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Thursday, August 22, 2013

Caught on Camera: Massive Louisiana Sinkhole Gets Bigger

Officials have been watching for more than a year as a sinkhole expands and engulfs land, swamp, and threatens homes. On Wednesday, the massive sinkhole expanded in a dramatic way, swallowing trees and causing turmoil in the local community.

The sinkhole, discovered Aug. 3, 2012, resulted from a collapsed underground salt dome cavern about 40 miles south of Baton Rouge. After oil and natural gas came oozing up and acres of the swampland liquefied into muck, the community's 350 residents were advised to evacuate.

John Boudreaux, director of emergency preparedness for Assumption Parish, witnessed a "burp" (a small disturbance on the surface) after lunch on Wednesday and knew it could signal something bigger.

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"The Dirty Little Secret" Inside The Student Loan Bubble

On the heels of President Obama’s signing of a measure keeping federally subsidized student loans at a relatively low rate through 2015, Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi exposes how the high price of U.S. college tuition and the federal expansion of student debt to pay for it pose a major threat to the economy. In his new article, Taibbi writes [5]: "The dirty secret of American higher education is that student-loan interest rates are almost irrelevant. It’s not the cost of the loan that’s the problem, it’s the principal - the appallingly high tuition costs that have been soaring at two to three times the rate of inflation, an irrational upward trajectory eerily reminiscent of skyrocketing housing prices in the years before 2008." As Democracy Now notes [6], during the following interview with Taibbi, "...throw off the mystery and what you’ll uncover is a shameful and oppressive outrage that for years now has been systematically perpetrated against a generation of young adults." The federal government is poised to make $185 billion over the next 10 years on student loans, with no way out for the young borrowers: "Even gamblers can declare bankruptcy, but kids who enter into student loans will never, ever be able to get out of this debt."

Excerpted from Matt Taibbi's Rolling Stone article:

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OFFICIALS WEIGHING NEW OC BEACH PATROL HOME; OCDC, OCBP Captain Say New Downtown Headquarters Badly Needed

OCEAN CITY – There is no disputing the Ocean City Beach Patrol needs a new headquarters to call home, but how to go about it and how to fund it continues to be a mystery.

Last week the Mayor and City Council toured Ocean City Beach Patrol headquarters in advance of last Tuesday’s presentation of the draft Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) 2014-2018. The CIP draft outlined a number of proposed infrastructure projects to move ahead in the next five years and a plan to build new downtown headquarters for the patrol was included.

Ocean City is currently finalizing the plan but city staff is asking the Mayor and Council to keep the needs of the OCBP in mind as the town is preparing to go to the bond market to fund the already approved Roland E. Powell Convention Center’s performing arts center and other CIP projects.

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Charles Krauthammer: Kerry's Benghazi Decision 'Surely Is A Clinton Protection Operation'

Charles Krauthammer told viewers Tuesday on "Special Report with Bret Baier" that the State Department's reinstatement of four officials who had been put on leave after the Benghazi attacks illustrates the Department's refusal to hold anyone accountable.
"This is the definition of how to conduct a stonewall," Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor, said of Secretary of State John Kerry's decision to put the officials back to work.

"The new Secretary of State looks at this and says, essentially, these people were not responsible, or they don't really carry any accountability - they are back on the job, as you say, without ever missing a paycheck, and no one is held responsible."

Krauthammer added, "whatever the intent was, it surely is a Clinton protection operation, in effect."

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School Bus Safety


VIDEO: CUSTOMER PISTOL-WHIPS DUNKIN’ DONUTS EMPLOYEE OVER ICED COFFEE ORDER

Most people when they’re upset with an incorrect order just ask for a refund or lodge a complaint with management.

But one Florida man decided Tuesday to take “customer dissatisfaction” to a whole new level by pistol-whipping a Dunkin’ Donuts employee while his wife shouted, “Shoot him, shoot him!”

Police in Lauderhill, Fla. on Wednesday released video purportedly showing Jeffrey Wright, 27, repeatedly striking Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through employee Rajay Hall, 19, on the head with a pistol.

The reason for the beating? Hall supposedly messed up Wright’s iced vanilla coffee order.

As customers rushed to break up the fight, Wright’s wife, 22-year-old Alexis Longo, allegedly encouraged her husband to shoot Hall:

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A Warning From A Former Muslim

I was born and raised as Muslim. My whole family is still Muslim. I know every genetic code of Muslim. I know Islamic brain. I live and breath with them. I am an insider. I left Islam when I understood that Islam is a sick and evil religion. The following are the Islamic message to the West.

To the infidels of the West:

The Constitution for the new Islamic Republics of EuroArabia and AmerIslamia is under construction.

We will fight the infidel to death.

- Meanwhile American laws will protect us.
- Democrats and Leftist will support us.
- N.G.O.s will legitimize us.
- C.A.I.R. will incubate us.
- The A.C.L.U. will empower us.
- Western Universities will educate us.
- Mosques will shelter us
- O.P.E.C. will finance us
- Hollywood will love us.
- Kofi Annan and most of the United Nations will cover our asses.

Our children will immigrate from Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Indonesia and even from India to the US and to the other Western countries. They will go to the West for education in full scholarship. America is paying and will continue to pay for our children’s educations and their upbringing in state funded Islamic schools.

A Message From The Facebook Page Of Allen West

Last year after the 9-11 terror attack in Benghazi, President Obama, vociferously condemned a video of Muhammad during a speech at the UN. Now we hear little to nothing from the President specifically condemning the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and their savage and cowardly attacks against the Coptic Christans - including the murder of a 10-year-old girl leaving Bible study. President Obama demanded Hosni Mubarak step down, yet called and congratulated Mohammed Morsi, a former imprisoned member of the Muslim Brotherhood, on becoming Egypt's president. The Egyptian military is not fighting against peaceful protestors, they are trying to save their country from the group founded in 1928 that is the ideological foundation of Islamic terrorism.There can be no "coexistence" and reconciliation with this band of violent jihadists who seek worldwide Islamic domination under sharia law. We are watching and wondering, on whose side does the Obama administration really stand?

Rodney Carrington’s ‘Laughter’s Good’ Tour At The Wicomico Youth & Civic Center On November 14

SALISBURY, Md. – Texas native Rodney Carrington has been making audiences laugh for almost twenty years with his unique brand of stand-up comedy. The country singer-songwriter has recorded eight major label comedy albums which have sold more than two million copies... two of which have been certified Gold. His albums include such hit comedy-inspired songs as "Dancin' With a Man," "Show Them to Me" and "Don't Look Now." His Christmas album, Make It Christmas features the song, "Camouflage and Christmas Lights."Carrington has also starred in his own sitcom, Rodney, which ran for two seasons on ABC. He co-wrote and co-starred in the feature film, Beer for My Horses with Toby Keith. In 2008, Carrington co-starred in Trace Adkins' hit music video "I Got My Game On" and later won a CMT Music Video Award for "Supporting Character of the Year" for his role. He went on to receive extensive airplay on CMT for his 2009 comedy sketch music video, "If I'm the Only One," which debuted at #2 on Billboard's Comedy Music charts. Carrington has also released a book entitledRodney Carrington: Coming Clean.
Carrington is currently on his North American "Laughter's Good" tour where he performs a mix of his comedic songs and his hilarious stand-up,which will stop at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Thursday, November 14.

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, August 23 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased online at www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org, by phone at 410-548-4911 or in person at the WY&CC Box Office (500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury; Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.).

Moody’s Mulls Downgrade Of Big Banks As U.S. Support Wanes AND MORE

Moody’s Investors Service may cut debt ratings on at least four of the six largest U.S. banks as it examines whether the government would be less likely to ensure creditors are repaid in a crisis.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS) andWells Fargo & Co. (WFC) may be downgraded, Moody’s said today in a statement. Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Citigroup Inc. (C) are under review, with the direction of any rating change uncertain, Moody’s said. Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and State Street Corp. were already under review, Moody’s said.

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Moody's Weighing Another Round Of Big Bank Downgrades
Ratings agency Moody's MCO +3.18%Investors Service said Thursday it has placed senior and subordinated debt ratings on some of America’s biggest banks under review for potential action.

The firm is considering reducing its assumptions of government support, which have put a floor under its bank ratings dating back to the extraordinary assistance provided to the banking sector during and after the 2008 financial crisis.

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Moody's eyes downgrade of biggest US banks
NEW YORK (AFP) - Ratings agency Moody's said Thursday it was mulling a downgrade for four major US banks due to an expected reduction in government support under financial reforms.

JPMorgan Chase, the largest US bank by assets; Wells Fargo and investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were placed under review for a lower credit rating.

Two other banks -- Bank of America, the second-largest US bank, and Citigroup -- also were under review but the direction of their rating was uncertain, Moody's said in a statement.

Moody's said that the six largest US banks were under review as it "considers reducing its government (or systemic) support assumptions to reflect the impact of US bank resolution policies."

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Maryland Ranks As 29th Costliest State To Operate A Vehicle

Maryland is the 29th most expensive state in the U.S. to operate a motor vehicle, according to a report released Wednesday.

The study from Bankrate.com says Marylanders pay an average of $3,158 per year to operate their car. That comes in just below the national average of $3,201.

The report accounts for the cost of gasoline, insurance, repairs, taxes and fees.

Neighboring Virginia is No. 9 on the list at $3,622. Pennsylvania is 44th at $2,764 and Delaware is 38th at $2,846. West Virginia ranks 21st, with average car costs of $3,293

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Tyranny For Profit

Tyranny seems to be as much about getting rich as it is about getting power. There is the example of Michael Chertoff, ex-Oberstgruppenfuhrer of the Heimatsicherheitsdeinst – who made millions via the TSA porno scanners which are now part of the Submission Training every American who wishes to fly must endure. The maker of the porno scanners – Rapiscan – was aclient of The Chertoff Group. At least $118 million of your dollars have gone to Rapiscan (and to Chertoff, personally) to facilitate your degradation at the airport of your choice.

But, he’s a big fish.

Smaller fish are just as hungry for your money – and your liberty.

For instance, there is Allan Marx. He is anOrdnungspolizei Obersturmfuhrer (police lieutenant, pictured at left ) in Sebastian County, Arkansas who is pushing hard for OralTox test swabs (see here) to be used upon motorists at Fourth Amendment-free “sobriety” checkpoints. It just happens that Marx is also a distributor for the product – and thus, stands to profit handsomely at the expense of his fellow citizens’ liberty.

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What's That Spice On My Crabs? It May Not Be What You Think

HALETHORPE, Md. - Asking those on the street how they do it, most will tell you with Old Bay. However, if you make your way to your favorite crab stop from Ocean City to Hagerstown and points in between, you may find that seasoning by a different name. Odds are, it’s made at the J.O. Spice Company in Halethorpe.

So to get schooled on all things “spice,” Vice President of Marketing and Retail Sales Ginger Ports showed us the way.

“My slogan is, ‘Do you ever wonder why your crabs don’t taste the same when you’re at home,’” she said. “Each of the restaurants have their own recipe. We do the blends, but it’s their name, packaged by J.O. Spice.”

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BRAVE PHILLY KID FEELS .40 CAL TO THE HEAD DURING ROBBERY BY DEVILISH TRIO — BUT IT ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THEY’VE MET

A 13 year-old boy staying home alone was held at gunpoint and told to “chill out” by a team of three armed robbers on Monday morning, police say. And it apparently wasn’t the first time.

In broad daylight, at approximately 11:30 AM, the boy, investigating a suspicious noise emitting from his mother’s room, saw a man climbing into the house through the second-floor window,according to Philly.com. The boy reportedly attempted to make a run towards the phone to dial 911, but was grabbed by the arm of one of the alleged invaders, Daniel Taylor.

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Board Approves Restaurant Loan, Air Conditioning For Schools

Maryland's Board of Public Works has approved a $240,000 neighborhood revitalization loan for the Greene Turtle in Towson.

The money is to be used to add a rooftop dining room to the restaurant.

State Comptroller Peter Franchot questioned the loan, essentially saying the Greene Turtle is not a troubled "main street business," and should not be eligible for the loan administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

DHCD Secretary Raymond Skinner notes that a number of the properties surrounding the restaurant in the 400-block of York Road are vacant, and that qualifies the project for the loan.

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Welfare Pays More Than Entry-Level Work In A Shocking Number Of States

If it paid better to stay at home and not work, what would you do? That’s a question being asked in more than 30 states.

Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have made it more attractive to seek welfare benefits than entry-level employment, according to a new report from the libertarian Cato Institute.

“One of the single best ways to climb out of poverty is taking a job, but as long as welfare provides a better standard of living than an entry-level job, recipients will continue to choose it over work,” said Michael Tanner, senior policy analyst and study co-author.

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Police: Teen Pulls Kids From Burning Car

Just before 2 PM Tuesday in the 7300-block of Ridge Road, Marriottsville, 15-year-old Michael Shearer was doing yard work when he saw a Toyota van go by his home and then crash about a football field away.

"I heard a really loud screeching sound and then I heard a crashing sound," he said. "And then I saw smoke."

Shearer said he ran down the hill and found the van in flames.

"I thought there was no way that someone could have survived something that bad," he said.

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Two Arrested After Traffic Stop in Millsboro Results in Seizure of Guns, Drugs



DSP News Release: Two Arrested After Traffic Stop in Millsboro Results in Seizure of Guns, Drugs

Location:
·         Long Neck Road south of Shoppes of Long Neck Boulevard, Millsboro, DE
                               
Date of Occurrence:
·         Wednesday, August 21, 2013, at 4:36 p.m.

Defendants, Charges, and Bail Information:
·         Michael A. Lowe, 22, of Laurel, DE (white male in red shirt)
·         Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (2 counts)
·         Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
·         Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
·         Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Tier I Quantity
·         Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon
·         Possession of a Weapon with a Obliterated Serial Number
·         Conspiracy Second Degree
·         Possession of a Controlled Substance
·         Possession of Marijuana
·         Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
·         Traffic Offenses
·         Committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $71,525 cash bail.

·         Klin C. Gootee, 23, of Laurel, DE (black male in white shirt)
·         Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance
·         Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
·         Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
·         Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Tier I Quantity
·         Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon
·         Conspiracy Second Degree
·         Possession of a Controlled Substance
·         Possession of Marijuana
·         Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
·         Committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $57,000 cash bail.


Resume:
Millsboro – A traffic stop in Millsboro yesterday afternoon resulted in the arrest of two Laurel men and the seizure of guns and drugs.

The stop happened at 4:36 p.m. when a Trooper on patrol noticed a silver Chrysler Concord committing a moving violation on Long Neck Road and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle stopped in the parking lot of a business immediately south of the intersection with Shoppes of Long Neck Boulevard.

After speaking to the vehicle's occupants the Trooper determined that neither the driver nor the two passengers possessed a valid driver's license. Additionally, the driver, Michael A. Lowe, 22, was wanted on an active capias.

The Trooper took Lowe into custody for the capias and found Lowe to be in possession of eighteen Oxycodone pills and $243.00. The Trooper and an assisting Trooper then had the rear seat passenger and front seat passenger exit the vehicle. When the front seat passenger, Klin C. Gootee, 23, exited the vehicle, he quickly picked up a purple bag he had been sitting upon and stuffed it under his seat.

A search under the seat revealed the purple bag contained a loaded .32 caliber revolver. Also under the seat was a loaded .22 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number. Under the driver's seat Troopers located a bag containing 5.55 grams of marijuana and 13 bags (.325 gram) of heroin.

A search of Gootee resulted in the recovery of a bag containing 1.97 grams of marijuana, an Oxycodone pill, forty-two bags (1.05 gram) of heroin, and $216.00.

Lowe and Gootee were both transported to Troop 7 and charged with the above listed offenses. The cash recovered from the defendants was seized. The vehicle's rear passenger was not charged. Lowe was committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $71,525 cash bail, and Gootee was committed on $57,000 cash bail.

School District Ends Policy Of Forcing Students To Kneel Down For Dismissal

YUCAIPA (CBSLA.com) — School district officials in San Bernardino County say they will discontinue a policy that required elementary school students to kneel down before being dismissed to class.

Principal Dana Carter at Calimesa Elementary School had reportedly instituted the policy, which called for students at various times of the school day to kneel down on one knee and wait for the principal or another administrator to dismiss them, as a safety measure.

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New Jersey Farmer Gets Political With Corn Maze

Can’t get enough of the race for governor?

Now you can get lost in it — literally.

A farm stand and fun park in this Morris County town has cut portraits of Republican Gov. Chris Christie and his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Barbara Buono, into a cornfield maze that will be open to the paying public on Aug. 31.

The Stony Hill Farm Market says the maze — which was not carved by extra-terrestrials — will stay open until Nov. 10, five days after the election.

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The ‘Living’ Law

Congress is handing its indispensable constitutional role to the executive branch.

In his dazzling revolutionary polemic, Common Sense, Thomas Paine explained in no uncertain terms that 
in America, the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other.

John Adams put this a little more pithily a few years later, distilling into the new constitution of Massachusetts an ancient English value: This state, Adams wrote, would be “a government of laws and not of men.”

Adams’s axiom has become American scripture; an impulsively recalled maxim of liberty to which all men who feel threatened by government power return at will. Yet recent trends call into question whether the two things remain mutually exclusive. In Common Sense, Paine sets the king and the law as being diametrically opposed. But what if, instead of holding him back, the law is happy to give the king carte blanche? And what if a Congress that we instinctively believe to be jealous of its territory is in fact content to cede it to the executive branch, thereby producing not traditional laws but enabling acts?

It is a small jump from regarding the Constitution as “living” — as swathes of the will-to-power Left unashamedly do — to regarding legislation as “living,” too. This is a jump that many appear to have made. One of the more insidious developments of this presidential era has been the replacement of prescriptive, detailed, and fixed domestic law with bloated and open-ended legislation that is punctuated ad nauseam with instances of “the secretary shall.” As my colleague Andrew Stiles has noticed, the Senate’s desired immigration bill fits this new model of “living law” perfectly. He writes:
The 844-page bill contains 129 instances of what the DHS secretary “shall” do to implement its myriad provisions, 102 mentions of what she “may” do, and 35 cases in which implementation will be based on what the secretary “determines.” On five occasions, the bill affirms the DHS secretary’s “unreviewable discretion” to waive or alter certain provisions as she sees fit.

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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA August 26, 2013 6:00 p.m.

Government Office Building Room 301

Times shown for agenda items are estimates only.

6:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER

6:01 p.m. WELCOME/ANNOUNCEMENTS

6:03 p.m. INVOCATION/MEDITATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

6:05 p.m. COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION PRESENTATION –
Salisbury Skatepark Committee Inc.

6:15 p.m. ADOPTION OF LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

6:17 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA – City Clerk Kim Nichols

• August 12, 2013 regular meeting minutes

• August 19, 2013 work session minutes

• Resolution No. 2319 - approving the appointment of Matt Likovich to the 
Zoo Commission for term ending 12/31/2016
• Resolution No. 2320 - to approve a Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, Community Legacy Grant Application for funds to provide rehabilitation grants to owners of businesses located in Downtown Salisbury for interior and/or exterior improvements to the permanent structure in which their business is housed

• Resolution No. 2321 - accepting a donation in the amount of $7000.00 from 
the Salisbury Skatepark Committee, Inc. as the matching funds pledged for the Community Parks & Playgrounds grant received from the MarylandDepartment of Natural Resources for the Salisbury Skatepark, Phase I

• Resolution No. 2322 - allowing the Chief of Police to sign a memorandum of 
agreement between the Wicomico County Circuit Court Adult Drug Treatment Program and the Salisbury Police Department and to accept grant funds from the Office of Problem Solving Courts Discretionary Grant Adult Drug Court Program to provide overtime reimbursement to police officers conducting curfew and contract compliance checks on clients in the City of Salisbury

• Resolution No. 2323 - to enter into a memorandum of understanding accepting 
use of and authorization to conduct repair on 511 Decatur Avenue for the purpose of utilizing the property as a City Service Center 

6:25 p.m. AWARD OF BIDS – Assistant Director Internal Services - Procurement and Parking 
Catrice Parsons

• Surplus – Fire Hose

• Surplus – Personal Protective Equipment

• Surplus – SFD Fleet Vehicle

• Surplus – Patrol Vehicle 31

6:35 p.m. RESOLUTIONS – Interim City Administrator M. Thomas Stevenson, Jr.

• Resolution No. 2324 - accepting a disposition contract between the City of 
Salisbury and G Plus Properties, LLC setting forth the terms and conditions of the redevelopment of the Old Fire Station #16 as detailed in G Plus’ development proposal document

6:50 p.m. ORDINANCES – City Attorney Mark Tilghman

• Ordinance No. 2258 – 1st reading – to eliminate or reduce water or sewer 
charges for equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) in accordance with Chapter 13.02 of the City Code to encourage development in the Downtown area and the Enterprise Zone

7:10 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS

7:15 p.m. ADJOURNMENT

Is the mainstream media the spiritual descendent of Charles Manson?

This post poses a very provocative, even inflammatory, question: “Is the mainstream media the spiritual heir of Charles Manson?” Will you be too surprised if I answer “yes”?

Let’s start with Charles Manson. Manson had a goal: he envisioned a new world order, with himself and his followers as the leaders. To bring about this new world order, he first had to destroy the existing one. He came up with an idea that he called “Helter-Skelter“: he was going to incite race warfare because he was pretty sure that would bring America down, leaving room for him and his followers to take over. He figured that the best way to start an apocalyptic race war was through violent murder. He wasn’t going to do the murder himself, of course, but he did incite his dumb, sexually-opiated, often drugged followers to commit the deeds on his behalf.

Now, let’s think about the mainstream media. The MSM has a goal: a completely Democrat-dominated political machine, with the MSM and the politicians it’s created in total control. Because this will be a statist new world, the MSM must first destroy completely America’s current, still vaguely capitalist market and individualist ideology. To that end, the media has decided that it will incite race warfare, because it’s pretty sure that race warfare will destroy existing institutions and allow it and its political class to take over. Media members figure that the best way to start this societal breakdown is to sow so much division between blacks and whites in America that the country becomes dysfunctional and, if necessary, bloodied. The media elite are not going to sully their own hands, of course, but they will work hard to incite their followers to commit the deeds on their behalf. (And sadly, to the extent they have followers in black inner cities, these are young people who are minimally educated, inundated with unhealthy sexual messages from movies and rap songs, and too often on drugs. Just think of Trayvon….)

I can’t prove the MSM’s goal, but I can prove its tactics.

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Al-Jazeera Is Accused Of Pro-Muslim Brotherhood Broadcast Of Fake Street Death

Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-owned news station that just launched in the United States, apparently was caught airing the death of a Muslim Brotherhood-backed protester in the streets of Egypt — but it was faked.

The network covered what its reporters claimed was a shot man with a bloodied shirt dying in the streets earlier this week. The video footage shows an Arab woman screaming and a man in prostrate position, clutching at a red-splashed stain on his shirt, The Washington Free Beacon reported.

FSA Crimes, a nonprofit that tracks alleged war crimes in Syria, subsequently reported that the incident was faked. On its website, the group described the scene: “Covered in blood, his hand rests on what would seem to be the source of that blood, a gunshot wound. Doctors’ surrounding him as he lays there, eyes shut and face frozen. One of the ‘doctors’ then decides to lift the man’s shirt up and to the viewers’ big surprise, there is no wound underneath the shirt.”

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Former City Councilman Warns Residents: Walmart Shoppers Will Bring Down Property Values

Everyone has an opinion on Walmart and the impact it has on a community whenever a new store is opened. But some residents of Kansas City suburb say a former city councilman went too far when he recently distributed a letter claiming that a new Walmart in the area would attract an undesirable element and ultimately result in a drop in property values.
According to the letter, property values aren’t going to be hurt by the mere opening of a mammoth big box store with an expansive parking lot. No, the real problem is that Walmart shoppers from other towns will be visiting little Fairway, KS.

See, the opening of the new store means an existing Walmart in a nearby town will be shuttered.

“When that happens all of their customers of the old store will shop at the new one,” he writes. “Our neighborhood will get noticed and some will want to move into it.”

Hoober, Inc. Annual Tractor, Truck Pull To Benefit Jace Holloway

Employee’s Infant Son Born With Spina Bifida
Pocomoke, MD – On Saturday, August 24, Hoober, Inc. will host a Tractor/Truck Pull at the Pocomoke Fairgrounds to raise money to assist Jace Holloway, an infant born with spina bifida on July 1, 2013. The Mid-Atlantic Pulling Association sanctioned event will begin at 10 a.m. with the Antique Tractor Class. Classic and Open Tractor classes will follow with pickup trucks starting at 5 p.m. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.
Over the years the annual event has raised money for such organizations as The Fisher House at Dover Air Force Base, which provides services for families of military personnel who have lost their lives while serving their country, but this year’s pull strikes even closer to home for the agricultural equipment dealership.
Jace Holloway is the son of Hoober employee Scott Holloway and his wife Jessica. Scott Holloway works out of Hoober’s Pocomoke location. Spina bifida is a condition where the spinal column does not form completely, leaving the spinal cord exposed. Depending on the severity, spina bifida can lead to a range of lifelong disabilities from weakness to paralysis.
“Every year this is a special event and we’re always excited about the chance to help organizations and families in the areas we serve,” said Chuck Hoober of Hoober, Inc. “This year’s pull is even more personal for us because we’re helping one of our own. Hopefully we can raise some money to help Scott and Jessica with the significant medical expenses they’re facing.”
Jace was born at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and was immediately moved to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 24 hour care. A surgery less than a day later to close the hole in his back was followed by another surgery seven days later to place a shunt in order to relieve pressure on Jace’s brain. While the surgeries were successful doctors indicated that any nerve damage that occurred prior to the first surgery will be permanent. 
“We are so thankful for the outpouring of support,” said Scott Holloway. “And needless to say we were thrilled when Hoober asked us to be the beneficiary of this year’s tractor pull. With the medical expenses that come with an extended stay in Philadelphia, along with travel, lodging and the monthly appointments leading up to Jace’s birth the bills can be a bit overwhelming.” 
“The pull always brings the community together for a really good time in support of a good cause,” said Mike Null, Hoober, Inc.’s Operations Assistant who leads operations across the Delmarva Peninsula. “The competition is fun and the competitors and the countless volunteers who help us out come away with the satisfaction of knowing they’re helping others. The fact that this year we can help support Scott, Jessica, Jace and their family means a lot.”

Caption This Photo 8-22-13


BIG BROTHER COPS CRUSH PUSH TO IMPEACH

Reports of police threatening, intimidating Americans at overpass rallies

Thousands of Americans have participated in numerous Overpasses for Obama’s Impeachment rallies across the nation over the past few weeks – and now there’s word of several arrests and police intimidation of citizens who peacefully protest on public walkways.

WND reported that Americans were staging protests on freeway overpasses and calling for Obama’s impeachment when the movement first launched.

Now, police have responded to some protest sites after reports of profanity and items being thrown from overpasses. Protester and organizer Lisa Zimmerman said none of these claims have been substantiated, and there is a concerted effort to shut the protests down. In two separate incidents, three overpass protesters have been arrested.

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SUV Crashes Into Madison Beach Motel

Front appears to be 3' into the building. No indication of personal injuries. Located in Baltimore Ave near 1st Street.

Gaithersburg Man Charged In Connection With Sexual Assault

Luis M. Calderon
During the week of June 10, 2013, Ocean City police detectives began investigating an alleged sex offense which occurred on June 8, 2013. Police met with a 20-year-old female victim who advised that she had come to Ocean City with several other persons and was sexually assaulted by one of them, who was later identified as Luis M. Calderon, 25, of Gaithersburg, MD.  

Investigators determined that on June 7, Calderon came to Ocean City with his fiancé and other friends, including the victim.  When the group arrived at their rented condominium the victim and others in the group started consuming various alcoholic beverages and became intoxicated.  The victim told police that she remembers going to sleep in one of the bedrooms where she was later sexually assaulted by Calderon.

On July 16, OCPD detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Calderon charging him with second degree sex offense, third degree sex offense, fourth degree sexual contact, sodomy, and second degree assault.

On August 11, 2013, the outstanding arrest warrant for Calderon was served by authorities in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Calderon was later released after posting bond.

Chilling 911 Call Details Final Moments Of Melbourne Baseballer Chris Lane's Life

THE teenagers charged over the murder of Melbourne man Chris Lane will be isolated from one another and other inmates in an Oklahoma jail as long as they are there.

Stephens Country Sheriff Wayne McKinney said they would be held individually at the Stephens County Jail for their own protection, and as part of standard protocol for anyone under 18.

"And we don't want them collaborating with each other," McKinney told the local paper, the Duncan Banner.

District Attorney Jason Hicks said yesterday that it could be months or longer before the three - James Edwards, 15, Chancey Luna, 16, and Michael Jones, 17 - would face trial. It was too early to say whether they would be tried separately or together.

Their next hearings are in October.

The high school attended by the teens is on heightened alert after "anonymous threats" were made just hours after the accuseds first court appearance.

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Man Dies After Being Taken Into Custody In Phoenix


PHOENIX - A Valley man died shortly after a run-in with police. Now his dad, a former detective, wants answers.

Witnesses caught video of the whole incident. Police were trying to help Michael Angel Ruiz off the roof at his apartment complex near 23rd Avenue and Indian School Road -- and that's when witnesses say it goes downhill.

Video shows the 44-year-old man jumping from the roof and Phoenix police surrounding him. It looks like they put him in a choke hold and begin to drag him down the stairs.

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Two Arrested After Traffic Stop In Millsboro Results In Seizure Of Guns, Drugs

Location: Long Neck Road south of Shoppes of Long Neck Boulevard, Millsboro, DE

Date of Occurrence: Wednesday, August 21, 2013, at 4:36 p.m.

Defendants, Charges, and Bail Information:
Michael A. Lowe, 22, of Laurel, DE (white male in red shirt)
Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (2 counts)
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Tier I Quantity
Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon
Possession of a Weapon with a Obliterated Serial Number
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of a Controlled Substance
Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Traffic Offenses
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $71,525 cash bail.

Klin C. Gootee, 23, of Laurel, DE (black male in white shirt)
Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony
Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited
Possession of a Controlled Substance in a Tier I Quantity
Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon
Conspiracy Second Degree
Possession of a Controlled Substance
Possession of Marijuana
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $57,000 cash bail.

Resume:
Millsboro – A traffic stop in Millsboro yesterday afternoon resulted in the arrest of two Laurel men and the seizure of guns and drugs.

The stop happened at 4:36 p.m. when a Trooper on patrol noticed a silver Chrysler Concord committing a moving violation on Long Neck Road and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle stopped in the parking lot of a business immediately south of the intersection with Shoppes of Long Neck Boulevard.

After speaking to the vehicle's occupants the Trooper determined that neither the driver nor the two passengers possessed a valid driver's license. Additionally, the driver, Michael A. Lowe, 22, was wanted on an active capias.

The Trooper took Lowe into custody for the capias and found Lowe to be in possession of eighteen Oxycodone pills and $243.00. The Trooper and an assisting Trooper then had the rear seat passenger and front seat passenger exit the vehicle. When the front seat passenger, Klin C. Gootee, 23, exited the vehicle, he quickly picked up a purple bag he had been sitting upon and stuffed it under his seat.

A search under the seat revealed the purple bag contained a loaded .32 caliber revolver. Also under the seat was a loaded .22 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number. Under the driver's seat Troopers located a bag containing 5.55 grams of marijuana and 13 bags (.325 gram) of heroin.

A search of Gootee resulted in the recovery of a bag containing 1.97 grams of marijuana, an Oxycodone pill, forty-two bags (1.05 gram) of heroin, and $216.00.

Lowe and Gootee were both transported to Troop 7 and charged with the above listed offenses. The cash recovered from the defendants was seized. The vehicle's rear passenger was not charged. Lowe was committed to Sussex Correctional Institute on $71,525 cash bail, and Gootee was committed on $57,000 cash bail.

Released: 082013 1015

BREAKING NEWS: Former Egyptian President Mubarak Released From Jail

Egypt's former leader Hosni Mubarak, who has been held in detention since April 2011, has been released from jail and taken to a military hospital in Cairo where he will be placed under house arrest, The Associated Press reports.

Shotgun-Packing Elderly Couple Ruins Dangerous Fugitive’s Escape Plans With Deadly Shot

An escaped inmate was shot and killed Monday by an elderly couple he had been holding at gunpoint for around four hours.

Rodney Eugene Long, a dangerous prison escapee suspected of shooting and injuring a Taylor County deputy, broke into a couple’s home in Bedford, Iowa, at around 10:15 p.m. Monday night and held them for four hours, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Mitch Mortvedt said during a news conference.

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18 Little-Known Gun Facts That Prove That Guns Make Us Safer

The American people deserve to know the truth about gun control. Passing strict gun control laws will not make us all safer. In fact, as you will read about below, even a studyconducted at Harvardfound that the more guns a nation has the less crime it tends to have. In other words, there is a very strong positive correlation between more guns and less crime. This is the exact opposite of what the mainstream media would have us believe, but it makes sense. You see, the reality is that criminals really, really, really don’t want to get shot. When you pass strict gun control laws, you take the fear of getting shot away and criminals tend to flourish. Just look at what is going on in America today. The places with the highest crime rates are the major cities where strict gun control laws have been passed. In some of those cities the police are so overwhelmed that they have announced that they simply won’t even bother responding to certain kinds of crime anymore. The truth is that the government cannot protect us adequately, and that is one reason why millions of preppers are arming themselves and gun sales have been setting new records year after year. Unfortunately, the mainstream media and many of our politicians seem absolutely obsessed with trying to restrict our constitutional right to own guns. They are waging a relentless campaign to try to convince the American people that guns are bad. But is that actually the case? Of course not. The following are 18 little-known gun facts that prove that guns make us safer…

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Chief’s Crime Report Renews Political Debate Over Resort Safety; Ashley, Pillas Push Their Concerns Over Negative Changes

OCEAN CITY – It wouldn’t be a normal week at City Hall without the Mayor and Council engaging in a spirited debate over the correlation between crime statistics and population estimations.

On Monday evening, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Chief Ross Buzzuro was invited to come before the full Mayor and Council to present decreasing percentages in crime statistics compared to prior years.

The number of crime-related incidents on the Boardwalk in the month of July this year has not been released but comparing the month of June there were 212 incidents in 2010, 248 incidents in 2011, 193 incidents in 2012 and 213 incidents in 2013. The count for each year includes incidents of burglaries, theft, drug violations, disorderly conduct, vandalism, aggravated assault, simple assault, sex offense, weapon violations, robbery, and liquor law violations.

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Shifting Sand And Changing Direction

By Delegate Mike McDermott
The governor made an appearance on the boardwalk the other day to laud the success of the beach replenishment program which began 25-years ago. If only the other problems faced by our state received the same attention, we would be like Virginia dealing with billion dollar surpluses instead of deficits.
Perhaps beach erosion is easier to see, but similar destruction is apparent elsewhere across Maryland for those who care to look.
The erosion of Maryland businesses more closely resembles Ocean City when the inlet was formed and our response has been lackluster. When Governor O’Malley and his senate choir took over from the Ehrlich administration, Maryland had risen to #26 in the rankings as a state in which to do business. That ranking has now fallen near the bottom of the barrel at #41.
If Ocean City had received similar attention 25-years ago, Ocean Pines could be advertising “Ocean views!” When the situation dictated business relief, the liberal-progressive response was to increase the regulatory environment. Instead of reducing the tax burden, they doubled down in every imaginable way.
In fact, the past seven (7) years has seen 72 tax and fee increases signed into law. The same folks who seem to understand the effects of storm surge and high winds on a strip of sand can’t seem to make a connection between a weak economy and the severe stress being leveled against business and industry in Maryland.
You pump sand onto the beach, not away from it. Maryland has been taking from businesses and, at the same time, reducing the amount of discretionary dollars in the pockets of consumers. Contrast this approach with other states in our region and you can see why we are not competing effectively. The democratic plan for Maryland’s economic development is welcome news to surrounding states whose ratings already reflect better policies: Delaware #14, Pennsylvania #19, West Virginia #23, and Virginia #27 (Maryland #41).

We should be leading the way with natural gas development and exportation; instead we opt for a moratorium costing us billions. We should have protected our grain and poultry farming interests, yet we are watching the decline of both with each new storm surge of regulations. We should be sheltering our families from these destructive economic winds, not taking more from their paychecks.
Maryland’s democratic leaders keep government interests afloat at the expense of all else. How else can one explain increases of over a billion dollars annually in state spending? A 29% increase in spending during the worst recession in our history is absurd. They believe that government spending will result in job creation. By that theory, we should pump sand from the beach out into the ocean so we can achieve replenishment!
Increasing taxes on income, sales, gasoline, electricity, rain, and septic do not “replenish” our people. Fee increases for businesses from 50% to over 500% do not “restore” our economy. “Erosion” is apparently in the eye of the beholder, but O’Malley and his senate democrats must have sand in their eyes if they are missing all of these signs.
Marylanders, take back your state.

7 VICTORIAN HOMES ON CRISFIELD GHOST WALK

MARION STATION, MD - On Friday, August 23rd at 7:30 pm, author Mindie Burgoyne will lead a ghost walk through the City of Crisfield that will feature 7 Victorian houses in the historic area around Main Street and Somerset Avenue. The houses on Somerset Avenue include Marquis Manor, Cedarcroft, the McCready House and Gossamer. The Orrie Lee Tawes House and the Ananias Crockett Houses - both on Main Street will also be featured. Then the childhood home of Governor J. Millard Tawes and the home of seafood baron Richard Christie on Asbury Avenue are also included. Guests will not go inside but will stand outside where Burgoyne will give a brief history and tell about unexplained events that are associated with each house. Some of the more interesting stories associated with these houses include a family that appeared to a visitor at Gossamer. A man, woman and two little girls appeared to a woman visiting the house on Somerset Avenue which was built by Doctor R. R. Norris, a prominent physician in Crisfield instrumental in building McCready Hospital and also a key player in locating the American Legion in Crisfield. Dr. Norris was married and had two daughters. Both the current and previous occupants of the house confirm that unexplained events have occasionally occurred there including voices of children coming from one of the bedrooms. 
Another story is the spirit of a child that is attached to the home of Richard Christie who's son died at an early age after a brief illness. Current occupants have heard footsteps and dealt with other occurrences. The Ananias Crockett House on Main Street had occupants who said that the family would hear the sound of a choir when it rained and that certain doors would never stay locked. The Orrie Lee Tawes house is known for having strange images show up in photographs taken of the house when it is unoccupied. One such photo was taken by a guest on one of Burgoyne's tours. It shows an image of some sort of "being" standing next to her as she addresses the tour group in front of the Orrie Lee Tawes House. This photo is currently posted on the Haunted Eastern Shore Facebook Page
The Crisfield Ghost Walk will also include the Corbin Library (the only library in America that also serves as a tomb) a wander through the Crisfield cemetery where Burgoyne will show guests a legendary haunted grave where a beer can once spun around in mid air when an irresponsible teenager tossed it onto the ground. It is in the cemetery that she will tell the story of the Captain Leonard Tawes - also known as the "Coasting Captain." Captain Tawes' grave is located in the cemetery. 
Crisfield is one of about a dozen towns on the Eastern Shore included in the Chesapeake Ghost Walk series crafted by Burgoyne. The walk is about 1.8 miles and will take approximately 1.5 hours. There are other haunted properties outside the parameters of the walk that Burgoyne will talk about. Those are identified on a Crisfield Walk Google map along with the sites actually on the walk and the route the group will travel. People interested in registering can find out more information on the Chesapeake Ghost Walk's website.

SFD Calls For Service 8-21-13

  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 22:42:38 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 21:53:44 Nature: Diabetic Difficulty City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 21:46:16 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 20:47:53 Nature: Assault Ems City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 20:27:14 Nature: Chest Pain City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 20:04:12 Nature: Unconscious Subject City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 19:28:11 Nature: Chest Pain City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 19:12:31 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 19:04:19 Nature: Laceration City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 17:14:26 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 16:50:30 Nature: Difficulty Breathing City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 16:49:25 Nature: Unconscious Subject City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 16:17:00 Nature: Pro Qa Ems City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 12:37:38 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 11:47:26 Nature: Unconscious Subject City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 08:24:31 Nature: Back Pain City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 02:53:28 Nature: Laceration City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 01:41:03 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
  • Wednesday August, 21 2013 @ 00:10:56 Nature: Difficulty Breathing City: Salisbury

Who Really Has Your Back 8-22-13


The Siege Of Byzantium

Today, August 15, marks the anniversary of Constantinople’s victory over Muslim invaders in what historians commonly call the “Second Siege of Byzantium,” 717–18. Prior to this massive onslaught, the Muslims had been hacking away at the domains of the Byzantine empire for nearly a century. The Muslims’ ultimate goal was the conquest of Constantinople — for both political and religious reasons.

Politically, Islam had no rival but the “hated Christians” of Byzantium, known by various appellations — including al-Rum (the Romans), al-Nassara (the Nazarenes), and, most notoriously, al-Kilab (the “dogs”). The eastern Sasanian Empire had already been vanquished, and Persia subsumed into the caliphate. Only the “worshippers of the cross” — as they were, and still are, disparagingly known — were left as contenders over the eastern Mediterranean basin.

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