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.

Q: Who Did Maryland Juice Blogger David Moon Donate To? // A: Cory McCray of Baltimore & Dr. Clarence Lam of Howard Co.

BACKGROUND: Before Maryland Juice begins writing more about a few of the interesting races going on in the state, I decided to remind folks once again that I am not an unbiased observer of politics. In fact, in the "Who Is Juice?" section of this blog, I state quite plainly that I have numerous political ties and strong views on policy. Indeed, I never intended to stop being involved personally just because I also write about politics -- and that's sort of the point of the Maryland Juice ethos.

DISCLOSURE: In any case, with respect to the District 45 House race in Baltimore and the District 12 House race in Howard County, I thought it was worth noting that I recently attended two fundraisers for Delegate candidates in those contests. My attendance (and paid admission) should not be regarded as an endorsement by this blog (as of now we don't do endorsements) or a statement about the other candidates in those races. Even still, I thought it was worth noting why I attended these two particular events. After all, without the constraints placed upon mainstream media writers, this blogger has typically romped around to all manner of overtly political events and gotten involved with issues, campaigns and candidates. Sometimes I have to buy a ticket to gain admission, but as it turns out, both McCray and Lam are also on board with moving a range of tough social & economic justice issues that stalled in Annapolis in recent months. Details below.

Cory McCray at left; Clarence Lam at right (photos from Facebook)

NOT AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT: So when two Delegate candidates from outside of Montgomery County invited me to attend their fundraisers in the Silver Spring region, I couldn't resist the opportunity to dig deeper into their campaigns -- and so close to my home!  Indeed, Maryland Juice has been following the campaigns of Cory McCray in D45 and Dr. Clarence Lam in D12. Both young Democrats, for example, spoke out about various controversial issues during the last legislative session (excerpts below):

CORY MCCRAY & CLARENCE LAM'S VIEWS ON STALLED JUSTICE ISSUES - Maryland Juice had the opportunity to prod both Cory McCray and Clarence Lam about their views on a range of stalled legislative issues, and as of now, both candidates for the Maryland House are on board to move the needle on some of the social and economic justice issues that failed in recent legislative sessions. Obviously things can change (this is politics, after all), but alongside opposing the Lockheed Martin corporate welfare bill, McCray and Lam both indicated support for the following reforms:

• Paid Sick Leave for Maryland Residents
• Minimum Wage Hike in Maryland
• Transgender Non-Discrimination
• Marijuana Decriminalization

Democrat Cory McCray made it onto my radar many months ago when we started corresponding about his work helping form the BEST Democratic Club -- a Baltimore club which works to "promote, empower, and unite a new generation of young voters to participate in elections." McCray currently works for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Democrat Clarence Lam is a physician who works at the Johns Hopkins School of preventative health and also works with Delegate Dan Morhaim in Annapolis. He's also been involved with the Young Democrats in Howard County.

Note that Maryland  Juice's contributions to Lam and McCray should not be seen as any statement about the other candidates in the District 12 and District 45 House races. Indeed, in D12 there will be three open Delegate seats and in D45 there was a recent vacancy that was filled by the appointment process, so there is not currently an elected incumbent running for the open seat there.


FINAL NOTE - Lastly, it should be noted that I donated to my State Senator, Jamie Raskin, for his birthday celebration earlier this year. But that shouldn't surprise anyone, since I ran his very first campaign in 2006. Not to mention, he also had an interesting speakers line-up at his event, including Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Governor Martin O'Malley and Attorney General candidate Brian Frosh.

#OccupyLife: Meet Maryland Juice's Neighbors from the People's Republic of Takoma Park // My July 4 Parade Video

FIND OUT WHY THEY CALL TAKOMA PARK "THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC"

Maryland Juice had the opportunity to march with his neighborhood's float in the annual Takoma Park Independence Day Parade. I shot a bunch of footage and compiled it into the video below, which helps show why my community is known as "The People's Republic of Takoma Park."  Hopefully this also gives you a sense of why this progressive blogger loves living here!

Democratic Senators Lisa Gladden & Bobby Zirkin Endorse Allan Kittleman, GOP Candidate for Howard County Executive

UPDATE: The commentary below appeared in this month's issue of Business Monthly, but it turns out the piece was written by Maryland Reporter's Len Lazarick, who has mirrored the full article on his own website (additional excerpt below):

MARYLAND REPORTER: It’s no secret that Sen. Allan Kittleman will need lots of Democrats to vote for a Republican for Howard County executive for him to accomplish what the GOP did 23 years ago — take over the county government.

“If Allan Kittleman can’t have a chance in Howard County, no one has a chance,” said attorney Michael Davis, who was campaign chairman for Republican Chuck Ecker when Ecker defeated Democrat Liz Bobo during her re-election bid for executive in 1990. Four years later, Republicans controlled the County Council, the courthouse offices and a majority of legislative seats.

Davis was involved in a poll taken last year that he said showed Kittleman “has good name recognition; he’s got high trust factors and likability factors.” But he’s still got “a tough fight”....

Maryland Juice previously noted that GOP State Senator Allan Kittleman was running for Howard County Executive in 2014, and that he would likely be facing off against Democratic HoCo Councilmember Courtney Watson. But we highlighted a report in Patch.com that Democratic State Senator Bobby Zirkin had crossed party lines to endorse Kittleman for Executive. There were rumors that another Democratic State Senator Lisa Gladden would be supporting the Republican candidate for HoCo Exec, but we never saw confirmation of that story until today. In fact, I only heard that Gladden was supporting Kittleman through an unverified report on Twitter about a month ago:

Last night a Maryland Juice reader forwarded us a scanned copy of an interesting article that appeared in the July 2013 edition of Business Monthly, which features interviews with Senators Zirkin and Gladden highlighting their endorsements for Allan Kittleman. The article, titled "Kittleman's Uphill Fight" does not yet appear in the online edition of Business Monthly, but we provide some excerpts from the newsprint below:

BUSINESS MONTHLY: "It's the content of your character, it's not a 'D' or 'R' behind your name that makes a difference, said Zirkin.... Zirkin said he also asked Kittleman whether he could bring up same-sex marraige. Kittleman was only one of the dozen Republicans in the state Senate that supported the measure...."

Sure enough, Gladden, with a more liberal voting record than Zirkin's is a Kittleman fan. "Allan is a whole different breed of Republican," Gladden said in an interview.... Gladden recognizes there's a whole range of issues on which she and Kittleman disagree, but he supported her position on an issue she's passionate about, abolition of the death penalty....

Notably, Zirkin highlights Kittleman's support for marriage equality, while Gladden highlights his support for death penalty repeal. But one Democratic commenter in the article below highlights other issues where Kittleman conflicts with mainstream Democratic politics. In the article, Howard County Democratic Party Chair Michael McPherson called Kittleman a "flaming Tea Party zealot" who opposes gun control and works to restrict women's access to health care.

More on the HoCo Exec battle soon!

DISTRICT 15 UPDATE: Del. Brian Feldman & Councilmember Craig Rice Letters to MCDCC // PLUS: GOP Lit & More on Race

Happy Independence Day!  But as you watch fireworks and parades & nosh on BBQ today, don't forget the revolutionary spirit that birthed our nation.  Indeed, in today's political culture, we could use far more independence to achieve social and economic justice. With that being said, we hope you enjoy our post below on this holiday!

Below Maryland Juice provides a few recent exhibits regarding the District 15 State Senate seat being vacated by Rob Garagiola. Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee (MCDCC) members will select a replacement for Garagiola, and it appears they are receiving numerous communications from politicos in the area.

Below we print a letter from Delegate Brian Feldman, who is seeking the Senate appointment, along with a letter from MoCo Councilmember Craig Rice endorsing Feldman for the seat. We also include additional dialogue from some District 15 Democrats complaining about one of the endorsements that has been issued. Lastly, at the bottom of this post, you can see a Montgomery County Republican Party lit piece that is being dropped around District 15 neighborhoods, attacking the three incumbent D15 Delegates: Brian Feldman, Kathleen Dumais, and Aruna Miller.

JUICE #1: DEL. BRIAN FELDMAN'S APPEAL TO THE MCDCC FOR THE D15 SENATE SEAT - In the letter below, Delegate Feldman makes his case to MCDCC members for an appointment to the Maryland State Senate. He highlights a range of endorsements from high profile MoCo Democrats, including statewide officeholders and members of Congress. Feldman also notes that he might be the only candidate in the race that has faced the D15 voters before. Check out his full comments below:

Del. Brian Feldman's Letter to MCDCC

JUICE #2: MOCO COUNCILMEMBER CRAIG RICE'S LETTER TO THE MCDCC ENDORSING DEL. BRIAN FELDMAN - In the letter below, Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice endorses Delegate Brian Feldman for the District 15 Senate vacancy. Rice previously served with Feldman as a Delegate in District 15. Check out his comments below:

Craig Rice Letter to MCDCC

JUICE #3: MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DISTRICT 15 CAUCUS ENDORSEMENT OF BRIAN FELDMAN - The District 15 vacancy has generated interest from numerous MoCo insiders and triggered a dialogue within the party about the role of diversity in vacancy appointments. But one endorsement in particular seems to be drawing the ire of party activists. The District 15 Democratic Caucus, a group that functions independently of the MCDCC, recently proclaimed a unanimous endorsement of Feldman for the D15 Senate seat. But since then a few D15 residents have complained that they were not given an opportunity to weigh in on the D15 Caucus endorsement. Bethesda Magazine's Lou Peck dug into the controversy with a series of interviews in an article today (excerpt below):

BETHESDA MAGAZINE: [A] letter from leaders of the District 15 Democratic Caucus, declaring their “unanimous support” for Feldman, was met with protests from some party activists in the district, who complained that minorities were excluded from the process. “Until I received an email about it, I was not aware the [caucus’] letter had gone out,” said Vernon Ricks, a Potomac resident who is a board member of the county’s NAACP chapter....

Daphne Bloomberg, immediate past chair of the District 15 Democratic Caucus, said the decision to endorse Feldman had been made unanimously by all eight board members, not just the four on the caucus’ executive board. She added that two District 15 members of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee—including Sharon Bland, who is African-American—had been consulted and assented in the move. Bloomberg characterized the controversy as a “non-issue”....

Nevertheless, yet another resident has weighed in on the D15 Caucus endorsement, as Maryland Juice recently received a draft of an incendiary letter that to the editor that was submitted to The Gazette from D15 resident Jason Tsai (excerpt below):

JASON TSAI: As a registered Democrat in District 15, I am surprised to learn that the District 15 Democratic Caucus has already thrown their support behind a replacement in a process that is more similar to Chicago in the 1960s than Montgomery County in the 2010s.... it was disappointing to learn that the District 15 Democratic Caucus bosses apparently already have — as they say in Chicago — their “guy.”

Yikes!

JUICE #4: MOCO REPUBLICAN LIT PIECE ATTACKS DISTRICT 15 DEMOCRATIC DELEGATES - To round out this update, an anonymous source provided Maryland Juice with the following literature that Montgomery County Republicans are distributing in District 15 neighborhoods. The GOP piece below attacks the incumbent Democratic Delegates Brian Feldman, Kathleen Dumais and Aruna Miller. The party seems to think it can still play in District 15:

Montgomery County GOP District 15 Lit Piece

O'Malley to Name Mary Ellen Barbera Chief Judge of Maryland's Highest Court // PLUS: Her Views on Warrantless DNA Searches

JUDGE MARY ELLEN BARBERA TO BECOME CHIEF JUDGE IN MARYLAND - A knowledgeable source indicates that Governor Martin O'Malley has selected Judge Mary Ellen Barbera to replace Robert Bell as the Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals (our highest court). The change in leadership results from Bell having hit a mandatory retirement age. Judge Barbera currently sits on the Court of Appeals, so this is essentially a promotion from within. Barbera was first appointed in 2008 and appears to come from a law enforcement/prosecutor's mindset, having previously worked in the Attorney General's office representing the state against those appealing convictions. Her bio also indicates a past focus on public safety and victims' rights. The Baltimore Sun's Erin Cox confirmed the news this morning, focusing on the fact that Barbera will be the first woman to helm the Court of Appeals (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: Maryland achieved several milestones Tuesday as Gov. Martin O'Malley named the first woman to lead what will be the first female majority on the state's top court.... Bell is required by law to retire from the Court of Appeals when he turns 70 on Saturday.

O'Malley elevated Court of Appeals Judge Mary Ellen Barbera to be chief — the highest-ranking judge in Maryland — and he appointed Court of Special Appeals Judge Shirley M. Watts to take the seat of retiring Chief Judge Robert M. Bell.... Watts, 54, was appointed to the Court of Special Appeals in 2011, following nine years as a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge and stints as an assistant state's attorney and federal public defender.

JUDGE BARBERA'S DEFENSE OF WARRANTLESS DNA SEARCHES - Maryland Juice admits to not knowing much about Barbera's legal philosophy, though a simple Google search turns up some commentary from her defending Maryland's recent controversial law allowing police to gather and warehouse DNA samples from those arrested for certain crimes. The Supreme Court's recent 5-4 ruling upholding the controversial law leaves the door open for collection of DNA from suspects whether or not they are actually convicted. Those caught in the DNA dragnet could later have their genetic material searched by the police for completely unrelated crimes, potentially allowing cops to engage in DNA fishing expeditions -- without a search warrant or articulable suspicion.

The Public Defenders office criticized the law, and a 5-2 majority of the Maryland Court of Appeals thought Maryland lawmakers went too far. But Barbera was one of the two dissenting Judges who thought that allowing police to collect and warehouse the DNA of crime suspects for future use was a kosher practice. The Daily Record's Steven Lash wrote about the battle of legal opinions between Judge Glenn Harrell who wrote the majority opinion ruling DNA dragnets illegal, and Barbera, who defended the practice (excerpt below):

DAILY RECORD:  “We simply will not allow warrantless, suspicionless searches of biological materials without a showing that accurate identification was not possible using ‘traditional’ methods,” [Judge Glenn] Harrell added....

Other courts that have considered the issue have reached different conclusions — as did Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, who dissented from the King decision, saying arrestees have a “significantly diminished expectation of privacy” with regard to police taking a DNA sample from them....

As The Huffington Post noted, the Supreme Court recently upheld Maryland's DNA dragnets, but Attorney General Doug Gansler (who pushed for the law) admitted it could lead to a slippery slope (excerpt below):

HUFFINGTON POST: Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler agreed that there's nothing stopping his state from expanding DNA collection from those arrested for serious crimes to those arrested for lesser ones like shoplifting....

Barbera gets to head the Court of Appeals for nine years. Here's to hoping she brings more balance on due process, criminal justice and civil liberties issues than her views on DNA dragnets would suggest!

MARYLAND JUICE MILESTONE: Over 900,000 PageViews // Thanks for Reading & Helping Me Hack Maryland Politics

Maryland Juice is thrilled to celebrate a new milestone: last night our upstart blog earned over 900,000 pageviews, and we've only been at this for just under two years:

More below the fold.....