The Storm Watch

The following is #7 of the Boy Scout Law: “A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobey them.”

Last year I sold my old Volvo to a young man who happened to be a boy scout.  He explained that he would need to leave the car in my driveway until he earned enough money to have it towed home.  Although only sixteen years of age, he clearly understood that Maryland law required him to obtain proper license tags prior to driving his car.

On December 8, 2008, Courtney Billups, one of our county commissioners, was stopped by a Maryland State Police Officer on Route 301.  He was written citations for the following violations: Read the rest of this entry »

Although not perfect, our backyard was the best one in the neighborhood for baseball. It was rectangular in shape causing the distance between first and third to be considerably shortened. This produced a rather elongated diamond, narrowing the playing field, and enabling us to reduce our rosters by one infielder and one outfielder. The distance from one end to the other was just about the limit of an eleven or twelve year old’s ability to hit the ball so thumping a homer bestowed a legitimate sense of accomplishment.

The neighbors on one side were an older retired couple and they never minded us jumping their fence to retrieve foul balls. As a matter of fact, frequently old man Collins would come out in his backyard just to watch us and when a good play was made, it was extremely gratifying to be on the receiving end of one of his resounding “attaboys”. Read the rest of this entry »

It was Saturday and one of those perfect summer afternoons for baseball. We had just the right number of players on each side, and it was one of those rare times when the selection process had resulted in perfectly matched teams. The competition was fierce, the score was close and then the unthinkable happened. Mom called the game on account of dinner.

My mother subscribed to the theory that somehow the nutritional value of a hot meal declined with its drop in temperature and no manner of pleading was going to change her position. When mom called you to dinner you were expected to drop what you were doing, wash your hands, be seated at the table, and bow your head for Grace- all in one smooth motion. To this very day, I still believe the additional exercise I would have received from a few extra innings could have more than offset the dietary decline I may have suffered from consuming cold food. Read the rest of this entry »

It was a pretty good idea at the time, certainly by eleven year old standards. There was a place just past the old wooden trestle where the trains would always slow down to a snail’s pace to safely negotiate a very sharp turn. There one day we would pick an empty boxcar, climb aboard and take a short ride before jumping back off. That was the plan, anyway, and it had been in the back of our minds for quite some time.

My best friend Greg had survived cancer, which was something most kids didn’t do in the late 50’s and early 60’s, and his continued existence confirmed to him his indestructibility. That belief had somehow rubbed off on me to the point that both our judgments were equally impaired. Read the rest of this entry »

Ask a small child what she or he wants to be when they grow up and you’re likely to hear fireman, policeman, doctor, nurse, teacher or maybe even a lawyer. What I find interesting is that these noble choices are all professions intended to serve others.

I don’t know that I have ever heard a child say, “When I grow up, I want to be a politician.” If I did, I would probably have serious doubts about the kid. Why is that? In actuality, the role of a politician should be to serve others. In reality, all too often the opposite occurs. Read the rest of this entry »

Janet Boldyga is running for Queen Anne’s County Commissioner and why shouldn’t she? As a key leader in the previous administration she saw all the benefits of public office first hand. She helped the previous set of Commissioners, John McQueeney, George O’Donnell, and Marlene Davis raise taxes to historic levels, and push thru large scale development against the will of the people. Janet Boldyga worked diligently to remove ethics rules that could slow down pro-development county employees, and closely supported the efforts of Mr. McQueeney and Mr. O’Donnell as they jammed through large scale development. Is this a bit strong? I think the evidence clearly shows that it isn’t. Read the rest of this entry »

On November 9th and 10th, 2000, the Anne Arundel County Police Department conducted an undercover operation to determine if certain liquor establishments were selling alcohol to minors. Plain clothes officers accompanied an underage volunteer into eighteen businesses as he attempted to purchase alcoholic beverages without proper identification. Only three of those establishments broke the law and sold to the young man. (Here is a link to the police report and liquor board ruling. WARNING: foul language is contained in the report) Read the rest of this entry »

Not long ago there was a discussion dealing with the rate of growth in Queen Anne’s County which included local planning officials, politicians, developers, and a few concerned citizens.  During the discussion one citizen expressed dismay over the fact that the driving force behind all the development was pure greed.  One of the millionaire developers in the room replied, “You should try it some time.”   Well, I’ve thought it over and have decided to give greed a whirl. Read the rest of this entry »

To use Frank Kratovil’s own words, his “recent article only demonstrates his ignorance in an area in which he proclaims to have knowledge.” Mr. Kratovil claims “that not one single criminal allegation was found to be substantiated” with respect to the town of Centreville. Let’s review the facts. Read the rest of this entry »