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Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Navy Veteran Begs VA: Please Don't Starve Me To Death

Joe Geoghagan, a 31-year-old Navy veteran who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, now suffers from PTSD and has to be fed through a feeding tube because he is unable to keep food down. Making matters worse, John Hawkins wrote Tuesday at Right Wing News, the VA has told Geoghagan that his stomach issues are not related to his military service and as a result, have stopped paying for his equipment and supplies.

According to Hawkins, Geoghagan recounted a horror story involving the snubs, red tape, and frustration of dealing with the VA for the last few years.

His problems began in 2008, after being discharged from the service. Hawkins said Geoghagan developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder during his service, but he didn't know it until much later. Initially, he was told by a VA doctor there was nothing wrong after a cursory 10-minute interview.

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Newspaper: We Were Wrong to Endorse Obama

The Billings (Mont.) Gazette endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008, but now that he's been in office 5½ years, the bloom is off the rose.

The Gazette on Friday published an editorial admitting its mistake in backing Obama and detailing the reasons it came to that conclusion.

"Sometimes, you have to admit you're wrong," the editorial began. "And, we were wrong."

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Graco Conducts Recall of Harness Buckles on Certain Infant Car Seats

Graco is recalling harness buckles used on approximately 1.9 million infant car seats manufactured between July 2010 and May 2013. Some consumers reported having difficulty or having been unable to open the buckle, which was the reason for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) investigation and the outcome announced today. As a solution, Graco will provide a free replacement buckle.

"As the industry leader in baby and parenting essentials, the decisions we make about product safety are far-reaching. We take this responsibility seriously," said Laurel Hurd, President of Graco Children's Products. "Both NHTSA and Graco investigated consumer concerns in an effort to address the issues with the buckles used on certain infant car seats. We are pleased to announce a solution that we believe is in the best interest of consumers and underscores our shared commitment to child passenger safety."

Although there have been no reported injuries associated with this issue, Graco encourages consumers to order a buckle replacement kit and install the new buckle as soon as it arrives. While waiting for replacement kits, parents and caregivers should always continue to use an appropriate car seat. If no alternative is available, the affected car seats may be safely used until replacement buckles are available. Consumers can verify if their infant car seat is affected by this recall and order a replacement kit by entering the model name and date of manufacture on GracoBuckleRecall.com or calling (877) 766-7470. This information can be found on the white label located on the bottom of the infant car seat carrier. Graco will provide a free replacement buckle to any consumer who has an infant car seat not included in this recall, but would like to update their buckle to Graco's current buckle design.

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Chinese teens trafficked into US through Central America

The signs at the Texas border offer a glimpse of the enormity of the problem of unaccompanied minors trying to sneak into the US.

The instructions are printed in English and Spanish, of course — but also, surprisingly, the instructions for help are also in Chinese.

Hundreds of Chinese teens are slipping into the US a year, immigration groups say, mostly through Central America and Cuba.

They make their way to New York City, typically on buses, where they are farmed out across the country to work in Chinese restaurants.

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Wallace the Pit Bull Celebrates his 11th Birthday

In Fairfax County kindergarten classes, school system’s future comes into focus

The kindergartners of the Class of 2026, who finished their first year in Fairfax County schools Wednesday, constitute the largest and one of the most ethnically, culturally and socioeconomically diverse groups of students the county has seen, a fact that school system administrators say could pose significant challenges in the decade to come. 

Long an enclave of predominantly white, middle-class families with a top-class school system, Fairfax has experienced a dramatic demographic shift in recent years that is nowhere more obvious than in the county’s kindergarten classrooms. The white student population is receding and is being replaced with fast-growing numbers of poor students and children of immigrants for whom English is a second language. 

More than one-third of the 13,424 kindergartners in the county this year qualified for free or reduced-price meals, a federal measure of poverty, and close to 40 percent of the Class of 2026 requires additional English instruction, among the most ever for a Fairfax kindergarten class.

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When Hobby Lobby Picketers Find Out What The Company Pays, They’ll Crawl Back With Their Tails Between Their Legs

Not only does Hobby Lobby still offer 16 types of contraception – just not ones the owners consider abortifacients – but it also pays its employees a minimum wage that will make Seattle smile.

As of April 18, 2013 Hobby Lobby raised it’s full-time minimum wage to $14-an-hour, nearly double the national average, and raised its part-time minimum wage to $9.50-an-hour.

“We are very fortunate to be able to increase hourly wages for our employees, because we know our company would not be successful without the great work they do each day in our stores across the nation,” CEO and founder David Green said at the time.

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Interest Rates on Student Loans Set to Rise Again

Congratulations, graduates, on your diploma. Now what about that $29,000 student loan debt?

More than 70 percent of graduates will carry student debt into the real world, according to the Institute for College Access and Success. And the average debt is just shy of $30,000.

Related: Obama's New Executive Action Eases Student Loan Burden

But the news will get worse next week when interest rates on student loans are set to rise again.

Though federal student loan rates are fixed for the life of the loan, these rates reset for new borrowers every July 1, thanks to legislation that ties the rates to the performance of the financial markets. The interest rate on federal Stafford loans will go from its current fixed rate of just under 4 percent to 4.66 percent for loans that are distributed between July 1 and June 30, 2015.

For graduate students, the rate on Stafford loans will rise from just over 5 percent to 6.21 percent.

Direct PLUS Loans for graduates and parents are still the most expensive, with rates rising to 7.21 percent.

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Man Hospitalized In Stable Condition After Jumping From Boat, Getting Hit In Head By Propeller

OCEAN CITY — A 30th birthday celebration on the water took a decided turn for the worse on Monday when a Sykesville man jumped off the bow of a rented pontoon boat while the vessel was in motion and was struck in the head, neck and shoulder by the propeller.

Around 5:10 p.m. on Monday, John Scott Hauf, 26, was on a rented pontoon boat with six other friends celebrating a 30th birthday party when he jumped off the front of the vessel while it was in motion in the Isle of Wight Bay in the area of 32nd Street. The pontoon boat ran over Hauf and he was struck by the propeller, causing severe lacerations to his left shoulder, neck and the back of his head.

Hauf’s friends were able to pull him from the water and administered First-Aid until they were able to get the vessel to port at nearby Bahia Marina. Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) and the Coast Guard responded along with Ocean City Emergency Services, which transported the victim to PRMC in Salisbury in critical condition.
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Building fire Ocean City: UPDATE

Ocean City fire has just been alerted for a structure fire.

UPDATE: Fire was confirmed at The Plaza in ocean city in the trash compactor, pushing heavy smoke into the hall ways. A tossed lit cigarette in the chute is to blame. Command quickly placed situation under control with all units returning within an hour.

Arizona professor's jaywalking arrest gets out of hand

(CNN) -- A jaywalking rarely makes national news, but the arrest of Arizona professor Ersula Ore has done just that.

What began as a walk home from classes at Arizona State University ended with police charging the professor with assault.

The English professor was walking in the middle of a Tempe, Arizona, street one evening last month when a campus police officer stopped her. The incident escalated, and she was handcuffed and landed on the pavement.

Appearing Monday on CNN's "New Day," Ore was asked about her own words and actions in the incident and replied, "I think I did what I was supposed to do. I was respectful. I asked for clarification. I asked to be treated with respect, and that was it."

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BREAKING NEWS: US knocked out of World Cup

Belgium defeats the US 2-1 in a match that went into extra time, knocking the Americans out of the 2014 World Cup.

Safety First on the Fourth of July

(July 1, 2014) – The Ocean City Fire Department would like to remind the visitors and citizens of the danger involved with consumer fireworks as the July 4th holiday approaches. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that in 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 1,200 structure fires and 400 vehicle fires.  These fires caused an estimated 40 civilian injuries and $32 million in direct property damage.  On average, close to 9,000 people each year are treated for fireworks related injuries.

“On Independence Day in a typical year, fireworks account for two out of five of all reported fires, which is more than any other cause of fire,” said Ocean City Fire Marshal David Hartley.  “In addition to causing damage, fireworks can cause injuries and we want people to be safe during their holiday stay in Ocean City. The safety and wellbeing of all residents and visitors of the Town of Ocean City is the primary goal of the Ocean City Fire Department.”

Although the State of Maryland has approved the use of ground-based sparkling devices such as cylindrical and cone fountains, these are not legal to use or possess in Ocean City. All other fireworks that may be sold in neighboring states are not legal for use by the general public anywhere in Maryland. 

Within the Town of Ocean City, products such as handheld Gold labeled sparklers, “Snap-N-Pops”, “Black Cobra Snakes”, and “Party Poppers” are allowed to be used and possessed without a license.  However, injuries and property damage may still occur from these types of products, so parental supervision is always encouraged. 

Maryland law prohibits the shipping or transportation of fireworks into the state if the fireworks are to be possessed, used, sold, or distributed by citizens of Maryland.  Illegal fireworks found are subject to seizure by law enforcement authorities, and persons found in possession of illegal fireworks with the intent to use them run the risk of both criminal charges and the confiscation of the fireworks.  Fines for possession of illegal fireworks may be as much as $250, and those found selling or distributing illegal fireworks may be fined as much as $1000. 

Anyone with questions pertaining to fireworks should contact the Ocean City Fire Department, Office of the Fire Marshal at 410-289-8780.

Lawsuit: Former Benjamin Moore Worker Claims Certain Paint Names Are “Racially Offensive”

While in some cases it might be pretty cool to have a paint color named after you, an African-American former worker for Benjamin Moore claims in a new lawsuit that the company fired him after he complained about paint colors that seemed to be named after him.

The New Jersey man says in the suit that Benjamin Moore had “despicable and racially insulting paint colors” that in two cases, paired his first and last names separately with “brown” and “chocolate,” reports Courthouse News (viaNewJersey.com)

So for example, if his name is Joe Smith, the names were Joe Brown and Smith Chocolate — but his name is not as common as that.

He claims in the lawsuit that when he started working at the company in June 2011 in its Digital Marketing department, “it was clear to the plaintiff that he was not part of the traditional culture” of the company.

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U.N. To Intervene In Detroit Water Shutoffs

UNITED NATIONS – Watch out, Detroit. Here comes the United Nations.

WND has learned that after issuing a statement last week condemning Detroit’s decision to send water shut-off notices to tens of thousands of customers behind in their payments, the U.N now plans to conduct confidential policy discussions with the Obama administration to be followed by a formal public report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

On Monday, the U.N. Human Rights Council’s office in Geneva confirmed to WND that the U.N. plans to intervene directly in the Detroit water crisis, determined to apply international law to judge the U.S. in violation of human rights to safe water.

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, DWSD, announced in March it would send shut-off notices to customers with balances more than $150 overdue or who are more than two months behind in their payments. The department, which said nearly half of the 324,000 water and sewerage accounts are overdue, has put out 46,000 notices since March. About 4,500 accounts have had their water shut off.
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2016 Poll: Hillary Clinton drops below 50% for first time, 'lackluster' book rollout blamed

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's fumbles and bumbles in the rollout of her latest memoir, Hard Choices, has knocked the wind out if her easy sail to the White House and put her support in key 2016 presidential electionmatchups below 50 percent for the first time.

At a time when she should be padding her lead over the top Republican contenders, her underwhelming effort has cut her numbers, said pollster John Zogby.

In his latest Zogby Analytics survey taken June 27-29, for example, her commanding leads over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have shrunk greatly, and she doesn't even receive 50 percent of the vote. Worse, her support among married and wealthy voters has plummeted.

Zogby told Secrets, “Even more than her dwindling leads over GOP contenders is that while she is pretty much running against herself, in a very high-profile book tour, she is losing ground. Her biggest problem, I have always felt, is the inevitability factor. It help do her in in 2007-2008 and right now looks to be her major nemesis. She has this whole playing field to herself and is declining in the polls.”

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Dems Put Court In Their '14 Cross Hairs After Contraception Ruling

Democrats are putting the Supreme Court in their cross hairs, using its decision against ObamaCare’s contraception mandate to rally their base ahead of the midterm elections.

Within hours of the high court’s decision that closely held companies cannot be compelled to offer contraception coverage as part of their employee health plans, Democrats were trying to raise cash and rally voters to their side.

Strategists said the issue of women’s reproductive health could play well in elections across the country, helping the party in contests that could largely be won and lost on turnout.
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NOAA Reinstates July 1936 As Hottest Month On Record

July 2012 became the hottest month on record in the U.S. during a summer that was declared “too hot to handle” by NASA scientists. That summer more than half the country was experiencing drought and wildfires had scorched more than 1.3 million acres of land, according to NASA.

According to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in 2012, the “average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during July was 77.6°F, 3.3°F above the 20th century average, marking the warmest July and all-time warmest month on record for the nation in a period of record that dates back to 1895.”

“The previous warmest July for the nation was July 1936, when the average U.S. temperature was 77.4°F,” NOAA said in 2012.

This statement by NOAA was still available on their website when checked by The Daily Caller News Foundation. But when meteorologist and climate blogger Anthony Watts went to check the NOAA data on Sunday he found that the science agency had quietly reinstated July 1936 as the hottest month on record in the U.S.

“Two years ago during the scorching summer of 2012, July 1936 lost its place on the leaderboard and July 2012 became the hottest month on record in the United States,” Watts wrote. “Now, as if by magic, and according to NOAA’s own data, July 1936 is now the hottest month on record again. The past, present, and future all seems to be ‘adjustable’ in NOAA’s world.”

Watts had data from NOAA’s “Climate at a Glance” plots from 2012, which shows that July 2012 was the hottest month on record at 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit. July 1936 is only at 77.4 degrees Fahrenheit. [Annotations in the graph are from Watts].

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BREAKING NEWS: FTC accuses T-Mobile of improper billing

The Federal Trade Commission accuses T-Mobile of knowingly billing customers for hundreds of millions of dollars in bogus charges.

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Celebrate Independence Day By Opposing Government Tyranny

This week Americans will enjoy Independence Day with family cookouts and fireworks. Flags will be displayed in abundance. Sadly, however, what should be a celebration of the courage of those who risked so much to oppose tyranny will instead be turned into a celebration of government, not liberty. The mainstream media and opportunistic politicians have turned Independence Day into the opposite of what was intended.

The idea of opposing — by force if necessary — a tyrannical government has been turned into a celebration of tyrannical government itself!

The evidence is all around us.

How would the signers of the Declaration of Independence have viewed, for example, the Obama Administration's "drone memo," finally released last week, which claims to justify the president's killing American citizens without charge, judge, jury, or oversight? Is this not a tyranny similar to that which our Founders opposed? And was such power concentrated in one branch of government not what inspired the rebellion against the English king in the first place?

The "drone memo," released after an ACLU freedom of information request, purports to establish the president alone as the arbiter of who is or is not a terrorist subject to execution by the US government. There is no due process involved, just the determination of the president. Thus far the only American citizens killed by the president are Anwar al-Awlaki and his teenaged son, but the precedent has been established, according to the memo, that the president has the authority to kill Americans he believes are terrorists.

Even the New York Times, which generally backs whatever US administration is in power, is troubled by the White House's legal justification to claim the authority to kill Americans. A Times editorial last week concluded that:

...the memo turns out to be a slapdash pastiche of legal theories — some based on obscure interpretations of British and Israeli law — that was clearly tailored to the desired result.

I agree with the New York Times's conclusion that, "[t]his memo should never have taken so long to be released, and more documents must be made public. The public is still in the dark on too many vital questions."

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7 Summertime Treats That Could Hurt Your Dog


Barney Fife Meets Delta Force

Hypermilitarized police departments are more dangerous than whatever they fight.

Nestled awkwardly among the usual guff, the outrage website Salon this week took a welcome flyer and accorded space to something genuinely alarming. “A SWAT team,” the headline screamed, “blew a hole in my 2-year-old son.” For once, this wasn’t hyperbole.

The piece’s author, Alecia Phonesavanh, described what it felt like to be on the business end of an attack that was launched in error by police who believed a drug dealer to be living and operating in her house. They “threw a flashbang grenade inside,” she reported. It “landed in my son’s crib.” Now, her son is “covered in burns” and has “a hole in his chest that exposes his ribs.” So badly injured was he by the raid that he was “placed into a medically induced coma.” “They searched for drugs,” Phonesavanh confirmed, but they “never found any.” Nor, for that matter, did they find the person they were looking for. He doesn’t live there. “All of this,” she asks, “to find a small amount of drugs?”

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SFD Calls For Service 6-30-14

  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 23:11 Nature: Medical Emergency City:Salisbury
  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 21:48 Nature: Medical Emergency City:Salisbury
  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 21:25 Nature: Vehicle Accident w/Injuries Address: 2403 N Salisbury Blvd Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 20:55Nature: Medical Emergency City:Salisbury
  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 20:10Nature: Medical Emergency City:Salisbury
  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 18:38 Nature: Vehicle Accident w/Injuries Address: Waverly Dr & Newton St Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Monday June, 30 2014 @ 17:44Nature: Assist Fire Department Address: 405 Keene Ave Salisbury, MD 21801 

FOR LEASE - The Best Office Deal on Rt. 13!

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THE MEMO: TO JUSTIFY THE KILLING OF AMERICAN CITIZENS OVERSEAS RELEASED! LIBERTARIANS WERE RIGHT!

The memo from the Whitehouse that was used to justify the killing of any American Citizen with a drone was released. Libertarians can rest assured their concerns were not only just but were confirmed. The Obama admin did their best to keep the Memo a secret. There are not any checks and balances, no classified courts. The president of United States ordered the killing of U.S. Citizens overseas in violation of their constitutional rights. 5th Amendment states and Individual has a right to due process which was completely violated. Also the Whitehouse made their Kill list with no oversight.
It is illegal to murder a U.S. citizen abroad Under federal statues, however those seem to have been overlooked or disregarded.

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4 Ways that Mass Surveillance Destroys the Economy

Privacy is a prerequisite for a prosperous economy. Even the White House admits:

People must have confidence that data will travel to its destination without disruption. Assuring the free flow of information, the security and privacy of data, and the integrity of the interconnected networks themselves are all essential to American and global economic prosperity, security, and the promotion of universal rights.

Here are four ways mass surveillance hurts our economy ...
1. Creativity – A Prime Driver of Prosperity – Requires Privacy

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada – Ann Cavoukian, Ph.D. – noted last month:

Privacy is Essential to … Prosperity and Well-Being

• Innovation, creativity and the resultant prosperity of a society requires freedom;

• Privacy is the essence of freedom: Without privacy, individual human rights, property rights and civil liberties – the conceptual engines of innovation and creativity, could not exist in a meaningful manner;

• Surveillance is the antithesis of privacy: A negative consequence of surveillance is the usurpation of a person’s limited cognitive bandwidth, away from innovation and creativity.

The Financial Post reported in February: “Big Brother culture will have adverse effect on creativity, productivity“.

Christopher Lingle – visiting professor of economics at ESEADE, Universidad Francisco Marroquín – agrees that creativity is a key to economic prosperity.

Edward Snowden said last year:

The success of economies in developed nations relies increasingly on their creative output, and if that success is to continue we must remember that creativity is the product of curiosity, which in turn is the product of privacy.

Silicon Valley is currently one of the largest drivers of the U.S. economy. Do you think Bill Gates and Steve Jobs could have tinkered so creatively in their garages if the government had been watching everything they do?

Everyone who has every done anything creative knows that you need a little privacy to try different things before you’re ready to go public with it. If your bench model, rough sketch or initial melody is being dissected in real time by an intrusive audience … you’re not going to be very creative.

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SPD Press Release 7-1-14 (Wanted For Rape)


Top NSA Officials: U.S. Has Turned Into Stasi Germany or Soviet Union

What the Heck Happened to America?

Senior NSA executive Thomas Drake is an expert on spying in Stasi Germany … having studied it for years.

Drake told Washington’s Blog that the U.S. has adopted the Stasi model:

“Collect it all, know it all” [the NSA's model] is actually the Stasi model. It’s not just know everything; we have to be able to keep everything that we want to know, even if we don’t know it yet.

It’s a collect it all first mentality … and then we’ll get to know it all. I call it “feeding the beast”.


I keep shuddering because I’m intimately familiar with the East German surveillance state mentality.

A lieutenant colonel for the Stasi East German’s – based upon his experience – agrees. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel – who grew up in Stasi Germany – says the NSA is exactly the same. Top American constitutional experts also say that the Obama and Bush administration are worse than theStasi East Germans.

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Michael Jackson on Beer Bottles

Obama: I Will Bypass Congress To Fix Immigration

President Obama began Monday by promising a get-tough approach to illegal immigration at the border and ended it by vowing to reduce enforcement in the interior, signaling a major shift in his policies as he conceded Congress is unlikely to pass a broad legalization bill this year.

Saying he is ready to act unilaterally given the deadlock on Capitol Hill, Mr. Obama plans to shift agents from the interior, where they are responsible for deporting illegal immigrants, to the border to process the surge of children and families trying to gain entry to the U.S.

Mr. Obama also said he will take more action by the end of the summer to try to halt even more deportations from the interior once he gets final recommendations from his attorney general and homeland security chief.

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SPD Press Release 7-1-14 (Stabbing Incident Arrest)

 

5 Things Obama Has Whined About in His Sad, Sad Life as President

On Friday, President Obama spent a good chunk of his public speech in Minneapolis complaining about how tough it is to be President Obama. “They don’t do anything except block me!” he complained of the Republican House of Representatives, as though it were the job of Congress to rubber stamp the Great Monarch’s imperial dictates. “And, and, and call me names!”

The most powerful man on earth is a petulant whiner.

But this isn’t the first time he’s had a crying jag over his sad, sad life. Get out your tiny violins.

Whining About The Press. Here’s Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, channeling Richard Sherman:
Sometimes I feel disrespected by you reporters, but that’s okay…Jake Tapper, don’t you ever talk about me like that. I’m the best president in the game!

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Lost Dog 7-1-14 UPDATE: Thanks Joe..as usual sbynews comes through. Chloe is home. Thanks.

Chloe was last seen at 2:30pm yesterday on Riverton Rd in Mardela springs. She's a lover but shy yorkie shitzu .my lil girls are very upset.please call Joe at 443 365 5701 if you see or have her.

"What Do You Want For Free?"

Why shouldn’t the rich pay more taxes?

There are not enough billionaires to pay the bill for everyone else. Job growth since 1948 in government reached 310% in 2009 compared to 170% in non-farm private jobs. Male job growth has increased only 65% since 1948 on par with population growth while female job growth has increased about 135%. Women won the right to work, but lost the right to stay home.

The problem is NOT that the rich do not pay enough, it is that government takes too much from the economy as a whole. You can listen to the propaganda all you want and believe they will only target the rich. But they ALWAYS go after everyone. There are videos of IRS agents dragging pregnant women out of their cars leaving them on the streets and confiscating the cars. The latest is taking your money claiming some family member owed them money.

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Gallup: ALL branches of government hit record low approval ratings

Americans are sick of government... PERIOD

A fresh Gallup poll today highlights the fact that Americans are at their wits’ end with government, all three branches of government.

Confidence in the Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidency has hit record lows.

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UPDATE: Authorities determine 4 men not connected to homicide

WICHITA, Kan. — Authorities say they have released four men who were originally thought to be suspects in a California homicide.

It began Monday morning, when police in Windsor, California notified the Kansas Highway Patrol that they had pinged the cell phone of a suspect wanted in connection to a murder that happened just over a week ago.

At 10 a.m., it indicated the phone was on I-70 in Kansas. A ping again at 11 a.m. showed the phone close to Highway 50 near Newton.

Troopers and other law enforcement officers began searching the general area and soon located the suspects' vehicle.

They followed the car to Wichita, and pulled it over near 21st and Hillside around 11:20 a.m. with the assistance of Park City Police, Wichita Police and the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office. Four people in the car were taken into custody.

After an investigation, it was determined that the men were not suspects. However, sources in California tell us that one of the men in the car is an associate of those who attended a birthday party where a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot in the chest.

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O'Malley-Brown Gas Tax Hike - Round 2 - Prices at the pump go up again today

Today’s stealth tax increase designed to shield politicians from election year backlash

Annapolis, MD – July 1 -
Just as Maryland families are preparing to head off on a well-deserved Independence Day weekend, already high gas prices clicked up again today as the next round of the O’Malley-Brown administration’s gas taxes go into effect. Today’s increase falls on the one year anniversary of the largest increase in gas taxes in state history. Tied to the rate of inflation, this stealth tax hike brings the Maryland gas tax to more than 27 cents per gallon while shielding tax-and-spend politicians from a risky election year vote.

According to Republican gubernatorial nominee Larry Hogan, “Whether a cents-per-gallon tax increase or inflation-indexed hikes designed to insulate politicians from voting for higher gas taxes, the effect is the same: A regressive tax on struggling Marylanders and employers while Annapolis spending goes unchecked.”

Maryland’s price per gallon is dramatically higher than in Virginia which cut gasoline taxes and where pump prices are the fifth lowest in the nation. In fact, even the District of Columbia now has lower gas taxes than does Maryland.

Hogan said, “The O’Malley-Brown administration told us their massive gas tax hike was necessary to create jobs and fund transportation projects through the Transportation Trust Fund. Yet job creation remains stalled and long-overdue road repairs languish. And while they were taking more out of our pockets at the pump to fund the Transportation Trust Fund, they were simultaneously siphoning $861 out of it to pay for their pet projects,” said Hogan. Maryland law stipulates that gas taxes are to fund the Transportation Trust Fund and are not to be commingled with general revenue funds.

“There was absolutely no reason for Martin O’Malley and Anthony Brown to raid our Transportation Trust Fund. In fact, prior to their $861 million heist, Maryland received $771 million in federal stimulus funding, which like the Transportation Trust Fund, was primarily earmarked for “shovel ready” infrastructure projects. The incredible end result of this administration’s reckless spending and mismanagement was that instead of having a total of $1.6 billion in the bank to make vital repairs and upgrades to our roads and bridges, they spent the stimulus dollars and gas tax dollars elsewhere. It’s time to roll back the O’Malley-Brown gas tax hikes and spend our infrastructure funds where they belong on roads and bridges.

Md. To Review Bargaining With Home-Care Workers

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Maryland's governor says the state will review its collective bargaining arrangement for home-care workers after a Supreme Court ruling on those workers and union costs.

The court ruled 5-4 on Monday that thousands of home health care workers in Illinois cannot be required to pay fees that help cover a union's costs of collective bargaining.

Maryland is one of at least nine other states that have allowed home care workers to join unions.

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U.S. top court rules against public unions over in-home care workers

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court dealt unions a setback Monday by ruling that state-paid, in-home care workers in Illinois cannot be compelled to pay union dues, but stopped short of blocking organized labor from collecting such fees from other public employees.

In a narrowly crafted 5-4 ruling written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the court said plaintiff Pamela Harris and others who provide in-home care for family members and others with disabilities are "partial" or "quasi" public employees and cannot be forced to financially support a public employees union. The court's four liberal justices dissented.

The court did not, as the plaintiffs asked and unions feared, overturn its 1977 decision in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. In that case, the high court affirmed that collective bargaining agreements can require public-sector employees to pay the portion of union dues not spent on political activities.

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Black Democrats Tell Thad Cochran: We Own You Now

Nothing in life is free. And now that Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) was able to narrowly beat his Tea Party rival, due to thousands of black Democrats who crossed party lines to vote in the GOP primary runoff, his new constituency is looking to cash in on their influence.

In their minds, Cochran, who is in line to chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee if Republicans take back the Senate, is now a part of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)--and should vote like a CBC member.

According to Politico, "Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are talking about what they want Cochran to do" if he gets re-elected for another six-year term. Their wishlist includes "maintaining funding for food stamps, beefing up programs that help poor blacks in Mississippi and even supporting the Voting Rights Act."

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Georgia to Allow Guns in Bars, Restaurants, Churches

A Georgia law takes effect Tuesday that will allow gun-permit holders the right to carry weapons in restaurants, bars, and houses of worship unless otherwise forbidden by proprietors, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The law passed by the Georgia Legislature in April, which would also allow guns in unrestricted areas of airports and government buildings, schools, colleges, libraries, and other areas where people congregate, has been welcomed by gun rights activists, but those with the authority to decide say they face a dilemma.

TBonz Steakhouse in Augusta, Georgia, has prohibited firearms. Manager Suzanne Sinisgalli-Diaz told the Journal, "We didn't want you to come in, get drunk, and shoot up the place." Liability concerns have also figured into establishments' decisions to ban guns.

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Brew River


Study Shows Range Of Views About Redskins' Name Change

WASHINGTON -- A majority of adults in the region say they feel the Washington Redskins should not change the team name, according to new poll results. However, a majority also believe the name will change -- regardless of their personal views.

The WTOP Beltway Poll took the pulse of the area shortly after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled the Redskins' trademark registration.

Among the 604 adults reached by phone, 61 percent supported keeping the Redskins name. The poll was taken June 20-26.

Significantly, geographic lines pitted those in the suburbs against those living in the District.

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History Test

1. In the 1940s, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?

a. On the floor shift knob.

b.. On the floor board, to the left of the clutch.

c. Next to the horn.

2. The bottletop on a Royal Crown Cola bottle had holes in it ; what was it for ?

a. Capture lightning bugs.

b. To sprinkle clothes before ironing.

c. Large salt shaker.

3.. Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?

a. Cows got cold and wouldn't produce milk.

b. Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled d.

c. Milkmen left deliveries outside of front doors and milk would freeze, expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.

4. What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?

a. Blackjack

b. Gin

c. Craps

Gun Confiscation / Home Invasion Authorization Bill Advances in California

The Tax You're Not Hearing About

by Delegate Mike McDermott

As we prepare to celebrate our Independence from British tyranny and unrestrained taxation this week, it is disturbing that Marylanders now face an automatic, annual Gas Tax increase every July 1st from here on out. Our state has become so progressive that we no longer require any legislation to increase taxes on our people. The liberals have placed our taxing authority on autopilot.

This year the rate will continue to rise. The tax was set at 3.5 cents per gallon effective July 1, 2013. This tax was also indexed to inflation, which accounts for the increase effective tomorrow. The tax will increase by another 3.5 cents on January 1, 2015. Additional increases will also occur well into the future. This constitutes a fuel tax increase of 33%, and it comes at a time when the cost at the pump continues to rise.

To give you an idea of how devastating this taxing approach will have on Marylanders, consider that the cost of gasoline would be over $10.00 a gallon right now in Maryland if this tax had been implemented back in the 90’s. This does not bode well for our economic future.

William Paca, Samuel Chase, Thomas Stone, and Charles Carroll must be rolling over in their graves! These Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence would be appalled that a government created “of the people, by the people, and for the people” would take such a cavalier approach to their taxing authority. The crown looks timid by comparison.

Have you heard anything about this tax increase in the local media? Not a word. Google “Maryland Fuel Tax” and you will see articles from July of 2013 when the first tax increase was felt at the pump. Hence the problem with a perennial tax:

It often goes unnoticed by the public;

It is easily dismissed by politicians who take no responsibility since it is “automatic”;

It lacks the accountability of legislative process where taxes can be debated, deliberated, and carefully vetted prior to enactment; and,

It will never end unless significant legislative action is taken.

Pennies and small percentages do not sound like much until you consider their multiplied effect on our economy and your family wallet. After all, every penny the government takes is coming directly out of our local economy. When the folks have less money to spend, the loss is felt in every sector.

When fuel prices rise, transportation costs increase. The vast majority of goods on the Eastern Shore come via truck, and the added costs are borne by the consumer. A rising tide floats all boats much like an increased fuel tax is felt in every wallet.

State budgets that increase spending beyond revenues must be fed. Under the current leadership in Maryland, government needs come first. This was never the view of the Founding Fathers.

Our prosperity as a state is tied to the success of a private sector that has been lashed and bound to an anchor. It is high time we raised the anchor and loosed the citizens of this state!

Willards Fireworks

The Wicomico Eastside Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 7th annual fireworks at Willard's school on Thursday July 3rd. Festivities will kick of at 5. We will have activities for all ages.

Caption This Photo 7-1-14


Delaware Legislation Targets Drunken Driving

DOVER, Del. — State lawmakers have given final passage to a bill requiring all people convicted of drunken driving in Delaware to have ignition interlock devices installed on vehicles they drive.

The Senate passed the measure on a 20-to-1 vote Monday on the final day of the legislative session. The legislation now goes to Gov. Jack Markell for his signature.

Currently, interlock devices are required only for first offenders arrested with a blood-alcohol concentration of .15 or higher or who refuse to take a chemical test, and for repeat drunken drivers.

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The Harbinger

Harbinger
"The Harbinger: the Ancient Mystery that holds the secret of America's Future". The Harbinger are so precise that they foretell recent American events down to the exact days…
Faith Baptist Church, 519 S. Main, Berlin will be showing this documentary on July 6th at 7:00 pm

33 Graduate from 43rd Trooper Youth Week Program

Location:
Delaware State Police Training Academy Headquarters Complex, 1453 North DuPont Highway, Dover, DE

DATE and TIME:
Friday June 27, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.

Graduating Cadet Class 2014:

Allston, Erin St. Elizabeth’s HS
Aponte, Diego Middletown HS
Badger, John W Milford HS
Daddio, Tara J Caesar Rodney HS
deBloois, Derek Caesar Rodney HS
Demarco, Joseph Salesianum
DiMascio, Sabatino J DAPSS Charter HS
Donovan, Anthony St. Georges Vo-Tech
Estep, Ryan C Carson Long Military Academy (PA)
Flores, Rigoberto Dover HS
Foraker, Darren Middletown HS
Javillo, Paolo M DAPSS Charter HS
Kelley, Savannah Polytech HS
Kennedy, Derrick S Salesianum HS
Krager, Emmett Sussex Central HS
Matsko, Patrick Caesar Rodney
Matt, Christopher R St. Mark’s High School
McKinney, Taylor Concord HS
Mercado, Dylan Newark HS
Miller, Rackeem John Dickinson HS
Moser, Garret Salesianum HS
Pulliam, Nisa Concord HS
Rains, Austin Polytech HS
Reinhold, Josh Hodgson Vo-Tech HS
Richards, Daniele Polytech HS
Richardson, Thaliya DAPSS Charter HS
Ritchie, Logan Mount Pleasant HS
Roos, Robert Caesar Rodney
Seefried, Aidan Delaware Military Academy
Sudler, Andrew Caesar Rodney HS
Washington, Lamont Delaware Military Academy
Wideman, Shakira Y DAPSS Charter HS
Wolfe, Joseph Appoquinimink HS

Awards for Trooper Youth Week 2014

Obama says he will bypass Congress and use executive action to enact some immigration reforms

President Obama says he will bypass Congress and use executive action to enact some immigration reforms and address illegal-immigration crisis at the Mexican border.

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Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release 7-1-14

On June 23, 2014, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were dispatched to Frontier Town Berlin, Md. in reference to an assault in progress.

Witnesses stated that a couple in a nearby campsite had been arguing which escalated into a physical altercation. Witnesses also stated that a young child could be heard crying at the campsite.

The investigation revealed that Mr. Rodney Edward Scott, 44, of Harrisburg Pa had been involved in a domestic assault. Deputies observed that the Victim had bloody lip, red marks around her throat, and a burn to her left leg.

Mr. Scott was placed under arrest and charged with assault. He was taken to the District Court Commissioner, where he was released pending trial at a later date.

On 06/27/2014, at approximately 8:02 pm, Worcester County Sheriff's Office Deputies stopped a vehicle in the area of Golf Course Road and Sunset Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland after observing the operator utilizing a telephone while the vehicle was in motion. Deputies identified the operator as Peter J. Monti, W/M, age 27, of Florida and noted him to be extremely nervous. Deputies detected the odor of suspected marijuana emanating from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. During a search of the vehicle a loaded .380 Colt semi automatic handgun, hashish oil, and drug paraphernalia were located. The handgun was reported stolen in Florida.

Mr. Monti was charged with possession of the stolen handgun. Mr. Monti was also charged with two counts of marijuana less than 10 grams, and three counts of drug paraphernalia. Mr. Monti was later released on his personal recognizance pending his court appearance.

On June 27, 2014, at approximately 2200 hours, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was on bike patrol on N. Division St. and Atlantic Ave, in Ocean City when he observed Harrison Cropper Brennan, 18, Salisbury Md. who appeared to be intoxicated. The Deputy noticed Mr. Brennan stumbled while he walked. Mr. Brennan was also observed walking into the wall of a building and stumbling into several bystanders.

The Deputy made contact with the Mr. Brennan. While speaking with Mr. Brennan, he became argumentative and began speaking loudly causing bystanders to stop and turn their attention to him. Mr. Brennan was placed under arrest for disorderly conduct and is awaiting trial.

On June 28, 2014, at approximately 1331 hours, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, stopped a vehicle for 75 in a posted 55 M.P.H. zone in the area of mile marker 11 of Worcester Highway near Snow Hill Md.

The Deputy identified the operator as Robert Dion Beverly, 36, of Capital Heights, Maryland, and front passenger, Lakisha Devonne Byrd, 36, of Capitol Heights, Maryland. Mr. Beverly was issued a citation for the speed. A search of the vehicle produced marijuana and paraphernalia. Mr. Beverly was placed under arrest for possession of Marijuana less than 10 grams. Ms. Byrd was placed under arrest for possession of Marijuana less than 10 grams and possession of CDS paraphernalia. Mr. Beverly and Ms. Byrd were released pending trial.

Heavy Drinking Kills 10% Of Working Adults

Excessive alcohol consumption remains a leading cause of premature death in the United States, responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers used the CDC's Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) online application to estimate total number of deaths that were attributable to alcohol among U.S. adults ages 20 to 64, from 2006 through 2010. They also examined years of potential life lost across the U.S. by gender and age.

Excessive alcohol use led to nearly 88,000 deaths per year over the study period, and shortened the lives of those who died by about 30 years on average, said study researcher Dafna Kanny of the CDC. "In total, there were 2.5 million years of potential life lost each year due to excessive alcohol use," she said.

The number of alcohol-related deaths have increased by around 12,000 since 2004, the year a previous CDC study was conducted, Kanny said. [7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health]

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