Part1 The Hitmen: How Maryland State Police Became PoliPawns

How This Chapter in the #MDGunGrab Saga Began and Turned into the #MDGunLeak:

A little (and I do mean a very little) back story needs to be told here, just so there is context for anyone who is unaware of the turmoil Maryland has been in since it's 90 day legislative session ended in April of 2013.  Maryland, in a purely reactionary and political nature, passed a bill that bans (arbitrarily) all assault weapons, detachable magazines or firearms with an internal magazine with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, as well as requires a Handgun Qualification License (akin to IL's FOID card) for the ability to exercise one's right to purchase a handgun after 10/1/2013.  Add to this that Maryland maintains 16 different databases, is the only "point of contact" for NICS checks in Maryland, use the looming law and its start date as gasoline on the run on guns fire and you have an EpicFail of epic proportions.

That brings us up to speed and now the rest of the story...

Normally, when a government agency does something good, they LOOOOOOOVE to toot their own horn; unless of course, you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, stealing the people's cookies, then all bets are off.  In this case, Maryland State Police have been caught red handed breaking the law of the state, in order to clear the back log of 38,000 (thousand is not a misprint) pending gun applications with 18 days to go before G-Day (G is for gun).  What have the MSP done?  What appears on the surface as a genuine good faith gesture to meet the current statutes and process purchase applications in a timely manner, the State Police have enlisted the assistance of 5 other state agencies with data entry based off the Maryland Regulated Firearm Purchase Application 77R Form.  Problem is, by Maryland law, only MSP are entitled access to the 77R data.

Now that you know this, you are probably asking "How is it that a political foe in the AGC beats MSP to the horn tooting?"  The question I pose is obviously rhetorical, and I will give you the answer (unlike MSP and our Gov, free of charge).

Notice the date on THIS press release as opposed to THIS one.  Just in case, the MSP finally decide to nark the press release, here is a screen grab of it.

Strange is it not?  Also, grab yourself a calendar and take note of the day of the week AGC beat MSP to the punch on its own horn tooting!  Yup!  DocuDump Friday!  Hooray!  Thanks AGC for doing the work of not only the "premier" state law enforcement agency, but the complicit media as well (and staying late in the work week to do it, as in 8:00 PM Friday kinda late).

Disclaimer: If you're new to this blog...yes it is completely full of snark.  Don't like it... click here, I'm sure there is a fairy or something unicornish there that will satisfy your borny ass. 

So how exactly is it that several media outlets on Saturday/Sunday picked up the MSP press release dated Saturday 7 September 2013 (see here, here, and here) and not the AGC press release that proceeded it?  Don't answer that question, it's rhetorical too.

Obviously, another reasonable question would be, if the background check process is about keeping Marylanders safe, why hasn't MSP been processing these applications in a reasonable fashion?  Well, as luck would have it for MSP, by law, they are not required to process these applications during Maryland's mandatory 8 day waiting period.  They aren't required to process the apps within the Fed's 3 day time frame either.  Therefore, some dealers are releasing firearms, in accordance with the law, after the 8th day, and other dealers are waiting on the "not disapproved" paperwork to return.  (Yes, MD does not "approve" a gun purchase application, merely "not disapproved."  How's that for Orwellian IngSoc?)

This, wouldn't be a big deal, but for the folks who bought an item from a non-releasing dealer back in say, May or June, are out hundreds of dollars, have no firearm, and will now have to comply with the new law to pick up their arm unless MSP can "not-disapprove" the 38k in the next 18 days.  The state tells us they have been running full tilt, 21 hours a day, 7 days a week on 3 shifts, plus overtime.  Somehow, despite this, they are behind, and hopefully the good folks of Maryland will find it in them the ability to purchase at least another 2400 guns per week over the next 18 days.  Personally, I would like to see MSP buried in another 18,000 gun purchase applications between now and 10/1. 

Now, I know dear reader, you are asking, "What exactly is the stink if this 'all hands on deck' approach is being used to get folks their arms in a timely fashion?"  That's a good question...I'll address it in shocking detail in part two.  (Sorry for the cliff hanger, but I need to finish this post).

But before I get to part 2, I want to come back to the post's title: Hitmen and Poli[tical]Pawns.  Unlike the County Sheriff, the Commander of the Maryland State Police is an appointed, and thus,  political pawn.  You can follow this link, but I will quote it here (in case it does not load properly).  The link points to the Facebook page of the State Senator Nancy Jacobs.  Here is what it says:

I want to protect the State Trooper who relayed this information so names and Barrack names have been removed.

I went to _____ Barroks on _____ and spoke with the Trooper on duty about the improper release of PII (personal information).  His response tell me it was planned well ahead of time and done Friday evening so it could not be stopped.

 "I have been ordered to neither confirm nor deny that information."

"I have been ordered to refer you [to] the Licensing Division or Headquarters at the Pikesville Barracks.  Would you like the contact information?"

I got him talking a little and said it had to suck having to give those answers.  Again his reply was telling.

"I'm not real happy about having to deal with dirty politics."

 What a crock....

AHHH HA!  Now, I don't really want to throw the line Troopers of the MSP under the bus, but there is a SERIOUS problem here.  If we take these statements at face value (and it is Maryland, which means we should), add to them that there is a Progressive commie in the state house, and we get a pretty serious indictment that there is/was a concerted effort to deny Marylanders their rights before the effective date of the law.  If face to face with any Trooper in the licensing division, I would seriously question them if anyone has resigned over this, and if not, why not.  Integrity from within the State Police should exist, even if that means someone looses their job.  It is hard to know exactly who leaked these details to Associated Gun Clubs (and who has continued to leak them info), but last I checked, these Maryland's Finest, swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States; perhaps Lord O'MAOlly has changed that to support and defend the progressive agenda?

One lesson should be learned from this and from the "phony scandals" out of the White House; progressives are, and always will be above the law. 

Stay tuned for Part Two, where the plot thickens. 

Hot Damn, THIS GUY for MD's US Senate Seat!

This guy doesn't sound like a politician.  He even comes from an agency that frowns upon anyone looking to make the leap to politics quickly after retirement. 

That is exactly what Daniel Bongion is planning upon doing, and hopefully taking and smacking the snot out of sitting Senator Cardin.  Anyone has to be better than someone who votes with his party 99% of the time (no lie). 

I have to wonder though, how a former Secrete Service member would do in the political arena, knowing a lot of the players and having to been "absently minded" ignorant of the discussions that occurred in front of them.  I guess that is why the agency dislikes people leaving and heading straight into politics, as they don't want the "ugly" to be used against their opponents. 

Like the Col. Cooper has stated...

If you're in a fair fight, your tactics suck. 

Hopefully Mr. Gongion will consider using better tactics against Mr. Cardin.  The state of Maryland certainly deserves better.  

Zero Tolerance = Zero Brains

What happens when you mix liberalism and political correctness with education, and add in a pinch of zero tolerance for good measure?  You have quality, student athletes getting suspended for lacrosse stick repair tools, more commonly known as pen knives, multi-tools, and lighters.

I wish I could say that this story was an isolated incident to our wonderful leftist state, but unfortunately, that is not the case as it follows a national trend of zero tolerance policies lunacy.  Darwin would NOT be proud! 

The short version summary (full version read above on the initial link) is that two students were suspended after a search of their lacrosse bags failed to yield alcohol (as was suspected), but did net one pen knife (apparently a concealed deadly weapon warranting a 17 year old's arrest) and one lighter (apparently an "explosive" device).  Would someone please beam me up to the starship Enterprise, because this shit is not out of left field, it's pure moonbattery! 

What happened to common sense?  Are humans incapable of adjudicating rules, intentions, and mistakes in conduct that run afoul of prescribed ethics or actions?  So much so that two young men face the potential black mark against their educational careers that could alter their lives, permanently.  And for what reason?  Simply because they are victims of playing a sport that requires using tools that ordinary, common citizens use every day of their lives!?  I mean, holy-hell, a concealed deadly weapon as a minor in school could land the one player in jail for three years (and thus disbar him of his 2nd amendment civil rights)!  Anyways, not the point I'm trying to make here (at least, not about firearms and civil rights).

The lack of educators to reason and critically think through consequences for a student's misguided (or misinformed) actions, is reprehensible on its face, but it is rooted in a poor policy of rights suspension.  Once those kids step foot onto school grounds, they are bound to forfeit their rights prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure.  All it takes is for one high school advisory with a vindictive nature to "accuse" a student of carrying contraband in their personal belongings and initiate an investigation, thus subverting their civil rights  and potentially landing them into this kind of a mess.  We try to teach high schoolers civics (well, they claim to "attempt" to teach it), yet school policies themselves are totalitarian in nature and reinforce "police state" to the minds of our impressionable citizens. 

Not only is this asinine, it is archaic and tyrannical.  If minor children are required to behave like citizens outside the classroom, then they should be treated as such from within the classroom, including access to their civil rights and a comprehensive "student justice system" that can properly adjudicate the injustices and inequalities that come with human behavior.  Ignorance is no excuse, but neither is a failure in compassion or morals.  Perhaps we just need to have some teachers with better sense and more balls to stick up for the rights and actions of quality human beings!

I can personally speak from a situation where I understand what has happened to these two young men.  At current, I am aged 29, and this short story is probably 20 years removed from my memory, but it is a lesson that I am able to recall to this day quite clearly.  Growing up in a rural area, it was nothing for youth to hunt with their fathers (in this case it was dove season, so say between Labor Day and mid to late September).  After spending an afternoon hunting with my father on a Saturday, I attended school the next week and wore the same camo jacket.  Obviously, as September weather changes quickly in Maryland, the jacket was that of convenience on a chilly morning, and I did not even notice the 20 gauge shotgun shells (loaded) that remained in its pockets, until I was already at school and the day was 1/3 or better gone. 

Now, mind you, as a 3rd grader, you run into a very difficult situation.  You know you have broken a school rule, and you have two choices.  Either cop to the fact that you made a mistake, purely out of accident and you have no means (gun) to fire the shells, nor the intention to do it anyways, or tell no one, keep the shells in your pocket, hope you don't get caught and correct the mistake by telling your parents (or no one) once you get home.

Having been raised to be honest, I chose to cop to the mistake in school, to my 3rd grade teacher.  Her punishment?  Nothing.  Absolutely zip, zero, zilch, nada, nothing!  That's right, she told me to keep the shells in my pocket, tell no one, take them home and make sure they never came back; and that was exactly what I did.

So, I can't image things have changed that much in the last 20 some odd years, that the same reasoned thinking by our teacher level educators (and the administrators as well) couldn't come up with a better solution to the initial story.  Though, for that to be the case, that would mean that teachers and administrators might have to think outside their lib-progressive box, and admit their policies are wrong. 

First rule of politics (and everything socialism) never admit failure or defeat. 

Maryland Monday (Coming tomorrow)

As a resident Behind Enemy Lines, and for the fact that I neglect the Maryland aspect of this blog a bit, I'm going to start focusing exclusively on the state on Mondays.

Not to say where I might not get a bit of other stories thrown in from time to time, but I'm going to start following the disgusting politics of this state a bit more and keep the geo-politics to the other days of the week (and the Financial / Economic stuff to Friday). 

Hey, it is my blog, I'll do what I want. 

MD State Bank

Because we don't have enough government induced calamities, a State Run bank would be an EXCELLENT idea!

Fortunately, the proposal failed in committee.  Unfortunately, the mentally deprived Delegate will attempt to bring it back next year.  Has anyone ever noticed the transitive properties between bad legislation and zombies?  They just never seem to go away (as in never die). 

State Tax Climate: Where's Your State Rank?

If you're in my state of Marylandstan, we rank 44th over all!  A breakdown between sales tax and personal income tax shows there is a vast disparity between the two methods of taxation.  My state has a fairly decent sales tax ranking of No. 11 but the disgusting, punitive income tax rank of 49th is only one away from worst!  Further still, the study from the Tax Foundation for 2011 fiscal year says we've gone from 25th to 44th in the course of 5 short fiscal years. 

Before someone shouts that one of those year's was under the leadership of Bob Ehrlich, you are correct, it is!  And he left us @ number 25 in the country.  Not the worst, not the best, we were average.  Something to be happy with in life.  However, under the dictatorship of Martin Owe'Malley, we've flunked to 44th!  The 12th percentile of success where 100% is the best! 

I am not sure why anyone in their right mind would vote for someone that has effectively run us into the ground from average to a miserable fail in four short years, but then again, that is the Maryland voter. 

Tuesday my friends!  Tuesday!  Vote early and often!