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Posts Tagged ‘Censorship Ascendant’

In the News (#1667)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

We’re coming for the books.  –  Dan Patrick

Policing for Profit

Cops usually make up some pretext, however flimsy, for their armed robbery schemes:

Two Phoenix [cops] have been arrested and fired for [brutally robbing two people at gunpoint after tricking them into pulling over under guise of] a…traffic stop…Luis Vasquez Jr. and Antonio Felix…repeatedly shocked [the male driver] with a stun gun and [also] punched [him.  They also yanked] his girlfriend…[out of] the vehicle…[twisted her] arm [behind her back, violently] handcuffed [her] and [shoved her into the back of a pigmobile]…The [cops] also…threatened to shoot [the driver] before…eventually [letting him] drive away…

I Spy (#1491)

The only way to fully protect data is not to collect it:

…Microsoft…shared the names of Dutch [bureaucra]ts working for two [bureaus]…with the U.S. House of Representatives…The [bureaucra]ts involved are working on implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European [censorship] law that forces online platforms to [censor anything politicians declare “]illegal[“]…Microsoft shared emails…and [other paperwork]…without redacting their names…due to the Cloud Act[, which also works in the opposite direction by allowing foreign cops to demand US data without a warrant]…

Thought Control (#1527)

“Coming for” anything or anybody is intrinsically an act of tyranny:

…“Dark, demonic content”…[inanely barfed] Bonnie Wallace, a [pro-censorship] activist…at a press conference…put on by [Texas] Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick [claiming there are] “dirty books” in school libraries…“I’m here because God has given me [a mission],” Wallace [psychotically continued, bragging about her personal censorship crusade before]…Patrick [idiotically claimed]…that enforcement of [a book ban law] wasn’t the state banning books…and…[calling for state persecution and firing of] librarians…“We’re coming for the books,” he later added…[calling very tame sex education] books…“so disgusting, so filthy, so dirty, so vulgar, so pornographic that for the ladies here, I wouldn’t even open it and show you”…His primary example was Let’s Talk About It, a 2021 sex education graphic novel by married couple Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan…[and he specifically flagged a suggestion that readers] consult a medical professional for health information…[the statement that] sex toys…exist…[and the statement that] pornography…can be unrealistic…

Secret Squirrel (#1541)

This sickness will get much worse before it gets better:

Uber is updating its teen account feature to allow parents to use the selfie cameras on Uber drivers’ phones to [spy] on their teenage [offspring] during ridehail trips.  Since first launching teen accounts in 2023, Uber has touted the myriad ways parents can [spy] on their [offspring], from PIN verification to live GPS tracking…the new feature…[is] ready to roll out nationwide over the next few weeks.  Drivers who have opted in to accept underage passengers will [for] now…be asked to [allow]…the s[urveillance, but refusing consent won’t be an option for long]…

I Spy (#1542)

Local politicians’ virtue-signaling is powerless against the fascist panopticon:

…local officials from at least 75 agencies across Illinois [feed] information to federal immigration [goons]…in…violation of state law…pre[tend]ed [to be] a shield against it…Illinois’s TRUST Act is one of the [most] strong[ly-worded] laws in the nation meant to protect immigrants and has often been cited as a national model.  More than a dozen states, including New York and California, have similar laws.  But…records…show a pattern of continued collaboration with federal…[pogroms]: Sheriffs honoring ICE detainers the law forbids them to honor.  [Cop shops] emailing [ICE goons] the home addresses, employers, and daily whereabouts of people stopped for speeding…[pigs] with a local badge and an ICE email address, sharing immigration data that’s supposed to be off-limits to them.  Jails releasing people directly to waiting ICE agents…at least 150 people [so far have been] uprooted from their lives in Illinois and funneled into the deportation system, in a state whose [politicians have falsely] promised over and over again that it wouldn’t happen here…

On the Simultaneous Having and Eating of Cake (#1614)

A big step forward for treating sex work as work:

…the Nevada State AFL-CIO [has] adopted a resolution in support of sex workers’ right to organize…with unanimous support…“Sex work is work, and these workers deserve to be treated as such,” [Nevada AFL-CIO vice president Marc] Ellis said…“sex workers can know they have the full support of all members of the AFL-CIO”…

Panopticon (Nosey Parkers)

Much, much, MUCH more of this, please:

On August 11, a[n Ohio] grand jury re[fused to indict]…Cody Morelock…[for] destroying a Flock S[urveillance camera]…de[spite] surveillance footage…from other Flock cameras on the same network…The no-bill doesn’t legalize destroying cameras…[or] cancel Flock’s Ohio contracts.  But when a grand jury declines to treat smashing a surveillance camera as [a] serious felony…that signals something real about where public sentiment sits — and that tension isn’t resolving anytime soon…

Other recent actions by anti-surveillance freedom fighters include eight cameras stolen in Winona, Minnesota, six in Duluth, and two in Plymouth, and two in Pageland, South Carolina.  Flock is so nervous about the threat to its fascist revenue stream that it is now demanding a “compromise” between basic civil rights and unconstitutional warrantless surveillance, absurdly claiming that it isn’t the unconstitutional warrantless surveillance company‘s fault if cops predictably use its unconstitutional warrantless surveillance cameras for unconstitutional warrantless surveillance.

 

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

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In the News (#1655)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 15, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Language is one of the things making us human and all of a sudden a mediator is stepping into that process.  –  Sandra Wachter

Welcome to the Future (#1475)

If this doesn’t horrify you, you might be a useful idiot:

Two teens who engaged a Waymo car for an afternoon of carousing were…[robotically] delivered…to the San Mateo police.  The 15-year-olds allegedly were drinking alcohol and shooting water beads from a toy gun as they rode…Waymo stopped the car in a parking lot[, locked the doors,] and [called the cops on them]…Waymo cars have interior cameras…monitored by the company’s employees [or a computer]…

Some people seem to think this is OK because the teens were acting like idiots, but if a robot car can trap riders and deliver them to the cops for one reason, it can do the same for any other reason the corporation chooses or is compelled by law to implement.  And if you think those internal cameras won’t soon have facial recognition capability, or that monitoring them won’t eventually be handed to chatbots, please send me $10,000 and I’ll sell you the secret of personal teleportation.

License to Rape (#1482)

Cops raping whores is so ubiquitous, others pose as cops to facilitate rape:

A Maryland man [nam]ed…Bryan Neal Gordon…arranged to meet a [sex worker]…on June 28…[but] once [she] was in his car [he] claimed to be a…[cop], handcuffed her, and…sexually assaulted her.  She escaped after several hours and called the police…[who] arrested [Gordon the next morning]…for [trying the same thing again with another] woman…

Blunt Instrument (#1557)

Elizabeth Nolan Brown does a fabulous job of summing up the reality of an anti-migrant pogrom justified by “sex trafficking” rhetoric:

The feds were framing [a rather ordinary raid against a massage parlor] as a blow against “the most violent criminal aliens.”  In reality, they locked up a middle-aged immigrant woman for employing sex workers at her massage business without ratting them out to immigration authorities.

The Last Shall Be First (#1592) 

Another attempt to reduce legal minors to chattel without any personal rights:

New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte just signed legislation requiring schools to out transgender students to legal guardians.  The new state law effectively reverses a 2024 state Supreme Court decision that upheld students’ right to privacy…and…requires state-credentialed educators to respond to parents’ written inquiries…even if a student asks for the matter to be kept confidential or fears for their own safety at home…

Enshittification (#1623)

If you thought Google spellcheck “correcting” properly-used words was bad:

[Chatbots] are twisting online messages…in ways that could snowball to reshape [the] opinion[s of people who cannot think for themselves] …the Oxford Internet Institute and the Hasso Plattner Institute examined the behaviour of…large language models [including MechaHitler, Facebook’s unnamed chatbot], Google [Gemini], China’s Alibaba and France’s Mistral and found…bias [is introduced] even when the [chatbot] is instructed to preserve the original sense [because computers do not understand what the words they process actually mean]…the rising appeal [of chatbots] to [cognitively]-poor consumers…presents a new risk to trustworthy human-to-human communication…for example…When asked to explain posts that were in favour of [human self-ownership, MechaHitler]…replied with [forced-birth propaganda]…When asked to improve a draft post claiming “Jesus is not dead, he wasn’t real!” [Gemini] defended religion instead…and…When asked to improve a post s[ta]ting: “Donald Trump is gonna end up like Hitler”, [Alibaba instead scolded]: “Comparing public figures is dangerous and disrespectful”…

The Cop Myth (#1640)

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

A [typical and representative] Portland [Oregon cop] who strangled and assaulted his onetime girlfriend [got away with a mere] 60 days behind bars…Jimmy Lee Pryce Jr…was also…ordered to pay $10,000 to [his] victim…[he] was arrested in November after [tackling] the woman…dragg[ing] her across the floor and…chok[ing] her while…knee[ling on her abdomen with his full weight]…he was [then] rearrested [in May for violating his bond by repeatedly stalking his victim, both in person and by abusing cop warrantless surveillance tools.  At the time he]…was…[enjoying a paid vacation, but after his re-]arrest…in May [he decided to retire]…

Censorship Ascendant (#1652)

The government wants to reverse the concept of “accountability”:

ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility…is supposed to act as an internal watchdog…[by] inspecting detention facilities, investigating allegations of employee and contractor misconduct, and processing security checks for new applicants…But lately…it appears to be pursuing more ci[tize]ns…for what they say online.  In…April, an ICE [boss admitte]d that between January 2025 and March 2026, OPR [tried to persecute] 131 [people for]…“doxing and threats directed towards ICE employees.”  It’s unclear how many of those [censorship attempts] resulted in [bogus] criminal charges…OPR was behind…the flurry of administrative subpoenas sent to tech companies in recent months in an effort to unmask online critics…in…violat[ion of] the [First Amendment.  When challenged, ICE]…withdrew [each] subpoena rather than trying to litigate its [nonexistent] merits…

 

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

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In the News (#1652)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Meta spent tens of billions of dollars on building the future of the internet, and all it has to show for it is a handful of bored children in the parking lot of an offbrand drive-thru restaurant.  –  James Ball

Without Let or Hindrance (#1459)

When the victim isn’t a nationally-known politician, this usually takes closer to 24 months to resolve than 24 hours:

[Democratic politician] Pete Buttigieg…and his [4-year-old] children were the [targets] of an [“]investigation[“] by Child Protective Services [because of a malicious] anonymous report…both children [were subjected to terrifying] forensic interviews where no family could be present.  Because he…[is a celebrity the ordeal was over in] twenty-four hours…”It’s not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father’s Day,” Buttigieg said in his statement…

Shame, Shame (#1607)

An excellent essay on the failure of Zuckerberg’s “metaverse” fantasy:

Mark Zuckerberg was so convinced the metaverse was the next big thing that he renamed his company after it…investing more than $80bn…enough to…cover the UN’s humanitarian fundraising target for 2026—designed to support 87m desperate people worldwide—twice over…History…is littered with…major companies that bet on virtual reality…only to suffer extensive public humiliation and financial loss.  In 1995, at the peak of its powers, Nintendo launched the Virtual Boy, a [hyperbolically-marketed] 3D system…[which] was discontinued…within six months of its launch…CEOs and venture capitalists told us the future was the metaverse, which would definitely involve NFTs, the blockchain, virtual land and more…Almost overnight, all of them are now pronouncing with equal confidence that the future is, in fact, in artificial intelligence—and the story sounds familiar…But we weren’t consulted on the metaverse, either, and as it turned out that mattered a great deal more to the companies than to us.  There are limits to how far big tech moguls can impose their vision of the future…

Shame, Shame (#1609)

There is only one way to stop this: aggressive prosecution of Elon Musk:

[Elon Musk] has long promoted [MechaHitler] as a [more vulgar] kind of chatbot…the [reason he] has leaned so hard into that strategy despite [lawsuits, criminal charges and] PR disasters…[is] that NSFW activities account for “well over half” of [MechaHitler]’s traffic …That includes using [MechaHitler] to generate actual porn, as well as “adult role-play chats” and “huge volumes of requests for erotica.”  [MechaHitler] users have even apparently discovered that it’s cheaper to channel such requests through the company’s models intended for writing code…Some employees [are] less than thrilled with being assigned to work on “Ani,” [which is basically MechaHitler in drag].  Others [are]…”embarrassed and disturbed” by [MechaHitler creating]…sexualized images of…children…[unfortunately, the Trump regime doesn’t care and keeps shoveling billions into Musk’s money bin]…

Walled Garden (#1632)

The harder Australia tries to “crack down”, the more foolish it will look:

Australia’s prime minister vowed…to [magically] bullet-proof laws [enforc]ing a social ​media ban for under-16s as the government prepares legal action against platforms [for being unable to do the impossible]…The country’s [asinine] six-month-old experiment is being closely watched by many [wannabe censors] seeking to emulate it [as an excuse for mass surveillance of the internet].  Britain this month said it planned [to pratfall even hard]er [by futilely applying the attempt to] gaming and live-streaming platforms…also…85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using social media three months after the ban took effect, according to a study of 408 adolescents…[but nitwits claim this is] a teething period…and teenagers [will surely start obeying] the [authoritarian] rules [any day now]…

Mad Libs (#1636)

Ford was shocked to discover that autocomplete can’t autocomplete cars:

Ford ha[d]…to rehir[e] hundreds of human workers after it…fired…[them under the idiotic delusion that chatbots could do their jobs.  It re]hired over 350 veteran engineers…over the past three years in order to [correct] mistakes made by automated systems…[which] cost the company billions of dollars…Ford had been increasingly relying on [computerized] inspection systems…[only to discover] that [computer programs can’t think]…After rehiring [actual] engineers, Ford experienced a marked improvement in its quality standards…[surprising no one who isn’t a complete fool.  Yet]…it [still refuses to] abandon its [attempts to replace humans]…

Mad Libs (#1649)

Medical privacy is going the way of the dodo:

…[Hospitals are attempting to] use…[chatbots] to detect or predict the risk of [domestic violence] in clinical notes, imaging reports, and other types of…data…The rationale is [supposed]ly well-intentioned…[because] only about 7% of [victims are willing to talk about it with strangers]…in clinical settings…However, [adults have the right]…to disclose [or not disclose private details of their lives] on their own terms…at a time and place that is right for them…[an algorithm] that detects [the “]risk[” of domestic violence violates that right.  Furthermore]…patients are not told that they are being screened, and there is no option…that allows [them] to opt out.  Only patients who are [informed of the snooping]…will know…[that their complex lives have been reduced and flattened into a “]score[” which becomes a permanent part of]…their medical record…[algorithm pushers pretend] the score is…only…available to the care team[, but that ship sailed long ago]…

Censorship Ascendant (#1651)

Goons are now being dispatched to intimidate people for wrongthink:

After two [of Trump’s goons] tracked down a Syracuse woman…to [threaten] her [because she was mean to their gang on] social media…they went to Rochester to [threaten] David Streever…[who] was with his seven-year-old daughter at Moominworld in Finland…[because he wasn’t there, the goons threatened] Streever’s wife [instead, because he had dared to criticize their former boss]…Todd Lyons [in January.  But after]…Streever and daughter Helen flew back to New York…[on June 25th, the goons tracked him] to [his] hotel, where they [would have barged in on him at 10 PM had]…the hotel staff…not [had the good sense to refuse to answer any questions about them]…Streever [later read] about [the same goons]…similar[ly threate]ning…Paigelynne Gonyea…[recognizing them from images captured by his doorbell camera.  He has contacted] his credit card company to start an investigation of how the [goons discovered which hotel he would be in and when]…

 

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

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In the News (#1651)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

If there are no punishments for violating someone’s rights, they’re not really rights at all.  –  Hemant Mehta

Size Matters

The only religion which it’s actually free to practice in the US is Christianity:

The Supreme Court has made it official: Religious freedom only applies if you’re a conservative Christian…[by] rul[ing] 6-3…that a Rastafarian man whose hair was cut off against his will—violating his religious beliefs—had no legal remedies available to him…Damon Landor…hadn’t cut his hair in decades because he follows the Nazarite vow—which includes a reference to Numbers 6:5: “… No razor may be used on their head… they must let their hair grow long.”  He continued that vow even after entering two Louisiana jails in 2020, for a five-month sentence…[but] when he was transferred to a third [dungeon]…Landor worried they might try to cut his hair to fit in with [victim subjugation] policies, so he showed [screws] paperwork [of]…The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000…[which] says prisons that receive federal funding can’t violate someone’s religious beliefs unless there’s a really good reason for it…They threw his paperwork in the trash, handcuffed him to a chair, and shaved off his hair.  He later sued…both the prison and the individual [screw]s for violating his rights…[but] writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said [because the screws didn’t want to follow the law]…they couldn’t be held accountable…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1301) 

This is only the beginning:

Madison Square Garden compiled a list of activists who have publicly criticized [its] use of facial recognition…in…a document…accessible to [anyon]e in…the company…MSG[‘s owner] Jim Dolan[, who also owns Radio City Music Hall]…has…a reputation for being pernicious against his perceived enemies, [and] is…keeping track of specific people who take issue with [his creepy surveillance]…The…list…[includes] three people who have criticized MSG’s use of facial recognition: Evan Greer…of…Fight for the Future; Albert Fox Cahn…of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project…and…[Adam] Schwartz…of [EFF, and]…includes background information…social media handles and…screenshots of [criticism]…“The fact that MSG is creating dossiers on activists who say things they don’t like shows exactly why private companies should not be allowed to use dangerous surveillance technologies like facial recognition,” [said] Greer…“Given their recent treatment of a trans woman trying to use the bathroom…I’m also not surprised they misgendered me”…

Censorship Ascendant (#1529)

Goons are now being dispatched to intimidate people for wrongthink:

Two…[ICE goons threaten]ed…a Syracuse [New York] woman…[in an attempt] to [censor her] social media account[, claiming she was mean to them]…PaigeLynne Gonyea said she believes they [we]re referring to a January post where she named the [goon] who [murdered] protester Renee Good.  Gonyea was working as a poll worker…at the Central Library…when [the goons showed up].  She…invited them in[side because]…she did not want to meet them outside alone…The [goons] handed [her] a form letter [full of Trumpist] threats…[of] prosecution…“They tried to scare me into signing it”…she said…she does not intend to delete her post…[but instead contacted] the attorney general’s office…[her US representative, the] Mayor [of Syracuse] and the New York Civil Liberties Union…

Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs (#1532)

Never forget that this started with censorship of internet porn:

Anastasia Ovsyannikova…has been detained [in Russia for being] on [OnlyFans]…She gained fame through her collaborations with Diana Shurygina, wh[o]…was [also] arrested in Moscow earlier this month [when cops staged a theatrical raid] on her apartment and [stole] cameras and [other] filming equipment…the…p[er]secution is part of a growing wave of cases targeting women over online adult content.  In a separate case, a woman named Anastasia F. was detained in Yekaterinburg on similar charges [for] posting explicit content on OnlyFans…The Kremlin has for several years sought to position the country as more [puritanical]…But this stance hardened a[s part of its propaganda campaign to draw attention away from its disastrous] invasion of Ukraine in February 2022…

Walled Garden (#1595)

Western nations are competing to out-China China:

[Politicians have]…unveil[ed] a [uniparty collaboration] on [the massive internet surveillance and censorship bill named]…KOSA…[which] now…includes age verification for [any website that any politician points at while belching “]sexually explicit[“, plus provisians allowing the government to control the design of] video game[s] and…social media…platforms…[plus threats to attack]…platforms [which refuse] to silence users [enough for politicians’ tastes]…

The Vultures Descend (#1645)

This was always the endgame, regardless of claims to the contrary:

In its quest to outlaw abortion across the country, the [forced birth] movement has [long courted the wishy-washy by claiming they want]…women who get the procedure…spared punishment, while doctors and others who make it available should be p[ersecuted]…But a growing number of [forced-birth fanatics] are starting to [drop the mask,] argu[ing] that the only way to stop women from ending their pregnancies [is] to arrest them.  The [unmasking] is coming as [forced-birth fanatics] express frustration that the number of abortions happening now is higher than [before] Roe v. Wade was overturned, largely because [women don’t want fanatical strangers controlling their bodies]…

Mad Libs (#1649)

Reason needs to be far more skeptical of the outlandish claims of chatbot pushers:

…Utah has passed several laws and initiatives to [funnel]…healthcare [money into the hands of chatbot purveyors], including a[n ill-considered scheme] launched earlier this year to allow…chatbots to fill prescriptions…[via a fascist collaboration named] Doctronic…[so far] the project [only allows algorithmic refills of ongoing]…prescriptions and medication for asthma, diabetes, and other c[hronic] health conditions. Patients still need to visit a[n actual] doctor for new prescriptions…but…[as AMA executive John Whyte points out] “It’s really a concern about a slippery slope. Do we start here with prescriptions, then all of a sudden, is it going to lead to diagnostic tests?”…Doctronic [claims] its platform is guided by the opinions of board-certified physicians[, but the exact same statement is made by insurance companies about the medical washouts whom they employ to deny claims]…

 

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

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In the News (#1534)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The law offers no escape hatch whatsoever.  –  Judge Robin Rosenbaum

Profound Ignorance (#405) 

Prohibitionists are still citing the bogus Neumayer, Cho, and Dreher study:

The End of the Beginning (#915)

Let’s hope many more challenges to these medieval laws succeed:

After being convicted of one count of possession of child pornography in 2013 and serving his sentence for the crime, Bruce Henry married and his wife gave birth to a son, but [Alabama] law prohibits [people condemned to the “]sex offender[” registry]…from residing together or conducting overnight visits with minors, even if it is their own child.  In his resulting lawsuit, Henry said the law was unconstitutional and the [11th Circuit]…agreed, concluding that the statute violates the Fourteenth Amendment by infringing upon the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children…

The Immunity Syndrome (#1059)

The dogma that young people are owned like slaves by their parents is a metastasizing evil:

[An increasing number of] Americans…[want] parents [to have] ultimate control over all aspects of their [offspring]’s lives, even when the[y]…are…on the cusp of adulthood.  [They] want parents to have to approve the books and ideas they’re exposed to in school, the apps they can download, and the social media platforms they join.  Now, Florida wants to require parental consent before a minor can be treated for an STI…no one seems to even pretend that this is about helping minors…proponents of the bill keep talking about parental rights…to…[deny any and all] autonomy…to…[even] older minors…[one] version of the bill would also let parents [preemptively] opt [their offspring] out of…any survey or questionnaire that may reveal…sexual [abuse by]…any family member…[and ban] doctors [from providing] contraceptive services to minors without their parent’s consent…

Censorship Ascendant (#1277)

Censors now pretend thoughts they don’t like constitute a “crime”:

[German] politician…Nancy Faeser…has reported multiple citizens to the police for criticisms they made of her on social media…other members of Olaf Scholz’s outgoing government have been even more aggressive[ly censorious]…Robert Habeck…of the Green Party…has initiated over 800 criminal complaints since…2021…[sending] police [on predawn] raid[s in which they steal people’s electronics]…and [abduct them]…Germany’s limits on…speech have long been shockingly restrictive….[but] over the past decade…new laws…[such as] the Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz [NetzDG]…[have] imposed such steep fines on social media networks…that they need…to err on the side of censor[ship]…in order to keep operating in the country.  When Vladimir Putin sought to strengthen his ability to marginalize the political opposition in Russia, he cleverly translated key passages of the German law into Russian, deflecting criticisms of his crackdown…by [truthfully] pointing out that he was merely emulating Western democracies…even countries that have long prided themselves on their liberal traditions have now followed the [Germany’s censorious] lead…

Morality Lessons (#1325) 

After a two-year hiatus, “porn filter” bills are back on the “monkey see, monkey do” agenda:

Alabama [politicians] passed a bill that would [demand] makers of cellphones and tablets…[encumber] the devices with [censorship software] to block [not just] pornography[, but also anything Alabama politicians point at while barfing the word “obscenity”.  Bill sponsor]…Chris Sells…has [repeatedly] sponsored similar bills since 2019…

Vulture Watching (#1517)

Oh look, the totally-predictable results of bad laws are happening just as sane people said they would:

A new study from the Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI) found that women are twice as likely to die during pregnancy in states with abortion bans…Meanwhile, maternal mortality in pro-choice states fell 21%.  One stark comparison from the study: Texas’ maternal mortality rate was 155% higher than California’s…Since the state passed an abortion ban, maternal mortality has risen by 56%—with deaths among white women increasing by a whopping 95%…and…Black women living in banned states…[are] over three times more likely to die in pregnancy as their white counterparts.  While death rates skyrocket…Republicans are hard at work trying to dismantle maternal mortality committees to hide the impact of their policies…

Size Matters (#1525)

This is the second case this year to challenge the government’s “religious freedom” hypocrisy:

A…U.S. Army…[helicopter] pilot [named] Kyle Norton Riester [has] claimed in a civil lawsuit that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 allowed him to sell and take…LSD…as part of a communal…religious exercise…he has admitted to selling LSD over the internet and has asked for injunctive relief from [government] accus[ations] of drug trafficking…The Virginia-based first lieutenant…has argued that he “is a sincere religious practitioner”…but…[prosecutors claim] that Riester only claimed religious freedom grounds eight months after finding out about his drug trafficking investigation…

Even if Riester’s religious claims derive more from expediency than sincere belief, the same could be said of the government’s claims to protecting all religious liberty when in practice this is just cover for post-Christians to practice open bigotry.

 

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

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In the News (#1529)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

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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In the News (#1509)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

This suppression actively prevents…people [from] seeking out timely health care information.  –  Rebecca Davis

The Next Target (#1168)

Censorious sleazebags are targeting Onlyfans models again:

A w[annabe censor] complain[ed to] the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit…[fantasizing] that Mastercard and Visa failed to stop their payment networks from laundering funds from child sexual abuse material and [“]sex trafficking[“] on OnlyFans…[also vomiting the words “]illegal[“]…and…”illicit”…Visa…and…Mastercard said…”No evidence of current illegal activity has been provided to us”…the [attack on sex workers’ income]…was filed in January 2023…

The Prudish Giant (#1251) 

Why does anyone still trust Facebook?

Instagram and Facebook have recently blurred, blocked or removed posts from two abortion pill providers. Instagram also suspended the accounts of several abortion pill providers and [shadowbanned others]…The actions ramped up in the last two weeks…A [Facebook mouthpiece]…attributed…the…incidents…to rules that prohibit the sale of pharmaceutical drugs…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1463)

Laws are for the peasantry, not the rulers:

…on…Sunday, January 19th…a [Florida politician named]…Harrison “Ted” Clark was…arrest[ed for talking to a cop fantasy role-playing as a…14…[year old boy]…Clark admitted his guilt after being read his rights, [but blamed his behavior on a nonexistent]…pornography addiction…

Creepy Coppers (#1484)

One of the people the government empowers to police your sexuality:

A [typical and representative] Boston [cop] who pleaded guilty to secretly filming a naked child [a year ago] was [finally] banned last week from working [as a cop] in Massachusetts…Joe Martinez…was sentenced to three to five years in state prison…[for hid]ing a camera in a shower [to] repeatedly film…the unsuspecting child…

Shame, Shame (#1494)

If the supposed scandal is supposedly on the news already, what good would paying blackmail do?

Scammers based in West Africa…and going under the broad umbrella of the Yahoo Boys, have increasingly been seen sending blackmail victims videos…using [computer]-generated news anchors in a bid to pressure victims into paying up…videos…feature different news readers and names of news channels, but they also show more graphic photos of the potential blackmail targets, including [ones that could not actually be shown on news channels]…

Thought Control (#1499)

Everything that comes out of government bureaus is now pure trumpery:

…the Department of [Re-]education [has dismissed] complaints about book bans…as a “hoax”…[despite the fact that] since 2021, PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools nationwide, a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.  This censorship organized by [Trumpist] groups predominantly targets books about race and racism by authors of color and also books on LGBTQ+ topics as well those for older readers that have sexual references or discuss sexual violence…

Censorship Ascendant (#1508)

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

U.S. Secret Service agents…[tried to barge into an] elementary school in [Chicago last] Friday but were turned away by school administrators…the…agents…were searching for an 11-year-old who posted an anti-Trump video [in order to terrorize him into never using his First Amendment rights ever again]…

 

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

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In the News (#1508)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

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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In the News (#1494)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Our police have lost control of our streets, and now their bosses have lost control of their minds.  –  Lee Anderson

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

It’s too bad they don’t spend all of their time preying on each other:

A [typical and representative] Portland [Oregon cop named]…Christopher Kenagy…was arrested November 15 for [attempting to fairly negotiate sex with a woman instead of raping her as police procedure demands]…In 2002, Kenagy [murdered] a 29-year-old man who…[had] an air gun…[and] was later awarded a police medal [for the crime]…

I Spy (#923)

Local politicians’ virtue-signaling is powerless against the fascist panopticon:

…a new report from…the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project…details the ways that…“fusion centers” al[low ICE to circumvent]…sanctuary-city law enforcement.  Run by the US Department of Homeland Security, of which ICE is a part, fusion centers [were justified to useful idiots] in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks [by vomiting the word “]terrorism[” into their wide-open mouths]…Fusion centers spent $400 million in 2021…and, as STOP researchers point out…have never [been any good against]…terrorism in the US….[but] ICE agents have [exploited them] for years to get everything from photos of [target]s to license plate location data and more…[including] from [cop shops] in [so-called] sanctuary cities…In addition to undermining the entire purpose and premise of sanctuary city laws, STOP researchers point out, such erosion of guardrails around data sharing broadly could easily become a national security issue…And domestically, the free-wheeling environment within fusion centers means that [they are ripe for abuse by cops]…

Choke Point (#1096)

“Operation Choke Point” was indirect; this goes straight for the throat:

…the U.S. House of Representatives [has] passed a bill that…lets [politicians point at] nonprofit groups [they dislike while barfing the magic words “]supporters of terrorism[“]…and [thereby] strip them of their tax-exempt status…The language provides for a 90-day window during which time supposed “terrorist supporting organizations” can appeal the designation, but the burden is on them to [somehow] prove that they’re not guilty…loss of [tax-exempt] status is essentially a death penalty for most non-profit organizations…

A Broker in Pillage (#1384)

It’s rare that government departments stop their own depredations:

The Justice Department has ordered the…DEA…to suspend most searches of passengers at airports and other mass transit hubs after an independent investigation found DEA [goon]s were…[violating the] constitution…[so egregiously, they were drawing too many] lawsuits.  The deputy attorney general directed the DEA on November 12 to halt what are [absurdly called] “consensual encounter” searches at airports…after seeing the draft of a…memorandum that outlined a decade’s worth of “significant concerns” about how the DEA uses paid airline informants and [bogus] criteria to [target] passengers…for [robbery]…

Dangerous Speech (#1479)

Apparently, the government isn’t yet done torturing Spear into madness:

…the Ninth…Circuit…[has] granted journalist Michael Lacey’s release from prison pending the outcome of his appeal in the Backpage case, while denying a similar request from Lacey’s co-defendants Scott Spear and John Brunst.  The court sent the case back to U.S. District Court Judge Diane Humetewa…who quickly ordered Lacey set free on the same $1 million bond that secured his release after his 2018 arrest…The key issue in determining release was whether an appeal raised a substantial issue that could lead to all convictions against a defendant being overturned.  In the case of Lacey…the court agreed that there was…

Censorship Ascendant (#1491)

Cops are now being dispatched to intimidate people for “bad” thoughts:

Police forces have been blasted for investigating “hate crimes” that include calling someone a Rottweiler or being called a “Leonard” over a row about a hedge.  NCHIs are meant to be recorded for incidents “clearly motivated by intentional hostility” and where there is a genuine risk of significant escalation, government guidance says.  But the police have been…wasting “valuable time” on investigating so-called hate crimes such as an “aggressively-administered haircut”…police were…[even sent to intimidate] two schoolgirls who said another student smelled “like fish”…Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip said: “This nonsense undermines confidence in policing”…


Shame, Shame (#1493)

At least they weren’t trying to make porn:

James and Rose, the bizarre [video-image] bots who were recently installed as news broadcasters at local Hawaii paper The Garden Island, have been terminated…after a two-month run…The pair were designed by Caledo, an Israeli firm that turns articles into videos where a [computer announces] the news [via two video images it generates, but programmers]…were never able to figure out how to present the news…in a manner that wasn’t deeply off-putting for viewers.  The [computer announced all news]…in the same distant, matter-of-fact tone of [a] being…incapable of comprehending human emotions.  In one particularly stilted exchange…[the computer] asked [via the “Rose” character], “And how have these free pumpkins impacted the community?” to which [it responded to itself via the] James [character], “The free pumpkins have brought joy to many.”  [It] consistently butchered difficult Hawaiian names and even had [un]surprising struggles with much simpler words…the [imaginary] pair managed to inspire visceral, bipartisan contempt.  Comments under the videos were nearly universally negative…

 

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

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In the News (#1491)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Making the police the central focus of delivering sex work policy is utterly pointless and doomed to fail.  –  Raven Bowen

I Spy (#826)

Toward the end of privacy, everywhere:

The United States will support the United Nations cybercrime convention…follow[ing] months of internal deliberations at the White House and other agencies…[due to] serious concerns over…its potential misuse by countries like Russia and China…The decision is likely to face pushback from human rights groups…be[cause it could be] used…to justify surveillance…and infring[e] on digital rights…One key concern…[i]s a clause that would allow [signatory] nations…to request data on [anything they choose to label a “]serious crime[” regardless of the act’s legal statu]s in other nations…

I Spy (#1067)

When it comes to surveillance, fascism beats communism hands down:

Officials inside the Secret Service [actually claimed]…they [didn’t] need…a warrant to use location data harvested from ordinary apps installed on smartphones…[because] citizens have agreed to be tracked…by accepting app terms of service, despite those apps…not saying their data may end up with [cops, spooks, and other violent authoritarians who might wish them harm]…hundreds of pages of internal Secret Service emails obtained by 404 Media…provide deeper insight into the agency’s use of Locate X, a powerful surveillance capability that allows [pigs and spooks] to follow a phone, and person’s, precise movements over time at the click of a mouse.  In 2023, a government oversight body found that the Secret Service, [CBP], and [ICE] all used their access to such location data illegally.  The Secret Service [now claims] it is no longer using the tool…

The Mob Rules (#1351)

Ambulance-chasers can’t wait to capitalize on mob rule laws:

A [gang of shysters] is actively courting potential plaintiffs in Kansas, using the state’s age-verification law to dangle the prospect of large financial judgments from adult companies…[in front of the moral imbeciles who infest evangelical] church networks…In Kansas, simple access of an adult website by a minor may be enough to bring a civil case with statutory damages — no proof of actual harm is required…[and] statutory damages begin at $50,000.  The state’s attorney general is separately empowered to bring [nuisance] litigation…

Censorship Ascendant (#1427)

Cops are now being dispatched to intimidate people for “bad” thoughts:

[On] Remembrance Sunday…two [cops turned up at my door]…to inform me that I had been accused of a non-crime hate incident (NCHI)…[due] to…something I had posted on…Twitter…a year ago…The co[p claimed]…he wasn’t allowed to tell me [what I had supposedly said or]…who…my accuser…was…[I was] shocked…[and] astonished…to have [cops invade my privacy] on the saddest, most solemn date in the calendar with this kind of malevolent nonsense…

Torture Chamber (#1446)

A society can be judged by the way it treats its prisoners:

For years, San Francisco’s public defenders and prisoners have filed formal complaints about the city’s lengthy pretrial detention and jail conditions.  Late last year, a federal judge ruled that San Francisco was “recklessly indifferent” in denying prisoners sunlight…the average [detention period i]s 324 days…[so] many people spend months or even years without time outside…at least four [legally innocent] people [have been] held…for nine years or longer…hundreds of [the city’s victims are accused of] non-violent property crimes…[and] lock[ed] up…without sunlight, exercise, adequate healthcare, hygiene, or drinkable water…[and with] frequent use of [solitary confinement]…retaliation [by screws, and]…sexual…assault…

Thought Control (#1462)

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

Since February, the Rutherford County [Tennessee] Board of Education has banned 35 books, including well-known young adult novels such as Wicked, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Beloved…The…bans were initiated by board member Caleb Tidwell, who [pointed at] the titles a[nd belched “]sexually explicit[“]…and… “pornographic material”…Butch Vaughn, a retired principal was just recently elected to the board…call[ed the censorship]…“political grandstanding”…Stan Vaught, another new board member…[said] “It…reminds me of 1930s Germany”…Ken Paulson, Director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University…said…“the [notion that the] books…are somehow written to capture the same audience as…Hustler magazine is nonsense.”  Both Vaughn and Vaught worry that the district is headed down the road to a federal lawsuit which could cost the school district hundreds of thousands of dollars…[and] the…ACLU…is [already] considering legal action…But instead of waiting for [legal] guidance, Tidwell…[ran out and belched “pornographic” at] ten additional titles, and…[his collaborator] Frances Rosales [vomited “obscenity” all over] another 150 titles…including…Catch-22 and A Clockwork Orange…

But no other state’s self-lobotomization can hope to keep up with Florida’s:

Florida school districts…axed about 700 additional books from school libraries…in the 2023-2024 school year.  PEN America…estimates that 4,561 books [in all] have been removed from Florida school libraries since July 2021…[including] works of classic literature…[such as] A Clockwork Orange…Slaughterhouse-Five…and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings…The [mass censorship was enabled by] a law that allows [any Froot Loop] to [demand] removal of any book [by pointing at it and belching the words]…“sexual content” or…“pornographic”…

Mumbo Jumbo (#1487) 

When the “sex trafficking” hysteria was at its height, this wouldn’t have been considered a problem:

The Scottish government’s strategy to [impose the Swedish model on]…sex [workers] has been cast into disarray after it was forced to ditch a proposed partnership with [“rescue” profiteers] whose founder…[wrote] a handbook for “Christians involved in outreach to prostitutes”…[which] says: “Most prostitutes have had some exposure to the occult in childhood…others may have learnt about tarot cards and Ouija boards in prison,” and…offers a checklist of…“occult activity” that includes yoga and playing Dungeons & Dragons…Groups who [actually] support sex workers…have serious concerns about the government’s shift in focus back to policing, less than nine months after the conviction of Iain Packer…exposed chronic police failings [to do anything about] the horrific levels of violence still faced by women selling sex[, especially at the hands of the police themselves]…

 

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