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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