DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Big-Picture Economy, Part 5: The State, Taxes And The Shredding Social Contract
The social contract is fraying as those paying most of the income taxes are being squeezed from above and below.
The government--known as the state in political science circles--is fundamentally a social contract between the governed and the governing Elites. The governed agree to cede control and power to the state, and pay taxes for its maintenance and programs, in exchange for security and services that can best be rendered (or can only be rendered) by the state.
These traditionally include law enforcement, a judicial system, national defense, and since the early 20th century, education and social income-security programs.
I have long held that America is a The Three-and-a-Half Class Society [9] (October 22, 2012): the "entrenched incumbents" on top (the "half class"), the high-earners who pay most of the taxes (the first class), the working poor who pay Social Security payroll taxes (the second class), and State dependents who pay no payroll or income taxes (the third class).
This class structure has political ramifications. In effect, those paying most of the tax are in a pressure cooker: the lid is sealed by the "entrenched incumbents" on top, and the fire beneath is the state's insatiable need for more tax revenues to support the entrenched incumbents and its growing army of dependents.
Let's start our analysis of the three-and-a-half-class society by noting that the top 25% pay most of the Federal income tax, and within that "middle class" the top 10% pay the lion's share of all taxes.
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The government--known as the state in political science circles--is fundamentally a social contract between the governed and the governing Elites. The governed agree to cede control and power to the state, and pay taxes for its maintenance and programs, in exchange for security and services that can best be rendered (or can only be rendered) by the state.
These traditionally include law enforcement, a judicial system, national defense, and since the early 20th century, education and social income-security programs.
I have long held that America is a The Three-and-a-Half Class Society [9] (October 22, 2012): the "entrenched incumbents" on top (the "half class"), the high-earners who pay most of the taxes (the first class), the working poor who pay Social Security payroll taxes (the second class), and State dependents who pay no payroll or income taxes (the third class).
This class structure has political ramifications. In effect, those paying most of the tax are in a pressure cooker: the lid is sealed by the "entrenched incumbents" on top, and the fire beneath is the state's insatiable need for more tax revenues to support the entrenched incumbents and its growing army of dependents.
Let's start our analysis of the three-and-a-half-class society by noting that the top 25% pay most of the Federal income tax, and within that "middle class" the top 10% pay the lion's share of all taxes.
More
Dozens Of Fraudulent IDs Uncovered In Bags Of Two BWI Travelers
The TSA at BWI says officers detected a stash of fraudulent identification cards in the two men’s baggage after an unidentifiable object caused an alarm to go off at checkpoint.
Authorities determined that the “unidentifiable object” was a stack of fraudulent identification cards. The cards included multiple New York State driver’s licenses and credit cards in different names.
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Judge Slaps CIA For Withholding Routine Documents
A federal judge has chastised the CIA for “inappropriately” withholding routine documents.
In a recent decision, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell denounced several of the CIA’s legal arguments. At one point, she accused the CIA of a “shameless twisting of the factual record.” Other assertions by the agency, she called “dead wrong” and “implausible.”
A non-profit law firm that specializes in national security cases sued the CIA and five other federal agencies over documents concerning compliance with open records laws.
Sounds straightforward. But the firm, known as National Security Counselors, said the CIA dodged its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act and mounted “an extended campaign of misrepresentation” related to information it holds.
At one point, an “unidentified third party” handed the firm two classified documents related to the lawsuit, prompting the FBI to confiscate them. Eventually, the CIA provided redacted versions.
The CIA, meanwhile, asserted it could keep secret the records being sought by the firm under a Cold War-era law that created the spy agency and allowed it to withhold personnel information such as salaries and the number of employees.
Howell, who is a federal judge in Washington, D.C., dismissed that argument.
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In a recent decision, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell denounced several of the CIA’s legal arguments. At one point, she accused the CIA of a “shameless twisting of the factual record.” Other assertions by the agency, she called “dead wrong” and “implausible.”
A non-profit law firm that specializes in national security cases sued the CIA and five other federal agencies over documents concerning compliance with open records laws.
Sounds straightforward. But the firm, known as National Security Counselors, said the CIA dodged its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act and mounted “an extended campaign of misrepresentation” related to information it holds.
At one point, an “unidentified third party” handed the firm two classified documents related to the lawsuit, prompting the FBI to confiscate them. Eventually, the CIA provided redacted versions.
The CIA, meanwhile, asserted it could keep secret the records being sought by the firm under a Cold War-era law that created the spy agency and allowed it to withhold personnel information such as salaries and the number of employees.
Howell, who is a federal judge in Washington, D.C., dismissed that argument.
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Apple Scrapple Festival
October 11, 2013
Festival opens at 4pm
carnival, food court
street dance ONLY.
October 12, 2013
Festival opens at 9 am
Live Entertainment!
Over 500 Crafters and Vendors!
Delicious Food!
Festival opens at 4pm
carnival, food court
street dance ONLY.
October 12, 2013
Festival opens at 9 am
Live Entertainment!
Over 500 Crafters and Vendors!
Delicious Food!
10 Lessons #MakeDCListen Taught Us
The ruling class is losing its cotton-picking minds, because it’s getting a long-overdue comeuppance from their employers they thought all along were really their subjects.
Whether it’s because of our nixing of their plans for another pointless Middle Eastern war, or our insistence they not foist Obamacare’s epic fail upon us while exempting themselves from it, the resulting ruling class conniption fits are coming fast and furious.
When even a few stand on principle it reveals the character of everyone else around them. And if the Obamacare filibuster begun by Ted Cruz and capably aided and abetted by Mike Lee (with others chipping in) ends up accomplishing nothing else, it has provided a searing spotlight on the character (or lack thereof) of their contemporaries and the system they’re fighting.
Here are 10 things that searing spotlight has revealed:
1. When the best liberals on Twitter can come up with to criticize Cruz’s marathon is the mocking of his reading bedtime stories to his daughters that means he probably won the argument.
2. Watching Dick Durbin volunteer to get annihilated by Cruz answers the age old question “why do bugs willingly impale themselves on our windshields?”
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Whether it’s because of our nixing of their plans for another pointless Middle Eastern war, or our insistence they not foist Obamacare’s epic fail upon us while exempting themselves from it, the resulting ruling class conniption fits are coming fast and furious.
When even a few stand on principle it reveals the character of everyone else around them. And if the Obamacare filibuster begun by Ted Cruz and capably aided and abetted by Mike Lee (with others chipping in) ends up accomplishing nothing else, it has provided a searing spotlight on the character (or lack thereof) of their contemporaries and the system they’re fighting.
Here are 10 things that searing spotlight has revealed:
1. When the best liberals on Twitter can come up with to criticize Cruz’s marathon is the mocking of his reading bedtime stories to his daughters that means he probably won the argument.
2. Watching Dick Durbin volunteer to get annihilated by Cruz answers the age old question “why do bugs willingly impale themselves on our windshields?”
More
This Guy Was Browsing Google Street View. And He Found Something He’ll Never Forget.
Normally when I am bored I like to browse the google street views around Oregon. Well recently I was contacted by my younger brother who happen to be doing the same thing last night. While he was checking out a few places, he happen to look at my grandmas house. Its really rare you ever see someone you know captured in the google camera. But, there was my grandma sitting on her front porch reading her news paper enjoying life.
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WORLD MURDER STATISTICS
From the World Health Organization:
The latest Murder Statistics for the world:
Murders per 100,000 citizens.
Honduras 91.6
El Salvador 69.2
Cote d'lvoire 56.9
Jamaica 52.2
Venezuela 45.1
Belize 41.4
US Virgin Islands 39.2
Guatemala 38.5
Saint Kits and Nevis 38.2
Zambia 38.0
Uganda 36.3
Malawi 36.0
Lesotho 35.2
Trinidad and Tobago 35.2
Colombia 33.4
South Africa 31.8
Congo 30.8
Central African Republic 29.3
Bahamas 27.4
Puerto Rico 26.2
Saint Lucia 25.2
Dominican Republic 25.0
Tanzania 24.5
Sudan 24.2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22.9
Ethiopia 22.5
Guinea 22.5
Dominica 22.1
Burundi 21.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo 21.7
Panama 21.6
Brazil 21.0
Equatorial Guinea 20.7
Guinea-Bissau 20.2
Kenya 20.1
Kyrgyzstan 20.1
Cameroon 19.7
Montserrat 19.7
Greenland 19.2
Angola 19.0
Guyana 18.6
Burkina Faso 18.0
Eritrea 17.8
Namibia 17.2
Rwanda 17.1
Mexico 16.9
Chad 15.8
Ghana 15.7
Ecuador 15.2
North Korea 15.2
Benin 15.1
Sierra Leone 14.9
Mauritania 14.7
Botswana 14.5
Zimbabwe 14.3
Gabon 13.8
Nicaragua 13.6
French Guiana 13.3
Papua New Guinea 13.0
Swaziland 12.9
Bermuda 12.3
Comoros 12.2
Nigeria 12.2
Cape Verde 11.6
Grenada 11.5
Paraguay 11.5
Barbados 11.3
Togo 10.9
Gambia 10.8
Peru 10.8
Myanmar 10.2
Russia 10.2
Liberia 10.1
Costa Rica 10.0
Nauru 9.8
Bolivia 8.9
Mozambique 8.8
Kazakhstan 8.8
Senegal 8.7
Turks and Caicos Islands 8.7
Mongolia 8.7
British Virgin Islands 8.6
Cayman Islands 8.4
Seychelles 8.3
Madagascar 8.1
Indonesia 8.1
Mali 8.0
Pakistan 7.8
Moldova 7.5
Kiribati 7.3
Guadeloupe 7.0
Haiti 6.9
Timor-Leste 6.9
Anguilla 6.8
Antigua and Barbuda 6.8
Lithuania 6.6
Uruguay 5.9
Philippines 5.4
Ukraine 5.2
Estonia 5.2
Cuba 5.0
Belarus 4.9
Thailand 4.8
Suriname 6
Laos 4.6
Georgia 4.3
Martinique 4.2
And ..................
The United States 4.2 !!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL the countries (109) above America have 100% gun bans.
It might be of interest to note that
SWITZERLAND (not shown on this list)
has NO MURDER OCCURRENCE!
However, SWITZERLAND'S law requires that EVERYONE....
1. Own a Gun
2. Maintain Marksman qualifications....regularly
3. "Carry"........a Weapon.
We never hear about this? Why , agendas to uphold?
The latest Murder Statistics for the world:
Murders per 100,000 citizens.
Honduras 91.6
El Salvador 69.2
Cote d'lvoire 56.9
Jamaica 52.2
Venezuela 45.1
Belize 41.4
US Virgin Islands 39.2
Guatemala 38.5
Saint Kits and Nevis 38.2
Zambia 38.0
Uganda 36.3
Malawi 36.0
Lesotho 35.2
Trinidad and Tobago 35.2
Colombia 33.4
South Africa 31.8
Congo 30.8
Central African Republic 29.3
Bahamas 27.4
Puerto Rico 26.2
Saint Lucia 25.2
Dominican Republic 25.0
Tanzania 24.5
Sudan 24.2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22.9
Ethiopia 22.5
Guinea 22.5
Dominica 22.1
Burundi 21.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo 21.7
Panama 21.6
Brazil 21.0
Equatorial Guinea 20.7
Guinea-Bissau 20.2
Kenya 20.1
Kyrgyzstan 20.1
Cameroon 19.7
Montserrat 19.7
Greenland 19.2
Angola 19.0
Guyana 18.6
Burkina Faso 18.0
Eritrea 17.8
Namibia 17.2
Rwanda 17.1
Mexico 16.9
Chad 15.8
Ghana 15.7
Ecuador 15.2
North Korea 15.2
Benin 15.1
Sierra Leone 14.9
Mauritania 14.7
Botswana 14.5
Zimbabwe 14.3
Gabon 13.8
Nicaragua 13.6
French Guiana 13.3
Papua New Guinea 13.0
Swaziland 12.9
Bermuda 12.3
Comoros 12.2
Nigeria 12.2
Cape Verde 11.6
Grenada 11.5
Paraguay 11.5
Barbados 11.3
Togo 10.9
Gambia 10.8
Peru 10.8
Myanmar 10.2
Russia 10.2
Liberia 10.1
Costa Rica 10.0
Nauru 9.8
Bolivia 8.9
Mozambique 8.8
Kazakhstan 8.8
Senegal 8.7
Turks and Caicos Islands 8.7
Mongolia 8.7
British Virgin Islands 8.6
Cayman Islands 8.4
Seychelles 8.3
Madagascar 8.1
Indonesia 8.1
Mali 8.0
Pakistan 7.8
Moldova 7.5
Kiribati 7.3
Guadeloupe 7.0
Haiti 6.9
Timor-Leste 6.9
Anguilla 6.8
Antigua and Barbuda 6.8
Lithuania 6.6
Uruguay 5.9
Philippines 5.4
Ukraine 5.2
Estonia 5.2
Cuba 5.0
Belarus 4.9
Thailand 4.8
Suriname 6
Laos 4.6
Georgia 4.3
Martinique 4.2
And ..................
The United States 4.2 !!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL the countries (109) above America have 100% gun bans.
It might be of interest to note that
SWITZERLAND (not shown on this list)
has NO MURDER OCCURRENCE!
However, SWITZERLAND'S law requires that EVERYONE....
1. Own a Gun
2. Maintain Marksman qualifications....regularly
3. "Carry"........a Weapon.
We never hear about this? Why , agendas to uphold?
Couple in Baby Veronica Case Want Legal Fee Help
The long custody battle between Matt and Melanie Capobianco, and Veronica's birth father, Dustin Brown, centered around the Indian Child Welfare Act and raged on for more than two years before finally coming to a tentative close earlier this week when Veronica was returned to the Capobianco's care.
According to the Tulsa World, the Capobiancos filed court documents accusing Brown of "willful disobedience and complete disregard" of the law and seeking compensation for the legal fees and other expenses from Brown and the Cherokee nation.
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Confederate Battle Flag Rises In Va. Off I-95
CHESTER, Va. (AP) -- A Confederate battle flag was unfurled along a stretch of Interstate 95 south of Richmond amid cheers and a volley of rifle fire.
The flag-raising Saturday in Chesterfield County had stirred a strong response in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy. But no protesters could be seen as more than 200 people gathered in a freshly cleared circle of forest to watch the 15-by-20-foot flag rise up a flagpole.
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The flag-raising Saturday in Chesterfield County had stirred a strong response in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy. But no protesters could be seen as more than 200 people gathered in a freshly cleared circle of forest to watch the 15-by-20-foot flag rise up a flagpole.
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Delivery Person Killed After Being Crushed By Package
Location: 2500 Grubb Road, Wilmington, DE
Date of Occurrence: Monday, September 30, 2013, at 10:58 a.m.
Victim: 43-year-old male from Baltimore, MD
Resume: Wilmington-Troopers are investigating the death of a delivery person who was crushed while removing computer equipment from a truck in North Wilmington.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:58 a.m. as a 43-year-old Baltimore man began to unload a package containing a large piece of computer equipment from a delivery truck. The package was being delivered to an office at 2500 Grubb Road.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the package was placed onto the truck's lift by the man, who then fell to the ground. The package then fell from the lift onto the man, crushing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives are continuing their investigation. There are no signs of foul play. The body was turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Date of Occurrence: Monday, September 30, 2013, at 10:58 a.m.
Victim: 43-year-old male from Baltimore, MD
Resume: Wilmington-Troopers are investigating the death of a delivery person who was crushed while removing computer equipment from a truck in North Wilmington.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:58 a.m. as a 43-year-old Baltimore man began to unload a package containing a large piece of computer equipment from a delivery truck. The package was being delivered to an office at 2500 Grubb Road.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the package was placed onto the truck's lift by the man, who then fell to the ground. The package then fell from the lift onto the man, crushing him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives are continuing their investigation. There are no signs of foul play. The body was turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Giving Cruz His Due
Liberals are passionate in their scorn for him — which tells you how worried they are.
A spat has broken out over whether the media demonstrated liberal bias in their coverage of Senator Ted Cruz’s marathon anti-Obamacare speech. Conservatives are contrasting the heckling and slurs leveled against Cruz with the overwhelmingly positive reaction won by his fellow Texan Wendy Davis for her ultimately unsuccessful filibuster of a bill in the Texas state senate restricting abortions performed after 20 weeks.
Liberals who reject the bias charge make two main points. First, they say, the most negative commentary against Cruz came from opinion writers, not news reporters. Second, they add, Davis’s 13-hour physically grueling feat constituted a genuine filibuster while Cruz’s semi-orchestrated effort wasn’t a bona fide attempt to derail Obamacare.
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A spat has broken out over whether the media demonstrated liberal bias in their coverage of Senator Ted Cruz’s marathon anti-Obamacare speech. Conservatives are contrasting the heckling and slurs leveled against Cruz with the overwhelmingly positive reaction won by his fellow Texan Wendy Davis for her ultimately unsuccessful filibuster of a bill in the Texas state senate restricting abortions performed after 20 weeks.
Liberals who reject the bias charge make two main points. First, they say, the most negative commentary against Cruz came from opinion writers, not news reporters. Second, they add, Davis’s 13-hour physically grueling feat constituted a genuine filibuster while Cruz’s semi-orchestrated effort wasn’t a bona fide attempt to derail Obamacare.
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Two Arrested And One Sought In Attempted Robbery, Laurel
Location: Oasis Travel Plaza, 30759 Sussex Highway, Laurel, DE
Date of Occurrence: Saturday September 28, 2013 at approximately 1:50 a.m.
Victim:
31 year old female employee
Defendants, Charges, and Bond Information:
Shawn D. Alston, 33, Bridgeville, DE (Photo Attached, red/white shirt)
Attempted Robbery 2nd
Conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $5,000.00 secured bond.
Anita M. Amoroso, 50, Laurel, DE (Photo Attached)
Attempted Robbery 2nd
Conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned at JP3 and committed to Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on $5,000.00 secured bond.
Suspect and Charges:
Troy Sanders, 29, Bridgeville, DE (Photo Attached, black shirt)
Attempted Robbery 2nd
Conspiracy 2nd
Resume:
Laurel, DE- The Delaware State Police have arrested two people in connection with an early morning attempted robbery of a gas station.
Troopers responded to the Oasis Travel Plaza located at 30759 Sussex Highway near Laurel around 1:50 a.m. Saturday morning after a black male subject entered the store and confronted a 31 year old female employee demanding money from the cash register. When the employee refused to open it, the suspect reached across the counter and attempted to open it, but was unsuccessful. He then fled the store and was observed entering a silver four door sedan with a sun roof which fled from the parking lot. At approximately 4:30 a.m. Laurel Police Department also responded to a robbery that occurred in their jurisdiction involving a similar subject.
Around 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning, a trooper on patrol observed a vehicle matching the description of the car used at the Oasis incident parked in a driveway on Mill Park Drive in Bridgeville. Troopers made contact with Anita M. Amoroso at that residence and she was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation revealed Anita Amoroso drove two subjects that were later determined to be Shawn D. Alston and Troy Sanders, to the Oasis Travel Plaza where she dropped them off. She then returned a short time later and picked the two up after the attempted robbery was committed and then drove into the limits of Laurel where they committed another robbery.
Around 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, Shawn D. Alston was located walking on Mill Park Drive and was taken into custody without incident. The two were both transported back to Troop 5 in Bridgeville where they were both charged with Attempted Robbery 2nd and Conspiracy 2nd. They were incarcerated on $5,000.00 secured bond.
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Troy Sanders, they are asked to contact Troop 5 at 302-337-1090 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
Date of Occurrence: Saturday September 28, 2013 at approximately 1:50 a.m.
Victim:
31 year old female employee
Defendants, Charges, and Bond Information:
Shawn D. Alston, 33, Bridgeville, DE (Photo Attached, red/white shirt)
Attempted Robbery 2nd
Conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $5,000.00 secured bond.
Anita M. Amoroso, 50, Laurel, DE (Photo Attached)
Attempted Robbery 2nd
Conspiracy 2nd
Arraigned at JP3 and committed to Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on $5,000.00 secured bond.
Suspect and Charges:
Troy Sanders, 29, Bridgeville, DE (Photo Attached, black shirt)
Attempted Robbery 2nd
Conspiracy 2nd
Resume:
Laurel, DE- The Delaware State Police have arrested two people in connection with an early morning attempted robbery of a gas station.
Troopers responded to the Oasis Travel Plaza located at 30759 Sussex Highway near Laurel around 1:50 a.m. Saturday morning after a black male subject entered the store and confronted a 31 year old female employee demanding money from the cash register. When the employee refused to open it, the suspect reached across the counter and attempted to open it, but was unsuccessful. He then fled the store and was observed entering a silver four door sedan with a sun roof which fled from the parking lot. At approximately 4:30 a.m. Laurel Police Department also responded to a robbery that occurred in their jurisdiction involving a similar subject.
Around 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning, a trooper on patrol observed a vehicle matching the description of the car used at the Oasis incident parked in a driveway on Mill Park Drive in Bridgeville. Troopers made contact with Anita M. Amoroso at that residence and she was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation revealed Anita Amoroso drove two subjects that were later determined to be Shawn D. Alston and Troy Sanders, to the Oasis Travel Plaza where she dropped them off. She then returned a short time later and picked the two up after the attempted robbery was committed and then drove into the limits of Laurel where they committed another robbery.
Around 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, Shawn D. Alston was located walking on Mill Park Drive and was taken into custody without incident. The two were both transported back to Troop 5 in Bridgeville where they were both charged with Attempted Robbery 2nd and Conspiracy 2nd. They were incarcerated on $5,000.00 secured bond.
If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Troy Sanders, they are asked to contact Troop 5 at 302-337-1090 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."
BREAKING NEWS: Senate Kills House ObamaCare Provisions
Senate Democrats reject House amendments that would delay ObamaCare by a year and repeal an unpopular medical device tax, sending bill to avert shutdown back to the House.
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Md. Calls Gun Law Challenge Too Late, Too Little
HAGERSTOWN — The state of Maryland says gun advocates waited too long to challenge tougher firearm regulations set to take effect Tuesday.
Attorney General Doug Gansler asked a federal judge in Baltimore on Monday to deny their request for an order blocking enforcement of the law.
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Attorney General Doug Gansler asked a federal judge in Baltimore on Monday to deny their request for an order blocking enforcement of the law.
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Generator Starts Fire Under Bay Bridge Deck
Lt. Shannon Callahan, Queen Anne's County Department of Emergency Services dispatch supervisor, says the generator was in a construction zone in the bridge's under-structure when the fire started Sunday evening.
Maryland Transportation Authority police Sgt. Jonathan Green says the fire closed the span for about two hours and vehicles stopped on the bridge were backed off.
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