“The eyes are the window to the soul” the idiom of Shakespearean provenance tells us. Michael Anthony Peroutka’s piercing blue eyes are suggestive of a deep intellect; they convey a personable man of deep conviction which he carries with ease and confidence. He has an aura of a man securely grounded in life’s experience, topped-off with a touch of that famous Southern charm, and a bit of musical talent — he is not shy about bringing his guitar along to a fundraiser! But then, this is not the political season for cookie-cutter, finger-to-the-wind, candidates!
Mr. Peroutka, the Republican nominee for the Attorney General of Maryland, is not a candidate guided or swayed by the whims of momentary public sentiment — something our founding fathers fretted about. He is a constitutionalist through and through. To Mr. Peroutka, a retired attorney with some thirty years of experience in the field, any position, any action, any law or policy has to be viewed through the prism of constitutionality. That is the standard, and it is non-negotiable. It should not be negotiable. Ever.
Mr. Peroutka is a graduate of Loyola University, (B.A.), and the University of Baltimore, Juris Doctor (J.D.). In addition to his extensive legal experience, Mr. Peroutka has been politically active throughout his career. Most recently he served as a member and Chairman of the Anne Arundel County Council. Prior to 2014, when he officially joined the Republican Party, Mr. Peroutka was associated with the Constitution Party of the US, and was the presidential nominee of that party in 2004. His campaign slogan was: “God, Family, Republic”. As a sign of the times, he has come under attack for using this once commonplace, traditionalist, American slogan. He has also been vilified for his association with various historical groups.
The progressives and the modern left have, for all intents and purposes, vilified history. We see that in our county where a person running for office has been vilified for participating in historical re-enactments. Mr. Peroutka too has been caught in this vicious net. It is somewhat mind-boggling that these very critics don’t seem to recognize the contradiction in their own argument: how could a constitutionalist be a fascist? It is a question that needs to be asked of the contemporary mobs fond of hurling this epithet at anything or anyone not within their circumscribed ideological vista. They betray their own historical, linguistic, and philosophical illiteracy. But that is a story for another day.
Mr. Peroutka holds that a number of radical actions that were taken under the auspices of Covid-19 Emergency were unconstitutional. Since its founding this country has been through any number of crises, disasters, wars, depressions, pandemics, and social upheavals of one kind or another. Never in the history of this great nation has the government saw fit to institute such drastic measures, such drastic individual mandates, and such drastic curtailments of individual liberty. Who could ever envision that in the United States of America, “the home of the free”, the government could, under the threat of arrest, force you to allow your loved ones to suffer and die alone, or to not be able to hold or attend a funeral?
Even as a postscript these actions seem too horrendous, too cruel to dwell on for too long, and yet, that is the reality we were all forced to endure under government mandates that were both immoral and unconstitutional. I ask you to pause for a moment and reflect upon that.
Maybe your parent, sibling, or a friend did not die alone, surrounded only by the sterility of a hospital room, but many, many did. These fellow citizens who have endured such cruelty are due our sympathy, empathy, and an apology from this administration. Most significantly, we should all demand an assurance that this will never happen again — and that is the very platform Mr. Peroutka is running on.
We believe history will judge these mandates harshly, and prove Mr. Peroutka’s position to be the correct one from a political, constitutional, and from a humanitarian perspective.
In a recent interview Mr. Peroutka stated, unabashedly: “My top priority would be to redress what I call gross violations of the rights of the people to assemble, to care for their own medical health, to run a business. All these mandates, edicts, orders, proclamations – wherever you want to call them – are not law. They’re not lawful.”
The laws of a nation are the codification of its values — in our case Liberty is the crowning glory of our constitutional framework. Observance and enforcement of these laws is fundamental to an orderly functioning of a free society.
Amen. Please go out and vote for a constitutionalist, dedicated to preserving our God-given and constitutionally protected rights, for our next Attorney General.
Tatiana Croissette
Kent County
Stephen Z. Meehan says
I encourage people to vote for Anthony Brown. I have practiced law nearly 30 years, mostly representing clients before government agencies and having direct contact with assistant attorney generals representing various agencies. I have served on statewide commissions represented by the Office of the Attorney General.
Anthony Brown brings broad experience in the leadership of state and federal government, as well as the organizational discipline instilled from years of military service. He is the candidate who understands the big picture of managing the “state’s law firm” and competently delivering delivering legal services to the agencies and commissions of Maryland state government without tripping over himself with political agendas.
Political ideologues will never succeed as AG because there really is not time for it. The policies you are enforcing are established by the Legislature and molded by the sitting governor. Your greatest impact is building a competent legal team. We don’t need a confederate re-enactor celebrating a failed society that’s focus was abusing rights, not protecting them. We need a proactive candidate who anticipates.
Alex Morgan says
Well, that is not exactly a response to this essay. It is an advert for the opposition. One point, however; as an attorney of some thirty years, I would think you would have gained a greater attention to detail; nowhere in the essay does the author suggest Mr. Peroutka participated in re-enactments. The statement references a local candidate for office here in Kent.
George R. Shivers says
It is not surprising that Ms. Croisette, Kent County’s voice of the radical Republicans, is praising Mr. Peroutka, who would impose his particular religious views on his interpretation of the law. If voters in Maryland want the head of our state’s legal structure to promote the “Christian” equivalent of Sharia Law then I suppose they will vote for Peroutka. I do not share his view of Christianity, however. I would encourage voters to vote for the Democratic Party choice, Anthony Brown.
Jay Ell says
This would be hilarious if it weren’t completely terrifying. Michael Peroutka is the absolute last person I want in a position of power for Maryland. If I had written this letter, I would need a long, hot shower.
Gren Whitman says
A woman seeking an abortion, a same-sex couple wanting to marry, a concerned citizen pushing for firearms safety, or a public health advocate will not find an ally in Michael Peroutka. Just the opposite! Were he to be elected as Maryland’s Attorney General, they all would face an adamant adversary.