TC
Mickey, Go Home
Incredible! First comes the welcome news that the Disney Corporation had dropped its plans for a theme park near historic Manassas.
Hardly had this story jumped off the press when Gov. William Donald Schaefer and his economic guru Mark Wasserman rushed forward to allow as how Maryland would be an adequate replacement for the failed Virginia attempt.
Their views have to be both short-sighted and ill-conceived. Space needed for the park itself would, as noted, come to about five square miles. Most of this would undoubtedly be our already fast-diminishing farm land, which we can ill afford to lose.
Then the infrastructure required for access roads and other services would consume hundreds and hundreds of acres additionally and millions and millions of dollars.
One of the requirements for a theme park is that it be located near population centers.
As a result, the quality of life of nearby residents would be jeopardized, what with the spawning of nearby motels, restaurants and Dairy Queens, along with traffic problems.
Not by accident were Virginia residents living in the vicinity of the proposed park in the vanguard of those protesting the Disney plan.
Nor would the impact on the environment be inconsequential: air and water pollution as a result of automobile emissions and water run-off occasioned by vast areas of newly paved surfaces.
The Sun's editorial of Sept. 30 notwithstanding, Maryland is not the locale for a Disney theme park.
Abner Kaplan
Baltimore
Demons Within
Denton Watson's proposals (Opinion * Commentary, Oct. 4) regarding future roles for the NAACP are seriously misguided.
Contrary to what Mr. Watson suggests, the NAACP and other African-American groups need to stop blaming "the system" and start providing leadership to their community.
For example, Mr. Watson writes that the NAACP should work to overcome "the genocidal use of the criminal justice system against blacks, especially young black males."
Genocide? What planet is he on? Has he ever noticed the reality that for every young black male who dies at the hands of the criminal justice system, hundreds if not thousands die at the hands of other young black males?
Of course our criminal justice system should be fair; of course we should all fight to fix it where it needs fixing.
But the vast majority of people in prison -- including young black males -- are there because they did something totally unacceptable to society, such as theft or violence.
Our urban communities are in desperate need of moral leadership that vigorously attacks the demons within: people who produce babies they can't support emotionally or financially, and rampant violence often perpetrated by youths raised by youthful parents who can't parent well.
"The system" may be an easier and more comfortable target for Mr. Watson and the NAACP, but it is largely a distraction from the real problem.
If Mr. Watson wants to reduce the number of young black males who are entangled with the criminal justice system, or who are dying young and violently, he should concern himself first with the behavior of young black males, not with "the system."
#Susan M. Battle-McDonald
Baltimore
A Distorted Portrait of Essex Community College
In reference to the article "Essex College resists probe of firings" (Sept. 25) by Joe Nawrozki, I am concerned that it painted a distorted picture of Essex Community College.
Although Mr. Nawrozki spoke with President Donald J. Slowinski about the desire of the American Association of University Professors to visit our campus, his failure to contact me as chief ++ academic officer at the college, despite my phone call to the The Baltimore Sun several weeks ago offering to be interviewed, may account for his inaccurate presentation of some of the other issues. Let me set the record straight.
Professor Edwin Hirschmann, from Towson State University, if accurately quoted, should know better than to draw conclusions based on inaccurate and incomplete information.
We terminated the contracts of nine tenured faculty, not "10 or 12" as he suggests. None of them was replaced with part-time staff.
Affected faculty were given more than a full year's notice following a lengthy participative process resulting in decisions to discontinue several credit programs.
We provided out-placement services to all those in full-time continuing education positions at Essex Community College. They were hardly treated in a "cavalier and unprofessional manner," as Prof. Hirschmann concludes.
James McGrath was not demoted, as the article and his attorney assert. He was promoted.
As a faculty member, his former role as business and management chair was covered by an annually renewable administrative addendum to his faculty contract. In 1991, his administrative addendum was not renewed because of unsatisfactory performance as division chair.
He was, however, promoted to full professor based on an evaluation of his credentials, teaching performance and college service.
Dr. McGrath attempts to connect his removal from his administrative role with a claim that he advocated to me the hiring of a black instructor, clearly suggesting racially motivated action on my part. Such a characterization of me is inaccurate and unwarranted.
In fact, I replaced Dr. McGrath with an African-American. My decision to remove Dr. McGrath from his administrative role for unsatisfactory performance has been upheld by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Essex Community College is committed to equal opportunity and affirmative action in its hiring practices, and has an outstanding record of academic excellence and service to the community. We do not deserve the misrepresentations found in Mr. Nawrozki's article.
ndrew J. Snope
Essex
Blacks in Wax Museum is Open
Because of a Sept. 6 article in The Sun, ("Troubled by deficit, Great Blacks In Wax Museum fears for its future"), many people have the mistaken impression that the Great Blacks In Wax Museum is due to close any day now. In fact, some rumors have it that our doors are already padlocked and windows boarded up.
Such rumors, of course, are extremely bad for business. Here are the facts from the mouths of the co-founders and owners of the museum themselves.
Great Blacks In Wax Museum experienced a terrible winter that cut drastically into its revenues and produced a deficit, after paying $100,000 of its own money to build a magnificent slave ship exhibit (that everyone should see).
Nevertheless, the museum is in no danger of closing.
It does, however, need financial help from private foundations and individuals, not so much to stay open as to ease some of the burden that comes from being a museum that receives no regular city, state or federal funds.
More importantly, contributions are needed to help the museum expand and develop.
The message that we wish to convey is that the museum needs to expand. Great Blacks In Wax cannot remain a viable and relevant cultural institution if it does not grow.
The City of Baltimore has pledged to help the museum develop. Individuals can also help by supporting the museum's existing fund-raising programs. Take out a membership; buy a brick; rent the Alberta Cason Room for a special event; fund a wax figure; attend the masquerade ball in February; organize a tour.
For information, phone Liz Byrd at 563-3404, ext. 12.
Also, there are literally thousands of African-Americans and other citizens of Baltimore who have never visited the museum.
These individuals can help us greatly if they just come and see what the museum has to offer.
'Elmer and Joanne Martin
Baltimore