Point of View

Out and About (Sort of): Single-Issue Consequences by Howard Freedlander

June 28, 2022 by Howard Freedlander Leave a Comment

As much as I admire Dan Watson and the increasingly large group of Talbot County residents who want to thwart the pro-development thrust of the current county council by electing individuals who want to preserve a pristine part of Maryland, I question the focus on one issue, to the exclusion of other important matters facing the county.

Please excuse my 54-word lead sentence.

More concisely, the candidates endorsed by the Talbot Integrity Project (TIP) do have other priorities that need to be evaluated along with their views of land use. I counsel caution; Single-issue criteria tend to distort a more holistic perspective.

I do understand that our country is replete with interest groups advocating a particular policy stance and supporting candidates sympathetic to their perspective. These groups, however, seem less rigid in demanding absolute fealty and more aware of political opinions that might diminish the favored candidate’s credibility and effectiveness. In other words, fellow acolytes may carry viewpoints injurious to an interest group’s objective. The message then becomes muddled; voters are distracted, if not disenchanted.

TIP undertook a process unknown previously in the county, excepting the anti-tax campaign many years ago that successfully enacted the tax cap on the property tax. The result, while applauded by many in Talbot County, has impeded the delivery of necessary public services. I digress.

Do I agree that the current county council, excluding Pete Lesher, is oblivious to the comprehensive plan? Do I agree that the decision to proceed with Lakeside in Trappe is foolhardy and hurtful to the Choptank River and a sense of proportion in Talbot County.

Please record two unequivocal yeses for me.

But I am concerned that some of these candidates, and one in particular, might also advocate for changes in public school curriculums,or other divisive social positions that would bury the county in a constant whirl of controversy. County council members should focus on the budget, not on what’s taught, what’s not.

I am aware that I am deliberately avoiding calling out that particular Republican candidate, already the subject of criticism in readers’ comments.

Why my reluctance to mention this person’s name? I believe he is entitled to his opinions. They are diametrically opposed to mine. I prefer to forsake personal attacks. He and I have disagreed agreeably in the past. He is highly intelligent. He articulates his positions clearly and convincingly (to some).

Admittedly, I do not feel equally restrained in my criticism of current county council members. After all, they are public figures. Their actions warrant review and criticism, if necessary.

Voters must view the total picture of a candidate and his/her views on a slew of policy issues. To do otherwise is irresponsible.

Those elected based upon one overriding issue often are rigid and doctrinaire. They consider compromise anathema. They impede the political process. Teamwork is a foreign concept. This is true on both sides of the aisle. And collaboration is increasingly rare in our currently divisive public arena.

The public spotlight on the Talbot County Council has never been so intense. That’s beneficial. Democracy is working. Increasingly more people are engaged. The community is stronger. County members are feeling the discomfort imposed by public accountability.

TIP, organized by Watson, a citizen extraordinaire, exemplifies democracy at its best. Talbot County citizens are participating in the election process in a transparent manner. They are not accepting the status quo. They are seeking change in a respectable and responsible way.

Beware, however, of single-issue selection criteria. Understand that issues, such as the Lakeside development, do require singular focus and opposition. Also, as we all know, national battleground policies like abortion and gun control justifiably call for laser-like, if not fierce discussion, in Washington, DC and state capitals.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.

The Evening of America by Jamie Kirkpatrick

June 28, 2022 by Jamie Kirkpatrick 5 Comments

Once—not all that long ago—we were a great nation: confident, aspirational, perhaps even blessed. A shining city, set upon a hill. But now it seems to me the sun is setting on America. We’re torn and tired, sad and angry, divided, lost, maybe even defeated. Is our day done or is there still a little daylight remaining? We’ll know soon enough.

We did this to ourselves. Six years ago, we elected a flawed man of questionable character who remade the Supreme Court with ideologues of his ilk, three newly minted justices who lack the experience, temperament, and intellectual gravitas to make thoughtful, centrist judicial decisions. In so doing, Mr. Trump and his GOP minions made the Supreme Court, at least in Constitutional theory, the only non-partisan branch of our government, into a vengeful political weapon. Equal justice under law? Not anymore. The decisions of this court only seek to further an extreme political agenda that runs against the grain of a majority of Americans who believe that guns should be regulated, that a woman has the right to choose, and that love is love.

There is no true north anymore; our collective moral compass spins wildly. We are polarized, paralyzed. We separate into tribes and reorganize in the wings, farther and farther from any common ground. Just over a hundred years ago, William Butler Yeats predicted all this in his poem “The Second Coming,” written coincidentally in the aftermath of another global pandemic:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

When I was younger, I was a patently cheerful optimist. But now that I’m older, I see things differently. It took several centuries for the Roman Empire to decline and eventually fall, leaving the Western World in darkness. Barbarian threats from without, political instability and corruption from within, a failing economy, and the rise of other empires slowly eroded the power and sway of Rome, eventually causing it to collapse. More recently and much closer to home, there was a time when the sun never set on the British Empire, but within only a century or two, that empire also shrunk and disappeared, writing one more painful chapter in history’s long textbook.

These days, events move more swiftly; the slope is much steeper. The evening of America—if that is indeed what this moment is—might only last a few short years. I would like to think there’s still time to right our ship, but it sure feels like the tide is running fast and the wind is blowing hard. I’m worried.

But over on the horizon, there is still that small glimmer of light. Maybe there’s still time to get this right. We have to ask ourselves if we have the will, the resolve, and the patience to maintain our place in this world. We like to think of ourselves as a great experiment in the power of democracy, an ideal for others to emulate, but I’m sorry to say we’re looking less and less like that shining city set upon a hill. Yeats was right: things are falling apart.

I sound like Eeyore: “things could be worse, but I’m not sure how.” I’ll do my best to rekindle my faith in America. Will you do the same? Maybe it isn’t the evening of America, only the darkness before the dawn.

I’ll be right back.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a writer and photographer who lives in Chestertown. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. Two collections of his essays (“Musing Right Along” and “I’ll Be Right Back”) are available on Amazon.

Letter to Editor: Supreme Court Decision on Roe v. Wade Reprehensible

June 27, 2022 by Letter to Editor 2 Comments

From Appomattox to June 24, 2022, despite its obvious flaws, the United States has stood for equality.

Although the nation has never been perfect — far from it! — the national ethos has been to move forward. Better lives for all. Equal opportunity. Equality before the law.

Now that six Supreme Court justices have decided women are no longer equal in America, state by state by state, women will be treated differently.

What’s OK in Maryland is not OK in Texas. Women no longer share the full range of constitutional freedoms. They are — again — relegated to second-class citizenship in a nation that once championed equality for all.

The great post-Civil War 14th Amendment no longer applies to women.

In a word, reprehensible.

Grenville B. Whitman
Rock Hall

Letter to Editor: What the Court Didn’t Get about Privacy with Roe v. Wade

June 26, 2022 by Letter to Editor 1 Comment

Undergirding the recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade is the contention that the original basis for the ruling- the right of privacy- was a weak basis for the original decision because of its absence from the Constitution. Justice Alito and his fellow conservatives argue that because the Constitution does not reference privacy that it therefore does not exist as a right.

I am neither an attorney nor a constitutional scholar but it would appear from a layman’s perspective that privacy was such an inherent right that permeated several elements of the Constitution that it needed no specific mention. Second amendment court rulings as well as arguments advanced from its advocates are premised on a person’s need to protect their privacy in their own homes. Forbidding the government from requiring the housing of troops in their homes is a privacy matter. Not having to testify against oneself is a privacy matter. Not having to reveal one’s voting choices is a privacy matter. Privacy is the very essence of freedom of conscience an often overlooked aspect of the freedom of religion clause.

The absence of an explicit reference to the word privacy does not mean it wasn’t an intended right. The Constitution acknowledges that there are other rights not enumerated. Much of the initial resistance by James Madison and others to including a bill of rights was the concern that anything not specified would be construed as not a right. I would ask Justice Alito where are the words corporation, women, financial contributions to political campaigns, etc. to be found in the Constitution? The document was expected to protect individuals, even women who at the time were second class citizens, from governmental intrusion into their private world.

The prevailing majority on the Court wants the Constitution to be a flexible instrument when it comes to a conservative political agenda but rejects arguments that the founders sought an evolving governing structure that accommodated an unknowable future. Most were prescient enough to understand that the United States could not protect its citizens within the limitations of their 18th century world.

Vincent De Sanctis
Talbot County

OK, What’s with the Gas Prices? By Tom Timberman

June 25, 2022 by Tom Timberman Leave a Comment

There is absolutely no question that all of us shudder these days, when we fill up the tank. The per gallon cost seems to increase hourly or at least several times per day. When other problems arise in our daily lives, from the garbage disposal to the weed wacker, we know whom to call. But, when 20 bucks today fills less than a half tank of my Prius, while a year ago, it topped it up, who can fix it?.

The answer is no one organization and definitely not one person. The solution requires different people from different countries with different, sometimes clashing, interests, to agree. Think of the US Congress’ near legislative dysfunction in 2022 and you’ll understand the dimensions of the challenge to lower American gas prices. And it’s not just in the US, they are up around the world. Well, in Kent County, on June 17, 2022, they dropped by 10 cents.

But, it’s not just gas, I’m reminded, It’s inflation and that’s government’s responsibility. That’s true, but it’s the responsibility of many governments, not just America’s. Prices for everything are rising, they say.. Well, not everything, but for a lot of important items from milk and fruit to lumber, to used cars, prices are up over 8% from last year.. And then higher gas prices raise transportation costs for delivery of lots of things we buy, and that’s passed on to us too. .. . ,

Inflation is usually defined as the loss of purchasing power of currencies. There are several explanations for this phenomenon, but for our situation, the reasons appear to be what economists call Cost-Push inflation. This occurs when production inputs and directly related supply chain costs suddenly rise. The events of the past two plus years provided systemic shocks to global production and trade.

Our current debilitating context began in late 2019 and early 2020, when the Covid-19 Pandemic and its successor variations, began to infect millions of people around the world. The hospitalizations, serious illnesses and mounting death tolls quickly impacted the global workforce and affected all economic sectors. Supply chains broke down, major ports became seriously backlogged for lack of people to unload cargoes or drivers to haul the containers to market. Delays and shortages mounted and demand declined leading to price rises across the board. This situation is a classic example of Cost Push Inflation

But, back to the price of gas. Demand for oil/gas has been rising for the past six months. But, In major producing countries , US and foreign corporations that earlier cut production in the face of declining demand dropped, have happily watched as the prices of gas everywhere kept climbing. They have been reluctant to increase production in response to increasing demand, for a simple reason: their production costs are lower and their sale prices are astronomical.

In a March 2022 survey of 141 U.S. oil producers asking them why they were holding back production, 59% said they were under investor pressure. The bottom line is, oil companies are seeing huge profits and are using the money for stock buybacks to raise stock prices. BP, Shell, Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Total Energies, Eni, and Equinor will give between $38 and $41 billion to shareholders through buyback programs this year..What’s not to like?

And then on February 24, 2022 a major oil and gas producing country, Russia, invaded a major grain, fertilizer and vegetable oils exporter, Ukraine. Four months on, the death and destruction imposed on the Ukrainian people has introduced another global shortage – life threatening – food.

Tom Timberman is an Army vet, lawyer, former senior Foreign Service officer, adjunct professor at GWU, and economic development team leader or foreign government advisor in war zones. He is the author of four books, lectures locally and at US and European universities. He and his wife are 24 year residents of Kent County.

Morality in Politics? By Al Sikes

June 24, 2022 by Al Sikes 4 Comments

Five years out of law school I went to work for the newly elected Missouri Attorney General. He was distinctive. He had two graduate degrees from Yale; one in law and the other in divinity. He baptized and married our youngest daughter, Marcia. His name: John C. Danforth or Jack to friends or St. Jack to his critics.

My appreciation for that beginning has been underscored by today’s political mess and I am talking about more than former President Donald Trump’s actions preceding and following the January 6th attack on Democracy.

Words and phrases about the politics of kingdoms and tribes were first written on tablets; later printing technology and democracy widened the field. Now, writing a book about humble beginnings and self-catapulting success accompanies all national ambitions.

My life, as told by the political aspirant, introduces the ambitious to careful editing and ultimately to a pattern of robotic answers when questioned. Spinmeisters abound. Never in a democracy has candor been in such short supply. Let’s see, “should I support a candidate who won’t really tell me what he is thinking?”

____________

Senator John McCain had been raised by an Admiral, told what to do by the Naval hierarchy at Annapolis and later by his captors in North Vietnam and still later by his political handlers. In part Senator McCain who was the Republican nominee for President in 2008 remained interesting because he didn’t take instruction. John McCain unplugged was a moral man because he meant what he said and was prepared to be judged by both his words and actions. He refused to hide.

And while I am on “unplugged” it is easy to imagine hundreds of intensely argued moments in the political life of Donald J. Trump. I am sure he must bristle at instruction, convinced he knows best. Yet, his originality in politics served him well, until it didn’t.

One of my later in life political lessons occurred in the aftermath of Trump calling McCain a loser. I was certain his characterization was a fatal error. What I failed to understand was the lure of Trump Unplugged.

Politicians and their enablers have lowered the standards; they are mostly scripted, although Hollywood doesn’t come calling. Years ago, I was on the set of the TV comedy Cheers. During a break in the filming Ted Danson quipped: “you people in Washington are just like us, we are all actors.” Well maybe, but the Washington version of acting is a façade to cover evasion and avoidance. Actors are a stories characters while most politicians are the real-life characters in what is often a bad script.

Morality in politics? We were given a vivid standard by a Republican Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers. He made a notation in his diary after Trump and Rudy Giuliani teamed up to declare there was fraud in the Arizona election that Trump lost and insisted that he should refuse to certify the results. Rusty Bowers wrote:

In a Democracy Bowers’ words and actions writ large are all the protection we have. We get the morality we deserve. Perhaps there was a time when standards of morality were set at the top. They certainly were when I worked for Attorney General Danforth. More often today they are set at the bottom—the foundation. Politicians are free to say what they want; we should pay attention to what they do. If we can’t get it right, corruption will be our legacy.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.

The Banality of Courage by Angela Rieck

June 23, 2022 by Angela Rieck 1 Comment

I vowed not to watch the Congressional hearings about January 6th. I had watched the original insurrection and fallout for a full week and believed that I had heard enough.

But I relented.

I am glad I did.

One of last week’s hearings focused on the VP, Mike Pence, and the repercussions he was faced for doing his job. Listening to this harrowing tale, I was surprised how real the danger was. And I saw something that I did not expect.

Fear.

I remembered the fear on the faces of the Capitol police as they put their lives on the line to protect Congress and our Constitution. I saw fear on the faces of Congressmen and Congresswomen as they hid in the chamber and were ushered to safety.

I also remembered courage. The brave Capitol police protected our leaders with their lives. I saw videos of hand-to-hand combat. I saw the courage of a policeman who risked his life to lure the thugs away. (I still am not able to call these insurrectionists humans, I continue to pray for empathy and compassion, but as of yet, I cannot.)

I also realized that courage is not always about facing a life or death situation.

Tyler Schultz and Erika Chung were alarmed by what they saw at Theranos (a startup company that was trying to build medical testing devices). The executives of Theranos lied to investors and were willing to conduct inaccurate blood tests on patients. Chung and Schultz quit their jobs on moral grounds. It could have ended there. But they were concerned about patient safety. At great personal cost, they took another step. Chung notified the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As required by law, CMS investigated Theranos and shut it down for 2 years deeming there was significant risk to patients. Schultz risked his career and his relationship with his famous grandfather, George Schultz, by whistleblowing to a Wall Street Journal reporter. The story in the Wall Street Journal was the beginning of the end for this fraudulent company. No longer able to con investors or get revenues from inaccurate medical tests, the company dissolved. Before its dissolution, Chung and Schultz spent almost a year sued, harassed, and spied on by private detectives, and yet remained resolute in their desire to expose the danger. They no doubt saved lives.

But all they really did was quit a job and notify others about the inner workings of the company. That’s all, they made a phone call or wrote an email.

In Mike Pence’s case, he was simply doing his job.

I carry no water for Pence. I have contempt for people who decide that their religion and piety must be forced upon everyone. Their religious beliefs compel them to abrogate women’s rights and the rights of anyone who deviates from their moral view.

Yet, Pence is courageous. Despite the extraordinary bullying that Pence endured and the threat to his safety, Pence did his job. His advisors were convinced that his life was in danger and remain fearful that without Congressional safeguards this could happen again if Trump runs for office.

Mike Pence showed courage in performing the simple ceremonial role of certifying the election. And that was all he did, in the face of withering persecution, he did his job.

Courage comes in many forms. It can be the courage that soldiers display on the battlefield or the Capitol police in protecting our Constitution.

Courage can be making an extra phone call, as Chung and Schultz did.

And sometimes courage is just as simple as doing your job.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Right-Wing Has Rejected the Constitution by J.E. Dean

June 22, 2022 by J.E. Dean 2 Comments

Democracy is an obstacle to an agenda based on fear.

For the last few years, I have worried that progressives were losing faith in the Constitution. My fear was that dysfunction in Washington would convince progressives that the system of government created by the Constitution no longer worked. I worried that a critical mass of progressives would abandon attempting to win elections and collaborating with moderates and conservatives to enact legislation and take to the streets.

Progressives may yet lose faith in the Constitution but, for now, remain a solid force within the Democratic party. Despite the slow wheels of government resulting from the Constitution’s checks and balances, progressives are not yet ready to storm the Capitol and hang Mitch McConnell.

The right wing, by contrast, has already left the Constitution behind. Led by Donald Trump and other “new Republicans,” extreme conservatives have sought to achieve their agendas through the courts rather than legislation, by executive action by-passing Congress, and, in January 2021, by violence and terrorism.

The right wing has lost faith in democracy. Their actions reflect a belief that, if democracy works, they lose. Because most Americans support reasonable immigration policies, racial justice, and equity, fighting climate change, the right to abortion, and separation of church and state, a functioning democracy is an obstacle to the right-wing agenda.

The January 6 assault on the Capitol may prove to be but the first battle of a war against the Constitution. Led by a President whose career in real estate development was built on circumventing laws and regulations, Trump’s followers sought to block Congress from certifying the 2020 election. The goal was to keep Trump in office despite his electoral loss. Supporters of the coup attempt, then and now, are fine with having a president who was not elected by the people.

The story of Trump is a troubling one, replete with a history of racism, petty and grand theft, and a propensity to lie in the face of overwhelming evidence. Trump, we are learning from the House Select Committee on January 6, knew that he had lost the election but championed half-baked legal analyses and false claims (most created by his followers) to claim the election was stolen.

It may seem obvious that Trump’s claims would disintegrate as courts rejected his false claims, but Trump’s strategy continues to be to double-down on lying while at the same time attempting to set the stage to overturn future elections that he, his followers, or his ideological successor might lose.

Trump, by sheer force of his willingness to argue the ridiculous, has made himself indispensable to a movement that is sufficiently out of sync with mainstream America to never win national power. That is why his followers tolerate him despite evidence of tax fraud, sexual assault, and petty grift.

Trump’s followers, both those who marched on the Capitol and those who continue to dismiss the seriousness of the insurrection attempt, are not so much supporting Trump as attempting to fight democracy. Trump should thus be seen as a means to an end rather than as the end itself. Right-wing extremists want a leader who will deliver policies that correspond to what they think they believe. This means preventing immigration, freezing racial equity, preventing racial reconciliation, and limiting government. By dismantling “the deep state,” the right-wing sees the possibility of their policy agenda winning notwithstanding the wishes of most Americans as expressed through their representatives and President sent to Washington.

If the theory that the right-wing has abandoned democracy is correct, we are in deep trouble. If the right-wing does not regain power by election, it could turn to more serious strategies, which could include bombings, kidnappings, and murders. Efforts could also be made to intimidate moderates and liberals from voting. In short, domestic terrorism. Far-fetched? Read up on what the Proud Boys were up to on January 6.

The fear that right-wingers will turn to enhanced violence is not speculation. They have already done it. A plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Whitmore was foiled, but only after elaborate plans were developed. Pre-meditated attacks on gay-pride events have occurred. And, of course, racially motivated mass shootings have become common.

Does the right want a dictator?

The indifference with which right-wingers have responded to the deadly January 6 insurrection suggests the right is ready to embrace an autocrat, or benevolent dictator (benevolent to the right-wing at the expense of others). Trump was delivering what the right-wing thinks it wants–people of color “put back in their place,” LGBQT people put back in the closet, and a government that operates to perpetuate the status quo. If urban schools do not improve, for example, black progress does not occur. If income security and protection of civil rights are low priorities, the U.S. becomes a less attractive destination for immigrants. The list goes on.

Do not expect right-wingers to call for a dismantling of our system of government openly. Instead, listen to their chants of “USA! USA!” and then listen to what the crowd is cheering. In the case of Trump, it often calls for building border fences, incarcerating Hillary Clinton, or cracking down on crime. Extremists say they want to make America great again. Nothing could be further from the truth.

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, birds, and other subjects.

Out and About (Sort of): Cruise Control by Howard Freedlander

June 21, 2022 by Howard Freedlander 1 Comment

As I have observed aging in the real world, I watched with delight two weeks ago as the 60-year-old Tom Cruise showed off his acting and physical chops in “Top Gun: Maverick.” It compared favorably and impressively with the captivating 1986 “Top Gun movie” in which he starred as Maverick, his call sign and standard moniker.

Cruise still has the uncanny ability to fill a movie screen with bravado, charm and physicality. He has learned to exhibit humility and compassion. He no longer must exude utter confidence. He can be vulnerable and still win over the audience.

Also, I just watched the original “Top Gun. “I’m glad I viewed it again after enjoying “Top Gun: Maverick.” Though not quite so dramatic and emotional as the 1986 film, the newly released sequel equally mesmerizes the viewer with its unparalleled photography and, of course, the riveting exploits of an iconic naval aviator, Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise). It may be less jarring. Still, it is first-rate.

In the 1986 blockbuster film, Cruise was mostly cocky, unnecessarily insubordinate, incredibly talented and notably self-centered. He had a soft side shown only to a few people. He disguised his vulnerability for the most part, but not entirely. His magnetic smile and natural charisma dominated the cinema.

The question is whether the gutsy character portrayed in 2022 by Cruise has matured, susceptible to moral defeats, or has this actor actually changed as age has softened his arrogant edges?

I suggest both of the above. In “Top Gun: Maverick,” Maverick continues to break rules and antagonize the admirals who try in vain to control the best—and most reckless fighter pilot in the Navy. His flying is unconventional; his achievements in the air are legendary.

Punished and assigned to teach fighter jockeys 30 years his junior and equally rambunctious and headstrong, Mitchell poses an incredible standard to match in undertaking an absurdly dangerous mission in the Mideast.

What galls a mission-first three-star admiral determined to rein in Maverick is this supremely confident fighter pilot’s overriding concern for his trainees and flight members. He is unwilling to lose one pilot in a mission calling for “miracles.” The critical importance of the mission does not dissuade the teacher, now the flight leader, from bringing everyone back.

Cruise portrays a seasoned aviator and unlikely instructor as an officer obsessed with the lives and dreams of his hotshot flight pilots. He has a heart. His own years as a pilot and military officer are numbered. He is still wracked by memories of his co-pilot and best friend killed during a training accident. His friend’s son is one of Cruise’s charges.

The aging process has instilled in Maverick a concern about his own life and weighed him down with his responsibility for his students and comrades in arms. Any opportunity to rise in rank are foreclosed to the rebellious Mitchell. He’s even learned that the time has come to love a woman justly disenchanted with his wayward ways.

Maturity has imposed itself on the Cruise character. Age and experience do that to all of us. The adrenaline rush, while intoxicating, is not sustainable in the long run. At some point, aerial dogfights and dangerous missions are not enough.

I am not suggesting that “Top Gun: Maverick” is intended to be a metaphor for life. That would be a stretch. I am opining that in the case of this cinematic masterpiece, Tom Cruise and the conflicted character he portrays are alike in seeking a self-peace, a recognition that being wild and reckless is a transitory state of being.

I thought that this movie was captivating. I drew a message related to my senior citizenship. Readers may simply enjoy a great action film featuring a superb actor.

Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.

Postcard from Colorado by Jamie Kirkpatrick

June 21, 2022 by Jamie Kirkpatrick Leave a Comment

Greetings from Colorado! We’re here to help celebrate a marriage and to get a glimpse of two grandkids we haven’t seen in four long years, thanks to Covid.

I won’t lie: travel is stressful these days. Better believe it: America is on the move again. Airports and planes are jam-packed and flight schedules can change on a whim. We had a shaky start: our departing flight was delayed and we almost missed our connection in Chicago, but miraculously we—and even our bags— arrived in Denver on time. We rented a car and headed off to Colorado Springs.

It’s different out here. The days are sunny and warm but there’s almost no humidity. The nights are cool and fresh. The land is open, vast, almost endless. The mountains stand sentinel over everything and the air is pine-scented. The people are different, too: they seem happy, relaxed, informal, and outdoorsy. They wear cowboy boots and hats, or sport mountain casual: Patagonia shorts or cargo pants, SPF shirts with lots of pockets, and Birkenstocks with socks. They’re drawn here by the weather, opportunities, even the lifestyle. But it’s a devil’s bargain: on our way south, we pass through acres of new tract housing. We drive at 75 mph along miles of new highways. We see countless new office complexes, industrial parks, shopping malls, and enormous box stores. The taint of urban sprawl. John Denver saw this coming as long ago as 1972 when he wrote Rocky Mountain High: “more people, more scars upon the land.” And now, climate accelerates the changes: the plains and forests grow more sere each season, many reservoirs are at record low levels, and a smokey haze from wild fires hangs like a shroud in the air. Our planetary clock ticks loudly here.

On our first full day, we (my wife and I along with two good friends) were happy tourists: a morning visit to the Garden of the Gods, an afternoon round of golf at the Air Force Academy, evening drinks and dinner at the Broadmoor. The following day, we climbed Pike’s Peak—by car of course—but that didn’t make it any less nerve wracking: twenty uphill miles winding through hairpin turns with few guardrails, eventually soaring eagle-like high above the tree line. At the summit (14,115 feet), we were dizzy and lightheaded, our lungs were working overtime. But the view was worth it. It was the same view that inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful” in 1893. From up here, America, despite her many faults and flaws, is beautiful indeed: her skies are still spacious, her purple mountains still majestic, and yes, from atop this peak, it seems as though you really can see from sea to shining sea.

We carefully made our way back down the mountain and headed off to Denver to begin our wedding fun. There’s no doubt that the modern American wedding has become quite a production these days. There is, first, the choice of destination; I guess no one ever gets married in their backyard anymore. Then, there is the wedding venue itself: in this case, a lush meadow overlooking a peaceful green valley rising into the foothills of the Rockies. Clouds scurry by and there is even a drop or two of rain, but just as the wedding party comes down the grassy aisle to the strains of “Here Comes The Sun,” the raindrops disappear and the sun magically comes out. I thought I heard the wedding planner breathe a huge sigh of relief.

What a beautiful, happy event! The wedding party, the flower girl, the two well-behaved golden retrievers, the proud parents of the bride and groom, and, of course, the stars of the show: the happy couple themselves. Their vows were unscripted and sincere; their smiles radiated love and gratitude. Marriages are promises made and I have no doubt these promises will be kept forever.

After all the stress of planning, the moment finally arrived and a new husband kissed his bride. Let’s get this party started! We settled in to dine and dance. The toasts were marvelous: the father of the bride brought everyone to tears with his loving tribute to his newly married daughter, the two maids of honor took us behind the scenes of the newlyweds’ first tentative courting steps, and the best man, the groom’s older brother, hilariously captured the rough-and-tumble of brothers growing up in the embrace of a loving family. We should all be so fortunate.

Once all the wedding festivities were over, we made time for family. We connected with our recently relocated niece and nephew for lunch up in the foothills. The following day, it was time for the icing on our Colorado cake: the long-awaited reunion with my son and daughter-in-law and their two children—our grandkids. It had been four, long years since we last hugged the boys; they were little tykes then, but no longer. How grand to see and spend time with our two big, beautiful Colorado boys and their parents!

Sometimes, expectation exceeds experience. Not this time. We head for home tomorrow, so, as I’m wont to say…

I’ll be right back.

Jamie Kirkpatrick is a writer and photographer who lives in Chestertown. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. Two collections of his essays (“Musing Right Along” and “I’ll Be Right Back”) are available on Amazon.

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