Readers' views
Talk radio
I spend some time listening to talk radio. While hearing various viewpoints from the American heartland can be entertaining and instructive, I recognize that this journey through the airwaves, inhabited mainly by talk-show hosts of a conservative bent, can be perilous. The pathways are marked with intellectual potholes.
To be prepared for the perils of talk-show broadcasts, one has to keep the reminder that while the host is entitled to his own opinions, he is not entitled to his own set of facts.
Take, for example, an assertion the other day by Rush Limbaugh that the New Deal program initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s was a product of academics and professors who had visited the Soviet Union and determined that the socialist approach was the way to go in solving America's economic problems. I admire Limbaugh's quick wit and often-displayed sense of humor, but his dismissive judgment of the New Deal was breathtaking. My disbelief in his assessment was buttressed by the fact that, on a summer evening in 1953, I had felt the inspiring presence of one of FDR's closest advisers, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, who came to Harvard Law School as an after-dinner speaker. It was Frankfurter, a professor at the law school in the early 1930s, who had inspired freshly minted professionals, especially lawyers, to make their commitment to public service by staffing the federal agencies created under the New Deal.
FDR's program was designed to bring America out of the Great Depression. In 1932, factories, mines and mills were either closed or operating far under capacity; many banks had failed; and the country's foreign trade dropped by a third. By proclamation, FDR closed all banks, declaring a "bank holiday." Several historians have asserted that violence would have ensured without the New Deal programs.
More than 30 agencies were created. In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps was created to help unemployed young Americans obtain work. In the same year, the Public Works Administration was formed to increase employment in construction of public works, such as bridges. The giant Tennessee Valley Authority was also organized to develop resources in that region.
Several of these agencies exist to this day, such as the Export-Import Bank, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board.
FDR told the nation that the New Deal saved the system of private property and enterprise, at the same time cautioning that the new powers of the federal government should be carefully cultivated.
PASTOR B. SISON
Bowie
Right to Repair
The Tire Industry Association strongly urges Congress to pass the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (HR 2694) in order to ensure that car owners and their trusted repair shops have the same access to safety alerts and repair information as the franchised new car dealer network.
Vehicles continue to become more and more sophisticated with virtually every system either monitored or controlled by computers. In fact, most new vehicles are equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems that are controlled by computers.
TPMS do not take the place of regular maintenance on tires, but are intended to protect motorists from the dangers of operating a vehicle with underinflated tires. Keeping these systems updated and in safe working condition requires ready access to complete and accurate information from the car companies.
Right to Repair Act offers protection to car owners by making it illegal for vehicle manufacturers to withhold information necessary to diagnose, service or repair motor vehicles, including TPMS. Right to Repair ensures that car owners can have their vehicle serviced at the repair shop of their choice, whether it's their neighborhood repair shop or a franchised new car dealer.
Visit www.righttorepair.org to send a letter to each of your congressional representatives, urging them to support the Right to Repair Act so that all American motorists can continue to enjoy the affordability and convenience of having their vehicle serviced at the repair shop of their choice.
ROY LITTLEFIELD
Executive vice president
Tire Industry Association
Bowie
Valor and hope
"In Valor There is Hope" - These words are inscribed on the east wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., where the names of more then 18,000 dedicated public servants are engraved on the marble walls as an eternal tribute. In 1962, President John Kennedy declared May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. During this week, the country remembers and honors the service and sacrifice of those law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty while protecting us and our communities. It is also a time where we remember the family members, friends and fellow officers they left behind.
National Police Week is also a special time for our community to pause and reflect on the critically important role that law enforcement plays in our lives as well as our community. May 15, 358 officers to include the 181 officers who died in the line of duty in 2007 will be added to the memorial. Outside of 2001 when 240 officers died including the 72 killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, 2007 has been the deadliest year for American law enforcement since 1989. Our state of Maryland has suffered the loss of 276 fallen heroes with Prince George's County ranked third highest in the state. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 103-322 which designates the American flag to be lowered to half-staff on May 15. Peace Officers Memorial Day and Memorial Day are the only two days each year during which the American flag is flown at half-staff.
This week is an excellent time for us to thank the federal, state, county and city law enforcement officers that protect us and our families each day.
This is the third year that I have written a similar letter in the Blade-News and the reaction from our community has not been favorable. Even Bowie City Hall where the men and women of our Bowie Police Department are located, has refused to lower their flag on this date for the past two years. Another sign of support for law enforcement that we all can do is to hang a blue ribbon from your automobile during this week to show these heroes that we do care. "It is not how these officers died that made them heroes ... it is how they lived."
BILL HEALY
Bowie
Agrees with Caramagno
I find myself in agreement with Carol Caramagno for once, so far as her opinion of the Carter presidency, where it was proved that Jimmy Carter knew nothing about economics, or diplomacy. I will even agree that he has partially redeemed himself after his presidency, but only as a carpenter. Jimmy Carter's attempts at diplomacy have proven time and again that he is wholly inept at understanding or negotiating. Jimmy Carter could not get the hostages released from Iran, could not stand up to the Soviets, and was responsible for the debacle we are now seeing in North Korea, in as much as he assisted the Clinton presidency in negotiating the deal that made Kim Jung-il a dictator with nuclear weapons.
Now he goes to Syria and "negotiates" with the exiled leader of Hamas. In these "talks" Mr. Carter came out tittering about how he had gotten an agreement that the terror organization would agree that Israel had a right to exist, and the Hamas Charter would no longer call for the destruction of Israel. As soon as Carter made that public, Hamas made a public statement repudiating it, thereby showing Jimmy Carter to be a fool. Going and talking to the leadership of Hamas does not make Jimmy Carter a traitor (darn, I agreed with Carol Caramagno again!), but it certainly doesn't do much for the American reputation when former chief executives go around and pretend they have an ability to negotiate on behalf of people who do not want them to be speaking on their behalf, and are then made to look like fools. Hamas is a terror organization that, no matter what anyone does or says, will not cease operations until they are either completely shut down, or Israel as a nation is destroyed. Anyone who cannot see that negotiating with them in any context or content is dangerous, is as big a fool as Jimmy Carter.
NORMAN HENDRICKSON
Bowie
Valor and hope
"In Valor There is Hope" - These words are inscribed on the east wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., where the names of more then 18,000 dedicated public servants are engraved on the marble walls as an eternal tribute. In 1962, President John Kennedy declared May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. During this week, the country remembers and honors the service and sacrifice of those law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty while protecting us and our communities. It is also a time where we remember the family members, friends and fellow officers they left behind.
National Police Week is also a special time for our community to pause and reflect on the critically important role that law enforcement plays in our lives as well as our community. May 15, 358 officers to include the 181 officers who died in the line of duty in 2007 will be added to the memorial. Outside of 2001 when 240 officers died including the 72 killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, 2007 has been the deadliest year for American law enforcement since 1989. Our state of Maryland has suffered the loss of 276 fallen heroes with Prince George's County ranked third highest in the state. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 103-322 which designates the American flag to be lowered to half-staff on May 15. Peace Officers Memorial Day and Memorial Day are the only two days each year during which the American flag is flown at half-staff.
This week is an excellent time for us to thank the federal, state, county and city law enforcement officers that protect us and our families each day.
This is the third year that I have written a similar letter in the Blade-News and the reaction from our community has not been favorable. Even Bowie City Hall where the men and women of our Bowie Police Department are located, has refused to lower their flag on this date for the past two years. Another sign of support for law enforcement that we all can do is to hang a blue ribbon from your automobile during this week to show these heroes that we do care. "It is not how these officers died that made them heroes ... it is how they lived."
BILL HEALY
Bowie
Plastic help
I have been putting little plastic men out near the curb when my kids are outside playing to remind people that there are kids playing nearby and to slow down and keep a look out. Everyone that has kids in the neighborhood loves them, they think it's a great idea.
One lady does not like the way they look and stated that "it adds more time to her commute." I am trying to stay calm, but it is difficult. She feels that by pulling over for a full 10 seconds is not worth the life of a child. She called the office Saturday (which is closed on Saturdays) and a code enforcement officer came by my home and threatened to take my little men away if I do not remove them from the curb, since Bowie owns the first 11 feet. I am tired of being harassed for caring about the safety of all our kids in the neighborhood.
Another neighbor was there and heard the conversation. He too is fed up with the speed the vehicles travel down Audubon Lane. I find it very disturbing that an office that is closed can come out and harass a citizen over little yellow men, but takes no steps to alleviate the problem. Today five vehicles have driven by in excess of 25 mph. One was a tow truck towing two cars. With that weight there is no way he could stop if a kid jumped out and did not look.
My friend and his wife like many families in Bowie refuse to let the kids go outside and play because they are scared they will be hit by speeding cars. That makes the neighborhood less of a community. Kids do not get to know one another. Everyone stays inside. I think this is ridiculous. I no longer find it funny that the government of Bowie is more concerned with how our neighborhood looks than the safety of its citizens, including the children.
I am so upset about this problem that I want to see speed bumps on my street every 50 feet, not calming areas, speed bumps! If the speed bumps are put in maybe the families will feel safe to let the kids out and just maybe we can become a livable community and just maybe be the best one in the state.
BRYAN ANDERSON
Bowie
BBGC response
I wish to assure the Bowie community that the Bowie Boys and Girls Club, which has been in existence for over 40 years, is not going away. In response to the article "BBGC gone as we know it?" that appeared last week, some clarifications are in order. Much of what has been published locally does not begin to address the source of the decline and other problems facing the Prince George's County Boys and Girls Club. These problems are not as a result of any decisions BBGC made to keep our children participating and our community sports programs alive.
For more than 10 years the number of teams playing in the various boys and girls clubs in the county has substantially declined. Yet BBGC has continued to have strong and growing enrollment of our children in many sports activities. When other organizations in our county enrollments declined, we kept our kids playing by finally reaching outside of the county organization in search of having sufficient teams for our children to play or be forced to turn our children away.
Several years ago the soccer and baseball programs in PGCBGC grew so small that games were continually forfeiting or there were just not an equal amount of teams to structure games. There also continued to be other issues of an administrative nature. It is true that the level of competition declined as well, but this is likely attributed to the lack of interest or participation by the other communities. Yet the PGCBGC wishes us to ignore the needs of the children in our community without really addressing their programs.
We offered to work with them and to try to find a way to identify the challenge. Instead, they try to divide our community, our county and try to force us out of the county club and off our community fields. A few years ago when the county refused to address issues of nonstandard ages and weights compared to the rest of the nation, BBGC and other clubs left the football program. I think that is what is bothering certain egos, but PGCBGC does not address the real problems. The problems of the county program were not caused by Bowie or other clubs that left in order to survive.
Threats by PGCBGC executives to bully clubs into putting teams back into the program will not solve the problems that should have been addressed years ago. What are the problems? Why is there a decline in interest? Why would you wish to kick out clubs that pay when so many other clubs were cited for nonpayment of dues and fees? Let us work together for the children.
The BBGC continues to be a financially sound 501C nonprofit organization providing year-round sports. I do not believe that the officials of our city will be any less fair to the BBGC as they are to the Girl Scouts, Boys Scouts, Free State Soccer, Sports-4-All, church organizations or the many other children's groups that utilize fields and buildings located within the city.
If they were unfair, we taxpayers would have an awful lot to say.
LYNN DE SEVE
BBGC president elect
