ukraine."

No it's not.; 2/14/26, 7:58 AM
Rustygrommet said...: Mark said,
"ICE agents were found to have lied multiple times recently, with the head of ICE shown to have wholesale invented claims she stated at press conferences."

Found by who?

"You cannot harass the public for made up claims."

Exactly.; 2/14/26, 8:00 AM
Jaq said...: The easiest way to learn from a hot stove is to touch a burner, too.

Ukraine is none of our business, it's a globalist war. But as Kak must be thinking, and as Epstein wrote in his emails, the Maidan coup presents "many, many opportunities."; 2/14/26, 8:03 AM
Caroline said...: @buwaya, I spit out my coffee imagining AOC delivering the line "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" in her annoying sorority voice.; 2/14/26, 8:04 AM
narciso said...: I dont waste coffee that way; 2/14/26, 8:07 AM
narciso said...: To take this screaming harridan seriously

But recall the Green new deal she was their siren

The pasionaria of hamas; 2/14/26, 8:21 AM
narciso said...: The squad kept nancy in power; 2/14/26, 8:27 AM
boatbuilder said...: I've been wondering whether AOC is AI-generated for a while now.; 2/14/26, 8:31 AM
john mosby said...: I would love to see Trump do a mass Logan Act arrest of Newsom and all those other Dem wankers at the NATO conference. As an extra bonus, the thing would finally get ruled unconstitutional, years later after they all appeal. CC, JSM; 2/14/26, 8:32 AM
john mosby said...: Or he could just tell them there are warrants waiting for them at Dulles, and they could all claim asylum in Belgium. Try running a campaign from exile, suckers! CC, JSM; 2/14/26, 8:33 AM
narciso said...: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/02/13/french-police-shoot-knifeman-at-arc-de-triomphe/; 2/14/26, 8:37 AM
MadTownGuy said...: buwaya said...

"...Given that, she could have said something along the lines of "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Assuming, of course, that she had some familiarity with the king James Version. Hard to say whether that's the case.; 2/14/26, 8:42 AM
Leland said...: As an extra bonus, the thing would finally get ruled unconstitutional, years later after they all appeal.

I've noticed that has seemed to be a Democrat strategy for a long time. Hey, we don't "like" this law. Let's apply to a Republican. Probably it gets ruled unconstitutional, but whether it does or not, we can screw the Republican for a while.; 2/14/26, 9:00 AM
Peachy said...: Mark - no one buys the lies out of the anti-ICE antifa thug left.; 2/14/26, 9:00 AM
Breezy said...: “Zero evidence proving this claim has been provided.”

I asked Grok for doxxing of ICE examples. It provided several. Here is one:

• Portland, Oregon (2025): DHS statements from July 2025 accused Antifa-affiliated and anarchist groups (e.g., “Rose City Counter-Info” and “The Crustian Daily”) of doxxing ICE officers by publishing their names, pictures, and personal addresses on websites. Fliers were also posted in officers’ neighborhoods with names, addresses, family photos, and threatening messages like “NO PEACE FOR ICE.” DHS linked this to a sharp rise in assaults on ICE officers and threats to their families.; 2/14/26, 9:01 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Mark said...
["The protesters actually doxxed and threatened the families of ICE agents. It was more than a worry about being doxxed."]

Zero evidence proving this claim has been provided."

OK, Mark. Here is some factual information about protesters fixing ICE agents:

LA activits [sic] are doxxing ICE agents — as they try to break up deportation raids (MSN, from New York Post)

"Activists in Los Angeles are posting the names, photos and personal information of ICE agents — and are warning neighborhoods about impending raids, federal sources said.

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramps up deportation efforts of illegal migrants in Southern California, flyers with photos of agents’ faces have appeared with claims that they “racially terrorize” local communities, agency sources told The Post.

“CAREFUL WITH THESE FACES,” the flyers say, in Spanish. “They kidnap people from their homes and the streets, separating families and tearing apart communities. Many people have died while locked up in jails, prisons, and detention centers.”

Then there's this:

Have ICE agents or their families been doxxed

"1. Documented criminal cases: live-streaming, posting addresses, an arrest

Federal prosecutors brought a two-count indictment charging three women who allegedly followed an ICE agent from work to his home, livestreamed the pursuit and then posted his home address on Instagram, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement [1]. Separately, the Justice Department says a Santa Monica man was arrested after allegedly posting an ICE lawyer’s home address on Facebook and urging others to “swat” her; the DOJ complaint describes that posting and a harassment campaign dating to January 2024 [2]. These are concrete law-enforcement actions alleging doxxing of agents and associated threats [1] [2]."

Lots more at the links. I shall feel free to disregard any ad hominems you toss in response. If you have facts to controvert, let's see them. Facts are stubborn things.; 2/14/26, 9:04 AM
lonejustice said...: Donald Trump two days ago: "We've basically stopped all windmills in this country."
Fact: There are currently over 140,000 windmills operating in the US.; 2/14/26, 9:16 AM
Big Mike said...: Maybe only Trump could field that one substansively without risking committing US foreign policy to something they may not want to go through with.

Trump or Rubio or Vance. It’s been a while since we Americans had a savvy team at the top of US foreign policy.

I doubt very much any Democrat making the call to defend Taiwan when woken at 3 am with the bad news.

They’d have to put the caller on hold while they check with the globalist oligarchs who are their puppet masters as to what they are supposed to do now.; 2/14/26, 9:21 AM
Big Mike said...: I would love to see Trump do a mass Logan Act arrest of Newsom and all those other Dem wankers at the NATO conference.

Maybe he could have Michael Flynn deputized to participate!?!; 2/14/26, 9:27 AM
Jaq said...: "They’d have to put the caller on hold while they check with the globalist oligarchs who are their puppet masters as to what they are supposed to do now."

So going to war over an island which the US officially recognizes as Chinese, and whose own government calls itself the legitimate government of all of China would not be for the benefit of the globalists... but for the benefit of ordinary Americans Trump claims to represent?

I am just trying to understand your thinking. I personally think that you have had your thinking tied into knots by masters of narrative, in order to make you believe that by bringing war to these countries, we are helping them, and not our own monied elites. But maybe you can explain to me how it is my best interest to send my grandson off to fight the Chinese over an island that has been theirs since the Middle Ages, and when wrested from them, by the Imperial Japanese, was used to launch an invasion that killed millions of Chinese.

Why are they wrong to not want to see it become a military outpost of the United States? It's an honest question.; 2/14/26, 9:42 AM
Jaq said...: I supported the Iraq war because I had been manipulated into thinking that we were helping the poor Iraqis. It's an easy trap to fall into. All of these wars have a common theme, they involve the strategic interests of the cabal running the United States.

I wouldn't worry about the Democrats failing to support Taiwan, or Ukraine, or Israel, as we Americans are not allowed a say in the matter.; 2/14/26, 9:55 AM
Rustygrommet said...: lonejustice said...
"Donald Trump two days ago: "We've basically stopped all windmills in this country."
Fact: There are currently over 140,000 windmills operating in the US."

You don't understand rhetoric.
Since we, the United States, are going to depend on more reliable sources of energy, windmills and solar are obsolete. Which is OK since they are wildly inefficient.; 2/14/26, 10:13 AM
narciso said...: They are bought and paid for by the chinese; 2/14/26, 10:19 AM
Mason G said...: While there may currently be over 140,000 windmills installed in the US, the chances they are all operating at any particular point in time is about zero.; 2/14/26, 10:24 AM
john mosby said...: Jaq: "I wouldn't worry about the Democrats failing to support Taiwan, or Ukraine, or Israel, as we Americans are not allowed a say in the matter."

One sure-fire way to get Dems to oppose a policy is to make it part of the MAGA manifesto. So if it looks like a war you don't want is in the offing, put on your red hat and go demonstrate in favor of it! CC, JSM; 2/14/26, 10:41 AM
Kevin said...: "Donald Trump two days ago: "We've basically stopped all windmills in this country."

How many new ones were planned?

How many new ones have been put into service?

How many are no longer going forward?; 2/14/26, 11:30 AM
Peachy said...: Mark - Is this one of your friends?; 2/14/26, 11:53 AM
Peachy said...: "One China" policy is leftist. the dems created it - because of Chi Com pressure and money bribes.

Taiwan in not Ukraine.
The US should help protect the sovereign nation of Taiwan. Period. Because ChiComs and corrupt dems are assho.; 2/14/26, 11:55 AM
Peachy said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/14/26, 11:56 AM
Peachy said...: DEMS and their radical loyalists are funded by dark money from Chinese Communists; 2/14/26, 11:57 AM
Peachy said...: "One China" policy is, again, - democrats being paid by the Chinese communist power elite to allow China to gobble up a sovereign nation... (one more reason AOC cannot answer a simple question about it)

We don't need to go to war - but we can protect Taiwan from China AND the corrupt mob-bribed money-whore sell-out American left... in other ways.; 2/14/26, 12:19 PM
Jaq said...: "One China" policy is leftist. the dems created"

Nixon created it, it's one of the main reasons that they got rid of him. Name the country in the world that recognizes Taiwan's sovereignty. Not even Taiwan does so. It's precisely analogous to Ukraine. It's an ongoing civil war, there has never been an armistice, and outside powers are getting involved.

"So if it looks like a war you don't want is in the offing, put on your red hat and go demonstrate in favor of it! CC, JSM"

This might work, but I doubt it. But there is a generational shift coming about these endless wars, in both parties, and it ain't in favor of never-ending wars.

But sure, we can help the demonstrators in Iran, who were on the street in the first place because we collapsed their currency, Bissent has publicly admitted it, we can "help" them with three carriers and a multi-week campaign of unleashed hell.

How does Peachy feel that George Soros's right hand man, the guy who headed the team that cratered the British Pound, is in the Trump Administration, collapsing currencies of actual sovereign nations, like Iran, or does their sovereignty not count?

It's like Achilles says, almost nobody is actually against wars, we just are against the wars we don't like.

So we have three superpower involved conflicts, Ukraine, Iran, and Taiwan. Do you think the little green men are up there in the space ships laying odds and taking bets on whether we get through the next five years?; 2/14/26, 12:42 PM
Jaq said...: Jeffrey Epstein bought six barrels of sulfuric acid for his island, for "water treatment" he claimed, but why does "The Cleaner" character from La Femme Nakita, I think the movie was, come to mind?; 2/14/26, 12:45 PM
Jaq said...: Before one of the Ukraine people comes along and says it was Russia all along, and not a civil war, even though thousands of soldiers in militias have died in Donbas, well Russia may have been involved at the start, but we sent our ships down the Taiwan Straits (Taiwan Crisis you can read about it) and fired on the mainland Chinese.; 2/14/26, 12:48 PM
Original Mike said...: Jaq said..."The first thing the US will do if China moves on Taiwan is execute a scorched earth tactic, to prevent China from getting the chips factories, so while China destroys US weapons, the US will be destroys US weapons, the US will be destroying Taiwan's factories.

Why Taiwan would agree to become the next Ukraine for the West is beyond me."

A lot's beyond you, mate. You seriously think Taiwan doesn't fear a Chinese invasion in their own right, but is just going along with your imagined US strategy to take over the world?

What would you have Taiwan do to fend off the Chinese? Or do you believe China has no desire to take over Taiwan?; 2/14/26, 1:22 PM
Peachy said...: "One China" policy has morphed into a policy shared by Democrats and the Leadership of China to throw Taiwan to the wolves.; 2/14/26, 1:26 PM
Little Excursion™️ said...: Feds open a perjury probe into ICE officers' testimony about the shooting of a Venezuelan man ~ The Minnesota Star Tribune

There must be consequences for perpetrating violence against the public and lying about the circumstances. Not suspension, not paid leave, but real criminal legal consequences.

Just a couple questions. Where are the voices from the right that claim the 2nd Amendment exists to provide protection from a tyrannical government? How does the right justify these shooting when they are spun by federal propaganda machines and then the cases against defendants are still thrown out of court. Must be some amazing denial to whistle past the graveyard of government tyranny and blame the need for the crackdown on boys in girl sports or immigrants eating pets or whatever nonsense they cook up.; 2/14/26, 2:31 PM
john mosby said...: Kak, the state government is the tyrant in Minnesota. CC, JSM; 2/14/26, 2:32 PM
john mosby said...: And did you read my 7:10 PM supra? CC, JSM; 2/14/26, 2:33 PM
Original Mike said...: "There must be consequences for perpetrating violence against the public and lying about the circumstances."

Fine. And for letting 8% of Nicaragua into our country illegally during the last four years? When will there be consequences for that?; 2/14/26, 2:36 PM
Jim at said...: Meanwhile, more than 100 people filed accounts yesterday in court describing how ICE drove to their houses to make sure protesters knew that ICE had doxxed them.

So you don't like it when your own tactics are used against you?

Tough shit.; 2/14/26, 4:25 PM
Little Excursion™️ said...: In The Merchant of Venice Shylock is granted his pound of flesh, but only if he does not take so much of one drop of the poor merchant’s blood.

The collateral damage ICE is causing is the metaphorical blood of all of us. They can and should go after the true criminals as should all law enforcement. They must not, however violate one single other’s rights in the process. It’s really a simple idea that has served us well for almost 250 years.; 2/14/26, 4:29 PM
Original Mike said...: Kak thinks some small transgression, real or imagined, balances the monstrous violence Biden's immigration "policies" has perpetuated on our country.

What's to be done with the 8%, Rich?; 2/14/26, 4:39 PM
john mosby said...: Wow Kak, that Merchant of Venice analogy convinces me you must be a parody account.

Surely you know Shylock’s task was impossible. There was no way to take a pound of flesh without shedding blood. This was the verdict to shaft the Jew while remaining scrupulously legal in form.

So you would treat Trump and the millions who elected him as ghettoized Venetian Jews. We can claim our right - to live in a country of people legally present - but only if we can claim it perfectly. That really encapsulates the Dem lawfare technique right there. Just beautiful. CC, JSM; 2/14/26, 5:09 PM
Little Excursion™️ said...: Yes, exactly—the condition was crafted to make Shylock's legal right impossible in practice, all while the court pretended to uphold 'strict legality.' It was a rigged technicality to shaft him and protect their own.That's precisely why the analogy fits today's immigration debate so well. The right to secure borders and enforce existing laws (deporting those here illegally, prioritizing criminals) is granted by statute and the Constitution. But opponents demand zero 'collateral damage'—no family separations, no workplace raids affecting legals, no errors in a massive system—turning any imperfection into a fatal 'drop of blood' that halts everything.So enforcement becomes impossible without violating someone's rights somewhere, because perfection is demanded only here, not in policing, taxes, or any other area of law. It's the same scrupulous-'legal' trap: grant the principle in theory, but load it with conditions that ensure it never happens. I'm not asking for bloodless miracles. I'm asking for targeted, lawful enforcement that minimizes harm to innocents—just as the law requires due process. Framing basic rule-of-law as inherently cruel or rights-violating is the real sleight of hand.And yes, when that gets blocked for political reasons via endless injunctions and lawfare, it does feel a lot like ghettoizing the views of half the country (including the millions who voted for it) as somehow illegitimate or bigoted. The play's verdict was mercy for the insider merchant, ruin for the outsider Jew. Let's not repeat the pattern.; 2/14/26, 5:33 PM
Original Mike said...: What's to be done with the 8%, Rich?; 2/14/26, 5:36 PM
Little Excursion™️ said...: I think it's a bit late. We all see Trumpism now. The ‘home of the free and the land of the brave' has 'secret police' running around the streets in masks detaining, assaulting and killing people. You can't drawdown from that.

This is no surprise. Trump and company were always on this path. Those who voted for him voted for this, and they still love it. That is who our neighbors are, and that is our country now ----and this is only the beginning. It's good to face reality.

Where will the Trump's secret police go next.; 2/14/26, 6:11 PM
Mason G said...: It's a secret, you moron.; 2/14/26, 6:59 PM
Original Mike said...: "I think it's a bit late."

How convenient. This was the plan; flood the zone and then cry 'the job is impossible'. All for the selfish political cravings of your fellow travelers. You want to bleat about "the rule of law"? This cannot stand.; 2/14/26, 7:40 PM
Rustygrommet said...: Jaq said..."The first thing the US will do if China moves on Taiwan is execute a scorched earth tactic, to prevent China from getting the chips factories, so while China destroys US weapons, the US will be destroys US weapons, the US will be destroying Taiwan's factories.

Why Taiwan would agree to become the next Ukraine for the West is beyond me."

Because you're not that quick.
China as we speak is re-evaluating it's stance vis a vis Taiwan.
China lost a lot of money backing Venezuela. It also lost a lot of very expensive and sophisticated military equipment. State of the art Chinese military equipment. This equipment was completely bypassed by the US military. This state of the art Chinese air defense equipment never saw the Americans coming. At all. And the American special operators completely surprised the Cuban special forces that were guarding the president of Venezuela. Not one American soldiers life was lost. Many hundreds of Cubans were killed or wounded.
No. China is wondering just what the hell is next and Taiwan isn't involved.; 2/14/26, 9:02 PM