POLICE CHIEF BANS OFFICERS FROM DENNY’S AFTER MANAGER TELLS DETECTIVE TO LEAVE HER GUN IN THE CAR OR LEAVE

Gun sensitivity is certainly on the rise. And if you needed an example, look no further than Belleville, Ill., where a battle is brewing between local police officers and a Denny’s Restaurant after an on-duty detective who went inside was told that she either had to leave her firearm in the car or exit the establishment. In addition to voicing outrage at the alleged treatment, the Belleville police chief has since banned officers from eating at the diner.

The drama unfolded on New Year’s Day when the detectives were eating at the Denny’s. The restaurant’s manager came over to tell a female in the group that she had to take her gun to the car or leave. Her request was purportedly based on a complaint from another customer. While, at first, the detectives assumed that the mandate was a joke, they quickly learned otherwise.

The manager explained the Denny’s only allows officers in uniform to carry guns, however the detectives had shown their badges, thus substantiating their identities. When they got up to leave, a general manager, who purportedly noticed the officers refusing to pay for their meals during the dispute, came over and told them that they could stay after all. But the damage was done.
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Always Worth Repeating

Gun-Free Zones

Gun Permit

Hundreds Arrested In Child Exploitation Probe

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says more than 200 adults have been arrested in a five-week, international investigation of child pornography.

ICE Director John Morton says 123 child victims were identified in the investigation, which ended in early December. It found 110 victims in 19 U.S. states. The others were living in six countries.
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If Tomorrow Never Comes!

I visited here today and thought that you would enjoy it too! http://wandascountryhome.com/tomorrow/index.html

Weekly Jobless Claims Rise To 372K

More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, though the winter holidays likely distorted the data for the second straight week.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications rose by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 in the week ended Dec. 29. The previous week's total was revised higher.

Many state unemployment offices were closed this week for the New Year's holiday and did not submit complete data for last week. As a result, the department relied on estimates for nine states. Two weeks ago, the department estimated 19 states because of Christmas closings.
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Tim Hortons Customer Pays For Stranger’s Coffee, Others Pay It Forward For 228 Orders

We’ve always thought of the Canadians as a warm, friendly people, and now a bunch of Tim Hortons customers are proving just that: The chain started Random Cups of Kindness this holiday season, where it would pay the tab of random guests. But it didn’t stop there, after a whole slew of customers kept up the festive spirit by returning the favor for their fellow coffee drinkers.

The Winnipeg Press says on Dec. 21, a customer in the drive-thru line decided to pay for the order of the next vehicle. That caused a chain reaction of sorts, as customer then paid it forward for three hours and 228 orders. Hit me with that warm and fuzzy feeling, Canadians!

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EXCLUSIVE: Documents Suggest Al-Awlaki Booked Flights For 9/11 Hijackers

FBI documents reviewed exclusively by Fox News show the American Muslim cleric may have booked pre-attack flights for some of thehijackers.

From Fox News

FEMA ASSISTANCE DENIAL STILL OFFERS OPTION FOR APPEAL

Maryland Joint Field Office
11111 Pepper Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21031
News Desk Phone: (571) 408-3284

Maryland Survivors have the right to appeal the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision about what assistance they can receive.

The survivor may ask for another review in order to appeal the decision on amount, type of assistance or any other decision regarding federal disaster assistance.

When appealing, explain in writing why you disagree with a decision. Include any new or additional documents that would support the appeal. Be as specific as possible in the letter. Include materials such as itemized receipts and contractor estimates.

If you would like to speak with a specialist who will listen and help you with the appeal process, you can visit the Disaster Recovery Center or call the FEMA helpline 800-621-FEMA. That’s 800-621-3362.

SALISBURY CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION AGENDA JANUARY 7, 2013

CONFERENCE ROOM 306

GOVERNMENT OFFICE BUILDING

4:30 p.m. Three Strikes Ordinance
5:15 p.m. Lockout Ordinance
6:00 p.m. Break
6:10 p.m. Budget Amendment for Pay and Classification Study
6:45 p.m. Amendment to False Alarm Ordinance
7:00 p.m. Request for Easement and Right-of-Way Abandonment – Ocean Aisle
7:15 p.m. Request for Reconsideration of a Payment Plan for Oasis Car Wash
7:30 p.m. General Discussion/Upcoming agenda items
- Status of Fire Service Agreement
- Work Performed Without a Formal Contract (audit follow-up)
- Cash Disbursement Questions
- Start Times for Council Work Sessions
- Council Travel Policy
- Other
8:00 p.m. Adjournment

Senators Got 154-Page 'Fiscal Cliff' Bill 3 Minutes Before Voting on It

The U.S. Senate voted 89-8 to approve legislation to avoid the fiscal cliff despite having only 3 minutes to read the 154-page bill and budget score.

Multiple Senate sources have confirmed to CNSNews.com that senators received the bill at approximately 1:36 AM on Jan. 1, 2013 – a mere three minutes before they voted to approve it at 1:39 AM.

The bill is 154-pages and includes several provisions that are unrelated to the fiscal cliff, including repealing a section of ObamaCare, extending the wind-energy tax credit, and a rum tax subsidy deal for Puerto Rican rum makers.
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Why The 2nd Amendment

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shootings, said: "The British are not coming. ... We don't need all these guns to kill people." Lewis' vision, shared by many, represents a gross ignorance of why the framers of the Constitution gave us the Second Amendment. How about a few quotes from the period and you decide whether our Founding Fathers harbored a fear of foreign tyrants.

Alexander Hamilton: "The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed," adding later, "If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no recourse left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government." By the way, Hamilton is referring to what institution when he says "the representatives of the people"?
James Madison: "(The Constitution preserves) the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation ... (where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."

Thomas Jefferson: "What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms."

George Mason, author of the Virginia Bill of Rights, which inspired our Constitution's Bill of Rights, said, "To disarm the people – that was the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

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Time Warner Cable Drops Current TV Upon Sale To Al Jazeera

NEW YORK –- Time Warner Cable pulled the plug on Current TV just hours after news of the cable channel's sale to Al Jazeera became official.

"This channel is no longer available on Time Warner Cable," read an on-screen message where Current TV used to be found.

Al Jazeera took a major step into the U.S. cable market Wednesday by acquiring beleaguered Current TV and announcing plans for a U.S.-based news network to be called Al Jazeera America. But while the new channel will soon be available in 40 million households, Al Jazeera faced a setback when Time Warner Cable -- which reaches 12 million homes -- announced it was dropping the low-rated Current, which occupied a spot that could have been switched to Al Jazeera America.
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ANIMAL FARM

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” George Orwell – Animal Farm

The United States has gradually degenerated from a Republic based on individual liberties to a socialized oligarchy run by an exclusive few. The country was founded upon the platform of individual rights. We declared our independence from Great Britain because of excessive regulation and taxation. Americans fought for the right to live their lives free from the subjugation of an overbearing governmental body. The Founding Fathers declared our independence with these immortal words:

We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the United States has gone from taking personal responsibility for our own lives to dependence on government to make all decisions in our lives. There are 306 million Americans and we have defaulted on our responsibility for governing this nation to 535 corrupt politicians, 10 “too big to fail” banks, a secretive Central Bank, 17,000 corporate lobbyists, and thousands of government bureaucrats. Essentially 306 million citizens are managed by a few thousand elitist rulers. George Orwell’s classic novel Animal Farm was inspired by the a scene he witnessed:

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Inside Obama's Kailua Beach Vacation Homes

With the fiscal cliff averted at last on New Year's Day, President Barack Obama returned to his vacation spot on Kailua Beach in Oahu, Hawaii Wednesday morning for some much-needed R & R. Obama had previously cut the vacation short to deal with the fiscal crisis.

With the fiscal cliff averted at last on New Year's Day, President Barack Obama returned to his vacation spot on Kailua Beach in Oahu, Hawaii Wednesday morning for some much-needed R & R. Obama had previously cut the vacation short to deal with the fiscal crisis.

Each U.S. president has found his own way to unwind from the stresses of leading the free world, including Harry Truman, who once called the White House the "crown jewel of the federal penal system" because he felt so confined there. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both escaped to ranches out west.
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Lockdown At Mamaroneck Schools

NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) - A man claiming to be a security guard and admitting to carrying a handgun asked to enter the Hommocks Middle School in Mamaroneck but left peacefully, prompting a call to the police and a lockdown of the districts schools, according to LoHud.com.

The man told a worker at the school that he needed to get inside the school to find an item of clothing he had left behind, according to the report. The worker noticed a gun in the man's waistband and asked him about it. The man admitted he was armed because of his work in security, LoHud.com reported.

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OC Police Charge Man With Child Abuse

Bruno Michael Tucci

During the month of December 2012, Ocean City Police concluded a child sexual assaultinvestigation stemming from an incident occurring in August of 1981. OCPD investigators have charged, 70, of Salisbury, Maryland with:
4th Degree Sex Offence
Child Abuse: Custodian

Tucci is alleged to have brought a child to an Ocean City motel room in August of 1981. While in the motel, it is alleged the illegal sexual acts occurred. Police ask that anyone with information about Tucci, a former Priest in Allentown, Pennsylvania from 1971 until 2007, contactDetective Brett L. Case at 410-723-6632.

Harris Sworn In To 113th Congress

Harris Committee Assignments Announced

Washington - Congressman Harris was sworn in today to the 113^th Congress.  He is beginning his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“I am excited to start my second term serving the constituents of Maryland’s First District,” said Representative Harris. “America’s challenges are great.  The new Congress must take action to improve our struggling economy and to control federal spending to address our unsustainable level of national debt.”

In the new Congress, Representative Harris will continue to serve on the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. 

Board Approves Contract For Offshore Wind Survey

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland board has approved a $3.3 million contract to conduct a survey off the coast of Ocean City related to developing offshore wind.

The Board of Public Works approved the contract on Wednesday with Coastal Planning & Engineering Inc. for a high-resolution geophysical survey.

The money for the contract will come from about $30 million the state of Maryland received in a settlement agreement with Exelon Corp. last year in its bid to takeover Baltimore’s Constellation Energy.
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FBI: More People Killed With Hammers, Clubs Each Year Than Rifles

According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs far outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle.

This is an interesting fact, particularly amid the Democrats' feverish push to ban many different rifles, ostensibly to keep us safe of course.

However, it appears the zeal of Sens. like Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) is misdirected. For in looking at the FBI numbers from 2005 to 2011, the number of murders by hammers and clubs consistently exceeds the number of murders committed with a rifle.

Think about it: In 2005, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 445, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 605. In 2006, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 438, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 618.
And so the list goes, with the actual numbers changing somewhat from year to year, yet the fact that more people are killed with blunt objects each year remains constant.

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STATE POLICE MAKE MARIJUANA ARREST/INTERDICTION IN WORCESTER CO.

(BERLIN, MD) – The commander and assistant commanders of the Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack will be joined by the Worcester County State’s Attorney to announce a recent arrest and the recovery of more than 350 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop. Although the marijuana was packaged in an attempt to reduce its scent, a State Police drug dog was able to detect its odor and alert troopers to the presence of drugs in the stopped vehicle.

More details to come...

JOHN BOEHNER RE-ELECTED SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

113th Congress re-elects House Speaker John Boehner.

Is The Medical Community Failing Breastfeeding Moms?

The doctor blamed it on the baby. “She’s not absorbing your milk,” he told Colleen Kelly, in the days after he daughter was born, as the baby lost too much weight and cried constantly. Lactation consultants said, “She’s not latching properly.”

Kelly drove through rural Maine for hours to attend breast-feeding support groups and La Leche League meetings, yet the baby went from eight to six pounds and was diagnosed as “failure to thrive.” The baby’s kidneys were x-rayed and blood taken, but doctors found nothing wrong.

Not once in her travels did someone suggest that perhaps the problem was Kelly herself, rather than her baby or her ability to latch on. She told doctors that her mother hadn’t been able to produce enough breast milk—could that be happening to her?

No, they said. That was an old wives’ tale. But they never even looked at her breasts.

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Tim Carney: How Corporate Tax Credits Got In The 'Cliff' Deal

The "fiscal cliff" legislation passed this week included $76 billion in special-interest tax credits for the likes of General Electric, Hollywood and even Captain Morgan. But these subsidies weren't the fruit of eleventh-hour lobbying conducted on the cliff's edge -- they were crafted back in August in a Senate committee, and they sat dormant until the White House reportedly insisted on them this week.

The Family and Business Tax Cut Certainty Act of 2012, which passed through the Senate Finance Committee in August, was copied and pasted into the fiscal cliff legislation, yielding a victory for biotech companies, wind-turbine-makers, biodiesel producers, film studios -- and their lobbyists. So, if you're wondering how algae subsidies became part of a must-pass package to avert the dreaded fiscal cliff, credit the Biotechnology Industry Organization's lobbying last summer.

Some tax lobbyists mostly ignored the August bill "because they thought it would be just a political document," one K Streeter told me. "They were the ones that got bit in the butt."
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Universal Recycling Available Jan. 1, 2013 For Delaware’s Multi-Family Complexes

DOVER – New Year’s Day 2013 marks the expansion of recycling services in Delaware to include multi-family apartment and condominium complexes. Waste collectors have partnered with multi-family complexes to provide recycling services along with their trash services through the state’s universal recycling program.

All single family homes that have trash collection service began receiving recycling service from their waste haulers in September 2011, as did most restaurants and bars. By Jan. 1, 2014, all commercial businesses will be participating in a comprehensive recycling program. Recycling participation is dramatically higher throughout Delaware in the last 15 months, according to reports from waste haulers, while landfill disposal volumes are down.
“Reducing waste reduces consumption of our natural resources, generates new businesses and job opportunities and keeps disposal costs down,” said Governor Jack Markell. “The more Delaware recycles, the less trash we send to our landfills and the less demand we have for future landfill expansion. Minimizing the need for more landfill capacity is a key economic and environmental goal of universal recycling.”
“Recycling is a win-win-win,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “Recycling improves the environment, saves money, and creates local jobs. Including multi-family dwellings is a key next step in ensuring every resident and business has easy access to recycling services. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with residents, businesses, local governments, and private haulers to achieve the goals of the universal recycling program.”
Multi-family dwellings – apartment and condo complexes – will be provided recycling collection in the same fashion as their trash collection. Single stream recycling, which allows all recyclables to be tossed together into one container for pickup, separate from the trash, has made recycling easier than ever before. Apartment and condo management staff will provide information on recycling to their residents.
“Sorting and collecting items separately was one of the obstacles that kept people from recycling more,” said Brock J. Vinton II, Chairman of Delaware’s Recycling Public Advisory Council. “Single stream eliminates the need for storing recyclables in separate containers and streamlines the process thanks to the automated sorting mechanisms at the materials recovery facilities in Delaware."
According to Vinton, municipalities and waste haulers are reporting an enthusiastic response to their recycling services and a significant reduction in trash going to the state’s three landfills.
Delaware’s universal recycling program was established in 2010 following passage of legislation co-sponsored by Senator David McBride and Representative Michael Mulrooney and signed into law by Governor Jack Markell. For more information on recycling in Delaware, please visit: www.recycling.delaware.gov

QUOTES OF THE DAY - ORWELL'S 1984 EDITION

“In general you could not assume that you were much safer in the country than in London. There were no telescreens, of course, but there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized.”

“In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol, snooping into people’s windows.”

“It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself – anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for example) was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime, it was called.”

“It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children. And with good reason, for hardly a week passed in which The Times did not carry a paragraph describing how some eavesdropping little sneak — ‘child hero’ was the phrase generally used — had overheard some compromising remark and denounced its parents to the Thought Police.”

“In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word.”

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.”

“In Oceania at the present day, Science, in the old sense, has almost ceased to exist. In Newspeak there is no word for ‘Science’. The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc. And even technological progress only happens when its products can in some way be used for the diminution of human liberty.”

“If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”

Virginia Joins Pro-Life Wave With Abortion Clinic Rules

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed off on permanent regulations that will hold abortion clinics to the same building standards as hospitals, joining Arizona and Michigan as states looking to tighten their abortion-facility standards to among the most stringent in the nation.

The new regulations come amid 43 abortion restrictions enacted by states last year — the second-most on record, after 92 such measures were adopted in 2011, according to a report released Wednesday by the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute.

About half the measures last year were passed in six states: Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. They include prohibitions on abortions after 20 weeks, when a fetus is deemed old enough to feel pain, and requirements that doctors prescribe abortion-inducing drugs in person rather than by teleconference.
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Robert Pollin: Economic Outlook For 2013

On The Left, Seeing Obama Giving Away Too Much, Again

Washington - For President Obama, the fiscal deal passed by Congress on Tuesday finally ends four years of debate with Republicans about raising tax rates on the wealthy. But it seemed to reopen a debate within his party about the nature of his leadership and his skills as a negotiator.

While Mr. Obama got most of what he sought in the agreement, he found himself under withering criticism from some in his liberal base who accused him of caving in to Republicans by not taxing the rich more. Just as Speaker John A. Boehner has been under pressure from his right, Mr. Obama faces a virtual Tea Party of the left that sees his compromise as capitulation.

The main difference is that in the Obama era, the Democratic establishment has been less influenced, or intimidated, by the left than the Republican establishment has been by the right. Liberals have not mounted sustained primary challenges to take out wayward incumbents the way conservatives have. All but three Democratsvoting in the Senate and 16 in the House supported the compromise on Tuesday, even as most House Republicans balked, giving Mr. Obama more room to operate than Mr. Boehner.

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County To Seek Waiver For Traffic Light At Troubled Spot

SNOW HILL -- Following a heated meeting between the State Highway Administration (SHA) and residents of Snow Hill last month, the Worcester County Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to write a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) requesting that a traffic light be installed at the intersection of Routes 12 and 113, despite the site not meeting the requirements for a light.

Commissioner Virgil Shockley, who represents the Snow Hill district, briefed the rest of the commission this week, with the exception of Commissioner Jim Bunting who was absent, on the late December meeting between residents and the SHA.

“We had quite a few people in the room; quite a few angry people in the room, I should say, talking about J-turns,” said Shockley.
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STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ON RAY LEWIS’ RETIREMENT

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley released this statement following Ray Lewis’ announcement that he will retire at the end of this season:

“Ray Lewis is an outstanding football player who exhibits passion and leadership both on and off the field. His commitment to football has made him worthy of a place in the Hall of Fame, and his dedication to the City of Baltimore and incredible community spirit has made him a man of dignity, respect and character.

“We will always be grateful for his love of the people of Baltimore and fans everywhere. He has given football fans of all ages hope and inspired us all to reach beyond our dreams. Though we will miss him on the field, we wish him well in his future endeavors."

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Miller Would Assure Death Penalty Vote

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said Wednesday that he will make sure that legislation to repeal Maryland's death penalty gets a vote in his chamber if the governor lines up enough support for approval.

Despite his personal support of the death penalty, Miller said, he would give Gov. Martin O'Malley the opportunity to win passage of such legislation — which has been bottled up in a Senate committee.

"If he shows me the votes, if he's got the votes on the floor of the Senate, then we'll find a way to move it forward," Miller said in an interview. "But this is not just a debating site where you sit and debate the bills that don't have a chance of passage."
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Patriotic Group Told To Stop Praying In Jesus’ Name

The Daughters of the American Revolution, one of the nation’s oldest patriotic organizations, has erased any mention of Jesus Christ in their official book, removed prayers and poems that reference Christian imagery, and directed members to refrain from praying in the name of Christ, an outraged group of members alleged.

The dispute has been brewing for more than a year when DAR members learned that the newly revised Ritual and Missal books – the primary guide for chaplains – were altered. They noticed that the name of Jesus Christ had been omitted.

The DAR president general did not return calls seeking comment for this story.

The members said DAR leadership made the changes to be politically correct and to accommodate new members of other religious beliefs.

A state chaplain in the organization notified members of their concerns in a newsletter.

“The newly updated Missal and Ritual was written to reflect the desire to be considerate of other belief systems,” the statement read. “The Chaplain General uses scripture from both the Old and New Testaments and prays in the name of God without reference Christ. Chapter and district chaplains need to follow the example set by the National Society.”

The statement also reminded members to “appreciate the differences in members’ religious beliefs and to adapt our rituals and prayers to respect these differences.”

That directive has infuriated rank and file members of the DAR – an organization that is deeply rooted in the Christian faith.

Several members of the DAR spoke with Fox News about their concerns – on the condition they remain anonymous.

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BREAKING NEWS: DEMARR BROOKS JONES SENTENCED TO LIFE

Demarr Brooks Jones, aka Marty Bass was sentenced to life in prison moments ago. Demarr was a BGF, (Black Guerrilla Family) gang member who was involved in Arnold Fagan's murder back in January of 2012.

Increase In Social Security Tax In New Bill

Notice to All Employees: (Why your net pay will be reduced)

Background

On Jan 1, 2013 the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a motion to concur on a Senate Proposal as part of the effort to avoid the “Fiscal Cliff”. See below:
H R 8 RECORDED VOTE 1-Jan-2013 10:57 PM

QUESTION: On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendments

BILL TITLE: To extend certain tax relief provisions enacted in 2001 and 2003, and to provide for expedited consideration of a bill providing for comprehensive tax reform, and for other purposes.
The results of the voting were 257 for the measure, and 167 against the measure.

The bill passed by Congress would prevent the 2013 tax increases for families making under $450,000 (thus extending the Bush-era tax cuts), while letting rates rise for those making above that threshold. It would also extend unemployment insurance for another year, eliminate a proposed reduction in payments to doctors from Medicare, extends tax credits for wind energy while patching up a host of other expiring provisions and delaying automatic spending cuts for two months. Those cuts, which would hit defense heavily, will instead be offset with a blend of tax increases and other spending cuts. The bill includes $620 Billion in new taxes and about $15 Billion in spending cuts.

(See separate in-depth article for further detail on the contents of the bill)
Effect on Millennium Microwave Corporation employees

One of the results from this bill is that withholding for Social Security in 2013 will be increased by 2% as this bill did not extend the prior tax “holiday” which began in 2011. Consequently EVERY Millennium employee will see a tax INCREASE in 2013. This is CONTRARY to the promises given to us by our elected officials. See the example below:
Example: Employee earns $15.00/hour and works 80 hours in the bi-weekly pay period. The additional Social Security withholding will be about $24/pay period ($15.00/hour X 80 hours X 0.02).
All of the products we make at Millennium are used in the defense of the United States and its allies. Therefore the prospect of heavy cuts in the funding for defense within two months is a chilling prospect for our company. It is anticipated that Congress will be having detailed discussions on this subject over the next few months.

Panel On Mentally Ill Gun Access Releases Report

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Gun should be taken away from anyone who is found by a licensed health care provider, educator or police to be a threat, a panel studying firearms access by the mentally ill recommended Wednesday.

The report is being made public just as Maryland lawmakers are expected to take up gun control proposals in a legislative session that begins next week.

Gov. Martin O'Malley and lawmakers have been discussing plans for measures to address gun violence in the aftermath of the massacre last month at a Connecticut elementary school. The Task Force to Study Access of Mentally Ill Individuals to Regulated Firearms, however, was created last year and first met in August.
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TNA Impact Wrestling Road To Lockdown Tour

TNA Wrestling Presents the TNA Impact Wrestling Road to Lockdown Tour Friday, January 4 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center

TNA Wrestling presents the TNA IMPACT WRESTLING Road to Lockdown Tour live in Salisbury! The Superstars of IMPACT WRESTLING, as seen on Spike TV, (Thursdays 8 p.m. ET/PT) will invade the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Friday, January 4 at 7:30pm for an unforgettable night of action.

"The Charismatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy will defend his TNA World Heavyweight Title in a triple threat match against Austin Aries and Bobby Roode inside a steel cage. Also attending will be Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Bully Ray, "The Cowboy" James Storm, TNA Knockouts and many more TNA Superstars.

Tickets are on sale now at www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org, at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office (500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21804; M-F, 8:00am-6:00pm) or charge by phone at 410-548-4911. Tickets start at $20, fees may apply. Fans that purchase a $75 ticket will receive early entry and autograph signings with select IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars at 5:30pm. (Redeemable with ticket the night of the show.)

How To Get Good Service At A Chronically Understaffed Walmart

What should you know when you place an online order that you plan to pick up at your local Walmart store? An insider––an ordinary store employee in an ordinary Walmart––reached out to us to explain to customers what you should know before you click “Site-to-Store,” and other pitfalls. Walmart may employ millions of Americans, but it still tries to run stores with the smallest crew that it get by with.

Let’s hand the floor over to the employee, who we’ll call “Samantha”:
As an employee, I can tell you that it’s true; Walmart’s idea of saving money is by trying to do as much as possible with as few people as possible. As such, being (technically) understaffed is an inevitability. But here are a few ways that consumers can get the help they need. This may not be true for every store, and as I don’t work at a Super Center, I can’t speak entirely for them. But most of this is basic through and through stuff for the store.

1. Site to Store vs. Pick Up Today: The short version is that S2S ships from a warehouse somewhere far away from us, and pick-up today is an item we carry in store that we set aside for you. If the option is there for pick up today, USE IT. It will be set aside for you rather than taking 1-2 weeks to get to us from the warehouse. You can also call the store directly if there are issues.

2. Site to Store Primer: Walmart.com is actually a subsidiary of Walmart. Therefore, if there’s a problem with your order before it gets to the store, calling the store itself will solve nothing. We actually don’t get any information until the item gets to us. Ergo, if you’re wondering if your item has arrived, the answer will always be ‘no’ until you get the e-mail or text notification. I swear, nothing is more annoying than having to answer those questions. Also, all you need is your ID. In fact, it saves a step because we can look it up by your name. The only time I’d say to not do this is if you order stuff a LOT. Orders tend to stay in the system for a while after they’re picked up, and without the order number, you’ll be waiting for us to go through every single one individually until we find the right one. Same goes for more than one order.

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Lost Dog 1-3-13

Lost Dog. Missing since Christmas Eve - Zion Road near the mall. White- 5yrs old bijon/poodle mix male weighs about 10lbs . He is very missed. Please call Brooke at 410-430-9000.

Obama Would Call on Military to Disarm Americans During National Emergency

The blueprint for how Americans would be disarmed during a declared civil emergency is contained in an Army manual that outlines a plan to confiscate firearms to prevent them falling into the hands of rioters or dissidents.

Given the imminent introduction of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s draconian gun control legislation, which would instantly criminalize millions of gun owners in the United States if passed, concerns that the Obama administration could launch a massive gun confiscation effort have never been greater.

In July 2012, the process by which this could take place was made clear in a leaked US Army Military Police training manual for “Civil Disturbance Operations” (PDF) dating from 2006. Similar plans were also outlined in an updated manual released in 2010 entitled FM 3-39.40 Internment and Resettlement Operations.
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BREAKING NEWS: MAN JUMPS FROM HIGH RISE BUILDING IN OCEAN CITY

OC Paramedics are on the scene at the Golden Sands Condos on 107th street where a male subject jumped from the high rise and has been announced dead at the scene.

UPDATE: It turns out it is an elderly male who jumped from the 19th floor.  

More Experts Call BS On Supposed Benefits Of Energy Drinks

The highly caffeinated “energy drink” market has been surging in recent years, as the makers of these beverages make claims that their products aren’t just substitutes for coffee or tea. But a growing number of researchers are saying that energy drinks are nothing special.
“If you had a cup of coffee you are going to affect metabolism in the same way,” Dr. Robert W. Pettitt, an associate professor at Minnesota State University in Mankato, tells the NY Times, which points out that for the price of a $2.99 12-oz. can of an energy drink, you can get the same amount of caffeine as you’d find in a $.30 NoDoz tablet, and less caffeine than you’d get from a 12-oz, $1.85 Starbucks coffee.

Dr. Roland Griffiths from Johns Hopkins University refers to energy drinks as “These are caffeine delivery systems… They don’t want to say this is equivalent to a NoDoz because that is not a very sexy sales message.”

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Ray Stevens’ Politically Incorrect Celebration Of Christmas

The Pork Filled and Expensive Non-Relief Sandy Relief Bill

It's been 66 days since Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast, causing major damage in New York and New Jersey. The storm was so powerful, it is in the running to become the most expensive storm for taxpayers on record. Historically, Congress has passed hurricane relief bills in the immediate aftermath of storm damage, but Sandy is a different story. Why? Congress wrote up Hurricane Sandy Relief legislation and then Harry Reid's Senate loaded it with pork. What's in it? Many things that hardly count as relief for victims.

The pork-barrel feast includes more than $8 million to buy cars and equipment for the Homeland Security and Justice departments. It also includes a whopping $150 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to dole out to fisheries in Alaska and $2 million for the Smithsonian Institution to repair museum roofs in DC.

An eye-popping $13 billion would go to “mitigation” projects to prepare for future storms.

Other big-ticket items in the bill include $207 million for the VA Manhattan Medical Center; $41 million to fix up eight military bases along the storm’s path, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; $4 million for repairs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida; $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center and $1.1 million to repair national cemeteries.

Budget watchdogs have dubbed the 94-page emergency-spending bill “Sandy Scam.”

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The following open letter, written by U.S. Marine Joshua Boston and headlined “No ma’am.,” was posted in the CNN iReport on Dec. 27 with the included note from the producer and photo. It has struck a nerve with many and is being circulated around social media venues like Twitter and Facebook.
CNN PRODUCER NOTE: joshdb50 was a Marine and was deployed to Afghanistan between the years of 2004 through 2005. Although he is no longer in the military he acknowledges that he owns gun. He says he does not believe the government needs to know what guns he owns because he believes registration would lead to confiscation. He says the laws that are in place for gun control are plenty, and adding more laws will remove a means of defense for people. ‘I own the guns I own because I acknowledge mankind’s shortcomings instead of pretending like they don’t exist. There are evil men in this world and there just may be a time when I need to do the unthinkable to protect me or my family,’ he said.
- Jareen, CNN iReport producer

Senator Dianne Feinstein,

I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the government’s right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime. You ma’am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one.

I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.

I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man.

I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public.

We, the people, deserve better than you.

Respectfully Submitted,
Joshua Boston
Cpl, United States Marine Corps
2004-2012

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BREAKING NEWS: Obama Signs Fiscal Crisis Bill

Obama signs fiscal crisis legislation passed by Congress, White House says. 

J.G. Townsend, Jr. & Co. Gives Over $227,000 To Delaware’s Open Space Fund

J.G. Townsend, Jr. & Co.’s Board of Directors gathered at their Georgetown offices to present a ceremonial check for $227,581.73 to Delaware’s Open Space Program. On hand were (from left) John G. Townsend, IV, Bill Lingo, Paul Townsend, Bryce Lingo, John Lingo, Derrick Lingo, and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture E. Austin Short, who gratefully accepted the donation on behalf of the State of Delaware. (Not shown: Board member Eugene H. Bayard, Esq.)

The charitable gift of over $227,500 by Georgetown-based J.G. Townsend, Jr. & Co. to the State of Delaware Open Space Program will help fund future land preservation efforts in Sussex County. The donation fulfills its pledge to donate $1,050 per acre from the State of Delaware’s purchase of 216 acres of forestland from the firm that are now part of the 12,255-acre Redden State Forest. The purchase highlights the latest chapter in what has become a beneficial partnership between the public and private sectors: one of the existing Redden State Forest tracts is already named the J.G. Townsend Tract in honor of former Delaware Governor and U.S. Senator John G. Townsend – an important figure in the political and agricultural history of the First State.

“We are very grateful to the Board of Directors of J.G. Townsend, Jr. & Co. for allowing us to conserve this important forestland for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations of Delaware residents,” said Michael A. Valenti, Delaware’s State Forestry Administrator.

“This large donation to Delaware’s Open Space Preservation Fund will directly support our state’s conservation efforts in the immediate future. It’s also equally important to acknowledge the unfailing support of the U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program, which has provided well over $14 million to help protect almost 3,000 acres as part of the Green Horizons Project,” Valenti added.

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