Good Deeds Recognized
Editor:
(The following letter was addressed to Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro with a copy forwarded to this publication.)
In an age when most reports in the media about police officers are negative, it is rare that you hear of positive acts they perform in the line of duty and I would like to share my personal experience with you.
On Wednesday, July 22, I was enjoying an evening socializing with a group of my friends at a local establishment in Ocean City. Around 11 p.m., I decided to call it an evening and proceeded to catch a local bus to go home. I had eye surgery in May at Johns Hopkins to repair a detached retina and to have a cataract removed. Since that time, I have not been able to work or drive, so I am dependent upon the kindness of friends or public transportation. This was to be my first experience with public transportation since my surgery.
When I boarded the bus, there was a young police officer sitting in the front seat. We had a pleasant conversation, during which I told him about my disability and asked if he let me know when we arrived at the street where I needed to get off the bus. He willingly agreed. When we arrived at my stop, he insisted on helping me of the bus, as my depth perception is not very good yet. Once off the bus, he asked if I needed further assistance to cross Coastal Highway. Although I told him that I thought I would be okay, he insisted on crossing the highway with me.
I feel that this young officer went above and beyond to ensure that I arrived safely. He is a summer intern officer named Eric and he is 24 years old. I don’t know any other information about him, but I wanted to acknowledge his act of kindness and hope that he will receive some form of commendation for his actions.
I thank you for your time and praise you for hiring such a fine young gentleman to serve our community.
Dante (Curt) DeRossetti
Ocean City
Show A Vet Appreciation
Editor:
This is the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. General Levin Winder Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a Commemorative Partner with the Department of Defense, Vietnam Commemoration.
On Aug. 18, 2015, General Levin Winder Chapter had a Wreath Laying at the Vietnam Memorial at the County Court House, in Snow Hill. We recognized 72 Vietnam Veterans with a DAR Certificate of Appreciation. We had many vets and family members of deceased veterans accept the DAR Certificate of Appreciation for their service and sacrifice. I would like to thank everyone who participated in this special event.
It was very touching, when I handed the certificate to a vet and thanked him for his service. His reply was “I have never been thanked before.” Let us not forget.
Barbara Greene May
Snow Hill
(The writer is the Regent for the General Levin Winder Chapter, NSDAR.)
Propaganda Machine
Editor:
Recently I attended a pro-life rally in Easton, as we protested the continued government funding of Planned Parenthood, in light of the recent videos that proves beyond a doubt that Planned Parenthood is violating federal law by altering abortion procedures for the sake of harvesting human body parts from the aborted baby for profit.
To me, this is outrageous and every American should be outraged that our government is not only allowing this to happen but funding it. During the rally, I and many other pastors and politicians had the opportunity to speak and pray. I gave about a 10-minute speech after which I prayed. At the heart of my speech and my prayer was the truth that Jesus Christ is the solution, and that there is forgiveness available from God for those involved in the abortion industry. I said that the arm of the Lord is not slack that it cannot reach and that the blood of Christ could cleanse even this sin, which is taking the lives of the most innocent. But to access this forgiveness, I also said, those who have committed these outrageous works would have to confess their guilt and acknowledge the blood on their hands but in Christ even this sin can be forgiven.
But all listeners to the WBOC piece heard me say was, that they were guilty and they had blood on their hands. This is hardly the work of fair and impartial journalism. The news piece went on to quote written comments from Planned Parenthood, which falsely claimed that there was no truth to the accusations and that Planned Parenthood is this stellar organization doing nothing but good in the community.
So once again WBOC has demonstrated, to me personally, that they are not a news organization that is fair and balanced and interested in the truth. No WBOC is a news organization with a liberal progressive agenda with a bias that will always be against conservative Christian values. The extremists here are Planned Parenthood and WBOC. It is self-evident to anyone that has seen any of the now eight videos released that Planned Parenthood is interested one thing only, and that is making a profit, even at the expense of violating Federal law and lying through their teeth to the public. The real extremist will go to any lengths to destroy the messengers of the opposition to the abortion industry and do all they can to protect the billions of dollars flowing into the pockets of abortion providers.
So as far as I am concerned WBOC has declared itself as a news organization, that it is fine with Planned Parenthood’s program to secretly harvest body parts from aborted babies and as such is just as guilty as those performing such grotesque procedures. Those who protect and deny the truth of what Planned Parenthood is doing are of the same mindset as those who denied the atrocities of the Holocaust during WWII. Someday, history will reveal the truth about our nation and how we as a people allowed the most unique, helpless and most innocent of humanity to be killed for purely selfish reasons and profit. But the same mindset that gave us the Holocaust is now at work in the halls of America’s government and newsrooms. It is a mindset that first declares the unborn to be non-humans and therefore, outside the protections of the Constitution which guarantees every human being the right to life. I find it interesting that Planned Parenthood will look at an unborn baby in its mother’s womb and declare it to be non-human, but yet will take that same aborted baby and sell its human body parts to the highest bidder.
If that isn’t extremist I do not know what is? I personally will be boycotting WBOC and any advertiser that sponsors WBOC news programs and I humbly ask the good people of the Eastern Shore to do the same. If we remain silent on this issue then we too are contributing to the evil being perpetrated at Planned Parenthood facilities across America. Defund Planned Parenthood now, and boycott WBOC news and advertisers because “babies lives matter!”
Pastor John Abent
Berlin
Candy Man Will Be Missed
Editor:
A couple of weeks ago, the small Greek church on 84th Street was filled with people even though it was mid-week. More oddly, less than half the attendees were Greek, and a Marine honor guard stood in the back in color dress as if waiting for a que.
Jimmy Giatris, the Candy Man, had died at the age of 93, and I was one of many who had come to pay their respects. Jimmy was born in Cumberland, Md., the son of a candy man, and he attended elementary school through high school in the same classroom as my mother.
Jimmy worked for Sam Taustin at the Candy Kitchen for 20 years, where he brought his fudge and chocolate recipes. From that time, he picked up the nick name “Candy Man.” Jimmy had a Spartan work ethic because he was a Spartan. Jimmy was best friends with Sam and would travel with him almost everywhere he went. It was rumored that Sam tried to bar mitzvah him, convert him to Judaism, at least twice. Neither Sam nor Jimmy had children. Jimmy was blessed with longevity and outlived Sam by about 15 years. He would talk about Sam a lot.
Two weeks before he died, I took Jimmy to church for the last time. On the way back to his condo on 28th Street and Baltimore, he said, “Tony, I am done.” I said, “what do you mean?” He simply said he was through. I got mad at him for saying it, but I understood. When it came time to prepare a will, he didn’t call his surviving nephews. He called the Taustins. Jay convinced him to draw up a will and served as his executor. Among those who eulogized him were Jay Taustin. His wife sang a Jewish hymn. The owner of Liquid Assets was there. Billy, the owner of B.J.’s, and I all spoke at the funeral. The Marines performed. The Taustins brought chocolates for after the ceremony. Possibly some were from Jimmy’s old recipes.
From a business perspective, there was no one more informed on Ocean City than Jimmy. Even after age 90, he continued to amaze all his friends with the details of his knowledge. Liquid Assets had a special bar seat for Jim, yet he wasn’t a drinker other than a social nip from time to time. He had no immediate family, yet he had so many friends. Jimmy was connected to almost every businessman and business activity in Ocean City.
With his passing our community begrudgingly lets go of a past era of connections between people, a time past that Jimmy fondly reminded us of every time we saw him. Ocean City was Jim’s family.
Although he didn’t talk much about it, he served in the fabled 1st Marine Division in World War II. Once several years ago, he showed me all his graphic tattoos on both arms naming every beach the 1st hit. I wrote them down, and will now record them:
Operation Watchtower, Aug. 7, 1942, to Feb. 9, 1943, involved in the 1st Division’s amphibious assaults in the lower Solomon Islands;
Guadalcanal, Aug. 7-8, D-Day 1942; Jim hit the beach to begin the six-month campaign (of his 40-man platoon, 19 died). Wounded from shrapnel, received purple heart;
Seizure of Rendova in the New Georgia Island Group, June 1943;
Munda Airfield, New Georgia Island, July to August 1943;
Ellice Islands, October 1943;
Battle for Piva Trail, Bougainville Island, Nov. 5-9, 1943;
Battle of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, Nov. 21, 1943; hit with shrapnel while hitting the beach, 16,000-man division suffered 20% casualties; 1,000 died on a half-mile of sand; and
Bougainville, January 1944, took shrapnel in the back, three months to recover, second Purple Heart.
After the war, Jimmy stayed with the Marines for 20 years working up to a second lieutenant, his marine cap was a fixture on his head even when he went to church. As we look toward an uncertain future, we fondly remember Jimmy, who reflects a heroic past long gone. In his last 20 years of retirement he connected us and knew so many of us that he was truly symbolic of the anomalous town of Ocean City.
Tony Christ
Sunset Park Thanks
Editor:
On behalf of the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) we would like to thank the Town of Ocean City, its Special Events staff, and the many local nonprofit organizations for partnering with us to make this year’s Sunset Park Party Nights music series a success.
We are especially grateful to Bill Paul and volunteers with the Ocean City Recreation Boosters who sold beverages at each music event to raise funds for youth programs in Ocean City. We look forward to seeing all attendees for the 2016 music season at Sunset Park.
Chris Trimper
Glenn Irwin
(Trimper is the president of the OCDC, while Irwin is its executive director)
Annual Crab Feast Beneficiary Selected
Editor:
Every year, the Caine Woods Community Association chooses a local charity that will receive the proceeds from its September crab feast and from raffles held at other CWCA events.
This year’s charity is Camp Possibilities, a local non-profit that since 2002 has been enriching the lives of children with diabetes. Often, because of the complexity of diabetes management, these kids do not get the chance to go to a summer camp. The group hopes to send 95 children to a week-long camp where they can enjoy swimming, fishing, arts and crafts, sports and more in a medically safe environment.
How can you help? Plan to attend a crab feast Saturday, Sept. 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Higgins Crab House on 128th Street. The event will feature all-you-can-eat crabs, fried chicken, corn on the cob, fries, crab soup, cole slaw, draft beer and soft drinks. The cost is $35. A cash bar, raffles and chances on a basket of cheer will also be available. All proceeds will benefit Camp Possibilities.
For tickets, email [email protected] or call Tonya Sas at 410-250-1046 or Joe Kostelac at 410-250-5665.
Joe Kostelac
(The writer is the vice president of the Caine Woods Community Association.)