[TheSpectator-archive] Cyclists. I’ve become a tolerant cove in my old age but if there’s one word certain to raise my dander, it’s cyclists. In Brighton they think they own the place, enabled by successive stupid councils, who have spent tens of thousands of pounds on cycle lanes and those eyesore e-bikes all over town. With a murderous version of droit de seigneur — at odds with their right-on, self-righteous self-image — cyclists appear to believe that walkers are a lower order who they are free to run over as they please.
Cyclists in Brighton seem particularly fond of riding on pavements, where the most damage can be done. It’s like they see pedestrians as targets in some sort of video game — ten points for a man, 20 for a woman, 50 for a child. And it’s not just Brighton; London sounds a pedestrian’s nightmare. I asked around on Facebook and got nearly two hundred horror stories in a few hours: Personally, I'd have a hunting season for cyclists.
I’ve found that people who support green politics are slightly nastier than others in their everyday life, feeling that they had ticked the nice box and therefore somehow won the right to be nasty. When I was a volunteer at a blind home a while ago, I’d regularly take a couple of sightless ladies out for a walk; we’d set out along the bustling main streets of our city, one on each arm, only for me to have to shove them roughly into the nearest doorway as some hulking brute drove a bike at us right there on the pavement.
Posted by: Grom the Affective ||
05/25/2025 00:00 ||
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#2
In many states, cyclists are required by law to adhere to traffic laws. They just need to be made aware that if they don't, they're on the losing side of any civil action they may contemplate for the consequences of their actions.
#3
I live near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The peloton wannabes there are law abiding and polite. There isn’t a sense of entitlement among those folks at least at this point.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
05/25/2025 8:11 Comments ||
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[The Federalist] Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were a young couple "in the prime of their lives" and planning to get married, according to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.
"Instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves," wrote embassy spokeswoman Tal Naim in an X post after Thursday after a suspected Jew-hating terrorist shot and killed the embassy employees as they exited the Capital Jewish Museum in Northwest D.C.
The accused killer, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, shouted, "I did it for Gaza," and then chanted "free Palestine" as he stormed out of the museum, according to The Washington Post. Rodriguez reportedly has been involved in numerous leftist causes, including Marxist-Leninist groups and the anti-Israel movement. Authorities are investigating terrorist ties.
They need only look to the death cult of the far left, spreading antisemitism messages across U.S. college campuses, Democrat-led cities, even in the halls of Congress for such murderous inspiration. The "Free Palestine" crowd of "From the River to the Sea" chanters are the progeny of a radical left bent on burning down America and the rest of the Western World. And the hands of the modern-day Democrat Party that has been commandeered by these Marxists are covered in blood — dripping from its clenched fist.
"These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"
[TurkiyeToday] European intellectuals were once staunch enemies of the Turks due to geopolitics and historical enmities. Many European thinkers wrote works on how to dismantle the Ottoman Empire. Alongside this, the Ottoman style of governance was also cited as an example in the works of intellectuals.
In the 16th century, theorists of absolutism in Europe, such as Jean Bodin and similar thinkers, stated that the Ottoman Empire was an example of an ideal political system. Writers and thinkers like Giovio, Frense-Caneye, and Busbecq also praised the Ottoman military and administrative system in their works.
Erasmus, a renowned European thinker who gained great fame with his book "The Praise of Folly," in his work "Utilissima Consultatio de Bello Turcis Inferendo .." (A Most Useful Consultation Concerning the War Against the Turks), described the Turks as barbarians of obscure origin. He stated that they had conquered a significant part of Europe due to the differences in opinion among Christians and then emphasized the need to liberate their brethren who were now under captivity. While Erasmus did not justify religious war, he argued that for Christianity to survive, the Turks needed to be eliminated.
Another famous European thinker and scientist, Francis Bacon, in his work "An Advertisement Touching An Holy Warre," written in 1622 and published in London in 1629, argued that waging war against the Turks was justified by the laws of nature, human laws, and sacred laws.
The famous German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, in his work "Memoire de Leibnitz a Louis 14, sur la conquete de l'Egypte, publie avec une preface..." (Leibniz's Memoir to Louis XIV, on the Conquest of Egypt, published with a preface...) presented to King Louis XIV of France in 1672, told the Sun King that "the conditions for the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire are very favorable, and not only Egypt but the entire East awaits a liberator whom it will fearlessly follow in revolt."
Leibniz put forward very appealing ideas to persuade Louis XIV to go to war: "If France wars with Holland, it can only find allies by paying for them. However, if it wars against the Turks, many will come to Your Majesty's aid. The Pope, the Italian princes, Sicily, and Spain will support you. When the anticipated success in the Egyptian war is achieved, the sea and land routes of Eastern trade will be seized. The honor of being the commander-in-chief of the Christians and the elimination of the Turkish Empire will belong to the King of France. The title of Emperor of the East, the arbiter of the world, and the ruler of the Christian world will be remembered with glory and honor for the king."
[American Thinker] Most of us are old enough to remember Ann Coulter. Back in the early days of this here century, Coulter briefly cut a gigantic figure within the American Right. Many found her good-looking (no rarity among con women, it’s true) with traditional WASP features and a mane of blonde hair, though others found her a trifle horse-faced. For a time, it seemed possible that she’d attain a status second only to El Rushbo himself. She appeared on the covers of national magazines, became a go-to source for quotes, and was profiled and tracked in the gossip columns. For a year or two, Coulter appeared unstoppable.
Then it all started to fall apart, thanks largely due to her inability to control the mean-girl aspects of her persona. Coulter’s default was nastiness greater than was strictly called for. The most notorious example involved John Edwards, a confused and not-quite-competent Democrat pol who was somehow maneuvered into taking the VP slot next to the walking target Al Gore. When asked what she thought of Edwards, she had one response: "Faggot."
The comment was out of line and resulted in immediate blowback. Edwards, while gifted with bland Midwestern good looks, had no gay mannerisms or queeny aspects. In fact, when scandal did break, it was of the exact opposite nature: Edwards had knocked up a staffer while on the campaign trail. To his credit, Edwards left public life, presumably to help raise the child and take the pressure off the young woman, by all indications a rather neurotic and needy type. He came out looking better than he likely deserved.
As opposed to Coulter, who didn’t seem to grasp the fact that plenty of gays have conservative instincts and needed to be cultivated, not driven away. Dave Rubin, Link Lauren, and Tammy Bruce can all serve as exemplars of gay conservatism.
But her real downfall came, along with so many others, with the advent of Donald Trump. Coulter had no use for Trump and made that fact quite clear. Her beef involved illegal immigration, for she was angry that Trump had failed to build a ten-story-high two-thousand-mile-long border wall on the first day he was in office. Coulter came across as somebody who didn’t understand the Constitution or quite grasp the fact that Trump wasn’t elected dictator, but instead had to work within a system designed to prevent sudden dislocations, and one furthermore that was largely devoted to working against him.
Coulter wouldn’t back off , and her already damaged brand faded still further. MAGA masses wouldn’t touch her. Today, she is effectively forgotten, unquoted, and unacknowledged. I was quite surprised to learn that she still has a column that appears here and there.
(Matt Drudge’s career followed a similar trajectory, sliding from mammoth influence to irrelevance, and for largely the same reason: a world-class case of TDS.)
[PJMedia] According to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... is now capable of spinning up enough of its highly enriched uranium (HEU) from its current level of 60% to the 90% necessary to build a nuclear bomb, in "probably less than one week."
The timeline for Israel to act against Iran's nuclear program has now compressed considerably. Coupled with the glacial pace of U.S. talks with Iran on its nuclear program, and the state of readiness of Israeli strike forces, some analysts have concluded that Israel is prepared to strike Iranian nuclear facilities in a matter of days.
The impasse in nuclear talks with Iran is "irreconcilable," according to the Israelis. Iran insists it will not give up its ability to enrich uranium. The U.S. demands a complete end to Iran's enrichment. For Iran, it is a matter of national honor to be able to enrich uranium. It's now part of their national identity and will not give it up under any circumstances.
The talks are continuing with minor progress on ancillary points in the dispute. The fundamental differences are broad and deep. The question now is, why continue the negotiations?
Indeed, chief U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff left the talks in Rome early on Friday, citing his "flight schedule." The technical experts were left to make a list of the dozens of issues that still need to be resolved before formal talks can even begin.
"Israeli officials have shifted from quiet preparation to barely concealed readiness," reports the Middle East Forum (MEF).
Mosssd ...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end... chief David Barnea and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer flew to Rome alongside Witkoff’s talks, tuned to receive immediate briefings on any progress. Their presence accentuated Jerusalem’s determination to understand every diplomatic nuance while military options remained active.
U.S. intelligence has intercepted Israeli communications signaling potential attack plans and observed tangible military movements: forward deployment of specialized munitions, completion of major Air Force exercises, and strike-readiness indicators. As Defense Minister Israel Katz declared, "Iran is more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities. We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal—to thwart and eliminate the existential threat."
Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons... has appeared to go back and forth on the issue of an Israeli attack. In fact, he has consistently backed Israel's contention that weaponizing, or the potential to quickly weaponize HEU, is a red line that once crossed, can only mean that Israel will attempt to eliminate the threat. Trump will back that play by Israel if he is convinced Israel has no other option.
The MEF conducted a war game simulation this last week, laying out the possibilities for an attack that involved Iran, Israel, the U.S., China, Russia, and other players in the Middle East. While just a simulation, the exercise was instructive in examining scenarios that might come into play if Israel were to pull the trigger.
China’s simulation role proved particularly instructive. Beijing positioned itself as both Iran’s protector and the Gulf states’ alternative security guarantor, ultimately downing an Israeli aircraft when conflict erupted. This reflects current reality: China continues supplying Iran through sanctions, purchasing discounted oil, and positioning itself to benefit regardless of outcome. Recent U.S. Treasury sanctions revealed Chinese sodium perchlorate shipments to Iran’s missile program through Bandar Abbas—the same port that suffered a mysterious explosion in April.
Russia similarly exploits the crisis for strategic gain. While avoiding direct military involvement, Moscow upgrades Iran’s capabilities and threatens advanced S-400 air defense sales that would substantially complicate Israeli operations. Our simulation’s Russian team seized Arctic territories while others focused on the Gulf—classic strategic opportunism that mirrors Russian President Vladimir Putin ...President-for-Life of Russia. He gets along well with other presidents for life. He is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substance. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to him. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead from poisoning by polonium or other interesting substances... ’s real-world approach.
Israel will be going into an Iranian war with its eyes wide open. They know that Tehran's missiles can reach any city in Israel. They have thousands of them. Iran's Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... proxy in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... will escalate its attacks on shipping, hoping the West will pressure Israel to cease its military operations against Iran.
The Revolutionary Guards will probably unleash a campaign of terror against Israeli embassies and Jewish community centers all over the world. Jerusalem will be ostracized for attacking poor, little Iran, who only want to build nukes to protect itself.
Only Donald Trump and the U.S will stand firmly behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israelis.
Every indicator points toward military action within days. Witkoff’s Rome departure, intelligence reports of uranium relocation threats, degraded Iranian proxy networks, and Israeli military readiness converge toward one conclusion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Times of Israel, "is waiting for the nuclear talks to collapse and for the moment Trump will be disappointed ... and open to giving him the go-ahead."
[YouTube] John "Boxer" Mendoza is a former high-ranking member of the Nuestra Familia. He was part of the organization from 1994 to 2007 and was incarcerated at San Quentin, Pelican Bay, and Corcoran. Nowadays, he has a YouTube channel called Paradigm Media News and is the author of Nuestra Familia.
Manuel Medrano is a former member of the Arizona Mexican Mafia, also known as the New Mexican Mafia, a US prison gang. Medrano speaks with Business Insider about the gang structure, hierarchy, and its ties to the cartels. He covers gang tattoos, language, and the loose alliance the gang had with the Aryan Brotherhood. Medrano now runs Phase Two of Life, a charity in Arizona. He also runs the YouTube channel Chronicles, where he speaks with former gang members.
Vidal Guzman was a member of the East Coast Bloods and was incarcerated on Rikers Island. Rikers Island, in New York City's East River, is home to some of the most notorious and violent jails in the world. Most of its detainees have not yet been convicted of a crime and are either remanded in custody or held on bail. Guzman is a prominent voice in the Close Rikers campaign and the executive director of America on Trial. He founded the End Qualified Immunity in NY and #FixThe13thNY campaigns.
Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, speaks with BI about his experience trafficking drugs from South America to the United Kingdom. Tritton was arrested in Ecuador and served 10 years in prison there, first in Garcia Moreno in Quito and later in Litoral Penitentiary in Guayaquil, which is home to some of the world's most violent prison gangs.
Leroy Smith was a member of the African Crew prison gang in the UK during the early 2000s. Smith became a hit man and a drug dealer for the African Crew during his time as a category A inmate in the Full Sutton, Frankland, Long Lartin, and Whitemoor high-security prisons. He speaks with BI about the violence and weapons, smuggling contraband, selling drugs, and becoming a hit man for the gang.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...sees all, knows all, gets 'em all in the end...
