Ben Civiletti, who died on Sunday at his home near Baltimore, served as U.S. Attorney General when the abuses of Watergate were still fresh and the Department of Justice badly needed reforms. It is worth noting that one of the men at Civiletti’s right hand during that period of recovery from Watergate was the present … Continue reading Ben Civiletti, Merrick Garland and the push for independence at DOJ, then and now
Trump subpoenaed and diminished, but the damage done
With yesterday’s vote by the January 6 House committee to subpoena his testimony, Donald Trump gains yet another opportunity to remain on the national stage. Once upon a time, former presidents disappeared into the golden sunset of horse rides and fishing trips, planning their libraries and playing with grandchildren. Trump remains a criminal suspect, a … Continue reading Trump subpoenaed and diminished, but the damage done
Mystery photo: People give me stuff like this
Over five decades as a columnist, I have accumulated a lot of stuff because people have given me a lot of stuff. A man in Friendsville, western Maryland, gave me a wooden coat rack for giving him a ride on a winter day. When I returned from covering the 40th anniversary memorials for the D-Day … Continue reading Mystery photo: People give me stuff like this
Thank you, Orioles. That was pretty good.
The Baltimore Orioles of 2022 won 31 more games than did the Baltimore Orioles of 2021, and the franchise had its first winning season since . . . well, it's been a while. They last made the playoffs in 2016, and they had a great season in 2014, an overall good run during the Buck … Continue reading Thank you, Orioles. That was pretty good.
A tree for Precious: May it grow mighty and tall
People associated with Glenwood Life Counseling Center — one of Baltimore’s longtime drug treatment clinics, a place that has helped countless men and women in their recovery from addiction — remembered Tekeyia “Precious” Frailing with a tree planted in her honor on Friday, the final day of National Recovery Month. To say Precious was a … Continue reading A tree for Precious: May it grow mighty and tall
Tickets now on sale: A One-Man Play with a Cast of Seven
Directed by Will Schwarz with original music by Mat Lane. Longtime journalist Dan Rodricks tells stories from his more than four decades as an award-winning Baltimore Sun columnist and radio and television host. A theatrical memoire, the play allows Rodricks to bring to life from the wings some of the many people he has encountered … Continue reading Tickets now on sale: A One-Man Play with a Cast of Seven
A Baltimore justice and a Maryland enslaver played a part in the legal history of insurrection
In my column in Wednesday’s Sun, I reported that Mark Graber, a distinguished professor at the University of Maryland School of Law and constitutional expert, helped make the case for the disqualification of a New Mexico official who took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Graber testified that the words and actions … Continue reading A Baltimore justice and a Maryland enslaver played a part in the legal history of insurrection
Blessed release: A Jewish ritual at the water’s edge
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which began Sunday evening, September 25, includes a ritual that brings people to the water's edge for a spiritual experience. It's called Tashlikh, and I'm a Catholic who has developed a keen appreciation for it. I first witnessed Tashlikh one autumn afternoon along Cross Country Boulevard in Northwest Baltimore, … Continue reading Blessed release: A Jewish ritual at the water’s edge
“For 12 years, we’ve paid him $2 million in taxpayer salaries and he’s passed one law, to rename a post office.”
The quote in the headline of this post appears in my weekend column in The Baltimore Sun. It is how Heather Mizeur, the Democratic candidate for Maryland’s 1st District congressional seat, characterizes the record of her Republican opponent, Andy Harris. The post office mentioned is in Salisbury, and Mizeur is correct: It was a bill … Continue reading “For 12 years, we’ve paid him $2 million in taxpayer salaries and he’s passed one law, to rename a post office.”
Republicans again back immigrant cruelty even as the U.S. faces a severe worker shortage
Republicans of the #MAGA Cult were amused and downright giddy after Florida’s horrible governor tried to out-Trump Trump by flying 50 unsuspecting immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard to “own the libs.” It was a cruel act, and yet the #MAGA thinks the Ron DeSantis Airlift made a damning point about the Biden administration’s immigration and border … Continue reading Republicans again back immigrant cruelty even as the U.S. faces a severe worker shortage
Dan Rodricks 