McConnell’s actions led to possible court abortion decision
With the extraordinary leak of a draft showing the Supreme Court is preparing to strike down Roe v. Wade, Democrats finally have a compelling message. The Republicans, if they get the chance, will take the country backward — and not just on abortion rights, but on LBGTQ and same sex marriage and even interracial marriage.
How did we get here? When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September 2020, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wasted no time in pushing through President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace her, ignoring prior statements that a new president has the right to pick a replacement to the court.
For those of short memory, when President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, eight months prior to the next presidential election, McConnell refused to give him a hearing. In fact only hours after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death was announced, McConnell said that any appointment by the sitting president would be null and void. He said the next Supreme Court justice should be chosen by the next president. McConnell was not alone. The 11 Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter saying they had no intention of consenting to any nominee from Obama. No proceedings of any kind were held on Garland’s appointment.
Harvey Rabinowitz, Taneytown
News from last few weeks is surreal
The only word I can think of to describe the last few weeks in our beloved United States is “surreal.” Let me explain:
We watched the Secretary of Homeland Security state that the southern border is “under control” with regard to illegal entries. So we are not to believe what we see! And why then, according to the US Customs and Protection, are border apprehensions on track to exceed 2 million this year?
We have seen Harvard University set aside $100 million for slave reparations. The only question I have for these pillars of education is, " Can ANYONE of any race not find an ancestor in their own family who at one time was NOT a slave? You can’t! So maybe we ALL should sign up for a share.
Down the road there may be no such thing as women’s sports, given the fact that men are competing in and winning events, at least in swimming. That’s not my idea of women’s equality. Imagine LeBron James finally leaving the lowly Lakers and continuing his career with the L.A. Sparks “women’s” WNBA team. Shazaam!
I watched the newest member of the Supreme Court, while answering questions before the Judicial Committee, incredibly unable to come up with a definition of a woman. HUH?!
The administration, likely in response to Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, wants to create a “Disinformation Board” that will certainly tell the uninformed public what is and is not accurate and credible information, at least according to them. The woman who would be in charge is on record as believing that the bogus Russian collusion with Trump was true. She also believes that the Hunter Biden laptop story is a hoax!
Can anyone say George Orwell and “1984?” And what could possibly go wrong? Even more frightening is what the famed economist said in his book in 1984 titled, “Tyranny of the Status Quo,” in which he said “Nothing is so permanent as a government program.”
Finally, we now have a Supreme Court brief shockingly leaked by someone that apparently would overturn Roe v. Wade and send the issue back to the states for their individual consideration. So in reality abortion will not go away or be illegal. Despite that, we now have the left side of our political system going ballistic and upset that millions of babies just might “live.” Apoplectic might be an even more accurate response!
Beam me up Scottie!!!! At least until the Rapture!!!!
Dave Price, Sykesville
Commissioner candidate to focus on business, education
My name is Zach Hands, and I am a candidate for County Commissioner in Carroll County’s District 3 which includes most of Westminster. Since I announced my candidacy, I have had the privilege of meeting with residents, business owners and community leaders to learn more about the issues facing our county.
These interactions have confirmed what I believe is needed to move our county in the right direction. While we have made some progress, Carroll County has struggled in recent years to attract young families and thriving businesses. People in our communities are hard working, thoughtful and innovative. But our county leadership has often failed to lift them up.
As your county commissioner, my priorities will be to work with community and business leaders to create a more favorable environment for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. By working to bolster our current businesses and attract new investments, we will be keeping more dollars right here in Carroll County.
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education have also consistently failed to assure parents, students and educators that schools in Carroll County are academically excellent, safe and healthy places to send their children. Our investments must be designed to get kids back on track as we emerge from COVID-19. As commissioner, my budget priorities will be to pay educators the wages that they deserve and to give children the resources they need for long-term academic success.
The next group of county commissioners will set the tone for our county for years to come. I believe by investing in the growth of our businesses, the safety of our residents, and the education of our children, we can move our county in the right direction. We need experienced, balanced leadership that is focused on local issues, not on partisan politics aimed at dividing our community. I look forward to more conversations with the people of Carroll County and hope that you will consider me for County Commissioner on Election Day.
Zach Hands, Westminster