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Archive for November, 2024

To the…people who called DEC, there’s a special place in hell for you.  –  Mark Longo

It wasn’t easy to choose a sendoff for Quincy Jones, but I think the blues title for In the Heat of the Night, sung by Ray Charles, is the right choice.  The links above the video were provided by Franklin Harris, Mike Masnick, Jesse Walker, Franklin Harris again, Greg Lukianoff, Jesse Walker again, and J.D. Tuccille, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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Pregnant women have become essentially untouchables. -Sara Rosenbaum

Property of the State 

Pregnant women are uniquely vulnerable to State violence:

How a person handles a pregnancy loss — and where it occurs — can mean the difference between a private medical issue and a criminal charge for abuse of a corpse, child neglect or even murder…[Psychopathic politician]s across the country have been using a series of laws and court rulings in the past decade to criminalize how women react to pregnancy loss….[and] the fear and suspicion following the Supreme Court’s [Dobbs] decision…may be making things worse…about 20% of pregnancies end in a loss, which includes miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or fetal death…[in the past] only a small number [we]re investigated as crimes.  But…the growing number of [invasive] laws…[give cops more excuses to persecute them]…Women in South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and several other states have faced criminal charges after a miscarriage or stillbirth for failing to seek immediate medical treatment, not pursuing prenatal care or disposing of the fetal remains in a way that [pigs] or prosecutors [retroactively declared] improper…

If Men Were Angels

“Youth leader”, “youth pastor”…just another preachy pervert:

A [church] youth leader [in Abilene, Texas] has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography…[after] a member of the church [reported creepy behavior to the cops]…Charles Goff…[claimed to cops that he “]struggled[“] with videos of teen girls 14-15 years old…and…nude pictures [he cajoled] teenage girls [into sending him via] various social media platforms…

No Escape (#1312)

Why does it take the US press so long to recognize rampant governmental abuses?

Though female prisoners long have been victims of sexual violence, the number of reports against [rapist screws] has exploded nationwide in recent years.  Many complaints follow a similar pattern: [victim]s are retaliated against, while [rapists] face little or no punishment.  In all 50 states, the AP found cases where [rapists] used [prisoner] work assignments to lure women to isolated spots, out of view of security cameras.  The prisoners said they were attacked while doing jobs like kitchen or laundry duty inside [filthy dungeons] or in work-release programs that placed them at private businesses like national fast-food restaurants and hotel chains…Those cases prompted a [mostly theatrical] Senate investigation two years ago that found prisoners were sexually abused by wardens, guards, chaplains or other staff in at least two-thirds of all women’s federal prisons over the past decade.  But a[bsolutely nothing was done about it]…

The Clueless Leading the Hysterical (#1380)

Actual facts cannot stop copaganda:

For nearly two decades, alarmist government officials, abetted by credulous reporters, have been [trying to frighten] parents prior to Halloween [by claiming] that malevolent strangers might try to get their kids high by passing off THC-infused treats as ordinary candy…a version of the old urban legends about razor blades, needles, and glass shards hidden inside Halloween candy, and…equally grounded in reality…The dearth of [actual] cases…has led to a noticeable change in warnings from [cop shops], [crypto-moralist]s, and [the yellow press].  They now [wild]ly e[xaggerat]e the potential for accidental confusion [by the extremely stupid]…

Creepy Coppers (#1472)

One of the people the government empowers to police your sexuality:

Akron [cop] Geoffrey Parker…was arraigned…[for] creating and sharing child pornography…Parker is facing five felony charges for sharing “sexually explicit videos with minors engaging in sex acts” and two felonies for photographing [his own] 5-year-old child “in a state of nudity” and then sharing those photographs online in order to “receive other explicit images of children”…using the Kik application…an[d was caught by an algorithm on the site]…Parker “made admissions” about some of the allegations [to the cops who arrested him.  His]…bond [was set] at $1 million…

Paying the Bills

Six weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $2400.  But I’m still facing a $600 shortfall; it isn’t much, but an unpaid bill is still unpaid even if it’s close. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; I really hope to get this done by Thanksgiving, so it doesn’t interfere with my annual toy drive!

Vulture Watching (#1487)

Texas doesn’t care how many women die because of its terrible laws:

Nevaeh Crain was crying in pain, too weak to walk…feverish and vomiting…The first [emergency room she tried]…diagnosed her with strep throat without investigating her sharp abdominal cramps.  At the second, she screened positive for sepsis…But doctors said her six-month fetus had a heartbeat [so she was sent away]…on Crain’s third hospital visit, an obstetrician insisted on two ultrasounds to “confirm fetal demise”…before moving her to intensive care.  By then, more than two hours after her arrival, Crain’s blood pressure had plummeted and…her organs began failing.  Hours later, she was dead…Texas’s abortion ban threatens prison time for interventions that end a fetal heartbeat…It includes exceptions for life-threatening conditions, but…that…[means] medical teams are wasting precious time debating legalities and creating documentation, preparing for the possibility that they’ll need to explain their actions to a jury and judge…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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There is not and in fact cannot be any such thing as “legitimate” authority, whether that authority is chosen by elections, lots, birth, examining goat entrails, or pulling swords out of lakes.  And until humans collectively get that through their thick simian skulls, we are doomed to suffer an endless succession of evil rulers stomping on human freedom and dignity until they at last succeed in wiping us all out.  –  “Illegitimate

Absolutely no one, regardless of how fancy his title, how many degrees he has, or how many votes he receives in a popularity contest, can be trusted with power over others, yet somehow nearly everyone pretends otherwise when the contest winner is the one they voted for.  Furthermore, absolutely no law which criminalizes adult consensual behavior of any kind can have even the slightest moral weight, regardless of its pedigree, justification, or popularity, and it is not only the right but the duty of free people to disobey such evil laws.  And I don’t mean “civil disobedience” in which a protester volunteers to be brutalized, abducted, and saddled with a lifelong criminal record by a malevolent state, nor do I mean “protesting” by shouting slogans until the thuggish enforcers of such a state gas them, beat them, shoot them in the face, or allow facial recognition software to identify them so their lives can be destroyed later at the state’s leisure.  Rather, the approach I recommend is the one which at last brought down the Iron Curtain, the one Vaclav Havel called “living in truth“:

[In] his famous political essay…“The Power of the Powerless”…Havel didn’t talk about marches or demonstrations.  Instead, he asked the inhabitants of totalitarian countries to “live in truth”:  That is, to go about their daily lives as if the regime did not exist, to the extent that was possible…By the late 1980s, “living in truth” was widely practiced across central Europe.  The first time I went to Poland in 1987, I stayed with friends.  According to the law, I was supposed to register my presence in a private home with the police.  “We don’t do that,” my friends told me.  “We don’t believe the police have the right to know who stays with us.”  I didn’t register — and because thousands of other people didn’t either, that law became unenforceable…

The Power of the Powerless” is not a short essay; it’s 51 pages in all.  But when I first came upon it nearly 13 years ago I found it so important I spent hours laboriously editing a poor OCR copy so as to provide  a clean copy for my readers.  And I still think it’s that important, despite its now-dated historical references.  If you’re upset by recent political developments, please take the time to read it; if it speaks to you, download it and share it widely all over the internet.  Neither the world nor politics is rational, but individual humans can be. And they owe neither allegiance nor obedience to moral imbeciles who believe fancy words give them ownership rights over other humans.

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The dictatorship of the majority is…the most oppressive tyranny of all because it has a huge army of sympathizers and informants with which to enforce its demands.
–  “Guy Fawkes Night

People love to say, “if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain,” but this is completely backwards:  it is the voters who have no right to complain, because by signing on to this devil’s bargain they agree to be bound by it.
Honored in the Breach

The rulers [of modern republics]…treat government as a colossal game of hot potato, eternally passing the ball forward in the hopes that it will be in someone else’s hands when the music at last stops as it inevitably must.  –  “Cleansing Fire

The continuance of life for any given creature requires the regular deaths of countless others.  –  “The Mysteries

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The government has demonstrated that it cannot and will not be constrained by Section 230, the First Amendment, or even the venerable principle of presumption of innocence.  –  Maggie McNeill

Surplus Women

Decriminalization is only the first step:

Sex worker advocates have expressed their “rage and sadness” after a man who was due to face a double-murder trial for killing two women struck a manslaughter plea deal with Victorian prosecutors. Xiaozheng Lin, who killed sex workers Yuqi Luo…and Hyun Sook Jeon…in late 2022…now faces significantly less jail time [despite intentionally murdering the sex workers in order to rob them, so as to pay off his gambling debts]…Fiona Patten, former Victorian upper house MP, said she believed the decision reflected the stigma faced by sex workers in society…

Mumbo Jumbo 

It’s not surprising that this woman promotes the Nordic Model; it’s about as rooted in reality as her other beliefs about sex work:

…the Scottish government has instructed local authorities to partner with [an anti-sex group named] Azalea, led by a religious anti-porn activist who has stated that sex workers are “possessed by demons”…Ruth Robb…has in the past recommended “carrying out exorcisms on sex workers”…believes yoga is an “occult practice” and [claims] sex work leads to a “lesbian lifestyle”…[she claims] “Most prostitutes have had some exposure to the occult,” and her [Nordic model-based “outreach”] guides [for fellow religious busybodies] offer a checklist to determine if a sex worker is undergoing “demonic possession”.  Supposed symptoms include “flailing limbs” or a “sudden change of voice”…

The Face of Trafficking

The first actual association between “trafficking” and pizza:

The owner of Stash’s Pizza…in Massachusetts, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2024 for forced labor charges. [Stavros Papantoniadis] forced or attempted to force six victims to work for him and comply with excessive workplace demands through violent physical abuse; threats of violence and serious harm; and repeated threats to report the victims to immigration authorities for deportation…[he] was sentenced…to 102 months in prison, one year of supervised release and…a $35,000 fine…

The Last Shall Be First (#1408) 

“Bathroom bills” are a political fad that neither court rulings nor public protest have deterred:

The [Odessa, Texas] City Council [has] banned transgender people from using restrooms outside of the sex assigned to them at birth, [despite protests by]…residents…Mayor Javier Joven, who is up for reelection…has said his mission has been to help the city “repent”.  Under the amended ordinance, the city can seek fines of up to $500 and [criminal] trespassing charges…[and] also [encourages nuisance lawsuits for] $10,000 in damages plus the cost of the lawsuit and attorney fees…It [specifically] excludes [male cops who enter bathrooms to harass, rape, or otherwise attack women]…

Dangerous Speech (#1435)

Liz Brown’s articles on sex work are so thorough, it’s just too hard to come up with a pull quote.  So I’ll just point you to her latest on the Backpage persecution, and embed the accompanying video.  Watch it, and go read the article!

Vulture Watching (#1477)

Texas doesn’t care how many women die because of its terrible laws:

Josseli Barnica…[miscarried at] 17 weeks…doctors…should have offered to speed up the delivery or empty her uterus to stave off a deadly infection…but…[instead] the[y]…told her…they had to wait until there was no heartbeat…[and] it would be a [“]crime[“] to give her an abortion…For 40 hours…her uterus remained exposed to bacteria.  Three days after she delivered, Barnica died of an infection…[because psychopathic politicians threaten] doctors…[with] prosecution, prison time and professional ruin [for doing their jobs]…Barnica’s…death was “preventable,” according to more than a dozen medical experts who…called her case “horrific,” “astounding” and “egregious”…

The Cop Myth (#1481)

Why are people shocked when men paid and encouraged to behave violently, behave violently?

[An] El Paso [cop named]…Joseph Andrew Shreve, [who is paid to lurk in schools in order to spy on, harass, and intimidate students], was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for…firing at a truck that he [pretend]ed had rear-ended his vehicle on Sept. 18…Shreve…[attempted to escape consequences by belching out the magic formula] “in fear for [my] life”, [but witnesses told] police [otherwise]…

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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Since I’ve already said plenty on this subject, this time I’m just going to leave you with a link to a collection of earlier essays, and remind you that all government is at best a necessary evil rooted in the idea that might makes right, and that the reason you’re so worried about the outcome of today’s popularity contest is that for over 200 years now, Americans have stood by while the executive branch increases its own power, then leaves the newly-expanded powers to anyone their ideological enemies manage to get into the White House.

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Diary #749

Last Thursday was of course my birthday, and we celebrated as we usually do: watching horror movies, in this case a Boris Karloff triple feature, thanks in part to one of my presents.  I also received several Doctor Who DVD sets from another of my generous gentlemen, and both of those gents also gifted me with sums of money which went a long way toward making up my shortfall (as did Dr. Quest).  Another of my gents gave me a Blackmore’s Night CD I’ve wanted for a while, and Chekhov and Yellowbird gave me a pack of “Alice in Wonderland” themed playing cards and a MAD Magazine compilation; it was in the envelope with the Vincent Price design, which was printed by Yellowbird with her fancy art printer because she does clever things like that.  They also gave me the haunted house, which was actually a pop-up card!  And Chekhov made the cake.  All in all, it was a quiet evening at home embellished with the company of friends and gifts from admirers, and at this stage of my life that’s exactly how I like my birthdays.

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Be unified in rejecting all things that empower the homeless lifestyle.  –  Flathead County Commission

Mitzi Gaynor is of course best remembered for South Pacific, but I’m not as fond of any of her songs from that show as I am of Cole Porter, even with updated lyrics.  The links above the video were provided by Mike Masnick (x2), Dan Savage, T. Greg Doucette, IncarcerNation (x2), and C.J. Ciaramella, in that order.

From the Archives

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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THE ANTI-TRAFFICKERS ARE THE TRAFFICKERS.  –  Borys vs Ballard

Sex Work is Work

Can you imagine this even being in question for any other form of work?

The Prague High Court has ruled that two women forced into [work] in the United Kingdom are entitled to keep the CZK 1.8 million they earned during their exploitation…The women were part of a larger group of Czechs lured to Great Britain with the promise of lucrative work.  Once there, they were forced into sex work, with their earnings and identification documents seized by the traffickers.  For months, the gang exploited them, taking all the money they made while the women lived in slave-like conditions.  Last year, the Prague High Court convicted five members of the gang…[bu]t declined to award financial compensation to the [victims because the judges were bluenosed sociopaths who]…argued that [it was just]…to [deprive] the women…[of their] earnings [because they didn’t like their form of work.  But]…the women [appeal]ed to the Constitutional Court.[which] ruled in their favor, stating that the [means by which they earned] the money was irrelevant.  What mattered, the court said, was that the women had been unlawfully deprived of their earnings…

The Last Shall Be First (#1413)

How defective does an adult need to be to think doing this to teenagers is OK?

An Oregon school district [has] asked [Texas politician] Ted Cruz’s…campaign to take down two ads targeting transgender athletes because they include a photograph of two minor girls who are not transgender and whose parents did not give the Cruz campaign permission to use the photo…[the] ads…[target Cruz’s] opponent…Colin Allred…[because he] support[s]…trans-inclusive policies, [and] feature photographs of high-profile transgender athletes…Lia Thomas and CeCé Telfer…and…also…of two teenage [athletes from]…Western Oregon.  Neither of the [Oregon] girls…are transgender, though the Cruz ads imply otherwise…

Panopticon (#1449)

Lawsuits are the only way to hinder a government that won’t control itself:

[The Institute for Justice has] filed a federal lawsuit…suing Norfolk [Virginia] for [its] use of Flock…license plate readers [to] track…vehicle[s’] movements through the city and beyond.  Norfolk installed 172 of the cameras last year, and the[re are]…over 450 of them in the region. Police and prosecutors [belch out puffery about “]crimes[” and try to dismiss]…privacy concerns…“Norfolk has created a dragnet that allows the government to monitor everyone’s day-to-day movements without a warrant or probable cause,” [said attorney] Michael Soyfer…The case could potentially make it to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that a similar surveillance system in Baltimore was an unconstitutional search…Flock camera capabilities go beyond the documentation of license plates.  They photograph every vehicle that passes and upload the images into a database where they are stored for [at least] 30 days.  The machine-learning in the system does not necessarily need a license plate to track a vehicle: the make, model, color and other distinguishing features, like damage or a bike rack, are also documented…The Flock database also allows subscribers to share and access data…nationwide…

Served Cold (#1469)

It’s so satisfying to see this sleazebag hoist with his own petard:

Tim Ballard, the [“rescue” fetishist and profiteer] whose wildly exaggerated [schemes] were the basis of the hi[ghly fictionalized] 2023 film Sound of Freedom, is facing a new legal action from six women who last year sued him for sexual exploitation — leading Ballard to sue them for defamation earlier this month.  The latest complaint is the first federal suit targeting Ballard; it comes from accusers Celeste Borys, Mary Hall, Sasha Hightower, Krista Kacey, Kira Lynch, and Bree Righter.  The filing [also] names Ballard associates Matthew Cooper and Michael Porenta, as well as Ballard’s former organization, Operation Underground Railroad…as defendants….the plaintiffs…seek relief under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003

Paying the Bills

Five weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $2400.  So now I’m only facing a $600 shortfall; if you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; I really hope to get this done by Thanksgiving, so it doesn’t interfere with my annual toy drive!

The Vultures Descend (#1478)

This judge was constrained by law to make this ruling, but it’s still welcome:

[An Ohio court] issued a permanent injunction blocking Ohio’s 2019 six-week abortion ban from taking effect, marking the first permanent injunction stemming from Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment, which took effect in December…This is also the first permanent injunction throughout the country of an abortion ban following the passage of a pro-abortion rights ballot amendment.  The case, Preterm v. Yost, was originally filed…on September 2, 2022, and enforcement of the ban has been blocked since [twelve days after that]…

The Cop Myth (#1483)

Cops think violence is the solution to every problem, including caretaker stress:

[An 80-year-old] retired [Michigan cop named]…William…Kitzmiller [murdered] his wife, Donna, b[ecause]…he [couldn’t handle the stress of taking care of her after she developed] Alzheimer’s disease…[he called 911 to make the excuse] “I’ve given my wife a merciful ending from her Alzheimer’s disease” [then turned the gun on himself]…Caregivers report higher levels of stress than the general population [but people who aren’t sociopaths don’t murder those they care for because of it]…

Long-time readers will recall that for a year and a half I was the primary caretaker for a dear friend with a brain injury, and I am now caring for my disabled friend Grace.  I therefore know whereof I speak.

 

I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one.  Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful.  But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer.  So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets.  Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements.  Thanks so much!

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Though worlds and suns are considerably longer-lived than we, they too must eventually perish in the fullness of time.  –  “Let There Be Dark

Every single thing in the Cosmos is mortal, and will pass away in its time.  [Organisms and empires alike] rise, thrive, decline, and fall, to be replaced by younger ones which then decline and fall in their time…crumbling into dust and passing first into memory, then legend, and eventually beyond the horizon of sentient knowledge.

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