When you're reading this, you may already know what has happened at the Super Bowl on Sunday. Hopefully, the Patriots lose and ICE doesn't do anything idiotic like try to detain Bad Bunny—or anyone at the game... but they are just crazy enough to try some stupid shit like that...

February's LLoN went out right on time on the first—although we will probably shift to the first Saturday of every month moving forward. It's a depressing one, but an important one.

February 2026
Here is the Little Letter of Nonsense for February! Available to paid subscribers as a PDF and/or in print, delivered straight to your mailbox.
The Independent VariableKevin Kortum

We also launched a new subscriber-only monthly column, Semi-Sequitur, from my friend Nick. It's a really fun take on sharing links, as he annotates public domain works with links to all sorts of things.

Walden: Annotated
Directed by Nicholas De Marino
The Independent VariableNicholas De Marino

When it came to actual linkage, we of course focused on the only thing that really matters right now and that’s what ICE is doing in Minnesota. Luckily, they are pulling agents from MN, but the job isn't done—we still need to keep making our voices heard. Just because they vacate one place, doesn't mean it won't continue elsewhere.

This first link, featuring Aliya Rahman’s testimony, is heartbreaking. To think any human being is being treated like this should terrify all Americans.

🏛️ The testimony of Aliya Rahman
0:00 /6:45 1× It’s absolutely devastating to watch this. I’d love to echo the sentiment I’ve seen on social media and say, “how could anyone watch this and not be devastated?” But I’ve become too jaded. The people doing and celebrating this terrible shit
The Independent VariableKevin Kortum
🧑‍⚖️ Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’
Politico Actual criminals are absolutely loving what’s happening right now. ICE isn’t going after the (extremely small population of) undocumented immigrants that are in gangs because those people would actually fight back and have criminal attorneys on retainer and the idiot goons of ICE want nothing to do
The Independent VariableKevin Kortum
🔫 Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military
NY Times Government doesn’t want undocumented immigrants in the country, but they are more than happy to sell non-citizen cartel members high caliber ammunition.
The Independent VariableKevin Kortum
✊ Resist and Unsubscribe
Link Good list/resource for things you can do around various giant conglomerates who have influence over the administration and/or are enablers of ICE. I think my Apple One subscription is the only place I’m still subscribed—and I had a lifelong vendetta against FedEx—but Spotify is
The Independent VariableKevin Kortum

And to end things on a lighter note, the trailer for the latest show from Steve Conrad, who made two of the most underrated shows of the last decade in Patriot and, my personal favorite, Perpetual Grace Ltd.

📺 DTF St. Louis (Trailer)
This is one to keep an eye on when it premiers March 1 on HBO. It stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini, but more importantly, it comes from writer and creator, Steve Conrad who is also the mind behind the fantastic Patriot as well as my favorite Perpetual
The Independent VariableKevin Kortum