TELL US YOU KNOW SQUAT ABOUT FIREARMS WITHOUT SAYING YOU KNOW SQUAT ABOUT FIREARMS:  CNN Reporter: Semi-Automatic Rifles Can Fire Dozens of Bullets With One Trigger Pull.

FUNNY HOW DURING DEM ADMINS REVISIONS ARE ALWAYS DOWNWARD BUT UNDER GOP THEY REVISE UP:  US Economy Beats Expectations: Q2 GDP Revised Up.

I GREW UP READING SO MANY PEOPLE FROM BRITAIN AND SO MUCH BRITISH HISTORY IT’S ALMOST LIKE AN ALTERNATE HOMELAND OF THE HEART:  Rue, Britannia.

I also mourn.

FROM BLAKE SMITH:  A Kingdom of Glass: A Novel of The Garia Cycle.

In a kingdom of secrets and silk, one girl must choose between duty and her heart.

Zara has spent eleven blissful years in the sun-drenched kingdom of Garia, where she rides free across a vast grassland, shoots her bow beneath starlit skies, and calls her foster family’s castle home. But when a royal summons arrives, her golden world shatters like spun glass.

Thrust into the cold, formal courts of the East Morlans—a realm of rigid etiquette and deadly politics—Zara must navigate an arranged marriage to a stranger, reconnect with a family she barely remembers, and survive the unforgiving world of noble society.

Gone are the warm winds and open skies of her beloved home. In this land of marble halls and suffocating tradition, every word is measured, every gesture scrutinized, and falling in love might be the most rebellious act of all.

As court intrigue swirls around her and threats close in from every side, Zara must discover who she can trust—and what she’s willing to sacrifice—to reclaim the freedom she left behind in the endless plains of Garia.

Some cages are gilded. Some prisons are palatial. But Zara’s heart belongs to the steppe.

Perfect for fans of court intrigue, swoon-worthy romance, and heroines who fight for their own destiny.

SELF DEFENSE IS A SACRED RIGHT:   They Think of People Like Cattle.

READING THIS MADE #TEAMHEADSONPIKES GET REALLY LOUD IN MY HEAD:  Melodrama.

LEST WE OWE CARTHAGE AN APOLOGY:   We Need To Raze The New York Times To The Ground.  Plough the land with salt too.

The New York Times Delenda Est.

I SUSPECT IT’S GOING TO BE “AND”:  Mass Deportation and/or Civil War.

IF YOU HEAR THAT NO, WE HAD IT ALL WRONG ABOUT THE SCOTTISH GIRL INCIDENT? ROLL TO DISBELIEVE:  Crime Rates and Lying Politicians.  Scottish Edition.

FROM JASON CORDOVA AND MELISSA OLTHOFF:  To Tread Obsidian Shores (The Bronze Legion).

Brand new military SF from two veterans with a proven track record of excellent storytelling!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A WARRIOR?

The Protectorate of Mars Foreign Legion: A path to citizenship. A fresh start. Defending the Protectorate of Mars against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

HOPE

With itchy feet and a vagabond soul, all Blue ever wanted was to join the Survey Corps and explore the universe. But when she failed the entry exam, becoming a dropship pilot for the Legion was her last chance at achieving that dream. It was only supposed to be a stepping stone . . .

DUTY

All he ever wanted was a home. But when Tavi is driven from his world by murderous revolutionaries, he only has one chance to escape: the Legion. Searching for a new life, he soon discovers something even better—a family.

WELCOME TO THE LEGION

LOOK, IT WAS TWO IN THE MORNING AND I WAS RUNNING ON COFFEE AND SPITE:  David Starr, Space Ranger – Reading the Future of the past.

IT’S BEEN A VERY WEIRD WEEK. I FORGOT TO SHARE THE MEMES FROM FRIDAY:  Pretty In Memes.

HE’S SHOWING THEM HOW TO WALK WITH BIG CLANKING COJONES:  How the Donald Factor is transforming the European right, Part One.

Whether they can find their tiny shriveled-pea ones is anyone’s guess.

THE DESPICABLE DNC:  DNC Chair Withdraws Resolution Recognizing Israel’s Right to Exist.

AND NOW THINGS GET INTERESTING:  Gabbard Located Burn Bags Containing Documents About 2020 Election.

GOOD:  Duffy Puts Three States on Notice for Failing to Enforce English Proficiency Among Truckers.

A REPORT FROM THE FRONT LINES IN THE UKRAINE:  Living in terror on Ukraine’s frontlines.

GOOD:  A rare win against rent-seeking.

REGULATIONS DON’T ALLOW US TO ASK FOR LESS:  On Home Buying, Maybe We’re All Asking for Too Much.

H1B VISA HOLDERS MOST AFFECTED:  Walmart Fires VP for Taking Daily Kickbacks Starting from $30K.

BUT BUT BUT CHINA STRONK:  Africa Wins Again, Chapter 27.

THE SCIENCE AND “SCIENCE” OF DRUG WITHDRAWAL:  How JAMA Psychiatry Fooled Us About Antidepressant Withdrawal.

ONLY BECAUSE IT IS:  EPA Puts Brakes On California’s Truck Emission Rules, Calling It An ‘Illegal Power Grab’.

ON SUNDAYS I DO A PROMO POST (MOSTLY) FOR INDIE WRITERS:  Book Promo And Vignettes By Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.

There’s also a fun, sometimes deranged vignette challenge.

NEAT STUFF YOU’LL NEVER USE BUT IT’S FUN TO KNOW:   A Prayer Between Trains: A Sacred Tree at an Osaka Station.