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Posts Tagged ‘The Last Shall Be First’

In the News (#1516)

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

[I felt like I] had no choice but to be a victim in the FBI’s eyes.
–  Alisha Price

A Broker in Pillage

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

Hawaii allows prosecutors to [steal]…any property worth less than $100,000 and [any] cars, planes, and boats…96 percent of cases end without ever reaching a judge.  Property owners can demand their day in civil court, but they must file a hefty bond and pay for their own defense…the median currency forfeiture…is around $1,200—far below the amount needed to pay…defense.  Many property owners do the math and walk away.  Others waive their right to a trial and allow the Department of the Attorney General to adjudicate their cases instead, putting property owners in front of state attorneys working on the same side as the police.  Either way, the process is rigged.  Hawaii allows [cops] to prevail with little more than guesswork.  They do not have to specify when or where a crime occurred, who committed the crime, or how…Speculation and innuendo often suffice…

Worse Than I Thought (#911)

Bad ideas for bad laws just keep coming back no matter how many times they are defeated:

Wisconsin [politicians] reintroduced…a…law [to shake down citizens for an extra]…$5,000 surcharge on convictions for [being caught in a]…prostitut[ion sting] or keeping a[n incall]…Similar legislation has previously [failed]…during the 2019-’20 session…

Droit du Seigneur (#1113)

What did this guy think he was, a cop?

A [Las Vegas] attorney…forced women he represented to perform sexual acts on himself and his friends…Gary Guymon…[has been] charge[d with] sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder…and…intimidating a witness…Guymon [was enabled by the state’s]…prostitution c[harges against two of his victims]…and threatened [them] with incarceration…and…physical…violen[ce to coerce obedience]…When [one victim] attempted to get a restraining order against him, Guymon repeatedly threatened her…and…the[n contacted a known]…murder[er] to discuss [hiring him to kill her]…

Monsters (#1255)

Though most of the items appearing under this heading describe violence against trans women, trans men are also targets of horrific violence:

Five people face murder charges after a transgender man…missing [for weeks] was found dead in a field in [New York]…after enduring months of torture…Sam Nordquist…of Oakdale, Minnesota, arrived in New York state in September and was…last in contact with loved ones in late January…Sam, a transgender ma[n]…met a woman named Precious [Arzuaga] online, who convinced him to visit her in New York.  Sam left Minnesota on September 28, 2024, with a round-trip plane ticket, planning to return within two weeks.  However, he never boarded his return flight and was un[der Arzuaga’s psychological]…control…Police launched a missing person investigation…after receiving a welfare check request from Nordquist’s family.  They d[iscover]ed Nordquist had…”endured prolonged physical and psychological abuse” and “repeated acts of violence and torture” between early December and early February…[Arzuaga and other]s sexually assaulted Nordquist with a table leg and broomsticks, and beat him with sticks, dog toys, ropes and belts until he died. His body…was then [dumped in a field]…the…[other] four…[are] Kyle Sage…Patrick Goodwin…Emily Motyka…[and] Jennifer Quijano…

Imaginary Evils (#1347)

Liz Brown on another company the government is trying to destroy with “sex trafficking” myths despite a lack of “sex trafficking” charges:

…Nicole Daedone…founde[r of] OneTaste…and…Rachel Cherwitz, OneTaste’s former head of sales…face a single count of conspiracy to commit forced labor…”between approximately 2004 and 2018.”  Neither woman is charged with actually forcing labor or engaging in other criminal acts.  Their lawyers believe this is the first time the feds have charged forced labor conspiracy without an underlying forced labor charge…prosecutors have…employed dubious theories of criminality, such as “coercive control,” and…have exploited rank sensationalism, as though hoping that throwing in lots of details about kinky sex and free love while suggesting cultish behavior will do where evidence of legal wrongdoing falls short.  Underlying the case is one of the Justice Department’s catchall justifications: stopping sex trafficking and prostitution…the feds clearly intend to imply that this is really a sex trafficking case, even if the charges don’t go that far…

The Last Shall Be First (#1413) 

The time, money, and energy Americans are flushing down the “culture war” toilet is incalculable:

…a[n Iowa] bill…would make it a felony to take a minor to a drag show…This applies whether the performer sings, lip-syncs, dances, reads or “performs for entertainment,” regardless of whether they receive payment…the legislation…[calls for] up to five years in prison and a fine [of up to]…$10,245.  The bill would [also] levy fines of $10,000 per minor against any business that allows a minor to be present at or view a drag show hosted on its premises, and [encourages mob rule lawsuits allowing profiteers to demand]…between $10,000 and $50,000 [from each victim they sue]…

Thought Control (#1509)

Trumpist propaganda dismisses book bans as a “hoax”:

At an elementary school at Fort Campbell, [Kentucky,] home of the 101st Airborne Division, librarians [have been forced to hide]…books that contain references to slavery, the civil rights movement and anything else related to diversity, equity and inclusion…[due to an official] letter “to ensure compliance with executive orders”…Librarians are [order]ed to ensure any such books are “removed from the student section of the [library] and placed in the professional collection”…At Fort Campbell, administrators and librarians are interpreting the [vague order] to apply to…anything that could be perceived to promote one group over another or make one group look bad…[such as] books that mention slavery, the civil rights movement or the treatment of Native Americans…Ironically, some of those history books on civil rights might reference the deployment of the 101st Airborne to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to protect Black students during the desegregation of a high school, a pivotal moment in civil rights history…At another DoDEA school in Europe…libraries are removing books that discuss immigration in a positive light…

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 (#1495)

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

[Rescue industry] organizations…perpetuate stereotypes, myths, and lies that end up hurting victims more than helping them.  – Natasha Helfer

The Last Shall Be First (#1078)

Politicians’ obsession with citizens’ genitalia has gone federal:

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall…has introduced a bill to…codify legal definitions of male [and] female…[as] sex…at…birth…in [all] case[s, and to ban changing that in documentation]…In 2023, [Marshall] introduced a bill to ban gender-affirming care for trans minors nationwide and one to ban federal funding for such care for trans people of all ages.  Neither bill passed.  He put out similar, equally unsuccessful, bills in 2021…

Quiet Genocide (#1329)

There’s been virtually nothing about the Uyghur genocide in Western media for over a year; apparently white people can only care about one group of Muslims at a time.  But this long, highly-detailed account of one man’s escape from China, an ordeal which took from 2012 to 2018 and carried him across China and through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand (where he spent three years in prison for “illegal entry”), Malaysia and finally Turkey, is a rare exception.  It is well worth your time; unless more Westerners start paying attention, China’s campaign to slowly crush an entire culture into oblivion is bound to succeed.

Served Cold (#1405)

Let’s hope every last one of Ballard’s partners in profiteering go down with him:

Pornography [viewing] has become pathologized by a class of [soi-disant] experts fighting “porn addiction,” who rely on [bogus] evidence [and] conflate the legal adult entertainment industry with…human trafficking…Utah is at the center of a[n]…industry…built around such beliefs…many [members] of…which…are linked directly or indirectly to each other…Fight the New Drug and the Malouf Foundation [are] both…connect[ed] to Tim Ballard…[and his] Operation Underground Railroad…and both participated in [“]anti-trafficking[” schemes] tied to the office of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.  It was t[o hide] connections like these…that…both organizations recently reorganized into a new combined [pro-censorship] group—with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation—called the Phase Alliance…[allied with] the Rockford, Illinois-based International Organization for the Family…[which was] caught advocating for anti-LGBTQ+ laws in countries such as the Russian Federation…

The Last Shall Be First (#1487) 

“Bathroom bills” are a political fad that neither court rulings nor public protest have deterred:

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill…banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match up with their gender identity…It also bans students from sharing overnight accommodations with people [not] of the[ir birth] sex…A lawsuit is expected to be filed against this [which]…Ohio…[taxpayers will be robbed to defend in court]…The bathroom ban…was added to a [completely unrelated] bill…in the eleventh hour of a House Session at the end of June before the [politicians] went on an extended break…

Vulture Watching (#1488)

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

Over the course of six hours on June 11, 2023, Porsha Ngumezi had bled so much in the emergency department…that she’d needed two transfusions.  She was…“passing large clots the size of grapefruit”…[and her] mother[-in-law], a [retired] physician…[told her] “You need a D&C”…But when Dr. Andrew Ryan Davis, the obstetrician on duty, finally arrived, he said it was the hospital’s “routine” to give…misoprostol to help the body pass the tissue…Three hours later, her heart stopped…more than a dozen doctors who reviewed a detailed summary of her case…said it raises serious questions about how abortion bans are pressuring doctors to diverge from the standard of care and reach for less-effective options that could expose their patients to more risks…It was clear Porsha needed an emergency D&C…But because D&Cs are also used to end pregnancies, the procedure has become tangled up in state legislation that [almost completely bans] abortions…

Stalkers in Blue (#1490)

“Deprivation of rights” is the feds’ catchall charge to use against cops who embarrass politicians:

Federal charges have been filed against two [typical and representative] Missouri [cops who perpetrated] plots to steal nude photos from women’s phones during traffic stops…Julian Alcala…illegally search[ed] 20 women’s phones…between Feb. 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024…Alcala [was caught after he] text[ed] himself a video from one woman’s phone, then tr[ied] to delete a record of this text…The woman reached out to the FBI after this…[David] McKnight [did the same sort of thing]…between Sept. 1, 2023, and August 19, 2024…[to] nine different women…

Torture Chamber (#1491)

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

Twelve Black [prisoners locked up] in…Red Onion…Virginia’s first super-maximum security prison, have…set themselves on fire since September in a bid to get transferred away from abusive guards…The first reported [case was]…Demetrius Wallace…who told [reporters] he set his leg on fire on Aug. 23 because he knew he would have to be transported out of the prison for treatment.  Since guards waited three days before taking Wallace to the nearest burn unit seven hours away, he had to have a skin graft and spent 14 days in the hospital.  When he returned…guards harassed him, denied access to his email, and [locked] him in [solitary confinement]…Over the [following] two weeks…a dozen [others] had set themselves on fire to escape “intolerable racism, abuse, and inhumane conditions”…Red Onion…has been riddled with…abuse since opening in 1998…More than two-thirds of its [prisoners] are held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, ranging from two weeks to 14 years…[because they are often] served food covered in maggots…prisoners have…[also] gone on months-long hunger strikes…

 

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 (#1487)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, The Dark Side, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The government has demonstrated that it cannot and will not be constrained by Section 230, the First Amendment, or even the venerable principle of presumption of innocence.  –  Maggie McNeill

Surplus Women

Decriminalization is only the first step:

Sex worker advocates have expressed their “rage and sadness” after a man who was due to face a double-murder trial for killing two women struck a manslaughter plea deal with Victorian prosecutors. Xiaozheng Lin, who killed sex workers Yuqi Luo…and Hyun Sook Jeon…in late 2022…now faces significantly less jail time [despite intentionally murdering the sex workers in order to rob them, so as to pay off his gambling debts]…Fiona Patten, former Victorian upper house MP, said she believed the decision reflected the stigma faced by sex workers in society…

Mumbo Jumbo 

It’s not surprising that this woman promotes the Nordic Model; it’s about as rooted in reality as her other beliefs about sex work:

…the Scottish government has instructed local authorities to partner with [an anti-sex group named] Azalea, led by a religious anti-porn activist who has stated that sex workers are “possessed by demons”…Ruth Robb…has in the past recommended “carrying out exorcisms on sex workers”…believes yoga is an “occult practice” and [claims] sex work leads to a “lesbian lifestyle”…[she claims] “Most prostitutes have had some exposure to the occult,” and her [Nordic model-based “outreach”] guides [for fellow religious busybodies] offer a checklist to determine if a sex worker is undergoing “demonic possession”.  Supposed symptoms include “flailing limbs” or a “sudden change of voice”…

The Face of Trafficking

The first actual association between “trafficking” and pizza:

The owner of Stash’s Pizza…in Massachusetts, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2024 for forced labor charges. [Stavros Papantoniadis] forced or attempted to force six victims to work for him and comply with excessive workplace demands through violent physical abuse; threats of violence and serious harm; and repeated threats to report the victims to immigration authorities for deportation…[he] was sentenced…to 102 months in prison, one year of supervised release and…a $35,000 fine…

The Last Shall Be First (#1408) 

“Bathroom bills” are a political fad that neither court rulings nor public protest have deterred:

The [Odessa, Texas] City Council [has] banned transgender people from using restrooms outside of the sex assigned to them at birth, [despite protests by]…residents…Mayor Javier Joven, who is up for reelection…has said his mission has been to help the city “repent”.  Under the amended ordinance, the city can seek fines of up to $500 and [criminal] trespassing charges…[and] also [encourages nuisance lawsuits for] $10,000 in damages plus the cost of the lawsuit and attorney fees…It [specifically] excludes [male cops who enter bathrooms to harass, rape, or otherwise attack women]…

Dangerous Speech (#1435)

Liz Brown’s articles on sex work are so thorough, it’s just too hard to come up with a pull quote.  So I’ll just point you to her latest on the Backpage persecution, and embed the accompanying video.  Watch it, and go read the article!

Vulture Watching (#1477)

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

Josseli Barnica…[miscarried at] 17 weeks…doctors…should have offered to speed up the delivery or empty her uterus to stave off a deadly infection…but…[instead] the[y]…told her…they had to wait until there was no heartbeat…[and] it would be a [“]crime[“] to give her an abortion…For 40 hours…her uterus remained exposed to bacteria.  Three days after she delivered, Barnica died of an infection…[because psychopathic politicians threaten] doctors…[with] prosecution, prison time and professional ruin [for doing their jobs]…Barnica’s…death was “preventable,” according to more than a dozen medical experts who…called her case “horrific,” “astounding” and “egregious”…

The Cop Myth (#1481)

Why are people shocked when men paid and encouraged to behave violently, behave violently?

[An] El Paso [cop named]…Joseph Andrew Shreve, [who is paid to lurk in schools in order to spy on, harass, and intimidate students], was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for…firing at a truck that he [pretend]ed had rear-ended his vehicle on Sept. 18…Shreve…[attempted to escape consequences by belching out the magic formula] “in fear for [my] life”, [but witnesses told] police [otherwise]…

 

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 (#1486)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

THE ANTI-TRAFFICKERS ARE THE TRAFFICKERS.  –  Borys vs Ballard

Sex Work is Work

Can you imagine this even being in question for any other form of work?

The Prague High Court has ruled that two women forced into [work] in the United Kingdom are entitled to keep the CZK 1.8 million they earned during their exploitation…The women were part of a larger group of Czechs lured to Great Britain with the promise of lucrative work.  Once there, they were forced into sex work, with their earnings and identification documents seized by the traffickers.  For months, the gang exploited them, taking all the money they made while the women lived in slave-like conditions.  Last year, the Prague High Court convicted five members of the gang…[bu]t declined to award financial compensation to the [victims because the judges were bluenosed sociopaths who]…argued that [it was just]…to [deprive] the women…[of their] earnings [because they didn’t like their form of work.  But]…the women [appeal]ed to the Constitutional Court.[which] ruled in their favor, stating that the [means by which they earned] the money was irrelevant.  What mattered, the court said, was that the women had been unlawfully deprived of their earnings…

The Last Shall Be First (#1413)

How defective does an adult need to be to think doing this to teenagers is OK?

An Oregon school district [has] asked [Texas politician] Ted Cruz’s…campaign to take down two ads targeting transgender athletes because they include a photograph of two minor girls who are not transgender and whose parents did not give the Cruz campaign permission to use the photo…[the] ads…[target Cruz’s] opponent…Colin Allred…[because he] support[s]…trans-inclusive policies, [and] feature photographs of high-profile transgender athletes…Lia Thomas and CeCé Telfer…and…also…of two teenage [athletes from]…Western Oregon.  Neither of the [Oregon] girls…are transgender, though the Cruz ads imply otherwise…

Panopticon (#1449)

Lawsuits are the only way to hinder a government that won’t control itself:

[The Institute for Justice has] filed a federal lawsuit…suing Norfolk [Virginia] for [its] use of Flock…license plate readers [to] track…vehicle[s’] movements through the city and beyond.  Norfolk installed 172 of the cameras last year, and the[re are]…over 450 of them in the region. Police and prosecutors [belch out puffery about “]crimes[” and try to dismiss]…privacy concerns…“Norfolk has created a dragnet that allows the government to monitor everyone’s day-to-day movements without a warrant or probable cause,” [said attorney] Michael Soyfer…The case could potentially make it to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that a similar surveillance system in Baltimore was an unconstitutional search…Flock camera capabilities go beyond the documentation of license plates.  They photograph every vehicle that passes and upload the images into a database where they are stored for [at least] 30 days.  The machine-learning in the system does not necessarily need a license plate to track a vehicle: the make, model, color and other distinguishing features, like damage or a bike rack, are also documented…The Flock database also allows subscribers to share and access data…nationwide…

Served Cold (#1469)

It’s so satisfying to see this sleazebag hoist with his own petard:

Tim Ballard, the [“rescue” fetishist and profiteer] whose wildly exaggerated [schemes] were the basis of the hi[ghly fictionalized] 2023 film Sound of Freedom, is facing a new legal action from six women who last year sued him for sexual exploitation — leading Ballard to sue them for defamation earlier this month.  The latest complaint is the first federal suit targeting Ballard; it comes from accusers Celeste Borys, Mary Hall, Sasha Hightower, Krista Kacey, Kira Lynch, and Bree Righter.  The filing [also] names Ballard associates Matthew Cooper and Michael Porenta, as well as Ballard’s former organization, Operation Underground Railroad…as defendants….the plaintiffs…seek relief under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003…

Paying the Bills

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

The Vultures Descend (#1478)

This judge was constrained by law to make this ruling, but it’s still welcome:

[An Ohio court] issued a permanent injunction blocking Ohio’s 2019 six-week abortion ban from taking effect, marking the first permanent injunction stemming from Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment, which took effect in December…This is also the first permanent injunction throughout the country of an abortion ban following the passage of a pro-abortion rights ballot amendment.  The case, Preterm v. Yost, was originally filed…on September 2, 2022, and enforcement of the ban has been blocked since [twelve days after that]…

The Cop Myth (#1483)

Cops think violence is the solution to every problem, including caretaker stress:

[An 80-year-old] retired [Michigan cop named]…William…Kitzmiller [murdered] his wife, Donna, b[ecause]…he [couldn’t handle the stress of taking care of her after she developed] Alzheimer’s disease…[he called 911 to make the excuse] “I’ve given my wife a merciful ending from her Alzheimer’s disease” [then turned the gun on himself]…Caregivers report higher levels of stress than the general population [but people who aren’t sociopaths don’t murder those they care for because of it]…

Long-time readers will recall that for a year and a half I was the primary caretaker for a dear friend with a brain injury, and I am now caring for my disabled friend Grace.  I therefore know whereof I speak.

 

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 (#1484)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

To keep it simple for the State of Florida: it’s the First Amendment, stupid.  –  Judge Mark E. Walker

Droit du Seigneur

Whenever a pimp cop is caught, his bosses use the occasion as an excuse to belch out deeply-stupid rhetoric:

A…cop…[named] George Trimiliozzi…[was part of] a group that [apparently ran several massage parlors on Long Island.  Officials used high-sounding hogwash and ridiculously convoluted Copese to make the business sound like an international crime cartel, when in actuality the problem was that they extorted so much money from migrant women that some of them started robbing customers, which is how]…Trimigliozzi…got [caught]…

The Vultures Descend (#1332)

Polls have shown 75% of Floridians oppose its politicians’ attempts to ban abortion:

Floridians…will [soon] vote on a constitutional “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion.”  So authorities decided to interfere with free speech in an attempt to thwart voters…The state threatened TV stations with criminal penalties for running an ad supporting the abortion initiative…[but] U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker…[has] enjoined Florida from attempting to censor the ad…Florida has been pulling out all the stops to try and stop Amendment 4 from passing…[including] using taxpayer money to run ads in opposition to the amendment while trying to prohibit people from seeing an ad in support of it…

The Last Shall Be First (#1410) 

If this is a “crime”, why is Paxton suing rather than prosecuting?

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton [has] sued a Dallas doctor…accusing her of [refus]ing [to forcibly de]transition…nearly two dozen minors [as demanded by] state law.  Paxton alleged that Dr. May Chi Lau, who specializes in adolescent medicine, [continued to] provide…hormone replacement therapy to [her patients] between October 2023 and August…“[Being elected gives me a license to practice medicine in] Texas [despite my]…dangerous [lack of] medical [educa]tion…” Paxton said…“Doctors who continue to [disagree with me] will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law”…Paxton…alleged that Lau used “false diagnoses and billing codes” in order to mask “unlawful prescriptions”…If [Paxton’s witch hunt is successful], Lau could have her medical license revoked and face a financial penalty of hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Paxton’s suit is the first in the nation by an attorney general against an individual doctor[, but it is far from his first “culture war” nuisance lawsuit]…

Out of Control (ROTW #13)

What is wrong with doctors who do this?

[Michigan] pathologist Charles Yee was accused numerous times of exposing his genitals to women in public places…[yet] he never lost his medical license and he was never disciplined by the Michigan Board of Medicine…until…he re[cently]…pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure…He also is currently facing indecent exposure and lewd conduct charges in Riverside, California, and spent six weeks [last] summer in a [“]sex-addiction[“] program in Idaho…he al[so] followed minor girls around [town] for hours at a time and secretly took photos of them with his cellphone…Yee faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine when he is sentenced in November…

Creepy Coppers (ROTW #14)

Had he not been caught, this would’ve soon escalated:

The city manager of Waurika, Oklahoma, [who is also a cop,] has been arrested…[for making child porn] and l[urk]ing around [other people’s houses to leer at their kids.  Charles Kyote Dunn was first reported]…in January…a search…[of his] electronic devices…discovered [numerous child porn images]…

Paying the Bills

Four weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $1600.  So now I’m only facing a $1400 shortfall; if you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; it would be great if I can catch up by my birthday!

The Cop Myth (#1478)

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

A [Florida cop named Eloilda Shea was murdered by] her estranged husband[, typical and representative cop Anthony Shea, who tried]…to [make it] look like a suicide attempt…

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 (#1480)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The staff in these prisons DO NOT see us as human beings.
–  Anthony Ehlers

The Last Shall Be First (#1242)

Looking-glass politicians claim cutting a window into a bathroom “adds privacy”:

A[n]…elected school board…in [Pennsylvania have now designated]…five different types of bathrooms…[on] the…[advice of] a Christian law firm…the board approved spending $8,700 to cut windows so passersby can look into the so-called “gender-identity” student bathrooms…[claim]ing that the windows help “[add] privacy in the toilet facility” and that they “increase oversight of the wash area”…[this] is an intimidation tactic designed to make sure students who use the so-called “gender-identity” facilities…know they’re being watched, controlled and judged…

Thought Control (#1391)

Surely you didn’t think this crusade would stop with libraries and the internet?

[Authoritarian busybodies] are [once again trying to use]…Texas’ obscenity laws…[to ban] sex toys.  The [puritans] are [now claiming] colorful boxes…[only] appeal to children…[and a delusional nitwit named Christin Bentley spastically barfed out non sequiturs about toothbrushes, relativity and libraries while claiming]…”children” are…employees…of [drugstores]…

You Were Warned (#1439)

Politicians keep openly trying to destroy the internet:

Hillary Clinton said on CNN  this weekend that repealing Section 230 of federal communications law should be a top political priority…politicians hate Section 230 precisely because it makes it more difficult for them to censor [or otherwise control] what is said online…Clinton makes [it] sound like [not holding platforms responsible for content they didn’t create is] some sort of aberration or anomaly.  But…if a person on private property engages in speech that is somehow criminal, we don’t hold the property owner liable.  If people use the telephone to hatch criminal plans, we don’t arrest the phone company.  If I use a Sharpie and to write you a threatening letter and then send it in the mail, you can’t sue the makers of Sharpie or the U.S. Postal Service…Clinton went on to make the ridiculous but all too common suggestion that social media companies aren’t actively monitoring and moderating content. “If the platforms—whether it’s Facebook or Twitter…or Instagram or TikTok, whatever they are—if they don’t moderate and monitor the content, we lose total control,” she said…

The last two words of Clinton’s quote spell out exactly what politicians want for the internet.

Thought Control (#1462)

As I’ve said many times, the urge to censor is a mental illness:

As [authoritarians] spread the book-banning movement across the nation, Utah has quickly arisen as one of the most dystopian states…The state recently passed a law that allows it to enact statewide book bans…and…The Utah [Ministry] of [Truth] also suggested adding a stipulation…that would’ve required teachers to burn the books banned statewide…the state’s…politicians and [their henchmen] recently held a book-banning party to…demand that authors “repent” for writing books….[so] the fact that they’re now targeting Little Free Libraries is hardly surprising.  If there’s one thing book banners have proven time and time again, it’s that they never stop…unless they successfully ban and destroy every book they dislike nationwide.  First, they claimed they just wanted to take “inappropriate” books from schools and classrooms, but then they started targeting public libraries.  Then, they began targeting book fairs and book awards and even went after Girl Scouts’ projects.  Their next step is preventing citizens from exchanging books and maintaining Little Free Libraries on their private property…

Torture Chamber (#1462)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”:

Michael Broadway [died of an asthma attack triggered by extreme overheating while locked in a cage by the State of Illinois]…His history of severe asthma was well-documented, and prison medical staff had prescribed him medications for the condition.  Yet [a] nurse instead twice administered…Narcan as she yelled [“Stop faking!”] at Broadway…Th[is obscene excuse for] medical care…is [typical] for the nearly 30,000 people [locked in cages] by the Illinois Department of [Torturing Caged Humans (IDOTCH).  Contractor] Wexford Health Sources…has long [flagrantly]…neglect[ed] and abuse[d victims]…providing such poor treatment to older people with dementia that court monitors [described] it [as] elder abuse…Nonetheless, earlier this year, [IDOTCH] inked a 5-year, $4 billion contract with Wexford [thanks to rampant corruption in State bureaucracy]…

The Cop Myth (#1475)

Cop deals with disagreement exactly as he’s trained and paid to, and everyone claims to be shocked:

A [typical and representative Houston cop named]…Jonathan Torres…was charged with assault…[after he] slammed a laptop shut on his wife’s hands, causing “visible injury”…then told her she was going to jail and…[forcibly] handcuff[ed]…her…he…[then dragged]…her to…the ground…[sat] on her stomach and threatened to tase her if she did not comply with his commands…The wife was “crying and screaming for help”…Torres…was arrested but is [currently at large, apparently after posting bail]…

Also note the attempt to pretend this is atypical by calling him a “rookie”.

Paying the Bills

Two weeks ago, I told y’all that I’m facing a projected $3000 shortfall for my annual operating budget, and asked for help making up that difference.  Well, several of my loyal readers have already stepped up, generously helping me to the tune of $700.  So now I’m only facing a $2300 shortfall; if you aren’t yet a subscriber, won’t you please consider becoming one?  A $1/day subscription would take $90 off of that total, and other levels would help in proportion.  Or if you’re already a subscriber but can spare some extra right now, I’d really appreciate it; it would be great if I can catch up by my birthday!

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

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In the News (#1472)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Fuck Xi Jinping.  –  Zhang Kaiyu

To Molest and Rape

Getting away with raping caged women emboldened this screw to attack women outside of the state’s filthy dungeons:

A [New York screw with a history] of sexually assaulting…women [locked up in the Rikers Island hellhole]…posed as a TV producer casting a show to lure a[nother] woman into his…home and rape her…Anthony Martin Jr…contacted the woman on social media and she went to his house expecting to meet other producers and prospective cast members.  But when [she] got there…he…was alone…and raped her while she told him to stop multiple times…Martin…is one of at least 20 current or former [screws] whose name appears in more than one lawsuit filed in the last two years under the Adult Survivors Act…

I Spy (#990)

Everything cops and other “justice” officials tell you is a lie:

New York City [pigs]…are illegally accessing sealed juvenile arrest records…and have even gone so far as giving those records to prosecutors…several provisions of [New York] state law…require that when a minor’s arrest results in a “favorable” result—meaning that there was a decision not to prosecute the case, or it was dismissed or otherwise withdrawn—the youth’s arrest records be sealed…preventing…any “public or private agency” from obtaining the[m without]…a court order…”Yet, the NYPD has engaged (and continues to engage) in a longstanding practice of illegally accessing, using, and disclosing Sealed Youth Records”…

Because laws pretended to control cops never include criminal penalties for violators, cops simply ignore them as they please without any consequences.

Eggs and Bacon

Bloodthirsty politicians are furious about having their crusades thwarted:

[Forced-birth politicians] are making their distrust of the voters pellucidly clear by fighting like hell to ensure that they can’t cast ballots protecting the right to abortion…Americans broadly support the right to an abortion through viability, or about 24 weeks gestation…every time we put it to a vote, from Kansas to Kentucky, Americans…say, Yes! Get rid of those draconian abortion bans you lunatics rammed through the legislature! Stop that immediately!  So Republicans are doing their damnedest to make sure that voters never get to answer the question.  Everywhere that abortion is on the ballot, they throw a bunch of crazy obstacles in the way to yank it off.  That fight is coming to a head in several different courts, as Republican officials and private litigants wage a pitched battle to keep abortion off the ballot this November…

Virtual Imperialism (#1358)

Beijing’s campaign to silence Chinese people outside China has become far more aggressive:

Chinese [agents]…organized demonstrations in San Francisco that harassed and silenced protesters opposed to Beijing’s [tyranny], including through violence, during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to the city in November…illustrat[ing] how the Chinese Communist Party…extend[s] its intolerance of any dissent into the United States and target[s] people exercising their First Amendment rights in an American city…[especially those talking about] ongoing rights abuses in Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and mainland China…[the agents were assisted by] the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Communist Party which uses [ostensibly] non-state actors to further China’s political goals overseas…Some of the most violent [agitators wore disguises to]…attack…[protesters] with extended flagpoles…chemical spray, punche[s], kick[s] and…fistfuls of sand thrown in their faces.  The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles paid for…[bootlick]ers’ hotels and meals as an incentive to [assist and help hide the professional thugs among their number]…including groups from New York, Pennsylvania and Washington state…

Feudalism Redux (#1371)

Texas seems completely uninterested in controlling its psychopathic politicians:

Texas has sued the Biden administration to try to block a federal rule that shields the medical records of women from [rooting cops] if they cross state lines to seek abortion where it is legal…Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the federal government of attempting to “undermine” the state’s [ownership of women.  Though]…Texas’ abortion ban…[supposedly] exempts women who seek abortions from criminal charges…the ban [allows their family, friends and doctors to be harassed into bankruptcy]…or [locked in a cage for the rest of their lives.  Paxton has previously tried to leer into]…records related to gender-affirming care…from at least two out-of-state health centers last year…

Thought Control (#1413)

Too bad all authoritarian organizations aren’t so short-lived:

Scandal, school board election failures, and a disastrous 60 Minutes interview appear to have diminished Moms for Liberty’s [briefly-] powerful influence, and [its recent] summit provided plenty of additional evidence that the group is…flailing…this year’s gathering was comparatively small, with far fewer panels and a weak…speaker lineup…Much of the conference was spent attempting to terrify parents into believing that schools are secretly grooming, manipulating, and transitioning students…Almost every speaker…incorporated transgender panic into their speech…

Creepy Coppers (#1444)

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

A [Tennessee cop named]…Charles Crothers a[ttempted to groom] a minor…from June 26, 2024 through June 28, 2024…[into some kind of sexual performance for him to record, leading to a federal charge of “]attempted production of child pornography[“]…

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 (#1470)

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

These extraordinary restrictions…serve no purpose other than to harm transgender Floridians.

The Face of Trafficking

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

A[n Oregon] man was arrested [and charged with] human trafficking [for] exploitation of a man with developmental disabilities…Jack Hauser [was supposed to be] a caretaker for the 26-year-old man after the victim’s mother passed away…[but] for at least two years, Hauser…forced the man to sell drinks and snacks at the exit of a shopping center in Hillsboro, often having him remain there for several days and nights with no shelter or proper clothing…he was…only allowed to sleep in a car or in a garden shed…Hauser also restricted [hi]s contact with other people, as well as his access to money and healthcare…

Disaster (#978)

Seattle is notorious for cloaking its police-statery in bogus “liberal” cant:

[Seattle] City Attorney Ann Davison and…City Councilmember Cathy Moore [have] proposed [inanely-labeled] SODA and SOAP zones…that would, among other things, ban sex workers from a designated area on Aurora Avenue North, a major corridor of Seattle’s survival sex trade.  In a bizarre moment during her presentation, Moore screened a video of sex workers engaging in what she described as “commercial sexual exploitation”…[but was in reality] just [surveillance video of] sex workers walking around on a corner of Aurora…taking videos of sex workers to screen publicly at a recorded meeting that’s also posted online — without giving anyone in that video a voice of their own — is an odd way to try to prove how against exploitation you are.  It’s an exploitative act in itself, and a reminder of how out of touch the City Council is…

The Public Eye (#1385)

This childish puritanism is so exhausting:

[MAGA]ists in Indiana are campaigning to remove an elected official after a…blog outed her as an OnlyFans model and published several screen captures from her members-only…account.  The moralistic witch hunt against Etna Troy Township Trustee Elaine Western originated with…Real News Michiana, which first outed her as a sex worker in April and is now a[dvertis]ing…“a petition to have her censured, investigated and removed from her post”…In April, Western told the site, “I haven’t tried to keep it a secret. I’m not doing anything illegal”…[and her] attorney w[arned] the a[gitators that their attempts]…”to intimidate Mrs. Western into resigning from office to avoid a public media circus…could constitute a criminal offense of intimidation”…

Panopticon (#1413)

Another “security” system that isn’t:

…the Oakland Police Department…and [other cop shops]…are increasingly looking for…Teslas parked near…[“crime scenes”], hoping their unique outward-facing cameras captured key evidence.  And…they’re even resorting to…[stealing] cars to ensure they don’t lose the video…While few cars have camera systems similar to Teslas, that could change rapidly, especially as the [“monkey see, monkey do” habits of marketers] continue…In at least three instances in July and August, Oakland police sought to [steal] a Tesla…to obtain…its stored video…There’s no guarantee that a Tesla will record a crime that occurs near it…But police who view Teslas as rolling surveillance…cameras [do]n’t [give a shit]…Similar issues have come up with self-driving cars [and delivery robots]…in San Francisco and other cities, which are also equipped with sophisticated video capability…But in those cases, police subpoena the tech company…because it owns the cars and the data.  Tesla drivers, by contrast, get [violat]ed individually because they control their own camera footage…

Social Autoimmune Disorder (#1416)

Politicians never stop trying to pass off old civil rights violations as new “solutions” to problems they themselves create:

San Francisco [politicians barfed out the asinine phrase “]illegal prostitution[” to justify a raft of civil rights violations], including the mailing of “Dear John” letters to the owners of vehicles [who happen to pass through] the neighborhood.  Mayor London Breed a[lso barfed out the magic rights-violation-justifying word] “safer”…to…encourag[e useful idiots to report each other to the pigs, and] the city plans to install [magic bill-elimination] barriers along Shotwell Street…[along with more] license-plate reading [and facial recognition] cameras…set up to [monito]r individuals [long after sensible sex workers have simply moved to a new stroll]…

You Were Warned (#1438)

Governments are growing increasingly bold in their internet censorship:

In the…standoff between Elon Musk and Brazil…neither side comes out of it looking very good…Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes [is] (1) freezing Starlink assets and (2) threatening to ban…Twitter entirely from the country…Brazil has done this in the past with WhatsApp and Telegram.  The freezing of Starlink’s assets…suggest[s] how far Moraes would…go in this posturing battle.  Apparently, he was willing to go even further, to the point of potentially blocking VPNs entirely…ISPs and app stores have been ordered to block…the [Twitter] app within five days…Moraes seem[s to have walked] back th[e] section of the ruling [blocking VPNs], though perhaps only temporarily…after Moraes hears from “the parties in the proceedings,” the VPN ban could come back…the…order…also threatens to fine anyone who is able to get around the block nearly $9,000 dollars per day…

The Last Shall Be First (#1448) 

The time, money, and energy our society is flushing down the “culture war” toilet is incalculable:

Several transgender youth and adults are being told their care will be terminated following a ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals…that a 2023 law…can go back into effect after being…blocked in June…The ruling…stated that transgender people…do not receive the same level of…protection under the Constitution as other categories such as race, ethnicity, religion, or sex.  This…implies that laws discriminating against transgender people are likely to be considered…constitutional by the 11th Circuit…SB254…banned gender-affirming care for…youth…[and] also restrict[ed] care for…adults…[by] mandat[ing] that [such] care…could only be provided by physicians…the majority of [current] care is provided by nurse practitioners…because the number of transgender adults far exceeds the capacity of physicians [in the field]…If the Supreme Court were to rule [in a pending case stemming from Tennessee’s trans care ban] that transgender people are not entitled to equal protection under the law, many forms of discrimination…could be deemed fully legal…many [in Florida] cannot afford to wait for such a decision, and…have already fled the state…

 

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 (#1464)

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

It is increasingly less safe to be pregnant.  –  Dara Kass

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Funny how many cops who are willing to pay prefer underage girls:

A [typical and representative] Las Vegas [cop] is accused of…paying [underage girls for]…sex…Harvey Velazquez…faces 21 charges…and…[w]as…fired [after somebody snitched on him]…Velazquez admitted to [the charges]…and…[his fellow gang members searched] Velazquez’s phone, finding text messages [that supported the charges]…

Stalkers in Blue

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

A Bridgeport[, West Virginia cop named] William Townsend [was arrest]ed [for] stalking and harassing his ex-wife and her new boyfriend…from July 2023 through April 2024, Townsend has “repeatedly engaged in a course of conduct” that has caused his ex’s new boyfriend to fear for his safety…Townsend…parked [his pigmobile outside her apartment] behind her boyfriend’s vehicle while…sending…“vulgar sexually-related messages” referencing her and her new boyfriend…Townsend also called [the man] a “child molester,” harassed the couple in person at…school [events]…threatened a criminal investigation of the [man] and his friend and made numerous [slanderous] comments to their children about [him] as well…

Feudalism Redux (#1390)

If you need a law like this to control your teen offspring, you’ve already lost them:

…If a [legal minor] is raped by their parent, Idaho medical providers now require th[e rapist]’s permission to administer the rape kit that would prove their own guilt.  Preventing young people from receiving medical care of their own accord has long been a priority for [Idaho] Republicans…[who] brought that…to fruition this July…after a national [authoritarian] push to keep young people from receiving gender-affirming medical care…

The Cop Myth (#1403)

41% of cops admit to beating their wives; some don’t stop with mere beating:

[A] Maricopa County A[rizona cop named]…John C. Byrd…[was arrested for the] murder…[of his] wife, Elizabeth Byrd, [on July 31st after]…A woman told police that Elizabeth failed to show up for a gym class that they always attended together and…had contacted Elizabeth’s 11-year-old son via text and learned that…he…and his two [younger] siblings…had not seen their mother all day and that her bedroom door was locked…[cops] found the wife dead [of strangulation] on her bedroom floor…Byrd [confessed to the crime when arrested.  Ironically,] Byrd…worked in the Family Violence Bureau…

Panopticon (#1448)

Note that little word “yet”:

[Washington] D.C. …[cops] will start using drones in [many more] situations to try to [subj]ect residents [to even more surveillance using the typical cop excuse of “]crime[” while the city also] adds hundreds of closed-circuit TV cameras and license plate readers…Chief of Police Pamela Smith said…“We will not be…using facial recognition with the drones yet”…The ACLU’s executive director [said]…”The growing use of surveillance technology by law enforcement agencies without limits, transparency, and accountability is deeply concerning…and…does not have sufficient guardrails to ensure our privacy”…

Vulture Watching (#1462)

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

Even as the Biden administration publicly warned hospitals to treat pregnant patients in emergencies, facilities continue to violate the federal law…[since] the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion more than two years ago.  More than 100 pregnant women in medical distress who sought help from emergency rooms were turned away or negligently treated since 2022…Two women – one in Florida and one in Texas – were left to miscarry in public restrooms.  In Arkansas, a woman went into septic shock and her fetus died after an emergency room sent her home.  At least four other women with ectopic pregnancies had trouble getting any treatment, including one California woman who needed a blood transfusion after she sat for nine hours in an emergency waiting room.  [EMTALA] says hospitals must offer abortions when needed to save a woman’s health, despite state bans.  Texas [says women should be left to die if their doctors guess wrong]…and…the Supreme Court declined to resolve the issue…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #13)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

…a M[ississippi cop named]…Kevin Michael Boyd was [rewarded with a paid vacation after his]…arrest…[for] statutory rape [of] a 12-year-old girl…[after her parents reported him on] May 16…

 

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 (#1462)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Making money is not an excuse to separate families.  –  Maggie McDonald

Pyrrhic Victory (#985)

Promoters of dystopia love to vomit words like “security” and “accountability” into the faces of useful idiots:

All 32 NFL stadiums will start using [facial recognition] technology this season, after the league signed a contract with a company that uses facial scans to verify the identity of people entering event venues and other secure spaces.  The [surveillance company called Wicket], which counts the Cleveland Browns’ owners as investors, will be used to “streamline and secure” entry for thousands of credentialed media, officials, staff and guests so they can easily access restricted areas such as press boxes and locker rooms…Some teams also have extended their use of the technology to scan the faces of ticket holders.  The Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and New York Mets all have used the company’s…software to authenticate fans with tickets…The Browns also use Wicket to verify the ages of fans purchasing alcohol at concession stands…Soccer stadiums worldwide are…[also us]ing facial recognition technology to surveil fans…

Thought Control (#1345)

Book banning is never, ever well-regarded in retrospect, but they keep doing it:

The Utah state school board [has] ordered the removal of 13 book titles from every public school in the state, in accordance with a new [mob-rule censorship] law passed earlier this year…schools must now dispose of the following titles[: Blankets by Craig Thompson; A Court of Frost and Starlight, A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Silver Flames, A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Wings and Ruin, and Empire of Storms, all by Sarah J. Maas; Fallout and Tilt by Ellen Hopkins; Forever by Judy Blume; Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur; Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood; and What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold]…The books on this list had already been banned by [three] school districts [each], but because of the new law…they will now be banned statewide [by mob rule, even in school districts where officials have more sense and better moral grounding]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1361)

This kind of behavior from a public employee should be grounds for impeachment:

A transgender woman’s use of the women’s locker room at a…[Missouri] fitness center has [been used by a politician to drum up] an outcry [among his supporters]…Eris Montano…has [not] violated any laws or the polices of Life Time fitness center.  But [politician] Justin Sparks…[sees an opportunity to stir up shit by demanding “]investigations[” into people he dislikes having civil rights]…Montano has…[followed] the center’s policies regarding transgender members…and has…largely had positive interactions with other gym members…Many people have gone out of their way to make her feel welcome, she said…[with] the lone exception…[of] a woman in the center’s sauna [who]…“kept telling me that I was a man, that I didn’t belong there,” Montano recalled…Life Time’s members are assigned to locker rooms based on the gender listed on their state-issued photo ID…[on which] she…is now listed as female…[but] Sparks [apparently] wants the Missouri…[policy on] driver’s license [gender to be] changed…

Broken Record (#1371)

Most major cities have quietly backed away from “sex trafficking” hysteria, but not San Diego, long a hotbed of this ugly, misogynistic wanking fantasy.  So it’s not especially surprising to see these sociopathic clowns using Comic-Con as an excuse to ruin people’s lives while publicly sharing their fantasies and making furtive movements in their pants.  But what is pleasantly surprising was to see the public response to this tired copaganda; I guess we weren’t just shouting into the void for all those years, after all.

The Punitive Mindset (#1426) 

It’s good to see activists using Americans’ fixation on children to promote justice instead of tyranny for a change:

My dad has been in the St. Clair County Jail in Port Huron, Michigan, since October, and I’m not allowed to see him.  So, other kids and I sued the county and others for the right to hug our parents, as part of a larger Right 2 Hug project that aims to restore family visits and stop companies from making money off family separation…In America, around 5 million children like me have experienced a parent being incarcerated at some point in their life…The jail my dad is in got rid of in-person visits in 2018 and replaced them with phone and video calls only…This is happening all over the country, meaning lots of kids like me can’t spend any time together with their parents…Now I just message my dad on the app that the jail uses, but it’s not at all like actually talking to him.  It’s not like DMs or texting; it’s more like email, and it’s really clunky to use…Plus, I think it’s really creepy that someone can read all the messages between me and my dad.  All communication between us is recorded — the video calls, phone calls, messages.  Talk about a major invasion of privacy…in response to a similar lawsuit from the Right 2 Hug campaign in Genesee County, Michigan…the sheriff admitted in an interview with NBC that they had eliminated in-person visitation to make more money…My dad’s release date is soon, and I’m excited to see him again.  But I won’t stop fighting in this lawsuit, because I’m also fighting for all the other families who can’t visit their loved ones…

Vulture Watching (#1451)

Forced-birth politicians want to encourage lawsuits, but not this kind:

[After] Mylissa Farmer was denied an emergency abortion…while experiencing a miscarriage…she filed a lawsuit against…The University of Kansas Health System…[because] it violated a federal law [named EMTALA which requires] doctors [to] treat patients who come into the emergency room…doctors told Farmer that she was at risk of infection, severe blood loss, the loss of her uterus and death.  But they…refused to perform an abortion…because it would be too “risky” in Kansas’ “heated” political environment to do so…the hospital refused to even perform routine checks such as taking her temperature and assessing her pain.  She was turned away without so much as Tylenol or antibiotics to ward off potential infection despite…being at high risk for infection and experiencing heavy bleeding, mental fog and acute pain…Farmer eventually traveled several hours to Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois, for an abortion…The damage to Farmer’s health and wellbeing was long-term…she was hospitalized several times after the miscarriage…was unable to work for months…[and] eventually lost her home…The federal lawsuit comes in the wake of an Idaho EMTALA case recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court…Unlike the Idaho case, which was brought by the government, Farmer’s is the first high profile EMTALA lawsuit brought by an individual denied their federal rights while pregnant…

Torture Chamber (#1457)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”:

Forty-three people are known to have died in the Maricopa County jail system [in 2022].  More than one-quarter of those deaths were suicides.  Forty-three more people died in the jails in 2023…the death rate was among the highest of major jail systems in the country.  Scholars who study in-c[age] deaths in U.S. jails and prisons said those numbers are incredibly high when compared with similarly sized jail systems and even jails with much larger populations…Drug overdoses, drug withdrawals and suicides were among the leading causes of death…[but] one-third of the deaths…are [the] natural [result of keeping]…old…and sick…[people locked in cages as though they posed a danger to anyone]…the current and former Sheriff’s Office administrations…hindered operations and challenged efforts to maintain safe conditions…

 

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