The two brothers who were arrested earlier in the month in the case of Phoenix, the pitbull who was severely burned and later had to be euthanized, have been rearrested and charge as adults, according to the Baltimore Sun.  According to baltimoresun.com, the two have been charged as adults for possession of drugs and firearms found inside their homes in a subsequent search after their initial arrest.

While it may be comforting to some that the two will almost certainly do jail time as adults for this latest round of charges, in the truest sense of justice it isn’t enough.  Earlier in the month, Governor O’Malley asked the state to review the animal cruelty law in Marlyand after this case and another in which a cat was found tortured.  These crimes against animals represent the worst of the human spirit: causing pain and suffering to a living creature that is completely dependent and mostly defenseless.  It’s darker than dog fighting, which is already inexcusable.  For these kids to go to jail for some pot and a couple of guns, and to be tried as juveniles in their case of animal abuse, is the system collapsing on itself.  I’m glad O’Malley has recognized that the state laws in these cases may be inadequate, but it’s an example of reactionary politics and playing the good-guy for the media (even if he truly does believe it’s a good idea).

No, rather, I think these kids should be tried as adults on these latest charges, and that charges in the case of Phoenix should be held off until the end of the statute of limitations in the hopes that stiffer penalties can be associated with this kind of heinous crime.  Let them wallow in jail for a while and see if the bigger inmates think it’s fun to play with them.

Today, Ronald Lipscomb, a Harbor East developer, pled guilty to a lesser charge instead of going on trial for bribery. It’s really not too surprising, as most white-collar criminals just aren’t cut out for long period of prison time.

What’s of the most interest, however, is that part of Lipscomb’s deal is to cooperate with the state prosecutor’s case against the mayor. As more evidence than a couple of gift cards mounts against Dixon, she will be more subject additional pressures above and beyond the day-to-day difficulties of running a major US city with a mounting crime problem.

In addition to Lipscomb admitting to illegal campaign finance activity with City Councilwoman Helen Holton, The Baltimore Sun is reporting that John Paterakis, owner of H&S Bakery and a significant portion of Inner Harbor East, had his name mentioned in connection with the case. So, with Lipscomb in tow, two prominent Baltimore figures – a developer and a councilwoman – the state prosecutor is setting his sights on a slightly larger member of the food chain. Probably a step closer to Dixon at the top.

Dixon’s lawyer Arnold Weiner today dismissed the idea that Lipscomb represented any threat to the mayor’s credibility, saying his testimony in the future would be “of no concern.” Really?  I’m sure State Prosecutor’s make deals with people that don’t know anything all the time.

Guess maybe Dixon has her own Stop Snitchin video out there somewhere.

Last week I talked about changes to Baltimore’s trash and recycling programs, and encouraged the idea that the city has to hold up its end of the bargain with regards to what can be recycled.

The city is currently debating a 25 cent per bag tax on plastic bags.  There are apparently mixed emotions over this idea as well, with City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake opposed, along with several vocal business owners and residents.  Complaints over the logistics of charging people per bag, the tough economy already impacting shoppers bottom lines, and other issues were all brought up as reasons why the bag tax is counter-productive to the interests of businesses in the city.

But the fact of the matter is that just like vice taxes on tobacco products or alcohol, plastic bags are becoming an issue nationwide.  And there are easy alternatives.  For the most part, small shopping trips will fit quite easily into one or two reusable bags.  Many clothing stores already package their goods in paper bags, which the city collects in curbside recycling.  And for people like Rob Santoni of Santoni’s Supermarkets who raised issues with legislation on the table, take the opportunity to make your store the good guy, and give away reusable bags with every purchase over X amount for a week.  And make sure they say “Santoni’s” on them, and take it out of the advertising budget.

Is this an example of Big Government stepping in and limiting personal freedoms?  No, this is an example of good government recognizing that certain small conveniences are slowly adding up to large problems, and attempting to put a solution in place.  Sure, for those large shopping trips where you have 10 bags full of food, it’ll cost you an extra $2.50 on the $100 you’re already spending.  But the prices (non-metaphorical) that we’ll be paying to try and clean up all of the things we’re throwing away these days will add up to a lot more than that.

Starting July 14th, Baltimore is changing it’s trash collection schedule to only service neighborhoods once a week city wide.  The new law, signed by Mayor Dixon last week, has a number of lofty goals, including the obvious potential to save the city up to $7 million annually, according to The Baltimore Sun.  But the Sun also lists the administrations other goals for the bill:  more time for sanitation workers to attend to trash-filled alleys, encouraging a reliance on recycling, etc.

But here’s the run-down: it’s easy for the administration to change a law like this with utopian ideals, and leave the bulk of the work on the citizenry.  But we can only do so much.  The frequency of recycling and what can be recycled has to increase, or no matter what, we’re going to have overflowing trash spilling out of the alleys between row houses.  And I can imagine that when the budget continues to be hampered by the economy, my guess is one of the first things that gets cut is the frequency of these supposed alleyway sweeps.

So I applaud any efforts to continue to save money, and both green and clean our city.  But let’s be realistic: sanitation is a responsibility of a modern city, and if we’re going to once-a-week pickups, it’s up to Dixon and her crew to keep up their end of the bargain.  Otherwise I’m going to start leaving my trash at 100 N Holiday and let the Mayor take care of it.