Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

ICE arrests 300th foreign fugitive this year

MIAMI—U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers arrested the 300th foreign fugitive apprehended by the agency since October 2014, which marked the start of fiscal year 2015.
“Arresting and removing these kinds of fugitives is the lifeblood of what our officers do every day,” said Executive Associate Director of ICE’s Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations Tom Homan. “Protecting the American people by taking dangerous criminal aliens off our streets has been and always will be our first priority.”
The 300th capture was Elmer Francisco Reyes, a 30-year-old Honduran man, wanted on a warrant for aggravated sexual assault by Honduran law enforcement authorities who issued a warrant for his arrest in August 2010.

Reyes entered the United States illegally and was removed to Honduras initially in May 2009. Reyes re-entered the U.S. and was re-arrested in Miami Beach, Florida in September 2014. He was issued a reinstated order of deportation and was referred for criminal prosecution.

In February 2015, the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida convicted Reyes of illegal re-entry and sentenced him to four months imprisonment and three years supervised release. After sentencing, Reyes was transferred to the custody of Miami Dade Corrections pursuant to an outstanding armed robbery charge. Reyes was released by Miami Dade Corrections in April 2015.

More 

Hillary’s Private E-mail Server was Penetrated by Foreign Governments

The Clinton machine is trying to convince us all that Hillary’s use of a private e-mail server was like, totally no big deal. Except intelligence experts think otherwise: according to an expert in Russian intelligence, her server was accessed by foreign governments.

The AP reported this morning the specifics of what classified information a sample of Hillary’s e-mails were found to contain. Perhaps just as bad, though, is the information at the bottom of the piece:

Former intelligence officials say it’s a certainty that her server was compromised by [foreign] intelligence services.

Unless they were encrypted to U.S. government standards, “In my opinion there is a 100% chance that all emails sent and received by her, including all the electronic correspondence stored on her server in her Chappaqua residence, were targeted and collected by the Russian equivalent of NSA,” said former CIA case officer Jason Matthews, an expert in Russian intelligence.

Then again, Clinton defenders point out, the State Department’s unclassified email system also has been penetrated by Russian hackers, so it’s unclear her use of home server made a difference.


More

Baltimore Taking A Stand Against Dog Fighting

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore City Council is considering a move to toughen up on dog fighting. The proposal would make it a criminal offense to possess equipment that trains dogs for fights.

Meghan McCorkell reports this may make it easier to get convictions against animal abusers.

Animal advocates say dog fighting is still a major problem in Baltimore, but catching the people doing it isn’t easy.

Last year, hundreds of dogs were saved from what prosecutors call a violent dog fighting ring that operated in Baltimore and beyond. Twenty-two people face charges after 15 city rowhouses were raided.

More

Sessions: Trump’s America-First Immigration Plan ‘Exactly’ What American Needs

The Senate's leading proponent of enforcing and toughening immigration laws said late Sunday that Donald Trump's immigration outline, his first major position white paper, is "exactly the plan America needs."

In a strong endorsement of Trump's bid to close the border to illegal immigration, the Alabama senator that regular native Americans and especially minorities would benefit by being put first in line for jobs.

More

Caught On Camera: Two Men Rob And Beat Woman Inside Church


OMAHA, Neb. (KPMH) — Two young men are now wanted for robbing and beating a woman inside an Omaha church.

The entire thing was caught on camera.

The 76 year-old woman was inside the front part of St. Cecilia’s Cathedral on Sunday morning when the two teens snuck up behind her. One stole her purse. The other punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the floor.

A spokesperson at Creighton University Medical Center says she was treated there and sent home.

More

After Katrina, New Orleans' Public Housing Is A Mix Of Pastel And Promises

Hurricane Katrina caused widespread devastation and loss of life, and many of those whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged fled New Orleans.

In the months that followed, many of the city's poorest families got even more bad news: The public housing units they called home would be knocked down, even if undamaged by the storm.

The destruction had given the government an opening to speed up its pre-Katrina plans to tear down old public housing projects and replace them with mixed-income developments. The goal was to deconcentrate poverty and give lower-income residents a better place to live — a goal that has been met with only partial success.

More

October Events for Poplar Hill Mansion

Senator's former intern, 23, is killed in bungled drive-by shooting in Washington

A former Capitol Hill intern has been killed in a shooting in Washington.

Matthew Castrol Shlonsky, 23, is believed to have been an unintended target in a shooting near the Shaw-Howard University Metro station, in the city's Northwest quadrant.

Six or seven shots are believed to have been fired, according to police, in the shooting on Saturday.

More

3-yr-old takes his “Fart Blaster” to the airport; of course THIS happens

Please note. This actually happened. Seriously.

Dublin Airport security officers may have saved passengers from grave danger this week. A woman traveling with a three-year-old child caught the attention of airport TSA types as they were trying to pass through security. Baggage screeners spied a suspicious looking item in a backpack presented by the woman. Screeners demanded the backpack be emptied and a MINION FART BLASTER was confiscated. It was seized as “contraband” due to the fact that it had a “trigger.” Or was it because it made these sounds?

The boy was crushed that he would be leaving Dublin minus the coolest toy in the universe. Even though the item was too dangerous to be allowed on the plane, airport authorities said they would “hang on to it” until it could be retrieved.

More

Bob Woodward: Hillary Emails as Bad as 'Nixon Tapes'

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's decision to use a private email server, let alone deleting at least half of the communications on it, was "extraordinary," Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward said Monday, and the omissions remind him of the decisions made by President Richard Nixon back in the 1970s.

"You've got a massive amount of data," Woodward, the veteran "All the President's Men" journalist told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "It, in a way, reminds me of the Nixon tapes; thousands of hours of secretly recorded conversations that Nixon thought were exclusively his."

More

Baltimore assisted living center offers student home for music

BALTIMORE —Finding a place to live for the right price is one thing, but in this case, it's all about the right note.

At Springwell Senior Living, one music student gets to play for a place to stay.

Residents at the Baltimore assisted living community said Julien Xuereb brings just the right element of entertainment and relaxation to those living at the West Rogers Avenue facility.

For the music, Xuereb, 26, gets a free place to live as the center's artist in residence.

"I don't have to pay rent, no utilities," Xuereb said. "It was like, 'yes I'll do it.'"

More

Wicomico County Executive Reduces CIP Bond Offering by $2.5 Million Dollars

Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver announced today that by working with the Board of Education he was able to reduce the County’s Capital Improvement bond offering for Fiscal Year 2016 by approximately $2,500,000.

Working diligently with the Board of Education, the Executive and the Board of Education were able to eliminate a total of $375,000 worth of projects and defer $2.2 million worth of projects for future fiscal years.

“I find it to be important to be great stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars,” County Executive Culver stated. “These changes allow us to get the most bang for our buck today and in future fiscal years.”

$800,000 of these deferred funds related to the West Salisbury School systemic renovations or replacement project. The County Executive stated that this would not delay the progress of this project.

“I want the public to know that although funds have been deferred from the West Salisbury School project, this will not delay the project in any way,” Executive Culver clarified. “The money that was deferred will be made up once the project has been finalized. This $1.2 million that is left will provide for the necessary architectural and engineering work.”

Executive Culver also announced that the Salisbury to Mardela Springs “Rails to Trails” project was removed from the Priority Letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation. This letter lists projects which Wicomico County seeks monetary assistance from the State of Maryland.

“I heard the community loud and clear, and there was overwhelming concern with this project,” Executive Culver explained.
Both of these changes were approved by the Wicomico County Council at the legislative session held on August 18, 2015.

A full list of the deferred and eliminated Board of Education projects can be found on the next page.

  • West Salisbury School Systemic Renovations - Reduced proposed amount from $2,000,000 to $1,200,000. The deferred $800,000 will be made up in future years when the project is finalized.
  • Delmar Systemic Renovations & Replacements – Deferred full amount of the project to Fiscal Year 2017 ($806,000)
  • Pinehurst Therapy Tank Conversion - Deferred full amount of the project to Fiscal Year 2017 ($275,000)
  • Portable Classroom Projects – Project eliminated ($375,000)
  • Mardela Middle/High School Systemic Renovation HVAC –  Deferred full amount of the project to Fiscal Year 2017 ($143,000)
  • Wicomico Middle Systemic Renovation Roofs – Deferred full amount of the project until Fiscal Year 2017 ($176,000)

Total amount eliminated: $375,000
Total amount deferred: $2,200,000

Prager - The Most Important Question About Abortion

Congress Sends Letter Requesting These Seven Things From Planned Parenthood — Make Note of Last One



The House Oversight Committee on Friday penned a letter to Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards requesting seven documents or pieces of information be handed over by next week.

The letter, authored by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), noted the series of recent undercover sting videos that purport to show the abortion provider engaging in the sale of aborted fetal parts.

“Recently released videos implicate Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates in potentially unlawful transactions involving fetal tissue,” the letter said. “In the videos, Planned Parenthood representatives discuss the demand for certain body parts, the manner in which patient consent is solicited, pricing considerations, and the methods by which doctors manipulate procedures to ensure that tissues remain intact.”

More

Safe given to lawyer among irregularities seen in review of Hillary Clinton emails

When State Department officials first discovered that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s personal email account contained classified information, they did not seize the thumb drive containing her digitally archived inbox but rather provided her attorney a special safe to secure the device, according to interviews and documents.

The move allowed Mrs. Clinton’s attorney to keep the device for several additional weeks while State officials reviewed paper copies of the emails for possible classified data. Officials were unconcerned that the thumb drive remained out of their possession because preservation orders from courts and Congress would ensure that her attorney would not destroy the evidence. The digital archive was turned over to the FBI for examination this month.

Throughout the review process, career State officials who normally handle the release of data under the Freedom of Information Act ran into disagreements with attorneys about which information in the emails was classified, The Washington Times has learned.

More

4PM UPDATE: CANDIDATE FILINGS THROUGH AUGUST 18, 2015

Larry Hogan featured in corn maze design

Gov. Larry Hogan will be enshrined for a time as part of a large corn maze that will raise money for the American Cancer Society.

The design — which sits on 35 acres and features more than 7 miles of trails — is part of Lawyer’s Farm 16th annual corn maze event, according to Taylor Huffman, manager of the family-owned farm.

This is the second year that the farm has coupled the event with a fundraiser for cancer organizations. Last year the farm donated nearly $12,000 to the American Brain Tumor Association in honor of Jan Huffman, Taylor’s father who died of brain cancer in 2013.

The farm will hold another fundraiser day this year. Huffman said the family hopes to surpass last year’s donation.

More

Mobile phone and internet use linked to poor attention span

It's easy to see why some think smartphones are turning us into zombies when you see people walking around aimlessly, eyes glued to their devices.

But heavy internet and mobile phone users are the most likely to lose concentration and forget important information - even when they're not using the technology, a new study suggests.

And it's not all down to the internet and social media, as the effect was observed even in those whose phones weren't connected to the internet.

More

OC: Two Baltimore Men Arrested After Robbing a Taxi Driver

Troy M. Thomas
Justin M. Washington

OCEAN CITY, MD – (August 18, 2015): Two Baltimore men were arrested early Monday morning after they refused to pay their taxi fare and assaulted the driver.

On August 17, 2015, at approximately 2:46 a.m. Ocean City police responded to the area of 126th Street and Coastal Highway for a report of an armed robbery.

Four individuals refused to pay for a taxi fare. Two of the individuals, later identified as Justin M. Washington, 26, and Troy M. Thomas, 24, of Baltimore, MD, threatened and assaulted the driver before stealing approximately $60 in US currency and the keys to the taxi.

Upon arrival, officers observed Washington and Thomas chasing the taxi driver south on Coastal Highway. Thomas had a softball-sized rock in his possession at the time. Washington was taken into custody without incident. Thomas fled to a nearby condominium and was later arrested.

Ocean City police have charged Thomas with first and second degree assault, theft of less than $100, possession of a deadly weapon, armed robbery and robbery. Washington has been charged with robbery, second degree assault and theft of less than $100.

Both suspects were seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner. Thomas was initially held on a $75,000 bond, however, after a bond review the amount was reduced to $25,000. He remains in custody at the Ocean City Public Safety Building. Washington was released after posting $50,000 bond.

Pennsylvania Water Utility to Reduce Sewage Discharges to Delaware River and Local Creeks

The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA) resolving alleged Clean Water Act violations involving combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Delaware River and its tributaries. In a proposed consent decree, DELCORA has agreed to develop and implement a plan to control and significantly reduce overflows from its sewer system, which will improve the water quality of the Delaware River, Chester Creek and Ridley Creek near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Based on information submitted by DELCORA, EPA estimates that the Authority could spend as much as $200 million to implement an overflow control plan that complies with the terms of the Clean Water Act. Once the specific pollution control measures are selected and approved, the settlement requires DELCORA to implement the plan as quickly as possible, with a 20-year deadline from when the settlement is filed in court to complete the necessary controls. DELCORA must also pay a $1.375 million penalty for prior violations, which will be split between the United States and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a co-plaintiff in this case.

Ron Paul: Fed May Not Hike Because ‘everything is vulnerable’

China's move to devalue its currency roiled the markets last week, and stoked new fears about the health of the world's third largest economy

China’s move to devalue its currency roiled the markets last week, and stoked new fears about the health of the world’s third largest economy.

However, according to former Rep. Ron Paul, the move may have given Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen the cover she needs to not raise rates later this year, as many market participants expect.

“She’s going to be more hesitant to raise rates because she sees how fragile the global economy is,” Paul told CNBC’s “Futures Now” on Thursday.

“She’s under the gun,” he added. “I could be wrong, but I don’t think they are going to raise interest rates.”

Full article here

UPDATED As of 2:15PM: CANDIDATE FILINGS THROUGH AUGUST 18, 2015

New Berlin Apartment Complex Gains Site Plan Approval; Seahawk Road Widening Part Of Developer’s Plan

BERLIN – With site plan approval from the Berlin Planning Commission last week, developers of the apartment complex proposed for Seahawk Road say construction could begin as soon as the spring.

Blair Rinnier of Rinnier Development said that though the project — known as Oceans East — still needed approval from the State Highway Administration and the Maryland Department of the Environment, he hoped construction would begin in early spring. Members of the Berlin Planning Commission gave the project their approval — contingent on the town council’s support of a related text amendment — last Wednesday. They were optimistic that the widening of Seahawk Road that would come with the project would benefit the community.

“I think the roadway is going to be a huge help to the school system,” commission member John Barrett said.

Rinnier, who has been looking toward development of the Seahawk Road site for years, plans to build a 700-plus unit apartment community across from Stephen Decatur Middle School. This month’s approval from the planning commission is for the roughly 150-unit first phase of the project. The initial phase will include construction of a community clubhouse, pool, pond, park and garages in addition to the apartments.

More

Kenneth Vickers, III Joins Race Against Jim Ireton In District 4


WCSO Press Release 8-18-15


Incident: Assault / Destruction of Property

Date of Incident: 14 August 2015

Location: 1100 block of Walnut Street, Delmar, MD

Suspect: Jacqueline Mills Trader, 48, Delmar, MD

Narrative: On 14 August 2015 at 12:11 AM a deputy responded to a reported disturbance at a residence in the 1100 block of Walnut Street in Delmar. Upon arrival the deputy me with a subject who resided there and learned that Jacqueline Trader had broken out the front windshield and rear window of the vehicle of the complainant. The deputy also observed that Trader sliced the front seat with a knife. Also discovered was the presence of the complainant’s infant child in the vehicle while Trader went on this tirade. The complaint also alleged that trader assaulted her during this altercation.

The deputy placed Trader under arrest and transported her to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Trader on $55,000.00 unsecured bond.

Charges:  Assault 2nd Degree
                 Malicious Destruction of Property over $1,000.00
                 Reckless Endangerment

**********************************************

Incident: Harassment / Trespass

Date of Incident: 16 August 2015

Location: 7000 block of Athol Road, Hebron, MD

Suspect: Shannon Carmean, 32, Laurel, DE

Narrative: On 16 August 2015  at  8:50 PM a deputy arrested Shannon Carmean following a complaint she showed up at a property unwanted after being told many times not to make contact with the complainant.

Following her arrest, Carmean was transported to the Central Booking Unit where she was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Carmean in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges:  Harassment
                  Trespass

**********************************************

Incident: DUI

Date of Incident: 16 August 2015

Location: 31000 block of Mt. Hermon Road, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Phillip Michael Bradley, 33, Mardela Springs, MD

Narrative: On 16 August 2015 at 10:07 PM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Phillip Bradley following a complaint made in regards to the manner he was operating his vehicle. Upon making contact with Bradley, the deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coupled with other physical indicators that suggested Bradley was under the influence of alcohol. Following the administration of sobriety testing, the deputy placed Bradley under arrest for DUI.

During subsequent processing Bradley refused to submit to a breath test.

Bradley was released upon the issuance of citations

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
                                                                         
Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson        Date:  18 August 2015

Prosecutor Who Took Down Petraeus on Classified Information Now Looking Into Clinton Server

Hillary Clinton is in trouble. Really big trouble. 
According to the Washington Post, the same prosecutor who took down General David Petraeus for improper possession of classified information is now looking into Hillary Clinton's email server. Earlier this week, an intelligence Inspector General revealed Clinton did in fact have at least four pieces of top secret, classified information passed through and stored on her private email server. 
The investigation is being overseen by two veteran prosecutors in the Justice Department’s National Security Division. One of them helped manage the prosecution of David H. Petraeus. 

As a reminder, Petraeus plead guilty to misdemeanor charges after keeping physical copies of classified information locked in a desk drawer at his house. He also shared them with his biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. Prosecutors originally recommended felony charges. 

SALISBURY SKATEPARK GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY TOMORROW

SALISBURY CANDIDATE FILINGS THROUGH AUGUST 18, 2015: DEADLINE IS 4:30 TODAY

Oath Keepers to Arm 50 Black Protesters in Ferguson with AR- 15’s for an Epic Rights Flexing March

Ferguson, Missouri – The Missouri chapter of the Oath Keepers are planning to hold an open carry march through downtown Ferguson, Mo., which will reportedly involve arming 50 black protestors with AR-15 rifles.

The decision to hold the event transpired after St. Louis County officials, in violation of Missouri’s open carry law, insisted that members of the group could not open carry long barrel rifles within the city. In a video uploaded to YouTube, police chief Jon Belmar is seen warning a number of Oath Keepers that open carrying long barrel rifles would be a violation of the law.

More

State Dept. Confirms Clinton Aides Had Other Unreported Email Accounts

Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s top aides, used personal email accounts to conduct government business in addition to a State Department email and an account on the controversial server Mrs. Clinton kept at her New York home, the State Department confirmed to a federal court Friday.

The State Department admitted to the judge that it doesn’t have control over those documents, and can’t be sure it has all of the records from their time in the administration.

John F. Hackett, the top open-records official at the department, said they have officially concluded that Ms. Abedin and Ms. Mills “used personal email accounts located on commercial servers at times for government business.” Ms. Abedin, meanwhile, had an account at clintonemail.com, the domain tied to the Clinton home server.

Mr. Hackett also said he has no way of knowing what else might be out there, and has to trust the two women and their lawyers to turn over what they have.

More here

Ex-officials prosecuted for mishandling gov’t info see ‘double standard’ in Clinton case

Ex-officials who were prosecuted and had their lives upended for allegedly mishandling sensitive records are accusing the Obama administration of a "double-standard" in its approach to the Hillary Clinton email scandal.

This administration has charged more people under the Espionage Act, a World War I-era law once used to go after major breaches, than any other in history. While the FBI is looking into Clinton's server amid revelations of state secrets potentially passing through it, some critics -- including those charged under that act -- doubt the Democratic presidential candidate will get the same treatment.

"It's a double standard," said John Kiriakou, a former CIA counter-terrorism operative who spent two years in federal prison and three additional months under house arrest this year for leaking the name of a covert CIA official involved in "enhanced interrogation techniques."

More

When Conservative Politicians Lose Their Minds

What is it about sports teams that cause conservatives to lose their minds?

Before Donald Trump crashed the party, according to most of the polls, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker was leading in the Republican primary.

He sells himself as a fiscal conservative and most voters seem to have bought what he’s selling.

And maybe his record as governor backs up the claim.

So why is he in favor of corporate welfare?

The corporation is the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.

They want a new arena and they want the taxpayers of Wisconsin to pay for it. So does Walker.

More

Climate change – bringing more stomach bugs to a coast near you?

People who live along the coast may have more to fear from climate change than rising waters. A team of Maryland researchers has found evidence suggesting that the odds of getting sick from a salmonella infection go up, especially for coastal residents, as the shifting climate produces more extreme weather conditions.

Drawing on a decade's worth of health and weather data, scientists with the University of Maryland and the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found that the risks of getting a salmonella infection increased when temperatures soared far above normal, or when torrential downpours occurred. What's more, they found the risks even greater in coastal areas than inland.

"When people talk about coastal areas and climate change, we think of sea-level rise," said Amir Sapkota, a senior author of the study and an associate professor at UM's School of Public Health in College Park. "We know coastal areas are vulnerable, but there hasn't been a characterization of the risk in terms of health."

More

Tampon tax is real. Women everywhere pay their governments extra to have periods

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman. And sometimes, by which we mean every month for roughly 30 years, it’s downright expensive.

If periods are the price women pay for the ability to make new humans, the “tampon tax” — sales tax applied to sanitary products — is the price they pay, er, because the government can make them. Just think of the taxman as a particularly audacious low-cost airline charging you to use the bathroom on a plane.

You can understand why it’s making people mad. From Australia to Italy, Malaysia to the UK, many of the countries that charge tampon tax now find themselves the targets of a growing campaign to have such levies scrapped.

So how exactly do women pay extra to have periods? And which countries make them do it? Sorry, sisters: It’s more than you might think.
What is tampon tax?

More

CNN Intel Analyst: Hillary's Server A Deal-Breaker, 'I Can't Tell You How Bad This Is'

CNN Intelligence and Security Analyst and former CIA spy Robert Baer said that Hillary Clinton’s server and the material reportedly on it is a deal-breaker, adding, “I wonder if she’s capable of being president,” “you and I’d get fired, and possibly jailed. This could be a felony,” and “[this] is a transgression that I don’t think the president of the United States should be allowed to have committed on Saturday’s “CNN Newsroom” on CNN International.

Baer said of the security classifications mentioned in reports about the material on Clinton’s server, “You don’t get anymore secret than that. ‘TK’ is talent keyhole, relates to satellite — very classified satellite photography. ‘SI’ is special intelligence, which could relate code breaking, the National Security Agency, even Snowden didn’t get into that. And if this, in fact, was on a private server, you and I’d get fired, and possibly jailed. This could be a felony.”

He added, “If this was on her server, and it got into her smartphone, there’s a big problem there. Seriously, if I had sent a document like this over the open Internet, I’d get fired the same day, escorted to the door, and gone for good, and probably charged with mishandling classified information.”

More

14-year-old shot seven times by police

14-year-old Radazz Hearns was shot seven times by officers in Trenton, New Jersey. Attorney Samuel Anyan and Slimes Jackson, Hearns' mother, join to discuss.

View HERE.

Chicago Tribune: Hillary Clinton Has Democrats in a Panic

John Kass of the Chicago Tribune says Hillary Clinton’s failure to handle her own scandals with any transparency is the only reasons Democrats are considering 2016 candidates like Joe Biden or Al Gore.

From the Chicago Tribune:

America isn’t yearning for Al Gore, the $200 million man, to run for president and save us from those 1 percenters and their obnoxious carbon footprints.

The same holds true for Crazy Uncle Joe Biden. The vice president has as much bad video in his past as Donald Trump, only his are worse, since Biden’s come in strange accents.

But they’ve been floated out there, listing like balloons in our presidential parade, because the Democrats are in a panic. And you know why:

Hillary Clinton is in the early stages of political sepsis.

More

What's Inside? Salisbury Maryland Residents

That's right, the Liberals have scared the residents of Salisbury into hiding, too afraid to join the race for Mayor and or City Council.

Perhaps we'll finally see a change in the name of the City to Caitlynville and the town will gain HERO status. 

Are you MEN or MICE?

Maryland judge rules large oil shipment records are public

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland judge has ruled records describing large oil shipments by rail subject to disclosure under the Maryland Public Information Act.

Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill’s ruling was made late last week, and advocates for disclosure praised the ruling Monday.

Rail companies CSX and Norfolk Southern sued the Maryland Department of the Environment last summer to stop the state from releasing information about the routes and estimated amounts of crude oil traveling through the state. The court action came after news organizations, including The Associated Press, filed requests for disclosure.

More

How Obama gets it wrong

No military option against Iran remains
Defending the Iran nuclear deal he negotiated in Vienna, Secretary of State John Kerry has repeatedly asserted something that has been much ignored in the discussion surrounding it — that all options which the United States possesses today to stop Iran going nuclear will be there for a future U.S. president in 10 years. Similarly, President Obama breezily assures us, “The same options that are available to me today will be available to any U.S. president in the future.”

Were it only true.

The major options available to the president in the face of an Iranian nuclear threat are covert (sabotage, cyberwarfare) and military (precision airstrikes with bunker-busting bombs). Mr. Obama has these at his disposal today. But his successor is unlikely to have them in 10 years.

Why? For seven reasons.

First, amazingly, the Vienna nuclear agreement requires the Europeans to assist Iran with training and technology in protecting its nuclear sites and program against sabotage. It is no coincidence that, in 2013, when Mr. Obama deviated from his earlier insistence on Tehran ceasing uranium enrichment in favor of negotiating a deal permitting continued enrichment, the CIA and NSA “drastically curtailed its cooperation withIsrael.” This cooperation, aimed at disrupting the Iranian nuclear project, had enjoyed “significant successes over the past decade,” according to veteran military and intelligence analyst Ronen Bergman.

The nuclear deal thus renders future sabotage and cyberwarfare against Iran — such as the Stuxnet virus, which wrecked a fifth of Iran’s centrifuges in 2010 — more difficult; perhaps, in time, even impossible.

Second, Mr. Obama has himself admitted the possibility that, at the deal’s expiration, “the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero.” (So much for his current claim that “Iran [would be] further away from a weapon” in 10-15 years). This means there might not be time to act even militarily, since Iran may well already have one or more nuclear weapons.

Third, Tehran will have had the time to reinforce existing underground facilities and build new, deeper ones that might be impervious to airstrikes. This means that the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the bunker-busting bombs which can penetrate Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Fordow, might not be enough to do the job.

More

Don't Judge Blacks Differently

The problem with the White House’s heroin program

With the country in the grips of a great American heroin relapse, the White House on Monday announced a new strategy to subdue the epidemic, pairing law enforcement officials with public health workers and deploying them in 15 states rife with opioid addicts.

The program, funded by $2.5 million from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, is billed by the Obama administration as an example of the president’s emphasis on treatment, not jail, for drug users. But as word spread, one high profile critic attacked the plan as an attempt of co-op the rhetoric of reform without adopting the actual policies. Others, meanwhile, are unlikely to be impressed.

Thomas McLellan was President Obama’s chief scientist for drug control policy from 2009 to 2012, the person in charge of programs precisely like this one. He’s watched in horror as the death rate for heroin overdoses has quintupled since 2002, cutting through class and color lines to become as popular as crack cocaine in the 1980s—all without inspiring a major federal response.

“Our reply is $2.5 million?” an incredulous McLellan told msnbc. “That is not close to the financial commitment that is needed.”

“There are research-tested, cost effective public health and public safety measures that could reduce opioid use and related deaths, but not at this price,” he continued. “I hope they ultimately take this problem seriously and provide the commitment the public is looking for.”

More

Admiral Lyons Sums It Up

Public Execution-Style Shootings Occurring in D.C.

Washington, D.C., has gun control–lots and lots of gun control–and execution-style shootings are taking place in public.

For example, The Washington Post describes a shooting that occurred “in front of a Metrobus … [in] Northwest Washington’s Park View neighborhood” in July. In that attack, the gunman ran up Georgia Street and shot a 33-year-old victim in the back, then stood over the collapsed victim and “shot him two more times.”

Witnesses described the shooting as a “straight up execution,” pointing out that it occurred “right in the middle of a main thoroughfare of Washington, D.C.”

Like many of the surging homicides in D.C., the execution in Park View remains unsolved.

D.C. has witnessed a “23 percent” increase in homicides this year, and gun crime in general is also climbing sharply. The Washington Post reports there were “1,183” gun crimes in D.C. from January to July 2015, whereas there were “983” crimes during the same period in 2014, “1,168” in 2013, and “1,143” in 2012. Summer gun crime stats–crimes occurring in June and July–showed “428” in 2015, “333” in 2014, “337” in 2013, and “322” in 2012.

More

Hogan Stands By Housing Secretary; Expresses Disappointment In Lead Paint Remarks

Governor Larry Hogan has expressed his disappointment with remarks made last week by Housing and Community Development Secretary Ken Holt regarding lead poisoning victims.

Hogan's response came as 30 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Holt today, asking for the Republican official to resign.

Holt had not responded to the letter all day, but late this afternoon, department spokeswoman Audra Harrison issued a statement confirming Holt met with the governor.

"The secretary met with the governor earlier today at which time the governor expressed his disappointment with the secretary's comments," Harrison said.

" Secretary Holt is committed to working with advocates, legislators, and families to move forward, rebuild trust, and strengthen the already-strong record DHCD has on this important issue."

More

20 More Stupid Things Said by U.S. Politicians

Why Hillary’s college tuition plan won’t work

Cutting college tuitions must start with eliminating waste and fraud
In the days ahead millions of kids will pack their bags and leave home (hopefully for good) to go to college. For parents experiencing this for the first time: welcome to the biggest financial scam in America. Richard Vedder, an economist at Ohio University and an expert on college costs puts it very plainly: “Colleges and universities may be the least cost-efficient institutions in the United States. No industry, perhaps other than prostitution, has seen less productivity improvements than higher education.”

As the father of two college kids I can personally attest to the astonishing rip-off of college tuition costs. One son just graduated from Northwestern. All in — room, board and tuition — cost $62,500 a year. Yes, he learned a lot, but let’s be honest. Mostly what I paid for was a four-year party and a reprieve from having to get a job.

Universities justify the swindle of middle class America with the tuitions that are double what they would be if they only grew at the rate of inflation, with statistics about hundreds of thousands of dollars of higher earnings for kids with college degrees. True. Except that a very plausible case could be made that college doesn’t make kids smart, but rather kids who go to college are smarter and have higher earnings potential to begin with.

Peter Thiel, one of the great investors of all time says that for really bright and talented 18 and 19 year olds, college is a detriment to success and he sponsors a program to get kids to leave college early and get on with starting their own businesses.

Which brings me to Hillary Clinton’s new ten-year plan to make colleges more affordable by offering up $350 billion of taxpayer subsidies. She’s right that colleges are unaccountable, lack transparency and are overpriced. “College is supposed to help people achieve their dreams, but more and more paying for college actually pushes those dreams further and further out of reach,” Mrs. Clinton declared. “That is a betrayal of everything college is supposed to represent.”

Exactly.

More

Number of Hillary Clinton’s emails flagged for classified data grows to 60 as review continues

While media coverage has focused on a half-dozen of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s personal emails containing sensitive intelligence, the total number of her private emails identified by an ongoing State Department review as having contained classified data has ballooned to 60, officials told The Washington Times.

That figure is current through the end of July and is likely to grow as officials wade through a total of 30,000 work-related emails that passed through her personal email server, officials said. The process is expected to take months.

The 60 emails are among those that have been reviewed and cleared for release under the Freedom of Information Act as part of a open-records lawsuit. Some of the emails have multiple redactions for classified information.

More

Man pleads guilty in murder of missing teens

ELKTON — A man accused of killing two teens who vanished from an Elkton neighborhood last summer is facing a 30-year prison term after accepting a plea deal — one in which some of the conditions will remain secret until his sentencing on Friday.

The defendant, Donald Ray Bennett, 31, of Elkton, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder Monday.

By way of his guilty pleas, Bennett admitted to “strangling and choking to death” Jesse Grant Veasey, Jr., 16, and Ricardo Eugene Levenberry, 19, after picking them up in Hollingsworth Manor in August 2014 to buy drugs from them — albeit 16 hours apart from each other, according to a statement of fact read aloud by Assistant State's Attorney Karl H. Fockler IV.

More

Protest at Easton Planned Parenthood Facility on August 22 warns: “PP Sells Baby Parts”

Easton, Maryland, In light of recent revelations that Planned Parenthood has been harvesting and selling aborted baby parts, concerned citizens of the Eastern Shore are calling for a protest at the Planned Parenthood facility at Easton Health Center, 8579 Commerce Drive, #102, Easton, Maryland, 21601, on August 22 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. This effort is part of a National Day of Protest taking place at Planned Parenthood offices and abortion facilities all across the United States http://www.protestpp.com to raise awareness about Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of aborted baby parts.

Undercover videos (see links below) released by the Center for Medical Progress reveal that Planned Parenthood abortion clinics, with the sanction of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, are involved in the harvesting of body parts of unborn children aborted in their facilities and profiting from their sale contrary to federal laws prohibiting such practices. The videos show high-level Planned Parenthood executives haggling over the prices of fetal specimens. The videos also raise ethical questions about the exploitation of unborn children for financial gain and risks to women’s health if abortion procedures are altered solely to procure more profitable specimens.
As a consequence of this public scandal, several states have initiated investigations of Planned Parenthood and legislation has been introduced in Congress to defund the abortion giant. Planned Parenthood currently receives over $500 million in taxpayer funding annually.
WHO: Concerned Citizens of the Eastern Shore

WHAT: Press conference, prayer vigil and protest signs calling attention to PP’s baby parts trafficking

WHERE: Planned Parenthood, 8579 Commerce Drive, #102, Easton, MD 21601

WHEN: August 22, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to11:00 a.m.

The ProtestPP.com coalition is headed by Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, Created Equal, 40 Days for Life and the Pro-Life Action League, and is co-sponsored by fifty state and national pro-life organizations.

Local spokesman Cathy Keim said:

“All politics is local. We cannot only look to Washington, DC and our state governments to solve this problem. Planned Parenthood is located in large and small communities all across America. Each community with a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic or satellite office needs to take action against the killing of babies and the trafficking of their body parts. Concerned local citizens from the Eastern Shore will be sending the message that it’s well past time for Planned Parenthood to be run out of town!”

Links to the first three Center for Medical Progress undercover videos:

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjxwVuozMnU

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjCs_gvImyw

Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2xi9mhmuo

Cardin, Mikulski Lead Team Maryland In Announcing Federal Funding To Combat Heroin Trafficking In Washington / Baltimore Region

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski, together withU.S. Representatives Steny H. Hoyer, Elijah E. Cummings, Chris Van Hollen, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John P. Sarbanes, Donna F. Edwards and John Delaney (all D-Md.) today announced that $2.5 million in federal funding has been awarded to the Washington/Baltimore region together with regional partners to combat heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. The Washington/Baltimore HIDTA will also receive nearly $250,000 to support drug trafficking prosecution of those supplying heroin and fentanyl to Baltimore.

In addition to the Baltimore/Washington HIDTA, regional programs in Appalachia, New England, Philadelphia/Camden, and New York/New Jersey will share in the $2.5 million in federal funding for the Heroin Response Strategy in an unprecedented partnership to address the severe heroin threat facing those communities.

“Every part of Maryland is working to confront the rise in heroin trafficking and opiate-related medical emergencies, and this federal funding can provide critical support in their efforts to stop the suffering that inevitably accompanies the spread of this scourge,” saidSenator Cardin. “This funding also will boost the capacity for regional cooperation among law enforcement officials and agencies, a welcome counter-measure to a complex and persistent threat to our communities.”

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Chickens

Worcester County Sheriff's Office Press Release 8-18-15

  • Date & Time: August 16, 2015/0203 hours
  • Case #: 150000732
  • Location Occurred: 10138 Old Ocean City Blvd Berlin, MD.
  • Accused: David Banach 38 YO W/M
  • Charges: Possession cds not marijuana (2 COUNTS), CDS ADMN equip/poss, possession of paraphernalia, expired registration.
  • Narrative:  On August 16, 2015 at approximately 0203 hours a Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a 2009 Ford Focus that had expired registration. The Deputy conducted a traffic stop on the Ford Focus at the Berlin Food Lion. The Deputy made contact with the driver identified as David Banach. A probable cause search was conducted on the vehicle. A Deputy recovered heroin, prescription medication, and numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and on Banach’s person. Banach was arrested and taken in front of a District Court Commissioner where Banach was released .
------------
  •  Date & Time: August 15, 2015 at 1917 hours
  • Case #: 150000730
  • Location Occurred: 12741 Ocean Gateway (Tangier Outlets) West Ocean City, Maryland
  • Accused: JUVENILE W/F 17 yo
  • Charges: Disorderly Conduct, Assault 2nd degree
  • Narrative: On Saturday, August 15, 2015 Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the area of the Tangier Outlets in reference to an assault that had just occurred on a bus. Upon arrival the Deputy met with the victim who had a facial injury. The victim stated a female had punched him on the bus. The Deputy removed the juvenile female from the bus and while attempting to question her, the juvenile became disorderly at the bus stop and in the parking lot of the Tangier Outlets. The Deputy arrested the juvenile for disorderly conduct and Assault 2nd degree. The juvenile was released to a parent pending a court date
---------------
  • Date & Time: August 13, 2015/1945 hours
  • Case #: 150000724
  • Location Occurred: 10218 Racetrack Rd Berlin, MD.
  • Accused: Richard Moore 44 YO W/M State Line Rd Delmar,De
  • Charges: Trespassing, Disorderly Conduct
  • Narrative: On August 13, 2015 at approximately 1945 hours a Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the Ocean Downs Racetrack/Casino in reference to a trespasser. The Deputy observed Richard Moore in the parking lot of the Casino acting in a disorderly manner. The Deputy was informed Moore had been removed from the property and trespassed from the property earlier in the night by another Deputy and security staff. Moore was arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing and released on criminal citations pending a trial date.
-------------
  • Date & Time: August 16, 2015/1706 hours
  • Case #: 150000737
  • Location Occurred: Old Bridge Road West Ocean City, MD.
  • Accused: Kebba Wadda 47 YO B/M of West Ocean City,MD
  • Charges: Trespassing, MDOP, Harassment.
  • Narrative: On August 16, 2015 at approximately 1706 hours a Worcester County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a residence on Old Bridge Road West Ocean City, Maryland. The Deputy made contact with a homeowner who stated an individual identified to be Kebba Wadda had disconnected his air conditioning units. Wadda had been trespassed from the residence on August 13, 2015 by Deputies. Wadda had also been arrested the night prior on a warrant that charged Wadda with burglary, trespass, MDOP, and harassment of the same victim at the same residence. Wadda was again arrested and taken before a court commissioner. Wadda was held on $15,000 bond.

Amen


School Officials Used Young Girl as 'Bait' in Rape Sting, She Was Raped and They Covered It Up

The people involved have attempted to defer liability for allowing this to happen.

Huntsville, AL —
In 2010, a 14-year-old Huntsville girl was approached by school officials who wanted to use her as bait in a “sting operation.” The plan was to use the young girl to catch a boy in the act who’d been accused of sexually harassing students. However, their asinine plan backfired, and this innocent young girl was anally raped by the older student.

The plan was for the girl not to do anything and teachers would burst in and catch the boy with a girl in the bathroom, but the boy changed bathroom locations. The girl, known in court records as BHJ, was not found by the incompetent school officials until after the student raped her.

More

Same Govt that Locks People in Jail for Cannabis, Just Approved OxyContin for Young Children

The harmful side effects of opioids are virtually limitless.

Washington, D.C. —
The evidence is undisputable. Cannabis is an incredibly beneficial plant with medical applications that humanity has only begun to explore. Its harmful side effects are nearly non-existent, and no evidence to date has shown that anyone has ever died from it.

The evidence is undisputable. OxyContin and other opioid-based prescription drugs have a small range of uses from pain management to cough relief. The harmful side effects of opioids are virtually limitless. They are highly addictive, sicken tens of thousands of people a year and kill thousands.

Of course, opioids have a place in medicine as they are used to treat severe pain. However, they are incredibly dangerous.

More