Annapolis Capital Punishment

Alderman Sam Shropshire left Monday night's City Council meeting to file for candidacy as mayor only minutes before deadline. Why would he wait so long and why would he leave a council meeting to do something that could have been done any other time for the past few months? A reliable source told me that Shropshire said, "Jesus said that the last will be first and the first will be last". This was also how it was also reported in The Capital.

I discussed this with a close friend, a noted Catholic theologian-layman who expressed his disdain for Sam's actions and comments, telling me that "Scripture is meant to give and not to be taken." adding that, "I would not vote for him if he were the last man on Earth."

I don't think Sam intended to be that far when he said the last will be first.

I am neither Catholic, a theologian or a believer except in what people do here on Earth. I am not sure that there is a Son of God or if he walked the Earth, that he was suggesting that we as individuals try to be as slow and last minute as possible in our earthly affairs, such as getting elected to public office in a nation where if anything should be holy, it is the separation of church and state. However, if you want to quote scripture to justify political actions, I'm sure that even I could dig something up to justify something or other. Let's see....uh...uh..how about, "In my father's public housing projects are many mansions" ..."Render unto the City Clerk what is the City Clerks..." or "Consider the lilies of the filed.....(as in f-i-l-e-d)" or how about asking the Creator "Am I my financial record's keeper?"

Perhaps we should consider Genesis 22, Verse 12?:
"Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him...."

Samuel, from the Hebrew, means a Godly name unlike for example, the name....uhh...perhaps "Jeff". It was written that Samuel, "grew in stature in the eyes of the people, and all the land knew that Samuel had been entrusted with a prophet's office by the Lord."

Entrusted. Indeed. We shall see how much of a prophet Sam is or whether the last will be first in a month or so.



Eli and Samuel


This painting is one artist's interpretation of Samuel as a child who was sent by God to awaken Eli the High Priest of the Israelite's Temple.