The Frederick Citizen, Frederick Maryland's Online Source for Commentary

Frederick Water

The Liberty of the Press consists of the right to publish with impunity truth with good motives and for justifiable ends, whether it respects the government, magistrates, or individuals.
People vs. Croswell

Serving the Frederick, Maryland Community Proudly!

Hairly There by Constance Trump

West Virginia Glen Looks at Frederick

Against Gun Control by Jesse Atchison

Republican Fissures by Ted Waddelow

Jack Lynch, Editor
Note: Commentary and viewpoints on this website are copyrighted for this sole use, and are ultimately the property of the writers themselves O Under Attack

editor@frederickcitizen.com

Note: Commentary and viewpoints on this website are the sole opinions of the writers and do not represent in any way any organizations of which they may belong, promote, or by which they are employed.

January 8, 2009

Fourth Anniversary of the Frederick Citizen

It has been four years now that I've tried to use this website to engage in a public discussion of the ways and means of growth, environmental concerns, and it has now even served to launch my aspirations towards public office.

It brings in about 15,000 unique visitors each year, and about ten times that many 'hits' - I'm fairly proud that it has used the power of the web to reach that many people, and I hear from many local folks to Frederick who watch it regularly. I've just added a GuestMap that will allow visitors to pinpoint their locations - it will be interesting to watch - my web server reports show that even Tunisians and Mongolians occasionally stray upon this website - such is the wonderful communication tool of the internet!

Updates have not been as frequent as I would like - hopefully my current engagement will egg me on to show more ancillary thoughts around the on-going discussions on these vital matters and how they apply towards my ideas for developing a more sustainable future for the City of Frederick, Maryland.

In this age when conglomerates are taking over the media and eliminating independent local voices we need every new source of commentary that strives to be credible and current to local interests.

1/3/2008 - I was featured on WFMD Am 930 Radio in Frederick - hear the broadcast/podcast here: Hour 1 and Hour 2

Be sure to peruse the August report of the Abell Foundation in Baltimore: Growing, Growing, Gone!: The Chesapeake Bay and the Myth of Endless Growth

"Nixon and the U.S. Congress, influenced by widespread population concern around the first Earth Day in 1970, appointed a bipartisan Commission on Population and the American Future.12 It was drawn from the labor and environmental movements, academia, politics, and business. Known as the Rockefeller Commission after its chairman, John D. Rockefeller, 3d, its conclusions 36 years later seem fresh
and original:

“After two years of concentrated effort, we have concluded that, in the long run, no substantial benefits will result from further growth of the Nation’s population, rather that the gradual stabilization of our population... would contribute significantly to the Nation’s ability to solve its problems.”

“We have looked for, and have not found, any convincing economic argument for continued population growth. The health of our country does not depend on it, nor does the vitality of business, nor the welfare of the average person.”

- demands for big suburban yards have driven development of open space up 100 percent in the last 30 years while population has risen only about 30 percent. And people on large lots commonly generate four to eight times the sewage from their septic tanks as people in more urban areas hooked to sewage-treatment plants...

Economic development would continue to underpin our prosperity – a shift to building more comfortable, affordable and energy-efficient homes versus more homes; to producing tastier, more nutritious burgers with less impact on the environment, rather than more and bigger ones; to rebuilding our cities and towns and mass transit systems versus expanding roads and the suburbs. This focus on a “steady state” economy, rather than on a high-growth one, will better serve those already here...

A sustainable society is one that meets its present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs – one that can persist over generations, using natural resources at rates that allow nature to renew itself."

I'm working on an update - Snallygaster: The Lost Legend of Frederick County. Check out the new book Here.

snallygaster

"For several hundred years, tales of the Snallygaster have terrified the people of Frederick County, Maryland. Described as being half-reptile and half-bird, this winged creature is said to live deep in the caves of South Mountain. Legend has it, this mysterious monster swoops down from the sky and steals children and chickens from unsuspecting farm folk. Some say it's real. Some say it's a myth. But when they see it coming, they all say... "Better run and hide...the Snallygaster's comin' to get ya!"