Annapolis Capital Punishment

I have decided to post a number of recent comments together:

concerned has left a new comment on your post "Business Tells Annapolis: Parking Should Be Free, ...":

The garage on one side of West Street is $85.00 a month on the other side (Park Place) it is $150.00 a month. This is crazy.

Dear Concerned:

What's so crazy about it? $85 a month is cheap. $150 a month seems high. It will work out. Why should parking be free or low cost? It's real estate. Until our society realizes what a waste our cars and our parking is, we'll keep paying....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "House Speaker Mike Busch Weighs in on 2008 Session...":

Paul,

As most political observers would acknowledge, Maryland has one of the most deeply entrenched legislatures among state governments in this country (along with New Mexico, Louisiana, and Misissippi). And it's letters like this that this that make it possible. I don't care whether you are a Democrat or Republican, it's the duty of the citizens to keep tabs on their legislators.

Lists of accomplishments such as Mr. Busch's are written with a wink and nod to the lobbyists who swarm Annapolis during sessions. By inflating the importance of minor victories or paper tigers, legislators can give the appearance of forward progress while quietly assuring lobbyists that their employers will be protected. For example, claiming that the legislature provided rate relief for BGE consumers is, at best, disingenuous. A one time $170 rebate vs. a 72% rate increase can hardly be called a victory for the people. And that is just one example. And an environmentalist, such as yourself, can hardly be satisfied with the legislature's actions on this open sewar that is called the Chesapeake Bay.

Paul, I enjoy your blog, but I'd like to see you call these guys out.

Tim Hamilton

Dear Tim: Thanks. I don't agree with everything Mike Busch does nor do I agree with many things the Democratic machine does, but all political acts are based on systems and all politicians have to walk the razor's edge. We could do a lot worse than Mike Busch-and I find him to be a decent and honorable person. In fact, I think we are blessed in District 30 with the likes of Clagett, George and Astle whom I find to also be decent and honorable--but hey--I can't agree with them on everything! (Imagine if we had Andrew Harris, Alex Mooney, Tony McConkey, Don Dwyer or Rich Colburn in our district...)

Take slots for example. I am opposed to slots and I thank him every time I see him for his stand that stopped slots. If you look back over the two or four year term of any elected official and if you could change every action and every vote and then try to rewrite that history to suit you as just one citizen, you may have found the perfect lawmaker. The trouble with that is only a few other of his or her constituents would agree. Hey--I don't even agree with every act I have done in my personal life...I don't know how to be perfect or please everyone and I sure don't have as many constituents as does an elected official. All we can hope for is that they try to be honest, consistent and be as fair as they can as often as they can to as many people as they can....and that has to include even Baltimore Gas and Electric from time to time...there is plenty of blame--and thanks to go around.

In regard to the post expressing my outrage over the suspension of the Annapolis HS student who briefly and quietly sat down to protest the war in Iraq, I received the following from Will Morang, sailing coach for the Annapolis HS team. For the record, I know Mr. Morang and my son is a jv member of the team. One of the students who was arrested, Kit Whitacre, is a sailing team member.

Post it, brother, post it.

Hi Paul,

I read your article in on your site, it was forwarded to me by a friend in Philadelphia, weirdly enough. But believe me, I have been following this situation extremely closely. I greatly appreciated your article, and I’m sure Kit and the other kids at AHS did as well.

Last weekend Kit Whitacre helped Annapolis HS qualify for the national high school sailing championship. He is their B skipper.

The coaches of a particular team are fighting their victory, trying to get Kit and the whole team thrown out of the regatta because Kit was allowed to sail in the regatta after ‘what he did at school’.

I cleared the fact that Kit could sail before the regatta, and yet they protested the victory anyway.

There was a hearing at which this protest was disallowed based on the fact that sailing isn’t a school sponsored activity and the school never placed restrictions on Kit’s eligibility to compete in ‘extracurricular activities’. The school in fact never even gave Kit the legally required documentation stating the terms of his suspension.

Anyway, these people are still trying to hold Kit down in this arena as well, but you better believe I’m fighting this to the end. These kids have worked way too hard to get everything taken away from them based on this phony punishment at the school.

I will not take this, I will not have this happen to my team. I care too much.
My team has worked way too hard to have their hopes and dreams taken away by some petty under the table political crap. It's not right, and it's not fair. I'm sick of these people trying to hold my team down. We won't let it happen. It ain't gonna happen.

Will Morang

The following post, also in response to the jailed student Kit Whitacre, has already been published at the original April 19 post:

As the aunt of one of these boys, I can tell you that not only was he suspended, but also he spent 12 hours locked in a jail cell. He was then cuffed, arms and legs, with several young men picked up on a warrant sweep through Robinwood and taken before the Court commissioner. Ironically, most of those young men probably dropped out of Annapolis High at some point because not enough resources are devoted to helping them/their community. But as long as free speech is squashed and an anti-war protest is stopped DEAD...