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Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Obama's Morally Confused Prayer Breakfast Lecture
I find it very odd that a president notably lacking in humility and frequently riding his own high horse would lecture American Christians about those subjects because they presumably condemn acts of barbarism by Islamists.
Talk about a string of disconnects. While we're at it, let's note one more. Obama, at the National Prayer Breakfast, also exhorted us to "uphold the distinction between our faith and our governments — between church and between state." Last time I checked, it was not Christians, unless you believe that Obama is a Christian, who were using government power to restrict religious liberties of others.
Obama, however, has conspicuously infringed on the conscience rights of Christians in supporting mandates that require religious organizations to pay for contraception and abortifacients.
Indeed, Obama was too busy lecturing Christians about "theocracies that restrict people's choice of faith" — though there are no Christian theocracies in the world — to note that many Muslim nations in the world are theocratic and under Shariah.
Is Obama's moral compass so skewed that he is utterly blind to the rampant theocratic oppression that routinely occurs in Muslim nations in the world? This takes moral equivalency to new levels.
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Talk about a string of disconnects. While we're at it, let's note one more. Obama, at the National Prayer Breakfast, also exhorted us to "uphold the distinction between our faith and our governments — between church and between state." Last time I checked, it was not Christians, unless you believe that Obama is a Christian, who were using government power to restrict religious liberties of others.
Obama, however, has conspicuously infringed on the conscience rights of Christians in supporting mandates that require religious organizations to pay for contraception and abortifacients.
Indeed, Obama was too busy lecturing Christians about "theocracies that restrict people's choice of faith" — though there are no Christian theocracies in the world — to note that many Muslim nations in the world are theocratic and under Shariah.
Is Obama's moral compass so skewed that he is utterly blind to the rampant theocratic oppression that routinely occurs in Muslim nations in the world? This takes moral equivalency to new levels.
More
DPI updates Shore lawmakers on state of poultry industry
“Probably the best year in a long time — maybe the best ever,” Satterfield said of 2014.
However, Satterfield said the poultry industry’s success last year was due to hardship that struck the pork and cattle industries.
He said a disease in the pork industry cut production, which helped raise prices. The cattle industry still is suffering from record-high feed grain prices from a few years ago, and cattle farmers couldn’t afford to feed their animals, he said.
“If you’ve been to a supermarket, you’ve seen high beef prices,” Satterfield said. “Chicken prices have been good. Consumers like chicken, and it’s been a very good year after several years of struggling.”
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60 Minutes’ Bob Simon killed in car crash
The CBS reporter died when the Lincoln Town Car he was riding in crashed with a Mercedes and then lost control and plowed into a pedestrian expansion near 30th Street at about 7 p.m., according to sources.
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Teen returns to Target to say thank you to store employee who taught him how to tie a tie for a job interview
Dennis Roberts, an employee at the store in Raleigh, North Carolina, was seen helping a young man tie a tie so he could look professional for a job interview at a nearby Chick-Fil-A fast-food restaurant.
The photo was posted online and now the young man who was caught in the picture, Yasir Moore, has been identified and since returned to the store to thank the staff for their extraordinary customer service.
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Maryland health leaders call for law requiring docs to report immunizations
Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene plans to push for legislation that would require primary care physicians to report immunizations in a state database. Reporting to the database, called ImmuNet, is currently optional and about half of doctors participate.
Health officials are also working with the state's education department to improve tracking of immunization reports from preschools. All schools are required to report immunization information for students. The state has good records for immunization rates among K-12 students. But preschool programs are often categorized as child care centers, which means their immunization records are not necessarily included in the broader school immunization report.
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Obama to declare new national monument
President Obama will designate Chicago's historic Pullman Park district as a national monument, according to reports.
The president will travel to Chicago on Feb. 19 to designate the monument, a White House official told the Chicago Tribune.
The official said Obama is using his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 and that the move was part of his effort to protect and promote the nation's diverse history.
The area was built by businessman George Pullman as a factory and company town for his workers who constructed the iconic Pullman railway cars in the late 1800s. It became the birthplace of the country's first African-American union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and was the site of a massive strike.
"Pullman workers fought for fair labor conditions in the late 19th century and the Pullman porters helped advance America’s civil rights movement," Lynn McClure, the Midwest senior director for the National Parks Conservation Association told the Washington Post.
The president's visit could also boost his former chief of staff, current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel faces a Democratic primary on Feb. 24 as he seeks reelection.
The mayor along with Illinois lawmakers from both parties pressed Obama to make the historic site a national park.
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The president will travel to Chicago on Feb. 19 to designate the monument, a White House official told the Chicago Tribune.
The official said Obama is using his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 and that the move was part of his effort to protect and promote the nation's diverse history.
The area was built by businessman George Pullman as a factory and company town for his workers who constructed the iconic Pullman railway cars in the late 1800s. It became the birthplace of the country's first African-American union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and was the site of a massive strike.
"Pullman workers fought for fair labor conditions in the late 19th century and the Pullman porters helped advance America’s civil rights movement," Lynn McClure, the Midwest senior director for the National Parks Conservation Association told the Washington Post.
The president's visit could also boost his former chief of staff, current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel faces a Democratic primary on Feb. 24 as he seeks reelection.
The mayor along with Illinois lawmakers from both parties pressed Obama to make the historic site a national park.
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Bill would target heroin dealers in drug deaths
BALTIMORE —Maryland state lawmakers have proposed a bill to pursue those who manufacture and distribute heroin in deaths related to the drug.
Hundreds die from heroin every year. According to Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, about 550 people died from heroin use in the state in 2014. To put that number in perspective, about 360 people were murdered. The proposed bill would make dealers legally responsible for the lives lost.
As one of the tools to fight the continued battle against heroin use in the state, Montgomery County Delegate Kathleen Dumais plans to introduce House Bill 222 to lawmakers in Annapolis on Tuesday.
"If the state's attorney can trace the heroin that was sold and resulted in a death to a distributor, that distributor can be charged with a homicide," Dumais told 11 News.
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Hundreds die from heroin every year. According to Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, about 550 people died from heroin use in the state in 2014. To put that number in perspective, about 360 people were murdered. The proposed bill would make dealers legally responsible for the lives lost.
As one of the tools to fight the continued battle against heroin use in the state, Montgomery County Delegate Kathleen Dumais plans to introduce House Bill 222 to lawmakers in Annapolis on Tuesday.
"If the state's attorney can trace the heroin that was sold and resulted in a death to a distributor, that distributor can be charged with a homicide," Dumais told 11 News.
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States rise up against Washington
State legislators around the country have introduced more than 200 bills aiming to nullify regulations and laws coming out of Washington, D.C., as they look to rein in the federal government.
The legislative onslaught, which includes bills targeting federal restrictions on firearms, experimental treatments and hemp, reflects growing discord between the states and Washington, state officials say.
“You have a choice,” said Kentucky state Rep. Diane St. Onge (R). “To sit back and not do anything or say anything and let overregulation continue — or you have the alternative choice to speak up about it and say, ‘We know what you are doing or intend to do and we do not think that it is constitutional and we as a state are not going to stand for it.’ ”
Last month, St. Onge introduced H.B. 13 to nullify federal gun control laws within Kentucky state lines. Similar legislation has been introduced in seven other states.
“This law is saying the sheriff and those under him do not have to follow federal regulations,” she said.
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The legislative onslaught, which includes bills targeting federal restrictions on firearms, experimental treatments and hemp, reflects growing discord between the states and Washington, state officials say.
“You have a choice,” said Kentucky state Rep. Diane St. Onge (R). “To sit back and not do anything or say anything and let overregulation continue — or you have the alternative choice to speak up about it and say, ‘We know what you are doing or intend to do and we do not think that it is constitutional and we as a state are not going to stand for it.’ ”
Last month, St. Onge introduced H.B. 13 to nullify federal gun control laws within Kentucky state lines. Similar legislation has been introduced in seven other states.
“This law is saying the sheriff and those under him do not have to follow federal regulations,” she said.
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In case of public health emergency, Maryland would drop its religious exemption for vaccines
Maryland allows medical and religious exemptions to vaccines, but could revoke those exemptions in an emergency. Doctors would be instructed to review the medical exemptions they granted, to see if any of their patients were now healthy enough to get vaccinated. Parents who claimed a religious exemption would have to either vaccinate their children or keep them home from school. The state could require unvaccinated children to stay out of school, under quarantine, for 21 days.
Before everyone starts running for their face masks and clearing out grocery stores to prepare for home confinement, let's be clear: Maryland is not declaring an infectious disease emergency.
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Skewed poll: NYT doesn't ask if people will pay to fight global warming -- they won't
It’s classic mainstream media spin, this time care of the New York Times on the hot button issue of global warming. Play up the emotional side of the issue, and avoid the hard question of paying.
In their climate change poll released Friday, the Times asked if Americans think it’s a serious enough issue to support government action. As with virtually every other poll, they find that, yes, the public does support action.
But it doesn’t ask the obvious follow-up question: Would you pay for that action?
We have proof that the public’s answer is “No.”
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In their climate change poll released Friday, the Times asked if Americans think it’s a serious enough issue to support government action. As with virtually every other poll, they find that, yes, the public does support action.
But it doesn’t ask the obvious follow-up question: Would you pay for that action?
We have proof that the public’s answer is “No.”
More
Maryland Natural Resources Police arrest 13 since Jan. 1
Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson said officers are on “high alert” this time of year. She said she remembered how busy nefarious watermen kept water patrol officers in 2014.
“This has season has been fairly active at this point,” Thomson said. “There are about 1,200 watermen out on oyster bars, coming on the last two months of the season. A lot of the bars are exhausted, fished out, the legal bars. So if you are going to continue to harvest oysters, the number of legal places is diminishing rapidly.
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Redskins spent $180,000 lobbying to keep name, Patriots all in for Democrats
The Washington Redskins, under attack from some congressional leaders over its “racist” image, spent $180,000 to lobby for its name, according to a new report on NFL political spending.
The remarkably high fee to Washington’s McGuireWoods consulting covered just the last half of the year when Hill leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was demanding that the team change its name, considered by some as offensive to native Americans.
By comparison, the National Basketball Association spent just $150,000 — also through McGuireWoods — on lobbying for all of 2014 and on behalf of all 30 teams.
The Redskins lobbying tab was included in a new report from the campaign spending watchdog group, Center for Responsive Politics. The report looked at political spending by the NFL, and specifically the two teams in today’s Super Bowl, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
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The remarkably high fee to Washington’s McGuireWoods consulting covered just the last half of the year when Hill leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was demanding that the team change its name, considered by some as offensive to native Americans.
By comparison, the National Basketball Association spent just $150,000 — also through McGuireWoods — on lobbying for all of 2014 and on behalf of all 30 teams.
The Redskins lobbying tab was included in a new report from the campaign spending watchdog group, Center for Responsive Politics. The report looked at political spending by the NFL, and specifically the two teams in today’s Super Bowl, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
More
JUST IN: Congress Passes Bill To Construct Keystone XL Pipeline
Breaking News: The Republican-controlled Congress has cleared a bill approving the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline – setting up a confrontation with President Obama, who has threatened to veto the measure. http://fxn.ws/1EbnCnC
Md. Measure Would Create Punitive Damages For Drunk Driving
The bill outlined Tuesday has been introduced at a time when drunken driving is getting added attention in Maryland, after the state’s second highest-ranking bishop in the Episcopal Church was accused of fatally hitting a cyclist while driving drunk in Baltimore late last year.
Under the bill, a drunk driver who causes injury or death could be subject to fines to provide restitution to victims, if proven that the person was driving with a blood alcohol content of twice the legal limit or driving on a suspended or revoked license.
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Report: Only France has higher corporate tax than US, by just 0.7%
The U.S. corporate tax rate is so high at 35.3 percent that only one other industrialized country, tax-heavy France, has a stiffer one, at 36 percent, according to a new Tax Foundation report that gives a key reason to why corporations are moving overseas.
Remarkably by comparison, countries like Denmark and Switzerland that provide citizens with more goodies than Washington have rates below 19 percent.
“The United States is prime for corporate tax reform” said Jack Mintz, author of the study geared to reviving the debate to cut the tax.
The report, posted below, found that most industrialized countries associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have cut their rates over the past decade.
“Since 2005, 63 countries have cut their statutory corporate tax rate, lowering the average statutory tax rate to 24.4 percent across the 95 countries surveyed. Meanwhile, the U.S. corporate tax rate has remained stagnant,” said the report.
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Remarkably by comparison, countries like Denmark and Switzerland that provide citizens with more goodies than Washington have rates below 19 percent.
“The United States is prime for corporate tax reform” said Jack Mintz, author of the study geared to reviving the debate to cut the tax.
The report, posted below, found that most industrialized countries associated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have cut their rates over the past decade.
“Since 2005, 63 countries have cut their statutory corporate tax rate, lowering the average statutory tax rate to 24.4 percent across the 95 countries surveyed. Meanwhile, the U.S. corporate tax rate has remained stagnant,” said the report.
More
Weather Alert
Thursday afternoon and evening will usher in the start of what will be a prolonged cold spell. Highs Thursday will top out in the 40s, but a strong cold front will push across the area by mid afternoon. Behind the front scattered snow showers are possible just in time for the evening commute especially in the east (see image). Temperatures should still be just above freezing at that time, then dropping below freezing after 8 pm. The best chances for scattered snow shows will be from 4pm through 9pm. Check your latest local forecast athttp://www.weather.gov/akq/
Ted Cruz introduces bill to leave marriage to the states
Cruz, along with 11 other Republican senators, re-introduced the State Marriage Defense Act on Tuesday, which aims to allow states to adopt their own definitions of marriage and would block the federal government from applying its own definition of marriage onto states.
“Even though the Supreme Court made clear in United States v. Windsor that the federal government should defer to state ‘choices about who may be married,’ the Obama Administration has disregarded state marriage laws enacted by democratically-elected legislatures to uphold traditional marriage,” Cruz said in a press release.
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Pres. Obama speaks on ISIS
“Make no mistake, this is a difficult mission and it will remain difficult for some time.”
“This is a difficult mission… it’s going to take time to dislodge these terrorists especially from urban areas.” -Pres. Obama speaks on ISIS
“With vile groups like this, there is only one option. With our allies…we are going to degrade and ultimately destroy [ISIS].” –Pres. Obama
Authorization of military force is limited to three years, repeals Iraq authorization, says Pres
President Obama To Address Nation......LIVE now
President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the nation at 3:30 p.m. ET to discuss his request for congressional authority to use military force against#ISIS. Watch anywhere via #CNNgo: http://CNN.it/govia CNN Politics
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