Letters to the Editor
Did We Drop the Ball?
Dear Bay Weekly:
In the recent editorial on Hurricane Isabel, your readers got to experience the hurdles faced for publishing during a devastating storm [Isabel’s Mighty Punch: Vol. XI, No 39, Sept. 25]. The story of how “We were there covering the storm, no power, cramped in a tiny office…” smacks of self-involvement and reflects the worst elements of media coverage. News Announcer: “Channel Blank was there, covering every inch of the storm, bringing you up-to-minute reports, we are just the best thing …”
And regarding your news coverage, I’d ask you to show some integrity and tune into your community, and not just the high-profile wealthy residents and businesses. That is your mission if I’m not mistaken. Tell us how the devastation of North Beach’s boardwalk has affected the entire region, as we lost a precious public space, as all available waterfront space left is being gobbled up by hotels and mansions. I could care less that the Mayor Gerald Donovan’s precious hotel site was not ruined by the storm. What I do care about is how badly the boardwalk was damaged, and how neighbors reached out to each other in such a difficult time. I looked to the Bay Weekly as the local voice, and in this case to go past the hype of Isabel’s news coverage, and in my judgment, you guys dropped the ball.
— Dave Reiss, Owings
You Have No Right to Vote for President
Dear Bay Weekly:
David Broder’s widely syndicated column of September 18 would be amusing but for the seriousness of the issue addressed.
There he states “A handful of scholars are trying to stir a debate on whether Americans should have the right to elect their president. … Alexander Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy … reminds us that during the controversial aftermath to the 2000 election, that presumed right was seriously questioned.”
Broder goes on to say “But Keyssar’s view, which I share, is that contemporary Americans would react with disbelief and anger to the ‘extraordinary … assertion that American citizens have no right to vote for president.’”
Not so. The half of the voters that cast ballots for Gore would be angry. The half that voted for Bush would be delighted that their candidate who lost the popular vote is president.
Surely Misters Broder and Keyssar know that we have had four “losers” inaugurated as our president: in 1824, 1876, 1888 and (you guessed it) 2000.
Justice Scalia had it right when he told the Gore lawyers when Bush v. Gore was argued: “In fact, there is no right of suffrage under Article 11.”
As a co-sponsor of the amendment to eliminate the Electoral College that was passed in the House and filibustered to death in the Senate in 1969, let me say that we do not need some wild-haired amendment that does not cure the problem. And let’s not assume that the college cannot be repealed.
Our nations’ last depression was in the 1930s. As a result of what this loser president has done to our country with the economy and the war, we are being led into the next great depression, a persuasive argument for making President Bush the final loser to sit in the White House, with the repeal of the Electoral College.
— Bill Burlison, Odenton
We welcome your letters and opinions. We will edit when necessary. Include your name, address and phone number for verification. Mail them to Bay Weekly, P.O. Box 358, Deale, MD 20751 • E-mail them to us at [email protected].
