Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Driveway Dangers A Warning For All Parents

Posted: May 20, 2015 6:23 PM PST Updated: May 20, 2015 10:10 PM PST

 

It wasn't easy for Brian and Amanda Bayers to talk about how their 18-month-old son, Jackson, died, but they did for one reason.

You often hear warnings about the dangers of leaving children in hot cars or getting into dangerous chemicals around the house, none of which should be taken lightly. But it is not often you hear about what happened to the Bayers - a split-second accident that can change a family's life forever.

There wasn't a single moment of Jackson's life that Brian and Amanda Bayers missed. They captured every precious moment on camera, from the first time he crawled to him just being his happy self. They felt blessed to be his parents.

"It was instant love, love at first sight," Amanda said.

The Bayerses have been married for 8 1/2 years and knew family was what they wanted from the beginning. But it wasn't easy. They struggled for 3 1/2 years to get pregnant.

"When I found out she was pregnant, I (instantly felt) very nervous about everything," Brian said. "How I was going to provide; if I was going to be a good dad."

All the normal feelings, and a sense of protection when Jackson finally came into their arms on Aug. 1, 2013.

"I felt like we had a whole different responsibility in our life that we had a small child that we had to raise," Brian said.

Their little boy was growing - so was his curiosity - as he managed to get his hands on everything.

"I worried every night. I got home - I carry around change in my pocket - I would get down on my hands and knees. I'd look for dimes, pennies I might have dropped," Brian Bayers said.

But it was what they didn't think of that changed their life.

"You always think, ‘This can't happen to me,' but it can," Brian said.

On Feb. 13, 2015 Brian was getting ready to take Jackson to daycare. He remembered Jackson was a little extra loving that morning and they were both enjoying their time together. It was cold, so Brian figured while Jackson was playing he would go warm up the truck and back it up to the house.

"When I got out of the truck, I hopped out of the truck to run to the back door and hopped up on the stoop and the back door was wide open," Brian said.

He ran into the house calling Jackson's name and couldn't find him.

"I went flying out the back door basically to see him on the driveway, and he had already been hit at that point in time, and I had backed over him," Brian said. "I never saw him at any point in time. Jackson was hit by the front wheels of the vehicle backing up. When the front wheels back around, he essentially walked right into the side of the vehicle."

"I was quite hysterical. My son was killed instantly, and I called 911," he said.

Knowing there was nothing he could do to save Jackson, Brian called Amanda, who rushed home from work.

"I immediately wanted to hold him and held him for hours," Amanda said. "I think I just kissed him and rocked him. We took him back to his room. I just kept saying, ‘Why?'"

The pain and the heartache they have been feeling since that day is indescribable. They miss everything about their sweet boy.

"I miss holding him and hugging him and kissing him - just feeling that love," Amanda said.

"I miss seeing him dance with his mom," Brian said. "I miss lying in bed in the morning and hearing him wake up."

Every minute of every day Brian said he can't help but think of what happened to Jackson. How did he open the door, and what he could have done differently to stop him?

"What if I had a back-up camera on my vehicle? What if I had my window rolled down? I think what if I didn't just pick my child up and carry him with me to my car," Brian said. "I worried about all the little things that could have possibly happened and this was one thing that never crossed my mind."

In the United States, at least 50 children are backed over by vehicles every week, and the predominant age of victims is one year old, according to KidsAndCars.org.

Kids and Cars is a non-profit child safety organization dedicated to preventing injuries and death to children in and around motor vehicles.

The Bayerses never knew how common back-over and front-over accidents were until Jackson died. They took the brave step to talk about it, knowing Jackson would be proud of them.

"If we can save one child's life by this and prevent one family from the kind of devastation that we have faced, that will be his legacy," Brian said.

"We know that Jackson is in heaven and he's with God," Amanda said.

Brian and Amanda Bayers say their faith has gotten them through this difficult time and they have received so much support from support groups and church. Both of them love children and they are trying to have more.

The Bayerses want to build on Jackson's legacy. They are raising money to build a park in his honor.

 

Copyright 2015 Tucson News Now and WAVE3. All rights reserves

 

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/29119678/driveway-dangers-a-warning-for-parents

9 Things Everyone Should Know About Molly

By Drew Griffin. Nelli Black and Patricia DiCarlo, CNN Investigations

Updated 11:25 AM ET, Sat November 23, 2013

Hidden dangers of party drug 'Molly'

Story highlights
  • Molly is a drug that used to be the powder or crystal form of MDMA, or Ecstasy
  • Now, Molly is more often made up of a toxic mix of lab-created chemicals
  • Almost all the chemicals in Molly and other synthetic drugs come from laboratories in China
  • The DEA says using Molly is like playing Russian roulette

The drug called Molly isn't what most of its users think it is. If you Google "Molly," many articles say the drug is "pure" MDMA, the active ingredient in Ecstasy.

Users often talk about the "purity" of taking Molly, as if it's somehow better; after all, MDMA was originally developed as a medication to treat depression. But today's Molly is most often not MDMA -- in the last few years, the drug has become a toxic mixture of lab-created chemicals, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Here are nine things everyone should know about this rapidly changing party drug:

1. What is Molly?

Someone who buys or takes Molly now is probably ingesting dangerous synthetic drugs that have not been tested and are produced in widely varying strengths. The DEA says only 13% of the Molly seized in New York state the last four years actually contained any MDMA, and even then it often was mixed with other drugs. The drugs frequently found in Molly are Methylone, MDPV, 4-MEC, 4-MMC, Pentedrone and MePP.

'2C-P' and 'Molly' involved in overdoses

 

2. What does Molly do?

The lab-created chemicals mimic the effects of MDMA; most of them are central nervous system stimulants that cause euphoric highs. They can also cause a rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, blood vessel constriction and sweating, and can prevent the body from regulating temperature. Some of the chemicals have been reported to cause intense, prolonged panic attacks, psychosis and seizures.

After they wear off, the chemicals can cause devastating depression. Several of these compounds have caused deaths.

3. Who is using Molly?

Molly is being marketed to young first-time drug abusers between the ages of 12 and 17, as well as traditional rave, electronic dance music fans who may think they're getting MDMA. "Our kids are being used as guinea pigs by drug traffickers," says Al Santos, associate deputy administrator for the DEA.

4. What does Molly look like?

Molly can take many different forms, although it's most often found in a capsule or powder. The DEA has also seen Molly applied to blotting paper, like LSD, and in injectable form.

5. What makes Molly so dangerous?

Molly is dangerous because of the toxic mix of unknown chemicals; users have no idea what they're taking or at what dose. Unlike MDMA and other illegal drugs that have known effects on the body, the formulas for these synthetic drugs keep changing, and they're manufactured with no regard to how they affect the user.

"You're playing Russian roulette if you take these compounds because we're seeing significant batch-to-batch variances," Santos says.

For example, officials have found completely different ingredients in drugs sold in the same packaging. Santos also says the amount of active ingredients can be dangerously different, because "the dosing for these sorts of drugs are in the micrograms. The room for error is tremendous, and we've seen a lot of deaths with some of these compounds."

The DEA has developed its own reference materials for state and local law enforcement because they were encountering so many different drug compounds they'd never seen before. At the DEA testing lab, technicians are constantly trying to unravel the chemical makeup of newly discovered drug compounds that have been seized.

What you need to know about synthetic drugs

6. Where do the chemicals come from?

Almost all the chemicals in Molly and other synthetic drugs come from laboratories in China. Chinese chemists sell the drugs online, and middlemen in the United States and around the world cut it with other substances, and either place it in capsules or sell it as powder. Other kinds of synthetic drugs can be sprayed onto plant material and smoked, such as synthetic marijuana.

But it's difficult for law enforcement to keep track of all the chemicals. The DEA says it's seen about 200 individual chemical compounds since 2009 and 80 new compounds since 2012. As soon as a compound is discovered and banned, another one is created to take its place.

Interestingly enough, the formulas for these drugs were discovered by legitimate scientists working on new medications. The formulas couldn't be used as medicine because of the stimulant or hallucinogenic effects they had users, but the "recipes" for the drugs still remain.

Clandestine chemists have used the scientific literature to create hundreds of new chemical compounds for the sole purpose of getting people high. There is no known legitimate purpose for any of these chemicals.

Music festival canceled after 2 deaths blamed on drugs

7. How widespread is the problem?

Huge. The fastest-emerging drug problem in the United States is the synthetic drug market, which now includes Molly. The chemicals in Molly have been found in nearly every state in the U.S.

And it's a multibillion-dollar business. In two days, the DEA seized $95 million off drug traffickers during a crackdown. It is a growing problem in Australia, New Zealand and Europe as well.

8. What's being done about it? Why can't the government just make it illegal?

Congress passed the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act in July 2012, which controlled 26 compounds by name. But there are hundreds of compounds, and every time the government makes one illegal, chemists alter the formula slightly to make it a substance that is no longer controlled.

U.S. officials say they are discussing the issue with the Chinese government, but most of these chemicals are legal in China.

There's something (potentially dangerous) about molly

9. How can I tell if someone is using or has used Molly?

The effects can vary widely, depending on the chemical, but while users are under the influence, they may exhibit the following symptoms: sweating, jaw clenching, violent or bizarre behavior and psychosis.

After the drug has worn off, a user may show signs of depression or may not be able to get out of bed for an extended period of time.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/22/health/9-things-molly-drug/

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Stephen Schaffner: Sexual Abuse Counselor Gets 35 Years For Horrific Sex Abuse Of Premature Baby

Stephen Schaffner sex abuse baby

Stephen Schaffner, 34, once offered his help to victims of child sexual abuse as a licensed counselor in the states of Arizona and Maryland. But on Thursday, Schaffner was sent to prison for 35 years for his own extraordinarily horrifying sexual offense, a case of child sex abuse with the most vulnerable, helpless victim imaginable — a six-week-old, prematurely born baby.

Schaffner (pictured above left), now of Greensboro, Maryland, hooked up through the internet with a pediatric nurse in San Diego, California, Michael Lutts (pictured above right). The two were in contact when Lutts, who worked at Kaiser Permanente hospital, was for some unfathomable reason assigned to take the little preemie boy home with him as a foster child.

Schaffner and Lutts exchanged numerous text messages that FBI investigators found on the former counselor’s iPhone, messages in which the two men discussed in highly graphic terms the abuse that they desired to inflict on the infant.

Schaffner then gave Lutts explicit instructions on how he wanted to see the baby sexually abused, and requested that Lutts send him photos via text message. The FBI found those photos, of Lutts abusing the helpless and crying six-week-old baby, on Schaffner’s phone, the Bureau said in a statement.

In their conversation, Schaffner also told Lutts that he planned to fly to San Diego so he could rape the baby himself.

Unfortunately, the case was, in the words of federal prosecutor Zachary Myers, “a culmination of a pattern of behavior by Mr. Schaffner.”

The FBI, investigators said in a statement released July 9, found “thousands of images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct” on Schaffner’s computers and other electronic storage devices.

Not only that but Schaffner — who admitted to the FBI that he had been a collector of graphic child pornography for the past 11 years — sent numerous text messages and emails over the years in which he “repeatedly expressed a sexual interest in boys from “age zero” up and his desire to commit violent sexual abuse against infants, including making the children cry during the abuse and injuring or killing children in the course of sexual abuse. He discussed ways to ensure that the children did not report the abuse, including drugging or killing the children,” the FBI said.

Perhaps authorities should have been tipped off in 2012 when Schaffner was fired from his position counseling abused and troubled children after sending what investigators described as a sexually inappropriate message to one of his counseling clients.

Schaffner’s conviction comes less than a week after authorities in Canada released a series of sickening text messages between a young couple in which they discussed kidnapping and molesting young girls, and then carried out the crimes.

Lutts was arrested last August after investigators reported finding videos on his computer showing the nurse molesting the premature baby as the child cried uncontrollably. His case has not yet been resolved however. The FBI also says that the child sex abuse conspiracy involving Michael Lutts and Stephen Schaffner may include other adults as well.

 

http://www.inquisitr.com/2242460/stephen-schaffner-sex-abuse-baby/

URGENT!

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://blog.auntyacid.com/urgent-she-looks-like-a-normal-4-year-old-but-police-are-stumped-can-you-help/

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

US jets intercepted Russian bombers off the California and Alaska coasts on July 4

On July 4th, two pairs of Russian  Tupolev Tu-95 bombers approached the US West coast, causing the Air Force to scramble to intercept the planes before they breached US airspace.

Fox News reports that the first incident occurred at 10:30 am ET off the coast of Alaska, when NORAD identified the Russian planes and two F-22s hurried to intercept them. Another incident occurred at 11 am ET off the coast of central California, and was responded to by two F-15s.

The Russian bombers they intercepted are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, but sources do not indicate whether or not they were armed.

The Air Force intercepted the bombers before they entered America's sovereign air space, which extends 12 miles out from the coast, but the presence of the bombers is an ominous sign during the heightened tensions between Russia and the US.

 

As retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, who formerly commanded the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told the Washington Free Beacon: “It’s becoming very obvious that Putin is testing Obama and his national security team.”

The type of warfare being teased is reminiscent of the Cold War not only in theory, but in practice.

“These long-range aviation excursions are duplicating exercises I experienced during the height of the Cold War when I commanded the Alaska NORAD region," McInerney told the Free Beacon.

Tupolev_Tu 95K 22,_Russia_ _Air_Force_AN1791187© Provided by Business Insider Tupolev_Tu 95K 22,_Russia_ _Air_Force_AN1791187

Pentagon officials haven't given the exact location of the interceptions, but ABC News cites one official as saying that it could have taken place as "far out as 200 miles."

The Pentagon's John Kirby told the Free Beacon that they assessed the flight of the Russian bombers as another training activity.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-jets-intercepted-russian-bombers-off-the-california-and-alaska-coasts-on-july-4/ar-AAcDwdA

Operation Jade Helm 15 Arizona 04/17; Assault Support Tactics in Urban Area

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Emma Noelle in Featured, Jade Helm 15, News From Others

Videos from others on YouTube sharing an important message.

U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division participate in assault support tactics 3 during Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 2-15 in Yuma, Ariz., April 18, 2015. WTI is a seven week event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) cadre. MAWTS-1 provides standardized tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine Aviation Training and Readiness and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps motion imagery by Sgt. Daniel D. Kujanpaa/Released).

more on jade helm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVVzdwgeMmg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6bFlUkhU4g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlGeRSz8Zh0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ocElpPxGY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjHOQNjbh_Y

This work, Assault Support Tactics 3, by Sgt Daniel Kujanpaa, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.

 

 

https://freedomfighterreports.com/2015/05/17/operation-jade-helm-15-arizona-0417-assault-support-tactics-in-urban-area/

Operation Jade Helm 15 And Wal-Mart Closures

Theory speculations linking recent reports that several Wal-Mart stores have closed across the U.S. with Jade Helm 15 military training exercises scheduled to begin in July in some selected states, including Texas, California, Utah and Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.


According to ABC Action News, more than 2,000 Wal-Mart employees nationwide learned on Monday that they were being laid off because their stores were being closed for reasons that WFLA and KSN-TV, both mainstream news sources, admitted were “weird” plumbing issues.

Websites, such as All News Pipeline, were quick to point out that the Wal-Mart closures were being implemented mostly in states — such as Florida, Texas, California and Oklahoma — “tied to the Jade Helm 15 martial law exercises.”

Rumors are spreading very fast that the “mysterious” closures of Wal-Mart stores are part of events, in concert with the Jade Helm military training exercise, in preparation for declaration of martial law and rounding up of “citizens for processing.”




Operation Jade Helm 15

The mission is vast both geographically and strategically: Elite service members from all four branches of the U.S. military will launch an operation this summer in which they will operate covertly among the U.S. public and travel from state to state in military aircraft. Texas, Utah and a section of southern California are labeled as hostile territory, and New Mexico isn’t much friendlier.
That’s the scheme for Jade Helm 15, a new Special Operations exercise that runs from July 15 to Sept. 15. Army Special Operations Command announced it last week, saying the size and scope of the mission sets it apart from many other training exercises.
“The nature of warfare is always changing and U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s mission is to make certain the Army’s various Special Operations Forces are trained, equipped and organized to successfully conduct worldwide special operations in support of our nation’s interests,” Army Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a command spokesman, said in an e-mail. “Training exercise Jade Helm is going to assist our Special Operations Soldiers and leadership in refining the skills needed against an ever changing foreign threat.”





RANDOM WALMART CLOSURES SPARK DETENTION CENTER THEORIES AS RUN-UP TO JADE HELM 2015

At least five Walmart stores throughout the country have announced that they are closing for up to six months due to plumbing issues.
Stores in California, Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma closed Tuesday with little to no warning, in some cases without even letting the city know, leaving thousands of people without jobs Walmart claims employees can move to another store) and sparking widespread theories as to the real reason for the abrupt closures.
The SGV Tribune in California reported:
Walmart announced Monday that it is temporarily closing its Pico Rivera supercenter on Washington Boulevard due to plumbing problems but City Manager Rene Bobadilla said a union official told him that all 530 employees have been laid off.
James Enriquez, the city’s public works director, said officials have not been notified of plumbing issues at the store. The company would be required to pull permits before undertaking extensive work.
“If I were a property owner I’d want to make sure my store was closed as little as possible,” Enriquez said. “I would want a permit to be in place the day I was going to close — but we haven’t received anything.”
An article in the Tampa Bay Tribune included a vague statement from Walmart that has already been disputed by local shoppers and contractors that have worked at Wal-Mart stores in the past.
Company officials would not describe the issue with the plumbing, but Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amanda Hennenberg issued a statement, saying:
“We will immediately begin the process to address these issues and intend to reopen the store as soon as all of the plumbing issues are resolved. Deciding to close a store is not a decision we make lightly, but after careful consideration, we felt it was necessary to make these repairs so we can better serve our customers and the community in the long run.”
Wal-Mart officials said the problem cropped up with clogs and leaks in plumbing that affected availability of water and drainage around the store.
Employees who work at the Brandon site can seek a transfer to another store if a similar job opening is available. Otherwise, they will be paid for 60 days of work, in accordance with state labor laws.
As noted in an Infowars.com article, an electrician who has done work in Walmart stores in the past questioned the vague reasons given by management for the closures.
“I’m an electrician and I used to work for a company that did repairs at Walmart’s, they make the contractors jump through hoops so they do not have to shut down or cause any inconvenience.”
“If it really was a plumbing issue, they would build completely new restrooms first then repair any issue afterwards. Also, knowing Walmart’s timelines, there is no way in hell any contractors would have 6 months to complete any repair project.”
Another comment posted in response to an article about the Walmart closure in Livingston, Texas disputed the reasoning for the closing. (Quote slightly edited for clarity)
“There is more to this story, this makes no sense. Since 1995 this store has had plumbing issues, this store has had several remodels where plumbing was worked on yet it stayed open. Within the past year this store has went down hill quick, worst management ive ever seen, RUDEST associates ive ever seen, dirtiest store ive ever seen.”
“The thing that really makes no sense is corporate spent all that money putting in gas pumps and there going to close it down. Bentonville is not going to take that kind of loss.”
Reasons for the closures include Walmart’s official reason, major building code violations, and decontamination of radioactive food from Fukushima. Although some in alternative media have brushed aside possible connections to Jade Helm and martial law, the random closing of multiple massive stores at the same time as the run up to Jade Helm deserves, at the very least, closer examination.
The closures may end up being nothing more than simple plumbing issues but when you consider FEMA’s past statements and documented plans to use large, empty department stores as holding centers in the event of widespread social unrest or a massive influx of immigrants, they take on a more sinister meaning.
In a report published in July 2014 on Intellihub.com, Shepard Ambellas outlined a plan by the Department of Defense and FEMA to use, “abandoned or unused department stores, shopping malls and warehouses as camps to accommodate the mass human influx from South America.”
New Republics Lauren Markham also reported:
FEMA Wants to House Migrant Children in Empty Big Box Stores
In recent weeks, FEMA representatives have sent mass emails to advocacy networks throughout the country soliciting potential detention facilities and offering guidelines for acceptable spaces.
The guidelines include being “Within 50 miles of major city (Pop ~200K)/airport; available for lease; able to be fenced or have adequate security.” Showers and toilets are preferable, according to the guidelines, but not necessary—so long as there is outdoor space for “staging areas for shower/restroom/laundry/kitchen trailers, etc.”
Also preferred but not necessary, according to the email, is a kitchen, a cafeteria, recreational space, and classroom space. Suggestions for potentially workable locations? “Office space, warehouse, big box store, shopping mall with interior concourse, event venues, hotel or dorms, aircraft hangers”—provided that they are vacant and able to be leased.
Since the failures of Hurricane Katrina, faith in FEMA to adequately respond to large-scale crisis situations has remained shaky at best. These pleas for empty big box stores do not restore much confidence.
Although FEMA has used a massive influx of immigrants as the reason for needing detention centers, their power to control the entire country in the event of a martial law scenario could easily lead them to use the centers for American citizens.
Shepard also dug up a 2008 thread on the conspiracy website Above Top Secret that noted how Walmart had received at least 1 billion in government subsidies.
I started thinking the other day about the theories out there about the government building detention centers to hold citizens who might cause trouble when martial law is declared.
I then remembered seeing something about Wal-Mart closing down stores. I started to search around and have decided that there might be a possibility that these ideas are tied together. These are old figures but should be enough to get the discussion going.
CNN Money back on May 24, 2004 had an article about a watchdog group reporting Wal-Mart had received about 1 Billion dollars in government subsidies to expand their business, building stores, buying property and such.
That is a decent amount of money that Wal-Mart is getting to increase the number of stores across the country.
Wal-Mart also has a habit of closing down stores and then building new stores in other cities and towns. They still own these closed stores and usually put them up for lease or sale but very few actually get leased or sold because they are too big and cost too much for most businesses to use.
On average as of March 2005 Wal-Mart had about 350 empty stores across the U.S with a combined total area of about 26.7 million sq ft.
The fact that Wal-Mart has worked hand in hand with the Department of Homeland Security in the past is what lead many to question the store closings in the first place. This history includes the infamous see something say something campaign launched by the former Homeland Security secretary known affectionately as “Big Sis.”





Wade Helm, Wal-Mart Underground Tunnels Conspiracy Theory
Conspiracy theory speculations about the sudden “mysterious” closures of at least five Wal-Mart stores in four states where Jade Helm military training exercises are scheduled to start got a boost in the last few days following release of footage purportedly showing police officers guarding loading docks and entrances at a “closed” Wal-Mart under circumstances that many say are suspicious.
Two “exclusive” videos shot by one of the subscribers of the YouTube conspiracy theorist Dahboo777, inside the closed Pico Rivera Walmart supercenter, California, according to some, show an attempt by police guards helping Walmart maintain security to hide sinister goings-on at the closed store.
In the first footage, guards order the person filming to stop and shelves appeared to have been arranged to conceal goings on in an area inside the store.
The speculations are diverse, but one line of speculation that has emerged prominently in conspiracy theory circles focuses on alleged underground tunnels constructed by Wal-Mart in collaboration with NSA and DHS, which will play a key role in the logistics of a rumored plan by the authorities to convert the Wal-Mart centers into operational and emergency staging areas for NSA and DHS operatives, once the anxiously anticipated martial law kicks in.
So pervasive are the concerns being generated about an impending declaration of martial law that a photo showing work being done on square patches in the parking lot of a Walmart in Winchester, Kentucky, was interpreted as the foundations of guard towers to be erected à la Auschwitz-Birkenau!
The underground tunnel theory emerged in opposition to a theory that the stores were closed temporarily to fight the push by employees to unionize. Walmart management, according to ongoing speculations, decided to counter the move to unionize by closing stores and laying off workers. The stores would then be reopened in six months to recruit new workers.
But according to the underground tunnel theory, Wal-Mart runs a joint underground tunnel system project with the NSA and DHS as part of contingency plans for a nuclear, biological or chemical weapons attack.
“In order to further protect the homeland and ensure the safety of citizens in case of nuclear, biological, or chemical attack, a joint venture of the NSA, DOD, MiB, DHS, CICs, DFCS, and BK has been created… an expansive tunnel system throughout the south. These tunnels will also serve as conduits for national defense to rapidly move troops, supplies, and armor throughout the nation between strategic topographical locations.”
One version of the theory says that the tunnels have been causing sinkholes and that the stores were closed to effect repairs and reconstruction.
A more popular version of the tunnel theory,  says that Wal-Mart and the underground system of tunnels will play a key role in the logistics for operating a rumored martial law.
When martial law is declared, Wal-Mart stores will be used as “detention centers, processing centers, centralized and controlled distribution centers for essential commodities and supplies, such as food and medicine.”
Doesn’t anyone know that Walmart is a huge supporter of the NWO? They’ve donated much of their property to FEMA to build reeducation centers for our children!”
Of course, the Chinese are involved in the sinister plot against Americans. The NWO-backed administration of President Barack Obama is declaring martial law on behalf of his communist Chinese friends who have placed his administration under pressure to “take away the guns” of Americans.
“Wal-Mart is a front for the Rockefellers and the Red Chinese Secret Police. Do not the top honchos at Wal-Mart know that their cheap prices are based on production by Chinese slave labor, in camps and factories operated by the Secret Police?”

Walmart Closings, Jade Helm And The China Connection
Are Some Walmart Supercenters Being Refitted Into 'Processing' Centers For Americans?




With the recent announcement that multiple Walmarts would be closing due to "plumbing issues," at the same time, many in states where the controversial Jade Helm 15 military exercises are set to take place across the the US, some are saying their "alarm bells" are ringing as they feel they are witnessing a series of events happening simultaneously within America that lead them to believe the US is preparing to declare martial law and start rounding up citizens for processing.

JADE HELM 15

On March 13, 2015 ANP reported "From July 15th to September 15th of 2015, the US Army's Green Berets, US Navy Seals, US Marines Special Ops Command and US Air Force Special Ops Command will be taking part in 'Jade Helm 15', 8 weeks of night time drills in 7 states in the southwestern portion of America," with two additional states being added by March 23, 2015, those being Florida and Mississippi.

The states slated to participate are Florida, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. Texas and Utah are listed as "hostile" in the leaked documents which exposed Jade Helm 15 to the general public. A portion of California was listed as an "insurgent pocket."

DOCUMENTED MILITARY MOVEMENT AND EXERCISES

On March 28, 2015, ANP reported on a massive martial law roundup drill, captured on video, that took place in Florida, where helicopters, vans and DoD personnel were rounding up citizens as part of a military exercise that was not revealed to Florida residents until after the exercise had already begun. April 12, 2015, ANP reported on a massive military convoy was spotted in Oklahoma, heading towards Texas, images seen here.

Also in Oklahoma, we see a SQ alert, which states "We were in Tulsa yesterday on a scheduled flight and were delayed for a time while F16s were training at the airport which is a joint use airport and has a National Guard wing established. The strange thing about this is that they were flying with full bomb, missile and long range tank loads. I have not seen this at civilian airports before although I am sure it has been done as there are military aircraft based there. I think this was part of the Jade Helm 15 Drill."

WALMART ABRUPTLY ANNOUNCES CLOSINGS Of SUPERCENTERS

Comparing the sudden announced Walmart closings, where in some cases even employees were not informed until just hours before, we see multiple locations are in some of the same states that Jade Helm exercises, other military drills and military movement, is scheduled, has taken place or been captured on camera.

California, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma.

Walmart operates over 4,000 stores in the US, with over 3,000 of them being "supercenters," meaning stores that offer food, a pharmacy and are generally  much larger than regular Walmarts. Walmart supercenters are considered the largest supermarket chain in the US.

Not only are these stores located in states recently in the news for the aforementioned reasons, but all the Walmarts that "abruptly" announced these closures, laying off hundreds of employees, are supercenters, and all stating the issue causing them to close for the same "six month" period was "plumbing."

According to ABC Action News, "none of the five affected stores have sought any plumbing permits for future repairs."

Via an email forwarded to ANP, we see that in the opinion of one former military man, "Walmart's are outfitted with extensive communications, communications that are identical from store to store and even country to country," stating he believes "the primary purpose for Walmart's, similar stores and malls will be for supply depots for military and initial staging area for local civilians to be processed (clothes ID's etc.), then moved to sanctuary's/FEMA camps after processing." He continues on to point out "the delivery entrances and storage are already set up."

Another forwarded email shows the concern some US citizens are feeling from recent events:

Closing THAT MANY stores for 6 months, coincidentally during Jade Helm sets off more alarm bells that one can possibly imagine. IF these stores are being refitted to such an enormous extent, one must wonder just WHAT they are being refitted for? Just plumbing? That's a WHOLE LOT of plumbing! What would require that much plumbing?

Detention centers? Processing centers? Centralized and controlled distribution centers? What ever the case, closing that many of the country's main food distribution stores will almost certainly cause scarcity for consumers, regardless of real food availability. This almost HAS to be martial law.Perhaps it is related to the planned financial collapse. What ever really is up...SOMETHING IS UP!..

Those emails are not the only example of concern as InfoWars reports that customers and employees affected by these sudden closures are also expressing skepticism about the state reason for these particular stores closing.

Employees and customers are not buying Walmart’s explanation that it is closing five nationwide stores for six months due to “plumbing” issues, with questions swirling about the sudden closures that left hundreds of workers unemployed.

"LAST CHANCE" & THE CHINA CONNECTION

Henry Kissinger famously stated "Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people."

For the last year we have been seeing alerts, a couple shown below are a representation of the type of concerns people from smaller towns have been expressing about Walmart and food shortages.

April 14, 2015:

“Here in Butte MT. The super Walmart has had " Last chance" signs on manyitems all winter. I worked for Walmart years ago and never saw thesebefore. I asked the employees what it meant. They all said they had no ideawhat they were. They had never been told about last chance stuff. But thespots where these items were have not been replenished. In fact this pastmonth the shelving has been spread out and the refrigerated/frozen itemsare spread out thinly to keep it from looking too bare. My husband is anover the road truck driver and tells me he's seen the same issue all over.Especially in the west. He is also seeing the military equipment movementALOT. Anyway, I had told him months ago that I thought the stores weregoing to close . So glad the aware are stocking up.P.S. The Albertsons grocery chain was abrubtly bought out by the Stokes andswitched over night. They bought out the Safeway too apparently and maybetrue value hardware. All quite suddenly.

Another alert was sent to me this morning by Steve Quayle, who has been documenting these witness accounts in his Alert section, which states "

Steve, I was in my local Walmart in Boone NC, yesterday.. I too notice empty spaces on shelves, the deli meat was not as full as usual and some things like their slaw were not present. I did not go up and down the frozen food sections, but the one I did you can see things spread out , or just one to three bags of different types of Tyson products. Usually there is a bunch of food items in bulk in the main aisles along the grocery dept, Progresso soups, Libby Vegetables, cereal etc...there were none...no large 25 lb bags of sugar or flour either, the sugar stock was not full. Thanks to you and Hawk I went to pick up some more Borax..I picked up 2, which left about 4 on the shelf that item is usually stocked well. The cold bins where they keep franks or Bologna, or other meats were less then 1/2 full....They also are pulling items to the front of the shelf so it appears to be full but there may be only 2. Yes, I too have seen last chance tags also, it usually means they will no longer carry an item.I wanted to share this with you to confirm that this is happening in another part of the country. Gary the butcher told me that he heard beef and pork will be going up even more, he said get what pork you can now.. Folks need to get what they can while they can.Thank you both for all your alerts and info to try and help those with ears to hear and eyes to see prepare. May GOD bless you and keep you safe.

By 2011 it was reported that over 200 Walmarts had opened up in over 101 Chinese cities with other reports detailing China and Walmarts' connections, which brings us back to the comment from the military man quoted above about how Walmarts extensive communications systems that are identical from store to store and country to country, meaning they "they know how the stores operations work, how they are laid out and how things can be reconfigured."

This brings us to the final SQ alert from April 13, 2015:

While the young black man was trying to pull out the manual ladder we heard the equipment that has the warning signal when it is backing up. My husband & I looked to see a Chinese man in his late 20's very physically fit, like a soldier, driving an automated lift. It was apparent that he was using more sophisticated automated equipment that the average employee was not allowed to use. It also appeared he was a man with authority. The average employee had to use the manual ladder. This Chinese man was clearly someone with more authority. He spoke English but with a VERY HEAVY Mandarin accent as if he just stepped off the boat from China.

My husband & I couldn't help but notice it appears WalMart is now operated by Chinese management, possibly even military management, that are still more out of site from the average American shopper. As if they are keeping them in the back. We sense it is only a matter of days before our local WalMart is completely and overtly run by the Chinese, possibly even the Chinese military. No more just "Made In China" but now owned, operated, and controlled by the Chinese. Lord have mercy!

We live in an area of Appalachia that is predominately southern anglo farmers. We would love to know if anyone else is seeing this?

The China connection could be very important if we look at the big picture, see the US Dollar is at the high end of the scale of how long any nation keeps it's world reserve currency status, the amount of money we owe China, the amount of land China already owns in the US, the push to replace the Dollar with the RMB, their recent successes in getting many US allies to join their China-led investment bank, and the 2012 call by China to disarm Americans.

QUESTIONS

Is the US government preparing for an all-out economic collapse with Jade Helm, on behalf of the Chinese? Are Walmarts in the poorer areas being closed down to "control the food," send those that are hungry scavaging to the more affluent areas, and to set off food riots, which would give the government a reason to declare martial law? Are some Walmart Supercenters being retrofitted to prepare to turn them into some type of processing centers for Americans after they have rounded them up as they practiced doing in Florida last month? Will they be used as China's C3 (Command, Control And Communication)?

Has the endgame we have heard so much about.... finally arrived?
By: All News PipeLine




http://thenwwrdor.blogspot.com/2014/11/operation-jade-helm-15-and-wal-mart.html#.VZvD9UbTMTU

Operation Jade Helm 15: Military training exercise or martial law?

By Nigel Duara contact the reporter

 

Beginning in July, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command plans a series of training exercises with other military units across Arizona and six other states in the Southwest.

The plan, Army officials say, is to develop new warfare tactics and procedures in a landscape not unlike the shifting terrain of combat zones in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

“The diverse terrain in these states replicates areas special operations soldiers regularly find themselves operating in overseas,” the Pentagon said in announcing the exercises, dubbed Operation Jade Helm 15 and scheduled to run for eight weeks over the summer.

It didn’t take long for other theories to emerge.

Controversial map

A map said to be from U.S. Army Special Operations Command training and briefing materials for Operation Jade Helm 15.

“Way worse than you realize,” conspiracy-oriented Texas radio host Alex Jones’ InfoWars website warned Friday. “Military, police working together toward population control.”

Why, several right-wing bloggers wanted to know, does a widely circulated map purporting to be an Army training document for the exercises divide the region into red states and blue states, with red states—Utah and Texas—labeled “hostile,” and blue states—California, Nevada, Colorado—labeled “permissive?”

Soon, a Republican congressman from Texas, Louie Gohmert, was wondering the same thing.

“I was rather appalled that the hostile areas amazingly have a Republican majority, ‘cling to their guns and religion,’ and believe in the sanctity of the United States Constitution,” Gohmert said in a statement last week. “When the federal government begins, even in practice, games or exercises, to consider any U.S. city or state in 'hostile' control and trying to retake it, the message becomes extremely calloused and suspicious.”

It all came to a head when Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott—who presides over a state that is home to 1.7 million military veterans, along with Ft. Hood and Ft Bliss—ordered the commander of the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercises and give him “regular updates” on the “progress and safety of the operation.”

“During the training operation, it is important that Texans know their safety, constitutional rights, private property rights and civil liberties will not be infringed,” the governor declared.

The unexpected controversy has caused plans for one of the biggest peacetime military exercises in six decades to sweep across the Internet with the force of a tank battalion.

Some have suggested it is preparation for the imminent declaration of martial law. Others, noting recent warnings that the Islamic State militant group could pose a threat on U.S. soil, suggest that the Army is preparing to wage a "holy war" along the southern Arizona border.

With his state up in arms, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is running for president, said he had reached out to the Pentagon to “inquire” about Jade Helm 15 and said he had “no reason to doubt” assurances that it is a military training exercise.

At the same time, he told Bloomberg Politics during a political event in South Carolina, “I understand the concern” raised by citizens.

“It’s a question I’m getting a lot, and I think part of the reason is we have seen, for six years, a federal government disrespecting the liberty of the citizens. And that produces fear, when you see a federal government that is attacking our free speech rights, or religious liberty rights, our 2nd Amendment rights, that produces distrust as to government," Cruz said.

Pentagon officials have sought to calm the storm.

“We have given information to authorities in Texas, any information that they’ve requested—we’ve been very open and upfront about our training activities in the United States,” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters Thursday. “We’ve tried to be very transparent in this case, answer all questions...about what we’re doing, about the need for it.”

Later, a reporter put it to Carter directly: “Is the U.S. military planning to overtake Texas, as is being asserted by some presidential candidates?” he was asked.

“No,” Carter replied.

The exercise will feature thousands of special forces troops, including Green Berets, Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, simulating combat missions on public and private land in five states, with non-special-forces personnel operating in two additional states.

It is intended as “routine training to maintain a high level of readiness” for special forces, commanders said in their announcement of the exercises, “since they must be ready to support potential missions anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.”

The map dividing the Southwest into “hostile” and “permissive” states, which Jones’ website claims is “detailing the U.S. Army’s plan to wage war on the American people,” has been widely circulated on the Internet as part of a purported U.S. Army Special Operations Command document describing “realistic military training” aims for Jade Helm 15.

The Washington Post said it had verified the authenticity of the document via unidentified Army sources who said the briefing paper had been prepared to brief local officials on the exercises.

Not all local officials are alarmed.

Former Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst published an op-ed piece in the Dallas Morning News on Thursday urging citizens to support the military in its efforts to train troops.

“Unfortunately, some Texans have projected their legitimate concerns about the competence and trustworthiness of President Barack Obama onto these noble warriors,” Dewhurst wrote of the recent controversy.

“This must stop.”

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-ff-na-jade-helm-20150508-story.html

Hundreds of new laws now in effect in Arizona

Katie Conner

12:06 PM, Jul 3, 2015

PHOENIX - Hundreds of new Arizona laws are going into effect over the holiday weekend.

Lawmakers passed more than 320 new laws that became official on Friday.

Check out five of the top new laws on the books in our state:

One law, championed by Gov. Doug Ducey when he took office, deals with companies like Uber, which can now operate free of many old regulations.

Another law addresses drivers busted for speeding, allowing them to now go to traffic school once a year -- rather than every two years.

On the healthcare side, women in Arizona who buy health insurance on the federal exchange can no longer purchase optional abortion coverage.

Naturopathic doctors will also face tighter regulations for recommending medical marijuana.

Another new law will benefit local breweries. Starting Friday, microbreweries can now expand production limits.

Copyright 2015 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.abc15.com/news/state/hundreds-of-new-laws-now-in-effect-in-arizona

Monday, July 6, 2015

Sweeping reforms made for child protection services

Steve Eckert and A.J. Lagoe, Investigative Reporter

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Reforms in Minnesota's child protection system go into effect Wednesday, July 1, including a requirement that all complaints to child protection be forwarded to police for possible investigation.

The new measure comes in the wake of reports of multiple child protection failures including the case of eight adopted special needs children who were allowed to live in filthy conditions. They lived in deplorable conditions in a Richfield house for years despite state mandated visits from a nurse and warnings reported to Hennepin County Child Protection.

 

New records indicate a report of alleged physical abuse of the children was received by child protection, but it was not forwarded to local police. That is something the new law is designed to change.

"Something definitely could have been done earlier," said Andrew Davies, now 20, the oldest of the children. He grew up in the home and says the problems went beyond a filthy house.

"I was abused," he told KARE 11's A.J. Lagoe. "Slapped around. Got like nails in the back of my neck. Even got thrown down the stairs one time."

The children were finally removed from the home and placed in protective custody in January, after Andrew called a family friend for help. Local building officials inspected the house and declared it "unsafe for human occupancy."

In February Andrew filed a formal child maltreatment report, claiming that his adult, adopted sister Erin Davies, the mother of two of the adopted children and a state-paid caregiver for the others, "physically abused" most of the children. He claims she threw a "bucket of hot cleaning water" at them, clawing their necks and slapping them "across the face." He also reported that she was "not giving the kids their medications" and, instead, "using them herself."

Erin Davies has not responded to KARE 11's attempts to discuss the allegations with her.

Andrew's report was far from being the first time CPS was warned the kids were at risk. Someone else made a report in 2010 that "a child was maltreated," but a copy of a child protection letter about the case shows that Hennepin County "determined child protective services are not needed."

Before that, there were other reports.

A woman who is a "mandated reporter" – meaning she's required by law to report suspected abuse she sees – told KARE 11's Lagoe that she made several official reports about the Davies house, once after scraping a dead cat off the floor of a child's bedroom.

"You made reports to child protective services?" asked Lagoe.

"I have. I have in the past, yes," said the woman, who asked that we not use her name.

"It's dead animals, it's animal feces," she recalled. "It's so much more than you could ever just think of."

Her warnings, she says, were ignored.

Child protection records aren't public, so it's hard to know what happened behind the scenes. But Hennepin County told KARE 11 that if a report is "screened in" or opened for investigation it's automatically forwarded to local law enforcement.

So KARE 11 went to Richfield, where the Davies house was located, and asked the police department if CPS ever forwarded any of those reports to them. The answer was no.

That tells us child protection likely "screened out" the reports and never bothered to actually investigate if the kids living there were in danger.

In fact, that's what has been happening to most child protection complaints. State data shows Hennepin County, which received more than 15,000 child protection reports last year, screened out nearly two-thirds of them. A review of the most recent federal data shows that in 2013, more than 70% of child abuse reports were screened out in Minnesota, without any protective action. That was the third highest rate in the country.

"I think most of us in the child welfare area would say there were too many cases screened out over time," said Rex Holzemer, Hennepin County's Assistant Administrator for Human Services.

Holzemer says the underfunded, understaffed system has in essence been running a triage system.

"Neglect compared to a sexual abuse case or a physical abuse case - especially a gross physical abuse case - is gonna fall to a lower priority," he said.

Hennepin County commissioned a recently completed report on their child safety system. It didn't mention any specific cases, but concluded child neglect has been "a low priority." The study concluded that reports of abuse and neglect were being screened out on "questionable grounds."

KARE

Child Protection cases closed on 'questionable grounds'

The issue of screened out reports exploded onto the headlines last year following the death of Eric Dean, a 4-year-old Pope County boy killed by his father's fiancé, Amanda Peltier.

Despite 15 warnings that he was being abused, Poe County Child Protection did not intervene.

In the wake of the little boy's death, Governor Mark Dayton appointed a special Governor's task force to recommend reforms. During a public hearing this spring, the filthy house in Richfield was one of the cases cited by witnesses.

In addition to statewide reforms, the Hennepin County Board plans to vote next week on a plan to add nearly 100 new workers to the local child protection staff.

 

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/investigations/2015/06/30/july-1-child-protective-services-reforms/29517545/

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Sweeping reforms made for child protection services

Steve Eckert and A.J. Lagoe, Investigative Reporter 12 a.m. EDT July 1, 2015

 

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Reforms in Minnesota's child protection system go into effect Wednesday, July 1, including a requirement that all complaints to child protection be forwarded to police for possible investigation.

The new measure comes in the wake of reports of multiple child protection failures including the case of eight adopted special needs children who were allowed to live in filthy conditions. They lived in deplorable conditions in a Richfield house for years despite state mandated visits from a nurse and warnings reported to Hennepin County Child Protection.

KARE

Children lived in filth despite warnings to officials

KARE 11 first reported the story in April, showing images of bare mattresses stained with animal feces and urine, junk-filled rooms and mold-covered bathrooms.

The Davies' house was declared 'Unsafe for Human Occupancy' by the city of Richfield in February 2015 (Photo: Permission granted to KARE 11 by photographers)

New records indicate a report of alleged physical abuse of the children was received by child protection, but it was not forwarded to local police. That is something the new law is designed to change.

"Something definitely could have been done earlier," said Andrew Davies, now 20, the oldest of the children. He grew up in the home and says the problems went beyond a filthy house.

"I was abused," he told KARE 11's A.J. Lagoe. "Slapped around. Got like nails in the back of my neck. Even got thrown down the stairs one time."

The children were finally removed from the home and placed in protective custody in January, after Andrew called a family friend for help. Local building officials inspected the house and declared it "unsafe for human occupancy."

In February Andrew filed a formal child maltreatment report, claiming that his adult, adopted sister Erin Davies, the mother of two of the adopted children and a state-paid caregiver for the others, "physically abused" most of the children. He claims she threw a "bucket of hot cleaning water" at them, clawing their necks and slapping them "across the face." He also reported that she was "not giving the kids their medications" and, instead, "using them herself."

Erin Davies has not responded to KARE 11's attempts to discuss the allegations with her.

Andrew's report was far from being the first time CPS was warned the kids were at risk. Someone else made a report in 2010 that "a child was maltreated," but a copy of a child protection letter about the case shows that Hennepin County "determined child protective services are not needed."

Before that, there were other reports.

A woman who is a "mandated reporter" – meaning she's required by law to report suspected abuse she sees – told KARE 11's Lagoe that she made several official reports about the Davies house, once after scraping a dead cat off the floor of a child's bedroom.

"You made reports to child protective services?" asked Lagoe.

"I have. I have in the past, yes," said the woman, who asked that we not use her name.

"It's dead animals, it's animal feces," she recalled. "It's so much more than you could ever just think of."

Her warnings, she says, were ignored.

Child protection records aren't public, so it's hard to know what happened behind the scenes. But Hennepin County told KARE 11 that if a report is "screened in" or opened for investigation it's automatically forwarded to local law enforcement.

So KARE 11 went to Richfield, where the Davies house was located, and asked the police department if CPS ever forwarded any of those reports to them. The answer was no.

That tells us child protection likely "screened out" the reports and never bothered to actually investigate if the kids living there were in danger.

In fact, that's what has been happening to most child protection complaints. State data shows Hennepin County, which received more than 15,000 child protection reports last year, screened out nearly two-thirds of them. A review of the most recent federal data shows that in 2013, more than 70% of child abuse reports were screened out in Minnesota, without any protective action. That was the third highest rate in the country.

"I think most of us in the child welfare area would say there were too many cases screened out over time," said Rex Holzemer, Hennepin County's Assistant Administrator for Human Services.

Holzemer says the underfunded, understaffed system has in essence been running a triage system.

"Neglect compared to a sexual abuse case or a physical abuse case - especially a gross physical abuse case - is gonna fall to a lower priority," he said.

Hennepin County commissioned a recently completed report on their child safety system. It didn't mention any specific cases, but concluded child neglect has been "a low priority." The study concluded that reports of abuse and neglect were being screened out on "questionable grounds."

KARE

Child Protection cases closed on 'questionable grounds'

The issue of screened out reports exploded onto the headlines last year following the death of Eric Dean, a 4-year-old Pope County boy killed by his father's fiancé, Amanda Peltier.

Despite 15 warnings that he was being abused, Poe County Child Protection did not intervene.

In the wake of the little boy's death, Governor Mark Dayton appointed a special Governor's task force to recommend reforms. During a public hearing this spring, the filthy house in Richfield was one of the cases cited by witnesses.

In addition to statewide reforms, the Hennepin County Board plans to vote next week on a plan to add nearly 100 new workers to the local child protection staff.

 

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/investigations/2015/06/30/july-1-child-protective-services-reforms/29517545/

Friday, July 3, 2015

Expunging or sealing records Article

 

Setting Aside Convictions and Restoring Civil Rights

ASK A QUESTION POST A COMMENT

Re-entering one’s community after the completion of a prison sentence is very challenging. Success can be difficult for many reasons. This article addresses one of the steps a person with a felony conviction might take towards overcoming barriers to successful community re-entry. The article provides information about setting aside both felony and misdemeanor convictions, restoring civil rights and restoring gun rights, based on Arizona law.

The outcome of any case depends on the unique facts in that case, the laws at the time of conviction, new laws that may apply, and the individual decision-making of the parties involved including the defendant, attorneys, victims, the Court, and any other interested persons. Since the outcome of a case depends on many different things, this article is intended as information only. It is not legal advice. An attorney can provide additional information and legal advice. Therefore, questions about an individual situation should be discussed with an attorney.

What is expungement? In Arizona, expungement means the same as “set aside.”

What is “set aside”? Set aside means to cancel or revoke a judgment or order. Usually, the original record is modified or changed. The original is still available.

What is the difference between an expungement and a set aside?

Generally, something expunged, no longer exists. It is gone. It is wiped out. On the other hand, usually something “set aside” is not destroyed but it is not the same as the original. The original has not vanished. It is not wiped out. In the case of a criminal record, the original may still be available for use.

Can expungement and set aside have the same meaning?

Yes. The two terms can be very confusing. One reason for the confusion is that these terms are interchangeable sometimes. In other words, even though they are defined differently, they can also mean the same thing.  Sometimes a record that is “set aside” is called an expunged record. Sometimes a record that is expunged is not wiped out and is actually set aside and can be used again. Note that in Arizona, expungement means the same thing as “set aside.”

What does expungement and set aside have to do with criminal convictions?

Expungement and set aside are tools that persons convicted of crimes might be able to use to lessen the negative impact of their criminal conviction and criminal record.

Does every state view expungement and “set aside” in the same way?

No. Each individual state decides what expungement and/or set aside means in its state.  States may look to one another to see how laws are defined, but each state makes its own decision about expungement and setting aside criminal convictions. This article only addresses Arizona law.

How does Arizona view expungement and “setting aside” convictions?

In Arizona, expungement has the same meaning as setting aside. Expungement does not wipe out the conviction. The record of conviction is not destroyed. For the protection of the public, a conviction may be used to deny certain kinds of employment, licenses, permits, certificates as well as used against a person in future criminal cases, even though the conviction was set aside or expunged.

In Arizona, after a conviction is expunged or set aside, does a person have to disclose the expunged conviction on a job application or in a job interview?

A person whose conviction has been set aside or expunged must disclose the conviction if the employment application asks whether the person has a prior conviction. An applicant must report previous conviction of an offense, if asked about prior convictions during a job interview. However, the applicant should also report that the conviction “has been vacated (or set aside) and the charges dismissed.” The court uses this language in setting aside a conviction.

Where are Arizona’s laws about expungement and setting aside a conviction?

Arizona does not presently have an ‘expungement’ statute.  The laws about setting aside a conviction are presently found in A.R.S. §§ 13-904 – 912 . A.R.S. § 13-907  permits a person convicted of a felony to request a "set aside" of a felony conviction under certain circumstances. The statutes use the term “set aside the judgment.” An application to have your conviction set aside may use the language “vacate judgment and dismiss charges.” In this situation, “setting aside a conviction,” means the same thing as “vacating judgment and dismissing the charges.”

What does a criminal record show when a conviction is set aside or expunged?

The law does not require that a conviction be removed from a person’s criminal record. It is required that the record show that the conviction has been set aside. When a conviction is expunged or set aside in Arizona, a records check will probably show the original charge and conviction. However, it should also show that the judgment was vacated and that an order of dismissal was entered.

What are the benefits of having a felony conviction set aside?

For someone convicted of a felony, a set aside can be very important because it has the effect of releasing the defendant from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the conviction with some exceptions. (See A.R.S. §§ 28-3304 – 3308). Although there is a priorfelony conviction, the record also indicates that the person successfully completed all court requirements and the Court vacated the judgment and dismissed the charges. This has the effect of putting the felony offense in a person’s past as long as there are no present or future convictions. The focus moves to the present and to positive attributes, rather than on past transgressions.

What are the benefits having a misdemeanor conviction set aside?

For someone convicted of a misdemeanor, the benefits of a set aside are less because misdemeanor convictions do not impose the same restrictions on constitutional rights that a felony does. In addition, a misdemeanor does not carry the same stigma in the community as a felony conviction. Further, there may not be the same barriers to employment and housing. However, some misdemeanor convictions, such as drug convictions, can present obstacles to employment and housing so a set aside may be helpful.

Who might be able to set aside a conviction in Arizona?

A set aside may be available if a person was convicted of a felony in an Arizona Superior Court and that person has an absolute discharge from probation or prison. If a person is convicted of a misdemeanor in a Justice or City Court and successfully completes all court orders, that person might be eligible to have the conviction set aside.

                A set aside is not available to a person convicted of a criminal offense:

    1. Involving the infliction of serious physical injury,

    2. Involving the use or exhibition of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument,

    3. For which the person is required or ordered by the court to register as a sex offender, A.R.S. § 13-3821

    4. For which there has been a finding of sexual motivation under A.R.S. § 13-118

    5. In which the victim is a minor under 15 years of age, or

    6. In violation of A.R.S. § 28-3473, any local ordinance relating to stopping, standing or operation of a vehicle or title 28, chapter 3, except a violation of §28-693 or any local ordinance relating to the same subject matter as A.R.S. § 28-693.

What happens if the Court grants a person’s request to set aside a conviction?

If the Court grants the application to set aside a conviction, the Court will set aside the judgment of guilt. The Court will dismiss the accusations or the information (the document that charges a person with a crime). Then the Court will order the person’s release from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the conviction, except:

  1. The penalties and disabilities imposed by the department of transportation under A.R.S. §§ 28-3304, 28-3306, 28-3307, 28-3308 or 28-3319, except that the conviction may be used if the conviction would be admissible had it not been set aside;

  2. The set aside conviction may be pleaded and proved in any subsequent prosecution of that person for any offense or

  3. It may be used by the department of transportation to enforce A.R.S. §§ 28-3304, 28-3306, 28-3307, 28-3308 or 28-3319 as if it had not been set aside.

When might a person be eligible to get their civil rights restored after a felony conviction?

A felony conviction results in the suspension of some civil rights which may include the right to vote, hold public office, serve on a jury, and possess firearms. Usually, these civil rights are not suspended for misdemeanor convictions so this process may not apply. Again, the laws change so look at current law and the laws in place when the person was convicted and consider speaking with an attorney.

A person might be able to have civil rights restored if that person has an absolute discharge from probation or if it has been at least two years since that person’s absolute discharge from prison. While the restoration of civil rights may be available to felony offenders convicted in a County Superior Court in Arizona or in federal court, Arizona Courts do not have the authority to set aside convictions or restore guns rights to persons convicted in federal court.

Will a person’s gun rights be restored as part of restoring civil rights?

Whether a person’s gun rights are restored may depend upon the date of conviction, any court-ordered terms and that person’s criminal and social history record. The laws may be different now from the laws in place when a person was convicted. Therefore, look at the laws from the time of conviction. If the law is different now, then find out which laws apply to an individual case.

Requests to restore civil rights and restore gun rights are separate orders, but the requests can be submitted to the Court at same time as the request to set aside the conviction.

How does a person apply to have a conviction set aside, civil rights restored and gun rights restored?

To restore these rights, a person would file a request with the Superior Court in the county where the conviction occurred. For a federal conviction, a person would submit an application to the Superior Court in the county where that person lives. Instructions for setting aside a conviction, restoring civil rights, and restoring gun rights can be found at the following websites:

If the county in which the person was convicted does not have these forms online, contact the Clerk’s Office in the county where the conviction occurred to see which forms could be used. Contact information for County Superior Court Clerks can be found at http://www.clerkofcourt.maricopa.gov/CNTYCLKSLSTMASTER2.pdf
Remember that the instructions and the legal forms may use the “set-aside” language used in the statutes or it may use the words “vacate the judgment of guilt.” The words in the statute, “set aside judgment,” have the same meaning as the words used in the instructions and on the form “vacate judgment of guilt and dismiss charges”.

What happens after a person submits the application to set aside a conviction, to restore civil rights and to restore gun rights?

The Court will review the application and may grant the request, deny the request, set a hearing or set orders the Court believes is appropriate in the person’s case. For questions about the hearing, call the Court that set the hearing or contact an attorney.

What can a person do if the Court denies the request?

If the Court denies the request, a person can file a request for reconsideration, depending upon the reason for the denial. Instructions and forms for requesting a reconsideration can be found on the Courts’ websites. A person planning to request a reconsideration may want to discuss the request with an attorney before filing it.

 

http://azlawhelp.org/articles_info.cfm?mc=13&sc=66&articleid=147

List of Detention Camps, Temporary Detention Centers, and Department of Justice Internment Camps

DETENTION CAMPS

Permanent detention camps that held internees from March, 1942 until their closing in 1945 and 1946.


Amache (Granada), Colorado Opened August 24, 1942. Closed October 15, 1945. Peak population 7318. Origin of prisoners: Nothern California coast, West Sacramento Valley, Northern San Joaquin Valley, Los Angeles. 31 Japanese Americans from Amache volunteered and lost their lives in World War II. 120 died here between August 27, 1942 and October 14, 1945. In April, 1944, 36 draft resisters were sent to Tucson, AZ Federal Prison.


Gila River, Arizona Opened July 20, 1942. Closed November 10, 1945. Peak Population 13,348. Origin of prisoners: Sacramento Delta, Fresno County, Los Angeles area. Divided into Canal Camp and Butte Camp. Over 1100 citizens from both camps served in the U.S. Armed Services. The names of 23 war dead are engraved on a plaque here. The State of Arizona accredited the schools in both camps. 97 students graduated from Canal High School in 1944. Nearly 1000 prisoners worked in the 8000 acres of farmland around Canal Camp, growing vegetables and raising livestock.2


Heart Mountain, Wyoming Opened August 12, 1942. Closed November 10, 1945. Peak population 10,767. Origin of prisoners: Santa Clara County, Los Angeles, Central Washington. In November, 1942, Japanese American hospital workers walked out because of pay discrimination between Japanese American and Caucasian American workers. In July, 1944, 63 prisoners who had resisted the draft were convicted and sentenced to 3 years in prison. The camp was made up of 468 buildings, divided into 20 blocks. Each block had 2 laundry-toilet buildings. Each building had 6 rooms each. Rooms ranged in size from 16' x 20' to 20' x 24'. There were 200 administrative employees, 124 soldiers, and 3 officers. Military police were stationed in 9 guard towers, equipped with high beam search lights, and surrounded by barbed wire fencing around the camp.


Jerome, Arkansas Opened October 6, 1942. Closed June 30, 1944. Peak population 8497. Origin of prisoners: Central San Joaquin Valley, San Pedro Bay area. After the Japanese Americans in Jerome were moved to Rohwer and other camps or relocated to the east in June, 1944, Jerome was used to hold German POWs.


Manzanar, California Opened March 21, 1942. Closed November 21, 1945. Peak population 10,046. Origin of prisoners: Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, San Joaquin County, Bainbridge Island, Washington. It was the first of the ten camps to open -- initially as a processing center.


Minidoka, Idaho Opened August 10, 1942. Closed October 28, 1945. Peak population 9397. Origin of prisoners: Seattle and Pierce County, Washington, Portland and Northwestern Oregon. 73 Minidoka prisoners died in military service.


Poston (aka Colorado River), Arizona Opened May 8, 1942. Closed November 28, 1945. Peak population 17,814. Origin of prisoners: Southern California, Kern County, Fresno, Monterey Bay Area, Sacramento County, Southern Arizona. 24 Japanese Americans held at Poston later lost their lives in World War II. Poston was divided into three separate camps -- I, II, and III.


Rohwer, Arkansas Opened September 18, 1942. Closed November 30, 1945. Peak population 8475. Origin of prisoners: Los Angeles and Stockton.


Topaz (aka Central Utah), Utah Opened September 11, 1942. Closed October 31, 1945. Peak population 8130. Origin of prisoners: San Francisco Bay Area.


Tule Lake, California Opened May 27, 1942. Closed March 20, 1946. Peak population 18,789. Origin of prisoners: Sacramento area, Southwestern Oregon, and Western Washington; later, segregated internees were brought in from all West Coast states and Hawaii. One of the most turbulent camps -- prisoners held frequent protest demonstrations and strikes.


TEMPORARY DETENTION CENTERS

Temporary detention centers were used from late March, 1942 until mid-October, 1942, when internees were moved to the ten more permanent internment prisons. These temporary sites were mainly located on large fairgrounds or race tracks in visible and public locations. It would be impossible for local populace to say that they were unaware of the removal and imprisonment of Japanese Americans.

Tanforan Temporary Detention Center

Tanforan Temporary Detention Center, San Bruno, CA

Fresno, California First inmate arrival May 6, 1942. Last inmate departure October 30, 1942. Peak population 5120.

Manzanar, California First inmate arrival March 21, 1942. Peak population (before June 1, 1942) 9666. Before it was leased from the City of Los Angeles, Manzanar was once ranch and farm land until it reverted to desert conditions. Manzanar was transfered from the WCCA to WRA on June 1, 1942, and converted into a "relocation camp."

Marysville, California First inmate arrival May 8, 1942. Last inmate departure June 29, 1942. Peak population 2451.

Mayer, Arizona First inmate arrival May 7, 1942. Last inmate departure June 2, 1942. Peak population 245. Mayer was a camp abaondoned by the Civilian Conservation Corp.

Merced, California First inmate arrival May 6, 1942. Last inmate departure September 15, 1942. Peak population 4508.

Pinedale, California First inmate arrival May 7, 1942. Last inmate departure July 23, 1942. Peak population 4792. Pinedale was the previous site of a mill.

Pomona, California First inmate arrival May 7, 1942. Last inmate departure August 24, 1942. Peak population 5434.

Portland, Oregon First inmate arrival May 2, 1942. Last inmate departure September 10, 1942. Peak population 3676. Portland used the Pacific International Live Stock Exposition Facilities to hold detainees.

Puyallup, Washington First inmate arrival April 28, 1942. Last inmate departure September 12, 1942. Peak population 7390.5

Sacramento, California First inmate arrival May 6, 1942. Last inmate departure June 26, 1942. Peak population 4739. Sacramento used a former migrant camp.

Salinas, California First inmate arrival April 27, 1942. Last inmate departure July 4, 1942. Peak population 3594.

Santa Anita, California First inmate arrival March 27, 1942. Last inmate departure October 27, 1942. Peak population 18,719.

Stockton, California First inmate arrival May 10, 1942. Last inmate departure October 17, 1942. Peak population 4271.

Tanforan, San Bruno, California First inmate arrival April 28, 1942. Last inmate departure October 13, 1942. Peak population 7816. Tanforan is now a large shopping mall by the same name.

Tulare, California First inmate arrival April 20, 1942. Last inmate departure September 4, 1942. Peak population 4978.

Turlock, Byron, California First inmate arrival April 30, 1942. Last inmate departure August 12, 1942. Peak population 3662.


JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INTERNMENT CAMPS

27 U.S. Department of Justice Camps (most at Crystal City, Texas, but also Seagoville, Texas; Kooskia, Idaho; Santa Fe, NM; and Ft. Missoula, Montana) were used to incarcerate 2,260 "dangerous persons" of Japanese ancestry taken from 12 Latin American countries by the US State and Justice Departments. Approximately 1,800 were Japanese Peruvians. The U.S. government wanted them as bargaining chips for potential hostage exchanges with Japan, and actually did use. After the war, 1400 were prevented from returning to their former country, Peru. Over 900 Japanese Peruvians were deported to Japan. 300 fought it in the courts and were allowed to settle in Seabrook, NJ. Efforts to bring justice to the Japanese Peruvians are still active; for information contact Grace Shimizu, 510-528-7288.

Santa Fe, NM

Bismarck, ND

Crystal City, TX

Missoula, MT

Seagoville, Texas

Kooskia, Idaho

Ft. Missoula

Ft. Missoula, Montana Internment Camp

http://www.momomedia.com/CLPEF/camps.html