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Monday, November 23, 2015

Enjoy a Very Merry Main Street Christmas in Berlin

Begin your holiday season by attending the Berlin Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, November 27th at 5:30 pm in front of the Atlantic Hotel. Several ice sculptures sponsored by Ocean Downs will be taking place as well. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in town along with costumed characters walking the streets to fill you with holiday cheer. Stores will stay open until 9 pm for Holiday Arts Night and check out the Win the Window contest where businesses feature chances to win great merchandise. Enjoy the sounds of the Peanuts Christmas music with Eric Byrd playing at the Visitor’s Center.

Berlin Main Street features the 45th annual Berlin Christmas Parade on Thursday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm where the streets come to life with bands, floats, fire engines and holiday spirit. Shuttle buses are available at Berlin Intermediate School every 10-15 minutes beginning at 5:45 – 7:15 and again at 8:45 pm – 9:30 pm.

On Saturdays, December 5th, 12th and 19th at the Berlin Visitor’s Center – Horse and Carriage Rides from 11 am – 3 pm. Bring the kids (Big Kids too) for pictures with Santa. Storytime with Mrs. Claus from 12pm – 3 pm and costumed characters walk around town.

Make sure the children drop their letters off to Santa at the Visitor Center located at 14 S. Main Street. All letters dropped off by December 18th will receive a letter back from Santa with a special coupon inside for a free cookie or ice cream.

The spirit of Christmas and the holiday season is alive in Berlin, come and be a part of it!!!

No Joke! The Onion Predicted All Of This Back In 2003

“George W. Bush may think that a war against Iraq is the solution to our problems, but the reality is, it will only serve to create far more,” read a 2003 article on The Onion a week after then-President George Bush launched the Iraq War.While a wide variety of organizations and individuals also rebuked that invasion, the satirical newspaper offered one of the most accurate assessments to date. So accurate, in fact, it all but predicted the rise of the Islamic State.

In the mock-debate piece, entitled, “This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t,” The Onion highlighted the very real risks of war.

As fictional debater Nathan Eckert warned:

“This war will not put an end to anti-Americanism; it will fan the flames of hatred even higher. It will not end the threat of weapons of mass destruction; it will make possible their further proliferation. And it will not lay the groundwork for the flourishing of democracy throughout the Mideast; it will harden the resolve of Arab states to drive out all Western (i.e. U.S.) influence.”

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Prince William County launches audit after ABC7 investigates sanctuary cities

MANASSAS, Va. (ABC7) — Prince William County has launched an audit after a seven on your side investigation exposed its policy concerning illegal immigration. That investigation found the county was one of five local areas considered sanctuary cities.

"My first reaction to your story was that it wasn't true," said Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart. Last week, Stewart watched an ABC 7 story on sanctuary cities in disbelief. A sanctuary city is defined as a jurisdiction that does not fully cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Our investigation found five in the DC metro area, including his.

"Every single member of the board of county supervisors is concerned about this. If we find out our policy has been deliberately undermined, heads will roll," said Stewart.

Two days after our report, the Prince William County Board held a special meeting and directed police to begin fully cooperating with the Feds. The board also launched an audit to find out why ICE was not being alerted when police came in contact with illegal immigrants who had a civil or deportation warrant.

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Obama's VA Facility Bans Christmas Trees and 'Merry Christmas'

President Barack Obama’s Department of Veterans Affairs has banned employees at its facility in Salem, Virginia, from saying “Merry Christmas” to veterans.

It started as a broader ban that included Christmas trees. Federal law recognizes Christmas as an official federal holiday (5 U.S.C. § 6103) and provides federal employees with a paid day off to celebrate the Christian belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

Every year, a White House Christmas Tree and a Capitol Christmas Tree grace those two respective buildings in Washington D.C., and a National Christmas Tree is also officially lighted outdoors for the public to enjoy during that time of year.

Yet the “Executive Leadership Team” at the Salem VA Medical Center banned Christmas trees, as well as other Christian speech and celebrations. As reported by local media, an email sent by senior staff to the center’s employees reads in part:

…Public areas may only be decorated in a manner that is celebratory of the winter season. Displays must not promote any religion. Please note that trees (regardless of the types of ornaments used) have been deemed to promote the Christian religion and will not be permitted in any public areas this year.

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Trump not a fan of the man bun

Donald Trump's gingery hair has long been a subject of speculation, but the White House hopeful suggests in a new interview he won't try tying it up into a bun anytime soon.

"Never been my thing, I must admit," the celebrity businessman-turned Republican presidential candidate told GQ on the subject of man buns.

"You know, it's sort of funny. But I've been combing it this way for a long time, I figure I better not stop," Trump told the magazine of his blondish locks.

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Wanted Man out of Delaware Arrested in Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, MD – (November 23, 2015): The Ocean City Police Department recently arrested a man wanted out of Ocean View, DE. Brenton Sculley, 25, of Frankford, DE, was wanted by the Ocean View Police Department after officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Sculley on Tuesday, November 17. Sculley fled at a high rate of speed, was involved in a single-vehicle collision where he flipped his vehicle and then fled on foot. Officers located over 300 bags of heroin at the scene.

On Friday, November 20, 2015, detectives of the Ocean City Police Department Criminal Investigation Division received information that Sculley may have been in the area of 110thStreet. Detectives conducted surveillance in the area and spotted Sculley at approximately 3:30 p.m. As detectives approached, Sculley fled on foot but was apprehended in the area of 11400 Coastal Highway. During the arrest, detectives seized over 40 bags of heroin.

Ocean City detectives have charged Sculley with possession of heroin and resisting arrest. In addition, Sculley had a fugitive warrant issued out of Ocean View, DE for charges stemming from the November 17 incident. Sculley was seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner and transferred to the Worcester County Jail without bond.

UPDATED: Lost Dog 11-22-15

443 366 7241
North Blvd in Salisbury, 
between Camden and Waverly

Watch the ‘Powerful Gesture’ Hundreds Gave a U.S. Teen Murdered in Palestinian Terrorist Attack Last Week

WATCH: Ezra’s final journey. 18-year-old American volunteer, Ezra Schwartz was murdered in a terrorist attack in Gush...

Posted by The Israel Project on Saturday, November 21, 2015

Hundreds descended on Ben-Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv to pay their respects Saturday night to an American teenager killed in a Palestinian terrorist attack last week while he was delivering food to Israeli soldiers.

The mourners gathered in a circle, arms over shoulders, and sang Israel’s national anthem in memory of Ezra Schwartz, the 18-year-old Massachusetts native who chose to spend a year before college in a program that combines studying at a Jewish seminary with community service.

In the middle of the circle they placed a Bible, an Israeli flag, a New England Patriots jersey and a bottle of his favorite soft drink — Apple Schweppes, Haaretz reported.

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Wounded Warrior gets keys to mortgage-free home in Bowie, Md.

BOWIE, Md. (ABC7) — Today, a wounded warrior from our region received a police escort and keys to his new home. There is no mortgage, thanks to the Military Warriors Support Foundation and generous donors.

"It's kind of overwhelming I guess," said Retired Army Corporal Jeremy Horsley.

Horsley, his wife and 6-year-old twins will soon relocate from Washington state to the newly renovated house in Bowie. The family will now live much closer to Horsley's parents in Winchester, where he grew up.

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Syrian Refugees Say They Will Go Back If We Don’t Meet THESE Demands

Numerous European governments have taken it upon themselves to provide aid to Syrian refugees. Evacuees are being provided with food, shelter and clothing. Despite the support they have received, these same refugees have publicly stated that they are less than impressed with their present lodgings. There was a recent television piece in the Netherlands concerning a new group of Syrian evacuees. During the segment, the refugees were approached by a Dutch reporter after discovering that they were sleeping outdoors. The refugees had decided to sleep outside in order to protest their current living conditions.

One of the refugees, an English-speaking Syrian woman, stated “this is not a life when you get inside to a room without a TV. Just a bed, there is no fridge, no lockers, no privacy.” The clothing worn by the speaker was better quality than would be expected for a refugee, and her hair had been dyed red. The woman did not stop there. She went on to say “we’re going to stay outside because we don’t want to eat this food, and we don’t want to stay in the room. We’re running away from our country because of the situation, and now we live in a jail.” The evident dissatisfaction with the afforded provisions comes as something of a shock considering that they are being provided at the expense of taxpayers. The reporter followed up with the woman the next morning. In addition to her unwavering complaints about living conditions, she also criticized the allowance the refugees were receiving from the government of the Netherlands.

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WCSO Press Releases - 11/23/2015

Incident: Burglary

Date of Incident: 20 November 2015

Location: 31000 block of Dagsboro Road, Delmar, MD

Suspect: Eddy Ramiro Sanchez-Cabrera, 19, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 20 November 2015 at 7:36 AM a deputy responded to a reported burglary in progress in the 31000 block of Dagsboro Road. Upon arrival, the deputy learned that the residents discovered a male subject later identified as Eddy Sanchez-Cabrera inside a shed on their property. During a subsequent interview, Sanchez-Cabrera admitted to entering the shed without permission because he needed somewhere to sleep. The deputy detected that Sanchez-Cabrera had been consuming alcohol.

The deputy placed Sanchez-Cabrera under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed. Sanchez-Cabrera is being detained in the Detention Center pending an initial appearance.

Charges: Burglary 4th Degree and Trespassing


Incident: Driving While Impaired

Date of Incident: 20 November 2015

Location: 1900 block of N. Salisbury Blvd., Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Joshua Matthew Carey, 20, Berlin, MD

Narrative: On 20 November 2015 at 2:01 PM a deputy arrested Joshua Carey at the conclusion of an investigation into a collision involving Carey’s vehicle and a wooden flower box in front of Sherwood Ford. During this investigation, the deputy suspected that Carey was under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance that impaired his ability to operate a vehicle. Carey was arrested and transported to the Sheriff’s Office for further investigation into the impairment by a Drug Recognition Expert who concluded that Carey was under the influence of a Controlled Dangerous Substance. Carey then refused to submit to a blood draw when it was requested.

Carey was released upon the issuance of citations and left as a passenger of a subject who arrived at the Sheriff’s Office to pick him up.

At approximately 5:30 PM, shortly after being released from the Sheriff’s Office, the same deputy observed Carey operating a vehicle on N. Salisbury Boulevard and stopped him in the area of Gordy Road. Carey was subsequently arrested and charged a second time with Driving While Impaired by a Controlled Dangerous Substance. Carey was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, Carey was detained in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges: Driving While Impaired by a Controlled Dangerous Substance (2 counts), Driving Vehicle While Impaired by Drugs Could Not Drive Safely (2 counts) and Driving Motor Vehicle within 12 hours after arrested for Driving Impaired

The ‘Refugee’ Crisis Is Jihad By Another Name

Immediately following the Islamic State terror attacks in Paris that killed and wounded hundreds of people, French President Francois Hollande rightly declared them “acts of war” deserving a “merciless” response.

This latest act of violent jihad, however, stems directly from another form of jihad, one that has been underway in Europe for decades but has ramped up dramatically over the past year.

It’s called hijra.

Hijra is a core part of jihad going back to the Prophet Muhammad that involves Islamic conquest through migration. The objective is to overwhelm non-Muslim territories with Muslim populations until they achieve domination through sheer numbers. No weapons necessary — until they gain enough control.

At least one of the Paris jihadis originated in Syria and registered as a “refugee” through Greece. This is less a “refugee crisis” and more an occupation.

Several weeks ago, I traveled through Central Europe and witnessed firsthand this Islamic tsunami.

Across Austria and Germany, I saw tens of thousands of people pouring in, with few constraints on their whereabouts and behavior. It was clear that it was only a matter of time before the chaos turned far more convulsive and violent.

Let’s be clear: Some of them may be fleeing war and persecution, but most are not.

Read more here

After Ohio Bakery’s ‘Politically Incorrect’ Front-Door Sign Goes Viral, Staffers Describe How Customers Have Reacted

The sign on the front door of the Ohio family bakery states things plainly:
“Notice: This store is politically incorrect,” the sign reads. “We say Merry Christmas, God bless America, we salute our flag & give thanks to our troops, police officers and firefighters. If this offends you, you are welcome to leave. In God we trust.”

A photo of the sign hit the Internet this week, and its unapologetic, pro-American message began going viral Friday.

So how have things been since then at Schuler’s Bakery in Springfield?

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Harry Reid Investigated by Utah Prosecutor

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid is under investigation by a Utah county prosecutor in connection with an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving two former Utah attorneys general.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings, a Republican, said in a statement on Wednesday that he's looking into allegations related to the Democratic senator from Nevada, reported The Associated Press.

Rawlings declined to disclose the allegations and only said the claims are based on information from witnesses in the attorneys general case.

Reid, who hasn't been charged, fired back at Rawlings in a statement from his spokeswoman Kristen Orthman. She said Rawlings is using "Sen. Reid's name to generate attention to himself and advance his political career, so every few months he seeks headlines by floating the same unsubstantiated allegations."

Reid has denied wrongdoing since a businessman said in 2013 that a former Utah attorney general arranged a deal to pay the senator to get rid of a federal investigation into a software business.

More here

10 Most Memorable “Schoolhouse Rock!” Songs


Animation and education can sometimes be a painful mixture, but never in the case of Schoolhouse Rock! The show debuted in 1973 and saw a resurgence in the 90s, bringing catchy songs about congress to multiple generations. It’s tough to find someone who can’t complete the sentence of “conjunction junction, what’s your function?” and it’s even harder to find anyone who can define what a conjunction is (I mean, it’s not an everyday topic) without referring to the lyrics. Oh, right! They hook up words, and phrases and clauses.

Schoolhouse Rock! was the brainchild of David McCall, who realized his young son had a hard time retaining information in school, yet had little difficulty memorizing the lyrics to popular rock songs at the time. After the music was set, animation soon followed, and segments soon formed into a full-fledged show.

Let’s pay respect to some of the most memorable Schoolhouse Rock! songs to date.


Click HERE  to see the videos

U.S. Pilots Confirm: Obama Admin Blocks 75 Percent of Islamic State Strikes

‘We can’t get clearance even when we have a clear target in front of us’

U.S. military pilots who have returned from the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq are confirming that they were blocked from dropping 75 percent of their ordnance on terror targets because they could not get clearance to launch a strike, according to a leading member of Congress.

Strikes against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) targets are often blocked due to an Obama administration policy to prevent civilian deaths and collateral damage, according to Rep. Ed Royce (R., Calif.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The policy is being blamed for allowing Islamic State militants to gain strength across Iraq and continue waging terrorist strikes throughout the region and beyond, according to Royce and former military leaders who spoke Wednesday about flaws in the U.S. campaign to combat the Islamic State.

“You went 12 full months while ISIS was on the march without the U.S. using that air power and now as the pilots come back to talk to us they say three-quarters of our ordnance we can’t drop, we can’t get clearance even when we have a clear target in front of us,” Royce said. “I don’t understand this strategy at all because this is what has allowed ISIS the advantage and ability to recruit.”

When asked to address Royce’s statement, a Pentagon official defended the Obama administration’s policy and said that the military is furiously working to prevent civilian casualties.

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Congress Considers Cutting State Department Funding for Refugee Resettlement

Congress is considering proposals to cut federal funding to the State Department that enable it to admit refugees into the United States, according Rep. Jeff Duncan (R., S.C.), who warned in an interview Thursday with the Washington Free Beacon that the country’s southern border is providing a pathway for potential terrorists to enter the United States undetected.

Duncan, chair of the House subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and a member of its Homeland Security Committee, said that after Congress votes on a measure that would pause the entry of Syrian refugees into the United States, it could move forward on a proposal to freeze funding that enables the State Department to resettle these individuals.

The next step is “to push to deny funding to the State Department for processing these Syrian refugees until we can get some assurances vetting can happen,” Duncan said, adding that Obama administration officials have admitted that it has little ability to vet Syrian refugees applying for asylum in the U.S.

Administration officials have “told us on record that we can’t vet the Syrians, that the records don’t exist,” Duncan said, noting that many in Congress are concerned that the United States lacks the ability to assess whether an individual is tied to terrorists.

Congress is scheduled to first vote on legislation that would pause the entry of Syrian refugees into America until agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and FBI establish mechanisms to vet these individuals.

The bill would force relevant U.S. agencies to “actually sign off on each refugee,” Duncan said. Currently, DHS and the FBI do not have a role in vetting refugees, a process that is left solely up to the State Department.

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What's Actually in the Trans Pacific Partnership?

On November 5, the White House released the text of the 5,544 page Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that President Obama had just finished negotiating under the FastTrack authority that Congress gave him. That trade pact can no longer be amended. The up-or-down votes in the House and Senate will take place as early as January 2016.

So what’s in the TPP? Here’s a quick summary:
A legislative body superior to Congress
A vehicle to pass Obama’s climate change treaty
Increased legal immigration
Reduced patent protection for U.S. pharmaceuticals
Quotas on U.S. agricultural exports
Increased currency manipulation
Reduced U.S. power


That’s the summary. Here are the details.

1. A Legislative Body Superior to Congress

It turns out that Senator Jeff Sessions was correct when he said that the treaty creates a new legislative body called the “Commission,” a term meant to invoke the European Commission, known for its recent decision to require that all the countries of the European Union take in Moslem refugees from the Middle East.

This is not a limited government. This is a government that can decide almost everything. Here is the relevant passage from Article 27 of the treaty itself:

The Parties hereby establish a Trans-Pacific Partnership Commission (Commission) which shall meet at the level of Ministers or senior officials, as mutually determined by the Parties. Each Party shall be responsible for the composition of its delegation…. The Commission shall:… (c) consider any proposal to amend or modify this Agreement;… (h) take such other action as the Parties may agree….

The first session of the Commission has been scheduled to occur within one year of the date the treaty goes into effect, which will likely be before President Obama leaves office. At that meeting, Obama could change the agreement in any way that he wishes to, so long as he has the approval of the other 11 countries. He would not need Congress’s approval to change the deal.

The good news is that all of the countries of the deal would have to approve unanimously whatever legislation is passed by the Commission. The bad news is that those countries can change that rule at any meeting so that their future votes would not have to be unanimous.

The Commission would not be particularly powerful if its decisions could be ignored. However, the “Arbitration Tribunals” in the pact will have the power to award multi-billion dollar judgments against any member government that violates its decisions.

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Scholar: Campus Mobs Reject Free Speech, Academic Freedom And Even Facts

Discussing how the Paris attacks have not diminished left-wing campus demonstrations, Dr. Stanley Kurtz, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said President Obama and the dominant, politically-correct college worldview is “trying to deny that anything fundamental has happened” during that massacre.

In this video interview for The Daily Caller News Foundation, the author and scholar explained the multi-cultural and post-modern worldview dominant on college campuses “cannot absorb that some cultures may actually pose a threat,” such as radical Islam, and our in fact waging war on western civilization.

Some campus activists today are being mobilized by radical Left organizations and allies of President Obama, as exposed by a recent report by the National Association of Scholars. As The Federalist’s Joy Pullman recently wrote about the campus madness, these groups “are stoking and channeling uninformed young people’s hatred of free markets and agitating them into demanding collectivism.”

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Israeli Police Say 4 Wounded in Stabbing Attack

An assailant stabbed and wounded four Israelis, including a 13-year-old girl, in southern Israel on Saturday before fleeing the scene, setting off a large manhunt, police said.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the stabbing attacks appeared to be ideologically driven, rather than criminal, and that police were sweeping the city of Kiryat Gat to try and apprehend the attacker.

The attack appeared to be part of a two-month spree of violence ignited by tensions surrounding a sensitive Jerusalem holy site. The unrest has spread across Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza border.

Since mid-September, Palestinian attacks have killed 17 Israelis, mostly in stabbings, while 84 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Of those, 52 are said by Israel to be attackers and the rest were killed in clashes with Israeli troops.

On Thursday, a pair of stabbing and shooting attacks carried out by Palestinians killed three Israelis, a Palestinian and an American teenager in one of the deadliest days of the recent outburst.

Israel says the current spate of violence is due to a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement surrounding the sensitive holy site. The Palestinians counter by saying it is a result of frustration from nearly a half-century of occupation.

More here

If We Want to Destroy ISIS, We Can Destroy ISIS

If we want to destroy ISIS, we can destroy ISIS. Perhaps I am stating the obvious, but I want to state it anyway. Why? Because I am not hearing it enough.

I’m certainly not hearing it from the White House, where the original goal of destruction is barely mentioned. President Barack Obama is listless. He’s also petulant, pointing political fingers at Republicans. But he doesn’t have a trace of a coherent policy to destroy ISIS. Not a trace.

This is from General Jack Keane, in his recent congressional testimony: “Having the best security defensive system in America is not sufficient; we must have as good an offense to stop and defeat ISIS. We do not. We are not even close.”

But very few people are talking about destroying ISIS. Destroy. Putting a hard and intense edge on it. Repeating it.

Some in the Republican party and on the campaign trail are saying it. But not enough. Not repeatedly. Not so as to boost the morale of the country.

We need determination. We need to be unflinching. We need to be focused on the goal of destroying ISIS.

We are at war.

More here

Israeli Model Shows High Cost of Living with Terror Threat

HAIFA, Israel – As the grip of terror tightens on Europe, a blueprint for existing with an unrelenting threat lies to the east, where Israelis have become accustomed to metal detectors, armed guards, spot searches and long lines.

No nation has faced more security challenges in the face of unrelenting terrorism than Israel, and now the Jewish state's methods could light the way for Europe now that much of the continent finds itself awash in refugees and under threats from ISIS. But emulating Israel will not be cheap or convenient, and can never completely eliminate the risk of an attack -- anytime and anywhere.

"Israel has the determination [to secure its citizens] but it is also a question of financial considerations, too," Efraim Inbar, professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv, told FoxNews.com. "They put a lot of money into the security services. We have guards checking shoppers, passengers. It's a big system. Some people might find it offensive in terms of living in a democracy, but this is what is needed."

Rifle-toting guards at shopping malls and train stations, compulsory ID cards and a host of other highly visible security measures are all part of daily life in Israel. Not as readily apparent is a well-resourced internal and external intelligence community with tentacles everywhere.

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Cruz: Why the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015 Is Necessary

The self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, has emerged as the new face of the radical terror that has bedeviled the West in recent decades. As the American people are now painfully aware in the wake of ISIS’s murderous rampage in Paris last Friday, they have apparently now directly threatened both Washington and New York. Their attacks and threats serve as reminders that ISIS can and, given time and opportunity, will strike the West again.

This jihadist organization is intentionally infiltrating the flood of refugees that are currently entering Europe through Turkey, Greece, and points west. Rather than taking the threat seriously, President Obama has doubled down on his dangerous open-borders policies by proposing to welcome thousands of refugees who have potentially been infiltrated by terrorists to the United States. This headlong rush toward a careless policy comes just weeks after FBI Director James Comey told Congress, in no uncertain terms, that our government lacks the tools to properly screen these refugees.

Since the beginning of the Syrian refugee crisis, more than 2,100 refugees from Syria have already been admitted to the United States. President Obama now wants to accept at least 10,000 more this fiscal year. That’s roughly a third of the 34,000 total refugees President Obama proposes to accept from the Near East and South Asia.

This policy makes no sense. Given the existential nature and scope of the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism, the limitations on our ability to screen the flood of refugees, and the obligations of our government to provide for the safety and security of all Americans, we simply cannot accept refugees from countries that have a significant terrorist presence until the terrorist threat has been eliminated.

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VA Won't Fire Officials Who Defrauded Agency, Pleaded Fifth

A pair of Department of Veterans Affairs officials who invoked their Fifth Amendment rights earlier this month rather than answer questions about their alleged involvement in a fraud scheme will remain at the agency.

Diane Rubens and Kimberly Graves were both demoted and reassigned to other VA offices as a result of their misconduct, the agency said late Friday. They will each receive a pay cut.

Rubens and Graves were accused of manipulating a VA program that pays for the relocation of employees who have to move long distances to take new jobs within the agency.

According to the VA's inspector general, Rubens created a position for herself in Philadelphia and then accepted it, netting $274,000 in the process. Her new job entailed far fewer responsibilities, but she retained the same six-figure salary.

Graves was accused by the agency watchdog of pressuring another VA employee to vacate his position and then taking it for herself so she could reap the relocation benefits.

Despite what lawmakers have blasted as "shockingly unethical" conduct, both women will hold onto jobs at the agency.

What's more, they will be eligible to receive relocation benefits for their reassignments through the same program they abused in the first place.

More here

Pew Poll: Millennials Think Government Should Censor Offensive Speech

According to a new global Pew Research Center poll, nearly half of America's millennials think the government should prevent public statements being made that could offend minorities.

The numbers went down among older poll respondents:

Millennials (ages 18-34), 40 percent;
Generation X (ages 35-50) 27 percent;
Baby Boomers (ages 51-69), 24 percent;
Silent Generation (ages 70-87), 12 percent.


Despite the results with the younger generation, Americans as a whole were less likely to say that the government should be able to prevent speech, reports Pew, and were more likely than people in other countries to believe that way. Two-thirds of Americans believe people should be able to say offensive things, but among 38 nations polled, a median of 35 percent said speech should be not be regulated.

More here

DUI Press Release Berlin Barrack

Nothing to Report for the Week of November 15 to November 22.

Wimpy Colleges Surrender to Lunatic Fringe

In a month when Western Civilization has come under renewed attack from jihadists, that other bastion of opposition to the economic and political freedom the West embodies has gone haywire: college campuses. While it’s tempting to blame precious students who are demanding safe zones and freedom from unwelcome ideas, the real culprits are wimpy college administrators.

The latest chapter of political-correctness lunacy comes from Princeton’s campus, where a group of students staged an illegal sit-in at the offices of university president Eisgruber. The students were outraged that the man who ran Princeton before becoming our 28th president in 1913, Woodrow Wilson, was unable to see a century into the future during his life and comply with our contemporary racial sensibilities. Despite a tenure that made him commander-in-chief during World War I and which fundamentally changed America’s role in the world, aggrieved students now demand safety from buildings and murals bearing Wilson’s name.

Princeton’s Black Justice League also wants a space on campus for “cultural affinity” groups and and a diversity and “cultural competency” training program.(Incidentally, China had a nationwide version of this beginning in 1966.)

Rather than having the trespassing students arrested and expelled, Eisgruber validated their tactics, signing an agreement that could lead to airbrushing Wilson, and which provided amnesty for the law-breaking students.

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Avis Car Rental Bars Israeli Executive from Renting

On Saturday evening, Dov Bergwerk arrived at the Avis branch on West 76th Street and Broadway in New York City. Accompanied by his wife Ruth, the Bergwerks were planning to join friends for dinner in Westchester.

Mr. Bergwerk, a senior vice president and general corporate counsel at the Israeli pharmaceutical giant Teva, got out his driver’s license, reservation number and “Wizard” loyalty card – he’s rented from Avis dozens of times before – and anticipated the usual smooth transition into a nondescript mid-sized sedan.

That’s when the trouble started.

A reservation agent named Angelline declined to honor Mr. Bergwerk’s reservation, saying that it was company policy not to recognize Israeli documents. Stunned, Mr. Bergwerk explained that he had rented from Avis many times, including a car from that very same office on Thursday, November 19 – only two days earlier.

Mr. Bergwerk asked Angelline to access the profile attached to his Wizard card, which shows that he is an executive at a giant multinational company who has no regulatory issues and has rented from Avis, including at that very branch, many times without incident.

She refused.

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Best Trips 2016: Tangier and Smith Islands, Chesapeake Bay

Historic—and Endangered—Communities of a Bygone America
In the middle of the lower Chesapeake Bay, almost facing each other across the Maryland-Virginia state line, sit two centuries-old, remote, and threatened communities.

Both Smith Island, Maryland, and Tangier Island, Virginia, were first mapped by Captain John Smith in 1608. Welsh and English settlers mainly took to Smith, while natives from England’s West Country favored Tangier. Residents of both islands retain unique “relic dialects,” passed down from their ancestors and preserved by isolation. Watermen here have lived off the bay’s oysters, crabs, and fish for almost 200 years. Their family names resound throughout the islands: Evans and Tyler on Smith; Parks, Pruitt, and Crockett on Tangier.

Life here is slower and quieter than on the mainland. Even with regular ferries, these are secluded places: few stores, almost no cars, and no bars (both Tangier and Smith are dry). The islanders constitute a tough and independent lot: Tangier folks refused to join the Confederacy over slavery, while Rhodes Point village, on Smith Island, was once known as “Rogues Point” for area pirates who operated from there.

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Is 'Expired' Food Really Unsafe to Eat?

We’ve all done it: Taken the milk out of the fridge, noticed the “sell-by” date has passed, and given it a sniff to see if it’s still good. The question is: Are you putting yourself at risk by consuming milk and other foods that have passed their “expiration” date?

The answer, health experts say, is often no — depending on how much time has passed since that date and what type of food you’re eating.

In fact, Consumer Reports estimates that for every dollar Americans spend on food, about 10 cents’ worth is unnecessarily tossed into the trash. That adds up to about $1,500 of wasted food per year for an average family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The primary reason: Misconceptions about what date labels on food packages — “sell by,” “use by,” “best by,” and the like.

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The Clock

Finally, a genuine "cheer up" gift for me and you.

It’s so easy. Just click on the two words below whenever you feel gloomy and think you can't take it anymore.

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Sharpton Gives Self 71 Percent Raise

The Rev. Al Sharpton gave himself a 71 percent raise in 2014 as head of his National Action Network, the New York Post reports.

The raise was made possible after NAN received a significant uptick in donations, a record $6.9 million, according to the Post. That is $2 million more than the previous year.

The Post attributed the rise in donations to the controversial clergyman's association with Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Barack Obama Obama lending him "a newfound air of legitimacy."

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NYC woman arrested after allegedly cutting baby from mother's womb

NEW YORK – A baby was cut from the womb of a 22-year-old woman who was nearly nine months pregnant by a childhood friend with a knife, and the suspect was arrested on a murder charge, police said Saturday.

Angelikque Sutton was found in a pool of blood on Friday at an apartment in the Wakefield section of the Bronx. The suspect, 22-year-old Ashleigh Wade, was taken into custody while screaming that the baby was hers, police said. She was being held on murder, manslaughter and weapons charges.

The bloody crime scene baffled investigators, who ordered blood tests to confirm that the baby girl, named Genesis, belonged to Sutton, not the suspect.

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X-47B rerun but still cool to see again

Ten Navy Successfully conducted take-offs and landings from the nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, with a new stealth jet called the X-47B.  What is so different about this plane is the fact that it is a 'drone.'

It is completely unmanned. Drones come in all sizes and the X-47B is likely one of the larger ones.  What is so ironic about all of this is the fact that the enemy cannot detect a plane like this in the first place.  In the unlikely event they get lucky at shooting one down, there will be no human loss of life or captivity.

As you view the flight deck crew signaling the plane, they are simply signaling the on-board cameras, who in turn are being manned by staff inside the command intelligence center (CIC) on board the ship.

Also check out the short distance this plane needs for a takeoff.

Impressive indeed.   

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