In November 2018, an EF-1 tornado, confirmed by the National Weather Service, caused significant damage in Mount Airy, particularly impacting the Twin Arch Shopping Center. The tornado, which initially touched down in northwest Howard County, moved north into Carroll County, affecting areas around Pheasant Ridge before reaching Mount Airy. This event impacted businesses and residents in this region, which suffered structural damage and loss of power. Thankfully, no one was hurt significantly or killed. We may not be so lucky next time.

Emergency responders, including the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the fire department, were involved in rescue and damage assessment efforts. The Red Cross provided assistance to those displaced by the storm and public safety personnel worked to clear roads and assess damage.

The scope of damage involved three of the four counties that night. We are the “four corners” of these counties (which is painted on the Water Tower in Town Center). An air siren mounted on the highest tower of our three water towers would be cost-effective and give significant warning to this region.

Protect this town and surrounding jurisdictions’ residents’ health, safety and welfare.

Email me at Hunter1061@yahoo.com if you agree and support this proposition. Thank you for considering this much-needed grant-funded device for this region.

— Joshua Marks, Mount Airy

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Carroll County Times content by submitting your own letter.

They are the same politicians who relax firearms regulations, while deaths from guns outrank car crashes and cancer, which are also top causes of death among children ages one to 17.

These same politicians have just voted to gut Medicaid and SNAP, legislation that provides health care and food for the neediest among us.

If I, as a mother, refused to feed my children and they died as a result, I would be sent to jail for murdering my children.

So, why aren’t members of Congress who vote to remove health care and food assistance to the most vulnerable citizens in our nation arrested? And are these people the brightest among us?

— Patricia Hollinger, Westminster

Add your voice: Respond to this piece or other Carroll County Times content by submitting your own letter.

Taneytown has long been a city with great potential, where historic charm meets community spirit. Recently, the city made a significant decision to disband the Taneytown Main Street Board, and for this, we commend the mayor and city council.

This move signals a commitment to transparency, accountability and the continued revitalization of our beloved Main Street, a potential that fills us with hope and optimism.

The dissolution of the board, while bold, was necessary. Over time, it became evident the governance of Main Street had grown stagnant, with outdated practices and a lack of clear direction hampering progress of what should be a vibrant heart of Taneytown.

The board’s inefficiency limited opportunities for local businesses, stifled community engagement and impeded growth. However, with the right governance, Main Street has the potential to become a cultural and commercial hub, inspiring and motivating us all.

As city council reviews legislation that governs the Main Street program, there is an urgent need for a fresh start.

Revisiting the Main Street program structure ensures it is responsive to the needs of the modern community and sets clear objectives for economic development and cultural preservation. Council’s leadership will be instrumental in ensuring the revamped governance fosters collaboration between local businesses, civic groups and residents who are so deeply invested in the area’s success.

However, as we enter this critical organizational stage, ensuring no conflicts of interest arise is essential. The Main Street Board must be composed of individuals whose sole focus is on the city’s best interests, without personal or financial ties that could compromise the organization’s integrity.

In that light, it is imperative the wives of Councilman Christopher Tillman and City Manager James Wieprecht not be on the restructured board. While their contributions to the community are undoubtedly valuable, their close personal connections present an unavoidable conflict of interest that could cloud the board’s decision-making process.

Furthermore, to maintain the highest ethical standards, Tillman should refrain from participating in the board’s restructuring. His wife’s employment with a Carroll County nonprofit that manages the funds for Main Street, presents a potential conflict that could jeopardize the trust and transparency required for the board to succeed.

David  Buie, Taneytown

Why won’t company answer residents’ questions about project?

Marylanders are justifiably concerned about the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project. The level of concern, stress and uncertainty this proposal has created is undeniable. Marylanders, particularly in Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick counties, have been blindsided by the project being rushed through without transparency.

So far, the largest out of state company proposing this project, PJM Interconnection, has rejected every opportunity to come to Maryland and answer citizens’ questions regarding the proposed project.

PJM has proposed building a 70-mile, 500,000-volt power line with a $424 million price tag through Maryland and yet it refuses to come and meet with Marylanders to discuss the plans.

PJM’s refusal to be transparent and engage with Marylanders should concern us all. Frankly, I find its behavior unacceptable.

The Maryland Public Service Commission should refuse to even consider PJM contractors’ application for this project until PJM comes to Maryland and has a public dialogue with citizens.

Transparency harms no one!

PJM has blindsided residents and elected officials and is attempting to rush this project through with limited transparency. It is unacceptable and irresponsible for PJM to continue to show a total lack of respect for Maryland citizens.

Marylanders deserve better.

Del. Nino Mangione, Sparks

Mangione is a Republican representing District 42A

If you’re a political junkie like me, this is without a doubt an incredible time to be alive. It is truly amazing that within a time frame of eight days we had an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate, an upbeat national convention and a sitting president dropping out of the race.

First, we had what was likely going to be a typically loud Donald Trump rally in the small town of Butler, Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh. What could possibly happen in Butler, given that most Trump rallies are in larger venues with bigger crowds and more Secret Service?

Perhaps Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle believed fewer agents were needed around a small town, especially given that a large NATO gathering and a Joe Biden rally, headed by Jill Biden, had just concluded the same week as Trump’s. Suffice it to say, if that was her thinking, she was certainly WRONG!

More on the assassination attempt later.

Not quite 48 hours after the Butler fiasco, the Republican convention began and was, in perhaps my biased opinion, the most positive and upbeat convention I have ever seen. It pretty much concluded with Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt off. Now who wouldn’t smile at that?

Two days later, Biden packed it in; the first time a president had done so since Lyndon Johnson in 1968. I’ve been wondering for a long time why Biden campaigned out of his basement in 2020, and now suggest that the case could be made that perhaps he was already in mental decline.

So now he’s out of the race and Kamala Harris, aka Cackles, seems to be the presumptive candidate. If the Democrats push for anyone else, we all know the race card will explode.

Her biggest decision was to choose far-left Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose handling of the Minneapolis riots in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death was a disaster. The overall dollar damage to the city’s business district was in the millions.

And before any Barack Obama fans think it would have been a great idea to run him as her vice presidential pick, you might want to read the last sentence of the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It reads: “But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of vice president of the United States.” So sorry to rain on that “wishful thinking theory!”

Now back to the scary events of the Butler mess. The longer the fallout of this goes on without concrete answers as to how this could have happened, the more questions and suspicions we have.

For example, we now have videos of this assassin walking across the roof, as well as using a rangefinder, both without questions from anyone in charge of Trump’s safety. Oh, and now we learn that even with a $3.1 billion budget, the secret service on-site allegedly didn’t even have walkie-talkies.

So at this point, at least for me, I fear that even though I in no way think this was a planned assassination attempt by Trump’s political enemies, it looks to me like the Secret Service “let it happen.”

I fear as usual we’ll never know!

Dave Price, Sykesville

Let’s examine Kamala Harris’ record

This is in response to Tom Zirpoli’s recent column “Outsmarted by Biden and burned by Vance.” Zirpoli says Republicans are trying to sell Kamala Harris as a diversity hire and we all knew Republicans would be playing their sexism and race card.

Zirpoli should be elated, not criticizing Republicans for pointing out the obvious. After all, Democrats preach DEI ideology and intimidate the government, industry, academia, the military, etc.,  to bow down to its doctrines and quotas. But once they accomplished advancing people on their skin color and/or gender they want to hide it, because DEI by definition, is racism and sexism.

I remember how Harris became Joe Biden’s vice president. During the 2020 Democratic primary, Harris was the first presidential candidate to end her campaign early in December 2019, with zero national delegates.

So, why did Biden pick the least popular candidate? Biden campaigning in 2020 did not say he wanted a VP based on merit, ability or accomplishments. He specifically said he wanted a black woman.

He said that because Black female activists in the Democratic Party (including Stacey Abrams of Georgia and Alma Adams of North Carolina) demanded Biden pick a Black woman for vice president. So, Biden chose Harris because of her skin color and gender. So, who is really playing the sexism and race card?

Harris “dated” married California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown in 1994-1995, who appointed her to two political posts in California, getting her into politics. She served as San Francisco district attorney (2004-2011), California attorney (2011-2017) and as a California senator (2017-2021). Just look at San Francisco to see how her policies work.

She was appointed border czar by Biden in March 2021, but now she is lying about being border czar, just like she lied to NBC’s Lester Holt about going to the border.

Harris has allegedly lied about Biden’s mental condition for years. She accused Associate Supreme Court Justice Bret Kavanaugh of gang rape. She believed Jessie Smollett was attacked by MAGA and supported saying it was a modern-day lynching. She tweeted to chip into the Minnesota Freedom Fund to post bail for the George Floyd 2020 rioters. She accused the border patrol of whipping illegals, etc.

With the country over $35 trillion in debt and our adversaries (China, Russia, Iran etc.) more aggressive, including two wars, what are Harris’ policies?

She wants Medicare for all residents (not just citizens); wants government health care for all (no private health insurance); wants government-paid child care and paid family leave; wants to re-imagine (defund) the police; and wants to eliminate ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), etc.

Carl Burdette, Westminster

Has ‘leftist’ columnist even been to Venezuela?

I cannot believe what I am reading, how a “columnist,” as he thinks he is, writes an article in regard to the Republican presidential nominee stating if Donald Trump is elected the United States will start looking like Venezuela.

I am just surprised that a man who is supposed to have a college degree and some awards could even think about this type of situation.

Let’s look at Trump’s past administration. We had a great economy —  gas prices, food prices and overall prices were way lower than this current regime.

We didn’t have more than 10 million illegals coming across our border and getting all types of monetary ” handouts” from woke mayors and governors, while our own citizens, as well as veterans, were suffering. They had to come in and be vetted so we wouldn’t have terrorists coming in and destroying our country and murdering U.S. citizens.

People didn’t have to work two to three jobs to make ends meet, while illegals got nothing but everything free.

Zirpoli is just another leftist who thinks Trump is all for the rich and wants nothing to do with the middle class and below. Trump, as I mentioned, made things easier to purchase and still have money left for some treats. So how is this like Venezuela? I doubt if Zirpoli has ever been to Venezuela to be accurate in what he says.

If he wants to make a remark at people who act like the leaders in Venezuela just look at the Democratic ticket, one group he has yet to criticize in the last four years. He is like all the Democrats who blame their bad doings on Trump and the GOP.

Trump would have never let Russian President Vladimir Putin invade Ukraine or other areas like the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris crew. China and other enemies wouldn’t be laughing at us like they are under Biden-Harris.

Now you have another, but more leftist pair in Harris and Tim Walz. Harris has done nothing in three-plus years besides giggling at remarks she makes. Now she has a partner who watched his major city burn down, then was rescued by Trump by sending in the National Guard instead of his doing it.

Zirpoli would probably love to see this pair be your leaders and he can watch the country go down the tube. He would say nothing, as he wouldn’t be able to express his anger against Trump, who would have nothing to do with it.

If Zirpoli doesn’t like a person who has helped our country like Trump did, then get out! Believe me he wouldn’t be missed at all, just like all the other leftists like Whoopi Goldberg, Barbra Streisand and others.

Pat Bussard, Westminster

As a proud member of the Taneytown community, I want to express my gratitude to Fun Events, LLC, for their commendable initiative in organizing Pride Day in our town. This event represents significant progress toward inclusivity and diversity and instills hope for a more accepting future. It’s a moment we should all cherish and support.

Pride Day encompasses more than just a festive occasion; it showcases genuine leadership and courage by bringing people from different walks of life together to celebrate love, acceptance and unity. The efforts have created a memorable day and set a precedent for future events that promote inclusivity and understanding in our town.

However, while we celebrate this milestone, it is also essential to reflect on the role of our city’s leadership in this process. With a sense of disappointment, I must express my dissatisfaction with the mayor and the City Council for not taking this initiative.

The responsibility of elected officials is to lead with integrity and create an inclusive and accepting atmosphere. The organization of Taneytown’s first Pride Day should have been a priority for our city leadership, demonstrating their commitment to all residents, including those in the LGBTQ+ community. Their lack of initiative is a missed opportunity to show that Taneytown is a town that embraces all its citizens.

The expression of condemnatory statements directed at the LGBTQ+ community online by some members of our community is truly disheartening. These statements do not reflect the spirit of unity and respect that should define Taneytown.

Every individual in our community deserves to feel safe, valued, and accepted for who they are. The negative comments and hostility directed at the LGBTQ+ community are not only hurtful but also counterproductive to the progress we aim to achieve as a community.

As we move forward, I urge all citizens of Taneytown not just to embrace, but actively promote the values of inclusivity, respect and understanding. Let us learn from the example of Fun Events, LLC, and work together to create a more welcoming and supportive environment for everyone.

Our city’s leadership must step up and actively promote and organize events that celebrate diversity. It is also time for us, as a community, to stand against discrimination and hatred in all of its forms. We all have a role in this, and it’s up to us to make Taneytown a place where everyone feels at home.

David  Buie, Taneytown

Required reading about homosexuality for letter writer

I encourage Michael Hurley (“The evolution of sexual deviance,” Carroll County Times June 30,) 2024) to do some more reading before he shares his opinions about homosexuality.

The American Psychological Association website clearly states that homosexuality is not a disorder. To further quote from the website, www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/orientation, “most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”

On the other hand, misguided and xenophobic opinions espoused by Hurley fuel the need for changes to our laws that support the rights of all Americans regardless of sexual orientation, so maybe he should keep talking. He’s already encouraged me to share my own opinions.

As an elementary educator, I can assure him that, upon seeing a title like “Heather Has Two Mommies,” students will either choose not to read it, read it and learn that there are many types of families in the world or read it and finally see themselves represented in their school library.

When Heather’s two mommies came to my school, there was nothing deviant about them. Their agenda was to run the bake sale or watch the Halloween parade along with all the other parents who were simply supporting their children at school. Maybe “Heather Has Two Mommies” is a good place to start reading, Mr. Hurley.

Paul Norfolk, Eldersburg

Proud to display American flag on my vehicle, at my home

Two different people in the last week have told me to take down the American car flags I was flying because the flags supposedly indicate I am a Republican supporter, so I did. Does this mean that I also must remove my American flag currently flying at my home? That will never happen!

With 21 years of military experience and 34 years working for our federal government (some of it overlapping), I am proud to display our American flag on my vehicle and at my home. I consider myself a patriot and would defend this country today if asked.

To fly my flags wherever and whenever I choose is my right as an American, that myself and millions of other men and women have earned that right but I wanted to do so without making a political statement.

May God bless America!

Steven A. Duex Sr., Westminster

The rule of law can’t be secondary to politcal power

Just a thought to ponder: What if Al Capone had held power over the selection of local judges? But what if, because of obvious facts that prove guilt, the local court can’t do anything but convict him?

Capone still would laugh off the conviction and rest easy at night if he had power over the appointment of appeals judges and U.S. Supreme Court Justices. And the rule of law? If America allows the rule of law to be secondary to political power, what happens to democracy? What happens to our towns and villages? What happens to America?

John D. Witiak, Union Bridge

During my 33 years teaching in Carroll County, I welcomed thousands of students through my classroom doors. I met with countless parents for Back to School nights and conferences.

I can assure you that the family structures of my students were as varied as you can imagine — traditional families, families with adopted children, second and third marriages with step-siblings and half-siblings, interracial couples, and same-sex couples. All these families have children in our schools.

Three members of the Carroll County Board of Education recently voted to exclude two children’s books that depict the wide range of family structures in our community as instructional materials. This decision defies logic and sound educational principles. To be clear, neither of the books discusses gender identity or sexual orientation. They simply portray the types of families that exist in our communities.

Public comment, public opinion and speakers at the July 10 BOE meeting almost universally supported inclusion of these two books in our schools. Any cries of “parents rights” as justification for restricting their use rings hollow. It is clear that our current Board of Education is dominated by political opportunists and extremists.

For the past few years, we have seen a steady decline in teacher morale. Simultaneously, we see an increase in student apathy, mental health concerns and disciplinary issues.

It is clear we need a change in direction in our BOE; we need to return our focus to our students, parents, and educators. Two candidates running for the board have the practical wisdom and experience to get the job done: Muri Lynn Dueppen and Dr. Amanda Jozkowski.

Both women have close ties to their communities and chose Carroll County to raise their families. Dueppen has been a resident of Mount Airy since 2004. Her two children, now grown, both attended Carroll County Public Schools from kindergarten through high school graduation.

Jozkowski, the mother of three, has lived in Eldersburg since 2014. Two of her children attend our schools, and her youngest is a preschooler who will also be a CCPS student. Professionally, Dueppen is the corporate relations officer at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Jozkowski is an associate professor at Towson University and a pediatric occupational therapist.

With years of professional and volunteer experience in the field of education, Dueppen and Jozkowski are committed to creating a safe learning environment for all children. As a team, they bring a fresh perspective and innovative ideas, paired with extensive leadership experience.

From improving teacher retention rates to increasing academic achievement, Dueppen and Jozkowski are passionate about strengthening our school system so every student and family has access to high-quality public education. I encourage you to support their campaigns for the Board of Education

Thomas Scanlan, Westminster

Chair of Slate for Student Success

Vote against liberal progressive tag team for school board

Whether by design or just an outright lack of caring, progressive liberals try to rewrite history, forget history and embrace radical “woke” ideology. What makes Carroll County special is that we are a minority in a progressive state.

We realize the importance of learning the lessons of history, ensuring those mistakes are not repeated and emphasizing the importance of community, patriotism and common courtesy.

Patriotism and knowing history have “gone out of style” throughout the country. In Carroll County we need to be on the forefront of making sure we don’t forget our history and succumb to the changes by those who wish to force change upon us. Carroll County is the one of the last conservative counties within the extended Baltimore metro region.

This brings me to the upcoming local school board elections, in which the two progressive candidates are running to change Carroll County schools. Although we always want to achieve better, why do the arguably best schools in the state (for all races, by the way) need “fixed” through the lens of a progressive ideology when a conservative ideology has worked great?

So great, in fact, that people from failed school jurisdictions bring their children here. Liberal ideologies and the rest of the failed progressive policies, such as those we’ve seen play out over the past few years — Defund police! No, wait, refund police! Open the border! No, wait, they can’t come to our sanctuary city! COVID restrictions in which liberals, being more concerned with themselves rather than their children, screamed “mask the children!” Now even Fauci says of these masking and distance rules “they are not based in science, they just appeared.”

Whether they claim they want to do it or not, the progressives will prioritize safe spaces, pronouns, promoting the history of victimization and class division (oppressor vs oppressed), etc. With their obviously partisan stances, they will promote exclusion and division rather than the inclusion that the “tolerant left” claims to embrace.

In order to keep Carroll County the last conservative county of the state, Carroll County conservatives must vote against this liberal progressive tag team. As the lone dissenting voices in the state, if they believe in diversity as much as they claim, why do they insist on implementing progressive policies on a county whose majority is conservative? I believe their “help” will be more beneficial to a more progressive jurisdiction.

Mike Hollando, Hampstead

This is in response to Tom Zirpoli’s recent column “The old guy is getting it done for ordinary Americans.” The old guy isn’t getting anything done for middle-class Americans, he is actually presiding over the destruction of the middle class.

During the presidential debate Joe Biden did not have speech writers and a teleprompter, so he actually had to think and articulate his answers. And we saw the real Biden who is incapable of making decisions, be it fiscal, foreign, domestic, war or peace.

The free press is what makes this country great, but the mainstream media (MSNBC/CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/NY Times/Washington Post) have become left-wing activists, disguised as journalists, lying about and covering up Biden’s cognitive decline to keep him in office, even if he destroys the country.

This mainstream media would still be perpetrating the four-year hoax of covering up Biden’s incompetence if Donald Trump did not accept the debate with Biden. Think about that.

Obviously Biden, as commander in chief, is not making foreign policy or domestic decisions, so which unelected bureaucrat is? Jacob Sullivan, Susan Rice, Anthony Blinken, Ron Klain, Neera Tanden, etc.?

Would Zirpoli buy a used car from Biden? Would he let him handle his portfolio? If Biden was a doctor, and Zirpoli needed surgery, would he let Biden operate on him? Of course not.

So why is Zirpoli tying to convince you it’s OK for Biden to run the most powerful country (with 3,750 nuclear weapons) in the world? Zirpoli is simply propagating the latest mainstream media hoax that Biden is healthy, alert and competent. Just like the three-year Russian Collusion hoax and Hunter’s Laptop is Russian disinformation hoax.

While claiming he is protecting democracy, Biden is trying to put his opponent (Trump) in jail for over valuing his property (no victims), questioning the outcome of an election (like Hillary Clinton), falsifying business records (according to convicted liar and felon Michael Cohen) and doing the same thing he did with classified documents.

If you want to see what Biden is getting done for ordinary Americans just go to a grocery store or gas station. Go pay your home/car insurance, while you unwillingly pay for somebody’s college debt and expenses for millions of illegals who have no investment in our country or the U.S. Constitution.

Go to the border, Afghanistan, Israel, Ukraine or China’s spy bases in Cuba, Go see the families of Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton (Maryland), Jocelyn Nungaray (Houston) or Laken Riley (Georgia).

Carl Burdette, Westminter

Passing MINDS Act would provide mental health, poverty support

I am a representative of a non-profit organization called The Borgen Project. We believe leaders of the most powerful nations on earth should be doing more to improve their response to the global poverty crisis. Our global campaign works to make extreme poverty a focus of influential nations’ foreign policy.

Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin has done great work toward promoting positive mental health treatment. In 2022, Cardin voted to help pass the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Its purpose was to provide support for school-based mental health service.

To further provide support for positive mental health treatment throughout the world, Cardin, as well as Sen. Chris Van Hollen and each of our Maryland House representatives should vote to pass the Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings (MINDS) Act.

One billion people suffer from mental health conditions or substance use disorders worldwide and 75% of people living in low-and middle-income countries with mental health conditions do not receive any mental health treatment whatsoever.

Investments in mental health programs, including those focused on the well-being of children, can help break the cycle of poverty abroad. The MINDS Act is the first bill to address mental health and psychosocial support in U.S. global development assistance.

Mental health issues have been a persistent issue for members of Generation Z both in the United States and throughout the global community as a whole. In fact, as found by research conducted by the Walton Family Foundation, 42% of Gen Z struggles with depression and feelings of hopelessness.

By voting to pass the MINDS Act, our state senators and representatives can help address mental health in U.S. global development. Voting to pass this act will help secure votes from members of Gen Z who are eligible to vote in the upcoming election.

Ryan Lesh, Westminster

Recently, Board of Education President Marsha Herbert commented in a board meeting that our schools need more security.

This request falls on the heels of the most recent budget passed by county commissioners. I have to question the timing of this. We all can agree school safety is important, without question, however why wasn’t this addressed in the most-recent budget request?

Herbert said in a news article that she understands “that creating a new staff position is a tough ask amid a series of tight budget cycles.” Tough seems to be an understatement when the budget this year started at more than a $10 million deficit and several years from now it looks to be at a $20 million deficit.

We live in the safest county and thankfully have incredible Sheriff Jim DeWees. Our schools have wonderful and professional School Resource Officers (SRO’s). A third staff position sounds like bureaucracy and growing government at its finest.

David Eminizer, Finksburg

Stunning hypocrisy from all corners in abortion ‘debate

When I read headlines about not enough babies, my first thought is, “Gee, like no one saw that coming.”

For more than 50 years, Planned Parenthood, Democrats, Liberals, media and Hollywood have spent big bucks pushing abortion and poo-pooing motherhood. Add in climate craziness — who wants to bring a kid into this mess?

A very religious high school friend posted on Facebook about how proud she was of her granddaughter marching in the Women’s Parade, shortly after President Donald Trump was inaugurated.

When I asked her how she could be proud of her granddaughter supporting aborting her future great grandchildren and square that with God, the response was typical.

A religious permit tech in Prince George’s County (scripture in his email signature and more) explained how he could still support President Barack Obama when Obama changed his stance on abortion — he needed the votes, money and support.

Now, the Supreme Court has reversed Roe v. Wade and sent it back to the states, where each state gets to decide, not the federal government. Those who begged for it to be sent back to the states are now chastising Trump for not supporting a federal ban.

The hypocrisy is stunning from all corners of this “debate.”

The fear-mongering of how abortions would become backroom procedures was just that. There will always be more than enough states that have or will codify abortion into their state constitution, like Maryland has. You’ll still be able to kill your baby in a safe environment — at least for you.

We have boys pretending to be girls, taking scholarships, a lifetime of sacrifice, hard work and futures from our daughters, and boys parading naked in our daughters’ locker rooms and using girls restrooms, but let’s argue about abortion.

Boys are being encouraged to have their penises removed while girls are cutting off their breasts.

Is abortion more important than the children we have standing in front of us right now? I say NO!

Is abortion more important than the ridiculous gas, food, housing and energy prices? More important than national security? They are using abortion to distract too many of you from the real issues.

Life, not death, is staring you in the face. Important issues are facing us, our children and grandchildren. Stop thinking about killing and think about living and the living. Enjoy all of them in the here and now before it’s too late.

Michelle Jefferson, Westminster

It’s not hatred of Trump, just a belief he’s morally unfit to be president

As a former columnist for this paper, I’m left to wonder if Chris Roemer actually sincerely believes the things he writes, or, as some columnists do, writes things simply to generate comments. In either case, although I rarely agree with any of his points, I do read his columns.

His July 7 entry (“Hatred of Trump and unyielding partisanship override rational thought”) brought a bit of a chuckle.

The script, suitable as a skit on one of the late night comedy shows (Hint: don’t quit your day job) describes a meeting between President Joe Biden and his campaign manager. As all good comedy does, he greatly exagerates the current president’s occasional lapses of mental clarity, which most of us are well aware and are concerning, witness the growing list of Democrats in Congress calling for him to pull out of the race.

But, those still in the Biden camp realize he still has the best interests of our country and all of its citizens at heart and will do whatever is necessary to keep our form of government as close to what the Founding Fathers created as possible.

It is the end of Roemer’s piece that I find most disconcerting, though. He blames the continued decision by many Americans to favor an admittedly somewhat mentally compromised current president as simply a hatred of Donald Trump.

This point of view completely disregards that millions of other Americans completely ignore that Trump, since his defeat in 2020, has been convicted both civilly and criminally for his actions. He is still subject to  indictments for other, to this point, alledged  crimes against the nation.

Also,to this day he continuously claims the 2020 election was stolen from him, contrary to all court decisions in this regard.

Oh, by the way, Trump also shows many signs of diminishing mental capacity as well. One only has to watch his rally speeches, where he begins a thought and then goes off on some unrelated tangent and never returns to the original thought. Often these tangental lapses are filled with nonsense words and phrases or simply gibberish.

I was one who, long before the campaigns began, wished for a different pairing, but here we are. Like many Americans, I don’t hate Trump. I simply believe, and have since 2015, he is morally unfit and lacks the compassion and needed experience to hold the highest office in the country.

I can’t understand how so many of his backers, who claim to be Christians, can back a man who has broken more of the Ten Commandments than he has kept.

Vote for Trump? NO WAY! Vote for Biden? If I have to.

Bill Kennedy, Taneytown

Carroll County is no stranger to the energetic and aggressive attempts of Big Solar energy companies, and misguided property owners to construct “solar farms” on our cherished and valuable agricultural land.

Carroll’s citizens and residents fought the placement of six Community Solar Energy Generating Facilities for more than two grueling years from 2021 to July 13, 2023.

On this date at a public hearing, the Carroll County Commissioners enacted Ordinance No.2023-04, which clearly states “Section 1. The Code of Public Local Laws and Ordinances of Carroll County Title XV, Land Use Chapter 158, Zoning Regulations 158.153 (E) ‘Community solar energy generating systems (CSEGS), in agricultural zones,’ is hereby repealed and deleted in its entirety.”

Thanks, Carroll County Times for your expertise in printing coverage of those two years, many articles on the front page. It was big news! But now the State of Maryland, through the Public Service Commission (PSC) has chosen to accept the “Application for a certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity” for authority to construct three of the very same solar projects that were denied by the revised ordinance!

The State of Maryland, using The Public Service Commission (PSC), does not have the right to supersede Carroll County law.

The residents of Carroll County have spoken clearly and loudly, “NO SOLAR ON AGLAND.” Through commissioner meetings, public meetings, town hall meetings, discussions with solar representatives and volumes of correspondence to our county commissioners, It was unanimous across all communities, “KEEP SOLAR OFF OUR FARMLAND!”

The efforts of the solar companies and the landowners failed completely. Now they are angry and want to “get even” and “get their way.”

None of the PSC proposed project land areas are farmed by the landowners. Local farmers do the planting, care for and harvest the crops on them. These landowners do not care about the land and preserving its “integrity,” only the money it realizes and the outrageous amounts that are promised by the solar companies.

Using prime agland for solar will hurt our farmers, their families and livelihood. Farmland is cheap for solar use. Industrial and business zones cost much more, one of the reasons why the energy companies want to lease it. It is also flat, has no trees, and has been tilled, so is free of large rocks and other obstructive objects. Easy pickings for energy companies.

Carroll County is UNITED in opposition to solar energy generating systems on our precious agricultural land, and adjacent to residential dwellings. They are industrial in nature and belong in industrial and business zones. We will continue making our voices heard!  Do not underestimate Carroll County’s farming communities. We will not exchange our beautiful farmland for solar energy.

Carroll County has a proud heritage and tradition in agriculture. We will not allow community solar to destroy this heritage. If allowed in one project, it will effectively chip away our agland, 20 acres at a time.

Carroll County honors its commitment to farmland preservation since 1970, with 79,880 acres preserved; and a goal of 100,00 acres. The county is No. 1 for numbers of acres preserved and No. 5 in the nation. In Carroll County, 50% of land mass is in agriculture, containing approximately 708 farms.

Carroll County is serious about protecting its agricultural land. Solar has been proven to damage and destroy prime farmland. It will destroy the land for future generations.

Just because MD Senate Bill 613, HB 908 ALLOWS community solar in certain circumstances, effective July 1, 2023, DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN USE IT, OR SHOULD USE IT!!  Carroll County Code, as cited in paragraph two PROHIBITS IT!

It is egregious what the landowner and soar energy companies have done in bringing this “Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to the Public Services Commission (PSC). There is NO public “convenience” nor “necessity” involved.

Annette Fleishell, Sykesville

The evolution of sexual deviance

In my opinion, homosexuality is a deviation from normal human sexuality. It is persistent through the ages, nevertheless it is a serious deviation. From what I have read, same-sex attraction is not a shade of normal on the rainbow spectrum, but abnormal human psychology.

Physical sexual behavior between two persons of the same sex is also seriously deviant, but the behavior need not follow the attraction. We are all called to exert self control over our sexual urges rather than letting them control us.

Furthermore there is also substantial, replicated, clinical evidence that indicates same-sex attraction often develops as the result of sexual abuse and/or homosexual grooming during one’s childhood.

In November 2012, when same-sex marriage was approved by Maryland voters, it was by the slimmest of margins despite being strategically placed on the ballot with a very popular incumbent president seeking a second term.

Same-sex marriage remains very controversial. It is not the public schools’ function to entangle innocent young children in this controversy. To do so is very much part of an activist agenda.

The insidious element of this agenda is the way it seeks to normalize an ever-increasing scale of deviance. For example, in 1999 President Bill Clinton declared Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.  In 2009, President Barack Obama declared L.G.B.T. Pride Month adding bi-sexual and transgender to the mix.

In 2021, Joe Biden declared L.G.B.T.Q Month which added “queer.” Then earlier this month, one of the speakers at the Carroll County Board of Education meeting, while advocating for an elementary school-level book that addresses same-sex couples’ parenting, referred to the L.G.B.T.Q.I.+ community.

So what starts with a book, published in 1989, titled “Heather Has Two Mommies,” descends to Drag Queen Story Hour for preschoolers hosted by the local public library and cross-dressers in military command. Sexual deviance is a slippery slope.

Michael Hurley, Eldersburg

We need to be able to disagree, not be attacked for those views

The president was warned — there was a conspiracy to prevent the counting of electoral votes. There was talk of disrupting the inauguration and seizing Washington, D.C., by force. There was even a plot to keep the president from arriving in the capital city at all.

But this wasn’t 2020; it was 1861, and the president-elect wasn’t Joe Biden but rather Abraham Lincoln. Maybe history repeats itself, maybe it only rhymes, but there certainly is much to worry about in 2024.

American democracy continues to be flawed. Our electoral process, government functionality, political participation and civil liberties — in these areas and more — our system needs fixing. For 240 years of American history, a politician caught cheating on his wife with a porn star months after his wife gave birth to his son would have slunk away from public view and never been heard from again.

But now such actions result in a selling point for campaign contributions. Instead of respecting our judicial process and the jury system, major political figures attack anyone who defends the rule of law.

“Malice toward none” has become “let’s get revenge on anyone who does not agree with us.” It is impossible to spread democratic values abroad when a major political party attacks them at home. So much for a commitment to a vision of a “shining city on a hill.”

False claims that elections are rigged, and that our jury system is flawed, hardly help our system function effectively. We seem to be losing our appreciation for the system and the best contributions we have made for the world.

The party that would have wanted to be seen as America’s greatest defender now seems to be more interested in burning down the house. It wasn’t that long ago that praising the effectiveness of repression in China, North Korea, Russia and Eastern Europe would have been a sure recipe for getting voted out of office. Now we have those who see such support as a prerequisite for getting elected.

There is no question that democracy should allow reasonable people the right to disagree. In fact, constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. The issues of the day should not be presented to make our citizens comfortable.

We should instead strive to make the populace think. But that is hardly possible when one side continues to repeat falsehoods and repudiates respect for the rule of law.

Gary Foote, Westminster

Political parties destroying themselves from within

After a careful reading of the dueling opinions that appeared in the June 9 edition, I think the pair, Dean Minnich (“Republicans are losing credibility over Trump”), and Chris Roemer (“Biden, progressives are sinking democracy to unimaginable lows”), are arguing the same point, except from different perspectives.

Minnich uses his usual, more reasonable tone in chastising the Republicans for their blind allegiance to Donald Trump’s MAGA cult. Roemer, in is his usual somewhat more bombastic voice, blames everything that in his eyes is a government failure, on the evil Democrats.

My personal take on this is that the so-called leadership of both parties, in their infinite stupidity, have aligned themselves with the radical factions at the far ends of the political spectrum. As the old adage goes, “it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”

Those groups do squeak —  loudly — so they get all of the attention from the media, mainstream and otherwise. No matter what the issue is, those factions seem to suck the air out of every discussion and turn it into a personal or personality attack.

As I see it, the parties are destroying themselves from within. The Democrats are too willing to fall in line behind the Ocasio, Sanders and Warren faction who have yet to find a social program that they aren’t in love with, no matter the financial ramifications.

The Republicans appear to have lost all sense of reason, and their collective backbones. They act as if they fear the wrath of a possibly victorious Trump if they don’t vow absolute fealty to his brand, and to him personally. This is not how the Founding Fathers designed our unique form of governament to work.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan states in a TV ad for his Senate campaign, “We can’t fix Washington without independent, common sense leaders.” My reaction to that statement is a resounding, “when you find one, let me know.”

There might be a couple of Democrats, Jamie Raskin, for one. But as for the Republicans, no one seems willing to stand up and openly disagree with their standard bearer for fear he will campaign against them and hurt their chances of re-election. Self preservation is a strong force.

A couple of decades ago there was a term for those who made up the bulk of the electorate. We were called “the silent majority.” Now, I think that the great majority of the electorate is more than just simply silent.

We’re tired of, turned off by and totally disgusted with what passes as leadership from both parties, and that doesn’t just apply to Washington, but in the 50 state houses and every local county or city hall in America.

Those who hold elective office, or aspire to, would do well to spend more of their time listening to the great unwashed middle, and way less time pontificating and pandering to the extremists. They might simply learn a thing or two and realize that we’re not as dumb as they think we are.

Bill Kennedy, Taneytown

I wanted to thank all of the people who contacted the county commissioners and left the message, “Don’t raise my taxes.” The people spoke and it made a difference.

The Ed Rothstein/Kenneth Kiler property tax increase was killed after much contention. A great thanks to Commissioners Michael Guerin and Tom Gordon, who were against raising any taxes since the beginning of the budget discussions and held strong.

Joe Vigliotti blocked an early motion made by Kiler to move forward with the property tax and recordation tax increases, arguing along side of Guerin and Gordon in favor of holding current property tax rates.

Guerin and Gordon fought against raising recordation taxes that create hardship for first-time home buyers. Consider the setbacks homebuyers already have with increased interest rates and home values, compounded by Bidenomic inflation jacking up insurance and utility rates.

Adding several hundred dollars in closing costs to a median priced home is a great impediment to qualifying for a mortgage. How do I know? I was a mortgage loan officer in Carroll and can attest to the difficulty it is for most homebuyers to gather the down payment and closing costs needed for settlement.

The budget was rejected on approval day. Vigliotti voted yes with the property tax increase removed and library funding restored, but Guerin and Gordon voted against the budget that still included the increased recordation tax.

Kiler, looking to cut the library, and Rothstein, wanting to raise taxes, voted no. Reconvening after a brief recess, the budget passed with half the library cuts, and a monitoring of revenues in order to revisit the recordation taxes, Gordon and Rothstein voted no, and the deficit covered by general funds.

Though I say hooray that the people stopped the property tax increase, it is not a total good news story. Using savings and neglecting to cut spending during this difficult economy will pose more heartburn than necessary next year. But there is always hope.

There might be delays naturally because of all types of factors, such as the lack of trained fire/EMS ready for hire, or high-paid folks retiring from the school system, capital projects held up because of environmental issues, or things unforeseen we can’t even imagine.

So, thanks again to the people! And to Guerin, Gordon and Vigliotti for standing strong. Now let us monitor data and help Gordon and Guerin eliminate any increases in the recordation tax!

Robin Frazier, Taneytown

Some school board members are missing the point of public education

It’s painfully obvious that some members of the Carroll County school board need a refresher in the “Big Picture” of the mission of public education.

Public schools serve tax-paying citizens who are investing in the future. An educated public helps maintain and contribute to a productive civilized society. Research shows that students thrive in educational settings where they feel personally connected by relating content to their lived experience.

To eliminate books that depict different types families who are represented in our communities deprives many student of making these valuable connections. School board members who allow personal bias to guide decisions that affect all students in a public school community are not invested in successful outcomes for all students.

For those board members and the small but but vocal outside groups that distract them from carrying out their duties, there is always the option for home schooling, where they can freely exercise any of their personally held beliefs that might exclude others.

Teresa Greenberg, Manchester

Who is Roemer trying to impress?

Excuse me!

But regarding Chris Roemer’s pieces, one question occurs to me:

As much as he claims his distaste for Donald Trump, is Roemer trying to impress one or more or all of Fox News, MAGA, the former president’s relative who is co-chair of the GOP campaign committee, or even Trump himself? Maybe he’s looking for a handsomely paid public relations position for one of them, or at Mar-a-Lago, to smooth over Trump’s 34 felony convictions to former guests?

John D. Witiak, Union Bridge