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Posts Tagged ‘Enablers’

Google wanted to ‘not be evil’ back in the day. Well, they’re evil now.  –  app developer Mark

If Men Were Angels

This one’s an associate youth pastor:

An associate youth pastor [from] Missouri…[named] Donald Aaron Axtell has been charged with…statutory rape [and] possession of child pornography…[for repeated] sexual…assault…[of a] 15[-year-old]…girl…[she reported him and he has already confessed]…

No Escape (ROTW #11)

I guess “they wanted it” is considered less credible when the victim is male?

[A man named] Terrence [who was repeatedly raped in New York’s notorious Rikers Island hellhole] told [screws] again and again…he filed reports…and in two instances, pointed to video [evidence of the attacks]…But each time, jail investigators brushed his claims aside, labeling them “unsubstantiated” or [claiming “he wanted it”]…Now, New York City is paying…[him] $4 million to settle three separate August 2020 lawsuits…

The Vultures Descend (#1511)

Moral imbeciles can always be trusted to abuse any power they’re given:

Sending women who get abortions to prison for decades.  Outlawing IUDs.  Sharply restricting in-vitro fertilization.  These are the [most draconian invasions of body autonomy]…being [threaten]ed by [psychopathic] South Carolina [politicians], even as opponents of [body autonomy debate]…how far [they can] go [without being lynched]…The proposal would ban all abortions unless [a doctor can convince politicians] the woman’s life is at risk [before she actually dies] and eliminates exceptions for rape and incest victims…Women who get an abortion and anyone who helps them could face up to 30 years in prison…Providing information about abortions would [count as help, so]…doctors…couldn’t [legally] suggest legal abortion elsewhere …The proposal has [created a] split [between] groups that oppose abortion [because they are sociopaths] and [those who oppose it because they are psychopaths]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1553)

Remember when Google’s motto was “Don’t be evil”?

Google is hosting a…CBP…app that uses facial recognition to identify immigrants…[for persecuti]on, while simultaneously removing apps designed to warn local communities about [lurking] ICE [goons]…The CBP app, called Mobile Identify…is for local and state [cop shops in fascist collaboration with]…ICE [in a] program that…“essentially turns [pigs] into ICE [goons]“…Google removed an app called Red Dot…[absurdly] describ[ing ICE goons] as a vulnerable group…while continuing to host a CBP app that uses facial recognition to [target an actual vulnerable group for armed violence]…

Given that the app described in the next item below is called “Mobile Companion”, the two seem related.

Panopticon (#1563)

Fascism enables surveillance at levels beyond the Stasi’s wildest dreams:

ICE…[now has] an app that lets [violent, unhinged goons] instantly scan a license plate, adding it to a database…that…[not only allows tracking] around the country, [but also cross-references] driver license data, credit header data, marriage records, vehicle ownership, and voter registrations…The capability is powered by [the fascist surveillance divisions of] both Motorola…and Thomson Reuters…which…sells masses of personal data [harvested from its news service]…the capabilities allow [pre-crime] predicting…and…facial recognition…Motorola…acquired [its surveillance capabilities through purchase of] Vigilant…and…DRN

Shame, Shame (#1585)

Is there no end to this ghoulishness?

A new [machine learning] app that allows users to create interactive [cartoon]s of their deceased relatives…[may be a bridge too far for the masses], with many [social media] users calling the technology dystopian…an ad for the app…[depicts] an expectant mother communicat[ing] with a…[chatbot synchronized to a cartoon image] resembling her deceased mother…[then further] interactions the [ghoulish cartoon] has with the family as the son is born, grows up and eventually has children of his own…the ad garnered just 6,000 likes, but plenty of critical responses…One user said the app is “objectively one of the most evil ideas imaginable,” [while]…another [called it] “demonic, dishonest, and dehumanizing”…other[s correctly pointed out that] the app…profits off of grief and [is] an unhealthy way for people to deal with loss…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1590)

One of the few things neither cops nor goons can routinely get away with:

Bloomington, Minnesota[ cops are hiding the identity]…of…an…ICE [goon who talked to a sow fantasy role-playing as a 17-year-old sex worker]…”When he was arrested, he said, ‘I’m ICE, boys,'” [oinked boss hog Booker] Hodges…[who also oinked pro-censorship drivel, which he apparently believes would somehow stop cop shops from conducting entrapment scams]…

 

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 a state]’s commitment to religious freedom…is to mean anything…[it must protect] unpopular or unfamiliar religious groups [as well as] popular or familiar ones.  –  Judge Jill Parrish

Size Matters

An interesting development in these repressive times:

When Bridger Lee Jensen opened a spiritual center in Provo, Utah, he contacted city officials to…[explain that] the religious group he had founded, Singularism, would be conducting ceremonies involving a tea made from psilocybin mushrooms…Jensen…said he would be happy to answer their questions and invited them to visit the center…The city did not respond…until more than a year later, when Provo police [raided] the Singularism center and [stole] its sacrament: about 450 grams of “mushrooms and mushroom-like material” that the group kept inside a locked safe…That raid happened on November 11, 2024, less than eight months after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had signed the state’s version of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act…[which] protects Singularism’s psychedelic rituals, a federal judge ruled last month…

Creepy Coppers

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

Federal authorities arrested a San Diego State University [cop] for possession of child pornography [but are hiding his]…identi[ty.  Boss hog]…Gregory Murphy…and [another cop made lugubrious displays of distress about the crime, yet are still making excuses to hide the name and picture of the offending cop]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1232)

There won’t be any shortcut to stopping Clearview:

Clearview AI attempted to purchase hundreds of millions of arrest records including social security numbers, mugshots, and even email addresses to incorporate into its product…Clearview AI spent nearly a million dollars in a bid to purchase “690 million arrest records and 390 million arrest photos” from all 50 states from…Investigative Consultant, Inc. (ICI) which billed itself as an intelligence company with access to tens of thousands of databases…The contract was signed in mid-2019, at a time when Clearview AI was…relatively unknown…Ultimately, the entire deal fell apart after Clearview and ICI clashed about the utility of the data with each company filing breach of contract claims…

The Last Shall Be First (#1351) 

Just how defective are these political vermin?

Arkansas [politician] Mary Bentley…introduced H.B. 1668…Arkansas law banning gender-affirming care for minors was already struck down by a federal judge in 2023…[but] H.B. 1668 “weaponizes civil enforcement by permitting lawsuits against any person who…help[s]…young people in [gender] transition…[authoritarian] parents can sue for minimum damages of $10,000 and up to $10 million in punitive damages for certain forms of medical care…”including without limitation changes in clothing, pronouns, hairstyle, and name”…if enacted, H.B. 1668 could lead to frivolous lawsuits against “hairdressers who cut a trans teen’s hair, teachers who use a student’s chosen name, and nonprofits that offer support.”  Such lawsuits…would be unlikely to hold up in court, as the First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech and free expression.  However, the law is clearly meant to chill support for trans and gender-nonconforming young people with the threat of costly lawsuits…

Shame, Shame (#1493)

The sleaziness has no bottom:

A network of Instagram accounts is using [computers] to steal content from human creators and deepfake their faces to make them look like they have Down syndrome…the accounts…reuse Instagram bios, videos, and in some cases link to the same OnlyFans competitors pages where they monetize these videos…What started as just a few accounts quickly evolved into an entire industry with specialized tools, advertising strategies, and influencers who sell courses on how to create these fake[s]…to get rich quick through what they call “AI pimping.”  Newer accounts in recent months have started catering to increasingly specific niches and fetishes, including accounts of [CGI] women with amputated limbs.  The…Down syndrome accounts are the latest and newest low for [Facebook-owned] Instagram, which allows the rampant content theft that enables this practice and is now fueling a non-consensual fetishization and monetization of (fake) people with disabilities…

Feudalism Redux (#1511)

Since politicians have no spines, it’s good to see some physicians still do:

Organizations like the Massachusetts Medication Abortion Access Project (MAP) are responding to the demand for remote care…During 2024, the MAP says they were mailing abortion medications to nearly 500 patients a month.  In the new year, the monthly average has grown to 3,000 prescriptions a month…80%…[to patients] in Texas or states in the Southeast…the recent indictment from Louisiana will not change the MAP’s plans…state shield laws can’t protect doctors when they leave the state.  If they move or even travel elsewhere, they lose the first state’s protection and risk arrest in the destination state, and maybe extradition to a third state…Physicians doing this type of work accept there are parts of the U.S. that they should no longer go…Any visits, even for a relative’s illness or death, would be too risky…Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill [absurdly barfed the word “fentanyl” at reporters]…but…the U.S. Constitution requires extradition only for those who commit crimes in one state and then flee to another stat…Telemedicine abortion providers aren’t located in states with abortion bans and have not fled from those states — therefore they aren’t required to be extradited back to those states…

Vulture Watching (#1517)

Texas is finally beginning to realize how bad it looks to keep killing pregnant women:

Texas [politici]ans…have filed a bill that aims to make it more clear when a doctor can intervene to save a pregnant patient’s life, despite the state’s near-total abortion ban…the vague language and strict penalties leave [doctors and their lawyers] uncertain of when they are actually free to intervene…Until recently, [politicians pretend]ed that the laws are clear…but at least three women have died, and dozens have reported medical care delayed or denied due to their doctors’ [understandable] hesitation to act…

 

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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Government officials are eager to turn public fears into blank checks for expanding their own intrusive power.  –  J.D. Tuccille

I Spy (#1149)

Grayshift is constantly in a cat-and-mouse game with Apple:

Apple quietly introduced code into iOS 18.1 which reboots the device if it has not been unlocked for a period of time, reverting it to a state which…[makes] it harder for police to break in…an inactivity timer….will cause devices in an AFU state to reboot…AFU refers to After First Unlock, which is when somebody, presumably the phone’s owner, has unlocked the device at least once since being powered on, and which generally can make it easier for [pigs to root in].  BFU, or Before First Unlock, is when a user has not unlocked the phone since it was turned on, and is typically a harder state for forensic tools to crack…Magnet Forensics recently acquired Grayshift, the company that makes the phone unlocking tool GrayKey…

Censorship Ascendant

The government says only government-owned libraries are legal:

In September, a federal appeals court dealt a major blow to the Internet Archive…[by upholding] a lower court ruling that [claimed] the Internet Archive’s huge, digitized lending library of copyrighted books was
not covered by the “fair use” doctrine and infringed on the rights of publishers…The Internet Archive [has]…an online collection of 44 million books and texts [and]…operates a digital lending library called the Open Library.  The Archive owns a physical copy of every book in the Open Library, and it scans and uploads them.  Except for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Archive has allowed only one digital copy of a book to be checked out at a time—a one-to-one owned-to-loaned ratio, just like a brick-and-mortar library.  In 2020, four publishers—Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House—sued the Archive, alleging copyright infringements…”It’s absurd that the Internet Archive is allowed to mail me a physical book it owns.  The physical publishers can’t stop that.  But [the Archive] can’t give me the same content in digital form,” [said] Cara Gagliano, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is representing the Archive in court…

Stalkers in Blue (#1300)

Cops believe all women’s bodies are for their sexual use:

A [typical and representative] Missouri [cop] is [being sued for]…pull[ing women over and using]…traffic stops a[s a pretext to steal] nude photos [from their] cell phone[s]…at least [eight times in all]…Julian Alcala…[used the pretext of] a broken taillight on two separate occasions…for [the woman who filed the suit.  Her] proof of insurance….was on her cell phone, [so] he took her phone back to his car, where he searched her phone for nude photos…took photos of them with his own cell phone and later distributed these photos to others…this isn’t [even close to] the first time…a [cop] has stolen intimate photos off women’s phones.  In 2014, a group of California [cops made]…a “game” of stealing nude photos from arrested women’s phones…

I Spy (#1369)

Civil liberties violations only start with people the government has demonized:

…early in the first Trump administration…the incoming president…call[ed] for “extreme vetting”…of…migrants…and visitors…the U.S. government wanted access to people’s online lives, especially their social media accounts, to continuously monitor their statements and opinions…[via] media, blogs, public hearings, conferences, academic websites, social media websites…radio, television, press, geospatial sources, internet sites, and specialized publications…The monitoring soon applied to millions of people entering legally…Biden…kept the program in place…The Knight First Amendment Institute assisted two documentary filmmakers’ associations who [have] sued to end the program.  The plaintiffs feared government officials peering through their correspondence with colleagues visiting from overseas and scrutinizing the opinions expressed in their communications and their work (arguments are scheduled for December)—and, maybe, sharing the results with partner agencies in other countries…

You Were Warned (#1438)

Australia’s rulers seem even more eager to destroy the internet than US rulers:

Australia’s government says it will introduce…legislation to ban [people] under 16 from social media.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese [belched out magic words like]…”harm”…and…”safety”…to [justify a plan that could only be enforced by forcing everyone to produce ID in order to use the internet]…the government said the ban will not apply to young people already on social media…[politicians and puritans claim] that social media platforms can harm the mental health of adolescents, [but in actuality these problems are caused by government-encouraged intrusive surveillance and infantilization of young adults]…

Paying the Bills

Seven weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $2500.  So that now leaves only a $500 shortfall!  If you can spare some or all of that remainder right now, I’d really appreciate it; that would get this done before Thanksgiving, so it doesn’t interfere with my annual toy drive!

The Cop Myth (#1489)

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

…in August…a [typical and representative Wyoming cop named]…Michael Hughes [got drunk and] wa…ved his [gun around]…at his…apartment [complex.  Responding cops]…evacuat[ed]…some o[f his neighbors after]…he put two bullets…into the apartment above him and “threatened to shoot anyone who comes through the door”…hi[lariously,]…when the S[WAT] Team flew a drone through a broken window [to spy on him] Hughes snatched it out of the air, bent the propellers and threw it back out the window…[yet they continued to play footsie with him for 17 hours instead of attacking with overwhelming force as they would’ve done had there been children, minorities, or old people in the apartment]…

 

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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Just because the tech exists doesn’t mean people/employers have to abuse it.

Pyrrhic Victory (#1065) 

Facial recognition systems have quietly become ubiquitous:

Wegmans Food Markets has launched a facial recognition pilot program at one of its New York City locations, prompting some shoppers to express concerns about privacy and pricing…a Wegmans spokesperson [claimed] the pilot will run for 60 days and…will involve employees who have agreed to participate…the spokesperson [also belched out buzzwords like]…“commitment”…”safe”…”exploring”…and…”security”…the move could usher in dynamic pricing….already…in use by Walmart and Kroger…

Creepy Coppers

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

A [typical and representative Oklahoma cop named]…Ryan Matthew Matthias…[was arrested] for having several files of obscene images of children online…they [tossed his house and found more]…on…several digital devices…

Checklist (#1380)

Airlines:  do you really want to keep accepting liability for employees harassing passengers due to the government propaganda you force-feed them?

A Virginia Beach man was [harassed with “]human trafficking[” propaganda] by Southwest Airlines and [interrogated by] Norfolk International Airport police…John Kerrigan was flying with his [teenage] daughter…and her…friend…back from Las Vegas….[every time] Kerrigan would get up to go to the restroom, the flight attendant was [repeatedly] asking the girls…peculiar questions.  “She keeps asking if we’re all right and if we know you,” Kerrigan[‘s] daughter…told him…Southwest called airport police during the flight [to continue the harassment of not just]…Kerrigan…but the [other] passengers w[ho were detained in their seats while]…three [little pigs] got on and…[humiliated] Kerrigan…[with their sexual fantasies in front of] all of the other passengers…[after interrogating him] for about 20 minutes…[they final]ly let him go…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1479)

All cops will have these within a few years:

A new app developed by a trio of [sociopath]s in Indiana is…using facial recognition technology to provide information about individuals just by looking at them.  The app…utilizes ChatGPT and Meta Glass technology to access public information archives.  “So, we all have a digital footprint, right? How good would it be if eventually, like there aren’t secrets. Knowing who I’m talking to, knowing who I’m about to meet,” said Kris Peterson, [apparently unaware of what a moral imbecile he is revealing himself to be]…Peterson demonstrated how the app could change a stranger’s phone passcode and even access phone contacts to make calls…

The Cop Myth (#1480)

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

A [sociopathic thug paid by the state of Kansas to torture helpless people locked in cages like animals has been] arrested…for…domestic violence…[Sheriff Jeff Easter of] Sedgwick County [delayed action for weeks, is hiding the thugs’s name and picture, and rewarded him with a paid vacation even though he tried to] strangle [his girlfriend on October 7th, then since he was not arrested, beat]…her…on Oct. 28…

The Vultures Descend (#1486)

A few states are managing to beat off the vultures:

…reproductive freedom initiatives…prevailed in seven of the ten states where they were on the ballot.  Measures meant to protect abortion access were approved by voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York.  And most of these weren’t close calls at all…Until [last week], the pro-choice position prevailed in every state where abortion-related measures were on the ballot, including…Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio.  That…pattern is broken somewhat by results in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota…In Florida, 57 percent of voters supported…an Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion…but it falls short of the 60 percent approval threshold required for constitutional amendments in Florida.  In Nebraska, [only] 48.7 percent of voters approved the state’s Right to Abortion measure…But a competing measure—Initiative 434—passed 55.3 percent…and…allows for first trimester abortions but prohibits second and third trimester abortion unless “necessitated by a medical emergency or when the pregnancy results from sexual assault or incest.”  Only in South Dakota…did a reproductive freedom initiative truly flop…

The Cop Myth (#1487)

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

A…Cleveland [cop who wasn’t wearing his magical Clown Costume of Legal Immunity tried to murder his wife]…outside of [an] elementary school [on Halloween]…Alexander Sinclair was [fighting with his victim] off-site and carried…the [violence into the] parking lot…[after ramming] the [victim’s] vehicle [with his]…

 

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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Murder is illegal in Germany, no matter whether a terrorist’s weapon of choice was otherwise banned or permitted.  –  J.D. Tuccille

Time Warp

The Free Press recently published a bizarrely-anachronistic article that reads like something from the height of “sex trafficking” hysteria, 12 years ago.  If you have the stomach to actually read it, you’ll quickly discover why: both the writer and her primary source are Trumpists, and they blame “America’s fastest-growing criminal industry” (remember when that claim was obligatory in every “sex trafficking” tall tale?) on that Trumpist bugaboo, “Biden’s open border”, which apparently exists in the same fantasy world inhabited by toddler hookers shuttled around the country by pimp gorillas in dog crates to be raped 100 times a day by invisible men.  That source is a wannabe “rescuer” of the MAGA variety, similar to the nut bars in Tennessee who were recently raided by the TBI, or the associated Froot Loops in Arizona who harass aid workers and chase people through the desert.  Stenographer Madeleine Rowley gullibly swallows and regurgitates the self-aggrandizing wanking fantasies, the racist tropes, the bogus statistics and psychobabble, the “gang” copaganda, the asinine bragging of dangerous psychopaths like Grady Judd, etc; the only things missing are “King of the Hill” posturing and the claim that the average “victim” is 13.

The Punitive Mindset (#804) 

If there’s anything narrower and meaner than the mind of a prison official, I’m not sure what it might be:

The Texas Department of [Torturing Caged Humans] has banned yet another book in its prisons…this time, it was written by inmates themselves.  TEXAS LETTERS…[is] an ongoing anthology of letters written by [prisoners] detailing their experiences with solitary confinement…The publisher and editor, Damascus James…describes the project as a work that “explores the loss of sanity, humanness, and, oftentimes, hope through the personal writings” of [human being]s who have spent months, years, and sometimes even decades in solitary confinement.  Much of the collection features portrayals of violence from [screws] and grueling accounts of the living conditions…The banning of TEXAS LETTERS was not a surprise for James.  Not only does the Texas prison authority have a reputation for book banning but also for trying to e[uphemize] the term solitary confinement

Torture Chamber (#1441)

The inevitable result of letting sociopathic thugs lock legally-innocent people in filthy cages for long periods of time:

…The[re has been a] spike in deaths at the…Tarrant County [jail since the election of] Sheriff Bill Waybourn…in January 2017…[more than] 65 people have died in [Waybourn’s filthy cages], compared to 25…during the 8-year period that preceded him.  Most of the…[victims were legally innocent], meaning they [were] never…convicted of…[any] crime…[and] his office…appears to be flouting a state law requiring sheriffs to commission outside [cop shop] investigations into all deaths in their jails…Waybourn…blame[s] the deaths on [his victims while]… Tarrant County has paid out millions of dollars to settle lawsuits [due to] horrific treatment of vulnerable people in [his cages]…the largest…involved a [mentally ill] pregnant woman…who deteriorated…for months until she became non-verbal, and eventually gave birth to…a…baby [who] died ten days later…[meanwhile,] Waybourn…[has] cultivated his celebrity status in [the MAGA cult, including going on talk shows and harassing migrants]…despite his county being hundreds of miles from the…border…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1462)

Surveillance beyond the wildest dreams of the Stasi:

German…politicians are responding to an August attack at a festival in Solingen with proposals for knife controls and biometric surveillance.  Given that the country’s already restrictive laws didn’t deter a terrorist from committing violence, it’s not clear why more laws would finally do the trick…The suspect is a 26-year-old Syrian man who was denied asylum and ordered to leave the country; he didn’t…he’s not a law-abiding guy…Would a terrorist…be deterred by stern signs forbidding carrying knives at festivals?…Also proposed is wider use of biometric data, including automated scanning of publicly available photos, audio files, and video on platforms including social media.  Any online information would be considered fair game for German authorities to grab and match against data from protests, crimes, suspects, or…watch lists…the coalition government is keen on expanding mass surveillance even though it was elected in part on a promise to curb such practices

You Were Warned (#1477)

Politicians will use any trick to gain control of the internet:

The U.S. and the U.K. have signed a joint agreement to coordinate efforts to [control the] internet…[using the perennial excuse of] “stronger protections for children”…though…the U.K. [has]…no…free-speech legal tradition or anything like First Amendment jurisprudence …the agreement…[pre]tend[s] that U.S. and U.K. rights and practices can be considered compatible in order to enforce internet [censorship] of materials [politicians in] either…[country point at while belching out] “harmful to children”…according to…the Online Safety Act and the [opinion of]…the Baroness Bertin, [who has had a hand in drafting laws in the US], all adult content would fall into [bannable] categories …By signing the joint agreement, the U.S. appears to endorse…age verification[, which]…has repeatedly been struck down as unconstitutional by U.S. courts…The U.S. domestic legislative proposal most analogous to the OSA is the Kid’s Online Safety Act (KOSA), which is currently stuck in Congress…because of serious constitutional and privacy concerns…

The Cop Myth (#1478)

Cop deals with problems exactly as he was trained & encouraged to, and everyone is shocked:

A [typical and representative] NYPD [cop murdered] his wife before [turning the gun on himself]…Sean…and Arlene O’Neill…[had] three school-age sons [who] were home at the time of the shooting [but were mercifully spared by their murderous father]…Sources [said] the couple [were fighting]…

The Vultures Descend (#1479)

This will keep getting worse until these maniacs are forcibly stopped:

The US…Postal Service…has known for at least the past decade…that foreign-made abortion pills are entering the U.S. and being distributed in quantity without prescription.  FDA regulations hold that this is illegal…[but] days after Roe was overturned in June 2022, the USPIS announced that it would not proactively pursue pill mailers, even in states where abortion was being banned…however…the USPIS does go after people…without medical credentials who mail prescription drugs…so it employs local police dogs and their handlers to check the mail for contraband and provide the probable cause needed to get warrants…Police dogs…are trained to smell only the illegal drugs heroin, marijuana, ecstasy, fentanyl, and cocaine, not the ingredients in abortion pills…[but] canines are exquisitely sensitive to the minutiae of a human’s posture, eye movements, and other subtle behaviors.  Handlers wishing to develop probable cause to do intrusive searches for narcotics can coax their dogs into drug-alerting behavior…Cueing can be deliberate, but it’s more often unconscious…

 

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 staff in these prisons DO NOT see us as human beings.
–  Anthony Ehlers

The Last Shall Be First (#1242)

Looking-glass politicians claim cutting a window into a bathroom “adds privacy”:

A[n]…elected school board…in [Pennsylvania have now designated]…five different types of bathrooms…[on] the…[advice of] a Christian law firm…the board approved spending $8,700 to cut windows so passersby can look into the so-called “gender-identity” student bathrooms…[claim]ing that the windows help “[add] privacy in the toilet facility” and that they “increase oversight of the wash area”…[this] is an intimidation tactic designed to make sure students who use the so-called “gender-identity” facilities…know they’re being watched, controlled and judged…

Thought Control (#1391)

Surely you didn’t think this crusade would stop with libraries and the internet?

[Authoritarian busybodies] are [once again trying to use]…Texas’ obscenity laws…[to ban] sex toys.  The [puritans] are [now claiming] colorful boxes…[only] appeal to children…[and a delusional nitwit named Christin Bentley spastically barfed out non sequiturs about toothbrushes, relativity and libraries while claiming]…”children” are…employees…of [drugstores]…

You Were Warned (#1439)

Politicians keep openly trying to destroy the internet:

Hillary Clinton said on CNN  this weekend that repealing Section 230 of federal communications law should be a top political priority…politicians hate Section 230 precisely because it makes it more difficult for them to censor [or otherwise control] what is said online…Clinton makes [it] sound like [not holding platforms responsible for content they didn’t create is] some sort of aberration or anomaly.  But…if a person on private property engages in speech that is somehow criminal, we don’t hold the property owner liable.  If people use the telephone to hatch criminal plans, we don’t arrest the phone company.  If I use a Sharpie and to write you a threatening letter and then send it in the mail, you can’t sue the makers of Sharpie or the U.S. Postal Service…Clinton went on to make the ridiculous but all too common suggestion that social media companies aren’t actively monitoring and moderating content. “If the platforms—whether it’s Facebook or Twitter…or Instagram or TikTok, whatever they are—if they don’t moderate and monitor the content, we lose total control,” she said…

The last two words of Clinton’s quote spell out exactly what politicians want for the internet.

Thought Control (#1462)

As I’ve said many times, the urge to censor is a mental illness:

As [authoritarians] spread the book-banning movement across the nation, Utah has quickly arisen as one of the most dystopian states…The state recently passed a law that allows it to enact statewide book bans…and…The Utah [Ministry] of [Truth] also suggested adding a stipulation…that would’ve required teachers to burn the books banned statewide…the state’s…politicians and [their henchmen] recently held a book-banning party to…demand that authors “repent” for writing books….[so] the fact that they’re now targeting Little Free Libraries is hardly surprising.  If there’s one thing book banners have proven time and time again, it’s that they never stop…unless they successfully ban and destroy every book they dislike nationwide.  First, they claimed they just wanted to take “inappropriate” books from schools and classrooms, but then they started targeting public libraries.  Then, they began targeting book fairs and book awards and even went after Girl Scouts’ projects.  Their next step is preventing citizens from exchanging books and maintaining Little Free Libraries on their private property…

Torture Chamber (#1462)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”:

Michael Broadway [died of an asthma attack triggered by extreme overheating while locked in a cage by the State of Illinois]…His history of severe asthma was well-documented, and prison medical staff had prescribed him medications for the condition.  Yet [a] nurse instead twice administered…Narcan as she yelled [“Stop faking!”] at Broadway…Th[is obscene excuse for] medical care…is [typical] for the nearly 30,000 people [locked in cages] by the Illinois Department of [Torturing Caged Humans (IDOTCH).  Contractor] Wexford Health Sources…has long [flagrantly]…neglect[ed] and abuse[d victims]…providing such poor treatment to older people with dementia that court monitors [described] it [as] elder abuse…Nonetheless, earlier this year, [IDOTCH] inked a 5-year, $4 billion contract with Wexford [thanks to rampant corruption in State bureaucracy]…

The Cop Myth (#1475)

Cop deals with disagreement exactly as he’s trained and paid to, and everyone claims to be shocked:

A [typical and representative Houston cop named]…Jonathan Torres…was charged with assault…[after he] slammed a laptop shut on his wife’s hands, causing “visible injury”…then told her she was going to jail and…[forcibly] handcuff[ed]…her…he…[then dragged]…her to…the ground…[sat] on her stomach and threatened to tase her if she did not comply with his commands…The wife was “crying and screaming for help”…Torres…was arrested but is [currently at large, apparently after posting bail]…

Also note the attempt to pretend this is atypical by calling him a “rookie”.

Paying the Bills

Two weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $700.  So now I’m only facing a $2300 shortfall; if you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; it would be great if I can catch up by my birthday!

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 privacy threats posed by facial recognition technology are, in many ways, unprecedented.  –  Michal Kosinski

To Molest and Rape

Cops are a menace to women of all ages:

A…Utah [cop named] Bronson Willas Wood [forcibly groped a young] woman “against her consent”…on March 18, 2023, b[ut] she [was afraid to report him before now.  She is a friend of]…Wood’s…daughter, both 19 years old, [and on that night she was visiting their house, when Wood allowed them to]…”drink alcohol and encouraged them to take shots.”  She [eventually went] to sleep on the couch in Wood’s basement, where he later went down and a[ccosted her, claiming]…that “he…had been in love with her” since she was 17 years old…[she called] a friend [to] pick…her up after [convincing] Wood [to] go…back upstairs.  W[hen] confronted the next morning b[y unnamed parties, Wood] initially denied everything…[but] later…conf[ess]ed [his actions that] night…to two [other unnamed] people.  Wood was arrested and [charged with]…forcible sexual abuse and…contributing to the delinquency of a minor…

Only an authoritarian could simultaneously classify someone as a “woman” and a “minor”.  And why is “against her consent” in scare quotes?

The Scarlet Letter (#798)

Professional promiscuity is already criminalized; this clown wants to criminalize amateur promiscuity as well:

Oklahoma [politician]s are seeking to criminalize the spread of several more sexually transmitted diseases, a move…[which] could turn nearly every resident into a felon.  House Bill 3098 adds chlamydia, Hepatitis B, genital herpes, trichomoniasis, and…HPV…infections to the list of…STDs…that are illegal to knowingly or recklessly spread…Previously only smallpox, syphilis and gonorrhea were on the list…Toni Hasenbeck…the bill’s…author, [foamed at the mouth while spouting paranoid nonsense about] domestic abuse…The [law would] deter people from getting the necessary testing and treatment…because of [valid] fears that positive tests could open someone up to prosecution…and…no test exists to diagnose [HPV] in men…

Opting Out (#803)

Never forget that “filter” is merely a euphemism for “censor”:

A middle school student in Missouri had trouble collecting images of people’s eyes for an art project.  An elementary schooler…couldn’t access a picture of…Florence Griffith Joyner to add to a writing assignment.  A high school junior couldn’t read analyses of…The Odyssey for her language arts class.  An eighth grader was blocked repeatedly while researching trans rights…All of these students saw the same message in their web browsers as they tried to complete their work: “The site you have requested has been blocked because it does not comply with the filtering requirements as described by the Children’s Internet Protection Act”…CIPA, a federal law passed in 2000, requires schools seeking subsidized internet access to keep students from seeing…images [politicians, bureaucrats, or their fascist “partner” corporations declare “]obscene or harmful[“.  Many] school districts…go much further, limiting not only what images students can see but what words they can read…forcing students to jump through hoops to complete assignments and keeping them from resources that could support their health and safety…including suicide prevention…

Pyrrhic Victory (#977)

Phrenology for tech worshipers:

Scientists have demonstrated that facial recognition technology can predict a person’s political orientation with a surprising level of accuracy.  Their research, published in the journal American Psychologist, shows that even neutral facial expressions can hold clues to someone’s political beliefs.  This finding poses significant privacy concerns, especially since facial recognition can operate without an individual’s consent…

A Broker in Pillage (#1381)

This will never stop until there are criminal charges for cops who perpetrate the robberies:

The Kansas Legislature unanimously passed a bill overhauling the rules for when police can [legally steal citizens’] property under a practice known as civil asset forfeiture…the legislation would make offenses related to possession or personal use of drugs ineligible for civil asset forfeiture, require [cop shops] to notify county prosecutors of a request for forfeiture within 14 days, and limit when local police can [dodge the restrictions by letting] fed[pigs] “adopt” their forfeiture cases.  It would also require judges to consider whether a seizure is unconstitutionally excessive, put the burden of proof on prosecutors to show that the seizure was proportional to the offense, and allow some property owners to recoup legal costs when they successfully challenge a seizure…More than 30 states have reformed their asset forfeiture laws over the past decade…but Kansas was not among them.

The Cop Myth (#1423)

Cop violence is never limited to members of the public:

An Akron [cop] who is under scrutiny for shooting a teen earlier this month was [previously arrest]ed in two violent, drunken incidents with his girlfriend.  In December 2020, [pig] Ryan…Westlake threw h[is girlfriend] into a coffee table…[while they were together in] Florida…Westlake then pinned her arms to the ground under his legs and struck her [repeatedly, but] she declined to press charges.  A few weeks later at Westlake’s…apartment…[he] pushed her to the ground and [gave her a black] eye…[then] pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her and her father…the girlfriend again declined to…[press charges, but then-]Mayor Dan Horrigan…[fired him, saying he] wasn’t “fit” to be an Akron officer.  One day later…the Akron police union [got him] reinstated [by issuing unspecified threats] and [he was merely] suspended for 71 days…Westlake [had] numerous [other] disciplinary actions against him [as well, leaving naifs]…in the community questioning why Westlake was still on the job April 1 when he shot Tavion Koonce-Williams…

No Escape (ROTW #8)

Government uses a shell game to avoid making actual reforms:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons [has] announced…that it will close a…women’s prison in California…known as the “rape club”…after several years of [unserious] efforts to root out systemic misconduct and abuse…Eight Dublin employees, including a former warden, have since been convicted or pleaded guilty to [rape and] sexual…assault…[yet] the culture of abuse and whistleblower retaliation [predictably] continued…this is not the first time the BOP has [made the cosmetic change of] shuttering a scandal-ridden prison [rather than enacting meaningful reform.  In this case]…the women currently [locked in rape cages] at Dublin will be transferred to other [rape cages], and…no [rapist or enabler screws will] lose their jobs [but will instead merely be transferred to other cage stacks, to continue raping and enabling as before]…

 

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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To prohibit vice is not ordinarily considered within the police power of the state.  –  Justice Jackson Temple, 1887

The Camel’s Nose (#584)

There is nothing as hard to kill as a bad law:

Twelve years ago, internet users spoke up with one voice to reject a law that would build censorship into the internet at a fundamental level.  This week, the Motion Picture Association…announced that it hoped we’d all forgotten how dangerous this idea was…What the MPA wants is the power to block entire websites…using the same tools as repressive regimes like China and Russia.  To it, instances of possible copyright infringement should be played like a trump card to shut off our access to entire websites…It is not simply calling for the ability to take down instances of infringement—a power they already have, without even having to ask a judge—but for the keys to the internet…The bills known as SOPA/PIPA would have created a new, rapid path for…major studios to use court orders against sites they accuse of infringing copyright.  Internet service providers…receiving one of those orders would have to block all of their customers from accessing the identified websites.  The orders would also apply to domain name registries…registrars…and…other companies and organizations that make up the internet’s basic infrastructure…all of those would have to build new infrastructure dedicated to site-blocking, inviting over-blocking and all kinds of abuse…In other words, the right to choose what websites you visit would be taken away from you and given to giant media companies and ISPs.  And the very shape of the internet would have to be changed to allow it…

The Peril

As I have said many times, all prohibition is the same, yet people often fail to understand just how much the same it is.  In this article, Reason‘s Jacob Sullum traces the origin of the US drug war back to exactly the same root as the US War on Whores: the deeply racist anti-Chinese moral panic of the 1870s.  Unless you’re already intimately familiar with the topic, you will definitely want to read this one in its entirety.

Creepy Coppers

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

[A Phoenix, Arizona cop named] Alaa Robert Bartley…[regularly engaged in ageplay with] a Michigan woman [named] Sarah Elizabeth Chadwick…via…WhatsApp…[Chadwick] transmitted child pornography to Bartley on several occasions, and…[when she] was arrested in November 2023…and…federally charged with…child pornography…[the] FBI [rooted in her]…phone[, thus leading them to] Bartley…On April 4, co[ps tossed]…Bartley’s person, residence, personal vehicles, and…phone…[and found] over 49,000 images and 700 videos…of [child porn]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1332) 

Missouri seems completely uninterested in controlling its psychopathic politicians:

…a St. Louis judge has allowed Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s investigation into…gender-affirming care services to proceed.  Last year, Planned Parenthood…sued Bailey over his [illegal] demand that they turn over patient documents disclosing private information on minors to whom the clinic provided gender-affirming care…Judge Michael Stelzer denied Bailey’s [illegal] Demand for these [HIPAA-protected] patient documents, but has allowed his investigation into the clinic’s care to continue…Bailey treated the decision as a political win [despite its stopping his attempt to criminalize and harass the parents of trans youth]…

Texas’ attorney general is conducting a similar theatrical “investigation”.

You Were Warned (#1377)

“Monkey see, monkey do” politicians never bother to observe the consequences of laws they ape:

Google has temporarily blocked links from local news outlets in California from appearing in search results in response to the advancement of [yet another arse-backward “link tax”] bill that would require [internet] companies to pay publications for [sending them free traffic]…Google will also…cut…California publications from its…News Showcase…[Facebook has] said it would be forced to [take similar measures if politicians foolishly pass the law]…The California bill is the latest [mind-bogglingly stupid attempt] to [break the internet]…Facebook…and…Google…have [been forced to take] similar [action due to similar idiotic] legislation in Australia and Canada…Similar legislation is being considered in Illinois [despite the obvious fact that the outcome will be exactly the same]…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #8)

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

A…Wisconsin [cop assigned to spy on, harass, and intimidate students] has been arrested on a felony sexual assault charge for [molesting] a female student…after [her] parents reported…his…behavior…Kewaskum Police Chief Thomas Bishop immediately [started bloviating hot air about isolated incidents and “high moral standards”, yet is hiding the identity of the porcine molester]…

UPDATE: Molester cop Steven Rosales’ name and picture were revealed after he was also caught fucking his dog.

To Molest and Rape (#1429)

This will continue for as long as cops are allowed to “police” themselves:

David Gregson was around 12 years old…when…[New York cop] Roger L. Coon Jr…[began to subject him to] four years of sexual abuse…Coon — who died in 2003 at age 73 — molested him at his house, at a camp he furnished behind his property, and “dozens” of times in his [pigmobile] during a period stretching from around 1977 to 1981…Gregson is [now] suing the state of New York…under the 2019 Child Victims Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for…child sexual abuse.  Although Coon…sexually abus[ed] numerous boys over a period of decades, and [was] convicted twice…[for it], the state is fighting Gregson’s lawsuit…[cops covered for Coon until] September 1982, after a [different] teenager [reported] Coon…[who was allowed] to retire two weeks later…without facing any discipline or criminal consequences…Two years after his retirement, Coon pleaded guilty…to molesting three boys between the ages of 10 and 12 years old…he…was sentenced to three years’ probation…but [insisted] he [ha]dn’t…done anything wrong [because] there was “never any force” used in his sexual abuse…In 2001, Coon was sentenced to six months in jail and five years probation for sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy…

 

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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License to Rape

Prohibition turns the body of every citizen into a “crime scene”, which can be violated by cops at will:

Pennsylvania [cops] have reached a settlement with a woman who [was subjected to] an unnecessary and humiliating strip-search after she was pulled over for a minor traffic violation…by [lying rapist] Brian Rousseau…he [and another male cop threatened and coerced her into “]consent[ing”] to [a] search [of] her vehicle…but [they] found no sign of drugs, illegal weapons, or other [excuse they could use to molest her].  However, that wasn’t enough for the[m to get their jollies, so they called] a female [cop to molest her.  But when]…Elish [told the female cop] that she didn’t know [why they were targeting her]…the female [cop refused to actually root around in her vagina and anus, disappointing]…Rousseau…[who then decided to ticket] Elish…for driving five miles per hour over the speed limit.  That…was dropped…when Rousseau failed to appear at the hearing…

If Men Were Angels

A [Catholic] priest [named Fernando Gonzalez Ortega]…has been arrested [in Brownsville, Texas] for multiple sex-trafficking charges and…continuous sexual abuse of a child…

To Molest and Rape (#1280)

Chicago originally hid this costumed rapist’s picture:

A [typical and representative] Chicago [cop skated with a mere]…year in federal prison…for the [rape]…of a transgender woman in..his [pigmobile after threatening her with arrest]…James Sajdak…[raped the sex worker] on March 5, 2019.  He had originally faced up to life behind bars…but under [a cushy, cops-only] plea agreement with prosecutors, the sentence was capped at 12 months…Sajdak…[wept crocofile tears and made excuses in a transparent bid for sympathy]…Sajdak…[us]ed his [pigmobile] sirens [and magic clown costume to intimidate]…the victim…into [submitting to rape]…biting [her in the process] and [then throwing a few bucks at her so if he got caught he could claim it was a business transaction rather than a rape]…Sajdak had been recommended for firing more than 20 years ago [for theatening a parolee with] bogus drug charges…[then] in…2013…he and [his gang] se[xually assaulted]…a woman [under the pretext of a “]search[“]…

No Escape

This guy must be well-connected for the Big Pigs to pay attention to his girlfriend’s report:

A [typical and representative Texas screw named]…James Gray…[has been] arrest[ed]…for…[sexually] assaulting…[a prisoner who was not identified, though her boyfriend’s name is] Randall Vradenburg…He said she called him on [February 23rd] to tell him what happened…and…[the] hands[y screw was arrested and apparently sacked within days]…

To Molest and Rape (#1418)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

[Typical and representative Oklahoma cop] Brandon LeDoux…face[s] felony charges…[for molesting a teenage girl,] attempt[ing] to [undress her, and]…showing [her porn]…on his smartphone [in what appears to be a clumsy attempt to seduce her]…

And it’s rare that they’re caught after only one victim:

A [typical and representative Missouri cop has been charged with]…additional sex crimes [after two more victims came forward]…Justin Durham…[was first] indicted…in September on charges of rape, sodomy, child pornography possession and sexual trafficking of a child…[then] a federal grand jury…indicted [him] in October on federal…child pornography [charges]…

To Molest and Rape (#1419)

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

A [typical and representative] Yakima [Washington cop assigned to spy on, harass, and intimidate students] is now facing charges for a sexual relationship with a teen girl and for raping her drunk friend…Elias Huizar…got a protection order against the then 13-year-old girl after she allegedly told others they had a sexual relationship…and [contacted] his wife…[who]…divorce[d him later that year]…Huizar…re[-established contact with the girl in] 2022 when she was 15…she soon became pregnant, and their baby was born [last] April…She [then] started living with him and [is now] 17…on Feb. 2…[she was] drinking…[with a] younger girl [who got so drunk she] felt sick…Both were…asleep when Huizar’s girlfriend woke to find Huizar [rap]ing her friend…

UPDATE: It rapidly got much, much worse.

When will people get tired of sacrificing their daughters to the cop cult?

A [Pennsylvania cop assigned to spy on, harass, and intimidate students] was arrested on [February 13th] for [repeat]edly [moles]ting a student.  Jordan Jones..[wa]s charged…[after the girl] disclosed to a counselor that…Jones [had groomed and molested her]…

It’s rare they’re caught before they successfully molest any students, but the nauseating excuse-making in this story is not rare:

[Omar Connor, a cop paid to spy on, harass, and intimidate students] in Groton, Massachusetts, has been fired…[because] he harassed students and staff, including asking one student if she wanted to come to his house to have sex…[but dopey reporters seem to consider his cop shop’s claims about his “popularity” more credible than the statements of] students and [staff he harassed because one] parent…[claimed she] “Never…hear[d] anything bad about him, ever”…

 

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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Over and over and over again…the system itself harms children and families.  –  Wendy Bach

Monsters

Nex Benedict, a gender-nonconforming 16-year-old in Owasso, Oklahoma, died on February 8th after what school officials are calling “a fight” in the girls’ bathroom involving three older girls.  Of course, they always call it a “fight” even when three kids beat one kid’s head against a tile floor hard enough to send them to the hospital.  News coverage of Nex’s death is all over the place, though much of it quotes the absurd claim that the death was pure koinkydink, unrelated to the beating; or claims Nex started it; or uses their birth name.  The only things that are certain is that Oklahoma politicians have stoked a climate of fear and hate against kids like Nex, who was forced to use the bathroom corresponding to their biological sex despite the obvious danger, and is now dead as a result.  I’ll publish a follow-up when there seems to be some consensus about facts instead of conflicting masses of self-serving political bullshit, butt-covering by school officials, and speculation by outsiders.  But for now the important thing to keep in mind is that this idiotic culture war is not only an unforgiveable waste of time and resources, but has an actual body count.

Social Autoimmune Disorder (#594)

There’s never a shortage of useful idiots who think the leopards will never eat their faces:

San Francisco [idio]ts living along Capp Street in the Mission District spent much of last year pushing for [magic bill-elimination] barriers to…[“abate” the “]prostitution problem[“.  Of course, as sensible people predicted, the stroll merely moved] a few blocks down [to] the Shotwell Street area…[now useful idiots]…have drafted a petition, calling on the city to install 16 of its new license plate reader cameras in the neighborhood…Mayor London Breed..is also pushing for Proposition E to pass, which would allow the city to use facial recognition cameras for surveillance

To Molest and Rape

Just another typical and representative cop:

[The Washington DC cop shop is hiding the identity of a pig who raped a woman in his pigmobile] in [Montgomery County] Maryland…he has been [rewarded for the crime with a] paid [vacation]…the woman [was apparently lured into the car]…on Feb. 1…[under the pretext of a “date”]…

Property of the State (#1182)

Oklahoma is another state which seems to simply hate women:

Amanda Aguilar’s…baby tested positive for marijuana…[because] Aguilar had been taking the drug to treat severe morning sickness…Medical marijuana is legal in Oklahoma, and she had a doctor-approved state license to use it.  Her son was healthy at birth.  But the hospital r[at]ted her [out] to child welfare workers, who handed over her baby’s drug test results to police…In June, a judge in Kay County tossed out the charges against Aguilar…she [had not] broke[n] state law…But the [sociopathic] local prosecutor…filed an appeal to reinstate the charges, [moronically] arguing that…the fetus…did not have its own, separate license to use medical marijuana.  The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals is expected to hear the arguments later this year…potentially opening the door for more criminal cases…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1327)

There is absolutely no legitimate reason for a vending machine to have this capability:

A set of [computerized] vending machines at the University of Waterloo is expected to be removed from campus after…a student noticed an error message on one of the[m which]…appeared to indicate there was a problem with a facial recognition application…A picture of the error message was posted online and students quickly started sharing it..Since then, many have tried to cover a small hole on the machine that they believe houses a camera…the manufacturer…Invenda…[claims] the…machines can detect the presence of a person, their estimated age and gender…”without storing such data on permanent memory mediums [sic] or transmitting it over the Internet”…

This certainly casts a different light on another, similar story:

Amazon is in the process of replacing a breakroom coffee machine in its Maple Grove [Minnesota] warehouse after an employee inadvertently discovered a camera inside the machine that took pictures of the breakroom…[the] East African workers…who comprise a sizable [fraction] of Amazon’s Minnesota workforce…have a history of protesting the company’s wages and workplace conditions…a labor organization…said the situation is concerning because of previous incidents where the retail giant used tech to track workers’ productivity in excessive and illegal ways

Any information which exists can be misused by corporations or demanded by cops; the only way to stop that privacy invasion is not to collect the information in the first place.

The Cop Myth (#1395)

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

A Vallejo [California cop] was arrested…on Valentine’s Day after his ex-girlfriend reported to Oakland police that he’d threatened and harassed her for months…Ronald Dupree…[had previously been] reported…to Vallejo police [but they did nothing except tell Dupree she had reported him]…Dupree started texting or calling her dozens of times per day, often from a blocked number…he al[so]…threatened her, adding that he knew how to dispose of a body, and that he would file a missing person’s report to locate her if she ever tried to hide…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #6)

Your “leaders” say this trash is fit to “correct” others:

A [typical and representative Pennsylvania screw]…sexually abused a [14-year-old] teenage girl…John Mollica…[seduced] the girl, [telling her] “I’m obsessed with you and I’m willing to kill for you”…[and giving] her cash…and [gifts]…when [cops] questioned Mollica…he…denied having a “relationship” with the teen and further stated that he thought she was only 11 years old…

 

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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