Fewer Rest Stops Add to Travel Woes

Travelers driving during the holiday will find fewer open rest stops along the highways.

Rest areas have been targeted in recent efforts to curb state spending and alleviate budget concerns. What started as a quiet trend this summer has emerged into a much larger movement. To date, a significant percentage of the approximately 2,500 rest stops along interstate highways have been shuttered. Even more stops are slated to be closed as the winter season progresses.

Georgia led the pack, shutting down two service plazas on Interstate 85 near Atlanta this summer. The state is also considering closing more, or, alternatively, keeping them open and limiting their hours of operation.

"We've just got significant budget deficits and are trying to find ways to save money,” said David Spears, press secretary for the Georgia Department of Transportation, reported the Associated Press on November 9th. Spears estimates that each closed rest area will save the state $300,000, but adds that the need for rest stops in Georgia’s rural areas is still valid.

Colorado quickly followed suit, shutting down two of its rest areas as well. The state is now considering shutting down yet another highway stop near Pueblo.

The Arizona Department of Transportation closed 13 rest areas in October, citing a budget shortfall amounting to $100 million.

Virginia is another cash-strapped state that has felt the pressure to shut down rest areas, having closed 19 of its 42 locations. The state estimates that each closed rest stop saves them close to half a million dollars. Other states that have closed stops due to budgetary concerns include: Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and Vermont.

Other states, like Wisconsin, have managed to ward off closures by cutting back in other areas, such as hours of operation. New Mexico is keeping their rest areas open, but has closed two bathrooms due to insufficient funds.

States that are facing closures in the near future include South Carolina and Colorado.

Some feel that rest stops are no longer necessary due to the proliferation of gas stations and fast food restaurants. Even retailers, like Wal-Mart, are offering the travel-weary alternative places to stay by permitting recreational vehicles to camp out in their parking lots overnight.

Others maintain that the rest stops are vital to modern car travel.

"In a way, rest areas are something that have been taken for granted and are just there," Joanna Dowling, a cultural historian who runs the website RestAreaHistory.org, told the AP. "They have become this natural essential part of American travel."

The American Trucking Association is among the opponents of the recent closures, arguing that privately operated truck stops located off highway exits wouldn’t be able to cope with the excess traffic, reported the Wall Street Journal.

AAA also weighed in by pointing to data showing that 20 percent of highway car crashes involve drowsy drivers—a number that could increase due to disappearing rest stops.

"From a traffic safety standpoint, we are concerned about it,"John Townsend, manager of public relations for AAA's Mid-Atlantic Club, told the AP.

Despite current conditions, some states are bucking the trend by using stimulus money to revitalize rest areas.

Due to their wide-open spaces and distance between shops, drivers in states like Iowa, Texas, and Kentucky depend on rest stops even more than drivers passing through other states. As a result, these states have been investing in rest areas.

After shutting down almost half a dozen older rest stops, Texas opened two new locations in December of 2008 which featured interactive kiosks, playgrounds, surveillance cameras and a police outpost, reported the Wall Street Journal. Additionally, the state has continued making improvements by outfitting each of its nearly 100 rest stops with wireless Internet hot spots.

There are only two states in the Union that are totally unaffected either way—Alaska and Hawaii—both of which never had any rest stops to begin with.

Thinking of driving this holiday season? See below to find out how many are open (and how many may be closing) in your state.

Rest Stops By State

Alabama: 19 Rest Areas and 8 Welcome Centers; None closed due to budget constraints
Alaska: No rest stops
Arizona: 18 Rest Areas; 13 closed in mid-October due to budget constraints
Arkansas: 19 Rest Areas and 12 Welcome Centers; 2 Rest Areas have been closed and are now only being used for truck parking
California: 70 Rest Areas; 17 closed due to budget constraints and remodeling efforts
Colorado: 34 Rest Areas; 2 closed over the summer and another closure is being considered near Pueblo
Connecticut: 7 Rest Areas; None closed
Delaware: 2 Rest Areas; 1 currently closed for renovations
Florida: 53 Rest Areas; None closed
Georgia: 17 Rest Areas and 8 Welcome Centers; 3 closed due to budget constraints
Hawaii: No rest stops
Idaho: 29 Rest Areas; None closed
Illinois: 30 Rest Areas; None closed
Indiana: 30 Rest Areas, None closed
Iowa: 40 Rest Areas; None closed. The state is actually updating rest area facilities at the rate of one every year.
Kansas: 20 Rest Areas; None closed
Kentucky: 24 Rest Areas; None closed
Louisiana: 34 Rest Areas; 24 closed since 2000 (with 4 closed within the last year alone)
Maine: 50 Rest Areas; 2 closed along I-95 in Pittsfield due to budget constraints
Maryland: 12 Rest Areas; 3 closed due to budget constraints, modified hours and other operating changes imposed on other areas
Massachusetts: 20 Rest Areas; None closed, but 5 tourist information centers had cuts to close the state’s $600 million mid-year budget gap
Michigan: 81 Rest Areas and 14 Welcome Centers; 4 closed
Minnesota: 77 Rest Areas and 3 Welcome Centers; None closed due to budget constraints
Mississippi: 11 Rest Areas and 10 Welcome Centers; None closed
Missouri: 30 Rest Areas; None closed
Montana: 52 Rest Areas; None closed
Nebraska: 26 Rest Areas; None closed
Nevada: 10 Rest Areas; None closed
New Hampshire: 17 Rest Areas; None closed
New Jersey: 5 Rest Areas; 3 closed not due to budget constraints
New Mexico: 32 Rest Areas; 2 bathrooms were closed as a result of insufficient funds to restore them after vandalism and age
New York: 35 Rest Areas; None closed
North Carolina: 60 Rest Areas; None closed. The state recently opened an additional rest area
North Dakota: 29 Rest Areas; None closed
Ohio: 55 Rest Areas; 2 closed for reconstruction
Oklahoma: 11 Rest Areas; None closed
Oregon: 63 Rest Areas; None closed
Pennsylvania: 33 Rest Areas and 15 Welcome Centers; None closed
Rhode Island: 3 Rest Areas; None closed
South Carolina: 24 Rest Areas and 9 Welcome Centers; None closed currently, but the state may face closures in 2010
South Dakota: 22 Rest Areas; None closed
Tennessee: 32 Rest Areas; None closed. The state recently opened another rest area.
Texas: 91 Rest Areas; None closed. The state is adding more rest stops and upgrading locations
Utah: 20 Rest Areas; None closed
Vermont: 17 Rest Areas; 3 have been closed and others have had their hours cut
Virginia: 42 Rest Areas; 19 locations have been closed this year due to budget constraints
Washington: 40 Rest Areas; None closed
West Virginia: 18 Rest Areas; None closed. All locations have plans for being demolished and rebuilt in the future.
Wisconsin: 30 Rest Areas; None closed, however budget cuts have led to reduced hours at some locations
Wyoming: 18 Rest Areas; None closed

These facilities are located on the Maryland Official Highway Map and are further described as follows:

Facility	Hours of Operation	Location
US 219 Cove Overlook Rest Area near Keyser’s Ridge	Closing the restroom facilities permanently.	It is located on US 219 approximately 2.5 miles south of IS-68 in Garrett County, Maryland. The site offers spectacular views of the valley. For more information, please call 301-729-8457
I-68 Youghiogheny Overlook in Friendsville	Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., no night hours.	Located on eastbound I-68, 1.5 miles east of Friendsville in Garrett County, Maryland, this site offers an outstanding view of the Youghiougheny reservoir. Ph. (301) 746-5979.
I-68 Sideling Hill Rest Area	Close the restroom facilities January through April.	Located on I-68, approximately 10 miles west of Hancock in Washington County, Maryland. The Site offers spectacular views and geologic history of the Sideling Hill Cut. The interpretive center, located along the westbound roadway is connected to parking and restrooms for eastbound traffic by a pedestrian bridge. Ph. (301) 678-5442.
I-70 East and I-70 West Welcome Centers	These centers are currently being remodeled and scheduled to reopen fall 2010.	The Welcome Centers serve both eastbound and westbound traffic on I-70. They are located in a natural setting on South Mountain between Frederick and Hagerstown in Frederick County, Maryland, near the Washington County Line. Ph. I-70 West. (301) 293-4161. Ph. I-70 East. (301) 293-2526
I-95 South and I-95 North Welcome Centers	Open 24 hours	These welcome centers are located on Interstate Route 95 between Baltimore and Washington in Howard County, Maryland. The Southbound site serves traffic heading towards Washington D.C. and points south. Ph. (301) 490-2444. The Northbound site serves traffic heading toward the Baltimore/Annapolis area and points north. Ph. (301) 490-1333.
Crain Memorial Welcome Center	Open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.	Located approximately two miles north of the Potomac River on northbound U.S. 301 in Charles County Maryland, this facility is the gateway into Southern Maryland from Virginia. Ph. (301) 259-2500.
US 301 Bay Country Rest Area near Centreville	open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., no night hours.	This site is located on U.S. 301 in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, approximately 15 miles north of its junction with U.S. 50. The facility is located in the median of U.S. 301 and serves both northbound and southbound traffic. Ph. (410) 758-6803.
US 13 North Welcome Center in Pocomoke	open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., no night hours	This welcome center is located on U.S. 13, northbound, just north of the Virginia State Line in Worcester County, Maryland. It is approximately four miles south of Pocomoke City and is the gateway to Maryland's lower Eastern Shore. Ph. (410) 957-2484.

VIA

Caption not necessary

SALUTE to Denmark.

SALUTE to Denmark. This could very well happen here on our Continent.

Susan MacAllen is a contributing editor for (Family Security Matters.org) Salute the Danish Flag - it's a Symbol of Western Freedom By Susan MacAllen .

In 1978-9, I was living and studying in Denmark. But in 1978 - even in Copenhagen, one didn't see Muslim immigrants.

The Danish population embraced visitors, celebrated the exotic, went out of its way to protect each of its citizens. It was proud of its new brand of socialist liberalism one in development since the conservatives had lost power in 1929 - a system where no worker had to struggle to survive, where one ultimately could count upon the state as in, perhaps, no other western nation at the time.

The rest of Europe saw the Scandinavians as free-thinking, progressive and infinitely generous in their welfare policies. Denmark boasted low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior educational system and a history of humanitarianism.

Denmark was also most generous in its immigration policies - it
Offered the best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare payments from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation, housing and education. It was determined to set a world example for inclusiveness and multiculturalism. How could it have predicted that one day in 2005 a series of political cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that would leave dozens dead in the streets -all because its commitment to multiculturalism would come back to bite?

By the 1990's the growing urban Muslim population was obvious - and its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious.
Years of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence of Denmark's liberal way of life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began to feel slighted. Many Danes had begun to see Islam as incompatible with their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech, in equality for women, in tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep pride in Danish heritage and history.

An article by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, in which they forecasted, accurately, that the growing immigrant problem in Denmark would explode. In the article they reported: 'Muslim immigrants constitute 5 percent of the population but consume upwards of 40 percent of the welfare spending.'
'Muslims are only 4 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes.'

'Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish less to mix with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5 percent of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane.'

'Forced marriages - promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes on pain of death - are one problem'

'Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law
Once Denmark's Muslim population grows large enough - a
Not-that-remote prospect. If present trends persist, one sociologist
Estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim.'

It is easy to understand why a growing number of Danes would feel that Muslim immigrants show little respect for Danish values and laws.
An example is the phenomenon common to other European countries and Canada: some Muslims in Denmark who opted to leave the Muslim faith have been murdered in the name of Islam, while others hide in fear for their lives. Jews are also threatened and harassed openly by Muslim leaders in Denmark, a country where once Christian citizens worked to smuggle out nearly all of their 7,000 Jews by night to Sweden - before the Nazis could invade. I think of my Danish friend Elsa - who, as a teenager, had dreaded crossing the street to the bakery every morning under the eyes of occupying Nazi soldiers - and I wonder what she would say today.

In 2001, Denmark elected the most conservative government in some 70 years - one that had some decidedly non-generous ideas about liberal unfettered immigration. Today Denmark has the strictest immigration policies in Europe. (Its effort to protect itself has been met with accusations of 'racism' by liberal media across Europe - even as other governments struggle to right the social problems wrought by years of too-lax immigration.)

If you wish to become Danish, you must attend three years of language classes. You must pass a test on Denmark's history, culture, and a Danish language test.

You must live in Denmark for 7 years before applying for citizenship.

You must demonstrate an intent to work, and have a job waiting. If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark, you must both be over 24 years of age, and you won't find it so easy anymore to move your friends and family to Denmark with you.

You will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen. Although your children have a choice of some 30 Arabic culture and language schools in Denmark, they will be strongly encouraged to assimilate to Danish society in ways that past immigrants weren't.

In 2006, the Danish minister for employment, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, spoke publicly of the burden of Muslim immigrants on the Danish welfare system, and it was horrifying: the government's welfare committee had calculated that if immigration from Third World countries were blocked, 75 percent of the cuts needed to sustain the huge welfare system in coming decades would be unnecessary. In other words, the welfare system, as it existed, was being exploited by immigrants to the point of eventually bankrupting the government. 'We are simply forced to adopt a new policy on immigration'.

'The calculations of the welfare committee are terrifying and show how unsuccessful the integration of immigrants has been up to now,' he said.

A large thorn in the side of Denmark's imams is the Minister of
Immigration and Integration, Rikke Hvilshoj. She makes no bones about the new policy toward immigration, 'The number of foreigners coming to the country makes a difference,' Hvilshoj says, 'There is an inverse correlation between how many come here and how well we can receive the foreigners that come..' And on Muslim immigrants needing to demonstrate a willingness to blend in, 'In my view, Denmark should be a country with room for different cultures and religions. Some values, however, are more important than others. We refuse to question democracy, equal rights, and freedom of speech.'

Hvilshoj has paid a price for her show of backbone. Perhaps to test
her resolve, the leading radical imam in Denmark, Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, demanded that the government pay blood money to the family of a Muslim who was murdered in a suburb of Copenhagen, stating that the family's thirst for revenge could be thwarted for money. When Hvilshoj dismissed his demand, he argued that in Muslim culture the payment of retribution money was common, to which Hvilshoj replied that what is done in a Muslim country is not necessarily what is done in Denmark.

The Muslim reply came soon after. Her house was torched while she, her husband and children slept. All managed to escape unharmed, but she and her family were moved to a secret location and she and other ministers were assigned bodyguards for the first time - in a country where such murderous violence was once so scarce.

Her government has slid to the right, and her borders have tightened.
Many believe that what happens in the next decade will determine
whether Denmark survives as a bastion of good living, humane thinking and social responsibility, or whether it becomes a nation at civil war with supporters of Sharia law.

And meanwhile, Canadians clamor for stricter immigration policies, and demand an end to state welfare programs that allow many immigrants to live on the public dole. As we in Canada look at the enclaves of Muslims amongst us, and see those who enter our shores too easily, dare live on our taxes, yet refuse to embrace our culture, respect our traditions, participate in our legal system, obey our laws,speak our language,appreciate our history ... we would do well to look to Denmark and say a prayer for her future for our own.

Chincoteague Christmas Parade

The Chincoteague Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade

Due to the inclement weather yesterday the Christmas parade on Chincoteague which is sponsored by the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, will be held.....

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Main Street, Chincoteague, Virginia

at 7:00 P. M.

The Chincoteague Old-Fashioned Christmas parade will feature floats, marching bands, color guards. the Salt Water Cowboys, fire companies from around the Eastern Shore, and of course last, but never least, SANTA CLAUS !!!!

For more info contact the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce

757-336-6161

'Elf' Jailed Over Alleged Dynamite Hoax

A man dressed as an elf is jailed after police in Georgia say he told a mall Santa that he was carrying dynamite.

Police say Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta was evacuated but no explosives were found.

Morrow police arrested 45-year-old William C. Caldwell III, who was being held without bond Thursday in the Clayton County jail. He was not part of the mall's Christmas staff.

Police say Caldwell got in line Wednesday evening to have his picture taken with Santa Claus.

Police say when Caldwell reached the front of the line, he told Santa he had dynamite in his bag. Santa called mall security and Caldwell was arrested.

Caldwell faces several charges, including having hoax devices and making terroristic threats.

VIA

3 Hurt in Birthday Shooting at Hotel

Baltimore;

Police investigating a shooting at a downtown Baltimore hotel that left three people critically injured say they have a "person of interest" in custody.

Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says two 18-year-old men who were shot remained in critical condition Saturday morning at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. One had been shot in the head, the other in the torso.

A third person was in critical condition with "facial lacerations," though it was unknown where that person was being treated. None of the victims' names was released.

Guglielmi says a fight erupted at a birthday party at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel around 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Officers found an Uzi submachine gun at the scene.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gunfire broke out early Sunday morning during a birthday party at a downtown Baltimore hotel and three people were critically injured, police said.

The shooter was still at large hours later, said Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Officers were called to the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel around 3:15 a.m. after a fight erupted inside the party and someone began shooting. Shortly after police arrived, they found an Uzi submachine gun in a room where the party was held.

One person was shot in the head and another one was shot in the torso, both of them were taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center, Guglielmi said. The center's nursing coordinator, Henry Paje, said the two were in critical condition.

Guglielmi said a third person had "facial lacerations" and was in critical condition, but he did not know where that person was being treated.

He also did not know the identities of the three who were injured.

Officials have no information on the shooter and police were interviewing about a dozen witnesses, Guglielmi said.

A man who answered the telephone at the hotel said he could not comment on the shooting.

VIA

Swine flu spawns an email phishing scam that'll give you a nasty virus

It's bad enough that the H1N1 swine flu pandemic has caused such widespread public anxiety, and it's worse that the vaccine has become its own source of concern, whether due to the shortage or spurious fears about its safety. Now, the bottom-feeders known as phishing scammers are exploiting the situation, sowing even more fear, anger and mistrust around the swine flu.

It seems that people have been receiving emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requesting that recipients complete a "Personal H1N1 Vaccination Profile" at cdc.gov for the CDC Sponsored State Vaccination Program for H1N1. Of course, there's no such thing.

The CDC writes on its website under the Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors section:

"The CDC has NOT implemented a state vaccination program requiring registration on www.cdc.gov. Users that click on the email are at risk of having malicious code installed on their system."

The email security experts at Red Condor explain how the scam works: When users click on the embedded "Create Personal Profile" link in the email, they are sent to a page that to all intents and purposes looks like the real thing, with a CDC-branded header and footer, including the Department of Health and Human Services logo. From there, visitors are asked to download an "electronic document, which contains your name, your contact details and your medical data." The file is actually an executable that contains a Trojan virus identified as W32/Vacc.A!tr.

Unfortunately, since this is a relatively new phishing scam, it is not being detected by most antivirus programs, "so it is important that people simply delete these messages and notify their IT administrators of the threat," Red Condor says.

The CDC also suggests users to take the following steps to reduce their risk of being victimized by a phishing attack:

• Do not follow unsolicited links and do not open or respond to unsolicited email messages.
• Use caution when visiting untrusted websites.
• Use caution when entering personal information online.

To prey on the public's fear in such a manner truly is a new low even for phishers, especially because this scam is adding to existing concerns and feeding a mindset of mistrust. These scammers should be dealt with seriously and to the fullest measure of the law, preferably with some significant prison time.

There's no better place to get information about seasonal and pandemic influenza and their vaccines than the real CDC website and other health department sites such as Flu.gov. Here's hoping that this phishing scam won't deter anyone from visiting the legitimate sites.

12/5/09 - Tonight Could Be the Season's First Snow

Tonight, forecasters are saying could be the Eastern Shores first snow of the year. An area of low pressure offshore will create breezy and wet conditions. Northeast winds of 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, will elevate tide levels. A cold rain will be likely, off and on, for much of the day. Later, as colder air moves in from the west, rain may mix with wet snow. The best chances for snow will occur on the northern part of the Shore.

Traditionally, the Eastern Shore does not see much snow during the month of December. The lowest temperature recorded on the Eastern Shore on December 5th was 20 degrees in 2000 and the highest was 71 degrees in 2001. Although still a way away, forecasters are predicting snow on two separate occasions over the next two weeks, perhaps well have a White Christmas this year.

VIA WESR

"Merry Christmas" Just say it.

I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone
a Merry Christmas this year ...
My way of saying that I am celebrating
the birth Of Jesus Christ.
Join me and maybe we can prevent one more
American tradition from being lost in the sea of
"Political Correctness".

Just Say It !!

Funny Christmas Decoration

Well, there is good news and bad news about my Christmas decorations.

The good news is that I truly outdid myself this year. The bad news is that I had to take them down after only two days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by. Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the ladder and almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). She was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.

I think I made him too real this time. But it was fun while it lasted.

Santa's Helper @ The Discovery Center

5 December 2009

Delmarva Discovery Center

Santa’s Helper

Want to get your Holiday shopping done without the kids?


Bring your children to the Delmarva Discovery Center!

Saturday, December 5th
12:30pm – 4:00pm


Children will make holiday crafts, tour the museum, and play games. To top off the afternoon they will watch “The Polar Express” at the Mar-Va Theater!

For ages 5 to 12 years old.
$20.00 per child

Pre registration is required.
410.957.9933
events@delmarvadiscoverycenter.org

www.delmarvadiscoverycenter.org

Santa’s Helper

Want to get your Holiday shopping done without the kids?


Bring your children to the Delmarva Discovery Center!

Saturday, December 5th
12:30pm – 4:00pm


Children will make holiday crafts, tour the museum, and play games. To top off the afternoon they will watch “The Polar Express” at the Mar-Va Theater!

For ages 5 to 12 years old.
$20.00 per child

Pre registration is required.
410.957.9933
events@delmarvadiscoverycenter.org

www.delmarvadiscoverycenter.org

Pocomoke; Detective Scott Mitchell, Allegations of a local minor rape cover-up

First I call BS, if I'm wrong I'm wrong.

The crap slinging against former det. Scott Mitchell I cannot fathom. If this EX-officer is/was involved in a cover-up of the rape of a minor ... well.. he deserves what he gets. If not... well... what will the people spreading this rumor do for him in the end?

This is NOT the fault of the people of Pocomoke as some other scum blog portrays, it is (if true) the fault of the person that committed this horrific crime.

I will investigate and shine the truth on this matter and report the facts.

In the meantime if anyone thinks this is the fault of Pocomoke.... or it's citizens........

"Hey you know what? I got a plan for you, why don't you move?"

Virginia Veteran Gets Extra Week Before He Must Remove Flag or Face Consequences

A Medal of Honor recipient in a dispute over his right to fly the American flag in his yard will have another week before D-Day -- when he'll be forced to take down the Stars and Stripes or face legal action.

Ninety-year-old Col. Van T. Barfoot, a veteran of three wars, initially was given a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to dismantle his flagpole or face a legal battle over violating an order from his townhouse community association in Henrico County, Va.

John K. Honey, who is part of Barfoot's pro-bono legal team, said the homeowner association's board told him Thursday that it would push the date back a week to Friday, Dec. 11, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

"There's not going to be an announcement anytime this weekend," Honey told the paper. "We can all get some breathing room."

SLIDESHOW: Medal of Honor Winner Col. Van Barfoot

Barfoot, who fought in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, was told in July that he could not put up his freestanding flagpole in his Sussex Square neighborhood — but he installed it anyway.

On Tuesday, he says, he got a letter from the homeowners' association telling him the 21-foot pole he erected in September violates the community's aesthetic guidelines.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has gotten involved in the dispute in the hopes of coming to a settlement.

"We intend to get to work right away to try to come up with a solution that’s acceptable to both Col. Barfoot and to the Homeowner’s Association," Warner's office said on his blog.

The American Legion also has joined Barfoot's fight.

"The association underestimated the fight left in this elderly veteran, and now they have to contend with the determination and persistence of Col. Barfoot's 2.5 million friends in The American Legion," National Commander Clarence E. Hill said in a statement.

But the homeowners' association defended their position, saying the issue wasn't Barfoot's right to fly the flag.

"This is not about the American flag. This is about a flagpole," the association said in a statement, insisting that Barfoot directly violated its board's July ruling.

"Col. Barfoot is free to display the American flag in conformity with the neighborhood rules and restrictions. We are hopeful that Col. Barfoot will comply."

Barfoot told the Times-Dispatch that he's faithfully displayed Old Glory every day since he served in the Army.

"There's never been a day in my life or a place I've lived in my life that you couldn't fly the American flag," he said.

Click here for Col. Barfoot's Congressional Medal of Honor Citation.

Click here for more from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Soldier Surprises Virginia Beach Girl Scouts

Army Specialist Andrew Dickey had no idea he would be receiving a standing ovation from a group of local girl scouts - especially since he's in town to say thank you to them.

The young girls in Virginia Beach troop 436 and troop 568 collected more than 200 boxes of girl scout cookies and shipped them all to Specialist Dickey and his troop in Iraq.

"The troops do so much for us and we never want to make them feel like they are unappreciated," one girl scout said.

Specialist Dickey just got home from deployment two weeks ago, and to let the girls know their act of kindness didn't go unnoticed, he surprised them at their holiday party with pizza and drinks.

"They did something for us and we usually don't get stuff like that, the least we can do is throw them a pizza party, say thank you for what they did for us," Dickey said.

The girls were very pleased with the pleasant surprise from Dickey.

"I thought it was good because it was special because it was a soldier from Iraq that came," said Haley Maydak, a girl scout.

"We are so proud that they are out there protecting the U.S.A., and it's because of them that we can be free."

The girl scout support for our troops doesn't end with cookies - right now they are making cards to send to troops serving overseas.

http://wtkr.com

"Good Without God"

This electronic billboard near M&T Bank Stadium and three others show messages from the Baltimore Coalition of Reason, the local arm of a national campaign to bring atheists, agnostics and others together. The messages will appear through Sunday. (Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston / December 1, 2009)

Reporter Matthew Hay Brown

Teresa Cherry was out running errands when she saw the question floating over Interstate 95.

"Are you good without God?" the electronic billboard asked. "Millions are."

The Baltimore woman does not believe in the existence of a supreme being. And in that moment, she did not feel so alone.

"My friend and I were just discussing a few days ago whether or not there was a community of others like us in Baltimore," said the 28-year-old Cherry, a student at the Community College of Baltimore County. Checking out the Web site advertised on the billboard, she said, "we found out that there are some local groups, and it's exciting to me."

Which is just what the Baltimore Coalition of Reason wants. The new organization, a collection of atheists, agnostics and others, is introducing itself to the area this week with a billboard campaign aimed at reaching out to nonbelievers while telling the rest of the community that goodness is possible without godliness.

"Sometimes people have negative stereotypes or impressions about people who are atheist or agnostic," local coordinator Emil Volcheck said. "They think that just because they don't believe in God that somehow they're not good people."

Baltimore becomes the latest target of a national campaign, funded by an anonymous businessman from Philadelphia, intended to join atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and other nonbelievers - a diverse lot, not universally inclined toward organization - into something resembling a community, and one that ultimately could wield the sort of social, cultural and political power now enjoyed by the larger religious denominations.

"A lot of people who don't believe in traditional religion or don't believe in a god, they tend to think they're the only ones," said Fred Edwords, national director of the United Coalition of Reason. "And thinking they're the only ones, they tend not to communicate their feelings to others, others don't communicate similar feelings they may have to them, so they don't realize there are groups out there."

Edwords says the organization, which drew worldwide notice last spring with a bus advertising campaign in New York, will have 20 chapters nationwide by the end of the year, in small communities as well as large, in red states as well as blue. More launches are planned for the new year.

The effort comes as atheism enjoys a new vogue. Emboldened by the success of best-selling books by Christopher Hitchens ("God Is Not Great") and Richard Dawkins ("The God Delusion"), and wary of attempts to require instruction in "intelligent design" in public schools, efforts to promote religious messages on government property and other challenges to the separation of church and state, nonbelievers have grown vocal as never before.

Read full story: www.baltimoresun.com

WW II Battleship sailor tells Obama to shape up or ship out!

seventy-plus years of service to patriotic organizations and causes all over the country. A humble man without a political bone in his body, he has never spoken out before about a government official, until now. He dictated this letter to a friend, signed it and mailed it to the president.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Harold Estes, approaching 95 on December 13 of this year. People meeting me for the first time don't believe my age because I remain wrinkle free and pretty much mentally alert.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1934 and served proudly before, during and after WW II retiring as a Master Chief Bos'n Mate. Now I live in a "rest home" located on the western end of Pearl Harbor allowing me to keep alive the memories of 23 years of service to my country.


One of the benefits of my age, perhaps the only one, is to speak my mind, blunt and direct even to the head man. So here goes. I am amazed, angry and determined not to see my country die before I do but you seem hell bent not to grant me that wish. I can't figure out what country you are the president of. You fly around the world telling our friends and enemies despicable lies like:

* "We're no longer a Christian nation"

* "America is arrogant" - (Your wife even announced to the world, "America is mean-spirited. " Please tell her to try preaching that nonsense to 23 generations of our war dead buried all over the globe who died for no other reason than to free a whole lot of strangers from tyranny and hopelessness.)

I'd say shame on the both of you but I don't think you like America nor do I see an ounce of gratefulness in anything you do for the obvious gifts this country has given you. To be without shame or gratefulness is a dangerous thing for a man sitting in the White House.

After 9/11 you said," America hasn't lived up to her ideals." Which ones did you mean?
1. Was it the notion of personal liberty that 11,000 farmers and
shopkeepers died for to win independence from the British ?

2. Or maybe the ideal that no man should be a slave to another man that 500,000 men died for in the Civil War ?

3. I hope you didn't mean the ideal 470,000 fathers, brothers, husbands,and a lot of fellas I knew personally died for in WWII, because we felt real strongly about not letting any nation push us around because we stand for freedom.

4. I don't think you mean the ideal that says equality is better than
discrimination. You know the one that a whole lot of white people understood when they helped to get you elected.

Take a little advice from a very old geezer, young man. Shape up and start acting like an American. If you don't, I'll do what I can to see you get shipped out of that fancy rental on Pennsylvania Avenue. You were elected to lead not to bow, apologize and kiss the hands of murderers and corrupt leaders who still treat their people like slaves.

And just who do you think you are telling the American people not to jump to conclusions and condemn that Muslim major who killed 13 of his fellow soldiers and wounded dozens more. You mean you don't want us to do what you did when that white cop used force to subdue that black college professor in Massachusetts who was putting up a fight? You don't mind offending the police calling them stupid but you don't want us to offend Muslim fanatics by calling them what they are, terrorists.

One more thing. I realize you never served in the military and never had to defend your country with your life but you're the Commander-in-Chief now,son. Do your job. When your battle-hardened field General asks you for 40,000 more troops to complete the mission, give them to him. But if you're not in this fight to win, then get out. The life of one American soldier is not worth the best political strategy you're thinking of.

You could be our greatest president because you face the greatest challenge ever presented to any president. You're not going to restore American greatness by bringing back our bloated economy. That's not our greatest threat. Losing the heart and soul of who we are as Americans is our big fight now. And I sure as hell don't want to think my president is the enemy in this final battle.

Sincerely,

Harold B. Estes

Remember Our Troops During Christmas

Congressman Glenn Nye (VA-02) is launching an effort to make sure our troops are not forgotten this holiday season. OnMonday, Nye invited residents of Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore to take part in his Holiday Cards for Troops program.

For the next two weeks, Nye will collect holiday cards for injured military personnel who are stationed away from home this holiday season while recovering from their wounds. Nye will then deliver cards to troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

"The holidays are always a difficult time for our men and women in uniform to be away from their families, but it can be even harder for troops who are away from loved-ones while recovering from an injury," said Congressman Glenn Nye (VA-02), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Veterans Affairs Committee. "As we send care packages and cards to troops overseas this holiday season, we must also remember the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are
separated from their families while recovering from injuries here in the United States."

Constituents are asked make or purchase a holiday card, write a message of thanks to a service member, and then send or bring the card - unaddressed and with an unsealed envelope - to Congressman Nye's Virginia Beach or Accomac District Offices no later than December 11, 2009. Nye's office will address and seal the envelopes and Nye will deliver them on behalf of the people of the 2nd Congressional District.

Cards may be delivered to:

Office of Congressman Glenn Nye Office of Congressman
Glenn Nye
4772 Euclid Road, Suite E 23386 Front Street
Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Accomac, VA 23301
(757) 326-6201 (757)
789-5092

To learn more, visit Congressman Nye's website

http://www.shoredailynews.com/

Goodwill receives a "kind" donation: $1,500 worth of pot

It seemed like an innocent enough donation. A Marietta, Ohio Goodwill store received a large galvanized metal water jug with a spout -- perfect to hold lemonade during some long-ago summer picnic. Yet, the jug, which was donated anonymously, wasn't holding a refreshing drink; instead, it was filled with a heady cargo of marijuana.

The weed, bagged and labeled according to weight (i.e.; 124 grams) carries a street value of $1,500, local police said, and was about a year old; leading them to conclude that the stash had been accidentally abandoned.

The police, in their thigh-slapping funny way, are asking for the anonymous donor to come forward. "If anybody would like to come in and claim this 'cooler,' which is probably an antique, we would love to have them come in and we'll be more than happy to try and get that cooler returned to them," Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite told Charleston, West Virginia news station WSAZ.

MORE HERE

Giant Fast Food Sculpture Lands on California Lawn

How did a 4-foot-tall sculpture of a cheeseburger, a hot dog and a slice of pepperoni pizza find its way onto a California's family's front lawn?

That's the mystery Trisha Pickerel of Loomis, Calif., wants solved after waking up Sunday morning to discover the giant fast food, News 10 reported.

"This is what I saw on our front yard and I couldn't believe it," Pickerel told News 10 as she stood near the super-sized fiberglass and Styrofoam food sculpture. She alerted the local news to the sculpture's sudden appearance in hopes that it would find its way back to its rightful owner.

"It's pretty silly if you think about it. We've had many pranks with our children's friends, because we are the types of parents that have a good sense of humor as long as they come and clean it up," Pickerel told Slashfood. "Last June we had a lawn full of pink flamingos."

Pickerel said the sudden appearance of fast food on her lawn brought a smile to her face. "I have been going through breast cancer, so this was something that makes me laugh. It was hilarious."

The sheriff's department took the sculpture for safe keeping Monday, but if no one steps forward to claim the foodstuffs, the Pickerel family may have to find a place to keep its new art.

"Unfortunately it belongs to somebody, and I wanted to make sure that we got it out there," Pickerel said. "I've called everyone and no one is taking responsibility and none of them have a truck."

The Placer County Sheriff's Department told News 10 that local fast food joints haven't reported any jumbo faux foods missing.

Pickerel, meanwhile, suspects that the culprit didn't act alone. "It would take at least three people to put it in our front yard," she said.

"The sheriff's department said if nobody claims it in 90 days, we can have it," Pickerel said. "If anyone wants to claim it, give us a call."

If no one steps forward, Pickerel said she plans to donate the sculpture to the Ronald McDonald House or to another children's charity in Sacramento.

VIA

POCOMOKE CHRISTMAS PARADE

REMINDER........

Don't forget TONIGHT is the

Pocomoke Christmas Parade

7 PM

So far today the weather seems to cooperating. When you walk out the door tonight with your heavy coat don't forget the hat, scarf and warm gloves! And please be sure there is plenty of hot cocoa when you get home.

Have fun and enjoy! And remember............Santa Claus is coming to town...............!!!!!!!!

Someone send us a photo of the santa float!!!