Published Letters from Baltimore County Members
July 2005
Foiling recruiters a disservice to those who serve country
Date: July 28, 2005
Publication: The Catonsville Times
Author: Gary A. Smith, Catonsville
We are a nation at war.
In this light, the two stories on the front page of the July 20 issue of the Catonsville Times are a study in contrasts.
In "Soldier up to task going back to Iraq," we have the story of Spc. Chris Roussey, home on leave from serving his country in Iraq.
In the other story, "Parents take potshots at recruiters," reporter Jennifer Przydzial writes about a group of parents, including at least one employee of Baltimore County schools, attempting to thwart the recruiting efforts of the military.
Our nation is facing an enemy who wants to see us destroyed because we are Americans, regardless of our position on the war.
No parent wants to see their child go to war. But sometimes, there is no other option. In another time, the actions of the parents in the article would have been universally viewed as unpatriotic at the very least.
Thank God for Americans like Chris Roussey.
Thank God we didn't have individuals such as the parents in Jennifer Przydzial's story during World War II.
Party Line (R) O'Connor, Ehrlich deliver results
Date: July 19, 2005
Publication: The Jeffersonian
Author: Chris Cavey
The past couple of weeks will prove significant in the history of criminal justice in Baltimore County and how it relates to the Republican Party.
First came the announcement from Sandra O'Connor, our state's attorney since 1974, that she will step down after a record eight terms in office. Sandra O'Connor is a political juggernaut, a person who has received more votes than anyone else in Baltimore County history.
She accomplished this without a huge campaign treasury or a slick political message. Her trick was competence. Taking over a scandal-ridden office, she brought in legal professionals, creating one of the most effective and efficient state's attorney's offices in Maryland. She broke ground on issues such as rape, sexual assault and child abuse. She created the state's first Victim and Witness Assistance Unit.
Sandra O'Connor is best known for her tough approach with the death penalty. There is no doubt that Baltimore County's prosecutors are the toughest in Maryland - and that most of our citizens like it that way.
Please note: She is a Republican.
The Baltimore County Republican Party wishes Sandra O'Connor a happy and well-deserved retirement. We will make sure that her handpicked successor, Stephen Bailey, continues the law-and-order tradition.
The second momentous announcement was of Gov. Ehrlich's closing of the Charles H. Hickey School in Carney. This decision is a milestone in the Ehrlich administration's effort to reform the state's troubled juvenile justice system.
Under the previous governor, Parris Glendening, the juvenile justice system rotted to its core, and Maryland became notorious for abuse and neglect, inmate escapes and other problems. Glendening and his Democratic henchmen gave us lip service in trying to persuade us that Hickey was "about the children."
The federal government demanded change. The day that Gov. Ehrlich said Hickey would close, he also announced an agreement to end a federal probe into the state's juvenile justice system.
The closing is welcome news for the residents of Baltimore County. People in Cub Hill, Carney and Loch Raven have endured decades of prisoner escapes. They can thank Gov. Ehrlich for this historic decision, but they should also give kudos to Dels. Joe Boteler and John Cluster.
Dels. Boteler and Cluster made it their priority to shut down Hickey. They wrote letters to Gov. Ehrlich and appealed to his top aides. Not only did Dels. Boteler and Cluster play a huge role in getting the school closed, but within days of the announcement, they had scheduled a town meeting to start discussing future uses of the property.
I don't remember hearing about Hickey being a priority for Del. Eric Bromwell, of the same legislative district. Perhaps he has been consulting too much with his mentor and fellow Democrat, House Speaker Michael Busch. Certainly they must have spoken at least once concerning the Democrats' stance on criminal justice and their legacy of failure.
The citizens of Baltimore County, especially in the northeast, know that results matter. In the area of criminal justice, Sandra O'Connor, Robert Ehrlich and our Republicans legislators have delivered.
Chris Cavey is chairman of the Baltimore County Republican Party. He can be reached at .
Mayor plays politics with city's children
Date: July 14, 2005
Publication: The Baltimore Sun
Author: Jeffrey Button, Parkton
It's very refreshing to see some criticism of how Mayor Martin O'Malley has handled city school issues ("Schools could be a political peril for O'Malley," July 4).
The minor improvements that Mr. O'Malley proclaims as "one of the biggest turnaround stories of any urban school systems in the United States of America" are akin to placing a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.
I would like to see a plan in place that would ensure long-term progress in the city school system and not just a few blind statements to satisfy voters until the 2006 election.
Playing politics with the future of Baltimore's youths is a dangerous proposition.
Report on port opens the door to enemy attack
Date: July 13, 2005
Publication: The Baltimore Sun
Author: Gary A. Smith, Baltimore
I am deeply concerned about The Sun's article on weaknesses in security at the port of Baltimore ("Port security gaps pose threat," July 10). I am concerned about the weaknesses in security, but I am more concerned about the nature of the information revealed in the article.
We are a nation at war. In time of war, one should not be communicating information that may be of value to one's enemies.
Information about weaknesses in security is just the kind of information we should not be revealing to the public. Yet there it was on Page 1A on Sunday, above the fold, available to anyone with $1.75 to spare.
No doubt The Sun will invoke the public's "right to know." Perhaps the public has a "right to know," but does it have a need to know?
In a time of war, I say no - we do not have a need to know, especially when that information may reveal a weakness our enemies may exploit.
Responsible journalism has been in short supply at The Sun for many years, and the supply is lessening each day.
This article has taken the paper to a new low in public responsibility.