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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

A Comment Worthy Of A Post

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Carla Moore Terminated From The Town Of Pittsville...":

So in my mailbox tonight is a letter from the Town of Pittsville with a survey attached from Mann & Mann Grant Solutions. The Town of Pittsville wants the citizens to complete a survey letting them know what their household income is. The letter states the purpose for collecting this information is for an application to the Maryland Dept. of Housing and Community Development, requesting grant funds for updating the Town's Comprehensive Plan. It goes on to state that the State of Maryland requires that periodic updates be made. Then states that the "Town does not have adequate funds to cover this expense". Well to this I say...I will not be completing this survey. It is none of anyone's business how much I make especially since the Town of Pittsville Council members don't think the taxpaying citizen's have a right to know what happened with Carla Moore. If the rumor is true that it involves theft, then collect that money from her & maybe the town will be able to afford to update the Town's Comprehensive Plan. I have lived in this town for over 25 years & this is the first time I have ever been asked to tell them what my household income is. Not going to happen at least not until they tell the citizens what we want to know!!

Headquarters of Columbus Police Department Evacuated After Explosion Report

COLUMBUS, OHIO – A report of an explosion triggered the evacuation of the Columbus Police Department headquarters Tuesday night, but firefighters in Ohio's capital said there was no visual evidence of such a blast.

Fire Battalion Chief Patrick Ferguson said the cause of what a caller reported as an explosion at about 7:30 p.m. was not determined. No injuries were reported.

Ferguson said there were no signs of smoke following the loud noise that prompted the emergency call.

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CAR THIEF’S HORRIBLE MISCALCULATION TURNS OUT TO BE DEADLY AFTER HE TARGETED ARMED FORMER MARINE – WHO WAS JUST AS HEROIC AS YOU’D EXPECT

A former Marine in Maple Valley, Wash., didn’t expect to encounter a car thief breaking into his truck as he prepared to walk his dog Tuesday morning. Then again, the thief didn’t expect to run into an armed former Marine either.

The thief, identified only as a 27-year-old male, and his girlfriend were reportedly driving a stolen Honda with stolen plates when they decided to break into a pickup truck. As the owner of the truck, the former Marine, came out to walk his dog, he saw the crime in progress and confronted the criminals.

In an instant, guns were drawn and bullets were flying through the air. The former Marine was deadly accurate, hitting the male suspect several times before he could hide behind the truck. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

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AMBER ALERT ISSUED for Possible Abduction of a Juvenile Female, Whispering Pines Townhomes, Newark

 DSP News Release: AMBER ALERT ISSUED for Possible Abduction of a Juvenile Female, Whispering Pines Townhomes, Newark

****This is an AMBER ALERT ACTIVATION***

The Delaware State Police are activating an AMBER ALERT for the New Castle County Police Department
DATE: 
·         Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Resume:
Newark-The New Castle County Police Department is investigating the possible abduction of a juvenile, described as a white female 10-12 years of age, which occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. at Albion Drive in the areas Elliott Street, in the community of Whispering Pines Townhomes, Newark, DE.
Witnesses have reported that the juvenile female was abducted while walking and pulled into an older unknown make or model SUV, white in color, with rear dark tinted windows, and a roof rack. Suspect is described as a male approximately 30 years of age. The suspect vehicle was last seen making a right onto Old Newark Road.
There is no further physical or clothing description for the victim or suspect at this time. 
The New Castle County Police Department will be the point of contact for any further media inquiries and can be reached at 302-395-8173.
To offer information regarding this abduction or sightings of the vehicle, please call 911 immediately.
Sergeant Paul G. Shavack Director of Public Information | Delaware State Police P.O. Box 430| Dover, DE 19903

Vanishing Ocean City With Bunk Mann


The Dispatch

Hurricane Gloria struck Ocean City a glancing blow this week 28 years ago, on Sept. 27, 1985. Had she scored a direct hit, the loss might have been devastating, perhaps as bad as that experienced by New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy. As it was, Gloria left the Boardwalk in pieces and the amount of sand deposited on the town’s streets was exceeded only by the infamous March Storm of ’62.
Despite the damage, Hurricane Gloria left a positive legacy. It became the catalyst for one of the most important projects in Ocean City’s history -- the beach replenishment program. In a joint effort between federal, state and local governments, sand was pumped from the ocean floor and the beaches widened. A seawall was built along the Boardwalk with steel sections driven 35 feet into the sand. Finally, the dune line was rebuilt from 27th Street to the Delaware line.
It’s been 28 years and Hurricane Gloria remains the last storm to destroy Ocean City’s Boardwalk.
Photo courtesy of Doris and Al Kemp

ED-UP NY MAN SETS UP HIDDEN CAMERA TO FIND OUT WHO WAS REPEATEDLY STEALING HIS PRO-GUN SIGN – WHAT HE DISCOVERED BLEW HIM AWAY

A man in Somers, N.Y., hatched a plan to catch the individual responsible for allegedly stealing his pro-gun signs repeatedly from his front yard. He bought a trail cam, set it up near the sign — and then waited.

When he learned that his sign had been taken yet again, he was elated because he knew he had finally caught the person responsible on camera.

He just didn’t expect that person to be a uniformed police officer.

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Disney Tightens Up Resort Disability Program

Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort will no longer allow visitors with disabilities instant access to rides, starting next month, in an attempt to reduce abuse of the policy.

Under the current policy, Disney visitors can get a guest assistance card that grants quicker access to rides, often entering through exit doors to bypass the main lines.

There were widespread reports of able-bodied people abusing the policy.

Some wealthy park visitors were hiring disabled people to pretend to be family members so they could skip lines, the New York Post reported in May. Social researcher Wednesday Martin learned about the practice while researching a book about New York's Park Avenue elite, the Post reported. "It really is happening," Martin told CNN's "Starting Point" in May.

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Vandals Torch Life-Size Ronald Reagan Statue At Park

 Before
After
Vandals torch life-size Ronald Reagan statue at park named after former president because he praised it for being privately funded

The Ronald Reagan Sports Park in Temecula has a life-size bronze statue of the 40th president - a tribute to his warm words for the park and its founders.
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Biological Dad Returns 4-Year-Old Veronica To Adoptive Parents

The 4-year-old girl at the center of a lengthy, high-profile custody dispute between her Native American father and her adoptive parents has been returned to the couple, an attorney for the biological father said Monday.

Earlier in the day, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Dusten Brown, the girl's father, must return the girl, named Veronica, to Matt and Melanie Capobianco, who live in South Carolina.

The Capobiancos adopted Veronica at birth in 2009 and have been involved in a custody battle since then with Brown, who lives in Oklahoma.

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Atlanta Couple Invites 200 Homeless People To Dinner After Daughter Calls Off Her Wedding

As the ancient Sumerian saying goes: Waste not, want not. And it was the waste of a four-course dinner for 200 guests that one couple decided against, after their daughter called off her wedding 40 days before the scheduled nuptials. Instead of simply canceling the vent, the parents still held it — inviting 200 of Atlanta’s homeless to a dinner reception.

The couple joined up with a local charity that serves families in need, reports WBUR.org, to transform the former wedding event into the family’s first annual “Celebration of Love” on Saturday.

FED-UP NY MAN SETS UP HIDDEN CAMERA TO FIND OUT WHO WAS REPEATEDLY STEALING HIS PRO-GUN SIGN – WHAT HE DISCOVERED BLEW HIM AWAY

A man in Somers, N.Y., hatched a plan to catch the individual responsible for allegedly stealing his pro-gun signs repeatedly from his front yard. He bought a trail cam, set it up near the sign — and then waited.

When he learned that his sign had been taken yet again, he was elated because he knew he had finally caught the person responsible on camera.

He just didn’t expect that person to be a uniformed police officer.

More 

Brinkley Back As Senate GOP Leader; Getty Is Minority Whip

Sen. David Brinkley of Frederick is back as Senate Republican leader, unanimously elected Monday by the 12-member GOP caucus, which also chose Sen. Joseph Getty of Carroll County as minority whip.

Brinkley replaces Sen. E.J. Pipkin of Cecil County, who abruptly quit in August to move to Texas.

“We are to be the loyal opposition,” Brinkley said. “We also have to look forward to the next election.” They will try to at least hold onto the dozen seats they have in the 47-member Senate, despite Democratic redistricting.

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Sussex County Drug Task Force Arrest Two For Heroin Possession, Bridgeville

Locations: 12000 block of Ryan Lane, Bridgeville, DE

Date of Occurrence: Monday September 23, 2013 at approximately 6:00 a.m.

Defendants, Charges, and Bail Information:

Shamika T. Clark, 24, Bridgeville, DE (No Photo Available)
Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Heroin)
Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana
Possession of a Controlled Substance (Heroin)
Conspiracy 2nd
Endangering the Welfare of a Child (2 counts)
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (4 counts)

Arraigned at JP2 and is currently being held at Sussex Correctional Institution on $14,000.00 secured bond.

Jennifer L. Frederick, 30, Bridgeville, DE (No Photo Available)
Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Heroin)
Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana
Possession of a Controlled Substance (Heroin)
Conspiracy 2nd
Endangering the Welfare of a Child (2 counts)
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (4 counts)

Arraigned at JP2 and is currently being held at Sussex Correctional Institution on $14,800.00 secured bond.

Resume:
Bridgeville, DE – The Delaware State Police has arrested two people after the culmination of a month long investigation into illegal drug sales from a residence.

On Monday September 23rd, the Sussex County Governor’s Task Force (GTF) and Sussex County Drug Unit conducted a search warrant in the 12000 block of Ryan Lane. Upon executing the search warrant, Shamika T. Clark and Jennifer L. Frederick were taken into custody without incident. Two juvenile children of Jennifer Frederick were also in the house and were turned over to relatives at the scene. The search revealed a total of 215 bags of heroin weighing approximately 3.2 grams, 3.7 grams of marijuana, along with other drug paraphernalia.

Shamika Clark and Jennifer Frederick were transported back to Troop 4 and charged with the above listed crimes. They were arraigned at JP2 and are currently being held at SCI in lieu of $14,000.00 and $14,800.00 secured bonds respectively.

Ten Commandments Monument Near Supreme Court Vandalized

A stone monument of the Ten Commandments that sits on a street behind the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington and was the subject of controversy in the past has been toppled by vandals.

The 3-foot-by-3-foot granite monument weighs 850 pounds and sits out front of the headquarters of Faith and Action, a Christian outreach ministry. The group installed the tablets in a garden outside its offices in 2006, and the group’s president said the tablets were angled so that justices arriving at the high court would see them.

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Every 23 Seconds A Fire Department Responds To A Fire In The U.S.

NFPA releases new fire loss report

September 20, 2013 – Every 23 seconds, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the U.S., according to a new report released by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). “Fire Loss in the United States in 2012” provides a comprehensive look at fire in the United States, including civilian fire deaths and injuries, property damage and intentionally set fires.

n 2012, there were:

· 1,375,500 fires responded to by public fire departments

· 2,855 civilian deaths

· 16,500 injuries as result of fire

The number of structure fires has steadily declined in recent years, from their peak in 1977 of 1,098,000 to 480,500 in 2012.

Last year, there was:

· a civilian fire injury every 32 minutes

· a civilian fire death every 3 hours and 4 minutes

· a home fire occurred every 85 seconds, which accounted for 76 percent of all structure fires.

· homes were also where the majority of civilian fire injuries and deaths occurred, accounting for 78 percent of fire injuries and 83 percent of fire deaths.

Other key findings from the report:

· property damage of roughly $12.4 billion occurred as result of fire

· $7 billion of property loss was from home fires

· $1.1 billion was lost in highway vehicle fires

· amount of property damage that occurred as result of fires increased by nearly 7 percent

· intentionally set fires in structures decreased across the board

o reduction in structure fires of 5.7 percent.

o reduction in civilian deaths in structures of 5.3 percent

o reduction in property damage in structures of 3.3 percent

Soldiers Return Tomorrow At The Armory In Salisbury


National Guard Reservists return from serving overseas. They will arrive at the Salisbury Armory on Business Rt. 50 at 6 PM tomorrow night, open to the public. 

Tomorrow also starts Wounded Warrior Weekend. These Soldiers will be here on the Eastern Shore to go hunting for the week and into the weekend. 

They arrive tomorrow at noon at the American Legion. This event will also be open to the public. 

Detectives Conducting a Death Investigation Near Dagsboro

DSP News Release:  Detectives Conducting a Death Investigation near Dagsboro
Location:  30000 block of Power Plant Road, Dagsboro, DE
Date of Occurrence:   Monday September 23, 2013 at approximately 5:50 p.m.
Victim:
  • 52 year old male of Dagsboro, DE (Deceased)
Resume:
Dagsboro, DE- The Delaware State Police are currently conducting an investigation into the suspicious death of a 52 year old Dagsboro man.

Troopers were called to the residence in the 30000 block of Power Plant Road shortly before 6:00 p.m. for a report of a subject that had been stabbed.  Upon arriving at the house, a 52 year old male had been located with wounds to his upper torso and pronounced dead at the scene by Sussex County Medics.

The body of the victim, whose name has not been released, was removed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

The investigation is active and ongoing as troopers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death, as well as conduct interviews and gather evidence.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

Lois Lerner, IRS Official In Tea Party Scandal, Forced Out For ‘Neglect Of Duties’

Lois G. Lerner, the woman at the center of the IRS tea party targeting scandal, retired from the agency Monday morning after an internal investigation found she was guilty of “neglect of duties” and was going to call for her ouster, according to congressional staff.

Her departure marks the first government official to pay a significant price in the scandal, though Republicans were quick to say her decision doesn’t put the matter to rest and pointed out that she still can be called before Congress to testify.

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Missing Dog 9-24-13

My sister's dog went missing early this morning around 4 am on riverside dr. Salisbury MD. She is a black lab with brown eyes. She answers to Nellie. She has no collar or tags, but does have a microchip. 443-944-1532

70-Year-Old Man Attacked By Teenager In Possible 'Knock-Out' Game

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Authorities say they've charged a Syracuse teenager with the unprovoked beating of a 70-year-old man outside a convenience store, an attack that left the victim in serious condition.

Police Chief Frank Fowler says Monday that 18-year-old Romeo Williams has been charged with second-degree assault after Saturday morning's beating of Jim Gifford as he walked across the parking lot outside a 7-Eleven store.

Fowler says Williams hit Gifford in the face, knocking him unconscious. Police say Williams then entered the store and celebrated by taking off his hat and holding it up in the air and smiling before going back outside to beat and kick Gifford.

Fowler says four men with Williams eventually pulled him off Gifford.

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NYT: Obamacare 'Significantly Limiting' Patient Choices

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that "many insurers are significantly limiting the choices of doctors and hospitals available to consumers" due to Obamacare.

As Times reporter Robert Pear notes, "having an insurance card does not guarantee access to specialists or other providers."

Health insurance companies say that under Obamacare's government healthcare exchanges, the networks will offer a budget rate version of what is available in the commercial market.

"The networks will be narrower than the networks typically offered to large groups of employees in the commercial market," Cigna spokesperson Joseph Mondy said.

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The D.C. Navy Yard Shooting And Racial Double Standards

Imagine that a white man went on a shooting rampage at a location in which there gathered many people of various racial backgrounds. He shoots and kills, say, a dozen people. Most of his victims are black.

Though there is relatively little known about the shooter’s background, this much isknown: by all accounts, he was an “angry, frustrated, vengeful” man who not infrequently complained that he was mistreated because of the color of his skin. He was also known to have in turn mistreated blacks who he believed had wronged him.

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No One Injured After Train Derails In Caroline County

FEDERALSBURG, Md. (WJZ) — A train derailment caused problems on the Eastern Shore Monday afternoon.

Rail cars left the tracks and one tipped over outside Federalsburg.

No one was injured but the derailment caused a hazmat spill.

Source 

Idiots Against Guns

The Idiots Against Guns in the media and Congress overdid it this time.

Long before the facts were known or clear, The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN and their liberal cousins launched their latest gun-control jihad.

Seizing on an early report from the scene that Aaron Alexis used an AR-15 assault rifle, the Idiots Against Guns pulled out their hymnbooks and sang their favorite tune all day.

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Could The GOP Actually Be About To Beat Obama?

I have to admit that the Congressional GOP’s Obamacare defunding strategy has me a little nervous – mostly because it just might work. When the GOP does something clever, I start looking for the other three horsemen of the apocalypse.

Designing a strategy starts with understanding the ends you seek. Sure, the memo has gone out about the GOP’s “civil war” and how the GOP is “crazy,” but it seems that the party has a realistic end state in mind. It’s not to stop Obamacare today, or even next year, but in 2017 when we can actually drive a stake through the heart of this neo-socialist abomination.

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Man’s 3 Million Miles In Volvo Sets Record For Highest Mileage By A Single Driver In One Vehicle

When we last heard of a Irv Gordon of Long Island, N.Y. and his 1966 Volvo P1800S last summer, he was on the road toward setting a Guinness Book of World Records for the most miles by a single driver in one vehicle. We’d now like to congratulate him on hitting the three million mile mark and nabbing that record last week [pause for applause].

Chinese Cyber Offensive

It's no secret the Chinese government, or people working for it, are on a cyber offensive. One expert says, what China wants is information on how to build unmanned aircraft. Darien Kindlund is manager of threat intelligence at Fire-Eye, a cybersecurity vendor. He points out that Shanghai hackers have spent two years going after a total of 20 defense contractors. The New York Times reports, Kindlund's assessment is supported by the Project 2049 Institute in Arlington. The Asia-focused think tank says China is striving to have drone-building capabilitiesof its own. Research Fellow Ian Easton says cyber-spying is one way China can get a leg up on the technology.

Give An Inch, Take A Mile

Now that the government is providing employee benefits to the same-sex spouses of feds, two senators say domestic partners should be included, too. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) have introduced a bill. It would give same-sex domestic partnersaccess to the same benefits as those who are legally married spouses of federal employees. They say the bill would put the government on par with most Fortune 500 companies. Three House members have introduced a similar bill.

It’s One Blow After Another To ObamaCare

Politico finally notices that Obamacare is a train wreck. Of course, said train wreck is based on a throwaway line the Obama campaign came up with on the spur of the moment because Obama knew nothing about healthcare prior to attending a campaign event. This follows on the heals of the Washington Postnoticing that the Exchanges aren’t ready for 3am TV, much less prime-time. And the NY Times notices that Obamacare is going to mean fewer healthcare choices and crummier care. Fortunately, The Politico Knows Who To Blame.
The Obamacare that consumers will finally be able to sign up for next week is a long way from the health plan President Barack Obama first pitched to the nation.

Millions of low-income Americans won’t receive coverage. Many workers at small businesses won’t get a choice of insurance plans right away. Large employers won’t need to provide insurance for another year. Far more states than expected won’t run their own insurance marketplaces. And a growing number of workers won’t get to keep their employer-provided coverage.

Every branch of the federal government played a role in weakening the law over the past three years, the casualty of a divisive legislative fight, a surprise Supreme Court ruling, a complex implementation and an unrelenting political opposition. The result has been a stark gap between the promise of Obamacare and the reality — one that has fueled a deep vein of skepticism about the law as it enters its most critical phase.

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Mediator Sides With IRS

An outside mediator has sided with the IRS by upholding an agency decision to withhold employee bonuses for 2013. GovExec reports, acting Commissioner Danny Werfel informed agency staff by email. Earlier, Werfel said canceling the bonuses let the agency avoid two furlough days. Employees took three furlough days this summer, instead of five. Werfel estimated the agency would save $70 million by skipping bonuses. The National Treasury Employees Union still says says the IRS is obligated by its contract to pay the bonuses. It's filed a grievance, and says it will take until spring for a decision from an arbitrator.

Stopping Common Core

Delegate Ron George to Introduce Legislation in Next Session

Annapolis, MD—Delegate Ron George (R, Annapolis) announced today that he was preparing legislation to address issues regarding the controversial Common Core of State Standards when the legislature reconvenes in 2014.

“I have opposed Common Core from its onset,” said Delegate George. “Parents have the right to have their voices heard in all matters concerning the education of their children. This is a vast overreach by the federal government that should not even be considered until it has been thoroughly vetted by parents,” continued George.

“It is very clear to me that Common Core is nothing but an attempt by the federal government to take control over our children’s education and to force parents to sit on the sideline. It is outrageous and I intend to fight it with all of my energy said George.”

David Craig on Baltimore County Common Core Meeting

Harford County Executive and Maryland candidate for Governor David R. Craig released the following statement regarding the Baltimore County Common Core meeting last week in which a parent was ejected and subsequently arrested.
"The value in public meetings - whether it is about Common Core or any other policy issue affecting a community - is giving people the opportunity to speak. It is a long tradition that goes back to the founding principles of our country and occurs in county and municipal forums to this day. When speech is limited or meetings are overly scripted, it tends to cause angst among all who are involved. 
"The Common Core national education standard is controversial and for good reason. It slipped under the radar in Maryland three years ago and there are serious concerns about it, many of which are being raised for the first time. School administrators should be holding public forums like the one in Baltimore County, but these officials will actually learn more by encouraging a robust debate and the exchange of ideas. Their ultimate constituents are students and their parents and those voices must be heard."

Navy Officials Push For Security Clearance Changes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A week after an IT contractor gunned down 12 workers at the Washington Navy Yard, Navy officials began moving to close gaps in the security clearance process, recommending that all police reports involving an individual must be included when a background check is done.

The Navy, in a report released Monday, revealed that the shooter, Aaron Alexis, did not disclose a 2004 arrest or some financial problems when he filled out his application for a security clearance when he joined the Navy as a reservist several years later. And officials said the background report given to the Navy at the time, also failed to reveal that he had shot out the tires of another person's car during a 2004 dispute in Seattle.

Instead, the report from the Office of Personnel Management, said Aaron Alexis "deflated" the tires, and did not mention the use of a gun.

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Paul Wants To End Health Care Subsidies For Chief Justice

Arguing federal workers should not get special treatment, Rand Paul says he does not want taxpayers subsidizing the personal health-care plans of any federal employee — including Chief Justice John Roberts — anymore.

With some in Congress arguing lawmakers and their staff should not get subsidies to cover their health insurance as President Obama’s health-care law goes into effect, the Republican senator from Kentucky told The Daily Caller on Sunday that he’s going to start pushing a constitutional amendment that goes even further.

Paul’s proposal — outlawing any special exemptions for government employees — would mean all federal workers would have to purchase health insurance on the new Obamacare exchanges instead of getting taxpayer-funded subsidies. Some critics say those subsidies amount to special treatment. The Obamacare health insurance exchange opens Oct 1.

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Farmer: DPS Detained, Then Released Illegal immigrants

McCOOK – Texas Department of Public Safety troopers briefly detained and then released about 20 people suspected of being in the country illegally Saturday morning on a farmer’s land 24 miles north of central Mission, the landowner said.

About 8 a.m. Saturday, Lee Adams said he noticed “a lot of activity” in the brush on his large rural property. He called a DPS trooper, who called for backup. A group of troopers – which included five cars and two helicopters – eventually rounded up a group of people who appeared to possibly be in the country illegally, Adams said.
But in less than an hour, the cars and helicopters scattered, allowing the people they detained to do the same.

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AD SUPPORTING TERRY MCAULIFFE FEATURES FBI RAID ON OFFICES OF HIS FRIEND AND DONOR

Terry McAuliffe's campaign for governor of Virginia took a turn to the absurd last week when a television commercial aired by an environmental group in favor of his candidacy featured video footage of an FBI raid on the offices of one of his friends and former donors. The donor in question, Dr. Salomon Melgen, contributed $10,000 to McAuliffe's unsuccessful 2009 campaign for governor. Melgen, a native of the Dominican Republican, is mired in the numerous controversies involving Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

The ad, paid for by the environmental group NextGen Climate Change Action Committee, features actual footage of a 2013 FBI raid on the Florida offices of Dr. Melgen's Vitreo-Retinal Consultants. According to the FBI, the raid was undertaken to secure documents related to an internal investigation conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services alleging that Dr. Melgen may have overbilled Medicare several million dollars for medical procedures.

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Spy Agencies Are Doing WHAT?

Revelations about the breathtaking scope of government spying are coming so fast that it's time for an updated roundup:

The government is spying on essentially everything we do. It is not just "metadata" ... although that is enough to destroy your privacy 

The government has adopted a secret interpretation of the Patriot Act which allows it to pretend that "everything" is relevant ... so it spies on everyone. For example, the NSA "oversight" court believes the mere claim that terrorists use the phone system is enough to show that all phone records are relevant

NSA whistleblowers say that the NSA collects all of our conversations word-for-word

It's not just the NSA ... Many other agencies, like the FBI and IRS – concerned only with domestic issues - spy on Americans as well. The Drug Enforcement Administration has had direct access to AT&T phone records for 25 years
The information gained through spying is shared with  federal, state and local agencies, and they are using that information to prosecute petty crimes such as drugs and taxes

The agencies are instructed to intentionally "launder" the information gained through spying, i.e. to pretend that they got the information in a more legitimate way ... and to hide that from defense attorneys and judges 

Fracking Fears Overblown

Natural gas mainly threatens Big Renewable’s access to taxpayer green.

It’s trendy on the left to decry big corporations, especially when they engage in political activity. That’s all well and good, but using the same principles, environmentalists should be getting reamed, too. They profiteer not only from their business operations but also, in fact mostly, from taxpayer largesse. Under the guise of do-goodery, they’re essentially a big industry group with brilliant P.R., advancing claims that often aren’t scientifically sound.

A new study yanks the scientific footing out from under one of the key criticisms that Big Green Business makes against fracking for natural gas. Conducted by the University of Texas at Austin and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study is the most comprehensive of its kind to date, examining 190 fracking sites. It discovered that far less methane is emitted than the EPA and its cohorts in the environmental community have long claimed. The study was sponsored by several petroleum companies but also by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), further bolstering its credibility.

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Rand Paul Hails Victory In Michigan Straw Poll

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sees his decisive victory in this weekend’s Michigan GOP presidential straw poll as a clear sign his views on a variety of issues are resonating with Republicans of all ages, Politico reports.
Paul won the 2016 straw poll with 36 percent of ballots cast at the biennial Republican conference, doubling those of his nearest rival, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who placed second with 18 percent. 

News Flash! Food Stamps Need Reform


More than 80 programs dispense welfare to a third of Americans — time for a moral transformation. 

In a recent NRO article, Henry Olsen charges that the Heritage Foundation is leading a “conservative war on food stamps” that will take “food from the mouths of the genuinely hungry.” He declares this the “most baffling political move of the year.”
A bit of background is in order. Food stamps are merely the tip of a much larger iceberg. In 2012, government spent $916 billion on more than 80 different means-tested welfare programs, not including Social Security or Medicare. These programs provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low-income Americans. Food stamps accounted for 10 percent of that total.

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