Do You Believe In Prayer?

Attention City & County Public Works Employees

Rob Mulford just called me to let me know the Market Street Inn is in fact open for business this evening. He has hired a company to come in and plow them out and invites all of those people clearing the roadways in Salisbury and the County to stop in for FREE Soup & Coffee.

Rob mentioned the he needs to make use of that monster generator he bought, so stop in for a meal, a drink and or some good old fashioned fellowship. Thanks Rob, I'm sure plenty of people will stop in now that they know you're open for business.

Bit By a Shark

Preliminary snowfall totals from the Blizzard of '10.

We Might Get Some Ice On Tuesday

The Accuweather Forecast: (Please don't shoot the messenger..)

Tuesday, Feb 9:
Mostly cloudy with snow possible in the afternoon
High: 37 °F RealFeel®: 32 °F

Tuesday Night, Feb 9:
An ice storm; breezy late
Low: 26 °F RealFeel®: 10 °F

Wednesday, Feb 10:
Cloudy; windy with a chance for a bit of snow or flurries
High: 43 °F RealFeel®: 30 °F

Wednesday Night, Feb 10:
Mostly cloudy, windy and colder; a late-night flurry or two
Low: 18 °F RealFeel®: -4 °F

More details..

More details..

Are You Lonesome Tonight

(Senior Moments Version)

The Portsville Church Graveyard

God's Down Blanket For The Deceased

Maryland National Guard Should Be Activated Immediately

Folks - our area doesn't get hit with this quantity of snow very often - but in light of the hardships - wouldn't it be nice for some of our elected officials to at least try and earn their keep.

How many Wicomico County private citizens would be ready and eager to be conscripted into forming our own snow - guard to help alleviate the overwhelming conditions.

If the State can't handle it and the County can't handle it. . . then isn't the National guard suppose to be our last line of defense.

I say activate the Guard immediately and open the equipment depot gates and let the 'snow fly'.

Politicians. . . I hope you all are listening.

A Quick Review: How This Trainwreck Happened

Youth vote may have been key in Obama's win
(Wed., Nov . 5, 2008)

Early reports are indicating that the youngest members of the country's electorate voted Tuesday in higher numbers than in the last presidential election — and they voted more Democratic. Youth turnout appears to be exceeding 2004 levels, which was itself a year with a big surge in voters ages 18 to 29.

“We expected record turnout, and that is what we’re seeing right now,” says Heather Smith, a spokeswoman for Rock the Vote, an organization that works to encourage young people to register and vote in every election.

What’s more, young voters may prove to have been the key to Barack Obama's victory. Young voters preferred Obama over John McCain by 68 percent to 30 percent — the highest share of the youth vote obtained by any candidate since exit polls began reporting results by age in 1976, according to CIRCLE, a non-partisan organization that promotes research on the political engagement of Americans between ages 15 and 25.

“(The youth vote) is turning states that (Obama) would’ve lost or barely won into more comfortable margins,” says John Della Volpe, the director of polling for the Harvard University Institute of Politics. “Not only are they voting in higher numbers, they’re voting more Democrat.”

“Consistently throughout the country in key swing states, Obama is outperforming John Kerry’s performance (with young voters) from four years ago by two to three times the margin,” Della Volpe says, noting that on Tuesday night in Indiana, Obama was losing to McCain in every important demographic — except young voters. “In many states, the only significant electorate that Obama is winning is young people.”

“This is a group of people who are constantly checking in with everybody else in their circle to make a decision,” says Morley Winograd, the co-author of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics” and a former adviser to Vice President Al Gore. He defines Millennials as ages 18 to 26.

“This is a generation that doesn't tend to think about asking experts for opinion," Winograd says. "They tend to ask each other, and then that becomes the truth.”

Winograd says that means no decision is made without dozens of e-mails, texts or Facebook messages to check whether an idea works for the whole group — anything from “Where should we hang out tonight?” to “Who should we vote for?” — which could explain why Millennials so firmly latched onto Obama’s message of unity, he says.

More here..

Found Dog In Delmar UPDATE

"Her owner just came and got her-we're glad we could keep her warm! Thanks, Joe!"

Hi, Joe!

We found a small dog on State Street in Delmar. She is black and white with brown on face and a red collar. We have brought her in. Please call 410-896-9414. Let's get her home!

What's Wrong With These Pictures?????

Heaven's Playground In Delmar, Delaware

Lost Dog (black lab) In Delmar

"Joe,

I just saw a black lab with a red collar running down Line Rd. toward Food Lion in Delmar."

Could this be the missing black lab from Delmar?

The Beauty Of Salisbury Maryland In A Blizzard

Photo's courtesy of our friend Sam H.

DUH, WHERE'D DA ROAD GO?

A Plea To Delmarva Power

There are several elderly people on the East side of Main Street in Salisbury who have been out of power since 11:12 PM Friday night. I'm talking some people, Mrs. White who is 98 years old. Mrs. Mitchell is 92 years old and quite frankly several others who are above 80 years old.

Because they have no power they are reaching out to me to see if there's anything that can be done. That being said, Delmarva Power, these people need your help.

If you work for Delmarva Power of have a connection, please contact whomever necessary to help these elderly people on East Main Street. THEY NEED HEAT!

Promoter Announces Tonight's Performance Of Cabaret Will Be Postponed

(Salisbury, MD) The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center has been informed that tonight’s scheduled Broadway in Salisbury performance of Cabaret has been postponed. Due to inclement weather, the show’s promoter has opted to postpone the performance. Additional information regarding rescheduling or ticket refunds will be announced.

"The Joe Albero Show"

This originally aired at 9:00 AM. I have changed the time so this Post could stay up top and new Posts will fall just below it. Remember Folks, I did NOT have a Blog at the time of this Press Conference. The former Mayor used the Press in an attempt to make YOU believe this personal e-mail was connected to the Blogs and it did not. I wonder what the former Mayor is thinking about Blogs today. Oh, I'll finish with, the Mayors Son owns a Blog as well. Go figure! Enjoy the Show.

White Out Conditions

On any given day, I can look out my front door or windows and see across a large field, Old Ocean City Road and any traffic. This was taken a few minutes ago. Can't see anything now!

Secretary Chung And President Obama Auto-Tune Health Care

A MUST SEE!!!!!

Slow Learner

Does this photo of President Obama in the Oval Office convey anything to you about his attitude?

Would you speak with the Chief of Staff, your Chief Economics Adviser, and your Senior Adviser with your feet up on the Resolute Desk - a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880?



We should inundate the White House with emails demanding he keep his feet off of our furniture.

This arrogant, immature & self-centered man has no sense of honor, or of simple decency.

While this posture is disrespectful in any culture, it is absolutely never done in any executive setting.

Further, in over half of the cultures of the world, it is recognized not only as disrespectful, but as an extreme insult.

He thinks of himself as a king -- and not as a servant of the people, humbly occupying our White House for his term in office.

Electing him was an enormous mistake -- and will cost us in many ways, for generations.

Photo From Vienna

Joe, these are some pictures I took today. Our gutters are giving under the weight of the snow we have lost three sections of gutter already and other areas are looking like they are going to give as well. The dog is a Rottweiler and the snow is coming up to his back when he goes out!

The Maryland General Assembly Seeks To Define, Then Ban, Assault Weapons

In a 2007 report released by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), the crime rate in Maryland was approximately 8-percent higher than the national rate.

According to the study, Maryland’s property crime rate – which accounts for roughly 87.2-percent of the overall crimes committed – was 5-percent higher than the national average, and violent crime clocked in 27-percent higher.

In 2009, CQ Press released their annual Crime State Rankings, and Maryland was listed as the ninth most dangerous state in the union, finishing second in murders, second in robbery, sixth in auto theft and ninth in assault.

And Maryland has – according to the National Rifle Association – some of the toughest gun control laws in the country.

So to capitalize on that documented 'success' thanks to previous get-tough-on-guns legislation – and to remain indifferent to properly enforcing laws currently on the books - the Maryland General Assembly is once again seeking passage of an ‘assault weapons’ ban that does little more than regulate the people who actually abide by those laws.

SB 516, introduced this week by Senator Mike Lenett (D – Montgomery County) and numerous other members of the anti-gun sect in the Maryland Senate, would designate “specified firearms as assault weapons; prohibiting with specified exceptions a person from transporting an assault weapon into the State or possessing, selling, offering to sell, transferring, or receiving an assault weapon; requiring the Handgun Roster Board to compile and maintain a roster of prohibited assault weapons; etc.”

GO HERE to read more.

The Bob Evans Update

"I noticed today that their sign has been corrected. Funny huh?"

Snow Shoveling Tips

Having suffered the after-effects of maybe not so good snow shoveling technique (muscle relaxants and pain relievers), and having a close relative who actually dropped dead in his driveway while shoveling, I thought it might be good to share what I know now.

Go HERE as Dr. Vogelmann, a Bethesda chiropractor and driveway owner, gives video tips on safe and effective snow shoveling.

If you're out of shape, carrying a lot of extra pounds, over 50 years old or not in the best of physical health (heart, respiratory, high cholesterol, etc.), maybe you should get someone else to do the shoveling, or, at the very least, take it really easy if you decide to do the work yourself. Go HERE for some other good tips.

THINK SUMMER!

Joe, we sent this to WBOC, but they edited the photo because of the bikini top! lol.

Thought you might get a kick out of the snow woman my wife and I made.

Doug and Dawn Bounds, Sharptown, Md

The Reagan Years: 1981-1989

GO HERE to view the Regan Photos. Today would have been Ronald Regan's 99th Birthday.

Storm Information

GO HERE to view the article accompanied with this video.

County Truck Stuck On Zion Church Road

Power Is Out, Cable Is Out, SBYNews Keeps On Going

I received numerous calls last night and throughout the day so far today from people who lost their power, cable, trees down, you name it. What amazes me are our numbers. I looked at Site Meter and we're kicking butt! It must have been the anticipation of the Barrie Tilghman Post because we're going strong like any normal day, yet we know power is out for many and cable is down.

Thanks for visiting Folks. We'll keep plugging along today and keep you up to speed on the latest news and information available.

Update On Snow Blower: I did speak to my mechanic this morning and he is working on my Snow Blower. It doesn't make any sense for me to try to get outside and do anything until this snowfall dies down. Once it does we'll make every attempt to get out there and help those who need it the most. Let's just hope he gets the thing up and running properly.

What You Never See From Salisbury News

"DELIVERY DELAYS: Some newspapers late arriving

Some print copies of The Daily Times may be arriving late this morning as our carriers navigate snowed-covered streets. We appreciate your patience as we seek to safely distribute Saturday newspapers to our customers."

Snow Load Threatens Area Roofs, Building Occupants

The weight of the snow that's still falling may exceed the safety parameters of many building roofs in the area. This may be especially true of flat roofs, particularly those of structures like older mobile homes.

How can you tell if your structure is threatened? Go HERE for some warning signs and remedies. Remember, if the warning signs point to imminent or even possible roof collapse, the first thing you should think about is leaving the building to avoid injury or death. Stuff can be replaced. You can't.

Additional information (11:50 a.m.):
The weight of wet snow (the kind we've had for the last 18 hours) is between 14-21 pounds per cubic foot. As we've received about 12 inches, every square foot you see has about a cubic foot of packed snow below it. So, if you have a roof that's 12 x 30 feet, the weight of the snow up there is between 5040 and 7560 pounds. That's between two and a half and four tons for that area.
If you live in a manufactured/mobile home, which are at particular risk today, you should be able to find out what the roof load limits are for your home. There should be a manufacturer's information plate in your home, usually located affixed to a wall near your fusebox or utility space. It should give you the numbers you need. If your roof is currently overloaded, it might be time to consider doing something about it, including vacating the premises until something is done about it.

Nanticoke Road Clear

Nanticoke Road at Westbury 9:00 AM Saturday

Coast Guard Ice Breaker - Smith Island

Amazing picture of a Coast Guard Ice Breaker at work over at Smith Island...

Damned tough, those people from the Island!

Slam Dunk Show

Check out this incredible basketball dunk show HERE

Update On Waterman's Cove Restaurant

"Waterman's Cove Restaurant 925 Snow Hill Road Salisbury, MD 21804 has been sold."

SBYNews Reaches Out To Tree Removal Companies

Many people are contacting me in reference to trees fallen down on their property.

Folks, it is VERY important BEFORE you have any trees removed on your property that you contact your Insurance Company first. Be sure to take pictures of the damage, (should there be any) and CONFIRM with your Insurance Company first that they will reimburse you.

I have stated this in the past. A friend of mine had a tree removed from his property that hit his home and when they hired a company to come out and immediately remove it, the Insurance Company refused to pay his claim because an adjuster didn't come out to see it first.

All that being said, we are reaching out to those in the Tree Removal Business to e-mail me at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com with your telephone number and we will put up a Post announcing those companies for the general public.

Here Is The Next Problem

The period of rain we've had in many parts of Delmarva, on top of the snow that already fell, has created a heavy mess of slush-- when the temps drop this afternoon, this will freeze down, and will be v-e-r-y difficult to remove.

Plows are out, and that is good, but if you have walks or porch areas that need to be cleared, it would certainly be wise to brave the wind for a short time and get it done while you still can...

Clearing off vehicles would also be a good idea. Once this freezes, you stand a pretty good chance of damaging your vehicle trying to get it off (especially if your buddy Jack Daniels is helping you.. :-)

A word to the wise...

OCEAN CITY PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY FOR SATURDAY February 6, 2010

Ocean City public safety officials advise citizens that Ocean City has experienced a mix of winter weather, which has created hazardous conditions on Ocean City roadways. There are reports of scattered power outages, which Delmarva Power is in the process of restoring. The Ocean City Public Works Department has been fully mobilized and is plowing and salting Ocean City streets.

The current winter storm is expected to continue throughout the day and into the evening. Ocean City officials ask citizens and motorists to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

OC Police and Fire Department personnel are actively patrolling the town. If you need
emergency assistance, you can call Ocean City Communications Center at 410-723-6600.
If your phone service is not operating, police and fire department personnel are in fourwheel-drive vehicles and can be flagged down.

Ocean City will be expecting increased tidal flooding in the south end of town beginning at 1 p.m.; please avoid this area today.

Hensarling Slams Obama Over Spending Plans

Republicans sparred with President Barack Obama in their Saturday media addresses over proposals to create jobs, further evidence of the difficulty of bipartisan solutions to the nation's pressing problems.

Obama pushed Congress to use $30 billion that had been set aside to bail out Wall Street to start a new program that provides loans to small businesses, which the White House calls the engine for job growth. Republicans, meanwhile, taunted Obama with a familiar refrain: Where are the jobs the president promised in exchange for the billions of dollars already spent?

To help the recovery, Obama asked Congress to use leftover money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, to provide to small banks so they can make more loans to small businesses. Republicans have criticized the move, arguing any money leftover from the bailout should be used to reduce the budget deficit.

In the weekly GOP address, Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas chided Obama for proposing a 2001 budget last week that would increase spending, taxes and the national debt.

"Americans are still asking, 'where are the jobs?' but all they are getting from Washington is more spending, more taxes, more debt and more bailouts," Hensarling said.

The Republican attack came even as key Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are working on a bipartisan jobs bill. The senators hope to unveil legislation as early as Monday that would provide tax breaks to businesses that hire unemployed workers, extend unemployment payments for those whose benefits have run out, and renew a program that offers the jobless a subsidy for health insurance premiums.

More

Tea Party Group Unveils Political Arm

The organizers of the National Tea Party Convention on Friday unveiled plans for a July conference and a political group that they ambitiously predict will raise $10 million to help conservative candidates around the country dedicated to the small-government ideals of the tea party movement.

The group, Ensuring Liberty Corp., is a nonprofit that will do direct marketing and organizing and will eventually be accompanied by a political action committee arm of the same name that will contribute directly to candidates.

Its group’s president, Mark Skoda, presented it, during a news conference jam-packed with national and international press, as the next step in the grass-roots tea party movement.

“The idea is essentially to act as ferocious as we are about our government being fiscally responsible as we will about our political process,” said Skoda, a 55-year-old technology consultant from Memphis who helped organize the convention.

Reminding reporters that “this is a part-time movement, we all have day jobs,” Skoda said his group “will allow people from around the country, perhaps in districts that are not competitive, to be able to participate their skills, to contribute their time, figure out what’s going on in other locations and ultimately contribute money to be used to fund numerous races across the country.”

More here

Climate Alarmism Dubbed Bigger Danger To Nation than Terrorism, Nuclear Weapons

"When it comes to your freedom in day-to-day life, environmentalists are the greatest threat to America now and America in the future."

That is the stern warning Junkscience.com publisher and self-described libertarian Steve Milloy told a packed room at the first national tea-party convention in Nashville.

Milloy castigated both Republican and Democrat politicians for their global alarmism, saying those on the "right" have failed Americans because, "Republicans have been terrible when it comes to environmental issues," he said. "Don't even get me started about the nit-wit governor in California."

A resounding applause erupted from a crowd of 600 attendees.

He continued, "By contrast, there's the left. Although the left has think-tanks, they don't really need them. Their thinking was done for them by Karl Marx and hasn't changed much since. … The left rarely thinks; it usually just acts with reckless abandon."

Milloy called for the tea-party movement to become more engaged at every level of government in the battle against global-warming alarmism.

"Through global-warming alarmism and cap-and-trade regulation, the greens will use the force of government to tell us where we can work, where we can live, how many children we can have, how much energy we can use, how much water we can use, what sort of food we should eat, what the temperature of our homes can be, what sort of cars we can drive," he said. "In California, regulators are already deciding what color cars we can drive."

More from WND

New 'Bill Of Particulars' Cites Obama Failings

Citing American patriots such as Thomas Paine, James Madison, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry, Judge Roy Moore lit a fire in the hearts of tea partiers tonight – inspiring four impassioned standing ovations with his reading of a "bill of particulars" against President Obama.

Moore, WND columnist, author of "So Help Me God" and candidate for governor in Alabama, began by quoting Thomas Paine as he made his case for independence from England:

"These are the times that try men's souls," he told a packed banquet room at the first national tea-party convention in Nashville.

"Once again we live in a trying time, not just trying to the souls of men and women, but the soul of our nation," he continued. "Once again, people across our country are rising up, tired of politics as usual, angry about the direction of our country."

The recent elections in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts send a strong message to the Democratic Party that Americans are weary of the direction in which the nation is headed, he said.

"I admit that often it is not easy to identify those responsible for these ills in our society, for they call themselves Democrats and Republicans," he continued. "They call themselves conservatives and liberals. They pose as Christians and non-Christians."

However, Moore said those responsible have a few things in common.

"They hate our country and our past," he said. "They have no regard for our beloved Constitution. They have a love of wealth and power more than of liberty and freedom."

He added that they have yet another thing in common: They don't quit.

"One of those who said he didn't quit is our current president, Barack Obama," Moore noted.

He then began to paraphrase the Declaration of Independence. But rather than addressing grievances to the king of Britain, Moore presented Obama with his own "bill of particulars":

He has ignored our history and our heritage, arrogantly declaring to the world that we are no longer a Christian nation. He's elevated immorality to a new level, setting aside the entire month of June last to celebrate Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender pride.

He now threatens to change our law, 10 U.S.C. Section 654, to allow homosexuality in our military in direct opposition to the law which says that the attempt to engage in homosexuality will create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.

He has apologized to the Arab world for our past, subjugated our national sovereignty by bowing down to the king of Saudi Arabia.

He has pursued a socialist agenda by taking control of private companies and pushing a national health-care plan with a public option. Backed by a willing Congress, he has bought off our senators and our representatives with our own money in an effort to mandate this agenda. And when opposed by members of the Senate, he smugly smiled and said, "I won."

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HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER

The Hotel Esther

The origins of what is now known as the Hotel Esther go back to Dr. Robert Naylor, a prominent English physician. He had graduated from Oxford cum laude with a medical degree and started his practice in Manchester, the city of his birth in 1830. Early on, his success as a physician had provided him with sufficient money to pursue his interest in the world of economics. His success was such that he became a “man of means” before he had reached the age of 30.

One of his enterprises was the purchase of the GREAT EASTERN, the famous cable-laying ship that had laid the original Atlantic telegraph cable in 1886

In the early 1880’s, he accepted a commission from the Victorian government to come to the United States and visit the coal mines of West Virginia to assess the working conditions and see how improvements could be made back home in the coal mines of Wales and other British mining operations.

When Dr. Naylor looked for a suitable place to set up residence in the United States, he saw an advertisement in a newspaper for a farm just north of Salisbury, Maryland. When he saw it, he immediately moved his whole family down here. The property was then known as Ruark’s Mill.

Dr. Naylor had intended to retire here but his reputation as a healer with the latest methods and medicines soon thwarted his plans. The farm that he turned “into a marvel of beauty” was the destination for people from all over the Eastern Shore. He even built a depot at the nearby Williams Switch for the many patients that would come to see him.

Whether it was because of the dire need for more modern care or whether it was a matter of a more convenient location, Dr. Naylor chose a small farm on the fringe of East Salisbury and in 1895 began construction of a 20-room facility. Using his own plans and supervising all the details of construction, he completed the mansion in a year. There is only conjecture that Dr. Naylor intended to make a hospital out of the main house, but there are reasons to believe that he did. The wide halls and doorways and the plan of the room layout could easily have accommodated patients. He died, however, in 1899, only three years after he moved there.

The Naylor heirs apparently decided to dispose of the mansion shortly after Dr. Naylor’s death. The residue of the acreage around the home was subdivided into lots along Truitt St., Benny St. and Cole’s Circle.

It initially became a home for underprivileged children and shortly after was the first John B. Parsons Home for the Aged. Later, when the Parsons home was moved to its present location, the Naylor property was acquired by the Primitive Baptist Church and used for their members who were “were aged and dependent”.

The house was finally sold during the 2nd World War to accommodate the existing housing shortage. The owner turned it into rooms and apartments, and since his wife was named Esther, the name of Hotel Esther came into being and the dwelling is known by that name to this day.

Tea Party's Next Chapter? Answers Unclear

The "tea party" activists all agree: Government is too big. Spending is out of control. Individual freedom is at risk. And President Barack Obama's policies are making it all worse.

But that's where the consensus ends among the diverse groups of frustrated Americans who count themselves part of this fledgling coalition.

"We're afraid and we're fed up and we're angry," says Donna Henton of Blair, Neb. "But where this is going to go, we just don't know."

If the people attending the first national "tea party" convention here are uncertain, imagine the difficulties of the Republican and Democratic parties, both of which are trying to leverage this antiestablishment energy for their own gain. How it works out could make a big difference in elections this fall and beyond.

Here's what's clear: This is pure people-driven politics facilitated by the Internet. This is an ideological mix of libertarianism and conservatism with the common denominator being lower spending and smaller government. This is a loose collection of citizen groups with no leader but many voices. And this is the product of long-simmering anger.

Is it just a blip? Or will it emerge as a lasting political powerhouse shaping elections and government for years to come?

"This movement is beginning to mature ... not as a third party but a force to be reckoned with in the traditional party structure," declared Mark Skoda, a talk radio host who founded a Memphis "tea party" group and helped organize the convention.

Yet, candidates who have adopted the "tea party" slogan are running as independents in campaigns nationwide. There are "tea party" groups that insist the convention hosts don't speak for them. And viewpoints among attendees here vary.

More from the Washington Times

Holder's Ignorance

The U.S. attorney general should read up on the history of terrorism. He might learn something.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. sent a five-page letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, detailing his rationale for treating purported Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as a criminal suspect rather than a terrorist detainee. The attorney general's defense betrays significant misreading of how the United States has dealt with terrorism in recent decades.

Mr. Holder incredibly claims that policies treating terrorists as criminals "were not criticized when employed by previous Administrations [and] have been and remain extremely effective in protecting national security."

Mr. Holder must be new to this issue. The problem of granting terrorists criminal status was at the center of the debate among counterterrorism scholars and practitioners in the 1990s. The policies of the Clinton era, which the Obama administration generally has resurrected, were critiqued in detail. Many warned that the domestic legal framework was insufficient to protect the United States from the emerging threat of globally networked Islamic terrorism. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, vindicated this argument. The Bush administration, armed with the Patriot Act and other important reforms, charted a new and more effective course that the current administration is in the process of dismantling.

Mr. Holder cited Zacarias Moussaoui as an example of a successful terrorism prosecution, ironically choosing the worst possible example to make his case. Moussaoui could be the poster child for the perils of Mr. Holder's preferred policies.

In 2001, FBI agents suspected that Moussaoui was involved in a terrorist plot but could not arrest him because they could not prove he had done anything illegal. He finally was detained in August 2001 on immigration charges. Over the next few weeks, FBI agent Harry Samit sent 70 messages to superiors warning that Moussaoui was a dangerous terrorist who probably was involved in a plot to violently take over an aircraft. French intelligence officials confirmed that Moussaoui was linked to Muslim radical groups connected to Osama bin Laden. Agents repeatedly sought permission to search Moussaoui's laptop computer; their requests were denied for a variety of technical reasons based on narrow interpretations of the law. Moussaoui, meanwhile, gave nothing of substance to interrogators.

Had Moussaoui been dealt with as a terrorist under the post-Sept. 11 framework, there would have been no question that his computer and other effects could have been examined for intelligence exploitation. Many think that had this taken place, the Sept. 11 attacks could have been disrupted. Mr. Holder's example of a successful prosecution is also the best example of a case in which using the techniques he advocates failed to stop one of America's greatest national tragedies.

More from the Washington Times

Stolen Data Prompts Wave of Remorse - German Authorities Expect Tax Evaders To Fess Up

The German government says it plans to buy a CD containing customer data apparently stolen from British bank HSBC's operation in Switzerland. The move has enraged Swiss officials, but it already appears to be bearing fruit. Berlin expects a wave of tax evaders to turn themselves in over the coming days in the hope of avoiding prosecution.

The German government's plan to buy stolen bank data from Switzerland to nab tax evaders is already showing signs of success. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble of the conservative Christian Democratic Union wants to purchase a CD with data reportedly stolen from a Swiss branch of British bank HSBC that allegedly contains information about German tax evaders for €2.5 million ($3.49 million).

The CD is believed to contain information about 1,500 tax-evading German citizens, who possibly owe a total of as much as €100 million. Despite criticism from within her own party, Chancellor Angela Merkel has made clear that she is interested in accepting the offer, which has been described as immoral and criminal by some critics. The last time the German government bought stolen data, it became a financial boon for the treasury and this time, too, Merkel and her government have money in their eyes.

Before the government has even purchased the CD, tax evaders across Germany are already considering turning themselves in. Finance Minister Schäuble has encouraged them to take this step. "I can only advise anyone who has evaded taxes in the past to turn themselves in," he told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.

More from Spiegel HERE.

Poster's note: The Euro is currently valued at about 1.4 U.S. dollars.

Expert Says 300 Imposters For Every Navy SEAL

EL PASO --- In a culture enamored of superheroes and the glory of war, people unhappy with their status in life increasingly are falsifying claims of military service.

Watchdogs say they cannot keep up with reports of phonies wearing combat medals they did not earn and uniforms implying dangerous duties they did not perform.

"Sometimes I'm getting 20 to 50 inquiries a day," said Steve Robinson, a former Navy SEAL who works to expose false claims of membership to that elite group of rigorously trained sailors.

Nearly all of the inquiries alert him to impostors.

In January 2002, four months after terrorists attacked the United States, a group called AuthentiSEALs received 1,182 reports of people claiming to be SEALs, Robinson said. "Three of them were real SEALs," he said.

AuthentiSEALs disbanded in 2005 as reports flowed in and exhausted volunteers dropped out, Robinson said. He is the last of eight original group members who checked out such claims.

Robinson estimates there are at least 300 impostors for every real Navy SEAL, and he believes the numbers are growing.

"They are more and more outrageous," Robinson said. "There are people who want a piece of that respect, and they want it Wal-Mart cheap and McDonald's quick."

More from Military.com HERE.

QUESTIONS THAT HAUNT ME!

If you have sex with a prostitute against her will, is it considered rape or shoplifting?

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How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?


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Why do you have to "put your two cents in"... But it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

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Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

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What disease did cured ham actually have?

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How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

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If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

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Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

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Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway.

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Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

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Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane ?

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If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

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If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

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Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

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Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?