Gory Prince George's;
- Md. Officer Says He Altered Story; Corporal Fatally Shot Man
- Post, 11 Jan 2006 (by Ruben Castaneda, Washington Post Staff Writer)
The Prince George's County undercover narcotics officer who fatally shot an unarmed college student in Northern Virginia more than five years ago acknowledged during his testimony in a civil trial yesterday that he has provided different accounts of their initial encounter.[Full story]
- Officer: 'Coincidences' led to fatal shooting of student; County also being sued in wrongful death case
- Examiner, 11 Jan 2006(by Karl B. Hille, Examiner Staff Writer)
Prince George's County police Officer Carlton Jones testified Tuesday that a series of unfortunate "coincidences" led him to believe a Howard University student was a suspected drug dealer who stole a police officer's gun when he chased him through the District and Virginia and eventually shot him dead nearly six years ago.
[. . .]
Jones, along with the county, is being sued for wrongful death in connection with the Sept. 1, 2000, death of Prince Jones (no relation).
[. . .]Jones was the 12th African-American shot by county police in a 13-month span, and the fifth killed.
- Police still have not publicly identified one of the January 6 homicide victims.
- Neither January 6 homicide is yet documented on the police website.
[Comment: General Assembly partisanship and influence peddling seem to trump legislative substance]
- Veto battles point toward tough session
- Sun, 11 Jan 2006 (by Andrew A. Green, Sun reporter)
. . . We're talking about five veto overrides," [Sen.] Miller said yesterday at a Democratic Party legislative session kickoff luncheon during which speakers foretold trouble for the Republican governor's agenda.
GOP leaders are "going to be flying high, but we're going to get together and we're going to shoot them down. We're going to put them in the ground, and it'll be 10 years before they crawl out again," the Prince George's County Democrat said. . . .
- Lawmakers Race Clock To Score Donations; 'Fundraiser Fatigue' Sets In
- Post, 11 Jan 2006 (by Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post Staff Writer)
. . .Since Jan. 1, Maryland's capital has practically been a nonstop party as lawmakers try to squeeze out as much campaign money as possible against a deadline. Today, when the General Assembly session opens at noon, a campaign finance law kicks in, prohibiting statewide officeholders and legislators from receiving donations during the policymaking period.
[. . .]
Lawmakers and lobbyists have flung themselves from fundraiser to fundraiser -- an average of three a day. Surviving takes precision timing, stamina and restraint. Lobbyists say they stay long enough to shake hands with the guest of honor, try to avoid the heavy foods, then shoot off to the next event.
[. . .]
"Unfortunately, delegates and senators take a back seat to the big races," first-term Del. Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince George's) said during a break from the two dozen fundraising calls he was making one afternoon last week before his "Pre-session Social Hour'' in College Park.
[. . .]
Maryland's election law, after all, limits donors to giving $4,000 to any single candidate and $10,000 overall in a four-year period. Many lobbyists and their clients have hit that limit.
[. . .]
[Photo caption] Maryland state Sen. Gwendolyn T. Britt attends a fundraiser for Del. Veronica L. Turner. Both are Democrats. Statewide officeholders and legislators can't receive funds during the General Assembly's session.
[Full story]
- Comment: Maryland law allows legislators to take money from special interests who want something from those legislators; the press seems to accept, even condone, the practice. Despite its legality, the process seems to fit the dictionary definitions of these words (from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary):
- Bribe:
- Function: noun
- Etymology: Middle English, something stolen, from Middle French, bread given to a beggar
- 1 : money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust
- 2 : something that serves to induce or influence
- Function: verb
- Inflected Form(s): bribed; brib·ing
- transitive senses : to induce or influence by or as if by bribery
- intransitive senses : to practice bribery
- Bribery:
- Function: noun
- Inflected Form(s): plural -er·ies
- : the act or practice of giving or taking a bribe
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