Category: Maryland

Nice to See This Getting Some Mainstream Coverage

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It’s not the Washington Post or the New York Times, but my hometown paper, The Baltimore Sun has an Op/Ed, Why is the United States torturing Private Manning?

It is significant that a regular columnist, WBAL talk jock Ron Smith, both condemned the treatment, and used the word “Torture.”

It is also significant that the members of the White House press corps(e) are actually starting question Obama on this

Smith is described as a “Paleoconservative” in Wikipedia, though he had enough integrity to describe Bush, Jr. as “Joe Isuzu”, so it is likely that hostility to or distrust of Obama may have something to do with his opinions, but it is still significant that people are starting to use the word “torture” do describe what he calls, ” the field-stripping of a young man’s mind.”

And A Maryland Democrat Joins the Ranks of the Morally Repugnant

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And here he is tweeting his support a month ago

When Maryland Delegate Sam Aora (D-Silver Spring) ran for office, he said that he supported gay marriage.

He’s one of the cosponsors for the bill that provides for recognition of Gay marriage in Maryland.

Well, now that it’s passed the state Senate, and looks like it is going to pass , he says that he is going to vote against it.

This isn’t just about a politician lying. This is about a politician making the issue the core of his campaign, and then betraying the people who supported him because of it.

It was at the core of his campaign.

He campaigned on in, and raised money on it.

Unsurprisingly, there is now a drum beat of people who are asking for their campaign contributions back, particularly since it looks like his vote will kill the bill.

This guy might be the biggest slime ball in Maryland, and that says a lot!

What Took Them So Long?

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Jack Johnson, the outgoing County Executive for Prince George’s County, has been arrested for corruption:

Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson and his wife were arrested at their home Friday and charged in federal court with trying to hide or destroy the proceeds from a bribe from a local developer, according to court papers and federal law enforcement authorities.

Johnson and his wife, Leslie E. Johnson, were charged with evidence tampering and destruction, alteration and falsification of records. After brief hearings late Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Connolly ordered Jack Johnson to be released and placed under electronic monitoring. The judge released Leslie Johnson on her own recognizance. Both Johnsons were ordered to surrender their passports.

The charges stem from a frantic phone call on Friday in which Leslie Johnson told her husband that “two women were at the door” and ultimately ended when federal agents found $76,000 in Leslie Johnson’s underwear, according to an affidavit in support of the criminal charges.

I think that we are finally seeing the end of the PG County machine.

It began with Donna Edwards’ defeat of Al Wynn for Congress in the 2008 primary, and you can see things piling up in this handy Washington Post timeline.

The FBI has been investigating him for about 4 years, and the fact that he owns about 6 homes, with mortgage payments larger than his salary, might have been an indicator that something odd was going on.

Here’s hoping that maybe some reformers get swept in at the next election.

I Just Voted

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Maryland has a week of early voting, and since I will not be in town on Nov 2, I voted.

I voted straight Democratic Party, except for Barbara Milulski, because of her vote on the telecom immunity bill. I wrote in my Congressman, John Cardin (D).

When I said that she would never get my vote again, I meant it.

As to various constitutional amendments, state and county:

  • I voted no on question 1, which would have required a constitutional convention every 20 years. This is a recipe for mischief and mayhem.
  • I voted no on question 2, which would have raised the bar for a jury in a civil trial from $10,000 to 15,000.
  • Voted against requiring that Orphans’ Court judges be members of the Maryland Bar. It’s a lay court, and has been for over 200 years, and the Maryland Bar is a private organization, and I do not believe that a private organization, particularly one as insular and secretive as the Bar should determine this.
    • As a corollary, I oppose the use of private bars for licensing of lawyers period. It should be public.
  • The county wants to change its charter to force binding arbitration and a no strike clause on its workers. I voted no. (It will probably win though, since arbitration sounds fair, and the no strike section is at the end, where people will not see it)

So I am not a bystander in the elections.

Maryland Court Rules that Video Taping a Cop Waving a Gun Around Like a Lunatic is Not a Crime

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The Cop is Completely Out of Control

Mr. Graber, was riding a motorcycle had a helmet cam.

He was also speeding and popping wheelies, which attracted the attention of the police, which is unsurprising.

What is a out of the ordinary is a police officer cutting him off in an unmarked car, and jumping out waving a gun and not identifying himself as a member of the police force until he basically had the gun in the guy’s face.

It looks all the world like an attempted motorcycle-jacking.

Well, Anthony Graber had a helmet cam, and posted the footage to Youtube a few days later, which is when things got hinky.

He was arrested, jailed, and charged with violating Maryland’s wiretapping stature, which forbids recording a private conversation without the consent of both parties, and faced 16 years in jail.

Despite the Maryland Attorney General’s advisory opinion that a public arrest is not a private conversation under the statute, the Harford County DA continued to pursue the suit, but the judge, just dismissed the suit:

Judge Emory A. Pitt Jr. had to decide whether police performing their duties have an expectation of privacy in public space. Pitt ruled that police can have no such expectation in their public, on-the-job communications.

Pitt wrote: “Those of us who are public officials and are entrusted with the power of the state are ultimately accountable to the public. When we exercise that power in public fora, we should not expect our actions to be shielded from public observation. ‘Sed quis custodiet ipsos cutodes’ (“Who watches the watchmen?”).”

Of course, that was the purpose of the charges, to intimidate people who would otherwise report on law enforcement misconduct.

The basic purpose of the arrest, and the ransacking of his house, and the felony charges, were retaliation for being a whistle blower.

Graber was also charged with possessing a “device primarily useful for the purpose of the surreptitious interception of oral communications” — referring to the video camera on his helmet. The judge disagreed with the prosecutor that the helmet cam was illegal, and concluded the state’s argument would render illegal “almost every cell phone, Blackberry, and every similar device, not to mention dictation equipment and other types of recording devices.”

A good decision, and perhaps the continued employment of the States Attorney and the police officers involved in this need to end.

This sort of abuse of power is antithetical to the rule of law.

Primary Results

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The races that are of interest to me, and were at all competitive in Maryland are:

  • Democratic primary for Congress in MD-4, where Donna Edwards, who took down the corrupt PG county machine politician Al Wynn last time is facing a challenge from the PG county machine:
    • Results: Edwards sails to victory.
  • Democratic primary for Baltimore County Executive, where I favor Joe Bartenfelder over Kevin Kamanetz, whose mission in life is to put cameras in every parking lot on the county.
    • Results: Kamanetz wins, damn.
  • Republican Primary for Governor: I dislike former Maryland Governor Bob “Bad Hair” Ehrlich, and his opponent, Brian Murphy, won’t win, but it will be interesting to see just how much the fact that Sarah Palin endorsed him gets him votes:
    • Results: Bobby didn’t even break a sweat. Palin does not carry much weight here.
  • I will note that Andrew duck won in the6th Congressional district, so he will face Roscoe Bartlett for the 2nd time in 4 years. He ran a creditable race in a very tough district in 2006. I met him, and he’s a good guy, albeit he is a bit to the right of me. Also note that he is on Matthew Saroff’s Act Blue Page.

Outside of the Free State, we have some interesting elections as well, mostly on the Republican side, looking at how well the teabaggers do:

  • The biggest election is probably the primary in Delaware, where Christine O’Donnell, a teabagger who is so outrageous that Dick Armey’s Freedomworks Teabagger AstroTurf org endorsed moderate Republican Mike Castle.
    • Results: The teabagger nutjob won by what looks to be about 6%.
  • In the New York Primaries, we have the always happless perennial loser Republican mainstay Rick Lazio running against the batsh%$ insane (he wants to put the unemployed in jail) Carl Paladino.
    • Results: Paladino wins, and Lazio once again proves himself to be the Washington Generals of politics, and Andrew Cuomo is going to be the next governor unless he is found with a dead girl in his bed.
  • And we have the Democratic Party primary in the 15th district, where the scandal plagued Charles Rangel is being challenged by the grandson of the man he beat to become a Representative, Adam Clayton Powell IV.
    • Results: Rangel wins, though he got barely 50% of the vote against his 5 opponents.
  • We have the New Hampshire primary, where in the Republican Senate primary, you have Ovide Lamontagne, who was endorsed by the Manchester Union Leader and is considered more teabaggy versus Kelly Ayotte, who was endorsed by the Palin bot and is considered more mainstream (Yeah, NH is weird).
    • Results: It appears that Ayotte has won, by something like 900 votes out of the over 100,000 cast.

  • Also in New Hampshire, we have the primary in the 2nd CD, where Blue Dog wannabee Katrina Swett is running against Act Blue fave from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, Ann Kuster
    • Results: Kusters wins in a walk, which is a surprise, because Katrina Swett is political royalty in New Hampshire, being the daughter of Tom Lantos and the wife of former Congressman Dick Swett.
  • The Washington DC Mayor’s race, where the polls have the incumbent, Adrian Fenty behind Vincent Gray, largely because he is a complete jerk, he is generally considered to have done a good job, and because he has completely alienated the African American middle class in the city, largely because of his support of School Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s policies, which are perceived as having engaged in, “a well-calculated strategy to weed out African Americans from positions in the public school management and classrooms,” in order to pander to the influx of rich white families in the district.
    • Results: Gray wins, and which probably means that Rhee is gone as well, if just because she was , “she abandoned the role of a politically impartial school administrator,” by actively campaigning for Fenty.

I’ll post the updates tomorrow,

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!?!?!?

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Some guy straps suspicious canisters to his chest and takes hostages at the headquarters for the Discovery Channel in Silver Spring, MD, because he does not like their programming?

The police fatally shot him, which is an unsurprising development.

Even less surprising is that his hosting service pulled his web page, (good) and replaced it with an add for their services (tacky).

There is a lot of “te crazy” out there this summer.

A Bit Late on This But………

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Robert “Bad Hair” Ehrlich, who lost his bid for reelection against Martin O’Malley 4 years ago, has announced his intention to run for governor again.

Ehrlich seems to think that anti-incumbency gives him a leg up, but he has lost the advantages of incumbency, he cannot run against former Maryland Governor Paris Glendenning, as he did when he ran against Glendenning’s Lt. Governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend,* and O’Malley got his signature issue from 8 years ago, slots as a source of revenue, done.

And then there is the 800 pound gorilla in the room, which is that Ehrlich still speaks very positively of his former Lt. Governor, Michael Steele, which may harm him more among Republicans than Democrats.

On the plus side for him is the fact that he is keeping his radio show on WBAL until he formally files his paperwork in June, which gives him a very big megaphone to toot his own horn.

Still, I Ehrlich has to run the table, and O’Malley has to have a major stumble for him to be competitive in this thoroughly blue state.

*She’s a smart lady, she kicked Ehrlich’s butt during the debate in 2002, but she is the worst campaigner in the history of the Kennedy clan, and perhaps the worst candidate in the history of history.

Finished My Tour of American Dynamics Flight Systems

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I have notes, and photos, taken with my cheap digital camera, as opposed to my profoundly cruddy cell phone camera.

I talked with Wayne Morse, the President, and Paul Vasilescu, the Technology Development Director for the firm at their offices in a Jessup, Maryland office park, right next door to, if the stickers on the doors of the neighboring are any indicator, old offices from the Baltimore Examiner.

We went over their technology, what they have covered under IP, potential customers and applications, and their capabilities.

They will be sending me a copy of their presentation in PDF, which I will be embedding via ScribD.

A full write-up will be coming in the next couple of days.

I had fun……It’s kind of a kid in a candy store thing for me.

Well, Here is an Interesting Local Startup

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Click for full size


Basic VTOL Configuration


Wind Tunnel Testing


Control Surface Tests

Mission scenario video

Images and video, American Dynamics Flight Systems*

Aviation Week has noted that a startup company with a interesting take on a VTOL UAV has received funding from the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program for wind tunnel tests on their AD-150 UAS.

The company, American Dynamics Flight Systems, has an interesting take on the tilt rotor system, and I don’t mean just their use of shrouded propulsors, but the fact that they can operate the propulsors asymmetrically in order to provide control inputs.

The final product is looking to be a 14½ foot long vehicle that can carry a roughly 500 pound payload at 300 kts, which places it within the requirements for the US Marine Corps “Group 4” drone requirement.

Given the specifications, it certainly will be able to keep up with the Osprey, though I have not seen any range data.

The company’s other products are the High Torque Aerial Lift (HTAL) propulsor, which is used on the AD-150, and an improved launcher for the 2.75″ FFAR called the, “LH Series Launcher,” which is lighter and more streamlined than the existing launchers, and so more suited to UAVs.

There seems to be a fair amount of “neat” tech there, the AD-150 appears to be leveraging on their HTAL propulsor, and their LH launcher appears to fill a real need.

Basically, with the advent of guidance heads for the 2.75″ rocket, APKWS and DAGRS, it is rather likely that this will become the weapon of choice for UAVS,

The rocket, which is smaller, lighter, and has a smaller warhead than the AGM-114 Hellfire, which means that more can be carried with less collateral damage.

Using the hellfire to take out a guy on a motorbike, or a bunch of guys in an SUV, is kind of like using an elephant gun as a fly-swatter.

In any case, I emailed them about getting a tour of their Jessup, Maryland facility, and will be having a tour on Wednesday, assuming that their schedule or the vicissitudes of mother nature (more snow predicted next week) don’t intrude.

I will be posting a request for any ideas for questions on a shorter post, which will remain at the top of the list until late Tuesday evening, so I’ve closed comments on this post, if there is anything you want to know, post it there. (Link to request for questions)

I recommend checking out the web site. It’s chock full of neat stuff.™

*Their use statement on their website says, “Unless otherwise noted, the content in this collection is provided for non-commercial use and may be used for educational and editorial purposes only. All other uses require the explicit written consent of American Dynamics Flight Systems. For more information please contact media@adflightsystems.com.” My writing about them should qualify as an “editorial” purpose.

New Mayor in Baltimore

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Sheila Dixon’s resignation as Mayor of Baltimore became effective yesterday, and she was sentenced to probation by the judge, while she was replaced by City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as mayor.

As to my take on this: Dixon appeared to be an effective mayor, but she was always small scale corrupt, it seemed that every 2-3 years, you had her getting caught putting relatives on the payroll or steering work to firms that employed her friends and relatives.

As to Ms. Rawlings-Blake, she has always seemed kind of a non-entity, somebody who is where she was because her father, the late Howard “Pete” Rawlings, was a major power in Maryland politics.

Well, seeing as how we have what could be one of the largest blizzards on record for the area rolling in on us, she gets a baptism by fire.

Sheila Dixon Guilty of Embezzlement

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So, herroner may not be herroner much longer:

Jurors in the theft trial of Sheila Dixon convicted the Baltimore mayor Tuesday on a single charge of taking gift cards intended for the city’s poor.

Although Dixon was acquitted of a felony theft charge, her misdemeanor conviction could force her from office.

Jurors deliberated more than six days after hearing the Democrat was accused of using or keeping $630 worth of gift cards. She allegedly solicited most of the cards from a wealthy developer and then bought electronics at Best Buy, clothes at Old Navy and other items at Target.

The jury convicted her on one count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary and acquitted her on two counts of felony theft and one count of misconduct in office. Jurors failed to reach a verdict on another count of fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary. The conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, but prosecutors have not decided whether they will seek jail time.

Is it just me, or is this a remarkably small bit of graft with which to sink one’s own career?

Also note that some point she gets removed from office:

Under state law, Dixon would be suspended at sentencing if the conviction is related to her official duties. She would be removed permanently if she loses all her appeals. City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is in line to be elevated to the mayor’s office, and remaining council members would pick a new president.

I kind of figured that there would be a conviction when she did not testify. Notwithstanding the constitution saying that refusal to testify cannot be used against you, Juries generally do convict when the defendant does not testify.

I Think that Herroner is Going to Jail

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So the trial of Baltimore Mayor is over, with the defense resting today, so we have final arguments, juror instructions, and then it’s in the Jury’s hands.

I haven’t followed it that closely, but I’m thinking that we will see a conviction, because Sheila Dixon did not testify.

I know that it’s not supposed to happen, but when a political figure is on trial, and refuses to testify, your average jury does hold it against them.

Background here.

Put a Fork in Frank Kratovil (DINO MD-1), He’s Done

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So, he has officially come out against healthcare reform:

Kratovil, a freshman Democrat from the Eastern Shore, ended months of uncertainty by announcing that he would vote against the House plan, which would extend health insurance to an estimated 36 million Americans who lack coverage. The Marylander, among the most vulnerable House members in the country in next year’s election, has long been skeptical of his party’s proposal but had left open the possibility of supporting it.

He already had a tough row to how, seeing as how Wayne Gilchrest’s endorsement won’t mean anything next time around, and now he’s going to discover that Harry S Truman’s old adage, “Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time,” is true.

What’s more, there was a lot of support from outside the district that will not be getting as a result of this decision.

If you are looking for where to put your time and money in the 2010 elections, look elsewhere.

A Little Bit of Local Corruption

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Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon is going on trial November 9 for theft and perjury.

I will have to say that this case, which is about the disposition of Best Buy gift cards, and failure to disclose gifts, is really kind of embarrassing.

In New Jersey, you have wide spread corruption involving envelopes of cash and the sale of human organs, and the best that Baltimore can manage is …… purloined gift cards????

I mean really, this is kind of lame…..I understand that corruption is evil, and needs to be weeded out, but this is just lame.

Also, I understand the whole “innocent until proven guilty” thing, but she has been repeatedly reprimanded by the ethics commission repeatedly, over a period of years for doing things like employing relatives, so I am disinclined to believe defense counsel.