Mid-Morning Art Thread

Striped Tablecloth with Two Apples
Leigh Palmer

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (413) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 1/6/26

Good morning kids. So between the takedown of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela as well as the continuing exposure of the great Somalian multi-billion dollar Samolian Swindle, it's only appropriate to pause and take a moment to note the date on the calendar. Today is January 6th and is the fifth anniversary of a major turning point in American history. In the wake of what was so obviously a stolen national election, thousands of ordinary Americans, exercising their right of free speech and to petition their government for the redress of grievances gathered at or near the Capitol in an attempt to persuade Congress to not certify the Electoral College's decision to install Joey Sponge-Brain Shits-Pants unless and until a thorough forensic investigation could be conducted, especially in the 6 swing states that overnight on election day that by the next morning saw tens of thousands of votes in the Trump column disappear and wind up in Biden's.

Of course, the transmogrification of a peaceful protest into an insurrection courtesy of a false flag operation cooked up by a cabal that included national Law Enforcement and Intelligence figures in cahoots with Malig-Nancy Pelosi in order to destroy not only Donald Trump the man, but the movement he engendered to expose the Deep State and a system that to that point had utterly perverted representative government of by and for the people as intended by our Founding Fathers into a corrupt grift intended to turn America as founded into yet another failed kleptocratic sclerotic socialist/globalist ant heap.

Happy Anniversary, Patriotic Americans! It was five years ago today when red-blooded Americans walked peacefully and patriotically from President Donald Trump's speech in Washington, D.C., to the Capitol to let Congress know that stealing an election was not tolerable. Then, the Biden (-fronted junta) turned its Gestapo knob to 14.

What happened next was anything but Constitutional. MAGA meemaws had their homes surrounded by FBI agents with machine guns, and were dragged off to federal courthouses. The FBI decided that historically patriotic symbols, like the Betsy Ross flag, were signs of "domestic extremism." Kaki-clad Special Agents knocked on the doors of people who had never been arrested and began with the ubiquitous lie, "You aren't in any trouble, but we'd like to talk to you about what you may have seen on January 6." . . Today, things are different. Almost all the J6ers have been pardoned. Kash Patel is giving the FBI the enema it sorely needs. My J6er fiancée, Jessica, and I can sleep. Trump is hilariously turning the commies upside down, and real Americans no longer fear tyranny, for now anyway.

And here we are five years later. Many here and elsewhere have observed and I wholeheartedly concur, Perhaps President Trump's greatest accomplishment, especially in the wake of his first term where he set out to "drain the swamp" was by his mere presence exposing the corruption in the system, or as has been observed that Corruption perhaps was and remains the system itself.

And, despite the nightmare of Election DAY SEASON 2020 perhaps the most brazen act of political corruption in American history, the overt in-your-face theft of a national presidential election which no doubt in my mind denied Donald Trump of a clear mandate and re-election on that infamous day was a blessing in disguise, in that it underscored to those who had eyes to see and an open mind to consider that everything he claimed about the swamp was absolutely true.

I think the irony is that had the Democrat/Left/Deep State cabal let him win, he likely would have been handcuffed in atempting to advance the MAGA agenda as effectively and thoroughly as he planned. That would have left none other than MIKE PENCE, the GOP standard-bearer for 2024, and there is no way he'd have had a snowball's chance in hell in winning the presidency. There'd have probably been a primary fight as nasty if not nastier in a way than 2016, and The GOP establishment was certainly not going to stand for another potential outsider and/or self-proclaimed reformer be it Rubio, DeSantis,Cruz or whoever regardless of their bona fides real or imagined in that category.

In the event, Donald J. Trump survived the slings and arrows as well as actual bullets fired at him to win a miraculous victory in 2024 which has thus far in just its first year led to him and his cabinet taking an almighty fire axe to the bureaucracy, as well as his enemies exposing who and what they are in their attempts to thwart him and the will of the American people. Beyond that, the foreign policy victories and exposure of the Somalian grift, the takedown of Maduro, and perhaps the coming liberation of Iran as well as socialism ebbing in Latin America could not and likely might not have happened at all had Trump overcame the 2020 theft and been sworn in for his second term five years ago instead of last November.

But, as my dear mother of blessed memory always reminded me "Evil Never Rests," and that is fully in evidence by those who are shrieking the loudest in defense of both Maduro and the Somalian Grifters who have plundered Minnesota and the US treasury for billions of dollars. Woe betide us if, or as is all too sadly the case, WHEN they once again regain power. Yeah, Socialism may be ebbing elsewhere but the youth and others who should but do not know better are hot and horny to hand us over to a homegrown Khmer Rouge as we now see in NYC, Seattle and I fear other places not necessarily historically Liberal/Left.

So remember Ashli Babbitt and Roseanne Boyland, who were truly martyrs on this day five years ago as well as all of those whose lives were destroyed via prosecutorial persecution and imprisonment in what truly was the Merrick Garland Archipelago. Here the phrase Never Again is appropriate. I am heartened that Kash Patel and Pam Bondi are intent on going after internal political terror organizations like Antifa and BLM. But to really destroy them, you have to cut off the head of the snake, that is the source of their funds. Not just the George Soroses but the politicians that are somehow funneling taxpayer money to them. This is where what's going on in Minnesota comes into sharp focus.

Many questions are circulating about how the communist protests were so well organized within hours of Maduro’s capture . . . Thanks to the Democrats, the red-green axis gained momentum globally, and its exponents are still trying to advance their agenda inside America, as they strive toward anarchy and the imposition of their own authoritarian rule. The new mayor of  New York City is the representative of both elements of this alliance. Right after his inauguration came Muslim street prayers that dominated Times Square, and now the communist protests have come as well.

Yes it is amazing how hundreds of these drones each with professionally printed protest signs manage to show up just at the right time. And as we saw elsewhere how pallets of bricks magically appear on city streets and wind up being used as weapons to destroy businesses and be hurled at police.

Considering America itself is within our hemisphere, I should think the Monroe Doctrine applies with just as much if not more force within our own borders. Over to you President Donald Bolivar Trump!

Have a great day.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY LINKS
• Happy Anniversary, Patriotic Americans! It was five years ago today when red-blooded Americans walked peacefully and patriotically from President Donald Trump's speech in Washington, D.C., to the Capitol to let Congress know that stealing an election was not tolerable. Then, the Biden junta turned its Gestapo knob to 14.
  We Didn't Start the Fire, But We Rocked the Casbah! Happy 5th J6 Anniversary!
  
• A brief timeline of Somali terror attacks and plots.
  Somali Terror in America

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:00 AM | Comments (434) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 6 January 2026

Top Story

• AMD's Ryzen 9850X3D CPU is here, the new fastest gaming CPU. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  It's identical the the previous fastest gaming CPU, the Ryzen 9800X3D, but bumps the clock speed up from 5.2GHz to 5.6GHz.
  
  And that's the most exciting announcement today.
  
  
  
• AMD also announced the Ryzen 400 laptop CPU series, which is 2% faster than the 300 series. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  And in certain areas, slower than the equivalent 200 series.
  
  
  

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (133) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Monday Overnight Open Thread (1/5/26)

[H/T Photo Salty Dog]

*****

The Quotes of The Day

Quote I

"Like many Minnesotans, I have to tell you I was glad to turn the page on 2025. It was an extraordinarily difficult year for our state, and it ended on a particularly sour note,"Soon to be former Gov. Tim Walz (D-MNSomalia)

Quote II

“But I refuse to let the American people pay the price for the Democrats’ incompetence. I am willing to work with anyone to finally bring down costs for all Americans and hope my colleagues across the aisle will commit to doing the same.” Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH)

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 10:00 PM | Comments (472) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Happy Monday Cafe

Bamburgh Castle at sunrise, Jim Scott Photo

Rolling into the brand new week.

Back to the snow mines.

Mush, mush, mush!

Dog has a weird fetish.

Raccoon is doing the backstroke, without water.

Golden retriever has a 19 Charisma.

Saving a pupper who fell through the ice of a partially-frozen lake.

Elephants form a tusky phalanx to protect their kids.

Dancing with your dog.

Classic bear who's out of control.

Who stole all the copper pipe out of your house while you were away? It's a mystery that will never be solved.

Lambs play like puppies.

Posted by: Ace at 07:15 PM | Comments (336) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Quick Hits

Tonight is the official planned debut of the new CBS Evening News, though they actually moved up the debut to two days ago to cover the capture of Maduro. Is it worth watching? I have no idea.

A leftist revenged-doxxed a man who he claimed was Delta Force's (secret) commander.

Apparently he doxxed the wrong man. Leftist media had already gotten into bed with him; maybe he'll lose his HBO show.

He's rabidly anti-american and anti-military:

Brad R. Torgersen
@BradRTorgersen

Recap for those who missed it: Seth Harp is a prior Army Reservist with an Iraq deployment to his credit, who parlayed his civ law career into a political "world conflict journalism" gig. Has a bestseller and swanky mag bylines to his credit. Claims SOF is full of murderous coke-heads. Hates Israel. Decided to doxx what he thought was a Delta Force senior officer. Doxxed literally the wrong man. Promptly went into digital hiding as a result. Will his swanky mag bylines keep his HBO option intact, or will they scuttle him due to the bad optics?

Guess who just had this Solid Citizen on his podcast to spread his lies about drug- and murder-crazy soldiers? That's right, of course, unregistered foreign agent Tucker Carlson.

One of those totally-legitimate taxpayer-funded daycare services made so much money from babysitting -- you know, like a 13 year old girl's job -- that they bought a $93,250 Porsche, paid in full with a single check.

Some Democrats, including the Democrat activists at the Politico knock-off Axios, aren't sure Democrats should support tyrannical narcoterrorists just to reflexively oppose Trump.

Some Democrats are grumbling at their party's largely oppositional stance to President Trump's raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, saying privately that their colleagues should be celebrating.
Why it matters: These lawmakers argue it could be a major political miscalculation if the party fails to applaud the downfall of a brutal dictator with sufficient volume, even given grave concerns about the operation's legality and longer-term ramifications.

Party leaders have raged at Trump for bypassing Congress and leaving them in the dark about the operation to capture Maduro, which involved striking several military targets in Venezuela's capital city.
And many rank-and-file lawmakers, buoyed by polling that shows Americans largely oppose a protracted intervention in Venezuela, have also seized on Trump's comments that the U.S. will temporarily "run" the country.
Some centrists and battleground-district members -- who spoke to Axios on the condition of anonymity to offer candid criticisms of their party's messaging -- have a different view.

What we're hearing: One swing-district House Democrat told Axios in a text message on Saturday, "Nuance is dead in politics."

"Maduro is bad, glad he is gone ... You can't have it both ways," the lawmaker said, venting that "everything Trump touches must be bad according to the base."
Another vulnerable House Democrat told Axios in a phone interview: "As Democrats we can't just condemn what happened ... I wish the Democratic Party would be a little bit more measured on this."
"I think it looks weak," a third centrist House Democrat said. "If you don't acknowledge when there is a win for our country, then you lose all credibility."

Between the lines: It's not just about politics. The second lawmaker who spoke to Axios noted that Democrats widely condemned Venezuela's sham elections last year and have long advocated for democracy abroad.

"What happened to when they had the election and Maduro stole the election? There were Democrats condemning that," the House Democrat said.
"Have we forgotten what's happened ... in that country?"
The third House Democrat told Axios they were surprised "how negative the response has been" from their colleagues.

Boasberg alert: He wants to return all of the deported Venezuelan gangsters and drug-dealers back to the US.

DOJ requests delay of court deadline to return deported Venezuelans to US after Maduro arrest

The DOJ said that the extension is necessary because the military operation over the weekend has led to "substantial changes" in the country

The Justice Department requested a week-long delay of a court deadline to return deported Venezuelans to the United States after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. military operation.

The DOJ is facing a Monday deadline from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to either "facilitate the return" of the deported Venezuelan nationals to the U.S. or "otherwise provide them with hearings that satisfy the requirements of due process," the Washington Examiner reported.

A Venezuelan says that 'international law' didn't care when Maduro imprisoned him and tortured him, so he doesn't think 'international law" should protect his torturer, Maduro, either.

Oh great, they race- and gender-swapped Wallace from Wallace and Grommit, and turned him into an anti-white racist to boot.

BufordP
@BufordP1

34m

"Get off me cheese!"

Posted by: Ace at 06:06 PM | Comments (351) | Trackbacks (Suck)

A Hilton Hotel Refuses Service to the DHS

Not one more dime.

Hilton Hotels is going to have a very bad week. They've decided to opt for the Bud Light Treatment and align themselves with the Left's anti-Trump "Resist" movement.

How?

By denying hotel rooms in Minneapolis to government officials. Both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have called out the hotel mega-chain.

"When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations," DHS wrote on X. "This is UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Hilton Hotels siding with murderers and rapists to deliberately undermine and impede DHS law enforcement from their mission to enforce our nation's immigration laws?"

DHS also shared an email from a Hilton employee with the subject "Upcoming reservation."

In the email, the employee wrote, "After further investigation online, we have found immigration work connected with your name, and we will be canceling your upcoming reservation. You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton."

Posted by: Ace at 05:03 PM | Comments (316) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Nicolas Maduro: I'm a Prisoner of War or Something

He also says he's President of Venezuela, which is insane, because I know from Tucker Carlson that the real president of Venezuela is now Binyamin Netanyahu or some other GloboHomo Jew.

Nicolas Maduro described himself as a "prisoner of war" during his first court appearance since being captured by the United States.

The deposed Venezuelan president formally pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism and weapons charges in a New York court on Monday afternoon.

Wearing a blue shirt over an orange undershirt, Mr Maduro was asked by the judge to confirm his identity. Speaking in Spanish, he replied: "I am the president of Venezuela. I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured at my home in Caracas."

The judge cut him short, saying there would be "a time and a place" to address those claims. Mr Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, also appeared in court, dressed in the same prison clothing.

Asked to enter his plea, Mr Maduro said: "I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything mentioned here."

...

The case is being overseen by Alvin Hellerstein, 92, a federal judge appointed by Bill Clinton nearly three decades ago.

Are you kidding me?

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to convince an elderly leftist to give up government power.

Posted by: Ace at 04:04 PM | Comments (350) | Trackbacks (Suck)

SecWar Pete Hegseth Announces Reduction of Mark Kelly's Retirement Pay In Wake of "Seditious" Video Counseling Armed Forces Personnel to Refuse Lawful Orders

I'd've preferred hanging, but I guess this is something.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday announced administrative action against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over his participation in a video that he deemed "reckless and seditious."

Kelly, in November, appeared alongside several other Democratic lawmakers in a video urging American servicemembers to disobey "illegal orders" from President Donald Trump. The video generated outcry from conservatives, many of whom suggested the lawmakers were attempting to incite disloyalty in the military.

"[T]he Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret)," Hegseth announced. "The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. sec. 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay."

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
@SecWar

2h

Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly -- and five other members of Congress -- released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War -- and the American people -- expect justice.

Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly's seditious statements -- and his pattern of reckless misconduct -- the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret). The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. sec. 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.

To ensure this action, the Secretary of War has also issued a formal Letter of Censure, which outlines the totality of Captain (for now) Kelly's reckless misconduct. This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly's official and permanent military personnel file.

Captain Kelly has been provided notice of the basis for this action and has thirty days to submit a response. The retirement grade determination process directed by Secretary Hegseth will be completed within forty five days.

Captain Kelly's status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action.

These actions are based on Captain Kelly's public statements from June through December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders. This conduct was seditious in nature and violated Articles 133 and 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to which Captain Kelly remains subject as a retired officer receiving pay.

Someone on Twitter pointed out that, despite the left's psyops about Hegseth being unqualified, every action he's ordered has gone off without a hitch.

It's almost as if the military performs better when it's led by someone who knows what he's doing and also does not hate the military itself.

Posted by: Ace at 03:00 PM | Comments (355) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Zohran Mamdani's Head of Tenant/Rental Policy: We're Going to Start Seizing Property From Its Owners, Especially "White Families"
Updated: She Repeatedly Calls for the Seizure of Private Property

That headline is not juiced. It's what she says.

Sabrina (LionHearted)
@LionHearted76

13h

Wow.... 😶 Absolutely speechless!

"For centuries we really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good, in transitioning into treating it as a collective good and towards the model of shared equity...it will mean that families, especially White families...are going to have a different relationship to property than the one that we currently have."

This is the same damaging trajectory as Biden letting in millions of unvetted illegals, as Gavin Newsom making a law that no one needs voter ID to vote, and the same 'collectivism' that Maduro used to ruin Venezuela.

For New Yorkers to vote for this idiocy was pure insanity.

Posted by: Ace at 02:00 PM | Comments (481) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Retarded Spinster Margaret Brennan Clowns Herself So Hard on Venezuela That No One Will Ever Be Able to Top It
(Except Tucker Carlson, One Day Later)

Margaret Brennan says she's "confused" why Hegseth (and Rubio) just didn't order Delta Force to not only land inside a military base to capture Maduro, but also order five other helicopter squads to simultaneously capture the other top five leaders of his regime.

Why didn't we just do five simultaneous Al Qaeda captures when we got OBL?

My guess would be: Because as soon as you do one, the entire country is alerted to your presence, so you have to get the Big One and get out, quick.

But that's too obvious. Margaret Brennan is "confused" why Delta Force just didn't execute five other Miracle Operations in perfect coordinated simultaneity.

Ryan Saavedra
@RyanSaavedra

21h

Marco Rubio schools Margaret Brennan after she demands answers over why the U.S. did not arrest all of Nicolas Maduro's henchmen:

"You're confused? I don't know why that's confusing to you. ... It is not easy to land helicopters in the middle of the largest military base in the country, the guy lived on a military base, land within three minutes, kick down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, put him in a helicopter and leave the country without losing any American or any American assets. That's not an easy mission. And you're asking me, why didn't we do that in five other places at the same time? I mean, that's absurd."

Posted by: Ace at 01:10 PM | Comments (338) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Governor Uptwinkles Tim Walz Annouces Withdrawal from Re-Election Campaign After Democrats Tell Him He Can't Win (and Will be Primaried)

In a video below the fold, it's reported that Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar met with Walz and told him she's running to replace him as governor and she showed him polls showing that he would lose.

Democrats need you to know two things:

1, there is no fraud in Minnesota and even if there is fraud, it's not the Democrats' fault and they've been fighting it like cracked-up bears.

2, Tim Walz has failed and needs to go or else he'll be primaried by another Democrat.

It's exactly as it was with Joe Biden -- he's completely, 100% mentally fit but also he needs to withdraw from the race or else all donors will close their wallets to him.

Tampon Tim wraps it up.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pulled the plug on his re-election bid Monday, abruptly stepping away from a once-touted run for a third term as his administration remains engulfed by sprawling fraud cases that critics say ballooned into the billions on his watch.

Walz, a Democrat and former 2024 vice-presidential pick of Kamala Harris, announced the decision after months of mounting scrutiny over taxpayer dollars siphoned through state programs--an issue Republicans have pressed relentlessly and one that has begun to rattle Democrats privately as well.

In a statement released before a planned press conference, Walz said he had entered the race last September believing he could win a historic third term, but concluded after discussions with family and advisers over the holidays that he could not devote himself fully to a campaign.

He framed the exit as a choice to prioritize governing, arguing that time spent defending his political future would detract from protecting Minnesotans from criminals who "prey on our generosity" and from political cynics who exploit division.

He also, get this, Blamed Trump, claiming that he was dropping out of the race because he could not abide Trump attacking his beloved Somali Pirate Donors.

His statement is released in a font similar to Comic Sans, called Middle Aged Queen Sans.

Walz has repeatedly claimed that the billions in fraud he shepherded is all Trump's fault, not his.

Below, Mary Katherine Ham notes that every Democrat in Minnesota politics, including would-be replacement governor Amy Klobuchar, knew damn well that their Somali Pirate Donors were robbing taxpayers blind and said nothing because of the "woke mind virus" that says no minority can ever be accused of or held accountable for a crime.

And that's the generous interpretation. The other one is that they were being paid off by Somali Pirates.

Posted by: Ace at 12:10 PM | Comments (404) | Trackbacks (Suck)

THE MORNING RANT: Regime Toppling is the Proper Response to Despots Engaged in Terror & Asymmetric Warfare Against the U.S.

The big news this weekend was that the head of the snake was cut off from a communist dictatorship here in the Americas. Of more importance, this serpent, Nicolas Maduro, had been conducting asymmetrical warfare against the U.S. by flooding our borders with deadly drugs and hardened criminals.

Others will be providing exceptional analysis of what lies ahead, but I’ll just briefly mention that while I heartily reject any more “forever wars” like we did in the Bush-era, I absolutely endorse taking out the leadership of hostile regimes which are actively engaged in the killing of American citizens on U.S. soil. Maduro was at war with the United States. His arrest was the polite option.

I have seen Maduro’s war on U.S. civilians up close and personal. A client of mine lost a child to a drug overdose, and my wife has had to comfort two very good friends who lost children due to lethal drug ingestion.

In addition, Tren de Aragua used Biden’s open border to start operating throughout Tennessee. Maduro’s crime cartel has been engaged in sex slavery and other crimes near where I live: “Member of Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, arrested in Chattanooga” [Fox 17 Nashville – 11/25/2024]

Maduro brought death and destruction to American soil. He had to be removed.

I have written before that Colin Powell’s concept of “we broke it, we bought it” is flawed when it comes to international uses of American military power. Instead, if we find ourselves having to “break it,” we have no obligation “to buy it.” But if we can peacefully transition Venezuela away from being a communist adversary to being a friendly neighbor, that is certainly desirable.

More importantly, we don’t necessarily have to “break it” with widespread destruction, as shown in both the Iran strikes and now in Venezuela. Maduro in Venezuela and the mullahs in Iran had been correct in assessing that Americans don’t have the stomach for any more multi-year, nation-building ventures, therefore they felt empowered to support terror and asymmetric war against the United States. Destroying a despot’s ability to govern and inflict terror is much cleaner than killing tens of thousands of conscripts.

Perhaps more importantly, liberating Venezuela from Maduro also takes out an ally of China in our hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine is perhaps more important today than it was two centuries ago. We cannot tolerate China’s or other BRIC navies being in control of the coastal waters off of Latin America.

In fact, this is a very good time to focus our international strategies on the western hemisphere. At this moment, in which the Christian citizenry of Latin America is celebrating the removal of an international communist, the atheist/secular/Islamist power structure in Europe is condemning Maduro’s removal.

Maduro was also a close ally of Russia and Vladimir Putin. All those Democrats and media partisans who spent the past decade pushing Hillary Clinton’s hoax that Trump is a Putin stooge must be having a hard time digesting the news that Trump, looking out for America’s best interests, just poked Putin in the eye.

“Russia harshly criticizes US attack on Venezuela, capture of Maduro” [The Hill – 01/03/2026]

Russia is offering stark criticism of the U.S. military attack on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

“This morning, the United States carried out an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This causes deep concern and condemnation,” Russia said in a statement from its Foreign Ministry.

By taking out the communist leadership in Venezuela, and with the imminent(?) toppling of the Iranian mullocracy, a very powerful message has been sent to any despot who wants to cause harm to the United States. As Zineb Riboua said, “At the end of the day, it is absolutely crucial for any leader around the globe to believe that the United States can get him if it wants to. That belief is deterrence. And that type of willpower is the backbone of national security.”

At the end of the day, it is absolutely crucial for any leader around the globe to believe that the United States can get him if it wants to. That belief is deterrence. And that type of willpower is the backbone of national security.

— Zineb Riboua (@zriboua) January 3, 2026

America’s national security has been strengthened by the removal of Maduro. Any foreign leader who continues to engage in asymmetric warfare against American civilians should strongly reconsider the consequence of what s/he is doing.

[buck.throckmorton at protonmail dot com]

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at 11:00 AM | Comments (453) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Mid-Morning Art Thread

Hill and Lake
James Henry Moser

Posted by: CBD at 09:30 AM | Comments (356) | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Morning Report — 1/5/26

Good morning kids. Obviously the gigantic story this morning remains the American raid over the weekend on Venezuela and the capture of its Communist tyrannical thug president Nicolas Maduro, whose regime for more than a decade under him and his predecessor the roasting-in-hell Hugo Chavez, has been a narco-terror state and as such, along with being closely linked and allied to Red China and Iran a major threat to our national security and the security of the western hemisphere. First and foremost , I am overjoyed for the long-suffering Venezuelan people who thanks to President Trump at long last have a chance to restore their nation and culture from the smoking ruin of a failed socialist/communist kleptocracy to once again being among the most vibrant, prosperous and free in Latin America.

Considering the carnage in terms of death and wastage of life caused by all the poisonous narcotics that either originated in Venezuela or were otherwise smuggled into our country via that nation as a hub, the removal of Maduro was more than justified. And just as a reminder. long before President Trump placed a bounty on Maduro, none other than Joey Sponge-Brain Shits-Pants had one on him years earlier.

Along with the destruction of the Iranian nuclear weapons sites, the action to take down Maduro will likely be another jewel in the crown of President Trump's foreign policy triumphs and there are still three years left to his presidency.

The deterrent effect of this operation cannot be overstated. The cartels and kingpins that have historically poisoned the US with drugs are now on notice.

Sure, the US military will continue to bomb their vessels on the high seas. But what scares them more now is the prospect of being captured and then getting shipped to the United States to face justice.

Don’t expect everyone in the United States to cheer this historic event, though.

Ever since the failed experiments to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, neo-isolationists in Washington have warned that America must avoid regime change at all costs. Their howls of disapproval can be expected in the days and weeks to come. For now, Trump intends for the United States to run the government in Venezuela until a suitable government can be installed. And that carries with it significant risk.

If Venezuela unravels, Trump will be blamed. If the wider region descends into chaos, the president will be saddled with that, too. Will Trump’s base give him the opportunity to improve upon the regime-change failures of his predecessors? He appears determined to try.

In truth, the regime-change controversy is of secondary importance.

Bringing down Maduro was about bringing the Western hemisphere back under the influence of the United States. Maduro was not just the head of a narco-state. He was an ally of America’s nastiest enemies. n fact, Maduro met with a senior Chinese delegation in Caracas shortly before he was captured by US special forces.

But Maduro’s regime was not just an ally to China. The regime in Caracas was also a valuable partner to other rogue states like Russia, Cuba and Iran.

Even the Republic of Turkey, a notoriously unreliable NATO ally, has been an ally to the Maduro regime.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the fifth member of Venezuela’s “Fabulous Five” — the countries that helped prop up the Venezuelan strongman. One or more of these regimes may try to exploit the vacuum in Venezuela.

They may not be able to restore Maduro to power. But they can try to make America pay a price for ousting their ally. The Trump administration must bare its teeth now, and warn them to keep out.

If done right, the ousting of Maduro will weaken the influence of America’s adversaries in our hemisphere. It will deprive the cartels of a transit hub for shipments to the United States. And it will deprive our enemies of a valued ally.

If that’s how things play out, not a bad start to 2026.

Now just to play devil's advocate for a moment . President Trump has indeed reasserted and reinvigorated the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine. Now, if taking Maduro out along with the rise of Milei, Bukele and Kast, which hopefully leads to the ouster of Lula in Brazil and who knows, even the fall of Communism and the ultimate liberation of the tropical gulag of Cuba.

While the Red Chinese have been worming their way into our hemisphere, what if Xi and the Chi-Coms ultimately do make a move to take Taiwan, could they not then if not right now cite the President's actions against Maduro as justification?

And of course it's a good thing to check the rise of communism abroad especially in our own hemisphere but then again, look what the hell is going on right here at home in NYC!

So We bagged Maduro. Can we put the bag on Soros and decapitate the leadership of Antifa, BLM, the ACLU/SPLC/CAIR and the DNC???

Have a great day.

And lastly, a quick shout-out and a huge thank you for your continued support in hitting our tip jar. It truly is appreciated more than you can know.

ABOVE THE FOLD, BREAKING, NOTEWORTHY LINKS
• “I wanted to share a brief health update. I recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and am now recovering. I’m doing well and hopeful as I move forward,” Hanson said in the statement. “Thank you for the many messages of support and prayers—they truly mean more than I can say. As I focus on recovery, I may not be able to respond to everyone, but please know how grateful I am.”
  Victor Davis Hanson Gives Health Update After Undergoing Major Operation

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at 07:50 AM | Comments (473) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Daily Tech News 5 January 2026

Top Story

• CES 2026 starts tomorrow, so - given the frivolities of time zones - I will likely be inundated with stories then. Today is the calm before the storm of products you can't afford, can't buy, or can't avoid.
  
  What to expect: AI slop, health-related AI slop, enterprise AI slop, energy AI slop, vehicle AI slop, and robots. (CES)
  
  Tell Skynet it's late.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM | Comments (228) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Sunday Overnight Open Thread 01/04/2026: Lazy Winter Edition [Doof]

Good evening, Horde! It's Sunday night in the depths of winter 2026, the perfect time to kick back and ignore the looming Monday. Welcome to the Overnight Thread - your no-judgment zone for snark, strong drinks, and whatever random thoughts are rattling around in your skull after a weekend of questionable decisions.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 10:00 PM | Comments (600) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gun Thread: First January Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be the First January Edition? For the last week your ol' pal Weasel has been nursing a head cold with varying degrees of success. I think it's on the way out, but still feel kind of sickly, pitiful and wee. If you hear snoring, it's me in bed with a box of Kleenex and two little dogs.

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM | Comments (224) | Trackbacks (Suck)

Food Thread: A Blast From The Past!

[A dip into the vast archives of AoSHQ...And from the beginning of the Scamdemic no less! It's also fun to see a few call-outs to old commenters...]

One of the many things that strikes me as odd is the proliferation of packaged popcorn. Take a stroll down the snack aisle of your local market and I'll bet you can find several different brands and packaging and flavors of pre-made popcorn.

But....why? It is incredibly simple to make, and the home kitchen version is miles better than the ridiculously expensive store stuff. I don't know how much the raw materials cost, but I wouldn't be surprised if the processing and packaging was many multiples of the cost of the corn.

And to top it off, making popcorn is fun! it sounds great, the house smells really good, and hell, you can flavor it with pretty much anything you want. In no particular order there is butter and Parmesan and black pepper and olive oil and sugar and chocolate and a host of other fun things, not to mention that old reliable...salt! I recall a fad a few years ago of restaurants serving truffled popcorn as a snack. And it was good. Because popcorn is good.

And it is miles better than when we were kids. I will often pop up a batch and discover no unpopped kernals, and that is a far cry from my youth, when the unpopped ones numbered in the dozens.

The horror...the horror.

Posted by: CBD at 04:00 PM | Comments (337) | Trackbacks (Suck)

First World Problems...

That lock got heavy use for many years, and it simply wore out. The Baldwin Company stood by their warranty and sent me new guts for the lock, which is a very gratifying thing.

But...it also required a new face plate (is it called an escutcheon for a lock?).

AND IT'S NOT THE SAME SHAPE!

Obviously I need to replace the entire door.

Posted by: CBD at 02:00 PM | Comments (220) | Trackbacks (Suck)