Salisbury News: 11/26/12

Monday, November 26, 2012

FORENSIC PROFILER: OBAMA CONFESSING ELECTION FRAUD

A forensic profiler whose previous cases have included the Natalie Holloway disappearance and the O.J. Simpson double murder says Barack Obama is confessing to stealing the 2012 president election.

“Obama appears to unconsciously confess on multiple occasions that in his secret fury he stole the 2012 presidential election – continuing his attacks on our nation,” Andrew G. Hodges, M.D., told WND in an assessment of Obama.

“But really that is no different whatsoever than in 2008 becoming an illegal president who violated the Constitution. This knowledge comes from one undeniable fact: we have discovered a new unconscious mind that continually quick-reads situations and communicates about it – as Obama reveals.”

Hodges, who wrote “The Obama Confession: Secret Fear, Secret Fury,”previously deciphered the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note from the Boulder, Colo., murder case.
More

EXTREMISTS THREATEN TO TORTURE, EXECUTE 12 ALLEGED HOMOSEXUALS IN LIBYA: ‘USE THEM FOR TARGET PRACTICE’

The Libya Herald is reporting that twelve alleged homosexuals were recently abducted from a private party in Tripoli, and are now being threatened with torture and execution.

The Libya Herald explains:

A body calling itself the ‘Private Deterrent Force’, which is believed to be part of the extremist Nawasi militia group, has posted images of the men on their Facebook page. One picture (above) shows them, heads covered, standing with their hands against a wall.

At the time of writing, the picture had received 315 ‘likes’ and had received comments such as “flog them hard”, “lets see the bullets”, and “ride them like camels”.

Poll: 67% Say Lawmakers Will Act like “Spoiled Children” During “Fiscal Cliff” Negotiations

A new CNN/ORC poll conducted before Thanksgiving underscores just how confident the American people are in their elected representatives: more than two-thirds of respondents believe lawmakers will behave like “spoiled children” during the budget negotiations slated to begin in earnest this week (via National Journal):

Roughly 24 percent said the country would face a crisis and 44 percent said the country would face major problems if the tax increases and spending cuts set to enact early next year are allowed to take hold. Just 24 percent think it would cause minor problems.
Fully 77 percent said it would impact their personal finances, and more than 70 percent called for Republicans and President Obama to compromise to find a solution. If talks fail, however, the poll suggests Republicans would receive greater blame. And respondents apparently don't have much confidence in the outcome.

When asked if “elected officials in Washington will behave mostly like responsible adults or mostly like spoiled children,” 67 percent chose the latter.

Proposed English Law Divides Carroll County

Westminster, Md. — It was the Armenian threat that caused Carroll County Commissioner Haven N. Shoemaker Jr. to act.

After hearing that a Washington suburb had spent a fortune translating some land-use documents into Armenian, Shoemaker proposed an ordinance that would make English the county’s official language.

The measure has opened a fierce debate in this once-rural farming community, where the rolling countryside is now dotted with rapidly spreading bedroom communities.
More

Wedding Absence Doesn't Get Maryland Man Off Hook For Alimony, Court Says

Missing your wedding isn't a valid excuse for getting out of alimony payments, Maryland's highest court ruled in an unusual divorce case.

For more than 18 years, Montgomery County resident Noel Tshiani publicly claimed Marie-Louise Tshiani as his wife, but when she recently sought a divorce -- and alimony, property and child support -- he suddenly claimed the marriage wasn't real.

The couple were married in 1993 in the Congo, but Noel, a World Bank employee, was not physically present at the ceremony because he was on assignment in another African nation, according to court records. Instead, Noel's cousin represented him while he listened by phone.

A dowry of $200 cash, clothes and a live goat was exchanged before Marie-Louise went to live with Noel in Arlington, records said.
More

Baltimore Investigators Seize 36 Websites

Special agents from ICE Homeland Security Investigations Baltimore seized 36 websites Monday as a part of a larger international enforcement operation.

The larger operation, which included law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania, the United Kingdom and the European Police Office (Europol) seized 132 domain names that investigators say were selling counterfeit merchandise online.

The bust was part of Project Cyber Monday 3 and Project Transatlantic.

This year's operation is the third coordinated with Cyber Monday.
More

Worcester Casino Mulling Addition Of Table Games

SNOW HILL -- In the wake of a successful voter referendum for Maryland’s Question 7, an initiative allowing a significant expansion in state gambling laws, the Worcester County’s Local Development Council (LDC) and Ocean Downs Casino representatives discussed Monday if, when and how the casino will expand.

While Ocean Downs General Manager Joe Cavilla was not prepared to set anything in stone, he did tell the board this morning that growth into table games is being considered and he hopes to have concrete information by March, though he didn’t make any promises.

Currently, Ocean Downs features live harness racing during part of the summer and approximately 800 video lottery machines throughout the year. With the passage of Question 7 earlier this month, the casino now has the option of adding table games as well as expanding what kind of entertainment the site can feature.
More

FL Man Choked To Death In Roach-Eating Contest

A Florida man choked to death after downing dozens of live roaches during a contest earlier this year in which the grand prize was a python, according to an autopsy released Monday.

Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach died as a result of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents," according to the report released by the Broward County medical examiner's office. It said his airway was obstructed by the roach body parts, which caused him to not be able to breathe.

Lab tests for drugs came back negative. The death has been ruled an accident.
More

Remember These?

Charles Schulz' Birthday

It's the birthday of cartoonist Charles Schulz, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1922). His parents left school after third grade, and his father was a barber who supported the family on 35 cent haircuts. Every Sunday, Schulz and his father read the "funny pages" together, and the boy hoped to become a cartoonist someday. But he had a tough time in school — he felt picked on by teachers and other students. He was smart enough to skip ahead a couple of grades, but that only made it worse. He wished someone would recognize his artistic talent, but his cartoons weren't even accepted by the high school yearbook.

After high school, he was drafted into the Army; his mother died of cancer a couple of days before he left. When he came home, he moved in with his father in the apartment above the barbershop. He got a job teaching at Art Instruction, a correspondence course for cartooning that he had taken as a high schooler. There he fell in love with a red-haired woman named Donna Mae Johnson, who worked in the accounting department. They dated for a while, but when he asked her to marry him, she turned him down and soon after married someone else. Schulz was devastated, and remained bitter about it for the rest of his life. He said: "I can think of no more emotionally damaging loss than to be turned down by someone whom you love very much. A person who not only turns you down, but almost immediately will marry the victor. What a bitter blow that is."

Schulz started publishing a cartoon strip called L'il Folks in the local paper, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, but they dropped it after a couple of years. Schulz sent some of his favorite L'il Folks cartoons to the United Features Syndicate, and in 1950, the first Peanuts strip appeared in nine national newspapers, including The New York Times and The Boston Globe. The first strip introduced Charlie Brown, and Snoopy made an appearance two days later. The rest of the Peanuts characters were added slowly over the years: Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Pig Pen, Peppermint Patty, and many more. Throughout the years, the object of Charlie Brown's unrequited love is known simply as The Little Red-Haired Girl.

Peanuts was eventually syndicated in more than 2,500 newspapers worldwide, and there were more than 300 million Peanuts books sold, as well as 40 TV specials, four movies, and a Broadway play.

Charles Schulz said: "My whole life has been one of rejection. Women. Dogs. Comic strips."

Naughty and Nice List

This list is based upon research conducted by Liberty Counsel and reports from consumers. The list is frequently updated.

Send your reports to Liberty@LC.org.

Be sure to thank retailers that acknowledge Christmas and give your respectful opinion to retailers that pretend it doesn’t exist.

To see who is on the Naughty or Nice list CLICK HERE

Planned Parenthood Brings New Meaning To The Term "Black Friday"

Obama Donors Got $21,000 in Government Money for Every $1 They Gave

Who says that there are no great investments anymore? Sure the Stock Market might be uneven, but while free enterprise might be going to the dogs, there’s still one solid investment. Obama (OBM) whose shares just keep rising until the bubble bursts and he runs out of Chinese money to buy off his donors with.

Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, said President Barack Obama had a “recycling” program that used crony capitalism to reward its campaign contributors, who would then funnel money back to the Obama campaign.

The Supreme Court has now reinstated a major challenge to Obamacare. Liberty University is challenging both the Individual Mandate and the Employer Mandate of the Affordable Care Act. (Of those two, the latter is even more damaging to the economy and job creation.) A liberal panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit had thrown out the case last year, saying that the Anti-Injunction Act (AIA) does not permit any federal court to rule on the merits of challenges to the Individual Mandate until that requirement goes into effect in 2014.

In its Jun. 28 opinion in NFIB v. Sebelius, the justices unanimously rejected this AIA argument. So Mat Staver, who is both dean of Liberty's law school and chairman of the law firm representing the university, filed a petition for rehearing.
More

Egypt Erupts as Muslim Brotherhood Seizes Power

Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi can at least get a prize for brazenness. Just last Wednesday he was being praised by the Obama administration for his “practical” role in working out a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “This was somebody focused on solving problems,” a “senior administration official” admiringly told the New York Times.

The very next day, Thursday, Morsi engaged in a different kind of “problem solving”—taking steps to steamroll the opposition and move a big step closer to totalitarian rule for himself and his Muslim Brotherhood.
More

Walmart Workers Killed A Man On Sunday

If there's anything that Walmart didn't need on Black Friday weekend, it was a jaw-dropping headline about somebody dying in their parking lot after a run-in with a couple of employees. Unfortunately for the big box retailer, that's exactly what happened on early Sunday morning at a store in Lithonia, Georgia.

It's a sad, simple story. An unidentified man allegedly stole two DVD players from the electronics department and left the store through the front door. Two Walmart employees and a contracted security guard chased him into the parking lot. A "physical altercation" took place, and apparently, the security guard put the man in a choke hold. Police arrived soon thereafter to find the three workers on top of the suspected shoplifter who was unresponsive and bleeding from his nose and mouth. The man was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

More

Menu Labeling: Another Job-Killing Regulation in ObamaCare

Problems in society are rarely solved by Washington bureaucrats yet they seem to have taken the adage, ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again’ to heart. Accordingly, the government is addressing the nation’s growing obesity epidemic with a regulation: Section 4205, the menu labeling provision attached to ObamaCare meant to “aid consumers in selecting more healthful diets.” As currently written, however, the regulation will likely have job-killing effects and result in little, if any, significant reductions in obesity rates and/or improved health.

The provision requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations, including franchises and perhaps some grocery stores, to post calorie information for all products on in-store menu boards. According to the Food Marketing Institute(FMI), a national standard was supported by the restaurant industry as a way to “preempt the patchwork of various state and municipal menu labeling laws.” The rules designed by the FDA, however, eschew more common sense approaches to implementing the law. The American Pizza Community, a coalition of pizza franchises, and FMI, the association representing America’s grocery stores, are cognizant of the effects the regulation will have on the industries they represent and thus, have advanced a legislative solution: the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act.
More

Flight Records List Russia Sending Tons Of Cash To Syria

The records of overflight requests show more than 200 tons of “bank notes” from Moscow to Damascus.

This past summer, as the Syrian economy began to unravel and the military pressed hard against an armed rebellion, a Syrian government plane ferried what flight records describe as more than 200 tons of “bank notes” from Moscow.

The records of overflight requests were obtained by ProPublica. The flights occurred during a period of escalating violence in a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead since fighting broke out in March 2011.

Five years ago, the U.S. government sought to make sure every state had high-security driver's licenses to thwart terrorism at airports. But the idea continues to face opposition from states still reeling from recession.

The deadline for compliance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Real ID system has been extended a second time, until Jan. 15, and may be extended again.
More

After Sandy’s Deluge, Mold And Dust Pose Threats

From his perch on top of his father’s house in Breezy Point, N.Y., Ken Court can see an array of health disasters in the making.

“There are asbestos roofs that have collapsed near the ocean,” says Court, a 52-year-old roofer. “There is a lot of dust. You see people walking around with masks on. You use the hand cleaners all day long.”

Breezy Point sits at the tip of the peninsula jutting into the waters south of Brooklyn where Jamaica Bay, New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean come together. Much of the close-knit, blue-collar neighborhood was destroyed when Superstorm Sandy hit three weeks ago – swamped in the storm surge, roofs ripped by flailing winds or burned to the ground in a six-alarm fire that took out block after block of homes.

Maryland game managers say deer hunters might have to work to fill their tags during this firearm season opening. The season opens on Saturday.

Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Brian Eyler says the acorn crop was abundant, so deer won't be moving around much in search of food.

That means less contact with hunters during the two-week season.
More

Next Years Congress

Next year's Congress will have nine freshmen who are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Among them is Tammy Duckworth, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs during President Obama's first term. Duckworth lost both legs while piloting a helicopter in Iraq that was hit with a grenade launcher in 2004. Veterans in Congress have been declining since the mid-1970s, when 400 of the 535 members were vets. Now only 100 members are veterans. The new class includes a former combat surgeon, chaplain, infantry platoon leader and judge advocate.

Drives Against Gas Taxes Start Running On Empty

A backlog of proposed road projects and repairs to aging highways, bridges and transit systems has leaders in Maryland and Virginia eyeing the perennially unpopular proposal of raising their states’ gas taxes to generate revenue in what has become a national challenge for states to find funds for transportation fixes.

In Virginia, where efforts to relieve congestion in the D.C. suburbs are quickly overtaken by the demands of a growing and car-dependent population, officials say the cost of massive road construction is becoming unmanageable for the public sector. In Maryland, budget analysts say the state could run out of money for new projects by 2018, while transportation officials warn that crumbling infrastructure has reached epidemic levels and that state lawmakers must act soon or face the consequences.

“There’s going to be a push by a lot of people to do something in the upcoming [General Assembly] session,” said Gus Bauman, a lawyer who served as chairman of a Maryland commission last year that made yet-unheeded recommendations to raise transportation funds. “What’s it going to take? A bridge falling into a river here before they actually take this seriously?”
More

PETA Gifts Miley Cyrus With A Pig For Her Birthday

What do you get for the girl who has everything? A pig, obviously. In celebration of Miley Cyrus' birthday -- she turned 20 on Friday, Nov. 23 -- the animal-rights organization PETA is sponsoring a pig, Nora, in the starlet's honor. Nora is a resident at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary, a farm in Ocala, Fla., that provides refuge to abused or neglected animals such as pigs, cows, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, horses, and donkeys.

More

HUD SECRETARY ANNOUNCES FORECLOSURE PROTECTION FOR DISPLACED MARYLAND STORM VICTIMS

HUD SECRETARY ANNOUNCES FORECLOSURE PROTECTION
FOR DISPLACED MARYLAND STORM VICTIMS

WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced HUD will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of Maryland and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes due to Hurricane Sandy.

Last week, President Obama issued a disaster declaration for Allegany, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne's, Saint Mary's, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico and Worcester Counties. The President’s declaration allows HUD to offer foreclosure relief and other assistance to certain families living in these counties.

“Families who may have been forced from their homes need to know that help is available to begin the rebuilding process,” said Donovan. “Whether it’s foreclosure relief for families with FHA-insured loans or helping these counties to recover, HUD stands ready to help in any way we can.”

HUD is:

Offering the State of Maryland and other entitlement communities the ability to re-allocate existing federal resources toward disaster relief – HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs give the State and communities the flexibility to redirect millions of dollars to address critical needs, including housing and services for disaster victims. HUD is currently contacting State and local officials to explore streamlining the Department's CDBG and HOME programs in order to expedite the repair and replacement of damaged housing;

Granting immediate foreclosure relief – HUD granted a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and forbearance on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured home mortgages;

Making mortgage insurance available – HUD's Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims who have lost their homes and are facing the daunting task of rebuilding or buying another home. Borrowers from participating FHA-approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing, including closing costs;

Making insurance available for both mortgages and home rehabilitation – HUD's Section 203(k) loan program enables those who have lost their homes to finance the purchase or refinance of a house along with its repair through a single mortgage. It also allows homeowners who have damaged houses to finance the rehabilitation of their existing single-family home; and

Offering Section 108 loan guarantee assistance – HUD will offer state and local governments federally guaranteed loans for housing rehabilitation, economic development and repair of public infrastructure.

Information on housing providers and HUD programs -The Department will share information with FEMA and the State on housing providers that may have available units in the impacted counties. This includes Public Housing Agencies and Multi-Family owners. The Department will also connect FEMA and the State to subject matter experts to provide information on HUD programs and providers.

Read about these and other HUD programs designed to assist disaster victims.

###

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the
need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build
inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business.
More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and
http://espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at
www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.

UN Climate Change Chief Getting Frustrated With United States

Christiana Figueres, who leads the United Nations negotiations to get governments to reduce carbon emissions in the world, regards Hurricane Sandy as “yet another wake-up call” for Americans to get on board with her climate change policy.

“Yes, I certainly do think that this is yet another wake-up call,” Figueres said of Hurricane Sandy to Yale Environment 360 in an interview published by The Guardian.”I did hear President Obama say quite categorically in his acceptance speech that he is not going to have a future that is threatened by increasing warming . . . I do think that this mirrors the growing awareness in the United States. So I do think that Sandy has contributed to this. Is it the tipping point? That remains to be seen.”

Figueres also spoke if international frustration with the United States for failing to sign onto UN global warming initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol.
More

Foreigner Tapped For Springfest

OCEAN CITY -- Foreigner, formed in 1976 and still touring today, has been announced as the headline act for Springfest 2013, which will be held in Ocean City May 2-5. Foreigner will perform Saturday, May 4 and tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 23. Tickets range from $27 to $59.

Along with Foreigner, which has had 16 Top 30 hits and sold more than 70 million albums, tickets will also be on sale for Beatlemania Again, which will perform on Thursday, May 2.

Tickets for both shows will be on sale at the Ocean City Convention Center Box Office on 40th Street. Box office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets can also be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-551-7328.

Have you ever tried to pet a wild animal? It’s probably not the safest thing to do, but it could also land you in jail with a hefty fine, it seems.

A 53-year-old Florida woman was arrested at the Sears where she works on Saturday after being photographed in late September playing with– and seemingly trying to “ride”– a wild manatee.

The Tampa Bay Times has the wild background to the story:

A bystander got photographs of a woman perched atop a manatee on Sept. 30, and the case gained attention after law-enforcement officials launched a public campaign several days later to identify her.

No Powerball Winner, Jackpot Hits Record $425 Million

Lottery officials say nobody has won the Powerball jackpot and the top prize will now increase to about $425 million for the next drawing, the largest jackpot ever for the game.

Iowa Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer said sales were strong over the holiday week for Saturday's drawing, which was estimated at $325 million before the numbers were picked. That was the fourth-largest jackpot in the game's history.

Neubauer said the jackpot for Wednesday's drawing could go even higher than the estimated $425 million because sales pick up in the days before record drawings.
More

Black Friday Shoppers May Have Done More Browsing Than Buying

Domingo Catalan powered through the Thanksgiving night crowds to get his children toys. He methodically checked all the boxes on his relatives' wish lists on Black Friday. And before he goes to work as a data analyst for a government contractor on Cyber Monday, he expects to look for online deals to have shipped to his brother's family in Germany.

So whom was Catalan, a Crofton resident, shopping for on Sunday morning at Bass Pro Shops at Arundel Mills?

"Me," he grinned, pausing to jerk his thumb toward his chest as he put an Under Armour winter jacket and fishing gear into the back of his Ford pick-up truck.

Senators Threaten To End Aid To Egypt

As U.S. political leaders rebuked Egyptian President Mohammed Morsion Sunday for his decree to assume sweeping new powers, police in central Cairo fired tear gas at protesters who accused him of a blatant power grab.

Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, said that while the U.S. is thankful for Mr. Morsi’s help facilitating a cease-fire between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers, he criticized Mr. Morsi’s decision to give himself near-absolute power, which has prompted days of violent street protests in Egypt.

“To assume this kind of power is unacceptable to the United States of America,” Mr. McCain said on “Fox News Sunday.”
More

Navy Reserve Quarterback In Critical Condition After Car Accident

A reserve freshman quarterback on the Navy football team is in a Miami, Fla., hospital in critical condition after he was injured in a single-vehicle accident Thanksgiving night.

According to a report Sunday in the Annapolis Capital, Ralph Montalvo was put in a medically-induced comaafter being transported to the Kendall Regional Medical Center.

Navy athletic spokesman Scott Strasemeier said Sunday night that he received a text message from Montalvo's family saying that "he showed more improvement today" but that he remains in the medically-induced coma.

Delaware Coast Aid Raises Funds For Sandy Victims

Delaware Coast Aid, a coalition of Cape Region people and businesses, along with the Center for the Inland Bays, held a benefit concert for the New Jersey Shore Nov. 15 at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach. Titled “From Our Coast to Their Shore,” the benefit featured four regional bands, Big Hat No Cattle, Lower Case Blues, Love Seed Mama Jump and E St. Shuffle Band. The event also featured food, beverages and kids activities.

More than 750 people attended the event and to date over $60,000 has been raised. Proceeds will assist in the response, recovery and relief effort from Hurricane Sandy directly to the Jersey Shore points of impact. A portion of the proceeds will also be maintained locally in conjunction with the Center For Inland Bays to aid in the recovery of local coastal habitats.

Several local businesses contributed to the event, including Highway One which provided the venue, and Schell Brothers who kicked off the fundraising by contributing $10,000.

Shown at the event are (l-r) Kevin Roberts, co-organizer; Joey Adams, Highway One; and Chip Thompson, co-organizer. To contribute to the fund go to www.delawarecoastaid.org and follow Delaware Coast Aid on facebook at www.facebook.com/decoastgulfaid.

Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen are two peas in a cracked out pod, so it’s only natural that Sheen coughed up $100,000 to help the embattled actress fight off the IRS.

The best year of my life was 19_ _.

SU World Percussion Ensemble, MPSteel Perform Monday, November 26

SALISBURY, MD---The Salisbury University World Percussion Ensemble and steel drum band MPSteel join forces to present an evening of global music 7:30 p.m. Monday, November 26, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.

The concert includes Brazilian beats, and music from Africa and elsewhere that has influenced the Brazilian sound. Included are works by seminal composer John Cage.

Minorities Disproportionately Worse Off Under Obama

It is puzzling that so many minorities voted for Barack Obama over Mitt Romney considering how disproportionately they have suffered economically during Obama’s presidency. Black unemployment under Obama increased at a higher pace than whites, from 12.7% to 14.1%, ending at almost twice the unemployment rate of whites. Now, one out of every seven blacks is unemployed. White unemployment barely increased under Obama, from 7.1% to 7.4%.

Blacks’ median income has fallen 11.1% under Obama, more than twice as much as whites. The disparity in wealth between whites and blacks nearly doubled during Obama’s tenure. According to CNN, the median net worth of the average white person is now 22 times as much as the the average black person’s wealth, $110,729 to $4,995. The disparity between white and Hispanic wealth increased to a 15 to 1 ratio.

Despite these facts, a recent Pew survey found that the number of blacks who thought they were better off now than they were five years earlier almost doubled since 2007. Minorities put Obama over the top in the election. More Latinos voted for Obama in 2012 than in 2008.

Mr. President: How Do You Define Precise?

"I want to make sure that people understand actually drones have not caused a huge number of civilian casualties…. For the most part, they have been very precise, precision strikes against al- Qaeda and their affiliates. And we are very careful in terms of how it's been applied."

- President Obama, January 2012

I have interviewed many people over the years of doing documentaries. Currently in Pakistan filming with victims of drone attacks (ahead of the film, follow my trip at warcosts.com, Facebook and Twitter), I have never had a more haunting and harrowing experience than looking into the eyes of person after person, children and adults, and hearing them talk about their homes, villages and families destroyed by drone attacks. The pain is palpable, their fear still radiates. And even a question about the CIA sets off terror alerts in peoples' eyes.

"[A] hallmark of our counterterrorism efforts has been our ability to be exceptionally precise, exceptionally surgical and exceptionally targeted."

More

Governor Refuses To Halt Enforcement Of Gambling Laws For Vets

Gov. Jack Markell refuses to impede enforcement of gambling laws, even when it comes to Delaware's veterans’ associations.

Shortly after Veterans Day, some local veterans’ organizations, American Legions, AmVets posts and Veterans of Foreign Wars, received a letter from Delaware State Police Col. Robert Coupe, advising them to remove gambling devices from their facilities or face the consequences of breaking the law.

Slot machines are a primary source of income and a popular source of entertainment at veterans’ organizations throughout the state.
More

Gov't Avoids $47B In Overpayments

The federal government avoided making $47 billion in overpayments over the last three years. In addition, the governmentwide error rate dropped from a high 5.4 percent in Fiscal Year 2009 to 4.3 percent in FY2012.

Adding in the number of improper payments avoided during the same three-year period by the Department of Defense in commercial contracts, the overpayment savings rise to $70 billion and the governmentwide error rate sinks to 3.7 percent.

Danny Werfel, the controller of the Office of Management and Budget, announced these figures Wednesday in a blog post on the agency's blog, OMBlog.

Werfel wrote that error rates dropped in major programs across the government, including Medicare Fee-for- Service, Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit and SNAP (Food Stamps). He added the Department of Labor is also working with states to reduce Unemployment Insurance improper payments.

How did you enjoy Thanksgiving break?

More On Local Farmers

The Maryland Food Bank already has much to be thankful for. And it's really thankful for Maryland's farmers.

Five months into its fiscal year, the Food Bank reports that 51 Maryland farmers have donated more than a million pounds of fresh produce through the "Farm to Food Bank" program. That equates to more than 769,000 meals.

The Farm to Food Bank program was created last year by the Maryland Food Bank with a two-year, $250,000 USDA grant. About $75,000 of that is used to help farmers offset their costs in growing extra food so that it can be donated, explains John May, the bank's senior vice president of operations.

At best, he adds, farmers may break even by participating. But most donate time and labor as well as produce. None actually make money.

Fire raced up the floors of a Bangladeshi garment factory with no emergency exits, killing at least 112 people, some of whom jumped from the eight-story building where they made clothes for major global retailers.

The factory outside the capital, Dhaka, is owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which makes products for Wal-Mart and other companies in the U.S. and Europe.

Firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory and 12 more people died at hospitals after jumping from the building to escape, Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
More

Gun Violence In Va. Falls, Firearm Sales Up

An analysis shows gun-related violence has fallen steadily since 2006 in Virginia despite record firearm sales.

Virginia Commonwealth University professor Thomas R. Baker compared state crime data for 2006 through 2011 with gun-dealer sales estimates obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
More

Want To Know Just How Close The Muslim Brotherhood Is To The Obama Admin?

On Wednesday evening, GBTV unveiled a powerful documentary, “Rumors of War III,” exposing how radical Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood, are infiltrating American government at its highest levels.

The following is an overview of each of the Islamist figures who have found their place — in some way, shape or form — at the Obama administration’s table.

Arif Alikahn, Former Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Policy Development: Now a Distinguished Visiting Professor of DHS and Counterterrorism at the National Defense University, Alikahn also served as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles where he reportedly derailed the LAPD’s efforts to monitor the city’s Muslim community — particularly its radical mosques and madrassas where certain 9/11 hijackers were said to have received support. He is affiliated with MPAC, which has called the terrorist group Hezbollah a “liberation movement.”

Decisions, Decisions, I Can't Handle The Pressure

Death Penalty Repeal Back On Maryland Legislative Agenda

A bill to repeal the death penalty in Maryland will be introduced again during the 2013 lawmaking session.

Past repeal bills presented in the state have failed to reach a floor vote in 10 of the last 12 legislative sessions.

Sen. Lisa A. Gladden (D-Dist. 41) reintroduced the bill for its thirteenth time. She tells the Gazette the new bill would use money saved from capital murder cases to support families of murder victims.
More

Let's Make A Deal

Fireman

Caption This Photo 11-26-12

SANDY VICTIM PROMISED ‘IMMEDIATE HELP’ BY PRESIDENT OBAMA STILL IN THE COLD

Many political analysts believe Superstorm Sandy gave President Obama a small but critical boost before the 2012 election, allowing him to look like a bold, competent leader while also juggling his campaign duties.

Many voters said they appreciated how much he “cared” about the plight of the victims, and vowed to cut through any “red tape” to grant them immediate help.

On October 31, the White House posted a photo of the president hugging a disheartened woman in a blue sweatshirt, also featuring her in a video about Obama’s post-Sandy efforts:
More

Attention

Monday, November 26, 2012

Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen are two peas in a cracked out pod, so it’s only natural that Sheen coughed up $100,000 to help the embattled actress fight off the IRS.