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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Why Whole Foods Wants A Slower-Growing Chicken

A century ago, your typical chicken was really kind of scrawny. It took about four months to grow to a weight of 3 pounds. One result: Americans really didn't eat much chicken.

Today, the typical broiler, or meat chicken, turns feed into meat at a mind-boggling pace. Compared to the bird of yesteryear, it grows to twice the size in half the time. But some animal welfare advocates want the poultry industry to turn back the clock. Modern meat chickens are growing so fast, they say, that they are suffering.

William Muir, a poultry geneticist at Purdue University, says this transformation was mainly a triumph of chicken breeding. "This is what genetics does. We can actually make more from less," he says — more chicken meat from less feed, in less time.

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North Carolina Attorney General Will Not Defend Anti-LGBT Law In Court

A week after North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed into law a piece of legislation that overrides and prevents local governments from establishing anti-discrimination rules against gay and transgender people, the state’s Attorney General Roy Cooper has called the law a “national embarrassment” that he won’t defend in court. 

Charlie Daniels To Be Inducted Into Country Music Hall of Fame

(CNSNews.com) -- The Country Music Association (CMA) announced today that the legendary Charlie Daniels will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year, along with fellow inductees Fred Foster and Randy Travis.

Charlie Daniels, who started his professional music career in 1954, is being inducted into the Veteran's Era category, according to the CMA.

The event will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the CMA Theater in Nashville, Tenn. During the Medallion Ceremony, "friends and colleagues pay tribute to each inductee through words and song," said the CMA.

Also, "bronze plaques honoring each inductee are unveiled, to be displayed later in the museum's Rotunda," said the CMA.

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It's Little Mystery Why So Many College Students Are Illiterate

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni publishes occasional reports on what college students know.

Nearly 10 percent of the college graduates surveyed thought Judith Sheindlin, TV's "Judge Judy," is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Less than 20 percent of the college graduates knew the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation. More than a quarter of the college graduates did not know Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during World War II; one-third did not know he was the president who spearheaded the New Deal. But it is little mystery why so many college students are illiterate, innumerate and resistant to understanding. Let's look at it.

Student activists at Brown University complained of emotional stress and poor grades after they spent months of protesting for various causes. They blamed the university for insisting that they complete their coursework. One of the objects of their protest was an op-ed in The Brown Daily Herald, the university newspaper, that was deemed racist because it defended the celebration of Columbus Day. Brown University's faculty recently took care of that and renamed Columbus Day "Indigenous People's Day."

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The Truth About the Michelle Fields 'Assault'

Tea Party Founder: An Open Letter to Ted Cruz

I have been fighting for conservative values since 1976 and have been involved as a volunteer in over 40 political campaigns. I have had the honor to have served as a delegate twice to the Republican National Convention.

I am also one of the co-founders of the national tea party movement that began in 2009 and, in addition, I have served on the Tea Party Patriots Board of Directors since October of 2009.

During the almost 40 years I have been involved with the political process, I have had to endure insults from the left and the Republican elitists calling activists like me stupid or, in recent history, “low information” voters.

I have learned to ignore the disparaging attacks from the elitists on both sides of the political spectrum that worked to oppose conservative ideology. I have volunteered countless hours to the conservative cause and to my country because I am true believer in conservatism.

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Richmond Greyhound shooting: Trooper, suspect dead; 2 people wounded

RICHMOND, Va. -- A Virginia State trooper who was shot when a suspect opened fire at a Greyhound bus station in Richmond Thursday afternoon has died, according to Virginia State Police.

Virginia State Police Superintendent W. Steven Flaherty confirms Trooper Chad Dermyer was killed as a result of multiple gunshot wounds from the suspect in Thursdays Greyhound Bus Station shooting. Dermyer is survived by his wife and two kids.

The former Marine is from Jackson, Michigan and was assigned to the Hampton/Newport News area.

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ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTERS ARRESTED AFTER OCCUPYING JANESVILLE HOLIDAY INN

JANESVILLE — Six protesters were arrested and could face trespassing, disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer charges after dozens initially entered the Holiday Inn Express on Monday evening as part of an anti-Donald Trump protest.

Janesville Police Sgt. Mike Blaser said police gave the protesters several opportunities to move out of the building without being arrested but they refused.

“I think tonight is just an indication in a smaller scale of what we might see tomorrow,” Blaser said. “We’ve been planning for several days and we will have assets on the ground to help us manage whatever size crowd we do get here tomorrow.”

Trump is scheduled to speak at the Holiday Inn at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

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Saudi Judiciary Demands Capital Punishment to Curb Homosexuality

JAFFA, Israel – The Saudi judiciary has demanded stricter punishments, including death sentences, against homosexuals who display their sexuality in public and on social media, Okaz newspaper reported.

According to the paper, over the last six months the Saudi judiciary reviewed 35 cases of homosexuality and what it calls sexual perversion as well as 50 cases of cross-dressers.

The judiciary said that social media has ushered in a sharp rise in “perverts” displaying their “sins and obscenities,” which pose a danger to the country’s social fabric.

Saudi authorities have stepped up enforcement against homosexuality and “men’s attempts to look like women.”

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Man Claiming to Be Son of William Shatner Sues For $170M

A radio host and insurance salesman is suing William Shatner for $170 million because he says the actor won't admit to being his father.

Peter Sloan, whose website describes him as "your source for Insurance and Annuities from America's leading companies," filed the suit in Florida and is demanding that Shatner submit a DNA test, Fox News reports.

Sloan said Shatner told him in 1984 on the set of "T.J. Hooker" he was his father, but a week later the actor's representative called him and said he was mistaken.

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Newspapers Gobble Each Other Up to Survive Digital Apocalypse

Newspapers have settled on a strategy to stop withering away: feast on each other for survival.

For the owners of big-city dailies like the Chicago Tribune and Denver Post, buying smaller publications and slashing costs has become a way to buy time while figuring out how to make more money online. That was the logic behind the recent failed attempt by Tribune Publishing Co., owner of the Los Angeles Times, to buy two Southern California newspapers.

Last year, the industry saw the most deals for the largest amount of money since the 2008 financial crisis, with 70 daily newspapers being sold for a combined $827 million, according to mergers-and-acquisitions adviser Dirks, Van Essen & Murray. Gannett Co. bought 15 dailies, including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Tribune snapped up the San Diego Union-Tribune; and Warren Buffett’s newspaper chain acquired the Free Lance–Star in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Even after last year’s surge of activity, more deals may be coming. The pressure to combine is only expected to grow because several media companies have spun off their lucrative TV stations, leaving newspapers to fend for themselves. In the past few years, Tribune, Gannett and News Corp. have been decoupled from their broadcast and TV operations.

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BIKERS FOR TRUMP ROLL INTO WISCONSIN!

Bikers for Trump rolled in to Wisconsin and upset some anti-Trump protestors that think the first amendment isn’t for all citizens. They heard the ROLLING THUNDER coming from afar and dang….their shouts just weren’t loud enough to earn their George Soro’s cash for the day!

Bikers for Trump announced on their Facebook page that “Patriotic Bikers, from all across the United States are planning to show up at ALL future TRUMP rallies to make sure that any paid agitator protesters don’t take away Mr. Trump’s right to speak.

“Or interfere with the rights of Trump supporters to safely attend. WE SHALL NOT BE SILENCED!”

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Feds Pushing $2.5 Billion Wind 'Power Line' Whether States Want It or Not

A $2.5-billion transmission line carrying wind power to the U.S. Southeast is coming -- whether state regulators there like it or not.

On Friday, the U.S. Energy Department used a decade-old statute to clear Clean Line Energy Partners LLC’s 705-mile (1,134-kilometer) power line for construction over any objections from the states involved.

The Energy Department’s approval of the line, proposed to carry 4,000 megawatts of power from the wind-rich Oklahoma panhandle through Arkansas and into Tennessee, marks the first time the 2005 statute has been used to bypass state approval and push through an interstate transmission project.

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80% of O.Care Plans are ineligible for this Tax Break

The high-deductible health plan and the health-savings account: we tend to think of them as the peanut butter and jelly of consumer-driven health care. Yet the two aren't in fact inseparable, causing many consumers in high-deductible plans to miss out on possible tax savings, according to a recent study.

A study early this year from ValuePenguin, a financial education website, found that only 19% of health plans on the federal Obamacare marketplace were eligible for health savings accounts (HSAs), even though the vast majority of them had high deductibles. HSAs help ease the financial burden of high-deductible plans by allowing workers to sock away pretax money to pay for qualifying medical expenses before their deductible is reached and the health plan’s coverage kicks in. When a marketplace health plan is eligible for an HSA, the consumer in that plan would have to go to a nearby bank or other financial institution to open his own account — an extra step, for sure, but one that can reap rewards down the line.

Since HSAs are portable and never expire, tax-free funds can be withdrawn for eligible medical expenses now or in retirement. “They are really advantageous,” said Jay Savan, a partner at Mercer, a consulting firm in Atlanta.

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Vanilla Shortage may Balloon Ice Cream Prices

If you take a licking on the price of an ice cream cone this summer, the cause might be due to a spike in the cost of vanilla beans, which are in short supply.

Many ice-cream fans might take vanilla for granted, but the beans are actually bold aromatics that are becoming increasingly popular amid the clamor for companies to put more natural flavors in food.

But supply isn't keeping up with demand. Madagascar, the African island nation that's one of the world's leading vanilla-bean producers, experienced a poor harvest in the past year, according to reports from Bloomberg News and The Guardian.

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Canada 's Top Ten List of America 's Stupidity!

Canada's Version of David Letterman's Top 10. Just makes you want to shake your head in disbelief, and, just maybe choke someone in charge.

# 10 Only in America... Could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 per plate Obama campaign fund-raising event.

#  09 Only in America... Could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General and roughly 20% of the federal workforce is black while only 14% of the population is black, 40+% of all federal entitlements goes to black Americans - 3X the rate that go to whites, 5X the rate that go to Hispanics!

# 08 Only in America... Could they have had the two people most responsible for the tax code, TimothyGeithner (the head of the Treasury Department) and Charles Rangel (who once ran the Ways and Means Committee), BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

# 07 Only in America... Can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

# 06 Only in America... Would they make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege, while they discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' become American citizens. (Probablyshould be number one!!!)

# 05 Only in America... Could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country'sConstitution be called EXTREMISTS.

# 04 Only in America... Could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

# 03 Only in America... Could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. Oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).

# 02 Only in America... Could you collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year - for total spending of $7 Million PERMINUTE, and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.

 # 01 Only in America.... Could the rich people - who pay 86% of all income taxes - be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all.

GOP Rep.: GOP Leadership Failed to Negotiate Syrian Refugee Screening in Omnibus Bill

President Obama is intent on admitting thousands of refugees from terrorist hotspots to the U.S. but House Republicans failed to negotiate screening protections for the influx in last year’s omnibus spending bill, according to Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX).

“They promised me that they were going to have it in there and that they would fight for it and when it didn’t get in there I asked them, they said it was a non-starter with the Democrats,” Babin told Stephen K. Bannon on Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Daily. “There was no negotiation with the Democrats what-so-ever that would wound up with that in there they told me.”

Babin added that while last year the effort to use funding measures to force the Obama administration to increase its screening protocol for refugees from Syria and other areas of concern failed, he is optimistic about a renewed effort this year.

“I’ve got high hopes that we’re going to see some action here. I was very disappointed it didn’t happen in December with the omnibus and none of the language got in there at that point but this time I’m hoping that it does happen,” he said.

Last week Babin and more than 50 Republican House members called on appropriators to include language from the House-passed House-passed American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act (SAFE Act) in the upcoming, FY 2017 Homeland Security appropriations bill.

More here

Attorney Files Request for Information and Complaint to FEC Regarding Pro-Cruz Super PAC’s $500,000 Donation to Carly Fiorina Super PAC

Donors gave to the Keep the Promise Super PAC, which was created to support Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) campaign for president. However, though they gave believing the Super PAC's mission statement that all funds would be used to aid Cruz in his presidential race, at least $500,000 was given to former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina's Super PAC, Carly for America. Now, an attorney has requested information regarding the half million dollar donation from the Super PAC and filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission.

Attorney Orly Taitz has officially requested information pertaining to the donation and complained to the FEC.

…according to recent FEC filing, $500,000 was given to the campaign of Carly Fiorina. As such, information is hereby requested under 5USC 552 Freedom of Information Act of any and all documentation of actions taken by the FEC against this superPAC and the campaigns of Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina in regards to this misappropriation of funds and fraud of the donors.

If no action was taken, a request is being made herein for investigation and action based on fraudulent diversion of this aforementioned half a million dollars of donations.

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Why Does This Water Tower Anger Atheists?

The city council in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was in a bit of a pickle.

The city was in the middle of a growth spurt and needed high ground to build a one-million gallon water tower.

But the property they needed was owned by the First Baptist Church. So they made a deal with Pastor Nick Garland and the congregation.

“We donated the land and the easements for the tower,” Pastor Garland told me. “In kind, they said they would paint our name on the water tower.”

It was a fair trade – all on the up and up.

But it turns out – a gaggle of perpetually offended atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers from Wisconsin took issue with the deal.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation fired off a sinister letter to the city – warning that the inclusion of the church’s name on the water tower violates federal law.

“At some point that name is going to have to come off the water tower,” attorney Andrew Seidel told television station KTUL. “The water tower is in fact, government owned, and on government land. And as such, it can’t be advertising for any religion.”

Well, the good people of Broken Arrow don’t appreciate a bunch of out-of-town atheists causing trouble. And the city’s attorney politely told the Freedom From Religion Foundation that the church’s name is going to stay on the water tower.

More here

Vetoing Religious Liberty

On Monday, religious liberty took another hit when Georgia Republican Governor Nathan Deal vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature earlier this month. We have long warned that the path to same-sex marriage was a slippery slope because the Rainbow Mafia won’t stop their bullying until they get total acceptance of their way. And it’s made worse when proper protections can’t be put in place.

Deal apparently caved to the pressure of big business and chose to side with economic interests over Liberty and common sense. For a governor who has a reasonably conservative track record, this compromise on the principles of Liberty comes as a double blow. But it also demonstrates how the homosexual lobby along with big businesses that support that agenda won’t even tolerate the mildest form of protection for those who cherish religious freedom.

As the Heritage Foundation’s Ryan Anderson notes, “The Georgia religious freedom bill that Deal vetoed would have safeguarded clergy from having to officiate same-sex weddings, prevented faith-based organizations from being forced to hire someone who publicly undermines their mission, and prohibited the state government from discriminating against churches and their affiliated ministries because they believe marriage is between a man and a woman.”

But he also noted the bill was “the result of a series of compromises that significantly watered down the original version.”

Continued here

How This Gun Store Owner Saved Lives

Many on the left use mass shootings to push for more gun control laws. Some even want to ban guns completely.

But one Ohio sheriff is crediting a gun store owner with preventing a mass shooting at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. John Downs, who owns Downs Bait and Guns, was working the counter in his store when a man came in to buy a gun. Downs was about to sell the gun and even had the customer cleared through a background. But Downs was asking a few questions and after the customer made some statements that Downs thought was suspicious, he refused to sell him the gun.

The customer made some threats towards Downs and left the store. The angry customer, James Howard, came back an hour and a half later. Here’s what happened next according to Fox 28:

Deputies said Howard returned to the store about an hour and a half later, so Downs called 911. "I had some customers in here, put them all in a back room and I locked the door, turned the light out and shut my open sign off."

Sheriff North said they tracked Howard to a nearby Walmart where he was buying "survival gear and an enormous amount of ammunition." North said it tells him that Howard had something sinister in mind,"something that was going to take a lot of lives. Apparently he was frustrated about something that happened at OU in Athens." Howard is a former Ohio University student and hockey player.
Deputies said Howard was purchasing camouflage clothing, gloves, and ammunition when he was arrested without incident at Walmart.

They conducted a search warrant on Howard's car and said they found " a .22 Caliber rifle, multiple receipts, miscellaneous paperwork involving medical and mental health." Authorities said Howard had purchased another weapon at an Athens gun store.

Howard had left Ohio University after shoving an assistant hockey coach earlier in the week. It is unclear what the altercation was about. Deputies had evidence that Howard was trying to plan to escape after an attack.

Howard is still being held in jail, as of writing.

Source: AAN

Are Anti Trump Protesters Being Paid?

Whenever Donald Trump makes a public appearance, protesters are sure to follow. One question that has been asked is whether or not the protesters are professionals. After all, the left does flow street money to activists for electioneering activities.

Donald Trump’s social media manager, Dan Scavino, posted this screenshot on his Twitter account.


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Hillary's Stunning Hypocrisy

Hillary Clinton is afraid of Bernie Sanders. That's the only explanation for her absurd claim that she won't debate the surging socialist "until his tone improves." As we reported yesterday, her squeamishness in the face of a very mild Bernie Sanders could be setting the stage for her eventual refusal to debate GOP frontrunner Donald J. Trump. It's disingenuous and cowardly. And according to the Free Beacon, her newfound aversion to debate is incredibly hypocritical:

Hillary Clinton said during her first run for the presidency in 2008 that each presidential candidate “should be willing to debate anytime, anywhere,” the Intercept reports.

Clinton, of course, lost that Democratic primary fight to current President Barack Obama. In her second run, she no longer abides by this rule. She reasoned that because the presidency is the toughest job in the world, candidates should be able to handle debates at any time.

Zaid Jilani wrote in the Intercept about the background of this clip.

In late April 2008, Clinton called for a 90 minute, “Lincoln-Douglas”-style debate with Obama. This was after the Democratic candidates had faced each other in 26 debates — far outnumbering the eight debates that Sanders and Clinton have had this election season.

No surprise here. Hillary fancies herself a progressive, but when the progressive ideals of voter participation and enfranchisement come into play, she's willing to sacrifice for her own good. Make no mistake: The Clintons are, as always, ideologically unmoored. Raw power is all that matters to them.


Source: AAN

Cruz Campaign in Meltdown Mode as Heidi Goes MIA, Lyin’ Ted Fails to Sue or Actually Deny Cheating Rumors

RSBN is doing its best to keep you updated in real time about what certainly seems to be the effective end of the Cruz campaign, as the multiple-mistress scandal continues to linger and fester.

As of this afternoon, March 29, the Cruz campaign appears to be spinning out of control, if not already finished. It may be just a matter of time.

Not that Big Media is particularly doing much to do anything but bury the story. The trumpophobic media of course is relying on Cruz to remain in the race as its last hope of possibly preventing Trump from receiving the 1,237 delegates required for the Republican nomination.

The big news of the last day or so, make no mistake, is that Heidi Cruz has gone MIA. She canceled her New Jersey campaign events that were scheduled this week, including a fundraiser in Morris County scheduled for Wednesday.

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Five Women Who Fell For Trump

Donald Trump held his longest relationship with Ivana Trump, who he was married to from 1977 to 1992. Ivana spent her years with Donald as a leader for a variety of his organizations, including serving as Vice President of Interior Design for the Trump Organization. Ivana is the mother of three of Trump's children, Donald Jr. Trump, Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump. 


Glenn Beck’s Lie Could Blow Up Ted Cruz

Glenn Beck has been one of Ted Cruz’s most high profile surrogates—but Beck’s support could become a little less desirable when he heads to court this summer for allegedly defaming a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing.

One of Ted Cruz’s most prominent supporters could be headed to court soon to defend his Islamophobic falsehoods about a victim of terrorism.

Glenn Beck, the media entrepreneur and purveyor of hundred-dollar gangster vests, has become a fixture on Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign since endorsing him in January 2016 in Ankeny, Iowa.

“I’m taking a very big risk here and gambling on it, but this is how much I believe in Ted Cruz,” he said on the day of his announcement.

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How Rubio and the RNC Plan to Cheat Trump

This is interesting. Marco Rubio is not going to release any of his delegates before the convention. As the Washington Examiner notes:

Marco Rubio is taking steps to ensure that any national convention delegates bound to him remain on his side of the ledger at the outset of Republican National Convention, a move designed to hamstring Donald Trump's attempt to clinch the GOP presidential nomination.

"The decision to suspend my campaign for president of the Untied States is not intended to release any national convention delegates bound to me as a result of the 2016 delegate selection process that took place in your state," Rubio wrote to the Alaska Republican Party in a letter that was also obtained by the Washington Examiner. "It is my desire at this time that the delegates allocated to me by your rules remain bound to vote for me on at least the first nominating ballot at the national convention."

Rubio admitted defeat in the presidential primary fight after losing his home state of Florida on March 15, but the disposition of his delegates could still have a major influence on the outcome of the race. Cruz and Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, are working force a contested convention by preventing Trump from garnering the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination on the first ballot.

Rubio is happy to help in that effort. "Of course, he's no longer a candidate and wants to give voters a chance to stop Trump," Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos said in an email to the Washington Examiner.

As the piece notes, as Rubio retains his delegates, he limits opportunities for those who might support Trump to go over to his side as a free agent. The only conceivable notion for a move like this is to stop the rise of Donald Trump, and prevent him from winning the nomination.

Source: AAN

NY Judge Not Only Swore In Using the Quran, She Turned Courtroom Into Islamic Circus

GO HERE to view video.

Iran Embarrasses Obama

Barack Obama's parade of foreign policy embarrassments keeps marching on. The most unqualified commander in chief in American history went to the negotiating table with Iran- a nation completely inferior militarily to the United States - and gave away the farm, valuing a hollow peace agreement he could sell to his granola crunching, head in the clouds liberal base. Predictably, the mullahs are ignoring it. As the Free Beacon notes:

Iran is covertly expanding an underground network of ballistic missile construction and testing sites, despite new U.S. sanctions aimed at deterring the Islamic Republic’s illicit program, which is believed to be focused on the delivery of a nuclear warhead.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has clandestinely moved to expand a network of front companies that primarily fuel the underground construction of ballistic missiles, according to sources following the country’s procurement system.

Iranian military leaders—who have recently dismissed new U.S. sanctions—are now focused on perfecting intercontinental ballistic missile technology, which would enable Iran to fire a nuclear-tipped warhead over great distances.

Iran maintains the “largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East,” according to U.S. intelligence assessments. The country has recently been moving materials to underground sites via a complex network of IRGC-controlled companies, according to a brief on the procurement activity released by the Foundation For Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance


Tehran’s buildup continues despite United Nations resolutions calling Iran to halt ballistic missile activity. The issue has has emerged as a point of diplomatic conern in recent weeks as the United States attempts to convince nations such as Russia to help crack down on this behavior.

There are arguments for and agaisnt a nuclear deal with Iran. But ideally, an American president dealing with an inferior nation run by prehistoric savages should recognize that he must deal from a position of strength, with a skeptical eye, and the security of the United States of America as his primary concern. Like most liberals, Barack Obama seems completely satisfied to rest on the nobility of his intentions. As a result, we're all less safe.


Source: AAN

Donald Trump: Ted Cruz ‘Bought the Rights’ to Melania’s G.Q. Nude Photo

GOP frontrunner Donald Trump suggested at least two times during his interview on ABC’sThis Week that bought the rights to the partially nudeG.Q. photo of Melania Trump that appeared in an ad, which started the Twitter war between the two GOP presidential candidates last week.

Trump charged about Cruz:

He’s the one that started it. From what I hear, he and his campaign went out and bought the cover shoot. Melania did a cover shoot for GQ, a very strong modeling picture. No big deal. But it was a cover shoot for GQ, a big magazine. And it was, you know, fine and, if from what I hear, he was the one, or his campaign bought the rights and give it to the super PAC. That super PAC is friendly to Ted Cruz. He started it. I didn’t.

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What else has changed over the years?


Challenge raised against having Bernie Sanders on DC primary ballot

A challenge has been raised against having Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on the ballot for the Democratic primary in the District.

The District of Columbia's Board of Elections website says the challenge was filed March 24 by an individual, Robert Brannum. That was one day after the board posted a list of Democratic candidates for Washington's last-in-the-nation primary on June 14.

Brannum, a schoolteacher, is a former president of the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations. He didn't immediately respond to a voicemail or email from The Associated Press requesting comment.

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Television News Is Even Worse


If you don't read the newspaper   
you are uninformed, if you do   
read the newspaper you are   
misinformed. -- Mark Twain

Ex-Judge Sentencing: Had Ordered Defendant Shocked In Court

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A former Maryland judge who pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation for ordering a defendant to be physically shocked in his court is scheduled to be sentenced.

Robert C. Nalley of La Plata, Maryland, is set to be sentenced Thursday in federal court. Nalley faces a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000. But according to a plea agreement he entered into in February, both prosecutors and Nalley’s lawyer will recommend a sentence of one year of probation.

Nalley acknowledged in the agreement that in July 2014 he ordered a deputy sheriff to activate a “stun-cuff” a defendant was wearing around his ankle, leading the defendant to fall to the ground and scream. Nalley acknowledged as part of the plea deal “that the use of the stun cuff was objectively unreasonable under the circumstances.”

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Insane Flight

Star peace

One of the most insane flight that i did this summer with Noah Bahnson Nate Jones @sam hardy and Graham Dickinson from Aiguille du midi.Red Bull XDubai Skydive Dubai Julbo Eyewear S-Fly Equipment

Posted by Vince Reffet on Thursday, January 14, 2016

Teen gets 6 months in jail for part in Freddie Gray unrest

BALTIMORE (AP) — A teen who smashed a traffic cone through a windshield of a city police car during the unrest following Freddie Gray’s death last year in Baltimore will spend six months in jail.

News media outlets report that 19-year-old Allen Bullock was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty last month to damaging property during the unrest.

Under the plea deal, Bullock was sentenced to 12 years in jail, with all but six months suspended. He must also serve five years’ probation, complete 400 hours of community service and get his GED.

The $500,000 bail set for Bullock last year was criticized as too high. The six Baltimore officers charged in Gray’s death were released on bonds of between $250,000 and $350,000.

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Businessman Paul Nehlen to Challenge Paul Ryan In Primary

Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen announced Tuesday that he is the tea party-allied candidate who is challenging House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in the Republican primary, saying he’s “had it” with the speaker betraying conservatives.

Sources first confirmed to The Washington Times earlier this week that a wealthy businessman was mounting a primary challenge to Mr. Ryan in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, but Mr. Nehlen did not reveal his identity until now.

“Paul Ryan’s embrace of big government spending, his continued support of illegal immigration and imported workers, and his championing of the job-killing trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership betrays me, this district, and this nation,” he said.

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Ted Cruz and the Anti-Gay Pastor

EARLIER this month, in Des Moines, the prominent home-schooling advocate and pastor Kevin Swanson again called for the punishment of homosexuality by death. To be clear, he added that the time for eliminating America’s gay population was “not yet” at hand. We must wait for the nation to embrace the one true religion, he suggested, and gay people must be allowed to repent and convert.

Mr. Swanson proposed this at the National Religious Liberties Conference, an event he organized. Featured speakers included three Republican contenders for the presidency: the former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

Mr. Huckabee later pleaded ignorance. Yet a quick web search will turn up Mr. Swanson’s references to the demonic power of “the homosexual Borg,” the unmitigated evil of Harry Potter and the Disney character Princess Elsa’s lesbian agenda.

Mr. Cruz apparently felt little need to make excuses. He was accompanying another of the featured speakers at the conference: his father, Rafael Cruz — a politically connected pastor who told a 2013 Family Leadership Summit that same-sex marriage was a government plot to destroy the family.

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University of Wisconsin-Madison to Hire More Micro-aggression Counselors

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is in the process of hiring more counselors after students claimed that the university has a problem with micro-aggressions and racial bias.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank recently announced university plans to accelerate “the hiring of additional student support counseling services … for student mental health issues related to diversity and climate.” She also mentioned plans to have incoming freshmen attend a newly designed “cultural competency” program that aims to rid students of their biases before future transgressions are committed against the university’s social minorities.

“In support of this student-led plan, I’m going to commit resources out of the Chancellor’s Office to provide short-term funding for two dedicated positions for student mental health issues related to diversity and climate,” Blank stated in her open letter to the UW community. “This will allow us to hire before permanent funds become available. Recruitment for these positions will begin immediately.”

Blank listed four initiatives designed to combat these campus climate issues:

Bill Gates: Too many college students are dropping out. This is how we fix that.

When I was applying to college, I wanted to go to one of the best schools. At the time, I thought of “the best,” as the colleges that were the most selective. I applied to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton—schools whose reputations are burnished as much by the huge numbers of applicants who are denied admission, as the privileged few who are let in.

But over the years I’ve learned that there are many other ways to measure what makes a school great.

Institutions like Harvard (where I ended up going) have an important role to play in higher education. They do amazing research (which is something I support, enthusiastically) and can have their pick of the top students from around the world.

But equally impressive to me are the universities that take on the students who haven’t had a great high school experience. The students who graduate with low GPAs and poor SAT scores and might have trouble getting accepted to college. These students, many of them first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds, know a college degree is the surest path to the middle class. But they are also the ones who are at the highest risk of dropping out.

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Gov. Scott Signs Bill Making Florida 12th State to Defund Planned Parenthood

(CNSNews.com) - Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that defunds his state’s abortion clinics - including those run by Planned Parenthood (PP) - making Florida the 12th state to block state taxpayer dollars from going to the nation’s largest abortion provider.

The Termination of Pregnancy bill (HB 1411), sponsored by state Rep. Colleen Burton (R-Lakeland), was passed by the Republican-led Florida House (76-40) and state Senate (25-15), and was included in a batch of 67 bills sent to Scott for his signature.

The new law, which goes into effect on July 1, prohibits any state funding to groups that own, operate or are affiliated with licensed abortion facilities. Florida law currently allows state funding for non-abortion services.

Abortion clinics are not allowed to “purchase, sell, donate, or transfer fetal remains obtained from an abortion… excluding costs associated with certain transportation of remains… Advertising, purchase, sale, or transfer of human embryos or fetal remains [are] prohibited” under the new law.

The legislation also “requires that physicians performing or inducing a termination of life procedure have admitting privileges at a hospital within a specified distance of location where the procedure is performed or induced.”

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Hmmmmmm: Rubio sends letter to Republican officials stating that he wants to keep his delegates

My God: He’s making a play to win the nomination on the 15th ballot.
No, actually, I think what he’s doing here is putting his #NeverTrump beliefs into practice.
Rubio has sent letters to Republican officials in states where he has won delegates, charging he wants to keep his delegates, even though he’s no longer an active candidate.
Representatives from Rubio’s network said the former candidate wants to retain his delegates in order to keep his options open in the coming months. Campaigns are preparing for the possibility of a contested national convention in July that could feature an intense fight for every available delegate…
Alaska had already divvied up Rubio’s five delegates to Trump and Ted Cruz. However, since the actual people have not been selected yet, the state party said the delegates will go back to Rubio.
In Oklahoma, state party Chairwoman Pam Pollard said she received a letter from Rubio saying he has not released his 12 delegates from that state.
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Food Stamp Crackdown

States are moving to once again require able-bodied adults to put in work hours in exchange for food stamps, after the requirements largely were suspended by the Obama administration.

The slow-moving reversal follows the administration pulling back on Clinton-era changes that required recipients to work for government welfare benefits. Signing the reform bill in 1996 alongside then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, then-President Bill Clinton said the goal was to make welfare “a second chance, not a way of life.”

But during the last recession, President Obama allowed states to suspend a requirement that able-bodied adults without children work at least 20 hours per week or participate in a training program to receive benefits for more than three months.

He allowed recipients to stay on food stamps indefinitely, arguing the three-month maximum was unfair with unemployment at 10 percent.

"Food stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis, Wall Street did," said Obama at this past January’s State of the Union address.

Unemployment today is half of what it was in 2009, yet last year more than 40 states did not require welfare recipients to work.

Kansas was one of the first states to reverse that in 2013.

"I believe most Americans and most Kansans think it's common sense," said Andrew Wiens of the Kansas Department for Children & Families. "These are able-bodied adults without dependents. They don't have children in the home. They're not elderly, they're not disabled. These folks should be working."

Since Kansas reinstated work rules, food stamp rolls dropped by 20,000 and the incomes of those who left increased by 127 percent, Wiens said.

There's much more here

‘Free College’ for Everyone is DUMB – and Mike Rowe Explains Why

Mike Rowe was asked by a fan to explain why none of the presidential candidates ever talk about blue-collar job training, the renowned entrepreneur not only answered the question; he also explained exactly why Bernie Sanders’ “free college for everyone” idea is simply dumb:

“If a majority of voters valued skilled labor as much as they value a sheepskin, I suspect Donald would be campaigning in a hardhat, Hillary would be stumping in steel-toed pumps, and Bernie would be handing out free welding torches,” he wrote.

Bingo. Far too many voters themselves have very little respect for blue-collar job training, and that itself happens to be a huge part of the problem:

Truth is, a lot of well-intended parents still believe that kids who attend trade schools do so because they’re not “college material.” That’s an absurd stereotype with no basis in reality, but for the millions of parents who want something “better” for their kids, it’s reason enough to discourage a career in the trades. Unfortunately, this reasoning is not only faulty, it’s destroying economies large and small.

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Flashback: Hillary Aide Huma Abedin Pushes Down Supporter – No Charges Filed

In February cameras caught top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin shoving away a woman who tried to hug her after the Democrat Party presidential debate.

When the woman tried to hug Huma, she pushed the woman away and moved on.

No charges were filed.

In early March Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski brushed by anti-Trump reporter Michelle Fields after his Victory speech.

Video was released today that shows Corey barely brushed by her as he rushed Trump out of the room.

Clinton’s Phony Health Care Fixes

The Clinton campaign is finally owning up to what most Americans learned the hard way. The Affordable Care Act is anything but affordable. In fact, its costs are “crushing” people who have to buy health insurance. Hillary Clinton vows to fix the problem, but don’t count on it. Clinton’s remedies are bad medicine. Some are so preposterous she can’t possibly believe they’d work. She could use a dose of truth serum.

Six years in, President Obama still boasts that his health law saves people money, but Clinton sees that claptrap doesn’t sell on the campaign trail. Voters know otherwise. This year, premiums for Obamacare plans soared 15 percent on average, and deductibles (what you have to pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in) increased in 41 states. The average individual with a silver plan has to spend more than $3,000 before getting anything covered, while a bronze plan holder has to fork over nearly $6,000. That’s insurance?

No wonder many Americans are putting off seeing a doctor, despite having insurance.

Clinton’s offers pie-in-the-sky remedies. First, she’ll force insurers to cover three doctor visits for “free” before you have to pay a deductible. This would simply push up premiums across the board, even for people who don’t need to see a doctor. She must think voters are stupid.

Same is true regarding her pledge to cap out-of-pocket drug costs at $250 a month. Sounds wonderful, but the tooth fairy isn’t paying the rest. Your insurer has to and will hike your premiums.

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Border Fence Down: Border Patrol Union Says Breach Brings Terrorist Concerns

The head of the National Border Patrol Council says a breach in the fence along a ten-mile area in remote areas of the Mexico-Arizona border should cause concern about terrorist threats.

An email from a Border Patrol agent reported that the stretch along the Arizona-Mexico border had the fence cut in order to allow access into the United States from Mexico.

Arizona Public Media reported that the president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) testified in a congressional hearing last week that cameras caught the images of two trucks crossing the area. Border patrol officials were not at the spot to catch them at the time of the illegal crossing.

Brandon Judd, the president of the 16,500 member national union said, “The scariest part is that we don’t know what was in those vehicles.”

The Arizona publication said he warned that illegal border crossings on the Mexico border from individuals from Pakistan is expected to increase more than three times in this year alone.

Judd added, “Those numbers should alarm everyone and we are seeing a similar trend from other key countries like Bangladesh, Albania and Brazil.”

Breitbart Texas reported in late November 2015, that six men from Pakistan and Afghanistan illegally crossed the Arizona border into the United States.

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The Socialist States Of America?

If you are like me, you are horrified that so many Americans are voting for an avowed Socialist (though the Democrat alternative is also a Socialist, just not avowed)   However, it is clear that our young people especially, have no clue as to what has made the U.S. the freest, most prosperous country ever to exist on this earth.    Their lack of education begins in the public schools under the guidance of the leftist National Education Association (the NEA) and continues into college where the brainwashing is intense.  In addition, most of the media they listen to is dominated by the left.  Polls show how successful this has been when we see that those under 30 have a better opinion of socialism than capitalism.  They do not understand that socialism means that the government would run Starbucks, Google, and Apple and manage the economy. Republicans need to frame socialism for the coercive system that it is, not just a generous safety net that will pay for their education and health care.


BILL WHITEMARCH 29, 2016
The Socialist States Of America?
Someone recently posted a meme on Facebook, claiming that the United States was already socialist in many ways. The meme quoted a number of benefits that we as Americans enjoy, claiming that they are ours because of socialism.
Amongst them, it talks about the 40 hour work week and weekends off, both inventions of Henry Ford, who was probably one of the nation’s ultimate capitalists.
Oh well, if socialists… I mean Democrats, can get their followers to believe that Lincoln was a Democrat and that Democrats and Republicans “switched sides” about racism, I guess they can get their followers to believe just about anything.
But the scary part of this is that most of our youth, those we call the millennials, think that many of the benefits of our modern, capitalistic society, have been given to us by socialism. They have been taught that corporations are all about greed, and therefore bad; and that anything good that we have is because the government has forced those horrible corporations to give things up.
Our youth are being taught a warped view of the world in college. Specifically, this warped view praises the benefits of socialism and condemns capitalism. Within the ivory halls of academia, where reality doesn’t enter and things are dealt with on a purely theoretical basis, socialism is seen as the cure to the nation’s and perhaps even the world’s ills.
On a purely theoretical basis, socialism actually looks quite good. Everyone works equally and everyone receives equally. There’s just one problem… it requires perfect people. Everyone has to be working for the “common good” without any thought of themselves. I don’t know any people who are that good.
In reality, socialism has been a total failure, everyplace it has been tried. That’s because there is no motivation built into socialism for people to excel. It doesn’t matter if you do an excellent job or if you don’t even meet the minimum standards,you receive the same reward. Without any differentiation, there’s no reason for those who can do better to do so.
Of course, if you talk to proponents of socialism, they’ll berate you for not being purely altruistic in your outlook. They’ll talk about how socialism hasn’t worked, because it has been tried in the wrong places. Then, as quickly as they can, they’ll segue into a tirade on the evils of capitalism.
So, Why Do Millennials Fall for Socialism?

A Viewer Writes: WHY?

My son recently asked me WHY. I never thought about WHY, just that it was something that I need to do.

When I see the Stars and Stripes flying at the Civic Center, Legion, VFW,Elks or someone's front porch, I feel the need to render honors with a hand salute.

A salute to OUR Flag, OUR Country, OUR VETS and OUR neighbors that take the time and make the effort to fly OUR Flag.

Join me??

USN-RET

Driver Under Arrest After Pursuit

(ANNAPOLIS, MD) — Maryland State Police have arrested a man who refused to stop for police in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties tonight and was taken into custody after he struck a tractor trailer on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The male driver is under arrest, but troopers have been unable to positively identify him at this time. He will be charged later tonight with multiple criminal and traffic charges. Those charges are not known at this time.

At about 8:40 p.m. tonight, Maryland State Police at the Golden Ring Barrack were notified by Baltimore County Police to be on the lookout for a Lincoln MKZ with Delaware registration that had fled following an attempted traffic stop in the eastern part of the county. Troopers spotted the vehicle on the outer loop of I-695 at Bel Air Road and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle did not stop and the driver was observed driving erratically. State troopers ended their pursuit at Reisterstown Road, but continued to drive in the direction the suspect was heading.

Troopers from the Glen Burnie Barrack observed the vehicle southbound on I-97 and attempted to stop it for erratic driving. Again, the driver refused to stop for marked police cars with lights and sirens activated.

Troopers followed the vehicle onto the Bay Bridge where it collided with a tractor trailer and came to rest. Troopers arrested the driver at that time. Neither the suspect or the tractor trailer driver reported being injured in the crash.

The Question Was, "IF"

IF abortion was illegal...

If ANYTHING was/is illegal, there's a punishment. I find it unreal that the Main Stream Media is all over this. The man answered a hypothetical question, (a trap) and answered it honestly. 

So Hillary, Bernie, Ted believe IF something was/is illegal, they would NOT punish the suspect. Very interesting. Hopefully AMERICANS aren't that stupid, but I have a feeling they are. 

Delaware State Police Announce Citizen’s Police Academy

Glasgow - The 2016 Spring Delaware State Police Citizens Police Academy will begin on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. The academy is comprised of six consecutive sessions which will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and will conclude on Tuesday, June 10, 2016. Most of the classes will take place at Delaware State Police Troop 2, located at 100 Lagrange Avenue, Newark.

Participants will learn about a wide variety of police activities consistent with what a Delaware Trooper experiences today. The instruction includes criminal and traffic investigations, special units, and various other law enforcement related topics. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to ride with patrol troopers. Class size will be limited to 20 participants, and a background check will be conducted on all applicants.

Deadline for registration is April 15, 2016. Applications must be returned by that date in order to be processed.

If interested, please contact: Master Corporal Jeffrey Hale at jeffrey.hale@state.de.us, or (302) 365-8376, in order to obtain an application.

DONALD TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN MANAGER ARRESTED

COREY LEWANDOWSKI FACES SIMPLE BATTERY CHARGE FOR ALLEGEDLY GRABBING FEMALE REPORTER

Corey Lewandowski – the campaign manager for GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump – was arrested Tuesday and charged with misdemeanor battery by police in Jupiter, Florida.

Lewandowski, 41, is accused of forcibly grabbing former Brietbart reporter Michelle Fields at press conference held at Trump National Golf Club on March 8. Fields was attempting to ask Trump a question about affirmative action when the incident allegedly took place. A reporter for The Washington Post was present at the time of the alleged battery, and supported Fields’ version of events.

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A Message from the Queen - Sad but true

As you know, my dear people, the last year for me the Royal House of Clinton has been tormented by questions about our handling of finances and subjected to tiresome questions about the tragic events in Benghazi--in the furthest regions of our empire.  And, sadly, also questions about my Royal e-mails.

Nevertheless, I will not be daunted in my desire and commitment to serve you, the people.  For the next seventeen months I will be traveling among you as one of you, to listen to your deepest longings and needs.  I will be with you in your Wal-Marts and beside you in your Burger Kings.  I will drive with you down the busy interstate highways of our land, sharing your poverty and needs.

How well I remember the days when the Duke of Arkansas and I were impoverished.  After we were expelled from our Washington Palace we hardly had two mansions to rub together.  We were so poor that we removed thousands of dollars of china, flatware, carpets and gifts from the Washington Palace just to survive. Shockingly, unscrupulous and ungrateful officials later forced us to return many of these treasures.  Now, happily, benefactors from around our empire have given me just enough for us to scrape by.

During these difficult times, we had to cut back. When our daughter was married, we only had three million dollars to spend on her wedding. And, I remember our hopes, as she moved into her $10 million Manhattan apartment, that one day she would be able to move on from that humble abode to something more fitting.  After working for MSNBC for a starting salary of a mere $600,000 per year, what else could she do? So I now pay her $3,000,000 a year to run the 'Foundation'.

So, as I travel across our kingdom to meet you all, I will be listening and sharing with you.  Then, when the time for the royal election (Coronation) comes, I know I can count on you to crown me as your rightful monarch, with my assurance that I will continue King Obama's policies, and we can all live happily ever after.

Your Queen-in-Waiting,
Hilarity Rodham Clinton

Feel The Bern


Very Creative


3rd Term


Do You Remember?


I Got This


America Hits Rock Bottom: Cities Are Paying Criminals $1000 Per Month "Not To Kill"

It is widely known that in the past 6 months there has been a loud debate about helicopter money, i.e., giving out ordinary people (bypassing the banks) money directly printed by the Fed. What is less known is that when it comes to the most despicable underbelly of American society, cash to the tune of $1000 per month is already being "helicoptered" to some of the most brazen criminals living in the US today with one simple condition: "don't kill people."

* * *

Take the case of Lonnie Holmes, 21, who lives in Richmond, a working-class suburb north of San Francisco and whose four his cousins had died in shootings. He was a passenger in a car involved in a drive-by shooting, police said. And he was arrested for carrying a loaded gun. When Holmes was released from prison last year, officials in this city offered something unusual to try to keep him alive: money. They began paying Holmes as much as $1,000 a month not to commit another gun crime.

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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Trump's Support Nears 50% Among Republicans As Countdown To Convention Continues

Donald Trump has long taunted the media - and specifically Fox’s “crazy Megyn” Kelly - for failing to understand “math.”

The problem, Trump says, is that it isn’t fair to criticize him for not polling higher than 50% when the GOP field is so crowded. In fact, the billionaire has said, it’s a small miracle he’s been able to garner the amount of support he has over the past nine months given that at one point, there were 17 Republican candidates. Implicit in that argument is the contention that once the field narrows, Trump will command an even larger lead in the polls.

As we head into the Wisconsin primary on April 5, it would appear that Trump was indeed correct. The latest NBC/SurveyMonkey weekly tracking poll shows Trump nearing the 50% threshold as the preferred candidate among registered Republicans nationwide.

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Ex-ambassador: Obama 'Fabricated' Diplomatic Crises with Israel

Last year, Kulanu MK and former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren received heavy criticism in some circles for his book Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide.

With the release of the book’s Hebrew edition, Oren spoke to Arutz Sheva, discussing in depth the tensions between Israel and the Obama administration and the push back he received for the English edition.

The book, which created controversy for what some considered an unfair portrayal of President Barack Obama, elicited rare public condemnations from senior officials, including former US special envoy to the Middle Easy Martin Indyk.

“When I wrote [the English edition], Martin Indyk attacked me,” Oren told Arutz Sheva.

“People got angry at me. I can say that Obama did this because he thought that if these policies were adopted, then the Arabs would come to the table. But the results were the exact opposite – it actually pushed the Arabs further away. That’s because in the Middle East if someone gets concessions without paying a price, then why pay for it afterwards? [After] all of the concessions the Arabs got right from the start from Obama they spit at him in the face.”

“Only now, after interviews with former senior American officials like Dennis Ross, and after interviews with Obama, it’s become clear that what I wrote was correct."

Oren goes so far as to claim that Obama and his administration intentionally worked to create distance between the historic allies.

“Obama chose to create the crises [between Israel and the US],” said Oren.

“There were differences of opinion with America, as there have been for years. The disagreement regarding Jerusalem has been around since 1948, the disagreement over the settlements since 1967. The thing is he chose to deal with these disagreements publicly. He chose to put diplomatic distance between the US and Israel.”

More here

Registration Opens for Run to Remember Memorial Day 5K

Salisbury, MD – Start the holiday weekend off with exercise that benefits the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial at the Run to Remember Memorial Day 5K.

The 5K begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial outside the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury. Check-in and race-day registration begin at 8 a.m., and walkers and leashed pets are also welcome.

The cost is $25 in advance and $30 on race day. Sign up by May 6 to be guaranteed an event shirt. For military who register in person with ID, the cost is $20.

Participants can enjoy refreshments after the race. Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers in the following age groups: 13 and under, 14 to 24, 25 to 39, 40 to 54, and 55 and over.

The annual Memorial Day Ceremony will be held two days after the 5K, at 10 a.m. Monday, May 30, at the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial. If it rains, the ceremony will be held in the Midway Room of the Civic Center.

Registration is available at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.) and online atwww.WicomicoRecandParks.org. For more information, contact Tammy Taylor at 410-548-4900, ext. 115, or atttaylor@wicomicocounty.org.

Let Today’s Spending Habits Foretell Your Retirement-Spending Needs

A difficult task people face when planning for retirement is trying to gauge whether their spending will go up or go down.

No single answer fits everyone. But it’s prudent to plan on spending at least the same amount the month after retirement as you spent the month before, says Ken Sutherland, president of LifePlan Group (www.lifeplangroup.com), an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm.

“I always ask clients to figure out how much they need to pay the bills and enjoy life prior to retirement,” he says. “That’s what they should figure they’ll need.”

Although a big worry is that monthly spending could go up, some factors can actually cause expenses to drop, says Sutherland’s son, Alex, a wealth advisor for LifePlan Group.

“Tax obligations may be less,” he says. “Also, retirees are no longer contributing to a 401k plan or to Social Security taxes, and their mortgage may be paid off.”

The Sutherlands say that when mapping out retirement spending:


• Expect to spend more earlier. Most people are healthier and more energetic in the first decade of retirement, so they may want to budget more for that period. As they get older, expenses may decrease because they are less active. One possible exception is medical expenses.
• Don’t assume a surviving spouse will need less. “For every widow I have worked with who spent less, there were others who spent more,” Ken Sutherland says. “Some of that is because they need to hire help for chores around the house. But they also may do more traveling and more dining out.” Make budget plans with that in mind.
• Use a modest inflation assumption. “Inflation has been high in the past and could be again,” Alex Sutherland says, “but in the near term inflation doesn’t impact you as much, and in the long term you likely won’t spend as much.” If you use a 5 or 6 percent assumption, which is much higher than today’s inflation-rate reality, you’ll conclude you need more money than you likely do. A 2 or 3 percent assumption would provide a more realistic scenario.