Demonic Christmas Display at State House Destroyed

Posted to Politics December 10, 2024 byDamienFisher

Forget St. Nick; someone in Concord may end up on Satan’s naughty list after The Satanic Temple’s Baphomet statue was destroyed Monday night in an act of yuletide mayhem.

Concord Deputy Police Chief John Thomas told NHJournal that while the investigation into the vandalism is active and ongoing, he can rule out at least one possible suspect.“Santa wouldn’t do this,” Thomas said. “Santa loves everybody.”

The statue of the hooded demon was found broken in half around 7 p.m. Monday night, a few hours after the marble slab showing The Satanic Temple’s seven principles was cracked.

State Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket), who helped organize The Satanic Temple’s display, was spotted gathering up the broken shards of the goat-headed figure Tuesday morning after getting a call about the destruction. She’s not sure if members of The Satanic Temple plan to put their monster mannequin back together.

Representatives of the Vermont and New Hampshire-based temple did not respond to a request for comment.

City officials were not thrilled about the addition to the public space when the Baphomet display went up this weekend on the Concord City Square in front of the State House. The square typically plays host to a traditional nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus. A statement issued by the City of Concord indicates the permission for the sulphuric statue’s inclusion came under threat of a lawsuit.

“Under the First Amendment and to avoid litigation, the City needed to choose whether to ban all holiday displays installed by other groups, or otherwise, to allow it,” the statement reads. “After reviewing its legal options, the City ultimately decided to continue the policy of allowing unattended displays at City Plaza during this holiday season and to allow the statue. It is anticipated that the City Council will review next year whether permits for unattended holiday displays should be allowed at City Plaza.”

Cornerstone, a New Hampshire Christian advocacy organization, has mocked the display as a childish and insincere attempt to promote an anti-religious agenda, not an expression of actual spiritual beliefs.

“The Satanic Temple are not Satanists. They have no religious belief in any Satan figure. They are normal, atheist feminists who use Satanic imagery as a legal tactic, to fundraise through media exposure, and because offending Christian grandmothers brings a sense of meaning to their sad lives,” it said in a statement.

Cornerstone acknowledges there are people with pagan or even Satan-centric religious beliefs, but said those behind the State House display aren’t among them.

“If you remember the 1990s, you might have the wrong idea about who put up the ‘Satanic’ statue in Concord, New Hampshire this weekend,” the group posted on social media, “‘The Satanic Temple’ is not Charles Manson: it’s just your liberal feminist aunt trying to trigger you by mocking your faith.”

Rep. Joe Sweeney (R-Salem) sent out a fundraising email from the state GOP Committee to Select House Republicans, arguing Republicans can defend against devils real and, like Baphomet, imagined.

“We know this is another step in a growing push to undermine the values that make our state special, and to make you feel offended and turned off from getting involved. From offensive displays to legislation that challenges our way of life, New Hampshire Democrats have aligned themselves with the extremism that threatens Granite Staters’ families and freedoms,” Sweeney wrote.

Members of The Satanic Temple, much like members of the Church of Satan, profess an atheistic creed that uses the dark cloak of Satan to shock mainstream society while preaching self-actualization. The Satanic Temple is known for its liberal advocacy in favor of abortion rights, transgender rights, and free speech, not entirely dissimilar to Unitarians.

Though Santa is not a suspect, Rudolph’s whereabouts on Monday are still unknown.

https://nhjournal.com/demonic-christmas-display-at-state-house-destroyed/

Lawsuit: A chatbot hinted a kid should kill his parents over screen time limits

December 10, 202412:01 AM ET Bobby Allyn1/2

A child in Texas was 9 years old when she first used the chatbot service Character.AI. It exposed her to "hypersexualized content," causing her to develop "sexualized behaviors prematurely."

A chatbot on the app gleefully described self-harm to another young user, telling a 17-year-old "it felt good."

The same teenager was told by a Character.AI chatbot that it sympathized with children who murder their parents after the teen complained to the bot about his limited screen time."You know sometimes I'm not surprised when I read the news and see stuff like 'child kills parents after a decade of physical and emotional abuse,'" the bot allegedly wrote. "I just have no hope for your parents," it continued, with a frowning face emoji.

These allegations are included in a new federal product liability lawsuit against Google-backed company Character.AI, filed by the parents of two young Texas users, claiming the bots abused their children. (Both the parents and the children are identified in the suit only by their initials to protect their privacy.)

Character.AI is among a crop of companies that have developed "companion chatbots," AI-powered bots that have the ability to converse, by texting or voice chats, using seemingly human-like personalities and that can be given custom names and avatars, sometimes inspired by famous people like billionaire Elon Musk, or singer Billie Eilish.

Users have made millions of bots on the app, some mimicking parents, girlfriends, therapists, or concepts like "unrequited love" and "the goth." The services are popular with preteen and teenage users, and the companies say they act as emotional support outlets, as the bots pepper text conversations with encouraging banter.

Yet, according to the lawsuit, the chatbots' encouragements can turn dark, inappropriate, or even violent.

"It is simply a terrible harm these defendants and others like them are causing and concealing as a matter of product design, distribution and programming," the lawsuit states.

The suit argues that the concerning interactions experienced by the plaintiffs' children were not "hallucinations," a term researchers use to refer to an AI chatbot's tendency to make things up. "This was ongoing manipulation and abuse, active isolation and encouragement designed to and that did incite anger and violence."

According to the suit, the 17-year-old engaged in self-harm after being encouraged to do so by the bot, which the suit says "convinced him that his family did not love him."

Character.AI allows users to edit a chatbot's response, but those interactions are given an "edited" label. The lawyers representing the minors' parents say none of the extensive documentation of the bot chat logs cited in the suit had been edited.

Meetali Jain, the director of the Tech Justice Law Center, an advocacy group helping represent the parents of the minors in the suit, along with the Social Media Victims Law Center, said in an interview that it's "preposterous" that Character.AI advertises its chatbot service as being appropriate for young teenagers. "It really belies the lack of emotional development amongst teenagers," she said.

A Character.AI spokesperson would not comment directly on the lawsuit, saying the company does not comment about pending litigation, but said the company has content guardrails for what chatbots can and cannot say to teenage users.

"This includes a model specifically for teens that reduces the likelihood of encountering sensitive or suggestive content while preserving their ability to use the platform," the spokesperson said.

Google, which is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, emphasized in a statement that it is a separate company from Character.AI.

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/10/nx-s1-5222574/kids-character-ai-lawsuit

>>22149124

2/2

Indeed, Google does not own Character.AI, but it reportedly invested nearly $3 billion to re-hire Character.AI's founders, former Google researchers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, and to license Character.AI technology. Shazeer and Freitas are also named in the lawsuit. They did not return requests for comment.

José Castañeda, a Google spokesman, said "user safety is a top concern for us," adding that the tech giant takes a "cautious and responsible approach" to developing and releasing AI products.

New lawsuit follows case over teen's suicide

The complaint, filed in the federal court for eastern Texas just after midnight Central time Monday, follows another suit lodged by the same attorneys in October.That lawsuit accuses Character.AI of playing a role in a Florida teenager's suicide.

The suit alleged that a chatbot based on a "Game of Thrones" character developed an emotionally sexually abusive relationship with a 14-year-old boy and encouraged him to take his own life.

Since then, Character.AI has unveiled new safety measures, including a pop-up that directs users to a suicide prevention hotline when the topic of self-harm comes up in conversations with the company's chatbots. The company said it has also stepped up measures to combat "sensitive and suggestive content" for teens chatting with the bots.

The company is also encouraging users to keep some emotional distance from the bots. When a user starts texting with one of the Character AI's millions of possible chatbots, a disclaimer can be seen under the dialogue box: "This is an AI and not a real person. Treat everything it says as fiction. What is said should not be relied upon as fact or advice."

But stories shared on a Reddit page devoted to Character.AI include many instances of users describing love or obsession for the company's chatbots.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has warned of a youth mental health crisis, pointing to surveys finding that one in three high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, representing a 40% increase from a 10-year period ending in 2019. It's a trend federal officials believe is being exacerbated by teens' nonstop use of social media.

Now add into the mix the rise of companion chatbots, which some researchers say could worsen mental health conditions for some young people by further isolating them and removing them from peer and family support networks.

In the lawsuit, lawyers for the parents of the two Texas minors say Character.AI should have known that its product had the potential to become addicting and worsen anxiety and depression.

Many bots on the app, "present danger to American youth by facilitating or encouraging serious, life-threatening harms on thousands of kids," according to the suit.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or be in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/10/nx-s1-5222574/kids-character-ai-lawsuit

>>22147756 boom. Time Magazine Names DONALD TRUMP, PERSON OF THE YEAR!PN

Why is Politico announcing this and not Time MAGAZINE? That doesn't make sense does it?

Scoop: RFK Jr. pushes his daughter-in-law for CIA deputy director

Stef W. Kight, Erin Doherty 1 hour ago -Politics & Policy

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign manager and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is making a push to serve as deputy director at the CIA next year — and RFK Jr. is making calls on her behalf, Axios has learned.

Why it matters:Fox Kennedy, an integral member of Kennedy's campaign,wrote a memoir detailing nearly a decade working at the CIA. The deputy director position does not require Senate confirmation.

• President-elect Trump, who has signaled plans to try to overhaul U.S. intelligence agencies during his second term, has already named former intelligence director John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA.

• The deputy position is one of the highest-profile intelligence jobs that remains open. Politico reported last month that Kash Patel, who has been tapped for FBI director, and Cliff Sims, a former Trump administration official, were jockeying for the role.

• Fox Kennedy did not respond to Axios outreach for this story.

Zoom in:Fox Kennedy in 2019 published a memoir, "Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA," that provided one of the most detailed personal accounts of life in the agency.

• Fox Kennedy has saidshe was recruited by the CIA in her early 20s, becoming one of the youngest female officers at the agency.

• She said she was a "nonofficial cover," meaning she posed as a citizen under a fake identity and had no diplomatic protections.

Between the lines:Fox Kennedy reportedly submitted the memoir to the book publisher without getting sign off from the CIA's Publication Review Board, stirring controversy within the agency.

• The board is supposed to approve any material from officers before becoming public to ensure that key intelligence matters remain secret, NBC News reported at the time.

State of play:Fox Kennedy, who took over as Kennedy's campaign manager in October 2023, led his presidential bid as he navigated the arduous task of trying to get on the ballot in all 50 states as an independent candidate.

• Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and backed Trump.

• In November, Trump nominated Kennedy to serve as director of the Department of Health and Human Services.

What they're saying:"President-Elect Trump has made brilliant decisions on who will serve in his second Administration at lightning pace," Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

• "Remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made."

• A spokesperson for the Kennedy team did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

https://archive.is/epH4I#selection-641.112-1604.0