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Friday, October 18, 2013

COLORADO SUED FOR FUNDING PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Democratic leaders in Colorado, sympathetic to Planned Parenthood officials and their financial desires, have unconstitutionally handed over some $14 million from state taxpayers to the abortion industry giant, according to a new lawsuit has that been filed.

The case is being brought by officials with the Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of a former state official against Planned Parenthood, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Colorado Health Care Policy chief Susan Birth and Larry Wolk, executive director of the state Department of Public Health.

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Civil Disobedience: Citizens Pushing Back

Americans have some recourse against Obama’s shutdown theater.

Democracy isn’t a machine — it’s a dance. And as much as we all admire Thomas More’s famous speech in A Man for All Seasons — “I’d give the Devil the benefit of the law, for my own safety’s sake!” — the fact is we ignore the law all the time: Sammy Hagar can’t drive 55, and I have a sneaking suspicion that many bartenders receiving cash tips do not report every last penny to the IRS. The people we elect to represent us come to believe that they are there to rule us, and we push back against being ruled, sometimes in penny-ante ways, sometimes more dramatically, as with the recent outburst of civil disobedience in Washington, D.C., where veterans and other righteously cheesed-off citizens tore down the barricades surrounding our national monuments and deposited them in front of the White House, as excellent a gesture of the American spirit as our increasingly docile nation has seen in years.

Every American has a little sedition in his soul, and this is a very good time to give it free rein.

There is a finely calibrated bargain at the heart of a republic: Citizens have a duty to obey the lawful and legitimate mandates of the government, including those with which they disagree, and the government has a duty to see to it that its actions are lawful and legitimate. The people have an obligation to be prudent and circumspect about engaging in civil disobedience, and the government has a responsibility to be scrupulous with its powers. That contract has been violated by the White House.

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George Mason Students Defend 'Trayvon Martin' Class

A fall class offered to George Mason University students has drawn criticism from around the world because of one name in the title: Trayvon Martin.

When sociology professor Rutledge M. Dennis first listed his new sociology class, Plessy to Martin: Race and Politics, he didn't expect the backlash he received.

Without an understanding of what the class would cover, hate emails came pouring into to the professor's office and the school from as far away as Germany, when news came out earlier this summer.

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Ocean City Fire Department Responds To Boardwalk Fire

On Friday, October 18, 2013, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Ocean City Communications received a call for a fire in the 600 block of Atlantic Avenue at the landmark Majestic hotel. Ocean City Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, which is located on the Ocean City boardwalk, and found fire coming from the building upon their arrival.

Witnesses told investigators that they heard a large “boom” come from the building and then reported seeing smoke. Due to the type of construction and the age of the building, a third alarm was called, however; members from the OCFD worked immediately to control the fire, which was extinguished a short time later.

The hotel is currently closed for the winter and the only known person on the premise was a maintenance worker. One fire cadet was treated on scene for a minor injury sustained during his response; however, no additional injuries were reported. The fire cadet was treated and released.

The initial investigation determined that the fire started in the basement store of the hotel. The cause of the fire, which is being handled by the Ocean City Fire Marshall’s Office, is still under investigation.

BABYSITTER CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ABUSE AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN ST. MARY’S CO.

HOLLYWOOD, MD) – A man who had moved into the St. Mary’s County home where he had been hired to babysit two children has been charged with sexually abusing and taking pornographic pictures of one of the children in his care.

The Maryland State Police does not identify victims of sex offenses and/or child abuse, both of which allegedly occurred in this situation, so the child is not being identified. Due to the accused living with the children, identifying the accused could lead to the identity of the victim, so his name is being withheld also.

The accused is a 28-year-old male, who was living in the 23000-block of Lawrence Hayden Road, Hollywood, Md. After consultation with the St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police criminal investigators charged the accused with sexual abuse of a minor, second degree sexual offense, and possession of child pornography. Additional charges are possible as a result of a continuing investigation. The accused is incarcerated in the St. Mary’s County Detention Center.

The victim is a male. He is under ten years old, but is not being described further in order to protect his identity.

The investigation began yesterday when a trooper at the Leonardtown Barrack was contacted by a woman who said about three months ago, her daughter hired a friend to babysit her two children while she was at work. The friend eventually moved into the home.

The complainant became concerned about the babysitter’s behavior. When she found pornographic pictures of her grandson on the babysitter’s cell phone, she contacted State Police.

State Police investigators from the Criminal Enforcement Division were immediately contacted and continued the investigation. With the assistance of an agent from Child Protective Services and the Child Advocacy Center, the investigation continued through the night. Interviews were conducted with the victim and the accused. A search warrant was obtained and served at the home. Cell phones and computer equipment belonging to the accused were recovered. A forensic examination of this equipment will be conducted by the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit.

No evidence was obtained at this time indicating the accused had inappropriate contact with the other child in the home. The investigation is continuing.

Voters Support Independent Redistricting Commission, Poll Finds

More than two-thirds of Maryland voters support redrawing legislative district lines using an independent commission, rather than by elected officials, according to a new poll.

The Greater Baltimore Committee paid for the redistricting question to be added to the Gonzales Research poll released Thursday. The question followed up on a July commentary by GBC President Don Fry criticizing the lack of competition in legislative races.

During the first two weeks of October, the Gonzales poll telephoned 819 registered voters and asked this question:

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Scientists Have Found The First Concrete Reason Why We Need Sleep

We know we need to sleep. We know our brains and bodies work better after sleep. But what we didn't know, until now, was why.

Scientists have just reported the first major mechanical reason our brains need to sleep — certain cleaning mechanisms in the brain work better when we shut the brain down. Just like how dump trucks take to the city streets during the pre-dawn hours because there's less traffic, our brain's cleaners also work best when there's less going on.

"This study shows that the brain has different functional states when asleep and when awake," study researcher Maiken Nedergaard, of the University of Rochester said in a statement. "In fact, the restorative nature of sleep appears to be the result of the active clearance of the by-products of neural activity that accumulate during wakefulness."

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Debt And Destruction?

From April 1917 to November 1919, when Woodrow Wilson borrowed $30 billion to fight World War I, he was able to do so because of the promise he made to lenders that the commitment to repay them would be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. At the time, the government’s total debt was about $14 billion; so Wilson’s painful gambit trebled it.

In reality, it was not the full faith and credit of the federal government that promised to repay; it was not the credit worthiness of the federal government at stake; it was not the federal government that paid back the money that was borrowed. That’s because the government has no credit or credit worthiness or disposable wealth. Only the taxpayers have that.

This is not an academic difference. Wilson knew his creditors could not seize government buildings if he or a successor could not repay the loans in a timely manner. But the IRS could seize private wealth if taxpayers didn’t cough up. At the time, the federal income tax was new. In order to get it passed in Congress, Wilson promised that the tax rate on personal incomes would never exceed 3 percent of adjusted gross income, and that it would only be assessed on adjusted gross incomes north of $10,000 a year — the rough equivalent of $250,000 today.

Wilson also had a brand-new bank with its own legal printing press at his disposal: the Federal Reserve. With its power, the Federal Reserve could print and lend all the cash it wanted, flood the economy with money, and cheapen the value of the dollar so that when Wilson’s $30 billion debt was repaid, it would be done with dollars worth far less — and thus less painful to extract from taxpayers — than those he borrowed.

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Court Considers Calif. School's May 5 US Flag Ban

A federal appeals court on Thursday wrestled with the novel question of whether it was offensive for Northern California high school students to display the American flag during a school day dedicated to celebrating Mexican heritage.

The three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn't tip its hand on how it would decide in sharply questioning lawyers on both sides of the issue during a 30-minute hearing in San Francisco.

Public school officials have broad powers to establish dress codes, such as restricting certain colors in clothing or barring the wearing of sports jerseys, in areas where gangs are considered a problem. But the American flag case poses different questions about how far school officials can go in reacting to a potential problem by spontaneously barring what students wear, even if that includes a T-shirt bearing the iconic American flag.

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New Hampshire Gas Station Clerk Says He Was Fired For Pulling Gun On Robber

A New Hampshire gas station clerk who stopped a robbery by pulling out a gun says he was fired hours later for violating a company policy prohibiting staff from carrying firearms.

According to the Telegraph of Nashua, Shannon "Bear" Cothran was working after midnight at a Shell station and pulled out a Ruger LCP .380 handgun after being threatened by a knife-wielding man.

The robber then walked out of the station and Cothran, 29, called police. He was asked to file a report with his employer, Nouria Energy, the Telegraph reported.

According to Cothran, although a store manager and a district manager tried to save his job, he was terminated for violating a company policy that forbids employees from carrying guns.

“I can find another job,” he told the Telegraph. “A paycheck’s a paycheck. I don’t really care where it comes from. I cannot justify in my mind trying to save my job at the risk of not ever seeing my family and friends again.”

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Stories Flood In: Obamacare Hiked My Insurance

Last week, Heritage asked: “How much is your health insurance going up?”

Readers answered. But every day, more people are receiving letters from insurers delivering the news about Obamacare’s impact on individual insurance plans.

Here are more answers from Twitter sent in using the hashtag #ObamaHikes:
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Raven's Super Bowl Ring

Steve Bisciotti, the owner of the Ravens is in OC. Mike Robins who wrote Bring On Brady tried on his Super Bowl ring.

Furloughed Feds Who Sought Unemployment Must Repay Cash

For some federal employees, it's payback time.

During the partial government shutdown, tens of thousands of furloughed employees in this area applied for unemployment benefits.

But those benefits came with a catch: If feds would receive back pay -- and they will -- unemployment benefits would have to be returned.

The day of recompense has arrived.

"We plan to notify the individuals that did access the money, as well as those that did not, that they need to pay this money back," says Lisa Maria Mallory, director of the D.C. Department of Employment Services. "We will reverse the payment in instances where it hasn't been accessed," she says.

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Shutdown Of Russian Steel Mill In Delaware Could Send A Message About US Trade

Struggling with a rising debt burden of more than $8.2 billion, the Evraz group, owned by Roman Abramovich, Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, has suspended production at its Claymont steelmill in Delaware. The production halt is indefinite. A company announcement from Moscow on Monday says that “due to subdued market demand and the high volume of imports, it will suspend operations at its steel mill in Claymont, Delaware. Over the next two months, about 375 employees will complete processing and shipping of existing products and prepare the mill for idling. EVRAZ will consider restarting the operations as soon as the market conditions improve. Evraz doesn’t expect any adverse financial effect on its operations in North America as a result of this action, and customers of the Claymont mill will be served by other EVRAZ facilities in Portland, Oregon, and Regina, Saskatchewan.”

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Boston Marathon Director Part Of Team To Bring Back Bay Bridge Run

It had been a tradition for more than 30 years, the annual Chesapeake Bay Bridge Walk and Governor's Bay Bridge Run.

The tradition ended in 2006, when the Maryland Transportation Authority decided it was too costly, and there were too many security concerns related to the event.

The event though is returning next year as the "Across the Bay 10K," a 6.2-mile run that will include crossing the 4.3-mile eastbound span of the bridge.

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Harvard: US Debt Bill Is $123,000 Per Worker

The U.S. debt, which has jumped 55 percent under President Obama, is now so high that if working Americans had to pay their full share, the bill would be over $123,000, according to a new Harvard University Institute of Politics study of the nation’s empty bank accounts.

The school's fiscal 2012 Annual Report of the USA, which examines the federal budget, put the total debt at $16.7 trillion. But that's such a big number that the student authors tried to put it in perspective.

For example, that $16.7 trillion, which would go up under Obama’s debt ceiling plan the House and Senate are considering, is equal to:

– About $53,000 per every inhabitant of the United States, including children and the unemployed

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6 Killed, Officer Hurt In Crash Near Ohio Capital

A police cruiser responding to a robbery report with its lights flashing and siren blaring collided with a car at an intersection just northwest of Ohio's capital early Friday, killing six members of a family and injuring an officer, officials said.

Investigators said an officer from the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington was responding to a reported armed robbery at a fast-food restaurant when the crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. at a large intersection with traffic lights.

The cruiser was one of an unspecified number of police cars responding to the robbery, all with their lights on and sirens activated, said Upper Arlington police officer and spokeswoman Heather Galli.

A Columbus man was driving the other car, with his wife in the front passenger seat and four daughters, including a toddler, in the back seat, said Chief Robert Oppenheimer of Perry Township police, who are investigating the crash. None was wearing a seatbelt, and the youngest daughter was not in a child restraint, he said.

"That car was just totaled, and they probably died instantly," Oppenheimer said. Autopsies were planned.

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BRIT HUME: TEA PARTY AROSE FROM GOP ESTABLISHMENT FAILURE TO RESTRAIN GOVT. SPENDING

Fox News political analyst Brit Hume conceded that Republicans that grew the federal government while they were in power the last decade may have ultimately been responsible for the recent standoff over the budget because their actions helped create the Tea Party that now stands fiercely opposed to their goals.

On Monday's Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News, Hume lamented that "veteran political observers on both the left and right are still trying to figure out what the House Tea Party caucus" and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) were thinking "when they insisted on using the threat of a government shutdown to defund ObamaCare."

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Three Alarm Blaze At The Majestic Hotel On 7th Street

The Dispatch
Great shot from Bill Fuhrer of today's fire at the Majestic on the Boardwalk
Three alarm blaze at the Majestic Hotel on 7th Street and Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland

Update: Fire is now under control

NOW IT’S SERIOUS: OBAMACARE REPORTEDLY HELPS KILL ICE CREAM PLANT

An ice cream plant in Elkhart, Ind., was reportedly forced to close its doors last Friday after its owners decided that it would cost too much to comply with Obamacare, President Obama’s massive health care law.


Screen grab.

The sluggish economy and increases in production costs have hurt business, according to the owners of the Bonnie Doon ice cream plant.

But they stressed that the new health care law was the number one factor in their decision to close up shop.

Rough sales and local construction have also forced one of the two remaining Bonnie Doon restaurants to close its doors permanently.

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GM Got Bailout, Now Ships Jobs To China

Saving General Motors from bankruptcy was among President Obama’s most frequently cited achievements when he ran for re-election last year. Democrats everywhere touted the company’s revival as proof of the 2009 bailout’s wisdom. That was then. Now, Obama has quietly released the auto manufacturer from a bailout requirement that it increase its production in the U.S. Instead, GM is spending billions of dollars building up its production capacity in ... China.

This is happening despite the fact that the Treasury Department has to date recovered just $36 billion of its original $51 billion loan to GM. By most analysts’ predictions, American taxpayers will be out approximately $10 billion when the remaining stock is sold off. Which is a long way of saying that it now appears that taxpayers paid $10 billion to make it easier for GM to accelerate its foreign outsourcing and send more manufacturing jobs to China.

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Ft. Hood Gears Up For Financial Collapse

Soldiers at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas received training last week on how to “manage themselves in peaceful situations involving civilians,” reports KDH News.

The timing of the training is interesting when analyzing America’s current economic state, which is bordering on collapse. American investment broker, businessman, author and financial commentator Peter Schiff warns us that we are in worse shape now economically than we were just before the 2008 financial crisis, which we still have yet to recover from.

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Non-Participation As An Effective Weapon Against Tyranny

Legitimate revolution takes time, patience and fortitude. Unfortunately, this is a strategic concept that is lost on many Americans today who suffer from a now common ailment of attention deficit disorder and an obsession with immediate gratification. Even some who have their hearts in the right place and who work to defend and resurrect our nation’s founding ideals seem to believe that any action to defeat corrupt oligarchy must be effective immediately, otherwise, it’s not worth the attempt. History, of course, teaches us the opposite.

The American rebellion against the British monarchy was not an abrupt or immediate affair. Anger and unrest over the trespasses of King George simmered for decades. The first British troops stationed with the intent to stifle colonial freedoms arrived in Massachusetts in 1768. The Boston Massacre took place in 1770, and still, the Founders refused to leap into open retaliation. Lexington Green and the “shot heard around the world” did not take place until April 19, 1775. The Revolution took years to culminate into an actual physical war. So what did the colonists do in the meantime? Sit on their hands?

In fact, early Americans employed economic tactics against their enemy long before they picked up muskets and powder. British imports were turned away or destroyed. Clothing and other items normally shipped from Europe to be sold in the colonies were boycotted, while colonists began producing all of their own survival necessities. They refused to participate in the system that was designed to enslave them and this gave them a foundation on which to launch their eventual fight for liberty. Without efforts in economic independence, the American Revolution may not have ever taken place.

I always recall this example whenever I am confronted with a Gung-ho liberty movement activist who demands to know when “we” are going to “do something” about criminal government. Or, when I am confronted by nihilists who proclaim that “we” should have “pulled the trigger” long ago, and now it is “too late to do anything.” The Founders had the same doubts and faced the same naysayers, and had the wisdom to act with the correct force at the correct moment.

The methods of non-participation have been repeated in many dissenting actions against despotic establishments, often with much success. This does not mean that one can necessarily topple tyrants simply by refusing to use their goods or their currency. That would be a childish assumption. Very few tyrants have ever been removed from power without an act of force. However, the process of learning to become self sufficient makes each person more effective as an activist or revolutionary, and thus, more dangerous to those who seek control.

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BREAKING NEWS: MAJESTIC HOTEL IN OC ON FIRE

The Majestic Hotel on 6th Street and the Boardwalk has a working fire in progress. We're told this one could be very serious. 
Live Boardwalk cam click HERE
Update: Fire is now under control 

Obama’s Tax Thugs

Recently Mortimer Caplin announced his retirement at the age of 96. Caplin may have been the only IRS chief to appear on the cover of Time Magazine back when he was targeting JFK’s political enemies with audits as part of Kennedy’s “Ideological Organizations Project.

“I remember that the president made a speech and I got a call from the White House again,” Caplin would later write. “The right-wing organizations were believed to be overstepping their tax-exemption bounds.”

There are always plenty of Caplins and Lois Lerners around to do the dirty work of the men on top, but what truly matters is the abuse of power by the chief executives who give them their marching orders.

Obama’s IRS scandal is not the first abuse of the system. But it should be the last one. Like JFK’s IRS scandal, it comes down to a White House worried about the impact of “right wing organizations” on its political agenda and lists being drawn up in order to intimidate and sabotage conservative organizations.

Like the Kennedy team, Obama’s people were more interested in the political allegiances of the bureaucracy under their control than its competence and in an administration where even the National Park Service has been politicized, the use of the IRS as a political weapon of terror was inescapable.

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UPDATE: ‘Several’ Witnesses Allegedly Targeted By Ramadan From Jail

OCEAN CITY — More details have emerged in the indictment released on Thursday charging an Ocean City man in a murder-for-hire plot launched from a jail cell in New York, including information the alleged murder plan targeted “several” witnesses.

In mid-May, federal officials concluded an investigation into a multi-million dollar cigarette smuggling operation with raids on two locations in and around the resort area including the West Ocean City homes of local residents and business owners Basel Ramadan, 42, who has been called the “ringleader” of the operation, and Samer Ramadan, 40, who is being called the operation’s “enterprise treasurer.” Also indicted were 14 other alleged co-conspirators, from transporters to distributors to resellers, who were rounded up at locations all over the mid-Atlantic region on the same day in May.

On Thursday, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly announced the indictment of Basel Ramadan and Yousseff Odeh, one of his alleged distributors and a trusted lieutenant, on new charges they conspired from behind bars to murder witnesses they believed were cooperating with law enforcement in the massive cigarette smuggling case against them.

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K-9 Dino Retires

Worcester County Sheriff's Office

The Worcester County Sheriff's Office is announcing the retirement of K-9 Dino. K-9 Dino has developed a medical condition that has limited his breathing and well being. Although the desire to serve and protect is still there, he is no longer able to perform his duties without risk to his health. K-9 Dino will now become his handlers pet and enjoy the life of being a devoted partner and just being a dog.
K-9 Dino is a 10 year old Labrador retriever and during his service with the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, K-9 Dino seized approximately 1996.2 grams of Marijuana / THC, 780.6 grams of Cocaine, 244 Ecstasy Pills, 3 firearms, 26 grams of Heroin, and $604,135.00 in United States Currency. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments and his service to the citizens of Worcester County. His achievements and record are extremely impressive. Sheriff Mason wishes K-9 Dino a lengthy retirement and salutes him for job well done. Our Best Wishes are extended to him for a recovery and comfortable lifestyle.

BREAKING NEWS: Former House Speaker Tom Foley Dies At 84

Former House Speaker Tom Foley, D-Wash., who served 30 years in the House of Representatives and served as US ambassador to Japan under President Clinton, dies at 84.

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Chinese Agency Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating

A Chinese ratings agency downgraded its US sovereign credit rating Thursday despite Washington’s resolution of the debt ceiling deadlock, warning that fundamentals for a potential default remained “unchanged.”

Dagong lowered its ratings for US local and foreign currency credit from A to A-, maintaining a negative outlook, the agency said in a statement.

The announcement came after the US Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed a bill that extends the nation’s borrowing authority and ends a two-week government shutdown.

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The Coming Food Stamp Riots

It may not happen this month, or even this year, but food stamp riots are coming to America. In fact, we got a small preview of the coming food stamp riots this past weekend when a “temporary system failure” caused food stamp cards to stop working in 17 U.S. states. Within hours, there were “mini-riots” at Wal-Marts and other retailers that rely heavily on food stamp users. So what would happen if food stamp benefits were cut off or reduced for an extended period of time? As you will see below, if Congress had not pushed through a “deal”, the USDA would have started cutting off food stamp benefits on November 1st.
Considering the fact that 47 million Americans are on food stamps and more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government, that could have sparked massive rioting. So the good news is that the coming food stamp riots will probably not happen in November. The bad news is that the “deal” in Congress only delays the political fighting until after Christmas. In just a few months we will be dealing with a potential “government shutdown” and a debt ceiling deadline once again.

Most Americans have no idea what almost just happened. According to Reuters, the state of North Carolina had already cut off some welfare benefits for the month of November…
North Carolina has become the first state to cut off welfare benefits to poor residents in the wake of the partial federal government shutdown, ordering a halt to processing November applications until a deal is reached to end the federal standstill.

More than 20,000 people – most of them children – receive monthly benefits aimed at helping them buy food and other basic supplies through North Carolina’s welfare program, called Work First, which is fully funded by the federal government. Recipients must reapply each month.

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Operation We Care Event 11/17/13

"Operation We Care" Packing Party
Sunday November 17, 2013
Sharptown Fireman's Memorial Building
415 Joe Morgan Dr. in Sharptown
0900 til we are done - usually around 1500

Also for those that want to get an early start:
All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet
American Legion Post 218
203 State St. in Sharptown (around the corner from the Memorial Building)
0700 til 1000
Cost: $8.00 per person

This has been a huge hit for the last several packing events. Please join us for a great meal to start the day before we get down to business packing care packages for our deployed troops. All money raised at the breakfast will go to support the Legion's various veteran support programs.
We have been preparing for this event since the last packing event in May and more aggressively since mid-September and we are planning to pack several hundred care packages, many of which will go to the soldiers from the Delmarva region currently deployed in Afghanistan. As you know we don't open the packing event to the general public because of space reasons. We invite the families of our deployed troops, soldiers that have received care packages before and the groups and individuals that have supported Operation We Care and help the project function.
We are in need of several things:
1. Donations to fill the care packages.
The list of needed items is available at http://www.operationwecare.org/ and there is a list of the Top 10 Needed items on the home page. We need everything as we depleted a lot of inventory in May when we packed 680 care packages. There is a list of donation sites on the website as well.
2. Financial donations to help with the cost of shipping the care packages.
The cost to ship the 680 care packages in May was just over $8900.00. Each care package costs $14.85 to ship - flat rate, no weight limit. Operation We Care is a 501c/3 organization - see info below.
3. Names and addresses of soldiers to send care packages to.
We are constantly updating our mailing list as the troops get deployed and return home. If you have a friend, family member, co-worker or anyone you know that we can send a care package to please email me the information and we will add them to the mailing list. All information is kept confidential to protect privacy and ensure security protocol.
4. Boxes decorated.
We decorate the inside of each care package box with supportive messages and drawings. The local schools and youth groups have stepped up to help us with this and we are most grateful. If you know of a teacher who is interested in a neat class project please contact me and we will get you setup. We provide the boxes, paper, glue sticks, etc.
Operation We Care is a registered 501c/3 non-profit organization. The Federal Tax ID# is 45-3947035 and I can provide any documentation necessary to support any donations.

OBAMA’S COSTLY VICTORY ON DEBT CEILING

To end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling without accepting any meaningful GOP conditions, President Obama resorted to falsehoods, wounded American democracy, and damaged U.S. global leadership.

The president accused the House GOP majority of refusing to pay bills Congress has already racked up, not doing its job, and defying the outcome of the 2012 election.

In reality, the $17 trillion outstanding national debt funded past spending, and raising the debt ceiling is all about the government spending more than it taxes going forward. The Constitution requires that revenue bills originate in the House, not the president’s desk. If Obama wants to spend more than the country can afford, it requires him to negotiate with the House—that’s where the framers put the money.

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Lard Up! Bill Re-Opening Government Has Earmarks For Durbin And McConnell, Cash For Lautenberg's Widow . . . And More

Party Time USA!

Remember when Republicans bravely fought excessive government spending, so ferociously that they would even let the government shut down so they could force Democrats to stop pissing away taxpayer money? Remember that?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Yeah. I know. Neither do I. And now that the shutdown-for-nothing is no more, Congress can get back to the business of what it does best, which is to lard up any and every bill it passes with gratuitous spending that proves all their anti-spending rhetoric to be exactly the rot it is. What have you discovered, Washington Times?

Buried inside the new stopgap spending bill are several goodies, including nearly quadrupling the maximum price of a dam project on the Ohio River that is turning into a boondoggle — up to nearly $3 billion.
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WCSO Press Releases 10/18/2013

Press Releases 10/18/2013

Incident: Fugitive from Delaware
Date of Incident: 16 October 2013
Location: Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Jenna Lynn Ennis, 25, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 16 October 2013 at 4:30 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jenna Ennis as a wanted fugitive from the State of Delaware. Ennis was being sought by Delaware authorities after she failed to appear for a Heroin and Firearm Possession case.  Ennis was detained without bond in the Detention Center pending extradition back to Delaware.
Charges: Fugitive from Delaware
 Ennis, Jenna
Ennis, Jenna


Incident: Warrant Arrest
Date of Incident: 16 October 2013
Location: Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Pete Edward Powell, 19, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 16 October 2013 at 4:30 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Pete Powell who was wanted on an open Circuit Court Bench Warrant that was issued after Powell violated the terms of his probation on a Malicious Destruction of Property case.  The deputy transported Powell to the Detention Center where he was detained in lieu of $25,000.00 bond pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Violation of Probation
Powell, Pete
Powell, Pete


Incident: Fugitive
Date of Incident: 17 October 2013
Location: 200 block of Priscilla Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: James Patrick Lawyer Sr., 62, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 17 October 2013 at 9:15 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested James Lawyer at the request of Anne Arundel County authorities. Lawyer was being sought on an arrest warrant that charged him with Rape 2nd Degree, Second Degree Sex Offense and Perverted Practice.  Upon taking Lawyer into custody, he was transported and turned over to the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office.
Charges: Rape 2nd Degree
Lawyer, James
Lawyer, James
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Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson        Date:  18 October 2013

David Craig On Baltimore County Common Core Meeting

Harford County Executive and Maryland candidate for Governor David R. Craig released the following statement regarding the Baltimore County Common Core meeting last week in which a parent was ejected and subsequently arrested.

"The value in public meetings - whether it is about Common Core or any other policy issue affecting a community - is giving people the opportunity to speak. It is a long tradition that goes back to the founding principles of our country and occurs in county and municipal forums to this day. When speech is limited or meetings are overly scripted, it tends to cause angst among all who are involved.

"The Common Core national education standard is controversial and for good reason. It slipped under the radar in Maryland three years ago and there are serious concerns about it, many of which are being raised for the first time. School administrators should be holding public forums like the one in Baltimore County, but these officials will actually learn more by encouraging a robust debate and the exchange of ideas. Their ultimate constituents are students and their parents and those voices must be heard."

WCSO PRESS RELEASE - Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision

PRESS RELEASE - Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision

Date of Incident: 17 October 2013

Location: Pittsville Road at Bob Smith Road, Pittsville, MD

Narrative: On 17 October 2013 at 11:54 PM, deputies from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported single vehicle collision on Pittsville Road in the area of Bob Smith Road. Upon arrival, the deputies located a 1993 Toyota that had left the roadway and collided with a tree. Due to extensive damage on the vehicle, fire personnel had to extricate the operator from the vehicle.

The operator, Brittany Karen Ardis, 18 years old from Delmar, MD, was transported to PRMC where she was subsequently pronounced deceased.

At this time, the collision is currently still under investigation by the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Accident Reconstruction Team.

Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson
Date: 18 October 2013

15-Year-Old Girl Attacked By Group Of Teens In Delaware County

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Speaking exclusively to CBS 3, a 15-year-old high school student, whose identity we are concealing, described a terrifying attack by a gang of at least nine teenage boys as she was leaving an Interboro High School football game Monday night.

The teenage victim described first being taunted by the attackers, who followed her down a neighborhood street, cursing and spitting at her, before she was repeatedly kicked and punched, suffering at least one blow to her head.

“It was scary, just horrible, just the worst feeling in the world,” she said. “He punched me in my back and then kicked me in the back, and then punched me in the back of my head. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t talk. I was just straight crying.”

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Study: Food Stamps Most Rapidly Growing Welfare Program

Food stamps are the most inefficient, vastly expanding social welfare program in the country, according to a new study.

Forty-seven million people participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and costs have increased over 358 percent since 2000.

The increase in recent years cannot be attributed to the economic recession, according to Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, but lax eligibility requirements and an aggressive campaign by governments to boost their rolls.

“This program has expanded rapidly over the last decade in a way that is not justified by the recession that we went through,” Tanner said.

“There’s very little bang for all this increased buck.”

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Someone at SBYNews is EXPECTING!

Well it's official! I have some good but shocking news! Someone at SBYNews is EXPECTING! Woot! Woot! A little over 9 weeks and counting. I know, I'm shocked too. I can hardly believe it myself. I wasn't going to post it. But since you're all my family & friends, I wanted to make it official. I'm too overwhelmed to keep it a secret!!!! Who would have guessed that me... Of all people would be expecting?! But I am!! I'm expecting Santa in just 10 1/2 weeks!  Let's see how many people read the whole status. I know everyone won't!

The First Thing Yellen Should Do To Save America

There is so much to say about the United States government not defaulting.

I’d like to start with a thank you. But “How do you thank someone for taking you from crayons to perfume? It isn’t easy but I’ll try.” (That’s Lulu, from the movie “To Sir, With Love.”)

Thank you, Congress, for showing the world there’s nothing wrong with the full faith and credit of the United States and for showing the world that having full faith and credit in the United States government is a total bust.

An extension? Really? So, we go through this again in a matter of weeks? Thanks.

But let’s move on. Let’s talk about Janet Yellen – she’s far more relevant.

She’s about to become the most powerful person in the United States, or the world, for that matter.

It isn’t the President of the United States that has the real power. Presidents come and go. Congress’ pimps and panderers come and go too (and too many stay too long).

The power to make or break America, to enslave it or free it, is vested in one person: the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

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Ten Things To Expect From Obamacare In 2014

It's been clear to anyone paying attention that the October "rollout" of Obamacare has been a turbulent, confusing disaster. Sloppy IT systems and technological failures combined to cripple Obamacare's sign-up systems. Security flaws put Americans at risk for identity theft.

In an almost comical understatement, President Obama summarized these massive failures as "a few glitches." I think that Luke Chung, IT expert and president of database solutions firm FMS, explained the situation much more accurately:

"What should clearly be an enterprise quality, highly scalable software application felt like it wouldn't pass a basic code review. It appears the people who built the site don't know what they're doing, never used it and didn't test it."

Chung went on to call it a "technological disaster."

Think about what this ineptitude means in the bigger debate about Obamacare. The administration spent 3½ years and $698 million of taxpayers' money to develop this software. They've known since earlier this year that the system wasn't ready to support the rollout of the exchanges. Yet they proceeded anyway, apparently unconcerned about their faulty software costing Americans millions of hours of frustration and lost productivity.

These same bureaucrats continue to assume more and more control of our medical care. What does their incompetence say about how they will handle making life-or-death medical care decisions?

Like a parasite taking over its host, Obamacare will commandeer almost 20% of our economy, crowding out private options. With 2014 fast approaching, what should we expect in its next phase?

Here's my list Top Ten list for 2014:

1. The expansion of Medicaid, with increased cost burden for taxpayers.

Medicaid is a combined state-federal program initially designed to help the neediest among us. But it has burgeoned to cover medical costs for about one in every five people. Today, Medicaid pays for two of every five babies born in the United States, and three of every five people in long-term care facilities in the US.

Obamacare will add another 20 million new Medicaid dependents. According to the Kasier Family Foundation, that Medicaid expansion will add an average of 13% to state budgets in costs for 2014 alone.

Even though Medicaid was designed to help the poor, studies have consistently shown that Medicaid recipients receive worse medical care than people without any health insurance at all! Medicaid patients have longer waits to see a doctor, fewer specialists to choose from, and poorer medical outcomes overall. A particularly morbid piece of evidence is that on average, Medicaid patients die sooner after surgery than people who have no medical insurance.

Essentially, Obamacare is forcing 20 million more Americans into second-class medical care with Medicaid.

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PMT Meeting Attracts Hundreds To Lower Shore

SALISBURY, Md. — Eastern Shore farmers turned out by the hundreds last week to get more information on and to protest a proposed state regulation controlling the application of phosphorus on some farmland. 

Chief among the farmers’ complaints was that there is too little, if any, information on the economic impact the regulation would have on the grain and poultry industries.

Questions and concerns were also raised about the science and research the regulation is based on, the time farmers will have to adjust to the rule change and the logistics of moving poultry litter away from farms where it would no longer be able to be used.

The regulation in question is the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s proposal to shift from the current Phosphorus Site Index to the Phosphorus Management Tool, in determining the risk level of phosphorus loss from the land. 

Fields that have a fertility index value or 150 or greater would have higher restrictions on the amount of additional phosphorus that can be applied increasing the acreage that can have no additional phosphorus applied. 

Since poultry litter includes phosphorus and is widely used on the Eastern Shore as a fertilizer source in grain production, grain growers fear having to spend more on commercial fertilizer and poultry growers fear a drop in the value of their litter and higher costs to get rid of what they can’t use.

After Buddy Hance, Maryland agriculture secretary and Royden Powell, assistant secretary of resource conservation at MDA, detailed the regulation, they faced about 90 minutes of comments and questions from farmers and Lower Shore lawmakers.

Del. Mike McDermott, R-Dist 38B, told the MDA officials that while they’ve given the crowd a lot of numbers on pollution reduction and planting cover crops, the numbers farmers need are how much the regulation is going to cost them.

“I don’t see those numbers projected,” McDermott said. “Until we start seeing those types of numbers, how can we implement this regulation?”

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The Dark Side Of America's Rush Into Prescription Drugs Has Never Been More Obvious

The number of people in America who died from taking prescription pain killers quadrupled between 1999 and 2010, a new report from the Trust for America's Health says.
These fatalities now outnumber deaths from heroin and cocaine combined, that same report found. More than 12 million people said they abused prescription drugs in 2010. The only other drug people abuse more is marijuana, the White House noted in a 2011 report.

In a tiny Kentucky county of 12,000 people, nine people died in a nine-month period by taking pain killers they traveled to Florida to obtain, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

"It's epidemic. I don't know what the answer is," coroner Robert J. Powell told the paper.

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Half-Million Iraqis Dead?

Almost half a million deaths in Iraq between 2003 and 2011 were caused by war and occupation, according to new research. The figure is around four times bigger than most previous estimates.

An estimated 460,000 deaths in Iraq from March 2003 to mid-2011 were caused by violence during the war with the US and the subsequent occupation by coalition forces, according to a statistical research published in PLOS (Public Library of Science) Medicine journal, an open access source.

Of those excess deaths, 35 percent are attributed to coalition forces, 32 percent to sectarian militias and 11 percent to criminals. The survey further details that the majority of violent deaths – 63 percent – were the result of gunfire and 12 percent from bombings.

The authors of the report claim their “findings provide the most up-to-date estimates of the death toll of the Iraq war and subsequent conflict,” as they carefully studied previous surveys on the issue and took into account the criticism which they inspired.

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Higher Costs + Incompetence = Obamacare In Maryland

Marylanders seeking health insurance on the state run Obamacare exchange—Maryland Health Connection—could see as much as a 13 percent increase in premiums.

The Heritage Foundation crunched pre Obamacare insurance data for all 50 states and compared them to premiums offered on the federal and state run Obamacare exchanges. The table below shows the average one-month premium in the non-group market and Obamacare exchanges.

In Maryland, an adult age 27 will see a 10 percent increase, and 50 year old will see 13 percent hike, and insurance for a family of four will go up from $593 a month to $614, a 3.4 percent increase.

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SFD Calls For Service 10-17-13

  • Thursday October, 17 2013 @ 09:10:50 Nature: Heart Patient City: Salisbury
  • Thursday October, 17 2013 @ 06:05:55 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
  • Thursday October, 17 2013 @ 01:20:13 Nature: Allergic Reaction City: Salisbury
  • Thursday October, 17 2013 @ 00:30:49 Nature: Pro Qa Ems City: Salisbury

They're Not Going To Take It Anymore: New Generation Of Immigrant Advocates Take Radical Approach

The frustration, say immigration advocates, is reaching a fever pitch.

That is why, many say, recent weeks have seen activists use chains and pipes to tie themselves to the tires of buses that carry immigrants slated for deportation to court, block traffic on Capitol Hill and get arrested, surround Tucson police when they targeted two immigrants during a traffic stop, and chain themselves and block the entrance of a federal detention center.

More such actions, they vow, are coming.

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WCSO Press Release 10-18-13

Incident: Fugitive
Date of Incident: 15 October 2013
Location: Maryland Avenue, Delmar, MD
Suspect: Travis Aaron Foskey, 21, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 15 October 2013 at 4:45 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Travis Foskey who was wanted on two Circuit Court Bench Warrants. The warrants were issued after Foskey violated the terms of his probation in two separate burglary cases.  The deputy transported Foskey to the Detention Center where he was detained without bond pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.
Charges: Violation of Probation
 Foskey, Travis
Foskey, Travis

Incident: False Statement to Law Enforcement
Date of Incident: 15 October 2013
Location: 600 block of Pacific Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Denise Carolyn Carter, 45, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 15 October 2013 at 11:20 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a subject brandishing a long gun and pointing it at a potential victim, Denise Carter. After arriving and beginning an investigation, the deputy detected that Carted repeatedly varied her account of the incident. After discovering that the subject identified by Carter had no firearms, the investigating deputy concluded that Carter had fabricated the entire incident in an attempt to get the neighbor in trouble.  The deputy placed Carter under arrest and transported her to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Carter in the Detention Center in lieu of $3,000.00 bond.
Charges: False Statement to Law Enforcement
Carter, Denise
Carter, Denise

Incident: Possession of Marijuana
Date of Incident: 16 October 2013
Location: 200 block of Morris Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: 1. Male Juvenile, 15, Salisbury, MD
               2. Female Juvenile, 15, Pittsville, MD
Narrative: On 16 October 2013 at 1:36 AM, a deputy checked on two subjects sitting in a vehicle at the dead end on Morris Street in Salisbury. During the ensuing encounter, the deputy detected the odor of burnt marijuana emanating from within the passenger compartment. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, the deputy recovered what was identified as marijuana from within the passenger compartment of the vehicle.  The deputy also discovered that both subjects were on 15 years old and neither had a driver’s license.  Parents were called to the scene and they took custody of the juveniles. Both juveniles were charged on a juvenile referral that will be sent to the Department of Juvenile Services for adjudication.
Charges: Possession of Marijuana


Incident: Possession of Marijuana
Date of Incident: 16 October 2013
Location: 2000 block of N. Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: 1. Christina Annette Blackley, 22, Norfolk, VA
               2. Quashaun Devon Russell, 21, Hampton, VA
Narrative: On 16 October 2013 at 2:20 AM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle operated by Christina Blackley of Norfolk, VA for speeding. While speaking to Blackley, the deputy detected the odor of burnt marijuana emanating from within the vehicle. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, the deputy located two small baggies containing what was recognized as marijuana.
The deputy charged both Blackley and her passenger, Quashaun Russell, with possession of marijuana on criminal citations.
Charges: Possession of Marijuana



Incident: Possession of Marijuana
Date of Incident: 16 October 2013
Location: 900 block of N. Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Jackelyn Margaret Ercolino, 22, Mardela Springs, MD
Narrative: On 16 October 2013 at 4:42 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office stopped a vehicle operated by Jackelyn Ercolino after the deputy observed her talking on a cell phone she was holding in her hand while driving. While speaking with Ercolino, the deputy observed that it appeared she was trying to hide something in her center console that was visible as Ercolino retrieved her driver’s license. The deputy was able to see that it was a marijuana smoking device. Further inquiry led to Ercolino producing a small baggie of marijuana from her pants pocket.  The deputy charged Ercolino with Possession of Marijuana on a Criminal Citation.
Charges: Possession of Marijuana