We welcome your opinions and letters — with name and address. 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].

---

On Message on Max Ochs
Dear Bay Weekly:
Usually I assume that complimentary profiles are part hyperbole, but in the case of Max Ochs, Bay Weekly’s [Vol. XII, No 12: March 18] is all truth. Max is portrayed truly as he is, a peaceful loving man whose entire life is on message. He’d likely blush if you tell him he is an inspiration.

Congratulations both to Max and to writer Lucy Oppenheim.

—Annette Najjar, West River

Frying Big Chicken
Dear Bay Weekly:
“Big Chicken Gets the Flu” [Vol. XII, No. 13: March 25] was a great article. Kudos to the writer and the editor of this fine piece. What a dilemma the poultry industry poses to the world as we know it. There’s got to be a way to rein in the Bay pollution caused by the fertilizer.

My family used to fish the Chesapeake Bay waters each summer over the past 15 years. However last year and this year, we have given up because we fear ingesting the fish that we catch because of the disease they may have. We were on the Bay fishing the year of the Pfiesteria outbreak and were very disgusted by the thought of the disease. We feel for the fishermen and their futures — not to mention the lack of future for the fish, crabs and oysters.

The Bay has long lost the wonderful blues that we used to fish for in the 1980s, and crabs and oysters seem to be facing the same fate. How terribly sad for the Bay, the economy of the Western and Eastern shores and those who make their living on the Bay.

With all the money Mr. Chicken is making, instead of donating it to the politicians, he should invest it in high-tech ways to keep the residue from chicken crap out of the Bay. I hope Mr. Chicken can sleep at night knowing that the decisions he makes contribute to the pollution of one of the world’s most amazing natural resources.

— Connie Miller, Ebensburg, PA

Follow the Lorax Away from Deale Village Center
Dear Bay Weekly:
I remain speechless as I ponder the proposed residential retail center for the ‘sleepy waterfront village’ of Deale. The Annapolis developer and his local ‘partner,’ Steuart Chaney, will cover 22 acres of waterfront, graciously leaving 100 feet of waterfront access, with tens of thousands of square feet of buildings.

No thanks! If I wanted to live in Edgewater, Bay Ridge and all the other once-‘sleepy’ little areas now overrun with development, I would have moved there. I like Deale the way it is, and most of what my family needs can be bought in local stores owned by local merchants. If I need anything else, I can go to Dunkirk or to Edgewater.

This proposed project will change the community forever and will be the developers’ dream of what’s to come. Rumors are already flying about Chaney’s desire for sewer into his marina across Tracys Creek. If sewer goes there, the development will continue well beyond the marina basin. I encourage every resident and county official to read Dr. Suess’ book The Lorax to see where we are heading in Southern Anne Arundel County.

Has the county really addressed this development beyond the impact on the land and community? Have officials looked at the impact on Rockhold Creek and the critical areas? The tributaries and Herring Bay are seriously threatened ecologically and getting worse. Read The Lorax and then make up your mind.

—Mike Blackistone, Tracys Landing

More Basketball Metaphors
Dear Bay Weekly:
I would like you to consider using only the metaphor of basketball for all articles in your delightful publication. It certainly worked well with the recent piece on politics [“In the Sport of Elections, March Madness Starts Early,” Vol. XII, No. 9: Feb. 26]. Okay, perhaps a moderated version would be to use it just during the basketball season, leaving summer and fall for the lesser metaphors. I’m just heaving this up to see if it will swish or clank off the rim.

—Doug Kamholz, Springfield, Illinois

Congratulations on Triple Win
Dear Bay Weekly:
I was pleased to see your much-deserved recognition [“Bay Weekly Scores Triple Win,” Vol. XII, No. 12: March 18]. It reflects the quality and standards of you and your staff.

—Tim Laur, Edgewater