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Posts Tagged ‘Arizona’

All radio stations and most of their DJ’s are a part of the intelligence community.  –  Jacob Chansley

When Jesse Walker recently tweeted an article about the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, I went to YouTube to find a video of this folk song, and was delighted to find this excellent version by Bruce Springsteen.  Jesse also shared all the links other than “toxic” (IncarcerNation), “Jane Goodall” (Mike Siegel), and “television” (Yasmin Nair).

From the Archives

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

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Please, please help us, please.  –  Sokhean Keo

Creepy Coppers

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

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

Law of the Instrument (#1313)

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

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

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

Pyrrhic Victory (#1462)

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

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

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1533)

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

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

Torture Chamber (#1567)

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

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

You Were Warned (#1568)

The US has achieved banana republic levels of corruption:

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

If Men Were Angels (#1574)

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

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

 

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

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Border Patrol agents are taught that women lie, and that…agents…are the victims.  –  Jenn Budd

Imagination Pinned Down

As much as I’d like to believe this of a boss hog, this reeks of Satanic Panic “ritual abuse” fantasy engendered by false memory syndrome:

The daughter of a New Jersey police chief claims he repeatedly raped her for more than a decade as part of a “ritualistic” cult allegedly involving their neighbors…Courtney Tamagny’s [lawsuit includes her father] Scott Tamagny, his neighbor Kevin Slevin and others…Slevin has…countersued Courtney for defamation…the 20-year-old claims her father and Slevin…and…other middle-aged men…with masks on their faces…[lit a] fire and [burned] animals…[while] chant[ing, starting]…in 2009 when [she] was around 4…until 2020, when she was 15…[she] claims she suppressed memories of the abuse for years…and…began recalling them after [seeing] a…therapist…in 2022…[her] alleged[ly recovered] memories in[clude] the…claim…that generations of her father’s “bloodline” had been in a satanic cult…that…raped…children and burned them alive in…“tunnels” [where] they would…covertly [hold] their rituals…as part of a national cabal of satanists engaged in child trafficking…she claimed [her sisters and]…upward of 10 [other] kids were…in[volved even though nobody else has similar “memories”]…her [lawsuit]…also named the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the State of New Jersey, various state child protective services and others…

This girl clearly needs competent professional help, not encouragement from lawyers and quack “therapists”.

Creepy Coppers

Seems like a significant fraction of child porn is spread by cops:

A Montgomery County [Maryland cop named]…Mark Burhoe…[was arrested on child pornography charges.  In an unusual move], he…was suspended without pay, [but both his boss and an ex-cop criminologist used the opportunity to bloviate copaganda about how he would get]…”no special treatment”…

This one has double-distancing: “former” and “probationary”:

A [typical and representative Wisconsin cop named]…Owen Halls was [typical and representative]…when he was fired in March fo[r being caught with…child pornography[.  Halls was] reported [by one of his roommates] in June of [last] year…[but] police [dragged their feet for six months]…Halls [has already confessed but pled not guilty to child porn charges anyhow]…

Above the Law (ROTW #14)

Federal thugs behave just like state & local thugs:

A…Border Patrol [goon named]…Bart Conrad Yager…[has been] charged with…pandering…child sex trafficking…[drug dealing] and…fraud, [all committed] between July 2023 and March 2024…A decade ago, [he raped a woman in] Tucson…But CBP [didn’t bother to] investigate…Yager, a[nd]…Tucson Police [put] the…victim [through such an ordeal she eventually dropped the charges because]…Yager [kept] threaten[ing her] with violence a[nd neither]…police [nor CBP did shit about it.  The fraud charges against]…Yager [are because he] misrepresented his location during work hours and fraudulently claimed travel reimbursements…for…hotels…he…[used to see] underage [sex workers]…as young as 13…[he was also known for] sexual harassment…[of] nursing and contractor staff [who] “knew him to be ‘crazy with a hatred towards women’”…Yager is [only] the latest…Arizona-based CBP [goon to]…be…charged with…sexual misconduct…crimes…Ramon Marquez…was arrested in May…[for repeatedly molesting] a 16-year-old…[and] in January…Efren Lopez Cornejo [escaped with]…lifetime probation, but no jail time [and no condemnation to the “sex offender” registry], after he accepted a…plea [bargain for]…indecent exposure….[and] sexual abuse of a…family member…[who] was 9…

To Molest and Rape (#1523)

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

[A] Chino [California cop named]…Matthew Solano, who had been [paid to lurk in]…school[s to spy on, harass, and intimidate students, predictably molested]…two [underage girls.  When the school told the cop shop]…Solano was immediately [rewarded with a paid vacation, but]…was [not] arrested [until six months later]…Solano was [also involved in the snitch-training DARE scheme]…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #21)

Another rapist cop finds a victim via a grooming program:

A San Jose [California cop named]…Saul Duran, was [arrested for]…sexual assault of a minor…[because he raped two teenage girls] about 13 years ago…[he met his victims through] a…police department [grooming] program called the Parent Project…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #21)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

A [New York cop named]…Sydney Mills…rape[d]…a…14 [year old girl while]…wearing…[his magical clown costume.  He was arrested and charged with multiple sex crimes.  In a rare moment of honesty], Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji said…“I’d like to be shocked or surprised, but I’m not”…

 

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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We don’t think he did anything wrong, obviously.  –  murderous cop’s lawyer

This has always been my favorite Connie Francis song; I love the way its sweet, slow tone masks absolutely vicious schadenfreude.  The links above it were provided by Scott Greenfield, Mike Siegel, Jesse Walker, IncarcerNation, Nun Ya, Jacob Sullum, and Yasmin Nair, in that order.

From the Archives

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

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This is the facial recognition technology nightmare scenario that we have been worried about.  –  Nathan Freed Wessler

Pyrrhic Victory (#1291)

This is no surprise to anyone acquainted with how things are done in New Orleans:

For two years, New Orleans police [have] secretly [spied on]…city streets [with facial recognition] in search of suspects, a[n illegal] surveillance method without a known precedent in any major American city…New Orleans police [abuse]…a private network of more than 200 facial recognition cameras to [leer at] the streets…automatically pinging [cop]s’ mobile phones through an app to [report] the names and current locations of [any possible] matches [for police harassment].  This [blatantly violates] a 2022 city council ordinance, which limited police to using facial recognition only for searches of specific suspects in…violent crimes and [prohibits] generalized…tracking…Each time police want to scan a face, the ordinance requires them to send a still image to trained examiners at a state facility and later provide details about these scans in reports to the city council…[but] the…cameras ha[ve] played a role in dozens of arrests, including at least four people who were only charged with nonviolent crimes…[cops regularly hid] their reliance on facial recognition matches in police reports…to the city council [in order to circumvent the law]…

Secret Squirrel (#1385)

This sickness will get much worse before it gets better:

According to recent research…“nearly 1 in 5 young people believe it’s OK to track their partner whenever they want”…Many constantly share their location with their partner, or use apps like Life360 or Find My Friends…one of the most disturbing notions is that acceptance of digital monitoring is…a way to create – rather than undermine – a sense of trust.  When government officials or tech industry bigwigs proclaim that you should be OK with being spied on if you’re not doing anything wrong, they’re…demanding…we trust them.  But it’s not about trust, it’s about control…and…use of digital spying tools by parents on their children has “anaesthetised young people to the whole idea of being monitored”, teaching them that surveillance is a form of love…and [equating it with] safety…[thus empowering] police, intelligence agencies and…politicians…to undermine [privacy, civil rights, and even]…safety [from state violence]…


Torture Chamber (#1461)

Americans’ sick lust for torture turns ordinary prison sentences into death sentences:

Missouri prison[ers] have filed a lawsuit [because] they’re suffering from life-threatening extreme heat in their un-air-conditioned cells during the summer…[in] violat[ion of both] the Missouri Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act…Algoa [Dungeon] is one of four prisons in the state where none of the [cell blocks] have air conditioning.  And, due to the building’s design, it is frequently hotter inside…than outside.  Even at night, temperatures remain high…[and the only] heat-mitigation practices include…warm showers; the option to purchase one small, personal fan; and…[splitting] small coolers [of quickly-melting ice among] 100-plus people in each [cell block]…Due to a lack of outlets in solitary confinement, [those locked up] there are unable to use fans…According to legal documents…[similarly-inhumane] prison units in Texas reached 149 degrees Fahrenheit in 2023…

I Saw My Brain (#1492)

The psychopathic Grady Judd won’t pass up any opportunity to inflict harm on as many people as possible:

A recent “human trafficking enforcement operation” in Polk County, Florida, led to 244 arrests—albeit none for human trafficking…ICE…Homeland Security, and the U.S. Army [?]…were involved in [the sophomorically-entitled] Operation Fool Around and Find Out, along with more than a dozen Florida [cop shops beside Judd’s]…In addition to targeting adults for trying to consensually engage other adults in private sexual activity, immigration enforcement seems to have been a goal.  A press release…notes that 36 of those arrested “are here illegally”…[and] color-coded boxes around some [mug shots] denote that the…[victims are] receiving welfare benefits…Among those arrested was [a] former NFL player…[which] catapulted this story into national news.  And that’s meant a whole lot of outlets [parroting]…the police’s preferred narrative…

This will continue until the majority of those arrested fight back with lawsuits, or the voters of Polk County get tired of paying the many lawsuits that are already filed against this cretin every year.

The Cop Myth (#1496)

How long will America ignore the costs of its sick worship of state-sanctioned violence?

Since 2013…Phoenix [cops] have [murdered] 173 people…the second-highest total in the country behind…Los Angeles…The study used data from Mapping Police Violence, a website that has become widely known as the foremost tracker of police killings…in the United States since 2013.  It has utilized information from police and media reports to [do what cop shops and governments have refused to do]…Estimates suggest the database captures 92% of police killings….the five deadliest police forces[are] Los Angeles [with] 199 deaths…Phoenix [with] 173…Houston [with] 128…New York [with] 126 [and]…San Antonio [with] 106…In June 2024, the Department of Justice completed a years-long investigation[which] found that…Phoenix police…taught…tactics that were “dangerous, unnecessary and unreasonable,” including that…deadly force…would lead to de-escalation….[Phoenix cops regularly] fired…at people who presented no immediate threat and…[often strangled] people who had not committed a crime…

Thought Control (#1524)

Just keep plunging that ice pick in; the bad thoughts will go away eventually:

A fresh round of books — more than 600, by one estimate — have been taken out of circulation from Hillsborough County classrooms after [deranged] state [politicians] ramped up pressure on school district officials.  Those books include Margaret Atwood‘s The Handmaid‘s Tale, Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Ari Folman’s Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation[Psychopath] General James Uthmeier [foamed at the mouth and waved his dick around while ludicrously barfing that the books were]…“patently pornographic”…He said the state’s newly created Office of [Froot Loop] Rights plans to give [random Froot Loops power to censor any book statewide]…since 2022, Hillsborough County has removed 389,073 books from its collection of more than 2 million books, and will continue to “actively [burn down]” its collections…

Sales Pitch (#1530)

Swedish politicians are angry that their law doesn’t destroy enough lives yet:

Participating in interactive adult live-streams or ordering custom porn clips are about to be punishable by a year in prison in Sweden, where a new law expands an already-[tyrannical] model of sex work criminalization to the internet…The text of the newly-passed bill (in the original Swedish here, and auto-translated to English here) states that criminal liability…shouldn’t have to require physical contact between the buyer and seller…Buying pre-recorded content, paying to follow an account where pornographic material is continuously posted, or otherwise consuming porn without [having to deal directly with the sex worker as a businessperson] is outside of the scope of the law…

 

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 another life, we probably could have been friends.  –  a computer

I was recently reminded of another wonderfully weird animation sequence from classic Sesame Street, so here it is.  The links above the video were provided by Nun Ya, IncarcerNation, Jesse Walker, Eric Sprankle, Mike Masnick, and Scott Greenfield, in that order.

From the Archives

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

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Users hate being tricked by a machine posing as a human.
–  Cassie Kozyrkov

I’m not familiar with most of Sobule’s work, but I quite liked this song when it came out (much more than Katy Perry’s later song by the same title); the links above the video were provided by Mike Stabile, Mike Masnick (x2), Andrew Fleischman, Jesse Walker, Mike Siegel, and IncarcerNation, in that order.

From the Archives

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

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What is it effective at, violating protesters’ First Amendment rights?  –  Dave Maass

Torture Chamber

The government calls this “correction”; for journalists to parrot that ugly euphemism is a choice:

The family of a man who [was brutally murdered by a gang of screws]…expressed anger and frustration over the Jacksonville [Florida] Sheriff’s Office’s decision to publish a “heavily redacted” report [written by the murderers themselves]…Charles Faggart…died [several days after] the [screws beat him]…so aggressively he had…a seizure[, probably due to massive brain injury]…Faggart’s family did not receive a call from JSO until the next day…when a [pig] simply [oinked at] them to “watch the news”…[The murderers were] W.H. Cox…T.C. Pennamon…G.L. Mckinnis…D.D. Thomas…M.E. Sullivan…P.L. Collins…A.K. Maygoo…E. Kurtovic…[and] J.J. Bullard…

Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs (#728)

When it comes to sex work, authoritarians want to have their cake and eat it, too:

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s finance committee, is leading a push to ditch…outdated Soviet-era legislation that bans the possession, production and distribution of pornography.  Doing so…would remedy…an unfair contradiction.  Violations of Ukraine’s laws on pornography…are punishable by three to five years in prison.  But Ukraine’s financial authorities have been collecting taxes from creators on websites…like OnlyFans…“It’s absurd,” Mr. Zhelezniak said, especially “in the midst of a full-scale war.”  He also sees another benefit for Ukraine…it would increase tax revenue…since more pornography creators would be willing to declare their earnings — a boost for an economy struggling under the demands of a war that has ground on for over three years…

Creepy Coppers

Just another kind of cop, with typical cop behavior:

A…Border Patrol [thug from Arizona named]…Jason Michael Drown…was…arrest[ed when]…he [was caught] sharing child porn…[without government permission, by other cops who were sharing it with permission]…

Thought Control (#1446)

Texas censors have descended completely into self-parody:

Students in Lamar Consolidated…school district…west of Houston, can no longer learn about the state of Virginia on their online research database, Pebble Go Next…due to…”frontal nudity”…[on the state seal and flag.  Texas censorship law] does not require schools to ban materials containing “nudity”…[because it] is not inherently sexual or sexually explicit…Kids think butts are hilarious.  Not sexual…Tomorrow will it be books that contain historical photos…of Holocaust survivorsBreast-feeding mothers?…Art history books that portray the statue of David or the Birth of Venus?…where will this end?…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1455)

The currently-fashionable “monkey see, monkey do” parade has escaped the US and is careening all over Europe:

France has introduced a law that will require adult websites to run comprehensive age checks [in the name of] prevent[ing] minors from accessing pornographic content…France’s [censorship agency] ARCOM has been tasked with implementing a standard known as double anonymity.  This is [purport]ed to allow a site to verify a user’s age without knowing their identity…ARCOM [lied that] the system “strikes a careful balance between safeguarding children and respecting the privacy of adults”.  PornHub owner Aylo, which also owns YouPorn and RedTube, is already challenging the French law in court…[as] in other parts of the world, web users will be able to bypass any age checks by [us]ing…a…VPN

Shame, Shame (#1514)

Still think realistic porn cartoons are the worst use for this technology?

American police departments…are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for…technology that uses [computer]-generated online personas designed to interact with and [spy] on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and s[ex workers or their clients]…Massive Blue, [a] New York-based company…calls its product Overwatch, which it markets [with a typical collection of buzzwords including]…“AI-powered”…”public safety”…“infiltrate…criminal networks”…“border security,” “school safety,” and stopping “human trafficking”…some of these AI characters…include a “radicalized AI” “protest persona”…a “‘Honeypot’ AI Persona”…a 14 year-old boy “child trafficking AI persona,” an “AI pimp persona,” “college protestor” [sic], “external recruiter for protests,” “escorts,” and “juveniles”…cops are…deploy[ing…chat]bots across social media…with the hopes of [destroying people’s lives]…

The Cop Myth (#1529)

When a cop tries to pass murder off as suicide, the victim is usually his wife or girlfriend:

A [typical and representative Mississippi cop named James Durwood Winstead] has been arrested and charged with capital murder [for shooting]…a man…[named] Timothy Byrd [and trying to make it look like suicide.  But his story included]…several discrepancies…[with the] evidence…[so he] was arrested and charged…

 

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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I now believe they were trying to get me to disappear.  –  Jonah Bevin

Unchristian Nation

Government propaganda inspires the weak-minded to violence:

Amid a surge in vandalism of Humane Borders’ life-saving water barrels in Arizona’s borderlands, volunteers…encountered…an apparent vigilante disguised as a wounded migrant from the Middle East…Kirk Astroth…accompanied by a group of 15 high school students visiting from Colorado, noticed a man crouched in the bushes, dressed in camouflage, with a hoodie covering his head and a black mask on…he…was also wearing “carpet shoes,” which migrants…often use to avoid leaving footprints.  The man waved at the group and [pretend]ed he…[spoke] “Kazak,” the language of Kazakhstan…The volunteers offered him food and water, which he drank as if he were extremely thirsty, and he…seemed to want the group to transport him, which…could have been an attempt to [frame] volunteers [for a] crime.  As the group attempted to leave, the man blocked the mini-school bus transporting the students, and began filming on his phone.  He then returned to the water barrel and opened the spigot to drain it.  Astroth, in a separate vehicle, told the school bus to return to Tucson, and returned to…snap…photos of …a…[nearby] camper van, and its Massachusetts license plate, when the man, no longer in disguise, emerged from the bushes…and ran at Astroth, who…quickly drove away…[and] reported the incident to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department…The dispatcher searched the plates and told Astroth the vehicle owner had a criminal record…

Opting Out (#1306) 

Laws like this always favor big corporations which can afford full-time “compliance” departments:

Dozens of small internet forums have blocked British users or shut down [completely] as new online [censorship] laws come into effect…They range from a hamster owners’ forum [to] a local group for residents of the Oxfordshire town of Charlbury, and a large cycling forum.  The hosts of the lemmy.zip forum, hosted in Finland, blocked users from the UK…saying the measures “pave the way for a UK-controlled version of the ‘great firewall’”…Under the [so-called “]illegal harms duties[” invented by politicians], sites must complete [complex and confusing] risk assessments detailing how they deal with illegal material and…[if they get it wrong,] Ofcom [can] fine [them a staggering] £18 [million] or 10[%] of their…[gross income, but despite this immense liability politicians want website operators to trust bureaucrats’ “]pledge…to prioritise larger sites[“]…

Don’t Call It Trafficking (#1463)

The “troubled teen” industry and its political enablers need to be sued out of existence:

A judge has entered an emergency protective order against former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin sought by his adopted son, Jonah Bevin, now 18…The order does not include Glenna Bevin, Jonah’s adoptive mother…[even though] Matt and Glenna Bevin…abandoned him in a brutally abusive facility in Jamaica last year and sought to [deport] him to Ethiopia…after he went public [about their abuse]…Jonah…endured several months of severe beatings, death threats, waterboarding and being buried in sand before Jamaican child welfare authorities shut down the Atlantis Leadership Academy in early 2024…[because] the Bevins declined to act on his behalf or return him to the United States…he…ended up in the custody of the Jamaican child welfare system.  It is a [100% predictable] turn of events [for a politician] who campaigned on improving the state’s adoption and foster care system and…adopt[ed] four children from Ethiopia, including Jonah, to…[use as props at] public events along with the couple’s five biological children…

The Cop Myth (#1490)

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

Michael McLeod…a [cop] at the University of Mississippi Medical Center[in Jackson], and [his brother] Marquavius McLeod [have been arrested for murder and aggravated assault after]…shooting [eight people at a St. Patrick’s Day parade] on [March 22nd.  Cops thought it was very important to say he wasn’t wearing his magical clown costume when he murdered]…Cortez George…[and wounded] s[even other] victims…

Censorship Ascendant (#1494)

Many useful idiots want this in the US as well:

[UK] police are making more than 30 arrests a day…for sending messages that cause “annoyance”, “inconvenience” or “anxiety” to others via the internet, telephone or mail…[thugs] from 37 [cop shops] made 12,183 arrests in 2023, the equivalent of about 33 per day.  This marks an almost 58 per cent rise…since before the pandemic…Jake Hurfurt…of…Big Brother Watch…said…“Police look to be wasting countless hours on arresting people for posting things online that…are not illegal”…

See No Evil (#1505)

The amount of time, energy, and money flushed down the “culture war” toilet is incalculable:

A new bill introduced in the Texas legislature could fine museums $500,000 per day if they display…art [politicians later decide to tar with the epithet]…”obscene material”…which [can include]…any [work, regardless of] artistic…value[, which includ]es the nudity of individuals under 18…The [political theatrics] over “obscene art” began with [cops barging] into the “Diaries of Home” exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth…[at a Trumpist judge’s instigation] and steal]ing [four] works by acclaimed artist Sally Mann…from the 1980s and 1990s…[which] centered on her three pre-adolescent children…A jury later [sensibly] declined to take action against the museum [so of course sick-minded politicians are outraged]…

Property of the State (#1506) 

How long will Americans accept cops and prosecutors terrorizing traumatized women?

In late March, police in southern Georgia arrested a 24-year-old woman who had a miscarriage after a [complete stranger saw] her place the fetal remains in a dumpster [and called the cops].  The coroner…determined it was a 19-week fetus from a natural…miscarriage, but…legal experts consider the arrest a bellwether for the criminal suspicion that surrounds pregnancy loss in many states in post-Roe America…In the first year after the Dobbs decision — from June 2022 to June 2023 — there were at least 210 pregnancy-related prosecutions…in [states including] Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, [and] South Carolina

 

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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Now I have to worry about being harassed just for needing to pee?
–  Kalaya Morton

Surplus Women (#1080)

Never call the cops for any reason whatsoever:

A Los Angeles sex worker called 911 to report being held in a motel room against her will.  When the [cops]…showed up, one of the[m] shot her.  The woman, Linda Becerra Moran, died on February 27 after nearly three weeks on life support…Moran [had] called 911 on February 7 and…spoke a mix of Spanish and English…[she] was crying…and…clearly very upset…[when the cops arrived] it [was] clear that she [was having some kind of mental health episode but the cops ganged up on her in an intimidating manner and]…back[ed her] into [a] corner…The supervisor instruct[ed]…one [of them] to “be lethal” and…he…immediately fire[d] at her…the cops then…cuff[ed] her…before administering any medical care…

To Molest and Rape (#1298)

“Sex addiction” will continue to be used as an excuse for violent crimes until ignorant judges stop allowing it to be:

A [typical and representative] London [Ontario cop] with a…[pretend]ed sex addiction [received a slap on the wrist]…for sexually assaulting a woman he met online.  [Cop Stephen Williams also recently changed his name to Will Stephens as part of his effort to avoid consequences for deceiving and attacking at least three women, but despite that a judge let him skate with a mere] 90 days under house arrest, followed by 90 days under a curfew…and…prohibit[ion] from…accessing online dating websites [during that time.  But]…Stephens [alias Williams still plans to]…appeal…that [love tap]…Stephens…quit his [cop] job…to a[void a] suspension…following [yet another sexual assault]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1361)

What kind of warped mind thinks it’s OK for male cops to barge into a women’s bathroom?

…two male [cops barged into] a Tucson Walmart women’s restroom…[to harass] Kalaya Morton…a…masculine-presenting [lesbian, because]…a [busybody] store employee…assumed she was…transgender…Morton…said that…the…[thugs] stormed in, shining flashlights into the stall and demanding she exit.  Morton, still using the toilet, was stunned…When she finally exited the stall, she said she lifted her shirt to prove she was not a man, expecting the ordeal to end.  Instead…one [of the pigs kept oinking that]…she “looked like a man”…The Pima County Sheriff’s Department c[laim]ed that the incident is under internal affairs investigation…[but only because Morton recorded the cops and posted the video to] social media…

To Molest and Rape (#1455)

I just can’t feel sorry for cops sexually abused by other cops:

A Philadelphia [cop] who was named police chief [of] Hartford, Conn…[backed out] after it was revealed he was under investigation for sexual harassment…[and] has been sued by [one of his victims]…Tyrell McCoy…creat[ed] a “hostile environment” of pervasive sexual harassment in the workplace, including unwanted groping and kissing and [demands] for oral sex…[from cop] Mark Casey…[who reported that] McCoy had pursued him for years…and then retaliated against him when he refused [to put out]…McCoy t[old] Casey…he was “untouchable” because of his close…relationship with the then-head of…Internal Affairs…Casey and another [cop victim] filed complaints last year…and…McCoy [had hoped to escape consequences by taking the job in] Hartford…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1473)

Politicians like to pretend that their entry in any “monkey see, monkey do” parade is different:

A new bill…in…North Carolina…aims to ban [people] under 14 from social media…like…Australia’s [float in this “monkey see, monkey do parade]…this bill would prohibit anyone under 14 from creating an account on social platforms that meet certain [arbitrary] criteria…like having 10 percent daily active users under 16 and…scrolling…[people] aged 14 to 15 would need parents’ permission to make an account…[and demands] age verification [for any] site [any politician has pointed at while belching]…”harmful to minors”…Unlike…North Carolina’s [existing] age-verification law…this one requires these site visitors to be 16 years or older, not 18…Findings from a recent study on age verification laws [demonstrate] that these laws don’t work…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1508)

Oh, what a surprise:

A new working paper from various university researchers suggests that age-verification laws aren’t effective…Since 2022, 19 states have passed age-verification laws…[despite warning from] free speech and digital privacy experts…that age-verification laws won’t work [as politicians pretend]…Through analyzing Google Trends data, researchers found a 46.6 percent traffic reduction of searches to Pornhub, the biggest platform compliant with the laws.  Pornhub has blocked most states with age-verification laws because of the burden of complying…researchers saw a 48.1 percent increase in searches for a large non-compliant platform, XVideos…and a 23.6 percent increase in searches for VPNs.  This occurred in the states with age-verification laws on a rolling timeline based on when the laws were enacted…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1509)

Laws are for the peasantry, not the rulers:

A [Utah] judge has been arrested and accused of enticing minors through sexual conversations on a chat app.  Kevin Robert Christensen…was booked into jail…for…[talking to] FBI [agents fantasy role-playing] on…KIK…as [a] 13[-year-old] and…a…16[-year-old]…Christensen allegedly made “multiple references” to sexually abusing [actual minors]…

 

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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