DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tighten Your Belts!
Chinese Yuan To Be Used For All US Traders
Joe:
Remember the video you put up a few days ago warning about America's impending economic disaster. Well right now on CNBC.com - there is a news release whereby China is now allowing US traders and citizens to open up Chinese bank accounts. The measure is to allow americans to buy Chinese goods in Chinese currency verses US currency. It plans to expand to all other countries.
GOVERNOR PROMOTES MARYLAND NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER TO MAJOR GENERAL
ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 12, 2011) – Governor Martin O'Malley today promoted James A. Adkins to the rank of major general in a private ceremony in the Governor's office under the historic portrait of General John Stricker. Maj. Gen. Adkins has served as adjutant general of Maryland since 2008 and also served as the state's Secretary of Veterans Affairs until 2009.
“This is an outstanding personal achievement for Maj. Gen. Adkins,” said Governor O'Malley. “His professional insight and strategic intuition have served Maryland well these last few years, and this promotion is well deserved.”
As the state's 28th adjutant general since 1794, General Adkins is responsible for formulating, developing and coordinating all policies, programs and plans for seven thousand men and women who make up the state of Maryland Military Department. The Military Department includes the Maryland Army National Guard, Maryland Air National Guard, Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the Maryland Defense Force. The Department employs more than 7,100 full-time and traditional Guard members and civilian state employees, contributing more than $353 million annually to Maryland’s economy.
The Maryland National Guard is tasked at both the federal level by the President of the United States and at the state level by the Governor to defend our country and state. Since 9/11, almost 9,000 Maryland Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen have been called to serve on active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and a wide range of natural disaster recovery efforts.
In 1993 the Maryland National Guard joined with Estonia in the State Partnership Program. The SPP was launched in Europe as part of the initial outreach by the United States to new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The partnership program emphasizes civil and military cooperation with civil control of a professional military.
Maryland has a key role in this international initiative to foster democracy, encourage market economies and promote regional cooperation and stability. In 2003, Maryland was selected to partner with Bosnia and Herzegovina, in part because of the state's previous success with Estonia.
The Maryland National Guard now has approximately 200 Soldiers and Airmen deployed overseas in a variety of theaters including Afghanistan, Iraq, Djibouti and others. Within the next six months, it will have up to 1,000
Service members deployed in peacekeeping, combat and support roles--the most it has had deployed since World War II.
District’s First Car Charging Station Opens
The big constant up at the North American Auto Show this week has been fuel economy and electric vehicles.
And now, if you want to jump on the green car bandwagon, there is a place in D.C. to charge up.
On Wednesday morning, Tesla Motors, the maker of the Tesla Roadster, helped to open the first residential electric car-charging station in D.C. The station has been installed at the 425 Mass Apartments by the Car Charging Group, Inc.
GO HERE to read more.
Anglican Priest Fired Over Porn
An associate rector at a prominent conservative Anglican church in Fairfax City was fired last month for repeatedly using a church computer to surf for pornography, a church official told the Washington Post.
The Rev. Marshall Brown, 57, who served as a priest at Truro Church for more than a decade and was the associate rector of pastoral care, was fired Dec. 31 after church officials discovered he had been "accessing websites that could be considered as pornographic," Warren Thrasher, Truro executive director, told the Fairfax Times.
Thrasher, who joined the church in 2008, said Brown told church officials in 2005 that he had an Internet addiction problem, and then-Truro rector and current Anglican Bishop Martyn Minns arranged for Brown to seek treatment at that time, according to the Times. But Brown never spelled out the problem, church officials said, and they didn't ask.
Minns, one of the leaders of Anglican conservatism, said in an interview with the Washington Post last week that in 2005, he didn't ask his then-assistant for details about what kind of sites he was using -- sexual or otherwise. The addiction experts who treated Brown told Minns that "there was nothing illegal or involving children," but beyond that, Minns told the Post, "I didn't ask too many questions."
Brown told the Post he deeply regrets the way his tenure at Truro ended and the way his actions have affected his family and church. He declined to go into the specifics of what happened, but said, "The church, Bishop Minns, they've treated me fairly. If I were a denominational leader, I would do exactly the same thing," the Post reported.
GO HERE to read more.
Noteworthy Quotes
"If crazed gunmen are sadly a periodic characteristic of American culture, so are political vultures who scavenge political capital as they pick through the horrific violence." --historian Victor Davis Hanson
"Those who try to connect Sarah Palin and other political figures with whom they disagree to the shootings in Arizona use attacks on 'rhetoric' and a 'climate of hate' to obscure their own dishonesty in trying to imply responsibility where none exists. "But the dishonesty remains. ... [T]hose who purport to care about the health of our political community demonstrate precious little actual concern for America's political well-being when they seize on any pretext, however flimsy, to call their political opponents accomplices to murder." --law professor Glenn Reynolds
"If there is anything more frightening or sad about [the Arizona shootings], it is that anyone would try to lay the blame on anyone else's doorstep, other than that of the sick kid who carried this out." --Arizona's Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever
"This shouldn't happen in this country or anywhere else, but in a free society, we're going to be subject to people like this. I prefer this to the alternative." --John Green, the father of 9-year-old Christina Green, who was murdered in Tucson
More from the Patriot Post
"Those who try to connect Sarah Palin and other political figures with whom they disagree to the shootings in Arizona use attacks on 'rhetoric' and a 'climate of hate' to obscure their own dishonesty in trying to imply responsibility where none exists. "But the dishonesty remains. ... [T]hose who purport to care about the health of our political community demonstrate precious little actual concern for America's political well-being when they seize on any pretext, however flimsy, to call their political opponents accomplices to murder." --law professor Glenn Reynolds
"If there is anything more frightening or sad about [the Arizona shootings], it is that anyone would try to lay the blame on anyone else's doorstep, other than that of the sick kid who carried this out." --Arizona's Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever
"This shouldn't happen in this country or anywhere else, but in a free society, we're going to be subject to people like this. I prefer this to the alternative." --John Green, the father of 9-year-old Christina Green, who was murdered in Tucson
More from the Patriot Post
Troopers Investigate Four Car Crash In Wilmington
Location: US Rt. 202 (Concord Pike) at Murphy Road, Wilmington, DE
Date of Occurrence: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 10:55 a.m.
Operators/Vehicles:
Operator #1: Roger Turner, 46, Newark, DE
Vehicle #1: 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
Operator #2: Faith Tooley, 24, Crum Lynne, PA
Vehicle #2: 2003 Hyundai Elantra
Operator #3: Joseph Dinozzi, 58, Middletown, DE
Vehicle #3: 2007 Infiniti SUV
Operator #4: Lexter Herritt, 52, Nova Scotia, Canada
Vehicle #4: 2008 Volvo Tractor and trailer
Resume:
Wilmington- The Delaware State Police is investigating a four vehicle crash which occurred late this morning on Rt. 202 in Wilmington.
The incident happened as Lexter Herritt was operating a 2008 Volvo tractor and trailer and was northbound on Rt. 202 approaching Murphy Road. Herritt’s vehicle then struck the rear of a 2007 Infinity SUV that was stopped for a red light on northbound Rt. 202 and which was being operated by Joseph Dinozzi, 58, of Middletown, DE. Dinozzi’s vehicle, which overturned, was then pushed into the rear of a 2003 Hyundai Elantra that was also stopped on northbound Rt. 202 in front of the Infinity and which was being operated by Faith Tooley, of Crum Lynne, PA. Her vehicle was then pushed into the rear of a Chevrolet Malibu that was being operated by Roger Turner of Newark, DE.
Joseph Dinozzi was transported from the scene by EMS to the Christiana Hospital in Newark for injuries he sustained in the crash. His status is unknown at this point, however, his injuries are not believed to be life threatening. There were no other known injuries. This crash is still under investigation at this time. Rt. 202 northbound was partially closed in the area as the accident was investigated.
Krauthammer: Massacre, Followed By Libel
The charge: The Tucson massacre is a consequence of the “climate of hate” created by Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, Obamacare opponents, and sundry other liberal bêtes noires.
The verdict: Rarely in American political discourse has there been a charge so reckless, so scurrilous, and so unsupported by evidence.
As killers go, Jared Loughner is not reticent. Yet among all his writings, postings, videos, and other ravings — and in all the testimony from people who knew him — there is not a single reference to any of these supposed accessories to murder.
Not only is there no evidence that Loughner was impelled to violence by any of those upon whom Paul Krugman, Keith Olbermann, the New York Times, the Tucson sheriff, and other rabid partisans are fixated. There is no evidence that he was responding to anything, political or otherwise, outside of his own head.
A climate of hate? This man lived within his very own private climate. “His thoughts were unrelated to anything in our world,” said the teacher of Loughner’s philosophy class at Pima Community College.
“He was very disconnected from reality,” said classmate Lydian Ali.
“You know how it is when you talk to someone who’s mentally ill and they’re just not there?” said neighbor Jason Johnson. “It was like he was in his own world.”
His ravings, said one high-school classmate, were interspersed with “unnerving, long stupors of silence” during which he would “stare fixedly at his buddies,” reported the Wall Street Journal. His own writings are confused, incoherent, punctuated with private numerology and inscrutable taxonomy. He warned of government brainwashing and thought control through “grammar.” He was obsessed with “conscious dreaming,” a fairly good synonym for hallucinations.
This is not political behavior. These are the signs of a clinical thought disorder — ideas disconnected from one another, incoherent, delusional, detached from reality.
These are all the hallmarks of a paranoid schizophrenic. And a dangerous one.
Furthermore, the available evidence dates Loughner’s fixation on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords back to at least 2007, when he attended a townhall of hers and felt slighted by her response. In 2007, no one had heard of Sarah Palin. Glenn Beck was still toiling on Headline News. There was no Tea Party or health-care reform. The only climate of hate was the pervasive post-Iraq campaign of vilification of George W. Bush, nicely captured by a New Republic editor who began an article thus: “I hate President George W. Bush. There, I said it.”
Finally, the charge that the metaphors used by Palin and others were inciting violence is ridiculous. Everyone uses warlike metaphors in describing politics. When Barack Obama said at a 2008 fundraiser in Philadelphia, “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,” he was hardly inciting violence.
Why? Because fighting and warfare are the most routine of political metaphors. And for obvious reasons. Historically speaking, all democratic politics is a sublimation of the ancient route to power — military conquest. That’s why the language persists. That’s why we speak without any self-consciousness of such things as “battleground states” and “targeting” opponents.
Indeed, the very word for an electoral contest — “campaign” — is an appropriation from warfare.
Read more here
[Charles Krauthammer is a syndicated columnist, an attorney, and an M.D. (a psychiatrist, specifically.) He is well qualified to express an opinion on this subject. -- Editor]
The verdict: Rarely in American political discourse has there been a charge so reckless, so scurrilous, and so unsupported by evidence.
As killers go, Jared Loughner is not reticent. Yet among all his writings, postings, videos, and other ravings — and in all the testimony from people who knew him — there is not a single reference to any of these supposed accessories to murder.
Not only is there no evidence that Loughner was impelled to violence by any of those upon whom Paul Krugman, Keith Olbermann, the New York Times, the Tucson sheriff, and other rabid partisans are fixated. There is no evidence that he was responding to anything, political or otherwise, outside of his own head.
A climate of hate? This man lived within his very own private climate. “His thoughts were unrelated to anything in our world,” said the teacher of Loughner’s philosophy class at Pima Community College.
“He was very disconnected from reality,” said classmate Lydian Ali.
“You know how it is when you talk to someone who’s mentally ill and they’re just not there?” said neighbor Jason Johnson. “It was like he was in his own world.”
His ravings, said one high-school classmate, were interspersed with “unnerving, long stupors of silence” during which he would “stare fixedly at his buddies,” reported the Wall Street Journal. His own writings are confused, incoherent, punctuated with private numerology and inscrutable taxonomy. He warned of government brainwashing and thought control through “grammar.” He was obsessed with “conscious dreaming,” a fairly good synonym for hallucinations.
This is not political behavior. These are the signs of a clinical thought disorder — ideas disconnected from one another, incoherent, delusional, detached from reality.
These are all the hallmarks of a paranoid schizophrenic. And a dangerous one.
Furthermore, the available evidence dates Loughner’s fixation on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords back to at least 2007, when he attended a townhall of hers and felt slighted by her response. In 2007, no one had heard of Sarah Palin. Glenn Beck was still toiling on Headline News. There was no Tea Party or health-care reform. The only climate of hate was the pervasive post-Iraq campaign of vilification of George W. Bush, nicely captured by a New Republic editor who began an article thus: “I hate President George W. Bush. There, I said it.”
Finally, the charge that the metaphors used by Palin and others were inciting violence is ridiculous. Everyone uses warlike metaphors in describing politics. When Barack Obama said at a 2008 fundraiser in Philadelphia, “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,” he was hardly inciting violence.
Why? Because fighting and warfare are the most routine of political metaphors. And for obvious reasons. Historically speaking, all democratic politics is a sublimation of the ancient route to power — military conquest. That’s why the language persists. That’s why we speak without any self-consciousness of such things as “battleground states” and “targeting” opponents.
Indeed, the very word for an electoral contest — “campaign” — is an appropriation from warfare.
Read more here
[Charles Krauthammer is a syndicated columnist, an attorney, and an M.D. (a psychiatrist, specifically.) He is well qualified to express an opinion on this subject. -- Editor]
The Day Of Reckoning For Public Employees Unions Is Here
In July 2009, economist Barry Bluestone wrote an op-ed article for the Boston Globe warning that his state's public employees unions were on the same path to economic and political decline as the United Auto Workers was back in the mid-1980s.
Voters, he warned, would no longer accept wages and benefits for government employees that had grown more generous than their own. They would no longer pay for public services whose costs were growing half again as fast as the cost of services in the private sector.
Nor would the public tolerate continued union resistance to efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of government services. Through tax caps, outsourcing and charter schools, governments were already finding ways to circumvent public employees unions and limit their political power. Unless the unions moved quickly to strike a new "grand bargain" with government officials and taxpayers, Bluestone wrote, they would soon face an even more painful "day of reckoning."
Barry Bluestone is not just any economist. He is the son of Irving Bluestone, a legendary UAW negotiator, a reliably liberal, union-friendly scholar who has spent a career studying the declining fortunes of the American working and middle class. And since his op-ed, things have only gone from bad to worse in terms of the financial distress now faced by all levels of government. The "day of reckoning" that Bluestone forewarned has now arrived.
A recession-weary public is now well aware of New York firefighters who retire after 20 years at half pay, of California prison guards who rake in $120,000 a year and of New Jersey teachers who pay little or nothing for health insurance. A parade of actuaries and economists has stepped forward with estimates of unfunded retiree obligations for state and local governments that now top $1 trillion.
GO HERE to read more.
Nor would the public tolerate continued union resistance to efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of government services. Through tax caps, outsourcing and charter schools, governments were already finding ways to circumvent public employees unions and limit their political power. Unless the unions moved quickly to strike a new "grand bargain" with government officials and taxpayers, Bluestone wrote, they would soon face an even more painful "day of reckoning."
Barry Bluestone is not just any economist. He is the son of Irving Bluestone, a legendary UAW negotiator, a reliably liberal, union-friendly scholar who has spent a career studying the declining fortunes of the American working and middle class. And since his op-ed, things have only gone from bad to worse in terms of the financial distress now faced by all levels of government. The "day of reckoning" that Bluestone forewarned has now arrived.
A recession-weary public is now well aware of New York firefighters who retire after 20 years at half pay, of California prison guards who rake in $120,000 a year and of New Jersey teachers who pay little or nothing for health insurance. A parade of actuaries and economists has stepped forward with estimates of unfunded retiree obligations for state and local governments that now top $1 trillion.
GO HERE to read more.
You Can't Say It Isn't Slick Out There
HELP WANTED
Water Conditioning Service Tech
Peninsula Water Conditioning is looking for a dependable, hard working individual to service and install water conditioning equipment. This is a full time, long term position.
Must have a clean driving record and be able to pass a drug test. Apply in person at 404A IRL Lane Fruitland MD.
We are located in the Fruitland Industrial Park off of S. Division Street.
Salisbury Police Department Press Releases
On January 10, 2011 at approximately 3:30 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Family Dollar Store on South Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a shoplifter. Upon arrival the officers met with store management who advised that store employees had observed the below listed suspect attempt to take property from the store without making payment. The items were recovered and returned to the store.
ARRESTED: Bobby Ronald Goodwine, 43 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100001174
On January 11, 2011 at approximately 5:08 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Walmart Department Store on North Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a theft. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised the officers that they had observed the below listed suspects participate in a scheme to take televisions from the store without payment. Store security advised that the suspects were observed taking two (2) televisions, then taking one (1) from the store and returning the second for cash. The suspects were apprehended and both televisions were recovered.
ARRESTED #1: Vadim (nmn) Svca, 22 years of age Ocean City, Maryland
ARRESTED #2: Ana (nmn) Buzu, 22 years of age Ocean City, Maryland
CHARGES (Both): Theft (under $ 1000)
DISPOSITION: Both released to Central Booking CC # 201100001287
ARRESTED: Bobby Ronald Goodwine, 43 years of age Salisbury, Maryland
CHARGES:
Theft (under $ 100)
DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 201100001174
On January 11, 2011 at approximately 5:08 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police received a call to respond to the Walmart Department Store on North Salisbury Boulevard for the report of a theft. Upon arrival the officers met with store security who advised the officers that they had observed the below listed suspects participate in a scheme to take televisions from the store without payment. Store security advised that the suspects were observed taking two (2) televisions, then taking one (1) from the store and returning the second for cash. The suspects were apprehended and both televisions were recovered.
ARRESTED #1: Vadim (nmn) Svca, 22 years of age Ocean City, Maryland
ARRESTED #2: Ana (nmn) Buzu, 22 years of age Ocean City, Maryland
CHARGES (Both): Theft (under $ 1000)
DISPOSITION: Both released to Central Booking CC # 201100001287
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN UNDERAGE DRINKING IN WICOMICO COUNTY
(Salisbury, MD) – Do you want to make a difference in underage drinking in Wicomico County? If you do, then you need to be part of the Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework Planning Group. The purpose of this framework is to reduce the misuse of alcohol by youth and young adults in Maryland, as measured by the following indicators: Reduce the number of youth, ages 12-20, reporting past month alcohol use; Reduce the number of young persons, ages 18-25, reporting past month binge drinking; Reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes involving youth ages 16-25.
The Wicomico County Health Department and Drug Free Wicomico Coalition will mobilize and convene a diverse county level Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework planning group comprising local policy makers, stakeholders, prevention, treatment and youth development advocates, community members, organization leaders, youth, etc. to:
Review jurisdictional and community level data to document the nature and extent of underage drinking, youth binge drinking and alcohol-related crashes in the jurisdiction; Identify and assess the underlying causes/contributors to underage drinking, youth binge drinking, and alcohol-related crashes in the jurisdiction; Conduct a jurisdiction-wide resource assessment to identify existing assets, programs, coalitions, community groups, etc. that are currently addressing substance use and consequence-related issues in the jurisdiction; Use the findings from the assessment activities above to identify communities with high prevalence of underage drinking, youth binge drinking, and/or alcohol-related crashes;
Communities with a high level of readiness to reduce substance use and consequences through implementation of the Maryland Strategic Prevention Framework process; Select a community with both a high prevalence of underage drinking, youth binge drinking, and/or alcohol-related crashes and a high level of readiness to implement the Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework process; and Develop the jurisdiction’s Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework Jurisdiction-Wide Assessment Final Report for submission to Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. This report will serve as the jurisdiction’s request for competitive Maryland Strategic Prevention Framework Community Implementation Grant funding on behalf of the selected community.
Meetings begin in January 2011. For additional information, contact Cindy Shifler at (410) 219-7544.
The Wicomico County Health Department and Drug Free Wicomico Coalition will mobilize and convene a diverse county level Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework planning group comprising local policy makers, stakeholders, prevention, treatment and youth development advocates, community members, organization leaders, youth, etc. to:
Review jurisdictional and community level data to document the nature and extent of underage drinking, youth binge drinking and alcohol-related crashes in the jurisdiction; Identify and assess the underlying causes/contributors to underage drinking, youth binge drinking, and alcohol-related crashes in the jurisdiction; Conduct a jurisdiction-wide resource assessment to identify existing assets, programs, coalitions, community groups, etc. that are currently addressing substance use and consequence-related issues in the jurisdiction; Use the findings from the assessment activities above to identify communities with high prevalence of underage drinking, youth binge drinking, and/or alcohol-related crashes;
Communities with a high level of readiness to reduce substance use and consequences through implementation of the Maryland Strategic Prevention Framework process; Select a community with both a high prevalence of underage drinking, youth binge drinking, and/or alcohol-related crashes and a high level of readiness to implement the Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework process; and Develop the jurisdiction’s Wicomico County Strategic Prevention Framework Jurisdiction-Wide Assessment Final Report for submission to Maryland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration. This report will serve as the jurisdiction’s request for competitive Maryland Strategic Prevention Framework Community Implementation Grant funding on behalf of the selected community.
Meetings begin in January 2011. For additional information, contact Cindy Shifler at (410) 219-7544.
Loughner's Violent Tendencies Go Way Back
The police were sent to the home where Jared L. Loughner lived with his family on more than one occasion before the attack here on Saturday that left a congresswoman fighting for her life and six others dead, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Tuesday.
A spokesman, Jason Ogan, said the details of the calls were being reviewed by legal counsel and would be released as soon as the review was complete. He said he did not know what the calls were about — they could possibly have been minor, even trivial matters — or whether they involved Jared Loughner or another member of the household.
A friend of Mr. Loughner’s also said in an interview on Tuesday that Mr. Loughner, 22, was skilled with a gun — as early as high school — and had talked about a philosophy of fostering chaos.
The account by Mr. Loughner’s friend, a rare extended interview with someone close to Mr. Loughner in recent years, added some details to the emerging portrait of the suspect and his family.
“He was a nihilist and loves causing chaos, and that is probably why he did the shooting, along with the fact he was sick in the head,” said Zane Gutierrez, 21, who was living in a trailer outside Tucson and met Mr. Loughner sometimes to shoot at cans for target practice.
The new details from Mr. Gutierrez about Mr. Loughner — including his philosophy of anarchy and his expertise with a handgun, suggest that the earliest signs of behavior that may have ultimately led to the attacks started several years ago.
Mr. Gutierrez said his friend had become obsessed with the meaning of dreams and their importance. He talked about reading Friedrich Nietzsche’s book “The Will To Power” and embraced ideas about the corrosive, destructive effects of nihilism — a belief in nothing. And every day, his friend said, Mr. Loughner would get up and write in his dream journal, recording the world he experienced in sleep and its possible meanings.
“Jared felt nothing existed but his subconscious,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “The dream world was what was real to Jared, not the day-to-day of our lives.”
And that dream world, his friend said, could be downright strange.
“He would ask me constantly, ‘Do you see that blue tree over there?’ He would admit to seeing the sky as orange and the grass as blue,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “Normal people don’t talk about that stuff.”
He added that Mr. Loughner “used the word hollow to describe how fake the real world was to him.”
As his behavior grew more puzzling to his friends, he was getting better with a pistol. Starting in high school, Mr. Loughner honed his marksmanship with a 9-millimeter pistol, the same caliber weapon used in the attack Saturday, until he became proficient at handling the weapon and firing it quickly.
More here
A spokesman, Jason Ogan, said the details of the calls were being reviewed by legal counsel and would be released as soon as the review was complete. He said he did not know what the calls were about — they could possibly have been minor, even trivial matters — or whether they involved Jared Loughner or another member of the household.
A friend of Mr. Loughner’s also said in an interview on Tuesday that Mr. Loughner, 22, was skilled with a gun — as early as high school — and had talked about a philosophy of fostering chaos.
The account by Mr. Loughner’s friend, a rare extended interview with someone close to Mr. Loughner in recent years, added some details to the emerging portrait of the suspect and his family.
“He was a nihilist and loves causing chaos, and that is probably why he did the shooting, along with the fact he was sick in the head,” said Zane Gutierrez, 21, who was living in a trailer outside Tucson and met Mr. Loughner sometimes to shoot at cans for target practice.
The new details from Mr. Gutierrez about Mr. Loughner — including his philosophy of anarchy and his expertise with a handgun, suggest that the earliest signs of behavior that may have ultimately led to the attacks started several years ago.
Mr. Gutierrez said his friend had become obsessed with the meaning of dreams and their importance. He talked about reading Friedrich Nietzsche’s book “The Will To Power” and embraced ideas about the corrosive, destructive effects of nihilism — a belief in nothing. And every day, his friend said, Mr. Loughner would get up and write in his dream journal, recording the world he experienced in sleep and its possible meanings.
“Jared felt nothing existed but his subconscious,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “The dream world was what was real to Jared, not the day-to-day of our lives.”
And that dream world, his friend said, could be downright strange.
“He would ask me constantly, ‘Do you see that blue tree over there?’ He would admit to seeing the sky as orange and the grass as blue,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “Normal people don’t talk about that stuff.”
He added that Mr. Loughner “used the word hollow to describe how fake the real world was to him.”
As his behavior grew more puzzling to his friends, he was getting better with a pistol. Starting in high school, Mr. Loughner honed his marksmanship with a 9-millimeter pistol, the same caliber weapon used in the attack Saturday, until he became proficient at handling the weapon and firing it quickly.
More here
Lone Star Rodeo
The Lone Star Rodeo brings intense competition, live music by the
Bo Dickerson Band and Trick Riding to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center
Bo Dickerson Band and Trick Riding to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center
(Salisbury, MD) Cowboys and girls of all ages are invited to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Friday, January 21 and Saturday, January 22 for the Lone Star Rodeo’s 2011 United Nations Tour, presented by Cheerwine the sparkling soft drink. Dad’s Work Wear of Laurel, Delaware invites you to join them for live music, exhilarating rodeo action, and entertaining trick riding the whole family will enjoy.
This genuine rodeo offers a thrilling line-up of riding, timed and entertainment events. Timed events include Bareback Bronc Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, and Brahma Bull Riding. Cowgirl’s Barrel Racing and Steer Wrestling along with Team, Tie Down and Breakaway Roping round out the evening with timed events. The amazing roaming riding and bull whipping of the talented Team Karson will help lighten the mood between the rodeo’s action-packed competitions.
Although the Rodeo doesn’t start until 7:30pm, the fun begins shortly after the doors open at 6:30pm. On Friday night only, The Bo Dickerson Band will set the tone for an exciting evening with a live performance beginning at 6:45pm. Bringing together country, southern rock and classic rock, the Laurel, Delaware based band includes Bo Dickerson on vocals, David Hastings on guitar/backup vocals, Rick Adkins on drums, Jordan Harper with his guitar, Brian Licinski on bass and W.D. Whaley on the fiddle/mandolin. On Saturday, pre-show entertainment includes a ‘Best Dressed Cowboy and Cowgirl Contest’ and Gold Rush for children ten and under.
Tickets for the Rodeo are still available. As a special offer, all general admission tickets are only $10. Upgraded VIP tickets (which include lower level reserved seating) are available for $22 each night. Additional taxes/fees may apply to all ticket prices. Purchase your tickets now at www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org, by phone at 410-548-4911 or in person at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office.
The 2011 United Nations Tour is brought to you by the sparkling soft drink Cheerwine, Dad’s Work Wear of Laurel, Delaware, Burke Equipment Company, Microtel, Mitchell’s Martial Arts, Chicks Discount Saddlery and Bryan & Brittingham.
What Obama Might Say Tonight
What Obama might say tonight, per his past speeches and his predecessors’… Does he talk about civility or save it for his State of the Union?... Obama’s speech in Arizona is at 8:00 pm ET… Palin breaks her silence… Bottom line: In her video on Saturday's tragedy, she expresses sadness but doesn’t apologize for her map or her rhetoric… Contrasting Palin and Obama on civility in American politics… And House to consider resolution honoring Giffords and the other victims.
What Obama might say tonight: From his past speeches on tragedy and unprovoked violence, from the guidance we’ve received from the White House, and from the addresses by his predecessors, we have a pretty good idea what President Obama will probably say in tonight’s speech on Saturday’s shooting in Arizona. As he did in his 2009 address at Fort Hood, he will honor the fallen, the injured and the heroes, and will share anecdotes he's heard in his personal calls to the families of victims. “We pay tribute to 13 men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home... So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service.” He also surely will condemn the violence, as he did at Ft. Hood. “It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know -- no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice -- in this world, and the next.”
GO HERE to read more.
What Obama might say tonight: From his past speeches on tragedy and unprovoked violence, from the guidance we’ve received from the White House, and from the addresses by his predecessors, we have a pretty good idea what President Obama will probably say in tonight’s speech on Saturday’s shooting in Arizona. As he did in his 2009 address at Fort Hood, he will honor the fallen, the injured and the heroes, and will share anecdotes he's heard in his personal calls to the families of victims. “We pay tribute to 13 men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home... So we say goodbye to those who now belong to eternity. We press ahead in pursuit of the peace that guided their service.” He also surely will condemn the violence, as he did at Ft. Hood. “It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy. But this much we do know -- no faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor. For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice -- in this world, and the next.”
GO HERE to read more.
Tax Audits On The Rise — Be Prepared
The chances are slim of getting a call from the IRS, but best to be prepared
It's no secret that the IRS is ramping up the number of audits in an attempt to close the "tax gap." That's the term the IRS is using to account for the difference between the taxes it believes it should have collected and what it actually managed to collect. For 2001 (the last year for which data is available), the tax gap was $350 billion.
While the chances of being chosen for an audit are still generally low, your chances of being selected are on the rise. Don't get caught by surprise. Here's what you need to know in order to be prepared.
The most basic question is what kind of audit the IRS is seeking. Audits can be divided into two general categories: paper audits and people audits.
GO HERE to read more.
A Letter To The Editor
I sent the following comment to the Daily Times Grapevine.
Today’s paper date Tue Jan 12 th??????
Is the Daily Times hiring? I have a trained monkey looking for work.
HE KNOWS THE DATE!!!!!!!!!!!
Record Days, One After The Other
We'd like to welcome the thousands of new viewers per day and express our thanks for returning on a daily basis.
We'd also like to thank our new Advertisers as we continue to "Pay It Forward" in 2011 and support our local non profits here on the Shore.
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A Statement From Sarah Palin
Like many, I’ve spent the past few days reflecting on what happened and praying for guidance. After this shocking tragedy, I listened at first puzzled, then with concern, and now with sadness, to the irresponsible statements from people attempting to apportion blame for this terrible event.
President Reagan said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with those who proudly voted in the last election.
The last election was all about taking responsibility for our country’s future. President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process. Two years ago his party was victorious. Last November, the other party won. In both elections the will of the American people was heard, and the peaceful transition of power proved yet again the enduring strength of our Republic.
Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions. And after the election, we shake hands and get back to work, and often both sides find common ground back in D.C. and elsewhere. If you don’t like a person’s vision for the country, you’re free to debate that vision. If you don’t like their ideas, you’re free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.
Read her full statement here
President Reagan said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. They begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law-abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies, not with those who proudly voted in the last election.
The last election was all about taking responsibility for our country’s future. President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process. Two years ago his party was victorious. Last November, the other party won. In both elections the will of the American people was heard, and the peaceful transition of power proved yet again the enduring strength of our Republic.
Vigorous and spirited public debates during elections are among our most cherished traditions. And after the election, we shake hands and get back to work, and often both sides find common ground back in D.C. and elsewhere. If you don’t like a person’s vision for the country, you’re free to debate that vision. If you don’t like their ideas, you’re free to propose better ideas. But, especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn. That is reprehensible.
Read her full statement here
State's Lawmakers Pass 66 Percent Income Tax Increase
Ill. governor says move will generate about $6.8 billion annually
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois lawmakers have approved a politically risky 66 percent income tax increase in an effort to solve a historic budget crisis.
The bill now goes to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who supports the plan.
It would temporarily set the personal tax rate at 5 percent, up from 3 percent now. Corporate taxes would climb, too.
Quinn's office says the tax increase would generate about $6.8 billion annually, helping close a budget hole that could hit $15 billion this year.
In sheer percentage terms, the increase could be the biggest on the long list of those passed as states grapple with nationwide economic woes.
The Illinois Senate approved the measure 30-29 early Wednesday. The House had approved it late Tuesday.
GO HERE to read more.
Speaker Boehner Refuses To Back New Restrictions On Firearms
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is rejecting gun-control legislation offered by the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in response to the weekend shootings of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 19 others in Arizona.
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) announced plans Tuesday to introduce legislation prohibiting people from carrying guns within 1,000 feet of members of Congress.
King, who has previously called for the removal of illegal guns from the streets, made the announcement alongside New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the nation’s loudest voices for stricter gun laws.
King said the legislation is not intended only for the safety of government officials but also to protect the public. He said elected officials are not necessarily more important than constituents, but by protecting them in this way, they would feel safer in meeting federal officials at public events.
“The fact is they do represent the people who elect them, and it’s essential, if we’re going to continue to have contact, that the public who are at these meetings are ensured of their own safety,” King said.
King’s legislation got the cold shoulder from Boehner and other Republicans after it was announced.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the Speaker would not support King’s legislation.
More here
[So if this was passed, gun-toting criminals would abide by it, right? --Editor]
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) announced plans Tuesday to introduce legislation prohibiting people from carrying guns within 1,000 feet of members of Congress.
King, who has previously called for the removal of illegal guns from the streets, made the announcement alongside New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the nation’s loudest voices for stricter gun laws.
King said the legislation is not intended only for the safety of government officials but also to protect the public. He said elected officials are not necessarily more important than constituents, but by protecting them in this way, they would feel safer in meeting federal officials at public events.
“The fact is they do represent the people who elect them, and it’s essential, if we’re going to continue to have contact, that the public who are at these meetings are ensured of their own safety,” King said.
King’s legislation got the cold shoulder from Boehner and other Republicans after it was announced.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the Speaker would not support King’s legislation.
More here
[So if this was passed, gun-toting criminals would abide by it, right? --Editor]
Soda Tax Chases Jobs Out Of Baltimore
The Pepsi plant in Baltimore will no longer make soda, and the company plans to lay off 77 people -- a decision blamed in part on a controversial new beverage tax in the city, the Baltimore Sun reported on Tuesday.
Kristine Hinck, a company spokeswoman, cited the 2-cent tax on bottled beverages passed by the City Council last year.
"Given the climate, making a beverage in a city where there is a beverage tax certainly doesn't help," she said.
More
Kristine Hinck, a company spokeswoman, cited the 2-cent tax on bottled beverages passed by the City Council last year.
"Given the climate, making a beverage in a city where there is a beverage tax certainly doesn't help," she said.
More
NPR Accuses Republican Lawmaker Of Trying To Control Public Radio Stations
NPR pushed back on Tuesday against a Republican lawmaker who is trying to cut off federal funding for public broadcasting, accusing him of trying to interfere with how the nation's local public radio stations report the news.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) re-introduced two bills last week that would cut off federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Lamborn, who introduced the same bills in the last Congress, called NPR's programming "a luxury we cannot afford to subsidize."
"Congressman Lamborn’s legislation is an intrusion into the programming decision-making of America’s public radio stations," said NPR in an e-mailed response. "His legislation will disrupt and weaken the free and universal public media system that serves 170 million Americans each month."
NPR also called the goal of Lamborn's legislation misguided and said it would insert the federal government into the news decisions of local stations, which are primarily staffed locally and cover the news relevant to their communities.
More here
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) re-introduced two bills last week that would cut off federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Lamborn, who introduced the same bills in the last Congress, called NPR's programming "a luxury we cannot afford to subsidize."
"Congressman Lamborn’s legislation is an intrusion into the programming decision-making of America’s public radio stations," said NPR in an e-mailed response. "His legislation will disrupt and weaken the free and universal public media system that serves 170 million Americans each month."
NPR also called the goal of Lamborn's legislation misguided and said it would insert the federal government into the news decisions of local stations, which are primarily staffed locally and cover the news relevant to their communities.
More here
Person Shot, Killed In 12th Pr. George's Homicide
LANHAM, Md. - Prince George's County Police say a person was shot and killed trying to break into a Lanham house Tuesday, marking the 12th homicide in the county this year.
Police say a person tried to break into a home on the 7400 block of Riverdale Road, when someone inside the home fired shots.
The person shot was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier Tuesday, police say a man who was a full-time student at the university was fatally shot in the 8800 block of 38th Avenue in Adelphi around 11:30 a.m.
Police say a man in a black ski mask was seen fleeing the scene on foot. Police believe the incident may be drug related.
Police say the student was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
GO HERE to read more.
Police say a person tried to break into a home on the 7400 block of Riverdale Road, when someone inside the home fired shots.
The person shot was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier Tuesday, police say a man who was a full-time student at the university was fatally shot in the 8800 block of 38th Avenue in Adelphi around 11:30 a.m.
Police say a man in a black ski mask was seen fleeing the scene on foot. Police believe the incident may be drug related.
Police say the student was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
GO HERE to read more.
Fired Police Chief Reinstated 7 Years Later
WASHINGTON - Teresa Chambers, fired as U.S. Park Police chief in 2004, has been reinstated to the position and will earn more than six years of back pay, WTOP has learned.
The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which hears civil service appeals, found the evidence against Chambers weak, and concluded the Interior Department retaliated against her.
Chambers was fired in 2004 after speaking to WTOP and other media outlets about her understaffed department -- saying she had been forced to cut back on patrols across the area because her officers were required to guard national monuments. She also talked about budget shortfalls.
In 2004, the National Park Service's deputy director, Don Murphy, said Chambers' comments broke two federal rules, one against public comment about ongoing budget discussions, the other prohibiting lobbying by someone in Chambers' position.
Chambers says the order is hard to believe.
"I found myself for a greater part of the day, sitting and staring at the order and the words that were on there reinstating me," she says. "From stunned silence to laughter to...just the head spinning of what the next steps are."
GO HERE to read more.
The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which hears civil service appeals, found the evidence against Chambers weak, and concluded the Interior Department retaliated against her.
Chambers was fired in 2004 after speaking to WTOP and other media outlets about her understaffed department -- saying she had been forced to cut back on patrols across the area because her officers were required to guard national monuments. She also talked about budget shortfalls.
In 2004, the National Park Service's deputy director, Don Murphy, said Chambers' comments broke two federal rules, one against public comment about ongoing budget discussions, the other prohibiting lobbying by someone in Chambers' position.
Chambers says the order is hard to believe.
"I found myself for a greater part of the day, sitting and staring at the order and the words that were on there reinstating me," she says. "From stunned silence to laughter to...just the head spinning of what the next steps are."
GO HERE to read more.
NJ Cracks Down On Cops Juicing
After a damning Star Ledger investigation exposed how a local doctor was the steroid dealer for "hundreds" of New Jersey cops and firefighters, lawmakers there have put forth a bill to crack down on the practice. The law would add steroids to the list of drugs law enforcement is randomly tested for and personnel would need to get a health checkup before they could be prescribed anabolic steroids and growth hormones. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the problem is not limited to the Garden State.
More »
More »
Man Arrested For Bringing Suspicious Bagel Onboard
Travelers onboard a US Airways flight from Boston to Washington DC reported hearing "strange noises" from the plastic bag a fellow passenger had stored in the overhead compartment. He was arrested and charged with interfering with the operation of an aircraft. Subsequent inspection revealed the plastic bag to contain a bagel with cream cream cheese and a hat.
More »
More »
Dirty Debt Collectors Sued Under RICO Act
A judge has set an interesting precedent, allowing a pack of skeevy debt collectors get sued under the RICO act, the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization law.
More »
More »
Car Buffs
Interesting, for old car buffs.
Pick the manufacturer, the year and the model. Enjoy!
Click Here è http://www.lov2xlr8.no/broch1.html
Click Here è http://www.lov2xlr8.no/broch1.html
Salisbury’s Property Problems
People wonder why Salisbury has such a hard time attracting new businesses. While certainly not the only factor, the Salisbury city government’s cavalier attitude towards the rule of law may be a significant factor.
The great Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto Polar has shown a strong correlation between economic growth and societies that have strong property rights and a rule of law. When it comes to these two factors, Salisbury is on a perilous downward slide.
In the past, we’ve discussed Mayor Jim Ireton’s desire to strip landlords of their property rights under the guise of “crime legislation”. Recently we’ve witnessed two instances of the city not being able to transfer property within the law.
A few weeks ago, the city council agreed to sell local developer Palmer Gillis three parcels of land, including the old Station 16 firehouse. The problem is that the two riverfront parcels were never advertised as part of the package. Donna Ennis appeared before council on Monday and showed ample proof of this transgression.
At the same meeting, the city council also agreed to take the “Linens of the Week” property. This was done by passing a resolution.
There’s just one minor problem. It appears that selling or receiving property must be done by ordinance (you know, two readings and a public hearing). According to Article 23A, Section 2 of the Maryland Code:
“To take by gift, grant, bequest or devise and to hold real and personal property” … is part of a municipal government’s “Express Ordinance Making Powers”.
In addition to not passing an ordinance to handle the transfer, there is another problem with the way this transaction has been handled. The city is “holding harmless” the owners of the property. This should also requires an ordinance.
I know … we should all be like Shanie Shields and Louise Smith. If we worried about dotting every “i” and crossing every “t” we would never accomplish anything. We also know that even if you do, you can still be screwed – just ask all those people who were holding Chrysler senior debt before Obama and his thugs stole from them. However, without the rule of law, we quickly disintegrate into a third world city, county, state, or country.
Why are Salisbury taxpayers paying precious tax dollars to a city attorney and a multitude of city staff if they can’t properly handle a few real property transfers?
Report Your Road Conditions
Brand-New Crosshairs, Death Threats Target Birthers, GOP
Media anti-eligibility rhetoric blamed for mail, phone threats
The American Patriot Foundation has received dozens of threatening phone message, e-mails and letters during "birther" Army officer Terrence Lakin's legal proceedings the past few months, including two letters that view the words "GOP" and "Birthers" through a sniper scope.An APF official claims the threats are inspired by media attacks on people who question President Barack Obama's eligibility to serve in the White House, even as many media figures are attempting to blame the Tucson massacre on harsh rhetoric from Republicans and conservatives.
"I've been called a subversive and an enemy of the state, not to mention moron, insufferable little b-tch and a lot of other similar nasty comments," APF's Margaret Hemenway told WND. "I write a lot of them back to tell them that e-mail rage, like road rage, is neither healthy nor adult behavior and remind them it is the fundamental obligation of citizenship to support the U.S. Constitution."
Lakin is the officer who refused to obey orders to compel the Army to put him on trial, in an effort to force President Obama to prove he is constitutionally eligible to serve as commander in chief of the U.S. military. APF was established to support Lakin's legal defense during his Army court martial.
GO HERE to read more.
MARYLAND DEMOCRATIC PARTY HOLDS 13TH ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON
Annapolis, MD ( January 11, 2010) - Democratic elected officials from across Maryland came together today at the Maryland Democratic Party's 13th annual Legislative Luncheon. Over a hundred state and federal elected officials were part of the overflowing crowd that served as the Democratic launch of the 428th session of the General Assembly.
State Democratic elected officials included Governor Martin O'Malley; Lt. Governor Anthony Brown; Attorney General Douglas Gansler; Comptroller Peter Franchot; Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller; House Speaker Michael Busch; Montgomery County Executive Isiah 'Ike' Leggett; Howard County Executive Ken Ulman; Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz; Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III; and dozens of current and incoming State Senators and Delegates.
Federal elected officials in attendance today included Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Ben Cardin; House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer; Representative Chris Van Hollen; Representative Dutch Ruppersberger; Representative John Sarbanes and Representative Donna Edwards.
"The Maryland Democratic Party's Legislative Luncheon is a perfect opportunity for our statewide leadership to come together as a united team before the start of the session," said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Susan W. Turnbull. "Today, we have showcased our commitment to keep working on behalf of Maryland families and protect the progress we have made in these tough times."
Maryland Democrats also took time out of today's celebration to observe a moment of silence in recognition of the tragic shooting that occurred this past weekend in Arizona.
State Democratic elected officials included Governor Martin O'Malley; Lt. Governor Anthony Brown; Attorney General Douglas Gansler; Comptroller Peter Franchot; Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller; House Speaker Michael Busch; Montgomery County Executive Isiah 'Ike' Leggett; Howard County Executive Ken Ulman; Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz; Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III; and dozens of current and incoming State Senators and Delegates.
Federal elected officials in attendance today included Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Ben Cardin; House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer; Representative Chris Van Hollen; Representative Dutch Ruppersberger; Representative John Sarbanes and Representative Donna Edwards.
"The Maryland Democratic Party's Legislative Luncheon is a perfect opportunity for our statewide leadership to come together as a united team before the start of the session," said Maryland Democratic Party Chair Susan W. Turnbull. "Today, we have showcased our commitment to keep working on behalf of Maryland families and protect the progress we have made in these tough times."
Maryland Democrats also took time out of today's celebration to observe a moment of silence in recognition of the tragic shooting that occurred this past weekend in Arizona.
PONDERISMS
1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water?
Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3. OK..... So if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the 'Jags' and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the 'Bucs,' what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
4. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea does that mean that one enjoys it?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
5. There are three religious truths:
a. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
b. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
c. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or Hooters.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
6. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
9 Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
*~*~*~*~*~*! ~*~*~*~*
12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me ... they're cramming for their final exam.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them?
Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
*~*~*~*~! *~*~*~*~ *~*
18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
21. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
22. If a cow laughed, would she spew milk out of her nose?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
23. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
24. At income tax time, did you ever notice: When you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells ...'THEIRS'?
Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
3. OK..... So if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the 'Jags' and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the 'Bucs,' what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
4. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea does that mean that one enjoys it?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
5. There are three religious truths:
a. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
b. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
c. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or Hooters.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
6. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
9 Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?
* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
*~*~*~*~*~*! ~*~*~*~*
12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me ... they're cramming for their final exam.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them?
Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
*~*~*~*~! *~*~*~*~ *~*
18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
21. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
22. If a cow laughed, would she spew milk out of her nose?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
23. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
24. At income tax time, did you ever notice: When you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells ...'THEIRS'?
THE FINAL SIX SECONDS
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New Texas Reality Show
Due to the popularity of the "Survivor" shows, Texas is planning to do one entitled, "Survivor, Texas-Style!"
The 8 contestants will all start in Dallas , then drive to Waco, Austin , San Antonio , over to Houston and down to Brownsville ... They will then proceed up to Del Rio , El Paso , Odessa , Midland , Lubbock , and Amarillo . From there they will go on to Abilene , Fort Worth and finally back to Dallas ...
Each will be driving a pink Volvo with bumper stickers that read: "I'm a Democrat," "Amnesty for Illegals," "I love the Dixie Chicks," "Boycott Beef," "I Voted for Obama, " George Strait Sucks," "Hillary in 2012" And... "I'm here to confiscate your guns."
The first one to make it back to Dallas alive wins. God Bless Texas !!
The 8 contestants will all start in Dallas , then drive to Waco, Austin , San Antonio , over to Houston and down to Brownsville ... They will then proceed up to Del Rio , El Paso , Odessa , Midland , Lubbock , and Amarillo . From there they will go on to Abilene , Fort Worth and finally back to Dallas ...
Each will be driving a pink Volvo with bumper stickers that read: "I'm a Democrat," "Amnesty for Illegals," "I love the Dixie Chicks," "Boycott Beef," "I Voted for Obama, " George Strait Sucks," "Hillary in 2012" And... "I'm here to confiscate your guns."
The first one to make it back to Dallas alive wins. God Bless Texas !!
A Brief Overview Of All The 2012 Predictions
With the growing interest in fall of 2012 mostly brought to the forefront by the ending of the Mayan Calendar, I am finding a number of other 2012 predictions are beginning to surface. This is not to stir up anyone but to share what is being said about 2012 and the possibilities of changes that may lie ahead that we might give some thought to. Perhaps, we will learn more in the coming months.
We live in interesting times with an unprecedented political polarization in our country, deep financial concerns, the loss of value in our property, the uncertainty of the country’s ability to maintain a strong military deterrent, the exodus of trained and experienced military personnel due to new government policies, the trimming of the military budget, the concerns with congress and it failure to listen to the people and the continued threat of off-shore initiated tourist acts that can harm millions, take down the power grid, disrupt the internet and set back our lives in terms of being able to provide for ourselves and our families as we currently do. We are in period where the welfare of our country and its people is real question even without the impact of the predictions listed below.
I share these just to make you aware, if you are not already, as to what ‘others’ think may lie ahead for all of us.
I have listed all the possible 2012 predictions with a brief description of what may occur for 2012 year. The 2012 predictions:
- Nostradamus – While Nostradamus is very vague, he has predicted the end of the world through his past prophecy and drawings to be around the year 2000. The exact date is never given, but he indicates that the world will end through nuclear warfare or some other possible cause, by the means of “the heavens will catch on fire.” Some believe he is the most important prophet for the 2012 predictions
- Web Bot- A computer program used to search through data and pull together important data that can predict future events. It was built for investors and since then has a built a remarkable record for the prediction of the future events.
- The Bible – The Bible predicts that the world will come to an end when the Antichrist rises. Some believe the Antichrist is already among us and the countdown to the end of world has already begun. The Bible has been useful in the past and thus provides to be a possible reliable evidence.
- The Antichrist – Nostradamus and the Bible predict the end of the world to occur when the Antichrist rises. There is great speculation around Obama being the Antichrist. The speculations hold that when his presidential term is just about done the world will come to an end, as mentioned in the Bible, “the 42 months of power and then....”
- Mayans - Maya Calendar ends on 12/21/2012, symbolizing the end of a cycle and into a new one as earth enters the “cosmic womb.” Some believe that a transformation through other forms of life in our solar system will come to earth or earth will completely perish.
- Polar Shift – Polar shift can cause increased weather patterns and potentially catastrophic climate change. The polar shift wouldn't cause earth itself to end, but rather an increased amount of damage dealt upon earth via earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes and so on.
- Planet X – A new planet in our solar system that is supposed to collide with earth in 2012. The orbital pattern of the planet comes within very close proximity of earth and provides relatively strong evidence for the collision of earth. Though this evidence may seem conclusive, other calculations have been made to show that it will pass by earth.
- Comets – Comets from Planet X as it approaches earth can enter earth's atmosphere and either reach earth or disintegrate upon entering the atmosphere.
- Meteor – A large meteor can collide with earth causing everything on earth to become extinct. This is a very similar scenario to the extinction of Dinosaurs.
- Nuclear Warfare – Everything will end through war and the destruction of atomic bombs. This theory is highly unlikely saying as someone needs to be alive to launch the last bomb thus proving at least some civilization will live.
- The Alignment – Potentially earth can be lost in a black hole during the winter solstice in 2012. Since earth will be at the center of the Milky Way, where a black hole is located, some astrologers believe we will become lost within it. No one knows the actual outcome of this and it just seems to be another proposed theory of a 2012 predictions.
- The I Ching – An ancient text used to predict random events. It was calculated out into a timeline and when doing so it mysteriously ends on the year 2012. Since it is based on sequence of events people are suspicious about how it could just end on that date.
- Solar Storms – NASA has now confirmed that in the year 2012, the sun would have reached its peak of solar storms. It will be unlike anything earth has experienced.
- Tibetan Monks – With the use of Remote Viewing, the monks are able to predict the future. The Tibetan Monks have declared doomsday to be in the year 2012 through nuclear warfare. They also declared that we will be saved by extraterrestrial life.
- Depression – Some economists believe that a depression is to occur in 2012. This is unlikely saying that we should be recovering from this recession by then but yet again, we could go into one through nuclear warfare.
Taxes
Current European Tax Rates:
United Kingdom
Income Tax: 50%
VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%
France
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%
Greece
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%
Spain
Income Tax: 45%
VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%
Portugal
Income Tax: 42%
VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%
Sweden
Income Tax: 55%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%
Norway
Income Tax: 54.3%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%
Netherlands
Income Tax: 52%
VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%
Denmark
Income Tax: 58%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%
Finland
Income Tax: 53%
VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%
United Kingdom
Income Tax: 50%
VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%
France
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%
Greece
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%
Spain
Income Tax: 45%
VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%
Portugal
Income Tax: 42%
VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%
Sweden
Income Tax: 55%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%
Norway
Income Tax: 54.3%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%
Netherlands
Income Tax: 52%
VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%
Denmark
Income Tax: 58%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%
Finland
Income Tax: 53%
VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%
If you’ve started to wonder what the real costs of Socialism are going to be — once the full program in these United States hits your wallet, take a look at the table. As you digest these mind-boggling figures, keep in mind that in spite of these astronomical tax rates, these countries are still not financing their social welfare programs exclusively from tax revenues! They are deeply mired in public debt of gargantuan proportions. Greece has reached the point where its debt is so huge it is in imminent danger of defaulting. That is the reason the European economic community has intervened to bail them out. If you’re following the financial news, you know Ireland , Spain and Portugal are right behind Greece .
The United States is now heading right down the same path. The VAT tax in the table is the national sales tax that Europeans pay. Stay tuned because that is exactly what you can expect to see the Democrat (aka Socialist) administration to start pushing next year. The initial percentage in the United States isn’t going to be anywhere near the outrageous numbers you now see in Europe . Guess what… the current outrageous numbers in Europe didn’t start out as outrageous either. They started out as miniscule — right around the 1% or 2% where they will start out in the United States . Magically, however, they ran up over the years to where they are now. Expect the same thing here.
It is the very notion that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get ahead economically here in the USA . Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between 60% and 80%? Think again. With the government taking that percentage of your money, your life will be exactly like life in Europe . You will never be able to buy a home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college.
Let’s not shuffle the battle cry of the Socialists under the rug either. It’s always the same cry. Equalize income. Spread the wealth to the poor (whoever they are). Level the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything will be rosy.
It’s time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example. Despite the Socialism system that has ruled this country for decades, with a 65% tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without hundreds of billions in bailout money from the EU, and still. . . 20% of their population lives in poverty. What has all that Socialism money bought, besides ultimate power for the politicians running the show? Do you think these people are "free"? They're not. They are slaves to their economic "system."
It is the very notion that with hard work and perseverance, anybody can get ahead economically here in the USA . Do you think that can ever happen with tax rates between 60% and 80%? Think again. With the government taking that percentage of your money, your life will be exactly like life in Europe . You will never be able to buy a home. You will never buy a car. You will never send your children to college.
Let’s not shuffle the battle cry of the Socialists under the rug either. It’s always the same cry. Equalize income. Spread the wealth to the poor (whoever they are). Level the economic playing field. Accomplish that and everything will be rosy.
It’s time to take a really hard look at reality. Greece is a perfect example. Despite the Socialism system that has ruled this country for decades, with a 65% tax rate, they are drowning in public debt, would have defaulted without hundreds of billions in bailout money from the EU, and still. . . 20% of their population lives in poverty. What has all that Socialism money bought, besides ultimate power for the politicians running the show? Do you think these people are "free"? They're not. They are slaves to their economic "system."