Maryland needs fewer laws, not more

Originally Published in the Baltimore Sun

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Wednesday, January 04, 2012
The General Assembly should repeal harmful legislation regarding taxes, gun permits and energy.

The creeping encroachment of police-state tactics

Originally Published in the Baltimore Sun

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Wednesday, December 21, 2011
It's troubling that Maryland authorities have used tracking devices without warrants.

A Decade after 9/11

Originally Published in the Herald-Mail

By Thomas A. Firey
Published on Wednesday, September 14, 2011
For the better part of two centuries, the protective expanse of two oceans and fear of an America angered kept the U.S. mainland safe from foreign aggressors. What attacks did come were from within (seceding states, urban riots, the Weather Underground, Timothy McVeigh), while foreign aggressors were stopped thousands of miles off the mainland shore (Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan) or dissolved away without ever launching a strike (the Soviet Union).   

Crime issue raises security concerns at Baltimore's port

Originally Published in the Baltimore Sun

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Tuesday, February 15, 2011
When career criminals have access to U.S. ports but law-abiding airline passengers must let strangers grope them to board a plane, something smells.

Practice civility

Originally Published in the Frederick News-Post

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Columbia offers wide boulevards, easy access to nature and a promise to welcome all races and income levels, sheltering residents in what looks like a few steps up from communist-era monolithic design.

Turns out Google's free e-mail is worth every penny

Originally Published in the Baltimore Sun

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Last Thursday, someone hacked into one of my two Gmail accounts. He or she sent a message to my contacts saying that I had been mugged in London, lost my money and credit cards, and needed $1,850 to pay my hotel bill. It asked recipients to kindly respond quickly with money so that I did not miss my plane (amazingly, without misspellings).

Free speech for all

Originally published in the Frederick News-Post

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Fred Phelps and his tiny posse of demented family and church followers are getting their day in the nation's highest court today.

Special rights for police

Originally published in the Frederick News-Post

By Marta Hummel Mossburg
Published on Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"You can't tape me, but I can tape you." That seems to be the rule for police in Maryland when making traffic stops and arrests.

Public Safety

From Maryland 2002-2003: A Guide to the Issues

By David B. Muhlhausen
Published on Wednesday, January 16, 2002
In the 1990s, crime rates fell in Maryland just as they did across the nation. However, violent crime per capita in the state remains well ahead of national figures, which means that Marylanders are far more likely to be the victims of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault than the average American.

Child Welfare

From Maryland 2002-2003: A Guide to the Issues

By Robert M. McCarthy, Esq.
Published on Tuesday, January 15, 2002
Stories about lapses in Maryland’s child welfare system are topping the news on virtually a daily basis. Children are misplaced, costs are increasing, and claims of success are difficult to quantify. Politicians and policymakers have many high-minded ideas about how to help children in need, but they need to develop the will to fight the political and bureaucratic problems that plague the system.