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Help students
I’m a fifth-grader at Conway School in Mount Vernon, Washington. We’re doing state reports and I’m doing your state. I’m so excited to learn about Maryland. It would be great if I could hear from real people. Some things I would like to receive are: license plates, souvenirs, postcards, old newspapers, and anything else you can think of.
What do you do for fun? What is it like compared to here?
Thank you for your time reading this letter. I hope to get mail from you all.
TANZY M.
Mrs. Kelly’s Class
Conway School
19710 State Route 534
Mount Vernon, WA 98274
Iwo Jima
I am a World War II Marine veteran. Feb. 19 was the 62nd anniversary of the assault on Iwo Jima. Let’s remember all the men of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions we lost in battle.
I was with the 3rd assault signal company attached to 3rd Battalion 21st Marines. The 3rd division was in reserve. But the 3rd Battalion was to land on the 20th but we were in the landing craft for 6 hours and we had to climb up the cargo nets back on the transports. We landed on the 21st. I was on the 2nd airfield when I saw the flags go up on Suribochi.
Thank God for the men and women of our present day armed forces. They are doing a terrific job. God bless them all and God bless America.
ED MURCHIE
Annapolis
Bury utility lines
I read “No quick fix for blackouts” (The Capital, Feb. 15) with anger.
Anne Arundel County was hardest hit - 44,000 homes is a huge amount in any community. These things happen. BGE has Linda Foy well versed on what to say.
The mayor chimed in with the best solution: Bury the lines. Today we have all kinds of services underground, but yet we try to live with a story from BGE that says it wouldn’t be cost effective. House Speaker Mike Busch, typical politician, chimes in wanting a cost-benefit analysis. His cost-benefit analysis won’t do much good for the people of the county affected by carbon monoxide poisoning or do a darn thing for the folks who lose parts of their homes to fires caused by trying to keep warm because the tree fell down across power lines that should be underground.
We call people in from out of state. Usually the pay is double time or better. As the crews work, people and businesses kick over generators to send pollution into the air so they can keep from losing their groceries.
Then, to top everything off, BGE can sit two guys in a truck making double to triple time watching a wire dangle that they aren’t qualified to work on. BGE wonders why the population of Anne Arundel County and most of Maryland is upset with them. Come on - BGE, bury the lines.
CHUCK JOHNSON
Crownsville
Pick up litter
We live in a lovely spot in the universe. Almost every day I see herons and ducks from Rowe Boulevard, opossums and foxes near our city streets.
I implore each of you to help keep our world clean and free from debris. As you walk, watch for creatures and pick up, do not throw trash.
Many of us already do our part - Jerry and Fred regularly pick up trash on their walks.
Let’s open a public dialogue here to frequently remind folks to help improve our/their quality of life. Ideas, anyone?
ANNE P. SMALL
Annapolis
BGE thanked
I would like the BGE personnel who have worked so tirelessly over the last few days to restore power in the fastest and safest manner possible.
Some of us have struggled with loss of heat, loss of light after 6 p.m. and loss of hot water. But I applaud the efforts of the workers who braved the end of the storm and the bitter temperatures and wind chills over the subsequent days, in an attempt to quickly return our lives to normalcy.
As I write, there are still about 2,700 BGE customers without power in Anne Arundel County. Based on the numbers I’ve heard from earlier in the week, at one point there were about 70,000 outages in Anne Arundel County. That tells me that there were about 160,000 “lucky” customers that never lost power.
Unfortunately, I was not able to count myself as one of those. Our power went out around 6 a.m. on Wednesday and, although it made for a long day, it was returned around 8 p.m. So, yes, I count myself as one of the lucky ones, unlike those still waiting for their power to return. Nevertheless, I am thankful for the job these men and women have done and continue to do. Often, when our lives are disrupted, we are quick to blame, point fingers, complain, etc. but not as often offer appreciation for the hard work and dedication exhibited.
Maybe next time we experience a storm of this nature, we could set up jars on the counter at 7-Eleven, “BGE Worker Fund.” The least we can do is buy them a cup of coffee.
GARY MILLS
Crofton
Slot machines
A recent speech by a newly elected state politician inspired me to write this letter. Why do they insist on climbing on a soapbox to proclaim, “I am against slots?” Hasn’t this issue been beaten to death? Surely our elected official can find a deserving cause to champion.
It seems that most Marylanders do not really mind if slot machines go at the state’s racetracks. If it is a gambling issue, surely nobody seems to mind much about any form of addition because on a recent Tuesday in January, you could have gambled the lottery on six to ten different ways (only one state offered more). Not allowing slots because we do not want our citizens to play them is like offering an “open bar” at a party, but not allowing you to drink gin.
The purpose of instituting slot machine establishments in Maryland is to aid the horse racing industry in this state which generates thousands of tax dollars. It is sad to lose our state’s prestigious races and see our industry decline. I would remind you that the industry dates back to the days when Princess Anne (whom our county was named for) instituted horse racing in our county and whose races in Parole were attended by George Washington.
ANDREW GARDNER
Annapolis
Iraq strategy
The Democrat strategy on Iraq is finally clear.
We’ve known all along that they want to cut and run before the job is done. But they’ve been afraid to confront President Bush directly. Democrat Rep. John Murtha let slip what he and Nancy Pelosi intend to do, and it is genuinely frightening.
They call it their “slow-bleed” plan. Instead of supporting the troops in Iraq, or simply bringing them home, the Democrats intend to gradually make it harder for them to do their jobs. They will introduce riders onto bills to prevent certain units from deploying. They will try to limit the president’s constitutional power to determine the length and number of deployments. They will attempt to keep the Pentagon from replacing troops who rotate out of Iraq. They may even try to limit how our troops operate by, for example, prohibiting our armed forces from creating and operating bases in Iraq.
“Slow-bleed” is exactly the right name for this incredibly irresponsible and dangerous strategy. Cutting and running is bad enough. But the Murtha-Pelosi “slow-bleed” plan is far worse. It is a cynical and dangerous erosion of our ability to fight the terrorists while we still have men and women on the ground in Iraq. It will put their lives in far greater danger, as resources slowly dry up. How can our troops operate without bases? How can they fight without backup?
“Slow-bleed” cannot become law. Luckily, we have an opportunity to stop it. The Murtha plan depended on stealth. Now, however, the press has broken the story.
FRANK SHELEHEDA
NAFTA record
The one thing about the midterm elections that hasn’t gotten enough coverage is that the Democrats who were elected were all big-time critics of NAFTA and articulate advocates for fair trade. The new Congress has a “fair trade mandate” to totally overhaul our broken trade policies.
The track record of NAFTA has been the opposite of the rosy predictions made by supporters when it was proposed. For example, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance program, at least half a million manufacturing jobs were lost specifically due to NAFTA in its first 10 years.
NAFTA has also had a disastrous impact on development in Mexico. Its passage led to the displacement of roughly 1.3 million Mexican corn farmers and has led to depressed wages throughout Mexico. These conditions have helped spur increased immigration to the U.S. by undocumented workers. If you want to talk about immigration, you need to talk about our broken trade policies like NAFTA that are forcing people to migrate in the first place.
Despite the “fair trade” wave in the midterm elections, the Bush Administration is still looking to expand NAFTA into South America by pushing trade deals with Peru and Colombia. Experts like Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz have said that applying a one-size-fits-all NAFTA deal to these countries is sure to result in more drug trafficking and violence. The new Congress needs to put a stop to this reckless NAFTA expansion.
SUSAN L. ARDAY
Laurel
Coach Beardmore
Regarding the incident at Severna Park High School and the fired lacrosse coach: If Jim Beardmore is not a teacher and hired only as an emergency coach, then why was he even on school property? March 1 is the start of spring practice. He should not have been at the school. Did he check in at the front office and sign in as a visitor as required by the school system? What was his purpose of being at the school, if not to humiliate the students who did not participate in the Polar Bear Plunge?
SANDY DEANGELIS
Severna Park
AHS changes
There has been outgoing support for Annapolis High School on so many different fronts that I felt compelled to write about one of them.
“Facebook,” a web-based virtual community that serves as an expansive way for college students to communicate and keep in touch, has been a catalyst for action on behalf of Annapolis High School alum. Out of several groups, including “Save the Teachers of Annapolis High,” there has been clear direction on how to rectify the situation at Riva Road.
The discussion posts, notes, comments and support have been immense and this has all come from Annapolis High School graduates who are currently in college or who have recently graduated and entered into the “real world.”
The general consensus is that the teachers and staff at Annapolis High have done a great job of preparing them to succeed not only in competitive colleges, but also in life in general and in activism, which is just what the school needs.
How are we going to direct this support and outreach to the students and communities that aren’t asking for it but who are in dire need of it? What can we do to start a revolution among the youth? We live in an area where political and community leaders are abundant, teachers are making an impact, students want to give back and everyone wants to see change. How can we implement this to our advantage and what legacy do we want to leave? These aren’t questions to be answered right away but certainly need to be pondered.
JESSICA FROST
Arnold
Democrats faulted
In the combined jurisdictions of Washington, D.C., Prince Georges county, Baltimore city and Philadelphia in the years 2002-2006 there have been more murders there than military losses in Iraq. Add in such places as Jersey City, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans and Miami and that number is more than tripled.
All are Democratic Party run jurisdictions. Perhaps the Democratic leadership should pay more attention to this tragedy than crying about our military losses in Iraq.
The Congressional Black Caucus needs to hold hearings calling in the mayors of these affected jurisdictions seeking an explanation as to their governance as it is their constituents who are causing the crimes and are its victims. The “so-called” anti-war movement as championed by the Democratic Party leftists, the main stream media, and this country’s Socialist/Marxists, as exemplified by the likes of Jane Fonda are as anti-American as you can get. They are the same old defeatist groups that led to Vietnam becoming a communist country and thru Jimmy Carter’s undermining of the Shah of Iran, we ended up with the present regime.
We really need more of this defeatism by the politicians and the media who are unbiased touts for the Democratic Party. Also Maryland voted for Martin O’Malley, mayor of one of the high crime cities.
ALAN F. PETTY
Arnold
Schaefer needed
In the event that Gov. Martin O’Malley is unaware, the appointment of former Gov. William Donald Schaefer to be a consultant to the Public Works Committee would provide continuity to the many ongoing state highway projects as well as a source of background data when the new governor realizes that another bay crossing is an absolute necessity to relieve the daily congestion with the present bridge crossings.
GENE CORDES
Crofton
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