Slovenian criminologists made it clear that they understand a simple concept that many Americans might agree with, assuming they consider it, "Politicians have learnt that crime and especially fear of crime is also helpful to follow their own interests: to be elected again." (On Crime Policy, Crime Control and Crime Prevention–Slovenian Perspectives by Gorazd Meško and Helmut Kury)

As I pointed out in my previous post "Democrats do a bad job on crime; Republicans and the Media are worse" Slovenia is one of the European countries with murder rates less than one per hundred thousand, at only .7, compared to the United States rate of 4.7. Their criminologists may not spell the same way we do but their efforts to address crime seem to be working better than ours, for one reason or another. They also have incarceration rates that are less than one tenth of the rates in the United States.

As I indicated in the previous post one of the states with the lowest murder rates is Vermont, which probably has the most active grass roots political organization in the country. Vermont has had an active Progressive Party where citizens have been active at the grass roots level for quite some time now. Minnesota and Maine are also among the states with the lowest murder rates and they have had active grass roots organizations as well.

I'm not aware of a scientific study that indicates that these grass roots organizations are the cause of their low crime rates but it doesn't take much thinking about the details behind some of them to come to the conclusion that it is virtually guaranteed that they are. Another major contributing factor is almost certainly that the states with the lowest crime rates are mostly rural states without abandoned inner cites. In most cases these areas are more likely to have active grass roots organizations and people are more likely to know people in their own neighborhoods.

It is virtually guaranteed that these reasons do more to keep crime down than politicians lock them up and throw away the key crime policies, which appeal to emotions but have major problems and don't work.

Large cities typically have bigger crime problems but a review of United States cities by crime rate indicates that a few of them with the most progressive political organizations also have some of the lowest crime rates, especially compared to other cities. Only twenty out of seventy-four of the largest cities with populations above 250,000 have below average murder rates. Only one out of the ten states with over one million people in it has below average crime rates; and most of the others have significantly higher crime rates.

The one city over one million is San Diego, which is probably the most progressive of the ten largest cities. Seattle Washington and Portland Oregon are among the cities with the strongest grass roots political organization in the country; Seattle recently elected one of the few socialists, Kshama Sawant, to local office and they have among the lowest crime rates for large cities. Madison Wisconsin doesn't quite have enough people to cross the 250,000 mark for this list of large cities but it is only 10,000 short and it has well below average murder rates and this is where David Couper, who wrote Hazing and Bullying in the Police Academy was police chief for twenty years.

However contrary to what many people have been led to believe the police are almost certainly not the most effective crime preventors at all. The most effective way to prevent crime involves finding the contributing causes of crime and preventing those before it becomes necessary to call in the police. This is almost certainly a major part of the reason why cities and states with stronger grass roots organizations participating in politics often have lower crime rates; assuming they pursue the right policies at the grass roots levels. There are a lot of southern cities and states that pursue the politically popular policies of "lock them up and throw away the key" but they have some of the highest crime rates including murder in the country. However even in the South there are some exceptions; in Austin and El Paso Texas they both have well below average murder rates, especially for large cities in the south.

However a relatively quick search of the internet is enough to see that it appears they might have more progressive grass roots efforts than the majority of the south.

Perhaps one of the best recent examples where grass roots efforts have succeed in dramatically bringing down crime rates is Richmond, California where they elected Gayle McLaughlin, one of the few Green Party candidates, thanks to a strong grass roots effort; and some of the same grass roots efforts appear to be contributing to numerous other improvements, including standing up to corporate corruption and efforts to address the root causes of crime, not just punish people after the fact.

In addition to some of the usual problems for large cities, like home foreclosures, and lack of funds for eduction, Richmond also has had major problems with Chevron's oil refinery and the pollution it has brought especially when there have been explosions or other disasters. This ahs finally spurred many people to stand up to a lot of the corporate corruption and it has helped bring down their crime, as indicated in several articles including the following.



Right or wrong the media often picks up on the most dramatic aspect of events, whether it is crime prevention or anything else; and this is no exception as indicated by the following article that puts emphasis on efforts "Paying People Not to Kill," which also creates what many people may consider shock value that tehy wouldn't go for. However they're doing something right and it is worth, at least considering if this is part of it.



Not surprisingly there are people, like Courtland "Corky" Boozé, that think that this program isn't what is bringing the crime rate down; and they might be right. However unless their sure it probably wouldn't be in there best interest to end it too soon especially since it will almost certainly be phased out anyway. The program officially cuts off when they're 25, although they try to keep in touch anyway even if there aren't more payments. And on top of that if it doesn't continue to keep bringing crime rates down then there would be no reason to keep it; but if it does then presumably their would be fewer troubled kids in the long run that would be eligible for the payments anyway.

One other important factor that should be kept in mind is that low crime rates require a functional economic and social system, which many abandoned inner cities don't have. This isn't unique to abandoned inner cities; it is a global problem.

Off the coast of the Horn of Africa there ahve been numerous stories about problems with piracy and kidnapping for ransom. What these stories rarely ever mention is what happened prior to these events and the fact that many of the pirates are former fisherman that can no longer earn a living that way. The reason for this is because large corporations have over fished the area with industrial fishing operations and at the same time other large corporations have polluted the area making it less capable of supporting fish.

That part of the story is almost never mentioned by the traditional news media nor do they mention that they're doing something similar when they cram large number of African Americans in inner cities with little or no education or employment opportunities.

This virtually guarantees high crime rates but the impact by decisions made by politicians is rarely explained by the media to the public.

Benjamin, a student cited by Jonathan Kozal gets right to this point when he says, "Put them over there in a big housing project. Pack them tight. Don’t think about them. Keep your hands clean. Maybe they'll kill each other off." (Jonathan Kozol “Amazing Grace” 1995 p.40-1)

In the long run continuing this drop in crime and keeping it down will have to break the cycle and create a functioning economic, social and political system that functions properly and Richmond seems to being doing this in several other ways that may not seem related to reducing crime including their efforts to stand up to corporations foreclosing on homes, stop Chevrons polluting, and stand up to the expansion of charter schools that have been proven not to work and often involve an attempt to control the education system by corporations with little or no local control.

One of the most important conclusions some of my past posts on preventing crime, and at least one or two of my future posts, is that preventing white collar crime of numerous kinds will help prevent blue collar crime. For one thing white collar crime does an enormous amount to increase poverty and this is a major contributing cause to crime; and some other types of white collar crime, like gambling, also increase crime in other ways. Unlike most other politicians Gayle McLaughlin really does seem to be doing this as indicated in numerous stories including, Richmond, California Mayor Occupies Wall Street. She has also indicated that she is not willing to go along with corporate attempts to increase their control of the educations system in a letter supporting Oakland's mayor for not joining the so-called race to the top, Mayor McLaughlin of Richmond, CA objects to RTTT; and other grass roots efforts have indicated that the citizens don't support corporate take over of their schools either, Proposed charter school in Richmond, CA sparks heated debate

In New England we have a major Democratic candidate for governor spending an enormous amount of money to tell the public that she is standing up to big banks and powerful corporations; however I have no idea what she is actually doing or where she gets the money to buy all the propaganda telling us she will help us. As far as I can tell the best reason to vote for her is that her Republican opponent would be even worse, assuming you accept the false claim that we can only chose between the Democratic candidate sponsored by corporations or the Republican candidate also sponsored by some of the same corporations instead of the independent candidates that the media tells us don't have a chance.

To the best of my knowledge Mayor McLaughlin isn't spending so much money to tell her constitutes that she will represent them but she seems to be doing more to demonstrate it with her actions, and although they still have a long way to go they're going in the right direction. They could also be demonstrating for many other large cities methods that would be much more effective than going along with the traditional tactics promoted by the media and the political establishment.

These grass roots efforts that have much more impact on reducing crime are rarely ever mentioned by the media. Instead they give traditional politicians plenty of time to promote their policies; occasionally echoing the ideas that come from the grass roots level if that is what it takes to get elected. On the rare occasion that a real grass roots candidate gets elected the traditional media only pays attention that the local level; otherwise other people might get the idea they can elect their own candidates as well.

(This is part of a series of posts exploring the root causes of violent crime and ways to recognize and prevent them. Past posts on the subject include Ignored evidence linking corporal punishment, poverty and crime grows;Does lack of education increase violent crime? Religion?;How does gambling and gun control impact violent crime?;Politics, not technology, caused botched executions;Wal-Mart crime: Rolling Back Safety more than prices?;States with high murder rates have larger veteran populations; Teach a soldier to kill and he just might;How much does Income Inequality Affects Crime Rates?; and Democrats do a bad job on crime; Republicans and the Media are worse.)

Another possible contributing factor that may not seem to directly impact crime might be urban farming or the slow food movement, which encourages more community involvement in some cases. This is often accompanied by improvements in what ahs become the Slow Democracy movement described by Susan Clark and Woden Teachout in a book by that name. The following are a couple excerpts from articles describing how this might help reduce crime.



Metro Detroit Goes Slow And Tastes The Difference Not only are poverty-stricken families provided with fresh food, but these community gardens have also been shown to have rehabilitative effects and reduce crime in their surrounding areas. They have done what food is meant to do: provide nourishment and bring people closer together.

For additional information on this subject or more back up see the following articles:

How to reduce gun crime in California? Why not pay people not to shoot each other?

Richmond California: A city that pays criminals to behave

Huffington Post: Richmond, California Mayor Occupies Wall Street

Seattle Crime Rates

Portland Oregon Crime Rates

Madison Wisconsin Crime Rates

Richmond California Crime Rates

San Diego California Crime Rates

San Francisco California Crime Rates

Community Gardens

Let them eat kale: In Harlem, a farm share for the people

Lynne Westphal

Crime Down Across California: Attorney General

San Diego County's violent crime rate dips in 2013

I don't know about you but I don't remember Alex Trebek ever saying the following in one of his commercials for Colonial Penn Life Insurance:



My best guess is the reason that I don't remember him saying this is because he never said; if he had even if I missed it it almost certainly would ahve stirred up discussion and caught my attention which I would have remembered.

Let's face it no matter how dignified the media makes Alex Trebek look, he's still a scam artist and so are most if not all celebrities that do commercials. The entire advertising industry is encouraging distortions or outright lies.

Let's assume for the sake of argument there is an exception what would it be?

Don't expect me to come up with one.

The media uses all these murders for entertainment purposes and rarely ever informs the public about efforts that might actually work to reduce crime. They use the "public's right to know" as and excuse to justify all this coverage and hype about murder and celebrities; but they withhold the information that would be most helpful for the public when it comes to reduce crime and don't allow those that would inform the public about this to get air time.

Apparently the "public's right to know" only applie3s to information that helps increase p[rofits for the media and their advertisers, not information that primarily benefits the public.

The highest profile case in the news right now is probably Utah man, accused of killing wife for insurance money, cried over her dead body at hospital: report 12/08/2013; which is currently being tried in court. It wasn't too long ago that the highest profile story was the hot car death in Georgia. Warrants: Toddler’s dad told family how to collect $27K life insurance 07/04/2014

I didn't keep track of the majority of the coverage on that story but I find it surprising that anyone would even buy life insurance for a baby. When I first learned about life insurance we were taught that it was only for adults in case of emergency so families wouldn't be left destitute if the bread winner died and they had no income. The media practically never discusses this although if people search the internet it isn't hard to find information raising doubts about these insurance policies. Chuck Jaffe exposed both Colonial Penn Life Insurance as Stupid Investment of the Week 02/15/2007 and Gerber Life College Plan 03/11/2011 which is now being heavily advertised on TV including many news shows.

There are plenty of other advisers that strongly recommend that people never buy life insurance for children but they're not in the high profile media, only much lower profile articles that can easily be found by those that look for them, but not the complacent majority.

On some of the rare occasions where they do discus the fact that life insurance might provide an incentive for murder they often say that there is no way of knowing how often this might happen.

This isn't quite true.

One of the reasons they might say this is because some of them get away with it and there is no way of knowing how often that happens, which is true; but they have records of the incidents where it does happen and if they spent a small fraction of the money they use on deceptive advertising they could do much more to figure out how often they get caught.

The FBI already has a lot of this information on file; and the insurance companies also must have a much better idea how often it happens than the general public although they have an incentive to keep that information confidential.

The insurance companies might have an incentive not to do this research if they can avoid it but the FBI is supposed to work for the public and it is hard to imagine why they wouldn't do so unless they're under political pressure. However even without their resources which could and should provide better results it is possible to get a better idea how often insurance is a partial factor on many murders. A search on Murderpedia for "insurance money" turns up about 800 results and they have a total of about 6,800 entries. This is potentially almost 12% of all the murders in their database, assuming they all turn out to be insurance related murders. However that is almost certainly not the case. I checked to see approximately how many they might be and relatively quickly found over eighty entries without skipping many. This probably means that even though it almost certainly won't be over ten or eleven percent there is a good chance that it will come to at least six to eight percent and virtually guaranteed that it will be at least two or three.

If the same percentage applies to the murders in the United States it could come to nine to twelve hundred murders per year that are related to insurance. However my best guess is that this is probably still high but it is not unreasonable to assume that it is probably at least one to three percent which comes to at least 150 to 450 murders related to insurance per year.

As I said the numbers from a review of FBI files which are already compiled, although they're not completely public, would almost certainly be more reliable; and it is virtually guaranteed that such a review would enable changes that could help reduce these murders and the incentive to kill people for insurance.

At least when it comes to insurance related murders on planes they already seem to have done this. Between 1949 and 1965 there were nine planes mostly in the USA or Canada blown up for insurance that I could find. Since then there was one more in South Africa, 1988 and another in China 2002. I don't know for certain why they've been reduced but it is almost certainly a change in policies at airports or selling insurance.

There has also been some precedent for wrongful death lawsuits against insurance companies; however I doubt if this is used very widely and the vast majority of the public almost certainly doesn't know about it making it less likely they'll take advantage of the possibility, however slight.

The media would of course be in the best position to inform the public about how to minimize the risk of insurance fraud, whether it involves inciting murder or just selling bad insurance policies. Unfortunately the media collects and enormous amount of revenue from the insurance companies that profit off of this giving some people the impression that they might have an incentive to avoid coverage of it.

I don't know about you but I don't remember Little Boy George Stephanopoulos ever saying the following in one of the episodes of "This Week With Little Boy George Stephanopoulos":





Yea I'm quite certain the reason why I don't remember Little Boy George saying that is because he never said it.

Let's face it George is a scam artist too. He isn't even trying to report on the news anymore than any of other reporters for the traditional media. They're far more interested in selling advertising for profit than they are in reporting the news and what they do report is almost always more for entertainment purposes than to inform the public how to reduce crime or solve any other problems.

Insurance companies may not kill any people directly but they are by far the biggest perpetrators of insurance fraud. In addition to deceiving the policy holders about the risks and pay outs of insurance they pass on the cost of all other insurance fraud to the consumers.

On top of that the government has to foot the bill for all the insurance fraud and incarceration of criminals that commit them, excluding well connected insurance executives. This is what they call a negative externality; and instead of insurance companies or policy holders footing the bill for it tax payers pay for this.

Like Alex Trebek said "Otherwise Insurance companies would have gone bankrupt long ago."

Or maybe he never actually said that, at least not that I remember.

What happens to a life insurance claim when foul play is involved?

Life Insurance and Murder!



Commercial Airline Bombing History

Commercial Aircraft Blown Up by Bombs For Insurance Payoffs

Profiting from tragedy: how airlines can make money when planes crash

8 facts that explain what’s wrong with American health care

Fraud: why should I worry? Dina Abdelhaq suffocated her seven-week-old daughter Tara to collect $200,000 in life insurance money to feed her gambling addiction in 1995. Jobless and on welfare, the Illinois resident was deeply in debt from riverboat gambling. Tara died in her crib just two weeks after Abdelhaq took out a life policy on the child. Abdelhaq received 21 years in prison for insurance fraud in 2000.

10 shocking revelations in the hot car death hearing

7 Black Widows and 16 Dead Husbands

15 Cases of High Profile Murders to Commit Life Insurance Fraud

Tips On Child Life Insurance

4 Life Insurance Policies You Should Never Buy

This is cross-posted on Blogspot which includes a list of additional examples including over one percent of the insurance murders from Murderpedia.

I don't recall anyone ever suggesting that we should have the right to dump enormous amounts of toxic waste on the front lawn of one of the Koch Brothers or any other wealthy energy or chemical executive.

Or at least not in a manner that was intended to be taken seriously; although it is almost certainly said on occasion to point out the enormous hypocrisy in our current system.

For all practical purposes energy and chemical executives have a right to profit from polluting and killing the poor and it has been standard operating procedure for decades. There have been numerous studies or other reports pointing out the enormous inequity when it comes to the benefits from environmental destruction, which goes overwhelmingly to the wealthiest, and the costs, which goes overwhelmingly to those without political power.

If anyone were to attempt to make an argument that those that receive the benefits deserve it based on their merits because they work harder or do other things to benefit society it wouldn't take long before it flunked the laugh test or more importantly any rational test comparing the merits of the argument. The people that do most of the labor to produce products or mine energy are often the ones that pay the price in environmental destruction while the wealthiest rely much more on their political connections rather than their worth.

When enough people get together and protest the inequity the political and media response along with the response by the police only indicates that it is even bigger than most people realize; assuming people actually hear about it. The media and politicians routinely ignore the vast majority of the protests so most people never even hear about it, assuming they rely on traditional commercial media, which fortunately a shrinking percentage of the population is.

At best they might slow down the environmental destruction or in some rare occasions, where there is enough political power, and perhaps the upper middle class with enough money they might partially reverse the process; however when this happens the pollution is often increased elsewhere to compensate so there is little or no net gain.

Then, if they attempt to increase their chances of getting heard, after the consolidated media ignores them, the police arrest them for one trivial charge or another, usually trespassing or what they call disorderly conduct, although it is often much more orderly than the police or many of the allies of the energy companies.

The police, rarely if ever, open up an investigation to find out how many people are being killed by pollution and consider negligent mass homicide charges against energy and chemical executives.

No, I didn't mean that as a joke; this really would be justified if they actually investigated real crimes or things that should be considered real crimes.

If you're reading this then you probably already rely on alternative news outlets so you might not need back up do conclude that oil and coal executives are profiting off the pollution of the poor but here's a good article on it that is relatively recent anyway:



This is just one of many studies to find similar results. It claims to do certain types of research for the first time, and I trust this is true; but others have provided additional types that go back decades.

However like the vast majority of these studies it either hasn't been mentioned at all in the traditional media or they only mentioned it briefly and quickly forgot it, while selling an enormous amount of propaganda ads, that won't stand up to scrutiny, which they don't provide, for the oil and coal companies.

Another report indicates that Half The Country Lives With Unsafe Air Pollution, American Lung Association Report Finds; but that was hardly reported either in the traditional press and there is little or nothing being done to address the problem.

Robert Bullard has also been reporting on this for decades and he has provided an enormous amount of evidence, including plenty listed below, to indicate that this is an enormous problem. He has been considered by some to be the father or "dean of environmental justice;" however this is probably only among those that are familiar with the environmental movement since the traditional media doesn't provide him with much if any coverage; and most people probably never heard of him.

I'm sure there is additional research to indicate that the worst of the inequity isn't even in the United States but around the world where our media doesn't even report about most damage at all unless it is really big.

This can't go on indefinitely as indicated by another study which has just come out:



Just because the media doesn't cover it doesn't mean that all these environmental disasters aren't happening. A handful of these disasters have eventually been reported and even made fairly wide spread news like Love Canal, PG&E as exposed by Erin Brockovich and Civil Action as portrayed by John Travolta; but the vast majority of disasters including the racial and class connection gets much less attention.

If a growing portion of the third world continues to become less inhabitable and a growing portion of the USA that can no longer be ignored then it is a matter of time before the political establishment has to address the problem one way or another.

Attempts by many of those with the most political power to describe environmentalists as terrorists clearly aren't inclined to help much. But fortunately the environmental movement is demonstrating how foolish these claims are and it is only raising more doubts about those that make these absurd claims, assuming the environmental movement has a reasonable chance to get their views across, which isn't happening in the traditional press.

There is a growing amount of evidence to indicate that if we can get past the overwhelming amount of political power of the energy companies then much more can be done to reverse this environmental destruction and a lot of it can be done without sacrificing quality of life like the following study:



This study clearly doesn't apply to everything but a little basic sense indicates a lot of other things that can be done to reduce pollution without harming quality of life and often even increase quality of life. This includes increased production of Geo-transfer heating and cooling which can be done anywhere and it can be powered by increased amounts of solar panels and wind turbines which are less expensive than they used to be.

One of the most important thing that can be done to change this is to simply stop buying things that we don't need. A shocking percentage of the products sold in the USA are things that have been hyped up through deceptive ads that have little or not practical use and do nothing to improve the quality of life.

Unfortunately when corporations take a portion of the money they obtain fraudulently from consumers and use it for more deceptive advertising that speech receives much more protection than the speech of environmentalists that are telling the truth about these scams because they aren't passing on the cost of their speech to those that they scam.

Or to put it bluntly fraudulent corporate speech receives much more protection under the first amendment than sincere speech thanks to the perverted interpretation by the Supreme Court.

If this continues then a growing portion of our country and world will continue to deteriorate; and the longer this goes on the more difficult it will be to reverse the process assuming we don't pass a point of no return without realizing it.



Recently according to an article, Ludwigshafen explosion kills one, injures 26 in Germany. On several occasions when I have heard about disasters like these I have done searches to find out how many more have happened that weren't reported as widely and quickly found an enormous amount of additional disasters.

I have no doubt that if I did another search then many more would turn up including many in the USA; although there are probably more elsewhere; but they're less inclined to report it especially the USA media.



The following is some related material including the first two chapters of Robert Bullard's book "Dumping in Dixie" and additional material from him and others.

The SXSW kids are about to get schooled by Robert D. Bullard the dean of environmental justice 10/03/2014

Robert D. Bullard



Dumping in Dixie: CHAPTER TWO Race, Class, and the Politics of Place

POVERTY, POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM: STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING HEALTHY AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES by Robert D. Bullard

The cruel, increasingly usual prison punishment no one is talking about 10/06/2014

Ohio’s Clean Energy Programs Save Customers $2 For Every $1 They Spend

84,000 Lives Threatened By Sea Level Rise In New England

Congressman Denies Manmade Climate Change, Calls It ‘An Agenda-Driven Science’

Republican Bill Cuts Funding For Climate, Social, Economic Research By $160 Million

Oklahoma Will Charge Customers Who Install Their Own Solar Panels

California Regulators Decide Utilities Can’t Charge Solar-Killing Fees

The Denver Post’s ‘Energy And Environment’ Section Is Produced By The Oil And Gas Industry

Why Are 20 Far-Away States Trying To Block The Cleanup Of The Chesapeake Bay?

Bombshell: Study Ties Epic California Drought, ‘Frigid East’ To Manmade Climate Change

Not in My Backyard: Executive Order 12,898 and Title VI as Tools for Achieving Environmental Justice Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 What Is Environmental Justice?

Chapter 3 Title VI and Environmental Justice

Chapter 4 Environmental Justice Litigation and Remedies: The Impact of Sandoval and South Camden

Chapter 5 Alternative Dispute Resolution and Meaningful Public Participation etc. or go to http://www.usccr.gov/ and search for "Not in My Backyard: Executive Order 12,898 and Title VI as Tools for Achieving Environmental Justice" to get PDF

[PDF]Chapter 3 - United Church of Christ

PDF]Chapter 7 – Anatomy of the Urban Parks Movement: Equal .. The Quest for Environmental Justice Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution

Walmart has had their share of shootings this month as well as at least one hit and run which led to a SWAT stand off at the home of the person that left Walmart afterward. There were the usual number of bomb threats, which will inevitably rise more for the holidays; and one exceptionally detailed one where they demanded money be loaded onto a designated card. Don't they know that can be traced? Not that it matters; as usual when they didn't get what they wanted nothing happened. They also had another chase that resulted in a highway crash because of stolen baby formula.

I don't know if anyone is keeping track of how often major shootings or crashes result from petty theft, besides me I guess.

One of the Walmart employees that attempted to stop a shoplifter was pepper sprayed again. Another police video was shown on the internet where they tasered an elderly shoplifter raising doubts about how much trouble the police should go to arrest people for stealing from Walmart.

The people involved in the white collar crimes or suppressing wages and reducing consumers rights are practically never held to these standards, or even held accountable at all; if they were then perhaps this amount of force might be justifiable but there would probably be less crime or need for it, since white collar crime leads to more poverty and blue collar crime.

Grist has reported once again on how Walmart's attempt at green-washing is misleading like just about all of their other propaganda advertising. Their use of solar is a step in the right direction but proportionately it isn't nearly as much as many smaller businesses apparently; and others have reported that even if this is helpful it doesn't make up for the enormous amount of energy to ship products half way around the world or that it is lower quality and has to be replaced two or three times as often as many items used to be.

Someone in West Virginia apparently bought contaminated water that was tampered with. This is just one of many ways that Walmart has had problems with saboteurs of one sort or another. It is difficult to know why they get so many but there have been plenty of stories to indicate that a certain percentage of them are resentful about one of Walmart's policies or another.

This isn't limited to Walmart, of course, but the responses from Walmart often seem much more out of touch than many other stores, even other big-box stores. This is almost certainly because the decisions are made in the corporate office by people that probably don't know how they're carried out in the stores, or factories and they're carried out in a strict authoritarian manner. Their workers don't appear to use any discretion of their own; and their have been numerous stories to indicate that it is because their policies discourage that.

This could create a lot of problems with simple things like whether they need a receipt or not for returned items; which apparently some people have been taking stuff off the shelf and going to the return counter and getting credits without ever paying for them. Is this something that could only happen at Walmart?

If they still make profits with all these problems it is because they have been cutting so many corners with their imports that they have much larger mark ups than they used to. This has been reported in numerous books that have exposed their scandals and it comes with a cost in lower quality of merchandise which they couldn't compete with if the market wasn't divided up by big-box oligarchies.

This could also explain their latest embarrassment; their website has apparently been marketing "Fat Girl Costumes;" or at least they were until the inevitable outrage spread through the internet. The initial response was an obvious automated response by someone that didn't seem to understand what was happening, or perhaps didn't care.

If you were the one that worked there and heard about this would you care?

Would you wonder what now or what next?

Apologizes for "Islamic" Halloween costume?

Perhaps what's next could be an HIV infected person threatening to infect their loss prevention officers over eleven dollars worth of merchandise; or perhaps that was the last crazy thing to happen there.

Some one did what with a stuffed animal at Walmart? And put it back??

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

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In 2006 Wake Up Wal-Mart did a study, "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" based on incidents in 2004, (PDF) about crime at Wal-Mart which showed that it increased when Wal-Marts opened up and that crime was higher at Wal-Mart than at other retailers. Since then Wal-Mart Shootings began compiling a list of gun related incidents at Wal-Mart and demonstrated that they have a large number of them, including on average more than one shooting per week somewhere in the country. In January of 2014 another study, "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" provided additional statistical research indicating that Wal-Mart might be contributing to higher crime rates or at least a slowing of the decline in crime. The study found that. “on average, communities with Walmarts had 17 more property crimes and two more violent crimes per 10,000 people than those communities without Walmarts.” I reviewed this more in Wal-Mart’s crime problem, Rolling Back Safety more than prices? where I explained that although this study is helpful they could have done better with additional data that is available and I reviewed some of that. I also added my own review about why I think that Wal-Mart policies have been contributing to higher crime in a previous blog, Wal-Mart high crime rate continues uninvestigaterd and have provided additional information under the author tag Walmart Crime Watch.

Stacy Mitchell has also compiled a list of other studies about Wal-Mart and how they impact society, Key Studies on Big-Box Retail & Independent Business. To the best of my knowledge Wal-Mart has done as little as they seem to get away with, often relying on rhetoric that isn't backed up with action, when it comes to addressing any of their critics concerns, including crime. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in October 2014. According to the "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" the average store in their sampling had 250 incidents per year, indicating that these are only a fraction of the crime reports at Wal-Mart, and presumably, the ones most likely to make the news on the internet nationwide. This isn't statistically representative, as the 2006 or the "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" study or some of the studies cited by Stacy Mitchell; but it does provide some additional information that may help recognize how many problems there are at Wal-Mart.

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Sevierville Tenn. police looking for suspects in jewelry theft from Walmart 10/01/2014

Police: Thefts at Two Walmart Pa. Stores Connected 10/01/2014

Couple harassed by men with rifle in Tx. Walmart parking lot 10/01/2014

Judge dismisses lawsuit over Sioux Falls SD Wal-Mart 10/01/2014

Walmart responds to BCI report 10/01/2014

Marysville police investigate shooting at Washington State Walmart parking lot 10/01/2014

String of Ill. Walmart thefts may have come to end 10/01/2014

Police arrest man who threatened Rio Rancho NM Walmart patrons 10/01/2014

Teen arrested after Pa. Walmart bomb threat 10/01/2014 The suspect has been charged with “threat to use weapons of mass destruction” and “terroristic threats.”

Deputies: Man stole security cams from St. Pete Fla. Walmart 10/01/2014

Naples Fla. man steals over 40 items from Walmart 10/0/2014

Report: Woman charged with drug possession after stealing Halloween decorations at Ga. Walmart 10/01/2014

Suspect attempts to stab Va. Walmart employee 10/01/2014

Two RI women accused of shoplifting spree at North Attleboro Ma. Walmart 10/01/2014

Three wanted for stealing TV from Virginia Beach Walmart 10/02/2014

Police, Wal-Mart partner to reduce crime in Burlington NC 10/02/2014

Mother and son accused of stealing electronics from Casper Wy. Wal-Marts 10/02/2014

Fire at Ruthrauff Ariz. Walmart extinguished, store remains closed 10/03/2014

Judge: Man who attacked with hatchet in Marshall Tx. Wal-Mart insane 10/03/2014

Police: Thieves try to rip off Winter Haven Fla. Walmart 10/03/2014

Snake hitches a ride to Ohio Walmart 10/03/2014

Man running from Ill. Wal-Mart jumps onto hood of a car 10/03/2014

Person wanted for shoplifting from Tabb Va. Walmart 10/03/2014

Wal-Mart Plan Generating Lots of Comments to Iowa Politicians 10/03/2014

Siblings charged with stealing iPads from Monroe NJ Walmart 10/03/2014

New video and pictures from Beavercreek Ohio Wal-Mart shooting 10/03/2014

Open Carry rally held in front of Beavercreek Ohio Walmart 10/05/2014

Protestors block police entrance after Beavercreek Walmart meeting 10/08/2014

Officers in riot gear at Walmart shooting protest 10/08/2014

Walmart security guard beaten during robbery in Greensboro NC 10/03/2014

Bomb threat at Rosemead Ca. Walmart proves unfounded 10/03/2014

Colorado Walmart customer finds razor-sharp blade in pumpkin 10/03/2014 Cassidy York and her mother started their trip Friday to the Rimrock Walmart hoping to find a great pumpkin, with Halloween just a month away. Instead they say they got more of a scare,..

Tracy Morgan hits back at Walmart 10/03/2014

Midtown Anchorage Alaska Wal-Mart warned by APD about excessive nuisance calls 10/05/2014 He said the CAP team has found, through surveillance, "Wal-Mart is selling a significant amount of alcohol to these chronic inebriates," and the number of calls for service to the store have spiked significantly.

Janesville Wisc. Walmart closed for bomb threat 10/06/2014

Brodhead man accused of bomb threat to Janesville Wisc. Wal-Mart 10/15/2014

Police Blotter: Possession with intent to distribute in Denville; disorderly conduct outside Hanover NJ Walmart 10/05/2014



Mayor: No one on Cedar Rapids Iowa council supports new Wal-Mart proposal 10/06/2014

Parents say man exposed himself to young girls at Charlotte NC Walmart .... Again 10/06/2014

Walmart to offer health insurance shopping 10/06/2014

BOLO Alert issued for man accused of Missoula Montana Walmart attack 10/06/2014

KPD: Man wanted for felony shoplifting at Fort Henry Drive Tenn. Walmart 10/06/2014

Former prisoner from Kent County allegedly uses crowbar in Fruitport Mich. Wal-Mart smash-and-grab 10/07/2014

Robber Makes Off With Pills from Tenn. Walmart Pharmacy 10/07/2014

Wal-Mart cuts health benefits for 30,000 part-timers (Video) 10/08/2014

Man leaves Wal-Mart with a stranger's purse, Mobile Alabama police ask for help identifying him 10/08/2014

Man arrested after allegedly trying to steal two TVs from Fla. Wal-Mart 10/08/2014

Police Bust Spider-Man Shoplifting Suspect After Joy Ride in Ohio Walmart Power Chair 10/08/2014

No explosives found in Cottonwood Ariz. Walmart bomb threat 10/08/2014

Accused 'eyeshadow thief' arrested again for shoplifting at Ark. Walmart 10/08/2014

Woman attacked outside Ariz. Walmart files lawsuit 10/09/2014 Tucson Police public records show the address has an extensive history of crime reports, before the attack. Watkins says, "We found that there were over 450 police calls to the 455 Wetmore location, in just a two year period."

Pinellas County Fla. deputies looking for Wal-Mart attempted shoplifting suspects 10/09/2014

Man charged with multiple TV thefts at Ill. Wal-Mart 10/09/2014

Tiffin arrested, charged with arson in Sept. 5 fire at Ohio Walmart Supercenter 10/09/2014

Robber with gun grabs money at Crowley Tx. Walmart 10/09/2014

Why Walmart Workers Losing Healthcare Might Not Be Bad 10/10/2014

Bomb Threat At Nebraska City Walmart 10/10/2014



Crossville Tenn. Police search for suspect in connection with Walmart theft 10/10/2014

Ky. Woman allegedly stole $15,000 in Walmart gift cards to pay for heroin 10/10/2014

Hudson NH Police Seek Woman Wanted For Wal-Mart Return Scam 10/11/2014

Police: Suspicious backpack found outside Pasadena Tx. Walmart 10/11/2014

Two charged with trying to steal items from Fla. Wal-Mart 10/11/2014

Fire forces evacuation of Spring Tx. Walmart 10/12/2014

Reported Robbery Sends Police to Nebraska Walmart 10/12/2014

Three wanted for theft at Walmart on Nimmo Pkwy Virginia Beach Va. 10/13/2014

Man jailed following arrest at Fl;a. Wal-Mart 10/13/2014

3 thieves ripoff Ill. Walmart 10/13/2014

Suspects Sought in Tenn. Walmart Theft 10/13/2014

Sheriff’s reports: Bomb threat at Commerce Mich. Walmart 10/13/2014

Denver Colorado police trying to ID attempted shoplifting suspect accused of assaulting Walmart employees 10/13/2014

Michael Brown protesters attempt to shut down Maplewood Missouri Wal-Mart 10/13/2014

Person wanted for stealing from Yorktown Va. Walmart 10/14/2014

Persons of interest wanted in Tx. Walmart store fire 10/14/2014









Jersey City man attempts to shoplift two cell phones from Bayonne NJ Walmart: police 10/15/2014

Surveillance image shows man stealing TV from Mich. Walmart, deputies say 10/15/2014

13 Investigates: EPA reveals details of PCB test results at Ind. Walmart warehouse 10/15/2014



San Leandro Ca. Police Seek Man Suspected Of Inappropriately Touching Girls At Target, Walmart 10/15/2014

Several St. Louis Missouri area Walmart locations locked-up ammunition during weekend protests 10/16/2014

Wal-Mart lowers revenue outlook for year 10/15/2014 Shares of Wal-Mart closed down 3.6 percent, their worst one-day drop in nearly two years.

Low-Wage Workers To Protest Outside Walmart Billionaire Alice Walton's NYC Home 10/16/2014

Officials: 'All clear' at Northport Alabama Walmart after bomb threat 10/16/2014

Panhandler arrested after fight over turf at Montana Wal-Mart 10/16/2014

Woman steals 67-year-old's necklace in Delaware Walmart parking lot 10/16/2014

South Dade Fla. Walmart Project Could Kill Endangered Species 10/17/2014

South Jordan Utah cops nab Wal-Mart robbers in 20 minutes 10/17/2014

Banned from Walmart: Port St. Lucie Fla. police say man recorded images of women's panties 10/17/2014

Cocaine charge for man who was allegedly stealing from Walmart in Rantoul Ill. 10/17/2014

Woman hit by car, killed in Nevada Wal-Mart parking lot 10/17/2014

Ky. Wal-Mart employee injured in hit-and-run 10/17/2014

Suspect sought in theft of wallet at Waveland Mississippi Wal-Mart 10/19/2014

Man arrested for video voyeurism after woman says he took cellphone photo up her skirt at Jacksonville Fla. Wal-Mart 10/20/2014



Algonquin Wal-Mart evacuated after bomb threat 10/20/2014

Deputies investigate rifle theft at Va. Walmart 10/21/2014

Domestic altercation leads to stabbing in Nevada Walmart parking lot 10/21/2014

Police seek man who flashed teen girl at SC Wal-Mart 10/21/2014

Police: Josh Young charged with shoplifting at Ky. Walmart 10/22/2014

Man accused of killing mother in Massachusetts arrested in Belmont NC Walmart 10/22/2014

Police Blotter: Urinating in front of Walmart in Hanover NJ 10/21/2014

Police: Man Took Upskirt Photo at SC Walmart 10/22/2014

Alleged Colorado Walmart purse snatchers caught 10/22/2014

Westfield Mass. police seek public's help in ID'ing Walmart larceny suspect 10/22/2014

Man stabbed near downtown Long Beach Ca. Walmart 10/22/2014

Peoria man gets 23 years for armed robbery in East Peoria Ill. Walmart parking lot 10/22/2014

Police: Woman stole wallet, used cards at Fla. Walmart 10/23/2014

Mechanic Falls woman killed by tractor-trailer in Auburn Me. Walmart parking lot 10/23/2014

Havre Montana Walmart bomb scare ends without incident 10/23/2014



Neenah Wisc. woman ruled competent in 2013 Walmart shooting 10/23/2014

Should You Do All of Your Shopping at Walmart? 10/24/2014

Video surveillance photos lead to capture of Hoover Alabama Walmart robbery and assault suspects 10/24/2014

Sex offender charged with exposing himself at Burlington NC Walmart 10/24/2014

Meth pipe found in SD Walmart dressing room 10/24/2014

Man accused of leaving Fla. Wal-Mart with cart full of unpaid 10/24/2014




Yuma Ariz. Wal-Mart evacuated after bomb threat 10/25/2014

Man accused of trying to steal TV from Fla. Wal-Mart 10/25/2014

Victim speaks out about Orange Co. Fla. Wal-Mart robbery attack 10/25/2014

Alleged incident at Ky. Wal-Mart leaves man facing sexual abuse charges 10/24/2014

Shoplifter caught at Id. Walmart 10/26/2014

Silver Spring Twp. police search for two women accused of Pa. Wal-Mart retail theft 10/26/2014

Suffolk Va. Police investigating shoplifting case at Wal-Mart 10/26/2014

Police: Man stole from NC Walmart 10/27/2014





Flasher strikes for third time at Arboretum NC Walmart 10/28/2014

McCandless Pa. citizens group fighting Walmart store loses one round 10/28/2014





Man trying to shoplift food pepper sprays SD Walmart employees, then flees 10/28/2014

Bismarck ND Police trying to identify alleged scammer 10/28/2014

Shoppers upset after Walmart refuses to give them $100 gift cards they bought for $10 10/28/2014 "This mistake is being made by a person putting together a button on a web site, these kinds of mistakes are more and more common," Tiede said.

OhioWalmart worker accused of reducing prices 10/29/2014

NC Walmart 2013 shooting suspect gets nearly 98 years 10/29/2014

Albuquerque NM police looking for 3 suspects who stole cash drop safe from Wal-Mart Wed. morning 10/29/2014

Woman Arrested for Smashing Displays at Gainesville Fla. Walmart 10/30/2014

Wal-Mart to close 30 underperforming stores in Japan 10/30/2014

North Kingstown Police look for man who exposed himself in RI Wal-Mart 10/30/2014





Bomb Threat shuts down Tx. Walmart 10/30/2014



Wal-Mart bringing Black Friday to Halloween weekend 10/31/2014



Rincon Ga. Police: Not-so-nice neighbors and 3 different cases of sticky fingers at Walmart 10/31/2014

Gilbert Ariz. Walmart manager writes book about working retail 10/31/2014

Man fleeing Fla. Walmart security carries toddler into pond 10/31/2014

Woman robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot of a metro Okla. Walmart, police looking for suspect 10/31/2014

Lufkin Tx. Police officers arrest man suspected of Walmart arson 10/31/2014

Walmart apologizes for "Islamic" Halloween costume 10/31/2014

A study that came out last year indicates that that conspiracy theorists are the sane ones and the government is the one that is untrustworthy or hostile and irrational; or at least that is the way some people that support conspiracy theories have interpreted it.

A close look at the actual study indicates that there is at least partial justification to indicate that they're interpreting it accurately; however there are also some flaws in the methodology of the study and there are also some statements in it that raise doubts about how rational some conspiracy theorists really are. Ironically some of the potential flaws in the study might be the result of a conspiracy theory; which could put both sides in an awkward positions since those that oppose conspiracies might hesitate to use this explanation to debunk it and those who support them might hesitate to accept conspiracies that raise doubts about conspiracies.

On top of that let's face it, some conspiracy theorists really are nuts.

David Icke claims that the Queen of England might occasionally transform into some kind of reptilian creature or something like that.

At the same time many of the highest profile self appointed skeptics routinely ignore scientific rational, when it doesn't support their beliefs; and often use some of the same manipulation tactics that conspiracy theorists use; or at least the ones they often accuse conspiracy theorists of using.

One of the biggest problems with this study is that it relies primarily on of discussions on the internet which might include a large portion of input from anonymous people that might have an undisclosed motive.

Another problem is that they don't adequately challenge a common assumption that the debate is often between "conspiracy theorists" and "skeptics," who often like to refer to themselves as "rational skeptics."

The truth is that a good conspiracy theorist should be a rational skeptic; and a rational skeptic should admit it when there is legitimate reason to believe that there really might be a conspiracy. By declining to address this many conspiracy theorists play into the stereotypes that often give many people the impression that they might not be as rational as the so-called skeptics, including many that refuse to acknowledge research that doesn't support their beliefs.

Ironically in many cases the government or traditional media often support their own conspiracy theories, but somehow try to convince the rest of us that it shouldn't be confused with "fringe conspiracy theories" which often turns out to be those that they disagree with or that don't suit their purposes.

The following excerpt from a relatively recent article that claims a 2013 study proves conspiracy theorists are the most sane of all might demonstrate how studies can be flawed in at least some ways and misinterpreted to suit the purposes of those that report on it. However a review of it might indicate that even though both the study and the way it is presented might be flawed some of the conclusions might be close, or at least closer than the conclusions by the government or the so-called “conventionalists.”



First of all if you go to the original study which he cites, (“What about building 7?” A social psychological study of online discussion of 9/11 conspiracy theories 07/08/2013), the authors of that study don't claim that either “conspiracists” or “conventionalists” are more "sane" than the other; and they don't even mention the CIA. However it is understandable that they came to those conclusions on their own, at least to a point. I certainly don't limit myself to conclusions from any one study or article.

More importantly is that they're using information from a large number of people that might have an ulterior motive or others that may have been manipulated by those that do and the study doesn't seem to take this possibility into consideration. This type of activity isn't limited to discussion of conspiracy theories; there have been numerous stories about how people have been hired to do online work for advertisers, political purposes, social research projects or other reasons; and they're probably more common than many people realize.

An article from earlier this year, Why Trolls Start Flame Wars: Swearing and Name-Calling Shut Down the Ability to Think and Focus cites a study reported in the New York Times about how uncivil comments polarizes the discussion and prevents rational reviews. In order to do this study they apparently had people intentionally behave in an irrational manner. The results of this study would enable anyone that wants to disrupt discussion about issues that they don't want disclosed to do so.



The amount of disruptive behavior done for this research project is almost certainly negligible; however much more is almost certainly being done to distort discussion, perhaps with the knowledge they obtained from either this research project or similar ones. After spending even a modest amount of time on some of these discussion boards it didn't take long to recognize some people that might have been behaving for these purposes; however there are almost certainly others that do so for their own irrational reasons so if, as I suspect this is happening, then it is hard to tell them apart. Those that are being disruptive for an ulterior motive might look the same as obsessive compulsive people that spend too much time on internet chat rooms and do a lot of trolling.

Glenn Greenwald reported previously on How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations using these methods and others. This type of activity would almost certainly skewer any research results being done using this method and unless they take this into consideration then their results might be flawed.

This could mean that this study might need to be reinterpreted based on the possibility that large portions of the discussions they've been studying might involve phony attempts to manipulate the public and even help advance stereotypes about conspiracy theories as political scientist Lance deHaven-Smith says or implies.

It is understandable for some people to be skeptical of the possibility that there are a lot of trolls disrupting internet discussions but this is actually trivial compared to some of the past conspiracy theories that have been proven to be true. Googling "conspiracy theories which turned out to be true" quickly turns out a long list of conspiracy theories that have been admitted to by the government as well as others that probably aren't quite as reliable. The same source that cited this study also came up with 5 conspiracy theories which turned out to be true. At least four of the examples they cite have been admitted to in government documents or hearings and the fifth has also been proven by numerous reliable sources.

Additional examples of conspiracies that have been proven to be true could include Watergate, Iran/Contra and the effort to look the other way when drugs were being run into the country to finance the Contras as well, which was exposed in the Kerry Committee report.

One other famous and well known theory that was acknowledged by the government was the JFK assassination conspiracy theory, or one version of it.

That's right one of the most widely ridiculed "conspiracy theories" was at least partially confirmed by a well known government investigation. The House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that Kennedy was probably killed by a conspiracy. Then they tried to restore the previous explanation which never made any sense at all; and anyone that took a close look at the details knew this either before the HSCA came to their conclusions or after, or after they were revised so that they could restore the original incompetent explanation.

Who should feel more absurd or ridiculous for their beliefs, those that check the facts and notice when the government is changing their stories and misrepresenting history, or those that blindly believe what they're told by authority figures when it is repeated over and over again without scrutiny, even when it doesn't make sense?

Some of the conspiracy theories that have been proven true and often confirmed with disclosed documents that were previously classified are as absurd if not more absurd than arranging for a lot of people to infiltrate the internet to help distort the stereotypes about conspiracy theories. They would also be less expensive and harder to get caught at it as long as they rely on people that have an incentive not to disclose it, which would mean they would be disclosing their own illegal or unethical activity; and if they did so they would lack credibility and they could easily be portrayed as a conspiracy theorist.

However if the CIA participated in activities like Operation Northwoods, Operation Paperclip, MK-Ultra, and others as disclosed in the previous article and others that do an even better job documenting their activities then it is far more reasonable to assume that they wouldn't hesitate to create phony bloggers and message board participants than to assume that it is out of the question. However, to start assuming that just about every blogger or commenter would go to the other extreme. It would be far more rational to try to recognize principals based on their merits than to try to spend too much time trying to figure out which bloggers or commentators are credible, unless in some cases people get a large volume of information from a few sources. Even then occasional skepticism is in order.

Mike Adams, who is cited in a lower profile manner in the above article, does a far better job pointing out rational conspiracies that have been proven to be true in, "Refreshing rationality: Why NOT believing in conspiracies is a sure sign of mental retardation." He points out a long list of examples where government officials are the conspiracy theorists and prosecute people based on their theories. He states, "The idea, then, that there is no such thing as a conspiracy is flatly ludicrous," which is true; however there are plenty of ludicrous things that have also been true like some of the conspiracy theories that have been proven to be true and the selection of presidential candidates we had during the 2012 elections or during the 2010 midterm elections when the Tea Party ran a lot of ludicrous candidates.

The truth is often ludicrous!

What is more important is that in addition to being ludicrous the claim that there are no such things as conspiracies is factually inaccurate.



As for Lance deHaven-Smith's claim that The CIA’s campaign to popularize the term ‘conspiracy theory’ and make conspiracy belief a target of ridicule and hostility must be credited, unfortunately, with being one of the most successful propaganda initiatives of all time, which has apparently gone viral on the internet, there is an enormous amount of evidence to indicate that either it is true or there are one or more other groups that have accomplished this. I don't completely rule out the possibility that there are multiple groups with a common ideology that have done this, actually this is something that the CIA might have taken advantage of if they were doing such a thing without their knowledge.

As I indicated previously in at least a couple of posts about Philip Zimbardo, Lucifer Effect, Stanford Prison Experiment and Corruption or Bias in the American Psychological Association the military has been openly financing psychological research for decades and the CIA has almost certainly been involved in a lot of it, including some that has been disclosed like the ones previously mentioned and the Obedience to Authority experiments, which Professor Alfred McCoy claims is almost certainly done with support from the CIA acting through the Office of Navel Research.

Some of this research could easily be used for propaganda purposes and there is an enormous amount of additional research that could also be used for that purpose but it involves going through a lot of material which the majority of the public isn't inclined to do. Numerous sources including Victor Marchetti and Alfred McCoy have reported, over the decades about, how the CIA has been consulting with academics since they began and before when their predecessor the OSS began consulting with academics for covert operations during WWII, as indicated in the following declassified document from http://www.foia.cia.gov/.



It is understandable why they would chose to consult with scholars, psychologists, and technicians when trying to win a war but it is hard to understand why they would have relied so heavily on economists and students of finance from the very beginning unless you take into consideration that a large portion of the differences between the United States and the the USSR even before WWII was based on the way they controlled financing. What is rarely mentioned when discussing the appeasement of Hitler by the mainstream media is that part of the reason why they appeased them is because they thought he was a better alternative than the Soviet Union when it came to his financial ideology which was more like the one supported by the west giving large financial benefits to the elites.

A large portion of the information that good conspiracy theorists, who also happen to be rational skeptics rely on might not actually be completely secret at all, although it may not be widely broadcast to large segments of the public. A lot of this can be found in lower profile news outlets books and at the library; but the most accurate conclusions aren't always the quickest.

It is difficult to tell the difference between those that are trying to expose the truth for legitimate reasons and those that re doing so for an ulterior motive but it is much easier if more people recognize Manipulation Tactics and realize that those that are more likely to use them are often less likely to be sincere, although technically it is possible to use manipulation tactics to convince people of the truth there is less motive to do so.

This study may have some flaws but there are other ways to confirm that some conspiracy theorists are more rational and better informed than the majority of the public or some of the self described skeptics that automatically accept the official story without scrutiny even when research raises major doubts about it.



If the problems with this study are corrected then it could be more helpful in understanding how rational conspiracy theorists are, or sorting out the more rational ones from those that just go along with what they're told from one source or another. One of the things that they could study is how many people accepted this study without scrutiny, or even reading it.

People that are accustomed to reviewing social research studies might realize that most if not all of them have some kind of flaws in them and some are much worse. In order to recognize how reliable the studies are it is important to recognize their potential flaws. This could be similar to the Obedience to Authority experiments. A close review could determine who came up with their own ideas and who accepted the study because it supported their beliefs or who refuted it simply because it didn’t fit their beliefs and why.

A Google search of Lance deHaven-Smith's quote,“The CIA’s campaign to popularize the term ‘conspiracy theory’ and make conspiracy belief a target of ridicule and hostility must be credited, unfortunately, with being one of the most successful propaganda initiatives of all time turns up,” hundreds if not thousands of hits with the full quote; and most of them seem to be related to the study that they claim shows “Study reveals conspiracy theorists the most sane of all.” It doesn’t take much searching to find that a lot of people accepted it without scrutiny; but apparently this brought a response from one of the author’s who claims that they’ve been taken out of context.

Mike Wood wrote Setting the record straight on Wood & Douglas, 2013 which seems to correct some of the misconceptions; however it doesn’t address some of the concerns that I made and I still believe there are additional concerns about the methodology of the study. What this does indicate is that additional study appears to be going on regarding how people respond to the study without scrutiny, or use it to support their beliefs, right or wrong.

Apparently they followed it up with another study that puts more emphasis on the claim that many conspiracy theorists accept contradictory theories at the same time which has been interpreted as saying “Psychologists prove conspiracy theorists are all crazy!” which is another misrepresentation. The claim that conspiracy theorists accept contradictory claims was in the first study; however it also says that they’re not necessarily overly attached to them. This could also be explained, for some commentators, if they make quick arguments based on the assumption that they’re theories which means that they don’t consider them firm beliefs; and if they recognize that they contradict each other and that both theories can’t be the true then this is acceptable in a rational discussion.

Sorting through multiple possibilities until they have adequate information to figure out which is true is part of the scientific process.

When doing this research it would also be helpful to have access to the servers of the discussions, although this would be an enormous amount of work and it would involve checking a lot of servers to find out the original sources and their IP or if some of the trolls all come from some of the same sources.

The people in the best position to do this would be those that control the media, since a large portion is on their servers and those that control many of the conspiracy message boards or Facebook.

Basically the people that would be in the best position to do this would be the NSA, which controls the ECHELON program, which they now call PRISM.

This is a possibility that I wouldn't rule out and if they wanted to control the disclosure of their own activities so that it either happens on their own terms or not at all this might be the way to do it.

A close look at many of the disclosures that have been coming out over the decades indicates that there are almost always obvious flaws mixed in with the truth, or something close to the truth so reasonable discretion will always be appropriate when sorting through it to get as close to the truth as possible.

On a lighter note if Monsanto pushes bizarre conspiracy theory to deflect blame for GE wheat contamination of commercial crops among other conspiracy theories indicates that it isn't whether or not there are conspiracies; but which ones you support since both sides often promote one or another. FWIW Here are a couple other articles that are related if anyone is interested:

12 Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking

German Journalist Blows Whistle On How the CIA Controls The Media

Donovan and the ClA: A History of the Establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency by Thomas F. Troy

According to a USA Today article cited by Think Progress there were 461 "justifiable homicides" by police in 2013 against "felony suspects;" and this was the highest in two decades; however according to a count by Jim Fisher there were 607 fatal police shootings in 2011, which is supposedly before they reached the more recent high.

The following is an excerpt from the Think Progress article:



Months, if not years before this article coming out admitting that they didn't have adequate information on police shootings kept by well funded government organizations grass roots efforts with fewer resources began doing just that, although there is no guarantee that they have the resources to be as comprehensive as the government, assuming the government tried, which has access to better information. Kyle Wagner etal are compiling the most comprehensive list that I know of according to We're Compiling Every Police-Involved Shooting In America. Help Us; 08/20/2014 and they're setting it up so that others could help by doing their own search. They also cited Jim Fisher who wrote the following almost a year earlier; if USA Today had done their homework better they could have consulted with him and come up with more detailed information.





A lot of attention has been drawn to the large number of African Americans that have been shot and killed by police, and rightfully so; however they're not the only ones that are being targeted; right or wrong. There are also a large number of veterans getting involved in many altercations with police, and there isn't a comprehensive database for this either. I have gone into this more in States with high murder rates have larger veteran populations and Teach a soldier to kill and he just might where I considered the possibility, if not virtual guarantee that one of the leading contributing causes for violence by veterans might be their training which may make them more prone to violence.

In Hazing and Bullying in the Police Academy David Couper explains that he believes that although strict disciplinarian training that includes hazing might be appropriate for training marines it is inappropriate for training police officers which are supposed to do a different job. I’m not so certain that it appropriate even for training the military. If the majority of the wars that we fight were based on accurate reporting of world news then it might be a different story, although even then I’m not so certain, but that isn't the case at all.

The vast majority of wars, if not all of them have been based on lies and the military hasn't been training people to question authority; instead they've been using hazing as part of a process to teach them to obey orders without question; and this training also desensitizes them to killing based on lies.

As I explained in Philip Zimbardo, Lucifer Effect, Stanford Prison Experiment and Corruption or Bias in the American Psychological Association the military has financed psychological research into Obedience to Authority experiments which they said they were trying to conduct so they could understand why the Nazi soldiers blindly obeyed orders and prevent that from happening again. But instead of teaching the majority of the public about this in the most effective way possible so that it could be prevented they used their research to help develop more effective ways to teach both veterans and police to obey orders.

Whether it is the hazing or other problems there are a high number of killings by both police and veterans. They don’t have the highest murder rates; that is almost entirely in many abandoned inner cities; but if they’re compared to anyplace else they are almost certainly above average more often than not. In the previous post cited about States with high murder rates have larger veteran populations I cited a report that indicated that veterans were half as likely to be in jail than non-veterans in the year 2004; however a closer look \at the report indicated that a large part of the reason for this was that they were recruiting from rural areas while the highest crime rates, including murders were in urban areas.

This report also indicated that the veterans that were in jail were more likely to be in jail for violent offences, even though they came from areas that tended to be less violent; and that 15% of the veterans from state prisons were in jail for murder. This came to more than 19,000 convicted veteran murders and if the percent for those in federal prison was the same then it would have been 21,000. If these veterans were convicted over a period of close to fifty years then this comes to an average of over 400 veterans convicted of murder per year; although this data is to limited to indicate whether or not that is going up or down. However some of the other reports cited in the same blog indicates that if it was going down prior to the war on terror that trend might have been reversed as a result of the escalating amount of violence from returning veterans.

If Jim Fisher’s figures are correct then the police probably shoot and kill even more than veterans. These figures count mostly what they consider justifiable homicides in the line of duty. The figures cited by the FBI appear to exclude many of the most questionable cases; and neither of these lists include shootings that don’t occur in the line of duty as a police officer, although they do include shootings that occur off-duty when police react to crimes that they encounter.

This doesn't include incidents of domestic violence by police officers or what they would consider clear cut murder, which is more common than most people think Several articles in the past including Police domestic violence nearly twice average rate and Police Have a Much Bigger Domestic-Abuse Problem Than the NFL Does have reported on the higher violence rates of police officers off duty.

Both police violence and violence of veterans are significantly under reported in the traditional media and when they do report it it is almost always much lower profile, and often quickly forgotten by a large percentage of the population, while the propaganda about how they’re defending our country is repeated over and over again.

After reviewing a significant number of reports about many of the murders conducted by veterans it is clear that the most common victims of these murders is probably other veterans, followed by domestic violence cases including many children. Several reports have also come out about the high rates of domestic violence towards children and that 118 deaths have occurred in the Army of children over a four year period

As Jim Fisher asks, “why no national stats on something this important? The answer is simple: they don't want us to know. Why? Because police shoot a lot more people than we think, and the government, while good at statistics, is also good at secrecy.” The same goes for the statistics on veterans killing each other children or cops killing veterans, and in some cases veterans killing cops, as well, although that seems to be less common. Reviewing many of the statistics that the government does keep makes it clear that it wouldn't be too difficult to organize the data they have in a more effective manner enabling people to understand how often this happens.

Fortunately there are some people at the grass roots level that are trying to address this problem and it includes some veterans and police, including David Couper, a former police chief from Wisconsin who reported about Police Shootings: Do We Have the Right Data?

As I reported previously in Grass roots efforts reduce crime; Politicians steal credit and several blogs on the root causes of crime it is much more effective to address them before the last minute when it becomes necessary to rely on the police to address crime when it is much more difficult to stop.

Several stories have been coming out recently about a social experiment which was done to study how people reacted when domestic violence happened in their presence. The results supposedly indicate that most people probably wouldn't react to it. Whether or not that is the case there should be some concern about whether or not some of these experiments should be done. They could be part of a slippery slope; and, although this one is almost certainly near the top of that slope others that have been done, near the bottom of that slope may have done much more damage and even unintentionally contributed to the creation of at least a couple of mass murderers, including Whitey Bulger and Ted Kaczynski.

These experiments aren't entirely isolated. Many of them are organized by social psychologists that have been conducting research on human behavior for decades and they do an enormous number of experiments and exchange the information they gather with other social psychologists; and the majority of the public doesn't know much if anything about it or how they're used to influence policy. Some of the psychologists that participate in them almost certainly don't even fully recognize what they're used for.

These experiments have been going on for decades if not longer.

There were a couple experiments done a few months ago, or perhaps a year (cited below) that were very similar to see if people would react the same way if it was a woman being abused by a man or a man abused by a woman. The potential of these experiments to expose the causes of violence, if they're done right and reported to the public in a rational manner might make them worthwhile; although I suspect other research would be more important and reminders should be included about how some of that indicates that violence often escalates depending on how small children are taught from a young age.

They certainly don't seem to have the potential to cause the damage of the more extreme experiments that were done on Whitey Bulger and Ted Kaczynski and almost certainly contributed to their increased potential for violence. However if the larger volume of research continues to be discussed at a lower profile in the academic world without informing the public about it they might only impact policy in a manner that benefits the political class, not the majority of the public, including those that have been unwittingly drawn into these experiments without being asked.

On top of that they could be used more for entertainment purposes than to learn how to change behavior for the better, or to shame those that may have declined to react. In fact to some degree they probably already are.

The following is an excerpt from an article from the Huffington post about the most recent of these experiments:



Little or no consideration is given to the fact that when people do bring their domestic disputes into the public they're not only harassing their spouse but they're disrupting the surrounding public as well. The same goes for the people conducting this experiment, who aren't actually abusing the spouse, since they know it is acting; but they're still disrupting the public that are participating in the experiment without their knowledge or consent.

Why should the article present the person who objects because they're carrying out their affairs in front of her in a disrespectful manner without acknowledging their own lack of respect for those they're experimenting with?

This isn't the first time social psychologists have disregarded the possibility that they might be harassing the people they use as psychological research experiments; over ten years ago a group of social psychologists or sociologists conducted experiments to determine how racists some people might be where "households received wrong-number telephone calls that quickly developed into requests for assistance," from "callers, who were clearly identifiable from their dialects as being black or white." (Edited by Arthur Miller "The Social Psychology of Good and Evil" 2005 p.141-3)

A close review of many of these experiments should raise major doubts about whether or not their own prejudices are clouding their judgement when conducting the experiments, which would taint any results, and if records aren't accurate enough it maybe difficult if not impossible to recognize the problems, potentially making these experiments useless. There should also be doubts about whether some of the unwitting subjects took the situation seriously, especially if the acting by the researches is exaggerated and they think it is some kind of a a prank. There is at least one documented case where this ahs almost certainly happened and there are probably more.

On the reality show "What Would You Do?" John Quiñones routinely uses members of the public as research subjects and for entertainment purposes without asking their permission. Since they control the way it is presented they attempt to portray themselves in a positive light while they glorify some people caught by surprise and shame others. The best psychologists almost certainly wouldn't participate in such a show at all; and even if they were willing to ABC almost certainly wouldn't want them since they might raise serious questions about the ethics of using random people as research subjects without permission and shaming those that don't conform to the norm while glorifying those that go along with the agenda of those controlling the show.

One of the shows includes an off-duty cop that has a hard time believing that there is a father talking about buying liqueur for his children and thinks it must be a joke, and rightfully so, and only when they persist does he take it seriously and threaten to arrest him. Unfortunately when they come forward and tell him the truth he doesn't raise questions about the legitimacy of their activities, at least not that the show is willing to present to the public.

These experiments have little if any real scientific value and when they do present them to the public they don't inform them about more effective research. Instead these shows could and almost certainly are being used to study how to manipulate the public and keep them distracted from more important issues.

As indicated previously much more manipulative and dangerous studies have been done in the past including those on Whitey Bulger and Ted Kaczynski. Some of these studies took place over a longer period of time and, in some cases they took place on prisoners who could be coerced into participating. Ironically by enrolling them in these studies it turns out that in\stead of rehabilitating them and making them less violent the government conducted activities that almost certainly did the opposite and since they followed this up by trying to cover up their tracks they did little or nothing to learn from tehir mistakes and ensure that it wouldn't happen again aside from ending some of the most extreme experiments.

Whitey Bulger agreed to participate in and experiment for Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and, "What they were not told is that the LSD injections were part of an effort, sponsored by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), to develop a mind-control weapon. Project MKUltra. {Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice By Kevin Cullen, Shelley Murphy p.54-6) Whitey Bulger wasn't the only prisoner that was experimented on that almost certainly turned out more violent as a result; the CIA also experimented on John Stanley Faulder, a Canadian who had been convicted in 1977 of murdering Inez Phillips, an oil heiress, Robert Renaud, and many others according to "CIA Shrinks & LSD" by Alexander Cockburn And Jeffrey St. Clair and numerous other sources, including congressional testimony that came out in the seventies during the Church Committee hearings among other disclosures about CIA activities.

Ted Kaczynski Was also used for mind control experiments. There is no conclusive evidence, that I know of, to indicate that they involved LSD; however the records of this experiment and many others were at least partially destroyed so Cockburn and St. Clair had good reason to speculate about this possibility. Alston Chase goes into a little more detail about what the experiment did involve in the following excerpts from an article from the Atlantic:



Both Ted Kaczynski and Whitey Bulger started out with problems before they were subject to these experiments; however it is virtually guaranteed that instead of attempting to a dress these problems the experiments only escalated their propensity towards violence. The CIA was studying how to control others and their subjects became more authoritative and violent as well; and they also learned to try to control others through violence when they were no longer under the control of the CIA researchers.

These experiments about how people would react to violence also have a lot of similarities to the Obedience to Authority experiments and what they called the Stanford Prison Experiment; however as I attempted to point out in Philip Zimbardo, Lucifer Effect, Stanford Prison Experiment and Corruption or Bias in the American Psychological Association these were probably also part of the CIA experiments to develop indoctrination processes for military recruits and to obtain obedience rather than to warn people not to obey when given unethical orders. Research by Professor Alfred McCoy supports this conclusion; he has provided a good case indicating that both Stanley Milgram and his professor Irving Janis, who came up with the theory of "Groupthink" were working for the CIA. Substituting Zimbardo, who is the only one still alive makes the case even stronger; and he admits that it was the Office of Naval Research that funded his research despite the fact that he claims to have been an anti-war protester.

Some of the students that participate in these experiments almost certainly believe that they're being used for a good cause and some of the efforts that follow them might actually do so. However this research is available to all that look for it and the mass media is hardly even trying to inform the public about how they manipulate them. Instead they consult with people that use this research to learn how to more effectively manipulate the public. This research could also be used by advertising psychologists, and political psychologists as well as military psychologists that are involved in indoctrinating efforts for their own separate purposes.

Until we have major media reform the only people that hear much if anything about this research will be a minority of reasonably well educated and sincere people and those that want to use to to manipulate the public, who regrettably have more employment opportunities if they do so. The majority of the public will know little or nothing about it unless that minority of sincere people spread the word at the grass roots level.



The following are some related articles, including sources for this post:

Swedish 'social experiment' shows people ignoring domestic abuse in a lift 11/14/2014

Social Experiment Reveals How People React When Domestic Violence Happens In Public 11/19/2014

This Is What Happens When The Public Sees A Woman Abusing A Man 05/23/2014

Watch How Passersby React To Domestic Violence In Public 10/07/2014

Ted Kaczynski

Arthur Miller "The Social Psychology of Good and Evil" 2005

Black Friday riots have become an annual tradition; however so have Black Friday protests and during the holiday shopping weekend they seem to have drowned out the stories about fighting shoppers. You might think the police might be thankful, since they seem to be far more rational and civil than the customers in past years and many of the irrational customers seem to have done their share of excessive road rage incidents, stabbings, shootings, shoplifting's, chases and crashes among other things including bomb threats and fires earlier in the month although they continued through the holidays of course.

The police in Pennsylvania and Tulsa Oklahoma have both reported that crime has been escalating at Wal-Mart and that they're attempting to work with them to address the problems there. The police in Pennsylvania claim that although they have a lot of problems there the benefits outweighs the trouble. After reading their own report and others it is hard to see how they came to that conclusion.

I'm not completely ruling out the possibility that they might be responding indirectly to political pressure.

It wouldn't be hard to find an enormous amount of circumstantial evidence to support this hypothesis.

There was at least one more incident where a police officer, or former police officer was involved in the use of excessive force, where he is being investigated for firing a gun that may have been stolen from the Sheriff's Office and there were also two other stories where police say that the amount of force at Wal-Mart used in previous months was justified; this was in addition to the Michael Brown case which wasn't at Walmart.

Ironically there was one police officer that felt the need to justify calling off a police chance and explain that no one was hurt and they had the evidence they needed to pursue the suspect without risk to the public. There have been many other cases where they get into high speed chances and crashes where people are hurt often over shoplifting or other relatively minor incidents that escalate when the police get involved, including at least one or two this month and the police seem less likely to feel the need to justify those incidents.

Walmart has opened up their 5,000 store in the US and they claim that they have seen their first increase in sales in seven quarters; however Forbes magazine has indicated that it is only a modest increase and that they might expect more troubles competing for holiday shoppers this year. As usual the quick reports about holiday sales are good; but some indicate that they're dropping compared to previous years; and the ones from public relations spokespeople rarely even seem credible anymore, exept perhaps to those that don't pay much if any attention.

Walmart's public relations is constantly turning into a bigger disaster all the time.

They've been exposed for their Inhumane Policies for Pregnant Workers again, after a worker told reporters about having miscarriage after being ordered to stay on regular duty lifting heavy items; they've been exposed selling items marked ‘Made In USA’ that are allegedly made in China again; they've been caught asking workers to donate to each other again; and they fired a worker for donating items to the poor that were meant for the trash.

I can't imagine what they could be thinking; or if they're thinking at all.

Their defense for the charity box for their workers is that they don't plan that in the corporate office.

Do they actually think that might help or hurt them even more?

A Forbes writer says "The Waltons Deserve Their Hundred Fifty Billion; The Rest Of Us Gain $5 Trillion From Walmart's Existence" and Walmart's President, CEO say “It’s absolutely appropriate that we open at 6 p.m.” on Thanksgiving night. Do they ever suspect that they might not be living in the same world as the vast majority of the public?

An enormous amount of people are outraged by Walmart's behavior, yet they act as if there is no problem; perhaps the overdue drop in sales and massive protests are the only thing that can get their attention, at least until we have major political reform in this country. One Michigan town was forced to settle a law suit for not allowing Walmart but others aren't letting that deter them when resisting Walmarts new stores and it is highly unlikely that they can get much higher than their 5,000 store mark before declining. In fact same store sales have been declining for years.

Some of these outraged customers and workers are resorting to extreme measures since they seem to see how difficult it is to get their concerns addressed, including close to, if not more than two dozen bomb threats this month including at least one that was obviously from a disgruntled customer and another from an employee.

However the vast majority of the protesters are peaceful and if the police continue to arrest them without addressing their concerns it will become increasingly obvious that the political establishment and police are overwhelmingly giving corporations like Walmart and other campaign donors preferential treatment at the expense of the vast majority of the public.

If they did a better job addressing the legitimate issues that many consumers and workers have with Walmart then it is virtually guaranteed that they would have much fewer problems and research into past activities and rising crime when Walmart comes to town supports this assumption.

Walmart also had to explain why mouse traps were found on the shelves next to their food. Apparently their defense was that they usually keep them under the shelves where customer usually can't see them; but someone must have moved it.

Have you ever wondered if the rib eye steaks at Wal-Mart were put back in the cooler after a man drives around the store sitting on them in an attempt to steal them?

Has anyone besides Gallagher smashed a watermelon or thrown it at you in Walmart to distract people while trying to steal cereal?

Last month someone was caught on camera masturbating with a stuffed animal and leaving it for others; this month they just set the stuffed animals on fire; but a different sex offender came up with something even worse, which I'm sure many Walmart workers might want to avoid in the future.

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

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In 2006 Wake Up Wal-Mart did a study, "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" based on incidents in 2004, (PDF) about crime at Wal-Mart which showed that it increased when Wal-Marts opened up and that crime was higher at Wal-Mart than at other retailers. Since then Wal-Mart Shootings began compiling a list of gun related incidents at Wal-Mart and demonstrated that they have a large number of them, including on average more than one shooting per week somewhere in the country. In January of 2014 another study, "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" provided additional statistical research indicating that Wal-Mart might be contributing to higher crime rates or at least a slowing of the decline in crime. The study found that. “on average, communities with Walmarts had 17 more property crimes and two more violent crimes per 10,000 people than those communities without Walmarts.” I reviewed this more in Wal-Mart’s crime problem, Rolling Back Safety more than prices? where I explained that although this study is helpful they could have done better with additional data that is available and I reviewed some of that. I also added my own review about why I think that Wal-Mart policies have been contributing to higher crime in a previous blog, Wal-Mart high crime rate continues uninvestigaterd and have provided additional information under the author tag Walmart Crime Watch.

Stacy Mitchell has also compiled a list of other studies about Wal-Mart and how they impact society, Key Studies on Big-Box Retail & Independent Business. To the best of my knowledge Wal-Mart has done as little as they seem to get away with, often relying on rhetoric that isn't backed up with action, when it comes to addressing any of their critics concerns, including crime. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in November 2014. According to the "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" the average store in their sampling had 250 incidents per year, indicating that these are only a fraction of the crime reports at Wal-Mart, and presumably, the ones most likely to make the news on the internet nationwide. This isn't statistically representative, as the 2006 or the "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" study or some of the studies cited by Stacy Mitchell; but it does provide some additional information that may help recognize how many problems there are at Wal-Mart.

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Man attempts to kill estranged wife in Tennessee Sam's Club parking lot 01/11/2014

Argument leads to shooting at Alaska Walmart 09/08/2014

Drunk man threatens to shoot people inside Indiana Walmart 09/20/2014

Deputy shoots and kills gunman in Washington Walmart parking lot 09/30/2014

Walmart customer robbed at gunpoint in Florida 10/02/2014

Masked gunman robs Walmart gas station in New Orleans 10/03/2014

Officer shot by shoplifter inside Alabama Walmart 10/05/2014

Two men steal rifles in Christmas tree box at Kentucky Walmart store 10/11/2014

Man robbed at gunpoint for game system in Oklahoma Walmart parking lot; shot fired 10/22/2014

Two charged with shoplifting at NH Walmart 11/02/2014

Woman allegedly steals 29 items from NY Walmart 11/03/2014

Shirtless suspect arrested after purse snatcher punches woman outside Ill. Walmart 11/03/2014

Crime of the Week: Theft-turned-robbery at Tx. Wal-Mart 11/05/2014



S. Fla. Walmart employee arrested for stealing 11/04/2014

Man arrested for alleged theft at Dickinson Ill. Walmart 11/04/2014





Trial Moved For Pope County Constable Accused Of Destroying Ark. Walmart shopping car corral last July 11/04/2014



Workers deliver petition for $15 wage at MV Ca.'s Walmart 11/03/2014





26 arrested for protesting outside Walmart billionaire's New York home 10/16/2014

Police looking for 2 in attempted Va. Beach Walmart heist 11/02/2014

Costco Gives Employees Thanksgiving Off; Wal-Mart Leads "Black Thursday" Charge 10/29/2014

Man allegedly stole from NY Walmart, ran off 11/04/2014

“I cannot continue to live and work like this”: How Wal-Mart drove me to shut down Park Avenue Despite having a job, I forgo electricity in the summer. My car was repossessed. My day-to-day life would shock you 10/29/2014

Clovis Ca. man on seven-year crusade against Wal-Mart 10/23/2014







2 arrested in connection with Utah Wal-Mart robberies 11/05/2014



Little River man jailed after bomb threat made to North Myrtle Beach SC Wal-Mart 11/06/2014

A Walmart employee in charge of preventing theft in Le Mars Walmart robbery arrested in Texas 11/06/2014

Robbery at knifepoint Outside Fort Worth Tx. Walmart Store 11/06/2014

Pair sought in Farmington Me. Walmart thefts 11/06/2014

Bank robbery suspect identified, taken into custody near Moore Oklahoma Walmart 11/06/2014



Family subdues NM Walmart shooting suspect 11/06/2014

Oneida NY police make arrest in Walmart theft case 11/06/2014

Waterford Conn. police seek Walmart purse-snatcher 11/06/2014

Mom charged with leaving toddler inside unlocked, running car while she shopped at Pa. Walmart 11/07/2014

Man accused of performing lewd acts in Walmart parking lot in Gonzales La. 11/07/2014

Jim Hightower: Walmart gives taxpayers health care bill 11/06/2014

5 women arrested in Tx. Walmart theft ring bust 11/06/2014

Conway SC Police looking for Walmart car break-in suspect 11/07/2014

Coalition for Social and Environmental Responsibility in Boulder: Boulder Colorado Walmart can't keep out the truth 11/07/2014

Man stabbed at Thomasville Ga. Walmart 11/06/2014

NC Walmart evacuated due to bomb threat 11/05/2014





S. Fla. Walmart employee arrested for stealing 11/04/2014

NY Walmart worker accused in iPhone thefts 11/07/2014

Employees return to Okla. Walmart after bomb threat 11/08/2014

Snow Hill NC Walmart re-opens after bomb threat 11/09/2014

Suspects in Farmington Walmart theft arrested in Augusta Me. 11/08/2014

Wal-Mart to focus on food safety in China: Asia chief 11/10/2014



Suspect sought for robbery of Burlington NC Walmart 11/10/2014

Good Samaritans Aid In Tenn. Wal-Mart Robbery 11/10/2014

Police release photo of Ark Walmart theft suspect 11/10/2014

Woman robbed at knifepoint in Ill. Walmart parking lot 11/10/2014

Thomas Hartman charged with setting off firecracker inside Fla. Walmart 11/10/2014

Cops: SC Walmart Employee Used Deodorant, Put It Back 11/11/2014

Walmart Memo Orders Stores to Improve Grocery Performance 11/11/2014

HPD: 2 arrested after armed robbery workers in Tx. Walmart parking lot 11/12/2014

Man stabbed near Walmart in Santee Ca. 11/09/2014

Police nab Utah Wal-Mart shoplifter for possession of stolen credit cards, drugs 11/10/2014

Man steals condoms from Walmart: South Euclid Ohio police blotter 11/10/2014

Police: Suspected NY Walmart thieves struck a police vehicle while fleeing the scene 11/11/2014

Bomb threat at Hudson NH Walmart 11/12/2014

Walmart evacuated amid bomb threat in Edinburg Tx. 11/12/2014

Sex offender accused of stealing 20 DVDs from York SC Walmart 11/10/2014

Conway SC Police looking for Walmart shoplifting suspect 11/11/2014



Unfounded bomb threat evacuates Middletown Del. Walmart 11/12/2014

Beavercreek Ohio Walmart Worker Punched In The Head Over Candy 11/12/2014



Rincon Ga. Police: Shoplifter steals pretty much everything he needs from Walmart 11/14/2014



UPDATE: Arrest made for Middletown Del. Walmart bomb threat 11/13/2014

Newark NJ felon with 40 arrests arrested after Walmart shoplifting goes wrong, cops say 11/13/2014

Can you I.D. this couple shopping at Washi. state Walmart? 11/13/2014

Walmart workers begin first in-store sitdown strike in company history 11/13/2014

Protesters gather at Ca. Walmart in Pico Rivera; 23 arrests made 11/13/2014





Man accused of stealing four televisions from Fla. Walmart 11/14/2014

Fla. Walmart employee arrested for stealing 11/14/2014



Police Looking For Suspects In iPad Thefts From Md. Wal-Mart 11/14/2014

Walmart workers plan Black Friday protests over wages 11/15/2014

Thieves steal computers from South Philadelphia Pa. Walmart 11/14/2014

Mom, daughter escape icy Salt Lake City Utah Wal-Mart parking lot plunge with minor injuries 11/14/2014

Bail set at $150K for man accused of attack outside Missoula Montana Walmart 11/15/2014

TBI makes arrests in Tenn. Walmart theft, money laundering case 11/15/2014

Surveillance Video Shows Man Shoplifting From Tenn. Wal-Mart 11/15/2014

Purse taken from SD Wal-Mart shopping cart 11/15/2014

Slidell La. police trying to ID suspect in Walmart groping case 11/15/2014

Man tries to rob woman in Walmart parking lot in Northeast Austin Tx. 11/15/2014

Man pleads guilty to spraying doe urine on Owasso Okla. Walmart merchandise 11/15/2014

Walmart on Route 60 in Huntington, West Virginia evacuated after bomb threat 11/16/2014

Court documents: Springfield Missouri woman left kids home alone while stealing from Walmart 11/16/2014

Ulster NY police say Kingston man stole nearly $1,600 in electronics, DVDs from Walmart 11/16/2014

Teen Saves Baby At Missouri Walmart Store 11/17/2014

Most Wanted: Elizabethton Tenn. Police Department search for Walmart TV theft suspect 11/17/2014

Suspect wearing Flyers jacket stuffed DVDs, clothing, food in hampers, walked out of Pa. Wal-Mart 11/17/2014

Arrest made in Pa. Walmart gun incident 11/17/2014

Walmart in Geneseo NY evacuated, searched after bomb threat 11/17/2014

Bomb threat prompts evacuation of Evangeline Thruway Walmart in Louisiana 11/17/2014

Man accused of stealing meds from Pa. Walmart 11/17/2014

Woman left Walmart with hampers full of merchandise, East Lampter Township Pa. police say 11/17/2014

Women charged with Wisc. Walmart thefts 11/17/2014

State police need public's help identifying 2 in East Syracuse NY Walmart identity theft investigation 11/17/2014

Alleged NT NY Walmart shoplifter indicted on three felonies 11/17/2014

18-year-old shoplifter threatens Decatur Alabama Wal-Mart employees with gun, police say 11/17/2014



Two Irving Tx. Walmart Parking Lot Robberies May be Connected: Police 11/18/2014

Teenager arrested in NY Walmart bomb threat 11/18/2014

Chickasha Okla. Walmart cleared in response to bomb threat 11/19/2014

Bomb threats shut down Rogersville Tenn. McDonald's, Walmart 11/20/2014

Man sought in Overland Park Kansas Walmart neighborhood market robbery 11/18/2014

Pair accused of using credit card stolen from senior’s purse in Suffolk Va. Walmart 11/18/2014



Man uses saw to steal perfume from Dauphin County Pa. Wal-Mart, police say 11/18/2014

Greenwood Man Charged with Setting Fire in Fla. Walmart 11/19/2014

Shoplifters threaten Walmart store employees with gun in Oklahoma flee in stolen vehicle 11/19/2014

Man arrested after recording women in Fla. Walmart 11/19/2014

Police identify woman found dead at Missouri Walmart parking lot 11/19/2014

Thief steals purse right out of woman's hand in Hanover Va. Walmart parking lot 11/19/2014

Wal-Mart robbery suspects arrested at Clearwater Fla. strip club 11/19/2014

How Walmart was tricked into selling $400 PlayStation4 consoles for $90 11/19/2014

Florida man harassed Walmart employee with camera: police 11/19/2014



Pregnant Woman Attacked in Jonesboro Ark. Walmart 11/19/2014

Opinion: How Obama’s plan on immigration will enrich Wal-Mart 11/20/2014

NJ Police Blotter: Shoplifting and purse snatching at Walmart in Hanover; dispute with cabbie in Mount Olive 11/20/2014





Boynton Beach Fla. police seek clues in killing of Walmart worker 11/21/2014

Three shoplifting incidents in one day at Bayonne NJ's Walmart: police 11/21/2014

Cushing man gets six months in jail for exposing himself at Me. Walmart 11/21/2014



Man pulls knife on DeLand Fla. Wal-Mart security, police say 11/21/2014

Couple steals 23 GPS units from Franklin Walmart 11/21/2014



Three held without bail in stabbing outside Ca. Walmart 11/22/2014

Report: Man tries to steal 10 PlayStation 4 controllers, other items from Ga. Walmart 11/21/2014

Police open fire on Walmart shoplifter who dragged officer with truck in New York 11/21/2014



Crossville Tenn. police trying to catch man they say stole from Walmart 11/23/2014

Fla. Wal-Mart cashier accused of stealing $12K from store 11/24/2014

Bomb Threat at Natomas Ca. Walmart Unfounded 11/24/2014

Pa. Walmart temporarily evacuated as crews investigate fire report 11/23/2014

Summerfield man arrested in alleged theft at Buffalo Ridge Fla. Wal-Mart 11/24/2014

Five charged in Vermont Walmart disturbance 11/24/2014

Syracuse man charged with identity theft after tipsters ID him in NY Walmart security photos 11/25/2014

Black Friday 2014 protests to target 1,600 Walmart stores, including dozens in New England 11/22/2014

The Nation: $1 Billion: That’s How Much Walmart Avoids Paying in Taxes Each Year Through Loopholes 11/24/2014 In a recent analysis of Walmart’s tax spending, Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) found that the company “avoids $1 billion a year in taxes” through federal loopholes, and various political shenanigans drive this always-low tax rate: the big-box giant is absorbing government subsidies both directly and indirectly, through its retail operations as well as its ingenious accounting methods. Overall, the retail giant can evade taxes through overseas accounts, on one hand, and raid the public trust on the other by capitalizing on the benefits system.

Black Friday Protests

Crookston Minn. School Board: No Pirate apparel at Wal-Mart 11/25/2014

Don't Fall for This Walmart Mystery Shopper Scam 11/01/2014

TV shoplifters threaten Walmart employee with gun in Indiana 11/25/2014

Chesapeake Va. Police searching for Walmart assault suspect 11/25/2014

Irving Tx. Police Make Arrest in Pair of Robberies Outside Walmart 11/25/2014

Counterfeit Bills Passed At Tenn. Walmart 11/25/2014

A Stabbing and a Crash in A Tenn. Walmart Parking Lot Sends One to the Hospital 11/25/2014

Driver killed in crash and fire behind North Richland Hills Tx. Wal-Mart 11/25/2014

Wal-Mart Dismisses 30 China Executives in Restructuring 11/27/2014

AR-15 assault rifle and ammo stolen from North Carolina Walmart 11/27/2014

Thief wanted for stealing TVs from Sanford Fla. Walmart 11/27/2014

Arab, Alabama police looking for service dog in training that got loose in Walmart parking lot 11/27/2014

Walmart One-Hour guarantee has a 'catch' 11/27/2014







Walmart Workers Leave Food Donation Bin Outside Alice Walton’s Manhattan NY Condo 11/27/2014

VIDEO: Shoppers Fight Over Wal-Mart Deals In Michigan City Indiana 11/28/2014

Six Years Later, Walmart Still Hasn't Paid A $7,000 Fine For Black Friday Worker's Death 11/25/2014



Fighting the hunger games at Walmart 11/26/2014

PR Watch: Black Friday Strike, Greens Join Labor to Take on Walmart 11/25/2014

Walmart Workers Give Up Thanksgiving Dinner To Stage 24-Hour Fast For Higher Wages 11/26/2014

Pro-Assad Hackers Hit Western Media and Wal-Mart 11/28/2014

Berlin NJ police: Woman wanted in alleged purse theft at Walmart parking lot 11/27/2014

NYT: After a Bump in Sales, Walmart Braces for a Competitive Holiday Season 11/13/2014

Walmart workers increasingly rely on food banks, report says 11/21/2014

Florence Alabama Police looking for sticky fingered Walmart thieves 11/27/2014

Eight of the weirdest things to happen at Walmart 11/28/2014 8.Baby born in toilet (2007) 7.Two people shot outside Walmart over parking space (2012) 6.Man caught on film fighting prevention officers (2014) 5.Woman tries to start a meth lab in Walmart (2011) 4.Teenager lives in Walmart for two days (2014) 3.Man sucks toes of unwilling woman (2014) 2.Woman glued to toilet (2012) 1.Man has sex with stuffed horse (2014)

Man accused of stealing merchandise from Tenn. Walmart 11/27/2014

Fights break out between Black Friday shoppers in Walmart 11/28/2014

Woman arrested after spending 5 hours in NC Walmart 11/24/2014

Black Friday: Shoppers line up, brawls reported at some Walmarts (VIDEO) 11/28/2014

Spotsylvania Va. Walmart reopens over bomb threat 11/28/2014

Cape Coral Fla. Walmart evacuated due to bomb threat 11/2/2014

Omaha Nebraska Walmart evacuated after bomb threat called in 11/28/2014

Bomb threat at Walmart Supercenter in Bentonville Ark.; store evacuated 11/28/2014

Bomb threat of Elk County Pa. Walmart causes evacuation Friday 11/28/2014

Police incident at Harrisburg Pa. Walmart causes evacuation Saturday 11/29/2014

Bomb threat forces Wal-Mart evacuation in Swatara Township Pa. Saturday 11/29/2014

Judge orders Wal-Mart to let NYC church challenge gun sales 11/28/2014

Protesters March Through West Nashville Walmart On Black Friday and the rest of country 11/28/2014

Forbes: The Waltons Deserve Their Hundred Fifty Billion; The Rest Of Us Gain $5 Trillion From Walmart's Existence 11/29/2014

Walmart President, CEO: “It’s absolutely appropriate that we open at 6 p.m.” Thanksgiving night 11/27/2014

Walmart protests: In Hadley Mass., 1 protester carries sign reading 'Business as Usual = Racial Oppression'; company says workers 'very proud' 11/28/2014

Thanksgiving shopper hit by car at Wyomissing Pa. Walmart 11/28/2014

Police: Portage man charged with disorderly conduct at Ind. Walmart 11/28/2014

Three accused of stealing various items from Fla. Wal-Mart 11/29/2014

Rochester NH police accuse man on suspicion of shoplifting at Walmart 11/30/2014

8,000 Dollars Worth of Merchandise Stolen from Minot ND WalMart 11/30/2014

Man claims self-defense in Ind. Walmart attack while completing a job application 11/30/2014

POLICE REPORTS: Lufkin duo attempts to rollback price on beer at Tx. Walmart to nothing 11/30/2014



Fire in clothing department at Gwinnett Ga. Walmart forces evacuation 11/30/2014

Just before thanksgiving ABC did a few consumer protection stories warning the public that products at factory outlet stores are often inferior quality compared to brand names that are supposedly better quality and much higher prices. There is almost certainly a significant amount of truth to their stories; however they are selectively warning the public about fraudulent marketing scams and actually participating in more than they expose.

They routinely decline to tell the public about some of the most basic principles of marketing and that advertising expenses have been skyrocketing over the past several decades while manufacturing expenses have been slashed.

This means that the amount they mark up from the factory are are much higher than they used to be.

The reason ABC and other commercial media outlets decline to tell the majority of the public about this is quite simple.

A significant portion of the increased profits have been going to them in the form of advertising revenue. They have an obvious incentive to remain silent that is almost never mentioned.

On top of that they practically never mention the fact that proprietary information laws often make it illegal to disclose many of the marketing tactics they uses.

The news segments exposing the lower quality products being sold at so called "factory outlet stores" pointed out the fact that they use the phrase "compared to" implying that the products are the same except for the price when, according to their reporting, they aren't. Some of the higher prices for the higher end items were about $198 or $249; and the items they were compared to are about $99 or $119. Even these lower priced items are outrageously priced although people that don't use more than a minimum amount of critical thinking skills might not realize it since these marketing scams have been escalating gradually for decades while the retail and manufacturing outlets along with media outlet have been consolidating.

These "consumer protection" warnings were essentially ads for traditional designer clothes and the fashion industry.

We rely on the traditional media for our information about just about everything; but they have a financial incentive to deceive us about just about everything. This sounds cynical; but it isn't hard to confirm that it is also true.

They rarely ever mention that over the last few decades real factory direct outlets have been disappearing since the factories have all been moving overseas. It doesn't take a genius to see that when we grow cotton in the USA ship it half way around the world where it is manufactured into clothes by people who don't get paid enough to live a decent life then they ship it back and create expensive propaganda ads about how efficient this system is.

A larger portion of the money we give to retailers is used for shipping, advertising, union busting activities, campaign contributions, and other bureaucratic expenses designed to increase the profits for those that already have more money than they need, than they use to manufacture the actual product.

If they don't pass these expenses on to the consumer where would they get the money to pay them?

Most people in the United States probably don't realize it but some other countries actually do a better job trying to protect their consumers from epidemic levels of consumer fraud or at least they try to. This is almost certainly more likely to be reported in foreign or alternative media outlets, since the traditional commercial media outlets are unlikely to expose fraud that they're involved in. Recently Deutsche Welle Journal did a story about consumer protection Germany where mentioned an organization that tested consumer goods and it seemed to do a much better job than anything that we have in the USA. A search of the internet didn't turn up this story but it did turn up The Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection or Bundesministerium which sounds like what the Deutsche Welle Journal mentioned.

I don't know how well it works but it can't be worse than what we have in the USA which involves constantly trying to deceive people with misleading ads and virtually no accurate information about how consumer goods are brought to the public from traditional news or political establishments.

If the public wants discussions about how to restore factory direct options and the real efficiencies that have been abandoned with globalization they can't rely on the commercial media to come up with it.

Instead they have to come up with their own ideas at the grass roots level and push them from below, at least until there is major media and political reform.



If there is any doubt about how corrupt the current system is and how inept it is at informing the public about the scams by large oligarchies the books like Big-box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-retailers By Stacy Mitchell, No Logo and The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism By Naomi Klein should easily expose many of these scams; however until there are major reforms the oligarchies will continue to control all the large institutions with little or no accountability.

Greenpeace seems to have stuck their foot in their mouth, while trying to make a legitimate point.

Oil company executives just might be having a good laugh.

Greenpeace activists just might be charged with major crimes for, well, leaving footprints.

There is little if any effort by those with the most power to charge oil company executives with massive and real environmental damage.

Would you laugh if you were an oil company executive?

The Guardian reported the following excerpt about the Nazca lines:



Is anyone wondering whether or not the people that gave "a true slap in the face" to "sacred,” or important things are the oil companies or the Greenpeace activists?

Is there any doubt which is doing far more damage?

This may not be as well planned as they might have hoped but when you consider the enormous advantage the mass media gives to the oil companies that buy enormous amounts of propaganda ads from them with the profits they get from destroying the environment it might be understandable why they might try to do the best they can with the limited resources they have.

I think ancient sites should be preserved as much as anyone else; and I would prefer better ways to get good points across than flashy publicity stunts; but how much damage are these footprints really going to do?

Greenpeace had this to say when they planned it:



During the psst week I have been watching alternative news more often when I can but I have still managed to watch plenty of the local news and some of the world news but I don't remember them mentioning the climate summit once. I almost certainly missed at least a little coverage from the world news but I doubt if they provided much coverage of it at all. Democracy Now has provided much more coverage about the climate summit and the news that is available to me from several other countries also cover a reasonable amount of coverage for the climate summit, although they don't do nearly as well as Democracy Now or environmental news outlets.

For a subject as important as this it seems to me that we need to do what we can to draw more attention to it and if the media does start paying attention to this only to blame Greenpeace without covering the damage by oil companies and other corporations or the military to the environment they're only showing how badly we need media reform.



Photos reveal possible damage to Nazca lines by Greenpeace activists 12/09/2014

Greenpeace activists 'damage' ancient Nazca lines, Peru to seek criminal charges 12/10/2014

Recently while searching for something else I stumbled across an article by Lt. Frank Borelli (ret) who seems to do a very good job expressing his views although I don't agree with them all; and I think he is missing some very important points. I initially thought I'd cite a few excerpts but even though I don't agree with most of what he says I thought he did a very good job making his points I decided to repost it.

I hope he doesn't mind but he did express concern about "moms of criminals will likely never read this blog entry" and although I probably can't help him much with that perhaps this will increase attention at least a little.

Obviously I don't think of myself as one of the "Haters" he refers to but there are inevitably going to be some people who disagree on just who those are, as I'll get to, to some degree. There might also be some doubt as to who is finding "a way to blame," or partially blame "someone else." Also, I can't say for certain, but my best guess is that there are also plenty of police or ex-police that might also disagree with some of the comments from Mr. Borelli.

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The people that live in many low income areas know that they have never received the same protection by police as those in high income areas; and they also know that they are much less likely to be treated as innocent until proven guilty.

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Here is his article and one anonymous comment which might be considered notable.



First of all I must have missed the article where parents said they wanted the "removal of every legal barrier that might slow their children down from committing a crime." I'm not ruling out the possibility that this might be Mr. Borelli's personal interpretation; and my best guess is that few if any of the protesters intended this.

More importantly, one of the biggest problems with the discussion about crime and police brutality is that they focus primarily on how to resolve problems at the last minute or relatively shortly before major incidents break out. At least in the short run some of this is necessary; however in the long term it may be as important, if not more important, to recognize and address long term causes of crime.

If this can be done then perhaps many of these confrontations will never happen in the first place. In many cases this might not even involve police at all, although there might be some partial exceptions. This might also mean that the people most able to do more to reduce crime aren't police but politicians, social workers, teachers, parents, and others that deal with the social and economic system that impacts crime.

Excuse me if I seem a little sarcastic but I really do have a point; who is it that the police are protecting us from?

Of course there are the obvious purse snatchers and violent felons; although in most cases, if it comes down to that they are often gone before the police even arrive on the scene.

But what about white collar crime? Do the police protect us from those criminals? Do the police protect us from Flo?

Seriously.



This might seem peculiar but the reason I ask is that Flo and many other people should be considered scam artists and the beneficiaries of Savage Inequalities as described by Jonathan Kozol. Kozol doesn't focus primarily on the scams being conducted by people like Flo; instead he focuses on the lack of opportunities, especially educational opportunities, in abandoned inner cities like East St Louis which is just across the state line from Ferguson, and it is the first district he writes about in this book.

Recognizing Flo's scams and the same scams by most if not all insurance ads is relatively simple. Insurance is pooled risk and expenses have to be deducted from the money insurance companies collect through premiums. The more they advertise the more they have to deduct for expenses. Their ads do little or noting to provide accurate information about the deals they get; instead they ad to non-productive expenses; and this simple concept is never explained to the public.

How does this have any connection to police violence against black people, or other low-income people of other races?

The vast majority of the public, especially minorities doesn't have much if any opportunity to get this type of job and it provides no benefit for the consumers who indirectly pay Flo's salary. Flo is actually trivial except as an example. There are many jobs that are only available to a minority of the public that pay reasonably well but they aren't directly accountable to consumers that ultimately pay for them and the the people that do work that does actually benefit consumers that indirectly pay for their labor often have their wages suppressed by competition.

Advertisers, union busters, lobbyists, market researchers and many other corporate bureaucratic jobs aren't designed to provide benefits for the majority of the public; instead they're doing jobs that are designed to increase profits for corporations even though consumers don't benefit from them. Right now there doesn't seem to be any "legal barrier that might slow" down their efforts to commit large amounts of fraud that indirectly contribute to traditional blue collar crimes in other ways.

Kozol's book demonstrates that the educational and economic opportunities in minority areas would be considered unacceptable to most people if they knew about them; but most people almost certainly don't know much about them, especially if they rely on traditional news reports. He also demonstrates how an enormous amount of environmental damage is done in minority areas, although Robert Bullard goes into much greater detail on that subject in "Dumping in Dixie."

The people in these towns know damn well that they don't have the opportunities that many other people might and they also know damn well that all this propaganda about how everyone has an opportunity to rise to the top is nothing but propaganda and that people from abandoned inner cities have little or no opportunity to get out of them; and their opportunities at a high paying job like Flo's where they get paid to deceive the public will only be available to a small minority and then only if they help scam people for the benefit of corporate advertisers.

At times they try to protest when corporations pollute their land leading to high death rates as a result or oppressive working conditions and instead of giving them an opportunity to express their view and reduce inequalities the police disperse the protests even when politicians make it clear they aren't going to address their grievances.

Police don't investigate and arrest polluters that commit negligent mass murder or corporations that cause dangerous working environment or make unearned profits through deceptive advertising; they arrest the protesters without political power.



The end result is whether they intend to or not they serve the interests of the campaign contributors. They might say this is being non-political but when the orders they received give political benefits to campaign contributors then they're serving the political interests of the campaign contributors indirectly.

I've never lived in the abandoned inner cities that Jonathan Kozol writes about so I don't know first hand what it's like to have to deal with their problems. We were taught that we are all innocent until proven guilty; and in most places that I have lived that is for the most point true in this country; however I have passed through a few towns where at least people that pass through might not be treated in that manner. Many others have also had this experience; but they know that unless it is a major problem it isn't worth making a big deal out of it and it would mean going back to places where they might have been harassed by police for little or no reason. For a brief while I have been in what could be considered an abandoned rural area where the lowest class people clearly aren't treated as if they're innocent until proven guilty and they don't have much if any more opportunity than those in abandoned inner cities to rise up the economic ladder in this country.

There were only a handful of places where people could work in this area and most of the people never had a chance to leave going back generations, contrary to the myth of upward mobility in this country. The block at the center of town was where many of the poorest people lived and they often had some of the biggest problems with crimes, although the vast majority of them were petty. Police routinely treated anyone that lived int his block as if they were already guilty and there wasn't anything any of them could do about it.

If a business called in with a complaint they would address it to the best of their ability, which wasn't necessarily that great, considering their lack of education or training. However if someone from the poorer block had a pr4oblem they rarely got any response, and for the most part they knew they wouldn't so they practically never even considered it unless it was really serious.

Despite all the noise and drinking that went on, when people had the money to buy alcohol, which often stopped for days or even weeks at a time, there was surprisingly few major crimes, although the large number of arguments or disorderly conduct would make it seem otherwise. I often suspected that the reason why these people that spent an enormous amount of time bragging about how great a fighter they were practically never got into many if any fight was because they knew that if they did then everyone would find out just how accurate their amazing fighting skills really were.

There was one exception where one of the loudest people on the block did know how to fight much better than most and he got into a surprising number of fights and he also got into much more legal trouble than most of the other people on the block. Yet he managed to stay out of jail most of the time. Even he never thought seriously about fighting the police.

Few people in that town asked why this guy wasn't put in jail long ago and kept there. It didn't take long for some people to figure out that the reason was because it turned out he was cooperating with the police. At least two people wound up in jail briefly because of information he gave to the police. In one case the information he gave them was accurate but it was widely known and they could have found out otherwise. In another case it wasn't and the alleged suspect was released without further investigation since there was no evidence aside from a false snitch.

These police were keeping the closest thing this small town had to a major criminal out of jail be3casue he was snitching on others that didn't cause as much trouble as he did. They intimidated and harassed everyone when it suited their purposes, although it usually only happened when some kind of noise escalated.

None of the poorer people thought that the police were there to protect them, because in this case they weren't. It is virtually guaranteed that there are thousands of towns like this across the country and abandoned inner cities are even worse.

In all fairness, I would wonder if I would want the job of policing people in a town like this and I wouldn't. Neither would many other people including most good police officers. This is why some of the towns that need good police the most rarely ever get them.

If the best police officers don't want to serve in the towns that need them the most they'll inevitably apply for jobs elsewhere and get them. That means that the towns with the most trouble might have to chose from police that have a hard time getting jobs in towns with fewer problems. Then, on top of that, they might be trained in an authoritative manner that is designed to intimidate people into compliance.

Mr. Borelli claims that, "we’re not out committing crimes. We’re out there patrolling to prevent crime. .. " which sounds good and of course it is what they're supposed to be doing. However even though I'm sure the vast majority of police officers are doing just that there are more exceptions than he might like to acknowledge. Actually he doesn't acknowledge any exceptions in this article; but there are plenty of people watching police that have demonstrated otherwise. The reason they might be doing so is that they have known for a while that they don't always live up to their propaganda and tracking some of the stories reported in the news including the Police misconduct reports for 2013 compiled by Massachusetts Cop Block. This is just one of many police watching organizations that have piled up a much larger list of exception; although most of these different sites don't all cover the same material, so it would take a while to review more than a fraction of their misconduct.

Mr. Borelli seems to imply that all police should be treated as innocent until proven guilty, which seems quite reasonable but he doesn't seem quite so concerned about whether or not all citizens are treated as innocent until proven guilty. Nor does he seem to acknowledge any of the evidence to indicate that there are at least some cases where police have gone too far and that tehy should be addressed properly.

Mr. Borelli seems to have demonstrated support for the us verses them situation with his squarely on the side of the police without trying to figure out which cases might have justifiable complaints. Not all police officers or ex-police officers have done this and some of the more open-minded have done a good job indicating why many police are so reluctant to take responsibility for their own actions while they expect the public to do so and why they rely on escalating violence. One of those is David Couper who has done a good job describing their training practices and why they might lead to misconduct later on the job in the following excerpt about hazing:



These training practices clearly involve using intimidation practices to keep people in line and convince them to go along with the program and it is virtually guaranteed that it is part of the reason why intimidating officers who don't look the other way when they witness police misconduct is so common and a major factor for the so-called "blue wall of silence."

As I attempted to explain in numerous posts early abuse leads to escalating violence later in life; this doesn't begin in the police academy when they rely on hazing and bullying to train their recruits but it does escalate there. There is plenty of evidence to indicate that a major part of the reason for escalating violence starts with the way people are educated at a young age and escalates later in life with bullying, hazing, boot camp and domestic violence. I have indicated some of the evidence for this in several past posts including Child abuse and bullying link in study long over due.

Despite an enormous amount of propaganda about how glorious our police and military are they don't always live up to that propaganda and the indoctrination to go along with the program and support the beliefs of their fellow soldiers or police officers is a major reason for that. Although the vast majority of veterans and police officers are law abiding citizens there have been a surprising number of them that have gone on shooing sprees and become murders themselves instead of protecting this country. And many of those that were taught to believe what they're told do little or nothing to recognize when their government is lying to them and ordering them to fight for false claims like weapons of mass destruction that don't exist or defend an economic system that is rigged heavily in favor of the well connected that give the orders.

In Teach a soldier to kill and he just might I tried to indicate how in some cases a significant number of military soldiers have been involved in a large number of murders and that their training is almost certainly a contributing factor as to why this is the case, although it is almost certainly not the only factor and in most cases early education is also a factor.

Fortunately not all police are supporting the us verses them mentality; in Richmond California the police chief agreed to attend one of the rallies to show his support for reasonable reform and minimize or avoid confrontation with the community he's protecting. Unfortunately Mr.Borelli and many other police officers have objected to this as indicated in Officer Editor's Blog: A Protesting Police Chief? 12/15/2014

Richmond police Chief Chris Magnus indicated 'that he and several members of his command staff decided to attend the protest, which was organized by a local youth center, to "build bridges" and ensure the protest was peaceful. He said he was asked by one of the youths to hold the sign, and "agreed because I wanted to demonstrate that our police department really is serious about building stronger relationships with communities of color." ' .... In response to the objection from the police union 'Mayor-elect Tom Butt, who also attended the protest, called the union "hypocritical" and noted that union officers routinely work in Richmond politics while dressed as police officers. "They have a lot of gall to criticize the chief," Butt said.' Fallout Grows Over Protesting Police Chief 12/17/2014



If there is any doubt about how effective Chief Chris Magnus' policy's have been a look at his recent record reducing crime dramatically over the past several years seems to indicate that some one in Richmond must be doing something right. Not to long ago they were the ninth most dangerous city in the country; however recent reforms in the police as well as other efforts from the community have dramatically reduced their problems with crime. They have cut their murder rates by well over fifty percent. The police aren't the only reason for this; they have also had a lot of grass roots support as I have indicated in Politicians increase crime; Grass roots efforts reduce crime; Politicians steal the credit. Addressing the root causes of crime is far more important than just waiting until the last minute and preventing problems when a possible violent confrontation is almost unavoidable. the reforms in the economic \system are almost certainly more important.



A closer look into Frank Borelli's background quickly raises some possible conflicts of interests. He is the founder of Borelli Consulting which has done some work for Blackwater and seems to support the privatization of police and military matters. Officer.com provides a significant number of ads for weapons manufacturers, which include those supported by the NRA.

When even the possibility of financial incentives might be influencing security issues it should raise some serious doubts especially when considering that many developed countries have far lower crime rates and incarceration rates and we spend little or not time considering what they might be doing better. Instead there is an enormous amount of propaganda about how "great" our system is even though many of the facts may not support this assumption. If we really want to be so great we should take a closer look at the facts to develop policies.

NYT: Bias Seen in ‘Police-on-Police’ Shootings 05/27/2010

Cato Institute: The National Police Misconduct Reporting Project

Cato Institute: Botched Paramilitary Police Raids

I find it extremely hard to believe that I'm the only one that sees how incredibly hypocritical this speech is.

The news media routinely sells an enormous amount of advertising space for the oil companies; yet they rarely ever allow environmentalists to get their views across. Instead they present them as fringe protesters and only inform the public that they're protesting without fully explaining why. And even then they don't cover them unless they feel it is large enough that they can't ignore them.

They sell an enormous number of deceptive Christmas ads that often lead to unruly shoppers and even riots during Black Friday. Yet they refused to sell ad space to Adbusters when they tried to recommend a "Buy nothing day." If anything this would have made Black Friday less likely.

Deceptive advertising that is designed to maximize profits by deceiving consumers gets an enormous amount of protection under the first amendment; yet I get the impression that if someone wanted to buy time so that Susan Linn author of "Consuming Kids" or Juliet Schor author of "Born to Buy" could take the time they needed to explain how many of these scams work and how they're targeted to children before they learn how to develop critical thinking skills the media would almost certainly not sell them the time; and the Supreme Court might find a pathetic excuse to allow it assuming they didn't find an excuse to avoid even hearing the case which is actually more likely.

Actually this is already happening; is there anything remotely as good as these books ever even mentioned on the mass media?

The Supreme Court has said that "falsely shouting fire in a crowded theater" is not protected speech; however the example that is protected in practice are the false claims by advertisers that are more likely to incite riots while the recommendation for a "Buy nothing day" isn't protected.

Not that it is surprising that they apply this wrong in this cases; they didn't even apply it right in the first cases where Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. first wrote it. He used this argument to prevent war protesters from speaking against the war. These protestors weren't making false claims, nor were they inciting a riot or a stampede.

The same continues to go for peace protestors that are telling the truth in recent wars including false claims about weapons of mass destruction which were repeated over and over again before the Iraq war while the speech of the protestors was relegated to the fringes, even though it was much more accurate.

Barack Obama said he was concerned that the media might "start engaging in self-censorship," as if it is not already routine on these and many other subjects. He says "That's not who we are."

He uses that phrase a lot.



If there aren't some holiday discussions about how incredibly hypocritical this speech is then this country just might be full of mindless zombies blindly believing what the government and mass media tells them to believe.

It has been another active month for Walmart holiday shopping. This includes at least a couple of incidents where desperate people have been charged for either stealing necessities or just trying to find a place to stay, including one homeless 89 year old man, although as usual there are more details that seem to make these incidents difficult to avoid, assuming anyone even tries.

I don't know how much they pay police in Florida but apparently one police officer down there discovered that although the courts are unlikely to charge them when they kill unarmed people in the line of duty they won't hesitate to charge police when they steal Ramen noodles, eggs and bacon while in uniform. In Beavercreek and other locations across the country including Dayton, and Alabama, they had to put up with an enormous amount of protesters. They also disclosed the intimidating interrogation tactics that were used against John Crawford III's girlfriend after they shot and killed him based on a misunderstanding.

It seems to be worth considering addressing their legitimate concerns since they do seem to be more civilized than many of their most extreme customers.

Justified or not, there were at least two more police shootings at Walmart this month, including one where an off duty police officer was working as security for Walmart and another where regular police shot a Walmart employee who was apparently cutting himself with a knife.

In addition to the usual shootings, at least one molestation by someone posing as Walmart employee, and numerous other incidents they had a t least five different fires in five states, including at least four that were ruled arson this month. There is usually only one or two that gets reported widely.

There were also some creative attempts at robbery this month including one where a couple faked a 911 call and another where someone faked a heart attack. They also had thieves that stole credit cards and racked up enormous purchases at Walmart who doesn't bother checking IDs. The banks that issue them might change their policies, at least temporarily when dealing with Walmart.

One exceptionally bold shoplifter picked up his own weapon, an ax, from the Walmart shelf and carried it in a manner that discouraged any attempt to stop him.

He came back a second time, to the same store.

Did he think they wouldn't be watching for him?

Regardless of what he was thinking our tax's pay for his trial and many others but little is done to understand why there are so many crimes at Walmart and how to prevent them.

Walmart has been caught at their own share of corrupt or incompetent practices including a court ruling about threatening and intimidating California workers, hiding fine print in their rain checks and giving customers the run around when they call them and ask for their money back, allegedly giving out a fake hundred dollar bill and failing to check see if a returned PlayStation 4 bundle is full of rocks before selling the same one to another customer.

It is always hard to tell why these things happen but similar incidents keep happening and Walmart doesn't seem to be able to keep track of their own products or returns.

They can't keep track of when they invite Christmas Carolers either and threatened to call police on them before retracting it and asking them to come back. Other businesses were quite happy to have these carolers.

They discovered cocaine in their own trucks being delivered along with their food. At least two towns reported significant increases in crime at their local Walmarts. And at least one of them indicated that it wasn't Walmarts fault that they're actually getting good at catching thieves, but this doesn't explain why it only gets higher when Walmart comes to town, nor do they even consider the basic design of many big box stores, including Walmarts is a virtual invitation to thieves.

There were plenty of other strange stories including an old one about a job applicant who threatened to harm store employees at knife point so he could “have their job.” It didn't work.

Approximately a year ago it was reported that At least 6 Americans, in 6 states have been superglued to Walmart and Home Depot toilet seats since 2003

Make that 7 Americans, in 7 states.

It is highly inappropriate to insinuate that this is funny.

If I figure out how to mention it without insinuating that it is funny perhaps I will next time.

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

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In 2006 Wake Up Wal-Mart did a study, "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" based on incidents in 2004, (PDF) about crime at Wal-Mart which showed that it increased when Wal-Marts opened up and that crime was higher at Wal-Mart than at other retailers. Since then Wal-Mart Shootings began compiling a list of gun related incidents at Wal-Mart and demonstrated that they have a large number of them, including on average more than one shooting per week somewhere in the country. In January of 2014 another study, "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" provided additional statistical research indicating that Wal-Mart might be contributing to higher crime rates or at least a slowing of the decline in crime. The study found that. “on average, communities with Walmarts had 17 more property crimes and two more violent crimes per 10,000 people than those communities without Walmarts.” I reviewed this more in Wal-Mart’s crime problem, Rolling Back Safety more than prices? where I explained that although this study is helpful they could have done better with additional data that is available and I reviewed some of that. I also added my own review about why I think that Wal-Mart policies have been contributing to higher crime in a previous blog, Wal-Mart high crime rate continues uninvestigaterd and have provided additional information under the author tag Walmart Crime Watch.

Stacy Mitchell has also compiled a list of other studies about Wal-Mart and how they impact society, Key Studies on Big-Box Retail & Independent Business. To the best of my knowledge Wal-Mart has done as little as they seem to get away with, often relying on rhetoric that isn't backed up with action, when it comes to addressing any of their critics concerns, including crime. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in December 2014. According to the "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" the average store in their sampling had 250 incidents per year, indicating that these are only a fraction of the crime reports at Wal-Mart, and presumably, the ones most likely to make the news on the internet nationwide. This isn't statistically representative, as the 2006 or the "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" study or some of the studies cited by Stacy Mitchell; but it does provide some additional information that may help recognize how many problems there are at Wal-Mart.

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Massachusetts couple purchase realistic-looking pellet gun at Walmart then rob the store with it 12/01/2014

Bangor Me. police seek man involved in Wal-Mart theft 12/01/2014

Montgomery Alabama police searching for Walmart theft suspect 12/01/2014

Villager arrested on "felony charge of petit theft" on Black Friday at Fla. Wal-Mart 12/01/2014

Peoria Ill. man could get 15 years for snatching purse and attacking woman in Walmart parking lot 12/01/2014

WMU football player found guilty of misdemeanor in Mich. Walmart theft case; second player pleads no contest 12/01/2014



Duo accused of stealing $600 worth of teeth-whitening strips from Ga. Walmart 12/01/2014

E. coli ground beef recall affects Walmart stores across Western Canada 12/02/2014

Man stole 6 pounds of cow tongue valued at $35.35 from Walmart, stuffed it in pants, DeLand Fla. police say 12/02/2014

Walmart confirms shots fired at Hampton Va. store 12/02/2014

Fruitland Park man accused of walking out of Fla. Wal-Mart in stolen shoes 12/02/2014

Shopliftings, armed carjacking plague Fruitland Park Fla. Walmart 12/02/2014

Former Cranberry couple accused of stealing Pa. Wal-Mart customers' info 12/02/2014

Armed robbery by gunman at Richmond California Walmart 12/01/2014

Bomb Threat Made at Meridian, Miss. Walmart 12/02/2014

Police: NC Walmart bomb threat a hoax 12/02/2014

Two boys steal realistic-looking BB gun from Florida Walmart and use it to rob and shoot pizza driver 12/02/2014

Wal-Mart denies stalling in lawsuit by Tracy Morgan over New Jersey fatal crash 12/02/2014

Kingsport Tenn. Police Department: Shoplifter sought for swiping steaks, chicken, seafood from Walmart 12/03/2014



Suspect armed with Taser robs woman outside Buena Vista Road Ga. Walmart 12/03/2014

Report: Man died of drug overdose in Mich. Walmart bathroom 12/03/2014

Police investigate incident at South Strabane Pa. Walmart that went viral 12/03/2014

Fruitland Park Fla. man accused of taking batteries from Wal-Mart 12/03/2014

City police need help locating 2 suspects in attempted purse snatching at NC Walmart 12/03/2014

Investigators: Fire at Gwinnett County Ga. Walmart was intentionally set 12/03/2014

Ashland Va. police investigating Walmart TV thefts 12/03/2014





Group claims Walmart supplier abusing animals 12/03/2014

Woman's purse snatched while shopping at Surfside SC Walmart 12/04/2014

Man arrested for allegedly using, selling meth at Walmart in Whitehall Pa. 12/03/2014

Cops: Couple robbed Ill. Walmart to support drug habits 12/03/2014

Suspect accused of groping young girls at Tx. Walmart, grocery store 12/04/2014

Men steal 4 big screen TVs from Hermitage Tenn. Walmart 12/04/2014

Wal-Mart Changes 'I Can't Breathe' Ad After Complaints 12/04/2014

Court: Man charged in NC Walmart theft 12/04/2014

Police department says officer who fatally shot man at Ohio Wal-Mart to remain on leave 12/04/2014

Suspect's vehicle from triple murder found in Fla. Walmart parking lot 12/05/2014

Hadley Mass., state police called to disperse Ferguson, Eric Garner jury decision protest at Walmart 12/05/2014

Man arrested for shoplifting at Salina Kansas Walmart 12/05/2014

XX 12/0/2014

Robber pistol-whips 2 Fla. Walmart employees 12/05/2014

Police: Credit union robber stole gun from Ohio Walmart 12/05/2014

Police seek Delaware Wal-Mart flasher 12/0/2014

Los Angeles Ca. Police Department: Detective Commits Suicide In Walmart Parking Lot After Molestation Allegations 12/06/2014

Mattie's Call issued for missing Ga. Walmart worker 12/06/2014

SURVEILLANCE: Man steals computer, video systems from NC Walmart 12/06/2014

Teen accidentally shoots himself in South Dakota Walmart parking lot 12/06/2014

Town of Ulster NY Walmart, other stores reopen after threat, evacuation, police say 12/06/2014

Body found near Tchoupitoulas La. Walmart Sunday morning 12/07/2014

Reports: Woman in Christmas sweater tries to rob Ohio Walmart 12/08/2014

ND WalMart Employee Accused of Stealing About $1,400 12/08/2014

Woman reports Peeping Tom at Williamsburg Va. Walmart 12/08/2014



Man Arrested After Several Incidents at Milford Delaware Walmart 12/08/2014

Mom attacked in NC Walmart parking lot while carrying newborn 12/08/2014

Man reports armed robbery in Buena Vista Road Ga. Walmart parking lot 12/09/2014

Accused NY Wal-Mart thief indicted 12/09/2014

Tenn. Walmart employee accused of stealing $10K in gift cards, cash 12/09/2014





Conover NC Walmart larceny linked to Boone case 12/09/2014

Walmart mom faces charges again in North Huntingdon Pa. 12/09/2014

Suspect walks out of Utah Wal-Mart with donation money for children’s hospital 12/09/2014



Bloomberg: How Wal-Mart Made Its Crumbling China Business Look So Good for So Long 12/11/2014

What crook stole from veteran’s truck in Ariz. Walmart parking lot will leave you infuriated 12/10/2014

Tenn. Wal-Mart worker faces charges of stealing $10,000 12/11/2014

Trio sought in Cocoa Fla. Walmart grand theft 12/11/2014



Dog gone: Family pet tied outside East Stroudsburg Pa. Walmart taken 12/10/2014

Deputies: Man Stole Purse at Northeast SC Walmart 12/10/2014

Deputies: South Carolina shoplifting crew hitting Georgia Walmarts 12/10/2014

Argument leads to fatal shooting outside a Texas Walmart 12/10/2014

Ferguson protests hit west Nashville Tenn. Wal-Mart 12/11/2014

Mom Says Memory Card Purchased At Tx. Walmart Contained Porn 12/11/2014

Robbery spree starts at bus stop ends at OKC Walmart, police say 12/11/2014

Shoplifter swipes sexual accessory from Montana Wal-Mart 12/1/2014

Police: Delaware man who exposed himself to girl, mother in WalMart arrested 12/11/2014

Man injured in wreck in NW Harris Co. Tx. Walmart parking lot 12/11/2014

Police Blotter: 2 incidents involving racism reported at Dickinson ND Walmart 12/11/2014 The same suspects also got on the Walmart intercom system and made racist statements directed toward African-Americans, the report stated.

Family of man fatally shot in Ohio Wal-Mart will join march in DC protesting police violence 12/11/2014







Bomb threat at Kernersville NC Walmart determined to be hoax 12/12/2014

Fire Closes South Philadelphia Pa. Wal-Mart 12/13/2014



Police Clear Butler Plaza Fla. Walmart Which was Evacuated After Bomb-Threat 12/13/2014

Quincy Ill. police respond to Walmart for a reported shoplifter who was hit by a vehicle while being chased by Walmart loss prevention officer 12/13/2014

Easton Police Search for Suspect in Md. Wal-Mart Theft 12/14/2014

PD: man shoplifts, pushes security officer at Hamden Conn. Wal-Mart 12/15/2014

Man injured in wreck in NW Harris Co. Tx. Walmart parking lot 12/15/2014

Wisc. Walmart slip sparks lawsuit 12/15/2014

Lady Lake man accused of taking Barbie doll and shirts from Fla. Wal-Mart 12/15/2014

Shoplifter pulls gun on worker at Fargo ND Wal-Mart store 12/15/2014



Imprisoned Saginaw County man charged with February unarmed robbery of Bay County Mich. Walmart 12/16/2014



Off-duty officer working as a security guard shoots shoplifting suspect at Dallas Walmart after being attacked 12/16/2014 This is the 20th officer-involved shooting of the year involving Dallas police.

Pa. Supreme Court affirms $151M ruling against Walmart, Sam's Club 12/16/2014

Wal-Mart may appeal ruling on pay to U.S. Supreme Court 12/16/2014

Watch customers, workers wrangle deer in NC Walmart 12/16/2014





Rincon Ga. Police: Walmart employee accused of theft 12/17/2014



Wal-Mart faces new pregnancy discrimination charges 12/17/2014

Marietta Ga. Walmart evacuated after bomb threat 12/17/2014

Lufkin man drives car into front of Ross Dress for Less, flees to Tx. Walmart 12/17/2014

Man scamming holiday shoppers at Houston Tx.-area Walmart 12/18/2014

Bomb threats evacuate 2 Valdosta, Albany and Marietta Ga. Walmarts 12/18/2014

Fitchburg man charged in attempted Mass. Walmart theft 12/18/2014

NY attorney general: Amazon, Wal-Mart and other retailers illegally selling banned toy guns 12/19/2014

Police: Man recorded females using bathroom in Union City Ca. Walmart 12/18/2014

Deputies search for man who took TV from Fla. Walmart 12/18/2014

MCSO: Marion Oaks man arrested after sexually harassing customer at Fla. Wal-Mart 12/18/2014

Marbletown man accused of pulling alarm during Ulster NY Walmart evacuation after a threat call 12/18/2014

Man accused of trying to steal tablet from Pasco Fla. Walmart 12/18/2014



Belfast woman jailed for alleged attempt to make prices fall at Me. Wal-Mart 12/19/2014

Man caught, another sought in NY area Walmart thefts 12/19/2014



Bomb threat at Williston Vermont Walmart 12/20/2014



Ga. Walmart on Ogeechee Road reopens after evacuation, threat 12/22/2014

$3,500 worth of razor blades stolen from Indiana County Pa. Walmart 12/22/2014





Two suspects steal Salvation Army kettle at King Ave Montana Walmart 12/23/2014

Man attempts to carjack shoppers at Tenn. Walmart 12/24/2014

Large fire breaks out in Cy-Fair Tx. area Walmart parking lot 12/24/2014

Ohio Walmart customers “unruly” after store closes, police called 12/24/2014

Ohio Walmart employee stops robber, gets punched in fight 12/24/2014

Police Seek Third Member of Ca. Walmart Robbery Crew 12/24/2014

Shoplifting At Springs Colorado Walmart Yields Extra Arrests 12/25/2014

Wal-Mart’s higher-skilled employees pinched to ‘absorb’ cost of minimum wage hikes 12/25/2014

Gunmen attempt robbery of Walmart shoppers in Louisiana 12/24/2014

Activist group holds Black Lives Matter protest at Lakeshore Alabama Walmart Friday 12/26/2014

2 teens booked with attempted armed robbery in Covington Louisiana Walmart parking lot 12/26/2014

Woman caught inhaling aerosol spray at Springville NY Walmart 12/26/2014

5 alleged shoplifters busted at Springfield Ohio Walmarts Christmas Eve 12/26/2014

Pittsfield Vermont man's bail revoked after allegedly trying to scam Walmart 12/26/2014

Shoplifter pulls gun on Washington state Walmart security guard 12/26/2014

Police investigate Seabrook NH Walmart jewelry thefts 12/26/2014

Two drunk men shoot up Idaho Walmart store with a BB gun 12/26/2014

Hackers release thousands of Amazon, Wal-Mart, X-Box and Play Station passwords; credit card data leaked 12/27/2014



Town of Lockport NY Walmart cashier suspected of stealing $1,000 in merchandise 12/27/2014

Three juveniles accused stealing guns from Royal Palm Fla. Walmart 12/27/2014

Child endangerment alleged in NY Walmart shoplifting spree 12/27/2014

Raleigh NC police search for suspect in Walmart robbery 12/28/2014

Woman who took bag, swapped old sneakers at NH Walmart turned herself in 12/27/2014

Woman accused of taking television from Fla. Walmart 12/27/2014



The 10 worst things Wal-Mart did in 2014 12/26/2014

Pineville La. Wal-Mart reopens after bomb threat 12/26/2014

Victoria’s Secret, Wal-Mart, Marshalls Caught Selling Used Lingerie, Rossen Report Discovers 12/25/2014

Video Shows 78-Year-Old SC Walmart Worker Injuring Hip Trying To Check Shoplifter’s Receipt 12/23/2014

Logan Township man arrested after impersonating Walmart employee, Pennsville NJ Police say 12/26/2014

The National Legal and Policy Center: Walmart Asked to Stop Bankrolling Sharpton After New York Police Murders 12/22/2014

Sheriff: Two Hudson Falls women accused of stealing from NY Walmart 12/29/2014

Major retailers, including Walmart in North Country, selling illegal toy guns, NY AG says 12/27/2014

NH Police say Walmart shopper foiled wallet thief 12/25/2014

Women charged with shoplifting from Garden City Idaho Walmart 12/25/2014

Walmart shoplifters sought in Sylvester Ga. 12/25/2014

Texoma veteran burned while putting out fire in Sherman Tx. Walmart 12/26/2014

All clear at Conn. Walmart after police investigate suspicious package 12/27/2014



Wal-Mart shooting: Tributes paid to 29-year-old Idaho nuclear scientist Veronica Rutledge fatally shot by her two-year-old son 12/31/2014

2-year-old accidentally shoots mom with her own gun in Idaho Wal-Mart 12/30/2014

Conceal carry permit holder shot to death by her 2-year old in Idaho Walmart 12/30/2014



MADGE bust at Medford Oregon Walmart nets meth, $20,000 in cash 12/31/2014

Police search for man suspected of stealing from Tenn. Walmart on Christmas Eve 12/31/2014

SC Walmart on Bush River Road closed following fire which was ruled arson 12/31/2014

Police: Ohio Walmart cashier gave away $2K in merchandise 12/31/2014



Man turns himself in for firing BB rounds after Va. Walmart theft 12/31/2014

Man accused of stealing steaks and beer from Fla. Walmart 12/31/2014

Thieves hit Helena-West Helena, ARK. Walmart one day after Christmas 12/31/2014

Fox News: Things you didn't know about the food at Walmart 12/30/2014



Two teens rob, carjack, and kidnap man in Florida Walmart parking lot 12/26/2014





Knox woman faces theft, drug charges after Ky. Walmart arrest 12/31/2014

Woman accused of stealing wallet left behind at Ky. Walmart 12/31/2014

Alexandria couple accused in La. Walmart bomb threats 12/30/2014

Man threatens to cut people after shoplifting from SC Walmart 12/30/2014

Police: Moses Lake Walmart clear after bomb threat 12/30/2014

Man robbed at gunpoint of expensive diamond ring at North Carolina Walmart 12/31/2014

Gunman robs Walmart in North Carolina 12/31/2014

Woman threatens Walmart shopper with gun in Tennessee 12/31/2014

The attack in Paris against a satirist is contemptible and a threat to free speech that should be condemned.

I’m sure many good Muslims will agree even if they don’t like the satires against Mohamed that doesn’t mean they think that support this kind of action to intimidate people and free speech. I hope that when some of the more rational ones do come out to condemn terrorism it isn’t only because they want to be portrayed as the good Muslims that deserve tolerance.

However if they do it6 is understandable since in the past there have often been retaliation against those that aren’t quick enough to condemn terrorism or even those that are.

This retaliation should also be condemned.

I notice that many people have condemned this cowardly attack already; however I don’t condemn this because it is a cowardly attack; instead I also condemn real cowardice along with terrorism that is designed to intimidate people that try to use their free speech.

After all this wasn’t necessarily a cowardly attack.

Just ask Bill Maher; he could tell you.

Well I don't know if he would tell you that now; but if you could travel back in time to 2001 and ask him he would have told you then.

Shortly after 9/11 he said "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, that's not cowardly. Stupid maybe, but not cowardly."

When he said this he didn't intend to speak out in support of terrorism anymore than I am but he was speaking out against the distortion of the English language for propaganda reasons. We now routinely condemn people who attack us as cowardly even though we are the ones with far greater military might and even if it is foolish and counterproductive to use violence against us or our allies it isn't cowardly now anymore than it was when Bill Maher first said this.

I could go on and on about a long list of events where the United states attack Muslims or supported tyrants that did so for the benefit of either the United States or their allies. This includes the support of the Shah that tortured thousands, supplying arms to both sides of the war between Iran and Iraq during the eighties, supporting the Mujaheddin which later became the Taliban and Al Qaeda and much more; including after they attacked the U.S. and killed almost three thousand people at the world trade center including many innocents the U.S. bombed both Afghanistan and Iraq which wasn't involved and killed many more innocents.

When the U.S. killed innocents it wasn't considered mandatory for many people to come out and loudly condemn violence as part of a the support against violence.

Instead criticism was relegated to the fringes.

Barack Obama condemns attempts at censorship including those against "The Interview" which seems like a terrible movie that incites hatred. He's not condemning calls not to demand shooting of cops, and rightfully so; I have been among those criticizing the excesses of the police but I haven't been calling for that.

When Lupe Fiasco sang the following song at his inaugural he wasn't so concerned about criticizing censorship either:



I'm not as fan of rap or Lupe Fiasco any more than I support Islam; but he had a good point and it seems as if the only censorship that we're supposed to condemn is the censorship that the establishment isn't conducting.

The real cowardice that needs to be condemned is the cowardice of those in power when they bomb people all over the world knowing that the media won't cover the best criticism of them and that if the victims fight back they can be condemned as terrorists even if they don't kill nearly as many people as the U.S. government and everyone will feel as if they should remain silent about the actions that preceded any given attack.

The knife attack in the U.K. where people said is was because the west was killing thousands of Muslims wasn't that long ago; nor was the Boston Bombing.

When the U.S. was bombing innocents around the world they called it collateral damage if they had to mention it at all. It was considered justified for the U.S. to describe it this way and retaliate however if Timothy McVeigh or Muslim terrorists refer to U.S. citizens as collateral damage and justifies it as retaliation it is outrageous as it should be both ways.

The U.S. wasn't willing to acknowledge the bombing of innocents when it was happening but now that it is being used as evidence in the Boston Bombing trial as motive they acknowledge it as a motive for the attack without acknowledging the fact that they're retaliating just like the terrorists.

It is cowardly to maintain and obvious double standard because the U.S. has a more powerful military and propaganda machine and that is the real cowardice that needs to be condemned.

Even though I condemn the terrorist attacks I also know that as long as this double standard remains there will be more extremists that will feel as if they have nothing left to lose until those with the most political power stop condemning they smaller atrocities while ignoring the bigger ones they commit.

(Crossposted on Both Open Salon and Blogspot.)

There was a protest about Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin’s decision to back down on his promise to implement a Single Payer Health care system during his Inauguration.

He seems to have announced this decision after getting reelected but before being sworn in.

He didn't say, "Thanks for reelecting me but now that I'm in I no longer feel any obligation to keep my promises just like any other politician that caters to corporate interests."

That would have been to blatant; besides, there was no need for him to say it when people can figure these things out.

If I had relied on the traditional news media for information I probably wouldn't have known anything about it once again.

There was no coverage that I saw on the national media or even the local media which is relatively close to it. Fortunately I saw it on Democracy Now and decided to check see if there was any coverage at all. After searching for it I found some coverage about the issue but it wouldn't have drawn much attention to most people and some of the coverage that they do provide seems to be designed to strongly advocate against it.

They certainly don't tell the public that a portion of the money they pay for their premiums is used to lobby against a more efficient health care system and an even larger portion is used to buy an enormous amount of advertising on TV; which might provide the commercial media with an enormous incentive to ignore any positive coverage about Single Payer Health Care.

The following is one of the few excerpts that I did find about the protest:



When searching for more information on the subject there is an enormous amount of information from the traditional press or, in some cases, alternative media outlets that are financed by the same sources but echo the traditional claims, that repeat the same claims over and over again even though they don't stand up to scrutiny if scrutiny is actually applied. One of the most common claims repeated over and over again is Vermont's Single Payer Health Care Plan Failed For One Big Reason: It Cost Too Much. This sounds good, as long as people don't think about some simple problems that would cause it to fall apart quickly.

Have you noticed how many advertisements on TV are for insurance, whether it is health care or not?

This costs an enormous amount of money.

If that money doesn't come from your premiums where could it possibly come from? And why would the people pay for it if they didn't think they could get their money back?

On top of that they spend an enormous amount of money donating to campaigns. If that money doesn't come from the premiums they collect where could the possibly get it?

I can't believe they routinely say to the customers, when they sell them policies, "Thank you for your business; I hope you don't mind but we intend to take a portion of the money from your premiums and use it to lobby your elected officials against your interests."

That would be quite audacious, kind of like Barack Obama's idea of "hope" and "change."

The vast majority of the public never even thinks about the fact that they pay for the speech that is used to influence their thinking whether they like it or not, although it is rarely ever directly and they have little or no influence over the speech they pay for. A more accurate description of Single-Payer Health Coverage is available for those that know where to look for it in places like Physicians for a National Health Program: Single-Payer National Health Insurance. Or a good comparison with the system in some of the developed world that already have a better system would also help but that isn't mentioned in the commercial media, which is getting a share of the loot the health care system is gouging out of the public, either.



This is similar to the massive advertising campaign that Monsanto came up with to convince people that labeling GMO food would drive up the cost dramatically without mentioning that the cost of the ads and the cost of lobbying against GMO labeling and regular deceptive ads are already being added on to the cost of food and these expenses are much less than the cost of labeling GMOs. In the case of the Health care system they don't tell people that the cost of treating people in emergency rooms, often at tax payer expense is also an enormous bureaucratic expense which has to be passed on to the public one way or another.

The only ones that lose if we took an accurate look at Single-Payer Health Coverage and sorted through the details would be insurance, pharmaceutical, hospital and media companies that are making enormous amounts of excessive profits for providing inferior care for the majority.



Right now Physicians for a National Health Program probably has among the most progressive people in the medical industry and they do a far better job educating the public about important health related issues than the traditional media or political system; however they're still a trade group made up of people in the industry and if there is more support for it there will almost certainly be more people from the medical community that might put their own interest first joining the bandwagon. This probably won't be a problem right away but there are other organizations that also include more diverse groups of people supporting Single-Payer Health Coverage like Healthcare-Now.org and some of the following organizations:

Free Speech TV: Single Payer Advocates Disrupt Vermont Gov. Shumlin’s Inauguration, 29 arrested 01/09/2015

Medicare for All.org

The United Front Against Austerity: Medicare for All





(Crossposted on both Open Salon and Blogspot.)

It might sound good to many to say "All is forgiven;" however little or nothing is being done to address many of the most important issues that impact society, including the conflict with Islam and many other issues like social inequality and epidemic levels of white collar crime.

Instead there is another enormous appeal to emotion accompanied by propaganda designed to get people to mindlessly rally behind their political leaders even though they are clearly far more concerned with representing their campaign contributors and political allies than they are with representing the majority of people, whether they vote or not.

On top of that they're portraying, once again, the people involved in the most censorship as the defenders of free speech.

One of the most obvious complaints that I have heard is one on the Deutsche Welle Journal where someone made the observation that when people criticize Islam they're portrayed as defending their right to free speech, and rightfully so; but when they criticize Israel they're often portrayed as "anti-Semitic."

There is an enormous amount of outrage about the recent shootings but little or no consideration about many of the incidents that preceded it that might have been a major contributing cause for the conflict between the western world and Muslims.

A large portion of this isn't even in dispute, and it goes back decades, although it is rarely mentioned by the traditional media while the propaganda demonizing Muslims is repeated over and over again.

This includes the support of the Shah, who tortured his own people to maintain power so he could protect oil contracts made by western corporations, the supplying of weapons to both sides of the war during the Iran/Iraq war, the support of the Mujaheddin before they became Al Qaeda and the Taliban, the acceptance of help from Iran after 9/11 followed almost immediately by labeling them as part of the "Axis of Evil," and the support of the Syrian rebels before some of them became known as the Islamic State.

Even without a so-called "false flag" conspiracy theory surrounding the Paris attack or the hacking claims from North Korea the corporate press and the political leaders they support are doing an especially effective job of using this for as a rallying cry to make it seem like they have an enormous amount of support and that they're the defenders of the free world even though many of these leaders have been supporting trade agreements and environmental policies among other things that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy campaign contributors at the expense of the vast majority of the public.

I try to be skeptical of most of the so-called "false flag" conspiracy theories, which often have even more problems than the traditional explanations they often challenge, but it wouldn't be be unprecedented since the government has admitted to planing them in the past like Operation Northwoods even if they rarely if ever admit actually carrying them out. But the propaganda that is dominating the media indicates common efforts to appeal to emotions and manipulate what Irving Janis called "Groupthink" where large numbers of people go along with the program and as I have explained on several posts including Philip Zimbardo, Lucifer Effect, Stanford Prison Experiment and Corruption or Bias in the American Psychological Association the government and many psychologists have studied effect propaganda methods and they haven't done an adequate job teaching the majority of the public about it or how to recognize when they being manipulated.

Although Stanley Milgram said that he wanted to study "Obedience to Authority" so that he could understand why the Germans blindly obeyed orders and avoid it in the future his work was supported by the military which is always trying to teach their recruits to blindly obey authority and the work has almost certainly been used to develop propaganda tactics by many political campaign advisers as well, which enables them to promote an enormous nu8mber of candidates that make promises to the public but then turn around and cater to their campaign contributors once they're elected.

Not only are they not addressing the legitimate concerns of Muslims but they're not addressing the legitimate concerns of many if any other people as well.

One of the most common justifications they use not to address the concerns of Muslims is that they don't "negotiate with terrorists," which sounds good to many, or it would except for one problem. They're also extremely reluctant to negotiate with peaceful protesters as well.

On top of that at times they often try to portray peaceful protesters about legitimate issue as terrorists, possibly even going to the trouble to entrap them like they may have done with an "Eco-Terrorist" Freed 10 Years Early After Feds Withhold Evidence on Informant’s Role that indicates entrapment.

The damage done by environmental destruction, health care and economic inequality is far more damaging than the alleged attacks from Muslim extremists; and even in the cases of the Muslim extremists it is often in retaliation for the activities of our government.

The people that are being damaged by many of the other problems that are being swept under the rug aren't going to be fooled by this propaganda about solidarity lining up behind world leaders. They're going to know full well that their concerns aren't going to be met and occasionally one of them like Joe Stack, Jerad Miller or Ismaaiyl Brinsley will strike out violently and there will be more attacks.

Many of these incidents seem predictable after the fact but before they happen it is hard to tell which ones might go over the edge; however if they did a better job addressing the legitimate concerns of all then they would be much less likely.

This isn't nearly as insurmountable a task as it might seem to many people; there are plenty of alternative media outlets and books that do a much better job addressing these concerns but they get little or no attention from the traditional media. Furthermore, if some people like Joe Stack, Jerad Miller or Ismaaiyl Brinsley saw more of this coverage they might not behave so desperately if they think there is reasonable hope for real change that addresses the concerns of the majority not just campaign contributors.

To some degree there are some signs that some of the protests might be slowly bringing results but that is also absent from the traditional media, presumably because they don't want more people to get the idea that they might be able to make a difference by joining in them. If some of the people that feel disenfranchised realize this then they might be less likely to go to extremes, no thanks to the traditional media that isn't reporting it. 

Until they give all people reasonably equal protection for their freedom of speech and a chance to get their legitimate grievances addressed they will know it and all will not be forgiven for them. It would be better to address them before they turn to extremism.

On top of that for all the talk about censorship in the traditional press one incident is getting much less attention from the Israel allies of the U.S. government. Apparently an Ultra-Orthodox Israel newspaper photoshoped female leaders out of front page picture from Paris rally for Charlie Hebdo



Whether it is related or not, in a rare occasion Florida actually got something right for a change but then they claimed it was a mistake for some reason, "In Dog We Trust."



(Crossposted on both Open Salon and Blogspot.)

When I was first taught about the Olympics in school we were told that this was an alternative to war from ancient times where different city-states could compete against each other on a peaceful basis and develop good relations without fighting.

At that time we were also taught that sports were only as game when some people got to excited and we were taught to recognize when the hype was escalating too much. This often happened when things led to a fight or some other minor problem like that.

Or at least the problems that we had then seemed minor compared to the ones that we have surrounding sports no.

There was some ridicule when people were told not to let things get out of hand but there was also recognition that those worried about the possibility of escalating violence had a legitimate point and that it was supposed to be fun with a reasonable sense of fair play.

Now all the good things that we were taught about the Olympics seem to have been abandoned and they have been taken over by an enormous amount of hype and commercialism. The benefits for the majority of the public practically never even come close to living up to the hype.

This is almost certainly due to the addictive nature of hype and that it always has to escalate the next time in order to outdo the surprise of the last time. It's kind of like the car chases or explosions in action films, that always had to be bigger but some where along the line they just get repetitive and boring no matter how big the bang is.

The Olympics is just along list of scandals; but the media repeated the hype much more often and louder over and over again, which enables the scams artists and advertisers to rack up huge bills that the public often gets stuck with.

Most people don't remember half of them but there are protests bribery scandals and either terrorist threats or fear of them that cause as much problems for one Olympics or other sporting event after another. Several authors including David Cay Johnston have written extensively about how taxpayer money is being used to subsidize sports and the profits of the well connected corporations that profit off of them.

Then they complain about welfare for the poor and call for cuts to programs for them.

No Boston Olympics has made the following argument against bringing the Olympics to Boston among other things on their web site.



These problems don't even mention the potential problems that are virtually guaranteed for Boston traffic which is even worse than many other larger cities that were better planned, as many people from the local area must be aware of. Cities like Philadelphia have more than twice the population of Boston but they did a much better job organizing their roads from the beginning in easy to recognize grids. People that come to Philadelphia for the first time often find it easier to find their way around than those that have lived in Boston for much longer due to lots of unorganize3d one way streets.

Protests are virtually guaranteed to come up and if they don't happen until after the decisions been made it will be much more difficult for them to get more than a minor amount of their concerns addressed.

The response to these protests has been almost identical for decades including when John Carlos and Tommie Smith participated in the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute and "International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Avery Brundage deemed it to be a domestic political statement unfit for the apolitical, international forum the Olympic Games were supposed to be."

However Avery Brundage didn't have any problem with the Nazi salute in 1936 which supported the state, raising a problem which should be obvious. gestures that support the state or the corporate interests that finance the Olympics even when it is violent and oppressive are considered "apolitical" even when they're obviously designed to keep people distracted and do the opposite of the peaceful principles that the Olympics were promoted as.

More recently they had Mass Protests Sweep Brazil in Uproar over Public Services Cuts & High Costs of World Cup, Olympics. People that relied on the traditional media might have forgotten all about this since they only provided a token amount of coverage about it but there was much more coverage on Democracy Now, including about twenty stories on the subject.



It might not seem likely to many people from the Boston suburbs that this would happen in their area; however many people from the inner cities, including Dorchester, Roxbury or South Boston almost certainly know better; and those that think about why they might not want to go to these parts of towns probably should know better. Charlie Baker has already appointed someone recently that is Charter school advocate for Mass. education chief which may guarantee increased privatization of education and either cuts or diversions of funds for education to the profits of the private corporations taking over education if people don't speak out against it.

On top of that it wasn't too long ago that they had to deal with a martial law situation in Cambridge and Watertown after the Boston Bombing led them to searching that area for the bombers. Even the fear of terrorism is going to drive up the cost of the Olympics, as they already found out in the United Kingdom although those that relied on the traditional media for information might have forgotten about that as well.



A few years ago hundreds of campaigners took to the streets against stationing surface-to-air missiles on homes; 'Don't play games with our lives': Londoners protest against plans for Olympic defense systems on top of flats. The typical response to complaints about security is that we can't let the terrorists when by changing "our way of life" or a more modern version of this claim which was routinely used to support slavery and later segregation. The more modern version is that "We don't negotiate with terrorists."

This justification would be much more credible if they did a reasonably good job negotiating with peaceful protesters that have legitimate concerns instead of constantly trying to sweep their complaints under the rug so they can cater to campaign contributors or even worse trying to portray peaceful protestors as terrorists.

It would also be much more credible if our government wasn't constantly bombing people which they refer to as "collateral damage" when they can't completely ignore reports about their death; or if they stopped selling arms to people that routinely turn them against us.



Some of these concerns take more time top explain than I can go into in a relatively short post; but there is much more information on them in alternative media outlets that the government and traditional media ignore and treat as "fringe" even when some of them do a much better job checking facts than the traditional commercial media, which is making an enormous profit selling ads to corporations sponsoring the Olympics.

A Poll Finds Lukewarm Support in Boston for Summer Olympics Bid which indicates that although half wanted the Olympic in Boston a third didn't. This is actually bad compared to most polls which have stronger support often as much as 70 to 80 percent. These high numbers are almost certainly a result of the hype that many people base their responses, instead of a full understanding of the costs of sporting events which are almost never reported by the traditional media which makes an enormous profit selling ads for these events.

The traditional media actually has an incentive to do a bad job reporting on the problems which is almost certainly why they don't report it but a growing number of people relying on alternative media outlets is almost certainly a major reason for the lower numbers. Brazil didn't gear up their protests until it was too late to have more than a token impact but they id let those paying attention; and if Boston and many other cities refuse to escalate the hype then more grass roots input could impact these events and reduce protests corruption and even more terrorism.

(Crossposted on both Open Salon and Blogspot.)

Some one posted signs in a North Carolina Walmart saying, “Truck drivers you are not welcome at Walmart Manager.”

Management says it wasn't them.

My best guess is that I'm not the only one not overly concerned about the incredible injustice being done to Walmart by the people who posted this sign.

They had another wild animal flying around a Florida Walmart, and presumably eating any food he could get his hands, or beak on; the hawk was captured tre3ated and released.

If anything the number of shootings seems to have increased in Walmart, the first month of the year, including one shooting that left an employee dead and another that injured at least one more. There was also an intoxicated man that was arrested at Walmart and died in his jail cell shortly afterwards.

One of the people caught stealing from Walmart could apparently get up to twenty years in jail for stealing "$101.26 worth of merchandise" due to laws that make it a felony to be a repeat offender. These laws are becoming much more common and they're usually not enforced to the most extreme length, since our jails are already crowded enough. However they don't apply to white collar crimes that are committed by those with the most political connections nor do they apply to epidemic levels of activities including deceptive advertising, wage suppression tactics, and many other legal practices that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy at the expense of the working class.

This selective creation of these types of laws and enforcement of them is clearly a major reason why they have such a large problem with crime in the first place.

Ironically when it comes to trees, especially sentimental trees, on the property of a Walton family member they suddenly become environmentalists standing up for the protection of that tree, even if it doesn't seem to be threatened.

Another jury convicted a security guard who also worked for a small police department in Texas, that no longer exists, for tasering two people who were filming shopping carts before filming the security guard. This is just one of many examples that indicate that if someone needs to be blamed for something even the police or security guards will be blamed before considering any blame on those that make decisions.

Ironically this security guard unintentionally reported himself to the real police.

If he had been a Walton family member he might have had a much better chance and the trees in his yard would receive protection from the government; but then he would have simply hired someone else for security and let him take the blame when something goes wrong, often using subcontractors for plausible deniability reasons.

Another homeless person moved into Walmart for a couple days before someone noticed and had her taken into custody. And at another Walmart they found someone with meat in his pants again; they returned it to Walmart but didn't say whether or not they would put it back in the cooler; if they do it is virtually guaranteed that they won't inform customers. This has happened repeatedly at many Walmart; and they have also been caught selling expired food numerous times; so it isn't something I would rule out.

They've been caught doing worse plenty of times.

They're facing another lawsuit about gas can blasts; which they seem to be trying to blame their suppliers as they have in the past, without mentioning the fact that they routinely put enormous amounts of pressure on suppliers to cut corners and prices. Another study has come out about Walmart, or warehouse stores; this one indicates that the bulk sales probably contributes to the current obesity epidemic. This is almost certainly not the only thing contributing to obesity; Marion Nestle, author of "Food Politics" and many other researchers have indicated that deceptive marketing practices are clearly a major factor as well.

Walmart is heavily involved in those marketing practices along with other food corporations.

There was also a prayer vigil going on in Kentucky supporting a new Walmart organized by a local preacher; and counter protests by opponents who compare Walmart to slavery among other things. Several books and newspaper articles have exposed how Walmart often uses AstroTurf to create the appearance of grassroots support; so even though this article didn't mention it, I wouldn't rule it out.

The security guard that was convicted of tasering people filming shopping carts wasn't the last one to call the police and report himself; a suspected shoplifter called 911 and told them that he thought a couple plainclothes security guards were following him and he thought they looked like a couple of "thugs."

It wouldn't be the first time that Walmart security was described like that. By abandoning old designs that made it easy to see when someone was bypassing the registers with merchandise that has dramatically contributed to higher shoplifting problems in many stores especially Walmart.

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

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In 2006 Wake Up Wal-Mart did a study, "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" based on incidents in 2004, (PDF) about crime at Wal-Mart which showed that it increased when Wal-Marts opened up and that crime was higher at Wal-Mart than at other retailers. Since then Wal-Mart Shootings began compiling a list of gun related incidents at Wal-Mart and demonstrated that they have a large number of them, including on average more than one shooting per week somewhere in the country. In January of 2014 another study, "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" provided additional statistical research indicating that Wal-Mart might be contributing to higher crime rates or at least a slowing of the decline in crime. The study found that. “on average, communities with Walmarts had 17 more property crimes and two more violent crimes per 10,000 people than those communities without Walmarts.” I reviewed this more in Wal-Mart’s crime problem, Rolling Back Safety more than prices? where I explained that although this study is helpful they could have done better with additional data that is available and I reviewed some of that. I also added my own review about why I think that Wal-Mart policies have been contributing to higher crime in a previous blog, Wal-Mart high crime rate continues uninvestigaterd and have provided additional information under the author tag Walmart Crime Watch.

Stacy Mitchell has also compiled a list of other studies about Wal-Mart and how they impact society, Key Studies on Big-Box Retail & Independent Business. To the best of my knowledge Wal-Mart has done as little as they seem to get away with, often relying on rhetoric that isn't backed up with action, when it comes to addressing any of their critics concerns, including crime. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in January 2015. According to the "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" the average store in their sampling had 250 incidents per year, indicating that these are only a fraction of the crime reports at Wal-Mart, and presumably, the ones most likely to make the news on the internet nationwide. This isn't statistically representative, as the 2006 or the "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" study or some of the studies cited by Stacy Mitchell; but it does provide some additional information that may help recognize how many problems there are at Wal-Mart.

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Man charged in theft of goods worth $3G at Roxbury NJ Walmart 01/02/2015

North Country man arrested after bomb threat empties NY Wal-Mart, Sam's Club 01/02/2015

Walmart in Wiggins Mississippi now open after bomb threat 01/01/2015

Judge To Ohio Walmart Shoplifter: Write A Letter To Your Kids! 01/02/2015

New Walmart Scam 01/01/2015

Wal-Mart appeals to state for tax break from Rockland Me. 01/02/2015





Police: Woman killed in Dayton Ohio double-fatal crash was girlfriend of man killed in Walmart shooting 01/02/2015

Wal-Mart, Casinos, AIF Among Latest Fla. Governor Rick Scott’s Inaugural Donors 01/02/2015

Appeals court overturns weapons charge against Wal-Mart employee in 2011 Jacksonville Fla. shooting 01/02/2015

Police: Clifton Park man steals from Walmart 01/04/2015

Police: Man charged after slashing SC Walmart employee with knife 01/04/2015

Kansas Walmart robbed by gunman 01/04/2015

No bomb found at Lake Delton Wisc. Wal-Mart after threat and robbery attempt 01/04/2015

Police release info, images from Lake Delton Wisconsin Walmart bomb threat 01/05/2015

Former employee accused of stealing from NY Walmart 01/05/2015

Gas leak prompts Laurel Montana Wal-Mart evacuation 01/05/2015

Man charged with punching Prattville Alabama Wal-Mart manager in face while trying to steal $1K in goods 01/05/2015

Minnesota Walmart Employee Charged With Stealing $1,377 In 13 Days 01/05/2015

Group tries to make off with 205 items from Pa. Wal-Mart, police say 01/05/2015

Three arrested in strong arm robbery attempt at Walmart in Danville Kentucky 01/05/2015

Police: Couple Left Kids In Car While They Stole From Fla. Walmart 01/0/2015

Kansas woman sues Walmart over trampling at pre-Black Friday sale 01/06/2015

23 phones worth $13,600 stolen from Boutte La. Walmart; 2 suspects sought 01/06/2015

Woman steals purse from Pa. Wal-Mart shopper, violates probation, police say 01/06/2015

Search underway for man suspected of robbing a Wood River Ill. Walmart 01/07/2015

Big box proposal that riled Bloomingdale Fla. is revealed as Walmart’s 01/07/2015

Man, 54, arrested on armed robbery following Fla. Wal-Mart incident 01/07/2015

Lubbock Tx. police release images of man who attempted to rob Walmart 01/08/2015

Man passes off 'large amount' counterfeit bills at Pa. Wal-Mart, police say 01/07/2015

Woman charged with shoplifting, changing price tags on items at Walmart in Bayonne NJ: police 01/07/2015

Wal-Mart de Mexico 2014 Same-Store Sales Fell Slightly 01/07/2015

Mexico's Walmex says September same-store sales fall 10/03/2014

Walmart clerk refuses to print photo with shotgun 01/07/2015

Cedar Rapids police investigating shots fired incident at Blairs Ferry Iowa Wal-Mart 01/08/2015

Suspect arrested — but not shooter — in shooting near Cedar Rapids Iowa Wal-Mart 01/20/2015

Grandoe files suit for breach of contract against Walmart 01/08/2015

Wal-Mart employee accused of stealing from Fla. store 01/08/2015

Police nab serial Oklahoma Walmart purse snatcher 01/08/2015

Transient cited in theft of batteries from Oregon Walmart 01/08/2015







Gunman Steals TV From South Philly Pa. Walmart early Saturday morning 01/10/2015

Geena Davis Is on a Mission to Highlight Female Filmmakers. Her Biggest Ally? Walmart 01/09/2015

Police: Man Exposes Himself In Minn. Walmart Parking Lot 01/09/2015

Cashier booked for Tx. Walmart theft 01/0/2015

Belgrade woman pleads guilty to robbing woman at Augusta Me. Walmart 01/09/2015

West Sacramento Ca. Walmart Evacuated after Bomb Threat 01/09/2015

Woman accused of snatching purse in NC Walmart 01/09/2015

Police: Shoplifting dad shoves child, cart at Ky. Walmart employee 01/09/2015



Bomb Threat Evacuates Baseline Rd. Little Rock Ark. Walmart 01/11/2015

Fire breaks out in trailer at new east Charlotte NC Walmart 01/12/2015

Seneca Falls woman, drunk on vanilla extract, arrested for DWI in NY Walmart parking lot 01/12/2015

Car catches fire at Crookston Minn. Wal-Mart 01/12/2015

Deltona Fla. Wal-Mart pharmacy tech’s license suspended 01/12/2015



Police seek man who stole $6K in iPads from Ky. Walmart 01/12/2015

Police: Suspected shoplifter, 16, punched Delaware Walmart worker 01/12/2015

Man Arrested for Stealing from Several Fla. Wal-Marts 01/13/2015

Woman robbed in Greensboro NC Walmart parking lot 01/13/2015



Man Wanted For Passing Counterfeit Bills at Easton Md. Walmart 01/13/2015

Brunswick man scammed Walmart for heroin money, says NY State Police 01/13/2015

Accidental shooting at Tenn. Walmart 01/13/2015

Person wanted for stealing bike, other merchandise from Statesville NC Wal-Mart 01/14/2015

South Richmond Va. Walmart evacuated due to gas leak 01/14/2015

Forbes: Retail Sales Drop 1% in December - Sell Walmart, Buy Amazon 01/14/2015

Mobile Alabama Wal-Mart armed robbery causes school lockdowns before suspect apprehended 01/14/2015

2 injured in shooting outside Eastern Boulevard Wal-Mart, Montgomery Alabama police say 01/14/2015

Springville man goes to jail for refund theft at NY Walmart 01/14/2015

Wal-Mart supports Nebraska Youth For Christ 01/15/2015

Police search for Ohio Walmart theft suspect 01/15/2015

Kansas Walmart employee accused of stealing from register 01/15/2015

Grandma: 4-year-old grandchild hid $30 worth of toys in blanket at Tx. Walmart 01/15/2015

Manchester man accused of stuffing items in comforter bags at Epping NH Wal-Mart 01/15/2015

Fla. pair accused of using fraudulent debit card at midstate Pa. Wal-Marts, police say 01/16/2015

Johnson City Tenn. Police Department: Woman arrested for Walmart shoplifting 01/15/2015

Kingsport Tenn. Police Department: Pair sought in Walmart shoplifting 01/15/2015

Rincon Ga. Police: Couple have routine for stealing from Walmart 01/16/2015

Security Photos From Suspected Pa. Wal-Mart Theft 01/16/2015

White Lake Mich. Police: Walmart customers accused of taking gift cards, merchandise after confusing cashier 01/16/2015

Police, K-9 unit and helicopter at evacuated Auburn NY Wal-Mart which was closed for 3 hours due to Bomb scare 01/17/2015

Lexington SC Walmart Reopened after chemical spill 01/17/2015

Clinton's Walmart connection fueling Left's doubts 01/17/2015

Deputies investigate robbery outside of SC Walmart 01/17/2015

Athens Alabama police arrest woman accused of trying to give child away at Walmart 01/18/2015

One injured after shooting at Coors and I-40 NM Wal-Mart 01/1/2015

NM Walmart shooting victim's father speaks out against gang violence 01/19/2015

Mich. Police ask for help in identifying man accused of injuring Walmart employee during theft 01/19/2015

Smoothie Blends Sold at Costco & Walmart Recalled because they may be contaminated with listeria. 01/19/2015

Cleveland federal judge lets class-action lawsuit that calls return policies into question against Walmart proceed 01/19/2015

Man arrested, charged with video voyeurism at Apopka Fla. Walmart 01/1/2015

Woman causes $1k damage to car over parking spot at NY Walmart 01/19/2015

Man arrested for exposing himself at SC Walmart 01/19/2015 The woman says she followed him to the parking lot of a nearby McDonalds to get his license plate.

A march is planned in support of West End Louisville Ky. Wal-Mart 01/20/2015

2 armed men rob West Brownsville Pa. Walmart prompting nearby schools lockdown 01/20/2015

Oneida NY police searching for two women they say stole $3,475 in goods from Walmart 01/20/2015

Police: Women rob Cicero NY Walmart, use stun gun on loss prevention officer 01/20/2015

Man shot on his way to Northeastside Ind. Wal-Mart 01/20/2015

Shopper tackles man with gun at Fla. Wal-Mart 01/20/2015

Suspected thieves caught on camera stealing from Va. Walmart 01/20/2015

Police Search for Suspect in Armed Robbery Near Fla. Wal-Mart 01/20/2015

Police: Men stole credit cards, then used them at Oklahoma Wal-Mart 01/21/2015

6 suspects arrested in $23K NM Walmart safe robbery 01/21/2015

Family of comedian killed in NJ Wal-Mart crash settles claim 01/21/2015 The terms of the settlement are confidential.

h Police Arrest Suspect in Armed Robbery Near Fla. Wal-Mart 01/21/2015

Lancaster County Pa. Wal-Mart target of multiple retail thefts, police seek suspect 01/21/2015

Shot fired at Winona Minn. Walmart -- by a shopping cart, not a gun 01/21/2015

Manheim Township Pa. police ask for help to identify Wal-Mart theft suspect 01/22/2015



Pics of Persons of Interest in SC Walmart Fire Released 01/22/2015 Damage estimates from the fire are in the millions of dollars.

Dog left chained behind Mich. Walmart chews own paw to get free 01/22/2015

Police looking into robbery at Walmart Neighborhood Market in Springfield Missouri 01/22/2015



Would-be shoplifter points knife at Ariz. Walmart worker 01/22/2015

Man who stole game systems from NY Walmart sought 01/22/2015

Couple used stolen credit card at Wal-Mart, Clayton NC police say 01/22/2015

Police: Woman robbed at knifepoint in Fla. Walmart parking lot 01/22/2015

Charges filed in two Ill. Wal-Mart thefts 01/22/2015

Wal-Mart China: Hitting headwinds 01/22/2015

Louisiana thief tries to escape on Walmart wheelchair shopping cart: cops 01/22/2015

Newington Conn. Walmart robbed 01/22/2015

ND Walmart employee arrested for theft 01/23/2015

Pullman Washington police report victim robbed at gunpoint behind Walmart 01/23/2015

Man wounded in shootout at Phoenix Ariz. Walmart 01/23/2015

Police: Man with meth recipe boosts $111 in batteries from Ormond Fla. Wal-Mart 01/23/2015



Man sentenced to prison, for five years plus fifteen suspended, for setting fire in Conn. Wal-Mart store last February 01/23/2015

Rincon Ga. Police: Fight, shoplifting and damaged vehicle at Walmart in at least five separate incidents 01/23/2015

Police arrest two separate thieves at Wood River Missouri Wal-Mart, both including assaults 01/23/2015

Police: Bushnell woman arrested for shoplifting from Macomb Ill. Wal-Mart, MDH and more 01/23/2015

2 children charged in multi-million dollar SC Walmart arson 01/24/2015

2 Walmarts evacuated due to a bomb threat in Fort Collins Tx. 01/24/2015

Man, woman accused of stealing from Fla. Wal-marts 01/24/2015

Man with a gun terrorizes East Texas Walmart 01/24/2015



Hoover Alabama police arrest woman accused of trying to steal $3,600 in razors, gum from Highway 280 Wal-Mart 01/25/2015

Police: Suspect who shot 7-Eleven clerk could be NM Walmart safe robber 01/26/2015

Monday's Most Wanted: Bristol Tenn. investigators search for Walmart shoplifting pair 01/26/2015



Belleville Ill. Walmart hit by purse snatchers 01/27/2015

Montgomery Alabama police make arrest in shooting of woman in Wal-Mart parking lot 01/27/2015

Woman gives away newborn in Colorado Walmart parking lot 01/27/2015

Missouri Walmart customer fights back when robber tries to steal her purse 01/27/2015

Man arrested at Porter Tx. Walmart wearing body armor 01/27/2015

North Adams Police seek shoplifter who pulled knife at Mass. Walmart 01/28/2015

Mom charged with leaving toddler inside unlocked, running car while she shopped at Pa. Walmart 01/28/2015

Tenn. Walmart managers charged with taking thousands from cash registers 01/28/2015

Consumers being warned about Walmart tax refund scheme by Connecticut officials although the scheme is national 01/28/2015

Man steals 2 electronic kid cars from Fla. Walmart 01/28/2015

Adamsville Alabama police searching for driver involved in fatal hit-and-run near Walmart 01/28/2015

Repeat NY Walmart shoplifter pleads guilty to felony, enters drug treatment 01/28/2015

12-year-old calls in fake bomb threat at Ca. Walmart from school bus 01/28/2015

Shelbyville couple arrested for shoplifting at Bardstown Ky. Walmart 01/28/2015



Man wanted for stealing compressor, tools from Suffolk Va. Walmart 01/29/2015

Wal-Mart cuts about 50 positions at Bentonville Ark. headquarters 01/29/2015

Alabama Wal-Mart employee caught swiping thousands from his employer, police say 01/29/2015

Deputies: Suspect used stolen credit card at Walmart in Oldsmar Fla. 01/29/2015

Man arrested after robbing a northside Tuscon Ariz. Walmart 01/29/2015

Man, woman arrested in purse thefts at Ill. Walmart 01/29/2015

Suffolk Va. police searching for man who robbed a Walmart armed 01/29/2015



Walmart Relents After Asking Ga. Greeter to Stop Saying "Have a Blessed Day" 01/29/2015

Thieves Steal Motor Oil From Pa. Walmart 01/30/2015

Male cited for shoplifting at Ohio Walmart in motorized scooter 01/29/2015 An officer working off-duty security made the citation and someone from the police department decided it was worth posting on Facebook.



Measles Panic Spreads at Ca. Bay Area Costco, Walmart 01/26/2015

At least 8 Busted at NC Walmart and charged during the week of Jan. 18 to Jan. 24 01/2/2015

Walmart worker charged with shoplifting from Mansfield NJ store 01/27/2015

Man charged with inhaling toxic chemical at Walmart in Mansfield NJ 01/28/2015

Man steals $750 worth of Pokémon cards from Halfmoon NY Walmart 01/2/2015

Attorney fears Ky. Wal-Mart decision a bad precedent 01/30/2015 A lawyer .... fears other companies will expect exemptions after a city commission approved a plan for the retail giant even though the plan does not meet code.

Three people steal thousands of dollars in items from Ky. Walmart 01/30/2015

Hendricks Co. sheriff seeks suspects in several Ind. Walmart robberies 01/30/2015

Man injured in crash outside Berlin Delaware Wal-Mart 01/30/2015

Deputies searching for woman who stole from Va. Walmart 01/30/2015

Rochester man arrested for thefts from Lockport NY Walmart 01/30/2015

Police seek tips in alleged NY Walmart theft 01/30/2015

$14K in phones stolen from La Grange Ky. Wal-Mart 02/02/2015

(Crossposted on both Open Salon and Blogspot.)

Now that they finally elected someone that seems to do a much better job addressing the concerns of the people hopefully this will reverse itself soon in Greece but India and many other countries are having the same problem and even in Greece there are already some signs that they might not do more than they have to if they can get away with it. One of the latest offers being considered will replace the loans to be paid on the condition of a growing economy; which might mean that they could be settled with them indefinitely.

If the IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organization have their way they won't consider the way these debts piled up or if they were the result of tactics used in company stores on a global basis where a small segment of society controls the entire economy and rigs it so that the rest of society can never maintain a decent life and pay off their debts at the same time.

Or as the saying goes "debt = slavery" especially if that debt is the result of a rigged system.

The destructive role of IMF and World Bank over the world (relevant articles)

(Crossposted on both Open Salon and Blogspot.)

Who’s the “Low Life Scum:” Kissinger, CODEPINK, Harold Pinter or Hitler?



It's been two weeks now since John McCain refereed to CODEPINK; most of the stories except for those from the traditional news media, which isn't even trying to do a good job, are strongly against his response, with good reason. However there are still some like John Hinderaker who say "John McCain Speaks For Me On CodePink." He goes on to say, "This persecution of Kissinger has been going on for decades. It has something to do with Vietnam, apparently. .... How long can these leftists continue to hate? Forever, seemingly."

His comment "It has something to do with Vietnam, apparently" clearly indicates that he doesn't know much about Henry Kissinger's history and presumably doesn't want to. He appears to be a regular commentator and if he wanted to know more about history he almost certainly could and would; although he wouldn't if he relied on the traditional media or the highest profile pundits for his information. His comment "How long can these leftists continue to hate? Forever, seemingly," is equally ironic since right wingers also demonstrate an enormous amount of hatred, although a review of history that involves fact checking sources might raise major doubts about whether they're justified in many cases and they would also indicate that there is an enormous amount of justification for the calls to prosecute Kissinger.

And the same establishment that continues to ignore Kissinger's history, also continues to support more war crimes and selling of weapons that inevitably lead to more atrocities by both allies and the so-called terrorists that they claim to oppose.

Susan Milligan claims "McCain Had a Point About Code Pink" but she misses a major part of the problem. She says, 'The Congressional Record is filled with flowery references to “my good friend from Iowa,” or “the distinguished gentlelady from New Hampshire.” Such verbiage is used even when the parties in question are bitterly fighting with each other. That’s not dishonest; it’s just what civilized people do. When you abandon even the show-language of polite discourse, the relationships deteriorate further.'

What she fails to mention is that those who report on an enormous amount of problems with U.S. foreign policy rarely ever get much media attention which is why some people like John Hinderaker and his followers might not realize how many problems with many of the wars and the lies that they're based on cause so much destruction and will continue to do so unless major changes are made which the polite people on Capital Hill aren't willing to do.

There is something wrong when it is considered polite to support a policy that leads to a large number of atrocities and rude when people actually point out the truth.

I'm sure it is also extremely impolite to compare Adolf Hitler to Kissinger or other political leaders in the U.S.; but this is often a tactic that is used to arbitrarily either shock people or put certain comparisons off limits so that they can't be discussed. Some times people really should be shocked; and the true definition that should be used more often for the word compare is "to analyze the similarities and differences." Which means that I'm not saying that they're exactly the same but current censorship is far more subtle than what Hitler did. As the saying goes "History is written by the victor;" and if Hitler had won it would be impolite to criticize him or worse. Both Medea Benjamin and Harold Pinter have done a far better job addressing these issues but most people aren't aware of them.

If it seems like Susan Milligan is right about CODEPINK doing nothing but heckle people and interrupt others right to free speech it is only because they don't have much if any opportunity to present their case to the vast majority of the public. The only thing the traditional media covers is their heckling while completely ignoring an enormous amount of history. This can be found at other more reliable sources that get much less coverage including Medea Benjamin's column, where she points out some of the history that both Susan Milligan, John Hinderaker and many other higher profile pundits ignore:





Kissinger is also famous for opposing democracy in other countries like Chile when he said in a meeting on June 27, 1970, "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves." Henry A. Kissinger Quotes This was intended to be disclosed for the first time in the first addition of "The CIA and The Cult of Intelligence" by Victor Marchetti and John D. Marks published in 1974; however this was censored and it wasn't made public until later. The official explanation for the censorship, like many other claims, is that it might threaten national security; however after this disclosure and many others have been made it has become clear that it is far more threatening to the integrity of government officials that claim to be defending democracy but routinely do the opposite.

Marchetti and Mark's book is one of many that has disclosed a lot of the atrocities that have been committed by the U.S. Government over the decades but they rarely get much publicity and the mass media routinely pretends they don't exist instead of addressing the details. This is part of a very effective propaganda tactic that enables many people to believe that the U.S. has been fighting one war after another to "defend democracy against communism" or "terrorism." It also enables them to portray people like Chris Kyle who killed at least 160 people, in a war that was based on lies, as heroes, even though the war had nothing to do with protecting U.S. citizens and did far more to antagonize people around the world and make some of them resent the U.S.even more and strike out like the Boston Bombings.

Harold Pinter did an exceptionally good job describing how the United States has avoided full discussion of their activities in his 2005 Nobel Prize speech; however this also received virtually no media attention so only those that are accustomed to relying on alternative media outlets are aware of it; and many of them may have forgotten it, since it is so rarely mention.





If more people were aware of the history that is rarely ever mentioned by the traditional media but covered much better by people like Medea Benjamin, Harold Pinter, Naomi Klein author of "Shock Doctrine" or many authors from The American Empire Project among other more reliable sources then it would be hard tom imagine that most people would think that it is more impolite to point out atrocities than to cover them up.

The atrocities committed by representatives of the U.S. government and their allies in third world countries aren't as blatant as Hitler's but they're far more insidious; which could mean that, unless more people rely on alternative media outlets and hold our leaders accountable then they could present a much greater threat than the terrorists they condemn.

Actually by conducting so many activities around the world they're almost certainly indirectly inciting these terrorists they claim to oppose maintaining a permanent state of war which isn't necessary.

(Crossposted on both Open Salon and Blogspot.)