May 17, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 43 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FROM PAGE 42 I have been told by school officials that they will retain control over their curriculum, but how can that be? How do you control something that you don’t own? NGA & CCSSO owns the standards. They copyrighted them and issued a limitation of liability excusing them of any harm as a result of using the standards. Dr Wilson states that we will not lose “the autonomy to decide how to teach the standards.” I contend that you lose your autonomy when you let private trade groups create the standards. The real issue is not the testing or whether it was state led. The issue is whether Maryland citizens and the state gave up their sovereignty and autonomy to unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups. I believe that control of our school system should begin at the local level not the national level. This topdown control is not what most teachers, students or taxpayers want or deserve. Fran Gebhart Berlin yes, I know what you're thinking – "oh my gosh, Frankie, give it a rest." Well, this isn't an article about how wonderful my mom is, nor is this an article about someone being mean to her, because let's face it; that happens every day. This is an article about bullying. We all know politics can be rough, and finger pointing and name-calling are at an all-time high, but I have never experienced firsthand just how cruel some people can be ... until now. If you follow local politics and local news blogs, you will have heard by now of the city manager’s current familial issues (in my mind which don't need to be widely publicized) but that's also not the point of this article. By now, you will have seen the slew of comments by citizens, and may have even read mine, so let me get to the point. My educational path has taken me far longer than most 24-yearold students. I mean at this point I should be a doctor. But I took a little longer for the better and am constantly amazed at life lessons I come across that no classroom can teach. Enter the lesson plan: I gave my name in my comments, yes, I was not afraid to do so, and only ashamed I didn't give my name in my original comment. But in doing so I opened up the floodgates for people with differing opinions to personally attack me, a 24-yearold-college female, family science major, who loves her family and her hometown. Rather than having a civilized discussion backed up by factual information and research, I was accused of being "drunk," "out of control," "stupid, like my mother," that I think "I have all the answers to the world," accused of using my father’s name to establish credibility, badgered about my political party affiliation, and told I was "up past my bed time." Maybe I'm idealistic; maybe college has made me that way. I was under the impression in a blog forum you are allowed to have differing opinions. Apparently, I was wrong. At first, I let this all get to me. There were at the time 15 posts about me, not the original subject of the blog post. And then I realized letting my emotions take ahold of me was exactly what they wanted, and what's even more saddening is that this is the same practice school bullies use on young, vulnerable girls, girls who end up hurting themselves for less. So, yes, anonymous blog posters, at 24, I may stay up too late, I may go out with friends, sometimes I even think I'm invincible, and I'm sure at times my parents may agree that I do think I have all the answers, but there is one thing that your ruthless badgering of another human being, bullying, finger pointing and name-calling cannot take away from me; and that’s my unconditional love for my family, and my respect for our great town of Ocean City Frankie Knight Ocean City Between The Lines By Publisher/Editor Steve Green The Worcester County Commissioners could not have done more to alienate the county’s bus drivers than what happened at this week’s meeting. The one good thing was the business was conducted in public and behind closed doors. In a controversial move that required several votes, the commissioners voted to give the bus drivers a 1.5-percent annual raise, rather than the 2-percent they gave all other county employees. This is an interesting argument and I see how the commissioners came to their conclusion, based in part on the fact most bus drivers do not want all-day shifts as other employees, such as teachers, custodians and general office staff. However, Commissioner Jim Purnell, a school bus driver, probably summed up what the many drivers in the county will think once word is received they are not thought of the same way as other employees. “You showed me today what you think of us bus drivers. You sat up here and voted for a 2-percent increase for county employees and the Board of Education and then you turned around and stabbed us in the back. That is a total insult,” said Purnell, who is typically one of the quietest commissioners and known for his reserved and stoic mannerisms. It was great for those of us who live and work in Berlin to hear the culprits have been apprehended in a string of burglaries dating back to last year. I personally know of five homes that were burglarized during this time period, and it’s been difficult for my friends to deal with this invasion of privacy and the loss of their sentimental belongings. Although those feelings may never subside and trust issues will probably persist for some time, the arrest of the father-and-daughter team of James Hughlett, 61, and Kate Hughlett, 23, does bring a certain amount of closure to the victims. Hopefully, all of the stolen goods will also be discovered in time. Along with this week’s high-profile raid that may or may not have terrorist implications, the other major news of the week involved Ocean City Manager David Recor and the temporary protective order filed against him by his wife. Leaving out the sordid details of the domestic situation, this ordeal has presented itself at the worst possible time for the Mayor and Council, which has been taking a public relations beating on many fronts for its unpopular decisions to shutter the skate park during a portion of the winter months and the move to more paid parking in the resort, among other cost-cutting moves eyed at balancing the budget without a major tax increase. Although the seven members of the Mayor and Council agree on next to nothing these days, it would seem they all would find consensus in the fact this domestic situation is an untimely distraction at best and a nuisance at worst. For Recor, who has been city manager since last June, it’s also an unfortunate situation. Some may say that’s a ridiculous statement, considering he is accused of violence against his wife and being suicidal during a recent incident. The fact is none of us can interpret domestic affairs, and they really have no place being in print. However, Recor is a public official and held to a higher standard, and it’s news. It was not a difficult judgment call from my chair on that matter. The allegations in the order are disturbing, but before demands are made for Recor to be terminated or suspended it’s the right course to let the marital issues play out. There is a family involved here and unique dynamics certainly that none of us are aware of at this time. Additionally, we have only heard one side of the story here, and in these sorts of domestic affairs there are usually three stories – the husband’s, the wife’s and somewhere in between usually lies the truth. Either way, I hope it can be a matter that’s handled privately and not a distraction to city business. Paid Parking Income Needed In Resort Editor: I've read with great interest the ongoing debates over paid parking on 146th Street by the condo owners. It is my understanding from the letters that the condo owners have assigned parking by virtue of their ownership but believe the city owes them additional street parking for their guest and visitors. This is an interesting argument but I do not believe after looking at the city charter and ordinances this to be factual. The street parking is for one and all, and as a person who believes there should be paid parking on every street from 130th to 146th streets, I find this would be a great source of income, I really can't understand the argument. They have assigned parking and their guests are relegated to the parking availability on the street whether it be paid or not. No property owner is righted available street parking for their visitors and guest. As a homeowner in Caine Woods, I am guaranteed three parking spaces, one in my garage and two on my parking pad. Other than that, it's a first-come, firstserved. The street spaces will become tougher to get as soon as the paid parking ocean side starts because people will start parking bayside instead of paying. This occurs on the busier weekends now when the day trippers from Delaware come for the free beach. The paid parking is something I believe is the future and we will all have to learn to deal with it. Len Bender Ocean City Quotable Quotes “The biggest concern I’ve heard is about the lack of protection from inside. The kids I’ve talked to are more concerned about the threat coming from the inside, not the outside.” COMMISSIONER MERRILL LOCKFAW DURING A SCHOOL SAFETY RESOURCE OFFICER BUDGET DISCUSSION “We have five buildings so we’re going to have to come up with a lot of money. I think we need to have a talk with the town and see why we’re not exempt. We’re not a business and we’re not a residence. We’re providing services.” COMMISSIONER JIMMY BUNTING REFERRING TO BERLIN’S STORMWATER UTILITY AND THE FACT THE COUNTY HAS SEVERAL SCHOOLS AND OTHER BUILDINGS THAT WILL BE SUBJECTED TO THE NEW FEES “We will see how the summer goes. Hopefully, it will be successful and if it is, we will build off the success, and if it isn’t as successful, we will reevaluate and see what other measures to implement.” SHA ASSISTANT DISTRICT ENGINEER KEN CIMINO ON NEW PEDESTRIAN SAFETY INITIATIVES “If we don’t give them a little bit back, we’re going to have to deal with differentia and that is going to cost us a lot more money.” COMMISSION PRESIDENT BUD CHURCH IN FAVOR OF GIVING THE TOWN OF OCEAN CITY AN INCREASE IN ITS ANNUAL GRANT “You showed me today what you think of us bus drivers.” COMMISSIONER JIM PURNELL AFTER BUS DRIVERS GOT SMALLER RAISES THAN OTHER COUNTY EMPLOYEES A Culture Of Bullying Editor: I wanted to share a valuable lesson I learned recently. First, let me explain who I am: my mother is on the local City Council, and