Looks Like I Wasn't Wrong After All

Miller Commercial Real Estate & Property Management, Inc/SVN.

Monday, September 22, 2008 4:21:41 PM

UNIQUE MARKETPLACE. Laurel , DE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY LOCATION PHOTOS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT ADVISOR

$8,900,000
Price Per GLA $128.61
Land Acres 20.94
GLA 69,201
Building S.F. 69,201
Percent Occupied 90.00 %
Cross Street US Route 13
Tax Parcel Number 12.00, 105.00
Market Eastern Maryland/Delaware
Sub Market Laurel, Delaware
No. of Parking Spaces 120
Year Built 1978
No. of Buildings 2
No. of Pads 2
Available Pads 2
No. Stories 2
Year Renovated 2005
No.Tenants 62
Building Class B
Location Class B
Zoning Type C-1 Gen. Commercial
HVAC Gas Heat
Street Frontage Rt. 13 & Rt. 9
Mixed Use Yes
Corner Yes

County Seat Highway Laurel, DE 19956


Property Description
Located on a lighted heavily traveled intersection of U.S. Routes 13 & 9 in Laurel, Delaware. Roughly 853+/-feet of frontage on Rt. 13 and 1, 1,166 front feet on Rt. 9, and offers excellent visibility and access from both Rt. 13 and Rt. 9. The site's location, coupled with its size and zoning, lends itself to the development of a large scale general commercial facility. This transaction includes real estate and five different businesses. Buyers will need to be qualified to review further documentation.


Location Description
Located in Sussex County. Centrally located 30 miles west of the Beaches, 20 miles north of Salisbury, 30 miles south of the Delaware Slots.

Rick Tilghman, CCIM
Advisor
Sperry Van Ness / Miller Commercial Real Estate
206 E. Main Street
Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 543-2440
rick.tilghman@svn.com

Brent C. Miller, CCIM, CPM
Managing Director / Senior Advisor
Sperry Van Ness / Miller Commercial Real Estate
206 E. Main Street
Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 543-2440

GO HERE to see the actual ad for this property being FOR SALE!

Now, that being said, ANY of my properties are FOR SALE as well. If someone wants to come along and offer me $8,900,000.00 for 300 W. Main Street, I'd sell it in a New York Second! This does NOT mean that this facility has been sold. The Owner clearly states that this is NOT the case. My guess would be he's friends with the listing Agents and IF they could sell it for this kind of money. GO FOR IT! In the mean time, they're not going anywhere and everyone can continue to enjoy business as usual at this location. To those Vendors spreading the rumor that is has been sold, YOU'RE WRONG.

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Releases

Incident: Possession of Marijuana and Prescription Pills
Date of Incident: 20 September 2008
Location: 800 Block of West Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspects: Anthony Keith Johnson, 43, Delmar, MD

Narrative: On 20 September 2008 at 9:46 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle operated by Anthony Johnson of Delmar in the 800 block of West Road in Salisbury. During the encounter, the deputy discovered that Johnson’s driver’s license was suspended and subsequently arrested him for that infraction. Upon searching Johnson, the deputy located marijuana in a baggie and several pills of Methadone and Xanax inside a pill bottle with a prescription made out to someone else.

Johnson was arrested for the illicit drugs and transported to the Central Booking Unit at the Wicomico County Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Johnson was released on Personal Recognizance by the District Court Commissioner.

Charges:
Possession of Methadone
Possession of Xanax
Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Incident: Driving Under the Influence
Date of Incident: 19 September 2008
Location: Nanticoke Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspects: Timothy J. Ardes, 34, Nanticoke, MD

Narrative: On 13 September 2008 at 2:30 AM, a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle operated by Timothy Ardes on the suspicion of DUI, when Ardes pulled over and fled from the vehicle. The deputy had to pursue Ardes on foot until Ardes stopped running and the deputy was able to taken him into custody.

Ardes was charged with DUI, attempting to flee on foot and driving on a suspended license. He was taken to the Central Booking Unit at the Wicomico County Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Ardes was held on $25,000.00 bond.


Incident: Counterfeit Currency
Date of Incident: 19 September 2008
Location: Ocean Gateway, Hebron- Mardela, MD
Suspects: Jaime Lynn Rynarzewski, 30, Seaford, DE

Narrative: On 19 September 2008 at 1:20 PM, a deputy responded to a produce stand on Ocean Gateway in Hebron, MD for a report of a counterfeit $50 bill that had just been passed. Upon arrival, the deputy learned that a female subject had come into the produce stand and purchased produce valued at $6.50 and paid with a $50 bill that the store proprietor later discovered to be counterfeit. The deputy checked with four other produce stands in the Hebron and Mardela Springs area and discovered that this same suspect had gone into these establishments, purchased a small amount of produce, paid with a counterfeit $50 bill and left with authentic U.S. currency in change.

The employees at the first business were able to provide a Delaware registration number and vehicle description of the vehicle operated by the suspect. A deputy on patrol in the Delmar area located the vehicle and stopped it on U.S. 13 in the area of Stage Road. An employee from this business responded to the location where the suspect was stopped and positively identified her as the individual who passed the counterfeit $50 bill. The suspect, Jaime Lynn Rynarzewski, was arrested and discovered to have fifteen additional counterfeit $50 bills in her possession.

Rynarzewski was taken to the Central Booking Unit at the Wicomico County Detention Center where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Rynarzewski was held in the Detention Center in lieu of $100,000.00 bond.

THE TRUTH IS IN THE NUMBERS

Hey, Shanie, here's data on the Tilghman-Webster police. The crime level goes up and down some, but has been at 3-4 times the US Average under their "leadership"! Salisbury is the crime capital of the Shore.

Oh, To Be 20 Again!

I had the honor off meeting Miss Delaware at the Billiard event at Dover Downs. Unfortunately, she gave me her direct e-mail address to forward some cool pictures of her with the Drivers but someone stole the picture with the address on it. If anyone knows how to get a hold of her let me know please. alberobutzo@wmconnect.com

Bargain Bills Is Here To Stay

"Joe, I'm not sure where you are obtaining your information or if you even checked your sources before breaking this "news"....but it's not true. Bargain Bills Flea Market is here to stay. We have not been approached by WAWA or Walmart or any other name brand company. We will absolutely NOT be closed at the end of this month and quite frankly it's negative news like this that ruins a business. I hope the patrons of Bargain Bills will be able to see through the rumor mill and continue coming for many years to come.

William P. Brown, Owner & President of Bargain Bills."

While numerous people had stated the facility would be closing, obviously my sources were incorrect. It happens Folks, we're not perfect. My sincere apologies for the error. Joe

Kratovil Campaigns With \His Liberal Friend

Campaigning with "Uncle Steny" shows Kratovil's true liberal colors


Easton - Sunday afternoon, Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer joined Frank Kratovil for a campaign event. "Frank Kratovil is once again showing his true liberal colors by campaigning with Steny Hoyer," said Chris Meekins, Harris Campaign Manager.

The Hoyer-Kratovil relationship is decades old. Steny Hoyer has known Frank Kratovil since he was a kid. Frank Kratovil grew up as part of the Prince George's County political machine. Frank Kratovil then transplanted himself to the Eastern Shore to prepare to run for political office.

Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer leads a Congress with the lowest approval rating in history. Under his leadership, Congress has failed to provide real solutions to our energy crisis, failed to prevent the current financial crisis, and failed to end wasteful government spending. The only thing Congress has done under his leadership, is attempt to raise taxes by billions of dollars on hardworking Americans. "We don't need a liberal puppet of Steny Hoyer in Congress. Voters want a change, and by campaigning with Steny Hoyer, Kratovil shows he is more of the same," said Meekins.

Liberal Washington Democrats are funneling thousands of dollars to Frank Kratovil because Frank Kratovil supports their liberal values. Kratovil supports liberal policies of raising taxes, increasing wasteful government spending, giving amnesty to illegal immigrants, and implementing universal socialized medicine.

"Frank Kratovil will be a lapdog of the liberal Washington Democrats. Voters in the first district do not want a congressman who will raise their taxes, increase wasteful spending, and impose his liberal policies on them," said Chris Meekins.

Joe Albero, NASCAR & $10,000.00

While thousands of people who hadn't pre purchased tickets for this event waited in line, others were already in their VIP Seats awaiting the Main Event.

Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Bobby Labonte, Clint Bower, Ryan Newman, Casey Mears, Brad Keselowski, Stanton Bennett, Hermy Sadler, Jamie Little ESPN, Shannon Spake ESPN, Brian Gurry American Builder and Chef Fred Bohnn waited anxiously for their opportunity to walk out into the Grand Ball Room in front of a massive crowd of Fans along with 2 randomly chosen fans from the crowd to play the 1st Annual Budweiser Celebrity Billiard Shootout Billiard Tournament.

It was an honor to Host this event and once the Driver's came to realize I was a former Professional Pool Player, they wanted to challenge me from the word go. That had to wait till the event was over but during the pre event I got on the floor and did what many would believe would be impossible.

I racked the 9-Ball rack and broke the first rack of balls, sinking the 9-Ball on the break. I racked again, broke the balls and sank the 9-Ball on the break again. I racked again, broke the balls and yes, I sank the 9-Ball in on the break 3 times in a row. This is unheard of Folks and it was all captured on film. I went on to knock the 9-Ball in on the break 5 out of 6 times and that drove the Driver's into wanting to play me even more.

When their matches were over and we got back onto the tables, Stanton Bennett couldn't wait to play me. We were having a blast all evening and I said, you did watch me knock the 9-Ball in on the break earlier, right? He replied, yeah, that was all luck. Come on Joe, let's get it on. I broke the rack and yes, the 9-Ball again went in on the break. We all had a great laugh and went on for about an hour entertaining the crowd.

Liz Ford, (Professional Female Player) then challenged me to a race to three games and I took her up on it. I let her break the first game, nothing went in. I ran the rack of balls and finished one up. She racked, I ran 7 balls and missed my shot, she finished and we were tied one up. She broke, missed, I ran the rack and I was up 2-1. O laughed while she racked and got somewhat cocky and said, 9-Ball on the snap. Wouldn't you know it, the 9-Ball went in on the break and everyone went nuts. It was my day on the Pool Tables and we all had a blast. More to come............

Joe Albero, NASCAR & $10,000.00 Part II

16 NASCAR Drivers/Fans/Enthusiasts and literally thousands of their Fans showed up in swarms to visit the 1st Annual Budweiser NASCAR Celebrity Billiard Event at Dover Downs Friday evening.

While there were a good 20 people there from the Salisbury area that I know of, thousands of people lined the grand foyer of the Hotel trying to purchase tickets to this SOLD OUT event and there were people standing everywhere just to see the event.

Bruce Hunter from Bruce's Billiards in Salisbury delivered the Tables and was kind enough to step up to the plate and referee one of the 4 tables and in the final match he covered the final match while I commentated for television along with female Professional Player Liz Ford.

$10,000.00 in Prize Money went to the winner, Casey Mears favorite charity, the Alzheimer's Foundation. I'm hoping to have the video and full story of the event in a few days for everyone to see. In the mean time, it was an incredible event and for those who didn't want to believe it, here it is.

Good Citizens

"You hear a lot of negatives about the Hispanic Community out of fear of the unknown. Last night, my wife and I saw the good hearts of two unknown Hispanics that will have a positive impact on our country. It was just after dark, we were driving down Priscilla Street when we came across a young man pushing his SUV down the road. He had run out of gas and was in need of help. I offered to help push his SUV the 3 to 4 blocks left to get him to the gas station on the corner as my wife followed behind us for safety. We pushed past several homes with people out in their yards and drew many stares. But as we passed one home, two Hispanic men came running out their door in flip flops and jumped right in next to me really lightening the load. Nobody asked them and once the car was at the pump, they disappeared as fast as they volunteered. I’m sure their families saw their actions and their children will grow up with great knowledge of helping out their neighbor and what it takes to become good citizens.

I guess what I’m saying here is the next time someone makes one of those blanket prejudice statements, think about this event before considering their statement.


Richard"

The Republican Crab Feast

It was absolutely a perfect day to be outdoors and enjoy some great fellowship with so many friends. The crabs were out of this world. Yes, Andy Harris obviously attended and truly enjoyed hanging out with everyone. As you can see from the photos, the who's who of Republicans were there to enjoy a perfect day and there were a ton of people there having a great time.

I can't wait for next year! Thanks for visiting AGAIN Andy. It's always great to see you showing you care about the Eastern Shore.

Many More Posts To Come This Morning

While it was an extremely busy weekend for me, I came into the Office around 6:30 this morning to download all the pictures I took and I'll be posting them shortly. It was an exciting weekend and I'm sure you'll enjoy what I deliver.

Before & After

Notice the first photo there's a Kratovil sign. Notice how the sign has finally been taken down. My hat is tipped to the Gordy's for finally using their head and removing the sign and getting back to what they're there for, business.

Chalk Drawings

Democrats Afraid To Invite Albero?

Could it be that the Democrats were afraid to invite Joe Albero to their opening of their new Headquarters because they knew Frank Kratovil would be a no show?

Well, it's a fact. Frank Kratovil was in fact a no show to this event and instead sent his Wife instead. Once again Andy Harris has clearly shown he's far more interested in the Eastern Shore and takes your Vote far more seriously.

Frank was also a no show at the Democratic Crab Fiest. It's going to take far more than a $1,000,000.00 donation to get people to vote for this guy.

Rick Pollitt, Sheree Sample Hughes, Gary Comegys, Shanie Shields, Terry Cohen, Ernie Leatherbury & Jim Ireton were in attendance there.

Question of the Day, Mon 9/22

This week (9/21 - 9/27) is National Clean Hands Week.

Do you keep clean hands? How often do you wash your hands? Do you wash only after bathroom or before eating? What do you teach your children about hand-washing? Are you OCD about clean hands?

Today is also the first day of autumn. Good bye summer . . . Hello, best season of the year!!!

Main Street Gym Press Release

Saturday morning at 5;30 am we left for Pittsburgh with 6 of our boxers to compete at a big outdoor fireman's function. We were called by a matchmake looking for a main event bout for their hometown star, a 125lb boxer that has won the state and regional Golden Gloves. The event was being promoted around this young man with his picture on the cover of the program and his story inside. They had heard that we had an open class boxer in Main St Gym, Shawn Woodford. You have seen him on the golf course and many other times. He was to be brought in as an opponent to let the star shine in his hometown. They also matched up Fernando Guerrero's older brother Alexis, two juniors, Abdiel Riveria 14 yrs and Cory Moore , 12 yrs and a novice heavyweight Tihir Thomas, all of Main St Gym.

In the first bout of the night with approx 1500 people in attendance Cory Moore fought his heart out loosing a close decision but making us very proud in his effort. He is still growing and getting better and more serious as time goes on.

In the third bout Abdiel Riveria was just too strong and in better shape than his Pittsburgh opponent , winning a decision. Although Abdiel was a little disappointed in the quality of his performance, it shows me that he understands that what we have taught him about how you perform is more important that who gets the bigger trophy.

In what was to be the 6th bout Tihir Thomas sat geared and ready t o show his stuff until the event organizer came to us explaining that his opponent was sick and vomiting. so they were forced to scratch the bout . Tihir just shifted gears and went into team support mode.

Then it was Alexis Guerrero's turn. His opponent was shorter but built solid and very strong , almost like a Tyson. Alexis is 6'3 1/2" so most of his opponent are shorter and thicker. Alexis, who in the past has had a problem executing instructions can be brilliant or disappointing depending on where his head is, however in the past months he has worked very hard learning to take instructions better, while in the ring. On this night he was firing on all eight cylinders and put on a show by using his long jab and then following it with a rock crushing straight right hand, over and over for 4 rounds. It was one of his best performances and thee best in terms of taking instruction form his corner. Alexis staggered his opponent twice in the fight and cause two eight counts, one resulting from a hook to the body. The win was our second of the night, but again it was the performance that was more important.

The Main Event was what the crowd had waited all night for and it was obvious when they announce their home town hero. Shawn Woodford was admittedly a little unsure of what would play out, having just turned open class last month. His 21 year old, our opponent was confident as he walked among the crowd all night with his hands up throwing occasional sharp combinations, as well wishers greeted him. What he did not know is how Shawn battles while sparring at home with the likes of Fernando, Alex, and all the other bigger Main St Gym boxers. I In recent months Shawn, who works at Arby's has focus more on tapping into his potential and not remaining a participant and in round 1 it showed. I told him as the bell was about to ring " this boy doesn't deal with the likes of Fernando believe me. Shawn went right out controlling the fight with his jab, but the key moment in the fight was when Shawn dropped his crushing right hand on the Golden Gloves champ causing to
completely rethink his strategy, I don't believe he was expecting to feel that
kind of punching power from a skinny kid like Shawn. The bout then boiled down
to the hometown hero attempting to get through Shawn's jab but dealing with Shawn's power when he did. It was obvious that he was on the spot. The two fought 4 great rounds with Shawn not only controlling the bout but inflicting the damage. At the final bell, Shawn caught his opponent with sharp punches as he staggered in exhaustion with his hand down. The crowd was appreciative of Shawns performance the fight but as enthusiastic about it being performed on their local star. It was without any doubt Shawn Woodford at his absolute best, at a time that he needed his absolute best. Our team was so proud as they new that Shawn just defeated a regional Golden Glove champ. Shawn came back to the corner at the bell with a big smile on his face and hugged me knowing what he just did, but I at a time should have been all his, it was my job to bring him back to reality, I whispered in his ear, "you know, I know, the team knows and the crowd knows, but they won't give this one to you". I was waiting for some display of the disgust that you would expect form a kid that gave a 100% and wasn't rewarded for it, But Shawn being the class act that he is just looked at me and smiled and said I understand but I don't care, now I know what I can do.

I gave the kids the option get a hotel and drive the six hours home in the morning, but they all want to get back to the eastern shore ASAP so we drove through the night and got home at 6:30 on Sunday.

Coach Hal

McCain - Palin 2008

Click on image to enlarge.

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Releases

Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 15 September 2008
Location: 29000 block of Raven Ct., Salisbury, MD
Suspects: James Jeffery Munford Jr. 29, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 15 September 2008 at 12:52AM, a deputy from the WCSO investigated an assault that occurred in the 29000 block of Raven Court in Salisbury. The victim told the deputy that James Munford came to the victim’s residence and began a verbal argument that escalated into a physical alteration. The victim stated that Munford pushed the victim into a wall and struck the victim repeatedly. The deputy observed minor lacerations and bruises to the victim that were reportedly caused by Munford.

The suspect, James Munford, was gone when the deputy arrived at the residence and could not be located. An arrest warrant was obtained, charging Munford with Assault and Reckless Endangerment and he was located later in the day at a business in Delmar, MD. After being taken into custody, Munford was transported to the Central Booking Unit at the Wicomico County Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Munford was held in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Incident: Driving Without a License
Date of Incident: 18 September 2008
Location: Parsons Road at Nanticoke Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspects: Daniel M. Smith, 21, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 18 September 2008 at 4:29hrs, an off-duty deputy in his agency vehicle observed a vehicle being operated on Parsons Road that did not display any registration plates. The deputy stopped the vehicle and identified the operator as Daniel Smith of Salisbury. After speaking with Smith, the deputy discovered that Smith did not have, nor did he ever have, a driver’s license from Maryland or any other state. The deputy also determined that Smith’s vehicle was unregistered.

The deputy arrested Smith and transported him to the Central Booking Unit at the Wicomico County Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Smith was released on Personal Recognizance.

Incident: Possession of Crack Cocaine
Date of Incident: 17 September 2008
Location: Isabella Street at Catherine Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspects: Milton Edward Cooper, 53, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 17 September 2008 at 11:52PM, a deputy from the Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Isabella Street. Upon approaching the vehicle, the driver began yelling at the passenger to get out of the vehicle. The deputy observed the passenger get up to exit the vehicle and saw that the passenger was sitting on what the deputy recognized as crack cocaine. The passenger, identified as Milton Cooper, was arrested for possession of crack cocaine.

Cooper was transported to the Central Booking Unit at the Wicomico County Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, Cooper was held in the Detention Center in lieu of $3,000.00 bond.

The Official Democratic Seal

RE-ELECT NOBODY!

(Worthy of your time and attention regardless of your Party Affiliation)

545 PEOPLE

By Charlie Reese


Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The

Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ..

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation,' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses
provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you, though you appear to have several choices.

1. You can send this to everyone in your address book, and hope they do something about it.

2. You can agree to vote against everyone that is currently in office, knowing that the process will take several years.

3. You can decide to run for office yourself and agree to do the job properly.

4. Lastly, you can sit back and do nothing, or re-elect the current bunch.

Worthy Of A Post

"Recently, there have been posts about SU Dining Services providing catering to the public in competition to private business. I can most certainly understand the private business owners objections. It is my understanding that UMES is now planning a restaurant on the downtown plaza. This is being praised as advancement to the plaza by our city leaders. These are the same leaders that state that the public should support the eleven (? - their statement) local downtown restaurants. If UMES starts a restaurant downtown they will destroy the local downtown restaurant scene.

Why- 1. They can use student help, therefore not needing to pay for their staff. By the way 88% of UMES students are on financial aid which means the local restaurant owners will actually paying their competition's staff pay. 2. UMES buys from the State of Maryland food contracts which are priced far below what the other private restaurants in the area are paying.

Essentially, UMES can start this restaurant, charge lower prices, buy higher quality food, and put the other local restaurants out of business.

I am not a restaurant owner or associated with any restaurants ( I used to be quite a few years ago). I thought you may be interested in this situation since you used to own a restaurant and obviously know the financial pressures as well as personal pressures of owning a restaurant. Do you know if there is any truth to this rumor that UMES is planning to start a restaurant on the plaza?"

I wasn't aware of this going on but if you're correct, you're exactly right. Let's see where the comments take us with this one. Joe

Self Defense - right or priviledge?

My wife and I just returned from Virginia Beach. Although I have been known (by my wife) from time to time to just get up and, from out of the blue, say "let's pack a bag and go here or there", this wasn't one of those occasions.

My sister and her husband (from New Jersey) have, for the past 8 years, visited Virginia Beach for the Air Show with a few other couples. Each couple gets their own room at the "Super 8 Hotel" on 27th and Atlantic Ave., and they do different things and go different places for about a week after which they return home to the hussle and bussle of day to day life. Not this time.

In the early morning hours of 9/20 a knock came to the door of my sisters hotel room. They had just gotten back into their rooms a few minutes before and believing it was one of the other members of their party, she opened the door. Immediately the door was forced the rest of the way by 3 black males, one of whom stabbed my sister in the abdomen causing major internal injuries. As soon as her husband could react he engaged the closest assailant at which time her husband was stabbed in the abdomen, shoulder, and head. There was another member of the party in their room with them surfing the net on my sisters new laptop computer. He was instructed by one of the assailants to give them the computer. As the attention of the assailants was turned to the computer, my sisters husband went out the sliding glass door, over the railing to the balcony of the adjoining unit where another member of their party was staying and banged on their door to call 911. My sister was on the floor in her unit bleeding from her stab wound. Her husband, although bleeding profusely almost to the point of unconciousness was able to get help. The assailants were gone within 45 seconds and the police arrived within minutes. Even though help was right around the corner, both my sister and her husband were almost killed - for a f**kin' laptop. Yep. Both are suffereing from massive internal injuries and will spend more than a week in the hospital and several months recovering IF they completely recover. I sat and watched my sister slip into a morphene induced sleep and after several minutes jump back into consciousness as if someone had hit her. I suspect the psychological injury will take a great deal longer to heal.

Now we can sit and comment (and I'm sure some of you will) how my sister shouldn't have opened the door, etc. A victim can never be blamed for the diabolical intent of a criminal.

It's no secret that I am a proponent of concealed carry laws. I firmly believe that EVERY law abiding citizen should have the right to carry a firearm on their person without having to convince some judge, panel, or committee that they need it. Now I'm not gonna get into the intricacies of "people should receive training" and the like - for the purposes of this post it's not the point. The real point is this. Those opposed to concealed carry laws try diligently to outlaw firearms period. They lobby politicians to pass laws that ban the possession of handguns in our cars and on our persons. Look objectively at what this has done. These laws have taken law abiding citizens and created victims of them. All the laws they have passed for the last 50 years have done NOTHING to prevent criminals from victimizing innocent citizens. As a matter of fact, these laws have taken good, hard working people who decided that it was necessary to keep a firearm on their person in order to defend themselves and family members and turned them into criminals because to do so violates the law.

I firmly believe that if my sister and her husband had been permitted to carry a firearm they would have had one with them. It may not have stopped my sister from being stabbed, but it would have likely stopped her husband from suffering the same fate. Whats More, if criminals knew that more innocent people carry handguns, they likely wouldn't try so frequently to commit these types of crimes since their intended victims wouldn't be defenseless as they are now.

Do you think so many students would have been killed at Columbine if the teachers had the right to carry firearms?

Do you think number of fatalities would have been so high at Va. Tech.?

How about 9/11? If the passengers on the planes that struck the WTC's had been armed, do you think the terrorists would have succeeded?

Joe posted a Youtube video some time ago of a girl testifying to some committee about an incident involving a gunman in which her mother and father had been killed. There were no law abiding citizens carrying a firearm present. What if that were YOUR mother and father.

If someone you loved were in a public place such as a school or a mall and someone started stabbing people, one after another, wouldn't you want a law abiding citizen with a firearm present to make sure that YOUR loved one wasn't a victim?

How can it not be common sense that these types of incidents would fall off sharply if law abiding citizens had the right to carry firearms? In fact statistics show that violent crime DOES drop in areas which permit the carrying of concealed firearms.

More and more states every year recognize that it is a God given right to defend yourself and your family and every year these same states enact legislation permitting the carrying of concealed weapons by law abiding citizens. We should all do what we can to convince our legislators that it is time that Maryland does the same. Enact lagislation that would permit our law abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm AND exercise reciprocity by honoring concealed carry permits issued by other states so that they will honor ours.