Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 1/26

[SVPete]

Rioter Arrested After Laying Traps to Disable ICE Vehicles

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/01/25/woman-arrested-after-laying-traps-to-disable-ice-vehicles-n2670043

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the arrest of an anti-ICE agitator who was reportedly using caltrops to deflate federal vehicles.

The individual was apparently detained after obstructing law enforcement by employing homemade tire deflating devices. The objects were constructed using hose and large screws. Officials found a bag full of the devices in the individual’s possession during the arrest.

One individual online reported that MS Now briefly showed some of the caltrops in the roadway, but quickly cut away without mention.

Disable ICE vehicles, box them in ... ambush attack.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Here's Another Healthcare Professional Who Refuses to Care for Conservatives

It's a day ending in -y, and here's another so-called medical professional vowing to discriminate against conservative patients. This time, it's a nurse in Florida who says he won't give Republicans undergoing surgery anesthesia, and that it's not only his right but ethical for him to do so.

Libs of TikTok
@libsoftiktok
Meet Erik Martindale, a registered Florida nurse.

He says he won’t give anesthesia for Republicans undergoing surgery and believes that’s his right and is ethical.

He needs to be fired and stripped of his license immediately.
@FLNursingBoard

Actually, the Left has made it very clear that businesses cannot discriminate against customers. Bake the cake and all that. And if you want to stay in business, does advertising that you will actively harm at least half of your potential customer base help you get patients? Probably not.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/01/26/doc-refuses-to-give-conservatives-anesthesia-n2670084

[SVPete]

How Hollywood Confuses Attention With Authority

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/01/26/how-hollywood-confuses-attention-with-authority-n4948755

A man routinely walks out on a balcony because the people below keep clapping. Before too long, he began to believe applause meant wisdom.

That's been Hollywood the past few decades, mistaking their noise and attention for authority.

The Celebrity Microphone Problem
Combine a microphone and a famous face, and you'll get an opinion, polished by confidence living in their bubble instead of experience.

An actor's career is spent memorizing lines written by others; in other words, other people write the words that come out of their mouths.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact beginning of this trend, but the habit hardened during the tenure of President George W. Bush, when red carpet outrage became a shortcut to relevance. That's when political complexity gave way to emotional performance, and celebrity commentary became its own genre.
...
Actress Kristen Stewart recently described life under President Donald Trump as oppressive and unrecognizable.

IMO, celebs started using their fame as some sort of moral authority back in the 1970s, e.g. Hanoi Jane's antics in North Viet Nam and her "China Syndrome" anti-nuclear power movie (BTW, the nuclear plant she was trying to prevent starting operation is now having its retirement postponed).