What a Surprise

I am not sure which aspect of this story is more surprising; the fact that Martin O'Malley's administration authorized the spending of Homeland Security dollars on duffle bags and polo shirts, or the fact that the Sun buried the story on Page A8.

If O'Malley's administration is spending their Homeland Security dollars on this kind of stuff, perhaps the Mayor's comments about not having enough Homeland Security funding lose a touch of credibility.

Of course, we know that if this had been something done by a Republican, it would have been splashed with a banner headline on the front page.

It Could be Worse...

While the Orioles injuries have been frustrating, it is good to realize that it could be worse. Check out the Nationals transaction ledger from their website; they have made 11 seperate roster moves this week.

What's next for Europe?

That is the question that will more than likely be asked after the French referendum on the EU Constitution is held on Sunday. French supporters already are conceding defeat according to the Times of London.

I never saw a way that the EU would be able to survive as a state-like entity given the paramaters of the Constitution. Parts of the constitution were anathema to our own Constitution (such as certain individual rights that were delegated from the government). Others were just bulky, such as a joint EU foreign policy.

The EU Constitution was destined to fail from the outset. There are a litany of reasons in this Wikipedia article that deal with their document. The subjugation of state sovereignty for the overall good of a Continental entity makes little sense in Europe. How long will it be, if a document similar to the current document is passed, before one of the sovereign states drastically opposes continental policy?

Additionally, how can any legitimate modern day document not contain a provision for such basic human rights as habeas corpus?

One other reason for the EU Constitution should fail? The US Constitution is 4,600 words. The EU Constitution is 324 pages. The ultimate triumph of big government.

It is interesting to think, however, about the wide ranging diversity of linguistic and cultural differences that exists in Europe. It is a wonder they made it this far.

Caught in Traffic

Traffic cameras are not a fun first-hand experience; especially in the District of Columbia. Tom Knott's column in today's Washington Times made me think a little more about the issue today.

The truth is that traffic cameras are not safe in either red-light camera or speed camera varieties that they have in the District. Traffic along New York Avenue and the 3rd Street, in particular, slows to a crawl as vehicles rapidly decelrate to the 45 MPH speed limit in and around the camera zone. This causes a dangerous situation of cars slamming on their brakes, increasing the likelihood of accidents. Even if there are no accidents, traffic comes to screaching halt, creating other additional problems for neighborhoods, commuters, and the environment.

Red-light cameras are no picnic either. I was the victim of one in Arlington County, Virginia a few years ago. I had a choice; take the risk of running the light, or potentially being rear-ended by a tractor trailer. I made the safe choice and wound up with a ticket. Other people do not make the safe choice, slam on their brakes, and causes a nightmare of problems.

Maryland has several jurisdictions with red-light cameras, but no speed cameras yet. Thankfully, Governor Ehrlich recently vetoed a bill that would have allowed speed cameras in Montgomery County. He vetoed a similar statewide bill in 2003. His extensive veto message to Speaker Busch was especially on target: in many aspects, notably dealing with public safety

Although proponents assert this bill will improve traffic safety, the evidence on this issue is incomplete. There has been little study of the effectiveness of speed cameras on improving traffic safety. At present, the Transportation Research Board is undertaking a comprehensive study of this issue. On a related issue, Virginia recently refused to reauthorize the use of red light cameras based on a study showing that the use of such cameras increased the risk of accidents. Therefore, it is appropriate to await the results of a thorough study before concluding that speed cameras improve traffic safety.

But the Governor's message also talks about the real reason for these cameras:

The Fiscal and Policy Note to House Bill 443 states that for Montgomery County “revenues would increase significantly and expenditures would also increase.” In fiscal year 2006 revenues are estimated to be $6.3 million, with expenditures of $4.6 million. As the experience in the District of Columbia clearly shows, once a jurisdiction begins to use the cameras and receives the increased revenues, expanding the program becomes a logical progression. As the experience with the District of Columbia also shows, the rationale for the expansion may be purely monetary.

Traffic laws are already in place. We have police officers to enforce them. We do not need cameras watching over this aspect of our lives for the sole purpose of revenue enhancement, especially in the wake of the danger situations that these cameras create.

The Impossible Possible

If you ever get discouraged that a situation between disparate sides has rendered an outcome nearly hopeless, do not fret. Joe Manchin, the Governor of West Virginia has managed to get Marshall and West Virginia to play each other in football every year from 2006-2012. This was actually one of Manchin's campaign promises when he ran for Governor last year.

Let us hope that our officials can take inspiration from the story and make a slots deal happen.

So much for talking about catchers...

The same day I write about the need to drop one of our catchers, Javier Lopez gets hurt. Go figure.

Javy's abscence from the lineup will be a greater test for the Orioles than the abscence of Sammy Sosa was. Lopez's trip to the DL means that Geronimo Gil or Sal Fasano will be playing everybody.With Sosa's abscence, there will still plenty of atbats for Gibbons, Surhoff, and eventually Fiorentino in the outfield. But nobody is going to confuse Gil or Fasano of them with Javy Lopez while up to bat.

And as if the loss of Lopez did not hurt enough, it turns out Erik Bedard is going to the DL as well. We will get to see what heralded youngster Hayden Penn can do when he makes his Major League debut Saturday.

We will have to wait and see what happens when the Orioles are finished with the Mariners and Tigers this week, and travel to Boston for four games on Memorial Day. The good news is that after the Red Sox series, the O's play four straight series against the four worst teams in the National League.

Filibuster Thoughts

I was never a fan of the rule changes proposed regarding judicial filibusters. However, Senate Republicans really could not forsee the deal struck by some of their colleagues. The deal negotiated by John McCain calling for Democrats to allow up or down votes on only three of the President's nominees with no guarantee to avoid a filibuster on the other two nominees.

The good news is that Judges Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor are going to be confirmed with an up-or-down vote in a short period of time. But I do not think for a minute that the Democrats will use call for "Extraordinary Circumstances" at the first opportunity.

The only person that really benefits from this agreement is Senator McCain if he plans on making another run for the White House in 2008.

As opposed to the so-called "nuclear option", the filibuster does need to be restored to the way it was. Until rules changes in the 1960's, the Jimmy Strewart Mr. Smith Goes to Washington style filibuster was the norm. Only Senate rule changes allowed issues to be "filibustered" while allowing the Senate to continue to conduct business on other matters.

If an issue is important enough for one side to filisbuster, that side should be forced to take the floor and ensure that their side does not relinquish control of the floor in order to delay legislation. The filibuster at its finest. That is the true filisbuster reform the Senate needs. Do not take away the filibuster on any particular issue; restore it to the way it used to be.

Third Catcher Needs to Go

Sammy Sosa is supposed to come off of the Disabled List today for the Orioles, and hopefully Lee Mazzilli and the Front Office will send one of the team's extra catchers down to Ottawa. I loved the concept of carrying three catchers during the recent stretch where the Birds had the opportunity to rest Javy Lopez either by having a full day off or by allowing him to DH. This concept worked until Keith Reed was sent to Ottawa on Friday, and replaced by James Baldwin.
Having 12 pitchers and three catchers on your staff seriously hinders your bench flexibility.

Additonally, sending a catacher (likely Sal Fasano) down will allow Jeff Fiorentino to remain on the team. Fiorentino has hit .313 since being recalled from Frederick; he has earned his spot for the time being. Keeping Fiorentino on the roster also allows him to hit 2nd, which provides a good contact hitter between Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora at the top of the order.

Now if we can only get the starting pitching squared away again...

Congress needs to drop Steroid Issue

It looks like Congress is going to introduce legislation that will enact stiff penalties for the use of steroid in professional athletics. The country is fighting a war on terror. Judges are still being held up in the Senate. There is an impending crisis in Social Security. Illegal immigration is still a major problem. But the House is obviously dealing with the important issues first...

The fact of the matter remains that this bill is a big-government bill. These sports already have policies in place to deal with the steroid issue. Several sports, particularly baseball, are looking to strengthen their steroid policies. What business does Congress really have in sticking their noses in their business practices?

Are steroids a problem in sports? Absolutelely .But Congress already took action on the Steroid issue when Steroids were added to the list of controlled substances. Why should Congress take the lead in making sure that players who are caught using steroid suspended? Congress should be asking why more athletes caught using the drugs have not been prosecuted.

Congress really needs to deal with the important issues facing our nation, and not create a bipartisan effort to pass a feel-good bill on a popular issue.

Paranoid

Mayor O'Malley is making new wild accusations towards the Ehrlich Administration in regards to WBAL's report from earlier today.

"There's a big difference between public wonderings about a young couple thrust into the spotlight of being the city's first family, and a premeditated, orchestrated and relentless campaign run by dirty trick operatives close to the governor funded on state taxpayer dollars," O'Malley said at a City Hall news conference.

"I'm calling upon the governor to end this cowardly abuse of power. I'm calling upon the governor to fire the remaining members of his taxpayer financed dirty tricks team. And I'm calling on the governor to stop right now the politics of character smear and character assassination that apparently he learned at the elbow of Newt Gingrich," the mayor said.

The Mayor has lost control. He has no evidence that the administration is behind any of this. On top of it, he is now blaming the Ehrlich Administration for a quote that Judge O'Malley volunteered to the Post five years ago.

What is the true stroy? Who knows? The Mayor said that he has been faithful to his wife, and I take him at his word in regards to that.

But Mayor O'Malley is backtracking in a major way, and still trying to deflect blame to the Ehrlich Administration. The fact of the matter is that the rumors did not originate with the Ehrlich Administration; this is political ancient history and they have been discussed long before the Ehrlich Administration took office. This story is far from over...

Who will they blame now?

WBAL Radio is reporting that the first public mention of rumors about Mayor O'Malley's infidelity came from a noticeably Democratic source:

Five years ago, Catherine Curran “Katie” O’Malley, the wife of Baltimore’s mayor, was discussing rumors of an affair with a newspaper reporter.

On March 10, 2000, the Washington Post ran an article on the front page of its Style section, headlined “Charm City’s Mr. Charming; Mayor O’Malley Cheers Baltimore On”

The Post reported the following exchange:

Katie O'Malley found it "demeaning" to see herself in print as "the pretty wife," but her husband can't seem to help himself from crowing over her. "I am the luckiest guy," says O'Malley, and his slate-blue eyes glint.

"Well, I'm glad he feels that way," says his wife, by telephone a few days later. "It helps offset the rumors."

Rumors? What rumors?

"That he's running around on me. That he's been running around on me for years," she says.

Who says this? "Oh, I don't know," says the mayor's wife. "Opponents, I guess, from when he was a councilman."

Pause. The reporter offers that the mayor seems like he wouldn't have the time. "That's exactly what Martin always says," says the mayor's wife, who is also a crack prosecutor who would never say something in open court if she didn't want it out there.

It was the Washington Post that broke the story on February 9, 2005, that Joseph Steffen, an aide to Governor Robert Ehrlich, had been discussing the affair rumors on an internet site. Steffen admitted to his involvement and was fired by Ehrlich. While that article described the rumors as being “widespread,” it never referenced the years-old comments by Katie O’Malley. The mayor's wife is now a Baltimore judge.

Appearing in front of Baltimore City Hall after the story was published, Mayor O’Malley, flanked by his wife, called the rumors “sustained…orchestrated… and relentless.” Both said they had started hearing the rumors about 18 months ago.

Looks like this story got a lot more interesting. But the question I have for the Mayor and his wife is: why lie during the press conference. If the rumors have dogged them for over five years, as it clearly has thanks to this Post story, why say that they had been hearing them for only 18 months?

I wonder who they are going to blame for this now. The plan to deflect blame solely to the Ehrlich Administration has backfired considering that Governor Ehrlich was still Congressman Ehrlich at the time (He was still more than two years away from announcing his decision to run for Governor when the article was published).

Will Mfume Matter?

Democratic Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume held a news conference yesterday to discuss his affair with a former staffer at the NAACP. The news conference was curious in its quick timing, and because Mfume himself said just two weeks ago that he would at no point address the then unsubstantiated allegations.

The timing makes one wonder whether or not Mfume will really matter in the upcoming Democratic Senate primary. Just last month, Tom Dennison from the Montgomery Gazette wrote a story indicating that Democrats were not taking the Mfume Candidacy seriously, deciding to line their support up behind Congressman Ben Cardin. Cardin is perceived to have a better chance of retaining the seat for the Democrats against the likely Republican standard-bearer, Lt. Governor Michael Steele.

Should Mfume matter in a Democratic primary? Absolutely. He has an interesting personal story. He has been a City Councilman, a Congressman, and the President of the national NAACP. He has the bona fides to be a serious contender. But will Democratic insiders and primary voters look past the personal problems from his past? It is hard to say this far out from Election Day.

Mfume will have an effect on the primary, regardless of who else enters the race, if only because of the demographics of Democratic Primary Voters. But Mfume has a pretty long road to haul if he is going to be a serious contender to win the nomination.

On top of that, either Cardin or Mfume will have a tough tough battle against the Lt. Governor. We are fortunate that Marylanders are finally ready, after electing a Republican Governor, to consider returning a Republican to the U.S. Senate for the first time since Senator Mac Mathias retired in 1987.

An Electoral Gimmick

Last week, Martin O'Malley decided that slots would be a good thing for the people of Baltimore, particularly in order to save the Preakness. I just wonder how that characterization by O'Malley differs from when he referred to slots as a "gambling gimmick." What made O'Malley change his mind.

If O'Malley is going to campaign in a Kerry-esque manner as it regards to flip-flopping on issues, he will not be long for this Governor's race. And if the average Democratic primary voter is as vehemently anti-slots as some would have us belief, he may not make it past Doug Duncan in the Democratic primary.

Maybe the O'Malley flip-flop is an "Electoral Gimmick."

They Don't Know Jack

Noontime yesterday, the lights dimmed on WQSR. Infinity pulled the plug on the longtime Baltimore oldies station and replaced it with "102.7 JACK-FM; Playing What We Want."

The continued homoginization of radio continues. It is humorous that the format is portrayed as anti-establishment and defying the notion of playlists when Inifinity uses the JACK-FM format in at least a dozen other markets, every one of them using the same style logo. Corporate radio is the reason that consumers continue to purchase iPods and similar personal devices. The irony being that the JACK format, created as radio's answer to the iPod format, will likely drive more and more people to purchasing their own devices.

And Baltimore loses another good station.

Speaking of the Sun

The Sun has now decided that on its website that stories of a certain length will be split amongst several pages, so the reader has to endure multiple clicks to read and entire article. The move is revenue driven, the amount the paper makes in internet advertising increases with more page views. But I do not think that it is going to replace the revenue from the recently reported 11.8% decrease in circulation (that publishers are blaming on the Do Not Call List, and not the ever deteriorating quality of the paper).

The Sun Rediscovers Federalism

I was amazed this morning to discover that the Editorial Page of the Sun rediscovered federalism this morning in regards to the REAL ID bill that is moving through Congress. To a certain extent the Sun is correct; the federal government sohuld not get in the business of implying uniform standards, nor should the feds be involved in stroing such documentation in a centralized computer. That concept reaks of Big Brotherism.

Just to keep with tradition, the views of the Sun regarding their perceptions of motivations surrounding immigrants are incredibly off-base in the tradition that we are accustom to with Sun editorials. I just wonder if the Sun will embrace the idea of federalism when other, more liberally slanted issues come before Congress.