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

Monday, January 07, 2008

20080107 Smigiel vs Franchot


Photo: Westminster, Md. - Members of the media gather around Owings Mills attorney Irwin Kramer, in front of the historic Carroll County Courthouse after last Friday’s hearing over a lawsuit brought by five Republicans and a businessman from Carroll County, which questions the legitimacy of Maryland's November special session. Behind Kramer are Maryland Senators Brinkley and Kittleman and Maryland Delegates O’Donnell, Smigiel and Shank. Friday, January 4, 2008 photo by Kevin Dayhoff

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Smigiel vs Franchot

January 7, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

I attended the hearing Friday, January 4th, 2008 in Carroll County Circuit Court for the oral arguments in the special session lawsuit: Case No.: 06-C-07-0496648: Michael D Smigiel Sr, et al vs Peter Franchot, et al., which seeks to invalidate the legislation passed in the Maryland General Assembly’s 22-day special session that ended November 19.

The plaintiffs in the suit are Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market; Senate Minority Whip Allan H. Kittleman (R-Dist. 9) of West Friendship; House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby; House Minority Whip Christopher Shank (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown; Del. Michael D. Smigiel Jr., the House minority parliamentarian; and John Pardoe, the owner of Byte Right Support of Baltimore.

WJZ TV, Channel 13 in Baltimore, had the best video coverage (http://wjz.com/video/?cid=5) of last Friday’s historic oral arguments. To find this and other news videos of breaking Maryland news, go to: http://wjz.com/video/?cid=5.

20080104 WJZ video coverage of MD constitutional test

The suit filed on December 13 was lost in the shuffle for many as the regular season of the National Football League drew to a close; Baltimore Raven’s Coach Brian Billick joined the ranks of Maryland’s 3.5 percent unemployed; and many were getting ready for Christmas or Hanukah.

The Circuit Court case names as one of the defendants Maryland Comptroller Peter V. R. Franchot, who ironically was very vocal in opposition to the special session called by Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley on October 15.

Comptroller Franchot, scathingly wrote on October 23, in part, in his ongoing campaign for Maryland governor in the 2010 gubernatorial election; “As Maryland's chief fiscal officer, however, I must question the timing and necessity of this approach. Mindful of the reservations each of you has expressed about a special session, I must underscore the profound - and perhaps unintended - consequences of this undertaking on Maryland's economy, business climate, and quality of life, and to caution against acting in haste.”

In addition to Comptroller Franchot, the other defendants are the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Maryland Health Care Commission, the Health Services Cost Review Commission, acting Secretary of State Dennis C. Schnepfe, the Maryland State Board of Elections, and the Carroll County Board of Elections.

The lawsuit alleges that the General Assembly did not follow constitutional procedure, and therefore, the sales tax, which was expanded to include computer services and the increases to the state’s sales, income, corporate, tobacco and vehicle-titling taxes are invalid:

House Bill 1, Chapter 2: Budget Reconciliation Act; Senate Bill 2, Chapter 3: Tax Reform Act of 2007; Senate Bill 3, Chapter 4: Maryland Education Trust Fund – Video Lottery Terminals; House Bill 4, Chapter 5: Video Lottery Terminals – Authorization and Limitations; House Bill 5, Chapter 6: Transportation and State Investment Act; and Senate Bill 6, Chapter 7: Working Families and Small Business Health Coverage Act.

If you have not had an opportunity to visit the courtroom on the second floor of the 1838 “Greek Revival” courthouse on Court Street in Westminster, please do so at your next opportunity. If it were not for the fact that the room does not have a back balcony, and the wooden floors are now carpeted, one could easily conjure up visions of the courtroom scenes in Harper Lee’s classic Pulitzer Prize winning 1960 southern gothic, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

I went to the hearing with an open mind, however, like many, in December I had my reservations about the strength of the case being brought forward by the plaintiffs when the suit was initially filed. Then as I got away from the coverage of the elite media and began to examine the primary source documents, I began to see the “there - there.”

Actually several dynamics turned me around on the plaintiff’s case. My initial analysis continued to change once the Attorney General’s office began to pitch a fit about deposing the chief clerk of the House of Delegates, Mary Monahan – who has a reputation as a straight-up person. It is my understanding from anecdotal accounts that she was perfectly willing to testify…

Then came the transcript of her testimony, which is a must read for anyone interested in the case.

Concurrently, there were the acidic public comments from some of the main players. For example, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. called the suit ‘‘bungled legal reasoning and frivolous,” according to Doug Tallman, writing for the Gazette.

The next shoe dropped when the Baltimore Sun published the Maryland Democrat Party’s talking points, in a most unfortunate editorial on January 2nd, 2008, “Much ado about nothing.” It was a “Hail Mary” pass in an attempt to replace the law by plebiscite and populism.

It was with that editorial that I realized that Maryland Democrats and the state had resigned themselves that the lawsuit was on firm legal footing as it was anticipated that they will lose. Please read the following excerpt. I did not make it up.

Yet even as the new rates settle in (changes to most, such as the income tax, are already in effect while the extra penny in the sales tax arrives tomorrow), a bit of uncertainty is still hovering in the air. That's because a lawsuit filed by Republicans seeking to undo the bills approved by the General Assembly during November's special session remains pending before the courts.

It's fair to oppose new taxes - although tax opponents are usually loath to own up to the adverse impacts of such a stance - but there's been ample opportunity to express dissent. There was plenty of debate in the House and Senate. Amendments were offered, some adopted and some not. Votes were taken. Ultimately, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the various pieces of legislation into law - in front of witnesses, too.

But the lawsuit would seek to scrap all of it for the flimsiest of reasons. The entire case centers on an obscure provision in the state constitution that says lawmakers in one chamber cannot adjourn for more than three days without a vote of assent from those of the other.

Leave aside whether that happened or not in this instance; why is this even a requirement? Here's the historic context: It's meant to prevent members of the Senate or House of Delegates from leaving town before the government's business is done. That was never at issue in this case. It's much ado about nothing. Republicans might as well be litigating the stock of paper used for bills or the Senate's opening prayer.

Reread it. After one digests what the Baltimore Sun wrote, the only conclusion is that so what if the Maryland Constitution was violated, the taxes are a good thing…

As the hearing evolved, the mood of the room seemed to swing in the direction of Irwin Kramer, the Owings Mills attorney representing the plaintiffs, as he as he forcefully articulated his case.

Austin Schlick, head of the Maryland attorney general's civil litigation division, representing the state of Maryland and Irwin Kramer, the Owings Mills attorney representing the five Republicans and a businessman from Carroll County who filed the lawsuit; advocated their client’s positions on what constitutes the “consent” as required by the Constitution.

The State’s case, on the other hand, seemed to falter on the law. The State’s presentation deteriorated and appeared disingenuous, if not circuitous, and ultimately began to fall back upon arrogance and politics – a point of which the judge seemed to have no tolerance. It was not Austin Schlick’s day.

At issue is whether or not the Senate obtained the appropriate consent of the House in order to adjourn for more than three days as required by Article III, Section 25.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. told senators on November 9, they would return to work on Nov. 13; however, it was later decided that the Senate not reconvene until November 15.

As a result all the legislation that followed, in the 22-day session which mercifully ended on November 19, should be ruled legally invalid.

Many of us clearly recalled when Delegate Smigiel (R-Dist. 36) of Elkton rose on the House floor and brought the Senate’s six-day adjournment to the attention of the House Parliamentarian, Del. Kathleen M. Dumais.

Incredibly, the Parliamentarian promptly produced a letter from Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Rowe which said that the work of legislature could proceed. This, in spite of Article III, Section 25, which states clearly: “Neither House shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, at any one time, nor adjourn to any other place, than that in which the House shall be sitting, without the concurrent vote of two-thirds of the members present.”

The state hinged its argumentation on two points, one the legislature may make its own rules and pleaded that the consequences of ruling invalid the increases to the sales, income, corporate, tobacco, and vehicle titling taxes.

Mr. Irvin Kramer responded effectively that the legislatures’ own rules invalidate the subsequent bills enacted after the Maryland Senate took a five-day break, without the appropriate consent from the House.

Furthermore, as was revealed in the deposition of chief clerk of the House of Delegates; the consent never could have occurred because the delegates were never given a chance to debate the consent.

Perhaps now we understand why the Attorney General’s office tried so hard to prevent the chief clerk from being deposed…

At the hearing last Friday, Schlick repeatedly attempted to argue that nullifying the $1.5 billion in increased taxes would place the state in financial peril and cause “extraordinary harm.” The judge sustained Mr. Kramer’s objections to this testimony, not once but twice, saying that matter was not before the court.

Lost in the reporting on the lawsuit by the elite media is the focus of the second constitutional test which contests the General Assembly decision in HB 4, Chapter 5 (Exhibit P) and SB 3, Chapter 4 (Exhibit O), to refer the contentious issue of slots to referendum this coming November in violation of Article XVI, Section 2, of the Maryland constitution.

As an aside, editorializations by elected officials and the elite media “to let the voters decide the issue of slots,” has always been the source of amusement by those of us who have studied the Maryland Constitution. Yes, it’s a great idea. However, in Maryland, there’s only one small problem; it is unconstitutional.

The plaintiff’s December 13 memorandum alleges that the legislation to refer the issue of slots to referendum was an effort “To avoid a lengthy and rancorous debate on slot machines, (in that) the Legislature attempted to shift their work on this controversial revenue plan to the public at large.”

“Though some issues may be referred to voters, the Constitution prohibits the referral of revenue and appropriations bills for maintaining the State Government or other public institutions.”

Article XVI, Section 2 of the Maryland constitution clearly states: “No law making any appropriation for maintaining the State Government, or for maintaining or aiding any public institution, not exceeding the next previous appropriation for the same purpose, shall be subject to rejection or repeal under this Section.”

This latest lawsuit is yet another in a series of awkward interactions between Maryland’s august legislative branch and Maryland’s judiciary. The two branches of government have been waging a low-grade guerilla war with one another for years, which has usually only been the topic of esoteric scholarly conversations between academics.

The “Wal-Mart bill” which violated the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act,” which governs worker health care plans, led the way. With more than ample case law to support the decision, it was quickly dispatched by a well-respected U. S. District Court judge, who easily understood that federal statute governs employee health care benefits.

Next, in August 2006, another highly respected member of the bench, Anne Arundel Circuit Court Judge Robert Silkworth struck down General Assembly’s (vote early and vote often) “early voting law. Duh, the Maryland Constitution says, in part: “… All general elections in this state shall be held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November ...” No rocket science here.

One of the strongest judicial rebukes came on September 14, 2006, when the Maryland Court of Appeals, ruled unconstitutional the General Assembly’s legislation to fire the Maryland Public Service Commission. In its ruling the court said that the legislature’s attempt to seize authority otherwise relegated to the executive branch to be “… repugnant to the Maryland constitution.”

Ay caramba. Memo to the Maryland General Assembly, when all else fails, read the constitution. Help is available by any first year law school student – or even a local Boy Scout getting his citizenship and government badge.

Meanwhile, the judge, of whom I have known for many years, is a straight arrow and known to be a Maryland constitutional and historical scholar. After two hours of courtroom deliberations, Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Thomas F. Stansfield announced he would review the entire record in the context of the just-presented oral arguments and issue a written opinion as soon as possible with the understanding that the regular General Assembly session begins January 9th.

I’m not a lawyer, but I do have some insight into the Maryland Constitution, its history and the legislative rules and procedures involved. I walked out of the courthouse with a feeling that the plaintiff’s made their case – and the state did not.

As I wrote earlier in the comment section of He'll Rule the Wrong Way; after reading the Transcript of Deposition of Mary Monahan, Chief Clerk of the House of Delegates of Maryland; and the Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs' Motions for Emergency Declaratory and Injunctive Relief; [www.kramerslaw.com/special_session.htm] and hearing the oral arguments last Friday; I will hypothecate that the Judge will rule in favor of the plaintiffs.

[Also, be sure to read “Lawsuit Conclusion,” posted Sunday, January 6, 2008 by David K. Kyle on “The Candid Truth.” Mr. Kyle has followed the lawsuit studiously. Click here: GOP Lawsuit, to view his excellent coverage.

Another blog post worthy of your time is, The Candid Truth - Lawsuit Conclusion posted by “Robert” on January 7, 2007 on Anne Arundel Maryland Politics.]

My hypothecation is that the ruling will narrowly confine itself strictly to the matters of law and will not get anywhere near legislating from the bench.

Furthermore, with the understanding that whatever is decided, it will be appealed, comes a greater burden for the Carroll County Circuit Court Judge. It will serve this judge well to concisely and definitively focus the matters of law before it so as to provide the higher courts the foundation with which to work.

This case is a constitutional test that will live in the judicial annals long into the future, and long after the politics of the day are forgotten. The decision at this level of the judiciary needs to be one of the best decisions this judge could possibly write. My guess is that he will not disappoint.

Ultimately, the case will be decided at the state’s highest court – where the Maryland General Assembly has not fared well in recent years.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

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For good newspaper coverage of the Special Session Lawsuit Case No.: 06-C-07-0496648: Smigiel vs Franchot:

Whatever folks want to say about the mainstream media, Maryland has some great writers out there who call it as they see it and do not write articles based on a pre-determined agenda or ideology. Folks like Doug Tallman with the Gazette (along with several of the other statewide beat writers at the Gazette.)

Or spend sometime with Liam Farrell with the Maryland Gazette or Len Lazarick with The Examiner or Tom LoBianco with the Washington Times.

These are just a few writers that come quickly to mind; perhaps some other bloggers have other writers in mind.

For more information:

Maryland General Assembly Oct. 29 2007 Special Session,

Maryland General Assembly Oct. 29 2007 Special Session Lawsuit Case No.: 06-C-07-0496648: Smigiel vs Franchot

Franchot Peter

Maryland General Assembly Opera

O'Malley Administration

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

mdga spec session dec 13 2007 lawsuit

20080107 Smigiel vs Franchot

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Co. looks into sales scenarios By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer

Co. looks into sales scenarios By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer

Friday, January 04, 2008

Business retains investment banks to explore options

Landmark Communications Inc., parent of the Carroll County Times and The Weather Channel, announced Thursday to its employees that it has hired national investment firms to explore selling the divisions of the company.

Frank Batten Jr., Landmark chief executive and chairman, sent out a memo Thursday to company employees announcing that the company has retained investment banks J.P. Morgan and Lehman Brothers “to explore strategic alternatives, including the possible sale of Landmark businesses.”

Pat Richardson, publisher of the Carroll County Times, told employees Thursday that she learned of the company’s decision Wednesday. An 18-year Landmark employee who served several years on the company’s newspaper acquisition team, Richardson said Landmark’s properties are prized assets that are likely to attract attention of other media organizations.

“There’s been a lot of consolidation of the media; we see it every day,” Richardson said. “We are still the local paper for Carroll County, and that’s not going to change, no matter who owns us.”

[…]

Other Landmark newspapers in Maryland include the Community Times, The Advocate weekly papers, Homes magazines and the recently purchased Capital Gazette Communications publications, including The (Annapolis) Capital, The Bowie Blade-News, The Crofton News-Crier, Waterfront Living Magazine, The Maryland Gazette, The West County Gazette and The South County Gazette.

The Virginian-Pilot contributed to this report.

Read Ms. Knauer’s entire article here: Co. looks into sales scenarios

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2008/01/04/news/local_news/newstory3.txt

20080104 Company looks into sales scenarios by Carrie Ann Knauer

Friday, January 04, 2008

20080104 Wall Street: Journal Criminalizing the CIA

Wall Street: Journal Criminalizing the CIA

I could not agree more… “So here we go again, ringing up CIA agents who thought they were acting in good faith to keep the country safe… But why should any future agent take any risks to gather information, or pursue an enemy, if he thinks he is likely to have to answer to some future prosecutor for his every action?”

Criminalizing the CIA

January 4, 2008; Page A10

REVIEW & OUTLOOK by The Wall Street Journal

When news broke that the CIA had destroyed videotapes of a couple of early terrorist interrogations, Democrats in Congress demanded a criminal investigation. Now that Attorney General Michael Mukasey is obliging, they still aren't satisfied. So here we go again, ringing up CIA agents who thought they were acting in good faith to keep the country safe.

On Wednesday Mr. Mukasey assigned prosecutor John Durham, a 25-year Justice Department veteran, to investigate if CIA agents committed a crime when they destroyed the tapes in 2005 under orders from the then-head of the covert Directorate of Operations. But that isn't enough for John Conyers (D., Mich.), who wants a full-blown "special counsel" to wade into the CIA's covert-ops division and deliver a public excavation…

[…]

The interrogations also took place at a time -- starting in 2002 -- when some Members of Congress were regularly briefed on the CIA practices, including "waterboarding." Among those briefed were Jay Rockefeller IV and Nancy Pelosi, neither of whom saw fit to object to the methods. We are now in a different political place, and in a different election year, and these same Democrats want to join the left in accusing the Bush Administration of "torture" and a cover-up.

The Bush Administration is already on its way out, so the real damage here may be to our ability to gather future intelligence no matter who is President…

[…]

One of the stock criticisms of the CIA after 9/11 is that the agency played it too safe in pursuing al Qaeda. But why should any future agent take any risks to gather information, or pursue an enemy, if he thinks he is likely to have to answer to some future prosecutor for his every action?

As for the tapes, no doubt the agency now wishes they had never been made, much less destroyed. But the irony is that their destruction might well have saved the U.S. from the embarrassment of having them leaked to the world and turned into a propaganda victory for our enemies…

[…]

Yet instead, we are now unleashing prosecutors against agents who on the evidence so far were acting not to pursue some political agenda but to defend the nation against its most ruthless enemies. We hope Mr. Durham understands the difference, and that we don't cripple the very spooks we need to fight the war on terror.

Read the entire opinion here: Criminalizing the CIA

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20080103 Kramer Law web site documents and related aggregated links

Kramer Law web site documents and related aggregated links

January 4th, 2008

A big thanks to Maryland Chesapeake Blog (Pondering the People, Places, & Politics of the Land of Pleasant (but too taxed) Living) for calling to our attention: www.kramerslaw.com/special_session.htm in a post on January 3rd, 2008: “Mary, Mary... Quite Contrary... How did your deposition go??

One quick note about the chief clerk of the House of Delegates, Mary Monahan, is that she has quite a reputation for integrity…

At www.kramerslaw.com/special_session.htm you will find an extensive list of links to documents pertaining to the:

CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE TO SPECIAL SESSION LEGISLATION

Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., et al. v. Peter Franchot, et al.

Given the number of requests for copies of pleadings, we are placing those that have been filed in connection with this constitutional challenge below and will update as new pleadings are filed:

Included in the long list of documents:

Transcript of Deposition of Mary Monahan, Chief Clerk of the House of Delegates of Maryland

Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs' Motions for Emergency Declaratory and Injunctive Relief

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20080103 Forging State Documents Could Only Happen in a Monopoly

Published January 3rd, 2008 in General Assembly and corruption.

Whether you read it in the Examiner from Jaime Malarkey or from the Baltimore Sun’s Gadi Decther, it’s pretty apparent that the letter from the Senate to the House and dated on November 9th was actually written on November 12th.

It’s never the actual violation that gets people in trouble, it’s always the cover up afterwards where people do really dumb stuff, such as forging an official State document. Such as altering the Senate records, when the Senate audio recording clearly has the Senators requesting a recess until November 13th, only to have them out until November 15th.

20080101 State papers expose conflict by Tom LoBianco Washington Times

January 1, 2008

By Tom LoBianco - ANNAPOLIS — Instructions from Maryland's Senate president appear to contradict House documents made public as part of a court challenge seeking to overturn tax increases approved during the recent General Assembly special session.

The documents, obtained by The Washington Times, cast new importance on the deposition of the chief clerk of the House of Delegates, Mary Monahan, and could bolster claims that the House Journal may have been doctored to avoid running afoul of the state constitution.

Meanwhile, Maryland's highest court yesterday denied a third attempt by the state to prevent Mrs. Monahan from testifying. Her deposition is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow morning in Annapolis.

Five Republicans and a Carroll County businessman filed the lawsuit seeking to invalidate the special session last month and have dueled with the state through the holidays to obtain Mrs. Monahan's testimony.

The lawsuit hinges on whether the Senate obtained consent from the House to adjourn for more than three days. It is based on a provision in the state constitution that says neither the Senate nor the House may adjourn for more than three days without the other chamber's consent.

On Nov. 9, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. told senators they would return to work on Nov. 13, according to an audio recording of the Senate proceedings obtained by The Times.

Read the entire article here: State papers expose conflict by Tom LoBianco Washington Times

For good newspaper coverage of the Special Session Lawsuit Case No.: 06-C-07-0496648: Smigiel vs Franchot:

Whatever folks want to say about the mainstream media, Maryland has some great writers out there who call it as they see it and do not write articles based on a pre-determined agenda or ideology. Folks like Doug Tallman with the Gazette (along with several of the other statewide beat writers at the Gazette.)

Or spend sometime with Liam Farrell with the Maryland Gazette or Len Lazarick with The Examiner or Tom LoBianco with the Washington Times.

These are just a few writers that come quickly to mind; perhaps some other bloggers have other writers in mind.

For more information:

Franchot Peter

Maryland General Assembly Opera

O'Malley Administration

Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

20080103 Kramer Law web site documents and related aggregated links

20080103 Kramer Law web site documents and related aggregated links

mdga spec session dec 13 2007 lawsuit


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Thursday, January 03, 2008

20080103 Republicans Call on Attorney General to Request Investigation of Special Session Actions


Republicans Call on Attorney General to Request Investigation of Special Session Actions


For Immediate Release


January 3, 2008


AnnapolisRepublican leaders in the House and Senate today called upon Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to request an investigation by the State Prosecutor into actions taken by the House and Senate during the 2007 Special Session that violated Maryland’s Constitution.


“This is a matter of government transparency and the integrity of the State’s Constitution,” said House Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell. “The Attorney General’s office is too vested in defending this issue and cannot objectively seek the truth in a non-adversarial role. They are engaged in representing the interests of their client”.


“In accordance with section 9-1203 of the State Government Article, we call upon the Attorney General to request an investigation by the State Prosecutor”, said Senate Minority Whip Allan Kittleman. “The State Prosecutor is an independent agency with no vested interest in the outcome of this investigation. They can conduct a fair and objective inquiry into what occurred.”


“The State Prosecutor’s Office was created with a mind towards preserving the integrity of government,” said House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank. “They have both the resources and the mandate to determine the facts and appropriate course of action. The citizens of Maryland deserve to know the full, unbiased truth related to all of these matters and their government.”


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20080119 Carroll County Birthday Celebration

Carroll County Birthday Celebration SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2008

2:00 - 4:00 at the John Street Quarters of the Westminster Fire Department, 28 John Street, Westminster.

(posted Thursday, January 03, 2008)

Carroll County Birthday Celebration - Run of the Mill: History and Archaeology of Maryland Mills

Join HSCC for our annual celebration of the establishment of Carroll County on January 19, 1837.

This year we are pleased to present James Gibb a historical archaeologist and adjunct professor in the Departments of History and Engineering at Anne Arundel Community College. Mills, driven by water through rough wooden gears and wide leather belts, fed Marylanders from the middle of the eighteenth century to the turn of the twentieth.

They supported Baltimore’s successful bid for industrial prominence in the Mid-Atlantic, and they linked the entire state to international markets.

With the waterpower provided by its many creeks and rivers, milling was a major industry in Carroll County from the beginning. An industrial survey from 1852 found 147 gristmills, 245 flour mills, 25 paper mills, 33 cotton mills, 43 woolen mills, and 188 sawmills across the county.

Gibb explores the history and architecture Maryland mills and demonstrates how archaeological investigations have revealed remarkable differences in technology among the state’s mills.

This program is provided through the Maryland Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. 2:00 - 4:00 at the John Street Quarters of the Westminster Fire Department, 28 John Street, Westminster. Free admission.

Please contact the Historical Society at (410) 848-6494 for information about the many events offered during the year.

For information on upcoming events, visit the Calendar of Events

http://hscc.carr.org/calendar/calendar.htm

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20080102 Recent Westminster Eagle columns


Recent Westminster Eagle columns

Kevin E. Dayhoff Thursday, January 03, 2007


Something we really must talk about

01/02/08 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

On Christmas Eve, while many friends and families were preparing to get together and celebrate the holidays, the friends, colleagues and loved ones of Smithsburg police officer Christopher Nicholson, 25, gathered to bury him.

On Dec. 19, Officer Nicholson and the stranger he tried to help, Alison ... [Read full story]


Christmas comes early for families, and for some secret (trooper) Santas

12/27/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

On Sunday, Dec. 16, members of the Maryland Troopers Association Lodge 20 were joined at the Westminster Fire Hall by members of the State Police Explorers Post 56, Cub Scout Pack 150 and Carroll County Chapter K of Gold Wing Road Riders to make sure that families on their "most wanted list" had a n... [Read full story]


Reaching out to the troops is a mission with 'evergreen' appeal

12/19/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

Early this month, on Dec. 1, more than 300 volunteers gathered at the Carroll County Ag Center for Operation Christmas Tree to pack 5,000 live decorated Christmas trees for the troops in Iraq.

I had only been in the 40'-by-60' tent (supplied by Kay-Lyns Party Rental), for minutes when one voluntee... [Read full story]


Greeting the Ghosts of Christmas TV past

12/12/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

Christmas, as much as any holiday, is a time for childhood memories.

For many baby-boomers, television has always served as an early warning system that the holiday is rapidly advancing. Whether it is the plethora of consumer-oriented commercials or Christmas holiday specials, most everyone's chil...[Read full story]


Singing with one voice for a worthy cause

11/28/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

On Nov. 17, members of our community packed St. John Catholic Church to hear the talented and beautiful voices of artists who came together and donated their time for our community -- and for a worthy cause.

Musical groups including the McDaniel College Madigal Singers, Old Line Statesmen Barber Shop Chorus (under the direction of Jeff Liebknecht), the Children's Chorus of Carroll County, New Life for Girls Choir, Masterworks Chorale, Westminster Trombone Choir and the Coram Deo performed a benefit concert for Carroll County Domestic Violence Safe House.

Connie Sgarlata, director of the Office of Family and Children's Services, said both the audience and the performers were moved by "the solidarity that the music and words created in our effort to address domestic violence."

Sgarlata's comments were echoed by McDaniel College professor of music Dr. Margie Boudreaux and Diane Jones, the Children's Chorus of Carroll County artistic director. Both noted that the music was wonderful -- the message was clear. [Read full story]

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

20080102 Recent Westminster Eagle columns

20080102 Recent Westminster Eagle columns

20080102 Fragmentary patchworks


Fragmentary patchworks of autochthonous and foreign elements.

January 2nd, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

Happy New Year Mr. Isaac Smith. Thanks for the mention - The List (No, Not the Washington Post's). [Free State Politics Maryland's online progressive community.]

Michael Swartz's list of local blogs to watch in 2008 is pretty good. It is missing a few good blogs of note, however…

As much as I agreed with most, but not all, of Mr. Swartz’s list, your list is right on the money. I also miss Stephanie Dray’s Jousting for Justice. And I am very happy that Crablaw's Maryland Weekly is back…

And thanks for calling to our attention the Washington Post’s list: Year in Review 2007 - “The List: What's In and Out for 2008” BY HANK STUEVER - WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITER - – what a hoot. (And don’t miss giving The Year That Was 2007 by Brian Griffiths a good read. He obviously spent some time thinking about it…)

Your post could not have been timed better as it came shortly after a conversation with a dear colleague who said they like my blog – although I’m too liberal.

Ay caramba - whatever.

Along that thread, another colleague said “Dayhoff … your problem is that you like everybody.”

To that I plead guilty – life is way to short. Then again, maybe not – I don’t like mean people; and that personality defect occurs in folks from all political persuasions.

I simply do not allow politics to dictate my friends - - and I don’t like folks who do pick their friends based on politics. (I’ll be having lunch later in the week with a dear friend with whom I disagree about everything when it comes to politics.) I can disagree with folks about issues, but more often than not – I like the person…

As far as your observation: “… his actual blog hard to read -- its look is extremely busy and most of the posts are just link aggregations…” Hey, you oughta be in my head…

At least with the blog, there is an attempt at organization… I also find my blog “hard to read” and try as I might, after blogging for a number of years, it is still way too busy.

Perhaps my blog is a manifestation of being a hypergraphic attention deficit disorder hyperactive dyslexic. Maybe – just maybe, one day I’ll figure out what I’m doing. Being a technology geek – one would’ve thought blogging would be easy for me. It is not.

At this point, on the blog evolutionary scale, my blog is a monkey on roller skates. The monkey may or may not be wearing a pink tutu - this is for you to decide.

Years ago, I thought blogging would be easy for a columnist and short story writer. It has not been the case. And within the last number of months, I picked up a third (newspaper) column every week; which just proves the “Peter Principle” is real. I’m now way beyond my intellectual and cognitive abilities.

Heckfire – some days, I’m proud to have even found the time, much less the cognitive abilities - to post “link aggregations.”

Meanwhile, I am painstakingly determined to promote constant attention on current procedures of transacting business focusing emphasis on innovative ways to better, if not supercede, the expectations of quality. What I really need in order to navigate the treacherous waters that lie ahead is a list of specific unknown problems I will encounter.

Always remember, the purpose of my blog is to discuss fragmentary patchworks of autochthonous and foreign elements as juxtaposed by the undeniable command mortality of insignificant self-inflicted syntactic semiotic economics which sometimes may cause irreproducible results unless there is a pre-emptive digital fallibility matrix which would require an integrated third-generational triangulated refinement of indefinite managerial potential.

As I wax philosophic with metaphysical postulations, incomplete aphorisms and inconsistent sophism that allows me to conclude, more and more sure, that the only true thing about anything is nothing.

Now I know you believe you understand what you think I just said but I am sure that you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

As always, your thoughtful consideration is appreciated regardless of the outcome on any particular issue. Whether we agree or disagree, always find my door open for friendly civil and constructive dialogue.

Pray for my wife.

Best wishes for a great 2008.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

20080101 Presidential Primary Calendar

20080101 Presidential Primary Calendar

From Kathy Gill, Your Guide to US Politics. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Jan 1 2008

For the first time since 1928, in 2008 neither a sitting President nor Vice President will be a candidate for nomination to the Presidency. Both parties have open races, and the early announcements of contention are testimony to this. In addition, the states have joined the chorus and, as a result, Super Tuesday could move from March to February.

JANUARY 2008

January 3: Iowa (caucuses)

January 5: Wyoming (GOP caucuses)

January 8: New Hampshire (primary)

January 15: Michigan

January 19: Nevada (precinct caucuses), South Carolina (R primary)

January 26: South Carolina (D primary)

January 29: Florida

FEBRUARY 2008

February 1: Maine (R)

February 5: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado (caucuses), Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho (D), Illinois, Kansas (D), Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico (D), New York, North Dakota (caucuses), Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah

February 9: Louisiana, Kansas (R)

February 10: Maine (D caucuses)

February 12: District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia

February 19: Hawaii (D), Washington, Wisconsin

MARCH 2008

March 4: Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont

March 8: Wyoming (D)

March 11: Mississippi

APRIL 2008

April 22: Pennsylvania

MAY 2008

May 6: Indiana, North Carolina

May 13: Nebraska (primary), West Virginia

May 20: Kentucky, Oregon

May 27: Idaho (R)

JUNE 2008

June 3: Montana, New Mexico (R), South Dakota

AUGUST 2008

August 25-28: Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado

SEPTEMBER 2008

September 1-4: Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota

This calendar is adapted from the National Association of Secretaries of State.

Dates are subject to change.

20080101 Presidential Primary Calendar

20080101 Brian Griffiths One last regarding blogs during 2007

Brian Griffiths: One last regarding blogs during 2007

January 1, 2007

Brian Griffiths has done the Herculean – if not Sisyphisian job of compiling a Blog Net News statistical analysis of the top twenty Maryland's Most Influential Bloggers of 2007.

Relevant links:

Brian Griffiths

Blog Net News

One last regarding blogs during 2007

raw excel spreadsheet

Also see: Monoblogue: Maryland blogs to watch in 2008

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20080101 Brian Griffiths: One last regarding blogs during 2007

20080101 Monoblogue: Maryland blogs to watch in 2008

Monoblogue: Maryland blogs to watch in 2008

January 2nd, 2008

In case you missed it, Monoblogue has a well thought out examination of the Maryland blogs to watch in 2008, for those who like intelligent commentary and analysis.

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20080101 Monoblogue: Maryland blogs to watch in 2008

20080102 This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

The Tentacle posts on “Soundtrack.”

The Tentacle on “New Bedford Herald”

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.

According to Anchorage Daily News columnist Mike Dunham, who wrote a tribute to Mr. Agnew on the anniversary of his birthday in 1996, he visit to Anchorage was not “on purpose.”

“In 1981, he and 180 other passengers on a commercial jet to Korea were detained in Anchorage after an engine conked out. Spotted at the Hotel Captain Cook, Agnew shied from questions – ‘I’m not in politics anymore. I just don’t have time to fool with this anymore’ – lit his Marlboro and puffed quietly into history.”

It is that “history” that fascinates an historian, in what is otherwise the sordid and conflicted saga of an American politician from Maryland, who irrevocably changed the future of Alaska just months before he resigned as the United States vice-president on October 10, 1973.

Read the entire column here: Spiro Agnew: Patron Saint of Alaska

Nostradamus Can Take A Back Seat, Please!

John W. Ashbury


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.


Code Home Rule is half a cup

Linda & Tony Checchia


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.


Friday, December 28, 2007

Pushkin's Yule

Roy Meachum

The English pointer in my life still misses the Santa-red scarf he wore for years. En Masse's Pam left town a few Yuletides back, taking along her wonderful smile and great heart. The scarf was her project.

WE GET LETTERS!

WE GET LETTERS!!!!! A writer from Emmitsburg takes issue with the premise proposed by another letter writer earlier this week over who's to blame for our current infrastructure problems. CLICK HERE!


Thursday, December 27, 2007

Santa’s Doing His Job – Again.

John W. Ashbury

What a tiring trip Santa had. He was so beat after his 24-hour flight that he slept all of Christmas Day. But the day after, he returned the many calls left by the staff of The Tentacle.


Warring Cultures

Tony Soltero

Most of us remember the Terri Schiavo story, which raged three years ago or so. She was a woman whose life was hanging by a thread, and whose husband tried to honor her wishes by disconnecting the feeding tube that kept her barely alive. Her doctors had concluded that there was no remaining hope for her recovery.


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.

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20080102 This week in The Tentacle

Tags/Labels: The Tentacle, Alaska, Governor - Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew, Energy Oil

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

20071231 Happy New Year


Happy New Year

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed