DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, December 27, 2012
NRA Takes Fire For Stance On Mental Illness
The National Rifle Association has come under fire by an association of psychiatrists for its characterization of people who commit violent crimes as "monsters," "lunatics" and "insane."
The American Psychiatric Association, which represents more than 30,000 mental health professionals, released a statement that expressed its "disappointment" over the gun lobby's use of those terms in the wake of the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where Adam Lanza, 20, slaughtered 20 children, six school staffers and his mother.
In a news conference last week, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre repeatedly used the word "monsters" and "insane" to describe people who carry out mass shootings.
And during an interview this weekend on "Meet the Press" LaPierre used the word lunatic "as a catchphrase for those who commit violent crimes," the APA said.
More
The American Psychiatric Association, which represents more than 30,000 mental health professionals, released a statement that expressed its "disappointment" over the gun lobby's use of those terms in the wake of the massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn., where Adam Lanza, 20, slaughtered 20 children, six school staffers and his mother.
In a news conference last week, NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre repeatedly used the word "monsters" and "insane" to describe people who carry out mass shootings.
And during an interview this weekend on "Meet the Press" LaPierre used the word lunatic "as a catchphrase for those who commit violent crimes," the APA said.
More
Stop Subsidizing Obesity
Not long ago few doctors – not even pediatricians – concerned themselves much with nutrition. This has changed, and dramatically: As childhood obesity gains recognition as a true health crisis, more and more doctors are publicly expressing alarm at the impact the standard American diet is having on health.
“I never saw Type 2 diabetes during my training, 20 years ago,” David Ludwig, a pediatrician, told me the other day, referring to what was once called “adult-onset” diabetes, the form that is often caused by obesity. “Never. Now about a quarter of the new diabetes cases we’re seeing are Type 2.”
Ludwig, who is director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center in Boston, is one of three authors, all medical doctors of an essay (“Viewpoint”) in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association titled “Opportunities to Reduce Childhood Hunger and Obesity.”
More
“I never saw Type 2 diabetes during my training, 20 years ago,” David Ludwig, a pediatrician, told me the other day, referring to what was once called “adult-onset” diabetes, the form that is often caused by obesity. “Never. Now about a quarter of the new diabetes cases we’re seeing are Type 2.”
Ludwig, who is director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center in Boston, is one of three authors, all medical doctors of an essay (“Viewpoint”) in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association titled “Opportunities to Reduce Childhood Hunger and Obesity.”
More
This Is A Real Man
Today my wife and I were at T.J.Max finishing up on some last minute shopping. Usually my wife and I walk into the store together. However today because of the cold I let her out at the door and park the car so she would not have to walk in the cold. As I entered the store "My Queen" greeted me with an efficacious smile. After shopping and paying for the stuff ( my wife hasn't worked in twenty years). I went to get the car while she waited inside for me. While walking to the car I over heard a man of the ebony hue cussing at his wife or significant other? He left her in the car and went into the store. As I looked into her eyes from a distance I could see the anguish and humiliation in her eyes as the kids played in the back seat. So I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage women abroad... You are to beautiful for a man to use derogative language when talking to you. You are no a "B", slut, nor a whore. You are a queen!!! The way a man talks and the way he treats you should enhance your position of royalty. If he isn't addressing you as a queen than he is not a king. Only kings can address a queen. My sister you are royalty. The bible says you are virtuous and your price is far above rubies. Stop letting fools talk to you. Fools are for the king and queens entertainment. For are only good for laughing at not relationship nor marriage. If no one has ever addressed you properly. Let me be the first. "Hello My Queen"!!!!! For you are a queen indeed.......
Missing: $200M In Gas Receipts For NATO Aid In Afghanistan
As a result, the U.S. government is unable to “account for $201 million” worth of fuel purchases, said Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko, in a letter alerting two members of Congress to the missing documentation.
The letter is a follow-up to a warning by Sopko in September that coalition force personnel in Afghanistan had improperly shredded fuel purchase records that covered a five-year period, blocking the ability of auditors to assess how much fuel was actually used by the Afghani army and how much might have been lost or stolen.
More
Clout Diminished, Tea Party Turns To Narrower Issues
The Tea Party might not be over, but it is increasingly clear that the election last month significantly weakened the once-surging movement, which nearly captured control of the Republican Partythrough a potent combination of populism and fury.
Leading Congressional Republicans, though they remain far apart fromPresident Obama, have embraced raising tax revenues in budget negotiations, repudiating a central tenet of the Tea Party. Even more telling, Tea Party activists in the middle of the country are skirting the fiscal showdown in Congress and turning to narrower issues, raising questions about whether the movement still represents a citizen groundswell to which attention must be paid.
Grass-roots leaders said this month that after losing any chance of repealing the nationalhealth care law, they would press states to “nullify” or ignore it. They also plan to focus on a two-decade-old United Nations resolution that they call a plot against property rights, and on “fraud” by local election boards that, some believe, let the Democrats steal the November vote.
More
Leading Congressional Republicans, though they remain far apart fromPresident Obama, have embraced raising tax revenues in budget negotiations, repudiating a central tenet of the Tea Party. Even more telling, Tea Party activists in the middle of the country are skirting the fiscal showdown in Congress and turning to narrower issues, raising questions about whether the movement still represents a citizen groundswell to which attention must be paid.
Grass-roots leaders said this month that after losing any chance of repealing the nationalhealth care law, they would press states to “nullify” or ignore it. They also plan to focus on a two-decade-old United Nations resolution that they call a plot against property rights, and on “fraud” by local election boards that, some believe, let the Democrats steal the November vote.
More
Last Call For The Homestead Tax Credit
Residents have just a few more days to apply for the Maryland Homestead Tax Credit, which protects homeowners from sudden increases in property tax bills from reassessments.
Once a homeowner is eligible for the credit, his or her property tax can increase by no more than 2 percent in a given tax year.
To see if you have been approved for the credit, visit http://dat.state.md.us/ and type in your address. At the bottom of the page, check the field that says Homestead Application Status to see if you are approved.
If you are not approved, you can apply at www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/Homestead_application.pdf.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 31, and there is no way to appeal your bill once that date has passed.
For more information, call the state Department of Assessments and Taxation at 410-974-5709.
Once a homeowner is eligible for the credit, his or her property tax can increase by no more than 2 percent in a given tax year.
To see if you have been approved for the credit, visit http://dat.state.md.us/ and type in your address. At the bottom of the page, check the field that says Homestead Application Status to see if you are approved.
If you are not approved, you can apply at www.dat.state.md.us/sdatweb/Homestead_application.pdf.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 31, and there is no way to appeal your bill once that date has passed.
For more information, call the state Department of Assessments and Taxation at 410-974-5709.
Breaking News Route 90 Eastbound Shut Down
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Who Arrested Speeding Miami Officer Files Lawsuit
The Florida Highway Patrol trooper who pulled over a speeding Miami Police officer last year filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that several agencies illegally accessed her personal information to intimidate her, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
On Friday, Trooper Donna “Jane” Watts and lawyer Mirta Desir filed the 69-page lawsuit, which seeks more than $1 million in damages. It alleges that 88 officers from 25 jurisdictions, including her own, violated her privacy by illegally obtaining her personal information more than 200 times.
Watts said the Oct. 11 incident, when she pulled over Miami officer Fausto Lopez for speeding on Florida’s Turnpike, has caused backlash. She was captured on camera with her gun drawn as she approached Fausto, who she said she followed for seven minutes while he drove 120 mph.
The lawsuit alleges that following the traffic stop, actions of other officers created a “life-threatening” situation for Watts. She said she now fears for her life, has become a “hermit,” and is even moving.
More
On Friday, Trooper Donna “Jane” Watts and lawyer Mirta Desir filed the 69-page lawsuit, which seeks more than $1 million in damages. It alleges that 88 officers from 25 jurisdictions, including her own, violated her privacy by illegally obtaining her personal information more than 200 times.
Watts said the Oct. 11 incident, when she pulled over Miami officer Fausto Lopez for speeding on Florida’s Turnpike, has caused backlash. She was captured on camera with her gun drawn as she approached Fausto, who she said she followed for seven minutes while he drove 120 mph.
The lawsuit alleges that following the traffic stop, actions of other officers created a “life-threatening” situation for Watts. She said she now fears for her life, has become a “hermit,” and is even moving.
More
Starbucks Cups To Come With A Political Message
Starbucks is using its coffee cups to jump into the political fray in Washington.
The world’s biggest coffee chain is asking employees at cafes in the Washington, D.C. area to scribble the words “Come Together” on cups for drink orders. CEO Howard Schultz says the words are intended as a message to lawmakers about the damage being caused by the divisive negotiations over the “fiscal cliff.”
It’s the first time employees at Starbucks cafes are being asked to write anything other than customers’ names on cups.
While companies generally steer clear of politics to avoid alienating customers, the plea to “Come Together” is a sentiment unlikely to cause controversy. If anything, Starbucks could score points with customers and burnish its image as a socially conscious company.
More
The world’s biggest coffee chain is asking employees at cafes in the Washington, D.C. area to scribble the words “Come Together” on cups for drink orders. CEO Howard Schultz says the words are intended as a message to lawmakers about the damage being caused by the divisive negotiations over the “fiscal cliff.”
It’s the first time employees at Starbucks cafes are being asked to write anything other than customers’ names on cups.
While companies generally steer clear of politics to avoid alienating customers, the plea to “Come Together” is a sentiment unlikely to cause controversy. If anything, Starbucks could score points with customers and burnish its image as a socially conscious company.
More
BREAKING NEWS: EPA Administrator Resigns
Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa Jackson says she's stepping down after four years in the position, ending a tenure marked by high-profile fights with business groups and Republicans.
Source Fox News
260 School Children Killed In Chicago In 3 Years -- Where Are The Tears For Them?
What makes the victims of everyday inner-city gun violence expendable?
Like President Obama and many others across the country, I too wiped away tears as I watched the horrifying news coverage of the tragic shootings in Newton, Conn. I immediately called my children who were still in school. I sat watching the television trying to fathom how I would respond if I got a call that a shooting had occurred at my children’s school. This brought on more tears. But for the parents of 20 children and six other families in Newton, it wasn’t an exercise; it was an excruciating reality.
I then watched and listened to our President, and like parents around the world, the shooting had affected him emotionally as well. Twenty children gunned down. He struggled to hold back tears.
It was then that my phone buzzed. I quickly grabbed it to see if it was one of my children calling back. But it wasn’t. It was a colleague in Chicago. I had emailed her the day before asking for research into one of the mentoring programs in the city’s schools for youth with the highest risk of being shot.
More
D.C. Police Warned NBC Against Possessing Gun Clip
Police are investigating whether Gregory, 42, violated D.C. gun laws during the program, which was taped in Washington and aired Sunday.
D.C. police spokeswoman Gwen Crump said police discussed the use of the clip with NBC before the program was taped.
"NBC contacted MPD inquiring if they could utilize a high-capacity magazine for their segment. NBC was informed that possession of a high-capacity magazine is not permissible, and their request was denied," according to a statement released by Crump. "The matter is currently being investigated."
More
Health Care Tax Hikes For 2013 May Be Just A Start
New taxes are coming Jan. 1 to help finance President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Most people may not notice. But they will pay attention if Congress decides to start taxing employer-sponsored health insurance, one option in play if lawmakers can ever agree on a budget deal to reduce federal deficits.
The tax hikes already on the books, taking effect in 2013, fall mainly on people who make lots of money and on the health care industry. But about half of Americans benefit from the tax-free status of employer health insurance. Workers pay no income or payroll taxes on what their employer contributes for health insurance, and in most cases on their own share of premiums as well.
It’s the single biggest tax break the government allows, outstripping the mortgage interest deduction, the deduction for charitable giving and other better-known benefits. If the value of job-based health insurance were taxed like regular income, it would raise nearly $150 billion in 2013, according to congressional estimates. By comparison, wiping away the mortgage interest deduction would bring in only about $90 billion.
More
The tax hikes already on the books, taking effect in 2013, fall mainly on people who make lots of money and on the health care industry. But about half of Americans benefit from the tax-free status of employer health insurance. Workers pay no income or payroll taxes on what their employer contributes for health insurance, and in most cases on their own share of premiums as well.
It’s the single biggest tax break the government allows, outstripping the mortgage interest deduction, the deduction for charitable giving and other better-known benefits. If the value of job-based health insurance were taxed like regular income, it would raise nearly $150 billion in 2013, according to congressional estimates. By comparison, wiping away the mortgage interest deduction would bring in only about $90 billion.
More
Michael Moore: ‘Calm Down, White People, and Put Away Your Guns’
In a blog post entitled “Celebrating the Prince of Peace in the Land of Guns,”while still calling for stricter gun-control laws, Moore said such laws will not stop mass killings because of “who we are” as a nation.
“We are a country whose leaders officially sanction and carry out acts of violence as a means to often an immoral end,” Moore said. “We invade countries who didn't attack us. We're currently using drones in a half-dozen countries, often killing civilians.”
More
Farmers Plow Through Red Tape To Hire Legal Workers
Bernie Kohl, Jr., president and part owner of Angelica Nurseries Inc., knew something was wrong when the then-Immigration and Naturalization Service showed up on his property with buses on a fall day in 1996. The INS went into the company’s offices, hung up phones, and lined workers up outside while they went into the company’s human resources offices to get paper files on all the laborers.
“They went through the I-9s and they scrutinized the paperwork and could say that these documents don’t look genuine,” Kohl said. “We aren’t document specialists, those are the kind of things that we can’t do.”
The raid resulted in around 80 of his workers being deported. The place didn’t quite shut down, but it meant an incredible struggle that year to make the harvest.
More
“They went through the I-9s and they scrutinized the paperwork and could say that these documents don’t look genuine,” Kohl said. “We aren’t document specialists, those are the kind of things that we can’t do.”
The raid resulted in around 80 of his workers being deported. The place didn’t quite shut down, but it meant an incredible struggle that year to make the harvest.
More
Shot For Being White
I would like to talk to you today about the recent murder of 20-year-old Joshua Proutey, who was shot for being white by a gang of four blacks who were out targeting white people who were “bound to have money” – as you reported in your story on this for WND.com.
Tell us what happened.
Flaherty: Four black people in Wilmington, North Carolina needed money for marijuana and traveling. So they set out to get it by robbing white people. They tried to break into a house, but were seen, so they fled. They stalked a woman through downtown Wilmington, but she escaped. Finally they came upon a 20-year-old college kid named Joshua. They took his money, cell phone and sandwich. Then he asked them to only take his money and not his ID because he explained to them it was hard to replace. Then they shot and killed him. The reason I wrote about this for WND.com and for my book, is not that it is special, but because racial violence is increasingly common and most media ignore it.
FP: What do you mean it is not “special”?
More
Tell us what happened.
Flaherty: Four black people in Wilmington, North Carolina needed money for marijuana and traveling. So they set out to get it by robbing white people. They tried to break into a house, but were seen, so they fled. They stalked a woman through downtown Wilmington, but she escaped. Finally they came upon a 20-year-old college kid named Joshua. They took his money, cell phone and sandwich. Then he asked them to only take his money and not his ID because he explained to them it was hard to replace. Then they shot and killed him. The reason I wrote about this for WND.com and for my book, is not that it is special, but because racial violence is increasingly common and most media ignore it.
FP: What do you mean it is not “special”?
More
Wicomico County Council Meeting Cancelled
The Wicomico County Council has cancelled their meeting of January 1, 2013 and their next regular scheduled meeting will be on January 15, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. in Council Chambers, Government Office Building.
Christmas In An Anti-Christian Age
For two millennia, the birth of Christ has been seen as the greatest event in world history. The moment Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem, God became man, and eternal salvation became possible.
This date has been the separation point of mankind's time on earth, with B.C. designating the era before Christ, and A.D., anno domino, in the Year of the Lord, the years after. And how stands Christianity today?
"Christianity is in danger off being wiped out in its biblical heartlands," says the British think tank Civitas.
In Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Nigeria, Christians face persecution and pogroms. In Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, conversion is a capital offense. In a century, two-thirds of all the Christians have vanished from the Islamic world.
In China, Christianity is seen as a subversive ideology of the West to undermine the regime.
More
This date has been the separation point of mankind's time on earth, with B.C. designating the era before Christ, and A.D., anno domino, in the Year of the Lord, the years after. And how stands Christianity today?
"Christianity is in danger off being wiped out in its biblical heartlands," says the British think tank Civitas.
In Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Nigeria, Christians face persecution and pogroms. In Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, conversion is a capital offense. In a century, two-thirds of all the Christians have vanished from the Islamic world.
In China, Christianity is seen as a subversive ideology of the West to undermine the regime.
More
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)