Happy Birthday: 87-Year-Old Ohio Man Finds His Calling

In Toledo, Ohio, we met an 87-year-old retired salesman with an arduous passion. Jim Gagnon likes to call the people he loves on their birthdays -- which wouldn't be so arduous, if Jim wasn't so amorous.

"I'm a lover of people. I love you guys," Jim told us. "I gotta have your birthdays."

Jim started calling people on their birthdays shortly after his 21st. And in the 66 years since, he has amassed a list of thousands of friends, former coworkers and random acquaintances - which he dutifully reconnects with every year. People like Gretchen Wood, an old customer.

"I don't know him well at all," Gretchen said.

Jean Lovejoy gave him a ride -- once.

"It was a one day thing," Jean said. "Never saw him after that."

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Thank you for your service: Cops push Vietnam vet two miles home when his 300 lbs scooter breaks down on Memorial Day weekend

It was the ultimate show of respect for a disabled Vietnam war veteran on Memorial Day weekend.

Going above the call of duty, two San Diego police officers pushed Gilbert Larocque nearly two miles home after his 300-pound motorized scooter broke down on a busy road.

For the 67-year-old whose legs were injured when he worked as a door gunner in the Army, the officers' kindness is something he will never forget.


'You wouldn't expect them to do something like that … push you all the way home,' Larocque toldABC 10 News.

'I appreciate what they did. They went out of their way. How many people would stop?'

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Father Fined $200, Sentenced to One Year of Probation for Making His 8-Year-Old Son Walk a Mile Home From School

When Robert De Mond asked his son last year why he was placed in timeout and didn’t get a straight answer, he pulled over, had the 8-year-old hop out of the car, then told him to walk the rest of the way home.

The father is now answering for his “old-school punishment” with a fine and probation.

Judge Kathleen Watanabe with the 5th Circuit Court in Hawaii slapped De Mond with a $200 fine and one year of probation for telling his son to walk the last mile home, despite Hawaii’s law allowing parents to discipline children with punishments such as spanking, KHON-TV reported.

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Last photo of the mother left in such agonising pain in hospital she had to crawl on her hands and knees to beg for painkillers. Three days later she was dead - because 'doctors missed' fatal blood clot

Three days after Margaret Lamberty was photographed doubled over in agony on a hospital floor, the mother-of-four died of suspected multiple organ failure.

The picture was taken hours before the 45-year-old's family claim she was apparently forced to crawl on her hands and knees along a corridor to beg nurses for painkillers.

Mrs Lamberty's daughter Laura said her mother's cries for help went unheard, after the family returned home when visiting hours finished.

They say staff at University Hospital of North Staffordshire 'abandoned' the mother-of-four before she died in April from a 'treatable condition'.

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Michelle Obama Is Ignoring the Problems Her New School Lunch Standards Have Caused

Yesterday in an op-ed, First Lady Michelle Obama attacked the House of Representatives for considering giving some schools a one-year reprieve from complying with the new school lunch requirements.

In a New York Times column on her Let’s Move initiative, Obama addressed several issues but sidestepped acknowledging key problems that have been identified with the school lunch program. For example, she doesn’t talk about:

• The massive food costs incurred by schools. The costs are so bad some schools have reportedly transferred money out of teaching budgets to meet the requirements.
• The major declines in student participation.
• Plate waste. In a survey conducted by the Government Accountability Office of school nutrition officials in all states and Washington, D.C., officials from an astonishing 48 states indicated that food waste caused by the changes was a challenge for at least some of their local school food authorities.
• Food storage problems and the need for new kitchen equipment.
• Lack of flexibility. The National School Boards Association explained, “School boards cannot ignore the higher costs and operational issues created by the rigid mandates of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.”

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With new troubles, questions mount about Obama's competence

Give Barack Obama credit. He never claimed he had the executive experience many Americans feel is essential for a president.

Go back to October 2006. There was much buzz that Sen. Obama, newly arrived in Washington, would run for the White House. "You've been a United States senator less than two years, you don't have any executive experience. Are you ready to be president?" the late Tim Russert asked Obama on NBC.

"Well, I'm not sure anybody is ready to be president before they're president," Obama responded. "You know, ultimately, I trust the judgment of the American people."

That didn't exactly answer the question. Obama's theory was that if he could survive the rigors of a campaign, and voters chose him to be president, then he was ready to be president. He didn't say anything about actually running the executive branch of the U.S. government.

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Maryland Tries To Rev Up Potential Electric Car Buyers

WASHINGTON -- Leaders in eight states, including Maryland, are hoping to rev up car buyers' enthusiasm for electric cars.

The states, from the East and West coasts, have joined together to promote what they call Zero Emission Vehicles: fully electric cars, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen-fuel cell-vehicles.

The states in the agreement make up a quarter of the new car market, and they hope to put more than 3 million cars with alternative power sources on the road by 2025. Right now there are fewer than 200,000 of the vehicles in the country.

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America Has Been at War My Whole Life

The mainstream media is now heralding the president for announcing that, finally, the war in Afghanistan is going to come to an end.

On December 31, 2016, the last American troop is scheduled to leave, officially putting a period on the last sentence about the United States’ longest war in the history books. The whole move seems arbitrary at best. What magical thing is going to happen that day — the 5,565th day of that war — that actually changes anything from the day before or the day before that?

What has made it worth the $4 billion a year spent and the thousands of lives lost?

Well, at least Obama gets to go down in history as the president who officially ended both the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan.

Official announcement or not, there’s really no end in sight for America’s wars. The day after he said that, Obama was giving a speech before graduating West Point cadets which sealed the deal:

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Dem Rep. Declares There Are No Problems With Florida VA System… So the Internet Reminds Her

Despite the fact that many of her Democratic colleagues are calling for heads to roll over the Veterans Affairs scandal, Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) says the VA system in Florida is doing just fine.

During a Wednesday House hearing on the VA scandal, Brown said she did some “reconnaissance” and discovered there is not “one complaint” about the facilities in her state. It didn’t take long for her opponents to pounce.

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Our "Make It Look Good" Economy Has Failed

When rigged numbers are the basis of our success, we have failed.

The essence of the U.S. economy is make it look good: never mind quality or long-term consequences, just make it look good today, this week, this month, this quarter: make the pink slime look like meat, make the company look profitable, make the low-quality product look good enough to close the sale, make the unemployment rate low enough to justify re-electing the toadies currently in power, make the body count of bad guys look good, and on and on--just makes the numbers look good now, the future will take care of itself.

This is, of course, an attractive lie: the future is a direct consequence of present decisions and actions. It is remarkable how quickly we latch onto the notion that an endless parade of lies, manipulations and deceptions will magically produce a warm and fuzzy future of organic growth fostered by sound investments.

Alas, an economy that relies on an endless parade of lies, manipulations and deceptions has only one possible future: failure--abject, total, undeniable, devastating. Equally remarkable is the current conviction that absurd extremes in manipulation--the billions of dollars of corporate buybacks pushing stocks higher, the socialization of the U.S. mortgage market, where privately issued mortgages (unbacked by government guarantees) have virtually vanished, the ginned-up unemployment number (remove enough potential workers from the count and the unemployment rate is soon near-zero)--will magically lead to an economy that no longer needs extreme manipulations to sustain itself.

All these lies (if we are bold enough to call a lie a lie) and manipulations cannot possibly herald in an economy of honest reporting, market discovery of price and sound investments.

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Sustainability Movement Builds in Maryland; Five New Sustainable Communities Brings Total to 71

Crownsville, MD - Five neighborhoods in three counties have committed to a revitalization plan to conserve resources and strengthen reinvestment in traditional downtown business districts, bringing the number of Sustainable Communities in Maryland to 71.

Maryland’s Smart Growth Subcabinet approved the new Sustainable Communities during meetings on April 16 and May 21.

Reisterstown is Baltimore County’s sixth Sustainable Community. A national historic district founded in 1758, Reisterstown became an important crossroads for travelers commuting from Baltimore City along Reisterstown Road to Pennsylvania and points further north and west. As with many historic communities, Reisterstown has experienced significant decline in its commercial corridor. Working in conjunction with the community, the county plans to revitalize its main street by seeking a Maryland Main Street designation, capitalizing on its historic building fabric and implementing promotional activities such as, a Buy Local Campaign, Farmers Market and Clean Green 15 (monthly 15 minute clean-ups).

The Town of Union Bridge is the seventh municipality in Carroll County to receive a Sustainable Communities designation. It is a part of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area and is home to the Western Maryland Railroad Museum, an asset that attracts over 500 visitors each year. While many historic homes remain and are well kept, the overall economic vitality of the town is not what it once was in its heyday. To reverse the economic downturn, Union Bridge plans to promote and increase the number of businesses on Main Street, enhance the Union Bridge Walking Tour, improve the Union Bridge Community Center, complete the Little Pipe Creek Park & Trail System and increase housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income senior citizens, using the town’s very own Shriner Court as a model.

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Top VA execs took home millions

More than 1,000 officials with 6-digit pay

The highest-paid Department of Veterans Affairs executives and doctors in Phoenix, where the deadly treatment scandal was exposed, were paid a total of about $70 million from 2011 to 2013, according to a government transparency website.

The pay rates, topping out at nearly $360,000 per year per worker, were revealed in an Open The Books search just as a report reached Congress showing veterans were forced to wait 115 days for treatment.

Among the 100 top-paid federal employees in the city of Phoenix for the most recent reporting period, only a handful did not work for the VA. The other employees, who worked for the Department of Health and Human Services, topped out at nearly $100,000 less than the top-paid VA staff members.

There are about 7,000 federal payroll employees in the city.

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VA Government Union Fought Against Allowing Vets into Private Care

VA Government Union Fought Against Allowing Vets into Private Care

On the top executives keep cutting costs. On the bottom, health care unions keep increasing benefits for workers. In the middle, the patients get squeezed out.

Unlike the unions, a patient has no negotiating leverage with government medicine. So the workers get more benefits and the patients get fewer medications and procedures. And quicker pathways to death so they don’t use up any of the money that would otherwise go to executive bonuses and union benefits.

You can see it in the NHS or the VA. It’s all the same. (via Iowntheworld.com)

Encouraging vets on Medicare to use civilian care instead of the VA could cut the patient backlog at the VA by as much as half, solving a national crisis.

Almost half of vets are 65 or over, and nearly all vets using the VA have Medicare coverage.

Often, they’d be better off getting their bypass surgery and cancer operations at civilian hospitals that do higher volumes of these age-related procedures and have better survival rates, instead of sticking with the VA.

But the VA fails to tell them. The culprit is the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union that dominates the VA. For AFGE, the VA is a jobs program.

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Hey WBOC, Here's A Little HELP

OCEAN CITY IS STILL CLOUDY.

4:25 PM

Meet Directive 3025.18 Granting Obama Authority To Use Military Force Against Civilians

While the "use of armed [unmanned aircraft systems] is not authorized," The Washington Times uncovering of a 2010 Pentagon directive on military support to civilian authorities details what critics say is a troubling policy that envisions the Obama administration’s potential use of military force against Americans. As one defense official proclaimed, "this appears to be the latest step in the administration’s decision to use force within the United States against its citizens." Meet Directive 3025.18 and all its "quelling civil disturbances" totalitarianism...

As The Washington Times reports,

Directive No. 3025.18, “Defense Support of Civil Authorities,” was issued Dec. 29, 2010, and states that U.S. commanders “are provided emergency authority under this directive.”

“Federal military forces shall not be used to quell civil disturbances unless specifically authorized by the president in accordance with applicable law or permitted under emergency authority,” the directive states.

“In these circumstances, those federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the president is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances” under two conditions.

The conditions include military support needed “to prevent significant loss of life or wanton destruction of property and are necessary to restore governmental function and public order.” A second use iswhen federal, state and local authorities “are unable or decline to provide adequate protection for federal property or federal governmental functions.”

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Eight Pounds of Marijuana Seized During Route 1 Traffic Stop

Middletown - A traffic stop on Route 1 late Tuesday night resulted in troopers seizing eight pounds of marijuana.

The stop occurred at 11:56 p.m. on May 27 when troopers stopped a Chevrolet Malibu that was speeding on southbound Route 1 in the area of Pole Bridge Road. The driver, Steven Verley, 24, of Millsboro (photo attached, blue hooded sweatshirt), had a suspended driver's license. His passenger, Dontel Brown, 26, of Seaford (photo attached, black t-shirt), provided a fictitious name. The troopers also noticed a strong odor of marijuana and air fresheners coming from the vehicle.

The troopers asked both occupants to exit the vehicle. When Brown stepped out, troopers observed a small amount of marijuana fall from his shirt onto the ground.

Both defendants were detained and a search of the vehicle was performed. A small bag of marijuana was found in the center console. In the trunk, troopers discovered eight bags containing a combined weight of 8.2 pounds of marijuana. Troopers also seized $1,622 cash from the defendants.

Both defendants were transported to Troop 9 and charged with possession of a controlled substance in a tier 3 quantity, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and conspiracy second degree. Additionally, Brown was charged with criminal impersonation and Verley was charged with driving while suspended and speeding. Verley was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institute on $16,000 cash, $5,000 secured bail. Brown was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Institute on $10,000 cash, $1,500 secured bail.

More On Sharpton

Flashback: Al Sharpton Says, “If Jews Want To Get It On, Tell Them To Pin Their Yarmulkes Back And Come Over To My House,” Led Marchers Chanting “Kill The Jews”…

In July 1991, a controversy erupted when Leonard Jeffries, a professor at New York’s City College gave a speech blasting “rich Jews” for financing the slave trade and for controlling Hollywood so they could “put together a system of destruction for Black people.”

Sharpton rushed to defend Jeffries, and in the middle of the swirling controversy, declared, “If the Jews want to get it on, tell them to pin their yarmulkes back and come over to my house.”

A day after Sharpton made that comment, in August 1991, a Jewish driver accidently ran over a 7-year old black boy named Gavin Cato in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and an anti-Semitic riot broke out in which Jewish rabbinical scholar Yankel Rosenbaum was stabbed to death. Instead of calling for calm, Sharpton incited the rioters, leading marches in the streets that included chants of “No Justice, No Peace!” and “Kill the Jews!” At a funeral for the boy who had been run over, Sharpton said, “The world will tell us he was killed by accident. Yes, it was a social accident. … It’s an accident to allow an apartheid ambulance service in the middle of Crown Heights. … Talk about how Oppenheimer in South Africa sends diamonds straight to Tel Aviv and deals with the diamond merchants right here in Crown Heights.” For those unfamiliar, “diamond merchants” was a thinly-veiled reference to Jewish jewelers.

After an investigation, no indictment was made of the driver who had accidently run over Cato, and he left for Israel. Sharpton flew there in an attempt to “hunt down” the driver and hand him a civil law suit. According to the Daily News, at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, a woman spotted Sharpton and shouted, “Go to hell!” Sharpton yelled back: “I am in hell already. I am in Israel.”

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Detectives Investigate Fatal Shooting in Willow Grove

Camden-Wyoming, DE – Detectives with the State Police Homicide Unit are currently investigating a fatal shooting that occurred on Monday May 26th.

The incident occurred at around 6:20 p.m. when troopers responded to the 7000 block of Willow Grove Road for a report of a subject shot in the stomach. Arriving troopers discovered that Charles W. Semans, 84, had been involved in argument with his grandson, John Rash, 17, when Rash retrieved a shotgun and shot him once in the stomach. Semans was initially transported to Kent General Hospital before being flown to Christiana Medical Center where he succumbed to his fatal wound on Thursday May 29th.

John Rash (Photo Attached) was taken into custody at the residence on Monday May 26th and transported to Troop 3 where he was charged with Assault 1st and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. He has been incarcerated at Stevenson House in Milford since then in lieu of $40,000.00 secured bond.

An autopsy was conducted on Friday May 30th of Mr. Semans by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner who determined the cause of death to be gunshot wound to the abdomen and the manner of death is pending further review.

Homicide detectives are continuing their investigation into this incident.

A Comment Worthy Of A Post 5-30-14

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "JMB Graduation Keepsake":

just received a message that corrected programs will be available Monday. Pick up at the school.

Resort Preps For Hurricane Season

With hurricane season’s official arrival June 1, the resort has been preparing for strong storms.

But the threat of those storms is average or below average this year, based on predictions by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In a release last week, NOAA predicted eight to 13 tropical storms and three to six hurricanes, one or two of which would reach a serious Category 3 status or higher.

In a “normal” year, there would be 12 tropical storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes during the June 1 through Nov. 30 season.
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Watch "Al Sharpton Defends Racist Rants: 'It Was Only One Jew'"

SFD Calls For Service 5-29-14

• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 18:39Nature: Vehicle Accident w/InjuriesAddress: Northwood Dr & Marvel Rd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 18:27Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 18:19 Nature: ElectricalAddress: 613 E Church St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 17:17Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 15:33Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 13:14 Nature: Vehicle Accident w/InjuriesAddress: S Salisbury Blvd & South Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 13:14Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 12:09Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 11:16Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 09:34Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 04:38Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Thursday May, 29 2014 @ 02:44Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury

High School Altered Female Students' Photos To Cover More Skin

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SENATOR MIKULSKI, GOVERNOR O’MALLEY LAUNCH MARYLAND CYBERSECURITY ROUNDTABLE

Industry-led organization provides forum for CyberMaryland partners

ANNAPOLIS, MD – U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski and Governor Martin O’Malley today launched the Maryland Cybersecurity Roundtable. The Maryland Cybersecurity Roundtable is another step in Maryland officials’ coordinated efforts to foster growth and create jobs by expanding the burgeoning cybersecurity industry in Maryland.

“Maryland is the epicenter for cybersecurity,” Senator Mikulski said. “Our elite and indispensable Federal agencies, talented universities and colleges, and vibrant and growing private sector are working together to build a safer nation and a stronger economy with jobs that will never leave Maryland. This roundtable is a team effort to identify and solve the common challenges facing Maryland’s cyber businesses and cyber warriors as they protect national security, trade secrets, and our personal identities. The goal is for Maryland to sell its cybersolutions not just around the beltway but also around the world.”

Forming an industry-led cybersecurity roundtable was among the recommendations that the Federal Facilities Advisory Board (FFAB) called for in the strategic plan it released in February 2013. The FFAB’s strategic plan focused on better leveraging the potential of federal government agencies and military installations to drive innovation and create jobs in Maryland.

“The Cyber Roundtable is yet another example of our efforts to lead the nation in cyber – and create long-term, family-sustaining jobs for Maryland’s highly-skilled workforce,” said Governor O’Malley. “We’re bringing together military personnel, state agencies and other stakeholders to better harness opportunities to continue to grow Maryland’s cyber industry, explore best practices to protect personal information, and lead the fight to keep America’s virtual borders secure.”

The Secret To Winning An Argument Is Ridiculously Simple

If you want to change someone's opinion, ask them how they would do something instead of why.

The insight comes from University of Colorado psychologist Philip M. Fernbach in a paper with the telling title "Political Extremism Is Supported by an Illusion of Understanding."

His theory: Political extremists might be a touch less extreme if they had to explain just how their favored policy would create the changes they sought, as opposed to listing off the reasons that they're right.

For the experiment, Fernbach asked two groups of online participants to give their opinions on a variety of controversial and complex policy issues, such as healthcare and Iran.

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Court Upholds Wrongful Termination Suit Dismissal

BERLIN — The Maryland Court of Special Appeals this month issued an opinion affirming the Worcester County Circuit Court’s dismissal of a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in 2012 by a former Berlin Fire Company supervisor against the town and its elected officials, but the plaintiff’s attorney has vowed to push forward with the case with an appeal to a higher court.

In May 2012, the town of Berlin terminated EMS supervisor Norris Phillip Donohoe, Jr. after 23 years on the job when at least two EMS employees filed formal complaints alleging workplace harassment and discrimination. In July 2012, Donohoe filed a civil suit against the Mayor and Council and then-Town Administrator Tony Carson seeking at least $200,000 in damages.

The complaint alleged Berlin officials did not have the authority to terminate, or even discipline Donohoe over allegations of harassment and discrimination. Instead, Donohoe claimed that authority wrested with his immediate supervisors, namely the fire chief and the fire company president. In October of 2012, visiting Worcester County Circuit Court Judge David Mitchell dismissed Donohoe’s civil suit against town officials, but Donohoe’s attorney Robin Cockey quickly filed an amended complaint that focused more on the former EMS supervisor’s termination than the disciplinary actions. Again, Mitchell dismissed the case, pointing out the town’s elected and appointed officials were protected by the doctrine of sovereign immunity.
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Yappy Hour

Feds Attack U.S. Businesses in 'Operation Choke Point'

In an administration that has pioneered the use of regulatory power to bully businesses into doing “voluntarily” what the bureaucrats can’t require by law, a secretive federal program that has become public in the last few months stands out as an especially disturbing abuse of power.

The program's name, “Operation Choke Point,” is a pretty strong indication of trouble — an eerie way for bureaucrats to describe their conduct toward private citizens.

It’s a reference to the banking system as the “choke point” of businesses, a critical piece of the economic infrastructure which government can co-opt to strangle legal activities it doesn't favor.

The revelation is alarming in part because it suggests federal officials have realized that they can leverage their strong regulatory authority over one industry, financial services, to exert broad control over many others.

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BENGHAZI BOMBSHELL! VALERIE JARRETT, COMMANDER IN CHIEF

CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES CLOSE TO CONSERVATIVE REPORT HAVE CONFIRMED THAT VALERIE JARRETT WAS THE KEY DECISION-MAKER FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, THE NIGHT OF THE BENGHAZI TERRORIST ATTACK ON 9/11/2012.

The chronology of the evening of 9/11 are as follows:

At approximately 5 PM Washington time, reports came in through secure-channels that Special Mission Benghazi was under attack. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey summoned the President,and briefed him on the crisis, face to face.

Subsequent to that brief meeting, President Obama proceeded to the White House to dine in his living quarters.

After supper, Barack Obama had a telephone conference scheduled with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Senior Advisor to the President, Valerie Jarrett was present for that conference, which was held due to problems the President was having with the perception of himsnubbing Netanyahu in previous, formal encounters.

The telephone call between Obama and Netanyahu carried on for a full two-hours, creating the appearance of respect between the two world leaders.

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No Place To Hide

With heart-pounding suspense, John le Carre-like intrigue and Jeffersonian fidelity to the principles of human freedom, Glenn Greenwald has just published “No Place to Hide.” The book, which reads like a thriller, is Greenwald’s story of his nonstop two weeks of work in May and June of 2013 in Hong Kong with former CIA agent and NSA contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden. Greenwald was the point person who coordinated the public release of the 1.7 million pages of NSA documents that Snowden took with him in order to prove definitively that the federal government is spying on all of us all the time.

The revelations constituted for Greenwald the scoop of the century; for Snowden, the exposure of massive government violations of basic constitutional principles by his former bosses; for the NSA and the Bush and Obama administrations, the revelation of criminal wrongdoing orchestrated by two presidents themselves; and for the American public, a painful realization that the Constitution is only as valuable a restraint on the government as is the fidelity to uphold it of those in whose hands we have reposed it for safekeeping. As Greenwald makes clear, it is not in good hands.

“No Place to Hide” not only tells of Snowden’s initially frustrating and anonymous efforts to reach out to Greenwald and the others; it not only carefully explains the insatiable appetite of the NSA to learn everything about everyone (“Collect it all” was a continuously posted NSA motto); it is also a morality tale about the personal courage required of Snowden and Greenwald and his colleagues to expose government wrongdoing and the risk to their lives, liberties and properties in doing so.

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SPD Press Release 5-30-14 Shooting Incident Arrest

Two Charged With Prostitution at Kirkwood Highway Massage Parlor

Wilmington - Responding to numerous complaints, detectives arrested two women at a massage parlor at 5626 Kirkwood Highway yesterday.

Troop 2 detectives initiated the investigation into the business after receiving complaints of criminal activity there. An undercover detective went to the parlor, which has no name or exterior advertising, on May 29 and requested a massage. The masseuse, later identified as Min Wang, 51 (photo attached, orange hooded sweatshirt), began the massage and then asked the detective for more money in exchange for sex acts. The detective declined and left the business.

Shortly thereafter detectives returned to the business to execute a search warrant. Detectives located prostitution paraphernalia and over $18,000 in prostitution proceeds, which were seized.

Wang was taken into custody at the scene, as was a second masseuse, Wujun Deng, 47 (photo attached, pink shirt), who was linked to prostitution through evidence recovered during the search. Both defendants, who are from Flushing, New York, were transported to Troop 2 and issued a criminal summons for prostitution.

Maryland Girl Pleads 'Responsible' For Bullying

A teenage girl accused of bullying a 16-year-old autistic boy pleaded "responsible" to a pair of misdemeanor charges on Thursday after her case was transferred from adult to juvenile court.

A "responsible" plea is the juvenile equivalent of a "guilty" plea in adult court. Appearing in a county court in Leonardtown, Maryland, the 17-year-old girl entered the plea to the charges of second-degree assault and distribution of an obscene video.

The defendant was originally charged with false imprisonment, child pornography solicitation and first-degree assault stemming from abuses she and the victim's 15-year-old girlfriend inflicted on the boy, including holding him at knifepoint, forcing him to walk on a frozen lake and attempting to force him to have sex with his family dog. If she had been convicted of those charges in adult criminal court, the teen could have faced up to 80 years in prison.

The teen will be released from juvenile detention on or before her 21st birthday.

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BREAKING NEWS: Veterans Affairs Secretary Shinseki resigns

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigns amid growing scandal at VA facilities around the country.

Dog Found - Pittsville, Maryland

Looks like a Chesapeake Bay Retriever/lab mix- brown color with gold/brown eyes with a collar, no name tag.

Located near Railroad Avenue, Pittsville, Maryland. Looked lost but very friendly.

Cell phone # 443-783-3735.

BREAKING NEWS: Obama to make statement on VA scandal

President Obama will make a statement at 11:15 a.m. ET on the growing Veterans Affairs scandal. Watch live on Fox News and FoxNews.com.

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BREAKING NEWS: Veterans Affairs secretary vows firings at Phoenix VA facility

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki announces he will move to oust senior leaders at the embattled Phoenix VA facility.

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This is a Huge Sign the Markets Aren't Healthy

The S&P 500 index traded above 1,900 Friday, but there are still signs that all may not be healthy in the markets.

The market is making new highs on the backs of fewer and fewer stocks. The one-month daily average of stocks hitting 52-week highs is currently about 26. One year ago, that number was about 101. In other words, we've gone from1 out 5 stocks in the S&P 500 hitting highs to just1 out of every 19.

"If you look at the breadth, we've seen a pretty amazing amount of deterioration just since last May," said Mark Newton, chief technical analyst at Greywolf Execution Partners. "It's dramatically down from what we've seen over the last year. And, that is a concern."

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Parents share story of having a transgender child, aged 5

When Jeff and Hillary Whittington, of San Diego, got the news in 2007 that they were having a daughter, the couple had no idea that in a few years' time they will be raising a son instead.

Last Thursday, the family were honored at the 6th annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, accepting the Inspiration Award after presenting a stirring video showing their daughter Ryland's female-to-male transition.

The six-year-old dressed in a smart suit and tie, his hair cut short, stood next to a podium and read his prepared remarks from a sheet of paper, declaring to the audience: 'My name is Ryland Whittington. I am transgender kid.'

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Analysis: Spending Up On State House Races

A government watchdog group says fundraising in races for the Maryland General Assembly is up compared to four years ago, even though the primary is three months earlier.

Common Cause Maryland studied the campaign finance reports of 39 incumbent senator and 89 incumbent delegates.

Common Cause found that the total fundraising in Senate races was nearly $5.2-million, an increase of about $54,000 compared to four years ago.

In the House races, the total raised was more than $80,000 higher compared to four years ago, with a total raised this year of $5.5--million, compared to $5.2-million in 2010.
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Local Maryland Food Bank Upcoming Yard Sale July 26th

The yard sale will take place on July 26th from 9:00am –until.

Address: 28500 Owens Branch Rd Salisbury, MD 21801

All sales benefit The Maryland Food Bank of the Eastern Shore.

Why Small Businesses Won't Hire

NEW YORK - Even as the economy extends its growth and small businesses slowly add jobs, most owners are still holding off on hiring.

Many owners have no plans to add to their payrolls, according to recent surveys. In three released last week, the most optimistic reading came from Bank of America Corp., which found that 52 percent of owners plan to hire over the next 12 months. But Wells Fargo & Co. found only 21 percent planned to hire, and in a Citibank survey, 25 percent had plans - numbers consistent with other surveys in the past year.

Some owners who do want to hire face obstacles like finding workers who can and want to do the job. In monthly reports from the National Federation of Independent Business, owners have said they can't find people with the skills they need.

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Rising Health Care Costs- Enough to Make You Sick

One of my best friends, going back to 6th grade, died in April.

He worked as a heavy-equipment mechanic, even as he soldiered through many rounds of exhausting chemotherapy treatments. He remained incredibly strong and fit, mentally and physically. Throughout most of this ordeal, he looked and sounded like he would beat the odds, but he didn’t.

His wife and three school-aged children started packing after his funeral. A long battle with cancer had eaten away their savings. Their home had been foreclosed. They would soon be evicted.

They had medical insurance. They had worked hard all their lives. Friends, family, and co-workers sent them checks and put on a fundraiser, raising tens of thousands of dollars. It would never be enough to keep pace with the mounting medical bills that were not covered by insurance.

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Molly Schuyler vs The Big Texan 72 oz steak challenge

ARE THEYSERIOUS?

The National Park Service assembles a team to mark historic places and people in the country's lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual movement. A panel of scholars will name sites to be considered as national monuments, national historic landmarks or listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Park Service says the study will help ensure it is telling a complete story of America's heritage and history. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell will launch the initiative tomorrow at New York's Stonewall Inn where a riot took place in 1969. It is the only LGBT-associated site that the Park Service has designated as a national historic landmark.

O'Malley Heading To Iowa Next Month

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is considering a White House bid in 2016, is headed to Iowa next month.

Christina Freundlich, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic Party, confirmed Thursday that O'Malley is scheduled to attend the party's Hall of Fame celebration honoring Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin on June 20 in Des Moines, Iowa.

O'Malley headlined Harkin's annual steak fry in 2012.

O'Malley also will be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Democratic state convention on June 21

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Still No Malaysia Airlines Jet

An unmanned Navy sub has finished its month-long search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet in the southern Indian Ocean. The Bluefin 21 has found nothing after scouring 330 square miles, based on acoustic signals. A Navy spokesman says the service and its international partners are trying to better understand that data now. They are suspending the underwater search for a few months until more powerful sonar equipment arrives. It will search a much wider area -- 21,000 square miles -- based on an analysis of satellite data indicating the plane's most likely course. The jet vanished on March 8.

Correcting the ignorance

Gwen, With their May 21st hit piece, (I refuse to link to their piece and drive traffic to their dying brand), the Baltimore Sun continues to spew misinformation and invective at Conservative and Libertarian voices in Maryland.    I responded to them by submitting an opinion piece that I wanted to share with you.   Here it is: The Baltimore Sun editorial "Weakened Tea," May 21, helps everyone understand why dinosaur media outlets that refuse to change are circling the drain toward oblivion. In the view of some, every political issue fits into file folders - Fox News Channel or MSNBC, the Wall Street Journalor the New York Times, the Tea Party or Establishment, Republican or Democrat, Red or Blue. The Baltimore Sun derides me for filling in as a guest host on Conservative talk radio. Yet, it is not Conservative talk radio or Fox News that declared bankruptcy or sees its audience decline year after year. That is the Baltimore Sun and its parent company. The print press and its stubborn adherence to left-wing orthodoxy is assisting the rise of talk radio, online media and the Fox News Channel because informed voters now understand what they've been missing since print reporting peaked in the early 70's during Watergate.  Then of course there are the "Fox News" issues that apparently matter to only to those who run the top-rated news outlet in the country and perhaps a few others in western Maryland or the Eastern Shore. The Fox News Channel has ratings that are higher than CNN and MSNBC combined. They enjoy high ratings because nowhere else is government authority or incompetence questioned on the issues of our time ranging from the IRS targeting of Conservative groups to the terror attacks in Benghazi. The editorial voice of the Baltimore Sun should be more than distorted carnival mirrors reflecting their already slanted news coverage. Why does the Baltimore Sun editorial on the Dept. of Veterans Affairs say the scandal should not be "treated as a problem unique to the current administration?" Who is accountable for this mess if not the two-term commander-in-chief?    Where is the Baltimore Sun editorial on the U.S. House of Representatives' vote this week defining curbs on the National Security Agency's mass-data collection? The NSA is 20 minutes away from theBaltimore Sun's headquarters. Instead, the Sun gives Marylanders a "lesson" about a Senate race in Kentucky. It is interesting that liberals are always giving lessons about free health care, common core and climate change. Missing in this expensive tutelage are policies that actually work for the vast majority of people they are supposed to help. We can do without additional lessons about Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and how that somehow affects Marylanders. Maryland is not a distant blue planet removed from Earth as the Sunwould have its readers believe. The voters I talk to care very deeply about where this country is headed - the debt, Obamacare, underemployment, unemployment and preserving personal freedoms and liberties. Presumably, the Baltimore Sun feels that we should all just give up and follow one-party orthodoxy or the so-called "establishment." Of course, that's why the newspaper cannot resist mentioning the 2012 U.S. Senate race against Ben Cardin, the ultimate establishment figure in Maryland politics. That is part of the lesson. Challengers should not take on powerful Democrat incumbents who have held political positions since the 1960's, according to the Sun. Here is a lesson for the Baltimore Suneditorial writers: it is not the critic who counts. It is the person who gets in the arena and is not afraid of unchecked monopoly power. In that Senate race, I was outspent 14 to 1, yet garnered more total votes than the last GOP Senate nominee in 2010. Thank you, Baltimore Sun, for creating an analog political labeling system for file cabinets, but we live in an era of smart phones and cloud computing. The Sun's slogan "light for all" does not mean "distorted light for Marylanders who are different than everyone else." Please live up to your ideals.            Dan Bongino

Latest IRS Figures Show Continued Decline in Maryland's Tax Base

The David Craig campaign announced today the latest analysis of Internal Revenue Service tax migration numbers that show continued decline in Maryland’s ability to retain its tax base. Released last month, the IRS figures advance a decade-long trend where the state lost a net $232 million in adjusted gross incomes during 2010 and 2011.

“We must stop the mass exodus of people leaving Maryland,” said Craig. “Everywhere I go people tell me they are moving to Delaware or Virginia and these numbers prove it.”

Regionally, Maryland lost the most net incomes to Virginia at $105 million followed by North Carolina at $59 million. That was closely followed by Texas at $58 million. Overall, Florida is siphoning off most of Maryland’s earning power at $175 million.

From 2000 to 2010, Maryland lost $5.5 billion in taxable revenues to other states. To reverse the net outflow of the tax base, David Craig announced a plan in February to reduce and eventually eliminate Maryland’s income tax to stop the flight of businesses and “to keep families together.” A tenth generation Marylander, he would prefer to keep his children and grandchildren in the state.

“O’Malley and Brown’s record tax increases are hastening the decline of Maryland,” said Craig. “No state can provide essential transportation, public safety and health and education services and make other needed investments with a declining tax base.”

A Gallup poll released last month shows 47% of Marylanders would leave if they could, the third highest state in the nation where people prefer to live elsewhere. Taxes and jobs are the main reasons Marylanders gave for wanting to leave, with the former being cited more than any other state except New York and Illinois.

Maryland’s decline was the second worst in the region after Pennsylvania and 13th worst in the nation in dollar terms. Maryland joins high-taxed and rust-belt states including New York, Illinois, New Jersey, California and part of the mid-west that loses taxpayers at alarming rates.

The top two states in the nation attracting taxpayers are Florida and Texas, both of which have no personal income tax and collectively gained nearly $7.5 billion in incomes during 2010 and 2011 alone.

Thank God Its Friday 5-30-14

What will you be doing this weekend?

3rd Annual Ravens Beach Bash Underway In OC

OCEAN CITY — This weekend will mark the 3rd Annual Ravens Ocean City Beach Bash, featuring a parade along Baltimore Avenue and several opportunities to meet players and cheerleaders.

The idea of the weekend festivities is to turn Ocean City into “Ravenstown”.

Organized activities will include – but are not limited to – the Ocean City Purple Friday Caravan, live broadcasts with 98Rock, bar crawls, the Annual Ravens Roosts parade, a bonfire and tailgate party at the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel.

One of the highlights of the weekend is Beach Bash Bar Crawl that will take participants to six bars in West Ocean City on Friday, May 30 and then in Ocean City on Saturday, May 31. Registration will include a Beach Bash Bar Crawl Credential, T-shirt, Miller Lite specials, giveaways at each location, post crawl raffle for Ravens memorabilia, and access to the buses from 12:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. The pre-registration window has closed, but tickets will still be available on May 30 for $25 (cash only) beginning at 11:30 a.m. on the back deck of the Clarion Hotel (while spots are still available).

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Famous Presidential Lies Contest

Famous Presidential Lies
Written by, To The Point News

LBJ:
We were attacked (in the Gulf of Tonkin )

Nixon:
I am not a crook

GHW Bush:
Read my lips - No New Taxes

Clinton:
I did not have sex with that woman... Miss Lewinski

GW Bush:
Iraq has weapons of mass destruction

Obama:
I will have the most transparent administration in history.
The stimulus will fund shovel-ready jobs.
I am focused like a laser on creating jobs.
The IRS is not targeting anyone.
It was a spontaneous riot about a movie.
I will put an end to the type of politics that "breeds division, conflict and cynicism".
You didn't build that!
I will restore trust in Government.
The Cambridge cops acted stupidly.
The public will have 5 days to look at every bill that lands on my desk
It's not my red line - it is the world's red line.
Whistle blowers will be protected in my administration.
We got back every dime we used to rescue the banks and auto companies, with interest.
I am not spying on American citizens.
Obama Care will be good for America .
You can keep your family doctor.
Premiums will be lowered by $2500.
If you like it, you can keep your current healthcare plan.
It's just like shopping at Amazon.
I knew nothing about "Fast and Furious" gunrunning to Mexican drug cartels.
I knew nothing about IRS targeting conservative groups.
I knew nothing about what happened in Benghazi .
I have never known my uncle from Kenya who is in the country illegally and that was arrested and told to leave the country over 20 years ago.
And, I have never lived with that uncle. He finally admitted (12-05-2013) that he DID know his uncle and that he DID live with him.

And the biggest one of all:
"I, Barrack Hussein Obama, pledge to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America ."

I believe we have a winner!

REGGAE PARTY ~ This Sunday!

New Castle Man Charged With Robbing Newark Gas Station, Rehoboth Bank

Newark - Detectives have charged a New Castle man after linking him to two robberies that occurred this past weekend.

Robert Lloyd, 40, was apprehended in Newark yesterday afternoon after leading Cecil County Sheriff's Deputies and Maryland State Troopers on a vehicle pursuit that began when they tried to apprehend Lloyd in Charlestown, Maryland. After being apprehended in Newark Lloyd was turned over to Troop 2 robbery detectives.

Troop 2 and Troop 4 detectives had obtained warrants for Lloyd's arrest after determining Lloyd committed the May 25 robbery of the TD Bank at 34980 Midway Outlet Drive in Rehoboth, and the May 24 robbery of the Riggins gas station at 2650 Capitol Trail in Newark.

Lloyd was charged with one count of robbery first degree and one count of robbery second degree. He was committed to Howard R. Young Correctional Center on $70,000 cash bail.

EIGHT STATE ALLIANCE RELEASES PLAN TO PUT 3.3 MILLION ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES ON THE ROAD

ZEV Action Plan is first step in unprecedented bi-coastal effort

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Eight states on the East and West Coasts released a collaborative action plan to develop the infrastructure, coordinated policies, codes and standards and a consumer market primed to put 3.3 million zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) on the road by 2025. The Multi-State ZEV Action Plan is the first promised milestone for the bi-coastal collaboration, an effort to pave the way for increasingly large numbers of the cleanest cars in the nation.

Collaboration is critical

The partner states are California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont. Together they account for more than one quarter of the nation’s new car sales.

“This collaborative effort is an important step forward to ensure the success of our zero-emission vehicle programs. Transitioning our light duty transportation fleet to zero emission vehicles is essential if we are to achieve our long term air quality and climate goals," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "Implementation of the action plan will support the arrival of more than 3 million zero emission vehicles in our states by 2025 and serve as a roadmap for a healthier, more sustainable transportation sector on both coasts. ”

“This Action Plan lays out a framework to make it easier for Marylanders to own and operate the cleanest vehicles available today,” said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown. “We are committed to working with the private sector to build the necessary infrastructure and support the deployment of zero emission vehicles in a way that builds consumer-oriented, market-winning solutions that move this innovative market beyond early adopters.”

Maryland Avenue Crime-Reduction Initiative Results in Multiple Arrests, Gun and Drug Seizures

Wilmington - A multi-agency crime blitz involving officers from the New Castle County Police Department, Wilmington Police Department, Probation & Parole, and the Delaware State Police has resulted in the arrest of sixty-nine people, the seizure of two guns, and the recovery of a large amount of drugs.

The initiative, which ran daily from May 19 through May 23, addressed crime in the communities along Maryland Avenue from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the town of Newport. Troopers from Troop 1, Troop 2, Troop 6, and the Governor's Task Force, New Castle County Police officers assigned to patrol, Safe Streets, and the MET Unit, and Wilmington Police Department officers assigned to patrol and Safe Streets, all took part in the proactive week-long effort to reduce crime in the area.

Sixty-nine adults were arrested, resulting in ninety-five misdemeanor and fifteen felony charges. Forty-four of those arrested had at least one outstanding capias. Officers recovered a 12-gague shotgun, a 9mm handgun, and a stun gun. Also seized were 148 illegal prescription pills, 16.48 grams of crack cocaine, 27.925 grams of heroin, 341 grams of marijuana, and over $15,000 in drug proceeds.

Similar multi-agency efforts will continue to take place in order to combat crime throughout New Castle County.

LMAO

Truer Words Cannot Be Spoken

Fruitland Police Department Press Release 5-29-14

The Fruitland Police Department is proud to announce the implementation of their new Overdose Response program. The Fruitland Police Department has partnered with the Wicomico County Health Department, which provided the training and supplies needed for the implementation of the program.

The program is intended to reduce the number of fatal overdoses due to opioid use and abuse. Every Fruitland police officer has completed the training and is certified to administer Naloxone if the symptoms of overdose are present. Naloxone can be administered nasally and blocks the effects of opioids. By administering Naloxone, officers could potentially afford the victim enough time to be transported to a hospital and receive life saving treatment.