Wal-Mart Makes Decision On Black Lives Matter Merchandise

After a contentious battle with Wal-Mart regarding “Black Lives Matter” items offered by Old Glory Merchandise via the mega retailer, they have decided to remove a controversial item from their website.

On Tuesday the company announced its decision to remove the items that have “Bulletproof” on them after they received a letter from the president of the national Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), asking them to stop selling the clothing.

The FOP is the largest police organization in the country.

While Wal-Mart has agreed to remove the particular item, it has decided to continue to sell the “Black Lives Matter” clothing line, despite a demand to remove the line was made by the FOP President, Chuck Canterbury, in his letter sent to the retailer.

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KISS front man Gene Simmons: Celebrities should shut their pie holes

Baltimore: Teen Shot After Showing Fake Gun

On December 21, 2016 at 3:45 P.M., officers responded to the 1500 block of Washington Boulevard for a shooting.

Upon arrival, officers located a 13 year-old male who was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. That individual (suspect) was transported to Shock Trauma and is currently listed in critical condition.

The shooter, a 73 year-old male, remained at the scene, and was transported to police headquarters where he was interviewed by detectives.

Preliminary investigation revealed the 73 year-old male was sitting in his car in Carroll Park when a group of unknown males walked up to his car. One of the males opened his car door and brandished what appeared to be a handgun. The victim then withdrew his firearm and shot the suspect. All of the other unknown males fled the scene.

Homicide detectives are currently investigating this incident. Thus far, the investigation has revealed that the victim was a Police Officer in Baltimore in the late 1960s and early 1970s and he currently possesses a valid concealed weapon permit that was issued by the Maryland State Police. He currently works as a private investigator.

The firearm that the 13 year-old possessed was found to be a replica firearm.

This investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (410) 396-2100

New battle begins in war over Harbeson garage

Neighbors who have waged a six-year war against a Harbeson man, calling his car repair shop illegal, are taking their fight to Delaware Supreme Court.

Margaret Foulke and John and Carol Kane filed an appeal Dec. 21 requesting the state Supreme Court review a Chancery Court decision in favor of their neighbor, Charles Williams. In November, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III dismissed Foulke and the Kanes' claims against Williams' garage; they were insisting the garage is not up to Sussex County code and is not an approved use on land zoned agricultural. Glasscock also refused to to grant the neighbors injunctive relief or a declaratory judgement that would have required Williams to tear down his garage.

Carol Kane declined to comment on when the case could be settled.

The Chancery Court lawsuit was filed in 2014 by Robert Walker Jr., Foulke and the Kanes after they say they had exhausted complaints to Sussex County officials over noise, odors and traffic coming from Williams' property. Williams built his four-car garage with money he received after subdividing his 5-acre lot and selling some of his land to his immediate neighbor, Foulke. Walker built a home on some of the property, but no longer lives there. The Kanes live about 800 feet down the road from Williams.

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Media Humiliated Again: Hillary (Not Trump) Breaks 'Faithless Elector' Record

You have to wonder what it will take for America's national media to slow down long enough to search whatever has been put in place of their soul. Because here they sit, once again after an extended and coordinated partisan campaign, not just in the losing column, not just on the wrong side of history, but utterly and completely humiliated by Reality.

Let's face it, we all know what CNNMSNBCABCNBCPBSCNSNPRWashingtonPostNewYorkTimesPolitico have been up to for the last two weeks. After shrieking throughout all of October and straight through to Election Night that, for the good of democracy, Donald Trump and his "racist" supporters would have to accept their coming loss like grown-ups, our media had been on a propaganda rampage to convince Electors to stage a coup and steal the presidency from Trump.

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Study Finds Young Americans Living Home Highest Since WWII

(CBS Local) – Despite an economy on the upswing, combined with the current unemployment rate being its lowest in recent years, more young Americans are living with their parents than ever before.

The Wall Street Journal found, in sifting through information provided by real estate company Trulia, that more young Americans are living home than they have since 1940.

‘Young American’ is described as someone between 18 and 24, and the numbers are in: in 2015, 40% of young Americans lived with either their parents, siblings or other relatives. That number had been on the rise in recent years despite the economy growing out of the recession, where in previous economic cycles the amount of those living with their parents would decrease as the economy increased.

Time claims that experts point to difficulties getting mortgages as well as rising rents and the general life difficulties of making it on your own.

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Walker asks Trump to allow Wisconsin to drug test food stamp recipients

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is asking President-elect Donald Trump to give his state the authority to drug test certain food stamp recipients.

Walker, a Republican who ran for president against Trump, made other requests to the president-elect, which would allow more state authority over federal policies.

"Too often, states have become mere administrative provinces of an all-powerful federal government in Washington," Walker said in a statement announcing his letter to Trump. "Now is the time to reverse that trend. These requests are the first of many my administration will make as Wisconsin leads the effort to restore balance between state and federal government."

Walker has long supported drug testing food stamp recipients, a policy he and Republican lawmakers approved in 2015 that has since been blocked by a federal court. Federal law does not allow states to impose drug tests on recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, better known as food stamps.

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Performance of ‘O Holy Night’ in DC Metro station goes viral

This is the original recording of the woman (well... me ) singing in Union Station in early December. I'm celebrating new life, life after being a DV survivor, now I'm just victorious!
Enjoy your holiday ❤️❤️❤️

Fake News: Mainstream Media Whitewashes Islamic Terror in Berlin

Propagandists desperate to hide the obvious

Mainstream news outlets are already contradicting their own reports that ISIS has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s terrorist attack in Berlin, where at least 12 people were killed, and over 50 were injured.

“ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly Christmas market truck crash in Berlin,” stated the New York Post on Monday. “The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Force tweeted that the terror group was taking credit for the incident, which left at least 12 people dead and more than 50 injured at major public market Monday.”

The Washington Times corroborated the Post, asserting, “Suspect arrested, dead man found in cabin as ISIS takes credit for the attack.”

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This game "Santa's Hat" is HiLARIOUS!

FBI warrant released in Clinton email case

A federal court on Tuesday released the search warrant documents filed by the FBI to access a laptop used by disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner and his estranged wife, Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, revealing new details about why the bureau revisited the email case just days before the presidential election.

The FBI’s earlier investigation found “27 email chains containing classified information” that were exchanged between Clinton and Abedin, and investigators wanted to see what was also on the Abedin-Weiner laptop, according to the government affidavit unsealed Tuesday. That laptop, the FBI noted, “was never authorized for the storage or transmission of classified or national defense information,” according to the application for the warrant, which was partially redacted.

The October re-opening of the Clinton investigation sprung from an unrelated case involving Weiner allegedly sexting with an underage girl. During the course of that inquiry, agents discovered the joint laptop and later found emails addressed to and sent from Clinton.

READ THE DOCUMENTS

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/20/fbi-warrant-released-in-clinton-case-revealing-extent-classified-info-on-laptop.htmlhttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12/20/fbi-warrant-released-in-clinton-case-revealing-extent-classified-info-on-laptop.html

I Believe In Santa

Gov’t Investigates Ram, Durango Gearshifts For Roll Away Risk

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. auto safety agency has opened an investigation into complaints that another 1 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles can roll away after the owners shift transmissions into park, a problem similar to the one being blamed in the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin.

The investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration covers Fiat Chrysler’s top-selling vehicle, the Ram 1500 pickup, from the 2013 to 2016 model years, as well as the 2014 to 2016 Dodge Durango SUV. The rollaway complaints are similar those that prompted the recall of 1.1 million Jeep Grand Cherokees and other vehicles earlier this year, although those vehicles have different shifters.

Yelchin, 27, known for playing Chekov in the film series, died in June after his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee pinned him against a mailbox pillar and security fence at his home in Los Angeles. His Jeep was among the vehicles recalled in April because of complaints from drivers who had trouble telling if they put the console-mounted shift levers in “park” after stopping. Many reported that the vehicles rolled off after the driver exited. Los Angeles police are still investigating Yelchin’s death.

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Step Brothers 2 to Film in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Details of Plot Released

HOLLYWOOD, California – The 2008 Will Ferrell comedy, Step Brothers, is finally getting a sequel and will film in Gaithersburg, Maryland next summer. Reports are claiming that all of the original cast will return including Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam Scott, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, and others.

The producers released a short description of the upcoming film but refused to provide any details beyond that: The two step brothers have moved to Gaithersburg, Maryland where they live together and also work together at the same menial job. Dale finds out that he’s somehow impregnated his “girlfriend” but when the young woman leaves the new baby with Dale and Brennan the two are left to raise the child themselves.

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Md. school aiming to ease racial tensions after brawl

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD (WUSA9) - A special student advisory team that will deal with cultural conflicts is being formed at Central High School after a cafeteria brawl Friday that pitted African-American students against Latino students.

The brawl was caught on video and resulted in three students being treated at a hospital for minor injuries. No charges have been filed.

Many African-American students who spoke to WUSA9 said race played no role in the brawl. However, a reluctant Latino student said he sometimes feels intimidated at the school.

According to a robo-call and email being sent to Central parents Tuesday night, the student advisory team will work with Principal Keisha Wallace to help develop a positive school climate while administrators work with the school system’s Diversity Office on further measures. Additional staff will be assigned to monitor lunch hours, the principal announced.

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Governor Larry Hogan Names Judge Daniel M. Long as Chair of the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board

Also Announces Final Round of Byrne Justice Assistance Grants; Nearly $1 Million Will Go Toward Justice Reinvestment

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced Judge Daniel M. Long as chair of the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board, a 25-member board that oversees the implementation of Maryland's comprehensive criminal justice reform law. The Justice Reinvestment Act (SB 1005), signed into law by Governor Hogan last May, established the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board and charged its members with monitoring progress and compliance with the implementation of the law.  

“I was proud to sign the Justice Reinvestment Act, which will help Maryland better protect our communities, restore families, and broaden economic opportunity for our citizens,” said Governor Hogan. “Making these reforms a reality will be critical to our success in achieving better outcomes for public safety, the criminal justice process, and for Marylanders who deserve a second chance. I am confident that the members of the board, led by Judge Long, will serve Maryland well in this capacity.

“I am honored to have been selected by the governor to serve as chair of the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board,” said Judge Long.  “I am looking forward to working with the members to ensure that our public safety dollars are spent in a cost-effective manner, while being mindful that the safety of the state’s citizens is always our number-one priority.”

Judge Long has been a circuit court judge in Somerset County since 1990 and administrative judge for the First Judicial Circuit since 1996. Judge Long served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1983 to 1990, representing Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. During his time in the General Assembly, Judge Long chaired the Judiciary Committee and was vice chair of the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee.

“It is my pleasure to announce the members of the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board,” said Glenn Fueston, member of the board and executive director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, which is charged with staffing the board. “We look forward to upholding the principles set forth in this groundbreaking bill, namely reinvesting in drug treatment and other programs that will help prevent people from cycling through the system.”

The Oversight Board will be advised by the Local Government Justice Reinvestment Commission and the Justice Reinvestment Advisory Board, both established by the legislation. It will meet quarterly as required by the Act and will collect and analyze data, create performance measures to track effectiveness, and make recommendations for the reinvestment of savings realized under the provisions of the Act. The board will hold its first meeting on January 4, 2017.

Members of the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Board include:

Potato chips sold in Va., Md. recalled

Berlin, PA - Snyder of Berlin is warning consumers not to consume Snyder of Berlin Buffalo Blue Kettle Cooked Potato Chips after being informed by a supplier that a milk powder used within a spice blend ingredient may contain Salmonella. Consumers should not consume the recalled product with the Product Codes listed below:

Brand Name	Common Name	Size	UPC	Product Codes
Snyder of Berlin	Buffalo Blue Kettle Cooked Potato Chips	8 oz (227g)	0 23000 43922 9	FEB2117M77A, FEB2117H44A,  FEB2117H44B,  FEB2817H77A, MAR0717H77A, MAR2117M77A

The recalled product was distributed only in the following states:

DC Council passes controversial paid leave bill

WASHINGTON — D.C. Council on Tuesday approved legislation for what could be one of the nation’s most generous paid family leave programs.

The Universal Paid Leave Act passed in the D.C. Council, with nine votes in favor and four against.

D.C. Council on Tuesday approved one of the nation’s most generous paid family leave programs. The bill, which now goes to the mayor, will provide up to eight weeks of paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

Should the mayor veto the bill, the council’s vote margin is enough to override it. If the bill becomes law, it would be sent to Congress for approval, like all District laws.

“This legislation is thoughtful, heavily debated and as I will keep saying, it is simply the right thing to do,” said co-sponsor David Grosso, D-At Large.
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Senator to Trump: Do the ‘Unpredictable’ and Support Gun Control

WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Congress is “complicit” in the deaths of Americans due to gun violence and he encouraged President-elect Trump to do the “unpredictable” with gun control measures.

“Shortly, we’ll have a new president unlike President Obama – hardly committed to the cause of ending gun violence, but there is a moment of opportunity here. And my hope is that newly elected President Trump will use this opportunity much as President Nixon did in going to China,” Blumenthal said during a press conference on Capitol Hill with family members of gun violence victims and survivors. “It’s a Nixon to China moment for Donald Trump when he can defy the expectation, do the unpredictable – he likes doing the unpredictable – respond to a rally, which he also likes to do, and the rally is the America people who are clamoring and demanding action.”

“Donald Trump has a legacy moment,” the senator added. “When he can seize this opportunity, a historic opportunity, do the right thing and adopt these common-sense measures: background checks for every gun purchase, a ban on terrorists buying guns and ending the immunity, the legal immunity, unprecedented, unknown to any other industry for gun manufacturers. These are your ideas, Donald. We’ll give you credit for them.”

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Former Pocomoke City Police Lieutenant Found Guilty Of Conspiracy To Commit Misconduct

Verdict follows former Police Chief’s misconduct conviction 

earlier this month

State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt announced today that former Pocomoke City Police Lieutenant was found guilty by the Honorable W. Newton Jackson, III in the Worcester County Circuit Court of conspiring to commit misconduct with former Police Chief Kelvin Sewell by protecting a fellow Mason, former correctional officer Douglas Matthews, from hit and run charges after he hit two parked vehicles and fled the accident scene in November of 2014. Judge Jackson sentenced Green to probation before judgment and placed him on one year of probation.

The evidence at trial established that officers responding to the scene of the accident discovered that two separate vehicles had been severely damaged and that the striking vehicle had left its right front tire and part of its axle at the sight of the accident before fleeing the scene on three wheels. The responding officers located the striking vehicle parked in front of Mr. Matthew’s home by following damage to the roadway caused by the vehicle as it fled the accident scene. Total damage to the victims’ vehicles exceeded $20,000

At trial, the court learned that earlier this year Lieutenant Green admitted to State agents that he received a call on his cell phone that evening from fellow Mason Douglass Matthews indicating that he had been in an accident and he had left the scene. Lieutenant Green indicated that he immediately called Chief Sewell and the two subsequently arrived at Mr. Matthews’s residence. Green further admitted that after arriving on the scene and speaking to Matthews that he informed Chief Sewell that Matthews had been drinking and that they discussed not charging Matthews because he was a Mason. Further testimony from Pocomoke City police officers revealed that Chief Sewell then prevented a subordinate officer from questioning Matthews about alcohol use and ordered the officer to write up the report as an accident, not a hit and run. Several officers testified that, under the circumstances, they would have performed field sobriety tests.

State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt stated “Former Police Chief Kelvin Sewell and former Lieutenant Lynell Green took an oath, as do all police officers, to uphold the laws without prejudice or partiality. Their actions that evening were in violation of that oath and, as nobody is above the law, their actions cannot be tolerated.”

Fairmount to get last of the $3.8 million in Sandy money, Crisfield gets nothing

PRINCESS ANNE — The last of Somerset County’s superstorm Sandy funds totaling nearly $3.8 million will be applied to the decommissioning of the Fairmount wastewater treatment plant and the extension of sewer lines through Manokin to link the system with the Westover sewer.

The Dec. 13 vote by the County Commissioners was split 3-2 and came a week after a work session where the board received information about storm surge protection projects, drainage improvements, street repairs and sewer upgrades for Crisfield, in addition to the appeal by the Sanitary District to apply the entire grant in Fairmount.

“All of which are very important projects for the county,” said County Administrator Doug Taylor. “The gravity of the issue is there are not enough funds to cover all of the projects.”

The Sanitary District estimates replacing the Fairmount plant to enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) status would cost $6 million. By taking it out, upgrading pump stations and running a force main 5½ miles up Fairmount Road the price tag is very close to $3.8 million. It also extends sewer service to Manokin plus picks up leachate from the landfill that is currently being shuttled by tank trucks to the Princess Anne treatment plant.

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Christian Videographers Suing to Serve Only Hetero Weddings

In recent years, gay marriage has become legal throughout the United States. It seemed to happen overnight, but actually involved a gradual transformation of the culture. Advocates of same-sex marriage won the public over by citing the freedom of association. Consenting adults ought to be able to enter into any relationship they want, the argument went.

Of course, that argument has a corollary. Adults also have the right to deny consent, to refuse when asked to interact. We can't have it both ways. If you have the right to associate, then you have the right to refuse association. There is no separating the two. They are opposing sides of the same coin.

Despite that clear incontestable truth, government has tried to have it both ways under the auspices of anti-discrimination law. Two gay individuals now have the right to get married. But a vendor asked to service their nuptials cannot legally refuse. That presents a glaring hypocrisy in the law which must be resolved.

A couple from Minnesota has risen to the task. From the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

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Mark Hanson Explains Why "A 1% Mortgage Rate Surge Changes Everything"

Zillow is rapidly catching up with where the rest of the mortgage providers offer 30 Year Fixed Rates Mortgages, and as it reported moments ago, the 30 Year Fixed in the Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor rose from 3.94% to 4.1% in the week ended today.

As we reported previously, the latest Wells 30Year Fixed refi rate is now 4.625%, with the overall complex about 100 bps higher from where it was just a few months ago. The move prompted none other than Frddie Mac to issue a warning about the future of the housing market.

Is that a big move? The answer, conveniently, comes from a just released note by housing expert Mark Hanson who explains why a "1% rate surge changes everything"

Redfin.com did a purchase market survey of 2400 ready-buyer users between Nov 7 and 11 - right when rates first started surging and were much lower than today - on how a 1% jump in interest rates would impact their purchase decision, if at all.

Note, today rates are 50 bps higher than when the survey was done and up greater than the 1% referred to in the questioning.

Bottom line: A 1% rate surge changes everything. Especially, considering the macro housing market - demand and prices - is controlled by the incremental buy or sell pressure.
68% weigh rates heavily into their purchase decision; only 11% don't care.
72% of buyers would have to change strategy on a 1% rate-surge; 29% wouldn't.
46% OF BUYERS WOULD HAVE TO BUY A LESS EXPENSIVE HOUSE.

The metric I highlighted red is what I find the most important. It is exactly why I always assume most people buy as much as they can afford using contemporary mortgage rates and guidelines.

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KATIE HOPKINS: How many MORE atrocities before our leaders stop lying to us and admit that, thanks to their immigration policies, being mowed down while doing your Christmas shopping is simply the new normal?

‘We will do whatever is necessary. That means long-range weapons, short weapons, machine guns, even if this sounds martial.’

These were the words of German politician Klaus Bouillon, a member of Mrs Merkel's CDU party, in response to yet another slaughter of innocents, this time at a Christmas market in Berlin.

Of course, Merkel wasn't around to respond to the horror as it unfolded. She was attending an award ceremony to celebrate the International Day of Migrants even as it seemed one of the 1.1 million she has let into the country tore another hole in her people and in Germany’s cultural life.

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Busch Addresses Health Problems; Promises To Run Again As Speaker

Maryland House Speaker Mike Busch says he will run for another year as Speaker, noting recent health problems will not impact his work in Annapolis.

Busch, who recently disclosed to both The Daily Record and The Baltimore Sun that he was treated by a doctor after a prescription caused gastrointestinal bleeding.

"I did have an intestinal virus. I've been treated for it at the University of Maryland. I've had wonderful results, and I feel good," Busch told WBAL NewsRadio 1090.

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Hillary's Popular Vote Win Came Entirely From California

Without California's popular vote, Trump won rest of country by 1.4 million votes

Since Donald Trump’s electoral victory, supporters of presidential loser Hillary Clinton have cried foul after their candidate won the popular vote, yet failed to win.

On November 8, Trump was elected US president when he surpassed 270 electoral college votes.

Clinton didn’t come close to winning the electoral college – 232 to Trump’s 304 – but she did succeed in securing the popular vote, by about 2.8 million people.

But, ”If you take California out of the popular vote equation, then Trump wins the rest of the country by 1.4 million votes,” reports Investors Business Daily.

“And if California voted like every other Democratic state — where Clinton averaged 53.5% wins — Clinton and Trump end up in a virtual popular vote tie.”

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Obama Admin Fired Top Scientist to Advance Climate Change Plans

Investigation claims Obama admin retaliated against scientists, politicized DoE

A new congressional investigation has determined that the Obama administration fired a top scientist and intimidated staff at the Department of Energy in order to further its climate change agenda, according to a new report that alleges the administration ordered top officials to obstruct Congress in order to forward this agenda.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R., Texas), chair of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, released a wide-ranging reporton Tuesday that shows how senior Obama administration officials retaliated against a leading scientist and plotted ways to block a congressional inquiry surrounding key research into the impact of radiation.

A top DoE scientist who liaised with Congress on the matter was fired by the Obama administration for being too forthright with lawmakers, according to the report, which provides an in-depth look at the White House’s efforts to ensure senior staffers toe the administration’s line.

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BOOM: Trump Hits Bill with PERFECT Comeback for “Angry White Men” Jab … CNN Agrees!

When former President Bill Clinton hit President-elect Donald Trump with an insult about not knowing anything except how to corral “angry white men” into voting for him, he probably didn’t think Trump would respond in any way the mainstream media would take seriously.

Big mistake.

Trump, as we’ve learned, is a rhetorical pugilist among rhetorical pugilists. If he’s shown himself to be anything, it’s a brawler on a Muhammad Ali scale. And he managed to hit Clinton back so hard that even CNN — which earned the moniker “Clinton News Network” for 25 years of obsequiousness to America’s most dysfunctional political family — sided with Trump.

At issue were remarks that Clinton made in the presence of the editor of the Bedford-Pound Record-Review in upper Westchester County, New York.

The article, which detailed a sort of ad hoc question-and-answer session at a local bookseller, shared the front page with “Pound Ridge seniors get in the holiday spirit.” The latter arguably was more newsworthy than a superannuated political functionary who just happens to be locked in marriage of convenience with the losing Democrat candidate in this year’s election.

However, the former president decided to party like it was 1996, lying his butt off and impugning the president-elect.

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Keith Olbermann: We Can Still Delegitimize Trump By Not Calling Him "President Trump"

In a web video produced by GQ Magazine Keith Olbermann lamented that the Electoral College affirmed the result of the election, that Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States. However, he said the "resistance" can still combat Trump -- by not calling him 'President Trump.' Olbermann also suggested reminding Trump supporters everyday that Trump lost the popular vote.

"Resistance means find a Trump supporter everyday and remind them he lost the popular vote," Olbermann said.

"There is also a passive-aggressive, subtler way to make this point clear," Olbermann said in his Monday transmission. "It is like most of the points that finally defeated the Republicans of the Bush era. Those points succeeded not by suddenly knocking down walls, but instead by eroding them as would a river. Not using one word can be just as forceful as perpetually using another. Never address Trump as President. He is Trump. Just Trump. Never president. The title of President, that we must protect for a happier and more honest time. Resistance means refusal. Resist! Peace."

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Governor Larry Hogan Announces Emergency Legislation to Repeal House Bill 1013

This week, Governor Larry Hogan announced emergency legislation to repeal House Bill 1013. As your state senator for District 37, I am proud to stand with Governor Hogan to support a full repeal of the transportation scoring legislation passed in 2016 during the upcoming legislative session. Legislation to repeal the “Road Kill Bill” would return the prioritization of transportation projects back to local jurisdictions. Currently, HB 1013 creates a scoring process that redistributes funding for major road construction projects to just four jurisdictions. Under the new scoring system, 66 out of the 73 transportation projects are fully cancelled.

The General Assembly rushed HB 1013 without adequate debate and input from local jurisdictions. This legislation is an attempt to fix a problem that does not exist. The system has been in place for 34 years and is both transparent and effective. In reality, this one-size-fits-all ranking system will kill dozens of the most critical road projects across the state.

I urge my fellow lawmakers in the General Assembly to work with Governor Hogan and repeal this unnecessary legislation to ensure that every jurisdiction in the state can receive the funding they need to address their infrastructure priorities. I will continue my efforts to ensure projects in Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, and Wicomico Counties are heard.

If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact me. To be added to Senator Eckardt’s Press Release and Events email list, please emailSenatorEckardt37@gmail.com.


Sincerely,
Addie Eckardt
Senator District 37 – Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot, and Wicomico Counties
410-841-3590 – Annapolis Office
410-221-6561 – Cambridge Office

POHANKA & Sheriff Lewis Pay It Forward

Facebook Fake News Checkers Affiliated With US Gov?

Facebook’s war on ‘fake news’ has skeptics asking: Who decides? … Facebook’s big crackdown on so-called “fake news” has one glaring fault, according to critics: Who gets to say what’s real and what’s not? – Fox News

Facebook, which is rapidly becoming the largest “news” agency in the world, intends to use a selected group of supposedly non-government facilities to determine what’s fake or not when it comes to news dissemination on its vast ‘Net site.

But these groups may in fact be affiliated with the US government and thus vulnerable to influence from DC and various government related intel agencies including the CIA.

This is ironic because there is plenty of evidence, here, that Facebook itself is at least partially the creation of the CIA, which reportedly funded its initial formation and has doubtless been instrumental in its expansion.

The information on users collected by Facebook is easily available to American intel efforts. This is one supposed reason Chinese officials won’t allow Facebook into their country as of yet.

Potential Facebook evaluators of fake news reportedly include Politifact, Factcheck, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, ABC News and Snopes.

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Proposed Campground Off Route 611 Worries Neighbors On Environment, Traffic Fronts

BERLIN – Kingsnakes. Bald eagles. Wood ducks. Swans. Deer. Quail.

They’re among the seemingly endless variety of wildlife seen along Ayres Creek any given day. Residents of the area are worried that could change with the construction of a 311-site rental campground on the former Pine Shore Golf property on Route 611.

“It’s going to have a severe impact on the Ayres Creek habitat,” local resident Joan Jenkins said.

She would know. Jenkins lives on Ayres Creek, next door to the defunct golf course. A narrow gut of water is all that separates her property from the shoreline that preliminary plans show as the campground’s area for “water dependent activities.”

Jenkins and several of her neighbors are working together to share news of the campground’s proposed redevelopment with the community. They’re hoping enough public opposition will halt the project, which is dependent on the county’s rezoning of the golf course and approval of a special exception for a campground.

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Donald Trump's Cabinet is awesome

One of the many unprecedented things about the election of Donald Trump is what a black box he is. The day after the election, I pinned the following message at the top of my Twitter profile: "We still don't know what President Trump is going to do." And it's true: Trump likes being unpredictable. He thinks of himself first and foremost as a dealmaker, and one of his key dealmaking tactics is to keep as many options on the table as possible.

This is why watching who he appoints to various Cabinet positions is so important. They give us some flavor of what his administration is going to be like, and what his priorities might be. Speaking as someone who opposed Trump's candidacy from the start, I have to say, so far, I'm quite pleased with what I see when I read the tea leaves. Trump has made some very inspired appointments that probably no other president-elect would have made.

Let's review them:

Steven Mnuchin, treasury secretary. Mnuchin himself seems to be kind of a blank slate, an interchangeable Wall Street guy among Wall Street guys. But since his appointment, he's made all the right noises. Trump officially campaigned on a platform promising more of the same supply-side economics as every GOP candidate and administration, while speaking a very different language on the stump, one that promised an economic policy focused on the working and middle class. Whatever he believes in his heart of hearts, Mnuchin has been sounding more like the latter than the former. He has spoken about the importance of pro-family tax policy and maternity leave, and of a working-class agenda. On higher-income tax cuts, he has said he doesn't want to scrap them, speaking only of lowering rates while cutting exemptions, so that taxes would overall stay the same. (The math here is tricky, and it might not end up like he hopes. But, it's early, and the language is good, which is all one can hope for at this point.)

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Public Works Employee

Michelle Obama did not learn hope and humility as first lady

Michelle Obama shows her time as first lady has taught her neither

Former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming once said, “Those who travel the high road of humility will not be troubled by heavy traffic.”

That descriptive and funny line came to mind after I heard what first lady Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey last week in a TV interview. Because of Donald Trump’s election, she told the former talk show host, “We are feeling what not having hope feels like.”

She couldn’t prove that by the polls. A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 59 percent of voters are “optimistic about the next four years with Donald Trump as president.” Sixty-six percent of respondents said they believed he would create jobs, 52 percent said they believe Mr. Trump’s policies will help the economy, 53 percent expressed confidence he will take the country in the right direction, and 49 percent think Mr. Trump will be either a “great” president or a “good” president.

Michelle Obama’s hubris that only her husband could provide hope, despite the unpopularity of his policies (his personal popularity remains high), may be why St. Paul cautioned: “Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought.” (Romans 12:3). Pride is the first sin, which leads to all others.

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Utah man donates money to cover kids' school lunches

LAYTON, Utah – A Utah man who grew up eating free- and reduced-lunch at school has donated enough money to pay for more than 5,000 meals for kids with outstanding lunch balances due at schools in the district where he received his education.

Damon Burton now owns website development and marketing companies and was looking for ways to give back and decided to give $2,000 to the Davis School District, the Standard-Examiner newspaper in Ogden reported Sunday.

"I've experienced the big gap, so I understand the value in helping out because I was a direct recipient of that help in my younger years," he said.

Burton, 35, of Layton, said he thought of the idea and started making calls to schools about two months ago.

"It wasn't a strategic thing, it just evolved," he said.

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Md. Gov. Larry Hogan Sits Down with WJZ

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– From Baltimore’s new mayor Catherine Pugh to president-elect Donald Trump. Governor Larry Hogan talks about it all in a sit down interview with WJZ.

“There was never any tension on my part, I always reached out and tried to get along with the previous mayor, may have been tension along her part, but I get along great with this current mayor, we have a long standing relationship. We put more resources into Baltimore City than any other jurisdiction in the state, and we’re going to continue to fight hard to create more jobs in Baltimore,” said Hogan.

Hogan, who wasn’t shy about his lack of support for Donald Trump during the presidential election, says he looks forward to patching things up with the new administration.

“I think we’ll have an excellence relationship, we want this administration to be successful and I think we’ll work together very well,” he said.

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Today's Survey Question 12-21-16

What do you think is the #1 toy/gift 

kids want this year for Christmas?

Can You Feel It?

Cafeteria brawl breaks out at Central High School in PG County

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. - A brutal fight at a high school in Prince George’s County put three students in the hospital on Friday.

The lunch room brawl at Central High School was caught on camera and shows a large number of students attacking each other as three adults try to break it up.

A spokesperson for Prince George's County Public Schools said a group of African-American students assaulted a group of Hispanic students.

The principal is working with the school district's diversity officer to bring students together and "developing a plan of action that addresses students and parents' safety concerns and encourages students to celebrate cultural differences in the wake of this incident."

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December 21st - This Day in History

Did you know in this day in US History the following happened?

1620  The Pilgrims land at or near Plymouth Rock

1862 The US Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor to be awarded to Navy personnel who have distinguished themselves by their gallantry in action.

1945  General George S. Patton died in a car accident at 60 years old.

1986 500K Chinese Students gathered in Shanghai's People's Square calling for democratic reforms which included freedom of the press.

1988 Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, an hour after departure. All 259 passengers were killed in the explosion cause by a bomb hidden inside a cassette player, which detonated inside the cargo area when the plane was at a 31K feet altitude. A shower of airplane parts falling from the sky also killed 11 Lockerbie residents.

1995 The city of Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control.

2004 A suicide bomber attacks the forward operating base next to the US military airfield at Mosul, Iraq which killed 22 people. It is the deadliest suicide attack on US soldiers during the Iraq War

Learn some history today...

Source

James Woolsey: Russia Has Been Trying to Influence Western Elections for Decades

Former CIA Director James Woolsey discussed the allegations of Russian hacking in the 2016 election cycle with SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Monday’s Breitbart News Daily.

“In the first place, the Russians using propaganda, or various other means of that sort, have been on their neighbors and other countries’ cases now since at least the 1940s, and possibly going back into the 30s,” Woolsey pointed out.

“They call it dezinformatsiya, ‘disinformation,’ otherwise known as lying,” he explained. “Thousands of people are involved in producing fake newspapers, fake frontispieces for books, on and on and on. They go after the institutions that they believe can help hold the West together, and push the West towards its culture and history. They go after the Catholic Church. They go after Jews. They go after democratic political parties in Europe. They’ve been doing this for three-quarters of a century.”

“So hacking is not new; it’s just carried out with different mechanical devices than back in the 1930s. They’re never not causing trouble..

“It doesn’t mean that they’ve successfully tinkered with the voting process and gotten dead people on the rolls to vote, or that sort of thing,” he added.

For his part, Woolsey thought the incoming administration should “be friendly” with Russia but remain on guard at all times.

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High school students build tiny homes for flood victims

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Fifteen families who lost everything they owned to floodwaters were handed the keys to new, tiny homes Tuesday afternoon.

Through the "Big Hearts Give Tiny Homes" project, 15 homes were constructed by more than 2,000 students from 12 high schools across West Virginia.

All of the tiny homes were open to the public to tour at a special ceremony at the Airlift Wing of the West Virginia National Guard in Charleston.

Each tiny home is fully furnished with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and beds. They also come with heating units and washers and dryers.

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Report: Singer Bocelli Won't Perform at Inauguration Amid Backlash

Famed opera tenor Andrea Bocelli will not perform at President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration because of a bitter backlash, the New York Post reported Monday night.

"Bocelli said there was no way he'd take the gig . . . he was getting too much heat, and he said no," the Post reported, citing an unnamed source.

"It's sad people on the left kept him from performing on a historic day," that source told the newspaper.

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A Recent Fratelli's Experience

Took our son on his 21st birthday for a meal and a beer. He was refused service because he still has his vertical license. THIS IS NOT A LAW IN MARYLAND. The owner was the one who said no and was rather smug about it. This was a young man with his parents, not a kid looking to get drunk. We took our business elsewhere, and will continue to do so in the future.

Snowflakes Students Were Given Opportunity To BAN Christmas- One Guess What Happened Next?

Look for Honest Economic Reporting to Begin Again

2017 will prove to be a very interesting year. Oh sure, Trump’s first 100 days will be chock full of excitement, controversy and consternation. But we should also look forward to, or be prepared for reports from the left on a whole host of issues that have gone unreported or misreported for eight long years.

All of the sudden we should begin to see some honest reporting, now that they will no longer need to shield the public from the folly which has been the Obama presidency and the Obama economy.

Isn’t it funny that Janet Yellen and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) have decided now to begin raising interest rates. In the eight years of the booming Obama economic recovery, this is only the second interest hike. The first was a year ago, almost to the day, and that was the first since 2006. And one could easily argue that this last hike of 0.25% is barely on Obama’s watch, as it will have no effect on his presidency.

But they had no where else to go but up. Not that I’m a fan of rate hikes, but prior to last years pitiful 0.25% hike, the Fed’s interest rate had been at 0.0% for the previous seven years, when the FOMC knocked it down to zero in December 2008.

The Fiscal Times described the hike as fully expected, but added, “What wasn’t expected: the Fed’s increase in 2017 rate hike expectations to three quarter-point hikes vs. the two quarter-point hikes that were projected in September,” in an article entitled, “How the Fed’s Hawkishness Puts the Trump Rally at Risk.”

Wow – that’s weird. It’s almost as if the Fed was holding off on hikes until the Obama exit. Huh.

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Monster Granddaughter YELLS At Her Grandfather In Public- Disrespect In The HIGHEST Degree

An unfortunate granddad has learned that when it comes to grandchildren, maybe spoiling them to death is not the best way to go. Footage has appeared from an unidentified shopping mall of a ‘spoiled brat’ screaming and swearing at an elderly man assumed to be her Grandfather…all because she was late to her Apple iPhone appointment.

These two apparently have an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar to fix the brats beloved phone but waiting for food at the food court for this little jerk had made them late.

The green-haired youngster is visibly narcotic by the situation as she yells at her granddad:

‘I don’t want to wait in line for 20 f*****g minutes doing absolutely nothing when we’re supposed to be at our f*****g appointment.’

The older man shows an impressive amount of patience, and viewers are are left wondering if he’s just used to the abuse caused by the young girl’s violent language and lack of respect for her Grandfather.

She dramatically thrashes her arms around as her whining increases with, ‘I’ve been starving all f*****g day!’.

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SPD Press Release - (Bank Robbery UPDATE-2 Arrests) 12-21-16

New York Times Reporter: Don’t Forget, Electoral College ‘Steeped In The Idea Of Slavery’

New York Times reporter Yamiche Alcindor told “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd Sunday that the electoral college is “steeped in the idea of slavery.”

“I think about the history of the electoral college, and at least some of it, even though not all of it, is steeped in the idea of slavery and this idea of the South looking at people that look like me as three-fifths of a person,” she stated.

“I think if we are going to look at the electoral college, we should make sure we think about why it’s in place.”

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How Quickly They Forget

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I've Got Change For You

Debt

Pro-Gun Commercial That’s Sure to Make Gun Owners Smile!

American Dream Mall: Whose Dream Is It?

In 2003, the plan for mall then-known as Xanadu began for New Jersey's Meadowlands. After 13 years, five governors, and billions of dollars spent, the mall now known as American Dream Meadowlands plans to open in 2018. This video collaboration between Bloomberg Businessweek, WNYC, and NJ Spotlight explains the many roadblocks that have stood in its way. (Source: Bloomberg)

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