Oprah

[teramiabullfrog]

anyone who knows how to send this communication to Oprah, please do (or any celebrity who wants to help gather national support).

"there's an extremely urgent problem, involving missing children, that needs a national effort to solve. The problem is with a national, annual federal funded Program, the problem is with management communication. They are not communicating the message (the instructions) to the federal employed personnel responsible for carrying-out the directive (a Presidential Memorandum) describing the intent of this federal funded, national Program (NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM). This Program was created and developed since the 1980's. According to the instructions for this Program:



(from a monthly publication of the "POSTAL BULLETIN", August 15, 1996 -)

"MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN

Since 1985, the U.S. Postal Service has cooperated with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) by including photos and other information about missing children in our nationally distributed POSTAL BULLETIN. The Postal Service is about to move this cooperative effort to the next step by joining forces with NCMEC in using a state-of-the-art broadcast fax network to ensure more rapid distribution of information on missing and exploited children."

(called "EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX")

"NOTIFICATION OF NEWLY REPORTED MISSING CHILDREN WILL BE SENT BY FAX TO THE ATTENTION OF DESIGNATED DISTRICT "MISSING CHILDREN" COORDINATORS AT FAX NUMBERS PROVIDED BY DISTRICT MANAGERS. UPON RECEPT OF A FACSIMILE MISSING CHILDREN POSTER, DISTRICT COORDINATORS SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT COPIES MADE FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ALL POSTAL FACILITIES IN THEIR DISTRICTS, WITHIN 24 HOURS OF RECEIPT. MISSING CHILDREN POSTERS ARE TO BE POSTED IN POST OFFICE LOBBIES, WORKROOM FLOOR AREAS, AND OTHER POSTAL FACILITIES FOR 30 DAYS, UNLESS NOTIFICATION IS RECEIVED (FROM NCMEC) TO REMOVE A PARTICULAR POSTER SOONER."

"THIS BROADCAST FAX NETWORK WILL BE USED BY NCMEC TO DISTRIBUTE POSTERS AND INFORMATION IN ONLY THE MOST URGENT CASES OF MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN. THIS NEW SYSTEM WILL SUPPLEMENT, NOT REPLACE, THE CURRENT SYSTEM OF DISTRIBUTING MISSING CHILDREN INFORMATION IN THE POSTAL BULLETIN."

"IF POSTAL EMPLOYEES ARE CONTACTED BY INDIVIDUALS OR LOCAL AGENCIES ABOUT DISPLAYING A SIGN OR POSTER OF A MISSING CHILD IN LOCAL POST OFFICES, THE INDIVIDUAL OR AGENCY SHOULD BE POLITELY INFORMED THAT THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE DISPLAYS ONLY THOSE POSTERS PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING & EXPLOITED CHILDREN, AS IT HAS BEEN DESIGNATED BY THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO BE THE NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE AND RESOURCE CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN. THE INDIVIDUAL OR AGENCY SHOULD THEN BE REFERRED TO NCMEC AT 1-800-843-5678.

- CORPORATE RELATIONS, 8-15-96"

Instructions 1 & 2 are being done (1. annual federal funding, 2. monthly printing and distribution of missing child notices (some months have up to 30 new photo notices of missing children). However, the next instruction, describing the "display of notices in the post office lobby, workroom floor area, and other postal facilities", is not being done.

Findings in a multi-year study - conducted by volunteers of the F.O.C.U.S. Organization (Finding Our Children Under Stress) - a study involving traveling into nine states, stopping at post offices in every town they traveled thru, only five of two thousand post offices had any type display of missing children notices - as intended and instructed in the Program Memorandum.

An Amateur Radio Club in Tacoma, WA agrees that a missing child should be included within a category of a catastrophic disaster victim. The absolute terror experienced by the victim, and the absolute anguish experienced by the entire family, of the victim, describes the people effected by a catastrophic disaster. Most families have about 40 living family members - therefore, there's over 4,000,000 people (in the U.S.) who are family members of a reported missing child. Tacoma Radio Club is part of a global network of similar radio clubs and individuals, who serve as the first line of communication, into and out-of, a catastrophic disaster area. They help establish where aid is needed, where and what roads are available for delivering needed supplies and evacuating disaster victims. Disaster victims who are amateur radio operators establish the first communication out from the disaster area, then members of radio clubs from throughout the country (part of every communities Civil Defense) begin networking communication to the agencies responsible for providing fast and efficient aid. Until other lines of communication are restored ham radio operators, from throughout the world, serve as the only communication into a disaster area.

Arrangements are under way to have a true story, "SEARCH AND RESCUE" (attached) printed in the Tacoma "ham" radio club newsletter, "The Loggers Bark". With consideration for printing in the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League), nationally distributed QST magazine. This effort to fix the communication problem, involving the instructions to follow the intent of this Program, is supported by everyone (except those who prey on children).

F.O.C.U.S. Organization has tried to communicate this fact to elected federal politicians, and the federal agencies, responsible for managing this program, and F.O.C.U.S. has never received a reply back from anyone (from the President on down). We need a ground-swell movement to support our mission. Can you think of any way to help create this needed reform, involving an issue concerning everyone? EVERYONE SHOULD PHONE THE NUMBER LISTED IN THE 8/15/96 POSTAL BULLETIN (SEE ABOVE) AND COMMUNICATE THEIR SUPPORT FOR FIXING THE "NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM".

(attachment: true story about the national catastrophic disaster

practice, annual Field Day 05, participated in by civilian

defense radio clubs from throughout the U.S.)

SEARCH AND RESCUE

During 2004 (more than one year before W6NBD became a "silent-key"), Finding Our Children Under Stress (F.O.C.U.S.), a national, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), charity (incorporated in NY in 1997), dedicated one of their help-find-and-prevent missing children programs to W6NBD (Mac Parks) - considered one of the fastest, if not the fastest, senders and receivers of Morse Code, globally.

F.O.C.U.S. Organization's "MAC SHACK PROGRAM" (mobile awareness center), was created to maximize the potential for both finding and preventing missing children. Part of the MAC SHACK PROGRAM involves volunteers (of the F.O.C.U.S. Organization) traveling from County Fair to County Fair, through seven western states (CA, OR, WA, HI, AZ, NV, ID), with the MAC SHACK, a vendor's style booth. Volunteers of the charity staff the booth for the duration of the fair, and free literature is available regarding child abduction prevention (including literature regarding the annual-federal-funded, national, help find missing children programs - started by the federal government during the 1980's and 90's).

Tacoma Amateur Radio Club dedicated their 2005 annual Field Day to the honor of Malcolm (Mac W6NBD) Grant Parks. Amateur Radio Clubs from throughout the United States participate in amateur radio Field Day (an annual simulated catastrophic disaster practice drill, participated in by local amateur Radio Clubs (from throughout the country) and practice serving as the first line of communication, into the disaster area, and out from the effected area. The civil defense of the United States, and throughout the world, starts with the men and women who are members of Amateur Radio Clubs. This simulated catastrophic disaster practice (started in the mid-1930's) has been put to test for real on numerous occasions.

Tacoma Radio Club's (05 Field Day), a four-day camp, was set-up in a heavily wooded, one hundred acre canyon, part of the property of the Tacoma gun-and-pistol range (used mostly by local law enforcement). Over one hundred amateur radio operators (members of the Tacoma Radio Club), set-up eight temporary tower antennas (up to seventy feet tall), large camp tents filled with wireless radio equipment, were set-up around each tower. First, a Morse Code message announcing what part of the country was struck by some sort of simulated catastrophic disaster, is sent. Then Morse Code sent messages are networked by radio operators inside the disaster area, to radio operators outside the effected area. This communication network system helps direct aid, reports road conditions for possible evacuation routes and needed supply deliveries, helps establish communication to family members, and other first alert communication needs, are all part of this annual simulated catastrophic disaster emergency practice.

Tacoma Radio Club dedicated their annual 2005 Field Day, in honor of Mac's life-long dedication: Malcolm "Mac" W6NBD Parks dedicated his life to local civil defense emergency volunteer support, wherever he lived. When he was twenty years old he was heralded as a local hero, after heavy rains flooded the Elsinore Valley town in southern California, where he was living at that time (1935). Using his self-built radio system, he established the only communication (for several days) from the flood area and relayed emergency information out to search and rescue crews, trying to get into Elsinore.

He belonged to local Amateur Radio Clubs everywhere he lived, and was a life-long member of the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL). During World War ll, Mac enlisted and was stationed in the Yukon with the U.S. Army Signal Corp (communication division). Whenever recalling the time he spent in the Yukon (helping establish communication to the lower 48 as part of the sixteen man crews set-up along the route of the ALCAN highway), Mac mentioned, "...he was issued a rifle for possible Japanese attack, but never the ammunition. Our sixteen man crew often mentioned the ammunition was needed a lot more, at another part of the war".

He helped establish the important war-time communication from Alaska to the lower forty-eight states. From 1949 to 90 he was a member of one of the San Francisco Bay Area Civilian Defense Radio Clubs. From 1990 to his death, he was a member of the Tacoma and the Gig Harbor Amateur Radio Clubs, and he was also the pivotal person responsible for establishing the catastrophic disaster emergency Alaskan-Network-System. He received a commendation, signed by the governor of Alaska, for coordinating that simulated Alaskan Catastrophic Disaster Emergency Drill (in the 1990's, it's still the model system used in all catastrophic disaster situations).

The Tacoma Radio Club invited Mac's widow and other family members, to their 2005 annual amateur radio club Field Day (starting a day before Mac's funeral). Betty (Mac's wife for 63 years), Meichee (her pet Shih Tzu dog), and Mac and Betty's oldest son, Terry, arrived at the Tacoma Radio Club camp. Tacoma Radio Club had their camps set-up around the eight antennas, scattered throughout the canyon (one to three hundred yards apart). Members of these civil service, volunteer, Emergency Radio Clubs (amateur radio operators) were seated around wireless radio equipment. Dots and dashes, of Morse Code were constantly being transmitted and received. For years, Mac was the main person receiving and sending along the messages. Vocal radio equipment was also in use. about an hour after Mac's family arrived, Betty screamed, "WERE'S MEICHEE". Her dog was gone. Immediately, a radio message was sent from that Tacoma Radio Club camp,. to the other seven camps, in the canyon (by 20 meter radio transmission). Betty and some of Mac's old radio club buddies (one going back to his high school days in southern California) started walking up the canyon in search of Meichee. Terry started down the canyon. Members of the first camp he came to, told him the last camp down the canyon (about one fourth mile from this one) spotted a small dog running into the woods a while ago. When Terry arrived there, they directed him through the woods, where they last saw the dog (toward the paved road at the entrance-exit coded gate - another one hundred yards through thick forest).

When Terry arrived at the gate, a pick-up truck was stopped at the gate key-pad; Terry spotted Meichee on the outside of the closed gate (near a busy street). As Terry approached, the gate started opening for the truck, he ran out an got Meichee. The man in the truck had a mobile radio unit, so he sent a message back into the camp, "Meichee was located and ok". When Terry an Meichee arrived at the first camp (the last one down the canyon), they had already received the message and relayed it to the other camps. By the time Terry an Meichee arrived back near the camp where the dog disappeared, Betty and Mac's radio club buddies (in their late 80's and 90's, and physically fit, senior citizens) were hurrying toward them. Needless to say it was an emotional and joyous reunion. Betty said, she "wouldn't have been able to go to the Memorial Service for Mac, if she hadn't got Meichee, now her closest companion, back." She "...would have stayed there all night searching if Meichee was missing."

In 1993, Mac's oldest son (Terry) started a nonprofit charity to help find and prevent missing children (the "3-CHILDREN ORGANIZATION). On that Radio Club Field Day, he saw a perfect example of how a search and rescue functions at maximum efficiency - locating someone missing, quickly (that local search and rescue could have been expanded nationally, even globally, at the push of some buttons). F.O.C.U.S. and "3-CHILDREN ORGANIZATIONS have been in partnership since 1997 - "3-CHILDREN" becoming the program development division of F.O.C.U.S. The MAC SHACK program (mobile awareness center - to help find and prevent missing children), is now dedicated, and in honor of, Malcolm Grant Parks (silent-key W6NBD). Mac was the third generation Parks family, early pioneers to the southwest (his father and step-mother were the first Las Vegas morticians), if in Vegas be sure to see the Anna Roberts Parks, Clark County Heritage Museum in Boulder City. Some of the volunteers, of F.O.C.U.S. / "3-CHILDREN", travel from County Fair to County Fair with the MAC SHACK awareness center booth, annually. For the duration of the Fair the booth is staffed, and information, free literature, regarding the missing children "issue" is available. F.O.C.U.S. believes , the missing person "issue", should be changed to the missing person "problem" - there are now well over one-hundred-ten thousand people recorded as "missing", in this country alone. Included in the free literature, provided by the MAC SHACK volunteers, are the FOUR RULES of the federal BE SMART - STAY SAFE - KNOW THE RULES - CAMPAIGN.

While traveling from fair to fair, the volunteers stop at every post office, in every town, of the states they travel thru. They leave a missing person display binder (a "1-inch, 3-ring, white, display binder), in every Post Office. The first forty pages of the binder, contain sheet protected missing person multi-photo/id POSTAL BULLETIN NOTICES, printed by the NCMEC (some Post Masters or Station Masters remove the binders, refusing to keep them out for display). There are twenty other pages in the binder, multi-photo/id flyers of missing adults, as well as children (all registered as missing with either the NCMEC, or the National Clearinghouse for Missing Adults).

What the F.O.C.U.S. volunteers discovered was a communication breakdown in the federal managed Program(s) - a malfunction within the management of the NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM. Only five of the two thousand (5 of 2,000) Post Offices (where F.O.C.U.S. volunteers stopped, and left a missing person display binder), had any type display of missing children notices, as directed, intended, and funded for, by these federal operated national programs.

While the F.O.C.U.S. / "3-CHILDREN" volunteers were attending a fair in western WA, during May of 05, Shasta and Dillon Groene from Idaho, became a well publicized "missing children" case. The volunteers drove from the coast of WA to ID, along major highway routes leading to and from Coeur d'Alene, ID. They left the missing person display binders in every Post Office (featuring Shasta and Dillon's flyer, on the first page of the binder), in every town they drove through (individual flyers of the missing Groene children were also posted on community bulletin boards, in grocery stores, gas stations, chamber of commerce visitor centers, public campgrounds and RV Parks, by the F.O.C.U.S. volunteers). Not one Post Office had an EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX notice, as instructed in the federal managed program; however, in August of 05, two months after Dillon's body was recovered and Shasta was located*, an EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX (of Shasta and Dillon) was found displayed in Brookings, OR (indicating the FAX was indeed printed and sent). The EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX found in Brookings, had not been updated (stamped) to indicate Dillon was "RECOVERED" and Shasta "LOCATED"**.

On the west coast, and probably in other parts of the U.S., there is a breakdown in the management, a malfunction within the system, involved with the operation of the federal funded help find and help prevent missing persons programs (originally created in the 1980's and 90's. F.O.C.U.S. discovered federal funding is still being provided annually for these programs. Multi-photo notices, of missing children, are being provided and printed, monthly, by the NCMEC.*** The notices are being mailed or faxed, monthly, to the Postal District Offices (from 1985 - 2006, and ongoing); however, sometime after that is where there is a breakdown in the management of the federal program. The notices are not being posted in the Post Offices, as directed in the federal programs instructions, intentions, and funding.

______________________________________

* Dillon Groene's remains were found buried in a shallow grave in a

campground in MT (he became the fourth Groene family murder victim in

this case). This murder/kidnap case was committed by a previously

convicted child molester from Fargo, ND, required to be registered with

local law enforcement (wherever he was living), and there was a warrant

out for his arrest at the time of the crime. Would Dillon Groene still be

alive, if the EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX was posted in all post offices as

directed?

** F.O.C.U.S. Organization believes the stamp used to indicate a missing

person case has been solved, should be standardized nationally.

"LOCATED" meaning the victim was found alive, and "RECOVERED"

meaning the victims remains were found (the same definition used in

disaster search and rescue). Currently, the NCMEC stamps all

resolved missing child cases as "RECOVERED" (if they were found dead

or alive).

*** Currently, no photo/id missing adult notices are being included in the

monthly printing of the POSTAL BULLETINS. At least half of the

monthly notices should include missing adult photo/id, provided by the

National Clearinghouse for Missing Adults.

________________________________________

While traveling thru seven western states, with their MAC SHACK mobile awareness booth, F.O.C.U.S. volunteers recorded, five of two thousand (5 of 2,000) Post Offices had any POSTAL BULLETIN missing child notices on display. When the missing Groene children case occurred, in May of 2005, no EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX notices were found, from the coast of WA into ID (along several major highway routes). F.O.C.U.S. volunteers posted flyers of Shasta and Dillon Groene in all the Post Offices, as well as on community bulletin boards, in grocery stores, city halls, gas stations, motels, RV Parks, and on local campground bulletin boards, and at ranger station entrance gates, in the towns they drove through.

Over the past twelve years, F.O.C.U.S. Organization has mailed registered letters, emailed, and left phone messages, to the federal elected politicians, and to the federal agencies, appointed and funded to manage the NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM, and never received one reply back. The NALC/USPS PROGRAM receives annual-federal-funding, the NCMEC provides and prints the missing children notices, every month. They are sent to the postal districts; but, sometime after that the directive and instructions are not being followed - the notices are not being displayed in the Post Office lobbies, workroom floor areas, and other postal facilities, as intended. Families of the missing are being denied the full search potential (for their missing family member) created by federal government - the Programs are being under-utilized and not operating at the potential they were intended.

F.O.C.U.S. Organization's Board of Directors (all who have a missing family member) represents over four million relatives of a reported missing child (in the U.S.). They unanimously agree, the breakdown in the NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM, needs to be fixed. Simple communication between Postal Service management divisions responsible for posting and displaying the monthly missing child notices, needs to be done. Also, the EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX supplement to the POSTAL BULLETIN system, needs to be utilized as directed in the 8/15/96 POSTAL BULLETIN.

WHEN THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX OPERATES AT THE LEVEL IT'S INTENDED, THE AMBER ALERT SYSTEM COULD ALSO BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE: EVERY TIME AN AMBER ALERT IS ISSUED, AN EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX SHOULD ALSO BE ISSUED. WITHIN 24 HOURS EVERY POST OFFICE WOULD HAVE A FLYER OF THE MISSING AMBER ALERT VICTIM.

When these two federal programs start functioning, at the level of efficiency they were intended, and funded for; more missing children will be found and fewer missing person police reports will need to be taken. A system, similar to what was observed at the Annual Tacoma/Gig Harbor Amateur Radio Club Simulated Catastrophic Disaster Field Day (to locate a missing dog), could become a common occurrence reality, for locating a missing child, if the NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM is fixed so it operates at the level of efficiency it's intended.

It seems logical, agreed upon unanimously by everyone involved with F.O.C.U.S./"3-CHILDREN Organization (and their volunteers talk to a lot of people while attending County Fairs) the AMBER ALERT system should be upgraded so an EMERGENCY BROADCAST FAX is issued at the same time of the AMBER ALERT. Within 24 hours every Post Office would have a photo/id notice, "...posted in the lobby, workroom floor area, and other postal facility" (as instructed in the NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT SYSTEM PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS). The potential for locating a reported missing person, would be greatly improved, if the system is done at it's intended efficiency. Everyone with the F.O.C.U.S. Organization presents this information with hopes people will become involved and contact their local federal elected congress members, and contact the NCMEC and ask them to fix the problem with the federal program. We appeal to you to understand the logic, understand the need, to fix the flaw in the management of the federal funded programs to help find and prevent missing children. The federal programs (NALC/USPS CHILD ALERT PROGRAM, and the BE SMART - STAY SAFE - KNOW THE RULES CAMPAIGN) desperately need to be upgraded to the level of efficiency the programs are intended, and funded for.

F.O.C.U.S./"3-CHILDREN" ORGANIZATION DEDICATE ALL OF

OUR PROGRAMS TO MAC PARKS AND ALL OTHER

AMERICANS WHO FOUGHT FOR DOING

SOMETHING TO MAKE

THIS A BETTER

PLACE TO

LIVE



THE KING FAMILY

LINCOLN --- KENNEDY'S --- ROSA PARKS

to the spirit, of the lives, of those

souls lost in catastrophic

disasters

(Add to the list)

(THE FOUR RULES ENDORSED BY THE CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS ON MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN, AND THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED

CHILDREN):

BE SMART - STAY SAFE - KNOW THE RULES

1. NEVER GO ALONE - CONSCIOUSLY PLAN AHEAD TO BE WITH

SOMEONE, AT ALL TIMES.

2. LET A TRUSTED ADULT KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING

AND WHEN YOU ARRIVE

3. IF YOU FEEL THREATENED, SAY "NO" AND TELL AN ADULT YOU

TRUST.

4. IF YOU FEEL CONFUSED AND UNCOMFORTABLE GET AWAY

FROM THE SITUATION YOU'RE IN.