Liberty

Applause for Liberty High students during thespian festival Drama students from Liberty and Century high schools were among those who received top honors during the 2013 Maryland State Thespian Festival at Tuscarora High School in Frederick County on Jan. 11 and 12. Liberty High School students Courtney Jarmush, Christy Czajkowski and Emily Nupp each received one of the eight $32,000 scholarship from Rowan University for their efforts....

Frederick A. "Fritz" Glos, a retired machinist and World War II veteran who volunteered onboard the Liberty ship John W. Brown, died Friday of complications from leukemia at a stepdaughter's Perry Hall home. He was 89. Frederick Adam "Fritz" Glos was born in Baltimore and raised on North Port Street. He attended city public schools and then joined the merchant marine. He joined the Navy in 1942 at Bainbridge Naval Training Center in Cecil County and became a gunner's mate and later worked in aviation ordnance.

As of 8 a.m., on Interstate 695 in Baltimore County, one shoulder of the outer loop past Old Harford Road was closed due to a multiple vehicle crash. Also in Baltimore County, one westbound lane and shoulder of Liberty Road at Washington Avenue remained closed due to a utility problem, the state highway administration reported. As of 8 a.m., MTA reported no major delays to MARC service.

Letter writer John Franchy ("More restrictive gun laws are not the answer," Dec. 20) misrepresents certain statements by the Founders and certain historical facts. The assertions he makes can be found in tea party talking points disseminated over the previous week. He paraphrases Benjamin Franklin, "They who give up essential liberty to (purchase) a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. " Mr. Franklin was not commenting on the balance between government powers and individual liberty.

As a father, I grieve with the rest of the country at the senseless loss of children's lives and the waste of human potential such tragedies represent. But I also refuse to remain silent and allow the elites and opportunists of the moment to take advantage of our collective grief and manipulate it for their own ends ("Teary Obama calls for action after massacre," Dec. 15). More restrictive gun laws are not the answer. If that logic prevailed, cars would be surrounded by inflatable bumpers and go no faster than 20 mph, household chemicals would be banned, and one would need a license from social services to have children.

Inside Lacrosse unveiled its Colonial Athletic Association preseason coaches' poll Wednesday as part of its Face-Off Yearbook, and Towson was picked to finish sixth, ahead of only St. Joseph's. Massachusetts, which went 15-0 in the regular season in 2012, was tabbed to finish first, followed by Penn State and Drexel. Junior defenseman John Fennessy was the only Tiger chosen to the Preseason All-CAA team. Harrison renews deal with STX Baltimore-based lacrosse equipment maker STX has announced that LXM Pro star Kyle Harrison (Friends, Johns Hopkins)

In his recent commentary, Matt Patterson informed us that President Barack Obama's election to a second term in office is the death knell for liberty in this country and he sounds ready to pack up his bags and leave ("America the dictatorship?" Nov. 27). Fine. But before he goes, perhaps we should take a moment to compare and contrast Mr. Patterson's golden age of a free America (which he defines as prior to the passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913) with the Orwellian present in which we now live.

Morgan State junior guard Justin Black nearly produced a tripledouble while leading the Bears over host Liberty, 67-62, in a nonconference game Thursday night in Lynchburg, Va. Black finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as the Bears, in the midst of a seven-game road swing, improved to 2-3. The game had 16 lead changes and was tied eight times. Neither team enjoyed a lead larger than seven points until Morgan State went ahead by nine with 1:10 remaining. Anthony Hubbard finished with 16 points to lead Morgan State, and Dewayne Jackson added 11 points, five rebounds and five steals.

I was very surprised to read Matt Patterson's commentary in The Sun ("America the dictatorship?" Nov. 27). How did someone get a pro-freedom message past The Sun's editorial board at the White House? By the way, congratulations on your election victory. The media has now fulfilled its agenda which is to lift takers over makers. By 2016, we'll have a $20 trillion hole with no way to get out plus all the other little things this administration will continue to do as in Obamacare, bailouts, coverups, and, of course, let us not forget President Barack Obama's favorite constituency, illegal immigrants.