IKE LEGGETT:

DANGEROUSLY WEAK ON

PUBLIC SAFETY

Montgomery 911 Service Inoperable for Hours

Leggett Threatens to Transfer

Resources from

Glen Echo Fire Department

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett's attempt to produce a doomsday budget, designed to justify - what else? - more new taxes, has only increased the spotlight on his poor management of public safety in the county.


Already, residents were unable to get through to 911 for hours a few weeks ago. Mr. Leggett had few answers for what went wrong in this unspeakable situation, but many excuses. This echoed his earlier response to complaints about the county's poor road-clearing efforts during the recent winter storm.


Now Mr. Leggett is threatening Bethesda residents - threatening to make life more dangerous by cutting funds to our Glen Echo volunteer fire department.


According to the latest Gazette:


"$400,000 would be saved by reducing overtime for emergency medics by transferring resources from Glen Echo and Laytonsville, which also would increase response times to those communities overnight, according to [Leggett]."


These funds could easily be recovered from Mr. Leggett's many unpopular pet projects, where too much of our tax money is ending up these days. To instead risk the lives of Bethesda residents is an abomination and certainly does not qualify as responsible leadership.


It's outrageous.

WESTWOOD SHOPPING CENTER

AT THE MOVIES

Ample Surface Parking is a "National Treasure"

The film National Treasure: Book of Secrets was #1 at the box office last weekend. Readers of this blog know that the National Treasure film crew lived in a tent city at the Westwood Shopping Center on Westbard earlier this year. In fact, I broke the story and no news organization in town ever covered it.


I personally was wandering around in the midst of this impromptu Hollywood set, and toured the tent city. At one point, I thought about getting in line for some of the hot and hearty victuals that were being served up. It smelled good. Besides operating a dining hall in the parking lot, there were all kinds of big rigs, equipment, campers, and props - including fake Metropolitan Police cruisers.

Of course, this was with the approval of Richard Cohen and Capital Properties of New York. And without permission from or notification of the adjacent neighborhoods. This gave some indication of the level of respect we can expect from CP as the redevelopment of Westbard goes forward. The legality of using a parking lot as a campground and food service operation is still in question.


What cannot be disputed is that this episode proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the rare value offered by ample surface parking lots. With most lots having been replaced by garages charging outrageous prices, Jerry Bruckheimer had little choice but to turn to the humble Westwood Shopping Center.

Thank you, Capital Properties, for making my own case for why we must retain that ample surface parking, just as W.C. & A.N. Miller did so successfully in their redevelopment of Little Falls Mall. The new Little Falls Mall - now called the Shops at Sumner Place (but still Little Falls Mall to those who live around here) is the blueprint to follow on Westbard.


Despite my criticism of Capital Properties, the film is great - "fourrrr starrrrrs" as Arch Campbell would say. The original National Treasure was four stars as well. Perhaps it helps to be a history major like me, or at least to have an interest in American history. Part of the new movie was shot on the campus of the University of Maryland at College Park. Very familiar to me. But there are plenty of other familiar locations in the movie you will recognize.


They don't make many family films like this anymore, so you ought to reward yourself and the filmmakers with your $10 ticket purchase. A patriotic, All-American film like National Treasure won't get a second thought from the far-left media elites and Academy Awards, but this is one of the top movies of the year.

O'MALLEY BUDGET SECRETARY

SENTENCED

FOR

DRUNK DRIVING

Foster is Second Prominent Democrat

Caught Driving Drunk in 2007

Judge Issues Slap on the Wrist

Sentence

Washington Post and Gazette

Cover Up Story to Protect

Democratic Party

The Baltimore Sun and WBAL radio report that Governor Martin O'Malley's budget secretary, T. Eloise Foster, has been sentenced to probation and a one-year abstention from alcohol for driving while intoxicated on I-95 in June. Pulled over by one of Maryland's finest, Foster failed several sobriety tests. Shockingly, this incident went entirely unreported by the Washington Post and Gazette newspapers. Had this been a Bob Ehrlich administration official, this would have been front page news.

Less surprising is the double standard at work here. Foster's sentence allows her to expunge the DUI incident from her record entirely, if she complies with its terms. Chairman of the House Alcohol and Drug Committee, Bill Bronrott, has not released a statement to the press critical of Secretary Foster's dangerous vehicular escapades. Bronrott also declined to criticize fellow Democrat Kumar Barve, also arrested for drunk driving in 2007. We have to ask Mr. Bronrott and his comrades at the Post and Gazette again: Is drunk driving a dangerous behavior and serious offense? Or not? Well, what is the answer? We are still waiting to hear it. All we have now are a double standard for Democratic drunk drivers, hypocrisy, and a cover-up by the Democratic house organs, the Post and Gazette.

I attended a sham of a "town hall meeting" in Kensington last September. A town hall meeting on the O'Malley tax plan where the "town" was not allowed to speak. Along with State Senator Richard Madeleno and Montgomery County's own Michael Kinsley clone, the panel also featured Secretary Foster. She lectured all of us, the taxpayers, about all of the wonderful new taxes we would pay. And how these massive, regressive, flat taxes on the poor and middle class would allow our brilliant governor to solve all of those super-serious budget problems we have in Annapolis.

Turns out, three months before lecturing the poor on taxes, Ms. Foster was intoxicated and tearing up I-95 in her expensive Jaguar. As with the Barve incident, I ask again, why is a public official becoming intoxicated in public in the first place? And then turning their vehicles into deadly weapons by getting behind the wheel drunk?

What kind of message does all of this send to the taxpayer, and to young drivers receiving the Democrats' double message on drunk driving?

More importantly, what kind of message will you send to Annapolis in the 2010 election?

Breaking News!

CHIEF CLERK OF THE

HOUSE OF DELEGATES DECLARED

"FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE"

FBI Continues Nationwide Search

Judge "Concerned;" Postpones Case to Jan. 4

A Carroll County judge postponed a legal challenge to the Democratic General Assembly's historic tax increase today, after process servers and the FBI were unable to locate a star witness, Maryland House of Delegates Chief Clerk Mary Monahan. Judge Thomas Stansfield halted the proceedings until January 4, calling Monahan's potential testimony "absolutely essential," and having "great bearing" on the case.

Monahan is believed to be evading a legal deposition that would potentially reveal illegal actions by the Democratic leadership of the General Assembly during November's Special Session, according to news accounts. These actions regarding House procedures, if confirmed, would be in violation of the Maryland Constitution. The suit also calls for the historic, regressive Democratic tax increases to be voided.

Plaintiffs' attorney Irwin Kramer spoke to reporters after the hearing, according to The Examiner.

"It is not a minor technicality when the chief clerk of the Maryland House of Delegates flees the jurisdiction after losing a motion to block that deposition in an effort to deprive my clients, the defense and all of the taxpayers of Maryland information about what the legislature did," Kramer said.

Here we go again. More Democratic partisan theatrics, extreme hubris, and a lack of respect for citizens and the law. Is this the way you want to be represented not only to Maryland but to the entire country? We need new leadership that will put time and energy not on games for personal and political gain, but rather on the serious issues that have been evaded for decades in Annapolis and Rockville.

METRO SOAKS THE POOR

Outrageous Fare Increase Will

Reduce Ridership

Metro Raises Rates on Senior Citizens and the Disabled

One Giant Leap for D.C. Area Gentrification

The Metro board yesterday approved the largest fare increase in the history of the transit system. At a time when Metro is providing poor service to the customer, there is absolutely no justification for this outrageous increase. Metro continues to suffer from poor leadership at the top and on its board.

We the citizens also suffer from poor leadership in our government centers. Let me inform our elected officials that high fares = lower ridership. When we are trying to encourage more people to use mass transit, our officials are reducing the incentives to do so. Now that the average suburban Metro rider is going to pay $10 more per week ($520 per year), this serves as yet another tax on lower and middle income families. How many groceries will $520 buy in a year for a citizen of moderate income? A lot. This $520 tax on working families is an immoral disgrace. Perhaps the most reprehensible item on the fare increase list, was a doubly outrageous fare hike specifically for senior citizens and the disabled!!! Remember, there is no low too low for our elected officials.

But you won't hear any protest from our elected officials. In fact, they wanted an even higher fare increase. You might ask, how does a Metro fare help them, as it does not go to the governments? The answer they don't want you to hear is that this goes to their strategy for the gentrification of our metro area. This strategy serves the needs of politicians who are in league with developers, in search of wealthy residents to buy expensive properties they build.

Of course, there are a few simple minded people who say, "the cost of operating a vehicle and of auto insurance make it more expensive than Metro." Unfortunately, unless you live in a dream world like they do, the majority of people own a car and have auto insurance. Therefore, they are already paying those operation costs. So when a moronic decision is made to increase fares and Metro parking fees... Suddenly, unless you are driving an Escalade, gas and parking garage fees are less than the cost of using Metro.

So, how does that mesh with our officials' claims of favoring mass transit and of taking action on "human-made global warming" (the greatest hoax of our time)? It just doesn't. What's the real agenda? I call it "Pay to Live" Society. This is a philosophy held by many on the far left and even some Republicans. Under the guise of "climate change," which is naturally occuring on a cyclical basis, governments and bodies will reduce freedom and increase taxes. Suddenly, every action, product, and service will require a fee to offset this or that "effect" on the environment.

This extremist environmental agenda will combine with governmental tax, spending and housing policies to drive up the cost of living. Areas such as Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Montgomery County will only be affordable for the elite. Where the rest of us - the poor, and the middle class - are supposed to go hasn't been answered yet. North Dakota?

But the hypocrisy has been laid bare for all to recognize. The "environmental" agenda has only served so far as a revenue device for Big Government. The Chesapeake Bay is worse off than ever, and the state has continued to take a hands-off approach to the real polluters. Further, under the guise of "clean, alternative fuels," governments are now promoting ethanol as a legitimate answer to environmental concerns. Hypocrisy again! Ethanol, aka corn and sugar production, will require massive increases in fertilizer that will flush directly into the Bay and any other nearby bodies of water. The result, of course, will be to further destroy the Bay's natural environment and wildlife. Equally catastrophic will be the inflation of corn and sugar prices on the national and world markets. This will make basic foods too expensive for lower income citizens to buy here and in Latin America. Again, this is immoral. To top it off, ethanol-powered cars can't go as far as gasoline-powered cars. I'm sorry, but it's true. No ethanol, no nuclear reactors. Neither one is environmentally safe.

And now, here we have another hypocritical move: claim to support mass transit but then make it too expensive to use. Add this to "HOT lanes" (which are hot if you are a tax and spend Democrat or a Lexus driver; not so hot if you are the average working-class driver) and "congestion pricing" (aka move to North Dakota if you can't afford to pay $16 a day to drive into D.C.), and you've got the idea: Pay to Live. It works for the developers, who need elites to buy their luxury homes and condos they currently can't sell at Donald Trump prices (you know, like that building near White Flint Metro, across from Toys R Us - the one that has 9 lights on at night). Welcome to Fantasy Island.

So what is the real answer? Take it from me, the only candidate in the 2006 election who had a comprehensive transportation plan, and a real environmentalist: we need to make mass transit easy to access, affordable to all, and provide world class service. Metro had no business raising fares with its poor service and terrible safety record. Give us a world class product first. If Mr. Catoe and his board cannot operate Metro in a fiscally responsible manner while still providing an exceptional user experience, find others who can. If not, turn it over to a public-private partnership. Introduce accountability, competitive bidding, and innovation. We need a farecard that gives unlimited rides on Metro, Metrobus, regional buses, MARC, VRE, and Amtrak for one low monthly fee. That will be the greatest advance in mass transit history and create a surge in ridership. It can be done. What are we waiting for? Or is the concern about mass transit and the environment just an inconvenient lie?

DOMINION POWER

BUYS BIG MONEY AD

IN

WASHINGTON POST

Not only does the Washington Post Company have a financial interest in the success of Dominion Power's proposed transmission line and Lake Anna nuclear reactor, but it also received Dominion cash for a full page ad in yesterday's A section.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

IN THE

WASHINGTON POST/GAZETTE

DEMOCRAT PROTECTION PROGRAM

Weeks after the drunk driving arrest of Democratic House Majority Leader Kumar Barve and a bizarre vehicular incident involving Montgomery County Council member Marilyn Praisner, we have unanswered questions and no reporter is seeking answers.

Where is the Kumar Barve mug shot?

Where is the police cruiser video of Kumar Barve failing sobriety tests at the scene of his arrest?

These films would be a political disaster for Mr. Barve; is that why the press is withholding them?

On the Marilyn Praisner incident, in which Ms. Praisner struck another vehicle, then crashed less than 15 minutes later in a second accident... where is the investigation? What are the details?

Was Ms. Praisner driving under the influence of prescription drugs?

Would the average citizen be able to cause this much vehicular mayhem in 15 minutes and not be charged?

I dare say, we are dealing with a double standard here and it is the taxpayer's dollars paying to clean up the Barve and Praisner messes. Don't we then have the right to know all of the details and examine the evidence from both incidents?

Vindicated Again!!

Survey Confirms County

Residents Share

Robert Dyer's

Priorities and Values

93% OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

VOTERS SAY:

"READ OUR LIPS...

NO

NEW

TAXES!!"

Washington Post Admits for the First Time:

CRIME IS UP IN MONTGOMERY

COUNTY!

AN UNPRECEDENTED ADMISSION

THAT VINDICATES WHAT

ROBERT DYER HAS SAID

ALL ALONG ABOUT THE

ONGOING VIOLENT

CRIME WAVE

A tremendous embarrassment for my 2006 Democratic opponents, current office holders in Rockville and Annapolis, the Washington Post, and the Gazette. That's the only way to describe the results of Montgomery County's survey of residents. 93% of voters oppose new taxes, even to maintain current "services" provided by Montgomery County Government. That's strange... I recall promising "no new taxes" during my campaign, while Bill Bronrott, Susan Lee, and Bill Frick joined Martin O'Malley in passing the largest, most regressive tax increase on the poor and the middle class in Maryland history. Citizens will cast their own votes on taxes in 2010. And it turns out that 93% of those citizens share the Robert Dyer position on taxes - no new taxes, reduce current taxes, and repeal the massive 2007 Democratic tax increases.

80% of citizens also share my concerns about out-of -control development, and the lack of transportation infrastructure to support that development. Elected officials have yet to do anything on transportation, while I had promised to make my comprehensive transportation plan the top item on my agenda. A year later, we still don't have a bus on River Road to downtown Bethesda. There are a variety of other bus and rail projects that we could fund with Federal funds and public/private partnerships. But we don't have the leadership in Annapolis and Rockville to get it done.

My proposal for rail service to Ocean City qualifies for special Federal funds that would pay to upgrade the existing trackage to Class I passenger status. Our elected officials, and even the Washington Post's Dr. Gridlock, do not seem to realize this! I thought that was their job.

County Executive Isiah Leggett has not kept his promises to control growth; in fact, he is handing over county lands and green space to developers at a record pace. Now Mr. Leggett is going after the largest undeveloped tract of land left in Gaithersburg. This also sets up another developer land grab for the existing county lands around Crabbs Branch and Gude Drive.

Most significantly, residents have vindicated what I have said all along: we are in the midst of a violent crime wave. A full 62% say that crime is a major issue that needs to be addressed, and is a higher priority than traffic or education.

Only 49% of residents feel safe in downtown areas after dark.

For the last two years, I've been the only one talking about the increase in violent crime. I've also spoken on the need for bail reform and new measures to address domestic violence. In contrast, not only have the victors of 2006 continued to be silent on crime, but they have even taken tools away from the criminal justice system. Furthermore, Martin O'Malley and our Democratic delegates have given convicted felons the right to vote, and then tried to release large numbers of them from prison. Delegate Roger Manno tried to further violate your Second Amendment rights with new gun control legislation. I fundamentally disagree with their unconstitutional, far-left, extremist agenda.

No elected official has yet admitted we are in a crime wave. Neither have the Democratic house organs, the Post and Gazette. Until now.

In a major reversal, the Washington Post today admitted for the first time that crime is up. Here is the exact quote:

"The county's crime rate has inched up in recent years, most notably with the number of robberies increasing 13 percent from 2005 to last year, according to a report by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments."

As I've said before, the first step is admitting you have a problem. The next step is electing new leadership to address the problem.

Double Trouble!

WASHINGTON POST

PUBLISHES SECOND

PUFF PIECE FOR

DOMINION POWER

Breaking News!

A www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

Today's Washington Post Business section contains a massive front page puff-piece on the proposed Dominion Power transmission line. The story takes Dominion's own propaganda and presents it as scientific fact. For example, the Post states as fact that there will be rolling blackouts if the line is not approved. It doesn't say there "might be," or that "Dominion claims" there will be blackouts; it simply states that there will be blackouts as a fact. The only data, however, is that provided by Dominion Power - hardly an objective, scientific study. An accompanying chart representing power demand is also based on Dominion Power data, not objective facts.



As a www.RobertDyer.net exclusive investigation revealed last week, the Post has extensive financial connections to the utility and energy industries. Any victory for Dominion Power benefits the Post Co. Board of Directors. I ask again, why does the Post not have to print a disclaimer with any story or editorial related to utility and energy regulation and issues?

Shocking!

BRONROTT AND LEE

ABSENT

FOR SLOTS VOTE

District 16 Loses 2/3

Representation on

Slots Implementation

"No Vote" Recorded

for Democrats

Bronrott and Lee

House Records 'NV' as Permanent

Record of Democratic Delegates'

Abdication of Sworn Duty and

Voter Trust

Eighty percent of success in life is just showing up, it has been said. District 16's Democrats are not aware of this, however. Absenteeism is either contagious or simply a fad among Democratic legislators in District 16.

Marilyn Goldwater missed critical votes in 2006. The Washington Post, The Gazette, and Ms. Goldwater's Democratic colleagues then misled the public by not only sweeping that under the rug, but by also claiming that she would be able to serve if reelected.

Marilyn Goldwater proceeded to miss the entire 2007 session, and never cast a single vote. As a result, District 16 had only 2/3 representation in the House of Delegates.

Ms. Goldwater was replaced by "The Gambler," Bill Frick, in September 2007.

But Ms. Goldwater's carefully orchestrated retirement was not the end of absenteeism in District 16.

District 16 delegates Bill Bronrott and Susan Lee took the baton from Ms. Goldwater and shockingly did not vote on the Slots Implementation bill at the end of the 2007 Special Session.

Slots are a highly contentious issue in Maryland, and certainly are controversial here in District 16. You may favor or oppose them, but everyone has an opinion on them.

Are you shocked to know that you had only 1/3 (33.3%) of your legal representation in Annapolis to speak for you on the implementation of legalized slot machine gambling in the state of Maryland? You should be!

The most basic duty of a legislator is to cast votes on behalf of his or her constituents. Ostensibly, they are representing the will of the people - or, at least, the majority of the people - in their respective district. You did not have that representation on the slots implementation bill. Bill Bronrott and Susan Lee were recorded absent for that vote - (NV).

Of course, we know that Bill Bronrott, Bill Frick, and Susan Lee all share Senator John Kerry's strong principles and leadership style: they were against slots before they were for them.

As you know, Bill Frick's law firm, Akin, Gump, is a major lobbyist for the gaming industry before Congress. So, while his doubletalk on slots is equally hypocritical, it was no surprise when "The Gambler" voted for slots.

But Bill Bronrott and Susan Lee were outspoken opponents of slots during the Ehrlich administration and during the 2006 election. Suddenly they flip-flopped and voted for the slots referendum. In contrast, I have maintained my position on slots all along - although one has to be highly suspicious of the gaming industry after the Faustian bargain they struck with the Maryland Democratic Party to delay approval of slots until Bob Ehrlich was out of office. To have done that to Governor Ehrlich - and to all of us who supported slots - was one of the most lowdown, sleazy, filthy, dirty, doublecrossing, backstabbing betrayals in the history of Maryland politics. And don't expect us not to remember that in the future.

We've witnessed Mr. Bronrott's waffling again on the drunk driving issue recently. After lecturing on drunk driving from on high in Annapolis for years, he did not criticize Democratic House Majority Leader Kumar Barve for his drunk driving escapades that put Montgomery County citizens in mortal danger. Mr. Barve continues to escape any media criticism under the Washington Post-Gazette Democrat Protection Program.

But when it came time to go on the record to vote YES or NO on the implementation of the slot machine gambling Bronrott and Lee did not oppose when they had the chance to kill it, neither one cast a vote. Absent again.

Where were Bronrott and Lee when it was time to cast their votes - 2/3 (66%) of District 16's constitutional voice on the slots issue? Absent. They were just continuing the grand Democratic tradition in District 16 of not showing up. Regardless of your party affiliation, don't you think you deserve better?

WASHINGTON POST

GREASES WHEELS FOR

DOMINION REACTOR

WITH PUFF PIECE

Breaking News!

A RobertDyer.net Exclusive!

Last week, the Washington Post published a very curious article about the relationship between the Dominion Power nuclear facilities at Lake Anna, Virginia, and the residents who live nearby. In contrast to what you would expect - fears and complaints - the article was bizarrely titled, “Happy in Their Haven Beside the Nuclear Plant”(!) No, that is not a misprint.

Here's a Post quote from a neighbor of the nuclear plant, Barbara Kempf: "Oh my God, it's beautiful," she said. "I love our crystal-clear waters. Every other weekend we take baths in the lake. We never come out smelling fishy."

My initial reaction was of suspicion, knowing the Post's concern about the energy sector. Why would the Post print a puff piece about a nuclear plant?

Why? The very next day, in the back pages of the Post's Metro section, was a small item reporting that Dominion Power had just filed with the government to build a third nuclear reactor at Lake Anna. Unbelievable.

Was this just an unethical advertorial for Dominion Power? Or is it something more?

How does this nuclear puff piece relate to other odd editorial positions of the self-proclaimed "environmental" Washington Post, such as its advocation of drilling for oil near the entrance to the already fragile Chesapeake Bay?

Why has the far-left Post gone after the far-left energy competitor Hugo Chavez with such a vengeance?

Tired of waiting for other so-called "reporters" to address the issue, I've begun investigating myself. The preliminary results are in.

It turns out:

The Washington Post Co.

is in the energy business.

Examining the holding of just one member of the Post Co.'s Board of Directors, reveals just some of the Post's energy interests:

• MidAmerican Holdings - parent of Iowa's largest gas and electric utility
• Kern River Gas Transmission
• Northern Natural Gas
• $900 mm loan at 30% to Williams Cos.
• 180,000 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline
• PacificCorp - major electric utility serving six Western states
• 1% of PetroChina, the world's first $1 trillion dollar company

Source: Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections; Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 2005 Annual Report

Many of these holdings directly involve regulatory issues - how can the Post then advocate a position on those issues related to Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. utilities?

And we're just scratching the surface.

Now, about that wonderful, clean water and recreational activity the Lake Anna residents are enjoying? Don't schedule that Beach Boys concert just yet.

Turns out those wonderful waters have received more than 5700 curies of radioactive water since 2000 alone, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission data. According to the organization Beyond Nuclear, this water contains "tritium with a radioactive half-life of 12.3 years."

Beyond Nuclear goes on to state that "this radioactive form of hydrogen can be [easily] absorbed, inhaled and ingested."

According to the organization's Paul Gunter, "tritium exposure is proven to cause cancer and birth defects. Tritium crosses the placenta barrier to the fetus. There is no clinical safe dose. Currently eleven reactors discharge into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Water consumption and thermal pollution by thermoelectric plants (fossil and nuclear) are increasingly contentious."

Ah, yes, Washington Post: we are all happy by the lake. Well, at least Warren Buffett and the Washington Post Company are.

Frosh, Democrat Extremist

Dish Detergent Ban

Proven Fraud Again

The latest studies show again that dish detergent is not a credible source of phosphorus in the Bay - after much phosphorus was removed from dish detergent years ago, the level of phosphorus in the Bay has increased. The draconian total dish detergent ban passed by Democratic extremists in Annapolis this year has once again proven to be a worthless, empty action by those who continue to exempt the real polluters from prosecution.

The Old Bronrott

Position on Drunk

Driving

That's right. It was just this year that Bill Bronrott made public statements on teen drunk driving and the need to (guess what) raise taxes on alcohol.

‘‘If we’re really serious about short-circuiting the cycle of violence in our communities that typically shows up in our emergency rooms, in our unemployment lines and in our criminal justice system, then we have to invest more up-front to ending this scourge that affects all of our communities...It’s about our public health and safety and it’s long overdue."

- Bill Bronrott, May 2007

"Long overdue," just like Mr. Bronrott's public response to the drunk driving arrest of top Democrat Kumar Barve. It has been a full week, and we have heard no public comment from Mr. Bronrott criticizing Mr. Barve's behavior. Is drunk driving a concern or not?

Overall, there is virtually no criticism of Mr. Barve's actions. No calls for him to step down or resign as Majority Leader. Why not? Again, had this been a Republican, the media would have made this a major offense and called for him or her to resign immediately. Total hypocrisy, total double standard.

Kumar Barve Democrat Drunk Driver Update

Luiz Simmons, the Democratic delegate from District 17 who distinguished himself during the General Assembly's special session by standing up to his tax-, spending-, and slots-mad Democratic colleagues, is on the verge of squandering those credits by serving as House Minority Leader Kumar Barve's attorney. It has been suggested by some on the internet that this is an attempt to intimidate the judge and jury, should a trial be held. That argument has merit. A new detail is that Barve and Gaithersburg Assistant City Manager, Fred Felton, used city police cars as personal limousines!! So while crimes are being committed, police officers are being forced to shuttle Kumar Barve and Fred Felton all over town. "Where to next, Your Excellency?"

How can anyone justify or excuse Mr. Barve's outrageous, dangerous behavior?

Again, where is Bill Bronrott's condemnation of Barve? Mr. Bronrott has claimed drunk driving is a serious issue. By not condeming Mr. Barve's actions, Mr. Bronrott is giving him a free pass if not a solid endorsement. If we do not hear public comment from Mr. Bronrott soon, he will have lost all credibility on the drunk driving issue.

Mr. Barve himself has no shame. Unlike other public personalities arrested on similar charges, who have released self-critical statements and apologized for their behavior, Mr. Barve is shameless: his only public statement since his arrest has been "I don't care to comment on this." Barve's disgraceful behavior is only compounded by his arrogance and belief that he is above the law.

And what of the law? Barve and many of his fellow Democrats in Maryland believe they can pick and choose which laws to obey, and which to ignore. If caught, they will use power and intimidation to escape the consequences ordinary citizens would face. Barve and others have another powerful tool: The Post-Gazette Democrat Protection Program. The Post has been dead silent on the Barve arrest. The Gazette has hidden a mild report in only some editions of the paper today. It is shameful, and unethical, but certainly no surprise from the premier house organs of the Democratic Party.

I cannot emphasize enough the fact that Barve refused to take the court-admissable Breathalyzer test. That is arrogance, ladies and gentlemen. If he was above-board, he would have taken the test. Barve's keen knowledge of how to manipulate the laws he himself is sworn to uphold was on brazen display. He believes - knows, almost - that you, the voter, are simply too stupid to remember this drunk-driving episode and disdain for the law in 2010. Prove him wrong at the ballot box.

B U S T E D

Democratic Majority Leader

Arrested For DUI

Democrat Barve Had

Blood Alcohol Level of

.10



Democrat Delegate Kumar

Barve Had Been Noted

Critic of Drunk Drivers



Democrat Barve

Spearheaded Legislation

Which Lowered Legal

Limit to .08

Maryland Democratic House Majority Leader Kumar Barve was arrested Thursday for DUI. Once again, Democrats in Annapolis command us to do one thing while they do whatever they wish. A classic case of hypocrisy was exposed - but very briefly - by Democratic house organs the Washington Post and Gazette.

Mr. Barve's apparently cynical smarts led him to take the unadmissable breath test administered by the police at the site of his arrest in Gaithersburg, but to refuse the court-admissable Breathalyzer test at police headquarters. Mr. Barve was handcuffed, booked, charged, and later driven home in police custody. Under the Post-Gazette Democrat protection plan, Mr. Barve's mugshot has mysteriously not been printed. Can you imagine what the papers would have printed if this had been a Republican?



Mr. Barve has been charged with DWI, DUI, failure to obey a traffic device, and failure to drive right of center. He drove the wrong way through a one-way entrance, which could have resulted in a head-on collision. Likewise, Mr. Barve crossed the center line on East Diamond Avenue, again narrowly missing a head-on collison, had there been a car approaching in the opposite direction.



In direct contradiction to his grandstanding on the drunk driving issue, Mr. Barve allegedly operated his vehicle while intoxicated. Why is an elected official becoming intoxicated in the first place? Second, he consumed these beverages at a Municipal League event; why didn't his Democratic colleagues stop him from driving home? Finally, the top Democrat in Annapolis chose to turn his vehicle into a deadly weapon, putting the citizens of Montgomery County at fatal risk. Mr. Barve also forced police to waste time dealing with his drunken antics while other crimes were being committed in the area.



Mr. Barve has told you what to do from on high in Annapolis for almost two decades. Mr. Barve has now put citizens at risk with his potentially fatal drunk driving shenanigans. Martin O'Malley and Michael Busch have defended what they apparently consider Mr. Barve's "right" to drive while intoxicated. What kind of a message is that for young drivers? Where is Bill Bronrott's comment on this shameful behavior by a fellow Democrat? Just last week, the Post gave him page after page to talk about his 9 PM teen curfew. Haven't heard Mr. Bronrott's comment on Barve yet.



Send Mr. Barve a powerful message in the 2010 election; send Mr. Barve home using your power at the ballot box. Let's just hope he drives sober this time.