‘Thanks For Coming’
Editor:
Comments on last week’s news.
- New minimum wage could cost Ocean City about $188,000. How much will “paid sick leave” legislation cost including reporting, tracking and notification?
- We live in a coastal town. Flooded downtown streets are no big deal, do not present a safety issue and are part of the coastal charm.
- The only thing the water tower ads should say is “Thanks For Coming.”
John Fager
Ocean City
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NRA The Scapegoat Again
Editor:
In a letter to the editor published in March 9 issue of The Dispatch regarding the NRA, the writer forgot to include two things – – the facts and the truth – – as he attacks, demonizes, and blames an organization with millions of members; patriots who see it as their duty and responsibility to have the ability to protect themselves and their families with a defensive firearm.
The NRA is the oldest and most successful civil rights organization in the country, protecting the constitutional rights of almost six million law abiding Americans, but to the extremist left that now controls the democrat party the NRA and its members represent self-reliance and patriotism, and to them that’s unacceptable.
The latest anti-NRA hysteria is a result of the school shooting in Florida, and scapegoating the NRA intentionally ignores the real causes of these incidents as well as the common-sense solutions. Sure, there is plenty of blame to go around, and deservedly so, but the NRA isn’t on that list.
The school district failed miserably, because it was following the absurd Obama/Holder school policy of not reporting student criminals to the police, and instead treating school crime as merely a discipline problem (in order to eliminate what the Obama administration called “the school to prison pipeline”). The shooter should have — and would have — been arrested several times if it had not been for this misguided liberal policy, and that would have made him ineligible to purchase a firearm. (Heck, he even told the school psychiatrist that he dreamt of murdering people and being covered in blood.) But as is always the case, liberal policies fail and the politicians find something else to blame: in this case it’s the NRA.
And as we know, the FBI failed miserably on more than one occasion by not following up on credible and specific warnings to their tip line. Said numerous tips to the FBI, Florida Social Services, and the local Sheriff’s office were chillingly accurate as to predicting what was to come, and not one of those agencies acted upon not only those tips, but to other referrals, complaints, and calls to 911. (Sheriff’s deputies responded to dozens of bizarre and violent incidents involving the shooter without making one arrest, an arrest that would have prevented the violent, mentally ill teenager from purchasing the firearm). In spite of threatening and violent behavior, in spite of “school-shooting” specific threats, nothing was done by multiple agencies whose duty it is to protect our children from these incidents. Nothing.
And, of course, we have the armed school resource deputy who “took cover” (he hid) outside the school while kids were being slaughtered inside, and other deputies who were told to stand down and not enter the building by a supervisor. The police took cover and “staged” as the shooting continued in the school. Disgraceful.
The NRA had absolutely nothing to do with the federal, state and county government’s failure to protect those kids. The NRA had absolutely nothing to do with that psycho obtaining a firearm that he shouldn’t have been able to obtain. The NRA had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the FBI simply ignored red flags that couldn’t have been any redder. The NRA had absolutely nothing to do with the police who did not go into the school to stop the shooting.
The shooter used a legally obtained rifle and standard capacity magazines. If the school, the local police or the FBI had done their job he would have had neither. And an FYI: the rifle was no more powerful, did not fire any faster, and was no more lethal than any other rifle . . . but it looks scary and has a scary name: assault rifle. So along with blaming the NRA, the clueless politicians and bureaucrats blame a rifle that was the same model as rifles owned by millions of law abiding Americans.
A terrible tragedy, compounded by politicians and partisans who look to shift the blame from where it really belongs.
Steve Lind
Ocean Pines
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Questions For Harris
Editor:
Constituents should ask our Congressman (Andy Harris, R) why he seems to support an increasingly authoritarian strongman in Hungary, a leader who models his repressive regime on Russia’s Putin. In particular, a recent Baltimore Sun article by Dan Rodricks reports that Harris attacked limited US State Department funding to support a struggling free press in that country. Harris outrageously compared that modest effort to “alleged” (actually well documented and unanimously acknowledged by US security offices) Russian interference in US elections.
This is Alice in Wonderland stuff. While Russia was (and apparently still is) trying to sow chaos in the US by launching untrue stories and divisive attacks using truly fake and rogue sources, the US in Hungary was only trying to help keep alive independent legitimate news sources in a country that was limiting that outlet for their citizens. While it’s sad that the Trump Administration is reducing US support for democracy and human rights efforts around the world, Rep. Harris is taking this scary trend to new levels by aiding a repressive regime.
Terry Grogan
Ocean City
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Auction A Success
Editor:
On Saturday, March 3, the staff of Coastal Hospice put on a Quarter Auction at the Salisbury Moose Lodge. I want to give a great big shout out to the hospice staff who made this happen as well as to those in the community who came with their quarters to support us.
The event was a great success. Over 130 prizes drew more than 200 people to the event, which raised $7,577. The proceeds will go towards funding and naming the home hospice team work room at the new Macky & Pam Stansell House at Coastal Hospice at the Ocean, now under construction in Ocean Pines.
It was a great night, and our staff put in a lot of hard work to make it happen. Thank you also to the vendors and donors who brought in goods to be auctioned off. Everyone had a great time in support of a great cause.
Alane K. Capen
Salisbury
(The writer is the president of Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care.)
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Fireworks Start Opinion
Editor:
I believe the fireworks on Sunday night in Northside Park start at 9, which to me is a reasonable hour for the downtown fireworks.
I am not sure that the Mayor and Council and the store owners along the Boardwalk are taking into consideration that having a fireworks display at 10 or 10:30 p.m. is not sending a signal to the families that it’s the end of the evening rather than the beginning. Having an earlier fireworks display will, in fact, start the evening as the sun goes down and drive more business into the stores at the conclusion.
Charles Haywood, Sr.
Ocean City
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MVA Changes Clarified
Editor:
At the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA), our top priority is providing premier customer service. As part of this commitment, I would like to provide information about recent changes to the driver’s license and identification (ID) card renewal process.
The REAL ID Act is a federal law that establishes standards for driver’s license and ID cards to be acceptable for boarding an airplane or accessing federal facilities. Maryland is proud to have one of the most secure driver’s licenses and ID cards in the country and we have been compliant with REAL ID since 2011. Effective 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is now requiring us to collect additional documentation from customers. This change affects customers who receive a renewal notice from MDOT MVA indicating that documentation is required.
The renewal notice will come in an envelope stating, Documents Now Required to Renew, in red lettering. Customers receiving this notice will need to present one proof of age and identity, one proof of Social Security, and two proofs of Maryland residency. A list of acceptable documents can be viewed in MDOT MVA’s Online Document Guide or by visiting mva.maryland.gov/realid/index.htm. MDOT MVA’s website also allows customers to schedule an appointment at any branch office.
MDOT MVA is committed to ensuring this process as convenient as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Customer Service Call Center by calling 410-768-7000 or by email at [email protected].
Christine E. Nizer
Annapolis
(The writer is the administrator for MDOT’s MVA.)