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Monday, May 06, 2013

SESSIONS: SPECIAL INTEREST, EXTREMIST GROUPS WROTE IMMIGRATION BILL

Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) claimed on Breitbart News Sundaythat the “Gang of Eight” U.S. Senators did not in fact write the 844-page immigration bill, but special interest groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the SEIU, and AFL-CIO and extremist advocacy groups like the National Council of La Raza actually wrote the legislation.

The explosive revelation came during Sessions’ interview with Breitbart News Sundayhost and Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon on Sunday evening. “It’s just unbelievable that legislation of this importance is being written in secret. The Gang of Eight claims they wrote it, but really if you saw the news reports Steve, it was always the unions and the Chamber of Commerce was working with La Raza and SEIU and they’re about to reach an agreement. I mean, like, who’s writing this bill?” Sessions said.

The Alabama Republican argued that the Senate should not go forward with the immigration bill because it is a "dangerous" piece of legislation. “It was written by experts who know what they’re doing,” Sessions said. “It was not written by the Gang of Eight themselves. But they have blessed special interests to write and develop and approve each one of those provisions and sections that impact their interest area." 

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QUOTE OF THE DAY 5-6-13

“Gentleness is everywhere in daily life, a sign that faith rules through ordinary things…

Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people. Lacking any other purpose in life, it would be good enough to live for their sake.”

Garrison Keillor

OBAMA SURRENDERS IN OBAMACARE BATTLE

The Obama administration has surrendered in a key fight with a business over the abortion pill mandate in the president’s Obamacare health industry takeover, asking a federal court to dismiss an appeal of a ruling that prevented application of the mandate.

The move was confirmed today by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing Tyndale House Publishers.


Tyndale, of Carol Stream, Ill., went to court earlier because it objects to providing abortifacients as Obamacare requires of every health coverage plan.

Tyndale, the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media, won at a lower court level with an order that the abortifacient requirement not be applied in its case.

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South Carolina House Passes Bill Making Obamacare Implementation A Crime

Things are starting to heat up. Expect more of this as we get closer to implementation and people start to see what a disaster Obamacare really is. Moreover, a recent Kaiser poll showed that only 35% of the public support the health care law. That’s bad.

One of the most popular posts I ever published was: Thoughts on Obamacare from a Surgeon and Friend. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do. If you have read it, it’s worth rereading.

From The Washington Times:

The South Carolina state House passed a bill Wednesday that declares President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be “null and void,” and criminalizes its implementation.

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Former FBI Agent: All Phone Conversations Are Recorded And Stored

Elizabeth Smart: Abstinence Education Teaches Rape Victims They’re Worthless, Dirty, And Filthy

Elizabeth Smart became a household name after she was kidnapped from her home in Salt Lake City, UT at the age of 14 and held in captivity for nine months. She was forced into a polygamous marriage, tethered to a metal cable, and raped daily until she was rescued from her captors nine months later. Smart was recovered while she and her kidnappers were walking down a suburban street, leading many Americans who followed her story on the national news to wonder: Why didn’t she just run away as soon as she was brought outside?

Speaking to an audience at Johns Hopkins about issues of human trafficking and sexual violence, Smart recently offered an answer to that question. She explained that some human trafficking victims don’t run away because they feel worthless after being raped, particularly if they have been raised in conservative cultures that push abstinence-only education and emphasize sexual purity:

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"This Is A House Of Cards"

Last week at its regular policy-setting meeting, the Federal Reserve announced it would double down on the policies that have failed to produce anything but a stagnant economy. It was a disappointing, but not surprising, move.

The Fed affirmed that it is prepared to increase its monthly purchases of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities if things don’t start looking up. But actually the Fed has already been buying more than the announced $85 billion per month. Between February and March, the Fed’s securities holdings increased $95 billion. From March to April, they increased $100 billion. In all, the Fed has pumped more than a half trillion dollars into the economy since announcing its latest round of “quantitative easing” (QE3) in September 2012.

Although many were up in arms when the Fed said it would buy $600 billion in government debt outright for the previous round, QE2, all seems quiet about the magnitude of QE3 because it doesn’t come with huge up-front total price tag. But by year’s end the Fed’s balance sheet could hit $4 trillion.

With no recovery in sight, where’s all this money going? It is creating bubbles. Bubbles in the housing sector, the stock market, and government debt. The national debt is fast approaching $17 trillion, with the Fed monetizing most of the newly issued debt. The stock market has been hitting record highs for the past two months as investors seek to capitalize on the Fed’s easy money. After all, as long as the Fed keeps the spigot open, nominal profits are there for the taking. But this is a house of cards. Eventually, just like in 2008-2009, the market will discipline the bad actions of the Fed and seek to find the real normal.

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Lack Of Tree Sex Causes Worse Allergy Symptoms

If your allergies are acting up, it may be due to a lack of sex.

Sex between trees, that is.

WTOP Garden Editor Mike McGrath says while it sounds funny, it's no joke. It's science.

Female trees, such as crabapple trees and ginkgoes, are disliked in many cities because of the mess they leave in late summer.

"The female ginkgoes drop their fruit, which smells bad, and the ornamental crabapples drop these little rotten apples," says McGrath, who explains that many of the female trees are killed due to their unpleasant odor.

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Odd

Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, but after a shooting, the problem is the gun!

Guerrieri Family Foundation Announces $8 Million Gift For SU Academic Commons

SALISBURY, MD---One of the Eastern Shore’s leading philanthropies, the Guerrieri Family Foundation, has announced an $8 million gift for the construction of a new Academic Commons, including a state-of-the-art library, at Salisbury University. This is one of the largest private donations for a capital project in the campus’ history.

The gift is made in memory of Patricia R. Guerrieri, an SU alumna for whom the new complex will be named. “We are grateful for the opportunity to honor our mother at the very place where she first met our father, on this campus, in a way that expresses our love for her and shares with those who did not know her what a truly amazing and gracious person she was,” said Michael Guerrieri.

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TED NUGENT EVISCERATES ‘SOULLESS’ MEDIA IN EXCLUSIVE BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW: ‘I WILL CONTINUE TO GO PIERS MORGAN ON YOU — KNOW THAT’

Legendary rocker and conservative firebrand Ted Nugent takes pleasure in, as he put it in his speech at this year’s NRA convention, “dancing on the skulls” of dishonest and hypocritical members of the media. In an exclusive backstage interview with TheBlaze on Sunday, the NRA board member savaged the “grossly unprofessional” and “sinfully biased” so-called journalism peddled by the mainstream media.

“They’ll never get it,” Nugent told TheBlaze in a dimly lit green room at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. “And that’s why I emphasize the soullessness–I’m pretty good with adjectives but I feel helpless coming up with one incriminating enough or descriptive enough to identify those who would hate freedom, hate the right to self-defense and smirk at the widow of a Navy SEAL for celebrating the freedom that all warriors dedicate and volunteer their lives to fight for.”

The “smirk” Nugent was referring to occurred in the press room during the NRA convention this weekend where an unidentified individual, presumably a reporter (he was wearing a media badge), told this author that it was “weird” that Taya Kyle, the widow of slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, would speak at the NRA event after her husband was killed with a gun.

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Overtime Pay Alternative Sought By Republican Lawmakers

WASHINGTON -- It seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay.

The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even months later to attend a parent-teacher conference, care for an elderly parent or deal with home repairs.

Republicans in Congress are pushing legislation that would extend that option to the private sector. They say that would bring more flexibility to the workplace and help workers better balance family and career.

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World's First 3D Printed Gun Successfully Fired In The US

Neat, LSE Earn President's Distinguished Community Leadership Awards

SALISBURY, MD---A thoughtful, hard-working businessman with a vision of a caring community and an organization dedicated to enhancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities are the 2013 recipients of the Salisbury University President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Awards. Their work is celebrated during SU’s 87th year Spring Commencement 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center.

Marty Neat, president of First Shore Federal Savings and Loan, has served on boards for many civic organizations and agencies for more than three decades. Anthony Sarbanes calls him, “the most worthy candidate I have ever seen for the President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award for an individual. … We need more people just like him.”

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$7.9 Billion in Improper Social Security Payments in FY 2012

The Social Security Administration (SSA) needs to focus on "program integrity," a polite term for reducing fraud and payment errors, the agency's inspector general told Congress last week.

Reducing improper payments is one of the challenges facing the next SSA commissioner, Patrick O'Carroll, Jr., the agency's inspector general, told the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security on April 26.

In fiscal year 2012, the Social Security Administration reported $4.7 billion in improper payments in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, a 9.2 percent improper payment rate. (SSI is funded by general tax revenues, not payroll taxes. It helps elderly, blind, and/or disabled people who are poor.)

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Breaking News


Salisbury paramedics have been called to the WCDC for an alleged hanging.
More to come

How States Are Making It A Felony To Enforce Federal Gun Laws

In mid-April, Kansas passed a law asserting that federal gun regulations do not apply to guns made and owned in Kansas. Under the law, Kansans could manufacture and sell semi-automatic weapons in-state without a federal license or any federal oversight.

Kansas’ “Second Amendment Protection Act” backs up its states’ rights claims with a penalty aimed at federal agents: when dealing with “Made in Kansas” guns, any attempt to enforce federal law is now a felony. Bills similar to Kansas’ law have been introduced in at least 37 other states. An even broader bill is on the desk of Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell. That bill would exempt any gun owned by an Alaskan from federal regulation. In Missouri, a bill declaring federal gun laws “null and void” passed by an overwhelming majority in the state house, and is headed for debate in the senate.

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Who Says You Can't Mess With Texas?

One U.S. District Judge did just that in his ruling over a San Antonio city ordinance that bars exotic dancers from "entertaining" without bikini tops. Judge Fred Biery's 29-page ruling was so full of hilarious double-entendres that its hard to believe it includes a real legal outcome. He didn't waste any time getting into the jokes, starting his decision with the sentence, "an ordinance dealing with semi-nude dancers has once again fallen into the city's lap." And, while addressing the issue in the case, Judge Biery wrote, "to bare, or not to bare, that is the question." The judge denied the injunction, meaning San Antonio dancers must continue wearing their itsy-bitsy bikini tops, but he didn't let the humor stop there. His final sentence stated that if the parties choose to take the case to trial, "the Court encourages reasonable discovery intercourse as they navigate the peaks and valleys of litigation, perhaps to reach a happy ending." We'll just leave it there...

The Family Of The Victim In The Pasadena Hit-And-Run Crash Donates His Heart To A Friend.

Blood is pumping, feet are turning, sweat is dripping, and hearts are pounding.

They are supportive hearts, to help a family thrown off the saddle the past three weeks, and sad hearts longing for 15-year-old Skylar Marion.

Younger brother Sam is spinning the pedals.

"All three of my boys rode bicycles with Kyle," said Michael Marion, Skylar’s dad.

The story begins on the bike where Skylar bonded with Kyle Wilkerson, who is also 15 and from Pasadena. Skylar was hit by a driver on Mountain Rd. three weeks ago and rushed to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

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Colorado Has Embraced Good Government Syndrome – They Want Everybody To Vote

Both state houses just passed a major election law, which includes same-day registration, mandates mail-in ballots be automatically sent to every voter, and creates a statewide voter database to prevent fraud. Already, Colorado is one of three states that uses a universal vote-by-mail system, and voter turnout in those states typically exceeds the national average by more than five percentage points. Because same-day registration laws have been shown to boost turnout by as much as 14 points, Colorado could soon lead our nation in voter participation. Since the 2012 election, 31 states have introduced legislation to make it harder for people to vote, but not Colorado. They're streamlining the process, and making sure every voter in their state has a voice. Colorado lawmakers know that as voter participation goes up, the influence of the special interests goes down. Great Work - Now, let's make this a national policy.

Not As Many Federal Employees Took Retirement Claims Last Month

Not as many feds as expected filed retirement claims last month. Slightly more than 7,000 said goodbye to their agencies. That's 1,000 less than predicted by the Office of Personnel Management. The dip let OPM do damage to its backlog of retirement claims. It's down to 30,000 applications. While that's progress, OPM had expected to have fewer claims — about 23,000 by now. But a month ago, it looked like sequestration was doing a number on OPM's processing office. OPM had said it would cut call-center hours and suspend overtime of Retirement Services employees.

Citizens Encouraged to Snitch on Anti-Government Neighbors in Florida

Citizens are being encouraged to snitch on their “anti-government” neighbors in the sunshine state of Florida, according to an article by the Save America Foundation:
A new $1 million dollar program led by Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw aimed at “violence prevention” is encouraging Floridians to report their neighbors for making hateful comments about the government, a chilling reminder of how dissent is being characterized as an extremist threat.
Reason documented the sheriff’s recent comments, which come from the Palm Beach Post:
 
“We want people to call us if the guy down the street says he hates the government, hates the mayor and he’s gonna shoot him,” Bradshaw said. “What does it hurt to have somebody knock on a door and ask, ‘Hey, is everything OK?’ ”
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Study Pegs Cost Of Immigration Bill’s Mass Legalization At $6.3 Trillion

The comprehensive immigration overhaul being taken up in the Senate this week could cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion if 11 million illegal immigrants are granted legal status, according to a long-awaited estimate by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

The cost would arise from illegal immigrants tapping into the government's vast network of benefits and services, many of which are currently unavailable to them. This includes everything from standard benefits like Social Security and Medicare to dozens of welfare programs ranging from housing assistance to food stamps.

The report was obtained in advance by Fox News.

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More Breaks For Government Sequestration

The White House is cutting more agencies a break from sequestration. Congressional staffers tell the Associated Press, the administration is recalculating its sequestration formula because of the new spending bill passed in March. The White House has identified $5 billion in cuts that could be restored. Most of that would go to the Pentagon, which has complained that sequestration is already hurting military readiness. The rest of the money would go to civilian agencies. The State Department says it would be able to avoid furloughing workers in part because of the new calculation. The FDA says it will not have to curtail inspections of food processing plants.

The Amazing Moment Boston Double Amputee Jeff Bauman Received Hero’s Welcome at Bruins Game


Right before the Boston Bruins took the ice against Toronto in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Saturday, bombing victim Jeff Bauman received a hero’s welcome from the crowd as the team’s honorary banner captain. 


The gory images of Bauman, who lost both of his legs in the blast, became some of the most recognizable from the April 15 terror attack. He was later instrumental in helping authorities identify the bombing suspects.
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Ticks Are Biting Early This Year: How To Protect Yourself

If you'll be doing yard work, hiking, or just sitting on the lawn in the spring loveliness this weekend, be aware that you might not be alone out there: It's tick time again.

Reports out of several states indicate that tick season is off to an early start in many areas, driven partly by a mild winter and warm spring. Bites from the tiny deer ticks prevalent in the Northeast and upper Midwest can transmit Lyme disease and other illnesses. And ticks in other areas can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and anaplasmosis, another bacterial disease.

So it's important to start taking precautions now that you might normally associate more with summer, like tucking your pants into your socks or spraying your clothes down with deet before doing yard work. Here are specific steps for staying tick-free and safe all season long:

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Casinos Brace For Impact Of Internet Gambling

 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — With legal gambling now moving beyond the casinos and onto the Internet, the industry is bracing for the most far-reaching changes in its history.

A Las Vegas firm, Ultimate Gaming, on Tuesday became the first in the U.S. to offer online poker, restricting it, for now, to players in Nevada. New Jersey and Delaware also have legalized gambling over the Internet and expect to begin offering such bets by the end of this year.

And many inside and outside the industry say the recent position taken by the federal government that states are free to offer Internet gambling — as long as it doesn’t involve sports betting — will lead many cash-hungry state governments to turn to the Web as a new source of tax revenue.
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MISSING DOG 5-5-13 UPDATE

Hi there... just wanted to report that keeter has been found. She was taken to the humane society and I was able to retrieve her this morning. I would have worried another night sleepless if not for the help of the Salisbury community. Thank you so much for your willingness to help get her back safely !
Keeter went missing from the K-Mart/Pets ER shopping center in Salisbury, MD yesterday (Saturday, 5/4).
*time- 2:30 pm
*wearing- tan collar with bones, pink fingernail polish.
*yorkie, female, age 7
*friendly, but timid

*any information please call 443-235-7561 or 410-543-8400.

Brain Parasites Spreading In U.S.

Imagine having seizures and being rushed to the hospital. A brain scan shows a one centimeter “tumor.” You have immediate surgery to remove it. Now imagine waking up and listening as the brain surgeon tells you the tumor he just removed from your head was really a parasite!This is what happened to Jay Whalley, the lead singer of an Australian rock band, in February of this year.Whalley is one of the lucky ones – he survived. A Vietnamese immigrant in California was not so fortunate. He died of a massive infection with parasitic worms that spread throughout his body, including his lungs. The mortality rate for patients with advanced cases of this worm is as high as 90%, according to an infectious diseases expert at Stanford University School of Medicine. One can only wonder about the risks this man’s neighbors, co-workers, or caregivers may have been exposed to.
Here’s why I’m sharing these disgusting stories with you…

Although the general public isn’t worried about being infected with parasites, they should be. In fact, cysticercosis, which is what Whalley had, is on the hit list of the United States Centers for Disease Control. It is one of five parasitic infections targeted by the CDC for public health action.

Vacation On Maryland Taxpayers? Hotel Reward Points A Perk Of Being A Lawmaker

Somewhere, a Maryland lawmaker could be planning a vacation that will be paid for with rewards he or she earned on the state’s dime.

Under its ethics rules, the General Assembly allows legislators who stay at hotels at state expense to take advantage of benefits those hotels offer, as long as the benefits are offered to every guest alike, not specifically to lawmakers.

Those benefits can go well beyond a continental breakfast.

According to legislators and officials of watchdog groups, delegates and senators often take advantage of rewards programs at hotels like the Westin Annapolis, the Annapolis Marriott Waterfront and Hilton hotels like the DoubleTree and the Hampton Inn & Suites.

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MAN FOUND DEAD NEAR POINT OF ROCKS IDENTIFIED

(POINT OF ROCKS, MD) – Maryland State Police investigators have identified the man whose body was found in the Potomac River yesterday afternoon and are awaiting results of an autopsy as the investigation continues.

The man has been identified as Peter V. O’Connell, 54, of Frederick, Md. His body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of his death.

At about 4:00 p.m. yesterday, a 911 call was received at the Frederick Barrack from a bicyclist who reported seeing a body in the water along the bank of the Potomac River in Point of Rocks State Park. Troopers from the Frederick Barrack responded, as did State Police crime scene technicians, and investigators from the Homicide Unit and Criminal Enforcement Division. Assistance was also provided by officers from the Natural Resources Police and deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.

The body was in a cove along the river. Members of the Carroll Manor Fire Company responded and retrieved the body from the water. A forensic investigator conducted an examination of the body at the scene.

O’Connell’s car was found in a parking lot about one-half mile from where his body was recovered. Investigators determined O’Connell lived in Frederick and a search of his home was conducted late last night. Investigators recovered a suicide note in the home.

The investigation is continuing.

The Obama Demise

Fate is fickle, power cyclical, and nothing is new under the sun. Especially in Washington, where after every election the losing party is sagely instructed to confess sin, rend garments and rethink its principles lest it go the way of the Whigs. And where the victor is hailed as the new Caesar, facing an open road to domination.

And where Barack Obama, already naturally inclined to believe his own loftiness, graciously accepted the kingly crown and proceeded to ride his reelection success to a crushing victory over the GOP at the fiscal cliff, leaving a humiliated John Boehner & Co. with nothing but naked tax hikes.

Thus emboldened, Obama turned his inaugural and State of the Union addresses into a left-wing dream factory, from his declaration of war on global warming (on a planet where temperatures are the same as 16 years ago and in a country whose CO2 emissions are at a 20-year low) to the invention of new entitlements — e.g., universal preschool for 5-year-olds— for a country already drowning in debt.

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WORCESTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

On May 2, 2013, members of the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team concluded a two month crack cocaine distribution investigation in the Pocomoke, Maryland area with the assistance from the Pocomoke Police Department. This investigation was initiated as the result of several citizen complaints about a residence on Walnut Street in Pocomoke, Maryland. As a result of this investigation a search and seizure warrant was executed at this residence. During the execution of this search and seizure warrant , one individual identified as Jerren Hinmon, Age 23, of Pocomoke, Maryland fled on foot and was subsequently apprehended two blocks away. Two individuals located inside of the residence, identified as James Orville Taylor, Age 60, of Pocomoke, Maryland and Anthony Tyrone Jenkins, Age 55, of Pocomoke, Maryland were also taken into custody. Investigators located a small quantity of crack cocaine and marijuana. These individuals were charged with the following offenses: 

James Orville Taylor: · Possession of Crack Cocaine 
· Possession of Paraphernalia 

Anthony Tyrone Jenkins: 
· Possession of Crack Cocaine 
· Possession of Paraphernalia 

Jerren Hinmon: 
· Possession of Marijuana 

Both James Orville Taylor and Anthony Tyrone Jenkins were released by the District Court on a $5,000.00 unsecured bond. Jerren Hinmon was released on a criminal citation. The Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team was assisted by the Pocomoke Police Department, Worcester County STAR Team, and Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office.