Manufactured Outrage

Leftist Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the newly created University of California, Irvine School of Law is an interesting fellow. Not because he is described as a constitutional law expert, but because of his manufactured outrage when it comes to judicial activism:

The Supreme Court's invalidation of the District of Columbia's handgun ban powerfully shows that the conservative rhetoric about judicial restraint is a lie. In striking down the law, Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion, joined by the court's four other most conservative justices, is quite activist in pursuing the conservative political agenda of protecting gun owners.

If the terms "judicial activism" and "judicial restraint" have any meaning, it is that a court is activist when it is invalidating laws and overruling precedent, and restrained when deferring to popularly elected legislatures and following prior decisions.

Never before had the Supreme Court found that the Second Amendment bestows on individuals a right to have guns. In fact, in 1939 (and other occasions), the court rejected this view. In effectively overturning these prior decisions, the court both ignored precedent and invalidated a law adopted by a popularly elected government.

And the article goes on like this in a relatively uneducated line of thinking.

What's humorous is that the generally accepted view of judicial activism is that such activism creates rights or constitutional violations out of thin air without regard to the Constitution. Regardless of your position on the issues, such creation of rights existed with issues such as abortion and as with gay marriage: courts magically created these rights out of thin air without any Constitutional citation. It's hard to interpret the Second Amendment as it is written and say that such right is being created out.

It seems like a lot of Chemerinsky's beef seems to be that the court in Heller overruled precedent. And I have always found the reliance on precedent to be a very lame-ass, weak-kneed concept. If Courts rely on precedent, particularly when precedent is wrong, that does not help propagate the Constitutional rights of anybody. This is something I wrote about last November in another article regarding guns:

Lasson also completely whiffs on the concept or precedence. Under Lasson's worldview, the Supreme Court's decision in 1939's United States v. Miller is sacrosanct on the issue and cannot be challenged. Of course, there are a number of fallacies with the concept of precedence. Why should a decision be continued to upheld when it is wrong? Under Lasson's warped logic that means that Brown vs. Board should never have been issued as it stood due to the precedent of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. And under the same logic, Tileston v. Ullman and Poe v. Ullman would have precluded the decision in 1965's Griswold v. Connecticut...and that case paved the way for Roe v. Wade . I don't hear Lasson arguing the concept of precedence in those cases because the decisions do not match with his leftist worldviews.

And Chemerinsky's argument follows the same predictable mad leftist ranting.

It concerns me that Chemerinsky has been tasked to start a new law school as it's dean, mainly because I worry that there will be more lawyers manufacturing synthetic outrage while misinterpreting the role of the court in society and threatening our basic Constitutional rights as Americans...

Puff Piece

The Sun today ran a pretty irritating puff piece about the new members to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Not irritating because a piece ran, but irritating because reporter Susan Gvozdas manged to go the entire article without actually calling unregistered Democratic lobbyist Teresa Milio Birge an unregistered Democratic lobbyist.

Sure Gvozdas talked about all of Birge's service as a Democratic committee staffer in Annapolis, serving as the lobbyist of the Maryland Municipal League, and her "part time as a government relations consultant and as special assistant to the director of state relations for the University System of Maryland" all without actually mentioning that Birge was working as a lobbyist.

Of course, what little things of substance that Birge talked about in the article are pretty irritating too:

Birge, 36, who has two children, said she hopes to use her background working with the House of Delegates' Appropriation Committee to help demystify the budget process for her constituents in West County. After watching the county executive and the superintendent battle over budget items, she wants to find a way to tone down the rhetoric and work together.

"That was very difficult for everyone," Birge said. "I would hope in the future we could avoid that."

Read as: "I am going to stand for the status quo and support whatever Superintendent Maxwell wants me to support. I would hope in the future we can tone down the rhetoric by having the County Council and County Executive roll over and die and do whatever the Superintendent asks."

As expected, it looks like the Sun will be in the bag for the retention of Birge and the continuation of this cockamamie "retention election" farce...

A Reasonable Liberal Interpretation of Heller

Bruce Godfrey has a very well thought-out liberal take on the decision is D.C. v. Heller, in support of the Court's decision. And just as importantly, Bruce points out one of the real reasons liberals favor gun control to the extent they do:

I don't like "gun culture;" accordingly, I elect not to participate in it, just like I don't participate in tattoo culture or other subcultures. But my and other liberals' dislikes should absolutely not be the law. I think that a lot of the gun control movement involves a sort of Kulturkampf against the rural redneck, far more so than against the urban thug who can arm himself easily despite gun control laws. We do not need "guns off the streets"; we need thugs off the streets and one way to reduce thuggery is to add an aleatory risk of dying or (worse) getting shot in the groin to thug calculus. A few thugs will stop thugging; others will stop when shot; still others will revert to mere property crimes like shed breaking or stealing car stereos.

Read the whole thing. But I think Bruce makes an excellent point when he talks about the liberal disdain for rural culture, which probably reached it's apex during the Democratic Primary when Barack Obama made his asinine comments about people in small towns, guns, and religion. It seems to me that the preponderance of liberals use issues like God, community, and guns to look down their noses on people who choose not to drink the urban liberal Kool-Aid. These liberals choose to discriminate against those living in the South and living in small towns. And the rabid opposition to the right of self-defense is just one way in which that manifests itself.

The Brian Griffiths Minute: 06-27-2008

Meet Sam Georgiou

Meet Sam Georgiou.

Pharmacy Manager. Long-time resident of Anne Arundel County. Involved in more Civic and Community Groups that you can shake a stick at. And long-time interest in Public Education: member of the School Board Nominating Convention, Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Council, member of the Meade Area Redistricting Task Force, Member of the Maryland Department of Education Parent Advisory Council, etc. Sam Georgiou is just the kind of person you'd want to cast a vote for in an election for in an election to be a member of a School Board.

Except he lives in District 32. Instead of appointed someone with a long and varied background in community and school system issues, Governor O'Malley appointed insider Democratic lobbyist Teresa Milio Birge to the seat. Instead of appointing somebody with Georgiou's experience and credentials in public school policy, O'Malley appointed a Democratic crony instead.

Is there really any better argument for an elected School Board for Anne Arundel County than this?

Post-Heller, the work starts now

Obviously, everybody has heard by now the fantastic news about the Supreme Court upholding the lower court decision in D.C. v. Heller. Here is the best part of the Opinion of the Court, on Page 67 of the decision:

We are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country, and we take seriously the concerns raised by the many amici who believe that prohibition of handgun ownership is a solution. The Constitution leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns, see supra, at 54–55, and n. 26. But the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table. These include the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home. Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.

Once and for all, the Supreme Court has affirmed while most people knew all along: that the United States Constitution unquestionable affirms the right of individuals the opportunity to bear arms. Of course, this decision should not have been a surprise seeing that the founders considered the right to bear arms a pre-existing right dating back to English Common Law and the Assize of Arms of 1189. Something that Lyle Denniston at SCOTUSblog points out the Court included in their decision:

The individual right interpretation, the Court said, “is strongly confirmed by the historical background of the Second Amendment,” going back to 17th Century England, as well as by gun rights laws in the states before and immediately after the Amendment was put into the U.S. Constitution.

What Congress did in drafting the Amendment, the Court said, was “to codify a pre-existing right, rather than to fashion a new one.”

Nor is it a surprise when one considers that all of the other Amendments within the Bill of Rights are affirming individual rights, but hey....

But supporters of the Constitution should not sit back and rest on our laurels. Yes, the Heller decision does affirm the the individual right of the citizen. However, Dave Kopel notes that there are many areas of law that are not addressed by Heller:

As for the constitutionality of other gun controls: “nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.” The word “commercial” in the last sentence could suggest that there might be constitutional problems on some laws which applied to non-commercial arms transfers. (However, there are few federal laws on non-commercial transfers, other than criminal penalties for transferring guns to prohibited persons.)

The majority opinion also affirmed the validity of bans on gun carrying in “sensitive” locations such as schools and government buildings. The language may imply that a total ban on gun carrying in ordinary public places is unconstitutional. But Heller does not attempt to answer the question of whether the Fourteenth Amendment makes the Second Amendment enforceable against state and local governments, and most carrying restrictions in public places are created by state and local governments. For now, Heller limits only the federal government — and entities such as the D.C. City Council, whose powers are granted by the federal government.

Which means that while the individual right has been affirmed, Heller does not universally cast aside any and all gun controls laws. Nor does the decision cast aside provisions that prohibit the purchase of firearms by criminals or those with mental issues. The rights of gun ownership and possession in Maryland have been left, realistically, unchanged by the facts of the decision. Since the Heller decision only the D.C. law, that means many issues are still living in a Constitutional shade of gray.

How would this Court rule on issues such as Concealed Carry permits? What about Waiting Periods? What about trigger lock laws? The fact of the matter is that now the right to own a firearm has be universally affirmed once and for all by the Court, we now must move on to address these other issues as a nation.

Nowhere is that more true than here in Maryland. We must fight the nonsensical gun laws that remain on the books. We must combat nonsensical politicians like Delegate Curt Anderson who wish to use the Court's affirmation of this civil right as a reason to pass even more restrictive gun laws in Maryland. We need to bring Maryland into the 21st Century, and pass appropriate concealed carry laws. These laws have reduced the rates of violent crime in the 40 states that have now passed them. The stats are there, and no type of cockamamie arguments from politicians like Anderson can change the fact that these common sense carry laws save lives. Liberals can be entitled to their opinions on the issue, but not their own facts.

The Heller decision is a great victory for the Constitution, and a great day for liberty in America. However, we in Maryland have a long way to go to fully enjoy the fruits of this victory. The work starts now.

Now this is interesting

Isaac Smith is floating a trial balloon about the concept of far-left Democrats finding a primary challenger for Steny Hoyer in 2010:

After Steny Hoyer's shameful performance in pushing the FISA bill through the House [which just sailed through the cloture vote in the Senate --IS], there's been talk about putting up a primary challenge to him in 2010. Even if it's only a protest candidacy, it might at least register the outrage many Democrats feel about their party's leadership giving in to Republicans' demands to let telecom companies break the law, and then turning around and portraying it as a victory for Democrats. It was infuriating enough when Democrats were in the minority, but to see Hoyer, et al, do the same thing as the majority party is almost inexplicable.

But is a primary challenge the best way to hold Hoyer accountable?

Interesting to see the Democrats also considering more "eating their own" tactics, much the same way that Maryland has been saddled with one Congressional extremist, Donna Edwards, this month already. I can't see a scenario where any serious Democrat will challenge the House Majority Leader while it still looks like Democrats will retain both Houses of Congress, but it'll be interesting to see how much play the idea gets.

Job Losses Highlight lack of Options

It's official: 80 jobs have been slashed from the Anne Arundel County Public School System:

Schools are starting to feel the pinch from this year's budget battle.

Eighty jobs - none of them teaching positions - were eliminated last week while the schools brace for another year without new science labs, kindergarten classrooms, playground equipment and other things officials said they badly need.

"It is severely going to impact how we help the media specialists and the children," said Linda Williams, head of the library department, which is losing 11 of 21 employees. "I'm still overwhelmed by all of this."

Now it's true that the positions eliminated are not the 150 teaching positions that Kevin Maxwell proposed be axed from the budget. But is there a clearer sign of financial mismanagement in the school system than this? In a nearly $1 billion budget, Kevin Maxwell and the majority of the Board of Education could not save 80 positions that have a positive impact on the education of our students. Is Maxwell and the Board saying that the high dollar bureaucratic jobs on Riva Road have a greater importance than jobs that directly impact the lives of students?

The problem with this, naturally, is the fact that parents, teachers, and taxpayers all still have no voice in this process. They do not get to cast a vote that will decide who will get the opportunity to vote on the School System Budget, voice their opinions on staffing, or hire the next superintendent. Instead of getting that choice in a competitive election, the voters will only decide if retread appointee Tricia Johnson and unregistered Democratic lobbyist Teresa Milio Birge stay on the job or not.

Sadly, we already know, through their appointment and selection by Governor O'Malley and his cronies on the School Board Nominating Commission, Johnson and Birge are going to do little more than uphold Maxwell's status quo and fail to make the tough decisions that are required in order to provide students with a high quality education. And that is of no benefit to our students, our school employees, or taxpayers.

What Sheila Dixon Isn't Saying Often

One thing Sheila Dixon isn't saying much is "I didn't do it":



Dixon waxes poetic about how she "can't say anything" about the allegations, but at no time in her Press Conference did she actually deny wrongdoing. Even when it is shown later that a politician did, in fact, break the law, they almost always deny the allegations in front of the campaign unless it actually happened.

Now, on 98Rock (of all places) this morning, Dixon did unload a relatively weak denial of the charges, but only when Josh Spiegel came out and asked Dixon directly about the truthfulness of the charges. But even then, she said only that the charges were "unfounded."

So why is Sheila Dixon barely defending herself when accused of pretty serious charges of corruption? Because I know if it were me and I were innocent, I would be screaming my innocence at the top of my lungs and anybody who would listen...

Right Ways, Wrong Ways

Paul Wolfowitz has an interesting column regarding the situation in Zimbabwe, and makes some suggestions as to how the international community can solve the problem. Some of them are sensible solutions, but some of the leave a few things to be desired.

The international community should commit – as publicly and urgently as possible – to provide substantial support if Mugabe relinquishes power. Even if Mr. Tsvangirai were to become president tomorrow he would still face a daunting set of problems: restoring an economy in which hyperinflation has effectively destroyed the currency and unemployment is a staggering 70%; getting emergency food aid to millions who are at risk of starvation and disease; promoting reconciliation after the terrible violence; and undoing Mugabe's damaging policies, without engendering a violent backlash.

Clearly I don't think this has to be a concern. The international community, usually led by the United States, will come through with emergency aid in the form of food, water, and medicine to the people of Zimbabwe. The Mugabe land reforms crippled the nation's food supply, and Mugabe's strict control of the Government already limits the availability of food for the majority of Zimbabwe's populace.

The international community should also say it will move rapidly to remove the burden of debts accumulated by the Mugabe regime and not force a new government to spend many months and precious human resources on the issue (as Liberia was forced to do to deal with the debts of Samuel Doe).

I generally do not believe in debt forgiveness between nations, due to the fact that it encourages governments to continue to borrow and overspend with the assumption that the debts will later be forgiven by the world community. I think given the 28-years of tyrannical rule by Mugabe' Communist Government, we can make an exception.

Most importantly, dramatic action by the international community could embolden other Africans to confront the tragedy in their backyard. One step would be to offer Mugabe an honorable way out. South Africa or some other country should offer Mugabe a safe and comfortable retirement if he leaves without further violence.

Those who have suffered personally at his hands may feel that this would deprive them of justice. But this is a time when a compromise needs to be struck between the need for justice and the need to stop further violence. South Africa itself, under Nelson Mandela's leadership, once set an example for the world in this regard. Today it could help Zimbabweans develop their own process of "Truth and Reconciliation."

I also couldn't disagree more with Wolfowitz in this manner. While the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa may have done the job in bringing South Africa together, it still didn't punish the members of the National Party governments that carried out the hellish policies of Apartheid. And that is to say nothing of the justice that was brought to Saddam Hussein and other dictators toppled over the years. Why should Mugabe be allowed to escape the same fate that Hussein received?

Ideally a non-Western institution, such as the African Development Bank, could take the lead in summoning a Friends of Zimbabwe conference. Hopefully, the wealthy oil-producing countries would participate. So too could China and India, successful developing countries that have shown a new interest in Africa.

And again, Wolfowitz has a well meaning idea that can easily be refuted by reality. While I agree with the need to have Zimbabwe rebuilding efforts led by a non-Western power, I certainly think that we need to do all we can to ensure that China does not take the lead in any efforts in that nation. China's already weak domestic human rights record is even worse when you consider Chinese efforts to support the Sudanese Government despite the atrocities of the Darfur Crisis, and Beijing's insistence on selling arms to the Mugabe Government. China has been cultivating relationships in Sub-Saharan Africa as a way to expand their arms market, regardless of the human rights violations they bring with them. We do not need to set up Zimbabwe as another client state for them.

Wolfowitz, though not all of his suggestions are logical, is correct in that we need to take an active role in preparing for a post-Mugabe Government. I, for one, feel like the international community needs to take more of an active role in creating the post-Mugabe environment...

John Leopold took money from Lipscomb

John Leopold's campaign committee accepted a $4,000 contribution on September 15th from Doracon Contracting, Inc. of 3500 East Biddle Street, Baltimore. That company is one of the companies controlled by developer Ronald H. Limpscomb, who has been implicated in the Sheila Dixon Corruption Scandal.

What's curious about the donation is the fact that Leopold is the only Republican to recieve a donation from Lipscomb or one of his holding companies. But it also came days after Leopold held a $4,000 per plate fundraiser at the Baltimore Marriott at which he was criticized for breaking his campaign promise regarding fundraising and getting cozy with developers.

Looks like we may now know why exactly John Leopold started taking developers money.....

RedMaryland Radio: The Commentary

As promised, the Commentary I opened today's RedMaryland radio broadcast with:

The Democrats here in the state of Maryland have been waxing poetic for several days now about the case of Sheila Dixon, particularly the involvement of the State Prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh. Democrats, since as the Democratic Party's official propaganda windbag David Paulson, decry the involvement of the Ehrlich-appointee in involving Mayor Dixon, the noted upright citizen that she is.

Paulson said "Rohrbaugh has sent some very disturbing signals in recent weeks," complaining that developer Ed St. John was punished for his illegal contributions to Democrats but not those he made to Ehrlich, notwithstanding the fact that St. John was never accused of making such illegal contributions. Paulson said Democrats are watching the state prosecutor for signs that he is "stepping out of bounds" and that they are "concerned" with Rohrbaugh's work.

All of this is very convenient for Paulson and the Democrats to do, but in order to believe that the Democratic Party in the State of Maryland was free and clear of any hint of corruption one would have to have just stepped off a spaceship from the Crab Nebula. Just take a look at the last four decades of politics in Maryland. The political graveyard is littered with Democratic scandal. Dale Anderson. Marvin Mandel. Jerome Connell. Larry Young. Clarence Mitchell IV. Corruption in the anti-crime unit overseen by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Parris Glendening, putting his girlfriend on the state payroll. These are just a small number of the Democratic scandals from Maryland's past who have brought harm and disrepute to the state and to Maryland's Democratic Party.

Modern day Democrats are no better. Nathaniel Exum involved in a scheme to keep his employer's car inspection business open. Ulysses Currie's nondisclosure of his employment with Shopper's Food Warehouse. The two-year Sheila Dixon investigation, which has already yielded shady contracts, nepotism, and now personal relationships and receiving furs from contractors, during her time as City Council President. State Senator Thomas Bromwell went to jail. And Governor O'Malley was implicated in shady land deals with Eastern Shore property owned by a supporter and member of his transition team.

Democratic complaints about investigations launched by the independent state prosecutor are as misguided as it would have been for Bonapartists to complain about Napoleon's exile. The complaints only arose because of their own ineptitude in the first place. Maryland Democrats need to worry less about what the independent prosecutor does, and more about themselves. If Democrats want to avoid investigations for once they'll need to do the right thing, and not the easy thing. But all Marylanders need to do something in order to end this vicious cycle that continues to breed the culture of corruption.

RedMaryland Radio, on the air

The first real episode of "RedMaryland Radio", hosted by yours truly and Greg Kline, will be on the air on WAMD AM 970, Aberdeen tomorrow starting at 5 PM. Georgia Woerner, President of the Maryland Young Republicans, will join us at 5:40.If you are somewhere in shouting distance of Aberdeen tomorrow, tune in and give a listen and let us know how we do. This may become a semi-regular thing for us, so we appreciate the input.

The "Conservative Voice of Northeastern Maryland" is trying to establish the ability for folks to listen over the internet. Once that is established, you'll be able to listen to all of your favorite conservative shows and guests, also including RM's Kenny Burns and Mark Newgent, on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 5-630.

Check below to see if you can hear us tomorrow night: (H/T Radio Locator).

O'Malley did appoint an Unregistered Democratic Lobbyist to the Board of Education

Yesterday, we talked about the fact that Governor O'Malley appointed an unregistered Democratic lobbyist to the Board of Education. And I got an email from Ms. Birge this morning confirming that very fact:

I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Teresa Milio Birge, and I'm the new District 32 appointee to the Board of Education. One of my friends recently put me on google alerts, and gave me a call this morning that I was the topic of your most recent blog. I thought I'd help you out and nip this in the bud for you. In 2005, after I gave birth to my second child, I stopped working. But I didn't want to lose touch with everyone I had known in my 10 years of nonpartisan work for and with the legislature. So, my mother, who at the time was a senior center director, knew that the Association of Senior Centers needed some help with the legislature. And I was bored. It was a perfect fit. We signed a $1500 yearly contract from July 1 2005 to June 30 2006 which we renewed through June 30 2007. I've been busier this year with my accounting work and knew that I would not be able to put in as many hours (charging them a ridiculously low rate of $25 an hour), so we agreed to just charge hourly. I haven't yet billed them for the year, but it will fall in far below the $1500 mark this year.

Would love it if you could clarify on your post. I even made sure when I forwarded my CV to the governor's office I explained this, because I certainly don't want anyone mistakenly assuming that I'm not registered when I should be.

If you have any questions, please call me or email me back - I'd be more than happy to answer them! My cell is [redacted].

Teresa Milio Birge

So, to recap, she is an unregistered Democratic Lobbyists, but falling within the guidelines of the ethics laws.

But man, does that message sound like backtracking or what? Between that and the comments made on the original post, the message I get from this is 1) I'm a lobbyist, but it's OK, an 2) God I don't want to make Governor O'Malley look bad.

Here's what we need to take from this. Whether or not any ethics laws were broken is really inconsequential to the larger problem. The problem is the fact that Governor O'Malley appointed an individual to represent District 32 who has spent the majority of her professional career as a Professional Lobbyist, either for the State of Maryland or for private companies such as this one. Birge has no professional experience with education issues, which of course flies in the face of the concept that this School Board Nominating Commission was going to give us qualified people to speak on issues surrounding education. And again, the Governor and the Commissioners he appointed tried to slip an unregistered Democratic lobbyist onto the Board of Education and hoped that nobody noticed.

Well, somebody did notice. And I don't find the Governor appointing Annapolis insiders to the Board of Education to be particularly humorous at all. We need people who are serious about Education. Not rubber stamps for the Governor's policies.

134 days until Election Day...

Did O'Malley appoint an unregistered lobbyist to the Board of Education?

Governor O'Malley appointed Tricia Johnson and Teresa Milio Birge to five-year stints on the Board of Education this past Tuesday, pending the approval of the voters in the ridiculously asinine process that the General Assembly set up for us. More details on their appointments in general here.

But did O'Malley appoint an unregistered lobbyist in Birge to the Board? Birge is listed by the Maryland Association of Senior Centers as their lobbyist. In her resume, Birge notes that for a "private client" she:

Manages government relations program for a state association; track and review legislation; draft amendments and testimony; draft oral and written testimony; testify before legislative committees on legislative and budget matters; facilitate meetings of members with legislators; conduct training for association members.

All of which sounds like the activities of a lobbyist. Except Birge is not registered as a lobbyist according to the Maryland State Ethics Commission, nor is the Maryland Association of Senior Centers listed as employing a lobbyist. And the summary of lobbying law seems to indicate that if Birge received more than $2,500 in personal compensation or if the MASC paid a lobbyist more than $2,500 in lobbying expenses, both should have had to register.

The evidence seems to point to an unregistered Democratic lobbyist being appointed to the Board of Education. I'm not exactly sure how flouting ethics laws makes Anne Arundel County's new appointment process a success, though is does give us the opportunity to right this wrong at the ballot box in November.

Britons buck belief in bunk

Even the British, with their more recent leftward swings in government, don't buy the hype in anthropomorphic global warming (h/t Instapundit):

The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.

The results have shocked campaigners who hoped that doubts would have been silenced by a report last year by more than 2,500 scientists for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which found a 90 per cent chance that humans were the main cause of climate change and warned that drastic action was needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

I would be willing to be that the sentiments are the same here in America as well. What's one reason that the British don't buy the bill of goods they are being sold?

More than half of those polled did not have confidence in international or British political leaders to tackle climate change, but only just over a quarter think it's too late to stop it. Two thirds want the government to do more but nearly as many said they were cynical about government policies such as green taxes, which they see as 'stealth' taxes.

No confidence in politicians. No confidence in the UN. No confidence in the scientists. And a belief that it's all a just an excuse to raise taxes and grow government. Looks like the Brits really have a grasp on the global warming hype...

Continued Disintegration

It's not often that I agree with something Cynthia Thomas writes, but on this one she is spot on with her noting that America's silence on the Communist regime of Robert Mugabe.

The situation in Zimbabwe has been a concern of mine for many years. Mugabe has been a thug, a dictator, and a despot on par or even worse with anything done in Iraq, Iran, or Liberia. Compulsory land redistribution led to the starvation of the people. Violence against the populace. A shameful explosion in the number of cases of AIDS and HIV, particularly in newborns.

The rising of the opposition of Morgan Tsvangirai led to extreme cases of violence against opposition leaders, particularly the murder of the wives and children of these leaders, and the execution of these leaders by the Government. The news this morning that Tsvangirai pulled out of Friday's runoff against Mugabe means even darker clouds on the horizon, and the continuance of Mugabe's Communist thuggery.

The Mugabe Government is one of the most violent, despotic governments in recent memory. The situation in Zimbabwe has raised little ire here in the U.S. Even worse, the United Nations has paid no particular mind to the situation.

I think it is important that the Bush Administration really start to get tough with Zimbabwe, and tough action should be followed by the new administration beginning next year. It is hard American foreign policy to be credible in talking about getting tough on human rights violations if we pay little mind to the one of the worst human rights situations in the world. The time for action has passed.

Democrats step up politicization of independence

If you pay any attention to Democratic Party politics in the state of Maryland, you know that the Democrats are the first people who want to step to the plate to have an "independent" or "fair" investigation of any Republican wrongdoing. The long investigation of Governor Ehrlich's appointees was such an "independent" investigation.

As usual though, when the shoe is the other foot, the Democrats cry foul.

According to the story in today's Sun:

The General Assembly created the state prosecutor's office in 1976 after a series of public corruption scandals in Maryland. The office, which is designed to be independent of political influence, can initiate investigations on its own or at the request of the governor, legislature or other top officials. Rohrbaugh is the third person to head the office.

All of which seems pretty basic right? The website of the State Prosecutor lists the following as the mission of that office:

The State Prosecutor may investigate on his own initiative, or at the request of the Governor, the Attorney General, the General Assembly, the State Ethics Commission, or a State's Attorney, certain criminal offenses. These include: 1) State election law violations; 2) State public ethics law violations; 3) State bribery law violations involving public officials or employees; 4) misconduct in office by public officials or employees; and 5) extortion, perjury, or obstruction of justice related to any of the above.

An independent investigator who is above the political fray, who is not subject to the whim of the Governor of a particular political party to keep their position. It seems like a pretty reasonable concept of good government.

Considering that it was a Democratic General Assembly and a Democratic Acting Governor who passed the legislation and signed the bill into law, you would think the Democrats would be all for the continuance of this position. And they were....until Governor Ehrlich got to appoint Robert Rohrbaugh.

Now, the Maryland Democratic Party is certainly singing a different tune:

The state Democratic Party has been especially critical of the state prosecutor's attacks on the mayor.

"Rohrbaugh has sent some very disturbing signals in recent weeks," said David Paulson, communications director for the Maryland Democratic Party, which complained that the prosecutor went after St. John for his contributions to Democrats but not those he made to Ehrlich. Paulson said Democrats are watching the state prosecutor for signs that he is "stepping out of bounds."

"We are concerned," Paulson said. "This investigation [into Dixon] has been going on for years, and these questions have been asked and answered." Ehrlich, who appointed Rohrbaugh to a six-year term, said he has no influence over the prosecutor.

It's quite an amazing change of heart that suddenly Maryland Democrats have a problem with the idea of an independent prosecutor. Paulson's problem with Rohrbaugh seems to be merely the fact that Rohrbaugh is fulfilling the duties of the office to which he has been appointed and serving. It's just that Paulson doesn't like the fact that somebody independent is going after corrupt Democrats in Maryland, which impedes their ability for hegemonic governance. Citing the fine of Ed St. John as a problem is ridiculous because St. John violated campaign finance laws. Citing the further investigation of Sheila Dixon is a farce because the current investigation, including the public revelation of obvious violations of ethics laws and a clear violation of the public trust, is stagnant and has lead to no prosecution to this point.

If Paulson really wants to complain about the prosecutor's office, maybe he should complain that Rohrbaugh's office can't spend enough time investigating corrupt Maryland Democrats.

There is a long standing tradition of political corruption in Maryland, particularly on the side of elected Democrats. The Democrats insistence on politicizing the office of the independent prosecutor charged with investigating such corruption shows the lengths they will go to in an effort to delegitimize those who wish to stand against their hegemony in Maryland, and those who wish to challenge the corrupt leaders Democrats wish to protect. As usual, their argument is full of bologna.

Good News: We (probably) aren't going to die

At least, not from the Large Hadron Collider:

Europe's CERN particle-physics lab has issued its long-awaited report on safety issues surrounding the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest and most expensive atom-smasher. Some have feared that when the collider reaches full power, sometime next year, it might create microscopic black holes or other exotic phenomena that could endanger Earth. The new report, like earlier safety studies, rules out the possibility of global danger.

Critics of the collider are pursuing a federal lawsuit challenging the safety claims - and they're likely to continue the doomsday debate even in the wake of this report.

The report's argument follows the basic line used in past reports: Even the most energetic collisions planned for the LHC are far less powerful than cosmic-ray collisions that have been going on for billions of years.

Well, that makes me a feel a little better, how about you?

This will keep you up at night

If you ever watch the CBS show Numb3rs, you'll know that one of their tag lines is "We use math everyday." Well, one physicist takes it a step further by the theory is made up of math (H/T Instapundit).

What does it include? Multiple different versions of our universe across a few dimensions of time and space, and includes a theory self-aware mathematics making up the basis of String Theory.

Heady, but fascinating stuff.......

As Expected, the System Fails

Yesterday, Governor O'Malley reappointed Tricia Johnson and appointed Terese Milio Berge to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, moving us further along the circle of failure that is the current School Board Nominating Commission Process.

Johnson and Berge bring nothing new to the Board of Education. Johnson, whom was appointed in 2003 when I was a candidate for the open seat, is the current President of the Board. Ostensibly a Republican (though her most recent political donations have all been to Democrats), Johnson has stood for little more than the status quo during her tenure on the Board. She has failed to stand up for common sense Republican ideas, has failed to stand up for fiscal responsibility and accountability, and has failed to move schools from its current state of stagnation. She's been nothing more than a rubber stamp for both Kevin Maxwell and Eric Smith before him. Tricia Johnson has proven that she is not an agent of change, and should not have been rewarded with a second term. Particularly when you consider this:

Mrs. Johnson said she didn't have any specific plans for her second term.

"I hope that I can serve the people of Anne Arundel County to the best of my ability," she said.

If she has no plans, why did O'Malley give her five more years?

The appointment of Berge is just as problematic. A Democrat, Berge's professional experience has surrounded working with the legislature on noticeably non-education issues. While she may be currently working as an accountant, her career seems to have had more professional dealings in state government and politics than anything related to schools. I see little in Berge's experience that makes her more qualified to represent District 32 than Sam Georgiou, former Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Council and a longtime advocate for public schools. Berge appears, on the outset, to be more of an Annapolis insider than somebody who is going to put common sense school reforms on their agenda. In fact, it seems like Berge is going to give a free ride to Kevin Maxwell if you believe her candidate statement:

I believe that a board member's proper role is that of policymaker, and an idea generator. I think that a board member needs to allow the Superintendent and his or her staff to do their job and make the administrative decisions that have been clearly delegated to them.

Which means that you are going to get more of the same from Berge: no legitimate oversight of the job that Kevin Maxwell is doing, and probably a continued acquiescence to Maxwell's desires on policy and budget without a vigorous watchdog role.

Now, we move on to the final phase. Voters will have to make what will likely be an uninformed decision on whether or not Johnson and Berge should serve the remainder of these five year terms. Instead of competitive elections, in which Johnson and Berge could be challenged on their ideas and vision, we will likely see these two members hand-picked by the O'Malley/Leopold Commission rubber stamped into office. And that is bad news for the people of Anne Arundel County. As I have said before, the people of Anne Arundel County have had this shell game foisted upon them by John Leopold and the General Assembly delegation. What is it going to take to prove the unfeasibility of such a system, and the need for these candidates to compete in competitive elections based on ideas?

True, an elected school board is not going to be the answer to all of our problems. And there is nothing to say that an elected school board is going to provide more qualified candidates than this cockamamie Nominating Commission will. But I certainly would put more faith in the choices of voters than I do the choices of individuals hand selected by Martin O'Malley and John Leopold.

I'm voting no. How many others will?

Citgo must be taking a hit

Venezuelan-owned Citgo must be really taking a hit from people who don't want to buy their gas from Dictators:



Note the local angle, the number of people Citgo keeps in business, etc. People must be doing their part to avoid sending their money their spend on to a dictatorial thug in our own backyard, and it looks like the message must be hitting home with Hugo Chavez. Let's keep at it....

O'Malleynomics Strike Back

Low and behold, look which failed economic platform reared its ugly head again:

Gov. Martin O'Malley unveiled yesterday a proposal to invest $1.1 billion over the next decade to cement Maryland's status as a pre-eminent hub for biotechnology research, including stem-cell studies aimed at finding breakthrough medical advances.

The funding, which would build on existing tax credits and grant programs, would be used to create a biotechnology center, finance capital projects and make equity investments in start-up companies. O'Malley, a Democrat, said the money could transform Maryland - where the human genome was mapped in 2001 - into a global leader in personalized medicine or the use of genetics to tailor treatments.

That's right boys and girls, O'Malleynomics are back. Once again, Governor O'Malley is going to stick the state's nose where it doesn't belong, in the private sector, and reallocate taxpayer dollars in order to fund unnecessary state priorities.

Don't get me wrong, I am very much in favor of science, and I am comfortable with the idea of tax credits to encourage further business growth in the state. But will O'Malley and state Democrats ever learn their lessons when it comes to government investment in private businesses? What role should government have in financing capital projects for private businesses? Why should the state gamble taxpayer dollars as part of venture capital schemes?

What's even further damning about O'Malley's plan is that it comes on the heels of higher taxes and reckless spending during the previous General Assembly session. The most important tax raised by the Democrats during that session was the "Millionaire's Tax" that disproportionately impacted Montgomery County, the very area most likely to benefit from O'Malley's largesse. The irony, of course is that it is likely that the necessity of these proposed state investments in biotechnology probably could have been avoided had O'Malley and company not created incentives for companies and entrepreneurs to relocate to Virginia due to Maryland's profligate tax and spend nature and the impact of the O'Malley Recession.

Time and time again, instead of encouraging private development of economic resources, instead of allowing the market to create a sustainable environment for economic growth, Governor O'Malley has returned to the failed policies of O'Malleynomics to try and earn political capital and to prop up industries that he favors. Time and time again, we have seen the impact of O'Malleynomics produces higher taxes and lower disposable income for middle and working class Marylanders, and the benefit, if any, from O'Malley's plan to throw money at this project is going to be infinitesimal, if such benefit exists at all.

If you missed the policies of economic failure, they are back with a vengeance...

This helps no cause

I needed to read something funny today, and Stephen Reigle's ode to John Leopold is right up there.

Congrats if you can got past the issues with grammar and tense (and this type of poor writing does nothing to help the conservative movement, but that's another story for another time). But it is amazing to see how deluded John Leopold's supporters are when it comes to trying to glorify his deeds. Let's face it, John Leopold's tenure has been defined by two things: proposed tax hikes and bigger government. Leopold is about as unrepresentative of your average Republican and average taxpayer as you can get.

Reigle's tie-in of Leopold's service in Hawaii is even more absurd when you considered Leopold's tenure as Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Hawaii, the Hawaii Republican Party's dislike of him while he was in the legislature, Leopold quitting the Governor's race in 1978 after securing his party's nomination as he whined of a "lack of support" from the party, and of course his assault on Ronald Reagan's vision for the party when Leopold did serve as a Delegate during the 1980 Republican Convention.

Reigle is a true believer in Leopold, always stepping up to defend him in letters to the editor and what not, but he couldn't be any more wrong in his assessment; Maryland Republicans and taxpayers need no more people like John Leopold representing us. We need leaders out for the benefit of our state and our county, not people like Leopold out for the benefit of themselves.

MTA: Still off the rails

Wow, there are so many problems with what happened today in Timonium:

Commuters will be offered refreshments and giveaways today at the Timonium fairgrounds light rail stop for the Maryland Transit Administration's Light Rail Customer Appreciation Day....

...The transit administration will provide snacks and giveaways to riders from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

As a taxpayer, I certainly don't want the already mismanaged Transit Administration giving stuff way to people just for the hell of it, though I'm curious to try and figure out why the MTA is having one appreciation day event at an area that appeals to white, middle-class voters.

That aside, don't you think that riders of Light Rail and other forms of MTA transit would certainly appreciate safe, on time, cost-effective transit service a hell of a lot more than they do free snacks? Wouldn't proper management of the MTA, and a clean sweep of MTA senior leadership show more commitment to transit riders than just a glorified press event?

Once again, the MTA shows that it has failed to get a grip on how bad their transit system woes really are.....

There are options

The ever incompetent Maryland Transit Administration seems to think that there is no way for them to fund their proposed Red Line project:

New cost projections for a proposed east-west transit line across Baltimore show that the most widely favored alternatives are too expensive to qualify for federal funding, while the only clearly affordable choices are ones already rejected by City Hall.

Cost-effectiveness figures released this week by the Maryland Transit Administration for the proposed Red Line show alternatives that involve tunneling to put portions of the line underground exceed the federal standard for consideration of 50 percent funding of the project....

...All of them exceeded the figure of $24 per hour of user benefit that Federal Transit Administration uses as its cut-off line for judging the cost-effectiveness of competing transit proposals.

The two proposals involving the most tunneling - and the least potential disruption to neighborhoods - came in so far over the mark that MTA officials said it is practically impossible to fund them.

It seems like the rut that MTA and other leaders are stuck in (as usual) is the thought that the only source of revenue available to fund the project is through taxpayer dollars from both the state and federal governments. But we all know that this is exactly the kind of project that will simply waste taxpayer dollars and create enormous cost overruns.

It sounds like the exact kind of project that a private company could build for a fraction of the price it would cost the government.

If the MTA and public officials are serious about building the Red Line, they should really step back and consider their options. Privatization is the most cost effective way to get this project down, and this would be the perfect test case to be able to prove that point...

Joe Albero beclowns himself again

Delaware resident and general embarrassment to the blogosphere and common sense Joe Albero must've been having a down day because he decided to pick on a college kid today. No joke:

The kid from Salisbury University out to recall anyone and everyone possible has proven to be completely full of sh!t.

Classy...

No word on what I'm sure were extensive efforts Albero made to assist in the recall of the politicians he loathes so much, at least as he tries to get out of his perjury indictment...

Repeating the mistakes of others

Looks like the folks at Villa Julie don't heed warnings very well:

Villa Julie College officials today announced that the Baltimore County school will now be called Stevenson University.

The university's board of trustees unanimously approved the name change last night, ending a four-year process of research, debate and soul-searching on transforming the identity of what was founded as a two-year Catholic women's college. President Kevin Manning told a room packed with students, administrators and news media that the name change was necessary to end a persistent impression among prospective students and employers that Villa Julie was a women's college, despite it having gone co-ed many years ago.

Of course, my alma mater, the college formerly known as Western Maryland College, sold out changed its name six years ago. The school has achieved zero long-term benefit, and a lot of alumni such as myself refuse to give one red cent to the school based on the abandonment of tradition and the complete incomprehensibility of the need for a such a change. It was a major risk, and to this day college officials are still trying to play CYA with alumni because of it.

Looks like the folks at Villa Julie decided not to pick up on that basic lesson. True, Villa Julie is not flushing 135 years of history and tradition down the toilet like Western Maryland did, but the risks are pretty clear and the long-term benefit for the college is likely to be negligible, if the school benefits at all.

Whoopty Freaking Doo

John Leopold has to be the only kind of person who desperately wants somebody (anybody) to like him or respect him, that he needs to feed off of positive press so badly that his people would submit this as a story for Political Notes:

Maryland's delegates to the Republican National Convention have picked County Executive John R. Leopold as one of the state's eight delegates to serve on committees convened during the convention.

Two delegates from Maryland will serve on each of the party's four committees during the convention.

Mr. Leopold was elected to serve on the Permanent Organization Committee, the only committee of the four that he has yet to serve on.

The Republican National Convention will be held in September in Minneapolis, where delegates are expected to formally name U.S. Sen. John McCain as the Republican nominee for president.

Let's face it though: the only Permanent Organization John Leopold really cares about is John Leopold. Because if anybody is the antithesis of the ideals of the Republican Party, it's him....

No Quarter

Just because Obama VP Search Committee Head Jim Johnson stepped down today from his post gives no reason for the public to retain and trust in Obama and his campaign.

Whether or not Johnson remained as head of the committee was inconsequential: Senator Obama's poor judgment of character, and poor decision making needs to remain an issue in this campaign. Obama is not running for Cheerleader-in-Chief. He is running for Commander-in-Chief, and his continue lapses in competent decision making are going to deserve more and more scrutiny as we go forward.

The American people need to give no quarter when it comes to Obama's Campaign...

We could see it coming

This, unfortunately, was a foregone conclusion:

The Orioles announced today that they have designated right-handed pitcher Steve Trachsel for assignment and selected the contract of first baseman Oscar Salazar from Triple-A Norfolk.

Trachsel, 37, was 2-5 with an 8.39 ERA in 10 games (8 starts) this season.

I have no earthly idea why they brought up Salazar, of all people, a guy who hasn't played in the majors in six years. Nor do I have any idea why they didn't call up an infielder who was already on the 40-man roster (Eider Torres, Scott Moore), another left-handed hitting outfielder (Jeff Fiorentino) or add somebody more useful to the 40-man roster (Mike Costanzo, Chris Roberson).

Sad to see Trachsel go, but the pitching staff is developing just fine and there is really no need for him to take up any more space on the active roster...

For Larsen, PSC was never about the Public or Service

Public Service Commissioner Steve Larsen is stepping down, and I think that Marylanders should be happy to be rid of him.

Larsen was never the guy O'Malley promised us, promising a professional regulator who was going to make sure energy rates for consumers were lowered. Instead, we got a professional statist with a long record of sticking it to taxpayers who was more interested in cockamamie sticking it to taxpayers and keeping rates as high as possible in direct contradiction to Governor O'Malley's promise.

Of course, the Baltimore Sun's article on Larsen was a complete puff piece, talking about how Larsen was a "quick study" of energy issues that he was unqualified to be discussing. And of course there was talking about Larsen's great bipartisanship, which meant we got a quote from the one Republican always willing to kiss Governor O'Malley's ass:

Both Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly said Larsen did a good job leading the PSC.

"He certainly worked to be nonpartisan, and with both sides of the aisle," said Del. James King, an Anne Arundel County Republican on the Economic Matters Committee, whic handles many of the energy issues. "Unfortunately for me and every other resident in the state of Maryland, I don't think we solved a lot of the issues that we face with the energy situation, but I don't think that's from any lack of effort."

I would say that we should hold up that Governor O'Malley's new PSC Commissioner is going to be more sensible, but guess what? This one's a trial lawyer:

Though little known in Annapolis, Nazarian handled numerous high-profile cases before Maryland courts. Among them was a 1998 case where he successfully challenged the arrest of paroled inmate Vincent Henderson. Henderson was among dozens who were re-arrested after the state concluded it had incorrectly calculated the amount of good behavior time due some inmates, and prematurely released them. The case resulted in the release of nearly 50 inmates.

Nazarian also represented the state in a series of lawsuits against the law firm of Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos. The case related to attorney's fees Angelos was due in connection with national tobacco litigation.

"His experience doing litigation and preparing cases is exceedingly good training for now trying to set policy and decide issues in the regulatory context," said Ralph S. Tyler, Maryland's insurance commissioner.

Great.....just what we need. And Tyler finishes up with this quote about the new Commissioner:

"I expect that [Nazarian] will lead the commission in a way where it will be fair, but it will be fair in looking out for the public interest," he said.

Not bloody liklely. But what I do suspsect is that Nazarian will be a chip off of the Larsen block, attempting to lead Maryland further and further into an O'Malleynomic hell of higher regulatory costs, higher energy costs, and ever higher taxes. Like Larsen, serving the public interest will be the farthest thing from his mind...

Obama: A Scandal in a Box

What is it about Barack Obama that makes him what he is? Just take a look at the people he surrounds himself with:

• Obama fundraiser and friend Tony Rezko was convicted a few weeks back on mail fraud and wire-fraud charges surrounding pay-to-play scandal with local officials in the Chicago area;
• Jeremiah Wright pretty much speaks for itself;
• You have Jim Johnson in search of his Vice-Presidential search team, who as RedState's Soren Dayton points out, has all sorts of character flaws: an old Mondale and Carter flunky, sweetheart mortgage deals, foreign agent, and disgraced-former Fannie Mae CEO.
• And then we have Penny Prtizker, which again Soren Dayton tells us Chaired a bank that had to buy its way out of a racketeering lawsuit.

And that's just what we know about, not counting all of his gaffes (57 states anyone?) plenty enough to seriously question the man's judgment.

Here's what we do know: Obama has surrounded himself with some bad people. And these are the people who he has brought along board to get him to the Oval Office. If Obama were to be elected, I cannot imagine the type of folks that he would try to put into positions of power and authority. This could make the Clinton Administration look like the minor league stuff.

Unfortunately, we have seen Barack Obama consistently lack judgment in the people he associates with in his political life. With that lack of judgment in character, it makes an Obama Presidency a pre-made scandal in a box. If he becomes President we could see the highest level of corruption in a Presidential Administration since Harding, and that's not something our country needs at this or at any other time...

It keeps going, and going, and going....

Remember the Kangaroo Court? The special committee the General Assembly convened to investigate the legal firing of at-will government employees? Did you know that legal battles from that are still being played out?

It has been 18 months since former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. left office, but the legal battle over whether he illegally targeted longtime state employees for political firings continued Monday in a case to determine the extent of the General Assembly's subpoena powers.

The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, heard arguments Monday about the refusal of two state employees to answer questions during a May 2006 hearing before a special legislative committee. The employees, who allegedly were dispatched to agencies to target political enemies for firing, have appealed a lower court decision compelling them to respond to the questions.

Why in the world has it taken this long for the case to wind its way through the appeals process? Why is the state still fighting this case years after the Committee's preordained decision was rendered to the public? Seriously, why is the battle over the Kangaroo Court still being played out through Maryland's Judicial System?

And perhaps a better question still is why has the General Assembly not convened a similar committee to investigate Governor O'Malley's identical actions, but that answer is rather self-explanatory...

Now we can explain the state's budget problems

Let's just say maybe the FBI found the reason?

Federal agents seized bank statements, tax records and correspondence, and found marijuana during a search at the home of state Sen. Ulysses Currie, according to court documents.

The documents show agents found marijuana and "drug packaging materials" in a bag on a dresser and in other bags on the floor of a room in the house last week.

What else could possibly explain the boneheaded fiscal management of Maryland's Democratic Party?

Deflect Deflect Deflect

Maryland State Democratic Party Chairman Michael Cryor seems to think that the biggest bad guy in the Ulysses Currie scandal is not Currie, but of course the Republicans:

But Cryor implores Marylanders "to reserve judgment on any man or woman with such a track record until all the facts are in and the scrutiny has run its course."

"This is not a time for the Republican Party or anyone else to use vague and uncertain events as a smear tactic to score political points," he continued. "That is especially true of an organization where multiple scandals involving its members have recently run their course. One would think that such a group would exercise a little restraint before making broad assumptions and issuing accusations for the sake of political gain."

I find it humorous that the Democrats would be put off by statements and comments that are rather tame to the disgraceful, vitriolic things that they have spouted off about President Bush, Governor Ehrlich, and others. What's even worse about Cryor's statement is the fact that he tries to deflect blame to Republicans after it became public knowledge that Currie violated ethics rules in filing his disclosure statements.

Maryland Democrats will do anything to protect the Culture of Corruption they have cultivated for themselves...

I forgot to talk about Lincoln Day

It was Thursday night, but the Anne Arundel County Lincoln-Reagan Dinner was fantastic and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan did a great job. Everybody should be commended for the dinner.

The only downer: Former State GOP Executive Director John Flynn was recognized as AA GOP Man of the Year for 2007, showing that every once in awhile we Republicans do give rewards for failure....