An Open Letter to White Protestors

I am more likely to believe that the white protestors who are engaging in acts of vandalism over the course of the past several days are, overwhelmingly, right-wing agent provocateurs. True anti-fascist allies would not be using legitimate, peaceful protests against racism and police brutality as a cover in order to act out and damage property. Moreover, no offense to my friends on the left…these white protestors seem to be operating in a very organized manner.  The Left is seldom so well-organized.

That said, if any white socialists, communists, or anarchists are committing such acts, they need to stop…immediately.

Those white folks who are smashing windows, setting fires, and flipping over cop cars are subverting the point of the protests – which are about combatting racism and ending police violence against Black and Brown people.  Full stop.

By acting in such a manner, those white folks are providing fuel for the media outlets (and others) that want to portray these uprisings as something they are not – lawless riots.  The true lawless rioters have been the racist cops who are using these protests to commit acts of violence against those who are exercising their First Amendment rights, specifically freedom of speech and the right of the people to peacefully assemble. What we are seeing now are akin to the police riots of Chicago ’68, but on a national scale.

Furthermore, these white “protestors” need to recognize that the consequences of their actions are far more likely to have a negative impact on Black and Brown people.  Who will the police target for reprisals?  Not Skippy from the ‘burbs who thought it would be “fun” to graffiti a bank or smash out a headlight or two.  And burning businesses, especially small businesses that serve predominately Black and Brown communities, just makes life harder for said communities.

In short, if you are a white protestor who is engaging in such behaviors or even thinking about it, cut that shit out.  You are damaging the cause and, more importantly, hurting those you should be supporting.  Be a good ally, don’t make it about you, and listen to your Black and Brown comrades. 

In solidarity.  

Re-Open Howard County and Their Praise for Racists

The recent police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, against the backdrop of hundreds of years of oppression and countless lost Black and Brown lives, have led people across the country to rise up in protest against racism and police brutality.

Meanwhile, a cowardly, feckless sociopath skulks around the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania.  Bull Connor with a Twitter account.  His words and deeds have “inspired” some of his followers to encourage and/or engage in violent acts, up to and including murder.  Tragically, some of those toadies are in positions of authority…ranging from local police officers to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Turning locally, much has already been written about Re-Open Howard County and their true motivations.  Yes, they may issue statements that are soaking wet from their crocodile tears, but their mask continues to slip. 

On the evening of May 30, on their official Facebook group page, they touted three “great speakers” who offered their perspectives at the Re-Open Maryland rally in Annapolis held on that same day. One, Michael Peroutka, was described by Re-Open Howard County as a “constitutionalist.”

The question is, whose constitution?  The United States?  The Confederacy?  Another nation?

Peroutka is perhaps better known in Maryland for being a one-term Anne Arundel County Council member, having fluked his way into a GOP nomination in 2014, he lost his re-election bid (in the primary) in 2018.

But before then, he was a member of the League of the South, a “white nationalist, Neo-Confederate, white supremacist” organization. The Southern Poverty Law Center designated this organization as a hate group.  This should not be surprising given the League's worldview as well as their connection with various neo-Nazi groups.

From Wikipedia:

“On December 6, 2012, the Human Rights Campaign called Peroutka an "active white supremacist and secessionist sympathizer" due to links to the League of the South.^[15][16]Peroutka told The Baltimore Sun that he "continues to be a proud member of the League of the South,"… and

In 2012, a video of Peroutka showed asking a group to stand for the national anthem, then leading them in Dixie.”

Dixie.

He claims to have left the League of the South, having once served on their Board of Directors.  But has the organization left him?

If Re-Open Howard County can praise such a figure in public, who else are they adulting in private?

In solidarity.

Buying a Board of Education Seat: The Sezin Palmer Edition

Going through the latest campaign finance report, it appears as though Sezin Palmer and her deep-pocketed donors are attempting to purchase a Howard County Board of Education seat (District 4).

Thus far, she has raised $25,930, which is quite a healthy sum for such a local race.  Most disturbingly, more than two out of five of those dollars (43%) have come from just six donors, including one PAC (CAPA-PAC) that has donated $6,000 to her campaign.  Combine their $6,000 with five other donors who have each sent at least $1,000 to the Palmer effort, and that works out to $11,100 out of $25,930 in total receipts, not even including the “other receipts and in-kind contributions.”

Notable contributors include:

One Thomas Harriman who hails from Santa Barbara, California.  He sent her campaign $1,000 on February 17, 2020. 

Timothy Dull, gave her $1,000 on February 12, 2020 (another Dull in the same household contributed $100 on January 8, but that is not included in $11,100 figure).  Tim Dull also contributed to current GOP congressional candidate Liz Matory as well as the Republican presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney in 2011 and John McCain in 2007.

[Other “notables” whose contributions are not included in the aforementioned $11,100 are current County Council person from District 5, Republican David Yungmann.  Mr. Yungmann also helped the Board of Education campaigns of Christina Delmont Small and Vicky Cutroneo (both current BoE members).  He was their campaign Treasurer in 2016.  The Palmer campaign also accepted money from Larry Pretlow, current Board of Education candidate in District 2).]

Beyond the conservative ideology held by some/most of these donors, anyone concerned about the aggregation of political and economic power at the national, state, and local levels should be alarmed at the sizable contributions that have managed to find their way into the Palmer campaign coffers...and what they might expect for their "generous" support.

Let Sezin Palmer and her well-heeled donors know: our public schools are not up for sale.

** Correction: the first iterations of this post incorrectly identified Dr. Wu as being on the board of directors of the CAPA PAC (which is also based in Howard County).  He is, in fact, on the Board of Directors of CAPA - Howard County, which is a different organization.  For that error, I apologize to Dr. Wu.

In solidarity.

On Re-Opening HoCo and the Proposed Budget Cuts

Played by the irreplaceable John Spencer, The West Wing’s Leo McGarry (quoting Khalil Gibran) once said “Never argue with a drunk or a fool.”

I have been violating that tenet with great regularity recently.

While I cannot speak to their state of inebriation, the fools have been coming in many forms:

Bipartisanship-fetishists, Republican death-cultists, Democrats who appear to have either taken leave of their senses or who should know better, people who argue in bad faith and/or just badly.

So many of the arguments can be distilled to choices. 

The Reopen Howard County folks, exercising a newfound embrace of the concept of “choice,” (albeit a twisted version of it), believe in flinging the doors wide open when we are still not out of the COVID-19 woods.  “Well-considered public health guidance be damned!” appears to be their mantra.  They even have a rally planned, regardless of whether or not Ellicott City business owners or residents want such protestors tramping about their streets and sidewalks.  Will people get sick as a result of such a gathering?  Unfortunately, it is quite likely.  Further, they try to cloak their behaviors as being expressions of “patriotism.” This is codswallop of the highest order.  Even General Washington’s army took preventative measures to protect against the spread of smallpox during the Revolutionary War.  So, employing their logic, George Washington was being un-American?   

Turning to Howard County’s FY21 Budget, this is more of a nuanced choice compared to the first example, but nonetheless, there are clear right and wrong approaches…especially if you call yourself a progressive.

Now, perhaps Councilpersons Deb Jung and Liz Walsh have embraced monetarist economic theory over the past few days, I don’t know.  But assuming they have not, making budget cuts in the midst of a recession or depression is incredibly ill-advised. 

Should developers pay more? Absolutely.  And the proposed recordation fee increase is progressive and will largely be paid by developers.  As Councilperson Rigby noted, “76% of the revenue comes from a 2% tax on real estate transactions over $1,000,000.”   This is simple math, not rocket science. Democrats should love a user-fee that largely impacts those with deep pockets. Especially considering the alternative…

Instead, channeling some version of budget hawkishness (how did that work out for Paul Tsongas in ’92 by the way?), Councilpersons Jung, and Walsh…along with their partner in this endeavor, conservative operative and Republican Councilperson David Yungmann, want to cut vital services.  The cuts would have a negative impact public health, public safety, infrastructure, and transportation (among other areas).  They would defund the New Cultural Center (along with the affordable housing that comes with it).  And, also distressingly, it looks like it will cost jobs.  Again, this is being proposed in the midst of a pandemic.

I strongly encourage Councilpersons Jung and Walsh to reflect on this issue.  Think carefully about its impact.  Do the correct thing.

In solidarity.

COVID-19, the nature of government, and public health

In solidarity.

It's All in the Details

Let’s face it, two individuals running in District Four are, essentially, single-issue candidates:  Matt Levine and Sezin Palmer.

I have seen this before.  These candidates are so focused on one part of the job, they neglect doing their work on other important issues and they make mistakes. 

Take Ms. Palmer for a moment.  The *one* time she provided testimony on an issue aside from redistricting, she got the facts wrong.  In her testimony regarding the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2021 Budget (remarks delivered in January 2020, after she got into the race for Board of Education) she claimed there was a “near doubling of the Student Access and Achievement budget.”

In the same remarks, Ms. Palmer questioned the evidence behind equity-related initiatives (which should provide a clear indication of where she stands on equity in education).  And, going back to the “doubling” point, her statement was simply incorrect.  The Student Access and Achievement program was combined with another initiative, which explains the budget increase.  After the fact, she acknowledged that “the increase is not nearly as big as it appears.”  Her full quote is below.

She tried to pass the buck by saying the information was “buried” in a large document.  Really?  If you want to serve on the Board of Education, you have to do your homework.   Howard County’s students deserve the best, not the functional equivalent of “I didn’t have time to do the reading” excuses.

In solidarity.

“Apparently buried in the 600-page document that accompanies the plethora of spreadsheets, there is information that indicates the Student Access and Achievement program is actually being combined with another program, hence the increase is not nearly as big as it appears. Thanks to a helpful BOE member for pointing this out... really shouldn't be this complicated though!” – Sezin Palmer

Protest Vote

I am going to level with you, Dear Reader.  I have not yet voted for once and current U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume (MD-7).  I was a Michigan resident during his first terms in Congress, listening to contemporary artists such as Terence Trent D’Arby, Johnny Hates Jazz, and Pebbles.

Fast forward to 2020, I voted for Jill Carter in both the special and June primaries.  In the special general election, I wrote in a name.  I just couldn’t bring myself to cast a ballot for Mr. Mfume for several reasons (too much “Yesterday,” being insufficiently progressive on health care and other issues, and…).

While the Fightin’ 7^th is a Safe Democratic seat, and I certainly am not voting for the Republican nominee, be it Kimberly Klacik or whoever else the GOP electorate decides to put up as their standard-bearer, I am not yet on Team Mfume.

If you feel similarly, the June ballot is a perfect time to express your discomfort with the direction of the Democratic Party.  Will Mfume do a capable job as a legislator, filling out the remainder of Congressman Elijah Cummings’ term?  Most likely.  Does he deserve a full term of his own?  That is up for you to decide.

Mfume garnered 43% of the vote in the special primary election, held before COVID-19 dominated the U.S. headlines and our lives. Quick math, that means 57% of the Democratic primary vote went for other candidates.

I strongly encourage you to vote for another, more future-oriented choice.  For me, it was and is Jill Carter.  I can also understand a vote for Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings although, in order to defeat Mfume in a primary, the opposition should be united behind one candidate.

Mfume may win again in June, but a healthy protest vote may encourage him to re-think his policy stances on certain issues…and realize that the Democratic Party of 2020 is far different than the Democratic Party of the early ‘90s.  Looking at his campaign literature, featuring a photograph of a younger Mfume standing next to a younger Bill Clinton, I don’t know if he recognizes that yet.

In solidarity.