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Posts Tagged ‘robots’

Thaw-time Tweets

Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged adolescence, agency denial, blogging, cops, crypto-moralism, dehumanization, drugs, language, law, left-right myth, politicians, pregnancy, robots, surveillance, Twitter, universal criminality on March 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The number of women whose lives were ruined by sex work is dwarfed into utter insignificance by the number of women whose lives were ruined by unwanted pregnancies.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 24, 2023

"Misleading" is such a nice way to say "lying outrageously to cover up their own crimes". https://t.co/ZbjkZIMZNI

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 24, 2023

I don't think I've ever muted anyone on here for being a humorless, pompous scold before. But there' a first time for everything.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 26, 2023

This is rhetorical sleight of hand. There's no such thing as a "prostituted woman"; it's an imaginary construct based in the fantasy that sex workers are passive, vegetable-like entities. Since there ARE no such creatures, talking to none is talking to all.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 27, 2023

One of the most important principles of existing in a world full of violent authoritarians and their pet snitches is, "Never give anybody any personal information that they do not absolutely need".

Most sex workers understand why this is important; I wish the rest of y'all did.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 28, 2023

Politicians and bureaucrats are ALWAYS in favor of more laws, rules and "regulations" about every single aspect of human existence, so THEIR preferences are not arguments in favor of ANYthing. It would be like trying to advertise a food product by proclaiming that dogs like it.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 28, 2023

Catastrophist authoritarians love saying "planet" when they actually mean "human society", and "universe" when they actually mean "this one tiny planet".

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 1, 2023

Don't ever say Cassandra McNeill never warned y'all. https://t.co/9XQiw9VR7b

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 2, 2023

I first encountered coconut milk when I was about 5; it was obvious to me even then that it got the name from its appearance and had nothing to do with dairy.

But I guess most politicians aren't as bright as I was at 5. https://t.co/llcXds1xFU

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 3, 2023

Make cops carry individual insurance, and pay for it themselves. When a cop has too many suits to be insurable, he can no longer work as a cop. This may be the only way to stop the carnage, considering politicians are too spineless to fix it themselves. https://t.co/WszZaYpkMU

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 4, 2023

Another person arguing that big, tall, fat, or wealthy people should have more votes than small, short, skinny, or poor ones. https://t.co/XJ90ZE6597

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 5, 2023

I beg to differ about it not being healthy; it saved my sanity, my health, and very possibly my life, far more effectively than any prescription drug could've, for a fraction of the cost, and fully under MY control rather than some doctor's. And I'm far from alone.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 8, 2023

This is your regular reminder that infantilizing young adults as "children" does not actually help them, and if anything makes them MORE vulnerable to whatever it is you're claiming you want to protect them from.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 9, 2023

Gotta say I'm amused by the sudden realization by both reporters and social media denizens that politicians lie, constantly and egregiously. Now if they can just grok that this is neither new nor novel nor limited to politicians of only one party, we might actually get somewhere.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 10, 2023

I have never and will never understand the childlike faith people put in "restraining orders". But then, perhaps because I've played D&D for over 40 years, I *know* magic is just make-believe.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 11, 2023

I wish people would stop using this backward phrasing invented by journalists.

It's "1/50 as fast", not "50 times slower". Slowness is a lack of speed, just like cold is a lack of heat. That's why your car has a "speedometer" not a "slowometer". https://t.co/bXJ7JXFc7r

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 11, 2023

Many years ago, Robert Heinlein proposed a Constitutional amendment requiring all laws to be written in plain English comprehensible to average high-school graduates. https://t.co/ov9M5Nz5yp

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 11, 2023

Every time one of these "feminist" prohibitionists opines, she demonstrates that she not only fails to comprehend that is a wide variety of clients who want all sorts of different experiences, but also that she has absolutely not the faintest clue what any of them is like.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 13, 2023

CSPI has nothing to do with science; it’s an authoritarian organization dedicated to promoting the latest nutritional pseudoscience. These are the same people who once said that raw poppy seeds are "contaminated" with opium (which comes from, you guessed it, poppy seeds). https://t.co/l8fneOWKfu

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 15, 2023

Oh yes, statism is just another religion. The gods have been replaced by parties and agendas, and the prayers go by other names. But the adherents are still expected to mindlessly regurgitate dogma, and heretics and infidels are punished as ruthlessly as ever.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 16, 2023

The problem with "progressive" types & "parental rights" types BOTH is that they view young adults as "children" & children as objects, to be managed & programmed by state or family. Neither gives a damn about the young people themselves; they're just quibbling about ownership.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 17, 2023

One of the stupidest things about modern culture wars is that, when
culture warriors' opponents CLEARLY STATE what's bothering them, the warriors deny it and say, "No, your problem is REALLY 'x' motivation from our dogma about you" rather than using the knowledge.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 19, 2023

Why do prohibitionists make ridiculously-obvious statements like "people only do work if they feel the money is worth their time" and then pretend it's somehow a "gotcha"?

Puritanism blinds people. https://t.co/6xSPPZFTXC

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 20, 2023

I mean really; this is the online equivalent of taking your dick out at a party and wriggling it around while pretending it's talking, as though it were a puppet. Only the online behavior is more sophomoric.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) March 22, 2023

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Links #660

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged Australia, Believe Them, cops, Florida, I can't breathe, Illinois, imaginative fiction, Iowa, Massachusetts, Never Call the Cops, robots, Under Duress, video on February 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I can’t switch off a feeling that I was stupid in the first place … I trusted [a cop]. – “Sonia”

The work of a prolific TV composer may be much better known than its composer; that’s certainly the case with Gerald Fried, who compositions included the theme to Gilligan’s Island, most of the score for Roots, and a number of scores for Star Trek, including this one you’ll probably recognize. The links above the video were provided by Franklin Harris, Mike Siegel, Cop Crisis (x4), and Lenore Skenazy, 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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Midwinter Tweets

Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy, tagged Believe Them, blogging, Canada, consensual crime, cops, dating, ethics, Florida, imaginative fiction, language, politicians, robots, STEM, Tennessee, Texas, Twitter on February 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Like something Bill Theiss would design while very drunk. https://t.co/KzYdGrNeut

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 24, 2023

Clearly a very important discovery for building solid machines with no electronic parts which can escape from cages as long as there's a mold handy. 🙄

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 26, 2023

For "deleted", instead use "memory-holed" for greater precision. Things can be "deleted" for many reasons, but when it's due to political embarrassment "memory-holed" is more specific. https://t.co/rpYkpTDiyB

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 27, 2023

Ray Bradbury was one of the great souls of modern times. He will be remembered when every contemporary power-hungry politician has been reduced to a footnote in history texts or a name in a list of fallen, buried, forgotten "rulers". https://t.co/pFIQDdzYv3

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 27, 2023

Your regular reminder that "proactive policing" actually means "terrorizing people who haven't committed any crimes, under the pretext that they *might*". https://t.co/wx4Z4lEyil

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 28, 2023

Also, about #5: "Not allowed to listen" is a very different thing from "are unable to listen". https://t.co/0ZurrNGJEc

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 29, 2023

Amateurs are so cute. https://t.co/DHsG6jTkvi

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 30, 2023

Cops acting as though they're in the entertainment business should be a summary firing offense. https://t.co/FVsep5DmoL

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) January 31, 2023

I'm sure she believes that the sailors on the Flying Dutchman are happy because they have job security. And like the Wandering Jew, they get to travel to many lands on a sort of eternal vacation!

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 1, 2023

“I think that people see police as a part of the government”

Yes, that's because they ARE part of the government. The most visible and violent part, the hand of the state that holds the gun, whip, or club. https://t.co/PkPkr3iATP

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 3, 2023

We *do* understand discretion, honey. After all, it's part of why you pay us, remember? https://t.co/oAVtft9K8q

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 4, 2023

The rise of trucks as passenger vehicles in urban areas is largely the result of government fuel efficiency "regulations" which made station wagons and other large (but low) cars illegal.

This is a striking example of the Law of Unintended Consequences at work. https://t.co/uMH85IhtVk

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 5, 2023

…elaborate protections. Near the end of the cycle, even opening a tap results in a flood of disgusting filth spewing out in every direction, coating walls, floor, and ceiling of the bathroom or kitchen and suffusing everyone's house & clothes with an unbearable reek.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 5, 2023

"Vascular neck restraint" is a scientific-sounding euphemism for "choking somebody to cut off blood flow to the brain so they pass out".

"Pass out" is itself euphemized as "slip into unconsciousness". Choking a victim to within minutes of death depicted as a lullaby. https://t.co/CsKD5MJrR3

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 7, 2023

An orbit is a path described by mathematics; it is not a physical object that can be "crashed into".

Please can we at least have SOME science "reporters" who aren't less scientifically literate than the average @BillNye viewer? https://t.co/3N05AUiYbk

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 9, 2023

Many criminals are entrepreneurs; it's just that their business happens to be illegal. https://t.co/nMqBcW3CmK

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 10, 2023

I don't think it would be bragging to say that I probably have more cerebral capacity than most. And yet, I *still* don't have enough space there to allow various public figures to live rent-free in my head as so many otherwise-intelligent people seem wont to do.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 11, 2023

Cops constantly demonstrate *exactly* what they are; why don't you believe them? https://t.co/Ipnk6dS3Rr

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 12, 2023

Isaac Asimov once described computers as "high-speed morons". He was correct, ad anyone who blathers about artificial "intelligence" is wrong. https://t.co/EzyEU9CdsX

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 14, 2023

And as for "dating apps", I think the less said the better; they concentrate the toxic aspects of both "dating" culture and "looking for relationships" and add a heavy component of superficiality.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 14, 2023

"From behind" doesn't sound nearly as bad as "in the back".

Journalists need to start using those words, rather than mealy-mouthed softeners. https://t.co/DugFSaRgx6

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 15, 2023

This phrasing sounds so much nicer than "cops abduct drunk woman, rip off her clothes, then take nude pictures without her consent." https://t.co/8knRR6TU2z

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 17, 2023

How much longer will Americans allow cops to use robot guns and cars that go berserk and attack people on their own? https://t.co/pW3gzG4ADO

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 18, 2023

Experts: The Drug War increases deaths by overdose and has been catastrophic to civil liberties.
Economists: The Drug War has cost trillions and had absolutely no positive effects.
Civil libertarians: End the damned drug war already!
Your "leaders": https://t.co/OuV6nM5dfJ

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 19, 2023

Many scientists used to claim that the sci-fi concept of a murderous Frankensteinian computer was impossible. https://t.co/cRidQsQwMu

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) February 21, 2023

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In the News (#1310)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged censorship, cops, dating, disease, fantasy, internet, Missouri, New Jersey, politicians, porn, psychology, rape, robots, shame, Stalkers in Blue, surveillance, The Mob Rules, The Pygmalion Fallacy, The Real World, To Molest and Rape, Torture Chamber, United Kingdom on February 4, 2023| 1 Comment »

Federal prisons…[are] unwilling to get people the medical care they need. – Kevin Ring

Stalkers in Blue

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

A [New Jersey cop]…was arrested…[for] stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend for over a month after they broke up…Erich A. Bennett…and the woman were in a brief dating relationship that she ended in late November 2022. On Dec. 5, he showed up unannounced at her home and threatened her…She then blocked him from contacting her electronically and installed security cameras on the exterior of her home. On Jan. 8, [she] began receiving harassing and threatening messages via social media from an online persona, which detectives connected to Bennett…The next weekend, on Jan. 14…he…[slashed] all four [of her] tires…keyed [her car, tore]…a flagpole…off the front of her house, and [stole] her Ring doorbell camera and two additional security cameras…Bennett also [used]…police databases on more than 30 occasions between October 2022 and January 2023 to find personal identifying information of the woman and [several of her friends]…

The Real World

Dr. David Ley schools his fellow therapists on the reality of sex work:

…As our society has become more open to discussions of sexual diversity, and more averse to sexual shame and stigma, more people are opening up to their therapists about their secret sexual lives and interests, including their past or present involvement in sex work. Unfortunately, many therapists find themselves ill-prepared to effectively support their patients on these issues, and they may unintentionally harm or stigmatize their sex-working patients…Therapists often assume that anyone involved in sex work is doing so against their will and that the therapist needs to rescue them…sex work is not an inherent sign of pathology, attachment disturbance, substance abuse, or other problems…A sex worker’s job is not necessarily the reason the sex worker is coming to therapy. They seek support for the same range of reasons that anyone else does…Not all sex workers are the victims of childhood sexual abuse, and for those who are, their abuse may have no direct relationship to their work in the sex industry. This a version of the “damaged goods hypothesis”…

The Pygmalion Fallacy (#1208)

Computer-generated female images are replacing “sex robots” in prohibitionist fantasies:

[Prohibitionists and clueless young men on Twitter fantasized that] OnlyFans models could be in trouble [from]…hyper-realistic AI models…threatening to take over the adult platform and put them out of work. A[n image of]…four almost identical [Barbie-like female characters]…spark[ed the fantasies among people who believe]…OnlyFans [is about pretty pictures rather than the fantasy of connection to a beautiful woman]…

It’s sad to see how many people still want to believe that actual sex workers with individual human personalities could be replaced by plastic dolls or computer-generated images without minds.

Torture Chamber (#1292)

This would be a real improvement if the conditions for release were objective rather than subject to the whims of those in power:

Federal inmates suffering from unconstitutional medical neglect could get a new avenue for relief under changes being proposed by the U.S. Sentencing Commission…[which] would broaden compassionate release, a policy that allows incarcerated people who are terminally ill or severely debilitated the mercy of spending their remaining days at home…the amendment would expand the qualifying circumstances…to include…people “suffering from a [serious] medical condition that requires longterm or specialized medical care…that is not being provided in a timely or adequate manner”…prisons and jails across the country regularly subject people to atrocious and humiliating neglect…The First Step Act of 2018…allow[ed] judges [rather than sadistic prison bureaucrats] to consider petitions…But…the [allowable]…reasons…were narrowly defined and did not include medical neglect…

To Molest and Rape (#1301)

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time“:

…a [typical and representative Missouri cop named Seth P. Wilkins who was]…convicted 10 years ago of possessing child pornography….was charged Jan. 18 with…sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl…[he was convicted of] the [child porn] charge Nov. 19, 2012, in a plea agreement [for]…a suspended seven-year term with five years on probation…[from which] he was discharged…in August 2015…

To Molest and Rape (#1307)

Just a few more isolated incidents:

A…Dorset [cop named Ravi Canhye] has been charged with [eight sexual offences including] two counts of rape…A…spokesp[ig oinked out a lot of boilerplate obfuscation, emphasizing that he was not wearing his magical clown costume while committing the rapes]…

The Mob Rules (#1307)

Laws enabling nuisance lawsuits will keep multiplying until they’re ruled unconstitutional:

The Mississippi Senate Judiciary…committee approved a bill…that would [demand] age verification for any site that [hosts porn. Politician]…Nicole Boyd…would exempt news gathering organizations and internet service providers from liability…[but]…is [otherwise] modeled after the Louisiana legislation…

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In the News (#1300)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged Absolute Corruption, California, censorship, Connecticut, cops, Eavesdropping, hysteria, internet, Japan, law, LGBT rights, marriage, Massachusetts, Monsters, politicians, porn, Prudish Pedants, robots, Russia, Stalkers in Blue, surveillance, Torture Chamber, transgender on December 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Your face is like a password you can’t change. – Pete Warden

Torture Chamber

Just in case you thought this was restricted to the US:

…a man [died in] a central Japan police station…[after being beaten and then] left naked and bound with his head in a toilet bowl, and a senior official is among those…[recorded on camera] kicking the…[prisoner] as he lay tied up…[cops also] neglected to take necessary medical measures, such as having a doctor examine the man, though he had diabetes and schizophrenia…

Stalkers in Blue

This week’s entry in the “No shit” department:

…Connecticut cop…Joshua Zarbo has been suspended after he…ask[ed] an emergency dispatcher to check a woman’s license plate to obtain her name and personal information in hopes of securing a date…It’s not the first time a police officer in the state [ab]used the system to identify potential [sexual target]s…[typical and representative] Norwalk [cop] Taranjit Singh resigned in 2021 before he could be punished after…four women [reported] he either pulled over and threatened to give them a ticket unless they gave him their cellphone number or obtained their names and addresses through the same database system Zarbo…[ab]used…One…wom[a]n who was twice stopped by Singh…became so fearful of running into him again that she moved out of Norwalk…

Eavesdropping (#1152)

Why does a vacuum cleaner need either a camera or a wifi connection?

In the fall of 2020, gig workers in Venezuela posted a series of images to online forums where they gathered to talk shop. The photos were mundane, if sometimes intimate, household scenes captured from low angles…In one particularly revealing shot, a young woman in a lavender T-shirt sits on the toilet, her shorts pulled down to mid-thigh. The images were…taken by…development versions of iRobot’s Roomba J7 series robot vacuum…[and] sent to Scale AI, a startup that contracts workers around the world to label audio, photo, and video data used to train artificial intelligence…iRobot—the world’s largest vendor of robotic vacuums, which Amazon recently acquired for $1.7 billion in a pending deal—confirmed that these images were captured by its Roombas in 2020. All of them came from “special development robots…that are not and never were present on iRobot consumer products for purchase”…given to “paid collectors and employees” who signed written agreements acknowledging that they were sending data streams, including video, back to the company for training purposes…

Monsters (#1195)

Never forget that this started with censorship of internet porn:

…Putin…[has] signed new legislation that widely bans public expression of [LGBT content]…in [Russia by criminalizing the]…spread [of] “propaganda” about “nontraditional sexual relations” in the media, advertising, movies or…social media…and from any outlet visible to minors. Distributing to minors any information “that causes children to want to change their sex” was also prohibited…Putin has long cast [the existence of sexual minorities] as a Western intrusion into Russia’s traditional society and values, and proponents of the new law recently likened the[ir crusade]…to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, which they [depict] as a broader civilization clash between them and the West…

Prudish Pedants (#1223)

Redefining words to mean something more convenient is the oldest trick in the politicians’ playbook:

…Sen. Mike Lee…[has] introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), which attempts to edit the legal definition of “obscenity” to allow…for [government] regulation of pornography…The definition of obscenity is based on a stringent, three-part test originating from the 1973 case Miller v. California…IODA is an attempt to challenge the Miller test’s prominence, creating an alternate definition of obscenity…[which]…would basically render the majority of pornography legally obscene…thus allow[ing] for the criminalization of most internet pornography, by removing the requirement that sexual depictions be “patently offensive,” as well as the requirement that “contemporary community standards” be used to judge material…

Stalkers in Blue (#1282)

Hey, female cops; how’s that collaboration with the police state working out?

A Los Angeles [cop has enjoyed a paid vacation since]…he…shared explicit photographs and videos of his [cop] wife with other [cops]…without her knowledge or consent. Brady Lamas…[merely] faces…misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct…[for] shar[ing] the images between Dec. 29, 2021, and Jan. 24 in a group chat on Kik…They were discovered by his wife…on Jan. 30…[and he was rewarded] the day after…

Cops have also been known to secretly record video of ostensibly consensual sex.

Absolute Corruption (#1293)

Expecting moral courage from a politician is like expecting a duckbilled platypus to perform Shakespeare:

In a [wholly predictable] reversal of a [rare moment of moral clarity, Massachusetts governor] Charlie Baker…withdrew his recommendation to pardon Gerald Amirault and Cheryl Amirault LeFave, who were convicted in a [“Satanic Panic” kangaroo court] in…1984…the Amirault family has always maintained their innocence…[and] the testimony of [young] children, which formed the backbone of the case, was coerced by improper interviewing techniques.  But after years of litigation, including two trials and six Supreme Judicial Court rulings, the courts upheld their convictions. Baker recommended the pardons against the advice of the Advisory Board of Pardons…but the Governor’s Council must confirm any pardon recommendation…and…more than half of the eight councilors expressed grave doubts about [the political popularity of bucking “child sex abuse” hysteria]…Councilor Eileen Duff said she does not believe the Amiraults are eligible for a pardon because they did not [perjure themselves by claiming guilt for “crimes” that never happened]…Amirault will be released from strict parole conditions in another year. But both LeFave and Amirault will continue to have to register as sex offenders in the absence of a pardon…

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Yuletweets

Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy, tagged bad customers, BDSM, blogging, Canada, Catholicism, censorship, drugs, ethics, games, language, left-right myth, Mars, New York, politicians, psychology, robots, Twitter on December 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

TFW the name of a dude you blackballed from your escort service suddenly seems very popular on Twitter.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) November 23, 2022

Because obviously what the world REALLY needs is an artificial liar which is better at political deception and "strategic lying" than humans. https://t.co/yTOlaCVAlv

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) November 23, 2022

Not entirely wrong. https://t.co/YOWPVJHWdz

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) November 25, 2022

Humans have such silly ideas. https://t.co/kCAzzPyWx1

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) November 28, 2022

Sometimes history reflects itself rather than repeating or rhyming. https://t.co/ebgtxoFRed

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) November 29, 2022

It really irritates me when I see a tweet that makes a great point, but then tacks on some inane culture war shibboleth at the end, making it un-retweetable by any intellectually honest person.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) November 30, 2022

https://t.co/Z32l9J1VlE

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 1, 2022

As so often in these exonerative voice constructions, the sentence is structured to place the blame on the gun. It's especially loathsome this time by including the unusually-specific detail that it was an AR-15, a note calculated to ignite readers' hysteria vs that model.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 2, 2022

Never trust someone who tries to convince you that something isn't a problem by contrasting it with a more serious problem.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 4, 2022

One of the most important differences between physics and political "science" is that in physics, nobody pretends "entropy increases" is controversial or unduly pessimistic.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 4, 2022

Do you think you'd escape consequences for grand theft if you pinky-swore to the judge that you'd pay it back? https://t.co/Bpqakk5YjA

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 5, 2022

And yet they all want to impose their "solutions" upon, and extract the things they want from, YOU. By force and by threat of violence. https://t.co/q6tMZEvnXt

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 6, 2022

Sex workers have been telling y'all this for years. https://t.co/XzKAzGRtyG

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 9, 2022

I don't even OWN any yellow clothes because they make me look ill due to skin undertones.

Brides like this need to be shut down from the get-go; her fiance should also deeply consider whether he should get legally entangled with such a narcissistic control freak. https://t.co/tDlu4ILlTE

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 9, 2022

That's called the exonerative voice.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 10, 2022

The greatest source of evil in the world is a pair of linked cravings: the desire for power over others, and the desire to be controlled by "leaders". Each is reinforced and supported by the other.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 11, 2022

Corollary: "Follow your dreams" is text for a Hallmark card or a poster on a '70s teenager's wall, not serious life advice for adults with a realistic view of the world.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 12, 2022

Gotta say, I did not expect to read something as stupid as "Ugh ugh, me hate books" today.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 13, 2022

If someone tells you that you're so stupid you can only subscribe to beliefs in big packages approved by one of the Culture War Clubs, so that if you are skeptical of "X" you *must* believe "Y", that person is not your friend and cannot be trusted. Shun them.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 15, 2022

Doctors are always fascinated by idiots; they provide natural experiments it would be unethical to subject normal people to.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 16, 2022

"And what do *you* want to do when you grow up, little girl?"
"I want to align with industry demands as a cog in tomorrow's global workforce."

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 17, 2022

85. I've discovered 10 mph over is usually the best setting to make good time without attracting predatory cops or having to come out of cruise too often due to obstruction by slower-moving traffic. https://t.co/ogdm8cThEC

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 18, 2022

Everything not forbidden is compulsory. https://t.co/K8DRkNi5Dp

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 20, 2022

Never trust a man who uses "pleasure" as a verb.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 21, 2022

Who the hell decided "factory" was a good word to include in the names of chain restaurants? I can't think of a lot of less-appetizing words they could've used without being actually off-putting.

— Maggie McNeill (@Maggie_McNeill) December 22, 2022

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Links #649

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged Believe Them, California, cops, France, imaginative fiction, Minnesota, Never Call the Cops, Philippines, psychology, racism, robots, video on December 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Since there are trees and you are Black, you could climb onto the trees. – “Officer” Yohan C

For Christine McVie’s memorial, I selected this song of all those she penned for Fleetwood Mac because it was for many years used as the band’s final encore; it’s also the song Mick Fleetwood has said he wants played at his funeral. The links above the video were contributed by Dan Savage, Jesse Walker (x2), Walter Olson, and Cop Crisis (x3), in that order.

From the Archives

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Links #646

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged Canada, cops, Florida, Germany, Michigan, Never Call the Cops, Pennsylvania, robots, video on November 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

This appears…to be another incident of senseless police violence.
– Joel Sansone

This week’s video is something extremely unusual: a brand-new official video for a song released in 1966. It was provided by Matt Welch, and the links above it by Dan Savage and Franklin Harris; Cop Crisis (x3); Popehat; and Lucy Steigerwald, in that order. I stumbled onto the last one myself while reading another item.

From the Archives

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Links #645

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged Arizona, Colorado, comics, cops, Kentucky, Never Call the Cops, robots, Tennessee, Texas, Things We Choose To Do Together, Unchristian Nation, video on November 13, 2022| 1 Comment »

[Can’t] we see [police] doing other things than showing up with a tank? – Jennifer Bacon

For the first time since July, I didn’t have a video either suggested by an obituary or in queue from previous weeks, so I went to YouTube and found this rather strange video from 1969. The links above it were provided by Lucy Steigerwald, Cop Crisis (x3), Radley Balko, Stephen Lemons, and Emma Evans, in that order.

From the Archives

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Links #644

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged animals, cell phones, cops, Poland, recipes, robots, surveillance, video on November 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »

It’s like a Swiss Army knife of excretory openings. – Jakob Vinther

Since I like to memorialize musicians with one of their songs, I try not to feature two musicians’ obits in the same column. But since most of Jules Bass’s best lyrics were from the Christmas specials he and his partner Arthur Rankin are best remembered for, and it’s a bit too early for that, I gave this week’s video to Jerry Lee Lewis. The links above it were provided by Radley Balko, Walter Olson, Franklin Harris, Clarissa, Ally Fogg, and Aaron Ross Powell, in that order.

From the Archives

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