Random News and Notes 25 April
Construction on the Suez canal began on this date in April 1859. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat who organized the colossal undertaking, delivered the pickax blow that inaugurated construction. At first digging was done by hand with picks and shovels wielded by forced laborers. Later, European workers with dredgers and steam shovels arrived. Labor disputes and a cholera epidemic slowed construction, and the Suez Canal was not completed until 1869—four years behind schedule.
On this date in 1945, US and Soviet troops linked up in Torgau, near Berlin, Germany. This meeting sounded the death knell for Nazi Germany.
Also on this date in ’45, President Truman was briefed on the Manhattan Project for the first time. America’s secret development of the atomic bomb began in 1939 with then-President Franklin Roosevelt’s support. The project was so secret that FDR did not even inform his vice president, Truman, that it existed. When President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, Truman was immediately sworn in and, soon after, was informed by Stimson of a new and terrible weapon being developed by physicists in New Mexico.
Now, News!
The State of Texas had a big win at the 5th Circuit yesterday. An en-banc panel ruled that SB-4, a state law that allowed Texas law enforcement officers to arrest suspected illegals, can be enforced, A group of plaintiffs including El Paso county sued to block the 2023 law from going into effect.
Texas AG Ken Paxton had this to say: “Texas’s right to arrest illegals, protect our citizens, and enforce immigration law is fundamental. This is a major win for public safety and law and order.”
Former NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen chief proposed expanding a ‘Coalition of the Willing’—originally 35 nations for post-ceasefire Ukraine support—into a core European defense group focused on hard power, led by nuclear-armed UK and France, with Ukraine as a key player against Russia.
He cited President Trump’s skepticism on NATO’s Article 5 and alliance commitment as the reason to bolster Europe’s pillar, while keeping U.S. nuclear support and top command roles intact.
Good luck. Britain cannot field a complete combat brigade nor can they deploy a destroyer for more than a week without it breaking down. The French aren’t much better off. The only thing that makes either anything other than a 2nd or 3rd rate military power is that they have nukes. Well, the French have them. The ones the UK lays claim to are actually US warheads. The King leases them – no, I am not kidding – from the United States.
I share this next one for multiple reasons.
On March 25 in southwest Houston’s Gulfton neighborhood, a Houston cop responded to a report of a suspicious man with a handgun in a pink purse. The suspect, Bara’Atef Mohammad AlQudah, shot at Lopez, who took cover, returned fire, and pursued him into an apartment complex, fatally wounding him after a 2.5-minute exchange.
The officer suffered a minor graze wound, reloaded while radioing his status, and provided first aid. Houston Police released the body and dash cam videos Thursday.
Ok, now to the reasons I included this. First, notice the suspect’s name? Yeah, stood out to me too. Texas is awash in islamists, and I suspect that Bara’Atef Mohammad AlQudah was one.
Second, Mr. Policeman needs to go do some training with his firearm. Dumped a complete mag before he hit the perp. Fucked his reload. Stood dead still while the soon to be dead islamist shot at him.
Look, nobody knows how they will react until the metal hits the meat, but you can train away a lot of the negative things the cop did in this 2+ minutes of video.
Some time in the next few days, I am going to put together a listing of all my training, prepping and firearms related stories so you can review (or read for the first time) what I have written on the subject.