https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Fri, 28 Feb 2025 15:53:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/28/l-kent-county-and-a-serious-healthcare-hit-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/28/l-kent-county-and-a-serious-healthcare-hit-by-tom-timberman/#comments Fri, 28 Feb 2025 13:00:19 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182737 This article focuses on Kent County, but the possibly very damaging Federal  legislation now being considered, if passed, will affect every US county, particularly those in rural areas. On 2/24/25, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives passed a budget resolution ( H Con Res 14, 119th Congress) that serves as their blueprint for […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/28/l-kent-county-and-a-serious-healthcare-hit-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/tom-paines-gift-to-america-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/tom-paines-gift-to-america-by-tom-timberman/#comments Fri, 10 Jan 2025 12:00:05 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181787 “These are the times that try men’s men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country, but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman..” “Common Sense” by Tom Paine Tom Paine and the Spirit of Revolution:  […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/10/tom-paines-gift-to-america-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/10/08/america-israel-the-violent-middle-east-enigma-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/10/08/america-israel-the-violent-middle-east-enigma-by-tom-timberman/#respond Tue, 08 Oct 2024 14:00:54 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=179819 Introduction: It’s useful to have some understanding of what motivates Middle Eastern males to violence and war,  before addressing the current Israel-Iran/HAMAS/Hezbollah conflict and US involvement. Prime Minister (PM) Netanyahu is a Jew, educated at MIT and Harvard and reasons quite differently. Every male born to proletarian parents generally in the rural Middle-East-North-Africa Region (MENA), […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/10/08/america-israel-the-violent-middle-east-enigma-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/23/when-peace-visited-war-a-christmas-story-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 23 Dec 2023 13:28:07 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=173251 Americans approach Christmas 2023 in a dark angry environment that has divided millions, even families and friends.  Bethlehem, even Santa Claus and definitely “Silent Night” seem far away and somewhat artificial. Two full scale wars, massive death and destruction in Europe and the Middle East and violence and hate elsewhere have definitely dimmed our Christmas […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/16/americas-civil-war-of-weaponized-words-and-the-middle-east-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 16 Dec 2023 13:01:23 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/16/americas-civil-war-of-weaponized-words-and-the-middle-east-by-tom-timberman/ The MAGA conservatives moved away from policy positions as a platform, years ago, when they discovered people’s feelings were more malleable than policy opinions. It took a while, but Parents Rights, LGBTQ+ Attitudes, State Legislatures’ Independence, God’s Christian Politics, and anti-liberty Federal Government as the enemy, became effective political assault nukes.  But, there already existed […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/09/what-happens-next-to-israel-hamas-palestinians-and-the-us-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/09/what-happens-next-to-israel-hamas-palestinians-and-the-us-by-tom-timberman/#comments Sat, 09 Dec 2023 14:34:23 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/09/what-happens-next-to-israel-hamas-palestinians-and-the-us-by-tom-timberman/ Given the emerging speculation about what will follow the massive death and destruction visited upon Israel and Gaza since 10/07/23, there is for me, an important fact to be understood: Hamas is not a country.  Introduction: Hamas is a violent movement that encapsulates all Palestinian-Arab anger and rage that began in 1948. During the 74 intervening years, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/12/09/what-happens-next-to-israel-hamas-palestinians-and-the-us-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/11/18/america-is-losing-control-of-the-israel-palestinian-global-narrative-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2023/11/18/america-is-losing-control-of-the-israel-palestinian-global-narrative-by-tom-timberman/#comments Sat, 18 Nov 2023 14:10:22 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/11/18/america-is-losing-control-of-the-israel-palestinian-global-narrative-by-tom-timberman/ The US Government reacted very quickly after Hamas’s brutal 10/07/23 assault on southern Israel.  From the highest Washington levels, America’s complete support for Israel and its right to defend itself, were repeatedly underscored. And then on 10/17/23, President Biden traveled to Jerusalem/ Tel Aviv to personally reassure the Israeli people, that  America had their back.   […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/11/18/america-is-losing-control-of-the-israel-palestinian-global-narrative-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/10/28/wars-political-chaos-confusion-and-anger-what-to-do-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 28 Oct 2023 13:06:47 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/10/28/wars-political-chaos-confusion-and-anger-what-to-do-by-tom-timberman/ In late October 2023,  it is difficult to resist the temptation to drink more, to skip headlines or on-line “breaking news” or to avoid those friends who insist on talking politics and/or foreign policy. Beyond their cults and tribes, most Americans today don’t agree on much of anything.  We are told the country is running […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/10/14/the-house-is-dysfunctional-wheres-the-contingency-plan-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 14 Oct 2023 12:52:49 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/10/14/the-house-is-dysfunctional-wheres-the-contingency-plan-by-tom-timberman/ The US Congress is closed because of human failure in the House.  However, if the cause, for instance, were a terrorist attack on the Capitol, resulting in the death of House members, including its leadership, what would the Executive Branch do to help Congress get back to work? Who knows? During 30 years working in […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/09/30/how-durable-is-americas-constitutional-representative-democracy-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 30 Sep 2023 12:36:11 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=171240 The world, very much including the US,  is confronting era-shaping challenges: global warming, pandemics, a major war in Europe, a belligerent China and louder domestic, sometimes violent, demands for more authoritarian and less democratic, governance.  A noticeable trans-Atlantic political mood shift, reminiscent of the interwar period, is also underway; a time when religious and ethnic […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/26/is-americas-political-system-adrift-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 26 Aug 2023 12:01:11 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/26/is-americas-political-system-adrift-by-tom-timberman/ In 2004 and 2005, a total of 8,250,401 new Americans were born.  Millions of them, will be voting for the first time on November 5, 2024 to elect, among others, the president of the United States.  From my  senior citizen perspective, the 2 years and 8 months since the 2020 election have been variably depressing, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/19/rob-is-ok-roberta-is-not-and-romeo-and-juliet-couldnt-have-sex-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/19/rob-is-ok-roberta-is-not-and-romeo-and-juliet-couldnt-have-sex-by-tom-timberman/#comments Sat, 19 Aug 2023 12:15:58 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=170446 I recently read an article about a state’s fresh approach to public schools and parental rights and started laughing.  My wife told me I should be outraged, not amused and said it just confirms my advanced age.  And she’s doubtless right. My much younger relatives remind me repeatedly that I don’t get it.  To which […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/19/rob-is-ok-roberta-is-not-and-romeo-and-juliet-couldnt-have-sex-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/09/why-is-2023-the-year-of-the-ant-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/09/why-is-2023-the-year-of-the-ant-by-tom-timberman/#comments Wed, 09 Aug 2023 11:45:28 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=170313 Is your house hosting an unprecedented mob of persistent ants?  Ours definitely is. However, when the cats started complaining about ants in their food bowls and most irritating, in their cat box, I was told this problem had to be addressed and solved.   The first facts I uncovered were not encouraging: colonies generally contain from […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/08/09/why-is-2023-the-year-of-the-ant-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2023/06/10/the-two-fundamental-american-government-tensions-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 10 Jun 2023 12:46:36 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/2023/06/10/the-two-fundamental-american-government-tensions-by-tom-timberman/ The 13 American colonies/states during the Revolution and until the ratification of the US Constitution functioned in many ways, like independent countries. In fact, it was their legislatures – not the people – that approved the Constitution, as countries would a treaty. The residents of the 13 states were accustomed to identifying themselves by their […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/03/25/does-kennans-long-telegram-help-explain-putins-invasion-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2023/03/25/does-kennans-long-telegram-help-explain-putins-invasion-by-tom-timberman/#comments Sat, 25 Mar 2023 11:03:08 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/2023/03/25/does-kennans-long-telegram-help-explain-putins-invasion-by-tom-timberman/ Seventy seven years ago, George Kennan, then US ambassador to Moscow and America’s premier authority on Russia and the USSR, sent the Secretary of State what is now known as the Long Telegram. Its 5000 words contained deep analyses supporting his recommendation for a US strategy of Soviet containment. It became the foundation of American […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2023/03/25/does-kennans-long-telegram-help-explain-putins-invasion-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2022/12/17/transvestic-fetishism-and-other-modern-political-issues-by-tom-timberman/ Sat, 17 Dec 2022 13:28:47 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/2022/12/17/transvestic-fetishism-and-other-modern-political-issues-by-tom-timberman/ I doubt I’m the only one in the nine counties, who remembers when voters were hyper motivated to write letters or fax their members of Congress about health care,  wars, civil rights or to join demonstrations or sit-ins or wave campaign signs.  In the 21st Century we text, join chat rooms or at times grab […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2022/12/03/is-americas-political-system-secure-in-the-21st-century-probably-not-by-tim-timberman/ Sat, 03 Dec 2022 12:07:56 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/?p=163200 The current turbulent social, political and moral environment in which our representative democracy exists,  threatens, I believe, the resilience of our Constitutional democratic principles and institutions of governance. The extreme seriousness of the threats arises from: (1) the gradual acceptance by mainstream Americans of violence as a political tool, (2) the easy access to private […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2022/11/05/opinion-american-presidents-and-their-dictatorial-powers-and-politics/ Sat, 05 Nov 2022 12:32:48 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/2022/11/05/opinion-american-presidents-and-their-dictatorial-powers-and-politics/ “We may also suspect that they (majority opinion) suspected that emergency powers would tend to kindle emergencies.” Supreme Court Justice Jackson  (Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer 1952)  decided President Truman did NOT have the power to take over US steel companies. Few Americans outside a gaggle of scholars, Constitutional law savants and national […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2022/10/01/economic-financial-diagnoses-of-kent-county-by-tom-timberman/ https://chestertownspy.org/2022/10/01/economic-financial-diagnoses-of-kent-county-by-tom-timberman/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2022 11:24:09 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/?p=161393 My wife Judy and I moved to a beautiful Eastern Shore county from Washington, D.C. almost 25 years ago after she ran over a dead body (drugs) behind our parking pad.  For much of the first 15 years I continued working in war zones either leading an economic development team in the field or serving […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2022/10/01/economic-financial-diagnoses-of-kent-county-by-tom-timberman/feed/ 3 https://chestertownspy.org/2022/08/24/opinion-is-china-ready-for-war-with-america-over-taiwan-by-tom-timberman/ Wed, 24 Aug 2022 12:02:58 +0000 https://cs.spycommunitymedia.org/2022/08/24/opinion-is-china-ready-for-war-with-america-over-taiwan-by-tom-timberman/ Recent media attention has focused on China’s military actions and threats against Taiwan and its general bellicosity towards both Taiwan and the US. Some Western and all Chinese commentary blame Speaker Pelosi’s brief trip to Taipei as the provocation and also a violation of the “One China Policy”. Beijing also believes that the West’s continuing […]]]>