Joe: several month's ago. The tv reported that a new business was coming to northwood industrial park. It is supposed to make the windmills for off shore purposes. Then we heard that Cracker Barrel was coming. So, where are all of the NEW promised. Sign me, sorry for Salisbury ....OH did you mention that Perdue is down sizing big time!
Publishers Notes: If you'd like to add other businesses not mentioed in our earlier Post that have close and or even businesses that have opened, please do so in comments. I can add 84 Lumber, Mombo Italiano, Sheila's Craft & Party World...
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Miller Wants To Expand Gambling And Raise Gas And Flush Taxes
Senate President Mike Miller told county officials from across that Maryland that he wants to expand casino gambling, increase the gas tax and push some of the costs of state pensions onto the counties.
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$2 Billion In Gift Cards Will Go Unused This Year
If you received gifts this last holiday season, there's a good chance at least one of them was a gift card. But while the cards are an easy way to give someone a gift other than cash or socks, a number of people just aren't getting around to spending the money on those cards in a timely manner.
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Study: Only 14% Of Medical Errors Reported By Hospitals
In order for a hospital to participate in the Medicare program, it must develop and maintain a Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program to "track medical errors and adverse patient events, analyze their causes, and implement preventive actions and mechanisms that include feedback and learning throughout the hospital." However, a new study by the Dept. of Health & Human Services found that only a small portion of patient errors are being reported — and that hospitals don't seem to give a damn about fixing things.
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QUOTES OF THE DAY 1-8-12
“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There are two things children should get from their parents: roots and wings.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Know thyself? If I knew myself, I’d run away.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Nine requisites for contented living:
Health enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth enough to support your needs.
Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.
Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of God.
Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There are two things children should get from their parents: roots and wings.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Know thyself? If I knew myself, I’d run away.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Nine requisites for contented living:
Health enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth enough to support your needs.
Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.
Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of God.
Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
MSP Press Release 1-8-12
DATE & TIME: 01/07/2012 at 1625 hours
C.C. CARD NUMBER: 12-54-000145
LOCATION: 917 Chippewa Blvd., Salisbury, Wicomico County, MD.
BRIEF RESUME:
On the above date, time, and location troopers from the Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack responded to a domestic assault. Through investigation, it was learned that both parties involved had assaulted each other. Kedasha Ieka Davis and Sean Lamar Hitchens were arrested and transported to the Wicomico County Detention Center to go before a district court commissioner.
Arrested:
1. Sean Lamar Hitchens, B/M age 21 of Salisbury, Maryland.
2. Kedasha Ieka Davis, B/F age 21 of Salisbury, Maryland.
The suspect’s were charged with: Assault second degree, and malicious destruction of property.
C.C. CARD NUMBER: 12-54-000145
LOCATION: 917 Chippewa Blvd., Salisbury, Wicomico County, MD.
BRIEF RESUME:
On the above date, time, and location troopers from the Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack responded to a domestic assault. Through investigation, it was learned that both parties involved had assaulted each other. Kedasha Ieka Davis and Sean Lamar Hitchens were arrested and transported to the Wicomico County Detention Center to go before a district court commissioner.
Arrested:
1. Sean Lamar Hitchens, B/M age 21 of Salisbury, Maryland.
2. Kedasha Ieka Davis, B/F age 21 of Salisbury, Maryland.
The suspect’s were charged with: Assault second degree, and malicious destruction of property.
AND LIBERTY FOR ALL
With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act and all the malicious intent contained within its virulent pages, many in the Liberty Movement, once relegated as “extremists” in documents such as the MIAC Report and the Virginia Fusion Center white papers, now find themselves faced with the very real possibility of being targeted as “enemy combatants” in their own country and in their own front yards. No longer is the fight between globalist and Constitutionalist obscured in the mire of cold war style information drilling and propaganda. Today, it’s all out in the open, and it’s nothing to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, however, an incessant belief remains amongst a large subsection of Americans, who assume that there is no need to act, or to choose sides. Apathy and fear cling to our culture like manure to a new leather shoe.
In my years as an analyst and activist, I cannot possibly estimate how often I have heard cries of nihilism, futility, and submission. The redirections and rationalizations used by naysayers and quivering weaklings at the onset of any social crisis always carry the taste of logic, but in those of us who have resolved to stand firm in our principles, such excuses elicit reactions of utter disgust. There is nothing more distasteful to the courageous than being presented with a man who would sell his own soul (or the souls of others) for a few extra minutes of oxygen.
Life is inherently dangerous. Always has been. Always will be. Regardless of the time or place in which we live, the threat of calamity is ever present. American culture has strained every sinew and burst every blood vessel trying to wrap itself in a bubble of artificial safety…to no avail. While we live, there is no permanent escape from struggle, beyond increasingly brief moments of calm. At bottom, those who embrace the reality of danger and conflict, and who have the will to see it through, are the men and women who are most likely to make a difference in this world. Those who run, hide, or easily surrender, matter little in the grand streams of history. They become cannon fodder buried in the dreary dust bowl pages of abandoned encyclopedias, and nothing more.
As the preeminence of this cold hard truth dawns on us, we are faced with what amounts to a very simple choice, at least, in my mind. Terror or valor. Slavery or freedom. Obedience or defiance.
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Big Government Cannot Pay Its Bills, Again
Since Barack Obama became president on Jan. 20, 2009, the federal government has not had a budget. It did not have one for the first two years of his presidency, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, and it did not have one for 2011, when the Democrats controlled the Senate and the Republicans controlled the House.
The Senate – continuously under Democratic control during the entire Obama presidency – has not voted out and sent on to the House any annual budget since George W. Bush was president. The House sent a budget to the Senate a year ago, but the Senate rejected it and sent nothing back in return.
In the nearly three years that Obama has been in office, the government has been collecting revenue, borrowing cash and spending ravenously on the basis of what the government calls continuing resolutions – known in Washington by the initials "CR."
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The Senate – continuously under Democratic control during the entire Obama presidency – has not voted out and sent on to the House any annual budget since George W. Bush was president. The House sent a budget to the Senate a year ago, but the Senate rejected it and sent nothing back in return.
In the nearly three years that Obama has been in office, the government has been collecting revenue, borrowing cash and spending ravenously on the basis of what the government calls continuing resolutions – known in Washington by the initials "CR."
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White House Proposes 0.5 Percent Pay Raise For Feds In 2013
As part of its 2013 budget proposal, the White House will include a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees, according to an administration official.
The administration is expected to unveil its budget plan next month.
In order for the pay raise to take effect, Congress would also have to approve the measure.
Feds are currently amidst a two-year pay freeze with continued raises for within-grade step increases.
A senior administration official told The Washington Post, which first reported the story, that "a permanent pay freeze is not an acceptable policy." But added, "While modest, a 0.5 percent increase reflects the belt-tightening we must do in these difficult times."
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The administration is expected to unveil its budget plan next month.
In order for the pay raise to take effect, Congress would also have to approve the measure.
Feds are currently amidst a two-year pay freeze with continued raises for within-grade step increases.
A senior administration official told The Washington Post, which first reported the story, that "a permanent pay freeze is not an acceptable policy." But added, "While modest, a 0.5 percent increase reflects the belt-tightening we must do in these difficult times."
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D.C. Council Chair Gets Into 'Screaming' Match With WTOP Analyst
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the D.C. Council got into a "screaming" match with WTOP's Mark Plotkin Thursday night, the political analyst says, following a segment on Fox 5 to discuss this week's charges against Harry Thomas Jr. and other investigations in the District.
The Fox segment featuring Kwame Brown -- in which the chairman said he would lead the "healing process" for the city -- did not include the investigations he himself faces for allegedly misreporting thousands of dollars in campaign funds.
Plotkin pointed this out during his later segment, stating the accusations against Brown had "been alleged in charge." Plotkin says Brown misconstrued that statement to mean he had been formally charged with a crime. Plotkin had stated on the Fox program that Brown had not been charged.
Brown then confronted Plotkin at the Fox studio, Plotkin says, and stood within an inch of his face and began screaming. Plotkin says he screamed back.
A few of Brown's aides intervened, Plotkin says.
"It was very intense," Plotkin said Friday on "The Politics Program."
"By coming so close up to my face, [he] was trying in some way to provoke me, at least rhetorically," he says.
Brown says he doesn't think he "was physically aggressive with anyone."
"I think at the end of the day we're just going to continue to move forward," Brown says. "I think Mark is a good guy...I've known him for a long time. And we look forward to working on issues together that relate to the city."
Fox will not release the footage they taped of the incident.
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The Fox segment featuring Kwame Brown -- in which the chairman said he would lead the "healing process" for the city -- did not include the investigations he himself faces for allegedly misreporting thousands of dollars in campaign funds.
Plotkin pointed this out during his later segment, stating the accusations against Brown had "been alleged in charge." Plotkin says Brown misconstrued that statement to mean he had been formally charged with a crime. Plotkin had stated on the Fox program that Brown had not been charged.
Brown then confronted Plotkin at the Fox studio, Plotkin says, and stood within an inch of his face and began screaming. Plotkin says he screamed back.
A few of Brown's aides intervened, Plotkin says.
"It was very intense," Plotkin said Friday on "The Politics Program."
"By coming so close up to my face, [he] was trying in some way to provoke me, at least rhetorically," he says.
Brown says he doesn't think he "was physically aggressive with anyone."
"I think at the end of the day we're just going to continue to move forward," Brown says. "I think Mark is a good guy...I've known him for a long time. And we look forward to working on issues together that relate to the city."
Fox will not release the footage they taped of the incident.
More
Va. Billboard Seeks To Comfort Non-Believers
WASHINGTON - A new group is using a billboard to announce their faith, or lack thereof. The billboard on I-95 South near Fredericksburg asks, "don't believe in God?" and then answers, "you are not alone."
The billboard went up on Thursday and will stay up through the end of the month.
The Fredericksburg Coalition of Reason will march in a religious freedom parade in Fredericksburg Sunday. The members will be carrying a banner designed like the billboard. The parade is to mark the 235th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson drafting the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which inspired the First Amendment.
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Comment in response our post on Predator Drones
I received an e-mail that the writer believed was too long to be a comment in response to the post on the Predator Drone being deployed by the government. In addition to being obviously emotionally driven, it was enlightening (for me anyway). It looks like there are many who are very, very serious about the events occurring in our nation right now. An unmistakable low growl can now be heard from the belly of the beast. What is next? Will more and more patriots be labelled domestic terrorists as the propaganda war against Americans? Will they be apprehended and locked away consistent with the latest bill signed by Obama undermining the Constitutional protections of all Americans? We will have to watch as the future unfolds before us. Read this comment and give your opinion.
"What you are seeing is the systematic deployment of military equipment in preparation for the coming civil unrest. This civil unrest will undoubtedly turn to civil war just as it has in every other nation in the world as of late. This will be a "hard" war. It will claim thousands upon thousands of casualties. There will be those who support the government engaging in physical combat with those who support the constitution. Those who support the government will have a great deal of technology behind them and their elected officials will sacrifice them as hey have for the past 40 years. However those who stand for the constitution will have have much more behind them. They will have American heart. The same heart they carried into battle at Yorktown and the Battle of Saratoga. The very same heart they carried into battle on Iwo Jima and Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The sweet smell of freedom and liberty permeates every fiber of their being.
They carried signs and peacefully protested the aggressive growth of tyranny. They voted for politicians who promised an end to continued constitutional violations and lied after being elected. They have exhausted every avenue for peaceful resolution to the problems created by a runaway tyrant government. Now they reluctantly face the inevitable truth that there are no options left. They look now to portions of the Declaration of Independence that embrace and justify their future efforts to re-establish their nation as the beacon of freedom and liberty other nations emulated.
"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. "
As this tyrant government prepares by putting drones in place, relocating military assets and manpower, and building FEMA camps, American patriots who support the constituion also prepare. Quietly, diligently, and religiously they meet in smoke filled back rooms, tap rooms, garages, and lodges as did the patriots of old. Away from untrusted aquaintances they discuss the need for preparation and develop startegies to defend the freedoms which were endowed upon them by their creator. Freedoms which were secured by the war that won the independence of this once great nation from another tyrant that ruled from afar. These patriots commit their honor, their fortunes, and what freedom they have left in order to re-establish the constitution as the law of the land. They do this so that their posterity may enjoy freedom and liberty as intended by our creator and subsequently the founding fathers. Pick your sides and choose carefully. Revolution is at hand "
Perhaps these people know something many of us don't. The coming year promises to be very interesting.
"What you are seeing is the systematic deployment of military equipment in preparation for the coming civil unrest. This civil unrest will undoubtedly turn to civil war just as it has in every other nation in the world as of late. This will be a "hard" war. It will claim thousands upon thousands of casualties. There will be those who support the government engaging in physical combat with those who support the constitution. Those who support the government will have a great deal of technology behind them and their elected officials will sacrifice them as hey have for the past 40 years. However those who stand for the constitution will have have much more behind them. They will have American heart. The same heart they carried into battle at Yorktown and the Battle of Saratoga. The very same heart they carried into battle on Iwo Jima and Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. The sweet smell of freedom and liberty permeates every fiber of their being.
They carried signs and peacefully protested the aggressive growth of tyranny. They voted for politicians who promised an end to continued constitutional violations and lied after being elected. They have exhausted every avenue for peaceful resolution to the problems created by a runaway tyrant government. Now they reluctantly face the inevitable truth that there are no options left. They look now to portions of the Declaration of Independence that embrace and justify their future efforts to re-establish their nation as the beacon of freedom and liberty other nations emulated.
"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. "
As this tyrant government prepares by putting drones in place, relocating military assets and manpower, and building FEMA camps, American patriots who support the constituion also prepare. Quietly, diligently, and religiously they meet in smoke filled back rooms, tap rooms, garages, and lodges as did the patriots of old. Away from untrusted aquaintances they discuss the need for preparation and develop startegies to defend the freedoms which were endowed upon them by their creator. Freedoms which were secured by the war that won the independence of this once great nation from another tyrant that ruled from afar. These patriots commit their honor, their fortunes, and what freedom they have left in order to re-establish the constitution as the law of the land. They do this so that their posterity may enjoy freedom and liberty as intended by our creator and subsequently the founding fathers. Pick your sides and choose carefully. Revolution is at hand "
Perhaps these people know something many of us don't. The coming year promises to be very interesting.
FOUR SUSPECTS ARRESTED IN CARROLL CO. MURDER
(WESTMINSTER, MD) – Following their indictments by a Carroll County Grand Jury, Maryland State Police troopers today arrested four suspects in connection with the death of a Frederick County man who was assaulted at a Keymar bar in August and later died from his injuries.
Those arrested today are identified as John D. Robey, 52, and his two sons, Jonathan L. Robey, 20, and Thomas J. Robey, 22, all of the 9800-block of Crossfield Road, Hagerstown, Md. Each of these suspects is charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, first degree assault, and second degree assault.
Also arrested today is Michael J. “Hank” Grimes, 48, of the 11000-block of Woodsboro Creagerstown Rd., Woodsboro, Md. He is charged with manslaughter and second degree assault.
The victim is identified as Craig E. Myers, 26, of the 10000-block of Rocky Ridge Rd., Rocky Ridge, Md. Myers was pronounced dead on the morning of September 2, 2011, at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he had been undergoing treatment since the assault occurred.
This investigation began at about 9:15 p.m. on August 28, 2011, when troopers from the Westminster Barrack were dispatched to a bar in the 6600-block of Middleburg Rd. in Keymar, for a person who was not responsive. When troopers arrived, they found Craig Myers unresponsive and he was flown by a State Police helicopter to the trauma center. The preliminary investigation determined Myers had been involved in an altercation with one or more people in the bar. The altercation led to a physical assault, during which the victim sustained life-threatening injuries.
Due to the extent of the injuries, Maryland State Police criminal investigators from the Westminster Barrack were joined in their investigation by investigators from the State Police Homicide Unit. Following Myers’ death, the Homicide Unit assumed the lead on the investigation, with continued assistance from Westminster Barrack investigators.
An autopsy of Myers was conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. The autopsy determined Myers died from blunt force trauma. The manner of his death was ruled a homicide.
Through investigation, Maryland State Police homicide investigators identified the four individuals arrested today as those who assaulted Myers. Throughout the investigation, State Police homicide investigators worked with members of the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office and reviewed the developing evidence with them.
Evidence in the investigation was presented to the members of a Carroll County Grand Jury by the State’s Attorney’s Office. On January 5, 2012, the Grand Jury handed down indictments charging the four suspects with the previously listed crimes.
Early this morning, the arrest warrants were served by teams of Maryland State Police troopers. Troopers from the Homicide Unit, the State Apprehension Team, the Special Tactical Assault Team Element, as well as criminal investigators and uniformed troopers from the Westminster and Hagerstown barracks assisted in the arrests.
All four suspects were arrested without incident and transported to the Westminster Barrack. They were later taken to the Carroll County Detention Center where they are being held without bond, on the order of the indictments issued by the Grand Jury.
John Robey and his two sons had lived on Main Street in Woodsboro at the time of the assault. They had since moved to Hagerstown.
Those arrested today are identified as John D. Robey, 52, and his two sons, Jonathan L. Robey, 20, and Thomas J. Robey, 22, all of the 9800-block of Crossfield Road, Hagerstown, Md. Each of these suspects is charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, first degree assault, and second degree assault.
Also arrested today is Michael J. “Hank” Grimes, 48, of the 11000-block of Woodsboro Creagerstown Rd., Woodsboro, Md. He is charged with manslaughter and second degree assault.
The victim is identified as Craig E. Myers, 26, of the 10000-block of Rocky Ridge Rd., Rocky Ridge, Md. Myers was pronounced dead on the morning of September 2, 2011, at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, where he had been undergoing treatment since the assault occurred.
This investigation began at about 9:15 p.m. on August 28, 2011, when troopers from the Westminster Barrack were dispatched to a bar in the 6600-block of Middleburg Rd. in Keymar, for a person who was not responsive. When troopers arrived, they found Craig Myers unresponsive and he was flown by a State Police helicopter to the trauma center. The preliminary investigation determined Myers had been involved in an altercation with one or more people in the bar. The altercation led to a physical assault, during which the victim sustained life-threatening injuries.
Due to the extent of the injuries, Maryland State Police criminal investigators from the Westminster Barrack were joined in their investigation by investigators from the State Police Homicide Unit. Following Myers’ death, the Homicide Unit assumed the lead on the investigation, with continued assistance from Westminster Barrack investigators.
An autopsy of Myers was conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. The autopsy determined Myers died from blunt force trauma. The manner of his death was ruled a homicide.
Through investigation, Maryland State Police homicide investigators identified the four individuals arrested today as those who assaulted Myers. Throughout the investigation, State Police homicide investigators worked with members of the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office and reviewed the developing evidence with them.
Evidence in the investigation was presented to the members of a Carroll County Grand Jury by the State’s Attorney’s Office. On January 5, 2012, the Grand Jury handed down indictments charging the four suspects with the previously listed crimes.
Early this morning, the arrest warrants were served by teams of Maryland State Police troopers. Troopers from the Homicide Unit, the State Apprehension Team, the Special Tactical Assault Team Element, as well as criminal investigators and uniformed troopers from the Westminster and Hagerstown barracks assisted in the arrests.
All four suspects were arrested without incident and transported to the Westminster Barrack. They were later taken to the Carroll County Detention Center where they are being held without bond, on the order of the indictments issued by the Grand Jury.
John Robey and his two sons had lived on Main Street in Woodsboro at the time of the assault. They had since moved to Hagerstown.
Bailey Jewelers 70% Off Sale
Good Morning to you Joe!I must tell you what a wonderful response I haven gotten from our First Annual Bailey Jewelers 70% Off Sale!
Using a theory from my eldest son Jonathan: "If it doesn't sell in a year Maa get rid of it" So here we are selling below wholesale and our customers are loving it. "No Way!" "Are you sure" "OMG!"
You have the best listening/watching/reading audience, truly a class act.
Melissa Bailey
Bailey Jewelers
30400 Mount Vernon Road
Princess Anne, MD 21853
410-651-3073
http://www.chesapeakejewelers.com/
Paramedic Accused Of Sexual Assault Inside Ambulance
(CNN) -- A Connecticut paramedic has been charged in the alleged sexual assault last month of a woman who was only semiconscious in the back of an ambulance, according to police.
Mark Powell, 49, was charged with first-degree sexual assault and unlawful restraint after he turned himself over to authorities Thursday, according to Hamden Police Capt. Ronald Smith.
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N.J. Homeless Find Refuge In The Woods
(CBS News)
The economic recovery may be painfully slow for most Americans. But for the more than 630,000 people who are homeless, the improvements can seem non-existent. For them, it's about surviving and in New Jersey, even that's threatened. CBS News correspondent Tony Guida looks at one particular group.
Angelo Villanueva was working as a mason until the housing market collapsed.
"I lost my job, lost my insurance, lost my car, lost my apartment," he said.
For nine months, he's been living in the woods near Lakewood, New Jersey, where we first met him last fall.
"I never thought I'd be homeless," he said. "I used to think homeless people were bums, but actually it can happen to anyone at any time."
Sirota: Legalizing Marijuana Is Now A ‘Mainstream’ Position
The slow drumbeat to legalizing marijuana in America continued Friday evening when Salon.com columnist David Sirota appeared on Current TV’s The Young Turks.
Sirota mentioned a recent Gallup poll in which half of Americans support legalizing marijuana, with 77 percent also backing medical marijuana. With those figures, Sirota and host Cenk Uygur slammed White House and Washington figures still viewing marijuana legalization as a radical idea.
“I think if you look at those numbers like that, what you see is the mainstream, centrist position, is to support legalizing marijuana,” he said. “And the extremists are those who continue to fight the drug war.”
Federal Agency Cancels Water Delivery To Pennsylvania Town
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency abruptly changed its mind Saturday about delivering fresh water to residents of a northeastern Pennsylvania village where residential wells were found to be tainted by a natural gas drilling operation.
Only 24 hours after promising them water, EPA officials informed residents of Dimock that a tanker truck wouldn't be coming after all -- an about-face that left them furious, confused and let down -- and, once again, scrambling for water for bathing, washing dishes and flushing toilets.
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Girl Scouts
Hello!
My name is Sarah Wood and I'm a high school student here in Salisbury. I am also very involved with the Girl Scouts, and am helping them run public relations this year.
This weekend is the beginning of cookie-selling-season, and I have created a video showing the song the girls wrote about selling cookies. In order to get the word out, and sell more cookies, I was hoping you could publish a link to this video on your blog.
Eating Out In Chincoteague
We decided this afternoon to eat at “Ray,s Shanty” at T’s Corner. I called to make sure they were open. The phone message advised that they were open from Wed to Sun. When we arrived, the sign on the door said “Closed until Feb”. Bummer!! So we went on to Chincoteague. Don’s Seafood Restaurant on Main Street was open (found it on the Iphone internet), so...... Excellent service, Excellent food, $50. Including tip for 2 of us. We now have a new first choice for seafood dinner.
Audit Of The Federal Reserve Reveals $16 Trillion In Secret Bailouts
The first ever GAO(Government Accountability Office) audit of the Federal Reserve was carried out in the past few months due to the Ron Paul, Alan Grayson Amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which passed last year. Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator, and Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator, led the charge for a Federal Reserve audit in the Senate, but watered down the original language of the house bill(HR1207), so that a complete audit would not be carried out. Ben Bernanke(pictured to the right), Alan Greenspan, and various other bankers vehemently opposed the audit and lied to Congress about the effects an audit would have on markets. Nevertheless, the results of the first audit in the Federal Reserve’s nearly 100 year history were posted on Senator Sander’s webpage earlier this morning.
What was revealed in the audit was startling:
$16,000,000,000,000.00 had been secretly given out to US banks and corporations and foreign banks everywhere from France to Scotland. From the period between December 2007 and June 2010, the Federal Reserve had secretly bailed out many of the world’s banks, corporations, and governments. The Federal Reserve likes to refer to these secret bailouts as an all-inclusive loan program, but virtually none of the money has been returned and it was loaned out at 0% interest. Why the Federal Reserve had never been public about this or even informed the United States Congress about the $16 trillion dollar bailout is obvious - the American public would have been outraged to find out that the Federal Reserve bailed out foreign banks while Americans were struggling to find jobs.
To place $16 trillion into perspective, remember that GDP of the United States is only $14.12 trillion. The entire national debt of the United States government spanning its 200+ year history is "only" $14.5 trillion. The budget that is being debated so heavily in Congress and the Senate is "only" $3.5 trillion. Take all of the outrage and debate over the $1.5 trillion deficit into consideration, and swallow this Red pill: There was no debate about whether $16,000,000,000,000 would be given to failing banks and failing corporations around the world.
In late 2008, the TARP Bailout bill was passed and loans of $800 billion were given to failing banks and companies. That was a blatant lie considering the fact that Goldman Sachs alone received 814 billion dollars. As is turns out, the Federal Reserve donated $2.5 trillion to Citigroup, while Morgan Stanley received $2.04 trillion. The Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Bank, a German bank, split about a trillion and numerous other banks received hefty chunks of the $16 trillion.
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What was revealed in the audit was startling:
$16,000,000,000,000.00 had been secretly given out to US banks and corporations and foreign banks everywhere from France to Scotland. From the period between December 2007 and June 2010, the Federal Reserve had secretly bailed out many of the world’s banks, corporations, and governments. The Federal Reserve likes to refer to these secret bailouts as an all-inclusive loan program, but virtually none of the money has been returned and it was loaned out at 0% interest. Why the Federal Reserve had never been public about this or even informed the United States Congress about the $16 trillion dollar bailout is obvious - the American public would have been outraged to find out that the Federal Reserve bailed out foreign banks while Americans were struggling to find jobs.
To place $16 trillion into perspective, remember that GDP of the United States is only $14.12 trillion. The entire national debt of the United States government spanning its 200+ year history is "only" $14.5 trillion. The budget that is being debated so heavily in Congress and the Senate is "only" $3.5 trillion. Take all of the outrage and debate over the $1.5 trillion deficit into consideration, and swallow this Red pill: There was no debate about whether $16,000,000,000,000 would be given to failing banks and failing corporations around the world.
In late 2008, the TARP Bailout bill was passed and loans of $800 billion were given to failing banks and companies. That was a blatant lie considering the fact that Goldman Sachs alone received 814 billion dollars. As is turns out, the Federal Reserve donated $2.5 trillion to Citigroup, while Morgan Stanley received $2.04 trillion. The Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Bank, a German bank, split about a trillion and numerous other banks received hefty chunks of the $16 trillion.
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NDAA AUTHORIZED PREDATOR DRONES OVER AMERICA
Washington — The Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing is a step closer to gaining federal permission to fly unmanned Reaper drones out of its base at Hancock Field, according to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.
The National Defense Authorization Act signed into law last week by President Barack Obama allows for the establishment of six national test sites where drones could fly through civil air space.
Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday he pushed for the establishment of six spots, instead of the planned four, to improve the chances that Hancock Field would be included. The 174th Fighter Wing has been trying for almost five years to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to allow flights of the MQ-9 Reaper drones out of Hancock Field.
The FAA bans such unmanned flights because of concerns about the remotely piloted drones flying through civil airspace used by commercial aircraft at Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport.
Schumer said he sent a letter Tuesday to FAA Acting Commissioner Michael Huerta, asking for Hancock to be one of the national test sites.
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The National Defense Authorization Act signed into law last week by President Barack Obama allows for the establishment of six national test sites where drones could fly through civil air space.
Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday he pushed for the establishment of six spots, instead of the planned four, to improve the chances that Hancock Field would be included. The 174th Fighter Wing has been trying for almost five years to convince the Federal Aviation Administration to allow flights of the MQ-9 Reaper drones out of Hancock Field.
The FAA bans such unmanned flights because of concerns about the remotely piloted drones flying through civil airspace used by commercial aircraft at Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport.
Schumer said he sent a letter Tuesday to FAA Acting Commissioner Michael Huerta, asking for Hancock to be one of the national test sites.
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Questions Over Vote Count Put Iowa Caucus Result In Doubt
The outcome of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses was thrown into question Thursday after reports of a discrepancy in the vote count in one rural precinct that could swing the result in Rick Santorum's favor.
It wasn't until well after midnight Wednesday morning that the Iowa Republican Party announced that Mitt Romney had won the narrowest of victories over Santorum -- just eight votes out of more than 120,000 cast in the statewide GOP gatherings. State party chairman Matt Strawn noted at the time that a certified tally would not come for two more weeks.
On Thursday, Edward True of Moulton, Iowa, filed an affidavit saying that Romney's reported total in the caucus he attended overstated his support by 20 votes, the Daily Iowegian reported.
True, who said he was one of three people who helped count ballots, said Romney only received two votes -- not the 22 reported on the Iowa Republican Party's website. He says Santorum had actually won the precinct, winning 21 of the 53 total votes.
If True's claim is accurate, an eight-vote Romney win would become a 12-vote Santorum win.
In a statement released late Thursday night, Strawn said that during the party's certification process, it "will not respond to every rumor, innuendo or allegation" that surfaces, out of respect for the candidates.
"That said, Iowa GOP officials have been in contact with Appanoose County Republican officials tonight and do not have any reason to believe the final, certified results of Appanoose County will change the outcome of Tuesday's vote," Strawn said.
The incident is sure to raise new questions about the quirky process that typically begins the presidential nominating contest. The Republican caucuses, run by the party and not the state, are essentially a popularity contest among those who attend; at some caucus sites there are no paper records of the vote.
There is also no official provision for a recount because no delegates are at stake.
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It wasn't until well after midnight Wednesday morning that the Iowa Republican Party announced that Mitt Romney had won the narrowest of victories over Santorum -- just eight votes out of more than 120,000 cast in the statewide GOP gatherings. State party chairman Matt Strawn noted at the time that a certified tally would not come for two more weeks.
On Thursday, Edward True of Moulton, Iowa, filed an affidavit saying that Romney's reported total in the caucus he attended overstated his support by 20 votes, the Daily Iowegian reported.
True, who said he was one of three people who helped count ballots, said Romney only received two votes -- not the 22 reported on the Iowa Republican Party's website. He says Santorum had actually won the precinct, winning 21 of the 53 total votes.
If True's claim is accurate, an eight-vote Romney win would become a 12-vote Santorum win.
In a statement released late Thursday night, Strawn said that during the party's certification process, it "will not respond to every rumor, innuendo or allegation" that surfaces, out of respect for the candidates.
"That said, Iowa GOP officials have been in contact with Appanoose County Republican officials tonight and do not have any reason to believe the final, certified results of Appanoose County will change the outcome of Tuesday's vote," Strawn said.
The incident is sure to raise new questions about the quirky process that typically begins the presidential nominating contest. The Republican caucuses, run by the party and not the state, are essentially a popularity contest among those who attend; at some caucus sites there are no paper records of the vote.
There is also no official provision for a recount because no delegates are at stake.
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Heritage: Obama Defense Cuts Will End US Safety
The Pentagon should be pushing “bold new moves” to protect the country’s interests instead of its perilous new plan to reduce troops dramatically and slash spending, a Heritage Foundation expert says.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the new strategy today, calling for greater U.S. military presence in Asia, pulling troops from Europe, and cutting spending by nearly half a trillion dollars.
The Heritage Foundation’s James Jay Carafano writes that the new strategy amounts to pulling “the safety net out from a global security architecture that has protected U.S. vital interests worldwide since 1945.”
“The Obama Administration’s strategy by wishful thinking will not be sufficient to keep the nation safe, free, and prosperous in the year ahead."
“Shedding the most qualified, combat-experienced, volunteer ground forces in the nation’s history would be like Apple canceling the production of iPhones to save money. It makes no sense,” he wrote.
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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the new strategy today, calling for greater U.S. military presence in Asia, pulling troops from Europe, and cutting spending by nearly half a trillion dollars.
The Heritage Foundation’s James Jay Carafano writes that the new strategy amounts to pulling “the safety net out from a global security architecture that has protected U.S. vital interests worldwide since 1945.”
“The Obama Administration’s strategy by wishful thinking will not be sufficient to keep the nation safe, free, and prosperous in the year ahead."
“Shedding the most qualified, combat-experienced, volunteer ground forces in the nation’s history would be like Apple canceling the production of iPhones to save money. It makes no sense,” he wrote.
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'I Don't Take No For An Answer': The Obama Backdoor Amnesty
The Obama administration plans a rule change to help reduce the time illegal immigrant spouses and children are separated from citizen relatives while they try to win legal status in the United States, a senior administration official said.
Currently, illegal immigrants must leave the country before they can ask the government to waive a three- to 10-year ban on legally coming back to the U.S. The length of the ban depends on how long they have lived in the U.S. without permission.
The official said Thursday the new rule would let children and spouses of citizens ask the government to decide on the waiver request before the illegal immigrant heads to his or her home country to apply for a visa. The illegal immigrants still must go home to finish the visa process to come back to the U.S., but getting the waiver ahead of time could reduce the time an illegal immigrant is out of the country.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the proposed policy change had not been made public.
The waiver shift is the latest move by President Barack Obama to make changes to immigration policy without congressional action. Congressional Republicans repeatedly have criticized the administration for policy changes they describe as providing "backdoor amnesty" to illegal immigrants.
Immigrants who do not have criminal records and who have only violated immigration laws can win a waiver if they can prove that their absence would cause an "extreme hardship" for their citizen spouse or parent. The government received about 23,000 hardship applications in 2011 and more than 70 percent were approved, the official said.
Applications for the waiver can take as long as six months to be acted upon, the official said. The new rule is expected to reduce that processing time to just days or weeks, the official added.
"This would streamline the process (and) reduce the time of separation between family members," the official said.
The proposal will be published in the Federal Register on Friday. The official said the administration hopes to change the rule later this year.
Immigration has become a difficult issue for Obama ahead of the November election. As a presidential candidate, he pledged to change what many consider to be a broken immigration system.
To that end, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced plans last year to review some 300,000 pending deportation cases in an effort to target criminal illegal immigrants, repeat immigration law violators and those who pose a national security or public safety threat. Napolitano said the DHS would delay indefinitely the cases of many illegal immigrants who have no criminal record and those who have been arrested for only minor traffic violations or other misdemeanors.
A pilot program to review about 12,000 cases pending in immigration court in Baltimore and Denver was launched in November and ends next week. The review is expected to expand to other jurisdictions later this year.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton also issued a memo in June outlining how immigration authorities could use discretion in deciding which illegal immigrants to arrest and put into deportation proceedings. Morton wrote in the memo that discretion could be used in a variety of cases, including for people with no criminal record and young people brought to the country illegally as children.
Congressional Republicans have decried the policy changes, arguing that the Obama administration is circumventing Congress to essentially provide amnesty to countless illegal immigrants.
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Currently, illegal immigrants must leave the country before they can ask the government to waive a three- to 10-year ban on legally coming back to the U.S. The length of the ban depends on how long they have lived in the U.S. without permission.
The official said Thursday the new rule would let children and spouses of citizens ask the government to decide on the waiver request before the illegal immigrant heads to his or her home country to apply for a visa. The illegal immigrants still must go home to finish the visa process to come back to the U.S., but getting the waiver ahead of time could reduce the time an illegal immigrant is out of the country.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the proposed policy change had not been made public.
The waiver shift is the latest move by President Barack Obama to make changes to immigration policy without congressional action. Congressional Republicans repeatedly have criticized the administration for policy changes they describe as providing "backdoor amnesty" to illegal immigrants.
Immigrants who do not have criminal records and who have only violated immigration laws can win a waiver if they can prove that their absence would cause an "extreme hardship" for their citizen spouse or parent. The government received about 23,000 hardship applications in 2011 and more than 70 percent were approved, the official said.
Applications for the waiver can take as long as six months to be acted upon, the official said. The new rule is expected to reduce that processing time to just days or weeks, the official added.
"This would streamline the process (and) reduce the time of separation between family members," the official said.
The proposal will be published in the Federal Register on Friday. The official said the administration hopes to change the rule later this year.
Immigration has become a difficult issue for Obama ahead of the November election. As a presidential candidate, he pledged to change what many consider to be a broken immigration system.
To that end, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced plans last year to review some 300,000 pending deportation cases in an effort to target criminal illegal immigrants, repeat immigration law violators and those who pose a national security or public safety threat. Napolitano said the DHS would delay indefinitely the cases of many illegal immigrants who have no criminal record and those who have been arrested for only minor traffic violations or other misdemeanors.
A pilot program to review about 12,000 cases pending in immigration court in Baltimore and Denver was launched in November and ends next week. The review is expected to expand to other jurisdictions later this year.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton also issued a memo in June outlining how immigration authorities could use discretion in deciding which illegal immigrants to arrest and put into deportation proceedings. Morton wrote in the memo that discretion could be used in a variety of cases, including for people with no criminal record and young people brought to the country illegally as children.
Congressional Republicans have decried the policy changes, arguing that the Obama administration is circumventing Congress to essentially provide amnesty to countless illegal immigrants.
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Obama Gives Sanctuary City Status To Entire Nation
Washington. In a shocking and unprecedented move last week, the Obama administration reversed the nation’s illegal immigration policy. On December 29, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced new measures in dealing with illegal immigrants. Instead of accepting custody of illegal aliens for deportation, ICE will now only accept illegal immigrants who have been arrested, tried and convicted of a separate criminal offense. In short, illegal immigration is no longer considered a crime by the Federal government.
A separate section of the ICE bulletin announcing the policy change also contains information regarding the new toll free phone number ICE has set up to aid individuals arrested and facing possible deportation. If the ICE announcement can be taken at its word, it states, “The new measures include a new detainer form and the launch of a toll-free hotline - (855) 448-6903 - that detained individuals can call if they believe they may be US citizens or victims of a crime.”
This could be viewed as a type of ‘emergency stop’ button for American citizens on the verge of being deported, as well as a whistle-blower hotline for immigrants of any legal status that are being victimized by corrupt US agents. On the other hand, future reality may prove this policy to be an illegal immigrant advocacy program. But as it’s currently stated, the toll free number would be used to protect all individuals from predatory and criminal government agents.
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A separate section of the ICE bulletin announcing the policy change also contains information regarding the new toll free phone number ICE has set up to aid individuals arrested and facing possible deportation. If the ICE announcement can be taken at its word, it states, “The new measures include a new detainer form and the launch of a toll-free hotline - (855) 448-6903 - that detained individuals can call if they believe they may be US citizens or victims of a crime.”
This could be viewed as a type of ‘emergency stop’ button for American citizens on the verge of being deported, as well as a whistle-blower hotline for immigrants of any legal status that are being victimized by corrupt US agents. On the other hand, future reality may prove this policy to be an illegal immigrant advocacy program. But as it’s currently stated, the toll free number would be used to protect all individuals from predatory and criminal government agents.
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What Was Left Out Of The Analysis
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers.
~ Thomas Pynchon
As I watched the TV bobble-heads trying to analyze the outcome of Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses, it became evident that those whose job it is to translate the agenda of the establishment to the rest of us could not explain the Ron Paul phenomenon. I doubt that any of these people are so intellectually dense as to miss the significance of what is occurring. I am inclined more to the opinion that the voices of the lockstep-media do understand that Ron Paul’s campaign is underlain by a fundamental questioning of the assumptions and policies that have long defined politics. But these same voices understand that they dare not allow such questions to be raised on their watch. For them to do otherwise would be to risk the well-paid jobs they have hawking the corporate-state interests, forcing them into a marketplace that might not provide them equivalent incomes or perks.
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~ Thomas Pynchon
As I watched the TV bobble-heads trying to analyze the outcome of Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses, it became evident that those whose job it is to translate the agenda of the establishment to the rest of us could not explain the Ron Paul phenomenon. I doubt that any of these people are so intellectually dense as to miss the significance of what is occurring. I am inclined more to the opinion that the voices of the lockstep-media do understand that Ron Paul’s campaign is underlain by a fundamental questioning of the assumptions and policies that have long defined politics. But these same voices understand that they dare not allow such questions to be raised on their watch. For them to do otherwise would be to risk the well-paid jobs they have hawking the corporate-state interests, forcing them into a marketplace that might not provide them equivalent incomes or perks.
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Using 'The Arm Of Flesh': The Fallacy Of Attacking Ron Paul On Abortion
The purpose of the state is supposed to be to protect life, liberty and property and to settle disputes. Today, we have a government that protects killing, and at times, even finances it. The growth and scope of our government is totally out of control and fails the test for a limited government in a free society. ~ Ron Paul, Challenge to Liberty: Coming to Grips with the Abortion Issue
Ron Paul has long been an "unshakeable foe of abortion." While pro-life groups, in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, have long engaged in the fruitless struggle to elect the presidential candidate who will then appoint the "just right" jurist to sit on the Supreme Court, Ron Paul has repeatedly introduced legislation which affirms that life begins at conception, legislation that would exclude the issue of abortion from the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary, thereby overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the issue to the proper authorities, the individual states.
In light of this, it is unfortunate that the respected and stalwart American Right to Life has stooped to condemning Ron Paul for his principled and constitutional approach to the abortion issue by using fallacies, defamatory and villainous rhetoric, and the kind of reasoning characteristic of the sophists of pagan Greece. According to ARTL, Ron Paul’s pledge to oppose abortion is inadequate because he refuses go along with ARTL’s support of a proposed federal law that would authorize the use of the 14th Amendment to protect the pre-born. Because Ron Paul recognizes and publicly states that this approach is not constitutionally proper and is a usurpation of state authority, ARTL’s director of research makes the ludicrous (and viciously false) claim that "Ron Paul agrees with the central finding of Roe v. Wade itself."
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Ron Paul has long been an "unshakeable foe of abortion." While pro-life groups, in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, have long engaged in the fruitless struggle to elect the presidential candidate who will then appoint the "just right" jurist to sit on the Supreme Court, Ron Paul has repeatedly introduced legislation which affirms that life begins at conception, legislation that would exclude the issue of abortion from the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary, thereby overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the issue to the proper authorities, the individual states.
In light of this, it is unfortunate that the respected and stalwart American Right to Life has stooped to condemning Ron Paul for his principled and constitutional approach to the abortion issue by using fallacies, defamatory and villainous rhetoric, and the kind of reasoning characteristic of the sophists of pagan Greece. According to ARTL, Ron Paul’s pledge to oppose abortion is inadequate because he refuses go along with ARTL’s support of a proposed federal law that would authorize the use of the 14th Amendment to protect the pre-born. Because Ron Paul recognizes and publicly states that this approach is not constitutionally proper and is a usurpation of state authority, ARTL’s director of research makes the ludicrous (and viciously false) claim that "Ron Paul agrees with the central finding of Roe v. Wade itself."
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