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Thursday, February 22, 2018

America has two gun cultures: Don't blame law-abiding gun owners for murders

When a mass murder happens in our country, like so many Americans I wring my hands and look for answers – for anything that will stop these monsters. I don’t like to speak out at these times, because as Ecclesiastes correctly tells us there is “a time to every purpose under the heaven,” including “a time to mourn.”

But then someone kicks me in the shin.

This time it was CNN media reporter Brian Stelter, saying on CNN’s “New Day” program Wednesday that the National Rifle Association and gun owners don’t want to tell the truth about guns.

No, the truth that is many in the media refuse to cover the truth about guns and the gun cultures in America. They don’t want to admit there are two wildly different gun cultures in our country. One is the freedom-loving, gun-rights culture that upholds the responsible use of guns for hunting, sport and self-defense. The other is the criminal culture that thrives in the places where government restricts gun rights.

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http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/21/america-has-two-gun-cultures-dont-blame-law-abiding-gun-owners-for-murders.html

Trump "Strongly" Considering Concealed Carry In Schools

President Trump suggested that arming teachers would be an effective method of preventing future school shootings while sitting down for a listening session on school shootings at the White House on Wednesday.

"If you had a teacher who was adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly, and the good thing about a suggestion like that -- and we're going to be looking at it very strongly, and I think a lot of people are going to be opposed to it. I think a lot of people are going to like it. But the good thing is you're going to have a lot of [armed] people with that," said the President.

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Congressman Harris Announces Immigration Town Hall Meetings

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) will host a town hall meeting to answer constituent questions about the various immigration reform issues that have been raised by President Trump and Members of Congress. All residents of Maryland’s First District are welcome to attend the event and ask questions.

Date: March 1, 2018
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Location: Joppa-Magnolia VFC
1403 Old Mountain Road S, Joppa, MD 21085

For questions about the event, please contact Congressman Harris’ Washington, DC office at 202-225-5311. All media inquiries should be directed to Jacque Clark.

Trump Touts Concealed Carry for Schools, Urges End to 'Gun-Free' Zones

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for concealed carry laws for teachers and ending gun-free school zones that triggered a strong debate within the audience at a White House listening session.

"A teacher would have a concealed gun on them," Trump told more than 40 people in the State Dining Room. "They would go for special training.

"They would be there — and you would no longer have a gun-free zone.

"A gun-free zone to a maniac is, 'Let's go in and let's attack' — because bullets aren't coming back at us."

Trump noted that, on average, a school shooting lasts about 3 minutes, with first responders generally arriving within as long as 8 minutes.

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Judicial Watch Asks "What Is The FBI Hiding In Its War To Protect Comey?

As the James Comey saga continues to unfold, the James Comey legend continues to unravel. The more we learn about his involvement in the deep state’s illicit targeting of President Trump, the more reason the American people have to question both his motives and his management as director of the FBI, the now-disgraced agency he headed before Trump fired him on May 16, 2017. Comey has left a trail of suspicious activities in his wake.

Comey now looms large over a burgeoning constitutional crisis that could soon overshadow Watergate at its worst. To deepen the crisis even further, it now appears some of Comey’s former FBI and Justice Department colleagues continue to protect him from accountability.

Three suspicious activities stand out, all intertwined: The so-called Comey Memos, Comey’s controversial testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee and Comey’s book deal.

After Comey was fired by President Trump on May 9, 2017, he arranged to give the New York Times a Feb. 14, 2017 memorandum he had written about a one-on-one conversation with Trump regarding former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. The New York Times published a report about the memo on May 16, 2017. Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed the following day.

On June 8, 2017, Comey testified under oath before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where he stated he authored as many as nine such memos. Regarding the Flynn memo, Comey admitted: “I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter [for The New York Times]. I didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”

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The High Cost of Surviving Rabies

A brown bat the size of a mouse with teeth like a stapler may or may not have bitten Tamara Davis in Georgia. But it certainly took a bite out of her bank account, generating hospital bills of more than $17,000.

The groundhog that charged Linda Gallagher in Maryland while she was gardening last summer caused her to rack up more than $11,000 in charges.

A fox that sank its teeth into Crystal Edwards in North Carolina last year could end up costing her more than $22,000.

Doctors agreed that all three women needed a series of shots to protect them from the deadliest virus known to medicine -- rabies. Once symptoms begin, the disease is almost always fatal.

The treatment regimen for rabies was first developed in the late 1800s, and it hasn’t changed much over the last 100 years.

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Trump Is the Worst President?

On the occasion of George Washington’s birthday observation, wrongly dubbed “Presidents’ Day,” a newly released New York Times poll of so-called “presidential politics experts” ranked President Donald Trump, after just one year in office mind you, as the worst of America’s presidents. This same group of “experts,” in a laughable display of “objectivity,” ranked Barack Obama as the nation’s eighth best, up 10 spots from the 2014 poll. That raises the obvious question: Other than the fact that he is no longer president, what standards have changed to suddenly improve Obama’s ranking by 10 spots?

Actually, the real question is this: What standard of judgement were these “experts” using? It would seem they relied most heavily on their own subjective political bias. A truer and more objective guide by which to judge a president is the U.S. Constitution, specifically Article II, which delineates the duties and limits of the office. Judging from the opinions of these “experts,” it’s a good bet many of them need to reread, if not read for the first time, the Constitution..

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Can Acupuncture Help Combat Opioid Crisis?

Marine veteran Jeff Harris was among the first to sign up when the Providence VA hospital started offering acupuncture for chronic pain.

"I don't like taking pain medication. I don't like the way it makes me feel," he said.

Harris also didn't want to risk getting addicted to heavy-duty prescription painkillers.

Although long derided as pseudoscience and still questioned by many medical experts, acupuncture is increasingly being embraced by patients and doctors, sometimes as an alternative to the powerful painkillers behind the nation's opioid crisis.

The military and Veterans Affairs medical system has been offering acupuncture for pain for several years, some insurance companies cover it and now a small but growing number of Medicaid programs in states hit hard by opioid overdoses have started providing it for low-income patients.

Ohio's Medicaid program recently expanded its coverage after an opioid task force urged state officials to explore alternative pain therapies.

"We have a really serious problem here," said Dr. Mary Applegate, medical director for Ohio's Medicaid department. "If it's proven to be effective, we don't want to have barriers in the way of what could work."

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Thomas Issues His Cultural Ruling

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made a rare public appearance Thursday, speaking at the Library of Congress. His remarks yielded some noteworthy fruit. He opined, “At some point, we’re going to be fatigued with everybody being the victim.” Thomas went on to describe a recent encounter he had with a young black woman in Kansas who exclaimed to him that she was “really tired of having to play the role of being black.” She added that she “just want[ed] to go to school.”

Thomas then relayed the wisdom he received from the most influential person in his life — his grandfather, who took in Thomas and his brother when his single mother was unable to care for him. Thomas described his grandfather as a “hero” and “the single greatest human being I’ve ever met.” From him Thomas learned to “always … play the hand you’re dealt. If you’re dealt a bad hand, you still have to play it.” The future justice learned that there was no room for complaining, epitomized by one of his grandfather’s most regularly voiced refrains — “Old Man Can’t is dead. I helped bury him.”

Reflecting on his own experience, Thomas worried that the over-politicization of the judicial confirmation process will dissuade good people from serving.

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Who Are the Rich, White Men Institutionalizing Transgender Ideology?

As an environmental activist who was deplatformed from a speaking venue by transactivists, in 2013 I developed curiosity about the power of this group to force this development. A year later, when Time magazine announced a transgender tipping point on its cover, I had already begun to examine the money behind the transgender project.

I have watched as all-women’s safe spaces, universities, and sports opened their doors to any man who chose to identify as a woman. Whereas men who identify as transwomen are at the forefront of this project, women who identify as transmen seem silent and invisible. I was astonished that such a huge cultural change as the opening of sex-protected spaces was happening at such a meteoric pace and without consideration for women and girls’ safety, deliberation, or public debate.

Concurrent with these rapid changes, I witnessed an overhaul in the English language with new pronouns and a near-tyrannical assault on those who did not use them. Laws mandating new speech were passed. Laws overriding biological sex with the amorphous concept of gender identity are being instituted now. People who speak openly about these changes can find themselves, their families, and their livelihoods threatened.

These elements, along with media saturation of the issue, had me wondering: Is this really a civil rights issue for a tiny part of the population with body dysphoria, or is there a bigger agenda with moneyed interests that we are not seeing? This article can only begin to graze the surface of this question, but considering transgenderism has basically exploded in the middle of capitalism, which is notorious for subsuming social justice movements, there is value in beginning this examination.

Who Is Funding the Transgender Movement?

I found exceedingly rich white men with enormous cultural influence are funding the transgender lobby and various transgender organizations.

Hypocrat of the Day

A California state lawmaker at the forefront of the #MeToo movement faces a growing number of sexual misconduct allegations herself.

Four former employees filed a formal complaint against Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia. Another says he was fired after protesting when she suggested playing "spin the bottle."

Garcia has authored numerous bills about sexual assault and consent. She was even recently featured in Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" issue recognizing the #MeToo movement's "silence breakers." But now she is on voluntary leave, as investigators look into claims she groped two men.

As a #MeToo activist, she's called on those accused of harassment to resign immediately – but she does not plan to do so herself.

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Pelosi ignores net worth inquiry after lecturing on ‘inordinate wealth’

House Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s net worth was off limits Tuesday during a town hall meeting in which she cited Martin Luther King Jr. to condemn “inordinate wealth.”

The California Democrat was in Phoenix as part of a 100-city tour against tax reform signed by President Trump, but things briefly came to a halt when she spoke of God’s intentions for personal wealth. Mrs. Pelosi decried tax cuts touted by Mr. Trump, along with his proposed budget, when an outburst came from the crowd.

“This about the United States of America, about our children’s future,” the lawmaker said. “And again, it can’t possibly be a statement of value for us to talk about, as Martin Luther King said, God really didn’t intend … never really intended one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth while others live in abject, deadening poverty.”

The audience applauded before someone from the Grand Canyon State repeatedly asked, “How much are you worth, Nancy?”

“No, we’re not talking about that,” the Democrat replied. “I’m a mother of five, I can speak louder than anybody.”

Republicans pounced on the exchange by posting it to their “GOP War Room” YouTube channel.

The Washington Free Beacon noted in January that Mrs. Pelosi’s 2016 financial-disclosure statement places her “in the top one-tenth of the 1 percent of Americans.”

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Pelosi Proposes ‘Mowing the Grass’ as Alternative to Building Southern Border Wall

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) proposed "mowing the grass" along the southern border on Tuesday instead of securing the border with the wall.

Pelosi joined the Arizona Republic for an interview where she confessed she is not the "biggest advocate in Congress" for the construction of border wall, even if, in the words of the Republic‘s Ron Hansen, it could give "some insurance for the Dreamers."

"Well, I’m not the wall’s biggest advocate in Congress," Pelosi said. "But I do know that representatives in the House and senators in that body from the border wall areas have some serious objections to a wall, because they know how detrimental it can be to the community trade, to all of the other aspects of a border."

"Let’s talk about where a more serious structure might be necessary–where fencing will do or mowing the grass so people can’t be smuggled through the grass." Pelosi said.

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Do We Really Love Our Kids?

I voted for Marco Rubio, but it was basically a vote against a horrible Democrat. Now the junior senator from Florida has re-affirmed what I thought in the beginning: Liddle Marco is no leader.

When Nikolas Cruz killed seventeen people at a South Florida high school, Senator Rubio declared, "If someone's decided, 'I'm going to commit this crime,' they'll find a way to get the gun to do it." In other words, forget about stopping the bad guy. The jig is up. The fix is in. Buy stock in casket-makers. There will be blood in the hallways, and there isn't anything we can do about it. But don't try to ban guns, because that won't work.

We can do better. Senator Rubio is simply wrong. There are people who are totally determined to kill schoolkids, and we can defeat them, if we are willing to listen to the people who have learned how.

In 1974, Israel endured the Ma'alot Massacre at the hands of Islamic terrorists. Twenty-five were killed and 68 more injured. Since then, the Israelis have completely changed how they tackle school safety. Since 1974, there have been two successful attacks, with fewer than ten dead. In both cases, the bad guys were killed by armed teachers. That's still too many dead, but it's fewer than we lost in Florida just this week.

Israel implemented a careful strategy of "Defense in Depth"...

Emotional Eating May Begin in Early Childhood

New US research has shown emotions can affect the food choices of children as young as 4½, with feelings of happiness or sadness influencing which snacks children choose and how much they eat.

Carried out by psychologist Dr. Shayla C. Holub at the University of Texas at Dallas along with Dr. Cin Cin Tan at University of Michigan's Center for Human Growth and Development, the study looked at how mood affected the snack choice of 91 children aged 4½ to 9 years old.

Participants were placed into one of three mood conditions -- happy, sad, or neutral, with the researchers using clips from Disney's "The Lion King" to elicit the three feelings.

After observing the children's snack consumption in each condition, the pair found that children appeared to engage in emotional eating.

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COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCES PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019

Salisbury, MD ... Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver invites all citizens to participate in a Public Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2019 Operating Budget, Capital Improvement Budget, Governmental and Enterprise Funds Budgets and the appropriation of all expenditures for the period of July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. The meeting will be held on Thursday, March 22, 2018 in the Flanders Room of the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center beginning at 6:00 PM.

The public is encouraged to present their comments and questions. County Executive Culver and his staff will consider the suggestions of the citizens when creating the Fiscal Year 2019 Operating Budget. Final decisions will be based on prioritization of need and available funding sources.

WHO: Wicomico County Residents
County Executive Culver and Staff

WHAT: Public Hearing Notice
Fiscal Year 2019 Operating Budget

WHEN: Thursday, March 22, 2018

WHERE: Wicomico Youth and Civic Center
500 Glen Avenue, Salisbury MD
Flanders Room

The one thing Billy Graham would want us to remember

Early Wednesday morning, the Rev. Billy Graham passed away at age 99 at his home in Montreat, N.C.

In response to the news of his passing, national and international leaders simultaneously grieved his death and celebrated his life. And for good reason.

He should be remembered for his global reach, having preached live to approximately 215 million people in more than 185 countries or territories, and via television and radio to hundreds of millions more.

He should be remembered for his personal influence, having met and prayed with every U. S. president from Dwight Eisenhower to Barack Obama, and having preached at funeral services for Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

He should be remembered for the way his ministry spanned across many of America’s public divides. Graham was recognized by many Americans—Republican and Democrat, black and white, North and South—as “America’s pastor.”

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http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/21/one-thing-billy-graham-would-want-us-to-remember.html

Deep State & The FBI – Federal Blackmail Investigation

It’s hilariously naive how mainstream American news media feign an air of disdain concerning accusations of impropriety by the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the last presidential elections.

Allegations that senior ranks of the FBI were involved in “dirty tricks” to fix the 2016 presidential vote in favor of Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton – potentially highly criminal conduct – are treated as if such allegations are scurrilous distractions thrown up by the Trump White House or Republican supporters.

When President Donald Trump has alluded to FBI collusion with the previous Obama Democrat administration to destroy his election campaign, or when Republican congressmen released a secret memo earlier this month also suggesting Deep State dirty tricks, there were gasps of disdain among major news media. Outlets like the New York Times and CNN affected a sanctimonious air that such allegations were contemptible slurs against the honor of the Feds – the nation’s top law-enforcement agency.

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Parkland shooter always in trouble, never expelled. Could school system have done more?

At times, Nikolas Cruz’s behavior could be a school administrator’s nightmare: Teachers and other students said he kicked doors, cursed at teachers, fought with and threatened classmates and brought a backpack with bullets to school. He collected a string of discipline for profanity, disobedience, insubordination, and disruption.

In 2014, administrators transferred Cruz to an alternative school for children with emotional and behavioral disabilities — only to change course two years later and return him to a traditional neighborhood school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Cruz was banished from Douglas a year later for other disciplinary violations — then toggled between three other alternative placements, school records obtained by the Miami Herald show.

If the frequent transfers — records show there were six in three years — did little to stanch Cruz’s disruptive behavior, they eventually became the only option left in the school district’s toolbox. Contrary to early reports, Cruz was never expelled from Broward schools. Legally, he couldn’t be.

Under federal law, Nikolas Cruz had a right to a “free and appropriate” education at a public school near him. His classmates had a right to an education free of fear.

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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article201216104.html#storylink=cpy

GOP Rep Nunes on House Intel Committee Probe: 'The Facts Are Not Bearing Out to What the Democrats Wanted It to Be'

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, discussed the difficulties his committee was having getting cooperation from the various agencies regarding its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Nunes explained that as the process has progressed, the facts were showing collusion between Democrats and the Russians.

It has been a challenge,” Nunes replied. “As you know the whole time, we have had to subpoena, we’ve had to threatened contempt, but this is kind of — we are having a showdown between the legislative branch and to the executive branch. And just going to what you talked about to open up the segment, the facts are not bearing out to what the Democrats wanted it to be because we have found collusion. We have found collusion between the Democrats, specifically the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, and the Russians.”

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Security Officials Recommended Pruitt Fly First Class

Media fail to mention high level of death threats against Pruitt and his family

A significant increase in death threats leveled at Scott Pruitt led to security officials to recommend the Environmental Protection Agency administrator fly first class.

Journalists and liberals have made light of security concerns, mocking Pruitt for following the recommendations from the head of his 24-hour security detail, which was required due to "unprecedented" threats.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Pruitt had spent $90,000 flying in first or business class. The article briefly notes records showing Pruitt does so for "security concerns," and that the regulations allow officials to fly first class under "exceptional security circumstances."

By Thursday, the Post reported the decision to fly first class was made by Pasquale Perrotta, the head of Pruitt's security detail. The security team said there are many reasons why flying first class is necessary for Pruitt's security, such as "the chance to make a quick exit if a situation arises."

Politico questioned the need to fly first class in an article Thursday that made no mention of the death threats against Pruitt and his family.

A reader had to come to the end of the Politico story to discover that the "threats are so prevalent" against Pruitt that his security detail has to perform a new threat assessment every 90 days.

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This retired sanitation worker makes $285K a year from pension

A former Sanitation Department honcho is pulling in an astonishing $285,047-a-year pension — more than twice what he was making on the job, according to newly released data.

And that’s just one of dozens of huge pension payouts revealed in records published Tuesday by the Empire Center for Public Policy — data that lay bare the city’s insanely generous pension system, the government watchdog said.

“Pensions like these are unheard of in the private sector — and deserve the close scrutiny of taxpayers,” said Tim Hoefer, executive director of the Empire Center.

“The long list of six-figure pensioners in the New York City Employees’ Retirement System shows just how great a burden the city has placed on its finances,” Hoefer added.

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Clarke: Fla. students' gun control push has 'George Soros' fingerprints all over it'

Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. insinuated Wednesday that student survivors of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting were being manipulated by Democratic billionaire George Soros to organize for gun control.

In a tweet, the former Wisconsin sheriff wrote that media appearances and an activism campaign from students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School against gun violence had "George Soros' fingerprints all over it."

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Maryland Secretary of State Flag Status -- Lowering of the Maryland State Flag

This is to advise that Governor Larry Hogan ordered the Maryland State Flag be lowered to half-staff effective immediately and returned to full-staff at sunset on the day of interment (date unknown). This action is in honor of Corporal Mujahid Ramzziddi of the Prince George’s County Police Department, who died in the line of duty on February 21, 2018.

The controversial law that allows salmonella into the human food chain

US campaigners are calling once again for the closure of a legal loophole that allows meat with salmonella to be sold in the human supply chain.

The salmonella risk for US consumers is heightened by a controversial loophole which means US producers could potentially allow meat containing salmonella into the human food chain. The bacteria isn’t classified as an “adulterant” in US law – in contrast to some food poisoning germs such as E coli 0157 – meaning producers have no obligation to withhold contaminated batches. In the UK stricter regulations are designed to prevent most contamination.

'She was in so much pain' - how turkey meatballs gave an Oregon baby salmonella poisoning
Read more

Consumers groups and some experts want the law changed. Although several attempts – including legislation that would reclassify salmonella as an adulterant – have been made in recent years, the efforts have been defeated.

Bill Marler, an attorney who has represented many victims of food poisoning outbreaks in recent years, said classifying salmonella an adulterant would dramatically reduce human cases: “One only needs to look at the success we have had in the beef supply after E coli was deemed an adulterant [in 2011]. 90% of my work in the late 1990s and early 2000s was E coli cases linked to red meat. Now it is near zero. That is a success of the government setting a standard and industry meeting.”

But the US meat industry and some experts say enacting a zero policy for salmonella in the same way isn’t feasible..

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Judge orders transgender teen placed in grandparents' custody after parents refuse hormone treatments

An Ohio judge has placed a 17-year-old transgender teen in the custody of his grandparents after the teen's mother and father, reportedly citing their religious beliefs, refused to let him undergo hormone treatment as part of his transition from female to male.

Judge Sylvia Sieve Hendon ruled Friday that the grandparents – who the teen currently lives with in Hamilton County and are more supportive of the transition -- are now allowed to make medical decisions for the child and change his name.

“It is unfortunate that this case required resolution by the Court as the family would have been best served if this could have been settled within the family after all parties had ample exposure to the reality of the fact that the child truly may be gender non-conforming and has a legitimate right to pursue life with a different gender identity than the one assigned at birth,” Hendon said in her ruling.

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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/21/judge-orders-transgender-teen-placed-in-grandparents-custody-after-parents-refuse-hormone-treatments.html

PG County police officer shot and killed

A Maryland police officer died Wednesday after being shot in Brandywine, Md. A suspect was also killed following the incident.

The Prince George's County officer was not immediately identified, FOX 5 DC reported. The officer was shot and killed after trying to intervene in a domestic violence dispute. It was not immediately clear if the officer was on duty at the time of the incident.

The suspect was reportedly shot and killed by officers after he/she led police on a chase, FOX 5 DC reported.

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Michigan Church Faces Death Threats, State Investigation for Biblical Sexuality Workshop

From the moment Metro City Church announced a workshop for teenage girls struggling from peer pressure and questions about sexual identity, Jeremy Schossau, the lead pastor for the church with campuses in Riverview and Taylor, Michigan, said he and the congregation had faced “unbridled” hate and vitriol.

“Every kind of threat imaginable, from killing my family to burning down our church, has been leveled against us,” Schossau said at a press conference at the state capitol last week with other pastors and supporters.

The latest threat came from a man who was arrested after threatening that Antifa would show up at the church. Brian Carl Begin II was arraigned Feb. 15 on misdemeanor charges.

“In the middle of the voicemail the male states if the church goes through with the gay conversion therapy class in the state of Michigan, I promise every member of the Antifa will show up ‘armed and ready. This is not a joke,’” the police told the News-Herald.

Protesters gathered at the church on the occasions of the six-week workshop — which has since been canceled — and the church has received a continuous stream of emails and voicemail claiming the aim of the course was “conversion therapy.”

The complaints and protest led two state legislators to speak out against the church, introduce a bill to make conversation therapy illegal in the state, and called on the attorney general’s office to investigate the congregation.

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Billy Graham Flashback: 'There Is a Real Devil in The World Now'

(CNSNews) -- Pastor Billy Graham, probably the most influential Christian evangelist of the last 70 years, died Wednesday morning at age 99. He finally went where he always wanted to go -- to God.

Over the decades, Billy Graham's preaching in person, on radio, and on television reached an estimated 2.2 billion people. The Cincinnati Post reported in 2002 that Graham had "preached the gospel to more people around the globe than anyone in history."

Media worldwide are now publishing obituaries on Pastor Graham and the achievements of his life. There is much to say about Graham, but his impact was always evident in his preaching and the way he could grab onto an audience and shake them into moral sobriety.

Below is a broadcast of one of Billy Graham's crusades in 1971. His message speaks for itself. Rest in peace, Billy Graham..

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Schweizer: Robert Mueller’s FBI ‘Completely Ignored’ Russian Corruption in 2010 Uranium One Deal

The FBI apparently ignored evidence of Russian involvement in the uranium market “when they approved the deal back in 2010,” said Peter Schweizer of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’s (CFI) 2010 approval of the Russian government’s purchasing of a majority stake in Uranium One.

Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, offered his remarks in a Monday interview on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with co-hosts Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak.

Robert Mueller — director of the FBI between 2001 and 2013 — must have known of corrupt dealings related to the Uranium One deal in 2010, said Schweizer.

“It’s been long known by the FBI that the Russian involvement in the uranium market was highly suspect, that their efforts were nefarious, and that there was a lot of corruption involved with these programs,” said Schweizer:

"There was a megatons program that was designed to, in a sense, help the Russian nuclear industry transition from sort of military-based work to civilian work — a lot of detailed corruption that the FBI tracked in the 1990s and 2000s, so going up to the 2010 approval for Uranium One, it’s really impossible for senior FBI officials, including the director at the time — Mueller — to argue that they are just completely shocked that Uranium One and these kickbacks were taking place. It was widely known."

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Shooting Survivor Says CNN Gave Him Scripted Town Hall Question

A student survivor of last week's massacre at a Florida school says CNN gave him a scripted question to ask at its town hall Wednesday night, eschewing one he wanted to ask.

Not only did Colton Haab decline, he decided not to attend the town hall in Sunrise, Florida, an event hosted by CNN featuring Sen. Marco Rubio, Dana Loesch of the NRA, Sen. Bill Nelson, among others.

"CNN had originally asked me to write a speech and questions and it ended up being all scripted," Haab told local ABC affiliate WPLG-TV. "I don't think that it's going get anything accomplished. It's not gonna ask the true questions that all the parents and teachers and students have."

The question Haab wanted to ask: His idea of using veterans as armed guards..

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Poll Shows Marsha Blackburn with Big Lead Over Bob Corker

Another recent poll obtained by Breitbart News shows that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) has a big lead over Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) among Tennessee Republican primary voters.

The poll, conducted by Ragnar Research Associates for American Future Fund Political Action, shows Blackburn has a commanding 19 point lead, 48 percent to 29 percent, over Corker in a potential head-to-head matchup for the August 2018 GOP U.S. Senate primary in Tennessee.

The poll was conducted between February 14 and February 19 of 926 likely Republican primary voters in Tennessee, and has a margin of error of three percent.

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A KKK robe showed up at a Maryland auction house. They donated the proceeds to a Nigerian student

David Allen, owner of A&M Auctioneers and Appraisers, never quite knows what’s going to turn up from the old homes and shops of the Eastern Shore.

Once, he said, he came across a box of wooden and metal washboards from an old general store, 100 years old and looking brand new.

This month, though, the Wicomico County auction house handled an item with a somewhat darker history.

In an otherwise-humdrum estate in Cambridge — heavy on Persian rugs, china dolls and decorative crystal vases — was a white robe, with a deep red patch embroidered over the heart. A number, 127, adorned the left sleeve. The triangle-topped hood was stained brown at the edges.

A&M offered the robe as part of an online auction. The listing: “Cambridge Lodge #127 original Ku Klux Klan complete robe and cap with original patch and embroidered lodge number on sleeve ...”

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It's not just homicides that have increased in Baltimore — commercial robberies are up 88 percent

Jalina Thompson hardly noticed the two customers who walked into her Metro PCS store in Northeast Baltimore in January with their hoods pulled tight. Temperatures in the city had been frigid for days.

Then one of the men placed a gun on the counter and demanded cash.

“This is real,” he said. “I need you to move fast.”

While the three-year spike in violent crime in Baltimore draws most of the attention, business owners across the city have suffered a similar increase in commercial robberies. Such crime has risen 88 percent in the last five years, from 560 commercial robberies in 2013 to more than 1,000 last year.

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MS-13 Sweep Keeps Even Most Basic Details Secret

It was a tally so impressive that President Donald Trump touted it at his State of the Union address: Since May, agents cracking down on the violent gangs terrorizing the working-class suburbs of Long Island had swept up 428 gang suspects, including 220 members of the notorious MS-13.

But the sweep called "Operation Matador" has also been shrouded in secrecy. Federal and state authorities have declined repeated requests from The Associated Press for even basic information made public in most law enforcement operations, such as the names of those arrested and the crimes they are accused of committing.

They won't divulge their ages, immigration status or current whereabouts. And while they say 44 of those arrested have been deported, they refuse to say what happened to the rest, including whether they are even still in custody. Both federal and state officials said releasing more details could endanger the suspect and jeopardize ongoing investigations.

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PA GOP leaders ask Supreme Court to block new congressional map

Pennsylvania’s two highest-ranking Republican legislative leaders are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a new congressional district map viewed as likely to help Democrats.

The presiding officers of the House and the Senate on Wednesday electronically filed an emergency request to stay a state Supreme Court order issued Monday that redrew boundaries of Pennsylvania’s 18 congressional districts. The request to Justice Samuel Alito says the state Supreme Court usurped legislative authority and calls the decision unprecedented.

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Common Sense Is Dead Because Everyone Is Offended

Last week, I dropped a video with some common-sense solutions to stopping school shootings. It was meant to spark a conversation from what I hoped would be logical Americans.

My bad. I didn’t realize that “common sense” had been replaced with easily triggered liberals who lack an ability to actually adult their way through life.

Among my recommendations … we have millions of veterans and retired law enforcement officers looking for work. Train them, certify them, arm them, and hire them to keep watch in our schools over our children.

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Make the Deep State Pay — It's the Only Way

There is precious little, if not nothing, that average citizens can do to act against the Deep State actors who have foisted the staggeringly disgraceful Russiagate witch-and-scavenger hunt upon the American people. However, the Democratic Party, and concomitantly, the Leftist “mainstream” media, can and must be made to pay. The ballot box is the only way to deliver the payback.

Obviously, I’m not addressing the undeniable aspect of Russian interference. Who didn’t know that? I’m talking about delivering a sound ideological and electoral shellacking to every politician, every unhinged Leftist comedian, and every newsmedia personality that has hung a partisan hat on the ridiculous notion that Mr. Trump colluded with Vladimir Putin to circumvent Hillary Clinton’s election and secure the Oval Office.

It is in the hands of the country’s voters now, Republicans, independents, and concerned, open-minded Democrats, to send an incontrovertible message about corruption and real collusion in the upcoming midterm election.

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Rep. Zeldin (R-NY) Introduces Bill To Strip MS-13 Members of Citizenship

MS-13 is one of the most dangerous gangs out there. They're brutal killers, and their reach stretches throughout North and South America. There have even been concerns about them working with terrorist groups. They're a scary bunch.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) has introduced legislation that would strip the citizenship of naturalized citizens found to be members of the notorious gang.

Called the Protecting Our Communities from Gang Violence Act, it would open the door for deportation and other penalties not applicable to American citizens:

We must do all in our power to stop MS-13 & gang violence. That's why I introduced the Protecting Our Communities from Gang Violence Act, HR 5065, to revoke the naturalization of those involved in gang activity prior to or w/in 10 yrs of being naturalized. https://zeldin.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-zeldin-introduces-new-legislation-revoke-naturalization-individuals 

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Pelosi Heckled While Criticizing Tax Cuts: 'How Much Are You Worth Nancy?'

Tuesday in Phoenix at a town hall, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was heckled while discussing her opposition to the Republican tax cuts.

Pelosi said, “These are kitchen table issues for many of America’s families. Most people are not in deadening poverty, but some are. Most people have to struggle to make ends —”

A woman yelled, “How much are you worth, Nancy?”

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'I beat breast cancer - but side effects nearly killed me'

Despite battling two cancers, vivacious Virginia Harrod hardly missed a beat in her legal practice, on her farm or any of the nightly dinners she makes her 87-year-old mother.

But a common side effect from her double mastectomy surgery nearly did the fast-talking 52-year-old from Kentucky in.

Harrod, an attorney, politician and farmer from rural Kentucky suffered from lymphedema, a condition that occurs when lymph fluid builds up in the arm, causing a skin infection that began to spread to her chest.

After a year hooked up to a constant stream of IV antibiotics – which she carried to court in her purse – and wearing a compression jacket to bed, Harrod thought she would never live a normal life again.

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Sackler family made billions off of the opioid crisis

The Sackler brothers represented America’s wildest dream: three Brooklyn-born sons of Jewish immigrants who became physicians and went on to found a pharmaceutical dynasty that is today worth more than $13 billion.

The family used their fortune to invest in the arts and philanthropy, with Sackler wings at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Louvre in Paris – to name just a few. The Sackler name, however, is conspicuously missing from anything associated with their main source of income, Purdue Pharmaceuticals and its related companies, or its billion dollar product: OxyContin. You won’t find them on the company’s logo, on their bottle labels, or even on their website.

For years, the Sacklers' company billed OxyContin as a safer alternative to morphine. This led to rampant over-prescription of the drug, which has created a snowball effect of addiction to opioid-based painkillers, according to critics, essentially kick-starting the modern epidemic President Trump has labelled as a public health emergency.

More than 200 US states, cities and counties have filed lawsuits against Purdue Pharma for criminal misbranding of the drug. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has declared war against Purdue and other pharmaceutical companies for their roles in creating a generation of addicts – and is seeking $500 million in damages he says the city needs to climb out of the hole Oxycontin has created.

Meanwhile, overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 – greater than gun violence and car accidents combined – and has devastated families across the country.

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Shrimp and/or Crab Balls Dinner Tonight

The public is invited to the Delmar VFW for a Shrimp and/or crab Balls dinner on Friday, February 23, from 6 - 8 pm at the Post, 200 West State Street, Delmar, MD. The dinner will also include hush puppies. Call 410-896-3722 after 4 pm for carry outs. Proceeds benefit the many local charities and organizations supported by the Delmar VFW.

Side Note: Crab balls are NOT full of filler, lots of crab!

A Drug Problem?

At my 50th high school reunion, a friend asked me,
"Why didn't we have a drug problem when we were growing up?"

I replied that I had a drug problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the pastor.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's or grandma's garden and flower beds.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behaviour in everything I do, say, or think.

They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroin, and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, this country would be a better place.

Thank God for our parents and grandparents who drugged us!

The flu vaccine depends on a person's immune history

Everyone has their own unique response to the flu - vaccinated or not - researchers found as they worked to uncover the flaws in the shot.

This season's flu vaccine was only about 36 percent effective overall and only 25 percent effective against the predominant and deadly H3N2 strain.

As was the case during the 2012-2013 flu season, many experts have raised concerns that the strain used to make the preventative medicine had mutated during its production in eggs, rendering it ineffective.

However, new research from the University of Chicago and Harvard University has shown that flu vaccine's effectiveness may depend more on what flu strains you've been exposed to over your whole life than on what is in the shot.

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Flashback-- National Institute of Justice: Federal 'Assault Weapons' Ban Did Not Reduce Crime

As the federal “assault weapons” ban was about to expire in 2004, the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reported that the ban could not be credited with any reduction in crime.

The Washington Times quoted University of Pennsylvania professor Christopher Koper, author of the NIJ report, saying, “We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence. And, indeed, there has been no discernible reduction in the lethality and injuriousness of gun violence.”

The NIJ report continued, “The ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best and perhaps too small for reliable measurement.”

The report put matters into perspective by pointing out that “assault weapons” were “rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban.” In other words, “assault weapons” were not a weapon of choice before the ban, so why would banning them be expected to contribute to a drop in crime?

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Dear Boss,

I have enjoyed working here these past several years.

You have paid me very well, given me benefits beyond belief. I have 3-4 months off per year and a pension plan that will pay my salary till the day I die and a health plan that most people can only dream about.

Despite this I plan to take the next 12-18 months to find a new position.

During this time I will show up for work when it is convenient. In addition I fully expect to draw my full salary and all the other perks associated with my current job.

Oh yes, if my search for this new job proves fruitless, I will be back with no loss in pay or status. Before you say anything, remember that you have no choice in the matter. I can and will do this.

Sincerely,

Every Senator or Congressman running for President.

Seventh Week of the Legislative Session

This week, as a member of the Environment and Transportation Committee, I had the opportunity to hear a bill that threatened to take powers away from the Eastern Shore Delegates as it relates to the Bay Bridge extension. It’s vitally important for the Eastern Shore to have a say in whether or not a bridge should be put there. I, along with the rest of the Eastern Shore Delegation, will fight to make sure every voice on the Eastern Shore is heard when it comes to a decision being made.

We have made monumental progress in protecting women and children from their abusers. On Tuesday, the Governor signed the Rape Survivor Family Protection Act into law. This allows rape victims to deny parental rights to their rapist.


This week Governor Hogan also signed a proclamation declaring 2018 as the “Year of Frederick Douglass” in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the famed abolitionist, writer, and orator. 

Known as the “Father of America’s Civil Rights Movement,” Douglass was born on the Eastern Shore in Talbot County.

Governor Hogan also proposed legislation to establish an employment program that expands apprenticeship and job readiness training to children in foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth. Since taking office, The Hogan administration has invested over $744 million in Maryland’s Foster Care Program. We were privileged to meet two incredible young people who came to the State House for Youth Foster Day. We spent the day discussing the legislative process and what they would like to see changed in Maryland. We look forward to seeing where their bright minds take them in the future!

This week the Eastern Shore Delegation welcomed Secretary Neall from the Maryland Department of Health to discuss his agenda for the year. Mary Beth Wade joined the panel to update the delegation on the mold remediation at Deer’s Head Hospital. The YMCA spoke about their new projects, including the new aqua center in Wicomico County. Lastly, we spoke with Kent Conservation & Preservation Alliance about our Bay Bridge veto rights and solar facilities in Kent County.

Our office has received a lot of emails regarding the Paid Sick Leave bill that went into effect as of February 11th. Under this piece of legislation, businesses with 15 or more employees must provide paid leave, while businesses with less than 15 employees must provide unpaid leave. Full-time employees receive sick and safe leave. By definition, "full-time employees" refers to someone who works 12 or more hours/week. For part-time employees, business owners must provide one hour of sick leave for every thirty hours worked, and can accrue a maximum of forty hours per year.

If you would like to read the bill, here is a link: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2017RS/chapters_noln/Ch_1_hb0001E.pdf.


The Commission has created a helpful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document, available at www.dllr.maryland.gov/paidleave.

Finally, congratulations to Delmar Deputy Mayor Lloyd Unsell on winning the 3rd Annual Wood Creek Chili Cook Off!
Thank you for the continuous support! If you would like to contact us with an idea, issue, or concern, please either call: 410-841-3431 or email Carl.Anderton@house.state.md.us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Pennsylvania's new election map delights Democrats, enrages GOP

PITTSBURGH- The new congressional district map released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Monday not only completely renumbered every district in the state, but also knocked both Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone out of the seat they are running for in the special election race less than a month away.

The plan also divides the city of Philadelphia into only two congressional seats instead of the current three. It also splits 13 counties, nine of them into two districts, and four into three.

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