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Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’

In the News (#1465)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Just because [a surveillance experiment] happens at the border doesn’t mean that that’s where it’s going to stay.  –  Petra Molnar

If Men Were Angels

Apparently this preacher wasn’t the molester, but is covering for him:

A [North Carolina] pastor [named Kenny Parker] is facing charges [because] he failed to report…a string of sexual assault[s of legal] minors that spanned…several years…Parker is also the chief administrator of the church’s school…

Creepy Coppers

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

A[n Illinois cop named]…William Griswold…[has been arrested] for [possession and distribution of] child pornography…and…was immediately placed on unpaid leave…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1235)

Undermining of civil liberties only starts with “undesirables”; it never stops there:

…DHS…plans to collect and analyze photos of the faces of migrant children at the border in a bid to improve facial recognition technology…This includes children “down to the infant”…Facial recognition…has traditionally not been applied to children, largely because training data sets of real children’s faces…consist of either low-quality images drawn from the internet or small sample sizes with little diversity…[due to] the significant [ethical issues] regarding privacy and consent when it comes to minors…[but] DHS [doesn’t give a damn about the consent of migrants and]…339,234 children arrived at the US-Mexico border in 2022…if the face prints of even 1% of those children had been [scanned], the resulting data set would dwarf nearly all existing data sets of real children’s faces…and [all obtained]…from a population that has little recourse…Petra Molnar, author of The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of AI [said]…“if…you are faced with the impossible choice of either: get into a country if you give us your biometrics, or you don’t…That completely vitiates informed consent”…This question becomes even more challenging when it comes to children…

A Broker in Pillage (#1289)

Burying government in lawsuits is the only way to slow its depredations:

A new class action lawsuit [was filed because] Indiana [cop shops steal]…millions of dollars a year in cash from FedEx packages without eve[n] in[vent]ing…a…crime [to accuse the owners of].  Henry and Minh Cheng, who run a small California jewelry wholesaler business, [explain] in [the]…suit…that [cops stole] over $42,000 in cash from a FedEx package en route to them from a client in Virginia…[but] they’re not the only victims…Indiana [cops] “exploit Indianapolis’s location at the Crossroads of America to [steal] millions of dollars in currency being shipped from one side of the nation to the other.”  The Chengs’ countersuit against the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the State of Indiana was filed on their behalf by the Institute for Justice…Marion County [alone] has s[tolen] $2.5 million…from at least 130 FedEx parcels in transit from one non-Indiana state to another over the past two years…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1301)

Sometimes I just can’t force myself to take cops’ sophomoric pomposity seriously:

[Michigan] Sheriff Chris Swanson [dressed up in a sheet with two holes cut in it and jumped out, yelling “BOO!” at a typical and representative Florida cop named]…Jeffrey Morningstar…Swanson [bragged about how spooky he and his cronies were, pretending to be a (presumably deceased)]…trafficker selling a 15-year-old…Morningstar…want[ed] to…have sex with [for a thrift-store price]…“W[oooooooo, aren’t you scared?”]…Swanson [demanded, claiming] that [he plans to keep running around, startling]…anyone…he [can]…find…

Thou Shalt Not (#1353)

Only a prohibitionist could imagine that examining 10 people constitutes a “study”:

Consuming a drink with erythritol — an artificial sweetener used to add bulk to stevia and monk fruit [sweeteners] and to sweeten low-carb keto products — more than doubled the risk of blood clotting in 10 healthy people…Previous research has linked erythritol to a higher risk of stroke, heart attack and death…Consuming a drink with an equal amount of glucose, or sugar, did not affect blood platelet activity in another group of 10 people…

Dangerous Speech (#1368)

Much more of this, please:

A [typical and representative] Kansas police chief who led a raid last year on a weekly newspaper has been charged with felony obstruction of justice…Gideon Cody…[led] the raid [in retaliation for] the Marion County Record [investigating the fact that he was hired despite resigning in disgrace from his previous job due to incompetence and shitty behavior]…Publisher Eric Meyer’s mother, who co-owned the newspaper and lived with him, died the next day of a heart attack…[due] the stress of [armed pigs invading her home].  Meyer said…authorities appear to be making Cody the “fall guy” for the raid when numerous officials were involved…The Record…and [some of its] staffers have filed four federal lawsuits against Cody and [his gang]…includ[ing] a wrongful death claim [for] total damages exceed[ing] $10 million.  The city’s current annual budget is about $9.5 million…

 

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 (#1456)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

In my movies, everybody always dies.  –  Brian Steven Smith

Surplus Women

Your “leaders” work hard to ensure this happens more often:

Brian Steven Smith…[of] South Africa…[has] been [sentenced to 226 years in prison for the]…murder[s of two Alaska native sex workers,] Kathleen Henry in 2019 and Veronica Abouchuk, either in 2018 or 2019…[Smith made] graphic videos…[of] Henry’s [murder, then drove around with her]…body in the back of his pickup for two days before dumping her body on a rural road south of Anchorage…The video never shows [his] face but his distinctive [South African] accent is heard…narrat[ing] as if to an audience and urges Henry to die as she’s repeatedly beaten and strangled in an Anchorage hotel room…Valerie Casler…who provided the images to police…stole…Smith’s [phone from the console of his] pickup when they were on…a [professional] date…[and] found…[the] video on it…[then] transferred [it] to an SD card she [gave to police]…During an eight-hour police interrogation…Smith confessed to police that he also killed Abouchuk…and shot her in the head before dumping her body north of Anchorage…police…later found a skull with a bullet wound there…

To Molest and Rape

Rapist cops often specifically target vulnerable women:

A West Palm Beach [Florida cop named]…James Bush…was arrested on July 12 [for trying to rape a woman]…after a man called [911] to evict his girlfriend.  When Bush arrived, he told the man to leave…the[n immediately] asked her if she wanted to “go upstairs and have some fun.”  He then grabbed her arm…[and dragged] her to a bedroom, [where he] tried to…oral[ly rape her, then switched tactics to]…offer…her “$2,000 to get your own place”…[she] eventually [got him to leave, but he returned with another cop]…hours later…[when] the…boyfriend called police again…The woman [then] told the [other cop] that Bush had sexually assaulted her and that she had evidence on her phone.  “Bush grabbed her phone during a struggle and deleted video, which was retrieved during the subsequent investigation”…

The Implosion Begins (#1079)

Now that the hysteria has imploded, local media are happy to attack the same fantasies they eagerly spread for two decades:

…a sting operation to nab sexual predators…was run…in May by Millersville [Tennessee] Assistant Police Chief Shawn Taylor and a colorful cast of [fellow psychopaths] he assembled…Taylor did not involve other law enforcement agencies with more experience in such operations because of his un[til-recently popular] conspiracy theories that…state officials are involved in child sex trafficking…Members of a private group posed online as minors — despite Millersville police being told by prosecutors that the sting would be legal only if [pigs] were the ones doing the [entrapment]…Taylor [claimed] investigators would be using [illegal] “pre-signed search warrants”…he…has voiced support for all sorts of bizarre…child sex trafficking [myths which were popular with reporters as long as they only demonized sex workers instead]…of…powerful…Democrats…[and] imagines that Millersville, a community of about 6,000 people just north of Nashville, is at the center of Tennessee’s drug and human trafficking operations…Two of the men were introduced to the group as “prayer warriors,” who are part of a group that believes…human trafficking i[nvolves]…”demons”…and former Navy SEAL Craig “Sawman” Sawyer…[who in 2018] took a Tucson TV crew to a camp that he [fantasiz]ed might have been used for child sex trafficking…

Follow Your Bliss (ROTW #2)

Beware of men who “volunteer” to be in positions of authority over your kids:

A [Michigan church volunteer named]…Jonathan Russell is facing 10 charges [of child molestation]…Russell [targeted] children he…was [given authority over as] a volunteer youth organizer for the [First Baptist] church [of Bridgeport].  In March…he…was arraigned in Crawford County on three similar charges…[and] previously was convicted in North Carolina in 2016 on charges that he spanked [children] without their parents’ permission…

I Spy (#1398) 

If “official” thugs can obtain your data without a warrant, so can unofficial ones:

The call and text message records of tens of millions of AT&T cellphone customers in mid-to-late 2022 were exposed in a massive data breach…the telecom company…blamed [on] an “illegal download”…the compromised data includes the telephone numbers of “nearly all” of its cellular customers and the customers of wireless providers that use its network between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022….[and] every number AT&T customers called or texted – including customers of other wireless networks – the number of times they interacted and the call duration…customer names were not exposed…however…publicly available tools can [easily] link names with specific phone numbers…AT&T…learned [about the breach] on April 19 [of this year, but]…the US Department of Justice…de[mand]ed in May and in June that [the company] delay…public disclosure…

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.

I Spy (#1415)

Cops and politicians should never have been allowed to insert themselves into any doctor-patient relationship, but that ship sailed long ago:

 J.D. Vance…Trump’s pick for vice presidential nominee, pressured federal regulators last June to kill a privacy rule that prevents police from accessing the medical records of people seeking reproductive services…The rule was designed to prevent [cops] in anti-abortion states from using private records to hunt down and prosecute people who cross state lines in search of abortion services.  If the Trump-Vance ticket wins this year’s presidential election, the new administration could rescind the rule…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1450)

Politicians increasingly use nuisance lawsuits to circumvent the Constitution:

…NGL…seems like a fairly standard social media offering, allowing users to post questions or prompts and receive anonymous responses.  Now, the Federal Trade Commission…has ordered [it] to ban users under age 18…[claiming that it] “unfairly” marketed the app to minors…[while barfing out the magic censorship-justifying buzzwords] “cyberbullying and harassment”…To settle the lawsuit, the agency is not only making NGL pay $5 million, it’s also requiring the app to ban those under age 18 from using it…[which] is effectively a backdoor way to accomplish what Congress has been failing to mandate legislatively and what courts have been rejecting when state [politician]s do it…the FTC does not seem to be requiring NGL to check IDs…[yet,] but…it doesn’t seem like a long shot from here to either a) punishing the company further if kids lie about their ages, thereby necessitating the use of ID checks or other age verification schemes by NGL, and/or b) requiring more invasive age verification schemes in future orders to social media companies…

 

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 (#1455)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Help us, we can’t breathe.  –  Elizabeth Nomura

Shame, Shame (#516)

Some of y’all may recall that when all the “police reform” types started touting body cameras as the solution to surging police brutality, I was skeptical:

McNeill points out that the camera records the public, not the officer. She adds, “As long as the cops have the power to turn the cameras off or decide whether footage is released, it’s difficult to see what is to be accomplished here.”

That was February of 2015, and over 9 years later civil rights lawyer Alec Karakatsanis has published a law journal article demonstrating that, as usual, I was correct: the cops wanted the cameras as a surveillance tool, and useful idiots who imagine violent thugs can be “reformed” obligingly gave them exactly what they wanted:

By situating the rise of the police body camera within its actual legal, political, and economic contexts, I suggest that the body camera is one of the most important Trojan horses in contemporary U.S. history.  What follows is a case study of how the police bureaucracy used its own violence as the perfect alibi to get well-meaning people who lacked sufficient information to support greater police procurement budgets, more advanced and efficient technologies of control and incarceration, an explosion of profit for a small group of companies, and an expansion of the capacity of the government to surveil us. And most remarkably: All of it happened under the guise of making the police bureaucracy more “accountable” and “transparent”…

To Molest and Rape

Cops are a menace to women of all ages:

An Orange County woman [has] filed a federal lawsuit…against an Anaheim [cop who]…raped her after seeing her at an In-N-Out Burger and getting her name by running her license plate number…[typical and representative cop] Carlos Romero [was rewarded by] the city of Anaheim…[with a] paid [vacation for raping her] in 2023 after [she reported his stalking, harassing]…and [threatening her until he got tired of her refusing him]…sex…and [raped]…her [vaginally and orally despite her]…repeatedly t[elling] him “no”…His gun was…in full view [and]…she “was terrified and fearful for her life” and just wanted Romero to leave…

Panopticon (#1308)

“Safety” has become the #1 excuse for Orwellian levels of surveillance:

North Carolina [politician] Michele Morrow has made [a fetish of subjecting students to police-state measures that her own children would not have to endure, since she]…home-school[s them.  Like many authoritarians, she is obsessed with incredibly-exaggerated fears of] pedophiles and…gun violence [which she wants to use as an excuse to give dangerous thugs even more power to harass, spy on, persecute, and molest students.  Paradoxically, she wants to give these pervert thugs access to]…video surveillance in classrooms, hallways and bathrooms…

Torture Chamber (#1371)

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

A…[woman locked up in] California’s largest women’s prison [at Chowchilla] has died amid a brutal heatwave that has left residents without air conditioning begging for relief…temperatures in the region climbed above 110F (43.3C)…[but mouthpieces for the State pretend that had nothing to do with her] death…There have been reports of potentially fatal conditions inside jails and prisons during heatwaves across California and in Nevada, Illinois, Texas, Florida and other states this year.  The Chowchilla fatality has escalated fear and panic throughout the…overcrowded [dungeon, in] which…more than 2,000 people [are locked in cages without] air conditioning…[while screws refuse] to provide enough cold water and other supplies that would alleviate their suffering and reduce heatstroke risks…[many prisoners are] struggling with nausea and headaches…[while officials refuse to maintain or repair] swamp coolers meant to lower temperatures…[for] prison[ers]…locked in these death chambers [while bureaucrats deny the crisis and pretend their facilities are humane]…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1423)

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

The Senate of the Republic of Ireland…[will] debate the country’s proposed…[“monkey see, monkey do”] Online Age Verification…Bill…[whose] sponsor…hailed as a victory the fact that the…imprecise language…[of the US laws his bill apes] has already had a chilling effect on free speech, [namely] “porn suppliers such as Pornhub to cease providing services [to people who don’t know what VPNs are]” in those states…The bill makes platforms and app stores liable for any failure to implement [government-mandated surveillance, and they are specifically required]…to store the…data they collect [at their own expense] for five years, and [make it available for pigs to root through at will]…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #11)

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

A [Virginia cop named Michael Rusk] is suing his former department and local…[politicians] for $5 million for…sexual harassment a[fter]…he…shot and severely injured his superior…Christopher Gibson [for sexually assaulting him]…police leadership not only knew about the continued harassment but purposefully disregarded it because Rusk is a man…[for years] Gibson made…sexual advances toward [Rusk] including hand-holding, touching, slapping, stalking, and grooming…the[n]…in January 2023, after a night of drinking…Gibson…sexually assault[ed] Rusk…and…Rusk…[responded by shooting] Gibson several times before calling 911…

If Men Were Angels (#1449)

If I followed up on every rapist cop or preacher, I wouldn’t have room for anything else.  But sometimes I have to make an exception:

In 1982, [21-year old married] pastor Robert Morris…[seduced and molested 12-year-old] Cindy Clemishire…while he was staying at her parents’ home in Oklahoma…But 25 years later, when Clemishire hired an attorney and threatened to sue Morris…hi[s]…lawyer…responded by blaming Clemishire for what happened to her…The Feb. 6, 2007, letter was one in a series of exchanges that year between Sharpe and [Clemishire’s lawyer] Gentner Drummond…Clemishire…had been seeking $50,000 in restitution from Morris to cover the cost of counseling.  Morris…offered to pay $25,000, but the talks fell apart…because [Clemishire] was not willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement…

 

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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Links #731

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Voice ordering solution {repeat three times}.  –  Mason Smoot

Given the final verse, this seemed the most appropriate sendoff for Kinky Friedman; both obit and video were contributed by Jesse Walker, who also published his own tribute to the quirky country star.  The remaining links above the video were provided by Franklin Harris, Violet Blue, Stephen Lemons, and IncarcerNation (x3), in that order.

From the Archives

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

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In the News (#1437)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Fourth Amendment is not about the police, it’s about the government.  –  Robert Frommer

New Excuse

One “war” on consensual behavior is very like another:

A new law in Alabama showcases how the war on sex trafficking is mirroring the war on drugs…”The Sound of Freedom Act“…stipulates a mandatory life sentence for anyone found guilty of first-degree human trafficking of a minor…in fact it will likely to lead to extreme overpunishment for people whose offenses…look…nothing like…the sort of…situations imagined by Hollywood or by groups like Operation Underground Railroad…At a certain point in the drug war, everything was plenty criminalized but…politicians still wanted ways to look like they were doing something about it…So instead of dealing in reality, they proposed harsher and harsher penalties for drug offenses…Over the past two decades, we’ve been seeing this same pattern play out with prostitution-related offenses…harsher and harsher penalties, mandatory minimums, and…at the same time…authorities keep expanding the categories of activities that count as sex trafficking…

If Men Were Angels (#1360)

It’s not uncommon for cops who murder their wives to pass it off as “suicide”, and preachers are like cops in many ways:

Loved ones of a pastor’s wife who was found dead in a North Carolina state park with a bullet wound to her head are not convinced she died by suicide, as her husband claims…they’re pressing authorities to probe Mica Miller’s death as something potentially more sinister…her husband, John-Paul Miller…delivered an entire sermon as usual before revealing…his wife’s passing…to…his congregation [on April 28th]… “She had struggled with suicide before…but God took care of her and got her through it.”  Court filings show…Mica Miller had filed for divorce from her husband just weeks before her death…And on March 22, [she had] posted a [Facebook] video in which she discussed “leaving a dangerous situation”…

Feudalism Redux (#1371)

Politicians who make unconstitutional threats should be impeached for violating their oaths of office:

A federal judge [has] rebuked Republican Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s threatened prosecution of those who help people in Alabama obtain abortions out of state…Judge Myron H. Thompson rejected Marshall’s request that the court toss out a pair of lawsuits brought by an abortion fund and health care providers challenging his threatened prosecutions…in the 98-page opinion [the judge wrote,] “The Attorney General’s characterization of the right to travel as merely a right to move physically between the States contravenes history, precedent, and common sense”…

Panopticon (#1384)

Court rules that illegal searches are legal if the government circumvents due process:

…the Michigan Supreme Court ruled unanimously that evidence collected illegally c[an] still be used to enforce civil penalties.  Todd and Heather Maxon…filed to suppress…evidence [illegally collected by a warrantless drone search] as a Fourth Amendment violation…[but] the court…[claimed] the exclusionary rule [only] applies to…”wrongful law enforcement conduct”…In other words, the state’s highest court decided that it was irrelevant whether the search violated the Fourth Amendment because…the search was conducted to investigate civil and not criminal violations…

Governments are increasingly attacking citizens with civil suits rather than criminal charges because the burden of proof is lower; this gives them another reason to do so.

Creepy Coppers (#1420)

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

A [typical and representative Maine cop named] Larry Fickett…has been [arrested and] charged with possession of child pornography and endangering the welfare of a child…Fickett…[apparently induced a prepubescent child of indeterminate gender to masturbate while he filmed it, on multiple occasions]…between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 1 of this year…

You Were Warned (#1433)

The inevitable result of a blatantly-unconstitutional law:

TikTok and its parent company [have] filed a legal challenge against the United States over a law…outlawing the app nationwide unless it finds a buyer within a year…”Banning TikTok is so obviously unconstitutional…that even the Act’s sponsors recognized that reality, and therefore have tried mightily to depict the law not as a ban at all, but merely a regulation of TikTok’s ownership,” according to the filing…lawyers for TikTok say the law offers the company a false choice, since fully divesting from its parent company, ByteDance, is “simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally…and certainly not on the 270-day timeline required by the Act”…if TikTok loses this legal fight, it will likely [geoblock users in] the U.S. [who don’t use a VPN]…

Torture Chamber (#1433)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”:

When New York banned the use of long-term solitary confinement in its prisons and barred the practice entirely for certain people, including mentally ill prisoners…it was hailed [by naifs] as a groundbreaking measure that would fundamentally change life behind bars.  But since the law took effect two years ago, prison officials have [predictably] refused to implement it…[Politicians] and oversight agencies have sounded the alarm in reports and letters to the New York Department of [Locking Human Beings in Filthy Cages] and the state’s Office of Mental Health, warning that the agencies were [predictably] violating the law [because there are no criminal penalties for doing so]…

 

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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Links #718

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I can’t breathe.  –  Tangi Johnson

I recently heard this song for the first time in many years, and it reminded me that I rather liked Springsteen in the days when I jokingly referred to him as “Bruce Mumblesing”.  The links above it were provided by Nun Ya, Radley Balko, Jesse Walker (x2), Franklin Harris, IncarcerNation, and Violet Blue, in that order.

From the Archives

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

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Links #716

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I don’t know what the solution is.  –  man who built tennis court on sand

It isn’t often that YouTube’s algorithms show me anything I want to see, but this was an exception:  my favorite living animator’s first student film, from 1999.  The links above it were provided by Mike Masnick, Jesse Walker, Clarissa, Franklin Harris, IncarcerNation, Phoenix Calida, and C.J. Ciaramella, in that order.

From the Archives

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

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In the News (#1399)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I spent almost a year in a locked-down facility, with a disgusting, horny, grown man that’s supposedly my probation officer.  –  victim statement

I Spy (#1060)

Fascism in action:

A federal inquiry has found that several major pharmacy chains have a policy of turning over customers’ pharmacy records to police without a warrant.  The results [are]…concern[ing]…especially as fights over prescription abortion medication continue nationwide…these [porcine] demands typically come in the form of a subpoena, an order that doesn’t require approval from a judge, unlike a warrant…as debates over controversial medications—from abortion pills to opioid medications—loom large, customers’ ability to keep their prescription history private from [rooting pigs] is paramount…

The Implosion Begins (#1145)

I am deeply amused by mainstream media furiously backpedaling from a hysteria they eagerly promoted for two decades:

Prominent [MAGATs]…are promoting a…[fantasy, founded in the popular “sex trafficking” hysteria,] that pedophiles have been using Etsy to distribute child porn, sold under the guise of wildly expensive digital downloads of images of pizza.  This new [myth] has emerged from the fecund muck of [“child sex trafficking” hysteria, aggressively promoted by cops, politicians, “rescue” profiteers, and the mainstream media since the mid-Oughts, which more recently developed into] QAnon and Pizzagate…The fixation with pizza among [“sex trafficking”] adherents stems from the [constant repetition of the moronic myth] that “[getting a ‘sex trafficking victim’ online is as easy as ordering a pizza]”…or that pizza, generally, can be a veiled reference to pedophilia…[recently, nut cases on] Twitter…began [obsessing about] strange listings on Etsy…[which] purported to sell digital downloads of images of pizza — some of them marketed with images of hungry children — for exorbitant prices, running thousands of dollars…YummyYumPizza…was offering an encrypted “Pizza file” for $4,000.  Another…offered a similar “Pizza Image” for $9,000…These shops are no longer active on the site…because they violate…policies…[against] inflated pricing…

“Sex trafficking” hysterics’ bizarre fixation on pizza is so popular, I have an entire tag dedicated to it.

Eavesdropping (#1152)

“Smart” devices aren’t, part umpteen:

A marketing team within…Cox Media Group…claims it has the capability to listen to ambient conversations of consumers through embedded microphones in smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices to gather data and use it to target ads…Called “Active Listening,” CMG claims the capability can identify potential customers “based on casual conversations in real time.”  The news signals that what a huge swath of the public has believed for years—that smartphones are listening to people in order to deliver ads—may finally be a reality in certain situations.  Until now, there was no evidence that such a capability actually existed, but its myth permeated due to how sophisticated other ad tracking methods have become.  It is not immediately clear if the capability CMG is advertising…is being used on devices in the market today, but the company [call]s it…“a marketing technique fit for the future. Available today”…

Torture Chamber (#1267)

This will continue as long as sexually-aggressive men are given power over young women:

Faced with roughly 1,500 plaintiffs [su]ing the county [for] tolerating unchecked sexual abuse at its juvenile [jails, Los Angeles]…has spent the last two years removing [serial] sexual abusers from its ranks…[usually by letting them retire or giving them paid vacations]…Courtney Thom, whose [law] firm represents roughly 150 clients suing the county, said…“that number — and I guarantee it’s probably double if not more — it just shows how irresponsible the county is”…In April, the county estimated it will need to spend $1.6 billion to $3 billion to resolve a deluge of lawsuits [result]ing [from the] county [tolerating] staffers…raping and molesting the [legal minors] they were paid to [confine and torture]…officials said at the time that they expected roughly 3,000 people to sue.  But as of early November, the county had seen roughly 3,800 plaintiffs [including the] 1,500 [who were raped or otherwise] sexual[ly] abuse[d] at the probation halls and camps.  Nearly all the rest [were raped or molested by thugs working for] the county’s Department of Children and Family Services…

A little over a year ago, I said of this abuse, “I guarantee you that the number is a lot higher than 70, probably by at least one order of magnitude.”  Of course I was right, as usual.

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1378)

Whatever these kids ate wasn’t fentanyl, because these aren’t opioid symptoms:

Two people have been arrested and charged after seven Virginia elementary students ate gummy bears from a plastic baggie that [cops pointed at and oinked “]fentanyl[” after using a notoriously-unreliable]…field test [on] the bag…The students – all fourth-graders – experienced symptoms including nausea, vomiting, headache and muscle spasms…

Field tests used by cops “have an error rate so high that they’re akin to ‘witchcraft, phrenology or simply picking a number out of a hat’.”

Business Opportunity (#1394)

Sometimes, a little light is all it takes to send the cockroaches scurrying:

After over a month of mounting public criticism, the government of Hanover County, North Carolina, has decided to drop its plans to s[teal] the strip club adjacent to its government center building…the county will now explore a voluntary purchase of the club…

To Molest and Rape (#1397)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

A [Pennsylvania cop named]…Tyler Humphreys, was charged with rape, statutory sexual assault…[and] other…[offenses against] a 9-year-old boy and two girls [aged]…15…and…11…[he violently] assaulted [the] 9-year-old…[when he] was [only] 12 [himself, but]…rap[ed the] 15-year-old [last December and molested the 11-year-old for years]…

They often use their cop privileges to stalk victims:

A Staten Island cop arrested for sexual…abuse of teen…[boys stalked]…his victims…using an NYPD database…Christopher Terranova…[found one victim] after the boy had been the victim of a robbery…

And sometimes they’re even convicted:

A [typical and representative Louisiana cop named]…Bryan Dawayne Kibodeaux was found guilty of…rap[ing three]…juvenile…victims…from 2016 through 2019…he faces two life sentences…[plus] 125-495 years…

 

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 (#1397)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

If government speech determines what books can be in the library…children can only see…ideas…the government has approved. – Ken Paulson

The Scarlet Letter (#798)

I’m sure there’s some federal law which could be used against other state “prostitution” laws:

Tennessee’s decades-old aggravated prostitution statute violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Justice [has] announced…warning that the state could face a lawsuit if officials don’t immediately cease enforcement.  Tennessee is the only state in the United States that imposes a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” if convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV, regardless of whether the person knew they could transmit the disease…The department is calling on the state to not only stop enforcing the law, but also remove those convicted under the statute from the sex offender registry and expunge their convictions…

Business As Usual (#1333)

Psychopathic rapist-murderer cop gets slap on the wrist:

A [typical and representative] Ohio vice cop [who regularly raped sex workers by threatening them with violence and arrest] has pleaded guilty on federal charges related to kidnapping, after being cleared earlier this year of murder…charges in a similar but separate incident.  Andrew Mitchell…pleaded guilty to…deprivation of rights under color of law and…obstruction of justice.  Prosecutors have recommended he…se[rve a mere] seven to 11 years in federal prison…

Creepy Coppers (#1364)

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

A [typical and representative] New York co[p and screw named]…Jeffrey Thomas Singleton is behind bars [in] Pasco County…Florida…for possession of child pornography, video voyeurism, and sexual contact with animals…33 files of child pornography…were found…[plus] a hidden camera that he allegedly used to shoot videos of a girl undressing…[cops] also found images of Singleton engaging in sex…with his two dogs…

I could’ve filed either of these guys in two different tags, but this one seemed most pertinent:

A [typical and representative Minnesota cop]…previously accused of attempting to solicit sex from [other cops fantasy role-playing as teenagers online has been] re-arrested…on eight new charges…Mathew Richard Adamson…[took] photos of three adult women, two children, and one…[apparent] teen…[girl] using hidden cameras in various restrooms…[he also] saved screenshots of [women] in various states of undress…from a [cop surveillance camera hidden in the jail]…and [collected]…child pornography, featuring children ages 8-12…

Thought Control (#1366)

That they are willing to openly admit this is a sign of how bad things have become:

Florida…Attorney General Ashley Moody has declared th[at]…public schools…[and] libraries…do not exist to promote the free exchange of ideas, but rather, to “convey the government’s message.”  In a legal brief, the State of Florida argues it has a First Amendment right to remove…any book…from public schools and libraries…the state [contends that]…public school libraries are “a forum for government speech, [not a] forum for free expression”…

The Cop Myth (#1393)

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

Erika de Lima was…murdered by her husband cop, Thiago de Lima, on [December 3rd] in São Paulo, Brazil.  A surveillance video showed Erika de Lima attempting to drag Thiago de Lima out of a car.  The [murderer pistol-whipped]…her…about five times before shooting her in the chest twice…in broad daylight…

Vulture Watching (#1395)

Texas Supreme Court declares that the only way for doctors to know if an abortion is legal is to perform it and see if they get prosecuted:

The Texas Supreme Court [has] overturned a lower court order allowing an abortion for a pregnant woman whose fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition, hours after her lawyers said she had decided to leave Texas for the procedure in the face of the state’s abortion bans.  The court ruled that…Kate…Cox’s doctor, Damla Karsan, “[did not correctly guess the magic words]…the court [wanted to hear to allow an]…exception[, so Cox just has to risk sepsis which will lead to infertility or even death]”…

To Molest and Rape (#1395)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

A [typical and representative] San Diego Co[p named]…Jose Soto…[has pled] guilty [to] child pornography…and…continuous child sexual abuse…[of] a child under 14…involving two young victims…

“Continuous sexual abuse” also describes this cop’s behavior:

A [typical and representative Washington] D.C. [cop named Charles Johnson II] has been sentenced to…32 years in prison…[for] sexually abus[ing his girlfriend’s daughter,] who was nine and ten years old at the time…he took advantage of her when[ever] she was left in his care…[after] his release, Johnson will be [condemned] to [the]…sex offender [registry] for the remainder of his life…

It really amazes me when multiple people give these predators access to their kids:

A [typical and representative North Carolina cop named]…Johnathan Andrew Edwards…was charged with…[filming] multiple underage girls ranging in age from 7 to 17…in a[n undefined] sexual 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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In the News (#1394)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

She looked like she was mummified.  –  Melinda Bettencourt

Business Opportunity

It’s not like it’s their money, after all:

…in…Wilmington, North Carolina, where the New Hanover County government…is trying to seize the neighboring Cheetah Premier Gentlemen’s Club to build what it [pretend]s is much-needed parking…The county commission voted to authorize eminent domain of the Cheetah Club…on November 6.  The resolution authorized the county to spend $2.36 million acquiring the club…the seizure…wasn’t on the commission’s agenda, and was only introduced in the final minutes of the meeting by [the “county manager”, who] referred to the property only by its tax ID number…The sudden, seemingly surreptitious effort to seize the club has [Michael] Barber[, a lawyer for the owners,] speculating that the eminent domain effort has more to do with public appearances than public facilities…[the property owner] has offered to let the county use the 74 parking spaces on his property…[because] the Cheetah Club doesn’t even open till 6 p.m…

The Scarlet Letter (#520)

“Presumption of innocence” doesn’t apply to whores:

Unlike “simple” police cautions, prostitute cautions don’t require evidence…sex workers don’t have to admit guilt, and there is no right to appeal them.  Without any say, someone can be branded as a criminal, their life forever impacted by her decision of how they provides for themselves and their families…prostitute cautions, and wider criminalisation of sex work, are deliberately used to keep women in poverty by penalising them for using sex work to escape it…In 2009, under the Police and Crime Act, the right of appeal against prostitutes cautions was abolished…and…the caution will stay on a sex worker’s record for life, or until the age of 100…

Blunt Instrument (#728)

Have you noticed that “sex trafficking” is no longer the magic brain-pause spell it was for over a decade?

One Richmond [BC politician] would like to see massage parlours…be denied business licences and…shut down…Kash Heed [tried to justify his puritanical bigotry by barfing the phrases “]human trafficking[“…and “]scantily clad[” at other city politicians, but]…Mayor Malcolm Brodie…[timidly broached the subject of harm reduction, and] Mark Corrado, director of bylaws and licencing…said Richmond is [already] known for having the most “restrictive” licence requirements in the province.  This includes [micromanag]ing clothing, age, locks, insurance bonds, lighting and criminal record checks…

Where Are the Protests? (#945)

Americans are only concerned about how others have sex; they don’t really want to know where their overpriced coffee comes from:

Starbucks…is unable to guarantee that the coffee sold at its stores is not associated with serious labour and human rights crimes such as low wages, harvest workers eating cold meals, inadequate accommodation and even child and slave labour…The cases are portrayed in the report “Behind Starbucks coffee,” published by Repórter Brasil (available in Portuguese and English)…coffee farms…where…inspectors found violations hold…the C.A.F.E. Practices seal, which…is the certification programme that…[supposedly] evaluates suppliers according to more than 200 indicators…It is yet another situation that exposes the limits of the certification market…Labour irregularities in the industry are not limited to Starbucks’ supply chain.  Repórter Brasil has already exposed similar problems among suppliers of Nestlé, McDonald’s and other…major…buyers…

Vulture Watching (#1268)

Idaho apparently wants to chase away as many physicians as possible:

Idaho asked the Supreme Court…to allow its [near-total] abortion ban that imposes [criminal] penalties on doctors who perform abortions to take full effect despite [the fact that it conflicts with]…the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)…a…federal law [which] requires hospitals to provide stabilizing care to emergency room patients regardless of their ability to pay…

Torture Chamber (#1386)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”:

Melinda Bettencourt…knew her youngest daughter, Amanda Bews, had been struggling [with severe alcoholism and heroin addiction] for years…But…no one could explain what had happened to the rotting body Bettencourt saw at the funeral home.  “She looked like she was mummified,” Bettencourt [said]…describing the “horrible” shock of watching bugs hover around her dead daughter’s face as a foul stench emanated across the room…Bews got arrested…[on] Sept. 7, 2022…for allegedly shoplifting at a BevMo…Before booking, the deputies took her to a nearby hospital, where…she was prescribed medications for anxiety, blood pressure and alcohol withdrawal…But [screws]…decided…not [to give her the] require[d] medications…[and] a little over four hours later, Bews…”died of untreated…effects of withdrawal from alcohol and drugs”…

Dangerous Speech (#1391)

I’ve linked to many of Mark Draughn’s well-researched, well-considered essays over the years; this one is on the aftermath of the Backpage persecution & show trial, and here’s a taste:

The Iron Law of Prohibition says that making something illegal will make it stronger and more dangerous.  Nobody drank bathtub gin in America until the Prohibition laws of 1920 criminalized alcoholic beverages.  Almost nobody smoked crack until law enforcement started a war on cocaine, and we didn’t have much of a fentanyl problem until the government started cracking down on opioids.  Legal alcohol and tobacco distributors didn’t shoot each other in the streets the way drug-smuggling gangsters do.  Criminalizing a good or service necessarily drives it underground.  The need to hide makes it harder to build a good reputation, which makes it less rewarding to have good business practices.  Customer service and attention to product quality fall by the wayside…Thus bad actors enter and thrive in the market, engaging in fraud, theft, and violence, which can often only be countered with more violence…With the success of the Backpage prosecutions, it seems likely that more such prosecutions will follow…

 

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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