TOP TEN CHANGES OBAMA MADE IN HIS FIRST FOUR YEARS

1. Stimulus, Feb. 2009 In 2008, Barack Obama promised to pass a $50 billion stimulus to help the faltering U.S. economy. Instead, he passed a $862 billion spending spree that funneled cash to state governments, Solyndra-type cronies, and Democrat special interests--and which sent federal deficits and debts to previously unimaginable levels. Now Obama promises (again!) to make cuts, but has no plan to curb long-term deficits. 

2. Reset, Mar. 2009 & Cairo, June 2009 Obama appeased Russia by abandoning our allies on missile defense, and radical Islam by rolling back our Mideast commitments. The result: more Russian aggression; Iranian nuclear defiance; a rising China; and new attacks by Al Qaeda even after the killing of Osama bin Laden. The U.S. is less popular now than under George W. Bush--and the decline will continue if Obama stays in office.

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OBAMA TO RELEASE ONE THIRD OF GITMO INMATES

President Barack Obama is about to release or transfer 55 Gitmo prisoners, despite reports that the Libyan believed to be behind the killing of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens was a former   Guantanamo inmate transferred to Libyan custody.

The large percentage of those scheduled to be released are Yemeni, according to a list   made public by the Obama administration.

Obama stopped the release or transfer of Yemeni inmates in 2010, because the conditions in the country were viewed as too "unsettled  " at the time.

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Smart Meter Or No Power At All? Nevada Energy Sends Armed Men To Disconnect Power – Just For Opting Out

Nevada is supposedly   one of those states with a smart meter ‘opt out’ policy. On the ground, however, the reality is a little different.

Mona Orkoulas lives in the mountains outside Las Vegas, Nevada, where she works in real estate. Like many Americans she has been impacted by the downturn in the economy and is struggling to make ends meet. Mona was born in the US and raised by an Egyptian/ Greek family. She has always paid her bills on time, and makes protecting her health a priority. For years Mona worked on humanitarian projects in the Middle East: drilling wells, and providing drinkable water and renewable power to remote villages. So she is familiar with the need for safe, reliable public services. Now, it turns out that she may need some humanitarian assistance herself — not in the developing world but right outside Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The story starts when Nevada Energy (NVE) installed a ‘smart’ meter on Mona’s bedroom wall in January without permission, or even so much as a few days’ notice.

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Caption This Photo 9-23-12

Democrats, Media Get Punk'd: Romney Releases Tax Returns

It's official: The Romney campaign possesses a wicked sense of humor and an enviable degree of patience.  After months of caterwauling, breathless innuendo and baseless slander, the Democrats and their media allies are being treated to a Friday feast of piping hot crow.  The Romney campaign has released a detailed report of the the candidate's 2011 tax returns, as well as an extensive summary of the Romneys' taxes over the last two decades, prepared by analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers.  What do these documents contain?  Brad Malt, the Romney family's trustee, summarizes the 2011 data:
 

- In 2011, the Romneys paid $1,935,708 in taxes on $13,696,951 in mostly investment income.

- The Romneys’ effective tax rate for 2011 was 14.1%.

-The Romneys donated $4,020,772 to charity in 2011, amounting to nearly 30% of their income.

-The Romneys claimed a deduction for $2.25 million of those charitable contributions. The Romneys’ generous charitable donations in 2011 would have significantly reduced their tax obligation for the year. The Romneys thus limited their deduction of charitable contributions to conform to the Governor's statement in August, based upon the January estimate of income, that he paid at least 13% in income taxes in each of the last 10 years.

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When GPS Tracking Violates Privacy Rights

For the right to personal privacy to survive in America in this digital age, courts must be meticulous in applying longstanding privacy protections to new technology. This did not happen in an unfortunate ruling last month by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The case concerned a drug conviction based on information about the defendant’s location that the government acquired from a cellphone he carried on a three-day road trip in a motor home. The data, apparently obtained with a phone company’s help, led to a warrantless search of the motor home and the seizure of incriminating evidence. The majority opinion held that there was no constitutional violation of the defendant’s rights because he “did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in the data given off by his voluntarily procured pay-as-you-go cellphone.” More

Giant Panda Cub Born Sept. 16 At National Zoo Dies

 The giant panda cub born a week ago at the National Zoo in Washington has died, and it was not immediately known why the animal died, zoo officials said Sunday.

Zoo officials said the cub was found dead Sunday morning after panda keepers heard sounds of distress from its mother, Mei Xiang.

Staffers were able to retrieve the cub about an hour later. The cub appeared to be in good condition, and there were no outward signs of trauma or infection.

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Houston Police Shoot Wheelchair-Bound Amputee Threatening People With Pen

(CNN) -- A Houston police officer shot and killed a schizophrenic, wheelchair-bound double amputee threatening people with a pen at a group home for the mentally ill after authorities said the man advanced on the officer's partner. The shooting occurred early Saturday morning after police responded to a call that resident Brian Claunch was acting aggressively after his caretaker refused to give him a cigarette and a soda, the owner of the home and police said. "The officers made verbal commands for the suspect to drop whatever he had in his hand, to stay still and to speak with the officers, but the suspect continued to make threats," Jodi Silva, a police spokeswoman, told CNN affiliate KTRK in Houston. More

TALIBAN ATTACK RESULTS IN WORST AMERICAN AIRPOWER LOSS SINCE VIETNAM

To be clear, this attack and this massive loss of airpower happened last week. The reason this information might be news to you over a week later is due to our media's depraved indifference to reporting any truth that might hurt Barack Obama's reelection chances. John Hudson at "The Atlantic" has the story but his angle is entirely wrong. He blames the lack of coverage of this disaster -- or at least coverage with the proper perspective -- on the fact that after ten years of war, Americans have become desensitized to these kinds of reports. But we all know that's utter hokum. The Taliban attack on an air base in southern Afghanistan on Friday drew coverage for the way the insurgents cloaked themselves in U.S. army uniforms to gain a tactical advantage, but few have taken note of the historical proportions of the damage inflicted. John Gresham, at the Defense Media Network, has published a detailed account of the attack on Camp Bastion, in which two Marines were killed, six U.S. Marine Corps jet fighters were destroyed, and two more "significantly" damaged. Those facts were all carried in most reports, but if that just sounds like a typical damage report from a decade-long war, you're wrong. Gresham explains the devastating damage done to VMA-211, the name of the Marine Corps attack squadron that was most affected last week, noting that it is "arguably the worst day in [U.S. Marine Corps] aviation history since the Tet Offensive of 1968."

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From Trash To Treasure

An American Chemistry Council executive says mounting evidence shows the promise of energy recovery is too great to ignore. Even during a highly charged election season, one thing we can all agree on is the need for new sources of domestic energy. My organization represents manufacturers of plastics, a family of raw materials used in cars, electronics, construction, medical devices and countless consumer goods and packages. Like those of you involved in developing energy from waste, we are extremely aware that energy-rich wastes, whether discarded from homes, businesses, construction or manufacturing, are all too often–and often unnecessarily–destined for landfills. At the same time, we are encouraged by the growing list of forward-thinking communities in places like Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Texas that are tapping into this abundant resource by finding innovative ways to recover energy from waste. And in these communities, this locally sourced energy is helping to power homes, businesses, and transportation—all of which contribute to economic growth. So how much potential energy from waste is out there? When it comes to efficient waste diversion, we all know that recycling comes first—but not all wastes can be economically recycled. That’s where energy recovery comes in. A recent study conducted by the Earth Engineering Center at Columbia University found that if all of our nation’s non-recycled waste was converted into energy, it would generate enough energy to power more than 16 million homes annually, possibly more, depending on the technology. Converting waste into energy isn’t a new idea—it’s being done now, although on a smaller than ideal scale. What has captured our attention is that researchers and entrepreneurs are close to commercializing a number of newer technologies that can supplement traditional conversion, delivering a range of energy outputs, from synthetic crude oil, to solid fuels, gases and chemical raw materials. Let’s take a closer look at one of these. More

Penn State Investigator Louis Freeh Accused Of Heading A Massive Cover-Up As Director Of FBI

The Department of Justice and FBI recently began reviewing 10,000 cases to look for flawed forensic evidence that might have convicted innocent people.

The FBI and DOJ had previously formed another task force in the '90s to investigate flawed evidence, the Washington Post reported in April.

The FBI director from 1993 to 2001, Louis Freeh, launched that task force with then-Attorney General Janet Reno.

After nine years of working in secret, the unit neither published its reviews of specific cases nor informed potentially innocent defendants or their attorneys, according to the Post.

Freeh has been praised lately for his independent investigation of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal and the alleged cover-up by top officials.

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MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD 'INFILTRATED' U.S. GOV'T

The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist organization that has successfully penetrated both political parties and the delicate areas of defense and national security.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin, executive vice president of the Family Research Council, told WND’s Greg Corombos that people with connections to the Muslim Brotherhood are in vital positions within every significant area of the U.S. government. He specifically cited high security clearances for such people in the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security.

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‘REPUBLICAN’ DEER REPEATEDLY DESTROYS TEXAS COUPLE’S FRONT YARD OBAMA SIGN

Tom Priem, a software support engineer, and his wife, Beth, were sick and tired of constantly finding the Obama sign in front of their Austin, Texas home destroyed. They were certain it was a mischievous Republican who didn’t like President Obama. In fact, Tom even called a city hotline to report the incident in case it turned out to be a dangerous offender.

“The sign had holes poked in it like somebody had stuck a knife through it,” Tom Priem told Fox News   on Friday. “At first I thought it was somebody who didn’t like Obama.”

So imagine the Texas couple’s surprise when they discovered the anti-Obama, sign destroyer was a buck. That’s right, as in the animal. Beth Priem was able to snap the following photo just moments after the sign was trashed on Wednesday (notice the crumpled Obama sign on the bottom right):

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Move Over, Groundhog Day

On Wednesday, under the auspices of the Department of Natural Resources and Old Bay, we will see the debut of Baltimore Bill, who will tell us how soon winter is going to get here.

Bill is a blue crab — or, in the words of the news release, a “weather-predicting blue crab” — who will appear at the Inner Harbor in front of the McCormick World of Flavors sign and divine whether fall will hang on or we’re headed for an early chill. Bill is supposed to make his prediction by walking off a crab plank designed just for this purpose.

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The Question?

Number Of Women Judges On The Rise In Md.

The story comes from a time before Justice Sandra Day O’Connor took her seat, astronaut Sally Ride took flight and Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the gavel at the U.S. House of Representatives.

It was December 1978, and acting Maryland Gov. Blair Lee had just appointed Rita C. Davidson to be the first woman judge on the state’s highest court.

Davidson said her six soon-to-be colleagues — all male — should not be discomfited by a woman’s presence on the Court of Appeals.

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Layoffs To Begin At Millsboro Vlasic Pickle Plant By End Of September

Pinnacle Foods, the owner of Vlasic Pickels, has announced that layoffs of hourly employees at the Vlasic plant in Millsboro could begin as soon as the end of this month.

A spokeswoman for Pinnacle says hourly employees will be laid off in phases as green season production wraps up. About 200 people work at the plant.

Back in May, Pinnacle announced that it would close the Millsboro plant by the end of this year and consolidate it with another plant in Michigan. Warehousing at the Millsboro Vlasic plant will continue until the middle of next year.

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Lackland Sex Offenses Bring Prison, Disgrace

SAN ANTONIO - A military jury sentenced an Air Force basic training instructor to a year in prison Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to having sex with a trainee.

The San Antonio Express-News reported the jury also sentenced Staff Sgt. Kwinton Estacio on Wednesday to reduction in rank to airman and a dishonorable discharge.

He could have received up to 14 years in prison for the guilty plea he made on Monday at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

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Excuses, Excuses

I don't know about you but I've been down and out for more than three weeks now with some kind of bug. I only mention this because I feel the need to apologize to all of you for my lack of local news coverage during that time. To be completely honest with you, there's two reasons/excuses. One, on many of the days I've been sick I'd get up early in the morning and put up Posts and by noon time I'd be so out of it I'd have to go lay down and take a nap. The second excuse is that I didn't want to attend any meetings and spread whatever it is I've been going through. That being said, I'm still only about 50% of what I usually am but I'm on the road to recovery. No matter what though, we're still delivering news and information just as regular as we usually do each day. I'm hoping this week to get out more and get back into the swing of local things. While I hate making excuses, this bug truly got the best of me. To those of you who have unfortunately experienced whatever this bug is, I know you understand. I feel your pain, believe me.

Hagerstown Practice Offers Cake To Reveal Baby Gender To Expectant Parents

Lauren Hadavand and her husband, Ali, are expecting their first child on Nov. 28. 

The Martinsburg, W.Va., couple attended Lauren's 20-week ultrasound together last month at Capital Women's Care in Hagerstown. An ultrasound is generally done halfway through pregancy to check for abnormalities or genetic defects. During the procedure, the ultrasound technician can usually determine the baby's gender.

But rather than have the technician tell the gender of their baby, the Hadavands opted to find out in a nontraditional way — with a cake provided to them after the procedure. 

Carrie McMahon, who is a physican's assistant at the practice, started offering the gender-revealing cakes to patients about nine months ago. 

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Update On Lost Dog

Our friend Sheila contacted you earlier today about our lost miniature pinscher Tyson who got lost from an accident in Cambridge, MD. Tyson is 4 year old, 12 pounds male black and rust miniature pinscher. His ears are floppy (not cropped). His tail is cropped. He has a microchip. We rescued him 3 1/2 years ago, but he has always been afraid of people. He is very gentle. The adoptions agency said Tyson adopted us--rather than us adopting him. The only time he will get close to another person other than my husband and myself is once in awhile he will gently grab food but then run away fast. He always tries to hide and not be out in the open. He loves all animals. Please help us find him. We cannot live without out him. Thanks so much, Carol French 309 Yoakum Pkwy apt 709 Alexandria, VA 22304 H 703-370-8550 cell 571-271-4329

Here's How Much America REALLY Spends On Israel's Defense

Last week the Jerusalem Post reported that former Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Commander-in-Chief Gabi Ashkenazi told a conference that U.S. taxpayers have contributed more to the Israeli defense budget than Israeli taxpayers in the past three years.

This comment has been passed around everywhere. 

Alison Weir of Veterans News Now pointed out it was the first instance of an Israeli leader saying that U.S. taxpayers contribute more money to Israel's defense budget than Israeli taxpayers.

But the claim seemed fishy to us.

Given that U.S. military aid to Israel was $2.775 billion in 2010, $3 billion in 2011, $3.07 billion in 2012 (and $3.15 billion per year from 2013-2018) while Israel's defense budget is around $15 billion, it made us wonder how much Israeli taxpayers contribute and where the other $12 billion non-U.S. aid comes from.

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ID Required

To the many this has been posted, Is not this subject a reflection of the root cause of the rise in American socialism we are experiencing? How confused are those 47% that Gov. Romney has courageously identified publically? We are in world of hurt folks, truly-