I Need A Raise

Employee::    Excuse me sir, may I talk to you?Boss:            Sure, come on in.   What can I do for you?

Employee:         Well sir, as you know, I have been an employee of this prestigious firm for over ten years.Boss:            Yes.

Employee:         I won't beat around the bush. Sir, I would like a raise. I currently have four companies after me and so I decided to talk to you first.
Boss:            A raise?   I would love to give you a raise, but this is just not the right time.

Employee:    I understand your position, and I know that the current economic down turn has had a negative impact on sales, but you must also take into consideration my hard work, pro- activeness and loyalty to this company for over a decade.
Boss:            Taking into account these factors, and considering I don't want to start a brain drain, I'm willing to offer you a ten percent raise and an extra five days of vacation time.  How does that sound?

Employee:    Great!   It's a deal!   Thank you, sir!Boss:            Before you go, just out of curiosity, what companies were after you?

Employee:    Oh, the Electric Company, Gas Company, Water Company and the Mortgage Company! 

Restaurant Employees: Google Says We're Closed Because We Wouldn't Pay For Ads

While Ian was visiting Hawaii, he wanted to check out a restaurant a friend had told him about. He looked the place up on Google Maps and was dismayed to find it had closed. When he actually got there, he found the joint was very much open, and talked to employees who alleged Google affixed it with the false label as a way to blacklist the restaurant for refusing to advertise.

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Walmart To Offer Price-Matching On Black Friday

There are only a few more days until we get Thanksgiving out of the way and can start worrying about what really matters -- Black Friday. And Walmart has come out swinging in the retail battle for your holiday shopping dollars by announcing that it will offer price-matching.

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Ridiculous Amounts Of Lead, Other Crap, Found On Decorative Glasses

According to a new study commissioned by the Associated Press, you might be getting slightly more than your recommended daily allowance of lead if you've been using some decorative drinking glasses. And by "slightly more," we mean "up to 1,000 times more" lead.

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FBI Raids 3 Hedge Funds In Massive Insider Trading Probe

The FBI showed up with search warrants at the office of three different hedge funds today as part of a huge insider trading probe. Sources say it's a prelude to the biggest insider trading bust of all time.

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Foreclosures Are Hurting The Children

Children are an overlooked victim in the mortgage meltdown. Experts are growing concerned about the negative social, emotional and academic impact foreclosure turmoil is having on kids. Everything from forced relocation, moving to a new school, seeing your parents at each other's throats over money, to coming home and finding all your belongs in the trash takes its toll, and there isn't currently a public policy response to address the issues.

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Transportation In Delaware Moves Into The Digital Age

DelDOT Announces Launch of New Social Media Initiative

Dover -- As evolving communications tools continue to expand and become a driving force behind communication in the 21st Century, the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is taking the leap in to the realm of social media. Today, DelDOT is launching their social media initiative, which will expand the department's ability to communicate with the public.

"We are excited about taking this next step toward creating more open and fluid lines of communication," said DelDOT Secretary Carolann Wicks. "By using social media tools like Twitter and blogs, members of the public who may not get their news through traditional sources will be able to stay informed about DelDOT and our projects."

Today, the department is launching a new DelDOT Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pages/Dover-DE/Delaware-Department-of-Transportation-DelDOT/163083853706553, which will provide another venue to get out important and timely information. In 2009, DelDOT launched their Twitter feed, @DelawareDOT, which has included information about news releases, traffic advisories, and other information. This is an especially valuable tool for those traveling throughout Delaware, especially during the holidays. DelDOT has also maintained a Flickr account, www.flickr.com/photos/delawaredot, to showcase photographs taken by staff photographer James Pernol of projects and areas throughout Delaware. DelDOT's YouTube account, www.youtube.com/DelawareDOT, showcases informational videos about numerous projects that the department has undertaken. In October, DelDOT launched DelDOT Blogs, blogs.deldot.gov, which includes project updates and other helpful information.

"By using all of these outlets, each with their own specific use," said Wicks, "we are ensuring that DelDOT will continue to provide Delaware's citizens and visitors with the information that they need to make the time that they spend traveling throughout the state a little easier."

Opportunities To Support Our Students And Schools

Starting Monday, Nov. 22
Poinsettias Available
A+ Garden Centre at Parkside High School

New varieties of poinsettias are longer-lasting and can be enjoyed throughout the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Starting Monday, Nov. 22, the A+ Garden Centre at Parkside High School will have poinsettias in red, plus some white, pink and marble. Sizes available: 6.5" -- 1 plant pinched per pot for $5; 8" -- 2 plants pinched per pot for $10; 10" -- 3 plants pinched per pot for $15, 2 red & 1 white per pot. 410-341-8746 [internal calls to x2580].

Through Nov. 23
Salvation Army Kettle Drive
Salisbury Middle School

Salisbury Middle School is conducting a Salvation Army Kettle Drive that will run through Nov. 23. The school is collecting coins, bills and Eagle Bucks. Students and staff can donate coins and bills, which will go directly to the Salvation Army. The school is also hoping that parents and guardians will chip in during American Education Week. Additionally, students may donate the Eagle Bucks they receive for good behavior and good citizenship. For every 10 Eagle Bucks, an outside sponsor will donate $1 to the Salvation Army on behalf of SMS (up to $500). The SMS goal is to raise at least $500 for the Salvation Army by Nov. 23. This event is sponsored by the A-Team of SMS, which hopes that everyone will gather their spare coins, dollars and Eagle Bucks to put towards an excellent cause. 410-677-5149.

Saturday, Nov. 27
Applebee’s Flapjack Fundraiser Breakfast in Salisbury
Benefitting the Bennett Middle Step Team

Please come out and support the Bennett Middle Steppers at an all-you-can-eat Applebee’s Pancake Fund-raiser Breakfast in Salisbury from 8 -10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27. Tickets are $6 per person for all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage and beverage (coffee, orange juice, soda and tea). The breakfast will be served at the Salisbury Applebee’s. For tickets please see Tana Ellis at tellis@wcboe.org , a stepper, or contact the school office at 410-677-5813.

Highlighted Events This Week And Next Week In Wicomico Schools: American Education Week

Tuesday, Nov. 23
Readers Theatre
Beaver Run Elementary

The Thanksgiving Readers Theatre production at Beaver Run Elementary will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23. The second-grade Readers Theatre groups have been working hard since the start of the school year and will present a program of poems and short plays about the holiday, including music of the season. The event will showcase the great strides that Beaver Run students are making in reading and performing. 410-677-5101.

Tuesday, Nov. 23
Car Seat Safety Check
Royal Farms, Salisbury

Royal Farms off Route 50 in Salisbury will host a free Car Seat Safety Check by Safe Kids Lower Shore Maryland from 3-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23. No appointment needed. A certified technician will check to make sure your car seat or car seats are correctly installed. Why come out? Eight out of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly, and would not protect the child as well as designed in case of an accident.

Saturday, Nov. 27
JMB Open House
James M. Bennett High School

An open house at the new James M. Bennett High School will be held from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27. Refreshments will be provided in the cafeteria, students will provide guided tours, complimentary programs will be handed out with photos and information on the new building, and JMB yearbooks from previous years will be available for sale. The school will have keychains for sale for $10 that incorporate pieces of the gym floor from old JMB, for those looking for a souvenir from the school. The keychains will be sold starting that day, and will be available in the school office after the open house. 410-677-5141.

Tuesday. Nov. 30
U.S. Department of Education Visit to Judy Center
Judy Center Partnership at the Wicomico Early Learning Center

An Early Learning Program analyst from the U.S. Department of Education will visit Wicomico County Judy Center classrooms Tuesday, Nov. 30, to observe best practices, particularly in the area of language acquisition and how students from all backgrounds (including English Language Learners and students needing special education services) are included in instruction. The Maryland State Department of Education recommended Wicomico County’s Judy Center for the visit, which could lead to being highlighted online and/or on video as a high quality instructional program that could serve as a model for other schools and programs nationwide. Throughout the day, the USDE analyst will visit Judy Center classrooms at the Wicomico Early Learning Center and Pemberton and Beaver Run elementary schools, and will a Judy Center community Partner, the TenderHeart Child Care in Salisbury.

"Working Together For Children" Airing On PAC 14

"Working Together for Children" will air at 4:29 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23. Visit pac14.org for additional times during the next month.

This show features an interview with George Whitehead of Salisbury's Promise on the fourth 100 Best Communities For Young People Award for Salisbury and Wicomico County, and Salisbury City Administrator John Pick on Salisbury being named an All America City. Also featured on the show is an interview on the 20/20 reading initiative, with Dr. Carolyn Johnston, supervisor of reading for Wicomico Schools and chair of the Wicomico County Reading Committee, and Patricia Blevins, coordinator of reading for Wicomico Schools. "The Reading Song," written by Pinehurst Elementary teachers John Cox and Derek Perdue for the 20/20 initiative, is accompanied by video of students at Pinehurst and at Pittsville Elementary and Middle reading. A Safe Walk to School event at Salisbury Middle School is also highlighted.

"Working Together for Children" airs regularly at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and noon Saturdays; check the Programming grid at www.pac14.org for additional times. PAC 14 also streams its programming live on its web site at www.pac14.org, so viewers can visit the web site to "tune in" on line when the show is on the air. "Working Together for Children" is produced monthly by the Wicomico County Public Schools for broadcast to the community on PAC 14. For further information or to give feedback, please contact Dr. Faye Wilson at 410-677-4529 or fwilson@wcboe.org.

A Letter To The Editor

Joe,

I'm sitting here watching the Salisbury City Council meeting. Where do I start?  Shields seriously needs to think about going to school to learn how to speak English.  In the beginning as they were going over accepting the agenda for the evening she clearly made several comments that were not what I would expect to hear a council person say.  In English when I hear the word "day" I know the meaning of the word.  When I hear it in the sentence that she used "da would".  Can't she say they?  Go back to what I originally said about her needing to go to school, not "back to school."

I love how Shields felt the need to make a big deal out of how many Appeals there are today and last year compared to three years ago.  Loved how Cohen corrected her on the one issue on the same topic. 

$50,000 Grant  resolution 19-98:  Mr Trader, I love you!!  All of those people who have complained over the past week about the fire boat and he's the only one who spoke up (so far) during this topic.  So now this money will go towards the new vessel project instead of equipment as it originally was worded.  Makes me sick!  This is grant money, coming from us taxpayers!  Thank you Debbie for speaking up against this project!!!  Gary's living in a world only he understands.  Replacing a used fishing boat with one designed to do the work.  Did he just say the Federal Gov't Money handing out???  It's still taxpayers money.  He doesn't have a clue.  Go back to sleep Gary.  We know how much you support this, you want to go fishing next summer.  OMG Shields is speaking about fire dept procedures.  OMG everything she just mentioned is able to be reached by the trucks.  She dared to mention the WWTP in tht sentence.  Debbie, please run for mayor next time!  I love hearing you saying it's time for all to just say no to government stimulus money!!  Terry. y es Salisbury isn't taking care of their things just so they can get new toys.  I agree 100%.  Shields is speaking again, has no idea what she attended.  If you can't agree, sit and be quiet!  She only speaks up on fire dept issues.  Is she an expert?  Yes, Shields we know your supporting it.  Thank you for making it known for those out there who are sleeping.

The topic of Habitat.  Shields is so rude!  Thank you Deb for being polite about how you told her to shut up!  One of the best moments of the night (so far).  Has Gary gone to sleep now that the fire dept isn't under discussion?  I spoke too fast.  Go back to sleep Gary.  Oh no, Shields is speaking again about a property on Main St., not the one under discussion.  Go to school Shields!  Since the three-some passed it now anyone can claim they can't pay something and get away with it.  Great job three-some.

Public Comments:

Mr. Trader, amen!

Mr. Dishroom, amen!  Oh my, asking what the city owes.  They will never tell you, if so it will be a huge lie!  Amen about the vessel!

Ms. Adams, you go girl!  OMG I love it "this is a city, not a kingdom" Amen!  The council needs to remember this when buying new toys!

Mr. Davis, Amen!  I love you, always have baby!  Your right about SU.  Last year the Lions Club banquet was held there since it was the cheapest place in town for this crowd.

Mr. Albero, AMEN!  I'm waiting to hear the gavel being pounded with screaming from that direction of her closing the meeting down.  Love ya Joe, thanks for speaking up.  I'm surprised there weren't more people there to speak.  Thank you for standing up about bullying!  Now the gavel over the little boy, the mayor.  You did a great job, as always!  Please make sure tell me what that puss of a mayor said to you as you were walking away!!  It couldn't be heard on tv.

Editors Notes: I couldn't tell you what the Mayor said, I just didn't like the fact that he said something AFTER I was walking away and my back was to him. I did stop to ask and when he mumbled again I stated he may get away with that with women but he won't get away with it with me.

The next thing I knew, when I left the GOB a Police Officer pulled up while several of us were holding a conversation with Councilwoman Terry Cohen and asked us what we were doing. He told us he had received a complaint and wanted us to move on. Then another Officer pulled up and  Ireton was escorted to his vehicle.

Experts: Mystery Contrail Was From Chinese Missile

'Muted response' was decision 'made by the president himself'

Although the U.S. Defense Department and North American Aerospace Defense Command have speculated publicly that the unidentified contrail of a projectile soaring into the skies off the California coast – and recorded by a KCBS television crew – came from a jet and posed no security threat to the U.S., several experts are raising provocative and disturbing questions about the government's official response, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Two governmental military experts with extensive experience working with missiles and computer security systems have examined the television video and conclude the mysterious contrail originating some 30 miles off the coast near Los Angeles did not come from a jet – but rather, they say the exhaust and the billowing plume emanated from a single source nozzle of a missile, probably made in China.

They further suggest the missile was fired from a submerged Chinese nuclear submarine off America's coast, and point out that the timing of the alleged Chinese missile shot coincided with an increasing confrontation between the U.S. and China, and was likely meant to send a message to Washington.

Indeed, the Federal Aviation Administration documents that there were no aircraft flying in the area at that time, the night of Nov. 8.

GO HERE to read more.

Two Fatally Injured In Milford Crash

Location: Southbound SR 1, Coastal Highway, .5 miles south of Wilkins Road, Milford, DE

 

Date of Occurrence: November 22, 2010 at 12:13 a.m.

 

Operators/Vehicles:

 

Operator #1: Diana B. Thornberg, 25, Lincoln, DE

Vehicle #1: 2000 Hyundai Elantra

 

Operator #2: Roseann M. Hottes, 31, Wilmington, DE

Vehicle #2: 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse

 

Resume:   

 

Milford- The Delaware State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit is currently investigating a motor vehicle collision in which two people died that occurred early this morning in Milford.

 

The incident happened at approximately 12:13 a.m. this morning as Diana Thornberg, 25, of Lincoln, DE was operating a 2000 Hyundai Elantra and was traveling northbound in the southbound left lane of SR 1 just south of Wilkins Road in Milford. The front of Thornberg’s vehicle struck the front of a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse that was being operated by Roseann Hottes, 31, of Wilmington, DE, and was traveling southbound in the left lane of SR 1. Both Roseann Hottes and Diana Thornberg sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their bodies were both turned over to the medical examiners office where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Diana Thornberg was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. It is unknown if alcohol was a factor in the crash. SR 1 was closed for approximately 3 hours as the crash was investigated and cleared.

JFK's Assassination, 47 Years Later

47 years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas.

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

STATEMENT FROM CONGRESSMAN-ELECT ANDY HARRIS

ANNAPOLIS, MD – “An out-of-district, liberal special interest group has decided to start the 2012 campaign with false accusations and personal attacks.  Citizens of the First Congressional District are sick and tired of this revolving campaign and, like me, look forward to spending Thanksgiving with friends and family.  While these outsiders are focused on a different agenda, I am concentrating on long-term job creation, reducing wasteful government spending and getting America back on the road to prosperity.”

Mayor Ireton, YOU Are Out Of Control!!!!!!!!

TO: Mrs. Adams, President, Salisbury Area Property Owners Association FROM: Mayor James Ireton, Jr. RE: Third Friday Encounter with Mr. Adams DATE: November 22, 2010 On Friday, November 19, 2010, which is Salisbury’s Third Friday celebration I had an unfortunate incident involving your husband. Though your husband is entitled to his opinion regarding the relationship that you, as SAPOA’s president, have with the City of Salisbury, I encourage you to suggest to him that it was very clear to witnesses that he was very aggressive and threatening in his approach. I attempted to calm him and suggested that the Third Friday celebration was neither the time nor place for the discussion, but to no avail. Eventually his yelling became unintelligible, yet he did manage to say something about wanting to defend the honor of yourself, and Council President Louise Smith. I, still, am unclear about what he meant.

In the end though, I would appreciate that your family members only contact me on a professional basis and in writing. I have always had pleasant encounters with your daughter and I hope that continues.

The battle for the integrity of Salisbury’s neighborhoods is a policy and political struggle. What your husband did at Third Friday was make it personal. Salisbury deserves better than this. Please extend to Mr. Adams, my clear determination that the incident not happen again without my reporting it to the proper authorities. With your understanding of this, I consider the matter over, done and behind us.

With kind regards,

James Ireton, Jr.

Mayor, City of Salisbury

NOW, the idea that Mayor Ireton is trying to come off innocent here has pissed me off more than ANYTHING I have seen in many years. At the Mayor's Round Table Meeting last week the Mayor went on a verbal attack against Mrs. Adams that was so brutal, I'm amazed Mrs. Adams did not file charges against Mayor Ireton. Mayor Ireton has verbally attacked Louise Smith as well as other FEMALE Council Women.

Mr. Adams simply told the Mayor, PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE, BULLY. Clearly, just because Ireton is Mayor, he thinks he can do whatever he likes, especially to WOMEN.

Mrs. Adams, file those charges against Mayor Ireton. You have plenty of witnesses, (including a Police Officer) and your charges will stick.

Mayor Ireton, cut the crap! No one is buying your innocence here and Mr. Adams was simply defending his Wife. Maybe one day when YOU get married you'll know how to do so.

Guilty Verdict In Chandra Levy Murder Case

Ingmar Guandique's defense attorney had pointed finger at former Rep. Gary Condit

WASHINGTON — A jury on Monday found an El Salvadoran immigrant guilty of murdering Washington intern Chandra Levy in 2001.

Jurors deliberated over parts of four days before convicting Ingmar Guandique of two counts of first-degree murder for attacking Levy while she exercised in Washington's Rock Creek Park in May 2001.

The jury could have opted for a conviction of second-degree murder, but instead chose the more serious counts. Guandique, 29, could be sentenced to a minimum of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison. Sentencing was set for Feb. 11.

GO HERE to read more.

Criminal Arrest / Theft Of Jewelry

LOCATION:  Bishopville, Worcester County

CRIME:  Theft from $1,000 under $10,000, Theft less $1,000 and Theft Scheme $1,000 to under $10,000    
VICTIM:  Mark Kauffman and Dave Speier

Suspects:  Traci Brooke Sterling, 28 years old, Crisfield, MD
   
Deposition: Held on $10,000 Bond, $5,000 and $3,000                            

NARRATIVE:

During the above listed date and time, WCBI was investigating a case of stolen jewelry from two residences in the Bishopville, Worcester County, MD .   The suspect, Traci Brooke Sterling stole numerous items of jewelry from both of the residences while working for Merry Maids Cleaning Service.  Traci Sterling
pawned the stolen jewelry at “The Jeweler” in Salisbury, MD.  Numerous items of stolen were recovered from “The Jeweler”.  The value of the stolen jewelry is $1,725.00.
 
On 11-19-10 at approximately 1527 hours, Traci Brooke Sterling was arrested and processed at the Princess Anne Barrack.  Sterling was charged with Theft from $1,000 under $10,000, Theft less $1,000 and Theft Scheme $1,000 to under $10,000.  Sterling was held on $10,000 bond and held at the Somerset County Jail.  Sterling was held on two additional arrest warrant bonds of $5,000 and
$3,000.

Good Job On The Exam, Kids! Your Reward: Plastic Surgery

With grueling university entrance exams finally behind them, exhausted South Korean students are now choosing their reward — plastic surgery.

A number of plastic surgery hospitals have taken advantage of a recent trend by some parents to reward their children for years of hard study with plastic surgery, offering substantial discounts for eye and nose operations.

Popular surgeries include "Westernizing" the nose to give it an upward tilt and double-eyelid surgery to make eyes look bigger, which is especially popular with young women.

"We already had a long reservation list with names of students even before they took the test," the manager of one hospital told the JoongAng Daily.

GO HERE to read more.

Ouch!

Car backed into front of dentists office next to Ace Hardware College Ave.

Tent Cities, Homelessness, Soul-Crushing Despair: Legacy Of Decades Of Government Debt, Mismanagement Of Economy

For decades, our politicians have been deeply addicted to government debt, they have stood idly by as millions of our jobs have been shipped overseas and they have passed countless business-crushing regulations and they never thought that it would catch up with us. Well, it has. America has been living in the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world, and now that bubble is starting to pop. There has never been such an extended period of unemployment in the United States since the Great Depression, and millions of Americans are losing their homes. Homelessness is skyrocketing, tent cities are popping up everywhere and countless numbers of American families are experiencing the soul-crushing despair that comes from desperately trying to hang on for month after month after month. Now, because of the horrific hole that our politicians have dug for us, we are faced with some heartbreaking choices. For example, right now the U.S. Congress is deciding whether or not to extend long-term unemployment benefits for the nation’s jobless. Extending those benefits through the end of February would add another $12.5 billion to the U.S. national debt. But not doing it would cut off the only lifeline that many Americans have just in time for the holidays. The extension of jobless benefits that was passed last summer expires on December 1st. If these long-term benefits are not renewed, approximately 2 million unemployed Americans will lose their checks. But what can the U.S. Congress do? Just keep going into endless amounts of debt? As I have written about previously, the United States is never going to see another balanced budget ever again under the current system. The U.S. government is flat out broke. Somehow our politicians desperately need to find a way for the federal budget to stop hemorrhaging red ink. There is no more “extra money” to spend. The U.S. government has piled up the biggest mountain of debt in the history of the world and we are headed for a complete and total economic disaster because of it. But what are we going to do? Are we going to let millions of Americans starve in the streets? It’s not just the rapidly rising number of homeless Americans that is the problem. Millions of Americans are not going to be able to heat their homes this winter. Millions of others are going to have to choose between buying medicine and buying food because they will not be able to afford both. How would you like to be at a point where you could not go to the doctor because you knew that you could not pay the deductible? How would you like to be at a point where you had to decide whether to buy diabetes medicine or to buy macaroni and cheese to feed your family? More than 42 million Americans are now on food stamps, and that number keeps going up month after month after month. Just think about that. 42 million Americans would not be able to eat if the U.S. government did not give them handouts. The safety net is getting awfully crowded. If you really want to see some soul-crushing desperation, go check out the flood tunnels under the city of Las Vegas. But do not do this alone – it is very dangerous down there. Today, there are hordes of “tunnel people” who call those dark tunnels home. Nobody knows for sure how many people are down there (some people say that it is well into the thousands), but everyone agrees that the number is rapidly growing. But in many major U.S. cities there are no flood tunnels to go to. Instead, in many areas of the United States huge tent cities have sprouted. The following is a video news report from the BBC about the tent cities that are popping up all over America…. GO HERE to see more.

Is City Politics Too Big For The Local Media To Handle?

With every single local MSM outlet downsizing there is less Staff to do ANY Investigative Reporting. All anyone has to do is look back into Salisbury's political history and you start to question just about everything.

The Old Mall TIF. Sassafras Meadows. The Bricks. The Waste Water Treatment Plant. The $14,000,000.00 Fire House. Then there's the old Station 16. A $900,000.00 Fire Boat. The list goes on and on.

Have you seen any progress on the Old Mall property? How's that "growth pays for growth" working at Sassafras Meadows? Since when does a municipality get into the renovation and rental business, especially in such a horrible economy with The Bricks project? Then there's the $84,000,000.00 Waste Water Treatment Plant with a $1,000,000.00 liability clause and now an additional $60,000,000.00 completion fee. A new Fire Station 16 was built for $14,000,000.00. A FIRE HOUSE. You know, a pole building/garage for Fire Equipment. Funny, it seems to me everyone else around us can't seem to spend more than $2,000,000.00 on their new Fire Stations. Now we have the old Fire Station 16 being sold for $100,000.00, you know that whole story. Then there's a $900,000.00 Fire Boat. Look at the agenda for tonight. Unless I am missing something, the only thing on there is the DNR grant acceptance for the fire boat, not the award of bid for the fire boat itself.  As I recall, council reached consensus not to accept the DNR grant until AFTER the bid for the boat was awarded because it doesn't make sense to accept a grant for something you haven't officially decided to get.

Is someone lining their pockets? Is it just me who believes there's some serious problems with those leading the City of Salisbury. I could sit here all day going over each one of the topics I've mentioned here and the questionable details in each one. However, what good will it do. Even with the track record some of these people have, you keep voting for them.

Perhaps the MSM simply knows not to waste their time.

Council President Louise Smith Pulls Fire House From Agenda

Louise Smith has in fact pulled the old Fire Station off tonight's agenda. Clearly this topic is hotter than anything this Council has faced  to date. Every form of media have come together on this topic as Council VP Gary Comegys publicly stated he would not sell Joe Albero the building. This after a $250,000.00 cash offer was presented to the Council.

We strongly encourage as many citizens as possible to attend tonight's meeting to let the Council know where YOU stand on this project. One thing is for sure, the opposition will have their people there in support of it. 6:00 PM at the GOB.

Work On Southern Border Fence Begins Monday

Work on construction of a fence along the Israel-Egypt border begins today.

The first tractors and heavy machinery will commence work on the obstacle, which is to block the influx of  infiltrators that has plagued Israel in recent years. The fence is planned to stretch over 150 kms, and will be fitted with cameras and other technological devices that will make it possible to locate infiltrators.

The project is to last two years. The first 50-km stretch of fence is to be constructed north of Tze'elim in the Negev. This area is the scene of relatively large-scale infiltration by migrant laborers from sub-Saharan Africa and by weapons smuggling gangs.

The fence project is being undertaken by the Ministry of Defense, based upon a March cabinet decision. Work was slow to start, however, and last month the Prime Minister's Office published a statement prodding the officials responsible for the project to begin work as soon as possible.

The cabinet decided that it would supervise the pace of construction of the fence.         

More from INN

GOP Vows To End Fannie And Freddie Bailouts

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill say ending the federal bailout of insolvent mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be a major goal for the next Congress  and criticize Democrats for failing to fix the pair of institutions that had central roles in the recent financial and housing crises.

House Republicans have rebuked Democrats for not including the troubled lenders in the landmark Wall Street reform bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in July, saying they ignored a central problem that led to the housing market collapse, and are prepared to take up the topic when they take control in of the chamber in January.

"Over the last few years, Americans have seen up close the fallout from policies that encourage overexposure and the reckless overextension of debt," said Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative House Republicans. "By using Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to manipulate the housing market, Washington created a recipe for economic disaster."

Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee and presumed incoming chairman, called ending federal assistance to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "my top priority."

Fannie and Freddie are government-sponsored companies that either guarantee or own almost half the nation's mortgages.

"Using taxpayer money to subsidize the mortgage market is an addiction, and like all addictions it can't be cured overnight," he told CNBC this month. "There will be a reasonable transition period over a number of years to allow for the private market to develop."          

More from the Washington Times

Gates Rushes Delivery Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Report

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is instructing his staff to accelerate by one day the public release of a yearlong study into the implications of repealing the ban on openly gay people serving in the military.

That study, initially due Dec. 1, will now be ready for release on Nov. 30 to allow the congressional defense committees to hold hearings on the report as soon as possible.

Supporters of repealing the Clinton-era law, known as "Don't ask, don't tell," are eying the weeks after Thanksgiving recess as the last opportunity to see the ban scrapped. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has committed to bringing up the 2011 defense authorization bill, which contains a repeal provision, for a vote in December. The House already approved its version of the massive defense policy bill, which contains a repeal provision.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he first wants to hold hearings on the Pentagon's yearlong study.

Gates now has compressed an already "aggressive" timeline for the report delivery in order "to support Congress' wish to consider repeal before they adjourn," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said in a statement on Sunday.        More

Report: N. Korea Makes 'Stunning' Leaps In 'Astonishingly Modern' Nuclear Facility

A report that North Korea has made alarming, secret progress in its nuclear enrichment activities sparked alarm about Pyongyang's "belligerent behavior," in the words of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen.

Siegfried Hecker, a former director of the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, on Nov. 12 witnessed an "astonishingly modern" new secret nuclear processing facility, where he saw the "stunning" progress made by the reclusive nation, according to wire reports.

"Instead of seeing a few small cascades of centrifuges, which I believed to exist in North Korea, we saw a modern, clean centrifuge plant of more than a thousand centrifuges, all neatly aligned and plumbed below us," Hecker wrote in a report published Saturday.

"It is North Korea continuing on a path that is destabilizing for the region," Mullen said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, adding that the news was “very dangerous.”

The Hecker report comes on the heels of a U.N. Security Council report that found Pyongyang has a thriving $100 million per year weapons and missile export business in spite of the sanctions and accuses the North of using a "broad range of techniques to mask its financial transactions" and falsifying shipping container labels and ship manifests.

In addition, the report utilizes evidence gleaned by various sources including the International Atomic Energy Agency to conclude that North Korea is active in “nuclear and ballistic missile related activities in certain other countries including Iran, Syria and Myanmar."

“Instead of continuing its failed strategy of seeking to engage the regime in endless negotiation, the administration must ratchet up pressure on Pyongyang," Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), the likely incoming chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement earlier this month. “...We must act quickly and firmly to stop North Korea’s proliferation before it ends up costing American lives and those of our allies.”More here

[Once again, America's intelligence community has been caught by surprise... a bad sign. -- Editor]

Gingrich: Holder Should Resign For Handling Of Terrorism Cases

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is outraged that convicted terrorist Ahmed Ghailani was just acquitted in civilian court of all but one of the 286 charges against him.

"It's clear to me that Attorney General [Eric] Holder should resign," he tells Newsmax.TV in an exclusive interview. Gingrich was in Palm Beach, Fla. attending Restoration Weekend, a conservative conference organized by the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Gingrich angrily denounced Holder's handling of this and other terror cases.


Ghailani, 36, the first ex-Guantanamo inmate to be tried in a civilian court, will still serve at least 20 years in jail and could be sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of conspiracy against US property. But the New York jury cleared the Tanzanian national of all but one of 286 charges brought against him for the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa.

Gingrich blamed Holder for creating the conditions for Ghailani's legal victory.

"His rulings have been wrong. They've endangered our national security. They allowed a federal judge to throw out most of the evidence."

Terrorism cases shouldn't be tried in civilian courts, Gingrich says.

"This is a war," he adds.. "You can't bring into this kind of trial the kind of evidence a military tribunal would have."

The Obama administration refuses to admit we're in a war, he says.

"It's very dangerous to have an administration which refuses to deal with reality."

Gingrich doesn't think much of the new body scanners and pat-down procedures for air travelers.

"It's tragic that the Obama administration refuses to tell us the truth about our enemies, refuses to design a strategy to defeat them and instead believes inconveniencing, embarrassing, humiliating millions of innocent people is better than profiling and addressing intelligence," he says.

In sum, "This is a grotesque overreach of government," Gingrich says.

Gingrich also predicted a difficult time ahead as the new Republican House faces off against the Obama White House.      More here

Help Save Maryland

THE LAME DUCK DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO TRY TO PUSH THROUGH AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS BEGINNING NOVEMBER 29!  ITS CALLED THE DREAM ACT.  THEY WILL START WITH A HOUSE VOTE AND THEN MOVE TO THE SENATE.  BELOW IS THE LATEST UPDATE FROM  WWW.NUMBERSUSA.COM 

Pres. Obama has met with leaders from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and said he wants the DREAM Act Amnesty passed before lawmakers adjourn in December. According to a release issued by Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-N.Y.), who attended the White House meeting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tentatively scheduled a vote on DREAM for Nov. 29 - the Monday Congress returns from Thanksgiving recess.

How The Government Killed Safest Car Ever Built

Thirty-five years ago, the U.S. government built a fleet of cars that were safer than anything on the road. Twenty-five years ago, the government shredded them in secret. Two escaped the crusher. This is their story.

GO HERE to read more. 

Barbara Bush: Palin Should Stay In Alaska

Former first couple give Larry King opinions about Tea Party, son's book

Former first lady Barbara Bush says she hopes Sarah Palin stays in Alaska.

In a preview for a Larry King interview to be shown Monday on CNN, former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, are shown addressing topics such as the Tea Party influence, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, and their son's book.

Asked for her read on Palin, Barbara Bush responded:

"I sat next to her once, thought she was beautiful and I think she's very happy in Alaska — and I hope she'll stay there."

Palin has been active in election campaigns, acknowledged she is looking at the possibility of a 2012 presidential bid and plans a promotion tour for her own book due out next week, "America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag."

GO HERE to read more.

Mystery Contrail Was From Chinese Missile

Although the U.S. Defense Department and North American Aerospace Defense Command have speculated publicly that the unidentified contrail of a projectile soaring into the skies off the California coast – and recorded by a KCBS television crew – came from a jet and posed no security threat to the U.S., several experts are raising provocative and disturbing questions about the government's official response, reports Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. Two governmental military experts with extensive experience working with missiles and computer security systems have examined the television video and conclude the mysterious contrail originating some 30 miles off the coast near Los Angeles did not come from a jet – but rather, they say the exhaust and the billowing plume emanated from a single source nozzle of a missile, probably made in China. They further suggest the missile was fired from a submerged Chinese nuclear submarine off America's coast, and point out that the timing of the alleged Chinese missile shot coincided with an increasing confrontation between the U.S. and China, and was likely meant to send a message to Washington. Indeed, the Federal Aviation Administration documents that there were no aircraft flying in the area at that time, the night of Nov. 8. "The question that still must be answered is why NORAD's muted response was simply that North America was not threatened, and later our government approved the lame excuse that the picture recorded was simply an aircraft leaving a contrail," said retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jim Cash. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and commander of an F-15 squadron and an F-16 wing, Cash was assigned to NORAD as an assistant director of operations at the Cheyenne Mountain complex near Colorado Springs, Colo., and is fully knowledgeable of NORAD procedures. "There is absolutely no doubt that what was captured on video off the coast of California was a missile launch, was clearly observed by NORAD, assessed by a four-star general in minutes, and passed to the president immediately," he said. Even more ominously, cautioned Cash: "We must question the timing of this shot across our bow. The president was abroad being diplomatic, which means trying to placate China which is becoming overly concerned with our handling of a totally out-of-control deficit in spending." More here

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Food Stamp Usage Across The Country

The number of food stamp recipients has climbed by about 10 million over the past two years, resulting in a program that now feeds 1 in 8 Americans and nearly 1 in 4 children.

GO HERE to read more.

Maryland's Kratovil Will Consider Running In 2012

DENTON, Md. - Ousted Congressman Frank Kratovil says he'll consider trying to win his seat back in 2012.

Kratovil, a moderate Democrat, was defeated by Republican Andy Harris after just one term representing Maryland's First District.

He tells The Star-Democrat of Easton that his defeat can be traced to anger at President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He says Harris ran against Pelosi, not him, and that if the election had been a referendum on his performance in office, he would have won easily.

GO HERE to read more.

Hospitality Industry Says “Dime-A-Drink” Tax Hike Could Be Devastating

Despite the deceptively simple catch phrase, bars, restaurants, wineries and alcohol wholesalers think that the “dime-a-drink” proposal to increase the state tax rate on alcoholic beverages will cost them a lot more.

“They can call it 10 cents a drink. I call it $3 a case of beer,” said Jack Milani, a partner in Monaghan’s Pub in Baltimore County. Milani is legislative co-chair of the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association. The trade group represents about 1,400 restaurants, bars and package liquor stores, and times have been hard, he said.

“A lot of our people haven’t fully recovered from the last two years of the economic downturn,” Milani said. “We’ve lost establishments in the state.”

Currently, the state tax is 9 cents per gallon on beer, 40 cents per gallon on wine and $1.50 per gallon on spirits. The increase would add roughly 10 cents per “drink” across the board. While this seems small, calculations have shown that the actual taxes would increase by 700% to 1,300%.

GO HERE to read more.

Cancer Survivor Flight Attendant Forced To Show Prosthetic Breast During TSA Pat-Down

After 32 years on the job as a flight attendant, not to mention being a breast cancer survivor, a North Carolina woman says airport screeners went too far when they told her to remove her prosthetic breast during a recent pat-down.

More »

Dutch Seek To End 'Drug Tourism'

For those of you who thought it might be worth it to be screened and patted-down by the TSA for your trip to the Netherlands, just so long as you could sit in a "coffee shop" and get stoned without threat of a legal hassle, here's some bad news. In an effort to curb so-called "drug tourism," the Dutch government is looking to limit the sale of cannabis to residents only.

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American Family Association Calls Off Boycott On Dick's Sporting Goods Over 'Christmas'

My how things change overnight. Yesterday, we told you about the far-from-loony folks at the American Family Association who had called for their members to boycott Dick's Sporting Goods because the retail chain used the word "holiday" instead of "Christmas" for its November and December sales circulars. Now the AFA has announced that it's called off the boycott because Dick's will be using that word after all.

More »

Watch Out For Signs Of Get-Poor-Quick Scams

These may be hard times for the working man, but they're boom times for con artists. In a tough financial climate, it's more tempting than ever to seek out extra income streams, taking flyers on opportunities with which you may have little experience. That's where shysters come in, ready to exploit your need for quick, easy money while hoping you overlook things that don't seem quite right with their propositions.

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New York State Foreclosure Mediation Shows Glimmers Of Hope In Helping Homeowners

New York is requiring banks to sit down with homeowners before foreclosing. And it’s slowly starting to pay off.

GO HERE to read more.

A Letter To The Editor On The Old Fire Station

Joe, I no longer live in the City but want to put in my 2 cents. If the city wants to sell the old fire station it should be sold at a price like you offered or closer to its appraised value. Actually, I believe that the city should keep the building as a Library Annex instead of talking about spending more taxpayer dollars on a new library building. I am sure there are other municipal uses for that beautiful building. I have always felt it was inappropriate to call our children, "kids" but I see and hear it more and more lately. Kids are baby goats!!! Also, the in-phrase, "you guys", or, "guys", more than half of the population are not guys. The Daily Times ran a short piece a few years ago justifying the use of the term to apply to all of us regardless of gender. I disagree with that stance completely. Thanks for listening.

House Votes Against Extending Unemployment Benefits

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

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Deer And Lawn Ornament Battle

A seven-point buck lost a fight with a 640-pound concrete elk lawn ornament in the backyard of Mark and Carol Brye's home in Viroqua , Wis. last week.
 
 - The buck was apparently sparring with the lawn ornament. Mark Brye, 58, couldnt help but laugh about the unusual incident, the La Crosse Tribune reports.
 
 - "Our gave it to us for
four years ago because we like to hunt elk," Brye told the . "The elk is a nice thing to see every morning. It looks pretty cool, especially on a foggy morning."
 
 - Brye said he knew exactly what happened when he saw the elk tipped over on its side, but wasnt expecting to find the bucks carcass lying about 20 yards away.
 
 - The deer shattered its skull.  Brye claimed the deer using a deer tag issued by a Vernon County conservation warden. The warden's tag note read: "lawn ornament fight & lost."
 
 - He took the deer to a butcher and now has a freezer full of venison.TribuneChristmasson and daughter

13th DART Stuff The Bus Food Drive Nets A Record Setting 20.4 Tons Of Food For Needy Delawareans

Wilmington -- DART First State announced today that the thirteenth annual Stuff The Bus Thanksgiving Food Drive was a record setting one, collecting 20.4 tons (40,847 pounds) of food. The DART week-long food drive took place from November 9 to November 12 at Walmart in Milford, Acme in Dover, Acme in Fairfax Shopping Center, and Rodney Square in Wilmington. The Food Bank of Delaware will distribute the donated food through its more than 346 hunger relief partners to the Delaware residents in need.

The donations this year of non-perishable food filled three 30-foot buses. Donations were received from the general public, as well as businesses, schools, organizations, and state agencies throughout the entire State. The Pepsi Bottling Group made a very generous donation that helped set a new record. We collected 11,578 more pounds than in 2009, which was previously our best year. Again this year, DART partnered with WAFL 97.7 FM and WNCL 101.3 FM, which are part of the Delmarva Broadcasting Company. Thanks to staff and listeners of both radio stations, Stuff the Bus in Milford and Dover was a great success. Also thanks to the WJBR 99.5 FM staff and listeners who helped to fill the bus in Rodney Square.

DART First State is the bus, train, and intermodal transportation provider for Delaware. The Delaware Transit Corporation, a subsidiary of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), operates DART First State. DART First State services include contracted SEPTA commuter trains, intercounty bus, fixed route bus, Paratransit, seasonal resort bus, commuter assistance, Operation Lifesaver rail crossing safety and trespasser awareness programs, and the RideShare Delaware ridematching program. DART First State provides more than 11,185,000 passenger trips annually, removing up to 7,034,591 vehicle trips from area roadways. In 2008, DART was recognized nationally with awards from the Federal Transit Administration for Enhancing Ridership programs and the American Public Transportation Association for first place in the annual Bus Roadeo.

Troopers Looking For Lincoln, DE Man After Shots Fired During Domestic Incident

Location:  Unit block of Bryan Drive, Rehoboth, DE

 

Date of Occurrence:   Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 1:00 p.m.

 

Victims: 

 

-65 year old Rehoboth, DE man

-30 year old Rehoboth, DE man

-38 year old Rehoboth, DE man

 

Defendant:  Lee Kabino, 30, Rehoboth, DE

 

Charges: 

 

-Possession of a Deadly Weapon during the Commission of a Felony

-Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited

-Reckless Endangering 1^st degree (2 counts)

 

Suspect: Jeffery Kabino, 38, Pine Tree Lane, Lincoln, DE. White male, 5’08” tall, 175 lbs, brown hair, brown eyes.

 

Charges:

 

-Burglary 2^nd degree

-Assault 2^nd degree

-Aggravated Menacing (2 counts)

-Terroristic Threatening (2 counts)

-Criminal Mischief

 

Resume:   The Delaware State Police have arrested one man and are searching for a second after a domestic incident in Rehoboth, DE on Thursday afternoon.

 

The incident occurred at approximately 1:00 p.m. on November 18^th, as Jeffery Kabino responded to his father’s residence located in the unit block of Bryan Drive in Rehoboth. Jeffery Kabino, who is banned from entering the residence, asked to use the telephone; however the 65 year old father refused to let him inside. Jeffery Kabino then attempted to push past his father and a struggle ensued between the two which spilled into the house. At one point during the fight, Jeffery Kabino armed himself with a steak knife and pointed it at his father, threatening to kill him as well as his 30 year old brother, Lee Kabino, who also resides in the residence. Lee Kabino then responded to his bedroom and retrieved an AK-47 assault rifle and told Jeffery Kabino to leave the house. Lee and his father were able to get Jeffery Kabino out of the house; however, he again attempted to push his way back inside. It was at this point that Lee Kabino shot one round from the assault rifle through the front door of the residence close to where the 65 year old father and Jeffery Kabino were standing. He did not strike either of them however. Jeffery Kabino then fled from the house.

 

Troopers arrested Lee Kabino for the above listed charges. He was arraigned at JP Court 2 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution for lack of $14,000.00 secured bail.

 

Warrants are currently on file for Jeffery Kabino for the above list of charges.

 

If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Jeffery Kabino, they are asked to contact Troop 7 at 302-644-5020 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333. Information may also be provided via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com.

Millsboro Motorcyclist Critically Injured in Accident

Location: John J. Williams Highway (SR 24) at Long Neck Road (SR 23), Millsboro, DE

 

Date of Occurrence: Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 9:20 a.m.

 

Operators/Vehicles:

 

Operator #1: Belon V. Pinon, 68, Millsboro, DE

Vehicle #1: 2005 Honda CRV

 

Operator #2: Kenneth J. Lynch, 74, Millsboro, DE

Vehicle #2: 2000 Harley Davidson Motorcycle

 

Resume:   

 

Millsboro- The Delaware State Police is currently investigating a serious crash in which a motorcyclist was critically injured this morning in Millsboro.

 

The incident occurred at approximately 9:20 a.m. this morning as Kenneth J. Lynch, 74, of Millsboro, DE was operating a 2000 Harley Davidson motorcycle and was traveling eastbound on SR 24 approaching Long Neck Road. As Lynch entered the intersection on a green light, a 2005 Honda CRV, which was being operated by Belon V. Pinon, 68, of Millsboro, DE made a left hand turn in front of him from westbound SR 24 onto southbound Long Neck Road.  Lynch’s motorcycle struck the front of the Honda causing him to be ejected. Lynch, who was not wearing a helmet, then struck the front windshield of the Honda with his head and was then thrown to the ground. Kenneth Lynch was flown by helicopter from the scene to the Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE where he has been admitted in critical condition with serious head trauma. Belon Pinon was transported from the scene by EMS to Beebe Memorial Hospital where she was treated for minor injuries. This crash is still under investigation. The intersection of SR 23 and SR 24 was closed for approximately 2 hours as the crash was investigated and cleared. It is now open again.

Tancredo: The 'Dream Act'-- Amnesty For Millions

When Congress convenes for its lame-duck session on Nov. 29, it will be asked by Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid to vote on an amnesty bill deceptively called the "Dream Act" by its open-borders supporters. If passed, it will be a nightmare for the rule of law and a death knell for genuine immigration reform.

That this amnesty bill is being taken up by the lame-duck session of a Congress that has been soundly repudiated by the American people is bad enough. Lame-duck sessions ought to consider only emergency bills with broad bipartisan backing, not contentious measures that can only be passed by politicians who can ignore the will of voters. But that is eerily in keeping with the dishonest character of the long debate over the Dream Act.

I say the debate is dishonest because the bill's true intent is hidden behind humanitarian appeals, deceptive numbers and misrepresentations. Most dishonest of all is the insistence that enacting this amnesty for over 2 million individuals will not have any incentive effect for others who will rationally calculate that they can get the same thing for their children if they can smuggle them across our border.

For the past 30 years, each amnesty has been sold to Congress as "the last amnesty," and each one lays the groundwork for the next. That anyone chooses to believe the opposite is testimony to the power of self-deception.

Ostensibly, the proposal will bar deportation and grant a path to citizenship to an estimated 2 million individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children by their illegal-alien parents. Any person up to the age of 35 can apply for this prize merely by enrolling in college or the military. They don't have to finish college; they merely have to enroll for two years – and if they drop out of a two-year college program, they can apply for a waiver under the law's "hardship" provisions. No one can be deported once an application is made, even if it takes years to adjudicate.

Contrary to the packaging, this is not an amnesty for "kids trying to go to college" unless a 34 year-old who came here at age 7 and stayed illegally for 27 years can be called a kid. Criminal aliens convicted of marriage fraud, visa fraud, multiple DUIs, voter fraud and other "minor crimes" will be eligible for this amnesty.

A second dishonesty is in the estimated number of illegal aliens who may qualify. The number widely used is 2.1 million. Why should we be skeptical of this number? First, there is the rudimentary fact that the federal government does not know how many illegal aliens are in the United States today and continually low-balls the number to minimize the problem. The official U.S. Census estimate of 11.3 million is a laughable figure. Independent estimates not constrained by political expediency have ranged from 20 million to 35 million. In 2006 Time magazine estimated that 3 million new interlopers cross the border each year. Visa overstays alone are at least 5 million.

A second reason for doubt about the number is the immigration bureaucracy's poor record in making such estimates. In 1986, when Congress was considering the amnesty included in the Immigration Reform and Control Act, a federal interagency task force spent weeks studying the data from several sources. They concluded that perhaps 2.2 million people might qualify under the provisions of the act. Ten years after it passed, over 4 million had been granted amnesty.

A third reason I can confidently predict that the number who "qualify" for amnesty under the Dream Act will be at least double the official estimate is the absolute certainty of epidemic document fraud in student visas, ID cards, utility bills, rent receipts and pay stubs. Document fraud was rampant after the 1986 amnesty, and the technology for producing fake documents is far better today than in 1986.      

There's more here

Obama's Assassination List

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights have brought suit against the Obama administration for ordering the targeted killing of American-born al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to be holed up in Yemen. These groups argue that the president doesn't have the legal authority to order the assassination of American citizens. That's right, so in order for the kill order to stand, Awlaki should be stripped of his citizenship.

President Obama has exceeded his power in ordering Awlaki's assassination. Americans abroad are protected by constitutional guarantees of due process, at least when faced with U.S. government action. The implications of Mr. Obama having the legal authority to place American citizens abroad on a government hit list are too alarming to contemplate. If the precedent of unilaterally targeting Awlaki without due process stands, then anyone could go on the list.

Awlaki would no longer have constitutional protections if he lost his citizenship. In 1940, Congress passed legislation that established a number of statutory "expatriating acts," which automatically voided American citizenship if undertaken voluntarily. These included taking an oath to a foreign power, serving in the military of a country at war with the United States, or committing treason. The intent of Congress was to make clear that some actions were by their nature fatal to being an American.      

More from the Washington Times

Black Republican: Black Caucus Preaches Victimization And Dependency

Congressman-elect Allen West (R-Fla.), who said he plans to become the only black Republican in the Congressional Black Caucus, accused the organization of failing the black community by promoting dependence on government welfare programs.

"The Congressional Black Caucus cannot continue to be a monolithic voice that promotes these liberal social welfare policies and programs that are failing in the Black community, that are preaching victimization and dependency, that's not the way that we should go," West said on Fox News Friday. "And those are not the types of principles that my mother and father raised me with in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia."

West is one of two black Republicans elected to Congress during the mid-term; Tim Scott (R-S.C.) declined to join the CBC after it said it would welcome both men. West said despite his criticisms, his deceased parents would be "absolutely appalled" if he chose not to join the caucus.

"I think it's important that we have varying perspectives and insights that can challenge in the Congressional Black Caucus, and I think it will make things better for the Black community as we go forth in the 21st century," he said.
More

Obama Foreign Policy Agenda Fraying At Home And Abroad

President Barack Obama hoped to use the NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal, to breathe new life into a foreign policy agenda that has sustained a substantial battering in a series of recent setbacks.

Hitting the “reset” button on his foreign policy won’t come cheaply, however. Even if the president can win agreement to extend NATO’s stay in Afghanistan to 2014, doing so figures to further alienate the president’s increasingly anti-war base.

“I think a foreign policy in chaos, is how you would describe it,” Helle Dale, a Heritage Foundation senior foreign policy analyst, tells Newsmax. “There were many people who bought into the Obama charisma that the mere presence of Barack Obama in the White House would change the world. And it hasn’t.

“What you’re seeing now,” she adds, “is those dreams meeting the hard realities, which is to say that people around the world have their own interests, their own agendas, and they are not going to simply follow along.”

More here

The 'Israelification' Of Airports: High Security, Little Bother

While North America's airports groan under the weight of another sea-change in security protocols, one word keeps popping out of the mouths of experts: Israelification.

That is, how can we make our airports more like Israel's, which deal with far greater terror threat with far less inconvenience.

"It is mindboggling for us Israelis to look at what happens in North America, because we went through this 50 years ago," said Rafi Sela, the president of AR Challenges, a global transportation security consultancy. He's worked with the RCMP, the U.S. Navy Seals and airports around the world.

"Israelis, unlike Canadians and Americans, don't take ---- from anybody. When the security agency in Israel (the ISA) started to tighten security and we had to wait in line for — not for hours — but 30 or 40 minutes, all hell broke loose here. We said, 'We're not going to do this. You're going to find a way that will take care of security without touching the efficiency of the airport."

That, in a nutshell is "Israelification" - a system that protects life and limb without annoying you to death.

Despite facing dozens of potential threats each day, the security set-up at Israel's largest hub, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, has not been breached since 2002, when a passenger mistakenly carried a handgun onto a flight. How do they manage that?

"The first thing you do is to look at who is coming into your airport," said Sela.

The first layer of actual security that greets travellers at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport is a roadside check. All drivers are stopped and asked two questions: How are you? Where are you coming from?

"Two benign questions. The questions aren't important. The way people act when they answer them is," Sela said.

Officers are looking for nervousness or other signs of "distress" — behavioural profiling. Sela rejects the argument that profiling is discriminatory.

"The word 'profiling' is a political invention by people who don't want to do security," he said. "To us, it doesn't matter if he's black, white, young or old. It's just his behaviour. So what kind of privacy am I really stepping on when I'm doing this?"

Once you've parked your car or gotten off your bus, you pass through the second and third security perimeters.

Armed guards outside the terminal are trained to observe passengers as they move toward the doors, again looking for odd behaviour. At Ben Gurion's half-dozen entrances, another layer of security are watching. At this point, some travellers will be randomly taken aside, and their person and their luggage run through a magnometer.

"This is to see that you don't have heavy metals on you or something that looks suspicious," said Sela.

You are now in the terminal. As you approach your airline check-in desk, a trained interviewer takes your passport and ticket. They ask a series of questions: Who packed your luggage? Has it left your side?

"The whole time, they are looking into your eyes — which is very embarrassing. But this is one of the ways they figure out if you are suspicious or not. It takes 20, 25 seconds," said Sela.       
More of this excellent article here >>

Napolitano Considering Allowing Muslim Women To Pat Themselves Down At Airports

With the holidays fast approaching, the TSA has announced new security procedures requiring passengers selected for secondary screening to go through a machine that produces a full body scan producing a nude but grainy, black and white image. Passengers choosing to opt out of the scan will face a full body pat.

The head of Homeland Security has indicated the government is considering the request of an Islamic organization that has suggested Muslim women be allowed to pat themselves down during a full body search that is part of new enhanced procedures at airports.

Since implementing the procedures, numerous complaints have arisen that the search is not a “pat-down” but rather feeling and grabbing along a person’s genitalia and other areas until they meet resistance. Critics have said the pat-downs would be considered sexual assault if performed elsewhere.

The TSA defends the procedures as necessary in light of last years “underwear bomber” and the recent issues involving printer cartridges being used in an attempt to blow up cargo planes.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, has expressed concern with the TSA over the regulations and recommended special procedures for dealing with Muslim women. The organization issued a travel advisory for Muslims over the procedure.

In the advisory CAIR advises all Muslims to contact them and file a complaint with the TSA if they experience any “disturbing incidents” with the new procedures and they feel they have been unfairly singled out for screening.

It goes on to make special recommendations for Muslim women wearing a hijab covering their face. The advisory says women are to inform the officer they are only to pat down the head and neck and says “They should not subject you to a full-body or partial body pat-down.” They also recommend that women should be permitted to pat themselves down and “have the officers perform a chemical swipe of your hands.”

Barack Obama’s Homeland Security Czar, Janet Napolitano, is considering changes to the procedures to address the issues raised by CAIR.       
More here

Ron Paul Set To Hammer Federal Reserve

Change is about to come to monetary policy on Capitol Hill, but it might not be the type of change President Obama or Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have in mind.

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, a strong critic of fiat monetary policies, is scheduled as the ranking member to become in January the chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology, commonly known as the "House monetary subcommittee."

Known for his outspoken criticism of the Federal Reserve and for his determination to return the U.S. dollar to some form of a gold standard, Paul, as chair of the House monetary subcommittee, will have a position of authority from which to hold a serious and robust public debate about decades of government monetary and fiscal policy.

In an exclusive interview, WND asked Paul what he plans to do once he becomes chairman of the panel.

"First and foremost, I want the subcommittee to actually begin talking about monetary policy," Paul said. "The Federal Reserve has insisted that Congress has no role in monetary policy. But that's not what the Constitution says."

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution assigns to Congress the right to coin money; the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created the Federal Reserve. There is no mention of a U.S. central bank in the Constitution.

In Congress, Paul has been in the lead, sounding the alarm as federal budget deficits under President Obama have escalated in fiscal year 2010 to $1.3 trillion, while the national debt has mounted to nearly $14 trillion, a sum that nearly equals the nation's gross domestic product.

"The Fed operates in secret," Paul said. "What the subcommittee needs is to act like a monetary policy committee. What we need is an honest debate in which subcommittee can bring to the American public views the Fed may never consider."

Paul's assumption of the chair of the House monetary subcommittee will bring an emphasis on issues that have coalesced in the tea party movement – smaller federal government, balanced federal budgets and the return to a market economy.       
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Tin Man

Joe, I was out hunting today and went by the tin man cycles scene. I hadn't heard that it was arson! The whole front porch has been torched.