MSP Press Release 12-17-13

STATE POLICE INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN TASK FORCE INVESTIGATE INCIDENTS OF CHILD EXPLOITATION ON SOCIAL NETWORKS

The Maryland State Police and other law enforcement agencies around the state have received numerous complaints over the last few days involving sexually explicit photographs of juveniles being posted on Social Networking websites, specifically Instagram. As the lead agency of the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the State Police Computer Crimes Section has been providing technical assistance into these investigations.

These latest images and videos have been posted on several different pages on the Instagram website. At this point, the images do not rise to the level of child pornography under Maryland law, however the Maryland State Police would like to urge the public to be aware of these issues and to report occurrences to Instagram’s Help Center athttp://help.instagram.comor the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tip Line at http://www.cybertipline.com.

Additionally, the State Police suggests parents talk with their children and explain to them the possible repercussions and dangers of taking photographs of themselves in a sexually explicit manner and posting on the Internet. The following websites are a good resource for parents in steps to take to help protect children from being exploited on the Internet;www.netsmartz.org or www.ncmec.org.

The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is comprised of 35 law enforcement agencies from around the state focused on preventing and investigating incidents of sexual child exploitation. A major part of the Task Force’s program is community outreach. Investigators travel around the state providing Internet Safety presentations to children, parents, schools, and community or church groups. If you would like to schedule such a presentation for your group or would like further information, you may email the State Police investigative unit at msp.ccu@maryland.gov.

Sheriff: Co-Worker Shot Up Walmart Employee Of The Month’s Car

At Walmart, the Employee of the Month award comes with no cash or prizes. The title is the honor. That honor was important enough at one Florida Walmart that a co-worker who didn’t get the honor shot at the car of the official Employee of the Month.

We’re guessing that there was more to this feud than just the Employee of the Month contest. However, a sheriff’s department spokesperson told the local CBS affiliate that the feud started with bad feelings after the victim won the honor.

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Who Remembers The Comics?

Blue Shield

Do Vitamins Block Disease? Some Disappointing News

WASHINGTON (AP) -- There's more disappointing news about multivitamins: Two major studies found popping the pills didn't protect aging men's brains or help heart attack survivors.

Millions of Americans spend billions of dollars on vitamin combinations, presumably to boost their health and fill gaps in their diets. But while people who don't eat enough of certain nutrients may be urged to get them in pill form, the government doesn't recommend routine vitamin supplementation as a way to prevent chronic diseases.

The studies released Monday are the latest to test if multivitamins might go that extra step and concluded they don't.
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So God Made A Liberal...

SPD Press Release 12-17-13

The "Other" Anniversary That's Far More Important

Though still a week shy of its centennial anniversary, the US Federal Reserve will hold a celebration this afternoon in Washington DC.

Just imagine the scene - a bunch of current and former central bankers slapping each other on the back, congratulating one another for a job well done over the last 100 years.

Of course, you and I know this is total nonsense… as is the concept of our modern monetary system in which we award total control of the money supply to a tiny central banking elite.

Human beings are fallible. We are not gods. Yet we practically deify central bankers and entrust them with the power to manipulate markets, control prices around the world, and effectively dominate the economy.

This system has proven to be foolish and destructive.

While the Fed engages in its self-aggrandizement this afternoon, there is another far more important anniversary today - the Boston Tea Party.

It was this day in 1773 that dozens of men dumped 342 chests of tea from 3 ships into the water. But what a lot of people don’t realize is that it started with bankers.

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Glaxo Says It Will Stop Paying Doctors to Promote Drugs

The British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will no longer pay doctors to promote its products and will stop tying compensation of sales representatives to the number of prescriptions doctors write, its chief executive said Monday, effectively ending two common industry practices that critics have long assailed as troublesome conflicts of interest.

The announcement appears to be a first for a major drug company — although others may be considering similar moves — and it comes at a particularly sensitive time for Glaxo. It is the subject of a bribery investigation in China, where authorities contend the company funneled illegal payments to doctors and government officials in an effort to lift drug sales.

Andrew Witty, Glaxo’s chief executive, said in a telephone interview Monday that its proposed changes were unrelated to the investigation in China, and were part of a yearslong effort “to try and make sure we stay in step with how the world is changing,” he said. “We keep asking ourselves, are there different ways, more effective ways of operating than perhaps the ways we as an industry have been operating over the last 30, 40 years?”
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Trans Pacific Partnership - Obamatrade - Worse For US Than Obamacare

WASHINGTON, As America reels from one Obamacare blow after another, President Obama, the architect of America’s economic collapse, is preparing yet one more body blow to an America still suffering through the Great Obama Depression.

Obama is pushing hard for something called the Trans Pacific Partnership.

If Obama’s goal was to destroy the American economy and American sovereignty, he could not have picked a better tool than a “free trade” agreement that will make America and Americans subject to laws and rulings from nameless, faceless, soulless bureaucrats who are unelected, unaccountable and, fearfully, anti-American.

The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is currently being negotiated in secret. Much like Obamacare — which Nancy Pelosi warned us we would have to pass in order to see what was in it — to find out what is in the TPP, we must pass an even worse piece of legislation.

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Senate Goes After Corn Ethanol Targets For Fuel

Senators on both sides of the aisle are pushing measures that would whack the corn ethanol portion of federal biofuel blending targets, unswayed by a recent Environmental Protection Agency proposal to slash next year's goal.

The efforts come as the House remains stalled on its legislative proposal, and after some lobbyists have suggested the EPA action last month could reduce congressional appetite to change the Renewable Fuel Standard.

"The hearing on Wednesday was a bit of a surprise," Michael McAdams, president of the Advanced Biofuels Association, said of a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on the Renewable Fuel Standard. "A lot of people thought that when the EPA released the rule that it would cut the legs out of doing anything legislatively."
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BREAKING NEWS: NASA Orders Series Of Spacewalks To Fix International Space Station

NASA orders a series of spacewalks to fix a broken cooling line at the International Space Station.

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Curse Words In Comments

You curse, it gets rejected. Why you people waste your time writing long comments and then load them up with curse words is beyond me. Maybe you just don't get it.

A Comment Worthy Of A Post 12-17-13

Annie Nonymous has left a new comment on your post "BREAKING NEWS: Budget Bill Clears Key Test Vote In...":

I gather from your comments that you have not been reading the posts Joe and Beezer have been providing us on the job climate here in the county.

Spout your rhetoric, but the fact is there are very few jobs here in Smallsbury. And even fewer reasonably well paying jobs.

It is a wide assumption that I am not employed, I was simply making a statement about those, some of whom I know, who can not find work.

It is a rather complicated issue, since most low level retail jobs will not hire unemployed previous manager, either due to lack of experience or over qualification.
For awhile there, even walmart was not hiring and cut back. So to insult people by saying it is beneath them is rude, when they can't even get hired for a lesser job.

If you do not have work, how do you downsize your home, since you do not qualify for a mortgage? Same for a car loan.

I understand the downsizing concept but it is only feasible to a point.

Comparing the situation to migrant workers is simply crap. They often get paid in cash, no overtime, no benefits and it is only a benefit for the employer. Once they have used them up, they also lay them off.

Until you have walked in their shoes.....

America's Wealth Is Staggeringly Concentrated In The Northeast Corridor

At the county level, America is a tremendously unequal place. The median household income in the poorest county (Wilcox County, Alabama) was $22,126 in 2012. In Falls Church, Virginia, where highly educated defense contractors and federal government workers cluster, the median income last year was $121,250, more than five times higher.

What's most startling, though, in new local income and poverty data released this week by the Census Bureau, is the way these opposing poles of poverty and wealth in America concentrate geographically. The Census map below shows median household income data from 2012 for every county in the country:

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Stop The Ryan-Murray Budget Deal In The Senate

Friends-

A nationalized preschool system.

That's what Barack Obama and the Washington DC Establishment want to create.

And they just slipped it into the Ryan-Murray budget deal.

The Senate will likely begin voting on the Ryan-Murray budget surrender TODAY!

Please call your U.S. Senator ASAP to demand they vote NO on the Ryan-Murray budget deal.

Call the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Let your Senator know that you oppose creation of a nationalized pre-school system and that you oppose the funding of the un-Constitutional Federal Department of Education!

The Obama Administration is hoping that you'll be asleep at the wheel as they quietly burn through $75 billion dollars of your money to create a new federal preschool system in America.

Brainwashing our children from kindergarten through college just isn't enough for the DC Establishment.

For years, the Federal Department of Education has been methodically chipping away at local control of education.

Their mission is to nationalize the education of our children and rob parents of their rights.

Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, and the Educrat lobbyists in Washington DC couldn't be happier with the Ryan-Murray budget plan.

And they are banking on it passing in the Senate today.

The Ryan-Murray budget deal rubber stamps the Federal Department of Education with a generous helping of your tax dollars.

COUPLE SPENDS MONTH IN PRISON AFTER COPS FIND ‘WHITE POWDERY SUBSTANCE’ – FIND OUT WHY ALL CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED

 

Annadel Cruz, 26, and her companion Alexander Berstein, 30, spent an entire month in prison on cocaine trafficking charges after a state trooper in Pennsylvania pulled them over for traffic violations and found two “bricks” of a white substance they determined was cocaine.

Cruz maintained it was only homemade soap, not cocaine. When the official lab tests came back, officers realized a big mistake had been made. All charges were immediately dropped when it was determined the substance was, indeed, soap.

When a state trooper pulled Cruz over, he claimed he smelled marijuana in the car. Cruz actually admitted that she had smoked some weed before she left New York City, but not while she was driving. The trooper then asked if he could search the car, a request Cruz granted.
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ACA Is A Bureaucratic Nightmare

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Obama has lost credibility as a leader and effective executive with most Americans.

A good CEO must work within the strengths and limitations of his organization — then execute effectively to deliver on the promises he makes.

The ACA website, Healthcare.gov, even with many efforts at improvement, is simply not easy to use or adequately effective.

As of Nov. 30, 365,000 Americans signed up for insurance via that website and the other exchanges set up by the states. This is well short of the administration's target and makes it unlikely that 7 million will sign up by March 31, as expected by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Many who have failed to participate are young and healthy — those whose participation is needed to make the insurance policies offered viable.

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Worcester County Sheriff's Office Traffic Alert

Worcester County Sheriff's Office

Commuters to the Snow Hill area are requested to use additional caution and reduce speed along Route 12 (Snow Hill Road) in the area of the Worcester County Liquor Control building on Wednesday, December 18th as the Santa House distribution will be taking place. Thanks in advance for being cautious; traffic will be slowed from Nassawango Road into the Town of Snow Hill limits.

Meaningful Work — Not Money — Makes People Happy

Social scientists think they've discovered a formula for happiness, writes Arthur C. Brooks in the New York Times, and making lots of money is not a part of it.

Decades of research have boiled human happiness down to just three factors: genes, events, and values. About half of how happy you feel is hardwired into your genetic make up, according to the article. Meanwhile, one-off events like getting married or landing a big promotion can contribute up to 40% of your happiness, but tend to offer just a temporary boost that lasts a few months.

Brooks says the remaining 12% of factors that govern how happy you feel are faith, family, community, and work. Because of the social connection and meaning they tend to create, the first three are likely not too shocking. However, the idea that working may be a significant contributor to your happiness and wellbeing is more surprising. After all, it's something that many people spend their entire lives aspiring to retire from.

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Candidates For Md. Governor Speak At Forum

Six candidates for governor of Maryland have outlined some of their plans to benefit the state's most populated county.

Three Democrats and three Republicans spoke Monday at a forum sponsored by a coalition of Montgomery County business, education and community-based groups.

Attorney General Doug Gansler, a Democrat, says he plans to cut the corporate tax rate to keep businesses in Maryland.

Del. Ron George, a Republican, backs a 10-percent across-the-board income tax cut.
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A Top New York City Chef Reveals The Best Meal He Ever Ate

Long before Michael Anthony became the executive chef and a partner at Gramercy Tavern and won a prestigious James Beard award for "Best Chef in New York City," Anthony was a 20-year-old business, Japanese and French major studying abroad.

He joined a friend with a big family in France for Christmas Eve, and that's where he told Business Insider he had the most memorable meal of his life.

Anthony and his friend's family sat down to dinner at a country house outside Léon, in the southwest of France. It snowed on Christmas Eve while the group ate in a big, stone kitchen and dining room in front of a hearth. "I'm not making this up!" Anthony swore with a raised hand.

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The Cheapest Way To Ship Gifts To Arrive By Christmas Eve

It's getting down to the wire and many people have yet to ship their gifts to loved ones. WTOP found the cheapest way to get packages to their destination by Christmas Eve.

Quoting a box shipping from D.C. to L.A., we compared three shipping carriers. The U.S. Postal Service is the cheapest.

The caveat -- the package must be sent by Tuesday to get the USPS' best rate using standard shipping.

Sending a 5 pound box will cost $14.20. A 10 pound box will cost $24.46. However, it is too late to use the USPS online shipping option and get it there in time using standard shipping.
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Washington Post: Obama The Biggest Pinocchio Of The Year

Fact checker Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post has named President Obama the biggest Pinocchio of the year, thanks to his repeated falsehood about keeping your health care plan if you like it.

Obama also got a mention for claiming that congressional janitors faced a pay cut thanks to sequestration, and for his claim that he called the Benghazi attacks an "act of terrorism" the day after they occurred.

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Schumer: Veterans Should Take A Pay Cut But Congress Should Not

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) believes that it’s time that US military veterans do their part for America by taking a cut to their retirement benefits.

Because, of course, veterans haven’t done enough for the country.

Members of Congress, however, should take no such cuts. According to the rather despicable gun-control advocating Senator Schumer, the government officials have sacrificed enough.

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Man Leaps To Death After Girlfriend Refuses To Stop Shopping

Whether an unintended consequence of the push for over-consumption of the Chinese consumer or simply a man hitting his breaking point (as many Americans - we are sure - have considered in the last few weeks), 38-year-old Tao Hsiao lept to his death from a 7th story walkway in a Jiangsu mall after his girlfriend would not stop Christmas shopping. The 5-hour marathon 'consumption' ended badly after Tao's girlfriend said he was "spoiling Christmas," when he chided her that she "already had enough shoes...it was pointless buying more." He died on impact, and no one else was injured. It is unknown if his girlfriend continued shopping...

Via Shanghaiist.com,

When his girlfriend insisted on prolonging their Christmas shopping marathon, 38-year-old Tao Hsiao leapt from a seventh-story walkway and killed himself in a Jiangsu shopping mall.

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Judge Rules NSA's "Indiscriminate & Arbitrary" Invasion Of Privacy Likely Unconstitutional

A federal judge ruled Monday that the National Security Agency program which collects information on nearly all telephone calls made to, from or within the United States is likely to be unconstitutional. As Politico reports, Judge Richard Leon blasted, "I cannot imagine a more ‘indiscriminate’ and ‘arbitrary invasion’ than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen for purposes of querying it and analyzing it without judicial approval." This is the first significant legal setback for the NSA’s surveillance program since Edward Snowden exposed it.

Via Politico,

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon found that the program appears to run afoul of the Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. He also said the Justice Department had failed to demonstrate that collecting the so-called metadata had helped to head off terrorist attacks.

“Plaintiffs have a very significant expectation of privacy in an aggregated collection of their telephone metadata covering the last five years, and the NSA’s Bulk Telephony Metadata Program significantly intrudes on that expectation,” wrote Leon, an appointee of President George W. Bush. “I have significant doubts about the efficacy of the metadata collection program as a means of conducting time-sensitive investigations in cases involving imminent threats of terrorism.”

Leon’s ruling is the first significant legal setback for the NSA’s surveillance program since it was disclosed in June in news stories based on leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The metadata program has been approved repeatedly by numerous judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and at least one judge sitting in a criminal case.

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Consumer Energy Costs Skyrocket Under O’Malley-Brown Administration

ANNAPOLIS — Change Maryland released today a report card that shows consumer energy costs skyrocketing under the O’Malley-Brown Administration. The release of the report card comes on the heels of a state announcement Friday that the Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the second rate increase this year requested by Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), as well as an increased monthly service surcharge.

"Yet another rate increase for working Maryland families is unacceptable," said Change Maryland Chairman, Larry Hogan. "The responsibility for which falls directly in the lap of Governor O’Malley, who was elected governor on a promise to all Marylanders to keep electricity and heat affordable during his tenure."

Change Maryland’s study attributes the dramatic increase in costs to a misguided policy which forces energy companies to meet quotas while also allowing these companies to pass unnecessary costs on to consumers. It also attributes higher costs to a general lack of oversight and accountability within the PSC.

The group’s findings are in stark contrast to the past campaign promises made by O'Malley. He ran for governor on the promise of "taking on BGE to stop the rate hikes," giving us a “detailed plan to make energy more affordable," and appointing "competent, qualified, professional regulators," to the Public Service Commission. Change Maryland has graded the governor and his administration on keeping those promises, and determined they have failed across the board.

"O’Malley certainly deserves an F," said Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan. "It’s seven years later; the rate hikes happened, and we’re still waiting for that detailed plan. Just as he campaigned against fees and taxes and then dramatically increased them, O’Malley ran on lower energy prices but then pushed an agenda which forced them to increase year over year."

According to the United States Energy Information Agency, the average per kilowatt-hour rate for residential electricity in Maryland before Governor O’Malley took office was 9.71 cents. As of August 2013 (date for the most current available data), the average per kilowatt-hour electricity rate is 13.89 cents, an increase of 43%. Furthermore, the latest rate increase approved on behalf of BGE is the fourth increase in three years that has Marylanders digging even deeper into their pockets.

"We have discovered that this administration’s energy policy has been more tilting at windmills than actually pursuing a real policy that keeps utility rates low for consumers," charged Hogan. "The fact of the matter is that Martin O’Malley is more concerned about checking off all the boxes for his next job than he is about the prices working families pay for electricity and heat."

Despite lofty promises, it seems the O’Malley-Brown Administration has done everything possible to increase the cost of energy in Maryland. Change Maryland has documented:

● The rapid increase in residential electricity rates;

● O’Malley’s EmPower Maryland scheme that allowed utilities to charge customers for power they didn’t use during outages;

● O’Malley’s handpicked PSC Commissioners who dropped the ball on utility reliability standards;

● O’Malley’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which hasn’t increased renewable energy generation, in fact it has decreased;

● O’Malley’s RPS and RGGI programs, that allow Wall Street firms and banks to speculate in Marylanders’ utility bills.

"It’s clear that Governor O’Malley’s campaign promises come with an expiration date stamped: inauguration day," Hogan concluded.

"Anything Goes And Nothing Matters"

The so-called Volker Rule for policing (ha!) banking practices, approved by a huddle of federal regulating agency chiefs last week, is the latest joke that America has played on itself in what is becoming the greatest national self-punking exercise in world history.

First of all (and there’s a lot of all), this rule comes in the form of nearly 1,000 pages of incomprehensible legalese embedded in what was already a morbidly obese Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform (ha!) and Consumer Protection (ha!) Act of 2012 that clocked in at 2000 pages, not counting the immense rafts of mandated interpretations and adumbrations, of which the new Volker Rule is but one. These additions were required because the Dodd-Frank Act itself did not really spell out the particulars of enforcement but rather left it to the regulatory agencies to construct the rules — which they did with “help” of lobbyist-lawyers furnished by the banks themselves. That is, the lobbyists actually wrote the rules for Dodd-Frank and everything in it, which means the banks wrote the rules. Does this strain your credulity? Well, this is the kind of nation we have become: anything goes and nothing matters. There really is no rule of law, just pretense.

The Volcker Rule was a lame gesture toward restoring the heart of the Glass-Steagall provisions of the Banking Act of 1933, which were repealed in 1999 in a cynical effort led by Wall Street uber-grifter Robert Rubin and his sidekick Larry Summers, who served serially as US Treasury Secretaries under Bill Clinton. Glass Steagall was passed in Congress following revelations of gross misconduct among bankers leading up to the stock market crash of 1929. The main thrust of Glass Steagall was to mandate the separation of commercial banking (deposit accounts + lending) from investment banking (underwriting and trading in securities). The idea was to prevent banks from using money in customer deposit accounts to gamble in stocks and other speculative instruments. This rule was designed to work hand-in-hand with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), also created in 1933, to backstop the accounts of ordinary citizens in commercial banks. The initial backstop limits were very modest: $2,500 at inception, and didn’t rise above $40,000 until 1980. Investment banks, on the other hand, were not backstopped at all under Glass-Steagall, since their activities were construed as a form of high-toned gambling.

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If You Like Your Checking Account, You Can Keep Your Checking Account

Looks like the government may have found a way to pay down all that debt:

Shannon Bruner of Indianola logged on to her checking account Monday morning, and found she was almost 800 dollars in the negative.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘I got screwed,’” she said.

The Bruners enrolled for insurance on the Washington Healthplanfinder website, last October. They say they selected the bill pay date to be December 24th. Instead the Washington Healthplanfinder drafted the 835 dollar premium Monday.

But don’t worry, the government is in full compliance with its requirement to give them advance notice of the early seizure:

Washington Healthplanfinder emailed the Bruners a few days ago telling them to log in to view their invoice, something they couldn’t do because the website has been down. The Bruners haven’t been able to get through on the helpline either. They finally contacted Healthplanfinder administrators by posting a message on their Facebook page.

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A Viewer Writes...

Joe,

You've gotta love some of the DT headlines:

Alleged female Va. arsonist spoke on Facebook.

Obviously Tanya is an alleged arsonist, not an alleged female.

Do these reporters actually read what they write or just throw it out there.

Where the heck is the editor?

LISTEN TO THE SONG AIRED ON CNBC THAT RESULTED IN AN ALMOST IMMEDIATE ON-AIR APOLOGY

As CNBC prepared to take a commercial break on Monday, the “tease music” the network aired was unedited and included some offensive language. The oversight resulted in an almost immediate apology.

Here’s some of the lyrics of the rap song that aired on CNBC: “I’m getting, getting paid. Every single day. With my n****s, my n****s Chris and Jay.”
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(Warning! Strong language)

I DIDN'T VOTE FOR HIM, DID YOU???

The following is a narrative taken from a 2008 Sunday morning televised "Meet The Press'.   From Sunday's 07 Sept.2008 11:48:04 EST, Televised "Meet the Press" THE THEN Senator Obama was asked about his stance on the American Flag.   General Bill Gann' USAF (ret.) asked Obama to explain WHY he doesn't follow protocol when the National Anthem is played.   The General stated to Obama that according to the United States Code, Title 36,Chapter 10,Sec.171...   During rendition of the national anthem, when the flag is displayed, all present (except those in uniform) are expected to stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Or, at the very  least,"Stand and Face It".   NOW GET THIS !!   'Senator Obama replied :   "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides". "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression.." "The anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all that sort of thing."   (ARE YOU READY FOR THIS???)   Obama continued : "The National Anthem should be 'swapped' for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing'. If that were our anthem, then, I might salute it. In my opinion, we should consider reinventing our National Anthem as well as 'redesign' our Flag to better offer our enemies hope and love. It's my intention, if elected, to disarm Americato the level of acceptance to our Middle East Brethren.If we, as a Nation of warring people, conduct ourselves like the nations of Islam, where peace prevails - - -perhaps a state or period of mutual accord could exist between our governments   ....."

When I become President, I will seek a pact of agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity, and a freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts. We as a Nation, have placed upon the nations ofIslam, an unfair injustice which is WHY my wife disrespects the Flag and she and I have attended several flag burning ceremonies in the past".

"Of course now, I have found myself about to become the President of the United States and I have put my hatred aside. I will use my power to bring CHANGE to this Nation, and offer the people a new path.My wife and I look forward to becoming our Country's First black Family. Indeed,CHANGE is about to overwhelm the United States of America   "

 

Yes, you read it right.

I, for one, am speechless!!!

Dale Lindsborg , Washington Post

Judge Napolitano Absolutely Trashes ‘Democrat Lite’ John Boehner, Says There’s ‘No Distinction Between Him And Pelosi’

GO HERE to view video.

BREAKING NEWS: Budget Bill Clears Key Test Vote In Senate

Senate votes 67-33 to advance two-year budget deal despite last-ditch Republican effort to undo cuts to military retiree benefits.

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ASSOCIATIONS AND POLICE CHIEFS SAYING ‘NO’ TO OBAMA GUN CONTROL

UPDATE: We’ve been contacted by police chiefs and other groups or individuals who want to be counted among the valiant as well! Look for their list after the sheriffs.

The following sheriffs, state sheriff’s associations, and police chiefs have vowed to uphold and defend the Constitution against Obama’s unconstitutional gun control measures. We applaud these public servants for their courage and conviction.

The remarkable thing about what these brave men and women are doing is that nobody told them to do it. Neither the CSPOA nor any other organization that we are aware of contacted sheriffs across the nation and asked them to make statements; this is something sheriffs did on their own, or because their constituents requested it of them. Soon, people started submitting letters and links to us, and it was such a remarkable thing that we started to collect all the names and list them together. Then the miracle happened: Other sheriffs across the nation have been inspired by the courage of those who stood first. Now we see the power of standing, even if you fear you may stand alone.

NOW, powered by the gaining momentum of this movement, the CSPOA has joined with other like-minded organizations in a largely volunteer effort to contact all the remaining sheriffs and ask them for a statement. You can read more about this effort here.

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Man Who Bilked Millions In Navy Charity Scam Gets 28 Years

A man convicted of running a charity scam that stole millions of dollars intended for Navy veterans was sentenced in an Ohio courtroom Monday to 28 years in prison -- including solitary confinement on every Veterans Day during that span -- the Ohio attorney general's office said.

The man, who calls himself Bobby Thompson -- but who authorities say is lawyer and former Army Capt. John Donald Cody -- also was ordered by a judge to pay more than $6.3 million in fines and more than $330,000 to cover court and prosecution costs.

The defendant was convicted in a Cuyahoga County court last month of running a telemarketing scam through his Florida-based U.S. Navy Veterans Association. Authorities have said the charity raised about $100 million from donors in 41 states from 2002 to 2010, but little went to help veterans, The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland reported.
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Where Does The Negotiation Start When You Tip?

When you dine out and have to calculate a tip, where do you start your calculations? Everyone has a different method, but in this country most people start their mental calculations at 15% and then increase or decrease from there. Yet we’ve spotted another restaurant encouraging customers to start their calculations at 18%.

We’re not going to name the establishment, since it’s not a national chain and this isn’t really about that restaurant. Reader Eric noticed this during an otherwise lovely night out. “This restaurant happens to be beloved by the neighborhood, is always packed open to close and is a favorite of ours so I wish them no harm,” he wrote to Consumerist. “But … I don’t know if others have seen this ‘tip creep’ gaining steam.”

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EPA CLIMATE-CHANGE GURU CHARGED WITH LYING, FRAUD

Bilked government of our $1 million in 'crime of massive proportions'

(NBC NEWS) The EPA’s highest-paid employee and top expert on climate change engaged in “crime of massive proportions” by pretending to be working as an undercover agent for the CIA so he could avoid doing his real job for years, according to federal prosecutors and the agency’s top investigator on the case.

In a memorandum filed days before his sentencing in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, prosecutors asked that John C. Beale, 65, be sent to federal prison for at least 30 months for bilking the government out of nearly $1 million in salary and other benefits over a decade, and said his “historic” lies are “offensive” to those who actually do dangerous work for the CIA.

Beale’s lawyer, while acknowledging his guilt, has asked for leniency and offered a psychological explanation for the climate expert’s bizarre tales.

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Are We Headed For Class Warfare?

Obamacare Forcing More Medicaid Recipients To Pay Back Costs After Death

State and federal laws conflict, leaving poor Americans worse off.

State Medicaid laws, conflicting with federal Obamacare law, have created an odd scenario in which the estates of recipients of Medicaid can be tapped to repay medical expenses after their deaths. According to the Seattle Times, Medicaid has always sought to recoup costs from estates for nursing homes and long-term care, but has never attempted to recoup normal healthcare costs because most low-income adults without disabilities did not qualify.

But with Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults, all of that changes. The result is an odd system in which older people who have retired and end up in low-income brackets, despite the fact that they have assets. Medicaid recovery, then, ends up penalizing low-income adults with assets.

And it gets worse: Obamacare doesn’t give people a choice about whether to join Medicaid if they qualify. That’s because they can’t receive a subsidy for typical health insurance plans if they qualify for Medicaid.

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BREAKING NEWS: 6 American Troops Killed In Afghanistan Plane Crash

Investigation launched after plane crash kills at least 6 NATO soldiers, all identified as American, in southern Afghanistan, Fox News confirms.

Inside The Saudi 9/11 Coverup

After the 9/11 attacks, the public was told al Qaeda acted alone, with no state sponsors.

But the White House never let it see an entire section of Congress’ investigative report on 9/11 dealing with “specific sources of foreign support” for the 19 hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.

It was kept secret and remains so today.

President Bush inexplicably censored 28 full pages of the 800-page report. Text isn’t just blacked-out here and there in this critical-yet-missing middle section. The pages are completely blank, except for dotted lines where an estimated 7,200 words once stood (this story by comparison is about 1,000 words).

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Federal Judge Says NSA Phone Program Violates Fourth Amendment

A federal judge said Monday that the NSA’s secret phone-snooping program violates Americans’ privacy rights, in a ruling that sets up a major legal and political hurdle for an Obama administration trying desperately to preserve the intelligence tool.

District Court Judge Richard J. Leon’s groundbreaking decision marks the first time a court has ruled against the program. It puts him in conflict with the secret court that usually oversees clandestine operations and has approved the collection of records on most phone calls made in the U.S.

But Judge Leon said James Madison, chief architect of the Bill of Rights, would be “aghast” at what the government is doing.
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Sheriffs Are Refusing To Enforce New Gun Laws

New gun control laws are unconstitutional, say scores of sheriffs throughout the country, and they are either refusing to enforce the statutes or have signaled that enforcement will be a very low priority, The New York Times reports.

In Colorado, a law passed by the Legislature that requires universal background checks and bans ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds is being challenged in a lawsuit by all but seven of the state's 62 elected sheriffs who say it's a violation of Second Amendment rights.

New laws in other states which were brought about as a result of the Newtown, Conn. school shootings, are also facing resistance, the Times reported Sunday.

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Suspect In Milford PD Officer Involved Shooting Succumbs To Injuries

Milford - Roy D. Rhodes-58 of Milford, DE has died from the injuries sustained from the officer involved shooting which occurred on Saturday, December 14, 2013. Rhodes, who had been admitted to the Milford Memorial Hospital in critical condition since the incident, was pronounced dead earlier this evening.

The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues to conduct the investigation at the request of the Milford Police Department. This continues to be an active investigation with State Police Detectives continuing their investigation, evidence processing, and interviews.

Don’t Sign Up For Obamacare!

As millions of people began to lose their old medical insurance policies, President Obama and other Obamacare supporters replied that the new exchange policies were better. This was another lie.

Obamacare exchange medical insurance policies are much worse than previous private policies. They not only restrict access to hospitals and doctors more severely than ever before. They also pay doctors much less, in some cases 50 percent less.

In the past, private insurance companies paid doctors more than Medicare, and Medicare more than Medicaid. No longer. Now private Obamacare policies will pay barely more than Medicaid. Consumers should avoid these new exchange policies if at all possible.

Imagine yourself needing a new doctor because your old doctor is not in the approved network. But no doctor will take you because your policy does not pay enough. This happens to people on Medicaid all the time. Now it will happen to Obamacare exchange policy holders.

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500 Innocent Americans Killed Every Year

“Knock and announce” police raids are on the rise. They are estimated to occur as many as 40 – 50,000 per year. Back in the 1970s, military-style police raids used to be a rare event, occurring only a few hundred times per year.

What has happened in the last 40 years to cause the increase? Are Americans really behaving that badly? What is the reason for the rise in the use of excessive force by police officers?

Filmmaker Charles Shaw produced a short film titled “Release Us” to expose the harsh reality of the escalating battle between citizens and law enforcement.

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SFD Calls For Service 12-16-13

• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 23:27:39Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 22:37:50Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 22:32:34Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 200 Civic Ave Salisbury, MD 21801
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 20:38:58Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 1515 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 19:31:16Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 2702 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 19:00:47Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 15:09:38Nature: StrokeCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 14:02:31Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 13:32:11Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 12:32:02Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 11:44:50Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 11:44:35Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 11:09:42Nature: HemorrhagingCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 10:11:25Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 233 Chestnut Way Salisbury, MD 21801
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 09:50:35Nature: Back PainCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 09:49:05Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 08:21:36Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 02:33:17Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 01:56:16Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 00:10:02Nature: StabbingAddress: 901 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Monday December, 16 2013 @ 00:02:10Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury

The Liberal Mind vs The Real World

SPD Press Relase 12-17-13

A Letter To The Editor: Government Grinches

It has come to my attention that Wicomico county employees may not raise funds for any charitable organization (actively or a simple flyer) other than United Way, which is forced on employees to participate in, they don’t get to choose where the money goes, they get to choose a focus area, and it has one of the highest overheads on the books.

This dilemma came to my attention when a friend of mine that works at the county jail stopped by to chat and was telling me that for the last couple of years or so the jail has been collecting and giving to organizations like Hallo, and several other local groups including ringing bells for The Salvation Army. Someone came up with the idea to try and add Bless Our Children to the list, mostly because they are a local group and are way behind their goal. The employees have now been told basically that they are done, no more solicitation at all unless approved by the Administrative Director. I know the county has rules on this but I would say that someone may want to revisit these rules. As an ethics teacher I have real issues with this situation and I’m sure that the courts will too if so perused. Not only is there a conflict of interest but it almost sounds like there may be ,,,, I’ll leave that alone. It is my understanding that the officers and staff have been doing this for may years and now it's illegal to do without the red tape.

Yes I know that all they have to do is get the authorization from the Admin. Director but from what I understand a lot of what they do is on the fly as with local groups (like Bless Our Children) when help is needed their EIC committee discusses it and how it will be done. Not only does it appear that the “red tape” would hinder any effort, but this type political behavior is in my opinion morally and ethically devoid of humanity.

Glad I’m retired, Wicomico, you have issues
Sandra D.

The Bush Legacy: Protecting those behind 9/11

WASHINGTON. December 15, 2013 — The most crucial date of George W. Bush’s presidency was September 11, 2001.

George W. Bush’s legacy has been cast in the colors of the global war on terrorism. Those who support him cheer his “victories” in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Did George Bush know when he attacked Afghanistan in 2001 that there was a nation with more culpability for 9/11 than Afghanistan? Did he know Al-Qaeda did not act alone? By the time he geared up for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, did he know these things?

According to a report in the New York Post, the answer is yes.

According to this same report, based on the leak of classified documents, Al-Qaeda had help in the 9/11 attacks.

Where did this help come from?

Saudi Arabia.

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