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Monday, July 20, 2015

34 Times Church Signs Were Way Funnier Than They Should Be

Are these religions establishments or comedy clubs? Who ever set up these signs has a sinful sense of humor.

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Oregon Supreme Court to cops: Do not ask about weapons

Oregon police officers may be getting new training on how to handle possible gun-toting criminals, after a high court ruling in that state in the case of a self-professed gang member, who’s been in and out of jail.

The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday, that “police aren’t justified in asking people they stop if they have a weapon — if officers are only asking out of general concern for their own safety.”

The high court threw out an unlawful-weapon conviction of a 19-year-old man– who was under suspicion of jaywalking in Portland—and stopped by an Oregon State Police trooper in 2011.

According to the court’s case summary, the trooper asked Joseph Jimenez if he had any weapons on him, and Jimenez said he had a gun. Without being asked, Jimenez put his arms on the hood of the trooper’s car so he could be handcuffed, according to the Oregonian.

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Just A Friendly Reminder


52% of new driver's licenses go to illegals

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After a new law went into effect in January, more than half of all new driver's licenses issued in California this year have gone to people who are in the country illegally, the state said Friday.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles reported it has issued roughly 397,000 licenses to people who live in the country illegally. A total of 759,000 licenses were issued in the first six months of the year.

The DMV issued 435,000 licenses in the first six months of 2014.

The new law initially generated huge interest, with long lines at DMV offices in January and February. The DMV expects to see about one million more applicants over the next three years who are covered under the new law.

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Islam The Religion Of Peace… What Quran Has Obama Been Reading?

In the “Audacity of Hope” Obama writes “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.” In the history of this country when have you ever heard a president say he stands with any religion. Even Bill Clinton convinced us he stood with this country. We have a president who stands with what some call a cult and others call Islam. We can not have a president putting anything before our country especially Islam.

Some Muslims claim the root word of Islam is “al-salaam” which is “peace” in Arabic. An Arabic word only has one root. The root word for Islam is “al-Silm,” which means “submission” or “surrender.” The Quran not only calls Muslims to submit to Allah, it also commands them to subdue people of other religions until they submit to Islāmic rule. If Obama stands with Islam he considers every American who is not Muslim to be an Infidel. Maybe that explains the arrogance and complete disregard for this country and its constitution. Why hasn’t he or the Muslim Brotherhood stood up to the pedophiles of ISIS? Could it be their prophet Muhammad has been accused of being a pedophile?

Let’s talk about this religion of peace when it comes to women. Quran 4:34 states that you can beat your slaves and beat your wife. I don’t think Obama could handle that one because my bet would be on Michelle. Pay Per View would pay good money to see that ass whooping. One of the many disturbing things about the Quran is 65:4, which states you can rape, marry, and divorce pre-pubescent girls. If Obama is in love with the Quran does this mean he doesn’t have a problem with the pedophiles of his faith? There is no need in trying to get an honest answer because the Quran 16:106 has instructed him to lie to promote Islam. Quran 9:111 instructs him and every Muslim to kill non-Muslims to receive their 72 virgins in Hell. Did the hijackers of 9-11 pick this date because of the numbers to that verse? You better remove this traitor from office before they settle on another date inspired by the Quran. God bless each and everyone of you, and may He forever bless His World… Semper Fi, Shep

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OC: Traffic Alert For Tuesday And Wednesday

Please be advised, the Maryland State Highway Administration will be completing emergency repair work to the fencing...

Posted by Town of Ocean City on Monday, July 20, 2015

SWAT-LIKE TEAMS TO INVADE HOMES OF ALLEGED CRIMINALS IF THERE IS A LEGAL GUN OWNER

Welcome to the new America.

SWAT is not only being used in severe situations like a hostage crisis, but the new norm that SWAT-like militarized police are called out used in everyday criminal busts IF THERE IS A LEGAL GUN OWNER INVOLVED.

Firearm permits are now being checked to see if there is a legal gun owner at a residence where cops need to arrest analleged criminal. Because it’s all about providing the maximum protection of law enforcement, even at the cost of Constitutional rights.

A raid by 9 militarized cops was carried out on a house in Des Moines, Iowa on an alleged credit card fraud criminal. Evidently it takes many highly outfitted cops to bust someone who might have charged things on a stolen credit card.

The reason given for checking on the firearms permit and the overuse of force was, of course, for officer protection. So…we need to have our rights infringed upon to protect the the police, who look and act like an invading military force.

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MSP Press Release 7-20-15

Caregiver Arrested In Wicomico Woman’s Death July 20, 2015

(FRUITLAND, MD) – Maryland State Police have arrested and charged a Wicomico County woman, in connection with the death of a woman whom she was caring for, late Saturday afternoon.

The suspect is identified as Becky A. Long, 44, of the 200-block of Morris Street., Fruitland, Md. After consultation with the Wicomico County State’s Attorney’s Office, Maryland State Police investigators have charged Long with second degree murder, first degree assault, second degree assault, reckless endangerment, manslaughter, first degree abuse of vulnerable adult and second degree abuse of a vulnerable adult. She is currently being held at the Wicomico County Detention Center on a one million dollar bond.

The victim is identified as Mary E. Bonniwell, 56, of the same address. Bonniwell’s death was ruled a homicide after an autopsy was completed by members of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland on July 17, 2015.

In the early morning hours on Thursday, July 16, 2015, the Fruitland Police Department received a call from someone who reported an unattended death. After arriving on scene, officers summoned the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit to assume the lead on the investigation because the death appeared suspicious. Investigators with the assistance of members of the Wicomico Bureau of Investigation secured the scene.

The preliminary investigation indicates Long and Bonniwell lived at the same residence. Long was the caregiver Bonniwell for over a year. The autopsy indicated multiple injuries causing the death to be ruled a homicide.

State Police investigators executed several search warrant and interviewed others in the residence. Based on the findings and after consulting with the Wicomico States Attorney’s office, chargers were placed against Becky Long. She was arrested without incident.

Crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Division responded to collect items of evidential value. This investigation is ongoing as detectives continue to review evidence and obtain test results.

Banking, as we know it, will not exist in 10 years

When I first came to Burma (Myanmar) several years ago, there was scarcely an ATM to be found anywhere.

It was primitive. And frustrating.

After all, most people coming from the West tend to think their banking system is robust and highly advanced.

And that’s true to a degree. Internet banking and ATMs are certainly nice modern conveniences.

But if we go back in time and look at traditional banking as far back as the Middle Ages, there’s actually very little about the industry that has changed.

It’s all still quite primitive.

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Just For The Record


Why Israel Is Going To Bomb Iran

Thanks to Barack Obama, it is only a matter of time before Israel feels forced to conduct a massive military strike against Iran’s nuclear program

When that happens, Iran will strike back, and hundreds if not thousands of missiles will rain down on Israel. This exchange will likely spark a major regional war in the Middle East, and that could end up plunging the entire planet into chaos. If Barack Obama was attempting to prevent such a scenario from playing out, he failed miserably. Personally, I think that the deal that was just made with Iran is absolutely horrible. Perhaps you disagree. Perhaps you believe that it is the greatest piece of diplomacy of all time. But it doesn’t really matter what any of us think. If this deal was going to work, it had to be strong enough to convince Israel that Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons has been completely stopped. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sworn that he will never, ever let Iran get a nuclear weapon, and he has pledged to use military force if necessary. So what Barack Obama needed was a deal that would calm Israeli nerves while satisfying the Iranians at the same time. Such a deal may have theoretically been impossible, but that is what it was going to take to prevent war. Instead, Obama has made a deal which has utterly horrified the Israeli government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even called it “a license to kill“. So now the odds that war will happen have gone way up, but Barack Obama is too busy congratulating himself to notice.

And it isn’t just the Israeli government that has responded very negatively to this deal.

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Moments Ago In Salisbury


Cardin, Mikulski Laud $9 Million in Federal Funding to Construct Living Shorelines, Increase Resiliency to Storms on Smith Island

BALTIMORE - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Barbra A. Mikulski (both D-Md.) today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has awarded $9 million in funding to build 20,950 feet of living shorelines at Fog Point in the Glenn Martin National Wildlife Refuge on Smith Island, Md.

“The Chesapeake Bay is Maryland’s greatest natural treasure. In order to preserve the bay and all it contributes to the region, we must employ a multitude of techniques, including the creation of more living shorelines,” said Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “During Super Storm Sandy, we saw the difference that living shorelines versus anemic ones can have in preventing storm surge and other damage. These federal funds are critically important to restoring bay ecosystems and protecting Smith Island’s future.”

“Super Storm Sandy was one of the most destructive storms to ever hit the United States and had a measurable impact on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the surrounding rivers and wetlands that act as natural storm buffers. These rivers and wetlands now need to be rehabilitated to help protect Marylanders during future storm events,” Senator Mikulskisaid. “The Chesapeake Bay is an integral part of who we are as Marylanders - our heritage, our economy and our culture. These funds in the federal checkbook will help Glenn Martin National Wildlife Refuge recover from the devastation of Sandy and help promote a healthy environment that will promote resiliency to future storms.”

Governments Worldwide Will Crash the First Week of October … According to 2 Financial Forecasters

Two well-known financial forecasters claim that virtually all governments worldwide will be hit with a gigantic economic crisis in the first week of October 2015

Two well-known financial forecasters claim that virtually all governments worldwide will be hit with a gigantic economic crisis in the first week of October 2015.

Martin Armstrong is a controversial market analyst who correctly predicted the 1987 crash, the top of the Japanese market, and many other market events … more or less to the day. Many market timers think that Armstrong is one of the very best.

(On the other hand, he was jailed for 11 years on allegations of contempt, fraud and an alleged Ponzi scheme. Armstrong’s supporters say the government jailed him on trumped-up charges as a way to try to pressure him into handing over his forecasting program).

Armstrong has predicted for years that governments worldwide would melt down in a crisis of insolvency and lack of trust starting this October. Specifically, Armstrong predicts that a major cycle will turn onOctober 1, 2015, shifting investors’ trust from the public sector and governments to the private sector.

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Beautiful Rainbow After The Storm Today In Ocean City

The post-storm rainbow courtesy of the Riptide Poolbar on the Boardwalk

Posted by The Dispatch on Monday, July 20, 2015

MSP DUI Press Release 7-13-15 Thru 7-19-15 (Berlin Barrack)


1st FAA Approved Drone Delivery in US is Successful

We're still quite a ways away before an unmanned drone will be allowed to deliver your Amazon packages.

A medicine-delivering drone from Flirteycompleted the first-ever FAA-approved package delivery on Friday, bring supplies to a rural hospital in southwest Virginia. Said trip normally takes 90 minutes of driving (on winding roads) to ferry supplies from an Oakwood, VA-based staging area to the Remote Area Clinic in Wise County, VA.

In this case, two aircraft were used instead. A larger aircraft basically piloted from the ground (though using a real-life pilot for takeoffs and landings) took the medical supplies on a 20-minute flight from the staging area to Lonesome Pines Airport in Wise County, VA. From there, a smaller drone was going to make six separate flights to get the supplies from this secondary staging area to the clinic—a three-minute trip (plus whatever time it took took to load and unload said drone's payload).

The multi-step, multi-aircraft journey does feel a bit less impressive if you were assuming that a drone automatically carried and dropped supplies across a 35-mile distance. Unfortunately, that just wouldn't work due to the battery life required for the trip. (Perhaps someday, just not today.)

However, the drone's first two (shorter) flights were so successful that organizers decided to just go ahead and cram four additional flights' worth of supplies onto a single load and deliver that in one go—saving even more time than expected.

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OCPD Needs Help Identifying These Subjects

Do you recognize anyone in these photos? Officers would like to speak with them regarding a recent theft that occurred...

Posted by Ocean City Police Department on Monday, July 20, 2015

DC & Baltimore Top Worst Cities List For Drivers

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — They’re the worst cities for drivers. We’re talking about DC and Baltimore—both topping the top 10 list.

Tracey Leong explains why.

WalletHub looked at 100 cities across the country, taking things like costs of owning a car to commuting into consideration.

The average American spends 240 hours a year behind the wheel.

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Oh Lord,


WCSO Press Release 7-20-15

Incident: Attempted Burglary

Date of Incident: 17 July 2015

Location: 10000 block of Riverton Road, Mardela Springs, MD

Suspect: 1. Warren Christopher Parker, 30, Mardela Springs, MD
              2. Jamie Lawrence Ruark, 29, Salisbury, MD
                               
Narrative: On 17 July 2015 a deputy arrested Warren Parker and Jamie Ruark in connection with an attempted residential burglary in the 10000 block of Riverton Road in Mardela Springs. The deputy responded on 27 June 2015 for an alarm at the residence and upon arrival observed pry marks on the front door and an open window. It was believed at the time that the activation of the alarm scared the would-be burglars away.  During the subsequent investigation, surveillance images from the property were obtained that allowed the deputy to identify both Warren Parker and Jamie Ruark after the images were shared on the Wicomico Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Upon arrest, both Parker and Ruark were transported to the Central Booking Unit where they were processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following their initial appearances, both were detained on bond in the Detention Center.

Warren Parker: bond of $6,000.00
Jamie Ruark: bond of $10,000.00

Charges: Attempted Burglary 4th Degree and Malicious Destruction of Property




Incident: Animal Cruelty

Date of Incident: 17 July 2015

Location: 29000 block of Waller Road, Delmar, MD

Suspect: Ceba Madraid Horsey, 38, Laurel, DE
                               
Narrative: On 17 July 2015 a deputy arrested Ceba Horsey at the conclusion of an investigation into an act of animal cruelty. On 9 July 2015 a deputy responded to a property in the 29000 block of Waller Road that is used for boarding horses. The deputy was called there for the report of an injured horse that was lying in tall grass away from the horse boarding area. Investigation revealed that a horse owned by Ceba Horsey of Laurel, DE had recently suffered a broken leg and that Horsey had taken the horse from the stable the previous day. Horsey reportedly told others on the property that he was going to euthanize his horse with an injection. The investigating deputy observed evidence that someone had attempted to inject the horse after observing the horse’s neck and used syringes on the ground. The horse was still alive and in obvious pain while the deputy was there. Afterc onsultation with Animal Control and a veterinarian, the deputy euthanized the horse.

The deputy applied for and obtained a warrant for the arrest of Horsey for Animal Cruelty. Upon arrest, the deputy transported Horsey to the Central Booking Unitwhere he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Horsey in the Detention Center in lieu of $5,000.00 bond.

Charges: Aggravated Animal Cruelty, Animal Cruelty, Animal Cruelty: Cause Pain/Suffering and Animal Cruelty: Failure to Provide Veterinary Care





Incident: Burglary / Assault

Date of Incident: 19 July 2015

Location: 22000 block of Royal Oak Road, Quantico, MD

Suspect: Thomas Sylvester Williams, 53, Salisbury, MD
                               
Narrative: On 19 July 2015 a deputy arrested Thomas Williams in connection with an incident that occurred in the22000 block of Royal Oak Road in Quantico. In this incident, Williams stands accused of entering his estranged wife’s residence through a window without permission. Once inside the house, Williams reportedly grabbed his wife and began dragging her through the residence. Williams was gone upon the arrival of the deputy but was soon located walking nearby and was taken into custody.

The deputy transported Williams to the Detention Center where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance,Williams was detained on a bond of $50,000.00 in the Detention Center.

Charges: Burglary 3rdDegree, Burglary 4th Degree, and Assault 2nd Degree




Incident: Motor Vehicle Theft

Date of Incident: 19 July 2015

Location: 27000 block of Edgewood Circle, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Justin Thomas Jones, 20,Salisbury, MD
                               
Narrative: On 19 July 2015 a deputy arrested Justin Jones for theft of a motor vehicle. The deputy met with asubject who reported his 2010 Kia minivan stolen from his residence. The victim in this case suspected that a subject who resided at the same location, Justin Jones, was responsible for taking the vehicle. That suspicion was corroborated when reports surfaced that Jones was observed driving the vehicle around Salisbury in the immediate aftermath of the theft.

Following his arrest, Jones was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After aninitial appearance, the Commissioner released Jones on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Motor Vehicle Theft and Theft $1,000.00 to $10,000.00




Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Date of Incident: 19 July 2015

Location: Carroll Street at South Salisbury Boulevard, Salisbury,MD

Suspect: Martel Kiheen Bailey, 23, Salisbury, MD
                                 
Narrative: On 19 July 2015 at 12:13AM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Martel Bailey after observing that Bailey did not stop for a red signal at the intersection of Carroll Street and South Salisbury Boulevard, narrowly missing a collision with another vehicle.The deputy detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Bailey along with physical indicators that suggested that Bailey was under the influence of alcohol. Following the administration of sobriety tests, the deputy placed Bailey under arrest for DUI.

During subsequent processing Bailey refused to submit to a breath test.

Baileywas released upon the issuance of citations.

Charges: Driving Under theInfluence of Alcohol




Incident: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol

Date of Incident: 17 July 2015

Location: Rt. 50 Business at Booth Street, Salisbury, MD

Suspect: Janice P. Coleman, 51, UpperDarby, PA
                               
Narrative: On 17 July 2015 at 11:47PM a deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Janice Coleman after she pulled out from Booth Street onto Rt. 50 Business and narrowly missed striking the deputy’s patrol vehicle. The deputy also observed that Coleman was unable to keep the vehicle steady while driving on Rt. 50. Upon making contact with Coleman the deputy detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage. The odor, along with observed physical indicators prompted the deputy to initiate sobriety testing. Following the testing, the deputy placed Coleman under arrest for DUI.

During subsequent processing Coleman provided a breath sample that measured .08.

Coleman was released upon the issuance of citations.

Charges: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol
==========================================================

Releasing Authority: Lt. Tim Robinson       Date:  20 July 2015

The Murrays - "Shut Up and Dance" Parody - Walk the Moon



We had seen a couple of parody announcements floating around and talked about how fun it would be to make one if we ever had a fourth. Jon has parodied pop songs before and regularly makes parody music videos for our church where he works as a videographer. You can see how this is right up his alley! When we found out Jon's brother Aaron and his wife, Liz, were also pregnant - all four of us knew we wanted to do a video together to announce it to our family and friends; especially since our due dates are so close together!
We knew we wanted the video to be upbeat, positive and really fun. There's a weird stigma attached to having more than two children these days, especially when you have multiple of the same gender. I've had our child's pediatrician ask me if I wanted information on birth control options during a well baby check (without ever implying that we were done having kids) and when I told the optometrist that I was pregnant with baby number four he actually replied "I'm sorry". It caught me off guard for a minute before I responded with "we aren't!" So I think for us especially, it was important to portray that babies are a joy and your first, second, or fourth.. they are each worth singing and dancing about! All four of us feel so deeply blessed to be able to be adding two more babies to our family to love and to raise. We are also thankful that they will all have each other to grow up with and stand by through life. We had so much fun making this video with Aaron and Liz and we all really hope it inspires people to share joy and to see large families in a positive light.

SPD Press Release 7-20-15 (Shoplifting)

Idiot Pushes Customer Aside to Rob Store at Knife Point


Pro tip – When making plans to rob a store using a knife, be certain that the guy you shove past in line doesn’t have military training.

A firefighter and former Marine came to the aid of a Texas convenience store clerk who was being robbed at knife-point, using his years of military and fire training to take down the would-be criminal with his bare hands.

The man had brazenly pushed Daniel Gaskey aside, demanding money from the clerk while brandishing a knife.

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2 suspects identified and apprehended the same day

These 2 suspects were identified and apprehended the same day we made the initial post. Thanks for all the SHARES and LIKES!!

Posted by Wicomico County Sheriff's Office on Monday, July 20, 2015

Black Privilege?


Salisbury Fire Department Open House


Dick Morris: Walker's 'Impressive' State Record Puts Him on Top

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker accomplished "an extraordinary act of political leadership" in beating back the unions in his home state — and he's the only candidate running for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination with "incredibly impressive accomplishments," political strategist Dick Morris told Newsmax TV on Friday.

"Not just positions, but accomplishments — and that's very important," Morris, who served in the Clinton White House, told "The Hard Line" host Ed Berliner.

"The defect that Walker has is that he's not used to the national stage," he added. "The difference between a senator and a governor when they run is that a senator has to answer anything, any question anybody asks, whereas a governor can formulate the agenda and stick with it.

"Particularly as the Iran deal and other things move the focus more toward foreign policy, we need to see if Walker can keep abreast in that."

More here

Disciplinary Threat Scares DHS

Facing the possibility of disciplinary action, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson decided now’s a good time to comply with Rule of Law.

Writing at National Review, Hans von Spakovsky reports that Johnson “has finally taken action to reverse the three-year work authorizations his department issued unlawfully to 2,500 illegal aliens.”

Federal Judge Andrew Hanen issued an injunction temporarily banning the procedure in February and reaffirmed that ruling in April. But Obama’s aristocrats decided to grant thousands of illegal immigrants amnesty anyway, giving Judge Hanen no other choice but to order them to court.

He insisted, “Each individual Defendant must attend and be prepared to show why he or she should not be held in contempt of Court.”

That evidently rattled Johnson, promoting him to hastily reverse course.

More here

Report: Obama Setting Up Secret 'Racial Database'

The Obama administration is collecting vast amounts of personal data on Americans by race to create a huge database for the goal of "racial and economic justice," according to a report by a fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

The data includes information that would document disparities between minorities and whites in such areas as healthcare, education, financial lending, and neighborhood quality, said Paul Sperry in a report for The New York Post.

Calling it "an Orwellian-style stockpile of statistics," Sperry said the data would fuel a "permanent network of discrimination databases" that could be used by civil-rights lawyers and other advocates "to make 'disparate-impact' cases" against school systems, banks, and employers.

President Barack Obama's goal is to have the database ready before he leaves office in early 2017 — and all the information would be posted online.

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Iran Hostage's Wife: Iran Deal Without Release a 'Hard Blow'

The U.S. decision to ink a nuclear arms deal with Iran without making the release of four Americans imprisoned by the Middle East Nation a condition of the pact is a "hard blow," says Naghmeh Abedini, the wife of Pastor Saeed Abedini, who's been locked away since July 2012.

"We're a family that's torn apart. My daughter was 5 when she [last] saw her dad and she will be 9 in a few months. It's been a pain we have carried with us every single day and I was hoping that the pain would be over and it's not," Naghmeh said Friday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

"It was a hard blow for me and my family, but I just have to get back up again and continue to fight for my husband's release."

Naghmeh has been working tirelessly to try to convince the Obama administration not to negotiate with Iran without the release of her husband and the other three prisoners, and even met with President Barack Obama to air her concerns.

"I don't think the president is not concerned, he does care about the prisoners, but the nuclear deal had a higher priority and unfortunately that meant my husband's issue had to be pushed on the sidelines and not as much of a priority," she told Steve Malzberg.

"I think even before we sat down with the Iranian government as the United States of America we should have said, release the Americans you're holding hostage and then we will talk."

More here

Maryland Medicaid Expansion Much Higher Than Forecast

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland is one of more than a dozen states where new Medicaid enrollees under President Barack Obama’s health care law have surpassed initial projects, though state analysts say Maryland is actually spending less on its Medicaid population because federal health care reform is covering 100,000 people who used to get health care paid entirely by the state.

The projected newly eligible enrollment for fiscal year 2015 initially was 164,724 in Maryland. The initial estimated cost was about $31 million for fiscal year 2017, when states begin paying their share.

The actual enrollment for fiscal year 2015 ended up being about 220,442, with an estimated cost of about $54 million in fiscal year 2017. Maryland is currently in the process of setting rates for managed care organizations for calendar 2016, so the projected $54 million cost could change again later this year.

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Prelutsky: Unburdening My Mind

In a way, I envy those pundits who write once a week about a single issue and are satisfied with themselves. I write three or four times a week, cover multiple topics every time out, and I still feel I’m falling behind.

For instance, I don’t feel strongly one way or another about the Confederate flag. I understand why good people would have strong feelings on both sides of the controversy. On the other hand, I don’t share the belief of most people that Abraham Lincoln was a great president or a great human being. As he made clear, he wasn’t waging a war to eliminate slavery, but to preserve the Union. Would it have mattered if the Union hadn’t survived? I don’t think so. What would have been so terrible about there being two separate nations? When it served their mutual interests, as with trade or waging war against a common foe, they could have easily worked together, just as we do with Canada.

The South would have soon enough eliminated slavery because, one, it would have become economically unsound and, two, their trading partners would have forced the issue.

I sincerely believe that the reason for Lincoln’s enduring popularity was the result of his being named Abraham and resembling a biblical prophet and having a gift for high-sounding oratory. Otherwise, the world would have looked at the 700,000 young dead Americans and, instead of Honest Abe, we would more appropriately refer to him as Bloody Abe.

Although he has come to be regarded as a poor country lawyer, he was in fact a highly successful attorney whose fees were often paid by railroad magnates.

More here

Patrice Lewis: The Doctrine of Hurt Feelings

“Ableism,” announced our 17-year-old daughter one afternoon, ticking off her fingers. “Chauvinism. Sizeism. Sexism. Classism. Racism. Genderism. Ageism. … Why does everything have to be an ‘ism’? Why does everyone have to be a victim?” 

In this brave new world our young adult daughters are entering, one of the most pernicious human failings they will face is the victimhood mentality, sometimes called “the doctrine of hurt feelings.” 

These days, everyone wants to be a victim. If you’re not truly a victim of something, American society will now help by creating an “ism” tailor-made for you out of thin air. Nothing is your fault. It’s our fault for having a bias against your (pick one) age / gender / orientation / weight / skin tone / religion / nation of origin / employment / income / opinions / um, handedness, um … did I miss anything?

One reader even accused me of “bullying” him – I kid you not – because I didn’t respond to his highly offensive emails insulting my husband and children. So now he’s a “victim” of bullying. See how this works? 

And, of course, when someone has the cajones to call out someone’s “victimhood” status, they’re promptly labeled racist, judgmental, sexist, hater, intolerant and other colorful epithets. 

What’s behind this tendency to divide people into finer and finer sub-groups? Doesn’t anyone remember the motto on America’s Great Seal – E pluribus unum (“Out of many, one”)? 

Google’s Self-Driving Car Involved In Collision Resulting In Injuries For First Time

Google’s self-driving prototypes have been tooling around on real roads for some time now, and like cars that are driven by people, they’ve had a few bumps and traffic incidents, but no one has gotten hurt. That’s all changed now, as the company reports one of its driverless vehicles has been involved in an accident that involved injuries for the first time.

The collision happened near Google’s home in Mountain View, CA, where 20 of its self-driving prototypes have been cruising around recently. In this case, the company’s Lexus SUV bearing sensors and cameras was hit from the back, Chris Urmson, head of Google’s self-driving car program,wrote in a blog post on Thursday, and three Google employees riding inside to monitor the test car complained of minor whiplash as a result.

They were checked out at a hospital and later cleared to go back to work after the July 1 collision, Google says, while the driver of the other car also complained of neck and back pain.

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A Viewer Writes: Last night and the Civil War (a highly recommended read)

A Memorable Evening 7/19/2015

By Gary Bullard

After a truly wonderful night of debate with friends over beers last night, I have been reflecting on the discussions and what subjects were and were not brought up during and after my proclamation In front of a mixed crowd that I had a red with a blue “X” Rebel Flag on its way to me in the mail.

A shot was immediately fired across my bow, and the discussion was on!

Being from Springfield, Illinois, “Land of Lincoln” I knew Honest Abe was one of our presidents that was held in this great nation as being really noteworthy and in the top 5 as presidents go, and had done a speech called the “Emancipation Proclamation” making slaves free, but what day and year and never sparked a Civil War play by play study for me. All I knew was that there was no longer a thing called slavery, and that was just fine with me because I had black friends and wouldn’t know how to “place” them other than in my group of friends. I was aware of MLK and a lot of tensions in big cities, but that never happened around my town that I knew of. I had an Uncle Bill that did the civil war re-enactment thing with his buddies, but wasn’t interested in that, either, and to this day have no Idea which uniform he wore during his costume parties. I think he just liked muzzleloaders and flintlocks.

I have also noticed during my busy life that there was a large group of people from all over the US claiming to be “Southerners”’ waving a red flag with a starry blue “X” on it chanting “The South’s gonna do it again” with Charlie Daniels and Lynyrd Skynrd or however you spell it. Do what? Whatever, I have to work in the morning, and no, I had no desire to buy and fly an “X” flag. And, yes, I like “Free Bird” and the CDB because I love my music and my Freedoms!

So, why did I go out and buy a flag? Well, first, they had all been wiped from the internet. Amazon, Ebay, all the biggies, one flag. Period. Nothing else! Buying a rare item is always a good idea. Secondly, NEVER tell me what I cannot do. N-E-V-E-R! I will simply say, “Watch this…”. And third, last I looked, I was a free man, and I can buy anything anybody has for sale and display it as Freedom of Speech no matter what your interpretation of it is! So, that explains that, which then begs the next discussion…