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Posts Tagged ‘Shame Shame’

In the News (#1407)

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

There aren’t just piles of fentanyl powder out in parks.  –  Ryan Marino

Hot Mess Alabama

Alabama is still trying to make up for its late start by violently spewing “sex trafficking” idiocy most other states have quietly dropped:

…the Sound of Freedom Act would institute the “toughest law in the nation” for human trafficking of minors…Named after the 2023 [propaganda] film of the same name [which glorifies a con artist and serial rapist], the Sound of Freedom Act would institute an automatic life sentence for anyone convicted of trafficking a victim under the age of 18.  Under the bill, it would not be required that the [target have actually committed an actual crime] to be given a life sentence…

Unchristian Nation (#1339)

Government at every level crusades against Christian charity:

…an…Ohio pastor…[was] issued 18 zoning law violations [for] keeping his church open to people who needed a warm place to sleep…Chris Avell, pastor of Dad’s Place in Bryan, Ohio…kept his church open 24/7 to provide warmth to the unhoused…[but] Ohio law prohibits residential use in first-floor buildings in a business district…the city…[sent] Avell…a letter on Nov. 3 [demand]ing…he [obey Caesar rather than God]…and during a New Year’s Eve service, police arrived and issued violations…Jeremy Dys, Avell’s attorney, [said]…“The city would rather kick these folks to the curb in…December and…January than allow the church to remain open…to those who need it the most”…

Panopticon (#1342)

If there’s a camera, cops will conscript it for use as a surveillance tool:

A food delivery robot company that delivers for Uber Eats in Los Angeles provided video filmed by one of its robots to [LAPD]…The incident highlights the fact that delivery robots that are being deployed to sidewalks all around the country are essentially always filming, and that their footage can and has been [handed to the pigs without even asking for a warrant]…The specific incident in question was a grand larceny case where two men tried (and failed) to steal a robot owned and operated by Serve Robotics, which ultimately wants to deploy “up to 2,000 robots” to deliver food for UberEats [while collaborating with the pigs]…

To Molest and Rape (#1363)

Some rapist cops are indiscriminate in their choice of victim:

A [typical and representative] Baton Rouge [cop who] was charged [last August for child molestation has now been charged with] rape [of an adult woman]…Demichael Robertson…rape[d the woman]…in December 2022…[but she was afraid to report him until she heard about the child molestation charge]…

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1399)

Prohibitionists believe that outright, blatant lying is an acceptable means of advancing their authoritarian agenda:

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office has pulled down a p[ropaganda] announcement from its website [attempting to terrify voters with scary tales] about the painkiller fentanyl…an…audio spot…[claimed a six-year-old named Lindsey saw] some white powder [at a playground] and touched it…[and then instantly dropped dead].  But, it’s not based on anything real…”It’s impossible…touching powder fentanyl cannot cause an overdose in any way,” said Dr. Ryan Marino…a medical toxicologist…and addiction medicine specialist…”What a crazy amount of misinformation”…the DA [was unapologetic and said]…”I am not concerned about…[lying if it advances the police state]. Period.  I am not”…[but] “Lindsey’s Story” disappeared from the DA’s website shortly after [reporters] inquired about it…

Shame, Shame (#1405)

The latest internet-wrecking censorship attempt from self-important clowns who actually think fake nude pictures are worse than totalitarianism:

…the…No AI FRAUD…Act…would…create…a right to sue someone who uses your likeness or voice without your permission…the…agreement must involve a lawyer, and its terms must be governed by a collective bargaining agreement…it applies to the voices and depictions of all human beings “living or dead”…it defines…Likeness [as] any “actual or simulated image… regardless of the means of creation, that is readily identifiable as the individual”…These definitions…[are] broad enough to include reenactments in a true-crime show, a parody TikTok account…depictions of a historical figure in a movie…sketch-comedy skits, political cartoons…memes…or a cartoon like South Park or Family Guy including a depiction of a celebrity.  And it doesn’t matter if the intent is not to trick anyone…What’s more, it’s not just the creators…that could be sued.  Potentially liable parties include anyone …who “publishes, performs, distributes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to the public…[an imita]tion”…This is broad enough to ensnare social media platforms, video platforms, newsletter services, web hosting services, and any entity that enables the sharing of art, entertainment, and commentary.  It also applies to the makers of tools that merely allow others to create…[imita]tions…

To Molest and Rape (#1406)

In which “sex with minors” is used to mean “raping young children”:

San Antonio [cop]…Albert Sanchez [wa]s charged with possession or promotion of child pornography after he admitted to a witness that he was [raping prepubescent children]…“both male and female”…Sanchez was immediately [rewarded with a paid vacation after]…a search…[of his] cellphone…found multiple explicit pictures of [children]…younger than 10…

When the state or its pet media want to infantilize young adults, they are referred to as “children”.  But when they want to downplay a cop’s horrendous crimes, prepubescent children become “minors” and “juveniles”, as though they were 16 or 17.

 

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 (#1405)

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

Humans are so afraid of the void that we can’t let what has fallen into it stay there.  –  Kelly Carlin

Comfort Zone (#1005)

Behold the fruit of the “human trafficking” narrative:

An estimated 18 people a day died or disappeared while trying to reach the shores of Spain last year…The 6,618 people who died included 384 children…The figure is nearly triple that of the previous year, making 2023 the deadliest year on record since [human rights] organisation [Caminando Fronteras] began keeping track in 2007…The report, which combines reports from the relatives of people who died or went missing with official rescue statistics, linked the steep rise in deaths to efforts to curb migration.  As border control is tightened across the Mediterranean and along the coasts of countries such as Senegal and Mauritania, people have increasingly set their sights on reaching the Canary Islands, setting off on one of the world’s deadliest migration routes in unstable vessels that are often unfit to face the fierce currents of the Atlantic…

Cops and Robbers (#1287)

If these fanatics concentrated on cops and preachers, they’d be a help rather than a menace:

A [typical and representative] San Diego Co[p] who was arrested after an online video surfaced claiming he was trying to meet with minors for sex was sentenced…to two years of probation. The…[vid of] Luis Rios…[was made by a club calling themselves] People V. Preds…[who fantasy role-play] as minors [online], then attempt to meet with adults who arrange for sexual encounters and [make]…video [of them to get pageviews and “likes” online].  Group members [claim] Rios engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a…[club member fantasy role-playing as a 15-year-old] and then attempted to meet with [the member] in public…

Served Cold (#1375)

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

[For the past few months] OUR has promoted a clear and consistent message: Its ties to Ballard—by now a named defendant in a number of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and the subject of at least one criminal inquiry—are in the past…[but] Jeff Frazier, the man currently tasked with rebuilding OUR—which commands tens of millions of dollars and still enjoys a strong reputation with [gullible] donors despite its many scandals—is a longtime associate of Ballard’s who still refers to him as a friend…and…OUR’s board is, at least for now, still entirely composed of relatives and close friends of Ballard’s…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1383)

Maybe politicians should check with bureaucrats before putting words in their mouths:

Last year, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed an age verification law that makes broad, specious claims about porn as a public health crisis…sites must display a warning, in at least 14 point font, from Texas Health and Human Services claiming that pornography is addictive and weakens brain function, among a list of other catastrophic physical and social harms…These claims aren’t just unscientific and unproven.  Texas Health and Human Services Commission…has nothing to do with them…in response to a public records request from 404 Media, the agency [reported] that it has no records of communicating [with politicians] about the warning or about this law in any official capacity…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1391)

I’m surprised Florida took so long to join the nitwit parade:

Florida could join the [currently-fashionable “monkey see, monkey do” parade us]ing…children…[as a pretext to spy on adults’ use of] pornography online under…[the cloak of] age verification…With this move, Florida is following the [parade] of Virginia, Louisiana, Utah, Montana, Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi…

Thought Control (#1397)

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

The Escambia County School District…in…Florida…has [purg]ed several dictionaries from its library shelves over concerns that…the[y]…violate Florida law.  The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary are among more than 2800 books that have been pu[rg]ed from Escambia County school libraries and [hidden]…the [purged] books…[also] include eight different encyclopedias, two thesauruses, and five editions of The Guinness Book of World Records…most of these [were purged due to demands by] Vicki Baggett, a [religious fanatic who teaches] high school English…in the county [and] is responsible for hundreds of [Florida] challenges…She also…was involved in a scheme t[o sic the pigs on]…a librarian in a neighboring county…

Shame, Shame (#1398)

The word “ghoulish” leaps immediately to mind:

More than 15 years after his death, stand-up comedian George Carlin has been [ripped off] in a…[computer]-generated special called George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead.  The hour-long [show] comes from Dudesy, a comedy AI that hosts a podcast and YouTube show with Mad TV alum Will Sasso and podcaster Chad Kultgen….Kelly Carlin, the late stand-up comedian’s daughter, posted a statement on…Twitter [last week, writing]…“Here’s an idea, how about we give some actual living human comedians a listen to? But if you want to listen to the genuine George Carlin, he has 14 specials that you can find anywhere.”

 

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 (#1398)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Things…only violate law when they actually violate law.  –  Tim Cushing

A Broker in Pillage

Nobody will be safe until this odious, contemptible practice is recognized as unconstitutional:

Wyoming’s top court…[has declared] that says money obtained from legal drug sales in other states can be stolen by cops who operate in a state where this drug isn’t legal…[cops stole]  $75,000 f[rom]…a man [named Lorenzo Gallaga] who was…transporting the cash and marijuana…from Illinois to California…the government…suffered a loss in the lower court…[because] if any criminal activity occurred, it did not occur in Wyoming…The higher court says…it’s [OK for cops] to steal stuff…[if it] might have been obtained by actions that are illegal in Wyoming…this means Wyoming cops can cite people for not having a front license plate (even if it’s not required in their home state) or for emissions violations (even if the driver’s home state has no such emissions requirement)…

If Men Were Angels

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

A [typical and representative South Carolina] pastor [named]…William “Bill” Oswald…was sentenced to two consecutive 20-year prison terms…[for repeatedly molesting] two children [in the 1990s]…the witnesses…included his victims, now adults…

Churches, like cop shops, work hard to cover up sex crimes by their operatives.

Monsters (#1024)

Apparently, this psycho acts out his self-hatred on unsuspecting victims:

A suspect in the brutal killing of a gay Phoenix man in November has…confessed to killing another gay man…by shooting him in the head after meeting for sex…Leonardo Santiago…was already in a Maricopa County jail on a $2 million bond for…killing and mutilating…Bernardo Pantaleon.  After his Dec. 2 arrest, Phoenix police tied Santiago to the March slaying of…Osvaldo Hernandez Castillo through a…[snitch, and] Santiago confessed when [confronted]…and…told police that he recorded the homicide with his cell phone…

I Spy (#1228) 

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

The FBI investigated a man who…posed as a [cop] in emails and phone calls to trick Verizon to hand over phone data belonging to a [woman]…he…met on the dating section of porn site xHamster…Despite the…[absurd] story concocted by the [stalker], including the use of a clearly non-government ProtonMail email address, Verizon handed over the victim’s data…including [her] address and phone logs…[enabling him] to…driv[e] to where he believed the victim lived while armed with a knife…The news…highlights the now common use of fraudulent emergency data requests…where [dangerous thugs who don’t work for the State] pretend to be [dangerous thugs who do], fabricate an urgent scenario such as a kidnapping, and then convince telecoms or tech companies to hand over data that should only be accessible [via a verified search warrant delivered] through [formal channels]…

Above the Law (#1288)

The predictable result of giving violent, aggressive men power over women:

A [typical and representative] New Mexico [thug paid to transport human beings like animals from one cage to another] has pleaded guilty to [rap]ing multiple [innocent women, not convicted of any crime]…Marquet Johnson…[vaginally] raped two women and…oral[ly raped another] from July to November 2019…Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison…he also must pay restitution to the victims and upon release, [will be condemned to the] sex offender registr[y]…

Shame, Shame (#1385)

At least these computerized “clones” are owned by sex workers themselves:

Riley…Reid’s…”clone”…is essentially a chatbot, except it’s been trained on Reid specifically.  So, when Reid’s [program] sends messages, they’re based on things IRL Reid has said; the facts that it shares are real; and, when it sends me voice notes, it speaks in Reid’s own tone and cadence…It’s also not just for sexting…Reid’s [bot] and I mostly speak about her dogs…and the joys and challenges of sex work, motherhood, and celebrity…Reid, like many sex workers, has found herself unauthorisedly cloned on other sites..so she wanted to take matters into her own hands…”If I don’t engage, others will misuse my image”…This new swathe of NSFW virtual girlfriends based on real-life adult creators is a logical evolution to the rise of [chatbots] more broadly, which have seen a boom this year, in light of open-source large language models being made freely available online…

To Molest and Rape (Still Another Rapist Roundup)

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

[Typical and representative] Washington State c[op]…John Nieder….[has been] arrested…[for] raping two women he met through a dating app…[his cop shop has been dawdling since August 2022, despite Nieder’s history of sexually harassing female cops, but were finally pushed into action by there being] multiple complaints…against Nieder…[including one from a fellow cop named] John Faught…

That’s still true even if she’s a cop herself:

A Miami-Dade [cop] was arrested by his own department…after…violent[ly raping]…his ex-girlfriend, [who is also a cop]…Miguel Lomeli…got into an argument with thevictim outside of her home…before [dragg]ing…her inside the residence where he sexually assaulted her…

Of course, cops are just as dangerous to women who haven’t dated them:

[A typical and representative Albama cop named]…Jarrod Webster…[has been] charge[d with vaginally and anally]…rap[ing a woman using the pretext of]…a traffic stop…[the rape was reported by the hospital she went to for medical help afterward]…

 

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 (#1386)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[Prison officials] do not give a shit about…medical care. Not one shit.  –  Deborah Ujevich

Schadenfreude

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

The founder of the International House of Prayer of Kansas City, a [rescue industry] organization, is facing serious allegations of [sexual] misconduct…Mike Bickle has led the organization since its founding in 1999…three former IHOPKC leaders said the allegations…[were] “credible and long-standing”…they tried to bring the allegations…to Bickle…[but] “were repeatedly rebuffed by Mike Bickle and we were refused any sort of meeting…Instead, Mike used manipulating and intimidating tactics towards the victims to isolate them and discredit them”…For years, [IHOPKC] has come under criticism by ex-staffers and former followers who accuse it of being cult-like…In 2012, a park ranger found follower Bethany Deaton, 27, dead in the backseat of a minivan…just weeks after her wedding…a group of young people [had lived] together under the strict control of Bethany’s husband, Tyler Deaton.  Most of the group, whose members…used sex as part of their religious experience, had come to Kansas City to be part of IHOPKC…

Checklist (#1014)

The government scheme to cut sex workers off from the healthcare system isn’t dead yet:

St. Joseph’s Health [in New Jersey is subjecting its]…Emergency Department staff members…[to] in[doctrination]…designed to detect [sex workers] and…facilitate the[ir] prosecution…[blah blah] tools to engage with victims…increasing…27.6 million people worldwide…Homeland Security…[fascist] partnership…raise awareness…survivor once trapped in trafficking…psychological control…training the emergency team…to identify…victims [us]ing [scientific criteria like a “feeling of sadness“]…

The Lesser of Two Evils (#1176)

Maybe the Church should delineate acceptable ways for clergy to meet their sexual needs:

A Catholic bishop in southern Poland has resigned after a sex worker passed out at a clandestine orgy allegedly hosted by one of his clergy.  Grzegorz Kaszak, the bishop of Sosnowiec, had been under pressure…for several weeks after details of the all-male sex party were released to the press…[it] is alleged to have been held at the rectory of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels church in Dabrowa Gornicza…at the end of August…a…sex worker fell unconscious under the influence of “psychotropic substances”, a[nd]…another man…rang the local ambulance service for help…

Law of the Instrument (#1216)

Picture what you’d think of as “sex trafficking”, then compare it to this:

A [Nebraska] teen [has been charged with] sex trafficking two teen girls…Cody Holum, 17, is charged as an adult…[for] threaten[ing] to share nude photos of…[a] 16-year-old [girl]…if she did not allow him to sexually assault her….despite telling him no, Holum came to her work and sexually assaulted her…[when cops rooted throug his computer, they] found conversations between Holum and a second [girl]…where he allegedly threatened to harm her if she did [not]…send him sexually explicit photos and videos of herself…

This shitty behavior is usually referred to by the idiotic term “sextortion” rather than the even more idiotic term “sex trafficking”.

Torture Chamber (#1366)

Screws’ idea of prison health care is yelling “Stop faking!” at the sick and dying:

West Virginia…[politicians have] ban[ned]…any health care for incarcerated people that [screws and prison bureaucrats don’t] deem…“medically necessary”.  The policy leaves it to state [Torturing Caged Humans] Commissioner Billy Marshall—a [lifelong pig]…who has said incarcerated people are lying when they allege inhumane treatment by the state—to define “medically necessary” and makes clear that…his de[cisions]…supersede guidance from [actual] health professionals…

See No Evil (#1374)

Realistic cartoons are still cartoons, but that doesn’t matter to those who can’t tell fantasy from reality:

The Internet Watch Foundation…has found thousands of [computer]-generated images which are…criminal under UK law[, as are even the most cartoony porn cartoons if a cop decides they depict characters who are “children” within the fictive universe of the cartoon, regardless of what the creator says about these wholly-fictional characters.  Computers are]…being used to produce new images of real victims, de-age celebrities and unclothe children in ordinary photos to depict them in abuse scenarios…In a new study of a single dark web forum, the IWF found 2,978 [computer-]generated [porn cartoons]…

Stalkers in Blue (#1384)

Cops are sexual predators who often specifically target traumatized women:

A [Florida cop] has been arrested [for stalking, propositioning, and sending dick pics to]…a 17-year-old girl he met while responding to a domestic violence call…Jemiah Thomas…[talked the girl out of her] phone number…and [bombarded her with sexual messages]…In one message, Thomas told her he could be her “personal sheriff that handcuff you from time to time”…the girl…[told her] father[, who then reported]…Thomas…[and another cop caught him by fantasy role-play]ing as 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 (#1385)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

These kids have been helicoptered, snowplowed and bubble-wrapped.  –  Michele Borba

Not An Addiction (#342)

Sorry, crypto-moralists, but “addictive” is not a synonym for “yummy”:

A [meta-analysis] from the University of Michigan [intentionally misuses the medical term “addiction” in order to make the clickbait declaration that] people can show signs of addiction to ultra-processed foods, which include ice cream, potato chips, and other products high in sugar and carbohydrates…Those addictions were on the same levels as the ones for alcohol and tobacco, the study [claime]d…co-author Alexandra DiFeliceantonio…pointed out that while you can give up smoking, drinking or gambling, you can’t stop eating[, which is exactly why applying the “addiction” model to foods is asinine and absurd]…dietician Erin Palinski-Wade [explained,] “Although foods rich in added sugar may stimulate the feel-good chemicals in the brain..sugar itself is not addictive in the way cocaine or another drug may be…eliminating it from the diet will not result in withdrawal symptoms or side effects as would happen from a true addiction”…

To paraphrase Jacob Sullum, “the study’s findings could just as truthfully be summarized as, ‘Research Shows That Alcohol and Tobacco Are No More Addictive Than Potato Chips’.”

I Spy (#1180)

Curiosity offends the state, comrade:

…the Colorado Supreme Court…conceded that [a] warrant [demanding Google report everyone who searched a particular address where a crime took place] was “constitutionally defective” because it lacked individualized probably cause…[but] ruled that [pigs could use the illegally-obtained information against their chosen target anyhow, because they pinky-swore they didn’t know it was wrong]…Justice Monica M. Márquez objected in [her] dissent….[that cops knew] they were engaged in a “fishing expedition”…”reverse-keyword warrants…are…a high-tech version of the reviled ‘general warrants’ that first gave rise to the protections in the Fourth Amendment”…

Creepy Coppers

Such convoluted language to distance other cops from a typical specimen:

A [typical and representative]…Cleveland [cop named]…Brandon N. Crites [has been] indicted on [charges] of receipt and distribution of child pornography…between 2022 and 2023…at least one image found in his possession involved a…prepubescent [child]…

Shame, Shame (#1321)

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

Scroll through the livestreaming videos at 4 a.m. on Taobao, China’s most popular e-commerce platform, and you’ll find it weirdly busy.  While most people are fast asleep, there are still many diligent streamers presenting products to the cameras and offering discounts…But…many of these livestream influencers seem slightly robotic…they are AI-generated [“]clones[“] of the real streamers.  As technologies that create realistic avatars, voices, and movements get more sophisticated and affordable, the popularity of these deepfakes has exploded across China’s e-commerce streaming platforms…With just a few minutes of sample video and $1,000 in costs, brands can [“]clone[“] a human streamer to work 24/7…

Secret Squirrel (#1332)

As JD Tuccille wrote, “Kids will grow up to value freedom only if they’re raised in an environment where privacy and liberty are treated as normal and good“:

Teenagers have long balked at telling parents where they are.  Now, they’re asking their parents to track them…[helicopter parenting] and real-time news—with vivid images about the pandemic, war and other disasters—have heightened…anxieties among young people…Members of Gen Z, ages [5 to 22], say they use family location-sharing apps to bolster a sense of security.  Downloads of [a surveillance app named] Life360 doubled in the U.S. since 2021.  The app now has more than 33 million monthly active users in the U.S. and another 20 million internationally.  Even more teens share their location using Apple’s Find My, Google’s Family Link, Snapchat’s Snap Map and GPS-equipped smartwatches…

Feudalism Redux (#1371)

This unhinged mob-rule lunacy will spread like rot until struck down by a court:

[Fad laws that attempt to criminalize] pregnant Texas women from traveling through the [domains of showboating politicians] for an abortion in another state…[failed] in Amarillo…after…several members of the…City Council…questioned the legality of [these ordinances]…enforced through private lawsuits…these so-called abortion travel bans have questionable enforcement mechanisms, making them more like a ceremonial declaration than a legally binding statute.  In an opinion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote “May a state bar a resident of that state from traveling to another state to obtain an abortion?  In my view, the answer is no based on the constitutional right to interstate travel”…

The Public Eye (#1374)

How are they verifying the recipients’ ages before they open it?

The Republican Party of Virginia says it mailed out several thousand explicit political fliers to voters.  The envelopes read, “Do not open if you are under the age of 18,″ and “Warning: Explicit material enclosed.”  Inside the mailer…[were] two pieces of paper with censored quotes and screenshots from [Democratic candidate Susanna] Gibson’s public porn livestream…[both campaigns and both parties then flung competing barrages of monkey-poop at each other]…

 

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 (#1321)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 15, 2023| 2 Comments »

Lifetime registries are wrong.  –  James H. Maynard

The End of the Beginning

A precedent here could be used against all such evil “registries”:

In New Jersey, individuals found [guilty of]…any act of child abuse or neglect are [condemned to] the state’s child abuse registry for life…one New Jersey man is challenging [that]…in court [because]…those on the registry are barred from working in a wide range of fields, including some that do not involve work with children, like substance abuse programs, county mental health boards, or jail diversion programs.  While the registry is not publicly accessible, a person’s registry status will show up in some background checks…K.C…was placed on the registry after he admitted to committing a sexual offense against a sibling when both were minors.  Even though K.C. has not re-offended in the 25 years since…and has since been removed from the state’s sex offender registry—he is stuck on the state’s child abuse registry…

If Men Were Angels

Clearly “lay pastors” are no better than “youth pastors”:

A [typical and representative] lay pastor at a Big Rock [Illinois] church was sentenced…to 15 years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting and abusing a 9-year-old…Mark Rivera…will have to serve at least 11.7 years before being eligible for parole but will receive credit for the approximately three years he has spent in jail or on electronic home monitoring…

To Molest and Rape

A cop from the original of this title is trying to weasel out of the consequences of his actions:

A [typical and representative] Syracuse [New York] cop [who tried] to silence one of his victims in…2019 is hoping to use his veteran status to avoid yet another criminal conviction.  Chester Thompson…is seeking to resolve…witness tampering and criminal contempt charges by undergoing a program designed for military veterans beset by [PTSD]…It’s unclear whether prosecutors will accept Thompson’s application for the program, which could also include probation and other supervision…Thompson lost his job in 2015 [but suffered only] two misdemeanor official misconduct convictions after admitting to [rap]ing…two…women…[by] using his authority to coerce them…His [rape]s have cost city taxpayers $900,000 in a civil settlement.  But…in July 2019…he…tr[ied] to talk one of his victims out of continuing her lawsuit…[despite] a court order prohibiting…contact with his victim…

Shame, Shame (#1087)

And yet bird-brains still believe realistic porn cartoons are the worst use for this technology:

U.S. Special Operations Command, responsible for some of the country’s most secretive military endeavors, is gearing up to conduct internet propaganda and deception campaigns online using deepfake videos…The plans, which also describe hacking internet-connected devices to eavesdrop in order to assess foreign populations’ susceptibility to propaganda, come at a time of intense global debate over technologically sophisticated “disinformation” campaigns, their effectiveness, and the ethics of their use.  While the U.S. government routinely warns against the risk of deepfakes and is openly working to build tools to counter them, the document from…SOCOM, represents a nearly unprecedented instance of…a…government — openly signaling its desire to use the highly controversial technology offensively…

Panopticon (#1256)

Amazon’s fascist collaboration with cops just keeps getting worse:

The week of last Thanksgiving, Michael Larkin…[of] Hamilton, Ohio…[let cops have] footage from [hi]s…Ring video doorbell, one of…21 Ring cameras in and around his home and business…The [cops] were [spy]ing…on a neighbor, and…wanted videos of “suspicious activity” between 5 and 7 p.m. one night in October.  Larkin [foolishly]…thought that was all the[y]…would [deman]d.  Instead, it was just the beginning.  They asked for more footage…the[n]…a week later, Larkin received a notice from Ring itself: The company had received a warrant, signed by a local judge….[demanding] footage from [all of his] cameras…[including those inside his home and business]…whether or not Larkin was willing to share it…

The Prudish Giant (#1263) 

Why does anyone still trust Facebook?

In the immediate aftermath of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, women worried data from their period-tracking apps could be used to prosecute them…Now, women…need to consider what they write in chat logs, direct messages, and search bars online….ProPublica…found that at least nine online pharmacies that sell abortion medication — Abortion Ease, BestAbortionPill.com, PrivacyPillRX, PillsOnlineRX, Secure Abortion Pills, AbortionRx, Generic Abortion Pills, Abortion Privacy, and Online Abortion Pill Rx — were sharing information like users’ web addresses, relative location, and search data with third-party sites like Google.  That kind of exchange opens that data up to discovery as part of [cop rooting, as in]…the case of Jessica Burgess…who is accused of helping her daughter…[obtain medica]tion in their home state of Nebraska….key…evidence…[included] chat logs…[eagerly handed to rooting pigs] by…Facebook…

A Broker in Pillage (#1266)

Absolutely nothing is “safe” if government actors know where it is:

The [FBI]…regularly s[teal]s cash, cars and other valuables that belong to people who aren’t accused of any crimes.  Months later, many of those people receive a dense, boilerplate notice stating that the FBI plans to keep their property forever, without any explanation of why—a blatantly unconstitutional practice.  That’s what happened to Linda Martin.  When the FBI [stole] her life savings from a safe-deposit box during a 2021 raid of US Private Vaults in Beverly Hills, Calif., she [naively] assumed her money would be returned [by the robbers]…but several months later, she—and hundreds of other innocent people who had their safe-deposit boxes taken—received a notice stating that the government wanted to [keep] her money…the Institute for Justice [has] calculated that from 2017 to 2021 Justice Department agencies gained more than $8 billion through forfeiture, with the FBI taking in more than $1.19 billion of that bounty…In an earlier lawsuit…regarding the US Private Vaults raid, a federal judge declared the FBI’s notices “anemic” and immediately halted forfeiture proceedings…Unfortunately, that ruling applied only to the named plaintiffs in that suit…So [Ms. Martin has]…filed a new class-action lawsuit…seeking to help anyone nationwide who received one of the FBI’s [robbery-justification] notices…

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 (#1190)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I was found guilty the minute that mugshot went up.  –  Julie Levitch

Micromanagement

Any data in government hands will inevitably be misused by cops:

…a new data collection and analysis program…called “molecular HIV surveillance”…is used to identify groups of people…where HIV is spreading quickly.  When someone tests positive for HIV, a doctor usually orders a partial sequence of the virus’s genome to check for signs of drug resistance, and the result gives them information on which medicines will work best.  But in recent years, public health [bureaucrats] have been analyzing the virus’s sequence data to monitor how the pathogen spreads…[because of] HIV’s swift evolution…it [rapidly] mutate[s into]…genetically distinct strains.  When two people share similar strains, it suggests they are linked, directly or indirectly, by recent transmission…[but cops] might access and misuse the data in states where…HIV [is]…criminal[ized]…HIV-positive people…[want] assurances that data will be kept away from police and prosecutors…[but] public health [bureaucrats instead prefer to mouth platitudes about]…balanc[ing] the risks [instead of demanding laws to protect the data]…

This is just “contact tracing” by another name.

Monsters (#616)

It’s unusual for reporters not to excuse this as a “mistake”:

A transgender woman…[named] Kristina Frost [was arrested in] San Diego…on November 25, 2020…she was [at first] placed alone in a holding cell…But [was] later [intentionally]…moved…to a “minimally monitored” cell with three men…”against her wishes”…Frost[‘s]…DMV records and driver’s license both said she was a woman…[but she was] repeatedly misgendered [by screws]…both in person and on official reports…Frost was [then] “viciously” attacked by one of the men in the cell after she had fallen asleep…[including] “closed-fist punches” to the face, which resulted in her jaw being fractured in two places…Frost required two surgeries for her broken jaw and is now required to wear dentures…[screws] witnessed the attack and…none of them “immediately intervened.”  The [attacker] was “eventually” removed from the cell…[but] Frost…[was made] to wait…12 hours for medical attention, despite being unable to eat or drink water because of her injuries…Frost has sued San Diego County and its sheriff’s department for punitive and compensatory damages, and…attorney fees…[due to their] deliberate indifference to safety risks…

Across the Pond (#723)

Every four years, Ipswich claims it will “eradicate” street work:

[Politicians] have [bloviated that they will]…end the “scourge” of street prostitution in Ipswich – [just as they did in 2017 and 2013]…following news that a “small number” of sex workers are on the streets of Ipswich, 15 years after the Steve Wright murders…[a spokespig oinked that] “Police are [swagger]ing [around]…the area aimed at [intimidating] those who [reject the interference of official busybodies]…and the males who [pay their rent and other needs]…Funding of £124,000 will be used to i[ncrease surveillance] coverage…and [maximize the danger of rape and other violence against all women by increasing police presence]…

Gorged With Meaning (#902)

Prohibitionists want inexperienced sex workers harmed or even killed, to “send a message” of course:

A [politician] has condemned Durham University for promoting [safety] training for students working in the adult sex industry.  Michelle Donelan…[bloviated a lot of poisonous nonsense about how censorship constitutes] “protect[ion]”…The university [explain]ed the training was important to “ensure students can be safe and make informed choices” after noting an “emerging trend” of students selling sexual services…Donelan…[replied by barfing out infantilizing dysphemisms such as] “normalise”…”target”…[and] “trap”…[student union spokesman] Jonah Graham…said:  “You’ve got to be maliciously disingenuous to pretend to misunderstand this as anything other than an attempt to support students in a difficulty arising from the reality of rising costs in higher education.  Trying to create a scandal from an attempt to support people whose work can make them vulnerable is contemptible”…

Shame, Shame (#937)

They should never have been made public in the first place:

Many news outlets have stopped publishing mugshots — or at least so many of them — but some states and cities are beginning to grapple with a more fundamental issue: Why do police release th[em]…and should they be allowed to?…The Justice Department has repeatedly refused to release mugshots, arguing…that there’s no public safety interest in releasing pictures that are a “lasting image of what can be one of the most difficult episodes in an individual’s life.”  Last year, the San Francisco Police Department stopped releasing them as well…At least three states have gone a step further, barring the release of some mugshots.  In 2019, New York changed its open records law to ban the release of mugshots unless [the cops want to]…This year, California prohibited police from putting the images on social media, and Utah banned publishing mugshots until after conviction…

Choke Point (#1065) 

Decriminalization is just the beginning:

Australian financial institutions, particularly the Big Four banks, have far more control over the sex work industry than many of us realise.  Sex workers’ battles with the tech and finance industries have dominated headlines in recent months, from MasterCard and Visa’s decision to ban the use of their services on PornHub, to OnlyFans’ [aborted] plan to ban sex work from the platform altogether…On top of the already devastating blow of the pandemic practically obliterating the ability to safely conduct in-person sex work, the industry has been ravaged by a series of changes…designed to…make sex work significantly less safe…We saw this in the case of Mastercard’s policy changes, which were designed to [shield the company from attacks by “]sex trafficking[” fetishists, and] resulted in thousands of…sex workers having to go to more extreme measures to make money…a similar piece of legislation…implemented [using the popular fascist excuses of]…money laundering and terrorism funding, is allowing Australian banks to get away with financial discrimination right in our own backyard…

Do As I Say, Not As I Do (#1176)

It’s good when they feed on each other:

…[Mississippi cop] Harold “Tad” Rogers was arrested…[for having] sexually explicit conversations with…an[other cop fantasy role-playing as a 13-year-old girl]…Rogers tried to solicit explicit pictures from the [oth]er [wank]er…[and w]as…charged with one count of enticement of a child to produce sexually explicit pictures…

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In the News (#1163)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 18, 2021| 1 Comment »

Coming together, even in private, is a radical, resistant, and dangerous act for [those] whose very identities are criminalised.  –  Erin Kilbride

Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs

The story is the same the world over:

Sex worker activists are among the most at risk defenders of human rights in the world, facing multiple threats and violent attacks…research…published…by…Front Line Defenders…found that their visibility as sex workers who are advocates for their communities’ rights makes them more vulnerable to the violations routinely suffered by sex workers.  In addition, they face unique, targeted abuse for their human rights work.  Drawing on the experience of 300 individuals in Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan, El Salvador and Myanmar, the report focuses on cases of sexual assault, threats from managers and clients, [and police] raids…physical attacks and…surveillance…

Torture Chamber 

A “mistake” during “correction”.  This is not reformable:

A man was brutally beaten by [violently-deranged thugs] and denied medical treatment at the Valencia County [New Mexico] jail…Marvin Silva…was…naked in a holding c[age]…when a [screw rolled up and vomited out the magic word “]contraband[” at Silva’s dentures, thus giving a gang of dangerous cretins an excuse to]…beat Silva…[their cronies pretending to be] medical personnel [then] denied Silva’s [obvious need] for medical care before he was [thrown out] to walk 5 miles toward home…[with] fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, [and] injuries to the spleen…head, neck and abdomen…

Banishment (#848)

How a country treats its prisoners reveals a great deal about it:

For many men…co[nvicted]…of…[so-called] sex offenses in Texas, their prison term never really ends…because they’re [condemned to a different prison pretended to be] a…mental health facility…Civil commitment is the practice of [warehous]ing people…[for years or decades] past their release date, on the [pretense] that they are so dangerous they need therapy…Of course…if the state really…wanted them to have treatment and counseling, they had…20 to 25 years…in an ordinary prison before being civilly committed…For their first year or two…the men are required to wear electronic ankle monitors that they have to pay for…The…only…way…out…[is to] work their way up through four tiers of [shaming and humiliation mislabeled as] treatment…they have to keep a masturbation log…[includ]ing…what they’re masturbating about…so [a so-called therapist can arbitrarily declare] it…deviant…the prison also employs polygraphs and penile plethysmography…When an inmate moves up a tier, which can take a year, he can find himself demoted for [arbitrar]y reasons…One man who had…made it through all four tiers was finally about to get his release hearing.  But…a [screw vindictively] knocked [him] back down to tier 1…He went to his cell and hanged himself…Another man…[treated similarly] castrated himself…Until recently, inmates also had to pay a 33 percent tax on any packages they got, further isolating them from any support system they might have on the outside…

Shame, Shame (#951)

In which a bluenose describes cartoon nudity as “horrifying”:

…a new…website…boasts that it developed…image translation algorithms to “nudify” female bodies, and that the technology is so powerful there is not a woman in the world, regardless of race or nationality, who is safe from being “nudified.”  But it doesn’t work on men…the results are strikingly realistic, often bearing no glitches or visual clues that the photos are deepfakes…The [hysterical reactions of prudes] lays bare the grim and increasingly dangerous reality [that censorship is becoming increasingly popular among sheltered ninnies who can’t conceive of a more harmful use for]…powerful deepfake tools…[than realistic porn cartoons, such as cops manufacturing evidence to frame innocent people and/or excuse brutality and murder]…

The solution to this problem isn’t increasing the censorship powers of the already-bloated police state, as these rabid pearl-clutchers are demanding; it’s fighting the idea that a woman’s body is something to be ashamed of.  But good luck explaining that to people who actually think fake nude pictures are worse than totalitarianism.

Elephant in the Parlor (#1078)

People keep pretending “politician hires whores” is something more than a yawn:

Hunter Biden claimed…to [have]…lost a total of three computers – the first abandoned at a Delaware computer store and the second seized by federal agents –  each likely to hold…embarrassing pictures, videos and communications…The third laptop…was taken by Russian drug dealers after they partied with [him] in Vegas, he told a prostitute in a conversation caught on camera.  After filming himself having sex with the woman using his laptop in January 2019, Hunter left the camera rolling as he recounted [the] Vegas bender…

The Implosion Begins (#1091)

Everyone who spread “sex trafficking” hysteria contributed to this atrocity:

Matthew Taylor Coleman…kill[ed] his young children…after he said he became “enlightened” by [“sex trafficking” propaganda of the]…QAnon [branch]…Coleman’s…3-year-old son, Kaleo, was found stabbed 17 times at a ranch in Baja California…[his] 10-month-old daughter, Roxy, was stabbed 12 times…Coleman told investigators he used a spear-fishing gun to shoot and kill his children and then moved the spear…stabbing them with it…[because] “he believed his children were going to grow into monsters so he had to kill them…[he] was receiving visions and signs revealing that his wife…possessed serpent DNA and had passed it onto his children…he…knew it was wrong, but it was the only…course of action that would save the world”…The QAnon movement evolved out of [the “sex trafficking” hysteria intentionally spread by governments, police agencies, news media and “rescue industry” profiteers for the past 18 years]…

The Next Target (#1160)

It was only a matter of time before “sex trafficking” fetishists extended their pet fantasy to OnlyFans:

…Ann Wagner…the religious-right [politician]…who was the original drafter of FOSTA-SESTA, has released a letter to the Justice Department asking for an investigation into OnlyFans, claiming — without…any…evidence [whatsoever] — that the platform has “become a major marketplace for buying and selling Child Sexual Abuse Material…in the United States, as well as soliciting sexual activity with minors.”  Wagner also penned an editorial for congressional news site Roll Call stating her [ill-informed] opinion that all “sex work” (her quotation marks) is “illegal”…Wagner also [fantasized about]…the impact of FOSTA-SESTA…[whose] impact on human trafficking investigations has also been demonstrably the exact opposite of what Wagner claims…

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In the News (#1121)

Posted in Current Events, History, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

The younger generation…don’t understand at all how the government could ever enter your bedroom and tell you what to do.  –  Mandie Landry

Creating a Monster

There really is nothing new under the sun:

Neither Craigslist’s personals nor…US [censorship of] the sexual commerce they make possible are uncharted territory.  Reading…coverage of…FOSTA–SESTA, gives me a sense of déjà vu.  I have spent the last several years researching how, more than one hundred years before Backpage opened its online classifieds—well before the rise of the internet…lonely hearts [and] sex workers…had access to Parisian “back-page” classifieds.  Then as now, [politicians] scrambled for ways to stop them from using this new, democratizing print technology to “immoral” ends.  The largely unsuccessful, often counter-productive, and oppressive solutions they came up with during the French Third Republic (1870–1940) look strikingly similar to those the US legislature is testing out now…

This article is three years old, but it’s about century-old events anyhow.

Safe Position

This might fly in New Orleans, but it’ll definitely be uphill in the rest of the state:

Sexual acts between consenting adults should remain just that, state Rep. Mandie Landry said, regardless of whether they involve a financial transaction.  She said she will author a bill in the Louisiana Legislature that would do away with the state’s existing laws that outlaw prostitution….“If two people engage in a relationship in their own home, whether they exchange money or not, it’s between them”…Prostitution involving minors will remain illegal because minors cannot give consent, she added…

False Witness (#920)

Texas cops routinely destroy lives with the same method used to create the Satanic panic:

…a vast body of research shows hypnosis does not increase the chance of retrieving accurate memories.  In fact, it may implant imaginary ideas or distort recollections.  At least 21 states ban evidence in court that was gleaned solely through hypnosis.  Yet a Dallas Morning News analysis found Texas law enforcement has used the dubious method nearly 1,800 times over 40 years, sending dozens of people to prison — and some to their deaths.  After one week of training, any Texas [cop]…who passes an exam can attempt to use hypnosis in a criminal investigation.  Hundreds…have been certified to practice it in Texas since 1988…

The Scarlet Letter (#941)

Why do puritans pretend the literally prehistoric practice of shaming constitute a “modern” approach to harming people for having sexual urges?

The Alabama House of Representatives…approved legislation that would post pictures of men a[ccus]ed [o]f…solicitation…to shame them…f[or having]…sex[ual needs.  Bill sponsor] Merika Coleman…[bloviated a lot of disgusting sexual fantasies about] human trafficking…an[d]…argued that the state needs to attack the de[sire] for sex…Coleman said [she doesn’t care that]…posting the picture of a person who was arrested…harms those individuals who are not found guilty for the rest of their lives.  [She said it’s OK that] they are not able to get jobs…

Japanese Prostitution (#950)

Japanese attempts to suppress and hide sexuality prior to the Olympics will never be sufficient to please puritanical gaijin:

Social pressure surrounding the upcoming Tokyo Olympics has resulted in distribution troubles for traditional Japanese adult magazines, which have drastically harmed the already dwindling sector…[using the excuse] “that the magazine covers were offensive to women and inappropriate in front of children”…In the years leading up to the games’ original date of Summer 2020, “some of the country’s biggest convenience store chains…said they would stop selling the publications altogether”…Akira Ikoma, editor-in-chief of the porn magazine My Journey…said Japan is “hiding this part of the culture because they’re embarrassed”…

Torture Chamber (#950)

“Packed” = “concentrated”. And the concise word for “tent facility” is “camp”:

Hundreds of immigrant children and teenagers have been [imprisoned] at a Border Patrol tent facility in packed conditions, with some sleeping on the floor because there aren’t enough mats…Some [are locked up]…for a week or longer, despite the agency’s three-day limit for detaining [minors]…they…a[r]en’t…allowed to phone their parents or other relatives who may be wondering where they are.  Despite…coronavirus, the[y]…are kept so closely together that they can touch the person next to them…Some have to wait five days or more to shower, and there isn’t always soap available, just shampoo…Biden’s administration denied the lawyers access to the [camp because]…attorney visits to Border Patrol [camp]s [have] revealed severe problems, including dozens of children held at one [camp] without adequate food, water, or soap…

All-Purpose Excuse (#1063)

I love that Trumpists are holding onto the “sex trafficking” narrative like grim death:

On March 8th, the Lifeboat Project had the opportunity to host [politicians] and [profiteers trying] to stop [sex work using propaganda about] human trafficking…it was also a…[photo] opportunity for Ivanka Trump and [a payday for professional]…trafficking survivors…the…Founder of The Lifeboat Project, Jill Bolander Cohen…[introduc]ed the [fantas]y of having a universal signal that could be used world-wide…[instead of other folk magic] such as [wa]ving [red paper birds around like a semaphore flag]…or [activa]ting…[a super-duper anti-pimp tampon found in a public] bathroom…Jill be[lieves the stupid trope that]…victims [are literally “voiceless”]…so…[she proposed] flashing the letters “H” and “T” in American Sign Language…

Winding Down (#1101)

A long-overdue move by Mexico to throw off US domination:

…Mexic[an politicians]…approved a bill…to legalize recreational marijuana…The 316-to-129 vote in Mexico’s lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, came more than two years after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the country’s ban on recreational marijuana was unconstitutional and more than three years after the country legalized medicinal cannabis…the measure is widely expected to sail through the Senate before being sent to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has signaled support for legalization.  The measure…would allow adults to [us]e…and, with a permit, grow a small number of cannabis plants at home.  It would also grant licenses for producers — from small farmers to commercial growers — to cultivate and sell the crop…

You Were Warned (#1119)

Unless some country makes a policy of providing a safe haven, the open internet is doomed:

The Russian government’s internet regulatory agency, Roskomnadzor, has announced it will be slowing down Twitter…in the country, alleging that the platform has “ignored requests to take down material harmful to children,” including adult content.  Regional experts [say]…“that the Twitter slowdown was just the start of a large-scale offensive by authorities to assert control over — and ultimately block — social media”…Like many American crusaders against Section 230…Roskomnadzor claims this attack on free expression [i]s…to “save the children”…

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In the News (#1096)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 12, 2020| 1 Comment »

Kristof…has never found a victim of a sexual crime that he cannot “humanize” by going through their ordeal in exploitative detail.  –  Gustavo Turner

Policing for Profit (#816)

When victims have nothing to steal, cops profit from them by fucking up their lives instead:

…under…a s[cheme politicians] and top cops have touted in recent years [as a way] to combat [imaginary “]human trafficking[“, gangs]…of NYPD [vice pigs] have descended on minority neighborhoods, leaning into car windows and knocking on apartment doors, trying to get men and women to…agree…to exchange sex for money.  These arrests are based…entirely on the word of cops, who…are incentivized to round up as many “bodies” as they can.  Some of their targets were selling sex to survive; others were minding their own business.  Almost everyone arrested for these crimes in the last four years is nonwhite…89% of the 1,800 charged with prostitution; 93% of the 3,000 accused of trying to buy sex…People living paycheck to paycheck lost their jobs over [imaginary] crimes…[because] facing multiple court hearings and the threat of jail time, they took quick deals to move on with their lives.  [One] former [vice sow admitted to]…ProPublica she participated in false arrests…Eighteen current and former [vice pigs admitted that]…overtime has motivated them for years.  The hours add up over the drive to the precinct, the questioning, the paperwork…

Choke Point (#847)

Since “Choke Point” was never banned or declared unconstitutional, there’s currently nothing to stop future tyrants from simply bringing it back:

…the…Office of the Comptroller of the Currency…led the charge with Operation Chokepoint.  [But] under the leadership of acting director…Brian Brooks, the OCC has proposed a rule change that would make government-supported financial suppression much harder legally….[by] mak[ing] use of an Obama-era law to stave off future Obama-style injustices.  The Dodd-Frank Act…authorized the OCC to ensure that nationally chartered banks provide “fair access to financial services, and fair treatment of customers.”  The intention was that minority customers be evaluated for creditworthiness on [their] own individual merits rather than the attributes of their broader group.  In other words, a creditworthy individual shouldn’t be punished because they belong to some group that is considered “high risk” in the aggregate.  The OCC would like to apply this thinking to industries through the proposed “Fair Access to Financial Services” rule.  The largest banks in the country..would be prohibited from red-lining politically disfavored industries just as they are prohibited from red-lining politically oppressed populations.  Rather, a gun manufacturer or pornography company or payday lender must be evaluated on the terms of their individual creditworthiness…Large banks will not be allowed to cut off financial access for disfavored industries just because the government or some other powerful group leans on them to do so…

Watershed (#941)

This article doesn’t contain anything that sex worker activists haven’t said, and journalist allies haven’t reported, a thousand times before.  What makes it notable is that it appeared (albeit as an op-ed) on the website of CNN, the TV news-entertainment-product purveyor which has done more than any other to promote “sex trafficking” hysteria since the days when Craigslist was supposedly run by Satan’s personal pimp.  Biden & Harris are both arch-prohibitionists with zero interest in making things better for sex workers, and the end of “sex trafficking” hysteria won’t do anything to remove all the oppressive, racist, misogynistic, anti-sex laws which were enacted under its aegis.  But it will mean we don’t have to listen to quite so many cops, politicians, religious fanatics, profiteers, and other (barely) human garbage vomiting out their wanking fantasies of enslaved pubescent girls being raped a physically-impossible number of times per day any more.  And it will also make it possible for more activists and allies to speak out about decriminalization without being drowned out by a flood of lurid tragedy porn, and for politicians in search of an angle to file bills to mitigate some of the damage.  And that is at least a good start.

Panopticon (#1030)

The article omits to say that these spy devices were designed and built in China:

…the Chula Vista [California] police…can dispatch a flying drone with the press of button…to…[spy] on…[people] and…[catch] everything [they do] on camera…Each day, the Chula Vista police respond to as many as 15 [informant] calls with a drone, launching more than 4,100 flights since the program began two years ago…Over the last several months, three other cities — two in California and one in Georgia — have followed suit…the latest drone technology…has the power to transform everyday polic[e surveillance]…even small [cop shops] could operate tiny autonomous drones for a relative pittance.  That newfound automation, however, raises civil liberties concerns, especially as drones gain the power to track vehicles and people automatically.  As the police use more drones, they could collect and store more video of life in the city, which could remove any expectation of privacy once you leave the home…Jay Stanley…[of] the American Civil Liberties Union..[said] “Drones…are…sensors that can generate offenses”…

Just wait until they start combining this with “deepfake” technology to manufacture any kind of “evidence” they like.

The Pro-Rape Coalition (#1085)

Dangerous puritan Nick Kristof and his enablers, the staunchly prohibitionist New York Times, have launched yet another pro-censorship crusade:

Nicholas Kristof [has] published a sensationalistic call for state censorship and financial strangulation of Pornhub…Kristof actually had the reporting to write a nuanced piece about the substantial problems with content moderation that plague all platforms that depend on third-party content, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, [etc]…but that’s not what Kristof and the editors of the New York Times chose to do, instead turning the piece into a manipulative attempt to insert themselves in the complex debates around Section 230…free speech online and sexual expression among consenting adults…Everything about “The Children of Pornhub” is exploitative, from the testimonials, to the absolutely misguided photo essay taking advantage of a homeless teen…As of this writing, Kristof continues to tweet the victim’s photo at public officials in the U.S. and Canada to manipulate them into “doing something about” Pornhub…

To Molest and Rape (#1088)

Notice how often rapist cops’ victims are underage?

…Portsmouth, Virginia [cop] Cleshaun Cox…abduct[ed and raped a 17-year-old girl] on May 27, 2019…she was hanging out with friends in the parking lot of…[an] apartment…[complex] when [the rapist and a crony showed up, claiming they’d]…responded to a noise complaint…Cox…told…he[r]…that she was out past curfew…and told her and [her] passenger…that they needed to drive home immediately…Cox followed her…[stalking] her [as she got] gas, then…[after she dropped] her friend [off at] home…he [began threatening her, then]…tried to persuade…[h]er to have sex with him [via a combination of promises and threats.  Eventually] he drove her to another location…[and] raped her…

Winding Down

It’s unlikely this will pass the Senate, but it’s a big sign of change nonetheless:

…the [US] House of Representatives voted to repeal the federal ban on marijuana, which was originally imposed 83 years ago in the guise of a revenue measure. The vote was 228 to 164, with five Republicans …joining 222 Democrats and [Libertarian] Justin Amash…in supporting the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and eliminate federal criminal penalties for cultivation, distribution, and possession…In addition…the MORE Act would require automatic expungement of federal marijuana convictions…prohibit the denial of federal public benefits because of convictions involving cannabis consumption and eliminate immigration disabilities based on marijuana-related conduct…

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