Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Another Pity Party For A Suspected Murderer??

Florida teen Jennifer Mee, now charged with murder, is gullible and easily manipulated, and she underwent a radical change after her inability to stop hiccuping turned her into a mini-celebrity, friends and family members say.

Three years ago, the then 15-year-old Mee developed hiccups that came 50 times a minute, causing her to miss school. Dubbed "Hiccup Girl," she tried many remedies, including medication, hypnosis and acupuncture -- all without success -- until the hiccups went away, on their own, after five weeks.

"We knew her before and during the hiccups," Kelly Cook, Mee's friend and former legal guardian, told AOL News. "I think she was mentally exhausted because of some things that were going on, [and] I feel that is how her body reacted. We took out of town one weekend and everything was fine, then all of a sudden they started to come out again.

"I don't think she was necessarily faking. ... [And] I don't know if she kept it going on for the attention, but I know that was the way she was coping with the issues she had."

Now 19, Mee, of St. Petersburg, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the weekend killing of Shannon Griffin. Two others, Laron Raiford, 20, and Lamont Newton, 22, were also charged in the slaying.

Cook says she is torn between sympathy for the victim's family and her belief that Mee lacks the mental capacity of a young woman her age.

"I am a mom, so I look at this as there is a mom out there without a son. But, I also look at this knowing Jennifer and knowing that her mom said that her [mentality] is [that of] a 12- or 13-year-old, [which] is totally true," Cook said.

According to Cook, the problems Mee experienced in connection with her hiccups spilled over into other parts of her life and caused her to have a difficult time in school.

"[She] didn't get to go to class anymore," Cook said. "She would go and sit in a room by herself with one other teacher ... and she did the work on the computer. ... Instead of home-schooling at home, it was inside the school in a classroom by herself. What 16- or 17-year-old wants to be doing that?"

A former classmate and friend of Mee's says she noticed a big change after Mee began receiving national media attention for her ailment, which included appearances on NBC's "Today Show."

"I used to hang out with her before she became the 'Hiccup Girl,'" Kayla Ann Labonte told AOL News. "I was the one [who] was with her the day it started. We had hung out the night before and we were great friends, but than she just drifted away. I guess [she] started to hang with people I did not like."

Mee's mother, Rachel Robidoux, told the "MJ Morning Show" on WFLZ Radio-Tampa on Monday that the hiccups became a "curse" for her daughter. She made similar statements to Tampa Bay Online, saying she noticed a "big change" in her daughter.

When the hiccup ordeal finally ended, Cook says Mee came to live with her for a brief period of time and she attempted to get the girl back on track.

"[We] tried to help," Cook said. "My sister and I were put down as legal guardians so she could go to school, [but] she wasn't going, so we called the school and took [ourselves] off as her legal guardians. You can go to jail if your kid is not going to school, ... so we told her she couldn't live with us. I feel bad because I wish I could have done more, but I have my own kids and they came first."

Cook believes Mee is naive and easily swayed to do what people ask of her.

"She would probably do anything a boy told her to do and not even ask questions," Cook said. "Even if I told her to do something, she may not ask questions. She may not even understand what I was saying but she would probably still do it."

Mee's father, Chris Robidoux, also told Tampa Bay Online that his daughter is easily manipulated. "She is not very intelligent [and] she is easily duped," Robidoux said.

Speaking on NBC's "Today Show" today, Maj. Mike Kovacsev of the St. Petersburg police said Mee had lured Griffin to a home, where the two other suspects robbed him at gunpoint. Griffin, 22, was killed during a struggle. "She ultimately admitted that she met the victim at a social networking site and ultimately made several phone calls back and forth and had him come down and meet her," Kovacsev said. "When he arrived at that location, she brought him to the rear of the residence where the other two individuals were waiting at that time. There was supposed to be a robbery, [but] obviously it went awry and our victim in this case was shot."

Kovacsev did not identify the social networking website that Mee had used but did say that it was not Facebook or MySpace, where Mee reportedly has two online profiles.

In her now-defunct MySpace profile, Mee described herself as a Christian from "St. Pistol," Florida.

"My name is Jennifer, I'm almost 19 but don't let the age fool you, the struggles I've been through has made me grown up so much," Mee wrote in the "about me" section. "I'm always havin fun chillin or vibbin to some Gucci. I'm a down a-- chick and all the others will never compare so don't try me like I'm the next hoe. I've lived in Florida for a while now but my heart is still in Vermont? I'm trying to better myself and just move on in life."

Mee's Facebook profile has not been updated since late last month. In it, she discusses partying and, on one occasion, going to a strip club.

"You can tell by looking at her [online profiles] that she is naive, but she is also just a girl who -- from things that happened to her in her past, which I assume will come out in the trial -- has an extreme need for men [and] attention," Cook said. Cook did not elaborate on those past experiences.

Labonte also believes Mee is easily influenced and said she would do whatever she thought was "cool."

"I think she just did it so she could make whoever happy," Labonte said. "She kinda was anything someone wanted. She tried to do for them [and] she didn't think for herself much."

According to Kovacsev, Mee lived a transient lifestyle before her arrest, moving from one location to another. Cook says Mee was able to support herself with Social Security checks that she received.

"I don't know [what it was for] but she had Social Security," Cook said on "Today." "She did live for a while in one apartment [and] that is when I tried to let her watch my kids again. Then [the landlord] finally evicted them for not paying and then she lived in the motel."

The last time Cook saw Mee was in August, when she went to take the teen out for her birthday.

"We took her out for her birthday and she was living at a motel," Cook said. "I tried asking her, 'Are you sure you don't want to come stay back with us?' Where [she was] staying was not good; ... it was a really seedy part of town. It just wasn't somewhere for her to be."

Mee would occasionally baby-sit for Cook, but all that changed when she went off on her own, Cook said.

"[With] the lifestyle she was living in I couldn't have her watching my kids. I couldn't stand that kind of stuff when it comes to my kids. My kids came home one time and told me stuff about her boyfriend -- stuff that was being said or done in the house while they were there -- [and] that was it. I cut her off. I didn't even call her. I called her mom and told her."

Investigators do not believe Mee was involved in the actual shooting and investigators "have an idea who handled the gun," Kovacsev told "Today."

Although police do not believe Mee was involved in the actual shooting, she is accused of being an accessory to a robbery that resulted in a death, which under Florida law, means she faces a murder charge. If convicted, she faces a possible sentence of life in prison, police said.

Kovacsev acknowledged it is possible Mee's attorney will blame her alleged involvement in the case on attention she received as the "Hiccup Girl." Kovacsev also said it is possible her lifestyle could be used by the defense.
Mee's attorney, John Trevena, has since told The Associated Press he might use Tourette's syndrome as part of his defense.

"Hiccups are a symptom of Tourette's," Trevena told the AP, declining to elaborate about how the condition might have affected his client's behavior. Trevena also said Mee still suffers from periodic bouts of the hiccups. "They'll always continue," he said.

Mee is being held in a protective confinement wing at the Pinellas County Jail with no bail set.

"I don't want people to think that I think she is an evil person, but ... I also don't want people to think I am defending her actions," Cook said. "I do think her actions were wrong and I think she did cause him to die, but I [also] think she may have been victimized in this."

Cook added: "Crime like this, it happens all the time but nobody seems to care except for now that she is the 'Hiccup Girl.' "

This Weekend At The MarVa Theater


"AMUSICAL EVENING" At The MarVa Theater On Thursday

A Musical Evening with
Todd Crosby, Earl Beardsley, Julie Hickman, Dave Dalfonzo and Frank Nana
Thursday, October 28th
Time: 7 p.m.
Tickets: $20

Greetings!

Please join us for an evening of music that features broadway show tunes, pop, jazz and blues.

A variety of hors d'oeuvres will be included.
Beer and wine will be available for purchase at the event.

We expect a big crowd, so call 410-957-4230 to purchase or reserve tickets!

TRICK OR TREAT IN POCOMOKE

Trick or Treat
Will be observed in Pocomoke City on
Saturday October 30th
From 5:00pm-7:00pm.

Children 12 and under in costume

RNC'S FIRE PELOSI BUS TOUR


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Election Bullying?????

Politics in the Worcester County sheriff's race have been ugly.

My opponent, Reggie Mason, with his staff, has for some time been under investigation by the Maryland Attorney General's Office for violating the Hatch Act, passed in 1939 and redefined in 1993.

It states: No one shall engage in any political activity while on duty, in government office, wearing an official uniform or in the use of a government vehicle.

Photos and other evidence have appeared recently on blogs showing my opponent and uniformed deputies campaigning while on duty. Mason refuses to step forward and explain or defend himself.

Instead, he has sent his henchman to attack me personally. They do not attack my policies on crime, of which my opponent has none. Instead, they call me names. I have had more than $600 worth of campaign signs stolen from the northern part of the county in the last two weeks, which is where my opponents and his henchmen live.

Coincidence?

To anonymous writers who criticize me and not my stance on issues? You are afraid the "good old boy" way of running things are coming to an end.

To my opponent: You hide behind your henchmen and refuse to tell voters where you stand and what you plan to do for them. Why?

To Worcester County voters: Look at your candidates well; see what they will do -- fight for you or hide from you?

Visit www.bobbybritting hamforsheriff.com and vote on Nov. 2.

Bobby Brittingham

Pocomoke City


www.delmarvanow.com

'Tax Increase' Supporters Clarified

There seems to be some confusion and frustration by sincere voters, as expressed in The Daily Times recently, relative to who voted for and who voted against tax increases in Annapolis. Perhaps it would be helpful for me to comment.

In the 2007 special session, I voted against all tax increases. However, in the House of Delegates both Jim Mathias and Norm Conway took a different position and voted for HB 2. The bill contained a 25 percent increase in corporate taxes, an income tax increase, a new recording and transfer tax, and a new "combined reporting" tax on Maryland business.

Though I opposed all tax increases, the "combined reporting" tax was especially egregrious because it would damage our Maryland-based poultry companies. In my opinion, we must maintain a strong, viable poulty industry here on the lower Eastern Shore. It is a foundation of our local economy.

I encourage voters to go online to verify the voting record of all candidates. Though we can respectfully disagree as legislators, voters should know how we voted.

To view this information, go to http://mlis.state.md.us/ 2007s1/votes/house/0033.htm.

Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus

Westover

Stoltzfus will retire from the Maryland Senate, District 38, at the end of his current term in January. --Editor

www.delmarvanow.com

What Would You Wear To An Obama Rally????

LOS ANGELES ( KTLA) -- Don't try wearing a Bush hat or sweatshirt at an Obama rally.

Duane Hammond says it's what got him fired.

Hammond is a union stagehand who was part of the crew that built the platform for the Obama event on campus.

He came to work early this morning wearing clothing that says "George H. W. Bush".

Hammond's son is in the Navy, currently serving on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H. W. Bush.

Hammond says he was not trying to make a political statement.

He says he got the sweatshirt and hat during a visit to the aircraft carrier on Family Day.
,
The back of his sweatshirt has a large drawing of the ship.

He says he wore it to show how proud he is of his son.

That didn't go over well with his union supervisor.

Hammond says he was told to take off the sweatshirt, or he would have to go home.

He refused. They told him he was fired from the job.

James Wright, a business representative from IATSE Local 33, says the union is still investigating what happened.

"If he was sent home because of the sweatshirt, he will be paid for the day," he said.

Flag That Flew After 911 To Be In Baltimore

BALTIMORE - A flag that flew over the World Trade Center site after 9/11 is coming to Baltimore in tribute to three police officers who've died in the past month.

The United States Honor Flag will be presented to the family of Officer Tommy Portz on Tuesday. Portz died last week when he crashed his police cruiser into a city fire engine that was stopped on a highway.

The flag is controlled by a nonprofit group that transports it around the country to honor police officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty.

In addition to Portz, the flag is intended to honor Detective Brian Stevenson, who was slain earlier this month, and Officer James Fowler, who died last month in a car accident.



www.wtop.com

Saddam Hussein's Aide- Tariq Aziz- Sentenced To Die

Iraq's former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, the best-known face of Saddam Hussein's dictatorial regime, was sentenced to death today for organizing a crackdown on Iraq's Shiite community two decades ago.

Two other top Hussein aides also were sentenced to hang by Baghdad's High Criminal Court.

Aziz, 74, who also served as foreign minister under Hussein, was condemned to the gallows after being found guilty of "liquidating religious parties," according to the National Iraqi News Agency. Also sentenced to hang were former Interior Minister Saadoun Shaker and Abid Hamoud, the executed dictator's secretary.

All three were sentenced for organizing a crackdown on members of Iraq's Shiite majority community following a failed 1991 uprising against Hussein, Agence France-Presse reported. The former ruling Ba'ath party members will be executed after a presidential council has confirmed the sentences.

This is the third time that Aziz -- a member of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Christian community -- has been found guilty of participating in atrocities carried out during the Hussein era. In 2009, he was ordered imprisoned for 15 years for the 1992 execution of 42 Baghdad wholesalers. He also was given a seven-year sentence for his role in expelling Kurds from Iraq's north.

He pleaded not guilty on all counts.
www.aolnews.com

Congressman Nye To Block Closing Of JFCOM Until More Info Is Gathered

Even in the midst of a tough re-election campaign, Congressman Glenn Nye is still working to keep the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk open. JFCOM accounts for 42% of the 2nd District's GDP.

"We've been working together as a Virginia coalition since day one when we found out the Secretary of Defense wanted to close JFCOM," said Nye in an interview. "I've met with Governor McDonnell, Randy Forbes and Bobby Scott and we've united as a team and made pretty good progress pushing back on the issue."

Nye says it is Congress' job to decide whether JFCOM stays open. He also says there have been no studies to show how much money will be saved by closing the command.

"Congress makes decisions about funding the Defense Department and anything they would like to change they have to get funding," explained Nye. "We're not going to allow them to close the command without doing an analysis that shows how it could actually save any money and how we could maintain those important military functions of JFCOM without hurting our military."

According to the most recent poll sponsored by Christopher Newport University, The Virginian-Pilot and 13 News of likely voters, opponent Scott Rigell leads Nye by one half of a percentage point. Other polls have shown Rigell's lead is much greater. Rigell has also said he will fight to keep JFCOM open.
www.shoredailynews.com

High-Alcohol Energy Drink Sickened Students

Oct. 25) -- Four Loko, an alcoholic beverage referred to as "blackout in a can," is the culprit behind several hospitalizations after students at a Central Washington University party overdid it on the potent elixir.

The Oct. 8 house party, which counted around 50 youth -- many of them underage -- ended with nine partygoers being taken to the hospital with symptoms of life-threatening overdose or intoxication.

Police had initially suspected that illegal substances, rather than alcohol, were to blame for the flurry of hospitalizations. All but one of those hospitalized were women, yielding concerns over date-rape drugs.
"Everything was going fine, the music was playing, people were having fun -- and then all of a sudden all the girls were puking everywhere," Katelynn Allen, a student at the party, told KOMO News. "Girls were outside on their backs."

Those girls can thank Four Loko for their infirmity. The drink, which comes in several flavors, is one serious beverage -- and one that invites competitive imbibing sessions.

Trying to consume four of the brews is a popular goal among young drinkers, and one that usually ends early.

With 12 percent alcohol and an added caffeine boost, swilling three Loko beverages is akin to drinking 18 beers, according to estimates from Dr. Mike Reihart, a Pennsylvania doctor.

Indeed, the alcohol content of Four Loko is reflected in the blood alcohol levels of Roslyn, Wash., partygoers. They ranged from 0.12 percent to 0.35 percent.

The Food and Drug Administration is already keeping careful tabs on caffeinated alcoholic beverages like Four Loko. Earlier this year, the agency sent warning letters to several companies and is investigating the risks associated with a caffeine-alcohol combo.

But doctors are already raising a red flag about the precarious combination of caffeine (a stimulant) and alcohol (a depressant).

"When people combine the two, they tend to not feel the alcohol as much since the caffeine is keeping them more alert," Dr. Alissa Rumsey told the New York Daily News. "Yet when the caffeine wears off, then the person feels the full effects of the alcohol."
www.aolnews.com

Maryland Woman Pleads For Husbands Release From Jail In Cuba

Jessica Gresko, Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The wife of a Maryland man jailed in Cuba as an alleged spy has written to Cuban President Raul Castro to apologize and plead for his release.

Judy Gross' husband Alan Gross was arrested at the Havana airport in December 2009. At the time, he was working as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the government office that provides economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide.

"I recognize today that the Cuban government may not like the type of work that Alan was doing in Cuba ... But I want you to know that Alan loves the people of Cuba, and he only wanted to help them. He never intended them, or your government, any harm," Judy Gross wrote in a letter dated Aug. 4 and first reported Sunday by Reuters. "To the extent his work may have offended you or your government, he and I are genuinely remorseful."

Gross, who was able to visit her husband for the first time this summer, wrote that when she returned home she learned that the couple's 26-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"We need him, and I need him, more now than ever before," she wrote, adding that Gross' release would be viewed "as a wonderful humanitarian gesture on the part of the Cuban people."

She also told Castro that she worried about the health of her husband. He is 61, has lost more than 80 pounds since he was arrested and has developed a problem that may result in permanent paralysis in his right leg, she wrote.

Judy Gross has denied that her husband was a spy. She has said that her husband is a veteran development worker who was helping members of Cuba's Jewish community use the Internet to stay in contact with each other and with similar groups abroad. Communications equipment he brought with him was intended for humanitarian purposes, not for use by Cuba's dissident community, she said.

Gross has not been charged, but senior Cuban leaders have accused him of spying. U.S. diplomats, meanwhile, have insisted Gross was doing nothing wrong. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for Gross' release in June, saying that his continued detention was harming U.S.-Cuba relations.

www.yahoo.com

Political Choice - Cat Or Dog?


John Merline
Opinion Editor
AolNews

Elections are supposed to be about politics and public policy and big issues. And this election has its share of all that, given the stakes.

But elections are also about people -- the kind of people who want to run for federal office. And we at AOL News wanted to get a better sense of just who these people are.

So rather than asking a bunch of boring policy questions, we invited candidates for the House and Senate to answer 10 mostly fun questions. We got a response rate of about 5 percent. And while the results aren't exactly scientifically valid, they are still pretty interesting. Here's one of them:

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

According to the results, 61 percent of Democrats said they are dog people, while 37 percent of Republicans candidates said they prefer canines.

Meanwhile, 26 percent of GOPers identified themselves as cat people, compared with just 5 percent of Dems. (Keep in mind that these are not scientifically valid survey results.)

www.aolnews.com Which Political Party Is Going To The Dogs?

Monday, October 25, 2010

Virus Warning

With Christmas coming up, this could be a real problem.

The newest virus circulating is the "UPS/Fed Ex Delivery Failure" virus.
 
Should you receive an e-mail from UPS/Fed Ex Service along with a packet number. It will say that they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date. It then asks you to print out the invoice copy
attached. DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS! Pass this warning on to all your PC friends at work and home. This virus has caused Millions of dollars in damage in the past few days.
Snopes confirms that it is real.

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/ups.asp


Having a Bad Day?

 The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being released back into the  wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full  view, a killer whale ate them both.
Still think you are having a Bad Day? A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing  frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank  of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.
Are Ya OK Now? -  No? Two animal rights defenders were protesting the cruelty      of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn , Germany .    Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence,  stampeding madly. The two helpless protesters were trampled to death.
What? STILL having a Bad Day? Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with 'Return to Sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb; he opened it and was blown to bits. God is good!
There now, Feeling Better?



Hat Tip; Doon

Don't forget. November 2nd is "Take out the trash day" !!!!!!

The following senators voted against making English the official language of America.
 (Republicans are in
BOLD RED)

                              Akaka (D-HI)
                              Bayh (D-IN)
                              Biden (D-DE)
                              Bingaman (D-NM)
                              Boxer (D-CA)
                              Cantwell (D-WA)
                              Clinton (D-NY)
                              Dayton (D-MN)
                              Dodd (D-CT)
                             
Domenici (R-NM)
                              Durbin (D-IL)
                              Feingold (D-WI)
                              Feinstein (D-CA)
                              Harkin (D-IA)
                              Inouye (D-HI)
                              Jeffords (I-VT)
                              Kennedy (D-MA)
                              Kerry (D-MA)
                              Kohl (D-WI)
                              Lautenberg (D-NJ)
                              Leahy (D-VT)
                              Levin (D-MI)
                              Lieberman (D-CT)
                              Menendez (D-NJ)
                              Mikulski (D-MD)
                              Murray (D-WA)
                              Obama (D-IL)
                              Reed (D-RI)
                              Reid (D-NV)
                              Salazar (D-CO)
                              Sarbanes (D-MD)
                              Schumer (D-NY)
                              Stabenow (D-MI)
                              Wyden (D-OR)
Now, the  following  are the senators who voted to give illegal aliens Social Security benefits.   They are grouped by home state.  If a state is not listed, there was no voting representative.      
Notice how our both our current president and vice-president voted for this!
 Alaska :              Stevens (R)
Arizona :               McCain (R)
Arkansas :            Lincoln (D)          Pryor (D)
California :          
Boxer (D)             Feinstein (D)
Colorado :          
          Salazar (D)
Connecticut :      
Dodd (D)                       Lieberman (D)
Delaware :           
Biden (D)             Carper (D)
Florida :              
 Martinez (R)
Hawaii :               Akaka (D)             Inouye (D)
Illinois :              
  Durbin (D)           Obama (D)
Indiana:              
Bayh (D)              Lugar (R)
Iowa:                    Harkin (D)
Kansas:               
Brownback (R)
Louisiana:            Landrieu (D)
Maryland:           
Mikulski (D)         Sarbanes (D)
Massachusetts:   Kennedy (D)        Kerry (D)
Montana:             Baucus (D)
Nebraska:            
Hagel (R)
Nevada:               Reid (D)
New Jersey:        
          Lautenberg (D)      Menendez (D)
New Mexico:      
Bingaman (D)
New York:          
  Clinton (D)            Schumer (D)
North Dakota :    
Dorgan (D)
Ohio :                  
DeWine (R)           Voinovich(R)
Oregon :              Wyden (D)
Pennsylvania :    
Specter (D)
Rhode Island :     
Chafee (R)           Reed (D)
South Carolina :  
          Graham (R)
South Dakota :              Johnson (D)
Vermont :            
Jeffords (I)           Leahy (D)
Washington :       Cantwell (D)          Murray (D)
West Virginia :   
Rockefeller (D) by Not VotingWisconsin :                   Feingold (D)          Kohl (D)

The entire population of the United States needs to know this information….unless they don’t mind sharing their social security with foreign workers who didn’t pay a dime into it!

State's Attorney Candidates See Experience Differently

This still seems to be a pretty sore issue among alot of Todd supporters, Oglesby supporters and Maryland Coast Dispatch readers...........

BERLIN – Experience has been a catch-word of sorts in the race for Worcester County State’s Attorney, with the incumbent touting his 25 years of prosecuting the most serious crimes in the county and the challenger drawing on endorsements from those on the front lines of crime in the community.

As anticipated, the campaigns being waged by incumbent State’s Attorney Joel Todd and challenger Beau Oglesby, currently a deputy state’s attorney in Caroline County, have accelerated as Election Day nears and one would expect nothing less between the familiar adversaries. Back in the 2006 election, the two were separated by a mere 14 votes when Todd emerged victorious.

Not surprisingly, the comparative experience level of the two candidates has become a focal point in their respective campaigns. Todd pointed out this week his two decades-plus as state’s attorney sets him apart from Oglesby, who has spent more than a decade as a prosecutor in three different Lower Shore counties.

“Absolutely, the thing that separates me from my opponent is that I have been prosecuting cases, in this office, for 25 years,” Todd said. “I’ve prosecuted everything from speeding tickets to dozens of murder cases, arson, child abuse, rape, sex offenses and countless drug offenses.”
Oglesby has spent much of his career as a prosecutor trying drug-related cases, according to Todd.
“Prosecuting drug offenses appears to be his claim to fame,” he said. “As far as I can tell, and I’ve searched, I don’t believe he has ever prosecuted a murder case. That’s not to say he hasn’t been involved in the prosecution of the murder, but I’m talking about a trial. I don’t think he has ever taken a murder case to trial.”

With four murder cases in Worcester County currently in various stages of the prosecution process, Todd said Oglesby is ill equipped to take over as state’s attorney in Worcester County at such a critical time.

“There are four pending homicide trials in Worcester County, all of which are scheduled for after the election,” he said. “He’s never tried a case in Worcester County. It would be extremely awkward to walk into this office and take on that right away. He doesn’t know the courtroom, he doesn’t know the judges and most importantly, he’s not experienced in victim cases. Clearly, my experience sets me apart.”

However, Oglesby disputed the “experience” factor, pointing out he is further along in his career than his opponent was when he was first elected.

“As far as the experience factor, how much is enough?” he said. “I have been a prosecutor for 13 years, which is more experience than the incumbent had when he took office 16 years ago.”
Oglesby also pointed out, as a means to discredit the experience factor, Todd allegedly offered him a position in the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s office following the close election in 2006.

“The incumbent offered me the position of deputy state’s attorney in January of 2007, so I find it strange that, with four years of additional experience and in the course of an election year, he now questions my experience and ability to manage an office,” he said. “I have worked in three different state’s attorney’s offices and implemented effective change in each of those offices. The incumbent has done things his way for 25 years. That’s 25 years of doing things only one way.

Doing something for a long time doesn’t mean it is being done in the best way or by the best person.” Todd has prosecuted numerous homicides and other violent crimes, and several victims and victim’s families have come out in recent days in support of the incumbent. In fact, as many as 400 crime victims have come out in support of Todd on a Facebook page dedicated to his campaign. For example, Debbie Ford, whose brother Joshua was murdered by Benjamin and Erica Sifrit in Ocean City in 2002, had this to say about the state’s attorney.

“Joel worked day and night to make sure that my family would have justice for the brutal murders committed by Benjamin and Erica Sifrit. Knowing that the people who committed this horrific crime will never hurt another family thanks to Joel’s help gets us through each day. I hope everyone will support Joel as I know he is the best man for this office,” she wrote.

For his part, Todd said he did not solicit the support of the crime victims, nor did he start the social network page, but he is gratified by their support nonetheless.

“It’s nice to know the people I’m working so hard to help are standing up behind me in this election,” he said. “I’m here to help them. I am the people’s attorney.”

Oglesby, however, discredited the campaign tactic, saying he would not consider soliciting the support from the victims of crime to forward his election effort.

“I believe the incumbent’s submission of endorsements made by crime victims is one example of the stark contrast between the incumbent’s campaign tactics and my campaign,” he said. “I respect the victims of all crimes and would never solicit support or endorsements from them for political purposes. The victims and their families have been traumatized enough without being put in the uncomfortable position of having to relive their ordeal for the political gain of an incumbent.”

Oglesby said there is an in-kind number of crime victims whose cases he has prosecuted that would come out in support of his campaign, but he would not solicit their affirmation.

“I could display the same support from families I have worked with over the past 13 years, but I do not think it is appropriate to ask victims and their families to participate in a political campaign or even a social network,” he said.

Instead, Oglesby likes to point out his apparent overwhelming support from the law enforcement community. The challenger has been formally endorsed by the Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police along with the FOPs in Worcester County, Ocean City and Berlin, for example.

“The historic, unanimous law enforcement endorsements I have received verify my experience and ability to be state’s attorney,” said Oglesby. “These endorsements are from the men and women who interact with the state’s attorney’s office on a daily basis. They see how all of the cases are handled, not just the high profile ones. They know best the importance of a strong and effective state’s attorney.”

Todd, on the other hand, points out he has received the formal endorsements of Worcester County Sheriff Chuck Martin and Ocean Pines Police Chief and former Ocean City Police Chief Dave Massey.

“The thing to remember is that I’m an objective, independent attorney,” he said. “My client is the people of Worcester County, not the people of the police department. If the voters want an attorney for the police department, I’m not that person and they should not vote for me.”
Todd said while he works closely with law enforcement on prosecutions, by definition and by law, his first responsibility is the citizenry.

“Occasionally, and I should say very occasionally, I see a case differently than the police see it, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” he said. “If the constitution intended the state’s attorney to be the legal arm of law enforcement, then it would be called the police attorney. The reason the position is called state’s attorney is because it’s the attorney for the people of the state.”

Nonetheless, Oglesby points out his support from the police speaks volumes about dissatisfaction with the incumbent.

“The question for voters to ask themselves is, why after 25 years in the office do none of the law enforcement groups support the incumbent?” he said. “And why do all of those law enforcement groups endorse and support Beau Oglesby. The law enforcement endorsements I have received prove my assertion that immediate change is needed for the effective prosecution of all crimes in Worcester County.”
News Editor, Shawn J. Soper
http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/

Pentagon Wants A Flying Humvee

With its armored doors and bulletproof windows, the burly Humvee has been a stalwart ground transport for the U.S. military.

But now the Pentagon thinks the hulking vehicle should also be able to fly.

On Tuesday, Pratt & Whitney's Rocketdyne division in Canoga Park announced that it had been awarded $1 million to design a propulsion system for a flying Humvee.

Don't scoff — there is good reason for an airborne truck, defense officials say.

With the proliferation of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, on the ground, a hovering Humvee would be an ideal way to keep soldiers out of harm's way, Pentagon officials said in announcing the award.

Dubbed the Transformer, the vehicle — at least an artist's rendering of it — looks like a toy commando truck out of a " G.I. Joe" cartoon.

But according to the Pentagon's technical specs, it would "combine the advantages of ground vehicles and helicopters into a single vehicle equipped with flexibility of movement."

The Transformer would have folding wings that pop out from the side of the vehicle and helicopter-like rotor blades attached to either the roof or the wings, depending on which design the Pentagon eventually picks. Also, it would be robotic, meaning there would be no pilot or driver behind the wheel.

The hybrid craft is being spearheaded by the Pentagon's famed Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which has been behind projects that have either turned out to be revolutionary, such as the Internet and stealth technology, or just boneheaded, like developing telepathic spies and jungle-tromping robotic elephants. The research agency said the flying Humvee should be able to haul around 1,000 pounds while traveling a distance of 287 miles on a tankful of fuel. It's a tall task considering that the ground-only version gets 14 miles per gallon at best, said Scott Claflin, director of Power Innovations at Pratt & Whitney's Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

In addition to Claflin's company, the agency has selected five others to work on the Transformer program in its 12-month, $9-million development phase. AAI Corp. of Hunt Valley, Md., and Lockheed Martin Corp. of Bethesda, Md., the nation's largest defense firm, are listed as the program's prime contractors.

"We're excited to work on the program," said Claflin, who will lead a team of about a dozen engineers who previously worked on rocket engines that lifted men into space. "There has never been an engine built like this before."
www.wtkr.com

'Hiccup' Girl Is Among Three Charge With Murder After Fatal Robbery


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Tampa Bay woman who was plagued by uncontrollable hiccups for months is charged in the killing of a man during a robbery, police said.

Jennifer Mee, 19, of St. Petersburg and two others are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Shannon Griffin, 22, on Saturday.

Mee lured Griffin to a home where the others robbed him at gunpoint, Sgt. T.A. Skinner of the St. Petersburg Police Department said in a late Sunday news release. Griffin struggled with the suspects and was shot several times, police said.

Mee and the others admitted their involvement, Skinner said.

Mee was being held without bond early Monday. Pinellas County jail records did not show whether she had an attorney. Telephone numbers listed for Mee's mother have been disconnected.

Mee's hiccups — up to 50 times a minute for months — gained her notoriety in 2007. She tried home remedies and consulted medical specialists, a hypnotist and an acupuncturist, until the hiccups finally just stopped on their own.

Mee is no longer suffering from the hiccups, police spokesman Mike Puetz said.

www.wtkr.com

Delinquent Taxpayers May See Their Names In Lights

Accomack Supervisor Donald Hart wants to give delinquent taxpayers their big break. Well, not exactly. His plan is to illuminate their names on the courthouse green so they will pay their debt. “You put their name out there in lights, you will see money fly in this county,” Hart said. The rest of the board agreed Wednesday to investigate the cost of such a sign. They also reviewed lists of those who owe the most, including:



Real Estate

Quinby Preserve Partners LLC, $43,568;
Donna Rae Roseke, $28,786;
Henrik S. Shelley $22,859;
Edward Lunn Tull and Louise A. Tull, $22,442;
Shoreland/Parker LLC, $18,802;
TammyLee Taylor, $18,261;
Lance G. and Barbara W. Fisher, $14,809;
Adair E. Harmon, $14,248;
Heirs of John J. Cherricks, $13,913;
Angela L. or Thomas D. Cook Sr., $13,565;
Wilford L. Evans, $13,361;
Barbara H. Upshur, $13,088;
Tai M. Lee or Tiffany Quyen Do, $13,077;
Tully W.Parker, et ux, $12,492;
Alexander J.and Gloria E. Justice, $12,116;
Capt. Fish’s Steaming Wharf Inc.,$11,866;
BIC Inc., $11,701; Luvenia Miles, $11,514;
Kenneth Earl Doughty and Mary Emily Doughty 11,105;
Peggy L. Giddens/Andrea G. Bolden, $11,007;
Lois M. Gordon $10,872;
George E. and Barbara B. Bowden, $10,329;
Lance G., Barbara W. and Charles S. Fisher, $10,031;
Lisa Judge Jester Rowe, $9,001;
Heirs of John Cherricks, $8,971

For a total of $381,784.

Personal Property

Lunn Tull $47,374;
B&L Produce Inc., $42,887;
A. Smith Enterprises Inc., $39,146;
Lucas Underground Utilities Inc., $29,802;
Phil Ray Farms, $22,649;
Troy Leon Bowser $20,834;
Regions Bank Leasing Division,$16,415;
Davis Transport ofVirginia Inc., $15,559;
Lloyd and Marcella R. Fields, $15,473;
Michael Anthony Finstad, $14,869;
Two Farm Inc. trading as Royal Farms,$13,648;
R&P Lucas Underground Utility, $11,349;
Eastern Shore Brick & Block Layers LLC, $10,107;
L.G. Fisher Inc. $10,065;
Sea Hawk Motel Inc. $9,712;
Thornton Services Inc. $9,608;
The Charlotte Hotel $9,591;
Misgivings II LLC $9,410;
Bryant Everett Planter$9,354;
Terrell Donti Trent $8,947;
Benito Antonio Juarez $8,816;
Sylvester Abney $8,789;
Royce A.Parks Jr. $8,615;
Sherwood Thomas Bailey Jr. $8,523;
Mario FacundoRocca $8,463

For a total $410,004.
www.easternshorepost.com

BOO !! It's Halloween Time !!

Autumn is here and that means it's time for Halloween!

And since this is the week before the night of dressing in costumes and going door to door trick or treating I'd like for any of you to send me some pictures.

Halloween time is my favorite time of the year.
So send me your pictures of your carved jack-o-lantern, your house decorated inside or out for the occasion, your halloween costume, OR your pet dressed in a costume.
Send them to me: jmmb at bwbw@hughes.net

P.S. Does anyone remember many years ago when Hartley Hall was between 7th and 8th Street on Market? Do you remember the year it was decorated as a haunted house?

Please tell me what YOU remember.

Finding Missing Senior Is A Different Challenge In Finding Them

More missing persons cases are involving seniors with cognitive impairment, and that's creating different challenges for people trying to locate them.


"Don't assume that these people won't wander or walk away," says Gene Saunders, who was a commander of special operations at the Chesapeake, Va. Police Department.

Saunders started seeing an increasing number of searches involving patients with Alzheimer's disease.

"Calling out their names was not an option because they don't tend to answer or help you in any way. They are not going to act as what we might think a so-called reasonable person would do in their movements or where they might stop."

A number of unsuccessful searches frustrated Saunders.

"Not only that, but when you started looking at the cost involved and a number of people who became involved in some of these searches... it became astronomical."

Saunders came across a tracking device using radio frequency and designed a program to supply seniors with dementia with a bracelet.

"If they go, we just tune into the frequency, go out and track that frequency," he says.

Saunders launched Project Lifesaver as small pilot program 11 years ago. Now, it's used in 45 states.

Saunders believes the more society can do to help save lives and reduce cost for law enforcement, "it will also allow these people to be able to stay home longer."

Retired FBI agent Robert Schaefer knows the challenges faced by searchers and caregivers firsthand because he cared for his wife with Alzheimer's for more than 20 years.

He now volunteers with the Department of Criminal Justice Services in Virginia and shares his experiences with first responders.

"They have to learn to think outside of the box. They have to learn to think differently because as a person progresses through the disease process, they are not able to think logically, the way we would think. So you have to kind of put yourself into their position and try to discover where they are in the course of the disease and how they are thinking," Schaefer says.

Time is one the biggest challenges in these types of missing person cases, Schaefer says. And people need to call for help as soon as they discover their loved one is missing.

"There is hesitation to call first responders in to assist because you feel you can find the person," he says.

Schaefer understands that feeling because he was a care partner himself, but says that is a big mistake.
Studies show first 24 hours is critical in order to find the missing person alive.

In addition to calling for help as soon as possible, there are many precautionary measures caregivers can take:

Learn what you can do to keep them occupied and distracted

Pay attention when they start talking. Sometimes they give you clues. While we may not understand it, they may start talking about going to work, going home, going to visit someone, or going to pick up someone.

Disguise or lock hazardous area inside of your home like covering doors and windows to prevent the patient from wandering.

Make sure your neighbors know about the situation so they can alert you if they see a person wandering outside.

Know that no matter what you do, you may not be 100 percent successful in preventing him or her from wandering.


Saunders adds that it is important to relay all information to law enforcement if and when the person goes missing. He says Alzheimer's patients are capable of cashing checks, using credit cards or ATM cards, and catching trains and buses, for example.

Both Saunders and Schaefer say the population with cognitive impairment is only getting larger - putting a bigger demand on public safety agencies.

Schaefer helped make Virginia one of the first states in the nation to offer special training for missing persons cases with cognitive impairment.

He says the training helps law enforcement officers not only in the searches, but also in everyday encounters.

"A Virginia state trooper brought to my attention (a case) that had occurred about a week after he had been through the training. And this did not involve a search, but he stopped a female in the middle stages of dementia who was driving an automobile. And he wasn't able to get her out of her car. She was totally uncooperative. And he remembered how we had told him to deal with unusual behaviors that might arise and that he had to think outside the box. That's exactly what he did to encourage that woman to get her out of the car."

Schaefer is also the author of the book, "Alzheimer's: The Identity Thief of the 21st Century." Click here for more information about the book.
www.wtop.com

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Melson Power Show Coming Soon! ~Save The Date~

DON'T FORGET TO SAVE THIS DATE!!
Final events of the season!!

Prizes will be awarded for the points winners of the days events.

This is sure to be a full day of fun for everyone!



My favorite for the Lawn Tractor Pulling? The young lady, #63! Yep! She isn't as nervous as she was at the beginning of the season and now has complete confidence in herself! She has NO FEAR!
I wish her the very best of luck and hope she will continue next year.

For more information on Melson's........

Go to www.melsonstractorpull.webs.com/ OR

You can find them on Facebook listed under Melson's Tractor Pulling. Become a friend and keep up with what goes on. Browse the photos and watch videos.........even offer suggestions if you like.

~~BE THERE NOVEMBER 13th~~

For one last day of playing in the dirt!