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Posts Tagged ‘Property of the State’

In the News (#1506)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The threat of arrest and prosecution keeps sex workers unsafe and in the shadows.  –  Brian Johnson

A Woman’s Point of View

It would be amusing to see this crammed down Tom Dart’s throat:

[Two politicians] plan to introduce legislation…that would make Illinois the first state to fully decriminalize sex work.  Equality Illinois and the Sex Worker Advisory Group…have spent more than three years advocating for this bill, which…is…sponsored by [politicians] Will Guzzardi…and…Celina Villanueva…[the law] would remove criminal penalties for adults engaging in consensual sex work, remove arrest and conviction records for sex workers and establish a sex workers’ bill of rights…When discussing possible opposition to the bill, Guzzardi said those who believe people should be punished and criminalized for engaging in sex work have a “downright nasty point of view…that we should [not] be endorsing as the General Assembly”…

Permanent Record

I wonder how the judge would’ve ruled had the wife lost her job?

A Texas man has been granted the ability to pursue a retaliatory discharge claim against his former employer, Sewell Lexus of Dallas…[in] a federal wrongful termination suit…the former sales manager was reportedly terminated after pornographic images of his wife were posted to Twitter, Instagram, PornHub, and Only Fans.  These images were circulated among dealership employees and…he…was [supposedly] terminated because…”people don’t want to work with him”…

The End of the Beginning (#915)

Maybe we’re about to witness the beginning of the end of these evil laws:

A[n] appeals court [has] ruled that a [Florida punishment] for [people] convicted [of some] sexual [crimes] to have the words “SEXUAL PREDATOR” on their driver’s licenses violates First Amendment rights…[because it] is compelled speech that is not narrowly tailored to meet the state’s goals of [enlist]ing the public [in persecution] of [these individuals]…Judge Scott Makar, in a 16-page majority opinion joined by Judge F. Rand Wallis, cited rulings that rejected Louisiana and Alabama laws similar to…Florida’s…

Morality Lessons (#953)

Before these hacks, government computers were already among the top hosts of child porn:

…a…wide range of U.S. [federal and state] government websites inadvertently direct…visitors to hardcore porn content…In some cases, the content…[makes fools] of the governments whose sites they have taken over.  Pages…on the State of Louisiana’s official government site that now redirect to porn, for instance, don’t require visitors to provide proof-of-age…Spammers have in the past exploited the redirection functionalities of government websites to steer traffic to pornographic content — [unlike] government sites…[which actually] host…[such] content.  But this recent wave of porn spam appears to be using a more complex technique: uploading to government pages rogue content that transports website visitors to malicious sites…

On the Simultaneous Having and Eating of Cake (#1066) 

It’s probably unwise to state in your employment contract that you’re planning to rip your employees off:

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed a federal lawsuit against [a Kansas strip club named] Pleasures…after an investigation…uncovered illegal wage practices…including unpaid wages, unauthorized deductions from tips, and an unusual clause forcing workers to reimburse the employer if litigation or investigations led to the recovery of lost wages…The lawsuit seeks back wages and an equal amount of liquidated damages for the 80 dancers…

If Men Were Angels (#1448)

Religious communities very often punish the victims of rapist authority figures:

A Utah…teacher [named Ricardo Prins] has fled the country after being charged with the rape of two teen students…[one of his victims] reported…[him and the principal responded by]…suspend[ing] her…[and restricting her to] online schooling…for three months[, dismissing the accusation as a “rumor”.  But the cops felt differently]…and on December 15, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation [and] the teacher…fled to Brazil…

Property of the State (#1488) 

How long will society accept its medical system being used as a tool of state violence?

…an Ohio woman [who was] wrongfully arrested and prosecuted for her pregnancy loss is [su]ing her nurses [for] conspiring with police to fabricate evidence against her…Brittany Watts…was…charged with “abuse of a corpse” [due to] miscarrying at home…[and] was put through absolute hell by prosecutors, police, local media and the hospital…while…in the midst of a life-threatening medical crisis…She was interrogated…while “tethered to her hospital bed with IVs”…[after] two nurses [named Connie Moschell and Jordan Carrino, who already knew Watts’ 21-week pregnancy was non-viable,] and a…[cop named Nicholas Carney invented a wild story, claiming]…that Watts had given birth to a viable baby and left it “in a bucket”…Using only police reports and prosecutor’s version of what happened, [local news sources then] claimed that a woman had killed a newborn by shoving it down a toilet…

 

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 (#1500)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2024| 1 Comment »

I’m not guilty, and they’re not gonna make me believe I’m guilty.  –  Brandy Moore

Property of the State (#1149)

Some light enters the defective brain of a moral imbecile:

Leake County, Mississippi…District Attorney Steven Kilgore…[has] for years deployed patently frivolous criminal charges in an attempt to [force] drug-using mothers [into] the help he thought they needed, whether they wanted it or not…[the] legal ordeal…[of one of his victims wa]s detailed in a Mississippi Today story…and…remarkabl[y], Kilgore, who seems to have previously overlooked the human consequences of treating mothers as criminals based on hospital drug tests, had an awakening of his own as a result…”I’ve reevaluated our stance on the topic and have decided not to handle these cases anymore,” Kilgore [said]…after learning how his decisions had harmed…women, several of whom received stiff prison sentences because they failed to [jump through all the hoops set up by] the…drug court program…including paying hundreds of dollars in fines and fees each month…submitting to home searches and drug tests, and waiving medical privacy…for up to five years…

The Vultures Descend (#1323)

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

[Psychopathic South Carolina politicians] are renewing their push for a piece of legislation that would allow [psychopathic] prosecutors to charge a woman who got an abortion with homicide…[she] could then be…[condemned to] death…

Thought Control (#1345)

It’s always nice to see authoritarian fanatics hoist with their own petard:

The head of a Texas school district says the Bible had to be removed from school libraries because of a new state law prohibiting…books…[containing] sexually explicit or vulgar content…even though [cherry-picked] portions of the Bible remain available in the district’s libraries…The [announcement] sparked outrage from local parents [who have never actually read the Bible and cannot comprehend the plain text of a law], with many expressing disbelief at the [100% predictable consequences of a law they want to use only to censor books they dislike]…

The Widening Gyre (#1401)

Cops keep pissing into the wind, so it’s inevitable some will spray back on them:

In a December 16 Instagram post that received more than 190,000 likes, user Ernest Carter shared a video of a Coca-Cola delivery truck that he claimed was found “full of kids”…and that the video showed police getting the children off the truck.  “The same video and false claim have circulated elsewhere on Instagram, [Twitter], Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Bluesky, YouTube, Rumble and Gettr — including in Spanish and French,” AFP reports…In a follow-up video, he said that his initial post about trafficked children was wrong but there were two abandoned kids found on the truck.  This was also wrong.  The truck and the police depicted were actually outside a mall in Davenport, Iowa, where the local police association was running a toy…drive…

I Spy (#1452) 

Cops everywhere are moral imbeciles, and those who facilitate their evil are enemies of humanity:

Serbia[n cops] have repeatedly used Cellebrite tools to unlock mobile phones so they could then infect them with potent malware, including the phones of activists and a journalist, according to a new report from…Amnesty International…Amnesty…says it, along with researchers at Google, discovered a vulnerability in a wide spread of Android phones which Cellebrite was exploiting.  Qualcomm, the impacted chip manufacturer, has since fixed that vulnerability.  And Amnesty says Google has remotely wiped the spyware from other infected devices….Cellebrite is a…[fascist] Israeli company that sells its mobile forensics technology to [anyone who can pay] all over the world…[and] in multiple cases…these arrests or detentions appear to have been orchestrated specifically to infect a device…

Welcome to the Future (#1461)

Don’t let computers call them, either:

Schools are employing dubious…software to accuse teenagers of wanting to harm themselves and sending the cops to their homes [using that excuse] — with [typically] chaotic and traumatic results…the…software…tracks every word [students] type [on school-issued devices and]…unsurprisingly…[often] woefully misinterpret[s] what the students are actually trying to say.  A 17-year-old in Neosho, Missouri, for instance, was woken up by the police in the middle of the night…[because] a poem she had written years ago triggered the alarms of a software called GoGuardian Beacon, which its maker [markets to control-freak educational bureaucrats] as a way to “safeguard students from physical harm”…

Feudalism Redux (#1472)

Paxton is a dangerous psychopath Texans have empowered to destroy as many human lives as possible:

The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has sued a New York doctor…[named] Megan Carpenter [for] sen[ding] abortion pills to a 20-year-old Texas woman through telemedicine…After the woman sought medical attention for severe bleeding in July, the [abusive sire of the 9-week fetus rooted through her belongings]…and found the abortion pills…Because Carpenter is based in New York, Paxton’s lawsuit will come up against New York’s shield law, which dictates that officials in the state not cooperate with attempts by other states to sue or prosecute providers who send abortion pills to people in states that ban abortion.  Seven other states have passed similar shield laws…[which have] helped providers send pills to more than 9,700 people [per month] who live in [wannabe totalitarian] states…

 

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 (#1499)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 20, 2024| 1 Comment »

The hospitals are at fault. The clinicians are at fault. Our policies are at fault.  –  Dr. Davida Schiff

The Truth About “The Truth About…”

At first, I believed her, until it became clear that Nifong was showboating:

Crystal Mangum, the former exotic dancer who accused three Duke men’s lacrosse players of rape in 2006…now [admit]s she lied…“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t…And I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me,” Mangum said on the web show “Let’s Talk with Kat“…The interview took place at the North Carolina [prison]…where Mangum is serving time for [the] 2013 [knife] murder…[of] her boyfriend…she said she hopes the three men will forgive her…[Mike Nifong,] the district attorney [who turned] the case [into a circus,] was convicted of criminal contempt and disbarred…

If Men Were Angels

Preacher can’t or won’t behave like a moral person; what a shock:

A [typical and representative Oklahoma] pastor…[named] James McMillan was arrested in late November…[becaus]e he unzipped his pants and began touching himself in front of a…[teen girl] while [driv]ing down a Cleveland County highway.  McMillan was arrested again [on December 9] for [show]ing [porn]…to a minor…he…has been [repor]ted [for] sexual abuse…in multiple [social] services and [criminal] cases dating back to 2003 [but nothing has ever been done]…

Cops and Robbers (#1328)

Cops don’t like it when non-cops ape their entrapment schemes:

Police are …[hu]nting teenage gangs [which are] terrorizing gay men in “pedo hunts” in the Sydney area…Nearly a dozen organized attacks have been connected to the…gangs, likely a fraction of the actual number…the victims were gay men who arranged to meet in public parks with someone they met on a dating app like Grindr.  Instead of a consensual hook-up, they were confronted by multiple teenagers, who then taunted, beat, and robbed the victims, sometimes using [guns Australian politicians like to pretend don’t exist in Australia]…Several of the victims were forced [by threats] to c[laim they were] pedophiles while being filmed, [so the attackers could post the]…videos…online, in…[places such as] an Instagram account called “pedohunting_syd”…At least five boys, ages 14 to 17, have been charged in connection with the assaults and robberies, as well as…possessing unauthorized firearms.  Police are describing the gang as a terror group…

Thought Control (#1460)

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

After years of culture war battles in school and public libraries, the campaign by [pro-censorship] “parent rights” groups has succeeded in casting a nationwide chill over the market for children’s books…During the 2023-24 school year, there were more than 10,000 book bans in public schools — a 200% rise over the previous year.  The books overwhelmingly included LGBTQ+ themes and characters of color, according to PEN America.  Many of the same books are banned over and over across the country, through coordinated efforts by [pro-censorship] groups…Teachers and librarians, facing threats and fearful of losing their jobs or even going to jail…are hesitating to put [any] books that include LGBTQ+ characters or discussions of racism on their shelves…sales of such books are down significantly…and authors have seen school visits canceled, leaving them without a crucial income stream…[wannabe thought controllers vomit out the word “]pornography[” at sane, moral people, and opine that “authors and publishers]…should be imprisoned.  Educators and public librarians who [stock any book we point at] should be classed as registered sex offenders”…

Thought Control (#1468)

Politicians really do believe they can control people’s thoughts via threats:

Karen Cahall…who teaches third grade [in Ohio], was recently suspended for three days without pay and threatened with termination…for [hav]ing four books in her classroom library [of about 100 books] that contained LGBTQ characters…Ana On The Edge, The Fabulous Zed Watson!, Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea, and Too Bright to See…[were on a list used by busybodies to harass teachers] and…on October 30, 2024, a [wannabe thought-controller took it up on herself to compare every title in Cahall’s library against that list, then]…sent an email complaining to…every [school board] member…Superintendent Tracey Miller, who [has neither spine nor principles, claimed]…Cahall’s inclusion of these books in her classroom library violated school district policy…[against books about] “topic[s] on which opposing points of view [exist]”…Cahall has filed a…lawsuit against Miller and…School District…[because] their actions were [blatantly] unconstitutional…

Property of the State (#1474) 

How long will society accept its medical system being used as a tool of state violence?

Across the country, hospitals are dispensing medications to patients in labor, only to report them to child welfare authorities when they or their newborns test positive for those very same substances on subsequent drug tests…The[se]…are…medications routinely prescribed to millions…every year…includ[ing] morphine or fentanyl for epidurals or other pain relief, anxiety medications, and two different blood pressure meds prescribed for C-sections.  In a time of increasing surveillance and criminalization of pregnant women since the end of Roe v. Wade, the hospital reports have prompted calls to the police, child welfare investigations and even the [abduction] of children from their parents…

You Were Warned (#1483)

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

[Pro-censorship politician] Mike Lee has introduced a bill to…forc[e unconstitutional] age verification on app stores and mobile devices, with [the] goal of chilling sex-related speech.  Lee [misuses the word] “accountability” [to weirdly represent]…”big corporations”…[as public] “moral[ity agencies” despite the fact that]…big corporations like Google and Apple already ban apps featuring sexual content…[for] everybody…[so] this legislation is about…age-gating…social media…and making tech companies even more afraid of allowing anyone to access adult content…[by inventing] a private right of action for parents and guardians [to file nuisance lawsuits] against app stores…If minors download a web browser and visit porn websites, their parents can sue.  If minors download X or Bluesky or Reddit and happen upon some sort of sexualized image, their parents can sue.  If minors download a chat app and peers direct message them GIFs featuring cartoons committing violence, or inappropriate selfies, or any message at all, their parents can sue.  All a parent has to [do is belch out the word “]harm[“]…or “lewd”…

 

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 (#1488)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Pregnant women have become essentially untouchables. -Sara Rosenbaum

Property of the State 

Pregnant women are uniquely vulnerable to State violence:

How a person handles a pregnancy loss — and where it occurs — can mean the difference between a private medical issue and a criminal charge for abuse of a corpse, child neglect or even murder…[Psychopathic politician]s across the country have been using a series of laws and court rulings in the past decade to criminalize how women react to pregnancy loss….[and] the fear and suspicion following the Supreme Court’s [Dobbs] decision…may be making things worse…about 20% of pregnancies end in a loss, which includes miscarriage or spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth or fetal death…[in the past] only a small number [we]re investigated as crimes.  But…the growing number of [invasive] laws…[give cops more excuses to persecute them]…Women in South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and several other states have faced criminal charges after a miscarriage or stillbirth for failing to seek immediate medical treatment, not pursuing prenatal care or disposing of the fetal remains in a way that [pigs] or prosecutors [retroactively declared] improper…

If Men Were Angels

“Youth leader”, “youth pastor”…just another preachy pervert:

A [church] youth leader [in Abilene, Texas] has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography…[after] a member of the church [reported creepy behavior to the cops]…Charles Goff…[claimed to cops that he “]struggled[“] with videos of teen girls 14-15 years old…and…nude pictures [he cajoled] teenage girls [into sending him via] various social media platforms…

No Escape (#1312)

Why does it take the US press so long to recognize rampant governmental abuses?

Though female prisoners long have been victims of sexual violence, the number of reports against [rapist screws] has exploded nationwide in recent years.  Many complaints follow a similar pattern: [victim]s are retaliated against, while [rapists] face little or no punishment.  In all 50 states, the AP found cases where [rapists] used [prisoner] work assignments to lure women to isolated spots, out of view of security cameras.  The prisoners said they were attacked while doing jobs like kitchen or laundry duty inside [filthy dungeons] or in work-release programs that placed them at private businesses like national fast-food restaurants and hotel chains…Those cases prompted a [mostly theatrical] Senate investigation two years ago that found prisoners were sexually abused by wardens, guards, chaplains or other staff in at least two-thirds of all women’s federal prisons over the past decade.  But a[bsolutely nothing was done about it]…

The Clueless Leading the Hysterical (#1380)

Actual facts cannot stop copaganda:

For nearly two decades, alarmist government officials, abetted by credulous reporters, have been [trying to frighten] parents prior to Halloween [by claiming] that malevolent strangers might try to get their kids high by passing off THC-infused treats as ordinary candy…a version of the old urban legends about razor blades, needles, and glass shards hidden inside Halloween candy, and…equally grounded in reality…The dearth of [actual] cases…has led to a noticeable change in warnings from [cop shops], [crypto-moralist]s, and [the yellow press].  They now [wild]ly e[xaggerat]e the potential for accidental confusion [by the extremely stupid]…

Creepy Coppers (#1472)

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

Akron [cop] Geoffrey Parker…was arraigned…[for] creating and sharing child pornography…Parker is facing five felony charges for sharing “sexually explicit videos with minors engaging in sex acts” and two felonies for photographing [his own] 5-year-old child “in a state of nudity” and then sharing those photographs online in order to “receive other explicit images of children”…using the Kik application…an[d was caught by an algorithm on the site]…Parker “made admissions” about some of the allegations [to the cops who arrested him.  His]…bond [was set] at $1 million…

Paying the Bills

Six weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $2400.  But I’m still facing a $600 shortfall; it isn’t much, but an unpaid bill is still unpaid even if it’s close. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; I really hope to get this done by Thanksgiving, so it doesn’t interfere with my annual toy drive!

Vulture Watching (#1487)

Texas doesn’t care how many women die because of its terrible laws:

Nevaeh Crain was crying in pain, too weak to walk…feverish and vomiting…The first [emergency room she tried]…diagnosed her with strep throat without investigating her sharp abdominal cramps.  At the second, she screened positive for sepsis…But doctors said her six-month fetus had a heartbeat [so she was sent away]…on Crain’s third hospital visit, an obstetrician insisted on two ultrasounds to “confirm fetal demise”…before moving her to intensive care.  By then, more than two hours after her arrival, Crain’s blood pressure had plummeted and…her organs began failing.  Hours later, she was dead…Texas’s abortion ban threatens prison time for interventions that end a fetal heartbeat…It includes exceptions for life-threatening conditions, but…that…[means] medical teams are wasting precious time debating legalities and creating documentation, preparing for the possibility that they’ll need to explain their actions to a jury and judge…

 

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 (#1485)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 29, 2024| 2 Comments »

Bailey, Kobach, and Labrador’s argument treats teenagers as breeding stock.  –  Madiba K. Dennie

Policing for Profit

There are many ways for cops to enrich themselves at others’ expense:

A [Tennessee cop named]…Arica Hutchison was…assigned to sort through Crime Stoppers tips and then give that information to…investigators…[who] document[ed] the usefulness of that tip in a database, which Hutchison had access to…August 2023 through February 2024, [she would]…“enter fraudulent data” into the…database, then had a person named “KB” to receive…reward money…Hutchison and KB fraudulently obtained $18,500 in rewards…On June 3, she…pleaded guilty…[and] was sentenced to [a mere] six months in prison plus two years supervised release.  She also has to pay $22,000 in restitution and must follow a list of additional terms…[but has] not [been]…decertifi[ed so there’s nothing to stop her from being a cop again once she’s out]…

Censorship Ascendant

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

…a British man was convicted of criminal charges for praying silently near an abortion clinic…Adam Smith-Connor did not attempt to harass, intimidate, or interact in any way with those entering the clinic….[and] wasn’t even on clinic property—he was outside the sightline of the clinic itself…Smith-Connor was…charged with violating a Public Spaces Protection Order…a broad censorship order enabled by the 2014 Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act.  Under this law, [politicians and bureaucrats] can…ban a huge range of conduct…[such as swearing or] homeless [people] sleeping outside…

Law of the Instrument (#1380)

In a moral panic, ordinary business arrangements get spun into “exploitation” and “crime”:

The former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch…Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and the couple’s alleged middleman [have been] arrested…[because hiring male escorts is now dysphemized as “]sexually exploited and abused men[” and escort services…are now called “]sophisticated operation[s] involving a middleman[” in order to make them sound scary, and “]a sex-trafficking operation[” to make the claims politically profitable for prosecutors and financially profitable for complainants]…

To Molest and Rape (#1435)

Another cop stalks victims through the official cop grooming program:

An NYPD [cop] working with the department’s [grooming] program [was caught attempting to groom]…an[other cop fantasy role-playing as]…a 14-year-old girl.  Travis DeSouza…had [squicked out enough people with his creepy behavior that his bosses]…sent a young-looking [sow]…to approach him in person…and [claim] interest in [being groomed]…She gave him her contact info, and…he [predictably s]exted her…[and] sent her a [dick pic]…

The Implosion Begins (#1471)

Now that MAGA has won control of “sex trafficking” hysteria, Trumpist politicians are desperate to keep it from being debunked:

Two [Tennessee politicians have threatened]…the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation…[saying] it could face “unnecessary political fallout” if it does not end its criminal probe into the [out-of-control] Millersville Police Department…TBI Director David Rausch [responded to politicians] Bud Hulsey…[and] Monty Fritts…with his own letter…in which he appeared to stop just short of accusing the two [politicians]  of attempting to interfere in the investigation…not[ing] that their [talking point]s “seemed to be based on statements made to you by [QAnon cultist] Shawn Taylor himself“…Bizarrely, Taylor has…claimed…that TBI officials are either involved in child sex trafficking themselves or protecting others who are…

Vulture Watching (#1477)

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

In the year and a half following the Supreme Court Dobbs decision that revoked the federal right to an abortion, hundreds more infants died than expected in the United States…The vast majority of those infants had congenital anomalies, or birth defects…“This is evidence of a national ripple effect, regardless of state-level status,” said Dr. Parvati Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology with The Ohio State University College of Public Health and lead author of the new study…infant mortality was…about 7% higher than typical…About 80% of those additional infant deaths could be attributed to congenital anomalies…[because of] a disproportionate rise in the number of women who are carrying fetuses with lethal congenital anomalies to term…

The Vultures Descend (#1483)

The state really does believe it owns every human being within its borders:

Three state Republican Attorneys General filed a complaint in federal court on October 11 arguing that their states have a right to pregnant teenagers [which] is being violated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration…[because it] allowed mifepristone to be sent by mail, dispensed online, or at pharmacies.  Missouri [AG] Andrew Bailey, Kansas [AG] Kris Kobach, and Idaho [AG] Raúl Labrador…claim that decreased births constitute “a sovereign injury to the state in itself,” and causes downstream injuries like “losing a seat in Congress or qualifying for less federal funding if their populations are reduced.” In other words, uteri are state slush funds, and girls owe the state reproduction once they are capable of it…this is deeply gross and weird…The complaint also says that each of the states is “the legal parent or guardian of many minor girls of reproductive age”…Under the state’s theory, it can separate children from their actual parents, declare itself their father now, and deem a daughter’s pregnancy her daddy’s prerogative…

 

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 (#1478)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Women are not some piece of collectively owned community property the disposition of which is decided by majority vote.  –  Judge Robert McBurney

Policing for Profit

This will never stop until it is treated as what it is: armed robbery:

The predatory, for-profit policing of the Lexington [Mississippi cop shop] has repeatedly violated the civil rights of residents, making arrests equal to roughly a fourth of the entire town’s population and burdening them with fines and debts of over $1.7 million…around $1,400 for every man, woman and child in the town…[a DoJ] report details a litany of brutal, extractive practices primarily aimed at the Black residents of Lexington: countless arrests over extreme minutiae, including…“jailing people for conduct that is not criminal, like using profanity and owing money to the police.”  Since 2021, Lexington police have engaged in an aggressive campaign of punishment, often violent, against the residents of the town…the Lexington Police…Department’s funding ballooned from…$662,925 to $965,130 in 2023, all a consequence of the plunder…[civil rights lawyer] Jill Collen Jefferson…said the residents of Lexington have lived under what amounts to a state of occupation…Police Chief…Charles Henderson…[h]as a[lso tried to coerce] roughly a dozen women [into] sex, jailing or ticketing those who refused…[and] multiple [Lexington cops]…routinely [follow his example]…

Business As Usual (#1254)

Politicians want to pay for “self-care” for cops traumatized by raping dirty whores:

Both houses of Congress have approved the IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act…and it’s now awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature.  The bill would provide “self-care” services to Homeland Security Investigations…staff [“]exposed[” to women they infantilize as “]victims of human trafficking[” they choose]…to subject…to…traumatizing experiences…[most] of the “human trafficking” work the agency does just involves plain old prostitution stings…particularly when the[y] target Asian massage businesses.  At best, these stings tend to be dubious uses of resources and authority…At worst, they put people vulnerable to violence and sexual exploitation in more precarious positions—by [brutaliz]ing…sex workers and saddling them with court fees and criminal records…or [steal]ing…the assets of immigrant sex workers and masseuses…and even [raping them]…

The Vultures Descend (#1323)

It’s rare to see a modern judge explicitly rule in favor of self-ownership:

A judge in Georgia…[named] Robert McBurney…ruled the [state’s 6-week] abortion ban unconstitutional under Georgia’s state constitution…“‘liberty’…in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices,” McBurney wrote…“While the State’s interest in protecting ‘unborn’ life is compelling, until that life can be sustained by the State ― and not solely by the woman compelled by the Act to do the State’s work ― the balance of rights favors the woman”…Physicians in the state can now provide abortions until fetal viability, reverting to Georgia’s 2019 abortion law…

A Moral Cancer (#1450)

Prohibitionism is a dangerous mental illness:

Various “experts” are calling on state governments to impose age restrictions on the sale of nonalcoholic drinks…under the guise of protecting against underage alcohol consumption, based on the argument that products like nonalcoholic beer could be a gateway to the real thing…[but in] reality…studies [show]…”[nonalcoholic beverage] consumption usually started after adolescents began consuming alcohol”…in other words…teenagers are using nonalcoholic beverages in place of alcoholic beverages, rather than as an on-ramp to real drinking…

I Spy (#1461)

If “official” busybodies can spy on you via your car, so can unofficial ones:

…a group of independent security researchers revealed that they’d found a flaw in a web portal operated by…Kia that let the researchers reassign control of the internet-connected features of most modern Kia vehicles…from the smartphone of a car’s owner to the hackers’ own phone or computer…they were able to scan virtually any internet-connected Kia vehicle’s license plate and within seconds gain the ability to track that car’s location, unlock the car, honk its horn, or start its ignition at will.  After the researchers alerted Kia to the problem in June, Kia appears to have fixed the vulnerability in its web portal…But Kia’s patch is far from the end of the car industry’s web-based security problems…a slew of similar web-based vulnerabilities…affect…cars sold by Acura, Genesis, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Toyota, and more…

The Cop Myth (#1464)

“Cop murders wife or girlfriend and claims it was suicide” is a recurring theme in this tag:

…Dan Howard, a [typical and representative]…Idaho [cop murdered his wife]…in February 2021…[then staged the scene to look like a suicide, claiming] he discovered his wife in the bathtub….[where] she had shot herself in the head…[but] there [wasn’t enough]…blood…In the laundry room, the dryer was running…[and] full of clean bath towels and mats…Howard appeared to have recently showered, changed his clothes, and applied fresh deodorant…no…signs of…a suicide note…they…had more than $2 million in assets…yet…Howard [was a tightwad, and they started to argue more after he got away with murdering]…a woman during a traffic stop…the…[wife,] Kendy…had an affair, and…told Dan she…wanted a divorce.  And she had started the process of buying a new house.  By the end of January 2021, just days before her death, Kendy met with a divorce lawyer…two years…[later] Howard was [convicted of] murder.  He…had…[broken] her jaw, then [strangled] her…[and] staged the scene by placing Kendy’s body in the bathtub and shooting her…

Paying the Bills

A week ago, I let y’all know that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $600.  So now I’m only facing a $2400 shortfall; if you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; it would be great if I can catch up by my birthday!

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

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In the News (#1474)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 20, 2024| 1 Comment »

A poppy seed bagel should never be the impetus of a child welfare investigation.  –  Emma Camp

Against Their Will (#321)

Authoritarians, like leopards, cannot change their spots:

As he seeks to become Oregon’s…attorney general…Will Lathrop has touted his five years leading a…[rescue industry group]’s efforts to e[nslave women in sweatshops] and [abduct their children] in Ghana…his…campaign ad[s burble the usual nonsense about] “rescu[ing] children from human trafficking and protect[ing] women from violence”…But a BBC documentary from 2023 tells [the truth]: that a single-minded focus on setting and meeting targets resulted in Lathrop’s team [conspir]ing with police to…kidnap…children…from their families under false pretenses…The International Justice Mission…[is one of the most notorious rescue industry profiteers]…and…reporter Kyenkyehene Boateng…[working with] an undercover journalist…[made] “The Night They Came For Our Children”…[which] highlighted two [atrociti]es during [Lathrop’s] tenure…[including one where] armed [cops raided] a…remote…village…in the dead of night to [abduct] four children…[from] the[ir] grandmother…[at] gun[point]…They were [imprisoned]…for four months…[while] two of the[ir] uncles were arrested and charged with child trafficking and child labor law violations, charges that were ultimately dropped…

If Men Were Angels

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

Police [have] arrested a [California] pastor…[named] Juan Barrios, [after a man reported in May that Barrios] had [sexually] assaulted him [and his younger brother] for years, beginning when he was just nine years old…[in] 2009 and [continuing until] 2015, when their family was living with the pastor at his Riverside home…because of his position and the nature of the accusations, [cops] believe there may be other victims who haven’t come forward yet…

Devil’s Advocate (#667)

How long will society accept cops arresting men for fictitious “crimes” against imaginary people?

Cops are now using [computers] to generate images of fake kids, [then using] them [to entrap people] online, [bragging about the scheme in] a lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico against Snapchat…because its “algorithm serves up children to adult predators”…[fantasy-roleplay]ing as “Sexy14Heather,” [a pervert cop] swapped messages with adult accounts…and…attempted to coerce the[m] into sharing [child porn]…a lawyer specializing in sex crimes, Carrie Goldberg, [said]…using [computer-generated images] could complicate investigations and carry its own ethical concerns…[but of course] ethical concerns [are never considered by]…cops…

Pretext

The “cops bearing gifts” PR scam is not limited to adults:

[The cop shop] in Chicopee, Massachusetts [bought] a used truck…in 2022…using money s[tolen from legally-innocent citizens]…and…then [extorted more money] from local businesses to wrap the truck and…provide ice cream for kids in the community for free…to [trick] children who might otherwise [correctly] associate the department with [armed state violence]…

So, a fancy windowless white van with “free candy” scrawled on the side.

Property of the State (#1353) 

How long will society accept its medical system being used as a tool of state violence?

Hospitals around the nation are administering unreliable drug tests to pregnant women, and siccing child welfare authorities upon them based on the results…federal data examined by The Marshall Project reporter Shoshana Walter…indicates that tens of thousands of babies are reported to authorities…[even though] it’s been long known that these drug tests are unreliable…[with] false positive rates as high as 50 percent…While more than half of U.S. states require hospitals to [snitch to] child welfare agencies if they suspect a mother used drugs during pregnancy, none require hospitals to confirm that those results are correct.  This means that when a mother has a false positive, she often lacks the ability to demand a more reliable drug test…[leaving] her…to…face humiliating, terrifying ordeals…

Vulture Watching (#1464)

The totally-predictable results of bad laws are happening just as sane people said they would:

In her final hours, Amber Nicole Thurman suffered from a grave infection…She’d taken abortion pills and…had not expelled all of the fetal tissue from her body.  She showed up at [an Atlanta] hospital in need of a routine procedure to clear it from her uterus, called a dilation and curettage, or D&C.  But just that summer, [Georgia] had made performing the procedure a felony…Any doctor who violated the new…law could…face up to a decade in prison….It took 20 hours for doctors to finally operate.  By then, it was too late…an official state committee recently…deemed her…[death] “preventable” and said the hospital’s delay…had a “large” impact on her fatal outcome…at least two [other] women have already died after they couldn’t access legal abortions…in their state…[but] Thurman’s case marks the first time an abortion-related death, officially deemed “preventable,” is coming to public light…

The Cop Myth (#1469)

This phrasing strongly implies strangling a woman while on duty is A-OK:

A Eugene [Oregon cop] was arraigned…[for] strangling a woman while off duty on Sept. 7…Joshua West…[attacked his girlfriend, but is at large anyway because he pinky-swore he’d be a good boy]…a spokes[cop bragged]…that West was “immediately” [rewarded with a paid vacation.  No surprise, given that when reported]…for [drunk driving and bizarre behavior] in 2016…he was not arrested or given a Breathalyzer test…

 

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 (#1461)

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

People in authority can violate your rights while believing they are protecting you.  –  The Budget

Pyrrhic Victory (#1188) 

Every company and organization (including cop shops) using facial recognition without consent needs to be sued until it stops:

[Facebook] has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to resolve the state’s lawsuit accusing…[it] of illegally using facial-recognition technology to collect biometric data of millions of Texans without their consent…from photos and videos that users uploaded…as part of a [now-]discontinued feature called “Tag Suggestions”…Google separately is fighting a [similar] lawsuit by Texas…

Under Duress (#1222)

Establishment media are finally beginning to admit that cops are habitual liars:

The family of Sonya Massey—whom Deputy Sean Grayson shot in the face as she stood in her kitchen, unarmed and praying for protection—recently publicized that the Sangamon County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office initially told relatives that Sonya had killed herself.  Once body-cam footage disproved Grayson’s self-serving account, he was arrested and charged…[similarly,] Sandra Bland’s cause of death was ruled “suicide by asphyxiation” (i.e., hanging)…suicidologists and suicide awareness advocates should lend expertise…whenever deaths from police brutality are ruled suicides…police “routinely lie to serve their own interests”…a type of misconduct that emerges not from just a few “bad apples” but from the systematic negligence of judges and juries…to the point that…the judicial system’s favoritism toward police has become seen as predictable…and…[encourages] schemes to victim-blame targets…Peter Keane, a former San Francisco Police commissioner, admitted…that police culture normalized lying…Justice Gustin Reichbach of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, New York, echoed Keane…

Welcome to the Future (#1381)

Constant surveillance damages adolescents’ ability to develop in healthy ways:

…at Lawrence High [in Kansas]…every homework assignment, email, photo, and chat on…school-supplied device[s are] monitored by a[lgorithms provided by a company named]…Gaggle…to provide around-the-clock surveillance.  If a word or an image triggers an alert in the…software, the result could range from the student being sent to an administrator to being referred to [compulsory] counseling to…a visit from local police…Gaggle [absurdly] claims that it has saved an “estimated” 5,790 student lives between 2018 and 2023.  It did this, according to its website, by analyzing 28 billion student items and flagging 162 million of those for review…At what point is the safety you think you’re buying for students actually doing harm in unintended ways?  Won’t teachers avoid assignments that challenge students to consider real-world problems?…Won’t students learn just to keep their emotions to themselves, instead of confiding in a teacher or another trusted adult?  What about the chilling effect on student creativity and expression?  Gaggle is the thought police for K-12 campuses…is it worth it if it turns schools into virtual prisons?

Property of the State (#1416)

The court rejected the charges, but not the “fetal personhood” dogma behind them:

Oklahoma resident Amanda Aguilar was arrested after using marijuana while pregnant.  Though Aguilar had a medical marijuana prescription, prosecutors [absurdly argu]ed that her fetus did not…[and] charged [her]…with [felony] child neglect…the state’s highest criminal court [dismissed the charges, but only because prosecutors charged her under a made-up law; they]…urged Oklahoma [politicians]…to c[riminalize all use of cannabis by pregnant women, regardless of prescription]…at least eight women have been charged under this [made-up law] since 2019…But…the Oklahoma Supreme Court…declined [to hear previous appeals]…Aguilar’s case [only] got its day in court thanks to an overzealous…prosecutor…appealing [a lower court’s dismissal of her charges] to…the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals…

I Spy (#1422)

Don’t let your machines call them, either:

Ford is trying to patent a way for its cars to report speeding drivers to the police.  A patent application…was published…Jul. 18 2024, and was originally filed by Ford Jan. 12, 2023…the [dystopian system would use]…cars to monitor each other’s speeds.  If one car detects that a nearby vehicle is being driven above the posted limit, it could use onboard cameras to photograph that vehicle.  A report containing both speed data and images of the targeted vehicle could then be sent directly to a [handy pigmobile] or roadside monitoring units…It’s unclear what legal argument Ford would make should it try to implement this tech, as human [busybodies] wouldn’t be [sticking]ing the[ir noses into strangers’ business]…Ford has also tried to patent a “night drive mode” that would limit vehicle speeds at night for everyone [regardless of circumstances].  This takes things a bit further by turning drivers into unwitting snitches…

Torture Chamber (#1455)

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

[Human beings caged] in Texas state prisons are being “cooked alive” by scorching temperatures in facilities without air conditioning, a new investigation [reports, yet when prisoners]…died with body temperatures nearing 107 degrees, officials have continued to blame their deaths on causes other than extreme heat.  In 2023, a Texas prisoner filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s refusal to…[obey] its own laws…mandat[ing] that prison temperatures be kept between 65 degrees and 85 degrees…At one prison, Garza West Unit, temperatures stayed above 100 degrees for 11 days straight in the summer of 2023…

The Cop Myth (#1460)

Cop violence is never limited to members of the public:

An…NYPD [cop named]…Imran Iqbal…was [arrested and] charged with [violently abusing] a child…[his bosses thought saying he wasn’t wearing his magical clown costume was much more important than how he was related to the child he attacked or any other pertinent information like his victim’s age]…

 

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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Tweetenstein

Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2024| 1 Comment »

 

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In the News (#1420)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2024| 1 Comment »

The advertising technology ecosystem is the largest information-gathering enterprise ever conceived by man.

Droit du Seigneur

What did this guy think he was, a cop?

A Las Vegas family court marshal is accused of sex trafficking a 17-year-old girl…Bryce Tokunaga…is not [alleged to have harmed or threatened]…the girl [in any way, but bought her] condoms, food, hygiene products, hair and nail services, and…hotel rooms where she could [work]…Tokunaga [was caught driving the girl to a stroll]…

Despite the story being larded with the usual weird “sex trafficking” dysphemisms, what Tokunga actually appears to be guilty of is extremely poor judgment by functioning as the pimp of a girl who was already an experienced street worker despite her age and was determined to continue regardless of the State’s defining her as a passive, doll-like “child”.

The Face of Trafficking

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

Gerardo Quijada-Soto…smuggled Javier Rodriguez-Castro from Honduras to the United States, through Mexico, along with 12 other individuals.  They initially crossed the border January 8, 2021.  Rodriguez-Castro was…taken to…Fun Noodle in Abilene….[where] he…observed a large stack of cash change hands between Quijada-Soto and owner of Fun Noodle, Hai Zhuang.  From that moment on, Rodriguez-Castro was…treated as a…slave.  “His passport was thrown into a water heater closet,” and he “was forced to work 10-12 hour days,” without breaks…In late summer…[he] was able to escape to Dallas…during his more than six months in captivity…Zhuang beat him, and…he was forced to eat scraps from customers because he wasn’t fed properly…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1306)

“Criminality” is a status defined entirely by the State:

At least five people have been detained in Moscow after attending the funeral of Alexei Navalny…One woman who attended the rally and was caught on video chanting “glory to the heroes,” a pro-Ukraine slogan, was arrested on M[arch 4th]…but allowed to return home the following day.  Police a[rrest]ed two other attendees [the next]…day, although the charges remain unknown…Moscow’s extensive surveillance system and facial recognition technology [was likely used] to identify attendees…[given that] several new surveillance cameras [were installed] around the church and cemetery [a few days before] the ceremony…

You Were Warned (#1396)

Politicians no longer bother to consider whether their new diktats are Constitutional:

Politicians won’t stop trying to make a TikTok ban happen…We went here with Trump, who tried to ban TikTok via executive order in 2020. (The courts said no, and the Biden administration rescinded the order.)  We went here with Montana, which passed a TikTok-banning law last year. (The court said no…though Montana is appealing.)  We went here with multiple bills…in 2022…and…in 2023…[which foundered] after being introduced…Now, here we are again, with a [theatrical] bill…call[ed]…the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA?)…[which] would…expand…presidential power to restrict Americans’ access to tools for getting and disseminating information—what could go wrong?… 

Creepy Coppers (#1411)

It didn’t take long for this one to demonstrate exactly what he is:

A 19-year-old [Florida man] was sworn in as a deputy on M[arch 4th]– but by sundown, [his employer] had a search warrant for his phone…[typical and representative cop] Kai Cromer…was [sent to lurk]…at a…high school…[and four girls] recognized [him as someone who]…had [demanded] explicit photos and videos over Snapchat…[by] telling [them], “I’m going to be law enforcement. I’m very powerful”…video of an underaged girl was found on Cromer’s phone which led to his arrest…

I Spy (#1412)

In mass surveillance, fascism runs rings around communism:

In 2019, a government contractor…named Mike Yeagley began making the rounds in Washington, DC.  He had a blunt warning for anyone in the country’s national security establishment who would listen: The US government had a Grindr problem…Yeagley was able to access the geolocation data on Grindr users through a hidden but ubiquitous entry point: the digital advertising exchanges that serve up the little digital banner ads along the top of…nearly every…ad-supported mobile app and website….[which make] your precise location available in near-real time to both advertisers and people like Mike Yeagley, who specialized in obtaining unique data sets for government agencies…Yeagley showed…all that information was available for sale, for cheap.  And it wasn’t just Grindr, but rather any app that had access to a user’s precise location—other dating apps, weather apps, games.  Yeagley chose Grindr because…when speaking to a bunch of intelligence agencies, there’s no way to get their attention quite like showing them a tool capable of revealing when their agents are visiting highway rest stops…

I’m a bit skeptical of this timeline, given that I’ve been aware of this collaboration since 2017, and I’m no tech expert.  But the article is lengthy and contains a lot of interesting information on this rights-destroying surveillance machine.

The Cop Myth (#1418)

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

A [typical and representative Alabama cop attacked]…his wife and caus[ed] her to miscarry…[in March 2022] Robert Allen Maddox Jr…threw his then-wife to the floor of their home…and began choking her…he…then began punching [her] in the stomach, causing her to miscarry…Maddox was arrested…and…four months…[later was] charge[d]…with…murder [because Alabama].  That murder charge was later reduced to one count of manslaughter [because cop]…

 

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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