Critics

Your editorial, "The smearing of Gregg Bernstein" (Jan. 26) decrying differences between the protests against State's Attorney Gregg Bernstein and the Cherry Hill rally against violence was hypocritical. The Sunpapers had the Bernstein protest above the fold on page 2 and the Cherry Hill protest below the fold. The Cherry Hill article was only 60 percent of the length of the Bernstein article. You paid more attention to the racist comments of a few than the concerns of the entire Cherry Hill community.

An attorney for a teenager who said his jaw was broken in an encounter with Baltimore police dismissed the city's civilian review board as a "proxy" for police after nearly three years have passed without a ruling on the case. In July 2010, Yardell Henderson, then 16, filed a complaint with internal affairs in which he said he was beaten by police in Northwest Baltimore during an incident that did not result in his arrest or criminal charges. He also contacted the civilian review board, a volunteer panel formed to great fanfare in the late 1990s, to provide a check on police.

I can't wait for my next Sunday newspaper to see a negative response to Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s recent column ("Democrats riding high, but beware a midterm crash," March 10). As I stated in a previous e-mail, like clockwork every Sunday there's a response countering Mr. Ehrlich's previous column. Note that these letters never run in Monday's paper when there's a smaller readership. I guess the philosophy at The Sun is something to the effect of let's give Mr. Ehrlich exposure and an opportunity to give him some publicity but by golly, let's sock it to him with a consistent negative reply.

Anne D. Neal apparently thinks that because St. Mary's College of Maryland has been unable to fill 150 seats in its incoming freshman class, its curriculum must be flawed and its students ill-educated ("Cautionary campus tale," May 30). As a student of St. Mary's College of Maryland, I strongly disagree with Ms. Neal's stance, and I am appalled by the complete lack of basis on which she constructs her argument. In her commentary, Ms. Neal pulls her evidence of St. Mary's apparent failure in curriculum from the "American Council of Trustees and Alumni's 'What Will They Learn?

Anquan Boldin is not exactly a guy who draws attention to himself. He's the polar opposite of your stereotypical NFL wideout diva. The man blends in so well, he's practically human camouflage. Take the way he celebrated - if that's the word - his 32nd birthday this week. "Do anything fun?" he was asked the next day after practice. "No, just worked [here]," he said. "OK, how 'bout after you got home? Do anything fun with the family?" "No," he said. "We just hung out at the house.

It was a delight to see Dr. Ben Carson on The Sun's front page recently ("Controversial address vaults Hopkins' Carson into political arena," Feb. 18), and it was a stark contrast to the vitriolic online piece earlier by TV critic David Zurawik ("Hopkins' Dr. Benjamin Carson anointed new Fox darling of the right on Hannity," Feb. 16). Mr. Zurawik's hatred for Fox News came through loud and clear. He clearly was using Dr. Carson as a conduit to disparage Fox. No wonder he was critical of the way President Barack Obama appeared in a film shown on Sean Hannity's program Friday evening.

If Mitt Romney wants to shut Sen. Harry Reid up once and for all and prove him to be the dirty liar he claims he is, all he has to do is release his tax returns for the last 10 years ("Romney tax return battle sparks 'dirty' accusation," Aug. 6). President Barack Obama finally showed everyone his birth certificate after all, even though it was only kooks like Donald Trump who were asking to see it. So what is Mitt waiting for? He's only making himself look as if he's hiding something.

"Hoo boy, are you going to have fun watching this. It bursts with great rhythm & blues, funk, and jazz music. It's got superb performances from two ‘Wire' vets, Wendell Pierce (as devilish trombone player Antoine) and Clarke Peters (as the leader of a Mardi Gras Indian tribe). There's also Steve Zahn, in his first TV series, playing a ditzy DJ; John Goodman as a righteous English professor; and Khandi Alexander (forget " CSI: Miami" — this is her best work since 2000's ‘The Corner,' another Simon project)

On Tuesday, WWE, through  Brian Flinn , WWE's senior VP of marketing and communications, issued an email statement to the Hollywood Reporter concerning WWE superstar Jack Swagger and manager Zeb Colter. Several blogs, critics and media outlets have complained that the characters Swagger and Colter are portraying on WWE TV are "right wing racists. " One paragraph of WWE's statement reads as follows: “WWE is creating drama centered on a topical subject that has varying points of view to develop a rivalry between two characters.

I would like to respond to Ron Smith's column "Mideast burns, Japan suffers — Obama golfs" (Feb. 18). It managed to hit a lot of buttons with me. I question Mr. Smith's indignation over President Obama having "fun" — I wonder where his indignation was when his boy Bush bewailed the fact that Katrina had made it impossible for him to enjoy cocktails on Trent Lott's porch while people in New Orleans were dying because of Katrina....

The Farm Bill currently making its way through Congress is important to everyone who lives and works in Maryland because it provides critical support to one of the pillars of the state's economy: international trade. The bill, strongly debated in Congress since it was introduced in May 2012 following the expiration of the 2008 U.S. Farm Bill, helps keep the doors open to exports of America's food and agriculture. The debate over this nearly $1 trillion bill is a perfect example of gridlock in Congress: Because it requires balance among so many divisive priorities, including public support of our nation's farmers and ranchers, conservationism, social welfare and the budget deficit, it is a microcosm of our federal budgeting process and requires Congress to approach the situation with a willingness to compromise.

The condition of a man who suffered a skull fracture following an altercation at Camden Yards last week has worsened, hospital officials said. Matt Fortese, who police said was punched and plunged over a railing onto concrete five feet below at Wednesday's game, is now in critical condition. He had been in serious condition up until Sunday afternoon, Maryland Shock Trauma Center spokeswoman Cynthia Rivers said. Police say Fortese, a lifelong New York Yankees fan who wore the team's cap to the Orioles' matchup with the Washington Nationals, was taunted by two men at the game and had beer thrown on him and his date.

Regarding Anne D. Neal's commentary on St. Mary's College of Maryland, how sad it was to read such an uneducated piece published by a usually trustworthy source ("Campus cautionary tale," May 30). The article was a perfect example of manipulation of facts. Granted, St. Mary's is more expensive than the University of Maryland College Park and other institutions. But Ms. Neal's article fails to report that we benefit from small class sizes, which requires more class participation than sitting in a lecture hall with several hundred students.

The Rawlings-Blake administration is asking the City Council to approve more than $100 million in taxpayer assistance to help fund a large waterfront development that will house energy giant Exelon Corp.'s regional headquarters. But some council members are questioning the proposal - which is scheduled to be introduced in the council Monday - in part because it comes on the heels of a lucrative tax break already granted for the $1 billion Harbor Point mixed-use development on the waterfront between Harbor East and Fells Point.

A 43-year-old Frederick woman was killed and her passenger critically injured after the ATV she was driving in Carroll County struck a tree on Sunday afternoon, Carroll County Sheriff's deputies said. The Sheriff's Office identified the woman as Stacey Ranee May and her critically injured passenger as Wilson Henry McCraw Jr., 52, of Mount Airy. The crash occurred in the 2800 block of Flag Marsh Road at around 3:30 p.m., and deputies said the ATV left the road and struck a utility box before hitting a tree head-on.

Criticism mounted Thursday over the gift of a National Rifle Association lifetime membership from Anne Arundel County Republicans to a boy who was suspended from school in March when he chewed a pastry into the shape of a pistol. "It's outrageous that elected officials in our state who don't have anywhere near all the facts of this situation would choose to exploit an 8-year-old child for political purposes in a stunt like this," Anne Arundel County schools spokesman Bob Mosier said Thursday.

THE QUESTION Critics viewed the Wayans' movie Little Man as nothing more than a spinoff of a Bugs Bunny cartoon come to life. For that reason, the movie did not receive good reviews. When it comes to choosing what movie you will see, does it matter what critics say? Why or why not? WHAT YOU SAY Although critics' movie reviews are important to get an idea of whether or not the movie is what the readers are interested in seeing, it is equally important to remember that everyone has their own taste in movies.

LET'S BAN movie critics from reviewing historical films. That way, we'll make their lives - and ours - easier to sit through. Film criticism is a noble profession, focusing on an exciting and vibrant art form. But critics and I often are on different wavelengths. Any film universally panned by critics, I'm sure to like. Those that most critics praise, I'm sure to detest. I first became leery of critics years ago, when I went to see "Picnic at Hanging Rock" at the Charles. The plot was about three girls who mysteriously disappear on a picnic.

Former Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold emerged from his involuntary retirement  to criticize his successor, Laura A. Neuman, for failing to appear at a meeting Wednesday at which the Board of Public Works approved the move of the state Department of Housing a Community Development to Prince George's County. Over the opposition of three Republican members of the Anne Arundel House delegation, the board voted 3-0 to ratify a lease with a developer at the New Carrollton Metro stop for the new department headquarters.

Gov. Martin O'Malley will turn to a longtime political ally, former Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, to lead the Maryland Department of Transportation as it begins a new era of stepped-up construction, administration officials confirmed Tuesday. O'Malley is expected to announce the appointment of Smith, 71, on Wednesday. His selection ends a search that has continued for more than a year - since former Transportation Secretary Beverly Swaim-Staley announced her departure last spring.