Category Archives: Abuse of Power

March 8, 2026 · 1:00 am

Parental Rights

Mother, father, and child, Source https://pxhere.com/tr/photo/1445573, Author @mohamed hassan (CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)

The US Supreme Court has handed down a significant decision in Mirabelli v. Bonda reaffirming parental rights [1][2].

California law had required that schools effectively mislead parents about their children’s gender presentation, withholding information from parents as to their children’s use of preferred pronouns at school.  California viewed such disclosure as “forced outing” – as if the state had a greater interest in the welfare of children than their own parents [3].

The US Supreme Court ruling upheld the constitutional rights of parents to freely exercise their religion and direct the upbringing and education of their children [4][5].

In a related decision, Regino v. Staley, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last year pointed out that although the right of parents to make decisions for their children is not unbounded, the inquiry in cases of substantive due process is “whether the asserted fundamental right is objectively, deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition, and implicit in the concept of ordered liberty, such that neither liberty nor justice would exist if it was sacrificed [6].”

The existence of the family could hardly be more fundamental, and long predated the existence of the state.

Continue reading →

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February 15, 2026 · 1:00 am

How Tech Giants Delay Child Abuse and Drug Investigations

US police confirm that Meta and Snapchat (parent company Snap Inc.) routinely delay or reject subpoenas and warrants [1A].  These tech giants frequently fail to provide law enforcement with critical information in a timely manner, and fail to take timely action against unlawful activity on their platforms.

This greatly hinders investigations in child abuse, sex trafficking, and drug cases.

Obtaining a response of any kind may require repeated requests and take weeks or months.  Even then the response is often incomplete.  Warrants have been rejected for technical errors as small as the misplacement of a dash or comma.

“Every day of delay puts a child at risk. It can exacerbate damage and even cost lives. We can’t afford to let the delays continue [1B].”

— Shawnna Hoffman, Chief Exec. of International Center for Missing and Exploited Children

While Meta contends that it produced data in 88% of the nearly 75,000 requests it received from authorities between July and December 2024, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children has called for clearer rules and faster processes. Continue reading →

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January 18, 2026 · 1:00 am

Chocolate

Chocolate fudge cake, Urban Diner, Edmonton, Canada, Author Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

Chocolate is a pure delight.  But there is a bitter truth behind the sweet taste.  Child labor is heavily involved in cocoa product [1][2][3].

Multiple human rights organizations confirm that over 1.5 million children in West Africa work under hazardous conditions to produce cocoa.  Many of these children are the victims of forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery.  They are deprived of an education, and exposed to dangerous chemicals and equipment.

This exploitation is ongoing despite the public pledges made by major chocolate companies over the past 20 years to eliminate child labor from their supply chains.  Some of the most recognizable chocolate brands still associated with unethical practices include:  Hershey’s Chocolate; Nestle’s Chocolate (Kit Kat, Butterfinger); Mars Chocolate (M&M’s, Snickers, Twix); Ferrero (Nutella, Kinder); and Mondelez (Toblerone, Cadbury). Continue reading →

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December 28, 2025 · 1:00 am

Editing the Human Genome

Double helix of DNA biochemistry, Author brian0918&#153 (PD)

Editing the human genome is no longer beyond the realm of possibility.  To the contrary, it represents the frontier of medicine, promising a golden future without heritable disease or genetic defects.  The question is:  at what cost to human rights?

Human genome editing takes two forms:  somatic genome editing (which modifies non-reproductive cells) and germline genome editing (which modifies reproductive cells, including sperm and egg cells, and can be passed on to future generations) [1A].

Somatic Gene Editing

Somatic gene editing is viewed as less controversial, since it cannot be passed on.  The United States, the United Kingdom, and China have all permitted clinical trials involving somatic editing to treat cancer, sickle cell anemia, and other genetic diseases [1B].

Germline Gene Editing

No country has yet approved germline genetic editing, although twins whose germline had been modified using the genetic cut-copy-paste technology known by the acronym CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) were born in China in 2018 [1C][2A]. 

A majority of the European Union has ratified the Oviedo Convention which prohibits heritable gene editing in humans [1D].  Germany, Canada, and Australia have adopted similar prohibitions [1E].  

There is a strong possibility that these bans will eventually be lifted for therapeutic purposes, though there is no current agreement on what qualifies as “therapeutic”.  There is an equal chance that access to germline genetic editing will at some point be characterized as a legal “right” [6A].

In the United States, law currently prohibits the use of federal funds on human germline gene therapy [2B].  However, there are no protocols or restrictions for human genomic engineering [2C]. 

Recently, a startup named Preventive was identified as attempting to engineer the first genetically modified baby outside China [3].  This is not surprising, since Do-It-Yourself CRISPR kits are actually available online [6B]. Continue reading →

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September 28, 2025 · 1:00 am

Passage to Marseille

“Passage to Marseille” film poster, Copyright believed owned by Warner Bros. which produced and distributed the film, Source=http://www.dvdbeaver.com/FILM/DVDReviews25/passage_to_marseille.htm |Portion=All |Low_resolution=Yes |Purpose=Used i

There is an old Humphrey Bogart movie called Passage to Marseille. Set in WWII, the film was released in 1944, when the outcome of the war was still in doubt.  France, at the time, was still under the Vichy government which had collaborated with the Nazis.

The character Bogie plays – a journalist imprisoned for opposing the Nazis, who later becomes an airman fighting them – dies at the end.  But a moving letter written to his young son is read beside his grave.  This is the letter.

“My dear son, today you are five years old, and your father has never seen you.  But someday, in a better world, he will.  I write you of that day. 

Together we walk, hand in hand.  We walk, and we look.  Some of the things we see are wonderful, and some are terrible.  On a green stretch of ground are 10,000 graves, and you feel hatred welling up in your heart.  This was.  But it will never be again. 

The world has been cured since your father treated that terrible abscess on it with iron and fire.  And there were millions of healers who worked with him to make sure there would be no recurrence.  That deadly conflict was waged to decide your future. 

Your friends did not spare themselves, and were ruthless to your foes.  You are the heir of what your father and your friends won for you with their blood.  From their hands you have received the flag of happiness and freedom. 

My son, be the standard bearer of the great age they have made possible.  It would be too tragic if the men of good will should ever be lax or fail again to build a world where youth may love without fear, and where parents may grow old with their children who are men who will be worthy of each other’s faith. 

Take care of your mother, Jean.  I hold you in my arms.  I kiss you both.  May God keep you and love you, as I do.  Good night and au revoir, til our work is finished.  And until I see you remember this:  France lives.  Vive la France!”

We are supposed to have built that better world.  But the sin nature of mankind never changes.  Darkness is again rising.  And evil takes many forms.

For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must not give up the fight.  It may not require iron and fire of us.  While we have breath, however, we must strive with all our might to teach them right from wrong, and truth from lies.  Flawed as we all are.

Only when Christ returns will the work be finished.

—

[1]  Wikipedia, “Passage to Marseille”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_to_Marseille. 

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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August 10, 2025 · 1:00 am

In the Company of the Elite

Jeffrey Epstein mugshot (2013), Source https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/CallImage?imgID=1665905 (PD as work product of the State of Florida)

The scandal involving Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced former financier and convicted sex offender, has broadened to include a large number of powerful and well-known individuals [1].  Epstein (who trafficked young girls with the help of Ghislaine Maxwell) regularly kept company with politicians, filmmakers, journalists, scientists, comedians, intellectuals, and royalty.

We may be shocked to learn these names, and appalled at the behavior exhibited.  We should not be surprised that the so called “elite” suffer from the very same sin nature common to all mankind.  Wealth may disguise that fact; power may effectively keep secrets from the public.  But the stain remains.

Undoubtedly, there are varying degrees of guilt.  Some will claim they never knew what went on.  Others will claim they knew, but did not participate.  Still others will simply deny everything.

God knows the whole story, whether we ever will or not.

—

[1]  The Guardian, “Epstein scandal broadens as trove of letters from famous figures published” by Anna Betts, 8/5/25, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/05/jeffrey-epstein-letters-photos.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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June 29, 2025 · 1:00 am

The Bunny Ranch – Prostitution Exposed

“The Damned” by Luca Signorelli (1499-1502), Chapel of San Brizio, Orvieto, Source Web Gallery of Art (PD)

The A&E Network has been running a series titled “Secrets of the Bunny Ranch”, an expose of legalized prostitution at the infamous Bunny Ranch in Nevada.  Episodes can be viewed online at https://www.aetv.com/shows/secrets-of-the-bunny-ranch.

Marketing v. Reality

Some years ago HBO aired a puff piece on the Bunny Ranch titled “Cathouse:  The Series” [1].  Presented as a documentary, this was essentially a marketing and recruitment device which portrayed brothel life as fun, lucrative, and safe.  Nothing could have been further from the truth.

By contrast, the A&E series examines the sordid underbelly of prostitution:  the grooming, the trafficking, the rape, the drugs, the violence, the financial irregularity, and the law enforcement corruption. 

Virgins are auctioned off to the highest bidder.  Pregnant women are offered for sale by the hour to those with a fetish for them.  Sex workers are regularly abused, and kept in permanent debt bondage.

Many prostitutes already have a history of childhood abuse and/or domestic violence.  They are already wounded, their choices severely limited. Continue reading →

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June 15, 2025 · 1:00 am

CSAM Apps – Monetizing the Sexual Exploitation of Children Online, Part 2

The sale of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) has spawned a highly lucrative industry. Social media platforms have overlooked this in the interest of profit.  An internal survey conducted at Meta indicated 13% of users between the ages of 13 and 15 receive at least one sexual solicitation per week [1A]. 

In 2023 NHK News partnered with Tansa to investigate Album Collection (a photos sharing app available in Japan that once topped Apple’s App Store in sales) [1B].  Album Collection was self-described as a tool for sharing family memories and graduation trip photos.  In fact, it offered over a thousand items of child pornography for sale. 

Identifying the true owner/operator of Album Collection proved extremely difficult [2].  But the money trail leading to social media platforms like Apple and Google was clear [1C]. 

An item of CSAM was posted to the app, and assigned a password which could be obtained for a price.  Viewers of the app were then provided a key for $1.10.  The original poster received $0.10 of this amount.  The app owner/operator received the remaining $1.  However, fully $0.30 of that $1 was routed to the social media platform. 

Other CSAM apps operate in similar fashion. Assuming the financial arrangement is comparable, some 30% of the billions in profits from child pornography go directly to social media platforms like Meta.  Meanwhile, when one CSAM app is taken down, others rapidly take its place. Continue reading →

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June 8, 2025 · 1:00 am

CSAM Apps – Monetizing the Sexual Exploitation of Children Online, Part 1

Image “facebook testify zuckerberg”, Author <a href=”http://www.thoughtcatalog.com” rel=”noreferrer nofollow”>www.thoughtcatalog.com</a> (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

“Underlying every sexually explicit image or video of a child is abuse, rape, molestation, and/or exploitation. The production of CSAM creates a permanent record of the child’s victimization.”

-US Dept. of Justice [1A]

The US Dept. of Justice defines Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor under the age of 18, in other words, child pornography [1B].  Visual depictions would include photos, videos, live streaming, and digital or computer generated images (including AI-generated content) indistinguishable from an actual minor [2].

Scope 

Due to rapid technological changes, online child sexual exploitation is daily increasing in scale and complexity [1C].  The violence and sadistic content depicted in CSAM have increased as well [1D].

Child pornography is readily available through virtually every internet technology, including social networking platforms, file-sharing sites, gaming devices, and mobile apps [1E]. 

On the Dark Web, where anonymity and encryption make it more difficult to trace perpetrators, a single active website dedicated to the sexual abuse of children had over 2.5 million registered users as of 2021 [1F].  The same year the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received nearly 30 million reports of suspected online child exploitation [1G]. 

Smartphones

Modern smartphones are the ideal child exploitation tool for offenders [1H].  Smartphones can be used to photograph, record, or watch live child sexual abuse.  They can both store child pornography, and access such stored pornography remotely.  They can connect to other offenders worldwide to receive or distribute child pornography, through an ever expanding variety of apps. Continue reading →

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May 4, 2025 · 1:00 am

Barred from School

Young Afghan girl coloring at Bagram Air Field on International Women’s Day, Source https://www.dvidshub.net/, Author Spc. Kristina Gupton (PD as work of US federal govt.)

Afghanistan is the only nation where women and girls are barred from secondary and higher education. 

According to a January 2025 report by the Afghanistan Centre for Human Rights, Islamic madrasas (which focus on religious education) are being used to indoctrinate the women and girls seeking whatever limited education they may obtain there [1].  Textbooks approved by the Taliban promote its political and military goals, along with enforcing wearing of the hijab. 

A few madrasas do now teach languages, mathematics, geography, chemistry, and physics.  However, all medical training for women has been banned, including midwifery and first aid.

—

[1]  BBC, “Teenage Afghan girls were banned from school – now these classes are their only option” by Mahjooba Nowrouzi, 3/24/25, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c36wyzl3n00o?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us.

The “Take It Down” Act has been passed, making the non-consensual publishing or posting of intimate imagery involving deepfakes or revenge porn a federal crime.

See, https://apnews.com/article/take-it-down-deepfake-trump-melania-first-amendment-741a6e525e81e5e3d8843aac20de8615.

…

Actor/comedian/podcaster Brandon Russell has been charged with oral rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault in the UK stemming from incidents involving 4 different women alleged to have occurred between 1999 and 2005. 

A civil suit has, also, been brought against Russell in the US for alleged sexual assault on the set of the film “Arthur” in 2011.

See, https://abcnews.go.com/International/russell-brand-charged-rape/story?id=120485133 and https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/nov/04/russell-brand-faces-sexual-assault-lawsuit-in-new-york for details.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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