Reform Concerns Inflated
Editor:
It is disappointing to read the inflated concerns of the Worcester County Sheriff with regards to the several legislative police reforms bills in Maryland.
Rather than express reservations and denials that exist in our law enforcement departments across the nation, it would be more receptive and productive to collaborate with the law makers and draft productive law reform in policing in Maryland.
Facts not scripted dogma should drive police reform. Our society can’t continue to have our police engage in dangerous and ineffective policing while ignoring their primary objectives which is to ‘protect and serve.’
Greg Thrasher
Selbyville and Upper Marlboro
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Lack Of Leadership Heightened Virus Crisis
Editor:
On the evening of Feb. 8, 2020, President Trump placed a telephone call to Bob Woodward of The Washington Post newspaper (Bob recorded this call, with the President’s permission, as he did with many calls with the President). In this call, he acknowledged that the coronavirus was a terrible health issue and that he would not reveal this information to the American people in order to avoid creating a panic. It is my strong opinion that, if informed of the severity of this virus, the American people would have rallied around this information and done what they were directed to do in order to control the spread of the virus.
Unfortunately, there was a total lack of leadership from the president which meant that the governors of the states were left to fend for themselves. Fast forward to today (Dec. 11, 2020) when it was reported that another 2,893 more people had succumbed to the COVID-19 virus bringing the total number of deaths in this country to 295,830. Now the President is urging in no uncertain terms that he wanted the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine approved by midnight Dec. 11 or the Chief of the FDA should submit his resignation. As of this writing, the FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine. Given President Trump’s intervention in the approval process, some people may see this approval as politically motivated as opposed to being based on scientific evidence.
Oh, how I wish that President Trump had given the same level of time and energy to combatting the virus in this country in its early days as compared to the time that he has spent on contesting the results of the free and fair election that occurred on Nov. 3, 2020. Just today he lost another frivolous lawsuit in the United States Supreme Court in which 126 Republican members of Congress (including Congressman Andy Harris) signed on in support of this action.
Where are their brains? This means that President Trump and the Republican Party have lost more than fifty sham lawsuits in their efforts to steal the election for President Trump. Dare I mention his invitation to the Republican members of the Michigan Legislature to come to the White House where he could pressure them to do his bidding. Fortunately, they had the moral courage to say “No, Mr. President.”
In closing, rumor has it that President Trump will be spending the upcoming holidays at Mar A Lago and will not return to the White House to work with President-Elect Biden on a peaceful transition of power. How unamerican.
Harry Yeich
Ocean City
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Harris Should Step Aside
Editor:
Last night, I read that our Congressman Andy Harris supported President Trump’s attempt to reverse the election results in which President-Elect Biden won handily, fair and square.
I have attended a number of Mr. Harris’ local town hall meetings over the last few years and heard him promote and defend his congressional record. I often disagreed with him; but he appeared to care about this country’s norms, and he claimed to believe in our democratic process.
Now he appears to resist verified election results. Biden won the election vote by a significant margin anyway you look at it. Representative Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey stated, “Men and women who would act to tear the United States government apart cannot serve as members of Congress.” I wonder if Mr. Harris clearly understands his oath to uphold our constitution, and I will remember his stand on the 2020 presidential election if he chooses to run again.
Paul Lojewski
Berlin
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576 Meals Served On Thanksgiving Day
Editor:
I want to take a minute to thank the community of Ocean City for helping Ocean City Baptist Church continue our yearly tradition of serving an annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day. For the last 41 years we have served the entire community a Thanksgiving meal. This year was different because as we were unable to host the dinner inside our building. But regardless of the government restrictions we were able to continue this tradition because of the generosity of this community.
This year we had 10 volunteers come in and help on Tuesday prepare for the meal. On Thursday another 50 came to prepare, serve, and deliver meals. These volunteers were asked to come at different times, in two-hour shifts, throughout the day so we could keep numbers down and practice social distancing. The volunteers ranged in all ages from 5 years old to 85 years old. By the end of the day, we had served 576 meals by take out or delivery. The meals included turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, sweet potatoes, a roll, and the choice of a pumpkin pie or an apple pie.
I would like to thank the Humphrey’s Grant, Ocean City Elks Lodge #2645, the American Legion Synepuxent Post 166, Dicarlos Printing, Benchmark Property Services, Bank of Ocean City, Wednesday Night Ladies Bowling League, and Fager’s Island Restaurant for their generous donation in making this meal possible. I also want to thank the members of the Ocean City Baptist Church for all their love and support to make this meal possible every year. They worked hard to create an environment that made sure all people were safe and in the process, we had a lot of fun. I especially want to thank Melanie Corbin, Margie Wilson and Chef Paul deHuarte of Ristorante Antipasti who made sure this meal happened.
2020 has brought many challenges, but I was reminded this year that we have so much to be thankful for. It was an amazing day that I was privileged to be a part of. All the glory goes to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Sean Davis
Ocean City
(The writer is a pastor of Ocean City Baptist Church.)
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Voter Fraud Issues
Editor:
Now that the Supreme Court said there was no voter fraud committed in the election, it is time to fix the voter fraud problem.
Larry Biddle
Brooksville. Fla.
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Vaccine Trial Process Flawed
Editor:
It’s both disappointing and inaccurate that people who participated in COVID-19 vaccine trials — and those who will be first to receive the vaccines once they are available — are being casually referred to as “guinea pigs.”
Unlike animals used in experiments, these individuals volunteer to participate. They get to go home to their families, sleep in their own beds, and carry on with their lives as usual. And they may stand to benefit from their involvement.
Guinea pigs and other animals who are used in experiments are unwilling victims. They are caged, isolated, infected with diseases, tormented in painful procedures, and almost always killed afterward.
Subjecting animals to this misery isn’t only cruel, it’s an impediment to scientific progress. Part of the reason why scientists were able to develop multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates so quickly is because they bypassed the typical years of preclinical animal trials before starting any human clinical trials. They know that diseases and vaccines affect different species in very different ways. Experimenting on animals squanders time and resources we can’t afford to waste.
As we’ve seen in the race to stop the coronavirus pandemic, ethical, human-relevant research is where real hope lies.
Shalin Gala
Norfolk, Va.
(The writer is the vice president, International Laboratory Methods, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).