Shame

“Grammarnoir 5: The Shame of the Prose” is a four-part serial, running on Mondays from February 11 until the thrilling conclusion on March 4, National Grammar Day.  Grammarnoir is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance of characters to any persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.   Part 1: See a Fellow About a Scam He was a pudgy little man with a suit that might have fit him a couple of hundred Denny's grand slams ago. His eyes wouldn't stop roaming around the room, and he was beginning to sweat, even though the outfit I work for doesn't throw around simoleons on heat for the help.

To the members of the Maryland General Assembly who voted for the gas tax increase ("House approves increase in gas tax," March 23), we have a few words. Boo! Hiss! How could you go along with the governor's wishes? He's not a king, you know. When gas prices increase, so will the prices of so many things: food, clothing, etc. This will put an added burden on so many people. How could you allow such a thing? Shame on you! Carolyn and Charles Hicks, Joppa Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Shame on you, Baltimore Sun, for the article on "Shadow over Ray Lewis' life" (Jan. 11). At a time when many of us are celebrating a the conclusion of a glorious sports career with Ray's announced retirement, you choose to publish this article detailing events of 13 years ago. This unfortunate episode involving Mr. Lewis' personal life has been examined and re-examined ad-nauseum throughout his career. Why would you choose to bring it up again at this time? Yes, this was a tragic event.

WHAT ARE we to make of a society in which pornography is readily available, violence pervades the arts and the media, men frequent bawdy shows and children are raised with the greatest permissiveness?I refer, of course, to Japan.This is the Japan that is almost unique among industrialized nations for its remarkably low rates of crime, especially violent crime, and its legendary ability to control the spread of dangerous drugs. There are youth gangs in Japan, some of which are deeply involved in crime and corruption, but rarely do the "yakuza" engage in drive-by shootings.

The Schaefer administration and the General Assembly ought to be ashamed of themselves for allowing Spring Grove Hospital Center to revert to a dumping ground for mentally ill patients that is so bereft of basic services it cannot meet even minimum federal or private standards of decency.As Sun reporter Suzanne Wooton documented last Sunday, Spring Grove is so dreadfully understaffed and its buildings are in such terrible shape that nurses and doctors have given up the pretense of trying to treat patients.

IT IS OFTEN said, and usually in weekly newsmagazines, that we live in a time when shame doesn't matter anymore.According to the cover story I recall, we have entered the post-shame era of easy redemption. Whatever our transgressions, we spill a few tears and we are inevitably forgiven. Especially, we forgive ourselves.And then, in real life, Adm. Jeremy Boorda kills himself in the way that military men used to -- or at least the way they used to in the books we read -- when honor was more important than life.

I have been thinking about media and public shame a lot lately. And events this week with Rupert Murdoch globally and Sheila Dixon locally have focused my troubled thoughts. The litany of public figures who have been in the news lately for behaving shamefully is a long and sad one. The indictment of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards in June brought back the whole sorry saga of him fathering a child out of wedlock with a campaign videographer as his wife fought a cancer that would claim her life in 2010.

The United States will not soon get satisfaction in its trade dispute with Japan and will have to delay ultimatums about sanctions. At the moment, there is no one in Japan with the authority to make concessions, and it may be a prolonged moment. The resignation of Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa leaves confusion and weakness at least until a successor is named, and probably longer. Meanwhile, the system moves along under the lubrication of the powerful bureaucracy, which can do everything but change.

Shame on Rev. Jamal Bryant and the mayoral candidates for trashing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake because she was absent from the mayoral debate on August 2 ( "Candidates focus on schools, crime," Aug 3). As a city resident, I want my mayor to be out with communities during annual grassroots events like National Night Out, not campaigning. The mayor was right to attend these events, spending time with neighborhoods who fight to reduce crime. It's surprising that the candidates did not take advantage of these numerous events throughout the city to campaign.