A new wave of vandalism targeting golf courses owned by President Donald Trump hit four courses in New York and New Jersey, resulting in the arrest of one suspect.
Bloomberg reports that the courses were defaced with disparaging comments:
“Four Trump Organization golf courses, including one at President Donald Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, residence, were vandalized with slogans critical of the administration etched into putting greens. Police have a suspect in custody.”
“Nine greens at Trump courses in Ferry Point, Hudson Valley, and Westchester -- all in New York -- and Bedminster were damaged in similar acts of vandalism, according to a person familiar with the incident. The Trump Organization said a suspect has been identified.”
More
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Friday, September 22, 2017
Ben Shapiro: Are We Seeing the End of the First Amendment?
Last week, I visited the University of California, Berkeley.
The preparations for the visit were patently insane. First, the school charged the sponsor group, Young America's Foundation, a $15,000 security fee. Then, the school blocked off the upper level of the auditorium, fearful that radicals from the violent far-left-leaning group antifa would infiltrate the speech and begin hurling objects from the balcony onto the crowd below. Finally, the school ended up spending some $600,000 on additional policing, including the creation of cement barriers and hiring of hundreds of armed police officers for a prospective riot.
All this so that I could deliver a speech about personal responsibility and individualism.
Good for Berkeley for doing its job. Bad for the students and outside agitators who made it necessary. Unfortunately, the bad actors are becoming more prominent and more popular. At The University of Utah, we're already hearing rumors of unrest. And, according to an astonishing new survey from Brookings Institution, such idiocy is set to multiply: A full 44 percent of students said that the First Amendment does not protect "hate speech"; a majority of students, 51 percent, said that they would be in favor of students shouting down a speaker "known for making offensive and hurtful statements"; Nineteen percent of students said the use of violence against controversial speakers would be acceptable.
This is full-scale fascism, and it's gaining ground.
More
The preparations for the visit were patently insane. First, the school charged the sponsor group, Young America's Foundation, a $15,000 security fee. Then, the school blocked off the upper level of the auditorium, fearful that radicals from the violent far-left-leaning group antifa would infiltrate the speech and begin hurling objects from the balcony onto the crowd below. Finally, the school ended up spending some $600,000 on additional policing, including the creation of cement barriers and hiring of hundreds of armed police officers for a prospective riot.
All this so that I could deliver a speech about personal responsibility and individualism.
Good for Berkeley for doing its job. Bad for the students and outside agitators who made it necessary. Unfortunately, the bad actors are becoming more prominent and more popular. At The University of Utah, we're already hearing rumors of unrest. And, according to an astonishing new survey from Brookings Institution, such idiocy is set to multiply: A full 44 percent of students said that the First Amendment does not protect "hate speech"; a majority of students, 51 percent, said that they would be in favor of students shouting down a speaker "known for making offensive and hurtful statements"; Nineteen percent of students said the use of violence against controversial speakers would be acceptable.
This is full-scale fascism, and it's gaining ground.
More
Md. Teachers Take Firearms Training In Response To Uptick In School Shootings
BALTIMORE (WJZ)– Some Maryland teachers who believe the answer to school shootings is to arm themselves, are taking a firearms training course in Ohio.
The Maryland teachers are among 1,000 educators from 12 states in a three-day firearms course in rural Ohio, called “Faster Saves Lives.”
Instructors test participants on taking down a gunman and treating wounds.
Maryland prohibits any person from carrying or possessing a firearm on public school property, but some Maryland teachers took the training anyway.
One elementary school principal says the course is preparation for protecting his students.
“When I walk down the halls I actually think about where I would go, how would I react,” he said.
Most teachers asked not to be identified. One middle school teacher at the course keeps her 9 millimeter handgun on her during class.
More/Video
The Maryland teachers are among 1,000 educators from 12 states in a three-day firearms course in rural Ohio, called “Faster Saves Lives.”
Instructors test participants on taking down a gunman and treating wounds.
Maryland prohibits any person from carrying or possessing a firearm on public school property, but some Maryland teachers took the training anyway.
One elementary school principal says the course is preparation for protecting his students.
“When I walk down the halls I actually think about where I would go, how would I react,” he said.
Most teachers asked not to be identified. One middle school teacher at the course keeps her 9 millimeter handgun on her during class.
More/Video
Child Molester Found with Head Chopped Off and Left on Judge’s Front Porch
William Smith, 28 from Dallas, Texas was found dead Tuesday morning at around 3:00 a.m. He had been picked up by Dallas Police for questioning due to allegations of child molestation by his girlfriends 8 year old daughter.
As an investigation was underway he had just been charged on Monday of two counts of child pornography and one count of child molestation.
As the judge set a bond of $30,000.00, William was able to bond out of jail and return home until his trial date. When the Judge went to bed at 9:00 Monday night everything was as usual.
More
As an investigation was underway he had just been charged on Monday of two counts of child pornography and one count of child molestation.
As the judge set a bond of $30,000.00, William was able to bond out of jail and return home until his trial date. When the Judge went to bed at 9:00 Monday night everything was as usual.
More
Hollywood Celebrity Launches Investigation Committee to Investigate Russia
Now, the director-actor-activist-professional whiner is getting into bed with David Frum and Obama-era officials to work on the dead story of Russian interference during the 2016 election. Yes, I’m sorry to say, people still believe that Russia took the election for Trump. If you’ve got deja vu all over again from the time of Al Gore going nuts over George Bush “stealing” his election then you know we’re in for a ride. Luckily, this time we have the internet and more right wing news outlets than ever so we can push back against the narrative.
More
YES! State Reinstates Work Requirements For Able-Bodied Food Stamp Recipients
As of 1 February, 2018, all able-bodied adults who do not have children or any other dependents will now be kicked off of SNAP unless they spend at least 20 hours every week being a productive member of society.
Just announced this week by Gov. Bill Haslam in Tennessee, these able-bodied adults must either work, volunteer in an approved program or take an approved training course in order to receive the benefits that are currently freely available to them. Back in 2008, getting rid of the work requirement was considered necessary by Gov. Haslam, who said that because of the recession, even people who were struggling to find work were unable to do so, but now that the economy is growing again, it is harder and harder to justify not reinstating that work requirement.
Now, almost ten years ago, “Tennessee is one of the top locations in the Southeast for high-quality jobs, and it’s now difficult to justify waiving the work requirement for adults without dependents who are able to work.”
More
Just announced this week by Gov. Bill Haslam in Tennessee, these able-bodied adults must either work, volunteer in an approved program or take an approved training course in order to receive the benefits that are currently freely available to them. Back in 2008, getting rid of the work requirement was considered necessary by Gov. Haslam, who said that because of the recession, even people who were struggling to find work were unable to do so, but now that the economy is growing again, it is harder and harder to justify not reinstating that work requirement.
Now, almost ten years ago, “Tennessee is one of the top locations in the Southeast for high-quality jobs, and it’s now difficult to justify waiving the work requirement for adults without dependents who are able to work.”
More
Academics Denounce Responsible Lifestyle as White Supremacist
The leftists running the education establishment are not well-meaning fools. They are evil fools, who understand right and wrong, and aggressively side with wrong. Their objective is to destroy everything good, decent, sane, and constructive, and to reduce America to a dysfunctional hellhole. Don’t believe me? Then explain this story:
Last month, two law professors published an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer calling for a revival of the “cultural script” that prevailed in the 1950s and still does among affluent Americans: “Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. . . . Eschew substance abuse and crime.” The weakening of these traditional norms has contributed to today’s low rates of workforce participation, lagging educational levels and widespread opioid abuse, the professors argued.
Who could argue with that? Liberals could — vehemently. Except that having no sane arguments, they don’t argue so much as crap in their hands and fling it.
The op-ed triggered an immediate uproar at the University of Pennsylvania, where one of its authors, Amy Wax, teaches. The dean of the Penn law school, Ted Ruger, published an op-ed in the student newspaper noting the “contemporaneous occurrence” of the op-ed and a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and suggesting that Ms. Wax’s views were “divisive, even noxious.” Half of Ms. Wax’s law-faculty colleagues signed an open letter denouncing her piece and calling on students to report any “bias or stereotype” they encounter “at Penn Law ” (e.g., in Ms. Wax’s classroom). Student and alumni petitions poured forth accusing Ms. Wax of white supremacy, misogyny and homophobia and demanding that she be banned from teaching first-year law classes.
Wax was subjected to the Two Minutes Hate. Her thought crime was to advocate hard work, self-discipline, and responsible behavior, which are now to be regarded as equivalent to the ultimate in wrongthink, white supremacism.
More
Last month, two law professors published an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer calling for a revival of the “cultural script” that prevailed in the 1950s and still does among affluent Americans: “Get married before you have children and strive to stay married for their sake. Get the education you need for gainful employment, work hard, and avoid idleness. . . . Eschew substance abuse and crime.” The weakening of these traditional norms has contributed to today’s low rates of workforce participation, lagging educational levels and widespread opioid abuse, the professors argued.
Who could argue with that? Liberals could — vehemently. Except that having no sane arguments, they don’t argue so much as crap in their hands and fling it.
The op-ed triggered an immediate uproar at the University of Pennsylvania, where one of its authors, Amy Wax, teaches. The dean of the Penn law school, Ted Ruger, published an op-ed in the student newspaper noting the “contemporaneous occurrence” of the op-ed and a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and suggesting that Ms. Wax’s views were “divisive, even noxious.” Half of Ms. Wax’s law-faculty colleagues signed an open letter denouncing her piece and calling on students to report any “bias or stereotype” they encounter “at Penn Law ” (e.g., in Ms. Wax’s classroom). Student and alumni petitions poured forth accusing Ms. Wax of white supremacy, misogyny and homophobia and demanding that she be banned from teaching first-year law classes.
Wax was subjected to the Two Minutes Hate. Her thought crime was to advocate hard work, self-discipline, and responsible behavior, which are now to be regarded as equivalent to the ultimate in wrongthink, white supremacism.
More
Obama's promises may not be enough this time for African-Americans
On the South Side of Chicago, people don't criticize Barack Obama — not in the open, at least.
In this predominantly African-American part of the city, where Obama charted his path to the White House and where his wife, Michelle, was born and raised, residents tend to speak of him with adoration and pride, like loyal subjects praising their king.
Now that Obama is about to build his presidential center in Woodlawn's Jackson Park, some residents are wary of his ability to transform neighborhoods without doing harm to longtime residents who could end up displaced by gentrification.
A nasty fight over a community benefits agreement with the Obama Foundation has exposed an unexpected rift between the former president and some of the South Side residents who helped lift him to prominence.
Not everyone on the South Side, it seems, thinks Obama did enough for black folks during his eight years as president. And as he prepares to build a presidential center that will pay tribute to his legacy, some South Siders are calling him out for what they consider broken promises.
Obama consistently has asked residents to trust that he will do right by them. The presidential center, he insists, will provide a wealth of opportunities specifically designed to meet the needs of Chicagoans who have long been overlooked.
But this time, according to one activist, there will be no "Amen, kiss the ring."
Obama opened the door to the backlash when he appeared on a video at the foundation's first public meeting last week and said flat-out that there would be no community benefits agreement..
More
In this predominantly African-American part of the city, where Obama charted his path to the White House and where his wife, Michelle, was born and raised, residents tend to speak of him with adoration and pride, like loyal subjects praising their king.
Now that Obama is about to build his presidential center in Woodlawn's Jackson Park, some residents are wary of his ability to transform neighborhoods without doing harm to longtime residents who could end up displaced by gentrification.
A nasty fight over a community benefits agreement with the Obama Foundation has exposed an unexpected rift between the former president and some of the South Side residents who helped lift him to prominence.
Not everyone on the South Side, it seems, thinks Obama did enough for black folks during his eight years as president. And as he prepares to build a presidential center that will pay tribute to his legacy, some South Siders are calling him out for what they consider broken promises.
Obama consistently has asked residents to trust that he will do right by them. The presidential center, he insists, will provide a wealth of opportunities specifically designed to meet the needs of Chicagoans who have long been overlooked.
But this time, according to one activist, there will be no "Amen, kiss the ring."
Obama opened the door to the backlash when he appeared on a video at the foundation's first public meeting last week and said flat-out that there would be no community benefits agreement..
More
Hillary Clinton Whitewater indictment case heads to court Friday
A federal appeals court will hear a case brought by Judicial Watch on Friday to make public draft indictments of Hillary Clinton from the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that files Freedom of Information Act requests, wants copies of the documents that the National Archives and Records Administration has declined to release. It filed a FOIA request for the documents in March 2015 and in October 2015 the group sued for the 238 pages of responsive records.
According to Judicial Watch: “The National Archives argues that the documents should be kept secret, citing grand jury secrecy and Clinton’s personal privacy.”
But Judicial Watch says that because so much about the Whitewater case has already been made public, “there is no secrecy or privacy left to protect.”
More
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group that files Freedom of Information Act requests, wants copies of the documents that the National Archives and Records Administration has declined to release. It filed a FOIA request for the documents in March 2015 and in October 2015 the group sued for the 238 pages of responsive records.
According to Judicial Watch: “The National Archives argues that the documents should be kept secret, citing grand jury secrecy and Clinton’s personal privacy.”
But Judicial Watch says that because so much about the Whitewater case has already been made public, “there is no secrecy or privacy left to protect.”
More
Monsanto’s New Weed Killer, Dicamba, Divides Farmers
Farmers planted a new kind of seed on 25 million acres of soybean and cotton fields this year. Developed by Monsanto, the seeds, genetically modified to be resistant to a weed killer called dicamba, are one of the biggest product releases in the company’s history.
But the seeds and the weed killer have turned some farmers — often customers of Monsanto, which sells both — against the company and alarmed regulators.
Farmers who have not bought the expensive new seeds, which started to appear last year, are joining lawsuits, claiming that their crops have been damaged by dicamba that drifted onto their farms. Arkansas announced a120-day ban of the weed killer this summer, and it is considering barring its use next year after mid-April. Missouri briefly barred its sale in July. And the Environmental Protection Agency, not known for its aggressiveness under President Trump, is weighing its own action.
“I’m a fan of Monsanto. I’ve bought a lot of their products,” said Brad Williams, a Missouri farmer. “I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that there would be some kind of evil nefarious plot to put a defective product out there intentionally.”
More
But the seeds and the weed killer have turned some farmers — often customers of Monsanto, which sells both — against the company and alarmed regulators.
Farmers who have not bought the expensive new seeds, which started to appear last year, are joining lawsuits, claiming that their crops have been damaged by dicamba that drifted onto their farms. Arkansas announced a120-day ban of the weed killer this summer, and it is considering barring its use next year after mid-April. Missouri briefly barred its sale in July. And the Environmental Protection Agency, not known for its aggressiveness under President Trump, is weighing its own action.
“I’m a fan of Monsanto. I’ve bought a lot of their products,” said Brad Williams, a Missouri farmer. “I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that there would be some kind of evil nefarious plot to put a defective product out there intentionally.”
More
Never Forget: The US Government Has A Known History Of Using False Flags
When it comes to 9/11, there are two groups of people: those who don’t know exactly what happened, and those who orchestrated it.
Nearly everyone on earth belongs in the former category, but a lot of folks like to pretend they have a rock solid understanding of the events which transpired on that fateful day in 2001. Scoffing mainstream adherents like to pretend they’re confident that the official narrative is accurate, but they aren’t. A lot of hardcore conspiracy analysts like to pretend they know the real story, but they don’t. There’s simply not enough publicly available information for anyone to be certain exactly how things went down that day; all we can know for sure is that (A) the official story is riddled with plot holes, and (B) the American power establishment has an extensive and well-documented history of using false flags and propaganda to manipulate the public into supporting evil acts of military interventionism.
If you think you know for a fact that the official story of what happened on September 11, 2001 is the true account and that all conspiracy theories have been “debunked”, you are ignorant.
If you think you know the precise details of how what really happened differs from the official story, you’ve spent way too much time diving down conspiracy theory rabbit holes and should probably ease off the weed. There’s no need to get all defensive and go bedding yourself down to one hard doctrine of certainty when the US power establishment has already discredited itself so thoroughly. It’s unnecessary to plunge deep into theory when these people’s track record is so firmly established in fact.
Here are just a few of the times the US government is known to have distorted the reality of events in order to manufacture public support for military intervention, which is per definition what a false flag is:
The False Nayirah Testimony
Nearly everyone on earth belongs in the former category, but a lot of folks like to pretend they have a rock solid understanding of the events which transpired on that fateful day in 2001. Scoffing mainstream adherents like to pretend they’re confident that the official narrative is accurate, but they aren’t. A lot of hardcore conspiracy analysts like to pretend they know the real story, but they don’t. There’s simply not enough publicly available information for anyone to be certain exactly how things went down that day; all we can know for sure is that (A) the official story is riddled with plot holes, and (B) the American power establishment has an extensive and well-documented history of using false flags and propaganda to manipulate the public into supporting evil acts of military interventionism.
If you think you know for a fact that the official story of what happened on September 11, 2001 is the true account and that all conspiracy theories have been “debunked”, you are ignorant.
If you think you know the precise details of how what really happened differs from the official story, you’ve spent way too much time diving down conspiracy theory rabbit holes and should probably ease off the weed. There’s no need to get all defensive and go bedding yourself down to one hard doctrine of certainty when the US power establishment has already discredited itself so thoroughly. It’s unnecessary to plunge deep into theory when these people’s track record is so firmly established in fact.
Here are just a few of the times the US government is known to have distorted the reality of events in order to manufacture public support for military intervention, which is per definition what a false flag is:
The False Nayirah Testimony
Swamp Co-Opts Trump to Campaign for Luther Strange to Protect GOP Establishment from Breitbart-Backed Grassroots Challengers
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his gang of establishment Republicans implored President Donald Trump to campaign for establishment Republican Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) against conservative frontrunner Roy Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, because they reportedly are terrified that more grassroots candidates across the country will challenge establishment Republicans if Moore defeats Strange on Tuesday.
Moore has led in every poll leading up to Tuesday’s runoff in what has been described as the “first proxy battle” between Trump and his former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who has vowed to support the economic nationalist agenda that got Trump elected in the first place.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka will campaign for Moore on Thursday. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will campaign for Strange on Friday and Monday, respectively.
More
Moore has led in every poll leading up to Tuesday’s runoff in what has been described as the “first proxy battle” between Trump and his former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who has vowed to support the economic nationalist agenda that got Trump elected in the first place.
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka will campaign for Moore on Thursday. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will campaign for Strange on Friday and Monday, respectively.
More
CA Governor, Jerry Brown Tells UN- ‘America Is Not Run By Donald Trump’
If you can remember back to when the charlatan idiot, otherwise known as California Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown claimed that Donald Trump’s voters were nothing more than “cave dwellers,” you would be reminded of just how much of progressive scumbag he is. Now it would seem that he is out of his mind, urgently attempting to convince the corrupt, U.S.A.-hating United Nations that PRESIDENT Donald Trump, doesn’t run America…
During a UN round-table meeting that I’m sure cost taxpayers a butt-load of their money, and did absolutely nothing – The ‘Moonbeam’ idiot governor made the claim that no matter what, he would continue to push his climate change agenda in his state, and also the world whenever he could.
“America is not run by Donald Trump. Even California is not run by Jerry Brown. We are a country of diverse power centers and mobilizing those power centers that are not controlled by the president is still a very worthwhile goal and very powerful.”
More
During a UN round-table meeting that I’m sure cost taxpayers a butt-load of their money, and did absolutely nothing – The ‘Moonbeam’ idiot governor made the claim that no matter what, he would continue to push his climate change agenda in his state, and also the world whenever he could.
“America is not run by Donald Trump. Even California is not run by Jerry Brown. We are a country of diverse power centers and mobilizing those power centers that are not controlled by the president is still a very worthwhile goal and very powerful.”
More
Oklahoma City Police Fatally Shoot Deaf Man Despite Yells Of 'He Can't Hear You'
Police in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night fatally shot a deaf man who they say was advancing toward them with a metal pipe as witnesses yelled that the man was deaf and could not hear them.
It's the fifth officer-involved shooting in the city this year, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Officers were responding to a hit-and-run accident around 8:15 p.m., Capt. Bo Mathews, the police department's public information officer, told reporters Wednesday. A witness of the accident told police a vehicle involved went to a nearby address.
More
It's the fifth officer-involved shooting in the city this year, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Officers were responding to a hit-and-run accident around 8:15 p.m., Capt. Bo Mathews, the police department's public information officer, told reporters Wednesday. A witness of the accident told police a vehicle involved went to a nearby address.
More
After Long Fight, Some Farmers Get Relief From High Property Taxes
NEW BAVARIA, Ohio — Tony Giesige proudly points to the corn and beans growing on the northwest Ohio land that has been in his family for three generations. He shows off his tax bills too, but those are a source of pain rather than pride.
Giesige’s agricultural property tax bill was $311 in 2005. By 2011 it was up to $1,731. And by 2014 it had reached $3,871, while at the same time, crop prices declined. “The way it was all factored in, the last two years the prices have gone down quite a bit and the taxes are still there,” he said, holding a sheaf of bills with calculations written in pencil in the margins.
His total tax bill for fiscal 2017 was $11,815, he said, including 180 acres of lush green and gold fields of corn and soybeans, and his modest home. The taxes on the house, $711 this year, have actually declined, because Giesige, 68, is now eligible for a senior citizens’ homestead tax exemption.
More
Giesige’s agricultural property tax bill was $311 in 2005. By 2011 it was up to $1,731. And by 2014 it had reached $3,871, while at the same time, crop prices declined. “The way it was all factored in, the last two years the prices have gone down quite a bit and the taxes are still there,” he said, holding a sheaf of bills with calculations written in pencil in the margins.
His total tax bill for fiscal 2017 was $11,815, he said, including 180 acres of lush green and gold fields of corn and soybeans, and his modest home. The taxes on the house, $711 this year, have actually declined, because Giesige, 68, is now eligible for a senior citizens’ homestead tax exemption.
More
Survey: 44% of College Students Say Hate Speech Not Protected in First Amendment
Villasenor noted that the survey was vital because students are "de facto arbiters of free expression on campus … if a significant percentage of students believe that views they find offensive should be silenced, those views will in fact be silenced."
Most students in the poll believe incorrectly that hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment. Villasenor said hate speech is "odious" but protected as long as it does not violate exceptions such as speech that incites violence or contains "true threats."
44 percent say it is not protected.
39 percent believe it is protected.
16 percent said they did not know.
Another question examined the tolerance for controversial speakers at public universities, and whether disruption of their speeches was acceptable.
More
Most students in the poll believe incorrectly that hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment. Villasenor said hate speech is "odious" but protected as long as it does not violate exceptions such as speech that incites violence or contains "true threats."
44 percent say it is not protected.
39 percent believe it is protected.
16 percent said they did not know.
Another question examined the tolerance for controversial speakers at public universities, and whether disruption of their speeches was acceptable.
More
Former Head of VA Hospital in Nation's Capital Fired Again
The former director of the veterans hospital in the nation's capital has once again been fired.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it's fired Brian Hawkins — citing audits that found mismanagement at the facility.
VA Secretary David Shulkin says he used new firing authority under an accountability law signed by President Donald Trump.
More
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it's fired Brian Hawkins — citing audits that found mismanagement at the facility.
VA Secretary David Shulkin says he used new firing authority under an accountability law signed by President Donald Trump.
More
Breaking News: Senator John McCain said he wouldn't vote for the Obamacare repeal bill, joining two other Republicans and appearing to end the bill's chances
| Mr. McCain, who killed the previous repeal effort with his dramatic “no” vote in July, released a statement saying he would not support the latest proposal, by Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is Mr. McCain’s closest friend in the Senate. |
| Read More » |
North Korea Says Sanctions Threaten Survival of Its Children
North Korea told a U.N. rights panel that international sanctions imposed on it over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs would endanger the survival of North Korean children.
Han Tae Song, Pyongyang's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, was speaking at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child late on Wednesday.
The panel of independent experts challenged North Korean officials over allegations of forced child labour, sexual abuse and trafficking in North Korea, Pyongyang's health and education budget, and Internet access for children.
More
Han Tae Song, Pyongyang's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, was speaking at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child late on Wednesday.
The panel of independent experts challenged North Korean officials over allegations of forced child labour, sexual abuse and trafficking in North Korea, Pyongyang's health and education budget, and Internet access for children.
More
Why Amazon's Tax Bill is puny compared to Rivals
Amazon (AMZN) may be one of the largest corporate giants in the U.S., but its tax bill pales in comparison to some of the other top Fortune 500 companies, a new analysis shows.
Despite having a market cap of more than $470 billion and ranking 12 on the Fortune 500 list Opens a New Window., the e-commerce company has only paid $1.4 billion in corporate income tax since 2008, according to Clinical Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business Scott Galloway – and as reported byBloomberg Opens a New Window.. Comparatively, over the same time period, Walmart (WMT) paid $64 billion.
The reason Amazon has such a low corporate income tax bill is because its registered profit is small when compared with the companies that are paying higher rates: Since 2008, the e-commerce company’s pretax income has totaled just $11 billion, compared to Walmart’s $209 billion, according to Bloomberg’s analysis.
More
Despite having a market cap of more than $470 billion and ranking 12 on the Fortune 500 list Opens a New Window., the e-commerce company has only paid $1.4 billion in corporate income tax since 2008, according to Clinical Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business Scott Galloway – and as reported byBloomberg Opens a New Window.. Comparatively, over the same time period, Walmart (WMT) paid $64 billion.
The reason Amazon has such a low corporate income tax bill is because its registered profit is small when compared with the companies that are paying higher rates: Since 2008, the e-commerce company’s pretax income has totaled just $11 billion, compared to Walmart’s $209 billion, according to Bloomberg’s analysis.
More
Study Shows Student Debt Delays Home Buying by 7 Years
The Student Loan Debt and Housing Report 2017 by the National Association of Realtors and the nonprofit group American Student Assistance shows the obvious: Student debt delays household formation, home buying, and saving.
The U.S. currently has a student debt load of $1.4 trillion, which accounts for 10 percent of all outstanding debt and 35 percent of non-housing debt. The magnitude of the debt continues to grow in size and share of the overall debt in the economy. While this amount of debt has risen, the homeownership rate has fallen, and fallen more steeply among younger generations.
Student loan debt impacts other life decisions including employment, the state the debt holder lives in, life choices such as continuing education, starting a family, and retirement.
Twenty-two percent were delayed by at least two years in moving out of a family member’s home after college due to their student loans.
Among non-homeowners, 83 percent cite student loan debt as the factor delaying them from buying a home. This is most frequently the case due to the fact that the borrowers cannot save for a downpayment because of their student debt. Among homeowners, 28 percent say student debt is impacting the ability to sell their existing home and move to a different home. The delay in buying a home among non-homeowners is seven years and three years for homeowners.
More
Pennsylvania judge admits stealing from his court office
A Pennsylvania district judge has pleaded guilty to charges of stealing money from his court office and from a fire department where he served as treasurer.
Berks County Magisterial District Judge Timothy Dougherty pleaded guilty Wednesday to theft by unlawful taking and misapplication of trusted property.
Other theft counts and charges of conflict of interest and receiving stolen property were dismissed.
Prosecutors say the judge stole more than $15,000 from his court office in West Reading, which collects fines and court costs.
They say he also stole nearly $98,000 from the Wyomissing Volunteer Fire Company, where he served as treasurer.
Authorities say none of the money stolen from the fire organization, which came mostly from donations, has been recovered.
More
Berks County Magisterial District Judge Timothy Dougherty pleaded guilty Wednesday to theft by unlawful taking and misapplication of trusted property.
Other theft counts and charges of conflict of interest and receiving stolen property were dismissed.
Prosecutors say the judge stole more than $15,000 from his court office in West Reading, which collects fines and court costs.
They say he also stole nearly $98,000 from the Wyomissing Volunteer Fire Company, where he served as treasurer.
Authorities say none of the money stolen from the fire organization, which came mostly from donations, has been recovered.
More
Law Firm Backing Luther Strange Set Up Sweetheart Deal for Bob Corker in Alabama Retail Development
A partner in the Alabama law firm whose members and political action committee donated $28,000 to the 2017 Senate campaign of Senator Luther Strange (R-AL) represented a real estate development company in which Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) has a 13 percent interest in a sweetheart deal that put over $100,000 of sales tax revenue paid by customers at the McGowin Park retail center in Mobile, Alabama in the pocket of the junior senator from Tennessee in 2016.
This revelation comes just days before President Donald Trump is set to campaign for Strange in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday night–and the White House is distancing itself and the president from this real estate deal. Many media reports note that it was Corker–in a meeting with the president last Friday–who finally convinced the president to campaign for Strange ahead of the September 26 GOP primary runoff for the U.S. Senate. Corker, of course, is facing his own primary battle in Tennessee next year, something intricately connected to the goings-on in Alabama’s race politically and financially.
“It’s absurd to say that the President is responsible for actions of others,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Breitbart News in an email on Tuesday when asked if Senator Corker informed President Trump about his sweetheart investment in the Mobile, Alabama retail development when the two met in person at the White House on Friday.
More
This revelation comes just days before President Donald Trump is set to campaign for Strange in Huntsville, Alabama, on Friday night–and the White House is distancing itself and the president from this real estate deal. Many media reports note that it was Corker–in a meeting with the president last Friday–who finally convinced the president to campaign for Strange ahead of the September 26 GOP primary runoff for the U.S. Senate. Corker, of course, is facing his own primary battle in Tennessee next year, something intricately connected to the goings-on in Alabama’s race politically and financially.
“It’s absurd to say that the President is responsible for actions of others,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Breitbart News in an email on Tuesday when asked if Senator Corker informed President Trump about his sweetheart investment in the Mobile, Alabama retail development when the two met in person at the White House on Friday.
More
Monumental Ignorance — Dumbing Down America
In 2015, CNN published an analytical assessment by Dr. Stuart Manning, chairman of Cornell University’s Department of Classics. Manning’s report condemned Islamo-Fascists for destroying historic monuments in Iraq in order that history not impede its political objectives.
In that report, Manning noted, “Confucius said, ‘Study the past if you would define the future.’ ISIS, like so many iconoclastic extremist groups through history, seeks to destroy the record of the past. … The spectacle would be ridiculous and pathetic if it were not so tragic. [These acts of destruction] are brutal assaults on our collective human memory [and] dishonest and hypocritical.” Manning concludes, “Providing educational opportunities and empowering communities to learn more about their cultures and histories, and those of others, is one of the best ways to eradicate destructive hatred and violence.”
While the recorded history of Mesopotamia long predates the recorded history of North America, archeologists and historians have pieced together some of the inhabitant record of this continent over the last 1,000 years. Of course, we have very detailed history records of the continent since its colonization by Europeans, and those records are even more detailed since the founding of our nation.
Our nation’s relatively brief 241-year history is rich in both glory and tragedy, a mosaic of events that sprang from the spark of American Liberty in 1776 and have resulted in the most exceptional expression of republican government in world history.
But in recent months, there has been an aggressive campaign by a consortium of groups comprising the so-called “antifa movement” — self-proclaimed “anti-fascist” fascists in collusion with the Democrat Party — to eradicate important chapters of our nation’s history.
More
In that report, Manning noted, “Confucius said, ‘Study the past if you would define the future.’ ISIS, like so many iconoclastic extremist groups through history, seeks to destroy the record of the past. … The spectacle would be ridiculous and pathetic if it were not so tragic. [These acts of destruction] are brutal assaults on our collective human memory [and] dishonest and hypocritical.” Manning concludes, “Providing educational opportunities and empowering communities to learn more about their cultures and histories, and those of others, is one of the best ways to eradicate destructive hatred and violence.”
While the recorded history of Mesopotamia long predates the recorded history of North America, archeologists and historians have pieced together some of the inhabitant record of this continent over the last 1,000 years. Of course, we have very detailed history records of the continent since its colonization by Europeans, and those records are even more detailed since the founding of our nation.
Our nation’s relatively brief 241-year history is rich in both glory and tragedy, a mosaic of events that sprang from the spark of American Liberty in 1776 and have resulted in the most exceptional expression of republican government in world history.
But in recent months, there has been an aggressive campaign by a consortium of groups comprising the so-called “antifa movement” — self-proclaimed “anti-fascist” fascists in collusion with the Democrat Party — to eradicate important chapters of our nation’s history.
More
Mississippi teacher suspended for racist Facebook post
A Mississippi teacher has been suspended after a racist comment appeared on her Facebook page, but she claims that her account was hacked.
Cammie Rone, a second grade teacher at Batesville Intermediate School was placed on administrative leave Monday after a comment appeared on her Facebook page that urged unhappy black people to 'pack up and move back to Africa,' the Clarion Ledger reports.
'If blacks in this country are so offended no one is forcing them to stay here,' A screenshot of the message, obtained by Fox13 in Memphis read.
'Why don't they pack up and move back to Africa where they will have to work for a living. I am sure our government will will pay for it! We pay for everything else.'
But the teacher denied posting the statement and wrote on Facebook on Monday that her account was hacked.
'I think I have been hacked,' the post read. 'I keep getting messages about racist posts but when I go to my page I can't see it. Someone screenshoted (sic) and sent me. If anyone knows me I post about cows recipes and home improvements stuff not racism. Please know I have not posted or made any kind of ractist (sic) comments.'
More
Cammie Rone, a second grade teacher at Batesville Intermediate School was placed on administrative leave Monday after a comment appeared on her Facebook page that urged unhappy black people to 'pack up and move back to Africa,' the Clarion Ledger reports.
'If blacks in this country are so offended no one is forcing them to stay here,' A screenshot of the message, obtained by Fox13 in Memphis read.
'Why don't they pack up and move back to Africa where they will have to work for a living. I am sure our government will will pay for it! We pay for everything else.'
But the teacher denied posting the statement and wrote on Facebook on Monday that her account was hacked.
'I think I have been hacked,' the post read. 'I keep getting messages about racist posts but when I go to my page I can't see it. Someone screenshoted (sic) and sent me. If anyone knows me I post about cows recipes and home improvements stuff not racism. Please know I have not posted or made any kind of ractist (sic) comments.'
More
Two teens 'raped a girl for hours' after kidnapping her
Two teenagers have been charged with kidnapping and raping a classmate in a horrifying attack allegedly orchestrated by the victim's 13-year-old classmate.
El Salvadorian illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Gonzalez-Guttierres, 19, and Edgar Natanal Chicas-Hernandez, 17, were arrested after the victim told police she was grabbed while walking home from school on September 2, taken to an apartment and sexually assaulted.
She told the cops the pair were classmates who were classmates who claimed they were acting on orders from the younger female acquaintance, according to the Frederick-News-Post.
Court documents don't identify the female acquaintance, who repeatedly denied involvement.
Police say she is still at large.
More
El Salvadorian illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Gonzalez-Guttierres, 19, and Edgar Natanal Chicas-Hernandez, 17, were arrested after the victim told police she was grabbed while walking home from school on September 2, taken to an apartment and sexually assaulted.
She told the cops the pair were classmates who were classmates who claimed they were acting on orders from the younger female acquaintance, according to the Frederick-News-Post.
Court documents don't identify the female acquaintance, who repeatedly denied involvement.
Police say she is still at large.
More
No, WaPo, We SHOULD Continue to Call Hurricanes 'Natural Disasters'
Nope, nothing like that, but he still thinks we shouldn't call these storms "natural":
As the United States struggles to recover from two back-to-back hurricanes, it would be wise to reflect on why we keep having such calamities and whether they are likely to get worse.
We must first recognize the phrase “natural disaster” for what it is: a sham we hide behind to avoid our own culpability. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and wildfires are part of nature, and the natural world has long ago adapted to them. Disasters occur when we move to risky places and build inadequate infrastructure.
In the United States, we have in place a range of policies that all but guarantees a worsening string of Katrinas, Sandys, Harveys and Irmas as far as we can see into the future. Climate change acts as a threat-multiplier to these policy-generated disasters, making them progressively worse than they would have been in a stable climate.
More
Equifax customer service has been directing victims to a fake phishing site
Earlier this month, hackers broke into Equifax's servers and stole 143 million people's personal information, including their Social Security numbers. In response to the attack, Equifax set up a website — www.equifaxsecurity2017.com — for possible victims to verify whether they're affected. Because the process involves sharing sensitive information, consumers have to trust they're entering their data in the right place, which can be tricky because the breach-recovery site itself isn’t part of equifax.com. If users end up on the wrong site, they could end up leaking the data they're already concerned was stolen.
Today, Equifax ended up creating that exact situation on Twitter. In a tweet to a potential victim, the credit bureau linked to securityequifax2017.com, instead of equifaxsecurity2017.com. It was an easy mistake to make, but the result sent the user to a site with no connection to Equifax itself. Equifax deleted the tweet shortly after this article was published, but it remained live for nearly 24 hours.
More here
Today, Equifax ended up creating that exact situation on Twitter. In a tweet to a potential victim, the credit bureau linked to securityequifax2017.com, instead of equifaxsecurity2017.com. It was an easy mistake to make, but the result sent the user to a site with no connection to Equifax itself. Equifax deleted the tweet shortly after this article was published, but it remained live for nearly 24 hours.
More here
Air Force Runs Low on Bombs as Congress Fights Over Budget
The U.S. Air Force's weapons stockpile is getting low on bombs and missiles, so its leading civilian official is asking Congress to agree on new defense spending, Fox Business reported.
The ongoing airstrikes in the Middle East, with roughly 100 precision weapons dropped each day in Iraq and Syria, are straining the military's supply, and until Congress can agree on a budget, the Pentagon cannot increase production, according to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.
"We have a continuing resolution and budget uncertainty impacts our ability to work with industry and give them certainty on the amount that we're going to buy and ramping that up where we can," Wilson said Wednesday, at a conference sponsored by the Air Force Association in the suburbs of Washington, according to Defense One.
"We have been engaged with industry directly probably at least four or five months ago, starting at the very senior level with our logistics and munitions people to see how we can expand the production capacity of precision weapons. The most important thing that we have to do now is get a budget."
More
The ongoing airstrikes in the Middle East, with roughly 100 precision weapons dropped each day in Iraq and Syria, are straining the military's supply, and until Congress can agree on a budget, the Pentagon cannot increase production, according to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson.
"We have a continuing resolution and budget uncertainty impacts our ability to work with industry and give them certainty on the amount that we're going to buy and ramping that up where we can," Wilson said Wednesday, at a conference sponsored by the Air Force Association in the suburbs of Washington, according to Defense One.
"We have been engaged with industry directly probably at least four or five months ago, starting at the very senior level with our logistics and munitions people to see how we can expand the production capacity of precision weapons. The most important thing that we have to do now is get a budget."
More
"Extraordinary & Worrisome" - WSJ Demands To Know How FBI 'Meddled' In 2016 Elections
Congress needs to learn how the FBI meddled in the 2016 campaign.
When Donald Trump claimed in March that he’d had his “wires tapped” prior to the election, the press and Obama officials dismissed the accusation as a fantasy. We were among the skeptics, but with former director James Comey’s politicized FBI the story is getting more complicated.
CNN reported Monday that the FBI obtained a warrant last year to eavesdrop on Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager from May to August in 2016. The story claims the FBI first wiretapped Mr. Manafort in 2014 while investigating his work as a lobbyist for Ukraine’s ruling party. That warrant lapsed, but the FBI convinced the court that administers the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to issue a second order as part of its probe into Russian meddling in the election.
More
When Donald Trump claimed in March that he’d had his “wires tapped” prior to the election, the press and Obama officials dismissed the accusation as a fantasy. We were among the skeptics, but with former director James Comey’s politicized FBI the story is getting more complicated.
CNN reported Monday that the FBI obtained a warrant last year to eavesdrop on Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager from May to August in 2016. The story claims the FBI first wiretapped Mr. Manafort in 2014 while investigating his work as a lobbyist for Ukraine’s ruling party. That warrant lapsed, but the FBI convinced the court that administers the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to issue a second order as part of its probe into Russian meddling in the election.
More
Md. offers $5K incentive to new corrections officers
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services is offering new correctional officers $5,000 to join the department.
Secretary Stephen T. Moyer will announce the incentives program on Thursday in the Jail Industries building.
Recruits will receive $2,000 for completing officer training academy, and an additional $3,000 after completing a one-year probationary period.
The department already offers $500 to officers who refer successful candidates.
More
Secretary Stephen T. Moyer will announce the incentives program on Thursday in the Jail Industries building.
Recruits will receive $2,000 for completing officer training academy, and an additional $3,000 after completing a one-year probationary period.
The department already offers $500 to officers who refer successful candidates.
More
JUDICIAL WATCH: Trump admin fighting FOR Hillary secrecy
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department will defend against efforts to unseal a draft Whitewater indictment against “Crooked Hillary,” despite repeated promises to “lock her up” on the campaign trail.
“Push to unseal the draft Whitewater indictment against Hillary Clinton gets court date,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton tweeted on Wednesday.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Archives and Records Administration in 2015 for the draft indictments of Hillary Clinton from the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s, and later sued for the records when the government refused to release them, McClatchy DC reports.
According to Judicial Watch:
The draft indictments relate to allegations that Clinton provided false information and withheld evidence from federal investigators to conceal her involvement with the defunct Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan, the collapse of which lead to multiple criminal convictions. Clinton provided legal representation to Madison Guaranty as an attorney at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas. Clinton’s Rose Law Firm billing records, long sought by prosecutors, were found in the private quarters of the White House shortly after an important statute of limitations had expired.
The National Archives argues that the documents should be kept secret, citing grand jury secrecy and Clinton’s personal privacy.
More details here
“Push to unseal the draft Whitewater indictment against Hillary Clinton gets court date,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton tweeted on Wednesday.
Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the National Archives and Records Administration in 2015 for the draft indictments of Hillary Clinton from the Whitewater scandal in the 1990s, and later sued for the records when the government refused to release them, McClatchy DC reports.
According to Judicial Watch:
The draft indictments relate to allegations that Clinton provided false information and withheld evidence from federal investigators to conceal her involvement with the defunct Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan, the collapse of which lead to multiple criminal convictions. Clinton provided legal representation to Madison Guaranty as an attorney at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas. Clinton’s Rose Law Firm billing records, long sought by prosecutors, were found in the private quarters of the White House shortly after an important statute of limitations had expired.
The National Archives argues that the documents should be kept secret, citing grand jury secrecy and Clinton’s personal privacy.
More details here
Health Department’s Hurdle Building Closed Due to Lack of Water
(September 22, 2017 Salisbury, MD) The Wicomico County Health Department’s Hurdle Building at 108 E. Main St., Salisbury, MD, will close at 10:30 a.m. for the remainder of the day due to the lack of water. Appointments scheduled for today will be rescheduled. It is estimated that water will be restored sometime today and that appointments scheduled for September 25th will be kept. If you have any questions or concerns about appointments for today or tomorrow, please call 410-749-1244.
Honesty makes you happier, studies show
Lying is bad for your health - whether it's well-meaning or not, studies show.
People are more likely to tell white lies, or 'prosocial lies', to those they care about to avoid hurting their feelings, researchers have found.
But no matter what the reason, results showed lying is almost always damaging to someone's physical and mental health.
The study by researchers at the University of San Diego Emotion Lab builds on previous research from 2012, which showed honesty also makes us happy.
More
People are more likely to tell white lies, or 'prosocial lies', to those they care about to avoid hurting their feelings, researchers have found.
But no matter what the reason, results showed lying is almost always damaging to someone's physical and mental health.
The study by researchers at the University of San Diego Emotion Lab builds on previous research from 2012, which showed honesty also makes us happy.
More
McCarthy: Something fishy about Obama officials’ Manafort wiretapping denials
'They were saying they never targeted Trump himself for surveillance'
After months of current and former federal officials insisting there was no merit to allegations the government conducted surveillance on Donald Trump or his campaign during the 2016 cycle, there are now reports that former campaign manager Paul Manafort was being wiretapped.
After Trump tweeted his frustration at the Obama administration for green-lighting the alleged wiretapping, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper rejected the assertion.
“For the part of the national security apparatus that I oversaw as DNI, there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect as a candidate or against his campaign,” said Clapper on NBC’s “Meet the Press” back in March.
But CNN’s revelation that the government did procure a FISA warrant against Manafort and conduct surveillance on him in 2016 and 2017 brings such denials under the spotlight once again. Most importantly, did they lie?
Former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy told WND and Radio America the way Clapper and others carefully worded their denials earlier this year probably leaves them some wiggle room.
More
After months of current and former federal officials insisting there was no merit to allegations the government conducted surveillance on Donald Trump or his campaign during the 2016 cycle, there are now reports that former campaign manager Paul Manafort was being wiretapped.
After Trump tweeted his frustration at the Obama administration for green-lighting the alleged wiretapping, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper rejected the assertion.
“For the part of the national security apparatus that I oversaw as DNI, there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect as a candidate or against his campaign,” said Clapper on NBC’s “Meet the Press” back in March.
But CNN’s revelation that the government did procure a FISA warrant against Manafort and conduct surveillance on him in 2016 and 2017 brings such denials under the spotlight once again. Most importantly, did they lie?
Former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy told WND and Radio America the way Clapper and others carefully worded their denials earlier this year probably leaves them some wiggle room.
More
U.S. Forces Korea: Evacuation message is fake
On Thursday, U.S. Forces Korea received reports of fake text and social media messages instructing Defense Department civilians to evacuate the Korean Peninsula.
The U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys Facebook page posted a screenshot of the text message that says it’s a “USFK Official Alert” and a real-world non-combatant evacuation operation order. The message is aimed at Defense Department family members and non-emergency essential DOD civilians on the peninsula.
More/Video
The U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys Facebook page posted a screenshot of the text message that says it’s a “USFK Official Alert” and a real-world non-combatant evacuation operation order. The message is aimed at Defense Department family members and non-emergency essential DOD civilians on the peninsula.
More/Video
How Bernie Sanders helped revive the GOP's Obamacare overhaul efforts
The top sponsor of a Republican bill to overhaul Obamacare is crediting Sen. Bernie Sanders' latest push for socialized healthcare for the momentum the GOP legislation is gaining.
"It was the gift from the political gods," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Tuesday when asked about Sanders' impact on his legislation. Graham is one of four co-sponsors of the new overhaul bill that would give Obamacare funding to states through block grants and eliminate the individual and employer mandates.
Sanders announced his Medicare for All bill, which would create a government-run healthcare program, on the same day that Graham and three other Republicans released their last shot at dismantling Obamacare.
Sanders drew the support of 16 Democrats, including several 2020 presidential hopefuls. It was the most support the Vermont independent has received for his socialized healthcare plan since he has been in the Senate.
Graham called the Obamacare overhaul bill announced last Wednesday "Bernie Sanders' worst nightmare." He has repeatedly sought to draw contrasts between the Sanders bill, which has no chance of passing Congress, and the new overhaul bill.
"Here is the choice for America: socialism or federalism when it comes to your healthcare," Graham said during a Monday press conference.
More
"It was the gift from the political gods," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Tuesday when asked about Sanders' impact on his legislation. Graham is one of four co-sponsors of the new overhaul bill that would give Obamacare funding to states through block grants and eliminate the individual and employer mandates.
Sanders announced his Medicare for All bill, which would create a government-run healthcare program, on the same day that Graham and three other Republicans released their last shot at dismantling Obamacare.
Sanders drew the support of 16 Democrats, including several 2020 presidential hopefuls. It was the most support the Vermont independent has received for his socialized healthcare plan since he has been in the Senate.
Graham called the Obamacare overhaul bill announced last Wednesday "Bernie Sanders' worst nightmare." He has repeatedly sought to draw contrasts between the Sanders bill, which has no chance of passing Congress, and the new overhaul bill.
"Here is the choice for America: socialism or federalism when it comes to your healthcare," Graham said during a Monday press conference.
More
Philadelphia finds hundreds of illegal voters
Hundreds of noncitizens were registered to vote in Philadelphia over the last decade, and at least 90 of them actually ended up casting ballots that should never have been allowed, City Commissioner Al Schmidt said Wednesday, adding more fuel to complaints of bogus voting in U.S. elections.
The voters are all self-admitted noncitizens who went back and canceled their registrations later — but not before casting illegal ballots a total of 227 times in elections in 2006 and 2007, Mr. Schmidt said.
He said most of those noncitizens signed up to vote at PennDOT, the state motor vehicles bureau, when they went to get a driver’s license. While legal residents and long-term visitors are allowed to hold licenses, they are not allowed to vote in federal elections — yet thanks to a federal law, the sign-up for both licenses and voter registration is often tied together.
“The current voter registration process at PennDOT is both harmful to election integrity and to members of the immigrant community seeking citizenship,” Mr. Schmidt said.
The data offers a boost to President Trump, who has claimed voters are tainted by noncitizens casting illegal ballots.
More
The voters are all self-admitted noncitizens who went back and canceled their registrations later — but not before casting illegal ballots a total of 227 times in elections in 2006 and 2007, Mr. Schmidt said.
He said most of those noncitizens signed up to vote at PennDOT, the state motor vehicles bureau, when they went to get a driver’s license. While legal residents and long-term visitors are allowed to hold licenses, they are not allowed to vote in federal elections — yet thanks to a federal law, the sign-up for both licenses and voter registration is often tied together.
“The current voter registration process at PennDOT is both harmful to election integrity and to members of the immigrant community seeking citizenship,” Mr. Schmidt said.
The data offers a boost to President Trump, who has claimed voters are tainted by noncitizens casting illegal ballots.
More
EXCLUSIVE: Six U.S Agencies Conspired to Illegally Wiretap Trump; British Intel Used as NSA Front to Spy on Campaign
From the beginning it was a set up to find dirt on Trump campaign insiders and if possible to topple Donald Trump’s presidential aspirations.
Before and after the 2016 election. And while this operation had many moving parts and alternating players, the mission to unseat Trump never changed. And it remains ongoing.
Paul Manafort was wiretapped. Cater Page was wiretapped. Donald Trump Jr. was wiretapped. Jared Kushner was wiretapped. Gen. Michael Flynn was wiretapped. And likely there were others.
And none of it was very legal.
In fact, most of it was very illegal, according to federal law enforcement sources who are blowing the whistle on a sweeping scheme to undermine the Executive branch and the electorate’s choice for president of the United States.
And according to high ranking FBI sources, the Bureau played a definitive role in plotting this sweeping privacy breach. But the FBI had much help from the NSA, CIA, the Office of of the Director of National Intelligence, Treasury financial crimes division under DHS, and the Justice Department, federal law enforcement sources confirmed.
More
Before and after the 2016 election. And while this operation had many moving parts and alternating players, the mission to unseat Trump never changed. And it remains ongoing.
Paul Manafort was wiretapped. Cater Page was wiretapped. Donald Trump Jr. was wiretapped. Jared Kushner was wiretapped. Gen. Michael Flynn was wiretapped. And likely there were others.
And none of it was very legal.
In fact, most of it was very illegal, according to federal law enforcement sources who are blowing the whistle on a sweeping scheme to undermine the Executive branch and the electorate’s choice for president of the United States.
And according to high ranking FBI sources, the Bureau played a definitive role in plotting this sweeping privacy breach. But the FBI had much help from the NSA, CIA, the Office of of the Director of National Intelligence, Treasury financial crimes division under DHS, and the Justice Department, federal law enforcement sources confirmed.
More
The Problems of Today’s Black Americans
That the problems of today’s black Americans are a result of a legacy of slavery, racial discrimination and poverty has achieved an axiomatic status, thought to be self-evident and beyond question. This is what academics and the civil rights establishment have taught. But as with so much of what’s claimed by leftists, there is little evidence to support it.
The No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure. Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households. But is the weak black family a legacy of slavery? In 1960, just 22 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Fifty years later, more than 70 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Here’s my question: Was the increase in single-parent black families after 1960 a legacy of slavery, or might it be a legacy of the welfare state ushered in by the War on Poverty?
According to the 1938 Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences, that year 11 percent of black children were born to unwed mothers. Today about 75 percent of black children are born to unwed mothers. Is that supposed to be a delayed response to the legacy of slavery? The bottom line is that the black family was stronger the first 100 years after slavery than during what will be the second 100 years.
More
The No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure. Children from fatherless homes are likelier to drop out of high school, die by suicide, have behavioral disorders, join gangs, commit crimes and end up in prison. They are also likelier to live in poverty-stricken households. But is the weak black family a legacy of slavery? In 1960, just 22 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Fifty years later, more than 70 percent of black children were raised in single-parent families. Here’s my question: Was the increase in single-parent black families after 1960 a legacy of slavery, or might it be a legacy of the welfare state ushered in by the War on Poverty?
According to the 1938 Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences, that year 11 percent of black children were born to unwed mothers. Today about 75 percent of black children are born to unwed mothers. Is that supposed to be a delayed response to the legacy of slavery? The bottom line is that the black family was stronger the first 100 years after slavery than during what will be the second 100 years.
More
Glen Ave. Road Closure Announced for Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty
Salisbury, MD – The Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty will be held at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center and nearby venues from Sept. 22-30.
To provide safe passage of attendees, spectators and dogs, a portion of Glen Ave. in front of the WY&CC will close Sunday, Sept. 24 at 7 a.m. through Saturday, Sept. 30 at 10 p.m. The closed portion runs from Civic Avenue to St. Albans Drive.
The Potomac Valley Golden Retriever Club is hosting the National, with the theme of "Paws 'N Claws" – fitting for an event held on the Eastern Shore, known for Chesapeake Bay seafood and crustaceans.
The event is expected to bring over 5,000 attendees to the area, resulting in a hotel room night demand in excess of 6,000 and an estimated economic impact of nearly $5.7 million.
For more information, including the event schedule, visit the Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty website at http://2017grcanational.com/.
To provide safe passage of attendees, spectators and dogs, a portion of Glen Ave. in front of the WY&CC will close Sunday, Sept. 24 at 7 a.m. through Saturday, Sept. 30 at 10 p.m. The closed portion runs from Civic Avenue to St. Albans Drive.
The Potomac Valley Golden Retriever Club is hosting the National, with the theme of "Paws 'N Claws" – fitting for an event held on the Eastern Shore, known for Chesapeake Bay seafood and crustaceans.
The event is expected to bring over 5,000 attendees to the area, resulting in a hotel room night demand in excess of 6,000 and an estimated economic impact of nearly $5.7 million.
For more information, including the event schedule, visit the Golden Retriever Club of America National Specialty website at http://2017grcanational.com/.
UPDATE: H2Oi Promoter Postpones Event, But Police Still Expect Busy Weekend
OCEAN CITY — There will not be a formal H2O International (H2Oi) car show in Ocean City this month as planned, but there will still likely be thousands of vehicles in the area.
H2Oi officials announced on their website the fall 2017 event has been postponed over venue issues and other logistical problems. The official H2Oi event for years has been hosted by the Fort Whaley campground west of Berlin, but unofficially, the annual event takes place on the streets in Ocean City, especially Coastal Highway. The event was set for the weekend of Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, although plans are in the works for a new and improved event next year.
“After working extraordinarily hard to provide you with the same quality event that you have come to expect, I am saddened to announce that this year’s H2Oi will be postponed until next year,” the website message reads. “We want to continue to offer the best in show experience and with changes in venue options and a diminishing timeline, it is necessary to delay the event until 2018. … I look forward to seeing you next year when we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of H2Oi the right way. Please stay tuned for announcements about an exciting and brand-new H2Oi series starting in spring 2018.”
More
H2Oi officials announced on their website the fall 2017 event has been postponed over venue issues and other logistical problems. The official H2Oi event for years has been hosted by the Fort Whaley campground west of Berlin, but unofficially, the annual event takes place on the streets in Ocean City, especially Coastal Highway. The event was set for the weekend of Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, although plans are in the works for a new and improved event next year.
“After working extraordinarily hard to provide you with the same quality event that you have come to expect, I am saddened to announce that this year’s H2Oi will be postponed until next year,” the website message reads. “We want to continue to offer the best in show experience and with changes in venue options and a diminishing timeline, it is necessary to delay the event until 2018. … I look forward to seeing you next year when we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of H2Oi the right way. Please stay tuned for announcements about an exciting and brand-new H2Oi series starting in spring 2018.”
More
Pentagon Will Pay for Sex Change Surgeries Through Early 2018 — And Is Open to Exceptions After Cutoff Date
The transgender “interim guidance” rules set by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis block additional soldiers from using pro-transgender policies set by former President Barack Obama, but do not repudiate the revolutionary ideological claim that men and women can change their legal sex by adopting an opposite-sex “gender identity.”
The memo also allows an open-ended commitment to cosmetic “sex reassignment” surgeries. It announces that the DOD will continue paying for soldiers to undergo these surgeries up until March 22, 2018, and will allow exceptions after that cutoff date “to protect the health of an individual who has already begun a course of treatment to reassign his or her sex.”
More
The memo also allows an open-ended commitment to cosmetic “sex reassignment” surgeries. It announces that the DOD will continue paying for soldiers to undergo these surgeries up until March 22, 2018, and will allow exceptions after that cutoff date “to protect the health of an individual who has already begun a course of treatment to reassign his or her sex.”
More
‘Well-Designed’ Employee Housing Project Eyed For Downtown Ocean City
Wicomico County’s Good Beer Festival returns Oct. 14 and 15
Tickets on sale now
SALISBURY, Md. – Hop on over to the Good Beer Festival, which returns to Pemberton Historical Park this October.
The eighth annual Good Beer Festival, hosted by Wicomico County Recreation, Parks & Tourism, will be held Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 14-15, and tickets are on sale now. The festival runs from 12:30-6:30 p.m. each day.
There will be more than 80 craft brews, live music, food and craft vendors, Carni Beer Games and a Sports Zone.
The Local Beer Garden, featuring select Eastern Shore breweries, will be back this year, along with the Home Brew Competition, with a registration deadline of Oct. 7 or until 100 entries are registered. Learn more about making beer through both Pro Brewer Beer Talks and home brew demos.
Attendees may choose to play Carni Beer Games to try to win prizes, and there will also be cornhole, wall hooky and oversized games to partake in. The Sports Zone will feature the weekend’s biggest football games.
Tasting tickets include a 3 oz. glass and as many samples as one can responsibly consume.
Early bird tickets are available for $25. Regular tickets are $35. Non-tasting tickets are also available; early bird non-tasting tickets are $5 and regular non-tasting tickets are $10. Early bird ticket sales end online, in person and by phone on Friday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. Additional fees may apply to ticket prices.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.GoodBeerFestival.org or at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office, located at 500 Glen Ave. in Salisbury (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.). The Box Office can be reached at 410-548-4911.
Local Musician Arrested On Assault Charge After Performance
Around 8:25 p.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer were dispatched to a residence on 93rdStreet in reference to a report of disorderly individuals. OCPD officers met with a female victim who complained she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, identified as Thomas Edward Braswell, 57, of Ocean City, who performs as Sir Rod as a Rod Stewart impersonator.
More
Climate Models Stink
Climate alarmists and “settled science” extortionists have a rather incredulous response to a new study appearing in Nature Geoscience. The study takes a fresh look at the “carbon budget,” or how much emissions the earth can take and still maintain endurable temperatures. According to the study, compiled by a consortium of scientists from all over the world, the doomsday clock remains, but it’s been extended by quite some time.
The Washington Post calls the finding “a potential whiplash moment” that “was published by a number of researchers who have been deeply involved in studying the concept, making it all the more unexpected.” According to the study, contrary to previous disquisitions, it is possible to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), or what most scientists concur is a critical —but largely out-of-reach — global warming threshold. “It had been widely assumed that this stringent target would prove unachievable,” the Post reports, “but the new study would appear to give us much more time to get our act together if we want to stay below it.”
The problem of overly ambitious global warming projections is well known. Climatologists like Dr. Roy Spencer and John Christy have found that climate models are grossly exaggerating future warming.
More
The Washington Post calls the finding “a potential whiplash moment” that “was published by a number of researchers who have been deeply involved in studying the concept, making it all the more unexpected.” According to the study, contrary to previous disquisitions, it is possible to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), or what most scientists concur is a critical —but largely out-of-reach — global warming threshold. “It had been widely assumed that this stringent target would prove unachievable,” the Post reports, “but the new study would appear to give us much more time to get our act together if we want to stay below it.”
The problem of overly ambitious global warming projections is well known. Climatologists like Dr. Roy Spencer and John Christy have found that climate models are grossly exaggerating future warming.
More
Atheist Hypocrisy and the Assault on Religious Liberty
Knowing the perils of disease, shipwreck and discomfort, the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower in search of one thing: religious liberty. While many died on the voyage, and half of those who made it here died in the first winter, they knew that their lives were but “stepping stones” for the next generation’s freedom to practice Christianity. Their journey had taken them from an underground church in Scrooby, England, to an escape in Holland. However, as Holland’s secular society began corroding the hearts and minds of their children, they realized that a voyage to the New World was worth the risk. The Plymouth landing in 1620 stands as one of the earliest pieces of our country’s quest for religious liberty.
Today, almost 400 years later, the United States has become an increasingly difficult place for a Christian to work, be educated, and to serve his or her country. This has happened despite the statement found in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
In fact, First Liberty Institute’s 2017 report notes that in the past five years, documented attacks on religious freedom have increased 133%. In the past year, attacks have increased 15%. These attacks take place across broad sectors of the public arena — education, religious institutions and the U.S. military..
More here
Today, almost 400 years later, the United States has become an increasingly difficult place for a Christian to work, be educated, and to serve his or her country. This has happened despite the statement found in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
In fact, First Liberty Institute’s 2017 report notes that in the past five years, documented attacks on religious freedom have increased 133%. In the past year, attacks have increased 15%. These attacks take place across broad sectors of the public arena — education, religious institutions and the U.S. military..
More here
Yard Sale - 9/23, 7am, Court Plaza & Pine Bluff Rd., Salisbury MD
Loft bed, futon, couches, treadmill, table, coffee table, bookcase, sliding rocker, desk chair, kitchen ware, LOTS of books and children's items, clothing and shoes, toys, baby items, car seat, electronics, BAKE SALE - homemade goodies (benefit 10th grade class trip to NYC).
'Shocked': Maine Woman Ordered by City to Take Down Pro-Trump Signs
"I guess I’m being stubborn ... but I’m not going to back down from what I believe"
A Rockland, Maine, woman says she would rather go to jail than take down her pro-Donald Trump signs.
Susan Reitman has hung two banners on her front gate: One that says "I love Trump" and another that says "He Won, Get over it."
She received a notice from the city’s code enforcement office a few days ago, asking her to take them down.
"I was shocked," she said. "This is my freedom of speech. People have a right to voice their opinion."
More/Video
A Rockland, Maine, woman says she would rather go to jail than take down her pro-Donald Trump signs.
Susan Reitman has hung two banners on her front gate: One that says "I love Trump" and another that says "He Won, Get over it."
She received a notice from the city’s code enforcement office a few days ago, asking her to take them down.
"I was shocked," she said. "This is my freedom of speech. People have a right to voice their opinion."
More/Video
Spencer: Navy will ask Congress for $600 million to repair damaged destroyers
The Navy will soon need to request additional funding from Congress to cover an estimated $600 million in repairs to the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said Wednesday.
The two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are needed back in the western Pacific as soon as possible and the Navy will most likely need the repair funding before next year's defense budget, Spencer said during a meeting with reporters at the Pentagon.
"We are going to have to go back up on the Hill because that is outside budget numbers," he said. "It's going to have to be sooner rather than later."
The service is now operating on a stopgap budget until December, when Congress hopes to hammer out a final defense budget. But most 2018 Navy priorities have already been set in National Defense Authorization bills passed by the Senate this week and the House in July.
More
The two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are needed back in the western Pacific as soon as possible and the Navy will most likely need the repair funding before next year's defense budget, Spencer said during a meeting with reporters at the Pentagon.
"We are going to have to go back up on the Hill because that is outside budget numbers," he said. "It's going to have to be sooner rather than later."
The service is now operating on a stopgap budget until December, when Congress hopes to hammer out a final defense budget. But most 2018 Navy priorities have already been set in National Defense Authorization bills passed by the Senate this week and the House in July.
More