Aegis Launches Ink-Saving Campaign - Truncates Week-Old Letter
February 29, 2008
Homestead Publishing Company, parent of the Aegis and Record newspapers, announced Friday morning that, in order to save ink, letters to the editor would be arbitrarily truncated – particularly if those letters make mention of a certain local news and commentary website peopled largely by ex-Homesteaders.
In order to save costs at the printing press, The Aegis today cut a few words from a letter to the editor written by former legislative aide and former District C county council candidate Brian Young. The (almost) same letter was published here February 19.
Here’s the closing paragraph from Young’s letter, as posted on The Dagger:
Continue reading Aegis Launches Ink-Saving Campaign - Truncates Week-Old Letter
Ursa Minor Threat: How Legislative Bear Wrangling in Maryland could put Bruins Inside the Beltway
February 26, 2008
Legislation under consideration in Annapolis would force the introduction of wild black bears into each of Maryland’s 23 counties. But don’t grab your shotgun before taking the trash out just yet - the lawmakers involved admit the bill is little more than a political bluff, designed to beat back the advances of liberal legislators who would do away with Maryland’s annual black bear hunt.
At issue is the fate of Maryland’s apparently burgeoning population of black bears: Will they continue to be managed/harvested through a controversial state hunting lottery, be allowed to breed and expand their territory without the intervening hand of man or will they be plucked from their scant remaining habitat and redistributed to each and every county in the state?
These are the options on the table and, beginning Wednesday afternoon during an Environmental Matters Committee hearing in Annapolis, the Maryland General Assembly will ponder House Bill 762 - legislation giving the state 7 years to establish a population of black bears in each of Maryland’s 23 counties. Continue reading Ursa Minor Threat: How Legislative Bear Wrangling in Maryland could put Bruins Inside the Beltway
Who’s Picking up the Tab?: Aberdeen Calls Off its Unbudgeted, $13,000 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
February 21, 2008
It has been a tradition each year in Aberdeen for the city to honor its volunteers with a special night for them - a dinner, ceremony and awards presentation to say ‘Thank You’ to those who dedicate their time and energy to making Aberdeen a better place to live, work and do business.
That tradition was threatened last year when Aberdeen, in the midst of going bankrupt, could scarcely afford to put on the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and, with the economic climate in the city unchanged, it looks like it’s in jeopardy again this year.
Aberdeen’s Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was scheduled for March 27 - scheduled by City Manager Doug Miller, who evidently proceeded with organizing a lavish, $13,000 event without consulting the Mayor and City Council or even determining from where in the city’s budget the money would come. The event was abruptly canceled this week when the City Council learned about the expensive engagement. Continue reading Who’s Picking up the Tab?: Aberdeen Calls Off its Unbudgeted, $13,000 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Predictable Outcome: Another Blown Winter Weather Forecast in Maryland
February 21, 2008
I’ve stocked up on milk, bread and toilet paper. I have gasoline in the generator. I’ve backed the truck onto to the driveway and brought the snow shovel in from the shed. I’m ready for the winter storm that will be “dumping 2-4 inches of snow across the area beginning after midnight tonight.”
I’m watching TV and am somewhat distracted by the weather alert broadcast by the local networks and moving across the bottom of my screen. If that weren’t enough, I notice the snowflake icon in the upper left hand corner of the picture with the word “Warning” underneath it. For the last 12 hours I’ve heard from the local meteorologists about the coming winter storm. The National Weather Service has issued a “Winter Storm Warning” for most of Maryland. Wow! This must be it! The Big One!
Heading home from work, I notice the Maryland State Highway dump trucks, plows attached and salt spilling out of their beds, sitting, waiting, in the median of I-95 - a good 9 hours before the first flake was due to fall. Pick-up trucks, more than I can count, pass me by, also with plows attached and salt spreaders in their beds, hoping for that big snow that Chief Meteorologist Tom Tasselmyer says is on its way. Continue reading Predictable Outcome: Another Blown Winter Weather Forecast in Maryland
District 7 Dominoes: Baltimore/Harford Delegates Line Up for a Probable Political Promotion
February 21, 2008
One is too young and inexperienced. Another is too cantankerous and controversial. And the third says he doesn’t even want the job. But odds are, when Republican Andy Harris is elected to Congress this November, one of the three District 7 delegates will move up to fill his seat representing Baltimore and Harford counties in the state senate.
Harris’ surprising upset of nine-term incumbent Wayne Gilchrest in the Republican Primary Election a few weeks ago placed the state senator as the favorite to take over the First District Congressional seat - leaving a prized piece of political real estate vacant and ready for occupancy.
Tradition and law make it exceedingly likely the next Baltimore/Harford state senator will come from the trio of offbeat politicians currently comprising the District 7 delegation. Rick Impallaria, J.B. Jennings and Pat McDonough have stuck together since they were elected to the newly configured district in 2002, but Harris’ impending departure from the senate could change all that. Continue reading District 7 Dominoes: Baltimore/Harford Delegates Line Up for a Probable Political Promotion
Support of an Elected School Board: A Letter to Mary-Dulany James
February 19, 2008
Dear Delegate James,
I am writing to express my disappointment in your sponsorship of HB 806. HB 806 would create an oligarchy to control Harford County’s voice in the appointment of our school board members. I believe that this bill is directly in opposition to what is best for good government, positive education decision-making, and the people of Harford County.
The greatest accomplishment this bill could achieve is the creation of additional bureaucracy. Your bill would give the power to special interest groups, chosen by a means unknown to the public, to choose dues-paying members of their clubs to sit on a government-created “commission.” The commission would then make, using the criteria it creates, a list of the individuals the collection of special-interest representatives believes should serve on the school board.
Continue reading Support of an Elected School Board: A Letter to Mary-Dulany James
The Rocket Man Takes a Hit: “Misremembering” Roger Clemens’ Steroid Testimony
February 19, 2008
I had the opportunity to watch a good bit of the testimonials before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that took place last Wednesday. You should know the one I am referring to whether you are a baseball fan or not. This was aired on Fox News and ESPN and Lord knows where else. Anyway, this was the Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee freak show where they took center stage to address allegations about steroid and HGH (Human Growth Hormone) usage from the Mitchell Report findings.
Many people feel that Congress has better things to do with their time. Since Congress has gotten involved and lit a fire under baseball commissioner Bud Selig’s butt, however, the implications have been impressive. Major League Baseball (MLB) has some of the strictest punishments for players getting caught of all the professional sports. Continue reading The Rocket Man Takes a Hit: “Misremembering” Roger Clemens’ Steroid Testimony
Remove At Your Own Risk: Can you get in trouble for taking the tag off a mattress?
February 19, 2008
Got a question burning a hole in your brain? If so, you’re in luck. Here’s your chance ask ‘Ask a Smartass.’ Urban legend, true mystery or idiotic pondering, I will attempt to tackle anything. So, without further ado, I kick off this column with a question most people should be familiar with:
Can you really get in trouble with the law by removing a mattress tag?
The answer to this is simply: Yes! In fact, this is one of the longest standing and most strictly enforced laws to be established since this great nation was born. The punishment for this infraction has varied throughout time. And now, in these “times of terror,” the government isn’t playing around. Continue reading Remove At Your Own Risk: Can you get in trouble for taking the tag off a mattress?
Of Civil Unions and Civil Rights: Gay Fathers Testify in Annapolis
February 15, 2008
A cold wind whips through Annapolis on a Monday night, but the crowd is untouched. Several hundred people gather next to the Governor’s Mansion for a demonstration. Every ten feet or so someone holds up a sign with a district number. Police orbit the crowd waiting for trouble, but mostly giving directions.
It looks like any rally you’d see during legislative session in Maryland, until you notice the two young men in business attire clutching each other close to get warm. And the signs that read, “I Love My Two Gay Dads.”
It’s the movement for same sex marriage and tonight they are going to see their representatives in Annapolis. What only a few years ago seemed a wild dream has become a movement. And it’s a movement that appears to be getting stronger by the day.
Continue reading Of Civil Unions and Civil Rights: Gay Fathers Testify in Annapolis
The Elected School Board Stunt of the Week
February 14, 2008
Take a wild guess – throw a dart with a blindfold on – and you might divine that I’m not a big fan of establishment politics. Nor am I big on PR stunts. The problem with PR stunts is they are inherently deceptive. The stuntmen and stunt women want us to believe what we’re seeing is real. The problem with establishment politics is that society’s pressing need – “the children,” for instance – always ends up playing second fiddle to flaccid businessmen and guileful dealmakers.
PR stunts and establishment politics go hand in hand. One such stunt, designed to protect the status quo against what has become a groundswell of support for an elected school board in Harford County, played out in Annapolis Wednesday.
Del. Mary-Dulany James (D-District 34) considers herself a stalwart of the community’s educational institutions. She has every right to. Not just because her father helped found Harford Community College, but because she’s been a voice of reason during heated education debates past – and because she’s been a defender of the liberal bastion of education in the conservative bastion of Harford’s suburban farm country.
