8.29.06 - My Stance on Gay Marriage

I’ve been asked lately about my stance on gay marriage. I am opposed to gay marriage and civil unions.  Marriage should remain defined as being between a man and woman.

8.10.06 - Where I Stand!

As a legislator and as a human being, I am opposed to abortion. Period.

I am for the protection of your second amendment rights. Your right to bear arms is clearly established in the Bill Of Rights and by no means should anyone try to discredit the wisdom of our founding fathers who set forth that right.

I am fiscally conservative and do not support increasing any of your taxes.

We owe our veterans our support, both as a community and as a government. Those who took care of us in our darkest times of need should be taken care of in theirs.

8.7.06 - The Embryonic Stem Cell Debate

There has been a lot of press lately about the subject of embryonic stem cell research. Because of this, I have been asked my opinion and stance on this extremely emotional issue. I must admit, the scientist in me sees any medical opportunity for the benefits it may offer. However, because of my background in science, I question all sides of any argument, especially those about which I read in the press. In my opinion, not enough is written about the use of adult stem cell research and the use of stem cells from umbilical cords.

There are studies that point out clear therapeutic uses for adult stem cells. Presently, adult stem cells are responsible for many treatments, including those involving blood disorders and cardiac problems. In recent years, stem cells capable of becoming tissue cells in organs different from those where they were retrieved were discovered in various human tissues–in the spinal cord, in the brain, in the mesenchyme (connective tissue) of various organs, and in the blood of the umbilical cord. These cells have the potential to become specific cells in the body (i.e. stem cells that become healthy liver cells or healthy cardiac cells). These adult stem cells then replace faulty or diseased cells in an unhealthy organ. On the other hand, no experiments using embryonic stem cells (those taken from an embryo not fully developed), have been conducted on humans to answer the question of therapeutic efficacy.

Statistics aside, there is an unwritten Moral Law unique to humans. We possess an uncanny, instinctive ability to differentiate right from wrong. In other words, most of us have a spiritual barometer that keeps us from doing any harm. This should never be an autonomous, separate characteristic from our other pursuits in life, including, but not limited to, scientific research. The precarious balance of ethics and results should always be maintained. To compromise one for the benefit of the other could lead to fanaticism on either side of the debate.

That said, I would not approve spending state tax dollars on embryonic stem cell research. I would, however, support research on adult and umbilical cord stem cells after weighing the ethical arguments of some with the scientific ones of others. I could never, ever, in good conscience, approve of any legislation that would ultimately sacrifice any life for another, regardless of how viable mere humans regard such a life.

8.4.06 - Sex Offender Laws Are "Not Good Enough!"

Dear Voters,

According to a Study by the U.S. Department of Justice titled “Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in 1994”, 9,691 male sex offenders were released from 15 states, including Maryland. Of this population, 4,295 were documented as released child molesters.

Some of the facts gleaned from that study are as follows:

• Released sex offenders were 4 times more likely to be rearrested for a sex crime compared to non-sex offenders released from State prisons.
• The more prior arrests the offender had, the greater the likelihood of his being rearrested for another sex crime after leaving prison.
• Sixty-percent of the children involved were age 13 or younger.
• On average, these men served only 45% of their prison sentence before being released. 

While I applaud the recent efforts of some legislators to pass Maryland’s version of Jessica’s Law, I am troubled by the availability of parole for child sex offenders. These criminals need to be sent to prison and kept there. How blind are we to ignore the data on recidivism that includes Maryland prisoners? How many more years need to go by before another study tells us that this type of criminal will act again and again and again? How many more children will die victims of these monsters before we get courageous enough to put them away for good?

Let us mimic the efforts of our Floridian counterparts and abolish the possibility of parole for child sexual predators. Maryland legislators need to take heed. We can’t sit back and think that our current law is enough. Studies show it isn’t, current events concur, and the recent arrests of Melvin Jones, Jr. and Brian Dotson prove we still have work to do in Annapolis.

7.20. 2006 - We Can Make A Difference!

Dear Voters,

You, the citizens of Harford County, have voiced your concerns loudly and I couldn’t agree with you more.  We need to make Maryland Safer, Smarter, and Simpler.

We need to ensure the safety of our children from sexual predators beyond the present scope of Jessica’s Law. The web of this kind of evil is as intricate as it is abominable. Mandatory sentencing for these perverts is a start, but by no means, is it the end. Maryland should abolish parole for child sexual predators.

Illegal immigrants in Maryland should not be allowed access to drivers’ licenses. Period. Maryland must adopt stricter laws like our neighbors in Virginia did after the tragedy of 9/11.  No one, other than citizens of this state and country, should qualify for a legal document such as a valid drivers’ license in Maryland.

Harford County should have been on the receiving end of additional school construction funds given out during the last session. Regardless of what our delegation gives as excuses, when more than $90 million was handed out to counties in Maryland, Harford County should have been near the top of the group. Instead, we didn’t even make the cut!

With the influx of scientific and technical job opportunities coming to Harford County, our students should be better educated in math and science to compete with their foreign counterparts for these jobs. Middle schools should be teaching algebra to most of their students so that higher learning math can be covered more thoroughly in high school. More state funding should be provided for modern labs in each science department of our high schools.

Our lives as citizens of rural Harford County should be simpler. Simpler to travel from one end of the county to the other on improved roads. Simpler for small businesses to set up shop. Simpler for farmers to work their land and profit from it. Simpler for families to understand legislation that directly affects their lives.

All this can be accomplished if we work together, with faith and knowledge, integrity and devotion. No foe is stronger than a community with a common cause and purpose. We will protect our children, our neighbors, and our heritage.  It is time we had a Delegate who reflected our values. I’m ready to help and be your messenger to the Maryland House of Delegates.