Archive for 2026

January 12, 2026

THEY HAD BETTER:

Posted at 8:38 pm by Glenn Reynolds on Jan 12th, 2026

WE HAVE A NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM:

Posted at 8:38 pm by Glenn Reynolds on Jan 12th, 2026

CALL THE BURN UNIT:

Posted at 8:36 pm by Glenn Reynolds on Jan 12th, 2026

OLD AND BUSTED: Walz: Harris Picked Me as VP Since ‘I Could Code Talk to White Guys.’

The New Hotness? Gov. Walz to Republicans: Expect me ‘to ride you like you’ve never been ridden.’

A day after ending his campaign for a historic third term — and possibly his political career — an animated Gov. Tim Walz offered a preview of how he plans to spend the remainder of his term: defending his record, shoring up his legacy and hammering Republicans with the abandon of a man no longer chasing votes.

“For Republicans here, I have more energy than I’ve ever had. I am committed to this state more than I’ve ever been,” Walz said. “Expect for the next 11 months for me to ride you like you’ve never been ridden to make sure you’re doing your job.”

Great moments in sound bites:

Quentin Tarantino, call your office!

 

Posted at 8:14 pm by Ed Driscoll on Jan 12th, 2026

UGH: Vengeful Ayatollah preparing first executions of seized Iranian demonstrators as protests gain momentum & deaths mount.

Erfan Soltani, 26, was held on Saturday in a brutal crackdown by the teetering regime which has seen more than 500 protesters killed and 10,000 arrested.

t is thought he was charged with ‘waging war against God’, which is punishable by death in Iran, following his arrest in the city of Fardis, near Tehran.

Supporters say he has not been allowed legal advice and had no chance to defend himself before a verdict of death by hanging was delivered.

This is just one awful fate protestors face. They protest regardless.

Posted at 6:52 pm by Stephen Green on Jan 12th, 2026

MAYBE BEIJING KNOWS CHANGE IS COMING:

Posted at 6:11 pm by Stephen Green on Jan 12th, 2026

YES.

Posted at 6:08 pm by Glenn Reynolds on Jan 12th, 2026

IRAN:

 

Posted at 5:45 pm by Ed Driscoll on Jan 12th, 2026

WINNING: US-Taiwan near trade deal to lower tariff, boost TSMC facilities. “The Trump administration is nearing a trade deal with Taiwan to reduce its tariff rate to 15% and commit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, opens new tab to building at least five more facilities in Arizona, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing three people familiar with the matter.”

Posted at 4:50 pm by Stephen Green on Jan 12th, 2026

THE CRITICAL DRINKER: Crash And Burn – The Steven Seagal Story.

The Drinker dubs Seagal “The Great One,” and like the earlier Great One, Seagal had a sensitive musical side. The Drinker doesn’t mention that part of Seagal’s career, but fortunately, your humble narrator was honored to have been there to document it:

Click to embiggen.
Posted at 4:45 pm by Ed Driscoll on Jan 12th, 2026

JAMES LILEKS: The truth about the Ancient Astronauts.

Erich von Däniken, popular author of a series of books about “ancient astronauts,” passed away on the tenth of January. His most famous work was “Chariot of the Gods?, a book that surely did not need the question mark. You can just respond “No,” and move on to the next subject. You probably remember his thesis: mankind was visited by aliens long ago, and they taught us things before heading back to the stars, never to return. You probably don’t know this: next Friday you can [go] to his theme park to get drunk and dance. But we’ll get to that.

I’m sure I found the idea intriguing as a kid, because these unfalsifiable conjectures fire the young imagination. Look at that ancient stone carving, it looks just like an astronaut in a capsule with a control panel wearing a pressurized space suit! Or it’s a lizard in a pot. I can’t say it didn’t happen, but if it did, it probably went like this:

The ship descends, all the humans drop the ground gibbering and bowing: the gods have arrived! Didn’t have that on the bingo card. Everyone bows down. The aliens give each other that look: every time. Always with the bowing.

“Okay, get up, we have work to do. No, we don’t want you to cut up a cow for us. No myrrh, we’re allergic.”

“Yes my lord god! I mean no. What do your greatness commandeth?”

“We’re going to build pyramids.”

“Pyramids.”

“Yes. Big square buildings with pointy tops. Here’s how.”

I’m pretty sure I saw the movie version of Chariots of the Gods — I think the film left von Däniken’s question mark off for savings — when I was a kid, but then the bar for what passed as a “documentary” was awfully low back then. (Seen at Chariots’ Wikipedia page: “Film critic Phil Hall said ‘They don’t make films like this any more, and we should be glad for that.’”)

Posted at 4:30 pm by Ed Driscoll on Jan 12th, 2026

CRY HAVOC AND UNLEASH THE POLAR BEARS OF WAR!

Bears in SUVs in rugged conditions? Pshaw — America has been training our own cadre of beer drinking, hard riding bears for at least a half century now:

Posted at 4:14 pm by Ed Driscoll on Jan 12th, 2026
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