New Mexico is paving the way for pot smokers everywhere. That makes for an amusing headline; Marijuana Now Legal In New Mexico. However, the state has a long history of medicinal use of cannabis and this is really nothing new. It just means the roadblocks and hassles faced by the producer, doctor, and patient are [...]
Criminal Background Checks Are Dream Killers
Recently, James Stewart of Fort Scott, Kansas was in the news because of the faulty nature of some criminal background checks. Like millions of other Americans, James had been out of work for about a year and a half, and no doubt was becoming desperate. Believe me, I am also well aware of the dreadful empty [...]
A Totem Pole And a Murder
Art can do many things for people, but normally isn’t used as a murder weapon. For those who don’t know, a totem pole is a piece of artwork. They are large sculptures carved out of tree trunks and are a traditional part of the North American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Coast. A couple, Carl [...]
Canadian Waters off-limits to Those With Criminal Records
It seems over the last couple years, requirements for entering Canada have gotten stricter. Now you need a passport to enter, or an equivalent document where previously, a driver’s license would suffice. I haven’t been to Canada since this became a requirement, but luckily, this wouldn’t have been an issue. Besides, I don’t make frequent [...]
EEOC Memorandum on Criminal Background Check Procedure
An interesting article I came across today discussed a new “guidance” of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision (EEOC) regarding the acquiring of background checks by employers. The “Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions under Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964” would make things considerably more [...]
Background Checking for Texas State Criminal Records
During calendar year 2010, Texas’ crime rate was 4236.4 crimes per 100,000 persons” (www.txdps.state Crime Rates pdf). That’s a positive start to doing research into someone who lived in the state of Texas over the last few years… right? Well, (although reaching) in perhaps a positive correlation, crime rate by volume and offense rounded off [...]
How To Start a Criminal Background Check in Minnesota
Minnesota crime rates have increased dramatically since the 1960’s. That’s just the plain and short of it, and there doesn’t look to be a lull in criminal activity any time soon. According to the Minnesota Law Enforcement Agency, in the year 1960 there were 40 murders committed in the state of Minnesota, and in 2008 [...]






