Oath Of Office

Governor Schaefer takes the oath of office today, for the second and last time. This is a far more somber occasion, however, than it was in 1987. Schaefer faces serious budget deficits, a regional and national recession that is cutting down state revenue and tough decisions over whether to slice programs, services or cut state jobs. Partly as a result of this dilemma, his budget will be late this year, which will only exacerbate tensions with the legislature.These are difficult times and it's not easy for anyone to lead, especially Schaefer, who has been in something of a funk.

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley will become Maryland's 61st governor when he takes the oath of office Wednesday. Government House in Annapolis, vacated today by departing Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and his family, awaits the new first family of Maryland. The rest of us - neither living in a 52-room mansion nor taking any oath - await significant changes and challenges. When one administration replaces another, the real changes can often be subtle. As always, historians look first to hair for answers: Out: Barbers In: Hairstylists Out: Polo shirts, turtlenecks, sweat pants In: Power suits, power ties, power socks Out: Motown In: O'Malley's March Out: Unseasonable tans In: Pale Irish skin Out: Barbecue chicken, Chinese noodle cookies In: Corned beef and cabbage Out: Basketball, golf In: The gym, the gym Out: ESPN's SportsCenter In: John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage - then maybe time for C-SPAN Out: Democrats fighting Republicans over slots In: Democrats fighting Democrats over slots Out: WBAL's The Chip Franklin Show In: NPR's The Thistle and Shamrock Celtic music show Out: Leon's Restaurant in Arbutus In: Cafe Hon in Hampden Out: The spirit and wisdom of William D. Schaefer In: The spirit and wisdom of Parris N. Glendening Out: 10-foot inflatable Santas In: 10-foot inflatable leprechauns rob.hiaasen@baltsun.

Today in history: July 10In 1850, Vice President Millard Fillmore assumed the presidency, following the death of President Taylor.In 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state.In 1919, President Wilson personally delivered the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate, and urged its ratification.In 1925, the official news agency of the Soviet Union, TASS, was established.In 1940, during World War II, the 114-day Battle of Britain began as Nazi forces began attacking southern England by air.In 1943, during World War II, U.S. and British forces invaded Sicily.

Robert T. Hartmann, 91 Presidential speechwriter Robert T. Hartmann, who wrote the 1974 address in which Gerald R. Ford, assuming the presidency after the resignation of Richard M. Nixon, told the nation, "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," died April 11 in Washington. The cause was cardiac arrest, said his son, Robert. The memorable phrase coined by Hartmann, counselor to the president, almost failed to survive. In an ABC News program in 1985 that examined major events of the previous three decades, Mr. Ford spoke of the turmoil of the Watergate scandal.

As expected, the stock market is down and the citizens of this country are financially poorer through no fault of their own. Members of Congress need to be reminded that they once took an oath of office - to the people, to God, and to their own souls. Many others have made such pledges. Physicians, firefighters, nurses, policeman, soldiers. They have promised that even the middle of the night, if they hear the cries of the people they pledged to serve, they would willingly relinquish their own sleep, their safety and even their lives to attend to the needs of others.

In colonial times, patriots dumped tea in Boston harbor in protest of unfair taxation by the tyrannical British. In today's Washington, the tyrants are members of the tea party. How ironic. They trumpet their patriotism in the form of intransigence to reduce the scope of government, saving it even if it means destroying it. Their allegiance is pledged to Grover Norquist instead of their oath of office to govern. The real threat posed by these rabid tea party freshmen is their completely clueless disregard in linking the raising of the debt ceiling to their fanatical demands.

Susan Reimer 's column, "Surprising reaction to L'affaire Petraeus," (Nov. 15), brings up a number of salient points, most notably that male readers in large part thought that Gen. David Petraeus took the honorable, necessary course of action, while women who responded pointed out that chief executives of the past often had affairs but managed to carry out their duties. Ms. Reimer sums up her readers' feelings on General Petraeus and his philandering with the following: "With all due respect ... that has nothing to do with my oath of office, and it's none of your business.

A former New York police veteran was sworn in yesterday as the Baltimore Police Department's chief of detectives during a ceremony at the agency's downtown headquarters. Edwin Day, 51, who joined the force three weeks ago, oversees about 700 employees, including 400 detectives who investigate crimes ranging from burglary to homicide. A retired New York police officer, Day could have remained a civilian employee as the city's chief of detectives. Instead, he wanted police powers and to carry a badge and gun. He has undergone psychological testing and a background check.

In separate ceremonies, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and City Comptroller Jacqueline McLean were sworn in yesterday amid appropriate pomp and circumstance. Thursday, City Council President Mary Pat Clarke also takes the oath of office. Schmoke and Clarke cruised to easy victories in their re-election bids this year. McLean, a former two-term city councilwoman from the 2nd District, made the comptroller's race the most spirited contest of the season with her surprisingly lopsided victory over two popular opponents in September's three-way primary.

Landscaper charged in theft of equipmentState police arrested a Manchester man who owns a Randallstown landscaping and tree service after finding two pieces of heavy-duty equipment reported stolen in Baltimore County and Harrisburg, Pa., at his shop.James L. Yirka 3rd of the 2900 block of Patricia Court in Manchester was charged with two counts of felony theft after police seized a 1989 Melroe Bobcat front-end loader, valued at $23,800, and a 1991 Brush Bandit wood chipper, valued at $15,000, from his business in the 4700 block of Old Court Road.