Wal-Mart Crime report May 2015

It is beginning to seem like too much to hope for to have only two or three gun related incidents in a month but, for the first three weeks of this month that appeared to be what was happening. Then there were at least three on memorial day weekend and another one a few days later.

As usual most of them were only reported briefly and in the local news; but one of them in North Dakota received more attention, although even that one didn't get into the biggest newspapers or onto the national news, that I saw. This one is one that two powerful establishments prefer not to draw attention to, since it was another murder suicide by an active serviceman. The military has a lot more of these than they care to admit, and when they do happen they routinely try to blame the person involved without trying to figure out if their training might be contributing to it or if they should have more treatment for PTSD.

Walmart is being sued for one of their past shootings by a customer that was shot by a Walmart worker who was emotionally unstable; this isn't the first time they've had problems with emotionally unstable people, but in most cases when they shoot someone it seems to be other Walmart workers, including one that was recently sentenced to about thirty years in Wisconsin and many more. Other incidents were they've had problems with Walmart workers include one where someone was sentenced to three years for setting a fire and an assistant manager that was arrested for taking photos of children in the bathroom. They've always ahd lots of reports of sexual crimes an occasionally the person arrested works there.

They rarely if ever even consider the possibility that some of the people striking out might be doing so in retaliation for oppressive working conditions, although at times in the past they have come right out and said that was what they've been doing. Nor do they consider the possibility that when they fire workers that stand up for their rights they might be getting rid of people that are less likely to get involved in these activities. On top of that a couple of their armed robbers this month were pretending to be a Walmart employees.

Another video has surfaced about how they try to indoctrinate their workers and demonize unions. This is one of many reports including those in books like "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich and "In Sam We Trust" by Bob Ortega that indicate that Walmart is trying to develop a cult following among their workers if they can get away with it and they've hired union busters and almost certainly consulted, either directly or indirectly with psychologists to understand how to manipulate workers.

This doesn't benefit customers.

There are more stories about sales dropping; this has been going on for quite a while but it is becoming increasingly harder for them to hide it. They've been able to fool the public for a long time but reporting on their activities is slowly but steadily catching up even if it is mostly on alternative media outlets. A planning board member resigned because of the secrecy in approving Walmart. This isn't the first time something like this has happened but reports like this are routinely and quickly forgotten by traditional media. There is no way that Walmart could ever dominate the market while so many customers and workers are so angry with them if they didn't have an overwhelming amount of political support for one reason or another.

there ahve been several videos this month including one taken by someone who says that "You don't think, going to Walmart, you're going to run into anything like that," presumably because she relies on traditional media for news and they don't try to let the public know about Walmart's high crime problem; a woman was run over by a BMW which kept on going; a devise was found in their dressing room, which they say isn't a camera even though their associate told the customer it was to catch people stealing; they're urging suppliers to treat animals well, this ahs been reported widely but only a handful of the reports inform the public that it isn't required or that it is in response to public relations studies that tell them they need to convince the public they're socially responsible even if they're not.

Tracy Morgan said the company "stepped up to the plate in a tremendous way."

He gets hit by one of their truck and thanks them. This only happened after a confidential settlement; so if this is part of the settlement he can't tell us.

When non-celebrities sue Walmrt for one reason or another they have a history of fighting them tooth and nail; and it gets much less publicity.

It is hard to imagine that there wouldn't be some people speculating about the possibility that they only "stepped up to the plate" becaause of all the attention that a celebrity might bring.

Strange things happen at Wal-Mart!

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In 2006 Wake Up Wal-Mart did a study, "Is Wal-Mart Safe?" based on incidents in 2004, (PDF) about crime at Wal-Mart which showed that it increased when Wal-Marts opened up and that crime was higher at Wal-Mart than at other retailers. Since then Wal-Mart Shootings began compiling a list of gun related incidents at Wal-Mart and demonstrated that they have a large number of them, including on average more than one shooting per week somewhere in the country. In January of 2014 another study, "Rolling Back Prices and Raising Crime Rates?" provided additional statistical research indicating that Wal-Mart might be contributing to higher crime rates or at least a slowing of the decline in crime. The study found that. “on average, communities with Walmarts had 17 more property crimes and two more violent crimes per 10,000 people than those communities without Walmarts.” I reviewed this more in Wal-Mart’s crime problem, Rolling Back Safety more than prices? where I explained that although this study is helpful they could have done better with additional data that is available and I reviewed some of that. I also added my own review about why I think that Wal-Mart policies have been contributing to higher crime in a previous blog, Wal-Mart high crime rate continues 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 twitteror check the Wal-Mart Wall; they have helped compile some of this information. The following are a list of incidents that occurred in May 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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Kingsport Tenn. Police Department: Officers search for man who took tents, sleeping bags from Walmart 05/01/2015

Two hurt in explosion, fire at Ontario Walmart Logistics 05/01/2015

Thieves drive off with man’s service dog from Albuquerque NM Walmart 05/01/2015

Conway Ark. woman suing Walmart after shooting 05/01/2015

CONWAY, Ark. (KTHV) - A Conway woman is suing Walmart after an employee shot her last year.

Lori Martin is suing the company for negligence after she was shot six times at the store in February 2014.

19-year old Myron Terrell shot Martin in the checkout line and ran away. Terrell worked at Walmart and told police he felt threatened by Martin. Complete article

Walmart on Gull Road in Comstock Township, Mich. evacuated Friday as police searched for suspect who fired shots nearby 05/02/2015

Two victims report sexual exposure incidents at two SC Walmart stores 05/03/2015

Coventry RI Police search for 5 suspects who used fake money at Walmart 05/03/2015

Man threatened with knife in Walmart parking lot, Bayonne NJ cops say 05/04/2015

Armed Robber Hits Broken Arrow Okla. Walmart Money Center 05/04/2015

Grovetown Man Arrested After Officials Say He Groped A 13 year-old Girl In Ga. Walmart 05/04/2015

Six tiny kittens found tied in trash bag near South Carolina Walmart 05/04/2015

Armed grandfather recalls being tackled at Fla. Walmart 05/04/2015

Walmart Poses A Sustainability Challenge 05/04/2015

Man runs into neighborhood after robbing Okla. Walmart at gunpoint 05/04/2015

Improper photography discovered at Tx. Walmart and another store 05/04/2015

Garland Tx. police: Suspects were 'there to shoot people' 05/04/2015 A 1,000-foot radius around the Walmart nearby was initially shut down and multiple businesses in the area were evacuated. The perimeter has since been lifted.

Nevada Walmart refused to make ‘gay’ prom cake for viral couple 05/05/2015

Four charged in unusual theft from Minn. Walmart 05/05/2015

Bomb threat evacuates Salem Road Covington Ga. Walmart 05/06/2015 In other news, a woman allegedly threatened to beat a man with a baseball bat who had leaned on her car while it was parked in the Walmart parking lot.

Man Exposed Himself to Girls in Kaufman Tx. Wal-Mart: Police 05/06/2015

In-store security prevents thefts at NC Walmart 05/06/2015

COPS: Husky Thief Stole 4 TVs, 3 Car Stereos From Pa. Wal-Mart 05/06/2015

Video shows animal cruelty at Colorado Walmart pork supplier 05/06/2015

Man accused of stealing from Wal-Mart cash registers at multiple Ga. stores 05/06/2015

Cloned credit cards used at Bradenton Fla. Walmart 05/06/2015

Man Wanted in Stolen Credit Card Case from a WV Walmart Store 05/06/2015

2 fugitive sex offenders arrested thanks to alert late-night Utah Wal-Mart shopper 05/06/2015

Man arrested after trying to steal $500 worth of perfume from Ark. Wal-Mart 05/06/2015

Woman holding toddler robbed at knifepoint outside Fla. Walmart 05/07/2015

2 women accused of stealing from Lawrenceburg Tenn. Walmart 05/07/2015

Suspect caught on camera stealing from Pa. Walmart 05/07/2015

Nebraska man accused of stealing lawn mower from Wal-Mart, driving it 10 miles away 05/07/2015

Flowood Miss. Walmart reopens after bomb threat 05/07/2015

Union Springs NY man admits unlawfully using friend's debit card at Wal-Mart, 7-Eleven; denied claims accusing him of taking a swing at detectives. 05/08/2015

Officers cleared in standoff, shooting at Salem Oregon Walmart 05/08/2015

Alleged alcohol bandit struck by SUV after running from Tx. Walmart 05/08/2015

Wal-Mart to Buy 13 Target Stores in Canada 05/08/2015

Scam of the Week: Bogus Walmart and Target gift cards 05/08/2015

Police want help to ID fraud suspects at Biloxi, Gulfport Miss. Wal-Marts 05/09/2015

Wal-Mart Bottled Water Comes From Sacramento Ca. Municipal Supply 05/09/2015

Old graves may be moved from site of proposed NC Walmart at Legion and Elk roads 05/09/2015

Tenn. Drive-in movie theater hopes Walmart will be good neighbor 05/10/2015

Hadley Mass. police accuse 2 of stealing $1,500 in fishing poles, life jackets, clothing from Walmart 05/10/2015

Battle continues over planned Walmart in DeBary Fla. 05/11/2015

Fight Breaks Out At Omaha Nebraska Wal-Mart 05/11/2015

New video shows how thieves stole vehicle from a NM Walmart parking lot 05/11/2015

Woman arrested after allegedly using hatchet to smash Walmart TVs in Juneau Alaska 05/10/2015

Mother Arrested After Leaving Child, 4, Alone in Newington Conn. Walmart: Police 05/11/2015

Man Allegedly Fights Employees, Officers After Peeping Over Women’s Restroom Stall At Pa. Walmart 05/11/2015

Deputies: Woman in BMW runs over Wal-Mart shopper, drives off 05/11/2015

A 27-year-old Orlando woman was arrested Monday after deputies say she ran over a man's leg with her BMW because he didn't move out of her way in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Noelia Mendez faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Investigators say the incident happened at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Vineland Road near Kissimmee.

The victim, whose name was not released, said he and a friend were walking in a lane in the Wal-Mart parking lot when he heard a car horn honking behind him.

He turned just in time to see Mendez's luxury car nearly hit his friend, deputies say. Complete article

Unresponsive baby driven to Wal-Mart in Maple Grove, Minn. 05/12/2015

Sheboygan Wisc. Wal-Mart theft leads to high-speed chase 05/12/2015

Report: Man arrested at SC Walmart with 3 quarts of oil stuffed down his pants 05/12/2015

Wal-Mart criticized for sourcing bottled water in drought-hit California 05/12/2015

Police: Man shot video up woman’s skirt at Denver NC Walmart 05/12/2015

Exclusive: Wal-Mart improves lobbying disclosure after shareholder push 05/13/2015

Nevada July 2013 Wal-Mart stabbing: Road rage or self-defense? 05/13/2015

Police: Iowa City man stole $3,000 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart 05/13/2015

Man charged after throwing knife at deputy inside CNY Walmart 05/13/2015

Attempted kidnapping in Ca. Walmart parking lot 05/13/2015

Heroin seized after trespass complaint at Rome NY Wal-Mart 05/13/2015

Man Shot in Front of His Wife and Child in Ill. Walmart Parking Lot: Prosecutors 05/14/2015

Roof fire won't delay Murchison Road NC Walmart 05/14/2015

Grandma Fights Off Would-Be Kidnapper In Ca. Walmart Parking Lot 05/14/2015

Okla. Walmart employee dies after being run over in parking lot; Suspect charged with 2nd degree murder 05/15/2015

Jury: Nevada Wal-Mart stabber committed no crimes 05/15/2015

Three arrested, accused of stealing over $1000 in goods from Denver NC Walmart 05/15/2015

Palmetto Fla. Walmart evacuated due to bomb threat 05/15/2015

Car damaged by cart at Walmart in Wilkes-Barre Township Pa. 05/15/2015

Walmart addresses closure of Brandon Fla. store 05/15/2015 which hardly anyone will believe

Police searching for man who tried to shoplift a bicycle at Pa. Wal-Mart 05/16/2015

Bad news expected for Walmart, other retailers 05/18/2015

Tx. Walmart robber sentenced to 12 years 05/15/2015

Walmart In Springfield Tenn. Evacuated After Bomb Threat 05/17/2015

Motley Fool: Walmart Is Falling Apart Before Our Eyes 05/17/2015

For most of the past five decades, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT ) has been the retailer competitors feared most and as a result it made for a phenomenal investment for its shareholders. But Wal-Mart has begun to lose its cache with consumers and major holes are starting to form in its business.

Interestingly, Wal-Mart has hidden its financial problems from the headlines because challenges are different around the world, masking themselves in the overall picture. But when you dig between the headlines you can see a company in serious trouble and could be the latest in a long line of leading retailers to go from boom to bust in the blink of an eye.

U.S. shoppers are abandoning Wal-Mart

The most alarming statistic at home in the U.S. comes from falling same-store sales. This measures how sales are growing location by location and any healthy retailer is looking to grow same-store sales at or faster than consumer spending grows because that shows increased market share locally. Overall sales can be increased by increasing store count, but if same-store sales are falling then the return on each store will drop, something well see in a minute. Complete article

Deputies: Man charged after shooting himself in the shorts in SC Walmart 05/18/2015

Police: Man Throws Vacuum Cleaner At Ga. Walmart Employee 05/18/2015

Man caught in sexual act at Ohio Walmart 05/18/2015

Is It Time For Companies To Pay For Not Paying Enough? The "Walmart Tax" Gains Momentum 05/18/2015

Man Accused Of Groping Women At Fla. Walmart 05/18/2015

Swanville woman gets 15 days in jail for stealing clothes from Me. Wal-Mart 05/18/2015

Brockton teen accused of dealing heroin in Abington Ma. Walmart parking lot 05/18/2015

Wal-Mart same-store sales miss estimates as shoppers cut spending 05/19/2015

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) reported lower-than-expected quarterly U.S. same-store sales growth, saying its customers were using their tax refunds and savings at the pump to pay down debt rather than spend on discretionary items.

Shares of the world's largest retailer were down 2.2 percent at $78.15 in premarket trading on Tuesday. ....

The company reported a 1.1 percent rise in same-store sales in the United States in the first quarter ended April 30, missing the consensus of an increase of 1.5 percent, according to analysts polled by research firm Consensus Metrix.

Net profit attributable to Wal-Mart fell to $3.34 billion, or $1.03 per share, in the first quarter, from $3.59 billion, or $1.11 per share, a year earlier.

Total revenue fell slightly to $114.83 billion from $114.96 billion. Complete article

Juvenile accused of exposing himself, touching women at Schillinger Road Mobile Alabama Wal-Mart 05/18/2015

Police: Man drags woman in Port Orange Fla. Wal-Mart purse snatching 05/19/2015

This is the real reason Walmart is struggling 05/19/2015

Man accused of shooting video up woman's skirt at east Louisville Ky. Walmart 05/19/2015

Busted! Man admitted taking 'upskirt' photos of minor at Delray Beach Fla. Walmart: Cops 05/19/2015

Man accused of exposing himself in parking lot of Shores Fla. Wal-Mart 05/19/2015

Kingsport Tenn. Police Department search for Walmart theft suspects 05/19/2015

Fruitland Park Fla. police investigate robbery of woman in Wal-Mart parking lot 05/19/2015

Video: What every new Wal-Mart employee hears about why unions are terrible

Associate orientations include more than just instructions on stocking shelves.

The fact that Wal-Mart opposes unions isn't news. The company has a long history of fighting them, to the point of closing stores after employees organize. Training documents that surfaced last year showed how managers are instructed to talk to their teams about why unions are so undesirable.

But it's fascinating to see exactly how the company communicates the message to its employees, which is why this video posted by Gawker is worth a watch (the original video has been removed by the user, but here's another version).

Wal-Mart confirms that the video was a part of its new associate orientation in 2009, and that it still uses similar videos today. "Essentially, we know third party groups reach out to our associates and can sometimes provide inaccurate information so we think it’s important to provide our associates accurate information about their rights and opportunities," says spokesman Brian Nick.

The video contains fairly standard union-deterrence messages: Unions are really just declining businesses that want part of your paycheck to stay alive; that it's better for employees to speak for themselves rather than have a union rep speak for them; that Wal-Mart rewards individuals for their merits, rather than because they're a union favorite. And really, the video says, a union just can't make everything better.

"Let’s face it," says the friendly lady making the pitch. "All jobs have their ups and downs, and unions can’t change that." Complete article

Two dirty, hungry children found running through Walmart parking lot on their own 05/19/2015

FEDERAL WAY — Two kids were found dirty and alone, running around a local Walmart parking lot. The mother and daughter who found them say they called police when they got the feeling something wasn’t right.

Maybe it was mother’s intuition. But Linda Duncan-Delgado knew there was a problem when she and her daughter pulled into the Federal Way Walmart on Mother’s Day.

“I said this doesn’t look right, something is amiss here.”

They saw a toddler covered in dirt, running through the parking lot. Duncan-Delgado worried he might head toward a busy street. Complete article

Thomasville NC police identify suspect in robbery at Wal-Mart store 05/20/2015

2 wanted for using stolen credit card at Lebanon Tenn. Walmart 05/20/2015

Woman saved after collapsing at Evergreen Colorado Walmart 05/20/2015

Alleged thief's crime spree ends at Sapulpa Okla. Walmart 05/20/2015

Walmart: device in Ashland store dressing room not a camera 05/21/2015

ASHLAND, VA (WWBT) - A viewer calls 12 On Your Side concerned about a possible invasion of privacy at a local Walmart. She found peculiar electronic devices with blinking red lights in the dressing rooms at the Ashland Walmart along Hill Carter Parkway.

"I asked the worker what it was," said Jacqui. "She said that it was a camera. Her response was 'you all are being filmed because we have too many shoplifters here.'"

Cell phone video captured police stopping by to ask questions of their own.

"What the customer saw in the fitting room was a motion sensor," said Walmart representative Betsy Harden. "To be clear, there is no camera in our fitting room. We will look into this further, as it appears there was a miscommunication."

You might be surprised to know, here in Virginia, there are some circumstances where it is not against the law to record you in a place where you might expect a little privacy. Complete article

Man pulls knife during theft from Newport News Va. Walmart 05/21/2015

Rincon Ga. Police: five incidents including four shoplifting one where Woman inhales compressed air at Walmart 05/21/2015

Ex-Ohio Walmart worker gets 3 years for fire 05/21/2015

TIFFIN — A former employee of a Walmart Supercenter was sentenced to three years in prison for setting fire to the store last year.

Jarrod Pfeiffer, 22, of Tiffin was sentenced Wednesday by Seneca County Common Pleas Judge Michael Kelbley. He had been convicted in March of two counts of aggravated arson.

Pfeiffer started a fire Sept. 5 in the store on State Rt. 18. The store was closed for several days. Complete article

Homeless Man arrested, accused of making false bomb threat at Texarkana grocery store 05/21/2015

NEW at 11 a.m.: Colorado man admits to stealing $9,000 worth of televisions from Cheyenne Walmart, Sam's Club 05/22/2015

Swansboro NC board member resigns over Walmart discussions 05/22/2015

SWANSBORO | A Swansboro planning board member has resigned over concerns about what he says is a lack of openness by town officials during discussions of plans for a newly approved Walmart store in town.

“I can no longer continue to volunteer my time and talent to a Board of Commissioners that values secrecy over transparency and places so little value on the advice of its planning board,” Frank Tursi wrote in his May 14 letter of resignation. Complete article

Wal-Mart urging supplies to improve treatment of animals, but not requiring it 05/22/2015

Wal-Mart, the largest food retailer in the US, is asking its thousands of suppliers to improve the treatment of farm animals and asking them to stop using antibiotics, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Experts say Wal-Mart is the first major retail company to take the step to reduce antibiotic use in animals. But the retailer has not put a timetable in place for suppliers and is not requiring that they follow these guidelines. ....

The company reported that its own research showed that 77 per cent of shoppers said this step would increase their trust and 66 per cent said it would increase their likelihood of shopping at a retailer that improves treatment of animals. Complete article

Man fires gun at door in failed burglary attempt at Marrero La. Walmart 05/23/2015

Broken Arrow Okla. Walmart evacuated due to bomb threat 05/23/2015

Palm Beach Fla. Sheriffs Office: Suspects pretending to be WalMart workers arrested in armed robbery 05/24/2015

Two men pretending to be WalMart employees robbed two people in the WalMart Supercenter parking lot in West Palm Beach early Sunday, police report.

The two victims were having car trouble in the parking lot at around 2 a.m. when two males in a Suzuki SUV parked next to them, pretending to be associates gathering shopping carts, according to police. Calvin McDonald, 48, exited the passenger seat and approached the victims with a gun, police say.

The driver, later identified by police as Kenneth Ford, 49, waited as McDonald robbed the victims of $30 and returned to the car. They then fled the scene, according to police. Complete article

Boy picking out prize for riding without training wheels gets bike stolen at Walmart 05/24/2015

Fire in Cabot Ark. Walmart causes building evacuation 05/24/2015

Family Accused Of Shoplifting At Pa. Walmart Together, Children Involved 05/25/2015

Man arrested in attempted purse robbery at Madison Tenn. Walmart 05/24/2015

Sheriff: Woman High On Meth Destroys Merchandise At Corbin Ky. Walmart 05/25/2015

Video Captures Purse Theft In Portsmouth NH Walmart Parking Lot; Teen Arrested 05/25/2015

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (CBS) — Surveillance video captured a brazen theft in a Walmart parking lot in New Hampshire on Friday afternoon, and a 16-year-old has been arrested in the incident.

The thief in a baseball cap and sunglasses can be seen waiting outside the entrance to the Portsmouth store when he spots an elderly woman leaving with her shopping cart.

He follows her to her car and can be seen swiping her purse from her carriage while she’s loading items into her trunk.

Police say he then returned to the store and used items from her purse to make a purchase. The thief later threw the woman’s purse away on the side of the road, where a passerby found it and turned it into police. Complete article

Theft thwarted by employee at North Huntingdon Pa. Wal-Mart 05/25/2015

Shareholder Group Says Ernst & Young Knew About Wal-Mart Mexico Bribery Allegations 05/25/2015

Tonight: Monday's Most Wanted stole $17K in electronics from Tenn. Wal-Mart 05/25/2015

De Soto police looking for person of interest in Missouri Walmart stealing 05/25/2015

Man charged after fleeing from security, knocking down 83-year-old in East Syracuse NY Walmart 05/25/2015

Police identify airman as suspect in fatal ND Wal-Mart shooting, motive unkown 05/26/2015

Police have identified a 21-year-old airman as the gunman in a deadly shooting Tuesday at the Wal-Mart in south Grand Forks, but are still unsure what prompted his actions.

Marcell Travon Willis, originally from Springfield, Tenn., fatally shot one Wal-Mart employee and injured another before turning the gun on himself early Tuesday.

He was on active duty at Grand Forks Air Force Base. Base officials declined to release any information on Willis -- including his rank and how long he had been stationed at the base -- saying a news release will be available Wednesday. Complete article

2 dead, including shooter, after gunshots at Grand Forks ND Walmart 05/26/2015

Police in Grand Forks Search for Motive in Deadly ND Wal-Mart Shooting 05/27/2015

Police: 2 people in gunman's car before fatal ND Wal-Mart shooting 05/27/2015

Family of Willis shocked by ND Wal-Mart shooting 05/28/2015

Police aren't confident about finding motive for Grand Forks ND Wal-Mart shooting 05/29/2015

2 people who rode with ND Wal-Mart gunman unaware of plan, police say 05/27/2015 Zimmel did not reveal what ties the passengers had to Willis. He said authorities were treating them as witnesses, not suspects.

Disabled veteran fights attempted purse snatcher at Madison Tenn. Walmart 05/26/2015

Kingsville man charged with armed robbery of Fallston Md. Walmart's Subway 05/26/2015

A Kingsville man was charged Tuesday morning with allegedly robbing the Subway store inside Walmart in Fallston, police said.

Harford County Sheriff's Office deputies were called around 8:50 a.m. Tuesday to the 300 block of Fallston Boulevard for a report of an armed robbery, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Office.

As the store was opening for the day, the deputies were told, a man later identified as Daniel Vincent Jackson, 21, entered the eatery in front of Walmart and allegedly forced an employee to the back of the store.Jackson allegedly displayed a small handgun and demanded access to the safe, according to the release.

The victim complied and Jackson allegedly took an undisclosed amount of money and then ran out of the store toward the Fallston Commons neighborhood, according to the release. Complete article

Prosecutors say driver won't be charged in fatal Oregon Walmart accident 05/26/2015

Walmart Assistant Manager Arrested, Accused of Snapping Photos of Children in Store Bathroom Stalls at Malvern Arkansas Walmart 05/26/2015

MALVERN, AR - The assistant manager at Walmart's Malvern location has been arrested for video voyeurism and child pornography after a boy alleges the man took images of him on a cell phone while in the bathroom of the store.

Tabitha Parker visits the Malvern Walmart perhaps a few times a month, often with her daughter's in tow.

"I'm appalled, actually appalled someone would do that," Parker said. "We've experienced something similar with people shooting video of my daughter on a cell phone without her permission."

An even scarier scenario unfolded on Sunday, according to police. A 9-year-old boy's mother said her son and a friend left the toy aisle to use the bathroom. One of the boys noticed a man slipping a cell phone under the stall to take photos of the boy inside. Complete article

High-speed chase follows attempted NY Walmart theft 05/27/2015

Man arrested on charges of robbing Utah Walmart, threatening employee 05/27/2015

Suspected Oregon Walmart flasher: Do you know this man? 05/27/2015

Reno Nevada pedestrian struck in crash near Walmart 05/27/2015

Tracy Morgan, Walmart reach confidential settlement over NJ vehicle accident 05/27/2015

Man shot, wounded in fight in Nevada Wal-Mart parking lot 05/28/2015

An argument outside an east valley Wal-Mart led to a shooting in the wee hours Thursday, according to Las Vegas police.

At 12:56 a.m., Metro was called to the 5100 block of Boulder Highway, spokesman Larry Hadfield said. Two men were arguing in the Wal-Mart parking lot when one of them walked away and got in a white SUV.

Figuring the argument was over, police said, the second man turned around and started walking away.

But a third man exited the SUV from the passenger’s side, Hadfield said, ran at the man walking away and shot him in the back. Complete article

PBSO: Man tries to steal cart full of merchandise from Fla. Wal-Mart, throws syringe at employees 05/28/2015

Cops: Two arrested after robbing, and attempted carjacking, threatening to kill woman parked at Fla. Wal-Mart 05/28/2015

Police Release Surveillance Photos in Hopes of Finding Nevada Walmart Thief 05/28/2015

Thieves take $1,600 in liquor from Fla. Walmart 05/28/2015

Accused shoplifter head-butts Wal-Mart employee in Ukiah Ca. 05/2/2015

KPD officers thanked for helping 91-year-old theft victim at Tenn. Walmart 05/28/2015

San Antonio Tx. police seek person of interest after elderly man knocked out in Wal-Mart parking lot 05/29/2015

Shopper captures Walmart takedown on camera 05/29/2015

SALEM, Ore. - Kristel Washington lwalked to the Walmart across the street from her house when she needed some arts and crafts supplies early Thursday morning.

Once inside, she said a man pulled out a knife and started threatening customers. Police arrived and arrested the man, later identified as Montrez Bellfield, before anyone was hurt.

"You don't think, going to Walmart, you're going to run into anything like that," Washington said. Complete article

Most candidates endorsed by anti-Wal-Mart group don't win Pa. primary 05/29/2015

Couple arrested after attempted Fla. Walmart carjacking 05/29/2015

Theft estimated value of $800 from Ill. Walmart brings six-year sentence 05/29/2015

Suspect Involved in 2014 Conway Ark. Walmart Shooting Found Unfit to Stand Trial 05/30/2015

Cops Nab Rowlett Tx. Wal-Mart Kidnapper After Car Crash 05/30/2015

Cop Shop: Macon Ga. Wal-Mart theft suspect claims she couldn’t afford prom tux for son 05/30/2015

Man overdoses on heroin in Ga. Walmart parking lot, police forced to break into car 05/2/2015

Tearful Tracy Morgan thanks Walmart after accident 05/30/2015 Tracy Morgan said the company "stepped up to the plate in a tremendous way."

California Walmart Workers Go on Hunger Strike After Stores Closed in ‘Retaliation’ for Organizing 05/29/2015

Mississippi couple calls woman a n****r in Walmart parking lot 05/31/2015

Rockwood Tenn. PD seeks help ID'ing Walmart thief 05/2/2015

VIDEO: Thieves walk through front door o NY Walmart with pool, airbeds 05/29/2015

Woman arrested for shoplifting medication and other merchandise at Ga. Walmart 05/31/2015

Why Target is reviving faster than Walmart 05/20/2015

Officers subdue man with knives at Thomaston Me. Walmart 05/31/2015

Walmart halts illegal sale of lawn fertilizer, pays New York state $98,000 fine 05/28/2015

Kid Rock To Perform At Walmart AMP 05/26/2015

Police: Walmart shoplifter assaulted worker at Rock Hill SC store 05/31/2015

The existence of a ruling class is undeniable!

Or at least it can't be denied by anyone that expects to maintain a reasonable degree of credibility.There have been numerous high profile people like Condoleezza Rice, Mitt Romney and many others who say this in the mass media where it goes unchallenged, but as I indicated in Tracking the elite ruling class it isn't that hard to demonstrate that people from the upper class routinely get powerful jobs while those from lower or middle classes are routinely shut out from them. I began tracking a high number of people that were related to to other people within the ruling class and could have gone much further if I took the time.

It is clear that a large number of political candidates are from the ruling class. The ruling class also controls the vast majority of the media and one of the most effective way they guarantee that only those that they approve of get elected to office is to decline to cover anyone unless they're reasonably sure that they will stay within certain parameters.

Those that control the version of truth, even if it is mostly lies, used by the majority of the public to make their most important decisions can, and often do, manipulate, indoctrinate and, in the most extreme cases, virtually enslave a large segment of the public.



Even the conservative magazine, "The Economist" admits that we still have a ruling class according to the following excerpts, which only tells part of the story:

The enduring power of families in business and politics should trouble believers in meritocracy Apr 18th 2015

“AS A democracy the United States ought presumably to be able to dispense with dynastic families,” wrote Arthur Schlesinger junior, one of America’s best-known historians, in 1947. Yet almost 70 years on, next year’s presidential election could well become a family affair. A Clinton or a Bush has been on the ticket in seven of the past nine races. Hillary v Jeb may offend against equal opportunity, but not the laws of statistics.

How, people wonder, can this happen in a country that went to war to rid itself of a king’s hereditary authority? That is the wrong question. Around the world, in politics and business, power is still concentrated in the family. Power families and dynasties are here to stay. The question is how to ensure that they are a force for good.

Double helix, double standards

In politics the Clintons and the Bushes hardly count as exceptions. The leaders of Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Bangladesh are all related to former political chiefs. The “Stans” of Central Asia are family fiefs. The Gandhis are struggling in India, as are the Bhuttos in Pakistan, but the Kenyattas are kings in Kenya, a Fujimori is once again leading the polls in Peru and a Trudeau has a fighting chance in Canada. Meanwhile the lengthy catalogue of China’s “princelings”, the children of Communist Party grandees, starts right at the top with the president, Xi Jinping.

In Europe family power is one reason why politics seems like a closed shop. Fifty-seven of the 650 members of the recently dissolved British Parliament are related to current or former MPs. François Hollande, France’s president, has four children with Ségolène Royal, who ran for the presidency in 2007. Three generations of Le Pens are squabbling over their insurgent party, the Front National (see article). Belgium’s prime minister is the son of a former foreign minister and European commissioner. The names Papandreou and Karamanlis still count for something in Greece. Complete article

This article presents the assumption that "Power families and dynasties are here to stay," as an unavoidable fact without fully exploring how they maintain their power or what it would take to educate the public so that we didn't have to continue to settle for a ruling class in the future, and that we could hold out leaders accountable in the future whether they're from the ruling class or not.

They also refer to the "Economist" as a liberal magazine, which indicates how meaningless political labels are except to give people impressions that are often misleading or manipulative.

The implied reason given that we should accept the inevitability of being ruled by the same families over and over again is "the laws of statistics," and a history of allowing the same families rule us over and over again without a thorough review of how and why they maintain power and how this could be changed. When "the laws of statistics," are applied to social activities they might not apply unless the social behavior that led to the results of these statistics remains the same, or as another saying goes "there are three types of lies, lies, damn lies and statistics." The most important part of a major change would be educating the public about other alternatives and convincing them that they actually have a chance of electing truly democratic leaders that are accountable to the public more than they are to the corporations that finance and control campaigns.

There have been numerous exceptions in the past where the public has refused to accept the rule of the ruling class and if more people understood the alternatives then it could be more likely in the future, perhaps the near future.

This could be extremely difficult with multinational corporations controlling the vast majority of the media and refusing to cover the best grass roots candidates; however this could be a double edged sword. By doing so bad a job covering grass roots candidates and issues it is much less likely that many people will continue to trust the traditional media especially with alternative media outlets available.

Many people, including me, have been hoping that this would have led to reform by now; however it hasn't, or at least it doesn't seem to have done so.

But the grassroots supporters of reform keep at it and the political establishment is demonstrating that they're getting even more extreme; which could provide the greatest opportunity since the great depression for major reforms that are truly democratic.

Many of these grass roots supporters are better informed than a large percentage of the public and they're creating alternative media outlets that are far more credible than the traditional media, as I indicated in a previous post, Alternative Media is an Absolute Necessity!! And as I implied in Invest in Activism, AND Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein and Grassroots many of them recognize that elected candidates to support the will of the people involves supporting them because they really do represent the public and holding them accountable when they get in office.

Right now the leading sincere grass roots contender seems to be Bernie Sanders and even though the media is trying to do anything they can get away with to discredit him by presenting Hillary as the front runner they may have overreached their credibility. They routinely present her as leading in the polls, yet I don't know anyone who supports her strongly, if at all. I have no idea where all this supposed support for Hillary is but I suspect that most of it is either manufactured by political people or polling relatively uninformed people.

A look at some of her support from the internet including on Twitter compared to the support for Bernie Sanders, seems to imply that Sanders might have much more support, at least from people that are active on line, and I suspect better informed.



Both Albert Einstein and Karl Marx and many others recognize that the ruling class has been able to maintain power by controlling powerful institutions and the propaganda that is given to the majority of the public. One of the most effective ways they use to promote propaganda is to stereotype belief systems that often stand up for the majority better than they do, which is why they demonized socialism and communism equating it with Stalin and Mao, even though they never represented the majority of the public. Real grassroots organizations are much more likely to recognize that although Marxism or communism might not be perfect they do have some ideas that are better than the ones being implemented by the ruling class and sorting through them regardless of stereotypes promoted by the ruling class to keep the good ones is much better than accepting the ideology of the ruling class.

Recent disclosures about the American Psychological Association indicate that they've been studying how to manipulate the public in addition to their participation in torture programs, providing additional details about their manipulation tactics. It remains to be seen if alternative media outlets and the strong grass roots support for real reform will be enough to elect a real reformer but it already seems clear that if the ruling class is going to defeat Bernie Sanders then they'll have to show their tactics even more; and a large portion of his support might abandon the Democratic Party and go to the Green Party; and if they use the same tactics against Jill Stein, or whoever the nominee is, as they have in the past then they'll show how they rig elections even more.

The media has already demonstrated how little they care about important issues by providing much more attention to clownish candidates like Donald Trump than they do for sincere candidates like Jill Stein that do a much better job addressing issues. They give candidates from the ruling class one chance after another guaranteeing them large amounts of coverage no matter how much trouble they get in refuse to provide much if any coverage for candidates the ruling class don't support. One of the most brazen examples of this was Mark Sanford but there are many more.

In Hong Kong they understand that their candidates are screened by Beijing, and that this makes a mockery of democracy; if enough people in the USA understand that the traditional media continues to screen the candidates considered for office, virtually rigging the elections for corporations that donate to campaigns then they might not be able to rig the elections.

If people don't recognize this, or go along with the lessor of two evils over and over again then it will make a mockery out of democracy here as well, only many of the people falling for the scams might be so thoroughly indoctrinated they might not realize it.

American Psychological Association exposed again

The American Psychological Association has been exposed again in a new report, "All the President’s Psychologists," and numerous other articles from various sources. Some of this isn't new and there is some evidence to indicate that more may have been revealed already that hasn't received much attention.

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Those with political and media clout, who understand psychological manipulation tactics often use them to manipulate the masses, many of whom don't understand psychological manipulation tactics, including many that aren't to difficult to understand if people take the time to understand them..

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Also at least one of the individuals, Phillip Zimbardo, that has claimed to expose some of the problems with the CIA and been critical of the Bush administration may have also been involved in the research to develop some of these tactics and to revise the ethics guidelines. I have written more about this in Philip Zimbardo, Lucifer Effect, and The Stanford Prison Experiment and several other posts about this subject and will review some of it here; also there might be more information indicating that he was involved in this report, although they don't put much emphasis on it. As I indicated in previous posts Amy Goodman has interviewed him as well but didn't inquire about possible connections to the torture. I don't know if she had any knowledge of it; but if she didn't she probably should have.

The following is an excerpt from Democracy Now followed by several other excerpts including some from the new report:

Emails Show American Psychological Association Secretly Worked with Bush Admin to Enable Torture

New details have emerged on how the American Psychological Association, the world’s largest group of psychologists, aided government-sanctioned torture under President George W. Bush. A group of dissident psychologists have just published a 60-page report alleging the APA secretly coordinated with officials from the CIA, White House and the Pentagon to change the APA ethics policy to align it with the operational needs of the CIA’s torture program. Much of the report, "All the President’s Psychologists: The American Psychological Association’s Secret Complicity with the White House and US Intelligence Community in Support of the CIA’s 'Enhanced' Interrogation Program," is based on hundreds of newly released internal APA emails from 2003 to 2006 that show top officials were in direct communication with the CIA. The report also reveals Susan Brandon, a behavioral science researcher working for President Bush, secretly drafted language that the APA inserted into its ethics policy on interrogations. We are joined by two of the report’s co-authors: Dr. Steven Reisner, a founding member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology and member of the APA Council of Representatives, and Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Signal Program on Human Security and Technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

Much of the report is based on hundreds of newly released internal APA emails from 2003 to 2006 that show top officials were in direct communication with the CIA. In 2004, for example, the APA secretly took part in a meeting with officials from the CIA and other intelligence agencies to discuss ethics and national security. In one email, the APA stated that the aim of the meeting was, quote, "to take a forward looking, positive approach, in which we convey a sensitivity to and appreciation of the important work mental health professionals are doing in the national security arena, and in a supportive way offer our assistance in helping them navigate through thorny ethical dilemmas," unquote.

One attendee was Kirk Hubbard, then the chief of operations for the CIA Operational Assessment Division. He would later leave the CIA to work for the private firm set up by James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, the psychologists who were hired as private contractors to set up the CIA interrogation program including the waterboarding of prisoners. In one 2003 email, Hubbard wrote to a top APA official, quote, "You won’t get any feedback from [Dr. James] Mitchell or Jessen. They are doing special things to special people in special places, and generally are not available," unquote. While the APA has attempted to distance itself from Mitchell and Jessen, the newly disclosed emails show the men attended a 2003 invite-only conference called "The Science of Deception," sponsored by the APA, the CIA and RAND Corporation, to discuss so-called enhanced interrogations. Complete article

This article and the accompanying report clearly indicates that a large portion of the work that some of the most prominent psychologists, or at least some of those with the most political power, do is shrouded in secrecy and designed to deceive and manipulate the public. This includes changes in the ethical guidelines which were done in secret meetings and even many members of the American Psychology Association weren't informed about them; which might explain why Susan Linn was surprised to see the new 2003 guidelines as I mentioned in a previous article and will get to more below. As I indicated in past articles about the subject there are plenty of good psychologists and some of them help expose the bad ones; however they often don't get nearly as much attention in the traditional media as those with political support so it takes time to sort through the details and check the facts. I covered what I consider some of the basics in a manner most people can understand and confirm in Fundamentals of Psychology and Washington's Blog provided some additional information in the following excerpt:

Who’s Crazy Now? American Psychological Association Supported Torture “At Every Critical Juncture”

Like Nazi and Soviet Psychologists, American Psychologists Aided Abuse

While most psychologists are good people, tyrannies have always deployed corrupt psychologists to punish dissenters, and label them “crazy”.

The Nazi government substantially supported psychologists … many of whom, in turn, espoused extermination of the people they considered to be “racially and cognitively compromised”.

Soviet psychiatrists famously aided Stalin in applying fake insanity diagnoses to political dissenters. The official explanation was that no sane person would declaim the Soviet government and Communism.

And authoritarian American psychologists are eager to label anyone “taking a cynical stance toward politics, mistrusting authority, endorsing democratic practices, … and displaying an inquisitive, imaginative outlook” as worthy of a trip to the insane asylum. (Those traits may also get one labeled as a potential terrorist.) Indeed, Americans are literally being thrown in the loony bin after they question those in power.

As prominent forensic psychiatrist James Knoll – psychiatry professor at SUNY-Syracuse and director of a forensic fellowship program – writes in the Psychiatric Times:

When psychiatric science becomes co-opted by a political agenda, an unhealthy alliance may be created. It is science that will always be the host organism, to be taken over by political viruses…. Psychiatry may come to resemble a new organism entirely — one that serves the ends of the criminal justice system.

Indeed, American psychologists created the American program of torture which was specially-crafted to produce false confessions to justify U.S. military policy. Complete article

It seems extreme to many people to claim that American psychologists behaved as bad as Nazi or Soviet psychologists and but a close look at a lot of past work by the CIA indicates that if they aren't as bad they're much closer than most people would want to believe. And a lot of it is more subtle, and harder to understand without review, although most of the details aren't that complicated if people take the time to review them.

The following excerpts of the report (PDF) indicate some of the highlights that I considered notable including admissions to working for the CIA, at least by some of them, and claims that they wanted to keep their activities secret, some discussion about favorable financial treatment for those working for the CIA, at least one reference to the discussions about the changes in the ethical guidelines that were decided on in August 2002 which either went into effect immediately or in 2003, and at the end is a brief mention of Zimbardo, who has indicated that he is critical of the abuses of the CIA and Bush administration; but the decisions to make changes in the ethical guidelines happened on his watch; and Kirk Hubbard refers to him as if he thinks he might be willing to act on his behalf. In addition to Hubbard some of the psychologists directly implicated are James Mitchell, Bruce Jessen, Susan Brandon and Stephen Behnke, who is supposed to be their expert on ethics but clearly doesn't seem to be too concerned about them. Philip Zimbardo isn't directly implicated but as I previously wrote there seems to be plenty of circumstantial evidence to indicate that he probably is involved with some of this research, including his own admissions and research by professor Alfred McCoy, and this provides some additional information that supports this assumption.

All the President’s Psychologists: The American Psychological Association’s Secret Complicity with the White House and US Intelligence Community in Support of the CIA’s 'Enhanced' Interrogation Program.

The APA secretly coordinated with officials from the CIA, White House, and the Department of Defense to create an APA ethics policy on national security interrogations that comported with then­-classified legal guidance authorizing the CIA torture program. .....

The complicity between APA and government entities appears to have directly influenced the APA ethics policy changes, codified into the June 2005 report of the APA’s Presidential Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS). The PENS report, in combination with associated, past APA ethics code changes, permitted psychologists to take on the roles of monitoring and evaluating the safety and efficacy of the “enhanced” interrogation program. ...

The Gerwehr emails, together with independent documents in the public record, demonstrate that APA’s secret coordination with the Bush administration both generated and critically shaped APA’s 2005 ethics policy on interrogations. .... Presenting misleading information to APA membership, the public, and the press that obscured or falsified the history of complicity with Mitchell and Jessen, the CIA and/or the Bush White House. .....

(memo sent in 2004)

In his memo, addressed to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Tenet made clear just how high the stakes were during this period and how much conflict appears to have arisen among the leadership prior to his resignation. Tenet reminded the key players of the Administration that they had all approved the program: “From the outset, the policy to employ these techniques against terrorist HVD has been reviewed and endorsed by senior Administration policymakers; in August 2002, the Vice President, the Council to the President, the Attorney General and you were briefed and approved CIA going forward with the Program...” he wrote: “Given all this increased scrutiny now upon us in the wake of treatment of prisoners in Iraq and all the questions the administration is being asked, I strongly believe that the Administration needs to review its previous legal and policy positions with respect to detainees to assure that we all speak in a united and unambiguous voice about the continued wisdom and efficacy of those positions in light of the current controversy.” 15

Soon after Mumford’s “save­the date” was sent, APA’s Ethics Director, Stephen Behnke sent an official invitation to potential participants. Behnke framed the purpose of the meeting as a response to the Abu Ghraib scandal:

Dear Invitee,

Events in our recent history, most notably the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the Abu Ghraib prison situation, have stimulated a great deal of interest in the ethics of using psychology and psychological techniques as tools in national security investigations. (Email 3)

Behnke reassured invitees that the APA Ethics Office would “neither assess nor investigate the behavior of any specific individual or group.” Instead, Behnke conveyed the APA’s deference to the needs of psychologists in the intelligence community:

The Ethics Office and Science Directorate would like to take a forward looking, positive approach, in which we convey a sensitivity to and appreciation of the important work mental health professionals are doing in the national security arena, and in a supportive way offer our assistance in helping them navigate through thorny ethical dilemmas, if they feel that need (informal conversations with people in the field suggest the need is there).

Behnke further guaranteed that APA would keep the meeting, its participants, and their contributions confidential:

I would like to emphasize that we will not advertise the meeting other than this letter to the individual invitees, that we will not publish or otherwise make public the names of attendees or the substance of our discussions...

Indeed, the substance of the discussions and the names of the attendees at the July 20, 2004 meeting have never been disclosed. 16 Similarly, it is unknown whether follow­up meetings took place between APA and CIA personnel, although the invitation and subsequent emails refer to the possibility of such meetings.

What is known is that the same day APA leadership was meeting with top national security psychologists from the CIA, the officials at the highest levels of the Bush administration were meeting to address the legality of the enhanced interrogation program: “In a meeting on July 20, 2004, National Security Council principals, including the vice president, provided their authorization for the CIA to use its enhanced interrogation techniques... They also directed the Department of Justice to prepare a legal opinion on whether the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques were consistent with the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.” 17 The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were central to the U.S. interpretation of what constituted CIDT. 18 ....

n addition, the weekend meeting was attended by numerous unacknowledged observers, whose presence, according to Task Force Chair Moorehead­Slaughter, had been vetted by herself and the two Board liaisons who later became APA Presidents, Koocher and Anton. 23 Secret observers included Brandon, recently of the White House, Dr. Mel Gravitz, a psychologist formerly at the National Security Agency, and APA staff members Newman, Mumford, Farberman, Breckler and Dr. Heather Kelly. 24 It is unknown, aside from Brandon (see below), whether these observers contributed to the report, which Task Force ”rapporteur” Stephen Behnke wrote during meeting breaks and in the evenings. As the public record reflects, Behnke finalized the Report and distributed it to the Task Force members six hours after the Task Force meeting ended. ....

Additional pressure on the “enhanced” interrogation program and the use of medical personnel came through the CIA Office of the Inspector General (OIG). At the time, the program faced increasing calls for review and oversight following damaging revelations about the treatment of “ghost detainees.” 34

In May 2004, the OIG recommended that the CIA conduct a study of the effectiveness of the interrogation techniques. In response to OMS concerns that studying the results of these interrogations “would amount to human experimentation,” the OIG issued a clarification in January 2005: I fear there was a misunderstanding. OIG did not have in mind doing additional, guinea pig research on human beings. What we are recommending is that the Agency undertake a careful review of its experience to date in using the various techniques and that it draw conclusions about their safety, effectiveness, etc., that can guide CIA officers as we move ahead. 35 .....

2002: Previous Changes to APA Ethics Code

It is important to note that previous changes to the APA Ethics Code appear to have helped set the stage for psychologists to conduct research on a vulnerable population (e.g. detainees) without their consent. While such conduct has been deemed unethical for health professionals since Nuremberg, the APA ethics code had been revised in 2002 in ways that weakened key research protections established by the Nuremberg Code 42 under customary international law and the Common Rule under US Federal Law. One such change, apparently drafted into the code after 9/11, determined that the requirement to obtain informed consent could be dispensed with when “permitted by law or federal or institutional regulations” (Ethical Standard 8.05: American Psychological Association, 2002b). 4

Other changes, already being considered prior to 9/11 but made APA policy in August 2002, included permitting psychologists to more readily employ deception, restricting only “research that is reasonably expected to cause physical pain or severe emotional distress” (Ethical Standard 8.07), and most strikingly, to fore-go their ethical obligations altogether, if these “conflict with law, regulations, or other governing legal authority” (Ethical Standard 1.02). 44 ....

Email 3: Mumford, July 14, 2004 ..... I would like to emphasize that we will not advertise the meeting other than this letter to the individual invitees, that we will not publish or otherwise make public the names of attendees or the substance of our discussions, and that in the meeting we will neither assess nor investigate the behavior of any specific individual or group. ..... Sincerely, Stephen Behnke Director, APA Ethics Office .....

Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 11:16 AM To: Mumford, Geoff ..... 3. In July 2003, the APA and the RAND corp. co­hosted a workshop entitled, “Science of Deception: Integration of Practice and Theory,” which was funded by the CIA. Can you tell me who initiated the workshop and provide a little more description of the event? Topics included the use of pharmaceutical truth­telling agents. Can you tell me who led that workshop and what conclusion they arrived at? Katherine Eban

From: Mumford, Geoffrey
Subject: RE: Dinner on the 17th
Date: June 27, 2003 5:44:31 PM EDT
To: kirk hubbard
Cc: Scott Gerwehr (RAND), Susan Brandon (NIH/NIMH)

Kirk,
I concur and only just now saw Scott's reference...glad he's on our side;) Sorry to hear your getting grief about the room but have I got a deal for you...as a special promotion for APA members, who also work in CIA Ops AND are willing to share their last names, I will pull that pawltry (poultry?) room fee out of my policy budget and put you up for the night. This is the very least APA can do given the remarkable generosity your agency has shown in supporting the wrkshop.

Enjoy the weekend!
­geoff

Email 12: Hubbard, June 13, 2003 .... If you are looking for another scientist/researcher, a colleague here suggested Richard Rogers, Ph.D. He wrote a book titled "Clinical Assessment of Malingering and Deception" and apparently continues to conduct research in the area of deception. Last we know, he is a Professor of Psychology at the Univ of North Texas. My colleague was impressed by his work, for what it's worth.

Email 15. Hubbard, April 2, 2003
kirk hubbard
To: sbrandon, gmumford, gerwehr
Date: April 2, 2003 2:24 PM RE: Workshop on Science of Deception
Susan, Your reply sounds fine to me.
Pretty slick­­-you should be handling agents for us!

Another approach in addition to your note might be to find someone like Sternberg, Zimbardo, etc. who knows Ekman and could cajole him. Joe Matarazzo knows him and has called on my behalf before, but I don't know if they have any personal relationship. Joe loves to strong arm people, but I don't know what effect that might have on Ekman. We don't want him to be disruptive at the forum!

Kirk Complete article

In the final E-mail cited Kirk Hubbard refers to Zimbardo as someone that he might consider asking to "cajole" Ekman on his behalf. This hardly seems likely if Phillip Zimbardo really was as concerned about preventing torture or participating with the CIA as his public statements indicate; however in previous statements, including his book and the introduction to a recent edition to Stanley Milgram's "Obedience to Authority" book he has admitted that he was the charismatic one of the two in high school and college and that he could be manipulative, and his so called Stanford Prison Experiment was about manipulation. He claimed to put those things behind him when he was admonished by his girlfriend and future wife; but he also admits to further experiments after that change of heart, and he was the president of the American Psychological association when they had a meeting, previously mentioned, in august 2002 to decide on the new ethical guidelines that went into effect in the summer of 2003. This report indicates that at least some of those changes went into effect immediately.

Phillip Zimbardo has provided conflicting claims in the past and it may be difficult to figure out exactly what his objective is. If he was trying to advance the CIA's goal in the most effective way possible and keep this secret it wouldn't seem reasonable for him to disclose some of their tactics as he did in his book. However if he wanted to expose them in the most effective way possible he could have done a much better job and he could have written his book in the seventies exposing some of his research much earlier, possibly preventing his research being used to develop interrogation techniques or indoctrination techniques in boot camp, by informing the public how to avoid being misled. and if he really was an anti-war protester during the Vietnam war it is hard to imagine why he would have done research financed by the Office of Navel Research that could be used to develop boot camp policies among other things.

He didn't take either of these options, which may make his objective a little more complicated. As I indicated in previous posts it might be because they want to disclose as much and only as much information when it suits their purposes, not the purposes of the majority of the public.

This report also implicated at least two new psychologists who later became president of the American Psychological Association. Alfred McCoy also implicated several previous presidents of the APA in his research. Neither of them directly implicated Zimbardo, who was president in 2002 but McCoy made a compelling case to implicate both Stanley Milgram and Irving Janis, who were closely tied to Zimbardo and worked together on several related projects including the Obedience experiments and the so-called Prison experiment which were part of a much larger series of experiments that were related. If McCoy had substituted Zimbardo for Milgram or Janis his argument would have been even stronger, especially after Zimbardo wrote his book which might look like a partial confession to those that are familiar with his work and apply scrutiny.

The clear implication, from a lot of this research, is that they've been using psychological manipulation for the advantage of war profiteers and oil companies among other people with enough political clout, regardless of how much damage it does to the rest of society. However they have to realize that this could eventually backfire, even on those with the most political clout, when the damage escalates too much so it is possible that they might support a controlled transition, to some degree. If this is happening, and it isn't exposed, then we could get what they consider enough reform, and only enough reform, to prevent it from backfiring on those with the most political clout, although they might abandon some scapegoats.

Phillip Zimbardo has also encouraged hero worship, although he doesn't phrase it that way. The most practical solutions don't involve dramatic actions; instead they involve teaching people about the root causes of problems and avoiding them before dramatic action seems appropriate. A good argument could be made that teachers and other ordinary people that take preventive action are the real heroes, however it doesn't seem as dramatic and is rarely accompanied by hype by the media.

Unfortunately the media that does cover Zimbardo rarely if ever seems to bring this up. Instead they often give him a good chance to make his case and present himself as being opposed to the torture practices that he almost certainly helped develop. This includes Democracy Now who interviewed him when he published his book in 2007 and didn't mention the support for torture by the APA until the end of the interview when there was no time to discuss it, nor did they find extra time posted on the web, as they do with some guests, as indicated in the following excerpt:

Understanding How Good People Turn Evil: Renowned Psychologist Philip Zimbardo on His Landmark Stanford Prison Experiment, Abu Ghraib and More 03/30/2007

..... AMY GOODMAN: Professor Zimbardo, we have held several debates on the American Psychological Association’s position on psychologists participating in military interrogations, quite different from the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association. Can you comment on the organization you were formerly the president of?

PHILIP ZIMBARDO: Well, I have to begin by saying that psychologists really want to make their research relevant to society, that we want to give back. We get—our research gets funded. Our students get—students’ education gets funded. And so, we are eager to do things—and certainly I, all my life, have tried to make our research relevant to the needs of society. And so, many psychologists are military psychologists. Many psychologists work for the government in various capacities, doing really important good things. Psychologists were critical in the Second World War. And so, some psychologists work to give advice to interrogators about how to be more effective, the same way some psychologists give advice to police detectives on how to be more effective. The problem comes when you’re giving—

AMY GOODMAN: We have 10 seconds.

PHILIP ZIMBARDO: —specific advice about a particular individual being interrogated. And at that point, you step across the line, that you cannot—you cannot abuse your role as psychologist to help an interrogator break a prisoner psychologically. And that, I am strongly against.

AMY GOODMAN: Professor Zimbardo, we’re going to have to leave it there. I want to thank you very much for being with us. The book is called The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Complete article

Amy Goodman and others have had plenty of time to ask him more question or raise them for the benefit of the public since then; unfortunately few of them have, even many relatively high profile alternative media outlets; but one one brief occasion she did report give him more good press about a petition drive, Appointment of Rumsfeld Stirs Protest at Stanford. 09/25/2007 "The petition effort is led in part by famed psychologist Philip Zimbardo." Ironically Phillip Zimbardo has acknowledged some criticism, which I haven't seen on the internet, in the 2008 edition of his book, which says that while promoting it that many people came to the conclusion that he might have used his research to develop the torture techniques later used at Abu Ghraib; but he didn't say who these people were, but it clearly indicates that others came to similar conclusions before me.

The problems with the use of psychological manipulation goes well beyond international affairs and torture. It also includes manipulation of children through advertising that starts at a young age, manipulating workers, often through union busing tactics, and manipulating of voters for political purposes. Advertising to children is what Susan Linn was writing about, in her book "Consuming Kids" when she expressed concern and surprise at the removal of the social responsibility clause. Susan Linn and several other researchers, including Juliet Schor and Roy F. Fox have also expressed concern, if not outrage by laws that protect the secrecy of "proprietary research" done regarding advertizing to children.

This essentially means that instead of protecting children or other people, including voters and workers, from psychological manipulation by psychologists the government is protecting the secrecy of the manipulators. It essentially means that conspiracy is protected by law. The fact that conspiracy to manipulate the public is protected by law isn't actually a conspiracy theory, since this conclusion is based on information that is available to the public. A conspiracy theory would be when people speculate about conspiracies before they have all the information they need to establish facts. However it does indicate that there are conspiracies going on and this report has exposed some of them; and it has indicated that conspiracy theorists are justified in some of their speculations as long as they do their best to sort out the details with accurate information that is available.

As I've said in the past many so-called conspiracy theories don't fit the strictest definition of conspiracy, since the information used to come to conclusions isn't completely secret. Instead they're often mentioned very briefly in low profile locations where large percentages of the public never read them; and contradictory claims that often don't stand up to scrutiny are repeated over and over again. This is propaganda, which is similar to conspiracy, and it often involves psychological manipulation. The advantage of this is that if there is public information even without the help of the media the word can get out eventually but as Mark Twain once said, “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

And another popular quote often ironically attributed to Vladimir Lenin, "A lie repeated often enough becomes the truth," or at least it seems to. This is one of the most basic principles of propaganda, which is why we need a more diverse media.

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Edit: In one of the previous posts about Phillip Zimbardo and the American Psychological Association, "Corruption or Bias in the American Psychological Association," I mentioned that I informed both Phillip Zimbardo, through his web site, and an associate of his, Sharon Presley, through Facebook about my articles on their work and received no response. This was in 2011; before writing this article I sent him two tweets and after I sent him one more informing him of this article. I received no response once again. This isn't surprising, since if my views raise legitimate points, then from a public relations point of view, which is similar to a legal point of view, the best way to address it might be to avoid drawing any additional attention to it and avoid providing a response that might not adequately address the situation and make it seem worse. If on the other hand there is a legitimate problem with my concerns, it might be in his best interest to address them

The following are the tweets that I sent him:

May 16 @PhilZimbardo Hi wondering why you accepted money from ONR while opposing war and if you were involved in ethical changes decided Aug. 2002

@PhilZimbardo for more info see http://zacherydtaylor.blogspot.com/2015/03/philip-zimbardo-lucifer-effect-stanford.html … sent you an E-Mail years ago but got no reply thanks

May 19 @PhilZimbardo Why would Kirk Hubbard think you might help him "cajole" Ekman in new torture disclosure? http://zacherydtaylor.blogspot.com/2015/05/american-psychological-association.html … Thanks

Also since writing this a study Zimbardo wrote in 1979, On Resisting Social Influence Susan Andersen and Philip Zimbardo Stanford University, was brought to my attention through an ATS discussion. This study has some of the same advantages and disadvantages of his book, only, since it seems to have drawn less attention it may have done more to educate those who want to conduct scams than those who want to avoid them. Like the Obedience to Authority experiments, it could be used to better understand manipulation tactics and use them assuming, the target doesn't understand them, or to warn the public about them so that they can avoid being scammed. Since this was almost certainly not available to a large number of people outside the academic world, it almost certainly did little or nothing to warn people that might be susceptible to these scams. In all fairness the media is much more responsible for that; if they wanted to do more to inform people o this type of research they could but, instead they often use propaganda that often indicates that they understand it, since they're using manipulation tactics.

I have written several posts about related subjects in the past including the following:

Fundamentals of Psychology

Manipulation Tactics

Political Manipulation

Philip Zimbardo, Lucifer Effect, Stanford Prison Experiment

Corruption or Bias in the American Psychological Association

Eli Roth’s Milgram/Obedience experiment much more extensive than most people realize

Political Psychologist Are Suppressing Democracy

There are also plenty of additional other reports, some of which were used to deve3lop some of the reporting hear or were cited in this report including the following:

Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Psychological Ethics and National Security. (2005). PDF 11 pages

Counterpunch: The Ethical Demise of the American Psychological Association 05/13/2015

Psychological Warfare? A Debate on the Role of Mental Health Professionals in Military Interrogations at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and Beyond 08/11/2005

A Secret E-Mail Argument Among Psychologists About Torture 05/08/2009

APA Interrogation Task Force Member Dr. Jean Maria Arrigo Exposes Group’s Ties to Military 08/20/2007

June 4 letter from Tenet to National Security Adviser (Rice?) Review of CIA Interrogation Program

Salon: Psychological warfare 07/26/2006 Angered that their professional organization has adopted a policy condoning psychologists' participation in "war on terror" interrogations, many psychologists are vowing to stage a battle royal at the APA's annual meeting.

Psychologists group still rocked by torture debate 08/04/2006 In an angry response to Salon, the American Psychological Association defends its policy on participating in terror suspects' interrogation -- as some members still push for change.

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Executive Summary of the Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program. (2014), p. 136. United States Senate PDF study 500 pages and hard if not impossible to download