Fish Pic Friday - Andrea Carlos Zamora

With an unusual collection of fish:

Andrea Carlos Zamora@andreafishing92, Fly fishing | Spinning | Casting | Catch & Release. The river flows through us, not beneath us

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan). Linked at The Right Way in the weekly Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama.

Maryland, My Maryland

 At the Post Millennial, ANDY NGO REPORTS: Maryland felony cases against Zizian trans death cult members abruptly suspended

Maryland state felony prosecutions against three members of the Zizian trans death cult have been indefinitely suspended for unknown reasons.

The cases against cult leader Jack "Ziz" LaSota and subordinates Michelle "Jamie" "Alex" Zajko and Daniel "Hastur" Blank were made inactive on Aug. 14; All scheduled future trial dates were canceled.

LaSota, Zajko and Blank were arrested together following a national manhunt on Feb. 16, 2025 in rural western Maryland. They were found with a cache of weapons in their two box trucks. They had spent years moving around the country as members of the Zizians, a radical transgender cult who has been linked to at least eight violent deaths.

The three initially faced only misdemeanor trespassing, firearms and obstruction charges after an elderly Frostburg-area property owner reported that they had arrived in box trucks and asked to camp on his property.

Authorities later added charges involving the alleged illegal possession and carrying of concealed and loaded firearms.

LaSota, a biological male who identifies as a woman and uses the name "Ziz," is the founder and ideological leader of the Zizians. The group is made up of transgender vegan extremists, several of whom have elite educational backgrounds in science and mathematics. Members embraced an esoteric ideology combining leftist transgender politics, anarchism, rationalism and veganism.

The reason prosecutors chose to suspend the Maryland cases has not been publicly explained. The office of the State's Attorney for Allegany County has been reached for comment.

The decision comes as LaSota and Zajko face separate and more serious prosecutions.

I'm shocked, shocked that Stacy McCain isn't already on this turn in the transgender, vegan death cult. Remember, crazy people are dangerous. 

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

 At the Balmer Sun, Judge denies Baltimore City’s request to pause IG subpoena order

A Baltimore judge has denied an emergency request by Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration to pause enforcement of an order requiring the city to produce records in the ongoing legal fight between the city and the inspector general. The order, entered Wednesday by Senior Judge Pamela White in Baltimore City Circuit Court, comes as the city seeks to challenge an Aug. 14 order requiring it to quickly identify and turn over all responses to certain inspector general subpoenas issued to city agencies since April.

The city’s legal team had asked the court to delay that requirement while it seeks an expedited appeal, arguing the order functions as a preliminary injunction and is immediately appealable. The dispute centers on whether the inspector general can compel the city to produce potentially privileged or confidential records.

White’s order from Aug. 14 directed the city to respond to subpoenas and produce required documents, rejecting the city’s claim that Maryland’s Public Information Act prevents such disclosures. White wrote that the inspector general’s legal power to issue and enforce subpoenas “is not in conflict with or restricted by the MPIA,” and that city arguments about applying exclusions were “inapt.”

According to the city’s filing, complying with the order could involve producing more than one terabyte of data and more than 2 million email pages.

City attorneys warned that some of that data could include confidential or privileged material, saying that “disclosure could not later be undone.” The city also argued that production was ordered “without resolving core questions raised in the litigation” and before the city had “an opportunity for a full adversary hearing.”

And I'm sure the Brandon Scott and the city have nothing to hide. /sarc

Flotsam and Jetsam - Like A Summer Thursday

I'm really struggling with a decent title for this one.  

Rick Moran at PJM says Reports of Trump's Waning Influence Have Been Greatly Exaggerated, after he got Lindsey Graham's sister over the goal in Georgia. From News Wax, Trump Admin Floats Razing Kennedy Center, since he's not being allowed to fix it. Trump Mulls Renaming Lake Ontario as 'Lake America.' Canadians Balk at the Idea, which is exactly the point.

Hat Hair's Beege Welborn sees PA Measles Outbreak Sparking Predictable Virulent Outbreak of TDS MORE. Two elderlies died of measles. Probably Mennonites, maybe Hispanic Immigrants, who went through the Biden era unvaccinated too, but it's RFK Jr.'s fault, of course. Polimath at Marginally compelling notes Canada Is Losing The War On Measles, "Canada losing their elimination status for measles is a nerve-wracking reminder of the fragility of modern civilization." Mennonites. "If we charted Canada’s measles rate against the US, the US would look like a flat line." I had the measles back in the 50s. Back then it was just assumed that you would get them as a child.

Matt Vespa at TownHall sees James O'Keefe Just Put Lisa Murkowski's Anti-SAVE America Act Stance Through the Shredder. So she wants to put him in jail.

News Wax reports  Trump claims the US Navy Cleared All Mines From Hormuz, in a effort to supply Europe and China with oil. C14 News | EN @c14english, "Mojtaba Khamenei Clinically Dead Internal Iranian sources tell The Atlantic that Mojtaba Khamenei, designated successor to his father, is either dead or in a vegetative state - raising questions about who's actually running Iran." We need to let the Israelies peel off a few more layers to find out. Hat Hair's Duane Patterson is Watching the Iranian Regime Literally and Figuratively Run Out of Gas. VodkaPundit at PJM, Yeah, About That 'Famine' in Gaza…, it's a work of fiction. From Ace, Marco Rubio Sanctions Italy-Based Tech "Collective" Making Tools for Hamas; Also Reveals Portland Antifa Shops There Too, "Dude's balls are so big he could play for the WNBA." Ward Clark at RedState says The Trump Admin Just Found a Pressure Point That Could Disrupt Antifa's Entire Network.

Hat Hair's John Sexton observes Russia's 4th Largest Refinery Is Burning (it's probably not an accident), and wonders Why Are the Germans Being Such Wimps About the Drone Attack in Leipzig?

At Mil.com, Navy Notice Officially Warns Personnel, Families to Scrub Social Media of Military Ties, "Hung Cao's notice puts 340,000 active-duty, 58,000 reserve, and 210,000 civilian Navy workers on alert after recent service controversies."

At his occasional NYPo gig, Insty warns Tech bros must channel the moguls of old to get back in America’s good graces. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "New Data Center Built To Handle Influx Of Online Rants Against Data Centers.

Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "This is awesome." Quote The Royal Family @RoyalFamily, "Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many - including the millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always love you." OTH, Greta Van Susteren @greta, "This is the WORST INTERVIEW EVER! I don’t know where Barbara Walters was working in 1977 - NBC or ABC - but no network should have broadcast this trash interview." Nick Arama at RedState finds El-Sayed's Post on Dolly Parton's Death Has People Up in Arms. He tried to make her a poster child for socialism. At the JPo, Antisemitic vandals target Dolly Parton's Wikipedia page just hours after her death.

At Da Signal, Deroy Murdock hears from the DSA: ‘Our Goal Is Communism,’ and the Great Victor Davis Hanson writes The Radical Left Wants to Destroy America and Rebuild It. Charlton Allen at Am Think notices When Lenin Lost An Election, He Abolished Democracy, "When revolutionary socialists tell us who they are, perhaps we should take them at their word." Dave Strom at Hat Hair observes Mehdi Hasan Proves That Reparations Are a Stupid Idea. Where do they stop? Ace, Abdulrahman Hussein El-Sayed Hoovers Up Donations from Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Hamas-Supporting Donors to Nazi Troll Dan Blizerian (While Claiming Jewish Safety Will be a Priority for Him). "Weird that his donors don't believe him. What do they know that we don't? Abdulrahman Hussein El-Sayed collects donations from a terrorist member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a man so extreme Egypt sentenced him to life in prison:" Mike LaChance at LI hears Hillary Clinton Suggest Rise of Socialism in the Democratic Party is ‘Healthy’ “The Democratic Party right now is, I think, going through a kind of experiment.” From WaT, Democrat Debbie Dingell: Don’t ask me about Hasan Piker. John Sexton hears Nervous Dems: If We Keep Talking About Hasan Piker, We'll Lose. From The Scuttlebutt, Target Rich Environment volume five. And another thing ... “Woke One” Was Crazyyyy Violent and Evil, "Don’t let people with aspirations for higher office fool you into thinking otherwise."

Jesse Kelly @JesseKellyDC, "People wonder why Democrats take unpopular positions on things like voter ID and the deportation of foreigners. To put it simply: Popularity is not nearly as important for their survival as cheating is. Without the cheating, the Democrat Party is a 20% party." Quote Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "WOAH, Michigan Democrats are putting dead voters BACK ON the voter rolls after they are removed After the dead people are added back, THEY ARE MAILED BALLOTS." Mia Cathell at WaEx reports the Judge in Feeding Our Future case found Ilhan Omar’s relaxed provisions made food program ‘vulnerable to fraud’. Doug Powers @ThePowersThatBe, "Warren said 9 million people are in default on their student loans and Dances With Identity Theft wants everybody to believe that Trump officials are the problem with the system?" From Da Wire, Josh Shapiro Eyes New Powers That Make COVID Restrictions Look Like A Warning Shot. "We’ve already seen how this kind of authority can be abused, and we cannot allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated." New York Post @nypost, "California city goes rogue, plots 1,200 new homes at high-speed rail site." Why not? The rail will never get built, even though the money will be spent. 

Also at NYPo a reminder, True horrors of Biden’s Afghan pullout emerge on 5th anniversary of suicide bomb: ‘Witness to atrocities, war crimes.’

From the Peacock, Military trial date set for alleged mastermind of Sept. 11 attacks, "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been held at Guantánamo Bay since 2006." It would be a shame if something happened to him first. At Twitchy, Toronto Sun Columnist: New Memo Tells CBC Journalists Not to Refer to 9/11 As a Terrorist Attack. From Campus Reform, DOJ charges 17 Iranians in alleged IRGC university hacking campaign "DOJ: Iranian hackers targeted hundreds of universities in cyber theft campaign. Eight additional defendants were charged in an alleged years-long campaign that targeted universities worldwide."

Two from Shipwreckedcrew, The Lawfare Over New Postal Rules For Mail-In Ballots Is More Complicated That Most Understand -- You Need A Scorecard To Keep Up, "There are three other cases with District Judges trying to block the Administration but one has gone to the D.C. Circuit where the Administration received a favorable decision," and SCOTUS Kicks The Can Down The Road On Changing Postal Regulations For Mail-In Ballots, "As a purely legal matter, the Court’s decision is correct. While GOP voters may be critical, this process needs to check all the boxes in order for it to stick in 2028 when it will matter the most." Fusilli Spock @awstar11 "Why haven't the House GOP even tried to impeach her?" Quote Gunther Eagleman™ @GuntherEagleman, "SCOTUS just cleared the path for Trump’s mail ballot security rules. Less than 24 hours later, Obama-appointed Judge Indira Talwani is back at it. She just ruled that the U.S. Postal Service “feigned complete compliance”  and violated her injunction by finalizing the new rules. Same judge. Same playbook. Different day. The Supreme Court speaks. A district judge digs in harder. This is exactly why Americans have lost trust in the system. Secure elections shouldn’t be this hard. Time to start naming names and holding these activist judges." accountable. Ooana Trien ~ Eric Arthur Blaire’s Mistress @ooana, "I always understood why the Second Amendment was constitutionally protected. What I never really understood was why people called it a natural right. Then I moved from New York to Florida..."

Paul Sperry at RCI looks at American Medinas: Turning US Cities Into ‘Beachheads’ for Islam.

From Althouse, "Meta on Wednesday reached a landmark settlement with 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, agreeing to pay up to $17.1 billion in penalties..." "I'm reading "Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Claims/The social media giant settled with 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and agreed to make major changes to its products over claims its platforms endangered children" (NYT gift link)."

At Twitchy, Taylor Lorenz: Queen of Cancel Culture & Leopards Eating Faces Party Founder Discovers Free Thought.

Herr Professor Jacobson at LI, hears El-Sayed’s Sister Say The Quiet Part Out Loud About Activist Profs Politically Proselytizing Students, “We have to realize that there are people who do not view teaching as their calling. They are not in academia to teach. They’re in academia to politicize.” Like it's a good thing. At Complete Colorado, State spins shockingly bad Colorado education testing data. "Any of the following would be perfectly accurate and appropriate headlines for testing data released August 19 from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success: “Most students grades 3–8 behind in all subjects according to state testing.” “State testing shows overall low student scores increase in just over half of categories by grade and subject.” “Nearly two-thirds of Colorado students struggle in math despite small testing gains.” “Large majority of Black and Hispanic students continue to struggle in language and math.” Here is an actual headline from the Denver Post that’s reasonable: “2026 CMAS results show Colorado students making gains in math, falling behind in reading.”"

Greg Lukianoff and Andrea Honeycutt at the Eternally Radical Idea, The mental health consequences of social justice fundamentalism, "Data shows that the farther left you lean, the more anxious, depressed, and unhappy you are." I see a problem separating cause and effect here. Helen Smith @HelenSmithPhD, "This looks about right. Since women are now the majority of psychologists, the field has totally changed, and not for the better."  Quote Gad Saad @GadSaad, "Epistemology of truth vs epistemology of care. Read this book:"

At Althouse, "Women in rural Devon are being coached on how to give birth in the back of a car after their local hospital shut its maternity service." There's your socialized medicine.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, YGBKM: WNBA Team Bans Freedom As 'Threat'. 

Tattoo Thursday

Done come around again:

Fox 8, Barberton tattoo parlor offering Dolly tattoos with proceeds going to her charity

A tattoo parlor in the Akron suburbs is offering a special deal in honor of Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the age of 80. In a Facebook post, Magic City Tattoo And Body Piercing, located in Barberton, announced that one artist plans to draw tattoos of Dolly’s signature on Thursday, Aug. 27. The tattoos will feature only Dolly’s signature. They will be 2 to 3 inches long and can be in a color other than black.

Magic City Tattoo And Body Piercing will be offering this Dolly-inspired deal on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, but the cut-off is at 4:45 p.m. Tattoos will cost $60, with $40 going to Dolly’s Imagination Library, which on Tuesday announced plans to continue sending free books to children under age 5.

I want a full body bikini view, and I'm not settling for anything less!

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Maryland, My Maryland

 From the Cap Gaze, Cunningham Falls reopens after rabid beaver attacks

Maryland officials have restored water access at Hunting Creek Lake and nearby portions of Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont after finding no evidence of continued beaver activity, the Department of Natural Resources said Monday. The areas in Frederick County had been closed after two teenagers were attacked by rabid beavers on July 26 and Aug. 5. Both animals were euthanized and tested positive for rabies.

Since the attacks, Department of Natural Resources employees and police worked with Maryland Park Service staff to determine whether the area was safe to reopen. The state said it used trail cameras, trapping and thermal surveys conducted by biologists to monitor for beaver activity. Staff did not observe any beaver activity near Hunting Creek Lake during that time, the department said.

The reopening comes after a separate beaver attack Aug. 13 near Darnestown in Montgomery County, about 35 miles away. A 10-year-old girl was attacked while her summer camp was visiting the area, according to the state. A beaver later found dead nearby tested positive for rabies, but officials said it was unclear whether it was the same animal that attacked the girl. That incident remains under investigation, and the area near the attack, including a parking lot and nearby river access point, remains closed.

State officials said beavers generally are not aggressive and tend to avoid human contact. Attacks linked to rabies infections are rare, according to the state. The last similar attacks recorded in Maryland were in 2021 and 2015.

I wonder how the beavers contracted rabies. In this part of the world, rabies is endemic in the racoons, foxes and skunks. Adult beavers are pretty big, and I have trouble imagining any of these animals attempting to take one on, except, I guess, if they were rabid. Maybe a coyote? 

Flotsam and Jetsam - Dolly Parton Dead at 80

"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap"

Chris Queen at PJM reports Dolly Parton Passes Away at 80 [UPDATED With Statements]. Dolly Parton @DollyParton, "A message from the family of Dolly Parton." (Video at link). From Althouse says Goodbye to Dolly Parton. "Dolly Parton, Superstar Whose Songs Spoke to Millions, Dies at 80/Known for her outsize persona, appearance and talent, she rose from rural poverty to become a top-selling singer, songwriter and entrepreneur" (NYT gift link). "It has long seemed to me that she was the most-loved celebrity in the world — universally loved." Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump, "Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away. This is a true loss for millions of people. There has never been anyone like her, and never will. In her honor, I am lowering the American flag throughout the United States for a one week period beginning tonight at 6:00PM. Rest in Peace, Dolly! The World loves you. President DONALD J. TRUMP." Sundance at CTH, RIP Dolly Parton 1946-2026. From Tennessean Insty, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, IT’S HITTING HARD HERE IN DOLLY COUNTRY:

An apt day to remember that Dolly Parton once recorded a cover of Stairway to Heaven - and, in defiance of every moral law in the universe, she absolutely owned it. pic.twitter.com/rpeIUuumaC

— Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) August 25, 2026

From Ace, Country Music Star and Actress Dolly Parton Dies at Age 80, "What did someone say of FDR? He had a third-rate mind but a first-rate temperament. Dolly Parton could be said to have been a first-rate talent with a first-rate temperament. Every time you saw her, she was was happy and cheerful and grateful and even humble. Washington Nearsider posted this quote: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." - Dolly Parton. She was also pretty funny." Matt Vespa at TownHall says We Know the Cause of Dolly Parton's Death. Cancer, damn it.

A Larry vid at Hat Hair, Canada Instantly Regrets Starting a Trade War With Trump. Sundance at CTH has the White House Press Release: “Ending Canada’s Free Ride” and D’oh Canada – Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc Outlines the Fracture Points and Makes Mark Carney Look Like an Idiot. Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "Turns out Mark Carney lied about the reason he cancelled the trade talks. Just like he lied about the Gordie Howe Bridge. This is from the New York Times:" Quote Kevin A. Bryan @Afinetheorem, Replying to @Afinetheorem "3) It does appear the French language claims were in fact nonsense, and are being used for political purposes in the Canada byelection. Below is all there was. 4) Can & US wanted aligned non-N. Am. tariffs, but US wanted Canada to have to follow external tariff changes expost 2/3." Ezra Levant @ezralevant, "This gives the game away. To Carney, building a pipeline to export Alberta oil is a burden, something he needs to be convinced to do by America. They have to give him something to do it. Alberta's interests don't matter. Alberta is simply a bargaining chip." Quote Peter McCaffrey @peteremcc, "SHOCKING: The NY Times reveals that the US were keen to move ahead with the Keystone XL pipeline, but the Liberals used it as a bargaining chip to try to change the deal in the last hours. Side note: Why can’t we get this kind of information from our own government." Tristin Hopper @TristinHopper, "We will never surrender sovereignty over this unceded land we're illegally occupying." Quote TheBlaze @theblaze, "The Canadian government begins their response to Trump’s tariffs by recognizing that they are gathered on “indigenous” land:"

At Behind the Black, Ukrainian drones attack Russia’s Plesetsk military spaceport. What is Ozon and Why Is It Burning? John Sexton at Hat Hair explains. From Politico, Zelenskyy’s rival Fedorov overplays his hand with election push, "Ousted defense chief scored political hits with his criticism of Zelenskyy’s administration — but his call for an election has triggered outrage." 

From AllAfrica, Somalia: Somali Pirates Hijack Sanctioned Oil Tanker Off Yemen. LiveMint, Iran oil cargoes dry up even before US acts on Tehran threats; China's 'teapots' face crunch.

Capt. Ed at Hat Hair had LIVE PRIMARY RESULTS: Runoff Madness, and Will Voter ID Get OK’d? UPDATE: Graham Wins. From Sundance, South Carolina Special Election: Ralph Norman -vs- Darline Graham, Polls Close at 7:00pm ET. "UPDATE: Graham Wins – AP Calls the Race." I guess President Trump's endorsement still matters, and polls, especially primary polls still suck (or lie).

Western Lensman @WesternLensman, "Philly DA Larry Krasner says he wants the WH Ballroom blown up: "I'm going to have a paperweight sitting on my desk. You know what that paperweight is going to be? It's going to be a piece of the ballroom after we all blow it up." "In an official ceremony we're going to blow it up." Soros-backed lunatic." Sundance celebrates the Supreme Court Lifting the District Court Injunction Permitting Trump Administration to Move Forward on Postal Voting Plan. Abe Greenwald at Commentary reacts to Democrats Harping on Natalie, "for the love of God, leave the woman alone."

Also from Sundance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe Visited Moscow. ""Ahead of Ratcliffe’s trip, the U.S. told Ukraine that a senior delegation was traveling to Moscow and asked it to suspend strikes until it leaves, according to a source with knowledge of the matter. (link) "We shall not speculate too much on the purpose and intent of the visit; however, overall, the direction points to intelligence sharing or notification.""

CAPo ed board says Democrats need to stop whitewashing Abdul El-Sayed’s extremist hate. Sundance hosts as Jesse Watters Debates Islamic DSA Candidate Abdul El-Sayed. At Hat Hair, Larry has a vid, Abdul El-Sayed Screws Himself With Failed Risk-It-All Fox News Interview and Capt. Ed has Today's Deep Question: Why Is El-Sayed So Curious About Watters' Genitalia? equating female genital mutilation to male circumcision. From the Free Bacon, Abdul El-Sayed Doubles as Consultant for Health Nonprofit Led by 'Scam Artist' Accused of 'Exploiting Medicare'. "One Health Partners paid El-Sayed more than $80,000 in the past year for work he described as supporting 'patients with limited healthcare access.'" Capt Ed, Piker Melts Down As Michigan's Jewish Dems Fight Back. From Ace, Hasan Piker: By Only Caring About Israel, Jews Are Increasing Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Violence, and They Deserve It, "Remember the very well-promoted "Islamic backlash"? We were told that the worst possible thing that could possibly be would be for people to take their anger about Islamic terrorism -- and Muslim support for Islamic terrorism -- out on Muslim civilians." From Not The Bee, U.S. Muslim Brotherhood authorizes $140M annually to help Muslims take control of American government. Hat Hair's Dave Strom asks Are There ANY Working Class People in the DSA? From the Free Bacon, A Democrat’s Road to Disillusionment, "REVIEW: ‘Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative’ by Evan Barker." Aaron Hanscom at PJM, has A Disturbing New Poll — and Dennis Prager’s Warning for America.

Joe Chalfant at TownHall, Republicans Have Found Their Message Against James Talarico. From Ace, Trump Links a Just the News Report Suggesting That Ilhan Omar is Being Investigated by ICE for Immigration Crimes. Dave Strom, Keith Ellison Tries His Hand at Diplomacy by Negotiating With Somali Gangs, to protect the state fair and is Exposing the Gaza Grift. 

Amy Alkon @amyalkon, "They are not government-funded fuck pods for the homeless, but TAXPAYER-funded fuck pods being proposed. A gift from the robo-voting “progressives” of this state who vote in crony socialists with a retarded squirrel’s understanding of math. Related: Gavin Newsom spent $8.5 billion on “free” (bleed the taxpayers) healthcare for illegal immigrants. I vote for none of these people." Quote Nick shirley @nickshirleyy, "In Los Angeles it has been proposed to have government funded sex and masturbation clinics for the homeless. “This means equality. It means private sexual relief through masturbation” From ToI, Protesters sentenced to jail for blocking Golden Gate Bridge over Gaza war. Heather Mac Donald at CJ says No, Street Vagrants Are Not “Our Neighbors.” "An L.A. city councilman comes up with yet another fantastical euphemism for the dysfunctional exploiters of ever-diminishing bourgeois order."

Natalie Winters @nataliegwinters, "EXCLUSIVE: The federal government paid hundreds of social-media influencers to convince their followers to take COVID vaccines. They even targeted children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. While the project’s didn’t reveal the names of paid participants, I just unmasked dozens.."

Bad Hombre @Badhombre, "There are four data centers within 10 minutes of your Burlington, VT home: ClearBearing, Tech Vault, TelJet, and FirstLight. Your home’s assessed value has risen from $360,000 to $760,000 since they were built. Keep yelling at the clouds, old man." Quote Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders, "Trump thinks that every community in America should welcome a data center. Great idea. Lead by example. Have your friend Elon build one at Mar-a-Lago."

Gleen Grenwalt, reports The Biden-Era C.B.P. Fabricated a Document Used to Imprison a Top-Level Brazilian Official. A U.S. Federal Judge Just Ordered Full Disclosure. "The federal judicial case has obvious implications for Brazilian politics, but even more for U.S. national security."

From Twitchy, Active Duty USAF Major Who Called for Trump’s Impeachment on Capitol Steps Charged Under UCMJ.

From Hat Hair, Beege Welborn, sees Another Judge, Another Injunction - Rubio's Visa Freeze Vacated and Summer Forecast Turns ICEy in Virginia and Recent Figures on Migrant Crime in Some European Countries Just Now Being Released. Sundance reports the State Department Moving Toward Mass Visa Cancellation Impacting 200,000 Unlawful Entrants. The OCR whines Deportees who refused to exit a US flight in Liberia are sent to Equatorial Guinea. "The deportees who resisted leaving the plane in Liberia were told they would be returned to the United States but instead were flown to Malabo city in Equatorial Guinea, one advocate said." Bob Hoge at RedState sees a Ohio Court Tries to Tell Feds Where They Can — and Can't —Arrest Illegal Aliens. DOJ Fires Back. Christopher F. Rufo and Susan Crabtree at CJ explains How Gavin Newsom Subsidized the Migrant Invasion. "The California governor has spent nearly $1 billion on nonprofits that want, among other things, to dismantle the border, “abolish ICE,” and help immigrants “living with HIV.”"

A video from FIRE on Free Speech in Donald Trump's America.

John Sexton predicts The Left Will Never Stop Blaming the Right for Jason Arday's Death. You aren't supposed to call out Black, leftists plagiarists and fantasists in academe. From the College Fix, Facing inaccuracy claims, historian Kerri Greenidge points to bias against black female scholars. Ray Hilbrich at LI hears Monmouth U. Trains Educational Counseling Majors to be ‘Social Justice Advocates.’ "Among the highlighted features of the program is an “Advanced Race & Racism course” which requires students to participate in an “‘outside of the classroom’ anti-racism project.”" FischerKing @FischerKing64, "Let's translate - the Trump administration is urging schools to suspend troublemakers even if they are predominantly black, so that the kids of whatever race and background, who actually want to do some learning, are able to do so." Quote Reuters @Reuters, "The US Education Department ​has issued guidance urging schools to stop what it calls ‘racial balancing’ ‌in student discipline policies, prompting concerns that the Trump administration is making it harder to address longstanding racial disparities in school discipline." Carol Roth @caroljsroth, "The US govt is the biggest predatory lender in the world, transferring wealth from young people to college administrators." Quote Amy Nixon @texasrunnerDFW, "This is an amount of money you’d borrow for a MORTGAGE And we wonder why young people aren’t buying homes!!!!"

Red Pilled America @RedPilled_USA, "This many far-left activists going after the Paramount / Warner Bros. merger signals absolute fear that conservatives will get a foothold in Hollywood." Quote Norm Eisen @NormEisen, "BREAKING: Latino community is rising up against Paramount-Warners merger because it will kill jobs & content for Latinos--& all Americans Kudos @LULAC & Juan Proano for standing with AG Bonta & 11 other AGs demanding structural remedies." From Da Wire, Chris Pratt’s Ex Admits She Grills 14-Year-Old Son Over His Pro-Life, Conservative Views. "Do you think it’s a luxury that you get to be pro-life?" George MF Washington @GMFWashington, "Yes, the only thing keeping them here is nostalgia for a world long gone and social pressure. The truth is that getting out and around normal Americans and away from LA which is a clinically insane city would do wonders for the product being pushed out the door." Quote Joseph Kahn @JosephKahn, "If Paramount/Warner leaves LA, they'll be fine. Their true value is the IP they own. The infrastructure can be moved anywhere and benefit from lower taxes and cost of operations. Lots can be sold off an rebuilt. Like any corporate move, the executive class can be transferred. The deals they make are vaporware - contracts and e-signs in the internet..." Dave Strom says Who Knew? The WNBA Actually Matters Now! No, not really. And, When You Hear 'Normalize X," Run the Other Direction. Daddy Warpig @DaddyWarpig, "Once again, this is a disguised sexual fetish called "Oppress me harder, daddy."" Quote Brendan Gutenschwager @BGOnTheScene, "Demonstrators dressed as handmaids from the series “The Handmaid’s Tale” out near Minneapolis City Hall today." Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "LIBERAL BABY BUST: Leftists aren’t having kids over mental health, stress while conservatives keep forming families: IFS study." Holly MathNerd at Holly’s Substack says I Had the Effing Denominator, "my Sunday come-to-Jesus moment," over the Lindsay Clancy story. 

And there's still more at the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 08.25.26 (Morning Edition) and In The Mailbox: 08.25.26 (Evening Edition). The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please and FMJRA 2.0: Embracing The Suck up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

The Wednesday Wetness

Bettylou Sakura Johnson@bettylou.sakura.johnson 🏠:Hale’iwa, North Shore of Oahu 📧:bettylou@teamwass.com Championship Tour Surfer

Now that's a name to conjure with.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Flotsam and Jetsam - Supreme Court Lets Trump Regulate Mail-in Voting

Matt Margolis at PJM hears SCOTUS Gives Trump HUGE Win on Mail-In Voting. "Trump signed the executive order, called "Ensuring Citizenship Verification And Integrity In Federal Elections, in March 2026. It directs his administration to build lists of eligible voters and orders the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists. The Postal Service laid out its implementation plan last week, but the clock is ticking. Some states start sending mail ballots in just a few weeks, leaving the administration little time to get this right before the midterms. More court challenges remain possible." Again, like the ballroom, it's one of those "we haven't really decided yet, but you can proceed for now" decisions. At Althouse, "Supreme Court Allows Trump Plan to Restrict Mail-In Voting, for Now." "The administration asked the court to clear the way for President Trump’s order that creates 'state citizenship lists' and directs the Postal Service to decide who gets a mail-in ballot". Mark Mendlovitz @MendlovitzMark, "The Supreme Court ruling that lets the Trump Administration proceed with mail ballot security measures has Democrats freaking out, but what's really driving them bonkers is less about providing voter lists for eligibility determination (though they are certainly worried about that) and much more about MATCHING BARCODES of the outer and inner envelopes in a mail ballot package. Here is why that's the problem for them. If surplus mail ballots collected from people who aren't voting by mail are somehow voted on behalf of OTHER PEOPLE, it becomes readily detectable that a ballot was repurposed from its originally intended voter to someone else on the voter rolls. The "no-match" condition means that ballot was taken from the originally intended voter or it was given away. Either way that's how fraud can be easily detected. Keep in mind, the barcode matching requirement does not require any personal information that isn't on the outside of an envelope, and it doesn't prevent states from using mail to conduct elections, so the hysterical reactions are confirmation they know the gig is up."

VodkaPundit at PJM notes Bessent to Reveal 'Economic D-Day' Against Iran. ""The U.S. Treasury is preparing to expand secondary sanctions on countries and companies doing business with Iran, forcing trading partners to choose between Tehran and access to the dollar-based financial system," Unusual Whales posted Monday, summarizing a paywalled Financial Times report." Francis Sempka at Am Spec, Trump is Combining Geoeconomic and Kinetic Warfare Against Iran, "American impatience has repeatedly undermined the political gains of military victories. The war against Iran may be no different." wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "Iranian oil shipments to Asia have nearly dried up as US pressure on Tehran disrupts supplies. Chinese refiners are facing tighter availability, with Iranian crude prices shifting from a discount to a premium of around $4 a barrel. A major factor behind the shortage is the impact of US efforts to block Iranian oil shipments. Loaded Iranian tankers have been unable to leave the Persian Gulf, while empty vessels remain stranded outside the region." Brian Cates @drawandstrike, "You're gonna see a lot of weird shit go down over the next 2 weeks. Some of these 60+ entities will REFUSE to stop the money laundering. They can't. If they do, financial drug/human/sex/arms/dark web networks they've spent DECADES building and expanding will start collapsing. They're in a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation now. Gird your loins...the strong ripples of this are gonna show up in some really strange places in Europe." Quote Rapid Response 47 @RapidResponse47, "@SecScottBessent: "Let me be clear: any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. Dollar system. The clock just started ticking." x.com/RapidResponse4…"

Ben Smith at RedState observes Google Pulls Every Last Pixel Product Out of China. Fred Fleitz at Am Great warns Before Trump Meets Kim Jong Un Again, Five Things Must Happen First "These steps build on the existing strong U.S.-South Korea partnership, advance American interests, and create space to resolve lingering bilateral frictions." 

At TownHall Matt Vespa sees NBC Tried to Do Major Damage Control for Abdul El-Sayed. Tim Scott Shut It Down. At PJM Vicky Taft watches NBC's Welker to Head-Shaking Tim Scott: Let's Pretend That El Sayed's Terror Ties Don't Count and Dave Manney notes PETA Savaged Kristi Noem. For Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, It Found Excuses. From Da Caller, ‘That’s Not My Grandpa’s Democratic Party’: JD Vance Blasts Dem Senate Candidate El-Sayed. Vic Nava at NYPo, Abdul El-Sayed asks Fox News’ Jesse Watters ‘Are you circumcised?’ in bizarre moment as he defends sex change surgery for minors. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal hears Far-Left Streamer Hasan Piker Says He’s More Respectful of Charlie Kirk Than Kirk’s Widow. Well, he is Muslim after all. Driscoll at Insty, on HOW IT STARTED: Socialist Robert Reich on Election Night 2024 Warned Elon Musk: “I guarantee you I’m going to make life so difficult for you, really so difficult for you, so just be very careful of yourself.” How It’s Going: Jon Najarian @jonnajarian, "Whenever I need a good laugh, I just read Elon's response to this intellectual dwarf." John Kass asks Daddy, Where Do Communists Come From? "These young Americans don’t have the work ethic or inclination to build a career or a business. They don’t want the burdens of traditional family life. They’re disappointed and confused. Their contributions to society are mostly street chants beginning with the words “Whadda we want?”"

retard mode ✞ @retardmode, "gary indiana not having power is an amazing story of diversity >entire city council is black >every electric company executive is black >black residents can’t stop shooting at vehicles working to restore power and they all blame racism for going without power for so long." Will Chamberlain @willchamberlain, "The people who made a secular religion out of George Floyd’s death are here to tell you that you shouldn’t dare politicize Iryna Zarutska’s murder."

PJM's Cathy Salgado asks Hiding Much? Newsom Signs 'Stop Nick Shirley Act.' cdrsalamander @cdrsalamander, "We need to find a new name for “nonprofits“. They are very profitable for those who run them." Quote Katy Grimes @KATYSaccitizen, "The Receipts: California Assemblyman Corey Jackson Steers $6 Million to His Own Nonprofit. Assemblyman Dr. Corey Jackson also named his own nonprofit, his legislative district’s “Nonprofit of the Year.”. $6M is listed in the California FLOOR REPORT OF THE 2026-27 BUDGET." TownHall's Dmitri Bolt lays it out This Is How Much of a Difference Rooting Out Fraud Could Make for Medicare's Lifespan. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " HOLY CRAP! Dr. Oz reveals that if 100% of fraud is abolished from Medicare, the Medicare Trust Fund will DOUBLE its lifespan "In JUST this past year — we cut $42 BILLION of fraud from Medicare...by NEVER letting the money out the door."..." Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630, "This is a plain reality almost everyone ignores. You can think we over-spend on Israel or Gaza aid, some weapons system, etc. But, Defense and State COMBINED are like 11% of the budget. Significantly cutting gov't size requires targeting entitlements." Quote Andrew Follett @AndrewCFollett, "47% of government spending is on some form of welfare. Only 8% is on defense. Reducing welfare spending is profoundly difficult politically...but it must be done or we will go the way of Rome. x.com/Handre/status/…" At PJM VodkaPundit notices California’s Revenge on Paramount Comes With a $7 Million-a-Day Price Tag.

On Tinfoil Tuesday PJM's Kevin Downy asks Which Politicians AREN'T Chinese Assets? Bob Hoge at RedState, So You're Saying There's a Chance? Polling in CA Gubernatorial Race Takes Surprising Twist. Steve Hilton @SteveHiltonx, "SHOCK POLL: It’s a SINGLE-DIGIT race for governor. Becerra 49% / Hilton 41% / 10% Undecided We’ve cut the margin from 25% to 8% in less than two months! Our campaign is SURGING; the Machine is reeling. Keep the pressure on!" I suppose it's possible, but I'm not counting that chicken just yet.

TheFOO @PolitiBunny, "Those campers were literally in Ontario, Tim. Holy shit. lol" Quote Governor Tim Walz @GovTimWalz, "When a group of YMCA campers needed to be rescued during the wildfires on our northern border, it was Canada who immediately helped. Not a word from Trump." To be fair, Trump could have used it as an excuse to invade Canada.

PJM's Tom Jipping and Hans von Spakovsky have August’s Dishonorable Judicial Conduct Award: Judges Balk at White House Ballroom. From the Center Square, AGs conceal records tied to longstanding plans to sue Trump. 

Shooting News Week is glad the Ninth Circuit Smacks Down Anti-Gun Orgs That Sued ATF Claiming it Didn’t Regulate ‘Ghost Guns’ Nearly Enough.

Gavin McInnes @Gavin_McInnes, "Ah, so it WAS an invasion. Got it." Quote NEXTA @nexta_tv, "Morocco has made territorial claims against Spain Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi said Rabat maintains “historical and geographical rights” to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and wants to create a special mechanism with Madrid for negotiations." Ace cites Morocco: Now That We've Sent Criminals to Invade Your Country, We Are Prepared to Negotiate Your Surrender of the Conquered Territory. Brendan O'Neill at NYPO opines ‘Rape leaflets’ for migrants enrage the British public — and prove Trump’s point. Visegrád 24 @visegrad24, "German nurse on how security in the ERs has changed due to mass-immigration: “If 2 Arab boys need to be taken care of, I’m not sending two girls in. As soon as certain surnames come up, we bring in the police.” She speaks about the problems with clan members: “It usually doesn't take long for 20, 30, 40 family members to show up in front of the hospital. They have special Telegram groups where they alert each other, and they want to make their presence felt in a way that's often aggressive: 'We're here; we stand by our people—and you can expect trouble if anything happens to them.' In these circles, it's common for the mothers and women to scream loudly and in high drama. This high noise level is a stress factor for the staff and also for the patients.”"

Christian Heiens @ChristianHeiens, "Once you remember that this man used to be the chief intellectual leader of the Conservative movement for 25 years, it all starts to make sense why the GOP functioned like controlled opposition from the 1990s until Trump came along. Because that’s exactly what they were." Quote Bill Kristol @BillKristol, "Abolish ICE. Now."

jimtreacher.substack.com @jtLOL, "(She made up a quote and attributed it to a man who couldn't defend himself, because he had just been murdered.)" Quote The New York Times @nytimes, "Breaking News: An arbitrator ordered The Washington Post to rehire Karen Attiah, a columnist who was fired over her social media posts about the assassination of Charlie Kirk." From Ace, Arbitration Board Says That Racist Grifter Karen Attiah Was Wrongly Fired for Making Up Fake Racist Quotes "by" Charlie Kirk and Celebrating His Murder; Hasan Piker Mocks Kirk's Murder in Hate Rally, "Karen Attiah is a degenerate, unqualified DEI hire formerly, and now presently, employed by the Washington Post to write the same three columns about racism, colonialism, "Islamaphobia" and sexism over and over again while hammering checks."

At TownHall, Steve Miller explores How Would a Jason Arday Scandal Play Out Here? We've already seen it with the Harvard Preznit. The left will defend anything if they're black and left. Adrian Vermeule @Vermeullarmine, "The issue isn’t that the universities won’t admit to being progressive seminaries. (Does anyone not realize what they are?) It’s not a consumer disclosure issue. The real problem is substantive: progressivism is bad, it has injected poison into the body politic for decades, and universities should be ordered to the good, the true and the beautiful." Quote Heterodox Academy @HdxAcademy "We propose that universities that are committed to progressive policies simply say so." In a new @washingtonpost op-ed, HxA President John Tomasi and Harvard Professor Tyler VanderWeele encourage progressive schools to model themselves after religious colleges." Crémieux @cremieuxrecueil, "This is really sad: When psychology professors are asked whether they'd put the truth before social equity concerns, 66.4% of male professors said yes, but fewer than half of female professors (43%) agreed. In both groups, too many put equity before truth." Try it in a real science. At Althouse, "In 2021, Columbia University law professor Philip Hamburger argued that the U.S. public school system violates the First Amendment." ""'Education,' he wrote, 'consists mostly in speech, and parents have a right under the First Amendment to exercise authority over what their children hear.' Forcing families to accept government messaging — or pay a steep price to escape it — amounts to unconstitutional pressure. A lawsuit filed in Nebraska on Aug. 13 brings that argument into court — and could open a path toward universal school choice." From "Are public schools unconstitutional? A Nebraska court will decide. The challenge to compulsory education combined with public-school-only funding could lead to universal school choice" (WaPo)(gift link)."

Matt Margolis thinks you should Check Out Spencer Pratt’s Brutal Takedown of the Left’s Defense of Lindsay Clancy. Cernovich @Cernovich, "Whoa." Quote Freedomain @StefanMolyneux, "How would women be reacting if Lindsay Clancy had murdered the children of a Somali neighbour?" Marko Jukic @mmjukic, "I am begging sensitive young men not to make decisions about women and family based on the bottom-of-the-barrel gender war ragebait that if blasted in everyone's faces 24/7 barely makes eks dot com profitable to advertisers in a free market." Quote Spergler Acolyte @SperglerAcolyte, "The timeline as of late has hardened my decision to never have a wife nor kids." Gavin McInnes @Gavin_McInnes, "Crazier still: it WAS written about Islam. Atwood was disgusted by what the Muslims were doing to women during the Iranian revolution and she imagined that happening here." Quote Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "The fact that leftists use the Handmaid's Tale to protest Christianity while ignoring the fact that it's way more similar to Islam will never not be hilarious to me."

vittorio @IterIntellectus, "testosterone literally counteracts conformity give men testosterone and they become less responsive to audience expectations and put more weight on their own judgment relative to other people’s testosterone is the independent-thought hormone this explains so much it’s not even funny." Quote Templarpilled @Templarpilled, "Please read the abstract of this study. Men who received testosterone boosters did not care about being watched by two women when making decisions."

New York Post @nypost, "Enes Kanter, Royce White not eligible for WNBA after draft declarations." Physics Geek @physicsgeek, "Look at all the bigoted transphobes attacking her just for speaking her mind. She'll show all the haters in the WNBA next year." Quote, Clay Travis @ClayTravis, "Enes Kanter, one of the bravest women I know, just got kicked out of a @wnba game after being cursed out by a Chicago player. Is this any way for one woman to treat another?! I can’t believe this league is real." I think they made their point. At Ace a Real Headline: "WNBA team reveals new 'non-binary' turtle mascot to taunt Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham" "Is the WNBA okay?" No. 

The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Embracing The Suck up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Tuesday Tanlines

At Florida Politics, Gov. DeSantis wants to stop people from spending government benefits on tanning beds, tattoos

Florida is working with the federal government to restrict people from buying nonessential items, like tattoos and cigarettes, with their EBT and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

The list of banned items is expected to include tobacco and vaping products, DeSantis said.

People also wouldn’t be allowed to use the temporary government cash assistance on adult material, video games, drugs, tanning beds, fortune tellers, theme park subscriptions and other luxury items.

I understand the desire to prevent people from using welfare for unessential, even downright frivolous purposes. But money is fungible. Pay for their food and you free up any other income they have to be used on the ridiculous. 

Besides, who needs a tanning bed in Florida! Just go outside naked, like Florida Man!

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).