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Friday, October 07, 2016

Ford Bronco and Ranger Are Coming Back!

Last year, a proposed contract between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford hinted that the automaker would introduce brand-new versions of the Bronco 4x4 and Ranger pickup truck. When Donald Trump seized on Ford's decision to move small car production to Mexico during a Presidential debate, the UAW countered with some fact-checking—and in the process, confirmed the return of the Bronco and Ranger.

Shown above, a fan's imaginary rendering of what a 2020 Ford Bronco could look like,originally published on Bronco6G.com

Bill Johnson, a UAW rep for Ford's Wayne, Michigan plant, confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that the Bronco and Ranger will begin production once Focus and C-Max production shifts to Mexico. Johnson felt the need to clear the air after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused Ford of cutting U.S. jobs during the first Presidential debate.

"I think Trump needs to get his facts straight," Johnson told the Freep. "He is absolutely beating up on Ford for doing what everybody else has already done."

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The Boy Scouts of America, Del-Mar-Va Council to host Duty to God and Country Prayer Breakfast on Nov. 17

Salisbury, MD – The Boy Scouts of America Del-Mar-Va Council will host its annual Duty to God and Country Prayer Breakfast at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Thursday, Nov. 17. The keynote speaker will be Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue Farms.

Doors open for the event at 6:45 a.m., and the program begins at 7:15 a.m. Individual tickets start at $30, and there are also sponsorship opportunities that include seating for eight at a table.

Attendees are asked to RSVP for the breakfast by Thursday, Nov. 10. Registration is available online at www.dmvc.org/dtg.

For more information, contact Kevin LesCallette at 443-523-7639 or klescallette@dmvc.org.

Two Men Charged with 73 Counts of Illegal Hunting

 
Two men who killed eight deer in a single evening in Baltimore and Howard counties have been charged with 73 counts of illegal hunting by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Christopher Michael Johnson
John Dimingo Gallano IV, 20, of Pasadena, and Christopher Michael Johnson, 20, of Halethorpe, were charged last Friday after a year-long investigation.
The two men shot the deer with a crossbow from a vehicle with the aid of a spotlight between 1 and 5 a.m. Oct. 18, 2015, near Spring Grove Hospital Center in Baltimore 
John Dimingo Gallano IV
County and in Ellicott City in Howard County.

The carcasses of a nine-point buck and three four-point bucks were dumped in Pasadena neighborhoods. Two deer – a six-point buck and a doe – were taken to an Anne Arundel County wild game processor. Two deer were not recovered by the shooters.

None of the deer were logged in or recorded, as required by state law. Neither man had written permission to be hunting on any of the properties where the deer were shot.

Gallano was charged with trespassing, hunting deer with spotlights, nighttime hunting, hunting from a vehicle, shooting from on across a road, hunting within a safety zone, hunting on private land, failing to report a kill, wanton waste of deer, false entry in a public record and illegal dumping. He is due in Anne Arundel County District Court Oct. 11, in Baltimore County District Court Nov. 14, and in Howard County District Court Nov. 17.

Johnson was charged with trespassing, hunting deer with spotlights, nighttime hunting, hunting from a vehicle, shooting from on across a road, hunting within a safety zone, hunting on private land, failing to report a kill, wanton waste of deer, possessing a loaded crossbow in a vehicle, false entry in a public record and illegal dumping. He is due in Baltimore County District Court Nov. 14 and Howard County District Court Nov. 17.

The charges could result in fines of more than $50,000 for each

When Did Our Elites Become Self-Serving Parasites?

Combine financialization, neoliberalism and moral bankruptcy, and you end up with self-serving parasitic elites.

When did our financial and political elites become self-serving parasites? Some will answer that elites have always been self-serving parasites; as tempting as it may be to offer a blanket denunciation of elites, this overlooks the eras in which elites rose to meet existential crises.

Following in Ancient Rome's Footsteps: Moral Decay, Rising Wealth Inequality(September 30, 2015)

As historian Peter Turchin explained in his book War and Peace and War: The Rise and Fall of Empires, the value of sacrifice was a core characteristic of the early Republic's elite:

"Unlike the selfish elites of the later periods, the aristocracy of the early Republic did not spare its blood or treasure in the service of the common interest. When 50,000 Romans, a staggering one fifth of Rome’s total manpower, perished in the battle of Cannae, as mentioned previously, the senate lost almost one third of its membership. This suggests that the senatorial aristocracy was more likely to be killed in wars than the average citizen….

The wealthy classes were also the first to volunteer extra taxes when they were needed… A graduated scale was used in which the senators paid the most, followed by the knights, and then other citizens. In addition, officers and centurions (but not common soldiers!) served without pay, saving the state 20 percent of the legion’s payroll.

The richest 1 percent of the Romans during the early Republic was only 10 to 20 times as wealthy as an average Roman citizen."

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Police: 34 BGF gang members indicted

BALTIMORE —Baltimore City police on Thursday announced the indictments of 34 people in two separate drug raids.

Police said 17 people were indicted on Sept. 9.

Investigators said they are members of the Black Guerrilla Family drug organization, operating near Pratt and South Cary streets in southwest Baltimore.

Seven people are arrested, and 10 are still wanted.

On Wednesday, another 17 people from the BGF raid were indicted. Investigators said they were operating in the area of Baker Street and McKean Avenue in west Baltimore.

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Holiday Banquets at Brew River! We do it all!


Obama DOJ drops charges against alleged provider of Libyan weapons

Arms dealer had threatened to expose Hillary Clinton’s talks about arming anti-Qadhafi rebels.

The Obama administration is moving to dismiss charges against an arms dealer it had accused of selling weapons that were destined for Libyan rebels.

Lawyers for the Justice Department on Monday filed a motion in federal court in Phoenix to drop the case against the arms dealer, an American named Marc Turi, whose lawyers also signed the motion.

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Watch: Paratrooper Dogs Hunt Poachers in South Africa

South Africa’s newest anti-poaching weapon: dogs that parachute into wildlife reserves from helicopters

In South Africa, man’s best friend is now poachers’ worst enemy.

To combat the illegal hunting of endangered elephants and rhinos, the country has trained an elite force of poacher-chasing dogs to parachute into wildlife reserves from helicopters. And the dogs are effective—one caught 115 groups of poachers in 18 months.

The organization behind this terrifying approach to conservation is a security tech company called Paramount Group. The BBC recently took a tour of the group’s Anti-Poaching and Canine Training Academy, and filmed some video of the dogs practicing. You can watch that video here.

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Summer of 2016 runs close second for deadliest season

While there were plenty of headlines and tragic stories over the last few months, Ocean City is not ending its deadliest summer. It was, however, a close second.

From May 1 to Labor Day, six fatalities occurred in Ocean City, five as the result of accidents and one was a homicide.

In comparison, 2014 was the worst in the five-year period, with seven fatalities. One was a homicide and six were related to rip currents in the ocean.

“Any time there is a death in Ocean City it truly does affect us all, regardless of the circumstances,” said Police Public Affairs Specialist Lindsay Richard. “What is particularly tragic is that … these deaths could have been avoided.

Unfortunately for Ocean City, health and safety statistics rarely put things in perspective, as the number of incidents is frequently divided into the number of year-round residents to produce a percentage of population figure for crimes and serious accidents.

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Teen Charged With Murder After Killing Her 2-Pound Premature Baby. How Is This Different From Abortion?

On Friday, a premature newborn baby girl was thrown out of a second-story apartment window to her death in Omaha, Nebraska by her 16-year-old mother, soon after giving birth. Antonia Lopez, the now-deceased baby's mother, was arrested and charged with murder the following day.

The baby girl weighed only two pounds and was believed to be 27-28 weeks old at the time of her murder, according to the director of the neonatal intensive care unit at the Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Ann Anderson-Berry. Murdering a baby inside a woman's womb at this stage, called a third-trimester abortion, is legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia.

According to the police statement, Lopez went into premature labor alone in her bedroom of the family apartment. After she gave birth to the child early that morning, she allegedly tossed the apparently unwanted life out of her second-story window. Lopez then posted "Who can do me a huge favor and has a car?" to Facebook at around 3:40 a.m.

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Dozens of Afghan troops AWOL from military training in U.S.

Forty-four Afghan troops visiting the United States for military training have gone missing in less than two years, presumably in an effort to live and work illegally in America, Pentagon officials said.

Although the number of disappearances is relatively small -- some 2,200 Afghan troops have received military training in the United States since 2007 -- the incidents raise questions about security and screening procedures for the programs.

They are also potentially embarrassing for U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which has spent billions of dollars training Afghan troops as Washington seeks to extricate itself from the costly, 15-year-old war. The disclosure could fuel criticism by supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has accused the Obama administration of failing to properly vet immigrants from Muslim-majority countries and has pledged a much tougher stance if he wins.

While other foreign troops on U.S. military training visits have sometimes run away, a U.S. defense official said that the frequency of Afghan troops going missing was concerning and "out of the ordinary."

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Trump Lawyers Gearing Up For Fight With The New York Times

Lawyers representing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sent a letter to The New York Times threatening a lawsuit after the paper published several pages of Trump’s 1995 tax returns.

The Manhattan mogul tapped Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman, a leading litigation firm whom he’s lavished with praise in the past, to lead his response.

Marc Kasowitz, a veteran litigator, told the Times he would execute “prompt initiation of appropriate legal action” should they publish Trump’s returns. He said that Trump had not authorized the release of his tax returns and their publication would therefore be unlawful.

The firm has represented Trump in various capacities since 2001, according to The American Lawyer. The firm was retained to restructure $1.3 billion in bondholder debt after his Atlantic City casinos shuttered, and again in a defamation suit brought against the ghostwriter of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald,” for suggesting his net-worth was less than $1 billion.

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Top prison official talks of downsizing Maryland's prison system

BALTIMORE —Maryland's public safety chief on Thursday laid out the downsizing of the state's prison system.

It's the result of criminal justice reform and plummeting caseloads, dramatic in some places -- like Baltimore.

Video from Baltimore's Central Booking in 2003 shows nothing similar today. It used to be overcrowded with arrestees lined up outside waiting to be booked.

Today, Central Booking has room to spare, enough to allow part of it to soon be used to house women detainees from the old building next door.

"We are closing the women's detention center this month. I have told the legislature and every meeting I have been in. Those old buildings need to be shut down," Secretary of Public Safety Steve Moyer said.

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Gerald Gregg Morris Sr, 79 of Salisbury, MD, died on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 after an extended illness

Gerald Gregg Morris Sr, 79 of Salisbury, MD, died on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 after an extended illness

Born in Paducah Texas, December 16, 1936 he was the son of the late Joe Bailey Morris and Irene Morris Dooley of Justin, Texas.

He graduated from North West High School, Justin, Texas then served in the United States Navy at Chincoteague Naval Auxiliary Air Station as an AT3 Aviation Electronics Technician. And he went on to graduate from University of Texas at Arlington with a BSEE in Electrical Engineering.

His career was dedicated to the aerospace industry serving in many capacities. Returned to NASA Wallops Island, VA with LTV Aerospace Corporation as the Scout Guidance, Operations and Test Conductor Engineer for Wallops and VAFB. Employment with NASA/WFF/GSFC included Branch Head for the Launch Vehicles Branch: Research and Quality Assurance Officer for WFF Sounding Rockets and the Shuttle Small Payloads program. As a team member he trained the Italians to process and launch the Scout Rocket from the coast of San Marco, Kenya. He was the Research and Quality Assurance office for the ARIES Program and the first Lead Auditor for ISO9000 in 1995 at NASA/WFF. Adapted a desktop IFR simulator to an Emory-Riddle Cessna 172 to allow pilot training in real world situations.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Billie Sturgis Morris; four children, Gerald G. Morris, II, and wife Autumn, Eric T. Morris, Leah S. Morris and Charlotte Morris Grady, husband Pat; five grandchildren Kaden, Maggie, Grayson, Kaitlyn, and Tommy; great grandchild Nicolas; his sister, Joan Henderson and her husband Donnie; two nieces, Sherry and Nancy and a deceased nephew, Jeff.

White House Watch

The two major presidential candidates remain in a dead heat, but Donald Trump has regained the edge.

The latest Rasmussen Reports White House Watch survey shows Trump with 42% support among Likely U.S. Voters to Hillary Clinton’s 41%. Yesterday, it was the other way around, Clinton 42%, Trump 41%, and the day before Clinton had a 43% to 40% advantage. This is the first time Trump has been ahead since before the first presidential debate last week.

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson earns eight percent (8%) support in the latest survey, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein remains at two percent (2%). Another two percent (2%) like some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Among the 82% of voters who say they are certain how they will vote, Trump leads 48% to 47%. Among those who say they still could change their minds, it’s Trump 32%, Clinton 30%, Johnson 27% and Stein 11%.

This survey was largely completed prior to last night’s debate between Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine and Trump’s running mate Mike Pence.

Rasmussen Reports updates its White House Watch survey daily Monday through Friday at 8:30 am based on a three-day rolling average of 1,500 Likely U.S. Voters.

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Tim Kaine Anti-Immigration Rant Watch Before They Have It Removed

Police tracking social media during protests stirs concerns

DENVER (AP) — Increasingly common tools that allow police to conduct real-time social media surveillance during protests are drawing criticism from civil liberties advocates, who oppose the way some departments have quietly unrolled the technology without community input and little public explanation.

Police say services such as Geofeedia, which map, collect and store information from social media posts, are a powerful way to help find crime witnesses, spot brewing problems during large gatherings and gauge community sentiment.

Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union say the software can be easily used to collect information on peaceful protesters or target certain groups. The programs let police gather and record all online posts within specific geographic boundaries, and some allow users to do keyword searches for certain words or hashtags.

Law enforcement agencies have used the services to mine posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other sites during parades, protests and other large events.

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Ann Corcoran on Immigration Policy

Shackled Inmate Walk Out of Courthouse And Steals Police SUV

"Janet's With Her" - The Fed & Politics

Inside Track

The stock market – where shares in profit-making companies are exchanged – went up again. Does this mean the outlook for making money is improving? Does this presage higher dividends for the stockholders? What, exactly, do investors expect?

Partisan politics is for the most part a distraction, maintaining the illusion of choice for the public.

More of the same, is our guess. Hillary in her Heaven. Yellen on her throne. And now, Fed Governor Lael Brainard is said to have the inside track for the top job at the Department of the Treasury. Wait a minute…

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