The Honest Courtesan

The administration wants to get as much data as it can, however it can, whenever it can.  –  Justin Levitt

The Last Shall Be First (#1495)

It only starts with demonized minorities:

The Trump [regime] is making it more difficult for [male] veterans with…breast cancer [to get care for the deadly disease]…a Department of Veterans Affairs memo…does not cite any…science.  Rather, it [quotes the mad emperor’s opinion] that [real men can’t get]…breast cancer…veterans who’ve previously qualified for coverage can keep it.  But…the roughly 100 male veterans who are newly diagnosed each year…will have to [somehow prove] their cancer was connected to their military service, a burden that has often been hard to meet…even [though] the rate of breast cancer among men has been increasing and the disease is deadlier than for women…and…research has linked breast cancer to toxic exposure…three years ago, [Congress made] it easier for veterans poisoned by Agent Orange and other toxic substances to get benefits…[but] Trump…[declared] that male veterans who get breast cancer will no longer be able to benefit from that…[absurdly justifying it by barfing] “Biden”…

Banishment (#1533)

The state uses bogus excuses to cram people into dungeons they will never leave:

…about 6,300 Americans [are condemned to so-called “civil commitment”] nationwide…Few of these men—and they are nearly all men—have any hope of leaving…About 1 percent to 5 percent of sex offenders are civilly committed after serving their designated prison sentences [instead of] being sent home…Civil commitment is an outgrowth of the sexual psychopath laws that emerged in the 1930s.  These laws indefinitely committed people labeled “mentally disordered sex offenders”…for consensual sex acts considered normal today: oral, anal, or same-sex sex.  A person didn’t even have to be convicted of a crime…In 1977, the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry published a report [demonstrat]ing…that civil commitment wasn’t an effective…ethical [or Constitutional] treatment, which led most of these laws to be overturned…[yet many such] schemes are [still around, and many came back in the 1990s despite clearly being] illegal…P[oliticians] justify civil commitment by arguing that SVPs are more dangerous to society than other criminals…but that’s [demonstrably un]true…Prison is arguably more humane [because]…at least prisoners know if and when they are supposed to get out…

I Saw My Brain (#1541)

Another reminder that Grady Judd is an utterly loathsome excuse for a human:

A Florida woman is suing [psychopathic] sheriff…[Grady Judd for forcing]…her [to] write an apology letter to…her [rapist]…Taylor Cadle…[was accused by] Judd and [a sow named] Melissa Turnage…of lying…[about] her adoptive father…Henry Cadle, [who] has since been convicted of [repeatedly raping]…her between the ages of 9 and 13, after she [was handed into his clutches]…from foster care…in 2012…she initially did not report him for fear that she would [again] be [condemned to] foster care…[but] in July 2016, [she confided in] a church member…who…reported the [abuse] to [pigs] at the…Sheriff’s Office…[who had already decided she was lying before] interview[ing the rapist]…she was pressured by Henry’s wife into pleading guilty to [making false accusations], and was made to write apology notes to Henry and the p[igs] as part of her probation…[but the now-emboldened rapist continued] to [rape her, so she]…secretly recorded his abuse…[and] showed…[it to leering cops], which resulted in his arrest and conviction…[Judd called] the lawsuit…a publicity stunt…

When will Polk County voters tire of paying the many lawsuits that are filed against this cretin every year?

The Punitive Mindset (#1554) 

Fascism in action:

The [FCC] sets a maximum price that [fascist crony corporations] can [gou]ge [prisoners] for phone calls.  During the Obama and Biden administrations, it lowered the cap for prisons over time, to about 90 cents for a 15-minute call in a proposal the F.C.C. approved last year.  But the [Trumpist-infested] agency [has now] voted…to raise that cap to roughly $1.65.  The change may seem small…but the [US prison population is so large, the higher] rates [increase the profits of fascist telecom companies] by a total of $386 million a year…The change also matters to…state and local governments that…receive significant…kickbacks.  [Trump henchman] Brendan Carr [justified the graft by absurdly belching]…“safety and security”…Six states…now offer free phone calls…But [sleazier] states, like Oklahoma and Florida, [keep] rates…close to the current regulated maximum…

Enshittification (#1557)  

Unless a counterweapon becomes available, the internet will soon be unusable:

…Doublespeed…[is] a startup operating a phone farm to flood social media with [computer]-generated slop…phone farming is…most often used by hackers and financial criminals to use large numbers of devices to send spam texts, farm social media engagement, or generate fake reviews…the fledgling company…[claims] it…[make]s this [harassment technique more effective by] “instrumented human action,” a fancy phrase meaning the company’s phone bots will somehow [circumvent anti-spam]…algorithms [such as Captcha]…The [scheme] is backed by…Andreessen Horowitz…and…is obviously a violation of the terms of agreement for the top social media platforms…though it’s becoming increasingly…clear…these platforms are [not] interested in actually enforcing policies against spam bots.  Users on each site have grown more and more frustrated lately as…bot accounts are allowed to infest every last corner of the internet, an issue…tech critic Cory Doctorow calls “platform decay“…

I Spy (#1558)

If you think this will go away when Trump does, you are a fool:

[DHS]…intends to add state driver’s license information to a swiftly expanding federal system envisioned as a one-stop shop for [surveil]ing citizens…The plan…is the latest step in an [illegal] Trump [regime scheme] to pool confidential data from varied sources that it [openly admits] will [be used to persecute] noncitizens…[harass legal] immigra[nts] and [destroy the mad emperor’s ideological enemies]…DHS [has already] added…Social Security data…passport and visa information…[IRS and Medicaid information, bank account information, medical records, and more, but] state driver’s license databases often include a variety of sensitive information on drivers, including place of birth, passport number, biometrics, address, email and employment information…[opening the door] to citizens being [targeted in any way government spooks, goons, and thugs desire]…Advocacy groups have sued the federal government [because] the pooling of data…[blatantly] violates the Privacy Act…

Panopticon (#1584)

When cops have universal warrantless surveillance, they use it to frame people:

On Sept. 27, Chrisanna Elser…[was falsely accused of robbery by] Jamie Milliman, a…Columbine [Colorado cop]…who…[pretended it was credible to accuse a female] financial planner in her 40s…[of stealing a $25 package from a stranger’s porch.  The town of] Bow Mar…population…900…use[s a network of] Flock [Fascism] cameras to track vehicles as they pass through town…[justifying the warrantless] privacy [invasion by belching out the magic word “]criminal[“]…Milliman [blatant]ly [lied to]…Elser…[apparently believing] he [could bully her into confessing to]…the [crime by pretending to have “evidence” yet moronically]…refus[ing] to [produce it unless]…she [confessed before seeing it]…Elser [fought fire with fire, obtaining]…surveillance images from [her] tailor…and…her…electric truck…a theft allegation could damage or derail her career in financial services…[but cops and politicians kept trying to ruin her life, so] she…compiled her evidence into a voluminous Google Drive folder…drafted a 7-page affidavit…and…sent [it] to the [boss hog.  Confronted by reality]…the [government had little choice but to abandon the attack]…but there was no apology or explanation…[so] she’s considering suing…

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