JuiceBlender: Hitler's Jewels in MD, Rushern Baker's Son for Delegate, More Syria Response & O'Malley on Saylor's Killing

Below Maryland Juice provides a few news items that may be of interest to Free State politicos:

JUICE #1: SALE OF HITLER'S NAZI JEWELS IN MARYLAND PROMPTS CRITICISM  - During the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashanah this year, a reader forwarded us news of a controversial sale of Nazi artifacts in Maryland. Jezebel.com provided a quick snapshot of the controversy (excerpt below):

Hitler's ring for sale (Jezebel.com)

JEZEBEL.COM: Raise your hand if you'd be willing to spend almost $110,000 on a super fancy swastika ring made especially for Hitler by a rabid anti-semitic jeweler. None of you should be raising your hands....

Nazi memorabilia enthusiasts (ew) are basically pissing themselves with excitement over this item's availability, because people are into some f*cked up sh*t.

The UK's Daily Mail provided further detail on the sick retail event in Maryland (excerpt below):

DAILY MAIL: A rare Nazi bling-ring once owned by Adolf Hitler is going up for auction in Maryland next week and is expected to fetch at least £70,000.... It is being offered for sale by the Alexander Historical Auctions House in Maryland and comes with documents come with it testifying that it was made for the Fuhrer.

The ring was crafted by the master goldsmith Karl Berthold who was a fanatical Nazi and kicked Jewish craftsmen out of his business in Frankfurt shortly after the regime came to power in 1933 - long before laws forbidding them from working came into place. He wrote to Hitler saying he had fired the "Bolshevik-Jew servants" and was commissioned by a party functionary to make the ring for the Nazi leader....

The Alexander Historical Auctions House is famous for selling Nazi-themed militaria and artefacts. Three years ago it sold the diaries of Auschwitz 'Angel of Death' Josef Mengele - the camp doctor who performed terrible medical experiments on inmates - that he kept while on the run in Brazil....

Maryland Juice visited the website for the Chesapeake City, MD-based auction house "Alexander Historical Auctions House" and it appears Hitler's ring is not the only Nazi artifact they are selling. Based on their homepage, they appear to have a specialty in catering to Nazi collectors, which they categorize as items relating to "The Holocaust." Among the items for sale are anti-semitic children's books, and something tells me the potential buyers for these items may not be interested in the "never again" message of the post-Holocaust world. This stuff is sick!  

JUICE #2: PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY EXECUTIVE RUSHERN BAKER'S SON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR DISTRICT 22 HOUSE OF DELEGATES - The Washington Informer recently reported that Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker's son, Rushern Baker IV, launched a campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates on Labor Day (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON INFORMER: [Rushern Baker IV], 25, said he’s a candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 22, and he used Greenbelt’s Labor Day parade on Monday, Sept. 2 as his first campaign event to shake hands and make his candidacy known....

Baker is seeking one of the three District 22 House seats in 2014. Currently those seats are occupied by delegates Tawana P. Gaines, Anne Healy and Alonzo T. Washington. All three will be up for re-election with the top three vote-getters taking office....

[Rushern Baker IV is] also the son of Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III and said he’s been inspired by his father’s leadership, which he called “undeniably beneficial for Prince George’s County.”

JUICE #3: CONGRESSMEN JOHN DELANEY & JOHN SARBANES SHARE THOUGHTS ON POTENTIAL BOMBING OF SYRIA - Yesterday Maryland Juice provided a round-up of responses to the potential bombing of Syria from a range of our state's Democratic officials, including Chris Van Hollen, Elijah Cummings, Ben Cardin, Barbara Mikulski and Martin O'Malley. Below you can see additional commentary from Rep. John Sarbanes and Rep. John Delaney. While stumping for a candidate in Iowa (?), Delaney provided his current of state of thinking on intervention in Syria (excerpt below):

SIOUXLAND NEWS: While Representative John Delaney was in town supporting Jim Mowrer, a candidate vying for Iowa's 4th congressional district seat, he also gave a little insight into how the House and Senate are handling the debate over a military strike against Syria....

"I think there's more work to do. I think I need to understand the implications of this action to the American People and to our interests internationally and I want to know what good is going to come from this. I don't think this discussion is actually about Syria anymore. It's about our response to chemical weapons which I think is the right way of framing our discussion because that really is the issue," said Delaney. "Because what's been going on in Syria for the last 18 months or almost two years is terrible and tragic, and we weren't going to do anything so this situation is really not about Syria it's about them violating its international norm that really has been around for 100 years and making sure there's consequences."

Meanwhile, Rep. John Sarbanes released a press release outlining his thoughts on the Syria debate:

JOHN SARBANES: "On August 21, 2013, the Assad regime launched a chemical weapons attack into rebel-held areas of the Damascus suburbs, killing over one thousand people, including hundreds of children. This shocking and abhorrent use of a weapon that the civilized world has long banned demands a forceful and unequivocal response.

"President Obama has asked the Congress to authorize the use of military force in support of a strike against the Assad regime as punishment for this attack. In the coming days, Congress will debate the President's request and I look forward to hearing all competing perspectives and examining any additional information provided by the Administration or other sources. I find persuasive the President's arguments that a strike is warranted in order to give teeth to the international ban on chemical weapons and in order to demonstrate American resolve in the Middle East. However, I share the conviction of many of my colleagues that any strike be limited in time and scope and otherwise designed to minimize the risk of drawing the United States into a broader military engagement. Those are the standards I will use in determining my support for any resolution that members of the House of Representatives are asked to vote upon."

JUICE #4: FAMILY OF ETHAN SAYLOR DELIVERS 340,000 PETITION SIGNATURES TO GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY CALLING FOR ACTION ON FREDERICK POLICE KILLING OF MAN WITH DOWNS SYNDROME - Yesterday the widely-read progressive netroots blog DailyKos.com published an open letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley calling for Maryland to take concrete action on the death of Ethan Saylor in Frederick. Saylor's killing at the hands of off-duty Frederick cops sparked widespread outrage and accusations of a rigged "investigation," prompting 340,000 people to sign a petition calling for immediate action (excerpt below):

DAILYKOS.COM: Dear Governor O'Malley, This morning the family and supporters of Ethan Saylor will deliver over 338,000 signatures to you. They are asking you to do two things. First, call an independent investigation of the death of Ethan Saylor. Second, standardize training for police in how to handle situations like this in the future....

I assume your staff has read the 98-page report on Saylor's death produced by the Frederick County Sheriff and pronounced it sufficient. I disagree.... These officers decided to initiate contact. Why? Did they understand what they were doing?....

We're looking for justice here....  On that petition, hundreds of thousands of people have signed on, and your response will be, for many, their first interaction with you as a leader. Some are in Maryland, but this issue has gone national. If you want to be my president, if you want my vote in a Democratic primary, you will say yes. Whatever your decision, I'll be watching and waiting. And writing....

The Washington Post yesterday reported on O'Malley's response to the effort, noting that he is promising to create a plan on the training of police but is unsure about whether to launch an investigation (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is preparing to issue a plan related to the training of law-enforcement officers and first responders when interacting with people with disabilities, aides confirmed Thursday....

Family members presented the governor with three boxes full of petitions which they said contained more than 340,000 signatures from people across the country asking O’Malley to launch an independent investigation into Saylor’s death. The 26-year-old died in January as three Frederick County deputies sought to remove him from the movie theater.

Upon emerging from the late-morning meeting in the State House, Patti Saylor told reporters that O’Malley was going to continue to think about an investigation into her son’s death....

The chief medical examiner’s office in Baltimore ruled Saylor’s death a homicide as a result of asphyxia, but a Frederick County grand jury determined in March that no charges were warranted against the deputies. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether the civil rights of Saylor were violated.... Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D-Montgomery), who is running for governor next year, has been among those calling for an independent investigation....

Baltimore Jewish Council Questions Sen. Anthony Muse's Controversial Campaign Flyer // News Coverage Snowballing

FLYERGATE NEWS COVERAGE SNOWBALLS: A few days ago Maryland Juice posted a copy of controversial campaign literature from U.S. Senate candidate Anthony Muse. The State Senator from Prince George's was distributing a sample ballot that urged voters to support an Obama-Muse ticket. Notably, President Obama has endorsed Sen. Ben Cardin for re-election. But more importantly, Muse's literature is generating heated criticism for highlighting the number of Jewish members of the U.S. Senate. Apparently this is not the first time he has employed this tactic.

The Washington Post today picked up the story and noted a non-response from Senator Muse:

Obama may be backing Cardin but that has not stopped Muse from seeking to link himself to the president. His campaign has distributed a “sample ballot” — a copy of which was posted online by the blog Maryland Juice — that says “Obama Muse Making History Together,” with pictures of the two men side by side. The same sample ballot includes a chart showing the composition of the U.S. Senate, noting that the chamber it has no African Americans. The chart also shows that there are 12 Jewish members of the Senate, even though Jews make up roughly 2 percent of the U.S. population. Cardin is Jewish, though the ballot does not mention that fact.

The flier drew criticism this week from the liberal group People for the American Way, which suggested on its blog that the chart “seems to go out of its way to imply there are too many Jews in the Senate. What legitimate reason is there to include a count of Jews in this tally, when there is no count of any other religious group?” Asked about the chart Wednesday, Muse dismissed the criticism.said, “This is nothing more than an attempt to be negative.”

MUSE KEEPS RAISING JEWISH REPRESENTATION, JEWS OFFENDED - The Baltimore Sun's John Fritze today noted that the head of the Baltimore Jewish Council is now questioning Sen. Muse's campaign literature:

The head of the Baltimore Jewish Council raised questions Wednesday about a campaign flyer from Democratic Senate candidate C. Anthony Muse that notes that there are no African-Americans serving in the U.S. Senate but that there are 12 Jews.

Muse, a state senator from Prince George's County is black. He is running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is Jewish. The primary takes place Tuesday.

"I'm not happy with it," said Arthur C. Abramson, the council's executive director. "I would ask the candidate why the only religion he identified is Jewish...."

It's a contrast the campaign has drawn previously. Earlier this year Muse used his Twitter account to highlight a link to an article that discussed the number of Jews in the Senate. The campaign later deleted the tweet after it was noted by reporters.

Asked about the flyer, Muse campaign spokeswoman Brandi Calhoun said in an e-mail that it is "misleading and inaccurate, therefore we will have a response to that at the appropriate time."

The campaign did not respond when asked to clarify whether the Muse campaign had actually distributed the flyer or whether a third party was involved.

NO CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS FROM MUSE? - The Baltimore Sun article also notes that Muse's campaign has not filed any campaign finance reports with the FEC:

Muse's campaign, meanwhile, has never filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission as other candidates did last week. Calhoun said that Muse was not required to do so because he established his candidacy in February, late in the cycle. 

It's not clear why Muse's February entrance would exempt him from filing the pre-primary report, which was due March 22. The campaign did not respond to a follow up question seeking clarification.

Maryland Juice would point out that according to Anthony Muse's own campaign website, he became a candidate for the U.S. Senate on January 5th, 2011 and was in exploratory mode prior to that:

OY VEY!

Liberal Group Condemns Sen. Anthony Muse's Divisive Campaign Flyer // Marriage Equality Foes Admit Division is Goal

UPDATE: The national progressive blog Daily Kos has picked up the story of State Senator Anthony Muse's divisive flyer.

This week, Maryland Juice posted campaign flyers from State Senator Anthony Muse, who is currently trying to replace U.S. Senator Ben Cardin in the April Democratic Primary. We noted that Mr. Muse's literature may mislead voters into thinking that President Barack Obama had endorsed Muse, when in fact he had endorsed Senator Cardin for re-election. We also noted that Mr. Muse voted against the Dream Act and was a leading opponent of marriage equality in Maryland.

A number of readers, however, have also pointed out that Mr. Muse's literature seems to pit voters against Maryland's Jewish community. They point to the following portion of his literature:

One Maryland Juice reader commented:

...the anti-Semitism of that palm card just leaps off the page. Let's not forget that Ben Cardin is (ahem) Jewish. 

I particularly like the "subtle as a sledgehammer" use of "Jewish" alongside white, black, Hispanic and Asian, and the doubly insulting insinuation that Jews are something other than white. You stay classy, Anthony Muse. 

The overall thrust of this palm card, again beyond the lie, is Muse's completely transparent attempt to empower the African-American community by appealing to blatant bias against Jews. "Hey, look, THOSE people are overrepresented. That should be OUR Senate seat." Disgusting.

PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY CONDEMNS MUSE LIT: The liberal advocacy group People for the American Way (PFAW) picked up on the story and is condemning Sen. Anthony Muse's literature. Trivia: PFAW's former head was Ralph Neas - the 1998 Democratic nominee for the 8th Congressional District.

Disturbing Campaign Literature in Maryland

...Muse, an African American minister in the Washington suburbs, is challenging Sen. Ben Cardin in a Democratic primary election next week. Cardin is Jewish. Maryland Juice has posted a copy of a Muse sample ballot reportedly being distributed at some early voting centers that seems to indirectly make Cardin's religion an issue. The second page notes the underrepresentation of African Americans and other people of color, but also seems to go out of its way to imply there are too many Jews in the Senate.

What legitimate reason is there to include a count of Jews in this tally, when there is no count of any other religious group? Noting that Jews are 12% of the Senate but only 1.8% of the population seems designed to stoke unwarranted and dangerous resentment among voters who are justifiably frustrated that there are no African Americans in the U.S. Senate today.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY OPPONENTS ADMIT GOAL IS TO TURN COMMUNITIES AGAINST EACH OTHER: Notably, PFAW's piece recent post about Muse also notes that the anti-LGBT group, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), has also admitted that its goal is to stoke divisions between African American and Latino voters and other Democratic constituencies. Does this sound familiar to you? (Ahem  *cough* - Archbishop O'Brien & Anthony Muse).

PFAW commented:

The anti-gay National Organization for Marriage is being widely condemned as Americans learn from previously secret organizational documents the lengths it is willing to go in order to turn one community of Americans against another. This week, campaign literature from one of NOM's allies in the fight against equality, Maryland state senator Anthony Muse, is raising questions as to whether he is using similar methods himself.

HRC EXPOSES DIVISIVE TACTICS: If you haven't been following the new revelations about the disgusting, divisive tactics that are being employed by anti-LGBT activists, check out this recent article from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). They obtained copies of strategy documents, where the anti-marriage organizers detail the very strategies we are watching unfold in Maryland:

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MARRIAGE: “The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks—two key Democratic constituencies. Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage, develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots…” 

Another passage: 

"The Latino vote in America is a key swing vote, and will be so even more so in the future, both because of demographic growth and inherent uncertainty: Will the process of assimilation to the dominant Anglo culture lead Hispanics to abandon traditional family values? We must interrupt this process of assimilation by making support for marriage a key badge of Latino identity - a symbol of resistance to inappropriate assimilation." 

On PDF page 12, it talks about “sideswiping Obama,” painting him as a “social radical” and talking about “side issues” like pornography.

MARYLAND JUICE CONCLUSION: Wow. So Sen. Anthony Muse -- who has appeared at Tea Party rallies to fire up the anti-LGBT base -- is playing directly into rightwing divide-and-conquer activist tactics (see their playbook here). NICE!

This is what happens when one part of the Democratic base tries to capitalize on hatred towards another part of the Democratic base. That's why we all need to hang together, and its why Sen. Anthony Muse has no future as a statewide candidate in Maryland or in national Democratic politics.

Sorry, but its the truth!