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In the News (#1608)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[Letting] pregnant women [die]…is consistent with accepted standards of care in our region.  –  mouthpiece for Cone Health in North Carolina

Gorged With Meaning (#408) 

You know puritanism has run amok when a college student is forced to apologize for going to one of her school team’s football games:

Former adult film star Abella Danger found herself at the center of unexpected attention this week after a televised crowd shot during the NCAA final sparked online chatter and attention she…never wanted…she is…currently a [law] student at the University of Miami, a[nd when she attended]…the [game]…at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium…[an ESPN] camera[man made the questionable decision to] linger…on [her]…during a pivotal moment late in the game…[hypocritical porn] viewers [who] recognized [her apparently blamed her sex rays for jinxing the team or something].  “I am so deeply sorry to anyone I offended with my attendance at the game,” she told [TMZ]…

Something Rotten in Sweden (#750)

Washington state politicians are still ignoring advocates’ advice in favor of puritanical virtue-signaling:

[Politicians] are moving fast to [worsen] Washington’s laws on [adults having consensual sex]…before international travelers come to town for the 2026 FIFA World Cup…the King County Prosecut[or’s office vomited decades-old prohibitionist propaganda at them to]…bump up…paying for sex from a simple misdemeanor to a…felony [because prosecutors aren’t ruining enough lives yet]…

Sex Rays (#1367)

When there’s no censorious payment processor in the way, sex businesses can be powerful helpers:

…the folks at Minneapolis sex shop Smitten Kitten…have mobilized to support neighbors amid a violent and unrelenting [pogrom] by the Trump [regime]…inside the shop, volunteers are organizing canned foods, diapers, clothes, and other essentials to be distributed to…“families that are stuck at home because they’re scared of…ICE [attacks]”…the shop’s Instagram page has been leveraging its platform to boost donation opportunities for community members in the area, sharing GoFundMe, Venmo, and Cash App campaigns…The shop is also partnering with neighboring businesses…to make sure people are being fed.  And volunteers are standing outside of the shop to protect anyone coming in or out from [attack by goons] in the immediate area…

Welcome to the Future (#1414)

Anything connected to a computer can be used to spy on you:

…It’s standard for workplace printers to log certain information, such as the names of files they print and the users who printed them.  In an apparent attempt to avoid detection, [a whistleblower]…took screenshots of [government] materials, cropped the screenshots, and pasted them into a Microsoft Word document…[but his fascist contractor] employer could see not only the typical metadata stored by printers, such as file names, file sizes, and time of printing, but…also…the actual contents of the printed materials — in this case…the screenshots themselves…Whenever someone presses print in a network outfitted with this printer monitoring software, the program creates a clandestine copy of the file and generates an image of page…printed…users might be entirely unaware that the contents of printed files are archived…

Torture Chamber (#1437)

New York supposedly bans long-term solitary confinement:

Teenagers as young as 12…in New York [dungeons] are held for prolonged periods in solitary confinement cells without plumbing…A federal class action lawsuit [was] filed by the Legal Aid Society and the law firm Jenner and Block [because]…New York…”routinely and unlawfully imposes solitary confinement”…in filthy, dehumanizing…cells for 23 to 24 hours a day—in some cases for weeks or even months at a time…”Almost none of the cells…have toilets or sinks.  As a result, [victims] must [beg] to be released from their cells to use the bathroom or be forced to use garbage pails, water bottles, food containers, or buckets to relieve themselves…The smell of urine and feces can permeate these [cell blocks]”…

Vulture Watching (#1534)

Another look at the totally-predictable results of bad laws:

…dangerous miscarriages…are relatively rare events.  What are far more common…are high-risk pregnancies…Each year, hundreds of thousands of women enter pregnancy with chronic conditions that put them at an elevated risk of long-term complications and, in some cases, death…[bu]t abortion bans generally don’t include exceptions that cover these kinds of health concerns…instead, the exceptions are for the “life of the mother.”  In practice, this often means doctors won’t act without strong evidence that their patients are very likely to die.  Where there have been efforts to create…exceptions to cover a range of medical risks women can face in pregnancy, [forced-birth fanatic]s have fought against them…

Aladdin’s Satellite (#1566)

Every so often the areas of my reporting beat converge:

…In posts on ManyVids, the porn platform’s official account holds imaginary conversations with aliens, alongside [computer]-generated videos of UFOs, fractal images, “angel numbers,” and a video of its founder and CEO Bella French in a space suit shooting lasers from her eyes.  French launched the site in 2014 as a former cam model herself, and the platform has millions of members and tens of thousands of creators…[yet she] recently changed her personal website to state her new goal is to “transition one million people out of the adult industry and do everything we can to ensure no one new enters it.”  The statement follows posts…about new strategies to pivot the site toward safe-for-work, non-sexual content.  This sudden shift away from years of messaging about being a compatriot with sex workers, combined with bizarre [chatbot]-generated text and images…has made some creators worry for their livelihoods, and caused others to leave the site completely…When faced with backlash, MV removed the ability to comment on posts…[which] appear to be ramblings and images generated by a person in active psychosis…

 

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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In the News (#1603)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

If stings worked we wouldn’t still be doing them.  –  Alex Andrews

Theatrics (#510)

The “sex trafficking” moral panic is over, but the rescue industry isn’t:

Let’s talk about the American tradition of the human trafficking sting  – part press conference, part moral panic, part budget sinkhole.  Across the country, these branded operations promise to crack down on exploitation and rescue victims…Since agencies don’t release itemized budgets, we built conservative cost models using…Local news reporting, booking data…court records…Known staffing levels and standardized pay/benefits rates…Publicly documented tactics (decoy operations, press briefings, multi-agency involvement)[, etc]…All told, these efforts can run $10,000 to $30,000+ per arrest  – whether or not a trafficking charge ever materializes…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1489)

Customers need to teach these nosy creeps a lesson by shopping elsewhere:

Wegmans in New York City has begun collecting biometric data from anyone who enters its supermarkets…their face, eyes and voice[-prints will be] collected and stored…the [management vomited the word] “safety” a[s a ludicrous justification for fascist collaboration with cops, spooks, and goons]…Legislation aiming to block businesses from using such systems was introduced in the City Council in 2023…But [of course it went nowhere], and other supermarket chains like Fairway already use biometric collection systems…

The Vultures Descend (#1493)

Another judge doing what judges should do more often: nullify tyrannical laws:

Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court struck down laws including the country’s first explicit ban on abortion pills…[because] they violate the state constitution…[which clearly states] that competent adults have the right to make their own health care decisions…the state…[absurdly] argued that a…[medical procedure] is not health care…

Aladdin’s Satellite (#1554)

The psychopaths who market chatbots as “intelligent” need to be sued into bankruptcy:

…Sam Nelson…routinely turned to ChatGPT to…ask for help with…drugs…ChatGPT started coaching Sam on how to take drugs, recover from them and plan further binges.  It gave him specific doses of illegal substances, and…consistent encouragement…Then, last May…the 19-year-old…died from an overdose, just hours after [more bad advice from]…ChatGPT…Nelson’s death…joins a growing list of tragedies connected to ChatGPT and other…chatbots.  In November, seven lawsuits were filed against OpenAI in one day [because] ChatGPT gave awful responses to vulnerable people who ended up…co[mmitting] suicide…[or] other[wise spiraling into] mental health crises…OpenAI [is directly responsible because it falsely advertises] ChatGPT as a trustworthy source for health information…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1555)

Burble burble BLUE STATE burble drool:

New York Governor Kathy Hochul just signed a law that’s going to get expensive fast…[it] forces websites to slap unscientific warnings on their services [falsely] claiming that features like algorithmic feeds and push notifications cause [“]addiction[“]…compelled speech…[is] blatantly unconstitutional, and courts have already rejected nearly identical schemes.  But Hochul and [other busybody politicians] either don’t care or don’t understand First Amendment basics, so New York taxpayers are about to fund a losing legal battle whose only real purpose is generating headlines for those politicians pretending to care about “protecting the children”…

The Cop Myth (#1597)

What would cops do if you shot someone dead in the street?

A…[Father]land Security [goon murdered] a neighbor [because he] fired gunshots into the air [to celebrate the]…New Year…in…Los Angeles…The [murderer claimed he could fly, therefore shots]…fired [into the air were in reality] at [him, therefore it was self-defense even though he] was in his apartment when he heard…[the] shots…he [also claimed he was a super crack shot who was firing]…to disarm hi[s victim yet killed him instead.  LAPD is hiding the deranged goon’s identity]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1600)

This is why some of us are wary of demands for “regulation”:

Passional Boutique & Sexploratorium…of Philadelphia…is now [being harassed] by [the] Trump…[regime] for selling an undergarment…the [FDA] sent a [threat] letter to Passional stating it was illegally selling breast binders…[which] the FDA [absurdly] classifies…as a medical device.  Businesses that distribute them in the [US] must be registered with the FDA or [else]…Passional was one of only 12 businesses…including companies in Singapore and the Netherlands, that [were thus threatened]…They included Seattle-based Tomboyx…and Manhattan-based For Them…During a Dec. 18 news conference, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary [vomited the moronic phrase]…“transgender ideology” [in reporters’ faces]…

 

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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New Year’s Eve 2025

Posted in History, Perception, Philosophy, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , on December 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The moral panic is over, but its rotten fruit have burst, spewing xenophobic, anti-sex, authoritarian poison all over American society.  – “New Year’s Eve 2024“

It would be absurd to lay all of the blame for Trump’s reign of terror on the “sex trafficking” moral panic, but it is accurate to point out that Trumpism sprang from the same deep strain of xenophobic authoritarianism which gave rise to both iterations of “sex trafficking” hysteria, the Satanic Panic, two Red scares, the War on Drugs, and innumerable lesser social diseases, and which has permeated American society like a cancer since Plymouth Rock.  And furthermore, it is Americans’ collective refusal to recognize this, and to respect the checks, balances, restrictions, and limitations on government power established by the Founders, which has allowed the mad emperor and his henchmen to so quickly demolish every single guardrail designed to make things difficult for tyrants.  A sizable minority of the population has convinced itself that the collapse of American norms started with Trump and will end with Trump, but of course this is a fantasy to comfort children; the final Constitutional collapse started 24 years ago, with the sweeping abrogations of its safeguards begun by Bush the Younger to thundering applause from the mob and its soi-disant “leaders”.  The “sex trafficking” hysteria and Trumpism are both symptoms of one underlying problem, and the former has now been reduced to a tool of the latter.  As I wrote last year,

Trumpists are still vomiting out “sex trafficking” myths in support of their anti-migrant, anti-LGBT, anti-porn, and anti-brown people agendas; cops still use the propaganda to justify raping Asian sex workers; gullible stenographers who dare to call themselves “journalists” still uncritically repeat copaganda; and even those who have finally admitted that the “trafficking” mythology is a load of dingo’s kidneys now label it a “right-wing conspiracy theory” and refuse to admit their own culpability for the society-wide toxic effects of the racist, misogynistic wanking fantasy they helped spread for so long.  The ascendance of Trumpism and the re-criminalization of abortion across much of the US are the direct results of that ugly narrative, and both book-burning crusades and the widespread demonization of anything to do with LGBT people are other offshoots of the same noxious root system which, had it been dug out and burned in the Oughts, would have been neither robust enough nor extensive enough to engender such toxic growths.

I no longer have words of consolation.  Though I have been predicting the collapse of the American Empire for decades, I did not foresee that the process of collapse would be so rapid and complete, nor that it would happen within my lifetime; I envisioned a slow disintegration over years, not an implosion over a few months.  And because of that, I am unable to predict what may happen next, other than that it will involve some form of Balkanization; perhaps by this time next year, I’ll have some inkling.  But I’m not counting on it.

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December 17th, 2025

Posted in Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , on December 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »


We…honor our dead not merely by weeping for them, but by fighting for the day when no more of us have to die for a sick and twisted fantasy of governmental control over the private choices of individuals.

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In the News (#1588)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Philosophy, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The real debate [is] whether technology this dangerous should even exist.  –  “Ban Facial Recognition”

If Men Were Angels

Another fine example of McNeill’s Law:

California [youth] pastor Joshua David Kemper [has been] arrested…[for repeatedly molest]ing a 15-year-old girl…in his…church…[after grooming her with] explicit messages, photos and videos…Kemper [has] a…[history of spreading propaganda on] Facebook [claiming] LGBTQ+ people [a]re a danger to youngsters…

Without Let or Hindrance (#1459)

“Child protection” has become an all-purpose excuse for state violence:

Teams of armed federal [goons] have been making unannounced [raids on] the homes of immigrant families across Memphis [us]ing…the [excuse] of…“wellness checks’’…[on] undocumented children…[and barfing the magic formula “]human trafficking[” at their victims as a]…pretext to…arrest as many immigrants as possible…The FBI…confirmed it is co[llabo]rating [with]…the Department of [Father]land Security…in…the [scheme]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1461) 

It’s much too late for this in the US, but it may inspire activists in less-fascist countries:

Facial recognition technology is unreliable, unjust, and a threat to basic rights and safety…which is why we [should have] act[ed] to stop it [years ago]…Like nuclear or biological weapons, facial recognition’s threat to human society and civil liberties far outweighs any potential benefits…Industry-friendly and government-friendly oversight will not fix the…inherent [dangers]…we need an all-out ban…Facial recognition is unlike any other form of surveillance…[because] it enables automated and ubiquitous monitoring of an entire population, and it is nearly impossible to avoid…

The Last Shall Be First (#1518) 

Oklahoma politicians want to foist liability for their unconstitutional laws onto local governments:

Oklahoma[‘s new bill]…H.B. 1217 d[oes] not explicitly mention drag performers.  But [its] supporters…such as…Dusty Deevers…made it clear that…”We’re basically banning drag shows in front of kids”…[censorious politician]s have taken to using the term “obscenity” colloquially to describe all sorts of sexual…content…they don’t like, particularly…homosexuality or gender bending…But the…average drag show does not rise to the level of [legal] obscenity…so…[politicians are] threatening to hold municipalities criminally [li]able for allowing “obscene” performances…[by demanding they]…make sure [any approved event] “will not be obscene.”  [But] whether a performance or art work is obscene is something to decided by juries after the material exists.  Government authorities can’t decide in advance of a performance or event that it might contain obscenity and therefore can’t happen…Technically, H.B. 1217 doesn’t require prior review or prior restraint.  It just [threatens] that a government body that allows a…[performance later deemed] obscene…can be prosecuted for it…

Sexcrime (#1519)

It’s been less than seven years since the UK lost in court the last time it tried this:

The UK government has o[nce again reintroduced]…the…porn ban [struck down in court in February 2019, excusing the attempt by barfing the magic formula “]violence against women[” and defaming people who enjoy this kind of porn as “]criminals[” regardless of consent.  Politician]…Alex Davies-Jones [spouted out threats against both individuals and]…firms [extending] even [to] prison sentences…[belching “]Ofcom can go after the platform]….and…[“]children[“], then…[unscientific nonsense about how what lay people “]believe[” about porn [trumps actual facts]…

Just laws are intended to correct wrongs, not to allow governments to persecute (“go after”) people who have not actually harmed anyone.

Walled Garden (#1573)

Psychopathic techlords are giving psychopathic politicians new excuses for surveillance and censorship:

The…CHAT Act of 2025 is Washington’s newest attempt to regulate speech through mandatory age checks…[in order to] normalize showing a government ID for basic online speech.  The CHAT Act [claims] to target fictional role-play bots [of the type that regularly drive fragile minds into psychosis, but]…defines a chatbot so broadly that anything that “simulates emotional interaction” could be restricted…[including] some video game characters…or…customer service bot[s.  Since nothing will stop tech companies’ insane crusade to cram their fake “AI” garbage into everything, the likely result would be the imposition]…of…ID verification…into nearly every digital product…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1586)

These things are designed to appeal to the dregs of humanity:

A number of Instagram accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views…upload…videos filmed with [Facebook]’s Ray-Ban glasses [that] show men entering massage parlors across the country and soliciting the workers…In some cases, the women laugh at the men [or] dismiss them…but in a few cases they discuss specific se[rvices] and [prices]…the women [clearly don’t] know they are being filmed and that the videos are being shared online…This is extremely dangerous [because] the women…can be targeted by both [violent rapists who work for the state] and [those who don’t.  Facebook]…has built an entire supply chain for dangerous, privacy violating content on the internet.  It sells glasses that allow people to surreptitiously film others in public and operates a social network where inflammatory, outrageous content is rewarded and monetized, and [nothing is done about it until]…journalists reach out for comment…the company [hides behind the fact that]…“our glasses [show] an LED light [when]…recording”…[ignoring the fact that] people can pay $60 for a modification to…disable that…SWAN…[reports these] disgusting and dangerous…videos, and…use[s its] Abuser Alert system to notify workers…

 

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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Pages from Throwback Thursday

Posted in Favorites, History, Miscellaneous, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Paradoxically, the anti-sex mob are those most obsessed by sex; they see it even where normal people do not.  –  “Obsession and Bedevilment”

Modern people are deeply in denial about how common sex work has been throughout human history.  –  “The Invention of Incels”

Though cops are still conducting their entrapment schemes and pretending they’re something more than an excuse for moral degenerates to rape and rob women and ruin men’s lives, the public has largely lost interest in the “sex trafficking” hysteria which drove them, and they’re limping along on a mixture of inertia, sadism, and the federal government’s profligate spending until such time as the sociopaths in office can think of a way to interject more mindless carceral violence into their war on the internet.  –  “Newsworthy”

It’s one of the ironclad rules of media journalism that all “100 best” lists are bad.  –  “By Non-fans, For Non-fans“

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In the News (#1578)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Please, please help us, please.  –  Sokhean Keo

Creepy Coppers

Do they think foot-dragging and stupid cop-talk makes him seem less guilty?

A [typical and representative]…North Carolina [cop was finally arrested for]…child [porn years after being fired for the same offense]…Dominic Michelo Olivares…was [reported]…on May 27, 2021…[but not fired until] Aug. 5, 2021…and [only arrested on September 23rd of this year]…

Law of the Instrument (#1313)

Picture what you’d think of as “sex trafficking”, then compare it to this:

…bond trader Howard Rubin and his former personal assistant [have been] arrested…on charges of sex trafficking and [Mann Act violations]…over the course of a decade.  Rubin [hired] women…as [professional]…submissi[ves, but then routinely went]…“beyond the scope of the women’s consent…resulting in significant pain or injuries, which at times required…medical attention”…assistant…Jennifer Powers…[is not being charged as an accessory to sexual assault, but rather for] “operating and maintaining [a] trafficking network”…Rubin was sued in 2017 by two…Playboy models and another model from Florida, who[m Rubin]…beat…sexually abused and raped…in multiple incidents in New York City in 2016.  In April 2022, a civil jury in Brooklyn federal court found Rubin liable for sex trafficking six women who had sued him and…ordered him to pay them a total of $3.85 million in compensatory and punitive damages…

While it’s good that sex workers’ reports of crimes committed against them are being taken seriously, it does not help anyone to allow the government to characterize the ordinary business relationships Rubin exploited as “sex trafficking”.

Pyrrhic Victory (#1462)

All too often, evil arrives cloaked in the mantle of expediency:

Arizona State University is looking to [exploit] the fan experience…by using facial recognition technology…officials hope [to sell the system to useful idiots by claiming it] will reduce wait times at Mountain America Stadium…[by belching “]the future[” in their stupid faces]…and…[by falsely claiming] there are existing guardrails that keep [this entirely unregulated surveillance scheme] secure…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1533)

Uthmeier doesn’t care if he has no legal grounds to harass companies:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier…is suing Aylo and Segpay—a high-risk merchant account that specializes in adult entertainment…[pretending] that the companies are violating state [age verification] law…Uthmeier…claims that because Segpay provides payment processing services to [an] adult gaming site…it should be on the hook for…not verifying ages in Florida [because even though it carries no adult material, it]…has a business address in Florida [while the sites it provides services to do not]…The separate complaint against…Aylo…names..Nutaku…a “lewd” game site…[which] operates within the law’s parameters, as games containing sexually explicit content represent less than the statutory…33.3 percent of total material [threshold]…

Torture Chamber (#1567)

This will continue until the evil US immigration policy is reformed:

Immigrants locked up in California’s newest [stack of cages] have described the facility as a “a torture chamber”, “a zoo” and “hell on earth”, saying they were confined in filthy cells and suffered medical crises without help…[it is] a state prison that [was] closed in March 2024…[but illegally] re-opened [by the infamous fascist corporation CoreCivic to profit from]…the Trump [regime’s anti-migrant pogroms]…without the required permits.  [Prisoners]…struggle…to access hygiene…cleaning supplies…adequate food and medications, and [screws regularly] threaten…solitary confinement and [violence when victims complain]…

You Were Warned (#1568)

The US has achieved banana republic levels of corruption:

[Mad emperor] Trump is expected to sign a deal…to facilitate the [forcible] sale of TikTok from a Chinese-based company to a group of [Trump cronies]…ByteDance, TikTok’s current China-based owner, will hold less than 20% of the stock of the new company…as part of the deal, American users’ data will be stored in the United States and overseen by the [fascist] company Oracle…to ensure that U.S. content is [under Trumpist control.  Billionaire psychopath]…Larry Ellison[, who has openly opined that individual privacy should be completely eradicated in the name of “safety”,] would play a role in the deal…[as will] Michael Dell…of Dell Technologies, and the Murdoch family, which owns…Fox [News]…

If Men Were Angels (#1574)

“Youth leader” = “youth pastor”, with all that entails:

A [Florida] church youth leader [named]…Jordan Williams…[has been arrested on] multiple charges, including 35 counts of child pornography possession…[and] one count of possessing a child-[shaped toaster]…

 

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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Weaponized Trauma

Posted in Perception, Q & A, The Dark Side, tagged , , , , , , on September 12, 2025| 1 Comment »

I see a lot of antis using former sex workers to argue against sex work; while I sympathize with those whose experience in sex work was negative, radfems can turn anyone who disagrees with them into a monster.  What’s the best rebuttal to radfems weaponizing a former worker’s trauma?

Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult for an ethical person to respond to unethical attacks.  When prohibitionists exploit damaged, confused people to attack others, it’s very much like terrorists strapping explosives to a child and sending them into a target building or vehicle; the only way for the intended victim to save themselves is to shoot the child before they close the distance, which obviously any normal person would be hesitant to do.  In the case of ex-sexworkers exploited in this way, it’s virtually impossible to engage directly, but one needn’t do so for the same reason one needn’t engage other prohibitionists directly.  Though the temptation to argue with people who hate us and wish our whole way of life destroyed is strong, it is invariably counterproductive; one cannot reason any person out of a position she did not reason herself into, so the only thing accomplished by debating these people is to bestow undeserved credibility on them in the eyes of observers.  When a scientist debates a flat-earther or creationist or some other crackpot, non-scientists in the audience believe that means those viewpoints are worthy of such debate, when in reality they are just silly beliefs for silly people who lack the power of critical thought.  And when sex workers “debate” prohibitionists, it looks to outsiders as though the prohibitionists have fair arguments supported by facts even though they do not.  The best approach is therefore to address the public rather than the prohibitionists; we can share studies, statistics, etc or even refute spurious claims in our own time, inviting our listeners or readers to do their own research and read studies by widely-respected groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.  In cases where weaponized ex-workers try to attack directly, one may wish to have a prepared statement to the effect of, “The world is not a perfect place, and bad people will take advantage of others; I’m sorry you were abused in that way, but that does not make your experience typical and does not excuse state violence against sex workers.”  Then stick to it; if such an individual persists in attacking, you might add something addressed to observers like, “It’s sad the prohibitionists are exploiting this person to attack sex workers; I can’t stop them from doing so, but I can refuse to participate.”  Then block or mute the person who refuses to respect your polite refusal to engage with them; you have no duty to continue interacting with anyone who does not respect your “no”.

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Granddaughter of Throwback Thursday

Posted in Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, The Dark Side, Tyranny, Words, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[Though] practical gifts…may not be the stuff of male fantasy like fancy lingerie and expensive jewelry…they mean far more to me [because] they…allow…me to create the comfortable home I plan to spend the rest of my life in.
–  “Brazen Solicitation”

Prohibitionist politicians…think the state has the right to classify a bee as a fish, define pi as “3”, or declare that the laws of the State supersede the laws of science in any other way.  –  “A Blastocyst By Any Other Name”

The Swedish model is not “partial decriminalization”, and I wish people (especially reporters; we expect lies from politicians) would stop pretending otherwise.
–  “Partial Bullshit”

One of the reasons I semi-retired is because I had it up to here…with buying, keeping up with, writing, and jumping through the stupid censor-demanded hoops of escort advertising.  –  “And Now For a Word…”

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In the News (#1557)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Technologies funded to police sex work now monitor everyone.
–  Kate Zen & Chanelle Gallant

See How Well It Works?

Years after the end of the hysteria, fanatics still pretend their dissemination of fantasies is the reason those fantasies never materialize:

A [scam outfit belatedly set up to profit from hysteria over “]sex trafficking[” tried to drum up “gypsy whore” panic over] the NFL Draft in Green Bay[, Wisconsin]…HER Alliance, formerly known as Awaken…says they didn’t see a large uptick [of “victims”] during the draft thanks to [their propaganda about “]the signs of trafficking[“]…

Without Let or Hindrance

Everyone victimized by “child protection” agencies needs to sue:

A Georgia couple whose children were [abducted by the state] for two years following a [malicious accusation] of child abuse have filed a lawsuit…in 2023…Matt and Tuckey Hernandez took their youngest daughter, 3-month-old Emma, to the doctor after noticing some swelling on one of her legs…X-rays found that Emma’s leg and ribs were fractured in several places…[pediatrician] Stephen Messner…[immediate]ly diagnosed Emma with “non-accidental trauma”…[despite] no evidence of abuse on the couple’s 3-year-old…Messner never reviewed any of Baby Emma’s…medical history…the state [immediately abducted both]…daughters…placed the[m]…in a series of foster homes…[and] charged [the parents] with child abuse…DFCS…refus[ed] to place the girls with relatives or family friends…Emma had very low vitamin D, which…had caused her to develop neonatal rickets, weakening her bones…Genetic testing also indicated that Emma had defects in her collagen genes, possibly causing conditions associated with fractures in infants.  But these [facts] were…ignored by the DFCS, which continued to attempt to sever Matt and Tuckey’s parental rights [to sell] the girls…[to] another family…Last month, Matt and Tuckey were acquitted of all charges, and their daughters were finally returned to them…

Rotting Fruit (#894)

The first interesting development in this whole affair since ever:

…QAnon didn’t start in a vacuum; it followed two decades of mainstream media and politicians…using the flimsiest evidence and most distorted data to falsely claim that America was in the midst of a sex trafficking epidemic.  And then along came Jeffrey Epstein…[whose] well-documented crimes involving teenage girls, and his roster of rich and powerful friends, could be read by motivated audiences as backing up QAnon claims…Trump…[and his henchmen] began to actively encourage the idea that Epstein’s client list was being deliberately withheld by Democrats with something to hide…But…now, Trump is telling people to forget about Jeffrey Epstein entirely…so…the whole “release the files” business seems slightly less preposterous now that Trump and his lackeys seem desperate to draw attention away from them…The theoretical files were useful as a tool to raise suspicion about Trump’s opponents.  But the actual files…could be a liability or an embarrassment…in that they don’t actually prove anything nefarious about any Democrats…As a political tool, the Epstein files are much more useful if they remain hidden…

Thought Control (#1109) 

Western countries have criminalized fiction the government dislikes for years:

Pingping Anan Yongfu…is among at least eight [writers] in recent months wh[o] have shared accounts on Chinese social media platform Weibo of being arrested for publishing gay erotic fiction…At least 30 writers, nearly all of them women in their 20s, have been arrested…since February…some are still [locked] in c[ages, and]…many more…[including some readers,] were summoned for [interrogation]…Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-hosted platform known for its “danmei”, the genre of so-called boys’ love and erotic fiction…has cultivated a fiercely devoted following, especially among young Chinese women.  These authors are being accused of breaking China’s pornography law for “producing and distributing obscene material”.  Writers who earn a profit could be jailed for more than 10 years…Although authors of heterosexual erotica have been jailed in China…Gay erotica…seems to bother authorities more…

Enshittification (#1524)  

Another factor in the coming dark age: computer-generated garbage making records of this period unreliable:

…the [CGI] slop endgame, for social media companies, is creating a hyper personalized feed full of highly specific [fiction] about anything one could possibly imagine.  Because [CGI] slop is so easy to make and because social media algorithms are so personalized, this means that Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube can feed you anything they…want…Case in point: Facebook…slop…shows [LSU] football coach Brian Kelly assisting in the Texas floods…[on] a Facebook page called LSU Gridiron Glory…[which] is [also] churning out slop that includes Brian Kelly…reacti[ng] to last month’s tragic Air India crash…getting his lost wallet returned to him, donating to the homeless…in the hospital with a rare illness…being deported by Trump, talking to Apple CEO Tim Cook, and…secretly “paying off the debt owed by a struggling gardener”…fans of the NBC show The Voice…[are being fed] slop of judge Blake Shelton saving dogs in the Texas flood…carrying a girl out of a medical clinic…donating to an animal rescue shelter, etc…many of these bizarre images link out to [LLM]-generated “news” websites…overloaded with ads…

Blunt Instrument (#1543)

“Sex trafficking” hysteria laid the groundwork for Trump’s anti-migrant pogroms:

Since January…raids on massage parlors have intensified, targeting immigrant women suspected of sex work…[yet] these workers — among ICE’s most systematically targeted — are largely excluded from community defense…On June 11, ICE and local police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, raided nine massage parlors, d[isappear]ing 10 Chinese women…into ICE’s sprawling detention system…yet not a single organization called for their release…nearly 1,000 arrests in Queens, New York, targeted immigrant sex workers and street vendors.  In Arizona, over 200 arrests were made.  In Texas, 11 parlors were closed in February and May under emergency powers that bypass criminal charges…In other labor sectors, worksite raids sparked massive outpourings of solidarity and creative resistance..but sex workers are left to fend for themselves…the…immigrant rights movement calibrates its messaging to appeal to moderate respectability — complying with lines drawn between the “deserving” and the disposable…To some, the…[current anti-migrant pogrom]s appear unprecedented.  But for those organizing with sex workers, they’re all too familiar.  For years, ICE has used migrant sex workers as testing grounds for its most aggressive tactics…

I Spy (#1543)

Wave bye-bye to the last remaining shreds of your privacy:

…ICE…is now using data from the Insurance Services Office’s ClaimSearch, a private industry service for detecting car and health insurance fraud…ClaimSearch includes 1.8 billion insurance claims and 58 million medical bills—along with the personal data attached to them, including addresses, tax identification numbers, and license plates.  ClaimSearch…[openly admits]…that it grants full access to [any cop shop or spook house which wants it, yet]…Verisk, the company that runs ClaimSearch, [l]ied [by claiming]…ICE…is [somehow an exception, probably because]…ICE has access…through another government agency…[given that] the Trump [regime issued] an [illegal diktat] to tear down “information silos” between federal agencies, and…Palantir…has a contract with ICE to…target [human beings for abduction]…

 

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