Voices From The Readers – December 3, 2021

Voices From The Readers – December 3, 2021

OP Geese Not A Nuisance

Editor:

Euthanasia – the wrong word, a wrong choice.

Reading today about the latest developments relating to wild geese in Ocean Pines, I am disheartened in a way I hoped I would never be again. A page 6 story in the Ocean Pines Progress newspaper discusses the abandonment of a special turf option used to discourage growth of wild geese populations and notes that other options could include increased shrubbery around ponds and “the one that no one likes, euthanasia.”

Euthanasia? What a gross misnomer for the slaughter of innocent wild animals, living in bonded pairs, raising families of young, all so beautiful and graceful to see in this community originally built on wetlands that provided a natural home for such noble and impressive creatures.

I still get a sick feeling when I recall the shock of the surprise overnight netting and gassing of hundreds of geese here a few years ago. An operation that was planned in secret by the so-called Environment and Natural Assets Committee and some leaders in the Ocean Pines Association, this cruel travesty created widespread outrage among many residents.

Euthanasia is a term used to describe the merciful ending of life in patients human and animal that have agonizing and incurable conditions. Nowhere in the numerous dictionary definitions does one find usage to denote the killing of helpless creatures for human sanitary or convenience reasons.

Instead of considering the horrible slaughter of hundreds of geese (again!) or trying various costly (and often ineffective) methods to reduce their number and the droppings they create – why not learn to co-exist and simply invest in methods of cleaning up after them? Hire a daily or weekly cleanup crew for paths and walkways, maybe the pond shorelines too. Post signs warning people to watch where they walk. Perhaps create a few stations with small cans, wipes and plastic bags, as are used for dogs. Any or all of these measures could be implemented at reasonable cost.

I love seeing the beauty of all the geese in Ocean Pines, daily watching them grow, along with the other wildlife that exists here. I am saddened by people who see the geese only as a nuisance and completely miss the point of the natural calming effect they can have on our minds and souls.

Besides, the geese were here first.

Susan Koski-Grafer

Ocean Pines

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Poor Road Work Planning

Editor:

(The following was sent to Maryland State Highway Administration)

I live off Route 50 in Berlin at Seahawk Road. On several occasions the main intersection near us — adjacent to Samuel Decatur High School — has been blocked during the morning weekday rush hours, making it impossible to get to Route 50 East without driving into the highly congested area around downtown Berlin. Additionally, on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 1, my wife and I had a 9:30 a.m. meeting in Ocean City. The roads were so backed up with traffic due to the repairs to Route 50 East near Walmart that it took us nearly an hour to get to Ocean City, where we almost missed our meeting. I can’t imagine the problems this caused for those trying to get to Ocean City for work.

To me, the planning of this work was pretty poor. It is not a high traffic season for Ocean City, so I can’t see why this work cannot be done in the early afternoon when traffic is considerably lighter. Also, I can’t see why the entire Route 50 paving project has been going on for more than a month. I would appreciate an answer to my email.

Bob Faszczewski

Berlin

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Good Samaritan Help

Editor:

I work at TidalHealth Cardiology North in Berlin and in a world where we all need some uplifting, my faith in mankind was restored today.

A quite elderly patient coming in to our office today, had some car issues and a gentleman by the name of Will Manuel who owns Willow’s Concrete and Landscaping stopped on his way while taking his child to Buckingham Elementary School to assist our patient.

Not only did he assist her and make sure that she arrived safely to our office, without being asked proceeded to drop his child off at school & stop back by our office to make sure that the patient could get home safely. He offered to drive her car to her house in Selbyville, followed by an employee who transported him back to his car at our office.

Mr. Manuel you were a guardian angel to our patient that day and I cannot thank you enough. What a beautiful thing to teach your child – kindness to strangers.  Your graciousness was above and beyond and you are a shining example to your child.

May he and his family have a blessed holiday season.

Donna Stigler

Bishopville

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Governor’s Missteps

Editor:

Over the past few months, Governor Hogan has been one of the loudest detractors of the Build Back Better Bill, including a social media campaign and a press tour involving an appearance on CNN’s State Of The Union.
Through these events, Governor Hogan has spent his interviews ranting about the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Build Back Better Bill as “far-left.” After watching his interviews and following his social media campaign, I am very curious to see what part of the Build Back Better Agenda our governor finds as “far-left” and what exactly he opposes in the bill.

Does Governor Hogan view universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and affordable childcare as “far-left”? Even though the rest of the industrialized world already has universal pre-k and affordable childcare for their residents. Does Governor Hogan view four weeks of paid family and medical leave as “far-left”? Does Governor Hogan view taking action to address Climate Change like creating a Civilian Climate Corps that will create 300,000 green jobs in communities most impacted by climate change as “far-left”?
Does Governor Hogan view Medicare expansion that will add coverage of hearing services to Medicare and improve access to home care for seniors and disabled Americans as “far-left”?  Does our Governor oppose our seniors having hearing and home care? Does Governor Hogan view lowering the cost of Insulin from $600 to capping the price at $35 as “far-left”? Does Governor Hogan view funding to construct one million new and improved affordable housing units and housing vouchers to end the housing crisis as “far-left? Does Governor Hogan view the Monthly Child Tax Credit that cuts child poverty in this country in half as “far-left”?  Does Governor Hogan view strengthened labor protections for workers as “far-left”?

Instead of endlessly pandering to set up a vanity run for the US Senate or Presidency in 2024 that we all know will fail, Governor Hogan should do two things. The first of those things is to tell us what is so “radical” and what he opposes in the Build Back Better Bill. The second is for him to focus on the job he was elected to do here in Maryland instead of playing dress-up as a federal elected official that he clearly isn’t.

Jared Schablein

Pittsville

(The writer is the chair of the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus.)

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Redraw First District

Editor:

(The following letter was addressed to Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson.)

We, the undersigned organizations, write to you today to express our support for a new Congressional map that restores balance to Maryland’s First District, and protects our democracy from radicals who would overturn the will of the voters for political gain. We urge you to use your power to create a competitive First District where anti-democratic extremists are not immune to accountability from the voters.

For over a decade, the First District has been represented by Congressman Andy Harris, an extremist who has shown himself to be a danger to democracy. His actions

leading up to — and after — the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were inexcusable. Congressman Harris voted against the certification of several states that President Biden fairly won, helped stoke the violence that led to the attack, and has tried to minimize and cover up what happened that day. Harris even voted against giving the Congressional Gold Medal to the Capitol Police officers that saved his life.

The First District did not always breed this kind of extremism. But after the last redistricting process in 2011, when the state legislature created a sprawling district that spans from Carroll County to Ocean City, Andy Harris was elected and subsequently shielded by the district’s partisan makeup from any semblance of accountability. This time around, we are calling on you to return the First District to the shape it held for the two decades that Wayne Gilchrest represented the district — a district based on the Eastern Shore with the inclusion of the Annapolis area, a region that has far more in common with the shore than areas north and west of Baltimore on the Pennsylvania border.

The decision you make during the special legislative session in December is not just about the next election. It is about how communities are represented for the next 10 years, and it is about protecting our democracy. Had Andy Harris had his way in January, our country would have been thrown into a constitutional crisis the likes of which we have never seen, all because he refused to accept the will of the American people. The 2024 election could bring a similar battle, and in order to save our republic, we must ensure voters have the power to unseat dangerous members like Andy Harris.

We are writing today because we would hate to look back with regret that we did not do more to save our democracy. At the end of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin

Franklin is said to have answered when asked what form of government we agreed to, “a republic, if you can keep it.” We hope we are able to look back at this time with pride that the state legislature did its job, and took action to keep our republic.

Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee, Citizens Redistricting a Better Maryland (CRAB MD), D33 (Anne Arundel County) Democratic Club, Decency for District One, Democratic Club of Caroline County, Democratic Club of Kent County, Democratic Club of Queen Anne’s County, Democratic Club of Wicomico County, Democratic Women’s Club of Worcester County, Dorchester Democratic Club, Indivisible Worcester MD, Lower Shore Progressive Caucus, Our Revolution Baltimore City/County and NAACP Talbot County Branch