Get to know some of the Unite the Right rally participants and sympathizers

As a society, racism and the belief in white supremacy is deep in our DNA. It can be said that Christopher Columbus was the father of white supremacy in the Americas. The Civil War hardly extinguished this feature of the American psyche. Most of the monuments to the confederacy were erected in the early 1900s and following passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. As in the Civil War, the alt-right are our brothers and sisters, fellow Americans. THEY watch the same movies, participate in the same sporting events, go to the same restaurants as WE. They’re part of us.

And President Trump has given legitimacy to their platform. If the main-stream press is fake news, then the reports here must be what the President believes. We can only be a better country if we understand something about this illness that afflicts our body politic.  Here is a glimpse of some of the supporters of the Unite The Right Rally in Charlottsville, Va. on Saturday, August 12th; and an organization at the forefront of monitoring some 1,600 hate and extremist groups operating in this country.

Battle of Charlottesville: A Firsthand Account

by Lee Rogers (Daily Stormer),  August 13, 2017 [ABRIDGED]

I wanted to give everyone my first hand account of what I saw while everything is still fresh. The one thing I will say is that everything I’m seeing reported in the Jewish media about what happened yesterday is a lie. There’s nobody giving an accurate account. All I’ve seen is an endless parade of non-Whites and Jews spewing nonsense. I’ve yet to see a single person on any of the big cable news channels interview a single person from our side.

Here’s what really happened. At around 9 AM many of us began assembling at McIntire Park which is a short distance away from Lee Park. As we walked to [Lee Park] we were confronted by all sorts of degenerates. Continue reading Get to know some of the Unite the Right rally participants and sympathizers

There is Human Trafficking in Howard County

A man was charged with forcing four women into prostitution in Howard County this week. Kudos to the Howard County Police Department for their targeted efforts to arrest human trafficking. This is my post from a year ago, updated with the latest report.

Howard police arrest Baltimore man at Laurel motel in latest human trafficking case

by Andrew Michaels (Howard County Times), August 2, 2017 [ABRIDGED]

A Baltimore man was charged Wednesday with the human trafficking of four women in Howard and Prince George’s counties following a nearly two-week investigation by Howard County police.

Kamal Germaine Dorchy, 43, faces multiple counts of human trafficking, the police announced. He is being held without bond at the Howard County jail.

This investigation is part of Howard County’s ongoing efforts to stop prostitution and human trafficking. There have been almost as many human trafficking cases this year as there were in all of 2016. Continue reading There is Human Trafficking in Howard County

Howard County has a “Dakota Access” pipeline right in our back yard

Who knew we have petroleum pipelines running through Howard County MD? On a recent doctor visit out Dorsey Hall Drive in Ellicott City, I discovered these signs for a petroleum pipeline managed by Colonial Pipeline Company. Surprised by my finding, I decided to do some research. Come to find, there are numerous natural gas and hazardous liquid (petroleum) pipelines throughout Howard County and the USA.

Colonial Pipeline right of way (ROW) looking south across Dorsey Hall Dr. and US29 (left) and headed north to Marriottsville and Dorsey Junction in Woodbine (right) [photo by Harry Schwarz]
Map showing pipelines traversing Howard County, MD; The Colonial pipeline is indicated by the red line (map by National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) Public Viewer)

Pipeline Basics

by The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, US Dept of Transportation (PHMSA)

The energy transportation network of the United States consists of over 2.5 million miles of pipelines. That’s enough to circle the earth about 100 times. These pipelines are operated by approximately 3,000 companies, large and small.

Most hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipelines are located underground in rights-of-way (ROW). A ROW consists of consecutive property easements acquired by, or granted to, the pipeline company. The ROW provides sufficient space to perform pipeline maintenance and inspections, as well as a clear zone where encroachments can be monitored and prevented. Continue reading Howard County has a “Dakota Access” pipeline right in our back yard

You know these Baltimore sites — in postcards from about 1912

I’ve collected postcards since I was a kid. Friends and family gave me postcards, I scrutinized every card , then organized them in myriad ways.  They were a glimpse at a world beyond my own.

On a rainy day, it’s a wonderful pastime to explore the world in my postcards. Today they show history.  Here are some cards of familiar Baltimore sites, from a souvenir portfolio from Union News Company.

Continue reading You know these Baltimore sites — in postcards from about 1912

It shouldn’t have happened

Fifteen year old Grace McComas committed suicide in 2012. Her story is one of how the Howard County community failed this child and family.  First and foremost, it was a flagrant example of an institution that’s intended to serve the people, putting the administration first rather than the interests of this child and family.  But we all played a role. And we have an opportunity to make it right.

Julia McCready, our guest blogger, is a Howard County Educator with a knowledge and wisdom about Grace’s story.  She posts daily at http://villagegreentownsquared.blogspot.com/

Sharing the Story

by Julia McCready (Friday, July 7, 2017)

In the Spring of 2012 the Glenelg High School community was rocked by the suicide of a sophomore named Grace McComas. She took her life in response to a drug-assisted rape by a fellow student and the subsequent cyber-bullying from members of that same community when she spoke out and sought justice.

In a school of approximately 1200 students, how many do you suppose knew what was going on?

How many knew because they were participating in the bullying?

How many knew and tried to help?

How many knew and did nothing?

How many knew nothing at all?

In the time since her daughter’s death Christine McComas has fought to raise awareness of sexual assault, cyber-bullying, and has worked unceasingly to get her daughters complete school records from the year that she died. The response to her efforts has often been disappointing.

Continue reading It shouldn’t have happened