Web Notes Online

Sorry. We’re going to get a little political this week. But at least its local and not about governors of New York or presidential candidate's pastors.

The question on the homepage this week comes out of a recent discussion at the Caroline County Commissioners’ meeting. One commissioner proposed that the commission go on record supporting the candidacy of St. Sen. Andy Harris to fill the seat of Rep. Wayne Gilchrest in Congress. Harris had defeated Gilchrest in the Republican primary. He now will face Democrat Frank Kratovil in November.

The commissioner proposing the endorsement of Harris was Jeff Ghrist. He drew support from fellow Republican commissioner Roger Layton. This bandwagon was moving forward until Commission President John (Jack) Cole (also a Republican) expressed reservations.

We ran an editorial on the subject last week thanking Cole for his efforts. The thought then was that it would be improper for a governmental body to formally endorse a candidate. What the individual members did would be their own business. They do not need to make the county’s business a political statement.

Last week we also ran a short notice that the Dorchester Republican Central Committee formally backed Harris and Presidential candidate John McCain. Ryan, a visitor to the site commented “Is this news?”

In a way, Ryan was right. It would be news if the central committee did not endorse the Republican candidates. That is the function of the political committee.

As of this writing, the poll is supporting Cole’s contention that it would be inappropriate for the commission to endorse a candidate. The support is running nine to one for Cole.

I hope that Commissioner Ghrist can see more clearly the role of the county commissioners in the future. I remember during the election campaign when Mr. Ghrist was running for office. He visited my house twice within a half hour (I answered the door both times) not realizing he had been there before. He explained that he had been cutting through backyards and had gotten turned around.

We once had a cow run through our backyard. It scared our cats to no end. It was one of those scenes you don’t expect to see. I was standing at the kitchen sink staring out at the backyard when one of our cats came running through faster than I’ve ever seen him run. A second later a full-sized cow went loping through. I worry that politicians might needlessly scare them as well.

I hope Commissioner Ghrist can navigate the twists and turns of county government without getting lost in the backyard.

I may have to put up signs warning cows and politicians to keep their distance. I kind of think only the cows would listen.

But what are your thought? I’ve added the issue as a topic on the homepage. Share your two cents. They are certainly worth more than my one.

Privacy has also been in the news. We ran an editorial on the issue last Wednesday called “Big Brother’s big week. It seems the government is gathering more data on us than they previously had admitted. In a country where more street corners are covered by video cameras and speed cameras are becoming popular with local governments, the notion of privacy is becoming a thing of the past. We have had to give up much since 9/11. More than I would ever have imagined. I am afraid, that like Pandora’s box, once opened our government will be reluctant to close it again.

It is important that we make sure that only the right kinds of people get in power. The kinds of information that will be available to our leaders could easily corrupt. We already know how money corrupts. It has been the Achilles’ heel of many a politician. Vast quantities of information about everyone could make the wrong person even more powerful.

As always, you can reach me at rpolk(at)chespub.com.

I’ve tried to take the feature image on the home page of the stardem.com Website up to a new level. I’ve started animating the image so it rotates through several images/subjects instead of concentrating on just one.

I’m trying to display a variety of subjects and information in the feature image area. Some of the material promos stories or subjects found on the Website, while others give a taste of things to come. I mix hard news and feature pictures to represent the diversity on the site and in the print paper.

This is a work in progress. I will continue to refine it. You’ve probably already witnessed the evolution of the feature on the site. Between the time I compose this column and its appearance in print, I will have tried several ideas. I trust you will find these innovations useful and enhance your experience on the site.

I know that sounds like baloney. I do mean it.

I have received both positive and negative responses to this new feature. People like seeing the variety of material. Some wish they could pause the images so they could read the lengthy cutlines or at least have a slower flip rate so they could digest the information.

I will have tried several approaches by the time you read this. I could keep the cutlines briefer. My journalistic roots oppose this approach as I want to share as much information at possible. I could make the individual frame stay live longer. I could scroll the cutline material while leaving the image up.

I look forward to your observations. I am also open to other suggestions. Really.

In other computer news, the next meeting of the Mid-Shore Computer Users Group will be on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce building in the Easton Plaza Shopping Center. Dick Smith will provide an update on “Useful Downloadable Freebies.” As always, the public is invited, for information you can call 410-822-7207.

I revived the speed camera question on the stardem.com Website last week. Preston had announced it would purchase a speed monitoring camera for the town. This brought the subject back into the news. This would be a monitoring camera and not an enforcement camera. Town officials said it would record the speeds of vehicles and give the town police a guide as to what time of day speed enforcement measures would be most useful.

Some areas in the country have speed enforcement cameras. Signal light enforcement cameras are used in D.C. and some areas of Maryland already. I saw notices of such controls at several intersections in the Waldorf area of Charles County while visiting that county last week.

With the way people are ignoring speed laws, it is inevitable that enforcement cameras will proliferate. What do you think?

Apple and the iPhone were back in the news last week. The geek community was abuzz over the announcement that Apple will provide a software development kit (SDK) for software developers to come up with applications for the iPhone. One of the criticisms of the device is that it has few applications for business use. Apple wants the phone to penetrate the business market. Perhaps that way the company will fore fill its lofty sales goals.

Enough for now, as always you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.

Interesting poll results this week. Before I took it down opposition to speed cameras was running 57% to 43%. Interesting. I would have thought this was a safety issue. In the “What’s Your Opinion” segment, most of those opposed thought it was a privacy concern.

This week following Sen. Ed DeGrange’s (D-Anne Arundel) denunciation of State Comptroller Peter Franchot’s release of salaries for several state employees, I asked for your opinion on that. As of this writing 70% of you feel that Franchot was correct.

I may be mistaken, but aren’t all salaries of public officials a matter of public record? I guess you can see that my vote would fall with the 70% supporting Franchot.

I just wonder who Sen. DeGrange thinks he is supposed to protect, the state employees or the interests of the people of Maryland. Maybe because he represents Anne Arundel County, he leans toward state employees. There are probably a lot of them living in his district.

Do you remember the story we ran about the Dorchester Humane Society using YouTube to promote its pets for adoption?

We got a nice report from Sharon Keutmann who says: “FYI for the readers. Puggles ahs found a forever home in Pocomoke on a 50 plus acre farm. He’s interacting with relatives dogs and horses on the property.
“I’ve received photos and he looks so happy. His forever Mom in thrilled to have him and was showing him off to friends, family and co-workers.”

You can see Puggles’ departure from the humane society on YouTube. Search “Puggles the Shelter Dog on His Way,” said Sharon. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90mvUcVpS0w&feature=related to view the video.

She also encourages visitors to check out the other dogs available at the shelter. They need homes, too. You can find their videos by using key word phrase “shelter dog on his way.”

Check out Winston’s video http://youtube.com/watch?v=5TtVDQbU1x4 on YouTube.

I’ll make sure these links are hot in the Web version of this column.

Chandler Swallow passed away last week. I don’t normally mention people who pass in my column. Chandler was different. I met him years ago when I was charged with helping him to get his tide data files into our pagination system. It evolved to where he would provide the files on disc each week and I would enter it in. We would sit and chat while I made sure the files got entered properly.

Chandler was a retired Naval Captain as is my father. Chandler was about three years older than my dad and my status as a captain’s son helped forge a bond between us. I saw similarities in both men. Chandler was assured, soft-spoken, intelligent and full of integrity. Those are the same qualities I have always treasured in my dad.

Several years ago Chandler decided to retire from his tide data duties. The burden fell to me. After briefly finding a source online, I started gathering the material myself. I never appreciated Chandler more than when I launched into that task. I think fondly of him each month as I prepare the material.

I have two other uncles who made the navy their career. They, too, were officers, and remarkably have very similar qualities to Chandler and my dad. Because of them I have only the highest regard for the senior service. I’m sure Chandler would be proud of that.

As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.

I posted the poll question on speed cameras last week. When the results started pouring in, it became apparent that a slim but definite majority of those participating in the poll disliked the use of such cameras.
I decided to find out why. So the second "What's Your Opinion?" question was on the issue. The answers ran the gamut from they just don't work after people get used to them to they infringe upon personal liberties.
"We have enough cameras," writes Wayne. "We are photographed in malls, stores, banks, (even at the drive-in window) also "Red Light" cameras. There is not a day that goes by, that we aren't in a photo somewhere. Enough of this "1984 BIG BROTHER" is watching! Citizens are entitled to privacy!"
The punctuation is Wayne's.
Andy questions liability. "Care to loan your car to someone and receive a ticket for it? And who gets the ticket in a rental car?"
Adam observed: "Speed cameras do not work once their location becomes known. I also have problems with this becoming a revenue-generating tool as some lawmakers believe it will become."
All are valid concerns. But there were some comments favoring their use.
Thomas writes: "I initially was against speed cameras in the hamlets mentioned in the news because I saw no accidents or speeding in these areas when I have been going through.
"However, I am in favor of speed cameras on U.S. 50 from the yellow blinkers near MSP Barrack and through to Chapel Road. Westbound, they don't slow down until they are actually at a red light at Dover or Goldsborough. Eastbound, Easton is just a little town to get through quickly and never mind the speed limit as they approach Dutchman's Lane because it's 55 past the light."
Thomas adds, possibly in response to Adam's comment: "The town/county could share the speeding revenue and reduce our property taxes."
Adriana also chimed in: "Speed cameras yes. It would probably teach drivers a lesson about speeding."
I agree with the notion that what people do in private is their own responsibility and should not be monitored by the state. Driving is another matter. You are about as public as you can be when you are out on the road. Your conduct also has a direct bearing on your safety and the safety of those around you. Now, maybe your own safety isn't that important. There are those who feel they should be able to ride motorcycles without helmets. But when your conduct affects others, that cocoon of privacy privilege breaks down.
If speed cameras infringe upon your right to speed, you have no right. Tell me where in the Constitution that breaking the law is condoned? And, no, speeding isn't an act of free speech or civil disobedience. Speed on your own property. Government should try to enforce the law in the public space or else there is no law.
As a matter of full disclosure, I have received a couple of warnings for not slowing soon enough in several jurisdictions during my nearly 40 years of driving. In each case they would have been ideal spots for speed camera use. So the police officers could have put their efforts elsewhere. I concede that it is especially important that speeds be suppressed in residential areas.
In a world where you have to take off your shoes to get on a commercial airliner and states are being required to turn their driver's licenses into what amounts to a national identity card, complaining about speed cameras seems to be a minor concern.
The loss of privacy is rapidly becoming a dead issue. Wayne is right. We are photographed everywhere. It is a road we are already racing down. We need to monitor its progress. But we should make our stands where there is more at stake than a speeding ticket.
Your thoughts? As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.

We've started something new on the online version of the paper. We've always wanted your opinion, only now we're trying to make it easier for you to register it.
On the home page, at the top of the featured stories list, you will find a question or two on a topic of the day. The first topic involved the election results in the race between Harris and Gilchrest. We wanted to know why you felt Harris won the primary contest.
To further the effort, these questions were open and accessible to anyone visiting the site. You did not and will not need a subscription to participate in the process. This is open to all visitors to the site. All comments will be posted unless it is felt they are obviously in bad taste.
The question remained up for a week since it was a major issue involving the Mid-Shore. The voters don't just unseat a nine-term congressman for no reason or do they? You tell me.
A second question was posed last Monday as a column appeared by Carlton Spitzer on guns and the nation's obsession with the right to privately possess arms. As with any right, there is a price to pay. We accept that with free speech we must allow some speech that we might disagree with. With the right to possess weapons, should we accept that some "accidents" happen so the majority may feel secure with their guns?
You tell me.
I have my own opinions. Like everyone else, they are based on personal experience and the experience of members of my family.
Your high school graduation night is one that is supposed to be one of the happiest of your young life. It was almost my last. I drove myself to school and parked on a country road behind the football field. The place was so crowded I wasn't able to do more than wave at my family once the ceremony was over. I turned in my gown (only way to get my real diploma) and returned to my car.
As I fumbled with my keys, a shirtless boy wearing only blue jeans got out of the car in front of me. He was carrying a shotgun and he was sobbing. He was drunk. He was a junior at the school (I didn't know him and never learned his name) and he was despondent over the loss of his girlfriend. It seems that his girlfriend, as a senior, told him it was over and she was going to college.
He told me this story as he cradled the shotgun in his arms pointed in my direction. I stood still and talked to him quietly. There was no one else around. My attention was riveted on him and his gun. I didn't know if it was loaded. I had to treat the situation as if it was. I told the boy he needed to talk to the girl and maybe she would change her mind. I don't recall the details of the conversation. I couldn't later that night, and I can't now more than 30 years later. All I remember is that after a while, he got back in his car and left. I drove home to celebrate my high school graduation with my family. I didn't tell them of the incident until many years later.
Weapons and people in fragile emotional states should not mix. But how can we assume that? If he had accidentally pulled the trigger and blown me away, I guess someone else would have written this column.
I'm not ready to trade the last 30 some years of my life for the boy's right to have a shotgun.
Remember the recent story from the western shore where a 15-year-old boy killed his family? His father was a scout master. The father was my second cousin Jessie's scout master and the incident devastated the entire troop. Jessie's mother had been one of the family members at my graduation.
Often our opinions are shaped by hard experience. That night year's ago made the issue personal for me.
I invite you to share your thoughts.
Oh, and this week the poll question up on the home page involves speed cameras. Do you like the idea or dislike it?
I'd like to know. As always, you can reach me at rpolkchespub.com.
Postscript: I finished this column and turned it in Monday at noon. It was President's Day.
I drove to a local grocery store to get some supplies before going home.
When I pulled in to the parking space, there was a GMC truck facing me with the front passenger door ajar. A boy about 10 years old was sitting there peering toward the back of the truck. I paused, wondering what was going on.
From around the back of the truck a boy emerged with a shotgun cradled in his arms. It was obviously a toy with bright yellow barrels. But it was eerily reminiscent of what I had just written about only an hour before. Apparently, there is common way to hold a shotgun and both times I have witnessed a person carrying one around a car, it was in the same manner.
The two boys were entertaining themselves by playing a little urban warfare. They stocked each other firing soft dart-like bullets as they went.
I was fascinated by this little theater. One boy had a toy life-sized shotgun with side-by-side barrels while the other had an over-and-under version. It had blue barrels. The boys got out of the truck and they circled each other. One would fire, his soft dart arching over the hood striking his opponent. "Got you with that one," he said.
They soon got tired of the scene and moved off toward the store. I sat there for a minute and went in to do my shopping.
Most people had walked by apparently not paying the boys any notice. One elderly woman stopped and said something to them that I could not make out because I was in the car with my doors and windows shut.
As I walked to the store, I couldn't help but be struck by the irony of the incident.

I am so glad the primary election is over. The last Sunday I came home in the afternoon and found that we had six voice mail messages on our land line. I checked them and found that one was from me to Chris (my wife) and the other five were from candidates, their representatives or their mothers.
I resolved not to vote for any of them. I didn't.
I also take a dim view of candidates who cover lawns with their political signs. It is wasteful. I write them off.
I find the political bumper sticker crowd the most amusing. There you have your nice shinny car with your favorite political candidate flavor of the month and he/she is going to be stuck there for some time to come.
Hanging your allegiance on your bumper is like wearing it on your sleeve. It is out there for all to see. That might be great for a while. But I'm sure there is more than one political junkie out there who would like to take a razor blade to their bumper.
How do I link this to a column on the Web and technology? The other day I ran into a blog called the "Google Maps Mania Blog" which has on it a list of "100 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups."
One of the hundreds ways suggested to use Google Maps was to map 2008 presidential campaign contributions. The link takes you to the Political Base Web site. Address: www. politicalbase. com.
You can check on donations total for cities and down to communities where individual donations are noted on a Google Map.
I've established an area under the information area on the stardem.com Web site where I'll list interesting links. The 100 ways site and specifically the donation site are there now. If you find an interesting site, send it to me and I'll consider it for inclusion.
If you browse the paper on a regular basis, you'll find that we publish a weekly Bill Board story listing the interesting bills up for hearing in the coming week. I suggest you seek it out. You might find something that will directly affect you.
One leaped out at me last week as I posted it to the paper. The entry read as follows:
HB380: "Motor Vehicles-Use of Text Messaging Device While Driving-Prohibition" Prohibiting a person from using a text messaging device to write, send or read a text message while operating a motor vehicle. (Environmental Matters)
This is a well-intended effort to get people to do what should be obvious. There are complaints about people talking on cell phones while driving. It is considered a distraction when you dial or answer a phone. So hands-free and voice activated systems have been developed.
There are also complaints about the act of talking on a cell phone itself. That the very act of conducting a conversation is a distraction. I've written about instances when people have pulled out in front of me while they were chatting on a phone and obviously not paying attention to traffic.
Luckily these cases have only resulted in sharp braking and gnashing of teeth. A gesture is of no good since the perpetrator is oblivious to the danger they posed and often just keeps on blithely driving.
Others respond that talking on a phone is no more distracting than chatting with a passenger in the car. There is one difference. A car passenger should also be aware of the driver's traffic circumstances and hopefully would shut up if a hazard arose. The other party on a cell phone has no clue what is going on unless the driver says something.
Texting on a cell phone takes using the device to a whole new level. Unless your keypad is setup in Braille, you have got to look down at it to create even the most cryptic of messages. The same is true of deciphering a cryptic message sent to you.
Despite the obvious hazard involved, I'm sure there are few cell users who have not ever texted or read a text message while driving. I'm guilty. I personally feel that knowing there is a law against it will compel me not to attempt even the rare text effort. I know I should stop before composing a message. A law would help me make that decision.
I don't think I am alone in that assessment.
I return to the fact that it is well-intended legislation. I wonder how it could be enforced. Such activity is usually done below eye level (in the lap). How can somebody driving by realize what is going on?
Any thoughts?
As always, you can reach me at rpolkchespub.com.