Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged blogging, censorship, ethics, Germany, internet, language, McNeill's Law, Nice While It Lasted, Not for Any Reason Whatsoever, psychology, surveillance, The Mob Rules on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »
We’re at the dawn of a surveil-and-snitch state that will make East Germany look like a model of privacy in comparison. – “The Mob Rules”
The more any man crusades against a particular sex act, the more likely he is to be a practitioner. – “Virtue Signaling”
Power begets the lust for power, and that lust is the most dangerous of all perversions. – “Lust for Power”
Computers, they get smaller all the time/Singers still twist lines to get a rhyme.
– “The Beat Goes On“
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, Words, tagged internet, language, psychology on September 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Making the possessive pronoun "my" part of the name of a product not intended for preschoolers is a subtle judgment on the personality and intellectual level of the product's intended purchasers & users.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-08-18T17:32:20.897Z
Most stupid fads last only a few years at most, and then they’re gone. But labeling everything “my this” or “my that” as though it were a product aimed at first-graders started with Microsoft’s inane “My Computer” and similar drivel in the mid-90s, and has only grown worse since. Websites presumably intended for adults in areas ranging from banking to healthcare are burdened with the puerile label, which I can never read without imagining it scrawled in crayon. They irritate me so badly I find myself unable to use anything so dubbed; back in the long-ago days when I was still using Windows, one of the first things I’d do upon getting a new computer was to get rid of childish display terms, substituting more adult ones like “Computer” (for “My Computer”) and “Garbage” (for “Recycle Bin”). As far as I can tell, the only reason for the continued popularity of this patronizing pap is that it reflects the corporate world’s opinion of the average intellectual level of US consumers, and given the political and social developments of the past 30 years, I can’t really say they’re wrong. 
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Perception, Tyranny, tagged abortion, artificial stupidity, blogging, cops, Enshittification, ethics, Google, language, lawheads, left-right myth, Life Imitates Artifice, prohibitionist myths, propaganda, psychology, rape on August 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »
It’s probably difficult for people under 40 to imagine the frustration of being unable to complete a multi-part story due to the conclusion being unavailable.
– “Missing Parts”
A corpse is no less dead if the hail of bullets in his back were fired “on duty”, and a woman or child no less traumatized if told that their rape was actually a “search” or “investigation”.
– “Off-Duty”
I suspect that the reason the “forced sex trafficking abortions” myth didn’t become more popular is that, despite the considerable overlap between anti-whore and anti-abortion activism, abortion rights constitute a sacred cow among the “progressives” who did much of the heavy lifting promoting the moral panic.
– “Life Imitates Artifice (#1366)”
The concept of “consent” seems foreign to the company whose slogan was once “Don’t be evil”. – “Enshittification“
Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged acting, California, cops, Gullible's Travels, hysteria, language, Louisiana, Maryland, Never Call the Cops, Passive Voice, Pennsylvania, psychology, Things We Choose To Do Together, TikTok, Twitter, video on August 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Everything that becomes big attracts the attention of lots of people, some of whom see Satan and demons everywhere. – Joseph Uscinski
Another influential Louisiana musician is gone, and here’s his biggest hit as a sendoff. The links above the video were provided by Jesse Walker & Dan Savage; IncarcerNation (x3); Mike Stabile; and Reason, in that order.
From the Archives
I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one. Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful. But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer. So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets. Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements. Thanks so much!
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged blogging, censorship, ethics, hysteria, King of the Hill, language, politicians, propaganda, shame, Shame Shame, STEM on August 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Good luck explaining th[e danger of censorship] to people who actually think fake nude pictures are worse than totalitarianism. – “Shame, Shame (#1163)”
To a mind…unaccustomed to independent thought, being part of a group that can be said to be the “most” at anything is something to be proud of. – “Bragging Rights”
One reason I’ve never used cryptocurrency [is that] it was clear there would never be a dependable, government-proof way to turn it into actual money. – “Decentralization (#1365)”
Though I’ve read the explanation of why the cohort born from 1928 to 1945 was first named “The Silent Generation“, I cannot fathom how so many nitwits still think it’s a good label. – “Silent, Indeed“
Posted in Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, The Dark Side, Tyranny, Words, tagged abortion, advertising, agency denial, blogging, ethics, fantasy, language, law, politicians, pragmatism, Presents, psychology, STEM, Swedish model, video, violence vs. sex workers on August 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »
[Though] practical gifts…may not be the stuff of male fantasy like fancy lingerie and expensive jewelry…they mean far more to me [because] they…allow…me to create the comfortable home I plan to spend the rest of my life in.
– “Brazen Solicitation”
Prohibitionist politicians…think the state has the right to classify a bee as a fish, define pi as “3”, or declare that the laws of the State supersede the laws of science in any other way. – “A Blastocyst By Any Other Name”
The Swedish model is not “partial decriminalization”, and I wish people (especially reporters; we expect lies from politicians) would stop pretending otherwise.
– “Partial Bullshit”
One of the reasons I semi-retired is because I had it up to here…with buying, keeping up with, writing, and jumping through the stupid censor-demanded hoops of escort advertising. – “And Now For a Word…”
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Music, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged advertising, animals, BDSM, blogging, Bluesky, bogus studies, censorship, comics, consensual crime, cops, disease, drugs, Florida, Grace, hysteria, illegal aliens, imaginative fiction, infidelity, internet, Japan, language, left-right myth, libraries, politicians, Post-Christianity, prisons, prohibitionist myths, propaganda, psychology, sex work is work, Twitter, vaccines, Vietnam, Washington (state) on July 18, 2025| 1 Comment »
The world was beautiful for eons before there were self-aware eyes to appreciate it, and it will still be beautiful for eons after we are all gone. And there are countless other beautiful worlds which have never been seen, and never WILL be seen, by thinking beings.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T17:08:13.335Z
Intentionally conflating normal people whose lives are ruined by persecution with shameless politicians returned to prominence by a machine is a choice. A stupid or evil choice, but a choice nonetheless.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T17:10:38.247Z
It came from the same place as the "300,000 trafficked children being raped 100 times a day" came from: the Justification for State Violence factory.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T15:25:32.902Z
"Vice offenses" is a government dysphemism for "poor people enjoying the same adult pastimes as politicians".
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-20T17:31:41.920Z
If the HPV vaccine had been available 20 years earlier, my beloved Grace might still be alive.Get vaccinated, while you still can.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-21T17:38:43.497Z
If you had written a satire in the 1980s or '90s where the president of the US wears a freaking BALL CAP everywhere, even in serious situations like giving formal speeches or planning goddamned WAR, critics would've said it was unrealistic.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-22T07:50:44.028Z
Actual LOL.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-23T07:57:01.365Z
PROTIP: If you can't use a word without feeling a psychological compulsion to misspell it by replacing one of its letters with "x", find a different word.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-24T16:51:07.852Z
Now if only we can get the US to abolish summary execution for misdemeanors.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-25T17:45:45.761Z
I'm not one to kink shame, but have these people no discretion? I mean really. bsky.app/profile/meid…
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-26T08:12:44.396Z
Your regular reminder that websites outside the US can ignore US law, and the only way the US can stop them is by playing an endless game of whack-a-mole.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-27T18:27:08.695Z
I've decided the proper term for ICE thugs who hide their faces & leap out of vans to abduct people is "goons". I use the venerable term "spooks" to describe most G-men, but as one born during the '60s spy craze I can't help feeling it implies a degree of cleverness completely lacking in ICE goons.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-28T18:34:21.499Z
At this point, his being made into a martyr is probably less damaging in the long run.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-29T16:53:32.222Z
I'm not one to kink shame, but maybe you should keep this between you and your dominatrix.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-30T03:19:42.645Z
His approval rating is still MUCH too high. We need to see "Mussolini's funeral" approval ratings for him and his whole gang.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T02:40:20.242Z
Look at the bright side; the next two or three generations will have new cartoon villains to use in fiction, so they won't have to reach all the way back to the historical German Nazis whom absolutely none of them are old enough to remember as anything BUT cartoon villains.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-02T17:59:01.208Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4-G…
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-03T07:57:38.253Z
No. Both used their votes to help THEMSELVES politically. The difference lies not in their motive, but in their interpretation of what kind of vote will improve their political fortunes.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-04T17:52:24.728Z
Actually, YOU don't choose which entity you're praying to; the content of your prayers does that automatically.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-05T17:16:41.634Z
Yes, that's the point.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-07T03:52:48.861Z
I like to think Grace was there in spirit, jamming along on a ghostly bass; Ozzy was probably her favorite musician.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-07T17:51:16.476Z
Trump declares that whales can fly.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T17:36:38.666Z
THIS. Reporters need to STOP using Trump's second-grade names for everything. STOP calling legislation that will result in millions forced into poverty and a metastasized police state as "beautiful". STOP using cutesy nicknames for concentration camps. Just fucking STOP.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-09T18:21:48.165Z
The most realistic part of this joke is Trump not knowing that $1000 bills were discontinued in 1969 and banks are required to send any they get to the Treasury to be destroyed.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-10T04:21:57.746Z
Reporters: are y'all ready to use the word "megalomania" yet?
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-11T07:44:20.516Z
"What we need is not a non-volatile storage medium which is impossible to change once created, allowing dependable preservation of their contents, but rather centralized digital media which can be surreptitiously changed by 'authorities' at will, possibly without people noticing."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-12T17:08:42.978Z
It always astonishes me to see people making the equivalent argument to, "air travel, including both freight and passenger, should be a government monopoly, because billionaires."It *shouldn't* astonish me because people really are that stupid. But that's the last little pest in Pandora's box.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-13T17:27:32.516Z
Watching Trump name things has given me a new respect for the names Eternian villains choose for themselves.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-14T18:34:26.533Z
This looks like liquid fabric softener.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-15T08:15:13.976Z
The way I've explained it friends who don't live here is: "Seattle people drive on the highway as though it were a surface street; on surface streets as though they were parking lots; and in parking lots as though they were at a square dance and the caller has left the room."
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-16T08:22:47.910Z
Guys, I keep telling y'all that seeing escorts is less expensive in the long run.
— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-17T19:08:26.779Z
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged abortion, artificial stupidity, blogging, consensual crime, cops, evidence, language, Magic Formulae, politicians, psychology, robots, scams, Twitter on July 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
There are no magic words, practices or talismans that will ward off the evil of state violence any better than carrying a rabbit’s foot or making the sign of the cross.
– “Ward Against Evil”
Greeting to all the “criminals” the Council of Wizards created recently with a single magical proclamation. – “Welcome to the Underworld”
It’s shocking how much pro-mob rule idiocy is emitted by people burbling about the rights of minorities…which essentially don’t exist under the mob rule systems these dolts favor. – “Lazy Tweets”
Anyone who issued a “civil service officer card” to a piece of office equipment should be sacked for incompetence. – “Artificial ‘Intelligence’? (#1454)“
Posted in Diary, tagged animals, language, Sunset on July 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »
For most of the year, this is the perfect place for the animals’ water trough; it’s directly below the highest-volume downspout, not far from the stable, and it’s low enough that the pigs can drink from it as easily as the llama can. But from the beginning of June until mid-September, there isn’t enough rain to keep it full at all times, so earlier this year I hooked up a battered old hose to the faucet directly below the water tank in the utility room, and ran it through the basement to the trough. I check it two or three times a day, and when I find the water level low I turn on the spigot and fill it. But Louie has learned that on hot days, he can actually put his front feet in it and splash water all over his face and back; if the level is low enough or he’s persistent enough, he can actually empty the whole thing and invert it onto his back! I have seen him out there, looking like a tortoise with a rubber shell, but I never have my phone handy when he starts doing it. What all this means is that on hot days, I need to check it even more often because it can go from completely full to bone-dry in a relatively short time, should he decide to have a wade. And that may help those of y’all who have never lived around pigs to understand why we have given the word “pig” the metaphorical meanings we all recognize.
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