Call to faith-based leaders to help end violence; Parents need to pay … – Capital Gazette

Since the horrific mass shootings in the neighborhood off of Edgewood Road and the recent homicide in Bywater Mutual Homes community last week, I have received numerous telephone calls as to what will I do to bring the community together to stop the violence.

These senseless killings have touched all of us in different ways. It has caused our families distress, tears, mental health issues and of all things, the loss of life.

As a minister, Im reminded of the scripture from 1 Peter 2:1 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession

Some of you might disagree with me as a United Methodist Minister, but the word Im focusing on is God, as we are all Gods children but with rules, principalities and government, we have some different God. We find ourselves in a world trying to analyze who God is. The purpose of this article is for the listening ears of all clergy, it does not matter your denomination, your belief or unbelief.

I believe there is much unrest within the bounds of clergy, your theology, your understanding of God and your protective territory in which you serve. Im asking you to surrender to the will of God, which is love, the love of self and your neighbor.

I cannot do this thing of ministry alone; Im soliciting your support in a meeting to talk about what we can do as a unified body to reconstruct the brokenness in our communities. Our children should feel safe playing on the playgrounds within their community and what can we offer to the parents of these children. Please, let us stop our different of theology and accept the olive branch, we can accomplish more as a body than a few persons.

Many of you question my relationship with the Annapolis Police Department and yes, I am a chaplain and work closely with Chief Edward Jackson, in whom I am inspired by with his leadership. He has issued a short-term initiative that commenced on July 14 and will continue for eight weeks ending on Sept. 7.

The plan consists of three Initiatives that require overtime expenditures for plan initiation. Included with this plan is a list of the departments long-term goal initiatives and a summary of our overall efforts to combat crime. The mayor and city council have given their approval of this plan and have given Jackson their support.

Yes, I will continue my ministry in and outside the walls of the sanctuary in which I serve. Im soliciting your support in the gathering of a meeting of discussion to improve the lives of the people in whom we serve.

Minister Walter Smith has been my support anchor and is a blessing. We have talked about where is the faith community leaders and dialogue on how we can rebuild the breach which is in need of repair.

I look forward to hearing from you to schedule a meeting to get your input. This communication is for all faith-based leaders and is not determined by denominations. My email address is jwesley2114@yahoo.com and cell phone is 443.822.5537; Minister Smith can be reached at waltsmith561@gmail.com and 443.881.6079.

Rev. S. Jerry Colbert, Annapolis

UM Minister & APD Chaplain

The Anne Arundel County Board of Education had a hearing on June 26 and heard comments from the community about the display of flags in classrooms.

Fox 45 had a news crew on site for that BOE hearing. Its evening show reported on the controversy and after the show sent out a poll to viewers. It showed 92% of those polled agreed that only the American state and county flags should be displayed in public school classrooms.

So, the vast majority of the public wants only U.S., state and county flags displayed, but this school board, with the backing of the activist teachers union, voted down the policy proposal and will continue to fly the pride flags in county classrooms.

At the May BOE hearing, an Anne Arundel County elementary school teacher testified that she felt compelled to discuss gender issues with the young students in her classroom.

At the June Pride March in New York City, the marchers chanted Were here, were queer, were coming for your children.

While he was organizing a Drag Queen Story Hour for children as young as 3 years old, Drag Queen Dylan Pontiff stated, We are trying to groom the next generation.

Characters such as the Genderbread Person and the Gender Unicorn are being presented in schools across the country and in childrens books in public libraries.

This leads to confusion in the childrens minds, distracts them from learning the core subjects to allow them to thrive in the world and global economy.

The 2022 U.S. News and World Report ranking of high schools shows that Anne Arundel Countys school rankings have dropped markedly since the last ranking in 2020.

So, what is the end game? Connect the dots. Children are presented with discussions on gender year after year under the pride flag. They become confused and distracted leading to psychological gender dysphoria. Tragically, many of the children eventually consider hormones or surgical procedures.

A Swedish 30-year longitudinal study has found that after 10 years of gender transition, the suicide rate of transgender re-assignment is 19 times the norm.

The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act requires that schools allow parents to inspect and review their childs education records as long as the child is under 18.

Rather than dismissing this position as extremism, it is a practical statement of the common-sense facts in front of all to see.

Parents, please pay very close attention to what is being presented to your children.

Michael Vernon, Crownsville

The just-announced legal settlement with the family of Henrietta Lacks by Thermo Fisher Scientific for the companys commercialization of her cervical tissue is not only a step toward racial justice, but it may also help secure reproductive rights.

Although the settlement is out-of-court, the outcome of the case confirms existing court rulings that hold our bodily tissues and organs to be our property under American law.

It follows from this that government seizure, control and use of our organs for public purposes is regulated by the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. It prohibits the seizure of property without compensation.

Restrictions on abortions imposed by states after the courts reversal of Roe v Wade, therefore, violate the Fifth Amendment. Abortion bans effectively seize control of womens wombs for the duration of pregnancy without compensation to achieve the public purpose of bringing a fetus to full term.

Any woman incurring costs and suffering injury because of these restrictions has grounds to sue for state compensation for the taking of property. They could be joined in legal action by health insurers that bear some of these costs or sued by survivors of any woman who died as a result.

Suits based on this reasoning are likely to succeed. Conservative justices reject the privacy-right basis of Roe because it is implied and not part of the Constitutions text. They cannot ignore the explicit plain-text meaning of the Fifth Amendment. This is especially true given that these same justices have urged the court to embrace a more expansive interpretation of the Takings Clause.

If pro-choice organizations pursue this legal route, they might not be able to guarantee reproductive freedom, but they can make states that restrict this freedom pay dearly for seizing control of womens organs.

Thomas Woodward, Arnold

Congratulations and thanks to Anne Arundel County, the VA Maryland Health Care System and the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs that organized and hosted the PACT Act Veterans Claims Clinic & VA Health Care Enrollment Fair at Anne Arundel Community College on July 26.

This was a first for Anne Arundel County. Many thanks to the county executive for his support and to Department of Aging and Disabilities staff who participated. Thanks to the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs, the County Veterans Affairs Commission, and the many other organizations that participated that day. The venue was the Anne Arundel Community College (Student Union). An estimated 120 veterans registered to attend, though more arrived who had not registered (and were helped).

Initial reactions from both sides of the table recognize the event was well-organized and well-run, and a repeat in the future is recommended. This was not only a great opportunity for veterans to file claims, but also a great opportunity for county organizations to learn how they interact with one another. Attendance exceeded expectations!

John Church, Davidsonville

Colonel, USAF Ret

The news is full of stories of wildfires followed by the typical alarmist pronouncements about climate change. But during the last two decades satellites have recorded fires across the planet and data from NASA shows the area burned each year has been decreasing since 2002. In that year it was over 3%, but it hit a new record low of 2.2% in 2022.

The Hoover Institution at Stanford University reports that last year the acreage burned by fires in the U.S. was just one-fifth that which burned annually in the 1930s.

Fortunately, most people are now becoming aware that the climate problem has been over-hyped. While global warming is a real challenge, most are not willing to support the incredibly expensive policies proposed by green politicians.

The Armageddon claims are intended to scare us into accepting these expensive policies that will have only a negligible, if any, real impact upon the world.

Worse still, anyone who claims otherwise is labeled a flat-earther or otherwise ridiculed and subject to cancelation. Even Nobel Prize winning physicist Dr. John Clauser was censored for daring to say, In my opinion, there is no real climate crisis. He added that the problem of providing energy to the worlds growing population is a crisis that is unnecessarily exacerbated by incorrect climate science.

Sensible discussion and debate are needed. With the media exulting the alarmists and ignoring anyone who contradicts them, I am not hopeful that we will get it.

Charles Muskin, Arnold

Deale Beach residents, be aware of your Property Tax Bill. You will see that you have been charged $471.17 dollars by your Home Owners Association. The $75 you were paying has now SUBSTANTIALLY increased.

You can contact your HOA through email at dealebeach@gmail.com to receive an excuse of why we are being more or less bribed into paying the amount. Because if you dont pay your Property Tax Bill, the county can step in and issue a fine, or threaten to sell your property to pay the tax you owe.

A review of the Budget Request Form of Expenditures showed no mention or warning of this large amount of fees to be charged to our Property Tax Bill.

The HOA says the money is to repair our very small bulkhead, and a few ramp repairs.

If they accrue $471.17 from 181 residents that amount would be $85,280. And the HOA has $11,500 in reserve funds. No one debates not keeping our small community in a proper condition, but to increase HOA fees by quadruple is someones extremely in poor judgment.

Also, when a member of the committee issues derogatory statements to another member, who dissented from the vote to increase the fees, it makes us wonder about the professionalism of the officers.

And one last comment: The HOA might continue to charge this amount or increase it in the future.

I would welcome anyone who could help with having these fees reduced significantly.

Vicki Marsh, Deale

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Call to faith-based leaders to help end violence; Parents need to pay ... - Capital Gazette