This time in American history when economic stress and generalized anxiety is abroad in the land, as it was in post-World War I Germany, Christianity seems once again prepared to serve up scapegoats as a lightning rod for anger and frustration in its majority white population. 

Beyond economic insecurity, we know that the biggest threat to the American family and its children is good ole red blooded American as apple pie infidelity. Yet the loudest voices of American Christianity are offering up the gay community as the major threat to the institution.

The political far right has been encouraged by what the religiously cast anti-abortion message has been able to do in fundraising and electoral outcomes. Now that headway has been made through Supreme Court appointments on this issue, the far right has landed on opposition to the gay community as its newest lever in the toxic electoral mix that is Christian Nationalism. 

Consider some inside biblical theology baseball on sexual sin.  Jesus never mentions homosexuality.  He does denounce divorce and remarriage, the former only permitted if there is infidelity and remarriage in any case constituting adultery.  How is it today in American Protestantism to ordain and employ divorced and remarried clergy as spiritual leaders of congregations and bless the exchange of wedding vows in remarriages.

The comfort with divorce and remarriage surely reflects an acceptance of modern understandings of personality psychology and human relationships.  Where is the same deference to modern psychological understandings in biblical interpretations of gender preference and identity.  

Modern biblical interpretation has made it possible for divorced and remarried congregants and clergy to bask in the comfort and acceptance of their church communities.  The hypocrisy is leaving their gay brothers and sisters out in the cold to be kicked around as political footballs. 

Holly Wright
Easton

Maryland has a second chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—creating the right conditions for a new 50-year license to operate the Conowingo Dam.

It’s an opportunity to plant trees in Pennsylvania, educate farmers on regenerative agriculture, and, ultimately, reduce the amount of pollution reaching the Chesapeake Bay. The new Conowingo Dam  license process can be transformative for the Bay, but only if Maryland officials can work through the challenges of dealing with the dam’s private operator, the utility Constellation Energy.

It wasn’t easy to get to this point. CBF and Waterkeepers Chesapeake filed a lawsuit after Maryland waived Conowingo Dam’s water quality certification as part of a deal with the dam’s previous owners, Exelon, in 2018. The deal without the certification was bad. It would have enabled Exelon to sidestep most of the suggested water quality improvements and pay a relatively small amount—an estimated $4 million per year—over the next 50 years to offset harm to the Bay caused by the dam’s presence.

Even worse, due to the lack of pollution mitigation requirements in the deal with Exelon, Chesapeake Bay watershed states were being saddled with reducing the additional pollution loads caused by the dam’s operations. A Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan identified ways to reduce the pollution, which was estimated to cost at least $53 million per year. The federal Environmental Protection Agency later declared it had no confidence in the Conowingo cleanup plan because states had not identified ways to finance the work.

In late 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. agreed with CBF and Waterkeepers Chesapeake that Maryland couldn’t waive its water quality certification for the dam. This ruling nullified the negotiated agreement between Maryland and Constellation, the firm that took over the dam from Exelon, and brought interested organizations back to the debate over the water quality certification.

This is the moment of opportunity. Conowingo Dam is having a major negative effect on the Chesapeake Bay. Due to its operations, the dam alters the form and timing of how pollution enters the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland Department of the Environment’s (MDE) water quality certification identified the litany of reasons as to why the dam is an environmental problem.

• The reservoir behind the dam, which previously trapped sediment and some pollutants, is now full. When strong rainstorms hit, the deluge of water scours the trapped sediment, pollution, trash, and debris, and then sends them downstream in a short period of time. The flooding and debris from these events often generates headlines. What’s more, the sudden influx of pollution fuels harmful algal blooms that remove dissolved oxygen from the water, which harms marine life.

• The dam has caused declines in freshwater mussels and associated fish species such as eel, shad, and herring above and below the dam. These species were present in much greater numbers before the dam was constructed.

• The Susquehanna River would have a larger delta and support larger underwater grass beds without the dam.

To address these issues, MDE recommended the dam’s operator reduce pollution by 6 million pounds of nitrogen and 260,000 pounds of phosphorus per year. Doing so would ensure the dam doesn’t harm aquatic life in the Bay. MDE included several options Constellation could take to meet these requirements, such as purchasing pollution-reduction credits generated by entities such as wastewater plants that are filtering Bay pollutants; paying fees per pound of nitrogen and phosphorus that would fund Bay cleanup efforts; installing best management practices that reduce pollution; or dredging behind the dam.

The dam’s operators have the resources to make environmental improvements. Conowingo is one of the largest non-federally owned hydroelectric dams in the United States. An economic analysis commissioned by CBF and The Nature Conservancy in 2017 found the dam’s operators could spend from $27 million to $44 million per year on environmental mitigation projects while still generating a profit.  

“We continue to encourage Maryland to require the dam’s operator to invest in upstream conservation practices to offset the environmental issues caused by Conowingo Dam,” said Alison Prost, CBF’s Vice President of Environmental Protection and Restoration. “We believe that investments in streamside forest buffers, green infrastructure to prevent stormwater from entering streams and rivers, and projects to reduce agricultural pollution in the Susquehanna’s watershed in Pennsylvania would be the most cost-effective and long-term solutions to offset the pollution exacerbated by the dam’s presence.”

Addressing upstream pollution, specifically from agriculture, is critical to restoring the Bay. Agriculture is the largest source of pollution to our waterways, but it is increasingly seen as one of the biggest opportunities to turn around a pattern of ecological degradation and create healthy communities. What’s more investing in farm conservation practices will not only improve water quality, but it would also inject an estimated $655 million annually into the region’s economy. Pennsylvania, especially, would benefit from investment in agricultural pollution reduction practices as nearly 90 percent of the state’s required nitrogen pollution reductions must come from agriculture for the state to meet its Bay cleanup requirements.

Upstream improvements would be more cost-effective than dredging. A study conducted by several government agencies in 2015 estimated the annual price tag for dredging behind the dam to range from about $50 million to $250 million per year, with work needing to take place continuously until the dam was out of service. The report concluded that upstream mitigation practices to reduce pollutants would also “be more effective than” reducing sediment by dredging to improve water quality downstream.

“Constellation has a responsibility to step up and pay for its share of the solution to the pollution problems caused by the dam,” Prost added. “The company profits from the use of a natural resource, which is continuing to be harmed by the dam’s operations. It’s time for Maryland officials to hold the company accountable and save taxpayers from the expense of solving the problem.”

Constellation can challenge the issues raised in Maryland’s water quality certification for the dam. CBF and others will be closely monitoring the license review process and providing input where appropriate. We are also working with our partners to ensure that any annual license issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for operation of the dam is as protective of water quality as possible until a new long-term license is in place.

A.J. Metcalf – Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Annapolis

After a whale carcass washed ashore near the mouth of the bay recently, right wing stooge Andy Harris called for a moratorium on development of offshore wind projects “until it can be definitively proven that windmill projects are not contributing to the repeated whale deaths.”

As best I can tell, the first and only wind farm in US waters off the east coast is in Rhode Island. A necropsy of the whale carcass determined that the death occurred due to injuries consistent with a boat strike.

If Congressman Harris is serious about protecting whales, he will announce today that he supports the proposal to extend the 10mph speed limit to charter fishing boats as small as 35 feet. The current limit only applies to vessels 65 feet and longer. Of course he won’t.

Let’s be clear. Andy Harris doesn’t give one whit about whales. If it got him more votes he would serve baby-whale sushi at campaign events.

His whining once again is nothing short of pandering and a tiresome attempt to divert attention from the abject failure of his party.

Jim Bachman
Easton

We should give Ukraine F-16 fighters now rather than later. 

Why is Biden reluctant to do so? It seems he is afraid of escalating the war by allowing Putin to think he would be justified in using tactical nuclear weapons. To me this seems like a game of chicken where Putin is winning. Putin keeps playing the nuclear scare card, and Biden is blinking. He seems to think that if we ramp up our help a little at a time maybe Putin won’t notice.

Putin can’t defeat Ukraine’s fighters, so he takes out his wrath on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine doesn’t dare attack Russia because they would appear be an aggressor country attacking Mother Russia – which really could provoke a nuclear response. The “rules” seem to be that Ukraine is allowed to defend its own territory by any means other than hitting Russian itself. 

I didn’t think I would ever see a war of conquest again. A war where a large country decides to take over a small country which meant them no harm. A war where a large country gives absolute power to one individual who decides to add territory to his country simply because he can. A war instigated by a dictator for his own glorification. Isn’t this what the UN was created to prevent?

Ukraine is not asking us to shed blood for them. They are simply asking for the weaponry required to put up a good defense and reclaim ground illegally lost to Putin’s mercenaries. 

We’re already giving Ukraine Bradley AFVs, Stryker APCs, and Abrams Tanks, most of which won’t help in the short term. Germany and other NATO countries are sending Leopard 2 tanks. Why not give Ukraine something that will help right away? F-16’s would not only be of immediate benefit, they would also provide necessary air cover for the armored vehicles on the way. 

This is another situation where NATO countries are willing to give Ukraine some of their weaponry, but only if the US leads the way. 

Mr. Biden, please lead the way.

Bob Moores
Chestertown

Today, the Radical Right rides the wave of white rural disappointment, anti-abortion single issue voters, and evangelical prejudice against Gay and Transgender Americans.  We need to go back, they say, to the way it used to be in the 1950s when government was small and people were civil.   

But government wasn’t small and for many, people were brutal.  Husbands weren’t indicted for assaulting their wives, education was separate and unequal,  and antisemitism and using the N word were non-controversial in the general culture.  Voter suppression and the Jim Crow South were alive and well.

In the 1950s, the idyllic suburban community portrayed in Father Knows Best and similar series was built on government financed no-interest home loans for white people who could buy homes in new white only suburbs and the GI Bill to pay for education at whites only colleges and universities.  A few decades before, what the Republicans labeled socialist, people in whites only jobs received income support from unemployment insurance and social security.  Now that the white middle class have climbed the ladder of government programs, the Right offers to pull it up behind them.

Rural male disappointment can’t be considered apart from the flat lining of wages and the income gap.  But corporate tax cuts went to stock buybacks making the wealthy wealthier not creating jobs and raising wages, the way it was sold.

Anti-abortionist political action committees and candidate endorsement operations seek the political power to force women into childbirth.  As the saying goes, if men got pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.  Terminating an unwanted pregnancy would surely be consider a man’s right.  How this issue migrated into Protestant circles is its political promise for groups beginning with Falwell’s Moral Majority since there is absolutely no Biblical basis for opposing abortion.

The Right is working us back to the bad old days selling a delusional nostalgia and warped perspective on human rights.  This is nothing new.  Some people still think slavery was a state’s right.

Holly Wright
Easton

I was pleased to receive your survey. Nice to know that you really give a damn about what we, your constituents, may think. Or maybe you just want us to think you give a damn. Whichever, I will endeavor to answer to the best of my ability.

GENERAL ISSUES
 
WHICH ARE MOST CONCERNING?

The threat to our democracy. This wasn’t on your checklist. Which doesn’t surprise me, since you have been an active participant in the ongoing attempt to overturn the election. An election that was fair and balanced, despite your ridiculous claims to the contrary. You insist on claiming voting irregularity, despite it being disproved multiple times. This does nothing except create doubt about the integrity of our democratic institutions.

Regarding the recent antics of the “berserker caucus” hijacking the House of Representatives, you say “it will be the greatest change in how the House operates and becomes much more responsive to the American people in at least two generations.” I can’t help but wonder what American people you people keep referring to. Must be those vested interests that keep you pointed in the “right” direction.

You do have education on your checklist. The general population needs to be educated to the fact that our democratic institutions are not dysfunctional. Top heavy perhaps, but not threatening to our personal liberty as you and your cohorts claim.

DO YOU BELIEVE OUR COUNTRY IS ON THE RIGHT OR WRONG TRACK?

A loaded question. If you say it’s on the right track you will be branded as a delusional Pollyanna. If on the wrong track, you will be presented with overly simplistic answers laying blame on the scapegoat du jour, which can only be remedied by reinstating good old Christian family values as prescribed by the so called Freedom Caucus.

ECONOMY AND JOBS

DO YOU BELIEVE FEDERAL REGULATIONS HELP OR HINDER MD’S ECONOMY?

Let’s see. If you say Federal regulations are a pain in the ass, nobody is going to disagree. So let’s say I’m in favor of getting rid of them. Ok, Mr. smarty pants, which ones? Your record would indicate that you’re in favor of getting rid of all of them.

Federal regulations are designed to protect the public good when the state has neither the will nor the means to do so. Where does the public good end and personal advantage start, or personal freedom, as your base supporters are wont to complain about?

ARE YOU PAYING MORE THAN YOU WERE A YEAR AGO?

Must be Biden’s fault.

CRIME

DO YOU SUPPORT DEFUNDING THE POLICE?

Before the 2020 elections you were asked by the Chestertown Spy if Trump would be gracious in losing. Your response, which you repeated several times, was, “That’s a ridiculous question.” May I quote you. This is a ridiculous question. I say that using the same good faith you displayed back in 2020.

SCOPE OF GOVERNMENT

DO YOU BELIEVE IMPLEMENTING MORE SOCIALIST POLICIES ….IS GOOD OR BAD FOR AMERICA?

Let’s drag out that old “socialist” red flag, why don’t we? There could have been a concerted bipartisan effort to make the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) much more workable if it hadn’t been labeled socialism/communism. How many times did you vote to overturn it? Again, having the government serve the greater good is not a communist plot. By painting it as such only serves the vested interests efforts to maintain their position of power.

BORDER SECURITY

DO YOU SUPPORT EFFORTS TO SECURE THE SOUTHERN BORDER?

Sure, why not. Except it paints an unrealistic picture of what is possible. What would it take? Separating families at the border? Gunning them down as they swim, or ford, the Rio Grande? The “wall” is a joke. It’s like the war on drugs. Make it harder just increases the pressure on the border. Simplistic messaging again.

DO YOU SUPPORT POLICIES TO GRANT AMNESTY TO UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS?

Amnesty is another of those red flag terms designed to mount opposition to immigration reform. If there is a policy to earn citizenship, is that amnesty? Having a long wait period, paying past and present taxes, maybe having their own business, owning their house, having assets? Is that not a way to pay for the crime of crossing the border illegally?

I have heard you say concerning the DACA kids, that they should have to wait in line like everyone else. Perhaps you are not aware that there is no line. If you are poor and apply for a visa to enter the USA, it costs $160. You are not told that you have 0% chance of securing a visa, and the fee is non-refundable.

I hear a lot about how we are a country of laws. What is a greater crime? Crossing the border illegally or fomenting an attempted insurrection? Or being complicit in the attempted insurrection, such as yourself? Have you no decency?

TAXES AND SPENDING

ARE TAXES TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW?

The real concern should be, ”Are we getting enough bang for our buck”. That’s your job, big guy. Defunding the IRS so that the 1%’ers get to keep more is not the answer.

IS AMERICA’S DEBT, WHICH IS APPROACHING $32 TRILLION, A SERIOUS PROBLEM?

Of course it is. What are you doing about it except voting against everything, without regard for a potential future return? Defunding the IRS is not the answer.

EDUCATION

DO YOU THINK PARENTS SHOULD HAVE MORE INPUT IN THEIR CHILDREN’S SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION?

There is a dangerous narrative gaining popularity that says we should ignore racial inequity and white (no pun intended) wash our history because the full story might implant guilt in the little darling’s minds.

Unfortunately, it seems that many parents can’t handle the truth. I’m trusting that the children can. You really can’t fool them forever.

John Ramsey
Chestertown

From his earliest days to his twilight years, Charles H. Taylor III was a person of excellence and compassion for those who knew, worked with and loved him.

Charles H. Taylor III

A freelance writer, journalist and community leader with decades of accomplishments and many accolades, Mr. Taylor suddenly passed away early Saturday morning, Jan. 7, from a pulmonary embolism as a result of COVID-19 infection. The impact of Mr. Taylor’s life has been made clear in the days since his passing was announced, as friends, colleagues and family have celebrated his compassion, intelligence, humor and warmth.

“Gosh, what can I say about nearly 22 years of constant, witty banter and deep conversations about every aspect of life and humanity,” said Jim Bogden, Mr. Taylor’s husband. “We shared the same values and saw the world through the same set of lenses.”

Mr. Taylor was born Jan. 16, 1952 in Portsmouth. As a student in the then-segregated Portsmouth Public School system, he graduated from I.C. Norcom High School in 1970 as class salutatorian.

Accepted into several universities, Mr. Taylor spent the next three and a half years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he took coursework in Urban Planning. He later completed his bachelor’s degree in organizational management at the former Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville.

To his family, Mr. Taylor was known as the family photographer, using his talents to take pictures before cell phones became common, earning him the nickname “Uncle Cheese.” From gifts of decorative Easter Eggs to frequent visits, he was always a welcome presence in their lives.

“He loved to visit family and shower the grandnieces with gifts from his travels,” said Barbara Taylor Spruill, one of Mr. Taylor’s sisters. “There was always excitement when he came to town.”

For more than 30 years, Mr. Taylor applied his many skills to a series of media-related jobs and services. Starting out as a radio news reporter, he went on to host a classical music program and then became a reporter for Richmond Newspapers Inc. He later worked as a corporate communications representative and media and community relations manager for Dominion Power in both Norfolk and Richmond. During this time, he was a member of and served as president of Hampton Road Black Media Professionals, an affiliate chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Mr. Taylor moved to the Washington, DC area in 2001 to work as a senior communications representative for Pepco, periodically appearing on local TV stations to report on blackouts and exploding manhole covers. He later worked as a media relations manager for the Arlington County government and as a senior staff writer for the National Association of Counties. For his work, he was honored by the National Association of Government Communicators and the International Association of Business Communicators in 2004. He also participated in the CLAIR Fellowship Exchange program for the Tottori Prefecture and Tokyo in 2009.

His career saw him serve as a public representative, leader, collaborator and teacher for many, and the relationships formed and lessons learned continue to this day.

“He was someone that I could just throw any kind of topic at him and trust that he would be able to report on it.” said Beverly Schlotterbeck, who worked with Mr. Taylor for 11 years as the editor of the County News publication for NACo. 

“He was an anchor for me, and for the paper.”

Outside his professional career, Charles met Jim through the gay social group Black and White Men Together. As a couple they enjoyed square dancing with DC Lambda Squares; regularly attended drama, comedy, opera, and classical music performances; and traveled to Paris, Nottingham in England, Malta and Cuba.

Upon retiring in 2017, Messrs. Taylor and Bogden sold their historic 1862 townhouse in the U Street area of Washington, DC and moved to Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. There Mr. Taylor took on a number of community roles and activities that aided the public welfare and fit with his personal interests. He was a member of Chestertown’s Social Action for Racial Justice Committee and served on the boards of the Kent Cultural Alliance, the Sultana Education Foundation and the Mid-Shore Community Foundation. 

An avid fan of opera and the symphony, Mr. Taylor was serving on the National Music Festival board of directors as its chair at the time of his death, having previously served as its vice chair. 

“Charles, you were a great friend and leader—one of the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful persons it has been my privilege to know,” NMF Artistic Director Richard Rosenberg Artistic Director wrote in a social media post. “Thank you for being a part of our lives and for lending your generous support to NMF. You will be forever remembered.”

Restless, Mr. Taylor had come out of retirement last year to work with the Richmond Free Press as a freelance reporter and editor. Bonnie Newman Davis, Free Press managing editor, said she’d known Mr. Taylor for more than 30 years, having previously worked with him at another Richmond newspaper.

“I was thrilled when Charles called to ask ‘How may I help?’” she said. “His first story for us chronicled a Richmonder who last year climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain at 19,341 feet. When the Free Press was approached about writing the article, I instinctively knew that the story had Charles’ name all over it. He wrote an excellent story!

“I am devastated that Charles is no longer with us, but I am at peace knowing that his body of work and legacy will be with us forever.”

According to Mr. Bogden, more than 200 people plan to celebrate Mr. Taylor’s memory in Portsmouth and Chestertown in coming weeks, as funeral plans continue to solidify. The outpouring of love and support in the wake of his death is proof that, whether he was Uncle Cheese for his family, Mr. Safire for some of his coworkers, Charlie-Bear for his spouse or simply Charles Taylor, his life and work affected many for the better.

“Of course, I knew how special a person he was,” Mr. Bogden said, “but I am surprised and gratified how widely he was loved by so many people.”

Mr. Taylor is predeceased by his father Charles H. Taylor, Jr., mother Viola Holland Taylor and step-mother Almina Taylor. He is survived by Mr. Bogden, his sisters Barbara and Angela Taylor Bunch, nephew Jeremy Bunch, nieces Nicole Spruill, Jessica Bunch, Dionne Spruill and Dana Spruill, grandnieces Charleigh Bunch and Naomi Spruill, and two Labradoodles, Mina and Kashi. 

A memorial service is slated for Saturday, Jan. 21 in the Fellowship United Church of Christ in Chesapeake. A Celebration of Life also will take place Saturday, Jan. 28 at Shrewsbury Church in Kennedyville, Md.

George Copeland Jr.
Kent County

At the most recent Town Council meeting, Ward 3 Council Member José Medrano proposed that the Mayor and Council provide $90,000 in direct American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to the Upper Shore Community Development Corporation (USCDP). This funding would support USCDP’s continued development and programming in 2023, including the hiring of part-time professional staff and to work with the Town on a number of important priorities, including creating a solution for our community’s growing homelessness challenge, the creation of a database of funding opportunities available to both the government and area nonprofit organizations, and providing much needed staff capacity to the Town to assist ARPA grantees with compliance and reporting as needed, as well as the Town’s Equity initiatives, including the important work of the Equity Advisory Committee.

To further serve the interests of our community, USCDP would undertake a much-needed nonprofit needs assessment that would identify and categorize area nonprofit organizations according to capacity, category, size, and budget, identify services currently provided, and conduct a community-wide survey to identify needs and service gaps. In addition to creating a fundraising database, USCDP will provide technical assistance and support for applications, including facilitating collaborations between organizations.

After 18 months of planning, organizational development, and community engagement, including meetings with Mayor Foster and every member of the Council, USCDP is prepared to begin programming in support of its mission, to use a community-based, equity-focused process to help Chestertown residents improve their quality of life, through programming in entrepreneurship, job readiness, and affordable housing. USCDP has a diverse Board of Directors representing a cross-section of area stakeholders, is finalizing its application for 501 (c)3 status, opened a fund at the Mid Shore Community Foundation, and secured office space.

USCDP has reached the point where local investment is essential for the organization to move to the next level, and to begin programming. USCDP has had significant support from a local private benefactor, which is winding down, and the current consulting team is concluding its work. USCDP’s first program, META, a minority entrepreneurship training program, is ready to begin, having recently received funding from Queen Anne’s County for an initial cohort of minority entrepreneurs, and a pending ARPA Task Force application for a Chestertown cohort. However, without operating support and the hiring of permanent staff, neither of these programs will be able to begin.

The time has come for the Town and Council to demonstrate its support for USCDP by allocating funding; the amount requested, $90,000, would not only provide funding to support the hiring of permanent staff, it would also send an important signal to outside funders that the community is invested in this work. Beginning the new year with a spirit of hope and a sense of urgency, USCDP stands ready to partner with the Town on matters of critical importance to our community. An approach in this manner will create a beneficial outcome for both the Town leadership and its community partners, with Chestertown’s citizens as the beneficiaries.

Rebecca Murphy
Lead Consultant, Upper Shore Community Development Partners