People Of Maryland

The rest of the year, many of these 188 men and women are farmers, social workers, entrepreneurs, morticians, even Washington lobbyists. Yesterday, they gathered in Annapolis to launch the 194th term of the people's legislature, doing, presumably, the people's business.As the General Assembly convened for its annual 90-day session, senators and delegates spoke proudly of how the legislature works for every Marylander. "We represent everybody, not just the Democrats and Republicans," said Sen. Walter M. Baker, a Cecil County Democrat, in one such address.

Don't discuss lawsuit in helicopter crash that killed officerThe Nov. 4 accident near the B & O Museum was indeed a tragedy. The race to find blame and reporting that panders to the legal community is unfortunate ("Helicopter company sued over '92 police crash," Nov. 7).We do not have the technical ability to eliminate all risk to people who fly, drive or cross the street.Flying helicopters, particularly at low altitude, represents some risk. Recovery from engine failures at low altitude is almost sure to negate chances of making a safe "dead stick" landing.

This weekend at Boonsboro, about 1,500 Civil War buffs will re-enact the 1862 Battle of South Mountain.Although South Mountain was the first major clash of the Civil War on Maryland soil, it was quickly relegated to a historical footnote by the fierce struggle at Antietam, three days later. Despite its quick exit from the spotlight, South Mountain was a significant battle.In the summer of 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was at full flower, having defeated Union forces in a series of defensive struggles in Northern Virginia, culminating in the second battle of Bull Run in August.

It would seem to be the simplest of stories. A politician gets caught making money in ways that he shouldn't, then his embarrassed colleagues vote to expel him.But when the politician is black and the powers that oust him are mostly white, simple things can get complicated in a hurry.Whether out of genuine anguish or political opportunism, supporters of ousted state Sen. Larry Young tapped into old, deep channels of black pain and mistrust when they rose to Young's defense last week by invoking the most divisive theme in American culture: race.

ANNAPOLIS - Amid the debate on Puerto Rican statehood, House Speaker Newt Gingrich revived an old idea to give Washington, D.C., representation in Congress - give most of the district back to Maryland.But neither Maryland nor district officials appear to have much interest in being part of such an arranged marriage."The people of D.C. don't want to live in Maryland and, frankly, the people of Maryland don't seem to want Washington, D.C., as part of their state," said Paul Strauss, the district's non-voting representative in the Senate.

The new year of 1998 finds us blessed. The state of the state is good. The state of the state is very good. We are enjoying the best economy in more than a decade. Our citizens enjoy enhanced security and feel a renewed sense of optimism.Thank you, Mr. President, Mr. Speaker and each member of this General Assembly for your hard work. Thank you also for your dedication to the citizens of Maryland.You can be rightfully proud of your efforts, and our efforts together, over the past three years.

Wiley Absher of Bel Air has less than three months before he turns 100 years old, but he already knows how he is going to celebrate."I'm going to hunt for a girlfriend," the soon-to-be centenarian said. "I'm starting to look now."If he was looking for a woman his own age, Absher had several to chose from yesterday at the fourth annual Maryland Centenarians Recognition Luncheon at Martin's West in Woodlawn for 45 of the state's most senior citizens -- and 550 relatives and friends.Absher might want to take his cue from Dr. Theodore Randolph, 102, who sat holding the hand of his wife of 33 years, Beatrice.

On Maryland Day next month, the Pride of Baltimore II will set sail from St. Mary's City to reverse the historic voyage of the Ark and the Dove, which brought the first English colonists to Maryland in 1634.In a public-private effort called unique by its participants, the Maryland departments of Transportation and Economic Development, Maryland Public Television, Eyre Tour and Travel Ltd. and The Sun are cooperating on various aspects of the Pride II's journey.The Pride will bear to London a plaque memorializing Cecilius Calvert, the founder of Maryland.

IMAGINE THAT Oregon faced a tragedy similar to the February Amtrak-MARC train crash that killed 11 people in Silver Spring. Imagine, too, unscrupulous lawyers wasted no time soliciting business from the victims' families, as happened in Maryland. Imagine that offended citizens filed complaints with the appropriate agency protesting unprofessional and offensive behavior.In Oregon, after such a tragedy, anyone interested in attorney discipline could find out how many complaints were filed about such conduct, who filed them and what happened.

Virginia deals with crime more firmlyTwo adjacent states both have voted in new administrations: Virginia and Maryland. Virginia's new governor, George Allen, has declared an all-out war on crime, especially in regard to repeat offenders.According to Governor Allen, three out of four violent crimes -- murder, armed robbery, rape, assault -- were being committed by repeat offenders.Governor Allen's answer was to set up a commission on stronger measures of punishment for violent crimes, which recommended requirement for offenders to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before parole.

State could scare private buyers away Gov. Martin O'Malley upping the ante by introducing legislation that would grant the state the authority to acquire Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park under eminent domain could discourage private buyers concerned about the state's power to seize the properties ("A bid to save tracks, race," April 8). For years, naysayers have been preaching pessimism and gloom about the horse racing industry, and Mr. O'Malley's actions only provide them with more ammunition.

Why waste money sustaining killers? In economic times like these, why would any government want to repeal the death penalty ("Deciding death penalty," Feb. 17)? I'm fairly certain that those who commit crimes worthy of capital punishment know that they may be put to death if they commit the crime. So why should citizens of Maryland pay to keep people with no regard for human life alive in prison for perhaps 50 or 60 years? I'm also very certain that our governor could make better use of his time than by trying to rally support to protect the rights of murderers while the people of Maryland are losing their houses and jobs.

Text of President-elect Barack Obama's remarks in Baltimore yesterday: Hello, Baltimore! Thank you, Baltimore! To Quincy Lucas, thank you for the wonderful introduction. To Governor O'Malley; to Baltimore's own speaker of the House, and partner with the soon-to-be Obama administration, Nancy Pelosi; to members of Maryland congressional delegation; to Maryland state and elected officials, to the best possible vice president-elect anybody could possibly hope for, Joe Biden; and to his even more wonderful wife, Jill Biden; to the people of Maryland and the people of America, thank you. We began this train trip in Philadelphia earlier today.

The news from Chicago sent a jolt through 501 N. Calvert St., the home of this newspaper, its suburban offices and the communities across Maryland that it has served with distinction for 171 years. The owner of the Baltimore Sun Media Group and other Tribune Co. newspapers filed yesterday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reorganize the company's heavy debt. Perhaps not since the days of the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 has this newspaper felt so at risk from events outside the building.

I wonder if the politicians and pundits who have lately taken to belittling community organizing really know much about this work, which has been at the center of some of the most important achievements of my life. I first started as a community organizer in 1994, when I was in college working on my associate's degree. For less than $20,000 a year, I walked through the communities of Baltimore every night to educate people about state and federal decisions that were being made that affected the quality of the water in their communities.

My fellow Marylanders, thank you for coming together today to mark a new day in Maryland. And thank you for the work we will do together to make our state stronger. Stronger, together, as one Maryland. One Maryland united by our belief in the dignity of every individual. One Maryland united by our responsibility to advance the common good. One Maryland united in our understanding that there is a unity to spirit and to matter and that what we chose to do in our own lifetimes does in fact matter.

Don't impose costs of care on business I was delighted to see the "Wal-Mart law" overturned for two reasons ("Court voids `Wal-Mart law,'" July 20). First, it was obviously doomed to fail because it conflicted with the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA. Second, health care is a benefit or perk. When you choose to apply for a job, you are told what your salary and benefits would be. If you don't like the mix, you can look somewhere else. Despite all of this, state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch wasted money getting this doomed legislation passed, and then overturning the governor's appropriate veto, as they wanted to force Wal-Mart to pay more for health care.

Protect the perch against public sale Rona Kobell deserves high praise for her coverage of the controversial reopening of the Choptank and Nanticoke rivers to the commercial netting of yellow perch ("Fishing ban may end," Feb. 15). And, as she has pointed out, there are larger issues than just these two rivers' fisheries. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has demonstrated a bias toward protecting commercial fishing interests, and this violates its legislated mandate to protect, preserve and restore Maryland's marine resources for all citizens.

The Democrats deny the people a voice What are the Democrats in the House of Delegates afraid of ("House rejects reviving gay marriage measure," Feb. 4)? They killed the same-sex marriage bill in committee, and they refused to allow the question of same-sex marriage to be put on the ballot in November so that the citizens of Maryland could vote on it. It seems to me that they're more interested in being re-elected than in doing what's right and letting the citizens decide this very important issue.

There's no real hint of friction between them, but life is about to get complicated for Maryland's most prominent political partners, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele. Money may not be a problem for either man, but issues could be. With the help of President Bush, Mr. Steele raised $500,000 last week for his 2006 U.S. Senate campaign. After speaking to midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, the president helicoptered up to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to stimulate the check-writing instincts of Maryland's Republican faithful.