STEPHEN HALBROOK: Second Amendment Roundup: The Militia of the Sea: The Marque and Reprisal Clause as Textual Proof of Private Heavy-Arms Ownership at the Founding. “Under Article I, the only power over private armed force at sea that Congress received was power over the commissioning of that private force on behalf of the United States. Congress did not give permission for the ship owner to arm the ship with cannon. The Founders who ratified the Constitution’s Article I in 1788 and the Second Amendment three years later in 1791 did not appear troubled that private parties owned heavily armed ships. Indeed, they took the widespread ownership of such heavily armed ships as a given, so much so that Congress principally concerned itself not with the private ownership of significant armaments, but rather with the transformation of that private ownership into a lawful use on behalf of the federal government itself.”
August 13, 2026
THIS WILL BE MY NEXT FAST FOOD BURGER REVIEW: America’s burger wars have crowned a new fast-food favorite — while the loser’s popularity is in freefall. I’ve always liked a good Whopper — the qualification being that BK’s quality control is uneven, though not as badly as Hardees — and I suspect this will be better than the not-awful Big Arch.
But how will it compare to the Big Glenn?
And a while back I did recommend that McDonalds get a CEO who actually likes burgers. BK has learned the lesson: “BK president Tom Curtis appeared in Whopper’s relaunch ad, along with another clip depicting him gleefully devouring a Whopper in an apparent at McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski’s cringeworthy attempt at eating a Big Arch this past Spring.”
More free advice for Mickey D’s: Bring back the Beef Tallow Fries. They were the best thing you had and you got rid of them in the face of bullying from food activists.
SCENES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE:
Universities across the Anglosphere are stocked with Jason Ardays. None match his colorful résumé, yet the faculty and administrators who hired them under DEI rules have faced zero accountability. Cambridge is just the latest chapter in the same story. https://t.co/sCuVdEIT4e
— Timur Kuran (@timurkuran) August 13, 2026
THIS REALLY GOES FOR SELF-DEFENSE EVERYWHERE, OR AT LEAST OUGHT TO: God Protects Those Who Prepare: Church Security Shouldn’t Be Controversial.
COLONIALISM, STRAIGHT UP:
A New York town is facing a federal lawsuit after officials refused to allow a Christian Nativity display in a public square while permitting Islamic religious displays.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has sued the town of Brighton, New York, accusing officials of… pic.twitter.com/QcNuOBO1oq
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 13, 2026
HOW COULD IT BE WORSE? SURPRISE! The Russiagate Hoax Looks Even Worse After These FBI Revelations.
KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEAN: iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo Robot Vacuum & Mop. #CommissionEarned
“SPEND LESS THAN YOU MAKE” STILL SEEMS TO WORK EVERYWHERE IT’S TRIED:
I once again see socialism being caused by the perception of downward mobility among privileged children of relatively wealthy people. https://t.co/oI3RSCiMMQ
— James Lindsay, anti-Communist (@ConceptualJames) August 13, 2026
Admittedly, things would be easier for the rest of us if Washington would try it again.
MAGA: BofA to plow $250 billion into critical infrastructure projects. “The investment is intended for projects including data centers and compute power, renewable-power generation, energy storage, natural gas, electricity transmission and critical minerals and mining. The goal is to support energy security, job growth and economic competitiveness, the bank said in a statement Wednesday.”
Unlike under the previous administration, there seems to be very little money directed at making our highways less racist.
SELECTIONS FROM H.P. LOVECRAFT’S BRIEF TENURE AS A WHITMAN’S SAMPLER COPYWRITER:
Chocolate Cherry Cordial
You must not think me mad when I tell you what I found below the thin shell of chocolate used to disguise this bonbon’s true face. Yes! Hidden beneath its rich exterior is a hideously moist cherry cordial! What deranged architect could have engineered this non-Euclidean aberration? I dare not speculate.
Caramel Chew
There is a dimension ruled by a blind caramel God-King who sits on a vast, cyclopean milk-chocolate throne while his mindless, gooey followers dance to the piping of crazed flutes. It is said that there are gateways in our world that lead to this caramel hell-planet. The delectable Caramel Chew may be one such portal.
Heh, indeed. Read the whole thing™— if you dare!
FAUCI’S CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: Fauci’s ‘pay-to-play scheme’ both ‘unlawful’ and ‘unethical,’ Rutgers expert says.
THE NEEDS OF THE PARTY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, COMRADE:
Oh. I didn’t realize progressives believe men cannot be classified as women without 2-3 years of wrong-sex hormones. Weird how not even that requirement appears in a single progressive law or policy letting men into women’s prisons, abuse shelters, bathrooms, locker rooms. https://t.co/mEOaZgeHPM
— Candice Jackson (@CEJacksonLaw) August 12, 2026
THE MANSPLAINERS talk with Terrence Popp who has saved 604 men from suicide:
I REMAIN STEADFAST AGAINST RODENT URINE: ‘Rodent Urine’ & Other Unsanitary Conditions Spark MAJOR Recall Across Multiple Food Brands.
A major recall spanning hundreds of products across multiple industries is raising eyebrows (and clearing pantries) across several states. Gold Star Distribution, Inc. has recalled numerous grocery items, canned goods, medications, and other products due to unsanitary conditions at its Minneapolis storage facility. According to the recall, the FDA found “the presence of rodent excreta, rodent urine, and bird droppings in areas where medical devices, drugs, human food, pet food, and cosmetic products were held.”
As you can probably imagine, that’s a serious health risk.
The facility distributed recalled products to 50 stores across three states: Indiana, Minnesota, and North Dakota. “Exposure to contaminated products can pose serious health risks to consumers, including the potential for bacterial contamination, which may result in illness or infection, including Salmonella,” the recall states. And contamination from rodent droppings isn’t just gross—it can make people sick even from contact with packaging.
Check the link for details if you might be at risk.
MY LATEST SUBSTACK ESSAY: In Which I am Replaced by a Robot. Maybe.

HATE SPEECH LAWS DIDN’T STOP THE NAZIS. Weimar Germany tried censoring them before they took power. The laws failed, and the lesson is a grim one: censorship is no substitute for defeating bad ideas.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: I’m Going to Miss Karoline Leavitt Kneecapping the Press Hacks. “Many conservatives of a certain age have a soft spot for the late Tony Snow, and that’s understandable. I think that what sets Leavitt apart is that the Dems’ flying monkeys in the mainstream media she’s had to face have been some of the worst of all time. It’s not just that, though. What has been most enjoyable about Leavitt’s tenure is the obvious delight she takes in correcting the biased, agenda-driven propagandists in the press room.”
NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG: Cam Newton blows the lid off the NFL, claims players, coaches, and execs faked their COVID-19 vaccination. “Aaron Rogers wasn’t the only one,” Newton said about players being against the vaccine. “He wasn’t the only one in the Packers organization. He wasn’t the only one in the Packers quarterback room.”
MORNING IN AMERICA:
This is the country they took from you.
This was California in the 80s:https://t.co/jnV5Svjdjw
— Mike Kobe (Wild Horse) 🪶🇺🇸 (@Oklahoma_Brave) August 11, 2026
Fast-forward to 2026, and of course, it’s gooder and harder, California: Post walks LA’s once-iconic Van Nuys Blvd. for a week – here’s disturbing scene we found.
This is honestly kind of just sad
A travel influencer from the UK came to Los Angeles for the first time excited because she says everyone in the UK wants to visit Hollywood
She was completely let down, couldn’t believe what she saw and now warns everyone thinking of going to… pic.twitter.com/VQBLa3v6ca
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 9, 2026
CDR SALAMANDER: The Small Warship We Should Have Had: They’re right here. “Most are familiar with the rolling train wreck of missed opportunities, bad theory, wasted hundreds of billions of dollars, and destroyed careers that the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) left in its wake…and still does. Many of us remember the mission set it was supposed to meet compared to the shambolic grabassery it transmogrified into. . . . Yes, there are those who argue that the U.S. Navy has no use for such small ships. Frankly, I’m tired of arguing with them. They are wrong.”
Flashback: Is it time for a big fleet of small ships?
UPDATE: First link was wrong before. Fixed now, sorry! One day I will master cut and paste, but today is not that day.
SETH BARRETT TILLMAN: You’re not laughing now.