baltimoresun.com - Commentary

Aftermath of Fort Hood

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Muslim community, larger society should both work to prevent further tragedies

T he American Muslim community continues to experience numbness and is in deep shock following the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim psychiatrist who was born in Virginia to Jordanian parents, is accused of opening fire on his colleagues, killing 13 and wounding 38. The officer, who was commissioned in 2001, provided counseling to help alleviate psychological stressors that servicemen and woman experience.

Want a 'dialogue on race'? It's happening

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

N ational leaders including President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Eric H. Holder have recently called for a "dialogue on race" in America. Such a conversation is no doubt needed, but it should be noted that for more than 15 years, thousands of Maryland elementary and middle school students participating in the Black Saga Competition have been gaining knowledge and perspective about African-American history that allow them to discuss and reflect on issues about race.

Mayor Schaefer kept it clean during dirty times

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The irony is 7-foot-2 and made of bronze: A statue of William Donald Schaefer goes up along the Inner Harbor promenade just a week or so before the current mayor of Baltimore goes on trial, accused of stealing gift cards intended for the needy. What a town!

Tough choice awaits Ehrlich as time slips away

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

O n Saturday afternoon, I attended the 12th annual Annapolis Tug-of-War. Every autumn, locals string a high-tension rope from the downtown Annapolis dock over to Eastport. Residents from each side then battle for dominance as onlookers keep warm with hearty cheers and frosty beers.

Illegal immigrants count

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Bid to exclude them from Census is latest example of dealing with issue by ignoring it

L ast week Senate Democrats, led by Maryland's Barbara Mikulski, rejected legislation introduced by David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, that would have instructed the U.S. Census Bureau not to take into account illegal immigrants and other noncitizens in the 2010 census.

45 years later, Institute of Notre Dame still calls back its daughters

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

T he typical lunchtime conversation as the work week wound down centered on plans for the weekend. I mentioned that I would be attending my 45th high school reunion, and the youngsters - I had 30 years on most of those at the table - looked at me askance and tried to figure my age.

What the 'First Marriage' teaches us

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

W hen Barack Obama was elected president, some credit was given to what pundits called the "Cosby Factor."

Listening to the janitor who changed their lives

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

A janitor can make a difference, and Chuck Sands proved it. He died recently, and unexpectedly, and there's been such an outpouring of grief and love from Howard County - and from the students of Centennial High School, specifically - that I just had to take a moment here to tell you a little about their head custodian.

Does Wall's fall resonate today?

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

It seemed to herald the inevitability of democracy, but the forces at play in 1989 weren't universal

T o Americans, the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago this week - and the Iron Curtain with it - was more than a big move on the geostrategic chessboard. Yes, it made us safer, but it also vindicated our core national identity. Democracy, it seemed to prove, is such a universal value that it will inevitably defeat dictatorship.

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