Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Stay Out of Maryland

Westboro Babtist Church has been sent an $11 million message. Go here for details.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21566280/

Sunday, October 28, 2007

New to the Shooting World.


Today at the Sinepuxent Rod & Gun Club there was a memebers only 5 Stand competition cosisting of 50 targets. Since we are a little outclassed by most of those shooting, we elected to pay the entry fee, get a meal ticket and conserve our ammuntion. Basicly we donated to the prize pool. Yes, that made the sanwiches a bit on the pricy side, but we also supported the club and our friends.

I tried to take some pictures of the shoot but the participants seemed to frown on having a casual spectator down range with a camera while the targets were flying. Standing behind the firing line proved to be futile as well due to the large crowd watching and I didn't have enough lens to reach out and grab the action where the targets were breaking.

So we socialized for a while, cheered on our favorite shooters and when the oyster sandwiches were ready we indulged.

The best photo I got today was of the young fellow pictured above. His owner brought him to the club today in order to get him used to gunfire. He seemed to coping very well with the noise because we had to wake him in order to get this picture. He is a real cutie and hopefully we will see him more often as he develops.
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Friday, October 26, 2007

Move Services?

I am in the process of building a small barn on my property. It seems that where I want to put it is directly over the underground utilities from the phone pedestal and the DP&L transformer. Today I attempted to arrange to have the services moved in order for construction to begin. I must say, dealing with DP&L and Verizon surely was like day and night. After answering the questions on the “phone menu” with DP&L I was able to speak with a live person and in about 5 minutes it was a done deal. Very pleasant trans-action.

Now, on to Verizon. Today I learned the sole job of two-thirds of the people employed at Verizon is to ask you your name, confirm you phone number, and transfer you back to the phone menu that does not offer and option for the problem you have at hand.

It went like this:
Phone menu---without an option for the problem—choose change of service option.
More phone menu with option to speak to rep. Choose that option.
Listen to 5 minutes of elevator music.
Phone rep answers, verifies name and number---I explain problem.
Rep. Transfers me to “proper” department. —I go to original phone menu.

Choose line trouble option. More phone menu with option to speak to rep. Choose that option. More elevator music.
Rep answers. --- verifies name and number. I explain problem, rep forwards me to “proper” department, listen to static, return to original phone menu.

Finally, and I don’t remember how, I get to talk to another rep and with a great deal of agitation the deed is closed and sometime next Wednesday I will have the distinct honor of paying $12.00 for every 15 minutes work to have my phone line move approximately 24 inches.

This entire process took nearly 40 minutes, and in the end the entire arrangement (after getting a rep that could actually assist) took less than 5 minutes.

DP&L will move their service the same distance for free.

Isn’t life wonderful?

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Today in 1861 &1862

Today in 1861 the keel of the Union ironclad Monitor is laid at Greenpoint, Long Island.
In September 1861, John Ericsson, a native of Sweden, was granted the contract to begin constructing the U.S. Navy's first ironclad.
The wooden keel was laid at the Continental Iron Works on Long Island. The vessel was not large--172 feet long and 41 feet wide. Raising from the water by only 18 inches the ship had an extremely low profile. The turret, a 20-foot cylindrical structure in the middle of the ship housed two 11-inch Dahlgren guns.

The craft was launched into New York's East River on January 30. After resolving many engine problems the monitor was commissioned on February 25 and soon set sail for Virginia.

On March 8, 1862, it engaged the C.S.S. Virginia in battle at Hampton Roads. The first Naval battle in the world between ironclads. The battle ended in a drawn that day, but a new era in warfare had dawned.

An additional note: The Monitor later sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras taking many of its crew down. In very recent history the wreck was found and much of the ship has been raised and preserved. At the “Mariners Museum” in Hampton Roads Virginia there is a new building dedicated to the monitor with a myriad of artifacts and preserved parts of the ship. Human remains found during the raising of the craft were given military funerals with full honors. The “Mariners Museum” is easy to find and the trip can be done in a day.



Today in 1862 President Lincoln sends a wire to General George McClellan saying: "I have just read your dispatch about sore tongued and fatiegued [sic] horses. Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigue anything?"


Lincoln earlier had urged McClellan to pursue General Lee across the Potomac after the bloody battle at Antietam but McClellan being ever cautious refused. McClellan pled fatigue of his horses and his men and desired to maintain his Army in repose. This was a fateful decision. Lee’s army also fatigued was in retreat and not in much condition to fight. Lee himself commented later that if the Union had pursued him after Antietam the end of the war may come much sooner.
Within a week of Lincolns curt message to McClellan the President replaced the General with General Ambrose Burnside. By now Lee had finished crossing the Potomac had rested and was willing to fight another day.

Stop Salisbury Cyberbullying

There is a drive to stop cyberbullying in Salisbury and surrounding areas. I recieved a request via E-Mail to provide as a public service this link to the program. If interested go to:

http//www.projectfuja.com/main.sc

Monday, October 22, 2007

How Taxes Work

No---I don't really believe this, but it it is amusing.



Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this: The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20."

Drinks for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the payin g customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free.

But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!" The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.

In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics University of Georgia.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Salisbury Fire Department Promotions

Today at 4:30 friends, family and invited guests gathered at the Salisbury Fire Department Station 16 for promotional ceremonies for the newly appointed officers.

Mayor Barrie Tilghman and City executive John Pick were in attendance.

The five new officers pictured here left to right are:


From Captain to Assistant Chief, Dru Bragg
From Captain to Assistant Chief, Jim Gladwell
From Lieutenant To Captain, Darrin Scott
From Firefighter to Captain, Chris O'Barsky
From Firefighter to Lieutenant, Michael Donaway.

Additionally, four firefighters have been identified to be the departments acting Lieutenants should a temporary vacancy occur with-in the officer ranks. Those four individuals are:
Firefighter Jay Jester, Firefighter Dave Merritt, Firefighter Rob Frampton, and Firefighter Brooks Morris.

Congratulations to all those promoted! The testing and evaluation was quite extensive and each and every one of these men excelled in the process. The Salisbury Fire Department is fortunate indeed to have such a cadre of leadership.

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Saturday, October 20, 2007

Albero's Age Old News

I have yet to figure out what Albero really wants, a great big medal or a chest to pin it on. He seems to take great delight once again in exposing screen names on the watch desk. The names he has exposed have been well known for many years now, and in reality not a single name on the site means a thing. It is far too easy to deceive the readers of that bulletin board and it has been done with great frequency.

For instance it is possible, and it has been done, that several people will share the shame screen name and password in order to gain access to the site. In this manner several people can post opposing or like views on a subject all the while protecting each other from accusations. I know for a fact this is done in the forums of a neighboring county. Three people were sharing the screen name and posting at will. One of the three also told me that he/she actually had other screen names that were shared with other participants and not shared with the other two in the original group. So you see how wide and deep this deception can go?

I am also aware of several individuals that have as many as six different screen names, and possibly even more. One poster on that forum used to argue issues with him self and take different sides of an issue just to keep the pot stirred. It was truly fun to watch, especially when a no-nothing outsider entered the forum in an effort to create dissention.

The two names Albero recently “exposed” are long since gone from Salisbury Fire Department. To what end Albero feels this is pertinent information is beyond me. I cannot make the connection to Darrin Scott being promoted and his father Joe Scott once being in the department and also at one time a city councilman. Albero seems to have some dislike for Darrin because of his promotion. Having known Darrin for many, many years I can attest to his ability as a firefighter and an officer. His father, Joe Scott was also and officer for a period of time and his abilities were equally as good. It appears to me that the acorn fell very close to the tree and Darrin is filling his Dad’s shoes quite nicely. Joe certainly has a lot to be proud of in Darrin. Albero speaks disparagingly of Darrin when in fact I doubt that he even knows him.

Again it appears Albero is depending on the dregs of the department for information. Dregs far to recreant to stand and speak for him or herself, engage in any appeal process to address their grievances, or accept what they have earned, which is obviously not enough for promotion. This is not determined by a singular entity in the department, but by a panel of their peers.

Their only semi-intelligent act is to engage Albero to speak for them so they can, through Albero, remain anonymous. I fear they are only fooling themselves on that matter. Time will tell.

Additionally I would like to thank the folks who have commented favorably in my behalf over the watch desk issue. I appreciate the fact that common sense prevails over speculation.

Friday, October 19, 2007

St Albans Raid 1864

Under the leadership of Confederate Lieutenant Bennett Young, 21 cavalrymen staged 3 armed bank robberies in the town of St. Albans, Vermont on October 19th, 1864.

The troupe had assembled in Canada and the overall plan was to make a series of raids across the border in order to gain funds to finance the South. Their total take for the robberies was just over $200,000. Quite a tidy sum in 1864. Additionally Young ordered the town to be burned but the “Greek Fire” the raiders used failed and ultimately only one shed was destroyed.

Young and his raiders fled back to Canada and were arrested. A court in Canada refused to extradite them stating that the men were under Military orders and Canada’s neutrality prohibited such an action. All the raiders were freed but nearly $90,000 recovered from them was returned to the Vermont.

Battle of Cedar Creek

Confederate General Jubal Early mounts a surprise attack against the forces of Union General Philip Sheridan. Sheridan rallies his troops, avoids disaster and nearly destroys Early’s army

In the summer of 1864 Early moved his army effortlessly in and around the Shenandoah Valley. General Grant found this to be a very distracting set of circumstances as it prevented him from focusing his full attention to General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Petersburg. Grant ordered Sheridan to the Shenandoah to take care of Early and his pesky presence.

Sheridan defeated Early’s army at Winchester, Fischer's Hill, and Tom's Brook. Sheridan's troops also made theirselves busy destroying the crop harvest in the area in order to deny food to Lee's army.

Sheridan was returning from a Military Conference in D.C. when on the morning of October 19th, Early launched his surprise attack. The Rebels drove the Yankees back several miles and it appeared they may have been defeated. Despite the urgings of his advisors to press on, Early slowed his attack by midday. Sheridan, returning from the conference in D.C. heard the battle from Winchester and began an impassioned ride to the front 12-miles away. As Sheridan neared the battle he met his retreating troops and rallied them to return to the battlefield and regroup for a counterattack.
Sheridan orchestrated his counterattack by 4 p.m., and it was devastating.
Sheridan lost 5,500 out of 31,000 troops. Early lost almost 3,000 of the 22,000 men in his command.
Sheridan succeeded in capturing almost all of Early’s artillery in the counterattack. It was the last major battle in the campaign, and Early was never able to mount a serious offensive again.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Albero Gloats Over Nothing

Albero apparently feels he has accomplished a magnificent feat by identifying my screen name over on “The Watchdesk”. I subscribed to that BLOG in November of 2003 with the screen name “spoteddog”. My love for Dalmatians is well known. When the “Great Salisbury Fireman’s Muster” was up and running I organized and ran the Dalmatian show for that event for several years. My friends and acquaintances know I currently own two Dalmatians. It makes it easy to figure out who I am and I have never denied my identity on that BLOG. However Albero seems to be gloating in the fact that through his spineless informants he has “investigated” and discovered something that has been known for 3 years ands 11 months. Sherlock Holmes must be turning over in his grave.

Albero is so short sighted he apparently doesn’t realize that his moles are using him as a pawn to further their agenda against the SFD administration. Albero claims to have an emphatic abhorrence for anonymous posting on his BLOG, but in reality by relying on information from these vacillating vermin he has provided the best alibi possible for them to avoid the consequences of their lies and misinformation with him being the pseudo anonymous poster. Albero has nothing to fear for posting such balderdash. In truth he has nothing to gain except some self-satisfaction for creating dissention in a municipality where he has no voice except on his BLOG. That and stirring the emotions of a few insignificant disciples within the city limits that so far have caused much less irritation than a fleabite on an elephant.

Boasting and gloating about common knowledge of identities seems to be the current root of Albero’s self-satisfaction.

I guess it’s better than going blind or growing hair on his palms.

Blast Out Cancer

A “Relay for Life” event.

4th Annual Blast Out Cancer Sporting Clay Shoot will be held on Sunday Oct. 21 @ Owens Station Sporting Clay Range in Greenwood Delaware.

Registration is 9:00 – 1:00.

Entry fee is $75.00 (includes lunch).

Top Gun wins a Winchester Super X2 Sporting Clay Gun w/ 30 in. barrels and walnut stock.

Other prizes will also be awarded.

All proceeds benefit American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.


See ya There!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry

Today in 1859 abolitionist John Brown lead a small group on a raid against the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia,in an attempt to incite an insurrection and destroy the institution of slavery.

After failing in business and declaring bankruptcy at age 42, Browns life changed dramatically when he attended an abolition meeting in Cleveland. He was so moved by the meeting he publicly announced his dedication to the destruction of slavery.
Brown, with five of his sons became part of the “Bloody Kansas” era of the early 1850’s. By 1857, Brown returned to the East and began raising money to carry out his vision of a massive uprising of slaves. After securing financial backing of prominent abolitionists, he assembled his invasion force of 22 men
On the night of October 16, Brown and his band overran the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. A handful of hostages, including a few slaves were rounded up. Brown and his small band took refuge in the firehouse at Harpers Ferry. By the morning of October 17th Federal authorities had Brown surrounded and demanded his surrender. Brown refused. The officers of this company of U.S. marines were none other than Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart. On the morning of October 19, the soldiers overran Brown and his band. Ten of his men were killed, including two of his sons. Brown was seriously wounded in the short battle. So serious in fact that when the state of Virginia tried him for treason and murder, he attended the trial on a cot set up in the court room and was often to fatigued to participate in his own defense. Brown was found guilty on November 2. He went to the gallows on December 2, 1859.
Just prior to his execution Brown prophesied, “ … the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood."
Although Brown’s raid failed, it helped to make any further accommodation between North and South nearly impossible and thus became an important catalyst of the Civil War.


Colonel Lee and Lt. Stuart, the couragous officer that ended Browns raid, later resigned their Federal commissions to serve in the confederate army.

Albero's Promotional Mis-Information

In Albero’s post “Terry Cohen Discusses Racial Workforce Diversity”, he continues his rhapsody in the matter of the Salisbury Fire Department promotions. Instead of taking an objective stance on the issue and attempting to get the true and complete story he has chosen the perplexing views of a few and has used their take on the process to take issue with the administration. I am sure if the truth would be told those feeding moldy fodder to Albero are some of the many passed over for these promotions. I am very accurately informed there were 14 candidates for 3 available positions.

A commenter identified as “ratchief” has taken Albero to task on this posting. With his permission ratchief has graciously permitted me to use his real name. He is Assistant Chief Jimmy Gladwell. I have know Chief Gladwell for many years and I can assure you he is a man of truth and integrity. Chief Gladwell sat on the review board of all the candidates that interviewed for these promotions. A short list of criteria considered is education, time in service, annual performance reviews, general observation of the candidate both in an emergency situations and in general duties in and around the stations, and the candidate must attend an oral interview and answer questions presented by the board. The candidates are graded equally and in the end recommendations are presented to Administration for promotion.

Granted the Chief may have the final say and probably has the authority to promote anyone he sees fit. But if that were the case why is there a review board in place with guidelines to follow? To what end would it serve the Chief to dismiss the boards finding and promote at his discretion. THAT would be the “Good Ole Boy” system Albero touts as being the case here. A/C Gladwell has assured me each candidate is very much aware why he or she was passed over for promotion. Should any of the candidates not understand they should seek out A/C Gladwell or other members of the board and ask for clarification

Up until recently Albero has mocked, taunted, made fun of and generally attempted to put Shannie Shields in bad light at any opportunity. Now she apparently can be an ally to Albero. He has claimed to sit down “one on one” with her to discuss the promotional process with in the department. With all due respect to Ms. Shields I doubt she has much more knowledge of the process than Albero. I would imagine however that she would objectively look into the process before making any rash and only slightly accurate statements. Ms. Shields, as I understand it, does not read the BLOGS. Maybe someone should enlighten her about some of the disparaging remarks and uncomplimentary photos Albero has posted about her in the past. If that were to occur I am sure her objectivity in fact finding would intensify.

Albero has been offered an opportunity to meet with A/C Gladwell and in a civil manner to discuss the promotion process. Albero has refused to do so. Instead he has found that by focusing on a single issue the dissention he creates here better serves his vendetta against the city. That issue being a non-exsistant race card.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Pocomoke Firemans Muster

After a leisurely breakfast at Peaky’s in Princess Anne this morning, we headed for Pocomoke City for the second annual Fireman’s muster there today. We didn’t get far. Just south of ECI when the English’s restaurant used to be there was apparently a pretty bad auto accident. We weren’t close enough to see much except the helicopter landing. After a little jockeying we got turned around and took the long route cross-country to Pocomoke. We made it just in time to watch the last event of the day.
The crowd was small but very enthusiastic. We didn’t stay for the award ceremony but if Ladies team from Pocomoke faired as well earlier in the day as they did for the final event they took top honors. Bet the guys are gonna hang their heads for long time over that one. The ladies came to play hard, and play hard they did.

Congrats Ladies

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Salisbury's Most Wanted

Albero has posted a link to the list of wanted subjects in the Salisbury area. I cannot help but notice all of the individuals listed are African American. Is this racist? Were they denied a promotion in SFD? Has Albero made ammends with Chief Webster and is now the exclusive poster of Salisbury's Most Wanted?

I can hardley contain myself awaiting answers.

Maryland Renaissance Faire

As I attended the truck show today my spouse and three of her co-workers attended the Maryland Renaissance Faire in Crownsville. The weather was absolutely perfect. They arrived fairly early and got a good parking spot. The crowd was relatively light until around noon and then things picked up a bit. On her departure the parking was quite distant from the main gate.

The ladies had a wonderful time and I think plans are already in the works for a return visit next year. Possibly they will take pity on me and invite me along.

The spouse offers these tips.

Dress in such a way to adjust for temperature changes. It was cooler early in the day and warmed up later. Ladies---no purses, they get in the way. Fanny-packs are a good choice. Wear shoes! Sneakers are fine but sandals and flip-flops are not conducive to the terrain. Arrive early. The parking is much better.

There are still a 3 weekends left for the Faire this year. Check this link for more information.

http://www.rennfest.com/index.shtml

Antique Truck Show--Pocomoke Fireman's Muster

The antique truck show held today at the Redmen’s Lodge in Fruitland was certainly a sight to see. At 12:00 there were nearly a hundred vehicles on the grounds. To see the magnificent restoration done on some of these trucks is almost beyond belief. It is truly a labor of love to these owners.

The Redmen were serving oyster sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers. The oysters were quite tasty. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon meeting and talking to old friends and making new ones.

Same time next year if you missed it today.

Tomorrow in Pocomoke City, The Pocomoke Fireman’s Muster Association will host its second annual Fireman’s Muster and Olympics. This is a spin off from the Great Salisbury Fireman’s Muster that closed down a couple of years ago. I missed last year’s event in Pocomoke but I was told all had fun. Plenty of food vendors and activities for the kids are also on the agenda. Hope to see you there.

Friday, October 12, 2007

The Passing of General Robert E. Lee

Today, in 1870, General Robert E. Lee succumbed to the effects of a stroke he had suffered two weeks prior. He was 63 years old.

Lee graduated from West Point with the class of 1829. He graduated with the rare distinction of having never received a single demerit. Lee, a colonel in the Union Army, resigned his commission when Virginia seceded from the Union. He became an advisor to the confederacy in Richmond. He assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia in 1862 when General Joseph Johnston was wounded in the Peninsula Campaign during the Battle of Seven Pines.

Lee’s aggressive campaign kept the Union Army on the defensive for over a year. Although widely debated it is generally agreed that after Lee failed to completely subdue the Union Army at Antietam and Gettysburg, the Army of Northern Virginia began to falter. Grant’s victory at Vicksburg the day following Gettysburg and the subsequent “March to the Sea” by Sherman sealed the fate of Lee’s Army and he surrendered in April of 1865 at Appomattox Courthouse Virginia.

After the war Lee became the president of Washington College in Lexington Virginia. Under his leadership the school grew from a few dozen students to well over 300. After his death the school changed it’s name to Washington-Lee University and is still operating to this day. A fitting testament to one of America’s Greatest Leaders.

Don't Forget! Antique Truck Show This Saturday.

Eastern Shore Chaper of the Antique Truck Clubs of America will have it's show this Saturday at the Redmens Lodge in Fruitland.

See you There!

Things that Make You go Hmmmm

I certainly hope that the public at large is able to see what Albero is trying to do here. His factless insinuations about the Salisbury Fire Department in the past has failed so miserably he has now employed the race card in an effort to stir the emotions of all who read these BLOGS. Let us look carefully at what has happened.

1) The Chief has made promotions.
2) There are more candidates than positions.
3) Not everyone is satisfied, (surprise, surprise)
4) Albero takes the word of his moles to disseminate semi-factual information.
5) A posting of photos of a fire department vehicle at the City Solicitors office and a proclamation of “damage control” concerning the promotions. As if this is the only issue currently before the city attorney concerning the fire department.
6) Albero allows anonymous comments on his BLOG. A practice he has abhorred in the past but now uses to his advantage.
7) A collage of comments clearly orchestrated and co-coordinated by an apocryphal group of posters using the same tone and vernacular of the one and only Albero.
8) Finally---Un-solicited denial by Albero of his involvement in the posting of anonymous comments.

I will not defend nor denounce any of the promotions. Although I still am interested in the Salisbury Fire Department, I have not been privy to any information concerning personnel in many years, and I do not wish to be. If Albero has that privileged information than it has been given to him illegally and the consequences of that remain to be seen.

Consider the following of Albero's past fulminations.

Albero hates the Mayor.
Albero hates the Police Chief.
Albero hates John Jacobs because he was Jim Rapps boss.
Albero hates Jim Rapp.
Albero hates John Pick.
Albero hates Paul Wilber.
Albero hates Shannie Shields, unless it’s to his advantage otherwise.
Albero hates Louise Smith.
Albero hates the Fire Chief.
Albero hates the Deputy Fire Chief.
Albero seems to hate anyone of authority in the City of Salisbury. I think Freud had a name for that but it currently escapes me.

I leave it to you the citizens with common sense to analyze and compare the rhetoric of Albero and the simple common sense concepts I have provided here. I will further provide you with three words:

For Albero---Self Sensationalism.

For Albero and his egotistical posters--- Envy

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Fire Department Bashing by Albero

I have read with great interest the comments and post Albero has made in the last couple days concerning the Chief of the Hebron Fire Department and the promotions with in the Salisbury Fire Department. Unlike Albero having thousands of e-mails, (snicker) and no spam or junk mail (snicker, snicker), I have received six e-mails and have been approached a number of times either in person or by phone asking why I have not responded to either issue. The truth is—Why should I?

Anyone with any degree of intelligence can easily see that Albero’s information is coming from another site that has a questionable credibility at best and from his moles with-in the department(s) in question.
One needs only to stop---let the emotions ebb and allow the righteous acuity afforded to most prevail. With that simple action alone, much of Albero’s information and self-proclamation of truth is easily dismissed as hearsay and speculation.
In an earlier post Albero has freely admitted not to be a member of any fire department and has no desire to become one. This said, after several invitations by another BLOGGER for him to do so. That being said, Albero by his own words has not walked the walk he has so often accused others of not doing.

I was not present, nor was I listening to the alarm in which the Chief of Hebron Fire Department was been accused of wrong doing.
IF, that issue is as it has been presented, than it is a serious infraction and it is up to that department to make the necessary amends. Under the current system in place no one else in the county has any authority to address the issue. That of course providing an incident does not occur that requires by law another agency to intervene.
IF, that should happen than I will freely admit the problem will have probably exceeded any reformation on a local level.
What I feel is important now is that it is not up to Albero or anyone else to air out that alleged infraction on this or any other site.
IF, it is of such a concern to Albero than I suggest he seek proper indemnification through a venue that can provide a determinative solution. Assuredly that will not be done on this or any other BLOG.


I know most the men that were promoted in the Salisbury Fire Dept recently. Each of them are fine men with experience and education. I am not privy to their personnel files and neither is Albero. Albero has not worked with any of these men, at least not within the fire department and I doubt he has any knowledge of their habits, work ethics or actual abilities with-in the department except by the drivel fed to him by his bereaved informants who have little credibility of their own. This I do know. There were only a certain amount of promotions available, and more than enough qualified applicants to fill the positions. Somebody had to sit out. Such is the nature of the beast. You cannot invent positions to create rank. The system will not allow it. If Albero is such the successful businessman he claims to be than he should know this. Even the production of light bulbs will only allow so many supervisors. Longevity and education are not the only criteria to consider.

There is in place a grievance process, which can be pursued, by any of the candidates for the positions available. If that process is not satisfactory the individual(s) can and should petition Local 4246 for advice. If the candidate is not a member of the Local than he/she can seek outside legal assistance. Options are there. Fortitude to pursue them is another issue.

Such are my comments on the recent Fire Department issues. Basically, I have no comment. Moreover, neither does Albero.

However, that certainly doesn’t stop him now does it?




As an afterthought I wish to add one more thing. Albero, after making a great to do about allowing anonymous comments on his BLOG, continues to berate those that choose to post as such. This is such a hoot because anyone can invent a screen name and post just as anonymously. I have never reveled my real name, not have I ever denied it when asked. So allow me to make it public now.

My name is Joe Perdue. I am retired from the Salisbury Fire Department with 28 years service. I retired as a Captain. I was an instructor for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute, University of Maryland for 15 years. I have volunteered in two other departments in Wicomico County and I am on the Honorary Roles of fire departments in Wicomico & Somerset County.

Although I still have a great interest in the fire dept I devote much of my time to my wife and our home. We constantly explore new interests. We share as much as our lives together as we can. Family & friends, shotgun sports, history, and charity events top the list. In particular we contribute to many Cancer charity events, as I am a two time survivor of this dreaded disease.
I make allowances for her career and she makes allowances for my leisure. It’s a good balance. (LOL)

Want to know more? Feel free to e-mail. dalpuppy2000@yahoo.com. This is the e-mail I use for this BLOG. My primary e-mail, which many of you may already have, is for business and personal use only. Any mail received at that address concerning this BLOG will be ignored.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Albero has returned!

After spending a week or so making a 6-year olds dream come true, (which is quite commendable) Albero has returned. Working on merely 4 hours sleep and sifting through thousands of E-mails (How many zeros is that Albero) he has successful drawn on all his inerudite principles of decency to attack me again. In another supreme effort to discredit the facts I have brought forth he has resorted to name calling and jejune exclamations of effrontery.

SO THERE!

Possibly excessive time spent recently with a six year old created a regression of his cerebral Neurotransmitters. However it is difficult to continue going backwards when you’re already against the wall.

My post on Station 16 merely pointed out a few of the flaws in the building in an effort to explain that renovation would not be as easy or as affordable as Albero believes. He has easily missed the point on many of the issues I have posted. In fact Albero has selectively refused to address many of the issues stated. He has informed me to leave renovation to those that know the business. His expertise in renovation is blatantly evident in the building in Powellville that is now falling into disrepair and has all but become an eyesore to the community. Boast on Albero, that monument to your savvy business sense boldly stands.

I will leave your recent comments stand even with the name-calling I usually delete. I do so merely to let you continue to prove to the BLOGOSPHERE how juvenile you are when you are unable to repudiate what it laid squarely in your lap.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Antique Truck Show 10/13 in Fruitland

On Saturday October 13 the Eastern Shore Chapter of the Antique Truck Clubs of America will hold it’s annual truck show at the Redmen’s Lodge in Fruitland MD. Admission is free. Food and Beverages will be on sale by the Redmen’s Lodge. The event will be held rain or shine.

There will be some really beautiful restored trucks on display.
Please stop by and take a look.

Friday, October 5, 2007

U. of Del. Sporting Clay Shoot

The University of Delaware Ag Alumni will sponsor their 2007 annual Sporting Clay Shoot on Sunday, October 7th at Owens Station in Greenwood Delaware. In the past the entry fee for this event includes a free T-shirt, lunch (food by Em-ings), door prizes for most, and a pretty decent purse for the winners of the event. Scoring for the main event is done by the Lewis system, and a buy-in for side Lewis purse is available. All in all it is a great event and a welcome break from the bicycle invasion at SSU in Salisbury this weekend. Shoot starts at 9 am and all shooters must be on the field by 1 pm. Proceeds from this event go the a scholarship fund for U. of Del. agriculture program. A very worthy cause helping to educate future farmers.

We have attended this event for several years now and have yet to be disappointed.
See you there!

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Dry Wells

It occurs to me that little has been said recently about the dry well situation in Somerset and Wicomico Counties. There was a huge uproar a few weeks ago and much blame was placed on ECI and a local sod farm. While these two entities may be partially to blame I believe much more blame should be laid squarely in the laps of developers. I am not convinced that ECI and the sod farm together uses as much water and taxes the aquifers any more than the hundreds and hundreds of new homes needing wells.

I recently heard from a source I trust that the sod farm is within the law concerning their wells. My source claims to have seen the paperwork to substantiate such. It seems the paperwork is not available (lost) in the offices where the public has access to those records. If I can find out more on this I will certainly expound on it.

It is my understanding that ECI has been ordered to reduce water consumption by a huge percentage. Hopefully they can meet the goals set forth without endangering the population in the facility. Using less water may mean less cleaning and fewer or shorter showers for the inmates. The results could possibly lead to a breeding ground of bacteria and the propagation of disease. This will only increase the over all cost of medical care for the inmates and endanger the officers and staff of the facility. Regardless of the reasons for an inmate to be incarcerated, there are some basic human rights that must be afforded to everyone. Being able to clean their environment and have showers is included.

With that in mind I would like to toss out and idea for the water problem at ECI. The U.S. Navy next year will launch the last of the Nimitz class aircraft carriers. The U.S.S. George W. Bush (CVN 77) will have a compliment of 6000 personnel. Desalination and distillation plants on board this craft will be able to supply 400,000 gals of fresh water daily to the ship. On average this is enough water to supply 2000 homes.
ECI is not that far from the Manokin River. Why is it not possible for the State to build such a plant and pipe fresh water to the storage tank already located on the property? Of course there is the initial outlay for the plant and the continued maintenance of the system, but much of those maintenance costs are incurred now with the present system. Besides, I can think of a lot more money the State has wasted on less important issues. This too would take some of the strain off of the aquifer.

(The above information about the U.S.S George W. Bush came from the Northop Gruman website)