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Monday, November 23, 2009

Chiefy & Comegys Are About To Get Slammed With More Truth


I think I'll hold off until tomorrow morning to express my opinion about tonight's meeting but let me assure you of one thing, OUR people have real engineering degrees Mr. Comegys, not titles. They also have degrees, unlike your idiotship.


I think you can tell by the tone of this Post things are going to really get rocky in tomorrow's Post because old Chiefy is about to get spanked with the TRUTH and it's NOT going to look good on the old man. Trust me on that one.
Oh, by the way Louise, would you let me get that loud, angry and aggressive as Gary Comegys was tonight???????

ARRRRGH!


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Salisbury News

Little Brooke Mulford Needs Prayers


Hi everyone,

It's after midnight and I need to get to sleep since the nights are usually the most difficult I get very little sleep. The past three nights Brooke has needed to be put on oxygen. Friday night her pulsox dropped to 83% (should be above 90% minimum) and she needed oxygen until about 1:00 in the afternoon. They did a chest xray Sat morning and they think she has pneumonia or a collapsed lung but are leaning toward pneumonia. She will be getting a repeat xray done tomorrow morning (Monday). They have also done some other tests and should get results late tomorrow on those.

Don't think we will be getting out of here Monday as planned - which I would not feel comfortable leaving in light of the situation anyway. She has been spiking fevers (up to 104.1) off and on through out the days and nights (which is typical with this clinical trial but still tough as a parent to see). Her blood pressure has improved since the first day. She is due to get her 2nd blood transfusion this week any minute now (her hemaglobin was 7 last night but they weren't able to give the transfusion while getting her antibodies infusion so it had to wait until tonight).

We have been missing Grammy so much this week as she has been home sick. Uncle Johnny & aunt Johanna have been coming in when they can (Wed, Fri & Sat) and it's always a bright spot in our day. Daddy came to visit yesterday and Brooke was talking a mile a minute the entire time he was here (she was so excited to see him) and I got to see the light of day for the first time since Wed (we don't have an outside window - just a noisy view of the ER waiting room). Also, had a fun visit with aunt Cheryl & cousin Brian today. Whenever we have visitors she kicks me to the curb (she knows she can get away with anything when I'm gone) but the minute they're gone I can't even stand outside the door without her telling me she needs me! We brought in walkie talkies this time so that if I'm putting laundry in or running down to the caffeteria she can talk to me if she needs me but they don't work in the caffeteria. We practiced with them all last week at home. She's so cute on them and always ends with "over & out" (no idea where she got it from).
Well, those are the highlights and lowlights since Thurs. Please pray that her lungs clear quickly and that she doesn't get worse. Also, please pray for Grammy to get better soon...we miss her so much.

God Bless,
Amy

The Lord is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.
-Psalm 28:7

Salisbury's Third Friday & Christmas Tree Lighting Event




Hundreds of people gathered together Friday night and Shop Owners enjoyed packed businesses, especially Kuhn's Jewelers. Fine work Mayor Ireton.

Chuck Baldwin Article

Joe,

Here is an article by Chuck Baldwin about the Fort Hood shooting. He raises some very good points in the article:

How can our government protect us from "terror" if it can't even protect the military ON A BASE!

How could this guy go unnoticed for so long when we have been told of all his "terror" communications?

Also, why aren't the soldiers armed, and then, why didn't they protect themselves from this guy?

I have thought the story was fishy from the beginning with news of multiple shooters and then, we thought the shooter was dead for 8 hours before being told he lived.

http://www.newswithviews.com/baldwin/baldwin549.htm

BOOTS ON

You have to watch THIS VIDEO!

Gaps For Consumers In Democrat Health Care Bills


For consumers, the health care bills taking final shape in Congress don't rate close to a perfect 10.

The Democrat measures would leave 12 million or more eligible Americans uninsured. Many middle-class families who would be required to buy coverage would still find the premiums a stretch, even with government aid. A new federal fund to provide temporary coverage for people with health problems would quickly run out of cash.

Both House and Senate bills now provide for a government insurance plan, but Reid's bill would let states opt out. It's not clear that Reid has the votes. He may be able to get a compromise to allow a government plan only if, after a reasonable time, insurance companies fail to deliver lower premiums.

Resolving these policy issues would be a historic accomplishment for Democrats. But the bill could still leave consumers feeling a little cheated.

The main consumer protections and financial help for the uninsured won't kick in for three to four years. The delay was necessary to tamp down costs. Even then, not all Americans would be covered.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates some 12 million eligible Americans would remain uninsured after the House bill is fully phased in, in 2019. Under the Senate bill, roughly 16 million would not have insurance. The bills would provide coverage to more than 30 million now uninsured, but workers would still be more likely to be uninsured than seniors.

More..

The Heart Of The Bell Ringing Headquarters






Even with a wide angle lens it's impossible to capture all of the charts spread around the entire room. The Salvation Army Headquarters is fielding phone calls, one after the other trying to fill up these charts. They have added several new locations, many of which are weekend only. After last year they learned many of the volunteers had more spare time on the weekends and local companies agreed to allow the Salvation Army ring their bells and raise money for a fantastic cause.

If you have some free time and would like to help those in need, please call the Salvation Army and ring a bell, even if its only for an hour. There are still open slots indoors at the Mall and it's an experience you'll never forget.

If you'd like to volunteer for a slot at any of the above locations please, send your request to ringabell4tsa@verizon.net or call Kettle Campaign Headquarters 410-749-RING (7464).

How The Trucking Industry Reproduces


I always wondered where new trucks came from, now we know.

Wicomico Fire Departments Take On A Life Of Their Own


PIO Officers, HAZMAT Teams and now special vehicles for photographers, WOW! There's an on line computer inside with all sorts of bells and whistles, let not forget lighting.

It must be an official vehicle because there's no Maryland Tag on the front of the vehicle. Just three tags telling you they're someone very special.

You have to wonder, since this is Station 40's vehicle, will Gordy & Hoppes be demanding they get one too and hire on Wayne Barrall as their official photographer? I mean, how can someone else have something Station 16 doesn't have!

They recently created the new PIO position, yet no one has seen anything in the Press about anything going on with the SFD. Why, because no one is truly interested. It took years to finally get the Daily Times to actually start paying attention to crime, especially any crime from the SPD. They would do Press Releases from the State Police and the Sheriff's Department but until Salisbury News came along they stayed away from anything the SPD put out there. That is, unless it was a murder or something that serious.

These Fire Departments are taking on a life of their own, believing they're news worthy. While much of what they do is pretty cool, one has to wonder why they keep expanding into every one elses arena and only feed information they want exposed to the public? It also makes you wonder just how long it will be before they have their own Secret Service Agents to protect them in the 2nd Most Violent City In America?

SU Field Hockey

2009 NCAA Division III Hockey National Champions - Salisbury University!

Despite losing one its returning All-Americans and another All Conference player during the season - they won the title on Sunday in South Hadley, MA vs. Messiah, whom they had lost to back in September (their lone loss of the year). This was the program's fifth national title, and the University's 13 team championship....

Congratulations Salisbury University!

The Magi Fund Celebrates 16 Years With The National Christian Choir






The National Christian Choir accompanied by the Magi Children's Choir put on a show 2nd to none Saturday night and Sunday morning.

160 children from Holly Grove Christian School, Pemberton Elementary School, Salisbury Christian School, Fruitland Intermediate School, North Salisbury Elementary School and Asbury Church delivered a spectacular performance and helped raise more than $40,000.00 this year for the Magi Fund. These funds are used to help support the Joseph House Center as well as the Salisbury Christian Center.

Out of nowhere, Sheriff Mike Lewis and Conductor Jim Perdue, (lol) came on stage in the middle of a performance and started ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has partnered up with the Magi Fund to help raise money for those in need.

It was a spectacular evening and I must admit, Jim Perdue did a fantastic job conducting the National Christian Choir. Sheriff Lewis, keep your day job. ;-)

Troopers Investigating Home Invasion


Location: Donovan-Smith Mobile Home Park, 34000 Copper Smith Cir, Lewes, DE
Date of Occurrence: Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 7:25 p.m.

Suspects:
White male, dressed in dark clothing
White female
Unknown female

Resume:

Delaware State Police are investigating a home invasion that occurred in a Lewes area mobile home park.

Troopers were called to the 34000 block of Copper Smith Cir for a home invasion. The 28 year-old resident told troopers that he heard a knock at his door and when he answered he was confronted by a white male who forced him to the ground. Two females them entered the home behind the male and then began to rummage through the house looking for money. While the suspects were in the home, the victim was pistol whipped by the male suspect several times.

All three suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of currency and a cell phone.

The victim was refused medical treatment at the scene.

American Soldier Christmas Cards

When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address:

A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

MEDICARE WASTE AND FRAUD

How would waste and fraud be eliminated from Medicare? To find a possible answer, we must examine the administrative cost of private insurance companies and compare it to Medicare. The private companies have a cost in the neighborhood of 20%. Medicare claims about 6%, a 14% difference. How can that be?

Start with Medicare premiums that are collected by the Social Security Administration and not charged to Medicare. The need for clerks to track billing has been eliminated from Medicare. The real meat of the matter is the private companies have staff to review claims in order to eliminate waste and fraud. It is obvious that Medicare does not. The cost to the federal government, last year, for Medicare and Medicaid was $807 billion dollars. Fifty (50) billion in waste and fraud is 7% of the cost. One might conclude that creating a bureaucracy to eliminate the waste and fraud would cost more than the loss. Evidently prior administrations came to the conclusion that the cost to control waste and fraud was more than the theft. A prime example is the IRS. Laws and agents exist and yet payment of taxes, by everyone, can't be enforced.

Since 1970, Medicaid's per-patient costs have risen 35% more, and Medicare's 34% MORE, than all other health care in America. President Obama and his congressional lackey's say we must expand government -run health care to contain costs. Nearly forty (40) YEARS OF EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE HAS SUCCEEDED ONLY IN RAISING COSTS. Why would we believe a public option would be any better?

Forty three percent (43%) of Medicaid costs are paid for by the states. However, the proposed legislation calls for 100% of additional enrolled to be paid for by the states until 2015 when it drops to 91%.Estimates are that 13 million people will be added to the Medicaid rolls. Estimate 3,250,000 households at a projected cost of $8,955 each, that's real money to be absorbed by the states. No one seems to know what waste and fraud exist at the state level. I am coming to believe a waste and fraud lobby group exists in Washington. There is not enough waste and fraud in the private insurance companies, so they call on government to create more.

Joel

The Twelve Principals Of Liberty

Our Founding Fathers understood and enshrined within our most sacred documents, fundamental truths, so evident in their existence, so plain in their understanding, that no individual, true to his moral code, would doubt their validity.

"In disquisitions of every kind there are certain primary truths or first principles upon which all subsequent reasonings must depend. . . and [are] so obvious in themselves, and so agreeable to the natural and unsophisticated dictates of common sense, that they challenge the assent of a sound and unbiased mind, with a degree of force and conviction almost equally irresistible." – Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers, No. 31

We at United in Liberty hold to these, The 12 Principles of Liberty™ as a 'Moral Code' for all of America and its future generations. Those who find themselves in constant study and application of these truths are most able to defend and protect the freedoms and liberties so many others before have fought to uphold.

Principle #1 – God endows mankind with unalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Principle #2 – Unalienable rights cannot be made, altered or abolished by government or mankind.

Principle #3 – As its proper role, government is instituted by mankind exclusively to protect unalienable rights.

Principle #4 – It is the right of the people to alter or abolish an abusive government.

Principle #5 – All mankind are justified before God in the defense of unalienable rights.

Principle #6 – To ensure freedom, the law must be created by a moral and educated people.

Principle #7 – Freedom can only be sustained through a representative republic.

Principle #8 – To prevent the abuse of power, government must be limited, local, checked and balanced.

Principle #9 – All mankind are created equal before God, the law, and in the protection of their rights.

Principle #10 – All mankind are created with the ability to choose and each have responsibility for their own agency.

Principle #11 – Prosperity occurs when free enterprise and private property exist with minimal government regulation and restrained debt.

Principle #12 – The family, in its traditional form, as ordained by God, is the core unit of free society.

Mayor Ireton & Chiefy Webster Address The City Monday Night

While Louise Smith, (President of the Salisbury City Council) has requested Chiefy Webster and Mayor Ireton address the City Council in reference to the Mayor's Crime Task Force, time has been set aside for them to do so tonight.

Mind you, Chiefy Webster is NOT on the Crime Task Force and in fact was pretty distant from participating, probably because of his differences with Councilwoman Debbie Campbell and Mayor Ireton.

Nevertheless, this should get quite interesting listening to these two spit out information AFTER so much has been exposed by Salisbury News in recent weeks. The pressure is on and they know it. 9 days ago, (as well as this past Saturday) we exposed crime on The Joe Albero Show, (repeated this past Saturday) and crime seemed to be on every one's mind immediately following as even the Daily Times had Grapevine comments all over the place ever since.

In all fairness, let's hope the Mayor and Chiefy have concrete answers and not more BS. Anyhow, here's your opportunity to express what YOU would like to hear Monday night.

Cherrystone Campground Sucks!












Last camping season many people experienced more than just one problem with Cherrystone Campground in Virginia.

However, it was the very tail end of the season that outraged quite a bit of people, yet nothing was ever expressed in the Press.

The photos above are of actual camp sites. Many people who made reservations and drove all the way out to Cherrystone Campground were introduced to camp sites that were completely under water. Many of these spaces are actually pop up tent camp sites and the Office REFUSED to give back any one's money. In fact, if you wanted to relocate to dryer land, you had to start all over again and foot the bill for relocating and pay the regular rates.

I know of several people that experienced this problem and believe it or not, many people got right back in their vehicles and made the long ride back home disappointing their children.

Cherrystone Campground will no longer receive my business as well as several of my friends and associates. While Salisbury News grows with National recognition, the title alone will put a hurting on their business and this is exactly what they deserve.

As many of you know, my Mother passed away not long ago. The Albero Family was scheduled to go to Cherrystone for a Halloween Weekend but we had to cancel based on my Mother's death. I called Cherrystone and told them we would not be coming that weekend and explained that my Mother had passed away. Their very first response was, "What did she die of?" I was hesitant but replied, she died of cancer. They then said, "How old was she?" I gave them her age and then he asked, "When did she die?" I told them when she died and he said, "How long did she have the cancer.?" I then lost it and said, look, I don't know who the hell you think you are but this line of questioning is completely out of line. I asked for a manager and the same person came back on the line and said, "My manager said you need to send us your Mother's Death Certificate AND an ad from an Obituary and we'll then decide what we can do for you." I said, DO FOR ME, you're kidding me, right? I then said, there's no point in me going through all of that and then stuffing an envelope with a stamp on it if I'm not going to get back 100% of my money, (I had paid in full for the entire weekend, not just a deposit).

They said that's what the manager had said. I then stated, look, how about we do this. I'll get you the information you need and instead of sending me the money back, why don't you apply it towards another weekend next year. He said, "we cannot do that, that's the rules."

I sent them the obituary as well as the Death Certificate and we have yet to receive a credit on the credit card. Just as I had figured from the beginning, Cherrystone is going to keep my money and do nothing about satisfying us at all. Therefore we will NEVER do business with them again and this Blog will do more damage than they ever thought. If you don't believe me, wait until tomorrow and go ahead and Google Cherrystone Campground and watch who pops up on top.

They should have returned our money.

Dementia Quiz

Below are four ( 4 ) questions and a Bonus question to test your perception, reasoning and the quickness of your logical processing.
They are stated simply so you should try to answer them instantly.
To assure the accuracy of the results, you should not take your time , but instead, answer each of them immediately .

OK?

Let's find out just how clever you really are....

Ready? GO!!! (scroll down slowly to uncover Q's and A's )


First Question:

You are a participant in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in?

First

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Second Question:

If you overtake the last person, then you are...?

(scroll down)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Answer : If you answered that you are second to last, then you are WRONG again. Tell me Sunshine, how can you overtake the LAST person??

You're not very good at this, are you?


Third Question:

Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only.. Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator .

Try it.

Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000! Now add30 . Add another 1000 . Now add 20 . Now add another 1000 . Now add 10 . What is the total?

Scroll down for the correct answer.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Did you get 5000 ?


The correct answer is actually 4100 ..

If you don't believe it, check it with a calculator!

Today is definitely not your day, is it ?

Maybe you'll get the last question right... Maybe....


Fourth Question:

Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini, 4. Nono, and ??? What is the name of the fifth daughter?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Did you Answer Nunu? NO! Of course it isn't.

Her name is Mary you idiot! Read the question again!


Okay, now the Bonus round,

i.e., a final chance to redeem yourself:


A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done.
Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


It's really very simple
He opens his mouth and asks for it...


Does your employer actually pay you to think??

If so Do NOT let them see your answers for this test!


Have a nice day, one and all.

Caption This Photo

Brooke Mulford Update


Hello everybody, it’s me Brookie! It has been a very long time since I have spoken to you all. I feel like it has been a lifetime ago, I guess you could say it sure has felt like a lifetime of treatments. I do not even know where to begin, so much has happened and taken place. For now I just wish to say Thank you to everyone who has kept me in there prayers! As you can tell, they have been working. Along this journey there have been many ups and downs, but what has not changed is the faith and hope that my family, friends, community and everyone out there has had since the beginning. I just wanted to take a minute and Thank each and every person who has been a part of my road to recovery. As I begin this next round of treatments, I just wanted to reflect on how far I have come and been blessed by all the support. Daddy posted some new pictures and told me that the whole community was eating subs on Friday to help me and all the other Cool Kids out there! Thank you to everyone involved with that and all the sub makers who took time out of their busy lives to volunteer. Maybe Daddy could convince some of you to come work at Market Street? Well it is very late once again, so I should get going; but from the bottom of my heart many thanks to everyone, without you all this would have been soooo much harder! Brooke

PS. Thank you Mommy for always being there for me and spending this whole year by my side and protecting me and comforting me. I know I do not have very much patience, but you have all the patience in the world! I Love You Mommy!

Deliberative Analysis: RIP

A troubling trend has emerged in regard to hot-button issues like anthropogenic global warming and health care. It may not come as a surprise, but there no longer appears to be an interest by many on the left to engage in deliberative analysis and debate about proposed legislation. There are a handful of stereotypical accusations and responses from the left, whether from the Democrat leadership (including the president), or the average, everyday liberal. These irrational attacks must be addressed, broken down, and put away for good.

Mental Capacity

A popular form of attack from the left is the accusation of mental incapacity. For eight years, the funniest joke that supposedly talented comedians could write was a "George W. Bush is dumb" joke. Somehow that passed as hilariously sticking it to the man and speaking truth to power, even as he was leaving office. Luckily for the left, Sarah Palin took that mantle from Bush, and rather than address her shortcomings legitimately and constructively, the left has just labeled her as stupid. Whew, no threat there.

That is what it is about, isn't it? When one labels a person as dumb, idiotic, stupid, or brainwashed, is it not an attempt to stop the debate before it even begins? After all, there is no need to discuss an issue if the person with whom one is discussing it is "stupid." The "brainwashed" attack is a good one because it implies that a person is not only dumb, but that he or she is so brainless and helpless that someone else has been able to imprint a new system of values upon his or her mind. The ultimate aim here is to demean an opponent's capacity for independent thought and thereby artfully dodge a substantive debate on government run medicine.

Racism

The new all-purpose tool of leftists everywhere is the charge of racism. It is used frequently in regards to those who oppose any of Obama's policies, and it works quite well in bullying people on a variety of other issues as well. Are you a capitalist? Racist. Do you believe the U.S. is and should be a meritocracy? Racist. Do you oppose bailouts of all sorts, from large corporations to the individual homeowner? Racist and "teabagger." Do you believe that people should be responsible for their own health care and medical costs? Racist. Do you believe in reforming the legal immigration process to provide more people with a legal pathway into the U.S., while simultaneously cracking down on illegal immigration? Double racist.

You get the idea.
F

ortunately, most rational people not only see through this ruse, but are also appalled at the indiscriminate use that devalues the impact the words racist and racism should make. It is similar to using the word holocaust to describe things that are most definitely not holocausts. It trivializes the words that we use to the point at which we can no longer use them to describe real injustice or even genocide.

Personal Anecdotes

Next is the clichéd use of personal anecdotes. A few personal anecdotes should never be the primary basis for any public policy, especially policy that affects 305,000,000 people. Yet with the health care debate, this tactic is sometimes the only argument deployed. It is a purely emotional attempt to persuade, convince, and finally bully the opposition into acquiescence and acceptance of a possibly irrational proposition.

The real problem here is that everyone has a story to tell. The question then becomes, to whom do we listen? Which stories deserve to influence and shape public policy? For instance, there are many anecdotes about health care rationing and the lack of quality care available in countries like England and Canada as a direct result of their "free" medical care. Here are two domestic examples as well. If we are to use personal stories (the sadder the better!), which stories do we use?

Lastly, vague stories float around about people being turned away from emergency rooms. How? In 1986 the U.S. Congress passed a law requiring hospital emergency rooms to treat people regardless of ability to pay or citizenship status. Thus it is rare that people are "left for dead," and if this does happen, it is highly illegal. Patient dumping, however, is another story altogether.
Red Herrings

This tactic is meant to distract, confuse, or stump an opponent by using a detail that is actually unrelated to the debate at hand. It is reminiscent of "word problems" in mathematics. Those problems usually contain extra information that is not necessary to solve the problem, much to the consternation of many a math student. One such red herring is the claim that U.K. residents get free health care in many other countries outside of the U.K.

A little Googling finds that the U.K. has an arrangement with all European Economic Area (EEA) nations, and reciprocal heath care agreements with 27 other countries, allowing UK residents to receive some state-provided medical services for free or at a discounted price. Private care is not covered. It would take an act of Congress for the U.S. to participate in similar programs, and the current legislation snaking its way through Congress does not address reciprocal health care agreements.

This raises a question of entitlement. Should tourists receive free health care as well? No. The notion that a nation's taxpayers are somehow responsible for a tourist's medical bills is unreasonable, and to complain otherwise defies logic.

Costs

After exhausting the previous arguments, the debate finally approaches a genuinely debatable topic: costs. First is the complaint that health care costs in the U.S. are too high. Great. Everyone agrees here, though the left works hard to paint their opponents as naysayers on this issue.
Next comes the grumbling about premiums of all sorts, including travel insurance for tourists.

The good news is that if the costs in the U.S. system decrease, premiums will decrease as well.

The bad news is that the Pelosi bill increases costs and spending, and paves the way for severe rationing. Why? Because the real goal of this bill, if Pelosi and Obama were honest about it, is not to drive down costs, but rather to open the door to a single-payer health care system. How else to explain the threat of prison for violating the part about individual mandates? There is another bill, proposed by the Republicans, that actually lowers premiums, but it will unfortunately never make it out of the Democrat-controlled committees.

Conclusion

All participants in the health care debate deserve respectful discourse on the merits of the legislation when considering that it will impact fully one-sixth of the American economy and the individual health choices of 305,000,000 people. This authentic exchange of ideas requires first a positive analysis of the proposed legislation so that the consequences can be honestly assessed. Positive analysis results in statements that "can be proven true or false by comparison against real world data."

After the possible outcomes are investigated, all parties may then perform a normative analysis, meaning each participant makes a value judgment regarding the legislation's purported consequences. Of course, this presumes that there exists concrete legislative language, an opportunity to read the text, and legislative hearings in which there is actual discussion of individual sections of the bill. It does make it difficult to apply such an analysis when none of these elements exist.

There was a time when our public discourse was serious and substantive. We have the example of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention who spent long and arduous days interacting until they arrived at elegantly meticulous language. We can only wince at the poverty of the current civic discourse into which we have fallen.

Source

Today's Nature Photo By Scott Phoebus

"Blue Ridge Parkway"
To Purchase Photos Email Me At ksphoebus@gmail.com

Call To Action

Dear Supporter,

Last Wednesday, a group of 9/11 family members and New York first responders attended the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which Attorney General Eric Holder testified about his decision to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the 9/11 co-conspirators in a New York City federal court. Mr. Holder stumbled through several tough and pointed questions about the dangers of giving war criminals the same rights as American citizens and blurring the mission of our war fighters. He was visibly unnerved by the presence of the families and the first responders. We want to keep the pressure on him, as well as President Obama, who we were shocked to learn was AWOL on this reckless decision.

Nearly two weeks ago we sent a letter signed by 300 family members to President Obama, AG Holder and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. After Mr. Holder's announcement last Friday, another 120,000 people (as of today) have signed the letter in support of our position. Many of these individuals are family members from all three attack sites, active & retired FDNY, PAPD & NYPD, first responders from throughout the country and active, reserve and retired members of the military.

We are holding a press conference on Tuesday, November 24, at noon in Battery Park, Clinton Castle for the 9/11 families and first responders/survivors. We chose to hold it on Thanksgiving Week in the hope that our fellow Americans will join us in sending our prayers and messages of thanks to our troops and first responders, who bear the brunt of the decisions made in Washington. At that time we will announce the details for a large rally in New York City on Saturday, December 5, at noon at a location to be announced at the press conference.

Going forward, we think it is important that the rally be tightly focused on the issues of keeping 9/11 war crimes trials out of civilian courts, keeping foreign terrorists off U.S. soil, and reversing the policy of returning to pre-9/11 days when the U.S. Government responded to deadly terrorist attacks with arrest warrants.

Please stay tuned as we release more information in the next few days.

Tim BrowntheBravest.comneverforget@theBravest.com

Debra Burlingame* and Tim Sumner9/11 Families for a Safe & Strong Americainfo@911familiesforamerica.org

*Debra Burlingame is also a board member of Keep America Safe.

Cop Stop

A police cycle cop stops a driver for running a red light. The guy is a real jerk and comes running back to the officer demanding to know why he is being harassed by the Gestapo! So the officer calmly tells him of the red light violation. The motorist instantly goes on a tirade, questioning the officer's ancestry,
sexual orientation, etc., in rather explicit terms.

The tirade goes on without the officer saying anything. When he gets done with writing the ticket he puts an "AH" in the lower right corner of the narrative portion of the ticket. He then hands it to the 'violator' for his signature. The guy signs the ticket angrily, and when presented with his copy points to the "AH" and demands to know what it stands for. The officer says, "That's so when we go to court, I'll remember that you're an asshole!"

Two months later they're in court. The 'violator' has such a bad driving record he is about to lose his license and has hired a lawyer to represent him. On the stand the officer testifies to seeing the man run the red light.

Under cross examination the defense attorney asks; "Officer is this a reasonable facsimile of the ticket you issued my client?"

Officer responds, "Yes sir, that is the defendants copy, his signature and mine, same number at the top.

Lawyer: "Officer, is there any particular marking or notation on this ticket you don't normally make?"

Officer: "Yes sir, in the lower right corner of the narrative there is an "AH," underlined."

Lawyer: "What does the "AH" stand for, officer?"

Officer: "Aggressive and hostile Sir."

Lawyer: "Aggressive and hostile?"

Officer: "Yes Sir?

Lawyer: "Officer, are you sure it doesn't stand for A$$hole?"

Officer: "Well sir, you know your client better than I do."

Santa Paws Day

Fixed Rate Home Loans Increasingly Going Into Foreclosure

WASHINGTON — A rising proportion of fixed-rate home loans made to people with good credit are sinking into foreclosure, adding to concerns about the strength of the economic recovery.

Driven by rising unemployment, such loans accounted for nearly one-third of new foreclosures last quarter. That compares with 21 percent a year ago, when high-risk subprime loans made during the housing boom were the main reason for default.

At the same time, the proportion of homeowners with a mortgage who were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure hit a record high for the ninth straight quarter, rising to 9.64 percent.

In Texas, the delinquency rate at the end of the third quarter was 9.84 percent, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Thursday. Nearly 2 percent of those loans were in foreclosure by the end of September, compared with 4.5 percent nationally.

Foreclosures in Dallas-Fort Worth rose 23 percent this year, to a record 61,676 filings.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's report suggested that the housing market and the broader recovery are under pressure from the surge in home-loan defaults, especially as unemployment keeps rising. Lost jobs are now the main reason that homeowners fall behind on mortgages. By contrast, during the housing boom, dubious and risky loans were the leading cause.

After three years of plunging prices, the housing market started to rebound this summer. But analysts say too many foreclosed properties have yet to be dumped on the market.

About 4 million homeowners were either in foreclosure or at least three months behind on their mortgage payments as of September, according to the mortgage bankers group. Even if a quarter of those borrowers can stay in their homes, "there's a lot of potential inventory coming into the market next year," said Jay Brinkmann, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Those foreclosures will push home prices downward, especially in the hardest-hit California and Florida cities with soaring unemployment, Brinkman said.

Subprime loans with adjustable rates have fallen to 16 percent of new foreclosures, down from 35 percent a year ago.

Pedestrian Struck By Mini-van Dies From Injuries

The pedestrian struck by a mini-van Saturday has died of injuries he received in the crash.

Tristan Moosreiner, 21, Wilmington, DE died late Saturday night at 11:11 p.m. at Christiana Hospital. The investigation is still ongoing and no charges have been filed at this time.

Original release to follow:


Location: Harvey and Veale Roads, Arden, DE

Date of Occurrence: Saturday November 21, 2009 at 3:55 p.m.

Pedestrian: Tristan Moosreiner, 21, Wilmington, DE

Resume:

Delaware State Police are investigating a crash involving a pedestrian that has left the pedestrian in critical condition.

The crash occurred just before 4 p.m. today when troopers believe Moosreiner was walking west on Harvey Road and was entering the intersection of Veale Road. At the same time Laurie Morente, 44, of Wilmington was traveling north on Veale Road driving a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. Morente was turning right onto eastbound Harvey Road when she struck Moosreiner.

Moosreiner was flown to Christiana Hospital where he is list in critical condition with closed head trauma.

The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed at this time. Morente was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash. It is unknown at this time if alcohol played a part in the crash on the part of the pedestrian.

AMERICA IS ME

Christmas Bazaar

St. Peters United Methodist Church in Oriole, MD is having a Christmas Craft Bazaar held again on Monday November 23,2009 at 6 pm.27160 Oriole Road Princess Anne, MD 21853

DRIVER IN PURSUIT CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER


(College Park, MD) – The driver who led police from several departments on a pursuit this morning from Prince George’s County to Baltimore and deliberately rammed and attempted to ram police cars is now facing attempted murder charges after both criminal and traffic charges have been filed against him tonight by Maryland State Police.

The accused is identified as Christopher E. Murphy, 30, of Horsham, Pa. After consultation with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, Murphy was charged by State Police tonight with attempted first degree murder, attempted second degree murder, first and second degree assault, second degree assault on a law enforcement officer, malicious destruction of property, and numerous traffic charges. Murphy has been taken from the State Police College Park Barracks to the Prince George’s County central booking unit where he will await his initial appearance before a court commissioner.

Calls were received at the College Park Barracks about 10:40 a.m. today, reporting an erratic driver in a convertible Ford Mustang on the inner loop of I-495 near Rt. 650. A Maryland state trooper spotted the car minutes later and attempted to stop it after immediately observing dangerous and unlawful driving by the man later identified as Murphy. Murphy refused to stop and accelerated as he continued to weave through traffic, passing vehicles on the highway shoulders and crossing multiple lanes of traffic at speeds that ultimately reached more than 100 mph.

During the ensuing pursuit, Murphy was observed raising both hands above his head and making other inexplicable gestures. On multiple occasions, he attempted to strike pursuing police cars. On northbound I-495 near Rt. 202, while traveling about 80 mph, Murphy braked abruptly and swerved right, striking a Maryland State Police patrol car as it passed and causing the trooper to lose control. As that patrol car spun, it struck a second State Police car, which in turn, struck a passing civilian vehicle. As Murphy passed the crash scene, he was observed pumping his fist in the air with apparent delight at what he had caused.

The pursuit continued north on I-495 to I-95 with Maryland State Police, Prince George’s County Police and Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office units involved. Baltimore County Police and Maryland Transportation Authority Police officers also assisted in the pursuit as it neared Baltimore.

Murphy lost control of his car after running over tire deflation devices deployed by MdTA officers just north of the Ft. McHenry toll plaza on I-95. Murphy struck two Prince George’s County Police cars and was taken into custody by state troopers.

The two troopers who were injured in the crash at Rt. 202 and were taken to Shock Trauma in Baltimore were both released from the hospital this evening, after treatment for their injuries. The woman from Prince George’s County who was injured in the crash was also treated and released from the Prince George’s County Hospital Center.

Due to the large crash scene at Rt. 202, the outer loop of I-495 had to be closed for several hours today. Detours were set up with the assistance of personnel from the State Highway Administration.

A motive for Murphy’s actions remains unclear at this time. The investigation is continuing.

Troopers Injured In Pursuit


(Largo, MD) – Two Maryland state troopers are hospitalized and a suspect is in custody facing criminal charges after an extended pursuit this afternoon from Prince George’s County to Baltimore County along Interstate 95/495.

The suspect is a 30-year-old man believed to be from Pennsylvania. He is in State Police custody and is expected to be charged later tonight.

The injured troopers are identified as Trooper Michael O’Brien and Trooper Alphrin Norman, both of whom are assigned to road patrol duties at the College Park Barracks. The troopers are both listed in stable condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

A motorist injured in the incident is identified as Ellen Sistare, of Mitchellville, Md. She is currently being treated at the Prince George’s Hospital Center.

The preliminary investigation indicates the following information. Shortly after 10:30 a.m. today, multiple calls were received at the Maryland State Police College Park Barracks from motorists reporting an erratic driver who was operating in a dangerous manner on the inner loop of I-495 near Largo. The vehicle was described as a red Ford Mustang with Pennsylvania registration.

Trooper J. Deible, from the College Park Barracks took a stationary position in a crossover on the inner loop of I-495 at Rt. 201. He spotted the suspect vehicle traveling behind a Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office vehicle. The driver, and sole occupant of the suspect vehicle, was flashing his headlights, apparently attempting to prompt the sheriff’s vehicle to move out of his way, but then made an unsafe lane change and swerved around the vehicle.

Trooper Deible activated his emergency equipment and attempted to stop the Mustang. Instead of stopping, the driver threw a pack of cigarettes from the convertible back onto the trooper’s car and continued to drive erratically, switching lanes and passing slower traffic on the shoulders of the interstate.

Continuing to weave through traffic and cut vehicles off, the suspect took Rt. 202 toward Bladensburg. Prince George’s County Police units entered the pursuit in this area. The suspect went back onto I-495 and eventually took the crossover north of Rt. 4 and started back north on the outer loop of I-495.

In the area of the Rt. 202, the preliminary investigation indicates the suspect swerved into the side of Trooper Norman’s marked patrol car and forced it into Trooper O’Brien’s marked patrol car. Both police cars spun out of control and crashed on either side of the interstate. In this same location, Ms. Sistare’s vehicle was struck, but it is not clear at this time which vehicle struck hers.

The suspect continued north onto I-95 north towards Baltimore. Maryland State Police and Prince George’s County Police continued in pursuit. State Police notified Maryland Transportation Authority Police of the approaching pursuit.

The pursuit continued into the Ft. McHenry Tunnel on I-95. Just after the toll plaza, Maryland Transportation Authority Police officers had deployed tire deflation devices. The suspect struck those devices, lost control of his car, and then struck two Prince George’s County Police patrol vehicles. Neither county officer was injured, but one of the patrol cars was disabled.

The suspect was taken into custody by police on the scene. He was transported to Bayview Hospital where he was examined and released about 3:00 p.m. Upon his release, troopers transported him back to the College Park Barrack for processing. Troopers will consult with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office regarding charges, which are expected to be placed later tonight.

The investigation is continuing.

JOINT INVESTIGATIVE TASK FORCE NABS SERIAL ROBBER IN THE ACT

Joppatown, MD _ Detectives working a serial robbery case nabbed the assailant seconds after he struck a pharmacy on the Pulaski Highway corridor in Harford County Thursday night.

Anthony Pierre Willis, 45, of the 4000 block of Hawksbury Road, Pikesville, Maryland, was taken into custody as he left the Rite Aid Pharmacy in the 300 block of Pulaski Highway, near Joppatown. He was charged with armed robbery, robbery, assault, theft and resisting arrest in connection with Thursday’s heist. Charges are pending in connection with three other robberies in Harford County.

Maryland State Police and Harford County Sheriff’s Office detectives joined forces to stop the robber after he targeted pharmacies and an eatery in the Edgewood area starting nine days earlier. In three robberies between November 10 and November 13, a black male in his 40s sporting a salt/pepper beard, clad in a tan hooded jacket with distinctive black stripes along the sides, held up clerks during the evening hours. During some of the robberies the suspect would actually display the butt of a handgun to the clerks as he demanded cash from the register.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, Troopers and Sheriff’s Deputies captured Willis as he walked from the Rite Aid establishment to his getaway vehicle, found stashed in the woods nearby. At the time of his arrest, Willis was in possession of a pellet gun which resembled a semi-automatic handgun. He also was found to have a wad of cash concealed on his person.

Based on the investigation, Maryland State Police and Harford County Sheriff’s Office detectives linked Willis to the following robberies:

The CVS Pharmacy, located at 1301 Woodbridge Center Way, Edgewood, MD., at around 9:55 p.m. on November 10th ;

The Friendly’s Restaurant, located at the 1400 block of Pulaski Highway, Edgewood, MD., around 10 p.m. on November 10th ; and

The Walgreen’s Pharmacy located 1930 Pulaski Hwy, Edgewood, MD., at around 8:40 p.m. on November 13th.

During the robberies of the Friendly’s and the Walgreen’s, the suspect displayed the butt of a handgun tucked in his waistband. In all three Harford County robberies, he verbally ordered the clerks to hand over U.S. currency. Willis also displayed the butt of the handgun when he ordered the clerk to turn over cash during Thursday’s robbery of the Rite Aid. No injuries were reported during any of the robberies.

Detectives from both the State Police and Sheriff’s Office were in constant contact with Baltimore County Police Department detectives after it was learned a suspect matching Willis’ description was being sought in connection with several armed robberies in the Catonsville area. Baltimore County detectives advised a Walgreens, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and a KFC were held up in a similar fashion.

After recognizing a pattern, Troopers and Deputies collectively saturated the Edgewood area, establishing surveillance on likely targets.

Willis was observed by Sgt. James DeCourcey of MSP - Bel Air Barrack, who was conducting surveillance from a concealed location near the Rite Aid. Willis was taken into custody by Sgt. DeCourcey with the assistance of Cpl. Justin Gross of MSP – Bel Air Barrack and Detective Pete Georgiades of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office CID.

Within minutes of the apprehension there were 911 calls originating from the Rite Aid and it was confirmed that a robbery had just occurred.

Mammograms Out For Women Under 50?

Salisbury News Thanks Cub Scouts From Pack 478



Hi Joe,

I have attached a picture of our Cub Scouts from Pack 478 who help out at the Magi Choral Concert this year. Our Cub Scouts collected canned goods donated by the concert attendees and assisted in holding the doors open at both concerts, Saturday night 11/21 and Sunday afternoon 11/22. After the 2nd concert started, the boy and parents seperated the cans and loaded half into a van for the Joseph House and the other half went into a truck for the Christian Shelter. We collected a total of over 3330 items!

The Gordy's Seem To Be Destroying The Salisbury Fire Department

Little Gordo and Tower 16 Get Spanked!

At approximately 10:30 AM Station 5, 16 and 74 just got dispatched for a house fire in Hebron's first due in the area of Ocean Gateway and Stanton Avenue. The paid duty crew from Station 16 was responding in Engine 16. Chief Beach told Wicomico Central to cancel Engine 16. He wanted the Tanker from station 16 so Tanker 16 responded with a driver only which is acceptable. The duty officer on Engine 16 tries to contact Chief Beach to see if he wanted Engine 16 to continue in for more staffing. Then someone else gets on the air and tells Engine 16 no. The duty officer on Engine 16 attempts to contact Chief Beach again about making up the staffing. Again the same little voice pops up on the radio and it is "acting lieutenant" Gordo telling the duty crew to cancel and Tower 16 will make up the staffing. At that time Chief Beach finally gets a word in edgewise and tells Central to cancel Tower 16. He does not want the tower truck he wants the tanker from Station 16.

Again the little criminal volunteer and his daddy Gordo are running the Salisbury Fire Department and now they are trying to run the County Fire Departments. Those criminals are unstoppable and the only one to blame is MAYOR JIM IRETON!!! Jim Ireton had the perfect opportunity to cure that problem when he took office 7 months ago, that's right SEVEN MONTHS ago! Jim Ireton gave Gordo and Hoppes an open checkbook and full power when he allowed John Pick to appoint Rick Hoppes as the Acting Fire Chief.

I encourage all county and city residents to contact Jim Ireton and tell him what you think about his weak leadership skills and his mistake in appointing Rick Hoppes as the Fire Chief. He is already receiving negative email about his irrational choice and I implore each and everyone one of you to keep the heat up.

Jim Ireton can be reached at

jireton1@hotmail.com

jimiretonformayor@gmail.com

# 410-916-0694

# 410-749-5712

The above comment came in earlier today.