Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Don't Forget This Special Event This Weekend

I have attended this event for a few years now and if you really want to get an idea of just how special our local restaurants are you should buy one of these tickets, (or two) and enjoy the different kinds of food they provide.

I have always been amazed at just how great the food, (for example) is at Break Time Billiards. Cakes by David, to die for. The list goes on and on. Hopefully we'll see you there Saturday night.

Toyota Announces Voluntary Safety Recalls Of Certain Camry, Venza And Tacoma Vehicles

Toyota Motor Sales announced that it will conduct a safety recall involving certain 2009 Camry and 2009 to certain 2011 Venza vehicles to replace the stop lamp switch. Approximately 70,500 Camry and 116,000 Venza vehicles are covered by this recall.

During installation of the contact-type stop lamp switch on one of the North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have reached the inside of the switch and caused an increase in electrical resistance. If this occurs, warning lamps on the instrument panel may be illuminated, the vehicle may not start, or the shift lever may not shift from the “Park” position. In some cases, the vehicle stop lamps may become inoperative. Toyota is not aware of any accidents or injuries caused by this condition.

Additionally, certain 2005 to early 2009 Tacoma vehicles will be recalled to replace the steering wheel spiral cable assembly. Approximately 495,000 Tacoma vehicles are covered by this recall.

Due to the combination of steering wheel spiral cable design and characteristics unique to the Tacoma chassis, friction between the spiral cable and the retainer in the steering wheel spiral cable assembly may occur in some vehicles. Friction over time may result in loss of connectivity to the driver’s air bag module. If connectivity is lost, the air bag warning lamp on the instrument panel will remain illuminated after starting the vehicle and the driver’s air bag may be deactivated, preventing deployment in the event of a crash. Toyota is not aware of any accidents or injuries caused by this condition.

No other Toyota vehicles are involved nor these models distributed outside the North American market. Detailed information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

An Argument For Keeping Separate Accounts When You Shack Up Or Marry

Unless you and your live-in lovah are perfectly compatible, you will fight about money at some point. Some couples find the common practice of sharing the same accounts to be suffocating and appreciate the relative freedom of maintaining discrete funds.

More »

Recent College Graduates Making 8-11% Less Than They Did 10 Years Ago

To the graduating class of 2012: All that money you or your parents have spent or borrowed to pay your tuition for the past few years? It's not getting the same return on investment it did a decade ago.

According to the folks at the Economic Policy Institute, the average inflation-adjusted wage for male college graduates aged 23 to 29 was $21.68/hour. That's an 11% over decline over the last ten years. And while wages for females in the same age and education group are only down 7.6% during that same time period, women still make significantly less on average ($18.80/hour).

More

Scam Alert Advisory

Resume:
Dover-Delaware State Police is providing a Scam Alert Advisory. This is a general alert which covers any part of the State of Delaware.

Delaware State Police had a citizen contact them yesterday concerning a phone call scamming them out of hundreds of dollars. The scam involved a person claiming they were a loved one who is in jail and they were calling a family member to send them money so they could get bailed out. In this case, another person called the victim stating they were a lawyer in order to convince the victim to send money via Western Union.

Tips to Remember and Red Flags:
Never wire money to strangers or someone you have never met in person.

If you receive a phone call from a family member who you haven’t heard from in a long time and they are in need of money, it could be a scam.

Verify the phone call by contacting the family member back through their own phone number or contacting another member of their family.

If you have concerns about the person who may be in jail, contact your local police department, which may be able to verify the validity of the phone call.
Ask the caller to provide all of your relative’s identifying information, such as date of birth and home address. Someone who is posting bail should be able to provide this information.

Before sending any money, look up the phone number of the arresting police agency, and call that agency to verify the arrest.

Many of these scams are difficult to investigate. They will target persons of all age groups. Delaware State Police is asking citizens to remember the tips previously mentioned in order to not become a victim of one of these scam artists.

The US Deleveraging Is Now Over


Today the Fed released its quarterly Flow of Funds report [3], also known as the Z.1., which is mostly tracked to show quarterly changes in consumer net worth (and which we find far more valuable to show changes in shadow banking liabilities - more in that in a later post). So while in Q4 household net worth did increase by $1.2 trillion to $58.5 trillion, all of this change, and then some, was purely driven by the central bank induced ramp in the stock market: $1.3 trillion of the $1.2 trillion increase in Net Worth was from the change of value in equity shares at market value which at December 31 was $17.3 trillion. In other words, the illusion of wealth is and continues to be merely a iCTRL+P keystroke away. Yet the one finding that is truly surprising is that in Q4 for the first time since Q1 2008, debt across all holder classes increased: debt held by Households, Nonfinancial corporate business, nonfinancial noncorporate business, state and local governments and of course the Federal government, all rose in the quarter. In other words, the US deleveraging is now over as everyone adds debt for the first time since before the crash. The credit bubble is now officially back.

Here is the sequential change in credit market debt for all domestic non-financial sectors:

More

Man Without Cellphone Ticketed For Talking On Cellphone While Driving

We don't have a problem with police officers enforcing laws that prohibit people from driving and talking on their cellphones at the same time. Where we draw the line is at the application of this law to a man who didn't even have a cellphone in the car with him.


More »

O’MALLEY RELEASES STATEMENT ON PREMIERE OF “GAME CHANGE”

HBO Production Filmed in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8, 2012)
- Governor Martin O’Malley today released the following statement regarding the premiere of “Game Change,” the HBO movie filmed in Maryland.

“HBO and Maryland have had a long and successful partnership in the making of award-winning productions,” said Governor O’Malley. “We were pleased to welcome HBO back when it chose to film ‘Game Change’ here in Maryland. The production helped create over 1,200 jobs for local production crew, actors and extras. As a result of the exceptional efforts of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development and the Maryland Film Office, Maryland has developed a strong relationship with companies like HBO that provide jobs here in Maryland and support local businesses. I look forward to watching the premiere of Game Change this Saturday as it will showcase the outstanding work of Maryland’s talented film technicians and actors.”

“Game Change” follows John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, from his selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election. Based on the bestselling book of the same name by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, the film is directed and executive produced by Jay Roach and written and co-executive produced by Danny Strong. “Game Change” features Academy Award nominated actress Julianne Moore as Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

The film had an economic impact of $27 million dollars and created over 1,200 jobs for the production’s cast and crew. “Game Change” premieres this Saturday at 9:00 p.m. on HBO.

ALGAE, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Obama’s Algae-Powered Car: Chevy Fishtank

“Speaking at the University of Miami today, President Obama boldly challenged skyrocketing oil prices by suggesting that we should start using algae instead of gas.

“Three years ago I came out with a bold proposal to inflate American tires, and that alone has diminished our dependency on foreign oil by 83 percent. The remaining 17 percent can be easily made up for with algae – if we can only figure out how to make energy out of that.

“Why algae? Because we’ve got a lot of it. In fact, as a nation, we’re loaded with pretty much everything – take dirt, for example. We have a lot – A LOT of dirt. Except ‘dirt’ doesn’t have the same foreign, cosmopolitan ring to it as the word ‘algae’ has.”

“So I’m hereby announcing production of a new algae-powered automobile: the Chevy Fishtank.”

More

GO TO SCHOOL & BUY A CAR

Great news. Consumer credit SURGED in January. We blasted through the $2.5 trillion level. Car loans and student loan skyrocketed by almost $21 billion in just one month. Remember how I was wondering about all the new cars in West Philly? Here’s the answer. Ally Bank (GMAC in disguise) is making car loans of $35,000 to people in West Philly that have an average annual income of $16,000 and live in low income housing so they can buy Ford Expeditions. Imagine how smart all those people studying in their underwear at the University of Phoenix will be in two years when they graduate. Every dime of these $1 trillion in student loans are being covered by you. Obama is handing it out from your stash. Sounds like a sustainable economic model.

More

Crash Claims Life Of Harrington Woman

Farmington, DE-Delaware State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit investigated a serious motor vehicle crash last evening when a piece of debris in the roadway entered through a vehicle and struck the passenger in the head.

The passenger of that vehicle sustained serious injuries and was flown to Christiana Hospital.

State Police have learned that Elizabeth B. Wix has died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

Obama DOE: Minorities Suffer “Educational Inequities”

Minorities are being cheated out of a quality education and essentially getting persecuted in public schools around the United States, according to a new report published by the Obama Department of Education (DOE).

It marks the latest of several government probes aimed at illustrating perpetual discrimination against minorities in various sectors. The Obama Administration has also released findings of prejudice against minorities in farming, voting, the judicial system, employment and even nutrition. In fact, Michelle Obama’s $4.5 billion nutrition law focuses solely on poor, inner-city residents and “at-risk” children. That’s code for low-income minorities.

Why should education be left out of the president’s discrimination bandwagon? This week the DOE reveals that minority students across America face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curricula and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers. The agency concludes this after conducting a national survey of more than 72,000 schools serving 85% of the nation’s students.

Among the key findings are that African-American students, particularly males, are far more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than their peers and that students learning English are more likely to be retained. Also, only 29% of “high-minority high schools” offer advanced math such as calculus, compared to 55% of schools with the “lowest black and Hispanic enrollment.” Presumably those are campuses with large white populations.

More

What's Wrong With This Picture?

State Fair of Va. Goes Dark After 150 Years

The State Fair of Virginia, which has entertained generations of Virginians for more than a century and a half, won't be held this year because its operator has shut down.

Whether another entity will step up and take over the annual fall event this year or in the future is uncertain.

SFVA Inc., the nonprofit organization that puts on the fair and a series of other events, failed to reach an agreement with lenders by a Wednesday deadline.

Consequently, SFVA said it has ceased all operations, has laid off the remaining 17 employees including its CEO, has handed over its property to lenders and will liquidate what few assets are left.

"They simply did not accept our offer," Jonathan L. Hauser, a Troutman Sanders attorney representing SFVA, said of the lender group.

More

Wicomico County Sheriff's Department Press Releases 3-8-12

Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol / Fugitive Arrest
Date of Incident: 4 March 2012
Location: E. Church Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Donald Moridon, 32, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 4 March 2012
at 10:11 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office waspatrolling E. Church Street in Salisbury when he tried to stop a vehicle for erratic driving. Instead of stopping, the operator, who would be later identified as Donald Moridon, attempted to flee in the vehicle.

Moridon headed down one way Elizabeth Street the wrong way before turning onto Railroad Avenue where Moridon stopped and began fleeing on foot. The deputy chased Moridon after a brief foot chase and took him into custody. Moridon told the deputy he ran because his driver’s license was suspended and he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

The deputy also detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from Moridon which led to sobriety testing, after which the deputy concluded that Moridon was also operating his vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Moridon refused to submit to a breath test.

The deputy confirmed that Moridon was wanted on Wicomico County Circuit Court Warrant for Child Support Non-Compliance.

The deputy transported Moridon to the Central Booking Unit where he was detained on $5,000 bond on the outstanding Circuit Court Warrant.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
Driving While Suspended
Attempt by Driver to Flee and Elude

Incident: Assault / Violation of a Protective Order
Date of Incident: 5 March 2012
Location: 300 block of Main Street, Sharptown, MD
Suspect: Dwight L. Shrivers, 24, Sharptown, MD

Narrative: On 5 March 2012
at 6:42 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported altercation inside a residence in the 300 block of Main Street in Sharptown. Upon arrival, the deputy met with Dwight Shrivers and his girlfriend and discovered that Shrivers came home intoxicated when an argument ensued. During the argument, Shrivers allegedly shoved his girlfriend out
of the way while walking through the house. The deputy also discovered that Shrivers was at the residence in violation of a protective order that barred him from the residence.

The deputy placed Shrivers under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Shrivers in the Detention Center without bond.

Charges: Violation of a Protective Order
Assault 2nd Degree

Incident: CDS Distribution / Fugitive Arrest
Date of Incident: 6 March 2012
Location: 600 block of S. Westover Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: Willie L. Ballard, 31, Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 6 March 2012
at 7:00 PM, a deputy from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office went to a residence in the 600 block of S. Westover Drive after receiving a Crime Solvers tip that a wanted fugitive, Willie Ballard, was there. Ballard was wanted on a Wicomico County Circuit Court Warrant charging him with violation of probation in a CDS case. Ballard was also wanted on a Circuit Court Indictment in a CDS Distribution Case. Upon arriving at the house the deputy was invited in but he soon heard another exterior door close. Believing Ballard was attempting to flee; the deputy exited the residence and gave chase to Ballard. The deputy caught Ballard after a brief foot chase and had to physically struggle with
him in order to place him into handcuffs. Post arrest, the deputy discovered Ballard in possession of individually wrapped baggies of what the deputy recognized as marijuana. Based on that along with other observations, the deputy concluded that Ballard was engaged in the sale of CDS.

The deputy transported Ballard to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Ballard in the Detention Center in lieu of $75,000.00 bond.

Ballard was detained in the Detention Center on an additional $1,000.00 bond for the Circuit Court Bench Warrant and without bond on the Circuit Court Indictment.

Charges: Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute
Resisting Arrest

'All American Muslim' Show 'Bombs'

The Learning Channel has canceled its “All American Muslim” program, which was condemned by conservative groups for providing a skewed look at Islam in America, but it apparently wasn’t because of any controversy.

It was just that few wanted to watch.

That’s according to the Atlantic Wire, which said the program launched with 1.7 million viewers but within weeks had plunged to 900,000.

According to the Detroit Free Press, where the one-year-long program was based, cast members reported that they were told the ratings were too poor for the program to be continued.

The program looked at five Dearborn families of Muslims going about their every day lives. Individuals included a police officer and a football player.

“Having the opportunity to be a part of such a groundbreaking series with TLC has been extraordinary,” cast member Suehaila Amen told the newspaper. “Our show helped to pave the way for the moderate Muslim voice to be heard in this nation.”

More

THE NEW NORMAL PART 3

As jobs continue to flee our country, more and more people simply can’t find work. After a few weeks or months, they simply give up. Regardless of what bullshit statistics the government reports, our economy is shrinking, and that means less jobs. So, now people that used to work or want to work can’t find work and are joining the millions that have never worked. The Welfare and disability roles are absolutely exploding. The entitlement bus is getting more and more packed every day. In Rome, the “right to relief was hereditary”, Welfare entitlement was passed from generation to generation. So it is today. The bread is supplied by 46 million SNAP cards, and the circus is supplied by big screen T.V.s, iphones, and satellites, all provided for free to entitlement recipients.

This is no longer a trend. Given our contracting economy, and $500 billion leaving our country every year in the trade deficit (so people can buy Japanese and Korean cars, and piles of Chinese crap), it is only going to get bigger and bigger. Being an entitlement recipient is the new normal. It’s not reserved just for girls having kids while in high school any longer. The number of people that do work will continue to support a larger and larger entitlement class. Obama and the democrats will continue spending and borrowing money to support these voters.

Today, the number of American adults that can’t take care of themselves is at an all-time record high. So what are we going to do if the number of people dependent on the government keeps going up? Some folks like to point out that most Americans that have recently become dependent on the government would rather be working, but because of a lack of jobs they have gotten into a position where they cannot take care of themselves anymore.

More

Obama Calls for New $1B Program to Promote ‘Alternative’ Vehicles

(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama used a visit to a North Carolina truck manufacturer on Wednesday to announce a $1 billion program to promote electric and other alternative vehicles through tax incentives for consumers and federal grants to states to finance infrastructure to support them.

The “National Community Deployment Challenge” includes incentives for individuals and businesses to buy “advanced cars and trucks” through a $10,000 tax credit – up from the $7,500 allowed under current tax law.

The plan also includes a “Race to the Top” contest that would reward grants to states with “model communities” that invest in the infrastructure to support those vehicles, such as charging stations or natural gas corridors “where alternative fuel trucks can transport goods without using a drop of oil,” the White House Press Fact Sheet on the program states.

More

Stanford Conviction Re-Emphasizes Regulatory Questions

Report says SEC missed earlier opportunities to investigate Allen Stanford ... Over a meal at a New Orleans restaurant last summer, a former top official at the Securities and Exchange Commission's enforcement office was asked why the agency hadn't opened a full investigation of Allen Stanford's investment firm back in the late 1990s, when agency employees first suspected he was operating a Ponzi scheme. Julie Preuitt, an employee at the enforcement office, said her former supervisor, Spencer Barasch, now a private attorney, replied that he asked a representative of Stanford's firm about the allegations and was told "there wasn't" anything to the charges. "So, he was satisfied with that and decided not to pursue it further," Preuitt told the commission's inspector general. – Times Picayune

Dominant Social Theme: Financial regulators have been reformed and will do better henceforth.

Free-Market Analysis: One of the areas that we've often commented on is the inability of regulatory democracy to work as advertised. Now (if reports are to be believed) it turns out that Allen Stanford was running a Ponzi scheme with about US$7 billion of customer assets.

It also turns out that SEC officials had doubts about Stanford's operation as long as 15 years ago.

We can see from the article excerpted above that when these doubts surfaced, the reaction was to question a "representative" of Stanford's firm about them and then take his denials at face value.

More

For Profit Education, Pigs at the Trough

One of the most sickening kleptocratic rackets to come down the pike are the for-profit “educators.” It’s a scheme that is almost totally enabled by Government funding via Title IV loans. The loans fit the modern American model of getting people heavily in debt, who then have little ability to pay the loan [7] back. This has been described as “Sub prime Goes to College”.

This scheme has been well documented by hedge fund investor and short seller Steve Eisman. His presentation can be gleaned here [8]. Although it is superficially unfortunate that the counterpoint gauntlet has to be taken up by hedge fund managers like Eisman and Chanos, that is the reality of American discourse today. The same thing happened when short seller Chanos took on Enron. Except for a few lone wolves like Ralph Nadar, if someone isn’t talking his money book, then the unrepresented public interest has no voice. Unfortunately, highly intelligent short sellers that see the issue as it is, can and will cover their positions and thereby abandon the public interest. This has enabled the lobbyists representing these rackets to play the left against the right on the issue and ultimately get their way.

More

Obama: Time Has Come to Wind Down Afghan War

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid fresh concerns over the safety of American forces, President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the accidental burning of Qurans in Afghanistan and the retaliatory killings of U.S. troops gave new credence to the need to end the war.

"I think that it is an indication of the challenges in that environment, and it's an indication that now is the time for us to transition," Obama said during a White House news conference.

Obama announced no speeding up of the NATO-backed plan to end combat missions in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, saying "that continues to be the plan." But he said the violence aimed at Americans in Afghanistan that followed the accidental burning of Qurans on a U.S. base was "unacceptable."

More

OCEAN CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT REMINDING CITIZENS TO EXPECT DELAYS ON ST. PATTY’S DAY

The Ocean City Police Department is reminding citizens to expect traffic delays this St. Patrick’s Day, as the Delmarva Irish-American Club host their 31st Annual Parade and Festival. The tradition, which has become one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parades in the state, will take place on March 17, 2012 and begins at 12 noon at 61st Street and marches south on Coastal Highway to the 45th Street Shopping Center.

In order to offer an ample amount of space for the parade’s participating floats, bands and motorized units, southbound traffic with be reduced to one lane from 62nd Street to 45th Street. Northbound traffic will remain open, however, no left turns or u-turns will be allowed along the parade route from the northbound lane.

Residents and visitors are likely to see traffic delays on southbound Coastal Highway as early as 10 a.m. and should expect congestion until after 2 p.m. Ocean City Police are encouraging people entering the Town of Ocean City to take Route 50, as traffic is not expected to be as heavy. In addition, heavy pedestrian traffic is also expected along the parade route and in surrounding areas. Pedestrians are encouraged to use the crosswalk and cross with caution.

Dramatic Front Page WashPost Story of Lesbian-Scarred-by-Priest Scandal Begins to Fall Apart

On February 29, The Washington Post created a scandal for the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington by dramatizing the denial of communion to lesbian activist Barbara Johnson at her mother’s funeral. Reporter Michelle Boorstein painted an emotional picture of a Catholic daughter being publicly shamed by a priest at her lowest moment.

But new details keep ruining the Post’s report. Thomas Peters at Catholic Vote today reveals that Johnson has publicly declared she is a Buddhist, and not a Catholic! The Post is going to need to fill the Corrections box.

In a paper for a master’s degree she’s pursuing at Kutztown State University, Johnson wrote of interviewing with a principal at a Catholic school in Maryland in which “we talked openly about my being a lesbian and a Buddhist.” (She also declared she took the job “with all the zeal and enthusiasm of any natural born agitator who every now and again enjoys challenging the status quo.” This status quo she also called the “socially constructed heteronormative culture” and an “insidious heterosexist paradigm.”)

This is what Boorstein alluded to in her story:

At the funeral Mass, Barbara Johnson was awash with spiritual memories of her mother: The 85-year-old waking from a heart attack this month and immediately crossing herself. The two women curled up in an ICU bed a few days later. Johnson reciting the "Hail Mary" and "The Lord's Prayer" as her mother slipped away.

Johnson's mother and late father were lifelong churchgoers who scraped to send their four children to Catholic schools, said Barbara and her brother, Larry Johnson, a forensic accountant who lives in Loudoun County. Barbara lives in Northwest Washington and for years taught art at Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, her alma mater.

More

"Let's Pretend" Economy: Let's Pretend Student Loans Are About Education

Let's pretend student loans aren't just a stupendous and highly profitable scam being run on the youth of America. Of course pretending doesn't make it so.

We have a "let's pretend" economy: let's pretend the unemployment rate actually reflects the number of people with full-time jobs and the number of people seeking jobs, let's pretend the Federal government borrowing 10% of the GDP every year is sustainable without any consequences, let's pretend the stock market actually reflects the economy rather than Federal Reserve monetary intervention, and so on.

We also have a "let's pretend" education/student-loan game running: let's pretend college is "worth" the investment, and let's pretend student loans are about education. There are three dirty little secrets buried under the education/student-loan complex's high-gloss sheen:

1. Student loans have little to do with education and everything to do with creating a new profit center for subprime-type lenders guaranteed by the Savior State.

2. A college diploma's value in the real world of getting a job and earning a good salary in a post-financialization economy has been grossly oversold.

3. Many people are taking out student loans just to live; the loans are essentially a form of "State funding" a.k.a. welfare that must be paid back.

We've got a lot of charts that reflect reality rather than hype, so let's get started. Despite all the bleating rationalizations issued by the Education Complex, higher education costs have outstripped the rest of the economy's cost structure. Funny how nobody ever asks if there is any real competitive pressure in the Education Complex; there isn't, and why should there be when students can borrow $30,000 a year?

More

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY TO APPEAR LIVE ON MSNBC’S “THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW”

ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8, 2012) – TONIGHT, at 9:30 p.m., Governor Martin O’Malley will appear live on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

WHAT: Governor to appear LIVE on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show”

WHEN: TONIGHT, March 8th at 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: MSNBC, Check local listings

DELEGATE MIKE MCDERMOTT PRESS RELEASE 3-8-12

HJ12: Returning the Right of Due Process to American Citizens

Today it was announced that House Joint Resolution 12 - Abridgement of Federal and State Constitutional Protections in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act - will be heard on Monday, March 12th at 2:30 in the House Rules and Executive Nominations committee.

“Provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (‘NDAA’) are absolutely tyrannical, not only do they go against the basic American principles of liberty but they directly undermine the United States Constitution. At least six other states have opted out of these unconstitutional provisions and Maryland should join them by enacting HJ12.” replied Delegate Michael A. McDermott (Worcester and Wicomico Counties). House Joint Resolution 12 - Abridgement of Federal and State Constitutional Protections in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, seeks to condemn and repeal those provisions in Maryland.

Delegate McDermott is referring to sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act. Sections 1021 and 1022 of the NDAA have been criticized for vagueness, allowing the military to detain “covered persons... under the law of war, without trial, until the end of hostilities.” The definition for “covered persons” include “associated forces” that are involved in “hostilities” against the United States or “coalition partners”. A proposed amendment to section 1021, which tried to preclude American citizens from this act, failed in the United States Senate.

“The right of habeas corpus has been celebrated as one of the greatest safeguards for liberty in America, yet the NDAA takes this right away. The NDAA gives the President the right to authorize the military to pull American citizens’ out of their homes and to detain them for an unlimited amount of time without giving just cause or explanation. ” stated Delegate McDermott.

“I am not sure if I trust the President to ‘only use’ the NDAA ‘on the bad people,’ which is why it rests on the shoulders of the State to defend Americans’ due process right and limit the federal government’s seemingly unlimited power. Democrats and Republicans need to come together to fight the heinous provisions of the NDAA.” replied Delegate McDermott.

JUST IN SHOOTING @ UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL FACILITY

JOE, JUST ON EYEWITNESS NEW SHOOTING @ UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL FACILITY APPARENTLY PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY 2 KILLED 7 WOUNDED SO FAR INCLUDING A POLICE OFFICER.

IRS Accused of 'Intimidation Campaign' Against Tea Party Groups

(CNSNews.com) - A conservative civil liberties group accuses the Internal Revenue Service of attempting to "intimidate and silence" a number of tea party groups that have applied for tax-exempt status.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) says IRS requests for information about the groups included "probing questions" that violate the free speech and freedom of association rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

"This appears to be a coordinated attempt to intimidate Tea Party organizations by demanding information that is outside the scope of legitimate inquiry and violates the First Amendment," said Jay Sekulow, ACLJ's chief counsel.

More

Delaware Road Improvements Continue While Maryland Does Nothing

Route 7, Newtown Road to Route 273 Road Improvements

Two-Year Project will widen and upgrade Route 7

Dover
-- The Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announces that Newark based contractor A-Del Construction Co., Inc. has been awarded a $5.9 million contract to widen Route 7 from Newtown Road to Route 273.

The project improvements include: the construction of a storm water management pond; the relocation of water, gas and sewer lines; the placing of drainage pipes, inlets and under drain pipe systems; and the construction of curb, gutter, and sidewalk. There will also be the construction of a mechanically stabilized earth wall, and the milling and reconstruction of roadway.

Construction for this project will start in April, and is anticipated to be completed within 607 calendar days. The contractor must adhere to plan notes that stipulate a 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. workday restriction. Specifically, two lanes of traffic must be maintained between the hours of 7 a.m. through 9 a.m., and from 3 p.m. through 5 p.m. During construction, there will be intermittent lane closures, however, no detours are anticipated at this time. Variable Message Boards notifying the traveling public will be set up two weeks prior to the start of construction.

Hidden Costs of Michele Obama's Spanish Vacation

Just exactly what did taxpayers spend to send Michelle Obama on vacation to Spain in 2010?

That’s the question that is at the heart of a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington against the United States Air Force.

The action has been brought by Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.

The legal action was launched after a Freedom of Information Act request was filed for the answer and the government did not respond.

The action seeks to find out what the costs for the trip and whether there was “any indication of official business conducted by Mrs. Obama while she was in the country.”

More

Economic Recovery For Whom?

We expect ever-grosser competitive lying from the presidential primary candidates. We should expect no less from the media "analysts," politicians and academics competing for big business favors. With those expectations, we might be less disappointed by what we get.

These days, the hype about "economic recovery" is intense. Obama pitches it as a reason to reward him with campaign donations and votes. The money should flow in from the business community that wants badly to hide the fact that recovery has - from the beginning of this crisis - been only for them at the expense of recovery for everyone else. They need a president who hypes "recovery" as if it's about helping everyone in some general or "fair" way. The votes should come, Obama's team calculates, because average people are becoming increasingly desperate. They want someone in power who might help them even just a bit.

The Republicans had planned to use the economy against Obama (as he did against them in 2008). The recovery hype drove them to emphasize instead contraception, religion and the ever-popular Iran-bashing. By abandoning their attacks on "Obama's bad economy," Republicans leave the field to those hyping recovery.

More

The Obama Admins 'Death Committee'

Carter: Netanyahu too eager for war with Iran

Former President Jimmy Carter expressed concerns Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be too willing to go to war with Iran.

“I don’t think that’s his first preference, but I think he’s much more eager to go to war with Iran than President Obama [is]. And I was glad to see President Obama discourage that immediate resumption of hostilities between Israel and its neighbors that the Israelis seem to be inclined to do,” the former president said in an interview with The Washington Times-affiliated “America’s Morning News” radio broadcast.

Mr. Netanyahu is in Washington this week to meet with Mr. Obama and other American leaders about the Iranian nuclear program, and Mr. Carter said “my hope is that President Obama will prevail and we can avoid war with Iran.”

More

Stolen Valor Whistleblower Fired

This is one infuriating story which goes back a fair ways. Some years back, Xavier Alvarez was going around wearing a Congressional Medal of Honor [See EDIT below] – and bragging about it to anyone who would lend an ear – without ever having served a single day in uniform. Thanks to the alert senses of one woman, a Marine herself who had finished her service, he was caught red handed and charged under the Stolen Valor act. His case is currently pending before the Supreme Court and he faces up to a year in jail along with other penalties.

But what happened to Melissa Campbell, the sharp eyed Marine who spotted his despicable behavior? That’s a story which may wind up angering you even more.

More

Murder Is Legal, Says Eric Holder

Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday explained why it's legal to murder people -- not to execute prisoners convicted of capital crimes, not to shoot someone in self-defense, not to fight on a battlefield in a war that is somehow legalized, but to target and kill an individual sitting on his sofa, with no charges, no arrest, no trial, no approval from a court, no approval from a legislature, no approval from we the people, and in fact no sharing of information with any institutions that are not the president. Holder's speech approached his topic in a round about manner:

"Since this country’s earliest days, the American people have risen to this challenge – and all that it demands. But, as we have seen – and as President John F. Kennedy may have described best – 'In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.'"

More

Laura Ingraham Blasts The View: When I Was Called A Slut, Barbara Walters Laughed

Laura Ingraham appeared on Tuesday’s Fox & Friends, and spoke out about the controversy swirling around Rush Limbaugh’s remarks to Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke. Co-host Gretchen Carlson asked the conservative radio host whether there was a double-standard when liberals use slurs against conservatives.

“When it was brought up on The View — I go on there every now and then and they’re always really nice to me when I go — when it was brought up on The View, Barbara Walters kind of laughed it off, like, ‘Joy, you call me that word all the time,’ and they just laughed. But when Fluke goes on yesterday, it’s ‘Oh, isn’t this a tragedy?’ and ‘Oh isn’t this horrible? Rush Limbaugh should be driven off the air.’”

More

Obama Returns Fire at Republicans Over Gas Prices

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama, under Republican attack for high gas prices that could harm his re-election bid, urged Americans on Wednesday to have faith in alternative fuels and accused rivals of not telling the truth about the rising cost of energy.

For the second time in less than a week, Obama railed against "phony" quick fixes to the nation's energy challenge as he visited the election battleground state of North Carolina.

It was another chance for Obama to draw a sharp distinction with his Republican challengers, who he says can talk of easy solutions on the campaign trail that he cannot consider as president. On Tuesday, citing his duty as commander in chief, he took a similar tack when he chided Republicans for "beating the drums of war" over Iran's nuclear program.

"We are not going to be able to just drill our way out of the problem of high gas prices," Obama told workers at a Daimler Trucks North America factory that makes vehicles that run on natural gas.

More

The Mentality Of An Obama Voter

Illustrating why “government welfare” and “safety net” are not actually synonymous:

Amanda Clayton, a 24-year-old from Lincoln Park, Michigan … won $1 million from the Michigan State Lottery this fall, but she is still collecting and using $200 a month in food assistance from the taxpayers with her Michigan Bridge Card.

“I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn’t, I thought maybe it was okay because I’m not working,” the lottery winner who just purchased a new house and car told Local 4 in Detroit. The station even filmed her shamelessly purchasing goods.

When Local 4 asked if she felt she had a right to the money, Clayton responded, “I mean I kinda do.”

Clayton justified the sentiment by explaining that after taking her winnings in a lump sum and having to pay taxes, the total amount was just over half of the initial winnings.

“I feel that it’s okay because I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay,” she said. “I have two houses.”

Like so many words, the left has managed to hijack and radically redefine what it means to be “greedy.” Rational people see Amanda Clayton as a greedy, selfish leech who offers no value to society. But if you dare speak up and suggest that people who work and provide actual value to society shouldn’t be punished with higher taxes to pay for yet more programs subsidizing despicable human beings like Amanda Clayton, why you’re just a greedy SOB who refuses to pay your fair share!

Source

The Richest 1 Percent Captured 93 Percent Of Income Gains In 2010

Though the economy is slowly recovering from the Great Recession, large swaths of the American public are still bogged down by joblessness, underwater mortgages, and falling incomes. In fact, “between June 2009, when the recession officially ended, and June 2011, inflation-adjusted median household income fell 6.7 percent, to $49,909.”

But as the Roosevelt Institute’s Mike Konczal pointed out, 2010, the first full year of the recovery, was very good for America’s richest 1 percent. In fact, that year the richest 1 percent captured 93 percent of the nation’s income gains:

Well, we finally have the estimated data for 2010 by income percentile, and it turns out that the top 1% had a fantastic year. The data is in the World Top Income Database, as well as Emmanuel Saez’s updated Striking it Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States…The takeaway quote from Saez should be: “The top 1% captured 93% of the income gains in the first year of recovery.”…The bottom 90% of Americans lost $127, the bottom 99% of Americans gained $80, and the top 1% gained $105,637. The bottom 99% is net positive for the year because of around $125 in average capital gains. They can take comfort in efforts by the Right to set the capital gains tax to 0%, which would have netted them an addition couple dozen bucks.

More

The Rush Limbaugh Boycott Is A Miserable Failure. Ha, Ha, Ha!

Oh, the Left was so happy. This time, they were finally going to get Rush Limbaugh!

He had made the mistake of calling a left-wing activist a slut. While in most cases, calling a woman a slut or a whore is way over-the-line, it didn’t acttually seem all that inappropriate in this case. Personally, I don’t consider it misogynistic at all to speculate about the sex life of a woman who asks Congress to help pay for her birth control because she thinks no human being could reasonably be expected to spend as much as she has to on it.

Anyway, Sandra Fluke and other liberals who were DELIGHTED by all the attention she was getting, pretended to be offended and started trying to get Rush’s sponsors to cancel. Soon, the claims about the numbers of sponsors “cancelling” started to rise, Rush apologized, and liberals thought they had him on the ropes. This time Rush Limbaugh was over, done, finished, kaput.
However, when you look a little closer, you can’t help but notice a lot of their “cancellations” look pretty shifty. Take Allstate’s “cancellation” for example.

Allstate’s advertising purchase strategy has not included the Rush Limbaugh Show. Earlier today, we responded to inquiries about our advertising relationship with the show by stating we did not advertise on or sponsor it. As radio listeners notified us that they were hearing Allstate ads during the show this afternoon, we contacted the vendor that arranges for our advertising placements and discovered that an error had been made and advertising time had mistakenly been purchased for the show.

We regret providing mistaken information about this situation. We have asked our media buying firm to correct the error by discontinuing any advertising on the Rush Limbaugh Show moving forward in keeping with our original advertising plans and strategies.

More

Sebelius: Living a Mile from a Grocery 'May Be Too Far to Get Healthier Food'

(CNSNews.com) – The administration’s definition of a “food desert” – an urban area where a significant share of the population lives more than one mile from a grocery store – came under the microscope during a Health and Human Services appropriations hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

Questioning HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Republican lawmaker said it was likely most of those present at the hearing lived a mile from their nearest grocery store.

“Do you think that definition should be revisited, because one of the things is, if you are in an urban area a mile away from a grocery store you’re in a food desert – which I would think in so many cases is ridiculous,” said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). “Have you thought of – have you looked at their definition?”

More

Passenger Seriously Injured When Debris Strikes Car

Location: South DuPont Highway (US 13), half mile south of Nine Foot Road, Farmington, DE

Date and Time of Occurrence: Wednesday March 7, 2012 at approximately 7:25 p.m.

Operators and Vehicles:

Operator #1: Richard A. Hurd, 50, of Harrington, DE
Vehicle #1: 1987 Dodge Ram

Operator #2: C. Leslie Wix, 79, of Harrington, DE
Vehicle #2: 2003 Acura Integra

Others Injured:

Passenger in Vehicle #2: Elizabeth B. Wix, 77, of Harrington, DE

Resume:
Farmington, DE- The Delaware State Police are currently investigating a crash in which debris on the roadway struck a car.

The incident occurred around 7:25 p.m. last evening as Richard Hurd, 50, was operating a 1987 Dodge Ram northbound in the left lane of US 13 south of Farmington. C. Leslie Wix, 79, was operating a 2003 Acura Integra northbound in the right hand lane of US 13 approximately two car lengths behind the Dodge when an 8” by 15” metal plate was thrown up into the air from the roadway by the truck. The debris entered through the windshield of the Acura, striking the passenger, Elizabeth B. Wix, 77, in the head.

C. Leslie Wix was able to bring the Acura to a controlled stop and was not injured in the incident. Elizabeth Wix was removed from the scene by EMS and flown to Christiana Emergency Room by State Police Helicopter where she is listed in critical condition.

Mr. Hurd’s vehicle sustained a flat tire from the debris in the roadway and was able to safely bring it to a controlled stop. He was not injured.

All occupants were properly restrained and northbound US 13 was closed for approximately an hour and a half as the crash was investigated and cleared.

War, Social Values, And Ron Paul

Is supporting war more important for evangelicals than their social values? Isn't Ron Paul a social conservative? He opposes abortion, gay marriage and promiscuous sex, he has never been divorced and certainly supports family values, but he believes in limited government. Two of his brothers are ministers. Why then are evangelical leaders now opting for Santorum, and before him Gingrich? The one big area of disagreement with Ron Paul is war; foreign wars and the domestic one against drugs. For this they oppose him. Santorum supports unending war in Afghanistan, backing Israel without limit and a new war against Iran.

Earlier there was a major far leftist candidate who supported all the issues that evangelicals oppose, and was a vocal proponent for expanding Israeli settlements on the West Bank and promoting the war on Iraq. He was overjoyed when open homosexuality became allowed in the military, he supports abortion, gay marriage and the leftist agenda for big, intrusive government; power to labor unions as well as expanded, unconstitutional police powers within the U.S. Evangelicals adore him and went all out to support him 2006, when he lost his primary race and ran as an independent for the Senate. He is Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

All this shows how evangelical leaders put support for wars ahead of their social values. Their support includes every new law giving Washington ever greater police powers over American citizens, such as the Patriot Act, Military Commissions Act and the recent National Defense Authorization Act which tear asunder much of the Bill of Rights. Most also supported torture of prisoners of war (with the notable exception of Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship). All this comes with their "social values."

More

A Letter To The Editor: FOUND DOG

Thanks to you we have found the owner of the black lab she only lived around the corner from us. I just wanted to Thank You for your help in finding this wonderful dog her owners !!!

U.S. Probes Allegations Afghan Air Force Involved in Drug Running

(Reuters) - U.S. authorities are looking into allegations that some Afghan Air Force (AAF) officials have been using aircraft to transport narcotics and illegal weapons across the country, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

"At this point allegations are being examined," said Lt. Col. Tim Stauffer, spokesman for the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, which is setting up and financing Afghan security forces, including the Air Force.

"Authorities are trying to determine whether the allegations warrant a full investigation."

The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the allegations, said the U.S. military is also looking into whether the alleged transporting of illegal drugs and weapons is connected to an April incident in which an AAF colonel killed eight U.S. Air Force officers at Kabul Airport.

A U.S. Air Force report about the deaths quoted American officials as saying that the killer was likely involved in moving illegal cargo, The Wall Street Journal reported.

More

Did Threats Silence Media On Obama Probe?

Stunner! Sources say warnings were to not report on Sheriff Joe's results

The lead investigator in Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s review of the authenticity of Barack Obama’s birth certificate today unloaded a bombshell about the case: that he was told by sources members of the media were threatened with federal investigations should they continue to report on the birth certificate issue.

Lead investigator Mike Zullo told WND that as he was preparing information to be presented to the public “it was clear that the mainstream media was not going to be in attendance” at the sheriff’s scheduled new conference, where he revealed facts suggesting both fraud and forgery in the image of a Hawaiian birth certificate that the White House released as “proof positive” of Obama’s eligibility for office last year.

“During our investigation, we actually were told [that media] had been threatened with FTC investigations. Commentators [had been] threatened with their jobs,” Zullo said. The threats were so intimidating that some individuals quit their positions over safety concerns for their families, he said.

More

Why Buy The Cow?

The communist revolutions in the 20th century sought to nationalize the wealth generated by privately held industries back to the "exploited" workers on whose backs the profits were supposedly derived. America has made the rejection of this idea and its support of free market principles the centerpiece of its economic narrative. However, as a result of our current and proposed tax policies towards corporate shareholders, our government collects a portion of industrial output that would inspire envy in even the most rabid Bolshevik.


The purpose of a corporation is to generate profits for owners (all other functions are secondary to this goal). Public corporations distribute these profits through dividends. But as a result of America's system of double taxation, where income is taxed on the corporate level and then again on the personal level, government receives a much bigger share of corporate income than the owners themselves. I also address this topic in my latest video blog.


Suppose a publicly held U.S. corporation made one million dollars in income over the course of a year. Currently its profits would be taxed at a 35% level (for the purpose of this example I will not factor in the lower rate that is applied to its first $100K of profits), meaning that the company would have to pay $350,000 directly to the government (assuming it earned its income without special tax breaks). Of the $650,000 that remained, the typical dividend-paying corporation might distribute 40 percent to shareholders (this is known as the "payout ratio" and the actual average is slightly below 40%). So in this instance the company would pay $260,000 (40% of $650,000) to shareholders. The remaining $390,000 would typically be held as "retained earnings," and would be used to maintain and replace depreciating equipment, make capital investments, fund research and development, and expand operations. If the company did not make such investments it would be impossible for it to survive and its ability to perpetuate profit distributions would be limited.


More

My Ride Into Work This Morning 3-8-12

Michigan Teen Hospitalized After Attempting ‘Cinnamon Challenge’

A Michigan student was hospitalized this week after participating in the ‘cinnamon challenge,’ and one high school principal is warning parents of the game’s dangers, AnnArbor.com reported.

With the ‘cinnamon challenge,’ made popular by YouTube videos, students try to swallow 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in less than 1 minute. Reportedly, the body’s salivary glands cannot make enough saliva to swallow that amount of cinnamon without the help of a liquid.

Arthur Williams, principal at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, Mich., sent an e-mail to parents Tuesday, warning them of the game’s hazards and alerting them to the fact that a local student had been hospitalized because of it.

According to AnnArbor.com, the email said the game can cause students to suffer hypoxia, choking, vomiting and coughing. The game can reportedly cause pneumonia if the cinnamon is aspirated into the lungs.

Maryland Bill Regulates Online Petitions

GOP sees it as response to Dream Act referendum drive

ANNAPOLIS — House lawmakers are considering a bill they say will help prevent petition fraud. But Republicans argue the measure is really about stifling the use of petition websites that have emerged as a crucial tool in GOP attempts to challenge laws in the majority-Democratic state.

More

Natural Gas Drops To A 10-Year Low; Oil Rises

NEW YORK (AP) - The price of natural gas has dropped to the lowest level in a decade as a mild winter ends with an apparently huge surplus of the fuel on hand.

Natural gas supplies typically drop in the winter as homes and business crank up the heat. But relatively warm temperatures, combined with a boom in production, has left storage facilities bloated with more gas than normal.

The government said last week that supplies were 45 percent larger than average for this time of year.

More

QUOTE OF THE DAY 3-8-12

“The failure to begin to deal with our bloated military establishment and the profligate use of it in missions for which it is hopelessly inappropriate will, sooner rather than later, condemn the United States to a devastating trio of consequences: imperial overstretch, perpetual war, and insolvency, leading to a likely collapse similar to that of the former Soviet Union.”
Chalmers Johnson

Obama Will Make Taxpayers Guarantee Mortgages for 2 to 3 Million Borrowers Without Checking Their Incomes or If They Have Jobs

(CNSNews.com) – Wth no authorization from Congress, President Barack Obama has announced his administration--through the Federal Housing Administration--will insure refinanced mortgages for 2 to 3 million borrowers without verifying their income or even if they hold a job, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Obama announced his latest mortgage program at a White House news conference on Tuesday. Any American with a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) endorsed on or before May 31, 2009 and who is current on their mortgage payments would qualify, according to HUD.

No additional underwriting, or examining the verification of income, employment status or creditworthiness, will be done.

More

House Faces March 31 Deadline On Road, Infrastructure Bill

House Republicans are rushing to rewrite their massive $260 billion transportation bill ahead of an end-of-March deadline to keep federal highway and infrastructure programs funded.

More

As US Contemplates Releasing Crude From The Strategic Reserve, China Resumes Building Emergency Inventory

A tale of two civilizations, one in ascent and one in decline, can probably be best summarized by how they ration for the future in that most important of commodities - energy, in this case vis-a-vis the respective treatment of the strategic oil reserves of China and the US. Because while all the rage in D.C. political gab in recent weeks has been whether the US will allow a release of oil from the SPR, just to appease those Obama voters who actually have a job and have to take a car to get to it, things over at America's nemesis in civilizational conflict are diametrically opposite. As Bloomberg reports, China has "started filling its emergency petroleum reserve at Lanzhou in the nation’s northwest, according to an official at the nation’s largest crude producer." Unlike the US, where everything is now a function of market liquidity, evil speculators, and political ambitions (rest in peace supply and demand), China is completely ignoring all the day to day mundane drivel, and is doing what is right - which is to make sure it is prepared for an "eventuality" in the crude supply. Said eventuality is 100% guaranteed to happen if the Panetta-McCain is given a green light to allow the liberation of Iranian crude to finally proceed following years of foreplay.

From Bloomberg [5]:

China, the world’s second-largest crude consumer, finished filling the first phase of its emergency stockpile with 103.2 million barrels of oil in 2009. The second phase, comprising eight locations with a storage capacity of 168.6 million barrels, is scheduled to be completed by early 2013. The Lanzhou depot has a capacity of 18.9 million barrels.

The nation imports 10 million metric tons of crude a year, or 200,000 barrels a day, from Central Asia via a pipeline from Kazakhstan that started in 2006. The annual capacity of the cross-border oil line, China’s first, will rise to 20 million tons by 2013, according to CNPC.

More

D.C. Has No Count Of Jobs From Stimulus

Despite receiving more than $885 million in federal economic stimulus funds since 2009, the D.C. government — whose residents face one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates — cannot say how many jobs it actually created for those who live in the District.

More

Piglet Found Running Around Hawaii Hotel Lobby


HONOLULU (AP) - Guests at a hotel near Honolulu's airport found a suckling pig in the lobby, but it wasn't on the menu of the luau.

They called the Hawaiian Humane Society last week, when a 5-week-old female pig was found running around the lobby. It was unclear how the piglet ended up there.

Humane society spokeswoman Tasha Tanimoto says the pig is healthy and has been named Pukalani. She will be available for adoption once she's a little older. Tanimoto says the piglet is being bottle-fed by a volunteer.

Humane society officials aren't sure of the pig's breed, but a veterinarian suspects she will grow to be quite large.

Pukalani has been getting attention on the humane society's Facebook page, where a duck is also advertised for adoption.

Source

Living in Your Car: No Longer Just For Bums

By most standards, Jessica Spaulding has a successful life and career. The 31-year-old Californian splits her time between Long Beach, where she runs fundraising drives for public radio station KJazz 88.1, and San Diego, where she’s pursuing her master’s degree in accounting at National University. Because of her busy schedule, she decided to give up her posh apartment in Santa Monica. “I work 50 to 60 hours a week and felt like I never saw it,” she says. These days, her housing is a little more humble. For the past five years, she’s lived in a 2007 Prius.

Her co-workers and fellow students have been mostly supportive, although they still occasionally offer to help her find a proper home. Spaulding recalls a recent conversation with a co-worker who offered to “ask around to her friends for a spare room I could rent. That’s somewhat common. People think I can’t find a place to live because of my strange in-town/out-of-town schedule.” She insists that she prefers this living arrangement to the alternatives. “It’s like traveling with your entire house with you,” she says. She realizes that public perception is that anybody living in a car must be doing so against their will, but she hopes that as upwardly mobile people such as herself increasingly go public, living in a vehicle will finally be seen “as a viable option.”

More

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY APPOINTS WILLIAM MILES MATTINGLY TO ST. MARY’S COUNTY ORPHAN’S COURT

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley announced the appointment of William Miles Mattingly to the St. Mary’s County Orphan’s Court. Mr. Mattingly fills a vacancy created by the passing of his brother Charles Mattingly, III.

“I’d like to thank all of the qualified members of the local community who expressed their interest in filling this vacancy. Today, I am pleased to announce the appointment of William Miles Mattingly to the St. Mary’s County Orphan’s Court,” said Governor O’Malley. “Mr. Mattingly has a long and proud history of service. As past Chair of the County Board of Education, he is highly-regarded and demonstrates great leadership and knowledge in managing complex issues. We are confident that he will bring to the bench a broad range of expertise, a true commitment to public service, and a dedication to upholding the laws of the State.”

William Miles Mattingly has a notable history of community service, business and management background and law enforcement experience in St. Mary’s County and throughout southern Maryland. Currently retired, he worked as District Manager for Waste Management of Southern Maryland where he oversaw the company’s capital budget and developed operations, personnel and maintenance for St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert counties. He held equivalent duties as Sales and Operations General Manager for St. Mary’s Disposal Systems. Prior to that, he worked as a Road Patrol Officer for Charles County and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Departments. Mr. Mattingly served on the Board of Education as an elected member for eight years, the last three as Chair. He has been a youth coach for St. Mary’s County Parks and Recreation and a Trustee at St. Mary’s County Historical Society.

Culture And Envy

We have a genuine problem. Envy, fear of envy and deflecting envy may be the most dangerous and difficult aspects of human nature for us to wrestle with as we seek to progress toward greater freedom.

As formerly poor and unfree countries open up and allow the potential for personal achievement, the disparity between the opportunities for those individuals and what they see in places like the United States becomes a source of great dissatisfaction.

This is a global problem. It is a major factor behind the pendulum swinging back and forth from the right to the left. It is a serious quality of human nature that we have to face if we are to live in a freer world.

People are least happy not when they have very little, but when they have less than their neighbor. Many people, given the choice, would prefer that everyone be poorer than to be wealthier in general but poorer than their neighbor.

Today, with modern communications and media, those neighbors can be thousands of miles away.

More

Today's Fill In The Blank 3-8-12

The greatest invention ever created was the ____.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

Below is an article published in the Chincoteague Beacon, a Gannett Newspaper. When I read it I thought, now this is what newspapers and blogs should be more about.

For the record, I'm extremely proud of these Volunteer Firefighters who believe in doing what is right, who believe in fiscal responsibility. All too often today we see greedy liberals with their hands out wanting things they can't afford or keep up. The residents of Chincateague should be mighty proud of their Firefighters and while I wish we could have been as fortunate as the Daily Times to pick up on such an article, good for them. Therefore we give credit where credit is due.


'We don't need it, we don't want it'

CHINCOTEAGUE -- The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company is against Accomack County's proposed fire tax, which its members say is not needed nor wanted.

"Chincoteague will pay approximately $400,000 under the tax, but will collect just $88,000 from it," said Bryan Rush. "It's a matter of fairness. It's a disproportionate share. Chincoteague generates about one-third of the county's tax revenue."

"Our company has always pulled its own weight," said Denise Bowden. "With the help of the community, we have always been able to serve this island without a tax. We don't need it and we don't want it."

More

Michigan Woman Who Won $1 Million In Lottery Stays On Food Stamps

It's not unheard of for recent Michigan lottery winners to consider themselves so hard up that they subsist on food stamps. Following last year's revelation that a Michigan man who won $2 million in the state lottery remained on welfare, now there are reports that a woman who snagged $1 million in winnings is doing the same.


More »

Delegate Smigiel Asking State Police to Explain Why Citizens Are Denied Concealed Carry In Maryland

Advertiser Of The Day 3-8-12

Open The Hatch?

The Hatch Act is designed to keep politics out of the federal workplace. It was enacted in 1939 and last updated 20 years ago. Now, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Alaska) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) have proposed an update to the Hatch Act allowing for a range of penalties. So far, one Republican has signed on to the bill. One provision would give the Merit Systems Protection Board more discretion over how to punish violators.

License Plate To Honor Maryland Veterans At Issue

I need your help on this bill. David Collins from WBAL TV in Baltimore did a great job covering what the issue is (see below). If you’ll scroll past the article, you’ll see a list of the people who need to hear from every single one of you who support such a plate. Remember this plate would be available the same way a Bay Plate or Ag Tag are currently with the profits going to the Veterans Trust Fund!!!

HB 541 Would Make Plates Available To General Public ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Controversy is brewing in Annapolis over a license plate designed to honor U.S. military veterans. WBAL-TV\David Collins A Maryland license plate for veterans of service is proposed in the 2012 session of the General Assembly The license plate, similar to the Chesapeake Bay license, says “Maryland supports veterans.” The proceeds, according to 11 News reporter David Collins, would go to the Veterans Trust Fund. Collins said that for most people, a round of applause for returning military veterans doesn’t come close to really appreciating the debt owed to the men and women in service. Some, like Maj. Robert Marchanti of the Maryland Army National Guard, made the ultimate sacrifice. “We have the ‘Maryland supports veterans’ in a red banner,” Cecil County Delegate Michael Smigiel Sr., R-District 36, said in describing the plates. “All the money that’s raised will go to take care of them.” “We think it is a fitting tribute to the veterans who have gone in harm’s way to do the nation’s business,” retired Col. Andy Fallon, president of the Annapolis chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. “We are reminded in the paper of our war dead often, but the people want to do something more,” said Delegate Mike McDermott, R-District 38B, who represents portions of the lower Eastern Shore. “They want to participate and show they care. This license plate is an opportunity for the people of Maryland to do just that.” “We are reminded in the paper of our war dead often, but the people want to do something more,” said Delegate Mike McDermott, R-District 38B, who represents portions of the lower Eastern Shore. “They want to participate and show they care. This license plate is an opportunity for the people of Maryland to do just that.”

More

102 More Misplaced Grave Markers Found

The Veterans Affairs Department has found 102 more misplaced grave markers in cemeteries it manages. It found 21 graves with no markers at all. That brings the total of problematic graves to 249, out of about 1.5 million VA has examined. Glenn Powers, deputy undersecretary with the VA's National Cemetery Administration, said the number of discrepancies was small but unacceptable. Earlier, VA notified Congress that problems arose when contractors moved headstones around during grounds renovations.

$1 Million Winner Won't Get Off Food Stamps

A young Michigan woman who recently won $1 million in the state lottery is causing national outrage today as she refuses to stop using her electronic food-stamp card.

Amanda Clayton, 24, of Detroit was interviewed by WDIV-TV after the NBC affiliate was tipped off by an upset taxpayer that the jackpot winner was still receiving taxpayer assistance for food.

“People are about to lose their unemployment and these welfare recipients are spending our tax dollars foolishly,” the viewer wrote the station. “Please do a story on lottery winners on welfare.”

The station tracked Clayton down as she was moving to a new house which she had just purchased in cash with her winnings.

When confronted, the woman said she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong.

“I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn’t, I thought maybe it was okay because I’m not working,” Clayton said.

She told the station that she actually didn’t receive the full million dollars, since she accepted a lump sum of $700,000, and after taxes her winnings were just over half a million.

Nevertheless, Clayton believes she still has a right to receive $200 a month from taxpayers.

“I feel that it’s OK because, I mean, I have no income and I have bills to pay,” she said. “I have two houses.”

More

Five Rockets To Light Up The Sky At Wallops

Five NASA rockets will light up the night sky over the North Atlantic region as part of an experiment to study the upper jet stream, 60 to 65 miles above earth's surface. The rockets will launch and release a glowing smoke-like chemical tracer into the upper atmosphere. Cameras set up in New Jersey and North Carolina will measure where the tracer is carried. The high-altitude rockets will launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. They must launch on a clear night between March 14 and April 3.

Need More Rope?



Help The Girl Scouts Help Our Soldiers


Our Girl Scout troop has decided to take their cookies sales profit $ AND some of the cookies themselves & send care packages. One of the soldiers is a family member of sorts. We'll just call him Lt. Jon for now. We are sending boxes of cookies, nuts, deodorants, extra socks, chapsticks, handwarmers, lifesavers, dried fruit, hand cream, trail mix, a roll of toilet paper and some baby wipes for each soldier (honest - their needs are that basic!) We've also put in some qtips, a few books and magazines, puzzle books, some instant coffee and drink enhancers like propel and iced teas. And now we realize we have a bit of a problem! We want to send 17 boxes and each ONE costs nearly $15.00 to send APO flat rate.

If anyone would like to send a card and a check payable to the USPS we can send one more box each. The soldier would love to hear from us and we just can't really afford to send any more boxes.

Call me 410-251-7497 if you have and concerns or questions.

Today's Survey Question 3-8-12

Do you think Fire Departments should be self sufficient through fundraising?

OYSTER/SOUP LUNCHEON THIS SAT.- ST. ANDREWS CHURCH

OYSTER/SOUP LUNCHEON

ST. ANDREWS METHODIST CHURCH 400 E. VINE ST., SALISBURY

OYSTER/SOUP SERVED FROM 10-2 P.M.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10TH

$7.50 FOR OYSTER SANDWICFH----CHICKEN SALAD ALSO AVAILABLE

DESSERT TABLE

CARRY OUTS AVAILABLE

‘Outrage’ Over Limbaugh — What About Left-Wing Misogyny?

Written By: Larry Elder

“A firestorm of outrage from women after a crude tirade from Rush Limbaugh,” said NBC anchor Brian Williams. This was followed by a reporter who said: “In 2012, the personal is political. What began as a debate over religious freedom has devolved into what some call a ‘war on women.’”

The “outrage” over Rush Limbaugh’s “misogyny” provides the latest examples of the liberal vs. conservative double standard and the selective indignation of the left. Limbaugh criticized the congressional appearance of Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student who supported requiring even religiously affiliated institutions to provide “free” contraceptives.

“So, Ms. Fluke, and the rest of you femi-Nazis,” Limbaugh said, “here’s the deal: If we are going to pay for your contraceptives and, thus, pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. And I’ll tell you what it is. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.” Limbaugh also called her a woman who admits she gets “paid” for sex — something that, according to Limbaugh, makes her a “slut” and a “prostitute.”

He apologized, but reportedly has lost sponsors. Fluke refused to accept his apology. “I don’t think that a statement like this issued, saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything,” Fluke said. “And especially when that statement is issued when he’s under significant pressure from his sponsors who have begun to pull their support.”

The “firestorm” over Limbaugh’s “sexism” would be convincing — were it not for its selective nature. Where’s the outrage when the misogyny comes from the left?

Ed Schultz, for example, the blowtorch left-wing MSNBC host, called conservative radio show host Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” and a “talk slut.” Isn’t the “s” word — aside from the “c” word — the worst anti-woman slur a man can make? But if Schultz suffered a loss of advertisers, we never heard about it. No activists pumped out press releases arguing that a man who calls a woman a “slut” because of her political conservatism maligns all conservative woman. His punishment? One week’s suspension without pay.

The sexism police long ago exempted Bill Clinton from any conversation about ill-treatment of women. Some of the same people who condemn Limbaugh for his treatment of Fluke go deaf, dumb and blind over Clinton’s treatment of and statements about the women who dared confront him.

Juanita Broaddrick, in 1999, appeared on “Dateline NBC” — after the broadcast was repeatedly delayed — and accused Bill Clinton of rape. Repeat, NBC aired an interview with a woman who accused Clinton, the Arkansas attorney general at the time, of not sexual harassment, not sexual assault but rape. But a recent PBS special, touted as a tough, warts-and-all documentary, failed to include any reference whatsoever to the rape allegation in four hours of programming. To date, only one national reporter, Sam Donaldson, even asked a question about it.

When Gennifer Flowers went public with their affair, Clinton surrogates called her a liar, dismissing her as a “saloon singer.” Clinton denied it, only to admit it after years of insisting she lied. Surrogates called Monica Lewinsky “delusional” before Clinton admitted their affair, and that he lied about it under oath and to the nation.

Paula Jones, who alleged Clinton committed sexual harassment, was denounced by top aide James Carville: “Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you’ll find.” Clinton later paid Jones $850,000 to settle the sexual harassment lawsuit that Clinton had insisted lacked merit. Clinton also accused attorney Dolly Kyle Browning of lying when she claimed she’d had a long-standing affair with him.

Kathleen Willey, a former Clinton campaign aide, appeared on “60 Minutes” and accused Clinton of taking her hand and placing it on his genitalia. Incredibly, feminist attorney Gloria Steinem said even if one assumes Willey told the truth, Clinton’s actions do not constitute sexual harassment because he stopped when Willey complained. “In other words,” wrote Steinem, “President Clinton took ‘no’ for an answer.”

After Limbaugh’s comments, reporters rushed to ask House Speaker John Boehner to react. Did anyone bother asking Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to react to less-than-female-friendly comments made by talk-show host Bill Maher?

Maher, of HBO’s “Real Time,” recently announced a $1 million donation to a pro-Obama super PAC. Maher’s wealth, in addition to his show’s platform, makes Maher a pretty substantial person of influence in the Democratic Party. Yet Maher, on more than one occasion, referred to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin by the “c” word, called her a “dumb ‘t’-word” (think “twit” with a different vowel), and has called Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., “bimbos.” Kirsten Powers, a former Democratic strategist, wrote: “(Maher) recently made a joke about Rick Santorum’s wife using a vibrator. Imagine now the same joke during the 2008 primary with Michelle Obama’s name in it, and tell me that he would still have a job.”

Source

Shortage Shuts Down Md. Food Bank

WASHINGTON - A Southern Maryland food bank in Hughesville has closed and won't open again until Monday unless it gets badly needed donations.

The food bank needs at least 15,000 to 18,000 pounds of food per week to serve needy families, according to Brenda Dicarlo, who operates the food bank.

While monetary donations are appreciated, Dicarlo says food donations are preferred right now.

Here are the locations accepting donations for the food bank.

  • Southern Maryland Food Bank or Angel's Watch Shelter 8395 Old Leonardtown Road, Hughesville, MD 20637 301-274-0695 or 202-345-6671
  • Southern Maryland Association of Realtors 8440 Old Leonardtown Road, Suite 211, Hughesville, MD 20637 301-870-2323
  • Long & Foster Realtors 3165 Crain Highway, #100, Waldorf, MD 20603 301-932-5148

Source

Polka Drummer Boy - 6 Years Old

U.S. Prepares Basic Plans to Attack Syria

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the first time Wednesday revealed that the United States is preparing basic plans to attack Syria to stop President Bashar Assad from killing unarmed protesters against the government.

“We have looked at a number of options that could be involved here,” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

He said the Pentagon is waiting for President Obama to decide whether the preparation goes beyond what he called a basic military assessment before developing detailed contingency plans that would identify specific military units that would be involved in any action.

More

QUOTES OF THE DAY 3-8-12

“I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don’t want to buy things they don’t need to impress people they dislike.”
― Emile Gauvreau

“After the collapse of socialism, capitalism remained without a rival. This unusual situation unleashed its greedy and – above all – its suicidal power. The belief is now that everything – and everyone – is fair game.”
― Gunter Grass
“The Master said, “A true gentleman is one who has set his heart upon the Way. A fellow who is ashamed merely of shabby clothing or modest meals is not even worth conversing with.”
(Analects 4.9)”
― Confucius

“This is the postmodern desert inhabited by people who are, in effect, consuming themselves in the form of images and abstractions through which their desires, sense of identity, and memories are replicated and then sold back to them as products”
― Larry McCaffrey

“We no longer live life. We consume it.”
― Vicki Robin

The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is right, whereas the petty man understands profit.”
(Analects 4.16)”
― Confucius

“We seldom consider how much of our lives we must render in return for some object we barely want, seldom need, buy only because it was put before us…And this is understandable given the workings of our system where without a job we perish, where if we don’t want a job and are happy to get by we are labeled irresponsible, non-contributing leeches on society. But if we hire a fleet of bulldozers, tear up half the countryside and build some monstrous factory, casino or mall, we are called entrepreneurs, job-creators, stalwarts of the community. Maybe we should all be shut away on some planet for the insane. Then again, maybe that is where we are.”
― Ferenc Máté

D.C. Fire Chief Never Fully Vetted

Ellerbe had sex-harassment complaint in Sarasota post

Mayor Vincent C. Gray hired and the D.C. Council confirmed Kenneth Ellerbe to head the District’s fire department without ever requesting a copy of his personnel file from the chief’s former employer in Sarasota County, Fla. — a file that contained a complaint of sexual harassment.

The complaint, recently obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, is supported by statements attesting to inappropriate behavior and intimidation on the part of Chief Ellerbe, who headed Sarasota’s fire department.

The disclosure raises concerns about how the politically connected fire chief was selected and whether he was vetted at all before being hand-picked in December 2010 to lead a 2,000-member agency with a budget of nearly $200 million.

More

Montana Police Shooting

D.C. has no count of jobs from stimulus Received $885M from feds since 2009

Despite receiving more than $885 million in federal economic stimulus funds since 2009, the D.C. government — whose residents face one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation — cannot say how many jobs it actually created for those who live in the District.

Most of the money has been spent, and data suggest that overall regional job growth did occur as a result of the massive infusion of capital. But a review by The Washington Times of figures provided by D.C. officials shows that the city spent hundreds of millions of dollars without being able to demonstrate any significant improvement in the city’s jobs outlook.

If anything, the employment picture has worsened in the District. At the end of 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the city’s unemployment rate was 10.4 percent, ahead of only three states: Nevada (12.6 percent), California (11.1 percent) and Rhode Island (10.8 percent).

More

19 Year Old Irish Hacker Charged With Cyber Intrusions

A misstep by a member of Ireland's national police force is being blamed for January's leak of a sensitive FBI conference call, according to yesterday's indictment in a broader case that charged several members of the hacking groups Anonymous and LulzSec. The indictment says a 19-year-old hacker was able to gain access to the personal email account of an Irish officer who'd been invited to the FBI call and obtained details on how to join the conference. That hacker and six other people were charged yesterday for their involvement in several cyber intrusions, including the hacks of Sony, Fox, Stratfor and HBGary.

Air Force To Expand Drug Testing

The Air Force plans to expand its drug testing program to look for commonly-abused prescription medications. The changes would take place starting in May. Airmen won't notice any difference, because the urine samples they already provide will go through extra lab tests. The Air Force said it was conducting the tests in response to troubling trends in the misuse of prescription painkillers, which it said were replacing marijuana as the top gateway drug. DoD surveys showed just 2 percent of servicemembers reported abusing prescription drugs in 2002. By 2008, that figure rose to 17 percent. The service offers prevention and treatment services to airmen who voluntarily disclose a drug addiction, but those protections go away if a servicemember is ordered to take a drug test.

Homeland Security Has Issues

The Homeland Security Department said it is weeks away from detailing a plan to flag foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas in the U.S. DHS officials told Congress yesterday they would release their plans to automatically track visa overstays using biometric markers within 30 days. Nextgov reported the system would let law enforcement and intelligence officials track illegal visitors who are potential threats to public safety and those who aren't. The disclosure came at a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, which is examining the case of Amine al-Khalifi, the man who was arrested last month for allegedly plotting to bomb the U.S. Capitol.

Home Invasion Gun Fight


New Posts to fall below.