20080104 Wall Street: Journal Criminalizing the CIA

Wall Street: Journal Criminalizing the CIA

I could not agree more… “So here we go again, ringing up CIA agents who thought they were acting in good faith to keep the country safe… But why should any future agent take any risks to gather information, or pursue an enemy, if he thinks he is likely to have to answer to some future prosecutor for his every action?”

Criminalizing the CIA

January 4, 2008; Page A10

REVIEW & OUTLOOK by The Wall Street Journal

When news broke that the CIA had destroyed videotapes of a couple of early terrorist interrogations, Democrats in Congress demanded a criminal investigation. Now that Attorney General Michael Mukasey is obliging, they still aren't satisfied. So here we go again, ringing up CIA agents who thought they were acting in good faith to keep the country safe.

On Wednesday Mr. Mukasey assigned prosecutor John Durham, a 25-year Justice Department veteran, to investigate if CIA agents committed a crime when they destroyed the tapes in 2005 under orders from the then-head of the covert Directorate of Operations. But that isn't enough for John Conyers (D., Mich.), who wants a full-blown "special counsel" to wade into the CIA's covert-ops division and deliver a public excavation…

[…]

The interrogations also took place at a time -- starting in 2002 -- when some Members of Congress were regularly briefed on the CIA practices, including "waterboarding." Among those briefed were Jay Rockefeller IV and Nancy Pelosi, neither of whom saw fit to object to the methods. We are now in a different political place, and in a different election year, and these same Democrats want to join the left in accusing the Bush Administration of "torture" and a cover-up.

The Bush Administration is already on its way out, so the real damage here may be to our ability to gather future intelligence no matter who is President…

[…]

One of the stock criticisms of the CIA after 9/11 is that the agency played it too safe in pursuing al Qaeda. But why should any future agent take any risks to gather information, or pursue an enemy, if he thinks he is likely to have to answer to some future prosecutor for his every action?

As for the tapes, no doubt the agency now wishes they had never been made, much less destroyed. But the irony is that their destruction might well have saved the U.S. from the embarrassment of having them leaked to the world and turned into a propaganda victory for our enemies…

[…]

Yet instead, we are now unleashing prosecutors against agents who on the evidence so far were acting not to pursue some political agenda but to defend the nation against its most ruthless enemies. We hope Mr. Durham understands the difference, and that we don't cripple the very spooks we need to fight the war on terror.

Read the entire opinion here: Criminalizing the CIA

####

20080102 Recent Westminster Eagle columns

Recent Westminster Eagle columns

Kevin E. Dayhoff Thursday, January 03, 2007

Something we really must talk about

01/02/08 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

On Christmas Eve, while many friends and families were preparing to get together and celebrate the holidays, the friends, colleagues and loved ones of Smithsburg police officer Christopher Nicholson, 25, gathered to bury him.

On Dec. 19, Officer Nicholson and the stranger he tried to help, Alison ... [Read full story]

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Christmas comes early for families, and for some secret (trooper) Santas

12/27/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

On Sunday, Dec. 16, members of the Maryland Troopers Association Lodge 20 were joined at the Westminster Fire Hall by members of the State Police Explorers Post 56, Cub Scout Pack 150 and Carroll County Chapter K of Gold Wing Road Riders to make sure that families on their "most wanted list" had a n... [Read full story]

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Reaching out to the troops is a mission with 'evergreen' appeal

12/19/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

Early this month, on Dec. 1, more than 300 volunteers gathered at the Carroll County Ag Center for Operation Christmas Tree to pack 5,000 live decorated Christmas trees for the troops in Iraq.

I had only been in the 40'-by-60' tent (supplied by Kay-Lyns Party Rental), for minutes when one voluntee... [Read full story]

---

Greeting the Ghosts of Christmas TV past

12/12/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

Christmas, as much as any holiday, is a time for childhood memories.

For many baby-boomers, television has always served as an early warning system that the holiday is rapidly advancing. Whether it is the plethora of consumer-oriented commercials or Christmas holiday specials, most everyone's chil...[Read full story]

---

Singing with one voice for a worthy cause

11/28/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff Email this story to a friend

On Nov. 17, members of our community packed St. John Catholic Church to hear the talented and beautiful voices of artists who came together and donated their time for our community -- and for a worthy cause.

Musical groups including the McDaniel College Madigal Singers, Old Line Statesmen Barber Shop Chorus (under the direction of Jeff Liebknecht), the Children's Chorus of Carroll County, New Life for Girls Choir, Masterworks Chorale, Westminster Trombone Choir and the Coram Deo performed a benefit concert for Carroll County Domestic Violence Safe House.

Connie Sgarlata, director of the Office of Family and Children's Services, said both the audience and the performers were moved by "the solidarity that the music and words created in our effort to address domestic violence."

Sgarlata's comments were echoed by McDaniel College professor of music Dr. Margie Boudreaux and Diane Jones, the Children's Chorus of Carroll County artistic director. Both noted that the music was wonderful -- the message was clear. [Read full story]

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

20080102 Recent Westminster Eagle columns

20080102 Recent Westminster Eagle columns

20080102 Fragmentary patchworks

Fragmentary patchworks of autochthonous and foreign elements.

January 2^nd, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff

Happy New Year Mr. Isaac Smith. Thanks for the mention - The List (No, Not the Washington Post's). [Free State Politics Maryland's online progressive community.]

Michael Swartz's list of local blogs to watch in 2008 is pretty good. It is missing a few good blogs of note, however…

As much as I agreed with most, but not all, of Mr. Swartz’s list, your list is right on the money. I also miss Stephanie Dray’s Jousting for Justice. And I am very happy that Crablaw's Maryland Weekly is back…

And thanks for calling to our attention the Washington Post’s list: Year in Review 2007 - “The List: What's In and Out for 2008” BY HANK STUEVER - WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITER - – what a hoot. (And don’t miss giving The Year That Was 2007 by Brian Griffiths a good read. He obviously spent some time thinking about it…)

Your post could not have been timed better as it came shortly after a conversation with a dear colleague who said they like my blog – although I’m too liberal.

Ay caramba - whatever.

Along that thread, another colleague said “Dayhoff … your problem is that you like everybody.”

To that I plead guilty – life is way to short. Then again, maybe not – I don’t like mean people; and that personality defect occurs in folks from all political persuasions.

I simply do not allow politics to dictate my friends - - and I don’t like folks who do pick their friends based on politics. (I’ll be having lunch later in the week with a dear friend with whom I disagree about everything when it comes to politics.) I can disagree with folks about issues, but more often than not – I like the person…

As far as your observation: “… his actual blog hard to read -- its look is extremely busy and most of the posts are just link aggregations…” Hey, you oughta be in my head…

At least with the blog, there is an attempt at organization… I also find my blog “hard to read” and try as I might, after blogging for a number of years, it is still way too busy.

Perhaps my blog is a manifestation of being a hypergraphic attention deficit disorder hyperactive dyslexic. Maybe – just maybe, one day I’ll figure out what I’m doing. Being a technology geek – one would’ve thought blogging would be easy for me. It is not.

At this point, on the blog evolutionary scale, my blog is a monkey on roller skates. The monkey may or may not be wearing a pink tutu - this is for you to decide.

Years ago, I thought blogging would be easy for a columnist and short story writer. It has not been the case. And within the last number of months, I picked up a third (newspaper) column every week; which just proves the “Peter Principle” is real. I’m now way beyond my intellectual and cognitive abilities.

Heckfire – some days, I’m proud to have even found the time, much less the cognitive abilities - to post “link aggregations.”

Meanwhile, I am painstakingly determined to promote constant attention on current procedures of transacting business focusing emphasis on innovative ways to better, if not supercede, the expectations of quality. What I really need in order to navigate the treacherous waters that lie ahead is a list of specific unknown problems I will encounter.

Always remember, the purpose of my blog is to discuss fragmentary patchworks of autochthonous and foreign elements as juxtaposed by the undeniable command mortality of insignificant self-inflicted syntactic semiotic economics which sometimes may cause irreproducible results unless there is a pre-emptive digital fallibility matrix which would require an integrated third-generational triangulated refinement of indefinite managerial potential.

As I wax philosophic with metaphysical postulations, incomplete aphorisms and inconsistent sophism that allows me to conclude, more and more sure, that the only true thing about anything is nothing.

Now I know you believe you understand what you think I just said but I am sure that you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

As always, your thoughtful consideration is appreciated regardless of the outcome on any particular issue. Whether we agree or disagree, always find my door open for friendly civil and constructive dialogue.

Pray for my wife.

Best wishes for a great 2008.

20080102 Fragmentary patchworks

20080102 Fragmentary patchworks

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

Spiro Agnew the patron saint of Alaska

Spiro Agnew the patron saint of Alaska

December 31, 2008 © by Kevin Dayhoff

On Christmas morning I was treated to a white Christmas when I awakened in Anchorage Alaska. As a matter of fact, it was a white Christmas week as it snowed everyday the entire time I was there.

I stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel which is incidentally the same hotel where one of Alaska’s heroes, our own thirty-ninth Vice President of the United States, and the 55th governor of Maryland, Spiro Agnew, stayed on an impromptu stopover in 1981.

Yes, you read that correctly, according to Anchorage Daily News columnist, Mike Dunham, who wrote a tribute to Mr. Agnew on the anniversary of his birthday in 1996; Mr. Agnew is considered to be “arguably the most important man in Alaska history after William Seward.” More on that in a minute…

As readers are aware I am not a fan of the cold or snow, but there I was looking out upon a beautiful city situated on a glacier silt plain in southeastern Alaska, picturesquely framed by the Chugach Mountain range and Cook Inlet.

The temperature averaged in the teens for the entire stay – and yes, the sun only shines for about four hours a day this time of the year in Anchorage. Even then, sunlight is only distinguishable as a brighter - lighter shade of gray.

Nevertheless, I had a wonderful visiting a city I had only read about before in the context of oil exploration and politics, Native American struggles and public policy, Russian - Alaskan history, the globalization of American economic structure, and anomalies of municipal government.

For government geeks who study municipal governance, Anchorage is fascinating. Above and beyond the fact that there is no sales tax or income tax in Anchorage or Alaska for that matter, is the sheer geographic size of the municipality. The city limits of Anchorage encompasses 1,955 sq. miles or about the size of the state of Delaware. For a comparison, Carroll County is 452 square miles – and Westminster is about 6 square miles.

On December 28, I had a nice opportunity to talk with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich; a young and energetic rising star who will in the future make a name for himself on the national stage. For now I’ll leave that for a future column. Yes, he is the son of former Congressman Nick Begich. Congressman Nick Begich and Representative Hale Boggs of Louisiana were the focus of a national tragedy on September 16, 1972. Who remembers the terrible circumstances?

Getting back to Spiro Agnew, according Mr. Dunham, Mr. Agnew he did not happen to visit Anchorage “on purpose. In 1981, he and 180 other passengers on a commercial jet to Korea were detained in Anchorage after an engine conked out. Spotted at the Hotel Captain Cook, Agnew shied from questions — ‘I’m not in politics anymore. I just don’t have time to fool with this anymore’ — lit his Marlboro and puffed quietly into history.”

It is that “history” that is so fascinating to congressional historians. Except as a peculiar footnote, history is befuddled as to what to do with the legacy of Mr. Agnew. For the most part, historians essentially ignore him. In what is otherwise the sordid and conflicted saga of an American politician from Maryland, then-Vice-President Agnew irrevocably changed the future of Alaska just months before he resigned as the United States vice-president on October 10th, 1973.

To refresh your memory, the thirty-ninth Vice President of the United States, and the 55th governor of Maryland, Spiro Theodore Agnew, passed away on September 17th, 1996. He was born on November 9, 1918 Spiro Anagnostopoulos, the son of Greek immigrants, and grew up in Baltimore.

While serving his country in World War II, he earned the Bronze Star in France. Upon returning home he began practicing law in 1949 and entered politics in 1957, eventually being elected Baltimore County Executive in 1962.

In an extraordinary twist of fate, Mr. Agnew, a Republican, really burst on the scene in 1966 as a courtesy of the Democratic Party. Who can remember the circumstances?

On November 8, 1966, the day before his 48th birthday, Mr. Agnew, defeated his Democratic-Dixiecrat opponent, by a margin of 81,775 votes in a three-way race. Who can name his Dixiecrat opponent or the third prominent politician in the 1966 Maryland gubernatorial election?

Presidential candidate Richard Nixon picked the nationally unknown Maryland governor as his running mate two years later. Most all Marylanders were proud when then-Governor Agnew was elected Vice-President of the United States in 1968.

In the fall of 1973, as the Watergate scandal mounted, the prospect of Vice-President Agnew succeeding President Nixon became a matter of profound concern to political elites. An investigation into the Baltimore County payoffs provided a suitable pretext as he eventually became the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office in Maryland for financial irregularities while he held state office. Rather than face trial, Agnew resigned and entered a plea of no contest to charges of evading income tax.

Years earlier, Mr. Agnew made a campaign stop in Anchorage in 1968, according to Mr. Dunham. It was the first of his three visits to Alaska. The second visit occurred during the re-election campaign of 1972 – in addition to his last visit, mentioned earlier, in 1981.

In 1968, a few months before Mr. Agnew’s first visit, oil had been discovered on the North – Arctic Slope north of the Brooks Mountain Range. The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) was proposed in 1969, but it was greeted met with tremendous opposition from environmentalists.

By July 17, 1973, the Trans-Alaska Authorization Act which cleared the way for the 800-mile pipeline had passed the House of Representatives, but was deadlocked in the Senate – 49 to 49.

Vice-President Agnew, in his constitutional capacity as President of the Senate, cast the tie-breaking vote, “for” the pipeline.

Mr. Agnew was many different things to many folks, however, today, few Marylanders are aware of him, except that he was once a Maryland governor and a United States vice-president.

In Alaska, the former governor of Maryland is known to keen historians as the reason there is no sales tax or income tax in the 49th state. Additionally, he is one of the reasons why the Anchorage of today, poised as the gateway to northern North America and the vast economics of the Pacific Rim, is a modern and exciting city. It is far different from the boom-to-bust, “small, dirty, hardscrabble place,” as described by Mr. Dunham, “with more bars than churches when Agnew flew in on a campaign swing in 1968.”

I did find a statue of Captain James Cook who sailed into the area in 1778, but on my visit, I found no statue for Spiro Agnew. Nevertheless, to paraphrase Mr. Dunham, he may have picked pockets in Maryland, but he made Alaskans rich.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org
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20071231 Spiro Agnew The Patron Saint of Alaska

20061026 Blogospheric recognition from GWU's IPDI

Blogospheric recognition from George Washington’s IPDIBlogospheric recognition from George Washington University’s “Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet”

» WHO'S BLOGGING THE 2006 MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA ELECTIONS?

October 26th, 2006

THANKS! IPDI!

For fullpost click here.

20071228 Recent Westminster Eagle columns

Recent Westminster Eagle columns

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Friday, December 28

Christmas comes early for families, and for some secret (trooper) Santas

On Sunday, Dec. 16, members of the Maryland Troopers Association Lodge 20 were joined at the Westminster Fire Hall by members of the State Police Explorers Post 56, Cub Scout Pack 150 and Carroll County Chapter K of Gold Wing Road Riders to make sure that families on their "most wanted list" had a n... [Read full story]

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Reaching out to the troops is a mission with 'evergreen' appeal

Early this month, on Dec. 1, more than 300 volunteers gathered at the Carroll County Ag Center for Operation Christmas Tree to pack 5,000 live decorated Christmas trees for the troops in Iraq.

I had only been in the 40'-by-60' tent (supplied by Kay-Lyns Party Rental), for minutes when one voluntee... Congressman Roscoe Bartlett… [Read full story]

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Greeting the Ghosts of Christmas TV past

Christmas, as much as any holiday, is a time for childhood memories.

For many baby-boomers, television has always served as an early warning system that the holiday is rapidly advancing. Whether it is the plethora of consumer-oriented commercials or Christmas holiday specials, most everyone's chil... [Read full story]

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Singing with one voice for a worthy cause

On Nov. 17, members of our community packed St. John Catholic Church to hear the talented and beautiful voices of artists who came together and donated their time for our community -- and for a worthy cause.

Musical groups including the McDaniel College Madigal Singers, Old Line Statesmen Barber S... “With One Voice”… Programs sponsors included organizations such as the GFWC Women’s Club of Westminster, and businesses such as Skyline Network Engineering, Lehigh Cement, PNC and New Windsor State Bank, Stu’s Music, the Law and Mediation Center, Opera House Printing Company, Steven Silberman, the law firm of Cromwell and Unglesbee and Douglas Deming of Zero Balancing and Message Therapy. They all came out in force to make a difference in our community.

… Connie Sgarlata, director of the Carroll County Office of Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland echoed the remarks of many, including McDaniel College professor of music Dr. Margie Boudreaux and Diane Jones, the Children’s Chorus of Carroll County artistic director… [Read full story]

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20071228 Recent Eldersburg Eagle columns by Kevin Dayhoff

Recent Eldersburg Eagle columns by Kevin Dayhoff

December 28th, 2007

Wednesday, December 19 2007 Reaching out to troops is an effort that's evergreen By Kevin E. Dayhoff Operation Christmas Tree...

Wednesday, October 10 2007 We can honor firefighting heritage by preventing disaster By Kevin E. Dayhoff Sykesville Fire Department...

Wednesday, August 22 2007 Song of the South: No grits, no glory By Kevin E. Dayhoff

**** And from the archives…

11/07/05 - Real scoop on ice cream leads to peace, prosperity and kids George Washington and Thomas Jefferson also served ice cream.

The real breakthrough in ice cream came around 1832, when a former White House chef, African- American Augustus Jackson "invented ...

09/06/06 - Just say no to reality TV mentality in Carroll County election 2006-09-06 00:00:00 Kevin E. Dayhoff Just say no to reality TV mentality in Carroll County election By Kevin E. Dayhoff

Now that Labor Day has passed; perhaps Carroll Countians are finally focu...

12/20/06 - Donations, wishes for critically-injured trooper 2006-12-20 00:00:00 Local News Donations, wishes for critically-injured trooper By Katie V. Jones and Kevin Dayhoff On Sunday, members of the Maryland Troopers Association Lodge No. Workman...

12/14/06 - Donations accepted for injured trooper's family 2006-12-14 00:00:00 News Donations accepted for injured trooper's family By Kevin Dayhoff Donations are being accepted to help the family of the Maryland State Trooper critically injured this week...

12/15/06 - WEB UPDATE: Train derails along Patapsco on Howard and Carroll line 2006-12-15 00:00:00 News WEB UPDATE: Train derails along Patapsco on Howard and Carroll line by Kevin Dayhoff and staff reports At about 3:15 a.m. on Friday, Carroll County, Howard County, Marylan...

11/30/05 - Burnett- Students today perform on global stage 2005-11-30 00:00:00 Local News Burnett- Students today perform on global stage By Kevin Dayhoff
Special to The Eagle

Several hundred people attended the fourth annual Carroll County NAACP Fr...

11/23/05 - Burnett: Students today compete on global stage 2005-11-23 00:00:00 Local News Burnett: Students today compete on global stage By Kevin Dayhoff, Special to The Eagle Several hundred people attended the fourth annual Carroll County NAACP Freedom...

01/10/07 - Campbell, 91, shaped public safety in Carroll 2007-01-10 00:00:00 Obituaries Campbell, 91, shaped public safety in Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff

In November 1962, a Western Maryland College graduate and former Washington Redskins football playe...

Ag Center market marks 35th anniversary

News Briefs 06/21/06

This Saturday, June 24, marks the 35th anniversary of the Carroll County Farmer's Summer Market at the Carroll County Agriculture Center.

History recalls Deep Throat, but will it pardon Mark Felt?

06/08/05

So Mark Felt, once the second highest-ranking FBI officer in America, has decided to come clean after 32 years.

In a Vanity Fair magazine article, he wore his best pair of flip-flops and now admits that he was, after all the denials for over three decades, "Deep Throat." (Remember his remarks in 1974: "It was not I and it is not I.")

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20071226 A Tribute to former Carroll County Delegate Richard C. Matthews

A Tribute to former Carroll County Delegate Richard C. Matthews

December 26^th, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff

Recently, the death of former Carroll County Delegate Richard C. Matthews caused me to pause in thought about the many county leaders that have gone before us - and how they dealt with challenges. Delegate Matthews passed away on Dec. 13, 2007, at the age of 81.

Carroll County has been fortunate to have many native sons and daughters who made a great difference and contribution to our community, Maryland and our great nation.

As 2007 draws to a close and we all look forward (or not) to the opportunities and challenges of 2008, the lull between Christmas and New Years Day is often the time of some retrospection and assessment.

Anecdotally, this theme of reflection on the past year and thoughts of the future year has been shared with me by several community leaders in a number of conversations.

Of course, for an historian, there are always examples of past periods of time when the community had overwhelming problems in which the current challenges pale in comparison. Nevertheless that information provides us with little solace today.

In November, over the Veterans Day weekend, I attended a conference on “The Presidency and the Supreme Court.” Conversations with other historians about past eras in American history certainly put today’s challenges in a certain perspective. Be relieved as I will spare you a column on constitutional and economic challenges “The Revenue Act of 1862.”

Off the top of my head, in Carroll County issues like the adequate and safe supply of water, attracting local employment, police protection, and solid waste management come quickly to mind. Let’s also not overlook that because rural local government had its revenue cut as a result of the Special Session of the Maryland General Assembly in November – the question remains as to how we are going to pay for these services and infrastructure.

In 2008 we can all look forward to some solutions to the many pressing challenges in our community. Perhaps you have a list of your own that you may want to share. If so, drop me an e-mail.

On July 30, when the acclaimed enigmatic Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, 89, passed away, I wrote that he drew much of his inspiration by attempting to figure out the various, often-conflicting dynamics of a small college town. His movies often made me think of Westminster.

Mr. Bergman, like so many community leaders – present or long-since passed away- spent a lifetime engaged in mortal combat with the big questions of mortality, morality, faith, community, existence, family, despair, and betrayal.

The Carroll County of my childhood was a complex interesting paradox of rugged individualists who moved the ball forward and made our community successful by way of their social and business relationships.

Like making sausage, our quality of life was furthered by the relationships of folks combining their efforts so that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts, but it was often foreboding, disenchanting, and bewildering to watch it happen.

Delegate Matthews represented Carroll County in Annapolis from 1967 to 1994 and for many of those years was the chairman of the Carroll County legislative delegation. It was during the period of his service to our community that history is sure to reflect there were enormous changes in Carroll County.

His sure and steady, unassuming yet confident leadership served Carroll County well. Yet, in a series of anecdotal conversations with younger readers and new folks to Carroll County, it appears that many are not aware of Delegate Matthews.

He graduated from Hampstead High School in 1943. In Annapolis he was champion of small business and in that role, he was a charter member of the Maryland Legislative Small Business Forum.

He knew the challenges of running a small business in Maryland - most certainly as a result of the fact that from 1946 until he passed away, he owned and operated Matthews Service Station and Matthews Tire Co. Many folks recall that he was also the owner and operator of Hampstead Auto Parts from 1957 until 1985.

Many years ago, I did some business with him and in later years, at social occasions and community events, we would laugh about the fact that he defeated my cousin, Wilbur Magin, in the 1967 election. Delegate Magin served Carroll County from 1959 until 1967.

I will always remember him as thoughtful and friendly; qualities that former Delegate Joe Getty echoed in a recent conversation. Former Delegate Getty said that Delegate Matthews was a family friend. He noted that Delegate Matthews was a “very modest, yet a strong advocate for small businesses and Carroll County… But he was a humble person and did not become self-important.”

Delegate Getty continued:

“Dick maintained a self-defined role in the Maryland House of Delegates in his representation of a rural agricultural community and representing the small mom and pop businesses.

Of course, he ran a small business himself. He kept rooted in his advocacy of small business and in that role, he found the right committee – the House Judiciary Committee.

He had no aspirations of higher office. He was confident and self-assured in the role that he played. In 1989, when Carroll County Senator Ray Beck was appointed to be a Circuit Court judge by Governor Wm. Donald Schaeffer.

In those days, I was on the Republican Central Committee. If you will recall, when there is a vacancy, it is the local county Central Committee that recommends to the governor who should fill the seat.

Don Taylor and I were asked to interview Delegate Matthews. We called him up and he told us to meet with him over at his Mom and Dad’s house.

There, in his Mom and Dad’s living room, the subject was broached that Dick was the logical person to move up to the Senate seat. He had no interest. He responded that he was very happy where he was.”

As to why Delegate Matthews was so influential and helped shape the Carroll County we know today, Mr. Getty reminded me that during Delegate Matthews’ “long tenure as an elected official, he served with – or worked with folks, whose span of leadership goes from the 1950s to the present.”

Including folks like Maryland State Senator Charles H. Smelser and former 6^th District Congressman Goodloe E. Byron when he was a Maryland State Senator. He also served with Maryland State Delegate – and later a Senator, Raymond E. Beck and Senator Larry Haines; Delegates Richard N. Dixon, Lanny Harchenhorn and Jake Yingling.

Former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich thought highly of Delegate Matthews and considered him a good friend. They served 8 years together served on the house judiciary committee. Every time Governor Ehrlich visited anywhere near Hampstead, he would make sure to stop by (Delegate Matthews) tire store.

Delegate Matthews’ sure and steady, unassuming yet confident leadership served Carroll County well and he will be missed.

####

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed

20071220 Westminster Eagle columns from Nov 28 through Dec 19

Westminster Eagle columns from Nov 28 through Dec 19

Kevin E. Dayhoff Thursday, December 20

Reaching out to the troops is a mission with 'evergreen' appeal

12/19/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

Early this month, on Dec. 1, more than 300 volunteers gathered at the Carroll County Ag Center for Operation Christmas Tree to pack 5,000 live decorated Christmas trees for the troops in Iraq.

I had only been in the 40'-by-60' tent (supplied by Kay-Lyns Party Rental), for minutes when one voluntee...
[Read full story]

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Greeting the Ghosts of Christmas TV past

12/12/07 by Kevin E. Dayhoff

Christmas, as much as any holiday, is a time for childhood memories.

For many baby-boomers, television has always served as an early warning system that the holiday is rapidly advancing. Whether it is the plethora of consumer-oriented commercials or Christmas holiday specials, most everyone's chil... [Read full story]

---

Singing with one voice for a worthy cause

11/28/07 by Kevin E. Dayhoff

On Nov. 17, members of our community packed St. John Catholic Church to hear the talented and beautiful voices of artists who came together and donated their time for our community -- and for a worthy cause.

Musical groups including the McDaniel College Madigal Singers, Old Line Statesmen Barber S... [Read full story]

20070913 Light Bulb Efficiency Standards

20070913 Light Bulb Efficiency Standards

Senate Energy Committee hearing Wednesday - - S2017

http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Jane+Harman+Light+Bulb+Efficiency+Standards&gwp=13

http://green.yahoo.com/18seconds/

http://www.house.gov/harman/press/archive.shtml

#### 12/17/2007 ####

_____

Update: March 28, 2008

Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs - misc.health.alternative | Google Groups
The bill increases efficiency standards and effectively bans traditional bulbs
by 2014, a timetable considered a victory by supporters like Rep. Jane Harman ...
groups.google.com/group/misc.health.alternative/ browse_thread/thread/d215ea606dcae214/7735aedd9a26bd32

The Virtual Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman - News - HARMAN ...
Jane Harman (D-Venice) and Fred Upton (R-MI) to ban by 2020 the sale of any light
bulb that is not three times more efficient than today’s incandescent ...
www.house.gov/list/press/ca36_harman/June_27.shtml

Energy bill boosts fuel-economy standards - Los Angeles Times
Dec 19, 2007 ... Harman's provision would require that by 2020 light bulbs be at least three ...
to set stricter energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs. ...
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/ la-na-energy19dec19,0,1969731.story?coll=la-home-center

EarthNews » Archive » Light-bulb bill a likely winner if ...
Sep 13, 2007 ... Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich. ... If Congress passes light-bulb
efficiency legislation, it would join a host of other ...
www.earthportal.org/news/?p=469

Hill Heat : S.2017, to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation ...
‘Tough’ Standards. Representative Jane Harman, a chief sponsor of the House ...
inefficient incandescent light bulbs toward higher-efficiency standards. ...
www.hillheat.com/events/2007/09/12/ s-2017-to-amend-the-energy-policy-and-conservation-act-to-prov...

Bill to Ban Regular Light Bulbs Introduced in House -- 03/21/2007
Mar 21, 2007 ... Jane Harman (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would set target ... ban light
bulbs that do not comply with energy-efficiency targets. ...
www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/ Nation/archive/200703/NAT20070321a.html

News Archive - The Virtual Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman
The Virtual Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman. return to the home page ...
PROVISION TO INCREASE LIGHT BULB EFFICIENCY PASSES HOUSE Harman-authored ...
www.house.gov/harman/press/archive.shtml

Jane Harman - SHARP Network
HARMAN, Jane F., a Representative from California; born in New York, N.Y., June 28,
... By 2020, the bill requires that light bulbs be at least 3 times more ...
sharp.sefora.org/people/house/jane-harman/

Kah Zoohl List: Light Bulbs and Liberty
Congresswoman Jane Harman is one of the few Democratic politicians whom I ...
YOUR LIBERTY to set minimum efficiency standards for light bulbs and ban the ...
kazoolist.blogspot.com/2007/03/ light-bulbs-and-liberty.html

Bush signs bill to increase fuel efficiency - Los Angeles Times
Dec 20, 2007 ... click to enlarge. We ban by 2012 the famously inefficient 100-watt incandescent
bulb. — Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) ...
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/ la-na-energy20dec20,1,3516223.story

For more information: Jane Harman Light Bulb Efficiency Standards

20071213 Cleaning off the computer Reading Notes

Cleaning off the computer Reading Notes
December 13, 2007

Investigating the holiday's most tabooed treat by Jordan Bartel

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2007/11/29/features/encore/columns/jordan_bartel/bartel865.txt

By Jordan Bartel, Times Staff Writer Thursday, November 29, 2007

I've never had fruitcake and lately I was wondering why.

It's been almost ingrained in my mind that I shouldn't try fruitcake or like fruitcake. It's like some kind of holiday taboo treat. You have to keep it on the downlow if you like it and it's popular to make fun of it.

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BBC: Led Zeppelin return to the stage

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7135200.stm

Tuesday, 11 December 2007

Led Zeppelin have played their first concert in 19 years, before nearly 20,000 fans at London's 02 arena.

Their set, lasting about two hours, opened with Good Times Bad Times, the first track of their debut album.

Original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.

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Led Zeppelin to confirm reunion 12 Sep 07 Entertainment

Zeppelin fans warned off 'touts' 03 Sep 07 Entertainment

Zeppelin star tops festival bill 19 Aug 07 Mid Wales

Led Zeppelin make UK Hall of Fame 12 Sep 06 Entertainment

Award for 'pioneers' Led Zeppelin 23 May 06 Entertainment

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BBC: The legend of Led Zeppelin

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6989929.stm

Wednesday, 12 September 2007

Led Zeppelin, who reformed for a one-off concert at London's O2 arena, were one of the most influential bands of the 20th Century.

Many say Led Zeppelin invented heavy metal, and their sound wafted out of thousands of guitar shops worldwide during the 1970s.

Budding guitarists world try out their skills on Stairway to Heaven - but that is only the tip of the Led Zeppelin story.

Many critics loathed them, but for a generation of fans, their complex sounds and love of mythology gave them an aura which remains undimmed today.

Led Zeppelin split in 1980 and reunions have been rare. But the huge scramble for tickets for their London gig shows they still have a large fanbase. Just what lies behind the Led Zeppelin legend?

IN THE BEGINNING...

Led Zeppelin formed from the ashes of 1960s band The Yardbirds, the one-time home of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Guitarist Jimmy Page joined the group for their final album and stayed with the band as it disintegrated in 1968.

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CIA director to testify about destroyed tapes

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN09337668

Sun Dec 9, 2007 6:25pm EST

Senators at odds on special probe of CIA tapes

Democrats’ fury grows over destroyed tapes

CIA says it made and destroyed interrogation tapes

CIA erred and had tapes in September 11 conspirator case

White House ordered to keep backup copies of e-mail

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - CIA Director Michael Hayden will testify before Congress on Tuesday amid Democratic fury over the spy agency's destruction of videotapes that showed terrorism suspects being interrogated using harsh techniques.

####

C.I.A. Chief Admits Failure to Inform Congress

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/washington/12cnd-intel.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=login

By MARK MAZZETTI

Published: December 12, 2007

WASHINGTON — Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, acknowledged Wednesday that the C.I.A. had failed to keep members of Congress fully informed of the facts that the agency had videotaped the interrogations of Al Qaeda detainees and destroyed the tapes three years later.

####

To burn or not to burn by Carrie Ann Knauer

County commissioners to hold panel on waste recommendations By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer Monday, December 10, 2007

Carroll County’s Board of Commissioners has yet to debate among themselves whether they want to go forward with a waste-to-energy incinerator, but they may be watching a debate on the positives and negatives of the technology Thursday.

The commissioners heard two proposals with differing visions of how the county should tackle trash in November, and have been waiting for more information before deciding which plan to go forward with, said Cindy Parr, county director of administrative services.

On Thursday, members of the EAC will be at the commissioners’ meeting to represent their position, and Public Works staff, and representatives from the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority and Maryland Environmental Services will explain their perspectives.

The plan is to have an interactive discussion, Parr said, where the commissioners can ask their unanswered questions and hear facts and opinions from both sides.

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20071128 Westminster Eagle columns September 19 through November 28 2007

Westminster Eagle columns September 19 through November 28 2007

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Posted Tuesday, December 11

Singing with one voice for a worthy cause

11/28/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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On Nov. 17, members of our community packed St. John Catholic Church to hear the talented and beautiful voices of artists who came together and donated their time for our community -- and for a worthy cause.

Musical groups including the McDaniel College Madigal Singers, Old Line Statesmen Barber Shop Chorus (under the direction of Jeff Liebknecht), the Children's Chorus of Carroll County, New Life for Girls Choir, Masterworks Chorale, Westminster Trombone Choir and the Coram Deo performed a benefit concert for Carroll County Domestic Violence Safe House.

Connie Sgarlata, director of the Office of Family and Children's Services, said both the audience and the performers were moved by "the solidarity that the music and words created in our effort to address domestic violence."

Sgarlata's comments were echoed by McDaniel College professor of music Dr. Margie Boudreaux and Diane Jones, the Children's Chorus of Carroll County artistic director. Both noted that the music was wonderful -- the message was clear.

[Read full story]

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Visiting the CIA for an Iron Chef Thanksgiving

11/20/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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Happy Thanksgiving. We have so much for which to be thankful, and of course friends, family -- and food -- come to mind.

Over the recent Veterans Day weekend, Miss Caroline and I ventured to Hyde Park, N.Y., for a two-day conference on "The Presidency and the Supreme Court."

The conference took place at The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and examined the relationship between past presidents and the Supreme Court, the political process of Supreme Court nominations and the court's influence on social issues, civil rights and governmental power in times of war and crisis.

The conference was fascinating. We had the opportunity to meet and chat with a number of published historians and presidential and Supreme Court scholars.

We also met folks like former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, former White House counsels John W. Dean, C. Boyden Gray and Beth Nolan, former U.S. Senator from Maryland Paul Sarbanes and National Public Radio Senior Correspondent Juan Williams.

Legal Affairs Correspondent for National Public Radio Nina Totenberg was the moderator for the event.

However, I must say the highlight of the weekend was catching up with Rudy Speckamp

[Read full story]

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One more helping of grits, with a Dr. Pepper and a side of fruitcake

11/15/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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Most people who know me know that I like to eat.

And regular readers of this column know that one of my favorite foods is grits.

After the Aug. 1 column in The Eagle, "Song of the South: No grits, no glory," I heard from many folks who also like grits.

Mike Shaw of Shaw Farms wrote that he "j...

[Read full story]

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Jerry Barnes: county state's attorney and veteran

11/07/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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As Veterans Day fast approaches -- it's this Sunday, Nov. 11 -- it's appropriate to remember that service to our country is a cherished tradition in Carroll County.

And so it was that in May 1968, Jerry F. Barnes joined the U.S. Army.

Today, we know Mr. Barnes as Carroll County State's Attorney.

But it was back then that the Westminster High School graduate, class of 1966, received his draft notice.

According to a biographical sketch written by Carmen Amedori, Mr. Barnes joined draftees from Carroll County "on a school bus at the (Westminster) Post Office downtown," and headed for Fort Holabird in Baltimore -- and then promptly to Fort Bragg, N.C.

Mr. Barnes noted that fellow Carroll countians Mark Main, Eddie Sensabaugh and Sam Greenholtz were at Fort Bragg at the same time.

Mr. Barnes eschewed being drafted for two years and, instead, enlisted for three years. At first he wanted to be a helicopter pilot, but after a series of events he signed up for Special Forces -- the Green Berets.

Barnes' Vietnam experience is one of a number of profiles by Ms. Amedori appearing in a new publication from the Historical Society of Carroll County, "Tours of Duty: Carroll County and the Vietnam War," by Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal. (The book will be released this Sunday at a book signing, 1 to 3 p.m. at the Historical Society, 210 E. Main St., Westminster.)

[Read full story]

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Billy Bob threw something off the Route 140 bridge

10/31/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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It was 40 years ago, the late summer of 1967 that we first learned from "Mama" that the nice young preacher, Brother Taylor "said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge. And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

I first heard that song, "Ode to Billy Joe," by Bobbie Gentry that summer on WCAO on the AM dial of the car radio.

It was also in this time period that I became firmly hooked on the existential "Southern Gothic" genre of storytelling. (To refresh your memory, the song can be found on the Web at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc.)

Other examples of authors of the Southern gothic genre of writing include William Faulkner, Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty, Truman Capote and Harper Lee.

Tennessee Williams once described the genre as stories that reflect "an intuition of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience."

Who can forget: It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day. And mama hollered at the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet."

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More Headlines

OK, so who was Herb Ruby?

09/26/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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That's the question we posed last week when we talked about the placement of the Ruby Field sign at Westminster High's football field.

Let's begin this way -- when was the last time you attended a Friday night local high school football game?

We all know that local sports teams are one of the strongest glues that bind our community together. For hot dogs, pizza, entertainment and getting together outside in the fresh air with your family, friends and neighbors, there is hardly anything better than Friday night high school football games.

Well, we have Coach Ruby to thank for our Friday night high school football traditions in Carroll County.

Yep, it all started in 1947 when he became the first high school football coach in Carroll County.

After Coach Ruby graduated from Bridgewater College in 1941, he actually played semi-professional baseball for the Staunton Presidents of the Virginia Baseball League.

Read the entire story here: OK, so who was Herb Ruby?

Resetting a local gem to mark Ruby Field

09/19/07 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

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I had the pleasure of attending the "rededication" of the Ruby Field sign under the scoreboard at the Westminster High School football field right before the Westminster v. Francis Scott Key football game on Friday evening, Sept. 7.

A gathering of friends and family of the late Coach Herb Ruby was in attendance.

In the tradition of Coach Ruby himself, it appears the sign rededication was the result of folks working together as a team to benefit the community as a whole.

It got downright humorous as everyone gave the credit for the effort to someone else. This, too, is fitting as a tribute to the late Coach Ruby -- he was known for putting athletes, the team and the community above himself. He abhorred having attention drawn to him individually.

The little ceremony wasn't a splashy affair. It was essentially a small group of folks gathered to pay their respects. A few stories were traded back and forth -- in somewhat hushed tones. A photo was taken and everyone quickly went about their business.

Coach Ruby would have approved.

Over the roar of opening night, the pre-game excitement from the large crowd, football players warming-up and cheerleaders and the band practicing, my conversation with Carroll County Superintendent Dr. Chuck Ecker and Jim Head (my high school football coach, by the way) turned to the history of Ruby Field.

When "new" Westminster High School opened in fall 1971, the sign did not accompany the move from the school's former football field on Longwell Avenue, the "old" Westminster High grounds where the school operated from 1936 to 1971.

Read the entire story here: Resetting a local gem to mark Ruby Field

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And please report dead links…

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com, Winchester Report and The Sunday Carroll Eagle – in the Sunday Carroll County section of the Baltimore Sun. Get Westminster Eagle RSS Feed