OTHER VOICES
I was surprised to read an opinion column from Calvert County hunter Bill Miles complaining about the Anne Arundel County Venison Food Assistance Program (The Capital, Nov. 23). How could someone be against helping the less fortunate by providing them a resource which is in great abundance?
The deer herd in Anne Arundel, and many other Maryland counties, is out of control. This is evident by the many years Maryland has attempted to reduce the deer population through additional/extended seasons, increased harvest limits, weapon use changes, and crop damage permits.
Based on DNR deer herd estimates, dead deer laying on the roadsides, and citizen and farmer deer damage complaints, attempts to reduce the herd are having minimal impact. While hunting harvests stay steady, deer continue to breed, and farmers are being devastated by crop damage.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, local farmers wanted to produce more food for those in need. Deer made that difficult with the destruction of vast amounts of field crops, fruits and vegetables. County Executive Steuart Pittman met with a group of farmers and came up with a plan to help our county food bank get good, quality protein to people in need.
Miles incorrectly stated the Attorney General has deemed the program illegal. The Attorney General’s office wrote a letter of advice stating there is a chance the program could be a violation. The Anne Arundel County Office ofLaw, however, has provided an official opinion that the $50 payment is a reimbursement for expenses and therefore not a violation.
The Venison Food Assistance Program runs through the end of 2020. The county executive has offered to work with Gov. Larry Hogan on a bill to make this kind of humanitarian effort approved in the upcoming legislative session.
While we are enjoying holiday dinners with family, please take a moment to think of those in our communities and the surrounding area that are less fortunate and how the Venison Food Assistance Program will benefit them. JOHN FABER President Anne Arundel County Farm Bureau Lothian
Lawyers
It’s been part of our cultural DNA since Shakespeare’s time. No matter what our politics might be, we love to hate lawyers.
If you area Donald Trump supporter, you probably despise Michael Avenatti and Michael Cohen. If you are a Joe Biden supporter, you can’t believe that Rudy Guilliani and Bill Barr are not in jail.
Probably all of them should be disbarred.
To be sure a number of amoral, RoyCohn wannabes have enabled a narcissistic authoritarian to bring our grand experiment in democracy to its knees. But itwas largely lawyers who conceived and created our republic. And it is lawyers who will save us fromthe President’s last desperate efforts to subvert the will ofwe the people.
Thousands of lawyers have donated their time at polling places to make sure that we got to cast our votes. Hundreds more have appeared in courts around the country to defend against perverse attempts to cancel legitimate votes. Local, state and federal judges, Republicans and Democrats, have rejected virtually all of the president’s contemptible attacks on voters and voting officials.
Perhaps most heartening, many of the Gucci-shod, $1,000-per-hour legal mercenaries hired by the president and his party have resigned in disgust. And, at least one major Trump donor has hired counsel to sue a pro-Trump group for fraud in claiming election fraud.
When we again enjoy the peace of mind to share a good lawyer joke, consider thanking a lawyer.