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Monday, May 21, 2018
Dog Just Found On Woodland Rd. UPDATE
Found on Woodland Rd. Salisbury 21801 @ 1:15 pm. Fixed male. No collar or tags. Contact Lisa 443-783-8032 or Amy 443-614-2270.
Dem Sen Warner: No ‘Single Piece of Legislation’ Would Have Stopped TX School Shooting
Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said there was not “a single piece of legislation” that would have prevented the recent school shooting in Texas.
Warner said, “I don’t think there’s a single piece of legislation, but there’s a series of actions. Are there things we can do that would improve the safety of our schools? Absolutely.”
He continued, “Should there be more mental health counseling for troubled teens, the number of the incidents caused by young men time and time again? Absolutely. Making sure people are safer with their own firearms? Absolutely.”
More/Video
Warner said, “I don’t think there’s a single piece of legislation, but there’s a series of actions. Are there things we can do that would improve the safety of our schools? Absolutely.”
He continued, “Should there be more mental health counseling for troubled teens, the number of the incidents caused by young men time and time again? Absolutely. Making sure people are safer with their own firearms? Absolutely.”
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"It's Over" - Biggest 'Russiagate' Cheerleaders Start Covering Their Tracks
As months turn into nearly two years and no solid evidence emerges to nail Russia for nabbing Election 2016, some big Russiagate cheerleaders are starting to cover their tracks.
The best evidence that Russia-gate is sinking beneath the waves is the way those pushing the pseudo-scandal are now busily covering their tracks.
The Guardian complains that “as the inquiry has expanded and dominated the news agenda over the last year, the real issues of people’s lives are in danger of being drowned out by obsessive cable television coverage of the Russia investigation” – as if The Guardian’s own coverage hasn’t been every bit as obsessive as anything CNN has come up with.
The Washington Post, second to none when it comes to painting Putin as a real-life Lord Voldemort, now says that Special counsel Robert Mueller “faces a particular challenge maintaining the confidence of the citizenry” as his investigation enters its second year – although it’s sticking to its guns that the problem is not the inquiry itself, but “the regular attacks he faces from President Trump, who has decried the probe as a ‘witch hunt.’”
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The best evidence that Russia-gate is sinking beneath the waves is the way those pushing the pseudo-scandal are now busily covering their tracks.
The Guardian complains that “as the inquiry has expanded and dominated the news agenda over the last year, the real issues of people’s lives are in danger of being drowned out by obsessive cable television coverage of the Russia investigation” – as if The Guardian’s own coverage hasn’t been every bit as obsessive as anything CNN has come up with.
The Washington Post, second to none when it comes to painting Putin as a real-life Lord Voldemort, now says that Special counsel Robert Mueller “faces a particular challenge maintaining the confidence of the citizenry” as his investigation enters its second year – although it’s sticking to its guns that the problem is not the inquiry itself, but “the regular attacks he faces from President Trump, who has decried the probe as a ‘witch hunt.’”
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Texas school shooter 'killed girl who turned down his advances'
One of the teen girls killed in the Texas school shooting rejected and publicly humiliated the accused shooter, the girl's mother has said.
Shana Fisher, who turned 16 just days before she died in the attack, had been fending off advances from Dimitrios Pagourtzis for months, the teen girl's mother Sadie Rodriguez said on Saturday.
'He continued to get more aggressive,' Rodriguez said in an interview aired on ABC 7 . 'She finally stood up to him and embarrassed him.'
It is the first indication of a motive in the Friday attack on Santa Fe High School, which killed ten, though the theory has yet to be confirmed by either prosecutors or lawyers for 17-year-old Pagourtzis.
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Shana Fisher, who turned 16 just days before she died in the attack, had been fending off advances from Dimitrios Pagourtzis for months, the teen girl's mother Sadie Rodriguez said on Saturday.
'He continued to get more aggressive,' Rodriguez said in an interview aired on ABC 7 . 'She finally stood up to him and embarrassed him.'
It is the first indication of a motive in the Friday attack on Santa Fe High School, which killed ten, though the theory has yet to be confirmed by either prosecutors or lawyers for 17-year-old Pagourtzis.
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Hillary Calls For Gun Legislation
Hillary Clinton issued a statement calling for gun legislation after the shooting Friday at Santa Fe High School that left 10 people dead.
The former presidential candidate said that by failing to pass laws regarding gun violence, “we are failing our children.”
The former presidential candidate said that by failing to pass laws regarding gun violence, “we are failing our children.”
All Roads Lead to Stagflation – This is How We Got Here
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the dollar and the United States’ economy.
I don’t think people realize how the latest ‘growth’ the U.S. has had is superficial – all thanks to a weaker dollar.
Most CNBC pundits don’t even mention how the weaker dollar has given the economy a short-term spurt. And the couple that do won’t even acknowledge that it’s temporary.
Let me explain. . .
A country can weaken their currency to make their exports look more attractive abroad.
Look at these three charts
First – and most importantly – the U.S. dollar has been in a steep decline over the last 17 months – regardless of the recent rally.
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I don’t think people realize how the latest ‘growth’ the U.S. has had is superficial – all thanks to a weaker dollar.
Most CNBC pundits don’t even mention how the weaker dollar has given the economy a short-term spurt. And the couple that do won’t even acknowledge that it’s temporary.
Let me explain. . .
A country can weaken their currency to make their exports look more attractive abroad.
Look at these three charts
First – and most importantly – the U.S. dollar has been in a steep decline over the last 17 months – regardless of the recent rally.
More
Civil Rights Commissioner: Halt DACA Amnesty Talk Until Border Wall is Secured, Legal Immigration is Cut
Peter Kirsanow, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, says discussion of an amnesty for illegal aliens should be halted until a wall is secured along the U.S.-Mexico border and major cuts to legal immigration are enacted.
In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Kirsanow warned of the impact an amnesty for millions of illegal aliens who are enrolled and eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would have on working and middle-class Americans and, specifically, black Americans.
Kirsanow writes:
The negative impact of illegal immigration on unskilled and low-skilled American workers has been established by various studies and discussed in numerous hearings, including, but not limited to, a 2008 Commission briefing. The testimony at the briefing indicated that illegal immigration disproportionately affects the wages and employment opportunities of African- American men. [Emphasis added]
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In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Kirsanow warned of the impact an amnesty for millions of illegal aliens who are enrolled and eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would have on working and middle-class Americans and, specifically, black Americans.
Kirsanow writes:
The negative impact of illegal immigration on unskilled and low-skilled American workers has been established by various studies and discussed in numerous hearings, including, but not limited to, a 2008 Commission briefing. The testimony at the briefing indicated that illegal immigration disproportionately affects the wages and employment opportunities of African- American men. [Emphasis added]
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Govt Paid Half A Billion In Disability Checks To People Who Had Jobs
The Social Security Administration improperly disbursed an estimated $571 million in disability benefits to people who had already returned to work, according to a government audit report.
Of the half a billion estimated overpayments, nearly $201 million of the improperly disbursed benefits checks were due to the administration’s slow processing, and the almost $371 million was the fault of the beneficiaries who didn’t complete paperwork on time, the Office of the Inspector General (IG)wrote in a report released Tuesday.
Analyzing a sample of disability cases from 2012, the IG found a total of $1.3 million in overpayments, $446,000 of which were made as a result of administrative errors, as well as $823,000 due to individuals failing to report wages that would disqualify them from benefits.
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Of the half a billion estimated overpayments, nearly $201 million of the improperly disbursed benefits checks were due to the administration’s slow processing, and the almost $371 million was the fault of the beneficiaries who didn’t complete paperwork on time, the Office of the Inspector General (IG)wrote in a report released Tuesday.
Analyzing a sample of disability cases from 2012, the IG found a total of $1.3 million in overpayments, $446,000 of which were made as a result of administrative errors, as well as $823,000 due to individuals failing to report wages that would disqualify them from benefits.
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Credit Card Delinquencies Spike Past Financial-Crisis Peak
Subprime is calling...
In the first quarter, the delinquency rate on credit-card loan balances at commercial banks other than the largest 100 – so at the 4,788 smaller banks in the US – spiked in to 5.9%. This exceeds the peak during the Financial Crisis. The credit-card charge-off rate at these banks spiked to 8%. This is approaching the peak during the Financial Crisis.
A sobering set of numbers the Federal Reserve Board of Governors releasedthis afternoon.
But overall, across all commercial banks, including the largest banks with the largest credit-card loan balances outstanding, the delinquency rate was 2.54% (not seasonally adjusted). This overall rate was pushed down by the largest 100 banks, whose combined delinquency rate in Q1 was 2.48%.
These large banks have been offering appealing incentives to consumers for years, and they’ve been going after consumers with the higher credit ratings, and they’ve been following good underwriting practices – having not yet forgotten the lesson from the last debacle – and this conservative approach is now helping to keep losses down.
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In the first quarter, the delinquency rate on credit-card loan balances at commercial banks other than the largest 100 – so at the 4,788 smaller banks in the US – spiked in to 5.9%. This exceeds the peak during the Financial Crisis. The credit-card charge-off rate at these banks spiked to 8%. This is approaching the peak during the Financial Crisis.
A sobering set of numbers the Federal Reserve Board of Governors releasedthis afternoon.
But overall, across all commercial banks, including the largest banks with the largest credit-card loan balances outstanding, the delinquency rate was 2.54% (not seasonally adjusted). This overall rate was pushed down by the largest 100 banks, whose combined delinquency rate in Q1 was 2.48%.
These large banks have been offering appealing incentives to consumers for years, and they’ve been going after consumers with the higher credit ratings, and they’ve been following good underwriting practices – having not yet forgotten the lesson from the last debacle – and this conservative approach is now helping to keep losses down.
More
He Wants the Sheriff Gone So Bad He Legally Changed His Name to DumpOzzie Dot Com
Scott Maclay, the leader of the Rattlesnakes Motorcycle Club who has spent years accusing Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich of cover-ups and corruption, has taken a drastic step to show just how badly he wants Knezovich out of office.
On Friday, a Spokane County District Court judge granted Maclay's request to change his legal name. The 60-year-old man is now DumpOzzie Dot Com -- a nod to his website, DumpOzzie.com, where he publishes conspiracy theories about Knezovich and the sheriff's office.
"It was a little bit of a challenge, but I was able to convince the judge ... that it was for a legitimate purpose," Maclay (Dot Com) said in a phone call Friday. That purpose, he explained, is his "sincere passion in replacing Sheriff Knezovich."
Maclay, who has no law enforcement training but claims he once turned down a job offer from the CIA, said he intends to run against Knezovich in this year's election. He hasn't filed, but said he plans to formally announce his candidacy sometime next week.
"I'm running because I think the sheriff is not accountable, open or transparent," he said.
More
On Friday, a Spokane County District Court judge granted Maclay's request to change his legal name. The 60-year-old man is now DumpOzzie Dot Com -- a nod to his website, DumpOzzie.com, where he publishes conspiracy theories about Knezovich and the sheriff's office.
"It was a little bit of a challenge, but I was able to convince the judge ... that it was for a legitimate purpose," Maclay (Dot Com) said in a phone call Friday. That purpose, he explained, is his "sincere passion in replacing Sheriff Knezovich."
Maclay, who has no law enforcement training but claims he once turned down a job offer from the CIA, said he intends to run against Knezovich in this year's election. He hasn't filed, but said he plans to formally announce his candidacy sometime next week.
"I'm running because I think the sheriff is not accountable, open or transparent," he said.
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DoJ Confirms Inspector General Will Probe "Impropriety, Political Motivation" Of Obama FBI Spying On Trump
Update: Just a few hours after President Trump "hereby demanded" that the DoJ investigate whether or not the "FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump campaign for Political Purposes," Axios' Jonathan Swan reports that Justice has confirmed a probe has begun. DoJ's Sarah Isgur Flores:
"The Department has asked the Inspector General to expand the ongoing review of the FISA application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
As always, the Inspector General will consult with the appropriate U.S. Attorney if there is any evidence of potential criminal conduct."
The Deputy Attorney General issued the following statement:
“If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.”
The liberal media is in full panic, meltdown mode, exclaiming that Trump has "interfered" with the investigation...
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"The Department has asked the Inspector General to expand the ongoing review of the FISA application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
As always, the Inspector General will consult with the appropriate U.S. Attorney if there is any evidence of potential criminal conduct."
The Deputy Attorney General issued the following statement:
“If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.”
The liberal media is in full panic, meltdown mode, exclaiming that Trump has "interfered" with the investigation...
More
Trump Erupts In Angry Tweetstorm: "When Does This Witch Hunt STOP", Slams Hillary, Podesta
With the "Russian collusion" narrative disintegrating fast, as even the biggest Russiagate cheerleaders exit stage left now that the public's attention has shifted to the FBI itself for having created the narrative after planting at least one infiltrator - Stefan Halper - in the Trump campaign, overnight the NYT tried to pivot the collusion story away from Russia and toward the middle east, reporting that Trump advisers met with an emissary for two Gulf nations during the campaign, a meeting arranged by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, suggesting countries beyond Russia may have offered help.
And while the NYT claims that "the meeting was convened primarily to offer help to the Trump team, and it forged relationships between the men and Trump insiders that would develop over the coming months — past the election and well into President Trump’s first year in office, according to several people with knowledge of their encounters" who we assume are more FBI moles in the Trump administration, it quietly admits deep inside the piece, that once again there is no actual evidence of anything improper: "It is unclear whether such a proposal was executed, and the details of who commissioned it remain in dispute"
So, in what appears to have been a late start to his usual Sunday morning tweeting, an especially angry president Trump erupted on his favorite social network, lashing out at a variety of recent developments.
First, after late on Saturday the president called on the DOJ to allow members of Congress to review documents related to the FBI spy, saying "If the FBI or DOJ was infiltrating a campaign for the benefit of another campaign, that is a really big deal," in his first Sunday tweet, referning the NYT story about "gulf emissaries", Trump blasted the "failing and crooked NYT" for moving attention to the rest of the world after it found nothing on Russia:
Things are really getting ridiculous. The Failing and Crooked (but not as Crooked as Hillary Clinton) @nytimes has done a long & boring story indicating that the World’s most expensive Witch Hunt has found nothing on Russia & me so now they are looking at the rest of the World!
And while the NYT claims that "the meeting was convened primarily to offer help to the Trump team, and it forged relationships between the men and Trump insiders that would develop over the coming months — past the election and well into President Trump’s first year in office, according to several people with knowledge of their encounters" who we assume are more FBI moles in the Trump administration, it quietly admits deep inside the piece, that once again there is no actual evidence of anything improper: "It is unclear whether such a proposal was executed, and the details of who commissioned it remain in dispute"
So, in what appears to have been a late start to his usual Sunday morning tweeting, an especially angry president Trump erupted on his favorite social network, lashing out at a variety of recent developments.
First, after late on Saturday the president called on the DOJ to allow members of Congress to review documents related to the FBI spy, saying "If the FBI or DOJ was infiltrating a campaign for the benefit of another campaign, that is a really big deal," in his first Sunday tweet, referning the NYT story about "gulf emissaries", Trump blasted the "failing and crooked NYT" for moving attention to the rest of the world after it found nothing on Russia:
Things are really getting ridiculous. The Failing and Crooked (but not as Crooked as Hillary Clinton) @nytimes has done a long & boring story indicating that the World’s most expensive Witch Hunt has found nothing on Russia & me so now they are looking at the rest of the World!
Trump 'demands' probe of alleged spying on his campaign
Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump sharpened Sunday his accusations that his presidential campaign was "infiltrated" or spied on for political purposes, saying he would officially "demand" a Justice Department investigation.
The president has repeatedly cast the probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion by his campaign as a politically driven "witch hunt," while offering no evidence.
"I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes," he tweeted, "and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!"
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The president has repeatedly cast the probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion by his campaign as a politically driven "witch hunt," while offering no evidence.
"I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes," he tweeted, "and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!"
More
Obama-era Political Prisoner Writes SCATHING Letter to AG Jeff Sessions
‘To say that you are a disappointment and an utter failure… would be an understatement…’
Marty’s White House petition to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions “for all the obvious reasons” has collected over 5,300 signatures at the time of publication. You can sign here.
Dear Attorney General Sessions:
To say that you are a disappointment and an utter failure as AG would be an understatement. It would probably be more accurate to call you the worst “Republican” attorney general in American history. One has to try hard just to name anything which you haven’t screwed up as the nation’s “top cop.”
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Marty’s White House petition to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions “for all the obvious reasons” has collected over 5,300 signatures at the time of publication. You can sign here.
Dear Attorney General Sessions:
To say that you are a disappointment and an utter failure as AG would be an understatement. It would probably be more accurate to call you the worst “Republican” attorney general in American history. One has to try hard just to name anything which you haven’t screwed up as the nation’s “top cop.”
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Hillary Clinton says she's not over the 2016 election, pulls out Russian hat during Yale speech
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton told graduating students at Yale University on Sunday she was still grappling with the results of the 2016 election.
"No, I’m not over it, I still think about the 2016 election, I still regret the mistakes I made,” Clinton said during an address as part of Yale University’s Class Day. “Today, as a person, I’m Okay. As an American, I’m concerned."
“This is a moment to reach across divides of race, class, and politics to try to see the world through the eyes of people very different from ourselves and to return to rational debate," she continued, speaking of "radical empathy" in the face of heightened partisanship and otherness.
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"No, I’m not over it, I still think about the 2016 election, I still regret the mistakes I made,” Clinton said during an address as part of Yale University’s Class Day. “Today, as a person, I’m Okay. As an American, I’m concerned."
“This is a moment to reach across divides of race, class, and politics to try to see the world through the eyes of people very different from ourselves and to return to rational debate," she continued, speaking of "radical empathy" in the face of heightened partisanship and otherness.
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Seaford: Home Invasion Investigation
HOME INVASION:
Seaford police are investigating a weekend home invasion in which one of the suspects put a gun up to a 5-year-old girl's head.
The crime occurred around 2:45 a.m. Saturday in the Seaford Meadows Apt complex where a 23-year-old woman was upstairs, heard a commotion downstairs. A man wearing a mask and armed with a gun confronted the woman and demanded money before striking her in the head.
Another masked suspect grabbed the woman's 5-year-old daughter and brought her upstairs while holding a gun up to the child's head. The suspect told the mother, "Tell me where it [(the money) is or I will shoot her." The woman had no money to give to the suspects. The suspects then ransacked the home before fleeing.
The 23-year-old victim was treated by paramedics on the scene for severe trauma to her left eye and her daughter was not physically harmed.
There were at least two suspects involved in the home invasion. The suspects are believed to have been black males.
Anyone with information about the incidents or the suspects please contact Seaford Police Department at 302-629-6644.
Seaford police are investigating a weekend home invasion in which one of the suspects put a gun up to a 5-year-old girl's head.
The crime occurred around 2:45 a.m. Saturday in the Seaford Meadows Apt complex where a 23-year-old woman was upstairs, heard a commotion downstairs. A man wearing a mask and armed with a gun confronted the woman and demanded money before striking her in the head.
Another masked suspect grabbed the woman's 5-year-old daughter and brought her upstairs while holding a gun up to the child's head. The suspect told the mother, "Tell me where it [(the money) is or I will shoot her." The woman had no money to give to the suspects. The suspects then ransacked the home before fleeing.
The 23-year-old victim was treated by paramedics on the scene for severe trauma to her left eye and her daughter was not physically harmed.
There were at least two suspects involved in the home invasion. The suspects are believed to have been black males.
Anyone with information about the incidents or the suspects please contact Seaford Police Department at 302-629-6644.
Hillary Clinton To Democrats: You're Never Getting Rid Of Me
On Friday, Hillary Clinton delivered her first official message to the Democratic National Convention since losing the Presidential election in 2016, and she had only one message for the gathered, mostly female, officials: you're not getting rid of me that easy.
In what sounded more like a threat than an announcement, Clinton told the Democratic Women's Leadership Forum that she's going to be a foundational part of the anti-Trump "resistance," whether the "resistance" wants her or not.
In what sounded more like a threat than an announcement, Clinton told the Democratic Women's Leadership Forum that she's going to be a foundational part of the anti-Trump "resistance," whether the "resistance" wants her or not.
Female Officer Fatally Shot In Baltimore County; Police Searching For Shooter
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore County Police Department officer has been fatally shot in Perry Hall Monday afternoon.
Police say the shooting happened near Bel Air Rd. and Klausmier Rd. According to reports, the officer was shot in the head.
Nearby residents are being told to shelter in place as police continue to search for the shooter.
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Police say the shooting happened near Bel Air Rd. and Klausmier Rd. According to reports, the officer was shot in the head.
Nearby residents are being told to shelter in place as police continue to search for the shooter.
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WCSO Press Release - May 21, 2018 (Sexual Assault at Parkside)
Incident: Sexual Assault
Date of Incident: 5/15/18
Location: Parkside High School, 1015 Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, Maryland
Suspect: Jose Miguel Vazquez-Ramos 19 years old of Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On May 18, 2018, Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office / Criminal Investigation Division was called upon to investigate a sexual offense that occurred at Parkside High School, during school hours. Detectives learned the fourteen year old victim was sexually assaulted by the suspect, who was later identified as Jose Miguel Vazquez-Ramos. Furthermore, Vazquez-Ramos sexually solicited the victim using text messaging. On May 21, 2018, Vazquez-Ramos was arrested by the investigating detective. Vazquez-Ramos will be taken to the Wicomico County Detention Center for further processing.
Charges: Sex Offense 3rd Degree, Sex Offense 4th Degree, Assault 2nd Degree, Sexual Solicitation of Minor
H.A.L.P.E.R. Spells Game Up for Obama's Spies
Last week I reported that Internet sleuths had winkled out the name of the spy/agent provocateur that Obama's intelligence officers had used on the Trump campaign. The New York Times and Washington Post, the Democrats' semi-official newspapers this week megaphoned the instigators, offering up their justifications without naming his name.
Again, the name is Stefan Halper, who, as I wrote here last week, was paid a substantial sum by the Department of Defense's Office of Net Assessment.
If it was for this work – and it suspiciously looks like it because the payments were made in July and September of 2016 when he was weaseling his way into the campaign – then we know we have the DNI, CIA, DOJ, FBI, Dept. of State and the Defense Department working for Hillary's election and to smear and create a basis for further spying on Trump and his campaign.
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Again, the name is Stefan Halper, who, as I wrote here last week, was paid a substantial sum by the Department of Defense's Office of Net Assessment.
If it was for this work – and it suspiciously looks like it because the payments were made in July and September of 2016 when he was weaseling his way into the campaign – then we know we have the DNI, CIA, DOJ, FBI, Dept. of State and the Defense Department working for Hillary's election and to smear and create a basis for further spying on Trump and his campaign.
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How Churches and Spiritual Leaders Can Help Opioid Addicts
'I want to meet with people who are struggling,' said the head of a program that focuses on theology, medicine and culture
The opioid epidemic claimed more than 40,000 lives in the U.S. in 2016 alone.
And the problem is growing particularly acute in Appalachia. In Tennessee, for example, 80 percent of crimes are drug-related.
On Friday and Saturday, May 18 and May 19, a conference on opioid addiction brought clinicians, clergy and educators to the tip of southern Appalachia to begin a yearlong conversation on ways churches can help heal and support those caught in the epidemic’s grip.
Among its organizers was Dr. Raymond Barfield, a pediatric oncologist at Duke University, who has a joint appointment at its divinity school. For five years he directed a program called “Theology, Medicine and Culture.”
He now teaches courses on Christian philosophy and mentors students in the Medical Humanities Study Program.
Question (RNS): How did the conference come about?
Answer (Barfield): I was asked by Duke to go and give some talks in Bristol, Tennessee. After my first talk, I got a tour of the hospital they were building. They had built a whole unit for neonatal abstinence syndrome. I was surprised. They said 50 percent of their neonatal admissions are for this syndrome, where babies withdraw when they’re born because their mother has been on some kind of substance, and as soon they’re born they no longer have it, but they still have the physiological need for it.
They go into withdrawal. It can be a real challenge to manage.
So I asked, "What's the rest of the community like? What's the drug and alcohol problem?"
The opioid epidemic claimed more than 40,000 lives in the U.S. in 2016 alone.
And the problem is growing particularly acute in Appalachia. In Tennessee, for example, 80 percent of crimes are drug-related.
On Friday and Saturday, May 18 and May 19, a conference on opioid addiction brought clinicians, clergy and educators to the tip of southern Appalachia to begin a yearlong conversation on ways churches can help heal and support those caught in the epidemic’s grip.
Among its organizers was Dr. Raymond Barfield, a pediatric oncologist at Duke University, who has a joint appointment at its divinity school. For five years he directed a program called “Theology, Medicine and Culture.”
He now teaches courses on Christian philosophy and mentors students in the Medical Humanities Study Program.
Question (RNS): How did the conference come about?
Answer (Barfield): I was asked by Duke to go and give some talks in Bristol, Tennessee. After my first talk, I got a tour of the hospital they were building. They had built a whole unit for neonatal abstinence syndrome. I was surprised. They said 50 percent of their neonatal admissions are for this syndrome, where babies withdraw when they’re born because their mother has been on some kind of substance, and as soon they’re born they no longer have it, but they still have the physiological need for it.
They go into withdrawal. It can be a real challenge to manage.
So I asked, "What's the rest of the community like? What's the drug and alcohol problem?"
Mueller Hypocrisy Exposed By Podesta Docs Release
Top Hillary Aide John Podesta Records Released – Show Ties to Podesta Group
Those of us who have been watching the Mueller Circus avoid the real collusion with Russia are no longer surprised when we see even more hypocrisy oozing from the Swamp.
Consider:
We just uncovered new documents from the U.S. Department of State showing the Podesta Group working on behalf of the pro-Russia Ukrainian political group “Party of Regions.” The documents also show then-Obama White House Counsel John Podesta lobbying on behalf of his brother’s firm.
We obtained the documents in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the State Department filed on November 20, 2017, (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:17-cv-02489)). The lawsuit was filed after the State Department failed to respond to a September 13, 2017, FOIA request for:
All records of communication between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State and any principal, employee, or representative of Podesta Group, Inc.
All records produced related to any meetings or telephonic communications between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State and any principal, employee, or representative of Podesta Group, Inc.
All records regarding the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine.
The FOIA request covers the timeframe of January 1, 2012 to the present.
A March 28, 2013, email from now-Deputy Executive Secretary in the Office of the Secretary of State Baxter Hunt shows the Podesta Group, led by Tony Podesta, a Clinton bundler and brother of Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman John Podesta, represented the Party of Regions, a pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine.
More here
Those of us who have been watching the Mueller Circus avoid the real collusion with Russia are no longer surprised when we see even more hypocrisy oozing from the Swamp.
Consider:
We just uncovered new documents from the U.S. Department of State showing the Podesta Group working on behalf of the pro-Russia Ukrainian political group “Party of Regions.” The documents also show then-Obama White House Counsel John Podesta lobbying on behalf of his brother’s firm.
We obtained the documents in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the State Department filed on November 20, 2017, (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:17-cv-02489)). The lawsuit was filed after the State Department failed to respond to a September 13, 2017, FOIA request for:
All records of communication between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State and any principal, employee, or representative of Podesta Group, Inc.
All records produced related to any meetings or telephonic communications between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of State and any principal, employee, or representative of Podesta Group, Inc.
All records regarding the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine.
The FOIA request covers the timeframe of January 1, 2012 to the present.
A March 28, 2013, email from now-Deputy Executive Secretary in the Office of the Secretary of State Baxter Hunt shows the Podesta Group, led by Tony Podesta, a Clinton bundler and brother of Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman John Podesta, represented the Party of Regions, a pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine.
More here
North Korea's Kim Jong-Un is making new demands
Now that he’s gotten the world’s attention, “Little Rocket Man” has spent a week testing its patience.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un got in a snit over exercises involving nuclear-capable B-52 bombers that the US, Japan and South Korea were planning to conduct over the Korean Peninsula. Kim threatened to cancel ongoing talks with the South.
Days earlier, he said he might pull out from meeting President Trump on June 12 in Singapore. Kim was mad at National Security Advisor John Bolton’s call for North Korea to completely denuclearize.
It may have been Bolton’s choice of comparison that miffed him. Bolton appeared to extol Libya’s move to denuclearize, though that country’s dictator, Moammar Khadafy, was eventually deposed and killed.
More
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un got in a snit over exercises involving nuclear-capable B-52 bombers that the US, Japan and South Korea were planning to conduct over the Korean Peninsula. Kim threatened to cancel ongoing talks with the South.
Days earlier, he said he might pull out from meeting President Trump on June 12 in Singapore. Kim was mad at National Security Advisor John Bolton’s call for North Korea to completely denuclearize.
It may have been Bolton’s choice of comparison that miffed him. Bolton appeared to extol Libya’s move to denuclearize, though that country’s dictator, Moammar Khadafy, was eventually deposed and killed.
More
NRA President Oliver North blames school shootings on ‘culture of violence,’ Ritalin
Incoming National Rifle Association President Oliver North says school shootings are the product of a “culture of violence,” not the Second Amendment.
“The problem that we’ve got is we’re trying like the dickens to treat the symptom without treating the disease,” Mr. North said on “Fox News Sunday.” “And the disease in this case isn’t the Second Amendment. The disease is youngsters who are steeped in a culture of violence.”
He said everything from violence on television to Ritalin, a drug used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, may be contributing to the problem.
“Nearly all of these perpetrators are male, and they’re young teenagers in most cases, and they’ve come through a culture where violence is commonplace,” Mr. North said. “All we need to do is turn on a TV, go to a movie. If you look at what has happened to the young people, many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten. Now, I am certainly not a doctor; I’m a Marine. But I can see those kinds of things happening.”
Mr. North recommended schools implement the NRA’s School Shield program, which would allow certain staff members to carry firearms and provide training on how to respond to school shootings.
More here
“The problem that we’ve got is we’re trying like the dickens to treat the symptom without treating the disease,” Mr. North said on “Fox News Sunday.” “And the disease in this case isn’t the Second Amendment. The disease is youngsters who are steeped in a culture of violence.”
He said everything from violence on television to Ritalin, a drug used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, may be contributing to the problem.
“Nearly all of these perpetrators are male, and they’re young teenagers in most cases, and they’ve come through a culture where violence is commonplace,” Mr. North said. “All we need to do is turn on a TV, go to a movie. If you look at what has happened to the young people, many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten. Now, I am certainly not a doctor; I’m a Marine. But I can see those kinds of things happening.”
Mr. North recommended schools implement the NRA’s School Shield program, which would allow certain staff members to carry firearms and provide training on how to respond to school shootings.
More here
UN Migration Chief Attacks Trump, Claims Mass Migration in ‘National Interest’
United Nations Migration Agency Director-General William Lacy Swing has issued a barely concealed attack on the U.S. President, claimed mass migration is in the “national interest”, and that concerns about migrants are based on “false stereotypes and unfounded fear”.
“People say … we don’t want any migrants, build a wall and burn the bridge,” Swing sneered. “They identify [migrants] as ‘the other’. That is a big fear,” he claimed.
The former U.S. diplomat issued his thinly veiled attack on President Trump in an interview with the Korea Herald, buttressing it with a sustained assault on populism more generally.
“It is very toxic in nature, built on a lot of false stereotypes that they are coming to take our jobs and bringing in criminal elements, probably bringing in diseases. None of which was proved,” he claimed.
More here
“People say … we don’t want any migrants, build a wall and burn the bridge,” Swing sneered. “They identify [migrants] as ‘the other’. That is a big fear,” he claimed.
The former U.S. diplomat issued his thinly veiled attack on President Trump in an interview with the Korea Herald, buttressing it with a sustained assault on populism more generally.
“It is very toxic in nature, built on a lot of false stereotypes that they are coming to take our jobs and bringing in criminal elements, probably bringing in diseases. None of which was proved,” he claimed.
More here
Brennan Fires Warning Shot to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell
Former CIA Director-turned-Twitter troll, John Brennan lashed out at Trump on Sunday evening after the President ordered the DOJ to investigate the FBI’s infiltration of his campaign.
Brennan also fired a warning shot to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, claiming they will ‘bear the majority of the responsibility of the harm done to our democracy’ if they don’t stop Trump.
As previously reported by TGP’s Kristinn Taylor, President Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon he is ordering the Justice Department to investigate whether the Obama administration spied on his 2016 presidential campaign.
The order comes on the heels of leaks to the New York Times and Washington Post that the Obama administration had an “informant” make several approaches to three Trump campaign officials, included one that involved an offer of cash and another an offer to “advise” the campaign.
Trump tweeted: “I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes — and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!” the president tweeted.
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Brennan also fired a warning shot to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, claiming they will ‘bear the majority of the responsibility of the harm done to our democracy’ if they don’t stop Trump.
As previously reported by TGP’s Kristinn Taylor, President Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon he is ordering the Justice Department to investigate whether the Obama administration spied on his 2016 presidential campaign.
The order comes on the heels of leaks to the New York Times and Washington Post that the Obama administration had an “informant” make several approaches to three Trump campaign officials, included one that involved an offer of cash and another an offer to “advise” the campaign.
Trump tweeted: “I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes — and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!” the president tweeted.
More
A Viewer Asks: Salisbury Maryland Mayor Jake Day
Is it appropriate for a married man, a man with 2 small children or the mayor of Salisbury to be flirting with hearts on IG booty pics of a former WBOC reporter?
5 Ways Liberals Create Racism
One of the worst things about Barack Obama’s presidency is that it turned the Left’s focus on race into a monomaniacal obsession. If you’re a hammer, every problem looks like a nail and if you’re a liberal, every conflict that involves a minority in any way is racism. We like to believe that our country relentlessly moves forward, but unquestionably the Left has dragged America backward on race over the last decade.
1. Libs Create Racist Rock Stars
David Duke’s by-the-skin-of-his-teeth win in a Louisiana state House race was almost 30 years ago. Richard Spencer is considered to be a pariah in the conservative movement and Republican Party. He has no influence and no one who is anyone wants to be associated with him. In other words, these men are not even on the fringes of the conservative movement. They’re so far out that you can barely see them from the fringes. Yet, the mainstream media liberals treat them like rock stars. They write article after article about them. They publicize their tiny rallies, bring out waves of violent counter-protesters and turn what would otherwise be 50 sad losers marching around to eye rolls into major topics of conversation. In a culture that worships fame and outrage, the very fact that these guys can get endless press undoubtedly draws some people to them. That’s 100 percent on the liberal media because just about the only thing conservatives ever say about these guys is, “Stop lumping us in with these a-holes.”
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David Duke’s by-the-skin-of-his-teeth win in a Louisiana state House race was almost 30 years ago. Richard Spencer is considered to be a pariah in the conservative movement and Republican Party. He has no influence and no one who is anyone wants to be associated with him. In other words, these men are not even on the fringes of the conservative movement. They’re so far out that you can barely see them from the fringes. Yet, the mainstream media liberals treat them like rock stars. They write article after article about them. They publicize their tiny rallies, bring out waves of violent counter-protesters and turn what would otherwise be 50 sad losers marching around to eye rolls into major topics of conversation. In a culture that worships fame and outrage, the very fact that these guys can get endless press undoubtedly draws some people to them. That’s 100 percent on the liberal media because just about the only thing conservatives ever say about these guys is, “Stop lumping us in with these a-holes.”
More
Explaining Why Liberals Are So Desperate To Find Things to Be Offended About
Saying that liberals are weird and touchy is like noting that the sun is hot and water is wet. Granted, some of that is pure politics. For example, the big story of the week is that Donald Trump convinced North Korea to free three hostages. Surely liberals must be happy about that, right?
Wrong.
Here are some of the mainstream media headlines about that diplomatic triumph.
NBC News: Prisoner release event highlights the best and worst of Trump
Associated Press: Trump’s high-risk doctrine? Swing for the bleacher seats
Politico: Trump thanks Kim Jong Un as he welcomes home detainees from North Korea
CNN: Why Donald Trump talked about ‘ratings’ standing next to 3 recently freed prisoners?
Are these ridiculous headlines given the situation? Absolutely, but politics is politics. All these media organizations are in the tank for the Democrats and they don’t want to see Trump do well. So, their bias may make you roll your eyes, but it’s understandable.
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Wrong.
Here are some of the mainstream media headlines about that diplomatic triumph.
NBC News: Prisoner release event highlights the best and worst of Trump
Associated Press: Trump’s high-risk doctrine? Swing for the bleacher seats
Politico: Trump thanks Kim Jong Un as he welcomes home detainees from North Korea
CNN: Why Donald Trump talked about ‘ratings’ standing next to 3 recently freed prisoners?
Are these ridiculous headlines given the situation? Absolutely, but politics is politics. All these media organizations are in the tank for the Democrats and they don’t want to see Trump do well. So, their bias may make you roll your eyes, but it’s understandable.
More
A Royal Wedding With Global Allure: Our Photo Album
It was a royal event like no other: People, royal invitees and journalists from around the world have gathered in what it is not only a British and American affair, but a global one. Interests and love transcends all borders and this union is the best representation of it.
We will be updating this album throughout the day. Here some of the most precious moments:
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We will be updating this album throughout the day. Here some of the most precious moments:
More
Sick Culture Causes School Murders, Texas Official Claims
Americans should not be “surprised” by the recent uptick in school shootings because the nation has “devalued life,” “desensitized” children to violence and hasn’t “done anything to harden the target at our schools,” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.”
Patrick reacted to Friday’s Santa Fe High School shooting — which was carried out by suspect Dmitrios Pagourtzis, 17, and left 10 people dead and 13 others wounded — during appearances Sunday on both “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”
As the national debate regarding gun control and Second Amendment protections reignited with renewed vigor following the shooting, Patrick urged Americans to seek and recognize the source of the violence.
“George, should we be surprised in this nation? We have devalued life, whether it’s through abortion, whether it’s the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games, which now outsell movies and music,” Patrick said to “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos.
“Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you that students are desensitized to violence, [and] may have lost empathy for their victims by watching hours and hours of video violent games. Are we desensitized, are these children, are these teenagers?” Patrick asked.
More
Patrick reacted to Friday’s Santa Fe High School shooting — which was carried out by suspect Dmitrios Pagourtzis, 17, and left 10 people dead and 13 others wounded — during appearances Sunday on both “This Week” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”
As the national debate regarding gun control and Second Amendment protections reignited with renewed vigor following the shooting, Patrick urged Americans to seek and recognize the source of the violence.
“George, should we be surprised in this nation? We have devalued life, whether it’s through abortion, whether it’s the breakup of families, through violent movies, and particularly violent video games, which now outsell movies and music,” Patrick said to “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos.
“Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you that students are desensitized to violence, [and] may have lost empathy for their victims by watching hours and hours of video violent games. Are we desensitized, are these children, are these teenagers?” Patrick asked.
More
Coddling Addicts with ‘Safe-Injection Sites’ Is No Way to Fight Opioids
Recovery from drug dependencies requires the decision that sobriety is better than any 'high' — then living one day at a time
Certain buzzwords, phrases and terms do not just spontaneously appear in the public realm, but are rather created to advance cultural, social and political agendas. Essentially, this amounts to advertising messages intended to generate instant recall among a mass audience in the hopes a particular cause is embraced among large segments of the U.S. population.
Widely known terms such as Black Lives Matter, climate change and #MeToo illustrate the effectiveness of this technique. Here is one you may not have heard of, but you will as the opioid epidemic shows no signs of slowing down: “harm reduction.”
Just as one can separate the branding from the agenda in all of these terms, so, too, can one see what’s at play here, a national movement to coddle drug addicts. You see, harm reduction is a catch-all phrase encompassing safe-injection sites, medically assisted treatment, and needle-exchange programs — and it’s all coming to a city near you.
This boils down to "eat the food, lose the weight," just as we hear on weight-loss commercials. In this case, though, the wrong approach to recovery can lead to repeated cycles of relapse and ultimately death.
More here
Certain buzzwords, phrases and terms do not just spontaneously appear in the public realm, but are rather created to advance cultural, social and political agendas. Essentially, this amounts to advertising messages intended to generate instant recall among a mass audience in the hopes a particular cause is embraced among large segments of the U.S. population.
Widely known terms such as Black Lives Matter, climate change and #MeToo illustrate the effectiveness of this technique. Here is one you may not have heard of, but you will as the opioid epidemic shows no signs of slowing down: “harm reduction.”
Just as one can separate the branding from the agenda in all of these terms, so, too, can one see what’s at play here, a national movement to coddle drug addicts. You see, harm reduction is a catch-all phrase encompassing safe-injection sites, medically assisted treatment, and needle-exchange programs — and it’s all coming to a city near you.
This boils down to "eat the food, lose the weight," just as we hear on weight-loss commercials. In this case, though, the wrong approach to recovery can lead to repeated cycles of relapse and ultimately death.
More here
Stacey Vs. Stacey: The Democratic Fight For Governor In Georgia
There are two Democrats running for governor in Georgia — Stacey Abrams, who's black and Stacey Evans, who's white. It's a contest that's underscored how complicated race remains for Democrats.
The two candidates running for governor in the Georgia Democratic primary on May 22 have plenty of similarities: they're both women named Stacey; they're both former legislators in the Georgia House of Representatives; they're both lawyers; and they're both calling for similar progressive policies, such as expanding Medicaid.
But Stacey Abrams is black. And Stacey Evans is white. The color of their skin is the most obvious, if not superficial, difference between the two women.
And it's led to a racialized campaign full of competing strategies on how you win.
No Democrat has won a gubernatorial or U.S. senate race in Georgia in more than a decade. For some context, in 2014, both the Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jason Carter and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Michelle Nunn lost by about 200,000 votes. So the question is — how does a Democrat in 2018 find those additional 200,000 votes?
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The two candidates running for governor in the Georgia Democratic primary on May 22 have plenty of similarities: they're both women named Stacey; they're both former legislators in the Georgia House of Representatives; they're both lawyers; and they're both calling for similar progressive policies, such as expanding Medicaid.
But Stacey Abrams is black. And Stacey Evans is white. The color of their skin is the most obvious, if not superficial, difference between the two women.
And it's led to a racialized campaign full of competing strategies on how you win.
No Democrat has won a gubernatorial or U.S. senate race in Georgia in more than a decade. For some context, in 2014, both the Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jason Carter and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Michelle Nunn lost by about 200,000 votes. So the question is — how does a Democrat in 2018 find those additional 200,000 votes?
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Manners, Morals, and Political Correctness
Are manners and morals essentially the same? Are manners merely "small morals," as Thomas Hobbes defines them? Or is there a fundamental distinction?
Moral philosophy is about our understanding of virtue or righteousness. Manners, on the other hand, focus upon public or political behavior. We might draw the distinction between manners and morals by stating that manners are instrumental behaviors while morals are existential. One might differentiate them by pointing out that manners are social behaviors subject to place and time. Manners govern actions. Morals, on the other hand, define how we "ought" to interact.
Since what we do is connected to why we should do it, manners and morals were investigated by both social scientists and philosophers. Aristotle described manners as "practical wisdom" as opposed to philosophical wisdom. Practical or political wisdom is devoted to man's self-interest or what is good for the individual. But what is good for the individual must be evaluated against what is good in general. Practical wisdom is about how a man may obtain something that is good for him. Philosophical wisdom seeks to understand what is good.
Much of our moral awareness derives from our perceptions of what feels good. That is why David Hume argues that we determine virtue or vice by how we feel rather than what we think. Despite a common perceptual origin, morals and manners have developed differently. While we may see moral intentions in a display of good manners, it is often the case that politeness as we observe in politics and diplomacy is little more than lying, obfuscating a darker intention.
More
Moral philosophy is about our understanding of virtue or righteousness. Manners, on the other hand, focus upon public or political behavior. We might draw the distinction between manners and morals by stating that manners are instrumental behaviors while morals are existential. One might differentiate them by pointing out that manners are social behaviors subject to place and time. Manners govern actions. Morals, on the other hand, define how we "ought" to interact.
Since what we do is connected to why we should do it, manners and morals were investigated by both social scientists and philosophers. Aristotle described manners as "practical wisdom" as opposed to philosophical wisdom. Practical or political wisdom is devoted to man's self-interest or what is good for the individual. But what is good for the individual must be evaluated against what is good in general. Practical wisdom is about how a man may obtain something that is good for him. Philosophical wisdom seeks to understand what is good.
Much of our moral awareness derives from our perceptions of what feels good. That is why David Hume argues that we determine virtue or vice by how we feel rather than what we think. Despite a common perceptual origin, morals and manners have developed differently. While we may see moral intentions in a display of good manners, it is often the case that politeness as we observe in politics and diplomacy is little more than lying, obfuscating a darker intention.
More
Seems Reasonable
If Bruce Jenner can keep his PENIS but be considered a WOMAN then I will keep my GUNS and be considered DISARMED.
Seems Reasonable To Me
Middle Schoolers in W.Va. Had to Write ‘Allah Is the One True God’ in Arabic
A West Virginia parent, Rich Penkoski, was displeased to see his seventh-grade daughter bring home a “calligraphy” assignment that asked students to write an Islamic pledge to Allah in Arabic last week.
He contacted the principal, Ron Branch, at Mountain Ridge Middle School — and wanted an explanation as to why his daughter was asked to inscribe the shahada.
The Arabic passage translates to “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.”
“I saw the assignment of writing the shahada in Arabic. [The school’s] excuse was calligraphy,” Penkoski told The Christian Post.
“I was like, ‘Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!’ First of all, calligraphy was invented in China 3,000 years prior to Muhammad. The fact that they were trying to get my daughter to write that disturbed me,” the father continued.
“I said, ‘That is not happening. My daughter is not doing that,'” Penkoski added. “My daughter told me that if she didn’t do the assignment, then she was going to get a [detention] slip.”
Penkoski said the school told him that the teacher, Katherine Hinson, had only added the calligraphy worksheet with the Islamic religion packet as an optional exercise. The dad believes he was given this line because he raised objections, according to The Christian Post.
"If it was optional, then why was there no option for comparison for Judaism and Christianity? There was no option to recite any of the Lord's Prayer and [the] Ten Commandments. There was no option to write Hebrew," Penkoski said. "Why [was] it only [about] Islam?"
More here
He contacted the principal, Ron Branch, at Mountain Ridge Middle School — and wanted an explanation as to why his daughter was asked to inscribe the shahada.
The Arabic passage translates to “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.”
“I saw the assignment of writing the shahada in Arabic. [The school’s] excuse was calligraphy,” Penkoski told The Christian Post.
“I was like, ‘Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!’ First of all, calligraphy was invented in China 3,000 years prior to Muhammad. The fact that they were trying to get my daughter to write that disturbed me,” the father continued.
“I said, ‘That is not happening. My daughter is not doing that,'” Penkoski added. “My daughter told me that if she didn’t do the assignment, then she was going to get a [detention] slip.”
Penkoski said the school told him that the teacher, Katherine Hinson, had only added the calligraphy worksheet with the Islamic religion packet as an optional exercise. The dad believes he was given this line because he raised objections, according to The Christian Post.
"If it was optional, then why was there no option for comparison for Judaism and Christianity? There was no option to recite any of the Lord's Prayer and [the] Ten Commandments. There was no option to write Hebrew," Penkoski said. "Why [was] it only [about] Islam?"
More here
Rush: Deep State Damaged U.S. Elections Beyond Putin’s Wildest ‘Dreams’
Friday on his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative talker Rush Limbaugh hammered former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and argued that the “deep state” had damaged American elections beyond what Limbaugh said were Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wildest dreams.
Partial transcript as follows:
(BEGIN AUDIO)
CLAPPER: And I think it’s hugely danger if someone like that is exposed because, uh, the danger to that person, not to mention the reluctance of others to be informants for the FBI. And the FBI gains a lot of valuable information from informants. So — so — so to me, this is incredible.
(END AUDIO)
LIMBAUGH: So it’s perfect… Okay. I tell you what. I’ll tell you what then, Clapper. Whoever you people run in 2020, we’re gonna put a spy on! It’s gonna be a valuable thing. We’re gonna find out who it is that might be trying to rig the election for you. If the Russians tampering with campaigns is the big deal… You heard Clapper say, “It’s not Trump. No, no. This is hyperbole! We were trying to find out what the Russians were doing because the Russians were tampering.”
You people have done more to damage the integrity of the American electoral process than Vladimir Putin could in his dreams! And I’m not joking. With what these people have done for the last year and a half — basically get people thinking the election was stolen, that it was illegitimate, that the Russians didn’t want Hillary and wanted Trump and made it happen — look at what they have done to the image, the reputation of the American electoral system and process.
More/video here
Partial transcript as follows:
(BEGIN AUDIO)
CLAPPER: And I think it’s hugely danger if someone like that is exposed because, uh, the danger to that person, not to mention the reluctance of others to be informants for the FBI. And the FBI gains a lot of valuable information from informants. So — so — so to me, this is incredible.
(END AUDIO)
LIMBAUGH: So it’s perfect… Okay. I tell you what. I’ll tell you what then, Clapper. Whoever you people run in 2020, we’re gonna put a spy on! It’s gonna be a valuable thing. We’re gonna find out who it is that might be trying to rig the election for you. If the Russians tampering with campaigns is the big deal… You heard Clapper say, “It’s not Trump. No, no. This is hyperbole! We were trying to find out what the Russians were doing because the Russians were tampering.”
You people have done more to damage the integrity of the American electoral process than Vladimir Putin could in his dreams! And I’m not joking. With what these people have done for the last year and a half — basically get people thinking the election was stolen, that it was illegitimate, that the Russians didn’t want Hillary and wanted Trump and made it happen — look at what they have done to the image, the reputation of the American electoral system and process.
More/video here
The Pox of Multiculturalism
What the left calls "multiculturalism" is actually the systematic destruction of cultures and the replacement of these cultures by a synthetic, artificial, and meaningless global culture. When the left talks about "diversity," it really means the crushing of differences in thought, values, and art into a sort of baby food which neither nourishes the soul or elevates the mind.
This is because cultural differences are based on geography and exist in nations and regions rather than in the nonsensical "global" community. Indeed, there are cultural differences within most nations of any size that reflect the differences within parts of a nation.
Canada is a good example. Quebec decades ago insisted upon the preservation of the French language and with it French culture in that quarter of Canada. Scotland is likewise a nation within the United Kingdom that the English allowed to retain Scottish state religion; Scottish money; Scottish judicial systems; and, over the last few decades, an independent Scottish Parliament.
America includes the cultures of the South, the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains, and so on. People who live in those parts of America view "Washington" with about as much contempt as the Irish viewed London and the Ukrainians viewed Moscow. The centralization of power within large nations almost always means the imposition of an imperial culture upon regions that are closer to colonies than co-equal polities.
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This is because cultural differences are based on geography and exist in nations and regions rather than in the nonsensical "global" community. Indeed, there are cultural differences within most nations of any size that reflect the differences within parts of a nation.
Canada is a good example. Quebec decades ago insisted upon the preservation of the French language and with it French culture in that quarter of Canada. Scotland is likewise a nation within the United Kingdom that the English allowed to retain Scottish state religion; Scottish money; Scottish judicial systems; and, over the last few decades, an independent Scottish Parliament.
America includes the cultures of the South, the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains, and so on. People who live in those parts of America view "Washington" with about as much contempt as the Irish viewed London and the Ukrainians viewed Moscow. The centralization of power within large nations almost always means the imposition of an imperial culture upon regions that are closer to colonies than co-equal polities.
More
Go Fund Me For An Ocean City Maryland Speeding Ticket, Ridiculous!
Hi Everyone, creating this to fight back the excessive ticketing in OCMD crusing meet this weekend. This money will be used to help out 10 people to aquire an attorney with the highest tickets amounts. I am working on getting a better rate with an attorney if we hire as a group. Instead of individual. So might be able to help out a few more people.
This event is about having fun, not funding OC. They clearly just care about the money. If this was a safety concern people would be losing their cars or getting arrested.
I was a victim myself of this stacking of tickets and will post my fines as well which totaled to $1800
Please post your tickets as I will be keeping track of others who are victims of this excessivness as well.
Hopefully we can reach our goal by the end of next week and can start the process of getting representation as quickly as possible.
This event is about having fun, not funding OC. They clearly just care about the money. If this was a safety concern people would be losing their cars or getting arrested.
I was a victim myself of this stacking of tickets and will post my fines as well which totaled to $1800
Please post your tickets as I will be keeping track of others who are victims of this excessivness as well.
Hopefully we can reach our goal by the end of next week and can start the process of getting representation as quickly as possible.
Trump Is Going Full Alinsky – and His Opponents Are Flummoxed
Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals is considered a bible to the left, a how-to guide for community organizing and activism. Barack Obama was an Alinsky protégé before, during, and after his presidency. Obama used the rules to his advantage, advancing his left-wing agenda.
The left, despite conventional wisdom, has no monopoly on Alinsky's rules. Instead these rules can be used by the right, also as blueprint for effecting change.
The dirty little secret is that Alinsky has little in common with modern leftists. As Ralph Benko writes, "Alinsky was an aggressively anti-communist, anti-big government, populist with a healthy contempt for liberals." He would more likely be found at a Tea Party rally wearing a MAGA hat than at a resistance march wearing a pink pussy hat.
President Trump is reaping the results this month of his foreign policy initiatives. He blew up Obama's sketchy Iran deal. The U.S. embassy opened in Jerusalem, fulfilling a promise made, but never kept, by a slew of recent U.S. presidents. Trump is hopefully sitting down with North Korea's Kim Jung-un after Kim pledged to scrap his nuke program, despite media reports of last-minute attempts by Kim to scuttle the talks. Trump is keeping and following through on promises his predecessors have made but tossed aside due to lack of resolve or political expediency.
All in all, it's been a few good weeks for a rube, unfit for the presidency, out of his depth in conducting foreign affairs, with a temperament to make war as opposed to peace.
So how did it happen?
(Keep reading..)
The left, despite conventional wisdom, has no monopoly on Alinsky's rules. Instead these rules can be used by the right, also as blueprint for effecting change.
The dirty little secret is that Alinsky has little in common with modern leftists. As Ralph Benko writes, "Alinsky was an aggressively anti-communist, anti-big government, populist with a healthy contempt for liberals." He would more likely be found at a Tea Party rally wearing a MAGA hat than at a resistance march wearing a pink pussy hat.
President Trump is reaping the results this month of his foreign policy initiatives. He blew up Obama's sketchy Iran deal. The U.S. embassy opened in Jerusalem, fulfilling a promise made, but never kept, by a slew of recent U.S. presidents. Trump is hopefully sitting down with North Korea's Kim Jung-un after Kim pledged to scrap his nuke program, despite media reports of last-minute attempts by Kim to scuttle the talks. Trump is keeping and following through on promises his predecessors have made but tossed aside due to lack of resolve or political expediency.
All in all, it's been a few good weeks for a rube, unfit for the presidency, out of his depth in conducting foreign affairs, with a temperament to make war as opposed to peace.
So how did it happen?
(Keep reading..)
Delaware student, 18, charged after pulling a gun on a fellow classmate in their school bathroom
A Delaware high school student has been arrested for pulling a gun on a fellow classmate.
Tymere Moore, 18, aimed the handgun at another male student Friday morning in the bathroom of Middletown High School.
Police said the incident began when Moore got into a verbal altercation with a female student.
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Tymere Moore, 18, aimed the handgun at another male student Friday morning in the bathroom of Middletown High School.
Police said the incident began when Moore got into a verbal altercation with a female student.
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9,000 Fallen Soldiers Etched into the Sand on Normandy Beach to Commemorate Peace Day
This past weekend British artists Jamie Wardley and Andy Moss accompanied by numerous volunteers, took to the beaches of Normandy with rakes and stencils in hand to etch 9,000 silhouettes representing fallen people into the sand. Titled The Fallen 9000, the piece is meant as a stark visual reminder of the civilians, Germans and allied forces who died during the D-Day beach landings at Arromanches on June 6th, 1944 during WWII. The original team consisted of 60 volunteers, but as word spread nearly 500 additional local residents arrived to help with the temporary installation that lasted only a few hours before being washed away by the tide. (via Lustik)
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Chick-fil-A In Salisbury
Shannon Moore Webster 8 hrs · Salisbury, MD
Today I contacted Chic Fil-a north salisbury about getting food platters for Steve Ray's family.. When Shane Webster and I went in to pick them up, I was told no cost, it was on them and to give their condolences to the family it was the least they could do. I want to say thank you very much to the manger/ owner and team for such a kind gesture.. we greatly appreciate your kindness ..
Today I contacted Chic Fil-a north salisbury about getting food platters for Steve Ray's family.. When Shane Webster and I went in to pick them up, I was told no cost, it was on them and to give their condolences to the family it was the least they could do. I want to say thank you very much to the manger/ owner and team for such a kind gesture.. we greatly appreciate your kindness ..
Bowie High School students in black masks simulate school shooting as a senior prank
BOWIE, Md. (WJLA) — A group of Bowie High School students were involved in an incident where they dressed in black, shot students and faculty with replica squirt guns, and set off fireworks in the school as a senior prank.
The incident took place on May 15.
At least one student was hurt. And many are saying the so-called prank went too far.
The students face discipline and possible charges. The incident occurred in the high school's main building, according to a letter from Bowie High School principal Robynne W. Prince.
"Around 10:45 a.m., a small group of students participated in an inappropriate "senior prank" that resulted in a school evacuation," the letter in part reads. "The prank involved spraying students and staff with squirt guns and setting off fireworks in the hallway."
"School administration is taking this incident very seriously and coordinating with local police; the students involved will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law and disciplined according to the PGCPS Student Code of Conduct."
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The incident took place on May 15.
At least one student was hurt. And many are saying the so-called prank went too far.
The students face discipline and possible charges. The incident occurred in the high school's main building, according to a letter from Bowie High School principal Robynne W. Prince.
"Around 10:45 a.m., a small group of students participated in an inappropriate "senior prank" that resulted in a school evacuation," the letter in part reads. "The prank involved spraying students and staff with squirt guns and setting off fireworks in the hallway."
"School administration is taking this incident very seriously and coordinating with local police; the students involved will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law and disciplined according to the PGCPS Student Code of Conduct."
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Don't Let Local Media Fool You
While there's no question Cruisin Weekend was much smaller then past years because of the weather, please don't mislead viewers that business was way down because that's just not completely true.
Business in Ocean City might have been slower, (tickets/fines) however, that was not the case in West Ocean City. There are some of us, (me included) who have seen for decades that West Ocean City was going to boom. In fact, my friend Mark Odachowski recently purchased the Alamo Motel on Rt. 50 and immediately and completely remodeled the entire facility. Mark just cut a deal to put Mothers Cantina restaurant at that location as well. Considering our facilities connect, we will partner with this restaurant, (food) to be delivered to OC Billiards @ Trader Lee's.
There is a group of us who will be working diligently to market the West Ocean City boom in business as WE, (pictures shown on Saturday) enjoyed a major increase in business and NOT a drop in business, as WBOC suggested this morning. Obviously there are two sides to every Liberal story.
For those of you who traveled to Ocean City recently you will notice the parking lots to all of the new hotels on Rt. 50 being completely packed. West Ocean City is the future. We are all supporting each other and will ultimately make sure events like Bike Week or Cruisin Weekend will not disappear because Ocean City doesn't want them. We are a powerful group of people/businessmen, (not politicians) who will take over and make things right, as it should be.
Business in Ocean City might have been slower, (tickets/fines) however, that was not the case in West Ocean City. There are some of us, (me included) who have seen for decades that West Ocean City was going to boom. In fact, my friend Mark Odachowski recently purchased the Alamo Motel on Rt. 50 and immediately and completely remodeled the entire facility. Mark just cut a deal to put Mothers Cantina restaurant at that location as well. Considering our facilities connect, we will partner with this restaurant, (food) to be delivered to OC Billiards @ Trader Lee's.
There is a group of us who will be working diligently to market the West Ocean City boom in business as WE, (pictures shown on Saturday) enjoyed a major increase in business and NOT a drop in business, as WBOC suggested this morning. Obviously there are two sides to every Liberal story.
For those of you who traveled to Ocean City recently you will notice the parking lots to all of the new hotels on Rt. 50 being completely packed. West Ocean City is the future. We are all supporting each other and will ultimately make sure events like Bike Week or Cruisin Weekend will not disappear because Ocean City doesn't want them. We are a powerful group of people/businessmen, (not politicians) who will take over and make things right, as it should be.
Al Sharpton says royal wedding shows white supremacy is ‘on its last breath’
Al Sharpton said the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who is biracial, is a sign that white supremacy is "on its last breath."
Sharpton spoke of the nuptials during his weekly National Action Network rally Saturday in Harlem as millions across the globe had their eyes transfixed on the over-the-top affair Saturday between Harry and Markle, whose mother is black and father is white.
"When you got little white girls in Wales saying, 'I want to be like Meghan,' there's a shift worldwide that white male supremacy is on its last breath," Sharpton said.
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Sharpton spoke of the nuptials during his weekly National Action Network rally Saturday in Harlem as millions across the globe had their eyes transfixed on the over-the-top affair Saturday between Harry and Markle, whose mother is black and father is white.
"When you got little white girls in Wales saying, 'I want to be like Meghan,' there's a shift worldwide that white male supremacy is on its last breath," Sharpton said.
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A Viewer Asks Why?
Subject: This happened yesterday.......... why call Pittsville and Fruitland? Where was Salisbury and Parsonsburg. On I know. I bet they were driving down route 50 in a prosession. |
Lost Cat In Salisbury: UPDATE
Lost cat, black with all white whiskers female about 12 lbs. Lost in Monticello Ave in Salisbury MD. Please call 410-677-4814
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