Harrington Teen Arrested for Murder

Harrington, DE – Detectives with the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit have arrested a 17-year-old teen in connection with the death of his father.

The investigation began at approximately 9:45 a.m., Thursday December 11, 2014 when officers from Harrington Police Department, assisting troopers, responded to 4822 Park Brown Road for a report of a check on the well-being.  A Harrington officer was the first to arrive on-scene and was contacted by two co-workers of an adult male who lives at the house.  The co-workers were concerned about the 41-year-old male resident who hadn't shown up for work in the past couple of days.  When they initially arrived at the house, the two made contact with the man's teenage son who claimed he may have killed his father.  After placing the 17-year-old in custody, the officer made entry into the house, along with Kent County Paramedics and located the 41-year-old victim deceased in a bedroom from an undetermined wound to the upper torso.

Todd E. Ramsey, 41, was pronounce dead at the scene by county paramedics and was later removed by the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security Division of Forensic Science who will perform an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

Seth H. Ramsey, 17, was transported to Troop 3 near Camden where he was charged with Murder 1st and Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony.  He was then transported to Stevenson Detention House in Milford where he is being held without bail.

Detectives continue their investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding this incident.  No motive has been established.

16 Facts About Al Sharpton the Media Won't Tell You

The Rev. Al Sharpton has been praised as a civil rights icon by prominent figures in politics, and "60 Minutes" reported that he has become President Barack Obama's "go-to black leader."

Sharpton has been frequently in the media for leading protests against grand jury decisions exonerating white policemen in the deaths of unarmed African-Americans in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten Island, New York.

But many in the mainstream media have sought to downplay the negatives surrounding the firebrand minister, who has been accused of being a rabble-rouser out for personal gain, including:

1. When Sharpton sought involvement in the funeral of Akai Gurley, an African-American shot dead in November by a rookie police officer in the darkened stairwell of a housing project in Brooklyn, New York, Gurley's family told him to stay away.

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Gay Rights Activists Outraged Over Billboard’s Message About Homosexuality and Genetics

A controversial billboard proclaiming that “nobody is born gay” has sparked a great deal of controversy in Richmond, Virginia, where it was recently put on display.

Paid for by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays — an organization aimed at helping so-called “ex-gays” gain acceptance — the ad features a picture of male twins and reads, “Identical twins. One gay. One not. We believe twins research studies show nobody is born gay.”

While the billboard is offending local gay and lesbian advocates, Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, believes that critics aren’t looking at the facts, specifically when it comes to analyzing how same-sex attraction pertains to twins.

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What’s in the spending bill? We skim it so you don’t have to

The $1.01 trillion spending bill unveiled late Tuesday will keep most of the federal government funded through next September -- and it's packed with hundreds of policy instructions, known on Capitol Hill as "riders," that will upset or excite Democrats, Republicans and various special interest groups.

So, what's in the bill? We've sifted through the legislation, consulted supporting documents from Democratic and Republican aides, and called out some of the more notable and controversial elements below. (If you want to review detailed reports on all 12 parts of the spending bill, click here.)

Please note: This is a fluid report that will be updated to add more detail or correct errors. What notable changes did we miss? What notable changes did you spot? Contact us or share details in the comments section below:

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A somber Prince William and Kate pay tribute to victims at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City as they brave the gloomy weather

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were left 'in awe' today of the emotional impact of the memorial to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

As they toured the museum that stands next to the site of the World Trade Center where nearly 3,000 people died on September 11 2001, the duchess said she did not anticipate how moving it would be.

She said she was particularly affected by being able to touch the names of the victims inscribed around the edge of the two memorial pools that stand where the twin towers used to be.

The couple were given a tour of the museum where they wrote their electronic signatures next to a twisted piece of steel recovered from the wreckage of the twin towers.

Allison Blais, the museum’s chief of staff, said: 'She talked about how in awe she was of enormity of the space. It was something she did not anticipate. She also talked about how moving the memorial was, and being able to touch the names of the victims outside on the pools.'

Joe Daniels, the museums’s chief executive and president, said: 'You could see it really in both their eyes, the sort of care and curiosity they had for the story of what happened and the people who died that day.'

He said that one of the most moving parts of the visit came when they visited the In Memoriam room, where photographs of nearly all of the victims line the walls. As the couple gazed at the pictures of the dead, outside recorded voices intoned the names of their friends and loved ones: 'My beloved husband… my best friend… my beloved daughter.'

Mr Daniels said: 'Just looking at the faces – of the old, the young, every race, every color - they were struck by the breadth and the scale of the loss we suffered that day.'

In an inner room they heard the oral history of one of the victims, John Katsimatides, in which his sister spoke of his love of dancing and how much he loved life.

'They seemed quite struck by that,' said Mr Daniels.

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Survey: Primary Care Doctor Shortage Result Of ACA

A shortage of primary care doctors has emerged as thousands of people gained insurance through the Affordable Care Act, according to a new survey.

When Olivia Papa signed up for a new health plan last year, her insurance company assigned her to a primary care doctor. The relatively healthy 61-year-old didn’t try to see the doctor until last month, when she and her husband both needed authorization to see separate specialists.

She called the doctor’s office several times without luck.

“They told me that they were not on the plan, they were never on the plan and they’d been trying to get their name off the plan all year,” said Papa, who recently bought a plan from a different insurance company.

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Consumer Reports: 6 cars, SUVs that owners hate most

Consumer Reports magazine has named its three cars and crossover SUVs that irritate their owners the most -- the worst for owner satisfaction. Of the six, only one comes from a Detroit automaker.

Three come from a single maker -- Nissan.

Among cars, the Nissan Sentra, Kia Rio and Nissan Versa were so bad that fewer than half of owners surveyed by the consumer magazine said they would buy them again. Among SUV, only one fell below the 50% mark -- Chrysler's Jeep Compass. But the other two SUVs on the "worst" list, Nissan Pathfinder and Hyundai Tucson, didn't fare much better, with only slightly more than half of the owners say they'd be willing to plunk down cold-hard cash to buy again.

The annual survey covers 350,000 vehicles from a year to three years old, Consumer Reports says in its January issue. The survey isn't necessarily about reliability. Owners were happy when their cars met fuel consumption expectations. They also took into account the styling, cargo space, features, repair costs and driving dynamics.

Of the six biggest dogs in the survey, only the Jeep comes from a Detroit maker.

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Millsboro first responder hears fire call for her own home

Millsboro Fire Co. employee Amber Bare has made a career helping others as an emergency medical technician.

On Nov. 18, she learned first-hand what it was like to be on the receiving end.

Bare was working the night shift at the fire station, and she and her family were ready for a crockpot dinner when a fire call came over the radio announcing a familiar address: her own.

“It's not very nice to hear your address come over the radio,” Bare said.

Flames were coming out of the one-story home on Sussex Alley when firefighters arrived, according to the Millsboro Fire Co. website. Firefighters took about 30 minutes to bring the fire under control.

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Citi Pays $3.5 Billion To Keep Its Employees Out Of Jail For Yet Another Quarter

Moments after Bank of America reported at today's Goldman financial conference that its Q4 trading revenues would be down both Q/Q and Y/Y, it was Citi's turn to warn that the current quarter will be the latest disaster in a long series of revenue disasters, with Q4 revenue said to drop 5% from a year ago, however, despite the drop, Citi would still see a "marginally profitable" quarter. Supposedly this means that a few hundred million shares of stock will have to be repurchased to give the optics that EPS is rising even as revenues continue to drop.

That was to be expected in a financially-engineered, centrally-planned world in which there is no institutional volume left, and all the rigged market levitation takes place on the back of negligible volumes by HFT algos, as well as stock buyback VWAP orders.

What, however, was a surprise, is that alongside the revenue warnings, Citi's CEO Corbat also announced yet another $2.7 billion in legal, related charges in 4Q, as well as another $800 million in repositioning expenses.

This simply means that for yet another quarter Citi will be charged with billions in recurring, non-one time "one-time, non-recurring" charges which will be dutifully added back to non-GAAP EPS by analysts at all the other banks (whose criminal employers are now engaged in the same racket with the US government).

But what it really means is that it cost Citi some $3.5 billion to keep its employees out of jail for yet another 3 months.

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Christian ministry flies Christmas gifts, relief to Iraq

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Christian ministry Samaritan's Purse is flying more than 60,000 shoeboxes packed with Christmas gifts to children in northern Iraq.

A 747 cargo plane loaded with the shoeboxes, clothing and food, took off from Baltimore-Washington International Airport today.

The Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse, says the Operation Christmas Child gifts and relief will be delivered to families in Iraq's Kurdish region who have fled Islamic State militants.

Operation Christmas Child officials say Christians packed more than 10 million shoeboxes with gifts and messages this year for delivery to children around the world.

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Yes, Dems Did Fund 'Independent' in Kansas Senate Race

Anyone who followed this year's Senate race in Kansas — the one longtime GOP incumbent Pat Roberts appeared to be losing to Greg Orman, the businessman running as an independent — knows Orman and his supporters vigorously denied Roberts' allegation that Orman was really a Democrat running to further the Democratic agenda.

"By word, by deed, by campaign contribution, this man is a liberal Democrat," Roberts said of Orman during a debate in October. "A vote for Greg Orman is a vote to extend the Barack Obama/Harry Reid agenda."

Not true, Orman answered. "The senator can say that over and over again, but it doesn't make it so."

What voters did not know was at that very moment, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid's political action committee, the Senate Majority PAC, was preparing to pour more than a million dollars into the pro-Orman effort in Kansas. Reid was just waiting to make sure the donations came so late in the campaign that the public wouldn't find out about them until after the election.

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Boardwalk Military Banners To Return Next Summer

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City will continue to honor its local home town heroes next summer through a military banner program.

On Tuesday afternoon, Pat Riordan of the OC Elks Lodge Veterans Committee requested of the Mayor and City Council permission to continue the Ocean City Elks Hometown Heroes Military Banner Program in 2015.

The program was created for the community of Ocean City to honor and recognize active duty military personnel that reside in the county. Banners display the official military photo of the service person, as well as his or her name, rank and branch of the Unites States Armed Forces.

The banners are placed on 20 light pole locations on the concrete boardwalk easterly bump outs from Ripley’s Believe It or Not to 4th Street from Springfest in May to Sunfest in September.

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Charlottesville double homicide suspect knew victim, police chief says

CHARLOTTESVILLE — A double homicide at a home was not a random act of violence, Charlottesville police said Tuesday.

On Monday night, Charlottesville police said Gene Everett Washington, 30, had been arrested. Washington is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Robin Aldridge, 58, and her daughter Mani Aldridge, 17.

Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo said at a news conference Tuesday that Washington knew Mani but did not disclose any further information about their relationship.

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Fresh agony for James Foley's family as sick ISIS militants 'try to sell them his headless body for $1million'

The family of beheaded American photojournalist James Foley are facing fresh agony after sick Islamic State militants tried to sell them his headless body for $1million, according to a new report by Buzzfeed.

The website spoke to three middlemen trying to broker the deal, who say they can prove the body is Foley's with a DNA swab and will deliver the remains across the Turkish border once the ransom has been paid.

Foley was the first American hostage to be beheaded by an ISIS militant in a graphic video recording this summer. Since August, the terrorist group overtaking large swathes of Syria and Iraq, has beheaded two more Americans and a Briton in similar displays of barbarism.

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Gallup Poll: White Millennials Turn Against Obama

Millennial voters, who overwhelmingly backed President Barack Obama's two presidential bids, have lost enthusiasm for the president, giving him his lowest job approval rating since he took office, a new poll has found.

According to a Gallup Poll conducted daily from 2009 through November 2014, white 18- to 29-year-olds give Obama a 34 percent job approval rating, just 3 points above older whites, and the narrowest gap between the two demographics since Obama began his presidency.

In 2009, the president's approval rating among young whites stood at 58 percent and 9 points higher than whites age 30 and older.

"These data underscore the gradual erosion of the disproportionately strong support Obama received from young white voters as he took office in 2009 and ran for re-election in 2012," Gallup said.

"From a broader perspective, there is relatively little difference today in Obama's job approval ratings among whites in any of the four major age groups."

Obama, however, maintains a much higher approval rate among non-white millennials, though his support is down among those in that category as well.

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Princess Anne Police Department Needs Help Identifying Suspect

Princess Anne Police Department

The Princess Anne Police Department is seeking the help of the public in a robbery that occurred at the BB&T Bank in Princess Anne on Wednesday, December 10th at 9:35am. If you recognize the individual shown in the pictures, please contact the Princess Anne Police Department at 410-651-1822.

 

 

10-year-old boy in jail months after allegedly beating 90-year-old woman to death

A 10-year-old boy who's been in an adult jail since authorities say he fatally beat a 90-year-old woman two months ago is scared, lonely and misses his mother, his public defender said.

The boy, one of the youngest ever to face an adult homicide charge in Pennsylvania, met with family through a glass partition when he was first brought to the county lockup in rural northeastern Pennsylvania. More recently, he was permitted to have physical contact with them, according to the attorney, Scott Bennett.

"So his mom can give him a hug," he said this week.

The beating occurred Oct. 11 at the home of the boy's grandfather, who had been caring for the victim, Helen Novak. The boy became angered when he went into Novak's home to ask her a question and she yelled at him, according to the boy's mother, who brought him to a state police barracks later that day.

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Subject Arrested for Indecent Exposure in Cheswold Wal-Mart

Cheswold, DE - The Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit have arrested a Smyrna man in connection with the November 25th indecent exposure incident that occurred at the Cheswold Wal-Mart.

On Tuesday November 25, 2014 at approximately 3:00 p.m., the male suspect entered the Wal-Mart, located at 36 Jerome Drive, and then exposed himself to a juvenile female and her mother in the toy section of the store before exiting out of the lawn and outdoor section and into the parking lot. He was then seen driving away in a dark gray vehicle which was later identified as a Kia Forte.

After the information was released to the media on December 5, 2014, a tip was received a few days later through Delaware Crime Stoppers which led to a suspect being developed. On Thursday December 11, 2014, Frederick S. Shane, 47 of Smyrna, turned himself into detectives at Troop 3 and was charged with Indecent Exposure 1st and Lewdness. He was arraigned at JP2 and released on $2,000.00 unsecured bond.

Here's how many Maryland health exchange enrollees have dropped or lost coverage

About 20 percent of people who signed up for health insurance through Maryland Health Connection for 2014 dropped their coverage over the course of the year.

More than 81,000 people signed up for private health plans through the state's online insurance exchange during its last open enrollment season. About 66,000 of them still have their plans, meaning about 15,000 people no longer have their original plan for one reason or another.

Carolyn Quattrocki, the exchange's executive director, discussed enrollment numbers during a conference call with reporters to promote the exchange's 2015 open enrollment period, which ends Feb. 15. People who want their coverage to start Jan. 1 need to sign up by Dec. 18.

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Confirmed: Obamacare Makes it Harder to Find Primary Care Doctors

Critics of President Obama’s health care reform law have long cautioned that it would make it more difficult for people to find primary care doctors. A new report from the Associated Press confirmed that at least some Obamacare consumers are struggling to find doctors.

When Olivia Papa signed up for a new health plan last year, her insurance company assigned her to a primary care doctor. The relatively healthy 61-year-old didn’t try to see the doctor until last month, when she and her husband both needed authorization to see separate specialists.

She called the doctor’s office several times without luck.

“They told me that they were not on the plan, they were never on the plan and they’d been trying to get their name off the plan all year,” said Papa, who recently bought a plan from a different insurance company.

It was no better with the next doctor she was assigned. The Naples, Fla., resident said she left a message to make an appointment, “and they never called back.”

The Papas were among the 6.7 million people who gained insurance through the Affordable Care Act last year, flooding a primary care system that is struggling to keep up with demand.

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Walmart cashier uses own money for elderly man who couldn’t afford groceries

A Walmart cashier reportedly dug into her own pocket for money to pick up the grocery tab for an elderly man who couldn't afford his food.

Jenny Karpen, a new employee at an upstate New York store giant, was checking out customers when an "older gentleman" entered her lane, reports News 10 ABC.

“He was getting his groceries. Some of it was food, and some of it was for his pet," Karpen told the station.

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Trey Gowdy GRILLS Jonathan Gruber. Did You Apologize Because You Said It Or Meant It?

SFD Calls For Serice 12-10-14

• Wednesday December, 10 2014 @ 22:47Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Wednesday December, 10 2014 @ 20:56Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Wednesday December, 10 2014 @ 20:47Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Wednesday December, 10 2014 @ 19:06Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
• Wednesday December, 10 2014 @ 19:04Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury

People are distracted by their phone even when they AREN'T using it, study claims

The mere sight of your mobile phone can distract you - even if you are not using it.

Researchers at the University of Southern Maine found that when people are asked to do a complicated task they are less successful if their mobile is still out.

Those who put it in their pocket or their bag got on average 20 per cent higher in the test because they were more focused.

The findings suggest that when we need to do some work the best thing to do is not just turn your phone off - but put it away as well.

The researchers asked two groups of students to carry out two different attention-sapping tasks, one of which was trickier than the other.

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Black Teenager Shoots Newlywed Soldier and Executes His Pregnant Wife… Race Baiters Are Silent

Reportedly showed “no emotion” upon hearing the unanimous guilty verdict from the jury

A black teenager was convicted Tuesday of the murder of a newlywed soldier and his pregnant wife in Colorado.

Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson was in Dallas, Texas, applying his expertise — whatever it is — to the medical care of Ebola victim Thomas Duncan and, not surprisingly, ignoring the Colorado case altogether.

The trial of Macyo Joelle January, 19, lasted 12 days, but the jury deliberated only a few hours before returning the guilty verdict, according to the Daily Mail.

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Ralph Peters Calls Hillary Clinton ‘Demented’

Fox News contributor and former U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters went on a tirade against Hillary Clinton Monday for her claim that the U.S. needs to “show respect for” and “empathize with” the perspective of its enemies:

Hillary Clinton, my God, saying we’ve got to learn to respect our enemies, to empathize with them. Respect Al Qaeda? Boko Haram? Islamic State? Jabhat al-Nusra? Even putin? Should we respect people who behead hostages, who really do torture, unlike the CIA which did not torture? Who engage in mass rapes? Hillary Clinton wants us to respect them?

I’ll tell you this, had she phrased it differently, had she said ‘we need to better understand our enemies so that we can kill them more effectively,’ I would have agreed. I pushed that back in military intelligence since I was there–understand the enemies so you can kill them more efficiently and effectively. But empathy, respect for the Taliban? For Islamic State? My God, that woman is not fit to be president. She’s demented.
“Alright, Col. Peters, tell us how you feel,” Fox News host Sean Hannity responded.

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Barclay Woman Charged In Crash With Trooper

BARCLAY – A Barclay woman faces traffic charges after an early morning crash that injured her and a Maryland State Police trooper.

Senior Tpr. John Sayles was responding to a call for another traffic crash involving injuries at 6 a.m. Dec. 10 when his patrol car collided with a 2012 Chevrolet Impala, driven by Bonnie L. Meta, at the intersection of Md. Route 313 and Md. Route 302 in Barclay, according to MSP Sgt. Marc Black Sr.

Sayles was northbound with his lights and siren activated when the crash occurred, police said.

Meta drove into the trooper's path, police said. The front of the patrol car struck the rear driver's side of the Impala. Both cars were damaged, and both drivers were injured.

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Now Seems Like A Good Time To Remind You How Fantastically Expensive The Stock Market Is

The world's stock markets suddenly look wobbly.

So it seems a good time to remind everyone that, if stocks suddenly crash, say, 30%-50%, it should not come as a surprise.

Why?

Because based on valuation measures that have been valid for the past ~130 years, stocks are at least that overvalued.

True, many people believe "it's different this time" — that the world has changed and that historical valuation measures are no longer meaningful.

Let's hope so.

Regardless, I have become increasingly worried about the level of stock prices over the last couple of years.

So far, this concern has made me sound like Chicken Little. And, from a personal finance and business perspective, I hope it will continue to do so. (I own stocks, and I'm not selling them. I also run a business, and it's easier to run a business when everyone is feeling happy and optimistic and rich.)

But my concern has not diminished.

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Feds Plan for 35 Agencies to Share, Use Electronic Health Info

Along with the primary goal of expanding the availability of health insurance, the Affordable Care Act aims to make the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) universal. This plan actually began with the 2009 stimulus (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), which included the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

Doctors and other health providers have been offered incentives to convert patient information and health histories to a compatible and transferable electronic format, and as of June 2014, 75 percent of eligible doctors and 92 percent of eligible hospitals had received payments under the program.

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020, which details the efforts of some 35 departments and agencies of the federal government and their roles in the plan to "advance the collection, sharing, and use of electronic health information to improve health care, individual and community health, and research."

More here

Did FDR Provoke Pearl Harbor?

On Dec. 8, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt took the rostrum before a joint session of Congress to ask for a declaration of war on Japan.

A day earlier, at dawn, carrier-based Japanese aircraft had launched a sneak attack devastating the U.S. battle fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Said ex-President Herbert Hoover, Republican statesman of the day, “We have only one job to do now, and that is to defeat Japan.”

But to friends, “the Chief” sent another message: “You and I know that this continuous putting pins in rattlesnakes finally got this country bit.”

Today, 70 years after Pearl Harbor, a remarkable secret history, written from 1943 to 1963, has come to light. It is Hoover’s explanation of what happened before, during and after the world war that may prove yet the death knell of the West.

Edited by historian George Nash, “Freedom Betrayed: Herbert Hoover’s History of the Second World War and Its Aftermath” is a searing indictment of FDR and the men around him as politicians who lied prodigiously about their desire to keep America out of war, even as they took one deliberate step after another to take us into war.

Yet the book is no polemic. The 50-page run-up to the war in the Pacific uses memoirs and documents from all sides to prove Hoover’s indictment. And perhaps the best way to show the power of this book is the way Hoover does it — chronologically, painstakingly, week by week.

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Almost As Smart As JoeBiden

Harvard educated First Lady Michelle Obama reminded attendees of a naturalization ceremony Wednesday that the Founding Fathers weren't born in America. The ceremony for 50 new U.S. citizens was held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

She said during her speech, referring to the Declaration of Independence, "It's amazing that just a few feet from here where I'm standing are the signatures of the 56 Founders who put their names on a Declaration that changed the course of history, and like the 50 of you, none of them were born American - they became American."

Excuse me? Did she actually mean that those who signed the Declaration of Independence and participated in the drafting of the Constitution were not born in America? Benjamin Franklin was born in Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and James Madison were born in Virginia. John Adams was born in Massachusetts.

Only eight of the 56 were not born in America. Surely she knew this.

But, then again, maybe not. After all, she is a Harvard graduate. Isn't she?

"Life's tough... It's tougher when you're stupid"

Welcome to TotCare: Obama’s Preschool Takeover

The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round, just like the endless cycles of big, bad government programs to federalize preschool and daycare.

On Wednesday, the White House Summit on Early Education will unveil nearly $1 billion in new “investments” to “expand access to high-quality early childhood education to every child in America” from “birth and continuing to age 5.” It’s a retread of President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union school-spending plan, which was a repackaging of his 2011 Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge program.

Those Obama initiatives are knockoffs of moldy-old Democratic policy chestnuts, such as former Vice President Al Gore’s push to fund preschool for all 3-year-olds at a cost to taxpayers of at least $50 billion over 10 years, left-wing actor/director Rob Reiner’s “I Am Your Child” campaign for universal preschool and child care, and Hillary Clinton’s various “It Takes a Village” schemes to expand Head Start from womb to work. With age comes fiefdom.

How could anybody be against tax-subsidized Pre-K for all, you say? Let me count the ways.

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Rep. Massie Questions Obamacare Architect Jonathan Gruber at OGR Hearing

NFL owners approve new conduct policy in wake of Ray Rice case

National Football League owners have approved a new league conduct policy after the Ray Rice and other domestic violence cases.

Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill has been named chairman of a newly created NFL Conduct Committee to oversee the $9 billion league's handling of off-field players violence and other conduct problems.

The panel also includes Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President Charlotte Jones Anderson, Chicago Bears owner George McCaskey, Houston Texans owner Robert McNair and Dee Haslman. She is the wife of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslman.

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Oath Keepers Surrounded by 50 Police Told To Stop Defending Building in Ferguson From Fires

The Big Foreign Policy Lie: The War Party Couldn’t Rule Without It

What gets me are the lies. Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction” – Iran’s (nonexistent) nuclear weapons program – the Vietnamese “attack” in the Gulf of Tonkin – Germans bayoneting Belgium babies – the sinking of theUSS Maine: over the long and bloody history of US imperialism, these are just a few of the fabrications US policymakers have seized on to justify Washington’s aggression. It’s quite a record, isn’t it? Not only that, but there’s been little if any acknowledgment by the American political elites that they’ve ever lied about anything: it’s all been thrown down the Memory Hole, along with whatever sense of shame these people ever had.

Indeed, if there is an award for sheer shamelessness then surely it must go to the court historians who preserve the myth of Pearl Harbor, insisting that the Japanese launched a “sneak attack” on the US fleet. The official versionof the narrative is that the Americans, dewy-eyed innocents all, were simply minding their own business, not bothering anybody and certainly not aggressing against the predatory Japanese, who were fighting harmless “agrarian reformers” led by Mao Tse-Tung in China. Suddenly, totally without provocation, and out of the clear blue the Japs – to use the term routinely employed by the Roosevelt administration and its media minions at the time – crossed thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean to commit murder and mayhem for no good reason other than their own inherent evil.

What’s amazing is that even though this nonsense has been thoroughly andrepeatedly debunked over the years by historians concerned with discovering the truth – as opposed to getting tenure at some Ivy League university – the Big Lie is still not only believed by the hoi polloi but also stubbornly upheld by the “intellectuals.” As to whether they actually believe it or not, that’s largely irrelevant as far as they’re concerned. As Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., the archetypal pointy-headed liberal intellectual – and idolator of FDR – put it: “If he [the President] was going to induce the people to move at all, he had no choice but to trick them.”

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Multiple shootings in Southeast DC on Wednesday

WASHINGTON - Police say a teen is dead after he allegedly tried to rob a man on a D.C. street and had his own gun turned on himself.

The shooting happened at 10:43 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Langston Place and Ainger Place in the southeast.

Officers say a 18-year-old Channel Johnson approached a 22-year-old man in the 2400 block of Ainger Place and attempted to rob him with a shotgun. A struggle took place and Johnson was shot with his own gun.

Officers say the 22-year old remained at the scene and was cooperating with police.

Johnson was transported to a local hospital where he later died.

Detectives in the southeast were busy with shootings throughout the day Wednesday.

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68-Year-Old Vietnam Vet Scares Off Home Invaders With .45 Sidearm, Warns Them Not to Come Back

“It was like a keystone ‘Cops’ scene,” Joseph Sapienza told the Gaston Gazette’s Michael Barrett. “When they saw the .45, one ran one way up the street, and the other went the other way.”

Sapienza, a 68-year-old disabled Vietnam veteran, faced two masked home invaders Thursday after strapping his gun to his walker and moving toward the sound of someone ransacking his home. He said he thought the would-be thieves may have considered him an easy target due to his disability.

“People see me as an easy mark,” he told the Gazette. “They probably thought, ‘We’re going to get this man’s money.’”

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Rand Paul Slams “Stupid” Militarization Of Police

"Try to explain to me when terrorists are going to attack North Dakota"

Senator Rand Paul, poised to announce a presidential campaign for 2016, blasted the ongoing militarization of police in America as “stupid” and “ridiculous”, saying Monday that using the threat of terrorism as a reason is a tired excuse.

Asked if the US should decrease the authority of the government expressed via law enforcement, Paul said “I think we could start out with no longer dispensing bayonets to police forces.”

“FEMA gave out 12,000 bayonets last year. That’s just stupid.” The Senator urged. “We are giving out mine-resistant ambush protection vehicles — 20-ton vehicles. Dundee, Michigan, a town of 3,000, has a 20-ton mine-resistant ambush protection vehicle. That’s ridiculous,” he added.

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Maryland leaps 8 spots in healthiest state rankings

Maryland is the 16th healthiest state in the country, according to a report by United Health Foundation.

Maryland moved up eight spots in the foundation's annual America's Health Rankings report. The state ranked 24th last year. The report credited Maryland's move up in the rankings to improvements in smoking, immunizations and physician availability.

America's Health Rankings evaluates states for health indicators and outcomes such as smoking, violent crime, diabetes and premature death. The report is published jointly by United Health Foundation, American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention. Hawaii took the top spot on the list of healthiest states; Mississippi came in last.

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Prosecutors will not call Obama friend Eric Whitaker to the stand

SRINGFIELD — Federal prosecutors said Tuesday they will not call one of President Barack Obama’s closest friends, Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, before a jury hearing a multimillion-dollar grand-fraud case because of “baseless accusations” they say Whitaker leveled the day before.

“We are not going to call Dr. Whitaker as a witness,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy A. Bass told Judge Richard Mills, who ruled Monday that Whitaker would have been a “hostile witness” had prosecutors decided to call him.

Bass grilled Whitaker for more than two hours Monday without jurors present. Prosecutors had sought to declare him “hostile” because he’d stopped cooperating with them in 2012 after they asked him if he’d had a “personal relationship” with his former chief of staff, Quinshaunta Golden — who’s awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to theft and bribery charges — and also because they’d learned he’d frequently communicated with Chicago businessman Leon Dingle Jr., 77.

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Systemic Failure: "Doctors Prescribing Meds Based On Drug Company Kickbacks"

When the drug maker Genentech introduced a major product in 2006, it found itself in an awkward position: persuading eye doctors to start using its new more expensive drug instead of a popular cheaper version that the company already sold.

Ophthalmologists had been enthusiastically using the company’s cancer drug Avastin, which cost about $50 a dose, to treat a common eye disease in the elderly, wet macular degeneration. Then Genentech introduced Lucentis, a nearly equivalent drug that cost $2,000 a dose and was approved specifically to treat the disease.

Now, a new federal database shows that many of the doctors who were the top billers for Lucentis were also among the highest-paid consultants for Genentech, earning thousands of dollars to help promote the drug. The data raises questions about whether financial relationships between doctors and drug companies influence treatment decisions, even though physicians maintain they cannot be swayed.

Half of the 20 doctors who received the most money from Genentech to promote Lucentis in 2013 were among the highest users of the drug in 2012, billing for higher amounts of Lucentis than 75 percent of their peers. The figures were compiled from two federal databases that covered different periods, and it is not known whether or how much Genentech paid the doctors in 2012.

– From the New York Times article: Paid to Promote Eye Drug, and Prescribing It Widely.

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Rapper shot his VH1 star wife dead and then killed himself

The rapper who shot his VH1 star wife and then turned the gun on himself while FaceTiming boxing champ Floyd Mayweather had flown into a rage over her alleged fling with a singer known as 'Mr Steal Your Girl'.

Earl Hayes, a friend and associate of Mayweather Jr., shot wife Stephanie Moseley, a dancer who starred in the show Hit The Floor, over her alleged infidelity with singer Trey Songz.

Hayes is believed to have shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself at a high-end L.A. apartment complex, according to police sources.

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Murder Town USA (aka Wilmington, Delaware)

The first thing that happens when I arrive at the Wilmington, Delaware, train station is that the newsstand cashier hands me counterfeit money as change when I buy an umbrella. Next, I walk outside and look for Sergeant Andrea Janvier. She’s just over five feet tall, weighs about 100 pounds and has 18 years on the force, including 13 undercover in the drug unit. This fall she became Wilmington’s public information officer, which means it’s now her job to be nice to journalists like me. When I get into her cherry-red police car and tell her the location for an interview I have later that day, she lowers her Ray-Ban aviators, looks me in the eye and says, “I wouldn’t go to that block without a gun.”

During my four days in Wilmington last month, there were four shootings, allinvolving male victims between 17 and 19. None occurred while I was driving around with Janvier, 41, or when I did a ride-along with two cops. But as Janvier texted me the morning after I went home, “I just left a homicide scene, wouldn’t it figure!” A few hours later, another text: “And a shooting just came in on Hilltop. It’s usually always busy, it was just slow when you were here.”

This is not unusual for a place that’s routinely called one of the most dangerous small cities in America. This year, there have been 27 homicides in Wilmington, tying its record 27 murders in 2010, and 135 people have been shot. Twenty-two of them died. With a population of just over 71,000, Wilmington had a violent-crime rate of 1,625 per 100,000 people last year, according to the FBI’s 2013 Uniform Crime Report (that crime rate measures murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault). The national average was 368 per 100,000 people. Wilmington ranks third for violence among 450 cities of comparable size, behind the Michigan towns of Saginaw and Flint, according to a Wilmington News Journal report. For a city mired in violence, the most stunning fact of all may be that Wilmington just got its first homicide unit.

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Citizen Run Database Shows Over 1,000 People Killed by Cops in 2014

To date the most reliable data anyone has about law enforcement killings in the U.S. was the FBI’s statistics on homicides by law enforcement. But therein lies the problem.

Those numbers are voluntarily given to the FBI by police, and many jurisdictions simply don’t hand over this information, thus making an accurate accounting of exactly how many people police have actually killed each year extremely difficult to ascertain.

For instance, the killing of Eric Garner would not be included in the FBI’s 2014 statistics because New York doesn’t participate in the voluntary program.

Thankfully there is a new means of aggregating how many people are being killed by law enforcement. This new tool for accountability is the website www.killedbypolice.com.
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'Most people who die from liver disease AREN'T alcoholics - they just drink nearly every day'

Experts warn we need a 3-day break each week so the body can recover

Hello my name is Mike, and I'm the sort of guy who could die from liver disease.

I'm not an alcoholic: the seldom-seen-anymore friend fishing on Facebook to be congratulated on his dry anniversary.

I'm not the divorcé at your work who lurches back from lunch with a mouthful of Smints, and gets called into the boss's office the morning after the Christmas party.

Nor the guy on your bus this morning with an open can of electric soup, chemical BO and no particular place to go (why do these folks never have a lie-in?).

No, I'm none of those people.

But I am the sort of guy who could die from liver disease. And possibly so are you.

The reason? I just love a drink. I don't self-medicate or blot out, I drink to enhance life. I scoff at talk like 'I don't like the taste' or 'It's empty calories'.

I love that thirst-shattering beer at the end of the working day, the flavoursome explosion of a glass of red with a meal, the bite of a fine dark rum sipped while contemplating a knotty problem.

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SPD Calls For Service 12-9-14

Today I Become An Arms Trafficker!

Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Calls For Service 12-9-14

King of the World, Master of Delusion

With the possible exception of 9/11, few events in the Grand American Narrative have attracted or generated as much controversy, speculation, rumour, fevered imagination, contrived analysis, or misinformation, disinformation and counterfactual hypothesising as the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK). Was it actually Lee Harvey Oswald (LHO) who masterminded and perpetrated the hit on his ‘Pat Malone’? (Spoiler alert: No it wasn’t! Now let’s move on.)

Or was LHO a patsy for others? If we accept indeed there were “others”, it begs some very basic, crucial questions: Who conceived of the hit on JFK, and why? Who was involved in its elaborate planning and orchestration, and the even more complex, and never-ending cover-up? Who had the motive, the means and the opportunity?

Moreover, given the monumental logistical undertaking required, how was the collective understanding to proceed arrived at in the first instance by all those involved? And how was it planned, coordinated and executed without leaving substantial evidence to point to the actual perpetrators, facilitators and sponsors? Further, how is it possible that all attempts thus far to establish the real facts have been criminally derailed and/or terminated with extreme prejudice despite the overwhelming evidence there was a conspiracy?

It is precisely because the Single Bullet/Lone Nutter narrative from the off was so far-fetched the ongoing speculation surrounding the assassination is unlikely to peter out anytime soon. With the number of books alone written about the subject enough to fill your average Presidential Library, by that loose metric alone — 9/11 aside — it is probably still the Mother of all Modern Conspiracies.

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Treasury Warns Congress (and Investors): This Financial Creature Could Sink the System

In its 2014 Annual Report to Congress, the US Treasury's Office of Financial Research, which serves the Financial Stability Oversight Council, analyzed for our Representatives the “potential threats” to the US financial house of cards. Among the biggest concerns was a financial creature that has boomed in recent years. The Fed, FDIC, and OCC have warned banks about it since March 2013. But they’re just too juicy: “leveraged loans.”

Leveraged loans are issued by junk-rated corporations already burdened by a large load of debt. Banks can retain these loans on their balance sheets or sell them. They can repackage them into synthetic securities called Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) before they sell them. They have “Financial Crisis” stamped all over them.

So the 160-page report laments:

The leveraged lending market provides a test case of the current approach to cyclical excesses. The response to these issues has been led by bank regulators, who regulate the largest institutions that originate leveraged loans, often for sale to asset managers through various instruments. Despite stronger supervisory guidance and other actions, excesses in this market show little evidence of easing.

How did we get here?

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God Bless The USA Tribute in Lights

Post by Andrews Christmas Lights.

M & T Bank supports MCE!

M & T Bank is a proud supporter of MCE's Palmer Gillis Entrepreneur of the Year Award!

Pictured below from left to right Jon Sherwell Administrative Vice President Commercial Group Manager of M &T Bank, Tim Sherman, Chief Operating Officer of MCE, Ginger Donovan,
Chief Administrative & Loan Officer of MCE, Gene Malone, Administrative Vice President of Business Banking at M & T Bank and Joseph Morse President & CEO of MCE.

Remember, It's Only A JOKE

There was a blonde woman who was having financial troubles, so she decided to kidnap a child and demand a ransom.

She went to a local park, grabbed a little boy, took him behind a tree and wrote this note. "I have kidnapped your child. Leave $10,000 in a plain brown bag behind the big oak tree in the park tomorrow at 7 A.M. Signed, The Blonde"

She pinned the note inside the little boy's jacket and told him to go straight home.

The next morning, she returned to the park to find the $10,000 in a brown bag, behind the big oak tree, just as she had instructed. Inside the bag was the following note... "Here is your money. I cannot believe that one blonde would do this to another!"

MAASA Selected as Host of the 2015 USSSA Eastern World Series

Salisbury, MD – The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) has announced its Eastern World Series will return to Delmarva in 2015. The three-legged series will run from July 15 to Aug. 1. The event traditionally draws close to 400 teams to the region, and organizers anticipate the same level of participation for 2015. The 2014 event spanned three weeks, generating an estimated economic impact of $20 million and hotel room night demand in excess of 12,000.

“The efforts put forth in the past from the staff along with the support we've received from local businesses, particularly the hotels and restaurants, and civic leaders made the decision to return this three week, 400 team event to the area an easy one,” shared Bill Dowell, USSSA Vice President of Fastpitch and Tournament Organizer. Dowell expanded, “USSSA and the local community have shared the same vision for years and we look forward to further solidifying that partnership in 2015.”

“This is the ninth consecutive year the County will host the World Series,” shared Wicomico’s Executive Bob Culver. “The tournament had only 58 teams when it first came here in 2007, but we could see it had great potential. Now that it’s exploded to 400 teams, we’re grateful USSSA remains a strong partner, and we’re excited to host this year’s event in collaboration with Ocean City and Worcester County.”

The 2015 event will be billed under the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance (MAASA), which was formed by the Town of Ocean City, Wicomico and Worcester Counties in 2014. The formal sports marketing partnership is the first of its kind in the nation, and it leverages the combined assets of each jurisdiction in order to attract, retain and build sports marketing events. “The requirements of events like the World Series are much greater than any of us can handle on our own,” explained Culver. “By working together we’re able to meet the needs of large scale sports marketing promoters and see that our region continues to benefit from hosting them.”

“We are pleased to welcome back the USSSA Eastern World Series,” said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan. “We take pride in hosting these amazing athletes, their coaches and their families.” With almost 400 teams anticipated, the area will see an influx of approximately 15,000 visitors over the three week series including players, coaches and families. Area hotels benefit from the flood of visitors, including the tournament’s host hotel the Hampton Inn of Salisbury. General Manager Jenifer Prokofiew, “We’re thrilled to welcome these amazing teams and their families to our hometown on the shore. We look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces again this season and making it another year to remember.”

In addition to filling hotel rooms, visitors shop, dine and enjoy the area’s many attractions while they are here. The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce’s President & CEO, Ernie Colburn said, “This is a huge economic engine for our area. Hotels, restaurants, Salisbury’s revitalized downtown…will benefit from this three week infusion.” Colburn continued by saying, “Our doors are open for business and welcome players and families to our Lower Shore hospitality.”

2015 USSSA World Series Dates:
Week 1: July 15-19, 10U Open, 10C, 12U Open, 12C
Week 2: July 21-26, 14U A, B & C
Week 3: July 27-Aug 1, 16U Open, 16UC & 18U Open, 18UC
*’U’ abbreviation for Under.

Teams are traditionally drawn from over 14 different states as well as Canada. The Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex in Salisbury, Md. provides the main fields of play for the series with games also taking place elsewhere in Wicomico County as well as the Town of Ocean City and Worcester County. Tournament games are open to the public. For additional information on the USSSA World Series, please visit www.SalisburyChampionships.org.

Who's money is killing U.S. rights to clean air and water? By Ray Wallace

     Several of the largest donors to the Republican and Democratic Attorneys General Associations are companies or groups that have been targets of investigations or are seeking help from attorneys general in challenging federal regulations.

     -- From “Lobbyists, Bearing Gifts, Pursue Attorneys General,” by Eric Lipton, at this October 28, 2014 New York Times site:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/us/lobbyists-bearing-gifts-pursue-attorneys-general.html

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Smart-ALECs want to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

     In another recent display of the coordination between energy firms and state-level Republican politicians, this week the American Legislative Executive Council [ALEC] held their annual closed-door meeting in D.C. They pushed a number of anti-clean energy initiatives, including a resolution to abolish the EPA.

     -- From “States Form Secret Alliance With Energy Companies To Kill Environmental Regulations,” by Ari Phillips, at this December 7, 2014 Climate Progress site:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/07/3600475/investigation-energy-firms-attorneys-general-fighting-federal-government/

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...And rewrite your rights:

     Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights. 

     -- From “ALEC Exposed” at this current site:
http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
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From RAGA to riches:

The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA)
is the only national organization whose mission is
electing Republicans to the Office of Attorney General.
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"Dark Money" groups:

     The original source of the RAGA contributions is impossible to determine....

     Contributions disclosed by other organizations representing elected officials --such as the Republican Governors Association (RGA) and the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) -- shows none received nearly as much money from dark money groups as RAGA during the first quarter of 2014....

     AFF, a tax-exempt social welfare group organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, which allows it to keep its donors secret, spent almost $25 million to influence federal races during the 2012 election.

     The group is part of the network of conservative nonprofit organizations linked to conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, and received more than $60 million from two Koch-connected groups between mid-2011 and October 2012....

     -- From “ Dark Money Groups Dominate Republican Attorneys General Association’s Donations,” by Matt Corley, at this May 6, 2014 Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington site:

http://www.citizensforethics.org/blog/entry/dark-money-groups-dominate-republican-attorney-general-donations

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Koch Brothers:

     Conservative megadonors Charles and David Koch have reportedly invested massive amounts of money into a company that’s developing complex profiles of 250 million American voters and their consumer habits.

     According to Politico, the billionaire brothers and their allies have already spent at least $50 million on the effort, which is being spearheaded by a data firm called i360, over the last four years.

     The firm connects voter information with consumer data from credit bureaus, social networks, interactions with political campaigns, estimated income, recent home addresses, voting frequency, TV viewing habits, and “even the brand of car they drive,” the report said.

     -- From “The Koch Brothers’ $50 Million Political Research Firm Knows What Type Of Car You Drive,” by Colin Campbell, at this December 9, 2014 Business Insider site:

http://www.businessinsider.co.id/koch-brothers-data-firm-i360-2014-12/#.VIX394tH0h8