(January 10, 2002) Pay attention to new security measures when you come to Annapolis. To gain audience with our legislature, we must now get permission from some of the very agents with whom we have grievance in the first place. You even need police approval to distribute information in the statehouse pressroom! Yes, this is chilling. The weakest segments of our society will now have the least access at the most basic level of representative government.
These measures aren't a response to 9-11. They represent plans drawn up two years ago, as reported here. Current leadership has always been interested in a full time legislature, with business done solely by insiders. To them, citizens should only come to town for receptions so they can be 'handled' and made to believe they're getting full value for campaign dollars, though sometimes other controlled events are useful for purposes of media photo ops.
The key word is control. It's a lot harder for leadership to maintain control over business as usual if pesky citizens wander around with naïve views about how government is supposed to work. "Security precautions" are an excuse for regulating access. Checkpoints let players escape citizens who might otherwise dog them. Screening lets police throttle back how many protesters come in adjacent to a rally. Public outcry shelved implementation of these plans in late 2000. The 9-11 attack only let leadership do now what it's wanted to do for a long time.
No legislator need ever again walk into a crowd of aggrieved constituents after casting his vote against liberty. It will be easy to vote secure inside the castle walls, and once the deed is done never face those he voted to oppress.
My first experience with new capitol security was not pleasant. To gain entrance I was required to show evidence of being able to lawfully drive a motor vehicle. (Other ID not accepted.) I was searched, and made to justify why I should be granted access. My cheerful answer - "to petition the Legislature for the redress of grievances in a peaceable and orderly manner" - was declared insufficient, and I was barred until I made up enough other reasons.
That's pretty sad. The answer that caused police to brand me a suspicious character and deny me entrance to the legislature was a simple quote of Article 13 of the Maryland Declaration of Rights. Security measures now in place come far too late to save the Constitution. Parris and his buddies hijacked the legislature years ago.
-- From Direct-Action.org, the website of MPFO.
Once again I am glad I escaped the "Free State" in 2000.