JUICE: Final List of Names for Ervin's MoCo Council Seat, 2014 Annapolis Priorities, Del. Don Dwyer Removed from Committee

PLUS: FBI IN PRINCE GEORGE'S, 15 MIN TRAIN RIDE TO BALTIMORE, D17 SENATE BATTLE & MORE!

Below Maryland Juice provides a round-up of news items relating to politics and economic development:

JUICE #1: FINAL LIST OF APPLICANTS FOR VALERIE ERVIN'S COUNCIL VACANCY // JAY HUTCHINS & FORMER DEL. HERMAN TAYLOR ROUND OUT LIST OF 18 NAMES - Yesterday was the deadline for Democrats in Montgomery County's Council District 5 to apply for the seat recently vacated by Valerie Ervin. Below Maryland Juice provides the full list of eighteen (!!!) applicants for the interim appointment:

1. Alan Bowser
2. Cherri Branson
3. Esther Stein Chayt
4. Michael Diegel
5. Jeanette Dixon
6. Larry E. Edmonds
7. Ronald Galvin, Jr.
8. Jay Hutchins III
9. Arthur Jackson, Jr.
10. Kim Jones
11. Andrew Kleine
12. Iris Lewis
13. Timothy Male
14. Harold McDougall
15. Herman Taylor *
16. Dale Tibbitts
17. Daniel L. Wilhelm
18. Mark Woodard

* Currently resides in District 5 -- will update voter registration from District 4 prior to appointment

One of the more interesting new names on this list is Jay Hutchins, who was the runner-up to Sam Arora in the 2010 Democratic Primary for District 19 House of Delegates. Also of note is an application by former District 14 Delegate Herman Taylor.


JUICE #2: GOP DELEGATE DON DWYER STRIPPED OF SEAT ON HOUSE WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE - The Capitol Gazette reported today that at the start of Maryland's 2014 legislative session, embattled Delegate Don Dwyer has been removed from his seat on the House Ways & Means Committee (excerpt below):

CAPITAL GAZETTE: For the second time in a year, Del. Don Dwyer will be removed from a House of Delegates committee. House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, said Thursday he was removing Dwyer, R-Pasadena, from the House Ways and Means Committee “to protect the integrity of the institution of the House of Delegates.” Dwyer is expected to lose his seat Friday. Dwyer was sentenced in October 2013 to 30 consecutive weekends in jail for drunken driving. He will spend most weekends during the 2014 General Assembly in confinement. Stripped of his committee position, Dwyer will only be able to debate and cast votes on the House floor for the remainder of the session....

JUICE #3: DEL. LUIZ SIMMONS CALLS FOR "CLEAN CAMPAIGN PLEDGE" IN D17 STATE SENATE CONTEST - Maryland Juice received the following press release from Delegate Luiz Simmons calling for a "clean campaign pledge" from rival candidate Cheryl Kagan in the District 17 State Senate primary:

PRESS RELEASE

Del. Luiz Simmons Proposes Clean Campaign Pledge in State Senate Race
Says residents deserve honest, fair campaign - free from mudslinging

Rockville, MD – Today, District 17 State Senate candidate and current State Delegate Luiz Simmons proposed the “No Mudslinging in Maryland Pledge.”  This pledge would ensure a clean campaign in the race to represent Rockville and Gaithersburg in the State Senate.

The 2010 State Senate campaign between State Senator Jennie Forhand and Cheryl Kagan was called “the most negative campaign in District 17 history.”

“The voters in District 17 deserve a campaign that is honest, fair and focuses on the issues.  There is no place for the politics of personal destruction in this race,” said Delegate Luiz Simmons.  “I urge my opponent, Cheryl Kagan to sign this pledge today.”

The No Mudslinging in Maryland Pledge says the following:

As primary candidates for the office of State Senator, District 17, we hereby agree that the people of Maryland deserve better than a negative campaign.  They deserve a campaign on the issues most important to them – not one full of cheap, divisive attacks. 

During the primary campaign, we pledge the following:

1. To avoid personal attacks against our opponents. We will not engage in a smear campaign, negative character attacks, defamation, or false accusations against any opponent.
2. To avoid distortions and misrepresentations of our opponents’ records and positions. This includes distortions in the media, campaign literature, advertisements, mailings and speaking engagements.
3. We hereby instruct members of our campaign teams, including staff, advisors and volunteers, to agree to these same terms.

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JUICE #4: TOWN OF CHEVY CHASE SEEKS TO SPEND $360,000 ON LAWYERS TO BATTLE PURPLE LINE - Leaders in the Town of Chevy Chase, who have been battling the proposed light rail "Purple Line"' project, held a public hearing last night to discuss whether to spend $360,000 on attorneys to tackle one of Montgomery County's top transportation priorities. The item was included in the town's recent community newsletter (excerpt below):

TOWN OF CHEVY CHASE: At its Wednesday, January 8 meeting, the Town Council will hold a public hearing on a proposal to engage a law firm to assist the Town in continuing to respond to the proposed Purple Line project and its local impacts.

The Town recently submitted comments regarding the Purple Line’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which assesses the environmental effects of the proposed project. These comments note significant concerns with the project’s skyrocketing costs and funding prospects and call for a new environmental impact study to identify lower cost alternatives, such as bus rapid transit. The comments also raise technical concerns about the proposed alignment, including visual, noise and safety impacts.

As plans for the Purple Line progress, the Town Council wants to ensure that the Town’s concerns are given serious consideration by state and federal decision makers, and the Council has proposed to engage a law firm to assist in that effort. The length of the engagement will be approximately 18 months, with a cost of approximately $360,000....

The unfortunate aspect to this development, is that the Purple Line is a broadly popular project outside of Chevy Chase, and so the town's expenditures on lawyers may well cost taxpayers in other parts of Maryland thousands of dollars to defend the light rail initiative. Notably, Chevy Chase has ample resources for such a strategy, given that under state law they are refunded 1/6 of county income taxes paid by town residents. In a recent count, the Town of Chevy Chase with a population of 2,907 got almost as much money as Takoma Park with 17,905 (much less affluent) people ($2,174,114 vs. $2,330,225).  


JUICE #5: LERNER FAMILY SEEKS TO LURE FBI HEADQUARTERS TO FORMER LANDOVER MALL SITE IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY - The Washington Post reported this week that Lerner Enterprises (the business run by the owner of the Washington Nationals) is attempting to lure the FBI to the former Landover Mall site in Prince George's County (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Sears is shuttering its store near the former Landover Mall, after selling the site to a Rockville-based development firm that is seeking to build a new FBI headquarters.... The store operated for more than a decade in a sea of empty parking lots after Landover Mall closed in 2002 and the shopping center was demolished a few years later. Lerner Enterprises said Tuesday that it plans to offer the 88-acre former mall site to the General Services Administration for consideration as a future headquarters for the FBI....

“With Sears closed the confusion that existed as to the availability of the entire site should be eliminated,” Alan H. Gottlieb, chief operating officer of Lerner Enterprises, wrote in an e-mail after the Sears announcement. “We would hope to attract a major user or users to the site possibly the FBI. In that regard we have submitted the site to the GSA.”

JUICE #6: JAPANESE OFFICIALS OFFER HELP TO BUILD HIGH SPEED RAIL TO CREATE 15 MINUTE TRAIN RIDE BETWEEN BALTIMORE & WASHINGTON - Business Insider reported this week that the Japanese government has offered to lend the United States half the cost of building a high-speed "Mag-Lev" train between Baltimore and Washington, DC. The proposed system would cut the commuting time between the two cities to fifteen minutes (excerpt below):

BUSINESS INSIDER: The Japanese government has promised to lend the United States half of the cost of building the first "Super-Maglev" train, reducing travel time between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. to just 15 minutes. Tokyo is so keen to show off its technology that it will provide loans for half the estimated $8 billion (£5bn) cost of installing the tracks, Japan's Asahi newspaper said on Tuesday.

The American federal government is keen on the project, according to Central Japan Railway Co., and state authorities are especially enthusiastic.... Maglev vehicles have no wheels and are propelled along their track through electromagnetic pull – doing away with friction and, hence, providing a smoother and quieter ride at a faster speed....

JUICE #7: ADVOCATES HIGHLIGHT 2014 MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR LGBT RIGHTS - At the start of the 2014 Annapolis legislative session, The Washington Blade's Michael Lavers highlighted the policy priorities of LGBT activists in Maryland (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON BLADE: Efforts to ban discrimination based on gender identity and expression and so-called “ex-gay” conversion therapy to minors are top priorities for Maryland LGBT rights advocates during the 2014 legislative session that begins on Wednesday.

State Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County) will introduce the transgender rights bill in the state Senate. State Del. Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City) plans to bring forth the measure in the House of Delegates, even though the chamber passed a trans rights bill in 2011....

The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee last March by a 6-5 vote struck down a bill Madaleno and state Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County) introduced that would have banned anti-trans discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation. State Sens. Norman Stone (D-Baltimore County), C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George’s County) and James Brochin (D-Baltimore County) voted against the measure....

State Del. Jon Cardin (D-Baltimore County) has introduced a bill that would ban “ex-gay” conversion therapy to minors in Maryland. The original version of House Bill 91 only includes sexual orientation, but Cardin’s legislative director Josh Greenfield told the Blade on Tuesday it will be amended to include gender identity and expression. Madaleno is also expected to introduce the measure in the Senate.

JUICE #8: ACLU OF MARYLAND RELEASES LIST OF 2014 MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES - Maryland's ACLU released the following press release discussing their legislative priorities in the 2014 Annapolis session (excerpt below):

PRESS RELEASE

ACLU of Maryland Announces 2014 Legislative Priorities

Issues include taxing and regulating marijuana, stopping local police from enforcing civil immigration detainers, limiting email and cell phone surveillance, and ending the shackling of pregnant women

...The ACLU priorities include legislation to tax and regulate marijuana, stop local police from enforcing civil immigration detainers, limit email and cell phone surveillance, end the shackling of pregnant women, fully fund the Public Education "Thornton" Funding Formula and more....

Highlights from the ACLU’s priorities for 2014 General Assembly session:

PRIVACY

• Email Surveillance: Privacy laws have yet to be updated, which allows the government to intercept and access information about the content of our emails, and other information collected by search engines, social networking sites and other websites. The ACLU supports legislation to ensure that new advances in science and technology enhance, not compromise, civil liberties.

• Location Tracking:  The ACLU supports legislation that would ensure that legitimate investigations can proceed, while protecting innocent Marylanders from unjustified invasions of their privacy.

• Drones: Drones can pose a serious threat to privacy. The ACLU of Maryland is in support of legislation that would prohibit a Maryland law enforcement agency from using a drone to gather evidence without a warrant.

• Automatic License Plate Recorders: The ACLU supports legislation that would keep law enforcement from storing records of plates and locations that are not ‘hits’ against any database.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The War on Drugs has failed.  Maryland spends an inordinate amount of time, energy and money arresting people for marijuana possession, even though 44 percent of violent crimes in Maryland go unsolved. Further, despite equal rates of use, these arrests are racially imbalanced.  Because the War on Drugs has failed, the ACLU supports the full decriminalization, taxation and regulation of marijuana possession.

REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM: The ACLU works to protect everyone's right to make informed decisions free from government interference about whether and when to become a parent. In addition, the ACLU will advocate for legislation to end the dangerous practices of shackling pregnant women in custody during transport, labor and delivery. The ACLU supported last year, and will support again, legislation that would prohibit the shackling of pregnant inmates and detainees during their second and third trimesters.

IMMIGRATION REFORM: State and local law enforcement undermine public safety and waste resources by enforcing immigration detainer requests from U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ACLU supports the Maryland Trust Act, a bill that would restore community relationships with local police by disentangling them from federal immigration enforcement efforts. 

EDUCATION

• Full Funding of the Public Education "Thornton" Funding Formula: The ACLU's Education Reform Project will continue its advocacy to ensure that the state budget contains full funding of the “Thornton” education funding formula in the Bridge to Excellence Act, including a minimum 1 percent inflation factor and the Geographic Cost of Education Index. 

• Funding the Thornton Formula Adequacy Study in the Governor’s Budget: The ACLU has called on the Governor to provide appropriate funding in the Maryland State Board of Education budget to hire a reputable expert to conduct the required “adequacy study” of the “Thornton” education formula. The Bridge to Excellence Act anticipated the need to regularly update the formula in light of changing academic standards and requires that over the next two years a reassessment will take place of the adequacy of funding levels for students to meet state standards. 

• Expansion of Pre-Kindergarten Education for the Most At-risk Children: The ACLU will advocate for adequate state and local funding for the existing Pre-K programs (currently funded based on K-12 students rather than Pre-K enrollment) and for the state to fund school districts that offer full-day programs. 

• Oppose State Funding of Private Schools: The ACLU will continue to fight back against funding private schools with public dollars. The ACLU opposes legislation that would reimburse parents or institutions for private school tuition. Private schools do not have to abide by the same state anti-discrimination laws and rules that public schools do. Such legislation also entangles the state in promoting religious education, as many of the beneficiaries would be religious schools. And every public dollar diverted to private schools is a dollar lost to the taxpayers of Maryland.

The full list of 2014 legislative priorities can be found at the ACLU of Maryland website.

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JUICE #9: COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS ANNOUNCE 2014 MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES - Maryland Juice received the following press release from the "Fund Our Communities" coalition announcing their 2014 efforts in Annapolis (excerpts below):

PRESS RELEASE

MD Legislators Urged: Establish a Commission to Prepare for Military Downsizing

ANNAPOLIS, MD –Members of the Fund our Communities (FOC) coalition are asking Maryland lawmakers to support legislation establishing the Commission on Maryland’s Future, A Jobs Strategy for the State of Maryland. This commission will be tasked with developing plans and policies to ensure a competitive advantage for Maryland as Federal military spending declines.

Jean Athey, steering committee chair, commented: “Maryland has over 200,000 workers in military-related industries and ranks fourth among states in per capita defense spending. As Federal military spending decreases, military-related jobs in Maryland will shrink and tax revenues for local communities will decline.”

Concerned about the economic shock that military drawdowns may have on jobs and employment, several unions have joined the FOC coalition. Gino Renne, President of UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO, explains, “With Maryland receiving over $36 billion annually from military spending, we may have put more of our eggs into this one basket than is wise. As an organization that represents middle class employees, this is a genuine concern for us.” Other unions have expressed similar concerns. In October, the Maryland/DC AFL-CIO passed a resolution at its annual conference encouraging its members to become engaged on the topic of conversion of military spending to domestic needs.

David Kunes, President of Montgomery County Young Democrats, notes that the Department of Defense has provided guidance to states and communities on defense transition, guidance that “shows that the Futures Commission is simply an idea whose time has come.” Athey agrees, adding “It is no longer a question of should we prepare for the economic changes that potential military cutbacks will have on our State, but rather, how we can afford not to.”

FOC (www.ourfunds.org) is a coalition comprised of over 60 organizations, including political, veteran, faith groups and unions, that advocates for changes in our nation’s budget to more adequately fund community needs.

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JUICE #10: O'MALLEY TO FOCUS ON RAISING MINIMUM WAGE // PLUS: THE WOULD-BE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE NEEDS RE-EDUCATION ON WAR ON DRUGS  - The Associated Press reported this week that Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley will be prioritizing passage of a minimum wage increase in the 2014 legislative session (excerpt below):

ASSOCIATED PRESS (VIA WBAL): Governor Martin O'Malley says he will be focusing his energy on raising the state's minimum wage in his last legislative session as Maryland's governor. O'Malley on Tuesday underscored the minimum wage hike as a top priority a day before the state's 90-day session is scheduled to begin.... Maryland's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. O'Malley says 21 other states have a higher minimum wage than Maryland, which he says has the highest median income in the nation. While the governor pledged his commitment to push for an increase, it remains unclear how much....

Indeed, the devil will be in the details with the coming minimum wage hike, and Maryland Juice hopes that ahead of his 2016 White House run, Governor O'Malley will embrace a $10.10/hr indexed minimum wage hike -- that does not seek to overturn the recently passed $11.50/hr wage hikes in Montgomery & Prince George's counties.

RE-EDUCATING O'MALLEY ON THE FAILED WAR ON DRUGS: On another note, Governor O'Malley needs a hard nudge to see that the broad public is mostly done with the failed "war on drugs" and no longer sees jail time as an appropriate penalty for petty "crimes" like marijuana possession. A good starting point for his re-education campaign might be the eye-opening documentary "The House I Live In," which details the ravaging effects of our ignorant "tough on crime" and "war on drugs" policies. The film took the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and I highly recommend it to Maryland Juice readers (trailer below):

JUICE: SEIU Endorses Saqib Ali, Craig Rice Non-Endorsement, Mizeur's Pitch, Fracking #'s, Consumer Heroes & Family Farms

Below Maryland Juice provides a quick round-up of news tidbits of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: SEIU LOCAL 500 ENDORSES SAQIB ALI FOR BRIAN FELDMAN'S DELEGATE SEAT - Maryland Juice received a copy of the following letter from SEIU Local 500 endorsing former Delegate Saqib Ali for Brian Feldman's vacant D15 seat:

October 3, 2013
Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee
3720 Farragut Avenue, Suite 303
Kensington, MD 20895

Dear Committee Member:

On behalf of the 15,000 SEIU Local 500 members, I am writing to you to strongly encourage you to appoint former Delegate Saqib Ali to the District 15 House of Delegates vacancy created by the appointment of Delegate Brian Feldman to the Maryland Senate.

Our decision was not an easy one, there were many candidates who were kind enough to meet with our COPE Committee and share their views on issues of importance to working families across Montgomery County.  We were, in particular, impressed with the earnest commitment to our issues put forth by your Vice Chair Ms. Venatta Vann.  In the end, however, we were swayed by Delegate Ali’s long track record of fighting for the progressive values of the Democratic Party.  From his insistence on ensuring increased transparency in Annapolis to his full-throated endorsement of collective bargaining rights for adjunct faculty and an increase in the minimum wage, there was no candidate we found that could match his record of experience.  We are confident that he will be a great delegate who will do the citizens of District 15 proud.

We look forward to your appointment of Delegate Ali to the Maryland House of Delegates in the very near future, and we thank you for taking the time to consider the views of our members in this regard.

Respectfully,

Merle A. Cuttitta
President

cc:           Brian Feldman
               Aruna Miller
               Kathleen Dumas
               David Rodich
               Mark McLaurin

JUICE #2: MOCO COUNCILMEMBER CRAIG RICE SENDS MCDCC LETTER DENYING ENDORSEMENT OF CANDIDATE IN D15 RACE - This week, the District 15 Democratic Caucus hosted a well-attended candidates forum for contenders in the race to replace Delegate Brian Feldman. A few sources noted that one candidate, David Frasier-Hidalgo, claimed the endorsement of Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice. But a Maryland Juice source forwarded us a copy of an email sent by Craig Rice to the Montgomery Democratic Central Committee denying he made any endorsement in the D15 contest:

Dear Gabe,

It is my understanding that David Fraser Hidalgo, indicated during the candidates' forum last night, October 2, 2013, I have endorsed him for the vacant D15 delegate seat. This is not true.

I have elected not to endorse any candidate in this race. As you know, I have been committed to increasing diversity in our elected representation for a long time. We have an opportunity with this seat to expand diversity and have excellent representation for the district, which is precisely what I want. With a number of candidates that I feel would do just that, I remain neutral.

If you have any questions please give me a call.

Regards,

Craig Rice, Vice-President
Montgomery County Council

c: Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee

JUICE #3: HEATHER MIZEUR FUNDRAISING TO MAKE HISTORY AS WOMAN & LGBT GOVERNOR - Maryland Juice received a copy of the following fundraising solicitation being sent by Heather Mizeur's gubernatorial campaign. Her pitch leads with a bid to help her make history as a woman and LGBT Governor:

JUICE #4: ENVIRONMENT MARYLAND RELEASES REPORT HIGHLIGHTING NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF FRACKING - The advocacy group Environment Maryland yesterday distributed a press release and new report detailing the negative impacts of fracking (see both items below):

PRESS RELEASE

Fracking by the Numbers: New Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center 
Report First to Quantify Threat of Gas Drilling

Annapolis, MD — Today, a new Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center report called “Fracking by the Numbers” measures the damage being done by dirty drilling across the country. Even as a Maryland state commission is working on guidelines for fracking in the state, the report is the first study of its kind to measure the footprint of fracking damage to date— including toxic wastewater, water use, chemical use, air pollution, land damage and global warming emissions.

“The numbers don't lie— fracking has taken a dirty and destructive toll on our environment. If fracking is allowed here, this is the kind of damage we will see in Maryland,” said Talya Tavor, Field Associate from Environment Maryland. “In suggesting that some regulatory scheme could make fracking safe, the Commission has vastly underestimated the scale and scope of pollution that comes with this dirty drilling.”

Of particular concern, the report shows that in Pennsylvania 1.2 billion gallons in 2012 and more than 2.5 billion gallons have been produced since the fracking boom began. Often laced with cancer-causing and even radioactive material, toxic fracking waste has contaminated drinking water sources from Pennsylvania to New Mexico.

“We need to protect the people and future generations of Maryland from the threats of Fracking,” said 16th District Delegate, Ariana Kelly.

“The bottom line is this: the numbers on fracking add up to an environmental nightmare,” said Tavor, “For public health and our environment, we need to put a stop to fracking.”

Shane Robinson, Delegate of Maryland’s 39th District, also spoke out against fracking. “I am worried about what this could mean for my family’s health an safety, should we start fracking in Maryland. The most responsible thing we can do to protect the ones we love is to not frack at all.”

On the federal level, Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania (D-Scranton) introduced the CLEANER Act (H.R. 2825)— a bill to close the loophole exempting oil and gas waste from the nation’s hazardous waste law.

“Here in Maryland, we can stop the fracking frenzy before it ever starts,” concluded Tavor. “But for places where fracking is already generating billions of gallons of toxic fracking waste and making people sick, it’s time for Washington to step in; officials can start by closing the loophole exempting toxic fracking waste from our nation’s hazardous waste law.”

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Environment Maryland is a state-based, citizen-supported, environmental advocacy organization, working towards a cleaner, greener, healthier future.

Environment Maryland: Fracking by Numbers Report

JUICE #5: MARYLAND CONSUMER RIGHTS COALITION SCORES LAWMAKERS - Last month, the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition released a scorecard for Annapolis lawmakers, factoring in their positions on consumer issues like debt prisons and homeowners protections. See their press release and scorecard below:

PRESS RELEASE

Consumer Champions, Heroes Highlight MCRC’s 2013 Legislative Scorecard

• Consumer Champions, Consumer Heroes: Eleven legislators named MCRC “2013 Consumer Champions” for perfect scores on consumer rights bills this year as eight “Consumer Heroes” earn perfect scores for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 sessions.

• Key victories create high scores:  Near-unanimous votes passing new laws to limit debt prisons, give homeowners new protections, prevent identity theft, and stop mandatory insurance bundling lead to high scores for many legislators.

• Unfinished Business: Failure to pass bills to prevent price-gouging, give consumers better information about debts under collection, and stop unfair retaliation against auto dealers leaves legislature’s work incomplete on key consumer issues.

Baltimore, MD:  Eleven lawmakers earned perfect scores for their consumer rights votes during the 2013 legislative session and eight were named “MCRC Consumer Heroes” for their 100% pro-consumer records in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 sessions on the 2013 Legislative Scorecard the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) released this morning.  Nine Senators and 51 members of the House of Delegates earned scores of 90% or better for the 2013 session while eight Senators and 16 House members got failing grades (under 65%).

“Those strong scores reflect the good work the legislature did to curtail debt arrests, identity theft, unfair insurance practices and to protect homeowners and renters this year,” MCRC Executive Director Marceline White argues. “We salute our Consumer Champions and Consumer Heroes for standing up time and time again to protect Maryland consumers against financial predators.”

Senators Richard Madaleno, Paul Pinsky, and Jim Rosapepe earned perfect consumer rights scores for all three sessions (2011 to 2013) while Delegates Al Carr, Bill Frick, Barbara Frush, Carolyn Howard, and James Hubbard compiled perfect records on the House side. Sen. Roy Dyson and Delegates Liz Bobo and Nina Harper joined those other eight legislators on the list of 2013 Consumer Champions.

MCRC also named 12 members of the four committees that mark-up most of the controversial consumer bills (the Senate Finance and Judicial Proceedings Committees and the House Economic Matters and Judiciary Committees) who earned 80% or better overall scores our “2013 Consumer Committee Champions.” “Members of these committees cast many more tough committee votes on consumer issues than other legislators do,” Marceline White notes. “The leadership of these committee champions makes a real difference on the panels where Maryland consumers need it most.”

Sen. Brian Frosh, Sen. Lisa Gladden, Sen. Delores Kelley, and Del. Tom Hucker are among long-time allies of Maryland consumers who made the list of MCRC’s 2013 Consumer Committee Champions.

MCRC’s fourth annual consumer scorecard grades legislators on their floor votes on seven key consumer rights bills and on their committee votes on a larger set of consumer issues. Their floor scores and committee scores are averaged to arrive at a legislator’s overall score. Legislators who serve on committees that do not handle consumer rights bills are graded solely on their floor scores.

For the first time, this year’s MCRC scorecard also included a three-year average for legislators’ scores for the 2011 to 2013 sessions. “The three-year average score gives consumers better information about which legislators really stand up for consumer rights, year in and year out,” Marceline White notes.

Nearly unanimous floor votes backing important bills that protect consumers arrested in debt cases (HB 597/SB 419), allow state officials to put a security freeze on the credits records of foster children (HB 1297/SB 897), prohibit mandatory bundling of home and auto insurance (HB 342/SB 446), and limit foreclosures based on liens in common-ownership communities (HB 286/SB 161) helped give many legislators high scores for 2013.

Most legislators lost points, however, for voting for a bill that will hurt residential gas consumers by letting gas companies add a surcharge of up to $2/month to residential energy bills (HB 89/SB 8). Most Senators also cast anti-consumer votes to help defeat a bill that would have prohibited unfair retaliation by auto manufacturers against Maryland auto dealers (SB 249).

Important bills that would have given consumers better information about the debts that collectors say they owe (HB 1157/SB 432), licensed property managers for common-ownership communities (HB 576/SB 794), and increased the compensation homeowners can get for home improvement jobs gone bad without  a formal hearing (SB 78) also died in key committees last Spring.

The legislature’s mixed record leaves MCRC and other consumer advocates with plenty of challenges to confront in 2014. “Consumers won some victories this year,” Marceline White argues. “But we’re eager to come back next year to do more to make insurance fairer and more affordable, protect families against foreclosures, and make sure consumers understand the debts they’re told they owe.”

To see all the scores and legislators MCRC recognizes this year, please download:
The full scorecard here: http://bit.ly/17SgOLL
MCRC’s list of 2013 Consumer Champions here: http://bit.ly/14GFkgu
MCRC’s list of Consumer Heroes, 2011 to 2013 here: http://bit.ly/186i3dW
MCRC’s list of 2013 Committee Champions here: http://bit.ly/1dWnmiE

You can see the full list of floor and committee votes we used to grade each legislator on the MCRC’s Legislative Scorecard homepage here: http://bit.ly/SfZNSx

Please Note: You will find copies of the scorecard, this statement, and MCRC’s lists of Consumer Champions, Consumer Heroes and Consumer Committee Champions attached to this note.

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Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition 2013 Scorecard

JUICE #6: FAMILY FARMS & FARMERS MARKETS SEEK HELP FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL - Local progressive advocate and farmer Mike Tabor provided Maryland Juice with the following alert regarding potential threats to the ability of family farms and farmers' markets to survive in the world of the agro-industrial complex:

MIKE TABOR: Most consumers and many farmers don't know or understand the sweeping new FDA regulations that are about to inpact farmers markets and a new industrial-style approach to the food we're allowed to consume.  Attached is what the family farm organizations are trying to put together for the consumer, to help them understand what is going on and suggested language for comments to FDA.  It is critical that the FDA get inundated with comments from concerned farmers and consumers at Farmers markets and CSA's.  Additionally, the funding for the 3,000 federal inspectors must not be funded.  The talk is that the inspectors will be contracted out, will not be well-informed and will have a financial incentive to cite as many farms as they can.  

So in addition to contacting the FDA, our elected reps need to be asked to oppose the funding of the inspectors. The regs have gotten so out of hand, the bottom line is that most family farms will not be able to comply both financially and the compliance will be extraordinarily cumbersome and prohibitive, the end result is that most family farms will go out of business, there won't be any farmers markets that will have fresh produce, or CSAs.

Below you can read a fact sheet and call for comments from the National Sustainable Agriculture Commission:

Food Safety Modernization Act Fact Sheet

Instructions for Submitting Comments on the Food Safety Modernization Act

JuiceBlender: Could Doug Gansler Pick Anti-Gay Running Mate, Pot Lights Up Baltimore Race, O'Malley & Van Hollen on Syria

Below Maryland Juice writers David Moon and Dan Furmansky present a few items of interest to politicos:

JUICE #1: GOV. MARTIN O'MALLEY & MARYLAND'S DEMOCRATIC LEADERS RESPOND TO VOTERS ON PROPOSED STRIKES AGAINST SYRIA - Maryland Juice recently reported that anti-war activists have begun pressing the state's Democratic members of Congress on resisting the impulse to carpet-bomb Syria. Below you can see a pair of articles in The Baltimore Sun containing responses from Representatives Chris Van Hollen & Elijah Cummings and Senators Ben Cardin & Barbara Mikulski, as well as from Gov. Martin O'Malley (excerpts below):

BALTIMORE SUN: He knocked on doors in Ohio for President Barack Obama's campaign last year and is active in Maryland's Democratic Party, but Dave Kunes nevertheless opposes the president on what has become the central issue of his second term: whether to launch a military strike in Syria. Kunes, a 24-year-old Silver Spring resident, joined several dozen protesters who rallied in Rockville and Ellicott City on Wednesday to deliver the message that even in Democratic Maryland ... there are deep misgivings about U.S. involvement in another Middle East war....

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday found that nearly six in 10 nationwide are against airstrikes. Some Maryland lawmakers, meanwhile, report being flooded with calls. Additional anti-war rallies are planned at congressional offices this week.

Doing nothing, [Van Hollen] said, "would be an invitation to Assad to simply escalate his use of poison gas." As a half-dozen peace activists crowded into the Ellicott City district office of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, an aide to the congressman, Amy Stratton, told them: "I think you're preaching to the choir...." Cummings said more than 95 percent of the people who have contacted his office on the issue say they oppose a U.S. attack....

Perhaps because of that, most Maryland lawmakers — nine of 10 of whom are Democrats — are wading into the debate carefully. Sen. Ben Cardin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was among the first lawmakers to cast a vote on the issue Wednesday. He supported the Senate resolution, which was approved by the committee 10-7. That measure would allow limited military action for up to 90 days and prohibit the use of ground troops....  Maryland's other senator, Barbara A. Mikulski, is undecided on how she will vote, a spokeswoman said....

Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley is treading carefully into the debate as he prepares for a 2016 Presidential campaign (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Gov. Martin O'Malley on Wednesday questioned U.S. military intervention in Syria, saying that although he has closely followed the discussion in Washington this week, it is still unclear to him exactly what the strike would accomplish....

"I think all of us need a clear understanding of what it is exactly this mission would hope to accomplish - and why should we believe that the sort of strike being advocated would accomplish it," O'Malley said....

JUICE #2: MARIJUANA LIGHTS UP RACE FOR BALTIMORE CITY STATE'S ATTORNEY AS CANDIDATE ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZATION - Defense lawyer Russell Neverdon went big today as he announced his candidacy for Baltimore City prosecutor, saying he would support legalizing marijuana. Notably, the current State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein, who was elected to his first term in office in 2010, isn’t just opposed to legalization. Bernstein also opposes decriminalization (which means making possession of a small amount a civil rather than criminal offense) and therefore supports jail time and criminal penalties for minor non-violent offenders. Might there be racial dimensions to this campaign debate? With an African American challenger supporting legalization and the White incumbent opposing decriminalization, you bet there is.

You may remember that, according to an ACLU report released this summer, Maryland had the fourth-highest rate of marijuana possession arrests in 2010, the last year for which that information is available. In Baltimore black people were more than five times as likely to be arrested as whites, which is above average. Marilyn Mosby, a former prosecutor, is also running. No doubt this topic is going to rear its head again. Here’s the story on Russell Neverdon from WBAL-TV (excerpt below):

WBAL TV: [Russell] Neverdon, who will challenge incumbent [Baltimore City State's Attorney] Gregg Bernstein, used a favorite political question in introducing himself as a candidate. "Do you feel any safer today than you did three years ago?" Neverdon said....

Now, Neverdon wants to beat Bernstein at the ballot, arguing he can do better to stem the city's most stubborn problem. "I don't know about you, but I am tired of being in my home and in a state of fear. I can't raise my kids where they can enjoy the park because I worry will they come back safe," Neverdon said.

Neverdon joins already announced challenger Marilyn Mosby in the race. [Neverdon] promises to devote his energy on violent offenders and he said that means he can support legalizing marijuana, the kind of minor crime that fills police reports and courtrooms. "I would support any bill that does not violate the Constitution and civil rights that means we can move minor offenses to the side and focus heavily on those crimes affecting our community," Neverdon said.

Political analyst Doni Glover of BMoreNews.com said Neverdon's entrance in the race makes the state's attorney's contest next year more of a factor in the governor's race. Both races are on the ballot and both feature candidates running against the established political machine.

Neverdon’s position on marijuana is a stark cry from that of incumbent Gregg Bernstein. This summer, Bernstein took the time to write a thoughtful, albeit misguided, op-ed on the subject in the Baltimore Sun..... “Before we go further and consider decriminalization or legalization of marijuana, we need to pay careful attention to the possible unintended consequences,” [Bernstein] added, arguing that “searches based on the possession of marijuana sometimes yield firearms and other contraband.”

Bernstein can’t really point to any good reason to oppose decriminalization, but he does. “Unintended consequences” reminds me of people talking about how the sky will fall if same-gender couples are allowed to marry. Using the criminality of marijuana possession as an excuse to pull over more people and search their vehicles seems misguided, at best.  Possession is a victimless crime, but diversion programs don’t negate the realities of the humiliation of arrest.... Simply put, the criminalization of marijuana—which is safer than alcohol—is wasting police, prosecutorial and judicial resources.


JUICE #3: POSSIBLE PRINCE GEORGE'S PICKS FOR DOUG GANSLER'S RUNNING MATE OFFER SHARP CONTRAST ON GAY RIGHTS - The other day Maryland Juice reported that Josh Kurtz at Center Maryland says “the two leading contenders from Prince George’s to be Gansler’s No. 2 are Dels. Jolene Ivey and Melony Griffith. The choice of one over the other would have sharp implications.

Del. Griffith and Del. Ivey differ on one issue that is important to a large swath of the Democratic base: LGBT rights. Del. Ivey has been a very strong advocate for marriage equality for many years. Del. Griffith, meanwhile, didn’t just vote against marriage equality. She also failed to support much less controversial bills in years past extending very basic, fundamental rights to gay couples. We’re talking simple peace-of-mind bills.

In 2008, Del. Griffith cast no vote at all on a bill granting medical decision making and post-mortem decision making rights to same-gender “domestic partners.” Apparently her green button didn’t work either when it came to a bill exempting domestic partners from real estate transfer and recordation taxes, just like married couples are exempt.

Del.  Heather Mizeur is proudly running as an openly lesbian gubernatorial candidate. And Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown chose another strong LGBT rights supporter, Ken Ulman, as his running mate. If Doug Gansler chooses Del. Griffith as his running mate — or any individual with a shoddy record on gay rights — there will be many, unhappy campers among Maryland Democrats, and it will cost him votes.


JUICE #4: MD LAGGING BEHIND RED STATES LIKE NEBRASKA & MISSISSIPPI ON MARIJUANA REFORM // SEE WHICH MD DEMOCRATS ARE DRAGGING THEIR FEET - Fifteen states have already decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. (This does not include Colorado and Washington, which have outright legalized). Included on that list are red states like Nebraska, Mississippi, and (now, sadly red) North Carolina. Decriminalization means that possession is a civil offense, typically treated like a traffic violation. And data shows that decriminalization elsewhere does not cause an uptick in marijuana smoking.

Sen. Bobby Zirkin’s bill to make the possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $100 passed the Senate this year by a vote of 30-16. The bill was far from perfect. 10 grams is a far lower than the amount allowed in other states. Decriminalization still carries a penalty, and that financial penalty may be burdensome for poor individuals who cannot pay the fine. But widespread support for the bill carried it over the top, and included five Republicans—Senators Jacobs, Brinkley, Colburn, Reilly, and Kittleman (who amended the bill on the floor to become a cosponsor). Notably, Senators Roger Manno and Nancy King from Montgomery County voted against decriminalization.

Unfortunately, the bill died in the House when Judiciary Committee Chair Joe Vallario predictably kept it in the drawer. It’s a sad day when Maryland is lagging behind Mississippi and Nebraska. Sadly, Gov. Martin O’Malley failed to take a position on the bill, which is shortsighted for someone who should be heavily courting the youth vote right about now. Gov. O’Malley should be out front on legalization. Yet he could have played it safe and supported the bipartisan decriminalization bill without taking a position on legalization. He chose not to, but hopefully he’ll have a bolder stance in 2014, his last year to leave behind a policy legacy in this state.

Report Back from Equality Maryland's Protest at Fillmore Silver Spring // PLUS: Picket Photos From the "Molotov" Concert

Maryland Juice attended Monday's protest at The Fillmore Silver Spring over the rap-rock band Molotov's use of slurs against members of the LGBT community. The entire operation was completely civil and peaceful, as Equality Maryland and CASA Ruby simply passed out literature to educate concertgoers about the pain that words can cause.  Metro Weekly covered the protest, and Maryland Juice got a shout-out (woot!) in their piece (excerpt below):

METRO WEEKLY: The picketers in front of the concert venue, The Fillmore Silver Spring, included members of Equality Maryland, the D.C.-based service center Casa Ruby and the Latino GLBT History Project. Others at the picket included Dr. Dana Beyer, executive director of Gender Rights Maryland, and David Moon of the Maryland Juice blog.

The group held signs reading, ''Words Matter/Las Palabras Importan,'' to protest lyrics that the band has used, particularly those in the song ''Puto.'' The lyrics of that song include the phrase matarile al maricon, or ''kill the faggot....'' LGBT activists, on the other hand, say the term maricon is used in a negative context and that the ''Puto'' lyrics were allegedly screamed in June in Chile during an attack on a gay teen, Esteban Navarro, who had to have his leg amputated after being attacked by six people wielding machetes, knives and iron bars....

''We want concertgoers to be aware that words matter,'' Evan Glass, a member of Equality Maryland's board of directors, told Metro Weekly. ''Molotov has some violently homophobic lyrics in its songs, and these words are very hurtful to the LGBT community. They have the right to perform here, but we just want to educate concertgoers about the words that the band uses, and we are urging the band to stop using these words wherever they perform...'

Below you can see a few pictures I snapped at the protest:

Picketers Distribute Educational Literature at The Fillmore Silver Spring's Molotov Concert

MoCo Young Democrat Travis Ballie Talks to a Member of the Press

Equality Maryland Board Member Evan Glass & Gender Rights Maryland Executive Director Dana Beyer

MONDAY: Equality MD to Protest Anti-Gay Band at Fillmore Silver Spring // Molotov Says "Go F*ck Your Whore Mother"

Maryland Juice writer Dan Furmansky previously reported on a controversial music act coming to The Fillmore Silver Spring this coming Monday. Indeed, news that the Mexico City rock-rap band Molotov was coming to Montgomery County prompted criticism of their famous anti-gay lyrics from LGBT activists and County Executive Ike Leggett. Below Dan Furmansky provides us on an update to the story, including a response from the band and news of an "education" protest outside the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD at 6:30 pm on Monday, August 26, 2013):

DAN FURMANSKY: This coming Monday, a band called Molotov that specializes in anti-gay epithets will play at the Fillmore Silver Spring as part of its North American tour. The ruckus here in Montgomery County against this band was, for a hot minute, seemingly successful at modifying the band’s anti-gay ways. In response to our expressions of upset and concern locally, which included a strong letter of concern from County Executive Leggett, combined with similar protestations across the country and in Latin America, along with pressure from national LGBT media watchdog GLAAD and Molotov’s sponsor for its North American tour — Jagermeister — Molotov committed publicly to ratcheting down the homophobia in a few different ways. Sadly, their commitments were hot air — unsurprising coming from a clearly emotionally stunted group of gutter-talkers who likely wrote their lyrics in a 7th grade boys’ locker room.

PROTEST & ONLINE PETITION DETAILS: So…it appears the while the show at the Fillmore will go on, they will not be met unchecked. I received an email from Equality Maryland Board Chair Evan Glass (in both English and Espanol) that the group will be holding an educational rally this Monday. Here’s the gist:

Dear Friends,

Please join Equality Maryland, Casa Ruby and others from around the area to educate fans going to the Molotov concert at the Filmore on Monday, August 26th.

Molotov is a Latin Grammy Award winning Mexican rock band. They are on a U.S. tour right now. One of their songs, “Puto” contains the phrase “matarile al maricon,” which translates to “kill the faggot.” This phrase was recently used by a group of people who attacked Esteban Navarro in Chile and is too frequently used all around Spanish speaking communities.

We appreciate that Molotov released a statement saying, “no one should be a target of violence because they are LGBT.”  They also said they would refrain from using this hurtful phrase during their US tour. However, they should stop using this word in any country and should encourage their fans to not use it. Words matter. Words may hurt or heal. We must stand united against hatred and violence.

We will talk to fans as they enter the concert and share why words matter and encourage them to sign a petition urging Molotov to stop using this phrase at all their concerts and to encourage their fans from using it as well.  We will also have a postcard for fans that they can take and read later.  People can also go online and sign a petition at www.equalitymaryland.org/words-matter.

We will meet in front of the Filmore, 8656 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910 at 6:30 on Monday, August 26, 2013. Please feel free to bring signs. We will provide petitions and postcards.

A FEW THOUGHTS: First, major kudos go to County Executive Leggett for expressing strong concerns about the violent nature of some of this band’s lyrics. Unfortunately, Mr. Leggett’s communication with the Fillmore was met with criticism that he was “bullying” the Fillmore and “suppressing free speech.” Council Member Hans Riemer was one of those who took to social media to lay criticism at the feet of the County Executive. Mind you, Mr. Leggett has zero leverage to dictate what shows the Fillmore books, so I’m not sure how exactly he was suppressing free speech. But I, as one among many, thank Mr. Leggett for his forceful words in the name of his own free speech.

When the leader of a jurisdiction as large as Montgomery County singles out a band for bullying language and it appears in the Washington Post and beyond, that is the sort of action that leads a band like Molotov to make some tangible commitments of change, which they did. Sadly, some of those commitments were short-lived. Here’s more from the Huffington Post (excerpt below):

HUFFINGTON POST: Molotov is dropping the word “maricón.” The Mexican rock band issued a statement via Twitter Monday night saying it would drop the anti-gay slur in light of a vicious attack against Chilean teen Esteban Navarro. Assailants allegedly attacked the 19-year-old Navarro last month with a machete, knives and iron bars while yelling anti-gay insults at him. The attack resulted in the amputation of Navarro's leg. 

“As an act of solidarity with Esteban Navarro and the LGBT community, we are choosing to refrain from using the word “maricon” in our song lyrics during our upcoming U.S. tour,” Molotov's statement says. “This word was used by Esteban’s assailants in this pointless attack, and therefore, has no place in our set.” 

Molotov's statement comes amid pressure from LGBT activists to drop "Puto," one of their most popular songs, from their set-list ahead of a U.S. tour beginning Tuesday in Orlando.

Hate crime victim Esteban Navarro

GLAAD also reported that along with removing "maricón," from the "matarile al maricón" lyric, the band will introduce the song “Puto” during the tour with a message of support for LGBT people. The band will be donating some of the tour's proceeds to LGBT organizations and to help Esteban Navarro, the young victim of a recent anti-gay attack in Chile, which required Navarro's leg to be amputated. His attackers repeatedly used the word "maricón."

Promising stuff. But at the outset, activists questioned the sincerity behind standing with a Chilean hate crime victim, not in Latin America, but in the States, and only in English. The band was also unmoved by concerns about usage of the word “Puto,” which is chanted about five gazillion times in the namesake song. “Puto” is also clearly an anti-gay epithet in many countries, including Mexico.

MOLOTOV SAYS "YOU CAN GO F*CK YOUR WHORE MOTHER" - In any case, it doesn’t appear the band has followed through on making any sort of comments about not targeting gay people when they encourage their arena of largely teenage, male fans to shout “Puto” at the top of their lungs. A few concert-goers have actually managed to gather video from their tour and it hasn’t been promising.

At one concert, in the middle of the performing “Puto,” the band shouts: "Esta cancion va dedicada a todos aquellos que se quieren meter con nuestra libertad de expresion. Pueden chingar a su puta madre." The translation from local activist Gabriel Rodriguez-Rico is this: This song is for all those who want to mess with our freedom of speech. You can go f*ck your whore mother.

Charming.

Welcome to Silver Spring, Molotov! We’re all so glad that the Fillmore Silver Spring, aka the Walmart of music venues, has rolled out the red carpet for you. Molotov is a vile group. But I reserve the lion’s share of my disgust for the Fillmore Silver Spring for booking gutter acts in the name of their almighty bottom dollar.

See you Monday…

- Dan Furmansky

PROTEST? Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett Weighs In On The Fillmore Silver Spring's Anti-LGBT Concert with Molotov

UPDATE: The controversy over The Fillmore's upcoming "Molotov" concert is growing, as the story was picked up by The Washington Post's Bill Turque in an article last night (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has asked the Fillmore Silver Spring to cancel next month’s booking of the Mexican rap-metal band Molotov because of homophobic lyrics in one of its songs. “I have serious concerns about this booking,” Leggett wrote in a letter Thursday to Stephanie Steele, general manager at the Fillmore. “I am personally offended.”

The title of the 1997 song is a Spanish slur against gay men.

Equality Maryland, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group, said that if the booking is not canceled it might stage an information picket at the venue. “A lot of people don’t realize that lyrics are not harmless and that they impact people,” said Carrie Evans, executive director of the organization. “I think it’s a good opportunity if the concert goes ahead to have this discussion....”

Below Maryland Juice writer Dan Furmansky provides readers with an update on recent controversy surrounding Silver Spring's Fillmore music hall. At issue is the LiveNation venue's decision to book "Molotov," a Mexico City rock-rap band with a history of drawing protests from LGBT rights advocates. In his article, Furmansky discusses the outcome of a meeting between The Fillmore and Silver Spring LGBT activist Evan Glass, and he also provides commentary on the matter from Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett:

DAN FURMANSKY: “Can you imagine 2,000 people shouting "Kill the Faggot"? That is exactly what will most likely take place on August 26, when Mexican band Motolov performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring.” So writes Gabriel Rodríguez-Rico, a Mexican lawyer based in D.C., in his Change.org petition urging the Fillmore to not allow messages of hate and violence to spread at their venue. 

I signed Gabriel’s petition. Will you please join me?

The Washington Blade and Maryland Juice highlighted Molotov’s controversial lyrics last week, but the despite the public scrutiny, the Fillmore isn’t budging. (In case you missed it, here’s the story). Clearly, the Fillmore is not hearing from enough people. (Hint hint.)

One person the venue has heard from is Evan Glass, chair of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and a board member of Equality Maryland. Glass reports to Juice that he met with the Fillmore late last week (in a personal capacity, he notes), a meeting he had scheduled even before the news broke about the band in The Washington Blade. Here’s what Evan had to say about the meeting:

EVAN GLASS: After being approached by various concerned parties, I met with representatives of the Fillmore Silver Spring to discuss the community's concerns with the band Molotov and the violently homophobic lyrics to some of their songs. The Fillmore’s position is that different Spanish speakers interpret the lyrics differently, and that regardless of interpretation, the Fillmore is a private business and is afforded the freedom of speech.

When the Nazi's marched in Skokie, Illinois in 1978 they were protected by the Constitution's First Amendment, but that did not mean they were welcome. Now, in 2013, in a state where marriage equality was recently approved at the ballot box, there is no excuse for promoting this type of hateful and homophobic language - whether directly from the band or indirectly as a music venue. The Fillmore needs to understand that they are operating within a progressive county that won't tolerate the condemnation of minority communities. If they move forward with allowing the band Molotov to play as scheduled, then I wouldn't be surprised to see the community respond with protests and a possible boycott.  

Given that there was a good deal of controversy regarding multi-million dollar taxpayer subsidies for The Fillmore Silver Spring, it looks like the chickens have come home to roost. Did Montgomery County sell its soul to the Walmart of music venues? And if Molotov is what we can expect now, what’s next for Montgomery County? I hear there are some great “white power bands” that Live Nation Entertainment might want to book. Might I suggest the bands Jew Slaughter or White Terror? Sure, they might rankle a few feathers, but if there’s money to be made and a private right of free speech to hide behind…

Speaking of money to be made, Live Nation Entertainment isn’t hurting. Live Nation Entertainment is a merger between Live Nation—a concert promoter—and Ticketmaster. With $5 billion in reported revenue in 2011, I think they can probably afford to take Molotov off the calendar without filing Chapter 7.

Of course, Live Nation Entertainment CEO and President Michael Rapino has a history of providing a forum for artists whose lyrics promote anti-gay violence, such as reggae artist Buju Banton, who attempted (poorly) to make nice with the LGBT community after being protested all over the world. The same can’t be said for Molotov. Given the seeming lack of a conscience from the Fillmore’s mother ship, I don’t think anything but bad PR and public pressure is going to deter the Fillmore Silver Spring from pulling Molotov. (Hint hint).

When the conversation about which music venue to bring to Silver Spring was taking place, some of these decision-makers said Live Nation would be better for the taxpayers. After $8 million dollars of our taxpayer money went to subsidize bringing Live Nation to Colesville Road, let me ask you this:

Do you feel Live Nation is being a good neighbor? Please sign the petition today.

Molotov has more than one song with homophobic slurs, but the one with the lyric, “I love the murderer; kill the faggot,” happens to be their most often played song in concerts. You can find numerous You Tube videos with unimpressive teenage boys belting the words out with hormone-laced, homophobic venom.
Just in case you’re feeling sympathetic because Molotov said “we don’t mean gay people,” I think the blog Blabbeando put it best a few years ago (excerpt below):

BLABBEANDO: In the past, Molotov has denied that the song is in any way, shape or form homophobic. In an article published in Uruguay's Ultima Hora on February 19, 2004 (which is no longer online), they were asked about the lyrics during a press conference. Band member Randy Ebright, who was actually born in the United States, was the one who came to its defense telling reporters that the song was meant to attack Mexican government officials and not the gay community. According to Ebright in Mexico the word "puto" meant "queer, someone who is fearful, who doesn't want to confront certain things." 

If you actually read the lyrics above you can actually see how they do reflect a blistering attack on those who might be passive to conformity and official corruption. But, as a Mexican friend of mine told me, why is it that when bands seek the worst thing to call anyone they immediately grab for the homophobic language? … But, whether we actually take Molotov's defense of the song at face value and recognize it as a critique on government, it doesn't mean that the crowds who have embraced the song haven't done so because it allows them to embrace the calls to kill a faggot. Believe me, I have been at concerts where the song has been played over the speakers before the actual show, and the crowd reaction is immediate, aggressive, loud, violent and extremely homophobic.

Gabriel, who created the Change.org petition, notes:

GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ: While Silver Spring celebrates recent landmarks in the fight for equality, summer of 2013 has already registered six attacks against members of the LGBTQ community in the D.C. area, including a transgender woman who was stabbed 35 to 40 times.

What more is there to say? 

Dan Furmansky


P.S. MOCO EXECUTIVE IKE LEGGETT WEIGHS IN - I contacted Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett's office to see what they had to say about this controversy, and they provided me a copy of the following letter they sent to The Fillmore Silver Spring:

July 18, 2013

Stephanie Steele

The Fillmore

8656 Colesville Road

Silver Spring, Maryland 20910

Dear Ms. Steele,

It has come to my attention that the band Molotov is scheduled to perform at the Fillmore on August 26, 2013 and that band’s repertoire includes a song that attacks homosexual males in an extremely derogatory way, a song that verges on hate speech or completely crosses that line.

I have serious concerns about this booking. I am personally offended. I understand that the First Amendment provides for freedom of speech, and that even distasteful speech may be protected speech. I also know that under the lease agreement signed between Montgomery County and Live Nation, the County has no say in specific artistic content booked at the facility. And, of course, controversy over extreme song lyrics is not new or uncommon.

This correspondence is, therefore, not intended to dictate the choices The Fillmore makes but instead is for the purpose of expressing my personal opinion. I believe it is shared by others.

In addition to expressing my displeasure I would ask you to reconsider the Fillmore’s decision to book the Molotov band.

Bringing what I believe to be hateful sentiments into our County does nothing to contribute positively to our culture, tolerance, or the well-being of our County residents. This is true regardless of the source of those sentiments or the target of those sentiments. Just because one might argue that everyone has the right to say, show, or sing something doesn’t mean they ought to exercise that right. It also does not mean that The Fillmore should provide a forum for such an exercise.

Sincerely,

Ike Leggett

County Executive

NOW THERE ARE 2: Meet Our New Writer Dan Furmansky // HIS DEBUT: Fillmore Silver Spring Welcomes Anti-Gay Act

Meet Maryland Juice's new writer: Dan Furmansky

OUR NEW JUICER: MEET DAN FURMANSKY - Maryland Juice is proud to introduce a new writer to our upstart progressive blog!  Meet Dan Furmansky, a social justice advocate who formerly served as the head of Equality Maryland and Standing on the Side of Love. Below we provide a little bit of background on Dan, followed by his very first Maryland Juice post. Note that Dan is no stranger to Annapolis politics and has even been written about in the papers due to his work on various issue campaigns:

• "There's no doubt that Furmansky was sort of like a superhero working to protect the rights of GLBT Marylanders...." - Baltimore City Paper, June 2008

• "Throughout history, there have been few LGBT leaders the community could directly turn to when we needed political strength and influence. Yet, we have been fortunate that Dan Furmansky has been such a leader, as he provided passion, eloquence and dedication in the face of discrimination, virulent anti-gay rhetoric and weak-kneed politicians...." - Baltimore Out Loud, November 2008

Though we are still ironing out the details of his transition to Maryland Juice, Dan decided to jump right into his new writing duties by flagging an emerging controversy in Montgomery County. The Fillmore, a Silver Spring concert venue, decided to book a reportedly anti-gay band called "Molotov" to perform this August. The Fillmore is a LiveNation owned venue that generated some measure of controversy when it was built with $8 million in taxpayer incentives to bring the venue to downtown Silver Spring. In any case, you can read Dan's thoughts on the matter below, along with some information about his background and work history. In the meantime, if you've got juice for Dan or just want to reach out, you can contact him at dan@marylandjuice.com.

ABOUT DAN FURMANSKY - Dan Furmansky has worked for 15 years as a social justice advocate focused on addressing civil rights issues, economic and environmental justice, animal welfare, fair and impartial courts, and global hunger and poverty. Currently, he is an independent consultant offering communications, political strategy, and organizational management support to several non-profit organizations.

For two years, Dan was director of a national, interfaith public advocacy campaign, Standing on the Side of Love, helping individuals translate their faith into action on behalf of marginalized communities. He worked for five years as executive director of Equality Maryland, where he grew the organization ten-fold, launched a marriage equality campaign in the courts, the court of public opinion, and the legislature, and successfully led efforts to pass a hate crimes law, Montgomery County's transgender anti-discrimination law, and multiple bills to provide rights for domestic partners.

He has served as a spokesperson in numerous print, radio and television interviews and appearances, including CNN, “The Bill O’Reilly Show,” NPR, Washington Post, and the New York Times. Dan has been honored with the EPA EnergyStar Congregation Award; the DC Capital Pride Hero award; the Washington Peace Center Justice Award; the Gerald B. Roemer Community Service Award from the Dept. of Justice, and the Cornerstone Award from the Jewish Funds for Justice.

He has served on the boards of the Equality Federation, Progressive Maryland, and the Public Justice Center of Maryland. In addition to his political work, Dan proudly officiates weddings, helping couples create personalized, meaningful ceremonies: www.ameaningfulday.com. He lives in Silver Spring, Md. with his husband, Jonathan.

JUICE #1 BY DAN FURMANSKY: Montgomery County Subsidizes Hate? - Below Maryland Juice blogger David Moon publishes Dan Furmansky's first piece of juice, which highlights an emerging controversy regarding an anti-LGBT music act coming to Montgomery County. Dan targets the Fillmore Silver Spring concert venue for hosting a controversial Mexico City rock-rap band called Molotov. Note that Maryland Juice is no stranger to protests over inflammatory speech, as we previously zinged the fast-food chain Chik-Fil-A for supporting anti-gay sentiment, Fox News Baltimore for trying to steer viewers to an anti-marriage equality petition, and hardware store Lowe's for caving to Islamophobia. But the band Molotov is no stranger to protests over its anti-gay (and sexist) lyrics (excerpt from Wikipedia below):

WIKIPEDIA: Puto is a song by the Mexican band Molotov from their album ¿Dónde Jugarán las Niñas?. The word puto literally translates as "man-whore", which is often used as a derogatory term for gay males in Mexican Spanish, similar to the American slang word faggot. It is also used to mean "bastard". The term, as many other homophobic slur in Mexican Spanish is also used to describe an unmanly act such as cowardice. Although the song itself allegedly follows the latter connotation in which the group is mocking those who do not stand up for themselves, the lyrics do not only include "puto," but also "marica," and "joto," other homophobic slurs. The band faced criticism when the song was interpreted as a slur against homosexuals. As a result, the group's first tour in Germany was met with crowds of angry gay and lesbian protestors.

 A few years ago a New York blogger highlighted Molotov's inflammatory lyrics and translated the words to their song "Puto" (excerpt below):

So you are macho man, no? Ah, so macho, no?
Faggot, girly, you're rather a little male-whore, no?

Background chorus: Fag, Fag, Fag, Fag, Fag. Fag, Fag, Fag

FAG!! He who doesn't jump up and down
FAG!! He who doesn't shout and swear
FAG!! The guy who remained in conformity
FAG!! He who believed the official reports
FAG!! He who takes away our food
FAG!! Also he who covers it up
FAG!! He who doesn't do whatever he wants
FAG!! Born a fag, dies a fag

Love the killer
Kill the faggot
And what does that son of a bitch want?
He wants to cry, he wants to cry

 With that being said, check out Dan Furmansky's first piece below:


DAN FURMANSKY: Montgomery County and the State of Maryland spent $8 million of our taxpayer dollars subsidizing the establishment of the Fillmore in Silver Spring.  As a Silver Springer, I was thrilled when it opened. I love live music, and like to see our downtown become increasingly dynamic.

So I was particularly pissed off to read this morning that the Fillmore is hosting an anti-gay Mexico City-based band that has prompted radio bans and concert protests:

Reports the Blade (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON BLADE: The scheduled appearance next month in Silver Spring, Md., of a controversial hip-hop act from Mexico that uses the phrase “kill the faggot” in one of its songs has prompted LGBT activists to consider holding a protest outside the theater where the band is set to perform on Aug. 26.

LGBT Latino activists familiar with the popular Mexico City band Molotov say the Spanish language lyrics in several of its songs include the words “puto” and “maricon,” which sometimes are used in different ways but are widely interpreted as a slur against gay men.
Gay Latino activist and blogger Andres Duque of New York City, who’s a native Spanish speaker from Colombia, told the Blade that one of Molotov’s most controversial and popular songs is entitled “Puto” and repeats that word more than a dozen times.

Duque said that while the word is sometimes used to describe a male prostitute and a coward it is most often interpreted as “fag” or “faggot.”

A spokesperson for the Fillmore Silver Spring Theater, where Molotov is scheduled to appear for a one-time performance on Aug. 26, did not return calls from the Blade seeking comment as of late Tuesday.

“We are considering a protest at the theater,” said Alex McNeill, a spokesperson for the statewide LGBT group Equality Maryland. “We want people to know that most Latino people don’t agree with the lyrics that use ‘puto.’ We want to make sure people know the word is hurtful....”

Why in the world would the Fillmore court this controversy, here in Montgomery County, no less? Did they think we wouldn’t notice? This is unacceptable.

I’m all about free speech. The Fillmore has every right to put on whatever act they want. But we also have every right to protest and let the Fillmore know that they are officially on notice. Our tax dollars shouldn’t go to support a band who uses lyrics like “Born a fag, dies a fag, Love the killer,
Kill the faggot.”

And you know what? I don’t want to forfeit a perfectly good summer evening protesting in front of the Fillmore. This is one show that must not go on.

Montgomery County lawmakers need to lean on the Fillmore to cancel this act ASAP.

Please register your disgust as well. Call the Fillmore at 301.960.9999, Tweet at them, and send them an email: http://fillmoresilverspring.com/#

Dan Furmansky is a social justice activist and consultant to progressive non-profit organizations.

Sen. Roger Manno's Aide Maricé Morales Wants to Replace Sam Arora // PLUS ANOTHER MYSTERY: Is Sam Pro or Anti-Choice?

UPDATE: Maryland Juice received the following letter from folks at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland taking issue with our anonymous sourcing on that story. Though I cannot divulge my sources, the article was not at all meant to imply anything about how Arora and NARAL might interact in the future. In fact, a few politicos who contacted me after publication suggested that the jury was still out on the freshman lawmaker's views on abortion and related issues. Blog articles notwithstanding, NARAL itself obviously plans an open and transparent survey process. We will be following this story (and the role of reproductive rights in 2014) in the future, but next time we'll be sure to check in directly with the NARAL staff!

Dear Maryland Juice: In your June 29, 2013 post about Delegate Sam Arora's position on women's reproductive rights, you incorrectly attributed your source as an insider at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland. No NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland staff or officers, nor NARAL Pro-Choice PAC board members were interviewed for your article. NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland and its PAC takes pride in our transparent and fair representation of our positions on all matters concerning the advancement of women's rights in Maryland. We would appreciate it if in the future you would check your sources with our organization before issuing anonymous statements. We encourage you, as well as you readers to contact us directly to answer questions about reproductive rights and where elected officials or candidates may stand on this critical issue.

Sincerely,

Wendy Royalty, NARAL Pro-Choice MD PAC Chair
Jodi Finkelstein, NARAL Pro-Choice MD Executive Director

Sen. Roger Manno & Maricé Morales

Rumors are aswirl that an aide to District 19 State Senator Roger Manno is plotting a run against Sam Arora in 2014. Arora famously voted against marriage equality during an extremely close vote -- and after promising to support LGBT rights. But the 2010 runner-up to Arora (Jay Hutchins) recently announced he had decided not to run, leaving many wondering if Arora was still going to face a challenge.

But Maryland Juice recently met Manno's Special Assistant Maricé Morales at a political event in Montgomery County, where she confirmed she was plotting a 2014 bid for the House of Delegates.

In addition, at the urging of an anonymous source, I poked around on Sen. Manno's website and was intrigued to see hints that he may indeed be backing Morales, given that his press releases seem to be highlighting her work in the District (excerpt below):

SEN. ROGER MANNO PRESS RELEASE: This evening Senator Roger Manno and Delegate Ben Kramer each received the prestigeous “Shofar Award” for their advocacy on behalf of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy (MJBHA) in Aspen Hill.... 

Joining Senator Manno was his Senate Special Assistant, Ms. Marice' Morales, who worked tirelessly with lawmakers and the community throughout the 2013 legislative session to secure passage of the $100,000 capital bond.

Notably, District 19 Democrats are represented by one State Senator (Roger Manno) and three Delegates: Sam Arora, Bonnie Cullison and Ben Kramer.  But a visit to Del. Bonnie Cullison's Facebook page also revealed a photo of Maricé Morales at a recent Cullison fundraiser. Now obviously a photo does not necessarily equal an endorsement, but this is still pretty interesting to see:

And to round it all out, here's Maricé Morales with Sen. Victor Ramirez of Prince George's County:

IS DEL. SAM ARORA PRO-CHOICE OR ANTI-CHOICE? - Strangely, one anonymous source also noted that it is apparently unclear where Sam Arora stands on the issue of reproductive rights. Maryland and Montgomery County politics are weighted toward the pro-choice position, but notwithstanding potential exceptions for rape or incest, a few Maryland Juice sources struggled to figure out where Arora stands on the issue.

A national organization voter education organization called Project Vote Smart attempted to survey Arora on abortion and other issues, but their website only had the following information about Sam Arora's views:

PROJECT VOTE SMART: Sam Arora refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2010 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

Nevertheless, Maryland Juice tracked down a 2010 NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland legislative analysis, and Sam Arora is the lone Delegate from Montgomery County who is not listed as a pro-choice lawmaker. Arora is instead listed as "Untested" alongside conservative/moderate Democrats (eg: Steve DeBoy & John Olszewski, Jr.) and Republicans like Kathy Afzali.

At first I thought this could be because no votes on the issue had been taken during Arora's freshman term, but then I realized six additional freshmen from MoCo were rated as pro-choice: Delegates Craig Zucker, Eric Luedtke, Aruna Miller, Ariana Kelly, Bonnie Cullison and Shane Robinson.

AN ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY? - Maryland Juice contacted a knowledgeable source to figure out if there was a story behind Sam Arora being tagged as "Untested" in their analysis. Their response was that in 2010 (ie: his first election for office in liberal MoCo), Sam Arora never returned his candidate survey to NARAL. Hmm.

So does anyone know whether Sam Arora is pro-choice or pro-life? I'm honestly baffled that nobody seems to know the answer to this question. Perhaps one of you knows? If so, please drop a note in the comments section below.