Free Republic

"Terrorism expert says LNG project lacks safeguards Opponents of Sparrows Point terminal enlist former CIA official" SNIPPET: "Opponents of a liquefied natural gas terminal in eastern Baltimore County stepped up their attacks Tuesday, hosting an appearance by a former CIA officer who said the $400 million project lacks critical safeguards and raises the specter of terrorism and piracy." SNIPPET: ""AES wants to build this facility without putting in meaningful safeguards to stand up to terrorist threats," Faddis said. In his talk yesterday, Faddis raised the issue of piracy, tying recent incidents on the Indian Ocean to what could happen on...

Interpretations of Driving Law Vary Thousands of illegal immigrants in Maryland have been scrambling in recent weeks in last-ditch attempts to get driver's licenses before a law curtailing their privileges takes effect Monday. But for many, the effort will have been a waste of time, caused by confusion and conflicting interpretations over how the new rules work. When the window shuts at the close of business today, they will discover that learner's permits and state-issued identification cards they obtained can't be converted to licenses, as they thought. "There's no question there's mass confusion," said Kim Propeack of CASA of Maryland,...

OC Family Grateful Editor: Saturday, April 25, 2009 was a beautiful day, and it was made even more wonderful by the outpouring of affection expressed toward Captain Robert S. Craig at his Beach Memorial Service. The Craig children and family appreciate all that was done to honor our “Pop,” a man so many in Ocean City have known and loved for so many years. The Beach Memorial was truly memorable and more special than we could have possibly imagined. We have many people to thank for their efforts in making it happen. We learned very quickly that organizing such an...

With states facing nearly $100 billion in combined budget deficits this year, we're seeing more governors than ever proposing the Barack Obama solution to balancing the budget: Soak the rich. Lawmakers in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Oregon want to raise income tax rates on the top 1% or 2% or 5% of their citizens. New Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn wants a 50% increase in the income tax rate on the wealthy because this is the "fair" way to close his state's gaping deficit. Mr. Quinn and other tax-raising governors have been emboldened by recent...

A year ago, Maryland created a higher tax bracket for millionaires intended to help balance the state's finances and make the tax code more progressive. How is it working for them? In the last year the number of Marylanders with more than $1 million in taxable income who filed by the end of April has fallen by 1/3 to about 2,000. Taxes collected from those returns as of last month have declined by roughly $100 million. Increasing taxes on the rich has failed because the rich are mobile and can choose where they live. I am sure the states with...

Sorry for the vanity, but this just happened. Thought some folks would be interested here. School on lockdown -- apparently a kid with a gun in the school. More to follow

One of Maryland's budget-balancing tactics - asking millionaires to pay more money to the state - appears to be backfiring as the number of the highest-earning taxpayers dwindles with the flagging economy. A year ago, Maryland became one of the first states in the nation to create a higher tax bracket for millionaires as part of a broader package of maneuvers intended to help balance the state's finances and make the tax code more progressive. But as the state comptroller's office sifts through this year's returns, it is finding that the number of Marylanders with more than $1 million in...

Hoyer wants Pelosi facts out By Jared Allen and Mike Soraghan Posted: 05/12/09 07:53 PM [ET] The No. 2 Democrat in the House on Tuesday said Americans should be provided answers on what Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew about interrogations of suspected terrorists and when she knew about it. But he also indicated that those answers might give the embattled Speaker political cover. “I think the facts need to get out,” Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters on Tuesday when asked about calls from both sides of the aisle for congressional investigations into the formulation of the so-called torture memos....

State sets new rules on free, low-cost hospital careConsumer protections enacted in response to Sun series By James Drew May 8, 2009 Maryland hospitals must use new standards to determine who is eligible for free and reduced-price care, and provide information about financial assistance to all patients under two bills signed into law Thursday by Gov. Martin O'Malley. The measures require state regulators to monitor whether hospitals comply with the new consumer protections, which also prohibit charging interest on bills incurred by uninsured patients before a court judgment is approved. The new rules, which take effect June 1, require hospitals...

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Friday's crash involving a MARC train and a pregnant driver who got caught crossing the railroad tracks prompted authorities to remind drivers never to attempt to cross tracks unless there already is sufficient room between the crossing and the next vehicle on the other side of the tracks. Cemille Valencia's car was struck after the gates came down on her car. She said traffic was moving along at a steady pace but just stopped suddenly, leaving her stuck on the tracks at Randolph Road in Rockville. The conductor tried to stop, but it was too late, and...

That's exactly what the guys did! The 2nd all-male Freep/Rally! Not much action to report but Anomoly99, [Mr] Trooprally and Lurker Bill were taking care of business by supporting our Troops. Only 1 moonbat showed up. With 1 lame sign, no other signs set up, or any flags, I don't see how he can possibly think he's having any impact. I guess they think 1 moonbat is better than none. Whether there are 10 moonbats or 1, they are no match for our faithful and dedicated patriots. Spirit is always high even when numbers are steadily low. I would like...

Senior Senate Democrats are objecting to the deal Majority Leader Harry Reid made with Sen. Arlen Specter, saying they will vote against letting the former Republican shoot to the top of powerful committees after he switches parties. Several Democrats are furious with Sen. Reid (D-Nev.) for agreeing to let Specter (Pa.) keep his seniority, accrued over more than 28 years as a GOP senator. That agreement would allow Specter to leap past senior Democrats on powerful panels — including the Appropriations and Judiciary committees. “I won’t be happy if I don’t get to chair something because of Arlen Specter,” said...

Baltimore Sun TV critic David Zurawik should check into a clinic somewhere to have his delicate mental balance checked. Maybe they might have some nice medication he can take to temper his Palin Derangement Syndrome? His is so bad he can't even write about a little reality TV show without indulging unnecessary vitriol and hate. It's interesting that critic Zurawik gets so filled with hate in such a short space. In fact, the tiny four paragraph "review" spends more time name calling and attacking Governor Palin than it does in discussing the TV show on which she is about to...

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Montgomery County Public School officials say they're closing Rockville High School until further notice due to a probable swine flu case involving a student. School officials say the school will be closed on Friday under the order of state and county health officials. Deputy Secretary for Public Health Frances Phillips says the student represents the ninth probable case of swine flu in the state, but there are no confirmed cases yet. Montgomery County's health director Dr. Ulmer Tillman says the student last attended school on Monday. School officials were alerted to the case around 6:30 p.m....

A federal agent from Severna Park who may have infected his wife, son and nephew with the swine flu contracted the flu virus while on duty with President Barack Obama earlier this month in Mexico City. The man, who asked not be identified, was on duty as part of a protection detail with the president and other U.S. officials, he said. The agent and the president were part of a museum visit there with Felipe Solis, a distinguished archaeologist who showed Obama around the city's anthropology museum during his visit to Mexico earlier this month. Solis died the following week...

What’s at risk is the ability to preach the Gospel.’ So said Bishop Harry Jackson, standing with other black religious leaders and Republican congressmen at a press conference yesterday.   Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) led a group of members of Congress and Christian leaders yesterday in denouncing HR 1913, the federal hate crimes legislation that was passed on a straight party line vote out of the House Judiciary Committee late last week.   Jackson, a well-known leader in the black community as Sr. Pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., and chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, cautioned...

Rep. Lynn Woolsey, a Marin Democrat, was arrested at the Sudanese embassy this morning with four other members of Congress.

It's been said that conservatism has different meanings for different people. It may not be textbook, but without a whole lot of navel gazing, here's what it means to me and what Free Republic is all about: In a word, Freedom! In two words, Preserving Freedom. In a handful of words as stated by our Founding Fathers, to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity! America was founded on the proposition that all men are created equal by God and that our unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness are granted directly by God...

Nobody can sell any ammunition after June 30, 2009. It has already started: 'Ammunition Accountability' Legislation. Remember how Obama said that he wasn't going to take your guns? Well, it seems that his allies in the anti-gun world have no problem with taking your ammo! The bill that is being pushed in 18 states (including Illinois and Indiana) requires all ammunition to be encoded by the manufacturer, a data base of all ammunition sales. So, they will know how much you buy and what calibers. Nobody can sell any ammunition after June 30, 2009 unless the ammunition is coded. Any...

Do not believe the nattering nabobs of negativity. The Nationwide Tax Day TEA Party/Tax Revolt was a huge success!! What we need now is MORE and LOUDER!! Obama has no clue. Being confronted by millions of fed-up citizens is new to him. He never expected the otherwise docile American people to rise up against his wannabe Marxist/fascist totalitarian regime. He's now lashing out at us through the Dept of Homeland Security as if We the People are his enemy. Well, we are! And he now knows it. And he's scared witless!! And the media has been reduced to the speechless,...

An accountant for a railroad operator killed his wife and their three children before fatally shooting himself in a northwest Maryland home, leaving a gruesome scene that was discovered Saturday by the youngsters' grandfather, authorities said. Authorities didn't specify a motive but said there was evidence the man faced psychiatric and financial problems. When investigators arrived at the two-story home, the couple's two sons, ages 5 and 4, lay dead in their beds, while the bodies of a 2-year-old daughter and the mother, Francis Billotti Wood, were in the master bedroom, Frederick County sheriff's office spokeswoman Jennifer Bailey said. On...

Congratulations FReepers and Patriots! According to Henchster's ongoing tallies, we've surpassed 750,000 participants in our nationwide Tax Day TEA Party/Tax Revolt! Woo hoo!! All 50 states fully engaged! Over 600 cities represented and reports still coming in! Huge turnout, huge SUCCESS!! Elected officials take note: DO NOT TREAD ON ME!! Tyranny, usurpation, corruption, overreaching, big spending, high taxing will no longer be tolerated! We the people are FED-UP and we're not going to take it anymore! Ignore us at your own peril! All Congressional seats, all elected offices throughout the land at risk! Revolution is in the air!!

Five found dead in Maryland home, police say Relative reportedly finds bodies, all believed to be family members BREAKING NEWS MIDDLETOWN, Md. - Five people have been found dead in a home in northwest Maryland, police said. A family member found the bodies about 9 a.m. Saturday inside the home, NBC News reported. The Frederick County sheriff's office said the victims were believed to be family members. No further details were made available. Investigators were at the home, and authorities planned a news conference later Saturday afternoon. Animal control removed a live dog from the house around 11 a.m., according...

Washington’s Tea Party was beckoning all week but we had to settle for Westminster. [Mrs] T, Fraxinus and myself, [Mr] T, arrived around 6:10 and a good size crowd of about 100 was already there. A light rain was falling but nothing like in D.C. earlier in the day. [Mrs] T took off to start taking pictures, Fraxinus held his sign, and I started to put together my flag pole. Another Tea Partier came up to me and asked if he could hang his “Don’t Tread On Me” on yellow background flag on my pole. Getting some plastic ties, it...

If the Obama administration has taken flak for suggesting that conservative groups might be home to domestic terrorists, it looks like some House Democrat leaders are willing to go even further: But in an interview on Fox TV in San Francisco, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) chalked up the GOP grass-roots effort as “AstroTurf.” “This initiative is funded by the high end; we call it AstroTurf, it's not really a grass-roots movement. It's AstroTurf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class,” Pelosi said....

HAGERSTOWN — Staring at the wrong end of an 8-inch blade, Leonard W. Cooper fought off an intruder Wednesday by picking him up and throwing him through a glass door. Cooper, who has worked at Just Us Hair Styles, a barbershop at 206 N. Jonathan St., for 22 years, said he was reading the Bible when a man walked in demanding money at about 11:30 a.m. The man, who was wearing a hood, raised a knife and pointed it toward Leonard, 69, who was alone in the shop at the time. “I had the Bible in my hands (when the...

Our local Hero and Marine, LCpl. Joshua Staples returned home safely from his 1st deployment! He looks great and we can’t thank him enough for serving our country and making us so proud. Joshua’s Mom, PatrioticMarineMom planned a surprise Welcome Home Party for him and invited a few more family and friends than Joshua expected. He was definitely surprised! We had a great time at The Stables of Westminster, which we decorated with a few signs, flags and centerpieces. The time flew by, but what a night to remember! Our favorite Hero and Marine, home at last, at least for...

University President Dan Mote defended his decision to overrule the University Senate and reinstate a prayer at commencement, saying the university needs to be building, rather than abandoning, traditions. "There needs to be a strong force to walk away from tradition," Mote said, explaining his stance publicly for the first time. "I didn't feel the strength." For the first time since assuming the presidency in 1998, Mote went against a senate decision, citing what he said was unconvincing support throughout the campus. The university's most powerful legislative and advisory body had recommended eliminating the two-minute invocation at graduation in a...

After the 2010 census has been held, the number of seats held by each state in the U.S. House of Representatives will change. The National Conference of State Legislatures recently estimated what the 2010 reapportionment will mean for each state. Eight states are expected to lose one seat each, in the U.S. House and in the Electoral College. They are Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. States that will gain will be Texas (3 seats), and one each for Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Utah. If the bill now pending in Congress to expand the...

A reader just sent me a Force Protection Advisory issued by the Maryland National Guard dated April 9, two days after the DHS report. It warns that during the protests that Guardsmen and Guard facilities might become "targets of opportunity." There is a list of TEA party protest sites in Maryland included. WTF? Leftwing protesters might show up at National Guard offices, but rightwing protesters are almost universally pro-military. If any one from the National Guard shows up at the protest in uniform (which they aren't supposed to do, but hypothetically) I'm betting he'll have a lot of high-fives, back-slaps,...

A Maryland witness is reporting some odd bell-shaped objects in the sky that appeared in a photo taken April 5, according to a report filed with the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) database. Three of the objects were silver, the witness stated, and one was black. The witness said he did not observe these objects with the naked eye, but only discovered them after browsing the images later. The bell-shaped UFO account does pop up occassionally in reports, although not quite as often as disc or triangular-shaped objects. The most famous case of a bell, or acorn-shaped object, was the UFO...

News Release: April 8, 2009 Memorial Service planned to honor Captain Robert S. Craig Ocean City, MD – A memorial service for Captain Robert (Bob) S. Craig will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25 on the beach at North Division Street. Captain Craig passed away on Saturday, March 28 at the age of 90. Captain Craig joined the Ocean City Beach Patrol in 1935 and served as its captain from 1946 until retiring in 1987. Captain Craig is credited with building the Ocean City Beach Patrol into the professional organization it is known as today. When Captain Craig turned...

We cheer the reddest. We corn the hardest. And, apparently, we grin the widest. Because Nebraska is the happiest state in the U.S., a new study says. The survey — conducted by personal finance Web site MainStreet.com — ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from fiscally happiest to saddest based on a few factors of economic well-being. These included foreclosure numbers, unemployment rates and the ratio of average debt to average annual income. “It reflects the attitude of this state,” said Gov. Dave Heineman. “We are a positive people with a can-do attitude who are focused on...

Megyn Kelly discusses with a member of The Heritage Foundation.

Activists seeking to eliminate the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote to elect the president boast that their movement is almost one-fifth the way to its goal. Four states – Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey – which represent 50 of the 270 electoral votes needed to declare a presidential election winner, have committed to an agreement whereby they would grant their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, a move that – if adopted by enough states – would reduce the Electoral College to irrelevancy. With most of the nation's states considering similar bills...

(April 3, 2009) The man who not only epitomized the Ocean City Beach Patrol, but also built it into a serious and professional organization, passed away Saturday. When Capt. Robert (Bob) S. Craig turned 90 last July, a competition, dinner and slide show honored him for his 52 years as a town employee and member of the Beach Patrol. Thousands knew Craig from his years guiding the Beach Patrol and taking it from a small, relatively unskilled group of young men to a large group of highly skilled young men and women. Capt. Butch Arbin, the current head of the...

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age of 90. A former schoolteacher and coach, Captain Craig...

The war of words continued yesterday in the battle of the budget on Capitol Hill. Sending a very interesting message to their Democrat counterparts in the House, the Senate yesterday voted to pass -- by a whopping 89-8 margin -- an amendment by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) that would prohibit the collection of funds from any future cap and trade proposal if that proposal would increase electricity rates and gasoline prices for American households and businesses. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007 released the results of their study of a proposal similar to President Obama's cap and trade framework....

Are you ready for a FReepathon!!? Well, it's a new quarter and a new president and he's everything we knew he would be. In less than 90 days he's managed to take an economic downturn and turn it into an unmitigated disaster for good old American capitalism. Never let a good crisis go to waste! The government is now printing money as fast as they can run the presses. Our federal budget is doubling and tripling and the Fed is running with no controls or oversight whatsoever from the congress, pumping trillions more into the "economy." The government now spends...

Last week, we occupied moonbat territory. This week, the moonbats were back again. Only 2 though. One came early to leave early and the other came on time to leave the same time as the other. I traveled from the north. [Mr] Trooprally and Lurker Bill traveled from the south. Neither places were quite as cold and windy as the conditions in Westminster, but at least it was just misty and no need for umbrellas. At first, there wasn’t much traffic, but then it was backing up. We started receiving lots of beeps, waves and thumbs. I saw 3 salutes....

The newspaper industry is turning upside down. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Rocky Mountain News, the Baltimore Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle are among the papers that have ceased daily publication or announced in recent months that they may have to stop publishing. Not long ago, Tribune Co., owner of the Baltimore Sun, filed for bankruptcy. None of this bodes well for our democracy. Our country depends on an open and free press to monitor what happens in our communities so that Americans can make sound judgments about their lives and leaders. Thomas Jefferson, a man who was frequently vilified...

roanoke,va - WASHINGTON (AP) - Now it can be told: The mysterious petty theft that President Barack Obama’s new computer chief committed at age 21 was shoplifting four dress shirts worth $134 from J.C. Penney. A 1996 Montgomery County, Md., police report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday under a public records law shows Vivek Kundra was observed by a security guard putting the men’s shirts into a shopping bag and leaving the store without paying. Sgt. Tom Stanton wrote that Kundra was arrested after a brief foot chase and the property was recovered

CHICAGO Newspapers perform a public service for democracy and should be allowed to operate as tax-exempt non-profits, U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D.-Md., proposed Tuesday. Cardin introduced a bill that would explicitly include newspapers among organizations eligible for 501(c)(3) status. The non-profit status is the same that public radio and television have now. The legislation would give a national green light for newspapers to adopt the so-called Low Profit Limited Liability Company business model, often shortened to L3C. The L3C model, which the Newspaper Guild supports as an alternative newspaper ownership model, is the subject of a feature story in the...

No. 10: Michigan Michigan is home to two of the most dangerous cities in America, according to the 2008 CQ Press city rankings. Detroit ranks third and Flint ranks sixth. No. 9: Maryland Hugging the nation's high-crime capital, struggling to revitalize Baltimore and growing its gambling industry, Maryland has the second-highest murder and robbery rate. No. 8: Arizona Things are looking brighter in Arizona! Last year it made the top five most dangerous states, now it's down a few notches at No. 8. No. 7: Alaska Alaska is plagued with having the highest number of rape cases. There could be...

I didn't want to give it away from the start, but it was too good to wait! Yes, you read correctly. FReepers occupy moonbat territory! Moonbats = NO SHOW. With half hour remaining, we unanimously voted that I should take advantage of the situation and secure moonbat territory. After noticing me turning left and right repeatedly to cover both directions of traffic, Mr. Trooprally later came over to raise his USA and USMC flag over the battlefield as a sign of VICTORY for our Troops. 1 occupier then 2 occupiers took control due to the moonbats' retreat. Maybe they cut...

Maryland lawmakers Monday became the latest to ask utility companies to extend a deadline for cutting electricity to delinquent customers. They join officials in Massachusetts, Indiana and elsewhere who have been forced to extend deadlines to accommodate a record number of customers who have fallen behind on their bills, in part as a result of higher rates and the global economic crisis. Maryland has more than 120,000 customers facing cutoffs after April 1, which marks the end of a winter moratorium on shutoffs for customers, usually three months past due. Last week, the state's Public Service Commission extended the deadline...

SALISBURY — In her final State of the City address, Salisbury Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman warned residents of what she sees as a great danger to the city: malicious bloggers.

Officials in Howard County are showing that it is possible to significantly improve the quality of health care available to uninsured residents at a relatively low price - as little as $50 a month for a participant. Despite such obvious benefits, the program's managers have been surprised to discover that persuading relatively healthy residents to sign up for the innovative program is a challenge. Lessons learned from the Howard program - positive and negative - should provide useful guidance for policymakers in Washington as they respond to the Obama administration's proposal to reform the system and provide health care for...

New unemployment statistics show a continued upturn in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, with D.C. suffering the most. In January, seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were 9.3 percent in D.C., 6.2 percent in Maryland and 6.0 percent in Virginia. The Bureau of Labor Statistics report, released Wednesday, showed a 1.1 point increase for D.C. from December 2008; 1.0 points for Virginia; and 0.8 points for Maryland. Maryland and Virginia are below January’s national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent. The report also tracked the rise in unemployment from year to year. In January 2009, that number jumped to 30,800, representing an increase of...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://baltimore.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/ba030309.htm ILLEGAL ALIEN SENTENCED FOR RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY Sought to Pay Bribes to Government Officials to Obtain Green Cards Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis sentenced Mohammad Akhtar, age 52, today to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for racketeering conspiracy related to a scheme to bribe officials with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to illegally obtain green cards and the Maryland Comptroller's Office to receive abatement of state taxes, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Akhtar is a...