DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Attention
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
DRUG TAKE BACK EVENT - April 2019
Type of Incident: NATIONAL DRUG TAKE BACK EVENT
Date and Time: 04/27/2019 from 10 am to 2 pm
Narrative: The Maryland State Police – Eastern Shore Barracks – to include all counties on the Eastern Shore, in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will be offering a free – no questions asked – drug turn in day. The focus is to provide a means for citizens to turn in unwanted prescription drugs.
It is well known that addiction to prescription painkillers is a serious public safety issue. The majority of abusers get their first dose from a family member’s medicine cabinet. Thieves often look for such medications during break-ins, to use or to sell on the street. Leftover pills have been identified as a means to fuel the opioid epidemic.
Recent studies published (June 2018) in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recorded many young adults – aged 25 to 34 – have accounted for one in every five deaths. The statistics are staggering when stating all deaths attributable to opioids increased 292% between 2001 to 2016, resulting in nearly 5.2 deaths per 1000 population.
The Maryland State Police Barracks and civilian partners (see attachment) on the Eastern Shore are working with the DEA to help reduce these numbers. On April 27, 2019, citizens are urged to come in and deposit their unwanted prescription pills. No liquids, needles, thermometers or biohazards materials are accepted. Help keep family members and others safe from addiction.
How to find a disposal location near you? https://apps.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubdispsearch/spring/main?execution=e1s1
Another French Church Burns on Easter Sunday, Probable Arson
Police have confirmed that a fire in the French church of Notre-Dame de Grâce on Easter Sunday appears to have been intentionally set, making it the latest in a string of desecrations of Christian churches in the country.
The fire was started in a large, wooden confessional around 4:30pm and proceeded to consume a dais in the presbytery of the eighteenth-century church located in the southern French town of Eyguières, near Provence.
“Flames several meters high were coming out of the church,” said the mayor of Eyguières, Henri Pons, before a team of 30 firefighters with six vehicles arrived and managed to contain the blaze.
An area of some 20 square meters in the church was destroyed but observers have noted that the damage would have been far worse had it not been it not for the bold intervention of a local inhabitant.
More
The fire was started in a large, wooden confessional around 4:30pm and proceeded to consume a dais in the presbytery of the eighteenth-century church located in the southern French town of Eyguières, near Provence.
“Flames several meters high were coming out of the church,” said the mayor of Eyguières, Henri Pons, before a team of 30 firefighters with six vehicles arrived and managed to contain the blaze.
An area of some 20 square meters in the church was destroyed but observers have noted that the damage would have been far worse had it not been it not for the bold intervention of a local inhabitant.
More
TRUMP SIGNING MEMO CRACKING DOWN ON VISA OVERSTAYS
President Donald Trump will be signing a memorandum recommending severe sanctions on countries with high rates of visa overstays in the United States.
The memorandum recommends, among other measures, placing travel restrictions on citizens of the 20 countries who have higher than 10% visa overstay rates, including Chad, Yemen, Syria, Angola and others. Over 415,000 individuals were suspected of overstaying their short-term visitor visas in FY 2018, according to Department of Homeland Security data as of March 2019.
“What we’re doing here is shutting a backdoor for illegal immigration,” a senior administration official told The Daily Caller. “This is part of the Trump Administration’s comprehensive approach to combating illegal immigration.”
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The memorandum recommends, among other measures, placing travel restrictions on citizens of the 20 countries who have higher than 10% visa overstay rates, including Chad, Yemen, Syria, Angola and others. Over 415,000 individuals were suspected of overstaying their short-term visitor visas in FY 2018, according to Department of Homeland Security data as of March 2019.
“What we’re doing here is shutting a backdoor for illegal immigration,” a senior administration official told The Daily Caller. “This is part of the Trump Administration’s comprehensive approach to combating illegal immigration.”
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NJ Governor Wants To Punish Low-Income Gun Owners With Insane New Fees
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) wants to significantly increase the cost of owning a gun in the state - proposing fees that would be among the highest in the country, according to the New York Times.
Currently, a firearm identification costs $5, a permit to own a gun $2, and a permit to carry a gun costs just $20. Murphy wants to raise that to $100 for the ID, $50 to own a gun and $400 to carry. In addition, Murphy wants to slap a 10% excise tax on ammunition and a 2.5% firearms excise tax.
The proposals are part of the state budget which must be passed by June 30.
The new fees would - as they always do - disproportionately punish low-income, law-abiding, mostly minority gun owners who wish to defend themselves and their families in high-crime areas.
While Murphy lives in mostly white Princeton, NJ - which has an average income of $125,000 and virtually no violent crime, residents of predominantly black Asbury Park - with an average income of $37,737 (2016) and more than double the national crime rate, would be much harder pressed to come up with the extra $523 to legally defend themselves.
Murphy claims that there is no "war on responsible gun owners," and that the funds raised from the fee hike would go towards anti-violence initiatives.
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Currently, a firearm identification costs $5, a permit to own a gun $2, and a permit to carry a gun costs just $20. Murphy wants to raise that to $100 for the ID, $50 to own a gun and $400 to carry. In addition, Murphy wants to slap a 10% excise tax on ammunition and a 2.5% firearms excise tax.
The proposals are part of the state budget which must be passed by June 30.
The new fees would - as they always do - disproportionately punish low-income, law-abiding, mostly minority gun owners who wish to defend themselves and their families in high-crime areas.
While Murphy lives in mostly white Princeton, NJ - which has an average income of $125,000 and virtually no violent crime, residents of predominantly black Asbury Park - with an average income of $37,737 (2016) and more than double the national crime rate, would be much harder pressed to come up with the extra $523 to legally defend themselves.
Murphy claims that there is no "war on responsible gun owners," and that the funds raised from the fee hike would go towards anti-violence initiatives.
More
Uh Oh: Elizabeth Warren's Past May Catch Up To Her
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-WA) has made a name for herself as "strong progressive." She's championed traditionally progressive values like gun control, taxing the rich and even forgiving people's student loan debt. But before Warren was a progressive darling she was actually a registered Republican, POLITICO reported.
For quite a few years, Warren was a registered Republican in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. It wasn't until she was 47 years old and a Harvard professor that she suddenly changed parties.
For quite a few years, Warren was a registered Republican in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. It wasn't until she was 47 years old and a Harvard professor that she suddenly changed parties.
Warren has acknowledged her Republican past before, but she does not often discuss it, or else downplays it. In a recent interview over tea at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she said she assumes the first time she registered as a Democrat was 1996, but added, “I’m not even 100 percent sure what I was registered as.” According to Warren, in the six presidential elections she voted in before 1996, she cast her ballot for just one GOP nominee, Gerald Ford in 1976. She does not talk about her Republican past in either of her books or as part of the biography she recounts in her stump speech; the information often comes as a surprise even to Beltway politicos and longtime Warren allies.More
Oregon Snowflake Cashes In
Multnomah County has agreed to pay $100,000 to a black employee who claimed the county fostered a racially insensitive workplace after she complained about a co-worker who pinned up a “Blue Lives Matter” flag.
Karimah Guion-Pledgure claimed in her January lawsuit that the flag “demeans” and “denigrates” the Black Lives Matter movement. But some co-workers didn’t agree, and Guion-Pledgure claims they harassed her for it -- leading her to suffer debilitating stress and health problems, the suit said.
A probation officer hung up the flag in September 2017 above the probation officer’s desk, and after Guion-Pledgure and other black co-workers complained, supervisors refused to require it be removed, the suit said.
Proponents of the Blue Lives Matter flag say it’s meant to support and honor the work and sacrifices of law enforcement officers.
Guion-Pledgure’s lawsuit said the Blue Lives Matter movement “co-opts” the Black Lives Matter movement and "repurposes it to shift focus to law enforcement — a chosen profession, not a racial identity — and thus denigrates, dilutes, and demeans the purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement.”
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Karimah Guion-Pledgure claimed in her January lawsuit that the flag “demeans” and “denigrates” the Black Lives Matter movement. But some co-workers didn’t agree, and Guion-Pledgure claims they harassed her for it -- leading her to suffer debilitating stress and health problems, the suit said.
A probation officer hung up the flag in September 2017 above the probation officer’s desk, and after Guion-Pledgure and other black co-workers complained, supervisors refused to require it be removed, the suit said.
Proponents of the Blue Lives Matter flag say it’s meant to support and honor the work and sacrifices of law enforcement officers.
Guion-Pledgure’s lawsuit said the Blue Lives Matter movement “co-opts” the Black Lives Matter movement and "repurposes it to shift focus to law enforcement — a chosen profession, not a racial identity — and thus denigrates, dilutes, and demeans the purpose of the Black Lives Matter movement.”
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New Census Numbers Reveal Americans Migrating West And South, And Away From High-Tax Blue-States
The U.S. Census Bureau has just released their annual report on how the U.S. population is shifting, and there are some very clear patterns in the data. If you look at this Census Bureau map, you will see lots of purple (areas where the population is growing) in the west and the south, and you will see lots of orange (areas where the population is declining) in the north and the east. Of course this is a continuation of a pattern that we have been seeing for decades. Given the ability to choose, many Americans would rather live in areas of the country that are warm and sunny, and that makes a lot of sense. But that is not the only pattern that we see in the data.
From July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 seven of the ten counties that had the largest percentage increase in population were either in Texas or Florida…
From July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 seven of the ten counties that had the largest percentage increase in population were either in Texas or Florida…
- McKenzie County, ND: 7.1 percent
- Williams County, ND: 5.9 percent
- Comal County, TX: 5.4 percent
- Kaufman County, TX: 4.7 percent
- Brunswick County, NC: 4.6 percent
- Walton County, FL: 4.5 percent
- Midland County, TX: 4.3 percent
- Osceola County, FL: 4.3 percent
- St. Johns County, FL: 4.2 percent
- Hood County, TX: 4.1 percent
REPORT: OMAR ATTACKED US SOLDIERS WHO DIED FIGHTING IN ‘BLACK HAWK DOWN’ OPERATION
A newly unearthed tweet shows Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar attacking the U.S. soldiers who fought and died in the Battle of Mogadishu.
“In his selective memory, he forgets to also mention the thousands of Somalis killed by the American forces that day! #NotTodaySatan,” Omar wrote in a tweet in October 2017, uncovered Monday by John Rossomando of the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
Omar was responding to another tweet about the Battle of Mogadishu, a 1993 humanitarian operation by the U.S. military that sought to save starving Somalis by preventing food and aid from being captured by enemy combatants. The battle ultimately took the lives of 19 American soldiers and wounded 73 others, and it became the subject of the famous Hollywood movie “Black Hawk Down.”
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“In his selective memory, he forgets to also mention the thousands of Somalis killed by the American forces that day! #NotTodaySatan,” Omar wrote in a tweet in October 2017, uncovered Monday by John Rossomando of the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
Omar was responding to another tweet about the Battle of Mogadishu, a 1993 humanitarian operation by the U.S. military that sought to save starving Somalis by preventing food and aid from being captured by enemy combatants. The battle ultimately took the lives of 19 American soldiers and wounded 73 others, and it became the subject of the famous Hollywood movie “Black Hawk Down.”
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House Judiciary chairman subpoenas ex-White House counsel Don McGahn
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., on Monday subpoenaed former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify publicly next month following last week's release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation.
Nadler described McGahn, who stepped down as White House counsel in October 2018, as "a critical witness to many of the alleged instances of obstruction of justice and other misconduct described in the Special Counsel's report."
The committee's ranking member, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., slammed Nadler's move.
"For the second time in four days, the chairman has issued a subpoena prematurely and contrary to his pledge not 'to issue a subpoena every time we have a disagreement with the administration.' Don McGahn sat for more than 30 hours of interviews with the special counsel’s investigation, and the chairman has answered that with a stunning 36-item subpoena. Instead of looking at material that Attorney General [William] Barr has already made available, Democrats prefer to demand additional materials they know are subject to constitutional and common-law privileges and cannot be produced."
More
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-judiciary-chairman-subpoenas-ex-white-house-counsel-don-mcgahn
Nadler described McGahn, who stepped down as White House counsel in October 2018, as "a critical witness to many of the alleged instances of obstruction of justice and other misconduct described in the Special Counsel's report."
The committee's ranking member, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., slammed Nadler's move.
"For the second time in four days, the chairman has issued a subpoena prematurely and contrary to his pledge not 'to issue a subpoena every time we have a disagreement with the administration.' Don McGahn sat for more than 30 hours of interviews with the special counsel’s investigation, and the chairman has answered that with a stunning 36-item subpoena. Instead of looking at material that Attorney General [William] Barr has already made available, Democrats prefer to demand additional materials they know are subject to constitutional and common-law privileges and cannot be produced."
More
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-judiciary-chairman-subpoenas-ex-white-house-counsel-don-mcgahn
JORDAN RAISES ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT CUMMINGS’S SECRET MOU WITH CHAIRWOMAN MAXINE WATERS
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jim Jordan, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) raising additional questions about a secret Memorandum of Understanding executed with Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA). The Chairman executed the MOU unilaterally and did not first obtain approval for this measure through a vote of the Committee.
“I appreciate the information you provided about your nonpublic MOU with Chairwoman Waters. I hope you will continue to be transparent about all future MOUs you execute. However, your letter did not explain what authority in the Constitution, the Rules of the House of Representatives, or the Rules of the Committee allows you to bind the Committee through an MOU without first obtaining approval through a vote of the Committee.”
“Your nonpublic MOU with Chairwoman Waters cites no specific authority allowing you to execute an MOU that could affect future investigatory actions you take as chairman on behalf of the Committee. I ask again whether you could explain the authority that allows you to execute an MOU that affects potential Committee action without first obtaining approval of Committee Members.”
Full text of the letter can be found here.
“I appreciate the information you provided about your nonpublic MOU with Chairwoman Waters. I hope you will continue to be transparent about all future MOUs you execute. However, your letter did not explain what authority in the Constitution, the Rules of the House of Representatives, or the Rules of the Committee allows you to bind the Committee through an MOU without first obtaining approval through a vote of the Committee.”
“Your nonpublic MOU with Chairwoman Waters cites no specific authority allowing you to execute an MOU that could affect future investigatory actions you take as chairman on behalf of the Committee. I ask again whether you could explain the authority that allows you to execute an MOU that affects potential Committee action without first obtaining approval of Committee Members.”
Full text of the letter can be found here.
Ocasio-Cortez targeted by mystery multimillionaire donor
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s surging national profile has inspired a trio of Republican opponents from her home district — along with a multimillionaire mystery donor who could help close the gap in her foes’ long-shot race against her.
Just three months after taking office, the Democratic socialist congresswoman’s challengers include an Egyptian American journalist, who has already tossed her hat in the ring, and an NYPD cop-turned-high school civics teacher and conservative talk radio producer, both of whom are seriously exploring a run against her.
And the fledgling challengers could get help from a wealthy New Yorker committed to backing an Ocasio-Cortez opponent, a GOP big said.
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Just three months after taking office, the Democratic socialist congresswoman’s challengers include an Egyptian American journalist, who has already tossed her hat in the ring, and an NYPD cop-turned-high school civics teacher and conservative talk radio producer, both of whom are seriously exploring a run against her.
And the fledgling challengers could get help from a wealthy New Yorker committed to backing an Ocasio-Cortez opponent, a GOP big said.
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Bill would provide protections to student loan borrowers
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland — Wade Davis called Navient’s customer service in March, hoping to adjust the payment plan for his student loan. Davis, 36, and a freelance musician seeking full-time employment, said he couldn’t commit to his plan.
After telling a representative from Navient — one of the major student loan servicing companies — of his current financial situation, the representative informed him he would have to sign up for a month-to-month payment plan that Davis said isn’t feasible with his current financial situation.
Reiterating his financial struggles, Davis said he was frustrated with the representative whom he described as “rude” and “snarky” and who threatened litigation.
“They know what they are doing,” Davis said of the loan servicing company. “They have a license to treat people any way.”
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After telling a representative from Navient — one of the major student loan servicing companies — of his current financial situation, the representative informed him he would have to sign up for a month-to-month payment plan that Davis said isn’t feasible with his current financial situation.
Reiterating his financial struggles, Davis said he was frustrated with the representative whom he described as “rude” and “snarky” and who threatened litigation.
“They know what they are doing,” Davis said of the loan servicing company. “They have a license to treat people any way.”
More
Churches Have Become The #1 Target For Hate Attacks
The bombings in Sri Lanka have once again put a spotlight on the rising tide of violence against Christians all over the world
According to Open Doors USA, an average of 105 churches and/or Christian buildings are burned or attacked every month. That is more than three per day, and almost all of those attacks get ignored by the mainstream media in the western world. In addition, an average of 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons every single month. Of course these numbers will soon be out of date, because violence against Christians continues to escalate all over the globe, and the horrifying attacks that we just witnessed in Sri Lanka are a perfect example. The following comes from CBS News…
"A series of eight bombings in Sri Lanka targeting Christian churches and hotels in three cities killed at least 207 people and wounded up to 450 others on Easter Sunday. Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardene described the coordinated blasts as a terrorist attack by religious extremists."
More specifically, the attackers were Muslim extremists.
Why does the mainstream media have to be so politically correct all the time?
Of course this comes right on the heels of the fire that almost destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral. Authorities are still attempting to determine the cause of that fire, but we do know that many other churches have been hit by vandals and arsonists in France since the beginning of February.
More here
According to Open Doors USA, an average of 105 churches and/or Christian buildings are burned or attacked every month. That is more than three per day, and almost all of those attacks get ignored by the mainstream media in the western world. In addition, an average of 345 Christians are killed for faith-related reasons every single month. Of course these numbers will soon be out of date, because violence against Christians continues to escalate all over the globe, and the horrifying attacks that we just witnessed in Sri Lanka are a perfect example. The following comes from CBS News…
"A series of eight bombings in Sri Lanka targeting Christian churches and hotels in three cities killed at least 207 people and wounded up to 450 others on Easter Sunday. Defense Minister Ruwan Wijewardene described the coordinated blasts as a terrorist attack by religious extremists."
More specifically, the attackers were Muslim extremists.
Why does the mainstream media have to be so politically correct all the time?
Of course this comes right on the heels of the fire that almost destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral. Authorities are still attempting to determine the cause of that fire, but we do know that many other churches have been hit by vandals and arsonists in France since the beginning of February.
More here
College Degrees Certify Life Skills You Can Get Elsewhere
When customers visit an Enterprise Rent-a-Car establishment for the first time, they are often pleasantly surprised to be waited on by a staff of young managers, typically in their 20s, well dressed, polite, and efficient. The situation is much in contrast to many operations that employ middle-aged managers and hire young people to work their way up doing routine tasks. At Enterprise, the youngsters actually run the show, and they do it very well. And it is not an accident. Enterprise adopted a policy several years ago of hiring college graduates to staff their local rental agencies. It is a policy that is paying off both for the company and for the employees, who quickly learn the ins and outs of managing an office.
Enterprise offers more entry-level jobs for college graduates than almost any other employer in the United States. Last year they hired 8,500 for their management-training program, 40 percent more than the next highest employer. But according to a recent cover story in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Enterprise does not concern itself with questions such as where its trainees went to college, what they majored in, or even how well they did when they were there. “We recognize that great talent can come from all types of institutions, all types of majors and backgrounds,” Marie Artim, Enterprise’s vice president for talent acquisition, explained.
As the Chronicle notes, “to the company, a college degree matters mostly because it suggests that a candidate has acquired the right mix of skills to succeed in an entry-level job — and to move up the ladder from there.” Instead, the company simply takes a bachelor’s degree to signify that applicants can engage in some degree of critical thinking, problem solving, and juggling different responsibilities at the same time.
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Enterprise offers more entry-level jobs for college graduates than almost any other employer in the United States. Last year they hired 8,500 for their management-training program, 40 percent more than the next highest employer. But according to a recent cover story in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Enterprise does not concern itself with questions such as where its trainees went to college, what they majored in, or even how well they did when they were there. “We recognize that great talent can come from all types of institutions, all types of majors and backgrounds,” Marie Artim, Enterprise’s vice president for talent acquisition, explained.
As the Chronicle notes, “to the company, a college degree matters mostly because it suggests that a candidate has acquired the right mix of skills to succeed in an entry-level job — and to move up the ladder from there.” Instead, the company simply takes a bachelor’s degree to signify that applicants can engage in some degree of critical thinking, problem solving, and juggling different responsibilities at the same time.
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Electric Car-Owners Shocked: New Study Confirms EVs Considerably Worse For Climate Than Diesel Cars
The Brussel Times reports that a new German study exposes how electric vehicles will hardly decrease CO2 emissions in Europe over the coming years, as the introduction of electric vehicles won't lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions from highway traffic.
According to the study directed by Christoph Buchal of the University of Cologne, published by the Ifo Institute in Munich last week, electric vehicles have "significantly higher CO2 emissions than diesel cars." That is due to the significant amount of energy used in the mining and processing of lithium, cobalt, and manganese, which are critical raw materials for the production of electric car batteries.
A battery pack for a Tesla Model 3 pollutes the climate with 11 to 15 tonnes of CO2. Each battery pack has a lifespan of approximately ten years and total mileage of 94,000, would mean 73 to 98 grams of CO2 per kilometer (116 to 156 grams of CO2 per mile), Buchal said. Add to this the CO2 emissions of the electricity from powerplants that power such vehicles, and the actual Tesla emissions could be between 156 to 180 grams of CO2 per kilometer (249 and 289 grams of CO2 per mile).
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According to the study directed by Christoph Buchal of the University of Cologne, published by the Ifo Institute in Munich last week, electric vehicles have "significantly higher CO2 emissions than diesel cars." That is due to the significant amount of energy used in the mining and processing of lithium, cobalt, and manganese, which are critical raw materials for the production of electric car batteries.
A battery pack for a Tesla Model 3 pollutes the climate with 11 to 15 tonnes of CO2. Each battery pack has a lifespan of approximately ten years and total mileage of 94,000, would mean 73 to 98 grams of CO2 per kilometer (116 to 156 grams of CO2 per mile), Buchal said. Add to this the CO2 emissions of the electricity from powerplants that power such vehicles, and the actual Tesla emissions could be between 156 to 180 grams of CO2 per kilometer (249 and 289 grams of CO2 per mile).
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REMINDER: Rabies Clinic Tonight
RABIES CLINIC
WHO: Wicomico County Health Department (Environmental Health Program)
WHAT: Have your animals vaccinated! Vaccinations $10 each (CASH ONLY).
Bring a previous rabies vaccination certificate in order to obtain 3 year shots. Otherwise, 1 year shots will be given. Only dogs and cats will be vaccinated.
WHEN: Tuesday April 23, 2019
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Salisbury Moose Lodge
833 Snow Hill Road
Salisbury, MD 21804
WHY: MARYLAND LAW REQUIRES ALL DOGS AND CATS FOUR MONTHS OF AGE OR OLDER TO BE ADEQUATELY VACCINATED AGAINST RABIES.
Stoned At Work
Marijuana use remains illegal in New York State, but the New York City council has voted to ban employers from testing job applicants for pot use as a condition of employment. Though the new law exempts certain employers from the ban, including transportation firms and federal contractors obligated to test for drugs, the council’s action is virtually unprecedented. Some courts in other states have ruled that workers using marijuana under medical supervision can’t be fired, but no other jurisdiction has so broadly banned preemployment testing. Advocates say that the new law will end the “stigma” associated with pot use, and they claim that testing for marijuana isn’t a good predictor of employee performance. But as with many of the arguments for legalization, these are dubious claims. The council’s action ignores substantial and growing evidence from scientific journals of pot’s negative effects, especially on younger people. And by telling employers whom they must hire, the council disregards the costs that marijuana use can inflict on a workplace.
Pot use in the workplace is nothing new. Federal contractors have been required to test for it since 1988, and testing has spread to many private-sector companies—especially those in industries where workplace accidents are dangerous and costly, including construction, manufacturing, and health care. By 2011, one survey suggested that as many as half of all employers conducted drug screening. There is compelling reason for the widespread testing. Early studies, including one 1990 report on postal workers, found that pot users were significantly more likely to cause accidents, miss work, and sustain injuries on the job than nonusers. A 2012 study published in the medical journal Addiction found that regular pot smokers displayed significantly less commitment to work than those who did not smoke.
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Pot use in the workplace is nothing new. Federal contractors have been required to test for it since 1988, and testing has spread to many private-sector companies—especially those in industries where workplace accidents are dangerous and costly, including construction, manufacturing, and health care. By 2011, one survey suggested that as many as half of all employers conducted drug screening. There is compelling reason for the widespread testing. Early studies, including one 1990 report on postal workers, found that pot users were significantly more likely to cause accidents, miss work, and sustain injuries on the job than nonusers. A 2012 study published in the medical journal Addiction found that regular pot smokers displayed significantly less commitment to work than those who did not smoke.
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Subject: 'Nobody Disobeys My Orders'
President Donald Trump said Monday that “nobody disobeys my orders,” after special counsel Robert Mueller’s report detailed numerous examples of aides refusing to follow his commands.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Trump if he was concerned that members of his staff may ignore his orders after the Mueller report was made public last week. Trump has derided the Mueller report as “crazy” while also claiming it totally exonerates him of any crime.
“Nobody disobeys my orders,” Trump responded while walking on the South Lawn during the White House’s annual Easter egg roll.
The report states that "The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests.”
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CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Trump if he was concerned that members of his staff may ignore his orders after the Mueller report was made public last week. Trump has derided the Mueller report as “crazy” while also claiming it totally exonerates him of any crime.
“Nobody disobeys my orders,” Trump responded while walking on the South Lawn during the White House’s annual Easter egg roll.
The report states that "The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests.”
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Florida: Soros-Funded Groups Work to Register 1.4 Million Ex-Felons Ahead of 2020
Progressive organizations, many financed by billionaire activist George Soros, are working overtime to restore voting rights for Florida’s nearly 1.4 million ex-felons as the nation’s biggest swing state seems poised to play a pivotal electoral role in the 2020 presidential race.
The current battle revolves around a Florida state amendment that was passed last year restoring voting rights for felons, with progressive groups opposing a local bill that would require the state’s ex-felons to first pay civil fines and court fees before registering to vote.
Florida’s Amendment Four was approved by voters during last year’s Midterm election.
The heavily Soros-funded American Civil Liberties Union and Brennan Center for Justice based in New York both served as consultants in drafting Amendment Four.
Soros’s Open Society Foundations donated $50 million to the ACLU. The Brennan Center has been the recipient of numerous grants from Soros’s Open Society Foundations totaling over $7,466,000 from 2000 to 2010 alone.
Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, helped lead activism that put Florida’s Amendment Four on the ballot last year, including a news-making petition to restore voting rights to the released felons. His group is currently opposing efforts to require the former felons to pay their court fees prior to regaining their voting rights.
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The current battle revolves around a Florida state amendment that was passed last year restoring voting rights for felons, with progressive groups opposing a local bill that would require the state’s ex-felons to first pay civil fines and court fees before registering to vote.
Florida’s Amendment Four was approved by voters during last year’s Midterm election.
The heavily Soros-funded American Civil Liberties Union and Brennan Center for Justice based in New York both served as consultants in drafting Amendment Four.
Soros’s Open Society Foundations donated $50 million to the ACLU. The Brennan Center has been the recipient of numerous grants from Soros’s Open Society Foundations totaling over $7,466,000 from 2000 to 2010 alone.
Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, helped lead activism that put Florida’s Amendment Four on the ballot last year, including a news-making petition to restore voting rights to the released felons. His group is currently opposing efforts to require the former felons to pay their court fees prior to regaining their voting rights.
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Social Security shortfall: Trust fund to run dry in 2035, trustees predict
Social Security will run out of money in 2035: Report
FBN's Edward Lawrence on a new report on when Social Security and Medicare will run out of money.
Social Security’s reserve funds are expected to be depleted in 2035, at which time the program will no longer be able to pay out benefits in full.
That’s according to the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released on Monday, which said total costs of the program, which covers the old age and disability insurance programs, will exceed income in 2020 – for the first time since 1982. That’s two years later than projected last year, but means the program will have to dip into its reserves to cover benefits at that time.
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https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/social-security-trust-fund-to-run-dry
FBN's Edward Lawrence on a new report on when Social Security and Medicare will run out of money.
Social Security’s reserve funds are expected to be depleted in 2035, at which time the program will no longer be able to pay out benefits in full.
That’s according to the annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released on Monday, which said total costs of the program, which covers the old age and disability insurance programs, will exceed income in 2020 – for the first time since 1982. That’s two years later than projected last year, but means the program will have to dip into its reserves to cover benefits at that time.
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https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/social-security-trust-fund-to-run-dry
Democrats Are Falling Into the Ilhan Omar Trap
Many of President Donald Trump’s tweets backfire, but not his tweet attack on U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar. That one tweet succeeded to perfection. Trump wishes to make Omar the face of the Democratic Party heading into the 2020 elections—and now he has provoked Democrats to comply.
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have offered full-throated endorsements of Omar. “Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won’t back down to Trump’s racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end,” Sanders tweeted. Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Pete Buttigieg have expressed themselves more circumspectly, but have still aligned themselves with her in ways not easy to undo. “We are stronger than this president’s hatred and Islamophobia. Do not let him drive us apart or make us afraid,” O’Rourke tweeted. Of the 2020 hopefuls, only Amy Klobuchar added any caveat to her statement about Omar. (“You can disagree with her words—as I have done before—but this video is wrong.”) Joe Biden and Cory Booker have thus far refrained from comment.
Having promised not to “let him drive us apart” from Omar, Democrats are now stuck with responsibility for the reckless things the representative from Minnesota says, not only about Jews, but about other issues, too. Omar has already served notice that she does not intend to behave more circumspectly in the future. In a Friday-night interview, Stephen Colbert asked Omar whether she would heed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s advice to back-bench it for a while. Omar answered, “I think Nancy knows this very well. Women have been told to go slow and not be seen and not be heard for many years. She wouldn’t have made it to where she is if she did. And it’s certainly the case for minority women … We are not there to be quiet. We are not there to be invisible. We are there to follow the lead of people like Congressman John Lewis and make good trouble.”
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Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have offered full-throated endorsements of Omar. “Ilhan Omar is a leader with strength and courage. She won’t back down to Trump’s racism and hate, and neither will we. The disgusting and dangerous attacks against her must end,” Sanders tweeted. Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, and Pete Buttigieg have expressed themselves more circumspectly, but have still aligned themselves with her in ways not easy to undo. “We are stronger than this president’s hatred and Islamophobia. Do not let him drive us apart or make us afraid,” O’Rourke tweeted. Of the 2020 hopefuls, only Amy Klobuchar added any caveat to her statement about Omar. (“You can disagree with her words—as I have done before—but this video is wrong.”) Joe Biden and Cory Booker have thus far refrained from comment.
Having promised not to “let him drive us apart” from Omar, Democrats are now stuck with responsibility for the reckless things the representative from Minnesota says, not only about Jews, but about other issues, too. Omar has already served notice that she does not intend to behave more circumspectly in the future. In a Friday-night interview, Stephen Colbert asked Omar whether she would heed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s advice to back-bench it for a while. Omar answered, “I think Nancy knows this very well. Women have been told to go slow and not be seen and not be heard for many years. She wouldn’t have made it to where she is if she did. And it’s certainly the case for minority women … We are not there to be quiet. We are not there to be invisible. We are there to follow the lead of people like Congressman John Lewis and make good trouble.”
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Deputies: Father shoots man who stole car with 6-year-old boy inside
LANTANA, Fla. —A father chased down his own stolen car with his 6-year-old son inside, eventually shooting at it and critically injuring the man allegedly driving it, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Lamar Thurman, 29, is in critical condition after the shooting, the Sheriff's Office said. No charges have been filed yet in the case.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Thurman got into a running vehicle in front of 3260 Roberts Lane in West Palm Beach and took off with the boy in the backseat. The owner of the car and friends followed the stolen vehicle.
The car crashed in front of 10 Loquat Tree Drive in Lantana, according to the Sheriff's Office.
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Teacher to press charges against 9-year-old girl who allegedly punched her
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —A Central Florida elementary school teacher wants to press charges against one of her students.
She claims that the 9-year-old girl hit her, and the incident happened in the classroom.
That teacher has now filed a report with the sheriff's department.
The alleged victim is a third grade teacher at Woodward Avenue Elementary School in DeLand. She said the student hit her when the teacher told her to pick up a book that the student allegedly threw.
"There are no other professions that exist where it would be OK or acceptable to be hit by anyone," said Volusia United Educators president Elizabeth Albert.
Albert said she was disappointed, but not surprised that a student allegedly hit a teacher. She said it's not the norm, but it's not rare, either, and according to the sheriff's report, "This was not the first time that she (the student) had become physical with the staff."
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She claims that the 9-year-old girl hit her, and the incident happened in the classroom.
That teacher has now filed a report with the sheriff's department.
The alleged victim is a third grade teacher at Woodward Avenue Elementary School in DeLand. She said the student hit her when the teacher told her to pick up a book that the student allegedly threw.
"There are no other professions that exist where it would be OK or acceptable to be hit by anyone," said Volusia United Educators president Elizabeth Albert.
Albert said she was disappointed, but not surprised that a student allegedly hit a teacher. She said it's not the norm, but it's not rare, either, and according to the sheriff's report, "This was not the first time that she (the student) had become physical with the staff."
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Most illegal immigrants in US receive government benefits, costing taxpayers billions: experts
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to count self-identified illegal immigrants in the 2020 census. Cities worry adding the citizenship question could undercount 6.5 million people. Their argument, however, isn't just about political power but billions of dollars in federal funds states expect.
The case underscores what experts say is a growing cost to taxpayers from the surge of Central American families and unaccompanied minors.
"We're talking about billions of dollars in taxpayer benefits over the next few years," said Dan Stein, director of the right-leaning think tank, Federation for American Immigration Reform. "The payout for the taxpayer is enormous and income to the Treasury is miniscule."
A FAIR study in 2017 found illegal immigrants are a net consumer of taxpayer benefits worth more than $100 billion a year, not including the cost of enforcing the border.
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/the-cost-of-illegal-immigration-migrants-cost-us-taxpayers-billions-a-year
The case underscores what experts say is a growing cost to taxpayers from the surge of Central American families and unaccompanied minors.
"We're talking about billions of dollars in taxpayer benefits over the next few years," said Dan Stein, director of the right-leaning think tank, Federation for American Immigration Reform. "The payout for the taxpayer is enormous and income to the Treasury is miniscule."
A FAIR study in 2017 found illegal immigrants are a net consumer of taxpayer benefits worth more than $100 billion a year, not including the cost of enforcing the border.
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/the-cost-of-illegal-immigration-migrants-cost-us-taxpayers-billions-a-year
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS REMOVE KATE SMITH STATUE OVER ALLEGATIONS OF RACISM
Multiple professional sports franchises are distancing themselves from legendary 1930s singer Kate Smith due to her alleged history of singing racist songs.
Last week, the New York Yankees pulled Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” from the stadium’s 7th-inning stretch, which had been a tradition at Yankee Stadium for nearly two decades. Then, on Easter Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had removed a statue of Smith from outside the team’s arena.
“The Flyers have enjoyed a long and popular relationship with ‘God Bless America,’ as performed by the late Kate Smith, a woman who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor for her patriotic contributions to our nation,” the Flyers said in a statement Sunday. “But in recent days, we learned that several of the songs Kate Smith performed in the 1930s include lyrics and sentiments that are incompatible with the values of our organization, and evoke painful and unacceptable themes.”
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Last week, the New York Yankees pulled Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” from the stadium’s 7th-inning stretch, which had been a tradition at Yankee Stadium for nearly two decades. Then, on Easter Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that they had removed a statue of Smith from outside the team’s arena.
“The Flyers have enjoyed a long and popular relationship with ‘God Bless America,’ as performed by the late Kate Smith, a woman who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor for her patriotic contributions to our nation,” the Flyers said in a statement Sunday. “But in recent days, we learned that several of the songs Kate Smith performed in the 1930s include lyrics and sentiments that are incompatible with the values of our organization, and evoke painful and unacceptable themes.”
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Nancy Pelosi trying to have it both ways on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is trying to have it both ways when it comes to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and her band of freshman socialists, celebrating or dismissing them, depending on the audience.
In an interview airing on "60 Minutes" Sunday night, Pelosi drew headlines for downplaying the influence of Ocasio-Cortez and her House allies. Asked about how she could hold the House together when the Democratic caucus is split between socialists and centrists, Pelosi said of Ocasio-Cortez's group, “That’s like five people.”
Speaking to the broader national audience, she said, “By and large, whatever orientation they came to Congress with, they know that we have to hold the center. That we have to be — go down the mainstream."
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Chelsea Manning to remain in jail after appeals court denies bail request
A federal appeals court on Monday denied a request by the former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to be released from jail on bail, and upheld a lower court’s decision to hold Manning in civil contempt for refusing to testify before a grand jury.
The ruling marks a blow for Manning, who has been detained since March after she declined to answer questions in connection with the government’s long-running investigation into WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.
A spokesman for Manning and Manning’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
Assange was arrested on 11 April at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The same day, US prosecutors in the eastern district of Virginia unsealed a criminal case against him alleging he conspired with Manning to commit computer intrusion.
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The ruling marks a blow for Manning, who has been detained since March after she declined to answer questions in connection with the government’s long-running investigation into WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.
A spokesman for Manning and Manning’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
Assange was arrested on 11 April at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The same day, US prosecutors in the eastern district of Virginia unsealed a criminal case against him alleging he conspired with Manning to commit computer intrusion.
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Democrats Denounce Attacks on ‘Easter Worshippers,’ Not ‘Christians’
Former President Barack Obama, former Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and several other leading Democrats denounced terror attacks on what they called “Easter worshippers” — not Christians — Sunday in Sri Lanka.
Suicide bombers murdered nearly 300 people and wounded 500 more in attacks on three churches, three hotels, and a housing complex. Many were killed as they attended Mass for Easter Sunday. The government reportedly suspects that the bombers, all Sri Lankans, were members of “a domestic Islamist terror group named National Thowfeek Jamaath.”
Yet Obama, Clinton, and other Democrats — including 2020 presidential contender Julián Castro — could not bring themselves to identify the victims of the attacks as “Christians,” calling them “Easter worshippers” instead in eerily similar responses:
More here
Suicide bombers murdered nearly 300 people and wounded 500 more in attacks on three churches, three hotels, and a housing complex. Many were killed as they attended Mass for Easter Sunday. The government reportedly suspects that the bombers, all Sri Lankans, were members of “a domestic Islamist terror group named National Thowfeek Jamaath.”
Yet Obama, Clinton, and other Democrats — including 2020 presidential contender Julián Castro — could not bring themselves to identify the victims of the attacks as “Christians,” calling them “Easter worshippers” instead in eerily similar responses:
More here
Selbyville Man Charged with 13th DUI, Resisting Arrest after Pursuit – Selbyville
Selbyville – The Delaware State Police have charged 47 year old Gerald Lusby Jr., of Selbyville, with DUI, resisting arrest and multiple other traffic related offenses after he led Troopers on a pursuit early Sunday morning.
The incident began at approximately 2:15 a.m., Sunday, April 21, 2019, when a Trooper observed a white Chevy Trailblazer travelling at a high rate of speed on Lighthouse Rd., east of Treasure Beach Campground. The Trooper attempted to stop the vehicle however the operator, later identified as Lusby, refused to stop and led police on a chase which lasted approximately nine minutes. The Chevy became disabled on Peppers Corner Rd. after assisting officers from the Ocean View Police Department deployed stop sticks, which deflated the tires on the vehicle. After abandoning the vehicle Lusby fled into an adjacent wooded area where he was located by Delaware State Police helicopter Trooper 2. Troopers on the ground were directed in to Lusby’s location and he was taken in to custody without further incident.
Lusby was transported to Troop 4 where further investigation determined that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Lusby was charged with Disregarding a Police Officers Signal, Resisting Arrest, DUI/alcohol, Failure to Comply with Taking Fingerprints and Speeding, along with multiple other moving traffic violations. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court #3 and then committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $2612.00 secured bail.
Editor's Note: This is Mr. Lusby's 13th time being charged with DUI. In February of 2018 he was sentence to 3 years in jail.
https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2018/02/06/12th-drunk-driving-conviction-results-three-year-sentence/
The incident began at approximately 2:15 a.m., Sunday, April 21, 2019, when a Trooper observed a white Chevy Trailblazer travelling at a high rate of speed on Lighthouse Rd., east of Treasure Beach Campground. The Trooper attempted to stop the vehicle however the operator, later identified as Lusby, refused to stop and led police on a chase which lasted approximately nine minutes. The Chevy became disabled on Peppers Corner Rd. after assisting officers from the Ocean View Police Department deployed stop sticks, which deflated the tires on the vehicle. After abandoning the vehicle Lusby fled into an adjacent wooded area where he was located by Delaware State Police helicopter Trooper 2. Troopers on the ground were directed in to Lusby’s location and he was taken in to custody without further incident.
Lusby was transported to Troop 4 where further investigation determined that he had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. Lusby was charged with Disregarding a Police Officers Signal, Resisting Arrest, DUI/alcohol, Failure to Comply with Taking Fingerprints and Speeding, along with multiple other moving traffic violations. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court #3 and then committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of $2612.00 secured bail.
Editor's Note: This is Mr. Lusby's 13th time being charged with DUI. In February of 2018 he was sentence to 3 years in jail.
https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2018/02/06/12th-drunk-driving-conviction-results-three-year-sentence/
Census meeting
The 2020 Census is coming! Learn more about the U.S. Census, why it is vitally important to communities across the nation, and how you can help make the census a success, by attending “2020 Census Community Complete Count Committee Briefing.” The session will be held at MAC on Wednesday, April 24, beginning at 2 p.m. This session will include general information about the census, 2020 Census goals, timeline, and how to form or serve on a Complete County Committee. CCCs are volunteer committees established to increase awareness and motivate residents to respond to the census. For more information, call Cindy Robinson at 410-742-0505.
Caribbean Joe's Is Hiring
With tremendous growth, I'm looking for another cook. Someone I can train to do things our way. So if you, (or someone you know) is interested in learning the trade, call me at 410-430-5349.
Of course we're also looking for additional bartenders and servers.
Of course we're also looking for additional bartenders and servers.
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