100 Year Anniversary of Einstein's Theory of Relativity

 

It is difficult to imagine that 100 years ago today, November 25, 1915, Albert Einstein went on stage at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin and declared he had concluded his pursuit, taking decades, into what he called a new and deeper understanding of gravity. He said a few days later that he was exhausted but the success was glorious.

The general theory of relativity was now complete. Einstein's special theory of relativity had been completed 10 years earlier in 1905.

Einstein had shown that time and space were not separate entities, and he now showed that gravity was included. In ways that most people do not understand, Einstein completely changed the world with a new understanding of physics, one that has been proven since by experimentation. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

Public Hearing on Local Bills in the Maryland General Assembly

This coming Monday, November 30, there will be a public hearing on local bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly by MoCo State Senators and State Delegates. It will be in the hearing room of the County Council, at 100 Maryland Ave, Rockville MD 20850, on the 3rd floor.

Among other bills that will be considered are a bill to fill any vacancies in the MoCo Board of Education by election of the people rather than appointment by the remaining Bd of Ed members (I may testify on that), alcoholic beverage sales near schools and places of worship, changes in the way liquor is sold in MoCo (the county government now has a monopoly on that, the only such county monopoly in the country), additional early voting centers for MoCo, and many others.

MoCo citizens may register to testify at this public hearing --- you don't have to have written testimony but you may if you wish --- and the details are at http://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/testify.html

Even if you just want to watch, it's usually very interesting.
 

Anniversaries this Week

This is an interesting week for anniversary dates in Maryland.

Today, November 25, is the birthday of Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and Maryland State Delegate David Frager-Hidalgo. Both are very thoughtful and effective in their public offices.

Three days ago, on November 22, in the year 1633 a few years before the start of the English Civil War, the first settlers in Maryland sailed from England, probably not realizing how historic their adventure would become.

Five days from now, on November 30, in 1675, after England Civil War was concluded and the kingship restored, Cecil Calvert the 2nd Lord Baltimore, the founder of Maryland, died.

Tomorrow, November 26, in 1783, the United States Congress began meeting in Annapolis, in the exact same building that still stands as our Capitol.

Maryland truly has a very interesting history.
 

 

MoCo General Assembly Delegation Priority Hearing

Last night, Nov. 18, the MoCo State Senators and State Delegates held a "priorities" hearing, to allow MoCo citizens to tell them what we'd like them to work on at the coming General Assembly session that starts January 13, 2016, at noon.

I testified and asked our delegation to please work on 3 issues:

1. Strengthen the Open Meetings Act. Now, if the Compliance Board find a violation the law says its opinion is merely "advisory." If public officials hold unlawful secret meetings the law should allow orders to correct the situation, such as voiding all actions resulting from the secret meetings. 

Also, as in other states such as Michigan, public officials who violate the law by having secret meetings should be subject to fines of $1,000. 

And, the Open Meetings Act now only requires one person to be trained about open meetings (the training is online, takes about 2 hours, and is excellent), and that one person can be staff, all members appointed to public bodies should be required to take this training or be removed from office.

2. Our Annapolis delegation should take the lead in repealing our awful state song. All other states have songs that sing the praises of their land an people. Maryland alone has a song that calls its people cowards for not joining Virginia is seceding from the U.S., and praises those who murdered U.S. soldiers.

3. Our delegation should take the lead on what are sometimes called "women's issues" but are really human rights issues. Convicted rapists should not have any parental rights. It is horrible to even consider that, yet it's now in the law. The law should be clarified to say that the moment a woman says "no" to further sexual activity, no matter what has come before, if the man continues then the act is rape. And of course there should be equal pay for equal work regardless of gender.

State Delegates Ben Kramer, Marice Morales, and Kathleen Dumais, and State Senator Jamie Raskin have been working on these issues and deserve praise for their efforts.

The Meaning of the Gettysburg Address in Our Time

 All agree that the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, delivered on this day, November 19, in 1863, was one of the most inspiring speeches ever given.

Everyone remembers the start --- four score and seven years ago --- and the end --- of the people by the people for the people --- but that is not necessarily the most meaningful part of the speech for us in our time.

The keys to the speech are near the beginning and the end.

"... our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

and

"we here highly resolve that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth."
    

Charter Review Commission Sets Date for Public Hearing

 

The Montgomery County Charter Review Commission has set the date for its public hearing. It will be Wednesday, January 20, 2016, starting at 7:30pm, in the County Council building, 100 Maryland Ave, Rockville MD 20850, in the 7th floor hearing room. Rain date is Monday, January 25, 2016, same time and place.

All citizens of MoCo are welcome to attend this public hearing, and to testify if they wish. The primary topic will be the question of language to be added to the MoCo Charter to allow special elections to fill any vacancy in the office of County Executive, as is already permitted for  vacancies in the office of County Council Member.

Other topics that may come up include provisions concerning the setting of tax limits in MoCo, term limits, and anything else in the Charter.

Those interested in testifying should contact Paul M. Bessel at besselpaulm@comcast.net or Josh Hamlin at joseph.hamlin@montgomerycountymd.gov