How to Hold a Meeting So Nobody Will Come
Reading the Examiner today, I saw
an article that got me thinking a little.
It seems Howard Co. has a little law about where and when you can hold "pre-submission" meetings for proposed developments . The law requires that "[m]eetings be held between 6 and 8 p.m. on a weekday or during the day on a Saturday and within a few miles of the proposed development." This means that the meeting is often held on the undeveloped site - in whatever conditions the weather happens to bring. There will be a meeting for the proposed Centennial Gardens (by
Land Design and Development, Inc.) on Frederick Rd. next week. It will be cold. But the developer has said that a vacant house on the site is available and will be heated. I think that's a good idea.
But what if there wasn't a building on the site? An unscrupulous builder could announce the meeting will be held on-site at a time that is sure to be cold and dark. Then he could expect little or no attendance - and therefore no objections at that time - and meet the statutory obligation. Or there could be an honest, upright developer who can't find a facility within the prescribed distance, and has to hold his meeting on his undeveloped land. Clearly the law needs to be touched up a bit. Perhaps they could add a clause that the meeting has to be indoors, at least in the colder, darker months, and if no facility is available within the distance restriction, say it has to be in a tent heated to a minimum temperature. And it has to be handicap accessible.
Shades of Aldous Huxley
I watched a "60 Minutes" piece on the usage of propanolol to blunt the trauma of severe events, such as rapes, car accidents, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In a Canadian study, subjects were asked to write down a detailed account of a traumatic incident. When they were done, they were given a dose of propanolol. A week later, they were hooked up to an EEG and the account of their trauma was read to them. According to the report, the subjects no longer had the severe emotional response to the memory, some to the point of feeling it wasn't something that had happened to them.
Properly, they also had a control group which watched a pleasant movie or did something else unrelated to the trauma before being given the drug. Like the test group, they were then read an account of their trauma a week later. Surprisingly at least one woman in the control group was all but freed from a 20 or 30 year debilitating trauma!
While I am very happy for the woman, I think this could be the beginning of something not so good. In short, they think they have found a way to cure people of trauma. If this becomes generally available, it's not to hard to see people clamoring for propanolol to soften or erase the blow of any bad experience - leaving only the feelings of the good experiences. It would be a brave new world, indeed.
Election Fraud in Arkansas?
The small town of Waldenburg, Arkansas, had an election for mayor last Tuesday. It was a three way race, and in a town of 80 people, someone is probably going to come up way short. However, according to
this story, the incumbent and one of his challengers tied at 18 each, but the other guy, Randy Wooten, got ZERO votes. That's zero, as in none, nil, zilch! The thing is he KNOWS he voted for himself and he says "at least eight or nine people" said they voted for him.
At first I thought this would be a case of small town stupidity (if you're going to rig an election you really should make it look plausible), but the article points out that they were using ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES! And I bet there isn't a paper back-up, either. It may be a small town election, but this could be the tip of an iceberg.
Post Election Musings
Okay, so the Dems have retaken the Governorship putting the state squarely in their hands. I can't wait to see how well O'Malley gets along with Mike Miller and Michael Busch.
I wonder if Slots-at-the-Tracks suddenly becomes a priority for the State Legislature. Or maybe they'll go for a full casino somewhere on the Bay or the Potomac.
Will they try again to establish Early Voting? Of course, they have to ammend the State Constitution to get it done. That means it will be a ballot question in 2008. And those almost always pass.
Will anyone in the legislature care about ballot paper trails again? I hope Del. Elizabeth Bobo will still care.
Can I dream about creating Congressional districts that are more conveluted than the original gerrymander?
Willie Don Shoots Off His Mouth (Again)
Md. Comptroller William Donald Schaefer made
three "controversial" statements yesterday.
- When asked if he would debate his primary opponent, Anne Arundel Co. Exec. Janet Owens, and he responded that he "wouldn't debate her on how to bake a chocolate cake."
- He called a female reporter a "sweet little girl."
- He objected to spending money testing immigrant students on ability to learn English.
Oh, boy. In the words of Ronald Reagan, "There you go, again."
Now with the first statement, he may have meant that he wouldn't debate her even if it was a subject that he knew nothing about. Unfortunately, he chose a traditional "home making" skill, and comes across as sexist. (I doubt Schaefer knows whether or not Owens can bake a cake.)
With the second statement, he just dug himself a deeper hole - particularly with all his similar past statements. Granted he's an old man, and to him the reporter is a "girl", both in her age and how he was raised. However, you think the man would have the intelligence to learn to not say such things.
And with the third statement, we have another installment of Willie Don's "You're in America - Speak English!"
Schaefer has given more than enough ammunition to his opponents. And they are piling on. I am beginning to wonder how much longer he can survive politically.
For Republicans, there is one possible up-side to this latest brouhaha - Schaefer has promised to support the winner of the Democrats' gubernatorial primary, and it could be funny watching him trying to keep Willie Don at more than arm's length.
More Outdoor Water Usage Restrictions
Eastern Howard Co. and Northern Anne Arundel Co. are now under more restrictions than before. (
Channel 11 story) So instead of being able to water gardens, fill pools and wash cars every other day, based on house number, now we can only do it before 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. That pretty much means most people won't be able to these things, except with a watering can or a hose with an "automatic shut-off nozzle." Or have someone at home during the day to turn the sprinkler off.
You might want to think that through, Joe.
Okay, so we learn in this piece that Attorney General Joe Curran says that private citizens - and more to the point, private schools - do not have to call in the police when they find drugs on a kid. I see his point and I agree.
But there's also this:
When asked if police should be involved in disciplining cases of possession, he said, "that might be a pretty big burden to put on such a young person."
Excuse me? Did our Attorney General just say it might too much of a burden on a teen to be arrested for breaking the law? Does toes this apply to adults too? Or more serious offenses? And this guy is the "top lawyer" for the state?
Now I'm really glad he's not running for re-election.
They paid how much?
So Baltimore has a
new slogan: "Baltimore. Get in on it."
The city spent a half a million for it, but I have to ask - What does it mean?
Seriously, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. A good slogan should mean something. Think of some of the famous slogans other areas have used:
- I Love New York
- Virginia is for Lovers
- West Virgina: Almost Heaven
They all say something, maybe not a lot, but something. "Baltimore. Get in on it" just leaves me with questions. What is "it"? And why do I want to get in on it?
Granted it sounds edgy - but is that enough?
