Shifting Sands

Changes are happening, especially on the Howard County political scene. I had the privilege of attending Jon Weinstein’s announcement for political office on last Saturday. He is running for the council seat in District 1 if you did not hear. It is Courtney Watson’s old seat…or present seat. That is assuming that Courtney is running for county executive in 2014…..ok, she is probably running.

Jon’s announcement was unfortunately overshadowed by the untimely and unexpected death of blogger Dennis Lane. The most magnificent “Wordbones” is no longer with us. A victim of a senseless and brutal murder at his home in Ellicott City. (A place where we never have brutal or senseless murders) Jon was visibly shaken by Dennis’ death during his announcement. He was supposed to be on Dennis’ podcast on that Friday, and was going to announce his candidacy then. As the fates would have it…that never happened. I never met Dennis. He was one of the bloggers who could not make it to CDC’s blogger event a few months ago.  So, as a very new….and infrequent….blogger, I feel totally unqualified to write a tribute blog to Mr. Lane.  But I have gathered from others that he was a blogging trailblazer, and set the standard for Hocoblogs.

The Democratic Central Committee….which I proudly serve on…will also be up for election at the June primary next year. I have heard of several people running, so I wish them luck. I plan to run again also…so watch this space for my announcement for re-election to the Howard County Democratic Central Committee…ok, I guess I just announced it…now I  just have to file.

As for my political endeavors, my term as the President of the Columbia Democratic Club ended on last week. Of all the jobs that I never was paid for, being CDC President was my favorite. I got to meet and talk to some amazing people during my tenure.  The forums and meetings that we had were incredible. I am very thankful for the opportunity, and wish Al Liebeskind a wonderful term as the new President of CDC. I will still be active with CDC (I’m still on the board)…..I just won’t have to pick up the key to Jeffers Hill every month.

There are plenty of other changes going on in the county and state, politically. Anthony Brown has announced that he’s running for governor, with an instant endorsement from Martin O’ Malley. Will this affect Ken’s decision?  Since Doug Gansler has raised more money than anybody….when will  he announce? Moreover, what will Guy and Calvin do? Inquiring minds want to know.  Stay tuned….it’s going to be a great  and interesting, political year!

  

Man's Inhumanity to Man

On  early morning ,Sunday April 14, I set out to do what I enjoy doing every year. I, and my wife, were heading out to Little Patuxent Parkway to run in the Clyde’s 10K race. Granted that I have been running 5K, 10K and several 10 milers for years, even tried a half-marathon once…..never really been any good at them…..but I enjoy the sense of competition and camaraderie that develops almost instantly among runners. So every year I include the Clyde’s race in my “race repertoire”. As I tackled the winding hills of Columbia’s neighborhoods, my only thought was to finish the race….without doing harm to this “old body”. The farthest thing from my mind was that to some fringe element….to some sick lunatic……I could be a soft target.

On Monday, April 15, it was Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts, and Tax Day for the rest of us. Four hours into their annual rite of spring, The Boston Marathon….the thing that was the furthest from my mind while running through HoCo neighborhoods….came into a shocking reality at their finish line. Two bombs exploded about five minutes apart, about two or three blocks away from each other. They exploded in crowds of people as if to maim and kill at random.  No real cause, no real purpose, no real statement to make. Just killing for the sport of killing. As a result, three people perished. The victims were two women and a child. Non-combatants in every sense of the word. Their horrendous act also injured over 170 people. 

As a result of “pressure cooker” bombs, which exploded at ground level, and contained ball-bearings and nails, healthy people who were standing and independent, suddenly became crippled and amputees.  Instantly, something as innocent as participating in or watching a road race, became a deadly activity. 

When anything like this occurs, the first question is always why? What make a person, or in this case persons, even think of doing anything as atrocious as the Boston Marathon bombing. Why attack innocent people who are participating in an activity as innocuous as running? Even moreso, why attack people who are watching people run?

To be honest, my first instinct when I decided to write about this was to rail on how evil mankind is. How all of these evil events perpetuated by men keep on happening. The list of “whys” are long. Stretching back to why was the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City bombed? Why did Columbine happen? Why did a physician at Fort Hood go on a shooting rampage? Why were people killed in an Aurora, Colorado theater for just watching a “Batman” movie? Why were teachers and students killed at Virginia Tech? Why did we lose two skyscrapers in New York City, and part of the Pentagon in 2001, along with over 3000 lives? Is man just inherently evil.

The answers to these questions are of course, we do not know. If we took a purely theological approach we could say….yes, man is an evil creature, and it all started in the Garden of Eden with Eve’s bite of the apple. Although I am a Christian, I do not profess to being a theologian.  I do look for a more practical answer, or at least an answer that would satisfy me. The truth is….I do not know.

Will Cain, a contributor to CNN pointed out in his opinion piece, “Is Man Inherently Evil” that "If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. The vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute, weaken, and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion, creed, or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago."  (Mr. Cain attributes this quote to the actor Patton Oswald on his Facebook page)

Indeed the evil deed also brings out the good in people. Many heroes have been identified. The first responders knew exactly how to handle the sudden an unexpected situation. Uninjured bystanders immediately and unselfishly went to the aid of the injured. Hospitals were staffed with doctors and nurses ready to treat the misfortunate souls, and ready to keep the concerned public abreast of their condition. Churches were opened, so that those believing in God could find respite in Him. Politically, our President kept the nation reassured and comforted.  Even Mitt Romney had to call his speech at the interfaith service “superb!”

But the overarching question is, when will it end? When will these types of events stop happening? Some may say “never”. As of this writing, one of the suspects has been killed, and the other has been captured. But does that mean the next marathon, or 10K or 5K road race will be safe?  I am certain that heightened security will be the new norm for these events now. But it is discouraging that we may have to resign to accept man’s inhumanity to man. This may just be the "new normal".

OK...So I Was Wrong!

Well, a couple of weeks ago when I wrote my last blog, the sequester had not happened yet. Although my last blog was critical of the “do-nothing” Congress, I ended it with the assurance that the sequester would not happen. I was sure that the irresponsible cuts that were proposed would never occur.  I just knew that the President and the Congress would reach an eleventh-hour agreement, and that we could all breathe a sigh of relief. We dodged another bullet….we avoided another cliff! Well…..I was wrong. March 1st came and went….and the sequester is here. Again….no one seems to want to do a dang thing about it.

So far, it seems that the effects have been minimal, but I think that’s how it’s all designed. The pain will occur slowly. I have not heard about longer TSA lines, or kids being put out of Head Start…at least not yet. (Well, furloughs have not really started yet) Actually, the economy….or at least the stock market has been booming.  I listen to Marketplace with Kye Risdall on my way home each evening on NPR. Kye has assured me that “the stock market is not the economy and the economy is not the stock market.”  Although he plays the “happy music” when the DOW is on the rise (which consists of older, more established companies), the NASDAQ , although not doing bad, has not really had as much of a  bounce. A report today on CNN.com points out that the DOW also rose to record heights in 2007…..right before the Great Recession.

I am no economist, but I cannot help but think that the artificial crisis, called the sequester, will not help the economy grow or prosper. As far as I can tell, it can only damage an economy that was showing signs of improvement, especially in the form of higher home values, and lower unemployment.  What we hear from Congress is that we have to slow down spending.  That may be true, but I fail to understand why the slow down cannot be a little more discretionary. I doubt if laying off defense contractors, hampering medical research, and furloughing federal employees will help the U.S. debt that much. There has to be other ways of governing the economy….without hurting folks who work for a living.

Will we avoid all of the “bad parts” of the sequester, or should we batten down the hatches. That all depends on the actions of our “do-nothing” Congress. I do know that I will avoid making any large purchases in the near future…just saying. Maybe I will be wrong again.

Is the Sequestration Irresponsible?

The sequestration is looming, and it doesn’t seem that anyone in our government is going to do a dang thing about it. The President is just returning from a golf outing, and most of Congress is still on break.  Because of uncertainty, some contractors in the federal government are already losing their jobs. Dialogue about the sequestration is finally starting to heat up. The news organizations are starting to pay attention…unless they are distracted by Princess Kate’s baby bump. I know that by next week there will be countdown clocks and dramatic music leading up to zero hour. All for an act that is by far the most irresponsible fiscal crisis that I have ever witnessed. The bottom line is.....it doesn't have to happen!

The sequestration is a totally manufactured crisis. It was set into place by, allegedly, the White House to goad Congress into passing a budget. It was thought that surely the draconian cuts that were mandated by the sequester, would certainly motivate our representatives to pass a budget for the United States. Well, needless to say, it didn’t. Now we are looking down the barrel of the gun.  Some of the most drastic budget cuts in  history are about to happen. But why…why in the first Obama administration have we not been able to get a budget approved?

My observations is that the “do nothing” Congress that we have elected has done just that. They have done nothing. While the nation still hums along, and citizens go to work, raise their families and pay their bills, Congress has continued to do nothing. Polls have shown opinion of Congress at its lowest level, ever. But those under the dome seem oblivious to that. All that this Congress seems to practice is obstructionism and opposition to anything that the President proposes.

OK, I can see that if you are in the opposite party you are almost obligated to oppose the President…that’s all a part of the political game. I understand that. It’s actually what makes the “game” more interesting. What I cannot understand is why Congress would want to drag the whole nation down, because some members of the House and the Senate disagree with the President.

The effects of the sequestration will ripple nationwide. The most drastic cuts will be felt by the Department of Defense, which has been pretty  insulated from cuts in the past. ( if you don’t count the BRAC that is) Everything from weapons systems to research and development to personnel will be slashed if the sequestration is allowed to happen.  Furloughs will be likely. The defense cuts will  be felt by local governments, private business and will  more than likely affect the stock market.

My major question .….is this the way we run  a government? Do we run it by lurching from crisis to crisis (debt ceiling…..fiscal cliff…sequestration…..who knows what else?), or do we try to compromise and negotiate for the greater good. What is in the psyche of this Congress that prevents them from accomplishing that?

As critical as this blog may sound….I do believe that our government will come to its senses and pass something at the eleventeenth hour to prevent the sequester. If nothing else, I think that they will come up with some type of proposal that will (ugh) “kick the can down the road.” I really don’t believe that although extremely unpopular, Congress will deliberately turn their backs on the American people. To do so would be totally irresponsible.  Besides…..I’d rather concentrate on watching Princess Kate’s baby bump, than  worry about the economy taking a nose dive.

Bloggers Visit CDC

On last Wednesday, we held a blogger event at the Columbia Democratic Club. Many thanks to my friends Bill Woodcock (aka Marshmallow Man) author of The 53, Steve Charing, author of Steve Charing: OUTspoken,  and Tom Coale , author of HocoRising. They all shared their reasons for blogging, and their unique views of county politics and activities.  Tom’s stated that the motivation for any blogger is to “fight apathy.” Bloggers can be unencumbered to express their views and opinions, and may even be more effective at the grassroots level than established columnists. (although I have a loooongggg way to go to be as good as Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post.

Bill’s blog tends to be funny as well as entertaining. He purposely makes it that way to reflect his perspective of Howard County (or as he refers to sometimes as HFC…..use your imagination folks). He described his blog as taking a Stephen Colbert approach and applying it to Howard County.  Bill is a former president of CDC as well as a former member of the Howard County Democratic Central Committee. But his column doesn’t necessarily reflect the Democratic Party line. Steve’s blog is primarily rooted in the LGBT community, and keeps the reader informed about life and activities in that community. He has recently started reviews of local theater. As he said he’s one of the most sought after critics in the country.  ( I think that was meant to be a joke….but knowing Steve….)Tom’s blog offers his perspective of Howard County as a member of the Columbia Association, as well as being a practicing lawyer. One of his most recent blog offers a very nice summation of the President’s State of the Union speech. His opinion…true…but it provoked thought. I joked with him that my blog helped  to convince him  to change political parties. He assured me that it was "true!" (NOT!!)

My opinion is that on a local level, blogging is becoming the wave of the future. As county sections become smaller and more irrelevant in large newspapers, bloggers are starting to fill that gap. (although PATCH is also helping to fill that gap) They are  very opinionated,  but bloggers help to provoke thought, and form opinion. My angle for blogging is primarily political, but blogging can cover almost anything. My son Nicholas has started a blog about his Peace Corps adventures in Cambodia. It’s pretty good, and pretty funny….I wonder where he gets that from?

I think that the CDC learned a lot about blogging on last Wednesday. Some even learned what a blog was. Hopefully it will inspire others to write. I know that it has inspired me to try to blog on a regular basis….at least weekly.  I am inspired to write about the sequestration next.  As soon as I filter out all the cuss words……I’ll write it. Maybe I should do a restaurant review instead.

Part of the Process

It has been a few minutes since I have put my thoughts down on paper….or transmitted them through the keystrokes on a keyboard, in the form of a blog.  So after all the events that I have experienced in the past few weeks, I feel inspired to write down a few words, and share them.
To make a  very long story short,  Monday, January 21 2013 was the culmination of many weeks of work to get a President re-elected.  All of the door-knocking, sign-waving and phone banking paid off, as I was privileged to be a witness to the pageantry of democracy. I had been awarded the coveted Red Ticket to the 57th Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies. Even as I write this, I am still in disbelief. To think that this all really started in 2008 when my wife re-directed  us, as we were on the way to another wallet draining trip to Columbia Mall. The Obama Headquarters at Sterrett Place was buzzing, so we went there out of curiosity, and were immediately swept into the campaign. Before we knew it, we were phone banking to people who didn’t want their dinners interrupted …again, and canvassing in Hanover, PA…where before that time, I had absolutely no reason to visit. All of that was just a miniscule contribution in the quest to elect our first African-American President.  Getting him re-elected would be a little trickier, and would require much more than a miniscule effort on my part.
In the midst of the 2012 campaign, I got a call from a representative of the Maryland Democratic Party, telling me that I had been chosen  as a Maryland Presidential Elector. I was at work at the time of the call, and almost dropped the phone. I know that my mouth was hanging open. “Me”, I asked. “Are you sure”. He assured me that I had been recommended by the chairwoman of the party, and it had been approved by the governor. My first question of course was, “You mean….the governor knows me?”
All of this happened before the election, and after the “dreadful” first debate (I still call it strategy). After the President had scared  Democrats to death, but most importantly  after he mobilized us from overconfident malaise to definitive action. I now really wanted him to win, and really needed him to win. Not only for the good of the country…..but because I wanted to cast my electoral vote for him.  Of course on November 6, 2012 that wish came true. I was now definitely an elector. I now realized that I was one of only 10 people in the state. One of  only 332 people in the country.  I was actually one of the votes that they analyzed on MSNBC and pondered over on CNN, and debated on Fox News. Without me, he only had 331 electoral votes. For a minute I had a sense of empowerment, a sense of being elevated…but most of all…I felt like an important part of the process.
We cast our electoral votes in mid December at the State House in Annapolis.  The ceremony in and of itself was historic. My vote for President Obama and Vice-President Biden as well as my signature was destined to become a permanent part of Maryland history. A fact of life that still boggles my mind.
As a result of being an elector, I was invited to the Inauguration Ceremonies. If that were not exciting enough, I was invited by my congressman to witness the electoral vote count in the chambers of the House of Representatives. …which I did without hesitation.
It was a cold morning on January 21, not as cold as the Inauguration in 2009...by a long shot. I  joked that this felt downright tropical, compared to the that January morning. It also occurred to me that I was shivering with my sons, just a few feet away from the Smithsonian Castle in 2009. Now, my wife and I would be just a few yards from the podium where the President would deliver his second Inaugural address. I was once again a witness to history. As we got through security, and rounded the corner to the West Side of the Capitol, I saw that it was brightly illuminated, since it was early, and the the sky was still darkened. I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of this event as the podium came into view. The realization that this event was happening on Dr. Martin Luther King Day was even more awesome.
I left the Inauguration Ceremonies inspired. Not because I saw celebrities passing by almost every minute. Not because I got to see Beyonce sing the National Anthem. (there is a little controversy about whether she sang it or lip-synced it…but does it matter?) Not even because I witnessed the President give one of the best speeches that I’ve ever heard. I came away inspired because after all of out differences in this country. After all of our problems, and pettiness, and reality shows (yep…I went there)…this is still the greatest country in the world. Our peaceful exchange of power is something that other countries emulate. Our pageant of democracy is something that other countries envy. I was just more than honored to be a part of the process!

If Not Now.....When?

If Not Now…When?

 

On last Friday, December 14, I was honored to be asked to be a pallbearer for a democratic stalwart here in Howard County. Frank Chase lost his battle with cancer, and succumbed to it on Tuesday, December 11. It was a solemn yet humble ceremony. Our prayers and thoughts are still with his wife Carole, and his family. Little did I suspect , that at the same time that we honored Frank…..all hell was breaking loose hundreds of miles up the road in Newtown, Connecticut.

I stopped at home after Frank’s burial, right before the repast. When I logged into Facebook I saw all of these posts about a shooting in an elementary school. I immediately tuned into CNN, and the news just got progressively worse. Children had been slaughtered by a mad man….who was actually barely a man. He systematically snuffed out the lives of twenty small children, six female staff members, his own mother….then himself. As I watched all of this unfold…thoughts of the murders in Aurora, Colorado immediately came to mind (see Why Batman Can Wait), as well as the more recent shootings in Portland, Oregon. But not only those shootings…. I thought of the weekly shooting sprees in Baltimore, that are recounted in the news every Monday morning.  Shootings and killings in DC and PG county that occur frequently.. There was even a shooting at a Taco Bell in Columbia earlier this year.

So what does one thing have to do with another? What does the slaughter of twenty innocent children have to do with a domestic dispute in Baltimore that ends with an ambulance trip to shock-trauma. The common denominator is access to guns. The bottom line is how many more of these incidents do we have to do through before something is done?  As President Obama said during his speech at the memorial for the victims on last Sunday….we need to stop this.

I’m hoping that the President will make a bold move. That bold move has to include gun control. And gun control has to be a ban on assault weapons held by civilians. Period….no exceptions. Only law enforcement and the military have the need to have an assault rifle. As a civilian, I do not have a need to walk around Main Street in Ellicott City, with an AK47.

Although I am retired from the military, and I know how to use and maintain weapons, I have no particular love for them. I am definitely a supporter of the second amendment which states that each American citizen has the “right to bear arms”. I support hunters and marksmen, if that is what they choose to do. But the proliferation of guns and assault weapons in our society has gotten ridiculous.  Crime and loss of life caused by these weapons is so unnecessary. Background checks, the Brady Law….they are all futile attempts to get guns off of the street, which have not worked. Gun shows are still prominent throughout the nation, and the sale of guns since the Connecticut incident has soared.

The whole incident in Connecticut is another stark example of man’s inhumanity against man. Except this time it involved women and children.  Two guys having a gunfight in an alley in is one thing. Mowing down twenty innocent souls is another.  Something has to be done, and it has to be done before this incident is no longer on the front pages.  Our leaders, starting with the President, have to be serious and resolute about banning assault weapons for civilians. If it is not done, we can expect tragedies like Newtown, Connecticut to continue. And in a few months….we will be grieving more unnecessary loss of life.