DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, June 08, 2015
GOP 2016 Contenders Gather in Iowa for 'Roast and Ride'
"We need a president who will stand up and tell the American people what may be hard to say: that this threat is not the threat that we faced in the Cold War, where containment's enough," Walker said about destroying the Islamic State at the inaugural charity "Roast and Ride" sponsored by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst in Boone.
"This is like a virus — and if we don’t take it out, we're in trouble," Walker said.
"I don’t believe in open-ended engagements, but I believe we need a president who will say that, 'This not going to take a day, a month, or a year — but I, on behalf of your children and mine, would rather take the fight to them instead of waiting for them to bring the fight to us.
"We need to lead from the front again in America," he said.
Walker, who joined Ernst on his Harley-Davidson Road King for a 49-mile ride from Des Moines to the fundraiser in Ernst’s hometown, was among seven Republican presidential candidates and hopefuls who attended a pig roast and other activities at the event.
The others were declared candidates: Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; former Govs. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Rick Perry of Texas; retired pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, and former Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Carly Fiorina.
More here
Pledge Aside, Dead Billionaires Don't Have to Give Away Half Their Fortune
In the five years since Bill Gates and Warren Buffett created the Giving Pledge, 193 individuals have made the simple promise to give more than half of their fortune away in life or in death. This week, another 16 people joined the initiative, including Chobani yogurt founder Hamdi Ulukaya and Scottish oil baron Ian Wood.
Signing the pledge has brought glowing press coverage, video testimonials from Bill Gates and invitations to annual conferences in luxurious resorts with fellow billionaires such as Ray Dalio and Pierre Omidyar.
Less publicized is the fact that the crux of the pledge is subjective. Signatories are under no legal obligation to donate any of their money, and sometimes fail to give away anywhere close to half. Charity regulations and estate law can block public disclosures, and Buffett and Gates don’t ask pledge takers to prove a thing.
“It’s really thinking about how iconic figures providing inspiration and support can inspire and serve as a model for society,” said Robert Rosen, the Giving Pledge coordinator as Director of Philanthropic Partnerships for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We aren’t looking to add any additional complexity,” said Rosen.
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Signing the pledge has brought glowing press coverage, video testimonials from Bill Gates and invitations to annual conferences in luxurious resorts with fellow billionaires such as Ray Dalio and Pierre Omidyar.
Less publicized is the fact that the crux of the pledge is subjective. Signatories are under no legal obligation to donate any of their money, and sometimes fail to give away anywhere close to half. Charity regulations and estate law can block public disclosures, and Buffett and Gates don’t ask pledge takers to prove a thing.
“It’s really thinking about how iconic figures providing inspiration and support can inspire and serve as a model for society,” said Robert Rosen, the Giving Pledge coordinator as Director of Philanthropic Partnerships for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We aren’t looking to add any additional complexity,” said Rosen.
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O’Malley’s efforts on immigration reflect complex political realities
The former Maryland governor pledged to tackle comprehensive immigration reform during his first 100 days if he makes it to the White House, and he touted his record in Annapolis, which includes signing legislation that allows undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses and in-state college tuition rates.
While those and other measures have drawn applause from national immigrant rights advocates — with some declaring O’Malley’s record the strongest in the Democratic field — Maryland lawmakers present a more nuanced view.
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Bongino: Second Amendment Rights 'So Important'
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino told Newsmax TV on Thursday that Americans' Second Amendment rights could someday keep them alive in this age of lone wolf terror attacks.
During an appearance on "Newsmax Prime," Bongino told host J.D. Hayworth the fight against terrorism is becoming more and more difficult for law enforcement and federal authorities to control.
"It could get very bad," Bongino said. "These lone wolf attacks make it really difficult to find these people because that interconnected network isn't really there. We've seen over and over as these people get caught because they get sloppy as [in] the Boston case, where he started Tweeting out on social media his intentions."
Bongino was referring to the situation in Boston this week, in which one suspect was shot dead by authorities and another was arrested. The two men were allegedly planning to behead police officers.
Bongino, who is also a former New York City police officer, praised the efforts of police and federal agents to keep Americans safe. But he said their job is not to keep watch outside every American's home day and night.
"The police do a wonderful job, so do the federal agents when they can, but the police's job is to enforce the law," Bongino said.
"That's why these self-protection rights, the Second Amendment, the ability to learn to protect yourself and to not be reliant on the law enforcement operation as the first line of defense, is so important. What if these lone wolf attacks in any small business, in any small or large town in the United States, not only do you have the violence potential, but you're going to shut down possibly that town and you're definitely going to destroy that person's business. That's why all of this, all our freedoms, are so important. I can't emphasize that enough."
More
During an appearance on "Newsmax Prime," Bongino told host J.D. Hayworth the fight against terrorism is becoming more and more difficult for law enforcement and federal authorities to control.
"It could get very bad," Bongino said. "These lone wolf attacks make it really difficult to find these people because that interconnected network isn't really there. We've seen over and over as these people get caught because they get sloppy as [in] the Boston case, where he started Tweeting out on social media his intentions."
Bongino was referring to the situation in Boston this week, in which one suspect was shot dead by authorities and another was arrested. The two men were allegedly planning to behead police officers.
Bongino, who is also a former New York City police officer, praised the efforts of police and federal agents to keep Americans safe. But he said their job is not to keep watch outside every American's home day and night.
"The police do a wonderful job, so do the federal agents when they can, but the police's job is to enforce the law," Bongino said.
"That's why these self-protection rights, the Second Amendment, the ability to learn to protect yourself and to not be reliant on the law enforcement operation as the first line of defense, is so important. What if these lone wolf attacks in any small business, in any small or large town in the United States, not only do you have the violence potential, but you're going to shut down possibly that town and you're definitely going to destroy that person's business. That's why all of this, all our freedoms, are so important. I can't emphasize that enough."
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Workshop to Focus on Protecting Maryland’s Working Waterfronts
At the event, DNR’s Chesapeake and Coastal Service will reveal the results of a six month business analysis of working waterfronts in Cambridge, as well as more information on the state’s new Working Waterfronts Enhancement Program.
“Working waterfronts are critical to the well-being of our economy, providing access for water-dependent activities such as fishing, boating and various marine trades,” said DNR Secretary Mark Belton. “With concerns for our ever-changing shorelines growing, the exchange aims to explore the future of these waterfronts, and the role they play in our community’s identity and economic importance.”
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Liberal, Conservative Billionaires Unite to Fight Israel Boycotts
One donated more than $100 million to the Republicans, the other has been the Clintons’ biggest backer. Now billionaires Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban, split on U.S. politics, have united to fight boycott threats against Israel.
Adelson and Saban hosted a conference of pro-Israel business executives and activists over the weekend in Las Vegas, to begin an initiative aimed at countering the growing threat of international sanctions against Israel.
“That he’s a Democrat and I’m a Republican has really very little to do with it,” said Las Vegas Sands Corp. founder Adelson, who holds the 25th slot on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, in a joint interview with Saban on Israel’s Channel 2 on Saturday. While you can “rest assured” the two men will not be supporting the same person in the 2016 presidential election, Saban said, “when it comes to Israel, we are absolutely on the same page.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has identified the global trend to boycott, divest and sanction Israel over its policy toward the Palestinians, known as the BDS movement, as a major threat.
The boycott issue gained new prominence after Stephane Richard, chief executive officer of Orange SA, said on Wednesday that the Paris-based telecom company would end its licensing deal with Israel’s Partner Communications Co. “tomorrow” if he wasn’t concerned about legal repercussions. Richard later apologized for his comments, made in response to a question over a threatened boycott of Orange’s Egyptian subsidy, Mobinil, and said they weren’t motivated by political concerns.
The Israel-born Saban, who owns a controlling stake in Partner, called Richard’s clarification “a blatant lie.”
“Any company that chooses to boycott business in Israel, they’re going to look at this case, and once we’re done, they’re going to think twice about whether they want to take on Israel or not,” he said.
More here
Adelson and Saban hosted a conference of pro-Israel business executives and activists over the weekend in Las Vegas, to begin an initiative aimed at countering the growing threat of international sanctions against Israel.
“That he’s a Democrat and I’m a Republican has really very little to do with it,” said Las Vegas Sands Corp. founder Adelson, who holds the 25th slot on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, in a joint interview with Saban on Israel’s Channel 2 on Saturday. While you can “rest assured” the two men will not be supporting the same person in the 2016 presidential election, Saban said, “when it comes to Israel, we are absolutely on the same page.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has identified the global trend to boycott, divest and sanction Israel over its policy toward the Palestinians, known as the BDS movement, as a major threat.
The boycott issue gained new prominence after Stephane Richard, chief executive officer of Orange SA, said on Wednesday that the Paris-based telecom company would end its licensing deal with Israel’s Partner Communications Co. “tomorrow” if he wasn’t concerned about legal repercussions. Richard later apologized for his comments, made in response to a question over a threatened boycott of Orange’s Egyptian subsidy, Mobinil, and said they weren’t motivated by political concerns.
The Israel-born Saban, who owns a controlling stake in Partner, called Richard’s clarification “a blatant lie.”
“Any company that chooses to boycott business in Israel, they’re going to look at this case, and once we’re done, they’re going to think twice about whether they want to take on Israel or not,” he said.
More here
Montgomery County Issued Erroneous Tickets
Wrong Vehicles Cited In Multiple Instances
Evidence of the errors was uncovered in a Maryland Public Information Act Request which the editor of the Maryland Drivers Allegiance website filed with the county on April 17. Included in the disclosed documents were several examples of acknowledged erroneous citations which Montgomery County issued between January and April of this year.
One motorist from Columbia wrote about a citation issued on Dufief Mill Road, where a small sedan had been mistaken for their SUV: “I only own a Black 2015 Ford Explorer, it seems the car in the picture is a Ford Focus or similar vehicle”.
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GOP Presidential Hopefuls Fire Back at Hillary For Attacks on Voting Rights
Republican presidential hopefuls are firing back at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for holding up their states as examples of those with poor records on voting rights.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich told Fox News that before Clinton attacks Ohio's voting laws, she should look no further than her home state of New York that she represented in the Senate.
"In Ohio we have 28 days. In New York, where [Clinton] is from, they have one day. Why are you suing me? Why don't you go sue your own people? Why don't you take care of business at home before you run around the country using these demagogic statements that we don't want people to vote?" Kasich said in an interview on Fox News Friday. "It's ridiculous."
While speaking at historically black Texas Southern University on Thursday, Clinton criticized by name Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Kasich for the voting laws in their states.
"Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting," Clinton said during her speech. "What part of democracy are they afraid of? I believe every citizen has the right to vote and I believe we should do everything we can to make it easier for every citizen to vote."
Clinton's top lawyer Marc Elias has filed lawsuits in both Ohio and Wisconsin, challenging the voting laws in those states.
Clinton supports universal voter registration, allowing greater access to polling places, allowing them to remain open for a minimum of 20 days and having voting hours on evenings and weekends.
More here
Ohio Gov. John Kasich told Fox News that before Clinton attacks Ohio's voting laws, she should look no further than her home state of New York that she represented in the Senate.
"In Ohio we have 28 days. In New York, where [Clinton] is from, they have one day. Why are you suing me? Why don't you go sue your own people? Why don't you take care of business at home before you run around the country using these demagogic statements that we don't want people to vote?" Kasich said in an interview on Fox News Friday. "It's ridiculous."
While speaking at historically black Texas Southern University on Thursday, Clinton criticized by name Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Kasich for the voting laws in their states.
"Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of American citizens from voting," Clinton said during her speech. "What part of democracy are they afraid of? I believe every citizen has the right to vote and I believe we should do everything we can to make it easier for every citizen to vote."
Clinton's top lawyer Marc Elias has filed lawsuits in both Ohio and Wisconsin, challenging the voting laws in those states.
Clinton supports universal voter registration, allowing greater access to polling places, allowing them to remain open for a minimum of 20 days and having voting hours on evenings and weekends.
More here
Mark S. Bowen swears in Don Fitzgerald
Wicomico Clerk of the Court Mark S. Bowen swears in Don Fitzgerald for a second term on the Wicomico County Board of Education today, as Board President Ron Willey looks on. Fitzgerald's first term officially ended June 30, 2014, but he continued to serve on the Board -- and serve as its vice president -- while awaiting word on his reappointment during and after the election year. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan recently appointed Fitzgerald to a second five-year term, dating from July 1, 2014. Two more Board members appointed by the Governor are expected to be sworn in this month.
Kennesaw State Apologizes For Adviser’s Confrontation With Student
Kennesaw State University apologized Friday for the conduct of an adviser, who in a recording posted online threatened to call security on a student for apparently sitting in the room and waiting to speak with his academic adviser.
The incident spawned a hashtag #itsbiggerthanKSU and prompted the University to place the adviser in question, Abigail Dawson, on administrative leave pending the completion of their investigation.
After conducting interviews with 13 students, faculty and staff members, the school announced Friday that the investigation was complete and that it had apologized to the student, Kevin Bruce, for the altercation.
“We have made it very clear to Ms. Dawson and her supervisors that the behavior she demonstrated on the video will not be tolerated; and while we have apologized to the student directly, we also want to publicly apologize for her behavior, which is not representative of KSU’s student-centered culture,” said Ken Harmon, provost and vice president of academic affairs, in a statement.
In the video, Dawson is seen walking into the room telling Bruce that he was harassing another adviser in the Department of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Margaret Tilley.
“I’m not harassing no one,” Bruce said.
Bruce responded that he was just waiting to talk to someone.
“Sitting here until someone is available is harassing them,” Dawson said.
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The incident spawned a hashtag #itsbiggerthanKSU and prompted the University to place the adviser in question, Abigail Dawson, on administrative leave pending the completion of their investigation.
After conducting interviews with 13 students, faculty and staff members, the school announced Friday that the investigation was complete and that it had apologized to the student, Kevin Bruce, for the altercation.
“We have made it very clear to Ms. Dawson and her supervisors that the behavior she demonstrated on the video will not be tolerated; and while we have apologized to the student directly, we also want to publicly apologize for her behavior, which is not representative of KSU’s student-centered culture,” said Ken Harmon, provost and vice president of academic affairs, in a statement.
In the video, Dawson is seen walking into the room telling Bruce that he was harassing another adviser in the Department of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Margaret Tilley.
“I’m not harassing no one,” Bruce said.
Bruce responded that he was just waiting to talk to someone.
“Sitting here until someone is available is harassing them,” Dawson said.
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Surging school meal prices puts strain on families
School meals are designed to be both nutritious for students and easy on their families' pocketbooks. Yet while some school lunches might get an "A" on providing essential nutrients, they appear to be receiving a flunking grade for affordability.
The issue of school meal prices came to the forefront last week when a school kitchen manager in a Denver suburb said she lost her job after giving lunches to students who didn't have the money to pay. While the school district later said the employee was let go for other reasons, the incident raised questions about how children from families earning at least $31,000 per year -- the threshold for a family of four to receive free lunches -- could fail to afford the seemingly modest cost of school breakfasts and lunches. Reduced-price lunches are available for families earning 185 percent above the poverty rate, or about $44,000 for a family of four.
At the heart of the issue is a tough economic squeeze for families considered the "working poor," or those who are scraping by just above the poverty threshold. The average price of an elementary school lunch has surged 52 percent in just 11 years, according to a study from the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit that focuses on anti-hunger initiatives. During the same period, the median income of U.S. households has declined 5.4 percent.
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The issue of school meal prices came to the forefront last week when a school kitchen manager in a Denver suburb said she lost her job after giving lunches to students who didn't have the money to pay. While the school district later said the employee was let go for other reasons, the incident raised questions about how children from families earning at least $31,000 per year -- the threshold for a family of four to receive free lunches -- could fail to afford the seemingly modest cost of school breakfasts and lunches. Reduced-price lunches are available for families earning 185 percent above the poverty rate, or about $44,000 for a family of four.
At the heart of the issue is a tough economic squeeze for families considered the "working poor," or those who are scraping by just above the poverty threshold. The average price of an elementary school lunch has surged 52 percent in just 11 years, according to a study from the Food Research and Action Center, a nonprofit that focuses on anti-hunger initiatives. During the same period, the median income of U.S. households has declined 5.4 percent.
More
Amid Campaign Meltdown, Carson Claims 'Sabotage'
Famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson smells dissent within his ranks.
"I thought it was ridiculous, obviously someone is making an attempt to sabotage," Carson told the Washington Examiner. "I don't know who this is, but there's no truth to it whatsoever. I talked to my campaign and they said things are going as well as possible."
The neurosurgeon-turned-presidential-hopeful denied chaos within his campaign following the publication of a Washington Post article, which reported the loss of four senior campaign staffers and the sweeping disarray within his two allied super PACs. He also denied any knowledge of the source of the "sabotage."
Campaign chairman Terry Giles resigned last month with the intention of forming a third super PAC. Leaving along with Giles was deputy campaign manager Stephen Rubino, a longtime Giles associate, as well as national finance chairman Jeff Reeter and general counsel Kathy Freberg. With the loss of these key aides, Carson is left with few experienced, high-level political operatives.
According to the article in question, this significant loss of staff has created "turmoil" for Carson's 2016 run, as the aides have yet to be replaced. The Post went on to highlight concerns of "dysfunction" due to "amateurism." This is Carson's first time running for elected office.
But he's not worried about the loss of staffers or the apparent confusion within his PACs. His business manager Armstrong Williams says that Carson prefers to stay as "far away from the PACs as possible" so he can focus on the people.
"It was decided when we switched over from our exploratory committee to our actual campaign that many people would leave it," Carson explained. "There was nothing rancorous about it. I was surprised about the Washington Post article to be honest. "
More here
"I thought it was ridiculous, obviously someone is making an attempt to sabotage," Carson told the Washington Examiner. "I don't know who this is, but there's no truth to it whatsoever. I talked to my campaign and they said things are going as well as possible."
The neurosurgeon-turned-presidential-hopeful denied chaos within his campaign following the publication of a Washington Post article, which reported the loss of four senior campaign staffers and the sweeping disarray within his two allied super PACs. He also denied any knowledge of the source of the "sabotage."
Campaign chairman Terry Giles resigned last month with the intention of forming a third super PAC. Leaving along with Giles was deputy campaign manager Stephen Rubino, a longtime Giles associate, as well as national finance chairman Jeff Reeter and general counsel Kathy Freberg. With the loss of these key aides, Carson is left with few experienced, high-level political operatives.
According to the article in question, this significant loss of staff has created "turmoil" for Carson's 2016 run, as the aides have yet to be replaced. The Post went on to highlight concerns of "dysfunction" due to "amateurism." This is Carson's first time running for elected office.
But he's not worried about the loss of staffers or the apparent confusion within his PACs. His business manager Armstrong Williams says that Carson prefers to stay as "far away from the PACs as possible" so he can focus on the people.
"It was decided when we switched over from our exploratory committee to our actual campaign that many people would leave it," Carson explained. "There was nothing rancorous about it. I was surprised about the Washington Post article to be honest. "
More here
A bachelor's degree has become the standard for an increasing number of entry-level positions, but is it really worth the blow to your (or your parents') bank account? It depends on what you study. While a major in finance might very well put you on the path to a lucrative career, a degree in underwater basket weaving won't.
We examined employment and earnings data for 129 popular college majors to identify courses of study that typically lead to small salaries for both recent graduates and experienced workers. We also homed in on majors that aren't in high demand on the online job marketplace. Finally, we looked at professions related to these majors to see which ones have the most discouraging long-term prospects for job growth.
Pursue any one of these majors if that's where your passion lies, because what you study in school is just one component of the overall package you present to prospective employers. Just be prepared for the reality that some majors can limit your career opportunities and earnings potential after graduation. Take a look at the 2014-2015 list of the 10 worst college majors for your career.
10. Art History
Starting salary: $36,900 (median for all 129 majors: $40,400)
Mid-career salary: $59,000 (median for all 129 majors: $69,800)
Annual online job postings: 2,140
Projected 10-year job growth: 7.1% (all occupations: 10.8%)
Alternative major: Art Education
A bachelor's degree in art history alone won't do wonders for your earnings power in the field. Museum technicians and conservators, two positions available to B.A. holders, pull in a lean median salary of $38,220 a year. Even archivist and curator positions, most of which require a master's degree, pay median salaries of just $47,340 and $49,590, respectively.
A better bet: An undergraduate degree in art education, coupled with a master's, would arm you with both art and teaching skills and put you on the fast-track to becoming a postsecondary art teacher. With a median salary of $62,160, by far the highest for a non-administrative job in the art industry, these teachers can continue to critique masterpieces without living the starving-artist lifestyle.
More
We examined employment and earnings data for 129 popular college majors to identify courses of study that typically lead to small salaries for both recent graduates and experienced workers. We also homed in on majors that aren't in high demand on the online job marketplace. Finally, we looked at professions related to these majors to see which ones have the most discouraging long-term prospects for job growth.
Pursue any one of these majors if that's where your passion lies, because what you study in school is just one component of the overall package you present to prospective employers. Just be prepared for the reality that some majors can limit your career opportunities and earnings potential after graduation. Take a look at the 2014-2015 list of the 10 worst college majors for your career.
10. Art History
Starting salary: $36,900 (median for all 129 majors: $40,400)
Mid-career salary: $59,000 (median for all 129 majors: $69,800)
Annual online job postings: 2,140
Projected 10-year job growth: 7.1% (all occupations: 10.8%)
Alternative major: Art Education
A bachelor's degree in art history alone won't do wonders for your earnings power in the field. Museum technicians and conservators, two positions available to B.A. holders, pull in a lean median salary of $38,220 a year. Even archivist and curator positions, most of which require a master's degree, pay median salaries of just $47,340 and $49,590, respectively.
A better bet: An undergraduate degree in art education, coupled with a master's, would arm you with both art and teaching skills and put you on the fast-track to becoming a postsecondary art teacher. With a median salary of $62,160, by far the highest for a non-administrative job in the art industry, these teachers can continue to critique masterpieces without living the starving-artist lifestyle.
More
BREAKING NEWS: Ex-SC officer indicted for murder in shooting of black man
A white former South Carolina police officer is indicted on a murder charge in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man who was running away from the officer after a traffic stop.
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Residents Near Gaza Border Say They Hear Tunnel-digging
“We have relayed these complaints to security officials who are looking into it,” one source told The Jerusalem Post’s Hebrew-language sister publication Ma’ariv. “According to the complaints, the digging hasn’t stopped for a moment.”
The complaints come less than a day after Israeli warplanes launched reprisal raids against targets in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Islamists in Gaza fired a rocket into Israeli territory earlier on Saturday. Earlier last week, at least two rockets were fired at Gaza frontier towns.
Local residents believe that the next round of fighting is simply a matter of time.
“We knew this would repeat itself, this trickle of missiles,” said Eran Zomer, a 27-year-old resident of the moshav of Amioz. “Very simply, the IDF didn’t do the job the last time.”
“I’ve also heard of many residents in the area complaining about hearing digging, so we weren’t surprised that a senior Hamas official said their people continue to prepare offensive tunnels,” he said. “I hope that next time [the army] will properly deal with the tunnels in a timely fashion instead of waiting until 14 terrorists pop out from underground.”
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California bus driver foils kidnapping of 3-year-old boy in progress on his bus
A 3-year-old boy was reported missing Friday morning from the Milpitas Public Library, about 45 miles from San Francisco, according a press release from the Milpitas Police Department.
About an hour later, Tim Watson, a Valley Transportation Authority bus driver, noticed a man and boy on his bus who matched the description of the suspect and child wanted by authorities.
The boy was crying, Watson said.
"I saw his teary eye," he said.
So Watson concocted a clever plan to deliver the suspect to authorities.
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Stratcom Deploys Bombers Near Baltics
The B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, are currently operating from a base in Britain and joined maritime naval exercises in the Baltic Sea called Baltops 15, the largest naval exercise by NATO forces in the region this year.
The exercises are being held on and above international waters in the Baltic Sea and in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—the Baltic states—and Poland.
All four nations fear Russia’s military aggression in Crimea and continuing destabilization in eastern Ukraine will be followed by Moscow’s use of military force against them.
The Baltic states last month asked NATO to permanently deploy up to 5,000 troops to the region to deter Russian aggression. Poland also wants a permanent NATO military presence.
Russian generals told U.S. officials in March during a meeting in Germany that Russia would take destabilizing actions against the Baltic states if NATO troops are stationed there.
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Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release 6-8-15
Soros Bankrolls Democrats’ Fight in 'Voting Rights' Cases
A Democratic legal fight against 'restrictive' voting laws enacted in recent years by Republican-controlled state governments is being largely paid for by a single liberal benefactor: billionaire George Soros.
Mr. Soros, the Hungarian-born investor whose first major involvement in American politics was a voter-mobilization drive in the 2004 presidential race, has yet to commit the many millions of dollars that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s allies hope he and other like-minded billionaires will pour into the “super PAC” directly aiding her campaign.
But it turns out that Mr. Soros has already agreed to put as much as $5 million into the litigation effort, which Democrats hope will erode restrictions on voter access that they say could otherwise prove decisive in a close election.
The lawsuits — which are being led by a lawyer whose clients include Mrs. Clinton’s campaign — are attacking a variety of measures, including voter-identification requirements that Democrats consider onerous, time restrictions imposed on early voting that they say could make it difficult to cast ballots the weekend before Election Day, and rules that could nullify ballots cast in the wrong precinct.
The goal is to try to influence voting rules in states where Republican governors and Republican-led legislatures have enacted election laws since 2010, and to be ready to intervene if additional measures are passed over the next 17 months.
A Government Accountability Office study last October found that states with more stringent voter identification laws had a larger decline in voter turnout than states that did not have such new restrictions.
Republicans have argued that the new laws are much-needed protection against election fraud, and dismiss the litigation — which could soon expand to cases in Georgia, Nevada and Virginia, Democrats say — as little more than a gambit to energize minority voters in support of Democratic candidates.
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Mr. Soros, the Hungarian-born investor whose first major involvement in American politics was a voter-mobilization drive in the 2004 presidential race, has yet to commit the many millions of dollars that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s allies hope he and other like-minded billionaires will pour into the “super PAC” directly aiding her campaign.
But it turns out that Mr. Soros has already agreed to put as much as $5 million into the litigation effort, which Democrats hope will erode restrictions on voter access that they say could otherwise prove decisive in a close election.
The lawsuits — which are being led by a lawyer whose clients include Mrs. Clinton’s campaign — are attacking a variety of measures, including voter-identification requirements that Democrats consider onerous, time restrictions imposed on early voting that they say could make it difficult to cast ballots the weekend before Election Day, and rules that could nullify ballots cast in the wrong precinct.
The goal is to try to influence voting rules in states where Republican governors and Republican-led legislatures have enacted election laws since 2010, and to be ready to intervene if additional measures are passed over the next 17 months.
A Government Accountability Office study last October found that states with more stringent voter identification laws had a larger decline in voter turnout than states that did not have such new restrictions.
Republicans have argued that the new laws are much-needed protection against election fraud, and dismiss the litigation — which could soon expand to cases in Georgia, Nevada and Virginia, Democrats say — as little more than a gambit to energize minority voters in support of Democratic candidates.
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Egg rationing in America has officially begun
In recent days, an ominous sign has appeared throughout Texas. "Eggs [are] not for commercial sale," read warnings, printed on traditional 8 1/2-by-11-inch pieces of white paper and posted at H-E-B grocery stores across Texas. "The purchase of eggs is limited to 3 cartons of eggs per customer."
H-E-B, which operates some 350 supermarkets, is one of the largest chains not only in the state, but in the whole country. And it has begun, as the casual but foreboding notices warn, to ration its eggs.
"The United States is facing a temporary disruption in the supply of eggs due to the Avian Flu," a statement released on Thursday said. "H-E-B is committed to ensuring Texas families and households have access to eggs. The signs placed on our shelves last week are to deter commercial users from buying eggs in bulk."
The news, as the grocer suggests, comes on the heels of what has been adevastating several months for egg farmers in the United States. Avian flu, which has proven lethal in other parts of the world, has spread throughout the United States like wildfire. Since April, when cases began spreading by the thousands each week, the virus has escalated to a point of national crisis.
As of this month, some 46 million chickens and turkeys have been affected,according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 80 percent of those are egg-laying hens, a reality that has been crippling for the egg industry.
But it's becoming increasingly clear that it isn't merely those who produce eggs that will suffer. Those who eat them will pay a price, too.
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H-E-B, which operates some 350 supermarkets, is one of the largest chains not only in the state, but in the whole country. And it has begun, as the casual but foreboding notices warn, to ration its eggs.
"The United States is facing a temporary disruption in the supply of eggs due to the Avian Flu," a statement released on Thursday said. "H-E-B is committed to ensuring Texas families and households have access to eggs. The signs placed on our shelves last week are to deter commercial users from buying eggs in bulk."
The news, as the grocer suggests, comes on the heels of what has been adevastating several months for egg farmers in the United States. Avian flu, which has proven lethal in other parts of the world, has spread throughout the United States like wildfire. Since April, when cases began spreading by the thousands each week, the virus has escalated to a point of national crisis.
As of this month, some 46 million chickens and turkeys have been affected,according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 80 percent of those are egg-laying hens, a reality that has been crippling for the egg industry.
But it's becoming increasingly clear that it isn't merely those who produce eggs that will suffer. Those who eat them will pay a price, too.
More
Homofascists, Christians And The State As 'God'
Among the more shrill allegations voiced by constituent subgroups of the political left is that the opposition (Republicans, conservatives and Christians) would gladly kill them in a great purge if only they had the practical capacity to do so. During the 2004 campaign season, iconic pop singer and self-described “fag hag” Cher (urbandictionary.com: A woman who enjoys hanging out with gay men) publicly proclaimed that George W. Bush would ship homosexuals off in cattle cars to death camps were he re-elected.
I suppose Cher reasoned (if indeed she does reason) that doing this had somehow slipped Bush’s mind during his first term.
I’ve heard the same charge leveled with regard to ethnic minorities, that right-wingers would just love to re-institute slavery or segregation; in their perfect world, they could simply wipe out those nasty darker-skinned people altogether. Naturally, this presupposes that all right-wingers are white.
Those on the left routinely typify their opponents as intolerant, hateful and potentially violent. This has increased in volume and frequency under the Obama administration, which codified these mischaracterizations into Department of Homeland Security policy; DHS has designated pro-lifers, patriots, constitutionalists, Christians, amnesty opponents, gun enthusiasts, military veterans and other groups as potential terrorist threats.
In keeping with their hypocrisy and incongruity, leftists conveniently omit the fact that they have carried out more terrorism, pogroms, mass murders and genocide than any political group in history. As regular readers will be aware, projection of their antisocial character defects onto opponents is a hallmark of the left’s methodology.
Their objective is to convince as much of the citizenry as possible that their warnings are at least somewhat plausible. This way, when DHS Storm Troopers arrive in the wee hours to collect their neighbors, they will accept the cover story without protest: The detainees were involved in a terrorist plot to carry out large scale “hate crimes” against illegal immigrants, homosexuals, or some species of endangered grouse.
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I suppose Cher reasoned (if indeed she does reason) that doing this had somehow slipped Bush’s mind during his first term.
I’ve heard the same charge leveled with regard to ethnic minorities, that right-wingers would just love to re-institute slavery or segregation; in their perfect world, they could simply wipe out those nasty darker-skinned people altogether. Naturally, this presupposes that all right-wingers are white.
Those on the left routinely typify their opponents as intolerant, hateful and potentially violent. This has increased in volume and frequency under the Obama administration, which codified these mischaracterizations into Department of Homeland Security policy; DHS has designated pro-lifers, patriots, constitutionalists, Christians, amnesty opponents, gun enthusiasts, military veterans and other groups as potential terrorist threats.
In keeping with their hypocrisy and incongruity, leftists conveniently omit the fact that they have carried out more terrorism, pogroms, mass murders and genocide than any political group in history. As regular readers will be aware, projection of their antisocial character defects onto opponents is a hallmark of the left’s methodology.
Their objective is to convince as much of the citizenry as possible that their warnings are at least somewhat plausible. This way, when DHS Storm Troopers arrive in the wee hours to collect their neighbors, they will accept the cover story without protest: The detainees were involved in a terrorist plot to carry out large scale “hate crimes” against illegal immigrants, homosexuals, or some species of endangered grouse.
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Feds Hammered For Secrecy On Muslim Refugees
Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy’s efforts to shed light on the government’s secretive refugee resettlement program continues to play out in letters between himself and the federal agency responsible for resettling thousands of foreign refugees in U.S. cities and towns every year.
Since his letters haven’t produced many answers, he’s now calling for a meeting with State Department officials.
Gowdy, R-S.C., started asking questions in April about how refugees are distributed to various cities, the impact on local job markets and public services, and who makes the key decisions, among other points of interest. His questions came after it was revealed that Spartanburg, a city in his home district, was selected to receive 60 to 65 refugees over the next year, mostly from Syria. Unable to answer all of the questions posed by some nervous constituents, Gowdy fired off letters to Secretary of State John Kerry.
After getting a response from Kerry that he said was “wholly inadequate” and “vague,” he demanded more specifics on May 4. On Wednesday, he received a second response, which he called a “non-response.”
The State Department secretly selected Spartanburg sometime last year to be one of its designated “receiving communities” for Syrian refugees, 92 percent of whom to date have been Muslim people that the FBI has said will be virtually impossible to safely screen for terrorist connections.
More here
Since his letters haven’t produced many answers, he’s now calling for a meeting with State Department officials.
Gowdy, R-S.C., started asking questions in April about how refugees are distributed to various cities, the impact on local job markets and public services, and who makes the key decisions, among other points of interest. His questions came after it was revealed that Spartanburg, a city in his home district, was selected to receive 60 to 65 refugees over the next year, mostly from Syria. Unable to answer all of the questions posed by some nervous constituents, Gowdy fired off letters to Secretary of State John Kerry.
After getting a response from Kerry that he said was “wholly inadequate” and “vague,” he demanded more specifics on May 4. On Wednesday, he received a second response, which he called a “non-response.”
The State Department secretly selected Spartanburg sometime last year to be one of its designated “receiving communities” for Syrian refugees, 92 percent of whom to date have been Muslim people that the FBI has said will be virtually impossible to safely screen for terrorist connections.
More here
Casinos bet on growth in table games, removing slot machines to make room
Over the past 15 months, Maryland’s three largest casinos — Maryland Live, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore and Hollywood Casino Perryville — have kicked 1,350 slot machines to the curb. That’s a 16 percent cut to their slots to make room for more table games, restaurant space, entertainment and other amenities, all of which are increasing in value to casinos as interest in slots slides, particularly among millennials.
Traditionally a cash cow for the industry, slots are losing some of their appeal in lots of places around the country. It’s a trend that has casino executives concerned and busy dreaming up new ways to bolster slot games and make them more attractive. The dominance of slots has waned even in the gambling stronghold of Nevada, where the number of machines has dropped from a high of 217,000 in 2001 to 175,000 last year. And slot earnings have fallen there as well: Nevada casinos experienced a 20 percent reduction in slot revenue between 2007 and 2014, according to the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
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Secret Directive Outlines Obama Support for Muslim Brotherhood
President Obama and his administration continue to support the global Islamist militant group known the Muslim Brotherhood.
A White House strategy document regards the group as a moderate alternative to more violent Islamist groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The policy of backing the Muslim Brotherhood is outlined in a secret directive called Presidential Study Directive-11, or PSD-11. The directive was produced in 2011 and outlines administration support for political reform in the Middle East and North Africa, according to officials familiar with the classified study.
Efforts to force the administration to release the directive or portions of it under the Freedom of Information Act have been unsuccessful.
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan declined to comment on PSD-11. “We have nothing for you on this,” she said.
The directive outlines why the administration has chosen the Muslim Brotherhood, which last year was labeled a terrorist organization by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a key vehicle of U.S. backing for so-called political reform in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia in recent months appears to be moderating its opposition to the Brotherhood in a bid to gain more regional support against pro-Iran rebels in Yemen.
The UAE government also has labeled two U.S. affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim American Society, as terrorist support groups. Both groups denied the UAE claims. Egypt is considering imposing a death sentence on Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed former president who was ousted in military coup in July 2013.
Critics of the administration’s strategy say the Brotherhood masks its goals and objectives despite advocating an extremist ideology similar to those espoused by al Qaeda and the Islamic State, but with less violence. The group’s motto includes the phrase “jihad is our way.” Jihad means holy war and is the Islamist battle cry.
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A White House strategy document regards the group as a moderate alternative to more violent Islamist groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The policy of backing the Muslim Brotherhood is outlined in a secret directive called Presidential Study Directive-11, or PSD-11. The directive was produced in 2011 and outlines administration support for political reform in the Middle East and North Africa, according to officials familiar with the classified study.
Efforts to force the administration to release the directive or portions of it under the Freedom of Information Act have been unsuccessful.
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan declined to comment on PSD-11. “We have nothing for you on this,” she said.
The directive outlines why the administration has chosen the Muslim Brotherhood, which last year was labeled a terrorist organization by the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as a key vehicle of U.S. backing for so-called political reform in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia in recent months appears to be moderating its opposition to the Brotherhood in a bid to gain more regional support against pro-Iran rebels in Yemen.
The UAE government also has labeled two U.S. affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim American Society, as terrorist support groups. Both groups denied the UAE claims. Egypt is considering imposing a death sentence on Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed former president who was ousted in military coup in July 2013.
Critics of the administration’s strategy say the Brotherhood masks its goals and objectives despite advocating an extremist ideology similar to those espoused by al Qaeda and the Islamic State, but with less violence. The group’s motto includes the phrase “jihad is our way.” Jihad means holy war and is the Islamist battle cry.
Read more
GOP Senators Mum On Reading Of Obamatrade
At least two leading Republicans – Majority Whip Steve Scalise and Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions – won’t say whether they’ve read the text of the trade deal they support that’s being pushed by President Obama, leading some to wonder if the massive Trans Pacific Partnership is about to go the way of Obamacare, when the mantra was to pass it to see what was in it.
In March 2010, then-Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi made national headlines for pressing for approval of Obamacare despite the fact congressional members hadn’t had time to read the massive text, telling her colleagues and the nation “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” various media reported.
Breitbart asked Scalise and Sessions, both of whom reportedly support Obama’s fast-track request, if they’ve read the bill that’s been dubbed Obamatrade. And their response? Breitbart reported they refused to say.
The news outlet reported numerous other Republicans have refused to admit whether they’ve read the text of the bill, including Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Lindsey Graham and House Speaker John Boehner.
“It is unforgivable for the Republican majority to shirk its congressional duty and refuse to read the text of a bill that will give Obama unprecedented authority over our economy,” said Daniel Horowitz, the senior editor of Conservative Review, as reported by Breitbart.
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In March 2010, then-Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi made national headlines for pressing for approval of Obamacare despite the fact congressional members hadn’t had time to read the massive text, telling her colleagues and the nation “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it,” various media reported.
Breitbart asked Scalise and Sessions, both of whom reportedly support Obama’s fast-track request, if they’ve read the bill that’s been dubbed Obamatrade. And their response? Breitbart reported they refused to say.
The news outlet reported numerous other Republicans have refused to admit whether they’ve read the text of the bill, including Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Lindsey Graham and House Speaker John Boehner.
“It is unforgivable for the Republican majority to shirk its congressional duty and refuse to read the text of a bill that will give Obama unprecedented authority over our economy,” said Daniel Horowitz, the senior editor of Conservative Review, as reported by Breitbart.
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With Power Tools and a Ruse, 2 Killers Escape New York Prison
DANNEMORA, N.Y. — Two convicted murderers serving life sentences in adjoining cells staged an elaborate escape from New York’s largest state-run prison between Friday night and Saturday morning, fooling guards with makeshift dummies made out of sweatshirts and using power tools to drill out of their cells and past the prison’s 30-foot-tall walls, officials said.
The men remained at large late Saturday as law enforcement personnel conducted an extensive manhunt radiating outward from the Clinton Correctional Facility here, where residents hoped for a quick end to an unprecedented occurrence.
Police officers in bulletproof vests and armed with rifles manned roadblocks on routes leading to and from the town, peering into cars and checking trunks as red flares lit up the pavement on a chilly night.
Floodlights filled the street around the maximum-security facility, whose thick walls loomed high over the north side of the town’s main street, which was closed to most traffic. Dozens of law enforcement officials stood guard in a nearby neighborhood where the two escapees had emerged from a manhole.
The New York State Police said the inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat, had escaped from the facility in Dannemora, an all-male maximum security prison about 170 miles north of Albany near the Canadian border. Within hours, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had canceled a scheduled visit to theBelmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y., to meet with the police and prison officials.
After he was briefed by the officials, who took him on a tour of the escape route, the governor took part in a news conference. Officials described a plan that involved the use of power tools to drill through steel walls and pipes.
“When you look at how the operation was done, it was extraordinary,” Mr. Cuomo said. This was the first time in the prison’s history that anyone escaped from the maximum security section of the facility, he said.
The State Police said that Mr. Matt, 48, and Mr. Sweat, 34, were discovered missing during a 5:30 a.m. bed check. Both men were “a danger to the public,” and officials advised anyone who saw them not to approach and to contact the police.
Officials said the men, who lived in adjoining cells, drilled a hole through the steel wall at the back of their cells and walked onto a catwalk. They then climbed down and used the tools to drill through a maze of pipes and tunnels before exiting through a manhole on a nearby street, officials said.
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The men remained at large late Saturday as law enforcement personnel conducted an extensive manhunt radiating outward from the Clinton Correctional Facility here, where residents hoped for a quick end to an unprecedented occurrence.
Police officers in bulletproof vests and armed with rifles manned roadblocks on routes leading to and from the town, peering into cars and checking trunks as red flares lit up the pavement on a chilly night.
Floodlights filled the street around the maximum-security facility, whose thick walls loomed high over the north side of the town’s main street, which was closed to most traffic. Dozens of law enforcement officials stood guard in a nearby neighborhood where the two escapees had emerged from a manhole.
The New York State Police said the inmates, Richard Matt and David Sweat, had escaped from the facility in Dannemora, an all-male maximum security prison about 170 miles north of Albany near the Canadian border. Within hours, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had canceled a scheduled visit to theBelmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y., to meet with the police and prison officials.
After he was briefed by the officials, who took him on a tour of the escape route, the governor took part in a news conference. Officials described a plan that involved the use of power tools to drill through steel walls and pipes.
“When you look at how the operation was done, it was extraordinary,” Mr. Cuomo said. This was the first time in the prison’s history that anyone escaped from the maximum security section of the facility, he said.
The State Police said that Mr. Matt, 48, and Mr. Sweat, 34, were discovered missing during a 5:30 a.m. bed check. Both men were “a danger to the public,” and officials advised anyone who saw them not to approach and to contact the police.
Officials said the men, who lived in adjoining cells, drilled a hole through the steel wall at the back of their cells and walked onto a catwalk. They then climbed down and used the tools to drill through a maze of pipes and tunnels before exiting through a manhole on a nearby street, officials said.
More
Clinton Foundation Gave $100G To NYT Group Same Year Paper Endorsed Hillary
A little-known private foundation controlled by Bill and Hillary Clinton donated $100,000 to the New York Times' charitable fund in 2008, the same year the newspaper's editorial page endorsed Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary, according to tax documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Clinton Family Foundation, a separate entity from the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, has been the family's vehicle for personal charitable giving since 2001.
It is funded directly by the Clintons and distributes more than $1 million a year to civic and educational causes.
The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund is a charity affiliated with the newspaper that assists underprivileged New Yorkers. It is run by members of the New York Times Company's board of directors and senior executives.
The Times' editorial board endorsed Clinton against Democratic challengers John Edwards and Barack Obama on January 25, 2008, writing that she was "more qualified, right now, to be president."
At the time, there were reports that the Times board had leaned toward endorsing Obama, but was overruled by then-chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., whose family controlled the paper. Sulzberger's cousins and Times Company directors, Lynn Dolnick and Michael Golden, chaired the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund in 2008.
More here
The Clinton Family Foundation, a separate entity from the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, has been the family's vehicle for personal charitable giving since 2001.
It is funded directly by the Clintons and distributes more than $1 million a year to civic and educational causes.
The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund is a charity affiliated with the newspaper that assists underprivileged New Yorkers. It is run by members of the New York Times Company's board of directors and senior executives.
The Times' editorial board endorsed Clinton against Democratic challengers John Edwards and Barack Obama on January 25, 2008, writing that she was "more qualified, right now, to be president."
At the time, there were reports that the Times board had leaned toward endorsing Obama, but was overruled by then-chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., whose family controlled the paper. Sulzberger's cousins and Times Company directors, Lynn Dolnick and Michael Golden, chaired the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund in 2008.
More here
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court strikes down Jerusalem birthplace law
The Supreme Court strikes down a law that would have allowed Americans born in Jerusalem to list their birthplace as Israel on their US passports -- part of the federal government's refusal to recognize any nation's sovereignty over Jerusalem.
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Business Owner Under Siege By 'Gays' Stonewalled By City
When the Supreme Court, responding to “gay” activists’ complaints, took on the lofty responsibility of addressing the definition of marriage for all Americans, a few stood out for their vocal opposition.
One person was Brian Klawiter, who runs the Dieseltec shop in Grandville, Michigan. He said he would choose not to provide service to openly homosexual customers. He then explained that he wanted to be a messenger for the silent majority of Americans who are unhappy with the goals of the homosexual agenda, and he started speaking on invitation at churches and other places.
“I want to educate people about what it means to be a man of God,” he said. “We need strong men in the church.”
Now, with a Supreme Court ruling imminent, he’s taking the issue a step further, arranging a town hall-type meeting in his community with several guest speakers who will discuss equality, homosexuality and marriage.
And he’s found out that the headwinds are strong.
In an interview with WND on Tuesday, he said he has invited Coach Dave Daubenmire of Pass the Salt Ministries and Bradlee Dean of Sons of Liberty, both longtime advocates for traditional marriage, to speak in his community.
He said he applied for permission to use a local school district’s auditorium, which is used by other community groups, and was given permission.
But the permission lasted only a couple of hours.
The district called him and canceled, explaining the superintendent “didn’t feel my type of event was appropriate for their facility.”
A discussion over First Amendment rights and the district’s responsibility to treat all speakers fairly convinced officials to back down. But then all of a sudden the district found another event “already scheduled” for June 6, the date Klawiter had planned to hold his event.
More here
One person was Brian Klawiter, who runs the Dieseltec shop in Grandville, Michigan. He said he would choose not to provide service to openly homosexual customers. He then explained that he wanted to be a messenger for the silent majority of Americans who are unhappy with the goals of the homosexual agenda, and he started speaking on invitation at churches and other places.
“I want to educate people about what it means to be a man of God,” he said. “We need strong men in the church.”
Now, with a Supreme Court ruling imminent, he’s taking the issue a step further, arranging a town hall-type meeting in his community with several guest speakers who will discuss equality, homosexuality and marriage.
And he’s found out that the headwinds are strong.
In an interview with WND on Tuesday, he said he has invited Coach Dave Daubenmire of Pass the Salt Ministries and Bradlee Dean of Sons of Liberty, both longtime advocates for traditional marriage, to speak in his community.
He said he applied for permission to use a local school district’s auditorium, which is used by other community groups, and was given permission.
But the permission lasted only a couple of hours.
The district called him and canceled, explaining the superintendent “didn’t feel my type of event was appropriate for their facility.”
A discussion over First Amendment rights and the district’s responsibility to treat all speakers fairly convinced officials to back down. But then all of a sudden the district found another event “already scheduled” for June 6, the date Klawiter had planned to hold his event.
More here
The Deadly Consequences of Draconian Gun Laws
Carol Bowne is dead — murdered in cold blood on her own property by a violent criminal who would not be restrained by good intentions. But there is no smoking gun, because she lived and died in New Jersey. Bowne was a 39-year-old hairdresser from Berlin Township who had become increasingly nervous about her ex-boyfriend. Convinced that he intended to do her physical harm, she took out a restraining order, had security cameras installed at her home, and purchased an alarm system. She also hoped to buy a firearm for her defense. On April 21 of this year, she began the glacial process of obtaining a New Jersey permit to purchase a gun.
She never heard back. She never will. Per the Courier-Post, Bowne “was stabbed to death in the driveway of her Patton Avenue home on Wednesday night.” Defending his tardiness, the local police chief explained that the application process usually takes more than two months, and that when Bowne died, his team was still waiting for her fingerprints to be processed. Perhaps so. But this should serve as no acceptable excuse. By state law, New Jersey is required to get back to permit petitioners within 30 days. It didn’t. It almost never does. Instead, would-be gun owners report waiting for three, four, six, and even nine months for permission to exercise what the Second Amendment makes clear is an unalienable individual right. The rules do not apply to the government.
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She never heard back. She never will. Per the Courier-Post, Bowne “was stabbed to death in the driveway of her Patton Avenue home on Wednesday night.” Defending his tardiness, the local police chief explained that the application process usually takes more than two months, and that when Bowne died, his team was still waiting for her fingerprints to be processed. Perhaps so. But this should serve as no acceptable excuse. By state law, New Jersey is required to get back to permit petitioners within 30 days. It didn’t. It almost never does. Instead, would-be gun owners report waiting for three, four, six, and even nine months for permission to exercise what the Second Amendment makes clear is an unalienable individual right. The rules do not apply to the government.
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Florida child sex sting nets former workers from Disney, SeaWorld and Universal Studios
One after another, they walked into a sparsely furnished house in Clermont, Fla., expecting to find a 10- or 12- or 14-year-old girl. Instead, they found justice.
Again and again, sheriff’s deputies burst into the living room and arrested the men for soliciting sex with a minor. Operation L & P was named after the two counties, Lake and Polk, collaborating on the undercover sting operation and timed to occur just before kids went on summer vacation. From May 18 to 25, detectives from both departments posed as underage girls or their parents in Internet chat rooms.
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Hillary’s Divisive, Reckless Rhetoric on Voting RightsT
Then last week, Hillary Clinton demanded that the federal government override state laws and automatically register everyone to vote and then offer at least 20 days of early voting, turning Election Day into an Election Month. Both would dramatically complicate the job of already-overburdened voter registrars and make it harder to catch potential fraud. In the case of New York v. United States (1992) and other cases, the Supreme Court has clearly ruled that it is beyond Congress’s power to do what Hillary wants.
But her policy proposals were merely a way station on the path to Clinton’s goal: lambasting Republicans as inheritors of the Southern Democratic tradition of Jim Crow and firing up a liberal base that isn’t yet enamored of her. She accused Republicans of “fear-mongering about a phantom epidemic of voter fraud” and accused Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, and Scott Walker by name of taking part in “a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise people of color, poor people, and young people.” Ohio governor John Kasich wasn’t amused. While Marc Elias, the Clinton campaign’s general counsel, is participating in legal challenges to Ohio’s voter laws, his candidate doesn’t seem to follow the news in Ohio much. In discussing Clinton’s call for an early-voting period of 20 days, Kasich told Fox News:
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World Silent as Israel Again Under Attack by Gaza Rockets
Israel's prime minister on Sunday slammed the international community's silence over recent rocket attacks from Gaza and warned that a strong reprisal could be forthcoming.
Benjamin Netanyahu said he hasn't heard a word of condemnation from the world about three rocket attacks from Gaza over the past two weeks. The rockets did not cause any injury or harm but disrupted the quiet in southern Israel that has mostly prevailed since last summer's war between Hamas and Israel.
"It will be interesting to see if this silence continues when we use all our strength in exercising our right to defend ourselves," Netanyahu said at his weekly Cabinet meeting. "It should be clear: the hypocrisy that is sweeping the world will not chain our hands from defending the citizens of Israel."
More here
Benjamin Netanyahu said he hasn't heard a word of condemnation from the world about three rocket attacks from Gaza over the past two weeks. The rockets did not cause any injury or harm but disrupted the quiet in southern Israel that has mostly prevailed since last summer's war between Hamas and Israel.
"It will be interesting to see if this silence continues when we use all our strength in exercising our right to defend ourselves," Netanyahu said at his weekly Cabinet meeting. "It should be clear: the hypocrisy that is sweeping the world will not chain our hands from defending the citizens of Israel."
More here
Sheriff Joe: Democrats Using Illegals For Votes
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Sunday Democrats are mostly interested in immigration reform because the newly legalized residents will eventually obtain voting rights and will vote for Democrats.
“That’s common sense,” said Arpaio. “I don’t think that’s something that nobody knows. You make them here legally so they can vote.”
“There’s a push afoot nationally to sign up more Hispanics to be able to vote,” said Arpaio. “But you have to be careful now. But if you legalize these guys, these people, they are going to vote.”
As WND previously reported, Eliseo Medina, a former immigration adviser to President Obama, boasted in 2009 that granting citizenship to millions of illegal aliens would expand the “progressive” electorate and help ensure a “progressive” governing coalition for the long term.
Medina is the current secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Medina and Gutierrez served on Obama’s National Latino Advisory Council.
During the interview, Arpaio urged Republican president candidates to discuss the issue of drug trafficking when talking about border security.
“Ninety-nine percent” of those arrested for bringing drugs into Maricopa County, Arizona are illegal aliens,” according Arpaio. “Everybody talks about the border related to illegal immigration. Can’t they throw in another little issue just for kicks? And say, oh by the way, tons of drugs are coming across the border too.”
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“That’s common sense,” said Arpaio. “I don’t think that’s something that nobody knows. You make them here legally so they can vote.”
“There’s a push afoot nationally to sign up more Hispanics to be able to vote,” said Arpaio. “But you have to be careful now. But if you legalize these guys, these people, they are going to vote.”
As WND previously reported, Eliseo Medina, a former immigration adviser to President Obama, boasted in 2009 that granting citizenship to millions of illegal aliens would expand the “progressive” electorate and help ensure a “progressive” governing coalition for the long term.
Medina is the current secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Medina and Gutierrez served on Obama’s National Latino Advisory Council.
During the interview, Arpaio urged Republican president candidates to discuss the issue of drug trafficking when talking about border security.
“Ninety-nine percent” of those arrested for bringing drugs into Maricopa County, Arizona are illegal aliens,” according Arpaio. “Everybody talks about the border related to illegal immigration. Can’t they throw in another little issue just for kicks? And say, oh by the way, tons of drugs are coming across the border too.”
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IRS Official: ‘Lois Lerner Was The Tip Of The Iceberg’
The IRS’s director of privacy, governmental liaison and disclosure division testified Wednesday that the tax agency set up a special team with hundreds of lawyers to handle the probe into whether Tea Party groups were targeted, but repeatedly said she had no idea how it operated.
Mary Howard, who also works as the head Freedom of Information Act officer in the IRS, told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that once the “special project team” was created and operational, she never saw requests for information.
“My understanding was that it started soon after the request came from Congress and other investigators asking for documents around this whole issue,” which she surmised meant around spring of 2013.
Asked who was on the team, she said: “My first hand knowledge of that is none.” But she did say the Chief Council of the IRS — one of only two political appointees in the IRS; the other is the commissioner — was on the “special project team,” as were “hundreds of attorneys.”
She said her office did not interact with the White House, but asked whether the “special project team” did, said: “I have no personal knowledge of how that team acted except that I know they amassed hundreds of attorneys to go through the documents and redact them.”
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Mary Howard, who also works as the head Freedom of Information Act officer in the IRS, told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that once the “special project team” was created and operational, she never saw requests for information.
“My understanding was that it started soon after the request came from Congress and other investigators asking for documents around this whole issue,” which she surmised meant around spring of 2013.
Asked who was on the team, she said: “My first hand knowledge of that is none.” But she did say the Chief Council of the IRS — one of only two political appointees in the IRS; the other is the commissioner — was on the “special project team,” as were “hundreds of attorneys.”
She said her office did not interact with the White House, but asked whether the “special project team” did, said: “I have no personal knowledge of how that team acted except that I know they amassed hundreds of attorneys to go through the documents and redact them.”
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Has the Holy Grail of clean energy been found?
For many, nuclear fusion is the Holy Grail of energy, offering the possibility of limitless clean energy through harnessing the very same nuclear reaction that keeps our Sun burning.
While the potential of fusion is huge, it is a process that requires vast resources and effort, with the International Energy Agency stating that, "extreme temperatures and pressure are needed to initiate and sustain the fusion reaction, making it challenging."
Fusion is different from the fission power that is used in our nuclear power stations in that energy is generated when atoms are brought together rather than blown apart, which causes radiation.
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While the potential of fusion is huge, it is a process that requires vast resources and effort, with the International Energy Agency stating that, "extreme temperatures and pressure are needed to initiate and sustain the fusion reaction, making it challenging."
Fusion is different from the fission power that is used in our nuclear power stations in that energy is generated when atoms are brought together rather than blown apart, which causes radiation.
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Fuel Stop at Salisbury Airport
This blimp stopped in for 50 gallons of fuel Sunday around 12:45 on its way to Long Island. It started out that morning 5 hours earlier from Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Pink Slips at Disney. But First, Training Foreign Replacements.
While families rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and searched for Nemo on clamobiles in the theme parks, these workers monitored computers in industrial buildings nearby, making sure millions of Walt Disney World ticket sales, store purchases and hotel reservations went through without a hitch. Some were performing so well that they thought they had been called in for bonuses.
Instead, about 250 Disney employees were told in late October that they would be laid off. Many of their jobs were transferred to immigrants on temporary visas for highly skilled technical workers, who were brought in by an outsourcing firm based in India. Over the next three months, some Disney employees were required to train their replacements to do the jobs they had lost.
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Dog Found 6-8-15
Walk with TEAM KELLER at the Salisbury Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis
Hundreds of local residents will walk for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis on Sunday, June 14th, and a 3 year-old Salisbury boy is one of those people searching for that cure. Keller Hoch, the son of Jenna and Corey Hoch, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis eighteen months ago, a week after his 2nd birthday. Please join TEAM KELLER and other local teams for the Salisbury Great Strides Walk for Cystic Fibrosis. The walk is on Sunday, June 14th, at the Green Hill Country Club. Registration is at 11:00 am and the walk around the golf course will begin at 12:00. Following the walk will be lots of food, kids activities, corn hole, Party Starz super heroes, DJ Last Call, fire truck, face painting, and swimming in the Green Hill pool.
Last year, TEAM KELLER, raised over $40,000 with more than 300 walkers supporting Keller and other local Cystic Fibrosis families.
“We cannot express how important this day is to us and what it represents,” the Hochs said in a statement. “As parents of a child who has a life shortening genetic disease, we pray everyday that our son will be able to live a full and long life. The only way this can happen is by keeping him as healthy as possible, doing his daily therapy, going to Johns Hopkins six times a year, keeping up with blood draws, x-rays, breathing tests and raising money, so science can cure cystic fibrosis.”
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and obstructs the pancreas blocking natural enzymes which help the body break down and absorb food. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30’s, 40’s and beyond.
Finding new medications to fight cystic fibrosis and to ultimately cure the disease is the driving force behind the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The foundation’s goal is to have a medicinal cure for all but 5% of the CF population by 2020. Research is moving at an unprecedented pace, and with the increasing number of potential life saving drugs, the future for those battling CF has never been brighter.
The 1.5 mile walk begins at 12:00 at Green Hill Country Club on Sunday, June 14th. Strollers and dogs are also welcome. Donations will go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Green Hill Country Club is located at 5471 Whitehaven Road, Quantico, MD 21856.
For more information, to sign up for the walk, or to donate please visit http://fightcf.cff.org/goto/goteamkeller
Also, Check out the 2015 TEAM KELLER video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ifFD8a-V8
Last year, TEAM KELLER, raised over $40,000 with more than 300 walkers supporting Keller and other local Cystic Fibrosis families.
“We cannot express how important this day is to us and what it represents,” the Hochs said in a statement. “As parents of a child who has a life shortening genetic disease, we pray everyday that our son will be able to live a full and long life. The only way this can happen is by keeping him as healthy as possible, doing his daily therapy, going to Johns Hopkins six times a year, keeping up with blood draws, x-rays, breathing tests and raising money, so science can cure cystic fibrosis.”
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and obstructs the pancreas blocking natural enzymes which help the body break down and absorb food. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30’s, 40’s and beyond.
Finding new medications to fight cystic fibrosis and to ultimately cure the disease is the driving force behind the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The foundation’s goal is to have a medicinal cure for all but 5% of the CF population by 2020. Research is moving at an unprecedented pace, and with the increasing number of potential life saving drugs, the future for those battling CF has never been brighter.
The 1.5 mile walk begins at 12:00 at Green Hill Country Club on Sunday, June 14th. Strollers and dogs are also welcome. Donations will go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Green Hill Country Club is located at 5471 Whitehaven Road, Quantico, MD 21856.
For more information, to sign up for the walk, or to donate please visit http://fightcf.cff.org/goto/goteamkeller
Also, Check out the 2015 TEAM KELLER video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ifFD8a-V8