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Posts Tagged ‘#WPLongform’

Murdering Susann Smith

Posted in Crime & Justice, Relationships, tagged , , , , on January 15, 2015| 420 Comments »

From Acacia Memorial Park's Dignity Memorial site

Susann Smith. From Acacia Memorial Park’s Dignity Memorial site.

Originally posted May 12th, 2013.

On February 12th of this year, Bothell, Washington resident Susann Smith didn’t show up for work. She was found bludgeoned to death–and stabbed– in the bathtub of her home. This murder set the community on edge and to date a suspect has not been arrested.

Smith had primary custody of her three and six year-old children. Her estranged husband, Allan Smith, saw them on evenings and weekends. They were getting a divorce and Susann had allegedly threatened to take the children back to her native Germany.

Allan has been named as a person of interest and the media has reported that he’d done an online search about countries without extradition treaties. The police are also investigating purchases he made including a bicycle that might have been used in the murder. To put it bluntly, all signs are pointing to the estranged ex-husband, who lived just two miles away. (more…)

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MAFP Goes Car Shopping

Posted in Crime & Justice, Pop Culture, tagged , , , , , , , on June 1, 2014| 3 Comments »

Car Sales 3

Yep. Like that.

Szzzzzzzz… that was the sound of an egg on a sidewalk on this sizzling summer weekend. The temperature was a sweltering 95 degrees, which is unusual for our meteorologically moderate corner of the Puget Sound.

It was on this weekend, without obvious male assistance, that I decided to start car shopping. I’d had quite enough of the Subaru with the continually exploding head gasket that had been chained to me without my consent at the end of a past life. Subaru, even with the involvement of the Attorney General’s office, never did provide a permanent fix for the time bomb they created from inferior metal. It was time to move on. (more…)

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The Blood Moon Tetrad

Posted in Faith, History, Nature, tagged , , , , , , , on April 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Blood moons. From WND/Mark Biltz.

Blood moons. From WND/Mark Biltz.

About midnight Pacific time tomorrow night (April 14th/15th, 2014), a total lunar eclipse will occur. As the moon is engulfed in Earth’s shadow, it will become a mesmerizing shade of molten crimson, hence the name blood moon. As an added bonus, the Red Planet, Mars, will be loitering nearby in dazzling brightness as April 14th marks the day it’s been closest to the earth in six years. (more…)

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It’s Okay. She’s Muslim.

Posted in America, Faith, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , , on April 10, 2014| 2 Comments »

Honor Killings 7

So your worthless wife or girlfriend wants to get a divorce/break up/move on/have guy friends/wants to work outside the home/didn’t heat your dinner up enough/disapproved of you wanting to bring other women in the relationship/looked at you funny/didn’t iron your pants/wants to go to school/didn’t feel like having sex. And you killed her. Because she deserved it.

That is exactly the mentality that untold numbers of Muslim men have, and if you criticize this hateful, evil, egotistical, misogynistic practice, you’re branded an Islamophobe. Do I have your attention? Note that I did not say that if you’re a Muslim, you believe this. What I am saying is that so-called honor killings are a worldwide problem and a growing concern here in America due to some Muslims. (more…)

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Zoom Out

Posted in Crime & Justice, Faith, tagged , , , , , on February 28, 2014| 1 Comment »

Planet Earth

Have you ever been so overwhelmed and besieged by a problem that if you could draw a picture of how you feel it would look like this?

Zoom Out 1 (more…)

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“Real” Domestic Violence

Posted in Crime & Justice, Faith, Relationships, tagged , , , , , , on November 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Escher 1

Indoctrinated.

Zealot.

Bigot.

Feminist.

Liberal.

Social engineer.

Man hater.

Extremist.

These are just some of the names I’ve been called over the years, including by fellow law enforcement employees, for standing up to domestic violence. I’m a Christian conservative woman who, yes, is passionate about being a good steward of the environment and is outspoken about certain social issues. But I don’t identify with any of those terms.

My friends and family fall at various points along the political spectrum; these are my beliefs, born largely of adversity and strengthened through my struggles. I believe very strongly that God intends for us to practice the kind of behavior we expect from others and to stand up for those who are being treated poorly or hurt. I’m not at all ashamed of that. It’s a mandate from the Creator that I take very seriously. (more…)

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Dateline: The Officer’s Wife

Posted in Crime & Justice, Relationships, tagged , , , , , on September 21, 2013| 1 Comment »

No one can tell me that someone that’s going to commit suicide would turn a gun upside down, in a difficult position, shove it all the way to the back of their throat and then pull that trigger. This was not a suicide. This is a person that was able to commit murder and get away with it. -Joseph Cordova, father of Tera Chavez

Last night I randomly came across a Dateline story about Tera Chavez, whose police officer husband Levi was found not guilty of her murder. You can watch this episode here. (more…)

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Ban the Box Laws

Posted in Crime & Justice, Politics, Relationships, tagged , , , , on August 3, 2013| 3 Comments »

Magnifying Glass

Did I eat hallucinogenic mushrooms for breakfast?

No, I read that correctly: those with criminal convictions are becoming a protected class.

http://socialistworker.org/2013/06/19/seattle-bans-the-box

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/03/new-laws-make-criminal-pasts-off-limits-in-california-city/?test=latestnews

Earlier this week I was floored to read that yet another city, Richmond, California, has barred private companies with city contracts from doing criminal history background checks on job applicants in most cases. (more…)

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Cookie Cutter Sociopath?

Posted in Crime & Justice, Relationships, tagged , , , , on July 30, 2013| 8 Comments »

Yes, pun intended. This past week I’ve been learning more about Barry H. Landau (he’s especially important; get the H in there). As the Washington Post called him, he’s the “the once-esteemed collector of presidential memorabilia” who was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for stealing historical documents.

From http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/barry-landau-collector-of-historic-documents-gets-7-year-term-for-thefts/2012/06/27/gJQAizMj7V_story.html: (more…)

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CDD is Heresy

Posted in Faith, Relationships, tagged , , , , on July 25, 2013| 8 Comments »

Archimedes Death Ray

Have you ever seen steam coming out of someone’s ears?

Recently I was listening to a domestic violence expert describe the supposedly biblical practice of Christian Domestic Discipline. Righteous anger started lapping at my feet and slowly radiated throughout my body as I listened to how “true Christian husbands” are given license to hit their subservient wives.

It’s not often that I feel my past come rushing at me like a freight train. But as I squirmed in my chair my ears burned as the threats and taunts of cowardly men who used the Bible as a weapon briefly passed through my consciousness. I was furious that this was happening to other people knowing the pain and humiliation it can cause. (more…)

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