Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 10/1

[SVPete]

DOJ FIGHTS BACK

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/09/doj-fights-back.php

The Department of Justice has struck the latest blow in its ongoing battle with rogue Minnesota federal judges. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced this morning that DOJ has filed an ethics complaint against Judges Pat Schiltz, John Tunheim, and others who have spoken to the press anonymously.

When Pat Schiltz sat for a lengthy interview with the New York Times, in which he rehearsed his grievances against the Trump administration and made wild claims of wrongdoing against the administration, I was shocked. The Complaint of Judicial Misconduct, which is addressed to the Chief Judge of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, lays out the applicable standard:
...
Here, there is no doubt that Schiltz and Tunheim have taken a partisan side in an ongoing controversy, siding with illegal aliens and violent “protesters” against federal law enforcement. Schiltz went so far as to tell the New York Times–the ultimate partisan outlet when it comes to the Trump administration–that the administration’s enforcement of immigration laws was a “grave threat to the rule of law” that put the United States on the road to being Russia, China, or North Korea.

GWB and WJC error and appointee, respectively.

JUDGE SCHILTZ SPEAKS

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2026/09/judge-schiltz-speaks.php

Now comes the Minneapolis Star Tribune to print Judge Schiltz’s response, which to my reading, violates the first rule of holes.

In response to the complaint, Schiltz told the Minnesota Star Tribune he was acting “well within the ethical rules” for federal judges in his comments to the New York Times, as confirmed by legal ethics experts. He referenced an advisory opinion from the Committee on Codes of Conduct that says federal judges can “‘speak and write’ on core judiciary matters such as advocacy for the rule of law and judicial independence.”

“That is exactly what I did,” Schiltz said.

I don’t think that “speak and write” covers knowingly making false statements about parties with business before your bench. But, then again, I’m not a lawyer, much less a sitting federal judge.

    

[SVPete]

I was trying to follow this story yesterday to give updates as more became known. What I quickly saw, though, was that "known" info became contradictory as well as fragmentary, so I gave up and decided to wait until today when info might be fairly correct. This article still fragments the story, , but at least it appears to be pretty much correct, :

The hero who stopped Israel’s 9/11

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/pilot-stabbed-suspected-hijacking-israel-135034028.html

The drama started around two-and-a-half hours after the flight left Dubai, when the plane sent an emergency alert, according to publicly available flight tracking information.

The flight then descended abruptly before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, about an hour later.

At one stage the aircraft plunged into a nosedive, descending 15,000ft in 37 seconds, presumably as the pilots struggled for control.

The plane broadcast an alert shortly afterwards for "unlawful interference", usually used for hijacking, leading to Israel scrambling fighter jets.

Reports suggest the co-pilot "repeatedly stabbed the captain" with a penknife.

The hero, identified on Wednesday night as Yaniv Hayun, said: "When I went in, I saw the terrorist on the controls, between the two seats. There were no pilots in the seats.

"I grabbed the terrorist, put him in a hold, and first of all pulled him outside."

Mr Hayun said he called for other passengers to help hold back the co-pilot before rushing back into the cockpit to steady the plane.

"I jumped back in there, grabbed the controls, started pulling the controls," he said, adding that another pilot later took over from him and landed the plane.

After Mr Hayun briefly took control of the plane, two other relief pilots on board took over, according to reports. There was a suggestion that one of the relief pilots was British, although this has not been confirmed.

Israeli security officials have told The Telegraph the terrorist may have planned to crash the plane into an Israeli city.

Three separate sources said that a September 11-style attack was a major line of inquiry.

I pieced together the segments into something more or less chronological. A few key facts are missing (as best I can tell):

* The pilot who was stabbed is, contrary to an early report, Indian. Last I heard, he is in critical condition but expected to live;

* During the stabbings and srtuggle, the stabbed pilot managed to unlock the door between the cockpit and the passengers;

* The two pilots who took over the plane were pilots from another airline who just happened to be dead-heading to their next flight.

[SVPete]

ACLJ Takes Case of Nebraska Firefighter Rejected Because He Was Homeschooled – Homeschool Graduates Are Not Second-Class Citizens

https://aclj.org/school-choice/aclj-takes-case-of-nebraska-firefighter-rejected-because-he-was-homeschooled-homeschool-graduates-are-not-second-class-citizens

The ACLJ is representing Andrew Coates, a 22-year-old Nebraska volunteer firefighter and licensed EMT, who was denied the opportunity to continue in the hiring process for a firefighter position with the city of Fremont, Nebraska, because his diploma came from a homeschool program.
...
This is not a case about someone seeking special treatment. Andrew already serves as a volunteer firefighter with the Cedar Bluffs Fire Department. He holds a Nebraska EMT license. He has completed extensive firefighter training and dedicated himself to protecting the people around him. He was even recently awarded “Rookie Firefighter of the Year” by his volunteer department.
...
But when Andrew applied for a full-time job with the Fremont Fire Department, city officials decided that his homeschool diploma was not good enough. ... .

Yet the government concluded that his education was somehow insufficient because his Christian parents chose to homeschool him for religious reasons.

The injustice runs even deeper. Andrew’s family did exactly what Nebraska law permits them to do. As Christians, they lawfully homeschooled their son because of their religious convictions about how he should be educated and trained. They complied with Nebraska’s homeschool framework. They relied on the state’s assurance that homeschooling is a legitimate educational option.

This is so 1980s, when governments and companies were refusing to recognize the validity of homeschool high school diplomas. Not mentioned in the article (but was mentioned on the ACLJ's radio program) is that Coates is a couple of semesters from graduating JC with an AA in Fire Science.

[SVPete]

Man arrested, accused in plot to attack Texas Capitol building, DPS says

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/plan-to-attack-texas-capitol-building-foiled-dps-says/4084935/

According to Texas DPS, officers received credible information about an individual planning a violent attack on the Texas State Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Texas DPS said their Criminal Investigations Division Special Agents worked alongside the FBI to investigate the validity of the threat and the circumstances surrounding the attack.

At around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, DPS SWAT arrested 40-year-old Benny Caldera, Jr., at his residence in Converse, about 15 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, Texas DPS said.
...
Caldera's friend told DPS officers that Caldera said, "I love you, if you don't see me again," and explained that, "I am going to the Capitol and I am going to shoot it up," according to arrest documents.

Arrest documents further state that Caldera told his friend that he was angry at AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) and that "these people have to be exterminated."

The Texas Capitol is a covert synagogue? Who knew?

Antisemitism, like other racism, is seldom in the company of wisdom.