HB 1162 - 2004 General Assembly Session

In this age of 'smoke and mirrors' it does not surprise me that the eastern shore is sometimes 'duped' by those claiming to be conservatives.

 

Here is tax increasing piece of legislation that was voted on by some of our so called conservatives.  In retrospect they did not realize that it significantly contributed to our local unemployment rates escalation to the levels we are now presently experiencing.

http://mlis.state.md.us/pdf-documents/2004rs/bills/hb/hb1162t.pdf

 

I've also provided a link to the House and Senate role call votes where one noted conservative -  Andy Harris - also voted for the legislation.

http://mlis.state.md.us/2004rs/votes/senate/0855.htm

 

Delegate Page Elmore -(God bless his sole) - held to the conservative party ground and voted against the tax increasing legislation. 

http://mlis.state.md.us/2004rs/votes/house/0719.htm

 

For all of those readers who may have contributed to the campaigns of some of these officials - maybe you should recheck your returned check stubs as a reminder of how you easy it is to be duped.

Wikileaks - Feds Order Government Employees And Defense Contractors To Refrain From Reading

I thought you might find this interesting.  The Feds have officially given notice to all Federal employees to refrain from reading the documents recently released by Wikileak:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40512200/ns/us_news-wikileaks_in_security

 

Remember how WWII was run with disinformation and dissemination of false information - to help throw off the Germans and Japanese. 

 

Problem is - who can now distinguish between a lie and the actual truth with all of our corrupt Federal, State, and even local politicians.  We have both seen this first hand.  Wikileak - is actually a free press.

 

My opinion - I say read the information and then draw your own conclusions.

US Super Tanker Completes Second Run In Israel

The US "Super Tanker" has completed two runs, dropping 80,000 liters of water and flame retardant on the fires over Ein Hod in the Carmel on Sunday.

Base commander of Netavim AFB, Brigadier General Idan Atias, said "you can certainly see that the areas [in the Carmel] are full of smoke, and with cautious optimism, that there are fewer fires," after joining the crew of the American Super Tanker that began fighting the Carmel fire Sunday morning.

The much-anticipated Boeing 747-based US "Super Tanker" took off from Netavim Air Force Base in the South, a few minutes before 11 a.m.

Two Israeli Air Force Pilots and the commander of the Nevatim Air Force Base joined the US flight crew for the flight. The plane was expected to reach the Carmel fire within 20 minutes.

The aircraft arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport in the pre-dawn hours Sunday morning. Unlike other water-dropping planes sent by various countries, the Super Tanker is able to operate at night and can drop 21,000 gallons (80,000 liters) of water in a single run, 16 times more water than other planes.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Saturday gave orders to rent the fire-fighting aircraft, which is owned by a private US company located in Arizona called Evergreen.                                  

JPost

Press Ignores Wave Of ArsonBy Israel's Arabs

Police and volunteers are manning checkpoints, lookouts and ambushes throughout Israel in an effort to combat a wave of terrorist arson by Arab citizens of Israel. While occasionally reporting some of the arson incidents, most news sources are playing them down considerably, while others cover them up completely.

The IDF has released video footage shot from an IAF aircraft, which shows a vehicle escaping from the scene of an arson attack on the Carmel Mountain. The conversation on the radio, in Hebrew, is between pilots and police. The pilots report that they have received word from a firefighting aircraft that spotted the vehicle leaving the scene of an act of arson, near a spot called the Muhraka. The aircraft follows the vehicle – a Renault Kangoo – until it is stopped by police cars.

Despite the video, news of the wave of arson is seeping into the public consciousness mostly through smaller news sources and by word of mouth.

Police said the main conflagration in the Carmel Mountains was unintentionally caused by a group of youth from Ossafiya. According to a report on Channel 2 news, the youths lit a fire as part of a nocturnal picnic and did not put it out properly before leaving the site. Later reports said that while most of the residents of Ossafiya are Druze, the youths who were arrested are Arabs.

However, Channel 2's website also carries a report that Border Police arrested two Arabs, one an Israeli citizen and the other from the Palestinian Authority, who tried to start a fire near Jerusalem on Saturday night. The two were caught in a ravine near the “tunnels checkpoint” at the entrance to the neighborhood of Gilo.

Citizens who passed through the checkpoint noticed the suspects and reported their activity to security forces. A Border Police team identified the two trying to set a fire, called on them to stop and fired four shots in the air. The suspects tried to escape in a vehicle but were arrested after a short chase.

A short time later, a 34-year-old Arab man was arrested near Dodge Junction close to Nazareth. He was taken to interrogation.

More here

Narcissism No Longer A Psychiatric Disorder

Narcissistic personality disorder, characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance and the need for constant attention, has been eliminated from the upcoming manual of mental disorders, which psychiatrists use to diagnose mental illness.

[Not a moment too soon, eh?--  Editor]

As Charles Zanor reports in today’s Science Times, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — due out in 2013 and known as D.S.M.-5 — has eliminated five of the 10 personality disorders that are listed in the current edition. The best known of these is narcissistic personality disorder.

Our everyday picture of a narcissist is that of someone who is very self-involved — the conversation is always about them. While this characterization does apply to people with narcissistic personality disorder, it is too broad. There are many people who are completely self-absorbed who would not qualify for a diagnosis of N.P.D.

The central requirement for N.P.D. is a special kind of self-absorption: a grandiose sense of self, a serious miscalculation of one’s abilities and potential that is often accompanied by fantasies of greatness. 

The second requirement for N.P.D.: since the narcissist is so convinced of his high station (most are men), he automatically expects that others will recognize his superior qualities and will tell him so. 

Finally, the narcissist, who longs for the approval and admiration of others, is often clueless about how things look from someone else’s perspective. 

More here

National Monument Status Urged For Arctic Refuge

President Obama is being urged to bestow national monument status on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for its 50th anniversary.

The nation's largest and most untamed refuge in Alaska's northeast corner also happens to be where there is an estimated 11 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

Proponents of drilling say only Congress can determine the fate of the refuge's coastal plain. But more than 80 members of Congress, 170 scientists, 22 religious organizations and hundreds of businesses and organizations disagree.

They have sent Obama letters urging him to take up his pen to mark the 50th anniversary Monday and make ANWR a national monument.

(Source)

Wave Goodbye To Internet Freedom

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is poised to add the Internet to its portfolio of regulated industries. The agency's chairman, Julius Genachowski, announced Wednesday that he circulated draft rules he says will "preserve the freedom and openness of the Internet." No statement could better reflect the gulf between the rhetoric and the reality of Obama administration policies.

With a straight face, Mr. Genachowski suggested that government red tape will increase the "freedom" of online services that have flourished because bureaucratic busybodies have been blocked from tinkering with the Web. Ordinarily, it would be appropriate at this point to supply an example from the proposed regulations illustrating the problem. Mr. Genachowski's draft document has over 550 footnotes and is stamped "non-public, for internal use only" to ensure nobody outside the agency sees it until the rules are approved in a scheduled Dec. 21 vote. So much for "openness."            

More from the Washington Times

CNN Reporter Put On Watch List After Criticizing TSA

In light of new reports alleging that the TSA is creating a watch list of individuals who criticized the agency as a form of collective punishment, it’s revealing to note that CNN journalist Drew Griffin was also put on a TSA watch list immediately after he filed reports critical of the organization back in 2008.

As PrisonPlanet highlighted earlier this week, a reported TSA memo was circulated at the height of last month’s opt out controversy which “officially addresses those who are opposed to, or engaged in the disruption of the implementation of the enhanced airport screening procedures as ‘domestic extremists’.”

In response to the story, former Congressman Bob Barr filed a Freedom of Information Act request which demanded to know if the TSA had categorized those leading the charge against invasive security measures, namely Matt Drudge, Alex Jones, and John Tyner, via the websites drudgereport.com and prisonplanet.com, as “domestic extremists”.

There can be no doubt whatsoever that Homeland Security has engaged in political witch hunts against Americans critical of big government. Earlier this year, Big Sis was caught spying on Tea Party groups as well as State Representative Daryl Metcalfe.

The TSA itself has also listed journalists critical of its policies as potential terrorists, ostensibly as a punishment and a warning to other reporters that if they broadcast anything negative about the agency then they will be bracketed together with Al-Qaeda members and be forced to endure copious amounts of hassle and harassment every time they wish to fly. 

                   

More on this

An Interesting History Lesson: The Nazi Police State

The 'Nazi Police State' ensured that everybody did as they were told - or paid the price.

The Nazi Police were controlled by Heinrich Himmler. His feared secret police - the Gestapo - did as it pleased in Nazi Germany.
Education played a very important part in Nazi Germany in trying to cultivate a loyal following for Hitler and the Nazis. The Nazis were aware that education would create loyal Nazis by the time they reached adulthood. The Hitler Youth had been created for post-school activities and schools were to play a critical part in developing a loyal following for Hitler - indoctrination and the use of propaganda were to be a common practice in Nazi schools and the education system.

Enforcing a Nazi curriculum on schools depended on the teachers delivering it. All teachers had to be vetted by local Nazi officials. Any teacher considered disloyal was sacked. Many attended classes during school holidays in which the Nazi curriculum was spelled out and 97% of all teachers joined the Nazi Teachers' Association. All teachers had to be careful about what they said as children were encouraged to inform the authorities if a teacher said something that did not fit in with the Nazi's curriculum for schools.

Subjects underwent a major change in schools. Some of the most affected were History and Biology.
Children’s loyalty could be developed with a policy of indoctrination via education and the  Hitler Youth movement.  Hitler found that time and planning spent in these areas would bring a suitable reward.

Adults were a different proposition. Some adults clearly supported Hitler - as the  March 1933 election showed. But the same election clearly showed that a substantial number of Germans did not support Hitler and the Nazis. These people were likely to be a constant thorn for Hitler unless they were dealt with. For these people, the Nazis developed a policy of intimidation. Fear became a by-word for those who did not support Hitler. The wrong comment overheard by a Nazi official could have very serious consequences.

Hitler’s police state worked on the rule that if you said nothing, no harm, could come to you. If you had doubts about the way the country was going, you kept them to yourself - or paid the price.

As nearly 17 million people had not voted for either the Nazis or the Nationalist in March 1933, a large and visible police force was required to keep this sizeable group under observation and control.

In  Nazi Germany the police were allowed to arrest people on suspicion that they were about to do wrong. This gave the police huge powers. All local police units had to draw up a list of people in their locality who might be suspected of being "Enemies of the State". This list was given to the Gestapo - the Secret Police. The Gestapo had the power to do as it liked. Its leader - Reinhard Heydrich - was one of the most feared man in Nazi Germany. His immediate chief was  Heinrich Himmler. Both men ran their respective branches with ruthless efficiency.

Those arrested by either the police or the Gestapo had less than three minutes to pack clothing and say their goodbyes. Once arrested, they were sent to the nearest police cell. Those in custody were told to sign Form D-11; this was an "Order For Protective Custody". By signing this, you agreed to go to prison. Those who did not sign it were beaten until they did or officers simply forged their signature. Once a D-11 was signed, you were sent to a concentration camp. How long you stayed here depended on the authorities. The usual rule of thumb was whether it was felt that you had learned your lesson (even if there had not been one to learn) and would behave in an acceptable manner once let out of prison.                      

(The lesson continues here..  )

Amish: From Now On, We Support Israel

Close to 50 members of Amish Christian communities in the U.S.and Switzerland visited Israel last week for one reason: To apologize to the Jewish People.

The Ministry of Tourism announced that Bishop Ben Girod, of the Amish community in Idaho, led the delegation in submitting an official apology for having rejected Israel and the Jews.

In addition to touring various sites in Israel, the visitors met with Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Deputy Jerusalem Mayor Naomi Tzur, Yad Vashem’s Shaya Ben-Yehuda, and Holocaust survivor Eliezer Ayalon. Many of the Amish looked almost hareidi, with their white shirts, black vests, and beards – though no mustaches.

The Amish are famous for shunning modern technology, yet they waived this restriction by boarding cars and an airplane in order to arrive in Israel for their apology. Both in the U.S. and Europe, the Amish have had a history of anti-Semitism, believing that Jews have been “replaced” by Christians and even that Hitler was G-d’s agent in punishing the Jews for their rejection of Jesus.

“We are here to say we are sorry,” Girod told Israel’s Channel 2 News during the group's visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. “We no longer want to reject you or look at you as not being G-d’s people. You were G-d’s people long before we were.” Another Amish  member said, “Our people have had some bad attitudes toward the Jewish people and have rejected the Jewish people to a certain extent, and we have come to restore that and apologize.”

A declaration of apology and commitment, beautifully printed on parchment, was presented to Rabbi Rabinovitch on behalf of the entire Amish community. In the declaration, the Amish ask Israel’s forgiveness “for our collective sin of pride and selfishness by ignoring the plight of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.”

The document states that the Amish will, from now on, speak out strongly in support of the Jews and the Jewish state.

This was not the first time Amish and Jews have made group contact. In April ‘09, a Chabad-Lubavitch community in New York City took a delegation of Amish from Pennsylvania on a walking tour of their neighborhood.                

(Source- INN)

Rep. King: Torpedo DREAM Act To Avoid Flood Of Illegals

Defeating the so-called DREAM Act must be a top priority before it provides an uncontrollable citizenship path to thousands of illegal immigrants, says Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King.

On the surface, the act would provide a road to citizenship for students who are illegal immigrants. But the Iowa Republican also noted that it would allow students to sponsor their extended families on that path.

“We calculated that a single individual could bring in 357 people on a family reunification plan before we ran out of room on our spreadsheet,” King says.

“This is an out-of-control immigration path,” King says. “We need to fence that in and limit it to direct family members.”

King also intends to introduce a bill next year making clear that babies born to illegal mothers in the United States aren’t American citizens because they aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.                      

More

Newest GOP Senator: Election Results Should Matter in Lame-Duck

Senate Republicans on Saturday tapped their newest member, Mark Kirk, to deliver a shot across the bow of Democratic leaders to warn against any tax hikes in the current lame-duck session.

Kirk defeated Democratic state treasurer Alexi Giannoulias in a bitter contest this fall for President Obama’s former Senate seat. He used Saturday’s weekly GOP radio address to argue that Democratic leaders should pay heed to the Nov. 2 election results. Republicans won six Senate seats in the election, prompting Democratic leaders to push items in the lame-duck session that have a better chance of success than will be possible in January.

“The current leaders of Congress should not move forward with plans that were just rejected by the American people,” Kirk said. “These leaders should not raise taxes and risk another recession. Instead, Congress should reduce spending and prevent another tax hike on American taxpayers.”                             

More here

Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans’ Cred It Cards In Real Time

Federal law enforcement agencies have been tracking Americans in real-time using credit cards, loyalty cards and travel reservations without getting a court order, a new document released under a government sunshine request shows.

The document, obtained by security researcher Christopher Soghoian, explains how so-called “Hotwatch” orders allow for real-time tracking of individuals in a criminal investigation via credit card companies, rental car agencies, calling cards, and even grocery store loyalty programs. The revelation sheds a little more light on the Justice Department’s increasing power and willingness to surveil Americans with little to no judicial or Congressional oversight.

For credit cards, agents can get real-time information on a person’s purchases by writing their own subpoena, followed up by a order from a judge that the surveillance not be disclosed. Agents can also go the traditional route — going to a judge, proving probable cause and getting a search warrant — which means the target will eventually be notified they were spied on.

The document suggests that the normal practice is to ask for all historical records on an account or individual from a credit card company, since getting stored records is generally legally easy.

Then the agent sends a request for “Any and all records and information relating directly or indirectly to any and all ongoing and future transactions or events relating to any and all of the following person(s), entitities, account numbers, addresses and other matters…” 

That gets them a live feed of transaction data.

(DOJ powerpoint presentation on Hotwatch surveillance orders of credit card transactions)
It’s not clear what standards an agent would have to follow to get a “Hotwatch” order. The Justice Department told Soghoian the document is the only one it could find relating to “hotwatches” — which means there is either no policy or the department is witholding relevant documents.                              

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US Forces Helping Mexico In Battle Against Drug Cartels

The United States is supplying intelligence and crucial training to elite units of Mexican marines who are engaged in an operation against drug cartels, The Washington Post reported.

Citing unnamed diplomats and law enforcement officials, the newspaper said the effort includes more information-sharing and training than previously known.
The US assistance has enabled the Mexican marines to carry out the kind of rapid-strike operations undertaken by US forces against Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, the report said.

Based in the US embassy in Mexico City and in consulates along the US-Mexican border, for example in Matamoros, agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration deliver "intelligence packages" about the location of drug bosses to the Mexican marines, The Post said.

The marines then go into action, sometimes capturing, sometimes killing their targets in spectacular urban firefights often within hours, the paper noted.                                

More here