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In the News (#1532)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

What is it effective at, violating protesters’ First Amendment rights?  –  Dave Maass

Torture Chamber

The government calls this “correction”; for journalists to parrot that ugly euphemism is a choice:

The family of a man who [was brutally murdered by a gang of screws]…expressed anger and frustration over the Jacksonville [Florida] Sheriff’s Office’s decision to publish a “heavily redacted” report [written by the murderers themselves]…Charles Faggart…died [several days after] the [screws beat him]…so aggressively he had…a seizure[, probably due to massive brain injury]…Faggart’s family did not receive a call from JSO until the next day…when a [pig] simply [oinked at] them to “watch the news”…[The murderers were] W.H. Cox…T.C. Pennamon…G.L. Mckinnis…D.D. Thomas…M.E. Sullivan…P.L. Collins…A.K. Maygoo…E. Kurtovic…[and] J.J. Bullard…

Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs (#728)

When it comes to sex work, authoritarians want to have their cake and eat it, too:

Yaroslav Zhelezniak, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s finance committee, is leading a push to ditch…outdated Soviet-era legislation that bans the possession, production and distribution of pornography.  Doing so…would remedy…an unfair contradiction.  Violations of Ukraine’s laws on pornography…are punishable by three to five years in prison.  But Ukraine’s financial authorities have been collecting taxes from creators on websites…like OnlyFans…“It’s absurd,” Mr. Zhelezniak said, especially “in the midst of a full-scale war.”  He also sees another benefit for Ukraine…it would increase tax revenue…since more pornography creators would be willing to declare their earnings — a boost for an economy struggling under the demands of a war that has ground on for over three years…

Creepy Coppers

Just another kind of cop, with typical cop behavior:

A…Border Patrol [thug from Arizona named]…Jason Michael Drown…was…arrest[ed when]…he [was caught] sharing child porn…[without government permission, by other cops who were sharing it with permission]…

Thought Control (#1446)

Texas censors have descended completely into self-parody:

Students in Lamar Consolidated…school district…west of Houston, can no longer learn about the state of Virginia on their online research database, Pebble Go Next…due to…”frontal nudity”…[on the state seal and flag.  Texas censorship law] does not require schools to ban materials containing “nudity”…[because it] is not inherently sexual or sexually explicit…Kids think butts are hilarious.  Not sexual…Tomorrow will it be books that contain historical photos…of Holocaust survivors?  Breast-feeding mothers?…Art history books that portray the statue of David or the Birth of Venus?…where will this end?…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1455)

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

France has introduced a law that will require adult websites to run comprehensive age checks [in the name of] prevent[ing] minors from accessing pornographic content…France’s [censorship agency] ARCOM has been tasked with implementing a standard known as double anonymity.  This is [purport]ed to allow a site to verify a user’s age without knowing their identity…ARCOM [lied that] the system “strikes a careful balance between safeguarding children and respecting the privacy of adults”.  PornHub owner Aylo, which also owns YouPorn and RedTube, is already challenging the French law in court…[as] in other parts of the world, web users will be able to bypass any age checks by [us]ing…a…VPN…

Shame, Shame (#1514)

Still think realistic porn cartoons are the worst use for this technology?

American police departments…are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for…technology that uses [computer]-generated online personas designed to interact with and [spy] on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and s[ex workers or their clients]…Massive Blue, [a] New York-based company…calls its product Overwatch, which it markets [with a typical collection of buzzwords including]…“AI-powered”…”public safety”…“infiltrate…criminal networks”…“border security,” “school safety,” and stopping “human trafficking”…some of these AI characters…include a “radicalized AI” “protest persona”…a “‘Honeypot’ AI Persona”…a 14 year-old boy “child trafficking AI persona,” an “AI pimp persona,” “college protestor” [sic], “external recruiter for protests,” “escorts,” and “juveniles”…cops are…deploy[ing…chat]bots across social media…with the hopes of [destroying people’s lives]…

The Cop Myth (#1529)

When a cop tries to pass murder off as suicide, the victim is usually his wife or girlfriend:

A [typical and representative Mississippi cop named James Durwood Winstead] has been arrested and charged with capital murder [for shooting]…a man…[named] Timothy Byrd [and trying to make it look like suicide.  But his story included]…several discrepancies…[with the] evidence…[so he] was arrested and charged…

 

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 (#1531)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

They’ll do whatever they want!  –  Mary Faith Casey

Whatever They Need To Say (#648)

Gentrification is one of the most common motivations for persecution of all kinds of sex workers:

Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto has declared a gentrification war on South LA’s Figueroa Corridor under the guise of ending sex trafficking…she has weaponized an archaic law, The Red Light Abatement Act, to shut down immigrant-owned motels…in preparation for pre-Olympic gentrification…subject[ing] an already over-policed neighborhood to further hypersurveillance and…raids…The Act makes the property owner responsible for vice crimes committed on their property…Essentially, businesses can be forced to shut down based on a [mere evidence-free accusation] that sex work is happening on their property, whether or not they knew of the activity.  As a result, property owners discriminate against sex workers…

The Last Shall Be First (#1147)

Puritanism is throttling the entire world:

Hungary’s parliament [has] passed an amendment to [its 14-year-old] constitution that allows the government to ban [LGBT] public events...another [increase in] authoritarianism…by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán…The amendment codifies a law fast-tracked through parliament in March that bans [such] events…including the popular Pride event in Budapest that draws thousands annually…That law also allows [pigs] to use facial recognition tools to [harass] people who attend prohibited events...with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546)…The new amendment also states that the constitution recognizes two sexes, male and female…denying the gender identities of transgender people, as well as ignoring the existence of intersex individuals…

The Last Shall Be First (#1342)

Florida knows it will lose any challenge to this law:

A transgender woman was arrested last month for refusing to leave the women’s restroom at the Florida State Capitol.  Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old college student…acted intentionally to challenge Florida’s antitrans bathroom law…sending 160 letters to state representatives, the attorney general, and…Ron DeSantis [announcing the planned date and time of her visit and] asking that she not be arrested for using the…women’s restroom…[creepy pigs] followed her inside and warned her that if she did not leave…she would be arrested…but…opted to arrest her [for “]trespass on property after warning[” so she]…won’t be able to challenge the [bathroom] law…in court…

The Cop Myth (#1492)

This one directly describes very typical cop behavior as “uncharacteristic”:

A…[New York cop named]…Aaron M. Alshaman…[was rewarded with a paid vacation for attempting to burn his girlfriend’s house down at 4:30 AM while wearing his magical clown costume]…The two-family, two-story house is still intact and livable but it is damaged…the fire was [quickly] deemed to be arson and…strong…evidence [points to]…Alshaman…

Torture Chamber (#1501)

A society can be judged by the way it treats its prisoners:

For decades, America relied heavily on psychiatric asylums to treat—or, in many cases, to warehouse and neglect—people with serious mental-health conditions.  Then the grand project of “deinstitutionalization” began…[start]ing [in] 1963…the funding for that vision never materialized.  Instead, new policies criminalizing poverty and addiction swept up people in severe psychiatric distress, who often ended up in county jail—where…they might languish for months or even years…The number of people jailed pretrial has nearly quadrupled since the nineteen-eighties; people with mental-health issues tend to be detained significantly longer than the rest of the population.  Today, the nation’s three largest mental-health providers are New York’s Rikers Island, L.A. County’s Twin Towers Jail, and Chicago’s Cook County Jail…private companies…[are] contract[ed]…to provide medical and mental-health care at a capped cost; any additional money expended…comes out of the corporation’s earnings…[so, predictably,] jails that provide…health care through the top five companies in that market…[have] death rates…eighteen to fifty-eight per cent higher than those of jails whose medical services were publicly managed.  Of the five…NaphCare had the highest death rate…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1517)

Censorious politicians aren’t just copying each other; they’re vying to make their new laws the most unconstitutional:

Missouri…Attorney General Andrew Bailey [is] push[ing] regulations to [censor the internet without bothering to go through the legislature].  Under a new [proclamation by a politician without lawmaking power], commercial porn sites are required to [violate the privacy of] users…at both the website and device level.  [How Bailey imagines he has the power to do this, or how his magical proclamation demanding device filters will stand when others have been struck down, all while somehow magically]…upholding the privacy rights of legal-age users, [is unclear, as is how he imagines he has the power to determine how]…search engine[s work]…

It’s bad enough when human reporters parrot politicians’ bloviation, but it’s intolerable when a website uses a computer program to do it (while insulting readers’ intelligence by sticking a fake byline on it).

Thought Control (#1526)

A few sane judges are the only thing protecting US libraries from morally-defective control freaks:

A lawsuit filed against Rockford [Michigan] Public Schools [seeking to ban] over 14 library books [absurdly labeled] “sexually explicit” has been dismissed by the Court of Appeals…The lawsuit was filed by [outside agitators who hid their identities to dodge public ridicule]…and…the court…said…they had no legal right to sue because criminal claims require a prosecutor’s approval…[and] the books were not illegal…

 

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 (#1527)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I’ve seen some pretty outrageous exercises of eminent domain powers. Never anything like this.  –  Robert Thomas

Business Opportunity (#1399)

If you thought “asset forfeiture” was brazen robbery, get a load of this:

…a [federal] judge [in] Rhode Island [has ordered]…the town of Johnston to return the title of a 31-acre property it had quietly [stolen] to its original owners, two LLCs collectively owned by the Santoro family…[and] block[ed] the town, its mayor, and the town council from taking any action to [steal] the property [again] or prevent the Santoro family from accessing it…the…the[ft appears to be motivated by the family’s plan]…to build a 254-unit affordable housing project on the land…[despite politicians’ pretense]…that [the town] needs the land for a new “municipal campus” that would replace Johnston’s existing…town hall and police and fire stations.  The Santoro family challenged the [theft] in federal court, arguing that the…”municipal campus” is a sham project invented to stop the family from proceeding with their planned development…Shortly after the family filed their federal lawsuit, the town quietly transferred the property over to themselves—without notifying the owners or their lawyers.  The family only learned of the [theft] after…the town’s lawyer sent them a letter ordering them to vacate the property or risk a citation for trespassing…

Creepy Coppers (#1460)

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

…Robert Farley, who was appointed [boss hog of] North Bergen [New Jersey, is being sued by five cops for a host of bizarre]…behavior[s he seems to think are “pranks”, including]…putting ink on door handles, setting off car alarms…spiking the office coffee pot with Viagra and Adderall…[jabbing] a hypodermic needle through [a cop’s pants] into the tip of [his] penis….shav[ing] his body hair on people’s property, their persons, and their food…scraping fluids from his underwear onto people…[shitting] on the floor in front of his entire office staff…clogging the toilet with paper and other objects…defecating in wastebaskets..[sending] sex toys, intimate lotions and gay pride flags to [cops’] home[s]…placing hot sauce in a microwave, which essentially turned the substance into a pepper spray that permeated the office…put firecrackers under [people’s] chairs…ripp[ing] a television monitor off the wall and smash[ing] it to pieces…

Worse Than I Thought (#1497)

Just because the moral panic is moribund, doesn’t mean politicians aren’t going to keep using sex as an excuse to destroy lives:

[Politicians] across the country seem smitten by the idea that harsher punishments for folks attempting to pay for sex with another consenting adult will somehow “end demand” for paid sex, thereby ensuring…sex workers…will [not] have customers.  It’s a stupid theory that utterly failed when Ronald Reagan pushed a version of it as part of the war on drugs…Making customers harder to find and communicate with makes it harder for sex workers to work independently and increases reliance on pimps and vulnerability to violent or exploitative traffickers…Decriminalize Sex Work…has a handy rundown of many of the state proposals, which include measures in California, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington…

Don’t Call It Trafficking (#1501)

You won’t find that word, nor the word “slavery”, anywhere in this article:

Bryan Bailey, [a deeply-corrupt] Mississippi sheriff…under federal investigation for torturing people, staffed his mother’s commercial chicken farm with [prisoners] from the county jail and used taxpayer-purchased equipment to improve the grounds…for most of his 13 years in office…Bailey used his position as the highest paid and most powerful public figure in his…county in ways that financially [or sexually] benefited himself and his family…people [who knew what was going on] kept quiet…out of…fear…But that began to change in 2023, when five Rankin County sheriff’s deputies were charged with civil rights offenses for torturing two Black men in their home and shooting one of them in the mouth…

Cops and Robbers (#1504)

The legacy of To Catch a Predator just keeps on hurting people:

…for [over] a decade…[thug]s in the U.S. pose as minors on dating apps and websites, then target the people who message them.  Many of these vigilantes, commonly known as pedophile hunters, were inspired by To Catch a Predator, a popular television series that ran until 2007…in the past two years, a growing number have…[started] violently attack[ing] the targets in their videos…In one of the most brutal cases, a masked man [named Ahmad Wasfi Al-Azzam] who referred to himself online as “realjuujika”…broke into the home of a 73-year-old man in Pennsylvania last year, then tied him up…beat him with a hammer…rob[bed him] and film[ed] his credit cards, sharing the information with his thousands of followers…the [victim] was hospitalized…and needed surgery to stop the bleeding in his brain…There have been more than 170 violent vigilante attacks…since 2023…[by] at least 22 individuals and groups…This content is popular in online circles that feature crude…material intended to cater to young men.  Some hunters have hundreds of thousands of followers, and…sell merchandise with their slogans and logos…

Thought Control (#1512)

These psychopaths won’t be satisfied until they can actually start arresting and caging librarians and teachers:

…Texas [is] seeking to [destroy the lives of] school librarians and teachers who provide award-winning works of literature to students…[if any politician decides to point at the book and barf “]sexually explicit[” in the victim’s face]…whether or not [the descriptor has any] merit [in reality].  SB 412 and HB 267 would [declare politicians the only arbiters of]…education[al value].  Many classic works of literature, including The Odyssey, Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, have [already been targeted]…Only [pigs] and judges would be exempted un[less an] adult…is married to [a “]child[“], which is legal in Texas, [because the state is entirely run by psychopathic perverts]…

Vulture Watching (#1525)

Texas politicians are so deeply sociopathic, they’re trying to disguise an attack on women as protection for women:

Texas Republicans [have]…convinced Democrats and doctors to support a bill they claim will protect life-saving abortion care and “clarify” the state’s ban. But the rapidly advancing “Life of the Mother” legislation is a Trojan Horse—there’s a 100-year-old ban hiding inside, ready to be revived and used to prosecute abortion funds, helpers, and possibly even patients.  Legal experts…called it “the most dangerous” anti-abortion bill currently before the legislature…At the heart of this deception is a 1925 abortion ban…[which] made it a felony to help someone “procure” an abortion…and…didn’t…protect patients from prosecution…[psychopathic Texas AG] Ken Paxton…[was already trying to enforce] the 1925 ban [when a federal court stopped him in 2023]…

 

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 (#1524)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Feeling that the law shouldn’t apply to such matters…does absolutely nothing to change the…facts.  –  Elizabeth N. Brown

Neither Addiction Nor Epidemic (#1374) 

“Sex addiction” is basically a shared delusion of guilt-ridden patients and biased “therapists”:

Moral incongruence theory…has been used to explain why so-called sex addicts don’t have more sex than other people but feel worse about it.  When people hold moral beliefs about certain kinds of sexual behavior but still engage in those same behaviors, they are likely to experience shame…guilt…depression, distress, and anxiety…therapists who promote…sex and porn addiction do little to help resolve these moral conflicts and instead focus on the sexual behaviors.  This may be due to moral incongruence in the therapists themselves…No research supports treatments that address pornography as an addiction.  New research by Justine Meador…[showed that] certified sex addiction therapists…had a personal history of seeking sex addiction treatment themselves, compared to less than 5 percent of non-CSAT therapists…Mental health professionals who had higher levels of moral incongruence about their own sexuality were significantly more likely to diagnose porn addiction in other people…[even] when considering clinical vignettes containing symptoms of depression or bipolar disorder along with pornography use…

The Vultures Descend (#1417)

“Fetal personhood” policies are going to keep getting more absurd:

…Honeyhline and Jason Heidemann [used in-vitro fertilization in 2015 to conceive a daughter, and they cryogenically stored two remaining embryos.  An agreement they signed at the time specified that any frozen embryos would be owned jointly but did not say what would happen in the event of divorce.  When they divorced in 2018, they] couldn’t decide who should retain ownership of the frozen embryos…Honeyhline…wanted to use the frozen embryos to conceive another child…But [on] March 7, 2025…Judge Dontae L. Bugg…dismiss[ed her]…suit [under the ridiculous pretense] that “human embryos are not subject to partition” under Virginia law “as they do not constitute goods or chattels capable of being valued and sold.”  Bugg goes on to [opine] that there’s no way that two embryos can be divided equally between two people because “the unique nature of each human embryo means that an equal division cannot conveniently be made”…

Yes, American jurisprudence has now descended to the point where “two cannot be evenly divided by two” is supposed to be taken as a serious judicial opinion.

Enshittification

Another factor in the coming dark age: computer-generated garbage making records of this period unreliable:

There are thousands of…accounts [spew]ing thousands of [computer-generated video]s and images across every social media platform.  Large parts of the SEO industry have pivoted entirely to [CGI] content, as has some of the internet advertising industry…the brute force attack….relies on rapid trial-and-error to guess a password…[these] attacks are not very efficient, but they are effective.  An attacker relentlessly hammers the target until a vulnerability is found or a password is guessed…The best way to think of the slop and spam that [CGI] enables is as a brute force attack on the algorithms that control the internet and which govern how a large segment of the public interprets the nature of reality…the intended “audience” of [CGI] slop is social media and search algorithms, not human beings.  What this means…is that human-created content is getting almost entirely drowned out by [CGI] content because of the sheer amount of it…there is a near total collapse of the information ecosystem and thus of “reality” online…[so] many users seem to have completely lost the ability to tell what is real and what is fake, or simply do not care anymore…

Thought Control (#1491)

Just keep plunging that ice pick in; the bad thoughts will go away eventually:

Florida leads the nation in book [censorship], and [sane people] fear new legislation moving through the State Capitol would make [the problem even worse].  Currently, state law surrounding book challenges mirrors the national standard of obscenity, also known as the Miller Test…the new legislation approved by its first Senate committee Tuesday would prohibit school boards from [using any kind of human judgment] when [responding to a censorship demand, instead requiring them to robotically]…take a book down to its parts and pieces and [censor it if any Froot Loop objects to as much as a single word or line].  The bill also includes penalties for districts that [don’t censor enough books for state politicians’ liking], allowing the Department of Education to withhold state funding…

Vulture Watching (#1500)

Texas pretends to care about women’s health in defense of its crusade to kill more women:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton [crowed about] the arrest of Maria Margarita Rojas…for providing…abortions and illegally operating a network of clinics…without a license…Paxton [vomited disgusting propaganda onto the upturned faces of reporters, pretending to care about the health of pregnant women]…

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1514)

The mad emperor wants to use copaganda to wreck the medical system and excuse even more state violence:

[Mad emperor] Trump [plans to] designat[e]…fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction…a…State [Department]…source speculates the purpose is a combination of designating fentanyl cartels as terrorist organizations…creating justification for conducting military [invasions of] Mexico and Canada…[and inventing] justification for rounding up homeless encampments and deporting drug users who are not citizens…[the imperial proclamation] “cites a statute that does not entail an authority to ‘designate’ substances as WMD” [and will obviously have] “negative effects on entities that legitimately handle, ship, and deliver opioids for pharmaceutical purposes”…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1521)

Laws are for the peasantry, not the rulers:

Minnesota [Trumpist politician] Justin Eichorn was arrested…for…soliciting a [cop who was fantasy role-playing as]…a 16-year-old [girl online.  When he showed up to] meet [the imaginary teen sex worker]…he was arrested…

Just last week, Eichorn made national news for his nauseating display of bootlicking, proposing that he and three other MAGA cultists, none of who have PhDs in psychology, be allowed to invent an imaginary mental illness called “Trump Derangement Syndrome”, characterized by a revulsion for Trump and his disgusting behavior, and have it counted by actual mental health professionals as an actual mental illness in Minnesota.

 

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

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Links #768

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Premium chatbots provide…more confidently incorrect answers than their free counterparts.  –  Klaudia Jaźwińska & Aisvarya Chandrasekar

I’m not sure why the internet loves chicks playing bagpipes, but here’s an extra-interesting example from Mike Siegel.  The links above the video were provided by Nun Ya, Franklin Harris, IncarcerNation, Walter Olson, T. Greg Doucette, Jesse Walker, and Ryan Marino, 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!

Read Full Post »

In the News (#1521)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Now I have to worry about being harassed just for needing to pee?
–  Kalaya Morton

Surplus Women (#1080)

Never call the cops for any reason whatsoever:

A Los Angeles sex worker called 911 to report being held in a motel room against her will.  When the [cops]…showed up, one of the[m] shot her.  The woman, Linda Becerra Moran, died on February 27 after nearly three weeks on life support…Moran [had] called 911 on February 7 and…spoke a mix of Spanish and English…[she] was crying…and…clearly very upset…[when the cops arrived] it [was] clear that she [was having some kind of mental health episode but the cops ganged up on her in an intimidating manner and]…back[ed her] into [a] corner…The supervisor instruct[ed]…one [of them] to “be lethal” and…he…immediately fire[d] at her…the cops then…cuff[ed] her…before administering any medical care…

To Molest and Rape (#1298)

“Sex addiction” will continue to be used as an excuse for violent crimes until ignorant judges stop allowing it to be:

A [typical and representative] London [Ontario cop] with a…[pretend]ed sex addiction [received a slap on the wrist]…for sexually assaulting a woman he met online.  [Cop Stephen Williams also recently changed his name to Will Stephens as part of his effort to avoid consequences for deceiving and attacking at least three women, but despite that a judge let him skate with a mere] 90 days under house arrest, followed by 90 days under a curfew…and…prohibit[ion] from…accessing online dating websites [during that time.  But]…Stephens [alias Williams still plans to]…appeal…that [love tap]…Stephens…quit his [cop] job…to a[void a] suspension…following [yet another sexual assault]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1361)

What kind of warped mind thinks it’s OK for male cops to barge into a women’s bathroom?

…two male [cops barged into] a Tucson Walmart women’s restroom…[to harass] Kalaya Morton…a…masculine-presenting [lesbian, because]…a [busybody] store employee…assumed she was…transgender…Morton…said that…the…[thugs] stormed in, shining flashlights into the stall and demanding she exit.  Morton, still using the toilet, was stunned…When she finally exited the stall, she said she lifted her shirt to prove she was not a man, expecting the ordeal to end.  Instead…one [of the pigs kept oinking that]…she “looked like a man”…The Pima County Sheriff’s Department c[laim]ed that the incident is under internal affairs investigation…[but only because Morton recorded the cops and posted the video to] social media…

To Molest and Rape (#1455)

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

A Philadelphia [cop] who was named police chief [of] Hartford, Conn…[backed out] after it was revealed he was under investigation for sexual harassment…[and] has been sued by [one of his victims]…Tyrell McCoy…creat[ed] a “hostile environment” of pervasive sexual harassment in the workplace, including unwanted groping and kissing and [demands] for oral sex…[from cop] Mark Casey…[who reported that] McCoy had pursued him for years…and then retaliated against him when he refused [to put out]…McCoy t[old] Casey…he was “untouchable” because of his close…relationship with the then-head of…Internal Affairs…Casey and another [cop victim] filed complaints last year…and…McCoy [had hoped to escape consequences by taking the job in] Hartford…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1473)

Politicians like to pretend that their entry in any “monkey see, monkey do” parade is different:

A new bill…in…North Carolina…aims to ban [people] under 14 from social media…like…Australia’s [float in this “monkey see, monkey do parade]…this bill would prohibit anyone under 14 from creating an account on social platforms that meet certain [arbitrary] criteria…like having 10 percent daily active users under 16 and…scrolling…[people] aged 14 to 15 would need parents’ permission to make an account…[and demands] age verification [for any] site [any politician has pointed at while belching]…”harmful to minors”…Unlike…North Carolina’s [existing] age-verification law…this one requires these site visitors to be 16 years or older, not 18…Findings from a recent study on age verification laws [demonstrate] that these laws don’t work…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1508)

Oh, what a surprise:

A new working paper from various university researchers suggests that age-verification laws aren’t effective…Since 2022, 19 states have passed age-verification laws…[despite warning from] free speech and digital privacy experts…that age-verification laws won’t work [as politicians pretend]…Through analyzing Google Trends data, researchers found a 46.6 percent traffic reduction of searches to Pornhub, the biggest platform compliant with the laws.  Pornhub has blocked most states with age-verification laws because of the burden of complying…researchers saw a 48.1 percent increase in searches for a large non-compliant platform, XVideos…and a 23.6 percent increase in searches for VPNs.  This occurred in the states with age-verification laws on a rolling timeline based on when the laws were enacted…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1509)

Laws are for the peasantry, not the rulers:

A [Utah] judge has been arrested and accused of enticing minors through sexual conversations on a chat app.  Kevin Robert Christensen…was booked into jail…for…[talking to] FBI [agents fantasy role-playing] on…KIK…as [a] 13[-year-old] and…a…16[-year-old]…Christensen allegedly made “multiple references” to sexually abusing [actual minors]…

 

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 (#1520)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

With a data set of any size, you can always find a pattern…all you have to do is ignore other information.  –  Jennifer Granick

A Moral Cancer (#1356)

Because obviously prohibition doesn’t ruin enough lives yet:

New York politician…Brad Hoylman-Sigal…[wants] to outlaw…nicotine pouches…[which] contain a derived version of the…compound that tobacco users crave without the carcinogenic sluff that comes with cigarettes and smokeless tobacco…Nicotine pouches contain no tobacco leaf and no known carcinogens.  They just deliver nicotine—potentially addictive, yes, but not known to be inherently harmful…According to the FDA, these products met the public health standard legally required by the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act…[but] Hoylman-Sigal [wants cops to have more excuses for destroying lives, so he barfs “THE CHILDREN!” at anyone who opposes his scheme]…

I Spy (#1452) 

Cop excuses produced by human bootlickers are bad enough:

Cellebrite, the company which makes near ubiquitous phone hacking and forensics technology [ab]used by [cop shops] around the world, has introduced [machine learning] capabilities into its products, including summarizing chat logs or audio messages from s[tolen] mobile phones…“[Computer] results…are not transparent…you cannot trace back where a conclusion came from, or what information it is based on”…[said] Jennifer Granick…[of] the…ACLU…“The Fourth Amendment does not permit [cops] to rummage through data, but only to review information for which there is probable cause….you are not allowed to fish through [all available] data on a hunch, in the hopes of finding something”…Cellebrite’s newly announced capabilities sound somewhat similar to Draft One, a tool from contracting giant Axon…[which] uses [algorithms] to automatically generate police reports from bodycam audio….

Follow Your Bliss (#1456)

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

A Bentonville [Arkansas]…church…volunteer…[named] Andrew Apple…[has been] arrested…[for] child [molestation after a boy Apple molested in autumn of 2023 reported him on]…Feb. 1…[to the church’s credit] the report was relayed to [cops] that same day.  A second person later [reported Apple]…to another church staff member…

The Last Shall Be First (#1470) 

The only sure way to keep personal data from being abused by psychopaths with government titles is not to collect it in the first place:

Florida’s insurance regulator has demanded an unusually intrusive trove of data on millions of prescription drugs filled in the state last year, including the names of patients taking the medications, their dates of birth and doctors they’ve seen.  The [politicized] office…sought this information from pharmacy benefit managers…companies that oversee prescription drugs for employers and government programs….[and is pretending] the state required the data to review whether the benefit managers…were compliant with a 2023 state law aimed at lowering drug prices…But…“You don’t need such granular patient information for purposes of oversight,” said Sharona Hoffman, a health law and privacy expert…[so it seems likely] the government [is] actually trying to get information about reproductive care…transgender care…[and] mental health care…Federal privacy law allows benefit managers to hand over limited data about individual patients in certain circumstances…But…Florida’s [demand] could violate the law because it is so broad and…go[es well] beyond what the regulator needs to conduct [any legal and legitimate] review…

Creepy Coppers (#1472)

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

A Detroit [cop named Earl Anderson was fired and arrested] for [attempting to groom] his 12-year-old stepdaughter [via]…text messages…[after he threatened] “to take [her on] a family trip”…[and] offered to get [her] a second phone…[with] a new number…[so her real] father, [Brandyn] Harris, [couldn’t see their texts]…the [girl]…reported the messages to her aunt…[who told] Harris…[who in turn] told…the [cops]…

Torture Chamber (#1501)

The government calls this “correction”; for journalists to parrot that ugly euphemism is a choice:

[New York] State Police are investigating the [murder] of a prisoner…in a…central New York prison [adjacent to another prison] where another [human being] was…[recently] beaten [to death] by guards in [an attack that even their own union called “incomprehensible”]…Officials did not identify the [new victim, whom]…nine [witnesses saw]…brutally beaten [to death] by [screws]…amid a mounting crisis in the New York State prison system, where…thousands of [screws are]…on strike since Feb. 17 — without the backing of their union and in defiance of a judge’s order — to protest…the…state…[not letting them torture people as they want to, and]…to try to distract attention from [December’s] beating death of [Robert] Brooks…

I Spy (#1507)

Maybe a few more big lawsuits will teach these corporate busybodies a lesson:

General Motors is facing yet another legal battle over…illegally [selling] driver data to third parties, who then provided it to insurers…to use [as an excuse] to raise premiums or deny coverage…GM has been [thus illegally] selling driver data since 2015…Unlike [other corporations’] telematics programs that [at least nominally] require users to opt in by installing a device, GM allegedly collected this data without explicit consent…consumers were misled into believing OnStar primarily enhanced vehicle safety and performance, while in reality, it was used to generate revenue through data sales…In January, the automaker settled [a similar suit] with the Federal Trade Commission …[serial lawsuit abuser] Ken Paxton filed a [similar]…suit…in August 2024…[and] 27 class-action lawsuits…have been consolidated into a multi-district litigation case…

 

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 (#1517)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We can always rely on our government to assault our autonomy.  –  Jeffrey Singer and Mike Fox

License to Rape (#1169)

Doctors need to keep suing cops who pretend they have license to practice medicine:

On Aug. 10, 2024, police [abduct]ed a Lorain, Ohio, resident whom the police [fantasiz]ed inserted a baggy containing illegal drugs into their rectum…[then] transported the [victim] to Mercy Hospital’s Emergency Department and demanded that doctors remove the [imaginary] baggie.  Doctors…refused to perform the ill-advised procedure—even after police secured a warrant…[because they] lacked the [victim]’s informed consent and were concerned that if they attempted to remove the [hypothetical] baggy, it might burst, causing whatever it contained to leak out and get rapidly absorbed through the rectal lining — potentially killing the [cops’ victim.  The cops] then threatened to arrest the doctor in charge for refusing to violate the patient’s bodily autonomy…[but] the doctors stood their ground, and the police eventually released the[ir victim] after failing to [manufacture] any evidence of the [manufactur]ed crime of possessing a government-forbidden substance…the[n]…retaliated against the hospital by abruptly refusing to provide security.  The hospital is now suing…

The Last Shall Be First (#1410)

Paxton doesn’t give a damn about women’s sports; he just wants to humiliate women and persecute trans people:

[Serial lawsuit abuser Ken Paxton] wants the NCAA to…require gen[etic] testing for athletes who compete in women’s sports…[he] filed a [nuisance] lawsuit in state district court…seek[ing] a court order requiring gender screening for athletes and an injunction intended to prevent the NCAA from [disagreeing with him]…the NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes who were…female at birth…a day after [Emperor] Trump [made an imperial proclamation] intended to ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports.  Paxton [fantasizes that huge numbers of]…biological men [are declaring themselves trans and taking female hormones] to surreptitiously participate in women’s’ sports…NCAA President Charlie Baker in December said he knew of only 10 transgender athletes out of more than 500,000 across the NCAA…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1426)

Censorious politicians aren’t just copying each other; they’re vying to make their new laws the most unconstitutional:

More than a dozen states have passed or are considering laws to require [web]sites to [demand identity information from] adults who want to visit them…So far, each of them…have applied the rule to sites on which a third or more of the content [can be called] pornography [by politicians without provoking outright mockery from judges].  South Dakota could soon be the first state to affix the expectation to any site that [does not completely ban anything remotely like nudity, a la Facebook.  Censorious megalomaniacs]…voted 34-0 [in favor]…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1443)

The claims in these nuisance lawsuits are increasingly absurd:

[Florida] attorney general…James Uthmeier [has] filed a [nuisance lawsuit] against retail giant Target…claiming it defrauded investors in the process of promoting “radical LGBTQ activism”.  The [term is Uthmeier’s dysphemism for] the Minnesota-based company’s 2023 Pride campaign…[which culture-war fanatics u]sed…[to attack] Target…Uthmeier’s office, with the help of [pro-censorship law firm] America First Legal, claims Target “misled investors by claiming to monitor the social and political risks posed by its DEI…initiatives”…[Uthmeir pretends to have standing to sue because unions representing] Florida…[pigs] and teachers [include Target stock in their pension fund investments.  Uthmeier said,]…“My office will stridently pursue…offensive political theatre [at taxpayer expense]”…and…“use the court system to [harass my political enemies].”

Guinea Pigs (#1453) 

Erosion of civil rights usually starts with the marginalized, but never stops there:

A Department of Homeland Security unit eliminated policies prohibiting [spying]…based solely on a [victim]’s gender identity or sexual orientation.  The Office of Intelligence and Analysis [has] posted an updated policy manual…that [now allows spooks to target US citizens merely because they are LGBT, due to Emperor] Trump’s Jan. 20 [imperial edict] to scrap…[all] protections fo[r minorities]…across federal agencies.  I&A’s work has attracted close scrutiny for years because of its…focus…[on] US citizens…

Vulture Watching (#1495)

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

Pregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion in 2021…The rate of sepsis shot up more than 50% for women hospitalized when they lost their pregnancies in the second trimester…[especially if] the…fetus…still…had [cardiac myocyte activity, incorrectly called “]a heartbeat[” by forced-birth politicians.  While]…the maternal mortality rate dropped nationally…it rose substantially in Texas…[where] the state…threatens [doctors with life]…in prison for providing [necessary medical care]…to…miscarrying patients…Sepsis…is one of the leading causes of deaths in hospitals…[but] Texas…hospitals don’t allow [doctors] to [empty the uterus] until…fetal [cardiac myocyte activity] stops or they can document a life-threatening complication…

If Men Were Angels (#1505)

Preachy perverts nearly always blame their crimes on others:

A [typical and representative] Yakima [Washington] pastor was sentenced Feb. 18 to 30 years in prison for making, possessing and sharing child sexual abuse images.  David Roger Franklin…was arrested after a computer technician working on Franklin’s laptop at his office found folders containing video and photos depicting sexual abuse in June 2022…some of the photos were taken with Franklin’s cellphone of a [girl he knew in the time when she was] 4…to…6…The girl told detectives that Franklin took the photos of her and abused her…he…also had images on his computer of [other] adult men sexually abusing [other] young girls…[Franklin was also] a chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol, and a leader in the Royal Rangers…a Christian scouting-type organization for boys…Franklin…[refused to accept responsibility, claiming that watching] pornography…“began to degrade his mind” and led to hi[s] abusing the girl…

 

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 (#1514)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

True crime…[is] entertainment masquerading as news.  –  “Paul”

Bad Fantasy, Good Reality

Now that the moral panic is over, expect articles like this to become more common:

…In my interviews with over two hundred sex workers in four Latin American countries, [cases that]…substantiated the trafficking myth…are the exception.  Instead, stories of economic need, single motherhood, and disgust with the sex but gratitude for the lifeline sex work has provided are so common that they’ve become routine…Writing about the sex industry often takes the form of sensationalized stories that, when examined closely, fall apart…and…when travel is involved, our ideas about prostitution become even more fantastical…

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1428)

Politicians are happy to wreck lives by inventing new crimes from copaganda:

…the HALT…Fentanyl Act…aims to make permanent a…DEA…temporary emergency rule from 2018, which has been extended twice by Congress.  This rule classifies derivatives of the synthetic opioid fentanyl not yet approved by the [FDA]…as Schedule I controlled substances…Celebrating the passage of [it]…as a new effort to combat fentanyl trafficking and overdose deaths is merely an example of performance art…But [it’s] also delusional. For decades, Schedule I classification has done nothing to halt the flow and use of cannabis, heroin, or psychedelics…Classifying fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I will hinder progress in therapeutic research…fill…prisons, ruin…the futures of drug users, disrupt…families, and provide…aggressive prosecutors with coercive plea-bargaining strategies…

Eavesdropping (#1476)

Some politicians are starting to admit Shotspotter is a boondoggle:

The city government of Little Rock, Arkansas, recently dumped ShotSpotter, a…controversial [surveillance tool with]…a history of unreliability, generating large numbers of bogus reports.  Also, being based on the use of microphones, ShotSpotter can capture sounds other than gunshots, including private conversations…[not only is] the contract with…ShotSpotter…[itself] expens[ive]…the original deal cost $290,000 for two years…[valuable] resources [are] tied up in responding to false ShotSpotter reports.  Other cities have run into the same problem, finding that relatively few incidents reported by the technology result in the discovery of criminal activity…

The Mob Rules (#1491)

Ambulance-chasers have given themselves the power to rob internet companies:

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing the owner of 13 pornographic websites, [exploit]ing…a law passed last year [demand]ing age verification systems be placed on adult content.  Kobach [claims] SARJ LLC, a Washington-based company…owns, licenses and distributes content for the 13 [targeted] websites…and…made [furtive movements in his pants]…at…the [fantasy of robbing the company]…for over $50 million…

Shame, Shame (#1494)

Bird-brains still think realistic porn cartoons are the worst use for this technology:

…a YouTube channel called True Crime Case Files…[contain]ed more than 150 [computer-generated] videos o[f fictional crimes which were not labeled as such]…The plots were…often hypersexual.  They described parents selling teenagers into sex slavery with a sheriff, and transgender teachers committing murders to hide affairs with students.  The video thumbnails were perverse, with clickbaity phrasing in big blocky text…Each one was made with [image-generation software] and the crimes described did not happen.  There was no language on the channel’s homepage or in video descriptions to tell a viewer otherwise…[because] the man who ran the page…believed people wouldn’t want to watch his videos if they knew they were fake…the [channel is now down due to bad publicity, but the creator is wholly unrepentant, saying]…“I really felt like I needed to stake my claim before anybody else thought of it”…

The Widening Gyre (#1500)

Cops don’t like it when non-cops falsely accuse innocent people of “crimes” that didn’t happen:

A…[Virginia drunk] was arrested after breaking into a Bible study session, [drun]kenly [imagin]ing it to be a human trafficking operation…David Campbell…called the…[cops because] his neighbors had doubled-parked their vehicles.  Campbell then [attacked and threaten]ed his neighbors…and w[hen] deputies…[arrived] they found Campbell [ranting] in the middle of the road…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1510)

Everyone abused by cops using this error-prone surveillance system needs to sue:

Chris Gatlin spent 17 months in jail for a crime that [cops claimed] he committed, only to be freed after the prosecutor learned there was no real evidence.  A grainy surveillance photo of an assault suspect…[was fed to] a computer facial recognition program to [mis-]identify Gatlin…and the…[cops] ran with it…without doing any other investigation…even [though] the…victim didn’t…think Gatlin was the right guy…and…picked two different suspects…[until] the [cops pushed him to pick]…Gatlin…“I felt I was being pointed into something,” the victim said…Gatlin [is suing]…St. Louis County…

 

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 (#1512)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[There are] too many examples of investigative tools that become runaway trains.  –  Rebecca Brown

Torture Chamber (#1305) 

It seems highly unlikely that anything will be done about this under the Trump regime:

Floors streaked with blood, rat-infested cells, flooded hallways and routine beatings by [psychopathic thugs]…are but some of the degrading conditions within Alabama state prisons revealed by leaked cellphone videos in a…new documentary that premiered at the Sundance film festival…The Alabama Solution, directed by Andrew Jarecki…and Charlotte Kaufman, reports on the inhumane living conditions, forced labor and rampant [screw] violence…as told by [prisoners]…under constant physical threat from prison management.  Despite [toothless] federal calls for prison reform, Alabama’s prisons currently operate at 200% capacity…[and] have the highest rates of murder, drug addiction and death in the country…prison[ers used smuggled]…cellphones…to document an outrageously brutal and…corrupt system…incarcerated activists Melvin…Ray and Robert Earl…Council [led a] network of sources record[ing]…beatings, unsanitary conditions…drug[s]…supplied by [screws]…and first-person testimony at great personal risk.  Council was nearly beaten to death by guards during the course of production and lost sight in one eye; another source recorded smears of blood trailing from Council’s cell after he was dragged away, unconscious and facedown…


Thought Control (#1325)

Surely you didn’t think they’d be satisfied with only threatening librarians and teachers:

A broad coalition of educational, civil rights, and literary advocacy organizations are banding together to…[oppose] proposed [book-banning] legislation…in Texas.  More than a dozen such bills have been filed this legislative session…[including] one [that] would criminalize almost anyone who allows a [legal minor] to have access to [any] material that [any politician has pointed at while barfing “]harmful to minors[“, such as people who]…put a little free library in [their] front yard…[another] would allow…the…handful of people who…travel…the state with lists of hundreds…of books [they want banned]…to [instead] ban them statewide…

Torture Chamber (#1374)

The 100% predictable result of a judge’s half-assed attempt to stop Louisiana from torturing young people:

Louisiana imprisons young people in an adult jail where they’re attacked by guards, deprived of an education, and kept away from their families…The new court filings are the latest development in a years-long lawsuit [against]…Louisiana…[for caging legal minors] at adult lockups [instead of]…juvenile facilities.  The state’s Office of Juvenile [In]justice…began incarcerating [them]…at Jackson Parish Jail in 2023 after a federal judge ordered them to move all [legal minors] out of…Angola…young [prisoners have since] told the court…that the guards “are very quick to use mace and put their hands on us”…[they’re cag]ed in…“modified shipping container[s]” in the middle of a field…they have been…shot with pepper balls, and had “taser gloves” used on them…there is no school…or…in-person visitation and…they can only call home if they have money in their accounts…the Sheriff’s Office…[lies that prison]ers get 87 minutes a month of free phone call and…and onsite visits are allowed…[but] David Utter…part of the legal team representing the youth, said parents have reported that the Sheriff’s Office told them they cannot visit their children…[and] the legal team had to put money in one client’s account just to be able to speak with him on the phone…

Served Cold (#1405)

Tim Ballard’s partners in profiteering are trying to salvage as much of the scam as possible:

A [disgraced “]sex trafficking[” hysteria profiteer] group is planning to relocate to Minnesota and hoping to set up shop in a new city-owned…facility in Minneapolis.  The prospect that the group, Our Rescue, might be selected to [indoctrinate] police [in “]sex trafficking[” propaganda] in the new South Minneapolis Community Safety Center has drawn criticism from [rival profiteer groups] who call Our Rescue’s approach outdated and poorly informed…Our Rescue was formerly known as Operation Underground Railroad.  It’s moving from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis [but can’t escape either its reputation or a pending] federal lawsuit…

Micromanagement (#1425)

Cops just love new ways to railroad people:

…Parabon NanoLabs was founded…[to profit from] DNA [analysis.  At first the company pursued the prosocial goal of]…developing cancer therapies…[but soon degenerated] into a prominent purveyor of…DNA phenotyping…to [cop shops]…Parabon [claims] its Snapshot FDP System “accurately” predicts not only eye, hair, and skin color, but also face shape.  For a fee, the company will provide [cops] with a rendering of its predictions in the form of a color composite sketch [they can and do run through facial recognition systems]…scientists and legal experts…warn that the company’s sketches are, at best, misleading…Even a scientist who helped develop the technology says it’s not ready for real-world use…In a criminal legal system rife with wrongful convictions and racial bias, there are countless ways…an unproven tool [can be abused]…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1433)

Burble burble BLUE STATE burble drool:

A New York [politician] is trying to introduce the same age verification legislation that has resulted in massive porn sites…going dark across much of the U.S…The bill, introduced by [sociopaths] Jake Ashby and…Mary Beth Walsh, is almost identical to every other [sex surveillance] law that has passed across the country in the last two years…and…defines “material harmful to minors” as a laundry list of sex acts and body parts…

Eavesdropping (#1501)

I have no words sufficient to describe how foolish this is:

Just months after we learned Chinese hackers had compromised US telecom systems through government-mandated backdoors, an inexperienced developer from Musk’s DOGE unit is pushing untested code directly into the Treasury’s payment infrastructure…It seems reasonable to call it one of the most dangerous cyberattacks on the US government.  The Treasury Department wants us to believe…Musk’s team’s access…[was] “read only”…But…[in] reality…a 25-year-old…named Marko Elez (who had refused to give any of his brand new colleagues his last name) had been granted…full administrator privileges to the system….and…is…pushing untested changes directly into production on a system that handles trillions in federal payments…the code changes have a very specific purpose: creating mechanisms to block payments while hiding the evidence…

 

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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