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. 

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! 

MD Gov Caught Scrubbing State Job Report Numbers

Over at Red Maryland, a two part series cropped up yesterday detailing how the Owe'Malley Administration has been attempting to scrub and cleanse the state's job numbers.  (Part I & Part II).  Of course, this story breaks right at the same time that our illustrious President debuts in a radio spot for our glorious Governor today in the Baltimore market.  Considering the polling has been dead even now for several weeks between former Governor Bob Ehrlich and Owe'Malley, I'm sure bad jobs figures that could hurt the Governor in an election year isn't exactly the news he wants the public to see.

Typical of a true statist, scrub the numbers, pull the report, issue a rosy press release, and do your best to cover up the sanitation.  I can't imagine that these numbers are so bad that they would remind the people of the 20% sales tax hike, the business income tax increase, the millionaires tax increase, the vehicle excise tax increase, BGE rate hikes, and numerous other increases in costs for Marylander's now would it?  Seems that the Owe'Malley campaign is worried, and enough so that he has turned to the poison pill of the President for help.  All I have to say is, go ahead Mr. President, help away!

After Action Review: Maryland Primary

Finally!  The gloves are off and maybe we can get a good old fashioned street fight going.  Instead of two heavyweights going at it in the ring with an official to keep the hits above the belt, we'll just bill it as a rematch, a slug-fest, a winner-take-all event!  Perhaps we could even mix in a little mud slinging and a few good lies to go with it to make it that much more interesting. 

Well, of course, that's what we have!  We've got a rematch.  O'Malley vs. Ehrlich, 2!  Hell, we don't even have to wait for the mud slinging, it's already happening.  Thanks to Martin!  Your commercials on the radio make Rex Ryan's football smack talk appear as a though it's the gospel.  Yes, Bob worked for a lobby firm, even though he never took any lobby money or even directly lobbied himself.  True he's an advocate for drilling for oil but so are a lot of hard working Americans to get a reasonable assurance of an "all of the above" energy independence strategy.  Yes, Bobby raised fees and property taxes, but that was also at the hands of the legislature, since THEY make the budget and the Governor's office only proposes it.  What have you done Martin? 

Oh, that's right OWE'Malley has done nothing but raise taxes:  Sales tax 20% increase, a new "millionaire's" tax on not only businesses, but the individuals as well.  No, our fees haven't gone up, but we've borrowed profusely to balance the budget and have endangered Maryland's Triple A bond rating (assuming that bond ratings mean anything in this casino investment economy these days).  Additionally, we plugged the holes in the defect with handouts from the FedGov that is basically stolen property from states with better fiscal responsibility.  Oh, and of course, the two biggest campaign promises were what, no BGE rate hike and no need to have slots in the state of Maryland to save horse racing or balance the budget, right?  I guess you were for the BGE rate hike and slots before you were against them, only to be ultimately for them again dear current Governor? 

But, I digress, and these are not the only reasons why I am writing this post today.  Most of us know that Maryland is blue through and through (and no, not Elvis blue), and the apathy showed itself in the primary.  In a state of over 5.6 million people, only 724,659 total ballots were cast in the Gubernatorial primaries for both parties.  Compared with the previous Gubernatorial primaries of 2006, that's down from a total of 738,415 votes cast.  It will be interesting to see just how much that apathy bleeds into the general election come November.

Of personal note and interest was the primary race for District 8 Maryland Delegate.  Being a Hazzard county native and not understanding Baltimore county politics, I wanted to get the low-down prior to the election on this race, and several others.  A friend of mine gave me some good insight, but it seems that the party backed candidate who is effectively a closet dem, closely beat out an up start Tea-Party candidate by 127 votes.  I still hold out hope that the absentee ballots can turn the tide in that race, but it appears that won't be the case.

I have yet to understand why the party establishment wants to back those who are moderate or RINO leftists like Mike Castle, when clear alternatives with conservative and libertarian principles are now mainstream and are showing us they can win, or run a very close second.  If the party had thrown it's weight behind candidate Merryman, might she have won in a fairly conservative dem district?  Considering it shot itself in the foot for power over policy, I guess we will never know. 

That means I will probably support the returning democrat Delegate since he is pro-business, pro-gun, and good at communicating with his constituency.  Fortunately there will be two good alternatives on the Republican ticket and it would be nice to make district 8 a two republican and one dem district.  It just means that I'll have to hold the dem's feet to the fire so he doesn't vote aye with his party on every bill. 

Ah yes, the largest Tea Party countdown may no commence.  Welcome ye Reds to Blue Maryland.