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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Tonight's Survey Question

Do You Give A Crap What Tiger Woods Will Have To Say In His Press Conference Tomorrow?

America?

While at our latest visit to Breaktime in Salisbury, we were greeted with a interesting new policy.

It seems you are no longer allowed to wear coat, gloves, or boots even though its 20 degrees and snow on the ground. Who are they kidding?

SNOW EMERGENCY LIFTED IN SALISBURY


Effective February 18, 2010 5:00 pm the snow emergency plan will be LIFTED for the City of Salisbury. Parking on Snow Emergency Routes can be resumed. If you have any additional questions contact the Salisbury Police Department at 410-548-3165.

Attempted Murder Suspect Returned To Kent County, Delaware


Suspect: Daemont Wheeler, 30, Dover, DE

Resume:

A 30 year-old Dover man wanted for attempted murder has been returned to Delaware to face charges.

Wheeler was tracked by U. S. Marshals to Wayne County, Michigan where he was taken into custody. He was extradited back to Delaware yesterday after he was captured in January.

Wheeler was wanted for the November 13, 2009 shooting of a 48 male which occurred on John Clark Road outside of Dover. The shooting left the male in critical condition. Wheeler fled the state shortly after the shooting and was at large until his arrest.

He was formally charges with attempted murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a person prohibited. He was committed to the Department of Correction in default of $97,000 cash bail.

School Used Student Laptop Webcams To Spy On Them At School And Home

According to the filings in Blake J Robbins v Lower Merion School District (PA) et al, the laptops issued to high-school students in the well-heeled Philly suburb have webcams that can be covertly activated by the schools' administrators, who have used this facility to spy on students and even their families. The issue came to light when the Robbins's child was disciplined for "improper behavior in his home" and the Vice Principal used a photo taken by the webcam as evidence. The suit is a class action, brought on behalf of all students issued with these machines.

If true, these allegations are about as creepy as they come. I don't know about you, but I often have the laptop in the room while I'm getting dressed, having private discussions with my family, and so on. The idea that a school district would not only spy on its students' clickstreams and emails (bad enough), but also use these machines as AV bugs is purely horrifying.

Schools are in an absolute panic about kids divulging too much online, worried about pedos and marketers and embarrassing photos that will haunt you when you run for office or apply for a job in 10 years. They tell kids to treat their personal details as though they were precious.

But when schools take that personal information, indiscriminately invading privacy (and, of course, punishing students who use proxies and other privacy tools to avoid official surveillance), they send a much more powerful message: your privacy is worthless and you shouldn't try to protect it.

Source

Who's Right & Who's Wrong?








"Dan code enforcement officer of the city of Salisbury is targeting black owns properties

On 02/17/10 I David received letter from the city indicates that I have to remove the snow accumulates in my sidewalk by 02/18/10 at 12:00 am. My sidewalk was clean before but the S.H.A put the snow in my sidewalk. When I wake up on the 02/18/10 the sidewalk was clean on my property about 9:00 am. I looks across the street of my property was not clean and I started to look other areas round north Salisbury school. Emerson, Livingston and union the sidewalk was not clean. The wasn’t any signs of workers in the areas so I call the city to give me the reason my street was only clean not the others but my only had two properties she said “I don’t know”. After my conversation with a city works at 12:48 pm Disney Inc was working in the areas. As a result of that discrimination action must be taken by removes Dan."

Editors Note: Ladies & Gentlemen, I have received numerous calls like this one. Business owners pulling their hair out on Rt. 13 because the snow plows kept coming back and throwing snow over top of what they had already cleared.

Now, let me say this. My Wife and I have a friend who is disabled and confined to a wheel chair. Yesterday, my Wife had picked up our Grandson from School and when she arrived our friend was coming down the middle of the road in Delmar with his 2 year old in his lap on his way to pick up is older son from Delmar Elementary. He could NOT use the sidewalks in Delmar because they simply had not been cleared.

That being said, I can understand BOTH sides of this matter. Yet, it seems ironic that Code and Compliance in Salisbury was issuing fines, yet the Schools had not done their part to clear the way. Mind you, TODAY, (this afternoon) they finally had a crew there to clean the sidewalks but they were NOT subjected to similar fines to have the snow/ice removed by midnight last night and children were subjected to not being able to access the sidewalks to the School as well.

The photos do NOT lie. Yes, the camera date is off on this camera as we have been assured they were taken TODAY, hence the workers clearing the sidewalks at the School this afternoon. You can also tell by the rapid snow melting.

No matter what, the sidewalks need to be cleared.

I should add, there does seem to be some kind of discrimination against this gentleman as he was fined, sidewalks cleared, yet his neighbors properties had not been touched.

CHARLES R. “CHIP” DASHIELL, JR. ASSUMES CHAIR POSITION OF COUNTY-CITY PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION


At 1:30 P.M. today, Charles R. “Chip” Dashiell, Jr., convened the first County-City Planning & Zoning Commission meeting with Mr. Dashiell as chair. In January, Mr. Dashiell was nominated to the key leadership post by Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., and Salisbury Mayor James Ireton. Both the Salisbury City Council and the Wicomico County Council unanimously approved the nomination.

Mr. Dashiell succeeds Corinne LesCallette who led the Planning & Zoning Commission since 1983. She recently announced her retirement from the Commission on which she served since 1978.

Mr. Dashiell is the president of the law firm of Hearne & Bailey, P.A. He also is the chair of the Greater Salisbury Committee and served on the Wicomico County Council from 2002-to-2006.

Md. Lawmaker Aims To Ban First-Cousin Wedlock


But bill would make exception for lovebirds over 65 — and the infertile

ANNAPOLIS, Md.
- A Maryland state legislator says it's time to ban marriages between first cousins and stop playing what he calls "genetic roulette" with their offspring.

Henry Heller, a Democratic delegate, or state representative, says he wants to bring Maryland "into the enlightened world of other states such as West Virginia and Arkansas" that already prohibit unions of first cousins.

Heller is a retired special education administrator. He says couples who are first cousins are at an increased risk of having a child with birth defects.

GO HERE to read more.

Small Plane Slams Into Texas Office Building


Officials: Pilot upset with IRS, may have intentionally crashed aircraft

AUSTIN, Texas
- A man apparently upset with the Internal Revenue Service set fire to his home, got into a small plane and crashed it Thursday into a multistory office building, authorities said.

At least two people were injured and a third was unaccounted for. The crash caused a fire and sent black smoke billowing from the seven-story Echelon Building.

Officials told The Associated Press that authorities were trying to determine if the pilot intentionally targeted nearby office space of the IRS. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

GO HERE to read more and see photos.

Salisbury Police Department Press Releases



On February 17, 2010 at approximately 12:59 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the JC Penney store at the Centre at Salisbury for the report of an internal theft. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised that the below listed employee had been observed taking currency from her cash register.

The employee was also observed by store personnel giving store property to other subjects without payment.

ARRESTED: Megan Nicole Crockett, 21 years of age
Seaford, Delaware
CHARGES: Theft (under $ 10,000)
Theft (under $ 1000)
Theft scheme ($1,000 to $ 10,000)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000006644

On February 17, 2010 at approximately 5:34 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department arrested the below listed suspect on an outstanding arrest warrant charging the suspect with theft. The investigation of the incident revealed that while performing work on a vehicle, the suspect took a debit card from the vehicle and used the card at a location in Baltimore.

ARRESTED: Kevin Carl Townsend, 43 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES: Use of a credit card with intent to defraud
Theft of a credit card
Identity fraud for the purpose of theft
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking
CC # 201000001655

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY, COMPTROLLER FRANCHOT, SPEAKER BUSCH PROMOTE TAX CREDIT FOR WORKING FAMILIES

ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 18, 2010) – As Maryland’s working families file their state taxes this year, they are eligible for increased exemptions and may qualify for an expanded tax credit thanks to measures passed during the 2007 Special Legislative Session to expand the safety net for low- to moderate-income earners. Today, Governor Martin O’Malley, House Speaker Michael E. Busch, and Comptroller Peter Franchot joined Robin McKinney, Director of the Maryland CASH Campaign, to remind eligible taxpayers of the new tax policies for their 2008 tax filings. Under the new policies, tax filers may be eligible for an expanded state Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC) as well as an increased personal income tax exemption.

“The tax relief initiatives passed during the Special Session create a larger safety net for the working families of Maryland, particularly during these tough economic times,” said Governor O’Malley. “Even though our workers are producing more, wages have stagnated and costs have gone up. The Earned Income Tax Credit provides immediate tax relief to families who need it. Low- to moderate-income families filing taxes today are eligible for refundable money from the state Earned Income Tax Credit. That means $33 million back into the pockets of Maryland’s middle class at a time when they need it most.”

“The EITC is the most effective tax credit available to help lift people out of poverty,” said Comptroller Franchot. “Behind the numbers, there are parents and children receiving a better life in Maryland because of the Earned Income Tax Credit. But working families must apply for the credit in order to receive the benefit. I am grateful to work with Governor O'Mallye, Speaker Busch and partners such as the Maryland CASH Campaign to spread the word about the EITC and the free tax preparation services available for those in need.”

During the 2007 Special Legislative Session, the General Assembly adopted measures that increased the regular personal income tax exemption from $2,400 to $3,200 for individuals with gross income of up to $100,000 or $150,000 for joint filers in a move that created a more progressive tax structure for Maryland families and helped close a $1.7 billion inherited structural deficit. During the same session, the Governor fought to increase Maryland’s Earned Income Tax Credit to 25 percent of the federal credit and expanded to include workers without children, to help our hardworking families weather a tough economy.

“At a time when many Marylanders are struggling to make ends meet, the Earned Income Tax Credit is an important tool to help offset some of the burden for low-income families,” said Speaker Michael E. Busch. “This credit provides millions of dollars in federal and State tax relief for working families when they need it most.”

The EITC is a federal tax benefit for low- and moderate-income individuals who work full-time, part-time, or part of the year. Designed primarily to benefit families, workers who qualify for the EITC and file a federal tax return can receive some or all of their federal income tax refunded. Maryland’s state EITC can be used to reduce or eliminate state income tax liability. If the amount of the Maryland credit exceeds the worker’s state tax liability, then the taxpayer may be eligible to receive a portion of the Maryland EITC as a refund payment, known as the refundable earned income credit (REIC). Taxpayers may qualify for this benefit even if they do not otherwise have to file a state tax return.

For the 2008 tax year, 225,858 Maryland taxpayers had taxable income that qualified for the Maryland EITC in the amount of $65,058,138. Of these, 117,738 also qualified for the Maryland refundable EITC in the additional amount of $59,370,460. Traditionally, about 20 percent of people eligible for the EITC do not claim it.

The REIC was expanded during the Special Session in November 2007, increasing the REIC from 20 percent to 25 percent of the federal EITC, putting up to $33 million back in the pockets of Maryland’s middle class. Taxpayers will benefit from these changes when they file taxes on income earned in 2009.

EITC Eligibility:

Earned Income and adjusted gross income (AGI) must each be less than:
$43,279 ($48,279 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children
$40,295 ($45,295 married filing jointly) with two qualifying children
$35,463 ($40,463 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child
$13,440 ($18,440 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children

Tax Year 2009 maximum credit:
$5,657 with three or more qualifying children
$5,028 with two qualifying children
$3,043 with one qualifying child
$457 with no qualifying children

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides a temporary increase in EITC and expands the credit for workers with three or more qualifying children. These changes are temporary and apply to 2009 and 2010 tax years.

Important Meeting Tonight In Ocean Pines



MEETING TONIGHT FEBRUARY 18, 6:30 PM, AT THE OCEAN PINES COMMUNITY CENTER. U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE JIM RUTLEDGE WILL MAKE A PRESENTATION AND BE AVAILABLE FOR Q and A. (rumor has it mikulski is retiring).


LAST CHANCE FOR DELEGATES CONWAY and MATHIAS TOWNHALL MEETINGS
Norm Conway has one of the highest LIBERAL ratings in the state legislature! Any questions?
Jim Mathias - - who is a first time delegate now running for state senator - - needs to be questioned on the issues of the day, including cap and trade, tax and spend, big government etc.
Sat. Feb. 20 11-12:30 pm Salisbury LibrarySat. Feb. 20 3-4:30 pm Town Hall of Berlin
GO TO A MEETING AND TELL THEM THIS BILL IS SOMETHING THEY MUST SUPPORT: MARYLAND 10TH AMENDMENT SOVEREIGNTY BILL SPONSORED BY STATE SENATORS ALEX MOONEY AND ANDY HARRIS.


ONLY NINE MONTHLY MEETINGS OF THE WORCESTER COUNTY CHAPTER OF AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY BETWEEN NOW AND THE 2010 'SAVE AMERICA' ELECTIONS. PLEASE ATTEND, MAKE A DIFFERENCE, MAKE HISTORY.


check out tuesdays NEW YORK TIMES TEA PARTY ARTICLE


IMPORTANT CHAPTER BUSINESS
OUR "WORCESTER WATCHDOG" GROUP IS LACKING VOLUNTEERS AND THAT IS A SHAME. It has the potential to be one of our most productive/effective projects, and it would impose minimal time requirements on volunteers. You would have one person, agency, or entity to 'keep an eye on', which simply means that when you see something in the papers, on tv, on the Internet etc that you think is relevant, you would let our chapter know by contacting Watchdog coordinator, John Pinnero. Very important, very simple, so please volunteer by contacting John via e-mail.


OUR LATEST TEA PARTY EVENT: MARCH ON ANNAPOLIS VIDEO


Please view this Americans for Prosperity message

Michael Schwartz Gets Mentioned In The Baltimore Sun Today


Michael Schwartz recently did an article about Barbara Mikulski retiring and the Baltimore Sun chose to recognize him, but did so accurately.

"On Monday, shortly after Bayh surprised Democrats by announcing that he was quitting, an obscure right-wing blogger posted a report that Mikulski would be announcing in a few days that she will step down. The groundless report was picked up by other blogs - including some that clear the very low bar for respectability in this realm - without bothering to check its validity."

Congratulations Michael. We knew it had to be you once I read the word, "obscure."

Armed Soldiers Storm Niger Presidential Palace


NIAMEY, Niger - Witnesses say armed soldiers have stormed the presidential palace with guns blazing and left with the president, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Moussa Mounkaila, a palace chauffeur, told The Associated Press that the gunmen showed up as a meeting of government ministers was taking place at the place.

A local journalist who was working at the palace, Traore Amadou, says President Mamadou Tandja was taken by the commandos Thursday and his whereabouts are unknown. Only months ago, a referendum allowed Tandja to extend his rule for years past the constitutional limit in the uranium-rich West African nation.

GO HERE to read more.

U.S., EU Approve Microsoft-Yahoo Deal


Deal means Bing will become search engine for both companies’ sites

BRUSSELS
- Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. have received clearance from regulators in Washington and Europe to proceed with a search partnership intended to challenge industry giant Google Inc.

The companies announced Thursday that the partnership has been approved without restrictions by the Justice Department and the European Commission. Under the 10-year agreement, Microsoft's Bing search engine will process all search requests and steer search-related ads on Yahoo.

The companies said they will begin implementing the deal in the coming days and expect to complete the process by early 2012.

GO HERE to read more.

Discrimination???


Simply because an establishment like Breaktime Billiards and Seacrets have stated new rules as to what you can and can't wear into their establishment does not create discrimination.

Unlike Brew River, (well known for massive fights even this past weekend) who somehow flies UNDER the radar from any Press Releases and or Police Reports going public, Chef Fred's, Breaktime, Market Street Inn have been receiving horrible press because of such problems.

A few weeks ago someone claimed they had been stabbed inside Chef Fred's, yet they refused medical treatment. Chef Fred's produced video of the man being assaulted in the parking lot, not inside the establishment. Now how is this Chef Fred's responsibility?

The Liquor Board held an extremely long meeting the other night to determine if Chef Fred's will lose their liquor license. BS! At the risk of sounding stupid, (no different from the Liquor Board challenging Chef Fred's) the blame in their case should be placed on better policing by the Salisbury Police Department. I know, again, far fetched, right? Well, if we're living in a society whereas we pay hefty taxes and are struggling in an economy brought on by loser politicians who seems to get wealthier than most, especially during such rough times, businesses have had to make responsible changes to babysit adults and now you scream discrimination!

What the Liquor Board is considering is more in the line of discrimination than changing a dress code. OK, so a Police Officer shows up at your front door to tell you that your son/daughter was just killed by a stay bullet from a man in a black hoodie and a mask on his face. Traditionally, most Salisbury murders go unsolved. They hint it was Gang related, but they're not sure.

IF the establishment had rules within a dress code to make sure their clientele, (ALL of them) weren't allowed to wear that traditional attire, your son/daughter would be alive today.

Chef Fred's has even gone so far as purchasing metal detectors, also seen at Seacrets. My God people, is this what we have become. Now you have to carry a gun just to protect yourself, yet it is illegal to do so.

My hat is tipped to Breaktime Billiards for caring enough to take precautions before something serious possibly happens. I sincerely hope the Liquor Boards considers the fact that Chef Fred's did everything right. There isn't a bar in Salisbury that isn't hurting in a very big way Folks. They have all seen a massive drop in business and are still being pressured into more bouncers and metal detectors to keep their establishments safe.

Quit your bellyaching about a dress code. If you don't like it, you don't belong there anyway. These businesses are a livelihood for more people than you realize.

PROOF OF FRAUD

Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Jumped Last Week


Report deals setback to hopes economy on the verge of job growth

WASHINGTON
- The number of newly laid-off workers filing applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly surged last week after having fallen sharply in the previous week. The gain dampened hopes about how quickly the labor market may improve this year.

The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose by 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 473,000.

The increase followed a drop of 41,000 in the previous week which had raised hopes that the labor market, which has lost 8.4 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007, could be improving.

GO HERE to read more.

Another Big Storm????

Just got this note from my friend in Milford:

Have a great time on the cruise!!!!! Wishing I was in Florida (even if it's 60) or a cruise, something. Anna just stopped by and said, DAFB are moving planes out for the new storm coming this Monday (must think it's going to be bad).

Duke Lacrosse Accuser Charged With Attempted Murder, Arson

Durham, N.C. — Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Gale Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a bathtub and threatened to stab him.

Authorities charged her with attempted first-degree murder, five counts of arson, assault and battery, communicating threats, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, injury to personal property, identity theft and resisting a public officer

GO HERE to read more.

The Naked And The Well Read

When the order came to take Hill 19 the Sergeant ground his cigar stub into the fine white sand of Tojaida Island and bared his corn-yellow teeth. “Not that it’s ours to take,” he said, rubbing his thick, calloused hand over the stubble of his square jaw. “You mugs understand we have no property right in the hill, or any moral claim to the area it encompasses.” He shifted his packed, hard body and spat into an overturn C-ration can.

“But is it correct, from an ethical standpoint, to allow physical force to be the deciding factor in disagreements between nations? What would Thoreau say?” It was Dough-Boy, the freckle-faced infantryman with the crooked, midwestern smile and innocent grey eyes that blinked whenever you poured pencil-shavings in them.

“Difficult to say,” the Sergeant replied, pulling a cigar stub from its wrapper. “Kant would subscribe to the deontological theory of moral imperatives.”

“Check!” interrupted Grease-Monkey, the cherub-faced mechanic and former professor of Linguistics at Cornell. “He’d want us to examine our motives in a neutral environment, not the biased circumstances of war.”

Bull, resting his muscle-bloated body on a rusted oil drum, had been shoved to the breaking point. His broad, featureless face exploded in fury as he jumped to his feet. “Talk, talk, talk … all we do is talk. Me want to clobber the enemy, not talk!” As he worked his massive mandibles the others rolled their eyes.

“Reminds me a little of Benjy, the simple-minded Christ figure in Faulkner’s The Sound and Fury,” muttered Stir-Fry, the platoon chef.

“Philistine,” said Germ-Jockey, the seasoned medic.

“Leave ‘im alone,” ordered the Sergeant. There was a long, embarrassed silence as the rage melted from Bull’s boulder-like head. “Hey, like … like me sorry me got mad,” he grumbled, like a friendly grizzly bear endowed with the miracle of human speech. “It’s just dat I didn’t do the readin’ this week.”

The platoon burst into gentle laughter as the Sergeant gave Bull a manly but affectionate kick in the head. “Hell, that all? Jesus, Bull, you can catch up. It’s only eighty pages of Flaubert and we’ll help you with the French.” The Sergeant’s words stretched a broad, moronic smile across Bull’s acre-wide face and helped the platoon temporarily forget the horrors of jungle war.

“Alright … alright,” shouted the Sergeant, shouldering his book bag, “load up and remember … no shooting. We have a moral obligation to preserve all life, regardless of the demands placed on us by an arbitrary government.”

“Even if they shoot at us first, Sarge?” asked Slim-Jim, the munitions expert and beef jerky magnate, as he unloaded his rifle. “I mean, some interpret Ghandi’s later writings as …” The Sergeant interrupted his discourse with a powerful right to the solar plexus. “I’m not takin’ any revisionist up the hill with me,” he added, turning his back on Slim-Jim’s wheezing form, “so you can sit here and stew while we’re gone.”

At the call to “fall out,” the small platoon lined up and began its rigorous but sensitive trek through the dense jungle.

byline: Conan O'Brien '85

Dogs Having Dinner

A TEST FOR OLD KIDS?

The answers are printed below, but don't cheat.

01. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, Who was that masked man? Invariably, someone would answer, I don't know, but he left this behind. What did he leave behind?________________.

02. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. In early 1964, we all watched them on The _______________ Show.

03 'Get your kicks, __________________..'

04. 'The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to ___________________.'

05. 'In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ________________.'

06. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we 'danced' under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the '_____________.'


07. Nestle's makes the very best . . . .
_______________.'

08. Satchmo was America 's 'Ambassador of Goodwill.' Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was _________________.

09. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _______________.

10 . Red Skeleton's hobo character was named __________________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, 'Good Night, and '________ ________. '

11. Some Americans who
protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their______________.

12. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW. What other names did it go by? ____________ & _______________.

13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, 'the day the music died.' This was a tribute to ___________________.

14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called ___________________.

15. One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the __ ______________.







ANSWERS :
01. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet
02. The Ed Sullivan Show
03. On Route 66
04. To protect the innocent
05. The Lion Sleeps Tonight
06. The limbo
07. Chocolate
08. Louis Armstrong
09. The Timex watch
10. Freddy, The Freeloader and 'Good Night and God Bless.'
11. Draft cards (Bras were also burned.? Not flags, as some have guessed)
12. Beetle or Bug
13. Buddy Holly
14. Sputnik
15. Hoola-hoop

Buses Aren't Having Fun This Morning!


Right now there's a bus on Hall Dr that can't get down the street due to vehicles parked along the road...it's not wide enough for the bus, she's blown the horn several times but no one has come out of the houses to move the vehicles. She's now called across the radio for someone to come to her location and help her.

There was another bus that skipped a road due to the driver saying it can't get down it safely.

Now another driver is picking up the Moss Hill locations due to the driver needing help due to roads.

Unemployed To Get Free Car Registration

Joe:

Maryland House Bill - HB1147 - would allow the unemployed to get free car registration.

The House Bill was just filed today so the full text is currently unavailable but the synopsis tends to reveal the basic information.

In light of the above, I wish the Legislature would be detained so as to prevent them from even going into session.

Price Salutes The Mount Vernon Statement


Washington, Feb 17 - Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) today hailed the signing of the Mount Vernon Statement.

“The conservative principles of individual liberty and limited government embraced at America’s founding are the true source of our nation’s strength,” said Chairman Price. “While we constantly seek to improve the implementation of these principles, the past year has shown that change solely for its own sake can have consequences utterly out of step with American values. The Mount Vernon Statement reminds us that the change we really need is a renewed empowerment of self-governance and a turn away from unbridled government expansion. It will be an adherence to constitutional conservatism that will ensure America’s future remains bright, and I applaud the framers of the Statement.”

RNC Takes Down Controversial Tea Party Site

The Republican National Committee has pulled off the Web a site that some tea party leaders saw as evidence the GOP is trying to "hijack" the grass-roots conservative movement.

The decision to pull TeaParty.Gop.com off the Web apparently stems from a meeting Tuesday between RNC Chairman Michael Steele and 50 conservative activists.

Karin Hoffman, founder of the DCWorksForUs group who coordinated the RNC confab, said Steele appeared unaware of the site's existence when a conservative activist complained the site was co-opting the independent movement.

"Chairman Steele did not know of this … he's not the one who actually edits the Web site," Hoffman told Newsmax. "He said, 'We'll address that right away, we're going to make sure that's taken down.'"

The site apparently removed late Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

The move may indicate Republican recognition that tea party leaders will not tolerate efforts to absorb it into the GOP. Tea party leaders have to be very careful to avoid any appearance of an alliance with the GOP, because their ranks include many independents and former Democrats who would strongly object.

By taking down the site, Steele may have averted a major confrontation with national tea party leaders. On Tuesday, one tea party organization launched SaveOurMovement.com, a site protesting RNC policies that it said are threatening to "take over" the movement.

More

'Constitutional Conservatism'

With polls and recent elections suggesting a possible comeback for Republicans, a group of prominent conservatives unveiled a statement of principles Wednesday called Constitutional Conservatism that they hope will guide a new era of governing.

"A year ago, some pundits claimed that conservatism was effectively dead. But today, as revelations about Washington's futility in addressing America's problems continue to mount, the movement is alive and poised for a resurgence of Constitutional Conservative leadership," former Attorney General Edwin Meese said.

"Fifty years ago, the federal government threatened to grow exponentially," said Edwin Feulner Jr. , the president of the Heritage Foundation , a conservative research center. "Visionaries then gathered in Sharon, Connecticut , to articulate essential principles of American governance. Today, that threat is even greater, and so we must articulate anew the nature of Constitutional Conservatism in the 21st century."

"Each one of these founding ideas is presently under sustained attack. In recent decades, America's principles have been undermined and redefined in our culture, our universities and our politics. ... The federal government today ignores the limits of the Constitution, which is increasingly dismissed as obsolete and irrelevant."

Just as conservatives oppose Democratic President Barack Obama's expansion of the federal government, the call for a Constitutional Conservatism also was an alternative to Republican former President George W. Bush's "compassionate conservatism."

Many conservatives balked at the rapid rise in non-defense spending under Bush, and at the expansion of unchecked government power in the name of fighting terrorism after the 2001 attacks.

The signers of the statement, which by design excluded elected officials, warned the three branches of modern conservatism that each should mind the other, and that none should pursue greater federal government power in the name of its own cause.

The statement reaffirms their goal of a limited government coupled with a strong national defense.

It also appeared to step back from the fiery anti-government talk heard in some wings of the "tea party" movement.

"The conservatism of the Constitution limits government's powers but ensures that government performs its proper job effectively," the statement said.

"It refines popular will through the filter of representation. It provides checks and balances through the several branches of government and a federal republic."

Read more

How Dr. Fredericksen Gets To Work

College Students Vehicles Blocking Hall And Frances Dr's.

It's bus 50 that couldn't get down Hall. Now she's called in saying she had to end up backing down the street. The bus that does Frances Dr. just called out to her asking if he can get down her road....she said it all depends if the college kids go to school....it's their vehicles that are blocking the road.

Now, if a school bus can't get down these two roads...a fire truck wouldn't be able to either!!

Fatal Pedestrian Crash Investigated In New Castle

Location: Route 13 southbound, south of Wilmington Avenue, New Castle, Delaware, New Castle County

Date of Occurrence: Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at 11:30 p.m.

Vehicle: 2000 Nissan Maxima, operated by a 50-year-old Middletown, Delaware man

Resume: Investigators from the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit are probing a fatal pedestrian related crash which occurred at about 11:30 p.m. last night.

A Nissan Maxima was traveling in the left lane on Route 13 southbound in the area of Wilmington Avenue. A female pedestrian was walking from the west side of Route 13 toward the east and attempting to get to the center median. This was not in the area of a marked crosswalk.

The pedestrian walked into the path of the Nissan resulting in the impact. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The operator of the Nissan was not injured. He was wearing his seatbelt.

It was noted that the pedestrian was walking with another female who was not injured in this incident.

Alcohol impairment is believed to be a factor in this crash on the part of the pedestrian.

The names of those involved will be released later today or tomorrow.

This crash remains under investigation.

CITY OF SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA


CITY OF SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA

Meeting #3 February 22, 2010 6:00 p.m. City/County Government Office BuildingRoom 301

Times shown for agenda items are estimates only.

6:00 p.m. CONVENE – LORD’S PRAYER – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

6:04 p.m. ADOPTION OF AGENDA

6:07 p.m. PRESENTATION – Lt. John Moore Police GIS/Crime Analysis Tools

6:25 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA – City Clerk Brenda Colegrove January 25, 2010 minutes

Resolution No. 1887 - reappointment of Arlene Ennis to the Board of Elections Supervisors

Resolution No. 1888 - reappointment of Dr. C. Richard Anderson to the Marina Committee

Resolution No. 1891 - accepting grant funding awarded through the COPS Hiring Support – Recovery Program, offered through the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, to supplement funding for training and equipment related to new police officers funded and hired under the COPS Program and rescinding Resolution
No. 1851

6:28 p.m. AWARD OF BIDS – Internal Services Director Pam Oland

6:40 p.m. CHARTER AMENDMENTS – City Administrator John Pick

Resolution No. 1889 - amending (1) §SC6-7, Primary elections, for the purpose of providing that a voter may vote for no more than one candidate per available position from the candidates on the primary election ballot; and 2) §SC6-9, Election of Mayor and Council, for the purpose of (a) moving the date of elections from April to November beginning in the year 2015, (b) modifying the terms of the three Council member positions who will be elected in April 2011, and (c) modifying the terms of the Mayor and the two Council members who will be elected in April 2013

Resolution No. 1890 - amending §SC2-3, Salary, and §SC3-3, Salary, to permit elected officials (Mayor and City Council) to participate in employee benefits programs and removing reference to the salary amounts for elected officials

7:15 p.m. ORDINANCE – City Attorney Paul Wilber Ordinance No. 2099 - 1st reading – amendment to the FY10 Sewer Fund Budget to appropriate surplus funds to pay a civil penalty for violations of the discharge permit for the City’s Wastewater
Treatment Plant

7:25 p.m. RESOLUTION – City Administrator John Pick
Resolution No. 1892 – adopting a Capital Improvement Plan for the five year period FY11-FY15

Resolution No. 1893 – agreeing to the extension of the acting status of four Fire Officers until a Fire Chief can be appointed

7:50 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS

8:00 p.m. ADJOURN

Even The MSM Lefties Are Getting Scared


Economists Predict Cutbacks, Tax Increases That 'Aren't Even Imaginable'

American political and economic leaders have sounded the alarm for years about the red ink rising in reports on the federal government's fiscal health.

But now the problem of mounting national debt is worse than it ever has been before with -- potentially dire consequences for taxpayers, according to a report by the nonpartisan Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform.

Over the past year alone, the amount the U.S. government owes its lenders has grown to more than half the country's entire economic output, or gross domestic product.

Even more alarming, experts say, is that those figures will climb to an unprecedented 200 percent of GDP by 2038 without a dramatic shift in course.

"Within 12 years…the largest item in the federal budget will be interest payments on the national debt," said former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker. "[They are] payments for which we get nothing."

Economic forecasters say future generations of Americans could have a substantially lower standard of living than their predecessors' for the first time in the country's history if the debt is not brought under control.

More from ABC News..

Today's Survey Question

Do You Think We Should Consolidate To A County Wide Police Force?

Caption This Photo

BLACK HISTORY SEMINAR

THE ISRAELITE CHURCH OF GOD IN JESUS CHRIST PRESENTS…

FROM KINGS TO SLAVES AND FROM SLAVES TO KINGS

BLACK HISTORY SEMINAR

Salisbury, Maryland,
– Members of the Israelite Church of God In Jesus Christ will be hosting a Black History seminar in the city of Salisbury to discuss how the so-called Negroes, Latinos and Indians (of North & South America) were reduced from being Kings on this earth to mere servants. What was the cause for this great down fall? Did God have anything to do with it? Who are these great Kings that fell? Come find out for yourself and learn the hidden truth. The presence of local media outlets is encouraged.

This seminar will take place on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at the Wicomico Public Library,

Meeting Rm. #1, located at 122 S. Division Street in the city of Salisbury from 1:00pm - 2:30pm.

For additional information on the seminar, questions or to reserve a seat please contact our correspondence department at (410) 728-0110.

About the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ

The Israelite Church of God In Jesus Christ's World Headquarters is located at 1941 W. Madison Avenue in New York City. The Black Hebrew Israelites have been a staple in the urban communities throughout the country for over 50 years. The Church has been featured nationally on VH1, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montell Williams Show, The Chris Rock Show and Comedy Central. The heads and leaders of the Israelite Church of God In Jesus Christ (or Nation of Israel) are members of the Apostolic Succession of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ featuring Apostles and Chief High Priests Ahraya “the Living Legend” and creator of the 12 Tribes sign through the divine Holy Spirit and the God sent Comforter Apostle & Chief High Priest Tazadaqyah, the most sought after man of God on the planet earth.

Send In The Clowns

Here's a great read from the HSI Baltimore E-alert:

Any study that calls for a clown on a unicycle is okay by me.

Every year I read and report on hundreds of studies, and way too few of them involve clowns on unicycles. In fact, almost none of them do.

Almost.

My thanks to Western Washington University researchers who put a clown suit on a student, put the student on a unicycle, then asked him to ride around in Red Square, one of the main gathering areas on campus.

As the clown zigzagged around the square for a while, researchers approached more than 340 people who had walked through the square and asked, "Did you see anything unusual?"

Sixty percent of people walking in pairs said they saw the clown. About thirty percent of people who were walking alone saw the clown. Only eight percent of all cell phone users saw the clown.

Ira Hyman--lead researcher and a psychology professor, told the New York Times that the cell users were experiencing "inattention blindness." It's not an actual blindness, of course. But when you're looking right at something and you're too preoccupied to notice, it might as well not even be there.

The study points out that conversation isn't the problem. People walking through the square in pairs were engaged in conversations. Conversations on cell phones are entirely different.

A neuroscientist explained to the Times that during a phone conversation, a caller's brain engages visual functions to create imagery related to the conversation. This internal imagery can obscure real images. Even when those images are things you might usually notice.

Like clowns. On unicycles.

So it's not really a surprise that another recent study from the National Safety Council reveals a new reality of life on the road: nearly 30 percent of all car accidents occur while drivers talk or text on cell phones.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Getting texty
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The NSC study recorded about 200,000 accidents linked to texting while driving. But a recent Ohio State University study took the research out of the car and onto the sidewalks. Their findings: Accidents that occurred while pedestrians were talking or texting on cell phones accounted for more than 1,000 ER visits in 2008 – a huge jump from the 250 ER visits recorded in 2006.

Last summer, a CNN report on texting-while-walking accidents sounded a little like a funniest home videos segment: a young girl fell down a manhole while texting, a man tripped over a traffic cone on one occasion and walked into a bicyclist on another, a woman walked into a tree branch, another woman walked into a pole, another stepped in something a dog left behind.

If you're shaking your head, thinking, "Those crazy kids," you're only partly right. The majority of pedestrian accidents caused by talking or texting on a cell involved people under the age of 30. But more than 25 percent of those injuries occurred in people between the ages of 41 and 60.

As cell texting becomes a more common way to communicate, people are inventing more interesting ways to hurt themselves. The CNN report ended with a video clip of a man who had figured a way to text while driving a motorcycle.

I believe these pioneers are going to open up an exciting new category for the annual Darwin Awards.

By Hook Or By Crook, Big Labor Wants Card Check

It appears Big Labor will stop at nothing to impose card check forced unionism on American workers and job-providers. Public opposition from energized Right to Work supporters and other concerned Americans to the draconian card check bill -- which eliminates the secret ballot in workplace unionization drives, opens up workers to intimidating "home visits," and allows government bureaucrats to impose contracts on workers -- has thus far stalled the legislation in the Senate.


On Tuesday, in what may have been a test vote on card check, the Senate rejected an attempt to move President Obama's nomination of radical union lawyer Craig Becker to a seat on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the quasi-judicial agency that administers federal labor law. Becker's writings indicated a willingness to impose the card check forced unionism mechanism through NLRB rules, without even a Congressional vote.


But despite this setback union officials aren't giving up on card check, and neither are the forced unionism proponents in the Obama Administration. The Daily Caller reports that White House staffers are considering a new executive order that could effectively require all federal contractors to submit their workers to coercive card check campaigns:


Critics say the proposals would heavily favor unionized companies and significantly increase the cost and amount of time needed to award contracts. Estimates have the potential cost increase at 20 percent, adding about $100 billion a year to the federal budget.


“Making contracting decisions based on political or ideological litmus tests will waste taxpayer dollars and limit economic growth at a time when we can least afford to do so. The administration’s new rules amount to a backdoor attempt at card check. The last thing our small businesses need is to be saddled with new rules that effectively say ‘unionize or die,’” said John Hart, communications director for Senator Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican. Coburn and four other Senate Republicans sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag last week asking for a briefing on the proposals; they have yet to receive a response.

Now the administration is facing increasing pressure to go around Congress and implement pro-labor policies via executive order. The Service Employees International Union, one of the groups lobbying the White House to adopt the new labor policies, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.


No surprises here: SEIU czar Andy Stern was the most frequest visitor to the White House in Obama's first year.

Source

Today's Wildlife Photo By Scott Phoebus

Super Bowl

A man watching a football game on TV kept switching channels to a dirty movie featuring a lusty couple.

"I don't know whether to watch them or the game," he said to his wife.

"For heaven's sake, watch them," his wife said.

"You already know how to play football."