Boycott

Why can't people understand that if they boycott BP, the company will have to declare bankruptcy at some future date, and that will halt payment for the cleanup, etc. Plus, they are punishing fellow Marylanders who operate gasoline businesses. It never stops. Finton Cordell

A Baltimore comic store has joined the growing public outcry over DC Comics' decision to hire a gay-marriage opponent and author to write part of the coming "Adventures of Superman" series. Joining many shops nationwide, Gorilla King Comics in Fells Point will not sell the two issues expected to be written by Orson Scott Card. "I have a lot of gay customers," says owner Ian Sayre. "I don't want someone to come in here, see that and think that's me or that anyone in the store supports his policies.

I was upset to read about the pressure on big retailers to open on Christmas day. Christmas and Thanksgiving are precious days that have great significance in our society. As a religiously observant Jew, I do not negotiate on my time off for our holidays and Sabbath. I make a personal decision every day to honor the laws and traditions that were passed down to me and would never ever consider compromising that. I understand implicitly the importance tradition and custom has on society.

Del. Glen Glass' plans to boycott the special session of General Assembly now entering its second week in Annapolis have gone to the dogs. Soon after Gov. Martin O'Malley announced that he would call a special session of the legislature to deal with the question of expanding gambling, the Harford County lawmaker announced that he planned to stay away in protest. It was an idea that never gained much traction with his Republican colleagues, even though the House GOP leadership opposed the governor's decision to summon legislators back to the State House for the second time since the regular session ended in April.

Del. Glen Glass' plans to boycott the special session of General Assembly now entering its second week in Annapolis have gone to the dogs. Soon after Gov. Martin O'Malley announced that he would call a special session of the legislature to deal with the question of expanding gambling, the Harford County lawmaker announced that he planned to stay away in protest. It was an idea that never gained much traction with his Republican colleagues, even though the House GOP leadership opposed the governor's decision to summon legislators back to the State House for the second time since the regular session ended in April.

The labor union formerly known as the NFL Players Association is trying to convince the top college prospects to boycott next month's NFL draft. That protest would deny these young men the chance to soak in the whole experience of walking up on stage at Radio City Music Hall, putting on their new team's hat and posing for a few goofy pictures with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. "I just think it's a shame for young men that are starting their careers in the NFL, that are having that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come across the stage, become an NFL player for the first time [to not be able to attend the draft]

Unfortunately the boycott of BP gas stations affects local station owners, but consumers really don't have any other way to vent their frustration with the oil company. ("Sales fall at area BP pumps in wake of spill," June 14). As a consumer I know that the only way we can truly avoid such disasters is by cutting down on our consumption of oil and hope that automobile manufacturers will produce cars that will use renewable sources of energy that won't harm the environment as much as oil. That won't necessarily solve our problems as we have become a world dependent on the use of petroleum and other sources of fuel that pollute our earth.

In an effort focused on grabbing headlines, County Executive Ken Ulman recently called for a 30-day boycott of soft drinks, completely missing an opportunity to educate and talk to the public about real solutions for addressing obesity. Now more than ever the commitment of Maryland's beverage industry to do our part is shining through. Our member companies are cutting the calories available from beverages in the marketplace. In fact, the total amount of beverage calories available in the marketplace decreased by 21 percent from 1998 to 2008.

Three members of the Baltimore City Council yesterday agreed to sign a boycott commitment against a downtown hotel that has been involved in a long-standing battle with the union representing its employees. City Council Vice President Edward L. Reisinger and city Councilmen Bill Henry and William H. Cole IV were expected to sign boycott pledge cards against the Sheraton Baltimore City Center because of the labor dispute. This month marked two years that doormen, housekeepers and other staff have worked without a contract, according to United Here.

Opponents of the proposed Westminster bypass are considering a boycott of area businesses that oppose an alternate plan to upgrade the existing highway.Carroll Life, a citizens group that says it has about 100 members, has been fighting a proposal to build a Route 140 bypass north of Westminster, where many of them live. The group circulated fliers last week suggesting the boycott.The flier "was in direct response to the letter the Greater Westminster Development Corp. and the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce sent out to local businesses," said Carroll Life member Paula J. Davidson.

The General Assembly convenes Thursday for a special session on the expnsion of gambling, and at least one legislator - Del. Glen Glass of Harford and Cecil counties - has said he won't show up. There's no telling whether his fellow Republicans will join him in his boycott. The GOP, particularly in the House of Delegates, has opposed the push for a special session, both because of the expense involved and because they contend it is unlikely to produce well-thought-out legislation. Since an absence is the same as a no vote, they may be tempted to underscore their objections by leaving empty seats in the chamber.

Faith Loudon plans to eat at as many local Chick-fil-A restaurants as she can manage on Wednesday - at least six. Other Marylanders, meanwhile, are vowing to donate the amount it would have cost them to get a chicken meal from the fast-food chain to gay-rights groups. Nothing turns a sandwich into a symbol faster than a company executive wading into politics, especially on a subject as divisive as gay marriage. Chick-fil-A's president and CEO, Dan T. Cathy, told the Biblical Recorder, a Baptist journal, in early July that the company was "very much supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit.

I was upset to read about the pressure on big retailers to open on Christmas day. Christmas and Thanksgiving are precious days that have great significance in our society. As a religiously observant Jew, I do not negotiate on my time off for our holidays and Sabbath. I make a personal decision every day to honor the laws and traditions that were passed down to me and would never ever consider compromising that. I understand implicitly the importance tradition and custom has on society.

In an effort focused on grabbing headlines, County Executive Ken Ulman recently called for a 30-day boycott of soft drinks, completely missing an opportunity to educate and talk to the public about real solutions for addressing obesity. Now more than ever the commitment of Maryland's beverage industry to do our part is shining through. Our member companies are cutting the calories available from beverages in the marketplace. In fact, the total amount of beverage calories available in the marketplace decreased by 21 percent from 1998 to 2008.

Leisha Hailey, a musician and star of 'The L-Word,' a drama about lesbians that used to air on Showtime,  has accused Southwest Airlines of discriminating against her because she is gay and has called for a boycott of the airline. Hailey and her partner, Camila Grey, were removed from a Southwest flight in El Paso, Texas, on Monday. She said via her band's Twitter feed (@UhHuhHer) , that they were escorted off of the plane after getting into a discussion with a flight attendant about a kiss the two shared.

The sun is just peeking over the treetops as Billy Rice steers his 24-foot boat, Miss Jill, out into the Potomac River. Six days a week, in all kinds of weather, except lightning and high winds, the Charles County waterman and his helper and wife, Melinda, spend their mornings pulling crab pots from the water. Crabbing has been that way for decades. But watermen across the bay are starting to acknowledge things need to change if their traditional livelihood is to survive. And this fiercely independent bunch — full of distrust of officials, and even at times of each other — is trying to band together to control their destiny.

NEW YORK -- Tired of receiving second-class treatment on the payrolls of three of the sport's four Grand Slams, the women who make their living from professional tennis may resort to a boycott to bite the hand that feeds them -- but feeds the men more -- if the three shallow-pocketed Slams don't make a millennial motion toward equality.Billie Jean King calls it a potential "girl-cott." Bart McGuire, the WTA Tour's chief executive officer, calls it a militant maneuver he hopes his troops won't deploy.

Angered by a news article that highlighted the difficulty of firing incompetent teachers in Baltimore, the Baltimore Teachers Union (BTU) has launched a six-day boycott of The Baltimore Sun."It was an insulting article to the vast majority of well-qualified and professional teachers to see these poor teachers highlighted for the entire reading audience," stated Irene B. Dandridge, president of the 8,300-member group, in a letter to Sun Publisher Michael J. Davies.She called the article "the straw that broke the camel's back" in a year when teachers have been demoralized by pay cuts, budget uncertainties and other job pressures.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.   Running it back: NFL owners unlocked the doors Thursday, but the players are reviewing the proposed 10-year collective bargaining agreement . The players now have until Tuesday to agree or pass on the proposal. ... After taking a couple of days off to rest his shoulder, Luke Scott continued his rehab assignment in Bowie and hit a pair of home runs.

As we see the dozen or so times Ed Reed gets his hands on the football each fall, the Ravens safety is a tough guy to track down. But my Baltimore Sun colleague Jamison Hensley was able to do it Wednesday at Reed's youth football camp at Franklin High School, and Hensley gleaned a few interesting tidbits from Reed. Reed said he is relatively healthy , declared himself "full go" and expressed a desire to retire as a Raven . He also clarified the recent comments he made to ESPN about how he and other Ravens players wanted Rex Ryan to be named head coach in 2008.