Popular Posts

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Democrats to Livestream Convention in Spanish and English

Coming to a computer near you (drum roll) -- la convención.

The Democratic National Convention is livestreaming the entire event in Spanish as well as English, convention officials announced Sunday.

The gavel to gavel coverage from Charlotte, North Carolina, will be available on DemConvention.com/live as well as the Democratic National Convention Committee Mobil App.

More

Late Court Decisions May Impact 2012 Election

Before voters get a say in this year's presidential race, lawyers and judges are having theirs.

A series of court battles in several states may determine, over the next several weeks, everything from how people cast their votes, when polling locations will be open and what ballots will look like. Many cases have a partisan bent, with rulings potentially tipping the scales slightly in favor of Democrats or Republicans.

The legal fights have entered an urgent phase, two months before the Nov. 6 election and just a few weeks before military and overseas absentee ballots must go out.
Pennsylvania lawyers recently filed briefs arguing whether an appeal on the state's strict voter ID law should be held in September or October. Opponents won a mid-September court date, which is late even by their standards.

More 

Dems Defend Obama On Debt, Say Balancing Budget Now A Bad Idea

After a week of withering attacks on President Obama's fiscal record, top Democrats on Sunday defended the president's plans for shaving down the deficit -- but said balancing the budget now would actually be a bad idea.

Senior campaign adviser David Axelrod, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," repeated claims that Obama's plan would cut the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade, bringing  the budget shortfall down to a point that would "stabilize" the debt.

"And then, with growth, we'll be in a position to begin reducing it further," he said.

More

Urban Voters Seek More Campaign Talk of Gun Crime

In a tough Philadelphia neighborhood where an off-duty police officer was shot to death last month, a mother is afraid to walk to the corner store with her two children. In a Chicago area where 23 people have been killed by gunfire so far this year, kids don't want to go outside. In Harlem, a 26-year-old man worries his family will get hit by crossfire.

Residents of inner-city neighborhoods plagued by gun violence say they feel neglected and ignored even in a presidential election year marked by highly publicized shootings at a Colorado movie theater, a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and outside the Empire State Building — a year in which Republicans have launched a full-throated defense of gun ownership while Democrats have largely kept quiet about an issue they used to put front and center.

More

‘Jumah at the DNC’ Speaker: ‘Muslims Visited America Prior to Columbus’ & ‘It Was a Muslim’ Who Guided Him to the ‘New World’

The Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs (BIMA) predicted that roughly 20,000 people would participate in its “Jumah at the DNC” open-air prayer ceremony Friday, but, according to reports, only a few hundred showed up.

That does not mean, however, that it was completely devoid of noteworthy activity.

During his comments at the prayer service, BIMA spokesman Jibril Hough reportedly claimed that Muslims reached the Americas before Christopher Columbus.

He stated, according to the Washington Times: “Muslims visited America prior to Columbus…It was a Muslim who guided Columbus on his voyage to the new world.”

More

Homes Cracking Due To Drought-Parched Soil

ST. LOUIS — Carol DeVaughan assumed her suburban St. Louis home was simply settling when cracks appeared in the walls. When she noticed huge gaps between her fireplace and ceiling, and that her family room was starting to tilt, she knew she had bigger problems.

Like thousands of other Americans getting stuck with huge repair bills, DeVaughan learned that the intense drought baking much of the country’s lawns, fields and forests this summer has also been sucking the moisture from underground, causing shifting that can lead to cracked basements and foundations, as well as damage aboveground. Repairs often cost tens of thousands of dollars and can even top $100,000, and they are rarely covered by insurance, as shocked homeowners have been discovering.

More

2 Consenting Adults And A Cow ...

A trial that has become a symbol, in Wisconsin and across the U.S., of government criminalization of farmers for providing food directly to consumers has been rescheduled for January.

But the delay from the previously scheduled September court date is expected to focus  even more attention on the dispute that has dragged Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger to the court’s defendant’s table in the Sauk County Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Guy Reynolds.


More 

Obama: RNC Like Watching ‘Black-and-White TV’ Because Romney ‘Did Not Offer a Single New Idea’

President Barack Obama lampooned the recently-completed Republican National Convention as better-suited to an era of “black-and-white TV“ and ” trickle-down, you’re on your own” economics Saturday, saying Mitt Romney “did not offer a single new idea” to fix the economy.

“There was a lot of talk about hard truths and bold choices, but no one actually told you what they were,” Obama said in Iowa, chuckling, as he set out on a three-day tour of battleground states in the run-up to his own convention. Later, Obama said, the Republican gathering was so rooted in the past, there should have been a rabbit-ears antenna on the convention hall.

Yet even the site of Obama’s convention, Charlotte, N.C., served as an unwelcome reminder to the Democrats of an economy so weak that it threatens his chances for re-election.

More 

Wave: GOP Voters at All-Time High

According to new research released today by Rasmussen, more voters identify themselves as Republican than ever in the last 8 years. More importantly, by a 4 point margin, more voters identify as GOP than Democrat. This is the largest spread between the parties ever. Worse for Democrats, the number of voters who identify with their party is also approaching an historic low. 

In August, 37.6% of voters identified themselves as Republican. That is up from 34.9% in July. By contrast, just 33.3% of voters identify themselves as Democrats. That is very near their historic low in February, when 32.4% of voters identified as Democrat. The 4.3 margin in favor of the GOP is the biggest gap ever between the parties. In November 2010, when the GOP won a landslide in the mid-term elections, their advantage was just 1.3 points.

More

Hurricane Isaac Uncovers Mystery Civil War Ship

In the latest installment of a spooky pattern of events, Hurricane Isaac uncovered a boat believed to be a Civil War blockade runner on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala.

Photos of the ship were posted to Facebook by Meyer Vacation Rentals. Gulf Shores is about an hour’s drive from Mobile, Ala., to the west and Pensacola, Fla., to the east.

The ship was partially uncovered during Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and in 2008 Hurricane Ike uncovered more of the boat.

More

Decision Not To Charge Ariz. Sheriff Isn't The End

PHOENIX (AP) — The federal abuse-of-power investigation into America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff may have been closed without criminal charges but Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio'slegal troubles are far from over.

A civil case brought by a small group of Latinos who accuse Arpaio's office of systematically racially profiling is awaiting a verdict from an Arizona-based federal judge.

The U.S. Department of Justice has also sued the sheriff for alleged constitutional violations including racial profiling, retaliating against Arpaio critics, punishing Latino jail inmates with limited English skills for speaking Spanish and failing to adequately investigate a large number of sex-crimes cases. No trial date in that case has been set.

 More

Labor Day

I come from a long line of people who made a living by the sweat of their brows and the labor of their hands. Hands that could handle a plow or a crosscut saw, break an ornery mule or hold an infant baby.

Simple men who stood on the streets of small town America on Saturday afternoons while their wives bought supplies for the week and talked about the weather, the price of corn or the latest exploit of their prize coonhound or how this year's high school football team didn't quite come up to last year's.

They sat on the pews of the churches, in out-of-date suits and ties and listened to the gospel of Jesus Christ and applied the lessons and principles of honesty and integrity to their every day lives.

More

Chuck Norris' Dire Warning For America

America’s favorite action star is doing just that this election – calling on evangelical Christians across the nation to join him in crushing the creep of socialism under President Obama.

Norris and his wife, Gena, have filmed a public service announcement, unveiled exclusively at WND, wherein the two urge Christians to help save the country in November.

“We are here to talk about a growing concern we all share,” Chuck Norris explains. “If we look to history, our great country and freedom are under attack. We’re at a tipping point and, quite possibly, our country as we know it may be lost forever if we don’t change the course in which our country is headed.”

More 

Federal Government Ending Wyoming Wolf Protections


CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Visitors to Yellowstone National Park on almost any given day can glimpse packs of wolves and hear their iconic howls, thanks to a yearslong effort to revive the species that once neared extinction in the United States.

It's an effort the federal government has determined to be so successful that wolves no longer need special protections to ensure their survival in Wyoming — the state officials chose in the mid-1990s for reintroducing the predator to the Northern Rocky Mountains.

 More

Troopers Investigate Serious Pedestrian Crash, Milford

Location: North Union Church Road, south of Shawnee Road, Milford

Date of Occurrence: Sunday September 2, 2012 at approximately 9:33 a.m.

Operator and Vehicle Information:

Operator #1: Jennifer A. Herholdt, 38, Milford, DE
Vehicle #1: 2011 Ford Flex

Pedestrian: Savana E. Moore, 8, Milford, DE

Resume:
Milford, DE- The Delaware State Police are currently investigating a serious crash involving an 8 year old Milford girl.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:33 a.m. this morning as Jennifer A. Herholdt was operating a 2011 Ford Flex northbound on North Union Church Road approaching the intersection with Shawnee Road. At the same time, Savana E. Moore was standing on east side of the roadway waiting to cross to the other side. The young girl failed to see the Ford Flex coming and stepped out into the roadway and was struck by the SUV.

Savana Moore was removed from the scene by the Delaware State Police Aviation helicopter (Trooper 2) and airlifted to A. I. DuPont Hospital where she is listed in critical condition.

Jennifer A. Herholdt, who was properly restrained, was not injured in the crash.

Delaware State Police are continuing to investigate the incident. Traffic in the area of the crash was impacted for approximately three hours as it was investigated and cleared.

Troopers Seek Public’s Help In Locating A Wanted Subject


Locations:
Unit block of West Howard Street, Viola, DE
1000 block of Upper King Road, Felton, DE

Dates of Occurrences:
May 11, 2012
July 20, 2012

Victim(s):
41 year old male
79 year old female

Suspect and Charges:

Nicole Jean Cox, 33, Felton, DE (Photo Attached)
Theft < $1,500.00 and Victim is 62 year old or older (Felony)
Theft < $1,500.00
Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle
Wanted on three capias out of Kent County Courts

Resume:
Felton, DE- The Delaware State Police is asking the public’s assistance in locating Nicole Jean Cox, 33 of Felton. Cox is wanted by the State Police for two counts of theft and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The first incident occurred in May of 2012 when Cox spent the night at a friend’s house located on West Howard Street, Viola. The 41 year old male victim woke up to find his Ford F150 pickup truck was taken and $200.00 in cash removed from his wallet. The truck has been recovered at this time. The second occurrence took place in July of 2012 when Cox removed an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency from her 79 year old grandmother’s purse and fled the residence located on Upper King Road, Felton.

If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Nicole Cox, they are asked to contact Troop 3 at 302-697-4454 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com

Send an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

Former Daily Times Editor Challenges My Residence

Joe Carmean has left a new comment on your post "It's A Holiday Weekend And I'm Taking Advantage Of...":

"Then by your own admission your a DELMAR BLOGGER this weekend".

Like a roach that just won't seem to go away, former, (and fired) Daily Times Editor Joe Carmean obsesses over where I'm spending my weekend and suggests I'm a Delaware Blogger.

Has anyone asked where Mayor Ireton is spending his weekend. Or should I say, does anyone really care?

I must really be getting under their skin if they are still playing this game.

Liberalism, As We Know It

With Americans, on average, worth less and earning less than when he was inaugurated, Barack Obama is requesting a second term by promising, or perhaps threatening, that prosperity is just around the corner if he can practice four more years of trickle-down government.

This is dubious policy, scattering borrowed money in the hope that this will fill consumers and investors with confidence. But recently Obama revealed remarkable ambitions for it when speaking in Pueblo, Colo., a pleasant place Democratic presidents should avoid.

More

Ale To The Chief: White House Releases Beer Recipe

Beer lovers, the secret is out.

The White House has made public the recipe for two homemade beers that have become an object of fascination for beer drinkers everywhere.

White House Honey Brown Ale, believed to be the first beer brewed on the White House grounds, includes light malt extract, amber crystal malt, honey, gypsum, yeast and corn sugar.

The recipe was released Saturday while President Barack Obama was campaigning in Iowa.

More 

Second WV Trooper Dies From Gunshot Wound

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Trooper Eric Michael Workman, the second State Police trooper involved in Tuesday night's shooting near the Roane-Clay county line, died Friday afternoon after spending nearly three days on life support.

Workman, 26, was pronounced dead at Charleston Area Medical Center's General Hospital. He had been in a coma since Tuesday's shooting.

"Trooper Workman was an outstanding young man with a promising future," West Virginia State Police superintendent Jay Smithers said in a statement.

"It is unfortunate his life was cut short by this senseless and cowardly act.

"Our prayers continue to be with his family and friends," Smithers said. "I am overwhelmed by the support the West Virginia State Police family is receiving during this difficult time."

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin also offered his condolences to Workman's family.

Maryland Surplus Spurs Debate: Did Lawmakers Need To Raise Taxes?

Three months after Maryland lawmakers raised taxes on the wealthy, saying the money was urgently needed for classrooms, surging revenue from other areas has left the state with a surplus, prompting a fight about whether the tax increase was needed at all.

Maryland ended its budget year with over a half-billion dollars in the bank — or more than twice as much as expected, Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) announced late last week.

More

Iowans Send Message to Obama

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - President Obama received a less than warm welcome and a warning upon arrival at the airport here on the second stop of his Iowa visit, which was aimed at recapturing some of the magic the state gave his run to the White House in 2008.
Greeting Air Force One as it touched down under sunny skies and sultry heat was a hand-painted banner draped across the top of an airplane hangar that reads, "Obama Welcome to SUX - We Did Build This." "SUX" is the airport code for Sioux City.
The message appeared to be a response President Obama's "you didn't build that" remark from a July campaign rally, when he was trying to explain that government - not businesses - constructed public infrastructure on which the economy relies. Republicans have used the four words to attack Obama as out of touch with the realities of owning and operating a small business.

Are All Women Born To Be Mothers?

These days, “mom” is king. It was perhaps the most frequently used word at the Republican National Convention this past week, where Ann Romney, mother of five, said, “It’s the moms of this nation . . . who really hold this country together.” Paul Ryan said his mother is his role model, and Chris Christie all but called himself a mama’s boy.

Republicans’ efforts to woo women have become fever-pitch pandering as the party tries to undo damage from comments such as Rep. Todd Akin’s remark that a “legitimate” rape victim can’t get pregnant and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s advice to women who object to invasive ultrasounds before an abortion: “You just have to close your eyes.”

More  

NY teen killed putting head out of party bus in NJ

A teenager headed to a sweet 16 party was killed after he stuck his head out of the emergency hatch of a double-decker bus and hit the underside of a highway overpass, authorities said.

The gruesome accident followed the warnings of a security guard on the bus who said he told the teens repeatedly not to open the hatch.

Daniel Fernandez, 16, was among 65 teens aboard the bus Friday night from New York City on its way to the party in Garfield, N.J., said Steve Coleman, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

More 

Rush Limbaugh: Clint Eastwood ‘got under Obama’s skin’

Rush Limbaugh is one of the few people praising Clint Eastwood’s rambling performance at the Republican National Convention, saying Friday that the Hollywood legend’s “great bit” involving an invisible President Barack Obama in an empty chair “got under Obama’s skin.”

“This is a great bit, and Eastwood was the essence of simplicity,” Limbaugh said, according to a transcript of his show. “How, if somebody’s not doing a job, you let ‘em go. Just simple as it could be. Real world simple. Plus, it was hilarious. It was funny. Of course, we are people who like laughing at Obama. The other side doesn’t.”

More 

Ocean City Megabar Pulls in Crowds, Big Bucks

The creator of this sprawling resort, Leighton Moore, grew up in Ocean City and learned about the hospitality business from his parents, who ran a hotel just a block from where Seacrets now rises from the sand.

By his own admission, Moore wasn't the greatest student. He got his GED when he was 16 and then hopped on a plane to Jamaica with a friend. The two arrived in Montego Bay with hardly any money and took a bus to Negril.

"And I fell in love," said Moore, now 60.

More

Troopers Investigating A Double Fatal Pedestrian Crash, Rehoboth Beach

Location: Coastal Highway (SR1) south of John J. Williams Highway (SR24), Rehoboth Beach, DE

Date of Occurrence: Sunday September 2, 2012 at approximately 2:19 a.m.

Operator and Vehicle Information:

Pedestrian #1: Scott M. Emory, 33, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Pedestrian #2: Cheryl M. Dunn-Winchester, 28, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Operator #1: Lisa M. Governa, 25, Rehoboth Beach, DE
Vehicle #1: 2000 Volkswagen Jetta

Resume:
Rehoboth Beach, DE- The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is currently investigating a fatal crash involving two pedestrians and a car on Coastal Highway (SR1) south of John J. Williams Highway (SR24), Rehoboth.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:19 a.m. this morning as Lisa M. Governa was operating a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta southbound on SR1 in the far left lane just south of the SR24 intersection. Scott M. Emory, who was pushing a bicycle, and Cheryl M. Dunn-Winchester were walking eastbound across the southbound lanes of SR1 when they were struck by the front of the Jetta in the far left lane. Both pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene. The Jetta continued southbound and came to a stop in the Wendy’s parking lot approximately one tenth of a mile south of the crash.

Governa, who was properly restrained, was not injured in the crash.

The area of the crash is dimly lit and both pedestrians were not walking in a crosswalk.

The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is continuing their investigation into this incident. Alcohol is being considered a factor in this crash. SR1 southbound and northbound lanes south of SR24 were closed for approximately four and a half hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.

Republicans Active in North Carolina Ahead of DNC

President Obama and the Democrats are converging on Charlotte, N.C., next week for their three-day national convention, but Republicans aren’t ceding the spotlight in the swing state.

The Romney campaign said Saturday that vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has scheduled a campaign stop Monday at East Carolina University in Greenville.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off a day later at the Time Warner Cable Arena across the state in Charlotte.

More  

Unions Shrug at Democratic Convention

Labor unions and Democrats form a pretty traditional political alliance that’s usually on display in full force at the national conventions. Big labor historically spent big money on concerts, lunches, rallies and panels for its members, and spent millions to help fund the Democrats’ party.

This year? Not so much.

Some union officials are sitting out the political fete entirely after the Democrats chose a labor-unfriendly location in the right-to-work state of North Carolina. Others are sending skeleton staffs to support their union delegates, but say they’re focusing resources elsewhere. Labor groups aren’t shelling out for big events in Charlotte, and many aren’t even donating cash to the cause — despite their exemption from new restrictive fundraising rules.

More

Maryland State Police Looking For Driver In Hit-&-Run Accident Involving Bicyclist Near Showell

A bicyclist is in intensive care after being hit by a driver on Route 113 near Showell just after midnight Saturday morning. Maryland State Police are looking for the driver.

More

Another Sunday, Another Talk Show For O’Malley

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is booked to appear Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” in advance of what is shaping up as a very busy week for him in Charlotte at the Democratic National convention.

CBS has billed the segment as “key Democratic voices from the convention floor.”

The broadcast from Charlotte will be the third time in as many weeks that O’Malley has appeared on a national Sunday morning talk show.

More