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Posts Tagged ‘Washington (state)’

In the News (#1598)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

We’ve known for years that Tim Ballard is a shameless, lying, actual predator.  –  Aracely Yates

Above the Law

Your “leaders” at work:

A[n Ohio politician]…facing serious sex charges dating back nearly 30 years was released on his own recognizance…less than 24 hours after his initial arrest…Gerald Dixon [has a history of molesting boys, including some that are cognitively impaired.  The cops have known about]…Dixon…[since 2020, before he first ran for office, and] there are at least eight…victims, [including] some from…Michigan and New York…[going] back [to] 1996…

Bait and Switch (#1070)

Here’s reporter Kevin Light-Roth writing for The Appeal with a long, thorough deep dive on the “Operation Net Nanny” scams which were specifically designed to entrap normal young men seeking consensual sex with adult age-peer women on adults-only dating sites, so as to destroy their lives via prison and permanent “sex offender” registration by claiming that the adult women they arranged to meet were actually pigs pretending in their minds to be minors.  I know that sounds completely Kafkaesque, but if you explore this tag you’ll realize it’s not only an accurate description, but a common entrapment scheme for the past decade.  The article also explores the scam’s deep connections to disgraced “sex trafficking” profiteer Tim Ballard, and the attempts by the families of the victims to use Ballard’s downfall as a crowbar to pry open the refusal of the Washington state carceral establishment to do anything about these blatantly-illegal pogroms.

Virtual Imperialism (#1292)

Greedy, amoral corporations enable Beijing’s campaign to silence Chinese people:

The Chinese telecoms giant Tencent is trying to muzzle a service that offers an uncensored view of what users of [its] social media platform WeChat…are posting…FreeWeChat…is operated by…anti-censorship organisation GreatFire.org…and…works by identifying WeChat posts that contain certain “sensitive” keywords and archives and monitors them all to see whether they are subsequently deleted from the social platform.  Typical [censored] words…include the so-called three Ts: Tiananmen, Taiwan and Tibet.  If a monitored post subsequently disappears, FreeWeChat marks it as “censored”…FreeWeChat has…allowed more than 700,000 censored WeChat posts to remain available for both Chinese users and others…[but] Tencent…[has made a legal claim] to Vultr, the USA-based…host…of…FreeWeChat…claim[ing] that FreeWeChat was infringing intellectual property rights…[so] Vultr suspended the [site]…

Thought Control (#1499)

Politicians really do believe they can control people’s thoughts via censorship:

The Randolph County [North Carolina] Library Board [was fired en masse] by the county commissioners…[for refusing] to [ban] a children’s book titled Call Me Max…[which one wannabe censor demanded banned]…Of the 40 speakers [at the meeting], 21 w[ere violently-censorious nitwits who “arguments” were made up of threats and unsupported opinions]…while 19 [wanted to allow] librarians [to do the jobs they were hired to do]…

No Escape (#1584)

The inevitable result of giving sexually-aggressive thugs total power over women:

Eleven women [locked up in] a federal prison in Texas…have filed fresh lawsuits [over the endemic rapes and]…sexual…assault[s]…by prison staff…including a doctor, chaplain and three [screws]…sexual assault is [especially] common at FMC Carswell…the most of any federal women’s prison…[because it is used to warehouse] women with severe mental health and physical ailments…

If Men Were Angels (#1585)

The main difference between cops and “pastors” appears to be that the latter aren’t typically armed:

…[Illinois] pastor…Douglas R. Overmyer…[was arrested and] charg[ed for sharing]…a video of an…adult male [rap]ing [an underage girl]…“on or about May 20, 2025”…Overmyer [was immediately fired from] Zion Hill [Methodist] Church…he…was…was formerly the Executive Director of CHI RHO Outdoors, a group which “provides boys and young men with engaging outdoor experiences…while instilling valuable life lessons”…

Censor Chic (#1591)

Civil rights mean nothing if fascist corporations eagerly dance to the government’s tune:

The developer of ICEBlock, an app used to track local sightings of [goons, spooks, and pigs, has] sued the U.S. government…for [unconstitutional]ly infringing his free speech rights…Apple removed the app from its store in October [after] the Trump [regime threatened the company]…Apple [absurdly justified its bootlicking by claiming heavily-armed thugs with broad immunity to law constitute a vulnerable group]…In 2019, the company [similarly] removed an app that Hong Kong protesters used to track police movements…[and] Apple [justified the collaboration by barfing the word “]criminals[” at the protesters]…Google…also agreed to [collaborate with fascist tyranny]…

 

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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Diary #807

Posted in Diary, tagged , , on December 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Though December is the rainiest month here at Sunset, with rain nearly every day, it doesn’t usually rain as heavily as it did last week.  When I cleaned the stock tank in October, I decided not to refill it and just let the rain do the job, since Jonathan and Hercules have been drinking out of the rainwater catch basin anyway.  Between mid-October and December 7th, the rain filled the tank about 1/3 of the way, then by Tuesday morning it had reached the 2/3 level; in other words, we got as much rain last Monday as we did in all of October and November!  It rained some on Tuesday and then heavily again on Wednesday morning, so by Wednesday afternoon the east paddock looked like this despite the fact that there’s a drainage ditch between the barn and henhouse, to the right side of this photo.  Jonathan actually likes the rain and Cicero doesn’t seem to mind it much, but Hercules hates it, the chickens prefer to stay inside during it, and Louie could barely be coaxed out of his nest all week; for a few days there I was actually feeding them inside the stable, because it was the easiest way for everyone.  Thursday and Friday were much lighter rain and Saturday was actually clear and sunny, so the standing water has drained off and the animals were all roaming around as normal; I’m glad I took the precautions to ensure proper drainage when we first moved here.

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In the News (#1583)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2025| 2 Comments »

ICE victim: “I can’t breathe”.
ICE goon: “I don’t care”.

The Pygmalion Fallacy (#1310) 

About eight years after the collapse of “sex robot” hysteria, prohibitionists have shifted their fantasies to something that actually exists:

…We’re seeing the rise of [sexu]ally inte[ractive] “chatbot” companions…Sam Altman…announced that an upcoming version of ChatGPT would…engage in “erotica” with “verified adults”.  There are…dedicated platforms for “AI girlfriends” and “sex fantasy chatbots“…[Facebook allows] its chatbots to engage in “romantic role play” that can get graphic even when those chatting say that they are teens. And Elon Musk’s [MechaHitler]…can go into “sexy mode“.  These are not the sort of sex robots everyone was panicking about a decade ago…But that hasn’t stopped a lot of hand-wringing about what this all will mean…An Ohio [politician named]…Thad Claggett…has introduced legislation to ban marriages between humans and…chatbots…[which] smacks of attention-seeking…or brain worms…and…Josh Hawley…is reportedly drafting a bill that…would totally prohibit minors from talking to…chatbots…

The Punitive Mindset (#1426) 

The government does to caged people what it would like to do to all people:

The [FCC has] advanced a proposal for censorship that…will…deny…incarcerated people one of the few tools available to expose abuse in…prisons [by allowing the use of]…Cellphone jammers…illegal devices that disrupt cellphone signals…[politicians] claim…that “the worst possible offenders” use contraband cellphones to coordinate violence outside prison walls…these accusations [a]re exaggerated and preposterous…contraband cellphones…[are] used to connect with loved ones or to hold rogue prison officials accountable…it is the latter that’s driving this FCC push, not public safety…the documentary The Alabama Solution…shows how disturbing video footage of forced labor, drug-related violence, prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse, and staff assaults were captured via contraband cellphone and released to the media…In the throes of the Covid pandemic, I used a contraband cellphone…to report Texas prison officials’ alarmingly inadequate response…That…footage was incorporated into a local ABC News documentary called “No Way Out”…[and] embarrassed prison officials so badly it compelled them to…follow [CDC] guidelines…Those changes could not have happened without contraband cellphones…

Dangerous Speech (#1465)

Much more of this, please:

[Disgraced] Marion [Kansas boss hog] Gideon Cody…committed a felony crime when he told a witness to delete text messages they exchanged before, during and after he led [retaliatory] raids on a newspaper office and the publisher’s home…but [not]…for the raids [themselves], which [were]…the real crime…he…[also won’t] be…[tried for the stress-induced death of the publish]er’s 98-year-old mother [even though a non-cop probably would be, under “felony murder” statutes]…

Creepy Coppers (#1550)

Just another kind of cop, with typical cop behavior:

ICE…[goon] Billy Olvera…used [a] ruse to take photos and videos of [an air hostess’] butt, legs, and feet.  A police examination of his phone uncovered 23 photos and 20 videos of the [woman], who goes by A.G. in court documents…Olvera was convicted in federal court of interference with flight crew members and attendants…[but] appealed to the…11th Circuit, arguing that he should be acquitted because he was sneaky about his attempts to photograph A.G…The 11th Circuit has now rejected this argument and affirmed Olvera’s conviction.  The case stems from a Dallas to Miami flight in November 2023…[the armed] Olvera was on the flight…transporting a [victim]…and [though]…he thought that he…was…[not] noticed…she realized…Olvera had been “trying to record underneath [her] dress“…She was used to unruly passengers—but not ones who were armed…[so] she…told the rest of the crew and the captain…and they had arranged for [vops] to be waiting when the plane landed…

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen agents of the state claiming that a crime isn’t a crime if they’re sneaky about it.

Torture Chamber (#1554)

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

…full-body restraint suits [brand-named] the WRAP…[have] become a harrowing part of [rendi]tions for some immigrants…people…[have been] restrained in the device, sometimes for hours, on ICE…flights [at least since] 2020…despite…[at least a dozen fatal cases in the last decade due directly to] use of the WRAP by local [cop shops].  The WRAP is the subject of a growing number of federal lawsuits [because cops use] the device [for] punishment and even torture…

Aladdin’s Satellite (#1575)

This situation is not going to get better on its own:

The latest version of ChatGPT has produced more harmful answers…than an earlier iteration…in particular when asked about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders…when researchers fed the same 120 prompts into the latest model and its predecessor, GPT-4o, the newer version gave harmful responses 63 times compared with 52 for the old model…the latest model appeared designed to boost user [dependency]…OpenAI…has…[claimed] it…[would] install “stronger guardrails” [but these seem to largely consist of]…an age-[guessing] system [and automated cop-calling capability]…

The Cop Myth (#1581)

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

A Seattle [cop named]…Richard Norris…[has admitt]ed that he ha[s] an alcohol problem and was physically and verbally abusive to…[his wife.  On one occasion he] fired his gun inside the house [at her, but missed].  On another occasion…he [drunken]ly slammed her to the ground with his elbow on her throat…[and could]n’t remember…[it later.  He]…was [also] verbally abusive to the woman’s 14-year-old daughter, calling her a “cunt”…yelling at her to “go die”…[and] text[ing] that he wished…she would overdose…The woman was initially afraid to file for a protective order because Norris was tracking her using the built-in GPS on her car…[but] when [he] broke his leg and was staying with his parents in Bellingham, she decided that it was safe to file…Norris…[has been rewarded with a paid vac]ation…

 

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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One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State

Posted in History, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , on October 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The whole left-right, red-blue, all-or-nothing nonsense rots the brains of those who embrace it.  If you actually look at the percentages, so-called “red states” don’t actually have many more “red” voters than “blue states” do.  The idea of monolithic “red” or “blue” states is a fiction promoted by nitwits with childlike views of the world who long for easy, clear “white hat-black hat” narratives that simply don’t apply to mass politics.  I grew up in a so-called “red state”, lived for a while in an even “redder” one, and for ten years now have lived in a “blue state”.  And the balance of political commentary I heard from neighbors, casual conversation in public, etc hasn’t changed much over my lifetime.  What has changed is the amount of power given to dangerous, psychopathic crackpots, and the erosion of citizens’ protections from said crackpots.  This has been a bipartisan project all along; even the Constitutional crisis which started 24 years ago last month and finally came to a boil in January, was a contest between the GOP and Dems to see who could erode more civil liberties and scream “FOR THE CHIIIIIIIIIILDREN!!!” the loudest.  In the end, the GOP turned out to be the party that broke and completely succumbed to populist-flavored fascism, but that’s because it has long cultivated a more rigid belief-system which broke when the winds of change blew hard enough.  The Dems cultivated a more flexible catechism which did not snap in those winds, but instead has become so warped and weakened it isn’t good for anything.  Trumpism is the immediate danger, and needs our focus.  But don’t fall for lies that Democrats are noble saviors, else ending trumpery will be no more than leaping from one boiling pot to another.

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Tweet to the Beat

Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Music, Philosophy, Tyranny, Words, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 18, 2025| 1 Comment »

The world was beautiful for eons before there were self-aware eyes to appreciate it, and it will still be beautiful for eons after we are all gone. And there are countless other beautiful worlds which have never been seen, and never WILL be seen, by thinking beings.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T17:08:13.335Z

Intentionally conflating normal people whose lives are ruined by persecution with shameless politicians returned to prominence by a machine is a choice. A stupid or evil choice, but a choice nonetheless.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-16T17:10:38.247Z

It came from the same place as the "300,000 trafficked children being raped 100 times a day" came from: the Justification for State Violence factory.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-19T15:25:32.902Z

"Vice offenses" is a government dysphemism for "poor people enjoying the same adult pastimes as politicians".

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-20T17:31:41.920Z

If the HPV vaccine had been available 20 years earlier, my beloved Grace might still be alive.Get vaccinated, while you still can.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-21T17:38:43.497Z

If you had written a satire in the 1980s or '90s where the president of the US wears a freaking BALL CAP everywhere, even in serious situations like giving formal speeches or planning goddamned WAR, critics would've said it was unrealistic.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-22T07:50:44.028Z

Actual LOL.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-23T07:57:01.365Z

PROTIP: If you can't use a word without feeling a psychological compulsion to misspell it by replacing one of its letters with "x", find a different word.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-24T16:51:07.852Z

Now if only we can get the US to abolish summary execution for misdemeanors.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-25T17:45:45.761Z

I'm not one to kink shame, but have these people no discretion? I mean really. bsky.app/profile/meid…

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-26T08:12:44.396Z

Your regular reminder that websites outside the US can ignore US law, and the only way the US can stop them is by playing an endless game of whack-a-mole.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-27T18:27:08.695Z

I've decided the proper term for ICE thugs who hide their faces & leap out of vans to abduct people is "goons". I use the venerable term "spooks" to describe most G-men, but as one born during the '60s spy craze I can't help feeling it implies a degree of cleverness completely lacking in ICE goons.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-28T18:34:21.499Z

At this point, his being made into a martyr is probably less damaging in the long run.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-29T16:53:32.222Z

I'm not one to kink shame, but maybe you should keep this between you and your dominatrix.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-06-30T03:19:42.645Z

His approval rating is still MUCH too high. We need to see "Mussolini's funeral" approval ratings for him and his whole gang.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T02:40:20.242Z

Look at the bright side; the next two or three generations will have new cartoon villains to use in fiction, so they won't have to reach all the way back to the historical German Nazis whom absolutely none of them are old enough to remember as anything BUT cartoon villains.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-02T17:59:01.208Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4-G…

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-03T07:57:38.253Z

No. Both used their votes to help THEMSELVES politically. The difference lies not in their motive, but in their interpretation of what kind of vote will improve their political fortunes.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-04T17:52:24.728Z

Actually, YOU don't choose which entity you're praying to; the content of your prayers does that automatically.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-05T17:16:41.634Z

Yes, that's the point.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-07T03:52:48.861Z

I like to think Grace was there in spirit, jamming along on a ghostly bass; Ozzy was probably her favorite musician.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-07T17:51:16.476Z

Trump declares that whales can fly.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T17:36:38.666Z

THIS. Reporters need to STOP using Trump's second-grade names for everything. STOP calling legislation that will result in millions forced into poverty and a metastasized police state as "beautiful". STOP using cutesy nicknames for concentration camps. Just fucking STOP.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-09T18:21:48.165Z

The most realistic part of this joke is Trump not knowing that $1000 bills were discontinued in 1969 and banks are required to send any they get to the Treasury to be destroyed.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-10T04:21:57.746Z

Reporters: are y'all ready to use the word "megalomania" yet?

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-11T07:44:20.516Z

"What we need is not a non-volatile storage medium which is impossible to change once created, allowing dependable preservation of their contents, but rather centralized digital media which can be surreptitiously changed by 'authorities' at will, possibly without people noticing."

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-12T17:08:42.978Z

It always astonishes me to see people making the equivalent argument to, "air travel, including both freight and passenger, should be a government monopoly, because billionaires."It *shouldn't* astonish me because people really are that stupid. But that's the last little pest in Pandora's box.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-13T17:27:32.516Z

Watching Trump name things has given me a new respect for the names Eternian villains choose for themselves.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-14T18:34:26.533Z

This looks like liquid fabric softener.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-15T08:15:13.976Z

The way I've explained it friends who don't live here is: "Seattle people drive on the highway as though it were a surface street; on surface streets as though they were parking lots; and in parking lots as though they were at a square dance and the caller has left the room."

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-16T08:22:47.910Z

Guys, I keep telling y'all that seeing escorts is less expensive in the long run.

— Maggie McNeill (@maggiemcneill.bsky.social) 2025-07-17T19:08:26.779Z

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Links #783

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

People don’t even dare to go on holiday any more as they fear that the ants will move into their home in their absence.  –  Manfred Verhaagh

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been re-watching The Avengers lately, and perusing a venerable fan site; in the process I discovered a mention of this song I believe I vaguely remember from the MTV era.  One interesting footnote: The Allies were a Seattle band, and I know this video was filmed there because I’ve been in that elevator many times!  The links above it were provided by Radley Balko; Mike Siegel; IncarcerNation (x2); Jesse Walker & Mike Masnick; and IncarcerNation (x2 again), in that order.

From the Archives

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

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In the News (#1552)

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

This isn’t constitutional interpretation; it’s constitutional gerrymandering.  –  Mike Masnick

Stalkers in Blue

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

A Miami [cop named Zamir Vargas Valerio]…is…facing criminal charges…for giving his ex-girlfriend a traffic ticket…when she…was…deployed overseas…by [fraudulent]ly using the computer credentials of a[nother cop.  Not only was]…the victim…out of the country when the [supposed] violation [supposedly] occurred…the [cop] who supposedly issued the ticket was on disability leave at the time…Vargas Valerio is…a…[repeat offender who] was [previously] arrested…on Aug. 23, 2022…[for] domestic violence [because] he [tried to strangle a previous girlfriend]…in front of her son…the case was later dropped…

Panopticon (#898)

There is no “intelligence” in an automated high-resolution scanner:

The Hertz rental car company, along with its Dollar and Thrifty affiliates, are rolling out [computeriz]ed vehicle inspection scanners that scan [a] rental car as it exits or enters the rental lot for damage…But barely two months into the scanners’ initial deployment…there’s already a problem [with the company overcharging customers for scratches & dings barely visible to the human eye]…the…scanners [are built by]…Israeli…company, UVeye….[which] claims its system increases damage detection…by five times…Hertz…touts “transparency” as one of the main advantages its customers can expect from the tech, though it remains to be seen how transparent things remain when customers invariably require a live human to speak with to dispute the findings.  To note, this is the same company that has left a rental desk unmanned for six hours, attempted to charge a customer $10,000 despite an unlimited mileage policy, attempted to charge a Tesla customer for gas, and settled for $168 million after falsely accusing hundreds of customers of stealing its cars—some of which led to innocent people getting arrested, charged with felonies, and jailed…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1502)

SCOTUS has ruled that the First Amendment does not apply on the internet:

…In the FSC v. Paxton case, [SCOTUS] upheld the very problematic 5th Circuit ruling that age verification online is acceptable under the First Amendment, despite multiple earlier Supreme Court rulings that said the opposite…The practical effect: states can now force websites to collect government IDs from anyone wanting to view adult content, creating a massive chilling effect on protected speech and opening the door to much broader online speech restrictions.  Thomas accomplished this by pulling off some remarkable doctrinal sleight of hand.  He ignored the Court’s own precedents in Ashcroft v. ACLU by pretending online age verification is just like checking ID at a brick-and-mortar store (it’s not), applied a weaker “intermediate scrutiny” standard instead of the “strict scrutiny” that content-based speech restrictions normally require, and—most audaciously—invented an entirely new category of “partially protected” speech that conveniently removes First Amendment protections exactly when the government wants to burden them.  As Justice Kagan’s scathing dissent makes clear, this is constitutional law by result-oriented reasoning, not principled analysis…The real danger here isn’t just Texas’s age verification law—it’s that Thomas has handed every state legislature a roadmap for circumventing the First Amendment online…

To Molest and Rape (ROTW #18)

Good riddance to bad rubbish:

[A typical and representative Washington cop who also worked] as [a] girls basketball coach [in order to stalk prey shot himself after he was caught molesting a victim]…Charles “Rob” Gardiner…[was caught on April 23rd by] the girl’s parents [while he was molesting her] in her bedroom…he fled [after her father tried to physically stop him]…Deputies later found Gardiner dead in his p[igmobile] a few blocks away…the girl was reluctant to share information, but [admitted] she and Gardiner texted regularly, and he had sneaked into her house several times before…The girl’s parents [sensibly became suspicious when] Gardiner…bought her gifts, including an iPad, that they made her return…The iPad was later [found in] Gardiner’s [pigmobile]…the girl’s contact information [was] saved in Gardiner’s phone as “Wifey,” and his phone’s wallpaper [was a nude] photo of her…Gardiner was…[also] a football coach at…a…[nearby] middle school[, but currently does not appear to have molested any kids there]…

The Last Shall Be First (#1531)

This is what Pride should be: a gigantic “fuck you” to authoritarianism:

Around 100,000 people defied a government ban and police orders…to march in what organizers called the largest…Pride event in Hungary’s history in an open rebuke of…Viktor Orbán’s government…which…outlawed [the event] by a law passed in March…The massive size of the march…was seen as a major blow to Orbán’s prestige, as…polls [show] a new opposition force has taken the lead…Orbán and his party have [echoed MAGA] in…[trying to justify their censorship of] Pride…[by absurdly claiming it is] a violation of children’s rights to moral and spiritual development…[trumping] other fundamental rights, including that to peacefully assemble…

Compare this to what Pride celebrations had turned into in the US before Trump ascended the imperial throne and the fascist fair-weather sponsors predictably turned coat.

Pyrrhic Victory (#1541)

The New Orleans city council rewards the NOPD for criminal behavior:

The New Orleans City Council is considering an ordinance that would allow the city’s police department…[to use] the [magic word “]crime[” to justify the]…use [of] real-time facial recognition technology to find and track people as they move about the city…as the[y]…had already been secretly [doing]…via a private surveillance camera network…in…[flagrant] violat[ion of] an earlier city ordinance meant to protect the public’s privacy…the proposed city ordinance would [reward NOPD for violating the previous law by] mak[ing their criminal behavior] legal…the ordinance, as currently written, would allow the police to only “use facial recognition technology while investigating crimes and missing persons cases”…[but since NOPD ignored the previous law there’s no reason to assume this one would be any different], and…these protections could be overturned just as easily as the earlier prohibitions…are about to be…

The Cop Myth (#1542)

Cop deals with problems exactly as he was trained & encouraged to, and everyone is shocked:

[A] Kentucky [cop named]…Bearl D. Ashcraft Jr….[murdered] his girlfriend, Hayley Davidson…[then] killed [himself]…Davidson’s estranged husband, Travis Davidson, says there was…“a lot of domestic violence that was hidden”…Ashcraft tracked her whereabouts using a phone app and others…noticed bruising she tried to cover up with make up [sic]…

 

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 (#1549)

Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It is shameful that they are using…this technology…to target…people who are…just going to work.  –  Ruth Beltran

Above the Law

Your “leaders” at work:

A…[British politician named] Patrick Spencer…[sexually] assault[ed]…two women…before he was elected…on 12 August 2023 at the Groucho Club [in London]…the [drunk politician repeatedly harassed]…the f[irst victim until she]…walked away…then…[sneaked up on her from behind] and [groped her]…the second…[woman was caught completely by surprise w]hen [this weirdo suddenly came up]…behind her and [started groping her tits]…the[y both]…complain[ed]…to the…club, [who in turn] reported [the lecherous politician] to the police[, who didn’t bother to do anything about it until]…earlier this year…

Creepy Coppers

Seems like a significant fraction of child porn is spread by cops:

[A New Jersey cop named] Anthony Kelly…has pled guilty to…distribution of child [porn after]…NCMEC…[reported him to the] prosecutor’s office…[Kelly was] distributi[ng the porn] from a Kik account…between July…and October 2024…He was…charged on November 26…[and agreed to a plea bargain sentence of] seven years in…prison…[with] parole…[and condemnation to the “sex offender” registry] for life…

A Broker in Pillage (#1463)

South Carolina is one of the most flagrant abusers of this unconstitutional practice:

For the first time in nearly 20 years, [people] can travel without fear of [“]Operation Rolling Thunder[”], an annual [scheme to rob motorists] along Interstate 85.  [Typical and representative] Sheriff Chuck Wright initiated the multiday cr[iminal conspiracies] in 2006 and expanded them over the years to involve 11 [cop shops].  But…Wright resigned on May 23…[due to] a federal criminal investigation, and interim Sheriff Jeffery Stephens announced during his first news conference that the [racket] will not continue…Operation Rolling Thunder was an unconstitutional search-and-seizure machine that subjected thousands of innocent people to pretextual, warrantless searches…[in which predatory cops] routinely pulled over vehicles on the flimsiest of excuses and then [rooted through the cars]…and [luggage without warrants or probable cause in order to steal whatever they found.  In one especially-egregious case, cops waylaid]…a charter bus from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and treated every student on board like a criminal…the Institute for Justice…sued for access to…records from 2022, the year of the Shaw incident…[and] found that over 72 percent of vehicle searches produced nothing illegal.  [The cops] cashed in anyway…and…nobody knows exactly where the money goes…due to weak accounting and reporting laws…

Unsafe for Human Consumption (#1515)

Cops won’t drop this fantasy until “news” media stop obediently parroting it:

A [hysterical Ohio cop named Brayden Moon] was revived with [the placebo effect] after [having a panic attack] from s[eeing what he assumed was] fentanyl [while trying to destroy citizens’ lives with drug charges] during a [pretextual] traffic stop…[excused by getting permission] from a [dog, which naturally suffered no symptoms because]…fentanyl [has no effect]…due to [casual contact, regardless of moronic copaganda about “]exposure[“.  Whiny-baby] Moon collapsed…after [hearing too many porcine tall-tales about magical]…overdose…[a small herd of pigs wast]ed several doses of Narcan, successfully [convincing the little pansy that he had been “rescued”, like mommy kissing a boo-boo to make it all better].  Moon[‘s victims will not escape harm so easily, and the Boss Hog strutted around oinking nonsense about]…“experience and training”…

I Spy (#1535)

Are there really people so naive they actually believe speed traps are about “safety”?

…Washington State P[igs have] a new tool to help [them cash in on] speeding drivers, and your cellphone may have [been conscripted to] help…[them without your consent].  Cellphone data from more than 1 million cellphone users in Washington in 2023 helped the state identify where to look for…drivers [they can profit from via speeding tickets]…the co[p shop] used [your tax money] to purchase telematic data gathered by Michelin…to show when and where [the speed limits were too low for the conditions, so] drivers were [routinely exceeding those arbitrary limits]…Over the next six weeks…Washington State Patrol will be looking [to cash in by lurking] in four locations where [the] speed…[limit is arbitrarily low]: Interstate 5 from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Fife, from Fife to Auburn on I-5, north and south of Everett on I-5, and a 14-mile stretch of Interstate 90 east and west of downtown Spokane…

Panopticon (#1543)

Don’t think this will only be used to persecute the “other”; we’re well past that:

Florida [pigs rooted] in…a vast…surveillance network…of…license plates scanned by cameras controlled by the [fascist] surveillance company Flock Safety — to aid in immigration [pogrom]s…between March 13 and May 5, [Florida pigs rooted in the database] more than 250 [times, especially]…in the week before and during Operation Tidal Wave, a high-profile [pogrom labeled with one of the sophomoric and self-aggrandizing “operation” titles cops in general and Florida cops in particular love so much]…More than 100 [cop shops and pig herds] in Florida use Flock, [whose system was built despite years of warnings] …from civil rights advocates…[cop shops] across the country conducted these types of searches “either at the behest of the federal government or as an ‘informal’ favor to federal [spooks and goons]”…

The Puritan Recrudescence (#1547)

France’s lust to spy on citizens and censor the internet hits an obstacle:

On 16 June, the Administrative Court of Paris suspended the French government’s age verification requirement on EU-based porn companies…[because it is il]legal under EU law…French [censors have]…launch[ed] an appeal…The crux of the issue…is th[at France tried] to bypass the EU’s country-of-origin principle…[which] means a country cannot regulate a company that’s based in another EU state unless a formal objection process…is followed…Xhamster…[and] Aylo…[are] based in Cyprus…This is not the first time France’s [control-freakishness has] clashed with EU law…

 

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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Rapists of the Week #21

Posted in Rapists of the Week, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

If Men Were Angels

You’d think “youth pastor” would be a big red flag by now:

A [typical and representative Tennessee] youth pastor [named]…Ryan McElrath…[pled guilty to molesting] a 17-year-old female victim…and…was sentenced…to 252 months (21 years) in federal [prison] and five years supervised release.  He was also ordered to pay over $8,000 in restitution…

To Molest and Rape (#1485)

Another cop stalks victims through the official cop grooming program:

A…King County [Washington cop named]…Ricardo Cueva…was [arrested and rewarded with a paid vacation for grooming, molesting, and raping a 17-year-old]…he[met via]…the Police Explorer program…a national [grooming] program [cops use to seduce] teens…providing them with opportunities to [be alone with their victims without attracting the attention of the kind of fool who would let their daughters be alone with adult cops]…Cueva met [his] victim in 2016 when he was serving as her group leader for the Burien Police Department’s explorer program…he…rape[d] and [molested the girl]…in 2017 and 2018, when [she] was 17…[but she said nothing until last] month…[when s]he…decided to come forward “in hopes of protecting others from Deputy Cueva”…

Creepy Coppers (#1520)

Just another kind of cop, with typical cop behavior:

A…Homeland Security [spook from Minnesota named]…Timothy Gregg…[has been] charged with the production of child [porn]…after the father of the victim found sexually explicit photos and videos of [his 17-year-old daughter] and an older man on [her] cell phone…[cops] were later able to identify the man in the videos as Gregg…who…recorded videos of them having sex, which…[was] consensual, [but she was below the Minnesota age of consent and below the federal age for legally appearing in porn]…

To Molest and Rape (#1536)

Your “leaders” call this “correction”, but you don’t have to:

…a [screw from the notorious] Lowell [torture complex raped] a 17-year-old…Cody Lord a[pproached] the teen…while she was in her apartment complex’s hot tub…[he] got in, [tried to intimidate her], and [plied her with] tequila before raping her…

Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors:

Hardy [Arkansas] Police Chief Scott Rose has been arrested and charged with [raping]…a minor [after getting her drunk.  Rose’s attack was reported to]…Sharp County Sheriff Shane Russell…in late March…[but he dismissed it as a “]rumor[” until]…the victim and her family…[reported the rape to] Arkansas State Police…and the FBI…

And they can’t be trusted even when their freedom depends on it:

[Typical and representative Alabama cop] William “BJ” Squires has been arrested for a third time…[for] violating his bond conditions…[by going] to…Biloxi, Mississippi on June 5…[despite being] require[d]…to stay in Alabama.  Squires…is [out on bail after being]…indicted for rape and sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl…In February, police arrested Squires…[for] walking with his child in Westside Park after he was previously told not to return.  The district attorney’s office was trying to revoke his bond…because of that…[but] Judge Michael Windom [let him go because cop]…

 

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

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Links #778

Posted in Current Events, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Tyranny, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[I’ve] no recollection of personally ever throwing a petrol bomb.
–  James Duthoit

Longtime readers may recall that Shostakovich is one of my favorite composers, but I was unfamiliar with this piece until it was recently shared by Mike Siegel.  The links above it were provided by Franklin Harris (x2), Nun Ya, T. Greg Doucette (x2), IncarcerNation, and Missy Mariposa, in that order.

From the Archives

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

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