Popular Posts

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The God Gap

There have been many “gaps” in modern politics. There is the gender gap, the generation gap and now the God gap, which is the gulf between people who take God’s instructions seriously and those who don’t. Which side of the gap you’re on could influence your vote.

The God gap is growing wider.

I asked Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum about this. In a telephone interview with me, Santorum, whose rhetoric is loaded with religious and cultural language, said, “While (such language) may be upsetting to some, there’s a hunger out there for talking about what’s true.”

How, then, would he explain a recent New York Times story that reported for the first time in our history, that “more than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside marriage.” Santorum acknowledged, “I’m probably talking to Republican audiences, so it’s a little different. I’m not talking to the general audience at this point. Marriage is on the decline. The culture is changing.”

The problem for presidential candidates — and for President Obama, who occasionally appeals to Scripture to justify his policies — is that fewer people are listening to the voice of God, or to voices claiming to speak for Him.

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Why Do People Procrastinate?

WASHINGTON -- You can't finish a job if you don't start it. It's a mantra procrastinators know all too well.

For those seemingly determined to wait until the last minute to complete tasks, the delay can be taxing on a procrastinator's coworkers, loved ones and the slowpoke himself.

So why do people procrastinate?

Time management and productivity experts think there may be many reasons, according to The New York Times.

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Cash Is Better Than Food Stamps in Helping Poor: Edward Glaeser

Newt Gingrich has been castigated for referring to President Barack Obama as the “best food-stamp president in American history.” I, too, dislike the former House speaker’s inflammatory phrasing.

Yet I am also troubled by the more than $100 billion designated for “food and nutrition” in the president’s 2013 budget. The current dominance of in-kind transfer programs, such as food stamps, Medicaid and housing support, relative to cash- based welfare programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and Temporary Aid to Needy Families, is based on politics rather than economics. A consolidated cash-based program could more efficiently deliver assistance and more effectively encourage employment.

Redistribution has costs -- direct ones that are paid by taxpayers and indirect ones, by discouraging earnings and savings -- but it also has benefits, particularly by creating a society with less painful poverty.

The amount of redistribution that you think is appropriate depends on your attitudes toward inequality and paying for equality. I’m not a preacher, a philosopher or a politician, and I won’t try to convince you that the U.S. should do more or less for its poorer citizens. I am interested in a better-designed welfare system

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Gas Prices Aren't Rising, The Dollar Is Falling

Enough.

This whole, blame the evil oil companies for this gas spiral.

Enough.

People who know better sounding like they have brains made out of butter.

I've heard the prattling on, now time for some basic facts to sink in.

Gas prices aren't rising.

The dollar is falling.

Let me explain that.

Oil is priced in dollars.

Dollars are getting cheaper.

It takes more of them to buy oil.

So oil gets more expensive.

Gas gets more expensive.

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UVA Students Enter 10th Day of Hunger Strike

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - More than a dozen students are in their tenth day of a hunger strike at the University of Virginia, as part of the Living Wage Campaign.

Students are demanding higher living wages, safer working conditions and better job security for the university's employees.

Students are asking that the living wage under University policy be changed to $13 per hour.

In an interview with thelivingwageatuva.org, striker and third-year undergraduate student Luis Oyola said after his fourth day he is getting a lot thinner and feeling a lot weaker.

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AP Source: Israel Won't Warn US Before Iran Strike

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, according to one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill.

Israeli officials said that if they eventually decide a strike is necessary, they would keep the Americans in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the U.S. would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel's potential attack. The U.S. has been working with the Israelis for months to convince them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran's nuclear program.

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To Hire Seasonal Workers, 575 Pages Of New Rules

Employers who rely on low-skilled workers from abroad have a new set of rules to digest. On Feb. 10, the Labor Dept. issued 575 pages of regulations for its H-2B visa program that U.S. employers use to bring foreign nationals to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. H-2Bs generally allow for a maximum 10-month stay and are often used by small, seasonal businesses such as housing contractors, landscapers, and seafood processors. The application process, which involves filing paperwork with the Labor Dept. and Immigration authorities, has been growing steadily more complicated and time-consuming. Now it’s even tougher.

Among the biggest changes in the new rules, which go into effect on April 23: They’ll have to demonstrate to state agencies—not merely attest—that they weren’t able to locate enough U.S. workers. They’ll have to post the jobs in a national online registry administered by the Labor Dept. and start advertising in local publications about two weeks earlier than in the past. And they’ll also be responsible for employees’ travel costs to and from their home countries, provided the worker completes a certain number of days on the job.

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Giants to Host Wednesday NFL Season-Opener to Avoid Obama’s Speech at DNC

The New York Giants will host the first game of the National Football League season on a Wednesday night to avoid conflicts with U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, the league said in a news release.

The NFL schedule usually starts on Thursday, when the president would be speaking. The most recent NFL game to start on Wednesday was a September 1948 game between the then-Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions, the league said.

The opponent for the Giants in the Sept. 5 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, wasn’t disclosed. The Giants, who won the Super Bowl championship this month, last hosted the season opener in 2008, after winning the previous season’s title game

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Bankrupt Kodak Asks Court To Let It Slash Retirees' Health Benefits

A month after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Eastman Kodak Co. asked a federal court Monday to allow it to cut health care benefits for thousands of retirees.

Kodak said in a letter to its retirees that ever since it filed for bankruptcy protection, it had sought to "balance the needs of our retirees with the needs of the Company."

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Now They Tell Us: WashPost Documents Threats, Violent Incidents From Occupy D.C. Camp

When the Occupy movement was going strong, the Washington Post devoted generally positive coverage to the Occupy D.C. camp, complete with a front-page puff piece on love (lust?) at Occupy D.C., a Style section puff piece on Occupy propaganda posters, and an "Occupied" Style section front pager gushing about the nascent hippie village-- complete with kitchen and library -- at the McPherson Square squatters camp.

But now the Post is finally getting around to detailing the violent tendencies of the movement, including the fact that an article circulating at an Arizona camp entitled "When Should You Shoot a Cop?" caused a homeland security bulletin to alert local authorities of potential violence in early November of last year.

Tim Craig's 29-paragraph story graced the front page of today's Metro page, but was placed below-the-fold and bore a bland headline: "Protesters, police have had tense relations." In other news, the Pope is Catholic, water's wet, and the sun rises every morning in the east:

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Keeping Gas Pumps Honest

Think you watch every penny at the pump these days? You’ve got nothing on Elizabeth Koncki.

“All inspections are unannounced.”

Every day, Koncki is on the road inspecting gas stations for Maryland’s Department of Agriculture.

And, boy, can she stop the meter on a dime -- or in this case, a penny.

“My greatest job skill is being able to stop exactly at five gallons and 10 gallons,” she said with a shy smile.

To make sure customer aren’t getting shortchanged, Koncki uses specially calibrated containers that look a lot like old fashioned milk jugs.

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First Do No Harm

Help us protect Baltimore County and Maryland

UPDATE: County Executive Kevin Kamenetz signed the Transgender bill into law on Thursday, Feb. 23. It is scheduled to take effect in 45 days from enrollment unless we stop it.

Your help is urgently needed to overturn by petition a dangerous law. The petition will put the issue on the ballot in November, if successful.

PLEASE VOLUNTEER FOR THE PETITION AGAINST THE TRANSGENDER LAW

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Baltimore County Council passed in a 5-2 party-line vote, a controversial bill which will expand rights for homosexuals and crossdressers. On the surface, it may sound benign to some. But the unintended consequences and hidden agendas are what make this a dangerous law for women, children, businesses, churches, and our schools.

The undefined language in the law could open the door to abuse of the law by pedophiles and predators gaining lawful access to women's and girls’ restrooms and locker rooms. You don't have to dress like a woman to enter women's facilities under this new law.

It could require transgender issues being written into children's school curriculum and the mandatory hiring of transgender teachers, permitted to crossdress in the classroom.

It could become an overwhelming financial burden for small businesses, already struggling in the current economy.

And it could force churches and religious institutions to accept a behavior which is not only listed as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, but in direct conflict with the teachings of their faith. This would amount to a clear violation of our constitutional right to Freedom of Religion.

All right here in Baltimore County, brought to us by five councilmen who voted for irresponsible legislation in order to appease a national, multi-million dollar LGBT lobby conglomerate.

PLEASE HELP OVERTURN THE BALTIMORE COUNTY TRANSGENDER LAW

Here's how you can help:

• Please call the number below and volunteer to help with the petition drive.
• Learn about the issue. See info and articles on the subject at the website.
• Help spread the word. Email this flyer to your contact list, especially teachers, parents and churchmembers.

The petition requirements are extremely stringent, with a short timeframe in which to accomplish the task. We don't have much time. Please act now.

More info and volunteer to help:

Website: www.firstdonoharm7.blogspot.com

Volunteer by phone or email (Leave your name, email, phone, and council district):

Email firstdonoharm7@comcast.net or call 443-595-7020 and leave message.

Thank you for helping in this critical work for our state and county!

US to Send Mexican Migrants Back to Home States

MEXICO CITY (AP) - The U.S. government says it will begin flying detained Mexican migrants back to their home states instead of dropping them off at the border, where many are victimized by drug traffickers.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters in Mexico City on Monday that the U.S. will pay to deport migrants by plane to airports in Mexico and the Mexican government will arrange the last leg of the journey home.

The program is to start in April.

Many immigrants from Mexico and Central America are robbed or forcibly recruited by members of organized crime groups on their northbound trip through Mexico, or on the way home.

The U.S. says a record 400,000 people were deported, mostly to Mexico, during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

Source

Who Reads What And Why

Everything you ever needed to know about who reads what...

1.The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.

2.The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.

3.The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the
country, and who are very good at crossword puzzles.

4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country
but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like
their statistics shown in pie charts.

5.The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running
the country, if they could find the time -- and if they didn't have to
leave Southern California to do it.

6.The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the
country and did a poor job of it, thank you very much.

7.The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's
running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a
seat on the train.

8.The New York Post is read by people who don't care who is running
the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably
while intoxicated.

9.The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country,
but need the baseball scores.

10.The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure if
there is a country or that anyone is running it; but if so, they
oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the
leaders are handicapped, minority, feminist, atheist dwarfs who also
happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy, provided
of course, that they are not Republicans.

11.The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.

12.The Key West Citizen is read by people who have recently caught a
fish and need something to wrap it in.

13. The Daily Times isn't read any more but publishes free newspapers to make it look like they have circulation.

What Are We Really Eating? Reporter Goes Undercover To Reveal The Real Story Of Our Broken Food System

Tracie McMillan talks about her new book and how she went undercover as a farmhand and worker at Walmart and Applebee's.
Tracie McMillan's The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table takes us on a vivid and poignant tour of a place we don't really want to go: the mostly hidden, sometimes horrible world of the workers who form the backbone of our cheap, industrialized food chain. Sound grim? It is, at times, but McMillan's lively narrative and evident empathy for the people she encounters make her sojourn into the bowels of Big Food and Big Ag a pleasure to read.

From the fields of California's Central Valley to the produce aisle of a Michigan Walmart, and lastly, the kitchen of a Brooklyn Applebee's, McMillan gives a firsthand account of the long hours, lousy wages and difficult conditions that are par for the course in these places. This is tricky terrain for a white, relatively privileged middle-class American woman, and McMillan navigates it with grace and humility, remaining acutely aware of the pitfalls inherent in such a project.

I sat down with McMillan recently to chat about her populist odyssey and found her to be just as down-to-earth and plucky as her prose.

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McCain to Newsmax: Attacks on Palin ‘Unrelenting, Merciless’ Read more on Newsmax.com: McCain to Newsmax: Attacks on Palin ‘Unrelenting, Merciless’

Former GOP presidential nominee John McCain lashed out at the “unrelenting, merciless attacks” on his former running mate, Sarah Palin, in an exclusive interview evening with Newsmax.TV. He also fired opinions on President Barack Obama's Quran burning apology, lagging solidarity with Israel, aiding the Syrian rebels, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's immigration reform.

“The unrelenting merciless attacks by the liberal left on Sarah Palin since the day she was the nominee for vice president of the United States is something that continues to confound and frankly sadden me because it just doesn’t stop,” declared McCain in the wide-ranging interview.

The Arizona senator was reacting to the release of 34,820 pages of emails this week from Palin’s time as governor of Alaska — at times candid communications that reveal Palin’s growing frustration as she faced an onslaught of legal and ethics challenges by critics.
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Gas In The US Elections

President Obama seems to be enjoying some good luck in that the economy appears to be picking up just in time for his re-election campaign. While the economy is still weak by almost any measure, growth is likely to be in the 2.5-3.0 percent range for 2012. This should lead to the creation of close to two million jobs and a modest drop in the unemployment rate.

That is not much to cheer about in an economy that is still down close to ten million jobs from its trend level, however compared to the recent past, this is good news. And research shows that voters tend to focus primarily on the direction of change. This means that if the unemployment rate is falling and the economy is creating jobs at a respectable pace throughout the year, President Obama stands a very good chance of being re-elected in November.

This explains the decision of the Republican Party to focus on the price of gas. The price of gas has long played a pivotal role in US politics. High gas prices will be forever a symbol of the economic malaise of the Carter presidency in the late '70s. The drop in gas prices under President Reagan was associated with a resurgence of America's political and economic power.

The fact that both the rise in the price of oil in the '70s and the subsequent decline in the '80s had little to do with domestic policy decisions and much more with international politics (e.g. the Iranian revolution in 1979) mattered little. President Carter got the blame for events beyond his control and President Reagan got the credit.

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Randi Rhodes: Santorum Favors 'Ignorance' and His Kids Are Too Dumb to Be Pilots or Surgeons

Liberal talk radio host Randi Rhodes never went to college, but she was very mad at Rick Santorum on her show Friday after he accused colleges of liberal indoctrination. “He says that universities that receive public funds should be required to have intellectual diversity.” She satirized: “Those damn colleges! They’re full of objective facts! I want it balanced with a little superstition and some ignorance!”

Rhodes acknowledged Santorum earned three degrees, but then said he is a "waste of an education" and attacked Santorum’s home-schooled children as too dumb to have important jobs:

Oh my God, what a waste of an education Rick Santorum is! Everything he currently knows he could have learned from a pamphlet that religious institutions give out at the door of a bus station! So now you know why he home-schooled all of his kids. Let's just pray that none of his homeschooled kids grow up to be an airline pilot, okay?

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Highlighted Events This Week In Wicomico Schools

Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 6 p.m.
Parent Information Meeting and Fashion Show on Consistent Attire
Prince Street Elementary

A parent information meeting and fashion show on consistent attire will be held for all interested parents at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, at Prince Street Elementary School. The meeting will be an opportunity to hear more about the proposed Consistent Attire Program that is being considered for 11 elementary schools, and to ask questions and give input. The evening will include a fashion show with students modeling consistent attire. The Board is scheduled to vote on the consistent attire proposal on second and final reading at its March 13 Board meeting. Letters home, a phone survey and this public information meeting are all part of the effort to ensure that parents are aware of the proposal and have had a chance to give input. Comments may also be made at comments@wcboe.org or 410-677-5251.

Friday, March 2
Maryland Astronaut Richard R. Arnold II Talks with Wicomico Students
Salisbury Middle School, Pinehurst Elementary

Students at two Wicomico schools will have the opportunity hear about careers in space and science on March 2 during a visit by Richard R. Arnold II, a former Maryland science teacher and a NASA astronaut with mission experience in the Aquarius undersea laboratory and on the International Space Station. Arnold blasted off on STS-119 Discovery in March 2009, accumulating 12 hours and 34 minutes in spacewalks and having traveled 202 orbits and 5.3 million miles. The astronaut’s visit is part of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education in Wicomico schools. Arnold will meet with students in assemblies at Salisbury Middle (8:30 a.m. grade 6, 9:30 a.m. grade 8) and Pinehurst Elementary (1 p.m. kindergarten and grades 1 and 2, 2 p.m. grades 3, 4 and 5). The visit has been made possible by STEM at Salisbury University, which is having Arnold on campus on Saturday, March 3, for its Science Olympiad.

Friday, March 2
Countywide Casual Day for Read across America, organized by the Wicomico County Education Association
Staff throughout Wicomico County Public Schools

Legislature Tackling Social Media Privacy Issues

ANNAPOLIS — When former correctional officer Robert Collins was asked to turn over his Facebook login information to a superior, he was concerned that his rights were being violated.

Last year, Collins allowed the superior to look at his account in order to get a promotion, but he went to the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland with his concerns.

It was “an inappropriate invasion of my privacy,” Collins said last week. “I felt as if I didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

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Planning For Islamic Caliphate To Begin

Goals given boost when Obama administration legitimizes ban on criticism

A senior fellow for a Madrid-based think tank is alerting freedom-loving people about a caliphate-planning conference being held by Muslims soon, a move he said was given a boost of support by the Obama administration recently when it allowed a three-day “Istanbul Process” conference in Washington.

That event, writes Soeren Kern, Senior Fellow for European Politics at Madrid’s Grupo de Estudio, “gave the [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] the political legitimacy it has been seeking to globalize its initiative to ban criticism of Islam.”

The coming event, Caliphate Conference 2012, is being organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Kern describes as a “pan-Islamic extremist group that seeks to establish a global Islamic state, or caliphate, ruled by Islamic Shariah law.”

The 57-member OIC has been proposing a special international law that would make it criminal to speak ill of Muhammad or his followers for years, but it never was successful under its earlier plans that were portrayed as a ban on the “defamation of religions.” Actually, support for the idea had started waning.

But then it proposed Resolution 16/18, a plan for countries to “combat” things like “intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of … religion and belief.” The idea was adopted in the U.N. General Assembly just a few weeks ago and Kern’s analysis notes that it would be largely ineffectual as long as the West doesn’t jump behind it.

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BREAKING NEWS: Snowe Won't Seek Re-Election To Senate

Republican Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe says she won't seek re-election.

From Fox News

States With High Cost, Growth in ER Dental Visits

Emergency room visits for many easily prevented dental problems are increasing nationwide, according to a new report. The study by the Pew Center on the States was based partly on hospital data from 24 states. Its findings do not mention every state that was studied, but here's a look at places where the cost or growth rates are high:

_ In Florida, ER visits for dental trouble totaled more than 115,000 in 2010, resulting in more than $88 million in charges. That included more than 40,000 Medicaid patients, a 40 percent increase from 2008.

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Lost Dog: UPDATE



Dog was Lost in the Wainwright, Old Ocean City rd area near Walston Switch road.
He is very friendly but may run away when approached.

BREAKING NEWS: Dow Closes Above 13,000 For First Time Since 2008

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008, four months before the financial crisis.

From Fox News

Bill Maher Says Jesus Christ Was 'Palestinian'

Christians the world over are going to be thrilled to know that Jesus was a Palestinian.

At least that's what HBO's Bill Maher told CNN's Piers Morgan Monday evening in a discussion about Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (video follows with transcript and commentary):

BILL MAHER: You are allowed to have your opinion. You’re allowed to have your opinion that a Palestinian 2000 years ago walked on water and did magic tricks and he was really still his own father and all that stuff. That’s fine. You can have whatever opinion you want, and the fact that a billion other people believe it gives you a lot of strength and credence. But I also have the opinion that that’s ridiculous, that it’s anachronistic, this is the 21st century.

Southwest Pilot Wishes Happy Birthday To "Mom On Board," Passengers Hear "Bomb On Board"

We have no idea why anyone would think a pilot was saying "happy birthday" to a "bomb on board" a plane, but that's exactly what some passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Baltimore to Long Island thought they heard on Friday.


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HSBC Says It May Face Criminal Charges For Transactions

(Reuters) - HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) said on Monday it will likely face criminal or civil charges from an expanding investigation into its ties to allegedly illegal money transactions, including some tied to Iran.

The disclosure in a regulatory filing shows the increasingly serious nature of inquiries into the London-based bank's business.

HSBC already is the subject of multiple U.S. law-enforcement probes for ties to illegal money transactions. Monday's filing was the first time the bank disclosed that Iranian transactions are under scrutiny and that it could face a criminal charge.

The bank's HSBC USA Inc (HBA_pf.N) unit said investigations are being conducted by the Justice Department, the district attorney in Manhattan, two Treasury department agencies and the Federal Reserve. It said those inquiries were examining "historical transactions involving Iranian parties and other parties subject to" U.S. economic sanctions. Financial institutions doing business in the United States are prohibited from aiding sanctioned countries or banks.

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Delaware Drivers Getting Booted For Unpaid Tickets That Aren't Theirs

It can be annoying to get mail for your home's previous tenant, or phone calls intended for a person who had your phone number years earlier. But when you get a new license plate from your state's DMV, you don't expect that you'll have to answer for someone else's unpaid parking tickets.


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Occupy Sacramento Clashes With Pro-White Group

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - At least two law enforcement officers were injured Monday during a clash with members of the Occupy movement who were at the state Capitol to counter a rally by a group protesting violence by blacks against whites in South Africa.

The clash erupted in the afternoon as California Highway Patrol and Sacramento police officers were escorting about 35 members of the South Africa Project to a parking garage following their protest outside the Capitol building.

About 50 members of Occupy Oakland began throwing cans and bottles at the South Africa group and at the officers. The Occupy members then clashed with the officers as people with the pro-whites group hurried into the parking garage.

"It was the activists across the street engaging the officers," said CHP officer Sean Kennedy.

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Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Press Releases 2-28-12

Incident: Assault
Date of Incident: 26 February 2012
Location: 23000 block of Ocean Gateway, Mardela Springs, MD
Suspect: Patrick E. McCready, 24, Mardela Springs, MD

Narrative: On 26 February 2012
at 6:42 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Mardela Springs for a domestic related altercation. Upon arrival, the deputy learned that Patrick McCready had become mad because someone had eaten his submarine sandwich.

When McCready realized his mother had eaten it he allegedly punched her with a closed fist. During the investigation, the deputy saw signs of injury on McCready’s mother that corroborated an assault.

The deputy placed McCready under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained McCready in the Detention Center in lieu of $30,000.00 bond.

Charges: Assault 2nd Degree

Incident: Possession of CDS
Date of Incident: 26 February 2012
Location: Bivalve Wharf Rd, Bivalve, MD
Suspect: Alexander Moses, 26, Delmar, MD

Narrative: On 26 February 2012
at 5:17 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Alexander Moses on an outstanding Circuit Court warrant for Child Support. Post arrest, the deputy discovered that Moses had marijuana with him.

The deputy transported Moses to the Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Moses on Personal Recognizance.

Moses was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,600.00 on the Child Support Warrant.

Charges: Possession of Marijuana

Incident: Hindering and Obstructing
Date of Incident: 24 February 2012
Location: 1000 block of Eastern Shore Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Stacy Lynn Ballard, 40, Crisfield, MD

Narrative: On 24 February 2012
at 5:15 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle after receiving information that a wanted subject, Kirk Holden was a passenger. During the stop the deputy had to undertake an investigation to conclusively determine the identity of Holden.

This was done within full view and earshot of the other passengers in the vehicle. After the arrest of Holden, the deputy began identifying the other passengers. A female in the rear provided her an identity that the deputy was quickly able to disprove. Upon receiving the correct identity of the female, Stacy Ballard, the deputy discovered two open warrants for Ballard’s arrest. One of the warrants was a Parole Violation warrant that required Ballard’s return to the Department of Corrections. Ballard admitted she lied about her identity because she knew about the Parole Violation warrant.

Ballard was placed under arrest for Hindering and Obstructing and transported to Central Booking. After an initial appearance, the District Court Commissioner detained Ballard in the Detention Center in lieu of $7,000.00 bond.

Additionally, Ballard was detained without bond on the Parole Violation warrant along with a Somerset County Circuit Court Bench Warrant.

Charges: Hinder and Obstruct
Identity Theft to Avoid Apprehension
False Statement to a Law Enforcement Officer

Incident: Hindering and Obstructing
Date of Incident: 24 February 2012
Location: 1000 block of Eastern Shore Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Kirk E. Holden, 40, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 24 February 2012 at 5:15 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle after receiving information that a wanted subject, Kirk Holden was a passenger. Upon stopping the vehicle, the deputy inquired to the identity of the passenger he believed was Holden, but the passenger gave a different name and acted like he didn’t know who Holden was. After an investigation
that lasted for approximately 30 minutes and required a positive face to face identification from an officer that knew Holden, Holden finally relented and admitted his identity.

Holden was taken into custody on an outstanding Circuit Court bench warrant that ordered Holden held without bond pending an appearance before a Circuit Court judge.

Holden was also charged with hindering and obstructing the deputy in his duties.

Upon an initial appearance in front of the District Court Commissioner, Holden was detained on $7,000.00 bond in the Detention Center. Additionally, an arrest warrant for theft was also discovered which added an additional bond of $30,000.00 to Holden.
Charges: Hinder and Obstruct Identity Theft to Avoid Apprehension

Incident: CDS Possession
Date of Incident: 24 February 2012
Location: 200 block of S. Haven Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Michael R. Travis, 27, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 24 February 2012
at 8:15 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle in which Michael Travis of Salisbury was a passenger. The deputy was familiar with Travis along with the existence of a bench warrant for the arrest of Travis. The bench warrant stemmed from a marijuana possession case. Upon stopping the vehicle, the deputy observed that Travis was
frantically moving around inside the vehicle as if in an attempt to hide something from the deputy. After taking Travis into custody on the warrant, the deputy located what the deputy recognized as Heroin and Marijuana inside a backpack that was inside the vehicle. The deputy also located syringes that were intended for injecting the Heroin.

Travis was placed under arrest and transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Travis in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond for the CDS charges. Travis was also detained on an additional $500.00 for the Bench Warrant.

Charges: Possession of CDS
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Report: Internet Radicalizes U.S. Muslims Quickly

Young American Muslims can become radicalized online very quickly and with few warning signs, becoming potential terrorists before federal agencies can identify them, a new congressional report warned Monday.

Zachary Chesser, a 22-year-old Virginia man now serving 25 years for terrorism crimes, took less than two years to transform “from an average American kid to a hardened supporter of terrorist organizations,” according to a study of his case by staff from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The bipartisan report analyzes his prolific online writing and correspondence with staff investigators after his guilty plea October 2010 to three terrorism-related felonies. The charges included attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization through his efforts to join al-Shabab, the al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia.
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"Learn How To Be Smarter Than Your Droid"

Join the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and Wireless Zone to learn from experts about the capabilities of the Droid.

This program will include basic and advanced capabilities of the Droid, including useful apps and tricks to learning what your smart phone is capable of.

12:00 - 1:00 pm : Basics of Droid
1:00 - 2:30pm: Advanced Features

Date: Thursday March 8, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Location: Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce

Cost: Free

Info: Brown Bag Event

Call the Chamber to register! (410-749-0144)

Md. County To Use Seized Drug Money For Vehicles

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The Washington County Board of Commissioners has voted to allow the Narcotics Task Force to buy two replacement vehicles and electronic fingerprinting equipment with more $300,000 it seized last year.

The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown reports that the unanimous vote this month allowed the task force to transfer the money to an account so it can be spent.

About $280,000 of the money was seized in August during a raid at a house in Hagerstown, where 93 pounds of marijuana and the money were found.

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Information from: The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Md

Source

Salisbury Police Department Press Release 2-28-12

On February 27, 2012 at approximately 3:12am, Officers responded to the Royal Farms Store located at 901 Snow Hill Rd for a reported Armed Robbery.

On arrival it was learned that two black males entered into the business at approximately 3:08am.

One black male was brandishing a handgun and the other black male was brandishing with what appears to be a military style assault weapon. Once inside the store, Suspect 1 stated to the clerk, “I want the money! Give me the money!” Suspect 2 was pointing the assault style weapon at the clerk. Both suspects went behind the counter and began to demand the clerk to open the safe.

The clerk was unable to open the safe and was then told to get the money from the register. Suspect 1 grabbed a plastic Royal Farms bag from behind the counter and placed the U.S. Currency from the register inside the bag. Suspect 1 then told the clerk to remain on the floor, face down, behind the counter and not to move. Both suspects fled the area in an unknown direction. No injuries reported.

Suspect #1 is described as a black male, approximately 18-21yoa, approximately 5’07 in hgt, thin build, dark skinned, wearing a light gray hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans, dark shoes, unknown colored gloves, and a black cloth covering his face. Suspect was in possession of a handgun.

Suspect #2 is described as a black male, approximately 18-21yoa, approximately 5’10
in hgt, thin build, dark skinned, wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, dark colored pants, white shoes, unknown colored gloves, and a black cloth covering his face. Suspect was in possession of an assault style weapon.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Salisbury Police Department at
410.548.3165 or Crime Solvers at 410.548.1776.

Utah House Approves Bill Allowing Counties To Seize Federal Land

SALT LAKE CITY — Constitutional concerns failed to derail a bill in the Utah House on Monday that would give counties the power to seize federal lands for development.

Many Republican lawmakers instead seemed willing and even excited to challenge federal control of public lands within the state.

“We will not have political equality until we control the lands within our boundaries,” said Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, one of the most vocal advocates for the state’s sovereignty. “We’ve pilfered away our rights like a slab of bologna, one slice at a time. I am not going to put up with it anymore.”

House Bill 511, which passed the House 57-14 on Monday and now moves to the Senate, would give the counties eminent domain power over federal lands. The state was given that authority in 2010 by the Legislature, but has not used it.

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BREAKING NEWS: Third Student Dies In Ohio High School Shooting

Demetrius Hewlin, a student who was wounded in the Chardon High School shooting, died Tuesday morning, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

From Fox News

Showcase Your Business At The Salisbury Festival!

Did you know you can have a display booth at the Salisbury Festival for only $100? And non-profit organizations can have an informational booth for free ($25 fee for non-profits if you plan to sell items)! Booths are set up from 10 am-4 pm Saturday, April 28, 2012 on East Main Street. Don't miss the opportunity to put your company or organization in front of thousands of festival goers for a minimal fee. Interested in sponsoring a portion of the festival? We have sponsorship opportunities that range from $100 and up! Contact Shannon at the Chamber today to sign up for a booth or to learn more about sponsorship opportunities! chamber@salisburyarea.com

AP source: Israel won't warn US before Iran strike

Israeli officials say they won't warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, setting a tense tone ahead of high-level meetings in the coming days in Washington.

A U.S. intelligence official says Israel warned that it will keep the Americans in the dark, to decrease the likelihood that Americans would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel's potential attack.

Israel's prime minister and defense minister delivered the message to top-level U.S. visitors to Israel in recent weeks, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House national security adviser and the director of national intelligence.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic talks. The White House and Israeli Embassy both declined comment.

Source

OBAMA/BUSH

George W Bush and Barack Obama somehow ended up at the same barber shop.

As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken. The barbers were even afraid to start a conversation, for fear it would turn to politics. As the barbers finished their shaves, the one who had Obama in his chair reached for the aftershave.

Obama was quick to stop him saying, 'No thanks, my wife Michelle will smell that and think I've been in a whorehouse.'

The second barber turned to Bush and said, 'How about you sir?' Bush replied, 'Go ahead; my wife doesn't know what the inside of a whorehouse smells like.'

St. Patrick’s Sham Jam

Friday, March 16, 2012
5pm—til
$10 donation benefits Ocean City FOOLS
With partial proceeds donated to the
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Event Headquarters—The Pour House—Wicomico St. & Baltimore Ave.
50/50 Raffle
Original Event T-Shirts
Your donation gets you:
Souvenir Event Pint Glass
Live Entertainment
Drink Specials at ALL THREE Venues!

They Should Outlaw These Things



Behind that bicycle is an INFANT in a little cart riding down the middle of the road in Downtown Salisbury.

Look, I think its great to get out and exercise but when you become such the junkie that you must trail your infant child behind you through traffic, well, you're an IDIOT.

Please do tell me what form of protection is provided for this child? We have to buckle our children into safety seats in our cars but its OK to ride through busy streets in Downtown Salisbury with no bumper, no tail lights, no turn signals, no air bags, no protection whatsoever.

$5.37!

That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bell said to me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher.

Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid with the Elmo hairdo said the hardest thing anyone has ever said to me. He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount."

I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me.
"Only $4.68" he said cheerfully.

I stood there stupefied. I am 56, not even 60 yet?
A mere child! Senior citizen?

I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Elmo. Was he blind? As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me?

I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside. I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a smile.

Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted!
What am I now? A toddler?

"Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?"
I stared with utter disdain at the keys. I began to rationalize in my mind!

"Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly!
It could happen to anyone!"

I turned and headed back to the truck. I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn. What now? I checked my keys and tried another. Still nothing.

That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rear view mirror. I had nopurple beads hanging from my rear view mirror.

Then, a few other objects came into focus: The car seat in the back seat. Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard.

Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle.

Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life. That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger! My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.

I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back into the restaurant one final time. There Elmo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All I could think was, "What is the world coming to?"

All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here"? At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits.

Elmo had no clue. I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake."

I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized.

She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."

All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40 mph zone. Yessss, I was racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too oldto be driving this fast.

As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall. I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket. I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blankey.

The good news was I had successfully found my way home.

Wicomico County To Be Awarded The ESGR Above And Beyond Award

Wicomico County Recreation and Parks to be Honored by Department of Defense for Extraordinary Support of Employees Serving in the Guard and Reserve

(Salisbury, MD)
The Maryland Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (MD ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced today that Wicomico County Government will be honored with an “Above and Beyond” award in recognition of their extraordinary support of its employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve at a ceremony held at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center on 28 Feb 2012.

According to George L. Doetsch Jr, Maryland ESGR Chair, “The ESGR ‘Above and Beyond’ Award was created by ESGR to publicly recognize American employers providing extraordinary patriotic support and cooperation to their employees, who like the citizen warriors before them, have answered their nation’s call to serve. Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s Guard and Reserve units.”

Wicomico County joins with thousands of American employers who have reviewed and amended their current human resources policies to ensure compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Many employers provide “Above and Beyond” support with pay differential to offset the loss of wages, and extension of health care benefits which complement coverage provided by the military when their employees are mobilized.

County Executive Rick Pollitt, Jr. will accept the award on behalf of Wicomico County. Also recognized at the ceremony with a Patriotic Employer Award will be Wicomico County Department of Recreation and Parks.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972 to develop and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service. ESGR advocates relevant initiatives, recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of applicable laws, and resolves conflict between service members and employers. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.

ESPES Kickoff to St. Patrick's Day Weekend At Shenanigan's Irish Pub

Kickoff to the St. Patrick’s Day Weekend hosted by the:
Eastern Shore Police Emerald Society
Thursday March 15, 2012 7pm to 11pm
Shenanigan’s Irish Pub
309 Atlantic Avenue
Ocean City, MD 21842
Entertainment Provided by:
James Gallagher and Off the Boat
Special Appearances by:
Camden County, NJ Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
$10 Donation at the Door for Happy Hour Prices All Night
or
Become a Member of ESPES ($50) and we will give you an ESPES T-Shirt, ESPES Patch, ESPES
Collectible Cup, and we will buy your draft beer during the event.
If coming from Out of Town:
Grand Hotel and Spa
2100 Baltimore Avenue Ocean City, MD 21842 (410) 289-6191
Room Block Code: “PES” Room Rate: $45

2012 Delmarva Chicken Festival Seeking Sponsors

This year the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 63rd Delmarva Chicken Festival at the Centre at Salisbury on June 15 & 16, 2012. Various package sponsorships are available for the festival ranging from $100-$1000.

Over 30,000 people are expected to visit the Delmarva Chicken Festival in Salisbury, Md. Over 18,000 people visit the mall any weekend day. Can you afford to miss this great opportunity to reach so many potential customers?

For more information and application, please contact the Chamber at 410-749-0144.

Rand Paul As A Potential Anti-Dick Cheney

Judging from the comments in posts below about a Romney-Rand Paul ticket, many libertarians are against such a ticket. I think this is ignoring recent history.

A rambling president with no strong principles coupled with a vice-president with strong principles can result in a very powerful vice-president, for good or bad. Most recently, the George Bush-Dick Cheney administration can serve as an example. Cheney did not take the vice-presidency to be GW's lap dog. He took it to run policy (for evil purposes though it might have been)

Since Mitt Romney blows in the wind on almost any issue, a strong principled, libertarian oriented vice-president could accomplish a lot. He could be a sort of anti-Dick Cheney, a man who could reorient the country back toward freedom and, also, away from foreign entanglements.

Rand Paul would not be a Joe Biden or Al Gore type vice-president, relegated to attending funerals of second tier global leaders. A Mitt Romney-Rand Paul administration would get real interesting real fast.

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Qur’an Carnage: Islamic Bloc Calls for Calm, But Iranian General Says Burn the White House

Six days after violent protests erupted in Afghanistan over the unintentional burning of Qur’ans at a U.S. military base, and with more than 30 deaths reported, the world’s top Islamic body Sunday appealed for calm.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said in a statement attributed to its Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu that “the violence and bloodshed was hurting the people of Afghanistan and causing loss of innocent lives.”

An earlier statement by Ihsanoglu, issued last Wednesday, condemned the Quran incident and urged “swift and appropriate disciplinary action against those responsible” – but said nothing about the violence, even though by that stage protests had already turned violent and at least seven had been killed.

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District Court Judges Unhappy With Potential Weekend Work

A Senate vote on an emergency bill to amend the Maryland Public Defender Act was postponed for a second day Monday so lawmakers could hear from judges unhappy with a provision to open courts on weekends for bail hearings.

Continue Reading...

Wishing John Robinson Luck, He'll Certainly Need All He Can Get


Getting yet another big plug in the Daily Times today, John Robinson purposely admits that he's going to spend close to $400,000.00+ in the hopes of keeping his kid out of trouble.

Besides buying a bunch of used cars lately and having everything painted black, you just never know what's next with this guy. He's threatens just about every business owner he disagrees with or person he doesn't like that he will open up a store to compete with them. He's started a screen printing business. He has a clock and jewelery store, he's advertised just about everywhere claiming he'll pay you more money for your gold than anyone else. Seems to me that IF you're paying people more money than anyone else out there your profits would be somewhat slim, wouldn't you?

Yet some how, some way, this John Robinson seems to be so filthy rich and overflowing with cash. He just keeps buying cars and opening new businesses, even if he loses money, admittedly. Heck, now he even wants to start his very own magazine.

Look, I'm all about ANYONE legally opening a business and making a success of themselves. I'm all about giving back to the community, especially kids. However, I happen to know the kind of business Mr. Robinson is about to embark upon and at $5.00 per day, sorry Charlie, it's NOT going to fly, period.

Now, that being said, Robinson openly admits the kind of kids that will frequent his new business venture aren't what some might call honor roll students, if you get my drift. One of the biggest issues, (no matter what the nay sayers say) will be SOME kids selling drugs. Sorry, it's a FACT. It's a problem and an issue no matter what business you own where young people gather on a regular basis. If you think what I'm saying isn't true, well, you're simply in denial. I've been in these type of businesses before and it's a constant struggle fighting it.

Considering Robinson has his hands full with a multitude of businesses, well, there's just no way he's going to be able to police it himself. Oh sure, you can set up cameras but believe me, the kids will find the blind spots and there's NOT enough time in a day to sit back and watch those tapes. Been there, done that.

So what will actually come of this. My guess is when you have an admitted troubled 15 year old kid running your business with no experience, well, in politics they call it lipstick on a pig.

Many have come to me and asked, I never see Robinson's parking lot loaded with cars, how do you think he can afford all this stuff. Oh, I don't know, maybe he has a money tree in the back of his business that just keeps producing cash. It's none of my business. God Bless ANY business person who makes a lot of money and doesn't end up in jail. Better in John Robinson's pocket than Obamas!

Good Luck Mr. Robinson, you're going to need it.

WE'RE #1

Who says we’re not #1 anymore? Get out those foam fingers and celebrate.

America’s Per Capita Government Debt Worse Than Greece,’ as well as Ireland, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain:

Source

Teachers Sound Off On ‘Doomsday’ Budget At Town Hall

Teachers from across the state expressed anxiety about education funding and the teacher pension plan to a panel of state and local officials at a town hall event Monday evening near the State House.

Continue Reading...

Today's Survey Question 2-28-12

Did you watch the Oscars the other night?

Presidential Pardons

Shades of Mercy

White criminals seeking presidential pardons are nearly four times as likely to succeed as people of color, a ProPublica examination has found.

CRITICALITY

Kunstler is at his best when the subject matter ventures towards his Long Emergency book. The American people are being badly misled by idiots like Gingrich spouting the big lie of energy independence. We import 8 million barrels of oil per day and these morons have the gall to declare imminent energy independence if we can just drill in Alaska and off our coasts. You will never get the truth from a politician, oil executive, NYT journalist, or government bureaucrat. You need to think for yourself and connect the dots. As gas soars toward $5 a gallon, be thankful for the Dept of Energy – created in 1979 to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Their annual budget of $30 billion is really paying dividends for the American people.

A Fog of Mendacity

Those frightening sounds, sights, and odors on the wind this foreboding snowless winter – like emanations from some back ward of a global psychiatric hospital – are the signs of a nation going completely mad. The traumatic rise of oil prices above the $100 level is one irritant, prompting a range of people-who-oughta-know-better to gibber and fulminate as though they’d been locked in the nation’s attic since Thanksgiving with nothing to do but play with a box of pencils. Meanwhile, several absurd “narratives” circulate around the mainstream media that are sure to cause this country more trouble – as any set of pernicious untruths will.

One popular new lie is that US oil production is suddenly so robust that America is about to become a leading world oil exporter again – which is completely untrue. The lie arises at the intersection of wishful thinking and the willful misuse of statistics. It was trumpeted by the appallingly credulous Tom Friedman in his Sunday New York Times column, of all places, and it shows how effective the oil and gas industry’s propaganda campaign has been.

A lot of the wishing comes out of the shale oil and shale gas sectors. Those TV commercials you see around the news hours on the cable networks are designed to extract investment capital from elderly people who have been swindled in the bond markets and don’t know where to stick their dwindling retirement funds. Shale oil and gas must seem like a good bet to them, especially the ones marooned in retirement housing clusters in dismal places like Arizona and Florida, where not being able to drive is a virtual death sentence.

The US government is in on this propaganda offensive, especially the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency (EIA), which routinely issues overly optimistic reports about future oil production. The political spin is a quixotic effort to promote another commonly touted lie about the future: that the US is approaching a point of “energy independence.” You’ll know we got there when you have to walk to your new job weeding the potato fields. The mendacity behind this propaganda is strictly the wish of politicians to avoid telling voters the truth, out of sheer cowardice for the consequences. US Energy Secretary Steven Chu will go down in history as a pathetically passive quisling, who thought he was honest and patriotic by standing in the background and keeping his mouth shut.

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Over Last 10 Years, General Electric’s Effective Tax Rate Was 2.3 Percent

– From 2006 to 2011, GE’s net federal income taxes have been negative $2.7 billion, despite $39.2 billion in pretax U.S. profits over the six years.

– Over the past decade, GE’s effective federal income tax rate on its $81.2 billion in pretax U.S. profits has been at most 2.3 percent.

Source

Child Support Debts May Leave Some With No Income

WASHINGTON (AP) - Old child support debts could cost thousands of poor men their only income next year because of a policy aimed at reducing the cost to the government of mailing paper checks to pay federal benefits.

The Treasury Department will start paying benefits electronically next March. It will stop issuing the paper checks that many people rely on to safeguard a portion of their benefits from states trying to collect back child support.

States can freeze the bank accounts of people who owe child support. A separate Treasury Department rule, in place since last May in a preliminary form, guarantees them the power to freeze Social Security, disability and veterans' benefits that have been deposited into those accounts.

Once paper checks are eliminated, about 275,000 people could lose access to all of their income, advocates say.

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Ex-Halliburton Exec Headed To Prison Over $180 Million Bribery Scheme

"Albert 'Jack' Stanley is the former CEO of KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary at the time of the bribes; he was tapped to run the company in 1998 by future Vice President Dick Cheney, who ran Halliburton between 1996 and 2000. Cheney was not charged in the case." . . .'

The investigation of the bribes crossed four continents over 10 years and involved five companies in Europe, the U.S., Japan and Nigeria. Criminal and civil penalties in the case have yielded more than $1.7 billion in fines, forfeitures and other sanctions. . .'

Stanley, 69, who also pleaded guilty to mail and wire fraud in a separate kickback scheme, agreed to pay $10.8 million in addition to incarceration. He faced a maximum of seven years in prison, but prosecutors said the lighter sentence was merited by his "substantial cooperation" in the investigation. Stanley had pleaded guilty in September 2008, but his sentencing was delayed 16 times, according to Reuters.

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The Perfection Of Crony Capitalism: Use Regulation To Destroy Competitors

Crony capitalism uses its wealth to impose government regulations designed to hinder, cripple and destroy small business competitors.

In the U.S. we now have the perfection of cloaked crony capitalism: corporate cartels use their vast concentrations of capital and revenue to buy the political leverage needed to write regulations specifically designed to eliminate competition.

Recall that the most profitable business model is a monopoly or cartel protected from competition by the coercive Central State. Imposing complex regulations on small business competitors effectively cripples an entire class competitors, but does so in "stealth mode"--after all, more regulations are a "good thing" (especially to credulous Liberals) which "protect the public" (and every politico loves claiming his/her new raft of regulations will "protect the public.")

This masks the key dynamic of crony capitalism: gaming the government is the most profitable business model. Where else can you "invest" a few hundred thousand dollars (to buy political "access" and lobbying) and "earn" a return in the millions of dollars, and eliminate potential competitors, too? No other "investment" even comes close.

The ever-expanding galaxy of regulations that business owners have to meet is a function of the corruption of government, i.e. corporations lobbying the government to pass laws and regulations (usually written by industry lobbyists to the specifications of their clients) specifically designed to eliminate competition by raising the costs of compliance amd imposing heavy fines via enforcement.

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Md. Lawmakers Push Seat Belts For All Passengers

WASHINGTON - Two Maryland lawmakers are pushing legislation that would require every person riding in a car to wear a seat belt.

While all drivers in the area are required to buckle up, Virginia and Maryland do not currently require passengers in the back seat to wear seat belts. D.C. does require all passengers to buckle up.

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So Much Times And Effort Spent On New Sex Offender Laws, Will They Finally Pay Off?

While the charges continue to pile up against Tom & Nicole McGuire, you have to wonder, will the new sex offender laws finally see the light of day?

I have yet to hear of a single case in which a sex offender has actually been sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in jail, have you?

So what was the actual purpose of creating these new laws if states attorneys are going to plea out deals before someone is convicted.

The idea, (to me anyway) was to get the Thomas Leggs of the world off the streets and placed behind bars for what our legislators and the public wanted in the first place. A minimum of 15 years with no chance for parole and no time off for good behavior.

I guess we the people have been snookered once again by our legislators. Will Matt Maciarello run from this case, (once again) and claim he knows the McGuire's therefore he can't try the case? I mean, after all, YOU did vote for him to protect you and more importantly, our children.

All too often Mr. Maciarello has passed off case after case claiming there may be a conflict of interest. Look, when and if someone breaks the law, it's time to do what you were hired to do. Laws are now in place to protect CHILDREN against monsters like the McGuire's. I have spent years showing Matt Maciarello and Sheriff Mike Lewis that these two people were extremely unstable and don't get me wrong, they certainly agreed at the time.

However, now we finally have the evidence to try these people and quite frankly I believe IF they are convicted and found guilty that the minimum sentence we worked so hard to achieve is finally brought forth.

I personally want to thank our local law enforcement for doing such a fine job in this case and that goes for our States Attorney as well. I just believe it's time to make sure they do what we elected them to do.



New Posts to fall below.

U.S. Government Converts 1st Foreclosure To Rental

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has started selling off its stock of homes in foreclosure.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Monday that a group of investors purchased the first of 2,500 homes being sold as part of a foreclosure-to-rental program.

The government has control over roughly 250,000 foreclosed homes owned by Fannie Mae, 1 percent of which will be sold and converted into rentals through the pilot program.

Officials say converting the homes into rentals can reduce credit losses and stabilize home values. Homes in foreclosure sell at a 20 percent discount on average, which can hurt surrounding home values.

Investors can submit applications to purchase properties owned by Fannie in some of the nation’s hardest hit metro areas — Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix and parts of Florida.

The government rescued Fannie and its sister organization Freddie Mac in September 2008 and has funded them since the financial crisis.

Source

Ribbon Cutting For Girl Scouts, Wed. Feb. 29

Please join The Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay
for a Ribbon Cutting and Open House
to celebrate the Girl Scouts new office building

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 - 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.

East Park Professional Center
1346 Belmont Avenue, Salisbury, Maryland

Light refreshments will be served

Sponsors:
Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore
Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce

The Democrat

A Republican, in a wheelchair, entered a restaurant one afternoon and asked the waitress for a cup of coffee.

The Republican looked across the restaurant and asked, "Is that Jesus sitting over there?"

The waitress nodded "yes," so the Republican requested that she give Jesus a cup of coffee, on him.

The next patron to come in was a Libertarian, with a hunched back.

He shuffled over to a booth, painfully sat down, and asked the waitress for a cup of hot tea. He also glanced across the restaurant and asked, " Is that Jesus, over there?"

The waitress nodded, so the Libertarian asked her to give Jesus a cup of hot tea, "My treat."

The third patron to come into the restaurant was a Democrat on crutches.

He hobbled over to a booth, sat down and hollered, "Hey there honey! How's about getting me a cold mug of Miller Light?"

He too looked across the restaurant and asked, "Isn't that God's boy over there?”

The waitress nodded, so the Democrat directed her to give Jesus a cold beer. "On my bill," he said loudly.

As Jesus got up to leave, he passed by the Republican, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed."

The Republican felt the strength come back into his legs, got up, and danced a jig out the door.

Jesus passed by the Libertarian, touched him and said, "For your kindness, you are healed."

The Libertarian felt his back straightening up and he raised his hands, praised the Lord, and did a series of back flips out the door.

Then, Jesus walked towards the Democrat, just smiling. The Democrat jumped up and yelled, "Don't touch me .... I'm on disability."

How To Adjust Your Budget To An Income Boost

Maybe it's been so long since you've gotten a raise that you wouldn't know what to do with the money when it hit you. Such a problem is a nice one to have, but still a problem. Act carelessly with your newfound income and you'll hardly notice that you've got it.

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Obama Tells Governors to Hire More Public School Teachers

President Barack Obama lectured the nation’s governors Monday to stop cutting education and to hire more public school teachers, and he proposed spending $25 billion to prevent further layoffs.

The National Governor’s Association held its winter meeting in Washington over the weekend, where the chief executives from states across the country convened to discuss matters affecting their states such as how to handle budgets, and issues such as education and health care.

“We’ve just got to get more teachers into our classrooms,” Obama told the governors gathered at the White House Wednesday morning. “Over the past four years, school districts across America have lost over 250,000 educators – 250,000 teachers, educators have been lost. A quarter million educators responsible for millions of our students, all laid off when America has never needed them more.”

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MTA Lacked Internal Controls Over Hundreds Of Millions, Auditors Find

The Maryland Transit Administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars without verifying bills and had little control over payroll, according to a report published Friday by the Office of Legislative Audits. The agency also did not have any standards for determining when disabled people qualified for a special transit program, and paid $744,000 in taxes it was exempt from.

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Homeowners Who Negotiate Debt Relief Could Soon Face Massive Tax Bill

If Congress doesn't renew a key 2007 law, people who get a principal reduction on their mortgages or short-sell their homes could be forced to pay taxes on their "gain."

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Stealing State Parks

Top politicos in many states are closing many of their parks, slashing hours and services at others, or simply handing over the public's asset to profiteering corporations.

"Sorry, we're closed."

In one of the saddest signs of the times, this message is popping up all across the country as governors and legislators are cutting off funds (and shutting off access) to one of the finest, most popular assets owned by the people of our country: state parks.

More than 6,600 of these jewels draw some 700 million visitors a year to their grand vistas, historic sites, wildlife, campgrounds, educational centers, and lodges. Parks are a tangible expression of America's democratic ideals: common ground for every man, woman, and child to enjoy and experience. For the middle class and the poor — who can't jet off to luxury resorts for a getaway — these spaces offer a form of real wealth, something that each of us literally "owns," knitting us together as a community and nation.

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Keystone XL: White House Backs Pipeline That Will Ship U.S. Oil Overseas

WASHINGTON -- The White House is throwing its support behind a decision by TransCanada to build a portion of the Keystone XL pipeline, even though the project will result in more oil going overseas and potentially higher gas prices.

TransCanada announced Monday that it plans to begin building the southern part of the pipeline, which would ship crude oil from Cushing, Okla., to the Gulf of Mexico.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Barack Obama "welcomes" the news that the Canadian pipeline company is moving ahead with its plans, despite the fact that the administration halted work on the cross-border portion of Keystone through 2013 -- a move that sparked outcry among congressional Republicans -- until TransCanada works out a new route through Nebraska that avoids ecologically sensitive areas.

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SU Department Of Music Presents 'Art Songs Plus!' Mar. 1-2

Award-winning vocalists from Salisbury University’s Department of Music celebrate National Foreign Language Week during “Art Songs Plus!” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1, in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall. A second performance, also featuring songs in multiple languages, is 6 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the Church of Holy Trinity in Oxford, MD. Directed by SU music faculty John Wesley Wright, the event is part of SU’s celebration of National Foreign Language Week. Students performing will participate in this year’s state and regional National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competitions.

O’Malley’s Blind Ambition

For as long as I can remember, and as long as he has held higher office, Democratic Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has wanted to be president. Every move as mayor of Baltimore, as governor of Maryland and as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association has been calculated to win a Democratic primary in 2016. So instead of caring about the needs of Marylanders and leveraging our state’s assets to create prosperity, Mr. O'Malley has treated Marylanders like guinea pigs, pushing a far-left economic agenda in hopes of impressing the liberal establishment and activists in early-primary states. Now, like many of the bailed-out Wall Street banks, Maryland is nothing more than a “zombie state” - an entity with deficits as far as the eye can see, a private sector on life support and a bloated government workforce dependent upon federal funding.

When Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. left office in 2007, the state had a $1.4 billion budget surplus and nearly full employment and was a place where private-sector businesses thrived. Mr. O'Malley, after his first 18 months in office, destroyed all of those successes. He passed massive tax increases on retail sales and income. He signed the first ever “millionaire’s tax,” which forced thousands of affluent residents to flee Maryland and take their assets with them. He created the “tech tax” on information-technology companies, proposed a “fitness tax” on local gyms and has sought to index the gas tax. The poisonous combination of these tax increases has driven 2,500 Maryland businesses to close their doors and lay off more than 200,000 workers. The simple truth is that individual prosperity and business growth are destitute here in Maryland thanks to Mr. O'Malley. He isn’t fighting for hardworking taxpayers; he is fighting to appeal to intellectual liberals who tend to vote in the Iowa caucuses.

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Astronaut Arnold Speaks At SU Thursday, March 1

Astronaut Richard Arnold II of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) speaks at Salisbury University on Thursday, March 1. His talk, “An Overview of the Space Shuttle Mission” is 7 p.m. in Perdue Hall’s Bennett Family Auditorium. The campus and greater communities are invited to attend. Arnold’s visit is part of the second annual Eastern Shore Regional Tournament of the Maryland Science Olympiad, held at SU on Saturday, March 3.

NOT SO FAST, McGuire's Bombarded With Additional Charges


Defendant Information
(Each Alias, Address, and Attorney for the Defendant is displayed) Name: McGuire, Thomas
Race: Caucasian
Sex: MHeight:6'4"Weight:200DOB:11/30/1969
Address: Wicomico County Detention Center
City: SalisburyState:MDZip Code:21801

Charge and Disposition Information
(Each Charge is listed separately. The disposition is listed below the Charge) Charge No: 1CJIS Code:1 0173Statute Code:CR.3.601.(d)
Charge Description: Child Abuse:2nd Deg -Cust
Offense Date From: 11/01/2011To: 11/30/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 2CJIS Code:1 3802Statute Code:CR.3.601
Charge Description: Child Abuse-2nd Degree: House
Offense Date From: 11/01/2011To: 11/30/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 3CJIS Code:1 1415Statute Code:CR.3.203
Charge Description: Assault-Second Degree
Offense Date From: 11/01/2011To: 11/30/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 4CJIS Code:1 0322Statute Code:CR.3.602.(b)
Charge Description: Sex Abuse Minor
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 5CJIS Code:1 0322Statute Code:CR.3.602.(b)
Charge Description: Sex Abuse Minor
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 6CJIS Code:3 3600Statute Code:CR.3.307
Charge Description: Sex Offense Third Degree
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 7CJIS Code:6 3600Statute Code:CR.3.322
Charge Description: Unnatural Or Perverted Practice
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 8CJIS Code:1 3605Statute Code:CR.11.107
Charge Description: Indecent Exposure
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 9CJIS Code:1 0322Statute Code:CR.3.602.(b)
Charge Description: Sex Abuse Minor
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 10CJIS Code:4 3600Statute Code:CR.3.308
Charge Description: Sex Offense Fourth Degree
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 11CJIS Code:6 3600Statute Code:CR.3.322
Charge Description: Unnatural Or Perverted Practice
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 12CJIS Code:1 0042Statute Code:CL
Charge Description: False Imprisonment
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 13CJIS Code:1 3605Statute Code:CR.11.107
Charge Description: Indecent Exposure
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M

Defendant Information
(Each Alias, Address, and Attorney for the Defendant is displayed) Name: McGuire, Nicole
Race: Caucasian
Sex: FHeight:5'4"Weight:150DOB:03/09/1984
Address: Wicomico County Detention Center
City: SalisburyState:MDZip Code:21801

Charge and Disposition Information
(Each Charge is listed separately. The disposition is listed below the Charge) Charge No: 1CJIS Code:1 0322Statute Code:CR.3.602.(b)
Charge Description: Sex Abuse Minor
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 2CJIS Code:1 0322Statute Code:CR.3.602.(b)
Charge Description: Sex Abuse Minor
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 3CJIS Code:3 3600Statute Code:CR.3.307
Charge Description: Sex Offense Third Degree
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 4CJIS Code:6 3600Statute Code:CR.3.322
Charge Description: Unnatural Or Perverted Practice
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 5CJIS Code:1 3605Statute Code:CR.11.107
Charge Description: Indecent Exposure
Offense Date From: 08/25/2011To: 08/28/2011
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 6CJIS Code:1 0322Statute Code:CR.3.602.(b)
Charge Description: Sex Abuse Minor
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 7CJIS Code:1 1604Statute Code:CR.3.324
Charge Description: Sexual Solicitation Of A Minor
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 8CJIS Code:3 3600Statute Code:CR.3.307
Charge Description: Sex Offense Third Degree
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:F
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 9CJIS Code:1 0042Statute Code:CL
Charge Description: False Imprisonment
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 10CJIS Code:6 3600Statute Code:CR.3.322
Charge Description: Unnatural Or Perverted Practice
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M
Disposition Plea: Plea Date:
Disposition: Disposition Date:

Charge No: 11CJIS Code:1 3605Statute Code:CR.11.107
Charge Description: Indecent Exposure
Offense Date From: 05/01/2010To: 08/30/2010
Arrest Tracking No: 00-0000-00000-0Citation:
Charge Amend No: 0Sentence Version:0Charge Class:M