If All You See…

By William Teach November 1, 2026 – 1:28 pm

…is a horrible fossil fueled SUV, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is bluebird of bitterness, with a post on “Local man lives in constant daylight after saving it for 12 years”

It’s black week!

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Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach November 1, 2026 – 9:20 am

Happy Sunday! Another wonderful day in Returned America. The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, and, we’re back to Standard Time. This pinup is by Patrick Hitte, with a wee bit of help. A day late for Halloween.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. The Right Scoop: AFFORDABILITY-SHMORDABILITY! Watch Carville pitch HIGHER TAXES as a PLUS for Dems just days before midterms
  2. The Last Refuge: Poland Leftist Prime Minister Donald Tusk Leads a Judicial Coup D’Etat
  3. The Gateway Pundit: PBS Lays the Groundwork for the Midterms by Saying We May Not Know Results on Election Night and That’s ‘Normal’
  4. The First Street Journal: No matter how much you hate the credentialed media, you do not hate them enough!
  5. Pacific Pundit: Communist riots spread to Germany over night, as cities go up in flames
  6. Powerline Blog: ‘Shakopee man from Nicaragua deported to Central African Republic’
  7. Newsbusters: Smile More? USA Today Champions Kaitlan Collins and the Brave Anti-Trump Women of CNN
  8. Moonbattery: Moonbats Get Truly Scary for Halloween
  9. Legal Insurrection: FCC Moves to Let Prisons Jam Contraband Cellphones
  10. Jihad Watch: Both of Abdul El-Sayed’s Parents Were in Groups That Funded Al Qaeda
  11. Irons In The Fire: Couple of new things, one being Savage having just brought out a line of suppressors
  12. IOTW Report: Trying to Ignore France’s Muslim Problem, WaPo Stumbles Onto Truth About Socialism
  13. Geller Report: $47 MILLION: Federal Grants Flowed to Michigan Muslim Institutions That Spew Anti-American, Anti-Jewish Hate and Incitement
  14. Gatestone Institute: What the Muslim Brotherhood Plans for You if It Is Elected
  15. And last, but, not least, Don Surber has “Make AMERICAN Votes Count”

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014, so, most are hosted internally). While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your Pinups for Vets calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me. I’ve also mostly alphabetized them, makes it easier scrolling the feedreader

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?

As a sidebar, it’s wild how man blogs I’ve seen die over the years for different reasons.

Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.

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Ilhan Omar Investigation Is Targeting Multiple People

By William Teach November 1, 2026 – 7:00 am

Here’s the question in this whole thing: is it tilting at windmills, or is there enough evidence to actually do something? Because it’s going to take some extraordinary facts to get it through the legal justice system and stick her in jail and/or strip her of citizenship and deport her. Particularly since Democrats will caterwaul and go apoplectic, and Trump only has a bit over two years in office. If a Democrat wins in 2028 they will surely shut it all down

Ilhan Omar case is ‘large’ and targeting multiple people, reveals DHS Secretary

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that feds probing Rep. Ilhan Omar assembled a “large case” dealing with multiple people.

“This isn’t just a case that’s targeting one individual. This is a large case that we have presented to the DOJ, and the DOJ is leading the investigations,” he told Fox News on Friday.

Mullin said Homeland Security Investigations agents — who searched Omar’s Washington, DC, home on Oct. 12 — “did a lot of investigation to be able to present the case to them.”

“And I’ll just say this again: We’re enforcing our nation’s laws, and we’re going to do that. We’re not weaponizing. We’re not using political theater on this,” he added.

Authorities are probing Omar over whether the Somalia-born politician engaged in an immigration fraud conspiracy by marrying her alleged brother Ahmed Elmi, a British citizen who describes himself as gay, and whether she made false statements on government documents to gain citizenship.

This will have to move fast, and, remember, the judge involved, James Boasberg, isn’t actually a fan of Trump and has ruled against him constantly.

Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, defended the probe after former President Barack Obama publicly lambasted it.

The Obama admin did an investigation. And, don’t forget, the current investigation started under Biden.

“I’ve made this very, very, very, very clear: we’re enforcing our nation’s laws across the board equally, and we’re going to continue to do that,” he said.

“I don’t care where you’re seated, and I don’t care how you’re registered to vote, I don’t care what your job title is. We use it equally.”

Those in positions of power in government should be held to a much, much, much higher standard. We forget this for today’s high ranking poobahs, be they politicians, department members, Congressional employees, generals and admirals, etc.

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Are These The 50 Best Horror Movies Of The 21st Century?

By William Teach October 31, 2026 – 3:00 pm

Let’s take a look

The 50 Best Horror Movies of the 21st Century So Far, Ranked

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Every year is a great year for horror movies if you know where to look. But we’re over a quarter of the way through the 21st century, which means there are over 25 years of modern horror classics, daring cult oddities, ambitious art house freak outs and even satisfying studio scarers to sort through.

But someone has to do it, and someone else has to do it just to get as many perspectives on modern horror filmmaking as possible. Let’s take a deep dive into the scary movies that have defined the genre this century, and/or scared the hell out of audiences all over the world, and/or deserve greater recognition for their brilliance.

Let’s take a look at this list. The ones I’ve seen that I like and agree with are (below the fold)

Read More »

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 31, 2026 – 1:00 pm

…is a California county that is trying to be climate responsible but Everyone Else is being troublesome, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Geller Report, with a post on “El-Sayed’s Campaign Attack Dog Hasan Piker Compares Jewish Voters to Ku Klux Klan”

Doubleshot, check out LMAO, with a post on “Straight Line of the Day: So What Exactly Is Pennsylvania’s Halloween Horror?”

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Pope Leo Has A Warning On Artificial Intelligence

By William Teach October 31, 2026 – 10:30 am

It’s actually a different type of warning

Pope Leo XIV warns about artificial intelligence: “Machines are instruments, not people”

Pope Leo XIV warned this Friday, October 30, about the risks of attributing rights or legal personality to artificial intelligence systems and called for decisions related to human life, freedom, and the use of force to always remain under human control. During an audience at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pontiff also urged progress toward the prohibition of lethal autonomous weapons and the establishment of international mechanisms to ensure technological development serves the common good.

The Holy Father received participants in the meeting “The Future of AI: A Dialogue between the Vatican and the Scientific World on the Developments and Applications of Intelligent Technologies,” organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Future of Life Institute. In his address, Leo XIV outlined five considerations on human responsibility regarding these technologies, drawing on the teachings of his encyclical Magnifica humanitas and recalling that technical progress cannot take precedence over the dignity of the person.

Below, we offer the full speech of Pope Leo XIV: (snip)

The Pontifical Academy for Life, which has organized this meeting, is very aware of the challenges that arise wherever human dignity is threatened. In this regard, addressing the leaders of the G7, Pope Francis described artificial intelligence as “a fascinating and tremendous instrument at the same time” and stated that the decision to take a human life should never be entrusted to a machine (cf. Address at the G7 Session on Artificial Intelligence, June 14, 2024). Those words remain more relevant than ever. In the encyclical Magnifica humanitas I have sought to address these issues in greater depth. Today I would like to offer you five considerations in particular.

He has a point: Mankind should stay in control. Mankind should be the ones putting in the blocks and giving the orders. However, in, say, a shooting war, how much autonomy is programmed in? Say a big drone strike is launched from Ukraine on Russia: how much latitude do the drones and potential controlling AI have to attack targets of opportunity?

Second, machines are instruments, not persons. “So-called artificial intelligences do not live an experience, do not possess a body, do not go through joy and pain, do not mature in relationship, do not know from within what love, work, friendship, and responsibility mean” (n. 99). Today some propose granting rights to these systems, or even legal personality. Such an approach risks obscuring human responsibility and leaving those who suffer harm to confront a faceless entity.

So far, I haven’t seen any going full moonbat and calling for granting rights, but, hell, I’ve read enough science fiction to know it will come. They’ve pushed to grant rights to animals, so, it seems as if the Pope is getting ahead of the curve of wackadoodle. But, maybe, one day in the far future, AI will truly be sentient and deserve rights. We aren’t even close right now.

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Climate Pressures Haunting Halloween Chocolate Or Something

By William Teach October 31, 2026 – 7:15 am

Do they celebrate Halloween in India, since this cult screed comes from an Indian news outlet? Actually, yes?

What’s haunting Halloween chocolate? The climate pressures behind Halloween’s sweetest tradition

Growing up, your favorite childhood memory was going trick-or-treating. You loved dressing up in your favorite scary or funny costume, and walk out to the neighbors’ doors to get Halloween candy. You were always excited to know whether it would be chocolates or gummy bears. You loved this tradition.

Now, as you are a grown-up, you are on the other side of the door. This time you have to plan which chocolate candy you want to distribute. You go to the supermarket and reach out for your favorite bag of Halloween chocolates. Then you take a look at the price, and feel at this price you would get more gummy bears or maybe you can distribute less chocolate this year.

This is your story and it is a lot different from someone who is taking the first step to get you this chocolate. You need to have a better picture os someone who is a thousands of miles away. He is a cocoa farmer with just one simple issue: Will his cocoa trees produce enough healthy pods to supply enough and buy food for his family?

Both experiences belong to the same supply chain. Climate change is adding pressure at its agricultural end. The costs, however, do not travel evenly from the farm to the trick-or-treat bowl.

Then we learn that weather actually exists and can affect agriculture, which never happened before the Industrial Revolution and fossil fuels. The weather was perfectly dependable and always the same when the Mayans discovered chocolate.

Climate adaptation offers options, although implementing them requires support. Climate Central identifies shade planting and more heat- or drought-resistant plants among possible responses. Such changes can require funding and specialist knowledge beyond smallholders’ reach.

FAO recommends investment in resilient farming and better disease management, alongside a more balanced distribution of value.

The question behind Halloween’s candy bowl extends beyond affordability: can the p ..

They can if we tax the ever lovin’ shit out of you.

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NY Times Shocked Obamacare Costs Rise Even More

By William Teach October 31, 2026 – 7:00 am

Man, if only people had warned that Obamacare was going to skyrocket healthcare, deductible, and premium costs back before the Democrats shadily passed this “big f’ing deal”

Obamacare Dealt Yet Another Blow as Premiums Rise Again

Millions of Americans who depend on Obamacare for their health insurance face another double-digit price increase next year, adding to the financial toll that has already driven millions of others to drop coverage since last year.

The price increases largely reflect higher medical costs across the country. But they also are a signal of the latest blow to Obamacare under the Trump administration, which has overseen the expiration of tax credits that helped Americans pay for coverage and has erected new barriers to enrollment in an effort to root out what it describes as widespread fraud.

The average price of health insurance in the Obamacare marketplaces will rise by 13 percent next year, according to an analysis on Friday by KFF, the health research group.

The Trump administration on Friday published new prices for 2027 in 30 states with markets managed by the federal government. Using that data and state figures, KFF calculated the increase nationwide.

I’m old enough to remember when Obama said “In an Obama administration, we’ll lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.” And then Dems passed it, but, set it up for implementation after the 2012 election to avoid exposing the true costs to voter.

Obama added in 2010, “as a consequence of us getting 30 million additional people health care, at the margins, that’s going to increase our costs, we knew that. We didn’t think that we were going to cover 30 million people for free, but that the long-term trend in terms of how much the average family is going to be paying for health insurance is going to be improved as a consequence of health care.”

And, yet, without massive subsidies we see the true costs of Ocare.

Across the private and public health sectors, the increases have been driven by rising hospital prices, high payments under a consumer protection law that changed how some doctors are compensated, and the growing use of artificial intelligence in doctors’ offices, according to benefits consultants and industry analysts. Several large employers also pointed to a rising bill for expensive specialty prescriptions, like cancer drugs and GLP-1 medicines.

While I’m sure they play some part, involving the government heavily in paying for healthcare will always mean the costs skyrocket. Just like ACA opponents stated.

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If All You See…

By William Teach October 30, 2026 – 1:00 pm

…are trees that will soon die from carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Doug Ross @ Journal, with a post on “The Democrat Plot To Shred The Constitution”

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Some In Chicago Upset Over Using AI For Shoplifting Detection

By William Teach October 30, 2026 – 10:30 am

Of course they are

AI-powered shoplifting detection expands in Chicago-area stores, but some raise concerns

Artificial intelligence is being used in about two dozen stores across the Chicago area to help identify suspected shoplifting as it happens, with supporters saying the technology improves theft prevention while critics raise concerns about surveillance and potential misuse.

Veesion, the company behind the software, says the technology works by adding AI software to existing security camera systems. According to the company, the system analyzes activity in real time and alerts store employees when it detects suspicious behavior.

“Up until now, retailors have leveraged camera systems in more of a passive manor. Identifying shoplifting if and when it’s happening, and then trying to control the problem, right,” said Hiren Mowji of Veesion. “With AI you have basically an algorithm that’s watching 24/7, right. It’s more consistent, it’s more efficient, it doesn’t get tired for example, and it’s able to alert you if and when there is suspicious activity.”

OK, but, it’s Chicago: will the cops bother doing anything when called due to far-left prosecutors not bothering to prosecute?

While some shoppers support the technology, others worry about privacy and surveillance.

“it’s slippery slope with that footage nothing can be deleted forever it could still be used to surveille regular people walking around in stores,” said Franki Flameno.

Veesion said the system does not collect facial recognition data or biometrics.

People are being surveilled regardless of AI, because some people are thieves.

“JK you do wonder if the AI can be used to target someone if they are black? Absolutely not saying that wit will be, but it could,” Merritt said. “I don’t want it to be used to discriminate against people of color.”

And there you go. Raaaaacism. Despite all those videos of “people of color” going into stores and stealing. Should be a hoot once Big Democrat Cities start using AI to recognize serious crime in the streets, to be able to respond to gunshots better than Shotspotter.

Meanwhile

As bosses push workers to use AI, a Kentucky man found a way to opt out: a federal law protecting religious beliefs

As a teenager, David Durman would read works by Enlightenment philosopher David Hume and the Stoics. Their ideas led him to adopt the Humanist faith, a nontheist system he said centers human well-being and flourishing, which he’s kept for 30 years.

Because Humanism’s emphasis is on moral responsibility for one’s choices, the now 45-year-old administrator at the University of Kentucky felt uncomfortable by the “growing normalization” of AI products and systems at work, where colleagues and leadership offered “mounting suggestions” of how to use the tools and floated the idea of going to conventions to learn more about AI. For Durman—who disables Gemini on his Google searches and generally disables as many AI features as he can—surrendering any tasks to the technology chafes against what he sees as the goals of his faith. (snip)

While the University of Kentucky doesn’t yet have an AI directive, Durman said he wanted to preempt “any work environment move towards an actual requirement.” In August, he filed an accommodation request under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act—which protects religious views and nontheistic ones—to the university to be exempt from AI usage with the help of his attorney Alexandria Huiskens, who works with the American Humanist Association.

That is novel. I know the bosses want us to use more AI for crafting texts and emails to customers, but, I do not find a lot of benefit to it. I use it for a few short things, where I copy and paste the text and then hit the AI convert button, but, in a lot of cases when I write a bigger one AI does not convert better. Sometimes it makes it look like the 80s, where it takes a happy birthday wish and includes a “come buy something” message. Nope. I simply have a ton of pre-written messages that are bigger.

Anyhow, where are all the articles of doom and gloom on AI lately? They were big just a month ago, now almost nothing.

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