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Monday, March 08, 2010

Nuke Hack Attack Puts Military On High Alert

A message that North Korea had conducted a nuclear attack on the Japanese island of Okinawa turned out to be false, but the fact it was delivered via U.S. military communications has prompted a high alert, according to U.S. officials who asked to remain anonymous.

U.S. military channels were hacked either by the Chinese or North Koreans, the source said. Access to such communications – even unclassified military systems – suggests a serious breach of technology security.

A Pentagon spokesman declined comment.

A purportedly "U/FOUO" or "Unclassified but For Official Use Only" message claimed to have been put out Saturday by the Office of National Intelligence and prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency. It said:

"Today, March 06, 2010 at 11.46 AM local time (UTC/GMT -5 hours),US seismographic stations recorded seismic activity in the area of Okinawa Island (Japan). According to (sic) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Democratic People's Republic of Korea has carried out an average range missile attack with use of nuclear warhead (sic). The explosion caused severe destructions (sic) in the northern part of the (sic) Okinawa island. Casualties among the personnel of the US military base are being estimated at the moment."

Read more here

Nightly News At 6 PM


This is an exclusive interview with Boxer Fernando Guerrero.

F.O.P. Press Release


The Wicomico County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #111 announces that sheriff’s deputies have chosen to conclude the judicial challenge concerning the collective bargaining labor law. To continue challenging the matter in the court of appeals would jeopardize all other agencies that currently have obtained collective bargaining by way of a citizen initiative. The FOP will continue to move forward to resolve the issue with the Wicomico County Government. FOP officers have met with Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt and discussed solutions to resolve this issue. Mr. Pollitt has been and continues to be supportive of collective bargaining for sheriff’s deputies.

As many are aware, collective bargaining for sheriff’s deputies was placed on the ballot in November of 2006 as Question A. This initiative began in order to secure a better retirement and disability plan for sheriff’s deputies. The FOP had attempted talks about this matter with the previous councils to no avail. The voters of Wicomico County approved collective bargaining with binding arbitration by an overwhelming 72 percent approval with 18,506 votes. This speaks volumes as to the citizen’s approval of the matter. As a result Mr. Pollitt presented a proposed labor law to the council which established collective bargaining with binding arbitration between the deputies and the county government. The council amended the labor law to exclude themselves from binding arbitration. Mr. Pollitt then vetoed the law because he felt it was not what the voters had approved. The council then unanimously overrode that veto and adopted the labor code as law. The amended code was the reason for the court challenges.

Due to the recent court decision which ruled the citizen initiative unconstitutional, the labor code has been invalidated. The court ruled that citizens cannot mandate that the council adopt legislation unless it changes the form and structure of the current government. The FOP looks forward to working together with County Executive Pollitt who has pledged to begin new discussions to establish a labor code that meets the approval of all involved. The FOP wishes to extend our thanks to the citizens of Wicomico County for your continued support.

MOE Waiver Penalty Bill Passes Senate

The Senate passed SB 476, a bill that would waive the multi-million dollar State penalty imposed on two counties for failing to meet its maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement for education. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. This action was the first step taken by the legislature in considering the burdens of counties to fund obligations.

The Baltimore Sun reported comments from county officials, reinforcing the urgency of the legislation:

“Three frustrated county executives testified at the Wednesday hearing that the state school board had set waiver requirements far too high, seemingly making only the total collapse of a tax base as reason enough to grant one.

“None of us are proud of ourselves for being here,” said Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt Jr. “But these are unprecedented times, and we’ve cut our other departments so drastically. We have to open other doors that have been kept closed. We’ve put off cutting education as long as we can.”


Because of the school board’s denial, Montgomery County schools are to be docked $24 million in state funding this year. The Senate last week overwhelmingly approved legislation to waive that penalty, a proposal the House of Delegates is also expected to pass

Andy Harris was one of three Maryland Senators to vote against the Bill!

Hitman Tells It Like It Is This Morning

Hitman And Company

Best NEWS site on the shore, instead of picking up A paper or reaching under ur car in the morning to get it - go to Joe Albero www.sbynews.blogspot.com GOOD STUFF - HITMAN
The "Hitman and Company" With J.J. "The Hitman" Mckay, And Glenn L. Martin.
7-10 am on 1590 KHZ, OC,Md.

SUSSEX COUNTY PARAMEDICS CAPTURE SILVER MEDAL AT 2010 JEMS GAMES

[Baltimore, MD] – A team of Sussex County paramedics taking part in a national EMS competition will bring home silver honors this weekend, the second consecutive award for the team and the fourth overall in the past five years.

The Sussex County EMS team on Friday night, March 5, earned a silver medal for the
members’ performance in the 2010 Journal of Emergency Medical Service (JEMS) Games in
Baltimore. The competition among elite groups of first-responders from across the United States was held March 4-6 during the EMS Today Conference 2010, an annual educational gathering and exposition for pre-hospital care providers.

Sussex County’s team included paramedics Michael Carunchio, Jeff Cox, Stuart Hensley,
and Jill Wix. This year’s competition included 16 different teams from EMS agencies across the United States.

It is the team’s third silver medal in as many years, and fourth overall since 2005.
“The team’s achievement reflects our system’s continual commitment to deliver excellent patient care,” said Sussex County EMS Acting Director Robert Stuart. “We are extremely proud of our team’s consistent, outstanding performance at these games as they exemplify the high quality of service we provide to the residents and visitors of Sussex County, Del., each and every day.”

Sussex County was in first place following the preliminary round earlier in the week,
heading into Friday’s finals with only two other teams. The final phase of the competition included a simulated mass casualty incident involving a bus. Paramedics were judged on their ability to effectively perform simulated patient care, which included triage (prioritizing injuries), treatment, and transportation of patients.
In the end, Sussex County EMS was edged out by gold medal winner Cape Fear (N.C.)
EMS. A team from Reno, Nev., took third-place honors.

This year’s silver medal win adds to Sussex County’s previous success. Past Sussex
County EMS competition teams in the JEMS Games have earned a gold medal in 2005 and silver medals in 2006 and 2009. Sussex County EMS also placed third during the Magen David Adom (MDA) 2008 Olympics, an international EMS competition held in the Dead Sea region of Israel.

Jill Wix, the Sussex County EMS competition team captain, said she and her fellow team mates were honored to have the chance to compete once again, and bring home high honors for Sussex County EMS and the citizens of the county.

“We are thankful for the support of our County Council, co-workers, family, and
friends.” Paramedic Wix said.

Sussex County Administrator David B. Baker congratulated the team on its success and this outstanding achievement and attributed the success of the team to their hard work and skills that they demonstrate in the field each day.

SHOWTIME Coming To Salisbury Maryland




Could this be it? Could this be the last time Fernando Guerrero will be fighting in his home town, Salisbury, Maryland.

On April 16, 2010, Showtime Boxing will come to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center where Fernando Guerrero will be the Main Event. As his career progresses, the undefeated fighter will have no choice but to bring future fights to Madison Square Garden, Las Vegas, Atlantic City and the likes.

With tickets selling as low as $15.00 a piece here in Salisbury and former $75.00 seats now selling for $40.00 each, this could be the last time we get to see Fernando continue his undefeated winning streak.

Tickets go on sale March, 15th and we need to send Fernando off with a BANG! The last time SHOWTIME Boxing came to Salisbury, the world got to see what announcers claimed was the biggest crowd they had ever seen. The noise from the fans truly made it difficult to hear what was going on and quite frankly I wondered how they could announce the fight on SHOWTIME over the noise of the crowd.

Now here's the kicker. Fernando, (as well as most of the other fighters on the card) do not have opponents yet. However, SHOWTIME will not allow just anybody to step into the ring as this will be a Pay Per View Fight and they have to bring in the revenue. This means they will have someone come forward who will more than likely be Fernando's biggest career challenge to date.

We, (as a community) need to come together and support this fight like none other. If we want to see world class fights here in Salisbury, we need to prove to SHOWTIME and HBO that we're willing to support these events.

Fernando and Alex Guerrero have proven time and time again, Salisbury is and always will be their Home Town. They have given back to this community, whether it be shoveling snow throughout their neighborhood for those who could not to attending local Schools to encourage education and fulfilling dreams.

Please show your support and let's send Fernando and the Boxing World a clear message, we support those who support us. Fernando is now 17-0 with 14 knock outs.

By the way, don't miss our 6:00 PM Nightly News Broadcast tonight. I think you'll enjoy this interview.

Today's Survey Question

Should We Legalize Marijuana?

Program To Pay Homeowners To Sell At A Loss

Obama administration's latest attempt to stem the housing crisis

NEW YORK
- In an effort to end the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration has been trying to keep defaulting owners in their homes. Now it will take a new approach: paying some of them to leave.

This latest program, which will allow owners to sell for less than they owe and will give them a little cash to speed them on their way, is one of the administration’s most aggressive attempts to grapple with a problem that has defied solutions.

More than five million households are behind on their mortgages and risk foreclosure. The government’s $75 billion mortgage modification plan has helped only a small slice of them. Consumer advocates, economists and even some banking industry representatives say much more needs to be done.

GO HERE to read more.

Cyberwar Declared as China Hunts For The West’s Intelligence Secrets

Urgent warnings have been circulated throughout Nato and the European Union for secret intelligence material to be protected from a recent surge in cyberwar attacks originating in China.

The attacks have also hit government and military institutions in the United States, where analysts said that the West had no effective response and that EU systems were especially vulnerable because most cyber security efforts were left to member states.

Nato diplomatic sources told The Times: “Everyone has been made aware that the Chinese have become very active with cyber-attacks and we’re now getting regular warnings from the office for internal security.” The sources said that the number of attacks had increased significantly over the past 12 months, with China among the most active players.

In the US, an official report released on Friday said the number of attacks on Congress and other government agencies had risen exponentially in the past year to an estimated 1.6 billion every month.

The Chinese cyber-penetration of key offices in both Nato and the EU has led to restrictions in the normal flow of intelligence because there are concerns that secret intelligence reports might be vulnerable.

Here's more

Caption This Photo

The ‘I Am Not George Bush’ Policy

All the borrowing at home and fighting abroad?
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online

The first year of the Obama administration has been a vertiginous pile of confusions and contradictions. In hunting for a theme to its decision making, we might start with Obama’s relation to his predecessor.

The World War II Analogy

George Bush, a purported conservative, ran up deficits reaching in aggregate $2.5 trillion; therefore I, Barack Obama, a liberal, can legitimately exceed that figure by a factor of three or four. That seems to be the thinking of the present administration. And its common defense of the massive new deficit is the historical analogy that it will snap us out of the recession in the same way that deficit spending during World War II lifted us out of the Great Depression.

Even many supporters of the new stimuli confess that the Depression was not cured by the New Deal, but rather by the strong demand in goods and services brought on by the war that followed. So the new mega-Keynesians describe their current remedies in terms not of 1933–39, but of 1941–45.

But even if one were to accept the questionable assumption that our current recession is anything like the downturn of the 1930s (10 percent unemployment versus 25 percent), we forget that what allowed us to manage the high levels of incurred debt was the rebound after 1945, when U.S. manufacturing, natural resources, and expertise met much of the industrialized world’s postwar demand until the wrecked economies of Europe, Russia, and Japan rebounded. Yet in the current weak recovery, we certainly will not be paying back our borrowed trillions by exporting to a needy world already well supplied by Europe, Japan, Korea, and China.

Bottom line: We have no easy means to create the wealth necessary to pay back the unprecedented trillions we now owe — and we have no accurate historical parallel to guide us through these upcoming years of unsustainable levels of indebtedness, other than perhaps a Greece or Argentina writ large.

GO HERE to read more.

COUNTY RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO HAVE WATER SAMPLED ANNUALLY

NATIONAL GROUND WATER AWARENESS WEEK MARCH 8 – 14, 2010

(Salisbury, MD)
– March 8 – 14, 2010 is National Ground Water Awareness Week and Wicomico County environmental health officials are reminding residents of the importance of having their well water sampled annually. “100% of Wicomico County’s drinking water comes from groundwater, so proper maintenance is essential for high-quality drinking water.” said Dennis DiCintio, Environmental Health Director for Wicomico County Health Department. “Just as you check your furnace and smoke detector batteries seasonally, spring is a good time to do a water well checkup just before the peak water use season begins,” said DiCintio. The Health Department also recommends testing water when there is a change in taste, odor, or appearance.

The National Groundwater Association, a non-profit, international groundwater professional organization, suggests an annual checkup by a qualified well inspector as the best way to ensure problem-free service and quality water. Preventative maintenance is less costly than emergency maintenance, and good well maintenance - like good car maintenance - can prolong the life of wells and related equipment.
Health Department officials also recommend the following preventative measures: Keep hazardous chemicals, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, and motor oil far away from the well, and maintain a "clean" zone of at least 50 feet between well and any kennels and livestock operations.

Maintain proper separation between well and buildings, waste systems, and chemical storage areas. Periodically check the well cover or well cap on top of the casing (well) to ensure it is in good repair and securely attached. Its seal should keep out insects and rodents. Be careful never to hit the casing with a lawn mower or vehicle, or strike it with any force. Maintain your septic system. Improperly functioning septic systems are a major cause of well contamination. Find any old wells on your property and have them abandoned and sealed by a licensed well driller.

WELLOWNER.ORG is a resource for well owners, providing information on well maintenance and water quality.

For questions, to schedule a water sample, or inquire about related fees, county residents may call the Wicomico County Health Department Environmental Health Division at (410) 546-4446.

Unrest in Democratic Party Plays Out In Emanuel Controversy

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has become a reluctant central figure in the battle between liberals and centrists in the Democratic Party.

A spate of recent reports have portrayed Emanuel, known for his aggressive brand of Washington politics, as either the voice of reason in a weak, liberal White House or the wet blanket preventing President Barack Obama from pursuing the kind of change he promised as a candidate.

Emanuel has become the flash point in those arguments as liberals express betrayal over Obama's failure to convince Congress to pass a public option in healthcare reform and close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In recent stories and columns in The Washington Post, Emanuel is described as a political pragmatist, pushing Obama to accept realistic limitations on both issues in order to secure smaller victories over abject failures. Or as the Post's Dana Milbank put it, Emanuel is "the only person keeping Obama from becoming Jimmy Carter."

The president, in turn, is depicted as unsure, beholden to liberal groups' desires before ultimately heeding Emanuel's realistic assessment of the political environment and caving to centrists in a fashion reminiscent of the triangulation of Emanuel's other White House boss -- President Bill Clinton.

The culprits behind those stories are not Emanuel or those who support him, Democratic strategists say, but instead the liberal Netroots crowd disgusted by what they view as appeasement to the center.

Some of those efforts to weaken Emanuel are coming from inside the building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one Democratic strategist said.

"There are people in the White House who are trying to get rid of Rahm, and they are leaking everything they can," said the strategist, who is close to Emanuel. "Some of it's personal, some of it's professional[ly] judgmental, but there is no doubt there's an effort."

Here's more

ACLU Tells Obama: Keep 9/11 Trial in NY

A prominent US rights group urged the Obama administration on Sunday not to back down in the face of fierce opposition to its plans to try September 11 plotters in a civilian court in New York.

President Barack Obama's administration had announced it would try self-confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other accused at a New York courthouse just steps from where the World Trade Center once stood.

But the plan for the "trial of the century" met a backlash from Republican lawmakers who have introduced legislation to require a military trial, throwing a challenge to Obama months ahead of mid-term elections in November.

Obama made bringing Sheikh Mohammed to a civilian trial a centerpiece of a broader plan to end what he saw as serious abuses of law in the time of his predecessor George W. Bush and his powerful vice president Dick Cheney.

"What will it be Mr. President?" the American Civil Liberties Union asked in a full-page advertisement in The New York Times where a portrait of Obama gradually morphs into Bush. "Change or more of the Same?"

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Battle Looms In Supreme Court Over 'Gay' Activist Harassment

A battle is set to begin in the U.S. Supreme Court, as backers of traditional marriage hope to fend off a law that would make their names and addresses public and, therefore, make them prime targets for homosexual activists intent on bullying them into silence.

The case calls into question whether voters have protected free speech and anonymity rights in signing petitions and ballot initiatives or whether states must release signatories' names and addresses as a matter of public record.

With reported cases of bullying, organized boycotts and threats of violence against the signers of traditional marriage initiatives in several states already – and homosexual activists pledging to make lists of signatories public and searchable online – lawyers at the American Center for Law and Justice are concerned that voters may grow fearful of reprisal should they sign a petition seeking to restrict marriage to one man and one woman. That fear, the ACLJ is arguing in a brief filed this week before the Court, is exactly the kind of political and voter intimidation that the Constitution should protect against.

"The right to secret ballot safeguards citizens from the historic evil of voter intimidation," the ACLJ brief argues. "Similarly, the right to anonymity in signing referendum petitions is no less essential in safeguarding signers from reprisal or intimidation."

Those who have dared to sign or vote for traditional marriage in state petitions and referendums have faced backlash. In Maine, homosexual activists targeted churches with IRS complaints, and following California's passage of the controversial Proposition 8, supporters of the measure limiting marriage to one man and one woman were fired from their jobs, subjected to vandalism, bullied by angry mobs and threatened with violence.

More on this

So, Is This Racism?

Hispanic and black businesses are receiving a disproportionately small number of federal stimulus contracts, creating a rising chorus of demands for the Obama administration to be more inclusive and more closely track who receives government-financed work.

Latinos and blacks have faced obstacles to winning government contracts long before the stimulus. They own 6.8 and 5.2 percent of all businesses, respectively, according to census figures. Yet Latino-owned business have received only 1.7 percent of $46 billion in federal stimulus contracts recorded in U.S. government data, and black-owned businesses have received just 1.1 percent.

Figures from the Transportation Department on highway stimulus spending — at the heart of the government's effort to lift the economy — have further concerned advocacy groups.

Six percent of the $16.9 billion in Federal Highway Administration contract money spent by states has gone to disadvantaged business enterprises, which includes companies owned by minorities as well as women, veterans and the disabled, according to department press secretary Olivia Alair.

The founder and chief executive of one of the nation's largest black-owned construction companies, Richard Copeland of THOR Construction Inc., said minority-owned companies usually employ 60 percent minorities.

"If we can't get on these jobs," he said, "we can't hire our people from our community, so poverty and drugs and crime and unemployment and welfare become habitual." His company has done a small amount of weatherization work through Minnesota stimulus contracts.

He said many minority businesses can't develop the capability to do government work because a "good old boy" network shuts them out of contracts.

Copeland's company has its headquarters in Minneapolis, and has 200 full-time employees and offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Atlanta. He said he abandoned highway work years ago to focus on erecting buildings.

"These big highway contractors try to keep you off the project, and when you get on, they try to make sure you don't come back," he said. "We hear about this all across the country."

Read more

No Need to Get Tied Down Yet

Texas governor Rick Perry’s impressive primary victory over Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is a signal. After the midterm election this November, the field of candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 (or later) is going to get bigger and possibly better.

The list is long: Mitch Daniels, John Kasich, Meg Whitman, Bobby Jindal, Haley Barbour, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, and Jim DeMint. And Perry.

To qualify as a serious national candidate, Perry must defeat Democrat Bill White—and not in a squeaker—this fall for a third term as governor of the nation’s second most populous state. But his primary win last week was enough to prompt preliminary chatter about a presidential bid in 2012.

He has repeatedly and emphatically insisted he has no interest in any job outside Texas, and I take him at his word. But his situation may soon change. How? A groundswell of support for a Perry presidential candidacy that included a few prominent Republicans could cause him to reconsider. And it should.

A Perry-for-President bandwagon is all but inevitable, assuming he trounces White. The case for him is pretty simple: Perry is perhaps the most successful governor in the country. Texas has been a job creation machine on his watch. Even in the current recession, Texas has suffered far less than most states. And, by the way, Perry has a tough, tested crew of political advisers who will come in handy if he runs.

More here

While Disasters Loom, Government Fiddles

The earthquake that struck Chile on February 27 was sudden. The ground shuddered without warning. The devastation was immediate. Like all natural calamities it was random, rapid, and beyond human control.

Disasters come in many shapes, however. Not only are there tremors and storms, there are also man-made tempests that you can see coming from miles and miles away. And these events can be just as ruinous to an economy, just as deadly to human life, just as destabilizing to the international system as a tsunami. Even more so.

The difference? Advanced democracies hedge against whatever nature might throw at them. They establish building codes and draft emergency protocols. They prepare for the crises they know will arrive, even if they do not know the exact times and places.

Yet when it comes to the disasters that result from human activity, disasters that are long in the making, we turn a blind eye. A few brave voices may sound the alarm. But no one really listens. The individuals who benefit from the current arrangements offer excuse after excuse. The situation can be contained, they say. No need to be proactive. No need for boldness.

Consider the federal budget. Its condition is perilous. Set aside the debate over which party is responsible for the record deficits and debt—the answer is both—and the question becomes: Which party has the political imagination and the political courage required to address the situation and make the American welfare state sustainable?

Sadly, the answer is neither. One party is afraid that promising less to future retirees or raising the retirement age or indexing benefits to income will dash its chances in the November elections. The other wants to spend even more money the government does not have, because it does not believe there is any problem that taxing the rich can’t fix.

But there is a problem. A big problem. Greece and California’s present is America’s future. As it stands, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and debt service constitute more than 60 percent of all government expenditure. The number is set to rise to more than 75 percent within a decade. Left unchecked, these four items will consume the entire federal budget by mid-century. By that time America likely will have experienced its first debt crisis. High interest rates? Inflation? They are coming.

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News Flash From The Left Coast

Two UCLA economists say they have figured out why the Great Depression dragged on for almost 15 years, and they blame a suspect previously thought to be beyond reproach: President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

After scrutinizing Roosevelt's record for four years, Harold L. Cole and Lee E. Ohanian conclude in a new study that New Deal policies signed into law 71 years ago thwarted economic recovery for seven long years.

"Why the Great Depression lasted so long has always been a great mystery, and because we never really knew the reason, we have always worried whether we would have another 10- to 15-year economic slump," said Ohanian, vice chair of UCLA's Department of Economics. "We found that a relapse isn't likely unless lawmakers gum up a recovery with ill-conceived stimulus policies."

In an article in the August issue of the Journal of Political Economy, Ohanian and Cole blame specific anti-competition and pro-labor measures that Roosevelt promoted and signed into law June 16, 1933.

"President Roosevelt believed that excessive competition was responsible for the Depression by reducing prices and wages, and by extension reducing employment and demand for goods and services," said Cole, also a UCLA professor of economics. "So he came up with a recovery package that would be unimaginable today, allowing businesses in every industry to collude without the threat of antitrust prosecution and workers to demand salaries about 25 percent above where they ought to have been, given market forces. The economy was poised for a beautiful recovery, but that recovery was stalled by these misguided policies."

Recovery came only after the Department of Justice dramatically stepped enforcement of antitrust cases nearly four-fold and organized labor suffered a string of setbacks, the economists found.

"The fact that the Depression dragged on for years convinced generations of economists and policy-makers that capitalism could not be trusted to recover from depressions and that significant government intervention was required to achieve good outcomes," Cole said. "Ironically, our work shows that the recovery would have been very rapid had the government not intervened."

Read the rest here

Ethics Committee Meeting


Today's Wildlife Photo By Scott Phoebus

PELOSI COULD BE WORSE


Chief Heather Fong (left),
the first SFPD female chief of police;

Theresa Sparks (center, former male),
president of the San Francisco Police Commission,
CEO of a multi million-dollar sex toy retailer,
and a trans gender woman.

Sgt. Stephan Thorne (right, former female),
the first transgender SFPD police officer.

Their Representative in Congress is Nancy Pelosi.
This pretty much explains why we are where we are, doesn’t it?

OBAMA BRIBES, THREATENS, AND REWARDS CONGRESS TO PASS HEALTH CARE

By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Published on DickMorris.com on March 5, 2010
Printer-Friendly Version

All aspects of President Obama's Chicago-style tactics are on display as he cajoles, bullies, and bribes the House to pass his health care proposals despite the overwhelming public rejection with which they have been met.

To some, he offers bribes. Congressman Jim Matheson, endangered species - a Utah Democrat - succeeded in getting his brother Scott appointed to a federal judgeship. Matheson voted against Obamacare when it first passed the House. With his new-found winnings in his pocket, he now professes to be undecided. He faces a clear conflict between his district and his conscience on the one hand and the bribe to his brother on the other. The conscience will probably lose.

Matheson supports his party 91% of the time according to the Washington Post even though McCain got 58% of the vote in his district in 2008. But Matheson got re-elected - by professing independence from the Democratic Party's liberal line - with 63% of the vote, so he probably figures he can sneak in a vote for health care and still con his district into re-electing him. After all, he's not heavy. He's my brother.

Even as Matheson basks in the glow of presidential bribery, Eric Massa, a renegade Democrat from the Southern Tier of New York State faces his wrath. Massa's sin was to vote against Obamacare. So Pelosi and the ethically-challenged House Ethics Committee are investigating him for "verbally abusing" a male member of his staff. In this age of more serious offenses, using "salty language" to express his displeasure with staff work would not seem to rank high on the list of indictable offenses. If it were, Lyndon Johnson would have been impeached. But Massa is being hung out to dry as an example to other would-be independent minded Democrats. The attacks on him have gotten so bad that Massa has announced his retirement after only one term in office.

But there is a reward waiting for House members who ignore the wishes and interests of their constituents and vote for Obama's health care proposals. Alan Mollohan has had a pesky FBI investigation hanging over his head for a few years. Now, presto, right before the health care vote, it went away. The Justice Department, headed by Attorney General Eric Holder, announced that the FBI was closing the inquiry.

Mollohan's sin? He pushed for earmarks for nonprofit enterprises in his district and then went into a real estate deal in Florida with the head of the company under financial terms that were distinctly favorable to the Congressman. But Mollohan toes the party line and is now getting his unjust reward.

With health care reform coming up for a vote in the next few days, such tactics send a message to the House where Pelosi is having trouble lining up her votes: That Obama will do anything - anything at all - to pass this bill.

For those of us without judgeships or the FBI at our disposal, we can only call and write the swing Congressmen (go to www.DickMorris.com for a list and their phone numbers) or donate to the League of American Voters to step up its fierce media offensive in their districts to urge them to vote no.

Stolen Tags

LOCATION: Rt. 13 S/B @ Naylor St, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Lashawn Olu Aweosika B/M DOB: 10/17/1974

BRIEF RESUME:
On 03/06/2010 at approximately 1816 hours, a trooper from Salisbury Barrack conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Lashawn Olu Aweosika. During the course of the investigation, the trooper found the vehicle registration plates to be stolen. Later a license check of Aweosika found she was suspended for 40 failures to appear in district court. Anderson was arrested and transported to WCDC for processing.

Ionia Kindergartner Suspended For Making Gun With Hand

IONIA -- To the little boy's mother, it was just a 6-year-old boy playing around.

But when Mason Jammer, a kindergarten student at Jefferson Elementary in Ionia, curled his fist into the shape of a gun Wednesday and pointed it at another student, school officials said it was no laughing matter.

GO HERE to read more.

ELVIS AND THE FLAG

I don't think I ever heard Elvis in 'better voice' than on this--it's a 'chill-maker'! How fitting for 2010, perhaps we need the reminder so... please don't delete before reading as I know you will really enjoy it !!

Virginia AG: Colleges Cannot Ban Gay Discrimination

Virginia's attorney general is advising the state's public colleges to rescind policies that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Kenneth Cuccinelli says in a letter to college presidents and other officials that only the General Assembly can determine which classes of people are protected by state government nondiscrimination policies.

Proposals to ban such discrimination against gays have repeatedly failed in the legislature. The Republican attorney general says in the letter, dated Thursday, that state institutions cannot adopt a policy position rejected by the General Assembly.

Virginia's Democratic Party chairman says colleges can set their own policies.

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Today's Bonny Hunt Show


On the Bonny Hunt show...(today) there will be a special guest....our very own Chuck Campbell!


He was able to fly out to California along with his wife and children to be on the show. This is to promote the ticket sales for the car and house.

Vietnam Wall Memorial

This is the best thing I have ever seen.

If you know of anybody who has a loved one or a friend's loved one, lost in Vietnam . Take a look at this. you will probably be amazed as I was.

This even lets you click on a person and read about them. Very touching.I will bet everyone will know someone who is on the Wall................ Someone spent a lot of time on this, and it is truly remarkable. Someone sent me the link below which is a virtual wall of all those lost during the Vietnam war with the names, bio's and other information on our lost comrades. It is a very interesting link, and those who served in that time frame and lost friends or family can look them up on this site. First click on a state......then when it opens ...........a name.......then it should show you a picture of the person or at least his bio and medals......

http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm

UCLA STUDY


UCLA STUDY
(VERY INTERESTING & SHORT)
A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.
For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.
However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected.

Snow Woman

Wait til you read this story HERE.

Gavelgate

Media Matters ADMITS Barack Obama Has Bribed Congressman Jim Matheson


The Great Gavel Giveaway of 2010 is looking more and more like Gavelgate


Media Matters, doing its typical shilling for the Obama Administration, threw up some lame talking points about Barack Obama appointing Scott Matheson, brother of Congressman Jim Matheson, to the federal bench.



The right has pointed out it has the appearance of bribery.



Today, trying to refute the accusation, Media Matters gives away the game. Casually in defending the appointment, Media Matters notes Scott Matheson told the White House in June of 2009 that he wanted Judge Michael McConnell’s job when it became available at the end of August 2009.



When does Barack Obama choose to appoint Scott Matheson?



Yesterday. The same day he has over the appointee’s brother, a congressman, to persuade the Congress to change his no vote on health care to a yes vote.



The Great Gavel Giveaway of 2010 is looking more and more like Gavelgate thanks to the industrious spinning of Media Matters trying to be helpful.



You know, giving Athena Innovative Solutions, Inc. defense contracts after $2 million in gifts to Duke Cunningham got Duke Cunningham thrown in jail. Giving a congressman’s brother life tenure on the federal bench in exchange for supporting the President’s legacy project is not much different.

Rough Weather

With all the news lately about the subzero weather and snow that the Midwest and east coast areas are experiencing, we shouldn't forget that Auburndale, FL also has had its share of devastating weather in the last couple weeks.

Below is a photo showing damage to our home from a recent storm that passed through the Auburndale area. It really makes you cherish what you have, and reminds us not to take life for granted.

Jack K Richards

Auburndale, Fl