Maryland Prosecutor Investigates Montgomery County Gov't Advocacy for Question B // READ: MoCo Officials Respond

UPDATE: The Gazette today reports that Montgomery County's police union has been effectively shut out from advertising on county buses, even though MoCo has agreed to make an exception and let them advertise against Question B:

GAZETTE:  Montgomery County might be willing to make a special exception and allow the Fraternal Order of Police to put signs against Question B on RideOn buses, but police say the decision came too late....

Zifcak, immediate past president of FOP Lodge 35, said the union was told by the contractor who handles the bus advertising, Direct Media USA, that it will take 14 days to get their ad on buses. The Nov. 6 election is 13 days away.....

Below, Maryland Juice discusses two updates to the ongoing battle between Montgomery County officials and their police union. First, we highlight a Maryland prosecutors investigation of whether MoCo was improperly engaging in advocacy on this November's ballot questions, and then we update our story on allegations of censorship on MoCo's bus ads.

Montgomery County Government Censors Ads Opposing Question B // ACLU Demands Equal Access for Both Sides

UPDATE: Patrick Lacefield, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, has responded to the ACLU's press release and provides new details. The Leggett administration will allow the FOP to run bus ads, but rejects the idea that they were engaging in viewpoint discrimination:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY: The County Executive decided yesterday to make an one-time, specific exception to the County's policy against any outside political advertising to allow the FOP to purchase space. Our standing policy is not viewpoint-based and therefore there is no issue of "censorship." Prior to this exception, the County would not have sold space to outside Pro-Question B advocates either. That has been a consistent policy that the ACLU has never agreed with.

A letter is being prepared by the County Attorney. We had told the ACLU we'd have a response before Thursday but they jumped the gun with a release. The ACLU acknowledges that the County can establish rules governing access to forum in this case (Ride-On buses), including content-based rules, so long as there is no viewpoint discrimination. The County’s rules governing access to advertising space are straightforward: the County, through its contractor, accepts commercial advertising and government-sponsored speech. Those are the only two categories of speech permissible in buses advertisements. There is no viewpoint discrimination within those two categories. The FOP’s proposed advertisement does not fall within either of the permissible categories. It is not commercial speech and it is not government-sponsored speech. Thus, the County properly rejected the proposed advertisement.

If recent accounts by the ACLU are accurate, Montgomery County may have gone too far in its attempts to repeal "effects bargaining" rights (Question B) for members of the county's police union (FOP Lodge 35). Maryland Juice previously reported on Montgomery County's aggressive advertising blitz urging a "vote for" Question B. Their PR offensive included web videos, flyers, email blasts, and more. The FOP called for an investigation of "misuse of taxpayer funds," but some argued that the law permits the County expend resources on advocacy for referenda.

THE RETURN OF CHAIRMAN MOCO 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENSORS POLITICAL OPPOSITION: Today, the ACLU is announcing that the Montgomery County Government is also running "FOR Question B" ads on its buses. But what caught their interest is that MoCo is simultaneously censoring ads from those who are opposing the government's position. Maryland Juice has previously noted a fondness for censorship from the Montgomery County government. Our #1 most-read article of all-time is still our reporting on MoCo's censorship of their employees' Internet searches. See the alarming report from the ACLU below:

MEDIA RELEASE

ACLU Protests Censorship of Political Speech by
Montgomery County Government
Full details at the ACLU of Maryland website: http://www.aclu-md.org/press_room/82

TAKOMA PARK – Concerned that Montgomery County government is unlawfully censoring ads opposing the “FOR Question B” ads that the County itself is running on public transit buses, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland (ACLU) today contacted Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett detailing the constitutional violation inherent in this viewpoint discrimination by the government. The ACLU asked for a quick resolution to the matter, given that the political question at issue will be decided by voters on November 6.

“If the County wants to prohibit political advertising on county buses, it can, but it cannot run its own political ads on county buses and then claim that political advertising is not permitted,” said David Rocah, staff attorney for the ACLU of Maryland. “When the government privileges one side of a political debate in a forum open to private speakers, as Montgomery County is doing here, it engages in viewpoint discrimination clearly prohibited by the First Amendment.”

The ACLU’s letter concerns actions taken by or on behalf of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Division of Transit Services, in connection with ads that the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 35 (FOP) sought to place on Ride On buses concerning the referendum on Question B on November 6. Montgomery County is currently running its own ads on both the inside and outside of county Ride On buses stating “Who Do You Think Should Run the County Police?  The Police Chief or Union Leaders?  Vote FOR Question B.”  Wishing to respond to these explicitly political ads by the County, the FOP contacted the contractor responsible for managing the advertising program for the Division of Transit services, seeking to run its own responsive ads. Once the content of the FOP’s intended ad became clear, the FOP was told, on two different occasions, that because the ad FOP wished to run was political in nature, they would not be allowed to purchase the space. 

The ACLU letter argues that the County cannot impose advertising rules only on private speakers who wish to express a contrary viewpoint. Because the County ran its own ads with respect to Question B, it must now allow the FOP to speak on the same issue, on the same terms as are available to other private speakers.

Go to the ACLU of Maryland website for more details: http://www.aclu-md.org/press_room/82. The ACLU has not taken a position on the substance of Question B.

###

Ravens Player Brendon Ayanbadejo Doubles Down on Marriage Equality // PLUS: Bush Campaign Manager Calls It "Freedom"

PRO-MARRIAGE EQUALITY NFL PLAYER DOUBLES DOWN: Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo was at the center of a media firestorm in Maryland last week, after Delegate Emmett Burns Jr. tried to get the Ravens to censor the NFL player's marriage equality support. Burns, a Baltimore area Democratic lawmaker and self-proclaimed Ravens fan, sent a letter to the team's owner asking him to muzzle Ayanbadejo, but the team instead stood by Ayanbadejo's free speech rights.

Now the Ravens linebacker is doubling down on his support for marriage equality with the following email message sent through the Marylanders for Marriage Equality list. Ayanbadejo is one of a long line of spokespeople pushing a Vote FOR Question 6 this November:

Juice,

Monday night was a great way to kick-off the season in front of the national audience!

And even though I'm excited that we started the season off with a win, moving us closer to winning the Superbowl, football is just my job, it's not who I am. I am an American before anything. And just like every American I have the right to speak!

Maryland Lawmaker Emmett Burns Tells Baltimore Ravens to Silence Pro-Gay Rights Player // CONTROVERSY ERUPTS

UPDATE: A new Baltimore Sun editorial scorches Delegate Emmett Burns Jr. for his censorship effort. They think he's not fit for office (excerpt below): 

BALTIMORE SUN: That Mr. Burns had to reacquaint himself with the First Amendment ... suggests he has neither the temperament nor the basic understanding of government and law to continue in office. The fact that the use of his office letterhead for the purpose may have violated General Assembly ethics rules only underscores the point....

AN EMBARRASSMENT TO MARYLAND DEMOCRATS - If you haven't heard about the recent controversy surrounding Maryland lawmaker Emmett Burns Jr, you're missing out on one of the most idiotic stories of the year. Hat tip: Todd Eberly of the Free Stater blog. 

Delegate Burns, a Baltimore area Democrat, represents District 10 in the State House. He is also apparently against both free speech and marriage equality. Burns is now the subject of a national, viral news story after he tried to get the Baltimore Ravens to silence one of their players (linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo) for publicly endorsing marriage equality. See a synopsis of the story below.

Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is Pro-LGBT rights (source: Instagram)

Here's a brief review of the controversy involving Maryland Delegate Emmett Burns Jr, the Baltimore Ravens, and linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo:

MD Attorney General Doug Gansler Elected President of National Association of Attorneys General // Focus on Online Privacy

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler has just released the following press statement announcing that he has been elected President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Notably, Gansler has been serving as head of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), and his website notes that his position there ended upon taking the NAAG role.

Gansler's statement also announces that his focus at NAAG will be on protecting Internet users' privacy. Indeed, this is a growing area of concern for consumers, given the roughshod treatment of our digital privacy by corporations and law enforcement officials. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, for example, recently sought to grant immunity to online companies if they share information about our Internet use with government officials.

A QUICK NOTE ON GANSLER'S ONLINE PRIVACY INITIATIVES - Gansler's press announcement states that he will use the NAAG role to highlight privacy violations by the "Internet's major players," and in his role as Maryland AG, he has worked to fight privacy policies at Google and Facebook. This is pretty smart politics for the 2014 gubernatorial candidate, given the enthusiasm from the Netroots for greater online privacy protections. But Maryland Juice would also reiterate that government officials are some of the worst violators of online privacy, and we hope to see Mr. Gansler also address the increasing disregard of digital privacy by law enforcement agencies. Moreover, Mr. Gansler also mentions NAAG's role in addressing "internet crime." We hope that he doesn't mean more overblown attempts at anti-piracy enforcement at the behest of pro-censorship companies like Rosetta Stone, as well as the film and music industries (ie: SOPA/PIPA). If Mr. Gansler is able to disregard the lies and propaganda from entertainment industry and cable lobbyists, he may be able to develop a real following among Internet users. We will be watching!

PRESS RELEASE 

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler Elected 
President of National Association of Attorneys General

“Privacy in the Digital Age” will be presidential initiative

Anchorage, Alaska (June 22, 2012) – Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has been unanimously elected the 105th President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) by his peers during NAAG’s Annual Summer Meeting. The nonpartisan association of chief legal officers from each state, territory and the District of Columbia has used its vast and varied expertise, experience and legal authority to address many of the nation’s most serious legal, social and economic issues, such as the home foreclosure crisis, tobacco litigation, financial fraud, human trafficking and internet crime.

“As the chief legal officers of our states, Attorneys General are engaged in every aspect of state governance. We are uniquely positioned to make a real difference in the lives of the citizens in our states, and we do so every day,” said Attorney General Gansler. “It is an honor to serve as NAAG President. I look forward to working with my colleagues on some of our states’ and our nation’s most pressing issues.”

Upon accepting office, Attorney General Gansler announced his intent to examine “Privacy in the Digital Age” as his yearlong Presidential Initiative.

“The Digital Age has transformed everything we do, from buying groceries to boarding an airplane, from treating an illness to socializing with friends and family. These changes have raised some unique and significant challenges to privacy,” said Attorney General Gansler. “With this initiative, we will bring the energy and legal weight of this organization to investigate, educate and take necessary steps to ensure that the Internet’s major players protect the privacy of online consumers while balancing their legitimate business interests.”

Currently serving his second term in office, Attorney General Gansler has also served as Chairman of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. He has also chaired NAAG committees on Youth Access to Alcohol and Environment and Energy. Gansler is the second Attorney General from Maryland elected to NAAG’s top office. The first was Attorney General Francis Burch, elected in 1970.

For Attorney General Gansler’s bio: http://www.oag.state.md.us/bio.htm

For more information about the Maryland Office of Attorney General: http://www.oag.state.md.us/

For more information about NAAG accomplishments and initiatives: http://www.naag.org/press_room.php

To visit the NAAG website: http://www.naag.org/

# # #

SHAME ON THE GROWN-UPS: Prince George's Public Schools Stamp Out Student Dissent on Budget Cuts

UPDATE: Thanks to the Internet-based publicity surrounding Prince George's school officials' ("PGCPS") attempts to silence student dissent over budget cuts, politicos are now weighing in on the matter. Not surprisingly, one incumbent School Board member is defending the Iron Fist tactics of PGCPS officials. The Real Prince George's County blog prints several responses: 

1. District 7 School Board incumbent Henry Armwood says the crackdown on student protesters is about their safety (uh huh), 
2. District 7 challenger Carletta Fellows stands with the students for trying to highlight "horrendous conditions," 
3. District 4 challenger Micah Watson raises questions about whether PGCPS officials should be allowed to invade student privacy by monitoring their Twitter accounts for political dissent, and 
4. PGCPS Student Board member Faith Jackson says she is supposed to stay silent, but risks getting in trouble in order to stand by the students who elected her.

Numerous blogs and email lists are lighting up in anger over reports that Prince George's County Public School ("PGCPS") officials are using Iron Fist tactics to silence student protestors. Hat tip to AFL-CIO Union City email list and the Real Prince George's County blog for flagging the article below. It comes to us from the website for The Black Star Project. Their website states their mission as follows:

Founded in 1996 by Phillip Jackson, The Black Star Project is committed to improving the quality of life in Black and Latino communities of Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap

The Black Star blog reported the following news about PGCPS officials Iron Fist tactics:

Thursday, March 1st was a National Student Day of Action in which students around the country organized demonstrations protesting education budget cuts, educational inequality, and advocating for quality and affordable education for all. Students at Northwestern High School in Prince George’s County Maryland planned a walkout and rally as part of the National Student Day of Action.

Over 300 students planned to walk out to protest unsanitary conditions in their school, enormous class sizes, cuts to the ESOL program, and denial of promised pay raises for their teachers. The students also were asking for more teacher/parent/student input in the curriculum and demanding an apology for a group of Filipino teachers who were fired and deported after not having their work visas renewed.

The Administration at Northwestern discovered the walkout plan early in the day by trolling Twitter and put the school on lockdown. Police blocked the doors and canine units waited in the school’s parking lot. They held student leaders in the Principal’s office all day, threatened them with expulsion, and at the end of the day suspended four students for 5 days requiring that when they return their parents must accompany them to classes all day. 

Montgomery County "Explains" Workplace Internet Censorship // UMD Professor: "A Pity That Tax Money Spent To Filter"

INTRODUCTION: Last week a Maryland Juice reader alerted us to more Internet censorship for employees of Montgomery County's government. As we've previously reported, Montgomery County censors its Internet connections in government buildings -- including for public employees, in libraries, and more. In the past, this censorship has been clearly content-based and selectively targeted LGBT content, along with hilariously innocuous content, like a seniors center event calendar. This awesome public amenity costs taxpayers over $64,000 a year. What is the public purpose of this again?

Chairman MoCo is now randomly blocking images on the Maryland Juice blog -- including our Sam Arora ad, screencaps of Fox News Baltimore's previous anti-LGBT website, and more. We can surmise that this problem is more widespread than our single website. After complaining to Montgomery County's public information officer, we received a very unsatisfactory response -- which basically amounts to "all Internet censorship filters make errors." Yes -- we understand that, and it is precisely why we abhor ALL INTERNET CENSORSHIP FILTERS.

Below we print the response from Chairman Moco's Minister of Propaganda Patrick Lacefield, along with a critique from University of Maryland Professor Jim Purtilo:

PATRICK LACEFIELD: DTS tells me that this is a simple vendor miscategorization issue with the blogspot domain, which has nothing to do with the LGBT juice site. The process for fixing this is simple. We submit the error to the vendor. If the vendor determines that the images have been mis-categorized they usually fix them within 2 business hours after our notification.

All of the URL filtering vendors have a small number of mistakes in their categorization. Requests for re-categorization is a standard operational process that has been done by every customer to every vendor. We encourage every employee to report potential mis-categorized sites to the County's IT HelpDesk so that those sites can be sent to the vendor for review (and possible categorization change). Any site that is re-categorized will be applied to all of the vendor's customers at the same time.

JIM PURTILO: Yeah, images involving LGBT symbols, guns and potentially rebroadcast of other copyright protected material (Fox) would all seem to be pretty standard fodder for filters. The county gets what it pays for. What a pity that tax money is spent to filter any such things.

From the IT side, there are a variety of conventions by which images are determined to be in a filter list, after which page loads are dynamically replaced with the sort of images you found. But I think you'll find that in none of the methods used is anyone thinking very hard and long before clicking a yes/no option, if it even goes before the eyes of a human to be checked. So my suggestion here is the same as the last time we had such an exchange. Sure would be nice to see what instructions were part of the contract let by the agency. *Someone* has to decide which policy is being enforced, so either there is a list identifying types of things the commercial firm should not allow to be carried (hence an official can be asked to explain wtf, which could be very entertaining) or there is a 'standard package of services' purchased, in which case, again, someone in government signed off on the purchase, and if they didn't know what they were buying then, well, as you posed, wtf?

Indeed, Montgomery County -- and many other Maryland counties -- blindly censor the Internet like a bunch of @#$#@*!. These IT fogies clearly have too much money to spend on this nonsense and too few real problems to worry about. Except that they do. Maybe they should spend less time censoring the Internet and more time thinking about why their website looks like it was built in 1990. More importantly, that $64,000 a year that they spend on censoring the Net could go a long way towards bringing Montgomery County's online outreach and constituent interaction tools into the 21st century.

P.S. Not that I'm endorsing this project -- but one example is that MoCo recently decided it could not afford a $250,000 news site for residents due to the budget climate. There is no world in which four years of Internet censorship is a better value for taxpayers than providing them with information about what is going on in local government.

WTF: Montgomery County's Internet Firewall Censors Maryland Juice // Chairman MoCo Blocks Sam Arora Ad and More!

The all-time most popular article on Maryland Juice is our coverage of Montgomery County, Maryland's censorship of computers in their office buildings, schools and libraries. Our investigation led us to discover that Amtrak was also censoring its WiFi network, and that both MoCo and Amtrak had been censoring LGBT newspapers, seniors event calendars, and other ordinary speech. The County defended its system and claimed nothing was wrong with their vendor. Then later the vendor tweaked their system to supposedly fix the issue.

Today two Maryland Juice readers within Montgomery County's government buildings report that Chairman MoCo's Censorship Firewall is BACK. This time Montgomery County is censoring images on the Maryland Juice website. The censored images include our web ad calling Sam Arora a liar who should resign, and our image of Fox News Baltimore's misleading anti-LGBT website banner. See screencaps below:

This is really beginning to piss me off.  Do you know that they spend over $64,000 a year on this?

Pausing to Help Defeat SOPA/PIPA Today

Sorry folks! Demand Progress. To be very clear, the Internet is asking Maryland's members of Congress to vote AGAINST cloture on January 24th --- and to simply kill or indefinitely table PIPA in the U.S. Senate and SOPA in the U.S. House.  Right now, Senators Pat Leahy & John Kyl are trying to "cut a deal" when it is clear that the Internet wants these bills D.O.A:

Craigslist.org January 18, 2012

VICTORY: Whistleblowers, LGBT Advocates, Journalists, ACLU & Juicers CRACK Chairman MoCo's Censorship Firewall

Change CAN happen // But only if you speak up....

UPDATE: LGBT-oriented news website Metro Weekly has follow-up coverage on Chairman MoCo's Internet censorship software. They were the original site that started this whole mess.

The most well-read series in Maryland Juice's short history has been our coverage of Internet censorship. To be clear, Maryland Juice is against all Internet filtering and thinks the Internet should be treated like a giant library (ie: with vast deference and respect to the free-flow of information).

In the course of our coverage, free speech advocates of all stripes came out of the woodwork. I would also like to point out that allegations of politically-motivated Internet censorship in Howard, Anne Arundel and Prince George's Counties appear to merit further inquiry. I challenge area journalists to pry further into this issue. After all, the essence of their profession is under attack. Hat tip to Jed Millard (an aide to Montgomery Councilmember Nancy Floreen) for calling out Chairman MoCo.

Today's announcement by the ACLU is greeted with open arms by freedom-lovin' Americans of all stripes. See the victory announcement below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Web-Filter Company Acts to Address ACLU Complaints of 

LGBT Censorship in Montgomery County

Amtrak & Montgomery County Censorship News Takes Off // Plus, Howard & Anne Arundel Censor Based on Politics?

Concerns About Internet Censorship Spread from Montgomery County to Amtrak and then to Howard, Prince George's and Anne Arundel Counties 

UPDATE: The technology and information crusaders at Techdirt have picked up on the Amtrak/MoCo censorship doubleheader!

This month, Maryland Juice readers blew the whistle on Internet censorship in Montgomery County government buildings. The story started with reports of the County (aka Chairman MoCo) blocking employees from visiting an environmental site (FUH2.com). That snowballed into reports of numerous pro-LGBT websites (ie: Victory Fund, Metro Weekly, Seattle Gay News, etc) and even a seniors community calendar being blocked.

The story took a turn for the strange, when I was riding an Amtrak train and tried to use their Wifi connection to verify that Montgomery County's blocked LGBT sites were not pornography. Amazingly, Amtrak apparently also decided to censor their (brand new) Internet connections from sites like Seattle Gay News and the UK newspaper, The Guardian. The doubleheader MoCo/Amtrak censorship post has quickly become the most-read post since we started Maryland Juice, drawing hundreds and hundreds of new readers this week.

We now hear that the ACLU is poking around at Chairman MoCo's practices, and the media is spreading the word about the defective web filters used by Montgomery County and Amtrak. Additionally, numerous young LGBT voices in Montgomery are suddenly contacting Maryland Juice about the need for more local organizing to defend the community. Details soon!

In the meantime, here is a quick round-up of the news coverage, starting with a TV clip from WJLA (ABC 7):

Montgomery County Spends $67,408 a Year to Censor Internet // Plus, Amtrak Blocks LGBT Newspapers on WiFi Soft-Launch

UPDATE: A Montgomery County employee has sent word of Chairman MoCo's Iron Firewall blocking more LGBT websites. Our source sends notice of the following blocked sites: Seattle Gay News (sgn.org), GayCityNews.com, LesbianNews.com, etc. Once again, all have been listed as porn.

Amazingly, Maryland Juice is on an Amtrak train right now and was trying to verify that Seattle Gay News was not a porn site (it is not), and I stumbled across the following amazing development. Amtrak also appears to be blocking LGBT news sites from its WiFi connections! WTF. The sgn.org site contains offensive articles, like this recent headline: "Youth suicide prevention funds on WA state's chopping block". 

But apparently an equally big story is that Maryland Juice stumbled upon the soft-launch of Wifi service on its Northeast Regional Line. I just spoke to a subcontractor of Amtrak who wanted to know how my connection was acting. I am running on a fairly stable connection from NYC to Washington. 

Even still, my excitement is now dampened.  A Maryland Juice Facebook reader also noted, "I repeatedly got the same msg when I tried to access Guardian UK last month." The Guardian is a mainstream liberal British newspaper. Amtrak, shame on you:

Montgomery County's Government Blacklist of LGBT Websites // Search Term "Transgender" Was Not Acceptable

UPDATE: Blacklisted LGBT news site Metro Weekly has this coverage of Chairman MoCo's firewall:

Jedediah Millard, an employee of Montgomery County Councilwoman Nancy Floreen, says he was searching the Internet in March 2011 for sources detailing a county resolution regarding marriage equality. When Millard clicked on a link to go to Metro Weekly, the browser blocked the site and listed a description reading, ''Website contains prohibited Pornography/Nudity content....'' 

After some additional searching, Millard says he realized that many LGBT-related sites that are neither pornographic or show nudity had been blocked, so he notified a technician from the county's Office of Technology Services.... 

Information is like water. This week, Maryland Juice published three instances of Montgomery County's workplace Internet filter blocking employees from reading about legitimate policy issues. The screencaps keep coming in. The previous sites in question were an anti-SUV environmental website, an LGBT news site, and a seniors community calendar. But make no mistake, the LGBT censorship is rarely an accident on the part of the censorship robots. They are usually programmed to operate exactly as they do. As a result, we called Montgomery County's censorship robot a bigot, and it turns out we were right.

Montgomery County Government Censor Calls Leisure World Website Porn // Seniors Community Calendar Blocked

Maryland Juice has been receiving trickling reports of censorship in the workplace in Montgomery County, Maryland. The County censors the Internet for employees and has been caught blocking environmental and LGBT-related websites. Now, a County employee has emailed us a screencap of a seniors community calendar being blocked by the MoCo censorship robot. Realtor Barbara Michaluk's blog posts event calendars for the Leisure World community, but her site has been blocked and labeled as porn. Leisure World has two of Maryland's largest precincts for Democratic turnout and their Democratic Club is very active in County and State politics. Former Sen. Len Teitelbaum called it the "Center of the Universe" in 2006. Is it time to take down the Great Firewall of China Montgomery County?

Montgomery County Censors Gay Newspaper "The Metro Weekly" // Chinese Censorship Wall for Rockville Employees

Earlier this week, a Montgomery County employee emailed Maryland Juice about workplace censorship on the Internet. They complained that the County uses a service to "filter" employees' use of the web, resulting in many innocent sites being blocked. They also sent Maryland Juice a screencap from their monitor, which showed an environmental website (FUH2.com) being blocked and labeled as "pornography." Today a second employee raised the same issue, only now it is an LGBT newspaper that is being censored. Can we fire this company or just stop filtering the results?

When we first discussed this issue, we noted that librarians and the ACLU despise these filters, because they are run by stupid robots that block much more content than they are intended to. Today, we discover Montgomery County's censorship robots are not just stupid, they are bigots, too. Montgomery County blocks employees from visiting the Metro Weekly, a local news publication that caters to the LGBT community. Sadly, the employee in question was researching a Montgomery County resolution on marriage equality. Check out this screencap, followed by another screencap of the scary content the County doesn't want its employees to see.

FU: Montgomery County Censors Net with Dumb Robots // Plus, Will Senators Cardin & Mikulski Help Fight Patriot Act Abuse?

Ironic title, no?

Earlier today, Maryland Juice published an article about residents' views on transportation funding. In it, we linked to an amusing website (FUH2.com) about gas-guzzling H2 SUV's.

After sending the article out, I received the following message from a Montgomery County government employee: "I clicked the link to FUH2.com and Montgomery County blocked it, said it was porn."  

Excuse me? Maryland Juice does not link to porn. I asked this source to email me a screencap of the censorship: