In The Mailbox: 03.27.25

Posted on | March 28, 2025 | No Comments

Silicon Valley et Hamas delenda sunt.

OVER THE TRANSOM
EBL: Yeti cancels Conservatives: Conservatives should cancel Yeti, also, MAGA arrest of MS-13
Twitchy: KY State Sen. Berg Goes Full Slap-Happy Karen, Canadian Nurse Fired For Knowing Men Aren’t Women, and CNN Panelist Knows Rep. Crockett Would Never Mock Gov. Abbott
Louder With Crowder: “She’s a lowlife”, Son of Snow White producer goes SCORCHED EARTH on Rachel Zegler, Trump Admin launches an investigation into Portland schools after male runner wins track meet… against girls, and After banning guns and knives, the UK has announced a new ban on Ninja swords
Vox Popoli: Protecting the Automotive Industry, The Ghost in the Doll, AI Don’t Lie, The Third Librarian, and Not Too Shabby
Cedar Sanderson: Pivotal Moments
The Bugscuffle Gazette: Throwback Thursday
Gab: The UK Declares War On Gab

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Adam Piggott: Selling Australia
American Conservative: On Iran, What Would Pat Buchanan Do?
American Greatness: Woman Caught Keying Tesla in Washington Identified as Millionaire Fitness Coach, The Left Knew They Were Lying to Us All Along, Police Arrest Suspect in Firebomb Attack on Tesla Service Center in Las Vegas, Rep. Thomas Massie Introduces Bill Requiring Federal Candidates to Disclose Dual Citizenship, and From Profanity-Chic to Terrorist-Porn
American Thinker: Jasmine Crockett, Queen of Ghettospeak
Animal Magnetism: Animal’s Red Thursday News
BattleSwarm: Another Day, Another Lefty Scam Organization Exposed
Behind The Black: Two more launches today, Webb finds more elements not possible so soon after the Big Bang, UK government continues to dither about fixing its serious red tape issues relating to space, and NASA: Cygnus capsule damaged in transit to launchpad is too damaged to launch
Cafe Hayek: So-Called “U.S. Trade Deficits” Are Microeconomic Phenomena, Trade Deficits and Budget Deficits, and Ripping Us Off?
CDR Salamander: The Signal I Was Waiting For
Chicago Boyz: Opening Day, also, History Friday – The Secret Voyage of the Kofuku Maru
Da Tech Guy: Obvious Questions For Democrats Under the Fedora, also, A Proud Moment for Me & A Disgrace to the MSM
Don Surber: Trump unleashes the crossfire hurricane
First Street Journal: Once more, the Philly Inquirer goes all-in to support transgenderism, also, Why don’t we return to charitable giving?
Gates Of Vienna: Geert Wilders: “What Kind of Sick Country Has This Become?”
The Geller Report: Marine Vet VP Vance Addresses Marines at Quantico: “No More Quotas, No More Ridiculous Mumbo Jumbo”, President Trump Calls For “IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION” as Insane Anti-Trump Obama Judge Boasberg Gets a FOURTH Trump case, Los Angeles Has Issued ONLY FOUR Permits to Rebuild Houses Months After California Wildfires Burned 6,000+ Homes, Columbia University President Katrina Armstrong Lied To Trump Admin, and DEFUND: Far-Left NPR, PBS CEO’s Testify on Before DOGE Subcommittee
Hollywood In Toto: Avengers Assemble … But These Heroes Are Missing, also, Can These 2025 Movies Save Hollywood?
The Lid: Chicago Police Never Did Punish Muslim Officer Who Vandalized Rabbi’s Car, also, Eight Things The Liberal Mainstream Media Is Being Strangely Quiet About Right Now
Legal Insurrection: New C.S. Lewis Course at Notre Dame Draws Large Number of Students, Leftists Melt Down after Climate Change Removed from America’s List of Policy Priorities, Los Angeles Mayor Bass Begs Sacramento to Bailout City for $2 Billion, University of Michigan Closing DEI Offices, and ICE Detains Tufts Grad Student Who Allegedly Showed Support for Hamas
Nebraska Energy Observer: Gobsmacked
Outkick: Jeremy Pruitt Sues NCAA, Claiming $100 Million In Lost Wages And That Tennessee Conspired To Have Him Fired, Tyler O’Neill Extends MLB Record With Six Straight Opening Day Homers, WNBA Named Top 5 Most Innovative Company For Some Reason, MLB App Doesn’t Work – On Opening Day Of All Days – And Fans Are LIVID, and Apple TV’s MLB Girl Squeezes Into A Tiny Red Dress, Kristi Noem Flaunts Her Cartel Collection & Pathetic ESPN
Power Line: Inside Columbia, Back to the office blues, and What’s Trump Doing In Ukraine?
Shark Tank: Trump Returning Stefanik to House Because He Fears Fine Will Lose His Seat
Shot In The Dark: Questions That Would Be Asked, Fact Check For The Feckless & Factless,
The Political Hat: Quick Takes – The More Things Stay The Same In Academia: Anti-Racist Rocks; Musical Privilege Checking; Queer Science
This Ain’t Hell: Nothing Like a Class Act
Transterrestrial Musings: Gen Z, “The Signal I Was Waiting For”, and Boeing
Victory Girls: We Didn’t Know We Needed A Marine
Watts Up With That: GBE To Pay £200 Million For Solar Panels on Schools, Sorry, ABC News, Early Cherry Blossom Bloom Is Due to Urban Heat Island, Not Climate Change, and The Myth of a Hydrogen Economy
The Federalist: Democrat Upset In Pennsylvania Special Election Is Not About Backlash To Trump, Cowardly Senators Anonymously Whine About J.D. Vance’s America First Foreign Policy, 10 Times NPR Proved It Doesn’t Deserve Another Taxpayer Cent, Media Efforts To Turn Signalgate Into A Scandal Are The Surest Sign It’s Not One, and Amy Coney Barrett Could Be A Superb Supreme Court Justice. She’s Choosing Not To Be
Mark Steyn: Celebrate Life

Amazon Warehouse Deals
H&R Block Deluxe & State Tax Software w/Bonus Refund Offer
Big Spring Sale – Up To 70% Off Amazon Outlet
Best Sellers – Patio, Lawn, & Garden
New Releases – Patio, Lawn, & Garden

Category: Linkagery

In The Mailbox: 3.26.25 (Evening Edition)

Posted on | March 27, 2025 | No Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Per Animal Magnetism, Doug Hagin of the Daley Gator needs your help.
Silicon Valley et Hamas delenda sunt.

OVER THE TRANSOM
357 Magnum: Another Instance of Fake Hate
EBL: Vindmans: Separated at Birth, Kamala Harris on Election Night 2024, Jasmine, Jasmine Crockett, Queen of the Wild Frontier, and September 5
Twitchy: Rep. Gill Posts Video Of “Most Vitriolic Hate Imaginable” Aired On PBS, Democrats’ Potty-Mouth Strategy Fails As Poll Numbers Remain In Toilet, and Leftist Palestinian Activists Lose Their Minds Over Pro-Israel Demonstrators Standing Quietly
Louder With Crowder: Even the Irish are blasting Rosie O’Donnell, MTG goes BANANAS on NPR CEO, shuts her down for her partisan hackery, Democrat party leader Jasmine Crockett mocking a handicapped GOP governor was bad enough, but then came her excuse, IL Governor (and rumored 2028 candidate) boasts he’s the living proof that the “gay agenda” can make you governor, and Watch: Jeffrey Goldberg… What a Piece of Sh!t
Vox Popoli: There Are Not “Two Wests”, The Second Librarian, The Lethal Cancer of Globalization, US Troops Already Dying, and I Don’t Mean to Scare You
Stoic Observations: Random acts of intelligence,
Cedar Sanderson: A Touch of Nature
The Bugscuffle Gazette: I should not read the local news
Postcards From Barsoom: The Involution of the Liberal Mind
Gab: Unmasking The Wolves
Toni Airaksinen: Who Really Represents Palestine?

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
American Conservative: Negotiating a Peace is Not a Betrayal of Ukraine, NSA Waltz: U.S. Seeks ‘Full Dismantlement’ of Iran’s Nuclear Program, and If Judges Can Stymie the Will of the People, We Don’t Have a Democracy Anymore
American Greatness: IT Exec Caught on Camera Keying Tesla Cybertruck in New Hampshire, The Golden Age of Nuclear Energy Is Here, NPR’s Katherine Maher Fails to Justify Her Pro-Censorship Views and Woke Social Media Posts During Fiery DOGE Hearing, Trump Admin to Close Long Covid Office, and Lefty Lawfare Group’s Suit Against Trump Administration Over ‘SignalGate’ Assigned to Anti-Trump Judge Boasberg
American Thinker: The Imperial Judiciary Of The United States, Public School Teachers: The Stupidest Creatures on the Planet, Go, Canada! Breaking Up Is Not Hard to Do, Face the Nonsense, Again: Margaret Brennan’s ‘You Should Watch the News’ Moment, and We Can Cure Democracy, But Can We Cure Stupid?
Animal Magnetism: Goodbye, Blue Monday, Animal’s Daily Judicial Activism News, and Animal’s Hump Day News
BattleSwarm: Gabbard Says Iran Still Not Building Nukes – I Remain Skeptical, Welcome To Team Fascist, Bernie Sanders, Critical Drinker On Snow White: “Even Worse Than I Expected”, LinkSwarm For March 21, and Paxton Gunning For Cornyn In 2026?
Behind The Black: Space Force finally certifies ULA’s new Vulcan rocket for commercial military launches, Parker completes 23rd close fly-by of Sun, matching record set by its previous fly-by, Webb images in the infrared the aurora of Neptune, Isar launch several times scrubbed due to high winds, rescheduled for tomorrow, and A major very public protest against Hamas by Gazans
Cafe Hayek: Lets’ NOT Bring Back Furniture Manufacturing
CDR Salamander: What If…SECDEF Salamander?
Chicago Boyz: Cherry Blossoms, also, Goldberg Chipping the Signal
Da Tech Guy: Sooner or Later These Leftist Terrorists Are Going to Get Someone Killed
Dana Loesch: Trump Announces 25% Tariff On All Auto Imports
Don Surber: Afghanistan cost Democrats dearly
First Street Journal: Soft-peddling the Gangs of Philadelphia, Illegals apprehended in Kentucky, He didn’t have to be an asshole, and Edward T Steel Elementary and Middle Schools
Gates Of Vienna: Lefties Unite, Do the Math, Waffen-SS Muslims Come to Buchenwald, Viktor Orbán: Blows Against the Rainbow Empire, and A Man With a Plan: Ramadan in Milan!
The Geller Report: Anti-Trump Obama Judge Boasberg Assigned Signal Chat Lawsuit, also, President Trump Signs Historic Executive Order on Election Integrity
Hollywood In Toto: A Working Man Brings ’80s Heroism Back to Big Screen, Legacy Media Buries Death Threats Against Gal Gadot, Snow White Box Office Collapse Suggests Ominous Trend, Hacks Star Cites Debunked ‘Very Fine People’ Hoax, and The One Survey That Should Scare Hollywood Silly
The Lid: ‘Catastrophic’: Seattle Nearly $50 Million Short on Taxes as Jobs and Residents Stream Out of the City, also, Why are Police in this New Jersey Town Wearing Palestinian Flags and not U.S. Flags?
Legal Insurrection: New Law Requires All Students at Utah State U. to Study Western Civilization, “Extremely Thankful” DOJ Taking Action Against Providence Schools “Educators of Color Loan Forgiveness Program”, Senate Confirms Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as NIH Director, Lawsuit Alleges Columbia Anti-Israel Groups had Advanced Knowledge of October 7th Attacks, and Virginia Tech Students Protest as School Prepares to Axe DEI Policies
Nebraska Energy Observer: We are going to think a bit today about immigration and rights, This is brilliant, Right makes Might, Random Observations, and Scattershot Friday
Outkick: LeBron James Rips Stephen A. Smith As “Taylor Swift-like” During UnFunny McAfee Interview, The NFL Continues To Become A Pansy Flag Football League With Latest Move, Yankees Star Jazz Chisholm Slams MLB Diversity, Takes Another Swipe At Ex-Teammate Miguel Rojas, Caps Jakob Chychrun Responds To Teammate’s Claim That He Has Given Up Lightbulbs, and Minor League Team Unloads 6-Foot, 10,000-Calorie Hot Dog That Comes With A Side Of Fries
Power Line: The right direction, DOGE Goes After NPR & PBS [Updated], Broker than broke, Queen of the wild Dems here, and Thoughts from the ammo line
Shark Tank: Bill Letting FL Legislature Add Definitions To Some Citizen Referendums Heads to Floor
Shot In The Dark: The Inhumanity, The Maye Quade Doctrine, DOGE – Making Australia Australian Again, The Choice, and #OneMinnesota In Action
STUMP: RIP Mia Love – Some Stats On Brain Cancer
The Political Hat: Quick Takes – Killing Kids: Without Parental Consent; As A Human Right; Pre-Teen Terminations, Firing Line Friday: The British Mess, with the First Lady of British Politics, California vs. Diversity Statements, and Punishing The Unpunishable?
This Ain’t Hell: Marine vet accused of faking deployment for free flights, Usha Vance makes Greenland nervous, Medal of Honor Fraud, SECDEF Targets Media Leakers, and SCOTUS: Military Injuries Revisited
Transterrestrial Musings: Freedom In Outer Space, Starship Variants, Junk Nutritional Science, The Second Amendment Is Obsolete, and About The “Rescue” Of The “Stranded” Astronauts
Victory Girls: Signal Thread Gets Published While Democrats Attempt Pouncing, also, Jasmine Crockett Tries To Backpedal From Her “Governor Hot Wheels” Slam
Watts Up With That: Peter Ridd On Dodgy Science, Virtue Signaling Is Complicated, No, AP – Climate Change is not Triggering More Extreme Weather, and Alaska’s Proposed Climate Change Commission: Did Harris/Waltz Win?
The Federalist: Senate Dems Claim Censorship Industrial Complex Never Happened — And If It Did It Was A Good Thing, Meet The Democrat Donor Judge Hamstringing Trump’s Military ‘Trans’ Policy, Trump Didn’t Break The Media. The Media Broke Themselves, Democrats Stage Nationwide ‘Insurrection’ Featuring Upside-Down Flags, and Hakeem Jeffries Counting On Leftist WI Supreme Court Candidate To Deliver House For Democrats
Mark Steyn: A Connoisseur’s Guide to Violence on Film, Live Around the Planet, Two-Tiered, Again, Purpose vs Passivity, and A STICKy Situation

Amazon Warehouse Deals
H&R Block Deluxe & State Tax Software w/Bonus Refund Offer
Big Spring Sale
Best Sellers – Home & Kitchen
Best Sellers – Snacks & Sweets

Category: Linkagery

Aspiring Rapper Update

Posted on | March 26, 2025 | No Comments

Say hello to Torkilo Hambrick and, while you’re at it, go ahead and say good-bye, because Torkilo probably won’t be back on the streets anytime soon. Torkilo is a career criminal from Memphis who made the mistake of committing serious felonies in Lonoke County, Arkansas — where Donald Trump got 76% of the vote in the last election.

By contrast, in Memphis – Shelby County — Kamala Harris got 62% of the vote, which may go a long way toward explaining why Torkilo Hambrick wasn’t already behind bars. Elect Democrats, and criminals go free, and you know how they say a career criminal has a record “as long as your arm”? Your arms aren’t long enough for Torkilo Hambrick’s criminal record. He’s been stacking up felonies since 2012. Domestic violence, drug possession, drug dealing, aggravated assault, statutory rape — and these are just the convictions. There’s more than a dozen other charges, including felon in possession of a handgun, that got dropped, probably in plea bargains. What’s astonishing is how few years there are without any new arrests, meaning that Torkilo never did any serious prison time, despite being a demonstrable menace to society.

Perhaps you noticed the tattoos on his face? Like a cry for help: “Please put me in prison! I’m a convicted sex offender with tattoos on my face!” And yet, despite his numerous convictions, Torkilo Hambrick wasn’t behind bars. He also wasn’t in Memphis. His whereabouts were unknown and he had an outstanding warrant for violating probation. Apparently, he’d been hiding out and dealing drugs somewhere around Little Rock, until he made the mistake of trying to outrun the Arkansas State Police.

NEVER RUN FROM THE ARKANSAS STATE POLICE!

Dear God, don’t these people have access to YouTube? There are entire channels devoted to videos of Arkansas troopers ramming criminals off the road in high-speed PIT maneuvers. But I suppose if you’re stupid enough to get tattoos on your face, you’re too stupid to realize that you’ve got no chance of eluding the Arkansas State Police:

HAZEN, Ark. — A 29-year-old Memphis woman died as a result of injuries she sustained in a wreck following a high-speed pursuit on eastbound Interstate 40.
On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, an Arkansas State Police (ASP) Trooper observed a white Dodge Ram pickup truck committing a traffic violation near the Interstate 40 173-mile marker in Lonoke County. After initiating a traffic stop, the vehicle fled, leading to an eastbound pursuit that covered 18 miles.
The suspect was endangering the lives of other motorists by exceeding 120 mph and passing vehicles on the right shoulder.
A Trooper executed a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) on the suspect vehicle near the 191-mile marker near Hazen in Prairie County, causing the truck to overturn and come to rest in a ditch beside the interstate.
Laterrika Woods, 29, of Memphis, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
“This tragedy is a direct result of the suspect’s reckless, selfish actions. This is another example of what can happen when a suspect flees from law enforcement,” said ASP Col. Mike Hagar. “Fleeing suspects are terrorizing and traumatizing our communities. Our Troopers will not and cannot look the other way.”
Another passenger, Latarica Walker, 26, of Memphis, was ejected and airlifted to Baptist Medical Center, where she remains in critical condition.
The driver, Torkilo Hambrick, 30, and passenger Zuri Jones, 45, both from Memphis, were transported to UAMS and are currently in stable condition.
Charges are pending against Hambrick in Woods’ death.
During the investigation, Troopers discovered two firearms, an unknown amount of U.S. currency, a bottle of promethazine, marijuana, and narcotics in the vehicle. Hambrick was found to have an outstanding extradition warrant from Shelby County, Tennessee, for probation violation. Hambrick is a registered sex offender.

Yeah, if you’ve got an outstanding warrant, two firearms and a felony stash of drugs in your vehicle, stay away from Lonoke County. As a matter of fact, you’d be advised to avoid Arkansas altogether.

You were wondering where the Aspring Rapper angle was, right?

The sister of a Memphis rapper died after Arkansas State Police (ASP) crashed the car she was in during a police chase.
ASP said 29-year-old Laterrika Woods, the sister of Memphis rapper Big Boogie, whose real name is John Lotts, died after the police chase and crash in Hazen, Arkansas, on Tuesday. . . .
Big Boogie shared the news of his sister’s death on Instagram, sharing pictures of the two of them with the caption “I Love You Sister. Tears. Tears. Tears. I’m Logging Off Today.”

Had you ever heard of John “Big Boogie” Lotts before? No, because unlike me, you’re not attuned to the hip-hop culture, so you don’t know that he is “a member of Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group (CMG). . . . Big Boogie is a key figure in Southern rap, blending raw energy with unforgettable anthems.” A key figure, y’all! And before I highlight some other relevant information about Big Boogie’s career, let me remind you of the Urban Dictionary definition:

Aspiring Rapper
North American euphemism for a member of the urban criminal class. This unusual occupation is usually mentioned in conjunction with the subject either being slain or being taken into custody for a violent or property-related crime. A relative of the subject usually points out that the subject’s demise or incarceration comes at an extremely inopportune moment, occurring just as the subject was “turning they(sic) life around.”

So now, more information about John “Big Boogie” Lotts:

Apr. 9, 2021
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Investigators are continuing to sort through evidence in connection with the arrest of 24 people in North Mississippi including a well-known Memphis rapper for allegedly shooting at another driver on Interstate 55.
Memphis rapper Big Boogie whose real name is John Lotts is charged with one felony, according to an affidavit, after his entourage was arrested Thursday while driving to a concert in Biloxi. . . .
The Senatobia Police Department said they performed a coordinated takedown of a caravan for Memphis area rapper Big Boogie whose real name is John Lotts.
According to Senatobia Police, Lotts’ caravan was on the way to a concert in Biloxi when a victim also driving on Interstate 55 near Coldwater claims someone in Big Boogie’s entourage shot at them.
Multiple police agencies arrested 21 people on Highway 6.
Three people additionally were arrested near Coldwater. . . .
This is not Lotts’s first arrest.
In May of 2020, Memphis Police arrested and charged Lotts with attempted murder after he and an accomplice allegedly shot a man outside a club on North Watkins.
Investigators say the shooting allegedly started over a disagreement between two rap groups.

And now Big Boogie’s sister has died because she was riding in a truck full of felonies, driven by a sex offender with tattoos on his face who thought he could outrun the Arkansas State Police.

Torkilo Hambrick will probably get life in prison for this, and I’m sure Big Boogie will have a hit song paying tribute to his deceased sister, “blending raw energy with unforgettable anthems.” He’s a key figure, y’all.

Shop Electronics at Amazon

Save on Groceries and Everyday Essentials

Shop Amazon Basics

Office & School Supplies

Category: Arkansas, Aspiring Rapper Update

In The Mailbox: 03.26.25 (Afternoon Edition)

Posted on | March 26, 2025 | No Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Horribly sick Monday and Tuesday. Still not 100%, but I’ll see what I can do.
Silicon Valley et Hamas delenda sunt.

OVER THE TRANSOM
357 Magnum: The Volokh Conspiracy Asked the Question I’ve Had for Decades, also, University Professors Are Now Worried About Free Speech
Director Blue: Top 20 Mary McCord Fun Facts, also, Top 20 Democrat Judges Gone Wild
EBL: “Honorable” Judge Boasberg thinks he is president, Fire Country, Wicked, Democrats Keep Digging, and Former Utah Rep. Mia Love, RIP
Twitchy: NPR CEO’s Tweet Making The Rounds As She Futilely Denies Bias Allegations, Death Threats Surge Against Gal Gadot, and Energy Department Rolls Back Biden-Era Appliance Regs
Louder With Crowder: Ayanna Pressley Claims The “Trump Cabinet Is On Track To Be The Whitest Cabinet In History”, Smokeshow goes viral showing proper technique in how to wreck shoplifters , According to MSNBC having to register to vote is raaaaacist now, Jasmine Crockett Calls For Ted Cruz To Be “Knocked Over The Head,” Then Claims She Never Called For Violence, and 2028 Democrat frontrunner Occasional Cortex tells a Bernie rally she is pro-free speech, but we have receipts
Vox Popoli: Stay Off the Internet When You’re Mad, Seven Librarians, India Will Not Fight Russia, I Apologize, I Did Not Know Your Game, and Last Chance to Keep Odessa
Bacon Time: All Credibility Lost
Bugscuffle Gazette: A Break, The Cookie Tin…Of Doom, and Where Do I Start?
Stoic Observations: Kermadec Journal
Toni Airaksinen: Why Israel Is So Important To Islamists
Upstream Reviews: Sherlock Holmes & The Shadwell Shadows, The Lord of the Rings – A Catholic Worldview, and The Icarus Changeling
Defending The Wood Perilous: Vanity Vanity All is Vanity
Cedar Sanderson: The Green Race
Gab: The Case For A Segregated Internet, also, Modern “Christian” Art Is A Joke – Here’s How To Fix It

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
CDR Salamander: March Midrats Free For All, also, Constellation – Frigate Antigone,
Dana Loesch: When You Add A Progressive Journalist To The War Chat, also, Democrat Princess Jasmine Crockett Mocks Gov. Abbott’s Disability
Don Surber: What Snow White Could Have Been, also, An actual insurrection
STUMP: DOGE – The Shot Across The Bow, also, The Week In Meep,

Amazon Warehouse Deals
H&R Block Deluxe & State Tax Software w/Bonus Refund Offer
Sherlock Holmes & The Shadwell Shadows
The Lord of the Rings – A Catholic Worldview
The Icarus Changeling
Best Sellers – Automotive

Category: Linkagery

‘Signal-Gate’: CIA Sabotage? Or Another ‘Anonymous’ in the Trump White House?

Posted on | March 25, 2025 | No Comments

Tuesday evening, I watched Laura Ingraham interview National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who promised to “get to the bottom” of how a supposedly secure text-message conversation between top officials of the Trump administration “accidentally” included notorious anti-Trump Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic. Democrats and their media allies are trying to turn “Signal-gate” into a scandal, while Trump’s defenders are circling the wagons and denouncing Goldberg. But what we’re not getting is a plausible explanation of how this happened.

My friend Matt Margolis has kept digging away at this story, without getting any definitive answer to the big question, and what is being said by Waltz and other administration officials doesn’t help explain this. They’re defending, not explaining, and if I were Donald Trump I’d give Waltz about 72 hours to figure out who screwed the pooch, or else he would become the former National Security Adviser.

Was it a CIA setup? Matt Margolis writes:

[A]ccording to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Joe Biden first authorized the use of Signal for government communications.
This jibes with what CNN’s Scott Jennings revealed Monday night. His sources told him that Signal was preloaded on various devices when the Trump administration took over for the Biden administration.
“I did learn a few things in some of my conversations, if you’re interested,” he said. “One is that the Signal program was preloaded on a number of devices and agency computers in this circuit when they got there. So, in their view, it was already in use.”
On Tuesday, [CIA Director John] Ratcliffe confirmed that the Biden administration installed the Signal messaging app on CIA computers and approved it for work use.
“So that we’re clear, one of the first things that happened when I was confirmed as CIA director was Signal was loaded onto my computer at, uh, the CIA, as it is for most CIA officers,” Ratcliffe said in sworn testimony Tuesday. “Um, one of the things that I was briefed on very early, Senator, was by the CIA records management folks about—about the use of Signal as a permissible work use. It is. That is a practice that preceded the current administration to the Biden administration.”

OK, so if the CIA installed the app, we could imagine a scenario in which someone on the agency’s staff had a “backdoor” on the administration communications devices, and used that access to insert Jeffrey Goldberg into the Signal chat group. If that’s what happened, the CIA operative responsible needs to be identified, indicted, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But that’s just one scenario, and it’s not even the worst-case scenario. No, far worse is the possibility that this mysterious “accident” was done by a backstabber inside Team Trump.

You remember Miles Taylor, don’t you? He was the Department of Homeland Security chief of staff who, under the byline “Anonymous,” published a 2018 New York Times article with the headline, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.” A year later, “Anonymous” published a book and, shortly before the 2020 election — by which time he was actively campaigning for Joe Biden — Taylor admitted that he was “Anonymous.” So what may have been exposed by “Signal-gate” is that someone else is now going the “Anonymous” route.

This is where I find myself troubled by what Waltz said in that interview with Laura Ingraham. She raised the idea — obviously, it’s occurred to others besides me — that a staffer was responsible:

“Is someone in your intel team trying to cause trouble here? Because that’s the scuttlebutt out there.”
Waltz answered, “No. Look, this is a great group. The president has a great team. This is not first term.” . . .
Ingraham then asked, “So, you don’t know what staffer is responsible for this right now?”
Waltz answered, “Well, look, a staffer wasn’t responsible. And, look, I take full responsibility. I built the group. My job is to make sure everything’s coordinated.” . . .
Ingraham followed up, “So, a staffer did not put his contact information?”
Waltz answered, “Of course not.”

Hmmm. This doesn’t add up. Waltz appears to be saying that he himself entered Jeffrey Goldberg’s number onto the message chain, even as he denies having any contact with Goldberg.

The point here is, nobody inside the White House should be communicating with Jeffrey Goldberg, ever, for any reason. So where did this number come from? Who put it into the group chat? Waltz seemed to be telling Ingraham that somehow he had gotten “spoofed,” that Goldberg had engaged in some kind of impersonation — so that Goldberg’s number showed up on Waltz’s phone under somebody else’s name, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how this could have happened. Like, you get a phony text message that says it’s from Amazon, and your package didn’t get delivered so “click here,” etc., but is the NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER going to fall for that kind of stupid hacker trick on his GOVERNMENT-ISSUED SECURE PHONE?

Anyway, the story so far doesn’t make sense. Waltz has promised to “get to the bottom of it,” and he better be pretty damned quick about it, or he’s going to be spending more time with his family, as they say.

Shop Electronics at Amazon

Save on Groceries and Everyday Essentials

Shop Amazon Basics

Office & School Supplies

Category: Donald Trump, Scandal

Chuck Schumer Tells the Truth?

Posted on | March 24, 2025 | No Comments

Ed Morrissey is having a gloat about Chuck Schumer’s appearance Sunday on Meet the Press, where Kristen Welker challenged him: “Leader Schumer, are you feeling pressure to step down?” To which Schumer replied. “Look, I’m not stepping down.” And this is gloat-worthy, because Schumer has become toxic with the Democratic Party’s “progressive” grassroots since he punted on his previous threat of a government shutdown. However — wow, how did this ever happen? — I feel a need to say a few words in defense of Schumer.

In explaining his vote in favor of the continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the government funded for another six months, Schumer said, “The CR was certainly bad, you know, the continuing resolution. But a shutdown would be 15 or 20 times worse,” before going on to explain that such a shutdown would have empowered Trump to pick and choose which agencies and programs got closed until Congress could reach a spending agreement. And this is certainly true, even if Schumer’s suggestions about what Trump might have done are paranoid fantasies invented to stoke the fears of liberals. Far more important to Schumer, however, is that Democrats would have been blamed for the shutdown.

Republicans already had their “Schumer Shutdown” talking points ready to roll if Schumer had filibustered the CR. That’s one thing that the lunatic fringe of the Democratic Party doesn’t wish to acknowledge — there was a Senate majority in favor of passing the CR, and in order to prevent that, Schumer would have had to order Democrats to vote “no” on cloture, thus filibustering the bill. Democrats are on record denouncing the filibuster as an outdated vestige of Jim Crow, just like Democrats are on record declaring that government shutdowns are horrible, and yet the Left was demanding that Schumer invoke a filibuster to cause a shutdown? The optics of such a maneuver would be awful, and Schumer could see that train coming down the tracks at full steam. All those video clips of what Democrats said about filibusters and shutdowns in the past would have been playing on endless loop, and if you think the favorability of the Democratic Party is bad now, it would have been far worse with a “Schumer shutdown.” This is just a fact.

As Ed Morrissey says, Schumer had calculated on House Republicans coming up short of a majority on the CR, and needing Democrat voters to pass it, which would have led to negotiations favorable to Democrats. Unfortunately for Chuck, Trump helped House Speaker Mike Johnson twist enough Republican arms to get the votes he needed, which put the ball in Schumer’s court, and there was then no good option for Senate Democrats — either pass the CR, or take the blame.

Look, I know there are people on our side who hate the CR as much as any left-wing Democrat hates it — for completely opposite reasons — but when Republicans have control of the White House and both houses of Congress, it would look very bad if we couldn’t avoid a shutdown. “Amateur hour,” is what that would look like to a lot of voters, and the GOP needs to avoid lending credibility to the Democrats’ accusation that Trump is causing “chaos” in Washington. No shutdown, no chaos.

That’s the smart play, and if some MAGA true believers want to call me a sellout for advocating the smart play, well, I can’t help it. The way Washington operates, we seldom get a chance to throw a 50-yard TD pass, and instead must content ourselves to push the ball down the field one play at a time. Don’t turn the ball over, don’t commit any stupid penalties, and execute the fundamentals — that’s winning football.

If we want to convince voters that the Democratic Party is a dangerous collection of fringe kooks — which, of course, they are — then it behooves us to avoid acting like fringe kooks ourselves. And you can already see how this pays off: Chuck Schumer actually did the right thing for once in his life, and it’s driving the AOC wing of the Democratic Party berserk.

Kristen Welker: "Leader Schumer, are you feeling pressure to step down?"

Chuck Schumer: "Look, I'm not stepping down." pic.twitter.com/ifTRfOJcC8

— Julia ?? (@Jules31415) March 24, 2025

Shop Electronics at Amazon

Save on Groceries and Everyday Essentials

Shop Amazon Basics

Office & School Supplies

Category: Budget, Chuck Schumer

Rule 5 Sunday: Babe in Boots

Posted on | March 24, 2025 | No Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley et Hamas delendam sunt.

ANIMAL MAGNETISM: Rule Five California Burning Friday, and the Saturday Gingermageddon

EBL: Saturday Night Girls With Guns, “Enchanted”, MAGA Team Trump – The Executive Strikes Back, Ukraine 1944, Black Death [Featuring Gwen Stefani], Lily Stewart Mugs For The Camera, Standing Up, Galway Girl, Irish Dance, Firefly, and Dolan’s Pub

A VIEW FROM THE BEACH: Ari Dugarte, DNA Reveals Genetic Bottleneck in Chesapeake Sturgeon, Fish Pic Friday – Lakyne Nicole, Thursday Tanlines, The Wednesday Wetness, Nothing Else Matters, St. Patrick’s Day Flotsam and Jetsam, The Monday Morning Stimulus and Palm Sunday

BACON TIME: Rule 5 Redheads

Thanks for all the luscious links!

Amazon Warehouse Deals
H&R Block Deluxe & State Tax Software w/Bonus Refund Offer
Deals on Premium Beauty Products
Visit Amazon’s Intimate Apparel Shop
Shop Sex & Sensuality Gifts

Category: Rule 5

FMJRA 2.0: A Week of Beatings

Posted on | March 23, 2025 | No Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

It was one of those weeks, and then some.

Once again, it was a bad week to be a Senators fan. Not only did we get swept by the (formerly) cellar-dwelling A’s, we got swept by the Dodgers as well, and just for good measure lost two out of three to the Red Sox when we came home for what would have been next Tuesday’s games. We traded our second-round draft pick to the Braves for 3b Steve Braun before the series against Boston, but his left-handed bat didn’t help much since the Sox started three lefties against us. Welp.
Ceterum autem censeo Silicon Valley et Hamas delendam sunt.

‘Supports Digestive Health’
EBL
357 Magnum

Making Sense of Democrat Disarray and the Future of the MAGA Revolution
EBL
A View From The Beach
357 Magnum

The Worst Pundits EVER!
EBL
A View From The Beach
357 Magnum

FMJRA 2.0: Breakthrough!
EBL
A View From The Beach
357 Magnum

Rule 5 Sunday: Waitress on the Ramparts
Animal Magnetism
EBL
A View From The Beach
357 Magnum

In The Mailbox: 03.18.25 (Afternoon Edition)
EBL
A View From The Beach
357 Magnum

In the Mailbox: 03.18.25 (Evening Edition)
EBL
A View From The Beach
357 Magnum

As Ace Says, ‘Woman’
EBL
The Daley Gator
A View From The Beach

In The Mailbox: 03.20.25
EBL
357 Magnum
A View From The Beach

Double Standards for Jew-Haters?
Small Dead Animals
EBL
357 Magnum
A View From The Beach

In The Mailbox: 03.21.25 (Afternoon Edition)
EBL
357 Magnum

Top linkers for the week ending March 21: