Monday, August 9, 2010

Controversy: Should Local Police And Sheriffs Check Immigration Status

Citing a recent opinion from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a state lawmaker from Northern Virginia hopes the public pressures its elected city councils and boards of supervisors to require their police and sheriffs to go after illegal immigrants.

But law enforcement agencies around the state — and some of the boards that oversee them — seem averse to adding another duty to already-busy workloads. And the ACLU is urging cities and counties to ignore what it calls Cuccinelli's "legally faulty" opinion, saying it will hurt public safety.

Del. Bob Marshall, R- Manassas, said getting people to understand that local police have the power to investigate the immigration status of people they detain was his goal in asking Cuccinelli to weigh in on the issue.
In an opinion released June 30, Cuccinelli said Virginia law enforcement officers — including local police officers and sheriff's deputies — have the power to ask people they arrest on crimes or pull over in traffic stops about their immigration status.

The Attorney General's opinion doesn't go as far as Arizona's controversial new anti-immigration law. While the Arizona law "directs" police officers to make "a reasonable attempt" to determine the immigration status, Cuccinelli merely said the cops have the power to check, but doesn't mandate they do so.

Cuccinelli made the determination even though illegal immigration is a federal — not state — responsibility. "So long as the officers have the requisite level of suspicion to believe that a violation of the law has occurred, the officers may detain and briefly question a person they suspect has committed a federal crime," he wrote.

STATE'S STRICTEST POLICY

Marshall said Cuccinelli's opinion should remove any doubt that local police officers and deputies have that authority.

Marshall's own county, Prince William, has adopted the strictest policy on illegal immigration in the state. The policy, adopted by the county's Board of Supervisors in 2008, requires police to check on the immigration status of everyone arrested — and report any such federal violations to the federal government.

"Why aren't more people doing what Prince William is doing?" Marshall asked. "The government should make this a priority. My thinking is that the public should ask their supervisors to tell their local chiefs of police to go ahead and do this."

Since 2008, sheriffs and directors of Virginia correctional facilities are required to check the immigration status of anyone booked, fingerprinted and taken into custody in their jails. They must report potential violations to the state police, which can then report them to the feds.

But there's no such rule for people given a traffic ticket; arrested on a crime and released on a summons to appear in court later; or arrested and granted bail before being jailed.

Marshall said the illegal immigration problem was highlighted again this week when an illegal immigrant accused of driving drunk slammed into a car carrying three nuns on their way to a retreat in Prince William County.

One of the nuns, Denise Mosier, died in the crash, while the two others are in serious condition. The driver, Carlos Martinelly-Montano, 23, is an illegal immigrant from Bolivia. Martinelly had twice been found guilty of driving drunk. But federal officials, citing a backlog, had not yet held his deportation hearing.

That led Corey A. Stewart, the chairman of Prince William County's Board of Supervisors, to say the federal government "has blood on its hands." The Benedictine nuns also weighed in, saying they don't want the death being exploited for political gain.

This week, using Cuccinelli's opinion as his basis, Marshall wrote to Gov. Robert McDonnell, asking him to issue an executive order requiring law enforcement officers in Virginia to do more to check into immigration status.



ACLU SLAMS OPINION

But even as Marshall cites Cuccinelli's opinion favorably, the ACLU slammed it in a letter to the police chiefs this week urging them not to follow it.

The ACLU's Virginia legal director, Rebecca Glenberg, said that contrary to Cuccinelli's opinion, state and local police in Virginia don't have the power to inquire about the immigration status of the people they stop. The ACLU also cited a federal judge's opinion last week that threw out portions of the Arizona law.

"The Attorney General's opinion provides no guidelines as to when questions about immigration status is justified," Glenberg wrote. "Because most police officers have not been trained to enforce immigration law, allowing them to question individuals about immigration status is an invitation for racial profiling."

Such grilling, she said, would also "have an adverse effect on public safety" because illegal immigrants would feel less safe cooperating with police.

To the ACLU's letter, Marshall responded: "The ACLU's position essentially allows alien terrorists and gang members to be untouchable in this country. We cannot allow this to continue."

In contrast to Prince William County, Virginia State Police and most local police departments and sheriff's offices around the state take a hands-off approach to illegal immigration.

Citing illegal immigration as a federal responsibility, police departments seem content not to get overly involved. They typically leave it up to individual police officers to decide whether or not to ask about immigration status — and whether or not to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE).

FEET ON THE STREET

"We're just trying to keep feet on the street," said Dana Schrad, the executive director of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police. "When you don't have the resources that you need, you're most certainly going to give your most immediate attention to what represents the real danger to the community."

"Investigating (an immigration violation) is up to the individual officer," added Hampton police spokeswoman Allison Quinones. "Is it something that's mandatory? No." But if information "presents itself" during a criminal investigation that someone is here illegally, she said, officers can and do often report that to ICE.

Numbers were not available on how often Newport News, Hampton or the State Police notify the federal government about illegal immigrants. They say they don't keep such numbers.

Recently elected Newport News Mayor McKinley Price said he has not heard from any fellow City Council members or the public that the Newport News police should be doing more.

"I feel comfortable with the way the police are handling the issue," Price said. "We're trying to get these teenagers to stop shooting each other, so there's already plenty to be concerned about."

Schrad said it doesn't always make sense for local cops to bombard federal immigration officials with notifications that they don't act upon. If a local police department reports someone and the feds don't deport him, that could come back to bite the police with reduced cooperation from that person later, Schrad said.

Until there's a national public policy shift, she said, trying to round up all the illegal immigrants up and kick them out is "like trying to bail out the Titanic with a Dixie cup."

German Authorities Close Mosque Where Sept. 11 Attackers Once Met

Christoph Ahlhaus, secretary of interior of the city of Hamburg, speaks during a press conference about the closing of the a mosque and the ban of Arab-German culuture organization "Taiba" in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Monday, Aug. 9, 2010. The Hamburg mosque formerly known as the al-Quds mosque and now named Taiba mosque that was once frequented by some of the Sept. 11 attackers was closed Monday by German authorities, who said they believed it is now a meeting-point for Islamic radicals again. The Taiba mosque was shut down and the cultural association that runs it was banned, a statement by Hamburg officials said. (AP Photo/dapd/Axel Heimken) (Axel Heimken, AP / August 9, 2010)

BERLIN (AP) — A Hamburg mosque once frequented by some of the Sept. 11 attackers was shut down Monday because German authorities believed the prayer house was again being used as a meeting point for Islamic radicals.

The Taiba mosque was closed and the cultural association that runs it was banned, Hamburg officials said in a statement.

"We have closed the mosque because it was a recruiting and meeting point for Islamic radicals who wanted to participate in so-called jihad or holy war," said Frank Reschreiter, a spokesman for Hamburg's state interior ministry.

He said that 20 police officers were searching the building and had confiscated material, including several computers. He was not aware of any arrests.

However, the homes of leading members of the cultural association were searched and the group's assets were confiscated, the Hamburg state government said in a statement.

Authorities have said the prayer house, until two years ago known as the al-Quds mosque, was a meeting and recruiting point years ago for some of the Sept. 11 attackers before they moved to the United States. Ringleader Mohamed Atta as well as Marwan al-Shehhi and Ziad Jarrah had studied in Hamburg and frequented al-Quds mosque.

Reschreiter said Monday marked the first time the mosque had been closed, and that it had been under observation by local intelligence officers for "quite a long time."

A 2009 report by the Hamburg branch of Germany's domestic intelligence agency also said the mosque had again become the "center of attraction for the jihad scene" in the northern port city.

"Latest developments have shown that the training courses, sermons and seminars by the association as well texts published on the group's home page not only violate the constitution but also radicalize listeners and readers," Monday's statement said.

By Monday morning, the group's home page on the Web had been taken down and it was not possible to reach any members directly.

It said some people who belonged to the mosque's cultural association and prayed there had traveled to a radical training camp in Uzbekistan.

A group of 11 militants that traveled to military training camps in Uzbekistan in March 2009 was formed at Taiba mosque, the report said.

Most of the group's members were either German converts, of Middle Eastern origin or from the Caucasus region.

"A very important factor for the radicalization of the group members was certainly their joint visits to the mosque," the intelligence report stated.

It appears that one man from the group joined the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a terrorist organization in Central Asia, the report said.

www.dailypress.com

RACING THIS WEEKEND


MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON..............

Yoko Ono Opposes Parole For Lennon's Killer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Three decades after John Lennon's death, Yoko Ono said she opposes his killer's parole because he remains a potential threat.

Ono said she was trying to be "practical" in asking that Mark David Chapman remain behind bars for fatally shooting the pop legend on Dec. 8, 1980, outside Lennon's Manhattan apartment building. Chapman, who has been repeatedly denied parole, is up for review again this month in New York State.

Lennon's widow said Chapman might be a danger to her, other family members and perhaps even himself. She did not elaborate.

At his last parole hearing, Chapman said he was ashamed and sorry for gunning down the former Beatle. He told the parole board he understood the gravity of his actions and was a changed man.

Ono, 77, made her remarks at a meeting Thursday of the Television Critics Association. She was discussing a new PBS documentary on Lennon's family and artistic life in New York in the 1970s.

"LennonNYC," airing Nov. 22 as part of the "American Masters" public TV series, includes rare studio recordings, concert film outtakes and home movies, producer Susan Lacy said. Ono provided access and was among those interviewed for the documentary.

Reviewing her life with Lennon was "painful" at times, Ono said, but provided the chance to show him as a "three-dimensional person" and to explore his ultimately tragic affection for New York.

The film "is about New York, the city he was in love with and strangely, the city that he loved so much, it killed him," Ono said. "It was his love, and it was his death."

Lennon would have been 70 in October.

www.ap.org

!! NO BURNING !!

ACCORDING TO THE 911 CENTER



STILL NO BURNING IN
ACCOMACK COUNTY OR NORTHAMPTON COUNTY !

Sunday, August 8, 2010

What Is A Communist

The History Of Pocomoke By Murray James (17)

Formerly New Town. 125

Dr. George S. D. Shipley commenced the practice of
medicine, in New Town, in 1839, and continued here ten
or eleven years. He then moved to Salisbury and in a
few years he died. He was a good physician and a gentle-
man in the best sense of the word.

Dr. Collyer was associated with Dr. Shipley in the

practice of medicine in New Town, he afterwards moved
to Accomac County, Ya., where he soon died. Dr. Joseph
L. Adreon commenced the practice of medicine in New
Town, in 1839. He was a good physician, practiced about

20 years, and in i860 he died.

Dr. Adreon left an amiable widow and a fine family of
children. In 1846 Dr. John L. Hearn commenced the
practice of medicine in New Town, and continued the
same until 1872, during which year he died, embracing a
period of 26 years. Dr. Hearn was a native of New
Town, he was born the 19th day of March, 1823. When
in 1847 he received the hand of Miss Sallie E. Atkinson in
marriage, a young lady every way worthy of him. Dr.
Hearn had a bright intellect, beyond the common order
of minds. He was a good physician and was very pop-
ular both as a physician and citizen. His popularity in the
old Whig party was so great that when there was a proba-
bility of a hard struggle between them and the Democratic
party, he would be selected as the most mailable candi-
date to carry the election for the Whig party. He left a
widow and four children that are an honor to his name

and who possess minds of an intellectual order.

Dr. John T. B. McMaster, physician and surgeon, was



126 History of Pocomoke City,

born in Worcester County, Md. near New Town, now
Pocomoke City, on the 18th day of December, 1827.
His parents were Samuel and Ann Baily (Merrill)
McMaster. His mother was the daughter of William
Merrill and grand daughter of Col. Clement Parker of
Accomac County, Va. The McMaster family decended
from the old Scotch Covenanters. They emigrated to
America soon after the restoration of Charles II. and
settled near Carlisle, Perm. His grand father was a
Presbyterian Minister. In his boyhood Dr. McMaster
attended the country schools of the period, and was well
drilled in the English branches and mastered the elementary
classes. He possessed a quick and active mind and learned
with great readiness.

Soon after leaving school he engaged in mercantile
pursuits, but finding them unsuited to his tastes, he com-
menced in 1848 the study of medicine with G. S. D.
Shipley, of New Town. The following year he matricu-
lated at the University of Maryland, where he attended two
full courses of lectures, and graduated in the spring of 1850.
He at once commenced the practice of his profession in
New Town in partnership with Dr. John L. Hearn, and
soon succeeded in building up a large and lucrative prac-
tice. The partnership was dissolved in 1857, since which
time Dr. McMaster has continued alone in the same place,
growing constantly in favor as a practitioner and citizen.
Several young men trained by him for the profession are
now practicing in the county.



Formerly New Town. 127

In 1862, he was appointed by President Lincoln Brigade
Surgeon of Volunteers, but on account of the death of the
oldest physician in the town, too many duties devolved
upon him at home and he did not go into the army, but
was employed during most of the war as contract physician,
with headquarters at New Town. In 1862 he was
appointed examining surgeon for the first draft of militia
called for by President Lincoln, which duty he fulfilled to
the general satisfaction of the people of the county. In
1864 he was elected to the Senate of Maryland for two
sessions, and taking an active and leading part in the
debates, became an influential member of that body. In
1 866 he was appointed post master for New Town for 2 years.
In 1868 he was appointed inspector and gauger of liquors
and inspector of snuff and cigars, but only held these
positions for a short time. The General Assembly of
Maryland, through his efforts, granted a charter for New
Town, and in 1867 he was elected town commissioner,
which position he held for two years to the entire satisfac-
tion of the community. During this period he was mainly
instrumental in having the town well lighted, the streets
widened and many other things accomplished that have
greatly improved the place. In 1S68 he was appointed
by President Johnson Assistant Assessor of Internal
Revenue, which position he held for nearly two years. In
1869 a charter was obtained to construct a railroad from
King's Creek to New Town, and Dr. McMaster was elected
president of the company. Through his active exertions
.the road was soon completed and in running order. In



l w 28 History of Pocomoke City,

1865 he procured a charter lor a company to build a
bridsre across the Pocomoke River. He subscribed to the
stock, organized the company, and within the year the
bridge was built, taking the place of the ferryboat which
had done service for nearly two hundred years. On May
May 15, 1 85 1, Dr. McMaster was united in marriage with
Elizabeth Grace, daughter of J no. S. Stevenson, a well-known
citizen of New Town. They have had seven children,
five of whom are still living. The eldest son, John S., is
preparing to enter the legal profession. In his religious
views Dr. McMaster prefers the lorms and practices of the
Presbyterian Church, both as a matter of choice and of
respect for the opinions of his forefathers. He is one of
the leading physicians of the State. He has rendered large
public services and is regarded as one of the most spirited
citizens of Maryland. He is now in the meridian of his
manhood, possessing more than an ordinary degree of
brilliancy of intellect, and is always ready to take the lead
in every public good.

Dr. Alexander Powell practiced medicine in New Town
in 1 83 1 . What time he commenced practicing and how long
he continued I am not prepared to say, he, however, went
to the South, settled there, and has since died. Dr.
Edward White practiced medicine in New Town in 1845,
he did not, however, continue long before he moved to the
City of Baltimore where he is still engaged in the practice
of his profession. Dr. Henry J. P. Dickinson was born
near New Town, Maryland, on the twenty-sixth day of



formerly JVeiv Town. 12$

September, 1826. His parents were James T. and Nancy
Dickinson ; he was raised and educated in New Town,
studied medicine under Dr. Joseph L. Adreon, and grad-
uated at the University of Maryland, in 1850. He
commenced practicing medicine at Barren Creek Springs,
Somerset County, (now Wicomico,) Md. In 1852, he was
united in marriage with Miss E. A. Waller, of that county,
who died in a year or two after her marriage leaving one
son in his infancy. After the death of his wife, Dr. Dick-
inson moved to New Town and commenced the practice
of medicine ; in a few years he married Miss Emma F.
Lambdon, of Worcester County, alter which he moved to
the country, on his farm, and there continued the practice
of medicine until he died, which event occurred in 1865.
He left four children, one by his first wife and three by his
last, one of whom has since died. Granville E. Dickinson,
his oldest son, studied medicine and graduated at the
University of Maryland, in 1874, at the age of twenty-one
years, and commenced the practice of medicine in Fair-
mount, Somerset County, Maryland, where he still con-
tinues.

Dr. David J. O. Truitt was born in New Town, Md., on

the fifth day of November, 1836. His father, after being
engaged in the mercantile business, in New Town, for
several years, moved to the City of Baltimore, where the
Doctor was educated at the Newton University, after grad-
uating at that institution, he studied medicine, attended
two full courses of lectures and graduated at the University
of Maryland in IS57, at the a g e °f twenty-one years. He



130 History of Pocomoke City,

then, excepting - two intervals in which he practiced in the
Southern Dispensary of Baltimore and Xasswadduso,
Worcester County, Maryland, settled in Xew Town, and
has remained here ever since. Dr. Truitt is a good phy-
sician, and is considered one of the best surgeons on the
Eastern Shore, and is a worthy and useful citizen. He
has been thrice married and has three children.



Formerly New Town. 131



CHAPTER XIX.

PHYSICIANS (CONTINUED).

Dr. Samuel S. Quinn was born near New Town, the 22d
day of April, 1838. His parents were Rev. William and
Rosa B. Quinn ; he was educated at New Town Academy,
studied medicine under Drs. Hearn and McMaster, grad-
uated at Maryland University, in the spring of 1859, and
commenced, at once the practice of medicine in New-
Town. On the 19th day of June, 1S61, he received
the hand of Miss Sally A. O. Atkinson in marriage. She
died the 17th day of September, 1869. His present wife
was Miss Amanda Conner, with whom he was united in
marriage on the 16th day of November, 1871. Upon the
institution of the High School in New Town, he was Trustee
for several years. He served as commissioner of the Cor-
poration, in 1 87 1 and 72, and was also re-elected to that
office this present year. Notwithstanding these tokens of
preferment he has never been an applicant for any office.
The Doctor while attending to his practice has been con-
ducting the Record and Gazette, a weekly paper in which
he owns an interest. He has three children living, one by
his first wife and two by his second. He is quiet, genial
and companionable, and is possessed of a brilliant intellect.



132 History of PocomoTce City,

He is only aproaching the meridian of his intellectual

manhood, and has a bright future before him. Dr. Ouinn

is a member of the Presbyterian Church, in Pocomoke

City.

Dr. Isaac T. Coston was born in Somerset County, Md.,
on the ioth day of October, 1832. His father was Wm.

Coston, of Matthias ; his mother's name was Rosa Taylor

daughter of Samuel Taylor. The Doctor was raised on

the farm and could onlv avail himself of such schooling as

could be had at a country school until he was sixteen years

old. At sixteen he was admitted into the Washington

Academy at Princess Anne, as one to receive the benefit

oi the State fund. He lived at a distance of six miles from

the Academy and went and returned every school day for

five years, except he was detained by sickness or extremely

bad weather, all of which of course drew heavily upon his

time that would under other circumstances have been

devoted to study. At the expiration of five years spent

in this way and his vacations in hard labor on the farm,

he commenced to teach school and continued for two

years, at the same time using all his spare hours in reading

medicine. He then applied his time exclusively to the

study of medicine for two years more under Drs. George

Dixon, of Princess Anne, and John Neill, of Philadelphia.

He then entered the Pennsylvania University, and after

attending the regular courses of lectures, he graduated in

March, 1S57. Immediately after his graduation he located

in Rehoboth, in Somerset County, where he practiced his

profession until 1863, when he moved to Accomac County,



Formerly New Town. 133

Va., and there he practiced for two years more, when in

July, 1865, he moved to New Town, where he has continued

the practice of medicine ever since. After settling in New

Town he received on the 22d day of February, 1866, the

hand of Miss Olivia Adams, daughter of the late Morris

Adams, of Somerset County, in marriage. He has four

children living ; has held the position of trustee of

Pocomoke High School for several years, which he

resigned. The Doctor was, in November last, elected as

a delegate to represent the people of Worcester County in

the Legislature, which has now closed. He is a member

of the Presbyterian Church in Pocomoke City, and is a

very worthy and highly respected citizen.

Dr. Gordon T. Atkinson was born in Somerset County,

Md. on the 18th day of December, 1846. He was educated

at the New Town Academy and at Dickinson College.

After he left College he read medicine under Dr. S. S. Quinn

for one year, he then went to the University of Penn. and

attended lectures. He received the degree of M. D. in

1869. He practiced medicine in Pocomoke City for one

year. He then removed to Crisfield, Md. where he has

since resided, pursuing the practice of his profession.

Dr -George T .Truitt, son of William R. and Sarah C.

Truitt, was born in the City of Baltimore, in 1848. He

alternately received his education in the City of Baltimore,

in New Town, and in Claymont, Del., at which latter place

he graduated. Immediately after his graduation at school

he took up the study of medicine under Prof. Nathan R.

Smith of Baltimore.



Next; 134 History of Pocomoke City,



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And just think the federal government promises us that they can handle health care without error.

EAST QUOGUE, N.Y. (CBS 2/WCBS 880) – She was declared dead – but she’s as alive as you and I.
Carol Combes is the official historian for the village of East Quogue, Long Island. She cares for headstones and writes local obituaries.

In June, she was aghast to learn that she was dead. In fact, she had been declared dead for more than a month.

“I’m on the computer and am in the Social Security death index, and I’m scanning down and all of the sudden, whoa!” she said. “There’s my name, Carol Combes, where I was born, when I died.”

Combes was quickly cut off from bank accounts, medicare and more.

Ancestry Web sites even publicly listed her presumably ‘dearly departed’ Social Security number – that was still active.

“Every account I had was frozen, no matter where it was at,” she said. “I was left with just pocket change.”

Since then she and her husband Rich have collected hundreds of documents, made endless trips to social security officers, and spent hours on the phone with government workers who finally solved the riddle.

They traced the error to a clerk in Alabama typing in the wrong nine digit number.

A spokesman for Social Security says Combes’ record has been corrected. They’ve since apologized, but Combes thinks it’s something that could’ve easily been avoided.

“To the Social Security Administration, you’re nothing but a number,” Combes said. “And when that number goes in, they should research it a little better.”

Even so, and despite being stuck swimming upstream against the government, Combes, along with family and friends, are finding humor in it all.

"I’m glad you’re alive,” said Richard Combes to his wife. “I’m glad I didn’t miss your funeral.”

Carol also gets a good laugh out of it.

“They say to me, ‘you look pretty good for dead’,” she said.

The Social Security Administration tells CBS 2 that they will continue to monitor Carol’s situation because the IRS, VA Hospital and banks may be slow in getting the correction.

Some of Carol’s assets remain frozen.

www.cbslocal.com

Crisfield Police Officer Is "Top Cop In The State"

CRISFIELD -- A Crisfield police officer will be honored by the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association for his role in rescuing an elderly woman from a burning house last year.

Patrolman 1st Class Andrew Crockett will receive the Exceptional Police Professional Award for 2009 during the association's annual conference in Ocean City on Nov. 8.

"I think the Lord sent him that day," said Melvin Harris, whose mother, Myrtle Harris, was carried to safety by Crockett after her Minden Avenue house caught fire.

Crisfield Police Chief Mike Tabor submitted the nomination for the award and recently learned Crockett was the winner.

"He's the top cop in the state," he said during a recent City Council meeting.

In a letter to Tabor, the awards committee said it selected Crockett "as the officer who, through his dedication to duty and selfless service, best exemplified the ideals to this prestigious award."

The association will provide Crockett with a complimentary hotel room in Ocean City for two nights during the conference.

On the morning of Aug. 9, 2009, Crockett was one of the first to arrive on the scene of the fire and learned from neighbors that someone was inside.

Through a window, Crockett saw 81-year-old Myrtle Harris collapsed on the floor. He quickly broke in and carried her to an ambulance outside.

Harris was treated for smoke inhalation at McCready Memorial Hospital and released.

Soon after the incident, Crockett was recognized with his department's Bronze Star, given by Tabor during a City Council meeting and in front of family members and city residents.

Since then, Harris has been living with her granddaughter, Melissa Dixon.

"She went through a bad time, but she's perked up a little bit," said Melvin Harris, who also credits his mother's neighbor, Pat Stern, for spotting the smoke and calling 911.

Myrtle Harris' sister, Peggy Culbertson, lived in the same house but had gone to church that morning and escaped injury.

Culbertson has been living with two nieces since the fire.

Both women lost everything they owned in the blaze that was caused by an electrical wiring problem.

Melvin Harris said in spite of the material losses, no one was seriously injured.

"We've got our family; that's the most important thing," he said.

www.delmarvanow.com

American Gets Death Penalty For Drug Trafficking

Jakarta. The Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday sentenced an American citizen to death for his part in an international drug syndicate.

“Considering that during the hearings there was nothing that could lighten the defendant’s sentence, and that after deliberations the judges found the defendant proven guilty of the primary charge against him, the defendant is sentenced to death,” presiding judge Dehel K Sandan said as he read out the court’s verdict.

Frank Amado, 46, was arrested outside his apartment in Central Jakarta in October carrying 500 grams of crystal methamphetamine.

Police also found 5.168 kilograms of the drug divided in 45 small packets hidden behind a cupboard while searching his apartment.

“Frank intentionally committed a criminal act, unlawfully becoming a courier in a Class I narcotics trade together with Peyman bin Azizallah aka Sorena aka Paulo Russo,” judge Dehel continued.

Peyman, an Iranian citizen, was arrested the same day as Amado in his apartment in South Jakarta. The court found he gave orders to Amado when they met in Bangkok in June last year.

“In August 2009 Peyman met with Kami and Komayon [who are both Iranian citizens and are still at large]. The two asked Peyman to join their narcotics business in Indonesia,” Dehel said.

Peyman was asked to receive drugs from Kami and Komayon before delivering them to the customers. Peyman was offered $6 per gram of drugs delivered.

“Peyman later offered the ‘job’ to Frank and he agreed,” Dehel continued.

Amado made three deliveries before his arrest. He usually met Kami and Komayon in Pasar Festival in Kuningan, South Jakarta, before giving the stash to Peyman, who would meet him in different hotels and once in Plaza Semanggi in South Jakarta.

“The defendant was actively involved in a large-scale drug trade that could have fatal consequences for society, especially the younger generation. The sentence was to [act as a] deterrent for foreigners involved in the drug trade,” Dehel said.

The court gave Amado, who was said to have changed his testimony throughout the trial, and his legal representative Sugiyono seven days to decide whether to appeal or directly seek clemency from the president.

After the hearing, Amado told reporters he was unsatisfied with the court’s ruling and he would definitely appeal.

“People have done so much worse in this country but they are being punished for less,” he said.

www.thejakartaglobe.com

2 Charged In Murders Of Maryland Family Members

Mayor Bloomberg Tells Mosque Foes To "SHUT UP ALREADY"

Like the rest of the polititions Mayor Bloomberg isn't listenting to the PEOPLE!! either. I am NOT ashamed of myself for not wanting a mosque near Ground Zero. I am not ashamed at all. I am becoming very ashamed of the political leaders in this country that seem to want to give it all to those that have nothing to with making this country great. And even more ashamed when they seem to think they know what is best for us. Not all Muslims are bad. But it is the bad Muslim, the ones that are responsible for so many lives to be lost on 9/11 and the same Muslims that have killed so many of our military men and women at home and abroad, that they spoil it for the rest. That's the way life is..........or once was.

It isn't or shouldn't be what the Muslims want nor what you want Mr. Bloomberg. It SHOULD be and NEEDS to be (once again) what Americans want. And it certainly isn't Muslim money! Is there something in this for Mayor Bloomberg?

Bloomberg won’t stop talking about the mosque near Ground Zero, harshly attacking opponents yesterday who “ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

Sounding more supportive of freedom of religion than freedom of speech, Bloomberg said, "I just don't think the government should tell people where they can pray and where they can build houses of worship.

"It is a shame that we even have to talk about this," the mayor added on his WOR radio broadcast.

BROOKLYN THUG IS QAEDA'S NEW CHIEF

'TERROR ATTACK' ON GULF TANKER

The mayor ratcheted up his rhetoric against critics just days after defending the mosque in an impassioned speech on Governors Island, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop.

Yesterday, Bloomberg said cops and firefighters who died on 9/11 didn't ask people in the World Trade Center, "Where do you pray?" as they tried to save their lives.

"Most of the [9/11 rescuers'] families that I've talked to, they say, 'Of course our loved ones gave their lives to protect the very freedoms that we're talking about here -- people being able to practice religion and say what they want to say and be in control of their own destiny,' " the mayor said.

Bloomberg also blasted demands for a probe of the mosque builders' finances.

"Every time they pass the basket in your church and you throw a buck in, [do you want someone to] run over and say, 'OK, now where do you come from, who are your parents, where'd you get this money?' . . . A handful of people ought to be ashamed of themselves."

The Landmarks Preservation Commission's decision Tuesday to let the 152-year-old former Burlington Coat Factory building on Park Place be torn down was based solely on the building's lack of "redeeming historic value," Bloomberg said.

The building is owned by SoHo Properties. Its CEO, Sharif El-Gamal, hopes to raise $100 million for a 13-story mosque and cultural center.

Opponents pressed their case yesterday, filing a federal lawsuit against the MTA for refusing to allow anti-mosque ads on its buses.

The ads show a jet about to slam into one of the Twin Towers and depict what they call the "WTC Mega Mosque." The headline: "Why There?"

The lawsuit, filed by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, says the MTA displayed its ads before -- but without reason rejected this one.

"No decision has been made," an MTA spokesman said.

Separately, CNN host Fareed Zakaria returned a $10,000 First Amendment award to the Anti-Defamation League to protest its opposition to the mosque.

www.nypost.com

Saturday, August 7, 2010

ALL ABOARD!!! Railroad Tracks Reopen

Railroad tracks near Quantico reopened yesterday afternoon to passenger trains.

Amtrak planned to resume service in the afternoon and run normal train operations today, said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole.

The only exception today will be Amtrak's Train 92, which runs from Miami to New York. Those passengers will be moved to a different train for equipment reasons, Cole said.

Virginia Railway Express expects commuter train service to resume Monday on its Fredericksburg Line.

Service was cancelled yesterday morning and evening after a CSX freight train carrying coal derailed a half-mile south of the Quantico train station Thursday afternoon, closing all tracks. Five train cars toppled and ripped up the tracks.

In a message to riders yesterday, VRE warned that while its service is likely to operate, travel may be slower in the derailment area.

"There will most likely be speed restrictions imposed on that area until it is deemed safe for trains to operate at full speed," VRE advised riders.

www.fredericksburg.com

Will The Real Slim Pickens Please Stand Up?


Louis Burton Lindley, Jr. (June 29, 1919 – December 8, 1983), better known by the stage name Slim Pickens, was an American rodeo performer and film and television actor who epitomized the profane, tough, sardonic cowboy, but who is best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr. Strangelove, 1941 and Blazing Saddles.
Slim Pickens as Major Image via Wikipedia



Pickens was born Louis Burton Lindley, Jr. in Kingsburg, California, the son of Sally Mosher (née Turk) and Louis Bert Lindley, Sr. He was an excellent rider from age 4 and quit school to join the rodeo at 12. He was told that working in the rodeo would be "slim pickings" (very little money), giving him his name, but he did well and eventually became a well-known rodeo clown — one of the most dangerous jobs in live entertainment.
After 20 years on the rodeo circuit, his distinctive Oklahoma-Texas drawl (even though he was a lifelong Californian), his wide eyes and moon face and strong physical presence gained him a role in the western Rocky Mountain (1950) starring Errol Flynn. He appeared in many more westerns, playing both villains and comic sidekicks to the likes of Rex Allen.

MORE HERE
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Guess The Picture

This one should be easy


Son Threatens To Burn Down Parents Home

This guy has just recently been let out of jail from serving TWO second-degree assault convictions! He stabbed someone in the THROAT back in 2009 and now has threaten his own Mother and Father. Real nice guy........Served two months of a six month sentence!!!

BERLIN – A Berlin man was arrested on threat of arson and other charges this week after allegedly threatening to burn down his parents’ home with them in it just weeks after his release from jail for a pair of assault convictions related to a stabbing incident.

Around 6 p.m. on Sunday, Maryland State Police troopers from the Salisbury barrack met with a couple in Salisbury who reported their son had threatened to kill them and burn their house down. According to the complainants, their son, Nathaniel Irving Schneider, 21, of Berlin, had recently been kicked out of the family home over domestic-related issues.

According to police reports, for a period of about one week, Schneider allegedly made numerous threats to his mother that he was going to burn their house down with his parents in it and then kill himself. Schneider was reportedly living with another family member in Worcester County when he made the threats.

Maryland State Police troopers from the Berlin barrack, along with Natural Resources Police (NRP), located Schneider, who was hiding in the Worcester home. Schneider was taken into custody and transported back to Wicomico where the treats occurred and was charged with threat of arson and obscene telephone misuse. He is being held in Wicomico County on a $50,000 bond.

Schneider was recently released from jail after serving about two months of a six-month sentence for a pair of second-degree assault convictions from a stabbing incident in West Ocean City on New Year’s Eve. Shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2009, police responded to the Royal Farms store on Route 50 in West Ocean City for a reported stabbing.

The investigation revealed the reported attack had taken place at a nearby residence on Old Bridge Rd. MSP troopers identified one victim had been stabbed in the throat and upper left arm, while a juvenile had been hit over the head with a beer bottle.

The victims both identified Schneider as the attacker in the incident and he was arrested and charged with two counts each of first- and second-degree assault. In May, Schneider entered an Alford Plea to two counts of second-degree assault and was sentenced to three years in jail with all but six months suspended.

Schneider was then given credit for the 125 days he spent in jail awaiting trial, making his release date sometime in July, just weeks before his alleged threat to burn down his parents’ house in Salisbury.

After Four Decades Antique Car Is Reunited With Its Owner

The 1936 Cord is an automobile Richard Reeve loved and lost.
About 40 years ago in a Pennsylvania barn, he found a neglected body and motor of this American classic, which he lovingly restored and displayed at car shows. A few years later, a buyer talked him into parting with it, a move he later regretted.

His sons recently opened a garage door, and there was the car he had restored so long ago. It had turned up on eBay and his sons, remembering how much he had missed it over the decades, bought it for their 90-year-old father.

When new, the Cord knocked Detroit on its tailpipe. Sleek, low-slung, gorgeously styled, the Cord had disappearing headlights, no running board and a powerful engine. It was also so far ahead of its time that production ceased a year later. Only about 2,000 were made, and all are prized by collectors today.

"On a Saturday night, we'd walk down Broad Street in Philadelphia and look inside Shore Brothers' showroom," Reeve said, recalling his youth. "No one ever dreamed of owning a Cord or even having the money to put gas in one."

Now, Reeve again owns the Cord, No. 769, made in February 1936. Only 16 Cords were sold new in Maryland that year.

Reeve, who lives in Lutherville, is the retired owner of Baltimore Finishing Works — once Baltimore Paint Removing — on Huntingdon Avenue in the Remington section of Baltimore. His two sons, Richard "Rick" and Michael, now operate the business founded by their grandfather in 1921. Over the years, the elder Reeve has owned and restored many classic cars. His first car was a used 1931 Lincoln that he bought for $50 in 1937 or 1938.

"By that time, big cars were worthless and expensive to operate," he said. "I traded it for an Hispano-Suiza. If I had it still, it would be worth $500,000."

In 1970, he heard about a Cord in Pennsylvania and tracked it down to a barn in York County's Dallastown. The body was in a barn and the motor sat "in the muck." He got it for $300, called in all sorts of experts to help with its restoration, and reassembled the car outside his business.

In the two years that Reeve owned the Cord in the 1970s, he took it to car meets. It was a star attraction of the Towsontown Parade. He loved explaining the car and its innovations and even had brown-toned fliers made that began, "This was the car that came out of the farmlands of Indiana in the late summer of 1935 to write a whole new chapter in automobile history."

At a meet near Washington, a funeral director approached him and offered $10,000 with a Mercedes-Benz SL thrown in. Reeve considered the offer a few days and wound up selling the car and plowing the money he made on it back into his business. At the time it seemed like a prudent thing.

But of all the many vehicles Richard Reeve restored, that maroon-and-black Cord stood out. It made a deep impression on his sons, who learned to drive behind its wheel. Both sons own classic cars, and their father kept telling them they should own a pre- World War II vehicle.

About three weeks ago, one of his sons, Rick, thought about the Cord. He tapped the four letters C-O-R-D into a computer search engine and up popped an eBay listing for one. And it was not just any Cord, but, unmistakably, the Reeve Cord. He consulted his brother, jumped into the bidding, and beat 11 other potential buyers. But the bid did not meet the seller's minimum.

Rick Reeve began negotiating with the Cord's owner, Mark Cord (no relation to Cord's founder, Errett Lobban Cord), a custom cabinet maker who lives in Charlotte Hall in Southern Maryland. They struck a deal: $43,000 for the same car the elder Reeve restored.

It still runs and is in mint condition, although it needs new tires. All these years it has been kept in climate-controlled garages by the three parties who owned it since Reeve.

"When I drove it, it sounded tremendous," Rick Reeve said. "I want my father to take it up to Panera's and show it to his cronies."
On July 18, the Reeve sons lured their father away from his home under the pretext of a family gathering in Finksburg. They handed him the Cord owner's manual and watched as he began to realize that something was up. Then they raised the door to the garage, and his jaw dropped.

Then he got behind the wheel and was off, climbing the hills of Carroll County.
www.baltimoresun.com

McDermott; Leading GOP Delegate candidate appealing disciplinary action

Mike McDermott is used to corralling the bad guys after nearly three decades in law enforcement, but an internal Worcester County Sheriff's Department probe leaves him as the accused party regarding an incident involving one of his service weapons.
It is alleged that McDermott improperly secured a spare service weapon, according to his lawyer in a published report. Worcester County Sheriff Charles Martin placed McDermott on desk duty and stripped him of police powers as of July 22, months after this incident occurred. While a subsequent internal review by fellow members of the Sheriff's Department recommended McDermott's police powers be restored, Sheriff Martin has kept McDermott in his deskbound status.
However, some observers see this as a politically motivated act. Sheriff Martin, who is a Democrat and not running for re-election this year, participated in this television commercial for current Delegate (and McDermott's likely opponent) Norm Conway. Delmarva Dealings blogger G.A. Harrison alleges the weapon in question was confiscated by Martin last fall from McDermott's office.
All this raises some interesting questions about timing. McDermott has been on the campaign trail since last September, which means Mike was likely already into the fray when the incident occurred. Had the incident been taken care of immediately it may have slowed McDermott's initial groundwork or induced possible GOP candidates to jump in earlier, so it seems the timing was meant to sway GOP voters into voting for two of Mike's three (perhaps weaker) primary opponents (District 38B is a two-Delegate district.) The obvious "what if?" question concerns the timing had only two entrants been in the GOP primary - would this have come out as an "October surprise"?
The obvious best-case scenario for all involved will be for the matter to be swiftly resolved and return the election to where it belongs - a discussion of the issues facing voters in the Wicomico/Worcester district.

VIA: Examiner.com

Injuries and Arrests After D.C. Metro Flight

The Washington Metro system says four people were hurt and three people were taken into custody after a fight at a transit station involving about 70 people.

Metro spokeswoman Cathy Asato says transit police got a report of a fight at the L'Enfant Plaza station about 11 p.m. Friday. She said four people were taken to area hospitals — two adults and two juveniles. She said one of the adults was seriously injured, while the other three had minor injuries.

Asato said one adult and two juveniles were taken into custody.

Metro transit police are investigating.

www.baltimoresun.com

County Inspector Told This Little Girl To Close Her Lemonade Stand

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - After a county inspector squeezed out a kid's lemonade business, so many Oregonians puckered up in disgust that the county chairman had to pour on a little sugar.

The apology sweetened up some sour feelings and made 7-year-old Julie Murphy eligible to resume selling her Kool-Aid and water concoction for 50 cents a cup.

Last week at a local arts fair, Julie and her mother were surprised when a county inspector asked to see their restaurant license.

They didn't have one. The inspector told them they would face a fine of up to $500 if they didn't stop selling lemonade.

Other vendors urged Julie and her mother not to leave. A second inspector arrived and the two inspectors were surrounded by a crowd of vendors supporting Juilie and her mother.

Ultimately, Julie and her mother packed up the stand, and as Julie left the fair she was crying.

But Julie has prevailed.

Jeff Cogan, chairman of Multnomah County, says the health inspectors were "just following the rule book" but they should have given the girl and her mom a break. On Thursday, he talked with Julie's mom to apologize.

"A lemonade stand is a classic, iconic American kid thing to do," he told The Oregonian. "I don't want to be in the business of shutting that down."

And how does Julie feel about this?

Her mother, Maria Fife, said she and her daughter appreciates the apology.

But the sweet and sour tale of lemonade stands at the Portland art fair might not yet be over.

According to the Oregonian, one vendor at the local arts fair is planning a "lemonade revolt" the next time the fair is held — later this month.

Cogen says he doesn't know what he'll do if a bunch of fair vendors try selling lemonade without a license.

As it turns out, lemons may present county officials with something of a pickle.

www.wavy.com

Four Found Dead In Trash Filled Apartment

Four found dead in trash-filled apartmentRIVERDALE, Md. (AP) - Police say two women and two children have been found slain in a trash-filled Washington-area apartment that had no running water.

Prince George's County, Md., police say the amount of trash is hindering the investigation of the bodies found in the makeshift apartment above a detached garage at a home in Riverdale.

The victims were two women and a boy and girl under the age of six.

Officers found the bodies early Friday after responding to a call from someone at the property who reported an assault. Police wouldn't say how the victims died.

Police Chief Roberto Hylton said whoever killed the victims may have known them, and the slayings attack appeared to be "personal" rather than random.

www.wavy.com

Friday, August 6, 2010

Police Question If Officer Was Legally Allowed To Carry A Gun

Now here is a REAL issue with an officer and his gun! This isn't a game of "Lets See If We Can Pull the Political Plug", like the game being played in Worcester County by the Worcester County Sheriff"s Dept. This is real. No finger pointing, no name calling, no waste of taxpayers tax money and no damaging of anyones reputation for things in the past that this officer did or did not do. Get it?


Anne Arundel County Police said Friday that they expect to conclude their investigation into the fatal shooting of a Siberian husky at a Severn dog park by a federal officer in the next 72 hours, and they indicated that the unidentified officer might not have been authorized to carry a firearm.

The department released a redacted version of the police report of the shooting of the dog, named Bear-Bear. Department officials released a statement Friday saying that after further investigation, the officer's "legal authority to carry a firearm became questionable."

The department still has not named the officer, who they said fired his personal weapon in the shooting.
Police said they initially closed the incident, and that the State's Attorney's Office, after reviewing the case, instructed the officers not to file charges.

The officer's attorney, David Putzi, said this week that his 32-year-old client was acting in self-defense in an attempt to stop an attack on his dog, a German shepherd named Asia.

But Rachel Rettaliata, the husky's owner, said the dog has a history of being friendly. Her brother had taken 3-year-old Bear-Bear for their daily trip to Quail Run community dog park when the husky was shot.

Rettaliata said her brother told her that the dogs began to play roughly and that the off-duty officer asked him to call off the dog. But before he could move, the officer shot Bear-Bear, she said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Guess The Picture

Don't rush.

Study the picture and try to determine what it represents. 


Many Amtrak Services Canceled On the East Coast Due To Derailment


WASHINGTON (AP) — Amtrak says several major services along the east coast are canceled, affecting thousands of riders.

The railroad is still shut down south of Quantico, Va., on Friday after a CSX Corp. coal train derailed there a day earlier, blocking all tracks. Virginia Railway Express reports that five train cars fell and ripped up the tracks.

Service may be restored Saturday, but Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole said he is unsure when CSX will complete the cleanup.

Major cancellations include Amtrak trains running between Washington and Newport News, Va., and from New York to Miami, Charlotte, N.C., and Savannah, Ga. Auto train service between Lorton, Va. and Sanford, Fla. is also affected.

Virginia Railway Express has canceled Fredericksburg line trains on Friday.

The Bay Queen Bakery and BabyCakes

If you haven't tried a Smith Island BabyCake what are you waiting for?

I stopped by the Bay Queen Bakery a few weeks ago to buy one and was delighted to see how numerous the selection is!

The BabyCake is tucked into its own little box which is a lovely idea but I really don't know how they can get ALL the flavor in that box! Making a decision is NOT easy and I finally chose the Strawberry Baby Cake with the yellow cake layers filled with strawberry mousse then iced with buttercream frosting.

And was it ever so delicious! This truly is a "cake for two" (or three) as mine was on this day. But the three of us agreed on the moistness and the flavor. The Smith Island BabyCake truly is absolutely wonderful! It's a tiny cake with huge, wonderful flavor, packed into a box, and "made from scratch with love."

I hope you will try one soon! (or try two)

You can find the Bay Queen Galley and its BabyCakes in downtown Pocomoke, Maryland right next to the MarVa Theater.

Reminder: The BabyCakes will be moving. The Bay Queen Galley will be opening the restaurant at the Days Inn in Pocomoke and will be open at this new location on September 1st.

Here is a listing of all the flavors for the BabyCakes so you can maybe make up your mind before you get there.


Banana~ Fresh banana, yellow layers and buttercream. The sides of the cake are coated with ground walnut.

Carrot Cake~ Carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

Chocolate Mint~ Peppermint butter cream between chocolate layers. Iced with chocolate gananche.

Chocolate Peanut Butter~ Chocolate ganache and ground peanut butter cups with yellow layers.

Coconut~ Butter cream, yellow layers and coconut.

Coconut/Lime~ Fresh lime curd and coconut between yellow layers. Then iced with butter cream, coated with coconut and topped with lime curd.

German Chocolate~ Fresh coconut pecan icing between chocolate layers. It is iced with chocolate butter cream and topped with the coconut pecan icing.

Lemon~ Fresh lemon curd, yellow layers and butter cream.

Lime~ Fresh lime, yellow layers and butter cream.

Mounds~ Yellow layers, chocolate ganache and coconut.

Oreo~ Chocolate layers with crushed Oreos and butter cream .

Piña Colada~ Pineapple mousse between yellow layers. Iced with butter cream and coated with coconut.

Red Velvet~ Red velvet layers with cream cheese icing.

S’mores~ Graham cracker cake with chocolate ganache and marshmallow icing between layers. Iced with chocolate ganache.

Strawberry~ Fresh strawberry mousse between yellow layers, iced with butter cream

Strawberry/Lime~ Fresh lime curd with strawberry mousse between yellow layers and iced with your choice of butter cream or chocolate ganache.

Traditional~ Chocolate ganache and yellow layers.


"All made from scratch with love......."


12th Annual Snow Hill Blessing of the Combines

The Worcester County Times says it best I suppose. " Combines are a familiar sight on the Eastern Shore, moving purposefully and efficiently through fields of grain, corn and soybeans. But seeing a combine from afar is very different from being close enough to touch one. "

So here is your chance to see exactly what it is the farmers use on this good old Eastern Shore when they harvest some crops.

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND THE 12th ANNUAL BLESSING OF THE COMBINES

According to the Blessing of the Combines parade chairman, Mike Rew, the parade will take place in Snow Hill, Maryland on Saturday, August 7, 2010 beginning at 11:15a.m.

The Blessing of the combines will be given by the Rev. Sumner Jones.

Eight combines (old and new) will participate in the parade this year. The combines will travel down Route 12 and make their way to Green Street and park so those interested can get a close up view of what a combine looks and sounds like during the THROTTLE THRUST after being parked. They will remain parked on Green Street until 3:00 p.m.

Activities for ALL ages will be ongoing throughout the day from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
At 4:00 the Antique Tractor Pull will be held in the John Walter Smith Park.

Other activities planned for the day are as follows:
(and more)

Children's Tractor pull
Craft Booths
Local Artistis and their work
Hay Rides
Face Painting
Food vendors
Dove Release
Tootsie the Clown
Pie Eating Contest
T-shirts
Petting Barnyard
Scales-n- Tales Presentation by Pocomoke River State Park
Antique Car Show next to the Pocomoke River to benefit Coastal Hospice

The committee for this years events are: Kathy Fisher, Becky Payne and Mike Rew.

Call 443-783-1715 or 410-632-3838 for more information.

Take time to join in the celebration of the agricultural heritage of Snow Hill and honor the farmers.

Annual Wheat Threshing, Steam & Gas Engine Show


Our 50th Annual

Wheat Threshing, Steam & Gas Engine Show
will be held

AUGUST 6, 7, 8, 2010
on Rt. 313 between Denton and Federalsburg, Maryland
Official opening 10 AM each day. Events throughout each day.

Plenty of good food. Breakfast begins at 7 AM.
Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Crab Cakes and Fried Chicken served daily from 10 AM until ?


FREE ADMISSION - FREE PARKING

-- SEE IN OPERATION --
Steam Engines, Antique Tractors, Gas Engines, Antique Cars, Miniature Sawmill,
Sawmill, Rock Crusher, Steam Models, Miniature Steam Train, Threshers
Flea Markets - Daily Parade - Blacksmith Shop
Tractor Games
PARADE OF EQUIPMENT 5 PM FRIDAY & SATURDAY, 4 PM SUNDAY

FREE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
Church Services Sunday 9 AM - Gospel Music Sunday 5 PM
-- EXHIBITORS WELCOME --
For more info go to www.threshermen.org

Secret Service Investigating Amusement Company's "Obama Target Game"


The Secret Service is investigating a Hellertown amusement company's use of a target-shooting game that challenged players to hit the heart and head of an image resembling President Barack Obama.

Irvin Good Jr., president of Goodtime Amusements, said Wednesday he didn't imean to offend anyone by offering "Alien Attack" at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time fair in Roseto. But the game sparked a complaint.

"I guess we made an error in judgment, and we apologize for that," said Good, who has had the game for about six weeks. "I voted for the man. It wasn't meant to be him. If they took it that way, we apologize."

The game's target is a painting of a black man in a suit who is holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." He sports a belt buckle fashioned after the presidential seal, antennae and a troll doll on his shoulder.

Players paid $1 per shot, or $5 for six shots, to fire foam darts at targets on his head and heart. Those who hit their mark won a stuffed animal.

Cindy Wofford, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service, said her agents are looking into the game and will determine if there were any direct or indirect threats to the president. They will share their findings with the U.S. attorney's office.

"We take these kinds of things very seriously," Wofford said.

The White House issued a statement Wednesday through spokeswoman Moira Mack saying it disapproves of using the president's name and likeness for commercial purposes. The longstanding policy precedes Obama.

Federal law prohibits anyone from knowingly displaying any print or likeness of the presidential seal. Violators can face a fine and up to six months in prison. The U.S attorney's office in Philadelphia declined to comment on the matter.

Good said the game's design periodically changes and has again been changed to no longer depict the image of the man. It was designed by one of his workers, Good said, and he should have realized it would create a problem. Goodtime Amusements has been in business for 26 years, he said.

Good said he received one complaint about the game after it first appeared. He decided to remove it if another person complained, which happened during the recent Roseto fair, which dates to 1883 and raises money for the church's school.

The Rev. Jim Prior of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Allentown, was not available for comment, according to a woman who answered the phone Wednesday at the church. Matt Kerr, spokesman for the diocese, said Prior would have pulled the game if he'd known it was there.

But Kathryn Chapman of Medford, Mass., said her family told the church about the game. She visited the fair July 24 as part of her family's reunion, which has been held in Roseto for decades to celebrate the family's roots in the borough, named after Roseto Valfortore of Italy.

She said her brother, Bob, noticed the game the night before and told her she had to see it. When she visited the next day with her 14-year-old son, she said, she was flabbergasted.

"I couldn't believe they would have a game where you could shoot any president, George W. Bush or President Obama, and that there were targets on his forehead and heart, and that you would win a prize for shooting the target," Chapman said.

"You got a stuffed animal for becoming a sniper," she said.

She said she spoke with the operator of the game and later with Good, both of whom cited "freedom of speech." Good said he told Chapman he would remove the game. But Chapman said the last thing Good told her was, "I don't care what you think."

Other members of her family spoke with church members, who said they were unaware of the game, she said. Chapman said if the game's maker disagreed with the health care bill, the game should have been shooting darts at the bill, not the president.

"What are these messages we're sending our kids?" Chapman said. "The fact that this was held on Catholic Church property blows my mind."

Roseto Council President Michael Romano said he didn't see the game at the fair and did not receive any complaints. But he said the depiction was "clearly Obama" and was in "poor taste," especially considering the number of young children at the fair.

"I was sad to hear it was there," Romano said. He added that Goodtime should guarantee that there will be no other political satire-type games in the future. The diocese's Kerr said using the company will be up to the parish.

Rocketry For Campers

PRINCESS ANNE -- A group of middle schoolers gathered in a field near the UMES driving range on Wednesday to launch small rockets they had built from kits and painted with bright colors over the past week.

But a strong wind that blew across campus might mean postponing the launch, said Berit Bland, a NASA employee working with this year's Reach for the Stars science camp.

The students could launch one or two as a test before setting off the rest, she told them.

"That's the nature of the beast in rocketry," she said. "Safety is the number one issue."

As the first one soared into the air, apparently unaffected by the wind, a cheer went up from the 35 students, their parents and other spectators.

"It's a lot of fun," said Taylor Dumpson, 14, who will be entering Wicomico High School in the fall, and has spent the past four summers in the camp.

The camp, which runs for two weeks, is held in cooperation with NASA and Mid-Atlantic Institute for Space and Technology, a non-profit association based in Pocomoke. Students from Worcester and Wicomico counties learn about robotics from engineers who work at NASA and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

The camp's focus is to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and at least one participant said she is headed in that direction.

"At first I just wanted to go to camp because it sounded like a lot of fun, but it's opened my eyes to the engineering field." said Samantha Dykes, 14, who is in her third year at the camp and will enter Snow Hill High School in the fall.

The campers work alongside high school and university students, who are participating as interns in the STEP UP (Science, Technology and Engineering Pipeline for Underserved Populations) program sponsored by NASA and the Mid-Atlantic Institute.

They also launch, track and analyze the flight path of their rockets, said Brenda Dingwall, equal opportunity manager at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and the camp's program director.

One-third of the participants are teens with disabilities, while another third are considered at-risk. The rest are traditional students, Dingwall said.

The camp also helps build teamwork.

"We deliberately pair them with kids they don't know," she said. "It's very interesting to see what happens."

www.somersetherald.com