Fix insurance system to help reunite families

Like Sam Cheek, I, too, had to relinquish custody of my daughter to the state in order to obtain residential mental health care treatment for her ("Relinquishing custody," editorial, Dec. 29).

The night I had to refuse to accept the discharge of my daughter back home, I drove home on the Beltway during rush hour traffic with tears streaming down my face, shaking from painful sobs over losing custody of my daughter and not knowing what would happen to her. Meanwhile, my daughter was feeling unwanted, unloved and depressed to the point of being suicidal.

Erica has bipolar disorder along with generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders. She has been in the custody of the Department of Social Services since March 1.

Even though our family income would qualify us to buy in to the state's medical assistance program, we cannot do so because we have private insurance.

I urge Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to follow through on his promise to abolish the need to relinquish custody to get treatment. And I urge him to open up access to Maryland Children's Health Insurance Program for families of disabled children who have private insurance but are within the income guidelines for these programs.

These families could then be reunited and still receive the in-patient and community-based services for their children that private insurance will not provide, and that they now must give up custody to obtain.

Relinquishing custody to obtain mental health services is a barbaric practice that needs to be stopped.

Diana Miller

Baltimore

Turning Waverly over to developers?

As a reward for bringing Giant Food to Waverly, the project's county-based developer, Vanguard Equities, will now benefit from grants of $700,000 and $550,000 from this impoverished city ("Board gives boost to Belvedere Square, Waverly projects," Dec. 19). These generous gifts are in addition to the massive rezoning of properties, tailored to this developer's plans, by which the city has already enriched the developer.

And contrary to what The Sun's article suggests, the site will not be limited to the vacant Super Fresh site at 32nd Street and Old York Road. The new site will stretch from Homestead Street to 33rd Street and from Old York Road to Frisby Street.

The store will not enhance the Waverly Business District, to which it will present only its enormous, block-long posterior. And the development will require the demolition of at least 20 houses and one apartment building.

This very poorly designed project is being carried out despite the forceful objections of the Better Waverly Community Organization.

And, in addition to the extravagant gifts of cash and rezoning, the developer has been given carte blanche to proceed without even the constraints of a Planned Unit Development (PUD).

It is my opinion that my neighborhood has been robbed of all zoning protection in order to enrich Vanguard Equities and Giant Foods.

The mayor has refused repeated requests to visit our neighborhood to hear our many concerns about this project.

Once again, Baltimoreans are being betrayed by the politicians and bureaucrats who should serve us as our own tax money is used to diminish our community.

Laura Malick

Baltimore

Job flight, violence are closely linked

In his column concerning the conditions in East Oliver, the neighborhood where the Dawsons died on Oct. 16, Stanford W. Carpenter quotes a resident who said: "When I ask them why they sell drugs, they tell me it's because they don't have jobs. They tell me they don't have transportation" ("A life of struggle, faith," Opinion*Commentary, Dec. 30)

Then I turned to the business section and noted an article that begins: "Spurred on by new technology and a shift in the way corporate America does business, employers will be moving about 3.3 million white-collar service jobs and $136 billion in wages overseas in the next 15 years as they seek lower costs, plus increased production and higher profits" ("Job you like may be going overseas soon," Dec. 30).

These 3.3 million jobs moving to other nations do not include the labor-intensive manufacturing jobs that will be leaving the United States or those that have left over the past 25 years.

Is there a relationship between urban jobs leaving the United States and the city's increase from approximately 55 homicides a year in 1955 - when Baltimore's population was about 1 million - to approximately 250 murders in 2002, when its population was about 650,000?

It seems to me that there is, and that Congress should give the subject of jobs leaving our country immediate attention.

Samuel A. Culotta

Baltimore

Dundalk exemplifies charitable spirit

The Sun recently carried an article about the family of Larry Redemann, a Bethlehem Steel Corp. retiree, that reflected the devastating impact of reductions of pensions on workers ("Beth pension jolt being felt by men and women of steel," Dec. 20). The article humanized the harsh realities of negative economic conditions by telling the story of a defenseless couple.

And above the article, The Sun ran a picture of Bethlehem Steel workers doing a "gate collection" of food and money to help the Maryland Food Bank's "Harvest for the Hungry" campaign.

The same workers who face a troubled future were out at 5 a.m. trying to help less-fortunate Marylanders. This interesting juxtaposition did not surprise us at the Food Bank at all, as the activity has been going on for years.

The harder hit that community, the more it strives to help others. And whether it is steelworkers from Local 2609, retired steelworkers, United Auto Workers members or operators of local businesses, Dundalk stands as a shining light at a time when many people are reducing their support of charities.

Why is Dundalk such a caring community?

It seems this working-class community has an intuitive sense of the desperation felt by people such as Mr. and Mrs. Redemann. And sharing is part of its culture.

William G. Ewing

Baltimore

The writer is executive director of the Maryland Food Bank.

Let new dealers sell cars in Baltimore

I find it curious that several area suburban car dealerships are suing Volkswagen of America over a VW dealership slated to open in Little Italy ("Car dealers fight manufacturers over turf," Dec. 25).

Many dealers can trace their roots to city-owned dealerships, but I know of only two new-car dealers left in city. This is even more surprising when you see neighborhoods near downtown, such as Charles Village, that are filled with new Volkswagens and Hondas.

It is upsetting that to visit most dealers we have to drive to the suburbs and support hideous, overgrown parking lots just to buy and service our cars. The county, where most of these dealerships are, does not share property taxes with the city, but city dwellers have little choice but to support suburban businesses.

I hope the judge dismisses the lawsuit and allows Volkswagens to be sold again in downtown Baltimore, where they are very popular.

Maybe a suburban tourist in town will even decide it is time to downsize from his or her SUV and conspicuous consumption of land, and return to the neighborly lifestyle of Baltimore rowhome living.

We can always dream.

Charles Baker

Baltimore

Festivals can bring tourists to the city

I read with great interest The Sun's articles "Tourism slump makes presence known at harbor" (Dec. 29) and "Wanted: a couple of good ad firms" (Jan. 2).

As the first article points out, Baltimore has a wealth of treasured venues for tourists and visitors. But the many cultural festivals that take place in or near the Inner Harbor need to be included in the city's comprehensive marketing strategy.

Baltimore has a rich and culturally diverse community. These independent cultural events are a testament to that fact. And they attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to Baltimore and millions of dollars in economic activity. Yet the vast majority of their visitors come to the event and promptly leave when it is over.

It isn't enough to look at each event separately. They must be viewed collectively as part of the attraction for cultural tourism.

And one need only look at other markets to learn how successfully these events can be included in a tourism strategy.

I know resources are scarce. But these events are produced at no cost to the city and including them in its marketing strategy would not cost more money than is budgeted today.

And if these events continue to be overlooked, Baltimore will continue to leave tourist revenues in the pockets of other cities. Worse yet, some of these events may cease operating (as indeed some already have) or find new locations that are willing to include them in their marketing strategy.

David W. Keelan

Baltimore

The writer is chairman of Baltimore's St. Patrick Parade.

New Antioch protest seeks accountability

I find it perplexing that The Sun reported the protest at New Antioch Baptist Church of Randallstown only after the church filed suit against James E. Roberts, the ex-member who spearheads the protest ("Voice in the street vs. voice in the pulpit," Dec. 26).

This protest has been going on since May, and has far-reaching implications not only for New Antioch but for other churches. And, when I read The Sun's Dec. 26 article, I was saddened to see Mr. Roberts portrayed as a nuisance and not as the man of courage and great personal integrity that many people know him to be.

Yes, he has founded a charitable organization - Mission Possible Ministries Inc. - but he has never stipulated that New Antioch has to contribute to it.

It takes great courage to stand up to your friends, and Mr. Roberts, the leadership of New Antioch and some of its more outgoing members had been friends for years. They fellowshipped at each other's homes and joined in evangelization efforts throughout some of the most desperate sections of Baltimore and beyond.

That kind of love does not die overnight. But the Robertses grew weary of trying to get a breakdown of where their contributions were going.

They are grieved by what they see this church doing. So they urge others to ask questions, to insist on financial accountability and to get away from the country club atmosphere they see the church taking on.

Carole Norris Greene

Baltimore

Protecting the Earth can boost economy

We read with some frequency these days that "the tables have turned," and that both state and national governments must now devote their energies to strengthening the economy rather than protecting the environment. Both President Bush and, more recently, Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. have given evidence that they subscribe to this view, which seems to presume citizens cannot have both economic vitality and environmental protection at the same time ("Ehrlich transition concerns activists," Dec. 15).

As a lifelong Republican, and one who often agrees with both Mr. Ehrlich and Mr. Bush, this kind of thinking saddens and concerns me. And I would remind our governor-elect that for years it was Republicans who championed environmental conservation. Theodore Roosevelt created our National Forests. Nelson Rockefeller was instrumental in New York state conservation. Richard Nixon, hardly a "green" president, created the Environmental Protection Agency.

And there is simply no evidence that we must give up our environmental ideals to preserve our economy. A 1999 EPA report, which carefully examined hundreds of examples, concluded that there is "no evidence that U.S. environmental regulation causes large-scale plant closures and job losses."

In fact, states that have the strongest environmental protections tend to be the most affluent. Oregon, for example, is chosen as a headquarters by many businesses precisely because of its concern for the environment.

Here in Maryland, Montgomery and Baltimore counties are widely known for the quality of their environmental and land-use policies.

In fact, Baltimore County has the most protective "agricultural zoning" on the East Coast; fully one-third of the county is zoned for one house per 50 acres. Developers find these counties tough, but fair, on developing rural land.

Yet these counties have among the largest and most active economies in Maryland. Both have active industrial and commercial sectors and support cultural institutions within and beyond their boundaries. Their economic activity rivals that of some states. And their land values are among the highest in the country.

My Baltimore County district is strongly Republican. Yet my constituents believe strongly in both economic progress and protection of the environment. And advocacy of environmental protection and sprawl prevention has been my strongest re-election issue.

I hope those who advise our new governor will remember that many Republicans are environmentalists, and that we need not sacrifice our quality of life to economic issues.

T. Bryan McIntire

Towson

The writer represents the Third District on the Baltimore County Council.

Nuclear weapons won't stop terror

The comparison between President Truman's use of the atomic bomb and President Bush's threat to use nuclear weapons in the letter "Bush is right to rattle the nuclear saber" (Dec. 22) fails to acknowledge the historical circumstances surrounding the use of the bomb.

We were at war with Japan when the bomb was dropped. And while accumulation of a nuclear arsenal was a deterrent during the Cold War under the mutual assured destruction doctrine, today's international relations are entirely different - we have gone from a bipolar system (the United States vs. the Soviet Union) to a unipolar system (with the United States as the sole great power).

And terrorism, unlike the war with Japan, cannot be fought simply with bombs and guns. It is an idea.

Terrorism knows no borders, and it has become even easier to spread this ideology because of the democratization of information and technology.

Indeed, threatening to use nuclear weapons might yield destructive results, as it further angers terrorist groups.

In the face of rising terrorism, we need to develop more constructive ways of dealing with national security and, more important, working for peace.

Trey Perkins

Timonium

Redesign launched a new Constellation

With benefit of 30 years of close study of U.S. naval history, I carefully read Geoffrey Footner's new book USS Constellation: From Frigate to Sloop of War, which was profiled in The Sun's article "Roiling the waters 'round Constellation" (Dec. 27).

Some of the book is good, some bad and some, like its treatment of the ship's career since 1855, disgracefully bad. Not well-written, the book goes off on tangents and has many questionable statements on naval officers and policy.

And in The Sun's article Mr. Footner says, "Is this the same ship as 1797? ... I say yes."

But the book indicates only that there are certain links between the frigate and sloop because some of the frigate's material was used to build the sloop, and gives legal reasons the sloop was not a new ship.

However, the design and rebuild process of 1853-1855 resulted in what amounts to a new ship of a different type. Perhaps not legally new, it was, in fact, certainly new.

But if Mr. Footner believes, as I think he does, that the Constellation is now properly preserved and displayed as a sloop and any attempt to display the ship again as a frigate would be inappropriate, I wish his book had plainly said that.

John D. Barnard

Timonium

Navy stopped building sailing ships in 1846

It is gratifying that my book, USS Constellation: From Frigate to Sloop of War, was deemed important enough to be addressed on The Sun's front page ("Roiling the waters 'round Constellation," Dec. 27).

However, one short paragraph in the article may cause readers to misconstrue one of my conclusions: "The Navy knew throughout the late 19th century that the ship then afloat was a sloop of war, built in 1854. It was one of the last all-sail warships built for the U.S. Navy, as subsequent vessels were powered at least partially by steam engines."

But naval records confirm that no new Navy sailing vessels were authorized by Congress and therefore designed and built after 1846, and that none was built in 1854.

Also, an examination of U.S. Navy records will reveal that Secretary of the Navy John P. Kennedy, a Baltimorean, petitioned Congress in his Annual Report for 1852 for funds to repair the Constellation.

Geoffrey M. Footner

Baltimore