Attention

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

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

San Francisco sheriff known for 'sanctuary city' defense loses re-election bid

The San Francisco sheriff who over the summer became embroiled in a national debate over "sanctuary city" policies on Tuesday lost his bid for re-election amid a host of local controversies.

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, 54, was defeated by Vicki Hennessy, a former sheriff's official who had the endorsement of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the sheriff deputies association. As of early Wednesday morning, Hennessy had received 62 percent of the vote to just 31 percent for Mirkarimi.

Mirkarimi was the subject of national criticism after Mexican illegal immigrant Francisco Sanchez allegedly shot and killed 32-year-old Kate Steinle on San Francisco's waterfront July 1. Sanchez had been released from Mirkarimi's jail in March even though federal immigration officials had requested he be detained for possible deportation.

But since then, the sheriff's oversight of the department has been plagued by other high-profile mishaps and controversies seen as contributing to his defeat. He had his driver's license briefly suspended for failing to properly report a minor accident while driving a department-issued car, and he also flunked a marksmanship test.

More

12 Days Before ’08 Crash, Congress Was Secretly Told to Sell off Their Stocks

Earlier this month, it was reported that less than two weeks before the economic collapse of 2008, several members of Congress took their money out of the stock market. Many high-ranking government employees were given a heads-up about the impending market crash in secret meetings with the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department. Then they used that information to engage in insider trading.

It was revealed that Senator Shelley Capito and her husband sold $350,000 worth of Citigroup stock at $83 per share, just one day before the stock dropped to $64 per share. Another shady trader was Congressman Jim Moran, who had his biggest trading day of the year days after the secret meeting, sellings stock in nearly 100 different companies.

These actions would be illegal for any American in any other circumstance, but members of Congress and high-ranking government officials are actually exempt from insider trading laws.

Years later, a 60 Minutes investigation aired on television which highlighted the government’s deep history of insider trading. The investigation sparked outrage, prompting Congress to pass “the STOCK Act” which was said to hold members of the government to the same standards as any American when it came to insider trading.

However, Congress watered down the bill and changed key elements that would hold them accountable, allowing them to return to business as usual, and escape any consequences for their prior crimes.

More

Modern Haunted House Eyed For Underage Nightclub Site; Planning Commission Backs Amusement Overlay District Expansion

OCEAN CITY — After a marathon public hearing, Ocean City planners have recommended an extension of the town’s amusement overlay district to take in a property that will become a high-end, state-of-the-art haunted house at the site of an existing underage nightclub.

The Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday night approved an extension of the town’s amusement overlay district, which allows certain uses not permitted in other zoning designations. The proposed extension, which will ultimately come before the Mayor and Council, would take in several properties throughout the historic downtown area including the H2O underage dance club on the north side of Worcester Street that is proposed for a state-of-the-art haunted house.

Zoning Administrator Blaine Smith explained the intent of the requested extension was to bring the H2O underage club property into the amusement overlay district to facilitate the development of the haunted house, which would not be a permitted use under the property’s existing zoning. Steelhead Productions, which has developed critically acclaimed haunted houses in other areas around the state, most notably Field of Screams in Olney and DC Screams in the nation’s capital, intends to repurpose the old underage nightclub for its latest production.

More

Surprise: Obamacare Premiums To Spike 20.3% Overall

Where’s the “affordable” part?

(Daily Caller) Obamacare premium costs will soar 20.3 percent on average in 2016 instead of the 7.5 percent increase claimed by federal officials, according to an analysis by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

The discrepancy is because the government excluded price data for three of the four Obamacare health insurance plans when the officialsissued their recent forecast claiming enrollees would face only a 7.5 percent average rate increase in 2016.

More

Swedes find weapons stash at migrant center

Law enforcement agents in Krokum, Sweden, went on high alert after security staffers at the local migrant center reported uncovering a stash of weapons hidden in the heating room.

Gateway Pundit reported the story, translated from the Swedish Avpixlat: “A weapon cache was found last week at an asylum accommodation in Krokom … inside the property’s heating chamber. … The weapons were seized.”

Officials found the firearms when staffers with a local energy company arrived at the facility to read the boiler meters.

More

Again? 15 People Shot, But Why Is The Media Silent?

Yesterday the nation reeled with the news that three people had been shot dead by a lone gunman in Colorado Springs. Thankfully, the gunman was stopped by police.

Little information has been released about the suspect or his victims. It’s being characterized by the media as yet ANOTHER mass shooting, and was top of the headlines for hours.

But did you know 15 people have been shot in Chicago, including 4 teenagers and a senior citizen since Friday? Of course not. It was in Chicago – in a neighborhood where there used to be a $3 million drug operation. The Chicago Tribune says more than 40 people were charged in connection with the heroin ring last June.

But that’s when the neighborhood really went downhill.

After this weekend’s shootings, the Chicago Tribune says residents agree, “the neighborhood was better when the drug dealers were around.

“When the drug dealers had left, that’s when everything started getting worse on this block,” said Mariah Monae, 16, who didn’t want to give her last name. “But when they was here, they was protecting us. They ain’t let none of that shooting stuff happen.”

More

Man Wanted In Death Of Baby Released From Hospital Before Charges Filed

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The driver of the Mercedes involved in a crash that killed a 1-year-old was released from the hospital Wednesday morning and now police say he’s a wanted man.

Police are looking for Wayne Anthony Green, Jr. in the death of one-year-old Jeremaih Perry.

The 38-year-old Baltimore man is wanted for negligent manslaughter with an automobile, attempt by driver to elude police in official police vehicle by failing to stop, driving on a revoked license and privilege, and driving without a license.

Police say they began a pursuit of the Mercedes in Baltimore County and it lead to a crash in Baltimore City Sunday.

More

VA BUSTED: Surveillance Video Exposes DISGUSTING Treatment Of Wounded Warrior

One of our Wounded Warriors who was exposed to serious harm during active duty was rushed into the Mather VA hospital in Rancho Cordova, CA by his wife during an attack SO serious, he they both questioned whether he would come out of it alive. Unable to leave his vehicle without assistance his wife made strides to get help…there was none. What happened next will have you FURIOUS!

Sometimes there’s not much that needs to be said and this is one of those times. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

When Navy veteran, Steve Fehrenbacher, was rushed to the Mather VA Hospital for emergency care, he was suffering such intense pain his wife told reporters she wasn’t sure whether he was dying or not.

While reading her story, I was immediately reminded of the THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND veterans who likely died while waiting for help – nearly as many deaths as WWII claimed, as we reported here, and the false records and insane wait times for veterans literally dying for help we reported here, or the story of Doug Chase, a veteran diagnosed with a brain tumor who finally got an appointment – two years after he died.

As you watch this video, remember the hospital administrator, in his interview with the news reporter, claimed that “technically speaking” the hospital had done everything correctly. He also refused to tell the reporters whether the hospital personnel had been disciplined over this incident.

More

TELL ALL VIDEO: Hillary Clinton EXPOSED As CAREER Criminal… This Could Cost Her!

Hillary Clinton has attracted withering scrutiny in recent months during the House investigation into the Benghazi terrorist attack, as well as her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. BUT…that is not all there is smearing her history with ugly acts of deceit…there is more…

It’s worth remembering that Hillary’s record of lawbreaking goes back for decades, and the The Federalist Papers Project is circulating video circulating that shows all of the times Hillary has been involved in a scandal.

All of these scandals have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, but somehow she manages to weasel her way out of all of them. Her claim of a vast “right wing conspiracy” is a complete farce. All of these charges are well documented and available to the public.

More

Trashing Trump: Latino Kids Pound Racism Like a Pinata

EDITOR'S NOTE: This video and description of the video may be offensive to some people. View at your own risk.

Look out Trump! Latino kids born in the USA have got something to say as they hilariously let loose on Trump pounding his anti-Latino racism point-by-point like a piƱata. Some will find what they say shocking (F-bombs ahead) but there's no denying the math that you can't win the White House without the brown vote. The first video from DeportRacism.com, an online movement to fight anti-Latino racism in the 2016

The 7 Keys To Trapping As Many Americans As Possible In Poverty

Keeping Americans poor in a prosperous country like America is not as easy as you think. After all, this is the “land of opportunity.” Legal immigrants pay tens of thousands of dollars and wait years for the opportunity to come legally and illegal immigrants often risk their lives just so they can get here and do menial work. This is the country that made Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and even OPRAH into billionaires and it’s a nation where you can have everything from hoverboards to medicine for your pet delivered right to your door. So when there’s so much wealth and opulence everywhere, how do you lock Americans out of that success?

No matter what you do, there will always be a few poor people around, but to really maximize those numbers there are very specific government policies abetted by a few cultural attitudes that will make all the difference. You want to make as many Americans poor as possible? Then start by….

1) Making Sure Taxes And Regulations Are Sky High: The biggest enemy of poverty is economic growth, which creates more jobs and higher wages. How do you slow down economic growth? One of the best ways to do it is to ratchet up the taxes and start pouring on the regulations. Let small business owners spend an inordinate amount of time wondering if they’re in compliance with some law they’ve never heard of instead of how to improve their service. Let them spend years working to make a profit and then take such a big chunk of the money they make that they want to give up. Make these small businesses spend thousands of dollars complying with nearly useless regulations instead of hiring new employees. Nobody is pulling himself out of poverty without a job and so the more jobs you kill, the better!

Once again, you can read it all here.

8th-Grader: School Punished Me for Hugging Friend

Add hugging to the list of activities that could land you in trouble at school.

A Florida eighth-grader was given detention for hugging a classmate before the class bell rang for the day.

Jackson Heights Middle School student Ella Fishbough told WKMG the hug lasted for "literally a second."
Fishbough said it was the second incident between Ella and the same boy. She was given a warning last month when the boy put his hand on her head.

"I do think about inappropriate touching and boys and girls of this age having feelings for one another, but that's not what we're dealing with here. And if administration can't tell the difference between a friendly, 'How are you doing' hug and an inappropriate hug, then I think we have another big problem," said Fishbough.
More 

What You Should Know About The Federal Inmate Release

Thousands of federal inmates are getting out of prison because of a change in the way the U.S. government sentences drug criminals. It's part of a broader movement to reconsider tough-on-crime laws that were passed during the War on Drugs.

The decision to change sentencing guidelines — and apply the changes retroactively — was made last year, but the release of any inmates was delayed until this weekend.

Leaders at the Justice Department supported the changes. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates recently told Congress it's a myth that federal prisons house only the worst of the worst. When it comes to drug offenses, Yates said, only 16 percent of federal prison inmates used a weapon in connection with their crime.

Here is what else there is to know about the release, which began Friday and continues Monday:

More

Video Shows Officer Breaking Up Fight Between 2 Teenage Girls

SUITLAND, Md. (WJZ) — A fight at school between two teenage girls. Now the aunt of one of the girls is getting involved. The fight broke out inside Suitland High in Prince George’s County.

Marcus Washington explains the aunt is furious over the way a school officer intervened.

A student witness recorded the incident on his cell phone. When the aunt of one of those girls saw the video, she says the officer went too far, assaulting her niece.

The shaky, one-angle video shows two girls fighting inside the halls of Suitland High School in Prince George’s County.

While hard to see at times, an aunt of one of the girls says the fight turned from ugly to appalling because she says a school security officer then started assaulting her 16-year-old niece.

More

Supreme Court Takes On Racial Discrimination In Jury Selection

The U.S. Supreme Court wrestles Monday with a problem that has long plagued the criminal justice system: race discrimination in the selection of jurors.

"Numerous studies demonstrate that prosecutors use peremptory strikes to remove black jurors at significantly higher rates than white jurors."

Those are not the words of the defense in the case. They come from a group of highly regarded prosecutors, Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal, who have filed a friend-of-the-court brief siding with Timothy Foster, who was convicted and sentenced to death in the killing of an elderly white woman in Georgia.

It has been nearly 30 years since the Supreme Court sought to toughen the rules against racial discrimination in jury selection. But Foster's lawyers argue that black jurors were systematically excluded from the jury at his trial in 1987, while judges at all levels looked the other way for nearly three decades thereafter.

More

Md. Panel Makes Redistricting Reform Recommendations

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A panel is recommending Maryland reform its congressional and state legislative redistricting process by creating an independent commission to draw the districts.

The panel sent recommendations on Tuesday to Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who appointed them to explore reforms.

The commission would have nine members. Three of them would be affiliated with the Democratic Party, and three would be affiliated with the Republican Party. Three others would not be associated with either party.

More

BREAKING NEWS: Bad Accident On Rt. 50 Bridge In Ocean City

Ocean City Fire/EMS just dispatched to the Rt.50 bridge for a motor vehicle crash involving a motorcycle and a car. Expect delays in the area.

'Patchwork Of Protection' In Rural Areas For LGBT Community Has Limits

Pocatello, Idaho, and Laramie, Wyo., might not be the first places you think of leading the charge to protect the LGBT community from discrimination. But in these rural, Republican-led states, local governments are taking the matter into their own hands.

Twenty-year-old college student CylieAnn Erickson was in the room when the city council in Laramie passed its LGBT anti-discrimination bill earlier this year. She says that when the final vote was counted, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So I don't have to ... like have that in the back of my mind, like oh, this isn't going to be why I'm fired. If I'm fired, it's going to be because I'm doing a bad job," Erickson says.

The ordinance bans discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations like bars and restaurants. It has extra meaning because just a few months earlier, the Wyoming State Legislature voted down a bill that would have done the same statewide.

More

Give A Donation, Ask For Naming Rights

Back in July, Joan Weill, the wife of Citigroup billionaire Sandy Weill, announced that they would donate $20 million to a small, cash-strapped school called Paul Smith's College in New York's Adirondack Mountains with one big string attached: She insisted that the school would have to be renamed in her honor, to be known forever as Joan Weill-Paul Smith's College.

"I got a lot of wonderful letters that were sent to me personally by alums and students and of course members of the faculty and the board, understanding why this was happening," Weill says.

Weill is a former trustee of the school, which sits miles from the nearest town and specializes in forestry and hospitality programs. She's given big gifts in the past, and she argued that with her name given top billing, more donors around the country would open their wallets. Paul Smith's President Cathy Dove negotiated the name change in secret and announced the rebranding of the school to alumni as a done deal.

"I truly respect the wishes of the donor and in this case this was also a very complex issue, and yes, I think it was the appropriate thing to do, understanding that this would be a very emotional reaction," Dove says.

More

Minor earthquake rattles homes in Virginia

BUCKINGHAM, Va. (AP) -- A minor earthquake rattled homes in central Virginia.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-2.6 earthquake occurred at 6 a.m. The epicenter was 7 miles east of Buckingham and 53 miles west of Richmond.

BREAKING NEWS: 'Explosive device' may have brought down Russian jet, British PM's office announced

The Russian airliner that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people, “may well have been brought down by an explosive device,” a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron announced.

BREAKING NEWS: 5 students stabbed, suspect killed on California campus

Five students were stabbed inside a building on the University of California Merced's campus Wednesday morning, prompting the school to go on a brief lockdown and cancel classes for the remainder of the day. The suspect was killed, authorities said.

Hogan Says State Cannot Afford Extra Education Money

One day after legislative Democrats called on Governor Larry Hogan to release $68-million earmarked for large school systems, the governor is refusing to do that, calling the request part of the "silly season" in state politics in Annapolis.

Hogan made the comments during an appearance on the C-4 Show today on WBAL NewsRadio 1090.

"This is exactly the same thing we've been hearing from them since last January," Hogan told C-4.

"The facts get skewed and these guys seem to not pay any attention to the extreme deficit situation we're faced with."

House Speaker Michael Busch and Senate President Mike Miller pointing to the state's $320 million budget surplus this fiscal year, said the state can afford to spend the money.

More

Jon Stewart Signs New 4-Year Deal With HBO

Announcing what could be a string of projects from the former host of The Daily Show, HBO says it has reached an exclusive four-year deal with Jon Stewart. In the first phase of the deal, Stewart will produce "short-form digital content," HBO says.

"Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me," Stewart says in a news release about the deal. "I'm pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again."

From the cable company's announcement:

"In his first project for HBO under the new deal, Stewart will view current events through his unique prism. Working with the pioneering cloud graphics company OTOY Inc., he is developing new technology that will allow him to produce timely short-form digital content, which will be refreshed on HBO NOW multiple times throughout the day. Additional projects will be announced as they are confirmed."

In moving to HBO, Stewart is following in the footsteps of John Oliver, a former correspondent for The Daily Show who now has his own weekly show at the cable network.

More

Gates: Socialism Can Save Us From Climate Change

“Representative democracy” has failed; the private sector is “inept”; and only bigger government – led by China and the US – has the power to save the world from climate change.

So says Bill Gates in a dogmatic but somewhat confused interview with The Atlantic in which he simultaneously pours scorn on green tech solutions but insists that more of them are needed – on a scale bigger than the Manhattan Project – if we are to deal successfully with a problem whose nature he admits may well have been exaggerated by environmentalists.

Confused? You should be:

Here are some of things we learn about the mysteries of Gates’s mind.

More

USPS Admits They Just Can't Operate Like A Private Company

The Postal Service could make more money if it entered an agreement and shared business with a private package carrier. The USPS Inspector General said delivery service would get more efficient. A private company can process mail faster. And the Postal Service can deliver packages more efficiently. The IG said what it calls “co-opetition” could also bring down prices for consumers.

Obama to Sign Order Forcing Government to Hire Convicts

Ever in search of benefits to hand leftist constituencies, Democrats have decided to give goodies to their most natural constituency of all: criminals. According to the Associated Press, President Obama will announce executive orders Monday attempting to prevent screening for prior criminality in government hiring.

The so-called “ban the box” program would prevent government agencies from asking about criminal history until later in the interview process. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Vermont Senator
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Loonbag), and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley have all joined Obama in calling for banning “the box” – meaning the check box for criminal conviction. Obama also wants to prevent public housing from hindering the ability for convicted criminals to gain access to subsidies.

So, in short, we all get to hire unhireable employees with criminal backgrounds, and subsidize those who wouldn’t be able to find housing because they have committed crimes.

More

Obama Mocks Republican Presidential Candidates

President Obama said Monday night the Republican candidates for president would be no match for Russian President Vladimir Putin because they couldn’t even handle the moderators in their televised debate last week.

“They say, ‘When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out’ … And then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators,” Mr. Obama told supporters at a Democratic fundraiser in New York City.

The president added, “If you can’t handle those guys, I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.”

More

Police: Deer runs through lounge at Salisbury University

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Police say a deer ran through a lounge at Salisbury University.

Lt. Brian Waller of Salisbury University Police says the deer ran through a window at the Guerrieri University Center on Monday afternoon. He says after it was briefly trapped inside the building, it exited through another window.

Blood stains were left on the windows and on curtains. Footage captured by witnesses shows the deer jumping over furniture and ramming into windows.

More

Teens Average 9 Hours a Day with Media

Teenagers spend nearly nine hours a day absorbing media and despite all the new options, music and television remain the favorites.

Common Sense Media released an exhaustive survey Tuesday outlining how young people spend screen time. One concern: the number of youngsters who feel comfortable multi-tasking while doing homework.

Two-thirds of teenagers said they listen to music every day, and 58 percent said the same about watching television, the study said. By contrast, 45 percent reported using social media every day and only 36 percent said they enjoyed that activity “a lot”; twice as many said they really enjoyed their music.

Television is the favorite activity of teenagers in training, with 62 percent of respondents aged 8 to 12 saying they watched every day, the study said. Tweens said they spend just under six hours a day of media time.

More

Cruz: Preserve All IRS-tea Party Investigation Documents

Already planning for a GOP president in 2017, Sen. Ted Cruz sent a letter Monday demanding that the Justice Department preserve all documents from its completed investigation into the IRS’s tea party targeting, saying too many questions still remain.

Mr. Cruz, a Texas Republican who is himself seeking his party’s presidential nomination, said the department’s decision to close the investigation and clear IRS employees of any wrongdoing was a sign of just how broken the Justice Department has become.

“It is important for you and other officials in this Administration to understand that this administration’s decisions to neither continue this investigation nor appoint a special prosecutor do not represent the conclusion of this matter,” Mr. Cruz said in a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “Given this Administration’s refusal to conduct itself appropriately, or take the issue of the potential illegal conduct of IRS employees seriously, any subsequent administration should reserve the right to reopen the matter, conduct its own investigation, or appoint a special prosecutor to conduct an investigation.”

Mr. Cruz charged Ms. Lynch with preserving all documents obtained by her investigators during their probe, and said copies should be given to the National Archives and to the department’s inspector general so they could also preserve them.

More here

Homicide Rates Cut In Half Over Past 20 Years (While New Gun Ownership Soared)

The murder rate in the US is currently similar to 1950s levels

The Pew Research Center reported last week that the murder rate was cut nearly in half from 7 per 100,000 in 1993 to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2013. Over the same period, overall gun deaths (including accidents and suicides) have fallen by one-third from 15.2 to 10.6 per 100,000.

In spite of this, Pew reports, the American public believes that homicides and gun deaths are increasing in the United States.Those who think violence is getting worse should probably watch less television and look around them instead. The murder rate in the US is currently similar to 1950s levels.

Meanwhile, the number of privately owned guns (and gun commerce in general) in the United States has increased substantially in recent decades.

More

Publishers Notes: We have been trying to tell you for years, the government is pushing the Main Stream Media to publicize shootings to make it all of a sudden LOOK like things are really bad when in fact the numbers have gone way down. 

National Media Ignores Black-on-White Hate Crime Assault

Men viciously assaulted by black gang for displaying confederate flag sticker

Imagine if two African-Americans had been assaulted by a confederate flag-waving white biker gang for carrying a ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest sign.

Imagine if the incident had been caught on camera, with a black man being punched unconscious by one of the white men.

The story would be a national news item for days, maybe even weeks.

More  WARNING: Foul language in video.

Redskins' new court defense: US has registered plenty of 'offensive' trademarks

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- As the Washington Redskins defend their federal trademark registration, they argue in court papers that the government has registered plenty of companies with offensive names.

Among the names cited by the NFL team: Take Yo Panties Off and Dago Swagg clothing, Midget Man condoms and inflatable sex dolls and Baked By A Negro bakery products.

The Redskins are appealing a judge's July order canceling their trademark registration. U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee ruled that the name Redskins may be disparaging to Native Americans.

In its opening brief filed with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the team says the federal trademark register is "infested with countless trademarks conveying racist and offensive messages" but insists that the name Redskins is not among them. The team has long said that the name is intended to honor Native Americans, not insult them, and that there is no proof that a substantial segment of that population finds the word Redskins offensive.

More

Arizona’s Obamacare Co-Op to Shut Down After Receiving $93.3 Million From the Government

The co-ops have received a combined $2.4 billion from the federal government

Two days before the start of Obamacare’s open enrollment period, a nonprofit health insurance provider located in Arizona announced that it would be closing its doors, leaving more than 56,000 consumers to purchase new insurance plans.

On Friday, the Arizona Department of Insurance announced that Meritus Health Partners is winding down its operations and will no longer offer coverage in 2016. Meritus Health Partners is the 11th of 23 co-ops, or consumer-operated and oriented plans, created under Obamacare to shut its doors. The co-ops have received a combined $2.4 billion from the federal government.

Consumers currently insured by Meritus will remain covered for the rest of the year.

“[W]ith open enrollment beginning this weekend and many Meritus policyholders subject to re-enrollment, it was vital that the department step in and protect Arizona citizens,” Andy Tobin, the state director of insurance, said in a statement.

Read more

Tainted Halloween Candy Found in Local Prince Frederick Neighborhood

(HUNTINGTOWN, MD) Troopers are looking into an isolated incident of tainted Halloween candies found in the Patuxent View neighborhood in Calvert County, Maryland.

Just after 6:00 p.m. on November 2, 2015, troopers from the Prince Frederick Barrack responded to the 4100 block of Dunn Rd. in Huntingtown, Maryland for a complaint regarding metal sewing needles found in Halloween candy. The victim the needles after inspecting the candy before allowing her child to eat the candy. The victim stated she took her children to Seagull Beach Rd. in Prince Frederick with friends for trick or treating.

Troopers from the Prince Frederick Barrack responded to the Patuxent View neighborhood and conducted an extensive neighborhood check to identify any other tainted candies and to make the citizens aware of this incident. Troopers found no other tainted candies or reports of that nature. A check was made of local law enforcement in the area which yielded negative results. No injuries occurred.

Investigators from the Prince Frederick Barrack are asking anyone with any information or if they have tainted candy to contact the barrack immediately.

Destroying Your Vote

Both citizens and non-citizens are included in the census

Voter ID laws have been challenged because liberal Democrats deem them racist. I guess that’s because they see blacks as being incapable of acquiring some kind of government-issued identification. Interesting enough is the fact that I’ve never heard of a challenge to other ID requirements as racist, such as those: to board a plane, open a charge account, have lab work done or cash a welfare check. Since liberal Democrats only challenge legal procedures to promote ballot-box integrity, the conclusion one reaches is that they are for vote fraud prevalent in many Democrat-controlled cities.

There is another area where the attack on ballot-box integrity goes completely unappreciated. We can examine this attack by looking at the laws governing census taking. As required by law, the U.S. Census Bureau is supposed to count all persons in the U.S. Those to be countedinclude citizens, legal immigrants and non-citizen long-term visitors. The law also requires that illegal immigrants be a part of the decennial census. The estimated number of illegal immigrants ranges widely from 12 million to 30 million. Official estimates put the actual number closer to 12 million.

Both citizens and non-citizens are included in the census and thus affect apportionment counts. Counting illegals in the census undermines one of the fundamental principles of representative democracy — namely, that every citizen-voter has an equal voice. Through the decennial census-based process of apportionment, states with large numbers of illegal immigrants, such as California and Texas, unconstitutionally gain additional members in the U.S. House of Representatives thereby robbing the citizen-voters in other states of their rightful representation.

Read more

VA Executives Plead the Fifth

Two VA executives accused of arranging moves to new jobs and wrongly collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way refused to answer questions about their behavior Monday, pleading their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in testimony to Congress.

Diana Rubens, who collected more than $274,000 in moving to the troubled benefits office in Philadelphia, and Kimberly Graves, who collected nearly $130,000 as she moved to the St. Paul, Minn., regional benefits office, were excused after about half an hour of refusals to answer questions. But House Veterans Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller warned them the committee will review whether their Fifth Amendment asserts were legal, and he said they may be forced to come back.

In taut testimony, Antoine Waller, said he did feel “pressure” to leave the St. Paul office and take a lesser position in Baltimore to make room for Ms. Graves.

“My decision to go to Baltimore came with pressure to accept the assignment,” he said, though he added, “I did in fact accept the assignment and went into the opportunity with all of the passion for veterans that I have.”

More

Half of 25-year-olds live with parents, 1 million college students ‘Sugar Babies’, 31% of adjunct profs in poverty

College students must pass the Emperor’s New Clothes test before escaping their asset-hole banksters

American so-called “higher education” does exactly what it should: prepare college students for the real world. On 2015 Earth, students must learn the Orwellian condition that what we use for money is created as debt, producing an economy adding negative numbers forever with “developed” “modern” nations now $50 trillion in debt, the top 1% having more assets than the 99% combined, and the US top 1% has more assets than the bottom 90%.

Of course, the obvious solution is to stop creating what we use for money as a negative number owed to privately-owned banks, and have government create debt-free money for the direct payment of public goods and services. A preliminary cost-benefit analysis shows each and every US household would near-instantly achieve millionaire status with this upgrade.

More

Washington Post's Weigel: Liberal Media Bias a Reality 'Not Worth Disputing'

Liberal media bias is a fact that "is not worth disputing," Washington Post national political reporter David Weigel admits.

Asked during an appearance on "The Hard Line" on Newsmax TV about the growing perception among Americans that there is rampant liberal bias in the media in the wake of the heavily-criticized Oct. 28 Republican presidential debate hosted by CNBC, Weigel acknowledged to host Ed Berliner that "I think there's a cultural bias on social issues, definitely. A bias [that determines] who gets into the media. That's not worth disputing in my view."

"The idea that the media is just an amorphous ideology-free organism that has no bias whatsoever, that's not worth pretending about. There are reporters who work to be that way but the climate we come from, the education we have, etc. leans people in a certain direction. "

More

FBI agent convicted of hitting teenager


ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — An FBI agent has been convicted of striking a 15-year-old boy in the chest during a domestic dispute.

A jury in Montgomery County on Friday found 46-year-old Gerald Rogero of Oxon Hill guilty of second-degree misdemeanor assault.

The Washington Post reports that in December, Rogero, in an incident captured on cellphone video that was played for jurors, hit the teenager with the heel of his hand. The youth fell backward onto the sidewalk.

More

Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby Lead in New ‘Faith Equality Index’

Taking a page out of numerous groups’ playbooks, a marketing company has issued its first annual index on how welcoming more than 100 companies are to the 41 million-strong consumer base of devout Christians.

Seven companies received the highest scores in the new Faith Equality Index, issued Monday by Faith Driven Consumer, although none came close to a perfect score on the survey’s 100-point scale.

The new rating tool uses that scale to measure businesses’ outreach and welcoming treatment of the massive consumer base of people who use their biblical worldview when they shop.

Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby, Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart, Cracker Barrel, Interstate Batteries and Thrivent Financial are the 2016 leading companies in the first Faith Equality Index, said Chris Stone, founder of Faith Driven Consumer and a certified brand strategist.

“The [Faith-Driven Consumer] community has been asking, really clamoring, for this [index]. … They are actively seeking a brand that will welcome, embrace and celebrate them,” Mr. Stone said in an interview.

More here

THE RIGGING OF THE AMERICAN MARKET

Put an end to the rigging of the American market

Much of the national debate about widening inequality focuses on whether and how much to tax the rich and redistribute their income downward.
But this debate ignores the upward redistributions going on every day, from the rest of us to the rich. These redistributions are hidden inside the market.

The only way to stop them is to prevent big corporations and Wall Street banks from rigging the market.

For example, Americans pay more for pharmaceuticals than do the citizens of any other developed nation.

That’s partly because it’s perfectly legal in the U.S. (but not in most other nations) for the makers of branded drugs to pay the makers of generic drugs to delay introducing cheaper unbranded equivalents, after patents on the brands have expired.

More

Obama Angers Union With Tax-funded Apprenticeship Program

Another rift between President Obama and his labor base surfaced Monday as the union representing the construction trades voiced its disagreement with his administration’s push to fund apprenticeship programs with tax dollars.

Sean McGarvey, president of North America's Building Trades Unions, reacted to the administration’s initiative by saying that the construction trade unions have been funding successful apprenticeship programs on their own for a century.

“I might sound a little ‘Republican-ish’ here, but we pay for our own,” Mr. McGarvey said in an interview. “All of a sudden people are starting to recognize [the value of apprenticeships], and they’ve kind of got their hand out, wanting the federal government to pay for it. We’re not enthused by that.”

He said his union isn’t opposed to the government providing “seed money” to start apprenticeship programs.

“But long-term, ongoing financing of an apprenticeship training program? We don’t think the government should be paying for that,” Mr. McGarvey said. “We think apprenticeship is a great idea, and we think employers can belly up to the bar with their own resources to pay for it. We don’t feel like our membership should pay for it [through taxes] when they’re already paying for their own.”

More here

Movie Critic Complains: Charlie Brown Lacks ‘Non-White Love Interest’

Variety's Debruge thinks The Peanuts Movie should have pushed sexual agenda

A movie critic is upset at the upcoming Charlie Brown movie because the titular character doesn’t have a “non-white love interest.”

Variety’s Peter Debruge said the cartoon needs “a little modernization” in terms of interracial romance between eight-year-olds.

“While Franklin remains Charlie Brown’s only brown friend, a non-white love interest would have been as progressive as Schulz’s tomboyish depiction of Peppermint Patty was back in the day,” he said about the Peanuts Movie.

In other words, Debruge believes the movie producers should have used a cartoon character from the 1940s to push a Brave New World-style sexual agenda on little kids.

More

21 Facts About The Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America That Will Blow Your Mind

It turns out that there is a tremendous amount of suffering in “the wealthiest nation on the planet”, and it is getting worse with each passing year
What you are about to see is more evidence that the growth of poverty in the United States is wildly out of control.

It turns out that there is a tremendous amount of suffering in “the wealthiest nation on the planet”, and it is getting worse with each passing year. During this election season, politicians of all stripes are running around telling all of us how great we are, but is that really true? As you will see below, poverty is reaching unprecedented levels in this country, and the middle class is steadily dying. There aren’t enough good jobs to go around, dependence on the government has never been greater, and it is our children that are being hit the hardest. If we have this many people living on the edge of despair now, while times are “good”, what are things going to look like when our economy really starts falling apart? The following are 21 facts about the explosive growth of poverty in America that will blow your mind…

#1 The U.S. Census Bureau says that nearly 47 million Americans are living in poverty right now.

More

Good Morning DelMarVa


Obamacare prices increase for those who don't get subsidies

"For people who are on the outside of subsidies, what had been a very expensive market has become even more expensive," says a researcher at an insurance comparison site.

"Cheap" could cost you more for Obamacare next year.

People who buy the cheapest health plans on the biggest Obamacare exchange without getting financial assistance are facing the largest increases for premiums and out-of-pocket costs in 2016, new analyses show.

Average prices of the so-called bronze plans on the HealthCare.gov marketplace are rising 11 percent for nonsubsidized customers over 2015 prices. Average deductibles for individuals are increasing by the same percentage, to $5,731, according to a study by HealthPocket.com, an insurance comparison site.

Average premiums for the most popular types of plans, known as "silver plans," are going up nearly as much — 10 percent — for HealthCare.gov customers who are unsubsidized, HealthPocket found.

Silver plan deductibles, however, are rising more modestly next year, by 6 percent for an individual, to $3,117.

More

DE: Two Teens Charged Following Altercation at School

Wilmington, DE- Delaware State Police have arrested two Newark teens following an altercation in which a gun was displayed that occurred late last week.

The investigation has determined that the incident occurred on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at approximately 8:00 p.m., as two male teens, later identified as Joan A. Ayon, 17 and Luis D. Alvarado, 15, both of Newark, responded John Dickinson High School, located at 1801 Milltown Road, Wilmington, in order to confront an 18 year old male student. As Ayon came into contact with the victim, he proceeded to punch him in the face at which time, he and the victim began to fight and fell to the ground. As the victim began to stand up from the ground, Luis Alvarado handed Joan Ayon a handgun which Ayon preceded to point at the victim. It was at this point that the victim was pulled away from Ayon by a bystander while at the same time, the victim’s father, who was also present, stood in between his son and Ayon. Ayon and Alvarado then fled from the school in a pick-up truck.

Through multiple interviews and other investigative means, troopers were able to identify Ayon and Alvarado as suspects. They were both arrested by troopers on Friday, October 30, 2015, without incident. Alvarado and Ayon were both transported to Troop 2, Glasgow, where Alvarado (pictured striped shirt) was subsequently charged with 3 counts of Reckless Endangering 1st Degree, Possession of a Deadly Weapon during the Commission of a Felony, Conspiracy 2nd Degree, and Tampering with Evidence. He was arraigned at the New Castle County Family Court and released on $18,000.00 unsecured bail.

Joan Ayon was charged with 3 counts of Reckless Endangering 1st degree, Possession of a Deadly Weapon during the Commission of a Felony, 2 counts of Terroristic Threatening, Conspiracy 2nd Degree, and Offensive Touching. He was arraigned at the New Castle County Family Court and released on $19,250.00 unsecured bail.

There were no injuries.

Union Warns CPS Teachers to Prepare for Strike

CHICAGO -- Chicago Teachers Union leaders are warning teachers to prepare for a strike.

CTU is telling members to start saving as much as 25 percent of each paycheck to prepare for a possible protracted work stoppage.

New schools chief Forrest Claypool said that if Springfield does not bail out CPS, he may have to layoff teachers next semester.

“We will be meeting with our principals sometime in December to begin planning for reduced budgets in the Spring second semester,” Claypool said. “Those would be executed around February 1st at the beginning of the second semester which is February 8th.”

More

Investigators conclude that Illinois police officer committed suicide

Investigators have determined that Fox Lake, Illinois Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz -- whose Sept. 1 shooting death launched a massive manhunt -- committed suicide due to personal and professional pressures, Fox 32 and the Associated Press reported. Investigators have scheduled a press conference Wednesday morning to discuss their conclusions.

BREAKING NEWS: At least 23 dead in South Sudan cargo plane crash

A Russian-built cargo plane crashed Wednesday shortly after taking off from the airport in South Sudan's capital, Juba. Witnesses tell the Associated Press that at least 23 people are dead and the victims include children.
More

Lawyer Accused Of Submitting 40K False Claims Against BP After Oil Spill (Including One For A Dog Named Lucy)

Now that there’s a finalized settlement between the Department of Justice and BP that puts an end to the legal debacle related to the 2010 explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico — which left eleven dead and released millions of gallons of oil into the water — officials are taking a close look at the claims made against BP… including one filed by a dog named Lucy for $36,000. 

Company Faces $718K Fine For Blocking WiFi Hotspots At Baltimore Convention Center

Another company is learning about the fine points of Section 333 of the Communications Act, which prohibits willful interference with any licensed or authorized radio communications. This time, it’s the folks who provided the Baltimore Convention Center’s in-house WiFi service who were caught by the FCC trying to block individual WiFi hotspot users from going online. Meanwhile, Hilton is also being slapped with a proposed fine for its failure to comply with an investigation into its alleged hotspot blocking. 

Former Family Dollar Stores Will Become Dollar Express Stores

You may remember the sordid dollar-store love triangle that played out before our eyes earlier this year, as Dollar Tree and Dollar General battled for the affections and assets of Family Dollar. The eventual winner was Dollar Tree, and now the two companies have become one. However, they still needed to satisfy the Federal Trade Commission’s requirements by selling off more than 300 stores.

You Know It's Bad When...


I Wonder What They Say About Salisbury's Trolley?


$15.00 An Hour Minimum Wage Hopeful