Popular Posts

Monday, August 12, 2013

GAO Opens Investigation Into Planned Parenthood's Use Of Taxpayer Money

WASHINGTON – The non-partisan Government Accountability Office confirmed Thursday it is launching an investigation into how the country’s largest abortion provider spent millions of taxpayer dollars.

Planned Parenthood received more than a half billion dollars in federal funding last year. The GAO’s investigation is in response to a request made by more than 50 members of Congress in February who asked for a detailed report on how money is being used by Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers across the country.

Specifically, lawmakers want to know what procedures and services they provided and the number of people who were served and how much it cost.

More

The NSA: Four Decades Of Lying

Remember the U.S.S. Maddox? The ship – an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer – was laid down on October 28, 1943 and commissioned in the U.S. Navy the following spring. After being decommissioned in 1969 it was sold to Taiwan, renamed the Po Yang – and eventually decommissioned (again) and scrapped in 1985.

Forty years ago, though, this ship was at the center of a global storm – the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This “attack” by Vietnamese torpedo boats led the U.S. Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving then-U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson unlimited authority to act in defense of Southeastern Asian nations threatened by “communist aggression.”

More

Seventy Vineyard Rooms Booked For Secret Service

In a sign of the expense taxpayers incur treating President Obama to a vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, the Secret Service has had to book 70 rooms at a single hotel on the island at a cost of at least $175,000.

It’s just a small portion of the costs assumed by the public for a president who takes major vacations at least twice a year. Other costs add much more to the total, including the tab for flying Air Force One at about $180,000 per hour roundtrip to Cape Cod, where Obama will land before choppering onto the island, as well as separate military cargo planes.

There are also many additional rooms required for staff and countless other logistical needs. According to the Vineyard Gazette, which reported the Secret Service rooms:

More

First Dog Bo Is Airlifted To Obama Holiday Home

When President Barack Obama goes on holiday to the seaside things can get complicated.Rooms have to be found for dozens of Secret Service agents, someone has to carry a selection of presidential basketballs, and of course the family dog needs his own state-of-the-art aircraft.
Arriving in the idyllic coastal retreat of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Mr Obama left behind him in Washington DC high profile debates over the budget, government surveillance and his health care reforms. Instead, he will spend the next eight days playing golf, going to the beach, and buying books from the Bunch of Grapes bookstore.
In the air he swapped his suit and tie for khakis and a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, while Mrs Obama wore a yellow-and-white summer dress.

More

Coal Country Begs Obama For Mercy As Hundreds Of Coal Plants Ready For Closing

Coal industry lobbyists and politicians have been urging the Obama administration to ease up on its regulatory agenda and craft carbon dioxide emission rules that would allow the coal industry to survive.

All the while, reports indicate that hundreds of coal plants are slated to be shut down in the coming years.

The unveiling of President Obama’s plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants earlier this summer stoked the fears of coal supporters who have already been hit hard by stricter environmental regulations.

However, the industry is not going down without a fight.

More 

CAIR Tries To Ban Professor’s Speech On ‘The Islamic Threat to America’

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) continues its epic struggle to understand the First Amendment.

In the latest incident, the Muslim civil liberties group has asked government officials in Brevard County, Florida to deny the use of a county-owned meeting room to a group CAIR has tagged as “an anti-Muslim hate group,” reports the Orlando Sentinel.

The group CAIR opposes is the local chapter of ACT! for America, an organization that stands particularly athwart the threat posed by radical Islam.

More 

Congress Turning To Social Media As Use Of Mail Privileges Declines

Maryland's U.S. Congressional delegation spent more than $1.1 million sending official mail through the U.S. Postal Service, requiring only their signatures to reach constituents from 2010 through the first quarter of 2013, according to an analysis by The Frederick News-Post.

Called “franked mail,” the practice is a privilege about as old as the legislative body itself. It is used by Congress to send official mail, most often in the form of a mass mailing of 500 pieces or more, Franking Commission spokesman Steve Dutton said.

“The frank is basically like a stamp,” Dutton said. “It's their way of being identified as sending it out.”]

More

Troopers Warn Businesses About Electric Bill Phone Scam

Dates of Occurrence:
August 2, 2013
August 8, 2013

Location:
Two Wilmington area restaurants

Resume:
Wilmington – Troopers are warning business owners about a scam that has cost two Wilmington area restaurants thousands of dollars.

In the first incident on August 2, an unknown male called a West Newport Pike restaurant. The male claimed to be from Delmarva Power, and advised the power to the business would be shutoff if the past due electric bill was not paid within the hour.

The caller instructed a restaurant employee to purchase a Greendot MoneyPak card at a local store. After the employee put money on the card she provided the caller with the card information. The caller contacted her shortly thereafter, and advised that the card had not worked. The restaurant employee then purchased another card and provided the information to the caller. She later learned that the caller had withdrawn the money from the accounts on both cards, and that the caller was not associated with Delmarva Power.

The second incident occurred on August 8 when a Silverside Road restaurant was called by a male purporting to be a Delmarva Power employee. After being informed that the electric bill was past due and a shutoff was imminent, the restaurant owner purchased several Greendot MoneyPak cards and provided the caller with the cards' information, allowing him to withdraw money from the cards' accounts. The next day the restaurant owner determined that the money had not gone to Delmarva Power.

Troopers remind the public to be skeptical of unexpected callers who request money for a business. Never assume the caller is legitimate. Always obtain the business's phone number from a source other than the caller, and contact the business directly. Delmarva Power customers in New Castle County can call 1-800-375-7117 to check billing account status. Additionally, Delmarva Power does not contact past due customers by phone without first sending notice by mail.

If anyone has any information in reference to this scam, they are asked to contact the Troop 2 Financial Crimes Unit at 302-834-2630 extension 219, or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at: http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

BREAKING NEWS: Calif. Gov. Brown Signs Transgender-Student Bil

Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill making California the first state to allow transgender students to pick the restrooms they want to use, and the sports teams they want to play on, based on their gender identity.

More

Boston Mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger Found Guilty Of Racketeering, Conspiracy

Jury finds reputed crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger guilty of racketeering and conspiracy.

Md. Health Insurance Exchange To Open This Fall At Cost Of $200M

Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, commonly referred to as Obamacare, states were required to either start their own health insurance marketplace or defer to a program which would be operated by the federal government.

Maryland was out front early when it decided to launch its own state exchange. The O’Malley-Brown administration secured $173 million in federal funds to build the state’s health insurance exchange, the Maryland Health Connection.

To date, Maryland has received $157 million in federal funds, and another $16 million is pending. An additional $24 million in state general funds for fiscal years 2012 through 2014 were also budgeted to cover costs that cannot legally be funded using federal dollars.

More

Strong Words: Dutch Addresses NSA Leaker Edward Snowden

WASHINGTON (WJZ) — The father of NSA leaker Edward Snowden will visit his son in Moscow.

Linh Bui reports–Snowden is wanted in America on espionage charges.

Edward Snowden’s father wants his son to have his day in American court.

“Where my son chooses to live the rest of his life will be his decision. But I would like, at some point in time, for him to be able to come back to the U.S. Because I believe that the truth will shine through,” said Lon Snowden. 

More

Baby Carried Through Waist-High Water, Rescued In Tennessee Floods

Nashville's flash flooding on Thursday morning ended in the heroic rescue of several people, including the Marlin family and their 5-week-old daughter, WKRN reports.

Incredibly, the baby stayed asleep for the entire harrowing event, carried to safety in a car seat by rescue crews wading through waist-high water.

The water started rising in the early morning, reaching 4-5 feet inside the Marlins' home and affecting 10 other houses on their street in Madison, a town just north of Nashville.

More 

Donnie McClurkin Does Not Appear At King Memorial Concert

Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who has said God delivered him from “the curse” of homosexuality, did not appear in a Saturday evening concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, after several gay rights activists objected to his participation in the event.

McClurkin was scheduled to perform in the D.C.-government-sponsored concert with other singers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial during the “Reflections on Peace: From Gandhi to King” event. But at the request of Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D), who fielded concerns from activists Friday, the Grammy-winning singer decided not to perform, according to the mayor’s office.

“The Arts and Humanities Commission and Donnie McClurkin’s management decided that it would be best for him to withdraw because the purpose of the event is to bring people together,” said Doxie McCoy, a spokeswoman for Gray. “Mayor Gray said the purpose of the event is to promote peace and harmony. That is what King was all about.” 

More 

Ex-Cowboys Coach Barry Switzer Rescues Dog From Hot Car And Finds It A New Home

Former Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer saved a Rottweiler puppy from a hot car on Wednesday and has since handpicked new owners -- an Oklahoma couple who lost their home in the Moore tornado on this week last year, KFOR reports.

Switzer noticed the puppy locked in a car while walking into a store. According to KJRH, he waited for the owners to return and bought the pup on the spot, taking her straight to the vet.

"I noticed that it was a beautiful dog and I saw it was a puppy," Switzer told KFOR. “I told the doc I want rabies shots, check for worms, everything. They even clipped the toenails so it was a pedicure for her."

More

Horseback Riders Who Ran Into California Teen, Abductor Said They Looked Out Of Place In Idaho Wilderness

Horseback riders who encountered a missing California teen and her abductor said Sunday that "red flags" went up for them because the pair seemed out of place in the rugged Idaho back country, refusing to give many details on where they were heading or what they were doing.

At a news conference in Boise, the four riders - two men and two women - said they came across 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and 40-year-old James Lee DiMaggio on Wednesday morning.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in the backcountry and usually you don’t run into somebody wearing pajamas,” Mike Young, a 62-year-old resident from Sweet, said about Anderson's attire. 

More 

SECURE EMAIL SERVICE USED BY SNOWDEN SHUTS DOWN TO AVOID BECOMING ‘COMPLICIT IN CRIMES AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’

A Texas-based secure email service that was reportedly used by admitted National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden — and others wishing for secure online communication — says it is shutting down, and legally can’t explain why.


This note appears on Lavabit’s home page. (Image: Lavabit.com)

In a cryptic note posted Thursday to the Lavabit website, owner Ladar Levison said the company is folding rather than becoming, in his words, “complicit in crimes against the American people.”

Here’s the note in full (emphasis added):

More

BORDER ‘LOOPHOLE’ ALLOWS HUNDREDS TO FLOW FROM MEXICO TO U.S. IF THEY SAY ‘KEY WORDS’

A “loophole” is allowing hundreds of people to pass from Mexico into the United States if they recite “key words” at the border — prompting so much overflow that one processing station had to shut down last week, KSAZ-TV reported.

About 200 people went through the Otay Mesa crossing in San Diego on Monday alone, saying they had a “credible fear” of the drug cartels.

“They are being told if they come across the border, when they come up to the border and they say certain words, they will be allowed into the country,” one official who did not want to be identified told KSAZ. “We are being overwhelmed.”

More 

‘Outrageous’: IRS Agent Stuns Members Of Congress With Claim About Targeting Scandal

An unidentified IRS agent told members Congress that the embattled tax agency is still targeting conservative groups three months after the scandal came to light, according to testimony released Thursday by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.).

During closed-door testimony, the agent reportedly told members of the committee that requests for tax-exempt status by Tea Party groups are still being subjected to “secondary screening,” at least in his office.

When asked what he would do with an application from a Tea Party group even if there was no evidence of political activity, the IRS agent replied: “At this point I would send it to secondary screening, political advocacy.”

More

Gas Tax Decrease Now Showing Up At The Pumps In Va

WASHINGTON - The reduction in Virginia's gas tax is starting to make a difference at the pump. Sunday's average price in Virginia was $3.39 a gallon for unleaded. That's 20 cents a gallon cheaper than Maryland and 42 cents less than the District of Columbia.

There are a lot of reasons why, but the biggest is the July 1 drop in the state gas tax.

It used to be a standard 17.5 cents, but is now trimmed to as low as 11.1 a gallon based on the wholesale price of gas.

More 

Major Health Insurers Abandon ObamaCare Exchanges

Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, United Health Group, and Humana have all decided against participating in various states' ObamaCare health insurance exchanges. The exchanges, which are scheduled to begin operation on October 1st, will be the only place Americans can purchase health insurance using federal subsidies granted by President Obama’s signature healthcare reform law.

According to ObamaCare's individual mandate, all Americans are required to purchase a government-approved health insurance plan. Americans who do not obtain health insurance through an employer or Medicaid must purchase it through the exchanges in their home state. Some exchanges will be run by the state government, while others by the federal government or a combination of the two.

In the wake of the withdrawal of major health insurers from some state exchanges, state insurance officials are emphasizing that their states will have plenty of “choice” and “competition” come October 1st.

More

BREAKING NEWS -- DEPUTY TROY DURHAM PREVAILS

"Congratulations to my client, Troy Durham, who finally prevailed in a long struggle with the Maryland Police Training Commission and regained his police certification."
Attorney Howard B. Hoffman, Esq

NOTE: This began five years ago, August 2008. Deputy Durham's certification was unlawfully taken from him and Durham was forced to re-earn his police certification.

Link to Howard B. Hoffman, Attorney public FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/MDWorkLawyer?hc_location=timeline

Don't Wash Your Hair In The Shower!!

It's so good to finally get a health warning that is useful!!!

IT INVOLVES THE SHAMPOO WHEN IT RUNS DOWN YOUR BODY WHEN YOU SHOWER WITH IT. WARNING TO US ALL!!!

Shampoo Warning! I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner!

I use shampoo in the shower! When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body, and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning, "FOR EXTRA BODY AND VOLUME."

No wonder I have been gaining weight!

Well! I got rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Dawn Dishwashing Soap.

It's label reads, "DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE."

 Problem solved! If I don't answer the phone, I'll be in the shower!

Worcester County Tea Party - Commissioner Blaine Young August Speaker

Monthly Meeting Thurs., 8/15/13 at 7 pm., Ocean Pines Community Center. 

Guest speaker: Blaine Young.

Gubernatorial candidate and President of Frederick County Board of Commissioners. "Our leaders in Annapolis have failed the people of Maryland & it's time for a new direction."

Arizona Sheriff Arming Deputies With AR-15 Style Rifles To 'Fight Back' Against Criminals

An Arizona sheriff is arming his deputies with AR-15-style assault rifles to give them “enough firepower to fight back” against criminals who he says are carrying increasingly dangerous weapons.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio made the announcement on Thursday, the same day one of his employees, 27-year-old Jorge Vargas, was gunned down as he walked into his driveway to head to work.

"We live in a violent society, even here in Maricopa County, and across our nation, and the least we can do is to arm our deputies…,” Arpaio said, according to Fox 10 News. "My deputies will carry guns 24 hours a day, even off duty. If they see any incident occurring, they will take action anywhere in this valley."

Janet Hasson Fires Caryn McBride

The Rockland County Times has learned that Rockland County Chief Editor Caryn McBride is among the casualties of the recent purge of 17 journalists and 26 total staffers at the Gannett-owned Journal News newspaper.

McBride gained fame earlier this year for her involvement in the Journal News gun map fiasco. Police reports indicated McBride had called the Clarkstown Police Department to notify them of torrents of angry phone calls and letters the newspaper received following the publication of the map.

More

O'Malley To Dedicate Renovated MARC Station

Governor Martin O'Malley and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin will cut the ribbon Monday morning, on a newly renovated MARC train station in Halethorpe.

The station along Southwestern Boulevard has undergone $32.7-million in renovations, over the last two years, that include a new northbound high-level platform, elevators and a new walkway bridge.

The station is located along the Penn Line connecting Perryville and Union Station in Washington. The MTA says it is one of the five busiest train stations along the Penn Line, handling more than 1,300 riders per day.

More 

Washington Fixes Obamacare … For Itself

After intense and, sadly, bipartisan lobbying and scheming in Washington, the Obama Administration announced that it is creating out of thin air a special rule to ease the pain of Obamacare … for Washington only.

You see, a specific provision of the Obamacare law says that all Members of Congress and all of their staffs have to procure their health care coverage on the Obamacare exchange, just like tens of millions of Americans. This was causing mounting fear and loathing in Washington because it threatened real disruption and significantly higher expenses. No problem, the new Administration rule fixes that and ensures that a huge, special taxpayer-funded subsidy will follow the ruling class to the exchange to take any sting out.


The Obamacare statute states very clearly that all Members of Congress and their staffs are to procure their health insurance through the Obamacare exchange. Just as clearly, it does not reconstitute government support of their present coverage under the separate Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP) as payment toward the exchange. Furthermore, no ordinary American at that income level buying on the exchange would receive any government subsidy, much less one worth approximately $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a family, as under the rule for Congress only. This bailout simply has been pulled out of thin air under intense and, sadly, bipartisan political pressure.

More 

Lollar To Announce Run For Md. Governor

ANNAPOLIS — Charles Lollar, a Charles County businessman who described himself as tea party candidate when he ran for Congress in 2010, is planning to seek the Republican nomination for governor in Maryland.

Lollar announced his intentions in an email to supporters Thursday night. The Newburg resident has scheduled an official announcement to kick off his campaign Sept. 3 at St. Mary’s College.

Lollar, 42, cited a variety of tax increases that have been backed by Gov. Martin O’Malley and passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature in recent years as one of the main reasons he is running.

More 

Thousands Of Marylanders Are Losing Homes In Second Wave Of Foreclosures

Maryland is getting a second dose of the housing crisis — a sequel that foreclosure experts and state officials knew was coming but no one wanted to see.

Between January and June, Maryland went from having one of the lowest foreclosure rates in the nation to the third highest as banks worked their way through a backlog of delinquent loans, created in part by the state’s long foreclosure process.

In the first three months of the year, there were 9,339 foreclosure filings in Maryland, more than twice the total of a year earlier but still far below the peak of 16,788 during the last three months of 2009, state data shows. That year, there were about 50,000 foreclosure filings. 

More 

Police: Man Steals Purse, Punches Woman

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WMAR) - One minute Adam Cohen is getting his picture taken with his wife and two kids, the next he's picturing this.

"I just heard people yelling, he stole the purse, he took the purse. And I ran out and was trying to help," said Cohen.

Without a second thought, he ruffled his clothes and ran outside. Anne Arundel County police say the suspect struck up a conversation with a 58-year-old woman in the shoe department at JCPenney in Annapolis Mall, then he punched her in the face and ran off with her purse.
More

The Moody’s ratings service has Serious Questions about four New Mexico Communities.

Moody’s Investors Service has released a list of 29 local government entities across the country that the company claims have net pension liabilities that are too large compared to their rating category. On the list? The New Mexico cities of Santa Fe, Las Vegas and Alamogordo, as well as Sante Fe County.
“We believe liabilities are under reported from a balance sheet perspective,” said Timothy Blake, Moody’s managing director, when the list was released in mid-April. “The purpose of the adjustments is to provide greater transparency and comparability in pension liability measures for use in credit analysis.”
Santa Fe's pension liabilities are six times that of its operating revenue according . . . 

http://watchdog.org/97234/santa-fe-cries-foul-after-moodys-considers-credit-downgrade-for-pension-debt/
All of this newly re-evaluated municipal reporting information comes on the heals of a rash of municiapl defaults including Detroit, MI, San Bernadino, CA, Stockton, CA recent bankruptcy filings.

Holder Proposes Changes In Criminal Justice System

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder is calling for major changes to the nation's criminal justice system that would scale back the use of harsh prison sentences for certain drug-related crimes, divert people convicted of low-level offenses to drug treatment and community service programs and expand a prison program to allow for release of some elderly, non-violent offenders.

In remarks prepared for delivery Monday to the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Holder said he is mandating a change to Justice Department policy so that low-level, non-violent drug offenders with no ties to large-scale organizations, gangs or cartels won't be charged with offenses that impose mandatory minimum sentences.

Mandatory minimum prison sentences — a product of the government's war on drugs in the 1980s — limit the discretion of judges to impose shorter prison sentences.

More 

SFD Calls For Service 8-11-13

  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 21:24:07 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 17:34:20 Nature: Injury City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 17:01:56 Nature: Stroke City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 14:19:12 Nature: Difficulty Breathing City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 13:28:33 Nature: Psychiatric Emergency City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 12:31:26 Nature: Sick Subject City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 11:14:05 Nature: Syncopal Episode City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 09:59:47 Nature: Pi Accident City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 09:50:12 Nature: Pi Accident City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 09:50:11 Nature: Pi Accident Address: Snow Hill Rd and robins Ave Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 09:28:55 Nature: Seizure City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 09:07:56 Nature: Unconscious Subject City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 06:44:32 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 04:20:06 Nature: Medical Assist Address: 600 W Railroad Ave Salisbury, MD 21801
  • Sunday August, 11 2013 @ 02:24:54 Nature: Subject Fallen City: Salisbury