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Monday, March 28, 2016

Voting 2016


A lot of people have brought up the fact that they won't vote for Trump if he's the eventual nominee.


I just want to put something into perspective:

Justice Scalia's seat is vacant. Ginsberg is 82 years old, Kennedy is 79, Breyer is 77, and Thomas is 67. Nowadays, the data shows that the average age of a Supreme Court retirement or death occurs after 75.

These are 5 vacancies that will likely come up over the next 4-8 years. The next President will have the power to potentially create a 7-2 Supreme Court skewed in their ideology.

Think about that ... 7-2. If the next President appoints 5 young justices, it will guarantee control of the Supreme Court for an entire generation. And 7-2 decisions will hold up much more over time than 5-4 decisions which are deemed to be lacking in mandate.

Hillary has made it clear she will use the Supreme Court to go after the 2nd Amendment. She has literally said that the Supreme Court was wrong in its Heller decision and that the Court should overturn and remove the individual right to keep and bear arms. Period.

Everyone declaring that they won't vote for a particular candidate, if he turns out to be the GOP nominee, please realize this:

If Hillary Clinton wins and thus gets to make these appointments, you surely will never see another Conservative victory at the Supreme Court for the rest of your life. Ever.

Churchill on Islam

Claim: Winston Churchill wrote about the "dreadful curses of Mohammedanism" in his 1899 book The River Wars.

TRUE

Winston Churchill 1899: "Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world." Is this a true quote?

How To Make Retirement Dollars Go Further While Still Having Fun

Affording day-to-day living expenses is a primary concern for millions of pre-retirees, but another problem looms on the retirement horizon that they may not appreciate.

Boredom.

“You can get so obsessed with your nest egg, investments, Social Security, financial products and the like that you may forget the big picture and fail to understand all of your options,” says Joshua Mellberg, founder of J.D. Mellberg Financial (www.jdmellberg.com).

“Worrying about money can prevent you from spending time on things you really enjoy during retirement. But you don’t have to just sit at home to make your money go further.”

Mellberg offers suggestions for an action plan that takes into account concerns for both fun and money.

• Sail away with an adventurous part-time job. At any given time, there can be dozens of new openings for work on cruise ships. Check out opportunities here. Or, you may prefer to stay local and teach a fitness class at the YMCA. What do you enjoy and what are you good at? Uber, the online transportation network, has had many senior citizens as clients, which could work in your favor if you need a flexible schedule and enjoy driving around your community. Opportunities abound.
• Save money by volunteering. Charity work can save you money by occupying your mind, which staves off boredom and the temptation to spend cash, much the same way that having a job does. If you don’t need to earn more money, you may gain fulfillment working for a cause that’s dear to your heart. Being active at an animal rescue, for example, also keeps you from running up the electricity bill at home.
• Stretch your dollar while vacationing oversees. Travel overseas is often on the bucket list during retirement, but you’ll want to consider the conversion rate for your dollar. There are multiple sites that help you find the best package travel deals, and AARP offers helpful discounts. For more advice on traveling during retirement, visit retiredbrains.com.
• Consider using open invitations from old friends and family members. How often have people from your past said, “Come back anytime?” While you perhaps took it merely as a friendly thing to say, they may have been sincere. Staying with friends or family is a great way to cut travel costs and receive expert advice on local destinations.

“Remember, retirement is supposed to be fun,” Mellberg says. “Following your heart’s desire can actually save you money.”

Subject: 5 Weird Signs You're Vitamin Deficient

When your body is trying to tell you something— for example, that you're skimping on critical vitamins— it may go to some strange lengths. "With today's diet of processed foods, it's easy to become vitamin deficient, either by not eating enough of the right foods or not absorbing them properly due to digestive issues," says Dr. Susan Blum, founder of the Blum Center for Health and the author of the new book The Immune System Recovery Plan. "You may not get a disease, but you can end up with impaired functioning because vitamins are cofactors for all the biochemical reactions in the body. We need them in order to function properly." That impaired functioning can sometimes manifest in mysterious ways.

Here are five unusual warning signs that you may be vitamin deficient. The good news: Most are fixable with dietary tweaks—all the more reason to make nutrition a top priority. But if food cures don't work, be sure to check in with your doctor.

Body Cue No. 1: Cracks at the corners of your mouth.

The Deficiency: Iron, zinc, and B vitamins like niacin (B3), riboflavin (B2), and B12. "It's common if you're a vegetarian to not get enough iron, zinc, and B12," Blum says. Ditto if you're skimping on essential immunity-building protein due to dieting.

Read more here

National Enquirer Now Legit, According to Pulitzer Prize Boar

The National Enquirer is now legit, according to the Pulitzer Prize Board.

The body behind journalism's most prestigious award conceded Thursday that the self-proclaimed tabloid can compete with mainstream news outlets for its prizes. Because it broke the story about former presidential candidate John Edwards's mistress and love child, the Enquirer's staff is eligible for the Pulitzer in two categories: "Investigative Reporting" and "National News Reporting."

"We'll see what happens," National Enquirer executive editor Barry Levine said today. "We want to see now that the Pulitzer people review our submission and we expect, obviously, that there's going to be tremendous competition in the investigative category and in the national reporting category."

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Subject: NY Times Op-Ed says the Irish are really British

The New York Times just published possibly the worst op-ed piece on Ireland I have ever read, including those in British newspapers.

Did you know the Irish hardly existed and the 1916 leaders invented a Gaelic Ireland that never previously was present?

That’s according to the New York Times op-ed written by a “historian” Barry Kennerk who no one has ever heard of.

His op-ed, masquerading as a piece of scholarship, states “The Irish always had a British heritage.”

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How Families Can Help End Prison’s Revolving Door For Inmates

They serve their time and are released, free men and women once again.

But within a year, more than 40 percent of ex-prison inmates end up back behind bars. Within five years, three-fourths are arrested again, according to one study that tracked prisoners released in 2005.

In the wake of arrest after arrest they leave behind sorrowful mothers, fathers, siblings and spouses who long to help, but are unsure how to end the cycle.

“The problem is prison life doesn’t prepare the average inmate to succeed on the outside,” says Christopher Zoukis (www.ChristopherZoukis.com), a prison-education advocate who himself is incarcerated at the medium-security Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg in Virginia.

“So when they can’t adjust or they fail to land a job, they get in trouble again.”

Better education opportunities in prison would help, but spending tax money to educate inmates is a tough sell, says Zoukis, author of two books on the subject – “College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons” (McFarland & Co., 2014) and “Prison Education Guide” (Prison Legal News Publishing, 2016).

So prisoners must take matters into their own hands, and that’s where family members play a critical role, he says. Just as parents on the TV show “Beyond Scared Straight” strive to keep young people out of prison, families of those already behind bars can intervene to keep them from returning.

The family should encourage inmates to take steps now that will help them succeed once they are on the outside, he says, such as:

• Earn a GED or high school diploma. Many prisoners lack the education that is a critical element in a successful job search. Fortunately, most prison systems offer the opportunity to earn a GED. Unfortunately, a true high school diploma isn’t as easy to come by.
• Research career opportunities. Prisoners need to determine what career best suits their personality, skills and interests, but remind them to be realistic. “They are more likely to succeed with a job that has few entry requirements,” Zoukis says. “Any occupation that requires a substantial amount of money to start, or an advanced education, is probably out of reach.”
• Read and read some more. Once prisoners narrow their career ideas, encourage them to read up on each field. This enables them to understand how to find employment in the field and determine entry requirements.
• Seek advanced education and vocational training. Some prisons might offer adult education or vocational training in the career area the inmate targets, but most don’t offer much in terms of training, Zoukis says. Suggest that correspondence programs, such as the terrific Prison College Program through Adams State University, could be an option.

“Preparing for a career after you’ve been in prison is not easy,” Zoukis says. “But family support can go a long way toward improving the odds of success.”

Watch A Saudi Ambassador Squirm Through A Brutal Interview

When Al Jazeera presenter Mehdi Hasan asked the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Nations why he supports democratic elections in Syria but not in the country he represents, the response that followed was cringeworthy.

“Well, just because there are elections in Syria doesn’t mean there have to be elections somewhere else,” Abdallah al-Mouallimi told Hasan during a Friday segmentof Al Jazeera’s “UpFront.”

The ambassador insisted that if you asked Saudi people about the current structure of their government, they’d voice their support.

“Isn’t that partly because if they do say they don’t want this government, they want another government, they’ll go to jail?” Hasan asked, noting that it’s a crime in Saudi Arabia to call for a change in the system of government.

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Subject: The Board Room


SUCCESSFUL BREAK IN FBI hacks Calif. gunman's iPhone without Apple

The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday it has successfully accessed data stored on the iPhone that belonged to the San Bernardino gunman without Apple's help, ending the court case against the tech company.

The surprise development effectively ends a pitched court battle between Apple and the Obama administration.

The government told a federal court Monday, without any details, that it accessed data on gunman Syed Farook's iPhone and no longer requires Apple's assistance.

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Anti-Semitic fliers sent to several computers at Princeton University

PRINCETON, N.J. – Anti-Semitic fliers started spewing out of printers at Princeton University, seemingly at random, the school said Friday as it announced an investigation into the hateful spamming.

The school said other universities have reported similar incidents but did not specify which ones. PIX11 News has reached out to Princeton for further details.

A single-page flyer containing an anti-Semitic message was sent to several printers in Princeton’s network Thursday and Friday, according to the school. The university is working to block any further messages from coming through.

“Princeton regards any actions making the atmosphere intimidating, threatening or hostile to individuals as serious offenses,” said Michele Minter, vice provost for institutional equity and inclusion. “These flyers are offensive and contrary to the values of the University, which is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free from discrimination and harassment. Princeton attaches great importance to mutual respect, and we deplore expressions of hatred directed against any individual or group.”

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Subject: TB Cases Increasing in U.S.

The number of tuberculosis cases in the United States rose last year for the first time in nearly a quarter-century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia each had more cases in 2015 than 2014, raising questions -- but no definitive answers -- about a possible resurgence of one of the world's deadliest diseases.

The overall increase was relatively small: 157 more cases, bringing the 2015 total to 9,563. Two-thirds of the total were among people born abroad, with Asians accounting for the most cases (3,007) and the highest rate (28.2 cases per 100,000 persons). By comparison, there were only .5 cases per 100,000 whites last year.

Tuberculosis is a serious airborne bacterial disease that primarily attacks the lungs. The active form is contagious, while people latently infected don't show symptoms and are not contagious. About 11 million Americas are believed to be in that latter category, according to the CDC's last estimate in 2000.

The disease is treatable with antibiotics, but the course can be long and complicated. Certain forms of the bacterium that causes TB are becoming impervious to the drugs designed to kill them, leading to the development of multidrug-resistant strains of infection.

More than half of cases reported in 2015 were clustered in four states — California, Florida, New York and Texas — which have one-third of the U.S. population.

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A Viewer Writes: Daily Times - Bye, Bye...


Joe, I just did this this morning. Actually spoke to the editor and told him this and much more. I would like you to post. I’ve already posted on Facebook. I pray Many will do the same. Enough is enough.

Just cancelled our subscription to the Daily Times Newspaper after 42 years. The paper has become more and more 'left leaning', many times the 'facts' are not there or not true, their spelling and grammar have much to be desired. Finally, yesterday's front page featured the Zika virus. No mention of Easter. Clueless, nothing but clueless. Choices and actions have consequences. Bye, bye Daily Times... BTW I chose to speak with the Editor.

Sowell: Socialist or Fascist

It bothers me a little when conservatives call Barack Obama a "socialist." He certainly is an enemy of the free market, and wants politicians and bureaucrats to make the fundamental decisions about the economy. But that does not mean that he wants government ownership of the means of production, which has long been a standard definition of socialism.

What President Obama has been pushing for, and moving toward, is more insidious: government control of the economy, while leaving ownership in private hands. That way, politicians get to call the shots but, when their bright ideas lead to disaster, they can always blame those who own businesses in the private sector.

Politically, it is heads-I-win when things go right, and tails-you-lose when things go wrong. This is far preferable, from Obama's point of view, since it gives him a variety of scapegoats for all his failed policies, without having to use President Bush as a scapegoat all the time.

Government ownership of the means of production means that politicians also own the consequences of their policies, and have to face responsibility when those consequences are disastrous -- something that Barack Obama avoids like the plague.

Thus the Obama administration can arbitrarily force insurance companies to cover the children of their customers until the children are 26 years old. Obviously, this creates favorable publicity for President Obama. But if this and other government edicts cause insurance premiums to rise, then that is something that can be blamed on the "greed" of the insurance companies.

The same principle, or lack of principle, applies to many other privately owned businesses. It is a very successful political ploy that can be adapted to all sorts of situations.

One of the reasons why both pro-Obama and anti-Obama observers may be reluctant to see him as fascist is that both tend to accept the prevailing notion that fascism is on the political right, while it is obvious that Obama is on the political left.

More here

Subject: 'Dear Leader' Speaks To Argentinian Youth

President Obama has stoked controversy after he responded to a question from an audience of Argentinian youth about nonprofit community organizations and the necessity of attracting funding from both the public and private sectors.

“So often in the past there has been a division between left and right, between capitalists and communists or socialists, and especially in the Americas, that’s been a big debate,” Obama said.

“Those are interesting intellectual arguments, but I think for your generation, you should be practical and just choose from what works. You don’t have to worry about whether it really fits into socialist theory or capitalist theory. You should just decide what works,” he added.

Obama went on to praise Cuba’s socialist system under dictator RaĂşl Castro, touting the country’s free access to basic education and health care, although he acknowledged that Havana itself “looks like it did in the 1950s” because the economy is “not working”.

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Police officer shot at Capitol, shooter caught

A U.S. Capitol Police officer was shot Monday at the Capitol Visitor Center complex, and the shooter was taken into custody, Capitol officials and police said.

Read the full story.

It’s Time for Hillary Clinton to Concede the Democratic Nomination to Bernie Sanders

With Bernie Sanders now slightly ahead of Clinton nationally in the latest Bloomberg poll, it’s time to reevaluate the meaning of pragmatism. Hillary Clinton might be ahead of Bernie Sanders in delegates, but Vermont’s Senator has a monopoly on political momentum. Sadly, his opponent has a monopoly on controversy, and will face FBI interviews in the near future. A Los Angeles Times article titled Clinton email probe enters new phase as FBI interviews loom highlights why Clinton’s campaign is stuck in political quicksand:
Federal prosecutors investigating the possible mishandling of classified materials on Hillary Clinton’s private email server have begun the process of setting up formal interviews with some of her longtime and closest aides, according to two people familiar with the probe, an indication that the inquiry is moving into its final phases.
Prosecutors also are expected to seek an interview with Clinton herself, though the timing remains unclear.
Yes, federal prosecutors will interview Hillary Clinton, in addition to her close associates.

At what point will establishment Democrats admit this fiasco is horrible for a general election?

When federal prosecutors are interviewing your candidate for president, even Donald Trump has a good chance at the White House.

Russian 'Rambo' Dies a Hero

A brave Russian special forces soldier who was on a Rambo-style one man mission to hunt for ISIS militants died a "hero" after calling in an airstrike on HIMSELF.

The fearless officer was directing Russian airstrikes at Islamic State targets near the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria when he was surrounded by terrorists.

Not prepared to go down without a fight, he ordered military officials to drop bombs on his location and died in the blast.

A spokesperson for the Russian military said: "An officer of Russian special operations forces was killed near Palmyra while carrying out a special task to direct Russian airstrikes at Islamic State group targets."

"The officer was carrying out a combat task in Palmyra area for a week, identifying crucial IS targets and passing exact coordinates for strikes with Russian planes.

"The officer died as a hero, he drew fire onto himself after being located and surrounded by terrorists."

More here

Bad Accident On East Bound Rt. 50

It's going to be slow going for a while.

VA Worker Reinstated With Back Pay After Being In Prison For Armed Robbery

The VA is a place where people tend to somehow magically fail upward. By that I simply mean that workers at all levels can be caught up in any sort of malfeasance or incompetence and not only retain their jobs, but apparently profit from their actions. We’ve told you the story of the executive who ran her department into the ground and was punished with a plush gig in the Philippines. Then there was the Albany, New York administrator who was found to have drugs addicts on staff who were stealing the medication of the veterans and was fired, but somehow got her job back at full pay. And, of course, who could forget the Arizona VA chiefs who cooked up the scheme to keep veterans on phony waiting lists where some of them literally died without seeing a doctor, but will keep their positions with full pay and benefits for as much as two more years. But today we may finally have the story which tilts the pinball machine once and for all.

This one takes place down in Puerto Rico where one diligent VA worker found herself unable to report to work for an extended period of time. She was held up, you see, by an inconvenient inability to get a pass out of prison to make it into the office...

More here

Muslims Try to Get Out the Vote

WASHINGTON — American Muslims are watching in growing horror as Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz battle for the Republican presidential nomination, outdoing each other with provocative proposals that have included Muslim registries, immigration bans and fleets of police patrolling their neighborhoods.

With round tables, summit meetings and news releases falling on deaf ears, national advocacy groups are planning to fend off policies they consider hostile to Muslims with a more proactive strategy: driving up the Muslim vote.

Organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, the Islamic Circle of North America and the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations are encouraging mosques to turn themselves into voter registration centers before the November election so that Muslims can make their voices heard at the polls. Registration drives are expected to ramp up significantly in June, during Ramadan, when attendance at Islamic centers peaks.

“The fear and apprehension in the American Muslim community has never been at this level,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for CAIR. “The anti-Islamic tidal wave is spurring civic participation.”

From The Bishopville Volunteer Fire Department

***Move Over and Yield to Emergency Vehicles!!***

At 0900 hours today Bishopville was alerted for a MVC involving Maryland State Police. Upon arrival personal found a MSP car which was hit from behind while assisting with an escort of a double wide home south on 113 from Delaware.

Please be mindful of the Maryland Move Over Law and move over for personal working along the side of our highways, as the accident could have led to more severe injuries of the trooper or others. Fortuntaly for the trooper who was not in his car at the time he was not injured in the accident.

Another Day, Another Ally Attacking Obama

Barack Obama is under attack once again. And once again, the attack is coming from the left. Here's Chelsea Clinton, in a new video, referring to the "crushing costs" of Obamacare.

The "crushing costs," by the way, are likely a feature, not a bug. Liberals knew they could never get Americans to give up their private insurance. Instead, they've set about a scheme that will send costs spiraling out of control, so they can demonize "greedy insurance companies" and lay the groundwork for fully government run health care.

So this is either a legitimate criticism, or "phase two." Which do you think it is?

Source: AAN

In This State, Buying a Toy Gun Gets You Time in Jail

New Jersey may be known as the Garden State, but it's home to some of America's worst cities. The condition of Jersey's urban wastelands was perhaps best described by Tea Party darling Steve Lonegan, who in a debate with Corey Booker noted the prevalence of "the bodies from shooting victims" floating in Booker's Newark.

Still, the Garden State isn't called the Garden State for nothing. Many parts of New Jersey are beautiful, and filled with successful, responsible property owners who banded together and elected the nation's largest Republican Governor. Chris Christie has had two terms to fix some of the state's biggest problems, But despite a clear mandate from the people, he's been unable(or unwilling) to attack some of the state's most insane gun laws. Now, an actor who was performing with a pellet gun may be facing time in prison. As Hot Air notes:

How insane are New Jersey’s gun laws? Governor Chris Christie has had to issue two general pardons in order to stop or reverse gross miscarriages of justice over nonsensical prosecutions. Will Christie go for the hat trick? Carlo Goias had better hope so, before he does a ten-year stretch in prison because he used a pellet gun while making a film in the Garden State:

Carlo Goias, whose stage name is Carlo Bellario, was charged under New Jersey’s strict gun law. It requires permits for firearms, including the airsoft gun Goias used while filming a car chase scene.

Subject: South China Sea: Indonesia Emerges as Power Player

Following the arrest of the crew of a Chinese ship allegedly fishing illegally in its waters, the government of Indonesia is facing regional criticism for shooting at two Taiwanese ships that it also alleges had trespassed into Indonesian territory. The recent incidents are helping to raise Indonesia’s profile as a formidable player in growing tensions in the South China Sea.

Indonesian Coast Guard patrol ships fired at two Taiwanese vessels traveling to Singapore this week, both of which had allegedly illegally entered Indonesian waters in the Strait of Malacca. Indonesian authorities let the ships go, but not before firing about 20 shots at them. The Lien I Hsing No. 116 was reportedly fired at about “four or five times;” the Sheng Te Tsai had 12 bullet holes in its hull. Indonesian authorities insist they made multiple attempts to communicate with the ships and did not receive a response, and that their officers followed all legal protocol regarding such trespasses.

Both ships have arrived in Singapore, where their crew spoke to media about the incident.

Captain Lin Nan-yang of the Sheng Te Tsai told Singapore’s The Straits Times his crew was unable to hear any of the messages from Indonesian officials. “At first, we thought we were being attacked by pirates. There was no warning at all and they started shooting. …

More here

Atheist Drops Lawsuit Against Corpus Christi Officials

An atheist who sued the mayor of Corpus Christi and two city council members for allegedly violating the Texas Constitution by attending a groundbreaking ceremony for “the tallest cross in the Western Hemisphere” has withdrawn his lawsuit.

The lawsuit Patrick Greene filed earlier this month in Nueces County District Court accused Mayor Nelda Martinez and City Council members Lucy Rubio and Carolyn Vaughn of violating the state constitution’s prohibition on giving a preference to any particular religion by attending the Sunday groundbreaking ceremony in January.

Greene told Fox News that the 210-foot-tall cross, which is being erected on property belonging to the Abundant Life Fellowship and financed by private donations, was “tacky as hell” and a “safety hazard.”

An unrepentant Martinez told the Corpus Christi Caller Times that building a cross overlooking Corpus Christi Bay was a dream of her late father’s.

“I learned today Mr. Greene is dismissing his suit,” the mayor said in a statement on Wednesday. “Mr. Greene said he is doing this because of his wife’s medical condition. I am praying for Mr. Greene’s wife.

“I did not want to respond with anger and ask the Court to punish Mr. Greene for filing a clearly frivolous and groundless lawsuit,” Martinez continued.

“However, Mr. Greene is on notice. Should he re-file, we will have no other option but to utilize the legal system to defend our taxpayers from such a baseless suit.

More here

Twisting the Minds of Vulnerable Schoolchildren

If you like progressive arrogance mixed with complete contempt for parental rights, it’s hard to top guidance drafted by Michigan’s State Board of Education. Last month, State Superintendent Brian Whiston issued a memorandum with the subject heading “Presentation on State Board of Education Statement and Guidance on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students.” The agenda behind it is clear: Michigan schools will be expected to allow all students to self-identify with regard to their gender, and all school officials will be expected to abide whatever permutations arise from that identification.

Yet it gets even worse. “The responsibility for determining a student’s gender identity rests with the student,” the memo states. “Outside confirmation from medical or mental health professionals, or documentation of legal changes, is not needed.”

In other words, it doesn’t matter what the child’s biological sex is, or whether he or she is in the midst of a temporary identity crisis and/or getting professional help from a medical doctor or a psychiatrist. The memo defines gender identity as “a person’s deeply held internal sense or psychological knowledge of their own gender, regardless of the biological sex they were assigned at birth.” Yet even the definition of biological sex is a hedge, with the memo stating that it is a “combination of bodily characteristics, including chromosomes, hormones, internal and external genitalia, and secondary sex characteristics,” before adding that when infants are born they are “assigned a sex, usually male or female, based solely on the appearance of their external anatomy.” (emphasis added)

What about parents? The complete usurpation of their rights to know about what goes on between their child and the child’s teacher and other school officials is made clear. The memo advises, “Transgender and GNC [gender nonconforming] students have the right to decide when, with whom, and to what extent to share private information.”

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Subject: Obama Reiterates Refugee Promise

In a brief Easter weekend radio address, President Obama vowed to decimate the self-proclaimed Islamic State, but he said the United States will do so by offering an example of freedom, tolerance and open society.

"Our openness to refugees fleeing ISIL's violence; our determination to win the battle against ISIL's hateful and violent propaganda — a distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalize young Muslims to their cause," are paramount in the fight, Obama told Americans during his weekly radio address.

Admitting entry to Syrian and Iraqi refugees has become a divisive issue in the U.S. as well as Europe, but Obama made clear he has no plan to back off his promise to admit 100,000 to the U.S. this year.

"We have to wield another weapon alongside our airstrikes, our military, our counter-terrorism work, and our diplomacy," Obama said. "And that's the power of our example. Our openness to refugees fleeing ISIL's violence. Our determination to win the battle against ISIL's hateful and violent propaganda – a distorted view of Islam that aims to radicalize young Muslims to their cause."

In his brief speech, Obama underscored that the United States' has to engage Muslims as partners in the fight against terrorism.

More here

Black and White, Left and Right

Much is made of the fact that liberals and conservatives see racial issues differently, which they do. But these differences have too often been seen as simply those on the right being racist and those on the left not.

You can cherry-pick the evidence to reach that conclusion. But you can also cherry-pick the evidence to reach the opposite conclusion.

During the heyday of the Progressive movement in the early 20th century, people on the left were in the forefront of those promoting doctrines of innate, genetic inferiority of not only blacks but also of people from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe, as compared to people from Western Europe.

Liberals today tend to either glide over the undeniable racism of Progressive President Woodrow Wilson or else treat it as an anomaly of some sort. But racism on the left at that time was not an anomaly, either for President Wilson or for numerous other stalwarts of the Progressive movement.

An influential 1916 best-seller, “The Passing of the Great Race” — celebrating Nordic Europeans — was written by Madison Grant, a staunch activist for Progressive causes such as endangered species, municipal reform, conservation and the creation of national parks.

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Subject: Noonan: Immigration Crackdown Needed in U.S.

Conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote in her latest op-ed that in response to the Islamic State's terrorist attacks in Brussels, Republican "elites" should adopt a more restrictive immigration policy.

"Radical jihadism is not going to go away, not for a long time, probably decades," Noonan wrote. "For 15 years it has in significant ways shaped our lives, and it will shape our children's too. They will have to win the war. It will not be effectively fought with guilt, ambivalence or double-mindedness. That, in the West, will have to change."

Following the attacks this week that killed 31 people and wounded hundreds more, President Obama called it "yet another reminder that the world must unite, we must be together, regardless of nationality, or race, or faith, in fighting against the scourge of terrorism."

Noonan wrote in her column that "pride" and a contempt for average citizens is keeping "Republican operatives and elected officials" from pushing for greater border control.

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ObamaCare's Six-Year Anniversary Checkup

On March 23, 2010, Barack Obama signed the “Affordable” Care Act (a.k.a. ObamaCare) into law. It’s time we give it a checkup for its six-year anniversary. Via Investor’s Business Daily, here are seven of its most significant shortcomings:

1.) Taxpayers will probably not recuperate $1.2 billion (a figure almost guaranteed to rise) after 12 of ObamaCare’s 23 co-ops collapsed. 2.) The federal government distributed $5 billion to the states to help set up their own exchanges, but already $1.5 billion (a figure also bound to increase) of that has been wasted. 3.) Healthcare.gov, the $2 billion federally operated marketplace disaster, “was supposed to be self-financed, [but] Obama wants an additional $535 million to keep it running next year.” 4.) Many insurance companies are operating deep in the red, so the White House is “diverting $3.5 billion meant for the Treasury to insurance companies to help cover losses.” 5.) About 500,000 fraudulent beneficiaries received roughly $750 million in ObamaCare subsidies. 6.) The IRS needs an additional $881 million to cover the added workload from ObamaCare. 7.) And finally, “An analysis by the American Action Forum concluded that businesses and individuals have spent 165 million hours to comply with ObamaCare’s 106 new regulations. In dollar terms, that works out to $45 billion.”

“Add it all up and it comes out to $55 billion,” writes Investor’s. “And that’s being generous to ObamaCare. This figure doesn’t count what families forced off health plans they liked had to pay in to buy ObamaCare’s overpriced insurance. Or the adverse impact ObamaCare has had on the labor market. Nor does it count the vast amounts of waste and fraud in Medicaid before ObamaCare vastly expanded eligibility.”

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Dem Floats Bill to Allow Illegals to Work on Capitol Hill

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., has introduced legislation to give illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as youths and are exempt from deportation the ability to work on Capitol Hill.

The legislation, titled The American Dream Employment Act, would change the law preventing the House and Senate from employing anyone who is neither a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident seeking naturalization. Under current law, individuals allowed to work in the U.S. through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, cannot be hired by any branch of the federal government.

"Telling these young people they cannot work in the seat of our government is like telling them they deserve something less than the American dream. That's the wrong message to send — especially from an institution like Congress that could really benefit from their unique abilities and perspectives," Kirkpatrick, who is running for Senate as a challenger to Republican Sen. John McCain in Arizona, said in a statement.

Her legislation would create a new exemption for DACA recipients to work for congressional offices. The bill would not affect any other federal agency or department.

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This Russian Soldier Was Surrounded by ISIS. What He Did Next Made Him a Hero

The Russians deployed military forces to Syria at the end of September to assist the Syrian government fight various rebel factions trying to overthrow it. Some of those rebels are backed by the United States while others are not so nice guys, including ISIS.

A member of Russia’s special forces was on a mission near the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra where Syrian government forces are engaged in an offensive against ISIS. He was coordinating Russian airstrikes to support the offensive when he was surrounded by ISIS fighters.

Here’s what Yahoo says happened next:

"The officer was carrying out a combat task in area for a week, identifying crucial IS targets and passing exact coordinates for strikes with Russian planes," he said.

"The officer died as a hero, he drew fire onto himself after being located and surrounded by terrorists," he said. Moscow has been tight-lipped about having any soldiers on the ground throughout its campaign in Syria that began on September 30.
ISIS claims to have killed 5 Russian soldiers so far in the campaign, but the Russians deny that. The Russian defense ministry says it has conducted nearly 150 airstrikes over the past few days before the announcement.

The Russian soldier who called down air strikes upon him rather than be taken alive by ISIS shows the determination we have to fight them. As a civilized world, we will never surrender to these savages.


Source: AAN

If You Thought Obama Was Done Making Concessions to Iran...

One of the arguments critics of the Iran deal made during last year's debate was that beyond the staggering immediate concessions to Iran, the deal paves the way for ongoing and future concessions. The reason is that the reality of the agreement leaves the U.S. hamstrung by fear that Iran can use anything as a pretext to pull out of the deal. We're now starting to see this play out, as Obama administration officials are signaling that they may provide additional sanctions relief to address Iranian complaints, even though they promised Congress no such relief would ever be provided.

Specifically, the Associated Press reports that the U.S. government could be on the verge of a major capitulation: "The Obama administration is leaving the door open to new sanctions relief for Iran, including possibly long-forbidden access to the U.S. financial market."

Last summer, as the deal was being debated, administration officials told Congress that this would never happen as a way of reassuring skeptics who feared that the entire sanctions regime against Iran was being unraveled. Plenty of layers of sanctions still remained to pressure Iran, the administration argued.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew insisted to Congress that under the deal Iran would "be denied access to the world's largest financial and commercial market."

When asked if this was still the case, Lew said the U.S. may take future action to "make sure Iran gets relief." The Treasury Department told the AP, "We will continue to analyze the sanctions lifting and its effects."

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Old Barns and Old People

Subject: Rockefeller Family Fund to Divest From ExxonMobil, Says Oil Giant Is 'Morally Reprehensible'

It’s been a really rough few days for ExxonMobil, the world’s largest publicly traded oil and gas company.

First, on Wednesday, the Rockefeller Family Fund announced it would divest from the oil giant, saying it would “eliminate holdings” of Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM.N) “effective immediately,” asserting that the company associated with the family fortune has misled the public about the risks of climate change.

Because of the long-established threat posed to the planetary ecosystem by fossil fuel extraction and use, the fund said “there is no sane rationale for companies to continue to explore for new sources of hydrocarbons.”

Man! Rockefeller Family Fund sells all Exxon stock, citing company’s ‘morally reprehensible conduct.’#exxonknewhttps://t.co/S7uwXsI26V

— Bill McKibben (@billmckibben) March 24, 2016

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Be Careful Of This Scam: George Chevallier wants to be friends on Facebook



 
   
 
https://www.facebook.com/n/?friends/center/&fc_tab=requests&aref=1458845140147599&medium=email&mid=52ecf90c65abdG5af31a62ed01G52ecfda5c5d8fG2G48fc&bcode=1.1458845140.Abn-a5kKHpwnpHCF&n_m=dean000001@aol.com&lloc=logo   Facebook
 
   
   
 
George Chevallier wants to be friends with you on Facebook.
 
https://www.facebook.com/n/?friends/center/&fc_tab=requests&aref=1458845140147599&medium=email&mid=52ecf90c65abdG5af31a62ed01G52ecfda5c5d8fG2G48fc&bcode=1.1458845140.Abn-a5kKHpwnpHCF&n_m=dean000001@aol.com&lloc=profile_pic
George Chevallier
As most of you know, George past away a couple weeks ago. Out of nowhere someone has hacked his Facebook Account. Obviously this is a scam. If you, by chance, did accept this invite, remove it. 

This Third Party Candidate is Gaining Traction

This November’s election is likely to be Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump. To say neither one is popular with the American people is an understatement. Some have speculated that this could be the year a 3rd party candidate could break out.

Monmouth University actually polled a 3 way race between Clinton, Trump, and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, who is running for president as a Libertarian. They found that such a race would be 42% for Clinton, 34% for Trump, and 11% for Johnson.

Johnson seemed to take more votes from Clinton, but actually had his best performances in red states. Johnson only polled 9% in swing states, but in red states he got 15%.

This is before Johnson becomes a somewhat known figure by most Americans. According Monmouth, 76% of Americans didn’t know enough about Johnson to form an opinion and he only has a 9% favorable rating.

The Libertarian Party is trying to reach the 5% threshold in a presidential election in order to qualify for Federal matching funds. However, Johnson in 2012 only received 0.99% of the popular vote.

But with many Republicans especially vowing #NeverTrump, Johnson will hope to improve upon his performance.


Source: AAN

Protesters disrupt Easter Mass at St. Pat's, frighten worshipers

Worshipers attending Easter Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral got the scare of their lives when a band of unruly protesters disrupted the event.

“I thought they were going to blow themselves up,” worshiper Carol Forester, 50, confessed.

A group of six animal-rights protesters abruptly leaped up from a pew in the middle of the service and shouted, “Easter is a time for love! No more shedding animal blood!” while holding up signs of animals pleading for their lives.

About 20 minutes into Rev. Damian O’Connell’s noon Mass, protester Jacob Martin, 23, rose out of his seat in the center of the church and started to walk down the aisle while shouting into a bullhorn that “only the devil” could create “animals capable of love and joy just so humans can make them suffer and die.”

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Five Great Presidential Quotes About Religious Liberty

“Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in us. Our defense is in the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you whave planted the seeds of despotism at your own doors. Familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage, and you prepare your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of others, you have lost the genious of your own independence and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tryant who rises among you.” -Abraham Lincoln, Speech at Edwardsville, IL, 1858. 

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Hearing This Week For Study On Third Span Of Bay Bridge

A legislative committee in Annapolis will hold a hearing later this week on a proposal to approve state funding for an environmental impact study to see if a third span of the Bay Bridge can be built in the coming years.

The legislation is sponsored by Eastern Shore Senator and former Ocean City Mayor Jim Mathias. The measure passed in the Senate last week.

The Maryland Transportation Authority would have to set aside one-million dollars or five percent of the cost each year for the environmental impact study. MdTA officials have said they are concerned about the cost of the study and the damage to the agency's credit rating.

Mathias tells WBAL News Now that creating another way for drivers to get from the western to eastern shore is important not only for businesses in that part of the state but for public safety.

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Obama, While the World Was Burning

Few publications are as vicious when engaging the left as the Washington Free Beacon. The DC based group of conservative cowboys pulls no punches. In their latest video, The Obama Tango, they remind the world what President Obama was up to while Brussels descended into chaos, leaving two Americans and countless others dead. Source: AAN

Weekend at Bernie's

Bernie Sanders swept this weekend's Democratic primaries, sending a reminder to Democratic front runner and future inmate Hillary Clinton. As Townhall notes:

Sen. Bernie Sanders had a great night. He won resounding victories in the Washington State and Alaska caucuses, garnering 70+ percent of the vote. Now, the self-described Democratic socialist can add Hawaii to his list of victories, finishing his sweep of yesterday's primary contests. In Hawaii, Sanders crushed Clinton 70/29.

Sanders rise is indicative of a Democratic party that, post Obama and Occupy, has jerked hard to the left. While a portion of the base still realizes that Hillary is the candidate that gives them the best chance to win, a growing segment, fed up with student loans and a stagnant economy, demands the political purity and socialist through and through policies of Sanders. In the long term, this is an opportunity for Republicans to capture more mainstream voters and build a governing majority. In the short term, it means Clinton will likely have to spend more money before heading into the general, and her ironclad grip on the party's superdelegates may now be in question.


Source: AAN

Is Trump About to Lose One of his Biggest Supporters?

Before Donald Trump, there was Michael Savage. The genuine article among conservative radio hosts, Dr. Savage has never backed down from the political establishment, and has always rightly criticized Rush Limbaugh("the golfer") and Sean Hannity("the Wallbanger") when he's perceived that they were carrying water. For years, he's stressed what has become the platform of Trump's campaign: borders, language, and culture, and in Trump, it seems like he's found the candidate of his dreams. Savage's freewheeling, un P.C. style has energized his listeners, and some have speculated that it helped provide the groundswell of populist support for Trump's campaign. Up until this week, Savage was an avid Trump supporter, and the GOP presidential frontrunner appeared on his show for very friendly segments, where the two native New Yorkers would banter back and forth like two old friends in a Brooklyn barber shop. But now, something may be changing.

What's happened? This week, the National Enquirer ran a story claiming that Ted Cruz had affairs with up to five women: among them, Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson, former Fiorina deputy campaign manager Sarah Isgur Flores, and former Cruz senior staffer Amanda Carpenter. Although the rumors didn't originate with the Trump campaign, Trump surrogates wasted no time in repeating them. For Savage, this may be too much to bear. As WND notes:

Radio host Michael Savage told his listeners on Friday that Trump's ties to National Enquirer CEO David Pecker raises red flags as to who started rumors claiming Sen. Ted Cruz cheated on his wife, Heidi, with five women. The "Savage Nation" host said Pecker is known to fly on Trump's jet from New York to Florida, which is why the Republican front-runner must condemn the story. (The relevant portion of audio begins at 1:40).

"He should get rid of this connection, because this is not going to help him at all. This is utter garbage and Cruz is rightly offended," Savage said. "I've supported Trump and probably still will, but if he won't disavow this guy Pecker and this story, I may withdraw my support from anyone in this campaign. ... I am not going to support anyone who engages in assassination by innuendo."

This could be a seminal moment. To date, absolutely nothing has been too controversial for Trump supporters to abandon the New York billionaire. But Savage is no shrinking violet. If the San Francisco shock jock can draw a line in the sand, it might not be long before the American people follow.


Source: AAN

Bible Quotes that Inspired Presidential Faith

Even before America was a formal nation, Christianity was an integral part of America, its ideals and principles manifesting and ingraining themselves into our society. As a nation founded on Christianity, we have always needed a leader who is strong in the faith, living by the principles that have made America great. During hard times, certain quotes from the Bible have motivated our leaders to keep fighting the good fight, so that Americans may remain safe, and prosper. We have gathered a handful of these powerful verses that strengthened our leader's faiths in their time of need. Enjoy. 


ISIS Most Sinister Plot Yet

ISIS has visited unfathomable terror upon Western Europe in the past few months, and the worst may be yet to come. Their newest plot? Nuclear annihilation. As the Daily Mail reports:

A security guard who worked at a Belgian nuclear plant was murdered and had his security pass stolen, just two days after the Brussels terror attacks.

Belgian media reported today that the security guard, named as Didier Prospero, was walking his dog in the Charleroi region of Belgium when he was shot dead.

However, as soon as it emerged that his security pass had been stolen, it was quickly cancelled so nobody could gain access to the site using it.

Investigators are exploring a theory that the man, who has not been named, was killed to steal his pass and gain access to a nuclear facility.

Nuclear power plants are known to be targets for the terror network behind the Brussels bombings and the Paris attacks in November.

Source: AAN

Volcano spews ash 20K feet high

(CNN)A volcanic eruption in Alaska sent ash 20,000 feet up in the air and prompted flight warnings, according to authorities.

The Pavlof Volcano, located on the Aleutian Islands, began "erupting abruptly" Sunday afternoon, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

A volcano alert warning remained in effect early Monday morning, and the aviation warning color code remains red, its highest level.
Ash was reportedly moving north after the eruption, according to the volcano observatory.

Sanders Now Leads Hillary for the Democratic Nomination; Here's Why it Doesn't Matter

Bernie Sanders ahead of Hillary Clinton among Democrats nationwide, but it comes too late to stop her from winning the party’s presidential nomination.

Newsmax reports:

More than halfway through a nomination race that she entered as the clear favorite, Hillary Clinton finds herself deadlocked with Bernie Sanders among Democrats.

The latest nation Bloomberg Politics poll results for first choice of hose who have voted or plan to vote in this year’s Democratic contests:

Sanders: 49 percent
Clinton: 48 percent

The narrow difference comes after more than two dozen primaries and caucuses in which Clinton’s amassed a commanding lead in votes and in delegates needed to win the nomination.
Unfortunately for Sanders his lead comes two months too late.

2,640 of the 4,765 delegates to the Democratic National Convention have already been awarded. Clinton has won 1,691 of them, with Sanders taking the other 949.

That means Clinton needs to win 693 of the remaining 2125, or only 32.5 percent, to clinch the necessary majority of 2,383 delegates.

Even if Sanders defeats Clinton 60 percent to 40 percent in the remaining contests, it won’t be enough to overcome the massive early lead she racked up.


Source: American Action News

At least 70 killed in Pakistan bombing targeting Christians

An explosion ripped through a crowded Pakistan park where Christians were celebrating Easter on Sunday, killing at least 70 people.

About 300 people were injured when the bomb detonated in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in the eastern city of Lahore.

Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the breakaway Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which has sworn allegiance to ISIS, told The Associated Press late Sunday that the suicide bomber deliberately targeted Christians. The mostly-Muslim country has a small Christian community, accounting for less than two percent of Pakistan's total population.

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Newly Unearthed Clinton Emails Catch Her in a Lie

Hillary Clinton has been caught lying about when he began using her illicit private email server, according to new emails unearthed by a public law firm.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Judicial Watch on Thursday announced that it had unearthed emails from Hillary Clinton's personal email account dated February 2009. Until now, the former secretary of state had maintained she was not using the account at that time...

... Clinton has maintained that she did not use the personal email account before March 2009, months after she was sworn in to lead the State Department. At that time, Clinton has said, she used a Blackberry.net account associated with her tenure in the Senate and has refused to hand over the contents of that account.
Not only does this mean Clinton lied to investigators about when she began using the illicit server, it means there were emails she did not turn over to the State Department.


Source: AAN