Gloria Steinem Joins Reformers Selling Out

Sadly there seems to be a growing list of reformers and civil rights activists that have sold out after getting partial reform, at most, and joining the establishment, and securing a comfortable life for themselves. These civil rights activists, or perhaps I should say former civil rights activists still come out with plenty of rhetoric but don't seem to recognize how many things remain to be done and in some cases even act to promote politicians who represent corporate interests at the expense of civil rights and even attempt to silence those who are trying to continue reforms that are undone.

(Updated below with a few comments about Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright's recent comments about women supporting Bernie Sanders.)

Some of these activists are people that many never thought would even consider selling our, and prefer not to consider the possibility they might be doing just that.

Gloria Steinem apparently did that with her endorsement of Hillary Clinton which we were reminded of on This Week With George Stephanopoulis when she endorsed Hillary Clinton again:

Steinem endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2008, but didn't think the country was ready for a female commander-in-chief.

STEINEM: What made me feel that way was actually seeing big grownup friends of ours on -- guys in the media, who are perfectly serious people, saying things like, about Hillary Clinton, I cross my legs whenever I see her, she reminds me of my first wife standing outside alimony court.

Looking at a powerful woman made them feel they had been regressed to childhood, because the last time they saw a really powerful woman, they were eight. So they behaved like eight.

ROBERTS: So do you think 2016, the country is ready for a woman commander-in-chief?

STEINEM: Yes, I -- I do. I think it's going to be hell.

ROBERTS (voice-over): But it's a challenge Gloria Steinem is ready to take on for her candidate, as she's taken on so many others for the women who've come after her. Complete article

I wouldn't claim that simply endorsing Hillary Clinton would constitute selling out if it wasn't so obvious to any reasonable person that she isn't even remotely sincere and has an incredibly long record of collecting enormous amounts of campaign contributions from corporations and catering to them when in power while pretending to represent the majority.

Our political system has become so extreme that it looks like an absurd satire to anyone who pays attention.

Many people including me in some of my past posts have gone into enormous detail about how often Hillary Clinton sells out and how she manages to do it almost every time, with the possible exception of when there is an enormous grassroots opposition to her positions and even then she only reluctantly changes positions, perhaps only temporarily, like her positions on TPP and the Keystone pipeline among many other things. In both these cases she came out strongly in favor of them when she was in power but then once she was campaigning for president and realized they had no popular support she opposed them.

Are we supposed to believe she won't flip flop again if she gets into office? She has a history of doing just that repeatedly including when she opposed "that awful" banking bill as first lady but after collecting enormous amounts of money voted for the same bill as Senator.

If people get most if not all of their information from the traditional media it might seem as if the establishment left wing may have done a good job equalizing rights for women and many other previously underrepresented people, at least judging by those that the media actually covers. However the people presented by the media are overwhelmingly better off than the majority of the public. Most of them are celebrities or from the political and business community. The majority of the public including most women, who Gloria Steinem claims to represent is still struggling with low wages and inadequate health care. Bernie Sanders is far better on these issues for everyone including women than Hillary Clinton.

If Gloria Steinem is more interested in getting a women elected even if they cater overwhelmingly to corporations then Hillary Clinton might be a good choice but if she really is interested in issues then either Bernie Sanders or Jill Stein would be far better choices. Even if, as the media is constantly trying to convince people, that votes for third party candidates like Jill Stein are a waste of a vote, it could still go a long way to breaking up the Duopoly controlled by corporate interests, and an endorsement by Gloria Steinem might make that a much better choice.

I'm sure there are plenty of well informed women that realize this.

Selling out is routine for Hillary Clinton and there's plenty of reports to back it up on one issue after another which can be found with a relatively quick Google search.

Selling out among politicians is also routine and often happens after discussions behind closed doors; this often even includes some of the politicians that many of us think we can trust the most. Sherrod Brown has been considered one of the most progressive voices in the Senate, besides Bernie Sanders, who he agrees with on many issues, and yet he endorsed Hillary Clinton who doesn't agree with him on many issues.

This enables some politicians to get credit for supporting some issues even when they lose, but those who take a close look might notice that they might not be trying quite as hard as they seem. This is more common than most people realize and even supposedly progressive politicians like Elizabeth Warren have done similar things like when she complimented Lawrence Summers and supported Janet Yellen even though they opposed her positions on banking and even signed a letter supporting Hillary Clinton before realizing how opposed her grassroots supporters were as I explained in several previous posts including Elizabeth Warren's propaganda overlooks many flaws!

Even more surprising should probably be John Lewis' endorsement of Hillary Clinton even though, as I explained in Regardless of Polls Bernie Sanders Supports Blacks much better than Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders is obviously much better when it comes to standing up for civil rights. He marched with Martin Luther King when Hillary Clinton was supporting Barry Goldwater and while he's consistently opposed private prisons she hires their lobbyists and only opposed private prisons after she realized it was necessary to run for president. Amazingly when Black Lives Matter activists interrupted Hillary Clinton instead of bringing this up he urged them to stop. Better informed people would surely know that her opposition to mass incarceration didn't start until it was necessary for her campaign.



This must be incredibly disappointing to many people who have paid enough attention to notice this especially since it seem to include some people that many of us thought were much better than that and in most cases they are; John Lewis and Sherrod Brown is still some of the best member of congress but like Elizabeth Warren they are much more reliable with constant reminders that they represent the public not the establishment. Hopefully if we manage to get major political reform then there will be much less of this but there clearly seems to be some behind the scenes negotiations that many of the reformers might even believe is for the best interests of the public that is actually corrupting the system and this is much less likely with an informed public that keeps representatives accountable. Bernie Sanders seems to realize this and often tells his supporters that no president can get anything done without continued support from the grassroots.

I don't think Bernie would be inclined to water his positions down like most politicians once he gets in office but we're much less likely if his grassroots supporters take his advise and keep the pressure on, not only congress, but him as well.

Occasionally this goes beyond politics and often includes many celebrities as well. Does anyone have any doubts bout seeing Paula Abdul or Stephen Tyler host American Idol? Would they have been able to rise to the top themselves that way? Centralized control of entertainment could weed out anyone without spoken views.

Remember the Dixie Chick?

Remember when Bob Dylan got the medal of freedom eight months after singing about Hurricane Carter in the seventies? Or did that happen eight months after he said nothing about Troy Davis?



These so-called honors should be considered an embarrassment to great musicians and when Mick Jagger was knighted many people seemed to realize it; but when Bob Dylan got the medal of freedom along with Madeleine Albright who was responsible for many human rights abuses hardly anyone noticed.

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Edit: Since this post both Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright their selective views as described in Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright Rebuke Young Women Backing Bernie Sanders (02/0/2016), when Gloria Steinem implied that young women are only supporting Bernie Sanders to pick up guys; and Madeleine Albright said that there is a special place in hell for women who don't help each other presumably by voting for Hillary Clinton who does far more to protect the rich regardless of sex than middle or lower class women.

This is the same Madeleine Albright that said "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price — we think the price is worth it," when asked "We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that"s more children than died in Hiroshima. And — and you know, is the price worth it?" as described in Democracy Now! Confronts Madeline Albright on the Iraq Sanctions: Was It Worth The Price? 07/30/2004 and Dedicated to Madeleine Albright, on Behalf of the Children of Iraq, whose Lives were a “Price Worth It.” 05/0/2011 Madeleine Albright claims that the sanctions were put in place because Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, which is of course true but she fails to remind the public that he was previously supplied with arms including chemical weapons by the Reagan Bush administration, and more importantly in the Spring of 1990 when it was obvious that Saddam Hussein was considering an invasion the Bush administration remained quit at a time when a small effort would almost certainly have prevented the invasion in the first place. This isn't a guarantee but at least he could have tried.

Forgetting inconvenient facts carried out by the political class of either party is typical of members of the political class who routinely ignore problems for those not in the political class, whether it is Iraq children of children in Flint Michigan that were devastated first when jobs were shipped overseas due to trade policies then with poisoned water.

Nominating Bernie Sanders would virtually put Minimum Wage on the Ballot and Drive Voter Turnout Up

One thing that is hardly mentioned at all by the traditional media is that a Bernie Sanders nomination would virtually put the Minimum Wage on the ballot; and there is plenty of evidence to indicate that this could drive voter turnout through the roof and virtually guarantee him a victory, assuming people are allowed to vote and those votes are counted.

Edit: Regrettably with Bernie Sanders endorsing Hillary Clinton there isn't nearly as much a chance of her trying to increase the minimum wage despite her promises during the campaign. She's already demonstrated that when in office she supports business interests including Walmart where she was once a board member. These business interests made her rich and paid for the advertisements promising to defend the rest of us. It is far more likely that she'll support increasing the minimum wage if she faces enormous grassroots opposition from people abandoning her for a candidate that really does want to increase it like Jill Stein. Even better with these two horrendous candidates to choose from it is the greatest chance to elect an alternative party candidate since Abraham Lincoln.

This has been proven repeatedly including the latest poll in the following article as well as high turn outs in the past when state ballots put minimum wage before voters:

Poll Says Promising A Minimum Wage Hike Would Boost Voter Turnout 10/0/2015

Two thirds of low-wage workers who are registered to vote say they would turn out for a presidential candidate who supports a $15 an hour minimum wage and unions.

A new poll released today suggests low-wage workers could make up a powerful new voting bloc — one motivated to register in droves in upcoming elections if a candidate promises a wage hike.

The national survey, commissioned by the liberal-leaning National Employment Law Project, asked nearly 2,300 workers making less than $15 an hour how candidates’ positions on the minimum wage and labor rights would affect their decision to participate.

Of those who are not currently registered to vote, 45% said they would either definitely or probably register if there was a candidate supporting a $15 minimum wage and a union for all workers. Of all registered voters, 65% said they would be more likely to vote in the 2016 presidential election if there was such a candidate. Complete article

The following are some additional article showing that in 2014 states with minimum wage on the ballot had much higher voter turnouts:

How Putting Minimum Wage Increases On The Ballot Increases Progressive Voter Turnout 02/17/2013

Minimum Wage Raise Passes In Four GOP States 11/04/2014

Can minimum wage be used as an incentive for voting in future elections? While most states saw a drop in voter turnout this midterm elections, three states with minimum-wage increases on the ballot saw a spike in voters 11/09/2014



Of course the minimum wage isn't the only issue and working class people aren't the only disenfranchised segment of society and if we really want to live in a democratic society we need to include all people in the political process and increase grassroots participation in the governing process which is also what Bernie Sanders is calling for. Additional segments that need to participate more also include former prisoners immigrants and more some of which are addressed in the following article:

Why Non-Voters Matter: A new study suggests that increasing turnout could have significant ramifications for policy. 09/15/2015

In 2014, just 41.9 percent of the voting-age citizen population of the United States voted. But the people who voted are not only in the minority, they form an unrepresentative minority. Millions of Americans are too young to vote. Others are disenfranchised felons, unable to vote for health reasons, missed registration deadlines, stuck at work, dissuaded by voter ID laws. In many salient ways, voters are not like nonvoters: voters are richer, whiter, and older than other Americans. And my new report, Why Voting Matters, shows how their votes produce a government that caters to their interests—and how boosting turnout would lead to a more representative democracy.

Political scientists once accepted the idea that voters were a “carbon copy” of the nonvoting population. In 1999, Benjamin Highton and Raymond E. Wolfinger summarized this consensus, writing that, “simply put, voters’ preferences differ minimally from those of all citizens; outcomes would not change if everyone voted.” More recently, though, that view has come under attack. Jan Leighley and Jonathan Nagler, a pair of political scientists, argue that gaps between voters and nonvoters are real and have widened, and that the divergence in their views is particularly acute on issues related to social class and the size of government. However, measures that examine a one dimensional left-right axis obscure these divides.

Census data on the 2014 midterm elections quantifies some of these gaps. While 52 percent of those earning more than $150,000 voted, only 24 percent of those earning less than $10,000 went to the polls. That divide is further magnified by age. Among 18-24 year olds earning less than $30,000 turnout was 17 percent in 2014, but among those earning more than $150,000 and older than 65, the turnout rate was nearly four times higher, at 65 percent. There were also racial gaps in voter turnout. In 2014, 46 percent of white voters turned out to vote, compared to 40 percent of black voters, and just 27 percent of Asians and Latinos. Complete article

The traditional establishment, especially the most conservative segments of it, often try to give people the impression that felons should give up their right to participate in the democratic process when they commit crimes; but this overlooks the possibility, or virtual guarantee that many of these people were disenfranchised before they committed crimes that sent them to jail. This is most obvious to anyone who has either read about or visited abandoned inner cities that provide no hope education or opportunity from early childhood. This is easy for people to deny when they refuse to look into the situation, but that doesn't make it go away and it is far less expensive to educate these people than to put them on a virtual guaranteed path to prison, often doing more damage on the way.

It also fails to differentiate between white collar crime or things that should be considered crimes and so-called blue collar crime. We often get enormous amounts of propaganda about how we get paid what we're worth; but is a high paid advertiser who deceives consumers into overpaying for their products really worth much more that working class people that actually provide a service that improves quality of life for the public?

This is just one of many simple questions that aren't addressed by the traditional media or those that make a lot of money doing jobs that do more to shift wealth to the rich than improve quality of life.

Increasing voter turnout and better educating the public with the help of alternative media outlets can go a long way to changing this and reversing large declines in the environment and economic system that the current establishment is causing.

We should also consider whether Hillary Clinton would really defend the working class at home when she does no such thing abroad according to her E-Mails among other sources. Hillary’s State Department Pressured Haiti Not To Raise Minimum Wage to $.61 An Hour 01/18/2016

Planned Parenthood Is Passing Up Opportunity To Educate Public And Clients About Escalating Violence

Both the mainstream media and Planned Parenthood are in an excellent position to educate the public about how violence escalates from early child abuse, bullying, hazing to more extreme acts later in life including the Colorado Springs Shooting; but neither of them seem to be even trying to do a good job; or at least not with their highest profile public comments, although Planned Parenthood may be doing more when they council young parents.

The recent shooting in Colorado is just one of many examples where fanatical adults have turned to violence to express their extreme views. There is an enormous amount of research to indicate that early childhood education or abuse have long term impacts and that when it involves abuse it teaches children to deal with problems through violence.

Coincidence or not, the location of this particular shooting may be related, one way or another, since it is also the same area where one of the most prominent advocates for corporal punishment, which teaches children to deal with problems through violence, James Dobson, founded "Focus on the Family." I reviewed his child rearing methods and how they lead to indoctrination and escalating violence in a previous post which is listed below along with other posts and sources that do additional research on this and alternatives, so I won't go into quite as much detail here; but most of this information is almost never mentioned on the commercial media and when spokespeople from Planned Parenthood go on the news shows they never seem to mention it either.

Instead they only cover the same debate over and over again which never accomplishes anything; and the only other contributing factor that the traditional media discusses is gun control, or to a lesser degree mental health. When discussing gun control they also repeat the same things over and over again without accomplishing anything; and when discussing mental health they never seem to discuss what leads to mental health problems or how to treat it.


This is highly unfortunate since the same research that shows child abuse and corporal punishment leads to escalating violence also shows it leads to greater mental health problems, indoctrination, and paranoia among other problems. The simplest research to confirm this might be statistics about which states have the highest murder rates compared to the ones that still allow corporal punishment in schools. In a previous post, also listed below, I went into more detail, but in both 2002 and 2012 seven out of the ten states with the highest murder rates allowed corporal punishment but only two of the states with the ten lowest murder rates allowed it in schools. The two with lowest murder rates that allowed it were rural and didn't use corporal punishment nearly as much as the states with the highest murder rates.

The states with the highest murder rates that didn't allow corporal punishment also had a large number of abandoned inner cities which is one of the other biggest contributing causes to crime, but most the ones that did allow corporal punishment were much more rural. These states had higher murder rates than many of the abandoned inner cities. The worst was Louisiana which has New Orleans, one of the worst abandoned inner cities and allows corporal punishment, so this state has the biggest contributing causes of crime inevitably leading to the highest murder rates.

You never hear this in the traditional media, yet they're hard facts that can be confirmed easily.



If the majority of the public knew about the biggest contributing causes for crime and the political establishment discussed them more then they could make policy decisions that would be much more effective at reducing crime; unfortunately the political establishment and media is far more concerned with manipulating people's emotions for profit or the benefit of campaign contributors than they are in giving them the information they need to make rational decisions, which is necessary, in a sincere democracy.

Since part of what Planned Parenthood does is council parents about raising children I would hope that they do much more to inform them about how child abuse leads to escalating violence; however when their representatives are invited to news shows they never seem to mention this or consider whether it is a contributing cause that leads to anti abortion extremism. Anti-Abortion opponents are often similar to gun rights advocates who make strong emotional appeals and selectively cite facts, often made up to support their cause. In the case to anti-abortion extremists, they, of course, refer to themselves as "pro-life;" and some of the more rational ones are "pro-life;" However many of them indicate that once the child is born they're opposed to any social care for the child which would preserve the quality of life for them. A large group of supposedly "pro-life" people oppose environmental protection, which would save much more lives than abortion, supports many wars based on emotional appeals and lies leading to thousands of innocent murders, and oppose many other regulations that could protect lives from auto safety to education and many other issues.

Many of the highest profile people from the Democratic party act as if this bizarre behaviour can't be explained; but understanding early childhood indoctrination does explain it. The most extreme people go through an educational process that could be described as "radicalization" although this term is selectively being used in the media for propaganda purposes. If you rely on the media to give you information about how this so-called "radicalization" process takes place it is unlikely that you'll get a consistent or rational definition of it.

They only apply it to enemies, usually what they call "radical Muslim extremism" and they give the impression that it can happen almost magically in a short period of time on the internet or when people come into contact with the enemy who seem to have a mystical way of "radicalizing" people. This is a highly inaccurate perception of how a reasonable version of radicalization might work and it wouldn't just apply to those that disagree with the political establishment.

A far more reasonable explanation is that it begins with early childhood abuse that escalates with bullying, peer pressure, hazing, including military hazing that takes place in boot camp and propaganda later in life. This wouldn't be a process that happens overnight or through some mystical process, and without additional contributing factors it can't happen on the internet.

This process can be prevented by teaching critical thinking skills from an early age without using intimidation or threats of violence to force someone to believe what they're told or conform to any given group. Since Benjamin Spock and many other modern child rearing experts, including more recent ones like Barbara Coloroso, have advised on more tolerant methods of child rearing violence has dropped dramatically and it has dropped higher in areas where their teaching has been more common. Areas where James Dobson's teachings is more commonly accepted with continuing use of corporal punishment remain common hasn't seen as steep a decline in violence.

There are signs of child abuse leading to escalating violence from most if not all murderers some researchers like Dorothy Otnow Lewis or Lonnie Atkins have researched often finding medical records or police records to confirm it. There are usually signs of this for many high profile cases as well, although it often takes time to find it, and traditional reporters don't always do this. This includes both the planned parenthood shooter, who has a history of domestic violence and abuse of animals and the San Bernardino who had a father that had emotional problems, threatening to commit suicide and his mother allegedly got a restraining order against him. Dylaan Roof and many other mass murderers also had violent backgrounds that were exposed by the media fairly quickly and further research almost always turns up additional evidence.

This should be clear evidence that teaching parents better child rearing tactics would do an enormous amount to reduce long term violence. In both the recent incidents the shooters allegedly were pursuing what they might have thought was a just cause; but in both cases their cause was highly distorted and they attacked innocent people. Presumably they were acting more out of anger than justice although they may have thought that it was justice they were pursuing. This is almost certainly because they were raised in a similar manner where they were abused as part of an "education" process and it left them emotionally unstable. This may mean that they might have had a much more difficult time telling just causes from rational one because they may may have been abused in the same manner and learned to act emotionally instead of rationally.

Robert Lewis Dear was almost certainly raised in an abusive manner and when all the rhetoric came out about body parts he may have used that as an excuse to strike out at someone but his history abusing others indicates that his primary concern almost certainly wasn't a rational sense of justice. Syed Farook may have also been responding to the ISIS propaganda we've been hearing so much about lately but it isn't necessarily the same propaganda that we see on traditional TV. This propaganda looks far more like anti-ISIS propaganda which makes them look very bad than ISIS propaganda, which would presumably make them look much better. Muslim propaganda almost certainly puts much more emphasis on the bombing of Muslim countries and support for tyrants in their areas that have abused their people.



However if the target audience for ISIS propaganda is prone to violent retaliation then they might also include vengeful propaganda like what the traditional media focuses on. To most people this seems to make ISIS look very bad but we are now looking at a fanatical "radicalization" process playing out which could incite radicals from both sides. Most of this is coming from Donald Trump, who is calling to kill the families of alleged terrorists and violate their constitutional rights and the Geneva Convention, while actually claiming to defend the Constitution, although all the other GOP candidates and even Hillary Clinton are also promoting "radicalization," by escalating bombings that inevitably incite more retaliation.

They don't seem to see that a lot of the previous attacks are forms of retaliation and that they’re only inciting even more retaliation. Ironically they have said recently that in order to get rid if ISIS they have to get rid of Bashar al-Assad since he is inciting them the same way the U.S. government is but they only acknowledge it when he does it. The 9/11 attacks, Boston Bombings, a recent knife attack in Britain, and another a few years ago where two people killed someone and stayed around to explain that they were doing this in retaliation for constant attacks on Muslim countries were all retaliatory attacks but the government refuses to admit that they’re inciting terrorists. In the one where they took the time to explain that their bombs were constantly killing innocent people and Muslims don't like it any more than we like it when they terrorize us it made it incredibly obvious yet few people seemed to recognize this.

The list of tyrants or terrorist organizations that the US government supported at one time or another often shortly before they turned against us is long including the Shah of Iran, Mubarak of Egypt, Mujaheddin, which became Al-Qada and the Taliban and even what we now call ISIS.

How obvious does it have to be that our foreign policy is absurd and counter productive?

Yet the media, political establishment and a large segment of the public is in Denial even though there have been numerous news reports documenting these activities, although once the relevance of many of them becomes obvious the mainstream media routinely stops repeating them and they're only reported in alternative media outlets. When people that review some of these news stories like How ISIS Was Created, It Will Make You Question Everything or many other reports, some more reliable than others, get attention, they're often ridiculed as conspiracy theorists; even if a lot of their research is more reliable than traditional media or came from the traditional media before they recognized their own blunders.

This denial often becomes routine when small children are often abused by those that love them or at least seem to love them, creating a pattern of co-dependence. It teaches them to respond with violence and accept, without question, what authority figures tell them often even when evidence indicates it is false, and even leads to increased willingness to go to war in much larger conflicts, often based on lies.

Teaching parents about the long term impacts of violence wouldn't solve all our immediate problems of course, but it would go a long way to reducing long term problems, and this needs to be done along with the short term solutions.

Planned Parenthood is in a good position to do some of this when they offer counselling to young parents; they could easily work more with organizations that study how to do this. With all the time they get on the media when incidents like this happen people like Cecile Richards could do more to educate the public about this. And of course the media could do this on their own without Planned Parenthood, inf act they should have been doing this all along if they're serious about providing a public service in return for free use of public airwaves they would have. The media is far more responsible for their incompetence and are clearly only concerned about maximizing profit and spreading propaganda judging by their actions.

Of course this isn't the only contributing cause to violence; but it is almost certainly the most important one by far; and there is research available on most if not all the other contributing causes and the mainstream media doesn't report on those either.



The following are some outside sources about research that proves how child abuse leads to escalating violence and alternatives that would prevent it:

Alice Miller “For Your Own Good” (free on-line copy)

Alice Miller The Roots of Violence are NOT Unknown

Murray A. Straus Home page with extensive research about corporal punishment leading to escalating violence

Barbara Coloroso with alternative advise about raising children that doesn't involve corporal punishment "Kids Are Worth It"

The following are some of my past posts on how child abuse and bullying leads to escalating violence and some about other contributing causes and how to prevent escalation of violence:

Does child abuse and bullying lead to more violence?

Child abuse and bullying link in study long over due

Dobson’s Indoctrination Machine

Ignored evidence linking corporal punishment, poverty and crime grows

Additional posts about child abuse leading to escalating violence.

Additional posts about Contributing causes to crime and how to prevent them

Wal-Mart Crime report November 2015

Wal-Mart started out the month with a bang, literally; they were bombed in Mississippi, although it didn't get much coverage in the rest of the country. Wal-Mart gets well over a hundred if not several hundred bomb threats every year; however they almost never get any bombs that actually explode. In the past fifteen years there may have been close to a dozen that did explode but the most common are just soda-pop bombs, which might scare people but isn't likely to do damage unless someone gets a heart attack. This one was an improvised devise made out of fireworks, which was more powerful, but still not as serious as the Boston, Atlanta or Paris bombs.

However combined with the Paris attacks it is enough to cause panic especially since during the Black Friday weekend there were dozens more bomb threats around the country in at least seven states plus the usual number of threats between the Mississippi bomb and Black Friday. The bomb in Mississippi was the only one I know of where it was accompanied by a warning and vice versa, that warning was given in person. There are still none that I know of where a threat over the phone wasn't a bluff; however the police take them seriously. Ironically according to one of the reports they don't evacuate when a store is too busy, but if they take it seriously this would be the time when it was most important.

They had a dramatic scare when a couple brazen robbers Entered Walmart with guns drawn demanding money; but they settled for a couple cell phones before running off.

As usual there were at least five or six shooting incidents at Wal-Mart or that were initiated by incidents that started there. There was another police shooting where they killed an armed suspect, which happens just about once a month, if not more often, and at least one more incident that lead to a chase that started when the suspect dragged the police officer. Either something like this happens or a crash also happens just about every month.

There were also more than half a dozen violent incidents where people including one police officer were attacked dragged thrown to the floor, kidnapped or run over and killed in the parking lot. This escalated with Black Friday, however the number of incidents during Black Friday weekend has been dropping since an exceptionally high number of incidents in 2011 and 2011, so high that even the mainstream media felt they had to report on them extensively. this reduction seems to be because more people are shopping earlier or on line; however the number of incidents earlier in November may be growing.

Their sales seem to be going down, at least in the store, but this was partially off-set by an increase in cyber-sales; but these were accompanied by growing complaints about their web site crashing, and some of the complaints from on-line sales inevitably wind up being handled in the store even if they try to get customers to handle them online.

Wal-Mart has had at least two viral complaints about the way they treat their workers or a marine collecting toys for tots. In both cases local management seems to be enforcing corporate policies without any discretion about the details of the case. A poor worker, who was previously homeless, was fired for collecting abandoned cans in the parking lot and turning them in for deposits; this lead to enormous protests and even the New York State legislature is considering getting involved. The marine was told to take his collection out in the cold.

You would think someone in the corporate office would learn since they have at least one scandal like this, usually more, every holiday season.

One shoplifter was allegedly sexually harassed by the loss prevention officer who supposedly said he wouldn't show up in court "in exchange for her company." Another shoplifter apparently didn't realize it would be a good idea to stay awake long enough to get out of the store.

This isn't the first time a Wal-Mart shoplifter fell asleep on the job.

They're now using facial recognition technology to catch shoplifters but this is raising privacy problems since it could be used for anyone as well. This is especially important since they have also been exposed hiring Lockheed Martin to spy on their employees and even working with the FBI treating protesters like potential terrorists.

You would think that in a democratic country they would negotiate a reasonable settlement instead of arranging for the FBI to work on behalf of corporations. By treating union workers and citizens with legitimate complaints the government is raising serious doubts about the legitimacy of the so-called "War on terror." When people see that legitimate methods of protests are treated like terrorism they might not feel like they live in a free country, and even though the vast majority of them don't go to extremes it is inevitable that a few come to the conclusion that legitimate ways of taking care of grievances don't work and some do desperate things.

That doesn't mean it is always terrorism that people do to express outrage; Wal-Mart has had plenty of lesser methods to express outrage and this month they had another customer who urinated on merchandise, whether this is the reason or not.

They also had an example of overreaction to the terrorist scare hyped up by the media when a customer accused a minority worker of being involved in the Paris bombing without and justification.

There are also state lawmakers trying to advance opt out legislation for workman's comp which has a history of eroding workers rights.

Does the government work for citizens or campaign contributors?

Apparently a Georgia man who had no place to go decided that a good way to get free room and board would be to go to Wal-Mart knock over displays and destroy property.

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

You would think the political establishment would want to maintain a functioning society so that people don't have to strike out at Wal-Mart to get public housing or earn a fair living.

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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 un-investigaterd 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. For regular updates about events at Walmart through the month see Walmart Watch on twitter or check the Wal-Mart Wall; they have helped compile some of this information. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in November 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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Police pursuit ends in New Berlin Wisconsin Walmart parking lot, prompting lockdown 10/24/2015

NEW BERLIN -- The Walmart located on Moorland Road was evacuated after suspects involved in an armed robbery attempted to evade police by fleeing in the parking lot. Police arrested two of the suspects, but a third is still on the loose.

The episode of events began shortly after 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, October 24th.

New Berlin police say it all started when three men robbed a Verizon Wireless store in Waukesha. The suspects were described as two or possibly three African-American males, last seen driving a white SUV.

According to authorities, the white SUV the suspects were said to be in was spotted by a New Berlin officer at the intersection of Greenfield Avenue and Moorland Road. Officers followed the vehicle into the Walmart parking lot where the suspects fled. Complete article

Police: Well-known proponent of confederate flag sets off bomb at Mississippi Walmart 11/02/2015

A Mississippi man confessed to detonating a bomb at the Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Police said Marshall Leonard, 61, set off the bomb around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in the blast.

"[Leonard] told one of the employees, who was on break in that vestibule, to run. So the employee had fled the vestibule, and the device went off. It did explode," Tupelo Police Chief Bart Aquirre said.

Leonard appeared in court Tuesday. He could not enter a plea at this appearance, but we're told that he has confessed to police and also to the media as he was leaving court. His bond was set at $150,000.

"He was a strong supporter of the Mississippi flag,” Chief Aguirre said.

Chief Aguirre said the suspect is well-known for his boycott of Walmart because the chain does not sell the Mississippi or confederate flags. Police believe that is why he decided to bomb the store. Complete article

Miss. Walmart bombing suspect confesses 11/05/2015

Abington Mass. Police: Walmart loss prevention officer harassed woman charged with shoplifting 11/02/2015

ABINGTON – A 22-year-old man working as a loss prevention associate at Walmart in Abington offered to make a woman's shoplifting charge go away "in exchange for her company," according to police.

Milord Casseus, 22, was arrested and charged with intimidation of a witness and annoying phone calls on Monday, according to a statement released on Tuesday by the Abington Police Department.

Abington police responded after a young woman who was charged with shoplifting a week prior at the Walmart reported that Casseus, the loss prevention associate who apprehended her, was now calling and texting her. Complete article

Teens accused of kidnapping Washington woman, leaving her in car trunk at Walmart in Oregon 11/03/2015

Three teens were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of abducting an 86-year-old woman from her Washington home and leaving her at a Walmart in Wood Village, where she escaped from inside her own trunk. Multnomah County sheriff's deputies were called to the store at 23500 N.E. Sandy Blvd., around 1:15 a.m. by a Walmart employee after Hazel Able entered the store and claimed she had been kidnapped. The woman said she'd been abducted Monday from her Kennewick, Washington home by three strangers, forced into the trunk of her car and driven away, said Multnomah County Sheriff's Lt. Steve Alexander. Able told deputies she escaped from her closed trunk while the car was parked at the Walmart lot, according to Alexander. She was not injured, and a police search of the area turned up no suspects. A sheriff's detective spotted three teens matching descriptions Able provided around 9:10 a.m., near an Arco gas station across the street from the Walmart. A 14-year-old girl, 15-year-old boy and 16-year-old boy were arrested and booked into the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center in Portland. All three are from Kennewick, and one is related to Able, Alexander said. Complete article

Ex-Walmart CEO, Bill Simon lands troubled plane on Arkansas highway 11/04/2015

Three charged in theft of rifle ammo from Saginaw Township Mississippi Wal-Mart 11/04/2015

Maryville, TN. Wal-Mart Superstore Attracts $1 Million In Tax Subsidy 11/03/2015

There are already two Wal-Mart supercenters within 5 miles of the small community of Maryville, Tennessee, which has a population of just over 28,000 people. Twelve miles away in Knoxville, there are 4 more Wal-Mart stores—of which three are superstores.

Yet public officials in Maryville are eager enough to have another, 190,000 s.f. Wal-Mart, they’re willing to pay more than a million dollars for it, courtesy of the city’s taxpayers. That’s a store almost the size of 4 football fields, with a parking lot that will hold nearly 800 cars.

The proposed superstore on East Lamar Alexander Parkway is still being negotiated between the Maryville City Council and the Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust. According to the Daily Times newspaper, Wal-Mart will buy 28 acres of land—with the agreement that taxpayers will pay for “public infrastructure improvements…on or adjacent to” Wal-Mart’s property.

The city will be expected to build a connector road to the Wal-Mart site, extend a sewer line to the site, and install a traffic light. Wal-Mart will partially relocate 1,200 feet of roadway on the northern end of the site. “They will build a nice new road, with curbs, sidewalks and turn lanes,” the city manager told the newspaper. Complete article

Forbes: How Walmart Became A Green Energy Giant, Using Other People's Money 11/04/2015

Wal-Mart, long a bogeyman of the left, is making one of their long-held dreams a reality: affordable green energy deployed on an industrial scale.

The roof of the Wal-Mart in Mountain View, Calif. is covered with solar panels. Depending on the time of day they provide 15% of the power needed to run the store. Last year President Barack Obama stopped by here to give a speech about his energy plan. Standing before shelves filled with discount lightbulbs, Obama held up Wal-Mart as an exemplar of corporate responsibility.

“A few years ago you decided to put solar panels on the roof of the store. You replaced some traditional lightbulbs with LEDs. You made refrigerator cases more efficient. And you even put in a charging station for electric vehicles,” said Obama. ” More and more companies like Wal-Mart are realizing that wasting less energy isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business. It’s good for the bottom line.”

And it’s great p.r. for a company that has been lambasted for a range of corporate sins, from low wages and deplorable working conditions to accusations of predatory pricing and monopolistic behavior (naturally they deny these things). But if Wal-Mart’s energy initiative sometimes smells a little like greenwashing, the Bentonville, Ark.-based giant (2014 sales: $480 billion) is far too savvy to lose money on it. Rather, the retailer has off-loaded the capital investment–and all the risk–onto partners, like SolarCity, that minimize their exposure by taking full advantage of the federal government’s generous subsidies for investing in alternative energy. Complete article

Police seek suspect in Missouri Walmart parking lot armed robbery 11/04/2015

Brazen Robbers Enter Colorado Walmart Wielding Guns And Demanding Money 11/04/2015

DENVER (CBS4) – Deputies in Arapahoe County would like the public’s help identifying suspects in an armed robbery at a Walmart.

According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, the robbery occurred at the Walmart located at Florida Avenue and Parker Road just after midnight on Wednesday.

Deputies say the two pulled guns on the store manager. They didn’t get any money but investigators say they stole two cellphones from employees and ran. Complete article

O’Fallon Missouri residents upset over proposed Walmart development 11/05/2015

Man allegedly stole elderly man's credit cards from gym locker, used at Tx. Wal-Mart 11/05/2015

Police: Shoplifter Found Passed Out In Tenn. Wal-Mart 11/05/2015

Randall E. Tweed, 34, of 440 Welcome Grove Road, was charged early today by Greeneville police with possession of a Schedule III drug, theft over $500/shoplifting and public intoxication, Officer Dustin Winter said in a report.

Police were called to the Greeneville Wal-Mart about 3:45 a.m. today about a man found "passed out on the floor" inside the store, the report said.

It was determined that Tweed was under the influence "of an intoxicant" and was a danger to himself and the public, the report said.

Tweed was awakened and searched. Wal-Mart merchandise valued at $467 was found in his pants and jacket, the report said. Complete article

Kingsport Tenn. police: Man who stole vacuum struck by truck while fleeing from Walmart 11/05/2015

Man arrested for exposing himself to girls outside Oregon Wal-Mart 11/05/2015

Witness describes scene at SGF Missouri Walmart when police killed armed suspect 11/05/2015

Ben Oumlil, of Springfield, said he bought some dog food at the Walmart on Kearney Street and Glenstone Avenue a little before 1 a.m. Wednesday.

He was getting ready to leave the store when he noticed police lights in the parking lot.

Oumlil said some other customers at the door told him they had been instructed to stay inside. But he didn't think the situation was too serious, so he began to walk outside.

"I was the only person who tried to go outside," Oumlil said. "Other people were just standing next to the claw machine."

Oumlil said he was stepping outside when a police officer, with his gun drawn, yelled at Oumlil to get back inside.

It wasn't until much later that Oumlil learned police were chasing a man named Joseph Tyndall, 30. Police say they followed Tyndall from Walmart to the Rest Haven Court motel down Kearney Street, where he pointed a gun at officers.

Police say the officers opened fire and killed Tyndall Complete article

Friend said man killed by officers had kind heart; Missouri police said he had long record 11/05/2015

$2K Stolen From Wallet at Long Island NY Walmart: Police 11/06/2015

Walmart pumps $20M into 'Greenlight A Vet' advocacy efforts 11/06/2015

Lawsuit dismissal clears way for Louisville Ky.'s West End Wal-Mart 11/06/2015

Montana Police Reports: Browning woman, teen caught shoplifting at Walmart; body-part model goes missing from MT Tech 11/0/2015

2 wanted after stealing credit cards, buying Tenn. Walmart gift cards 11/06/2015

Wal-Mart heir $27B less wealthy than once thought 11/07/2015

Police: Woman caught walking out of Tenn. Walmart with $600 worth of goods she didn’t pay for 11/07/2015

Walmart’s Use of Sci-fi Tech To Spot Shoplifters Raises Privacy Questions 11/09/2015

Retailers are scanning shoppers with high-tech tools to automatically pick out suspected thieves, absent rules to protect privacy.

In the old days, when a store caught someone stealing, a detective would march the thief to a backroom and take his picture with a Polaroid camera. The photo would be added to the retailer’s in-house rogues gallery to help store security keep an eye out for bad guys.

But earlier this year, Walmart WMT 0.00% showed how times have changed. It tested a system that scanned the face of everyone entering several of its stores, identified suspected shoplifters, and instantly alerted store security on their mobile devices.

The potential of such facial recognition technology has been discussed for years. But now some stores are actually using it. Complete article

Offer to be Walmart secret shopper too good to be true 11/07/2015

NY Walmart employee arrested for stealing merchandise 11/08/2015 court costs for petty thefts are much higher than the items subsidizing Walmart security with taxpayer money.

Around the Blotter: Items stolen at Kansas Walmart Saturday include fried chicken 11/08/2015

Shoppers say Nevada Walmart display is racist 11/06/2015

Shoplifting incident in Westfield Mass. Walmart leads to drug arrests 11/09/2015

LaGrange Ga. Police seek identity of alleged Wal-Mart shoplifter 11/0/2015

Forbes: Three Social Media Mistakes Walmart Is Making Right Now 11/09/2015

Police: Boy urinated on backpacks in Pa. Walmart, caused over $400 in damages 11/09/2015

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Police arrested a 13-year-old boy on Saturday after he allegedly urinated on 20 backpacks in Walmart.

Police say the incident happened at 10:15 p.m., and resulted in $409.28 in damages.

The boy will be charged with criminal mischief at a later date. He was released to the custody of his parents. Complete article

Police seek men who used stolen credit cards at Fayetteville NC Walmart 11/09/2015

Police: Woman uses stolen credit at Franklin Tenn. Walmart 11/09/2015

Dauphin County man left work release for Pa. Wal-Mart, ditched GPS monitoring bracelet: Crime Stoppers 11/10/2015

Deputies investigating stolen license plate at SC Walmart 11/10/2015

Framingham Mass. Cops: Woman admits to Walmart thefts 11/10/2015

Police: Woman attacked during Marion NC Walmart robbery 11/09/2015

Man charged with felony stealing beer from NC Walmart, gas station 11/11/2015

Thieves hit Wal-Mart, Target in West Melbourne Fla. 11/11/2015

South Tulsa homicide suspect found shot in car at east Tulsa Okla. Wal-Mart in attempted suicide 11/11/2015

2 juveniles charged with making bomb threat to South Union Township Pa. Walmart 11/11/2015

Fla. Wal-Mart employee suffers minor injury in scuffle 11/11/2015

Shoplifting suspect flees Macon Ga. Wal-Mart with sex toy in tow 11/11/2015

Forbes: Walmart Black Friday protesters will fast for higher wages 11/12/2015

Man sought in RI Walmart child abductions 11/12/2015

Arrests made after trooper assaulted at Mount Airy Walmart, police say 11/12/2015

A mother, her sons and a family friend were arrested Thursday after a confrontation that ended with an assault on a Maryland State Police trooper in the bathroom of the Mount Airy Walmart.

Traci Conners, 42, of the 1400 block of Key Highway in Frederick, and her sons Jacob Conners, 17, and Steven Conners, 19, both of the 13000 block of West Annapolis Court in Mount Airy, were each charged with second-degree assault of a police officer.

Jacob Conners, who is being charged as an adult, also faces charges of second-degree assault and carrying a concealed dangerous weapon; Steven Conners is also charged with second-degree assault and hindering; and Traci Conners and Emily Anthony, 19, of the 1300 block of Manor Drive in Mount Airy, are each charged with one count of disorderly conduct.

Trooper Johnathan Horner of the state police Westminster Barrack responded to a report of a road rage incident, arriving in the 200 block of East Ridgeville Boulevard near the Walmart at about 1 p.m. Thursday. Complete article

Man claims he stole stereo amplifier from Fla. Wal-Mart to buy food for his child 11/13/2015

Police: Man wanted after shoplifting attempt at Arkansas Walmart 11/13/2015

Two Sumter women involved in shoplifting, dragging police leading to shooting and police chase allegedly hit NMB SC Walmart on same morning 11/13/2015

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – A woman who was stopped by police for allegedly shoplifting at the Walmart near Surfside Beach was shot after dragging an Horry County Police officer with her car, according to officials. She then led police on a chase through Myrtle Beach before stopping at Kings Highway and 37th Avenue North.

The two suspects taken into custody on Tuesday have been booked at the Horry County Detention Center, according to Lt. Raul Denis of the Horry County Police Department.

Laquandra D. Borden, age 25, of Sumter is charged with hit and run (duties of driver involved in accident resulting in damage to attended vehicles), shoplifting/enhancement for third or subsequent offense value between $1,000 - $5,000, criminal conspiracy (common law conspiracy defined), assault of a high and aggravated nature and first degree assault and battery, according to the J. Reuben Long Detention Center website. Complete article

Would-be shoplifter involved in scuffle with security, police at ND Wal-Mart 11/13/2015

Suspected Shoplifter Pepper Sprays Colorado Walmart Employee 11/14/2015

Shreveport Louisiana PD seeking man caught on camera stealing groceries in Walmart parking lot 11/14/2015

Police: NC Walmart shoplifters stash items in diaper bag 11/15/2015

HCPD: Suspect snatched purse from victim’s cart at SC Wal-Mart 11/16/2015

Pa. Troopers: Bananas Used as Weapon in Walmart Heist 11/16/2015

Louisiana Walmart workers plan demonstrations at Governor’s Mansion, gubernatorial debate 11/16/2015

Police: Handgun reported missing after man left it in Walmart bathroom 11/14/2015

Eagle Point man accused of robbing woman at Oregon Walmart 11/16/2015

Police searching for man who robbed metro Okla. Walmart 11/16/2015

Woman run over, killed in Ga. Wal-Mart parking lot after purse snatched 11/16/2015

A woman was run over and killed in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Covington by the man who snatched her purse, police said.

Officers responded to a robbery call Monday around 7:45 p.m. at 10300 Industrial Boulevard, just off Exit 95 on I-20 eastbound.

When they arrived, they found a woman approximately 65 years old who was lying in the parking lot after being struck by a vehicle multiple times, Capt. Craig Treadwell with Covington police told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“It’s a brutal crime,” he said.

The suspect took the woman’s white or tan purse, jumped in his vehicle and ran over her more than once as he escaped, Treadwell said. He fled the scene in a silver or gray mid- to late-1990s Honda Accord that may have a dealer drive-out tag, according to police. Complete article

Slain Covington Ga. purse-snatch victim’s credit card found in Tenn. 11/19/2015

Fatal Ga. Walmart purse snatching could be linked to a South Carolina robbery 11/19/2015

Duo arrested in Tennessee for running over, killing woman at Ga. Walmart 11/21/2015

Police: Fla. Walmart shoplifter used shopping cart as weapon in getaway attempt 11/17/2015

Deputies searching for man who robbed Fla. Walmart at gunpoint 11/16/2015

Man allegedly tried to scam Pa. Walmart 11/17/2015

Sheriff: Irmo man stole debit card, tried to use it at SC Walmart 11/17/2015

Man charged with theft of assault rifle ammo at Mich. Walmart told security to 'look the other way,' witness testifies 11/17/2015

Man Arrested For Publicly Exposing Himself At Md. Walmart leading to seizure of numerous firearms at his home 11/17/2015

ABERDEEN, Md. (WJZ) – The Aberdeen Police Department responded to a store where witnesses said a man was exposing himself in front of children.

Alfred Delotenville, 54, was openly acting in a sexually explicit way in the toy aisle at the Walmart on South Philadelphia Boulevard Saturday evening.

He was immediately placed under arrest.

Police officers then seized the semi-automatic handgun and drug paraphernalia they found in his car.

Investigators later obtained search warrants for Delotenville’s home, which resulted in the seizure of numerous firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and over 1,000 photographs of child pornography and videos depicting child sex acts. Complete article

Wal-Mart posts declining profit and revenue 11/17/2015

Wal-Mart said Tuesday that its profit sank 8.8 percent in the most recent quarter as the big-box behemoth shoulders the cost of a wage increase for its workers and investments in boosting its e-commerce business.

The world's largest retailer said revenue was down 1.3 percent to $117.4 billion, even as it managed to lure more shoppers to its U.S. stores.

The lackluster results add to evidence that Wal-Mart won't be heading into its most crucial season of the year from a position of particular strength. For the previous two quarters, the retailer saw essentially flat sales and sagging profits. Last month, the company slashed its profit outlook for next year based on expected costs of its wage hike and investments in its online business. Complete article

Dayton Ohio woman slammed to ground by Wal-Mart shopper 11/17/2015

Police looking for woman who threw Ohio Walmart customer to the ground by her hair 11/17/2015

GREENVILLE, OH (KTRK) -- Police are looking for the woman who viciously attacked a customer at Walmart in Greenville, Ohio.

Deanne Kenworthy told ABC affiliate WKEF-TV she had just finished filling out a form when the clerk called her to the counter. Another woman in line then became angry because she thought Kenworthy had cut her in line.

"I said, 'Sorry, I don't have time for this,' so she grabs the back of my hair and throws me, I mean literally throws me like a sack of potatoes," Kenworthy said. "When I landed I hit my back and my elbow and busted my head and then when I tried to get back up she kicked me back down." Complete article

Flagstaff PD investigates suspicious tanks outside Ariz. Walmart 11/17/2015 A bomb team was called out as a safety precaution

Police: Woman shoplifted $7K in groceries from Fla. Wal-Mart 11/18/2015 How can she do this? Only at Wal-mart is this so common.

Wake Forest PD looking for suspects in NC Wal-Mart thefts 11/18/2015

2 men arrested at Secaucus NJ Walmart during one hour span, police say 11/18/2015

Woman says man attacked her with pillow inside a Florida Walmart 11/18/2015

What's behind Donald Trump's Walmart vote? 11/19/2015 Barb Harkins, a registered Democrat whose grandchildren earn the federal minimum wage, is among those who plan to vote for the real estate billionaire, despite her passion about the need to raise wages.

Man used company credit card to make $3K in purchases at Pa. Walmart, police say 11/19/2015

Man who committed lewd act in Lockport NY Walmart sought by cops 11/19/2015

Police searching for robbery suspects who attacked, pulled woman across Alabama Walmart pavement 11/19/2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham police are searching for two suspects who they say robbed and attacked a woman Thursday afternoon in the Walmart parking lot on Montclair Road.

Birmingham Police Lt. Sean Edwards described the first suspect as a black male “5’10, slim build med complexion,” and the second black male suspect as “6’1’’, 200-230, muscular build, shoulder length dreads.”

Edwards said the 58-year-old female victim was dragged to the ground and pulled across the pavement. He said she sustained injuries. Complete article

Police arrest one suspect in Walmart parking lot robbery 11/23/2015

Ex-NY Walmart employee says he was fired after redeeming $5.10-worth of empty cans and bottles at his store 11/19/2015

A Walmart employee in Albany, NY, said he was fired after recycling empty bottles and cans at the store he worked at for $5.10, the Albany Times-Union reports.

Thomas Smith, 52, a recent parolee who had spent four months homeless, was fired from his $9-an-hour job gathering shopping carts after security cameras captured him cashing in the refuse. A store manager deemed Smith’s actions tantamount to theft, the Times-Union reports.

“I didn’t know you couldn’t take empties left behind. They were garbage,” Smith told the paper. “I didn’t even get a chance to explain myself. They told me to turn in my badge.”

In a statement to CBS 6 Albany, Aaron Mullins, Senior Manager for Walmart Media Relations said, “Mr. Smith was terminated due to theft inside of the store and has signed a statement admitting to the crime.”

UPDATE: Aaron Mullins, Senior Manager for Walmart Media Relations released this statement: “Mr. Smith was terminated due to theft inside of the store and has signed a statement admitting to the crime.” Complete article

After Wal-Mart fires employee, fund raises $20,000 11/23/2015

Smith was interrogated in the security office, eventually signing a statement admitting guilt, despite not having his glasses and being unable to read. Smith did not want to argue and potentially jeopardize his parole. Smith served a 15-year sentence for a 2002 armed robbery.

The pubic backlash against the Wal-Mart manager's decision was swift and broad. Some called for a boycott of the retail behemoth and others wrote to store officials; this all comes just days before Black Friday, when bargain discounts are used to buoy sales.

Lawmakers gather in support of fired NY Walmart employee 11/24/2015

ALBANY - Local lawmakers are joining in the effort to help a New Yorker keep his job.

Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin and John McDonald sent a letter to the state labor department on Tuesday calling on the state to investigate the firing of Thomas Smith who was fired from an East Greenbush WalMart last week.

Walmart changes story again after firing Albany man who redeemed $2 in empty cans 11/30/2015

Cheyenne Wal-Mart worker admits to stealing from retailer 11/19/2015

Wal-Mart scrimped on hiring as store space grew rapidly 11/20/2015

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart has been dogged by criticism of the standard of its stores in recent years, including long checkout lines and insufficient stocking of its shelves. A Reuters analysis of the giant discount retailer’s growth and its employee numbers may help explain why.

Over the past decade, Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) opened nearly 1,500 new stores in the United States, a 45 percent increase in space and equivalent to more than 4,000 American football fields, while its sales have grown by 50 percent. But based on rough headcount figures provided by the company, the expansion was in stark contrast to the growth in its U.S. workforce, which was only about 8 percent in that time. It means the store space per employee increased around 34 percent. Complete article

Walmart offering drive-thru Thanksgiving meal shopping in Orlando 11/20/2015 Customers can place an order online at Walmart.com/grocery, choose a timeslot, and head to a local participating store, where a Walmart associate will load everything into his/her car.

Shoppers furious with Walmart over toy truck 11/20/2015 A comment on the petition by one of the more than 10,000 supporters reads: “As a trucker, seeing these in real life is no treat. The reality is violence. Do not support desensitization of children. This “toy” is no different than a slave train combined with a coroner’s wagon. Auschwitz mentality is immoral & degrading.”

Texas man accused of robbing Wal-Mart employees at gunpoint smiles in mugshot 11/20/2015

Police seek driver who hurt Villa Rica cop in Ga. Wal-Mart parking lot 11/20/2015

Underwear shoplifter arrested at ND Walmart 11/20/2015

PBSO: Man wanted for using stolen credit card at Fla. Chick-Fil-A, Walmart 11/20/2015

Suspect wearing surgical mask allegedly robs several Ga. Walmart stores 11/20/2015

Man carjacked at South Austin Tx. Walmart speaks out 11/20/2015

Woman shoots at robbery suspect outside of Tx. Walmart 11/20/2015

BELLMEAD, Texas - A shooting was caught on camera outside of a Walmart in McLennan County Friday afternoon.

Andre Dawson, 27, was in the line of fire after a woman shot at him when he allegedly tried to steal the purse of a different woman.

Witnesses recorded the incident from across the street.

In the video, you can see the woman pointing a pistol at Dawson who was struggling with a man. When he got away, the woman shot at the suspect.

Police said Dawson tripped and was not hit. He took off running but was tackled by a group of men seconds later. The woman then walked away from the scene, gun in hand. Complete article

Firefighters put out electrical fire at Chesapeake Va. Walmart 11/21/2015

Chesapeake Va. Walmart closed until Saturday due to weekend fire 11/25/2015

Deputies: 2 men used counterfeit bills at Fla. Walmart 11/21/2015

Maryland State Police Investigating Armed Robbery Outside of Berlin Wal-Mart 11/21/2015

Two women charged in June theft from NY Wal-Mart 11/21/2015

Alleged ringleader of Macon Ga. Wal-Mart stampede joins U.S. Army, case against him dismissed 11/22/2015

The teenager authorities believe was the ringleader of the rampage through Macon's Zebulon Road Wal-Mart this past summer has been cleared of charges and is enlisted in the U.S. Army.

Vashaun Chandler Rozier, 18, faced charges of criminal street gang activity, rioting and criminal damage to property in the second degree for his part in the June 28 stampede involving about 88 people. Authorities alleged Rozier organized the party that most of the young people involved attended before going to the store about 2 a.m. that Sunday.

Rozier, a recent graduate of Westside High School, planned to follow in his father's footsteps by enlisting in the military.

"I dismissed the charges so that he could join the military," Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke said. "Typically, in cases like this, they resolve with the defendant doing some type of community service. Honestly, I can think of no higher community service than serving our country in the armed forces."

Rozier has completed his physical and joined the Army, Cooke said.

"It's not uncommon. It's actually pretty traditional," Cooke said, noting former Georgia Gov. Zell Miller also was arrested at a young age after making a mistake. Miller joined the Marine Corps, "and he turned out OK," Cooke said. Complete article

Man found shot outside Fla. Walmart Neighborhood Market in Orange County 11/23/2015

Logan Police Say Frantic 911 Call About Utah Wal-Mart Shooter Was A Hoax To Get Out Of A Traffic Stop 11/23/2015

Man charged with committing lewd act at Lockport NY Walmart 11/24/2015

Walmart Is Working with the FBI and Lockheed Martin to Spy on Striking Workers 11/2/2015

A bombshell report has been released, documenting how Walmart, with help from Lockheed Martin and the FBI, spied on its workers and those who were organizing protests against them.

Furthermore, more than 1,000 pages of emails, reports, testimony, and other documents were collected during discovery for a National Labor Relations Board hearing into allegations of unlawful termination and retaliation against workers who were striking and organizing. The documents span from 2013 to January of 2015, when the hearing took place and testimony was given.

Below is a breakdown of the major players and takeaways from the report and lawsuit. Complete article

Fortune: Walmart Says Outside Labor Agitators Forced It to Take Action 11/25/2015

Walmart WMT 0.53% hired Lockheed Martin LMT -0.28% a few years ago to keep tabs on employees potentially involved in labor activity, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its new, lengthy cover story.

Lockheed, a major defense contractor, provided the retailer intelligence gathering for surveillance of employees to stay on top of any efforts to organize workers or disrupt business in 2012, just before planned Black Friday protests by a group called OUR Walmart, the report claims. OUR Walmart advocates for higher wages for Walmart employees, among other demands.

Fake bills turn up at Walmart 11/24/2015

Cary NC police charge Walmart clerk was pocketing store’s cash 11/24/2015

Man allegedly accuses Fargo ND Walmart employee of Paris terror attacks 11/2/2015

The Paris terror attacks continue to cause tensions here at home.

Fargo Police were called to the 13th Avenue Walmart just before 10 Saturday night. The store says a man was allegedly making racial remarks at a female employee and blaming her for the recent attacks in France. Witnesses say they the man also had a pocket knife.

Before police arrived the man left the building. They say he is not allowed to return. Complete article

Fulton Missouri woman arrested for allegedly stealing from Walmart 11/24/2015

Anti-Walmart union group plans Black Friday protests 11/24/2015

Wal-Mart suspected of bribery in Brazil after U.S. probe, sources say 11/24/2015

Serial Ky. Walmart robbery suspect arrested 11/24/2015

Mobile Alabama Police search for Wal-Mart robber 11/24/2015 Police were told at the scene that a male shoplifter was confronted by a Loss Prevention Officer. The suspect pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the officer.

Police Find Body Behind South Philly Pa. Walmart 11/24/2015

Two charged in Md. Wal-Mart strong armed robbery 11/24/2015

Secaucus NJ Walmart prepares for holiday shopping 11/24/2015

Chesapeake Walmart closed until Saturday due to weekend fire 11/2/2015

Nevada Walmart Stores Pull Toys for Tots Donation Boxes 11/2/2015

Police searching Arkansas Walmart shoplifters 11/25/2015

Police seek help identifying Montana Wal-Mart theft suspects 11/25/2015

Ephrata Pa. police seek tips in Wal-Mart theft 11/25/2015

Police search for man accused of taking pictures of boy inside Va. Walmart bathroom 11/25/2015

Espanola woman claims injury 2012 NM Walmart Black Friday sale 11/25/2015

Perry police investigating possible attempted kidnapping at Utah Walmart 11/25/2015

Perry, Utah — (KUTV) Perry police have found and questioned a man involved in a possible attempted kidnapping Wednesday in Box Elder County, but at this point he has not been arrested and no charges have been filed.

Police confirmed to 2News Thursday morning they are still actively investigating this case. No further information was immediately provided.

This follows an incident Wednesday afternoon where the man was shown on surveillance video trying to grab a cart with a 3-year-old child in it. This happened at Walmart at 1200 S. Commerce Way in Perry.

The video from the store shows a man walking down the paint aisle, looking around and seeming to be minding his own business. In front of him was a shopping cart with a 3-year-old girl sitting inside.

As the man approached, he put his finger up to his lips -- as if to say "be quiet" -- and grabbed the cart. The child's 14-year-old sister nearby started yelling, and the man quickly let go. Complete article

Rincon Ga. Police: Several shoplifting incidents and a Man has fit in Walmart 11/25/2015 Nov. 15: A 28-year-old Rincon man who said he wanted to return to jail walked into Walmart, knocked over displays, broke a mirror and cut his arm with a razor. An officer used a stun gun on the man, but it had no effect on him. The officer eventually was able to grab the man and get him in handcuffs.

Woman hit by car in Murfreesboro Tenn. Walmart parking lot 11/26/2015

Trade gun for Wal-Mart gift card at Clearwater Fla. buy-back Dec. 12 11/26/2015

Brown Deer Police Investigated a Possible Bomb Threat at Wisc. Walmart 11/26/2015

Black Friday 2015 fights: Videos show Kentucky mall brawl, Walmart 'riot,' more including incidents in Tx., Va., La. and possibly one that was faked all by 8:00 AM on Friday 11/27/2015

The 2015 holiday shopping frenzy has escalated to violence over big savings, as several videos show Black Friday fights breaking out across the U.S.

Two men were seen in a fist fight at the Mall St. Matthews in Louisville, Kentucky, brawling in the food court on Thanksgiving night Thursday. The unidentified pair were caught on camera by onlookers as they punched each other, knocking one woman to the floor until a police officer broke up the fight. Complete article

Shopping frenzy at Dunwoody Ga. Walmart 11/27/2015

Walmart customers furious after website delays on Thanksgiving 11/27/2015

Walmart's website had major delays on Thursday, upsetting customers who were hoping to score deep discounts.

Walmart for the first time this year offered its Black Friday deals online. The deals went live at 12:01 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

But many customers said they weren't able to shop for the items they wanted because of website delays.

Others said their orders were unexpectedly canceled by Walmart after they had already checked out.

Some said the prices shown online weren't the Black Friday deals that Walmart had promised in ads for the holiday. Complete article

Why these Walmart workers won’t be eating turkey for Thanksgiving 11/25/2015

Emily Dehart gave birth to her first child three months ago. But she and her husband, Andrew, won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving as a family of three for the first time this week. Andrew works at Walmart—and is scheduled to work on Thanksgiving day.

“I kinda got used to it,” Emily, who lives in of Cocoa Beach, Florida, told Fusion. “You just have to think of Thanksgiving on a different day. It’s sad. Because Target stays open, Walmart stays open. It’s all about the money.”

Emily should know. Up until Friday, she worked at Walmart too.

When she returned to work last week for the first time since giving birth, she found that her first day back at work after having her child was also her last. Emily developed a blood clot in her leg as a result of a delivery complication which broke off and went into her lungs. She then developed a pulmonary embolism, landing her in the hospital for a week. Complete article

Man charged with arson in connection with Tx. Wal-Mart fire released 11/27/2015

Over $1,500 in baby formula stolen from NH Walmart 11/25/2015

SD woman sues Wal-Mart over crash and injuries 11/25/2015

Lawmakers investigating Walmart-backed bills that would allow employers to opt out of workers comp 11/26/2015

A national association of state lawmakers has announced that it will investigate a burgeoning effort to let companies opt out of workers’ compensation insurance and write their own plans for how they’ll care for injured workers.

The National Conference of Insurance Legislators, whose members serve on insurance committees and often act as gatekeepers for related bills in their states, said the decision was prompted by a ProPublica and NPR story last month that found that employers’ opt-out plans typically provide lower benefits for injured workers, more restrictions and little independent oversight. Texas and Oklahoma currently allow companies to opt out and other states are considering similar plans.

“The issues brought forward by the recent NPR/ProPublica study regarding the Texas and Oklahoma workers’ compensation programs are of significant concern to state legislators responsible for the protection of injured workers,” said North Dakota state Sen. Jerry Klein, a Republican who chairs the association’s workers’ comp committee. Complete article

'I don't think he planned to purchase a 'vintage' laptop: Family's outrage after Walmart ships a TEXTBOOK instead of HP Notebook meant as a birthday gift 11/26/2015

Police Blotter: Man arrested for theft, drugs at ND Wal-Mart during Thanksgiving shopping 11/27/2015

3 Sioux Falls ND Walmart evacuated; bomb threat unfounded 11/27/2015

Idaho Falls Walmart responds to threat 11/27/2015 Following established protocol, there was no evacuation of the building. Dogs were not brought in to search the store because the store was so crowded it would have made it difficult for them to pick up a scent.

Watch Black Friday La. Wal-Mart shoppers in frenzy over towel sale 11/27/2015

Group protests for higher wages at Chicago Ill. Walmart 11/27/2015

Troopers: $2,000 Worth of Merchandise Stolen from Wal-Mart in Union County Pa. 11/27/2015

EXCLUSIVE: Black Friday brings grief for family of Long Island NY Walmart worker trampled to death by wild shoppers in 2008 11/27/2015

Bernie Sanders Attacks WalMart on Black Friday 11/27/2015

Rawlins Wyoming Walmart evacuation possibly part of multi-store bomb threats in several states 11/27/2015

RAWLINS — Carbon County post-Thanksgiving holiday Walmart shoppers were able to resume their activities Friday evening, following a bomb threat evacuation of the company's Rawlins location earlier in the day.

Rawlins Police Department Sgt. Jared Frakes said that at approximately 3:13 p.m. Friday, his department received a direct call from an individual, stating a bomb was planted at Rawlins' Walmart at 2390 E. Cedar St. ....

WFSA’s story reported that a store manager in Rhode Island was so convinced the threat to his property was serious, the store wired the caller $10,000, before letting police inside to sweep for a bomb that was not found.

Montgomery County (Ala.) Sheriff D.T. Marshall told the television station that his office is looking into the possibility the Walmart case may be connected to other stores, perhaps including those at various Wyoming locations. Complete article Reports from RI and Alabama may be from old 2007 articles mistaken by this reporter as new.

FBI says Wal-Mart bomb threat may be broader scam 2007

New Developments in Wal-Mart Bomb Scare: Now 30 Stores Nationwide, 13 States 2007 or 2015?

Man arrested after trying to steal from vehicles at Ventura Ca. Walmart 11/27/2015

Walmart employee suspected of stealing $1,640 in cash: Brooklyn Ohio Police Blotter 11/27/2015

Grand jury indicts woman accused of stealing underwear from Kennesaw Ga. Walmart 11/27/2015

Woman Run Over by Car in WV Walmart Parking Lot 11/27/2015

Napa man arrested after grabbing teen's bottom at Ca. Walmart 11/27/2015

Ponderay Idaho Walmart hit by bomb threat 11/28/2015

Suspect in custody after assault in Cape Girardeau Missouri Walmart parking lot 11/27/2015

Bomb scare causes evacuation at Farmington NM Walmart 11/23/2015

Scuffle leads to gunshots at Barboursville WV Walmart 11/28/2015

BARBOURSVILLE -- Shots were fired in the parking lot of a Barboursville Walmart Saturday evening, after shoppers who got into a fight inside the store took the scuffle outside.

Cabell County Sheriff Tom McComas said the incident happened outside the Walmart on Nichols Drive, not inside the store, adding that some had “wildly speculated” that an active shooter had been inside the store.

“None of that was accurate,” McComas said. Complete article

Huntington man arrested in WV Wal-Mart shooting 11/28/2015

Wal-Marts across Maine evacuated after multiple bomb threats 11/28/2015

HOULTON, Maine — Wal-Marts around the state were evacuated for a time Saturday evening after multiple bomb threats were received, according to Houlton police Chief Joe McKenna.

Members of the Houlton police and fire departments joined Houlton Wal-Mart management staff in searching the local store and found no credible evidence of a bomb, McKenna said late Saturday night.

Calls started coming in to police departments around the state, including Houlton, Bangor, Calais and Biddeford, around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, McKenna said. The police chief said Wal-Mart management staff told him eight Maine stores were affected. Complete article

Louisiana Walmart receives multiple automated bomb threats 11/28/2015

Two WV Walmarts Evacuated After Bomb Threats 11/29/2015

Walmart stores in several states including NY evacuated by automated bomb threats 11/29/2015

Man head butts NM Wal-Mart employee 11/28/2015

The boyfriend of a driver in a Wal-Mart parking lot, head butted a Wal-Mart employee Saturday, according to police.

Albuquerque police responded to an assualt call at the Wal-Mart off Academy Road NW.

According to the Wal-Mart employee, they were bringing shopping carts into the store when a woman parked in front of the store to wait for her boyfriend.

The employee said they told the woman that she needed to move the car.

Albuquerque police officer Daren J. DeAguero said the woman and the employee got into a verbal confrontation and when the woman’s boyfriend came out of the store, he yelled at the employee then head butted him. Complete article

Man accused of cutting Tenn. Walmart employees 11/28/2015

Outrage over Ohio vet forced outside by Walmart 11/29/2015

Wal-Mart Is Its Own Worst Enemy 11/25/2015

As the busiest shopping season of the year approaches, Wal-Mart's overall revenue and profits are down yet again. This week's earnings report follows the worst stock decline Wal-Mart has experienced in more than 15 years – when management warned investors to expect a 6 to 12 percent decline in earnings per share over the next year. This has prompted some critics to attack the company's plan to invest $1.5 billion next year raising starting wages to at least $10 an hour. But paying workers enough to live on without food stamps is hardly a radical idea, and it's one that will likely boost Wal-Mart's sales even further. The actual problem is that it doesn't go far enough.

I'm a hardcore capitalist; I've founded or funded 35 companies across a range of industries, and I can say without a doubt that fair compensation is not only good for Wal-Mart's employees, it's actually good for business, good for investors and good for the American economy as a whole. The fundamental law of capitalism is that when workers have more money, businesses have more customers – and when businesses have more customers, they hire more workers. It is this positive feedback loop between customers and businesses that is the fundamental driver of economic growth.

The real threat to Wal-Mart's profits isn't higher wages; it's stagnant consumer demand. And as the nation's largest employer, Wal-Mart's own predatory employment practices have played a major role in hollowing out the middle-class customer base on which Wal-Mart relies. At the same time the Walton heirs and I are thriving beyond the dreams of any plutocrat in history, the rest of the country – the 99.99 percent – is lagging far behind. Wal-Mart workers and their families are living paycheck to paycheck, relying on government assistance to pay their rent, purchase their health insurance and put food on the table. Complete article

Police looking for two men suspected of buying items with counterfeit bills at Va. Wal-Mart 11/30/2015

To Protest Walmart on Black Friday, Organizers Are Seeking Food for Underpaid Workers 11/25/2015

Cat rescued from inside Ca. Walmart wall 11/30/2015

Va. Wal-Mart Shoplifter Caught Hiding in Nearby Restaurant Men's Room 11/2/2015

Police: Felon steals ammo from Ca. Walmart 11/30/2015

Man purchases BB gun at York SC Walmart, decides to test fire it in the parking lot 11/29/2015

Two arrested while trying to steal from Nitro WV Walmart during Black Friday 11/2/2015 Employees first spotted a man, later identified as Johnny Burgess, 45, while he was cutting the security features out of the packing. Since Burgess had a knife on him, the employee called the Nitro Police Department.

During the next two hours, the employees watched while Burgess worked with Nathan Spielman, 36, to remove the security features from items they would then place inside a shopping cart.

Lancaster County man charged for exposing himself, peeping at woman under Pa. Walmart stall 11/30/2015

Sheriff’s office seeking help in identifying thieves at Fla. Wal-Mart 11/30/2015

Woman takes in 6 Cubans living outside Fla. Walmart 11/30/2015

Walmart scam arriving in local mailboxes 11/30/2015