Look Mom! No Background Check!

Surprise, surprise! The state of Kansas does not require background checks for all public school employees. Teachers must be vetted, but bus drivers, secretaries, para-professionals and cafeteria workers are welcome to add a criminal record, complete with a listing in the sex offender registry, to their resumes. Commission of a crime by a teacher while employed by a school is not a problem for many "unified" school districts in Kansas, either. As long as parents can be intimidated by school administration and the local "unified" school board to keep quiet about any criminal activity or behavior by teachers, it can go undetected.

Siriunsun's Art Gallery

Writing That Trancsends Time And Space

Father William

"You are old, Father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white,
And yet you incessantly stand on your head,
Are you sure, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," Father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain,
But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why I do it again and again!"

"You are old", said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And have grown most uncommonly fat,
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door,
Pray, what is the reason of that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple,
By the use of this ointment-one shilling the box-
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth,"and your jaws are too weak,
For anything tougher than suet,
Yet you finished the goose with the bones and the beak,
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife,
And the muscular strength that it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever,
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose-
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father, "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs!"


 Lewis Carroll, from The Hunting Of The Snark And Other Poems And Verses

Insight

Pat Welch Lyin' About The Lyon Sisters

Lets see here; Patricia Jean Welch, of Hyattsville, Maryland, brightened her holiday last year by getting arrested in December, for lying to the grand jury in Virginia about some evidence related to the forty year old cold case of the missing Lyon sisters, from Montgomery County, Maryland. Pat Welch thought it would be more circumspect to lie, when asked pointed questions, rather than realizing that the questions never would have been asked, in the first place, unless the truth, or at least part of the truth, was already known. 

Something else to which Pat Welch did not give much attention is that when people, such as Lloyd Lee Welch, her nephew and a "person of interest" in this case, go to jail on the spur of a moment, they sometimes leave many of their personal possessions behind. Since Lloyd is in jail, and has been for years, he isn't as available to visit his previous addresses and hide evidence. That makes it a little bit easier for the police to find his stuff, what's left of it, and look for anything connected to any crimes he might have committed. 

Pat's husband, Richard Welch, is also a "person of interest" in the missing persons cases of Katherine and Sheila Lyon, and has recently retained legal counsel. This happened right around the time that the house he shares with Pat was searched again by Montgomery County Police, earlier this month. Pat says the police didn't take anything, but the media has pictures and footage of police taking things. Also, Richard's lawyer says that if the police come back, Pat and Richard will cooperate and be honest, because they have nothing to hide, but if that's really true, why is Pat due in court in Bedford County, Virginia, on June 29, for perjury? If she has nothing to hide, wouldn't she have just cooperated, and answered the grand jury's questions truthfully in December?

Sheila and Katherine Lyon, who disappeared while walking home from Wheaton Plaza, in Maryland, on March 25, 1975. 

Abbie Hoffman Moment

Things That Don't Get Lost

Memories. They don't get lost. If only you hadn't died so young.

New NCMEC Campaign

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. has a new awareness campaign to prevent children from disappearing and becoming models for milk cartons. It's called Be Here For Kids. This campaign features updated ideas for discussions about safety with children of all ages, and, of course, new discussions about internet safety. National Missing Children's is May 25, and so far, public awareness has been the best tool to prevent the tragedy of missing children.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day, everyone!

James Horn Is A Missouri Fugitive

Tonight, we have a man in Missouri, named James Horn Jr., on the run because he apparently murdered his ex-girlfriend, Sandra Sutton, and her seventeen year old son, Zachary. She had lived with Horn in Sedalia, but broke up with him after being held hostage in a wooden box most of the time since January. She finally got away from him in early April. This morning, she and Zachary were found dead in the home of relatives in Clinton. Because police did not see fit to grab him in April, when Sutton first complained, he is now in the wind. They have been making efforts to find him for about two weeks, though. Quite thoughty of them.

Authorities in Clinton have stated that they were unaware that Sutton was living in Clinton, and that they were unaware that there were any warrants for Horn's arrest or any efforts underway to find him. Let yours truly raise the BS flag here. This case has been in the news for at least several weeks, and did not become a double homicide until today. If CNN and Fox News were aware of Mr. Horn, law enforcement in Missouri should have been aware of him, as well. And since young Zachary attended school in Clinton, it does not appear to have been a secret that he and his mother were staying with his grandparents. Indeed, it was not a secret to Mr. Horn.

Hopefully, James Horn will be apprehended before he kills anyone else.

Sandra and Zachary Sutton

Missouri House Texter

The Republican Speaker of the House in Missouri has resigned, because of some texts that were discovered. John Diehl, it seems, was caught in an illicit exchange of sexually charged messages between himself and an intern. These messages were almost certainly backed up by an illicit exchange of sexually charged deeds, and now he will no longer represent the fine, republican folks of Missouri. But he is still quite possibly representative of the fine, republican folks of Missouri.

Now it appears that Todd Richardson will inherit Diehl's deal, complete with the mallet, cell phones, and interns.

What was your serious error, dude? Was it the text messages, or the subject of the text messages?

Insight

Abbie Hoffman Moment

ACLU Guide For Snapping Pictures In Public

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about snapping pictures in public, especially of police officers while they are eating doughnuts and beating people up....er...working. Police officers will often tell people that it is not lawful to take pictures of police officers when they do their jobs, and will even confiscate cameras of bystanders and arrest journalists and reporters when cameras have clearly caught police officers with their pants down. But the truth is, taking pictures in public is perfectly legal. On private property, one must have permission of the property owner in order to take pictures, but in public, one may snap pictures of anything one can see. Police may not confiscate anyone's camera or SD card without a warrant, and police officers have even been brought up on charges of tampering with evidence for doing just that. The American Civil Liberties Union has published a guide for photographers for reference.

Pictures of police in action, taken by citizens, provide an independent record of the photographed or recorded incident. Such evidence reduces the prevalence of faulty memories and lies, and is important for transparency of those who represent authority. No one should have to worry about police confiscating photographs or cameras, and no police officer should do anything in the line of duty that he or she would not want photographed.

Crazy Racist Principal Is Fired

Nancy Gordeuk, the crazy racist high school principal who ruined graduation for the seniors at TNT Academy in Georgia, has been officially relieved of her duties as a school employee. Apparently, the private school's investors did not accept her excuse, "the devil made me do it", as a legitimate reason for ruining graduation. Perhaps the devil was annoyed, too. After all, his reputation takes a beating when people like Nancy Gordeuk and her ilk (fundamentalist christians) do not wish to take responsibility for their actions. While it is a very wonderful thing that she will no longer be extended the privilege of badly influencing the young people at TNT Academy, the graduating class of 2015 will never be given their graduation back. Because she's a bigot, Nancy Gordeuk ruined a once in a lifetime event for these students.

Josue Ramirez-Marinero

Josue Ramirez-Marinero was located on Monday morning, trapped in some branches on the bank of the Elkhorn River, outside of Omaha, Nebraska. His older brother, Roberto Martinez-Marinero, had invited his mom over to his place in order to stab her to death when she was unable to lend him money, and because Josue was almost five, (his birthday is on May 26) Roberto determined that it was necessary to kill him, so he would not be able to testify. Roberto is now in jail, charged with two counts of murder, and was denied bond. Roberto's girlfriend, Gabriela Guevara, was charged as an accessory to both counts, and her bond is one million dollars. Josue is survived by his eleven month old brother, Angel, who was found in the trash after his mother was killed.

Why'd all this have to happen?

Insight

Through The Lens Of Siriunsun's Camera

Colton Barrera's Petition

Colton Ross Barrera disappeared on September 26, 2008. Since then, the case has stagnated in the office of the Russell County Sheriff's Office, in Kansas and has been assigned to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in Great Bend, Kansas, but with no notable progress in searches or interviews with witnesses. Because it has been over six years since Colton has been seen anywhere, his family, his friends, and the citizens of Kansas would like this case handed to the FBI for further investigation and a fresh look at any leads that may or may not have been pursued. The people of Kansas would also like an update on the case from the Russell County Sheriff's Office and from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations, complete with an accounting of the outcomes of any interviews and the findings of any search warrants. Colton and his family deserve to know the progress of the investigation and the case. Here is the link to the petition to request renewed efforts to find Colton and resolve his case; please click on the link and sign it.

How To Ruin A Graduation

How does a principal ruin a graduation in 2015? It's easy; devalue the valedictorian's speech by completely forgetting about it, insult the families of the graduates, and follow it up with a nasty, racist remark. No kidding. Nancy Gordeuk, principal of TNT High School, in Dekalb County, Georgia, did just that. Then, she apologized, by doing that christian thingy which yours truly finds so exasperating: she blamed that imaginary specter referred to as "the devil". Then she told everyone that "God" has "forgiven" her, so it appears that it's all okay that she's a flaming racist who ruined graduation, and she went on to tell all the graduates and their parents to just "get over it". Geesh! Was that christian of her? If so, anyone with manners and decency will naturally want to be counted out.

Here's what her rude and annoying son, Travis, had to say about the whole event:

Some of the letters have been removed; the post in it's original form was even more offensive.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

What Kept The Etan Patz Jury From Guilty Verdict?

Etan Patz disappeared on his way to school in the Soho neighborhood in New York, in 1979. He was only six years old. He has never been found, and there have not been many viable leads or suspects over the years. In 2010, a basement was dug up in search of remains, but none were found. There have been age progressed pictures, and another suspect, Jose Ramos, the significant other of a babysitter sometimes used by Etan's family, was successfully sued in civil court by the Patz's in a wrongful death suit. There was never enough evidence to charge him in criminal court.

In 2012, an emotionally unstable man named Pedro Hernandez told law enforcement that he had killed a child. Members of his church supported that story, stating that he had repeated his account of having killed a child since the early 1980's. As for the remains, Hernandez claimed he had put the body in the trash. He was finally arrested, and his case went to trial. Aside from a haphazard confession, seven hours of which were not recorded, there was no evidence. Hernandez did not even get the name of the child he allegedly killed, and because there were no remains, against which to compare dental records or DNA for a positive identification, jurors would have had to make not only the leap that Hernandez actually did the deed, but that the victim was truly Etan Patz. Suppose Hernandez actually killed someone, but it wasn't Etan? Would Etan get justice? Or would a killer still be free to commit another murder?

The trial ended in a hung jury, and the judge finally declared a mistrial. There was one juror who did not agree that guilt should be determined in an American court with no evidence. It is a bit disturbing that only one juror would hold out, resisting the social pressure to convict without evidence, but thankfully, at least one person was willing to demand that the judicial system work the way it was designed to work. Coercion of a mentally ill suspect for hours on end by police is not likely to result in reliable information. And why would seven hours of such a conversation not have been recorded, so as to be available to a jury, later on? Could the seven hours possibly have been erased in order to preserve the ability of involved police officers to lie their asses off and get the wrong man convicted, thereby closing the case? With so many open and loose ends here, that seems like a distinct possibility. The only other supporting "evidence" the prosecution had were a few disorganized statements from Hernandez's former churchmates, claiming that he had "said he killed someone." Great. If he had really made such statements; and he actually may have; why in bloody hell didn't these church people go to the police back in the eighties, when Hernandez told them these things? Not that the statements are evidence, mind you. In the real world, third hand information is called "hearsay".

Hernandez is still in jail, waiting for the mumbo jumbo experts who engineered this mockery of a resolution to a missing persons case to decide when and if they want to retry the case. He is scheduled for a status hearing on June 10, 2015. Hopefully, if the case is tried again, there will at least be evidence and compelling testimony which will lead to the location of Etan Patz, and allow his family closure. 

In The Skyway While Black

Here's a video that was taken in St. Paul, Minnesota, in January of 2014. It shows a black man being arrested because he waited in a public place, a skyway, for his children to get out of school. Someone had called the police to complain that there was a black man in the skyway, and the police responded, as if it were an actual emergency. Then, after finding no crime in progress, they took the man to jail, leaving his children with no one to take them home. The person who attempted to record the whole incident was forced to reclaim his cell phone, by the way. It was unlawfully confiscated. Here's the ACLU guide for snapping pictures and video in public places.

To those who really don't understand why there were riots in Ferguson, Missouri because of Michael Brown's death, or why is it important to hold police officers in Baltimore, Maryland accountable for the death of Freddie Gray, just remember that digital photography has become the great equalizer.

Update On Nebraska's Amber Alert

The vehicle cited in the Amber Alert for five year old Josue Ramirez-Marinero has been located, so the Amber Alert was cancelled early this morning. Young Josue, however; has NOT been located, so it is still important for the public to be aware that there is still a missing little boy. His mother was positively identified as the woman who was found deceased in Nebraska yesterday, and his eleven month old brother was found in a dumpster. Anyone with information is asked to call the Omaha Police at 402-444-5656.

Amber Alert In Nebraska

There is an Amber Alert in Nebraska for five year old Josue Ramirez-Marinero. A woman who is believed to be his mother, Jesus I. Marinero, was found deceased today, but a positive identification has not been made. His one year old brother was found in a Lincoln, Nebraska dumpster earlier today. He was last  seen wearing a grey shirt and sweatpants, and is believed to be traveling in a silver Jeep Cherokee with Nebraska plates: SRH941.

If you think you may have seen him, or the Jeep Cherokee, or know anything about this situation, please call Nebraska State Patrol at 402-471-4545.

Marilyn Mosby Has Made A Solid Decision

In discussions about Baltimore, Maryland, and the errant policemen charged in Freddie Gray's untimely death because of false arrest, there has been a lot of speculation in other parts of the country about Maryland State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby, and her decision to file criminal charges. This is curious, because other cases involving prosecutors and their day to day decisions are generally not that interesting to the general public. This case; however, has drawn almost every disgruntled, racist, armchair critic out of the woodwork, to pretend that he or she not only has an intimate knowledge of Baltimore without ever having visited the city, but also knows the law better than Baltimore's top law enforcement official: Marilyn Mosby!

The real point of interest can probably be found in the recurring theme of police officers harassing, falsely arresting, and occasionally killing black men and not having to account for it. Freddie Gray was merely existing while black, doing nothing that should have been a problem for police officers, when he made "eye contact" with one. This was the reason given for his arrest, and police in Baltimore actually expected that explanation for the harassment and subsequent arrest of Mr. Gray to satisfy everyone. Eye contact. Next, he was dragged and slammed into a police van, his asthma ignored, and no one bothered with a seat belt. Apparently, he sustained an injury during the arrest and asked for help. All anyone did was slam his head against metal, while forcing him into the van. This created an injury that damaged eighty percent of Gray's spine, and he was not taken to the hospital for hours. About a week later, he died of those injuries. But.......white Americans in the Midwest, Kansas in particular, many of whom have never been to Baltimore, do not empathize with Freddie Gray at all, but use this as an opportunity to encourage more racism.

Maryland has over 5 million people in it. about 620,000 or so of them live in Baltimore. By contrast, Kansas has about 2 million people, and many of it's counties have populations smaller than 10 thousand people. Marilyn Mosby is not a "county attorney" but a "state's attorney", and she has many more constituents and much more responsibility than any county prosecutor in Kansas ever imagined. In the matter of Freddie Gray's death, she immediately got to work gathering evidence and testimony, and within day of receipt of the coroner's report, which clearly states that Gray's death was a homicide, she made a determination that those involved should be charged. There were some riots prior to this, but she faced her constituents and communicated with them, and Baltimore was not "on fire", as white midwesterners seem to enjoy saying.....in fact, there were not many ugly reactions at all. Ferguson, Missouri played around with it's citizens for months in a sickening game, it's goal to keep a white police officer from answering for the murder of black teenager. Mosby has not played those games. She looked at the facts, and charged the appropriate suspects with appropriate crimes.

Why is White America having so many problems with law enforcement being held accountable for criminal behavior? Baltimore, white and black, elected Marilyn Mosby to do exactly what she is doing, and Baltimore is also very happy with her.

Insight

Four Dead In Ohio

Richard Nixon's speech after four students were killed at Kent State. No one had threatened law enforcement; they simply determined that the approach of questioning authority should be met with lethal violence. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Ten days after the incident at Kent State, there was a similar protest at Jackson State University, a Black college in Mississippi. Police came, sprayed bullets into gatherings of unarmed students, and actually fired shots into dormitory windows, killing two and injuring nine. The media did not make a big deal of it, though.

Abbie Hoffman Moment

In Case You Slept Through Church This Sunday

Celebration Of Beltane

Beltane is celebrated either on the first of May, or on the first full moon of Taurus. It is the Pagan celebration of fertility, the time of blessing fields, herds, and of announcing engagements and marriages. The Goddess is celebrated by sensuality
and beauty, and in some ancient Northern European villages, all fires were extinguished, in order to be ceremoniously re-lit from the ritual balefire. It was a festival that involved everyone.

This is the celebration of Persephone's return from the realm of the underworld. On Halloween, she has become the consort of Hades, Lord of the underworld, and in this capacity, Persephone is the Queen of the Dead. During the six months between Halloween and Beltane, the earth is at rest, and growing season is dormant. It begins again, full swing, at her return.

Believe It Or Not, Murder Is Against The Law

After waiting over two weeks to finally divulge why they arrested Freddie Gray, the six police officers in Baltimore, Maryland, who ended up killing him, have been charged with various crimes, ranging from false imprisonment to second degree murder. One of the officers finally explained that Gray was arrested for "making eye contact" with a police officer, and since that is not a crime, it was determined that police had no probable cause to arrest Gray in the first place. Imagine that!

Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney in Baltimore, acted immediately when she received the report from the medical examiner, stating that the cause of death was homicide. The fact that the homicide was committed by a police officer was not important, and with no provocation of any kind, it should not be important. She decided that accountability is important, however; and is insisting that the six officers answer in court for their conduct. This is very significant, because nationwide, police tend to get away with false arrest, perjury, intimidation of witnesses, violence of all kinds, and murder on a regular basis. The advent of cell phone cameras and video has finally had an effect on the accountability of police officers.

There are those who are not in favor of this sudden non-selective application of the law. After all, police officers, particularly white police officers arresting black defendants, have enjoyed privilege and carte` blanch to behave as violently as they please since the Revolutionary War. How can a cop adjust to the sudden demand for justice and fair practice? And it WILL be an adjustment, too, just like being subject to impromptu professional and amateur photography is proving to be an adjustment for police officers. But here's the thing: it should not be an adjustment. There should not even be a discussion about it, or a court case. Police officers should never do anything in the line of duty that they would not want seen on camera by everyone on the internet, and police officers should never falsely arrest or imprison anyone and they should certainly never commit murder.

Many thanks to Marilyn Mosby for setting a new precedent of accountability in this country for law enforcement. It makes yours truly very proud of her connections to the East Coast. She is a brave and brilliant attorney.