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

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

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

Hitler's ring for sale (Jezebel.com)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.