Nearly every giant company has some degree of this among its own departments and divisions. The US government is like a super-giant company.

You can drive it, at least until they catch you

Another scenario is that the action becomes no longer illegal because a court rules that the criminal law was unconstitutional. In that scenario, a person previously convicted under the now invalid law may be able to apply to the court to be released. However, whether they will succeed is fact dependent and too complicated for an ELI5.

These are solutions to two completely different problems. The valsalva maneuver (holding your nose while blowing out from your nose) can equalize the air pressure in your middle ear, which is behind the ear drum. The warm water/peroxide helps with was build up in the outer ear, outside of the ear drum. There's no reason why both would be used for a single issue since they are unrelated problems and only one of these has any relevance to each problem.

If op has a solution that works for them, then it works. Obviously, many people don't have the same sensitivity to sound, but more people have it than you might think. Selective filter earplugs are very useful for those that get distracted or bothered by some frequencies (eg to filter out high pitched noises like silverware clanging on plates, while still being able to hear conversation perfectly well). I get that you're trying to suggest op has some hypersensitivity, and you're right, but it's honestly a good lpt for others who have the same sensitivities and may not realize that selective filter ear plugs even exist.

Never would have occurred to me that sexy texting is a thing people pay for.

The story oddly gives no explanation of what happened to the kidnapper babysitter. Did that person raise her until adulthood? It sounds like she still considered that person to be her mother until getting this news. Must turn your world upside down.