Did Mayor Jim Ireton Make The Call, You Decide?

Starting from the beginning, several weeks ago I received a letter from the Comptroller's Office in Maryland challenging me by suggesting I have been renting Office space AND apartments in my Downtown property. The letter was quite alarming because I have not been renting office space OR apartments during the period in question. I contacted that individual where I stated my case and they said they had it on good authority that it was true. I responded by telling this person they had been lied to.

I later came to learn that Sheriff Mike Lewis and States Attorney Matt Maciarello had been investigating me ever since I announced my intent to run for Mayor. Sound familiar Folks??? Yeah, I have been through this many times in the past and clearly even with new the leadership, not much has changed in Salisbury, Maryland. That in itself is very unfortunate. You have to ask yourself WHY? Why was the Grandmother of the Foxwell Family STAGED to do her speech immediately after the Thomas Leggs trial? NO ONE else went to every hearing during that case in the Media. I heard it all and I wrote notes throughout the whole thing and there's only ONE individual who could stand in their way in the next elections.

Moving on, out of nowhere a few weeks ago I get a call in which I still stand firm on as being Mayor Jim Ireton. His call came in at 11:24 PM on a Saturday night. I'm not going to get into the condition but I will tell you that questions came up in that conversation about my platform and what I planned on doing as Mayor for the City. I refused to answer those questions over the phone but stated I would be more than happy to meet with Jim in person. I was then invited to his Office the next day. He stated he would pick up lunch at Panera Bread and meet me there at noon. You know the rest of the story.

I contacted Councilwoman Debbie Campbell because I wanted to know where Jim lived. I became very concerned because Jim seemed very depressed and after recently losing someone in our community I simply wanted to go by his home and make sure he was ok, since he had not returned any of my calls or text messages. Debbie suggested that it would be best to contact Chief Barbara Duncan and you know the rest of that part of the story.

In yesterday's press conference, Mayor Ireton expressed what I took as anger that Debbie Campbell and I had the Chief go to his home to check on him. He went on to say that three Council Members had already made up their minds on who was going to be the next Mayor, (me) and chastised them for their alleged position with me. I want YOU to recognize right here and now how Mayor Jim Ireton took the opportunity to tie those three to Joe Albero, (don't forget that throughout this article). The Chief called me and stated "no crime" had been committed and wanted me to give her permission to subpoena my phone records. I immediately thought, WHY? Why would I want to turn my phone records over when I had already been to the SPD and showed Officers the incoming call and Chief Duncan admitted yesterday that I had done so and that the Officers had confirmed it was Ireton's number. I told the Chief I wanted to contact my attorney and ask their advice. I did not return a call to Chief Duncan.

I have absolutely learned from the Chief this morning that she did in fact subpoena my phone records. Records in which I take EXTREMELY seriously. It is NOT her business NOR the Mayor's business who calls my telephone, NOR is it of the Daily Times, I think you can see why and I think you'll agree. However, as stated below today, the Daily Times even stated, "the editor's number showing up in Albero's phone records". Funny how after my phone records became available that Ireton would tie three Council Members into that Press Conference!

At the end of yesterday's press conference Chief Duncan said time and time again, no crime had been committed. So HOW did they get my phone records?

In today's Daily Times article they stated, and I quote,

Complicating the incident, Gaudette is the roommate of a Daily Times reporter who has since resigned citing her knowledge of the situation and failure to disclose the information to officials. A Daily Times editor was also drawn into the investigation when Gaudette made a prank call to him the same night, while disguising his number as that of Albero's. When the editor later saw the missed call he dialed the unfamiliar number, which because of the "spoofing" technology had appeared as Albero's.

This resulted in the editor's number showing up in Albero's phone records on the same night as the prank call.

According to police reports, the editor did not learn until talking to police that he had inadvertently called Albero.

Now I ask you, look closely at the image below. Look at the TIME in which BOTH calls came in.

How is it possible that what the Daily Times stated in today's article is possible. HOW can they allegedly spoof me and talk to me for 7 minutes and 38 seconds, then allegedly spoof Joe Carmean, (Editor of the Daily Times) at the exact same time??? How convenient, eh? Some investigation, especially when the SPD never contacted me about MY side of the story while they were investigating. How can the investigation be closed? How could Carmean have called me back AFTER they spoofed me and then called him and BOTH calls are for the exact same time?

Wouldn't it only be fair to ASK me everything that was stated in the CONVERSATION to decide if it was a political ploy, IF this was in fact an alleged spoof phone call? Where is Joe Albero's justice in all of this? The Chief has informed me that I am welcome to go to the Commissioner and file whatever I'd like and they would move forward from there. Hmmmmm.

The Daily Times article fails to mention that someone from the Daily Times that was involved lied to the Police, yet the Mayor wanted to point the finger at Council Members for causing so much of a problem. Isn't lying to Police in an investigation a criminal offense? The Mayor stated time and time again yesterday calling me out by name and stating I was a "Delaware Blogger". I will repeat again, I met with the Mayor at the Salisbury Festival some time ago BEFORE I mentioned to any of you my intent to run for Mayor. He said, you can't, your not a Maryland resident. I pulled out my wallet, pulled out my MARYLAND Driver's License and showed it to him. The Mayor continues to "defame" me with the intent to plant in people's minds I am not a Maryland resident or qualified to run for Mayor. The Mayor has stated on PAC 14 that a candidate running for Mayor isn't even a Maryland resident AFTER he has personally seen my Driver's License.

The Mayor went on yesterday suggesting that Joe Albero knew for a fact that it was a prank call and even to this day continues to state it was Jim Ireton who called me. Look Folks, not only am I an alleged victim of this event, the Police never interviewed me NOR did they give me access to the Police Report until YESTERDAY. Even with that being said, we got our hands on the Police report and were told after only a few minutes to give it back to them, (illegally) and told me I'd have to file a FOIA request to get it. Then we watched the Daily Times in front of Jim Ireton take pictures of every page so they didn't have to FOIA a copy, the very same people who created this whole thing to start with. Besides that, why should I, (as an alleged victim) be required to file a FOIA request on an investigation involving me?

Ireton went on in the Press Conference and I'll quote again from the Daily Times article today, "At the news conference, Ireton said he received a call from Gaudette on Wednesday night "expressing his sincere apology for what he caused and what he did and for any problem that it caused me as the mayor."

REALLY? The Mayor was feeling SORRY for the alleged person who allegedly made the alleged prank call, yet attacked me personally AND three Council Members? Now why would the Mayor give sympathy towards this person? As I stated yesterday, could it be that the Mayor made the call? Could it be that they used Joe Carmean's phone first, (look at the times of BOTH calls) hung up and then called me from his cell phone? Could it be convenient at this point and time to say what the Daily Times has said because they cannot deny a call came in from Joe Carmean's cell phone? Could it be they didn't think this thing out well enough after a night of partying?

I'd like to know, if you've followed this Blog long enough, recall how desperate the former Police Chief wanted to subpoena my phone records to get my sources. Other public figures were desperate to gain access to my sources as well. SOUND FAMILIAR? I was told by Chief Duncan NO CRIME had been committed and she needed my permission to get my records, yet they went ahead and got them anyway. Then all of a sudden the Mayor starts calling out three Council Members in a Press Conference whereas they had NOTHING to do with it. How did the Mayor know anything, unless perhaps he has seen my phone records?

Ladies and Gentlemen, be VERY afraid of what is going on right now. Be VERY afraid that this Mayor would feel SORRY for an alleged person who allegedly made the spoof call! Be VERY afraid that when and if you disagree with a Sheriff, a States Attorney, a Mayor and so on that the State will open investigations on you. That other investigations will pop up and you find yourself at the end of politically driven retaliation investigation/s.

IF I am arrested for something, anything, know that there are certain powers to be behind it. Know that they are doing everything they can to include three Council Members in that triangle. I have been in these battles before and walked away victorious. This is ALL about politics and the intent to defame.

Joe Albero can and will be the next Mayor of Salisbury, with your support. They know that Joe Albero will stand up and fight for ALL of us and speak the TRUTH, no matter the cost. Joe Albero is not a criminal. Joe Albero has never been out to cheat anyone.

This whole thing could have disappeared the very next day IF Jim Ireton would have returned my calls or text messages. Look, we've all done stupid things in our lifetime. If Jim had called me and said, Joe, I didn't make that call but I'm having it investigated. That would have ended it. Jim could have called and said, Joe, I screwed up and I'm sorry for the call. It would have dropped instantly. However, YOU really have to look at this whole thing, along with all the other things I'm mentioning and see it for what it really is. Why was Sarah Lake sitting in the Press Conference yesterday? I want you to know I walked right up to her and said, SHAME ON YOU for what you have done.

In the end they want to tie Debbie Campbell, Terry Cohen and Tim Spies purposely to Joe Albero in the hopes of bringing them down with me. Ladies & Gentlemen, we do deserve better than this. If you'll look at Court Records on Monday I have filed a lawsuit against Mayor Jim Ireton for defamation of character in the attempt to discredit me as a potential candidate. I told you yesterday I wasn't playing around.

While I have been defamed, do I take the high road and walk away from this lawsuit filed today? Hasn't the City of Salisbury been defamed enough?

I want Mayor Ireton to publicly state that he does recognize me as a qualified resident and candidate of Salisbury, Maryland. The ball is now in his court. If the Mayor will in fact publicly admit I am a resident I will reconsider my legal position.

I'd like to add the following. The other day Greg Bassett of the Daily Times laid out several standards he pledged to his readers they would follow. They NEVER got the other side, (from me). They NEVER mentioned me as a potential Mayoral candidate in any of their articles. They NEVER stated sbynews.com, just that I am a Blogger. When I read the article the other day and then this one, I came to the conclusion that the Daily Times truly believes their readers are just plain challenged. I'll add, stay tuned for next weeks announcement from the Court House.

You have to wonder why the local Main Stream Media only talk about Joe Albero when certain powers to be stage irate individuals willing to publicly attack me to sell papers and ads. Long Live Salisbury News!

Draw your own conclusion to this whole mess. I wouldn't be too quick to feel sorry for Mayor Jim Ireton. Ireton stated, "I will not be distracted by this. Why? And this is very very important: Because the truth is the truth," No Jim, YOU only have and know half the truth on this matter. I'd be more than happy to meet with the Mayor and discuss the entire matter, if he's willing to do so. Just remember Folks, Sarah Lake has been a close ally with the Mayor. Don't you question WHY they would do such a thing? It certainly isn't because the Daily Times wants to see Joe Albero as the next Mayor. Read between the lines. Talk about a massive scandal. Some are talking about impeachment.

The Daily Times added: Taking advantage of the media presence at the news conference, Ireton went on to accuse the council majority of holding up serious issues because of the upcoming election.

Please, do tell me in case I missed something. Isn't the "upcoming election" in April of NEXT YEAR?

Worldcom Convict Gets $7.5 Loan Guarantee from Obama’s Stimulus

David Myers, a former Worldcom executive who served 11 months in prison after being convicted of fraud, received a $7.5 million loan that was guaranteed by the federal government with money from the 2009 stimulus.

Worldcom filed the largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. history 2002, after three years of “falsely professing financial growth and profitability to increase the price of WorldCom’s stock.” As Worldcom controller, Myers was one of the three executives most intimately involved in perpetrating the fraud, which exaggerated that company’s value by $11 billion.

Myers was sentenced to a lighter sentence –  year and a day in prison — than his cohorts “because of his extraordinary cooperation with the government and his early admission of responsibility and remorse.”

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Breaking News

The jury has reached a verdict in Jerry Sandusky abuse trial.


From Fox News


Jerry Sandusky found guilty on 45 of 48 counts

Maryland Not Collecting Enough of $1.6 Billion Debts, Audit Finds

Maryland is owed $1.6 billion in unpaid debt, but the agency responsible for recovering the funds has not been doing enough to collect, according to a state audit released Thursday.

The debt accumulates from all money owed to any state agency, except for taxes and child support, which are collected separately, said state auditor Bruce Myers. For example, if a student neglects to pay tuition to the University of Maryland, or if someone owes Motor Vehicle Administration fees, eventually the university or the MVA will refer the debt to the state Department of Budget and Management's Central Collection Unit.

One way to collect is to dip into debtors' wages and take what is owed directly out of their paychecks. However, the CCU did not employ this tool as much as it should have, according to the audit.

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Malkin Unloads on Liberal ‘Hannity’ Guest Over Fast and Furious: ‘The Blood Is on Your People’s Hands!’

Last week, Michelle Malkin stoked the conservative fire after she challenged Juan Williams for calling her “just” a blogger. But if that was stoking the fire, what she did Wednesday night on “Hannity” to liberal Tamara Holder was torching the place with napalm.

Malkin was a guest along with Holder on a segment talking about the day’s Fast and Furious news (Obama granting executive privilege and Holder being held in contempt). About three minutes in, Holder tried to use the liberal talking point that the entire operation was really started under the Bush administration (the “blame Bush” mantra is really popular these days). That’s where things first got tense, after Holder scolded Hannity who tried to make a point and told him, “No no, let me finish. Give me the same amount of time you give all your Republican friends.”

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Romney Stirs up Challenge on Unions’ Own Turf

Mitt Romney has pushed the 2012 electoral battleground into union-friendly territory — putting organized labor on the defensive in states it typically has little trouble holding.

A recent demoralizing election loss in Wisconsin and simmering disappointment with President Obama poses further challenges for labor to rally its troops this election season.

Among the 10 or so swing states where the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is battling

President Obama, about half are populous, union-heavy states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, where in most polls Mr. Obama holds precarious single-digits poll leads.

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Rep. Allen West: ‘Family Values, Not Government’ Needed for Economic Stability in Black Community

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), a freshman conservative congressman and former Army officer, said that the “breakdown of the Black family” is one of the most important causes of the economic disparity facing the black community.

“We are here today to talk about economic freedom, as opposed to economic dependency,” West said at a Capitol Hill forum Monday addressing “Economic Empowerment in the Black Community.”

“‘Husband’ and ‘Wife’ in the black community are at 28 percent; that leads to a failure in education and that leads to a failure in urban statistics and revitalization,” West said.

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O’Malley Hits House Leaders on Gambling Setback

Gov. Martin O'Malley blasted House leaders Thursday for balking at a proposal to expand gambling, as lawmakers said they will keep working toward a possible compromise and special session this summer.

The group — which included three senators, three delegates and five administration officials — was expected to recommend legislation to allow table games and a Prince George’s County casino. Members agreed to table games, a new casino and several gambling reforms, but ultimately split over the House members’ refusal to lower tax rates for casino operators.

Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, accused the lawmakers late Thursday of buckling to complaints from Anne Arundel County casino operators who worry the sixth site will hurt their business.

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Revealed: Here‘s How McDonald’s Makes Their Burgers Look So Perfect in Ads

Have you ever noticed that burgers in McDonald’s advertisements look like God Himself prepared them, while burgers in real life look like, um, someone sat on them?

And yet, we still eat them


Brace yourselves. We have some startling news: the “food” in McDonald’s commercials is heavily doctored. Yeah, you probably already knew that. No one and nothing can make a burger look that perfect. However, with some clever tricks, fancy lighting, and digital editing, you can make anything look incredible.

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Army Told to Spend or Lose Mobile Tech Funds

The Pentagon is planning deep spending cuts this year to a new mobile computing network for soldiers - a move that critics say punishes Army technology buyers for not spending appropriated funds fast enough.

The story of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), its supporters say, illustrates the perversity of Washington’s appropriations and procurement system, where ongoing programs are penalized for not spending money according to schedule.

“You can’t just take money away if it isn’t spent on time,” said retired Marine Corps Gen. Arnold L. Punaro, now a consultant and a member of the Pentagon's Defense Business Board. “It is easy [for a project] to fall behind, [but program managers] can catch up again quickly. But if you take the money away, they have no way to get back on track.”

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A Daddy and His Princess

A toddler, was giving her daddy a tea party, she brought him a little cup of "tea" which was just water, of course. After several cups of tea , her Mom came home, Dad made her wait in the living room to watch his little Princess bring him a cup of tea, because it was, "Just the cutest thing!" Mom waited, and sure enough, here she come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy. She watches him drink it up and then says, "You know the only place she can reach water, is the toilet?".

Do'h! White House 'forgets' Slain Agent's Name

Even after a reporter repeated the name at least three times, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney drew a blank when speaking today about the Border Patrol agent killed during the Obama administration’s “Fast & Furious” gunwalking operation.

At the White House press briefing today, ABC’s Jake Tapper made three mentions of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s family.

“The family of Brian Terry, the slain Border Patrol agent at whose murder were at least two of these guns were found, they disagree with your characterization about these investigations. They say that the attorney general’s refusal to fully disclose the documents associated with ‘Fast & Furious’ and President Obama’s assertion of executive privilege serves to compound this tragedy. It denies the Terry family and the American people the truth, that’s the statement from the family lawyer.”

Carney responded by deflecting some of the blame onto the George W. Bush administration.

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Moody's Cuts Credit Ratings of 15 Major Banks

Moody's Investors Service lowered the credit ratings of 15 major banks Thursday, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, saying their long-term prospects for profitability and growth are shrinking.

The ratings agency said it was especially concerned about banks with significant financial markets businesses because those markets have become so volatile. Some of the largest European banks were also downgraded, including Barclays, Deutsche Bank and HSBC.

These banks were vulnerable to "outsized losses," Moody's global banking managing director Greg Bauer said in a statement. These behemoth banks are all major players in the global stock and bond markets, which have become extremely volatile. However, Bauer pointed out that some of the banks, like JPMorgan Chase and HSBC, have reliable buffers in more stable businesses which could act as "shock absorbers" during a crisis.

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Why Impeachment is The Only Way

Mark Levin recently published a note on his Facebook page in which he rightly points out that Obama’s recent invocation of executive privilege with regard to the congressional investigation of Eric Holder’s conduct “flouts the law and the Constitution.” He goes on to say, again with good reason, that “executive privilege is a very important implied executive power.” Whenever you see a reference to “implied powers” it’s a good idea to ask yourself, implied by what authority? In the usual fashion of lawyers trained in the shibboleths of legal positivism, Holder cites Supreme Court opinions. But the Supreme Court has no power but what is explicitly delegated to the U.S. government in the Constitution. What gives the Court, the president or the Congress for that matter the authority to imply powers and privileges the words of the Constitution nowhere enunciate?

The best the legal positivists can do is to cite Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution, which gives Congress the power “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other power vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.” At best this gives Congress the power to recognize by law the actions it considers “necessary and proper” for carrying out the provisions of the laws it has made. But how does this give Obama or any other president the power to shield civil officers accused of breaking the law from investigation by the branch of government charged with making the laws?

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SHOCK: Sharpton Blames Holder Contempt Charge On Racism

How easy it must be to live your life as Al Sharpton does.  Only the race-baiting NBC News star can look at the tragic events of the Fast and Furious scandal that ended with the death of a border patrol agent and see Attorney General Eric Holder as the real victim.  

In the Huffington Post yesterday, Mr. Sharpton likened the House Oversight Committee's contempt vote on America's chief law enforcement official to the NYPD practice of "Stop and Frisk" which critics call a racially motivated police state tactic.  

As I marched this past Sunday with tens of thousands in New York in opposition to the abhorrent practice of stop & frisk,' I couldn't help but think of our attorney general. Tattered down and publicly humiliated, AG Holder has been mishandled just like the young Black and Latino men (and women) who are demonized on our streets everyday. Chris Matthews of Hardball on MSNBC concurred: AG Holder is being profiled, stopped and searched.

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YARD SALE 6-22-12

Saturday 7AM - UNTIL

115 Justice Avenue (1st left on Old Ocean City Road)

Multi-family
Large quantity of Baby items all name brand name clothes, alot with tags on. Baby furniture, Jewelry, Furniture, Collectibles, Household item, Glassware, Old Home Interior Collectibles...Item to numerous to mention!

New Bar On Deck NOW OPEN 5PM Tonight At Boonies!!

Ceiling Fans, TV and more seating for you to enjoy on our OUTSIDE DECK!! NOW OPEN

Enjoy one of this week's new Chef's Specials on the Deck or Inside.

Appetizer - Blackened Scallops
Entrees - BBQ Ribs, Stuffed Sirloin (with our lump crab imperial), Southwestern Chicken Alfredo
Catch - Seared Tilapia

‘An Unfair Comparison’: Southern Baptist Convention Passes Resolution Claiming Gay Marriage Isn‘t a ’Civil Right’

A day after electing their first African-American president in a historic move that strives to erase its legacy of racism, Southern Baptists passed a resolution opposing the idea that same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue.

Thousands of delegates at the denomination’s annual meeting in New Orleans on Wednesday were nearly unanimous in their support for the resolution that affirms their belief that marriage is “the exclusive union of one man and one woman” and that “all sexual behavior outside of marriage is sinful.”

The nation’s largest Protestant denomination is attempting to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional white Southern base. At the same time, leaders said they feel it is important to take a public stand on their opposition to same-sex marriage — an issue that has been at the forefront of social debate.

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Gay Marriage Rights: Illinois Prosecutors Refuse to Defend Ban

Twenty-five Illinois couples were prepared for a long legal fight when they joined lawsuits challenging the state's ban on gay marriage. Turns out they won't get one — at least not from the attorneys who would normally be responsible for defending the state's laws.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez have refused to defend the 16-year-old ban, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, saying it violates the state constitution's equal protection clause.

The decision has raised eyebrows among some legal experts who believe prosecutors are legally bound to defend Illinois law, and sets up a scenario where a judge could quickly strike down the marriage statute. Supporters of the ban say it's unconscionable that there might be nobody in court to defend it, and some are strategizing over how to intervene.

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Holder Retracts Statement Blaming Mukasey on Fast and Furious

Eric Holder has now tried to retract a statement he made that his predecessor Michael Mukasey, the Attorney General under George W. Bush, knew about gunwalking in the Fast and Furious scandal and did nothing to stop it.  Holder claims that his statement about Mukasey was “inadvertent.”

Holder’s response came after Senator Charles Grassley confronted him in a letter on June 14. Grassley noted that Holder’s claim on June 12 regarding Mukasey came after Senator John Cornyn called for Holder’s resignation:

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Glenn Beck’s Take on Bus Bullying Video and What It Says About Issues in Our Society

The unbelievable video of at first seemingly normal schoolchildren near Rochester, New York, unleashing ten straight minutes of verbal abuse directed at 68-year-old bus monitor Karen Klein went viral Wednesday. The Blaze was one of the first national outlets to report on the disturbing story, and the silver-lining for Mrs. Klein who will at least receive over $300,000 from complete strangers who put together an online fundraiser to pay for a much-deserved vacation for the grandmother. While the fundraising campaign is a compassionate act, it should not tie a happy ending bow on the story that brings national attention to growing problems within our society that need to be addressed. During his GBTV program Thursday, Glenn Beck broke down the painful-to-watch video, as well as what the ordeal reveals about deeper issues with the way we raise our kids and confront cruelty.

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Weather Report

Issued by The National Weather Service
Wakefield, VA

 

 

 SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS OVER WORCESTER COUNTY... SOUTHWEST OF OCEAN CITY...

AT 242 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER NEWARK... OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF OCEAN CITY... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 5 MPH. LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE... IRONSHIRE... BERLIN AND OCEAN CITY.

WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH... VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL CAN OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS. IF YOU HEAR THUNDER... YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE INTO A SAFE SHELTER BEFORE THESE STORMS REACH YOUR AREA. REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL THE STORMS HAVE PASSED.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS... AND POSSIBLE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND FLOOD PRONE AREAS.

High Court Deals 7-2 Blow Against SEIU

Press release from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (AP story below):

Washington, DC (June 21, 2012) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 today, siding with nonmember California state employees challenging a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) political fee charged to them without notice and opportunity to opt out.

The case concludes a prolonged legal challenge affecting some 36,000 California government employees initiated by eight California civil servants who filed a class-action lawsuit with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.

In 2005, SEIU officials imposed a “special assessment” to raise money from all state employees forced to accept union representation as a job condition for a union political fund, regardless of their membership status. The fund was used to defeat four ballot proposals, including one that would have revoked public employee unions’ special privilege of using forced fees for politics unless an employee consents. Employees who refrained from union membership were given no chance to opt out of paying the SEIU’s political assessment.

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Major Constitutional Lawsuit Filed Against Dodd-Frank is Critical of Bill’s Scope

A small community bank in Texas is challenging the constitutionality of the Dodd-Frank financial reform.

The State National Bank of Big Spring, Texas, filed a lawsuit in D.C. Circuit Court challenging the ability of regulators to designate banks as systemically important. It also criticized the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s lack of institutional oversight.

“No other federal agency or commission operates in such a way that one person can essentially determine who gets a home loan, who can get a credit card, and who can get a loan for college,” State National Bank CEO Jim Purcell said Thursday in a release. “Dodd-Frank effectively gives unlimited regulatory power to this so-called Consumer Financial Protection Board, also known as CFPB, with a director who is not accountable to Congress, the President, or the Courts. That is simply unconstitutional.”

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Accident On Rt. 13

One car rollover rt 13 south near Pocomoke Sysco. Nj tags. One elderly female
person awaiting arrival of ambulane. Off duty emts present. Child apparently
uninjured, as is adult male.

Allen West Fundraises Off Bill Maher's 'Racist' Attack

Earlier this week, Obama supporter/super donor Bill Maher lashed out at Allen West in a blog post where he referred to the black Congressman's Republican party as the "Party of the Apes." Politico caught it, but practically pulled something downplaying it. Breitbart News gave it the attention it deserved, and yet the very same media that declares "basketball," "food" and "stamp" as racist dog-whistles against Barack Obama, just couldn’t summon any indignation on this one.

Declare a basketball-loving president a basketball-loving president and you’re racist.

State a black Congressman is a member of the "Party of the Apes" and crickets. 

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Report: DOJ Launches Probe Into Minn. City’s Rejection of Islamic Center After CAIR Alleges Religious Discrimination

Last week, The Blaze reported the City Council in St. Anthony, Minn. almost unanimously rejected plans for a new Islamic center citing zoning concerns, voting 4-1 against the mosque and causing a local stir. Despite officials’ claims the decision was not discriminatory towards Islam, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations urged the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate immediately following the decision.

And it didn’t take long for the federal government to comply.

An e-mail written by U.S. Attorney for Minnesota B. Todd Jones reveals that an attorney has been assigned to investigate the council’s vote to determine whether or not it qualifies as racial discrimination, according to an KSTP in Minneapolis.

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Jaime Dimon Is A Welfare Baby

There is nothing more annoying than seeing the giant “welfare baby” gangster named Jaime Dimon parade around dismissing criticism of the banks, acting as if he has skills, when in reality his entire existence would have vaporized if not for his ability to infinitely suck at the teat of the Federal Reserve.

Hey, but don’t take my word for it. Here are some excerpts from a Bloomberg article published Monday:

To be precise, JPMorgan receives a government subsidy worth about $14 billion a year, according to research published by the International Monetary Fund and our own analysis of bank balance sheets. The money helps the bank pay big salaries and bonuses. More important, it distorts markets, fueling crises such as the recent subprime-lending disaster and the sovereign-debt debacle that is now threatening to destroy the euro and sink the global economy.

JPMorgan’s share of the subsidy is $14 billion a year, or about 77 percent of its net income for the past four quarters. In other words, U.S. taxpayers helped foot the bill for the multibillion-dollar trading loss that is the focus of today’s hearing. They’ve also provided more direct support: Dimon noted in a recent conference call that the Home Affordable Refinancing Program, which allows banks to generate income by modifying government-guaranteed mortgages, made a significant contribution to JPMorgan’s earnings in the first three months of 2012.

Read full article here.

The Real Scoop On Public Service Unions - Part II

In many states of the country, including California, there is a crisis brewing in the public service employment region. No longer are public service employees expected to be motivated by service, as distinct from their private sector colleagues who are pretty much looking for the best deal they can strike with potential employers. In public service work one is supposedly doing part of one's labor from a sense of devotion to the public good, not from the private motive! Or so you may have thought.

Consider, however, why labor unions exist in a free society: to facilitate employees' efforts to improve their bargaining power in negotiating with employers. This, in turn, presupposes a free-market system. Employees are free to organize into unions so as to bargain and get a good deal and employers are free to hire different workers whose offers they prefer to those of the organized groups. But most importantly, prospective customers are free to find some other firm from which to purchase goods or services, ones not seriously encumbered by crippling labor disputes.

Now, public workers are different because they work for public or government agencies that are usually monopolies – only one first class mail delivery outfit, the US Postal System, only one source of "free" education for which property owners are forced to pay, etc. You get the point.

So when public workers threaten to strike, there is usually nowhere for the customers to go to purchase the services they want other than the government agency that employs these public workers. When public workers organize into a union and threaten to go on strike, their employers are the only game in town. There is nowhere else the customers can go to obtain these services, no competition with public agencies and, therefore, with public services workers.

Now this is patently wrong. If customers aren't free to shop elsewhere, if they are hostage to the government agencies providing the public service, those who work for those agencies ought not to be able to threaten and walk of their jobs. That's especially so with the likes of members of teacher unions whose income depends upon confiscated resources, obtained via taxation. In free markets if the employees want to use their sizable numbers to improve their bargaining power, they aren't the only ones with such clout. Customers can also leave the employee and shop elsewhere for their wares without breaking the law. But if taxpayers want to change the employers with whom they want to deal, those in public schools or private ones, they aren't free and will be breaking the law if they stop paying taxes.

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Governor Helps Launch Public-Private Initiative To Remove Obstacles To Employing People With Disabilities

Governor Markell recently joined other government officials and top-level executives from more than a dozen major U.S. companies to launch a nationwide public-private sector initiative, hosted by Walgreens, to advance employment of people with disabilities.

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Today's Advertiser Of The Day 6-22-12

Southwest Doesn't Approve Of Your Cleavage-Baring Outfit, Young Lady

Know how you can avoid situations you have to apologize for later, Southwest? Stop giving ridiculous reasons to passengers why they can't fly. In this case, a woman claims an airline worker told her she'd have to cover up her cleavage before boarding the flight. Her response? Too bad. Not gonna do it.

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11 Occupy D.C. Protesters Found Guilty by Judge

Eleven Occupy D.C. protesters have been found guilty of refusing police orders to get down from a wooden structure they erected in McPherson Square.

Superior Court Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Wingo found the 11 guilty on Thursday during a non-jury trial.

Authorities say the protesters refused to dismount from a wooden structure they built last December at their encampment site.

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House Committee Votes To End Funding For Inspection Of Horse Slaughterhouses

After a five-year ban on congressional funding to inspect horse slaughterhouses was lifted in November last year, Congressman Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia, spearheaded an amendment to eliminate that funding once again. The amendment was passed by the House Appropriations Committee today.

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Today's Survey Question 6-22-12

Where do you prefer to donate your old clothes/items?

We Are Apparently In The Midst Of A Canned Beer Renaissance

In my youth, canned beer was king, though there was the one guy on the block whose recycling buckets were always overflowing with empty Rolling Rock bottles. But then came the craft beer revolution of the '90s and slowly but surely cans gave way to bottles and draft beer. For seven years starting in 2002, bottled and draft beers equaled or outpaced the canned stuff in the U.S., but ever since the economy took a nose dive, a growing number of Americans have been cracking open cold cans for their beer-based refreshment.

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NYT: Jay Carney Made an ‘Angry Phone Call’ to Fox Exec. Following Anti-Obama Video

White House press secretary Jay Carney made an “angry phone call” to a Fox News executive after the network aired a scathing video review last month of President Barack Obama’s first three years in office, the New York Times reported.

According to the Times, Carney told Michael Clemente, Fox News’ senior vice president for news, that the video had crossed the line even for “Fox & Friends,” the morning show where it aired. Two unnamed Democrats reportedly told the newspaper about the call, described as a “private conversation.”

As The Blaze previously reported, the four-minute clip featured a series of “then and now” comparisons, including the national debt, jobless rate and gas prices. It was met with heavy criticism from both sides of the political spectrum: Media Matters said it “crossed a new ethical line” while Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey questioned whether “a news organization [should] produce and publish attack ads like this?”

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AMA Says Money From Soda Taxes Should Be Used To Fight Obesity

While the American Medical Association isn't going so far as to say we should institute a tax on sugary sodas so as to combat the obesity crisis, it did recommend that any such taxes should be used for fighting the healthy fight in America.

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Archaeologists Uncover Maryland's 1st Capital

ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (AP) - Archaeologists have uncovered the stone and brick foundation of a St. Mary's City structure that served as Maryland's first state house.

The Calvert House site was identified in the 1980s. On Thursday, the Historic St. Mary's City museum announced its excavations uncovered the structure's foundation and cellars.

The museum says it's the first time in 30 years that new portions of the Calvert House foundations have been exposed in excavations.

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$500,000 Contract To Modify Medevac Helicopters Approved

The Board of Public Works voted Wednesday to grant $500,000 more to medevac helicopter manufacturer AugustaWestland despite prolonged protest from a citizen who insisted the state is getting gipped.

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Where Do All Your Used Clothes Ultimately End Up?

When you clean out your closet and fill up a bag to donate to Goodwill or the Salvation Army with stuff that no longer fits or you just don't want, it might be the end of your time with those high-waisted jeans or Barenaked Ladies concert tee. But it's just the beginning of a long, winding path that can terminate thousands of miles and an ocean away.

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Analysis: Special Session Nixed, But Gambling Fixes Can Still Be Made

The chairman of the workgroup on expanding gambling said the vote was 8 to 3 on its final recommendations, but truly the vote was 1 to 1, a deadlocked tie. The state Senate was in favor and the House of Delegates was opposed, and it had been that way all along. The governor’s five representatives on the workgroup were really brokers and observers.

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George Zimmerman's Reenactment of Trayvon Martin Shooting

"I didn't want him to keep slamming my head on the concrete so I kind of shifted. But when I shifted my jacket came up…and it exposed my firearm. That's when he said you are going to die tonight. He took one hand off my mouth, and slid it down my chest. I took my gun aimed it at him and fired." 

See the video reenactment  HERE

QUOTE OF THE DAY 6-22-12

“He, who will not reason, is a bigot; he, who cannot, is a fool; and he, who dares not, is a slave.”

William Drummond

Fun Reads For Father's Day: 'Fifty Shades Of Grey'

Fifty Shades of Grey, a current bestseller that's lightly rewritten Twilight fanfiction the erotic tale of an office relationship gone terribly, terribly right, might make an appropriate gift for some people. A friend who shares your love of popular fiction. Your favorite librarian. Your grandmother. We're pretty sure it wouldn't make an appropriate Father's Day gift, though, no matter what this Target display says.

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Governing By Presidential Decree Should Scare The You-Know-What Out Of Hispanics

Years ago, I was working in Mexico City and enjoying lunch in one of those wonderful "Zona Rosa" restaurants. I was catching up with a couple of Mexican friends who happened to be PAN-istas, or members of the conservative party. (Back then, the PRI was still governing the country, and PAN never thought that they'd elect a president. They did in 2000 and 2006.)
It turned out that President López-Portillo was delivering his "informe," or the Mexican version of the State of the Union speech, that day.

Let me add some context. Mexico was reeling from a February devaluation and more currency collapses in August. It got so bad that a Mexican delegation was sent to Washington, D.C. for an emergency meeting with President Reagan and then-Treasury Secretary Regan. It was a very bad summer for Mexicans, and capital flight was the order of the day.

López-Portillo's informe was a boring speech, full of numbers and "I did this" and "I did that."

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Sandusky's Son Says His Father Abused Him

Lawyers for one of Jerry Sandusky's adopted sons said the man has told authorities the former Penn State assistant football coach abused him.

The lawyers issued a statement Thursday naming Matt Sandusky, one of Jerry Sandusky's six adopted children, and saying that the 33-year-old had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors at his father's sex abuse trial.

"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici wrote in the statement. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators.

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Thank God Its Friday 6-22-12

What will you be doing this weekend?

At Least $380K Raised for Bullied NY Bus Monitor

A video of a 68-year-old school bus monitor mercilessly taunted by seventh graders became an international online rallying point against bullies Thursday, with a fund for the Rochester, N.Y., grandmother raising at least $380,000 and a deluge of people demanding harsh punishment for the boys.

Police said Karen Klein does not want her young tormenters to face criminal charges, partly because of the storm of criticism leveled at the boys from the Rochester suburb of Greece after the video went viral.

"They've received death threats," Greece Police Capt. Steve Chatterton said Thursday. "Their families have been threatened. We have custody of one of their cellphones, and he had over 1,000 missed calls and 1,000 text messages threatening him. And he's 13 years old. That must stop."

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Yard Sales 6-22-12

WARD Road neighbors are having a huge yard sale on June 23 from 7 AM closings vary. Public is invited, something for everyone, including furniture,clothing, collectables, art and household items.

Plans Put Solar Panels at Detrick

Fort Detrick is striving to cut its demand on the energy grid by as much as 30 percent using renewable solar power within the next 18 months.
Detrick is one of four posts across the U.S. chosen under a renewable power plan announced last week by the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force designed to make bases more energy independent. Detrick's plans would call for the construction of a system to develop 15 megawatts of renewable power while two other posts, Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Irwin, Calif., have been named as spots for 20 megawatt projects, task force spokesman Dave Foster said Tuesday. The Army's Schofield Barracks in Hawaii has also been chosen for a 50 megawatt biofuel project, Foster said.

Current plans call for Detrick to award a contract this fall for construction of the solar panels on about 65 to 75 acres on Area B, said Robert Craig, chief environmental management officer.

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES DANETTE HOWARD SECRETARY OF THE MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION

ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 21, 2012) – Governor O’Malley today at the P-20 Council Meeting announced Dr. Danette Howard as Maryland’s Secretary of Higher Education. She has served as Interim Secretary since August 2011.

“We are pleased that Danette has chosen to continue her outstanding work in our Administration,” said Governor O’Malley. “Her dedication to creating innovative programs and years of expertise in higher education are essential to helping more Marylanders attend and complete college. We believe that under her leadership, we can build on the progress we’ve made to eliminate barriers to completion and help students obtain the skills and education they need to compete and win in the New Economy.”

“I am grateful to be given the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Maryland as Secretary of Higher Education,” said Dr. Howard. “I am looking forward to helping the Administration move toward its higher education attainment goal.”

The O’Malley-Brown Administration has set an aggressive goal that at least 55 percent of adult Marylanders will hold at least one post-secondary degree or credential by 2025. Under Dr. Howard's leadership, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) has launched a statewide reverse transfer program that will award credentials to community college transfer students who enroll at a four-year college or university just a few credits shy of earning their associate degrees. Dr. Howard also leads MHEC’s efforts to redesign developmental education courses that are taught at Maryland’s colleges and universities so that students can more quickly enroll in credit-bearing courses and earn their degrees. Additionally, the “Near Completers” program will help re-enroll students in good academic standing who left college campuses, but are less than a year away from earning their degrees.

Dr. Howard earned her Bachelor of the Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Howard University and her Master’s in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She has also received her doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Howard has spent her entire professional career in higher education, first as a student affairs administrator at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) then as a researcher and policy analyst at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). While pursuing her doctorate in Education Policy at UMCP, Dr. Howard worked on the Race, Equity and Diversity in the South Project, which examined trends in postsecondary enrollments and completion rates and faculty hiring and promotions. She also served as a key researcher in a multi-year project sponsored by the National Association of Black and Hispanic Physicists which studied factors that contributed to students of color succeeding in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.