Seven years ago, the “Beltway snipers” wreaked havoc on the greater Washington, D.C.-area. The shooters attacked during broad daylight in open public areas.
Were you living in the D.C. area in fall 2002? How did the random shootings affect your daily routine? Did you avoid certain places? What do you remember of that period?
Radical proposals for fighting the spread of illegal drugs were few and far between at Gov. Martin O’Malley’s roundtable discussion Friday on drug control strategy. But, it was clear the emphasis is shifting toward drug treatment and prevention.
O’Malley met with President Obama’s “Drug Czar” Gil Kerlikowske, House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, law enforcement officials, and community leaders at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County to discuss the subject.
Kerlikowske, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said he had ended the “war on drugs” four months ago and was helping the president develop a new drug strategy. But, by and large, Busch, Kerlikowske, and O’Malley stuck to well-worn talking points in a question and answer session with reporters following the meeting.
“We know [successfully fighting drugs is] a combination of three things,” said O’Malley. “It’s not only better and more effective law enforcement, it’s better and more effective interventions in the lives of our most at-risk young people and it’s better and more effective drug treatment and drug prevention.”
When asked whether there was any discussion of legalizing drugs, Kerlikowske said, “The president has a very clear statement about that, and it’s that legalization is not in his vocabulary, and it’s certainly not in mine.”
“And it didn’t come up here,” O’Malley added quickly.
The most novel idea that seemed to come up in the meeting involved the use of alternative medicine.
“[There was some talk about], within the context of wellness, about the effectiveness of acupuncture,” said O’Malley. “I think the director of [Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems] said that ‘I can’t tell you the ins and outs and science of acupuncture, but I can tell you I have numbers that show, where it’s been employed, it’s proven that it’s a big help.’”
- By Capital News Service’s Christopher M. Matthews.
Gov. Martin O’Malley indicated Wednesday that he wished the standard for Maryland’s controversial DNA sample collecting was more expansive than it is in its current form.
“I’d like a procedure [for DNA sample collection] akin to what we have for fingerprinting,” O’Malley said, in a lecture to law students at the University of Baltimore.
Last year, O’Malley successfully pushed through legislation expanding law enforcement officials’ ability to collect DNA samples.
Previously, DNA samples could only be collected from criminals convicted of violent crimes. Under the new law, which took effect Jan. 1, law enforcement can collect DNA samples from those who are charged with committing or attempting to commit certain violent crimes.
The Maryland State Police uses a broader standard when it comes to fingerprinting. Deputy Director of Communications Elena Russo said the agency fingerprints anyone who is arrested on any criminal charges.
When asked whether the governor wanted legislation with broader collection standards, Deputy Press Secretary Christine Hansen cited O’Malley’s original legislative proposal, which called for DNA collection for individuals arrested for specific violent crimes. Hansen did not respond to questions about whether or not the governor will try to amend the current legislation during next year’s legislative session.
As O’Malley pushed for the law last year, groups like the Legislative Black Caucus and the American Civil Liberties Union sharply criticized the legislation. They said the new standards for DNA collection violated the presumption of innocence established by the Fourth Amendment.
The Black Caucus and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also expressed fears that the law would have a discriminatory effect because minorities are more likely to be arrested for violent crimes.
If O’Malley attempts to expand the law next year, he will likely face renewed opposition.
–By Capital News Service’s Christopher M. Matthews
A debate on the Senate floor about a bill that would require proof of legal presence before receiving a state driver’s license degenerated into a heated argument over U.S. immigration policy Thursday.
The Senate passed the bill earlier this month, but needed to hold a procedural vote in order to force the issue into a conference committee with the House. The House bill differs from the Senate bill because it would allow immigrants who already have licenses to renew them without the added documentation.
During the debate, Sen. Nancy Jacobs, R-Harford, suggested that previous generations of immigrants were fundamentally different from the immigrants of today.
“Our forefathers dropped to their knees and thanked God when their boats landed at Ellis Island,” Jacobs said. “Now, in [2009], there is a new type of immigrant. They want all of this country’s benefits, but they don’t want to play by the same rules.”
On the other side, Sen. David C. Harrington, D-Prince George’s, argued that immigration policy regarding political asylum was slanted to allow refugees from Eastern Europe, but not from countries like Nicaragua and El Salvador.
“This bill raises the specter of hypocrisy,” Harrington said. “When people from Eastern Europe came, we found a way.”
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., D-Calvert, tried to put the debate into historical perspective, noting that the country’s immigration policies have never been perfect, from having quotas for Irish and Italian immigrants to turning away boats full of Jewish refugees during World War II.
Miller said Wednesday that a compromise between the House and Senate was unlikely, and that one of the chambers would have to back down in conference committee for the bill to be signed into law.
“It’s either you’re lawfully present and entitled to a driver’s license, or you keep the present system, which is allowing illegals to have driver’s licenses,” Miller said.
–By Capital News Service’s Erich Wagner
ANNAPOLIS – Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown unveiled a Web site Tuesday the state hopes will provide information about available services to Maryland veterans and their families.
The Maryland Veterans Network of Care portal accumulates information on various services available to veterans at the federal, state and local levels, from health and mental wellness to education, housing and employment.
Brown said the difficult economic climate makes it even more important that veterans be aware of the resources they can use as they return to civilian life.
“In these tough times we need to redouble our commitment to veterans and their families,” Brown said.
Iraq veterans are more prone to traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder and need to know about mental health services in the state, particularly in rural areas where these services can be harder to find, said Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary John Colmers.
Officials plan to address the issue of public awareness of the Web site through advertising, Brown said. The state has hired a consultant and is considering ads on buses and in community newspapers.
“I believe there will be 24 votes to resolve it consistently with our most important principles as a people,” said O’Malley, flanked by religious leaders.
Although identical legislation stalled in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee two years ago, and the committee’s membership has not changed, O’Malley was optimistic the bill would reach the Senate floor. He said it could happen with either an affirmative recommendation from the committee — or without a recommendation at all.
O’Malley said he felt that even the senators who wanted to keep the death penalty would like to see the issue resolved this year, calling that “a shift that has happened over the course of these last two years.”
A recent survey by The Baltimore Sun showed that 19 senators intended to vote for the bill, while 24 did not. Four senators declined to answer, including Sen. Bryan Simonaire, R-Anne Arundel, who some consider a possible swing vote on the committee.
When asked if he could get the 29 votes needed to prevent a filibuster, O’Malley said, “I believe we can.”
As for how confident he was, O’Malley shared what the Most Rev. Dennis Madden, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, had just whispered in his ear: “Faith before reason.”
O’Malley thanked the religious leaders for their participation and their help in lobbying legislators one-on-one, saying, “You know who the senators are who haven’t made up their mind yet.”
By Capital News Service’s Michael Frost
What you think of the Pentagon Memorial Park–which honors victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack?
Does it have special significance to you?