And she points to Donald Trump’s as the reason she is no longer a Republican.
Like much of America, former Republican Meagan Simonaire of Maryland, joined the majority of the country and decided to speak out against Trump’s “attacks” on minorities, women “and anyone who does not agree with him.”
If only the Republican weaklings in Congress could do the same.
This is an unfortunate situation for the deceased, but a valuable lesson for the rest of us. Never put on a bulletproof vest and willfully make yourself a target. Soo much can go wrong.
A Maryland man was charged with first- and second-degree murder last week after he shot and killed a friend while the two were testing a bulletproof vest, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Early Wednesday morning, Darnell Mitchell, Mark Ramiro (pictured) and another friend decided to film themselves testing a bulletproof vest in the basement of a Westport, Md. home.
According to video tape reviewed by Baltimore police, Mitchell put on the vest, looked into the camera and said he was ready to take a “deuce deuce in the chest.”
Ramiro missed Mitchell’s vest and instead shot him with a .22 caliber handgun.
Ramiro and the third person rushed to help Mitchell, and drove him to the hospital. Mitchell was declared dead a few minutes after they got to the hospital, according to police.
Officers were then called to the hospital and obtained a warrant for the video tape that captured the incident, according to the Baltimore Sun.
A spokesman for the Maryland attorney, Mark Cheshire, told the Baltimore Sun that prosecutors originally sought a second-degree murder charge, and the court commissioner later added the first-degree charge.
On Twitter, the Republicans are calling this “more campaigning.” But whatever they think it is, President Obama is darn good at it. Today in Maryland, the President took his show on the road and informed the American people of the recent Republican government shutdown, and the simple process Republicans should take to bring the government back.
Video
If you’re living in Maryland that is. The former Republican National Committee Chair is actively considering a run for the governorship.
“We’re looking at it,” Steele told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd on Monday. “You’re going take a look at the numbers. Maryland’s a tough state, there are a lot of challenges there.”
It’s the second such comment Steele has made recently. Last week, The Daily Caller reported on a radio interview in which Steele said he was “looking at it.”
“I’m looking at it,” Steele said on WMAL radio. “We’ll see what the numbers tell us.”
Maryland’s present governor, Martin O’Malley, is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential nominee in 2016. He will have reached his term limit in 2014.
Steele is the former lieutenant governor of Maryland. In 2006 he lost a Senate race to Ben Cardin (D), who was reelected in 2012.
Steele had a rocky term as RNC chairman, with the organization frequently producing negative headlines about lavish spending. He lost his chairmanship to Reince Priebus in 2011, despite overseeing massive Republican gains in the 2010 election cycle.
A Maryland teacher has been busted for bestiality after sick footage emerged of her having sex with her family’s pet dog, police said.
Stephanie Mikles, 45, allegedly engaged in a variety of sexual acts with the canine over a month-long period in August 2008.
But she was only arrested earlier this year after child advocacy center officers searched her home on an unrelated matter and found pictures and video of the disgusting acts.
Mikles, who looks after special needs students for Hartford County School District, was charged with unnatural or perverted sexual practice.
She denies the allegations and has been suspended from her job pending the outcome of the case.
If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison and a $1,000 fine. The dog, reports ABC2, is still living with the family.
Mikles is out of jail on $5,000 bond.
Fifteen freight train cars derailed in an industrial area of Maryland this afternoon causing an explosion, the collapse of several buildings and leaving one person in serious condition, according to authorities.
The CSX train derailed in the White Marsh area around 2 p.m., according to officials.
“Several buildings collapsed at the site of the train derailment,” Baltimore County public safety information specialist Louise Feher told ABCNews.com.
h/t – ABCNEWS
Corporal Punishment or ‘The Death Penalty’, has been a topic of national debate for years, especially on a state-by-state basis. Now, after eight years since its last execution, Maryland is planning to become the 18th state to abolish the ultimate punishment. Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley has been pushing for this legislation since his very first year in office. If the Bill passes, convictions will be downgraded to life without the possibility of parole as the most severe sentence statewide.
The House advanced the legislation this week after delegates rejected nearly 20 amendments, mostly from Republicans, aimed at keeping capital punishment for the most heinous crimes.
Death Penalties have been a subject of divisiveness since its inception. Supporters of repeal argue that the death penalty is costly, error-prone, racially biased and a poor deterrent of crime. But supporters of the death penalty say it is a necessary tool to punish lawbreakers who commit the most egregious crimes.
So what about you? How do you weigh in on ending someone’s life? Personally, I’ve teetered from one end of the spectrum to the other. I had been one that didn’t believe in putting someone to death for any reasons but over the years, as more and more senseless murders occur, I’ve leaned more towards Death.
Let’s look at the Mass Murderer or even a Serial Killer as an example. As they are initiating the act of murder, it appears to me to be premeditated, meaning their intentions are to deliberately take someone’s life without hesitation. I’m sorry, but if they are non-remorseful in their actions against an innocent human being, why should we be remorseful in saving there’s? Kind of cold I know, but aren’t they being just as cold, callous and calculated?
We have to look at this decision seriously and very closely. I know there are cases where some convictions are questionable; racially biased, wrongful convictions, etc., but in cases that are absolute, non-questionable convictions where the defendant is beyond the shadow of a doubt guilty, then we should pull the hammer, flip the switch, insert the needle… whatever the method, say goodnight. Some advocates claim this to be a costly solution to evil. Well, how much does it cost to keep them imprisoned for life? I don’t know the answer to that but I’m sure there are some figures out there.
What I do know is everyone has an opinion on this matter. And just think of some of the most heinous murders and murderers of our time and tell me where you side on it:
I know this debate will rage on, probably forever, but as Maryland attempts to be the 18th state to abolish the death penalty, families of those brutally and senselessly taken are left to wonder if justice is truly being served. Killing the killer will never bring back loved-ones but, sometimes, there is Justice in Satisfaction.
Back in June, we brought you this story of two Republican aides indicted on voter suppression charges. The two, Paul Schurick and Julius Henson, were accused of sending over 100,000 robo calls to mostly blacks and minorities in Maryland, telling them not to vote, because President Obama and the Democratic contender for governor, Mr. O’Malley, had already won.
“Hello,” the robo call said, “I’m calling to let everyone know that Governor O’Malley and President Obama have been successful. Our goals have been met. The polls were correct, and we took it back. We’re okay. Relax. Everything’s fine. The only thing left is to watch it on TVtonight. Congratulations, and thank you.”
Well justice is served. Earlier today, a jury of their peers found the first of the two, Mr. Paul Schurick guilty of voter suppression.
A Baltimore jury Tuesday found Paul Schurick, former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s campaign manager, guilty of election fraud and related charges for his role in an Election Day 2010 robocall.
The jury found Schurick guilty on all four counts, including election fraud and failing to include an Ehrlich campaign authorization line on the calls. After the verdict was read, Schurick clutched his wife, who burst into tears.
So you think President Obama has the authority to invoke the 14th Amendment and raise the Debt Ceiling all by himself? Think again. According to the President himself, the debt ceiling is a statutory rule, not a constitution rule.
Speaking at an event in Maryland on Friday, the question of invoking the 14th amendment arose. President Obama responded by saying;
“There’s a provision in our Constitution that speaks to making sure that the United States meets its obligations, and there have been some suggestions that a president could use that language to basically ignore this debt ceiling rule, which is a statutory rule; it’s not a constitutional rule.
“I have talked to my lawyers … They’re not persuaded that that is a winning argument.”
Republicans have already suggested impeaching President Obama if he tries to use the 14th amendment to get the debt ceiling raised. Based on the President’s own words, it will seem this is a moot point.
The 14th amendment states that “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.” Many have suggested this to mean that President Obama has all the authority he needs to raise the debt ceiling if Congress fails to do their job.
Republicans have shown a preference to allowing the United States to default on its debt if it means the rich will loose some of their tax loopholes. They have been fighting the president and Democrats, who have suggested that the only plausible way to move forward on raising the debt ceiling would be to raise revenue along with spending cuts.
The debt ceiling now stands at $14.3 trillion, and the United States will run out of the ability to continue paying it’s debt if the debt ceiling is not raised by August 2nd.
Two aides to Maryland’s former Republican Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr, were indicted on voter suppression charges last Friday. The two aides, Julius Henson and Paul Schurick conducted over 100,000 robo calls last mid-term elections, telling a predominantly black voting block in Maryland to stay home, because President Obama and the Democratic contender for governor Mr. O’Malley, had already won. The call stated;
“Hello. I’m calling to let everyone know that Governor O’Malley and President Obama have been successful. Our goals have been met. The polls were correct, and we took it back. We’re okay. Relax. Everything’s fine. The only thing left is to watch it on TV tonight. Congratulations, and thank you.”
Well, the call was right about one thing, O’Malley eventually won the election, but the intent of the robocall was as obvious – voter suppression, and for Henson and Schurick’s role in the crime, the indictment awarded them the following;
Julius Henson and Paul Schurick each face three counts of conspiracy to violate Maryland election laws, one count of attempting to influence a voter’s decision and one count of failing to provide an authority line (on campaign material). Schurick also is charged with one count of obstruction of justice.
An arraignment in Baltimore Circuit Court is scheduled for July 18.
The indictment, handed up by a Baltimore City grand jury, came after an eight-month investigation by State Prosecutor Emmet Davitt into tens of thousands of robocalls that went out late on Election Day. A caller instructed voters in Democratic areas to stay home and “relax” because Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley had already won. In fact, the polls were still open.
And even with this investigation and indictment, multiple Republican governors are trying the same stunt in their states for the 2012 elections. So far this year, six Republican controlled states are racing to carry out more restrictive laws ultimately geared towards voter suppression.
You would think its wise for one to learn from another’s mistakes, but these are Republicans. Their belief system is freedom – to make their own mistakes and decide if they should learn from or repeat their same mistakes again and again. One has to wonder at what point does that kind of freedom turn into just plain stupid?
I know it may be quicker to list the groups the GOP are for, but I have some time and some blog space, so here goes…
Are you on GOP’s hit-list? Well you are if you’re one of these;
If you belong to any of the group or groups mentioned above, then watch out. There is a constant effort on the part of the Republican party to dis-empower you in the name of “Balancing the Budget” or”‘Big Government intruding on our Constitutional rights as American citizens”–take your pick. But don’t be disheartened, there is a way you can get on the Republican’s good side. Any one of the groups listed below should be your goal if Republican Love is what you crave;
Keep pushing America, you too can be ultra rich or a fetus someday!
Thanks to my twitter friends who contributed to this list; @MWJ1231, @Fairly_Balanced, @Lawsonbulk @chansa2
