Free Republic

A spokesman for the school board in Montgomery County, Md., says the slurs against a minority group by the superintendent are not an “issue.” That’s after Supt. Joshua Starr told students that a flyer sent home by an advocacy organization supporting those who have chosen to leave the homosexual lifestyle contained information that was “really, really disgusting.” Officials with Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays had utilized the school district’s services to outside groups that allow them to distribute flyers to students on occasion. Students at a public forum then had asked Starr about the flyers, which provided information...

The FDA has won its two-year fight to shut down an Amish farmer who was selling fresh, raw milk to eager consumers in the Washington region, after a judge this month banned Daniel Allgyer from selling his milk across state lines, and he told his customers he'll shut his farm down altogether. The decision has enraged Mr. Allgyer's supporters, some of whom have been buying from him for six years and who say the government is interfering with their parental rights to feed their children. But the Food and Drug Administration, which launched a full investigation complete with a 5...

n his New York Times bestselling book, Throw Them All Out, Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer revealed how members of Congress enrich themselves and their relatives using earmarks and insider information. Now, the Washington Post, following in Schweizer’s footsteps, has conducted a study that found 16 members of Congress have used their power of the purse to benefit companies, colleges, and community groups tied to their relatives. *snip* Among those cited in the Washington Post report were the following (below):

Every time you turn around liberals like Barbara Frush are coming up with new and ever more creative ways to pick our pockets and make our lives just a little more inconvenient--this time in the form of the proposed five-cent tax on plastic grocery bags. It never ends, and these people will likely never go away. It’s just one cockamamie scheme after another—whether it’s killing our beloved incandescent lightbulbs, building windmills instead of real power plants, or forcing us to install toilets that don’t flush. I am convinced that liberals like Frush were put on this earth just to annoy...

The city of Baltimore has filed suit against the wife of former mayoral candidate Otis Rolley, demanding $26,100 for months of leave that were erroneously granted her because of a computer glitch. Charline Rolley took more than 90 days of paid leave — to give birth, tend to her sick infant and work on her husband's campaign — during the time she was employed by Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young's office. The civil suit accuses Rolley of breach of contract and unjust enrichment for taking the leave time and demands that she pay for the salary that she received...

HEADS UP CPAC 2012 - Occupiers and Unions to Protest There Keep your powder dry at CPAC this week and be ready. From past experience, when the anarchists know there will be push back, they change their plans. In Oakland this past week the cowardly occupiers “occupied” places where they knew the police were not going to be around. Of course the police finally caught up to them and arrested 400. If anyone has a good contact with the Metro police, you might give them a heads up. And let the Marriott and Omni hotels know that they may have...

Miracle Joey The Page family OLNEY, Maryland, February 6, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Kristin Page woke up suddenly in the middle of a warm May night, feeling soaking wet. A few months ago, the mother of three had been afraid to take a pregnancy test when she missed her period. Kristin already felt stretched to the limit with her energetic children, aged 2 through 7, but her husband Matt had encouraged her that together they would “figure it out.” Kristin vigorously shook Matt awake. Now 13 weeks pregnant, she had come to accept with joy the new life within her, wondering...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley may be more skilled at implementing President Obama’s agenda than the White House itself. The Democratic governor is bringing the same big-spending, high-tax and class-warfare policies to the Free State. It’s going to cost residents a bundle. Tough economic times have forced ordinary Americans to cut back in order to get by. Not so Mr. O’Malley, who spends $35.9 billion in the budget released last month. That’s up from $34.2 billion last year and $32 billion the year before that. As Maryland Business for Responsive Government points out, the general fund budget fattened 11.4 percent last...

WASHINGTON - A day after the governor of Maryland said he would like to institute a percentage tax on gasoline, the chief executive of Virginia said he would not seek any additional taxes during a recession, particularly on gas, despite a significant demand for more transit projects. Both states have looked to sales tax to resolve their transportation funding woes. On Monday, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said he would like to do away with a ban on sales tax for gasoline, to add to its existing 23-cent flat tax. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has a different approach. "I will not...

IN THE MAELSTROM of tax increases proposed by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), it’s easy to lose track of which are most critical. For a start, it’s useful to identify which needs have been most and longest neglected — and near the top of that list is transportation. It’s been 20 years since Maryland raised its gasoline tax, the largest source of transportation funding. As construction costs have risen, the revenue it yields has plummeted in real terms. At this point, Marylanders (like Virginians, who last saw a gas tax increase when Ronald Reagan was president) are not paying for...

The multimillion-dollar contract to turn Maryland's travel plazas on Interstate 95 over to an out-of-state company is being challenged by a Bethesda-based firm that says the bidding process favored the eventual winner. HMSHost has filed a protest with the Maryland Transportation Authority, saying that bid specifications to replace the Maryland House and Chesapeake House were too vague and that Areas USA, a Florida company, was the only bidder allowed to sweeten its offer. "This is like a kick in the gut and we're trying to get our breath back," said Michael Jones, the HMSHost vice president who put the bid...

Two weeks worth of AARs in this report. Last week got away from me. WEEK 313, JANUARY 21,2012God looked down upon us this Saturday. The night before a little over an inch of snow fell. Streets were predicted to be icy and as the morning wore on, an icy cold rain was to continue. But as I said, God was pleased with our support of the troops and the rain basically stopped. The roads were just wet and the shopping center had shoveled the corner. With the anticipated rain, we only put up the flanking flags. Plus with the snow...

ROCKVILLE, Md. - There are major flaws with the way the concrete was poured in the $101 million Transit Center in the heart of downtown Silver Spring. During a news conference Monday, Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner outlined the issues, calling the situation a "serious problem." He also hinted at the possibility of legal action against the contractor. "Specifications for the project called for there to be 10 inches of concrete. The analysis that has been done has shown that for significant portions of the second floor and the third floor, there's only eight and a half inches," Berliner...

WASHINGTON - Many of Maryland's traffic woes would be alleviated by allowing a percentage tax on gasoline, the state's governor said Monday. While speaking on WTOP's "Ask the Governor," Martin O'Malley said he would like to "phase out" the sales tax exemption on gas, which would allow a percentage tax on the fuel in additon to the existing 23-cent flat tax. The current flat tax has not changed since the early 1990s when gasoline was about $1.08, the governor says, adding the regional arteries wouldn't be so clogged if the state had more to invest in transportation infrastructure. "The best...

6 face racketeering charges in $4 million D.C. prostitution ring By: Emily Babay | 01/29/12 8:05 PM Examiner Staff Writer | Follow her: @emilybabay Six people are facing rackeetering charges for operating what federal authorities say was a $4 million prostitution ring in the D.C. area, committing money laundering and using violence to run the business. The six have run a prostitution business disguised as an escort service called Classy DC Escorts since June 2009, according to an indictment filed in federal court in Alexandria. The indictment says they recruited prostitutes; screened clients; set up appointments in D.C., Maryland, Virginia,...

A woman convicted of brutally beating and stabbing a coworker to death at the Lululemon Athletica store in Bethesda last year was sentenced on Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Robert A. Greenberg handed down the sentence to Brittany Norwood shortly before 5 p.m., after hours of emotional testimony during a sentencing hearing in a packed courthouse in Rockville. “My sympathy for your plight does not begin to approach what I feel for the Murray family,” he said to Norwood. “No matter how long I confine you for, one thing we...

First Lady Katie O'Malley isn't mincing any words when it comes to describing why she thinks gay marriage legislation failed last year. The first lady, speaking Thursday at the 24th annual Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality on Thursday, said "there were some cowards that prevented it from passing." A bill to allow same-sex marriage passed the Senate, but stalled in the House of Delegates.

Marylanders might have some extra inspiration when they download "Angry Birds" to their smartphones in coming months. The state would charge a 6 percent sales tax on virtually every downloaded product under an obscure provision in Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed budget. In other words, that 99-cent downloaded song from iTunes would corst $1.06, and smartphone apps, e-books for your Kindle, ringtones, chat discussions and other digital products would get pricier. Among the few exceptions, gift certificates and gift cards would not be taxed.

Hillsdale College will host an online town hall entitled, “Our Choice Today: Bureaucratic Despotism or the Constitution,” on Saturday, January 28, 2012, beginning at 11 a.m. EST. It will be broadcast from the College’s Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C., and can be viewed for free at constitutiontownhall.com. The purpose of the town hall, according to Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn, is “to make clear to Americans that they still have a choice how they will be governed—that the powerful federal bureaucracy which stifles freedom is of relatively recent construction, and remains for now capable...

Population increase is a natural sign of political health. By that measure, Baltimore has been sick a long time. Six straight decades of depopulation have reduced the city by a third. The "experts" assert that immigration is the key to a population rebound. In his Persian Letters, Montesquieu reflects on the fate of the great cities of Constantinople and Isfahan: "People, attracted for a thousand reasons, ought to flock to them from every direction. Yet they are decaying internally and would long since have perished, had not their sovereigns in almost every century caused entire new nations to enter and...

WASHINGTON - Frederick County wants to make visitors feel right at home with welcome signs highlighting some of its best aspects, but Maryland is blocking efforts to put the signs on state highways. The signs say, "Welcome to Frederick County. Open for business." Board of County Commissioners President Blaine Young said he believes politics is to blame for the state's rejection. "The state feels that government creates jobs. We feel that businesses create jobs and that's why they reject putting our signs on state-operated highways," he said. "If the State of Virginia can have 'open for business' on their welcome...

Maryland has taken the first step toward replacing its two travel plazas on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore with expansive, airy welcome centers filled with amenities and operated by a company with years of experience serving travelers. The two-year, $56 million project to rebuild Maryland House and Chesapeake House as a public-private partnership with Areas USA was approved Monday by the Maryland Transportation Authority board. The deal requires the approval of the Board of Public Works next month and review by the General Assembly. The state would retain ownership and oversight of the plazas, while Areas USA would operate and...

Posted by Mike Florio on January 22, 2012, 7:47 PM EST Reuters Shortly before Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff did his best Gary Anderson impersonation (to the chagrin of Matt Birk), Ravens receiver Lee Evans had the ball in his hands, in the end zone. But Patriots defensive back Sterling Moore knocked the ball out of Evans’ hands, and the ruling on the field was that the would-be touchdown pass was incomplete. Though it wasn’t a scoring play, fewer than two minutes remained in the game. Thus, the decision (or not) to review the play was to be initiated by the...

Religious and community leaders gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in Baltimore to protest the looming deportation of a Mexican woman who has four grandchildren in the United States. Josefina Rodriguez Vega, a 58-year-old undocumented immigrant living in Hagerstown, Maryland, was arrested last June for driving without a license and turned over to ICE. After several months under house arrest, Rodriguez Vega was taken last Thursday to an ICE detention center on Maryland's Eastern Shore, far from her home. With the legal options all but exhausted, she now faces imminent deportation to Mexico.

A Republican delegate in Maryland plans to introduce legislation to protect Maryland's borders not from undocumented workers, but from rodents. Del. Pat McDonough, R-Baltimore, will at an afternoon news conference roll out his Rat Trafficking Act, which would bar the D.C. government “and any other entity from trafficking rats and other vermin into Maryland.” McDonough’s move will come after a flurry of attacks against the District's Wildlife Protection Act of 2010, which mandates that animal control companies use humane methods when handling animals. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli set off the firestorm when he publicly worried that the law would...

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland health advocates are lauding Gov. Martin O'Malley’s proposal to increase the state’s cigar tax, but critics say such an increase would create another financial burden for consumers and business owners. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, proposed a state budget Wednesday that would raise the 15-percent excise tax on cigars, smokeless tobacco and other noncigarette tobacco items — a group collectively known as other tobacco products (OTP) — to 70 percent. The OTP tax has gone unchanged since 1999 while the cigarette tax has gone from 36 cents to $2 a pack during that period. Health advocates argue raising...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed a state budget Wednesday that would increase tax payments for the top 20 percent of Maryland wage earners, prompting criticism that the move will further burden families in difficult economic times. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, laid out a $35.9-billion spending plan that would pay for increased spending on infrastructure by raising several taxes and shifting some state costs to counties. The budget calls for an increase in the state’s so-called “flush tax,” higher taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco, and restrictions on income-tax deductions and exemptions that will cause the top 20 percent of earners...

Two Democratic lawmakers in Annapolis want to spur a debate about the influence of money in politics and send a rebuke to tea party leaders by having the General Assembly ratify the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, which required that U.S. senators be elected directly by voters instead of by state legislatures. The amendment became the law of the land in 1913 after three-quarters of the states approved it. Maryland was not one of them. Attacking the amendment has become a cause among some conservatives who believe it transferred too much influence from the states to Washington. It is the...

I had to laugh when I opened the photobucket file for this week. [Mrs] T said that she didn’t take a lot of pictures. But only FIVE - it just made me laugh. Part of the reason was that the camera got so cold so quick that the batteries lost their umph. The other reason was [Mrs] T’s trigger finger also got real cold even though she was layered with foot and hand warmers. How cold was it? 25 degrees with a moderate wind. Do I hear violins from some of you in North Dakota? I bet you do not...

[...] The local police department is stepping up enforcement at the retirement community and is targeting units involved with soliciting drug dealers and prostitutes, said Capitol Heights Police Deputy Chief Anthony Ayers Sr. "We have a few individuals that conducted in the activity themselves that are actually tenants, that are on drugs and allow the prostitutes to come into their rooms," Ayers said. "We tried to let them know that we're watching them to try and get them to slow it down." [...]

Surgeons in Sweden have replaced the cancerous windpipe of a Maryland man with one made in a laboratory and seeded with the man’s cells. The windpipe, or trachea, made from minuscule plastic fibers and covered in stem cells taken from the man’s bone marrow, was implanted in November. The patient, Christopher Lyles, 30, whose tracheal cancer had progressed to the point where it was considered inoperable, arrived home in Baltimore on Wednesday. It was the second procedure of its kind and the first for an American. “I’m feeling good,” Mr. Lyles said in a telephone interview from his home, where...

The DC Chapter brought in the New Year with Olney’s 6 Year Anniversary in Support of Our Troops.The 8 patriots this week include Legionnaires Glenn (USMC - WWII), Halsey (USMC - Korea), Lurker Jim (Army - Vietnam Vet), Cindy_True_Supporter, Fraxinus, iMacMan, [Mrs] T and myself. BELOW: And for our special occasion, we brought the MOAB out. iMacMan and I are putting it together. We were told NO donuts or hot chocolate until it is up. Weather was nice out today, at least at the start. While setting up I had my jacket off. After a while the wind picked up...

ANNAPOLIS —Gov. Martin O'Malley surprised Maryland lawmakers Wednesday by suggesting an increase in the state sales tax, jump-starting the 2012 General Assembly on what was expected to be a largely ceremonial first day. Mr. O'Malley suggested increasing the tax from 6 percent to 7 percent as an alternative to a 15-cent increase in the gas tax that has been widely discussed by legislators but poorly received by many residents. Democratic leaders have said they are likely to raise taxes this session to help pay for roads, schools and other infrastructure projects. Lawmakers last raised the sales tax during the 2007...

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley proposed Tuesday that the state spend $372 million on new school construction next fiscal year, unveiling a key initiative in his push to increase capital spending during the 2012 General Assembly. The proposed funds would be the second-most allotted by the state and would be well above the state-recommended minimum of $250 million for annual school construction. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, will recommend the spending as part of his proposed budget, which he will introduce this month. The assembly is expected to amend and pass a budget during its 90-day regular session, which begins Wednesday. “These...

Metro proposes to increase bus and rail fares by about 5 percent, raise parking rates and eliminate a controversial rush-hour surcharge this summer to overcome a $116 million shortfall in its next operating budget. Riders who use paper Farecards would face the biggest change. Whether going two stops or 10, they would pay one-way flat fares: $6 during rush hour, $4 in off-peak times. For a group traveling together, hailing a taxi might quickly become more palatable. (snip) Metro officials, however, are promoting the simplification of fares as a plus. The new fare structure would eliminate the “peak-of-the-peak” rate, in which...

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Officer Ed Paden was fresh off a training swim in the Chesapeake Bay when the jellyfish stings were getting to him. So he finished his workout and headed back to Montgomery County, and though he was off-duty, he headed back to his station. That's when the 911 call came in on Sept. 1, 2010: A gunman -- reportedly with explosives strapped to his body -- had taken three hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters in Silver Spring. Paden worked the Silver Spring district and knew the Discovery building well. He sped to the scene -- still...

What comes to mind when Mexican immigrant Elsa Garcia thinks of Baltimore's drawbacks? "Basura. O las drogas," said the East Baltimore resident. "Trash. Or drugs." Then, quickly, comes her list of Baltimore's pluses: Her husband has been able to find construction work. They have affordable housing. Police are not automatically suspicious of immigrants. (SNIP) At her inauguration, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake set the goal of increasing the city's population by 22,000 people — 3.5 percent — in 10 years. Drawing native-born people back from the suburbs and working to retain current residents will help stem the population decline but cannot alone...

Scion of Prominent 19th Century Political Family Announces Write-In Candidacy for President of the United States and Files Quo Warranto suit challenging Obama's "natural born Citizen" Status Washington D.C. (MMD Newswire) January 6, 2012 -- Montgomery Blair Sibley, scion of the Blair Family whose ancestors first called the anti-slavery Republican Party to order at its preliminary convention at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in February 1856, represented Dred Scott and from whence the Blair House gets its name, has announced the commencement of his campaign as a Write-In Candidate for President of the United States. Given the vagrancies of the Electoral College system,...

In a video posted at The Blaze Wednesday, Fred Mason, President of the AFL-CIO in Maryland and the District of Columbia, called former Rep. Cyntia McKinney (D-GA) and Communist guerilla Che Guevara heroes. "Without a person like Cynthia McKinney, there would not have been a Barack Obama," he said while speaking at Baltimore's Union Baptist Church in late August. "And I was reminded of one of my heroes, Che Guevara, and his contribution to the Cuban Revolution," he added. According to Mason, Guevara was "an internationalist," who "was about oppressed people everywhere." "Anywhere there was suffering, he spoke out against...

A county ethics commission in Maryland has determined that if you make negative statements about transgenderism, your word is not reliable. The stunning conclusion, now under appeal at a state ethics panel, was made by the Montgomery County Ethics Commission and signed by member Nina Weisbroth in a four-year-old dispute over an effort to hold a referendum on the county’s adoption of what’s become known as the “coed showers” bill. The law provides “discrimination” protections for transgenders, and critics say it opens up virtually all of the county – from shower rooms to restrooms to other private areas – to...

Seven Patriots supported our troops in Olney this morning of New Year’s Eve. Our special guest today was 3DJoy who brought up some warm southern temps for the DC area the past 10 days. Some spring bulbs even started to come up. While I was in the sun, I had to remove my jacket. Of course when the shade over took my spot, it got a little chilly and back on went the jacket. We also had a “newbie” today. Martin from [Mrs] T’s and Cindy_True_Supporter’s American Legion Post. Martin had such a good time waving, talking with every one...

A Maryland community is up in arms after state highway workers removed an American flag honoring military personnel from a traffic circle and threw it into a dump truck. “We want our flag back,” Rhonda Winkler told Fox News & Commentary. “We are patriots and we love America.” Winkler and her family erected the flag in a traffic circle three years ago in the town of Woodbine. They posted the flag to honor their nephew, a soldier deployed to Afghanistan. About a month ago a car crashed into the roundabout damaging a tree and destroying the original flag. So Winkler’s...

Two Maryland doctors face murder charges related to abortions performed on late-term fetuses that were viable, authorities said Friday. Steven Brigham and Nicola Riley are in jails in New Jersey and Utah, respectively, awaiting extradition hearings to bring them back to Maryland, police in Elkton, Maryland, said in a news release. The two face identical charges -- five counts each of first-degree murder, five of second-degree murder and one of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. < snip > The investigation began August 13, 2010, when Riley brought a woman into an Elkton hospital due to a "complication resulting from a...

WASHINGTON — Two out-of-state doctors who traveled to Maryland to perform late-term abortions have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder under the state’s viable fetus law, authorities said. Dr. Steven Brigham, of Voorhees, N.J., was taken into custody Wednesday night and is being held in the Camden County jail, according to police in Elkton, Md. Authorities also arrested Dr. Nicola Riley in Salt Lake City and she is in jail in Utah. Each is awaiting an extradition hearing. The two doctors were indicted by a grand jury after a 16-month investigation, police said. The investigation began in...

Maryland -–(Ammoland.com)- How to Participate: Join us at Lawyers’ Mall, located at College Ave. & Bladen St. (Rowe Blvd. extended), Annapolis. We will be gathering in the General Assembly’s backyard so we can be heard. MSI is arranging to have leaders and friends of the 2A community speak at the Rally. Afterwards we will disperse around Annapolis to enjoy the fine restaurants and shopping. Bring your family and friends to enjoy the day. Wear MSI Blue so everyone knows you are part of the Rally. Get MSI merchandise at the MSI web site, http://www.marylandshallissue.org. Purpose: To have a large, completely...

No matter what the weather, what the holiday, what the country, our military perform their duty 24/7/365. The least we can do is show our support. And this week in Olney Santa and his elves do our duty. BELOW: SANTA - love the shades. Santa’s patriotic elves this week include Legionnaire Halsey (USMC - Korea), GunsAreOK, [Mrs] T and myself. As usual, pictures by [Mrs] Trooprally BELOW LEFT TOP: Halsey BELOW RIGHT TOP: GunsAreOK BELOW BOTTOM: ME We had a Navy Vet stop and thank us for being out there. He gave us the BELOW pin and said that it...

ANNAPOLIS — Black voters and lawmakers said Thursday that a proposed state-level redistricting map provides too few majority-black districts and would lead to continued underrepresentation of minorities in the General Assembly. The testimony was given during a public hearing held by Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, and his appointed redistricting panel, which remapped Maryland’s 47 state Senate districts to account for population changes in the past decade. The panel submitted the map last week and touted the strides it would make toward improving minority representation by increasing the number of majority-black districts from 10 to 12 and increasing the number...

I wouldn't wax rhapsodic about the half centennial of the Jones Falls Expressway ("City's six-lane Main Street at 50," Dec. 16). It was the evacuation route for white flight at a time when the strictures of Jim Crow were in retreat under the Warren Court. How else to explain that the planned "transit line" down the center of the road was never built? Coupled with the dismantling of commuter rail and streetcars around the same time, the JFX could guarantee in and out privileges to white suburbanites but left urban blacks without cars with no way out. The irony is...

After Kim Gaines found a small nativity scene in a box of old Christmas decorations, she decided it would look nice on her desk in the main office at Urbana High School. Almost a week after she placed the figures on her desk, the school's secretary of eight years said she was called into Principal Kathy Campagnoli's office, where Campagnoli said staff members had told her the display promotes Christianity and that Gaines should take it down. Gaines obliged and removed the nativity scene. "I didn't want a big fight on my hands, but I was very upset over it,"...

Patriots in Olney on this Saturday are: Legionnaires Halsey (USMC - Korea) and Carl (Army - Vietnam), Lurkers Bill and Deb and FReepers Cindy_True_Supporter, Fraxinus, GunsAreOK, iMacMan, [Mrs] T and myself. Nothing special to report today. Just another great time to support our troops and visit with friends. BELOW LEFT: Lurker Deb and Cindy_True_Supporter. BELOW RIGHT: Me & Fraxinus BELOW LEFT: Fraxinus, GunsAreOK and iMacMan BELOW RIGHT: Halsey and Carl. BOTTOM: Lurker Bill And of course the moonbats are still out, mixing messages just like the “occupiers” that they support.