baltimoresun.com - Commentary

A change Md. needs

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Women statewide and rural residents stand to benefit greatly from health care reform

Women and rural residents stand to benefit from health care reform

Fort Hood shooting: a murderous society's latest outrage

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 15:46:00 -0500

We are uncomfortable in confronting randomness in our lives. When something terrible happens we search for "explanations" in the same way that primitive people did when puzzled by the complexity of the universe. Why does one person kill another, or 13 others? The fact that murder has always been a routine phenomenon of human existence does not dispel the horror that it implies, or our desire to reassure ourselves that we are not likely to die this way if only we can understand the "motive" for such acts.

For young Obama voters, thrill is gone

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

L ast year, Barack Obama inspired legions of young people to become politically involved. Hordes of students in high school, college and graduate school knocked on doors and set up Facebook pages to garner support for a candidate who offered a fresh viewpoint, welcomed by our generation. The rallying cries of hope and change banded us together, making it cool to wear Barack Obama T-shirts and order Barack O-Bombs at the bar. But now, a year later, it seems this first foray into the reality of politics has doused the fire of my generation's idealism with a bucket of cold water.

Not the first president to break promises

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

"The doer is always conscienceless; no one has a conscience except the spectator." - Goethe

Don't punish pro-lifers

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Baltimore City Council's sign bill seeks to solve a problem that doesn't exist

I n my first homily as the new archbishop of Baltimore, I made a firm and abiding commitment: "To all of those in crisis pregnancies, I pledge our support and our financial help. Let us walk with you through your time of trouble and find a new life with your child, or let us help you place that child in a loving home. But please, I beg you: Let us help you affirm life. Abortion need not be an 'answer' in this archdiocese."

For young Obama voters, the thrill is gone

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 13:43:00 -0500

Last year, Barack Obama inspired legions of young people to become politically involved. Hordes of students in high school, college and graduate school knocked on doors and set up Facebook pages to garner support for a candidate who offered a fresh viewpoint, welcomed by our generation. The rallying cries of hope and change banded us together, making it cool to wear Barack Obama T-shirts and order Barack O-Bombs at the bar. But now, a year later, it seems this first foray into the reality of politics has doused the fire of my generation's idealism with a bucket of cold water.

Republican moderates to blame for party's troubles

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

A familiar song is being sung after Tuesday's loss by Republicans in a special congressional election in upstate New York. It tells a story about how a moderate Republican was pushed out by conservative ideologues, resulting in a Democratic victory in what would have been a safe Republican seat.

The other side of B&D's history here

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

J ust for the record - and just in case anyone in the audience is starting to get teary-eyed about Black & Decker or ticked off that Maryland's alleged "anti-business climate" will result in the loss of yet another good corporate citizen - I would like to add a few items that were left out of the historic "time line" published in this newspaper on Tuesday. Allow me to fill in a four-year gap in our accounting:

Dam's dangerous legacy

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

License renewal for Conowingo should depend on a plan to deal with silt problem

License renewal for Conowingo should depend on a plan to deal with silt problem

MADD's ignition interlock proposal goes too far

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

A proposal from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to require ignition interlocks for all drunk-driving offenders in Maryland has received a lot of support lately, including in this newspaper. At first glance it might seem like a good way to get drunks off the road, but there is an important argument to be made against the mandatory use of these devices in the cars of all offenders.