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Links #708

Our [product] can be used for a variety of tasks, such [task 1], [task 2], and [task 3].

It wasn’t easy to decide which of Peter Schickele’s many “PDQ Bach” compositions to use for his memorial, but I eventually decided this one best demonstrated their flavor in a way one needn’t be a music nerd to grasp.  The links above it were provided by Mike Siegel; Scott Greenfield; Popehat and Mike Siegel again (x2); Phoenix Calida (x2); and C.J. Ciaramella, in that order.

From the Archives

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

In the News (#1408)

[Jail medical services] provid[e] levels of medical care that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.  –  Ty Clarke

Pyrrhic Victory (#1251)

Clearview is so proud of its ability to identify the homeless, they even patented it:

Miami police used facial recognition technology to identify a homeless man who refused to give his name to a…[nosy pig].  That man was arrested, but prosecutors quickly dropped the case after determining the [cop] lacked probable cause…Lisa Femia…[of] EFF…[said] “facial recognition…[is] advertised as a way for law enforcement to solve…the worst crimes…instead we have [them]…using it to harass the homeless”…

Stalkers in Blue (#1252)

Anyone “shocked” by typical cop behavior has no business calling himself a journalist:

CNN anchor Jim Acosta was stunned when Uvalde parent Miguel Cerrillo revealed local cops are…harassing…families of children who were affected by the massacre…[the interview was conducted now because] the Justice Department [has just] released its report on the [criminally pathetic] police response to the May 2022 massacre…Cerrillo [said]…”these officers…[are] harassing us every day…They just pull us over for no reason telling us to leave Uvalde…because they know that the truth was going to come out, and they didn’t want us here”…

Panopticon (#1342)

Building a dystopian panopticon, one useful idiot at a time:

More than a hundred [cop shops]…have set up [computer-enhanced] camera system[s], with nearly 200,000 connected cameras belonging to residents and businesses around the country able to provide “direct access” to [rooting pigs]…the data provides the clearest picture yet of the growing popularity of Fusus, a company…that…turns [private] cameras into [police state] ones, with object recognition capabilities for items, people, and specific vehicles…404 Media is now publishing an interactive map based on the newly obtained data, letting readers see if their own local [cop shop]…has a Fusus system…Beryl Lipton, investigative researcher at…EFF…[said] “This dataset…makes clear that these systems are using hundreds of thousands of public and private cameras to blanket huge swaths of our cities, particularly those in the Southeast, with the capacity for constant surveillance”…

How long before these systems learn to invent imaginary weapons out of bulgy clothes and “furtive movements”, just like real cops?

The Last Shall Be First (#1342) 

Utah has the latest “monkey see, monkey do” bathroom bill:

Utah [politicians are]…targeting transgender people with a statewide, criminal law severely restricting the use of gender identity-appropriate restrooms and changing rooms in many public spaces…the ban…contains a disgustingly invasive “show me your papers and proof of surgery” scenario as the only exception for when a trans person would be allowed to use the appropriate restroom…and…admits that even cisgender people are inevitably going to be targeted for prosecution…Additionally, the bill would authorize the state’s attorney general to take action against any local government not enforcing the ban…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1371)

Politicians don’t even try to make their new laws Constitutional any more:

Florida [politicians want to]…kick [US citizens] under 16 off social media no matter what their parents think.  The bill…[demands that] any [US citizens] under 16 who have an account…delete them…[and] require social media companies…use a third-party age verification system to…[exclude young] people [who are not] using [a VPN]…one of the bill’s sponsors…[pretends] “soaring rates of depression [and] mental disorders…[that are caused by pervasive infantilization and surveillance of young adults, including laws like this one, are instead somehow magically caused by] social media usage”…the…dangerous and unconstitutional…[bill is similar to one] Arkansas passed…last year [which] a federal judge [has blocked with] a temporary injunction. Meanwhile, [California politicians want a similar bill with a mob rule enforcement mechanism, and] Utah’s [is being challenged by a lawsuit from FIRE]…

Blunt Instrument (#1394)

“Sex trafficking” is no longer a magic brain-pause spell, but Florida politicians haven’t noticed yet:

Florida aims to crack down on massage parlors as a way to stop sex work and [harass Asian migrants, using the racist] human trafficking [paradigm]…and nail salons might be next…A [new] bill…would [further micromanage] massage parlor[s], including [the masseuses’ wardrobe and] how dark they are allowed to tint their windows…bill sponsor Vicki Lopez…[vomited out a lot of decade-old wanking fantasies, while shouting “King of the Hill!” and spouting violent propaganda about how she wants cops to] “beat” [Asian women and destroy their livelihoods, bragging that she is “coming after” them]…The bill would [also] allow state health officials to suspend the licenses of [any Asian-owned] establishment [on a mere bureaucratic say-so]…Furthermore, if a massage therapist isn’t able to produce valid government identification, they will be [handed over to ICE for deportation]…

Torture Chamber (#1403)

I’m sure they occasionally yelled “Stop faking!” at him as he wasted away:

A…[legally innocent] HIV-positive [man locked in a cage by the state of California for missing a court date] devolved into AIDS [and] died because…[screws] denied him lifesaving medication even though they had his prescription and were told he needed it to survive…Nicholas Overfield…could..[no longer] stand or speak and was [confined to] a wheelchair when his mother visited him…on April 22, 2022.  He died months later after being transferred out of the jail and then to two hospitals and a hospice.  The lawsuit…names El Dorado County and Wellpath Community Care, LLC, the jail’s health care contractor…“In California alone there are several other documented incidents of Wellpath failing to provide HIV positive individuals with their prescribed medication while in jail,” [Attorney Ty] Clarke said…the immediate cause of death [w]as encephalitis…

 

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!

Back Issue #127

One distinguishing characteristic of the truly awful sex work story is its use of inane, annoying and dysphemistic language to pretend that sex work is “dirty”, “seedy”, titillating, lurid or otherwise fundamentally different from other kind of work.  –  “Case Study

Every young generation loves to think it invented extramarital sex, and every older generation loves to condemn them as though it were really true.  –  “All Wet

Law enforcement loves to [claim]…they’re rescuing us.  They’re only rescuing us from being able to pay our bills.  –  “Printed To Fit

Our profession truly is the oldest one on Earth. Older than the pyramids, older than cities.  Older even than Homo Sapiens …We are as eternal as the sea; our enemies are mere insects, who annoy for a season and are then gone.
–  “For My Sisters

The nation’s mainstream press…argue about what size Cinderella’s glass slippers were and consult “experts” about what Teletubbies eat for breakfast.  –  “On Tape

Trying to hide or disguise [my] personality would’ve been almost as difficult as trying to get a new head.  –  “Being Maggie

 

In the News (#1407)

There aren’t just piles of fentanyl powder out in parks.  –  Ryan Marino

Hot Mess Alabama

Alabama is still trying to make up for its late start by violently spewing “sex trafficking” idiocy most other states have quietly dropped:

…the Sound of Freedom Act would institute the “toughest law in the nation” for human trafficking of minors…Named after the 2023 [propaganda] film of the same name [which glorifies a con artist and serial rapist], the Sound of Freedom Act would institute an automatic life sentence for anyone convicted of trafficking a victim under the age of 18.  Under the bill, it would not be required that the [target have actually committed an actual crime] to be given a life sentence…

Unchristian Nation (#1339)

Government at every level crusades against Christian charity:

…an…Ohio pastor…[was] issued 18 zoning law violations [for] keeping his church open to people who needed a warm place to sleep…Chris Avell, pastor of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio…kept his church open 24/7 to provide warmth to the unhoused…[but] Ohio law prohibits residential use in first-floor buildings in a business district…the city…[sent] Avell…a letter on Nov. 3 [demand]ing…he [obey Caesar rather than God]…and during a New Year’s Eve service, police arrived and issued violations…Jeremy Dys, Avell’s attorney, [said]…“The city would rather kick these folks to the curb in…December and…January than allow the church to remain open…to those who need it the most”…

Panopticon (#1342)

If there’s a camera, cops will conscript it for use as a surveillance tool:

A food delivery robot company that delivers for Uber Eats in Los Angeles provided video filmed by one of its robots to [LAPD]…The incident highlights the fact that delivery robots that are being deployed to sidewalks all around the country are essentially always filming, and that their footage can and has been [handed to the pigs without even asking for a warrant]…The specific incident in question was a grand larceny case where two men tried (and failed) to steal a robot owned and operated by Serve Robotics, which ultimately wants to deploy “up to 2,000 robots” to deliver food for UberEats [while collaborating with the pigs]…

To Molest and Rape (#1363)

Some rapist cops are indiscriminate in their choice of victim:

A [typical and representative] Baton Rouge [cop who] was charged [last August for child molestation has now been charged with] rape [of an adult woman]…Demichael Robertson…rape[d the woman]…in December 2022…[but she was afraid to report him until she heard about the child molestation charge]…

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1399)

Prohibitionists believe that outright, blatant lying is an acceptable means of advancing their authoritarian agenda:

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office has pulled down a p[ropaganda] announcement from its website [attempting to terrify voters with scary tales] about the painkiller fentanyl…an…audio spot…[claimed a six-year-old named Lindsey saw] some white powder [at a playground] and touched it…[and then instantly dropped dead].  But, it’s not based on anything real…”It’s impossible…touching powder fentanyl cannot cause an overdose in any way,” said Dr. Ryan Marino…a medical toxicologist…and addiction medicine specialist…”What a crazy amount of misinformation”…the DA [was unapologetic and said]…”I am not concerned about…[lying if it advances the police state]. Period.  I am not”…[but] “Lindsey’s Story” disappeared from the DA’s website shortly after [reporters] inquired about it…

Shame, Shame (#1405)

The latest internet-wrecking censorship attempt from self-important clowns who actually think fake nude pictures are worse than totalitarianism:

…the…No AI FRAUD…Act…would…create…a right to sue someone who uses your likeness or voice without your permission…the…agreement must involve a lawyer, and its terms must be governed by a collective bargaining agreement…it applies to the voices and depictions of all human beings “living or dead”…it defines…Likeness [as] any “actual or simulated image… regardless of the means of creation, that is readily identifiable as the individual”…These definitions…[are] broad enough to include reenactments in a true-crime show, a parody TikTok account…depictions of a historical figure in a movie…sketch-comedy skits, political cartoons…memes…or a cartoon like South Park or Family Guy including a depiction of a celebrity.  And it doesn’t matter if the intent is not to trick anyone…What’s more, it’s not just the creators…that could be sued.  Potentially liable parties include anyone …who “publishes, performs, distributes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to the public…[an imita]tion”…This is broad enough to ensnare social media platforms, video platforms, newsletter services, web hosting services, and any entity that enables the sharing of art, entertainment, and commentary.  It also applies to the makers of tools that merely allow others to create…[imita]tions…

To Molest and Rape (#1406)

In which “sex with minors” is used to mean “raping young children”:

San Antonio [cop]…Albert Sanchez [wa]s charged with possession or promotion of child pornography after he admitted to a witness that he was [raping prepubescent children]…“both male and female”…Sanchez was immediately [rewarded with a paid vacation after]…a search…[of his] cellphone…found multiple explicit pictures of [children]…younger than 10…

When the state or its pet media want to infantilize young adults, they are referred to as “children”.  But when they want to downplay a cop’s horrendous crimes, prepubescent children become “minors” and “juveniles”, as though they were 16 or 17.

 

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!

Diary #708

Last Tuesday, I went to town to buy a replacement filter for our heater; Grace checked the websites for Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Ace hardware, and told me all three carried the correct one.  So naturally I assumed I could just pick one up and we’d be back in business.  Silly me; when I got to Wal-mart (where I needed other things anyhow), I was informed that the item was only available online.  So before I went driving all over town looking for it at the other places, I had Grace call them to talk to actual human beings; Ace stopped carrying them several years ago, and Home Depot was out.  We could easily order more filters from Amazon, but I didn’t want to wait until they arrived to take a damned shower, so we decided to simply buy a bolt to use as a plug.  Good idea, but Home Depot had nothing with a coarse thread, nor did the nearby plumbing supply store; fortunately, the guy there suggested a hydraulic parts dealer, and he had it.  Total cost (uncluding the teflon tape) under three bucks, and we got to take hot showers until the filters came in on Friday.  But after we replaced the plug with a new filter, I stowed this inside the pipe housing so the next time a hard freeze is predicted, we can pre-emptively remove the filter until the danger is past.

Definitely Not Twee

 

Links #707

All I know about magnets is this, give me a glass of water, let me drop it on the magnets, that’s the end of the magnets.  –  Donald Trump

When I first mentioned this cartoon in “My Favorite Short Films” almost 12 years ago, it was only available on the National Film Board of Canada website.  But since that has changed, here it is.  The links above it were provided by Greg Lukianoff, Franklin Harris, C.J. Ciaramella (x2), Mike Masnick, Lucy Steigerwald, and Jesse Walker, in that order.

From the Archives

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

In the News (#1406)

What workers want most in today’s economy is flexibility. – Jarrett Dieterle

If Men Were Angels

“Children’s minister” blames porn and Satan for his crimes:

A Wyoming children’s minister admitted he couldn’t be left alone with kids after he molested a young girl during his Christmas vacation in Florida…Richard Scott Shaw…told cops he “gave into temptation” when he…groped…a…12 year…old [girl]…on two separate occasions…Shaw…confessed to [her mother], but claimed it was [somehow] an accident….[then tried to blame an imaginary “]pornography addiction[“.  As if that weren’t enough hypocrisy for one incident, psychopathic clown]…Grady Judd [had the nerve to say of someone other than himself]…“This guy is an evil person”…

To Molest and Rape

It was just a big “whoopsie”:

A Pennsylvania [cop] who…rape[d a woman he knows]…a[bsur]dly told his victim the assault was an accident…Justin Hain…was in the [woman’s] home…and after she came out of the shower, he…ripped off her towel and ignored her pleas for him to stop…when the victim called Hain the next day to ask him why he attacked her, he said, “I didn’t intentionally rape you”…

To Molest and Rape (#997) 

A sadly typical outcome when a high-ranking cop is the rapist:

A Philadelphia [cop] who…[repeatedly] sexually assault[ed] three [female cops] has been reinstated after charges were dropped in all three cases…Carl Holmes Jr….will return to his previous rank…[after] prosecutors dropped the last of three sexual assault cases against Holmes due to the…[department successfully intimidating] key witness[es]…

Confined and Controlled (#1258)

“Progressives” want everyone forced to work for bosses and managers:

The federal government…is coming to rescue [gig workers] from their own choices.  The Department of Labor [has] announced new rules…that will limit the circumstances in which workers can be classified as independent contractors…unleashing federal bureaucrats to micromanage the decisions that those workers have already made for themselves….[via] a vague six-part test…Those determined to be employees will be forcibly reclassified even if they do not want to be.  And many seemingly don’t…78 percent [of gig workers a]re satisfied with their jobs…and…most value…the flexibility to set their own schedules or earn small amounts of extra cash on the side…only about 10 percent…desire…a more traditional job while nearly 80 percent intend…to keep freelancing…While the new rule will “reverberate” across a variety of industries where independent contractor work is common—including health care, construction, and food service…the real target of the…policy seems to be…platforms like Uber and DoorDash…[which are] widely expected [to]…sue…the Department of Labor…

Shifting the Blame (#1384)

How many women died as a result of inaction by this murderer’s cop buddies?

Gilgo Beach serial killing suspect Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murder of a fourth woman, whose remains were found on…Long Island in 2010…Maureen Brainard-Barnes…vanished in 2007…and…is believed by police to be the first victim [of] what [are] known as the “Gilgo Four”…

Served Cold (#1392)

Tim Ballard’s downfall is increasingly satisfying:

Celeste Borys, one of the women suing Tim Ballard, flew to California with her lawyer last week to file criminal complaints…[because Ballard] sexually assaulted her in…San Diego, San Clemente, the San Jose suburb of Campbell, and…Los Angeles…


To Molest and Rape (Rapists of the Week #4)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

 Andrew Menendez, a [typical and representative West Virginia cop] who…sexually abus[ed] a 15-year-old, was found guilty by a jury…He…must register as a sex offender and…faces up to 20 years in prison…

 

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!

Minarchy, Monarchy

For over 40 years now I’ve pointed out that for an ethical, morally-sound government, a monarchy is just as good as a republic because it doesn’t have enough power over ordinary people’s lives for the identity of the “rulers” to matter.  In fact, for a proper, minimal government which protects the rights of individuals and enforces contracts, but stays out of most everything else, monarchy might actually be better because it consumes far fewer valuable resources and far less irreplaceable time.  Also, one person is simply not capable of sticking his nose into as many other people’s business as a vaste horde of politicians is, thus better for liberty.  The entire reason people care so much about how the rulers get chosen is that they are far too powerful; everyone wants to have a say in who gets to stick their noses into other peoples’ business and send unaccountable goon squads to inflict violence upon innocent people who simply want to be left alone.  But if nobody gets to pry into affairs that are none of their business and unccountable goon squads are constitutionally prohibited, what damn difference does it make who gets to wear the Grand Exalted Poobah hat and spend his days dealing with tedious administrative paperwork?