This week in The Tentacle
http://www.thetentacle.com/Thursday, February 4, 2010
Speaking of GovernmentPatricia A. Kelly
President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address that he “wants to make life better for the middle class.” Do we, the middle class, need to have our lives made better? Are we not capable of functioning on our own? Can we not work, buy food, make babies, and live in the suburbs by our own efforts? What should government have to do with any of that?
Scientific ‘Desertation’Norman M. Covert
Science has suffered an undeserved black eye from university professors claiming to be scientists. The sun is shining the light of truth on heralded evidence accepted by many climatologists concluding that the earth is warming. The data has been exposed as not founded on hard and fast rules of scientific discovery.
Obama, Blaine Young, and The Super BowlDerek Shackelford
How long would it last? Now that didn’t take long. Much of this nation was tuned into President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address. With the myriad of problems that this country is facing, many wanted to hear the solutions that would decrease the deficit, lower unemployment, health care reform, and the abuses on Wall Street.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Standing up by sitting downKevin E. Dayhoff
On Monday February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College walked into the historic 1929 F. W. Woolworth Five-and-Dime building at 301 North Elm Street in Greensboro, N.C., and ordered lunch.
A Sumatran Adventure – Part 1Tom McLaughlin
Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia – The river that divides this tropical village can be jumped with a flying leap by a high school track star. Water rushes through the small valley frothing clear and pure. A swinging bridge connects the two sides with a warning that only a few people can cross at the same time.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Corporations As CitizensRoy Meachum
Somewhere in the Constitution, I guess, the Founding Fathers equated companies and corporations with the rights of American citizens; I don’t know where. Still it must be there. Otherwise the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overstepped its authority.
Why Cuban Exiles Are ConservativeNick Diaz
"I saw communism with my own eyes," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Republican National Convention in 2004. "I remember the fear we had when we had to cross into the Soviet sector. I was a little boy, I wasn't an action hero back then, and I remember how scared I was that the soldiers would pull my father or my uncle out of the car and I'd never see him again. My family and so many others lived in fear...."
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Essential Blaine YoungSteven R. Berryman
“Hell froze over” Saturday at Winchester Hall, as the man known to his fans as “Frederick’s youngest good ol’ boy” was unanimously appointed to be its youngest county commissioner. Those knowing the man well were not at all surprised.
Campaign Diary: The PreparationMichael Kurtianyk
On January 13, I filed to run for commissioner for Frederick County, as a Democrat. Should I have told my wife and children? J Just kidding!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Goodbye, MacRoy Meachum
Charles “Chuck” Percy now stands alone. Together with Frederick’s Charles “Mac” Mathias, they once fought against polarization within their Republican Party. I knew them in Washington from reporting on Capitol Hill.
Give Up NowJoe Charlebois
In Tuesday’s New York Times editorial entitled “Don’t Give Up Now,” the cry for Democrats to fight on in the great Healthcare War of 2010 and ignore public sentiment is an overwhelming petition to pull out a dry wooden match, drag its phosphorous laden tip across the matchbox; and set the Constitution on fire!
Changing Politics, Harry Reid and A FoolDerek Shackelford
The political landscape changed last week according to the pundits. The election of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate forced the Democrats to relinquish their 60 seat stronghold.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Spinning A Tale – Taking ResponsibilityChris Cavey
On February 4th we will have story time in Annapolis. The governor of our beautiful – but economically depressed – state, will stand before a joint session of the legislature, with the media in full force, and tell all the boys and girls who are listening a fairy tale.
It’s Tough Tooting Your Own Horn…Joan McIntyre
What an unusual month this has been. It’s been a whirlwind chain of events for the Republican Party, from Massachusetts to Maryland. My focus is on the Frederick events right now.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
“Mac” Mathias: A Civil Rights LionKevin E. Dayhoff
Former Republican U.S. Senator Charles McCurdy (Mac) Mathias, a native son of Frederick, has died at the age of 87. He was living in Chevy Chase, where his family reported that he died Monday from complications of Parkinson's disease.
Another Adventure Among The ApesTom McLaughlin
Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia – The orangutan ambled just ahead of us, we were repeatedly told. The guide and tracker, in constant communication by yelling into a hand phones, kept assuring us the ape lingered very near but when we arrived at the spots, mom and son had just left.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Great ExpectationsRoy Meachum
Many voices – including mine – were raised against Democrat Martha Coakley’s indolent campaign in last week’s loss to Republican Scott Brown; they bumped heads in Massachusetts’ special election for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy’s seat. On further thought I find she was no less guilty than the majority of Americans who swept Barack Obama into the White House.
It’s a Joke, SonNorman M. Covert
The pollster asked for an assessment of President Barack Hussein Obama’s first year in office. My best response was a guffaw and reference to one of America’s great Post World War II legislators, fiery Southern Senator Beauregard Claghorn, who opined, “It’s a joke, son!”
The Cart Before The Horse…Farrell Keough
Our delegation to Annapolis has recently
voted to endorse a pilot program for a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) trash mitigation system. Will this program help mitigate the tremendous amount of trash we send to the landfill and potentially save our citizens money? Let’s explore some of the possibilities.
20100204 sdsom This week in The Tentacle
