EDITORIAL: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas raises questions about civil forfeiture

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in Leonard v. Texas. Nothing unusual in that. The high court takes up only about 100 cases each year out of more than 7,000 requests.

But as UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh noted in his blog this week, despite refusing the Texas case on technical grounds, one justice hinted that the law enforcement tactic known as civil asset forfeiture may be on borrowed time.

Leonard v. Texas involved an April 1, 2013, traffic stop of James Leonard. A search turned up a safe in the vehicle’s trunk and when Mr. Leonard and his passenger gave conflicting stories about what was inside, the police quickly secured a search warrant.

The safe contained $201,100 and the bill of sale for a Pennsylvania home.

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Eating whey protein before breakfast may prevent diabetes

Protein shakes are the go-to item for bodybuilders.

But new research suggests they could have benefits for the general population too - not just those looking to bulk up.

Eating whey protein, which can be bought as a powder to be made into a smoothie, before breakfast could help to prevent type 2 diabetes, scientists claim.

The substance, also found in milk and cheese, additionally improved blood sugar levels in a small study on obese men with the condition.

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St. Patrick's Day Special At Sunset Grill In West Ocean City Today

Andrew Napolitano: Spies among us -- Congress has created a monster that is coming for us

Those of us who believe that the Constitution means what it says have been arguing since the late 1970s that congressional efforts to strengthen national security by weakening personal liberty are unconstitutional, un-American and ineffective.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which Congress passed in the aftermath of President Richard Nixon’s use of the CIA and the FBI to spy on his political opponents, has unleashed demons that now seem beyond the government’s control and are more pervasive than anything Nixon could have dreamed of.

This realization came to a boiling point last weekend when President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of monitoring his telephone calls during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Can a U.S. president legally spy on a political opponent or any other person in America without any suspicion, probable cause or warrant from a judge? In a word, yes.

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REPRESENTATIVE ANDY HARRIS ANNOUNCES CONSTITUENT TOWN HALL MEETING

WASHINGTON, DC: On March 31, Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) will be hosting a constituent town hall meeting in Maryland’s First Congressional District, to answer questions about topics being considered by Congress and to listen to the concerns of First District residents. All constituents are invited to attend and ask questions.

For questions or concerns please contact Congressman Harris’ office at 202-225-5311.

Date: Friday, March 31, 2017

Time: 6:00 – 7:00 PM

Location: Todd Performing Arts Center, Chesapeake College, 1000 College Circle, Wye Mills, MD 21679

Marijuana does affect your GPA in college, study finds

We all know the traits of the classic 'stoner student': poor grades, slow and a lack of work ethic.

Now, a new study has confirmed the stereotype to indeed be true.

Students who smoke high amounts of cannabis have lower grades and perform worse at school, scientists claim.

Researchers observed 1,100 teenagers who had started college in the US with similar rates of academic success over two years.

However, the participants all smoked different amounts of cannabis and consumed various levels of alcohol.

Grade Point Average (GPA) data was tracked for each participant, while their previous exam results were also assessed.

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Subject: Made In The USA

French Mayor Charged With Crime After Expressing Concern Over Muslim Takeover of Town

Town's schools have classes with over 90% Muslim composition

A French mayor has appeared in court on charges of inciting hatred for his remarks last year, in which he said that there were too many Muslim children at the schools in his city, and implied that the ethnic French population is being “replaced.”

Robert Menard, mayor of the southern town of Béziers and an ally of Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration and Eurosceptic National Front party, appeared before Paris Criminal Court on Wednesday for the launch of his trial for incitement of hatred, in relation to two statements he made in 2016.

“In a class in the city center of in my town, 91 percent of the children are Muslims. Obviously, this is a problem,” he said in an interview on the French news channel LCI in September.

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Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

On March 9, 2017 at approximately 0349 hours a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy responded to a residence on Snow Hill Road in Snow Hill, Maryland in reference to a Check Welfare. The Deputy was advised there was an unconscious subject in a vehicle. The Deputy was assisted by an officer of the Snow Hill Police Department. The vehicle was located and 21 year old Joshua Levin King of Snow Hill, Maryland identified as the occupant. A search of the vehicle was conducted and suspected Marijuana and cocaine was located. A hand gun was also located. Mr. King was placed under arrest and charged with possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, wear, carry, and transport a handgun upon their person, and wear, carry, and knowingly transporting a handgun in a vehicle. Mr. King was later taken before a District Court Commissioner where he was released on his own personal recognizance pending trial.

Parking Lot Suicides: Veterans Found Dead In VA Parking Lots

Over the past month, multiple veterans have been found dead in cars in various parking lots at VA hospitals across the country.

Most recently, police found one dead veteran in the parking lot of the Memphis VA after two days in the car.

The previous week, another veteran’s body was found outside Durham VA in the parking lot there.

That veteran, Paul Shuping, was found dead five days after he killed himself in his car on VA property. Shuping reportedly fought for his benefits over many years and ultimately killed himself after numerous failed attempts.

A few weeks ago, still another veteran killed himself in his car at a VA facility within the Phoenix VA health system. That suicide never made the news.

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CONGRESSMAN ANDY HARRIS ANNOUNCES 2017 CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) is pleased to announce that the 2017 Congressional Art Competition is now open for submissions. The competition recognizes talented high school artists around the country. Winners from each congressional district will be invited to attend a reception in Washington, D.C.

All high school students in Maryland’s First Congressional District are encouraged to apply. A winner from each congressional district will be chosen to display his or her artwork in the U.S. Capitol Building for one year.

“Every year the Congressional Art Competition highlights the artistic talent in Maryland’s First District,” said Congressman Harris. “I am continuously impressed by the submissions we receive and am honored to display the First District runners-up in my office. This year I am asking students to consider honoring the sacrifices of our law enforcement community, as they prepare their submissions, as special consideration will be given to works with this theme. I eagerly anticipate seeing the winning piece from the First District hanging on the wall in the U.S. Capitol. ”

Since the first Congressional Art Competition in 1982, over 650,000 high school students have submitted their art work to the competition judges. For full competition guidelines and the student release form, please visit Congressman Harris’ website at harris.house.gov. Go to the “Serving You” tab at the top of the screen and click on “Art Competition.”

The deadline for submissions is April 24, 2017.

Oil breaks below $50 a Barrel for 1st Time in 2017

Oil could slide back to $42 if selling accelerates, analyst warns

Oil prices sank below $50 a barrel on Thursday for the first time this year, marking their lowest finish since late November, as the market worried that growing U.S. crude producers may undermine efforts to rebalance global supply and demand.

April West Texas Intermediate crude CLJ7, -1.81% slid $1 or 2%, to settle at $49.28 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after trading as low as $48.79 earlier in the session. Prices, which lost 5.4% a day earlier, finished at their lowest since Nov. 29, according to FactSet data.

May Brent crude LCOK7, -1.76% on London’s ICE Futures exchange lost 92 cents, or 1.7%, to $52.19 a barrel, also trading at levels not seen in more than three months.

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The Stork Is History

Mnuchin calls on Congress to raise Debt Limit

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has called on Congress to raise the United States debt limit "at the first opportunity."

In a letter to congressional leaders dated Wednesday, Mnuchin said theTreasury will stop issuing certain state and local securities on March 15, when the most recent suspension of the debt limit expires. Mnuchin said the Treasury will likely start taking "extraordinary measures" the next day, when the U.S. will be at its statutory limit, to prevent default.

"As I said in my confirmation hearing, honoring the full faith and credit of our outstanding debt is a critical commitment. I encourage Congress to raise the debt limit at the first opportunity so that we can proceed with our joint priorities," Mnuchin wrote.

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Back In The Day

No Really: CNN Presenter Eats Human Brain on TV

At this point it isn’t easy for the moonbats at CNN to hit new lows. Yet they manage:

CNN presenter Reza Aslan has been heavily criticized after he ate part of a human brain while filming with a Hindu cannibal sect in India.

The Iranian born Muslim Aslan…

…drank an alcoholic drink from a human skull, before eating what he was told was human brain.

At one point he fell out with the Aghori guru who shouted: ‘I will cut your head off if you keep talking so much.’

The guru began eating his own faeces and then hurled it at Aslan.

Aslan quipped: ‘I feel like this may have been a mistake.’

Ya think?

CNN may have intended to show how politically correctly in tune it is with the Third World. But Hindus are fuming that this small cult of Shiva devotees hardly represents mainstream Hinduism.

Geeks biting the heads off of chickens in back tents at carnivals are now just a fond memory of more tasteful times.

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Bill would allow people to openly carry guns without permit

Similar bills in this gun-friendly state have died repeatedly since at least 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A bill allowing adults to carry a gun in South Carolina without a permit is advancing in the House.

A House subcommittee's three Republicans voted for the bill Thursday with no discussion. The panel's two Democrats were absent.

Similar bills in this gun-friendly state have died repeatedly since at least 2011. Law enforcement officials have consistently opposed allowing people to carry guns in public without training or safety education.

GOP Rep. Mike Pitts of Laurens says a difference in his bill this year is that gun owners would not have to keep their weapon hidden in public. They could carry it openly.

The bill would also maintain the state's concealed weapon permitting process for gun owners who want to carry in other states that already recognize South Carolina's permit.

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Maryland Drought Information and Current Status

A drought watch was declared for the Central Region at the end of November 2016. As of the end of February 2017, conditions in the Central region have worsened to drought warning and the Eastern Region has moved from normal conditions to drought watch.

While the conditions in the Central Region are in drought warning, they are better than they were in February during our last significant water supply drought of 2002. Furthermore, many water suppliers in Central Maryland have made improvements in system capacity since 2002 that have improved their resiliency to ensure adequate supplies under drought conditions.

The warning status in the Central Region and the watch status in the Eastern Region trigger a number of actions including water conservation, public notification, and in some instances reduction in water use; however, MDE has the discretion to postpone the requirement when the watch or warning status is in non-growing/winter season.

More information about what a drought watch and a drought warning entail can be found here.

Obama Last Minute Changes May Be Behind Leaks

Former President Barack Obama made a last-minute change to the way wiretapped intelligence is shared Jan. 12, which may have contributed to the proliferation of leaks plaguing the Trump administration.

Obama changed the way National Security Agency intelligence is shared 8 days before leaving office, which allows globally intercepted communications to be disseminated across the entire intelligence community.

The change was part of a post-9/11 push by the executive branch to increase intelligence sharing, to ensure that NSA analysts do not miss critically important information. The change is “simply widening the aperture for a larger number of analysts, who will be bound by the existing rules,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said at the time.

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