Grandad Replies To The Overkill Posts

"All people,good or bad, have rights.They need to get lawyers and INTERNAL AFFAIRS involved.Things will get better QUICK."

Spoken like a true bleeding heart. Yes all people have rights. The law enforcement officers are professionals. They know how to work within the system to ferret out crime and still maintain the integrity of the Constitution. You have no idea of the circumstances of this stop. If the dog was called and arrived before the license check was completed, this has been determined by the SCOTUS to be reasonable. Maybe the officers observed what they determined to be criminal indicators which led to enough articulable suspicion to justify prolonging the stop under "Terry". Whatever the circumstances, once the dog alerted the Carrol Doctrine provides an exception to the warrant requirement and allows the officers to conduct an immediate and thorough search of the vehicle and it's occupants. You simply don't have enough information to critisize the stop or even make an educated guess as to what transpired during the traffic stop in question.

So if the occupants of the vehicle did secure the services of an attorney, they probably would have paid him/her a sizeable fee to find out the officers acted reasonably and lawfully. If internal affairs had responded and conducted an internal investigation into alleged 4th amendment and due process violations, the result would 99.999% of the time
reveal that the officers acted within the parameters of the Constitution would be rightfully exonerated of any wrongdoing.

If these officers continue to behave in this manner, and others follow thier lead - things will get better real quick!

Take no sh*t
and cut no slack
cuff'em and stuff'em
and don't look back!

Good Job Y'all!

Water Main Blows Downtown

Last night the Public Works Department was hard at work repairing a blown water main on Mill Street, near Rt. 50. Remember Folks, Salisbury is how old? The taxes are what they are and recently went up 14%. One has to wonder just how bad things will get as time passes and if the City is truly prepared for these unexpected surprises?

The way Barrie works, she looking at this Post and thinking, PERFECT! We can use that as an excuse to raise taxes even more. We'll blame it on aging pipes and an aging infrastructure!

Fire Department Cover Up?

This morning I was looking at the Fire In The Hole Website to see if they had any updates on the Hebron accident that involved a Fire Fighter, a Rescue Vehicle and a woman that died from the accident. Once I arrived there I saw a huge variety of photos of accidents and fires, yet NOTHING from the Hebron accident. My message to Wayne was as follows.

"Interesting?

No photos or information posted on your Website about the accident in Hebron that involved the Rescue Vehicle and killed a woman? Joe"

After several hours I finally received a response from Wayne which said the following.

"im not out to make the fire departments look bad the way you do!

do not e-mail me any more or I will call the police! This is your warning!"

I happen to believe Wayne is doing a disservice to the community by not providing this information, photos and updates and instead playing the old Inner Circle game with the Good Old Boy system. This is one reason why I refused to allow him to link to this Site.

So I ask you, is it fair that everyone else have their accident exposed all over the Internet, including the photos Wayne shared yesterday with The Daily Times of a man who huffed something or other and then they made him out to be some sort of Idiot, (which I'm not necessarily denying)? So it's OK to expose everyone else but NOT the Fire Department and or the woman that was killed? I know first hand the Brother of the deceased woman wanted photos produced for everyone to see. I talked to him one on one and he even argued with the Fire Chief to allow me to take photos after being told I could not.

Well Wayne, no problem. I'll not respond to you through e-mail but I can assure you, just like the Bat Man Light in the sky, you'll know when I want to get through to you.

Today's Wildlife Photo

These Flamingos are a part of the Animal Kingdom Zoo in Disney World. This is where the Salisbury Zoo actually purchased their Flamingos.

911 Was An Inside Job

The BRAD BLOG

EXCLUSIVE: FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds Will Now Tell All - and Face Charges if Necessary - to Any Major Television Network That Will Let Her

She's Prepared to Name Names, Including Those of Two 'Well-Known' Congress Members Involved in Criminal Corruption

The 'Most Gagged Person in U.S. History' Tells The BRAD BLOG She's Now Exhausted All Other Channels...

Posted By Brad Friedman On 29th October 2007 @ 05:30 In Mainstream Corporate Media, Sibel Edmonds, War On Terror, Whistleblowers, Accountability, FBI, Henry Waxman | 112 Comments

-- By Brad Friedman

Attention CBS 60 Minutes: we've got a huge scoop for you. If you want it.

Remember the exclusive story you aired on Sibel Edmonds [1], originally on October 27th, 2002, when she was not allowed to tell you everything that she heard while serving as an FBI translator after 9/11 because she was gagged by the rarely-invoked "States Secret Privilege"? Well, she's still gagged. In fact, as the ACLU first described her, she's "the most gagged person in the history of the United States of America."

But if you'll sit down and talk with her for an unedited interview, she has now told The BRAD BLOG [2] during an exclusive interview, she will now tell you everything she knows.

Everything she hasn't been allowed to tell since 2002, about the criminal penetration of the FBI where she worked, and at the Departments of State and Defense; everything she heard concerning the corruption and illegal activities of several well-known members of Congress; everything she's aware of concerning information omitted and/or covered up in relation to 9/11. All of the information gleaned from her time listening to and translating wire-taps made prior to 9/11 at the FBI.


Here's a handy bullet-point list [3], as we ran it in March of 2006, for reference, of what she's now willing to tell you about.

"People say, 'why doesn't she just come forward and spill the beans?' I have gone all the way to the Supreme Court and was shut down, I went to Congress and now consider that shut down," she told The BRAD BLOG [2] last week when we spoke with her for comments in relation to our story [5] on former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's original attempt to move a resolution through the U.S. House in 2000 declaring the 1915 massacre of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians in Turkey as "genocide."

"Here's my promise to the American Public: If anyone of the major networks --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, FOX --- promise to air the entire segment, without editing, I promise to tell them everything that I know," about everything mentioned above, she told us.

"I can tell the American public exactly what it is, and what it is that they are covering up," she continued. "I'm not compromising ongoing investigations," Edmonds explained, because "they've all been shut down since."


"She's Very Credible"

She has, in fact, spent years taking every reasonable step to see that the information she has goes through the proper channels. The Supreme Court refused to hear her whistleblower lawsuit, even in light of the Department of Justice forcing the removal of both her and her own attorneys from the courtroom when they made their arguments concerning why it was that she still had to remain gagged under the "States Secrets Privilege."

On the morning that the SCOTUS refused to hear her case, the facade cracked [6] on the front of the building. In a ridiculously ironic metaphor which would have been rejected by any credible screen-writer, a chunk of marble --- just above an allegorical statue representing "Order" and just below the words "Equal Justice" --- came crashing to the ground.

She has met with, and told her story to, U.S. senators including Republican Charles Grassley and Democrat Patrick Leahy, both of the Senate Judiciary Committee, both who found her extremely credible. 60 Minutes producers may remember when Grassley told them, "Absolutely, she's credible...And the reason I feel she's very credible is because people within the FBI have corroborated a lot of her story."

In fact, the FBI itself has done so. Their Inspector General found her allegations, as described in the unclassified version of his report [7], to be "credible," "serious," and "warrant[ing] a thorough and careful review by the FBI."

As far back as 2002, Grassley and Leahy co-wrote letters on Edmonds' behalf [8] to Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, and DoJ Inspector General Glenn A. Fine, calling on all of them to take action in respect to the allegations she's made.

"Certain officials in this country are engaged in treason against the United States and its interests and its national security," she said during an interview an August 2005 interview [9] on Democracy Now. That comment followed 60 Minutes' revelation years before alleging that Edmonds had information revealing that a "Turkish intelligence officer" she worked with at the FBI "had spies working for him inside the US State Department and at the Pentagon."

She's briefed many legislative offices --- as well as the 9/11 Commission --- in regard to her claims, and now, she says, she's even prepared to tell the media "the names of every single Congressional office who has received the names of the witnesses" to the crimes she's detailed.

When we spoke last week, Edmonds seemed to reserve most of her frustration for Congressman Henry Waxman's office. Waxman is the Democratic Chairman of the U.S. House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.

After briefing members of his security-cleared staff "inside the SCIF" --- a high-security room [10] in the U.S. Capitol, specially created for discussion of highly sensitive information --- Edmonds says she was told on several occasions, prior to the 2006 Election, that her case would be one of the first heard in his committee, once he became Chairman.

"I even gave names of former and current FBI agents who were willing to go to Waxman's office and give more information on all of this," she said.

"Before the elections, I had a promise from Congressman Waxman's office." She claims they told her, before the election, "the only reason they couldn't hold hearings, was because the Republicans were blocking it."

"They said 'your case will be one of the first ones we will hold investigations on,'" she told us. Now, however, since the Democrats have become the majority in the House, Waxman's office is "going mum." They won't even respond to her calls.

The congressman's office did not respond to several requests for comment on this story.

Two Other "Well-Known" Congressmen

Aside from the allegations she's already made concerning Hastert, as we reported in some detail [11] in early 2006, following up on a Vanity Fair exposé [12] in 2005, Edmonds says there are at least "two other well-known" members of Congress that she's prepared to name as well.

"There are other Congressional people, whose names have not come out," she explained. "As [Waxman's office knows] I'll be able to give them file numbers and investigations, including investigations by the IRS. I will be giving details one by one, not just allegations."

"But," she added, "unfortunately nobody wants to have an investigation like that."

For the record, she told The BRAD BLOG [2], the other two "well-known members" are from the House, both Republican, and "one of them is recently no longer there."

So far, she says, "those names have not been public."

"Kafka-esque"

Since leaving the FBI, and in the wake of her years-long ordeal, which she frequently describes as "Kafka-esque," Edmonds has founded the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition [14].

In addition to the support she has received, at various times, from members of Congress, she's received a great deal of support from members of the national security whistleblower community and government watchdog organizations.

As we reported last Spring [15], Veteran FBI counterintelligence agent John Cole has said [16] he's "talked to people who had read her file, who had read the investigative report, and they were telling me a totally different story" than that given publicly by FBI officials. "They were telling me that Sibel Edmonds was 100 percent accurate," he said, "management knew that she was correct."

Famed "Pentagon Papers" whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg has described Edmonds as "extremely credible." In a 2005 interview on KPFA [17], Ellsberg said, "FBI agents we've talked to have, in every respect that was raised, have confirmed her story - that she's a very credible witness."

More than 30 groups, from across the political spectrum --- including the Project on Government Oversight [18] (POGO), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [19] (CREW), the American Civil Liberties Union [20] (ACLU), the September 11th Advocates [21], the Liberty Coalition [22], the Electronic Frontier Foundation [23] (EFF), OMB Watch [24], Electronic Privacy Information Center [25] (EPIC) and People for the American Way [26] (PFAW) --- all signed a letter [27] in March of this year calling on the House Oversight Committee to "hold public hearings into the case of FBI Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, and the erroneous use of the State Secrets Privilege to shut down all court proceedings in her case."

That petition was sent almost precisely one year after The BRAD BLOG originally reported [28] on a public petition to Congress, demanding they hold public hearings. More than 30,000 people, Edmonds says, have now signed that petition [29] since it was first announced.

"Exhausted Every Channel"

In a speech given over the Summer in D.C. at the American Library Association (ALA, video here [30]), Edmonds detailed the "Kafka-esque" nature of her unprecedented gag-order. Among the information still-regarded as "classified" under the States Secret Privelege: the fact that she was a translator for the FBI, where she was born, what languages she speaks, the date of her birth, the universities she attended, and the degrees she earned.

In fact, the interview that CBS's 60 Minutes aired with her in 2004, was later retroactively classified by the Department of Justice under the same "privilege"!

But enough is enough. She's now ready to tell all. To the public. But not (yet) to us. She will speak, however, to any broadcast network that would like to have her.

"I have exhausted every channel. If they want to, they can bring criminal charges against someone who divulges criminal activity, and see how far they're going to get."

But will any of the corporate mainstream networks take her up on the offer? It'd certainly be an explosive exclusive.

"I don't think any of the mainstream media are going to have the guts to do it," she dared them.

So whaddaya say 60 Minutes? We've given you scoops before that you ended up turning down --- and likely later regretted. Will you be smart enough to take this one?

"You put me on air live, or unedited. If I'm given the time, I will give the American people the exact reason of what I've been gagged from saying because of the States Secrets Privilege, and why it is that I'm the most gagged person in the history of the United States."

"My feeling is that none of them have the guts to do that," she dared them, before charging, "they are all manipulated."

"I keep using the word Kafkaesque..." she paused, during her speech at ALA, clearly showing her exasperation, "because...," she continued slowly, "...I really can't come up with a better word."

CORRECTION: We had originally described Senators Grassley and Leahy as members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, when in fact they were, and are, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee instead. We regret the error, and have corrected the typo in the above story.

Article printed from The BRAD BLOG: http://www.bradblog.com

URL to article: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5197

URLs in this post:
[1] exclusive story you aired on Sibel Edmonds: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/25/60minutes/main526954.shtml
[2] The BRAD BLOG: http://www.BradBlog.com
[3] handy bullet-point list: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=2498
[4] The BRAD BLOG: http://www.BradBlog.com
[5] our story: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5163
[6] facade cracked: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=2086
[7] unclassified version of his report: http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/oig/sedmonds.html
[8] letters on Edmonds' behalf: http://www.thememoryhole.com/spy/edmonds_letters.htm
[9] August 2005 interview: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/10/1346254
[10] high-security room: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_Compartmented_Information_Facility
[11] we reported in some detail: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=2386
[12] Vanity Fair exposé: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9774.htm
[13] The BRAD BLOG: http://www.BradBlog.com
[14] National Security Whistleblowers Coalition: http://www.nswbc.org/
[15] we reported last Spring: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4268
[16] has said: http://public.cq.com/docs/hs/hsnews110-000002438709.html
[17] interview on KPFA: http://wotisitgood4.blogspot.com/2006/10/ellsberg-hastert-got-suitcases-of-al.html
[18] Project on Government Oversight: http://www.pogo.org/index.shtml
[19] Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: http://www.citizensforethics.org/
[20] American Civil Liberties Union: http://www.aclu.org/
[21] September 11th Advocates: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=September_11th_Advocates
[22] Liberty Coalition: http://www.libertycoalition.net/
[23] Electronic Frontier Foundation: http://www.eff.org/
[24] OMB Watch: http://www.ombwatch.org/
[25] Electronic Privacy Information Center: http://www.epic.org/
[26] People for the American Way: http://pfaw.org
[27] a letter: http://www.libertycoalition.net/state-secrets-privelage/coalition-letter-to-the-house-committee-on-oversight-and-government-reform-on-criminal-activities-by-the
[28] The BRAD BLOG originally reported: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=2498
[29] that petition: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/LibertyCoalition/campaign.
jsp?campaign_KEY=1728&t=Liberty%20Coalition.dwt
[30] video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUt_gbRP3EA&e

Delmarva Dealings Comes Back On Empty For Another Spat

GO HERE and see how GA Harrison takes on Barrie Tilghman and John Pick once again with words only he could come up with.

It's been 6 days since he last Posted anything and several days before that but like I said, every so often he finds a little gas and sputters back to life for a few seconds, then the gas runs out.

I can only say that when something important enough comes about in the City of Salisbury, GA comes through with his version of the truth. Enjoy!

Pokomoke Tattler Has A Great Free Offer For Halloween

GO HERE to take a look at their 8 1/2" x 11" sign they're offering to anyone who is willing to come by and pick one up.

Last year we sat on Camden Ave and watched numerous young adults trying to collect candy and it's just not right. "No Kid, No Costume, No Candy!"

Great Work Guys!

Story Chat

The Daily Times has certainly given everyone the opportunity to enjoy their Paper On Line and the convenience for others to comment about each story. This one in particular I am enjoying, GO HERE because it clearly shows there isn't much support for Chief Webster and Barrie Tilghman in their quest to sue me.

That being said, now that I have provided a link, perhaps that will change. Nevertheless, up until this moment things in the public eye is not looking good for them at all and the Court of Public Appeal speaks volumes. For now, anyway. LOL

NEWS MEDIA NOTICE FROM THE WICOMICO COUNTY EXECUTIVE

At 10:00 A.M. tomorrow, November 1st, Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., will join Public Works Director P. Rai Sharma in dedicating the county’s 20th recycling station. The location is on the WalMart property on Route 13 North in Salisbury.

Mr. Sharma said, “People on the north end of Salisbury have been without a recycling station for several years. The WalMart site should make it more convenient for those who want to recycle. The county salutes WalMart for its cooperation in this important effort. Wicomico County recycles 22% of the trash it receives. This is above the state-mandated goal of 15%.”

COUNCILWOMAN SAMPLE-HUGHES ANNOUNCES SAN DOMINGO CLEAN-UP DAY

Wicomico County First District Council Woman Sheree Sample-Hughes is holding another in a successful series of clean-up days in her district. Ms. Sample-Hughes is urging participation in “San Domingo Clean-Up Day” beginning at 8:00 A.M. this Saturday, November 3rd. Headquarters for the event are at The Rosenwald School, 11526 Old School Road. According to Ms. Sample-Hughes, all clean-up equipment will be provided by Wicomico County and the event will conclude at noon.

James V. Fineran

Wicomico County Public Information Officer

Government Office Building

125 N. Division Street

Salisbury, MD 21801-4940

410-548-1974

410-726-7185 cell

410-548-4803 fax

jfineran@wicomicocounty.org

Update On The Post Overkill????

I was speaking to an Officer today who shed some light on last night's incident.

They stated that there have been some 14 armed robberies in recent weeks in Salisbury. One additional piece of information that was stated was that there was a Seal A Meal piece of equipment or a heat shrinking piece of equipment in the back seat as well. That is what many drug dealers use to package their drugs. Having one in the back seat would add suspicion.

The armed robberies also involved two black males and all of the robberies had similar MO's(?).

Putting those pieces together would in fact create enough suspicion to warrant such a search, not that the Police even need such to do so. The Salisbury Police Department is doing everything they can to provide safety for the entire City and while these ARMED robberies continue to go on, they need to do everything they can to catch these criminals.

Oh, allow me to add. NO Chiefy, this information did NOT come from one of your Officers. So leave them alone and let them do their jobs and don't give everyone the third degree, respectfully.

The National Alert Registry Team

Hello:

Our records indicate that you recently performed a search of the National Alert Registry database. We would like to provide you with a detailed report on the registered sex offenders and dangerous sexual predators in your area.

Please click on the following link to order your full report:

http://www.nationalalertregistry.com/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?product=NAR&offer_id=13364XNC&tracking_id=NARCAP01&affiliate=231311

The detailed reports generated by National Alert Registry include:

+ High-resolution, customizable maps centered on the street address YOU input.
+ The offenders' HOME ADDRESSES indicated on the map.
+ Full Names, Aliases, and Addresses of the offenders.
+ Color Photos of the offenders (in most states).
+ A description of the crime committed by each offender.
+ The ability to check any address including schools, day care centers, and homes of relatives and friends.

The full sex offender reports with maps are very helpful and can be used in a variety of different ways. Some families use them to determine the safest route for their children to travel to and from school or play. You can print and laminate the maps and offender details generated by National Alert Registry and take them to your children's sporting events and other extracurricular activities to keep tabs on offenders who may in close proximity.

Again, access the full reports on sexual predators in your area here:

http://www.nationalalertregistry.com/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?product=NAR&offer_id=13364XNC&tracking_id=NARCAP01&affiliate=231311

If you have any questions about National Alert Registry that are not answered on our web site, please use the following contact information and a service specialist will respond immediately:

Phone: (386) 736-3881
Email: service@nationalalertregistry.com

Once your online order has been completed, you will have immediate access to the National Alert Registry database and be able to generate an unlimited number of reports on registered sex offenders nationwide.

Be Alert + Be Aware + Be Safe



Warm Regards,

The National Alert Registry Team

RUMOR!

There is a RUMOR on the street that allegedly Doug Church and Brad Gillis were in an accident this morning, (could have been last night) where the flipped Brad's brand new BMW on Pemberton Drive.

I have NO confirmation of this so if anyone has any more information do let us know.

Another Armed Robbery In Salisbury Last Night

Since the Chiefy won't give me any Press Releases I cannot give you detailed information. However, there was in fact another armed robbery at Rt. 12, (Snow Hill Road) and Vine Street last night.

Republican Vote

Another Sex Offender Site

There is this other website GO HERE that has sex offenders everywhere. There are about a half dozen that live within a mile of Bennett Sr. High.

What Happened To The 150+ Comments Per Post?

LMAO!

Looks like the Fire Departments have FINALLY seen the light! Although there are still some pretty stupid comments coming through, the Mayor and Chiefy See must have dropped the hammer on everyone. I can assure you that Hebron knows what's about to come down the Pike so they've been well prepared for Damage Control for quite some time now.

My guess is the word is out, don't comment any longer on Albero's Blog. THANK YOU! I say that for two reasons. One, fielding so many Idiotic statements was one thing. Two, seeing the Fire Department look like a complete group of Idiots, (when I know most of them are not) was just a shame.

Lesson learned, I hope? Years of damage has been brought forth through racial statements and documents to prove of such back in the Rachel Polk, Von Siggers days, all of which cannot be denied. Admission of such said statements by numerous Fire Fighters confirms their racial involvement and then recently the many comments clearly provided and admittedly stated by Fire Fighters showed they in fact need quite a bit of help understanding what bigotry really is.

All that being said, it's VERY comforting knowing so many Idiots have stopped sending in stupid comments with such hatred. Thank You! Oh, my Grandson would rather be Black than a Fire Fighter now.

Court Today

To ALL the Reporters who keep calling me today and DON'T believe me when I say, I'M NOT GOING, this should PROVE to you that I am still at home blogging away and couldn't care less about the trial.

Again, the entire thing is laughable. The Chiefy claims I threatened him physically, yet he didn't arrest me or have me arrested??????? He claims I was following/stalking him, yet I wasn't arrested?????? A REAL COP, (Chiefy) would have arrested such a criminal, wouldn't you agree?

Over Kill????????

Last night I was leaving the GOB when I heard something was going on behind the WaWa on Rt. 13 next to the Classy Cats Barbershop & Boutique on Ohio Ave.

I pulled up to the scene and there were lights flashing everywhere, it was quite overwhelming.

It turns out a Salisbury Police Officer pulled two young black men over for blocking the roadway and became suspicious enough to call in the Sheriffs Department Drug K-9 Team. Before you knew it, there were some 6 Salisbury Police Cars on the scene with even more Officers because in some cases they ride two Officers to a car.

The suspects were not in handcuffs but the Police Dog did pick up the scent of drugs, therefore they searched the entire vehicle. This did not please the owner and his passenger as they were delayed more than an hour while Officers searched their vehicle and ultimately came up with nothing.

This is becoming a big thing in the Salisbury area where the Sheriffs Department is being called in for their K-9 help as the SPD does not have access to their own Dogs. The WCSO is more than happy to work hand in hand with the SPD in a joint effort to get drugs off the streets within Salisbury.

As I observed the scene, the Salisbury Police Officeres were actually pretty cool to these guys, even though they were becoming more and more upset as time went on. After everyone went on their merry way, the two gentlemen, (along with a pretty large posse at that point) came over to me and started asking me questions.

I plopped down the tailgate on my truck and said, OK Guys, you want to talk, lets talk. Very quickly the two gentlemen stated they thought they were being mistreated by the SPD and I said, come on guys, what if you did have drugs in that vehicle? You can't blame these guys for doing their job. They responded, but we didn't have drugs in there, we don't do drugs. I said, let me ask you something then. Is that a brand new car? No. OK, did you buy it new? No. How long ago did you buy the car? 3 months ago. Can you assure me that the guy who had that car before YOU didn't have drugs in it? No. See what I mean guys? The K-9 Dog picked up on the scent and they did a search.

At that point things quickly settled down and we started talking about the neighborhood, crime, drugs, citizen participation and presence at Council Meetings. I explained how they needed to make sure they didn't support the Mayor in the next election and although they stated when she first came on board she was good but they agreed she needed to go now.

It turned out to be a great group of guys and I have to admit here Ladies & Gentlemen, I haven't been in their shoes and had to be put through such a search. I can tell you however, if you'll recall over the Summer I showed pictures of the Sheriffs Department doing the same search. However, this guy was white, so it's NOT a race thing. It's INCONVENIENT, period.

One lady started getting cocky while I was there and started getting too close to the Officers and they demanded she move back or they would arrest her. Folks, you can't get too close to these Officers while they're doing one of these inspections. It's dark out, they don't know who you are and they are in the defense business. Stay away from what they're doing and let them get the job done. Soon enough everyone will be on their way. If you have something to say, do it here, not there.

In the end, I made some pretty good friends last night and have been invited to the Barber Shop for a sort of Round Table they regularly have. Not only am I truly looking forward to it, I can't wait to hear what they have to say. My guess is that I'll be there for several hours!

City's New Electrical Inspection Department Is A Complete Disaster!

Electrical Contractors showed up on short notice last night to a meeting that rocked the City's World!

Any professional business person could quickly realize the City was pretty much clueless as to what they are proposing and didn't seek ANY ONE'S input as to how to go about it. Yes, they even admitted to that.

It went pretty much as follows. Any permits the County already put out there will be completed with the County.

The City of Salisbury Homeowners Inspections will double. Now what's important here Ladies & Gentlemen is, the Taxpayers already experienced a 14% Tax Increase this year. Who the hell do they think they are throwing even more additions to their wallets when the system in place works just fine and cost far less?

One Contractor said, "We've gone from a Democratic Society to a Communist Society." I counted more than 45 Contractors in the room last night and trust me, they were NOT happy. Many stated they will cease doing business in the City and simply work in the County instead. Another stated all too many customers are already saying, HOW MUCH? Now what will they say?

Currently there are at least 4 Inspection Companies the County relies on and their work load is so strong, some times these Contractors have to wait for them to look at a project. The City plans on only having ONE Inspector with a payroll of $50,000.00. One General Contractor stated, the work load you already have in the City is too much on the Staff you have in that department, now you're going to add even more work on them and expect to get things done efficiently? Will you be giving that Staff a pay increase for the additional work load? The answer was, NO. One Contractor stated that he felt they were simply doing this to add another feather in their cap.

Another stated, "Why, if your not in it for profit, would you even consider taking on such a huge responsibility and work load? They then insisted that IF they were to go through with this their Inspector needed to be A.A.I.E. Certified. Someone asked, "Have you called around to other Inspectors locally to see what kind of work load you're getting into?" NO!

A quick estimate from these Contractors showed there would be an additional $2,000.00 cost to each and every home built charged back to the new Homeowner. In 2008 there will be massive changed to the Code and not only will the City not be able to handle those Inspections, it too will add to the cost of a new home. Now they want to add to those increases as well?

Currently these Contractors can e-mail their requests, confirm their costs with the County within about 30 minutes and through an escrow account the County can charge them right over the Internet and they're on their way with a Permit number. The City is NOT geared for such and the Electricians will have to come into the GOB, fill out the paperwork and pay for the process right then and there. Very inconvenient.

Debbie Campbell was the ONLY Council Member present during this meeting. I asked Mr. Pick directly in front of everyone there, "Did you contact ALL other Council Members about this meeting? Considering how important this is, shouldn't they be present to hear these Contractors input?" John replied he did NOT contact ANY of the Council Members. I expressed how I thought this was unfair to the Contractors as they cannot voice their input in the upcoming Work Session on Monday and many of them cannot attend at 4:30 PM.

Upset Contractors stated this was a monopoly, why fix something if it isn't broken? Then a County Representative from their Legal Staff spoke out against the City making this move and the County wouldn't stand for it and or support it. They stated they would completely back out 100% as they felt the City is charging far too much in fees and delivering far less in service for that money as well. The County doesn't see this as reasonable, therefore they are on their own.

"The County has decided to make a clean break from the City on this issue and will not be providing the use of its Board of Electricians to facilitate the City's Inspections and Permits Program." This is NOT good, should the City move forward and John Pick stated they would have to rethink the entire thing as they were not aware till that moment that the County was going to make that move.

This is not over yet and the City seemed to be quite overwhelmed last night with great question even they admitted they weren't expecting and weren't prepared to answer. In my opinion, (for what it's worth) this was amateur hour where no one did the proper research on the City's behalf. They were clearly winging it thinking these guys wouldn't show up or be smart enough to challenge them. The City was wrong!

Happy Halloween!