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Monday, April 11, 2016

16 Democrat AGs Begin Inquisition Against ‘Climate Change Disbelievers’

Beginning in 1478, the Spanish Inquisition systematically silenced any citizen who held views that did not align with the king’s. Using the powerful arm of the government, the grand inquisitor, Tomas de Torquemada, and his henchmen sought out all those who held religious, scientific, or moral views that conflicted with the monarch’s, punishing the “heretics” with jail sentences; property confiscation; fines; and in severe cases, torture and execution.

One of the lasting results of the Spanish Inquisition was a stifling of speech, thought, and scientific debate throughout Spain. By treating one set of scientific views as absolute, infallible, and above critique, Spain silenced many brilliant individuals and stopped the development of new ideas and technological innovations. Spain became a scientific backwater.

As an old adage says, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. So we now have a new inquisition underway in America in the 21st century—something that would have seemed unimaginable not too long ago.

Treating climate change as an absolute, unassailable fact, instead of what it is—an unproven, controversial scientific theory—a group of state attorneys general have announced that they will be targeting any companies that challenge the catastrophic climate change religion.

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Jon Kahn Releases Bluegrass Version of Grassroots Anthem ‘American Heart’

This week marks the release of the Bluegrass version of “American Heart” by Breitbart’s own Jon Kahn. The song has already garnered a featured spot in Bluegrass Today. As I sit across a desk from him most days at Breitbart’s Los Angeles HQ, I thought I’d ask him a few questions about the song’s unique history and this newest incarnation.

D.N. American Heart has an unusual history; I remember you telling me at one point that it was inspired by a column you used to write in the early days of Big Hollywood.

J.K. That’s true. I used to write a column called “My Weekly Date with a Liberal.” Andrew [Breitbart] and I decided that it would be of tremendous social value if I were to anonymously date liberal women in L.A., and then report the results — however harrowing they may be — on the pages of Big Hollywood. The song came about after I had a particularly grim conversation with one of these dates, where it became clear to me that part of the liberal mind frame was a fundamental contempt for the concept of America. I went home, sat down at the piano and wrote the song.

D.N.: So how did it become, essentially, an “anthem” for the conservative grassroots? I mean, the song was — and still is — everywhere. You’ve played it at conservative rallies all over the country. I mean, everyone from Sarah Palin to Curt Schilling to former UN Ambassador John Bolton has sung its praises..

More here, with audio track

What It Takes to Get Fired From Your Government Job



A federal agency apparently interprets union-backed civil service protections to be so strong that employees, and even interns, can’t be fired for work-related misconduct unless they have also been convicted of it in a court of law. 

That would mean a federal employee couldn’t be sacked for coming in to work drunk, not showing up at all, or anything else that is not a crime — or is a crime but is unlikely to be independently pursued by criminal prosecutors. 

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was unable to sustain a firing when its inspector general determined that an intern took two housing project units for herself, one of which she sublet out to someone else, and then lied about it.

Source: The Daily Caller

Refujihad" Strikes Again

What is wrong is now right. A male Norwegian Socialist politican, Karsten Hauken, wrote a mind-boggling response to what he suffered at the hands of a Somali Muslim "refugee", according to Breitbart London. 

A self-styled "anti-racist and feminist", Hauken was raped by the African migrant but refused to blame his attacker, claiming he was not "responsible for his action" and chalking up the crime to being "a product of the unjust world". Hauken expressed sadness that the migrant was sent back to Somalia, thinking that he was fit to walk among Norwegians when released. However, the Socialist was most upset by the popularity backlash that refugees woulde received in Norway and the West. 

This is part of a larger pattern of Third World migrants, under the guise of being refugees, coming to Europe and committing mass rapes. The sexual assaults in Cologne, during the 2015 New Years celebration were widely publicised, but many more rapes are committed against activists who work with refugees. Especially shocking is the effort of those Leftist organizations to hush up migrant rapes, like on the Franco-Italian border last year.

Source: AAN

Lost Dog 3-29-16: UPDATE

Five year old mahogany sable male Sheltie is missing. Last seen in
vicinity of Crooked Oak Lane in Hebron. He is shy so do not approach but please report any sightings to 410-726-5546 or 443-783-2393.

Trump's silver lining!

*Trump's special qualifications for being president*

Lets check out Trump's presidential qualifications

  • Obama is against Trump
  • The Media is against Trump
  • The establishment Democrats are against Trump
  • The establishment Republicans are against Trump
  • The Pope is against Trump
  • The UN is against Trump
  • The EU is against Trump
  • China is against Trump
  • Mexico is against Trump
  • Soros is against Trump
  • Black Lives Matter is against Trump
  • MoveOn.Org is against Trump
  • Koch Bro's are against Trump
  • Hateful, racist, violent Liberals are against Trump

Bonus points
  • Cher says she will leave the country
  • Mylie Cyrus says she will leave the country
  • Whoopi says she will leave the country
  • Rosie says she will leave the country
  • Al Sharpton says he will leave the country
  • Gov. Brown says California will build a wall
 
Sounds like the kinda president the US needs!!! Go Trump!

How Obama Let Al Qaeda Out of His Sight

Two of Al Qaeda's former explosives experts were just transferred out of Guantanamo Bay and sent to Senegal, the Defense Department confirmed Monday, marking the latest detainees to be shipped out of the prison camp despite the risk they could return to the battlefield.

The two Libyan former detainees were separately listed as threats to U.S. interests in Department of Defense documents obtained by Wikileaks and The New York Times.

Salem Abdu Salam Ghereby is believed to have fought coalition forces at Usama bin Laden’s Tora Bora complex in Afghanistan “and was associated with senior members of Al Qaeda.” Omar Khalif Mohammed Abu Baker Mahjour Umar was assessed to be likely to “immediately seek out prior associates and reengage in hostilities and extremist support activities” upon his release, according to a 2008 government document.

The news comes as senators prepare to introduce legislation to permanently block transfers of Guantanamo detainees to terror hot spots and state sponsors of terrorism including Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Iran and Sudan. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., was expected to introduce a bill as early as Monday, Fox News has learned.

Source: FoxNews.com

Puppy Mill Update


Just to be clear, (I've had a lot of calls) the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office simply backed up the Wicomico Humane Society. This is NOT their case at the moment as there have been no charges filed to date. 

The Humane Society has not put out a press release on this matter to date. Once more information is available we will provide it. Perhaps now with all the media attention on this matter they'll put something together soon. 

Arizona college imposes fee to fund scholarship for illegal immigrants

A private college in Arizona is charging students a fee to fund a scholarship for illegal immigrants, a controversial move supporters say gives a hand to those who need it but anti-illegal immigration advocates call irresponsible.

Prescott College is tacking a $30 annual fee onto its $28,000 annual tuition to establish an annual scholarship for “undocumented” students, as part of a policy first proposed by students and faculty from the undergraduate and Social Justice and Human Rights Master of Arts divisions. While students can opt out of paying the fee, if they do nothing it will be automatically imposed. Backers say it helps reverse what they call Arizona’s reputation as a “national example of discriminatory politics.”

“I am proud that our students take on the role of scholar activists,” said school President John Flicker, adding that the university is committed to “broaden access to higher education for a diverse group of students” and “mobilize its resources towards social justice.”

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After Four-Year Delay, Justice Dept. Gives Congress Fast and Furious Documents

The Justice Department said Friday that it had given to Congress additional documents related to the botched gun-smuggling operation known as Fast and Furious.

The Obama administration had for the last four years refused to provide the records to House Republicans, invoking a claim of executive privilege.

But a federal judge in January turned aside that argument, saying a blanket assertion of executive privilege was inappropriate since the Justice Department had already disclosed through other channels much of the information it had sought to withhold.

In a letter Friday, the Justice Department said it was moving to end the legal dispute with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform by providing the documents even though it continued to disagree with the order from Judge Amy Berman Jackson.

The department said that, in producing the documents Friday, it had completed its obligations under the court order.

Chaffetz said in a statement that while the department had turned over "some of the subpoenaed documents," the committee remains entitled to "the full range of documents for which it brought this lawsuit." He said the committee was appealing in hopes of getting additional documents.

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Sound the Alarm: New Obama Regulations Will Push Private Retirement Savings Into Government Accounts

If you thought Obamacare was terrifying, just wait until you read about what President Obama's regulatory agencies are planning to do with your retirement savings. 
According to an alarming report in the Wall Street Journal, government regulators at the Labor Department will be implementing new rules at the end of the year that will eventually force private retirement investments into government accounts. How? By making private investment options, specifically IRAs, too burdensome, a liability and expensive. Bolding is mine. 
President Obama’s regulators aren’t slowing down, alas. And on Wednesday they unveiled another part of their plan to push Americans out of private investment accounts and into government-run plans.

The Department of Labor says its so-called fiduciary rule will make financial advisers act in the best interests of clientsWhat Labor doesn’t say is that the rule carries such enormous potential legal liability and demands such a high standard of care that many advisers will shun non-affluent accounts.Middle-income investors may be forced to look elsewhere for financial advice even as Team Obama is enabling a raft of new government-run competitors for retirement savings. This is no coincidence.

Labor’s new rule will start biting in January as the President is leaving office. Under the rule, financial firms advising workers moving money out of company 401(k) plans into Individual Retirement Accounts will have to follow the new higher standards. But Labor has already proposed waivers from the federal Erisa law so new state-run retirement plans don’t have the same regulatory burden as private employers do
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An Education Breakthrough in Maryland

From The Washington Post

Editorial Board – “We hope the commitment to this program is long-term and not just a one-year infusion of money offered as a sop.”

The Washington Post
Editorial Board
April 8, 2016

“For a decade, Maryland teachers unions and their allies managed to block all efforts to establish a scholarship program enabling poor students to escape failing schools by attending private schools. The outcome was different this year, partly due to the shadow cast on the legislative session by last spring’s riots in Baltimore, which focused attention on the costs of not providing better educational choices.

“Included in the state’s $42 billion operating budget worked out between Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Democratic leaders of the General Assembly is $5 million for scholarships. Students from low-income families will be eligible. …

“Mr. Hogan had backed a measure to provide tax credits to companies that contribute to scholarships, but it ran into long-standing opposition in the House. An alternative scholarship program emerged this year, The Post’s Ovetta Wiggins reported, after House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) softened his opposition to private school vouchers at the urging of two African American delegates from Baltimore, Antonio Hayes (D) and Keith E. Haynes (D). They stressed the urgency of helping young black men in the city. Education, Mr. Hayes told us, is key to better futures, and the unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray last April shone new light on the shortcomings of the public school system and the injustice that does.

“State education officials and an advisory board appointed by the governor and legislative leaders will be tasked with designing the mechanics of the program. They would do well to look at the success of the District, where a federally funded scholarship program has improved academic outcomes for participants and spurred improvements in public schools. We hope the commitment to this program is long-term and not just a one-year infusion of money offered as a sop. It would be cruel to offer opportunity to students and then yank it away.”

Texas InsiderTed Cruz’s Law Firm Backed Obama, Other National Democrat Campaigns

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas — As interested observers, most Texans are probably trying to remain objective while watching the back-and-forth of political campaigns in the early stages of spring. Last week, however, the tactics by one of the campaigns for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate crossed the line from tough campaigning, into a realm of a behavior most will discern as unworthy of someone they’d want to have representing Texas.

In a charge quickly-proven as inaccurate, the accusation appeared in a blog post written by Ben Shapiro of Big Government that Texas’ Lt. Governor & Senate candidate David Dewhurst had held a Washington, D.C. fundraiser at the home of “Obama cronies.”

The truth was, in fact, something quite other than that. An updated story from Shapiro himself later cleared up the confusion and proved the charges false. The “meet & greet” reception was not a fundraiser of any sort – and rather than being hosted by “Obama cronies,” was organized solely by Republicans, including many who worked in President George W. Bush’s Administration.

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McCaughey: Hillary Running 'Most Racist' Campaign in Modern History

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton is running "the most racist" presidential race in modern history, former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey charges.

In remarks Friday to "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth on Newsmax TV, McCaughey says Clinton "stokes up racial animosity, racial distrust.

"And in every campaign stop she delivers the same message," McCaughey said. "She says African-Americans are victims of systemic racism in this country and she attributes the high incarceration rates of blacks, the school discipline rates of blacks, to systemic racism."

"Hillary is running the most racist campaign of any presidential candidate in modern history," she charged.

McCaughey also said Hillary Clinton's stance is "why her husband is getting beaten up on the campaign trial," referring to protesters who confronted Bill Clinton in Philadelphia on Thursday — and his angry response.

"She's doing it — dividing this country and making black Americans unjustifiably angry," McCaughey said.

More here

How The Media Attack Religious Liberty

Most of the media won’t acknowledge that Americans who refuse to participate in a gay wedding could have any sincerely held beliefs or good faith arguments. For the media, there is hate. And there is light.

And one way the news media signal their disdain of religious liberty is by insinuating that the entire debate is bogus. Editors do this by putting quotation marks around the term “religious freedom,” as if this notion, when practiced by Christians, is somehow ambiguous or manipulative or deceptive.

Now, if those quotation marks exist because the topic itself is up for debate, then why isn’t there a similar journalistic standard for the usage of “inequality,” “environmentalist,” “civil rights,” “investments,” “loopholes” or any of the hundreds of other similarly contentious or loaded words in our political discourse?

Another, more overt way of misleading the public about religious freedom is framing the debate as a struggle between open-minded, civil-rights-seeking gays and a bunch of bigots frightened of progress — essentially the tone of every piece covering Mississippi’s new religious liberty law.

Here’s a tweet about the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act from the allegedly unbiased The Hill.

Keep reading..

Why You Should Keep Backyard Chickens

Many urban homeowners increasingly desire to keep small flocks of chickens in their backyards, and with good cause. There is no reason every family in this country that can run a flock of chickens in their backyard should not. This perfectly logical and reasonable habit—backyard chicken farming—has been buried under a great deal of hipster elitism (from many of the backyard chicken farmers themselves) and sneering derision (from their critics). Please try to ignore these detractors. If you can play host to backyard chickens, you should.

It is, in many urban localities, easier said than done. This normal and praiseworthy practice, which has been gaining ground in many cities across the country, has come under fire from both pearl-clutching busybodies and incompetent health inspectors and animal welfare agents, all of whom are under the impression that backyard chicken farming is both frightening and dangerous.

These are lies—it is neither—although it is tough to get many of the busybodies and public officials to see this, particularly when the latter stands to make money off the lies.

Cue the Chicken Nazis

In my hometown of Richmond, Virginia, for instance, to set up a chicken flock, one must (1) apply for a $60 permit (which expires annually), (2) submit to a background check, (3) submit to an on-site inspection of one’s premises, (4) agree to randomized inspections in the future, (5) build your coop at least 15 feet from any dwelling, at the rear of your property, with a fence around it (with slats no greater than two inches apart), and (6) limit yourself to four chickens total.

This is absurd political theater. It is regulatory folderol written by people who have not even the faintest idea what they are regulating.

Backyard chickens require none of these complex bylaws. There are ways to screw up backyard chicken farming, but not in any way that a randomized inspection by a clueless animal welfare officer could preempt. Animal husbandry is overwhelmingly an actualized vocation. It demands both careful attention and a kind of sylvan intimacy, neither of which can be found on the clipboard of some stiff from the city government or in the perfectly ridiculous zoning regulations that mandate the explicit placement of your backyard coop.

More here

How Islamists Are Slowly Desensitizing Europe And America

Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine whose offices Islamists attacked in 2015, published an editorial recently titled “How Did We Get Here?” that has raised some eyebrows. In it, they ask how Europe has become where European-born Muslims have attacked the hearts of Paris and Brussels. Their answer has proved distasteful to many on the Left.

The editorial has been harshly criticized and the magazine accused of racism and xenophobia. The Washington Post says Charlie Hebdo blames extremism on individual Muslims—the veiled woman on the street, the man selling kebabs. There’s some truth to this accusation, and to the extent that there is, Charlie Hebdo is wrong. But this, and other critiques, miss the larger point of the article, which is to demonstrate the gradual and quotidian way in which criticizing Islam has been silenced.

It’s worth quoting Charlie Hebdo at length:

More here

Justice Dept. Fails to Turn Over All Fast and Furious Docs

The Obama administration failed to adhere to a court-ordered Friday deadline to turn over all subpoenaed documents to Congress about the government's role in the 2009-2011 Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal, prompting immediate complaints from Congress.

"Today, under court order, DOJ turned over some of the subpoenaed documents," House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz said in a statement late Friday. "The committee, however, is entitled to the full range of documents for which it brought this lawsuit. Accordingly, we have appealed the District Court's ruling in order to secure those additional documents."

A U.S. District Court judge had ruled in January that the Obama administration could not claim executive privilege to keep from making these files public. The Justice Department was given another 60 days to turn over the information.

"As we've long asserted, the committee requires and is entitled to these documents. They are critical to the committee's efforts to complete meaningful oversight. The committee has a duty to understand and shine light on what was happening inside DOJ during the time of this irresponsible operation," Chaffetz said.

More here

PayPal, Apple Lecture North Carolina, Do Business in Countries Far More Hostile to Gays

PayPal drew a line in the sand when North Carolina enacted a law prohibiting people from using the restrooms of the opposite sex, but critics say that line got washed away on the shores of Malaysia, a nation that consistently ranks among the least LGBT-friendly in the world.

The company canceled its plan to build a global operations center in Charlotte after the passage of HB2, which CEO Daniel Schulman called discrimination against the transgendered. He noted that the move would cost North Carolina 400 well-paying jobs.

But Malaysia’s Penal Code 187 — which punishes homosexual conduct with whippings and up to 20 years in prison — did not stop PayPal from opening in 2011 a global operations center there that it estimated would employ 500 workers by 2013.

“We chose Malaysia because of its highly skilled, globally competitive and multilingual workforce, in addition to a world-class business environment and technology infrastructure,” John McCabe, senior vice president for global operations, said at the time.

But PayPal is not an isolated corporation, nor is Malaysia an isolated country.

Whether it’s Apple opening stores in Saudi Arabia or American Airlines looking to dominate the Cuban travel market, many of the companies that have threatened to cut business ties to North Carolina over its bathroom bill are eager to do business in countries with regimes far more repressive of gays (and everyone else).

More here

Study: Readers Abandoning Newspapers in Droves

Newspaper readers are ditching print editions – but aren't then transitioning to the online version, a research paper finds.

The study, titled "Reality Check: The Performance Gap between U.S. Newspapers' Print and Online Products, 2007-2015, finds the websites of 51 big-city newspapers are averaging just 10 percent of the market's readership, while print readership has plummeted to 28.5 percent from 42.4 percent.

"It’s totally unsurprising that print readership has been shrinking, but it is extremely surprising that in-market online readership hasn’t been growing," Hsiang Iris Chyi, an an associate professor at the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, tells Media Life Magazine. http://www.medialifemagazine.com/think-papers-websites-are-gaining-think-again/

The study also found more than half of newspaper websites saw declines from 2011 to 2015 – and a surprising snub from digitally obsessed Millenials.

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Sotomayor Angry After Obama Nominates White Male to SCOTUS

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the nation's highest court needs more diversity of personal backgrounds and professional experience, speaking as a vacancy has refocused attention on the court's makeup.

During a talk Friday at Brooklyn Law School, Sotomayor didn't mention the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, who is highly respected but wouldn't add racial, religious, or educational diversity to the high court. But Sotomayor, the court's first Latina justice, said "it is important that we have greater diversity on the Supreme Court" and in the legal profession.

"I, for one, do think there is a disadvantage from having (five) Catholics, three Jews, everyone from an Ivy League school," several justices from New York City and no one who practiced criminal defense law outside white-collar settings, Sotomayor told the law school audience.

Some liberal groups hoped Obama, who had previously tapped Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan, would nominate another woman or minority. Instead, he tapped Merrick Garland, the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

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Gov. Nikki Haley: SC Does Not Need Transgender Bathroom Bill

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spoke out against a bill that would limit LGBT legal protections by requiring transgender people to use bathrooms matching the gender on their birth certificate, according to The Post and Courier.

"While other states are having this battle, this is not a battle that we have seen is needed in South Carolina," said Haley.

The bill, filed by Republican Sen. Lee Bright on Wednesday, said the law is about "public safety, unrelated to differing bills and laws in other states concerning religious liberty," reports The Post and Courier.

"South Carolina is doing really well when it comes to respect and when it comes to kindness and when it comes to acceptance," Haley said, according to The State. "For people to imply it's not, I beg to differ."

Democratic Sen. Marlon Kimpson led the charge against the bill, saying, "I can't imagine a more ridiculous bill." Adding that the bill calls for a "genitalia patrol" to check birth certificates at bathroom doors.

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Maryland legislature overrides veto of transportation bill

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland General Assembly on Friday overrode Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a hotly debated bill that creates a scoring system to prioritize transportation projects.

The Senate voted 29-17 to override the veto — the minimum for the required three-fifths majority. The Senate was one vote short for several minutes, and senators stalled for time explaining their votes until a senator who had left the chamber returned. Sen. Jamie Raskin said he was in a meeting with Hogan and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford to discuss redistricting reform, when Sen. Cathy Pugh “burst into the room” and said he was needed in the Senate.

“I do not believe that there was a connection,” said Raskin, D-Montgomery, referring to the timing of the meeting and the override vote. “On the other hand, a lot of people back on the floor seemed to know where I was and think that the governor asked me to come up at this time rather than at another time.”

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Immigrant Mother Pens Powerful Letter to Trump – And it’s Not What You Probably Think

Sabine Durden, a legal immigrant from Germany, recently penned an impassioned letter to Donald Trump. In the letter, obtained exclusively byBreitbart, Durden writes about her son, who was killed by an illegal immigrant driver in 2012.

Durden began by blasting the media for tearing Trump down, and telling “lies” about him. She then recounted the accident that killed her son:

“On July 22, 2012, my only child, my 30-year-old son Dominic was on his way to work on his motorcycle. His right of way was taken by a truck; he was hit head on and thrown into a wall where he died instantly. My best friend, my only child was taken from me, my heart torn into millions of pieces, and my life as I knew it was over.”

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Obamonics has failed

President Barack Obama, when asked to name an accomplishment for which he is most proud, said, "I'm proud of saving the American economy." Breathtaking.

Let's examine the facts, using only government, left wing -- or, at least, non-conservative -- statistics, sources or analyses.

In 2012, the third year of the Obama recovery, the Associated Press wrote: "Since World War II, 10 U.S. recessions have been followed by a recovery that lasted at least three years. An Associated Press analysis shows that by just about any measure, the one that began in June 2009 is the weakest. ... Economic growth has never been weaker in a postwar recovery. Consumer spending has never been so slack. Only once has job growth been slower. More than in any other post-World War II recovery, people who have jobs are hurting: Their paychecks have fallen behind inflation."

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Mark Levin Blasts Anti-Trump Movement: 'Frauds,' 'Buffoons'

Radio host Mark Levin blasted voters who are so opposed to Donald Trump as a presidential candidate that they would vote for Hillary Clinton, or refuse to vote.

He said those people are "not conservatives," and are "frauds" and "buffoons."

If Trump becomes the Republican candidate, those who do not support him against Hillary Clinton are "asinine," Levin said on his radio show, reported by Real Clear Politics.

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Maryland legislature passes expansion of equal pay law

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland General Assembly has passed an expansion of the state’s equal pay law.

The House of Delegates gave the bill final approval on a 100-36 vote Saturday. The bill strengthens state law that prohibits pay discrimination based on gender. The measure also prohibits discrimination based on gender identity.

It prohibits businesses from retaliating against employees for discussing or disclosing salaries.

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Old Photos of "Firsts"

Sally Halterman, the first woman granted a license to operate a 
motorcycle in Washington, D.C
. [1937]

Virginia Gov. McAuliffe Vetoes Three Pro-Gun Bills

And we’re back to gun control…
From Guns:
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) gave thumbs down Thursday to three pieces of legislation he said would threaten public safety by weakening Virginia’s gun laws.
Among the proposals scuttled, two, SB 626 and HB 766, would have enabled domestic violence victims with a protective order against another individual to carry a concealed handgun for up to 90 days without a permit, while the third, HB 560, would have eased the Commonwealth’s law on the accidental display of a weapon.
In a veto message to lawmakers, McAuliffe held up a compromise deal he made with state Republicans in February which included taking guns away from domestic abusers as reason to veto the new legislation seeking to speed up the process to allow victims to carry a legal firearm.
“Domestic violence situations can be extremely volatile, and all too often result in serious injury or death,” said McAuliffe. “Senate Bill 626 (and House Bill 766) encourages victims of domestic violence to introduce deadly weapons into an already dangerous situation, an approach that I believe could have significant negative public safety consequences.”
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Subject: Michelle Obama Hosts Iranian New Year’s Feast

Amid increasingly negative rhetoric surrounding the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran, first lady Michelle Obama hosted a traditional Iranian new year’s feast Wednesday at the White House to celebrate diversity and inclusion.

“Right now when we are hearing such disturbing and hateful rhetoric, it is so important to remember that our diversity has been and will always be our greatest source of strength and pride here in the United States,” said Obama. “We think America is strongest when we recognize our many traditions, when we celebrate our diversity and when we lift each other up.”

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Man Flies Pro-Trump Flags On His OWN Home, Then Look Who Makes SURPRISE Visit

An ardent Donald Trump supporter in New Jersey wanted to display his support for the candidate, so he decided the fly a pair of flags outside of his residence that had pro-Trump messages on them. However, he quickly learned that wasn’t a good idea, and you won’t believe who knocked on his door shortly after.

The First Amendment is a wonderful thing, and it was created by the Founders with political speech specifically in mind so people didn’t have to worry about persecution due to their beliefs, which is what happened in the nation they fled.

However, New Jersey apparently doesn’t like to respect the First Amendment rights of individuals, and now John Hornick may face jail time because of the pro-Trump flags he flies at his West Long Branch home.

Why? Apparently either New Jersey or his town has an ordinance that forbid the display of political signage unless it’s within 30 days of an election, which means the police showed up at his home to issue a citation when he was found to be in violation. Now he faces either 90 days in jail or a $2,000 fine, NBC New York reported.

Quite a draconian penalty for a couple of flags, wouldn’t you say?

Hornick flies two Trump flags both day and night, and said that there’s no way in hell they’re coming down. Although, he did say that unhinged anti-Trump vandals have come through and ripped them down at least five different times. But he didn’t seem too worried.

“Let them come, let them rip those flags down because I have a warehouse on alert, and I’ll put up a flag every time they tear one down,” he said.

Even though he’s facing stiff penalties, Hornick is looking forward to his day in court – and he couldn’t care less if he loses.

“I’m not taking the flag down, and if I do 90 days in jail, I’ll do 90 days in jail,” he said.

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Walmart Denies That Cashier Was Fired For Hugging Customers, Matching Prices

Last year, people around the country rallied behind two Walmart employees who they believed were unfairly fired for redeeming $5.10 in discarded soda cans and for waiting half-an-hour to turn in $350 dollars he found in the parking lot. Now, consumers are once again showing support for another cashier of the big box retailer who says he was fired for hugging customers and discounting a jug of tea.  

Baltimore police use of Tasers in poor, black neighborhoods questioned

Baltimore police officers exceeded widely accepted safety limits for Tasers more than any other force in Maryland, and in nearly all cases fired the weapon at suspects who were not complying with police orders but did not pose a threat.

Most of the suspects hit by Tasers in Baltimore were black, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Baltimore Sun, and more than two-thirds of the incidents from 2012 to 2014 took place in ZIP codes with the city's lowest median incomes.

The trends concern the city's top cop.

"Who suffers the most when police departments have deficient policies and procedures? Minorities and poorer communities suffer," Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said in response to The Sun's findings.

Davis has begun reorganizing the department and implementing new policies aimed at reforming its practices, including how officers use Tasers. His efforts come as the Justice Department continues a yearlong investigation into whether Baltimore officers violate federal civil rights laws when using force on residents, ranging from deadly force to Tasers and pepper spray.

Civil rights leaders and attorneys contend that more needs to be done. They say that residents increasingly complain about police abuse of Tasers and that the data shows that officers treat residents differently, depending on where they live and the color of their skin. Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, called The Sun's findings "troubling."

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Maryland Passes Bill That Would Keep Pesticides Harmful To Bees Off Retail Shelves

Although some retailers have stopped selling pesticides that are thought to be harmful to bees, amid concerns over the declining population of honeymakers, Maryland will become the first state to have a legal measure barring the products. 

DUI Log for Week 4/04/2016 Thru 4/10/2016

Name Hometown Date Time Age Location of Arrest Accident Yes or No?

Mark Anthony Bowden Sr Salisbury, Md 04/04/16 7:53 AM 32 Rt 50 @ Bell Rd N

Monty Ray Jones Berlin, Md 04/05/16 10:46 PM 52 8428 Stephen Decatur N

James Edward Click Frederick, Md 04/05/16 11:13 PM 55 N/B Golf Course @ Rt 50 N

Marlin Triece Bohler 3rd Salisbury, Md 04/10/16 3:32 AM 51 W/B Rt 50 West of Rt 90 N

USPS Will Cut Postage Rates This Weekend, Isn’t Happy About It

If you’ve been stocking up on Forever stamps since the last price hike at the beginning of 2014, we have some bad news: those the price of first-class stamps will fall by 2¢ down to 47¢ this weekend. That might perhaps causing slight annoyance for consumers, but will hurt the U.S. Postal Service financially. The price cut, you see, wasn’t their idea.

Study Finds Deep Conversations Can Reduce Transgender Prejudice

Prejudices are often deep, obstinate beliefs. You've probably noticed this if you've ever tried to change someone's political opinion at a dinner party. But David Fleischer, the director of the Leadership LAB of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, thinks he's found a way to begin changing people's prejudices with just a short conversation.

He and several collaborators struggled for years to get to this point. "We brainstormed every idea and tried every idea, overwhelmingly those ideas failed," he says. And once he thought they had discovered a powerful way to fight prejudice, an enormous scientific fraud perpetrated by other researchers tumbled their progress back a year.

He and his colleagues started the effort in 2009, shortly after the Prop 8 constitutional amendment and struck down same-sex marriage in California. "The LGBT community and our allies were shocked and upset," Fleischer says. "Out of that outrage and despair, people wanted to do something very constructive." He and LGBT Center volunteers began talking to as many people as they could, trying to understand why they lost Prop 8.

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Good News For Procrastinators: 3 Extra Days To File Taxes

If navigating your tax return has remained on the back burner until now, you can stretch the process out for three more days this year. That's right: This year's deadline is actually April 18.

This is all because of a fortuitous overlap of federal and state holidays with the usual April 15 due date.

Emancipation Day, an official holiday in the District of Columbia that usually falls on April 16, is on Friday, April 15 this year — pushing the tax deadline to the following Monday.

The holiday commemorates the end of slavery in Washington, D.C., when in 1862 the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act "freed 3,100 individuals, reimbursed those who had legally owned them and offered the newly freed women and men money to emigrate," according to the D.C. mayor's office.

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Baltimore Sees Hospitals As Key To Breaking A Cycle Of Violence

Every year, U.S. hospitals treat hundreds of thousands of violent injuries. Often, the injured are patched up and sent home, right back to the troubles that landed them in the hospital in the first place.

Now, as these institutions of healing are facing pressure under the Affordable Care Act to keep readmissions down, a growing number of hospitals are looking at ways to prevent violence. In Baltimore, health department workers have pitched hospitals an idea they want to take citywide.

The idea builds on the city's Safe Streets program, which hires ex-offenders to intervene in conflicts before someone gets hurt. They're called "violence interrupters," and they use their street credibility and deep social ties to settle fights.

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Apple-Justice Department Standoff Over iPhone Access Goes On, In New York

Although the FBI says it has successfully unlocked the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters, a separate legal standoff between Apple and the government continues — in a drug case in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Justice Department told a judge Friday that Apple's help is still needed to unlock an iPhone seized from a methamphetamine dealer. The DOJ is appealing a ruling from a magistrate judge, who sided with Apple in February.

"The government continues to require Apple's assistance in accessing the data that it is authorized to search by warrant," U.S. Attorney Robert Capers wrote in a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Margo Brodie.

A comparison between the New York and the San Bernardino case isn't, well, apples to apples. The cases involve different types of iPhones that run different types of operating systems and require different types of technical assistance from the company.

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SpaceX Rocket Lands Safely On A Ship At Sea For the First Time

Friday was a landmark day for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It launched into space a resupply capsule bearing a new inflatable habitat for the International Space Station. Then the rocket's "first stage" returned to Earth for a sea landing — without exploding.

Though the SpaceX rocket had successfully landed on solid ground before, the last attempt to land the rocket on a barge at sea ended in a fiery crash.

"The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off, carrying an inflatable space module that will be added to the station. NASA hopes this kind of expandable room in space could someday help astronauts get to Mars," NPR's Geoff Brumfiel reports for our Newscast Unit. "As the rocket's second stage carried this cargo into orbit, the first stage did something unprecedented. It turned around, flew back to Earth and touched down vertically on a robotic barge floating off the coast of Florida."

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