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Monday, December 15, 2014
A Tortured Report
For most of last week, the report on enhanced interrogations produced by Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence dominated headlines. To the extent that there was a debate at all, it was one-sided. News coverage routinely described the findings as the “Senate torture report,” often failing even to note that it was written exclusively by Democratic staff or account for the differences between techniques used as part of the CIA program and abuses committed outside of that program.
We have no doubts that there were abuses. And some of those abuses, if they happened as the report describes, are horrifying and inexcusable. There is no justification, ever, for pureeing the meal of a detainee and inserting the liquefied results in his anus. This isn’t interrogation, it’s torture.
But approved techniques, including some that test the limits of what ought to be morally permissible, were effective. The report’s attempt to demonstrate otherwise is entirely unpersuasive, and its case is marked by the kind of breathtaking intellectual dishonesty that should make us all wary of trusting its conclusions.
Consider the case of Abu Zubaydah. The Feinstein report claims that Zubaydah’s identification of Jose Padilla, the “dirty bomb” plotter: (1) was of little value, (2) came before he was subjected to enhanced interrogation, and (3) helps prove that EITs were ineffective. Only one of those claims is true, and even that’s true only on a technicality.
The Feinstein report says “there was significant intelligence in CIA databases acquired prior to—and independ-ently of—the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program to fully identify Jose Padilla as a terrorist threat and to disrupt any terrorist plotting associated with him.”
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We have no doubts that there were abuses. And some of those abuses, if they happened as the report describes, are horrifying and inexcusable. There is no justification, ever, for pureeing the meal of a detainee and inserting the liquefied results in his anus. This isn’t interrogation, it’s torture.
But approved techniques, including some that test the limits of what ought to be morally permissible, were effective. The report’s attempt to demonstrate otherwise is entirely unpersuasive, and its case is marked by the kind of breathtaking intellectual dishonesty that should make us all wary of trusting its conclusions.
Consider the case of Abu Zubaydah. The Feinstein report claims that Zubaydah’s identification of Jose Padilla, the “dirty bomb” plotter: (1) was of little value, (2) came before he was subjected to enhanced interrogation, and (3) helps prove that EITs were ineffective. Only one of those claims is true, and even that’s true only on a technicality.
The Feinstein report says “there was significant intelligence in CIA databases acquired prior to—and independ-ently of—the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program to fully identify Jose Padilla as a terrorist threat and to disrupt any terrorist plotting associated with him.”
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NEW SURGE OF MUSLIM REFUGEES COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU
The United Nations is set to send 9,000 Syrian refugees for relocation in the United States. The number of refugees in the US has skyrocketed in the last five years, and is expected to balloon further in 2015.
Many of the Muslims resettled in the United States have been from Somalia. From the Somali population, there have been at least 10 who have joined the Islamic State, with some reports going as high as 25-30. There are fewer and fewer “Moderate” Muslim groups left in Syria- most have either been destroyed or joined with Al Qaeda, or ISIS. What does that mean for the refugees from Syria? “Radicalization” is a serious concern.
The “pipeline”
Back in September, Marie Harf from the State Department stated that the US had only resettled 166 Syrians up to the time of her briefing. But she also stated that “several thousand are in the pipeline” to be resettled by the UNHCR, the United Nations Resettlement agency.
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The “pipeline”
Back in September, Marie Harf from the State Department stated that the US had only resettled 166 Syrians up to the time of her briefing. But she also stated that “several thousand are in the pipeline” to be resettled by the UNHCR, the United Nations Resettlement agency.
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Martin Armstrong Warns Civil Unrest Is Rising Everywhere (And Government Is Digging In Its Heels)
I have warned that governments always turn against the people.
Illinois just made it a felony to film police abuse in the USA.
The Spanish government has followed the same course.
Despite protests from political, judicial and population, the politicians who are becoming ruthless elite dictators rather than democratic representatives of the people, passed a law which provides extensive fines for protesters who dare to film the abuse of police. They have the audacity to claim filming police is an “offense against public safety” with fines of up to 600,000 euros. It is the police who protect government – not the people.
So let’s get this straight. “public safety” has become a code word for “government safety” that no longer gives two shits about the people.
Switzerland enacted laws requiring registration of all guns in the country for the first time when. Why? There have not been any incidents of “public safety”.
They too realize that the people are starting to wake up against the abuse of government everywhere. The people have caused this.
As a whole, people watch sports, buy clothes, and go to dinner. Generally at best half even bother to vote. That has sent the signal to government elites the people do not care so corruption has run wild. But now with taxes rising, unemployment rising, pensions vanishing into thin air, and living standards declining, people want real change no words.
Even in the USA, the Republicans wrongly believe their ideas are what the people want. They too raise taxes. This funding bill allowing the banks to repeal Dodd Frank is an example of the corruption behind the scenes. They votes for Republicans because who is ever in power is being tossed out. Come 2016, it will be the Republican’s turn as we see a rise in third-party activity. This repeal of Dodd Frank is a John Andrew Boehner special that goes against the conservative T-Party Republicans.
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Illinois just made it a felony to film police abuse in the USA.
The Spanish government has followed the same course.
Despite protests from political, judicial and population, the politicians who are becoming ruthless elite dictators rather than democratic representatives of the people, passed a law which provides extensive fines for protesters who dare to film the abuse of police. They have the audacity to claim filming police is an “offense against public safety” with fines of up to 600,000 euros. It is the police who protect government – not the people.
So let’s get this straight. “public safety” has become a code word for “government safety” that no longer gives two shits about the people.
Switzerland enacted laws requiring registration of all guns in the country for the first time when. Why? There have not been any incidents of “public safety”.
They too realize that the people are starting to wake up against the abuse of government everywhere. The people have caused this.
As a whole, people watch sports, buy clothes, and go to dinner. Generally at best half even bother to vote. That has sent the signal to government elites the people do not care so corruption has run wild. But now with taxes rising, unemployment rising, pensions vanishing into thin air, and living standards declining, people want real change no words.
Even in the USA, the Republicans wrongly believe their ideas are what the people want. They too raise taxes. This funding bill allowing the banks to repeal Dodd Frank is an example of the corruption behind the scenes. They votes for Republicans because who is ever in power is being tossed out. Come 2016, it will be the Republican’s turn as we see a rise in third-party activity. This repeal of Dodd Frank is a John Andrew Boehner special that goes against the conservative T-Party Republicans.
More
This Sign’s Message About Veterans Should be Seen by EVERY Voter
Now, the message is quickly going viral — and liberals are going to hate it.
The homemade sign boldly stated: “Vets Dying on Waitlists – Illegals Get Billions!”
The poster, of course, is a reference to White House scandals involving the Department of Veterans Affairs and illegal amnesty.
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Brother of JFK assassin suing funeral home which sold coffin
Robert Oswald, 80, has accused Baumgardner Funeral Home in Fort Worth, Texas, of acting in bad taste for selling the coffin after his body was exhumed as part of a CIA conspiracy probe.
Two days after President Kennedy was gunned down as he rode in an open-topped motorcade, Oswald was shot dead by night club owner Jack Ruby as he walked through Dallas police station.
Oswald was buried at the Shannon Rose Hill Memorial Burial Park in Texas in 1963, but his body was exhumed 18 years later and examined after mounting speculation about CIA involvement.
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Breaking News: Commercial Building Fire with Explosions
Breaking News:
Commercial Building Fire with Explosions
Berlin, Maryland
At Ocean Downs Casino
Worcester County
Multiple explosions reported.
Maintenance building well involved.
Departments Responding:
Berlin
Ocean Pines
Ocean City
Showell
4 Christian teens beheaded by ISIS for refusing to convert. No outrage from UN? Feinstein? Obama?
Sen. Feinstein seemed to believe, for some odd reason, that we needed a “soul revealing” moment in America. And it came at the expense of our intelligence community with some false sense of ensuring a moral high ground over islamic terrorists.
Let me be clear, there is and never will be any moral equivalency between the actions of the barbaric savage jihadists and terrorists and the United States — water boarding, sleep deprivation, loud music, and even diaper-wearing provides no basis for comparison. And as we have reported today, even now the British military is forbidden from shouting, screaming, banging fists on a table, or using insulting language towards captured jihadists.
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Ohio police say man painted gun red to resemble toy
Officers with Hamilton County's Sheriff's Office responding to a call about a man with a gun say they found 23-year-old Orlando Lowery with a red-painted .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and 9 grams of crack cocaine.
The arrest took place just before 1.30am in the 9500 block of Wayne Avenue in Cincinnati.
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Man can't challenge $280K tax bill he probably doesn't really owe, Pa. court says
In fact, city officials acknowledged in court that the tax bill they sent Nathan Lerner was a "jeopardy assessment" based on a fabrication.
The problem is that Lerner didn't follow the right procedural course in challenging it, a Commonwealth Court panel found in a ruling issued this week. And so, the state judges determined, he's stuck with that unfounded tax tab.
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Bachmann to Obama at White House Christmas Party: Bomb Iran
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.) knew the White House Christmas party this week would be her last chance as a member of Congress to speak directly to President Obama. She didn’t waste the opportunity.
Despite the objections of her family members, who didn’t want to be embarrassed, Bachmann said she wanted to give some “substantive comments” to the president. She waited until pictures were taken and her family walked off the stage.
“I turned to the president and I said, something to the effect of, ‘Mr. President, you need to bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities, because if you don’t, Iran will have a nuclear weapon on your watch and the course of world history will change,’” she told the Washington Free Beacon.
“And he got his condescending smile on his face and laughed at me and said, ‘Well Michele, it’s just not that easy.’
And I said to him, ‘No, Mr. President, you’re the president, it will happen on your watch, and you’ll have to answer to the world for this.’
And that was it and then I left. Merry Christmas,” she said with a laugh.
Read more here
Despite the objections of her family members, who didn’t want to be embarrassed, Bachmann said she wanted to give some “substantive comments” to the president. She waited until pictures were taken and her family walked off the stage.
“I turned to the president and I said, something to the effect of, ‘Mr. President, you need to bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities, because if you don’t, Iran will have a nuclear weapon on your watch and the course of world history will change,’” she told the Washington Free Beacon.
“And he got his condescending smile on his face and laughed at me and said, ‘Well Michele, it’s just not that easy.’
And I said to him, ‘No, Mr. President, you’re the president, it will happen on your watch, and you’ll have to answer to the world for this.’
And that was it and then I left. Merry Christmas,” she said with a laugh.
Read more here
Supreme Court Justice Scalia backs torture of terror suspects saying it's 'facile' and 'absurd' to rule out brute force in interrogations
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has said it would be absurd and facile to ban interrogators from torturing terror suspects.
His controversial declaration comes amid outrage over a Senate report into CIA torture tactics, which found no life-saving information was extracted using brute force.
Speaking to a Swiss radio station, Scalia, 78, said American and European liberals who say such tactics may never be used are being self-righteous.
He said: 'Listen, I think it's very facile for people to say, "Oh, torture is terrible". You posit the situation where a person that you know for sure knows the location of a nuclear bomb that has been planted in Los Angeles and will kill millions of people.
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His controversial declaration comes amid outrage over a Senate report into CIA torture tactics, which found no life-saving information was extracted using brute force.
Speaking to a Swiss radio station, Scalia, 78, said American and European liberals who say such tactics may never be used are being self-righteous.
He said: 'Listen, I think it's very facile for people to say, "Oh, torture is terrible". You posit the situation where a person that you know for sure knows the location of a nuclear bomb that has been planted in Los Angeles and will kill millions of people.
More
UPDATE: Gunman, two hostages dead in Sydney hostage taking
Iranian gunman facing assault and murder charges and two of his hostages are killed as police in Sydney, Australia, storm cafe to end hostage taking.
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McAuliffe Begins Push For Fresh Wave Of Gun Control Regulations
The governor introduced a package of gun control measures in Arlington Monday that he said were necessary to keep Virginians safe. Among the legislation he will pursue during the 2015 legislation session is a bill that would limit handgun purchases to one a month. Another bill would prohibit people subject to protective orders from possessing firearms.
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Cromnibus: a winter festival of unrestrained spending
As they had a habit of saying throughout the interstellar empire of “Dune,” the spice must flow. Money is once more flowing out of Congress to all manner of follies and outrages, thanks to an omnibus spending bill that funds everything except Homeland Security through September of 2015 – throwing away every scrap of leverage the incoming Republican majority could possibly exercise against Emperor Obama, ensuring that no one outside the authors of Democrat Party fundraising email spam will be talking about shutdowns, and effectively neutering freshly-elected conservatives. The GOP leadership can get through another year with its favorite wheezy excuse for not standing up and fighting for anything: Our hands are tied. Sure, the knots are a bit clumsy, but that’s to be expected when you tie your own hands. It’ll be good enough for the permanent Beltway culture, which can have a very merry Christmas, riding their one-horse open sleighs down streets coated with a fresh blizzard of taxpayer dollars, jingling all the way.
Americans with some vague memory of how the system is supposed to work might be wondering what happened to the sober deliberation of budgets, the careful spending of every dollar, and even the basic rules of accounting. Welcome to the new millennium, old-timers! We don’t do things that way any more. Government by perpetual crisis is so much more exciting, and lucrative for the Ruling Class. Now we wait until the hands of the fiscal doomsday clock stand at one minute to midnight, and the political class has to fund everything with “emergency spending bills,” scribbled in blind haste and posted on glitchy websites for public review in a half-hearted ritual of “transparency.” We live in the shadow of the cromnibus, an appropriately clunky word that combines “continuing resolution” emergency tactics with “omnibus spending” irresponsibility. The Cromnibus is a flabby beast a gaping maw and many tentacles to feed itself, but it lacks eyes, ears, and a frontal lobe.
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Americans with some vague memory of how the system is supposed to work might be wondering what happened to the sober deliberation of budgets, the careful spending of every dollar, and even the basic rules of accounting. Welcome to the new millennium, old-timers! We don’t do things that way any more. Government by perpetual crisis is so much more exciting, and lucrative for the Ruling Class. Now we wait until the hands of the fiscal doomsday clock stand at one minute to midnight, and the political class has to fund everything with “emergency spending bills,” scribbled in blind haste and posted on glitchy websites for public review in a half-hearted ritual of “transparency.” We live in the shadow of the cromnibus, an appropriately clunky word that combines “continuing resolution” emergency tactics with “omnibus spending” irresponsibility. The Cromnibus is a flabby beast a gaping maw and many tentacles to feed itself, but it lacks eyes, ears, and a frontal lobe.
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Kidnapping Defendant Receives Lengthy Sentence
GEORGETOWN — A Sussex County Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced Jackeline Perez, 17, to spend the next 16 years in prison for her role in the March 2013 carjacking and kidnapping of an 89-year-old Sussex County woman.
Perez, 17, pled guilty to first-degree carjacking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree conspiracy on Sept. 12. She was sentenced by Judge Richard F. Stokes. Deputy Attorneys General Melanie Withers and Casey Ewart prosecuted the case for the Department of Justice.
She and three others, who have all either pled guilty to or been convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and conspiracy charges, were involved in the carjacking and kidnapping of Margaret E. Smith on March 18, 2013. Perez and her friend, Junia McDonald, 16, first asked Smith for a ride from a Milford convenience store to a home in Lincoln. After arriving at the home, Smith was forced to turn over her car keys and then forced into the trunk of her car. Perez and McDonald then drove to pick up other friends – Philip Brewer and Rondaiges Harper – with Smith locked in the trunk of the car. Smith spent two days trapped in the trunk of her car before being released at a cemetery near Seaford.
Junia McDonald, 16, who was sentenced Sept. 12 to 16 years in prison followed by nine years of home confinement and probation. She had pled guilty to first-degree carjacking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree conspiracy.
Rondaiges Harper, 19, was convicted by a jury in June on first-degree kidnapping, first-degree carjacking and conspiracy charges. He was sentenced July 25 to 30 years in prison.
Philip Brewer, 18, pled guilty in September 2013 to second-degree carjacking, three counts of kidnapping and four counts of second-degree conspiracy. He will be sentenced Dec. 19.
Perez, 17, pled guilty to first-degree carjacking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree conspiracy on Sept. 12. She was sentenced by Judge Richard F. Stokes. Deputy Attorneys General Melanie Withers and Casey Ewart prosecuted the case for the Department of Justice.
She and three others, who have all either pled guilty to or been convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and conspiracy charges, were involved in the carjacking and kidnapping of Margaret E. Smith on March 18, 2013. Perez and her friend, Junia McDonald, 16, first asked Smith for a ride from a Milford convenience store to a home in Lincoln. After arriving at the home, Smith was forced to turn over her car keys and then forced into the trunk of her car. Perez and McDonald then drove to pick up other friends – Philip Brewer and Rondaiges Harper – with Smith locked in the trunk of the car. Smith spent two days trapped in the trunk of her car before being released at a cemetery near Seaford.
Junia McDonald, 16, who was sentenced Sept. 12 to 16 years in prison followed by nine years of home confinement and probation. She had pled guilty to first-degree carjacking, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree conspiracy.
Rondaiges Harper, 19, was convicted by a jury in June on first-degree kidnapping, first-degree carjacking and conspiracy charges. He was sentenced July 25 to 30 years in prison.
Philip Brewer, 18, pled guilty in September 2013 to second-degree carjacking, three counts of kidnapping and four counts of second-degree conspiracy. He will be sentenced Dec. 19.
Too many drinks? New cellphone app may tell you so
A new federally funded cellphone app allows people who may have had one too many to get an idea just how drunk they are -- and hail a ride home.
Users enter their sex, height, weight, and number of drinks consumed to help figure out their blood-alcohol level. They also can play two interactive games to test reaction time and cognitive agility. And the app uses GPS technology to call cabs and pre-load phone numbers for potential designated drivers.
The app, called ENDUI -- pronounced "End DUI" -- was announced Thursday by government and police officials in Maryland. Funded by federal money reserved for drunken-driving education efforts, the app is among several in a handful of states to tackle drunken driving -- though Maryland's is one of the most elaborate.
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Users enter their sex, height, weight, and number of drinks consumed to help figure out their blood-alcohol level. They also can play two interactive games to test reaction time and cognitive agility. And the app uses GPS technology to call cabs and pre-load phone numbers for potential designated drivers.
The app, called ENDUI -- pronounced "End DUI" -- was announced Thursday by government and police officials in Maryland. Funded by federal money reserved for drunken-driving education efforts, the app is among several in a handful of states to tackle drunken driving -- though Maryland's is one of the most elaborate.
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The Devastation Of America's Working Class
After years of exposing, month after month, the truth about the US labor market - its conversion into a part-time (in 2010!), low-paying job market where Millennials refuse to work (as the job market reality is gruesome so instead they opt to load up on record amount of student loans) and where older Americans, instead of enjoying retirement are forced right back into the labor force leading to record numbers of workers over the age of 55 (thanks to ZIRP crushing the value of their savings and a refusing to participate in an HFT- and central-bank rigged stock market), the mainstream media, having grown tired of spinning the bullshit optimistic propaganda, has finally moved to the "tinfoil" side, and has done something it normally wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Tell the truth.
Enter the NYT with a shocking dose of truthfulness, one which goes to show just one thing: how over the past decade, notwithstanding the tripling of the S&P from its post-Lehman lows on the back of $11 trillion in central bank liquidity, America's working class has been not only skewed beyond recognition, but is now absolutely devastated. And all thanks to the Federal Reserve skewing the value of money so much that those who should be working aren't, and those who should be retiring, are serving you Starbucks.
Here are the facts, long overdue but facts nonetheless, from the NYT:
At every age, the chances of not working have changed in the last 15 years.
Teenagers are far more likely not to work.
Older people are retiring later and working more.
In the late 1960s, almost all men between the ages of 25 and 54 went to work. Only about 5 out of every 100 did not have a job in any given week. By 2000, this figure had more than doubled, to 11 out of every 100 men. This year, it’s 16.
About 13 percent of the increase in prime-age nonworkers, including a substantial fraction of the younger ones, comes among people who say they are in school.
Much of the school-related rise in nonwork, at least since 2007, appears to be less about staying in school than it is about not being able to find part-time jobs(don't tell that to the trillion+ in student loans though).
Some men in school say they would like to be working part time but they’ve given up looking for a job. Others may stop going to school entirely if they could find a job, or if the college wage premium were smaller.
About 20 percent of the new nonworkers say they are disabled, a category whose numbers have risen particularly for workers above age 50.
Enter the NYT with a shocking dose of truthfulness, one which goes to show just one thing: how over the past decade, notwithstanding the tripling of the S&P from its post-Lehman lows on the back of $11 trillion in central bank liquidity, America's working class has been not only skewed beyond recognition, but is now absolutely devastated. And all thanks to the Federal Reserve skewing the value of money so much that those who should be working aren't, and those who should be retiring, are serving you Starbucks.
Here are the facts, long overdue but facts nonetheless, from the NYT:
At every age, the chances of not working have changed in the last 15 years.
Teenagers are far more likely not to work.
Older people are retiring later and working more.
In the late 1960s, almost all men between the ages of 25 and 54 went to work. Only about 5 out of every 100 did not have a job in any given week. By 2000, this figure had more than doubled, to 11 out of every 100 men. This year, it’s 16.
About 13 percent of the increase in prime-age nonworkers, including a substantial fraction of the younger ones, comes among people who say they are in school.
Much of the school-related rise in nonwork, at least since 2007, appears to be less about staying in school than it is about not being able to find part-time jobs(don't tell that to the trillion+ in student loans though).
Some men in school say they would like to be working part time but they’ve given up looking for a job. Others may stop going to school entirely if they could find a job, or if the college wage premium were smaller.
About 20 percent of the new nonworkers say they are disabled, a category whose numbers have risen particularly for workers above age 50.
Bush-Clinton Dynasty Awards Itself Liberty Medal
Talk about keeping it all in the family.
Last week George W. Bush said Hillary Clinton is his “sister-in-law.” He made this remark, which he thinks is high comedy, during an interview with the floundering propaganda network, CNN.
Paul Joseph Watson wrote for Infowars.com on December 8:
Noting how Bush referred to Bill Clinton as his “brother from another mother,” Crowley asked the former President, “what does that make Hillary Clinton to the Bush family?”
“My sister in law,” responded Bush.
The close relationship between the two families “was perhaps best illustrated by last year’s Guccifer hack of the Bush family emails, which revealed that George W. Bush refers to Bill Clinton as ‘bubba’ or ‘brother.’”
The hack also unearthed how Jeb Bush credited his father George H.W. Bush with restoring Bill Clinton’s political reputation.
“He helped restore his sordid reputation. A very tough thing to do but with kindness, dad probably helped Bill Clinton than anything he himself has done,” said the former Florida Governor.
On Tuesday Jeb paid homage to his sister-in-law by awarding her the National Constitution Center’s Liberty Medal, which another establishment propaganda network, CBS, said marks Clinton’s “lifelong career in public service.”
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SFD Calls For Service 12-14-14
- Sunday December, 14 2014 @ 21:45Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 14 2014 @ 21:30Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 14 2014 @ 20:01Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 14 2014 @ 18:47Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury
- Sunday December, 14 2014 @ 18:21Nature: Assist Fire DepartmentAddress: 706 Howard St Salisbury, MD 21801
Gas Savings Sucked Up By ... Obamacare!
There’s a great post up on Zero Hedge exposing the myth that lower gas prices will stimulate consumer spending (news flash: they haven’t). But if Americans aren’t spending the estimated $300 they will save at the pump next year on new get-ups and gadgets … where’s it going?
The answer? Obamacare. You know: The law that was passed because you’re stupid.
Years ago, we warned that U.S. president Barack Obama‘s socialized medicine monstrosity was going to be disastrous for the American economy – and we were right (see HERE, HERE and HERE). As a candidate in 2008, Obama projected annual savings of $2,500 per family by the end of his first term in office – only to close out his first four years with a $2,400 increase in insurance costs.
In other words, his campaign promise was about as accurate the oft-repeated “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it” promise.
The latest evidence of Obamacare’s harmful impact on our economy? A study released by The Commonwealth Fund … which found that “premiums for family coverage increased 73 percent over the past decade.” The study also found “employees’ contributions to their premiums climbed by 93 percent over that time frame.”
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The answer? Obamacare. You know: The law that was passed because you’re stupid.
Years ago, we warned that U.S. president Barack Obama‘s socialized medicine monstrosity was going to be disastrous for the American economy – and we were right (see HERE, HERE and HERE). As a candidate in 2008, Obama projected annual savings of $2,500 per family by the end of his first term in office – only to close out his first four years with a $2,400 increase in insurance costs.
In other words, his campaign promise was about as accurate the oft-repeated “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it” promise.
The latest evidence of Obamacare’s harmful impact on our economy? A study released by The Commonwealth Fund … which found that “premiums for family coverage increased 73 percent over the past decade.” The study also found “employees’ contributions to their premiums climbed by 93 percent over that time frame.”
More
Feds recommend 10 years in prison for Bob McDonnell
The federal agency that will play a pivotal role in guiding the sentence of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has recommended that he spend at least 10 years and a month in prison and at most 12 years and 7 months, according to several people familiar with the matter.
The guidelines recommended by the U.S. probation office are preliminary, and even if they are made final, U.S. District Judge James Spencer is not required to follow them. But experts said Spencer typically heeds the probation office's advice, and judges in his district have imposed sentences within the recommended range more than 70 percent of the time in recent years.
"It's of critical importance," white-collar criminal defense attorney Scott Fredericksen said. "The fact is, the vast majority of times, courts follow those recommendations closely."
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The guidelines recommended by the U.S. probation office are preliminary, and even if they are made final, U.S. District Judge James Spencer is not required to follow them. But experts said Spencer typically heeds the probation office's advice, and judges in his district have imposed sentences within the recommended range more than 70 percent of the time in recent years.
"It's of critical importance," white-collar criminal defense attorney Scott Fredericksen said. "The fact is, the vast majority of times, courts follow those recommendations closely."
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VIDEO: Muslim Fast-Food Worker Has Shocking Reaction to Someone Ordering Bacon
Ah, the joys of tolerance.
Sydney, Australia has begun to learn them after opening several Muslim-friendly restaurants that serve only halal food that is permissible to be eaten under Shariah law.
One of those restaurants is featured in this video of a Muslim man who completely loses it when a customer, apparently unaware that he was in a halal-only KFC, asked for bacon on his sandwich.
The video shows the KFC employee yelling — screaming, really — about being recorded. He also threatens the customer.
Apparently he really, really doesn’t like the word “bacon.”
Great customer service at those halal-only KFCs, as you can see.
Eventually the unnamed man is led away by other employees while he continues to rant like a three year old, and he was reportedly suspended and offered counseling after the occurrence.
Here’s the short video, courtesy of Right Wing News:
Warning: Language not safe for work or children.
Sydney, Australia has begun to learn them after opening several Muslim-friendly restaurants that serve only halal food that is permissible to be eaten under Shariah law.
One of those restaurants is featured in this video of a Muslim man who completely loses it when a customer, apparently unaware that he was in a halal-only KFC, asked for bacon on his sandwich.
The video shows the KFC employee yelling — screaming, really — about being recorded. He also threatens the customer.
Apparently he really, really doesn’t like the word “bacon.”
Great customer service at those halal-only KFCs, as you can see.
Eventually the unnamed man is led away by other employees while he continues to rant like a three year old, and he was reportedly suspended and offered counseling after the occurrence.
Here’s the short video, courtesy of Right Wing News:
Warning: Language not safe for work or children.
Scott Stapp 'believes he is a CIA agent and wants to kill Obama'
Creed front man Scott Stapp believes he is an undercover CIA agent charged with assassinating President Obama, his worried family told a 911 dispatcher.
Recently back home after a 72-hour psychiatric hold in Florida last last month, 41-year-old Stapp took off on a bicycle and disappeared - which caused his panicked wife and sister-in-law to phone the police to try and get them to commit him again.
'He thinks he's part of the CIA,' said Jaclyn Strapp to the dispatcher. 'He thinks they're trying to kill him, and he has a bunch of paperwork in his backpack that he's a CIA agent and he is supposed to assassinate Obama', said her sister.
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Recently back home after a 72-hour psychiatric hold in Florida last last month, 41-year-old Stapp took off on a bicycle and disappeared - which caused his panicked wife and sister-in-law to phone the police to try and get them to commit him again.
'He thinks he's part of the CIA,' said Jaclyn Strapp to the dispatcher. 'He thinks they're trying to kill him, and he has a bunch of paperwork in his backpack that he's a CIA agent and he is supposed to assassinate Obama', said her sister.
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Al Sharpton Was WH Guest 61 Times Since '09
Not everyone gets to drop in at the presidential residence for a chat with President Barack Obama, but the White House welcome mat most definitely has been out for one frequent visitor — the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Since 2009, Sharpton has visited the White House no fewer than 61 times, reports the National Review, citing the White House visitor log, which "illustrates the extraordinary access Sharpton has had to the president and his top advisers."
Many of the visits were for official events, such as the Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement and the jobs bill signing in 2010.
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Since 2009, Sharpton has visited the White House no fewer than 61 times, reports the National Review, citing the White House visitor log, which "illustrates the extraordinary access Sharpton has had to the president and his top advisers."
Many of the visits were for official events, such as the Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement and the jobs bill signing in 2010.
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Congressman: Boehner Lied to Get My Vote
Representative Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) accused House Republican leadership of reneging on a deal made with him to get his support on a crucial procedural vote that almost killed the $1.1 trillion cromnibus funding bill.
“I was very surprised and even more disappointed to see the cromnibus back on the floor,” Stutzman said in a Thursday evening statement. “The American people deserve better.”
Stutzman was one of the last Republicans to cast his ballot in favor of a rule allowing the House to vote on the cromnibus. National Review Online reported that Stutzman backed the rule at the last minute after leadership told him that they would pull the bill, once the rule was passed, and replace it with a short-term continuing resolution favored by rank-and-file conservatives. With the last-minute help of Stutzman and outgoing representative Kerry Bentivolio (R., Mich.), leadership won the vote 214–212.
“I supported the rule because I was informed by leadership that the cromnibus was dead and a short term CR would take its place,” Stutzman said.
More here
“I was very surprised and even more disappointed to see the cromnibus back on the floor,” Stutzman said in a Thursday evening statement. “The American people deserve better.”
Stutzman was one of the last Republicans to cast his ballot in favor of a rule allowing the House to vote on the cromnibus. National Review Online reported that Stutzman backed the rule at the last minute after leadership told him that they would pull the bill, once the rule was passed, and replace it with a short-term continuing resolution favored by rank-and-file conservatives. With the last-minute help of Stutzman and outgoing representative Kerry Bentivolio (R., Mich.), leadership won the vote 214–212.
“I supported the rule because I was informed by leadership that the cromnibus was dead and a short term CR would take its place,” Stutzman said.
More here
The House votes 219-206 to pass a $1.1 trillion, nine-month government funding bill
UPDATE: Below is the Roll Call vote. I highlighted Republicans who voted NO.
| Aderholt Amodei Bachus Barber Barletta Barr Barrow (GA) Benishek Bera (CA) Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Bishop (UT) Black Boehner Boustany Brady (PA) Brady (TX) Brooks (IN) Brownley (CA) Buchanan Bucshon Bustos Byrne Calvert Camp Capito Carney Carter Cassidy Chabot Chaffetz Clay Clyburn Coble Coffman Cole Collins (GA) Collins (NY) Connolly Cook Costa Cramer Crenshaw Crowley Cuellar Culberson Daines Davis (CA) Davis, Rodney Delaney Denham Dent Diaz-Balart Dingell Duffy Ellmers Farr Fattah Fincher Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Forbes Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frelinghuysen Gallego Garamendi Gardner Gerlach Gibbs Gibson | Gingrey (GA) Goodlatte Granger Graves (GA) Graves (MO) Griffin (AR) Grimm Guthrie Hanna Harper Harris Hartzler Hastings (WA) Heck (NV) Herrera Beutler Himes Holding Horsford Hoyer Hudson Huizenga (MI) Hultgren Hunter Issa Jenkins Johnson (OH) Jolly Joyce Kaptur Kelly (PA) Kind King (NY) Kingston Kinzinger (IL) Kline Kuster Lance Latham Latta Lipinski LoBiondo Long Lowey Lucas Luetkemeyer Maffei Maloney, Sean Marino Matheson McCarthy (CA) McCarthy (NY) McCaul McHenry McKeon McMorris Rodgers Meehan Meeks Messer Mica Miller (MI) Miller, George Moran Mullin Murphy (FL) Murphy (PA) Noem Norcross Nugent Nunes Nunnelee Owens Palazzo Pastor (AZ) | Paulsen Pearce Perlmutter Peters (CA) Peters (MI) Petri Pittenger Pitts Price (GA) Price (NC) Quigley Reed Reichert Renacci Ribble Richmond Rigell Roby Roe (TN) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rokita Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Rothfus Royce Ruiz Runyan Ruppersberger Ryan (WI) Scalise Schneider Schock Schwartz Scott, David Sessions Sewell (AL) Sherman Shimkus Shuster Simpson Sinema Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Southerland Stewart Stivers Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiberi Tipton Turner Upton Valadao Wagner Walberg Walden Walorski Wasserman Schultz Wenstrup Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wolf Womack Woodall Yoder Yoho Young (AK) Young (IN) |
New York police union tells Mayor Blasio he is BANNED from funerals of cops killed on duty
New York police union tells Mayor Blasio he is BANNED from funerals of cops killed on duty - after he told officers they had to change in the wake of Garner chokehold death
A New York police union has told Bill de Blasio to stay away from funerals of cops killed in the line of duty.
The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association posted a form on its website that members could download and sign, barring the mayor and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito from their service.
It simply reads: 'As a New York City police officer, (I) request that Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito refrain from attending my funeral services.'
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A New York police union has told Bill de Blasio to stay away from funerals of cops killed in the line of duty.
The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association posted a form on its website that members could download and sign, barring the mayor and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito from their service.
It simply reads: 'As a New York City police officer, (I) request that Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito refrain from attending my funeral services.'
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BREAKING NEWS: 5 shot dead, suspect barricades himself in home outside Philadelphia
Police outside Philadelphia have surrounded a home where they believe the suspect in the shooting deaths of five people has barricaded himself.
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Why undercover cop really pulled his gun on anti-police protesters
Gang of 50 turned on officer, punched and knocked his partner to the ground, and threatened them
The undercover cop who pulled a gun on anti-police protesters in Oakland, California, was justified in doing so after a gang of 50 targeted his partner, a witness claims.
The officer, who has not been named, was marching with the demonstrators on Wednesday night when the mob is said to have turned on him and his colleague.
After pulling out a baton and identifying himself as police, his partner was hit on the head and tackled to the ground - prompting the officer to point a pistol at the crowd.
Despite a flurry of outrage from crowds and on Twitter, photographer Michael Short said the reaction was natural in the face of the 'threatening' crowds.
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The undercover cop who pulled a gun on anti-police protesters in Oakland, California, was justified in doing so after a gang of 50 targeted his partner, a witness claims.
The officer, who has not been named, was marching with the demonstrators on Wednesday night when the mob is said to have turned on him and his colleague.
After pulling out a baton and identifying himself as police, his partner was hit on the head and tackled to the ground - prompting the officer to point a pistol at the crowd.
Despite a flurry of outrage from crowds and on Twitter, photographer Michael Short said the reaction was natural in the face of the 'threatening' crowds.
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BREAKING NEWS: Sydney police storm cafe where Iranian jihadist was holding hostages
Explosion heard, several shots fired as police in Sydney, Australia, storm cafe where an Iranian gunman had been holding hostages. Ambulance crews have entered the building. No word on whether any hostages have been wounded or if the gunman is alive.
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PART-TIME Posting-Fire Dept.
Town
of Ocean City
Ocean
City Fire Department
Career
Fire/EMS Division
PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT
Firefighter/EMS
Provider Positions
We are looking for skilled Firefighter/EMS
providers to augment our full time staff for the 2015 season.
Individuals must be at least 18 years of age and meet the following
requirements at the time of application:
1.
High School Diploma or GED.
2. Valid
EMT, CRT/EMT-I, or Paramedic license or certificate. Successful
candidates must obtain Maryland license or certification within 30
days of employment.
3.
Maryland Firefighter 1 certification, National Pro-Board Firefighter
1 rating or equivalent.
4.
Valid driver’s license at the time of application with 2 years
driving experience and a satisfactory driving record.
5.
One year of validated experience in driving and operating an
emergency vehicle in the emergency mode is preferred.
- Current BLS Healthcare Provider or Professional Rescuer CPR certification.
- EMT-Paramedics are required to possess a current AHA ACLS Provider certification.
Successful
applicants are subject to a criminal background check and a
post-offer drug test.
To
request an application packet:
By
Email: CAREERFD@oceancitymd.gov
By
Phone or for questions:
Contact:
Christine Perry, Administrative Coordinator
Ocean City Fire Department
1409 Philadelphia Ave.
Ocean City, Maryland 21842
Phone: 410-289-4346 or Fax 410-289-8421
EOE
Veterans
are encouraged to apply
Deadline
for requesting an application is 1/16/2015.
The
deadline for submitting the application packet is 1/23/15, by 3:00
p.m.
Pay:
FF/EMT-Paramedic $21.5187/Hour (Temp
EMT-Paramedic/Step 1)
FF/EMT-Intermediate $19.6938/Hour (Temp
EMT-Intermediate/Step 1)
FF/EMT-Basic $18.0236/Hour (Temp
EMT-Basic/Step 1)
Assateague Considers Fee Hike
BERLIN – Visitors to Assateague Island National Seashore could face a variety of fee increases in 2015.
The National Park Service has proposed increasing the cost of an annual entrance pass from $30 to $40 at the national seashore. The per-vehicle fee is proposed to jump from $15 to $20.
“This is not just an Assateague-only proposal,” said Liz Davis, assistant chief of interpretation and education at Assateague. “It’s a proposal across the National Park Service.”
She explained that nationwide, entrance fees are charged at 131 of the 400 sites managed by the National Park Service. The sites where fees are charged have been divided into four groups, and each of those groups is expected to increase its fees to a designated level by 2017. Under that plan, Assateague, a Group 2 park, should charge $40 for an annual pass and $20 for vehicle entry.
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The National Park Service has proposed increasing the cost of an annual entrance pass from $30 to $40 at the national seashore. The per-vehicle fee is proposed to jump from $15 to $20.
“This is not just an Assateague-only proposal,” said Liz Davis, assistant chief of interpretation and education at Assateague. “It’s a proposal across the National Park Service.”
She explained that nationwide, entrance fees are charged at 131 of the 400 sites managed by the National Park Service. The sites where fees are charged have been divided into four groups, and each of those groups is expected to increase its fees to a designated level by 2017. Under that plan, Assateague, a Group 2 park, should charge $40 for an annual pass and $20 for vehicle entry.
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Maybe President Obama Should Visit The Main Street Gym In Salisbury Maryland
Perhaps too many of you aren't aware of just how special this non profit organization is? Owners Hal and Nancy Chernoff have been working very successfully with underprivileged children here on the Shore for decades.
I've personally watched them go from literally a shack to this new state of the art facility and guess what, not a single penny came from taxpayers! They survive through unconditional donations from people like Danny Burt, Sandy Fitzgerald, Donny Hall, Brian Lacomp, John Robinson and so many other people who recognize just how special this Gym is to the community.
While Fernando and Alex Guerrero are some of the big names and successes we've all witnessed, there are HUNDREDS of other young men and women who now have a better life because of the structured discipline Hal Chernoff delivers every single day.
Last week I asked who you thought should be the "Person of the Year" and my choice is Hal Chernoff. His countless hours, his creativity, his dedication and most importantly his unbelievable success with these children just cannot be matched.
This past weekend we witnessed yet another successful event held to not only support the Main Street Gym, Hal & Nancy made sure 2/3 of the money raised went to charities the Police and Firefighters chose.
Ladies & Gentlemen, it was standing room only in this huge building, as it should be. People traveled all the way from Philadelphia to watch and enjoy an extremely well planned out event. I can tell you there were women there who started out saying they just weren't into boxing. However, when all was said and done they had incredible smiles on their faces and they'd say, "you know, that wasn't too bad at all".
Yes, the evening was based around Boxing but for some of us, we know what Hal puts into ALL of these events. We know just how hard the children, young adults and adults put in to these events, including ALL of the Volunteers, (and there are a lot of them) to Pay It Forward to the Main Street Gym.
So the next time you hear Obama say he'd like you to donate to his causes, send a check to the Main Street Gym instead because one thing is for sure, they are giving back to this community like no one ever has. It's structured and it's successful.
If you'd like to make a donation contact Hal Chernoff at
410-430-6687 or send a check to:
Main Street Gym
c/o Mark Granger Treasurer CPA
101 Williamsport Circle
Salisbury, MD. 21801
