"Duncan tries again to remove Alzona" but, anti-Nazi/pro-gun flier's distributor survives!

The Montgomery Journal ^ | April 11, 2002 | WHITNEY L. JACKSON

[Hail Caesar]

Duncan tries again to remove Alzona

By WHITNEY L. JACKSON
Journal staff writer

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan again is trying to remove a Bethesda man who distributed fliers depicting county legislators as Nazis from a panel on hate and violence, after the County Council said it had no legal grounds to do so.

Last month, Duncan, D, asked that Gus Alzona, a member of the county's pro-gun Tyranny Response Team, either resign or be removed from his position as treasurer of the county Committee on Hate/Violence. The council must approve the decision - and on Friday, council members rejected it.

Alzona, a Duncan appointee, sparked debate when he distributed fliers in Annapolis that depicted Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Bethesda, Sen. Christopher Van Hollen Jr., D-Kensington, and Del. Mark K. Shriver, D-Bethesda, as soldiers dressed in German SS-style uniforms.

``Alzona's actions were highly offensive, and to allow his continued membership on this committee would be irresponsible," Duncan said in a statement in resubmitting his request to the council Monday.

He said Hate/Violence committee members should be held to a higher standard for racially, ethnically and religiously sensitive issues.

But council members said they couldn't remove Alzona on those grounds.

The panel only can remove a volunteer for neglect of or inability to adequately serve in office, misconduct in office or a serious violation of the law.

In a closed session last week, the council members said it couldn't remove Alzona because his actions didn't fall under the law governing the removal of committee members.

The council position is unlikely to change, council spokesman Patrick Lacefield said, despite Duncan's request.

``The council considers Alzona's actions reprehensible, but it remains that there's no legal basis to remove him from the committee," he said.

Council member Howard A. Denis, R-Bethesda-Chevy Chase, however, didn't agree with the council majority. He originally joined Duncan, Sen. Jean Roesser, R-Potomac, and U.S. Rep. Connie Morella, R-8th District, in calling for Alzona's resignation.

``I was a dissenter. I thought we should've gone along with the executive," he said. ``I've seen Duncan's latest memo, and I think we should still follow him."

Denis said, though, he wasn't sure how successful Duncan's efforts would be.

But Alzona said the council made the right choice.

``It was a wise decision indeed," he said Monday. ``If they had removed me, not only would it have violated my First Amendment rights, but it would've had a chilling effect on the government's ability to recruit volunteers for its various committees."

He was taken aback - although he said he wasn't shocked - that Duncan repeated his removal request.

``I'm not surprised. If they want to have a hearing about it, bring it on," Alzona said. ``But it's not like we don't have other, more important things to be concerned about in the county."

Duncan and other officials falsely accused him of anti-Semitic hate speech, Alzona said, and he considers it a personal affront.

Alzona also said he has sought legal counsel to guide him through this situation.

[Hail Caesar]

TRT BUMP!

[JeepInMazar]

bump

[Ben Bolt]

I tip my hat off to you fine folks !! Congradulations to your local success .

[sauropod]

Duncan can go pound sand.

[SMASH IMPERIALIST LIBERALISM!!]

Congratulations to Mr. Alzona! Conservative Republicans don't need to be lectured about what it feels like to be called a "Nazi." We get called "Nazis" more times than our liberal friends could possibly imagine.

[jackliberty]

This flyer should be actionable. Putting these Demoncrats in Nazi style uniforms is insulting to all Nazis and lowers their (the Nazis) image.

[Hail Caesar]

actually...Alzona was worried that the "Sons of the German SS" lobby would accuse him of "hate speech" for depicting panty-waist liberal DemocRATs in there forefathers spiffy uniforms. ;-)

[Redbob]

Let's be specific: Exactly where should Duncan pound sand?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

``It was a wise decision indeed," he said Monday. ``If they had removed me, not only would it have violated my First Amendment rights, but it would've had a chilling effect on the government's ability to recruit volunteers for its various committees."

``I'm not surprised. If they want to have a hearing about it, bring it on," Alzona said. ``But it's not like we don't have other, more important things to be concerned about in the county."

Alzona is good at wordsmithing, man!

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

"SENSITIVE ISSUES"! DON'T MAKE ME PUKE,I HATE SENSITIVE!

[MissAmericanPie]

The council considers Alzona's actions reprehensible, but it remains that there's no legal basis to remove him from the committee," he said.

I bet some on that committee, in their little secret hearts didn't find his actions all that reprehensible or he would have been gone.

[RFP]

West Virginia "Montani Semper Liberi" armed mountaineer Bang!

Hi ya GunsRok. Glad to have seen you at the dinner with future governor Ehrlich last Saturday. You Marylanders need to bust hump to get this man elected! I spoke with congressman Ehrlich and he said he WOULD sign gun a safety education bill if it passed the legislature again under his governorship. Stay in touch y'all.

[Libertina]

LOL A plain-speaking man. LOL Will the world ever recover? A big proud BUMP for TRT!

[sauropod]

I will let your imagination run wild...

[sauropod]

Quit using the 3rd person. Just refer to yourself as Alonza.

[Vast Buffalo Wing Conspiracy]

actually...Alzona was worried that the "Sons of the German SS" lobby would accuse him of "hate speech" for depicting panty-waist liberal DemocRATs in there forefathers spiffy uniforms. ;-)

I believe it was P.J. O'Rourke who once said he was not bothered when liberals called him a Nazi, because he realized that no one ever had sexual fantasies about being sexually ravished by someone dressed as a liberal!

[Reactionary]

I just love this, and I commend Alzona for having the guts to play hardball with these gun-grabbing thugs.

We need to apply the label "fascist" to them as often as we can. It works, people! And what makes it even more fun is the fact that they're closer, politically, to the Waffen SS than any republican in America.

The fact that they support the National Socialist program - and are too uneducated to understand it - makes this kind of thing even more entertaining! Keep up the good work! Let the smears begin!

[Trueblackman]

Well I am currently getting on board to help Bob Ehrlich to win this thing and in a few weeks Marylanders will be seeing the results of some of the ideas we are putting together. Come on Freepers Bob is still a Congressmen and can't campaign full time but we can get out there and campaign our asses off for him.

[Gore_ War_ Vet]

It sounds like this Alzona fella might be trouble, suggest you stay as far away from him as possible!