DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
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Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Letter To The Editor
I get the DT on Saturdays to see the Real Estate section, and somehow spotted the following in their lame classified section….as a pet lover I wanted to see that this was actually seen by people, so I’m sending it along to you. Thanks again for all your hard work!
It reads:
ALERT! Dog thieves are operating in the Salisbury area NOW. They are taking dogs out of yards or whatever, putting them in their cars and selling them. Secure your pets and report suspicious behavior immediately.
I don’t know if it’s true, because it’s completely unsigned by anyone, but in case it is, could you pass it along on the blog?
Thanks,
TODAY'S CLASSIFIEDS
11 Year Old Roadside Vigilante
Residents in the boy's subdivision have lodged numerous complaints about motorists driving as fast as 55 mph on the 25 mph road. But Landon Wilburn, 11, took matters into his own hands, The Courier-Journal newspaper in Louisville, Ky., reported Thursday.
Neighbors said the boy can often be seen at the roadside holding his Hot Wheels toy radar gun -- which actually measures the speeds of the cars -- while wearing an orange vest and flashing a battery operated flashlight with a built-in siren, the newspaper said.
George Ayers, 61, a resident of the neighborhood, said he at first didn't recognize the young roadside vigilante. He said that at first glance, the 11-year-old appeared to be a police officer. "When I saw it happening, I got the biggest kick out of it," Ayers told The Courier- Journal. "People were locking up their brakes when they
saw him."
Joe Albero Gets Invited To The Firehouse Expo In Baltimore
Good Morning
We would just like to invite you to the next Firehouse Expo which takes place in Baltimore, Maryland. We will be exhibiting the very latest High Visibility Safety Vests that fully comply with the series of new laws that are taking effect on road users and in particular fire, police and EMS workers.
Are you going See & Gordy? See You There! lol
God Help America!
Maryland troopers spied on activist groups
Protesters added to database of terrorist suspects
Shaun Waterman UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Friday, July 18, 2008
Undercover Maryland state troopers infiltrated three groups advocating peace and protesting the death penalty — attending meetings and sending reports on their activities to U.S. intelligence and military agencies, according to documents released Thursday.
The documents show the activities occurred from at least March 2005 to May 2006 and that officers used false names, which the documents referred to as "covert identities" - to open e-mail accounts to receive messages from the groups.
Also included in the 46 pages of documents, obtained by the Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, is an account of an activist's name being entered into a federally funded database designed to share information among state, local and federal law-enforcement agencies on terrorist and drug trafficking suspects.
ACLU attorney David Rocah said state police violated federal laws prohibiting departments that receive federal funds from maintaining databases with information about political activities and affiliations.
The activist was identified as Max Obuszewski. His "primary crime" was entered into the database as "terrorism - anti govern(ment)." His "secondary crime" was listed as "terrorism - anti-war protestors." The database is known as the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or HIDTA.
"This is not supposed to happen in America," said Mr. Rocah. "In a free society, which relies on the engagement of citizens in debate and protest and political activity to maintain that freedom ... you should be able to attend a meeting about an issue you care about without having to worry that government spies are entering your name into a database used to track alleged terrorists and drug traffickers."
Mr. Rocah called the surveillance "Kafka-esque insanity."
State police Chief Col. Terrence B. Sheridan said the agency "does not inappropriately curtail the expression or demonstration of the civil liberties of protesters or organizations acting lawfully."
The surveillance of Mr. Obuszewski, of Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, and another person came to light during his trial for trespassing and disorderly conduct in a 2004 protest outside the National Security Agency's headquarters in Fort Meade, Md.
Documents released by the prosecution revealed that the protesters had been under surveillance by an entity called the Baltimore Intelligence Unit.
The Maryland ACLU sued last month, claiming the state police refused to release public documents about the surveillance of peace activists.
The documents, which include intelligence reports and printouts from the database, show that several undercover officers from the state police's Homeland Security and Intelligence Division attended meetings of three groups: Mr. Obuszewski's group; the Coalition to End the Death Penalty; and the Committee to Save Vernon Evans, a convicted murderer who was slated for execution.
The documents show at least 288 hours of surveillance over the 14-month period. The undercover officers attended at least 20 organizing meetings at community halls and churches and a dozen rallies against the death penalty, including several at the state's SuperMax jail in Baltimore.
Included in the documents are references to a proposed sit-in at the offices of Baltimore County State's Attorney SandraA. O'Connor. However, they show no trooper reports of violence or threats of violence. Organizers repeatedly stressed the importance of peaceful and orderly demonstrations, the documents show.
"There were about 75-80 protestors at the rally and none participated in any type of civil disobedience or illegal acts," said one report of a demonstration against the death penalty at the SuperMax jail. "Protesters were even careful to move out of the way for Division of Correction employees who were going into the parking lot for work."
Still, information about the protesters and their activities was sent to seven agencies, including the National Security Agency and an unnamed military intelligence official.
"Americans have the right to peaceably assemble with others of a like mind and speak out about what they believe in," Mr. Rocah said. "For state agencies to spend hundreds of hours entering information about lawful and peaceful political activities into a criminal database is beyond unconscionable. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars, which does nothing to make us safer from actual terrorists or drug dealers."
A word of caution AND an apology
Thursday I was in the river in that area. Due to the fact that the dredging equipment is all steel and very heavy, I underestimated the effect that my wake would have on it. My wake set everything to rocking. There were people working on those barges and they were pretty pissed. I can't blame them. The last thing I would ever want to do is cause someone injury......especially when they are doing something as decent and respectable as working to feed their families. I apologize for seeming inconsiderate to those working on the equipment. I never intended to cause them any grief. Remember, we are responsible for our wake - even when we're NOT in a no wake zone. We are responsible for slowing down and reducing our wake so that other boaters may travel safely. Imagine the affect a three foot wake would have on a canoe, for example. I spoke to those who were working on the equipment by radio and fortunately everything - and everyone - was OK.
Which Bank is Next?
So do you know what FDIC insured means when you see that little sign on your banks doors? It means that accounts are insured up to $100,000.00 per account.
Some of the things that are happening at Indy-Mac don't sound quite so reassuring. I have read that from several other sources that if you have more than $100,000.00 in any one account you better open up another account and place the overage in it. Additionally, I have also read that if you have more than one account with the insured $100,000. in them you may want to put the other accounts in family members names, or even spread it around to different banks so that all of your eggs aren't in one basket. The following article is more than a little scary...
Cops Threaten to Arrest Angry IndyMac Customers
Daily News
July 15, 2008
Police ordered angry customers lined up outside an IndyMac Bank branch to remain calm or face arrest Tuesday as they tried to pull their money on the second day of the failed institution’s federal takeover.
At least three police squad cars showed up early Tuesday as tensions rose outside the
Federal regulators seized Pasadena-based IndyMac on Friday and reopened the bank Monday under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Deposits to $100,000 are fully insured by the FDIC.
Worried customers with deposits in excess of insured limits flooded IndyMac Bank branches on Monday, demanding to withdraw as much money as they could or get answers about the fate of their funds.
When it was clear some wouldn’t get in before closing, FDIC employees apparently took down names and told them to return Tuesday.
Other customers began lining up at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, and by dawn, tensions escalated because people on the list were getting priority.
By 8 a.m., about 50 people on the list waited in one line and many more waited in another.
Five people were allowed in at a time.
Customers became infuriated, and police told them they could be arrested if they didn’t remain calm.
Quote of the Day...Today You Get Three! Read, Chew, Repeat
"God gave the savior to the German people. We have faith, deep and unshakeable faith, that he was sent to us by God to save Germany." ~Hermann Goering, speaking of Hitler
"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side" ~Aristotle
SUMMER MEET NEARING HALF WAY POINT AT OCEAN DOWNS
Nationally-known driver Eric Ledford leads in the driver standings with 23 wins after the sixteenth night of racing Sunday, July 13. Frank Milby, the leading driver at Rosecroft with 108 wins this year at the Fort Washington, Maryland track and the 2007 Ocean Downs top driver with 67 wins, has returned to the ocean where he is third with 12 wins. Rosecroft Raceways's third-leading driver John Wagner already has nine wins at the Ocean Oval this summer and is joined by Harrington's fourth leading driver Brandon Givens competing regularly. Noted drivers George Napolitano, Jr., Victor Kirby and Roger Plante, Jr. often race at Ocean Downs.
Local favorite Ray Robinson, Jr. is having another very productive meet. "Shorty" has driven 15 winners during the current meet and as of July 15, is only 28 wins away from the coveted 1,000-win mark. Other well-known shore drivers including Wayne Long, Mark Gray, Sam Belote, W. David Hill III, Eddie Nickle, Bryan Truitt, Charles Perry and William Carter have had strong meets to date.
The leading trainer with nine wins is Mike Hall from Frankford, Delaware. One of Hall's many fine trainees is Mr. Love Joy, a ten year-old gelding which was the only horse to earn four wins through July 13 during the current meet.
Ocean Downs is featuring a number of quality stakes races through the second-half of harness action, including the finals of the Chesapeake Bay Racing Series Wednesday, August 13 with total purse money for four events exceeding $100,000. The 2008 Maryland Standardbred Fund races will be run Wednesday and Thursday, August 20 and 21.
Two late closer series have been completed thus far with nine year-old gelding High Brook Lou earning first and fourth (final) leg wins in the "Bud Light Pace". Driver Eric Ledford teamed with trainer Mike Hall as three year-old filly Alice's Restaurant won back-to-back races in the "Austin Thomas Memorial" late closer #9 series. Six other late closer stakes series are scheduled through the remainder of the meet.
First post for all races is 7:35 pm. Live races are run every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Parking and admission are free. For further information, call Ocean Downs (410) 641-0600.
Jim Whittemore, Publicity Director, X 204
jim.whittemore@oceandowns.com
BOOT'S PLACE & PREVIEW THE DREAM WIN OCEAN STAKES RACES
"Yeah she's a real nice horse," Hall said. Boots Place went wire-to-wire and won by five lengths impressing her trainer. "Yeah really good. Good driver, good horse. Makes it easy," said Hall who now has eleven wins and continues as the summer-meet leading trainer. The driving win was Ledford's 30th of the meet as he continues to lead all drivers at the ocean.
Ray Robinson, Jr. recorded his 18th win this summer and has 975 career wins as "Shorty" took the reigns for the W. David Hill III owned and trained four year-old Preview The Dream, which took the 2nd Division of the Michelob Light Pace" Thursday (1:58.3, $7.20). The victory for the Preview Lobell-Bonnie Dream mare was her first this year, having raced recently at Harrington Raceway. Hill was scheduled to drive his horse, but was injured a couple races earlier. The Salisbury, Maryland native called the track from the hospital and let fans know his injuries were not serious.
In addition to an Eric Ledford driving-double Thursday night, Victor Kirby piloted a pair of winners. Kirby took the Eli Scott, Jr. trained and owned five year-old Champagne Charley to his first win of the year (1:57.3, $28.80). Kirby also drove three year-old filly Hot Jeans to her maiden win for trainer-owner Duane Stoliker of Millsboro, Delaware. Stoliker had not raced his filly as a two year-old, feeling she was not ready, but he's excited about her now after only her second start (1:59.3, $16.40). "She's the real thing," Stoliker said.
Frank Milby also earned a driving-double Thursday at the ocean. Milby took 8/5 favorite Crucial Escape to the mare's second win of the year (1:59.1, $5.40).. Milby then posted his 14th win of this summer meet as the Shawn Manley owned and trained twelve year-old Albert Falcon N, a Harrington import won his fifth in sixteen 2008 starts (1:56.0, $4.60).
Racing resumes Saturday night when Ocean Downs will feature their Pink Ribbon Night for the benefit of Women Supporting Women to help provide awareness, friendship and support for breast cancer survivors and their families. The 60th Anniversary live summer meet at the Ocean Oval continues a Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday format through closing night Sunday, August 24. Parking and admission are free and the first-post nightly is 7:35 pm. For more information, call Ocean Downs (410) 641-0600 or visit on line www.oceandowns.com.
Jim Whittemore, Publicity Director, X 204
jim.whittemore@oceandowns.com
Princess Anne Police National Night Out
Salisbury Fire Department Management Says, Screw You Salisbury Taxpayers!
That's right. Remember this photo from the other day? Well, guess what? That's the last time you're going to see this vehicle on the road because Chiefy See & Deputy Chiefy Gordy have declared this unit surplus and they're NOT going to fix/repair it.
Didn't the Firefighters state the unit was simply leaking some fluids? Oh well, when you have a housewife's purse kind of budget like Mayor Tilghman's, who cares, right? I mean, what's another $750,000.00 Fire Truck after building a $10,000,000.00 Fire Station?
Some Firefighters are quite pissed off at this attitude because they know sooner than later all of this is going to come back and bite THEM in the a$$! Once everyone gets fed up, the Fire Department is going to get cut off and it's not going to be good.
So bend over Taxpayers because the Salisbury Fire Department Management and this Mayor will screw YOU every chance they get, hence 5 new Fire Trucks when the City can't afford it. This unit might make 6 new units?
While I'm on a roll, why not bring up David Cox. I put two and two together and spoke to some people in the know and guess what? Remember back during the time when we were posting on Lorenzo Cropper being the ONLY black paid professional Firefighter? Upper management chose to hire David, knowing his past history was quite questionable. This didn't matter because they had to have a black Firefighter no matter what.
Great MANAGEMENT work Idiots See & Gordy! You guys SUCK at what you do. Salisbury News is just EXPOSING you. Don't hate us because we're so perfect, right Chiefy See?
Oh, you know how See was stating in yesterday's Press Conference this is the very first time in the history of the SFD that a Firefighter had been arrested? Well, first of all, that's not true. Secondly, YOU hired him you Idiot and YOU knew of his past history. Great work there Chiefy! Thanks for putting the Salisbury Fire Department in the National News and on the Map.
ONE OF SALISBURY'S FINEST RESTAURANTS . . . TAPATIA
I have to let you onto something and I hope you put the word out. I've been going to Tapatia Mexican Restaurant for years. I don't think I've ever been disappointed with the food, service, or cleanliness.
The place is always air-conditioned and cool, the food is magnificent, and the quantity of food. . .well you'll probably need a carry-out platter. The prices are very reasonable especially for carrying out an entire family. The service is quick, and the place is always clean. The chips and salsa are incredible.
I have to say that if I had it my way I would eat there almost every night if it wasn't for my better half - (wife) - holding me back.
If you haven't already tried the place, you must try it out ASAP.
I'm already hungry for a quesadilla just talking about it. My recommendation and favorite is No. 118 con pollo -(chicken).
Cheers,
Johnnie