Alas Baltimore - Revelation 18:20

[Selene]

A great city is brought to its knees.

This is the city Nancy Pelosi's father ran.

She learned well.

This city has done some great work rebuilding their downtown area.

However, this town has been corrupt at a very deep level for over one hundred years.

During the General Assembly session of 1676, the upper and lower chambers battled over the guilt of Maj. Thomas Truman, charged with leading a brigade that murdered five Susquehannock Indians after assuring them safety. Truman was expelled but received no other punishment.

More recently, the General Assembly has removed legislators through an automatic provision -- added to the Maryland constitution in 1974 -- that expels members convicted of crimes. Others have resigned rather than face possible censure.

Michael B. Mitchell, the man who preceded state Sen. Larry Young in West Baltimore's 44th District, lost his seat in 1988 when he was sentenced for accepting $50,000 from Wedtech Corp. to obstruct a congressional investigation spearheaded by his uncle, former representative Parren J. Mitchell.

Del. Nathaniel Oaks, another Baltimore Democrat, lost his seat in 1989 for a conviction of stealing $10,000 from his campaign fund. After receiving a suspended sentence, Oaks was re-elected to the General Assembly in 1994.

Nationally, expulsions without convictions are extremely rare, said Brenda Erickson of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver. In a survey of the nation's 99 legislative chambers, only 17 reported ever expelling a member, she said.

In Maryland, political corruption peaked in the 1960s and 1970s, as scandals involved neighborhood ward bosses, legislators, county executives and even governors.

In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew -- the nation's second highest official -- resigned amid allegations of corruption stemming from his term as governor and as Baltimore County executive.

George H. Callcott, a University of Maryland historian and author of the book "Maryland and America: 1940 to 1980," notes that between 1962 and 1979, 28 indictments were handed down against Maryland elected officials.

Gov. Marvin Mandel was convicted in 1977 on charges of political corruption, but they were later overturned on appeal.

Other Maryland public officials indicted in those years included General Assembly members A. Gordon Boone, a speaker of the House convicted of mail fraud in 1964; Del. James A. (Turk) Scott Jr., murdered in 1973 before his trial on charges of heroin trafficking; and Sen. John W. Steffey, who pleaded no contest in 1975 to violating election laws.

The Larry Young case notwithstanding, historian Callcott says the current political corruption scene doesn't measure up.

"For the most part, I think it's quite past," Callcott said. "I think Maryland politics are quite clean by national standards."

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-01-14/features/1998014015_1_political-corruption-general-assembly-expelled

"Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come."

Revelation Chapter 18

10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What [city is] like unto this great city!

19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

Mark my words.

This is the beginning of a nightmare.

The summer of our discontent, with ample apologies to Mr. Steinbeck.

A...

[Derek McGowan]

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/orioles-john-angelos-baltimore-protests-mlb

Brett, speaking only for myself, I agree with your point that the principle of peaceful, non-violent protest and the observance of the rule of law is of utmost importance in any society. MLK, Gandhi, Mandela and all great opposition leaders throughout history have always preached this precept. Further, it is critical that in any democracy, investigation must be completed and due process must be honored before any government or police members are judged responsible.

That said, my greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond this particular case is focused neither upon one night’s property damage nor upon the acts, but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good, hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state.

The innocent working families of all backgrounds whose lives and dreams have been cut short by excessive violence, surveillance, and other abuses of the Bill of Rights by government pay the true price, and ultimate price, and one that far exceeds the importances of any kids’ game played tonight, or ever, at Camden Yards. We need to keep in mind people are suffering and dying around the U.S., and while we are thankful no one was injured at Camden Yards, there is a far bigger picture for poor Americans in Baltimore and everywhere who don’t have jobs and are losing economic civil and legal rights, and this makes inconvenience at a ballgame irrelevant in light of the needless suffering government is inflicting upon ordinary Americans.

[Selene]

Baltimore Mayor fires Police Commissioner...rumor has it that he was fired because he did not have a vagina...

WASHINGTON — Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore decided on Wednesday to replace the city’s police commissioner, Anthony W. Batts. The mayor acted just hours after the police union issued a report critical of the department’s response to the riots set off by death of Freddie Gray, an unarmed black man who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody in April.

I think there was some white privilege hiding in that man!

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/us/baltimore-police-commissioner-is-fired-by-mayor.html?emc=edit_na_20150708&nlid=53564225&ref=cta

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I did not know this...how could you hire a complete failure which he was in Oakland which is essentially a war zone..

Ms. Rawlings-Blake appointed Mr. Batts in 2012 after he had resigned as the police chief in Oakland, Calif., amid criticism of his handling of civil unrest there.