1. "Power corrupts.. etc."
Four out of the five (count 'em) Commissioners for Carroll County have voted to extend the contract for a Conservative Media Consuting Service (consisting of one person, named Simpson, I believe... no.. it couldn't be, could it?) When a Carroll County Times reporter tried to discuss this contract with him, he refused.
Haven Shoemaker, the dissenting Commissioner said, and I quote from the CC Times: "This notion of having a person specifically dedicated... to handling media seems to me to be a frill..." I agree, Haven. However, it could become less of a "frill" if the Commissioners would see fit to paying me the paltry sum of $500 per month (instead of the $6,000 that Simpson is getting) to see that all of the Maryland newspapers and magazines receive news items and articles that would make Carroll County shine forth as a tourist heaven (Haven) and a place where all business money, not just for Conservative businesses, could find a good home. What other "access" is needed, Commissioner Rothschild?
I must repeat again, that closed administration sessions (like the one in July, where the Commissioners decided on Mr. Simpson) generate a false and dangerous feeling of power.. a feeling that certain activity does not need oversight by the public.. in my humble opinion. We will be hearing a lot more about this shortly in letters to the editor of the CC Times.
2. Druggies?
The Carroll County Times also reports that a pair of persons has allegedly robbed a victim of some Oxycontin while trying to sell him some of theirs. The female part of the pair may have even threatened the victim with a knife. In Westminster!?.. by all reports, the least crime-ridden place east of the Chesapeake Bay.
This reminds me of the time when I was browsing at a used furniture store in Westminster. Seated in front of the store were two of the workers, resting after lifting a heavy bureau. A friend walked up and asked them if they needed something to get their breath back. They thought that would be a good idea.
The friend reached into his pocket and brought out a prescription bottle, opened it, and offered a few pills, which were accepted. The friend said to them: "This is good stuff, I got it from my doctor yesterday and it's already making me feel good." I don't have the faintest idea what the medication was, but it doesn't matter. I hope they all survived.
3. More druggies?
I heard an NPR report preceded by a warning... it concerned six bodyless heads that were found in Acapulco, Mexico. Do any Americans vacation in Mexico any more?
I constantly hear from Massachusetts relatives that they would definitely not want to visit Baltimore because of the crime and violence. It doesn't help for them to watch TV shows like Homicide and The Wire. I try to tell them that the Baltimore area is a great place to live. Of course, there are parts of the city and county that you must avoid to stay alive.. or at least connected with your pocketbook. But on the whole.....
There are horror stories.. such as, my fellow worker, Lou, who got lost in the city and when he asked for directions, was badly beaten up and robbed. However, once my car broke down in a very "bad" part of town. I expected trouble, but instead, people came right over and helped me get fixed up and going again.
4. Optimism after pessimism
Robert Wack once again wrote an interesting column in the CC Times today, about our current "tough times." If I might, I would like to quote part of his final paragraph, which, as usual, "nails it."
"...Things will eventually get better, but perhaps not before they get a lot worse. Which way they go depends mainly on what we hope for and are willing to work toward."
5. One can't always be "The Best"... why not?
Sadly, the 2011 Carroll County's Best award for a Continuing Care Community went to Fairhaven, in Sykesville, rather than Carroll Lutheran Village, (where I live) which only got "honorable mention." I guess we will just have to try harder next year.
6. More Good news for Dick Tracy!
The October 3, 2011 issue of that bastion for truth, the Sun magazine, published by American Media, Inc reports that scientists have now been able to fuse the genes from goats and spiders, to make bulletproof skin for our policemen, soldiers and heads of state to wear instead of those bulky bulletproof vests that they are used to.
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