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Posts Tagged ‘Catholicism’

It’s an obvious attempt not to go to jail.  –  genius cop, about paralyzed man

Since I recently featured the video for what may be my favorite Blondie song, I figured I’d also share this one, which was my favorite Blondie song in high school; I especially liked blaring it on the car stereo while driving.  The links above it were provided by Marc Randazza; Justin Amash; Warren Bell; Andrew Fleischman; Popehat; Jesse Walker and Franklin Harris; and Kevin Wilson, 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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If Men Were Angels

No religion has a monopoly on preachy molesters:

A…zionist rabbi [from Dallas] who publicly spread false claims about Hamas raping Israeli women…has been arrested for sexually abusing a teenage boy.  Rabbi Yizhak Meir Sabo…was…arrested…on April 1…[for] repeatedly pull[ing] down a [high school] student’s pants and touch[ing] his genitals…Sabo also watched the student shower and gave him inappropriate “massages”…

Here’s another one:

A Catholic priest…in [California] was arrested…[for] raping a minor…Fr. Jaime Arriaga…was removed from ministry…[because] the LA Archdiocese [can’t afford another]…$880 million settlement over…child sexual abuse…

Business As Usual

They’re trying to pretend these aren’t typical and representative by calling them “rookies”:

Two [typical and representative] NYPD [cops have finally been] arrested for [armed robbery of] two [sex workers] and [sexual assault of] one of them while [wearing their magical clown costumes]…Justin Colon…and Justin McMillan…[followed typical cop procedure by turning off their] body-worn cameras…so that their [violent crimes] would not be recorded…[prosecutors are already trying to prejudice possible jurors by barfing out the word “]prostitution[” and giving the rapists paid vacation since they committed the crimes]…in July…[they assaulted the first] woman [they encountered], throwing her purse to the ground and stealing a key…[they then] returned eight hours later and used the key to enter an apartment, where they [robbed and sexually assaulted] another woman…both women fled from [the dangerous thugs] after they were robbed…

Stalkers in Blue (#1396)

Cops are sexual predators who often specifically target traumatized women:

A woman who was groomed by a predatory [London cop] has received an apology from the Metropolitan Police after the [other cops] blamed her and spread false information about her mental health instead of investigating him…Phil Hunter…[was sent to her home on a so-called “]welfare visit[” after some busybody called them] in 2017…[but cops ignored her complaints about his stalking her for] seven…year[s until he]…was found guilty of gross misconduct a[nd sacked] in August…[for the same behavior with a different] victim…[the cop-defamed victim] said…”Surely predators are more drawn to vulnerable people with mental health issues than people that can stand up to them, so…surely they would investigate that more, not less, had it been true?  What about other women who’ve come forward who do have a mental health issue of some description and they’ve completely ignored them on that basis?”…


To Molest and Rape (ROTW #18)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

A [typical and representative Michigan cop named…Ryan Dornbos [has been] sentenced…to 10 to 40 years in prison for [molesting a minor boy]…He must also register as a sex offender…the victim’s mother [foolishly]…trusted…Dornbos…because…he [is a cop]…

If Men Were Angels (#1519)

Spiritual care coordinator“:

Douglas Cotta[, a hospital chaplain in Bangor, Maine,] pleaded guilty to…possession of [child porn after he was caught]…upload[ing] a…video [of] an adult man and woman sexually assaulting a [toddler] girl between the ages of 3 and 4….Maine State Police…[tossed] his home…[and found more child porn on his] cell phone and laptop…[due to a plea bargain] Cotta [was] sentenced to [a mere] 6 months [in jail]…

 

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

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There is no huge difference…in the lives of [prisoners]…based on whether a Democrat or Republican is in office.  –  Julie Abbate

First They Came for the Hookers… (#573) 

Politicians believe they can excuse hypocrisy by the magic word “illicit”:

A [Mississippi] bill meant to eradicate the state’s individual income tax does not apply to sex workers…”all…income derived from producing, distributing, directing, manufacturing, issuing, publishing or advertising any depiction of sexually explicit conduct shall be at the rate of five percent (5%),” House Bill No. 1 reads…[bill sponsor Trey] Lamar did not explain why he included [the provision, except to vomit]…”illegal and illicit activity”…[at] reporters…The Clarion Ledger [has] contacted a labor attorney to discuss whether a state singling out one form of legal employment for taxation is legal…

Paint By Numbers (#1006)

Silly “awareness raising” stunts by crowds of idiots are a relic of the last decade; now they’re merely marketing gimmicks:

A car show and cruise featuring 120 vehicles… [w]as part of an annual fundraiser put on by In-N-Out Burger’s [Christian fundamentalist] owner[s]…The event, called Cruisin’ 2 Freedom, benefits Slave 2 Nothing, a [profiteer group] that [uses “]human trafficking[” as a hook to separate fools from their money]…Benjamin Nolot…of Exodus Cry [shared his sexual fantasies about underage girls]…

The Course of a Disease (#1209)

Ruhama, the current DBA of the gang of prohibitionist nuns who enslaved Irish women in the “Magdalene laundries” for centuries, not only pushed the horrific “Swedish model” despite knowing that it would increase violence against sex workers, but actually celebrated the increase in violence when it happened exactly as predicted.  Now they’re predictably trying to widen their repression by demanding both internet censorship and increased surveillance of Irish citizens, not to mention more police violence against vulnerable women, by vomiting out the same propaganda they’ve used for the past two decades but pretending it’s new and based in “research”.  I’m not even going to bother quoting this same nonsense, barfed up by long-time Ruhama fantasist Ruth Breslin, but the link is there if you feel inclined to wade in sewage.

No Escape (#1372)

Your “leaders” refer to this as “correction”:

On the first day of his second presidential term, Donald Trump severely restricted transgender prisoners’ access to safe housing and proper medical care…one order bars the federal government from funding gender-affirming care, mandates that trans women be housed in men’s prisons, and instructs the federal government to remove protections for transgender people from Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) guidelines…

Censorship Ascendant (#1494)

The First Amendment is now being eroded just like many of the others:

Bias reporting systems have been popping up in one form or another across more than a dozen state and city municipalities in the last four years, usually consisting of an online portal or telephone number where citizens are encouraged to submit reports…of speech and behavior that are not only not crimes, but also First Amendment-protected expression…In Oregon, citizens can report “offensive ‘jokes’” and “imitating someone’s cultural norm or practice”…In Philadelphia…authorities fielding “hate incidents” can now ask for exact [names and] addresses…about the alleged offending party…city officials will in some cases “contact those accused of bias and request that they attend sensitivity training”…to teach you the error of your ways…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1503)

“Age verification” laws are bad for speech, but good for VPN business:

In recent years, the implementation of age verification laws for adult content websites has sparked a significant surge in VPN demand across…the United States…The data paints a clear picture of the soaring demand for VPN services in states such as Florida (1,150%), Oklahoma (1,060%), Utah (967%), and Alabama (542%), among others…The use of VPNs has become a popular workaround for individuals seeking unrestricted access to online content. Thus, despite the geo-blocking measures, Pornhub’s traffic reached an all-time high, surpassing 1.8 billion visits by late 2024…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #17)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

 A Corpus Christi [Texas cop has been] arrested [for repeated statutory rape of] a 15-year-old…Daniel Verduzco’s [creepy behavior was not discovered until the girl’s]…family…moved to Tulsa in early 2024…[after a suicide attempt,] the girls’ [mother]…went through her [phone]…and found pictures of…a c[learly]…adult [cop and interrogated]…her daughter…[about him].  Tulsa police…contacted Homeland Security…in Corpus Christi…

 

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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It is trite, repetitive and exudes a wisdom…more reminiscent of calendar clichés than theological insights.  –  Anna Jungen

Since Charles Dumont wrote one of Edith Piaf‘s signature songs, it seems only right to send him off with a video of her performing it.  The links above it were provided by Jesse Walker, Elizabeth N. Brown, IncarcerNation, Lucy Steigerwald, Mike Siegel, and Jesse Walker again, 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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Reviewing…a person’s cell phone is the best approximation government officials have for mindreading.  –  Judge Nina Morrison

All-Purpose Excuse (#990)

It’s rare these days for a US court to uphold the Constitution against the government:

The Fourth Amendment still applies at the border, despite the feds’ insistence that it doesn’t.  For years, courts have ruled that the government has the right to conduct routine, warrantless searches for contraband at the border…CBP…has [wrongfully interpreted] that…to force travelers to hand over data from their phones and laptops.  But…Judge Nina Morrison…ruled that cellphone searches are…more akin to a strip search than scanning a suitcase…Therefore, the court ruled, a cellphone search at the border requires both probable cause and a warrant.  Morrison did not distinguish between scanning a phone’s contents with…software and manually flipping through it…

Thought Control (#1325)

I was destined to be threatened with state violence regardless of career path:

[A busybody pig] spent months methodically [rooting]…through [books Christian fundamentalists dislike] and highlight[ing] key passages amid reams and reams of paper.  He wore his body camera to record his interactions with [people whose lives he wanted to ruin] and…photographed…books [the lunatic fringe deemed “pornography”, including]…The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison…an 824-page investigative file obtained by NBC News…shows how, for two years, [self-appointed censor Scott] London vigorously pursued felony charges against librarians in…Granbury [Texas]…London secured subpoenas, filed public records requests, received names of students who’d checked out certain books and, after a year, wrote draft criminal complaints…The [rooting and harassment finally] came to an end in June after Hood County District Attorney Ryan Sinclair turned down London’s request to indict the librarians, citing a [total] lack of…evidence [sufficient] to charge them with felonies…

Creepy Coppers (#1414)

Some cops don’t limit themselves to one type of creepiness:

A Massachusetts [cop named]…Matthew B. Marshall…was arrested…[for] possession…[and] dissemination of child pornography…and [other crimes stemming from]…”videos depicting [Marshall] entering…a Dunkin Donuts and urinating all over the inside of the bathroom…on the sink, on the handles, on the door”…

If Men Were Angels (#1436)

The problem isn’t Catholicism, Christianity or even religion; it’s teaching kids to blindly submit to authority:

Omaha’s Archbishop is among the clergy members named in a lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of St. Louis…by 27 anonymous plaintiffs.  It accuses the defendants of often transferring the perpetrators to different locations within the Archdiocese or Catholic Church or sending them away for treatment before returning them to unsupervised access to children…One of the plaintiffs, a former altar boy, alleged Omaha Archbishop George Lucas sexually assaulted [him] when [he was] a junior in high school at the Saint Louis Preparatory Seminary…[where] Lucas was…Dean of Education at the…time. “The church is not a democracy, so that gives a seminary head…extraordinary power over very vulnerable and devout teenagers,” [sexual abuse activist David] Clohessy said…

Censor Chic (#1438)

Judge rules that a spade is actually a spade:

…a prominent “disinformation expert” once hired to head a government board to [censor speech the government declared] untruths but unceremoniously dumped from the position when the board was dissolved amidst public outcry…sue[d Fox News] for defamation [because it correctly described her function as]…censorship…Nina Jankowicz[‘s]…”Disinformation Governance Board was formed precisely to examine citizens’ speech and, in coordination with the private sector, identify ‘misinformation,’ ‘disinformation,” and ‘malinformation’…That objective is…a form of censorship”…concluded [U.S. District Judge Colm F. Connolly, who]…dismissed Jankowicz’s claim “in its entirety”…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #12)

Give sexually-aggressive thugs power over kids; what could possibly go wrong?

A [typical and representative Florida cop paid to spy on, harass, and intimidate students has been]…found…guilty of child sex abuse…Joshua Robert Herren…was arrested Nov. 28, after a victim [reported that]…Herren [had seduced and repeatedly molested her] from the time she was 15…[but] had [already been stalking her]…prior to her turning 15…Herren…want[ed] her to dress up as a young girl and…call him “Daddy”…[after she] blocked his phone number and…social media accounts…he began [send]ing [her threatening] letters…He…is set to be sentenced on Aug. 26…[and] faces up to life in prison…

The Cop Myth (#1453)

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

A [typical and representative English cop was given a slap on the wrist] for repeatedly attacking his ex-girlfriend, including punching her and throwing her across a room…Paul Whitehurst…also [abused] two other women [in the past], but…was not charged…[and this time he was given a mere 9 weeks] in prison….[and] released the same day, because of the time he had already served…Whitehurst [also threatened to rape the woman and repeatedly]…tried to “gaslight” her…She…said she was selling her house and car as she did not feel safe there any more and did not want Whitehurst to know where she lived[, but luckily she has learned her lesson about trusting cops]…

 

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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Every year on her feast day, I honor St. Mary Magdalene; even though the Church does not officially recognize her as the patron of whores, she certainly is in the public imagination.  And if beliefs have power, that recognition of sacred whoredom in the minds of millions has far more metaphysical and philosophical weight than any official Church designation.

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If Men Were Angels

Is an “associate pastor” anything like a “youth pastor”?

Living Word Church Associate Pastor Randy Saylor…[has been] charge[d]…with [molesting] a [child] under 13…around March 29, 2018…in…Michigan…[earlier this year] Saylor’s son, church volunteer Brandon Saylor, admitted to sexually assaulting four children under the age of 13 for a decade and was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison…James Randolph, [a preacher at the same church], was arrested Nov. 28 and is charged with seven [child-molestation] felonies for crimes…[he committed] in 2011…

To Molest and Rape

Cops are a menace to women of all ages:

An Oklahoma [cop named]…Jackie Rhinehart…is currently [enjoying a paid vacation as a reward for raping a female trucker] on [March 7th after]…a…supervisor performing a routine check of dashcam video…discover[ed]…Rhinehart…making [monkey motions] to the driver…[in order] to [coerce her] into the sleeper cab of the semi…where he…the[n]…[forcibly] kissed her and…oral[ly raped her]…

How Many Will It Take? (#1150)

Too many people still believe in the innate goodness of religion:

From 1819 to 1969, tens of thousands of children were sent to more than 500 boarding schools across the country, the majority run or funded by the U.S. government.  Children were stripped of their names, their long hair was cut, and they were beaten for speaking their languages…By 1900, 1 out of 5 Native American school-age children attended a boarding school.  At least 80 of the schools were operated by the Catholic Church or its religious affiliates…a [culture] of pervasive sexual abuse [was] endured by [the] children at [these] schools in remote regions of the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, including Alaska.  At least 122 priests, sisters and brothers assigned to 22 boarding schools since the 1890s were later accused of sexually abusing…children under their care…Most of the documented abuse occurred in the 1950s and 1960s and involved more than 1,000 children.  “A national crime scene” is how Deborah Parker…of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition…described the network of church-run Indian boarding schools…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #10)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

…a [typical and representative Polk County, Florida cop named]…Markanthony Fernandez…faces several charges…[for molesting] two 18-year-olds, a 17-year-old and a 16-year-old…[after he stupidly] shared a video [he had made of two of the girls] with [other pigs]…Fernandez…also [choked at least one of the girls]…and provid[ed] the teens with THC vape pens and gummies…Fernandez [h]as [moved around different cop shops in the area, as is typical of cops caught committing crimes]…

And I mean of either sex:

A [typical and representative Texas cop] who was sentenced in 2023 to 10 years probation for sexually abusing a teen boy in 2017 has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing another [boy] in 2015…David Christopher Boen…sexually assaulted…the [boy]…at a family members house in December 2015 for a Christmas party…[but that] was not the first time Boen had sexually assaulted him…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #11)

Give sexually-aggressive thugs power over kids; what could possibly go wrong?

A [Wisconsin cop named]…Dakota “Cody” Dorn [has been] charged…with [molesting] two…[teenage girls].  The first [was] victim[ized]…after she participated in a ride along with Dorn.  The second [was] victim[ized after]…Dorn volunteered at her school.  She was in seventh grade…

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

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The police are free to ask questions, and the public is free to ignore them.  –  Judge Charles R. Wilson

Here’s another very early film; this one is the first filmed version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, from 1903; one notable feature is that moviemakers had not yet figured out how to do the titles, which in this case results in the audience being told what they will see before they see it.  There also seems to be an assumption that the audience already knows the story and can thus fill in the gaps for themselves.  The links above it were provided by Franklin Harris, Jesse Walker, Stephen Lemons, The Onion, Phoenix Calida, Emma Camp, 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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Sex workers…are not selling themselves, they are selling a service.  –  Tammy Franks

Surplus Women

Why does this story avoid the obvious?

A…Bothell [Washington politician named James McNeal]…was arrested [on April 30th] after a 20-year-old woman was found dead inside [his] home…”laying face up in a bed, fully nude” and covered by bedding…the King County Medical Examiner’s Office found “injury marks” on [her] neck and “under the left side of her jaw”…the woman had been dead for about 24 hours at the time [cops] found [her].  Evidence …“indicates death from asphyxia”…

Monkey Business 

So much for human uniqueness:

A Sumatran orangutan in Indonesia has self-medicated using a paste made from plants to heal a large wound on his cheek…It is the first time a creature in the wild has been recorded treating an injury with a medicinal plant…A research team…spotted Rakus with a large wound on his cheek in June 2022…then saw Rakus chewing the stem and leaves of plant called Akar Kuning – an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial plant that is also used locally to treat malaria and diabetes.  He repeatedly applied the liquid onto his cheek for seven minutes…then smeared the chewed leaves onto his wound until it was fully covered.  He continued to feed on the plant for over 30 minutes…the researchers saw no sign of infection and the wound closed within five days.  After a month, Rakus was fully healed.  The scientists concluded that Rakus knew he was applying medicine because orangutans very rarely eat this particular plant and because of the length of the treatment…

If Men Were Angels (#947) 

The problem isn’t Catholicism, Christianity or even religion; it’s teaching kids to blindly submit to authority:

A criminal investigation into the Archdiocese of New Orleans is based on a suspicion that it may be linked to child sex trafficking…The affidavit requesting the search warrant…alleges that multiple sex abuse victims…were transported to other parishes and outside of Louisiana, where they were sexually abused.  It further alleges a scheme…in which abused children were instructed to provide “gifts” to certain priests…to signal that the children were targets for sexual abuse…multiple victims reported that they were brought to the New Orleans Seminary, where they were instructed to “swim naked in the pool and would be sexually assaulted or abused”…the information that led to a suspicion of sex trafficking was obtained by police during an earlier investigation into a retired priest named Lawrence Hecker, who is accused of raping an underage teenage boy in the 1970s

The Mob Rules (#1323)

Until this batshittery is declared unconstitutional, things will keep getting worse:

As soon as Collin Davis found out his ex-partner was planning to travel to Colorado to have an abortion in late February, the Texas man retained a high-powered antiabortion attorney — who…immediately issued a legal threat…[of] “wrongful-death claims”…Davis…is…[now] asking for the power to investigate…[so he can] sue either under the state’s wrongful-death statute or the novel Texas law…that allows private citizens to file suit against anyone who “aids or abets” an…abortion…The case also illustrates the role that [abusive] men who [want revenge on former] partners…could play…either by filing their own civil lawsuits or by [snitching] to [the pigs like bootlicking little tattletales]…Davis’s petition — filed…by Jonathan Mitchell, a prominent antiabortion [fanatic]…follows a lawsuit filed last spring by another Texas man, Marcus Silva, who is attempting to sue three women who allegedly helped his ex-wife obtain abortion pills…

The Course of a Disease (#1372)

Australian prohibitionists won’t stop trying to impose this evil scheme:

South Australia’s upper house voted 10-9 to reject…“Nordic model” [criminalization of] prostitution…[beside the usual Swedish rot features] the Bill…would also have compelled government to [treat] sex workers [as cases of arrested development unable to make work decisions without State]…assistance…Greens member Tammy Franks led the charge against the [criminalization attempt] in a furious speech, denouncing the Bill as “slavery” for sex workers…Franks and other members of the Labor Party…expressed support for full decriminalisation of the industry…Franks…expressed alarm about how close [the vote] was and…said…“I think they’ll be back for another attempt at some stage”…

You Were Warned (#1383)

Politicians no longer care about whether their new diktats are Constitutional:

Apparently, the world needs even more terrible bills that let ignorant senators grandstand to the media about how they’re “protecting the kids online”…This one is called the “The Kids Off Social Media Act” (KOSMA) and it’s an unconstitutional mess built on a long list of debunked and faulty premises…The…bill…would be an outright ban on social media accounts for anyone under the age of 13…we kinda already have a “soft” version of that because of COPPA, which puts much stricter rules on sites directed at those under 13.  Because most sites don’t want to deal with those stricter rules, they officially limit account creation to those over the age of 13…all this generally did was to have parents teach kids that “it’s okay to lie,” as parents wanted kids to use social media tools to communicate with grandparents.  Making that “soft” ban a hard ban is going to create a much bigger mess and prevent all sorts of useful and important communications (which, yeah, is a 1st Amendment issue)…

The Last Shall Be First (#1408)

This needs to happen to every State tattle-site regardless of intended target:

Utah set up an online form for people to accuse other[s]…of violating the state’s… “bathroom bill”…[which] is being flooded with memes and troll comments…the auditor also left the submissions database open to the public—without…protections [to prevent] viewing other people’s submissions…One can also attach images to the form…those included photos of Barry Wood, characters from Bee Movie, and Shutterstock images of bull testicles…Trolling snitch lines set up to enforce bad laws is a time-honored tradition online.  When Indiana launched a form for reporting schools “that teach about LGBTQ+ issues…[or] Black history”…people flooded [it] with memes…A similar outcome happened for Virginia’s tip line against teachers who taught “critical race theory”.  In 2020, New York City[‘s]…snitch line to report [people]…not social distancing…[was] filled…with dick pics…

 

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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How many poor people in the world must die before we consider this a “crime against humanity”?  –  open letter from 100 Nobel Laureates

I think this video, made in 1899, might be the oldest one I’ve ever featured on this site (though the soundtrack is 21st-century).  The director, Georges Melies, is perhaps best remembered for “A Trip to the Moon” (or at least one famous image from the film); he invented many special effects, a number of them visible here, which were used for a century until replaced by CGI.  The links above the video were provided by Clarissa, Emma Camp, Ronald Bailey, Radley Balko, and IncarcerNation (x3), 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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