Tug of War XI

The Great Tug of War is this Saturday! Visit the Maritime Republic of Eastport's web site for more information at www.themre.org/






Please send comments, subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

The WHO Farm Bus Coming Here....sounds like a Dr Seuss creation...

Alderman Sam Shropshire informs us that The White House Organic Farm Project's The WhoBus (aka The Who Farm) will be welcomed by the City of Annapolis on Friday, November 7, 2008, at 7:00 PM. Please join me and The Who Farm organizers Daniel Bowman Simon and Casey Gustowarow, a local resident, for a reception at the Annapolis City Hall to support The Who Farm. Learn more about their project to inspire our next president to lead by example.

What is the WhoFarmBus? It's an organic farm on wheels collecting a petition to encourage our new president to create an organic farm at the White House. Coooll...

Learn more at www.thewhofarm.org/

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

More Chamber of Commerce Woes

According to some sources, CP has set off some discussion among chamber members following publication of recent articles. See:
Chamber of Commerce's Bob Burdon.....unburdens himself
Unburdening Bob Burdon
Chamber of Commerce Woes Just Tip of Iceberg? Or Is the Chamber ...

I just received the following letter from a member:

The Chamber of Commerce only cares about how much money it can make from its members. It really does not care about what is in the best interests of its members. The joke among members of the Chamber is that it is not the Annapolis or Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, it is Bob Burdon's Chamber of Commerce. It is a way for us to keep him employed.

More members have written in and talked with me. All of these sources have asked for anonymity because of fear of retribution or because of their professional affiliations and need to maintain involvement with the chamber. Here are other excerpts (My questions are in black. Answers are in blue. There has been some editing to ensure anonymity):

Mr. Burdon is outstanding with respect to his business network with the legislature, county council and other entities. He is very good at communicating business platforms and concerns through these networks. He is a very good public relations representative to the chamber for the most part.

However, Mr. Burdon is a horrible manager. He is a total control freak, and will not allow staff to do what they need. He dislikes change, and as a result has been a very big barrier to needed improvements within the chamber, especially on the marketing front. He stacks the board with the good old boys network, in order to protect himself and he is very good at that. If you disagree with him, he can be extremely vicious, and has on many occasions said very derogatory things about former employees board members, etc.

Mr. Burdon does not have the best interests of the business community at heart. He wants to do what he wants, and he and the current board have the attitude that if you as a business entity don’t like their ideas, then you don’t have to be part of it.

In my opinion, Mr. Burdon is also an extreme chauvinist. I have heard stories about inappropriate comments he made to female staff and others about their size, eating habits, etc. I can not corroborate those stories because I did not physical see this happen. However, I believe them. Mr. Burdon also lies about his behavior when he is caught in an incorrect situation, and then he does everything he can to discredit the individual that brought this to light, including forcing them out of the organization or firing them.

I think new operational management is desperately needed. Mr Burdon could still be the public face of the chamber, but he needs to let go of the day to day operations.

Bottom line is Mr. Burdon is a dinosaur and he needs to go. However the way the board is stacked to support him, that will not happen until he is ready to go. Mr. Burdon does not care one bit about the businesses and their concerns unless it is a good connection for him. He is totally self serving, and as long as you pay your dues, he really doesn't care much more than that.

I then asked "What do you know about the success or failures or losses incurred by the failed speaker's forum earlier this year?"

The chamber bit off more than they could chew. A consultant promised pie in the sky to make this a fantastic event and did not deliver. In hindsight, a smaller series or a more local event would be ideal, however the entire board gave its support so this does not totally rest on Mr. Burdon’s shoulders. However, many staff and board members have been saying for years that the chamber should be involved in speaker events. Had the chamber moved forward on such an initiative years ago when they had the opportunity, they would have been ahead of the other community groups, and in my opinion, would have been more sucessful.

Have employees resigned or been fired?

Many – 3 Vice President level individuals in the last 2 years. The only people left at the Chamber are Mr. Burdon and his “Harem” – those administrative assistants that only do what he tells them to.

How many people now work at the chamber? Is this number less than a year or so ago? If so, by how many and why?

As far as I know, there are 5 people working at the chamber – Bob and 4 admin assistants. Last year, there were 8 I believe. Why? Because good employees can’t stand him and his controlling management skills, so he is left with a bunch of employees who sit around and wait to be told what to do.

Why was the Seafood Festival canceled? What can you tell me about this?

The Seafood festival really did need to be cancelled. It was an extremely poorly run event, and the health issues related to food service were a lawsuit waiting to happen. Also, over 62% of attendees stated they only came once and did not return. That tells you the festival was not representing the state and the region in the quality manner it deserved. Also, the non-profit organizations being served were not ones that helped the local community...There wasn’t anything that truly benefited those in need such as food banks or MS etc.

Perhaps eventually, Mr Burdon will see fit to respond with facts, rather than with threats. Stay tuned. More to come...

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

The Palin Kleptocracy: Wasilla Hillbillies on Steroids

I could care less if the hyperconservatives continue to call my commentary about Palin "hate speech." but she personifies so much that is so wrong with our politics. If it were not bad enough that she was vastly under-qualified to hold any office, if it were not bad enough that she is so undistinguished in so many respects, she and her phony Republican BS tried to pull her off as some kind of regular person thing. The news will continue to come out about her, all the more to make us wary of her, wonder why she was chosen and thankful that she was ultimately rejected. Take this LA Times article as a starting point that explores the tension between her staff and that of McCain and her clothing bills and get this--"...Palin had resisted coaching before her faltering Katie Couric interviews; did not understand that Africa was a continent rather than a country; and could not name the three nations that are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement -- the United States, Canada and Mexico." See: Palinoscopy

That's right--did not understand that Africa is a continent! No wonder why so many Americans thought she was just like them!

And this from The New York Daily News which includes this tidbit: "One aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast." See: sarahpalinectomy

The Houston Chronicle's piece, it gets worse even goes into the fake phone call she received from a French Presidential impostor, which CP wrote about here at Governor Palin, Please Hold for President Sarkozy. It turns out that Palin's office had the call scheduled for three days!!!!!..and were still faked out...And never told McCain's people about it.

Please send comments,subscribe, share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

REMINDER---TONIGHT Alderman Arnett Hosts Town Meeting

Ross Arnett will hold a "town hall" style meeting tonight at 7 PM in the Eastport Fire Station. He plans to give an update on crime and to discuss the City Manager Charter Amendment. There will be ample time for any other topics you may wish to discuss.
Please walk with a friend or neighbor or ride your bike!! Let's do our part to reduce congestion, emissions, excess body fat and use of foreign oil...besides how far can it be?

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Clay Street Arts and Music Festival!!!

The Clay Street Arts and Music Festival (formerly known as the Flawless Music Festival) is gearing up for its 5th year. The festival is all about promoting nonviolence and raising positive awareness in our families. There will be live performances by Flawless, Clones of Funk, Sean Lane, Fallback Plan, First Baptist Church Spirit Lifters, and Rumba Club. In addition there will be youth activities by The Chesapeake Children's Museum. The festivities will go down THIS SATURDAY, November 8th from 11am - 5pm at Whitmore Park (located by 44 Calvert Street). ADMISSION IS FREE, so we should definitely see you there! Come on out and support a great cause! It's time to get entertained, educated, and elevated.

If you have any questions, please visit www.myspace.com/flawlessfest or Facebook: Awnpoynt Flawless.

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Great Plumbers in History...Where is Joe? I'm Just taking A "Crack" at Him

Upper Left -George W Bush trying to fix his leaks (Mother Jones)

Upper Right-A great American plumber

Left-A White House plumber...be sure to leave the Liddy down..

In case you are interested in the history of plumbing in The White House, visit: in the tank

Please send comments, subscribe, share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Join Us At Ahh Coffee! Thursday at 8 am to 9 am

There will be plenty to talk about at this week's gathering. We hope to see you at Ahh Coffee! in the Eastport Shopping Center. Bring your own mug and get a discount. Try walking or riding your bike.

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Our Poll Has Also Closed....Readers Overwhelmingly Want A City Manager

Readers were asked to vote as to whether they would like to see a city manager form of government. A charter amendment to do just that is going through the legislative process. While we only attracted 39 votes (many of our polls get higher numbers) these results are the most lopsided we have seen. Remember-these are not scientific, and only judge the sentiments of a small and stratified sample of self-selected respondents....but even so, 89% voting yes may reveal something about the wider populace.

No. I strongly disagree. 2 (5%

No. I somewhat disagree 1(2%)

We need to study it more. 1(2%)

Yes. I somewhat agree. 4(10%)

Yes. I strongly agree. 31(79%)

comment to: paul@foerfront.com 0 (0%)

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Not Much To Add

The airwaves and blogosphere are over saturated with commentary today so why should I add anything? I was pleased to be at a very jubilant and upbeat Democratic party last night with a very diverse crowd of hundreds of ecstatic fellow American voters and activists. My hat is off to the many party stalwarts and volunteers who have given so much. McCain's speech, now being hailed as the "real" John McCain was gracious and statesmanlike. Obama's speech--equally so.

Of course we are all waiting for the results in the First Congressional District....that and the Franken-Coleman race in Minnesota remain serious nail biters.

Please send comments,subscribe, share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Transportation Board? What Transportation Board?

CP has long maintained that there is no real oversight for the city's Department of Transportation or its main feature--the city's bus system, known as Annapolis Transit. Situated at the edge of the city on Chinquapin Round Rd. and improperly oriented toward providing a low level of service to the city's lowest income residents, its director, who frequently takes lengthy vacations, is happy to be off the public and the mayoral and city council radar sight. But now it turns out that the city board which is supposed to be looking over its shoulder--does not even exist! For years, most of the terms of the members listed on the city's web-site had already expired and in one case---one of the members had been dead for months, if not a year or more before the error was corrected--or noticed.

There is now only one member on the transportation board and his term is also...expired. Chuck Weikel a Democratic activist and confidante of the mayor now is called her "alternative transportation consultant" or some such thing to represent him at a conference. Weikel is even spending the night at a hotel in Easton all the way across the Bay, the night before....and it's a one-day conference. I asked Weikel if it is being paid for by the city or not and instead of giving an answer, he subjected me to an immediate barrage of five cynical and snide emails (which he shared with others) including "Perhaps they have a direct bill program with the City? Champagne in my room? Dine & dashing dining? Or perhaps an RNC program for the 'use' of clothing?" That came attached with a page from Priceline.com showing there were rooms available for as little as $37 per night.

(What is it to Easton--maybe 30 or 35 miles away?)

Back to the matter at hand, even if there is a full compliment of members on the Transportation Board, it does not mean they will do anything or make any improvements. However, the fact that there are currently no members does tell us a thing or two about the importance of our bus system to the current mayor and city council. Regardless, let's either provide proper oversight through city council or this board, but can we do something? This board is also supposed to provide an annual report to the city. Has this ever happened??

Speaking of which...when CP served as the transportation department's marketing specialist, I wrote and distributed a report of the department's activities, accomplishments and plans each year and gave it to city officials, local business leaders, activists and the news media. That product seems to have ended since I left. Not surprisingly, considering that fact that each year when I prepared the draft for the director (on my own-without her ever asking for such a report), she took her sweet time in approving it--usually weeks of waiting, giving me the distinct impression she never really wanted it published.

Also, did you notice that the transportation department was the only one absent from the most recent city magazine?

See: Transportation Board

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Celebrate Our 50,000th site visit-Join Us Thursday Morning At Ahh Coffee! in Eastport

CP readers and local activists meet every Thursday at Ahh Coffee! in Eastport and this Thursday we'll have a chance to go over all the various elections (including the most important one--our current poll about the city manager issue). We hope to see you there and to celebrate our almost, any day now, soon-to-be-reached milestone of recording 50,000 hits right here on Capital Punishment.

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

PLEASE BE SURE TO VOTE IN THE CURRENT POLL--SEE UPPER RIGHT...

There's not much time left and it could me the most important, historic vote you have ever cast...except of course for the other vote you will cast today....

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

A Few of Today's Headlines to Ponder

Found on Google's news today:

Sexual content on TV is linked to teen pregnancy

Cut caffeine, pregnant women told

More Kids Taking Medication; Obesity Blamed

Yep. We are a nation of addicts--whether it's coffee, medications or television...somehow all of these headlines are linked. Just the other day we read of studies showing that diabetes has doubled in the last decade! I guess this means we are likely to see fat teenagers watching tv, drinking coffee, taking medications and getting pregnant--with low-weight babies... What this is subtly saying is KEEP AWAY FROM THE INFOTAINMENT INDUSTRY!!! Eat right, exercise and read Capital Punishment!


Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Chamber of Commerce Woes Just Tip of Iceberg? Or Is the Chamber Pot Boiling?

On October 19 I posted a piece about Annapolis and Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce President Bob Burdon, taking him to task for a column he penned in the local newspaper. The next day I received an anonymous and unsolicited comment about Mr. Burdon's job performance and the chamber's circumstances. I sent the comments to Mr. Burdon and chamber board chair Larry Ulvila, asking them to admit or deny the claims and comment upon them, but they responded with a rather threatening letter suggesting I might be in serious trouble for publishing the allegations. By that time, my newer post asking the commenter to come forward resulted in the anonymous chamber member contacting me. It has since become apparent that dissatisfaction with Burdon's tenure might be widespread and that the chamber might have bigger problems as well.

Here is the original anonymous letter I received:

I totally agree with your comments, as I have found Bob Burdon's articles the last few months increasingly difficult to follow and comprehend. Most of his articles blame the government or its officials for the business environment and rarely do his topics pertain to the local Chamber's issues.
Let's keep in mind that Mr. Burdon is merely an administrator for the Chamber who manages the day-to-day activities. He is not elected by the members. He has been in this role for 10 years, but he has not earned one certification and he has yet to lead this Chamber to a US Chamber of Commerce Accreditation. He recently had 3 board members resign because he did not want to make the improvements necessary to grow and strengthen the membership. Last year, he ran an unsuccessful Speakers Forum that netted a major loss for the Chamber. He could not generate a profit for the Maryland Seafood Festival for the first time in over 15 years as the Chamber mandated President; this year, he cancelled the festival after 42 successful years. Yet, no members can voice their frustration with the lack of direction and leadership of this Chamber in fear that they will be black-listed and shunned by other Annapolis businesses.
The Chamber desperately needs a new CEO, but the Chamber's board would rather turn a blind eye than to roll up its shirt sleeves and get down to the real business at hand...generating business locally between its members.
Until the Board decides to make a drastic management change, we are left with a Bureaucrat pretending to be a business leader.
- A Fearful Chamber Member

I then posted a piece asking for the writer to identify him or herself to me, which he/she did and we have had numerous email and phone communications.

Here is my letter to Burdon and Ulvila requesting their response:

"I recently published a piece about your column in The Capital on my blog Annapolis Capital Punishment. I received an anonymous comment in response which I am forwarding to you so that you may have the opportunity to respond before I publish the letter. I am not pleased about receiving anonymous letters but that seems to be what often happens in the blogosphere. I have published an open letter asking the anonymous commenter to come forward and substantiate his or her claims and to reveal his or her identity to me, with assurances to protect that person's anonymity.

Any clarification or rebuttal you can supply will certainly help tell your side of this story. I intend to publish this by Thursday afternoon so you have two business days to provide a reply. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Paul Foer
www.AnnapolisCapitalPunishment.blogspot.com"


That note was sent with specific questions inserted into the anonymous email asking for comments. Here is Burdon's reply to me:

As a former journalist and newspaper publisher myself for 18 years, I would suggest that you are faced with a significant test of journalistic ethics and integrity on deciding whether to publish an anonymous letter of questionable content from an individual claiming to be a Chamber of Commerce member.

Larry Ulvila and I will not comment or respond to such a letter, and will leave it to the anonymous letter writer to provide you with the substantiation your seek for his/her allegations.

That said, please be advised that publication by you of such a letter without proper sourcing, documentation, and substantiation would constitute a willful act of negligence inconsistent with acceptable journalistic standards.

Best regards,

Bob Burdon
President/CEO
Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

To which I replied:

Your threatening letter which avoids substantively dealing with any of the allegations brought up will likely be interpreted as being done for the purpose of having a "chilling effect" on free speech.

I have given you an opportunity to respond as I have given the anonymous letter writer an opportunity to reveal his or her identity to me--which that person has done--and in a credible manner has established him or herself as an active chamber member with knowledge of this issue.

My readers can determine what to believe after seeing that you have refused to comment and instead tried to scare me. However, you seem to feel that your experience as a journalist and publisher has provided you with the judgment to respond in the manner you have chosen. Therefore, my readers will have to go with your letter and no direct replies from you to any of the allegations.

Sincerely,

Paul Foer

Dear CP Readers--Stay Tuned. There is a lot more coming from other chamber members who are equally dissatisfied and angry. If you are a chamber member or know one, please feel free to communicate any concerns you may have. The members who have already responded have asked to remain anonymous. That ought to tell us a thing or two.

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

The Body of Chris Has Risen!

Chris Body of Annapolis began his harangue in a recent letter to the local newspaper about taxes and more taxes by writing the following:

"I AM TIRED OF BEING THROWN UNDER THE BUS BY THE MEDIA, DEMOCRATS, ACADEMIA AND OTHERS--MOST OF WHOM HAVE NEVER WORKED AN HONEST DAY IN THEIR LIVES"

Mr. Body ended his series of questions about taxes, hard work, communism and greed by saying to readers, "You Tell Me."

Okay, Mr. Body I'll tell you.

The first thing I have to ask, aside from the rest of the letter, is why do you seem to hate so many Americans? Since you apparently read at least one newspaper, do you think that the people who produce the news really don't work an honest day? The fact that you are even able to read and write means you probably spent at least some time in academia and some of those teachers might even be Democrats.

I am not sure what you mean by "others" but by Democrats, I suspect you mean the estimated 40 to 70 million of Americans who are registered as such. None of them work an honest day? In all likelihood, some of the many of millions of Democrats, academicians and others who are throwing you under some sort of bus, might even be among those driving that bus. Those buses, as well as the road upon which they drive, and the rest of the infrastructure upon which they depend, might have been built by Democrats, some of whom might actually have studied engineering, industrial design or been otherwise trained by.....academicians! Perhaps you will be more careful to see that the bus under which you are thrown next time (and the wheels and the roads) are certified "Democratic and Academician and Others Free".

I will tell you Mr. Body, that CP's mother and father (a WW2 Navy vet) were lifelong Democrats who worked honestly and worked hard, started and ran a business, paid many employees, paid their own bills, and sent their children to college so we could get "tainted" by academicians.

Your opening statement reeks of a certain kind of anti-intellectualism and disgust for so many Americans that we have come to expect from some this election season. Perhaps next time you want to make a statement about taxes, honest work, and greed, you will refrain from attacking and questioning the ethics, contributions and honesty of hundreds of millions of Americans.

Mr. Body lives in one of our area's most desirable neighborhoods, and is an executive in a company whose well known, frequently-used and widespread products have quite possibly made him comfortable, if not wealthy. This company sells almost exclusively through what appear to be fairly large government and quasi-government contracts that are often if not always made possible through taxes or government constructs. From his letter, one can assume that he is philosophically opposed to big government and big taxes however.

Are we to assume that there are no Democrats among the high tech engineers in his company and that none of them possess any degrees from academia? Are we to assume that he has not benefited from the generosity of taxpayers and elected officials who supported the projects that have enriched him? Might some of them even be Democrats? His corporation's web-site even makes reference to an academic study supporting related business concepts--from Harvard no less!!! From their Kennedy School of Government no less!!!! That's about as academic as we can get.

Yes. Let us talk about working an honest day indeed.

Mr. Body also sells political merchandise (internet information suggests that he owns the company) that made a contribution to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. That company's web-site says:

"Welcome to NoBama '08 HQ.
Visionary Leader? Naw, just another pinko commie socialist.
The most merciful lord messiah Barack Obama hath spoken. "Send your tax dollars forth to Washington for only I hath the knowledge to run your life..."

Here are some samples of the items he sells:



















Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

Harris Versus Kratovil--Two Local Journalist's Opinion

Both Eric Hartley and veteran writer Bill Burton weigh in on the heated race in the First District...and both pieces are worth reading. See Hartley in our local newspaper at: Hartley and Burton at The Bay Weekly at: Burton. What is most interesting about Burton's piece is that since the paper started 15 years ago, it has never endorsed a candidate. Long-time columnist Burton who covered outdoors, sports, fishing and other topics in The Sun for decades and has been writing for about as long as Daniel Schor or Walter Cronkite have been reporting has generally held pretty conservative views on a lot of topics. Therefore, you may find his impassioned break from tradition a most satisfying read.

I can't wait until that hyperconservative blog goes on a rampage angrily calling Burton and The Bay Weekly "bastions of mainstream reporting."

Please send comments,subscribe,share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.

New Poll Shows Slots Referendum Too Close to Call: We Can Stop Slots!

The following has been provided by www.MarylandersUnited.com

Annapolis, MD - As widely reported today, a new poll conducted by Zogby International shows that a slim majority of Marylanders oppose Question 2, a measure on the Maryland ballot that would amend the state's Constitution and legalize 15,000 slots machines. Despite being outspent by nearly 10 to 1, anti-slots forces have worked hard at the grassroots level to battle the gambling industry to a virtual dead heat, according to the Zogby poll. The pro-slots campaign committee has raised nearly $5 million, with more than 99% of it coming from gambling and special interests that stand to benefit financially from this bad deal for Maryland taxpayers.

“We've said along that when voters learned the facts about slots, they would become skeptical of the lies being spread by the gambling industry about Question 2,” said Scott Arceneaux, Senior Adviser to Marylanders United to Stop Slots. “This slots plan will cost Maryland taxpayers more than $600 million a year in social costs, provide a half-billion a year giveaway to out-of-state gambling companies and other special interests, and enshrine in Maryland's Constitution the government's right to addict 100,000 of our friends and neighbors to gambling. Voters are seeing through the gambling industry's campaign of distortions, and looking at the indisputable fact that slots are bad for Maryland.”

Let's hope Zogby is correct in showing a narrowing gap. Their polls have been among the most consistent showing McCain closing in on Obama in national polls. We already saw the results of the Center for the Study of Local Issues latest poll showing 52% of Anne Arundel residents favoring slots.

Please send comments,subscribe, share with your friends,and support our sponsors. Join us at Ahh Coffee almost every Thursday from 8-9 am.