Public Information Officer Ray Weaver...Moving On

It may be a sign of things to come as Mayor Moyer begins her final year in the big seat on Duke of Gloucester Street. Ray Weaver is leaving his position as public information officer, which  really means being the mayor's press secretary and spinmeister. Weaver and CP did not see eye-to-eye and his record of responsiveness with inquiries was inconsistent, but he usually managed to walk a challenging walk in the servitude of our highly unpopular and thin-skinned mayor. It could not have been an easy job running interference and speaking for a boss who has to have the last word, heartily used the media to attack her own constituents and thinks the local newspaper never gave her a fair break. Can you imagine being told to pen a missive about Alderman Israel, calling his charter amendment an "attack on representative government?"

According to an email passed on to CP (I guess I did not rate receiving one directly from Mr. Weaver), he will be replaced by Rhonda Wardlaw, a former 1430 WNAV news director and servant in the Leopold Administration. CP had many opportunities to cross paths with the dynamic and enthusiastic Ms. Wardlaw while she was at WNAV and is looking forward to working with her again.  She is going to need all of our good wishes in this upcoming year as mayoral and aldermanic candidates crawl into the public eye and as the charter amendment for a city manager comes to prominence.

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Hey Buddy--Is That A Schrader Or A Presta Hanging Off Your Bike???

We learn this from the Oregonian in Portland, Oregon:

"A Multnomah County judge has cleared a Northeast Portland nude bicyclist of criminal indecent exposure charges, saying cycling naked has become a 'well-established tradition' in Portland and understood as a form of 'symbolic protest'."

Actually I just heard it on NPR--Naked Pedaling Radio, and then I read it. And then I cracked up, even though the cyclist sounded on the radio like, well, um, ya know, like a total ditzbrain (he needs a better SPOKES-person) You gotta love this story. Nude bicycling--a protected form of expression. You gotta love this country. The law says we can bicycle in the nude. I know this one is pedaling all the way to The Supreme Court. I'd be out there right now except it's raining and it's cold and it's dark. But in that case, you'd probably not even notice....of course it might get cold and slippery...

See: oregonlive

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It's Only Fair...

Alert reader Julie Mussog has brought this story to CP's attention. Apparently some of the news about Sarah Palin may have been fabricated. See: palin hoax
I can't imagine why anyone would have to make up stuff about Palin. After all, there was so much good, juicy stuff about her that was accurate. As for her telling the "fake" President Sarkozy that she wanted to go hunt and dress the elusive Chocolate Moose in France with him...I cannot verify....Jon Stewart of the Daily Show tells viewers that Palin can actually identify the countries of North America. As he puts it, there is the Gay Us up north, and the Burrito Us down there. Again, I cannot verify....

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Reader Comment--Save the 921 Bus Route

CP received the following comment from a reader:

Paul 

Thanks for supporting the 921 and for the contact info. I have written to the governor, senators and state reps. I have use the bus for many years to get me to work in Virginia.

Did you know that there is NO STANDING on the buses and that they will turn you away if the seats are all taken? The 921 has refugees from the 950 and 922 who can't take this risk. Can you use a service that might strand you ?

The idea that buses must run at capacity to be viable makes no sense. That's like saying the roads must be gridlocked or they are not worth building!

The 921 is more than a commuter line, it is a critical connection from the National Capital to Maryland's Capital. In my 6 years using this bus, I have often met military personnel, disabled citizens, American tourists and foreign tourists using the 921 to visit Annapolis from Washington. I suggest that it is in the best interest of the state to encourage and increase public transit use. 

Mike

Dear Mike:

You are absolutely right and that is why I am posting your note here. You need to talk it up with your fellow MTA customers and to get yourself to one of the public meetings. Show up in force. Make noise. MTA Has to accept comments but it does not have to do anything in regard to them...unless there is widespread citizen and political pressure. That's our job. I have written to MTA officials THREE TIMES asking for performance data on this route and have gotten nowhere. I think I'll call one of my delegates today. Here again is information about the public hearing in Annapolis but there are hearings in other locations

Thursday, November 20, 2008 at12:00 PM – 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Stanton Center Gymnasium
92 West Washington Street
 
By email, address comments regarding Commuter Bus proposals to commuterbus@mtamaryland.com with “Hearing Comments” as the subject heading.

For more information, see my recent post at: Can We Afford to Cut the 921 Commuter Bus to New Carrollton?  and see the MTA's site at: 921  

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"The End of the Consumer Based Economy"

The most sobering piece of economic news I have read yet was in today's Baltimore Examiner:

"This is the end of the consumer-based economy," said Peter Schiff, who runs the investment firm Euro Pacific Capital Inc. in Darien, Conn. "Americans have been buying too much stuff, and now the epic shopping spree is over. It is a permanent change." See: bad news

Wow! The epic shopping spree is over!! Maybe our neighbors who own four or five cars and spend, spend, and spend and who think those of us who recycle, compost, buy stuff at yard sales, drive old cars, ride old bikes and walk instead of drive everywhere and actually bake and cook at home instead of eat out every night, fix things instead of buy new ones, read books instead of go out to movies etc., etc. will rethink a thing or two.

I think it's going to get worse. I'm no economist, I don't play one on t.v. and I don't presume to teach my readers about economics, but I will say this--there appears to be a huge downturn in consumer spending underway and I find the resultant decline in profits in consumer and retail businesses and the potentially massive loss of jobs really scary. To make it worse, many retailers make a great chunk of their annual profits in the December holiday season that usually starts in a couple of weeks.

Are we going to be told to go spend and spend and spend??? My so-called "economic stimulus check" (actually more borrowing from China) was spent on a new washing machine (the old was beyond repair) before it even arrived--and you could have heard a pin drop in the Sears Appliance store where I was greeted by half a dozen bored salespersons. By the way, none of their appliances are made in the US apparently.

Should our goal as a nation be to shore up the housing market and the credit markets to lend people the money to make their home payments or should it be to ensure we have jobs, keep our jobs and make new jobs? Like I say, I don't even play an economist on t.v.. I just know that it seems that every time there is a piece of good economic news, there seems to be a downside...and vice verse. I'd say it's time to hunker down for the winter ahead.

See my recent piece on the Depression:
Ohhh.....I Am So Depressed and more economic news from outer space


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Where is Art Between The Creeks?? Reception This Friday Night!!!

Art Between The Creeks is the art and social event of the season. Come enjoy the refreshments, the view...and of course the art produced by our local community at Art Between The Creeks. This season's show begins Thursday, November 13 with a preview from 11 to 6. The show is open again on Friday from 11-9 with the artist's reception starting at 6. The show continues on Saturday and Sunday.

Here is where you can find Art Between The Creeks:
38 degrees, 58 minutes and 16.66 seconds North
76 degrees, 29 minutes and 4.08 seconds West

Hey--I just noticed something--38 degrees (Lat.) is half of 76 degrees (Long.) and 29 minutes is half of 58 minutes....and the seconds of Lat. are almost exactly four times the second of Long.. there must be some great as yet unlocked, secret meaning in there somewhere.

At least now you know where Eastport is in case you ever get lost. Just whip out your sextant, hope for a clear day or night, get out the tables, your watch and the ephemeris and start calculating....or just ask a friendly passer-by, who is sober, where you are....or use your GPS...or just come to this location:

Annapolis Yacht Club Sailing Center
Sixth and Severn, Maritime Republic of Eastport--next to the bridge

See: artbetweenthecreeks.us/


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The First District: Close Only Counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

It's official and State Senator Andy Harris has conceded to Frank Kratovil in what the Baltimore Sun reported was a less than one-minute but "cordial" phone call. Hmm. I doubt it was cordial. That's not the forte of the combative, irascible, pugnacious, insulting, vituperative Harris that we have all come to know from his years in the MD Senate and from this campaign. And there are negatives about him too.

There are plenty of politicians and elected officials of all stripes with whom we disagree and hold divergent--often highly divergent viewpoints. But they can be civil and respectful. And we can be civil and respectful to them. Yet the extremist Harris somehow went beyond the limits of respectability and acceptability. I have personally seen him in action, in his office and in committee hearings. I read his nasty and mean-spirited news releases and pronouncements, one after the other in which he incessantly pounded on his opponent for being "liberal", trying his best to attack all liberals and turn "liberal" into a dirty word, an epithet.

In a long-standing Republican district, and one that strongly went for McCain, Harris only won in a few of the counties, and in none on the relatively conservative Eastern Shore. Harris was widely recognized as having one of the weakest records on supporting environmental protection and in this district which is so closely tied to the Chesapeake, Kratovil was clearly seen as being his opposite. Helped along by the endorsement of most newspapers and by Republican and moderate incumbent Wayne Gilchrest, who was also pilloried by Harris in the primary, Kratovil went on to win, though by one of the tiniest of margins.

It was close all right. But as it is said, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Maybe that's a lesson Andy Harris ought to learn as he collects all the grenades he lobbed and rides off on his horse--his once high horse. He has not yet posted a "thanks to my supporters" or "congratulations to my opponent" on his web-site.  He does have a special message from his local pal, "Jim the Plumber."




I am sure it is reasonable  to suggest that once we do all our congratulating to Mr. Kratovil that we expect him to do great things, especially in a district where he barely squeaked out a win.

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I Beg Your Pardon? I Never Promised You A Joke About A Rose Garden!

Picture the scene. CP is checking out at a local grocery store, looks at the cover of the "Washingtonian" magazine and makes an innocent comment to his son about how the next issue's cover will be all about the Obamas coming to town. I'm a DC native and have been there through many presidential transitions.

Then the cashier chimes in, "A friend of mine likes to tell the joke of how they will rip up the Rose Garden and plant a watermelon garden in its place."

Ooops. Beep. Beep. Beep. Alarm! Alert! What a stupid, nasty, ridiculous @%^%#&@q@@ comment. Obama is not even sworn in and the racist jokes start. Now you can say it's not worth reacting, it was meant in jest, nobody got hurt, nobody mean anything racist but I'm sick of how some people think it's okay to make such comments. I am not going to let him get away with it.

"You know what, " I told him. "We are about to see the end of four years of an illiterate, boorish president who has lied to us and taken this country downhill so quickly and here you are making stupid, ignorant and racist comments about his soon-to-be successor."

The cashier was unable to comprehend my reaction. "It's not my joke. I was not telling the joke. I was only relating what my friend said," he told me, as if that mattered.

"And the difference is what?" I asked him.

"What's coming next?" I wondered to myself. Jokes about fried chicken, okra and chitterlings for state dinners? Hair braiding studio in the West Wing?

I dressed this guy down telling him how his remark was ignorant and insulting and he should not expect everyone to appreciate it--as I did not. I gave him a "word to the wise" explaining that when you work with the public, it's best to keep such comments to yourself. He kept going on, trying to justify or excuse his remark, unable to comprehend what I was telling him. I just left the whole thing alone.

Was this an isolated incident or indicative of what may become an increasingly commonplace situation? Meaningless chatter from a rather stupid person or the reflection of widespread sentiment? A silly and innocuous remark or evidence of a hurtful racial stereotype? You be the judge.

We have come such a long way. We have such a long way to go. As the president, Obama will be subjected to (and why not?) all kinds of satire, jokes, cartoons, caricatures and banter that will be coming from all corners, just as is every president. Sorting that out and determining what is acceptable and what is beyond the pale will not be easy. It does not mean that we should refrain from criticizing or questioning or lampooning him. Nor should we be treating him differently from how we have treated any other president. That's the key--no differently. Make fun of him for doing stupid things, making mistakes or telling lies, eating his words, but for the color of his skin?

He's going to be the president. Last time I checked there is no constitutionally mandated position for "black president" or "African American president." He's the president and he'll make speeches in the Rose Garden as have others before him. If he wants to grow watermelons there or if he wants to grow and eat Arugula, that's his business. If a white person thinks it's funny--and acceptably funny--to make insulting slur-jokes to another white person, it's high time that people of conscience let the ignoramuses know that it's not funny.

By the way, speaking of tearing things out at the White House, one of the first official acts of The Reagan Administration was to tear off the photo-voltaic panels that Carter had installed on the White House roof.

As Lynn Anderson sang in her rose garden song, "Along with the sunshine....there's got to be a little rain sometime...."


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See "Pip and Zastrow"

Watch the documentary film "Pip & Zastrow: An American Friendship" which is a true story of two men who cross racial boundaries during segregation in the 1940s and form a life-long friendship that takes extraordinary turns. With humor, compassion and heartbreak, former Annapolis Mayor Roger "Pip" Moyer and Zastrow Simms navigate through 60 years against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and a country that has yet to overcome deep-seated racism and social inequity. It is not just a great story about two people, it is a great story about Annapolis and has received critical acclaim.

Maryland Public Television (MPT)
Thursday, November 19, 2008 10:00 PM EST

For more info. go to MPT's website

If you miss the broadcast or would like to see the full 75-minute director's version, you can purchase a DVD at www.urcuninafilms.com

There will be a FREE screening of "Pip & Zastrow: An American Friendship" Film on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 at 4:00 PM at the Eastport United Methodist Church (Fellowship Room)

926 Bay Ridge Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403. Sponsored by the Eastport Civic Association.

For more info. please go to the Eastport Civic Association's website: www.eastportcivic.org

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Congratulations to Us

Thanks to you, loyal reader, we made the 50,000 mark for total hits this past week. September and October were record-breaking months and November is on track to shatter those records. Keep reading and let us know how we can do better. Thanks....CP


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More On The Annapolis Chamber Of Commerce

As part of our ongoing series in which we are publishing letters from former and current chamber members, the below comes from one whose issues mirror those of other members. This one does not like President Bob Burdon's management style, is concerned about the turnover of staff, and questions whether the organization serves the members or the interests of its president, who they claim, has stacked the board with his allies. They also have concerns about coming out publicly against Burdon. There has been a minor amount of editing to shorten the original letter below and to mask the identity of the writer because as he puts it, "I could go on although I think you have an idea of what the chamber actually does for the bulk of its members in my view. It's a pretty popular thing to say right now, in this case it's over due time for a change. He [Burdon] has a terrible reputation for vengeance ...."

CP's invitation to Burdon to respond still stands of course, but so far we have heard nothing other than a threatening letter suggesting that CP publishing such allegations might be a serious violation of journalistic ethics. Hmm. And now, read on:

"Recently, in my opinion, Burdon has been on the wrong side of a number of political issues, not to mention your recent blog. When I didn't renew, I received a call from the then Membership Director indicating I didn't use everything the chamber had to offer, this was the only inbound call I received the entire year I was a member, to make my business more viable through the chamber. I recall vividly that she was rude basically talking down to me.

About four years ago as the result of another networking group here in town I was convinced to re-new my membership. I didn't do it because [of] Burdon but as a result of this network of small business owners in Annapolis, I continue to enjoy a wonderful working relationship with these folks and many like them.

There was always what seemed to be constant turn over in the office...[that] all of a sudden, with out explanation, were gone. Only later to find out they were forced to leave. About 2 ½ years ago the well respected and liked Membership Director abruptly left, to this day she hasn't talked openly about why, although she is in a much better place. A number of us were, still are for that matter, up in arms. Email was flying in all directions including to Burdon and the board who chose to reply to very few. The Board Chairman at the time, Fred Sussman, took the brunt of all the heat and met with [some members] ...on an individual basis. Promised nothing, since he couldn't, however did deliver a few things, which since have reverted back to worse than before.

[As for the membership director]......Burdon's official response most certainly will be that the last Membership Director resigned, when the fact is he was informed not to come to work the next day over the phone. And, if he would resign he would receive severance and the chamber wouldn't fight unemployment. This has caused additional frustration among small business owners.

The recent dues increase was 20%, his excuse was that it takes that much to support the membership. I don't know of a single event where the chamber doesn't have the venue, food and refreshments comped except one. The chamber lost a ton of money over the speakers' thing they had in Baltimore a few months ago. It was too far, too expensive to the members and it showed the drawing power of Burdon.

To this day I have yet to have a face to face or telephone conversation with Burdon. At the meetings he does attend, he stands there like a cigar store Indian, no disrespect to the Indian, making next to no effort to interface with any of the members. Former Chairman Sussman indicated Burdon "isn't a warm and fuzzy guy". That being the case, in my opinion, he continues in absolutely the wrong business. However, he has consolidated his power; the board is made up of nothing but the BIG businesses around the county, including Baltimore, that have nothing in common with the over whelming majority of the membership. None of the other chambers in Anne Arundel County will have anything to do with him."

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Captain Jack Sparrow....Step Aside....

If you're a sailor, a history buff or just a lover of all things piratical, you'll want to meet Ed Kritzler, author of the soon-to-be-published JEWISH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom—and Revenge. These true tales of adventurous Sephardic Jews staking out a claim in the New World, escaping the Inquisition and exacting revenge against Spain in the 16th and 17th century make up an interesting chapter in the very early history of New World exploration.

Kritzler, a New York native and former journalist, who has made Jamaica his home for many years, will be speaking at Temple Beth Shalom, 1461 Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd. in Arnold on Wednesday, November 19th at 6:30 pm. CP Publisher Paul Foer, a merchant marine officer and son of a Navy Seabee who has been researching Jewish maritime history will introduce Kritzler.
On Thursday, November 20^th from 9:00am to 10:00am, Kritzler will hold a signing and talk at at Ahh, Coffee! in the Eastport Shopping Center on Bay Ridge Avenue and from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Hard Bean Coffee and Booksellers at the City Dock.

JEWISH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is published by Doubleday and is available for pre-order online now and at bookstores starting November 18.

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Bullies-They Come in All Shapes And Sizes...in all times and places

"NO BIFF....YOU GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF HER"
McFly, just before he whacks Biff the bully in "Back to the Future".

News reports running headlines such as this, "Bullies may actually enjoy the pain they cause others, a new study using brain scans suggests" merely confirm what people of good conscience have known since the first proto-human tribal hordes roamed the Savannahs of Africa.
The second paragraph of one such news article said that, "The part of the brain associated with reward lights up when an aggressive teen watches a video of someone hurting another person, but not when a non-aggressive youth watches the same clip, according to the University of Chicago study, published in the current Biological Psychology."

They do it because they like it---and nobody stops them! Did anyone ever doubt such a thing was the motivating force behind the behavior of bullies since time immemorial? They like what they do! Whether it was a James Bond-like master criminal, Josef Stalin, Adolph Hitler, Idi Amin, Slobodan Milosevic or the cartoon character who pummels Calvin or Bart, they are sick people, sadists who revel in other's pain and misery.

It might have been the bigger kid in elementary school who always budded in line in front of you, daring you to stand him down. It might be the linebacker-sized real estate developer who tries to scare you out of calling an inspector because he's violating building laws. It might be an elected official who thinks she or he is above the law. It might be the priest who intimidates you into succumbing to his will. It might be the entire hierarchical bureaucracy of an institution such as a church or business that crushes you under its thumb.

It's Mao against Tibet. Saddam Hussein in Iraq. The US Marines in Iraq...and elsewhere. Japan in China. The USSR in Hungary or Russia in Georgia. It's Putin, it's Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld, Ahmadjinehad (did I spell that right?), Max Smart against Zigfried, it's Osama Bin Laden....it's the punk at the school bus stop.

Don't let bullies push you around. Stand up to them. Tell your children, your schools, your community institutions, and your governments to stop bullies. But most of all, in every day life, you can take a stand.

Bullies survive and grow threatening when those of us who don't take pleasure from hurting others refuse to stand up for ourselves or inflict pain back on the bullies. All they respect is power and force. Sometimes speaking up and speaking loudly--speaking truth to power is all that is needed whether it be a mayor, the head of the chamber of commerce or whomever. You might get hurt.

You might defeat them. Remember "Revenge of the Nerds"? How about Marty McFly's dad and Biff in "Back to the Future" as shown above?

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FOIA Man Digging for Details for You and Me

FOIA Man is active again, diligently digging for details about the goings-on in our various governments. He's checking out school board budgets and police reports and you'll find it interesting, so check him out at: www.foiatales.com/ .

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