‘JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON’: PROTESTS DRAW CROWDS IN NYC, LA, OTHER AMERICAN CITIES

Rapper Jay Z and his wife, R&B singer Beyonce, joined the Rev. Al Sharpton and Trayvon Martin’s mother at a Saturday rally for Martin in Harlem, N.Y.—one of at least 100 protest gatherings scheduled to take place across America.

Sharpton’s National Action Network organized the “Justice for Trayvon” rallies and vigils outside federal buildings from New York and Los Angeles to Wichita, Kan., and Atlanta, where people stood in the rain at the base of the federal courthouse, with traffic blocked on surrounding downtown streets. Most rallies were scheduled for noon local times.

Jay Z with Justin Timberlake dedicated the song “Forever Young” to Martin during their closing number at Yankee Stadium Friday night: “Everybody put a cell phone and light it up,” Jay Z said according to TMZ, “let’s light the sky for Trayvon Martin tonight in here.” 
More 

Tracking Your Every Move

Your local police department may be tracking your every move. A new report from the ACLU shows that automatic license plate readers are snapping photos of our cars, even when we're not speeding or running a red light. And, those photos are being stored in mega databases just like our phone and internet data, which is being captured by the NSA. According to the ACLU, cameras mounted on police cars, bridges, traffic lights, and other objects record the plate number, time, and location for every passing car. At first, law enforcement agencies only used that information to check for stolen cars, or to act on arrest warrants, but now many police forces are storing those images indefinitely. This information could potentially be used to document where you drive, who you associate with, or even how long you were there. Law enforcement is no longer keeping this information only on those found guilty of a crime, they're storing data on everyone to prove criminal activity at some later date. That's the reason the ACLU is exposing this surveillance program. They say the government shouldn't be watching our every move, just in case we commit a crime later. As is the case with the NSA surveillance programs, government officials contend that this supposedly-modest invasion of our privacy is necessary to find criminals and keep us safe. However, the ACLU and various privacy advocates do not agree. They say that there is no justifiable reason for the federal government to monitor our phone and internet activity, and no reason our every move should be photographed and stored by local governments.

Cardin To Announce Plans For Attorney General Race

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Del. Jon Cardin is scheduled to announce his plans about running for Maryland attorney general next week.

The Baltimore County Democrat sent out a news release on Friday announcing what was described as a major announcement in Baltimore on Monday regarding the race for attorney general.

Cardin formed an exploratory committee to consider running for the job late last year.
More 

[Nanny]Bloomberg Demands New Yorkers Take The Stairs

Why take an escalator to the twentieth floor when you can just run up the stairs? New York mayor Michael Bloomberg wants all new buildings and renovated buildings to start making it easier for people to take the stairs:
The Order also requires that agencies assess opportunities to promote the use of stairways, and that agencies train design and construction personnel in the use of the City’s Active Design Guidelines. …

Additionally, the Bloomberg Administration plans to submit for City Council approval two items of legislation to promote access to stairways in all new construction and buildings undergoing major renovations in New York City. The first bill requires that building owners give occupants access to at least one, clearly identified stairway in the building; and post signs that prompt stair use near elevators. The second bill increases access to and the visibility of stairways by permitting the use of hold-open devices in the doors of one stairway per building, for a maximum of three consecutive floors

More

Tension Over Crime Continues After ‘Pants Law’ Spat

Despite the apparent political death last week of Councilman Brent Ashley’s so-called “saggy pants ordinance,” tension over the resort’s crime and social environment continued at Monday night’s meeting.

“There’s still this intimidation going on … people are emailing us and saying, ‘This is what I saw on 8th Street or 12th Street or on the Boardwalk in front of my hotel,’ and they’re not happy about it,” Councilwoman Margaret Pillas said.

Four weeks ago, Ashley requested that a decency policy for the Boardwalk be discussed at this week’s council session, following the recent passage of a similar policy in the resort town of Wildwood, N.J.
More 

No Defense

Despite Obamacare Delay, City Will Maintain Cuts

Although the major mandate of the federal Affordable Care Act has been pushed back until 2015, the Town of Ocean City said this week that it has no plans to reverse the cutback of hours for part-time city employees that were instituted earlier this year.

“There is no plan at this time to make any changes to how we manage the part-time employees,” said city Communications Manager Jessica Waters. “I think we think it’s a little too early in the legislative process to make a final decision.”

Early this year, the city indicated that it would be facing a considerable financial and personnel crunch from the federal Affordable Care Act, popularly known as “Obamacare.” The law would require, as of January 2014, that any employer with 50 or more employees provide health insurance to any worker who is considered to be full-time and non-seasonal.
More 

Holder Witch Hunt

Agritainment Venue Offers Three-Day Music Festival

An agritainment venue on old Route 113 will be the site of a three-day music festival to raise money for local charities.

“We’re not planning on making any kind of profit,” Tim Keane, a former Ocean City police officer, told the Board of License Commissioners on Wednesday.

The Labor Day Music Festival will held be Aug. 30-Sept. 1 by the Law Enforcement Officers Safeguarding America, a security company founded by Tim Keane, a former Ocean City police officer. Ocean City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 10 is co-sponsoring the event.

The festival at the 50-acre site at 11039 Worcester Highway will include vendors selling food and merchandise plus live entertainment. That entertainment is expected to be local acts performing classic rock.
More 

Motorcyclist Severely Injured In West Ocean City This Afternoon

From The Facebook Page of The Dispatch

Motorcyclist Severely Injured In West Ocean City This Afternoon
Freelance Photographer Christopher Casale reports, 'On Saturday July 20th, 2013 at approximately 3:15pm, Ocean City Fire and EMS personel were dispatched to the area of Stephen Decatur Highway and Assateague Rd for the report of a motorcycle. Upon arrival Ems members found an 83 year old motorcyclist down in the roadway with part of the windshield impaled or stuck in the patients abdomen. Immediately, Maryland State Police Medevac Trooper 4 was requested to fly and landed at the Ocean City Municipal Airport on Route 611. The patient was then taken to the landing and was loaded into the awaiting helicopter. The patient was then flown to an unspecified trauma center for treatment. The roadway remained shut down for a short time, and the Maryland State Police are handling the accident investigation.'
Photo by Christopher CasaleSource 

Q. "Did You Think The NSA Could Keep This Secret Forever?" A. "Well, We Tried!"

Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the committee, said he was surprised that the programs had been kept secret for so long.

“Do you think a program of this magnitude gathering information involving a large number of people involved with telephone companies could be indefinitely kept secret from the American people?” Goodlatte asked.

“Well,” ODNI general counsel Robert S. Litt said with a slight smile, “we tried.”

- From a Washington Post article yesterday

The backlash in Congress against the government’s monstrous spy program and the ridiculous notion that a secret court (the FISA court) grants any sort of oversight is growing, and it is a bipartisan effort. More from theWashington Post:

More

SPD Press Release 7-20-13

Sen. Elizabeth Warren: It’s Obscene That The Govt. Profits Off Student Loans

There were several sticking points that bogged down the U.S. Senate from quickly passing legislation that would provide a long-term solution to the problem of interest rates on federal Stafford student loans. Among these was whether the government should be able to charge a rate that would allow it to make a profit.
Proponents of that idea say the profit will be used to pay down the national debt, but Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts believes it’s wrong to saddle young borrowers with higher interest just because the government hasn’t been able to maintain its books properly.

More

Pioneering Reporter Helen Thomas Dies At 92

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Covering 10 presidents over five decades, Helen Thomas aged into a legend. She was the only reporter with her name inscribed on a chair in the White House briefing room -- her own front row seat to history.

Starting as a copy girl in 1943, when women were considered unfit for serious reporting, Thomas rose to bureau chief.

Working at a news service, where writers expect obscurity, she became one of journalism's most recognized faces. Thomas embraced her role as a Washington institution, doing cameos in movies, giving lectures, writing books about her life until the spotlight landed on inflammatory remarks she made about Israel.
More 

WCSO Press Release 7-20-13

Trayvon Witness Accepts College Offer

Trayvon Martin witness Rachel Jeantel accepts radio host Tom Joyner's college offer

Rachel Jeantel, the 19-year-old witness in the Trayvon Martin trial, has accepted radio personality Tom Joyner's offer to pay her college fees. In an open letter, Joyner said 'I realized a hug wasn't enough.'

More

Franchot To Talk About Tax Credit With Health Care Reform

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- The comptroller of Maryland is urging small businesses to take advantage of tax credit they could be eligible for relating to health care reform.

Comptroller Peter Franchot is scheduled on Monday to talk about a pilot program to see how well mailings to more than 5,000 small businesses in Howard County will boost interest.

Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Health Care for All Coalition, says it's hoped the pilot program will be replicated across the state.
More 

Caption This Photo 7-20-13

Trayvon Martin Case Shows Strength Of Maryland Law, Attorneys Say

By now, we all know the situation: an armed neighborhood watch volunteer, a young black man, a physical confrontation, a fatal shooting. Arrest, trial, verdict, and, depending on your point of view, outrage or vindication.

Among the numerous and overlapping questions raised by the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida last year and the recent acquittal of George Zimmerman — about race and profiling, about crime, about weapons and public safety — observers say Maryland’s more restrictive regulations on handgun permits likely would keep such an incident from occurring in the Free State.

But if Zimmerman had been tried in a Maryland courtroom, there’s a “substantial likelihood” that he would probably not be a free man now, said Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy (D).
More 

OJ Simpson 'Has Only THREE MONTHS To Live Because Of An Extreme Case Of Diabetes'

OJ Simpson has only three months to live as a result of his extreme case of diabetes and unhealthy lifestyle behind bars.

The combination of 'sky high' blood pressure, a vastly expanding waistline and a lack of physical activity as he serves a 33-year prison sentence have doctors concerned about his health.
Simpson's lawyer Ozzie Fumo told MailOnline that he has not heard anything about his clients poor health. 
'As far as I know his health is very good, he was doing just fine. I just spoke to him on Saturday,' Mr Fumo said.

'I spent a lot of time with him preparing for the retrial motion and he never once mentioned diabetes.

More