Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label People Cavey-Chris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People Cavey-Chris. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

20080305 This week in The Tentacle

20080305 This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Making Trash Go Away – Part One

Kevin E. Dayhoff

On February 26, the Frederick and Carroll County commissioners met to discuss how to make a combined 1,100 tons of trash-a-day go away.

One outcome of the meeting was the Frederick County Commissioners voted to extend a 45-day window of opportunity for the Carroll County commissioners to decide whether or not to join its neighbor in building a two-county waste-to-energy facility.

This comes after two days of hearings in mid-December in which hundreds participated. Then on December 13, in response to requests that Frederick County conduct more studies, the commissioners wisely said enough with the endless studies.

Indeed, the best research and studies are already readily available from the European Union (EU), in addition to over two decades of study and deliberations on the matter in Central Maryland.

This is not the first time that the two counties have discussed joining forces to deal with trash. The waste-to-energy option had earlier been investigated in 1984 with Howard and Carroll counties.

Read the rest here: Making Trash Go Away – Part One


Booze News

Tom McLaughlin

I have started to go back to bars. In my drinking days, I loved them, but with all the medication I take now, it puts a damper on that exercise.


Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Real "Super Tuesday"

Roy Meachum

Pundits and people alike figured the Democratic presidential primaries would be all over after last month's "Super Tuesday." But today we face another Tuesday that shapes up even more "super."


In The “Now”

Nick Diaz

Why do I ride motorcycles? Many who have been riders for a while often ask themselves that question, and every time what seems to be the same old answer reappears in their minds.


Monday, March 3, 2008

General Assembly Journal 2008 – Volume 3
The Mid-way Point

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

No, the title does not refer to the famous naval battle involving bombardment of the island in World War II. I’m talking about being halfway through the 425th Session of the Maryland General Assembly.


Friday, February 29, 2008

Finally, the Courts (I Hope)

Roy Meachum

My opinion on the subject is known. It was formed in part by stupidities like the Walkersville resident warning the town would become a new Mecca. At issue was the request by a splinter Islamic group to put up a mosque and convention center. You know the story.


Solomon and Shaw

Roy Meachum

George Bernard usually precedes the headline's "Shaw," as if the three words are irretrievably wed. The famous playwright receives as handsome a homage as he's ever been awarded currently at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. As you will read, I was thoroughly delighted with "Major Barbara," which opened at Washington's Sidney Harman Hall this week.


Thursday, February 28, 2008

Take a Closer Look….

Joan McIntyre

Budget time is here. Moratorium is in the works. Last year was spent nickel and dime-ing the property owners, fighting with municipalities and the delegation. So many issues, so little time, what’s a commissioner to do? I’ve got the answer. Say no to out of control budget requests. Stop the “tax-n-spend” mentality.


Inside The Smoke-Filled Back Room…

Chris Cavey

The world of party politics is a strange entanglement of political clubs, candidate campaigns, entourages of elected officials and the organized political party apparatus. Many know the value and can recognize the former; but few understand the organization of the party faithful consistently struggling in the trenches – the state central committee.


Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Reality takes The Year Off

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last weekend the nation’s governors met in Washington for the 100th annual National Governors Association 2008 winter meeting. They had lots to talk about; but it was the faltering economy that eventually stole the show.


News from Ocean City….

Tom McLaughlin

The Town of Ocean City has come up with a brilliant idea to lower their taxes by $14 mil or so, and to raise the taxes of the good people of Worcester County by the same amount.


Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Wayne, I Never Knew You

Roy Meachum

We saw each other on North Market Street; sometimes he was walking that obviously sweet dog. We nodded and smiled to each other. He was usually in black jacket and pants: the usual priest's "off-duty" attire.


A Crack in The Door

Farrell Keough

Over the next few articles, we are going to explore the issues and possible solutions to illegal immigration. During this process, we will ensure correctness of documentation as well as making certain we are not allowing a sense of racism to infect our perspectives.


Monday, February 25, 2008

Pondering a Political Future

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

At a Farm Bureau/Pomona Grange legislative luncheon a few weeks ago, audience members were treated to a little surprise along with their roast beef and ham.


Words, Just Words

Steven R. Berryman

A presidential primary campaign is upon us now, much earlier in impact than in years past. The issues that are forced “off the table” are, in some cases, the ones that should be the defining ones. Shame on us for not forcing them back into the light of day for our proper examination.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

20080220 This week in The Tentacle


This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

A Presidents’ Day View

Kevin E. Dayhoff

In the wake of “Super Tuesday” and the “Potomac Primary,” all signs point to a November presidential contest between United States Senators John McCain, of Arizona, and Barack Obama, of Illinois.


Two Good Men Were Defeated

Tom McLaughlin

Wayne T. Gilchrest, of the 1st Congressional District on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, was just tired. I think George Bush and his cronies wore him down to the point that he didn’t care whether he was re-elected or not.


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Obama "Tide"

Roy Meachum

A Wisconsin February once cost me a tire chain. Going north of Milwaukee to Green Bay, the links broke and thumped repeatedly against the car until I managed to pull off the road. Forecasters predict the same wintry mess for today's voting.


The Passion of a Lifetime

Nick Diaz

Enough math education for a while, folks. If you’ve been reading my recent contributions to thetentacle.com, you may well conclude that education in general, and mathematics education in particular, is the focus of my existence.


Monday, February 18, 2008

General Assembly Journal 2008 – Volume 2

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

With all of the presidential sweepstakes hoopla, I’ve let the Journal slip to a back shelf. It’s time to brush the dust off the leather binding.


Friday, February 15, 2008

“Stronger Than I Thought"

Roy Meachum

The words belong to erstwhile congressional candidate Andrew Duck. He said them as I was leaving the Democratic election night party. He was referring, of course, to rival Jennifer Dougherty's showing in early returns.


A New Chapter

Edward Lulie III

Living here in Frederick County for most of our lives means that I am always running into people who know us, and who openly wonder where Beth is. It is somewhat like being a plague carrier; you are always the bearer of bad news; for those that you tell what has happened can have no good response to make; there is not much to say but that it was a tragedy and that Beth will be sorely missed by all who knew her.


Thursday, February 14, 2008

The Visit of a Lifetime

Chris Cavey

Last Thursday was a very exciting evening for Maryland Republicans. Our validity as a meaningful primary state was made significant by a visit from the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, John McCain; but this visit didn’t happen entirely by accident.


Some Background for Stepping Up To The Plate

Joan McIntyre

I’m continuing on the subject of the Frederick County Planning Commission for the moment. One, because I’ll be leaving it soon after 10 years; and, two, because I want to spark interest in others joining.


Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The McCain Maalox Paradox

Kevin E. Dayhoff

At this point in the Republican 2008 presidential primary campaign Senator John McCain has over three times as many Republican National Convention delegates as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Most people have resigned themselves to the fact that Senator McCain is the de-facto Republican nominee.


Tuesday, February 12, 2008

They Are Coming

Roy Meachum

Sheriff Chuck Jenkins shapes up as the least likely Hitler I can imagine: I know the man. His critics are way off the mark when they say he plans to turn his department into a latter-day Gestapo. It's not in him.


Our Most Important Election Isn’t for President

Farrell Keough

On February 5, your plucky columnist put together a forum at the Urbana Volunteer Fire & Rescue Station for the Board of Education candidates seeking to gain a nomination today for a seek on that body. An impressive array of candidates showed up and spent three hours taking on questions and listening to others.


Monday, February 11, 2008

Political Stupidity Masquerading as Conscience

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

So, the GOP has its presumptive nominee. With all due respect to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, it just ain’t Hucka-happenin’!


Activist Frederick County

Steven R. Berryman

Great news! The System works. Activism is alive and well and living in Frederick County, Maryland. Where the system fails to work, it is fixing itself; and isn’t that what the system really is?

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

20080206 This week in The Tentacle


This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

The SB2 Virus

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last November the Maryland General Assembly inadvertently installed a “Trojan Virus,” now named “SB2,” on the critically important Maryland technology industry.


“To moratorium or not to moratorium…”

Alan Imhoff

Recently I had the opportunity to attend opening night of the Maryland Shakespeare Theater’s fast-paced, hilarious two hour production of the Bard’s complete works (abridged).


Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Presidential Elections Past

Roy Meachum

Registered Frederick County voters received a notice from the elections board last week: Enclosed was a list of candidates for federal jobs, including wannabe delegates to next summer's party conventions and the gang trying out for the Board of Education.


The Power of Weenie Numbers

Nick Diaz

In all my years of teaching middle school mathematics, I’ve been exposed to many an “impossible” problem which can be solved by studying the pattern involved. Some people have been endowed by our Creator with the ability to notice, recognize, and apply such patterns to solve given problems. Most people, however, must be taught these skills.


Monday, February 4, 2008

Trash, Manure, and Politics

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

No, the title of this piece is NOT a game of “which of three things is not like the other,” mostly because the differences are so insignificant.


John McCain Facing Forward

Steven R. Berryman

The Florida Republican Primary contest is now behind us and it certainly was a watershed event. John McCain won large. Rudy Giuliani bowed out afterward despite having wagered heavily in that state, chock-full of retirees from New York. This may have been the arena where McCain’s age was a trump card. What does he face going forward?


Friday, February 1, 2008

Another Jennifer Mess

Roy Meachum

Jennifer Dougherty and my columns have been through a lot. They supported her the first time she ran for mayor; then she thought she had the talents and temperament to make a good county commissioner. They sat out that one. In both instances, voters decided otherwise. The third time proved a charm although something else for other Fredericktonians.


Thursday, January 31, 2008

State of the State Smoke & Mirrors

Chris Cavey

Recently Gov. Martin O’Malley delivered the State of the State address to the applause of a Democrat-dominated General Assembly. In case you missed it, the speech was about 40 minutes of infomercial to which the press paid little attention. Here are a couple of nice highlight.


Step Up To The Plate…

Joan McIntyre

Okay! This is a first for me, so bear with me and I'll do my best to keep you informed in a fair and balanced way. Yeah, right! Like I don't have any opinions. That will be the day. Those who know me are now spitting out coffee all over their computer. Those that don’t will learn soon I’m not shy about opinions.


Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Senator Robert Hooper – R.I.P.

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last Thursday, former State Senator J. Robert Hooper, (R., Harford) passed away from colon cancer while surrounded by his family at his home in Street. He served in the Maryland Senate for nine years.


Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Bill Clinton a Drag

Roy Meachum

There are others out there: People who believed William Jefferson Clinton ranked some where close to Thomas Jefferson in ranking U.S. presidents by brain-power. I felt that way. Once again, the man is proving that intelligent does not equate to smart. His performance in his wife's campaign demonstrates how very dumb he can be.


A Labor of Love…

Farrell Keough

Breaking News: Group able to accomplish acquiring and building football field for local children without government help.


Monday, January 28, 2008

Presidential Wannabes – The Democratic Field

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

My last column dealing with the presidential race broke down the GOP field and offered worthless advice, but no less worthy than the advice being offered by big whig media pundits. This week, the fickle finger of foolishness is pointing at the Democratic Party presidential wannabes. They’d be wise to duck.

WE GET LETTERS!

WE GET LETTERS!!! An Adamstown resident takes issue with Roy Meachum's column, posted last Tuesday, on the upcoming Maryland primary. CLICK HERE!!! CLICK HERE!

20080206 This week in The Tentacle

NBH

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

20080123 This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Iron Chef Maryland

Kevin E. Dayhoff

As members of the Maryland General Assembly prepare a menu of legislative edicts that will save the world from global warming, the weather feels rather chilly for State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick.

Never fear, Mrs. Grasmick, word in the airways is that Gov. Martin O’Malley is breaking out the large backyard crab pot and the sharp knives – and you, my dear, are to be served for dinner.

Fellow Maryland crab aficionados are aware that crabs are put in water, in a large pot – alive. Heat is slowly applied and before you know it, after a brief kerfuffle, the tasty crustaceans are boiled alive. Of course, at first the crabs just think they have escaped the bushel basket to go for a swim.

In December, the state school board voted to extend Mrs. Grasmick’s contract. Ah, the cruelest hoax of all is the hope for safety. The Democrat leadership of the General Assembly and the governor’s office were less than pleased.

The program in Annapolis is really called “Iron Chef Maryland,” with all appropriate apologies to any reference to the hit “Food Channel” program “Iron Chef America.”

Today, the governor will utter the opening battle cry – and serve his State of the State “appetizer” to the legislature assembled jointly in the kitchen-chamber of the House of Delegates.

Sure to be included in the annual address will be… Read the rest of the column here: Iron Chef Maryland


A Funny Thing Happened on The Way…..

Farrell Keough

A funny thing happened to the Resource Conservation Zoning areas the other day – they got a reprieve from potential damage by the Board of County Commissioners. But, only a reprieve. These zoned areas and the rules surrounding them are still on the altar of political distortion.


Tuesday, January 22, 2008

All Over But...

Roy Meachum

Marylanders' primary vote in three weeks could mean bupkus (less than nothing). Nothing will probably matter after a whole passel of states square off the week before, February 5. It looks to me like the traditional Democratic bosses want Bill Clinton's former first lady. After the Iowa surprise, that's what we have seen. They took over in New Hampshire and Nevada.


Teaching is Not Telling

Nick Diaz

“Teaching is not telling.” Wise words spoken many years ago by a well-known Frederick County Public Schools administrator. This man is still working in the trenches, down at the school level, where he continues to make things happen.


The President Visits Frederick – Chapter Two

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

Once the other greeters had arrived, a member of the White House advance team called us together for a briefing. Nothing is left to chance, and every single movement is scripted. You’re told where to stand, how to line up, and where to go once you’re spoken to and shaken hands with the president.


Monday, January 21, 2008

The President In Frederick, Chapter 1

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

Okay, having the President of the United States in Frederick isn’t really such a big deal. In case you didn’t know, he spends many weekends up at Camp David. In fact, I think at the end of his two terms, he will have spent more time in the Catoctin Mountains than any previous president.


From Walkersville With Bias

Steven R. Berryman

Advice from the publisher of The Tentacle, John W. Ashbury given to me recently correctly told me that “A pancake, however thin, always has 2 sides,” in reminding me to consider the aspects of perspective and fairness in my columns.


Dr. King’s Call

Derek Shackelford

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is arguably the greatest orator of the last 50 years in America. Today portions of some of his Speeches will be played to celebrate the federal holiday celebrating his birth.


Friday, January 18, 2008

Governing by Fiat

Roy Meachum

Back on October 26, I offered TheTentacle.com readers this observation: "From here the omens are not good for the governor's session that opens Monday. Martin O'Malley hoped calling the legislature in would lead to answers for Maryland's staggering deficits. I don't think it's going to happen." I was wrong.


My world turned upside down

Edward Lulie III

It is amazing, as many people know, how one day can turn your life upside down with no way possible to upright it.


Thursday, January 17, 2008

How Quickly We Forget

Chris Cavey

What a difference a few years make. It seems like it was just 2004 and The Sun of Baltimore commissioned a poll where, oddly enough, a Republican governor – after his first year in office – scored a rating of 56% popularity from the citizens of Maryland. The press and media were in disbelief.


Wednesday, January 16, 2008

“When all else fails, read the Constitution”

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last Thursday, Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Thomas F. Stansfield delivered a decision in the lawsuit filed by Republicans, which sought to overturn more than $1.3 billion in new taxes passed in the special session of the Maryland General Assembly in November.


Joining The Great Society

Norman M. Covert

Whether one likes it or not, this is the moment when the reality of socialism strikes my generation in the face. We cannot avoid it. All manner of protestations about the rightness of conservative values cannot compete with the reality of Big Government – and truly this is not George Bush’s fault.


Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Elitist Commissioners

Roy Meachum

John "Lennie" Thompson and the commissioners he continues to dominate see Frederick's development strictly in terms of profit hungry and all-powerful builders.


What’s Behind This Moratorium?

Farrell Keough

To moratorium or not to moratorium; that is not necessarily the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the traffic jams and loss of beautiful landscape, or take action against our development issues and end them…


Monday, January 14, 2008

Lessons Learned

Steven R. Berryman

I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed the quasi-legal proceedings of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Inc.’s (AMC) hearings to obtain approval of a special exception that would allow them to build a 43,000 square foot convention building in Walkersville.


General Assembly Journal 2008 – Volume 1

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

With the tension of the recently completed special session still hanging thick in the Annapolis air, and the unusual spring-like warmth banishing the normal overcoats and gloves, 188 legislators again descended on the state capitol to begin the 425th session of the Maryland General Assembly.

_____

January 16, 2008

“When all else fails, read the Constitution”

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Last Thursday, Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Thomas F. Stansfield delivered a decision in the lawsuit filed by Republicans, which sought to overturn more than $1.3 billion in new taxes passed in the special session of the Maryland General Assembly in November.

January 9, 2008

The Special Session Lawsuit

Kevin E. Dayhoff

The 425th session of the Maryland General Assembly begins today. Hopefully, the first order of business for that august body will be to re-visit and fix all the problems created during the special taxing session last November.

January 2, 2008

Spiro Agnew: Patron Saint of Alaska

Kevin E. Dayhoff

I was treated to a white Christmas last week. It snowed everyday the entire week I stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, which is incidentally the same hotel where the patron saint of Alaska, Maryland’s own Spiro Agnew, stayed on an impromptu stopover in 1981.

20080123 This week in The Tentacle

Thursday, January 10, 2008

20080109 This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The Special Session Lawsuit

Kevin E. Dayhoff

The 425th session of the Maryland General Assembly begins today. Hopefully, the first order of business for that august body will be to re-visit and fix all the problems created during the special taxing session last November.

Of course, the big unknown, as this column is being written, is what Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Thomas F. Stansfield will decide in the Michael D Smigiel, Sr., et al. v Peter Franchot, et al. case, which seeks to invalidate the legislation passed in the 22-day special session that ended November 19.

Read the entire column: The Special Session Lawsuit


“The Worst of Times”

Tom McLaughlin

Let’s start the New Year again. Roll back the clock to December 31 and kiss one another at the stroke of midnight.


Tuesday, January 8, 2008

The Obama Factor

Roy Meachum

One-time Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton goes into today's New Hampshire primary a surprising underdog.


Understanding Middle School Math

Nick Diaz

The job of the typical middle and high school mathematics teacher is a challenging one, as evidenced by the kinds of questions and statements made by students, parents, and school administrators; these are the people who comprise our “constituency”, if I may.


Monday, January 7, 2008

Presidential Wannabes – The GOP Field

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

Since offering unwanted advice to national presidential candidates seems to be the new media cottage industry, here’s my attempt to play with the big boys.


Friday, January 4, 2008

Mayor Jeff's Furies

Roy Meachum

For an affable, generally diffident guy, Jeff Holtzinger managed quickly to attract the Furies, what the ancient Greeks called the Eumenides. The critters pursued and presumably drove to madness those who had offended the gods.


Thursday, January 3, 2008

Predictions!!!!!

John W. Ashbury

Every year newspapers and magazines, both printed and electronic, offer their forecasts for the future. So, why should The Tentacle be any different? Here is what we see on our own crystal ball.


Costly Government and Arrogance

Chris Cavey

In 1870 Lord Acton wrote these three famous phrases about papal infallibility: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad.” Today Lord Acton’s dictum describes the manhandling of the Maryland General Assembly by a single political party in control.


Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Spiro Agnew: Patron Saint of Alaska

Kevin E. Dayhoff

I was treated to a white Christmas last week. It snowed everyday the entire week I stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, which is incidentally the same hotel where the patron saint of Alaska, Maryland’s own Spiro Agnew, stayed on an impromptu stopover in 1981.


How to Fix Your Life in 2008

Tom McLaughlin

The Wall Street Journal recently had a question and answer session on “How to Fix Your Life in 2008.” The problems are theirs; the answers mine.


Tuesday, January 1, 2008

The City

Roy Meachum

As yet another year begins, I find again that I am the richest of men and in a way that counts better than money. I am, at times, overwhelmed by the lode of friends Frederick has given. In organizing a surprise October birthday lunch, Pat assembled a few among the handful who never questioned or tested our relationship, no matter the storms that raged around me.


Monday, December 31, 2007

Presidents, Priesthood, and Politics

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

Should a candidate for president have to explain their faith to the American voter? Do people who aspire to hold the highest elected office in our nation have an obligation to make each of us feel comfortable with their personal view of theology and how that faith influences their life and politics?


Citizens For Walkersville – Part 1

Steven R. Berryman

The true story of how a small agricultural town came together against a ridiculous land use proposition. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Inc., (AMC) chose my town of 5500 residents to build their International Convention Center, and upset our way of life.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

20071226 This week in The Tentacle


This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A Christmas Tragedy

Kevin E. Dayhoff

We are all mourning this Christmas season after last Wednesday’s senseless death of Smithsburg police officer Christopher Shane Nicholson, 25.


The Joy and Sadness of Christmas

Tom McLaughlin

It’s almost over. I have just about cleaned out the four-story townhouse and have over 100 boxes of stuff. I say stuff because I was not sure what to throw out and what to keep. Most of the stuff was Mom’s and Dad’s.

WE GET LETTERS!

WE GET LETTERS!!! A Walkersville resident commiserates with Steve Berryman and his thoughts about I-270 and its effect on our community. CLICK HERE!!! CLICK HERE!


Monday, December 24, 2007

Frederick Children

Roy Meachum

These observations appeared in my Frederick News-Post column the December sleigh-bell-bedecked horses pulled wagons through downtown streets; a spectacle that had disappeared several decades before. It was also the season when my column first appeared.


Family Traditions – Old and New

Farrell Keough

Think back to those exhilarating days just prior to the big event; the chill in the air; the anticipatory extra step in your gait; the constant talk among your friends as to what you might find on that oh-so-special day.


Friday, December 21, 2007

More Lennie

Roy Meachum

You want proof farmers have become the new outcasts? Check the Thursday front page of the Frederick News-Post for Commissioner John L. Thompson, Jr.'s latest bureaucratic fandango.


Santa’s in the Seein’

Norman M. Covert

Pardon my impertinence, but a long time ago my blue eyes assured me in the darkness of an early Christmas morning that Santa Claus had come and gone. No question. No debate.


Thursday, December 20, 2007

A Primary Explanation

Chris Cavey

Next month will be the beginning, nationwide, of presidential primary voting. In my travels I have run into many people who are both surprised and confused about the advanced voting season. So here is a little primer to help you through the quandary of what and why.


Why Be a Republican? – Part 3

Farrell Keough

When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not your friend. [U.S. Marine Corps]

WE GET LETTERS!

WE GET LETTERS!!!!! A Monrovia resident applauds the Natelli Corporation for its proposal for a YMCA at Urbana and makes suggestions for improvements to the county's planning process. CLICK HERE!!!!! CLICK HERE!


Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Playing “The War on Christmas” Card

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Fortunately, this year in “The War on Christmas,” no overwhelming weapons of mass Christmas destruction have materialized and it appears that Christmas is winning. And that’s a good thing.


The Chesapeake Bay

Tom McLaughlin

It absolutely can’t be that dirty. No way. The Chesapeake Bay that is. All the information flowing in says the waterway is a cesspool complete with garbage floating on top of its entire length and breath. There are no fish. Anyone catching any are having hallucinations and eating imaginary meals. The water quality sucks with a capital “S.”


Why Be a Republican? – Part 2

Farrell Keough

Aim towards the Enemy. [Instructions printed on U.S. Rocket Launcher]


Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Today's Uneasy Iraq

Roy Meachum

Holiday seasons are ever thus: intent on buying gifts and celebrating the season, few Americans notice what's happening in the rest of the world.


Why Be a Republican? – Part 1

Farrell Keough

What is the similarity between an air traffic controller and a pilot? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; if the air traffic controller screws up…, the pilot dies. [Anonymous]

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

20071212 This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Writers Strike and Christmas

Kevin E. Dayhoff

For those who are fans of early television, especially old Christmas movies and holiday specials, the strike by The Writers Guild of America, which began November 5, may have a temporary silver lining.

[…]

Meanwhile, for those who are writers comes the ultimate conundrum as posed best by Kim Masters, an entertainment correspondent for National Public Radio: “I don't understand how a WGA writer can turn off the writing part of his brain…”

Tennessee Williams summed it up when he said: “When I stop working the rest of the day is posthumous. I'm only really alive when I'm writing.”

[…]

I mentioned a silver lining. It will be short-lived, but at least for the Christmas season, network TV will fill in programming with the ghosts of Christmas past and show us as many of the old Christmas classics as possible.

And this is a good thing. From Christmas past, there are always re-runs of some of the great movies of the season, such as Frank Capra’s 1946 “It's a Wonderful Life,” with Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore.

Also on my list are: “The Miracle of the Bells,” from 1948, directed by Irving Pichel and starring Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Frank Sinatra, and Lee J. Cobb; and “Babes in Toyland,” from 1961, featuring Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello, and Tommy Kirk.

But my all-time favorite Christmas movie is the 1954 classic “White Christmas,” directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.

For the writer and the artist in me, there is no better season for the many animated TV classics from the past. My top five would include “Frosty the Snowman,” from 1969, with the voice of Jimmy Durante; the 1964 classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” with Burl Ives; and Boris Karloff as the voice of the Grinch in the 1966 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

My top pick is almost a tie, but “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” from 1965, gets edged out by “Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol,” which first aired on December 18, 1962.

Read the entire column here: The Writers Strike and Christmas


Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Democrats Divide Again

Roy Meachum

Comedian and cowboy Will Rodgers coined one of my favorite sayings: "I belong to no organized political party: I'm a Democrat."


The Delegation’s Workload – Part 2

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

We’ve already looked at the county commissioners’ bill proposals that the county’s legislative delegation will wrestle with, now we’ll consider the bills that affect the whole state, not just our county. These face a much more difficult, if not impossible, path to passage. We’ll also take a gander at the policy statements of the Board of County Commissioners.


10 Dumb Questions I Get – Part 3

Nick Diaz

Readers may be glad to know that this is the last segment of the series on the 10 dumb questions asked of a motorcyclist; the first six of these questions appeared in the first two parts. Today we’ll round the set with the last four.


Monday, December 10, 2007

The Delegation’s Workload – Part 1

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

It hardly seems possible, but we’re less than a month away from the start of the 2008 General Assembly session. Last week, I included a highlight of the Board of County Commissioners legislative package. If you’re anything like the dozens of people who approached me this past week, you’re looking for more information, so here goes.


Jingoist Bells, Jingoist Bells…

Steven R. Berryman

…Jingo all the way. When did patriotism become a negative attribute of Americans, and why isn’t Pat Buchanan running for president in 2008? The advanced press for his new book, Day Of Reckoning, reads more like a campaign platform than it does a plot; his compilation of issues and proposed solutions leaves one feeling a patriotic sense of hope for us all again, so long as his warnings are positively received.

WE GET LETTERS!

WE GET LETTERS!!! A Walkersville resident takes issue with Steve Berryman's treatise on the Supreme Court's decision to hear the matter of the gun ownership law in Washington, DC. CLICK HERE!!! CLICK HERE!


Friday, December 7, 2007

Old, Destructive Politics

Roy Meachum

Over the past 150 years this nation's two-party system has been an unpleasant reality for politicians. Left to their own devices, they would decapitate and castrate organized opposition of any kind.


Operation Christmas Tree

Kevin E. Dayhoff

How do you ship 5,000 two-foot live Christmas trees to a war zone? Early last Saturday morning over 300 volunteers figured it out as they braved the wind and cold and turned out for “Operation Christmas Tree” at the Carroll County Agriculture Center.


Thursday, December 6, 2007

Questions and Answers

Chris Cavey

This week a friend referred to me as a glass half-full kind of guy. Jokingly I told him anyone who is an officer of the Maryland Republican Party is required to be an optimist, because if you don’t see a future for our party, you have no reason to be in leadership.


Wednesday, December 5, 2007

The President and Community Initiatives

Kevin E. Dayhoff

To commemorate World AIDS Day last Friday, President George W. Bush and his wife Laura met with representatives of faith-based groups in a roundtable discussion at Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy.


Just Watching and Waiting

Tom McLaughlin

Things here in Ocean City are quieting down and there is very little traffic along beach highway. The hardware stores are empty compared to a year ago as the vacation housing boom has been reduced to a fizzle.


Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Partisanship or Prejudice

Roy Meachum

During the years spent hanging around the White House, I found it funny when a friend received a birthday book: "Republicans I Have Known and Loved." Inside were blank pages as might be expected among that Democratic crowd.


Editor's Note:

Farrell Keough

(Editor's Note: Farrell Keough's column, which would normally appear in this space today, is delayed by a fractious nuisance called illness. It will appear later this week.)


Raquel, Where are you?

Norman M. Covert

Nostalgia has a way of striking down the old folks when they least expect it. I saw an interview with Edward Powell, chief executive officer of the United Service Organization (USO), and was taken aback by his excuses why no big-name stars would entertain the troops in Iraq or Afghanistan this Christmas.


Monday, December 3, 2007

Christmas Cash & A Potpourri

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

Once again, the powers-to-be at Clear Channel Radio’s WFMD held their annual radiothon for Frederick County’s children. Christmas Cash for Kids consumed large chunks of air normally reserved for political, social, and financial chit-chat.


Side-Arms Showdown in DC

Steven R. Berryman

By upholding a lower court ruling, the District of Columbia gun ban could well be overturned with finality by the U.S. Supreme Court next spring. You might ask why this bothers both the NRA and The Brady Campaign.