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Friday, August 02, 2013

Obama Promises To Help Congressional Staffers Avoid Obamacare

Washington has been abuzz for months over the fear and loathing that Congressional staffers have for Obamacare. Many staffers and employees on Capitol Hill have been saying they'll have to quit Washington if they are forced into Obamacare. Now the President is promising to fix it all for them.

At the very beginning of his closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats, the President addressed staffers' worries that Obamacare will force them to quit working in Washington, promising "I'm on it."

Currently congressional staffers have 75 percent of their healthcare insurance paid by taxpayers, but if their Cadillac Congressional healthcare plan is ended and staffers are pushed into Obamacare, many Congressional employees fear that their insurance costs will increase by thousands of dollars a year. This cost, many say, will force them to quit working in Washington.

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Another OCPD Vehicle In Accident

OCEAN CITY -- Two individuals, including an Ocean City police officer and a civilian, were injured this week when a police vehicle responding to another accident collided with a sedan in the intersection of Coastal Highway and 28th Street on Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, an OCPD officer in a department-owned Chevy Tahoe was heading north on Coastal Highway with its lights and sirens to assist with a reported accident on Route 90. While heading northbound on Coastal Highway, the OCPD vehicle collided with a sedan attempting to cross the highway from east to west at 28th Street. The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

The driver of the sedan had to be extracted from the vehicle, which had its roof and upper portion cut off. The unidentified driver sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening. The victim was transported by Ocean City EMS to PRMC and was later transported to Shock Trauma. As of late Thursday, the victim was listed in stable condition. The OCPD officer was transported to AGH and was treated for minor injuries and later released.

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The Next Ron Paul?

For decades, Congressman Ron Paul was the nation’s foremost advocate for the libertarian ideologies of less government and greater individual liberty. From his position in the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul argued for smaller government and less intervention in all aspects of our lives – developing a small, but intense, following.
Paul’s followers have shown the power of grassroots involvement – rocking the Republican Party establishment from its dogmatic slumber. Congressman Paul became the benchmark for ideological conviction in the U.S. Congress, and the question since his retirement has been, “Who will be the next Ron Paul?”

There are very few contenders, but one is standout U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Michigan).

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Hilarious: Jimmy Fallon Reads "Candid" Chris Christie/Rand Paul Discussion On Bacon

Record Jobs For Old Workers; For Others - Not So Much

While we have banged the table on the full vs part-time disconnect for so long even the mainstream media has finally caught up, another issue that few outlets mention let alone discuss is that all the job growth in the US has, so far, only benefited old workers: those 55 and older. July was no difference. As the chart below shows, of the 160k jobs broken down by age group, 60% went to workers aged 55-69. No jobs were added by those 16-19, 49K jobs went to recent college grads, or those otherwise aged 20-24, and a measly 15K jobs were gained by Americans in the prime working age between the years of 25-54.

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Weather Satellite Comes To Newark

NEWARK -- Perhaps the latest illustration of NASA and Wallops Island’s increased presence in Worcester County and across the Lower Shore was the addition of a nearly three-story tall weather satellite station in Newark last week.

As part of NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, the agency is erecting satellite facilities in remote areas all over the country to collect data on rainfall and snowfall predictions based on the highly technical analysis of clouds. Because of its proximity to NASA’s facility at Wallops Island along the Virginia coast just south of Assateague, the rural town of Newark was chosen as a location for one of the satellites.

The satellite facility looks somewhat out of place amid the cornfields and farms along Five Mile Branch Rd. near the Queponco Railroad Museum in tiny Newark. The dish itself is 28 feet in diameter and at its height stands about 28 feet tall.

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SECRET VIDEO 'SHOWS JUDGE, SHERIFF, D.A. LIED'

Recording blows up case against man serving civil-case papers
A secret video recording appears to contradict the claims of a Texas judge who is under investigation by the FBI for corruption.

Jefferson County Judge Layne Walker has been accused of misappropriating public funds, destruction of evidence, witness tampering, falsifying governmental records, perjury, official oppression and more.

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PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS TO DISRUPT GOP TOWN HALLS IN AUGUST

A progressive group will coordinate with liberal activists to disrupt Republican town halls during the August recess, when lawmakers will face questions about Obamacare and comprehensive immigration reform.

Americans United for Change, run by a former Democratic National Committee communications head, plans to send activists to Republican town halls in swing states and even red states to target lawmakers like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). 

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Hit-And-Run Driver Now Charged With Assault

OCEAN CITY -- Maryland’s highest court last week ruled restaurants and bars in the state could not be held liable for the actions of their intoxicated patrons once they leave the establishment in a potential landmark decision.

The Maryland Court of Appeals handed down a majority opinion that absent dram shop liability law in Maryland, a Montgomery County tavern could not be held responsible for the actions of an intoxicated patron who consumed around 20 alcoholic beverages in the establishment before leaving in his truck, barreling down a highway at speeds approaching 100 mph and crashing into the rear of a vehicle carrying a family, killing a 10-year-old girl and seriously injuring others.

The victim’s family filed a civil suit against the parent company of the Dogfish Head Ale House in Gaithersburg, alleging the management and staff knew or should have known the driver had been over-served and created a high risk for the public when he was allowed to leave after consuming about 20 drinks. The case was originally filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court and a judge there originally ruled it would go to trial. The judge then reversed his decision, opining the Maryland Court of Appeals would be the proper venue for the weighty case with broad implications.

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How America’s Working Stiffs Got Stiffed

Amazing how much difference a few years make. We first visited China in the 1980s. It was an appalling dump. Few cars. Few roads. Almost no decent restaurants or hotels. Now in Beijing you see large black luxury automobiles everywhere… and modern highways crisscrossing in front of huge hotels and apartment buildings.

The Chinese have made real progress! And what about Americans?

But let’s check in on Wall Street before we continue our tale. Uh-huh... nothing much going on there. Monday was another lazy, hazy summer day. Neither stocks nor gold did anything worth talking about.

So... back to China...

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REP. WOLF: SOURCES SAY CIA WAS MOVING GUNS IN BENGHAZI

CNN reports the CIA had dozens of operatives in Benghazi during the deadly September 11 attack last year, yet since the attack, the spy agency has allegedly engaged in an intimidation campaign of its own members to keep personnel quiet about the events of that night and why the CIA was in eastern Libya to begin with.

“We’re getting calls from people who are close to people who were [in Benghazi at the time] that they were moving guns. So where are the guns?” asked Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), a sub-committee chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Wolf also wonders what Ambassador Chris Stevens was actually doing in Benghazi on that night. Stevens and three others were killed over the course of the attacks. 

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THOUGHT CONTROL

On Tuesday, Fox News obtained documents showing that the federal government is initiating a program designed to “nudge” Americans toward particular behaviors. The “Behavioral Insights Team” to be formed would work with the White House, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, among others. The document, emailed by White House senior adviser on social and behavioral sciences Maya Shenker to a university professor, states, “Behavioral sciences can be used to help design public policies that work better, cost less, and help people achieve their goals.”

The document names several behavioral changes brought about by British “nudging,” including “sending letters to late taxpayers that indicated a social norm,” resulting in higher tax receipts. Another British policy promoted “adoption of attic-insulation.”

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BREAKING NEWS: Potential Bulger Witness Poisoned, Prosecutors Say

Prosecutors say potential witness in Whitey Bulger trial died from cyanide poisoning.
From Fox News

Free Press Editor Fired For ‘Take Your Jobs Plan And Shove It, Mr. President’

The Chattanooga Times Free Press has fired editor Drew Johnson after criticizing President Obama in an article that quickly went viral, titled“Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President,” the day President Obama visited the city.

According to the paper, the headline was “inappropriate” and “outside of normal editing procedures.”

“It was not the original headline approved for publication, and Johnson violated the normal editing process when he changed the headline,” the Free Press wrote Thursday. “The newspaper’s decision to terminate Johnson had nothing to do with the content of the editorial, which criticized the president’s job creation ideas and Chattanooga’s Smart Grid. The Free Press page has often printed editorials critical of the president and his policies.”
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Bank Of America Reveals Pending DOJ Civil Charges Against It, Merrill Lynch

Lurking deep in the just filed Bank of America 10-Q (alongside data on its quarterly trading acumen which as usual made a mockery of random statistical probability distribution with just 7 days of losses and profits on 57) is this nugget which shows BAC's litigation expenses may be set to surge once more.

From the 10-Q:
The Corporation has been advised by the staff of the DOJ that it intends to file civil charges against Bank of America entities arising from one or two jumbo prime securitizations. The staff of the SEC has advised that they intend to recommend civil charges concerning one of those securitizations. The staff of the NYAG has advised that they intend to recommend filing an action against Merrill Lynch arising from their RMBS investigation. In addition, the staff of the SEC has advised that it is considering recommending civil charges against Merrill Lynch arising from its CDO investigation. The Corporation has been in active discussions with senior staff of each government entity in connection with the respective investigations and to explain why the threatened civil charges are not appropriate.

Then again, if JPM can get away with energy market manipulation with a mere $410 million "fine", there is no way this will be settled for anything more than $24.95. It also explains the complete lack of reaction to the news in the stock price.

Source

Researchers Say More Moms And Dads Are Pushing Their Kids To Live Out Parental Dreams

You've probably heard the term helicopter parent used to describe an overprotective mom or dad.

But a new study out of the Netherlands found some parents are taking things a step farther, essentially living through their kids.

Researchers from Utrecht University looked at 73 parents of children between 8 and 15, and found the more a mother or father sees the child as part of themselves, the more likely they are to want the child to succeed in making the parents' dreams come true.

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GOVERNOR O’MALLEY AND LT. GOVERNOR BROWN TO ANNOUNCE TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Investments will create more than jobs, reduce traffic congestion, and improve pedestrian safety

ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 2, 2013)
– On Monday, August 5, Governor Martin O’Malley, joined by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown and County Executive Isiah Leggett, will announce a major transportation investment package for Montgomery County that will create jobs, reduce congestion, and improve pedestrian safety. The event also will include a major announcement regarding the Purple Line.

Our better choices are moving us forward to a 21st century transportation network. Working together with the General Assembly, we have guaranteed a sustainable transportation funding source that will support more than 57,200 jobs statewide, create a safer, more efficient transportation network, and spur economic development.

George Zimmerman Stopped For Speeding In Texas

FORTNEY, Tx. - Police in a Dallas suburb say they stopped George Zimmerman for speeding.

Forney police say Zimmerman was stopped Sunday while driving west on U.S. 80, about 20 miles east of Dallas.

A Florida jury recently acquitted Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

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The Corporate State And Its Media

We have known for quite some time now that the flow of information is tightly controlled within the mainstream media system, but one graphic really highlights just how tightly controlled the information we are delivered truly is — and how a total of only 6 corporations run the show.

From Time Warner (CNN, HBO, TIME) to GE (NBC, Comcast), a whopping 6 corporations control 90% of the mainstream media within the United States. And what’s more, the amount of revenues from the tightly controlled mainstream media machine are enough to beat out Finland’s entire GDP, buy every NFL team 12 times, and fund the government bailout of General Motors 5 times. Checkout the powerful graphic below and share it with others to inform them as to how controlled the media really is:

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OSHA Finds Safety Violations At Army Pond

ABERDEEN, Md. —Federal officials say nearly a dozen safety standards were violated at an Army weapons-testing pond near Baltimore where three people have died this year.

The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday that it found seven serious violations at the facility in Aberdeen known as the "super pond." OSHA began its investigation after a civilian technician died while performing routine maintenance in the pond on Jan. 30. Four weeks later, two sailors drowned during a routine dive at the facility.
 
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Tennessee Newspaper Opinion Editor Says He’s Been Fired For Writing Editorial Ripping Obama’

The opinion page editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press has been fired over a headline of an editorial that was highly critical of President Barack Obama’s new “jobs plan.”

“Take your jobs plan and shove it, Mr. President: Your policies have harmed Chattanooga enough,” the headline reads.

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Fla. Gov. Rick Scott Hits Back At Jesse Jackson

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is demanding an apology from longtime civil rights activist Jesse Jackson for comparing the state's struggle with the Trayvon Martin case to the 1960s civil rights clashes with police in Selma, Ala.

Jackson spent the night Tuesday with protesters upset that George Zimmerman was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Martin. They've refused to leave the state Capitol in Tallahassee until Scott calls a special session to have legislators overhaul the state's self-defense laws.

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Obama Is At Two Dozen Scandals And Counting

President Obama claims that Republicans are busy probing “phony scandals.” But the sheer number of scandals suggests that misbehavior, abuse of power, and possibly corruption are not something being dreamed up by the GOP, but a defining characteristic of the Obama administration.

Here is a full list of the administration’s most egregious scandals. The ones we know about, at least. I’ve added four since the last time we ran the list – an increase of 20 percent!

1. IRS targets Obama’s enemies: The IRS targeted conservative and pro-Israel groups prior to the 2012 election. Questions are being raised about why this occurred, who ordered it, whether there was any White House involvement and whether there was an initial effort to hide who knew about the targeting and when.

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WSJ's Henninger: Obama Engaged In Power Grab

President Barack Obama is redefining the power of the presidency in a way that is "alien to American tradition" by bypassing Congress and the Judiciary to in effect issue his own laws, according to Wall Street Journal columnist Daniel Henninger.

Writing Thursday in a column titled "Obama's Creeping Authoritarianism," Henninger said Obama is using the plight of the middle class as an excuse "to undertake an unprecedented exercise of presidential power in domestic policymaking."

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15th Anniversary of the Blessing of the Combines

Date/Time: 08.03.13 / 11:00 AM 
Location: Downtown Snow Hill
Description:
SNOW HILL, MD. Combines are a familiar sight on the Eastern Shore, moving purposefully and efficiently through fields of grain, corn and soy beans, offloading their harvest into waiting trucks. But seeing a combine from afar is very different from being close enough to touch one. The Fifteenth Annual Blessing of the Combines, held in Snow Hill on Saturday August 3rd , will have combines parked on Green Street (after a parade including antique tractors down Route 12), thanks to the owners of these multi-thousand dollar machines. Admission is free.
Festivities begin at 11:00. Exhibits and displays are set up along Green, Pearl and Bank Streets, including a Petting Barnyard, face painting, a soy bean pit, a slide and a moon bounce, with additional activities for children by Lollipop the Clown. Hayrides, carriage and pony rides will be available. The Program Stage will feature God’s Country Crossroads before and Too Far Gone (a country band from North Carolina) after the arrival of the Parade of Combines. Master of Ceremonies Steve Hales signals the beginning of a brief program, featuring keynote speaker Jim Perdue and Combine Blesser Rev. Seth Nelson. Festival food vendors on Bank Street join Harvest Moon, Miss Patticake, The Emporium, The American Legion and The Palette in offering a wide selection of delicious treats. Further down Bank Street, near Scales and Tales, along with the Worcester County Emergency Services Special Operations Trailer and the Maryland State Police Rescue Boat, craft vendors compliment Snow Hill’s shops. The Pie Eating Contest and the Children’s Tractor Pull are held; there is a Dunking Booth. At the river, Pontoon Boat Cruises are available. The Wheels That Heal Car Club will host a car show along the Pocomoke River. At 3:00 the festival ends as the combines leave Green Street. At 3:30 pm the Lawn Mower Tractor Pull will be held at Preston Motors Snow Hill Auto Body.
For details contact Becky Payne at 443-783-1715, or email kfisher44@verizon.net .

WCSO Most Wanted

Andre Hampton (no middle name)
• Black Male, 5’10” 240 lbs
• DOB 05/26/1977 
• Black hair, Brown eyes
• Hampton’s last known address was Salisbury MD
• Hampton is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in June 2011 for a Violation of Probation hearing on the charge of CDS Possess with intent Distribute Narcotics
• And on a District Court Bench Warrant issued in June 2011 for Violation of Probation for CDS Possess Not Marijuana and Paraphernalia and Fraud – Personal ID to Avoid Prosecution
• There is no preset bond, he must be brought before the court
• Hampton has a history of DRUG ABUSE


Timothy Aaron Stouffer
• White Male 6’00” 175 lbs
• DOB 08/13/1973
• Brown hair, Brown eyes
• Stouffer’s last known address was Salisbury MD
• Stouffer is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a District Court Arrest Warrant issued in January 2008 on the charges of Burglary 1st, 3rd, and 4th degree, Theft scheme over $500 and under $500





 Traci Michelle Washausen
• White Female 5’02” 180 lbs
• DOB 08/15/1977 years of age
• Brown hair, Brown eyes
• Washausen’s last known address was Eden MD
• She also uses the name Traci Whittaker
• Washausen is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a total of three District Court Bench Warrants. 
• Two issued for Failure to Appear in January 2010, on Forgery, Uttering, Theft, and CDS Possession Marijuana and Paraphernalia charges
• And one issued in November 2010 for Failure to Pay on Theft charges
• The total preset bond is $55,057.50
• We will extradite Washausen from those states surrounding Maryland


Travis Lamar Duffy
• Black Male, 5’11” 220 lbs
• DOB 06/23/1984
• Black hair, Brown eyes
• Duffy’s last known address was Princess Anne MD
• Duffy is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a District Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in December 2009 for Assault 2nd, False Imprisonment, and Motor Vehicle Theft
• The preset bond is $20,000
• Duffy has a history of DRUG ABUSE



 Michael Joseph Bozman
• White Male 5’05” 190 lbs
• DOB 07/12/1970
• Brown hair, Brown eyes
• Bozman’s last known address was Delmar MD 
• Bozman is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued for Violation of Probation in October 2005 on the charge of Burglary 2nd degree
• The preset bond is $7,500
• We will extradite Bozman from the states surrounding Maryland




 Angelina Faye Ballard
• Black Female, 6’00” 300 lbs
• DOB 09/02/1978
• Black hair, Brown eyes
• Ballard’s last known address was Philadelphia
• Ballard also uses the name Katrina Faye Bey or Naibi Brown
• Ballard is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued for Violation of Probation in November 2007 on the charge of Assault 2nd
• The preset bond is $50,000




  Julia Lin Wagner
• White Female, 5’05” 170 lbs
• DOB 07/12/1991
• Brown hair, Green eyes
• Wagner’s last known address is Delmar MD
• Wagner is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued in May 2013 for Violation of Probation on the charge of CDS Possess with Intent Distribute
• We will extradite Wagner from all states East of the Mississippi
• There is no preset bond, she must be brought before the court 
• Wagner has a history of being a DRUG USER SELLER


Leonard Ray Morris
• Black Male, 5’10” 220 lbs
• DOB 01/09/1969 
• Black hair, Brown eyes
• Morris’ last known addresses were in Baltimore and Hyattsville MD
• Morris is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in August 2010 for a Violation of Probation hearing on the charge of CDS Possess with Intent Distribute Narcotics
• There is no preset bond, he must be brought before the court
• Morris has a history of being a DRUG USER SELLER



Jonathan Phillip Monroe
• White Male, 6’00” 220 lbs
• DOB 05/05/1971
• Brown hair, Green eyes
• Monroe’s last known address was in Berlin MD
• Monroe is wanted by the Sheriff's Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued for Failure to Appear in March 2013 on the charge of CDS Possess with Intent Distribute Narcotics
• We will extradite Monroe from DE and VA
• The preset bond is $1000 cash
• Monroe has a history of being ARMED and a DRUG USER SELLER, he should be APPROACHED WITH CAUTION


 Erica Latasha Mann
• Black Female, 5’06” 160 lbs
• DOB 02/14/1981 
• Black hair, Brown eyes
• Mann’s last known address was Salisbury MD
• Mann is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on an Indictment issued in January 2010 on the charge CDS Possess with Intent Distribute Narcotics, CDS possess Not Marijuana, and Conspiracy
• The preset bond is $75,000.00
• Mann has a history of being a DRUG USER SELLER

Rising Seas 5: 800 Miles Of Roads At Risk, Especially In Shore Counties

Gov. Martin O’Malley warned in December that rising sea levels over the next century would threaten “400 miles of roadways,” when he signed an executive order making protection of billions of dollars in state infrastructure a top priority.

That’s not the half of it. A CNS analysis shows the total impact, factoring in county-maintained roads, could be much worse.

Maryland has more than 5,200 miles of state roads and about 21,000 miles of county roads, according to the Maryland State Highway Administration. A CNS analysis found that roughly 800 miles of roads would be affected if sea levels rise another 2 feet. At 5 feet, an estimated 3,700 miles would be under water.

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McCain: Hillary A 'Rock Star,' Fox News 'Schizophrenic'

In a lengthy interview with the left-wing New Republic, John McCain, the Republican Party's 2008 nominee blurted out his affection for Hillary Clinton more than once.

At one point the Arizona Senator said that choosing between Rand Paul or Clinton for president in 2016 would be a "tough choice." He then went on to call the former Secretary of State a "rock star" and criticize Fox News as "schizophrenic" over the issue of immigration reform.

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Rush: Obama Won Because GOP 'Didn't Want Any Part' Of Tea Party

Rush Limbaugh harshly criticized the Republican establishment on Tuesday for not embracing the Tea Party movement that swept them into power in the House in 2010. He said it ultimately cost the party the 2012 presidential election and is "illustrative" of the problem facing the Republican Party.

Limbaugh said that after the Tea Party was created in time for the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans "cleaned the Democrats' clocks."

"If you go back and look at the 2010 midterms, that was one of the biggest shellackings the Democrat Party's had in a long time," he said on Fox News's On The Record on Tuesday. "The Republicans took back the House of Representatives, but the Democrats lost a total nationwide all the way down-ballot of over 600 seats. And it was because of 'ObamaCare' and the rising debt and the fact that nobody was opposing it and nobody's stopping it."

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They Are Tracking Everything

If it wasn’t time already, it may now be advantageous to fit yourself for one of those tin foil hats. In fact our founding editor has already called up lid-maker New Era and asked its employees to get busy on a custom-fitted, tin foil-lined hat in his 7-3/8″ size.
Why? Because the federal government’s massive domestic spying program is much more expansive and invasive than anyone initially suspected – just as Edward Snowden promised. Meanwhile the administration of Barack Obama continues to deliberately lie to the public about its scope and capabilities

According to Snowden – the heroic former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who first exposed our government’s Orwellian spy network – he could ”wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal email.” Oh, and do so without permission from our rubber stamp, secretive spy court.

The federal government denied this claim – and called Snowden a liar. Who was correct? Once again, Snowden was.

According to documents obtained by The (U.K.) Guardian, the NSA uses a program called “XKeyscore” to track internet searches, emails, online chats and “nearly everything a typical user does on the internet.”

Wow …

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A Dozen Armed Agents Raid Animal Shelter to Execute Captive Baby Deer

Relay For Life Tomorrow Night


New Star-Spangled Banner Takes Shape In Maryland

It was 200 years ago this summer that a Baltimore flag-maker stitched the flag that inspired America's national anthem. Now, hundreds of people are helping to recreate the star-spangled banner.

The project began July 4 in Baltimore, and it is expected to take volunteers six weeks to hand-sew the estimated 150,000 stitches in the famous flag. When finished, it will be about a quarter of the size of a basketball court.

The public gets a chance to help with the sewing Saturday and again next week. Hundreds have signed up to participate. 

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BREAKING NEWS: US ISSUES GLOBAL TRAVEL ALERT

State Department issues worldwide travel alert to U.S. citizens over an unspecified Al Qaeda terror threat, following word U.S. embassies and consulates throughout the Muslim world will be closed this Sunday over security concerns.

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Brew River

Don't miss Brew's Friday Dock Party 
Tonight w/ Zion Reggae 6pm.

Seattle Officials Call For Ban On 'Potentially Offensive' Language

Government workers in the city of Seattle have been advised that the terms "citizen" and "brown bag" are potentially offensive and may no longer be used in official documents and discussions.

KOMO-TV reports that the city's Office of Civil Rights instructed city workers in a recent internal memo to avoid using the words because some may find them offensive.

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Thank God Its Friday 8-2-13

What will you be doing this weekend?

Items On Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week May Surprise You

Those tiny garments underneath clothes are what you find at Bare Necessities. According to Maryland's tax-free shopping list, they are necessary.

"That doesn't make any sense whatsoever," said Alissa Byrne, who is shopping for her three children.

Garters, nightgowns, and slippers are all tax exempt for one week beginning August 11th. So are clothing and footwear.

But book bags and sporting pads are not.
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Top Senator Questions Need For Phone Records

Washington (CNN) -- There is little evidence the U.S. government's sweeping collection of phone records, as revealed by admitted intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, has helped prevent terror attacks as national security officials have claimed, a top senator said on Wednesday.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy opened a hearing on the controversial National Security Agency (NSA) program applied under post 9/11 anti-terror legislation and approved by a secret court by questioning if it works or is needed.

"If this program is not effective, it has to end," the Vermont Democrat said of the phone record collection program under Section 215 of the Patriot Act.

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The Government “Revises” 84 Years Of Economic History This Week

Don’t like how high debt-to-GDP figures are? Revise ‘em. Unhappy at the post-’recovery’ growth rates?Revise ‘em. Disappointed at the pace of economic improvement in the last decade or two compared to the rest of the world? Revise ‘em. This week “we are essentially rewriting economic history” as the BEA is set to revise GDP data from as far back as 1929. The ‘adjustments’ to account for intangibles (that best known of micro- accounting fudge factors) and as we noted previously in great detail, will increase GDP by around $500 billion. Of course, these changes are defended aggressively (just as the hedonic adjustments to inflation calculations ‘make perfect sense’) as GDP will now reflect spending on research, development, and copyrights as investment – and reflect pension deficits for the first time (think of all that potential future GDP from massive pension deficits now). With Q2 GDP growth estimates set for a dismal 1.1%, expectations are for the short-term economic data to be revised upwards (and with any luck the great recession never happened at all).

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Speed Camera Update

We wrote to the OAG about the MPIA request for calibration records which Salisbury snubbed off (previously referenced on this blog). We asked for the OAG's opinion on whether state law says the city is the legal 'custodian' of such records which state law says are to be 'kept on file'. We CC'd the mayor of Salisbury on that communication.

Later the same day, I received an email from an individual who was also seeking calibration documents from Salisbury. His request for records had just been denied. The city has apparently adopted as a matter of policy that it will not produce calibration records or daily setup logs in response to a FOIA request, simply telling the requesters they must take the matter up with the contractor.

Gansler made a big proposal just a few days ago about how he was making 'government transparency' a part of his campaign. I am left wondering what the OAG told the Mayor which they did not tell us?

Coast Guard Rescues F-16 Pilot After Mid-Air Collision Off Chincoteague

CHINCOTEAGUE-The Coast Guard rescued a pilot after two National Guard jets collided off Chincoteague.

The F-16C Falcons, assigned to the 113th Wing D.C. Air National Guard,were training off the Eastern Shore around 10:300 p.m. Thursday, The collision occurred about 35 miles off the coast.

One pilot ejected and was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard. The other pilot was able to fly back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

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Ripken Offers Huge Reward In Mother's Kidnapping

WASHINGTON - A reward of $100,000 is being offered by the Ripken family and Ripken Baseball for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the abduction of Cal Ripken Jr.'s mother, Vi Ripken, last year.

"Something like this changes all of our lives. You think about things a little differently than you did before," said the Hall of Fame infielder about his mother's abduction.

"No one prepares you for these sort of moments," Cal Ripken said Thursday.

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