DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, May 05, 2013
Saturday, May 04, 2013
ALLEN WEST TEACHES OBAMA WHAT COURAGE IS (IT’S NOT ANNOUNCING YOU’RE GAY)
Former Republican Florida Congressman Allen West posted a brutally frank video Friday about NBA star Jason Collins and President Barack Obama’s much-publicized statements and phone call to the “courageous” basketball player. West and the president evidently have a different standard about what courage is
Following Collins’ surprise announcement this week that he is gay, the White House responded with a statement of support. Press secretary Jay Carney said, “we commend him for his courage, and support him — uh — in this effort, and hope that his fans and his team support him going forward.”
More
Following Collins’ surprise announcement this week that he is gay, the White House responded with a statement of support. Press secretary Jay Carney said, “we commend him for his courage, and support him — uh — in this effort, and hope that his fans and his team support him going forward.”
More
Social Security Goes After Man For Overpayment To His Mom… From 42 Years Ago
Back in 1971, someone at the Social Security Administration goofed and overpaid a woman to the amount of $895. This past January, 42 years after the fact, that woman’s son says he received a letter from the SSA telling him to pay up or have that money docked from his tax refund.“[The letter] said [SSA] was going to withhold my taxes unless I contacted about this social security over-payment,” the man, now 60, tells Florida’s First Coast News. “My first impression was someone was trying to punk me.”
Gordon Besaw: Blind Oklahoma Veteran Takes Down Would-Be Attacker In Broad Daylight
Fifty-one-year-old Gordon Besaw has glaucoma. He and his seeing eye dog, Derby, were headed to the VA Medical Center for treatment Tuesday when police say he was attacked by 27-year-old Christopher Andrew.
"He asked me, 'Are you blind?' I said yes," said Besaw. "He said, 'I can make you see before you see God.' "
Read more
What You Don't Know About Flood Insurance Could Hurt You
This spring's floods in the Midwest, against the backdrop of Hurricane Sandy's six-month anniversary, underline why a purchasing a national flood insurance policy can be so crucial regardless of where you live.
A lot of homeowners apparently don't realize they need flood insurance. Consumer Reports' recent survey of Hurricane Sandy victims shows that 30 percent of homeowners affected by Sandy needed flood insurance and didn't have it. Another survey, by the financial data publisher Bankrate.com showed that only about half of Americans even know whether their home is in a high-, moderate- or low-risk flood area.
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A lot of homeowners apparently don't realize they need flood insurance. Consumer Reports' recent survey of Hurricane Sandy victims shows that 30 percent of homeowners affected by Sandy needed flood insurance and didn't have it. Another survey, by the financial data publisher Bankrate.com showed that only about half of Americans even know whether their home is in a high-, moderate- or low-risk flood area.
More
Dog Found 5-4-13 UPDATE
OBAMA BLAMES U.S. FOR GUN SMUGGLING IN MEXICO; NO MENTION OF FAST AND FURIOUS
President Barack Obama told the Mexican people today that the United States is partly to blame for Mexico’s drug violence because of illegal drugs and gun smuggling. However, he did not mention the gun smuggling undertaken by his own administration under the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Operation Fast and Furious.
Speaking to Mexican university students, Obama pointed a finger at his own country, as Reuters reported:
Drug-fueled violence in Mexico is not entirely the fault of the Mexican people, he said. Instead, the United States shares the blame because much of the violence is centered around the Americans' demand for illegal drugs and the fact that guns are smuggled into Mexico from the United States.More
Don’t Stop Believin’: Do Atheists Really Need a Church?
There's song and fellowship in London's first atheist church. But are these non-believers just having it both ways?
One Sunday early this month, several hundred heathens gathered outside a deconsecrated church in East London. Most were twenty-something. The girls wore long, crinkled hair and silver rings: the boys, beards and last night’s suit jackets. It was uncommonly sunny, for England.
Distracted by the weather, perhaps, or by the sight of so many young things lining up for Sunday worship, a passing car rear-ended the vehicle ahead. The crowd groaned and jeered. “Don’t worry,” a young woman called out, between tender sips of Red Bull. “You’ve got, like, a hundred witnesses!” The crowd laughed and turned inwards, leaving two piqued drivers to the earthly task of exchanging insurance information.
Soon enough, the doors opened and we shuffled inside. Near the entrance to the foyer, several church ladies had set a table with biscuits and a few iced cakes.
At our final destination, the sanctuary, we were greeted by bare walls and dull paint; presumably, everything of grandeur had been stripped away when the church was rendered unsacred. ( The Nave, on St. Paul’s Road, is now an “arts and performance space.”) Almost instantly, the rows of plastic chairs arranged before the altar were filled, and congregants began competing for floor space. A screen above their heads displayed the words “Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More.” And then, our high priest arrived.
One Sunday early this month, several hundred heathens gathered outside a deconsecrated church in East London. Most were twenty-something. The girls wore long, crinkled hair and silver rings: the boys, beards and last night’s suit jackets. It was uncommonly sunny, for England.
Distracted by the weather, perhaps, or by the sight of so many young things lining up for Sunday worship, a passing car rear-ended the vehicle ahead. The crowd groaned and jeered. “Don’t worry,” a young woman called out, between tender sips of Red Bull. “You’ve got, like, a hundred witnesses!” The crowd laughed and turned inwards, leaving two piqued drivers to the earthly task of exchanging insurance information.
Soon enough, the doors opened and we shuffled inside. Near the entrance to the foyer, several church ladies had set a table with biscuits and a few iced cakes.
At our final destination, the sanctuary, we were greeted by bare walls and dull paint; presumably, everything of grandeur had been stripped away when the church was rendered unsacred. ( The Nave, on St. Paul’s Road, is now an “arts and performance space.”) Almost instantly, the rows of plastic chairs arranged before the altar were filled, and congregants began competing for floor space. A screen above their heads displayed the words “Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More.” And then, our high priest arrived.
11 Major Drug Companies Raked In $85 Billion Last Year, And Left Many To Die Who Couldn't Buy Their Pricey Drugs
Each year, millions of Americans are dealt the devastating news that they have cancer, and each year, millions of Americans, many of whom are uninsured, have to figure out how to pay for the life-saving treatments that they need.
And unfortunately, that decision can be a very hard one.
Thanks to America’s for-profit health insurance industry, prescription drugs are a big business.
In fact, in 2012, the top 11 global drug companies made nearly $85 billion in net profits.
They made these profits by slapping extraordinary price tags on the prescription drugs and health treatments that Americans are forced to rely on in order to survive devastating diseases like cancer.
But while drug companies have been largely able to get away with robbing Americans left and right for the past several decades, more and more people are speaking up about the outrageous costs of lifesaving treatments.
More
And unfortunately, that decision can be a very hard one.
Thanks to America’s for-profit health insurance industry, prescription drugs are a big business.
In fact, in 2012, the top 11 global drug companies made nearly $85 billion in net profits.
They made these profits by slapping extraordinary price tags on the prescription drugs and health treatments that Americans are forced to rely on in order to survive devastating diseases like cancer.
But while drug companies have been largely able to get away with robbing Americans left and right for the past several decades, more and more people are speaking up about the outrageous costs of lifesaving treatments.
More
Maryland Group Wants Voters To Decide Whether To Repeal Of Death Penalty
BALTIMORE - The Maryland group that led the effort to overturn three controversial measures on last year's ballot is setting its sights on the repeal of Maryland's death penalty, announcing on Friday it is seeking to give voters in 2014 the final say on whether the state keeps its ultimate punishment.
Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington County, head of MDPetitions.com, said his group is putting all of its energy into gathering signatures to get onto the 2014 ballot a referendum on the death penalty repeal. Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the repeal into law on Thursday.
Parrott said the death penalty is necessary to deter or punish criminals who committ the most heinous crimes, such as the two men who set off bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds.
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Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington County, head of MDPetitions.com, said his group is putting all of its energy into gathering signatures to get onto the 2014 ballot a referendum on the death penalty repeal. Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the repeal into law on Thursday.
Parrott said the death penalty is necessary to deter or punish criminals who committ the most heinous crimes, such as the two men who set off bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds.
More
The Great Deformation – The Corruption Of Capitalism in America
David Stockman’s new book The Great Deformation is a brilliant, penetrating analysis of the present state of the US economy and the US political system, and a detailed account of how the nation got into this mess. The book will upset Democrats and Republicans alike, and quite a few other constituencies as well, which can, in this case, be safely accepted as proof that Stockman’s narrative is spot on.
Stockman is an angry man and he admits so himself early in his 719-page tome. That anger adds bite and verve to his writing and keeps what is in fact a detailed historical account and economic analysis always highly entertaining. The book is long but never boring. Furthermore, Stockman does not let the anger cloud his judgement, which remains, in my view, relentlessly accurate throughout.
When dissecting Washington politics and Wall Street deal-making Stockman naturally draws on his experience as the director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan and his many years as an investment banker and private equity investor, and in so doing he reflects on much of his own professional life with commendable candor. But the book goes beyond these specific periods, and Stockman applies the analytical skills and insights acquired on these jobs to the critical examination of a wide spectrum of policy areas and historic periods. Stockman’s command of these topics and the masses of statistics and financial reports involved, and his powers of analytical dissection are impressive. But what is probably even more important for the success of his analysis is that it is based on an accurate understanding of essential economic relationships, in particular the importance of sound money. This is why the narrative that he develops captures America’s present challenges so truthfully and comprehensively. I very much shared Stockman’s anger when I started reading, but even more so when I had finished.
More
Stockman is an angry man and he admits so himself early in his 719-page tome. That anger adds bite and verve to his writing and keeps what is in fact a detailed historical account and economic analysis always highly entertaining. The book is long but never boring. Furthermore, Stockman does not let the anger cloud his judgement, which remains, in my view, relentlessly accurate throughout.
When dissecting Washington politics and Wall Street deal-making Stockman naturally draws on his experience as the director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan and his many years as an investment banker and private equity investor, and in so doing he reflects on much of his own professional life with commendable candor. But the book goes beyond these specific periods, and Stockman applies the analytical skills and insights acquired on these jobs to the critical examination of a wide spectrum of policy areas and historic periods. Stockman’s command of these topics and the masses of statistics and financial reports involved, and his powers of analytical dissection are impressive. But what is probably even more important for the success of his analysis is that it is based on an accurate understanding of essential economic relationships, in particular the importance of sound money. This is why the narrative that he develops captures America’s present challenges so truthfully and comprehensively. I very much shared Stockman’s anger when I started reading, but even more so when I had finished.
More
Maryland State Employees No Longer Able To Include Domestic Partners In Health Insurance, Says O'Malley
If they want coverage, they'll have to get married.
The policy change is the result of the new Maryland law allowing same-sex marriage, which took effect Jan. 1. The thinking is that offering health coverage to an unmarried same-sex partner doesn't make sense anymore, officials said, particularly since an unmarried heterosexual partner doesn't have the same right.
More
QUOTE OF THE DAY 5-4-13
“The planter, the farmer, the mechanic, and the laborer all know that their success depends upon their own industry and economy, and that they must not expect to become suddenly rich by the fruits of their toil. Yet these classes of society form the great body of the people of the United States; they are the bone and sinew of the country–men who love liberty and desire nothing but equal rights and equal laws, and who, moreover, hold the great mass of our national wealth, although it is distributed in moderate amounts among the millions of freemen who possess it.
But with overwhelming numbers and wealth on their side they are in constant danger of losing their fair influence in the Government, and with difficulty maintain their just rights against the incessant efforts daily made to encroach upon them. The mischief springs from the power which the moneyed interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control, from the multitude of corporations with exclusive privileges which they have succeeded in obtaining in the different States, and which are employed altogether for their benefit…”
Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address
But with overwhelming numbers and wealth on their side they are in constant danger of losing their fair influence in the Government, and with difficulty maintain their just rights against the incessant efforts daily made to encroach upon them. The mischief springs from the power which the moneyed interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control, from the multitude of corporations with exclusive privileges which they have succeeded in obtaining in the different States, and which are employed altogether for their benefit…”
Andrew Jackson, Farewell Address
Substitute “Americans” For Athenians”
“In the end, more than freedom, they wanted security. They wanted a comfortable life, and they lost it all – security, comfort, and freedom. When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the freedom they wished for most was freedom from responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again.” —Edward Gibbon (27 April 1737 – 16 January 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament.
Petition Started To Discourage OC Skate Park Plan
OCEAN CITY – A petition has surfaced online to keep Ocean City’s landmark skate park open during its normal operating hours rather than reduce hours and shut it down during two winter months.
The petition, called Stop the Planned Ocean Bowl Skate Park Closure can be found on Change.org, and as of Thursday morning had received 374 signatures of support.
The proposal to reduce the skate park’s hours of operation as well as institute a two-month closure originated from the Recreation and Parks Department when it was asked to cut operating costs for the upcoming fiscal year. The recommendation was made to the Recreation and Parks Commission, which was then passed on to the full Mayor and City Council.
More
The petition, called Stop the Planned Ocean Bowl Skate Park Closure can be found on Change.org, and as of Thursday morning had received 374 signatures of support.
The proposal to reduce the skate park’s hours of operation as well as institute a two-month closure originated from the Recreation and Parks Department when it was asked to cut operating costs for the upcoming fiscal year. The recommendation was made to the Recreation and Parks Commission, which was then passed on to the full Mayor and City Council.
More
STATE POLICE REMOVE 23% OF ALL COMMERCIAL VEHICLES STOPPED DURING OPERATION TAILGATE: 'MAY DAY'
(Largo, MD) - Operation Tailgate: “May Day”, a special safety initiative conducted by the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division removed 23% of all the vehicles stopped and deemed unsafe yesterday in Prince George’s County.
A total of 580 commercial vehicles were inspected from 7:15 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. yesterday in an effort to remove unsafe and overweight commercial vehicles off of one of Maryland’s busiest interstates. State Police placed 132 vehicles out of service for equipment violations. Troopers and inspectors placed twelve drivers out of service for driver qualification violations, or for violations of hours-of-service regulations. Two people were arrested for outstanding warrants and one was arrested for a handgun violation. Troopers issued 140 citations and 361 warnings during this one day initiative.
Yesterday’s enforcement took place at Fed Ex Field and focused on the I-495/I-95 corridor. Operation Tailgate: “May Day” is a commercial vehicle safety initiative designed to remove dangerous drivers, dangerous commercial vehicles and dangerous cargo from Maryland highways. Operation Tailgate started in 2005 and takes place three times a year.
A new component was added to this Operation Tailgate initiative. A Preventive Radiation and Nuclear Detection (PRND) was implemented to detect the movement of radioactive materials (natural or for illegal purposes) through the area of operations. During the enforcement initiative, there were two activations for radiation that were adjudicated by the PRND Teams as natural materials.
Last year, the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division personnel weighed more than two million commercial vehicles and conducted more than 69,000 roadside inspections. They conducted over 1,800 maintenance audits and more than 220 compliance reviews, checking trucking company maintenance records, driver qualification files, hours of service, and other safety related information. Troopers issued 39,111 citations and 45,514 warnings for traffic and equipment violations involving commercial vehicles during 2012.
The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division operates ten weigh and inspection stations across Maryland. The Division also has roving units that work throughout the state with portable scales and truck inspectors.
Operation Tailgate: “May Day” included assistance from MSP Special Operations Division, the Work Zone Automated Speed Camera Enforcement Unit, the Maryland Department of Environment, Maryland Comptroller’s Office, Motor Vehicle Administration and State Highway Administration. The inspection portion of the operation also included assistance from allied police agencies which included the Prince George’s County Police Dept., Greenbelt Police Dept., Riverdale Park Police Dept., and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.
A total of 580 commercial vehicles were inspected from 7:15 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. yesterday in an effort to remove unsafe and overweight commercial vehicles off of one of Maryland’s busiest interstates. State Police placed 132 vehicles out of service for equipment violations. Troopers and inspectors placed twelve drivers out of service for driver qualification violations, or for violations of hours-of-service regulations. Two people were arrested for outstanding warrants and one was arrested for a handgun violation. Troopers issued 140 citations and 361 warnings during this one day initiative.
Yesterday’s enforcement took place at Fed Ex Field and focused on the I-495/I-95 corridor. Operation Tailgate: “May Day” is a commercial vehicle safety initiative designed to remove dangerous drivers, dangerous commercial vehicles and dangerous cargo from Maryland highways. Operation Tailgate started in 2005 and takes place three times a year.
A new component was added to this Operation Tailgate initiative. A Preventive Radiation and Nuclear Detection (PRND) was implemented to detect the movement of radioactive materials (natural or for illegal purposes) through the area of operations. During the enforcement initiative, there were two activations for radiation that were adjudicated by the PRND Teams as natural materials.
Last year, the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division personnel weighed more than two million commercial vehicles and conducted more than 69,000 roadside inspections. They conducted over 1,800 maintenance audits and more than 220 compliance reviews, checking trucking company maintenance records, driver qualification files, hours of service, and other safety related information. Troopers issued 39,111 citations and 45,514 warnings for traffic and equipment violations involving commercial vehicles during 2012.
The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division operates ten weigh and inspection stations across Maryland. The Division also has roving units that work throughout the state with portable scales and truck inspectors.
Operation Tailgate: “May Day” included assistance from MSP Special Operations Division, the Work Zone Automated Speed Camera Enforcement Unit, the Maryland Department of Environment, Maryland Comptroller’s Office, Motor Vehicle Administration and State Highway Administration. The inspection portion of the operation also included assistance from allied police agencies which included the Prince George’s County Police Dept., Greenbelt Police Dept., Riverdale Park Police Dept., and the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.
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