- Worth Reading December 22, 2022 December 21, 2022 by The Editors - Domestic outlook A good assessment of Kamala Harris (MPD) This article seems to cut through a lot of stuff and get to the heart of one key aspect of the Republican Party, if there really is such a thing today. It has the side benefit of being a very short read. (JDQB) Ukraine outlook A well written if perhaps wishful analysis of damage to Russia from sanctions and Putin’s own errors (MPD) An introduction to the doctrine of Forward Resilience to counter Russia’s intended destruction of Ukraine (MPD) A dreadfully pessimistic assessment of the prospects for Ukraine. Passed to editors by a serious source, but containing some politically-charged phrasing relevant to its credibility (MPD) For those who can stand it, this interview with the vocal “realist” John Mearsheimer reveals the fantasies on which he and others are now basing their views on Putin and Ukraine, as well as a great deal about Mearsheimer’s character. (WDM) Afghanistan In the last issue, we wrote about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and Father Peter Gray's charitable work there. He provides first-hand reports from those he helps about the latest ban on education for women by the Taliban. Something uplifting As a devoted reader of Tolkein, WDM is delighted by this essay on living in a time when…
- Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan December 6, 2022 by The Editors - By Matt Daley and David Montgomery Much ink has been spilled over the ill-judged policies promulgated by Presidents Trump and Biden that led to the August 2021 debacle at Hamid Karzai International Airport. American credibility and honor were shredded as our Afghan allies were largely abandoned and the Taliban took over. Thirteen US military personnel lost their lives at the airport, more than had been killed in the preceding four years. Afghanistan’s economy was shattered and full-fledged humanitarian crisis blossomed. This essay will not scrutinize the many and varied missteps on the road to that tragedy or the many and grievous violations of human rights by the Taliban, the de facto rulers of Afghanistan. Rather it will look at the situation on the ground today with respect to the humanitarian crisis and the steps being taken to address it. The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan overshadows events elsewhere in the world in terms of the size of the population in dire need. (It is conceivable that developments in Ukraine would give that country the dismal top billing.) The World Food Program (a UN agency) cites predictions that over half the population will experience critical or emergency levels of food insecurity, while…
- Worth Reading December 6, 2022 December 6, 2022 by The Editors - John DeQ Briggs recommends three items: This is a brilliant interview of Francis Fukuyama by Andrew Sullivan on Liberalism’s Crisis. While it aired last summer, it is no less pertinent or trenchant today. The Matt Taibbi Twitter string describing the document dump by Elon Musk and Twitter relating to the pressure by the Democrats to have matters censored is the tip of an interesting iceberg. The Democrats and their enablers have already weighed in with the shopworn Clinton defense: “old news; nothing to see here; this is just Republicans attacking democracy”. But the fact that so many government institutions were determined through prevarication and other such methods to keep certain politically threatening things quiet suggests we have entered a new phase of the abandonment of the rule of law and entered into the realm of unvarnished lawlessness. Rarely do briefs filed with the Supreme Court as Amicus Curiae involve humor, much less are they laced with humor to make their main point. In this case The Onion filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of an Ohio man who faced criminal charges over a Facebook page parodying his local police department. The opening paragraph is this: The Onion is the world’s leading news publication,…
- Thinking About Things: Our Hugely Interesting 2022 Mid-Terms November 22, 2022 by John DeQ. Briggs - John DeQ. Briggs In the election finally almost concluded, the Biden administration faced hurricane force headwinds brought on by many things. including: (i) the catastrophic departure from Afghanistan; (ii) the declaration of war on domestic carbon fuels and the consequent spiking gasoline prices; (iii) the flooding of the economy with “free cash” to politically favored groups and the consequent spiking of inflation to rates not seen since the 1970s; (iv) the disastrous lack of security on the southern border and the consequential spike in deaths from opioids cum Fentanyl; (v) the toothless criminal law enforcement policies of many urban centers, driving up murders, carjackings, and burglaries; the mishandling of Covid during 2021 and the caving in to the demand for lockdowns from the teachers’ unions, with the effect of stunting the educational growth of millions of children; and (vi) the panoply of issues surrounding wokeness in schools and elsewhere. But bucking a nearly century-old trend, instead of receiving the voter punishment expected by most, the administration just about broke even. This was not because the electorate voted to approve the policies that generated these massive headwinds. This was because, contrary to most polling and expectations, the GOP in general, and Donald Trump in particular, handed scores of congressional seats to generic…
- Winnable Elections Lost November 22, 2022 by W. David Montgomery - By David Montgomery Despite a significant advantage in voter registrations, Talbot County Republicans did not do particularly well in local or statewide elections. Republican Congressman Andy Harris lost to his challenger in Talbot County while winning in his District as a whole. Republican underdogs in the races for Governor and the U.S. Senate lost in Talbot County, but Republican underdogs for Maryland Comptroller and Attorney General won the Talbot County vote. The Republican candidate for Attorney General was attacked as an extremist every bit as hard as gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox, but the results were the opposite. At the same time, Republicans took both seats in the Maryland Assembly and the seat in the Maryland Senate. The Assembly races were close, but Johnny Mautz won the Senate handily over a far-left opponent. Mautz and one of the Assembly candidates had the advantage of incumbency, and the other Republican won by a narrower margin. Even in races Republicans won, their margin of victory fell far short of their registration advantage. In local elections, the results were mixed. Republicans ended up with a 3 – 2 majority on the County Council, continuing a trend down from 5 – 0 representation several elections back. Republican candidates for the four open…
- Worth Reading November 22, 2022 November 21, 2022 by The Editors - In line with the dedication of this issue to the mid-term elections, we offer a few more reflections on that election here. Republicans are losing races they could have won across the country. It is not just unelectable MAGA candidates coming out of primaries that is responsible. Nationwide and in Talbot County there has been a massive increase in mail-in ballots for Democrats. This short note points out how large this shift is, and contains the recommendation that “Democrats have worked very hard for decades to move to an ‘election season’ where they can harvest ballots every day ... so that by Election Day, they have already won. Whereas Republicans keep focusing on getting people excited for Election Day ... That is not going to work in places where there’s massive unsupervised balloting and ballot trafficking operations, so [Republicans] either need to do a much better job of fighting those things, or they need to join and actually play according to the new rules of the game.” A Republican state senator discusses the outcomes of Maryland races in particular, and again emphasizes how the Democrat mail-in strategy is working for them An article in the City Journal discussed the recent…
- Editors Note October 18, 2022 by The Editors - The editors have invited all candidates for a seat on the Talbot County Council to submit essays describing the issues they believe are important and their thinking on those issues. The first essay in what we hope will be a series is written by David Montgomery, one of the editors of this journal. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Chesapeake Observer or its editors. Comments are welcomed and encouraged.
- Thoughts on Talbot County October 18, 2022 by W. David Montgomery - David Montgomery Candidate for Talbot County Council In the past few weeks there have been a number of community forums to which all ten Talbot County Council candidates were invited. In those forums we had a minute or less to answer sometimes surprising or complicated questions. That is nowhere enough time to address the complex issues facing Talbot County, and I am left with many pages of notes that went unused. Therefore, with the indulgence of my co-editors, I will take this opportunity to lay out a framework for thinking about these issues. I will not give a pitch for myself, that is available at www.montgomeryfortalbot.com. I will organize around a few familiar themes, listed with links to jump to sections of interest: EnvironmentManaging GrowthComprehensive PlanPublic SafetyBudgetSchoolsHealth CareAffordable Housing and Good Jobs Environment I have been an enthusiastic sailor, and I hunt in every local season. I am committed to preserving our farmlands, open spaces and forests. I want to see populations of oysters, crabs and fish increase in the Bay. I want farmers and watermen to make adequate incomes so that they stay here and continue their harvests. Much of my life for 40 years has been spent working on how to design policies and programs that achieve…
- Accountability for Thee… But Not for Me October 18, 2022 by Guest Author - Editors’ Note: The Chesapeake Observer publishes occasional guest editorials on timely topics that would interest our readers. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Chesapeake Observer or its editors. Comments and other contributions are welcome. Captain Rob NewberryChair, Delmarva Fisheries Association,Inc.After the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) announced they may extend a 2025 deadline for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay; the Chesapeake Bay Foundation responded with “Going forward, the Chesapeake Bay states must demonstrate the leadership necessary to complete the job and the EPA must hold all of us accountable.” At the Delmarva Fisheries Association (DFA) we agree; especially if holding all of us accountable includes CBF. We also suggest CBF follow their own advice, since recent CBF actions speak louder than words on accountability. Earlier this year, CBF participated in a joint oyster reef restoration project in Virginia. The project included rebuilding oyster reefs in estuaries in the Lynnhaven River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. After work began, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) determined the dumping of wire, steel, concrete, and asphalt in this CBF joint project posed a serious threat to water quality and…
- Thinking About Things: How Quickly Things Change September 6, 2022 by John DeQ. Briggs - By John DeQ Briggs September 6, 2022 If you have been on vacation, or otherwise taking a summer break from day-to-day news, it may surprise you to learn that the political landscape of early September, two months before the midterm elections, bears little or no resemblance to the political landscape back in May or June. My very last column was only about two months ago, and the subject was the beginning of the end days for Mr. Biden within his own party. During the spring and early summer things looked beyond bleak for the President and his party. In fact, I had ruminated to myself that the only hope for a Democratic success in 2024 would be a series of bank shots along the following lines. Step one: shortly after the Democratic shellacking at the midterms, the administration arranges for Vice President Harris to accept a lifetime appointment to some federal court or a high paying job with George Soros or somebody. She resigns. Step two: shortly thereafter, President Biden appoints Mr./Ms. X to be Vice President. Gavin Newsome might be a plausible candidate, but there are other possibilities. But let’s think of it for this thought experiment purpose as Mr. Newsome, the governor of…
