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Posts Tagged ‘Ohio’

Links #735

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , on August 4, 2024| 2 Comments »

When they read the word ‘boneless,’ they think that it means ‘without bones,’ as do all sensible people.  –  Justice Michael P. Donnelly

I wasn’t familiar with John Mayall’s Blues breakers myself, but Grace was; this video features Eric Clapton (post-Yardbirds, pre-Cream) on guitar and John McVie (later of Fleetwood Mac) on bass.  The links above it were provided by Charles Hill, Popehat, The Onion (x2), Nun Ya, and Scott Greenfield, 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 (#1457)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[Libraries are at risk from] anybody wanting to make a quick buck.  –  Cindy Erickson

Schadenfreude

It’s heartening to see so many rescue industry profiteers exposed as the sociopaths they are:

An ex-[cop] who [pretend]s to save children from human traffickers has[, like all rescue industry profiteers,] faked stories to raise money for his charity…Adam Whittington, founder of Project Rescue Children (PRC) [lies that] he has helped more than 700 children in countries including Uganda, Kenya and The Gambia.  But…these children have never been trafficked, and…[most of the] funds raised – sometimes with the help of celebrity supporters – have [gone into his own pockets rather than to] children in need…Whittington…has misled donors in a variety of ways – including by raising funds for a baby supposedly rescued from people traffickers, who has actually been with her mother all along.  The mother, who lives in poverty, says she and her daughter have never received any money from PRC…a [“]rescue centre[“]…fundraising drive [ended with]…less than half of the money…sent to PRC’s Ugandan partner organisation, Make a Child Smile…the rest…[was] “eaten by Adam Whittington and PRC”…

If Men Were Angels

This will continue until fools stop teaching children unquestioning obedience to “authority”:

A[n Ohio preacher named]…Michael Ronald Goble…[has been arrested and charged with molesting a child under] 13…in November, 2021…more charges are likely forthcoming…and [cops believe there are] more victims…not yet…identified…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1422)

Pornhub has repeatedly taken the principled stand of refusing to spy on its users for the State:

Aylo began blocking access to Pornhub [for] Nebraska [residents without VPNs, due to]…the state’s new age verification law…As it had already done in Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, Virginia and Utah, Aylo replaced its landing page for Nebraska IP addresses with an SFW video in which Cherie DeVille explains the reasons for the content restriction…

The Punitive Mindset (#1428) 

Next, the practice of preventing prisoners from receiving mail and books needs to be banned:

…”The Federal Communications Commission [has] voted to end exorbitant phone and video call rates that have burdened incarcerated people and their families for decades…The new call rates will be $0.06 per minute for prisons and large jails, $0.07 for medium jails, $0.09 for small jails, and $0.12 for very small jails, and as low as $0.11/minute for video calls—with a requirement that per-minute rates be offered…the cost of a 15-minute phone call will drop to $0.90 from as much as $11.35 in large jails and, in small jails, to $1.35 from $12.10″…In January 2023, President Joe Biden signed…a…law…clarif[ying] the FCC’s authority to regulate the rates of in-state calls from prisons…

Thought Control (#1441)

That anyone thinks this is OK demonstrates that the urge to censor is a mental illness:

…in response to a new Idaho law that took effect July 1, the [Donnelly Public] Library is transitioning to adults-only…library staff won’t let kids in unless a parent is present with them at all times, a parent signs paperwork allowing their child to enter only for programming, or a parent waives their [“]rights[“] under the new law and lets their child check out materials without a parent present…House Bill 710…requires Idaho public and school libraries to move materials [politicians have pointed at while belching “]harmful to children[“], or face [nuisance] lawsuits…Libraries across Idaho are reworking policies to comply with the…[deliberately-]vague [law,]…but many are waiting to see if there’d be a formal challenge to books in their collections…small and rural libraries…[many of them] one-room…do…not have enough room to separate the material…[and so can only protect themselves from harassment by barring legal minors from] coming into the library…So where will the children go if they can’t go inside the building?  In the two teepees outside where there are no books…

To Molest and Rape (#1452)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

…a [Mississippi cop named]…Rodney Jernigan was arrested on July 15 [for statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl.  His bosses used the occasion to swagger, brag, and belch out copaganda]…

Torture Chamber (#1454)

I’m sure they didn’t actually ignore her; they almost certainly yelled “Stop faking!” at her several times a day:

A [human being locked in a cage at the filthy] Rikers Island d[ungeon] has died after jail staff “repeatedly ignored” her requests for medical help, culminating in a medical episode severe enough to land her in a hospital…Charizma Jones…died [July 14th while]…awaiting prosecution [for defending herself from a violent screw]…in April…prosecutors consented to her release…without bail on July 10, after she was hospitalized, [but by then it was too late]…Jones…[was] the fourth [person to die in New York City dungeons]…in 2024…Nine people died [there] in 2023, 19 in 2022 and 16 in 2021…

 

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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Tweets Aplenty

Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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In the News (#1443)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

My own state does not seem to care if I live or die.  –  Lauren Hall

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Vancouver police let this maniac run wild for years because “NHI”:

Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, who took female victims to his pig farm during a crime spree [in] Vancouver in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has died after being assaulted [by another] prison[er on]…May 19…Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2007…after being charged with the murders of 26 women…The remains or DNA of 33 women were found on the farm.  Pickton once bragged…that he killed a total of 49 women…Pickton…strangled his victims and fed their remains to his pigs…Vancouver police…[did] not tak[e] the cases seriously because many of the missing were sex workers or users of drugs…

The Course of a Disease (#932)

“Support women’s right to autonomy” ≠ “back paying for sex”:

…more Scots back sex work than are against it despite [the] Government [attempting yet again] to [impose] the so-called “Nordic model” [on] Scotland…a YouGov poll of 1,088 Scottish adults…shows there is little public support for the agenda…47% thought it should be legal to pay [for] sex…compared with 32% who thought it should be an offence.  In a massive rejection of the core principle of SNP policy, just 13% agreed that…[women are men’s moral inferiors and need to be “protected” from their own choices by government] violence…79% think the Scottish Government should consult sex workers and sex worker-led groups when considering new laws…Just 1% of those polled think sex work should be a priority for the Scottish Government [at all]…

No Difference (#1334)

US evangelical prohibitionists are a worldwide menace:

A long-standing US [pro-censorship] group has advised, promoted and endorsed anti-LGBTQ+ activists and politicians in Uganda, including a governing party member who…[has said] gays “should be castrated”, and a virulently homophobic founder of a “militaristic” Christian boys camp.  The revelations about [Morality in Media, now DBA under the authoritative-sounding alias “]National Center on Sexual Exploitation[“,] and its spin-offs and affiliates…[clearly demonstrate] its recent disavowals of its history of anti-LGBTQ+ positions [to be lies], and [expose] its [previously hidden] role in Uganda’s passage…of laws on homosexuality which are among the most punitive and restrictive in the world.  It also [exposes as li]es NCOSE’s efforts to play down its religious associations…in order to exercise a more authoritative influence on poli[tician]s in the US and around the world…

Vulture Watching (#1395)

Texas’ ruling psychopaths say doctors should just use their medical judgment and hope an aggressive prosecutor doesn’t choose to make an example of them:

The Texas Supreme Court has unanimously rejected the most significant challenge to Texas’ new abortion laws yet, ruling…that the medical exceptions in the law [a]re broad enough…[while simultaneously deeming that a] doctor[‘s]…“good faith judgment” [is insufficient]…While the opinion was unanimous, Justice Brett Busby issued a concurring opinion that left the door open to a broader challenge to the law.  Zurawski v. Texas was…the first challenge to a state’s abortion bans on behalf of women with complicated pregnancies.  At least three other states have followed suit…the court…ruling [basically requires] an abortion…perform[ing physician to be both a]…legal [expert and a seer]…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1410)

Texas seems completely uninterested in controlling its psychopathic politicians:

…in the past two years, [Texas attorney general Ken] Paxton has [ab]used consumer protection law more than a dozen times to [harass] a range of entities for activities like offering shelter to immigrants, providing health care to transgender teens or trying to foster a diverse workplace.  Not a single one of the investigations was prompted by a consumer complaint…[and] the analysis is possibly an undercount…[because hi]s office…has…fought the release of certain records requested under Texas’ Public Information Act…Paxton…[has] launched the[se specious “]investigations[“] simply to harass [political oppon]ents and to cause a chilling effect among organizations doing similar work…the attorney general’s demands violate the First…and…Fourth Amendment[s, and]…the political weaponization of consumer protection divisions by Paxton and other attorneys general [is] “a core violation” of constitutional laws that runs counter to what these divisions were established to do…when Paxton doesn’t get speedy access to the documents he wants, he often publicizes these typically confidential cases, putting out news releases that draw headlines and build support among his base of [authoritarian sociopaths]…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1423)

Useful idiots never see where their idiocy will lead, even when it’s spelled out for them:

Canada’s privacy c[ommissioner is]…warning that a [“monkey see, monkey do” age verification] bill…could apply to streaming services such as Netflix…law professor Michael Geist, who specializes in internet and e-commerce law, say age verification technology is simply not there yet, and the “fundamentally flawed” bill raises major privacy concerns.  Proponents of the bill argue its purpose, which is to [give politicians control over the internet], is important enough that it should be passed [regardless of what civil liberties advocates think]…But Geist said policies on how to handle technology should be created based on known capabilities, not on “technological fairy dust.”  Privacy lawyer David Fraser agrees…saying “sexually explicit material” as defined could mean it applies to search engines, social-media…e-book publishers and even streaming services…During committee testimony [politician Owen] Ripley confirmed…that as written, the proposed law would make it a rule for services like Netflix to verify the age of their users…Fraser added…it’s likely that companies will…just block Canadian access to the content rather than risk liability…[as] Pornhub [has done in] Texas…“[The bill is] not designed to keep kids safe. It’s not designed to keep adults safe,” said Solomon Friedman…of…Ethical Capital Partners…“It’s designed to impose the morality of a select few ideologically motivated legislators on the rest of Canadians”…

Thought Control (#1430)

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

Ohio [politicians have joined yet another faddish “monkey see, monkey do” parade by concoct]ing a new bill that would charge teachers and librarians with felonies for handing out books and materials [politicians later decide to point at while belching out the magic word] “obscene”…Ohio Education Association President Scott DiMauro…argues teachers will…abandon their careers rather than face the potential of criminal prosecution under…“This deliberately vague law…which flies in the face of the First Amendment while inviting inconsistent enforcement”…

 

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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Rapists of the Week #10

Posted in Current Events, Rapists of the Week, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

License to Rape

Police states define the bodies of all citizens as “crime scenes” which can be violated by “authorities” at will:

A…[leaked document reveals that a]n Iranian teenager was sexually assaulted and killed by three…Iran[ian cops]…16-year-old Nika Shakarami…vanished from an anti-regime protest in 2022.  Her body was found [by her mother] nine days later.  The government claimed she killed herself…[but] the report summarises a hearing on Nika’s case…[which] includes…the names of her [murderers: Arash Kalhor, Sadegh Monjazy, and Behrooz Sadeghy,] and [identifies] the senior commanders who tried to hide the truth…[cops pulled her into] an un[marked] van…[and Monjazy] molested her while he was sitting on her…Despite being handcuffed and restrained, she fought back, kicking and swearing…[which the three cops then used as an excuse] to beat her [to death] with batons…

If Men Were Angels

“Youth group director” = “youth pastor” = preachy molester:

…a [typical and representative] youth group director [named] Brett Franklin Bymaster…is charged with committing sex crimes against a young girl, starting when she was 8 years old…For years, teenagers and their parents raised concerns about Bymaster’s conduct…[but] church leaders covered up [the truth]…Bymaster “groomed” teens, took naked showers with minors on field trips, sexually harassed minors with unwanted touching, groped underage girls, and pressured youth group members into sexually explicit conversations…he…was manipulative, a “bully,” psychologically abusive, “toxic,” and spiritually abusive…A teen girl attempted suicide in September 2018 in response to Brett’s…”slut shaming”…Bymaster left the church in 2019 and became…a faith…[healer]…

You’d think “youth pastor” would be a big red flag by now:

Three [women] who…were sexually abused as minors by a youth pastor at Champion Forest Baptist [have] sued the Houston megachurch and the Southern Baptist Convention…[for enabling and covering up the depredations of typical and representative] minister Timothy Jason Jeltema[, who] was sentenced in 2022 to five years in prison…church leaders [ignored the victims’] reports of [Jeltema’s] crimes and [even] interfer[ed] with police investigations…there remains a federal investigation into the SBC’s handling of sexual abuse…

To Molest and Rape

“During encounters with” sounds so much nicer than “while raping”:

A federal grand jury indicted a Columbus [Ohio cop named]…Nicholas Duty…[for] purposefully deactivating or removing his police body camera…on Oct. 31, 2023, and March 22, 2024…Duty [wanted to hide that he was harassing one woman and]…sexual[ly assaulting anoth]er…[as usual, his supervisors are more obsessed with the disposition of his magical clown costume than with his victims’ welfare.  However, even if he skates on the assault]…altering records to obstruct a federal investigation is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison…

No Escape (#1399)

The last time we saw this lawsuit, the number was 1500:

…sexual…abuse…[of] juvenile detainees [by screws and probation officers was common]…in Los Angeles County for more than three decades.  Now, [over 2500] victims are taking action with a lawsuit against LA County…an LA Times investigation in 2010 found at least 11 probation officers had [already] been convicted of crimes or disciplined for [molesting, raping, or beating] the youth [the state gave them total power over, yet as usual]…the [rapists] are…protected…[by] the department…and…some are still on the job…In February, California’s Board of [Caging Human Beings]…voted to close the remaining juvenile halls in LA within 60 days unless numerous changes were implemented…[yet] the facilities…continue operating — at least, for now…Of the [known rapists], some are deceased, others retired so long ago their records have been purged and those…currently with the department have been [rewarded with paid vacations]…Probation Officer Thomas Jackson…[one of the worst offenders,] announced his retirement…A few days later, [fellow serial rapist] Ernest Walker also announced his retirement…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #7)

This is the kind of dangerous animal the State grants power to:

[A typical and representative] Washington…cop who [raped his girlfriend’s drunk friend in February recent]ly slaughtered his ex-wife and underage girlfriend before [kidnapp]ing the teenager’s infant on [April 22nd,] the[n shot himself in]…the head…[when] Oregon [cops caught up with him the next day]…The 1-year-old child…was taken into custody…[Elias] Huizar…[shot his] ex-wife Amber Rodriguez eight times outside the elementary school where she worked…[in front of their] 9-year-old son…While looking for the maniac, [cops] found the body of his underage girlfriend…Angelica Santos…in his home…

To Molest and Rape (#1431)

When they only knew about his molesting a teenager, they were hiding his name and picture:

[A thug sent by the state of Wisconsin to spy on, harass, and intimidate students, whose name is] Steven Rosales…[now faces] bestiality charges [on top of his previous charges for molesting a teenage girl]…Rosales [fucked] his pet dog several times…and photographed it…

To Molest and Rape (#1434)

Just another molester cop avoiding consequences:

A [Florida cop named]…Jose Robell Hernandez…accepted a plea agreement where he would be guilty of aggravated child abuse.  He was also facing charges [for] having sex with a minor…but those have been dropped as part of the agreement.  [The] judge…sentenced [him] to 10 years of probation…Hernandez met a 17-year-old on Tinder.  Her profile said she was 23…Police discovered this when the teen called 911 frantic and reported a body in a garbage bag.  There was no body, and she told [cops] she had not taken her medication…[when they] asked…for her personal information…she handed them her phone [and they rooted through it, reading]…text messages between her and Hernandez…including one in which she accused him of getting her pregnant…she told [cops] she misled Hernandez about her age in person and on Tinder…

 

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 (#1432)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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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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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In the News (#1415)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 24, 2024| 1 Comment »

It is not the Legislature’s job to parent the parents in how they parent.  –  Shevrin Jones

Broken Record (#743) 

The once-thriving competition for silliest “sex trafficking magnet” tall tale has been reduced to pathetic reruns of years-old fantasies:

As tens of thousands of people make their way to Indianapolis for NBA All-Star weekend…[fetishists are still trying to get you to give them money by chanting the phrase “]sex trafficking[“]…Alisa Bernard [is a professional “survivor” desperately trying to peddle her wares wherever they’ll sell, since they’re no longer lucrative in Seattle]…

Skewed By Taboo (#1009)

At least this one didn’t attempt to lie:

A [73-year-old Australian] man lost part of his penis after shoving three 1cm-wide button batteries into his urethra…[and] waited 24 hours before seeking medical attention.  He confessed…he used the batteries for “self-gratification purposes” and had never had any issues removing objects in the past…the opening of his urethra was stained black, [and] surgery [was necessary to remove both batteries and]…necro[tic tissue inside his penis]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1172)

Besides laughing aloud, I may have also clapped my hands in delight:

For some Apple Vision Pro buyers, the honeymoon is already over…there’s been an uptick…of…owners…returning the…$3,500 headsets…[as] the first wave of Vision Pro buyers [reach the end of Apple’s two-week return window]…People have said the headset gives them headaches and triggers motion sickness.  The weight of the device…has been another complaint…[one user] thought…the device led to a burst blood vessel in his eye…Another common complaint is the Vision Pro doesn’t offer enough productivity relative to the price…

I Spy (#1268)

“Crisis pregnancy centers” for the 21st century:

…The Veritas Society, a [subsidiary of forced-birth group] Wisconsin Right to Life, used a data broker system called Near Intelligence to target people whose cell phone location data showed they had visited any of the 600 Planned Parenthood…clinics across the country…with anti-abortion messaging or abortion misinformation…The…ad campaign ran from late 2019 through the summer of 2022…[haranguing women] over 14 million [times]…“across the women’s social pages, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat”…“If a data broker could…help extremists target misinformation…a…prosecutor could use that same information to put women in jail,” [said Senator Ron] Wyden…[who] is urging the FTC to block any sale of the data…when [the now-bankrupt] Near Intelligence sells off its assets…

Thought Control (#1389)

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

…The Alabama Republican Party [has] voted…to encourage the Legislature to…allow for librarians to face criminal charges for [working in libraries that stock books a politician has pointed at while barfing out the formula]…“harmful to minors”…[given that] they also plan to tweak last year’s “Drag Ban” bill…to include LGBTQ content as “sexual conduct”…librarians could soon face up to $10,000 in fines and a year in county jail for shelving an LGBTQ book on a…young adult shelf…

West Virginia politicians couldn’t let Alabama beat them in the Moronolympics:

The West Virginia House of Delegates…passed [a]…Bill…[allowing employees of] schools…libraries and museums [to be prosecuted for “]displaying obscene matter to a minor when the child is not accompanied by a parent/guardian[“.  West Virginia’s bizarrely]…defines obscene matter as [varying by the individual, enabling anyone a wannabe censor decides to target to]…be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000 and face up to five years in prison if convicted…Supporters of the bill [pretend] it does not ban books…[Sane people point out] that…the bill would…[encourage] challenges to even classic books and attempts to criminally charge librarians over books [that are] not pornographic…but…include descriptions of sex.  They also said it could result in [harassment via spurious] criminal charges against library staff…The lead sponsor of the bill…Brandon Steele [made furtive movements in his pants while sharing his warped sexual fantasies about showing porn to kindergarteners in the school library]…

Torture Chamber (#1408)

I’m sure they helped by occasionally yelling “Stop faking!” at her:

A Mississippi prison denied medical treatment to a…woman with breast cancer, allowing her condition to go undiagnosed for years [as] it [metastasized]…Susie Balfour [developed] cancer as early as May 2018, but [the prison refused to] conduct a biopsy until November 2021, one month before she was released…[in] January 2022..a University of Mississippi Medical Center doctor diagnosed her with stage four breast cancer…Her lawsuit and medical records paint a picture of a prison…system that deliberately delayed life-saving healthcare…that…[its own] contracted clinicians recommended…there are at least 15 others [locked up in the same cage stack]…who have cancer and are not receiving necessary treatment…Balfour said: “They always think everybody is faking”…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1410)

A judge attempts to stand athwart one of the currently-fashionable “monkey see, monkey do” parades:

An Ohio law requiring that people under age 16 get parental permission to use social media is unconstitutional…federal judge…Algenon Marbley told Ohio’s attorney general…While this…is just a preliminary injunction, Marbley’s opinion leaves little room for doubt that the tech companies will ultimately win here…[the] ruling is the latest in a string of federal court orders against state laws intended to limit minors’ social media or require platforms to follow special rules for users under the age of 18.  Meanwhile, similar measures are still spreading like a bad viral meme throughout U.S. statehouses…

Florida, of course, thinks it doesn’t apply to them:

…Florida [politicians] have incorporated a copycat age verification bill…introduced by a pastor…into a larger bill that aims to prevent anyone under 16 from using certain social media platforms…

 

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 (#1411)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Cops face little recourse, even when…cases…were based on little more than writing some sort of Asian sex-slave fanfic.  –  Elizabeth N. Brown

The Course of a Disease (#909)

Prohibitionist scum know decriminalization is the only moral framework for sex work; that’s why they keep trying to trick people into thinking the Swedish model is decrim:

[Massachusetts politicians, one of them ironically from] Salem, are p[ushing]…a bill t[o infantilize sex workers and attempt to starve them into submission by persecuting clients]…The bill was created with support from…a Boston-based [prohibitionist] organization that [exploits marginalized]…sex [workers.  Meanwhile, a crony of those same politicians]…has…filed a bill…that would require…hotel workers in the state [to be indoctrinated in the asinine “]signs of sex trafficking[” which encourage businesses to harass unescorted women and engage in racial profiling]…

Blunt Instrument (#1064)

Everyone harmed by these evil “stings” and raids needs to keep suing the agencies which conduct them:

A Utah man is suing after being [falsely] implicated in a[n imaginary] human trafficking ring for driving his wife to and from her job at Asian massage businesses…Police raided the places in early 2021 and arrested Joseph Ferreri, his wife Juying Wang, and several other women associated with the businesses where Wang worked.  A police document justifying Ferreri’s arrest relies heavily on generalizations about Asian massage businesses and race-based stereotypes.  It’s also peppered with misrepresentations—like describing Wang as a “girl” even though she’s in her 50s and two years older than Ferreri…[cop] Shawn Lott…”embellished, omitted, and made up facts to paint Joe Ferreri as an international sex trafficker…the sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation”…all charges…were eventually dropped. But by then…his name and picture were published in news outlets that described him as part of a human trafficking ring.  He and his wife were temporarily barred from seeing each other.  He lost his job, and with it any chance of a pension he was more than halfway to qualifying for.   The only work Ferreri could find following the arrest was a temp gig in a coal mine…

Don’t Call It Trafficking (#1097) 

It’s never called “trafficking” when the government and crony corporations do it:

…Intricate, invisible webs…link some of the world’s largest food companies and most popular brands to jobs performed by U.S. prisoners nationwide…If they refuse to work, some can jeopardize their chances of parole or face punishment like being sent to solitary confinement.  They also are often excluded from protections guaranteed to almost all other full-time workers, even when they are seriously injured or killed on the job.  The goods these prisoners produce wind up in the supply chains of a dizzying array of products…from Frosted Flakes cereal and Ball Park hot dogs to Gold Medal flour, Coca-Cola and Riceland rice.  They are on the shelves of virtually every supermarket in the country, including Kroger, Target, Aldi and Whole Foods.  And some goods are exported, including to countries that have had products blocked from entering the U.S. for using forced or prison labor.  Many of the companies buying directly from prisons are violating their own policies against the use of such labor.  But it’s…enshrined in the Constitution by the 13th Amendment, [which states that] slavery and involuntary servitude are banned – except as punishment for a crime.  That clause is currently being challenged on the federal level, and efforts to remove similar language from state constitutions are expected to reach the ballot in about a dozen states this year…

Eternal Vigilance (#1264)

Why is it so difficult for amateurs to grasp the difference between a renter offering sex as payment and a landlord demanding it?

Randy Hames, owner of…an…[Alabama] RV Park…was arrested in 2018…[and] charged with…human trafficking, soliciting prostitution, and attempted sexual extortion…Hames had been [previously] arrested twice on similar charges…after at least 10 female tenants reported Hames making unwanted advances in exchange for lowered rent…A federal trial [is now underway as] prosecutors…allege…Hames violated the Fair Housing Act by creating a hostile home environment for his tenants…he…also…evicted a few…after they refused his advances…

The Last Shall Be First (#1403) 

It’s never really about “protecting children”:

Several [politicians] from Michigan and Ohio were recorded in an online forum planning to try to ban trans health care for everyone, regardless of age…“In terms of endgame, why are we allowing these practices for anyone?” said [Michigan politician Josh] Schriver…“I think…we have to take sometimes small bites,” said [Ohio politician Gary] Click, who then lauded restrictions [recently] placed on…adult clinics by Ohio’s [governor]…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1408)

This tells you everything you need to know about politicians’ motivations:

Rather than defend a clearly unconstitutional measure passed to “protect” kids from social media, the government of Utah [claims it] intends to repeal the law…[which] kicked off a [“monkey see, monkey do” parade] of similar measures…Now that it faces a pair of challenges in federal court, the state has a new stance: “Psych! We didn’t actually mean it!”…“They know it’s unconstitutional.  They know it’s pure grandstanding and culture warrioring,” writes Techdirt editor Mike Masnick. “And they don’t want to face the music for abusing the rights of the citizens who elected them to support the Constitution, not undermine it”…

Creepy Coppers (#1410)

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

[NYPD cop] Angad Beharry…[has been] arrested…[for paying a Venezuelan woman living in Indiana] to take sexually explicit photographs and videos of [her nine-year-old girl], and to transmit them over the Internet to [him]…Beharry…possessed [numerous other] sexually explicit video[s] and images of…prepubescent minors…[he was caught because he also paid a woman in] Colombia…[to take similar pictures of her] one-year-old [daughter, and when she was caught she snitched on him to the cops]…and…also [snitched on her “]friend[” from] Venezuela…

 

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 (#1410)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Being calm and reasonable doesn’t get headlines.  –  Mike Masnick

The Face of Trafficking

Note that cases of actual coercion don’t look much like the myths:

A [Utah politician] is facing a felony charge of human trafficking…[due to] disturbing mistreatment of one of his [ranch] workers, a Mexican national.  Dusty “Hootie” Roche…treated A.S. abusively, housed him in a dirty, dilapidated…trailer without running water and didn’t provide him with timely deliveries of food…Prosecutors also describe the Roche Ranches operators as dismissive of A.S.’s complaints after he was bucked from a horse and stepped on several times while working, suffering a fractured orbital socket…The trailer…sat on a remote part of the ranch and had “rat excrement on the floors,” a bathtub containing “animal parts and animal excrement,” a leaking roof and no working refrigerator or water system…A.S…was not paid regularly and…was treated poorly once he reported the issue to the staffing agency he had obtained his job through…he lived in “constant fear” after he was hit, kicked, yelled at and called names…

The Last Shall Be First (#1349)

This will keep happening, because too many people want it to keep happening:

The father of a junior varsity girl’s basketball player confronted the principals of both his daughter’s school and the opposing school…demanding one of the girls not be allowed to play because he [imagin]ed she was transgender…Both principals assured the parent…that the girl, like her teammates, had uploaded the required birth certificate documenting her age and gender and that “every player on both teams was 100% eligible to be on the court”…The angry parent wasn’t satisfied…he [demanded his fantasies be given veto power over reality, saying]…“I wasn’t born yesterday, I know that’s a boy and you better be able to prove yourself because I am going to the top.”  He became belligerent enough that they asked him to leave the building…[and he will] not [be] allow[ed]…to return to any other games…

Creepy Coppers (#1397)

They only start with relatively minor offenses:

Columbus [cop] Adam Nguyen [was rewarded with a paid vacation]…for…taking upskirt video of a young woman at an anime convention near Chicago last year…[he] was sentenced to two years of probation, ordered to complete 100 hours of community service…pay more than $870 in court costs and fees…[and] undergo evaluation and treatment for…sex…offen[ders]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1401) 

Texas seems completely uninterested in controlling its psychopathic politicians:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton [has demanded] medical records of Texas youth who have received gender-affirming care from a Georgia telehealth clinic, marking at least the second time he’s sought such records from providers in another state…QueerMed said it stopped servicing youth in Texas after the state banned transition-related care last year…[but the demand want]ed information about patients dating back to Jan. 1, 2022…and…nearly mirrors one…sent to Seattle Children’s Hospital…in response to [which]…Seattle Children’s [has] sued…Karen Loewy, a lawyer with Lambda Legal representing organizations…trying to block [Texas’ anti-trans law]…said there is “zero authorization” in the law for Paxton’s [demand]s to clinics outside of Texas…Loewy said that “a handful” of other organizations have received [similar demands]…from Paxton…A QueerMed official could not immediately comment on how the clinic will respond…

The Cop Myth (#1401)

Cop deals with disagreement in typical cop fashion, and the press is shocked:

Police have arrested a [screw] in Connecti[cut for]…fatal[ly] shooting…a [stranger] in what is believed to be a road rage incident…William Lucky, Jr…murder[ed]…Scott Kracke…[after Lucky] cut [Kracke] off and Kracke [responded by] pass[ing Lucky] and brak[ing] suddenly.  The[y both] got out of their vehicles after stopping at the side of the road…then [Lucky] shot Kracke…several [times before fleeing]…in his car…A short time later, Lucky…turn[ed] himself in [at the instigation of his child’s mother]…

Shame, Shame (#1405)

In which natural stupidity masquerades as artificial stupidity:

The estate of…George Carlin sued the makers of a podcast…[who] claimed to use [a computer program] to impersonate Carlin for a comedy s[how]…Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, hosts of the podcast Dudesy…infringed on the estate’s copyrights…for “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead,” which [has apparently been made “private”] on the podcast’s YouTube channel…The lawsuit calls for a judge to prevent Dudesy…from using Carlin’s copyrighted works in the future and to require the podcast to destroy the episode…Danielle Del, a spokeswoman for Sasso, [admitted that] Dudesy is not actually a…[computer, but rather] “a fictional podcast character created by…Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen…the…video…was completely written by Chad Kultgen”…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1408)

Progressives have given all authoritarians a powerful censorship tool:  declare anything a “public health crisis” and it can be harassed at will:

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is facing a pretty big list of crises, some of his own making…But…[he’s] zeroed in on…the real problem in New York City…the evidence free declaration that social media is “toxic”…This is ridiculous on multiple levels.  First off, last year we had a big post detailing why any comparison between social media and “toxins” like lead paint or tobacco is inherently stupid.  Those are things that are known to cause real harm.  With social media, that’s just not true…the actual science simply does not support the claim that social media is inherently harmful to kids…recent research suggests that the real cause of the teen mental health crisis is the lack of spaces for teens to be teens without parents hovering over them…

Other cities are attempting to bleed social media companies using this asinine propaganda; I won’t be surprised if New York soon attempts to cash in as well.

 

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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