Purpose

Since when are we living in the 1950s? Or the 1850s or the 1750s or the 1650s, for that matter for a newspaper to print an op-ed stating that the only reason for marriage is for procreation ( "Same-sex marriage is contrary to the public interest," Feb. 2)? I am a happily married, heterosexual, devoutly Christian woman with three children, and I am absolutely appalled you would print that. Peter Sprigg is entitled to his opinion, but it is irresponsible of you to print it. Our society has long since recognized that marriage is about the love and commitment two people have for each other.

If local pharmacists could write the regulations, Marylanders probably wouldn't ever have been allowed to get their prescriptions filled at chain stores like Walgreens and Rite-Aid. Independent video stores probably would have liked to outlaw Blockbuster, just as small bookstore owners probably would have been just as happy if the state had a ban on Barnes & Noble. (For that matter, Blockbuster might like an injunction against Netflix and Barnes & Noble on Amazon.com.) And most of all, Main Street merchants everywhere would probably love a world where Walmart was illegal.

There is a move in the legislature to prevent credit checks from being used to check out job applicants. Just a few years ago, credit was ignored by those selling homes to people who could not then or ever afford them. In fact, government agencies promoted that practice. People were able to experience for the first time a home of their own. Within weeks after moving in, there was the addition of a new car and new furniture to accommodate the new status. It took a only few years for reality to set in. Buyers were over their heads in debt.

While some of the ideas in your editorial about the mayor's skybox ("The people's skybox," March 21) had merit, anyone who read your statement that sometimes "the invitees seem to serve little public purpose" needs to understand that the purpose being served is the same one shared by the majority of Maryland politicians: Currying favor and getting reelected. The skybox is just another political tool for that purpose. Ruth Mascari, Monkton

If we take Peter Sprigg's commentary on the "public purpose" of marriage seriously, then our legislators better get busy drafting some new bills. ( "Same-sex marriage is contrary to the public interest," Feb. 2.) Mr. Sprigg insists that marriage is only about making and raising babies, in the natural, God-ordained way. If that is the case, then we need to include new rules on which heterosexual couples will be allowed to apply for a marriage license. Infertile? Don't bother thinking about marriage.

First baseman Mark Reynolds was out of the starting lineup Sunday for precautionary reasons after he was hit in the head by Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ervin Santana in the third inning of Saturday night's game. Reynolds said Sunday morning that he felt fine except for a sore spot above his left temple. He also left no doubt that he feels Santana hit him intentionally in his first at-bat after he slammed his 34th homer off the Angels right-hander. "I think he hit me on purpose," Reynolds said.

While some of the ideas in your editorial about the mayor's skybox ("The people's skybox," March 21) had merit, anyone who read your statement that sometimes "the invitees seem to serve little public purpose" needs to understand that the purpose being served is the same one shared by the majority of Maryland politicians: Currying favor and getting reelected. The skybox is just another political tool for that purpose. Ruth Mascari, Monkton

I am no historian. But I've always been fascinated by the sense of purpose, the intent, of writers of histories that have engaged me -- from Herodotus to Stephen Ambrose, whose final book, To America, I wrote about just last week. I read books of history, and their first cousin, historical biographies, with great interest. If I could read at five times my natural speed, I would surely read more histories. Never before, though, have I come across a book that so illuminated the craft of the historian than The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past, by John Lewis Gaddis (Oxford, 224 pages, $23)

Robert Bogomolny and his best friend were both earning superb grades in elementary school but getting quite different responses to them at home. His friend, Bobby, was given a dollar for every "E," the equivalent of an "A," on his report card. "I would say ... Bobby got all this money for his grades," Bogomolny recalls. "And my father said, `You know, when you have the ability to do this kind of work ... that's what you're supposed to do. So I don't believe in giving you a special reward for doing something you're able to do.' " Bogomolny didn't fully welcome the reply, but his father's impromptu lesson in work ethics more than a half-century ago stuck, and today it is one of his guiding principles as he attempts to re-energize the University of Baltimore, an institution rich in history but which often seems little more than an afterthought in the pecking order of Maryland higher education.

1901: U.S. Steel is formed1908: Ford's Model T1913: Federal Reserve established1920: General-purpose tractor is introduced

Maryland's attorney general said Friday that the nearly $60 million from the national mortgage settlement that the state controls would be used to help people "victimized by the egregious conduct of the banks," in contrast with some states that intend to use their shares to plug budget holes. Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler also said his office is pursuing criminal investigations related to mortgage and foreclosure fraud, though he didn't say whether cases related to the "robo-signing" that prompted the settlement might be filed.

The indictment State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt secured against Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold is positively tawdry. It includes accusations about his intimate relationships that call to mind Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr's report about former President Bill Clinton. That's a connection Mr. Leopold's attorney seems intent on making in another context: He has painted the entire effort by Mr. Davitt as a rogue investigation by a politically motivated, unaccountable prosecutor intent on personally embarrassing the county executive.

Gilman star Cyrus Jones is one of 53 seniors chosen for PARADE Magazine's 49th annual All-America High School Football Team, which will be published Sunday. In partnership with Sporting News, PARADE editors picked a team a players "whose on-the-field performances represent the best of high school football. " The list of previous PARADE All-Americans includes the likes of Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, John Elway, Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow.

With any new medical treatment, the primary consideration for doctors is the evidence - how effective is it, what are the side effects, what are the indications, what is the appropriate dose, and so on. That should go for lawmakers and regulators, too, even when it comes to the emotionally charged issue of medical marijuana. There is a mountain of anecdotal evidence suggesting cannabis is useful in treating pain, nausea and other symptoms of chronic disease, but there is precious little in the way of rigorous scientific study.

This holiday season, thousands of families are welcoming home children, siblings, spouses and parents from the Middle East. For family members and service members alike, this return marks a long-anticipated and joyful reunion. But for the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines whose return marks the end of their military service, it may also usher in a period of great uncertainty. After the reunions, the "welcome homes" and the "thank yous" that our returning veterans receive, the national dialogue they hear turns largely to scant job opportunities, post-traumatic stress, school dropout rates and suicide.

It's not difficult to get people incensed over a speeding ticket. It's an unwanted expense, a burden of paperwork, an embarrassment, an annoyance. And perhaps worst of all, they feel like the business end of a trap, a way for government to hook the unwary. If nothing else, Maryland's unmanned speed cameras have been a boon to local talk-radio hosts as motorists call in to vent their anger and disgust. For many, the fact that they weren't pulled over by a police officer only exacerbates the circumstance.

Maryland's state leaders have redrawn the state's congressional districts yet again in an attempt to give the Democratic Party an edge. Already known for its gerrymandered districts, Maryland further contributes to the denigration of the democratic process. The problem lies in the fact that Maryland's leaders don't understand the purpose of these districts. All they care about is what party leaders tell them: "party first, state second. " These leaders, who come from both parties, care more about power than actually doing what is right.

"I've been in games where somebody said, `Your numbers were good,' but we lost. It doesn't matter. Numbers mean absolutely nothing." Jake Delhomme Carolina Panthers quarterback "To get it to stop, what they have to do is they have to say, `If you retaliate on purpose and we can tell that it was done blatantly to somebody, or spin somebody out on purpose, you will sit out the next week. No questions asked. There will be no discussions.'" Greg Biffle NASCAR driver, on how to eliminate dangerous driving during Nextel Cup races

A cluster of vacant rowhouses in the 1600 block of North Gay Street succumbed to the metal claw of an excavator this month, as yet another batch of unwanted city homes turned to rubble. Once the East Baltimore tract is cleared, nothing will be built there. It will be turned into a community-managed open space, providing a patch of green for residents of nearby senior housing units and tenants at the restored American Brewery building. The $215,000 demolition is among the most recent projects funded by the city's Affordable Housing Program.

The Sun in its recent editorial ("Time for Phase II," Dec. 14), tells us that Occupy Baltimore protesters need to become "mainstream," that camping out in downtown Baltimore accomplished nothing and city residents were "perplexed" by the actions of the protesters. Some of the tactics the protesters used may have seemed over-the-top, but they created an awareness of issues that likely would not have been noticed using conventional, mainstream methods of protest. The civil rights movement and the peace movement of the 1960s and '70s relied on nonviolent, civil disobedience to accomplish their goals of equality for African Americans and an end to the war in Vietnam.