Let Them Starve: Gitmo Swindlers Strike Again

World Crisis Alert: Guantanamo Bay detainees don’t want to eat. Muslim rapper Yasiin “Mos Def” Bey is so worked up about their appetite plight that he videotaped himself being force-fed to build support for closing Gitmo. Cry me a river.

This latest round of hunger strikes isn’t an international human rights tragedy. It’s another manipulative act of Jihad Theater.

Have you forgotten? Calculated Gitmo fabulism goes back to 2005, when Newsweek fell for false rumors that U.S. soldiers “flushed” the Koran down a toilet at the military detention facility in Cuba. Gullible media reports of “desecration” provided a handy pretext for anti-American riots across the Muslim world that resulted in nearly a dozen deaths. Detainees later ‘fessed up that the conflagration stemmed from one of their own dropping the Koran in prison and blaming a guard.
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How To Get Out Of A Speeding Ticket

It's a classic scenario: you're cruising along at 10 miles over the speed limit in an attempt to keep up with the rest of the cars on the road. You think you are simply going with the flow of traffic, when you suddenly see flashing lights in your rear view mirror.
In an instant, you find yourself holding a $325 speeding ticket. The headache of dealing with a traffic ticket doesn't necessarily go away when you pay the fine. When points go on your driving record and your insurance company finds out, you could be hit with insurance surcharges of up to 30% for the next three years.

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Police Officer First Class Eric Hutchinson Retires After Over 25 Years with Ocean City Police Department

Police Officer First Class (PFC) Eric Hutchinson is retiring after over 25 years of service with the Ocean City Police Department. Prior to joining the police department full-time in September 1983, Hutchinson was seasonal police officer for four summers and was an officer with the Baltimore County Police Department.

Hutchinson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Throughout his career, he has been involved in several services to the department. He worked in the Patrol and Support Services Divisions and was a certified NCIC Instructor. He received several unit citations and excellence in police performance citations. In addition, he received a special commendation in April 2000 for saving the life of a fellow police officer.

“To all of my co-workers whom I’ve worked with for the past 27 years, it has been a pleasure to have known you,” PFC Hutchinson said. “I wish everyone the best.”

After retirement, PFC Hutchinson plans on spending more time with family, beginning new employment plans with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and furthering his education. He also will spend time pursuing his hobbies and taking time to travel.

‘You Have The Second Amendment Right For A Reason – To Use It’

An Indiana homeowner woke up Monday morning to find a hatchet-wielding intruder in his home. Not exactly the most pleasant way to start your day.

However, the homeowner, who hasn’t been identified, was ready to exercise his Second Amendment right and defend his life. After being woken up by the sound of an intruder breaking in, the man retrieved his firearm and confronted the intruder.

WSJV-TV reports the intruder arrived on a moped before he shattered the back window and broke into a residence in LaPorte County, Ind., Monday morning armed with a hatchet.

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WHAT ODD GUEST APPEARS TO HAVE SHOWED UP AT THE WHITE HOUSE’S JULY 4TH PARTY FOR MILITARY FAMILIES?

Was Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, the much-discussed Saudi national once identified as a “person of interest” in the Boston Marathon bombings, at the White House for a 4th of July celebration for military heros and their families?

Apparent pictures posted on the Internet and a Saudi news outlet say yes.

A Twitter feed appears to show photos of the young man posing before the edifice – decorated with red, white, and blue banners to celebrate the holiday – in addition to close-up photos of the first couple.
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The State: Always The Accuser

Jessica Nelson and Philemon Ellis were killed instantly when a car driven by Eddy Bustos blind-sided them at an intersection in Ogden, Utah. Bustos, who was trying to elude a police officer, plowed his vehicle into Nelson’s car at nearly 80 miles per hour.

Bustos would be sent to prison for manslaughter. Ogden City officials would quite thoughtfully find a way to cut the victims in for a share of the blame for the incident as a way of insulating themselves from liability for the actions of Officer Matt Jones, whose unnecessary pursuit led to the crash.

Jones, who has involved in police surveillance of a “known gang member” at what was called a “known gang/drugs/weapons hangout,” gave pursuit when Bustos left the area – apparently on the assumption that his presence in the area created reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. A federal court ruling notes that Jones “was aware of the residential address of Mr. Bustos and could have waited at that address to arrest Mr. Bustos for any crimes he may have committed.” Thus no exigent circumstances existed to justify pursuing Bustos, which is why “the officers were advised and ordered by dispatch to disengage from the pursuit.”

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OCPD PEDEASTRIAN SAFETY INCIDENTS OVER JULY 4TH WEEKEND

During the July 4th weekend, Ocean City Police responded to three separate motor vehicle crashes involving a pedestrian.  While none of the injuries were life-threatening, they were all preventable had the pedestrians followed some basic safety advice. 

The Ocean City Police Department continues to remind citizens to be extra cautious on the roadways as visitors come together to enjoy Ocean City’s beautiful beach, breathtaking bay and magnificent boardwalk. 
 

For individuals who are traveling on foot, on a bicycle, moped or scooter, here are some important safety tips to remember:

·     Cross the street at a marked crosswalk or intersection.

·     Make eye contact with drivers when crossing busy intersections

·     Continue to watch for traffic the entire time you are in the crosswalk.

·     Allow plenty of time to stop or proceed through intersections.

·    Pedestrians should not take unnecessary risks crossing busy streets against traffic lights.

·    Parents are reminded to pay extra attention to children when crossing busy roads. Keep hold of small children’s hands while waiting for traffic lights to change and while crossing.

·    Bicyclists are encouraged to wear helmets and must ride in the bus lane. In addition, bicyclists must abide by all traffic laws, including stopping at red lights and stop signs.

·    Moped/scooter operators and passengers are required to wear helmets and footwear. Scooters can only be operated by someone with a valid driver’s license and must be insured.

 

While there have been fewer pedestrian involved collisions this year, the OCPD is hoping to eliminate all them all together.  In the continuing effort to achieve these goals, the OCPD has partnered with the Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland State Highway Administration and the Maryland Highway Safety Office to promote the “Walk Smart” campaign, which reminds pedestrians to cross the highway, streets and roads safely and encourages the use of crosswalks. 

For more information please visit us on the web at: http://oceancitymd.gov/WalkSmart/

Egregious Cases Of Government Employees Abusing Databases To Spy On Americans

Ever since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the National Security Agency's massive domestic spying apparatus, Americans have been told that the government collects virtually all U.S. electronic communications for our own safety.
That assertion — which has since been disputed by security experts and two senators on the intelligence committee — also implies that we should totally trust the government, its employees, and its contractors having access to reams of private information about their fellow Americans.

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Report: 'Zero Option' In Afghanistan Is Becoming Much More Likely

Senior administration officials tell The New York Times that the U.S. is actually considering the idea of a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan before the official 2014 pull out.
The campaign has been fraught with recent disappointment, from the failure of peace talks in Doha, Qatar, and what seems to be a rapidly deteriorating security situation. To make matters worse, the consistent and growing intransigence of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has now led officials to lean on the less popular "zero option" — complete withdrawal.

“There’s always been a zero option, but it was not seen as the main option,” said a senior Western official in Kabul to the Times. “It is now becoming one of them, and if you listen to some people in Washington, it is maybe now being seen as a realistic path.”

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A Break For Smokers? Glitch May Limit Penalties

They huddle outside office buildings and they can't satisfy their nicotine cravings by lighting up on planes and trains, but now smokers could be getting a break from an unlikely source.

A glitch involving President Barack Obama's health care law means smokers may get at least some relief next year from tobacco-use penalties that could have made their premiums unaffordable.

In yet another health care overhaul delay, the administration has quietly notified insurers that a computer system problem will limit penalties that the law says the companies may charge smokers. A fix will take at least a year.
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Meet America's Second Largest Employer: A Temp Agency

Despite the mainstream media's inability to see things as they are - as opposed to how they hope them to be for fear of exposing the status quo for the illusion that it really is - the subject of 'job quality' in this recovery-less recovery has never been far from our thoughts since 2010. David Stockman has often discussed the loss of 'bread-winner' jobs and in fact not only are there a record number of Americans with temporary jobs (28 million or one-in-ten non-farm workers) but behind Wal-Mart (itself arguably a somewhat part-time employer), the Washington Examiner reports, that the second largest employer in America is Kelly Services - a temporary work provider. The company, started in 1946, serves 99% of the Fortune 100 and had revenues of $5.5bn in 2012 (though even this burgeoning growth area is struggling in the last quarter).

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Women in Ohio Kidnap Case Thank Public For Support

CLEVELAND (AP) — Stylish and smiling, three women allegedly held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade offered thanks on YouTube for emotional and financial backing they've received since going "through hell and back."

From Amanda Berry, 27: "I want everyone to know how happy I am to be home, with my family, my friends," she said.

"I would say 'thank you' for the support," said a soft-spoken Gina DeJesus, 23, in response to prompting from a narrator.
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BREAKING NEWS: BOSTON MARATHON BOMBER PLEADS NOT GUILTY

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, accused in the April 15 bombing at the Boston Marathon, which killed three people and wounded more than 260, and the killing of a MIT police officer days later, has pleaded not guilty to 30 counts, including use of a weapon of mass destruction to kill.From Fox News

My Father's Speech

RUSH INTRODUCTION: My father, Rush H. Limbaugh, Jr., delivered this oft-requested address locally a number of times, but it had never before appeared in print until it was published in The Limbaugh Letter. My dad was renowned for his oratory skills and for his original mind; this speech is, I think, a superb demonstration of both. I will always be grateful to him for instilling in me a passion for the ideas and lives of America's Founders, as well as a deep appreciation for the inspirational power of words, which you will see evidenced here:

"Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor"

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BREAKING NEWS: ZIMMERMAN TELLS COURT HE WON’T TESTIFY

Defense rests case in George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial without the former neighborhood watch volunteer taking the stand. From Fox News

Protest Brewing Over Maryland’s New “Rain Tax”

A storm of protest is brewing over the state’s new rain tax.

Political reporter Pat Warren reports the bills are coming in and Maryland businesses are shocked at what they’re seeing.

Like lots of Marylanders, the Baltimore Boating Center is praying for rain.

“I thought it was a joke. How can you tax the rain? But when I got the $4,700 rain tax bill, it wasn’t funny anymore,” said Nancy Correlli, Baltimore Boating Center.
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QUOTES OF THE DAY 7-10-13

The trade of the petty usurer is hated with most reason: it makes a profit from currency itself, instead of making it from the process which currency was meant to serve. Their common characteristic is obviously their sordid avarice.

Aristotle

The modern banking system manufactures “money” out of nothing; and the process is, perhaps, the most, astounding piece of “sleight of hand” that was ever invented. In fact, it was not invented. It merely “grew”. … Banks in fact are able to create (and cancel) modern “deposit money”, just as much as they were originally able to create, or call in, their own original forms of private notes. They can, in fact, inflate and deflate, i.e., mint, and un-mint the modern “ledger-entry” currency.

Major L.L.B. Angus

All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and circulation.

John Adams

Banks have done more injury to the religion, morality, tranquility, prosperity, and even wealth of the nation than they can have done or ever will do good.

John Adams

The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else.

Frederic Bastiat

The entire world economy rests on the consumer; if he ever stops spending money he doesn’t have on things he doesn’t need — we’re done for.

Bill Bonner

Board Approves $55K In Lawsuit Settlement Over I-95 Arrest

The Board of Public Works approved $55,000 for a settlement in a racial profiling lawsuit involving a Philadelphia man who was stopped by the Maryland State Police, despite reservations from one board member.

The Maryland State Police requested the settlement money in a BPW meeting last week after considering the costs of going to trial and the costs of losing the trial — a move that made Comptroller Peter Franchot question the fortitude of the Maryland attorney general’s office.

“If you could just convey back to the attorney general I wish people would get a backbone over there and take these cases to court,” Franchot said.
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Experts Destroy Obama's Argument That Americans Must Sacrifice Privacy For Security

On June 7 President Barack Obama defended the two secret National Security Agency (NSA) spying programs that were exposed by whistleblower/leaker Edward Snowden, saying: "You can’t have 100% security, and also then have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience.”
Obama insisted “the right balance” had been struck between security and privacy, and said that we are "going to have to make some choices as a society Americans" so that the country can effectively fight terrorism.

This is a false choice, and a dangerous one for a free nation, according to several experts who spoke with Bob Sullivan of NBC News.

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My Hope America Reaches 16,000 Churches

Charlotte, N.C. – With four months remaining until the culmination of My Hope America with Billy Graham, the movement recently reached a milestone as more than 16,000 churches across the nation have signed up to participate.

“In a world where the main focus of many is the immediate and the material, it is truly remarkable to see so many begin to turn their eyes and hearts to the eternal,” said Preston Parrish, vice president of the My Hope Americaevangelistic campaign. “People across the nation are praying and preparing for My Hope America, and we are eagerly anticipating what God will do as people put feet to those prayers.”

Hundreds of preparation meetings, which began last December, have been held in all 50 states. At these meetings, pastors and lay church leaders have come together to learn more about how to maximize this nationwide evangelistic outreach in their own congregations. Meetings are still taking place across the country throughout the summer. In addition to the meetings, thousands of individuals have registered for the project and participated in the free online training.
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Former Producer Rips MSNBC As Obama's 'Official Network'

Left-wing media critic Jeff Cohen has been all over cable news as a contributor, but for a time he worked as a senior producer for MSNBC. Monday, in the wake of the NSA spying scandal, Cohen lashed out at his former employer as the “official network of the Obama White House.”

This isn't exactly news to the most of us, but MSNBC's water carrying for Obama's massive surveillance state apparently woke Mr. Cohen up:

When it comes to issues of U.S. militarism and spying, the allegedly “progressive” MSNBC often seems closer to the “official network of the Obama White House” than anything resembling an independent channel. With a few exceptions (especially Chris Hayes [10]), MSNBC has usually reacted to expanded militarism and surveillance by downplaying the abuses or defending them.

Had McCain or Romney defeated Obama and implemented the exact same policies, treating whistleblowers like Manning and Snowden as foreign espionage agents, one would expect MSNBC hosts to be loudly denouncing the Republican abuses of authority.

Cohen then names names:

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Bicyclist Arrested After Colliding with State Police Vehicle

DSP News Release: Bicyclist Arrested After Colliding with State Police Vehicle

Location: Coastal Highway (SR1) northbound at Josephine Street, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Date of Occurrence: Wednesday July 10, 2013 at approximately 1:30 a.m.

Operator and Vehicle Information:

• Vehicle #1:  2013 Chevrolet Tahoe (Fully Marked State Police Vehicle)

• Bicyclist: Huseyin Engin Uysal, 22, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Resume:

Rehoboth Beach, DE- The Delaware State Police have charged a bicyclist with traffic violations after he collided with a fully marked patrol vehicle.

The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. this morning as a trooper on patrol in the area of Coastal Highway (SR1) between Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach, commonly referred to as the “forgotten mile,” observed a bicyclist traveling northbound without a headlight and weaving in and out of the travel lane while texting.  The trooper pulled ahead of the bicyclist and onto the right shoulder where the amber lights were activated on the light bar on top of the patrol vehicle.  The trooper then exited the fully marked 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe and walked to the rear of the vehicle to make contact with the bicyclist.  As the trooper gave commands for the bicyclist to stop, the pedal-cyclist continued past the trooper and struck the rear of the Tahoe, ejecting him over the handlebars and into the roadway near the driver’s side door.  The trooper immediately rendered first aid and assisted Huseyin Engin Uysal back to the curb where he advised he was uninjured.

As the trooper was talking with Uysal, an odor of alcohol was detected and a DUI investigation ensued.  Uysal was cited and released for Bicycling While Under the Influence of Alcohol, Failure to Remain in a Single Lane, and Bicycle Not Equipped with a Light.

Troopers are providing the following information for bicyclists riding in Delaware.  Obey the rules of the road.  Drivers and bicyclists are expected to observe traffic rules such as stop signs and red lights.  Ignoring these traffic rules can lead to injuries that would have otherwise been preventable.  Never ride against the flow of traffic.  Drivers and pedestrians alike may not be expecting bicyclists riding in that direction.  Also stay in your lane and don't ride on the sidewalk if you're an adult.  Avoid distracted riding much like you would if you were driving a car, and wait to check your cell phone until you're safely off the road.

Visibility can be an issue for bicyclists in the dark, so take steps to ensure that motorists can see you.  Adding white front lights and red back lights to your bike, plus reflective tape or clothing can also help make you more visible in the dark.  It is against Delaware law to operate a bicycle at night without a front headlight.   And remember, visibility isn't just an issue late at night; cloudy days and early mornings can impair motorists' ability to see bicyclists on the road too.

More information on bicycle laws can be found on the State of Delaware website underOnline Delaware Code.

7 Most Awesome Resignation Letters

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OBAMA 'HYPOCRITE OF CENTURY' VIDEO GOES VIRAL

'Unprecedented slobbering' over America's first family
A speech by an Irish lawmaker scorching Barack Obama as a “war criminal” and “hypocrite of the century” as well as lamenting the “unprecedented slobbering over the Obama family” has become a global sensation on YouTube, collecting well over a million views in just three weeks.

Clare Daly, an Independent in Parliament representing Dublin North, went on a no-holds-barred mission to flay Obama following the conclusion of the G8 summit last month in Northern Ireland.

“Is this person going for the hypocrite of the century award?” Daly asked of Obama. “Because we have to call things by their right names, and the reality is that by any serious examination, this man is a war criminal.”

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DE Gaming Council Meets

Representatives of Delaware's gambling industry said Tuesday they are coping as best as they can with competition from casinos in neighboring states and hope a commission set up to steady threats to the sector comes up with some long-term solutions to its financial woes.

Representatives of Delaware's three casinos gathered with state lottery officials and industry suppliers at a meeting of the state Video Lottery Advisory Council.

"We're doing everything we possibly can to get business to come here," Dover Downs CEO Ed Sutor said.
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If Cops Are Heroes

hen how come they’re so obsessed with “officer safety”? So fearful – and not even of any real danger to their persons? Isn’t the very definition of “heroic” an action that requires placing one’s own physical safety in jeopardy in order to secure the physical safety of others first?

Why, then, are we constantly urged to admire poltroons who insist that their safety always comes first? That the possibility of a Mere Mundane so much as mussing their uniform justifies the actuality of a physical assault by them as a preventative measure?

Who not only avoid the proverbial fair fight – but who insist on the unfair fight every time? Who – for instance – mob a 20-year-old college girl, screaming at her and flashing guns – over an alleged underage purchase of beer. (In fact, the girl bought cookie dough and bottled water when six armed “heroes” thug-scrummed her; story here.)

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Obama’s Plan To Predict Future Leakers Unproven, Unlikely To Work

WASHINGTON — In an initiative aimed at rooting out future leakers and other security violators, President Barack Obama has ordered federal employees to report suspicious actions of their colleagues based on behavioral profiling techniques that are not scientifically proven to work, according to experts and government documents.

The techniques are a key pillar of the Insider Threat Program, an unprecedented government-wide crackdown under which millions of federal bureaucrats and contractors must watch out for “high-risk persons or behaviors” among co-workers. Those who fail to report them could face penalties, including criminal charges.

Obama mandated the program in an October 2011 executive order after Army Pfc. Bradley Manning downloaded hundreds of thousands of documents from a classified computer network and gave them to WikiLeaks, the anti-government secrecy group. The order covers virtually every federal department and agency, including the Peace Corps, the Department of Education and others not directly involved in national security.

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Mo
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/09/196211/linchpin-for-obamas-plan-to-predict.html#.Ud1M4vk3vIF#storylink=cpy

The TSA Agents Who Can't Tell A Hero From A Terrorist

Moment wounded Iraq veteran marine was treated 'shamelessly' because he couldn't raise his injured arm and ordered to take off dress uniform because it had 'too much metal'

Injured veteran Nathan Kemnitz was subjected to intense scrutiny by security screeners at the Sacramento Airport and California state capitol building

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If You Don't Want The Government To Spy On You, Move To Montana

Privacy advocates, behold the Montana legislature and House Bill 603, a measure that requires the government to obtain a probable cause warrant before spying on you through your cell phone or laptop. HB 603 was signed into law this past spring, effectively making Montana the first state to have an anti-spy law long before anyone heard of Edward Snowden. To be clear, HB 603 passed the state Senate overwhelmingly by a vote of 96-4 in April and was signed into law on May 6. That's almost one month to the day when we first found out about the NSA's secret order to collect phone records from Verizon, which has since ballooned into a world-wide scandal and chase. "The NSA reports hadn’t even come out at that time," said one of the law's supporters to the news website The Daily Interlake.

That we didn't find out about the extensive NSA spying and Edward Snowden until June, is probably the reason HB 603 passed without much fanfare in the spring. At the time, the law might have seemed extraneous, or even paranoid. But knowing what we know now, the law seems prophetic (not unlike the way Shia LaBeouf warned us about spying back in 2008) and is getting some new-found attention. The law is pretty straightforward—the government can't spy on Montanans through their electronic devices unless they obtain a warrant:

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Wal-Mart Threatens To Pull Plug On 3 D.C. Stores

Wal-Mart announced Tuesday that it would end projects to build three of its stores in the District of Columbia if the Council passes a new law that would require large retailers to pay its hourly workers more than minimum wage.

In an op-ed piece published by The Washington Post, the retailer says it would halt projects at Skyland, Capitol Gateway and New York Avenue. Wal-Mart sent WTOP a copy of the op-ed in response to a request to confirm the retailer's plans to scale back its D.C. presence.

The D.C. Council is set to vote on the living wage bill Wednesday. The final vote of approval would send the bill to Mayor Vincent Gray.

The bill would require large retailers to pay employees at least $12.50 per hour, more than the District's $8.25 per hour minimum wage. The bill would apply to retailers occupying store space of 75,000 square feet or more but would exclude stores with collective bargaining agreements like Giant and Safeway.
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He Also Has A Bridge He'd Like To Sell To You

Ford F-250 Is The New Favorite For Thieves

The boom in the popularity of big pickups is taking place among thieves as well as ordinary buyers.

Full-size trucks have the highest insurance claim frequency of any group of vehicles, the insurance industry Highway Loss Data Institute reports. The HLDI data cover claims for 2010 through 2012 models.

On a scale where the average for all vehicles is 1.2 claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years, the F-250 has a claim frequency of 7, HLDI says. That' index is used to account for the fact that there are lots more of some vehicles on the road than others. An insured vehicle year is one vehicle insured for a year, or two vehicles each for six months, or any similar combination.Thieves' favorite: Ford F-250 Super Duty crew-cab with four-wheel drive (4x4). It's a heavy-duty model used more often by tradespeople and owners doing serious towing or hauling than the gentrified truckers who buy many of the standard-duty pickups.

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Another Day, Another Obamacare Glitch (This One Involves Smokers!)

WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) — Some smokers trying to get coverage next year under President Barack Obama’s health care law may get a break from tobacco-use penalties that could have made their premiums unaffordable.

The Obama administration — in yet another health care overhaul delay — has quietly notified insurers that a computer system glitch will limit penalties that the law says the companies may charge smokers.

A fix will take at least a year to put in place.

Older smokers are more likely to benefit from the glitch, experts say. But depending on how insurers respond to it, it’s also possible that younger smokers could wind up facing higher penalties than they otherwise would have.

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Amazing Aerial Photo Of Ocean City

From The Dispatch
We see a lot of aerial photos of our beautiful island, but not too many in the evening hours. This gorgeous look was taken two weeks ago by Chris Parypa Photography.

Lawmakers Hit IRS Where It Hurts Most

House lawmakers are fixing to hit the IRS where it hurts. A spending plan introduced by the House Appropriations Committee would cut the agency's budget by 24 percent. The bill would give the IRS $9 billion in 2014, versus $13 billion requested by the Obama administration. But the House goes further. It would withhold 10 percent of IRS funding until the agency carried out the most recent inspector general recommendations. Those concerned how the agency mistreated conservative groups applying for tax exempt status. A subcommittee marks up the proposal today.

Who’s A Journalist?

Don’t let Uncle Sam decide
Sen. Dick Durbin thinks it’s time for Congress to decide who’s a real reporter. In The Chicago Sun-Times last week, he wrote: “Everyone, regardless of the mode of expression, has a constitutionally protected right to free speech. But when it comes to freedom of the press, I believe we must define a journalist and the constitutional and statutory protections those journalists should receive.”

How do you decide who is a journalist? Essentially, he says, it’s someone who gets a paycheck from a media organization: “A journalist gathers information for a media outlet that disseminates the information through a broadly defined ‘medium’ — including newspaper, nonfiction book, wire service, magazine, news Web site, television, radio or motion picture — for public use. This broad definition covers every form of legitimate journalism.”

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State Police Investigate Serious Motorcycle Crash

Location: Bethel Concord Road, south of Concord Road (SR20), east of Seaford, DE

Date of Occurrence: Tuesday July 9, 2013 at approximately 12:25 p.m.

Operator and Vehicle Information:

Operator #1: Shawn D. Hopkins, 30, Laurel, DE
Vehicle #1: 1993 Suzuki GSX-750F motorcycle

Resume:
Seaford, DE- The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit was requested by Laurel Police Department to assist in a crash investigation that occurred this afternoon after a motorcycle ran off the road, seriously injuring the operator.

The crash occurred around 12:25 p.m. as Shawn D. Hopkins was operating a 1993 Suzuki GSX-750F motorcycle northbound on Bethel Concord Road just south of Concord Road (SR20) at a high rate of speed. Hopkins was unable to negotiate a moderate left curve and drove off the east side of the road where he struck a ramped driveway culvert, vaulting the operator and motorcycle into the air. The motorcycle landed approximately 80 feet into a yard before tumbling and rolling to a stop. Hopkins, who was wearing a helmet was ejected from the motorcycle and landed next to the bike.

Shawn Hopkins was removed from the scene by EMS and initially transported to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital before being airlifted to Christiana Medical Center with serious injuries.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit is continuing their investigation into this incident. Bethel Concord Road was closed for approximately two hours as the crash was investigated and cleared.

Black Or African-American?

Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay Parrothead Party This Friday At The Dock Bar!

Md. Court Upholds Contributory Negligence Law

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Maryland's highest court has upheld a law that prevents someone from recovering damages in a lawsuit if they are found to be partly at fault.

In a 5-2 ruling Tuesday, the Court of Appeals declined to change Maryland's doctrine of contributory negligence.

Retired Judge John Eldridge wrote in the majority that attempts to change the law have failed in recent years. He wrote that it would be inconsistent with the court's standing jurisprudence to change the law after the General Assembly's repeated refusal to do so.
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With Dems On Defensive, GOP Has Chance To Recapture Senate

What’s the outlook for the 2014 Senate elections? The Republicans once again have a chance to overturn the Democrats’ majority, as they did in 2010 and 2012.

Much attention has been focused on whether Republicans this time will nominate candidates capable of winning key races, as they failed to do in those two elections. But another interesting question is how Democrats will try to hold onto seats in Republican-leaning states even as Barack Obama maintains his strong tilt to the political left. 

The lineup is certainly favorable to Republicans. Assuming the New Jersey seat now held by Republican appointee Jeff Chiesa goes Democratic in the October special election, only 14 Republican seats will be up in 2014, as against 21 Democratic seats. 

Only one of those Republican seats is in a state carried by Barack Obama, Maine (56 percent Obama), and three-term incumbent Susan Collins looks unbeatable.

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Buckle Your Seat Belt And Stop Whining

I used to pack a smoke hood in my carry-on luggage. I knew that most passengers survive a plane crash on impact but that many die before they can escape the toxic smoking fuselage of an airplane. But I didn’t pack a smoke hood for the trip that ended with a safe landing at San Francisco International Airport on Friday.

I figured my old smoke hood had outlived its shelf life. My husband, Wesley J. Smith, bought it for me in 1994 on the release of “Collision Course: The Truth About Airline Safety,” a book he co-authored with Ralph Nader.

Also, flying is safer than it used to be. Although a regional carrier crash in Buffalo, N.Y., killed 50 people in 2009, there hasn’t been a fatal accident with a major American airline in more than a decade. (For the record, Asiana Airlines is a South Korean carrier.)

Credit federal safety regulations for reducing seat flammability and the danger of seat collapse inside the Boeing 777 jetliner. Those advances allowed Asiana Flight 214 passengers to get out of the wreckage.

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New Inlet Lot Fee Option ‘Positive’, Mayor Says; City Was Surprised 200-Plus Vehicles Left Before Fireworks

OCEAN CITY – Thousands of visitors chose to take advantage of Ocean City’s new option to pay a $50 flat-fee upon entering the Inlet Parking Lot on the 4th of July as they spent the day on the beach and Boardwalk and watched an illuminating fireworks show at the end of the night.

New this year the Mayor and City Council voted to charge a $50 flat-fee for all day parking in the Inlet Parking Lot on 4th of July. The fee was good for one entry, and allowed visitors to come as early as 5 a.m. and stay as late as midnight, without being charged an hourly parking rate.

The decision received backlash from the public once it was announced on social media days prior to the holiday accusing town officials for voting in favor of the flat-fee simply to increase revenue. However, the town responded the $50 flat-fee was chosen based on convenience.
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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Faces Charges In Attacks Today

For the first time since he emerged covered in blood from a boat in a Watertown backyard, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will appear in federal court Wednesday in Boston to face charges that he used weapons of mass destruction to kill three people and wound more than 260 others at the Boston Marathon.

Tsarnaev, who is also accused of killing an MIT police officer, faces 30 federal criminal charges, including use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death and bombing of a place of public use resulting in death. Authorities allege that the 19-year-old was inspired by Al Qaeda publications and that he left a confession in the boat justifying the bombings as payback for US military action in Muslim countries.

Seventeen of the charges carry the possibility of the death penalty, which hasn’t been applied in Massachusetts in 66 years and has been banned here for state cases since 1984. But because Tsarnaev is charged under federal law, he could face death for his alleged crimes.
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