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June 23, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

3 Top Story Point of View J.E. Dean

Wishing You Non-Snarky Holidays by J.E. Dean

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Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Joyous Kwanza. I hope I did not leave anyone out.

I wish you safe and happy holidays, hopefully with friends and family who have not spent most of the last two days at the airport or stuck in snow waiting for a road to be cleared.  The winter holidays are meant to be enjoyed. That is why this column is about the holidays rather than about politics.

The past year has been a challenge, but let’s not go into that except to extend our sympathies and prayers to the people killed or injured at the Christmas Market in Magdeburg, Germany. We didn’t need a reminder that we live in challenging times, but we got one anyway.

In recent weeks, I have noticed that most of us want to move past the political acrimony of the last two years. I am among them but am reminded that, “Freedom is not free.”  It must be earned. Nobody is going to make America or the world a more empathetic, healthier, freer place as a gift. That is why giving someone the gift subscription to The Economist or some other objective, well-researched source of news and information is such a worthy  gift. It is a gift that, if used as directed, makes the recipient a better citizen.

The winter holidays, regardless of which one you celebrate, are not about gifts, or shouldn’t be. They should be a time of reflection and camaraderie. Families separated by distance or misunderstanding sometimes reunite during the holidays. Friends who have “lapsed” reconnect, a gift that, with a little luck, keeps on giving.

During the holidays, we get to celebrate the existence of good,something that we need to be reminded of these days. It is also a time to imagine a world without hate, greed, lying, war, disease, and hunger. I like to think of Christmas as the official start of a season of hope.

These days we are deluged by reminders that somewhere, over the last couple of thousand years, Christmas has becomecommercialized. This is not just since the cartoon Santa Claus became popular. It started with Christmas becoming just another holiday on the annual calendar. Today, I know of families—good families of loving people—who celebrate Christmas but don’t invite Jesus or any other hint of the religious origin of the holiday into their special day. I find that sad.

Today I am going to do my part to make Christmas something other than a day off from work, a day to watch football or a day to watch Uncle Bob drink too much wine. I am not going to write a list of what was on the president-elect’s gift list or, even more charitably on my part, what he deserves to get. I am putting my usual snarkiness on ice. I have also resolved not to discuss politics, at all, during Christmas dinner.

Let me close by wishing you, again, happy holidays. Let me also thank those of you who have regularly read these columns, especially readers who disagree with much of the stuff I write. Please know you are appreciated.  I consider your interest in my perspectives, and in the important political debates of our time, a gift.

J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.  

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

What does a waterman gift his father for Christmas?

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A waterman, not long off hand-tonging for oysters this frigid late morning, came through the front door of a vintage shop in St. Michaels. Antique house filled with antique items. Wood, metal, paint, paper, glass, clay.  No plastic.

He headed immediately up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Two days before Christmas. He knew what he was after.

Looking through eyes surrounded by skin weathered and cold-hardened from the morning’s work, he carefully examined the dozen or so workboat models lining the shelves. Bright sunshine streaming through the windows of the upstairs room spotlighted the details he patiently noted.

“Sir,” I said, pointing my words in his direction, 10 feet or so away in the next small room. “Do you do much fishing around here?”

I was holding a small case filled with a dozen shining and colorful spinner lures, thinking about a gift for my grandson.

He didn’t look up from the boat he was eyeing.  Didn’t answer me.

“Sir,” I said with more volume. Still nothing.

“Sir,” once more with even more lung.

Three’s a charm.

He finally looked up at me and I asked the fishing question again. By now I realized his hearing wasn’t so great.  I know the feeling, having to frequently ask people to speak up. Maybe his issue being a hitch developed over a few decades behind the loud exhaust of deck-mounted diesel engines in workboats.  Tractor hitch I think farmers call it.

Looking at the lures, he said he didn’t do that kind of fishing.  “I fish but it’s mainly with nets, commercial fishing.  Pound nets mostly.”

He looked back down at the model boat. “But I’m oysterin’ now. Hand tonging.  Not much fishing at the moment.

“I want to buy a model boat for my father for Christmas, but man, they’re high.”

Everything’s high these days, I thought. “Groceries are what got me elected,” said Donald Trump in a recent interview.  True words from my point of view. Lots of factors, but groceries were definitely one of the big ones. Inflation might be easing but prices are certainly not coming down in any hurry. Money’s tight.

The details he had been eyeing on the models included price tags.  I had looked at them too.  Several hundred dollars, each.

Lots of time and effort–meticulous work–go into model building.  The best ones–and these were all high quality–amount to scaled down but highly accurate versions of the real deal, with tiny braided-cotton lines, metal anchors, and other detailed rigging, whether tongs or dredges.

But lots of time and effort also went into that wad of cash the Tilghman Islander was fingering in his pocket as he considered the gift for his father, probably a waterman himself.

At $35 a bushel and a 12-bushel daily limit, the purchase would cost him at least one full day’s work, that day’s work probably, and the cash he was paid for that effort.

The waterman took his time with all the models displayed but kept coming back to a handsomely painted draketail with its slim stern and elegant hull curving gently upward toward a proud stem. Chesapeake watermen have a great appreciation for the graceful lines of their workboats and the tools of their trade.

“He decorates his house with these,” the waterman said as he handed over his cash to the lady at the front desk.

“He will really appreciate this,” she said.

A lot of love, respect, and admiration in that pure, way-of-life gift.

Christmas, I thought. Its sentiments run deep.

Photo by Dennis Forney

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

End of year musings by Maria Grant

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I wish all Spy readers a wondrous holiday and a new year filled with peace and joy. As the year winds down, I find myself reflecting on these past months. Here is a poem I wrote about such reflections.

Still life  

So many rooftops, tabletops, stovetops have I claimed
Rooms measured, chairs arranged for conversations fraught with nuance
Walls painted, changed from light to dark, shadow striped and glazed
Gardens tilled, planted, weeded, and refigured
Endless bouquets of flowers in tall vases
Fresh fruits and vegetables in bowls,
Arranged by color and size, cast in shadow and light
Books on shelves erudite and deep
Too much poetry?  Too little prose?
A bit of theater in repose
A glass of sherry, a spot of port
To which political topic shall we resort in a year
Filled with division, destruction, and retort
Recycled thoughts like papers shredded and reconstituted
So much pretension, wasted time
Revisions turn from reductions to deductions
A denouement or yet another variation on a theme
Decisions made may bode more danger than first seen
Photographs flash freeze upon my screen.
Still life. 

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of the federal human capital practice of an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, reading, music, and nature. 

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Winter’s Promise By Jamie Kirkpatrick

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A few days ago, we made it through the inky tunnel of the year’s longest night. Now, for some of us anyway, here comes the year’s holiest night. The common denominator is, of course, darkness and the return of light. Bleak winter’s promise.

I read somewhere that the winter solstice—the astrological moment when we turn our planetary face back toward the sun—is one of the oldest known holidays in human history. Anthropologists believe that solstice celebrations may go back at least 30,000 years, even before humans began farming on a large scale. Many of the world’s most ancient structures—Stonehenge, for example—were designed to pinpoint the precise date of the solstice by using a circular arrangement of standing stones to catch the first rays of midwinter sun.

Some ancient people probably even believed that since daylight had been waning, it might go away forever. They built and lit huge bonfires to tempt the sun to return. The tradition of decorating our houses and trees with lights at this time of year are the descendants of those prehistoric bonfires. We are but links in a long human chain.

“In the Bleak Midwinter” was originally a poem penned by the English poet Christina Rossetti in 1872. It has been set to music many times. The most familiar version was published by Gustav Holst; the tune is called ‘Cranham’ and it was written as a congregational hymn in 1906. It was one of my dear father’s most cherished Christmas carols:

In the bleak midwinter

Frosty wind made moan

Earth stood hard as iron

Water like a stone

 

Today, climate change and global warming may be pushing winter ever farther north, but we still feel its chill in our bones. I suppose it’s even possible that we share some atavistic measure of our ancient human ancestors’ dread about the death of light. But I think it’s safe to say we’ve endured long enough to understand our place in the universe, and to have faith that light and the warmth of the sun will return soon.

Or will it?

Scientists predict that over the course of billions of years, the sun will either run out of hydrogen and swell into a red giant, swallowing its closest planets, or it will lose its outer layers and shrink into a white dwarf, a dead star that will slowly cool and fade away. Either way, Earth will die with it. Another poet, the American icon Robert Frost, contemplated that distant fate in “Fire and Ice.”

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

 

Am I worried about that distant demise? Not really. I figure that by then our planet’s goose will already be either cooked or frozen. Instead, I’ve decided to hold winter to its eternal promise. In the words of the Beatles:

Here comes the sun,

Here comes the sun

And I say, it’s all right.

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. His new novel, “The Tales of Bismuth; Dispatches from Palestine, 1945-1948” explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is available on Amazon.

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How high is a high bar on tax increases and Governor Wes Moore’s political future By David Reel

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Next month the Maryland General Assembly convenes in Annapolis for a ninety-day session. 

All indications are the discussions, deliberations, and decisions on the state budget will be drawn out and divisive.

The reason is simple.

Last week, the General Assembly’s bi- partisan Affordable Spending Committee received a most sobering report on the state’s current and projected fiscal conditions.

The report included some of the worst state budget revenue and expense projections since the state endured pandemic lockdowns.

The committee staff is currently projecting a budget deficit of three billion dollars. That amount is even larger than the one a reported several weeks ago which was then 2.7 billion dollars. 

All the debate on the budget will include a wide range of key players with starkly different and strongly held opinions on the best way to address projected short term and long-term deficits.

At this point, the most likely options include spending cuts, fee increases, tax increases, revisions to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (the Kirwan Plan) and maintaining or increasing the flow of federal dollars into Maryland. 

With a new Republican President and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, it is almost a given that federal dollars flowing into Maryland from jobs, and funding of huge infrastructure projects such as the Red Line mass transit expansion in Baltimore and Amtrak tunnel rebuild, also in Baltimore, will run dry. 

One exception is recent bi partisan Congressional and White House approval of full federal funding for rebuilding and replacing the Key Bridge in Baltimore. Beyond that one-time massive level of federal aid, such outlays are gone at least for the next four years and maybe forever.

Despite all the above news, Governor Moore has repeatedly said he has a “high bar” for tax increases. He also and more recently stated that he supports revisions to the Kirwan Plan including, but not limited to, delays in the current schedule for full implementation. 

Moore has also said regularly that Maryland must attract more higher paying jobs to Maryland and must stem the number of high-income taxpayers leaving Maryland. 

To do that, Moore issued Executive Orders last week prefaced with the following messages: 

“Maryland has an opportunity to change the trajectory of the downward decline that our state’s economy has experienced over the past several years. For Maryland to win the decade, we must be clear-eyed about the impediments to growth, develop strategies to deliver short-term and long-term sustainable success, and create the climate that is necessary for businesses and talent to grow and relocate in our state.”

His Executive Orders create a Governor’s Office of Business Advancement, a Maryland Coordinated Permitting Review Council, a Certified Sites Program, and a Governor’s Economic Competitiveness Subcabinet. 

His orders also provide for a Government Loaned Executive Program, an all-of-government approach to supporting priority industries and sectors; the Department of Commerce to coordinate economic development, marketing, and branding efforts with local governments; directing a comprehensive review of the Business Tax Credit; Financial Assistance and Incentive Programs; and a review of Certain Business Licensing Programs. 

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson has been less direct in his opinions on tax increases. 

Ferguson has said, “We are going to have to look at revenues in certain areas because when we look at the budget overall, the gap cannot be accomplished by cuts alone.” Ferguson has echoed Moore’s position that a decision on tax increases will have a high bar for his support.

The current views of Moore and Ferguson put them at odds with two high ranking and influential leaders in the House of Delegates — Majority Leader David Moon and Appropriations Committee Chair Ben Barnes.

Both are unapologetic progressives who believe strongly that substantial state tax increases are long overdue. They also oppose suggestions to delay or revise the implementation of schedules or mandates in Kirwan, including mandates opposed by some local school boards.

Delegate Barnes took a page from the messaging book of Governor Moore and Senate President Ferguson by saying he has a “very high bar for any rollback of education reforms.”

I predict when all is said and done, the Democratic super majorities in the General Assembly along with Governor Moore will reach agreement on and approve a mixture of spending cuts, tax increases, fee increases, and revisions to Kirwan. 

I also predict the Republican minorities in the General Assembly will continue efforts already underway to strongly oppose tax increases. 

 As always, the minority will have their say, and the majority will have their way. 

The General Assembly’s regular session ends in April. Barring any subsequent special sessions, only then we will know how Governor Moore chose to define a high bar on tax increases.

Eventually, we also will know how that choice impacted his political future that many believe includes a run for President, assuming he is reelected to a second term as governor.

David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant Easton.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Taking flight? Will Delmarva Review come in for a landing?

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It’s hard to imagine the Delmarva Review ever having trouble finding writers eager to submit their work. However, in 2007, when the Eastern Shore Writers Association was a small group of about 12 members, its modest membership publication wasn’t exactly on the national radar. That is until Wilson Wyatt came along.

Wyatt, a writer, photographer, and former senior corporate communications officer was president of the Association at the time. For someone who once taught writing to corporate marketing teams filled with Ivy League graduates—“people who were brilliant but didn’t know how to write,” he said—the elements of strong writing have always been central to his life. When he moved to Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Wyatt sought out a thriving literary community, but what he found was something in need of nurturing.

“The Eastern Shore Writers Association had 12 members,” Wyatt said. “I thought, well, there must be some good writing here. And there was. People were looking for community, for connection. It just wasn’t very organized.”

Under his leadership, the membership grew to over 200 in two years. At the same time, Wyatt, who had also taken on responsibilities with the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference, started asking bigger questions about the ESWA’s membership publication: Why keep it small? Why not open it up to writers beyond the region and make it truly competitive?

Wyatt conducted a survey asking if members would support transforming the publication into an open, national literary journal—one that would accept submissions from anywhere, not just members. 96% of the members agreed.

“People didn’t want to submit their best work to a publication that would never be seen beyond the group,” Wyatt said. “They wanted something competitive, something with value. So that’s how Delmarva Review was born.”

Today, the Delmarva Review is regarded as a national literary achievement. What began with 200 submissions for its first issue has now grown to an annual flood of 4,000-6,000 entries from around the world—47 states, 19 countries, and counting. Since its inception, the journal has published work from 550 writers, dozens of whom have gone on to earn Pushcart Prize nominations and other accolades.

Wilson Wyatt

Still, Wyatt is the first to admit that Delmarva Review often has to overcome the perception of being a regional publication.

“We hear it all the time—‘Oh, that’s a regional journal.’ And I always have to explain: It’s not. Yes, the name reflects where we’re based, but our reach is global,” Wyatt said. “Interestingly, though, if you’re a writer from this area, you have a better statistical chance of being published here. If you’re deciding between the Georgia Review and the Delmarva Review, you’ve got a better shot with us—and we’re still publishing at a national level of quality.”

That focus on quality—and a strict adherence to the Delmarva Review’s mission—sets it apart. Every year, thousands of submissions are whittled down to around 60-70 pieces, each read and vetted multiple times by the journal’s volunteer editors.

“The secret is the quality of writing,” Wyatt said. “We stick to the mission of publishing the best work we receive, even if it means saying no to friends or familiar names. We’ve also published many authors for the very first time, which is equally exciting.”

One such author is Maxine Poe-Jensen, a St. Michaels High School senior and the first  Delmarva Review’sYouth Writing Mentorship and Scholarship Award recipient. Her fictional short story, E Duo Unum, was featured in the journal’s 15th edition.

“It’s a rare opportunity for a high school student to be published in a literary journal of this caliber,” Wyatt said. The scholarship program, which pairs students with Delmarva Review editors, was funded by Talbot Arts and is an initiative Wyatt hopes will continue.

“The biggest challenge is finding a teacher willing to partner with us,” Wyatt said. “The money isn’t much, but the real value is the mentoring. That’s what sets it apart.”

As Wyatt reflects on the Delmarva Review’s 16-year journey, he notes the consistency of its mission and, surprisingly, its quality. The recently released Best of Delmarva Review Anthology: 2008-2023 showcases what Wyatt calls “the best of the best” from the journal’s history—475 pages of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from 75 authors.

“The anthology gave us a chance to look back,” Wyatt said. “We weren’t sure what we’d find revisiting the first issue. But we were surprised. The quality of the writing in that very first issue—with just 200 submissions—was strong. It held up.”

The cover photograph of the anthology—a great egret poised for takeoff—is Wyatt’s work. The editors, he said, chose it for its metaphorical resonance.

“We liked the idea of ‘taking flight,’” Wyatt said. “For writers, it’s a metaphor for launching new work. But for some of us on the editorial team, it also represents our readiness to step away.”

After 16 years as Delmarva Review’s executive editor, Wyatt is contemplating his next chapter—and he’s not alone. Several genre editors, who have devoted countless hours to reading, editing, and curating, are also considering handing over the reins.

“We’re at a high point,” Wyatt said. “If there’s ever a time to step back, this is it. But the question remains: Who will take it on? We’re open to inquiries and hope to decide early next year.”

Is Wyatt convincible to stay?

“Maybe,” he said. “For an interim period, if the goal is to transition to someone who shares the same vision of publishing exceptional writing without borders.”

And if this truly is the end?

“I’ll finally get back to writing my own work,” Wyatt said. “I was halfway through a novel before all this started.” However, Wyatt seems at peace with whatever happens next. If this anthology marks the journal’s final flight, it is a triumphant one—a testament to 16 years of exceptional storytelling and the thousands of writers whose words have taken off from its pages.

“Sometimes you have to stop and look at what’s been accomplished,” Wyatt said. “We’ve done what we set out to do—and then some.”

Whether Delmarva Review continues to soar or finally comes in for a landing, one thing is sure: its legacy is already written, and it’s a beautiful one.

Purchase a copy here

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Who is president? By Al Sikes

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This is of course now old news (Tweets have a short life). Republicans and Democrats in the United States House of Representatives concluded negotiations on a massive appropriation bill to keep the government operational until March of next year.

But recall before going further: “to retain respect for sausages and laws avoid watching them in the making”. So please do not take this short take as respect for what is called a Congressional Resolution; shorthand: CR. But here we are. The law says to the Congress RESOLVE or shutdown. So the Committee to make Sausage resolved, Republican and Democrat alike.

Within a very short time Elon Musk, America’s richest man and buddy of the President-Elect, put his thumb down. It is said he posted his disapproval on his web site 70 times. Ten hours later so did Donald Trump. Not a good look.

But then when you assemble a bunch of titanic egos do not expect them to ask permission. Presidents since George Washington have used allies to quietly seed the news media with rumors of this or that. It is an honorable way to gain some sense of both insider and public reaction before emerging from the carefully protected trenches and announcing a decision.

Musk’s trench is his business, X, which used to be Twitter. He uses it as a bullhorn. He has impulses and he posts them. In the case of the CR he put his thumb down on the work of the Congressional committee at 4:15 am Wednesday.

Here is a take from the Wall Street Journal: “Over the course of Wednesday, Musk pressed for Congress to kill the bill. He encouraged his more than 200 million followers on X, the social-media platform that he owns, to call their representatives to vote against it, and he warned that Republicans who voted for it should lose their congressional seats in two years. He also said Congress shouldn’t pass any more legislation until President-elect Donald Trump takes office, which would ensure a partial government shutdown until Jan. 20.”

The obvious question is who is leading who? It is said that Musk gave the various Trump campaign subsidiaries over $200 million. And in the aftermath of the election, Musk became a constant presence with the President. Perhaps he should formally join the Trump family. Changing one’s name is not an expensive affair. Dutifully, I apologize for the snark.

What I don’t apologize for is my concern about the world’s richest man placing himself in a position of at least appearing to be not the President’s whisperer but the President’s voice. It is not only on the atmospherics a bad thing, it portends a clash of egos that cannot do other than undermine the Presidency. Regain control Mr. President-Elect.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Living in Paradise by Angela Rieck

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I have retreated to the warm sunshine of Key West. I know that the weather has been unpleasant at times up North, with cold temperatures and torrential rain. I am fortunate enough to live in Key West, where this time of year chilly days are in the high sixties; and most days are in the 70s. In Key West, the palm trees sway to the tune of the trade winds that gently surround the island. 

To many, Key West is paradise. I found 283 novels that were set in Key West on Amazon, and 516 nonfiction books about it. There are duplicates in this list, but it shows you how intriguing Key West can be. Writers have tried different devices to capture Key West. One used street names, another treated Key West as his companion; still another tried to use a traditional history. Each time they fell short. 

Key West is known for its sunsets. Mallory Square takes on a carnival atmosphere at sunset. But I prefer its sunrises. The contrasting colors of the aqua, turquoise and jadeite ocean against the changing colors in the sky of warm pink, yellow, and pale blue are portraits in pastels. At sunrise, pelicans occupy the piers and sea gulls commence flight. Great blue herons perch motionless on the shoreline and the ibis stalk insects in the grass. On the pier, the observers are silent, appreciating the artistry that nature has created. 

What makes Key West a place that people consider paradise? It can be many things:

  • The acceptance and quirkiness. There is no dress code.
  • Living outdoors. Eight months out of the year the weather is wonderful; the other four months it is tolerable only to locals (called Conchs).
  • Its raw beauty…The colors of the ocean and sky, sunrises, and sunsets have inspired many artists.
  • The lifestyle…two wheels (or some similar representation of them) are the best way to get around the island.
  • The sounds…the rustling of palm trees, roosters crowing; and at night, the bands and drunk patrons weaving through Duval Street.
  • The tastes…thanks to the tourists and guests, its restaurants rival any large city in their diversity and quality.
  • The animals…cats and chickens live on the streets in harmony, dogs have their own beach, gawky pelicans glide gracefully over the ocean, the ibis wanders through lawns, the eerie anhingas stretch out their wings to dry. 
  • The architecture… There are a few graceful Victorian and Queen Anne homes, but many homes are eyebrow or simple Conch houses, structures that can easily be rebuilt after the hurricane sweeps them away.
  • There is always something to do.

Key West has no clock; it recycles and reinvents itself. Boom and bust cycles, hurricanes, winds, fires & floods, full and part-time inhabitants, drugs, fishing. Somehow you get the impression that despite climate change, hurricanes, scoundrels, tourists, and politics, Key West will endure. 

But as magical as Key West can be, it is not paradise. 

The dictionary defines paradise as an ideal or idyllic place or state. To me, paradise is a what not a where. Paradise is a moment when I experience pure joy. 

Paradise is that moment that you snuggle with your child, the time you realize that you have met someone who completely understands you, and the holiday parties where you connect with close friends and family. So, while I am soaking up the warmth in Key West, those in the chilly weather have equal opportunity to experience paradise.

I wish that the holidays bring you paradise in the touch of a loved one, the beautiful holiday displays, the festive shops, and restaurants. And most of all, I hope that you can recognize your paradise when it appears. 

I want to thank all of my readers, knowing that you are reading my columns and getting feedback is my paradise. I wish for paradise-filled holidays to all.

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 Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Should the press worry about Trump’s threats? By J.E. Dean

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Donald Trump enjoyed what may be his second biggest win of the year last Friday when ABC settled Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the network and its best-known anchor. The suit related to George Stephanopoulos saying Trump was found “liable for rape.”  ABC, through its foundation, agreed to contribute $15 million to the future Trump Presidential Library, cover $1 million in Trump’s legal fees, and issue an apology. 

The settlement surprised many in the media. While Trump was not found guilty of rape in the E. Jean Carroll case, the judge in the case wrote, “The finding that Ms. Carroll failed to prove that she was ‘raped’ within the meaning of the New York Penal Law does not mean that she failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word rape. Indeed, as the evidence at trial recounted below makes clear, the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”

Trump’s victory over ABC was followed yesterday with a lawsuit against The Des Moines Register and pollster J. Ann Selzer over a poll held shortly before election day that indicated Kamala Harris leading Trump by 3 percent in Iowa. Trump won Iowa by 14 percent. . 

Before the election and during his first term in office, Trump threatened “fake news” outlets such as ABC and NBC with revocation of their broadcast licenses. He has also routinely ridiculed media personalities who dare to criticize him.

Earlier in his “career,” in 2006, Trump sued Warner Books and the author of a book titled The Art of Being the Donald, who wrote that Trump was only a millionaire, not a billionaire. Trump’s suit was dismissed.

In October 2022, Trump sued CNN for $2.75 billion. In part, the complaint read: “CNN has sought to use its massive influence – purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source – to defame the Plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically, culminating in CNN claiming credit for ‘[getting] Trump out’ in the 2020 presidential election.”

Trump alleged the term “The Big Lie,” was “uttered” more than 7,700 times on the network from January 2021 to the date of the lawsuit.

In May 2023, Trump sued The Washington Post for $3.78 billion for publishing news relating to the finances of Truth Social, the social media platform that has become the go-to news outlet for the Trump transition. Trump alleged the Post acted with malice to undermine him politically.

There have been other lawsuits filed by Trump or his campaign, including actions against a Wisconsin TV station for running an ad that suggested that Trump had called the coronavirus a hoax, Bob Woodward, and CBS.

After January 20, 2025, will Trump attempt to silence his critics with further attacks on the free press? That is a worry all of us should have. And it gets worse. As traditional news outlets have lost ground to social media sites, podcasts, blogs, and other non-traditional news-sharing, those previously unregulated sources of information (and misinformation) could find themselves subject to new regulations or lawsuits intended to intimidate them against speaking out against Trump and his policies.

Trump’s threats to the media and anyone else criticizing him should be taken seriously. In the case of the media, I wonder whether the nature of the threats will change from lawsuits to governmental action after Inauguration Day.  Will Trump or soon-to-be FBI Director Kash Patel develop an enemies list? 

I also wonder whether the threats themselves will suffice to hush many, or even most, critics, even those outside the media but who may be known in their communities as Trump-haters. If Trump fails to close the IRS, will some of these people find themselves subject to tax audits?

It is ironic that Donald Trump is pursuing “dishonest” media. The Washington Post has cataloged more than 30,573 of what it calls “lies” told during Trump’s first term in the White House.

Remember when Donald Trump said that Senator Ted Cruz’s father was with John F. Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, right before Oswald was shot? The implication was that Cruz’s father was somehow involved in the assassination. To my knowledge, Senator Cruz, today one of President-Elect Trump’s strongest supporters in the U.S. Senate, never sued for defamation.

J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, and, too infrequently, other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s List on Medium and Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Two Movies By Jamie Kirkpatrick

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My wife and I took Annie, one of our grandkids, to the movies the other day to see “Wicked,” the film adaptation of the Broadway musical.  At two hours and forty minutes, it’s a long movie. It’s also dense—a complex psychological fable for our age. In case you haven’t seen it yet, I’m not going to spoil it by unraveling the plot for you. Let’s just say there’s a lot to unpack. Oh—and this rendition is only Part One; Part Two drops next year. Talk about delayed gratification!

After the movie, we returned home and ate supper in front of the TV.  At this time of year, there are a lot of Christmas movies on channels all over the map. Every year, we indulge ourselves and watch many—OK, most—of them: “White Christmas,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “ A Christmas Story” (my favorite), “Love Actually,” “The Grinch,” “Elf,” and, of course, “Miracle on 34th Street.” (There are some B listers, too, but we avoid those.) Anyway, the night Annie came to visit, we were scrolling through the channel list and came upon “The Sound of Music.” Maybe it’s not really a Christmas movie, but who doesn’t relish the love story of Postulate Maria (Julie Andrews) and retired Captain Gregor Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) and the widowed Captain’s seven singing moppets. And if the love story isn’t enough, there’s also the added intrigue of the Nazi Anschluss into Austria in 1938 and the last-minute escape of the Von Trapp singers over the mountains into neutral Switzerland.

If movies are a reflection of our time and culture, we ran the gamut that day with Annie. “The Sound of Music” was released in the spring of 1965, not exactly a benign time, but decidedly prior to many of the cultural wars of the late 1960s and beyond. It’s a charming and innocent film, full of sing-along tunes, and it has a happy ending.

“Wicked,” on the other hand, is dark, and the ending—at least of Part One—is neither happy nor resolved. The principle characters—Glinda and Elphaba—each have a significant childhood backstory that informs their adult characters. Moreover, woven into the subtext of the film like the false strands of an heirloom Persian rug, there are veiled references to human (and animal) rights, political repression, thought control, and an all-powerful ruler who seems benign enough on the surface, but who, along with his power-wielding minions, reveals a much more dangerous and nefarious side. On top of all that, the music and lyrics of the songs in “Wicked” are hardly light as Austria’s Alpine air. And as for the flying monkeys who seemed comical enough in “The Wizard of Oz,” in “Wicked,” they are the stuff of vivid nightmares for children and adults alike. I’m still shaking,

At the conclusion of “The Sound of Music,” goodness triumphs over evil, at least for the Von Trapp family. But now that we’re halfway through the “Wicked” narrative, I’m not sure that good will triumph over evil, or over anything else ever again. Maybe Part Two will prove me wrong—we will all just have to wait and see.

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. His new novel, “The Tales of Bismuth; Dispatches from Palestine, 1945-1948” explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It is available on Amazon.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.