DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Attention
Monday, May 04, 2009
The Boulevard Theater Part III
How The Internet Can Hurt The Innocent, Until Proven Guilty?
He had done a Google Search on his 20 year old Daughter who is attending College at Salisbury University. She was recently pulled over by the Sheriff's Department for not having her headlights on and by the time it was all said and done she had been arrested for a DUI.
OK, so the first thing that ran through my head was, she's been arrested, we received a "Press Release" from the Sheriff's Department, all is fair and good, right?
Well, not necessarily. The Sheriff's Department did everything right but let's look into this a little deeper because while I had defended the Sheriff's Department, I had been listening to the Father expressing how his Daughter had been violated and by the time we were done talking, he was right. At least I felt that way anyway.
You see, once this information gets onto the Internet, it never goes away. In America, we're innocent until proven guilty. However, with the presence of Blogs and On Line Newspapers, DUI information gets out there through Press Releases like the one we provided and that's it.
Once this young lady goes out looking for a job and they do a Google Search on her, guess what, they're going to read about that DUI. Now let's say she 's found innocent, like many have in the past. There's an instant tattoo on her personal record, one in which can't be taken away.
So my reasoning for this Post is to ask all of you what YOU think about such Press Releases BEFORE people are found guilty. I know there are many other examples we could use but I'm going to ask that we stick to this one subject at hand as an example so as we don't have comments go off in the wrong direction about other previous Posts. Let's stick to this example.
Do you believe Law Enforcement Agencies should produce Press Releases before trial? As you and I both know, in many of the local cases people are found innocent while many people commenting here regularly express their disbelief in so many cases falling apart. In the mean time, the people involved with charges against them are exposed on the Internet and that information just doesn't go away.
Perhaps Press Releases should only come out after the case has been tried? What's your thoughts on this. Keep in mind, I do realize that the Case Search Files are also considered Public Information. I just wonder if that too is right.
SHOULD SALISBURY HELP THE VILLAGE OF HOPE?
The Village of Hope has paid the bill and requested that the City waive some of the amount billed. But the Finance Director has responded as follows: “I am not recommending that a refund be granted,” on the basis of the City’s policy.
The request has been bucked to the City Council, which will consider it at today’s work session. Apparently, Mayor Ireton has accepted Ms. Oland’s position as that of the administration. If you agree that under the circumstances it would be fair and reasonable to waive some of the amount billed, please contact the Council at: ALLCityCouncilMembers@ci.salisbury.md.us
And also the mayor at: mayor@ci.salisbury.md.us
PS – Kudos to T. J. Maloney for his service to this organization.



The Most Economical Car In The World
will be on sale next year
Enjoy and Have a Great Day!!!!
Better than Electric Car - 258 miles/gallon: IPO 2010 in Shanghai
This is a single seated car
From conception to production: 3 years and
the company is headquartered in Hamburg , Germany .
Will be selling for 4000 yuan, equivalent to US$600.
Gas tank capacity = 1.7 gallons
Speed = 62 - 74.6 Miles/hour
Fuel efficiency = 258 miles/gallon
Travel distance with a full tank = 404 miles



Another Amazing Artist
Edgar Mueller Super Artist

Great Crevase Edgar Mueller. Hard work: Together with up to five assistants, Mueller painted all day long from sunrise to sunset.
The picture appeared on the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire , Ireland , as part of the town's Festival of World Cultures.

He spent five days, working 12 hours a day, to create the 250 square metre image of the crevasse, which, viewed from the correct angle, appears to be 3D. He then persuaded passers-by to complete the illusion by pretending the gaping hole was real.
'I wanted to play with positives and negatives to encourage people to thnk twice about everything they see,' he said. 'It was a very scary scene, but when people saw it they had great fun playing on it and pretending to fall into the earth. 'I like to think that later, when they returned home, they might reflect more on what a frightening scenario it was and say, "Wow, that was actually pretty scary."
Mueller, who has previously painted a giant waterfall in Canada , said he was inspired by the British 'Pavement
Picasso' Julian Beever, whose dramatic but more gentle 3D street images have featured in the Daily Mail.
This guy is amazing no matter how you look at it.
Knockout Show Slated For Wicomico Youth & Civic Center

In his first return to Salisbury since February, Guerrero will take part in a show that is sure to wow the crowds. The show will feature 6 professional fights with Fernando Guerrero as the main event. Guerrero has packed the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center twice before and promises to do it again for this exciting event.
Doors open at 7:00pm with the first fight starting at 8:00pm. Tickets are $15, $25, $50, $60, $100, or $125 plus applicable fees. Make sure you don’t miss the event of the year and get your tickets early! Tickets can be bought in person at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center box office at 500 Glen Ave, Salisbury, MD, online at http://www.wicomicociviccenter.org/, or over the phone by calling the box office at 410-548-4911.
Today's Wildlife Photos
"Juror No. 6" Letter Stirs Sentencing Debate

Months after the verdict, Mr. Caron learned prosecutors still wanted to send the defendant, Antwuan Ball, to prison for 40 years. "He was furious, he was absolutely furious," recalled Mr. Caron's wife, Mary Brennan. "He told me, 'I'm going to write a letter to the judge.'"
Signing his letter "Juror No. 6," Mr. Caron wrote, "It seems to me a tragedy that one is asked to serve on a jury, serves, but then finds their work may not be given the credit it deserves." Mr. Caron, 60, died unexpectedly a few weeks later from an apparent heart-related illness, but his letter has found a life of its own.
Quoting a person they know only as "Juror No. 6," a handful of senior federal appeals judges and attorneys across the country are citing Mr. Caron's letter - including in a recent brief sent to the U.S. Supreme Court - in railing against a little-known practice called acquitted conduct sentencing.
The policy lets federal judges mete out tougher sentences based on what lawyers call "acquitted conduct," or the criminal charges for which a defendant has been acquitted in court.
• Read Jim Caron's letter by clicking here.
Gilbert S. Merritt Jr., senior judge on the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, recently quoted Juror No. 6 in a dissenting opinion he filed with five other judges in a case in Kentucky.
"The juror's reaction is the same, I believe, as the reaction that the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 ..." the judge wrote of Mr. Caron.
"It undermines public respect for the law when a judge overrides a jury acquittal," Judge Merritt said in a phone interview. "And this letter that this fellow wrote is a good example of why."
Not everyone agrees. Many judges hold that acquitted conduct sentencing is widely accepted and note the policy has been upheld by the courts. Indeed, they point out that judges can take all sorts of conduct into account when sentencing a defendant, just so long as the sentence falls within the minimum and maximum terms allowed under the law. More from The Washington Times article.
WWII Army Vet Receives Bronze Star

Pfc. Clarence Wallaert was shot in the hip by a German sniper while fighting against the German Winter Line in Italy Dec. 30, 1943. Wallaert bandaged his own wound and provided 12 hours of automatic rifle support for his Army comrades advancing into the Liri Valley-the "gateway to Rome."
Nearly 66 years later, Wallaert, 86, was awarded the Bronze Star Medal at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., April 14 for his meritorious actions during World War II.
Wallaert's son-in-law, retired Air Force Col. Jim Harper, attended the ceremony at Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Headquarters where he works, along with other members of Wallaert's family.
"It was such an awesome and humbling experience to have (Maj.) Gen. (James) Hodge meet with the family and then award his medal," Harper said. "My father-in-law said that he was 'awed' by the ceremony."
Harper said the award was delayed for decades because Wallaert and his family did not realize he was authorized to receive the award until recently.
"It was unknown that Army regulations authorized the Bronze Star medal for WWII recipients if they had been awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman's Badge," Harper said.
Wallaert previously received both decorations and his Bronze Star request was filed March 16. "It's one of those gems uncovered over time that showed he was authorized to receive it (the Bronze Star) when it was unknown to him prior to recently," Harper said.
Hodge, SDDC commanding general, presented Wallaert with his Bronze Star during the ceremony last week. "I was as happy as I could possibly be to be involved in the recognition of one of our WWII veterans," said Hodge, whose father is also a decorated World War II veteran.
"It was close to me personally," he said. "You could certainly see his pride during the ceremony."
Friday, back in Michigan, Wallaert said via phone that he was surprised by the large crowd at the ceremony. "I was really overwhelmed," Wallaert said. "I expected maybe one person to be there but they had the whole room (filled). I was just doing my duty and I didn't expect all the praise."
Wallaert served as a Browning Automatic Rifleman with the Army's K Company, 3rd Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th division, from February 1943 until January 1944.
Wallaert and Company K received strong combat resistance from the hills of Mount Raimo in Italy, Dec. 30, 1943. The company had just cleared the town of Venafro and was fighting to move forward and drive German soldiers out of Southern Italy when then - Pfc. Wallaert was wounded but continued to provide automatic rifle support for his company.
Before his exceptional actions in Italy, Wallaert served in North Africa and Sicily. After being wounded in Italy he was transferred to a military hospital in Tunisia to recover and was then transferred back to the United States.
Back in the U.S., Wallaert was assigned to Fort Sheridan, Ill., on the north side of Chicago. He was discharged from active service on Dec. 7, 1945.
After being discharged, he worked as a mixer for the Sunshine Biscuit Company in Saginaw, Mich., then on a General Motors assembly line. Wallaert married his wife Geraldine on May 1, 1948. The couple has six children.
In 1995, Harper, went to Venafro, Italy, and took pictures of the war site. He shared the photos with his father-in-law who recalled the battleground.
"He remembered well the terrain and which mountain he was wounded on," Harper said.
Of the Bronze Star Award ceremony, Harper said it too would become another memory for his father-in-law. "(The ceremony) became a significant life event for my father-in-law," he said, "and I am sure it is one that will provide him many fond memories throughout his life."
She Could Be Salisbury's Next Fire Chief
The girl was wearing a firefighter's helmet. The wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat.
The firefighter walked over to take a closer look.
That sure is a nice fire truck,' the firefighter said with admiration.
Thanks,' the girl replied.
The firefighter looked a little closer. He noticed the girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the cat's testicles.
'Little partner,' the firefighter said, 'I don't want to tell you how to run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I think you could go faster.'
The little girl replied thoughtfully, 'You're probably right, but then I wouldn't have a siren.
One Year Ago Today
Cinco de Mayo
While some think of Cinco de Mayo as the Mexican equivalent to the United States' 4th of July, it's not, really. It's actually the celebration of the Mexican army's unlikely victory over the French occupational forces of Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. While outnumbered nearly two to one by a much better equipped force that had known no defeat in almost fifty years, the Mexicans rallied and defeated the French in a day-long battle that ended in mud and blood, with French casualties outnumbering the Mexicans' by over five to one, a stinging defeat that reverberated around the world.On September 16, 1862, then-President Juarez declared that the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla would be a national holiday. It has since fallen by the wayside as a national celebration, and is not now even a federal holiday. Instead, it has become a day of celebration of Mexican heritage throughout the New World and elsewhere, much the same as St. Patrick's Day is for the Irish.
Wicomico County Sheriff's Office Most Wanted
Kevin James PriceWhite Male, 5’08” 150 lbs
DOB 11/09/1980 28 years of age
Brown hair, Blue eyes
Price’s last known address was Salisbury, MD
Price is wanted by the Sheriff’s Office on a Circuit Court Bench Warrant issued in October 2008 for Violation of Probation on the charge of CDS Possess Not Marijuana
The preset bond is $5,000.00
Price has a history of being a DRUG USER SELLER
UPS Gripe Sheet
Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one...a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely in our jobs. After every flight, United Parcel Service pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this air craft.
P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
P: Auto pilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.
Somerset County Elite
Just a little new info on happenings within the Simpkins clan in Somerset Co. Guess who's kids ride all over Mt Vernon Rd area on their ATV and mini-bikes? Well, none other than those of the county attorney, Kirk Simpkins. Guess he FORGOT they're off road vehicles and, according to the Maryland DMV, are not allowed on county and/or state roads.
Then there's the county commissioner, Rex. He inherited his mom's house.
From the water, it really stands out - now. Bet he didn't get a permit to take down all those waterfront trees! He had Ronnie Haymaker take them down and grind out the stumps. Probably doesn't know you need special permits on waterfront trees.
Just another local citizen who needs permits, waivers, etc..."



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