20060106 Security Badge

20060106 Security Badge
By Kevin Dayhoff January 6, 2006 6 PM

Today was the day I had set aside to travel to Annapolis, present my press
credentials, and be processed for a Maryland state security badge for the
purposes of covering the 2006 session of the Maryland General Assembly.

Thanks to the Westminster Eagle and Patuxent Publishing Co, I may very well
be one of the first bloggers to be press-credentialed in Annapolis? I
should mention that Patuxent Publishing Company is owned by Tribune, which
also owns the Baltimore Sun.

For a really interesting piece on the affect of blogging and the internet
media on government and state-level politics, please read the "Cover
Story/Politics & Technology" of the July 2005 issue of Governing magazine,
"Instant Influence" by Christopher Swope. Mr. Swopes invites the reader to
review his piece with an opening line, which reads: "A new generation of web
scribes is shaking up state capitol politics."

Also of interest is an article entitled: "Web logs challenging mainstream
media" by Ryan Pitts, in the Spokane Spokesman-Review on Thursday, October
14, 2004. Unfortunately, I did not get the URL address of the article when
I clipped it and they have a paywall in front of their archives... It
mentions Matthew Testa and Scott Hollenbeck from Westminster:

"Of the ones I've checked out, blogs are poorly written and boring diaries,"
said Matthew Testa of Westminster."

"I trust the blogs because they are open and upfront about who they are,"
said Scott Hellenbeck (sic) of Westminster. "They don't have to make the big
money like networks do, so they have different priorities and have to earn
their audience."

I have enjoyed working with both gentlemen... Matthew, I hope that this
blog is not one of those "poorly written and boring diaries."

The process of getting my security badge was painless and quick. There were
only a few folks in line. The Department of General Services police were
very courteous and helpful. It took - perhaps 15 minutes. Of course, the
picture for the badge is almost as bad as the photo on my driver's license.
Whatever.

I'm glad that my security badge identifies me as "media." I would hate to
have to wear a badge that identified me as a "lobbyist" - shades of
Nathaniel Hawthorne and "The Scarlet Letter" - Salem, Massachusetts in
the1630s under the leadership of Speaker Busch - err, John Winthrop.

Although considering the Maryland General Assembly majority party's
intolerance of dissenting ideas - perhaps mentioning The Scarlet Letter was
Freudian:

"The religious sect was known for its intolerance of dissenting ideas and lifestyles. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses the repressive, authoritarian Puritan society as an analogue for humankind in general. The Puritan setting also enables him to portray the human soul under extreme -pressures. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth, while unquestionably part of the Puritan society in which they live, also reflect universal experiences."

In the past, I had a badge that identified me as an elected official and that badge was also quite helpful. Otherwise, standing in the lines to get through the checkpoints can be time consuming. Especially since, I always have a laptop and briefcase... And I'm always running late. I've gotten to know quite a few folks down there and every trip down the hall is measured in however many 'conversation stops' it takes. I guess this is a good thing - I mean it's better than being ignored...

There have been a few articles written about the issue of security passes in Annapolis - in the last year. Since the decisions about security issues are being made by several pay grades above mine, I'm not sure what my 2 cents is worth. Besides, in the post 9/11 world, safety is an overriding concern.

Richard B. Weldon, Jr. (R – Dist. 3B, Frederick & Washington Counties) had a thing or two to say about the security badges in his piece: General Assembly Journal 2006 - Part 1.

Recently, on January 1, 2006, David Nitkin, with the Baltimore Sun, wrote a piece on the issue called "Lobbyists get a pass on lines."

Unfortunately, the Baltimore Sun does not use permalinks, so the hyperlink will probably not work. The first several paragraphs of his piece are:

"A new security system in Annapolis means that visitors should expect longer lines outside the State House and other government buildings when the General Assembly session begins this month.

But most Annapolis lobbyists won't be waiting in them.

The professional State House lobbying corps, which boasts 14 members who earned more than $500,000 in 2004, has managed to preserve its rapid access to the historic capitol complex, overturning an earlier decision that would
have made them stand outside and pass through metal detectors like day
visitors.

The Maryland Department of General Services, which provides security at state buildings, had first determined that lobbyists should not receive the same entry privileges as the governor, the first lady, lawmakers, legislative services workers and members of the news media.

But some of the most powerful players in Annapolis, including former legislators who now work as lobbyists, refused to accept a decision handed
down in November.

"I went ballistic. A couple of other people went ballistic," said lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano. "We brought pressure to bear and turned it around."

A few weeks after the fall ruling, state officials changed the regulation and decided that registered lobbyists can bypass the police and security equipment at the entrance to government buildings. The privilege will go only to those who are registered with the Maryland State Ethics Commission, undergo a background check and pay a $50 fee for their badges.

Among those fighting to maintain rapid access was Barbara A. Hoffman, the former chairwoman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee who became a lobbyist after a 2002 election defeat."

Next trip to Annapolis is for Opening Day - The second Wednesday of every
January - January 11, 2006, this year.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster, Maryland, USA
E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org
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20051206 More on Jan Historical Civil Rights Tour

20051206 More on Jan Historical Civil Rights Tour
By Kevin Dayhoff, December 6, 2005 11 PM

This coming January, local Carroll Countians, Dr. Pam Zappardino and Dr.
Charles Collyer are headed south. Are they "snow-birds" looking for an
escape from the cold and the snow? No - but we certainly couldn't blame them
if they were. This writer finds that the older I get, the more I find myself
increasingly intolerant of the cold.

Actually, their annual pilgrimage to the south has a greater, more important
meaning than their personal comfort.

For the sixth January in a row, Drs. Pam and Charlie, as they are
affectionately known, are leading folks on an Historical Civil Rights Tour
called: "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around!: Retracing the American
Civil Rights Movement."

The Ira and Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education, a program
of Common Ground on the Hill, a nonprofit organization that brings different
people together through traditional arts and music at McDaniel College,
helps sponsor the tour.

The Zepp Center is named for two longtime Westminster teachers. Ira and
Mary Zepp have had a long association with McDaniel College and with the
promotion of justice by peaceful means The Zepp Center is directed and
staffed by Drs. Pam and Charlie.

Ira and Mary Zepp have also supported and advised Common Ground since its
founding over a decade ago. Walt Michael, the director of Common Ground and
a person who really "gets" nonviolence both personally and artistically, has
been a partner in creating the Zepp Center and introducing it to the
community.

This year's Christmas season; when we take time to celebrate family,
community and our religious foundations; there has been much attention to
the increased intolerance and sharp divides in which we currently find our
nation.

Good grief, this year the recent debate over whether or not we can say
"Merry Christmas," has reached a new level of unpleasantness. Memo to the
politically correct lexicon warriors - give us a break and take your petty
squabble somewhere else, why don't ya?

The purpose of celebrating the Christmas season is to take time out to share
and give thanks to that which makes our community and our country great.

Syndicated columnist Larry Elder recently wrote "rudeness plagues America."
He called to our attention a recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll that
revealed nearly 70 percent of Americans consider people "more rude" that 20
or 30 years ago. Americans are engaged in a "great sorting-out," causing
folks to stake out "well-defined, even intolerant, ideological camps."

Yes, I plead guilty to being an eternal "pollyanna," but I insist that all
problems in our great country and community could be solved by an outbreak
of something truly bold - be nice about it.

If you will recall, "Pollyanna" was a children's novel written in 1913 by
Eleanor H. Porter. As a result of this classic work, the term "pollyanna"
has become part of language to describe someone who is always cheerfully
optimistic. Wikipedia says that "pollyanna" has become a derogatory term for
a naïve person who always expects people to act decently, despite strong
evidence to the contrary.

I think that all behavior modification in our great nation starts at the
grass roots level. It starts with how we treat each other right here in our
own homes, in our own community. In a meeting a number of years ago, one of
my harshest critics, assessed my take on a particular challenge as a
"pollyanna" approach. He meant the criticism in the most mean-spirited
manner. It made me proud.

This is a great example of where folks like Drs. Pam and Charlie come into
play; helping us find meaningful solutions to the challenges we face through
the practice of nonviolence. Aided by taking classes with Dr. Ira Zepp and
Drs. Pam and Charlie, I was able to ignore him. Drs. Pam and Charlie stress
that practicing nonviolence often involves finding the hidden humor,
opportunities, and "silver linings" in the problems we face.

Their mentor (and mine) is Dr. Bernard LaFayette. He has visited
Westminster several times, and is remembered at McDaniel for his remark
that, as an approach to solving problems, violence is "cute, but not tough
enough," because it usually creates even more problems. I had the pleasure
of attending a class with Dr. Bernard LaFayette, a few years ago. Dr.
Bernard LaFayette worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King and along with
the likes of Dr. Ira G. Zepp, is a beloved figure among this generation of
nonviolence educators.

Most of the violence and hostility in the world does not occur in isolated
patches; it happens in cycles and chains of back and forth retaliation.
Whether from impulse or conscious choice, people use violence as a way to
respond to violence, and so it is not surprising that violence goes on and
on. Breaking these chains could prevent a lot of violence and human
suffering. But it is often not obvious how to bring in a creative
alternative to violence, and this is where nonviolence education can add
value. Learning to replace violence with truly successful ways of solving
our problems will help us to build a better world.

Which brings us back to the January History Civil Rights Tours that The Zepp
Center helps to sponsor each year. The tour takes folks to locations where
nonviolence was used to achieve gains for African Americans and to open up
the political process to wider participation in some of the darkest days of
our country's fight out of the intolerance of segregation.

The purpose of studying history is not to take us back to these dark days
but to bring the past to the present and capitalize on the positive lessons
learned - and apply them to our day-to-day problem solving.

The Ira and Mary Zepp Center for Nonviolence and Peace Education continues
the American tradition of nonviolent problem solving associated with Martin
Luther King, Jr. It provides workshops and resources to the community on
the skills, philosophy, and history of nonviolence, from the personal level
up to movements such as those of Gandhi and King. Opportunities such as the
January Civil rights tour teach us how the traditions of nonviolence have
developed over time and how they are relevant for folks today.

For more information about the January Civil rights tour or the
opportunities provided our community by the Zepp center, contact the Zepp
Center through the Common Ground office, 410-857-2771 or e-mail e-mail
Pamela Zappardino at paxwarthog@aol.com. Tell her Pollyanna Dayhoff sent
ya. And oh - Merry Christmas.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org
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20060301 Diary of a Desperate Dumpster Diver

Diary of a Desperate Dumpster Diver.

March 1, 2006 By Kevin Dayhoff (1072 words)

Warning: Because the following humor column is intended for human consumption, the Food and Drug Administration wanted it to be tested on animals.

However, the animal rights activists protested, forcing me to abandon testing and release the distressed critters. I released them in the lobby of the animal rights office. I figured those friendly folks could best take care of the mice and we all shared a common goal – that the mice be free.

Nevertheless, the long-term effects of reading this column remain uncertain. Please proceed at your own risk.

I enjoy folks, who in the past exhibited no interest in being human; who have contacted me recently, feigning a genuine interest in my well-being – and then casually ask: “Oh by the way, what are your future political plans?”

To which I would like to respond.

Thank you all, for your recent inquiries as to my well-being. I am touched.

How’s my day?

I’m having a great day.

Yes, I’m still overweight. Are you still mean and ill tempered? I can go on a diet and lose weight…”

Am I still unemployed?

Yes, I’m still writing for a living.

Of course, now that I am no longer in political office. I have no meaning in my life. I must be unemployed and homeless.

What am I doing with my days?

I’m so happy that you asked…

Today, for example, as I continue slouching towards dementia, I will investigate the haiku of dumpster diving consciousness and the real meaning of life. The Kabuki Morals Play of day-to-day existence in contemporary Maryland, when you are homeless and hungry, like most successful writers and artists.

I've reached the zenith of my existence. A 52 year old artist and writer; I consider being unemployed a badge of honor. I wear it proudly in humor, err, I mean honor, of artists and writers everywhere.

In a few minutes, I was about to go out and see what soup kitchen to visit. Put on my best clothes courtesy of the dumpster behind Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has been heaven-sent for those of us who are otherwise, road kill, on the highway to prosperity and plenty. Are you still trying to put it out of business?

I've developed dumpster diving into an art. Bet ya never knew that about me.

Ya know, the best table scraps are behind the pizza place… over at the shopping center, where I see you so frequently.

Yes, that one – the one you fought so aggressively commenting that it would be the end of civilization, as we know it.

Yes, it was a great farm, completely surrounded by new developments, the farmer went bankrupt. Shame isn’t it. The farmer reneged on a public trust and financial responsibility to maintain that property so the new residents could have a scenic view.

I understand the new development, on the land of that great farm, really supports your efforts to stop growth.

Oh - that neighborhood development that fought the shopping center now wants a sidewalk from their neighborhood to the shopping center. Didn’t you fight that sidewalk when it was proposed? I read recently where you are winning over the hearts and minds of the new folks by supporting the sidewalk and rebuilding the street in front of your house – with taxpayer dollars.

You use the word, “outrage” a lot. You should get help for that. Try eating more friendly vegetables. Go see “Brokeback Mountain” a fourth time.

Recently, I've been scouting a new place to live. I was living high on a hill, in the wooded area in the middle of the Rte 140 and Rte 27 interchange.

From there I monitored the comings and goings of so many folks like you… like so many busy ants, running here, then running there and then back again. It all seems so purposeful. So meaningful. The interchange of accomplishment. The crossroads to the future. And I observed it all, from my hilltop hide-away perch.

Anyway – I had to leave my Shangri-la, on top of the hill. One day, I gathered my meager belongings and traveled down river on a raft to a great place on the bank of the river on the other side of the old Westminster Power Plant.

It is a great place to continue my studies of the political-sociological development of benthic macroinvertebrates, phytoplankton, and echinoderms.

The real challenge to dumpster diving these days, is the thrill of breaking into locked dumpsters. I mean, isn’t it amusing that we have evolved so far as a sophisticated society, that some folks have elevated the art of supreme narcissism to the extent that they actually lock their trash away.

I guess I find the idea of sifting through office trash distasteful. The diving into the abyss of our oppressors is devoid of vision and creativity. It also involves an investment into personal protection gear.

Diving into a restaurant dumpster is not as hazardous to your health as diving into the dumpster of say, the liberal legislative offices in Annapolis. One might emerge, thinking thoughts of world domination or terminal narcissism.

My real goal in life is to dive in a dumpster some day and find a "Power Ranger."

The local college is the nirvana of dumpster diving. Just yesterday I traveled there and came away with a mother lode of great things that wasteful college students have tossed into the dumpster. I got an entertainment center shelf thingy-ma-jiggy. I'll put my TV, DVD, radio, and computer on it.

I do all my holiday shopping for my family up at the college.

When I was young, we used to go the county landfill on Kate Wagner Road. Oh, the good ole days. I once witnessed two pillars of the community fight over a cream and burgundy colored Victorian sofa.

Actually, the lure of dumpster diving is the thrill of the hunt. The quest for buried treasure and personal responsibility. The call of the wild in an increasingly civilized society that has taken the life-on-the-edge, life and death struggle out of our day-to-day experience.

Bet you didn't know that I could be quite so passionate about something. Did ya?

The coat you loaned me for last winter… I've dropped that in the mail. To save on postage, I cut the buttons off and put them in the pockets, in accordance with the latest law passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

Bye for now. Hope to talk with you again soon.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

NBH
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