Mollie Hemingway

 

Yesterday, [February 28]Susan Rice said of the Trump-Zelensky meeting, “There is no question this was a set up.” She revealed full knowledge of the mineral agreement, complained that it didn’t include “concrete” security agrees (meaning, apparently, commitment of US troops on the ground if conditions merit), and then mischaracterized Trump’s behavior, counting on most Americans to not have watched what transpired over the entire hour in the Oval Office.

You can look at this and dismiss it as typical Democrat talking points, but you could also view it as almost a confession, one that includes details about the current “Get Trump” effort. Yes, Trump won the popular vote against unbelievable odds, but if you think Team Obama is being any less involved in quiet insurrections than they were during the first Trump administration (Russia collusion, Ukraine impeachment, etc.), you’re clueless.

I’ll remind you that Susan Rice was in the small Jan. 5, 2017 meeting in the WH with other key Russia collusion hoax perpetrators. Zelensky repeatedly declined opportunities to sign the deal in Kyiv and Munich, and requested the meeting at the White House. It later came out that Rice and Tony Blinken, Victoria Nuland, and Alexander Vindman may have been personally advising Zelensky to do this meeting in the way he did — that they recommended him to be hostile and to try to goad Trump into blowing up. Even though he didn’t, and even though Zelensky’s actions horrified many normal Americans, the Obama team went on the airwaves to falsely characterize what happened.

I think their goal was to have a wonderful performance by Zelensky, an angry Trump appearing to scuttle the deal, and the support of the neocon portion of the GOP to start applying pressure on Trump to have US Troop commitments as part of the “security guarantee.” It was a set-up, in Susan Rice’s interesting choice of words. Instead, Zelensky had one of the worst stage performances of his acting career, and Trump was statesmanlike (against all odds) throughout.

Zelensky followed Team Obama’s advice to be hostile to a tee, but it didn’t land how they thought it would. Surprisingly, one of the most important aspects of it not working out might have been Lindsay Graham’s reaction. Had he and other neocons thought Zelensky was being reasonable, Trump would be having to fight (even moreso) the neocon portion of the GOP in addition to Team Obama’s dirty tricks.

Even the “conservative” neocon pundits on TV last night were admitting Zelensky had royally messed up. As you can see from the hostility of the bureaucracy to any Republican oversight, no matter how reasonable or minor it may be, the entrenched bureaucracy and permanent DC apparatus is quite active. That goes quadruple for the deep state in the Intelligence Community. I’d expect more and more shenanigans and to be prepared so that you don’t fall for the next information operation.

The post-WWII architecture in Europe and the US needs this war to continue or be settled on “US troops on the ground” type guarantees, even though that’s not what Americans want. Things will heat up here, and it’s a very dangerous time.

Also, the immediate and near-identical reaction of leaders of various European countries in support of Zelensky’s temper tantrum yesterday also suggests a high-level of coordination and indicates a set-up. All very interesting.

Zelenskyy Pulls a George Costanza, Claims He Was Just Kidding When He Quit the Peace Talks.

The headline is a reference to this Seinfeld episode.

What? That? I’m a joker, you know that. I kid!

Zelensky reaches out to Trump after “regrettable” meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has extended an olive branch to President Donald Trump following what he called a “regrettable” meeting in Washington. Zelensky thanked Trump for past U.S. support and reiterated Ukraine’s willingness to sign a mineral agreement “any time and in any convenient format.” His remarks come as the U.S. has paused military aid to Ukraine, and Trump has signaled a preference for peace negotiations.

Key Details:

Zelensky acknowledged that the Friday meeting at the White House did not go as planned and expressed a desire for “constructive” future cooperation.

He highlighted Trump’s past support for Ukraine, particularly his decision to provide Javelin missiles, as a pivotal moment.

The U.S. paused all military aid to Ukraine on Monday, with Trump telling Zelensky to return “when he was ready for peace.”

Here’s the statement this stupid actor posted on X:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUaI would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.

None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

LOL. Please.

Continue reading “”

Well, they can demand all they want, but I think they’ll get nothing

Dems demand details from AG Bondi on Trump’s directive to review gun regulations
The White House last month ordered the Justice Department to conduct a broad review of federal firearms regulations, a move which appeared aimed at walking back Biden-era gun control measures.

WASHINGTON (CN) — House Democrats on Sunday demanded that the Justice Department explain how it plans to implement President Donald Trump’s recent executive order for a whole-of-government review of federal firearms regulations.

And, writing in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the lawmakers sought to reaffirm Congress’ role in writing — and changing — the country’s gun control laws.

The Trump administration last month directed the Justice Department to undertake a sweeping review of existing regulations, which it said was designed to determine whether there were any “ongoing infringements” of Second Amendment rights. The president instructed the agency in the executive order to sift through federal rules, guidance and international agreements, as well as other actions taken by the White House and executive agencies.

But in their letter to Bondi, obtained by Courthouse News, Democrats told the attorney general they were “confident” that the Justice Department’s survey would confirm that existing firearms regulations are constitutionally sound, so long as the review was conducted “objectively and in good faith.”

“There is plainly no need for any new plan of action to, in the words of the executive order, ‘protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans,’” read the letter, penned by Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Georgia Representative Lucy McBath, who serves as the No. 1 Democrat on the panel’s crime and government surveillance subcommittee.

In the order, the Trump administration specifically directed the Justice Department to examine firearms regulations promulgated by the president and federal agencies between January 2021 and January 2025, a provision which put the Biden administration’s gun control efforts squarely in the crosshairs.

Continue reading “”

Getting Past the “Duck Dynasty” Stereotype of Gun Owners
Not that there’s anything wrong with that!

The New York Times recently published a super multimedia article about new, nontraditional gun owners called “The Tipping Point” (16 February 2025). Subtitle: “America’s newest gun owners are upending preconceptions about who buys and gun and why.”

I read it with interest and was later told by someone at the Times that the piece took two years to put together. Bravo for real journalism.

In an otherwise fascinating and well-reported story on the changing face of gun owners in America today, the authors include a significant misstatement. They write, “a majority of gun owners are white, conservative, male and from rural areas.”

This “Duck Dynasty” stereotype of gun owners is one I have challenged for years now, from my 2019 presentation on Gun Culture 2.0 to my recent opinion essay in The Hill on the unrecognized diversity of gun owners.

To build a better gun debate, we need to ground our arguments in the diverse reality of contemporary gun ownership, rather than perpetuating divisive mythologies.

Continue reading “”

Triple-Shock X Ammo: TSX Bullets Explained

 

Triple-Shock X Ammo

The Triple-Shock X is Barnes Bullets’ premium hunting rifle ammunition. Commonly referred to as Barnes X bullets, this line of ammo comes in most rifle calibers, and the bullet is quite unique in that it uses a fairly thin diameter hollow section in the tip compared to similar styles. The thin section works extremely well to create a uniform expansion effect when it impacts a target.

Another thing that makes this and related Barnes ammo lines unique, is they don’t have a bullet core. You’re firing solid copper with the TSX, and it works better than you’d imagine, especially if you’ve used cored bullets or solid lead for years. This bullet type came out in 2004, and has been popular among hunters, rifle shooters and reloaders ever since.

Triple-Shock X Features

  • Lead-Free: Like many specialty lines from Barnes Bullets, the TSX ammo line is lead-free. This is a perk if the area you’re hunting in doesn’t allow lead bullets. This bullet is usable everywhere lead is banned, but may be considered a hollow point in most areas (but not all).
  • Solid Copper: The solid copper bullet offers great weight retention, and it maintains its structural integrity much better than a lead or jacketed bullet. This means you will get better weight retention and deeper penetration than with other bullets that will fragment to a much greater degree than the solid copper.
  • Circumferential Grooves: These grooves are what make the copper bullets from Barnes perform so well in regards to barrel fouling. They are the product of years of research to keep copper as a viable bullet material.
  • Thin-Diameter Hollow Point: The hollow point in the Triple-Shock X is narrow compared to similar brands, but with the copper bullet, it works just right. Each shot will expand into four razor sharp cutting edges on impact, unless a hard object like bone is encountered.

Triple-Shock X Uses

This is a great rifle ammunition developed for hunting. The sheer number of calibers offered is impressive, ranging from .224 caliber to the .577 Nitro. If it can be hunted, Barnes makes a Triple-Shock bullet for the job.

This wouldn’t be a very good home defense ammunition, however, unless you had significant distance between you and would-be attackers. These bullets were designed to travel long distances with relatively flat trajectories and to devastate their target on impact.

The Triple-Shock X is one of the more premium ammo lines by this particular manufacturer, and if you’re looking for a lead-free alternative hunting ammunition, this is a very popular choice with great reviews. The one bullet style that rivals this from Barnes is the Tipped Triple-Shock X.

No movement on the ‘Assault Weapon’ (Snopes) or ‘Large Capacity’ Magazine (Ocean State) cases as of March 3rd Morning Orders.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/030325zor_apl1.pdf

Well what does this mean? We get to wait more.

It more than likely means that SCOTUS will not take the case this term. That’s not a hard and fast rule, but the longer the wait, the more likely it becomes.

This will be the fourth relisting whenever it next goes to conference. Generally speaking the more relists after two, the less likely they take it. HOWEVER, NYSRPA v. Bruen was relisted four times. Dobbs v. Jackson, the abortion case that did away with Roe v. Wade, was relisted TWELVE times.

That we did not get a denial is good. This order was full of denials. That we did not get granted cert is bad. Nothing has happened.

Thomas (and others) have had plenty of time to write a denial. If they were going to deny it, my view is they would have by now. But we simply do not know.

I’ll reiterate:

Why ‘Just Call the Police’ Is Terrible Advice

There’s an old saying in the gun world: When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.

It’s true.

Many, if not most police officers want to protect the public. They’d love to swoop in and keep everyone safe and sound from the predators that walk among us. They simply can’t. It’s just not feasible.

Yet many people believe that the answer to someone breaking into your home is to just call the police. Just call the police.

I can’t really accept that because I understand how things work in the best-case scenario. You dial 9-1-1 and you get connected with a dispatcher. You tell them everything, then they relay it to the appropriate officer. That officer then has to redirect to your location. Unless he’s just a block away–that’s rare, but it may happen on any given call–it’s going to be a little bit of time before he can get there.

Horrible things could happen in that time.

But a post on X, formerly Twitter, illustrated yet another potential problem. What if you call 9-1-1 and you’re put on hold for almost an hour?

Luckily, this wasn’t an emergency call. There was no threat to life and limb. It was reporting a crime, so 9-1-1 was the appropriate number to dial, especially as there was always the possibility that the bad guy would come back, but that didn’t happen.

Yet it still took them almost an hour to actually speak to someone and get an officer dispatched.

Continue reading “”

And I for one, would really like the math and engineering to work!

30 years after warp drives were proposed, we still can’t make the math work.

In 1994, Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre decided to figure out if the “warp drive” from his favorite science fiction shows was possible. Amazingly, he found a way to make it feasible, but it’s still unclear if it could ever actually work.

Although it’s impossible to travel faster than light, the restriction applies only to local measurements. It’s possible to manipulate space-time in such a way that superluminal motion is achievable. For example, the expansion of the universe drives apart galaxies faster than the speed of light, but because every galaxy is at rest in its local patch of space, it’s all good.

In the meantime, we can only skirt around the edges, poking at various aspects of the warp drive and seeing what might happen to the quantum fields in that highly strange gravitational environment. This process of poking around has led to some interesting — and sometimes contradictory — insights about the nature of warp drives in the three decades since Alcubierre’s original discovery.

For example, one set of calculations suggests that quantum fields at the edge of the warp bubble that sort of straddle the boundary between the inside bits and the outside essentially blow up to infinity as soon as you turn the thing on, which would be … bad.

But other calculations say that applies only in limited cases and that if you ramp up the warp engine slowly enough, you’ll be fine.

Yet more calculations sidestep all of this and just look at how much negative energy you actually need to construct your warp drive. And the answer is, for a single macroscopic bubble — say, 30 feet (100 meters) across — you would need 10 times more negative energy than all of the positive energy contained in the entire universe, which isn’t very promising.

However, still other calculations show that this immense amount applies only to the traditional warp bubble as defined by Alcubierre. It might be possible to reshape the bubble so there’s a tiny “neck” in the front that’s doing the work of compressing space and then it balloons out to an envelope to contain the warp bubble. This minimizes any quantum weirdness so that you need only about a star’s worth of negative energy to shape the drive.

But even more calculations show that even if you get ahold of some negative energy or negative mass, as soon as you start moving, you’re going to run into problems — namely, that the negative mass will immediately start flowing out of the edge of the bubble (which is bad) at a speed faster than light (which is really bad). What ends up happening is that the exotic matter constructing the warp bubble can’t keep pace with the bubble itself, so it just tears itself apart.

So, although warp drive seems implausible, the final verdict is uncertain. But it’s still a fun thought experiment that allows us to explore some interesting and surprising connections between general relativity and quantum mechanics. And, of course, it makes our sci-fi shows more fun to watch — we don’t have to wait millions of years for our favorite spaceship crew to reach their destination.