The hottest topic in recent days has been the murder near Rehoboth Beach. We are told by police that last Friday in broad daylight, two armed thugs enter a home in the upscale Stable Farms development, and shoot to death the homeowner, 45 year old Paula Grossi. Two witnesses were in the home at the time, Paula’s son and a female friend. The two claim the killers “bound them” and ransacked the house before leaving. Police tell us, that after freeing themselves 911 was called and the police responded at 12:52 pm. State Police Sgt. Joshua Bushweller admits to WGMD some interesting facts, or lack of facts depending on your point of view.

1. No vehicle was seen or identified by anyone

2. Something was taken from the Grossi home, but police refuse to say what.

3. The story does not sound suspicious to the police at this time, and the story and description of the two assailants is being taken very seriously.

4. A somewhat detailed description has been released but no artist sketch of the suspects is available at this time. (four days later)

5. Suspect number one is described as white male 20-25, 5’ 7”, 160-170 lbs., black facial hair (unshaven). Wearing a wool hat, hooded jacket and white gloves.

6. Suspect number two is described as a white male about 40, 5’6”, 200 lbs with a small tattoo under his left eye. Wearing black overalls, brown construction boots, and dark gloves.

Police haven’t said what kind of tattoo under the eye. I wonder if it was a black teardrop? WGMD has also learned that the victim, Paula Grossi, cared for her two and a half year old grandson, and petitioned in Family Court for guardianship of the boy from her daughter Trisha Grossi. This petition was filed last June.

Speculation and unease abound over this very rare/unusual crime. Rare for here, and unusual that two total strangers enter and commit murder. (Perhaps these guys are only strangers to the witnesses. Did Paula know her killer?) Why would killers shoot this woman, and leave two witnesses? Why did the killers bind the two witnesses? What would lure these guys into the house; did she keep a lot of money around? (There is some talk of a safe in the house) Do the police really believe the witnesses story or are they just playing along to catch information from another suspect?

Many good State Police are working this case; I wish them all the best of luck in solving this. We don’t need another unsolved mystery around here.

Click this link to hear the latest from the police on WGMD.com

Why do the good people of Delmarva fear snow?

What is it about the white puffy moisture that causes so many people to fear for their lives? Why does normal life come to a complete end on this peninsula every time a stupid weatherman mentions that unmentionable,….”Chance of Snow”?

Like a flock of screaming children at recess, you run to the supermarkets, mini-markets and roadside stands to purchase Milk, Eggs, Bread and Toilet Paper. OK, so this leaves me to believe that the fear of snow brings about the massive hankering for French Toast which you apparently don’t have the digestive tract to properly handle, hence the toilet paper.

Question: When was the last time people in this area were literally ’snowed-in’ so bad that they were unable to leave their home because of the high snow? When was the last time the roads were so un-navigable that nobody, and I mean nobody, was able to drive including Police, EMS and newspaper delivery people? How many of you live so far from civilization that if you were snowed in and ran out of toilet paper, you would be too far away to walk to a neighbor’s house and borrow some? And finally, why are the elements to make French Toast so important to you in the event of snow?

I was transferred to North Carolina some years ago by the retail company I worked for at the time. My store was in Hanes Mall in Winston Salem, we lived in a tiny town called Advance. Our first winter there was the worst in anyone’s memory. The snow wasn’t so bad, it measured almost 12 inches, but the following ice storm took out power lines all over the area. We were without power for 5 days. Since the state had very little snow in this area, local municipalities never felt the need to purchase snow plows or even road salt. Being from Pennsylvania, I was accustomed to driving in heavy snow and easily drove to and from work while many stayed home to wait it out. In our home, no electricity meant no cooking, we had an electric oven. We did have a fireplace and actually made some stew in it as well as heated up leftovers and such. Mostly, we ate out during the outage. The locals, who were not used to driving in snow made the most of it by working together. Farmers drove their big tractors around to neighbor’s homes, seeking lists of needed supplies before driving to the local filling station/mini-market. Folks with 4-wheel drive or who were brave ventured to Mocksville, to the supermarkets, armed with many shopping lists, especially for the elderly.

People just automatically came together to help one another in the ‘crisis’ as I believe they would here as well! They also used the time to play. A neighbor with a four-wheeler stopped by our home to let the kids grab their sleds and hold a rope as he pulled them through the neighborhood. He told us of a plan to gather at the top of a local road which had a nice hill for sledding that night. We drove (much to their astonishment) instead of walking the 3 miles with our sleds. They had a huge bonfire and a large farm tractor which would drive down the hill with a huge tow-rope, pulling the kids back up the hill so they could have more fun without getting so tired of the reverse trek.

But here, well, that’s a different story. As some of you may know, I run nearly 2 dozen weekly trivia gameshows at local (and not-so-local) restaurants and other venues. One such venue is a new game inside the private gated community, The Peninsula. For our premiere event last Sunday the staff had acquired reservations for more than 50 people to sit in a nice restaurant inside their community, with a warm fire, protected by a back-up generator, where their was plenty of eggs, bread and milk as well as a supply closet full of toilet paper, and enjoy a trivia game with a house-cash prize. Slowly but surely these reservations cancelled one-by-one until we had but one team left for the game. Why? “Chance of snow.”

By the end of the game that first massive snowfall of 2007 had grown to nearly an inch with ‘bitter’ temps in the upper 20’s and virtually no wind. Why should such a minor meteorological event prevent people from going out to have a good time? Why do we scare so easily? I don’t let such occurrences prevent me from events. When I was young I didn’t let blizzards prevent me from honoring my commitment to a girlfriend for a date to the movies. Why should I start fearing the white fluff now?

My final point is to encourage you folks to stop being so scared of your own shadows! You have to live your life to enjoy it. Your end will come, but here on Delmarva it is very unlikely it will be caused by hunger due to a snowstorm. Get out and live!

With the old, current and about-to-be enacted laws directed at smokers and smoking, wonder how long it will be before this becomes mandatory treatment for smokers or, at least, accepted regimen for those who may wish a smoker to quit…be it family, personal physician or govt. body…despite the smoker’s defiance?

Can’t happen, you say? Well, not today, not tomorrow…the further research has to be carried out, clinical studies and trials, aftereffects. But “what if”? Seems to me smokers are seen to be a much bigger, more serious threat to society at large, than those who suffer from…let’s say severe depression. The above article talks of several modalities to administer this “therapy”:

a technique called deep brain stimulation, in which electrodes are implanted in the brain to switch off particular areas

Can you say ECT…often used, even in the unwilling, to treat depression and a variety of other illnesses, many times as an aversion therapy and too frequently among the young.

Just curious…but wouldn’t surprise me a bit

After I revealed problems at Mariner Middle School as told by actual teachers in the school, the minutes of the Cape teacher union meetings have been mysteriously removed from the CHEA web site.  A little too much publicity I’d say. The “culture of secrecy” between educrats and parents continues.
Just for fun, here is a cached screen shot of the site the day we discussed it on the air.  This image shows the minutes were up on the site, but removed today.

Teachers have a right to speak out against a weak administration, and I applaud the union members for coming forward. 

I need some help, my friends. I took my car in to get inspected today at the DMV in Georgetown, and my car failed to pass inspection. Why? Because the driverside window motor is going and, though it rolls down fine, it’s a little sluggish rolling back up. When I asked the kid manning the inspection lanes why it failed… he said that “the windows need to go up and down properly.” Fine.

I took the young chap at his word… until I came to my senses… Why exactly is that the case? No safety issue there… no emission issue there.. why does my window need to roll up at warp speed? It still rolls down fine…

As the day grew longer… my irritation over this grew… I took my car to a shop and they told me it would cost $330 for a new motor for the window.. $130 for a center console switch, plus $80 an hour for labor…

Again, the nagging question.. why is this a measurement of success in the inspection. I called the DMV back. Not Happy To Hear From Me (sentence frag.) I spoke to the supervisor of the Inspection lanes and asked him the same question..

“Not a safety Issue; Not an emission control; Why is this needed to pass inspection?”

His answer, “If you’ve got a problem with it, contact your legislator… It’s title 21.”

Jared: “But that doesn’t make sense”

Inspection Thug: “It’s so you can make hand signals to other drivers.”

Well, I’ve only seen a few hand signals while I was driving… and none of them have been particularly helpful… And if you mean turn signals.. isn’t that why they checked to see if my turn signals worked? Or maybe I’ll be running into a driver from the 1930s before cars had turn signals, and he’d be confused by these modern marvels and I’d have to use the ol’ fashioned way of driving.

I couldn’t sleep, faced with the prospect of spending $700 to get my car inspected for such a silly reason.. So I looked into Title 21:

Here’s the section on inspection.

Now, it mentions tinted windows a whole heap.. It mentions cracks in windows.. but nothing about windows being rolled up at lightning fast speeds..

Even the DMV Website lists only these qualifications:

A typical automobile inspection consists of a safety inspection covering such items as tires, brakes, windows and an exhaust emissions inspection that analyzes the vehicle’s exhaust and a test of the fuel system for leaks. Trailers exceeding a 4,000-pound weight limit must pass brake and safety inspections. All DMV inspection technicians are certified and trained in all aspects of the inspection process.

When you delve further into the sight, here’s the safety check information:

• All lights must be clean, in working order and properly aimed. This includes stoplights, turn signals, license plate lights, parking lights and headlights
• Brakes must stop the vehicle within required distance
• Glass in windows must have no holes, breaks or cracks
• Mirrors must be clean and unbroken
• Windshield wipers must be fully operative (the rubber blades must be in good condition)
• Hood and trunk latches must hold hood and trunk fully closed
• Tires must have no bulges, no fabric showing, no bald areas and no cuts. Tread depth must be at least 2/32 inch measured in two adjacent treads
• Doorknobs or equivalent must be present and in working condition
• There must be no damaged or dislocated parts projecting from the vehicle that could present a safety hazard
• Horn must be in operating condition
• Muffler must effectively reduce sound of engine exhaust. No leaks in exhaust system. Catalytic converter must be installed if originally equipped from manufacturer
• There must be no gasoline leaks
• Bumper height on passenger cars must not exceed 22 inches from the ground to the bottom of the bumper
• No tinting or sun screening device can be applied to the front windshield or to the front side windows
• No air scoops shall be mounted on a vehicle hood that exceeds 3 inches
• Windshield must have no cracks that interfere with vision. Any cracks over 5 inches on any window are mandatory failure items. Minimum height of visibility in windshield is 10 inches

Again, nothing about rolling the window up… Keep in mind, it rolls down at regular speed. Perhaps I am missing something here and you can help me out… Or maybe you can supply me a replacement door for a 97 Chevy Cavalier… Otherwise I may be taking the shoe leather express to work until I can afford to pony up $700 to get this fixed.

The fighting I wrote about back in December here, continues at Cape Henlopen High School. The Cape Gazette reports:

Ten Cape Henlopen students are expected to be arrested for disorderly conduct following an early morning brawl in the cafeteria of the school.
Three teachers received minor injuries during the fight on Wednesday, Jan. 17, which spilled over from a Tuesday night basketball game, said state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham.

This is not the first time fighting has spilled over from a basketball game. Some of my listeners may remember the post game brawl that closed the Rt. 1 McDonald’s a while back.

The police were called to school and the nine male students and one female student involved in the fight were immediately sent home, said Oldham. Cape Henlopen Principal John Yore said some ice packs were handed out, but no one was seriously injured. According to the police report, one teacher complained of a strained muscle, another of a pinched arm and the third complained of a fat lip. For six of the students, the fight was their first offense, but four of the 10 students were also involved in a fight in December. That fight was unrelated to the one that broke out on Wednesday morning at the school, Oldham said.

Why were these kids still in school after the last fight?

He said the fight seemed to be a stand-off between students from Burton Village and students from East Atlantic Apartments in Rehoboth Beach. “Fighting will not be tolerated,” said Yore. “Strict disciplinary action has been taken.” It was not clear what specific disciplinary action would be taken, but expulsion is one possibility, he said. “The staff was very responsive,” said Yore. “We have staff monitors and everyone was mobilized very quickly to resolve this.”
The school’s discipline dean, Bobby Maull, was not on the premises at the time, but he was rapidly and actively involved, said Yore. “The vast majority of our students conduct themselves appropriately,” said Yore, who along with teachers and staff members is planning a summit to talk to parents and students about violence and safety in the school.

Of course the vast majority are good, but let us not cloud the issue here. A serious lack of discipline at Cape! The post from yesterday seems to indicate we are training a new group of high school fighters at the middle school level.

The school sent a letter home to parents to let them know about the fight and assure them that swift action will be taken. “I, along with other members of the school team, will be meeting with parents and students throughout the next week,” said Yore in the letter. “As a school, we want to work in partnership with the community to resolve conflicts and issues.”

Good luck to the staff at the school; I wouldn’t want your job for any amount of money. I also wonder why we don’t hear of these fights at other schools?

Today is the 34^th. Anniversary of Roe v. Wade which, no doubt, will renew all the old arguments and adversarial issues…. Life and death divides us as little else might. Proponents of anti-abortion have no difficulty with their conscience…or definition and hypocrisy of “sanctity of life”…when sending those same babies, 18+ years later, into wars and pre-emptive debacles to assuage their own fears for personal or national “freedom” or to the gallows, gurney or electric chair when pacifists object to war and adherents of the abolishment of the judicial death penalty are pressured to reconcile this “no kill” argument with the pro-choice stance of retaining legalized abortions.

Would that legalized abortion wasn’t necessary…that people would not take those steps which could result in unplanned, unwanted pregnancy and, heaven knows, every piece of knowledge necessary to avoid such is out there, open and available to all. But they ignore it and offer every excuse in the book for what ensues then seek to rectify things by ridding themselves of the evidence…and, for thirty-four years it has been legal to do so. However, abortions haven’t only been undertaken since legalization but has been a practice since time immemorial. The difference is instead of back-alleys, coat-hangers, questionable drug treatments which, too often, took not only lives of the fetus but those of many of the “hosts”, legalization made it possible to choose/decide if and where this procedure should be done and done hygienically and safely, thereby far reducing the risks to more lives. A woman’s life is no more important than the baby’s she is carrying…but nor is it less so. Not so different from those women with some clout who could afford to go overseas to combine their abortion with a vacation or be admitted to a hospital where it would be carried out and covered under a different procedure…albeit fake. Women who, for whatever reason, decide they do not want or cannot raise a child conceived through irresponsibility have always found a way to rid themselves of their mistake and, further, always will…legal or not. Speaking personally I would defy anyone to provide proof that pro-choice proponents are so because of a desire to “kill babies”. The operative word is “choice”; a life choice which belongs to the woman directly involved…not me, not you, not the government. We all have unquestionable rights to whatever medical procedures deemed necessary…whether to preserve/enhance our lives or health and well-being and would adamantly revolt if government stepped in to disallow those rights. How is this different…except in a matter of personal conscience?

We choose conscience then, some years later find our sons and daughters are sent off to risk their lives somewhere across the globe, cheered on by many who may have caused us to question our consciences in having these children. Rage against women ending the life of a fetus changes to admiration for sending those kids out to be physically/emotionally damaged or to come home in a body bag. We can be proud of this, this gives us a sense of comfort and a choice to continue living our lives as we enjoy, as we have been accustomed and with somewhat less fear. And when they do come home they and the women who bore them, are left to deal with the pieces left of the whole…with about as much support as the woman intimidated in her first few weeks of pregnancy, doesn’t have the abortion she initially “chose” but struggles every day by herself while the anti-abortionists have moved on.

We choose conscience and, twenty years later the son or daughter we bore is accused of murder, found guilty and sentenced to die by hanging, electrocution, lethal injection or even firing squad. Raise hell about the death penalty and immediately the question arises “yeah, you want the death penalty abolished but you kill babies in the womb!” Yes?? And yet they rant and proselytize about the sanctity of life?

I’m all for the sanctity of life across the board. I don’t believe in abortion but the right of anyone to choose a medical procedure in a safe environment; I don’t believe in war…but the right to choose whether or not my child has to be your cannon fodder if he/she has no belief in your cause; I don’t believe in murder…but the right to demand my government not be complicit in a like retaliatory response. What I consistently heard is “Stop the killing of babies in the womb!”…but if a woman dies, too bad; “Send our troops so we have less to fear.”…but when our troops are killed…or kill…so sad; “Murder is against the law!”…kill the SOB.

It sounds like big problems at Milton’s Mariner Middle School in the Cape Henlopen School District. The minutes from the last two teachers union (CHEA) meetings tell the sad tale:

A member expressed concern regarding the behavior at Mariner Middle School. The students are defiant and arrogant. Teachers are hesitant to be in the hallways during the class change since they are verbally abused by students. Students then remain in the hallways several minutes after the late bell. Students are stealing from teachers’ desks. Teachers are being pulled for emergency coverage at the expense of their own planning period since substitutes refuse to enter the building. Teachers are writing referrals but are discovering that no action is being taken and in some cases the referral is not even entered into the computer. The administration has suggested that the behavior is a result of the teachers not establishing appropriate repore with the students which is how the first two weeks of school was to be utilized. Not following the established discipline matrix is a grievable offense. Teachers should keep documentation of referrals and the action, or lack thereof, that occurs in each case.

Substitutes refuse to enter the building! Imagine how the students must feel.

It was discussed in a previous meeting that substitutes refuse to work at Mariner Middle and therefore teachers are being pulled for emergency coverage. The current contract requires 30 consecutive minutes of planning time every day which can only be denied in the event of an unforeseen emergency. If substitutes are continually declining to work at Mariner Middle then this is no longer an unforeseen occurrence. The teacher who allegedly offensively touched a student has been suspended with pay while the parent/teacher is filing charges. The accused teacher decided previously not to continue membership in CHEA which greatly limits what the union can do. A Member expressed concern over the situation and the students’ reaction to the incident. Students seem to be intimidating teachers with the threat of accusing the teacher of a crime.

Options for parents: school choice out of the district, private school, or home school.

With apologies to Randy Nelson (I only managed to catch that last part of this segment due to work commitments) it was interesting…and heartening…to hear (the last part of) his interview with the gentleman opposed to the death penalty. Couldn’t agree more and I hope, sooner rather than later, we are a country proud to say we no longer have it.

We try someone for murder because it is WRONG and, if found guilty, we sanction the govt. to become the murderer. What kind of morality is this or sense does this make? One argument often heard is “why should we pay to keep a murderer in prison”…and the fact is, it costs more to execute than life without parole will.

“It’s a deterrent”..another heard. Proof? Yet another is “an eye for an eye”…if that be so why, then, not allow the person most affected by the victim’s loss to decide penalty for the perpetrator, once found to be truly guilty? In the rare cases when vengeance has been wrought by a victim’s loved one, who’s next up before a jury? Why? Because it’s WRONG and “thou shalt not kill”…still okay for the govt. though and all other death penalty proponents to advocate.

Frankly, seems fair to say our prisons do nothing to encourage a sway from the death penalty to life imprisonment…not when they have few deprivations. Prisoners have exercise facilities and equipment, three squares a day, tv, socialization, medical care, dental care, legal services, computer access, education to most levels and even bringing in entertainment. I’d remove that last, computers, gyms, tv…at a minimum. (To be honest, I must confess at times I envy them having a private cell, all the books they care to read and the peace and time to do so! TIC). We don’t need to pamper them…imprisonment IS punishment, after all. Work or educational programs are fine, even desirable; allow them books…censoring selections…feed them. Crimes that warrant life imprisonment to mean just that…the only way that person is coming out of prison is old, feet first, in a box. Nothing more, nothing less.

About a Year ago I did a program on the radio about a controversial school method of mandatory drugging of kids called Teen Screen. Today, someone forwarded me this YouTube clip/documentary on TS and included a clip from the radio show we did on the topic. Enjoy Below.

Link to the YouTube TS Video

Here’s the original Interview from 02/07/06 with anti-TeenScreen Advocate Ken Kramer from when I was guest hosting the afternoon show on WGMD:

 Original Ken Kramer Audio