Baltimore Examiner: Student Editorial on Politicians' Invasion of MySpace.com Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From Justin Snow of the Baltimore Examiner, October 31, 2006:

Did you hear the news? I’m a friend of Lt. Gov. Michael Steele — well, a MySpace friend that is.

Like millions of other Internet-addicted teenagers, I spend a large chunk of my time after school not on the football field or at the library, but cruising the pages of MySpace.

...

Scott Rolle calls his site “ScottSpace.” Ironically, Rolle, who is a strong supporter of strengthening punishments for child predators, links to news stories on his page that discuss how MySpace isn’t safe for children.

...

Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley pastes far too many pictures of himself over his page and sprinkles testimonials, including recognition by Time magazine for “not being afraid to tackle tough challenges head on.” In the section that allows users to post their heroes, O’Malley publishes a picture of himself.

Although Michael Steele’s laugh-out-loud commercials make it seem as if he understands how to use MySpace, his page proves disappointing. His About Me section is like reading a drab resume — and at nine paragraphs long, it becomes a bit monotonous reading about his place of birth and what church he attends.

Although I doubt MySpace is quite as reliable as a Gallup Poll in predicting elections, if the election were to be determined according to a candidate’s number of MySpace friends — hey, this is America, anything could happen — Ehrlich could make himself comfortable in the governor’s mansion for another four years. He has 688 friends to O’Malley’s 275 as of the time of this publication.

AP: Cambodian Activist Against Sexual Slavery Honored Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the AP via the Baltimore Sun, October 31, 2006: A Cambodian human rights activist who has dedicated her life to rescuing women and girls from sexual slavery said she hopes that being honored as one of Glamour magazine's women of the year will help draw attention to her cause.

"We can help 10, but maybe 20 or 30 women they sell again to the brothel," said Somaly Mam, president of AFESIP, the French acronym for Acting for Women in Distressing Situations. "I want to stop trafficking."

Mam was honored by Glamour at a ceremony at Carnegie Hall Monday.

MD-Sen 21:Giannetti, Rosapepe, "This Time It's Personal" Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Laurel Leader, October 31, 2006:

State Sen. John Giannetti of Laurel has launched what he promises will be a no-holds-barred attack on former Del. James Rosapepe, the opponent who bested him in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary, as the two tangle again in the Nov. 7 general election.

"This time it's personal," said Giannetti, who, after losing the primary, switched to the Republican Party to set up the rematch.

"We got swift-boated in the primary," Giannetti said, referring to the ad campaign critical of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's record in Vietnam.

"I spent a lot of time defending myself against (Rosapepe's) attacks. Based on the primary, people respond to negatives, so we're going to let people know all of Jim's negatives. We're going after him."

Rosapepe, a College Park resident who beat Giannetti by 20 percentage points for the District 21 seat, defended his primary campaign, saying he merely focused on his differences with Giannetti.

He also dismissed Giannetti's party switch as a doomed effort. "The Democrats are quite united this time, and the Republicans are quite divided."

This will be ugly, no doubt, a bloodbath.

Baltimore Sun: Carroll County Commissioner Race Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 31, 2006:

In an unusually heated campaign season, the Carroll County commissioners' race is almost a struggle for future control of the local Republican Party.

Moderate GOP incumbents Julia W. Gouge and Dean L. Minnich hope to retain their seats, stressing their record of managed growth and open government. Michael D. Zimmer, the more conservative Republican, had called for "wiping the slate clean" in the primary by ousting the three-member board. He defeated one incumbent, Perry L. Jones Jr., in September.

...

Minnich, 64, and Gouge, 66, haven't gone so far as to endorse a Democrat, but other prominent Republicans in the county have said they will support Democrat Dennis E. Beard, another South Carroll resident, over Zimmer.

Campaign signs for Gouge, Minnich and Beard are cropping up on lawns across the county. Democrats describe Beard, 60, a retired Howard County firefighter and volunteer fireman in Sykesville, as a fiscal conservative with bipartisan appeal in the Republican-dominated county.

...

The commissioners strained relationship with the [Carroll General Assembly] delegation led them to put a code home rule referendum on the ballot that would bring more local control to the county, if approved by voters.

Beard and DiPietro both support the measure. Zimmer has criticized code home rule because it gives the commissioners power to enact up to a half-percent transfer tax.

...

Minnich and Gouge said they were disturbed but not surprised that religion has recently surfaced as an issue in the commissioners' race.

An e-mail circulating around the county had Carroll Del. Tanya T. Shewell describing Zimmer as "the only Christian running for this office."

Shewell said the e-mail misrepresented her words, since she never commented on the religious beliefs of the other commissioner candidates.

"I never said he was the only one who was Christian," Shewell said. "I said the only one I know to be a Christian, that's worked with me in Christian circles, is Mike Zimmer."

Some members of Shiloh United Methodist Church in Hampstead - where Gouge is an active member - were particularly upset.

"You don't go around telling people that you're a Christian," Gouge said. "Your actions should tell people upfront."

I am acquainted with Michael Zimmer through mutual old friends. Zimmer is an evangelical Christian and is active in that community, and has done work, if I recall correctly, in the past for the Rutherford Institute, a Christian conservative legal and advocacy fund. While he and it are far to the right of me philosophically, theologically and politically, I consider him a decent fellow to the extent of my acquaintance.

I do find the use of religious faith as a political weapon very, very distasteful. Even in conservative Carroll County, the idea that voters will put a candidate to a specific religious "paper bag" test bothers me. And not just on the right: I gave Markos Moulitsas a blunt piece of my mind when he singled out a Christian conservative for the specific content of her church's (exceptionally conservative) theological positions. I agree with Kos nailing that candidate to the wall, but only on the issues, not her church's theological creed. Challenging a candidate on his or her public-policy relevant moral or ethical views is fair game, and to the extent that religion in inextricably with those issues only, it is a fair topic but only that far.

But I believe that the Zimmer of my acquaintance would not condone such conduct, that it was done without his knowledge, desire or consent.

Annapolis Capital: Slain Maryland Marine Laid to Rest Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Annapolis Capital, October 31, 2006:

Bonded by tribulations and joys of high school life, forged in adolescent doubt and bravado, they came together from colleges and jobs across the country. They stood together at the altar to make their peace as a team.

Today they gathered again to lay him to rest among the rows of marble monuments to the nation’s fallen at Arlington National Cemetery.

...

Cpl. Herzberg, a squad machine gunner, was killed in action Oct. 21 in Iraq’s insurgent-infested Al Anbar Province, from which so many reports bearing the worst news have been coming.

...

Cpl. Herzberg’s grieving mother stood to give thanks to all who had come to her family in their immediate hour of need, but also to address the larger questions brought forth by grieving in all wars.

“I am able to speak because Eric is holding me up, asking me to, while bathed in the arms of Jesus,” Gina Barnhurst said.

“We are all crying here today, but those tears must not be wasted,” she said. “They must cleanse our minds and our hearts and lead us to a clear vision of God ... Allah ... Yahweh, a higher power, or whatever deity you call your creator.”

Then she made a simple plea.

“We can all do our part to keep peace in our families, our hearts, and our world. Let’s get our precious men and women home so no other families have to endure this pain.”

R.I.P.

Isaac Smith's The Old Line Has New Look Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

University of Maryland Public Policy graduate student Isaac Smith's The Old Line has a sharp new look that I admire - suggestive of the colors of the Maryland flag but slightly off-hue for a more subdued, quieter tone.

Oh yeah, the content is brilliant too. Check him out!

Baltimore Sun: Legions of Election Lawyers Gear Up for FIASCO II (TM) Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 31, 2006:

In addition to the usual get-out-the-vote campaigns, Democrats and Republicans in Maryland are planning major get-out-the-lawyer efforts to prepare for an election that could be fought as vigorously in Maryland's courts as at the polls.

Democrats plan to field a 500-person volunteer "legal protection team" on Election Day - composed mostly of attorneys - to guard against what they fear are GOP "voter intimidation" strategies in Democratic-leaning districts, party officials say.

Calling such suggestions "reprehensible," Republicans are enlisting their own army of volunteer lawyers and preparing for possible legal challenges on a range of fronts, from compromised electronic voting machines to no-show election workers and invalid absentee ballots.

...

Citing a lack of confidence in the state's new electronic voting system, Ehrlich has been encouraging voters to request paper absentee ballots, which has fueled a wave of applications unprecedented in a midterm election. Democrats have been making a similar push.

As of yesterday, there were more than 161,000 requests for the paper ballots, according to Goldstein. The deadline for requesting a ballot by mail is today, although voters can download applications from the state elections board's Web site or get them in person from local election offices after today.

"The problems with absentee balloting is that it's vulnerable to fraud," said Wang. "They're done in the privacy of someone's home so it's very easy to envision a scenario where a family member dictates the choices of another family member."

FIASCO (TM) lives.

Early train Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

(Mobile Post) Pleasant mild morning. I am aboard train 503 departing "beautiful downtown Halethorpe" - the only commercial building in which is a ramshackle adult book store - at 5:48. I barely made the train, did not even expect to make this one but a one minute delay in its arrival gave me an opening to sprint to the back of the pile, boarding last before the doors slammed shut.

It really is not sunrise yet, even with the "fall back" effect of the end of Daylight Savings Time this weekend. I usually sit by the western side of the south-bound train to avoid the sunlight, but even with the return of Standard Time I am early enough to avoid any light today.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Quote of the Day from Samizdata Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

If religion were true, its followers would not try to bludgeon their young into an artificial conformity; but would merely insist on their unbending quest for truth, irrespective of artificial backgrounds or practical consequences.

- H. P. Lovecraft

CNN NewsWire: Steele Endorsed by Prince George's County Executove Wayne Curry, 5 Other Democrats Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the CNN NewsWire, October 30, 2006:

Former Prince George's County Executive Wayne Curry and five sitting council members crossed party lines Monday and endorsed Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele's senate bid.

Curry, who is black, charged that Prince George's African-American community has been long overlooked by the Democratic Party.

"We have been neglected, overlooked and disparaged in the sanctums of the Democratic Party...Prince George's County has been geographically redlined and stratified," Curry said in his endorsement remarks. "It is the place where there is more Democratic voting than any other place in Maryland..."

Smart move, Ben, ducking the Charles County NAACP debate. Really smart. Oh yeah, not knowing the biggest transportation plan in a bi-county region of 1.8 million people out of the 5.6 million you aim to represent...where? In the Senate?

Prince George's County's Black residents are tired, tired, tired of getting ignored. The Democratic Party has indeed ignored them, from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend bringing on a white Republican rather than a black Democrat in a state party that is damn near 50% Black, to a white-out absence of the second largest jurisdiction in the state from state-wide Democratic candidacy (yes, I know that Anthony Brown is the LG nominee), to smaller indignities like Schaefer lording over his love of Baltimore in awarding contracts against PG Prince George's County development opportunities, to small indignities like the informal reference to "PG" which chafes at the dignity of many, many proud County residents. They are the wealthiest majority-Black county in the United States, but have a hard time getting upscale retail to come due to outdated perceptions and devaluing of the prosperity and success of that community.

You know what's easy to find in Prince George's County: Starbucks. (Sadly, not yet in Upper Marlboro....) What's not easy to find are people who are willing to be taken for granted.

Wayne Curry has long had some close "diplomatic relations" with the Republican Party and it did not surprise me to see his endorsement, he had almost made the endorsement already. The other African-American leaders' endorsement surprised me more, but not terribly.

Payback's a bitch, and the one thing that the Democratic Party cannot do is ignore Black Democrats. Consider: the two largest counties in Maryland, both affluent, one majority black, one majority white, are extremely likely to have Black County Executives in the three months: Jack Johnson in Prince George's and Isiah "Ike" Leggett in Montgomery. Ignore Black Democrats - especially in Prince George's County - at your peril.

UK Daily Mail: Pole Dancing for 11 Year-Olds? Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the UK Daily Mail, October 24, 2006 (Hat Tip to STEVE GILLIARD):

Tesco condemned for selling pole dancing toy
by COLIN FERNANDEZ Last updated at 23:13pm on 24th October 2006

Mother of two Karen Gallimore was searching for Christmas gifts for her two daughters, Laura 10, and Sarah, 11, when she came across the 'toy'. Tesco has been forced to remove a pole-dancing kit from the toys and games section of its website after it was accused of "destroying children's innocence".

The Tesco Direct site advertises the kit with the words, "Unleash the sex kitten inside...simply extend the Peekaboo pole inside the tube, slip on the sexy tunes and away you go!

"Soon you'll be flaunting it to the world and earning a fortune in Peekaboo Dance Dollars".

The £49.97 kit comprises a chrome pole extendible to 8ft 6ins, a 'sexy dance garter' and a DVD demonstrating suggestive dance moves.

The kit, condemned as 'extremely dangerous' by family campaigners yesterday, was discovered by mother of two Karen Gallimore who was searching for Christmas gifts for her two daughters, Laura 10, and Sarah, 11.

Mrs Gallimore, 33, of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, said yesterday: "I'm no prude, but any children can go on there and see it. It's just not on."

Dr Adrian Rogers, of family campaigning group Family Focus said yesterday that the kit would "destroy children's lives".

He said: "Tesco is Britain's number one chain, this is extremely dangerous. It is an open invitation to turn the youngest children on to sexual behaviour.

"This will be sold to four, five and six-year olds. This is a most dangerous toy that will contribute towards destroying children's innocence."
.....................
Tesco last night denied the pole dancing kit was sexually oriented and said it was clearly marked for "adult use".

A spokesman added: "Pole dancing is an increasing exercise craze. This item is for people who want to improve their fitness and have fun at the same time."

I have long been sick of the sexualization of children. Children cannot reproduce; even in agricultural societies where children become essentially young farmers from an early age, when teenagers wed, they wed as a farming couple.

The sexualization of children is not cute. Beauty pageants for 8 year-olds are not cute. Teaching 10 year-old girls to wear low-cut clothing when they don't even have ... a low cut to cut, is messed up. I am trying to keep this blog on this side of PG-13 in terms of language, so I am going through the mental thesaurus for synonyms of the Germanic nouns and verbs that come most rapidly to mind. Abhorrent, offensive perverse, obscene, depraved. There we go, depraved.

Some will say that I am a prude; wrong. I am probably in the less prudish half of the human race. But for adults, in private, period. The fact that a post like this one is even made, speaks volumes.

Baltimore Sun: 98 Rock Morning Host Kirk and Mark To Leave for WHFS 105.7 Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 30, 2006:

Listeners of 98 Rock started their week with a shock this morning. Where are the guys?

After 11 years on Baltimore's 98 Rock (97.9 FM), morning hosts Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko were gone from the station today. "Mickey and Amelia," the afternoon hosts, have replaced "Kirk and Mark" in the station's morning time slot.

...

At 98 Rock, the long-time home of "Kirk and Mark" (who had teamed with the late Bob Lopez), the station heard from shocked and confused listeners today, Hill said. On the station's Web site, the new morning team posted a farewell to their former colleagues.

Wow.

Baltimore Sun: Hopkins Frat Suspended for "Halloween in the 'Hood" Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 30, 2006:

Johns Hopkins University officials suspended the Sigma Chi fraternity this afternoon pending an investigation into a "Halloween in the Hood" party many students are calling racist.

Student members of the university's Black Students Union protested the Sigma Chi fraternity party that was shut down by a university official early Sunday morning. The party was closed down after the students produced photographs of a skeleton pirate dangling from a rope noose on the roof of the fraternity's house on the 200 block of 33rd Street.

Holding up signs such as "Lynching is not a joke" and "Ban Sigma Chi," more than 30 students stood on Charles Street today holding up photographs from the party and distributing copies of an invitation to the party. The invitation posted on the Web site Facebook described Baltimore as "the hiv pit" and encouraged attendees to wear "regional clothing from our locale" such as "bling bling ice ice, grills," and "hoochie hoops."

I have two thoughts at once.

One is that this is a reprehensible thing for anybody to do, particularly a group of educated university students.

The second is that the article did not make clear either what relationship the fraternity had with the University - is it a tenant, a recipient of on-campus privileges, etc. - or what precise University rule this offensive party violated. I can guess, but the lawyer in me wants to know. It is likely that this fraternity signed a contract to comport itself with a Code of Conduct or some such.

A third thought comes to mind. I don't recall hearing about a black fraternity holding a party making fun of broke-ass rural white people or working class white people from Glen Burnie or Dundalk. Maybe it has happened, but I have not heard of it. Maybe they don't have the required hatred or feeling of superiority, but that's a conjecture on my part.

Washington Post; Profile of Gallaudet University President-Nominee Jane K. Fernandes Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Washington Post, October 29, 2006:

One day when Jane K. Fernandes was in second grade, she got up to sharpen her pencil. When she turned to go back to her seat, she saw her classmates laughing at her. Because she is deaf, she had not heard the teacher ordering her to sit down. Humiliated, she tore out of the classroom and ran home.

Her mother, who is also deaf, sent her right back to school. She was not raising a quitter.

Fernandes, now 50, is reaching back to the lessons of her childhood as she wages the battle of her career. And once again, she says, she will not be the one who quits.

Selected to become the next president of Gallaudet University, the country's premier school for the deaf, she says she is fighting for principles that have guided her work as a deaf educator. Yet growing numbers of angry students, faculty and alumni say Fernandes is the wrong person for the job.

...

When the Fernandeses returned to Gallaudet in 1995, Jane Fernandes became vice president of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, the elementary and secondary schools on campus. There, the seeds may have been sown for the current controversy, as Fernandes alienated many faculty members and parents with her reorganization of the center.

Critics said she was autocratic and unfeeling, delivering the message that whoever did not like her approach could leave. But Fernandes said she brought needed change to the center, including dismantling a remedial program with smaller classes that was used predominantly by black students. "A segregated school existed within the school itself," she said.

...

Some critics have said Fernandes's famous determination has hardened into stubbornness as she has dug in her heels, refusing to resign, as protesters have demanded. She said that she is confident that the problems will be resolved and that Gallaudet will get back to educating the deaf, with her as its president, come January.

"My belief is that there are some deep-seated issues in the deaf community, and these issues have been brought to the forefront, unfurled, if you will," she said. "If you think of it like steel that has to be tempered through fire, we're doing that now. We're going through the fire."

Since I am not Deaf or deaf (the former term describing a culture based on American Sign Language, the term describing a non-hearing or minimally-hearing person), I hesitate to venture into Deaf/deaf politics or the politics of a University that I have visited exactly once, 12 years ago, when socializing with a few Gallaudet students.

That said, it seems to me that the best thing to do now would be for students in the Tent City at GU to acquiesce to Fernandes' installation as GU President, but vigilantly and without mercy hold President Fernandes' feet to the fire regarding the issues on which the students are most concerned.

One of the objections to Fernandes is that she is allegedly autocratic. I don't know the weight of the evidence for that view. On the other hand, shutting down a university for weeks seems pretty damn autocratic.

I don't think the organizers of Tent City should apologize for their actions (though anyone who destroyed University property should compensate, with interest), given the fundamental importance of GU to the lives of millions of Deaf/deaf people directly and indirectly. But it seems to me that the smartest long-term victory the students can claim now is to declare victory for bring to the world their concerns, and go back to class, with a "Friends of Tent City" committee to follow Fernandes closely.

UPDATE: BIG-Time egg on Crablaw's face. Let's hope I am better at predicting Maryland politics than I am at predicting Deaf/deaf politics, eh?

The Tennessean: What Cigar Would Jesus Smoke? Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Tennessean, October 29, 2006:

Christian men are yearning for a more macho alternative to traditional worship and the message in some churches of a gentle robed Jesus, say organizers of a new style of men's spiritual event called GodMen coming to Nashville this weekend.

At the daylong GodMen event downtown Saturday, men will be able to cuss, smoke cigars, watch videos of football pileups and car crashes, listen to specially composed Christian rock songs such as "Testosterone High" and attend workshops on how to fight pornography addiction.

...

"For a lot of men, the church has been feminized," said Richards, 36, a married father of three daughters who leads a men's group at the People's Church in Spring Hill.

"They come to church on Sunday mornings and feel like they're failures because they don't live up to the ideal. They're reminded of how they fall short just being men. It's not secret that men like sports, they love action, they love competition. And they don't feel like there's a place for them to be themselves in church."

Speaking as a lapsed Catholic, I can say that very little I have seen from the religious world in all of its diversity allows me to "connect" with the event just described here.

I suspect that this event reflects a lack of male-oriented institutions with the Church. I know that my feminist readers probably just puked that, sorry about your keyboard.... But many, probably most churches are de facto run by women, even churches that are expressly patriarchal. So they reflect feminine style and values, not out of specific intent necessarily, but for the same reason that the local teachers' union does and the same reason that the local Marine camp doesn't.

While the minister or priest or "president" may be male, it is women who often set the social tone for the institution, in part because a lot of the time it is for the children that marginal church members choose to attend, and that often means Mom de facto if the children are young. Add to that the volume of bake sale, feeding the hungry, etc., "kitchen ministry" that happens in Catholic and Protestant churches alike, and you have an environment in which men, frankly, are often less competent or perceive themselves to be.

In the Unitarian Church, a different dynamic occurs in that the Church itself is highly critical of patriarchal models from both a theoretical and practical perspective (unlike the evangelical world, where such a model is somewhere between "approved" and "mandatory.") About 1/2 of Unitarian ministers are women, maybe more now, and this has been completely non-controversial in that community for a very long time.

I would be interested to hear from Jewish and Muslim readers - adherents of traditions that, in their traditional forms, make major gender distinctions not only in formal leadership roles but in religious duties at the house of worship itself - anecdotally whether men are more active in the day-to-day leadership of the house of worship beyond mere titles.

As for the theological imprint of the Rat Pack-Monday Night Football mod

Baltimore Sun: Baltimore's Basilica of the Assumption Restored Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 29, 2006:

High above the city, the church loomed. So it was for the great cathedrals of Europe - of Chartres and Notre Dame and Salisbury and Orvieto. And so it was for the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.

For much of the 19th century, the neo-classical cathedral, built on a hill north of what was then the city center, was the most prominent feature of Baltimore's skyline.

Skyscrapers have since grown to overshadow the cathedral and its primacy in the birth of the Catholic church in America has been forgotten by many.

But now there is hope that the cathedral - reopening Saturday after a two-year, $32 million restoration - will reassert its importance in the history of the church, of the city and the country, giving it the appeal great European cathedrals have to both the religious and the curious.

This building is an architectural gem. Its design was influenced heavily by U.S. Capitol Architect Henry Latrobe and by amateur architect Thomas Jefferson; while this truly an American cathedral, it reflects beautifully the richness of cathedral design from the great cathedrals of Europe.

The following is a terminology primer for non-Catholics. Ecclesiastically, a "basilica" is a church that has received special recognition by the Pope. It may, or may not, be a cathedral, which is literally the "seat" or "see" church of a bishop. (The "Holy See" is the Archdiocese of Rome, whose cathedral is St. John Lateran and whose "ordinary" or directly governing archbishop happens to be the Pope.)

In the Catholic Church, communities of the faithful are led by a bishop or an archbishop, who govern a diocese or archdiocese as its ordinary. An archdiocese is a large diocese, and it may provide supervision to smaller dioceses nearby. Such an archdiocese will be known as a "metropolitan see."

Baltimore is the Metropolitan for four smaller dioceses in Delaware, the Eastern Shore, Virginia and West Virginia. Interestingly, the Archibishop of Baltimore is NOT the Metropolitan or ordinary for Catholics in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, which are incorported with the Archdiocese of Washington, but IS the Metropolitan See for the Diocese of Arlington across the Potomac River. The historical reasons for this arrangement exceed my research.

The Archidiocese of Baltimore, comprising metropolitan Baltimore and Western Maryland, has two co-cathedrals, one being the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption and the other being the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore, an impressive building in its own right. Maryland has one other basilica, that at the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg near Mount St. Mary's University; it is not a cathedral.

Balltimore Sun: Ehrlich Snaps Angrily At Inquirer, Dog Bites Man Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 29, 2006:

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. acknowledged yesterday that a top aide received subpoenas from federal prosecutors investigating in 2004 what published reports said was the influence of slot-machine gambling interests in Annapolis, an admission that led to a demand by his Democratic opponent that the administration release full details of the probe.

...

Responding to a question from a caller on Stateline with Governor Ehrlich on WBAL radio yesterday, the governor for the first time spoke publicly about the inquiry.

...

The caller to WBAL who raised the issue - who identified himself only as "Leo" - questioned the timing and asked Ehrlich if anyone in the governor's administration or on the governor's behalf intervened to quash the investigation, a suggestion that drew Ehrlich's anger.

"The timing of it was very coincidental, because as you know, Mr. Schurick was subpoenaed in June of 2004, and then it was about four weeks after that the Department of Justice, which is of course run by Republicans, stripped him of his authority to pursue public corruption investigations," the caller said.

Ehrlich said: "Are you suggesting through that statement that something nefarious happened? When the guy prosecuted my superintendent of Maryland state police?" referring to Edward T. Norris, who pleaded guilty to misusing a police account for personal gain while city police commissioner.

"I think that your call is really inappropriate. I think it's partisan. I think that you are trying to damage the reputation of somebody who has worked for Democrats most of their life," Ehrlich said. Schurick was once chief of staff to then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer.

"I think the timing of your call is ridiculous. Nothing came of it. Everybody knows it. Can you imagine, if something would have been there, the Baltimore Sun not jumping on that. So my answer to you is 'Give me a break.' And the election is in 11 days," Ehrlich said.

Way to win the voters, Bob, snap at them when they ask questions. Not that O'Malley's temper is much better.

Baltimore Sun: And O'Malley Hath Ambition Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Sun, October 29, 2006:

"How's the band doing?" asked Jesse Bowden, the bartender in Salisbury's Chesapeake Steakhouse.

Ah, the band. O'Malley beamed. But his press aide cringed at the mention of the mayor's Celtic rock group, O'Malley's March.

...

The 43-year-old Democratic candidate for governor has worked diligently to bury the ambitious and flashy persona - first, he says, by passing on a run for governor in 2002, then by retiring the band last year. And he has in large part outgrown the brazen, loose-lipped style of a young mayor - elected at age 36 in 1999 - who was prone to fiery public tirades.

Today O'Malley tries to project a far more subdued, cerebral presence in his bid to unseat Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. At events throughout the state, he follows the same effective script to great fanfare: make a joke, make a promise (or 10), quote a Kennedy. O'Malley and his supporters say the maturation is real - lessons from a growing family, the death of his father and the backlash from verbal missteps.

Good exposition on the ambition of Martin O'Malley and the timeline of his career.

Baltimore Examiner: AA County Judge Affirms Gansler Eligible for Att'y Gen'l Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

From the Baltimore Examiner, October 28, 2006:

A circuit judge refused Friday to strike Doug Gansler's name from the ballot as the Democratic candidate for attorney general, ruling that the Montgomery County prosecutor meets the constitutional requirement of practicing law in Maryland for at least 10 years.

The ruling by Judge Ronald A. Silkworth rejected a suit brought by Nikos Liddy. The Prince George's County man argued that Gansler did not meet the requirement because until he was elected state's attorney eight years ago, he practiced law in the District of Columbia, where Gansler was a federal prosecutor and a private lawyer.

Silkworth said the fact that Gansler had been a member of the Maryland Bar for 17 years was "a crucial factor to the determination that Mr. Gansler is eligible to run for office." He also cited activities such as offering legal advice to friends and family and his volunteer work providing legal advice to organizations in Montgomery County.

"The Maryland Constitution does not require a specific quantity or quality of activities," the opinion said. "Whether those actions make him qualified to be the next attorney general is a question left to the registered voters."

I disagree with Judge Silkworth, who also wrote the initial opinion on the Tom Perez disqualification, on one point. Judge Silkworth indicated that he was concerned about chaos at the polls if a new nominee were to be switched in at the last moment. I don't see how that matters. Either Gansler is eligible, or he's not. The fact that this suit was brought fairly late (surprising so, in light of the exposure to Tom Perez' short history here), makes one wonder.

As an aside, Republican Scott Rolle's campaign manager served as legal counsel to the nominal plaintiff from Prince George's County who filed this. Anne Arundel County had venue since the State Board of Elections is situated there. (I think that knowledge of election law should be a specific requirement for appointments to that county bench, given that election challenges for state-wide office inevitably occur there.)

Crablaw Agrees with Digby On Gay Marriage, or, Liberal Payback's a B...it of a Challenge Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

Digby:

The NJ legislature will have to find some way to profer equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples. Unless it decides to, the state will not be obligated to perform any marriage ceremonies. They could decide that it's a simple form that must be filled out and notarized. Churches will have to decide if they want to perform ceremonies or not, just as they do today, and the state has nothing to say about it --- just as it doesn't today. All this amounts to is equality under the law.

Religious people can fight among themselves all they want about what this means, but the state should not be in the "sanctity" business.

sanc' ti' ty:

1. Holiness of life or disposition; saintliness.
2. The quality or condition of being considered sacred; inviolability.
3. Something considered sacred.

The state's job is to insure equality under the law and this ruling properly achieves that.

Conservatives who stand agape and dismayed at the failure of the state to protect sanctity may wish to consider: do they really want elected officials defining sanctity?

If George Bush can attack gay marriage as a violation of sacredness and sanctity: which he has done:

Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. Today's decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court violates this important principle. I will work with congressional leaders and others to do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage.

then President John McCain gets to do it. So does President Hillary Clinton. So does President Russ Feingold.

Is your church Hillary-approved? Does Congressman John Conyers get to propose bills defining what is sacred and sanctified in this country? For that matter, does Congressman Barney Frank get to do so?

General rule of institutional behavior: once an institution has begun to pass regulations and make policy on a topic, it will continue to do so. So... who should the President hire to assist in his office of Sacredness and Sanctity Supervision?

Does he hire Michelle Bachmann, a Republican congressional candidate whose Christian beliefs hold that Roman Catholics follow the anti-Christ? How about an evangelical Christian who teaches that Jews all go to hell as non-Christians? Maybe he will be pressured into hiring a Muslim cleric who believes that non-Muslims including people of the Book (Christians, Jews) go to hell? These folks get to assist the President in defining sanctity for Americans? Sacredness?

Right now, religious institutions and religious people are free to set their own policies as free institutions and people, with little state interference. But they are not absolutely free to contradict what Justice Scalia called "neutral laws." So perhaps a neutral law will be passed stating that a house of worship must make leadership opportunities for women in the same way as for men, under general employment principles. A future White House will state that what is sacred and sanctified is not religious freedom, but equal protection of the laws. So your synagogue, your parish will have parts of religious administration dictated by laws written by a committee headed by Congressman John Conyers, and signed ("reluctantly") by President Clinton. Your deacon, your sexton is now a woman, or your house of worship gets investigated and maybe sued.

Maybe the requirements will be passed through the tax code: your house of worship will get taxed like McDonalds unless it jumps through some policy and organizational hoops that the President finds sacred, but your tradition does not. Maybe it won't be as radical as personnel and leadership decisions. Once you have the President weighing on in what's sacred and sanctified, it isn't sacred or sanctified any more.

An idea: separation of church and state is good for the churches, because liberal payback is a b&&&&. Take it from an erstwhile liberal.

Quote of the Day Click HERE to Bring Up Full Post

"The hardest part about 'libertarian' is learning how to roll your eyes." - Ze Frank, HAT TIP to SAMIZDATA.COM.