I Pledge Allegiance To PHRMA

The U.S. is attempting to give multinational corporations a status that has hitherto been reserved to sovereign nations. According to documents recently leaked from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, the Obama administration wants corporations to be able to challenge the laws and regulations of foreign countries, and bring the dispute to a privately-run international court. The World Trade Organization currently grants the power to challenge a nation's laws only to another nation. 

The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement of 2005 (P4) is a treaty between Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei with the goal of facilitating trade in the Asia-Pacific region. Since then, the negotiations for a new and expanded agreement (TPP) have swollen to include 12 nations. The United States has assumed a leadership role since 2010 under the auspice of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). With the possible exception of Japan, the other 10 nations are resisting the corporate empowerment demand upon which the USTR is reportedly inflexible.

Why were the documents 'leaked' and why is the word 'reportedly' being used? The Huffington Post article (Dec. 8, 2013), "Obama Faces Backlash Over New Corporate Powers In Secret Trade Deal," explained: "The Obama administration has deemed negotiations to be classified information – banning members of Congress from discussing the American negotiating position with the press or the public. Congressional staffers have been restricted from viewing the documents." 

In May 2012, the Democratic Senator Ron Wyden went against his own party to introduce Senate Bill 3225, "Congressional Oversight Over Trade Negotiations Act," which mandated congressional access to TPP documents. In introducing the bill, Wyden stated: "The majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations—like Halliburton, Chevron, PHRMA, Comcast, and the Motion Picture Association of America – are being consulted and made privy to details of the agreement.... We hear that the process by which TPP is being negotiated has been a model of transparency. I disagree with that statement."

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SPD Press Relase 12-20-13

Seneca Falls, NY, Claims Link To 'Wonderful Life'

Is this where George Bailey lived his wonderful life?

Folks in this quaint upstate New York town think so.

Or more precisely, they say Bailey's make-believe hometown of Bedford Falls in "It's a Wonderful Life" — including the main street and the steel truss bridge — was heavily inspired by Seneca Falls.

This cannot be proven, and director Frank Capra never confirmed such a connection. But that hasn't stopped locals from celebrating the beloved movie every December, complete with actors dressed as Clarence the Angel and mean old Mr. Potter parading down a main street gussied up to look like Bedford Falls.

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Pelosi: Being An Illegal Alien Is Not A Reason To Deport Someone

This is what the left has believed all along. Nancy Pelosi should be praised for having the courage to come right out and say it.

Nancy Pelosi recently told Telemundo that violations of immigration law should no longer have any consequences:

“Our view of the law is that it — if somebody is here without sufficient documentation, that is not reason for deportation.”

This wasn’t just a verbal flub; her spokesman reiterated the point, saying her comment was merely “a restatement of her long-held belief that being an undocumented immigrant is not a basis for deportation.”

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Florida: New Rules Prohibit Children From Playing On The Street

The motto in Lakewood Ranch is "Live. Work. Play."

"They're always itching to come outside and play," said mom Luisa Capra. But on Miramar Way, play has just been outlawed. "Never, ever, ever have I heard of anything so absurd," said Capra.

"I was just completely appalled. It's just getting to the point where I don't know where they want the kids to play? Inside on an X Box I guess," said Anne Sofie Hait.

Hait is mom to two boys, 3 and 7 years old. Her kids aren't allowed to play on their own street anymore because the Miramar at the Country Club Homeowner's Association passed a new bylaw last week. "We're trying to make the place safe. We're trying to make it safe for those people who have kids in the community and they should be the ones that should be happy about that, not upset," said Bill
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SFD Calls For Service 12-20-13

• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 21:53:13Nature: Natural CoverAddress: 1946 Pine Way Salisbury, MD 21801
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 20:56:32Nature: SeizureCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 18:16:00Nature: Gas LeakAddress: 405 Naylor St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 15:53:09Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 15:49:29Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: Naylor Mill Rd and northgate Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 15:28:53Nature: Medical AssistAddress: 756 S Division St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 15:18:40Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 12:51:25Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 12:49:04Nature: Non BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 12:18:57Nature: Difficulty BreathingCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 11:56:26Nature: Chest PainCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 10:09:34Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 09:29:38Nature: Maternity PatientCity: Salisbury
• Friday December, 20 2013 @ 08:27:59Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury

Hunters, Fishermen Targeted by Feds For Local Violations

U.S. law enforcement agencies are conducting thousands of investigations using a law that makes violating state wildlife statutes a federal crime, often ensnaring hunters and fishermen for seemingly minor infractions.

Some even suffer stiff federal prison sentences.

Special agents and wildlife inspectors for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conduct about 2,500 investigative cases a year of violations of the Lacey Act, a 1900 law meant to combat illegal trafficking of wildlife. Additional probes of Lacey Act violations also are conducted by other federal agencies, as well as state and local governments.

Though a small percentage of the Lacey Act cases result in prison time, a high percentage plead guilty, consistent with a federal system in which 97 percent of cases end in plea deals.

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Keep Your Guns And Buy More

When Katie Worthman was a little girl in Austria, she witnessed firsthand Adolph Hitler’s rise to power and the Soviet communist occupation that followed. She also witnessed, for decades, the distortions of the media when it came to the reporting of the events.

From her eyewitness perspective, Worthman said that the whole thing didn’t happen overnight, in a brutal attack, like the media portrays it, but rather, it evolved into a dictatorship gradually, over a period of a few years. Hitler didn’t come across as someone evil, to be feared, initially. ”In the beginning, Hitler didn’t look like, or talk like a monster at all. He talked like an American politician.”

Here are some things that occurred in Austria, according to Worthman, that just might look familiar to Americans:

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Al Gore Forecasted “Ice-Free” Arctic By 2013; Ice Cover Expands 50%

Self-styled “global-warming” guru Al Gore (shown) and a gaggle of supposed “climate scientists” have egg all over their faces — big time. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Gore publicly and very hysterically warned that the North Pole would be “ice-free” by around 2013 because of alleged “man-made global warming.” Citing “climate” experts, the government-funded BBC hyped the mass hysteria, running a now-embarrassing article under the headline: “Arctic summers ice-free ‘by 2013’.” Other establishment media outlets did the same.

Well, 2013 is almost over, and contrary to the alarmist “predictions” by Gore and what critics refer to as his “doomsday cult,” the latest satellite data show that Arctic ice cover has actually expanded 50 percent over 2012 levels. In fact, during October, sea-ice levels grew at the fastest pace since records began in 1979. Experts predict the expansion to continue in the years to come, leaving global-warming alarmists scrambling fiendishly for explanations to save face — and to revive the rapidly melting climate hysteria.

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State Police Warn Of Increased Sexually Explicit Uploads

Are they smart phones or smut phones?

State Police have been getting more and more complaints about pictures and even videos uploaded by kids and teens to sites such as Instagram and Facebook.

Some of the postings, often of "selfies," come close to, or cross into, the frontier covered under state child pornography and sexting laws.

Some parents say they try hard to monitor what goes on because they know what goes online can stay there forever. But it's not always easy. 
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The Redistribution Of Freedom

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called the right to be left alone the “most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by a free people.” It would even be fair to say that without the right to be left alone no other rights exist.

Amendments one through ten of the Bill of Rights are essentially an enumeration of the ways that government is obligated to leave people alone. This is most explicitly true of the First Amendment which definitively sums up areas of human life into which government under no circumstance may trespass on.

Unlike other amendments, the territory that the First Amendment deals with is intellectual and spiritual, the world of ideas, the realm of faith and the defining right of political advocacy. The freedoms of the mind, heart and voice are the most essential of freedoms because they free us to be individuals. They allow us to have our own values. Without these freedoms, no society is free.

Those who sought to undermine these “Freedoms from Government” did so by offering alternative “Freedoms of Government.” Countering the Founding Fathers’ DMZ’s of self-determination, they promised freedom from social problems. A second Bill of Rights would offer the freedom from fear and want. Instead of a liberation from government, the new rights would trade social benefits for freedoms. A right would not mean a zone of freedom from the government, but a government entitlement.

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Assateague Pony Naming Auction Raises $3K

ASSATEAGUE — The online auction bidding for the naming rights of the only foal born on Assateague this year was wildly successful once again with the successful bid coming in at over $3,000.

Each year, the Assateague Island Alliance (AIA) holds various contests and auctions for the naming rights of new foals born into the herd of wild ponies on the barrier island. This year, the AIA offered an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy with the wild horses on Assateague with its charitable eBay auction for the naming rights of the only foal born in the Maryland herd in 2013.

The new foal, currently identified only as N9BFQ-GL, was birthed by Harmony in a remote part of the island far from the developed north end in May and is in need of a common, less formal name. In the mid-1970s, the National Park Service began naming new foals in the Assateague herd with an alpha-numeric code to help track the lineage and ancestry of the wild horses and identify which sub-herd they belong to and the areas they frequent on the island.
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Telework

A snow day doesn't mean sledding and hot cocoa for federal employees anymore. In a new report, the Office of Personnel Management says most agencies now consider telework a key part of their emergency plans. The same report shows nearly half of all federal employees were ready to telework in 2012, a sizable increase over the year before. But that doesn't mean all of them do it regularly. About 30 percent of those eligible worked outside the office at least once.

Bill Would Ban Non-Biodegradable Cigarette Butts

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Del. Jon Cardin says he will introduce a measure to ban the sale of non-biodegradable cigarette butts in Maryland.

Cardin said Thursday the legislation will call for starting the ban in 2015.

He says the measure would include a fine of up to $200 a pack for a business selling non-biodegradable cigarettes. The bill also would give the attorney general the authority to enforce the law through civil legal actions.
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North Beach Man Shocked While Hanging Christmas Lights Dies

A 34-year-old man shocked while hanging Christmas lights on Monday has died.

Jason Byrnes, 34, of North Beach died shortly after arriving by helicopter to the Prince George's Trauma Center in Cheverly, Anne Arundel County police and fire spokesmen said Wednesday.

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Samsung, LG To Unveil 105-Inch Curved TVs

Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. said their curved TVs will get bigger and sport the sharpness four times the regular HD television sets.

The world's two largest TV makers will display ultra-HD TVs with curved screens that measure 105 inches diagonally in Las Vegas next month, they said in separate statements Thursday.

The South Korean TV makers began selling curved TV sets earlier this year made with advanced displays called OLED measuring 55 inches.
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Idaho Wildlife Advocate Pleads Guilty To Poaching

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) -- An outspoken critic of Idaho's phosphate industry and its deadly impact on some animals has pleaded guilty to poaching two elk.

Marv Hoyt, Idaho director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, will leave his job after acknowledging in court that he illegally killed two cow elk during a November hunting trip in Caribou County, the Idaho State Journal reported Tuesday.

Hoyt has criticized mining and the resulting selenium pollution that has killed dozens of sheep and cattle that graze in southeastern Idaho's rich phosphate patch and sometimes wander into contaminated areas.

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Hospital Seeking Exemption In Court From Stormwater Fees

BERLIN — Frustrated by Berlin’s adoption of an ordinance to create a stormwater utility to help stem chronic flooding problems, along with the associated cost for non-residential property owners to help foot the bill, Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) will seek the assistance of the court system to gain an exemption.

Earlier this year, Berlin officials adopted an ordinance creating a stormwater utility for the town to help stem its chronic flooding problems. Under the ordinance, all property owners in the town, both residential and commercial, are being required to pay a prorated share of the cost of establishing the new stormwater utility.
For residential property owners, a flat annual fee of $50 is assessed to help pay for the cost of setting up the utility. For non-residential property owners, a formula has been established based on the amount of impervious surface a particular property includes. 

During spirited public hearings over the ordinance earlier this year, several non-residential property owners cried foul over the proposal they deemed inequitable to the commercial properties.
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Glenn Close Urges Congress To Pass Mental Health Bill

WASHINGTON - A congressional bill that would broadly expand mental health services across the country is getting some high-wattage Hollywood backing.

Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Actress, Glenn Close is joining hands with Senate sponsors of the "Excellence in Mental Health Act."

Close explains that her family has been touched by mental illness.

"My sister came up to me, about four years ago, and said 'I need your help, I can't stop help thinking about killing myself'," Close says. Her sister was diagnosed bipolar at the age of 50.

"Mental illness is a family affair," Close adds.

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Advocates Want To Change Md., D.C. Drunk Driving Law

WASHINGTON - Drunk driving kills - and that doesn't change around the holidays.

According to Jan Withers with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 20 states now require all convicted drunk drivers to use an ignition interlock device. In Virginia, that applies to first time offenders. In Maryland and the District of Columbia, it doesn't.

Advocates like Withers want to see that changed.

"Interlocks have been shown to reduce DUI recidivism by 65 percent," says Withers.

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Board To Hold Public Budget Hearing Jan. 15, Continuing Extensive Budget Process That Began In September

The Wicomico County Board of Education’s first public budget hearing for the fiscal year 2014-2015 budget will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15 in the Board of Education Auditorium, Mt. Hermon Road and Long Avenue, Salisbury. Parents, students, community members and Board staff are invited to come with comments. Public input is critically important in the budget process for Wicomico County Public Schools. For information please call 410-677-4561.

The FY 2014-15 budget process began in September with the goal of building a budget that will support the Board’s strategic priorities of High Student Achievement, Safe Learning Environment, and Effective and Efficient Operations. To ensure that the school system effectively analyzes its use of fiscal resources, the school system is using a budgeting methodology known as “zero-based budgeting.” This budget process requires all budget managers to construct their budgets from a baseline of zero. Every dollar requested must be substantiated in order to be considered for funding. This compares to the traditional process known as “incremental budgeting” where the baseline is the prior year’s allotment and budget managers must only justify their incremental increase.

“Unfortunately, we do not anticipate financial relief for our district in the coming budget year,” wrote Dr. Cathy J. Townsend, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, in a memo to budget managers. “In an effort to drill down into our financial resources and specifically identify our proposed fiscal needs, there will be additional steps to do zero-based budgeting in this year’s budget development process. We believe this new process will help us make what we expect to be some very difficult decisions.”

Budget managers have provided detail for all requested line items, supplied a detailed rationale for all full-time staff members, and explained their budget requests in meetings with the Budget Development Processing Team. Increases of staffing or funding in any budget areas should be supported by a transfer from existing budget funds. A director’s endorsement will be needed for the consideration of any requests for new staffing, programs or funds, and the new requests must match up closely with the Comprehensive Master Plan.

“We are implementing this new process to help us navigate what we believe will be yet another very difficult budget development process,” Dr. Townsend said. “Over the past four fiscal years we have cut more than $22 million from our General Fund Unrestricted Operating Budget, and we must be prepared to cut again in FY 2014-2015. Due to rising costs for everything from health insurance to utilities to instructional supplies, cuts will be necessary just to sustain our current, ongoing operations.”

Throughout the budget process, input will be taken at comments@wcboe.org and on the Public Input Line (410-677-5251), in addition to during public budget hearings.

More Plan To Travel This Christmas-New Year Holiday Than Ever

More people than ever are expected to take to the road, sky, or tracks this Christmas to New Year's than ever before.

Almost 95 million to be exact, according to Ragina Avarella of the AAA Mid-Atlantic. Two million will be heading out in Maryland, about the same as last year, she said.

Almost 9 out of 10 are going by car nationwide.

Gas prices in Maryland are down slightly from last week to $3.36 a gallon.
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New Internet Crime Effort Nets Arrest

BERLIN — Just days after the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office announced a new initiative to combat crimes against children in the community, the new partnership has already paid dividends with the arrest of a Stockton man last Thursday on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Worcester County Sheriff Reggie Mason last week announced a new initiative to combat crimes against children by partnering with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).
The ICAC Task Force was created to help federal, state and local law enforcement agencies enhance their investigative responses to offenders to use the Internet, online communications systems or computer technology to sexually exploit children. The program, which has been in place nationwide for over a decade, is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

This week the first significant arrest utilizing the program was announced. Last Thursday, Perry William Sharpley, 42, of Stockton, was arrested and charged with three counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of distribution of child pornography. The arrest was the result of the combined efforts of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Carrying On The Fight In 2014

Coast Guard Seeks Assistance In Identifying Kent Island Hoax Caller

BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard is asking for assistance with locating a hoax caller after they received 11 false distress calls between Oct. 19 and Dec. 16 and conducted searches involving multiple air and boat crews from the Coast Guard and local authorities.

All 11 false distress calls were determined to have originated from the area of Kent Island and involved the same male voice transmitting over VHF-FM channel 16.

The Coast Guard’s cost for the searches is estimated to be approximately $45,000.

In addition to cost, there is significant operational impact caused by making false distress calls.

"Making false distress calls limits the Coast Guard and our rescue partners' capabilities to assist those boaters who are in actual emergency situations," said Capt. Kevin Kiefer, commander of Sector Baltimore. "Hoax radio calls also place first responders in unnecessary danger as they work to assist the boating public."

Making a false distress call is a felony punishable by law. The maximum penalty for making a false distress call is six years in prison, a $5,000 civil fine, a $250,000 criminal fine and reimbursement to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Investigative Service is offering a reward of $2,000 for information that leads to the positive identification of the person involved with the hoax call.

Anyone with information regarding the calls is asked to contact Coast Guard Investigative Service Baltimore at 410-576-2515.

Click here to listen to an audio clip of the mayday calls.- 
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‘Lie Of The Year’ — Aided And Abetted By The Media

PolitiFact has awarded their “Lie of the Year” to President Barack Obama for his promise that “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it.”

PolitiFact, a feature of the Tampa Bay Times, purports to rate the truthfulness of statements/assertions made by politicians. The accurate are rated “true,” then slide down the scale to “mostly true,” ‘half true,” “mostly false” and “false.” The biggest “lies” — the most egregious — are awarded, as PolitiFact puts it, a “Pants on Fire!” rating. (Full disclosure: As I recently wrote, PunditFact, its sister feature, recently gave me an undeserved “mostly false.”)

What’s puzzling is that PolitiFact, until now, called Obama’s statement “true” and later “half true.” In 2008 PolitiFact rated then-candidate Obama’s “you can keep it” statement as “true,” because “Obama is accurately describing his health care plan here.” As The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto notes: “PolitiFact actually rated Obama’s promise as ‘true’ on the grounds that in making the promise, he was making the promise. … In 2008 it was but a promise, which Obama might or might not have intended and might or might not have been able to keep.”

Then in 2009, when PolitiFact re-fact-checked the same statement, they rated Obama’s statement as “half true.” The Obamacare promise stayed stuck on “half true” even when PolitiFact again re-re-fact-checked it in 2012.

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Gansler: Maryland’s Health Exchange Reminds Him Of ‘Saturday Night Live’ Sketch

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) on Thursday compared the state’s troubled rollout of its online health insurance exchange to “a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit.”

“It’s comical that it’s not working,” Gansler told reporters. “ It’s tragic for folks who don’t have access to health care.”

Gansler, a Democratic candidate for governor, has been highly critical of the role played by his rival, Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), in overseeing the implementation of the federal health care law in Maryland. Brown co-chairs a council that has guided reforms in the state but has said he was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the exchange.
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Mental Health Laws Are Trouble For Democrats

Instead of always taking incoming fire, how about Republicans start sending some back? It’s great that they stopped HillaryCare, but if they had actually fixed health care by forcing health insurance plans to be sold in a competitive free market, there would have been no opportunity for shyster Democrats to foist Obamacare on us.It’s fantastic that we caught the Boston Marathon bombers, but why don’t Republicans fix an immigration system that brings foreign terrorists and mass murderers to our country? Let the Democrats explain why we couldn’t make room for a Danish surgeon because we needed another Chechnyan terrorist.

And it’s terrific that Republicans have managed to block sweeping gun bans after every mass shooting over the past few years — opposition to new gun restrictions has more than doubled since Newtown — but how about they actually do something to stop the next mass murder?

All these shootings are united by one clear thread: They all were committed by visibly crazy people, known to be nuts but not institutionalized.

Mental illness was blindingly clear in the cases of Seung-Hui Cho (Virginia Tech), Maj. Nidal Hasan (Fort Hood), Jared Loughner (Arizona shopping mall), James Holmes (Colorado movie theater), and a dozen other mass shootings in the past few decades.

But in every instance, Democrats’ response was: Let’s ban high-capacity magazines! Let’s limit private gun sales! Let’s publish the names of everyone who owns a registered gun!

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Super Rich Skip Out On Estate Tax

The super rich have skipped out on paying $100 billion dollars in estate taxes since 2000. And, that incredible number doesn't even factor in the billions that they saved using loopholes like capital gains, or by stashing their money in tax havens around the world. A new report from Bloomberg News says that special tax loopholes used primarily by the super rich have made the estate tax system “essentially voluntary” for those at the top. Basically, billionaires like Shelly Adelson and the Walton family set up special trust funds, like the Walton-created “grantor-retained annuity trust” or GRAT, in which they stash millions of dollars worth of stock. Once those GRATs expire – typically after two years – the billionaires cash out the stock, keep their original investment, along with a profit, and pass on the balance to their heirs. All the while, avoiding taxes on the whole scheme. By using these completely legal, but highly unethical, tactics, the super wealthy have stashed away $100 billion in a little over a decade. That amount is enough to pay for every child in our nation to go to preschool for ten years, and it could wipe out the entire first round of sequester cuts. One hundred billion could have provided a substantial benefit to our nation, and it's only one of many tax loopholes that the super rich use to get out of paying their fair share. The super rich like to call estate taxes “death taxes,” but trust-fund schemes like this that are actually killing investment in our nation. If billionaires want to do business in our great nation, it's about time that they start contributing to the commons that make it possible.

Foster Farms Salmonella Outbreaks: Why Didn't USDA Do More?

Two outbreaks of salmonella poisoning linked to the nation’s sixth-largest chicken producer, Foster Farms, may have sickened as many as 15,000 people this year — and underscored significant weaknesses in government food safety oversight, a new report finds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service failed to adequately notify consumers of possible hazards, didn’t demand recalls of potentially tainted chicken parts and allowed poultry producers to continue shipping the meat to stores, despite evidence of contamination, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts released Thursday.

“Based on the available evidence and circumstances, FSIS’s response to both outbreaks was insufficient to protect public health,” the report concluded.

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'ZooQuarium' Closes On Cape Cod

YARMOUTH (AP) -- The ZooQuarium, a Cape Cod attraction for nearly a half century, has closed.

The Cape Cod Times reports that the family-owned petting zoo and aquarium on Route 28 in Yarmouth closed its doors on Dec. 1 and the property is now for sale.

Longtime operator Dennis Markham said closing the ZooQuarium was a difficult decision.

Markham says most animals have been relocated to farms or other animal centers in the northeast, including two ponies named Calvin and Pumpkin who were picked up by the Newbury-based New England Equine Rescue.

The only remaining animals are a llama that is expected to go to a farm in Plympton this weekend, and a pig named Pickles, who will likely go home with its trainer.

Source

Top Democrats Reject Court Ruling Over NSA Spying On Americans

Federal judge’s ruling only muddles law

Top Democrats pushed back Tuesday against a federal judge’s ruling that the NSA’s phone-records collection program violates privacy rights, asking for higher courts to quickly get involved and bring legal certainty to the murky world of intelligence gathering.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat and chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Judge Richard J. Leon’s decision, released Monday, contradicts a secret intelligence court that has upheld the National Security Agency’s phone program 35 times, and contradicts a federal court in California that said the program doesn’t infringe on privacy.

“There are differing opinions now. That’s the state of play. And the assumption is that it’s going to be appealed and the Supreme Court will eventually make a decision, which is really the appropriate thing,” Mrs. Feinstein said.

But she also said part of the problem is that the administration has been operating the programs on the basis of secret legal memos that it refuses to turn over to Congress, making it difficult for even the lawmakers specifically cleared to oversee the intelligence community to know what is occurring.

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Vatican Chief Justice: Obama Administration's Treatment Of Religious Freedom Contradicts America's Founding Principles

(CNSNews.com) – Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American who heads the Vatican's highest court, says that the Obama administration's diminution of religious freedom in the United States “is an absolute contradiction of the founding principles of this nation.”

Cardinal Burke, who is chief justice of the Vatican’s Apostolic Signatura, made his remarks during a Dec. 13 interview with EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo on the program, The World Over.

Arroyo asked the cardinal about the Obama administration’s decision in late November to move the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See--he Vatican is a sovereign state--from its present location and place it within grounds of the U.S. Embassy to Italy.

That decision was roundly criticized by several former U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See, including Democrat Ray Flynn, who viewed it as a step down, a diminishing in the relationship between the United States and the Vatican.

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Under Armour To Stick With 'Duck Dynasty' Franchise Amid Media Uproar

Baltimore-based sports apparel maker Under Armour is keeping its ties to the "Duck Dynasty" franchise amid a media uproar over comments made by star Phil Robertson about gays and blacks.While the company says it does not condone Robertson's statements, Under Armor does not have plans to end its business dealings with the Robertson family.

"The recent comments in the GQ article are not reflective of Under Armour's beliefs and do not represent our point of view," the company said in a statement. "As a company, we are committed to diversity and inclusion and believe in treating everyone equally and with respect."
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“Organic” Chicken Is Different Than “Antibiotic-Free” And “Natural” Means Nothing

Once upon a time, not very long ago, you went to the grocery store — not a big box store, or a warehouse club or online — and bought “chicken.” Now the poultry section can be a confusing mish-mash of labels that may not mean what consumers think they mean, or may not mean anything at all.

As part of its huge story on bacteria and chicken breasts, our pals at Consumer Reports put together a helpful guide for shoppers who want to know what each of the labels on their chickens mean.

This chart at GreenerChoices.org (also run by Consumer Reports) provides even more detailed information on nearly two dozen different chicken labels. Here the ones that most of us will come up against while grocery shopping:

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SPD Press Release 12-20-13

Jackie Evancho - To Believe

New Years Eve @ Public House

New Year's Eve is almost here! Celebrate with friends at Public House this year!
Join us for dinner and stick around for the party... Dinner seating begins at 5:00pm.
Reservations: Call 443-260-2337 or go online... www.opentable.com
Live music begins at 9:00pm... THE LARKS - Visit LarksJazz.com
Special "KEGS &EGGS" Midnight Buffet - Includes Sausage, Eggs, Biscuits & More!
Complimentary buffet at midnight for those with a their dinner receipt. (Or $10pp.)
Party favors and champagne toast at midnight!!!



PUBLIC HOUSE www.evolutioncraftbrewing.com
201 East Vine Street Salisbury, MD 21804

Mom Convicted Of Negligent Manslaughter In Salisbury Crash

SALISBURY — A Pennsylvania woman charged in July in the death of her 11-year-old daughter during a motor vehicle accident on the Route 13 bypass in Salisbury last year was found guilty this week of criminally negligent manslaughter and driving while impaired by drugs, among other charges, and now awaits her fate pending the outcome of a pre-sentence investigation.

On Aug. 5, 2012, Maryland State Police responded to a single-vehicle accident on the Route 13 bypass near Salisbury. The investigation revealed a 2004 Jeep Wrangler had veered across the lanes of the highway and across the shoulder before rolling several times. The vehicle was driven by Tabitha Dobrzynski, now 39, of New Kensington, Pa., and also included the driver’s three young children.
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Keeping It Real

“One only needs to reflect on the dramatic decline in the value of the dollar that has taken place since the Fed was established in 1913. The goods and services you could buy for $1.00 in 1913 now cost nearly $21.00. Another way to look at this is from the perspective of the purchasing power of the dollar itself. It has fallen to less than $0.05 of its 1913 value. We might say that the government and its banking cartel have together stolen $0.95 of every dollar as they have pursued a relentlessly inflationary policy.” - Ron Paul – End the Fed 

The BLS reported the CPI yesterday morning. They tell me that inflation is well contained and has only risen by 1.2% in the past twelve months. Our beloved Federal Reserve chairman is worried inflation is too low. It is fascinating that the only people worried about inflation being too low are Ivy League educated economists and bankers whose wealth depends upon the middle class sinking further into poverty. As a person who lives in the real world, I can honestly say I like it when the things I need to buy cost less today than they did last year. When did inflation become a good thing for the average American? Our country was somehow able to grow from a fledgling new country to a world power in just over a century while experiencing mild deflation, except during times of war. The fallacy that inflation is beneficial to the common man has been peddled by bankers since 1971 when Nixon and his cronies closed the gold window and unleashed the inflationary boogeyman in the form of feckless politicians, captured Keynesian academics, and greedy soulless bankers.

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This Just In: Merry Christmas And Happy New Year

As we continue to grow Eric's Campaign for Commissioner, we thank you for your continued support and in advance for youronline donation of at least $25 this holiday season. You all have helped  to make a difference and your continued online support ensures our success together.

From The Wargotz Family to Yours...

Warm Wishes for a Happy Holiday Season!

WBC Latino Cruiserweight Title Bout Heads To Millersville February 1!

The co-feature on the Jeter Promotions card on Saturday, February 1 at Club One Fitness in Millersville, MD will be a matchup for the vacant WBC Latino Cruiserweight championship. Salisbury, MD's Alexis Guerrero will take on Victor Barragan of Oxnard, CA.

The undefeated Guerrero (10-0-1, five KO's) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over veteran Galen Brown on November 22 in Dover, DE. Barragan (12-7, three KO's) was stopped in the fourth round by Olanrewaju Durodola in a bid for the WBC Continental Americas Cruiserweight title on April 20 in St. Joseph, MO. Millersville is less than 2 hours from Salisbury. For Tickets call 410-430-6687 Venue:Club One 1131 Benfield Blvd Millersville MD.

The promoter -- Tony "Mo Better" Jeter -- is also scheduled to defend his WBC Fecarbox Middleweight title on this card. No word yet on his opponent. For tickets call 410-430-6687

India-US Row Escalates Over Arrest Of Diplomat In New York

The arrest of an Indian diplomat amid claims she had lied on a visa form for her domestic worker has turned into a major row between Washington and Delhi with India’s national security adviser calling her treatment “despicable and barbaric”.

India on Tuesday summoned the US ambassador and announced that it was withdrawing a series of diplomatic privileges to US officials. It also reopened a road that runs past the US embassy in Delhi but which for several years has been blocked off for security reasons. Several Indian officials declined to meet with members of a visiting US delegation.

“It is despicable and barbaric,” National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon told the Press Trust of India news agency.

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'Every Democrat Should Be Scared' Of This Obamacare Ad

The conservative group Ending Spending may have premiered the ad that nationalizes the 2014 midterm elections around Obamacare.

The 30-second killer ad was produced by Republican media consultant Larry McCarthy and goes after Jeanne Shaheen, the first-term Democratic Senator from New Hampshire who is likely to face former GOP Senator Scott Brown next year.

The ad begins with footage of Shaheen on the Senate floor echoing President Obama by saying, “if you like your insurance you can keep it.” An overlay graphic points out that Obama was given the “Lie of the Year” award from a fact-checking group for that whopper.

The ad then shifts to a local focus: It notes 20,000 people in New Hampshire have lost their insurance to date and that Obamacare exchanges offer only a single provider on the state’s individual market.

The ad ends with a zinger sign-off: “Next November, if you like your senator, you can keep her. If not, you know what to do.”

“It’s a very powerful ad indeed,” Grace Marie Turner, the head of the Galen Institute, a health-care advocacy group, told me.

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Government Hates Rivals: Ohio's Crack Down On Homeschooling Assumes Parents Are Abusive Until They Prove Otherwise

Here's a good way to understand politics in America: The State, and its boosters, use State power to shackle or crush its rivals, such as the Church, private charity, local community and the free market.

This is at play in the Obama administration's contraception mandateand the current stage in the gay marriage fight, which involvesoutlawing commerce by those who don't accept gay marriage. This is in evidence in the writings of liberals who argue that defending voluntary association is trying to "eliminate any notion of the public" or writers who are "tired of religious groups operating secular enterprises [hospitals, schools], hiring people of multiple faiths, serving the general public, taking taxpayer dollars -- and then claiming that deeply held religious beliefs should exempt them from public policy."

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SFD Calls For Service 12-19-13

• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 19:22:21Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 18:56:43Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 18:34:39Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 18:02:46Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 15:30:58Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 15:02:12Nature: Pi AccidentCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 12:33:56Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 11:36:38Nature: Subject FallenCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 11:26:12Nature: Pi AccidentAddress: Naylor St and e Church St Salisbury, MD 21801
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 10:20:16Nature: Sick SubjectCity: Salisbury
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 09:52:18Nature: Syncopal EpisodeCity: Fruitland
• Thursday December, 19 2013 @ 09:50:57Nature: Citizen AssistAddress: 504 Emory Ct Salisbury, MD 21801

Some Parents Upset After L.I. School Removes Religious References From ‘Silent Night’

'Holy Infant,' 'Christ The Savior' Among Phrases Omitted From Song At Student Concert

MSP Press Release 12-20-13

DATE & TIME: December 20, 2013 at 2221 hrs

CASE NUMBER: 13-MSP-005430

LOCATION: W/B RT 50 at Walston Switch Road Parsonsburg, Wicomico County, MD

Vehicle # 1 Driver: Louis Lutz W/M of Salisbury, Maryland 21801
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer

Charges: Negligent Driving and Failure to Drive Right of Center

On the above date and time , Trooper’s responded to the intersection of RT 50 W/B at Walston Switch Road in reference to a single vehicle crash.

The investigation revealed that the Mitsubishi was traveling W/B RT 50 in lane 2 just prior to Walston Switch Road Parsonsburg, Wicomico County, Maryland. The Mitsubishi was being operated by the above driver, which had two other occupants. For unknown reasons, the Mitsubishi left the roadway to the right drove across the grass traffic island then crossed the entrance ramp to RT 50 W/B into a steep ditch crashing into a State Highway Administration (SHA) electrical signal box.

The driver and front seat passenger were transported to PRMC with minor injuries. The back seat passenger was not injured. Due to the damage done to the signal box, the entire Walston Switch Rd intersection lights were knocked out. Choptank Electric arrived on scene to cut the power, so that SHA could replace the entire signal box. W/B and E/B RT 50 are open but traffic is closed to cross the intersection until the signal box can be replaced. SHA officials advised that the lights should be operable around 7am.

Maryland State Police Press Release: Salisbury

DATE & TIME: December 20, 2013 0055 hrs

LOCATION: 30000 block of Old Ocean City Road Pittsville., Wicomico Co., Md.

CASE NUMBER: 13-MSP-005445

INCIDENT: Malicious Destruction of Property

Accused: Two Juvenile males 13 and 14 years of age.

BRIEF RESUME: On the above date and time, Trooper’s was dispatched to the area of Old Ocean City Road and Sixty Foot Road in reference to two males damaging mailboxes and trash cans.

With the assistance of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, two juvenile males were detained in the area of Pittsville Motors. Further investigation revealed that the two juvenile males were responsible for damaging over 17 mailboxes, trash cans and lawn ornaments. The estimated damage was approximately just under $1,000.00.

The two juvenile males were placed under arrest and transported to the Salisbury Barrack. Department of Juvenile Justice was contacted and advised to release the juveniles to their perspective parents pending a court hearing.

Due to the late hour of the incident there are possible more victims. The Salisbury Barrack is asking any possible victim’s on Old Ocean City Road in Pittsville to contact the barrack and speak with Tpr. Riggs, who is the investigator.

Robert Cook Inducted As Laureate Into Junior Achievement Hall of Fame

During a luncheon honoring exemplary service dedicated to the mission of Junior Achievement (JA), prominent local businessman Robert Cook was inducted as a laureate in the Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore Hall of Fame. In 1982 Cook took the helm of the then emerging Junior Achievement from its leaders, Delmarva Power and Ralph Smith (JA’s 2011 Laureate), and began building the foundation of the Junior Achievement that exists today on Delmarva.

This fledgling Junior Achievement began operations under the umbrella of the Wilmington, Delaware JA office. Cook quickly saw the need for a local, independent Junior Achievement board to serve students in the Wicomico and surrounding counties area. Obtaining a charter for a separate JA of the Eastern Shore proved difficult, however, and financial stress threatened the effort at every turn. In 1987 Cook’s dream became a reality, and Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore became its own entity.

“Junior Achievement--along with other youth programs like Boy Scouts--helps built character, values, and work skills in our youth,” said Cook. “In this way JA helps to secure the future of this great nation.”

Cook’s work for Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore has helped give countless local students the tools they need to grow into the fiscally savvy, business powerhouses our country will need to move into the future.

Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore is committed to giving young people in all communities the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Through its hands-on, age-appropriate programs Junior Achievement inspires our youth to live within their means, prepare for the world of work, and understand the free enterprise system. Today, Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore (JAES) teaches more than six-thousand students across the Eastern Shore. For more information email JAES at info@easternshoreja.org, phone at 410.742.8112, or log on to www.ja.org for program details.

Stand with Phil And Support Free Speech

Mike Huckabee

America used to be a free country. It was a nation in which religious liberty was so foundational to our nation's fabric that faith was an important principle embedded in the very first amendment in our Bill of Rights. It was all so simple: the GOVERNMENT could NOT prefer or prohibit an expression of religion. Religion was free to express; government was NOT free to infringe.

In recent days, a small, but vocal and militant group of same-sex marriage advocates have co-opted religious liberty to force industry and government to go beyond tolerating homosexuality, but to APPROVE it. Any deviation from Biblical and traditional marriage is to be embraced, but there is no deviation tolerated from those who want to force acceptance, approval, and activism of same sex marriage. 

A&E network found a successful formula to save it financially from its original goal of "Arts and Entertainment." Reality shows have turned it into a cash cow, but none of its shows has ever rocketed it to the stratosphere of green and gold like its most popular show ever, "Duck Dynasty." While the elites have never understood its popularity in "fly over" country, those of us who live in the part of America where we actually practice tolerance, but not totalitarianism, Duck Dynasty was never about the beards or the hunting, but the strongly knit sense of family that the Robertson clan embodied. They live life with a free-wheeling joy. They are not straight-laced snobs or Puritans, but people who laugh, play, and yes, who pray. They reflect a family who loves each other. And they also reflect a view of marriage that is common to many who haven't found the Bible to be a "do it yourself" journal where one writes in a view that fits a lifestyle rather than to accept the Bible as a standard for life.

For this network to toss Phil Robertson off of TV because he believed something and said what he believed, this network is insulting and snobbing the millions of Americans who hold the same view, albeit perhaps expressed in less graphic terms.

Why is it that Muslims are not ostracized or banned from the public square when their views are far more harsh and intolerant of homosexuality? Most Christians I know (including me) are respectful and tolerant of those who are homosexual and engage in friendship with, employment with, and social interaction with people who are openly gay. Is it no longer possible to accept people and love them as friends, but not love a behavior? I have friends who accept me and love me, but think I'm a religious nut for believing the Bible and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Are the militant homosexuals so insecure so they are incapable of accepting that not everyone finds same sex marriage to be actual marriage.

Let's stand up FOR free speech and FOR freedom of faith. If we don't, we will one day be told by the government what we can and can't say or believe. It starts in the marketplace. It ends when it gets enforced by the state. We're getting close. I stand for free speech. Do you?

Source 

 

www.ISupportFreeSpeech.com.

Traffic Lights Out On Route 50 In Parsonsburg Due To An Accident

Eastern Shore Fire/EMS/Police Breaking News

Parsonsburg | Wicomico | RT 50 & Walston Switch Rd | Single vehicle vs traffic control box | Traffic control box completely destroyed. Traffic lights out in all directions. Waiting on SHA to respond. | #07

Non-Citizens Caught Voting In 2012 Presidential Election In Key Swing State

Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted announced Wednesday that his office found 17 non-citizens illegally cast ballots in the 2012 presidential election -- and has referred the case for possible prosecution.

The alleged crime would be a notable case of voter fraud in a key swing state. By law, only American citizens are allowed the privilege of casting ballots for the nation's leaders.

Ohio officials say that did not stop some from getting around the system.

"I have a responsibility to uphold election law, and under both federal and state law you must be a citizen to vote," said Husted, a Republican who has aggressively tried to investigate voter fraud cases in his state.

Husted also found that 274 non-citizens remain on the voting rolls.

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Obamacare Jumps The Shark With 'Gay' Christmas

NEW YORK – In an effort to woo a demographic the White House considers key to the success of Obamacare, a campaign called Out2Enroll has produced a video commercial that will test the sensibilities of many Americans who might otherwise be tolerant of the homosexual-rights movement.

While the Christmas-themed ad sponsored by major left-wing groups may be “gay” in every sense of the word, its aim is serious, as the White House is aware that a disproportionate number of homosexual Americans are uninsured and qualify for premium subsidies under Obamacare
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William & Mary Student Raped On Way To Grocery Store

A College of William & Mary student told police she was hit and sexually assaulted Tuesday night after she left her apartment in the 100 block of Sterling Manor Drive and headed to a store for groceries.

The attack happened off campus, less than a mile north of the college's School of Education, according to a campus alert sent by Ginger Ambler, vice president of student affairs.

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Breaking News: The Obama Administration Announces It Will Potentially Allow Hundreds Of Thousands Of People To Sign Up For "Catastrophic" Coverage Plans, A Move The Insurance Industry Claims Will Cause "Tremendous Instability."

The Obama administration, in an 11th-hour change just before the holiday break,announced a major exemption in ObamaCare that will let people who lost coverage and are struggling to get a new plan sign up for bare-bones policies.

The move Thursday to allow potentially hundreds of thousands of people to sign up for "catastrophic" coverage plans was blasted by the insurance industry as a shift that would cause "tremendous instability.”

The administration downplayed the sudden change, saying they expected it to impact fewer than 500,000 people.
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CITY'S LESBIAN MAYOR SPARKS 'ANARCHY' UPROAR

A judge in Houston has slapped down lesbian Mayor Annise Parker’s decision to give benefits to spouses of same-sex couples who were married in other jurisdictions, issuing a temporary restraining order.

The ruling from Judge Lisa Millard found that “imminent and irreparable” injury would be imposed on the plaintiffs without the order. The court’s next hearing on the case is Jan. 6.

WND reported earlier this month accusations that Parker was instituting “mob rule” in Houston.
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Train Transporting Military Vehicles Salem OR 12-15-13

Obama’s NSA Review Panel Calls Phone-Snooping An Abuse Of Patriot Act

President Obama’s internal review panel has accused the government of abusing the Patriot Act and said many of the intelligence community’s key tools should be reined in, including the NSA’s phone-snooping program and the FBI’s use of national security letters to demand secret information from private businesses, according to the stunning report released Wednesday.

The panel told Mr. Obama to scrap the National Security Agency’s phone-records collection program, saying it’s an infringement of privacy, and said the government instead should ask phone companies to store the records. The NSA would be able to ask for the records only when it deems national security is at stake.
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CryoSat Satellite Finds Arctic Ice Increased 50% In Volume

Polar sea ice increased 50% over last year, growing from 6,000 to 9,000 cubic kilometers when compared to the same period in 2012. Moreover, this year’s multi-year ice is 30 cm thicker than last year, and scientists claim that thick, multi-year ice indicates healthy Arctic sea-ice cover.

The results were revealed by the European Space Agency (ESA) CryoSat satellite mission. The CryoSat-2 was launched in April 2010 and is designed to measure sea-ice thickness across the entire Arctic Ocean. The satellite’s findings indicate that the volume of Arctic sea ice has increased substantially.

These findings prove to be at odds with Al Gore's predictions back in 2009 when he spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Gore stated that computer models reflect "that there is a 75% chance that the entire north polarized cap during some of the summer months could be completely ice free during the next 5-7 years."

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HOLIDAY SEASON PUTS STRAIN ON FAMILIES IN NEED

ANNAPOLIS – Maryland food banks tend to see an influx of families during the holiday season, but this year local pantries are seeing more people in need because of cuts to food stamps. Now, food pantries are counting on donations from the community to keep supplies stocked.

“We always see an increase [in need] around the holiday,” said Kate Sam, spokeswoman for the Maryland Food Bank, based in Baltimore. “This occurs all year-round year-round, and it’s grown a lot over the last five years since the recession. Our distribution has more than tripled since 2007.”

Sam said that this year has been especially tough for families, which was evident, she said, by the numbers.
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Newark’s Carjacking Epidemic

Short Hills, New Jersey (My9NJ) -The two suspects wanted for the recent shooting of a young lawyer in front of his wife during a carjacking gone terribly wrong at Short Hills Mall, are still at large.

The couples' stolen SUV was found the following day abandoned in Newark and New Jersey’s largest city ranks among the top in the nation for vehicle thefts.

There are about 400 carjackings a year in Essex County alone. While Los Angeles and New York rank high in carjackings, Newark takes the cake.

In fact, people in Newark are known for posting videos of stolen cars doing drag races, donuts and drifting in the streets. Often times, in the videos, you can see cop cars chasing the reckless divers on the city’s main streets.

Critics say that more needs to be done to stop this from happening.

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Duck Dynasty: It’s Not About The First Amendment

Daniel D’Addario, writing for uber-liberal Salon, is correct. The Duck Dynasty imbroglio is not about the First Amendment. A&E has the right to suspend whatever actor or television show it deems appropriate for its business. “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one,” said A. J. Liebling, highlighting what should be common sense.

D’Addario takes Sarah Palin and other conservatives to task for citing the First Amendment in the debate over Phil Robertson’s comments about his sexual preference and religion published in Esquire magazine. Palin was certainly off base, but notice D’Addario does not touch on the real issue here — the left activist and corporate media sanctified homosexual agenda currently masquerading as the next human rights campaign.

For many Democrats and libs, rejection of homosexuality along religious lines, as expressed by Robertson, is a hate crime little different than the hate crime of Nazis shuffling Jews off to death camps. The absurdity of this is imperceptible to the average liberal. In order to make up for this supposed prejudice, liberals insist gays must be granted special rights by the government. Special government granted rights for one preferential group, of course, necessitates a diminishment of rights of another group.

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Pennsylvania Pastor Defrocked After Performing Son's Gay Wedding

NORRISTOWN, PA. –  United Methodist church officials defrocked a pastor from central Pennsylvania on Thursday who officiated his son's gay wedding in Massachusetts, a move seen as contradictory to the denomination's beliefs.

The Rev. Frank Schaefer of Lebanon had already been suspended when he met with church officials to determine whether he would continue as a pastor.

Schaefer had been told to resign from the clergy by Thursday if he could not follow the denomination's Book of Discipline. But Schaefer has said the book discriminates against gay people and vowed this week that he would not voluntarily surrender his credentials.

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Crime Solvers

The Case That Could Topple Obamacare

Obamacare may have its problems, including more bugs than you can find in the cornfields of Nebraska, but its legal worries were meant to end after the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate, the heart of the Affordable Care Act.

Now, as the technologists charged with making healthcare.gov work report progress, lawyers are re-entering the fray. A little-heard of challenge currently making its way through the court system may represent opponents’ last best hope of, as they are fond of saying, driving a stake through the heart of the law.

It all started in 2011, when Jonathan H. Adler, a conservative law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, shot an email to his friend Michael Cannon, a health policy expert at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. Adler thought he had spotted an error in Obamacare that could unravel a significant portion of the law.

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BUY THE KIDS GUNS FOR CHRISTMAS!

Ted Nugent declares, 'The gift of firepower is the gift that never stops giving'

With the Christmas shopping orgy well under way, never forget that the ultimate gifts that keep on giving throughout life for young and old are guns.

For the young boys and girls, cap guns and holsters, nerf guns, toy bows and arrows with the suction cup arrows and other assorted toy guns and associated accessories are the obvious choice.

Whatever you do, don’t forget to teach your rootin’ tootin’ boys and girls how to quick draw their cap guns and how to twirl them on one finger Roy Rogers style.
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Judge Blasts Obama Governance By ‘Secret Law’

On the heels of a decision ruling a key provision of the Obama administration's secret domestic surveillance program unconstitutional, another judge has hit the president for secrecy and ordered the administration to open the books. U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle, a Clinton appointee, blasted the administration for trying keep secret a memo on foreign aid, writing: “The government appears to adopt the cavalier attitude that the President should be permitted to convey orders throughout the Executive Branch without public oversight...to engage in what is in effect governance by ‘secret law.’” More from McClatchy.

What’s the deal on your data? - As the president tries to cut a deal with some of his top political backers about how much data tech firms will share with the government, is the president really looking out for you? It’s a fair question given his administration’s unprecedented penchant for secrecy. The president’s focus seems to be on restoring his reputation for technological competency and cool in the aftermath of ObamaCare’s crash landing. But given the frustrations among his tech patrons over Obama’s heavy-handed NSA tactics and obtuse health insurance system, what is Obama prepared to give away to get back in their good graces?

[ Noonan: “Most of the Obama people just don’t have a background in executing. They have a background in communicating, not doing.”]

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STATE HEALTH SITE LACKING INFORMATION ON KIDS DENTAL COVERAGE, ADVOCATES SAY

Oral health advocates say Maryland’s health insurance exchange and insurance providers are not doing enough to inform consumers about children’s dental benefits guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act.

Potential enrollees are unable to view detailed information about what dental benefits are included in a medical care plan until they purchase it, making comparison shopping on the state’s health exchange website difficult.

The brief descriptions of dental care offerings on the site are misleading, said Colin Reusch, the senior policy analyst for the Children’s Dental Health Project, because insured children ages 19 or younger are guaranteed more than just a simple check-up.
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Kitchen Fire In Local Restaurant Injures Two

(December 19, 2013) – On Thursday, December 19, 2013, at approximately 12 p.m., Ocean City Communications received a call for a report of a burn injury to two employees at Seacrets.  Ocean City Fire Department personnel responded to the scene, which was located on 49^th Street and Coastal Highway, and found no fire upon their arrival.

According to witnesses, two Seacrets employees were injured while operating a gas stove in the kitchen area of the restaurant.  Crews from the Ocean City Fire Department transported the patients to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.  The patients, whose names are not being released, were later transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for non-life threating injuries.

“The initial investigation indicates that the victims were injured by a brief flash fire,” said Ocean City Fire Marshal Captain Josh Bunting.  “The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental.”

There was no damage done to the structure of the building. According to officials at Seacrets, the bar will remain open tonight, however; the restaurant is not expected to open until tomorrow morning.  The investigation will be completed by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office.