DUCK DYNASTY TO BE REPLACED ON A&E?

The wildly popular Duck Dynasty may be on it’s way out, according to Fox 411. They’re reporting that the A&E network is shopping for a new reality series that also encompasses religious beliefs.

In the 2013 premier 12 million viewers tuned in to watch Phil and Kay Robertson renew their vows in the season opener, whereas this year only about half of that amount watched.

This has led some to believe that with their ratings on the decline A&E is shopping talent to replace the show by finding a cast that would also appeal to their religious base.
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When Will The House Make EPA Pay The Price For Its 'Secret Science'?

Does the public have the right to see the science used by federal agencies to justify regulatory decisions that cost Americans hundreds of billions of dollars every year?

That's the issue before a hearing today of a subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology that will focus on "secret science" at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Members of the committee have asked for, then demanded and finally subpoenaed the underlying data for two studies used by EPA to justify major regulatory policies. The agency refuses to make that data available despite the subpoena.

So much for transparency

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Gov. Markell’s Proposed Gas Tax Hike Could Be Tied To Inflation Rate

Lawmakers say they’re just now learning about the Markell administration’s plan to index his proposed 10-cent gas tax hike to inflation.

That provision in his plan wasn’t emphasized during press conferences or his budget presentation, nor do legislators remember Markell specifically outlining it to them when he debuted the initiative two weeks ago.

The governor spoke about indexing the gas tax to a nine-member state panel on transportation Wednesday.

It’s all part of his five-year, $500 million transportation plan, which includes $50 million in annual borrowing to bankroll infrastructure initiatives. 
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Truth!

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him, better take a closer look at the American Indian."

- Henry Ford

What State Do You Actually Belong In?

From quiz to shining quiz.

Click HERE to take the quiz

Tax Free Weekend For Energy Star Products In Maryland

Shoppers in Maryland who purchase qualifying Energy Star products will get a break from the state's 6 percent sales tax this weekend.

Beginning Saturday and continuing through Monday, shoppers who purchase air conditioners, refrigerators, washers and dryers, boilers, dehumidifiers, compact fluorescent light bulbs and other qualifying Energy Star products will get the tax break.

The annual Shop Maryland Energy weekend is now in its fifth year.
Source

10 Great Financial Collapses In History

Apparently we’ve been living in some horrific financial crisis for over a year now, and the news simply won’t let you forget about it. You would almost think it was the end of the world, as if this kind of thing is unique to our times and to modern economies, and that it’s a problem nobody has had to deal with before. But history, as always, has something to say about the matter. Plenty of countries have gotten into a sticky situation with their accounts before, and in some of these cases empires have risen, and fallen in no small part due to bad treatment of the books. People have starved, people have gotten rich, and no small number lost their heads.

I’ve tried to give numbers of the deficits in question, but it should be noted the extreme inaccuracy in trying convert money from 600 years ago into modern terms, especially as I am no economist and certainly no mathematician. Early bullion is difficult to convert into modern terms, and in times of economic turmoil the constantly fluctuating values make for a large margin of error. What’s more, early modern and feudal economies are not based on money transactions as we think of them today, and less than 5% of the population would have any money. The first promissory notes used in Medieval Italy would have been entirely used by merchants to transfer money long distances, and were not used by ordinary people until very recently. Furthermore, I have used the pound as a modern comparison rather than the dollar because the pound has existed as a comparison at the time of all these events.

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Valentine’s Day And The Defense Of Marriage

Happy Valentines Day to all of America’s sweethearts, especially mine: Angela, Aubrey, Austen, and Wangying Lin. I also want to send a heavenly Valentine’s Day wish to my mom, Elizabeth Thomas West. She’s there with her special lifelong Valentine my dad, Herman Sr.

Today guys try to get themselves out of the “doghouse” and retailers and marketers capitalize. I do have to ask a question though, what do men get on Valentine’s Day? I know, if you act right and bought the right gift, you get peace of mind.

But you might be surprised to know the true story of Valentine’s Day. Father Frank O’Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland, explained the following to CBN.com.
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Americans Who Abandoned Citizenship Jumped 1,402% Last Quarter

631 people renounced their US citizenship in the 4th quarter of 2013.

This is an entire order of magnitude higher than the 45 people who renounced in 4Q/2012. And in total, 3,000 Americans renounced their citizenship in 2013– another record high.

The previous record (1,777) was set in 2011, which shattered the previous record before that (1,534) which was set in 2010, which was more than twice the number (742) that renounced in 2009.

You can see the trend here. And it’s not hard to figure out why it’s happening.

As the United States Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olsen recently told Congress in her scathing

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Don't Be Afraid

Secret Video

This was sent to me by a friend in the intelligence field. I am only
sharing it with my trusted friends and family on a need to know basis.

It could very well rock the foundation of this country.

The photo is a video capture from a security camera located in the North Corridor leading to the Senate floor in the US Capitol Building.

This is classified material, so do not ask how or where I got it, I will
only deny it.

If certain government agencies (the ones who only use initials) learn you saw this photo, you could come up missing...and probably will.

Please DO NOT FORWARD this to just anyone.

I feel someone should know the truth, so I picked you! If I suddenly go missing you will know why.

Coffee With Your Council

Ala. Dem: Clarence Thomas Is An 'Uncle Tom,' But I Don't Mind His Bi-Racial Marriage

A Democrat Alabama state representative says the real reason he doesn't like Clarence Thomas is that the Supreme Court justice is an "Uncle Tom" - not because he's in a bi-racial marriage.

Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas noted how he's been treated worse by Northeastern liberals than those in the pre-civil rights era south. "The worst I have been treated was by northern liberal elites. The absolute worst I have ever been treated," Thomas said at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. "The worst things that have been done to me, the worst things that have been said about me, by northern liberal elites, not by the people of Savannah, Georgia."

Given how black conservatives are treated by their more liberal colleagues, it's not a surprising statement. Yet, what Alabama State Rep. Alvin Holmes said today on the House floor probably just put those Northern liberal elites to shame.

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Current Background Checks Stop Very Few Firearm Purchases

Federal background checks are denying gun purchasers under President Obama at about half the rate they did under President Clinton and also at a slower clip than during President George W. Bush's administration, according to data obtained by The Washington Times under the Freedom of Information Act.

The federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System is designed to weed out would-be gun buyers with criminal records or histories of mental health problems. Gun control advocates have pushed for the system to be expanded in the wake of mass shootings as a way to keep firearms out of the wrong hands.

But statistics provided to The Times show that almost everyone who applies under the system is approved and it hardly matters which party controls the White House.
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Gretchen Wilson To Animal Activists: ‘Be Nice If This Much Effort Could Go Into Saving Unborn Babies?’

(CNSNews.com) -- Country music singer Gretchen Wilson sang at SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, and she responded to backlash from animal rights activists on Twitter with a Tweet of her own: “Wouldn’t it be nice if this much effort could go into saving unborn babies?”

Famed for her 2004 hit “Redneck Woman,” Gretchen Wilson tweeted before singing at the event: “I did my research … can’t wait to see my FANS on Saturday!”

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Richard Petty Returning For 2014 Ridgely Car Show

RIDGELY — A royal weekend in Ridgely returns in October as organizers of the Ridgely Pharmacy and Ice Cream Parlor Car and Motorcycle Show announced NASCAR legend Richard Petty will return to the October car show, visiting with fans and signing autographs.

Last October, more than 6,000 people attended the third annual car show, highlighted by an appearance by Petty. Organizers handed out 400 wristbands to meet Petty, and visitors arrived as early as 4:30 a.m. to get a chance to meet The King. Petty greeted fans and signed autographs for more than two hours at the event.

The fourth annual car show is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. The car show accepts all years, makes and models of cars, trucks and motorcycles in dozens of classes. There will be more than 90 trophies, including some unique trophies for specific classes. Registration opens June 1. One lucky registered entry will win $500 in a raffle.
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Obama's More Appropriate State of the Union

Lawyer Brings Back Free Divorce Contest For Yet Another Valentine’s Day

If there’s one day that’s even more painful than all the rest when you’re in a bad relationship, it’s Valentine’s Day. Everyone around you is smooching under flowery bowers of love with little birds chirping and singing and you’re arguing under a freeway underpass about who bought toilet paper last and besides, it was the wrong kind of toilet paper and I don’t love you anymore. Here’s where a free divorce might be nice.

For the second year in a row, a Detroit divorce lawyer is holding a contest to decide who out there deserves a free divorce for Valentine’s Day, he explains to ClickOnDetroit.com. Last year the contest did well, he explains, with more than 1,000 people applying, 400 of which weren’t even Detroit residents (which is a requirement for the contest).

“People want to move on,” he says of unfortunate souls stuck in bad situations. “I’m trying to help them have a very happy Valentine’s Day for 2015 by taking care of their past and putting an end to that in 2014.”

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BILL WOULD LEGALIZE MARYLAND SALE OF RAW MILK

EASTON – Every day at 4:30 a.m. and again 12 hours later, Eric and Holly Foster round up all 60 of their brown and white Jersey cows at Chapel’s Country Creamery in Easton to milk them.

Most of the milk goes to a tank, to be collected later by a co-op and pasteurized. The rest is used in the Foster’s cheese and yogurt products, and a small portion of the milk is stored in their fridge to drink.

The raw milk, which is straight from a cow’s udder and unprocessed, is stored in a gallon-sized glass bottle. A layer of cream sits atop the milk, and requires a slight shake before drinking. The Fosters and their four children regularly drink the milk in their country-themed kitchen.

“I grew up on a dairy farm as a kid. We drank milk right out of our tank,” Eric Foster said.
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Americans Killed By Cops Now Outnumber Americans Killed In Iraq War

Cops have killed well over 5,000 Americans since 9/11. Many of these killings have occurred during no-knock raids, which have risen by 4000% since the 1980s.

Iraqi insurgents, by comparison, have killed around 3,500 Americans in Iraq since 9/11 in Operation Iraqi “Freedom.”

It is not just Iraq. The number of Americans killed by police also now exceeds the number of Americans killed by Afghan insurgents.

Afghan insurgents have killed around 2,000 Americans in Afghanistan since 9/11 in Operation Enduring “Freedom.”

The police are getting paid with our money to go on shooting sprees and they are killing more of us than the terrorists from whom they “protect” us.

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“Delegate McDermott Proposes A Bill To Help Contractors”

ANNAPOLIS – A bill sponsored by Delegate Mike McDermott (R – Worcester & Wicomico) will change how permits are issued to contractors and builders by making the process fairer.

In Maryland, there is currently no law requiring a permitting office to specify why a particular permit was rejected. The absence of this requirement, according to Delegate McDermott’s testimony, creates a costly back and forth process between the contractor or homeowner applying for the permit and the permitting officials.

“This complex permit process goes back and forth, back and forth, often times taking six months to a year to figure out exactly what is wrong with the proposed plans,” said Delegate McDermott at the bill hearing. “What House Bill 213 does is deal with fundamental problems in a regulatory process that makes things way too complex and costly for the people.”

“The unnecessary back and forth process costs people time, and time is money, whether you’re a homeowner or a contractor,” Delegate McDermott continues. “This bill says that if the people are denied a permit, the government must simply tell them why they were denied.”

Europe Considers Wholesale Savings Confiscation, Enforced Redistribution

At first we thought Reuters had been punk’d in its article titled “EU executive sees personal savings used to plug long-term financing gap” which disclosed the latest leaked proposal by the European Commission, but after several hours without a retraction, we realized that the story is sadly true.

Sadly, because everything that we warned about in “There May Be Only Painful Ways Out Of The Crisis” back in September of 2011, and everything that the depositors and citizens of Cyprus had to live through, seems on the verge of going continental. In a nutshell, and in Reuters’ own words, “the savings of the European Union’s 500 million citizens could be used to fund long-term investments to boost the economy and help plug the gap left by banks since the financial crisis, an EU document says.” What is left unsaid is that the “usage” will be on a purely involuntary basis, at the discretion of the “union”, and can thus best be described as confiscation.

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23 Awesome And Appetizing Ways To Tell Someone I Love You

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Public Outcry Leads To Lower Speed Limit For Route 113 In Berlin

BERLIN — It’s been three months since a tragic accident on US Route 113 left one teen injured and took the life of another, but community uproar sparked by the accident has resulted in major changes to pedestrian safety, including a crosswalk and lower speed limit, along the highway as it passes the town of Berlin.

“If it hadn’t been for the whole town coming together, nothing would have happened,” said Patricia Dufendach, chair of the Pedestrian Safety Committee, at Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting. “That, I’ve discovered, is the key to any endeavor: to be united, be clear in what you want and you can get things done because I have some very good news for you tonight.”

Residents and town leadership in Berlin were crystal clear with what they wanted — stoplights, crosswalks and lower speed limits along Route 113. The State Highway Administration (SHA) will not be granting all of the safety committee’s requests, but Dufendach confirmed Monday that a crosswalk at the intersection of Bay Street and Route 113 should be in place by mid-March as well as an extended sidewalk.
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Homeland Security To Activate ‘National License Plate Recognition Database’

UK version of spy system was used to target political activists

The Department of Homeland Security is set to activate a national license plate tracking system that will be shared with law enforcement, allowing DHS officers to take photos of any license plate using their smartphone and upload it to a database which will include a “hot list” of “target vehicles”.

The details are included in a PDF attachment uploaded yesterday to the Federal Business Opportunities website under a solicitation entitled “National License Plate Recognition Database.”

The system will “track vehicle license plate numbers that pass through cameras or are voluntarily entered into the system from a variety of sources (access control systems, asset recovery specialists, etc.) and uploaded to share with law enforcement” in order to help locate “criminal aliens and absconders.”

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The Prison-Industrial Complex

Politicians need to stand up to the prosecutocracy — and embrace reform.

The recent commutation by President Obama of eight lengthy individual sentences for drug abuse is a tiny but significant gesture, as America’s long indulgence, spiked intermittently into passionate support, for draconian hypocrisy in its failed War on Drugs yields grudgingly to the forces of reason and decency. This follows the reduction in the disparity of sentences for crack as opposed to powder cocaine from 100 to one to 18 to one. There are a number of reasons for this change, but the principal one, apart from the absurd starting imbalance, is that the cocaine-using middle-class and university white people are powder customers, and the generally poorer African Americans tend to be crack users. The first black president and attorney general in U.S. history were not impetuous in their haste to make this change, and 18 to one is still an unsupportable discrimination.

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Retail Sales Slide Across The Board, Post Biggest Miss Since June 2012

And so, prepare to see much more of this chart  which as we warned will be used as justification to explain why retail sales not only just tumbled, but posted their worst miss since June 2012. Retail sales, which incidentally, just happen to be seasonally adjusted precisely to account for such shocking phenomena as snow in the winter:
Headline retail sales plunged -0.4% on expectations of a 0.0% print.
December headline retail sales were revised from 0.2% to -0.1%, which also means that the December data was in fact a miss of expectations of 0.1%, not a beat as was reported at the time, and also means retail sales have now missed three months in a row. We know, we know: the weather.

Retail sales ex autos were unchanged atg 0.0%, on expectations of 0.1%, with December also revised from a "beating" 0.7% to a miss of 0.3%

Retail sales ex autos and gas dropped -0.2%, on expectations of a 0.1% increase, with December revised far lower from 0.6% to 0.1%

In other words: yet another confirmation that the US consumer is tapped out thanks to draining his savings during the holiday season, and also hinting that the inevitable untaper is coming far sooner than expected.

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SC Gov. Haley Says She Backs Carrying Firearms Without Permits, Training

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday that she backs a proposal that would make it legal for most South Carolinians to carry guns – concealed or in the open – without a permit or the training that the state currently requires.

Haley made her comments after she signed into law a bill that allows gun owners with licenses to carry concealed weapons into businesses that serve alcohol – restaurants and bars – as long as they do not drink alcohol and the businesses did not bar guns.

After signing the restaurant and bar bill, Haley said she backs a pending state Senate bill, called the “Constitutional Carry Act,” that would eliminate the state’s current permitting and training requirements for citizens who wish to carry firearms.

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Vulnerable Dems Want IRS To Step Up

Senate Democrats facing tough elections this year want the Internal Revenue Service to play a more aggressive role in regulating outside groups expected to spend millions of dollars on their races.

In the wake of the IRS targeting scandal, the Democrats are publicly prodding the agency instead of lobbying them directly. They are also careful to say the IRS should treat conservative and liberal groups equally, but they’re concerned about an impending tidal wave of attack ads funded by GOP-allied organizations. Much of the funding for those groups is secret, in contrast to the donations lawmakers collect, which must be reported publicly.

One of the most powerful groups is Americans for Prosperity, funded by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. It has already spent close to $30 million on ads attacking Democrats this election cycle.

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Jury Finds Morse Guilty In Waterboarding Case

GEORGETOWN — A jury of nine women and three men has returned a guilty verdict in the trial of former pediatrician Melvin Morse accused of waterboarding and other abuse of his stepdaughter.

The child, now 12, ran away from home one day after Morse pulled her out of the family car and dragged her across a gravel driveway. That incident triggered an 18-month investigation and charges against Morse and his companion Pauline Morse, but her charges were reduced when she agreed to testify for the prosecution.

The case in Sussex County Superior Court revolved around two completely different accounts of family life: the girl described constant criticism and punishment at the hands of her stepfather, while Morse painted himself as a caring and attentive parent.
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A CASE FOR THE 2ND AMENDMENT: N.C. DAD VICTIM OF ROAD RAGE

A North Carolina father is being hailed as a hero after he acted to save his daughter from a man determined to ram his way into his vehicle.

Christopher Jost was driving with his daughter when Remy Blaisdell Gagon allegedly began pursuing them and followed them into a Whole Foods parking lot. He then began plowing his vehicle into Jost’s car.

The 911 recording reveals their frantic screams and pleas for help.

Jost exclaimed to the dispatcher, “I've got a guy that's following me, and he's rear-ended me and now he's following me again." He added, “He hit us again! Oh my God!” Realizing there was no end to the attack in sight, he said, "Jesus! He's trying to kill us! Please! My God!"

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Congressmen Call For Federal Audit Of Md. Health Exchange

Two Republican lawmakers called Wednesday for an investigation into federal money spent on Maryland's troubled health insurance exchange, raising questions that could shed light on whether the Obama administration foresaw problems with the site before its launch.

In a letter to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Reps. Andy Harris of Maryland and Jack Kingston of Georgia ask auditors to review why millions of federal dollars flowed into the project despite warnings from a consultant about problems.

Though the letter is focused on decisions made by state officials, an audit — if one materializes — would also delve into decisions made by the federal health agency. Health and Human Services officials have declined to say whether they knew of the Maryland site's problems early on.

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Prayers Needed For Brooke Mulford

Spent the night at Prmc ER due to snow storm up north. In ambulance now heading up to CHOP and she is finally getting some rest.

Doc Discovers Obamacare’s Shocking, Dirty Secret

I am being impacted in many ways by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or, to give credit where credit is due, “Obamacare.” But the most stunning attack on my person came this month in the form of insurance rate hikes.

My older son is 24 years old, a student and in perfect health. He has never smoked, is thin, has totally normal labs, is on no meds and comes from a long line of hearty, healthy stock. It seemed appropriate to pay $47 a month for health insurance.

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FEDERAL RULING MAY LEAVE THOUSANDS OF MARYLAND FAMILIES WITHOUT DENTAL INSURANCE

BALTIMORE – An IRS and Congressional ruling that led to a lack of federal subsidies for pediatric dental insurance may make coverage for already reluctant low-income Maryland families impossible to afford, analysts said.

“I don’t know that [Congress] really justified it,” said Evelyn Ireland, executive director of the National Association of Dental Plans. “They just used the benchmark plan language … and didn’t think about the reality of the situation.”

Pediatric dental care is an essential benefit that all health policies must offer under the federal Affordable Care Act — though, unlike health insurance, individuals without dental insurance don’t have to pay a fine.

But due to an IRS ruling, health care plans on state exchanges are not required to include dental coverage, as long as at least one provider offers stand-alone dental coverage, according to Colin Reusch, senior policy analyst at the Children’s Dental Health Project.
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The 33 Worst Things That Could Happen On Valentine’s Day

You could get a not-so-subtle message to clean the house.

 

This is the single most depressing thing of all time.

You could eat at the fine dining establishment this sick 

individual works at. 

Warm Thoughts

Countdown to Dock Bar Opening! Grand Re-Opening Friday March 21st... Save the Date!

An Answer To A Rejected Comment

"Shooting in Fruitland this morning. Why do I even check this site for actual local news? Smh"

WE DO NOT PUBLISH SUICIDES. But you're welcome to go elsewhere. 

Maryland Protestors Rally To Repeal Citizens United

Airport Security Around The World

If you think airport security is tough in the US, you won't believe how strict the officials are in London. According to one air traveler, the security staff in Heathrow airport confiscated the miniature gun from her son's cowboy Woody doll. The Reddit user posted a picture of the teeny-tiny weapon being inspected by security officials, along with the comment, “I have traveled the world with Toy Story's Woody, taking pics for my son. At Heathrow, security just confiscated his 'weapon.' Keep the world safe boys.” London's Department of Transport would not comment on the specific incident, but said, “Airports and airlines can use their discretion to remove any items being carried in hand luggage when they believe it may be perceived as a threat.” Of course it's important for officials to keep travel safe, but you have to wonder if next they'll even make toy dolls take off their shoes.

100% Of The Established 501 (c)(4) Groups Audited By IRS Were Conservative

Excerpted from WSJ: A Republican House committee chairman said the Internal Revenue Service targeted tax-exempt conservative groups for audits, widening the scope of GOP ire over the agency’s oversight of political activities.

House Democrats pushed back, saying Republicans were seeking to use the IRS controversy to score political points with their conservative base in an election year.

The IRS has been under scrutiny since an inspector general’s report last May found that the agency had targeted conservative groups for lengthy and heavy-handed review of their applications to become tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c) 4 of the tax code. The controversy led to significant management shakeups at the IRS and generated a slew of congressional investigations, some of which are still going on.

On Tuesday, House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R., Mich.) said his committee’s continuing investigation has found that the IRS also singled out established conservative tax-exempt groups for audits.

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Heartfelt

Four Beach Brawl Suspects Found Guilty, Three Get Jail Time

OCEAN CITY — Three of the four suspects arrested in July following a melee on the beach in Ocean City with police were found guilty this week of assault and other charges and received jail time for their roles during the incident while a fourth was fined and placed on probation.

Trials resumed on Wednesday for the four suspects involved in the incident, including three men and one woman, who was nine months pregnant at the time and ultimately needed an emergency C-section after being tackled to the ground during the fracas. The state presented its case against the defendants in November, but in a somewhat unusual break from routine, the case was continued until this week to allow the defense to prepare its witnesses.

After hours of testimony in District Court in Ocean City on Wednesday, one of the suspects, Abdul Kargbo, 25, of Woodbridge, Va., was found guilty of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. His brother, Saidu Kargbo, 21, of Woodbridge, was found guilty of second-degree assault and was fined $500 and placed on unsupervised probation for one year. Dalima Palmer, who was nine months pregnant at the time of the incident, was found guilty of second-degree assault and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Her fiancé and father of her six-month old baby, Musa Seisay, 25, of Garrisonville, Md., was also found guilty of second-degree assault and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
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Regime Admits EPA Carbon Capture Lunacy Will Raise Electricity Prices As Much As 80%

Good thing for Democrats that they can afford to write off the South, where no one in their right mind would vote for them. Southerners, who are largely dependent on electric heat, have been experiencing record cold. Today’s weather report:

A snow and ice storm will severely impact travelers and residents from Louisiana to the Carolinas through midweek.

The event could be the worst ice storm for parts of the Southin more than 10 years.

Meanwhile, ostensibly to combat conspicuously nonexistent global warming, Obama is following through on his campaign promise to make electricity pricesskyrocket:

Dr. Julio Friedmann, the deputy assistant secretary for clean coal at the Department of Energy, told House lawmakers that the first generation of carbon capture and storage technology would increase wholesale electricity prices by “70 or 80 percent.”

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Happy Valentines Day

The FCC Will Begin Investigating Bias In The Media (And By That, They Mean Conservative Bias)

News organizations often disagree about what Americans need to know. MSNBC, for example, apparently believes that traffic in Fort Lee, N.J., is the crisis of our time. Fox News, on the other hand, chooses to cover the September 2012 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi more heavily than other networks. The American people, for their part, disagree about what they want to watch.

But everyone should agree on this: The government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories.

Unfortunately, the Federal Communications Commission, where I am a commissioner, does not agree. Last May the FCC proposed an initiative to thrust the federal government into newsrooms across the country. With its "Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs," or CIN, the agency plans to send researchers to grill reporters, editors and station owners about how they decide which stories to run. A field test in Columbia, S.C., is scheduled to begin this spring.

The purpose of the CIN, according to the FCC, is to ferret out information from television and radio broadcasters about "the process by which stories are selected" and how often stations cover "critical information needs," along with "perceived station bias" and "perceived responsiveness to underserved populations."

How does the FCC plan to dig up all that information? First, the agency selected eight categories of "critical information" such as the "environment" and "economic opportunities," that it believes local newscasters should cover. It plans to ask station managers, news directors, journalists, television anchors and on-air reporters to tell the government about their "news philosophy" and how the station ensures that the community gets critical information.

The FCC also wants to wade into office politics. One question for reporters is: "Have you ever suggested coverage of what you consider a story with critical information for your customers that was rejected by management?" Follow-up questions ask for specifics about how editorial discretion is exercised, as well as the reasoning behind the decisions.

Participation in the Critical Information Needs study is voluntary—in theory. Unlike the opinion surveys that Americans see on a daily basis and either answer or not, as they wish, the FCC's queries may be hard for the broadcasters to ignore. They would be out of business without an FCC license, which must be renewed every eight years.

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Liberated

SFD Calls For Service 2-13-14

• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 23:11:00Nature: Abdominal PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 21:50:52Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 21:12:42Nature: Non BreathingAddress: 4667 Snow Hill Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 21:12:41Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 20:13:55Nature: HemorrhagingCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 18:49:40Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 16:21:41Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 14:15:06Nature: Non BreathingAddress: 825 Roger St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 14:14:59Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 14:05:38Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 14:00:56Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 715 S Schumaker Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 13:58:28Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 13:54:12Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 12:30:58Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 12:23:37Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 11:21:07Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 414 Priscilla St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 11:15:14Nature: Abdominal PainCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 10:51:00Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 10:37:31Nature: Automatic AlarmAddress: 1342 S Division St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 10:02:54Nature: Smoke / Co DetectorAddress: 200 Columbia Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 09:01:17Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 08:49:46Nature: Smoke / Co DetectorAddress: 200 Columbia Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 07:03:23Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 03:40:06Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday February, 13 2014 @ 02:03:50Nature: Smoke / Co DetectorAddress: 128 Troopers Way Salisbury, MD 21801

Maryland Health Care incompentence - Part Out Sourced To Ukraine

No one can look at The Washington Post’s exhaustive investigation into the construction, rollout and crash of the Maryland health insurance exchange and walk away with any measure of confidence in government.

How could this epic bungling have happened in a state that often oozes self-satisfaction with its progressive policies, led by a governor who considers himself a 2016 presidential contender?

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Welfare Vs. Minimum Wage

Gun Control Activist Swears He Forgot He Was Carrying Gun While Visiting School

A Buffalo, N.Y. community activist who is well known locally for pushing for a highly restrictive 2013 gun control law has been arrested for — wait for it — carrying a gun illegally at a public elementary school.

The arrested gun-control advocate, Dwayne Ferguson, caused quite a scene at Harvey Austin Elementary School, reports local CBS affiliate WIVB.

At about 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, police acted on a pair of anonymous 911 tips. A battalion of cops quickly swarmed the school. The brigade included over a dozen squad cars, the SWAT team and K9 units. The Erie County Sheriff’s Air One helicopter and what appears to be an armored vehicle also turned up.

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24 Hour News Cycle

Tomorrow will be yet another 24 hour news cycle. Have a great weekend. 

A Letter To The Editor: PRMC Security

Joe, 

I hear PRMC had to bring all their security officers back on the job. 

Turns out the process they used to terminate them all was illegal! 

Guess we won't see this on any msm. Makes you wonder who their legal firm is.

Judge Strikes Down Va. Same-Sex Marriage Ban

Federal judge declares Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.