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In the News (#1645)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 10, 2026| Leave a Comment »

We’ll probably do more things like it [in the future].  –  Mark Zuckerberg

You Were Warned (#1370)

Another step toward a national “digital ID”:

Americans aren’t interested in reinstating a military draft, but that’s not stopping the government from “streamlining” Selective Service registration—for young men’s own good, we’re told…”so that none inadvertently face the serious penalties of failing to register”…Despite the penalties…”SSS is experiencing a significant decline in registrations by 18-year-old men…In 2020, the registration rate…was 61.8%, today it is just 39.9%”…To deal with its compliance problem, Selective Service has pushed automatic registration for years…”by leveraging existing databases”…Automatic registration will take us closer to the day when the government unifies data storage…[to enable] government officials to…more efficiently inflict every rule and whim on the population…

Torture Chamber (#1433)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”:

T[hree] recent deaths at Michigan’s only women’s prison and the worsening health of a woman [dying from toxic black] mold exposure…are [driv]ing calls for sweeping reforms [of the torture] facility…Rebecca Fackler…died…on May 17, four days after Khaira Howard…died [in] the same [filthy] prison…[Ashley Hoath died June 6,] and…[Krystal] Clark…[is slowly dying from] years of exposure to black mold [which] have left her struggling to breathe, partially paralyzed, and unable to walk without assistance…[due to] Aspergillus…fungus…in her ears and lungs…photos…and…[politicians] who visited the prison…[report] black mold [actually] growing out of both of her ears…the…prison…is [so] infested with mold…[it] eats through bricks and door frames…drips off the ceiling…falls out of air vents…[and] bubbles and bursts through paint…[and] prisoners [a]re forced to clean [it] without basic supplies…

Stalkers in Blue (#1442)

Cops are nothing more than state-sponsored terrorists:

Hunter Demster…and eight other Memphis residents filed declarations [as part of a] federal [lawsuit] that describe being violently arrested, surveilled at their houses, pulled over under false pretenses, boxed in by police cars, and jailed for trying to film [a pig gang with the Orwellian name “Memphis Safe] Task Force[“].  The lawsuit, filed in mid-May by the…ACLU…and [two law firms]…is seeking a preliminary injunction blocking Task Force [cops] from intimidating, assaulting, or arresting people for recording…[and] ban[ning them] from invoking a new state law…that requires [videograph]ers to stay 25 feet away from police.  The lawsuit is a major legal challenge to…the…unofficial and unconstitutional Department of [Father]land Security…[scheme to] treat…recording the police like criminal activity…seven federal circuit courts have firmly upheld the right to record and monitor the police…[yet] videos from around the country…have shown federal [goons] arresting or threatening to arrest people for filming them….in Memphis, [this has escalated into] a “campaign of harassment and intimidation” against observers…

The Vultures Descend (#1511)

Psychopathic politicians will never stop until they face criminal charges for this kind of evil:

A…proposed state constitutional amendment in North Carolina is seeking to make abortion completely illegal, adding in “protections” for people who [justify] murder [by claiming they wanted] to stop a [woman] from obtaining the procedure…The proposed amendment…declares that “[‘personhood’]…begins at the moment of fertilization”…and…includes additional language that would essentially legalize the murder of someone planning or participating in an abortion in the state…[sane people pointed out that the amendment] “would jail or authorize the murder of women due to their…use of birth control, such as an IUD,” [because they] prevent pregnancies by making implantation [of fertilized ova] nearly impossible…[and] is also “a ‘get out of jail free’ card for men who want to murder their partners…All they have to do is [claim] the women intended to use birth control or have an abortion”…

The Cop Myth (#1556)

Cops are so deranged they even treat each other this way:

A [Fatherland Security goon] who was knocked unconscious in a Costco parking lot by a…[San Diego pig has amended his lawsuit to include other members of the pig herd who] engaged in a widespread cover-up to prevent a public relations nightmare…Chu Ding was trying to leave a parking spot…when…Jonathan Ferraro [intentionally] parked in his way while he waited for a nearby spot…[after] Ding tapped on…Ferraro[‘s window to signal he needed to pull out, Ferraro flew into a totally unhinged rage]…and slammed [Ding] to the ground…[after] several bystanders called 911 to report Ferraro as the attacker…911 operators…[dispatched a damage control team of] 14 [pigs], including [several boss hogs] and a [propaganda oinker, who conspired to falsify an arrest report and falsely arrest the badly-injured Ding]…instead of taking him to the hospital promptly…he…was held for nearly 24 hours before being released on bail…the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office refused to prosecute the case…[and] Ding was cleared of any wrongdoing by…[Father]land Security…

Enshittification (#1622)  

Scenes from the early days of a dark age:

The [US] is feeding Pentagon propaganda to internet users in Latin American countries using a new [CGI slop] mill…[named] La Tilde…[which spews slop] in both Spanish and English…extolling the value of U.S. military operations in Latin America…[with] Trumpian [hyperbole] …An explanation for its glowing coverage of the U.S. military can be found after clicking a small link tucked at the bottom of the site…This easily missed disclosure…is identical to [that on] two other Pentagon-sponsored propaganda sites recently revealed by The Intercept…La Tilde carries no bylines, masthead, or mention of actual staff of any kind…and…appears to have been [entirely] generated by a large language model…the site plans to launch…versions [specifically targeted at] readers in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, and Peru…

Beware of the Shoggoths

Zuck says if you ask the shoggoth nicely, it won’t stare at you on the toilet:

[Facebook] has [suppos]edly made some changes to the controversial project known internally as the Model Capability Initiative…[it] now plans to allow employees to “pause” the tracking for up to 30 minutes in the event they need to “check something personal”…a subset of employees will also be able to [beg] to opt out of the program altogether, though this will be limited to remote workers with bandwidth concerns…[or those who] work in spaces where they can’t easily keep laptops connected to a power source…the vast majority…will still be required to allow their (nearly) every move to be tracked and recorded in the name of improving [Zuck’s imaginary friends]…The company has faced protests from employees over MCI, which was announced…just before the company laid off 8,000 workers and reshuffled thousands of others into [being servants to chatbots]…

 

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 (#1644)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Students have just as much a right to access information as adults.  –  Cameron Samuels

Business As Usual (ROTW #16)

Prohibition invariably leads to corruption:

…in November 2023…a joint state and local raid on two northern Indiana massage parlors—Jade Massage…and Relax Spa…inv[olved]…four penis massages for a…[disguised pig before the gang] raided the businesses and s[tole] more than $97,000 in cash, along with a car.  Spa owners Guan Yu and Wujiao Liu, a married couple, were [brutalized and thrown in cages]…and their cash is missing…State police are now investigating…[after town marshal] Robert Byrd…tracked some of the [loot] down to a rented storage locker…but…$33,540.51 was missing…

Though cops are given free rein to sexually assault sex workers in every US state, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Florida are especially notorious and actually defend such assaults as “evidence gathering”.

Pyrrhic Victory (#1553)

Erosion of civil liberties only starts with “undesirables”; it never stops there:

The Department of [Father]land Security is expanding its capacity to scan irises as part of its mass deportation [pogroms and to add to DFS’ immense] biometric data[base]…a $25 million no-bid contract [awarded] to BI2 Technologies…is more than five times the amount of the company’s last [DFS] contract, awarded last fall…the co[ntract includ]ed more than 1,500 iris scanners, as well as access to the company’s mobile app, including a[n iris scan] database…

Walled Garden (#1595)

The Constitution is quickly becoming a dead letter:

Texas’ law requiring app marketplace operators like Google and Apple to verify all users’ ages and seek parental permission before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases can go into effect for now…the [deeply-authoritarian] 5th…Circuit [has unsurprisingly ruled]…block[ing] a temporary injunction issued by a federal district judge…in December [because] the…law [patent]ly violate[s] the First Amendment…[the law’s sponsors barfed “]protect children[” in the faces of those who support]…free speech rights.  Louisiana and Utah have passed similar laws that have not yet gone into effect…

Mad Libs (#1614)

Amazon is angry that the biggest cheaters won its biggest cheater contest:

Amazon has shut down an internal company…board which ranked employees based on how much they used [chatbot]s at work…because it was easily cheated and…encouraged wasteful and expensive [chatbot] use…some tech company executives [labor under the delusion] that if employees are [actually doing their]…work [instead of training chatbots to replace them] they are not being productive enough…with some [actually] bragging about how they are spending more money on [chatbots]…than actual human employees.  This has resulted in a situation where some employees are running scripts that make it seem like they are using [chatbot]s a lot to game metrics and appease their bosses, but the [chatbots]…are [merely] burning money and resources with no benefit to productivity…

To Molest and Rape (#1628)

Hey, female cops; how’s that collaboration with the police state working out?

An NYPD [pig] pointed a loaded gun in a female subordinate’s face [in the cop shop] in March after subjecting her to incessant sexual harassment [since October 2024], often joined by a supervisor…[deranged pig] Quilbvio Espinal [is being sued by Megan Kwan]…[after he was] arrest[ed on March 26th, then rewarded with a paid vacation]…Espinal was…apparently embarrassed ..whe[n] Kwan…[dared to make a suggestion, which boss hogs characterized as]…provok[ing] him, as if…his [out-of-control behavior] were [somehow her] fault…for some 18 months before…he [threatened to murder her], Espinal and [another pig named] Jayson Valentin…had made her life a living hell…[by] “incessantly” making sexualized comments about Kwan being Asian that “became increasingly explicit” and continued on a near-daily basis throughout 2025 and until his arrest this year…he…also sent [crude texts and] racist and pornographic video content to Kwan…Valentin openly laughed at and participated in Espinal’s abuse…[and] sent her a [dick] pic…on [Snapchat]…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1630)

Uthmeier’s hoping to get a cut of the “AI” gravy train before it collapses:

Florida is [su]ing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman [to] profit [from traged]y, in the first [of many ambulance-chasing] lawsuit[s] brought by…state [attorneys general] against the ChatGPT maker over the [dangers posed by simpletons and mentally-ill people using] the chatbot.  The lawsuit…[is full of the usual grandiose and bombastic claims politicians cram into lawsuits intended to pillage politically-unpopular companies, such as Backpage, Target, and tobacco companies, but Uthmeier]…is also seeking to hold Altman personally liable….”for potentially up to billions of dollars” in [loot for Florida politicians]…

The Cop Myth (#1641)

Why are people shocked when those paid & encouraged to behave violently, behave violently?

A North Carolina [cop] has been fired after…doorbell camera video showing] him repeatedly punching a [90-pound] woman during an arrest [went viral]…The [cop shop at first rewarded him with a paid vacation until protests started, and the boss hog at first tried to justify the brutal attack by barfing]…”suspicious female” [at protesters.  The gang is still hiding his identity]…

 

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 (#1643)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

AI will be used to create a hellscape of over-enforcement.  –  Jay Stanley

Moloch (#1340) 

Pigs in schools are a menace which should be abolished:

Since the massacre…in Uvalde in 2022, school districts across Texas have spent billions of dollars to [cram pigs into] every campus in the state…[despite the obvious fact that cops did nothing] to protect students from [that] traged[y.  Predictably]…the constant presence of [armed thugs] has transformed the way many public schools manage discipline, subjecting students to heavy-handed police tactics for behavior that once would have landed them only in the principal’s office…[as in the adult world, cops] display…startling belligerence…grabbing or tackling students a fraction of their size over [ordinary juvenile] misconduct…Children in elementary school…as young as 6…[a]re handcuffed.  Teenagers [a]re arrested, charged with crimes and even jailed. In [many] cases, they [need to be taken to] hospitals, bruised or concussed, after [deranged thugs] body-slam…[them] or shock…[them with] Tasers, which are prohibited in the state’s juvenile d[ungeons] but allowed in its public schools…[and these are a mere fraction of the atrocities, because school] districts and [cop shops hide the full scope of the violence from the public]…

Shame, Shame (#1576)

The rise of computerized zombies:

[The corpse of] Stan Lee is [be]ing…digital[ly paraded through the streets] through a new [collaboration] between ElevenLabs and Stan Lee Universe…[which] will [synchronize a cartoon of] the Marvel legend…to [a chatbot trained on his]…voice…The [abomination] is part of a growing [moral corruption] in entertainment to use [computers] to [exploit] the [reputation]s and legacies of iconic creators.  The [scheme was first tested]…at L.A. Comic Con…and [because they didn’t get lynched] ElevenLabs is now…[cramm]ing [the cartoon and chatbot] into multiple [exploit]ative products…Late last year, Michael Caine [sold his soul to] them as well…

Panopticon (#1585)

Safetyism is destroying society:

BusPatrol, a company that has installed [computeriz]ed cameras in tens of thousands of school buses around the U.S., now plans to turn those cameras into automatic license plate readers…capturing the location of every vehicle the buses drive past, and [throwing] that data [in]to [pigsties]…essentially transform[ing] school buses into roaming surveillance vehicles, taking a technology that was originally [sold to useful idiots] to issue tickets to people illegally passing stopped buses and using it for…warrant[less surveillance in partnership with fascist]…giant Axon…BusPatrol [already] has cameras in more than 40,000 buses across 24 states.  [Present]ly, those cameras [only photograph]…vehicle[s which]…pass…the school bus while it has its stop signs…extended…[but] the planned changes would…expand that system to scan the license plates of all vehicles the buses pass…and…record the car’s…GPS location…in order to…generate more revenue…[for] BusPatrol [investors]…

Panopticon (#1617)

Not as good as destroying them, but courage is alien to politicians:

The city of Dayton, Ohio has covered its Flock automated license plate reader cameras with black trash bags…because police there are unsure whether the cameras are still active and the city also doesn’t seem to know whether [the devil’s bargain it made with fascists] allowed [it] to take the cameras down.  The move comes after months of resident outrage…[over] the city [“accidentally”] sharing Flock camera data for [Trump’s pogroms]…Dayton is not the first city to cover its Flock cameras with trash bags because they can’t figure out how to immediately terminate the use of the cameras. Late last year, the city of Evanston, Illinois also covered its cameras with trash bags while it was waiting for the company to remove them [for the second time, because]…after…Evanston terminated its contract with Flock…and…removed [the cameras]…Flock “reinstalled the cameras without the city’s permission” and [Evanston had to] sen[d it] a cease-and-desist [to get them permanently removed]…

A Moral Cancer (#1627)

Because obviously prohibition doesn’t ruin enough lives yet:

France ha[s] banned “a number of popular nicotine-based products including Zyn pouches.”  Those caught violating the measure could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $436,600…Swedish Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa…called the ban…on these pouches, which originated in Sweden, an “attack on the Swedish way of living”…Sweden, Italy, Greece, and four other countries have raised “formal concerns”…that the…ban violates the E.U.’s single market laws…[pointing out that pouch-using] members of the European Parliament…[which meets in] the French city of Strasbourg…risk [police violence by] traveling to France…tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable deaths [in France], and…55 percent of…French smokers…want…to quit…[but] a lack of access to nicotine pouches will keep many people addicted to cigarettes.  Meanwhile, Sweden…has the lowest smoking rate in Europe…predominantly thanks to oral nicotine products.  Since the 1980s, it has seen its smoking rate fall from 30 percent to less than 5 percent…

Welcome to the Future (#1635)

Medical privacy will soon go the way of house calls:

Headway, a popular online therapy platform, says it will require clients and providers to undergo biometric scanning, and there’s no way to opt out other than leaving the platform…Headway [justifies the privacy violation by barfing] “safe[ty]”…at…patients…[and] providers…Many mental health providers or the practices they work for use Headway to help them get credentialed with insurance companies and process billing and other administrative tasks.  Through Headway, providers can be in-network with a much wider variety of insurance plans…it will use the [Palantir-linked fascist organ] Persona to verify identities, a[d]ding [their data] to…Peter Thiel’s [huge trove of information he happily sells to anyone who can pay, including Trump stooge]…Robert F. Kennedy Jr…

To Molest and Rape (#1638)

A gang of pigs tried to poach on another gang’s rape territory:

[Three]…Toronto cops [tried to escape consequences for violently sexually assaulting a]…Spanish [escort in Barcelona by announcing that they were fellow pigs] and flash[ing] a Toronto badge…Evan Penner Glennie and Richard Theodore Rand [were caught] just [after attacking the] escort [in a taxi, leaving her] bloodied and shaken.  She had…been [both] sexually groped…and physically assaulted inside the vehicle.  A third…[culprit named] Caglar Yigit…fled the scene…to [escape] Spanish [cops] who had responded to the woman’s cries for help…[and] was later arrested on the…island of Mallorca…all…three [made bond and]…have since been allowed to return to Canada, [where they] have been [rewar]ded with pa[id vacations]…

 

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 (#1642)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The Trump…[regime] is more interested in monitoring and intimidating public servants than in actually governing.  –  Michael Martinez

Thou Shalt Not (#21)

Crypto-moralists believe anything people enjoy must be “bad for them”:

Social media use ranks with smoking as a threat to the health of young people, according to [a bizarre exaggeration of]…a submission to a government consultation on social media use for under-16s…the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges [actually] says doctors should routinely ask about screen time…when seeing younger patients.  There is no [evidence]…that [social media] is harmful to children [or young adults, and in fact two massive new studies show that moderate usage is actually good for young people.  What actually seems to harm them is pervasive surveillance and infantilization, such as referring to young adults as “children” and attempting to control everything they see, hear, and do.  But]…Technology Secretary Liz Kendall [wants to ban] social media for under-16s [despite the abject failure of such a totalitarian scheme]…in Australia…Kendall said…”No [mere facts are] going to stop me from [impos]ing what I think is right [on everyone else]”…

Panopticon (#1563)

In surveillance, fascism beats communism hands down:

Executives at Home Depot and Lowe’s want to hide…the[ir collaboration with government efforts to destroy] civil rights [b]y shar[ing] automatic license plate reader…data with…cop…[shops, spook houses] and [goon squads], who use the information to hunt [people they wish to brutalize]…shareholders are asking them to produce reports describing how their company assesses the risks…when they [collaborate]…by [feeding] the Flock [network]…pictures of vehicles as they drive by…[so pigs, spooks, and goons can root in them] to [target human beings for violence by]…identify[ing their] cars…[government actors can] watch children…stalk and terrorize [sexual prey, and harass]…people seeking reproductive health care, or people of the “wrong” race…

I Spy (#1595)

Fools eagerly hand the government constant surveillance without even being asked:

Oura rings are [faddish tech gewgaw]s worn on a finger.  These [self-surveillance gimmick]s keep track of a person’s health data, like heart rate, sleep patterns, menstrual cycles, and dozens of other data points, including their location…Oura’s [half-assed] security design choices allow governments to [root in whatever] records [they like]…And, Oura…data is not end-to-end encrypted.  That means that an[yone with the apparatus can intercept any]…user’s health data…at [many] points as it travels from…ring…through…phone app, over the internet, and…[onto] Oura’s [insecure] servers…staff [can] access it…as [can]…a prosecutor with a warrant, a hacker with stolen keys, or a [politician with]…a fustercluck of a[n agenda]…Oura would not say how…often it turns over user data [to malicious actors like cops, but it]…has sold over 5.5 million rings to date…

Walled Garden (#1609)

Fascists are infuriated by free people who ignore their diktats:

VPNs are currently under attack in various ways…last year, the Danish government…[tried to criminalize us[ing] a VPN to access geoblocked streaming content or…websites [politicians dislike]…France [wants]…to compel NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, and others to block access to pirate sites and services…[which will] open…the door to…more calls to use [such orders] for a wider range of material…some [legitimate VPN provid]ers are considering whether to abandon the French market completely…[driving] people [to use shady] VPN providers…The UK government has announced wide-ranging [censorship] plans [justified by barfing]…“keep children safe online”…[in] adult [citizens’ faces]…the[se]…misguided plans will also bolster the growing attempts by the copyright industry to demonise VPNs – a core element of the Internet’s plumbing – as unnecessary tools that are only used [by peasants to disobey their rightful masters]…

Welcome to the Future (#1618)

“Bossware” is even more horrifying when the boss is the government:

The Trump [regime] is building a surveillance network to spy on its own workforce across multiple agencies…[and] has already given Palantir an initial $3.9 million to do so…the USDA…VA…[and] SSA…[are already] surveilling workers…and measuring occupancy levels…[as]…a prelude to consolidating or outright shuttering of more offices nationwide, based on…staff levels [which] are low because DOGE [fired 348,219] workers last year…as…part of…Russell Vought’s plan to strip Americans of federal services…Research shows working under constant scrutiny harms workers’ physical and mental health…[but] Palantir…is getting rich off U.S. taxes…

Enshittification (#1636)

Evil corporations are using artificial stupidity to destroy journalism entirely:

A [web]site called National Today…[is re]publish[ing]…reworded version[s] of o[thers’ work]…and…present[ing] the reporting as if it were the original source…[it] is blatant plagiarism…[from] countless…publications, ranging from top newspapers to local newsrooms across the country…stealing their original reporting and using it to publish a torrent of what appear to clearly be [computer]-generated articles, complete with bizarre errors and hallucinations.  The scope is immense.  [Futurism reporters] tried to count how many it published in a single day, but lost count around 300…In addition to the incredible speed at which it churns out all this slop, National Today is full of comically terrible errors…[such as replacing] real people’s names with “Jane Doe”…[or getting] stuck on a certain quote, repeatedly jamming it into articles where it makes no sense…National Today is…[run] by the TOP Agency, a flashy [PR firm] that claims to have worked with nationally-known companies including Microsoft, Intel…US Bank and Discover…

Panopticon (#1636)

Safetyism has always enabled totalitarianism:

…163 immigration-related searches were registered in Cleveland’s Flock camera audit logs between December 28th and January 27th, despite the city having blocked immigration searches since November…[this is because] the drones [sold to useful idiots as helping] the Cleveland fire and emergency medical services were “accidentally” and “mistakenly” included in Flock S[urveillance]’s national network…the records include dozens of searches explicitly referencing “I.C.E”…[and] originat[ing in quisling states such as] Florida…and…Texas…

 

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!

Read Full Post »

In the News (#1641)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

In [Canadian] criminal law…we can only be victims.  –  Adore Goldman

Buried Truth

It’s unusual for McNeill’s Law cases to confess before they’re caught:

…Alan Manning Chambers…[has been] arrested…in [Orange County, Florida for talking to a cop fantasy role-playing]…as a 14-year-old boy…Chambers is the former leader of Exodus International, an Orlando-based organization that promoted so-called conversion therapy and claimed for years that people could change their sexual orientation…in 2013…Chambers apologized to the LGBT…community and announced Exodus International would shut down…[admitting] that he had masked his own attraction to men…

Not To Be Taken Internally (#886)

This tag used to be mostly women; now it’s more often men:

The…latest [stupid social media fad], known as “ballmaxxing,” has [foolish] men injecting fluids like saline or Surgilube into their testicles to increase their size….[sometimes] to the size of grapefruits…for [fetishistic] purposes…Physicians have called [it] one of the most reckless body modification trends to emerge from male online communities, warning that [it] often leads to permanent damage…Specific risks include infection, abscess formation, and cellulitis…kits bought online…may contain toxic materials that are not only harmful but also unsterile, increasing the risk of…permanent disfigurement…Surgilube…is not bioabsorbable…which…can…result…[in] the need for surgical intervention to remove embedded material…

On the Simultaneous Having and Eating of Cake (#1065)

I’m glad to see this spreading from US strippers to their Canadian sisters:

…Montreal sex worker Adore Goldman is organizing a…[stripp]er strike…in the midst of F1 weekend — one of the busiest times of the year for the city’s clubs — to demand greater labour protections and push for the decriminalization of sex work.   She says strippers’ employment status as independent contractors, which is now an industry-wide norm, has for too long shielded club owners from ensuring safe working conditions….[presentl]y, she and members of…the Sex Work Autonomous Committee (SWAC)…[ar]e zeroing in on the “bar fee” that clubs charge dancers to work…but…clubs…treat…[dancers] as…employee[s] despite the self-employed label….[dictating] what time [they] can come in, what time [they] can leave and penalize [them] for being late…The strike also includes erotic massage parlour workers…One of…SWAC’s ultimate goals is to create a union grouping all kinds of sex workers…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1524)

Laws are for the peasantry, not the rulers:

…a Colorado [politician named]…Hunter Rivera…was arrested [for talking to]…a [cop fantasy role-playing online as]…a minor prostitute…

Panopticon (#1563)

In surveillance, fascism beats communism hands down:

Cops across California are getting incentivized to arrest more people for stealing from chain stores with the help of millions of dollars in grant money that they can use to buy surveillance technology from companies like Flock…[which are] facing national backlash for [enabl]ing…privacy violations ranging from stalking ex-girlfriends to tracking people seeking abortions out of state.  It all goes back to a [fascist] collaboration between the retail industry and the California Governor’s office…based on the [false] premise that retail theft is linked to organized crime…a narrative largely pushed by lobbies like the National Retail Federation…[which has] no [demonstrable basis in fact]…Walgreens famously walked-back its complaints about shrinkage three years ago…[but]…the…plan…helped unleash ALPRs on California cities…including…Bakersfield, Irvine…Chula Vista…Los Angeles…Santa Rosa…Vacaville…and…Modesto…[but]…the most Flock-happy [cop shop] appears to be th[at of] San Francisco…which received $15 million in grant money…to install 400 Flock cameras around the city…

Panopticon (#1592)

The fully-realized fascist police state has arrived:

The FBI wants to buy access to automated license plate readers…nationwide, which would likely allow the agency to [unconstitutionally] track the movements of vehicles—and by extension people—across the country without a warrant…The…[only two] companies that [can] provide the [level] of data the FBI is seeking…[are] Flock…and…Motorola…which acquired Vigilant Solutions…in [Search of Problems]…

The Cop Myth (#1605)

Why are people shocked when those paid & encouraged to behave violently, behave violently?

…a [typical and representative] North Carolina [cop] planned to kill Black people in a mass shooting at…the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival…Christopher Gillum…was arrested…[on April 22nd] at a hotel in…Destin, [Florida] and…will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges there…Gillum’s family reported him missing on [April 21st] and he has a history of self-harm…[but] left the state before…the [family could] involuntarily commit him to psychiatric treatment. [North Carolina cops didn’t bother to try to stop him because he was only threatening to murder]…Black people…

 

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 (#1640)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

This is just one in a long line of attacks on our rights.  –  Alexis Johnson

Creepy Coppers

When will the mainstream media admit that pigs in schools are a menace?

A [typical and representative Pennsylvania cop paid to lurk in]…school[s to spy on, harass, and intimidate students] has been arrested on child pornography charges…[an anonymous snitch tattled on] David Jayne…[to cops, who raided his house and found a trove of child porn going back] about 20 years…[Reporters interviewed a mob of slackjawed nitwits who expressed confusion over the revelation that cops are hypocrites and fear of sex ray contamination]…

Monsters (#1516)

Cops claim they “don’t know” if this was hate-motivated:

…a Santa Fe [New Mexico] transgender teen…[named] Juniper Blessing…was stabbed more than 40 times [at a University of Washington student housing complex in Seattle on the evening of May 10]…Christopher Leahy [surrendered]…to police [the following] Thursday…He…[is being] charge[d]…with first-degree murder…Blessing [was found] dead in the laundry room of Nordheim Court…around 10:10 p.m…[and Leahy was] caught on surveillance video…as…he…unplugged [the camera in preparation for]…the attack…Police haven’t referred the case to prosecutors as a hate crime investigation…Last month, a 39-year-old transmasculine person named Lucas Knapp was [murdered] in [New Mexico by]…David Thomas Byington, [who] fired at Knapp multiple times with a rifle…Investigators in Kentucky are continuing to search for 22-year-old Murry Foust, a trans man enrolled at Northern Kentucky University who has been missing since April 27…

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1549)

Cops won’t drop this fantasy until “news” media stop obediently parroting it:

An [anxiety-prone Pennsylvania cop faint]ed in a p[igmobile] and [his bosses decided to turn it into “magic fentanyl” copaganda because]…he…help[ed] destroy narcotics inside the evidence room…about 20 minutes [earlier]…fentanyl [does not have a delayed effect, nor any effect from casual contact]…no[r any side effect of] memory [loss, but cops decided to turn it into a “magic fentanyl” scary tale anyhow, assuming it happened at all (given that no name was provided)]…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1591)

It’s too bad cops don’t spend all of their time fantasy role-playing with each other:

A D.C. [cop] has been arrested in Maryland [for talking to another cop]…Matthew Mahl…exchanged sexually explicit text messages with a Maryland [cop fantasy role-playing online]…as a 15-year-old boy…Mahl has been [rewarded with a paid vacation.  The game]…was [part of a moneymaking scheme organized by toxic con artist] Chris Hansen, known for his [unethical] exp[loitation of public fears about “]child predators[” which resulted in a trail of ruined lives and even suicides, and inspired dozens of sleazy YouTube imit]ations.  Hansen, who[se]…”To Catch a Predator” [show was cancelled due to successful lawsuits by its victims,] now hosts the series “Takedown with Chris Hansen” which fo[llows the same revolting formula]…

The Cop Myth (#1620)

Sleeping with a cop is one of the most dangerous things a woman can do:

A Wichita [Kansas cop named]…Grayson Hoofer was [arrested] for [breaking into his estranged girlfriend’s house to beat and sexually terrorize her]…Hoofer…[was, predictably,] a member of [a cop gang supposedly intended to intervene in]…domestic…violence [cases].  His [bosses have] since [hidden that, but also bragged that Hoofer]…has been re[warded with a]…paid [vacation]…

Mad Libs (#1635)

No, it can’t connect to my bank account; “your” is not a pronoun meaning “any fool’s”:

OpenAI wants…[fools] to…be able to connect their accounts across more than 12,000 financial institutions to…[Cat, I farted so it can root] “in your…financial accounts…in a way that feels more personal and complete”…If you are someone reasonably [sane]…you might be thinking, “Why on Earth would I want to do that?” But OpenAI…is [not marketing to sensible]…people…

The Vultures Descend (#1636)

Just a reminder that even if they’d let this diktat stand, it is wholly unenforceable:

The Supreme Court [has overruled a 5th Circuit diktat attempting to stop] the abortion pill mifepristone [from being] available by mail without an in-person appointment…The decision, a loss for the state of Louisiana, ensures [clinicians] will not be [criminalized when they prescribe]…the drug [for women in forced-birth states]…Two [totalitarian judg]es, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, dissented…[absurdly barfing] “criminal enterprise” [at the plaintiffs]…

 

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 (#1639)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The deliberate engineering of vulnerabilities into critical infrastructure…[is] a grave threat to privacy everywhere.  –  Udbhav Tiwari

I Spy (#1319)

Politicians are unable to fathom concepts like “principles” and “keeping promises”:

Secure messaging service Signal, which uses end-to-end encryption, is warning it would withdraw from Canada if asked to compromise its users’ privacy under…Ottawa’s proposed [surveillance] legislation…the bill…would…[not only] threaten encryption…[but] also…make private messaging services a…target for cyberattacks…The bill would require telecoms, internet companies and other electronic service providers to [give cop shops and spook houses the same kind of ill-considered back doors which enabled the 2024 “Salt Typhoon” attack]…and…require…[them] to retain metadata for up to a year…includ[ing] information about which telephone numbers have been in touch with each other, and data allowing someone’s location to be pinpointed…

Virtual Imperialism (#1505)

It’s long past time Beijing’s campaign to police Chinese people in the US was shut down:

The mayor of Arcadia, California, Eileen Wang, abruptly resigned…[after admitting] she had been…acting as a covert foreign agent for China…a…felony…[with] a…minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison…Wang…and an associate, Yaoning “Mike” Sun…worked…to promote [Chinese]…propaganda…[via] a news source for Southern California’s Chinese American community…PRC officials contacted Wang through encrypted WeChat messages to deliver prewritten news articles…[denying] the [ongoing] Chinese…genocide against ethnic minorities…[one of her contacts was] a high-level member of PRC intelligence…[named] John Chen of Chino, California, [who]…was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for [his actions]…

Feudalism Redux (#1511)

Infantilizing young adults as “children” makes them more vulnerable to government violence:

…Child Protective Services…has targeted mothers in multiple states who helped their daughters seek out abortions.  In one case, [they abducted the] teen from her home—and threatened her mother with murder charges—to stop her from getting an abortion.  Another…who lives in a state where abortion is legal, faced an investigation from both CPS and local police after helping her teen end a pregnancy…the government is using family separation as an anti-abortion weapon—and women will fear that simply helping their daughters get care could mean losing their children…bringing your [teenage daughter] across state lines to end their pregnancy is not illegal anywhere in America.  But what the law says on paper and what [cops and associated creatures] do…are two very different things…the…[typical] strategy…[is to pretend their target is] forcing her daughter into having an abortion…

Torture Chamber (#1543)

Just a typical day in police-state America:

Three days after Tiffany McElroy was taken to an Alabama jail…her water br[oke]…several weeks early…[but when] she told a [screw the woman yelled “Stop faking!”]…at her…a…jail [“nurse” later threw]…a diaper and Tylenol a[t her through the bars, but ignored her while]…fellow [victims of the st]ate…helped…[deliver] a [blue] baby girl…[and] worked to resuscitate the newborn, sucking mucus from her mouth and rubbing her until she began to cry…McElroy…[is suing with the help of] Pregnancy Justice…[and] the Southern Poverty Law Center…one of the defendants…called the incident “barbaric” [and reported that she was threatened with firing if she helped]…McElroy was arrested…[by ab]use [of]…Alabama’s chemical endangerment law…During and after the birth [screws actively tried to stop the other women from]…assisting McElroy…[calling them “retarded”] and… “stupid”…[and] threaten[ing] to “tase” [them, then] later [retaliating against them]…McElroy…was [finally taken to the hospital after]…she [went into] shock…Her daughter was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, while McElroy remained in the hospital for three days…with [severe] anemia from blood loss…

The Punitive Mindset (#1587) 

Prison officials almost certainly knew this already; they simply don’t care:

The first comprehensive report on the impact of offering free phone calls in [US] prisons and jails shows that not only do such policies strengthen family connections, they’re directly associated with making prisons safer for both [victims] and [screws]…Two companies, Aventiv Technologies and ViaPath, hold about 80 percent of th[is fascist] market…Securus and/or JPay…[are] Aventiv…Global Tel Link, GTL, GettingOut, ConnectNetwork [and] Telmate…[are] ViaPath.  The report includes data from the six prison systems that have implemented free phone calls—California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York and the federal Bureau of Prisons—and 17 local jails that have done the same…To date, New York is the only state to have made prison phone calls free through administrative action; the other[s all had to be forced to give up their gravy train]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1588)

Judges should not spare sleazebags the consequences of their premeditated actions:

An Auckland software engineer who pressed record on his [perve]rt glasses without consent while a sex worker was naked in front of him claims that being identified…would cause him extreme hardship…[the judge dismissed the case] without conviction…[because] the sex worker [caught] him…and…immediately took the…glasses [then] told reception staff to call police…the [perpetrator whined that he] would lose his job if…named…and would not be able to get another…so…the judge [let him keep the anonymity he tried]…to [deny]…his victim…

Mad Libs (#1627)

Why bother doing research when you can just let a computer make shit up?

[Polling company Gallup wants to use chatbots]…to create…responses…designed to simulate how individuals and populations might answer survey questions…with[out] the…[effort of actual] research…Gallup[‘s]…goal is to learn…[how to] replace…human…[employees and interview subjects with]…probability-based data…to [badly]…approximate results from a[n actual] sample of…real people…Gallup’s…goal is to explore where this methodology can…substitute…for [paying] work[ers]…

 

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 (#1638)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I thought I was going to die.  –  Pedro Cantú Ríos

To Molest and Rape

When will amateur women learn cops are dangerous sex predators?

San Francisco prosecutors [let]…four Baltimore [cops who raped a San Francisco woman skate without charges.  All four rapists were rewarded]…by the Baltimore Police Department [with paid vacations] since November of last year…[for] the…September 2024 [rape by pigs]…Jai Etwaroo…Juan Rivas, Angel Villaronga and Jahmoor Acosta…The woman…[foolishly] met up with the [predato]rs…[via] social media….went out for drinks, [was roofied by one of them and gang-raped]…she woke up…naked the next day alongside one of the [rapist pigs] in a [strange] hotel room, bewildered and unable to remember what had happened.  All of the [cops ignored her and left]…

He Said, She Said (#842) 

As Mistress Matisse has said many times, there is no safe way to choke someone:

In recent years, choking during sex has become much more common, especially among younger adults in the United States…31.9 percent of women ages 18-24 reported ever being choked during sex…40.6 percent of women ages 25-29 reported the same…[but] only 5 percent of women in their 50s reported this experience…many young people are exposed to rough sex—including choking—through…Pornography…Social media…[and other] online content…[but] have little formal education about sexual safety, consent, or kink practices…A recent study…found that [near point convergence, a simple test used to detect mild brain injuries such as concussions]…increased after sex in general but that the increase was significantly larger after sex involving choking.  In simple terms, participants showed more signs of mild neurological impairment after being choked…these effects can last for days or weeks….

Welcome To Our World (#947)

Another predictable impact of “fetal personhood” dogma on fertility procedures:

Last August, a married couple went before a [Florida] court in…a routine surrogacy case.  The couple, two men living in France, had contracted with a Florida woman…to carry their child.  As her due date approached, the fathers-to-be petitioned for early parental rights.  While the judge did grant the order, h[e also]…opin[ed]…that surrogacy [should] be unconstitutional….[barfed “]personhood[” in the plaintiffs’ faces, and tipped off Florida’s psychopathic anti-queer]…Attorney General James Uthmeier[, who immediately] began pushing to intervene in the case…[pretend]ing that surrogacy is akin to slavery…This is not the first time [the deranged] Uthmeier…has injected himself into a[n]…uncontested court case. His office’s involvement in a 17-year-old’s request for an abortion last spring further whittled down Florida’s abortion access…and…[now] seems…interested in securing a court opinion limiting reproductive technology …in…[order to] limit Floridians’ access not only to surrogacy but to things like the use of sperm donors and…in-vitro fertilization…[he also wants to be able to inflict] child support [on sperm donors]…

If Men Were Angels (#1600)

This is what Pentecostals call “holiness”:

Daniel Savala, a [typical and representative]…Assemblies of God…minist[er who was allowed to run loose by his superiors] for years despite repeated warnings about his predatory behavior, [has] pleaded guilty…to…sexually abus[ing] boys…[and] sentenced to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole…The…case…began in 2023 after revelations that leaders in the Chi Alpha campus ministry repeatedly [refus]ed to [stop] Savala, allowing him to continue m[olest]ing teens and young men for years…in Texas — even after a 2012 child sex abuse conviction in Alaska.  Instead…Chi Alpha…called him…“the holiest man alive” and sent scores of students to his Houston home for [sexual assault]…

Broken Record (#1606)

Pathetic public promotion of misogynistic masturbatory material appears to be all that’s left of the once-popular “gypsy whores” myth:

…Seattle [cop shops and fascist collaborators] are [attempt]ing…to [revive the moribund “]human trafficking[” hysteria, specifically the “gypsy whores” myth]…ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup…the Seattle [cop shop], the Port of Seattle, and the [prohibitionist, pro-censorship fascist organization] Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking…pr[esented] a [tired rehash of decade-old prohibitionist propaganda, including]…the [ever-popular]…signs of exploitation [idiocy]…

Torture Chamber (#1607)

The only difference between this and the typical US prison is the total lack of due process:

…on…at least 780 [occasions in the past year, ICE goons have beaten or gassed]…immigrant [victims]…of the Trump [regime, according to]…ICE records [leaked by] a government employee [who could no longer ignore his conscience]…the “Daily Detainee Assault Report”…summarize[s] every incident in which [goons assaulted helpless victims]…at 98 [dungeons and concentration camps.  The goons routinely]…punch…kick…ta[ckle, choke]…and [torture by] restraint…[in addition to using] Tasers and pepper spray…[on victim]s who [dare to] ask…for things to which they are legally entitled, including food and water, medical care and personal belongings…

Shame, Shame (#1612)

I don’t generally wish for anyone to go to prison, but I make exceptions for fascists:

French prosecutors are seeking [criminal] charges against Elon Musk and [Twitter]…for child sexual abuse images on the platform, deepfakes, disinformation and complicity in denying crimes against humanity by [Musk’s erratic chatbot, MechaHitler]…

 

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 (#1637)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2026| Leave a Comment »

There’s no such thing as a single-purpose surveillance state. – J.D. Tuccille

All-Purpose Excuse (#1231)

“Promote” & “encourage” are authoritarian dysphemisms for “talk about”:

An adult model is facing up to a decade [in a cage] in Turkey after she allegedly spoke out in support of sex work on national TV, which is against the country’s strict [censorship] laws.  Prosecutors claim Merve Taskin “encouraged prostitution” during a television appearance where she is said to have talked about the work she does behind a camera…on a programme hosted by Turkish media personality Hulya Avsar…Prosecutors claim that during the broadcast, Merve…[honestly] said that she could earn an entire month’s salary in one night…An indictment…alleges that her statements “promoted prostitution”…

Stalkers in Blue (ROTW #2)

Just another kind of cop, being a cop:

A U.S. Secret Service [spook] has been [rewarded with a paid vacation for following] a woman…to her hotel room in Miami and…masturbating [at] her…John Andrew Spillman…was…[caught in the act by] hotel security…[and was still at it] when [cops arrived to arrest]…him…Spillman…was in South Florida to [attend his master, the mad emperor]…

The Vultures Descend (#1485)

The state really does believe it owns every human being within its borders:

…Wyoming [politicians]…recently passed a[n unconstitutional] law to outlaw abortions once…fetal [cardiac myocyte activity can be detected by machines]…it is “clinically inaccurate” to describe what can be heard via an ultrasound during very early pregnancy as a heartbeat.  Cardiac cells in an embryo may exhibit electrical activity that is detectable, but there are no cardiac valves that could generate the sound that people know as a heartbeat.  The Wyoming law…which has now been…blocked [as unconstitutional like other recent attempts to reduce women to cattle, was justified by wannabe feudal lords as]…”sending a message“…that…young [women] are [chattel whose only function in life is to repeatedly spawn tax cattle]…for…the state…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1573)

Erosion of civil liberties only starts with “undesirables”; it never stops there:

…the U.S. is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on tools that give [cops, spooks, and goons] easy access to the home and workplace addresses of American citizens, their social-media accounts, vehicle information, flight history, law-enforcement records and other personal information, as well as data to track their daily comings and goings…[all] in the name of border control.  As of 2022…ICE…had scanned the driver’s license photos of 1 in 3 adults…had access to the driver’s license data of 3 in 4 adults…and…could locate 3 in 4 adults through their utility records…Palantir…provide[s]…the ability to track people’s movements with “near real-time visibility”…and…the Mobile Fortify app…[allows thugs] to identify anyone they happen to encounter…[especially] protesters…and…their associates…in direct violation of Carpenter v. United States…

Creepy Coppers (#1583)

The inevitable result of sexual predators being given power over women:

A[n] RCMP [cop] who took a sexualized photo of a…female prisoner and sent it to a[nother pig] using a work-issued cellphone…will not be fired [but instead merely told he was a naughty boy and should think about what he did]…Samuel Culic admitted…[that] the woman…[did not] consent…[but he thought it was his right to exploit her sexually because someone barfed “]outstanding warrant[” while he] was [in earshot]…The message [he sent his wanking pal] read “Haha hot little senorita in cells tonight. Straight from Mexico’…[and] the [other pig] responded [by oinking] “Niceeee hahaha”…

How exactly do people think a quadruple silent e would affect a word’s pronunciation?

Torture Chamber (#1607)

A convenient way to cover up wanton murder:

On October 3…the Trump [regime] abruptly stopped paying…for medical care provided to…ICE [victims]…including “dialysis, prenatal care, oncology, [and] chemotherapy”…payments…were supposed to resume on April 30…but…did not resume.  Instead, [the billing contractor now…claims [it may be] June…[before they even begin to] process…the…claims…A source…[reported] that this is false…[and] no claims are being processed…the [regime’s refusal to]…pay…for medical services…has c[aus]ed…a massive spike in [ICE victim] deaths and medical crises…From 2018 to 2024, the average number of people who died in ICE c[oncentration camps] annually was 8.9…in 2025, 33 people died [as prisoners of] ICE…[and] the trend is accelerating.  In the first four months of 2026, 18 people have [already] died in [the camps]…since…October 3…[the death] rate [has increased to] 51.7 people annually…more than five times the death rate before [Trump reverted to his typical practice of not paying his bills]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1624)

This needs to be banned worldwide, along with police use of the technology:

Maryland has become the first state in the US to ban surveillance pricing…[the practice of] rapidly chang[ing] the cost of products based on consumer data, including their location, internet search history and demographics…the [industry uses the euphemism “]dynamic pricing[” but no matter what the term it amounts to]…charging each person the most that they’re willing to pay…the Federal Trade Commission…has documented examples of surveillance pricing in stores selling clothing, beauty products, home goods and hardware…Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Illinois and New Jersey may likewise regulate…the [exploitative]…practice…un[fortunat]ely the…Maryland…law is riddled with industry carveouts that will [undermine its stated intent]…

 

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!

Read Full Post »

In the News (#1636)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[Chatbot “journalism” is] nothing but a race to the bottom.
–  The Washington State News Guild

A Moral Cancer (#1535)

The absurd belief that “ultraprocessed foods” are essentially magical is increasingly popular with crypto-moralists:

[Eating] a small bag of potato chips…may raise your risk of dementia even if you normally eat a [pious] plant-rich diet, according to a new study…[which] only show[s] an association, not a direct cause and effect.  However…this [does]…not [stop “nutritionists” from making outlandish claims about the magically-harmful powers of the vaguely-defined fad concept called]…ultraprocessed foods…The…[authors admitted that they think eating should be a counting ordeal requiring] a…[years-long] commit[ment] to…[pseudoscientific dogmas bizarrely described as “]award-winning[“]…and…[“]highly respected[” and encumbered with ungainly labels like]…the DASH diet and the MIND diet…[while foods people enjoy are described with the unappetizing adjective] “predigested”…

The incoherence of the “ultraprocessed” concept is demonstrated by the fact that potato chips – i.e. slices of potato fried in vegetable oil – are included despite requiring no more “processing” than is needed to make any other raw vegetable palatable, which can be done in any ordinary kitchen.

Welcome to the Future (#1576)

Any internet-connected device can be used to spy on you, and that goes double for so-called “AI” devices:

Samsung is rolling out a new wave of [so-called “]AI[“] features that can recognize your voice, update your shopping list, and [report on what’s in your refrigerator to your health insurance company so your premiums can be raised if you eat anything they deem “unhealthy”]…Many of its…features are powered by Google Gemini…the [artificially-stupid]…oven comes with a camera that can recognize the dishes you place inside and recommend cooking time [for those too illiterate to read a cookbook]…Competitors like LG are also bringing [surveillance] into their appliances…by learning your habits and [sharing them with the corporation and its “partners”]…Samsung also has its own virtual assistant, Bixby, that it’s infusing into appliances…to provide a companion [to people whose lives are so pathetic they have nobody to talk to other than a refrigerator]…The goal is to create technology that f[osters dependence so as to be able to encumber marks with ever-more subscription services]…

Walled Garden (#1590)

The open internet will soon be a thing of the past:

[Utah politicians imagine their] new age-verification law…[can stop] minors [from] using VPNs to access [web]sites [politicians don’t want them to see]…by barring [targeted web]sites [across the entire internet] from recommending VPNs…[or] posting instructions on how to access them…the law [absurdly demands] age verification [of all Utah] users, “regardless of whether the individual is using a virtual private network, proxy server, or other means”…[despite the fact that] there’s no surefire way for a website to determine whether a…user is masking their location with a VPN.  The…[only way] a [web]site could…[obey] the law [would be] to…mandate age verification for every visitor globally…

Mad Libs (#1614)

Corporations can’t see that their stupidity, gullibility, and greed will wreck their business:

McClatchy, the newspaper chain behind publications including The Sacramento Bee, The Miami Herald and The Idaho Statesman, [is using a chatbot] to…summarize [re]al articles and spit out [enshittified] versions for different audiences…Journalists in many of the company’s newsrooms are now withholding their bylines from articles created by the [chatbot], meaning that those articles will run with a generic credit rather than a reporter’s name…Related [attempts to exploit people] are playing out in newsrooms across the country, as [greedy own]ers experiment with [trying to replace humans entirely] …McClatchy…[is owned by a] hedge fund [rather than a genuine publisher, as is evident in the buzzwords]…executives have [vomi]ted [in the faces of reporters whom they describe as]…“defiant”…for…[pointing out that] the tool’s use…[violates] their union contracts…reporters are a[lso being ordered] to edit…the [chatbot vomit, taking]…time away from serious journalism…

Panopticon (#1614)

This will continue unless forcibly shut down due to public outcry:

[Naifs in] an Atlanta suburb have been [sh]ocked by the [highly predictable news] that sales employees at Flock have been…demonstrat[ing] the company’s surveillance technology to [cop shops] around the country…[by spying on] a children’s gymnastics room, a playground, a school, a Jewish community center, and a pool…Flock has [absurdly justified this abuse by belching]…”demo partner program”…“well-intentioned”…”safety”…[and] “cutting-edge”…at…residents [who] universally explained to [fascist politician]s that they did not want their tax money funding surveillance technology that has been used to collaborate with [ICE], to [persecute]…abortion [seekers]…to stalk women and [to] surveil protests…

The Vultures Descend (#1622)

Prohibition can never succeed, regardless of which substance is prohibited:

[The ever-deranged Fifth Circuit is attempting to] restrict…access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by [attempting to] block…mailing of prescriptions of mifepristone…[and demanding] that the abortion pill be distributed only in person at clinics…[on the grounds that] Louisiana…and [other forced-birth states own]…every [citizen]…and [can use them as brood mares if it sees fit]…the Supreme Court…[has temporarily block]ed enforcement of [that] ban…

Even if SCOTUS changes its collective mind and allows the ban to go into effect, there is no practical way for the Post Office to consistently intercept discreetly-packaged pills sent from overseas by telehealth services like Women Help Women.

Walled Garden (#1631)

The only way to ensure data is not abused is not to collect it:

A teenage hacker is suspected of breaching a French government agency responsible for identity documents and attempting to sell millions of citizens’ personal data…the National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS)…processes applications for passports, national identity cards, residence permits and driver’s licenses.  French authorities did not…[even know about] the…intrusion [until] the data appeared on underground marketplaces…The agency also oversees a new government age-verification app [politicians imagine can] prevent [young people of the hacker’s age] from accessing social networks…

 

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