Merrick Garland – Sandy Rosenberg

The United States faces “a more dangerous period” from domestic extremists today than it did when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred in 1995.

That was Judge Merrick B. Garland’s assessment when he testified today at the hearing on his nomination for Attorney General.

What should we do in Maryland in response to this threat?

Senator Shelly Hettleman and I have introduced legislation to create a task force to study and make recommendations regarding policies and procedures for preventing and countering domestic terrorism.

Can we have advance knowledge of illegal and deadly acts without stepping on legitimate protest?

Are ideologically motivated hate crimes and domestic terrorism overlapping phenomena that need to be addressed in that context?

Those are some of the questions that we need to deal with as we confront this threat to our democracy.

Top Maryland Democrats agree to $290 million package to help Baltimore

That was the headline on a front page story in today’s Baltimore Sun.

There would be new funding for demolition of vacant housing, redevelopment of distressed areas, after-school and summer programs, college scholarships for 7^th and 8^th graders, and mentorship programs.

I’ve already talked with my 41^st District colleagues about working with our neighborhoods to get their fair share of this money. If we’re out of the box first, we’ll succeed.

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As my parents taught me by both words and deeds, the life of public service is as much a gift to the person who serves as it is to those he is serving.

I could have said that, but it was Judge Merrick Garland, speaking in the Rose Garden yesterday.