Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg had some pointed words for fellow No. 1 draft pick Bryce Harper, who has until midnight Monday to sign with Washington.
Strasburg says, "If he doesn't want to play here, then we don't want him here."
If Harper fails to sign by the deadline, the Nationals lose his rights and he will be available in the 2011 draft. Strasburg waited until the final seconds of last year's deadline before signing a record $15.1 million contract. SOURCE: TBD
August 16, 2010
Baltimore City Sheriff candidate David Anthony Wiggins issues statement on Maryland Republican Party
The following is an email I received regarding my article on failures in Republican leadership.Mr. Vovak;
I feel your pain as a Grassroots Republican, I wish that I had 1/100,000,000 of the support you have from Republican leadership in the Maryland / Baltimore City Republican Party.
Our campaign has received no official support from the Maryland GOP even though I'm running unopposed for the Office of Sheriff for Baltimore City, which is a sanctuary city for illegal aliens who are working on government subsidized contracts and with businesses that receive tax credits from the State and City governments.
Our campaign can hold the democrats responsible for 40 years of Jim Crow in Blackface in Baltimore and not be called racist. Our campaign is comprised of individuals that have "street credibility"; our Campaign Chairwoman, Ms. Vicki Harding, who blew the whistle on the Test Score Cheating Scandal at George Washington Elementary School which was awarded a National Blue Ribbon based on the fraud associated with those test scores.
I have been told that the party is broke, I've been told that voter registration is not important or effective; however, I know that the people in Baltimore who have nothing less to lose based on their loyalty to the democrat party that has served them up Jim Crow in blackface, have everything to gain by switching parties to those who are willing to hold democrats accountable for their violations of the Rights of the People in Baltimore City.
Maybe you can respond and tell me why Michael Steel and the Republican Party in Maryland are afraid to address issues which effect the black majority city that is suffering directly because of illegal aliens and democrat public official corruption.
Maybe you can assist us
Thank you David Anthony Wiggins, Republican, Office of Sheriff for Baltimore City
Chairwoman: Vicki Ann Harding
Treasurer: Ed Brown www.dwiggins4sheriff.com
Chairwoman: Vicki Ann Harding
Treasurer: Ed Brown
Plane that killed Sen Stevens had 2 Montgomery County residents on it
A Potomac father died and his son was injured in the Alaska plane crash that killed four others, including former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens. William "Bill" Phillips, 56, and his son William "Willy" Phillips, Jr., 13, were going to a fishing lodge when the plane crashed Monday, according to Alaska State Police and news reports. Bill, a former Chief of Staff for Stevens, worked as a partner with Utrecht & Phillips, a law firm in Washington, D.C. Willy is in eighth grade at Mater Dei School in Bethesda.
Bill is also survived by his wife, Janet, and three sons who play collegiate football; Andrew, a fifth-year senior at Stanford University; Colter, a sophomore at the University of Virginia; and Paul, an incoming freshman at Indiana University. All three graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda. A spokesman for the school declined to comment. The family lives just off River Road, near Bretton Woods Golf Course.
"I know everybody loved them. Generally loved them," said neighbor Monika Palmore, 47, of Potomac.
The Phillips family has lived her neighborhood for a long time and they are known for their Christmas celebrations, Palmore said.
"They were wonderful. There is no question about it," Palmore said.
Barnaby Zall, a friend of the family, said Phillips was "an accomplished lobbyist and a good family man." SOURCE: Gazette
Bill is also survived by his wife, Janet, and three sons who play collegiate football; Andrew, a fifth-year senior at Stanford University; Colter, a sophomore at the University of Virginia; and Paul, an incoming freshman at Indiana University. All three graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda. A spokesman for the school declined to comment. The family lives just off River Road, near Bretton Woods Golf Course.
"I know everybody loved them. Generally loved them," said neighbor Monika Palmore, 47, of Potomac.
The Phillips family has lived her neighborhood for a long time and they are known for their Christmas celebrations, Palmore said.
"They were wonderful. There is no question about it," Palmore said.
Barnaby Zall, a friend of the family, said Phillips was "an accomplished lobbyist and a good family man." SOURCE: Gazette
August 15, 2010
August 14, 2010
Reagan's Chief Speechwriter Endorses Bill Thomas in District 8, Maryland versus Chris van Hollen
"As President Ronald Reagan's chief speechwriter for eight years, my job was to be something of a mind reader. While I would never presume to speak for President Reagan, I can say, knowing Bill Thomas as I do, our favorite President would have thought the world of him. Bill Thomas is going to mean trouble for liberals in Congress – and that’s exactly what America needs."
Anthony R. Dolan, chief speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; special adviser to the secretary of state and the secretary of defense under President George W. Bush.
To see other endorsements visit www.BillThomasforCongress.com
August 13, 2010
26 MoCo schools without power
Montgomery County school officials say there are 26 schools and buildings within the system this Friday that are without power. Any activities scheduled for the following locations have been canceled:
Bells Mill ES Bethesda Maintenance Depot Montgomery Blair HS Burning Tree ES Burnt Mills ES Eastern MS Albert Einstein HS Forest Knolls ES Gaithersburg HS Gaithersburg MS Glen Haven ES Highland ES Highland View ES Jackson Road ES Kemp Mill ES Newport Mill MS Roscoe Nix ES North Bethesda MS Pine Crest ES Rolling Terrace ES Rosemary Hills ES Rosemont ES Carl Sandburg Center Sligo MS Washington Grove ES Whittier Woods Center SOURCE: Washington Post
Bells Mill ES Bethesda Maintenance Depot Montgomery Blair HS Burning Tree ES Burnt Mills ES Eastern MS Albert Einstein HS Forest Knolls ES Gaithersburg HS Gaithersburg MS Glen Haven ES Highland ES Highland View ES Jackson Road ES Kemp Mill ES Newport Mill MS Roscoe Nix ES North Bethesda MS Pine Crest ES Rolling Terrace ES Rosemary Hills ES Rosemont ES Carl Sandburg Center Sligo MS Washington Grove ES Whittier Woods Center SOURCE: Washington Post
August 12, 2010
WTOP: 10 MCPS Schools Flooded
WTOP is reporting that 10 MCPS elementary schools flooded in this mornings' storm. The MCPS website has not revealed the names of the 10 schools as of yet. SOURCE: Parents' Coalition
Pepco Outage in Montgomery County Maryland
Over 99,000 Pepco customers are without power (red is bad, green is good).
SOURCE: MPW
August 11, 2010
Montgomery County's 'watchdog' to leave in late 2010
Saying county government officials have not "fully embraced" his watchdog role, Montgomery County Inspector General Thomas Dagley says he will leave his post at year's end, The Gazette reports. Dagley, the county's inspector general for the past five years, has had a tense relationship with County Executive Isiah Leggett's (D) office that has played out at times in public and in the media. Dagley said his decision to leave will allow the next council, which will be sworn in in December, to select a new inspector general. Dagley told a council committee earlier this year about "interferences" by Leggett's office into his investigations, a claim that Leggett's office has denied. SOURCE: Washington Post
Robin Ficker seeks District 2 seat
Robin Ficker has returned from Burtonsville to his longtime home in Boyds to run for the District 2 County Council seat. He moved to Burtonsville in 2009 to run unsuccessfully in a special election to fill the District 4 council seat left open by the death of Don Praisner. Ficker, a Republican who has run for a number of state and county offices since he last served in the House of Delegates in 1982, has been more successful in recent years at championing ballot initiatives.
In 2008 he promoted an initiative that prevents the Montgomery County Council from raising property taxes above the rate of inflation without the approval of all nine council members. Ficker's amendment passed with 51 percent of the vote, despite opposition from County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), the County Council and a coalition of school, union and civic representatives.
"I'm going to be the ninth vote that stops the property tax increase planned after the election," Ficker said.
The County Council is not fiscally responsible, he said.
Website: www.robinficker.com (under construction)
SOURCE: Gazette
VIDEO: http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/pro-heckler/66c18lq?from=sharepermalink
Potomac man killed in Alaska plane crash
William “Bill” Phillips of Potomac, Md. was one of the five killed in the crash. His son Willy survived the crash.
Montgomery County news blurbs
With Volunteer Support, Prince William County, VA Passes Emergency Medical Transport Revenue Recovery Initiative; Program Mirrors Montgomery County‚s EMS Reimbursement Which Strengthens Fire & Rescue at No Cost to County Residents - Prince William County, VA this week approved, with the support of its volunteers, an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) billing program like the one that was approved by the County Council and signed into law this year in Montgomery County. To read more go to: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/press/PR_details.asp?PrID=6812 Consumer Protection Office Reaches Agreement with Local Electricity Provider Regarding Misleading Advertisement Claims - http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/press/PR_details.asp?PrID=6820
August 10, 2010
Senator Obama v. President Obama on the war
Whom do you support? Senator Obama or President Obama? Any American who is honest with himself should watch this video and understand why most Americans are disgusted with incumbent politicians. How can this man live with himself on his war flip-flops? I never thought I would live to the point where Democrats (including Montgomery Democrats) support war more than Republicans. Whether it's the Iraq War or the War in Afghanistan, this video puts political reality to the test.
O'Malley supports Purple Line, dodges on gas tax
Baltimore Sun transportation writer Michael Dresser reports from Silver Spring:
It was no accident that Gov. Martin O’Malley wire a purple tie to his campaign event in Silver Spring this morning. The governor met with about two dozen small business owners and other voters at the Tastee Diner in this Montgomery County community to discuss his approach to transit issues -- and to underscore his support for a light rail project known as the Purple Line and the opposition of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to it.
While O’Malley launched no new verbal missiles at his prospective Republican opponent, he used the Purple Line issue to underscore a stark policy difference between the two. Ehrlich has said he would scrap the O’Malley administration’s plan to build a light rail line between Bethesda and New Carrollton, saying the state can’t afford it. O’Maley cast that position an an example of a retrun to the past -- a central theme of his re-election campaign.
“For whatever reason, Bob Ehrlich has decided to turn back the clock and take Maryland back,” OMalley said. “I think it shows a contrast between the way the two of us look at the future.”
The governor’s meeting with the business group -- largely made up of pro-O’Malley Purple Line supporters -- was relatvely light on campaign rhetoric and heavy on the detail-oriented policy discussions O’Malley clearly revels in. The topics reflected the concerns of a group that depends heavily on transit to bring employees to the workplace and customers to their laces of business. In addition to the Purple Line, topics included the performance of Washington’s Metro system and the perception that Montgomery County receives less than its fair share of transportation funding. O’Malley avoided taking the bait on that point.
“When we’re in Baltimore, the allegation is the Washington suburbs get more money for transportation,” he said. The governor said he hopes to see Metro adopt “transparent” performance measures and to make them public through a system similar to his administration’s web-based StateStat program.
On Metro, O’Maley promised to push for more effective leadership of an organization that has been criticized for poor service and a lax approach to safety.
“What Metro doesn’t have is stable leadership at the top right now,” he said.
The governor boasted that his administration has made a real difference in transportation funding -- increasing the share of the pie for transit by 9 percentage points over the Ehrlich years for what O’Malley called “a more balanced transportation system.”
But O’Malley punted on the politically volatile issue of the gasoline tax, which some transportation infrastructure advocates believe will have to be raised to finance any major new projects. Declining to commit one way or another, he expresed the hope that a recovering economy will lead to a surge in transportation revenue. Silver Spring is considerd to be friendly territory for O’Malley in many ways. It is a transit hub, a role that would only increase if the Purple Line is built. And its downtown has undergone a remarkable renaisance in the last decade -- becoming something of a showpiece for the “smart growth” policies O’Malley has embraced.
Montgomery County is expected to be one of the keys to this year’s expected OMalley-Ehrlich rematch. The Democrat trounced Ehrlich in Maryland’s most populous county in 2006, and the Republican is hoping to at least hold down OMalley’s winning percentage there this year. O’Maley’s pitch resonated with some of the small business owners -- a group Ehrlich has targeted with pledges to cut regulation and hold down taxes. But for Dan Meijer, owner of Danco Electronic Service Specialists in Silver Spring and a Purple Line supporter, the transit issue trumped those appeals.
“It’s just wonderful that we have a Governor O’Malley in office,” Meijer said. “His vision is long-term rather than short-term political gain.” SOURCE: Baltimore Sun
It was no accident that Gov. Martin O’Malley wire a purple tie to his campaign event in Silver Spring this morning. The governor met with about two dozen small business owners and other voters at the Tastee Diner in this Montgomery County community to discuss his approach to transit issues -- and to underscore his support for a light rail project known as the Purple Line and the opposition of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to it.
While O’Malley launched no new verbal missiles at his prospective Republican opponent, he used the Purple Line issue to underscore a stark policy difference between the two. Ehrlich has said he would scrap the O’Malley administration’s plan to build a light rail line between Bethesda and New Carrollton, saying the state can’t afford it. O’Maley cast that position an an example of a retrun to the past -- a central theme of his re-election campaign.
“For whatever reason, Bob Ehrlich has decided to turn back the clock and take Maryland back,” OMalley said. “I think it shows a contrast between the way the two of us look at the future.”
The governor’s meeting with the business group -- largely made up of pro-O’Malley Purple Line supporters -- was relatvely light on campaign rhetoric and heavy on the detail-oriented policy discussions O’Malley clearly revels in. The topics reflected the concerns of a group that depends heavily on transit to bring employees to the workplace and customers to their laces of business. In addition to the Purple Line, topics included the performance of Washington’s Metro system and the perception that Montgomery County receives less than its fair share of transportation funding. O’Malley avoided taking the bait on that point.
“When we’re in Baltimore, the allegation is the Washington suburbs get more money for transportation,” he said. The governor said he hopes to see Metro adopt “transparent” performance measures and to make them public through a system similar to his administration’s web-based StateStat program.
On Metro, O’Maley promised to push for more effective leadership of an organization that has been criticized for poor service and a lax approach to safety.
“What Metro doesn’t have is stable leadership at the top right now,” he said.
The governor boasted that his administration has made a real difference in transportation funding -- increasing the share of the pie for transit by 9 percentage points over the Ehrlich years for what O’Malley called “a more balanced transportation system.”
But O’Malley punted on the politically volatile issue of the gasoline tax, which some transportation infrastructure advocates believe will have to be raised to finance any major new projects. Declining to commit one way or another, he expresed the hope that a recovering economy will lead to a surge in transportation revenue. Silver Spring is considerd to be friendly territory for O’Malley in many ways. It is a transit hub, a role that would only increase if the Purple Line is built. And its downtown has undergone a remarkable renaisance in the last decade -- becoming something of a showpiece for the “smart growth” policies O’Malley has embraced.
Montgomery County is expected to be one of the keys to this year’s expected OMalley-Ehrlich rematch. The Democrat trounced Ehrlich in Maryland’s most populous county in 2006, and the Republican is hoping to at least hold down OMalley’s winning percentage there this year. O’Maley’s pitch resonated with some of the small business owners -- a group Ehrlich has targeted with pledges to cut regulation and hold down taxes. But for Dan Meijer, owner of Danco Electronic Service Specialists in Silver Spring and a Purple Line supporter, the transit issue trumped those appeals.
“It’s just wonderful that we have a Governor O’Malley in office,” Meijer said. “His vision is long-term rather than short-term political gain.” SOURCE: Baltimore Sun
Political cartoon from Ed Dedrick
This was just emailed to me this morning! To see a bigger view of it, just click the image. 
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