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Posts Tagged ‘The Puritan Recrudescence’

In the News (#1533)

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

It really doesn’t even take burning books to change a culture, it just takes stopping good people from reading them.  –  Arlene Kasselman

The Face of Trafficking

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

A woman has filed a lawsuit against an Atlanta church…[because] she and others were trafficked and forced to work in inhumane conditions after being recruited as young ministry students.  The [offenders include] the Atlanta Dream Center Church and its affiliated Pentecostal Christian denomination Assemblies of God, among others…“K.D.”…joined the church’s Atlanta School of Ministry in 2014 to train as a missionary…[bu]t she and other young students were instead forced to work unpaid catering events, live in dangerous environments, and were given moldy, expired food to eat…“Young, vulnerable individuals…were recruited nationwide with promises of missionary training, only to be systematically isolated, manipulated, and coerced into providing unpaid labor at sporting events, conventions, and corporate gatherings across the country.”  The woman…was twice sexually assaulted during her time with the church, once by a pastor and another time by a guest…the pastor…threatened her life, saying “she ‘would not make it to her 21st birthday’ if she ever left his control”…

Banishment (#1113)

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

Nationally, more than 6,000 people are held in [so-called] sex offense civil commitment…the states that run such programs [pretend] they’re focused on rehabilitation, [but in reality they are simply]…a thinly veiled way to warehouse people instead of treating them.  Such programs…[are] stacked with draconian release conditions….[and] do…not prevent sexual violence…the system is a way for politicians and elites to respond to [moral panic over]…sexual violence…while still refusing to acknowledge…that strangers do not perpetrate most sexual violence…Minnesota holds the highest number of people in the system per capita, while California has the most overall.  The systems’ populations also balloon due to their low release rates…

You Were Warned (#1490)

The open internet is rapidly becoming a thing of the past:

Discord has added a new age verification system…as “an experiment” …currently active in the UK and Australia in response to recent [censorship laws]…users may be asked to verify their age when encountering content flagged by its [autocensor], or when they try to change their settings to [circumvent the autocensor]…The user will be given two verification options.  The first asks them to scan their face…and…the o[ther]…to submit…a photo of an ID document (such as their passport or driving licence)…Discord says age verification is a one-time process, but that if…the…[algorithmically-determined] age group is incorrect…they can try to verify their age again, either by using the same [flawed and error-prone] process or [by] opting for a manual review…Australia’s…ban…[on] social media for [people] under 16…is still to come into effect…In the UK, [censorship agency] Ofcom has [demand]ed that all websites wh[ich a bureaucrat has pointed at while belching “]pornographic material[“], including social media platforms, need to add “robust” age-checking…by July…if other countries follow suit with similar restrictions [non-VPN] users in those countries can expect to face similar [spying]…

Thought Control (#1512)

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

A [new “mob rule” censorship] bill [in]…Texas…could have serious implications for small businesses…HB1375 [encourages] individuals to sue [under the absurd premise that people can be “]harmed[“] by [books if a politician points at them and barfs out the word “]obscene[“]…

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1517)

The claims in these nuisance lawsuits are increasingly absurd:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier [has launched] an[other nuisance]…lawsuit[, this time] against Snapchat, based on [utterly ridiculous claims about magical] predators…“Snap is deceiving Florida parents about the dangers children face…from [magical teleportation] features…allowing sexual predators and drug dealers access [to kids’ bedrooms”, barfed]…the AG[, moronically adding]…“We’re gonna hold these people accountable” [even though it is Uthmeir, not any corporation, who is accountable to Florida citizens]…The attorney general [also waved his dick around while drooling pap about “]addictive design features[” despite this being psychological nonsense.  He also bragged]…“We’re going to be putting these bad guys away” [even though a lawsuit is a civil procedure, not a criminal one]…

I Spy (#1530)

Medical privacy will soon be a thing of the past:

The National Institutes of Health is [sic] amassing private medical records from a number of federal and commercial databases to give [Trump henchman] Robert F. Kennedy Jr….[ammunition in his] effort to [ban vaccines using a bogus] study [of] autism…[this] will allow…researchers [specifically] picked [to produce the “findings”] Kennedy…[wants] to obtain…medication records from pharmacy chains, lab testing and genomics data from patients treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service, claims from private insurers and data from smartwatches and fitness trackers will all be linked together [in violation of HIPAA, to create]…a new…registry…to track Americans with autism…Kennedy’s [flying monkeys lied that there]…would be…”state of the art protections” [for] confidentiality…

The Cop Myth (#1531)

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

A Miami [cop] was arrested…[for attacking] his wife [while drunk]…Christian Vladimir Sanchez [drank an entire bottle of rum and then fell down]…in the shower…[before trying] to make sexual advances on h[is wife in front of their young daughter.  After]…she refused…he…demanded that…she leave their home and…give him her cellphone…Sanchez then got on top of her…and [beat] her…[while] demanding [the]…phone…she…eventually freed herself…and fled…Sanchez has since been released from jail on…bond, but [was also rewarded with a paid vacation]…

 

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 (#1532)

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

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

Torture Chamber

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

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

Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs (#728)

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

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

Creepy Coppers

Just another kind of cop, with typical cop behavior:

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

Thought Control (#1446)

Texas censors have descended completely into self-parody:

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

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1455)

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

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

Shame, Shame (#1514)

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

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

The Cop Myth (#1529)

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

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

 

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

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In the News (#1531)

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

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

Whatever They Need To Say (#648)

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

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

The Last Shall Be First (#1147)

Puritanism is throttling the entire world:

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

The Last Shall Be First (#1342)

Florida knows it will lose any challenge to this law:

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

The Cop Myth (#1492)

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

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

Torture Chamber (#1501)

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

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

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1517)

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

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

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

Thought Control (#1526)

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

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

 

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

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In the News (#1521)

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

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

Surplus Women (#1080)

Never call the cops for any reason whatsoever:

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

To Molest and Rape (#1298)

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

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

The Last Shall Be First (#1361)

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

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

To Molest and Rape (#1455)

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

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

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1473)

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

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

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1508)

Oh, what a surprise:

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

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

Laws are for the peasantry, not the rulers:

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

 

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

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In the News (#1519)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[Sex work] should be decriminalized and not in any way regulated because it is a sex worker’s body and it is up to them to decide how they will use it in their livelihood.  –  Sean Baker

The Notorious Badge

From Hustlers to Pretty Woman, films centering sex workers continue to drive blockbusters for Hollywood — and last year was no different.  Anora was one of Hollywood’s most lauded films of 2024…By casting real-life sex workers in the club scenes…the film made strides that are rare for Hollywood.  Multiple sex workers were reportedly hired as consultants to ensure the accuracy and fair portrayal of these characters, and there was even a private screening of the film…for…sex workers…[but] the film industry continues to discriminate against…actors with a history of sex work — ironically, even when they’re auditioning to play sex workers…

Sexcrime (#1354)

It’s only been six years since the UK lost in court the last time it tried this:

…pornography should be banned…[if any bureaucrat working for the UK censorship agency] Ofcom [points at it and belches the magic formula]…”degrading, violent and misogynistic”…[the] propos[al is basically an attempt to reinstate the overturned 2014 law] that porn videos [refused]…for any [BBFC] certificate in the offline world should be banned online.  Baroness Bertin[, a fanatical pro-censorship politician, claimed in Nixonian fashion]…”I’m not a prude”…[while demanding that] the state should police people’s sex lives…

Shame, Shame (#1421)

These thieves have absolutely no shame:

Botify AI, a site for chatting with [computers]…hosts bots resembling real actors that state their age as under 18, engage in sexually charged conversations, offer “hot photos,” and in some instances describe age-of-consent laws as “arbitrary” and “meant to be broken”…MIT Technology Review…found popular user-created bots…meant to resemble Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, and Millie Bobby Brown, among others.  After receiving questions…about such characters, Botify AI removed the[m]…from its website, but numerous other underage-celebrity bots remain…Botify…[is] operated by Ex-Human, a [corporation] that…also licenses [chatbots] to other companies, like the dating app Grindr…and…has more than a million different characters, [imita]ting everyone from Elon Musk to Marilyn Monroe…


The Cop Myth (#1484)

Good riddance to bad rubbish:

A [typical and representative] Nashville [cop] died [of old age] while in [jail] for [murdering] his wife…87-year-old John Sorace died on Feb. 20, following…[his] arrest…for…reckless homicide after [murdering] his wife on Jan. 9…

Thought Control (#1498)

It’s sad that the First Amendment has been so weakened it needs a state law to give it teeth:

Several [wannabe book-banners] spoke out…against the effort to pass legislation designed to deter book banning in Connecticut libraries.  They [bloviate] that [individual] parents should have [power to overrule librarians and remove]…books [from] library shelves…[for all legal minors], particularly…those [which might] contain [information authoritarian parents want to deny them]…Bob Duff…co-sponsor of Senate Bill 1271, said Connecticut libraries dealt with 113 [attempts] to [ban] books in 2023 alone.  Duff said that bans “pave the way for greater censorship”…and…[waste] librarians[‘ time while threatening them with culture-war violence]…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1499)

Politicians will use any asinine rhetoric to gain control of the internet:

[The U.S. Congress’ top anti-porn crusader, Utah] Senator Mike Lee has introduced [a bill with the deeply-moronic moniker] the Shielding Children’s Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net (SCREEN) Act, a step toward [age-gating the entire internet so as to make government surveillance of adults even easier than it already is.  Previous attempts at similar censorship, both at the State and federal level]…have [repeatedly] been challenged and overturned by [federal courts, up to and including] the Supreme Court on the grounds of not [being remotely Constitutional].  Nonetheless…[politicians keep trying anyway because defending the indefensible in court doesn’t come out of their pockets, and culture-war jihads appeal…to the authoritarian nitwits who vote for them]…and garner…[financial] support from the [usual collection of pro-censorship gangs and cabals which infest the US]…

If Men Were Angels (#1517)

Wannabe preachers are often as bad as the real thing:

[North Carolina cops] arrested Lucas Timothy Hunt…the founder of the “Thank You Jesus” signs movement, [for child porn, acting on information from]…the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children…the Thank You Jesus mission…re[fu]sed…[to] comment…

 

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

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In the News (#1517)

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

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

License to Rape (#1169)

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

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

The Last Shall Be First (#1410)

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

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

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1426)

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

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

When Ambulance-Chasers Run the Hospitals (#1443)

The claims in these nuisance lawsuits are increasingly absurd:

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

Guinea Pigs (#1453) 

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

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

Vulture Watching (#1495)

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

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

If Men Were Angels (#1505)

Preachy perverts nearly always blame their crimes on others:

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

 

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

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In the News (#1514)

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

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

Bad Fantasy, Good Reality

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

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

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1428)

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

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

Eavesdropping (#1476)

Some politicians are starting to admit Shotspotter is a boondoggle:

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

The Mob Rules (#1491)

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

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

Shame, Shame (#1494)

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

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

The Widening Gyre (#1500)

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

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

Pyrrhic Victory (#1510)

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

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

 

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

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In the News (#1512)

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

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

Torture Chamber (#1305) 

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

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


Thought Control (#1325)

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

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

Torture Chamber (#1374)

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

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

Served Cold (#1405)

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

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

Micromanagement (#1425)

Cops just love new ways to railroad people:

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

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1433)

Burble burble BLUE STATE burble drool:

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

Eavesdropping (#1501)

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

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

 

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

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In the News (#1510)

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

Women are not children [who]…need people making decisions for us.  –  Julie Burkhart

I Spy (#990)

The only way to keep data from being misused by state enforcers is not to collect it in the first place:

California [cops] improperly accessed a state database of private information more than 7,000 times in 2023…the EFF discovered…that…[cop shops] reported 7,275 misuses of the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, or CLETS, to the state Department of Justice in 2023.  The vast majority of those offenses were committed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department…which was responsible for 6,789 of the violations…Because of the amount of sensitive information on CLETS, there are rules about when and why [cops] can use it, as well as requiring mandatory reporting of abuses…[which] include cops using it to look up information on romantic interests or retaliate against rivals…[an unknown but presumably much larger number of abuses were never caught and therefore went unreported]…

A Moral Cancer (#1388)

Trump is the proverbial stopped clock:

…Trump’s…[FDA has] withdraw[n] the…proposal to ban menthol tobacco and nicotine products nationwide…[introduced] in 2022 [by] the Biden…FDA…the administration quickly backed off its public endorsement of the prohibition after realizing how unpopular the proposed bans were with voters.  It never took the steps needed to withdraw the proposed rules, however…The…administration said it was targeting…black adults [in particular for this new campaign of violence]…

A Moral Cancer (#1395)

Will progressives ever stop cheering police violence in the name of “public health”?

Newton [Massachusetts politicians] voted to approve an ordinance…that [criminalize]s the sale of tobacco or e-cigarette products to anyone born on, or after, March 1, 2004…joining the busybody politicians of] Brookline, Needham and 10 other Massachusetts communities with similar so-called “generational bans” on tobacco…the state’s high court backed the town’s right to [inflict police violence on people who break the arbitrary] rule last March…David Micley voted against the measure[, saying]…“there’s a cost to taking…away people’s individual choices”…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1409)

The censorious lunatic who tried to criminalize “sexting” last year is at it again:

An Oklahoma [politician is once again trying to]…ban pornography in the entire state…Dusty Deevers [attempted to justify his totalitarian violence by spinning his head wildly around while vomiting idiocies and buzzwords including]…“moral sanity”…“degenerate”…”highly addictive drug”…“innocence”…”plague”…[and] “locked away for decades” [at reporters]…

Pyrrhic Victory (#1459)

In a just court system, facial recognition “evidence” would be as inadmissible as polygraph results:

An Ohio judge threw out key evidence in a murder case…because the prosecution improperly relied on facial recognition technology…Blake Story was shot in Cleveland last February, and police used surveillance footage taken six days later to [hang] the killing [on] Qeyeon Tolbert…[by running] the video…[through] a regional fusion center[‘s subscription to] Clearview…[no human identified] Tolbert without…Clearview…[and the cops hid the fact that they used it] in the search warrant affidavit which ultimately allowed them to enter Tolbert’s apartment…[without] probable cause…Clearview includes a disclaimer in its reports warning [cops] that its findings are not “intended or permitted” to be used as admissible evidence…The Cleveland case is [good] news for [victims of] prosecutors around the country [because] police are increasingly using facial recognition…to arrest [people]…without any a[ctu]al evidence…

Torture Chamber (ROTW #13)

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

…a…350 pound…[mutant screw named Tyler Grant Lynn was given free reign to terrorize legally-innocent]…teen-aged boys…[by] twist[ing their]…arms over their heads [until they broke].  The snap of one boy’s fracturing left humerus…could be heard by the…microphone on a security camera mounted 40 feet away.  An administrator at the [Kentucky jail] who saw the boy’s arm hanging awkwardly later [yelled “stop faking!” at him]…despite [a politician’s] promises…and…a federal civil rights investigation, [subhuman thugs] continue…to [brutalize young people]…The boys were given ibuprofen…after [reporting] their broken arms…[to] a nurse…[who refused] to examine the[m and instead just yelled “stop faking!” at them]…The boys were [finally] taken to a Paducah hospital three days later…The second boy needed surgery to put metal plates in his arm to repair the damage…

The Vultures Descend (#1493)

Because abortion is protected by the Wyoming constitution, forced-birth fanatics keep framing their attempts as “keeping women safe”:

Two bills that would [make abortion more difficult and odious have] passed [a Wyoming committee]…One would…use the [“admitting privileges” scam to] clos[e] Wyoming’s only [abortion] clinic…the other [uses bogus “environmental” concerns to humiliate women using abortion drugs by forcing them]…to [bleed into a bag marked “BIOHAZARD”]…and return the tissue to their physician for disposal…Wellspring [Health Access] founder Julie Burkhart said…it was “within the realm of possibility” that attorneys representing Wellspring would file a lawsuit against HB 42 if it passes the Senate and is signed by the governor…and…the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not find any evidence that mifepristone was significantly contaminating waterways more than any other pharmaceutical drug…

 

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 (#1508)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

There is no huge difference…in the lives of [prisoners]…based on whether a Democrat or Republican is in office.  –  Julie Abbate

First They Came for the Hookers… (#573) 

Politicians believe they can excuse hypocrisy by the magic word “illicit”:

A [Mississippi] bill meant to eradicate the state’s individual income tax does not apply to sex workers…”all…income derived from producing, distributing, directing, manufacturing, issuing, publishing or advertising any depiction of sexually explicit conduct shall be at the rate of five percent (5%),” House Bill No. 1 reads…[bill sponsor Trey] Lamar did not explain why he included [the provision, except to vomit]…”illegal and illicit activity”…[at] reporters…The Clarion Ledger [has] contacted a labor attorney to discuss whether a state singling out one form of legal employment for taxation is legal…

Paint By Numbers (#1006)

Silly “awareness raising” stunts by crowds of idiots are a relic of the last decade; now they’re merely marketing gimmicks:

A car show and cruise featuring 120 vehicles… [w]as part of an annual fundraiser put on by In-N-Out Burger’s [Christian fundamentalist] owner[s]…The event, called Cruisin’ 2 Freedom, benefits Slave 2 Nothing, a [profiteer group] that [uses “]human trafficking[” as a hook to separate fools from their money]…Benjamin Nolot…of Exodus Cry [shared his sexual fantasies about underage girls]…

The Course of a Disease (#1209)

Ruhama, the current DBA of the gang of prohibitionist nuns who enslaved Irish women in the “Magdalene laundries” for centuries, not only pushed the horrific “Swedish model” despite knowing that it would increase violence against sex workers, but actually celebrated the increase in violence when it happened exactly as predicted.  Now they’re predictably trying to widen their repression by demanding both internet censorship and increased surveillance of Irish citizens, not to mention more police violence against vulnerable women, by vomiting out the same propaganda they’ve used for the past two decades but pretending it’s new and based in “research”.  I’m not even going to bother quoting this same nonsense, barfed up by long-time Ruhama fantasist Ruth Breslin, but the link is there if you feel inclined to wade in sewage.

No Escape (#1372)

Your “leaders” refer to this as “correction”:

On the first day of his second presidential term, Donald Trump severely restricted transgender prisoners’ access to safe housing and proper medical care…one order bars the federal government from funding gender-affirming care, mandates that trans women be housed in men’s prisons, and instructs the federal government to remove protections for transgender people from Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) guidelines…

Censorship Ascendant (#1494)

The First Amendment is now being eroded just like many of the others:

Bias reporting systems have been popping up in one form or another across more than a dozen state and city municipalities in the last four years, usually consisting of an online portal or telephone number where citizens are encouraged to submit reports…of speech and behavior that are not only not crimes, but also First Amendment-protected expression…In Oregon, citizens can report “offensive ‘jokes’” and “imitating someone’s cultural norm or practice”…In Philadelphia…authorities fielding “hate incidents” can now ask for exact [names and] addresses…about the alleged offending party…city officials will in some cases “contact those accused of bias and request that they attend sensitivity training”…to teach you the error of your ways…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1503)

“Age verification” laws are bad for speech, but good for VPN business:

In recent years, the implementation of age verification laws for adult content websites has sparked a significant surge in VPN demand across…the United States…The data paints a clear picture of the soaring demand for VPN services in states such as Florida (1,150%), Oklahoma (1,060%), Utah (967%), and Alabama (542%), among others…The use of VPNs has become a popular workaround for individuals seeking unrestricted access to online content. Thus, despite the geo-blocking measures, Pornhub’s traffic reached an all-time high, surpassing 1.8 billion visits by late 2024…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #17)

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

 A Corpus Christi [Texas cop has been] arrested [for repeated statutory rape of] a 15-year-old…Daniel Verduzco’s [creepy behavior was not discovered until the girl’s]…family…moved to Tulsa in early 2024…[after a suicide attempt,] the girls’ [mother]…went through her [phone]…and found pictures of…a c[learly]…adult [cop and interrogated]…her daughter…[about him].  Tulsa police…contacted Homeland Security…in Corpus Christi…

 

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