Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Its De'ja Vu All Over Again


Let's make a bet who will become the hero at the 11th hour on the Budget. We can go all the way back to Barrie Tilghman, it's amazing how things are so similar with Jim Ireton as well. It's all about DRAMA, in case you had forgotten.

So when Mike Dunn would save the day, then Gary Comegys, all in the 11th hour of a Mayoral Veto threat, who do you think will be next?

Do you think it will be:

A) Laura Mitchell

B) Shanie Shields

C) Jim Ireton

D) Other

My bet would be, expect more rescues to come. Tilghman and Ireton LIVE for a crisis so who do you think will be the next hero?



New Posts to fall below.

Drugs To Become More Readily Available Soon

A bill to help ensure the safety of U.S. drug supplies has sailed through the House. The Food and Drug Administration had lobbied hard for the measure. It reauthorizes user-fee programs that help the agency pay for reviews of new medicines. It also gives the FDA flexibility so regulators can target the most problematic manufacturers, regardless of whether they are in the United States or abroad. The Senate passed a similar bill last week. The two chambers still have some differences to iron out in a conference committee before they can send the bill to the president.

David Foley Back To Work At GSA

Not all heads are going to roll in the wake of the Las Vegas conference scandal. Public Buildings Service Deputy Commissioner David Foley has returned to work, a General Services Administration spokesman confirmed. Foley was one of the officials called before Congress to explain why his agency spent more than $800,000 on a Las Vegas conference. He can be seen on a video of the conference joking about who was going to pay for "the party that was held in the commissioner's suite last night." That commissioner, Robert Peck, was fired by GSA head Martha Johnson right before she turned in her own resignation.

Obama To Veto Bill

President Barack Obama is planning to veto a bill to fund military construction and veterans' programs. The bill is widely popular in the House, which plans to vote on it today. It would freeze federal pay for another year. Moreover, the White House said the bill violates last summer's budget deal. It would cut overall funding for Veterans Affairs operations by just 2 percent. That's relatively good for the VA, but the White House said it would force Congress to make deep and unfair cuts to other agencies.

DON'T WASTE THAT LEMON PEEL

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or
consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted.

How can you use the whole lemon without waste?

Simple ..place the lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods.

Sprinkle it to your whisky, wine, vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes. All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore. Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles.

What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes?

Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that's what you've been wasting. But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier.
It's also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body.

Police Mistake Bat for Gun; Shoot Latino Teen in Back

Miami-Dade police shot a teenage boy four times in the back on Monday morning, leaving him in critical condition and bringing up more questions over gun violence in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting earlier this year.
Officers opened fire on 16-year-old Sebastian Gregory after he allegedly reached for a baseball bat in his belt when an officer told him to "show his hands."
Gregory was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center where doctors surgically removed three bullets from his middle to lower back, leaving one still in his spinal cord. He remains in critical but stable condition as several of his organs were affected, including his liver, lungs and colon.
More 

24-Hour Lacrosse Game Benefits Wounded Warriors

Twenty-four hours is a long time to play lacrosse.

For a single game, it will be a record and one that benefits wounded warriors.

The Shootout for Soldiers, which will feature hundreds of players during the game, will be divided up into 1-hour sections.

Each player suits up for either the Stars or the Stripes.

"There's a whole range of people playing, including D-I All Americans, MLL [Major League Lacrosse] players, professional athletes from other sports," says founder Tyler Steinhardt.

"People signed up who are 10-year-olds and people signed up who are 65 years old," Steinhardt says.

 More

Official Kill List


Watch Kathie Lee Gifford Really Blow It on Today Bringing Up Martin Short's Late Wife

She and Hoda Kotb were talking to Martin Short about Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted on theToday show Wednesday, and all was going well. The actor was being his usual boisterous self. Gifford asked him about his youngest son's recent graduation from Notre Dame and how the rest of the Short brood was doing.

But then she added, "And he and Nancy have one of the greatest marriages of anybody in show business. How many years now for you guys?"

Unfortunately, the well-meaning but underprepared Gifford meant had.

Short's wife, Nancy Dolman, died in August 2010 of ovarian cancer.
 More

Statement From Governor Martin O’Malley On SPARROWS POINT

ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 31, 2012) – Governor Martin O’Malley today issued the following statement after Sparrows Point owner RG Steel filed for bankruptcy:

“For generations, Sparrows Point has been a major employer for hundreds of Baltimore families and a significant asset for the State.

“Since the acquisition of the facility by RG Steel, our Departments of Business and Economic Development (DBED) and Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) have been working with RG to provide incentives in the form of training assistance for the employees to enhance their skills. It is unfortunate that market and industry forces too large to be overcome by any form of incentive assistance have brought RG to its current circumstances.

“The State will continue to work closely with the employees to continue to offer assistance in any appropriate way. The State will also continue to provide assistance to Baltimore County officials as they look at opportunities to utilize unused portions of the former Bethlehem Steel property.”

Best Commencement Speeches of 2012

Graduation season is well underway. Millions of college students are pouring into fields and stadiums to receive diplomas and start life as adults. But before throwing their caps in the air, grads receive bits of advice during a time-honored tradition: the commencement speech.

Some speeches are boring, and some are long. Some are awkward, like Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank's address at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Referring to the hooded academic robe that civil rights leader Hubie Jones received at the commencement on Sunday, the Democrat said "You now have a hoodie you can wear and no one will shoot at you," in a reference to the Trayvon Martin case.

The comment drew nervous laughter and groans from the crowd. Martin was the Florida teen who was wearing a hoodie when he was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch activist.

More 


Audit Finds Lottery Security Problems

An audit has found security problems related to the main computer network at the Maryland Lottery.
The report issued by the Office of Legislative Audits finds the agency has left the network that supports a number of lottery games "open to external threats."
The audit also found the agency did not keep adequate records on customer complaints on video lottery terminals or slot machines at the state's two casinos.  The agency was also encouraged to improve its monitoring of the machines to make sure they are working.
More 

Keys Found In Mardela Springs

I just found a set of keys along route 50 near Mardela Springs. 3 keys with a yellow tag, if someone can identify what is written on the tag I will gladly give them over.

Ben in Salisbury
410-742-7115

What's The Point?


Va. Aquarium Adopts Baby Otter, Asks For Name Ideas

Like any baby, he's small, cute and likes to cuddle. But in addition to his baby formula, this little guy already is eating smelt, capelin, scrambled eggs and cottage cheese.
The 8-pound, foot-long baby otter was found alone near St. George, S.C., apparently abandoned by his mother. He was born around Feb. 5.
Keeper of the Wild, a wildlife rehabilitator, cared for the otter until last week, when the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center's adoption was confirmed. Because the animal was so young when he was found, he became dependent on human care and could not be released into the wild, according to a news release from the aquarium
 More
What would you name him?

History Seems To Be Repeating Itself In Salisbury Maryland


While the majority of our readers remember the TIF given out to the Old Mall project, there was another TIF project that didn't get as much publicity and is being covered up by the local MSM.

Barrie Tilghman, Mike Dunn, Lynn Cathcart, Gary Comegys and Shanie Shields overwhelmingly supported these TIF's and Developer Reimbursements and today claim they were progressive by getting things to move forward.

Well, if that's your legacy, so be it. I have always argued that while they may have moved things forward, it was more in their best interests than the pockets of the taxpayers and let me explain why.

Another TIF that the City supported was the Aydelotte Farm TIF. I believe the TIF was for around $7 to $8 million dollars. The project was intended to build 200 homes by 2010. Today there are only around 50 home, if that and this is 2012.

There were two developer partners in the project, both of which have now filed bankruptcy, GO FIGURE! Thanks Barrie and Council. Ryan Homes was supposed to build the 200 homes but as of the beginning of this year they have pulled their trailer and sales office out of there.

Talbot Bank finances somewhere between $12 to $15 million dollars on this project and now most of those lots are up for tax sale, including a 100 acre parcel. They went into receivership about a month ago and I believe they have around $250,000.00 in taxes due on these properties.

Just remember who's who when it comes to the next election. Remember what groups made out like bandits and which group, (you) got screwed. Know why these people are scared to death of Joe Albero running for Mayor because ALL of these projects will come to an immediate end.

I'm about making your money WORK FOR YOU. I'm about fiscal responsibility. I have plans in place that will blow the minds of all taxpayers because you'll never have to rely on TIF's or government money ever again.

So why have these people used government funding in the past, BECAUSE ITS EASY TO GET! A good solid Mayor will have to work hard to get people interested in investing in Salisbury. My plans will deliver incredible answers on how to make that happen. By now some of my ideas have found their way back to Mayor Ireton and former Mayor Barrie Tilghman. I can assure you the first thing that went through their mind was, why didn't I think of that. Then they thought, that's impossible. Well, no it isn't. They just have no clue how to go about getting it done, I DO. See you at the polls.

By the way, you should start calling your local MSM and ask them why they are keeping such important information so quiet.

GO HERE to see the last story we did on this project.




New Posts to fall below.

Once Again The Daily Times Misleads Their Readers


Is Sarah Lake just plain ignorant or do you think she's just an expert at twisting words?

In today's DT's article on the Budget, the DT's makes it look as if the Mayor might Veto the Budget. Yeah, right! Do you really want a Mayor as indecisive and finicky as Jim Ireton, that's the big question. Your either going to Veto the Budget, or your not.

Nevertheless, Ireton needs to do his typical LOOK AT MEEEEE attention grabber and leave taxpayers in suspense. No matter what, IF he were to Veto the Budget it could truly come back and bite him in the butt.

I'll get to that later. Right now let's get back to Sarah Lake and her twisting of words. In their article today the Daily Times attempts to actually make the COUNCIL look bad for not following up on certain things like billing the County for franchise Comcast money.

GUESS WHAT PEOPLE, that is NOT the Council's job! Mayor Ireton is the ADMINISTRATIVE BODY and the administrative body is in charge of the BILLING. The same exact thing goes for billing fire and ambulance fees to Insurance Companies. IF the Mayor and his Staff wanted that money he would have asked the Council President to place those items on the agenda and passed legislation to go ahead and collect it. That hasn't been requested. Wake up Jim, you're asleep at the wheel again. Oh, that's right, your a school teacher, not a business person.

The Daily Times is a disgusting excuse for a daily newspaper, that's all there is to it. As we stated yesterday from another professional in the Industry, they have no history here any more. Their reporters are new and they really have no clue what's going on.

Instead, Ireton just tells them what to say and do and the DT's prints it. Carmean and Bassett should be thrown to the curb. The Mayor has NO CLUE what his job title actually represents. He and Barrie Tilghman had created an image in which the Mayor has powers in which it does not.

That being said, should Ireton Veto the Budget, there will be NO MONEY and NO BUDGET. Sure, he can Veto the Budget but he'll have to come back to the Council ALL year long asking for money because they make ALL of the legislative/financial decisions for the City and taxpayers.

So go ahead Jim, make this race REALLY easy for me. Veto that budget. The Council should call his bluff because he's about to very quickly learn he doesn't have nor ever has had the power he and Barrie Tilghman made people believe in the past.

The above spells it all out. I WANT, I WANT, I WANT AND I'LL STOMP MY FEET UNTIL I GET MY WAY. Not any more Jimmy.


New Posts to fall below.

TEEN CHARGED IN KENT CO. SCHOOL BOMB THREAT

(CHESTERTOWN, MD) -- Maryland State Police have charged a Kent County teenager in connection with the bomb threat last month that closed county schools for the day.

After consultation with the Kent County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police today charged a 15-year-old male from Chestertown as a juvenile with 11 counts of threat of arson and 11 counts of disturbing school operations. He was arrested at 10:30 a.m. today. After processing, he was released to the custody of his parents. He is not being identified because he is charged as a juvenile.

The investigation began on April 3, 2012, when a handwritten note was found by school officials on a side door of the Kent Middle School in Chestertown, Md. The note said a bomb had been placed in the school and in all six other Kent County schools and they would detonate that day.

Kent County school officials immediately called police and began a reverse 911 operation to notify parents that schools would be evacuated and closed. The county high school was in session already. Students were being dropped off at the middle school and the elementary school students were not yet on their way. Students at the high school and middle school were evacuated and sent home. There are about 2,100 school students in Kent County who attend one high school, one middle school, and five elementary schools. Three private schools and the county school administration building also closed that day as a precaution.

A cooperative law enforcement effort that day brought police K-9 units into the county from across the state and each school facility was thoroughly searched. No explosive devices were found.

The Kent Bureau of Investigation, comprised of criminal investigators from the Maryland State Police, the Chestertown Police Department, and the Rock Hall Police Department, conducted a criminal investigation into the bomb threat. During the investigation, information was developed that led to the identification of a possible suspect.

Police investigators obtained handwriting samples from the suspect and forwarded them along with the original note to the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Laboratory. After examination, a Maryland State Police handwriting expert confirmed the suspect was the person responsible for writing the bomb threat note. A motive for the threat has not been identified.

BREAKING NEWS: Judge Declares Mistrial In John Edwards Corruption Case

Judge declares mistrial in John Edwards federal corruption trial after jury reaches not guilty verdict on one count, but fails to reach a verdict on remaining five felony counts charging he accepted nearly $1 million from two political supporters to cover up an affair.

From Fox News

Md. Gay Marriage Opponents Say Proof is in Petitions

 Opponents of same-sex marriage in Maryland say they know how residents really feel about the state's law allowing gay couples to wed, and they've collected the signatures to prove it.

Members of the Maryland Marriage Alliance, a coalition of faith-based organizations, Tuesday stacked boxes filled with 113,000 signatures on petitions in front of the office of Maryland's Secretary of State.

The signatures are being submitted in an effort to put the state's same-sex marriage to a vote in November.

 More

Man Manages To Board Flight Without A Ticket After Leaving Prison

It makes sense that everyone has to take off their shoes to go through security, but then a recently released inmate can swan past security and board a flight without a ticket, doesn't it? A man who got out of jail on Memorial Day hopped on a flight in San Diego without bothering with the whole ticket thing, but he just ended up going right back to jail.

More »

Republican Offers Dream Option for Illegals

Wading directly into the thorny immigration debate, a key House Republican on Wednesday introduced the GOP’s first version of the Dream Act in this Congress in a bill that would give a select group of high-achieving illegal immigrants the chance to become U.S. citizens.
Rep. David Rivera, Florida Republican, said his bill is designed to help students who likely had no say in their family’s decision to come to the U.S. illegally but who have studied hard enough to get into college.
He said his inspiration was one of his constituents, Daniela Pelaez, who was brought to the U.S. from Colombia at age 4, is graduating as valedictorian of North Miami Senior High School and has been admitted to Dartmouth College, but who is also facing deportation.
 More

Lawmakers Suddenly Care About Those Fee-Laden College Cards That Are Now In The News

Earlier today, we told you about the U.S. Public Interest Research Group report on how the growing number of ethically questionable partnerships between U.S. colleges and financial institutions was resulting in millions of college students being pushed toward receiving their financial aid payments on cards costing hundreds of millions of dollars in fees to users each year. The study appears to have gotten the attention of some folks in Washington.


More »

MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD INFILTRATES U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

A flurry of news media reports last week highlighted a Harlem public elementary school that will become the first in New York to require students to study Arabic.
Entirely unreported is that the organization that co-created and funded the Arabic language program for the New York school, WND has found, maintains close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, while the group’s founder also started the Al Jazeera television network.
The Qatar Foundation International, or QFI, a nonprofit group financed by the government of Qatar, gave Harlem’s Hamilton Heights, a K-5 public school, a $250,000 grant to support the Arabic program for three years.
The school’s Arabic language program was reportedly developed by QFI and the the Global Language Project.
More 

BREAKING NEWS: Judge Orders Deadlocked John Edwards Back To Deliberate

Judge in Greensboro, NC, orders deadlocked jury in John Edwards federal corruption trial to continue deliberations after they failed to reach a verdict on all but one of six counts.

From Fox News

Fox News Is Now Actively Campaigning Against President Obama

The network's morning show – Fox and Friends – aired a nearly four-minute-long anti-Obama campaign ad this morning – written, edited, and produced by Fox and Friends staff. The ad highlights debt, unemployment, and rising gas prices – while giving no attention to Congress and the role of the Republican filibuster in blocking numerous programs that would have created jobs. And as Mediaite reports – the ads bears a striking resemblance to political ads run by the Republican National Committee and the Republican Governors Association. So here we have a network – operating as the mouthpiece of the Republican Party – yet still calling itself news. Something's not right here.

BREAKING NEWS: John Edwards Jury Deadlocked

Jury in Greensboro, NC, deadlocked on all but one count in John Edwards federal corruption trial.

From Fox News

BREAKING NEWS: House Defeats Bill To Ban Sex-Selective Abortions

A bill to ban abortions based on the gender of the fetus fails to muster the two-thirds majority necessary to pass in the House, following a contentious debate.

From Fox News

Lawmakers Form Pit Bull Task Force

Maryland lawmakers will review the impact of a ruling by the state's highest court that concluded pit bulls are an inherently dangerous breed and consider legislation in response, the presiding officers of the 
Maryland General Assembly announced Tuesday.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael Busch announced the members of a 10-member task force in a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley.

"This decision will have profound effects on dogs, dog owners, property owners, tenants and landlords," Miller, D-Calvert, and Busch, D-Anne Arundel, wrote. "Therefore, we are appointing a Joint Task Force to study the court decision and make recommendations on possible legislation."

More 

Check Out The New United Nations Children's Fund Report On Child Poverty

OF the 34 wealthiest nations looked at by UNICEF – the United States has the second highest child poverty rate of all of them – with a staggering 23% of all American children living in poverty. Only two nations – the United States and Romania have child poverty rates above 20%. That number would be even higher except for federal life lines like food stamps – which reduced the number of children in extreme poverty by half last year. Unfortunately – with unemployment benefits expiring around the nation – and Republicans gutting the food stamp programs – things could get a lot tougher for children in America.

BREAKING NEWS: Verdict Reached In John Edwards Trial

Jury in Greensboro, NC, reaches verdict in the John Edwards federal corruption trial. Edwards is charged with six felony counts charging he accepted nearly $1 million from two political supporters to cover up an affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter during his 2008 run for the White House. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

From Fox News

Iran Thinks US and Israel Unable to Attack, Says Barak

Iran is convinced that Israeli and the United States are unable to stage an attack on its nuclear facilities, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Wednesday morning.

He added that Iran is only trying to buy time while it tries to reach the point where it cannot be successfully attacked and can develop the capability to manufacture a nuclear weapon.

Speaking at an INSS conference at Tel Aviv University, Barak warned, “The Iranian threat is significant and is not disappearing. We are at a fateful crossroads." Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spelled out at the conference Tuesday night Israel’s demands from the world powers trying to reach an agreement with Iran over international supervision of its nuclear program. Iran already is enriching  20 percent grade uranium, a key element for a nuclear weapon, and Israel wants it to be restricted to "zero enrichment."

 More

The New American Job Killer Is Bank Of America

Less than three years removed from accepting a $45 billion bailout courtesy of the American taxpayers – Bank of America announced plans to lay off 30,000 American workers – and relocate its business-support operations and call centers to the Philippines. Bank of America joins other big American banks that've turned their back on American workers and set-up shop in the low-wage paradise of the Philippines – where the average family makes just $4,700 a year. In the last four years – 500,000 jobs have been shed from the US call center industry thanks to this same sort of outsourcing. Democratic Representative from New York – Tim Bishop – has introduced legislation titled the US Call Center and Consumer Protection Act to stop the flow of American call center jobs out of the country. The bill will make any company like Bank of America that ships American call center jobs to places like the Philippines unable to receive future federal loans and grants. Call your Member of Congress and tell them to support this critical piece of legislation.

ALLEGED PHOTOS OF CANNIBAL VICTIM‘S ’EATEN’ FACE EMERGE: ‘UNBELIEVABLY HORRIFYING’

WARNING: This article includes disturbing themes and links to extremely graphic images. Please be advised.
It’s rare that a story is so revolting and troubling that it instills a litany of emotions in those who learn its details. But the tragic and grotesque cannibalistic attack that occurred in Miami, Florida, over the Memorial Day Weekend is one of those tales — a saga that is nightmarish at its core.Police have officially identified the culprit as Rudy Eugene, a 31-year-old who has reportedly been arrested eight times prior to this incident unfolding.
The details surrounding the case are grizzly, as the victim, a homeless man just identified as Ronald Poppo, remains in critical condition following the attack. According to multiple accounts and media reports, the only element that was left of the victim’s face following the defilement was his goatee. Now, alleged pictures have emerged of the 65-year-old’s face and the images are so disturbing, so sickening, that they are almost unbearable to look at.
 More
 

Disgusting: 7 Million Kids And Mothers Suffer Extreme Poverty In The Richest Country In The World

Despite being the richest country in the world, our poverty rate is one of the highest among highly developed nations.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Georgetown law professor Peter Edelman, to discuss his decades of anti-poverty work and his new book, So Rich So Poor: Why It’s So Hard to End Poverty In America. Peter Edelman was legislative aide to Senator Robert F. Kennedy and accompanied Kennedy on his 1967 visits to the deep South to understand hunger and poverty in this country and how to fix it. Edelman also served as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services years later under President Bill Clinton. He resigned this post in protest of Clinton's signing of the welfare reform legislation that converted the federal anti-poverty cash-assistance entitlement into a state block grant program that severely restricted the availability of cash assistance to those in need. [Disclosure: Edelman serves an adviser to the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and sits on the board of one of the project's current funders, the Public Welfare Foundation.]

Karen Dolan: Peter, you tell us in your book that "extreme poverty" in the U.S. is increasing. Can you explain what this means with regard to things like shelter and food and whether it's getting a lot harder to be poor than it was a few decades ago?

Peter Edelman: Extreme poverty means having an income of less than half the poverty line. That's less than $9,000 a year for a family of three. The stunning fact is that in 2010, there were 20.5 million people who had incomes that low. And perhaps even more disturbing -- 6 million people have no income other than food stamps (SNAP). That means an income at one third of the poverty line or less than $6,000 a year for a family of three. You can't live on that.

More

Christie's Vice Presidential Skills

WASHINGTON -- The most striking thing about the current Republican vice presidential field is its striking superiority to the Republican presidential field of six months ago. Former Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rob Portman are among the more accomplished, knowledgeable, ideologically balanced political figures in American politics. The same could not be said of Rick Perry, Herman Cain or Michele Bachmann.

The untested, of course, are also unwounded. It is easier to appear qualified and dignified when you haven't been stripped, prodded with sharp sticks and forced to perform tricks on dozens of debate stages.

But there is more at work in this obvious stature gap. Part of the explanation is structural. Presidential candidates are largely self-selected, which favors ambition and self-regard above, well, all other traits. A vice presidential field results from a party's consensus on talent and competence.

A portion of the gap, in this case, is also cyclical. The presidential timing for Bush, Rubio or Christie -- for a variety of personal and political reasons -- was premature. The strong Republican vice presidential field of 2012 is also the strong Republican presidential field of 2016, just coming into its own.

More

Veterans’ Plate Bill Hearing Where The Environmental Committee Dishonored Maryland Veterans

Delegate Smigiel addressed all the concerns to be raised by the opposition to the proposed Veterans’ License Plate bill only to have the environmental committee engage in ugly political games to kill this bill meant to honor and care for our Veterans.

WHOOPS: MICHELLE OBAMA SEEMINGLY GETS HER HUSBAND’S TIMELINE WRONG ON JON STEWART

Without divulging any more details about her husband’s high school “choom gang,” Michelle Obama explained on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart Tuesday when and why her husband got his act together: “By the time [Barack Obama] was in college, like so many young people, he realized he could do more with his life.”
“He had a mother that was saying ‘you’re so gifted, you’re so talented,’ and would slap him on the head (and say) ‘get yourself together,” but it wasn’t until his father died, she explained, that her husband really grew up.
“That was one of those click-in moments,” she told Stewart. “And he really buckled down, he transferred schools, went to Columbia and thought about how to use life to the fullest.”
The only problem?
Barack Obama transferred to Columbia in 1981, and his father didn’t die until 1982.
 More

What To Remember On Memorial Day

"What you are proposing is murder," Lt. Joseph Cramer told his commanding officer, Colonel John Chivington of the Third Colorado Cavalry, shortly before daybreak on the morning of the planned assault. Cramer and several other members of Chivington’s command staff had severe misgivings about the prospect of a sneak attack against a band of defenseless of Cheyenne Indians who had been promised protection.

Chief Black Kettle had distinguished himself through repeated efforts to secure the peace – on one occasion riding weaponless between opposing skirmish lines to prevent a battle from breaking out. In witness of his non-belligerency he had been provided with a United States flag by military officers who promised to protect the Cheyennes and Arapahos who lived in his encampment.

The "Battle" of Sand Creek could be considered the last engagement in which the U.S. flag flew over Americans who mounted a desperate defense of their homes and families against a barbarous aggressor.

During the months leading up to the November 1864 attack on the Sand Creek Reservation, Black Kettle had cooperated in efforts to identify and apprehend Indians who had stolen horses and attacked white settlers. He had also repeatedly petitioned both civilian and military officials on behalf of Indians who had suffered similar abuses.

"The Indians talk very bitterly about the whites – say they have stolen their ponies and abused their women, taken their hunting grounds, and they expected that they would have to fight for their rights," wrote Lt. George Hawkins in an official report filed during the bitter winter of 1863. The concept that Indians had rights they were entitled to defend was foreign to Colorado Governor John Evans and General Samuel Curtis.

During a September 1864 conference in Denver, Evans disingenuously insisted that owing to a "state of war" the military had plenary authority over Indian affairs, and that he was powerless to negotiate a peace treaty. Curtis wasn’t interested in a modus vivendi with the Indians: "I want no peace until the Indians suffer more," he wrote in a directive to Colonel Chivington. "Pursue everywhere and chastise the Cheyennes and the Arapahos…. No presents must be made and no peace concluded without my consent."

More

Bush’s Tax Cuts Didn’t Get Us In This Mess

With the presidential campaign gathering steam, the voters are going to be fed a lot of baloney before Election Day. One of the biggest humdingers now coming your way: The Bush tax cuts are responsible for the mess the country is in.

A recurring theme in President Barack Obama’s attacks on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his tax policies is: “We can’t go back to the same policies that got us into this mess.”

President George W. Bush’s tax cuts did not cause the fiscal crisis of 2008. Our economic calamity came in a housing meltdown — the result of years of administrations of both parties encouraging variable-interest, no-interest, little or no down payment, and no-document or liar loans that flooded people into homes they couldn’t afford under traditional mortgage lending practices.

To its credit, the Bush administration twice advanced reforms to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, major players in pushing bad loans. Each time it was blocked by powerful Democrats, Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Frank famously said he wanted the two quasi-governmental agencies “to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidizing housing.” Even after the home-ownership explosion was starting to be revealed to be a house of cards, Dodd declared, “These two institutions are fundamentally, fundamentally strong.”

More

Yard Sales


If you are planning a Yard Sale and would like it published on Salisbury News you'll need to send us your information by Thursday evening with all details. There is no charge to list your Yard Sale. Yard Sale Ads will go up every Friday morning.

Va. Woman's Car Towed Once To Be Towed Again

It was a dream night at Nats Park that turned into a nightmare for a local woman.

Virginia Nicolaidis of Alexandria took her son to the ballpark on May 14 for his 10th birthday. It also happened to be the night that Bryce Harper hit his first Major League home run.

But when Nicolaidis and her son went to find their car on First Street, SE after the game, it was gone. Towed.

 More

Obama’s ‘Stronger, Safer And More Respected’ Delusion

On May 23, President Barack Obama told more than 1,000 jubilant, uniform-prepped-and-polished graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy that the world has a “new feeling about America.” He declared: “I see it everywhere I go, from London and Prague to Tokyo and Seoul to Rio and Jakarta. There’s a new confidence in our leadership.” If only it were true.

Obama boasted, “We can say with confidence and pride: The United States is stronger, safer and more respected in the world.”

“Stronger, safer and more respected”?

“Stronger,” as in Obama’s plan to initiate more than $500 billion in automatic cuts to the defense budget over a decade, starting next January. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the Democratic-controlled Senate voted May 24 to authorize another reduced spending package for the Pentagon.

“Safer,” as in the report card from the Bipartisan Policy Center, including many of the original 9/11 Commission members, which reported on national preparedness 10 years after those catastrophic terrorist attacks: “Our country is undoubtedly safer and more secure than it was a decade ago,” but “we fail to achieve the security we could or should have.” The report concluded that the federal government has failed to meet nine of the 9/11 Commission’s 41 recommendations.

“More respected,” as in The Washington Times’ report that according to a poll by even two left-leaning groups, “a majority of Americans say the United States is less respected in the world than two years ago and believe President Obama and other Democrats fall short of Republicans on the issue of national security.”

More

BREAKING NEWS: Defense Of Marriage Act Ruled Unconstitutional

Federal court rules Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, saying it denies federal benefits to married gay couples. The law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

From Fox News

It Wasn't A "Gaffe"

President Obama just slapped in the face one of America's closest allies in Europe. I'm looking for comment in the American media, and I find … wire stories reporting a spokesman's apology for the president's "misstatement"?

The president intended to honor Jan Karski, a Polish-born U.S. citizen, who died in 2000. Karski was a hero of the Polish resistance, the courier who brought to the outside world the irrefutable proof of the Nazi extermination campaign against the Jews of Eastern Europe. But instead of honoring Karski, the president stumbled into the single most offensive thing he could possibly have said on this occasion:

Before one trip across enemy lines, resistance fighters told him that Jews were being murdered on a massive scale, and smuggled him into the Warsaw Ghetto and a Polish death camp to see for himself.

More

Video: Planned Parenthood Encourages Woman To Get Sex-Selection Abortion

The investigative pro-life group Live Action, which has released videos exposing the abuses at the Planned Parenthood abortion business across the country, has released a new video today showing a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Austin, Texas encouraging a woman to get a sex-selection abortion.

The video shows a Planned Parenthood staffer encouraging the woman to obtain a late-term abortion because she was purportedly carrying a girl and wanted to have a boy. The video is the first in a new series titled “Gendercide: Sex-Selection in America,” that Live Action tells LifeNews will be exposing the practice of sex-selective abortion in the United States and how Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry facilitate the selective elimination of baby girls in the womb.

“I see that you’re saying that you want to terminate if it’s a girl, so are you just wanting to continue the pregnancy in the meantime?” a Planned Parenthood counselor named “Rebecca” offers the woman, who is purportedly still in her first trimester and cannot be certain about the gender.

“The abortion covers you up until 23 weeks,” explains Rebecca, “and usually at 5 months is usually (sic) when they detect, you know, whether or not it’s a boy or a girl.”

More

Today's Fill In The Blank 5-31-12

The last local restaurant I visited was _____.

Why Obama Can’t Quit Maher

Yahoo News, that proud, card-carrying member of the “progressive” Party Pravda, is on the attack again. What else should be expected from a website that looks like it’s part of the obama re-election campaign? They’re resurrecting the birth certificate issue and attempting to tie it to Mitt Romney. In an article published May 30, 2012, Amy Walter, David Chalian, Rick Klein, Richard Coolidge & Sherisse Pham pronounce: “Trump is still embracing “birther” theories, saying that President Obama was not born in the United States, despite the fact that the Obama administration has clearly proven he was.” The attack continues: “Team Romney thinks that even now — with the primary battle in the rear view mirror — there is a danger in alienating someone like Donald Trump — the campaign doesn’t know what he might do on the outside, and it does not know what people who agree with Trump might do with their support.” A view of the accompanying video shows their smug faces displaying pleasure in and relish for the attack. Like hyenas at first blood on downed prey.

More

A Year After The Non-Apocalypse: Where Are They Now?

A reporter tracks down the remnants of Harold Camping’s apocalyptic movement and finds out you don’t have to be crazy to believe something nuts.

For a while, their message was everywhere. They paid for billboards, took out full-page ads in newspapers, distributed thousands of tracts. They drove across the county in RVs emblazoned with verses from the books of Revelation and Daniel. They marched around Manhattan holding signs. They broadcasted day and night on their network of radio stations. They warned the world.

That warning turned out to be a false alarm. No giant earthquake rippled across the surface of the earth, nor were any believers caught up in the clouds. Harold Camping, the octogenarian whose nightly Bible call-in show fomented doomsday mania, suffered a stroke soon afterward and mostly disappeared from sight. The press coverage, which had been intense in the weeks leading up to May 21, 2011, dwindled to nothing. The story, as far as most people were concerned, was over.

But I wanted to know what happens next. If you’re absolutely sure the world is going to end on a specific day, and it doesn’t, what do you do? How do you explain it to yourself? What happens to your faith in God? Can you just scrape the bumper stickers off your car, throw away the t-shirts, and move on?

More

Not Worth The Debt

Student loans: the ugly truth

I’ve been writing for years about a bubble in higher education: too much demand, causing sky-high prices — all because of cheap government money, much like the housing bubble. Now those warnings have become conventional wisdom — so conventional that they’ve reached The New York Times and even 60 Minutes.

Pretty much everyone agrees that the increases in tuition (which have vastly outpaced consumer prices and family incomes) and the growth in student-loan debt (which now exceeds credit-card or auto-loan debt) are unsustainable. As economist Herb Stein famously said, something that can’t go on forever, won’t. So, how should we respond?

For students, piece of advice No. 1 is: Don’t go into debt. When I went to law school, back in the ’80s, I turned down free rides at a couple of excellent schools to go to Yale Law School, even though it meant taking on a lot of student-loan debt. I’m not sure I’d advise anyone to do the same thing today, even to go to Yale Law, the undisputed king of the law-school rankings — and I’m positive I wouldn’t make a similar tradeoff for many other places, even Harvard Law.

Debt is what gets people into trouble in bubbles: They borrow heavily because they think the value of what they’re buying, whether it’s a house or a tulip, will go up. When it stops going up, they’re sunk.

Today, the value of an education isn’t going up, but the price is. That’s a bad combination. So don’t borrow heavily.

More

Today's Advertiser Of The Day 5-31-12

US Honor Student Diane Tran Jailed In Texas For Truancy

The Willis High School junior who works two jobs to support her siblings was told by judge that a little time in jail wasn't a death sentence

A US honor student has been jailed for missing too much school in Texas.

Diane Tran, a 17-year-old Willis High School junior, was sentenced to spent 24 hours in jail and pay $100 in fines for excessive truancy, according to CBS Atlanta.

She had broken a Texan law that makes it a crime to miss more than 10 days of school in a six month period, reported Local TV network KHOU-11.

Judge Lanny Moriarty said that at an appearance by Tran in his Justice of the Peace court last month he warned her to stop missing school.

More

Michelle Obama’s “Civilian” Act Is Hard To Swallow

The first lady of the United States is on a whirlwind publicity tour for her hefty new food and gardening book ($30), which the White House hopes will bolster Team Obama’s favorability ratings. I’d say it’s a classic recipe for rank campaign hypocrisy and media double standards.

While journalists savor chummy chitchats with Mrs. Obama about beets and Beyonce, FLOTUS is once again escaping hard questions about her cronyism, junk science and generous junkets at taxpayer expense.

Mrs. Obama’s 2012 campaign media blitz has already brought her to daytime airwaves (“The Ellen DeGeneres Show”), prime-time reality TV (“The Biggest Loser”) and children’s programming (“iCarly”). This week, she’s hitting up “Good Morning America,” “The View,” Rachael Ray’s cooking show, “LIVE! with Kelly (Ripa)” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Out: Let’s Move! In: Let’s Move … in front of the TV cameras!

My prediction? As soon as the fawning media frenzy dies down and Mrs. Obama’s book rises to the top of The New York Times best-seller list, POTUS will go back to claiming that FLOTUS is a “private citizen” who should be left alone. The Obamas’ Chicago strategists have long enjoyed invoking selective immunity for the first lady without challenge. Lapdog reporters have assisted in creating an impenetrable bubble of political protection around the profligate, policy-meddling first lady.

We’ve seen it before.

More