August 2012 – Page 4

Friday night videos – episode 76

Tonight I bring you more clips and interesting stuff from a variety of local musicians. I’ll start with what looks to be a fairly young band call We Are The Weapons.

I won’t give them props for running a video camera but the song is okay as a beginning. I know bands just starting out need a place to play and The Refuge has served that purpose. It’s the next step beyond the basement or garage, and there’s probably a thousand bands out there just like We Are The Weapons.

A few steps beyond them is a band called Naylor Mill – I’ve featured them a time or two before. I think this song was part of an acoustic set as part (or maybe as a supplement to) the Local Produce program back when Bob Daigle (who uploaded the video) was involved with it.

A radio station with a more formal studio and better equipment is Ocean 98, where this Aaron Howell original was recorded way back in 2007. I always liked the song and it really deserves more than 11(!) views.

Speaking of Ocean 98, Marla Robertson (who does a weekend show there called the Sand Jam) also had a side job playing with the cover band Agent 99. Here they did an old Grand Funk Railroad classic at the late Steer Inn Tavern.

Another venue for live music bites the dust. *sigh*

Third Friday doesn’t seem to be on its last legs quite yet, though. I remember covering this band as part of my Weekend of Local Rock series, but don’t recall this song from Skyway Nine. It has more of a sense of humor than most.

I’m going to return to Bob Daigle to wrap this up, just because I like their version of this song. It’s been on here before, but it’s been awhile. Why? Well, there’s some things in the world you just can’t explain.

With that another edition of FNV moves into the internet ether. Until next week, keep rockin’ the summer!

54-40 – so fight!

Those who favor the redefinition of marriage to include those nuptials involving same-sex couples are crowing once again about a poll showing their side in the lead. (h/t: Old Line Elephant.) The poll, done by Hart Associates, shows that the 504 likely voters split 54-40 in favor of keeping the new law, while 515 likely black voters are almost evenly divided on the issue, falling 45-44 against the bill. Moreover, Hart claims their numbers are improved from a previous March poll, where the measure would pass by a 51-43 margin with black voters opposed 49-40.

But if you read further into the Hart polling and compare it to another poll done recently by a pro-gay marriage group, Public Policy Polling, it can be argued that support for the measure is receding. The PPP figures went from 52-44 in favor in March to 57-37 in May – and 55-36 support in the black community.

Perhaps the Obama flip-flop on gay marriage moved the needle in the black community for a time, but that wave may have crested. If you look at the Hart and PPP results on a timeline, gay marriage has lost 19 points in two months among blacks and 6 points among all voters. And remember, it was just a year ago – before the well-funded propaganda blitz by those who believe same-sex marriage is a measure of “equality” rather than an attempt to legitimize what some consider a deviant lifestyle came to pass – that the issue trailed by two points among Maryland voters. A similar margin was found as recently as this past January in the Gonzales Research Maryland Poll.

And lost among these numbers as well is that both PPP and Hart are reliably Democratic pollsters, so since Democrats favor gay marriage enough to make it part of their 2012 platform these pollsters would naturally favor a position to make that side look good and discourage the opposition. The game is revealed in the Hart summary, where they write:

The bottom line is that a November win for marriage equality at the ballot box in Maryland is well within our grasp.

On the other hand, other pollsters which are more open about who they sample can be a little more trustworthy.

Also worthy of mention was that the Hart polling occurred before we saw the reaction on “Chick-fil-A” day – presumably the huge crowd we had in the local stores would be strongly against adopting gay marriage in Maryland, and they turned out to show that support for traditional values. Certainly a few who may have been neutral on the subject could have changed their minds upon seeing the tactics used against Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy for his pro-family stance.

Now as far as I’m concerned a “win for marriage equality” is a loss for the values which made this country great. I’ve said before that I have no problem with civil unions, but gay marriage to me is just another step toward rendering the term meaningless through eventually allowing polyamory and perhaps even adult-child partnerships. Give it a couple decades.

But the timing of conducting and releasing what amounts to a “push poll” (since we don’t have any indication about the sample composition, meaning it was probably weighted to areas and groups more likely to favor gay marriage) is interesting given the vast hordes who joined me in descending upon Chick-fil-A Wednesday. Since the so-called “equality” side certainly knew this outpouring of support for traditional values was coming – although perhaps they underestimated the amount – this poll release had to be designed to deflate whatever good news came out of the Chick-fil-A protests. I’m not buying it as a legitimate expression of support.

As Matt Newman points out at Old Line Elephant, support for same-sex marriage has generally been overstated at pre-election polls. A similar flaw in this instance puts the ballot within the margin of error, so it will be up to both sides to turn out their voters – historically this has been an advantage for conservatives despite their inferior numbers to date in Maryland. And with the plethora of issues on the ballot so far (six statewide issues, plus dozens of local initiatives) there will be a lot to attract conservatives in 2012.

Shorebird of the Week – August 2, 2012

Michael Ohlman getting ready to perform his standard designated hitter duties.

To say the least, Michael Ohlman has endured a rocky 2012 season.

After being injured in a single-car accident during spring training near his Florida home, Ohlman then received the embarrassment of being suspended 50 games for violating the minor league baseball substance abuse policy. And even upon his return to the Shorebirds’ lineup last month, Ohlman has served strictly as a designated hitter.

So this truncated campaign for the 11th round Oriole pick in 2009 renewed itself in Florida as Ohlman played in a handful of Gulf Coast League games in June before being reassigned to Delmarva. As a member of the Gulf Coast League Orioles, Michael made his professional debut at first base, but only played 2 of his 8 games at that position and spent the rest as DH, similar to his Shorebird experience. This despite the fact he was a South Atlantic League All-Star last season as a catcher.

Whether this venture over to first base is a result of the shoulder problems brought on by his auto accident or an effort by the Orioles to make him more versatile, the fact remains that serving almost strictly as a DH may be helping Michael concentrate on improving as a hitter, as Ohlman is quietly enjoying a much better season at the plate than he has before. A career .217 hitter coming into 2012 – including a .224/4/51/.627 OPS season here last year – Michael is swinging an improved bat to the tune of .260 with Delmarva (19-for-73) and .265 overall counting his 8-for-29 in the GCL. Along the way he’s picked up a couple home runs and 12 RBI.

At 21 years old, it’s probable this somewhat lost season won’t be Ohlman’s last. But the remainder of 2012 may determine where he starts in 2013, while work over the winter could give Michael a new position to play wherever he goes. We already have a catcher who’s versed at first base in Wynston Sawyer, so perhaps this is a trend the Orioles are willing to try in some of their young talent. Moreover, there’s also the factor of this being Ohlman’s third stint at Delmarva, so he may have finally mastered the SAL enough for a promotion.

A show of support

Normally the time around 2:30 is a slack one for the restaurant business, and certainly Chick-Fil-A is no exception on a normal day. But this was the scene outside the Salisbury restaurant this afternoon.

Yes, cars were literally lined up around the restaurant and inside you could barely find a table. This was the scene while I was waiting on my food.

Actually, the wait to order food wasn’t bad at all – it was the wait to get the food that was about 20 minutes. I asked the friendly young man who waited on me about how the day was and he said “crazy.” He was expecting a busy day, he said, but not quite like this. In listening to other people talk I heard at least one person had come from Millsboro, Delaware just to eat at the restaurant. Inside, employees were offering to refill drinks and handing out mints to those who were waiting.

Now I don’t know how the location at the Centre of Salisbury fared, but my guess is they had the same sort of business.

How was the food? I’ve always liked their waffle fries but this time I tried one of their cool wraps. Probably should have stuck with the sandwich, but next time I’ll know better. It wasn’t bad, just wasn’t all that great.

From what I’ve been able to gather, I’m not the only local person who’s provided an eyewitness report of his experience at Chick-fil-A today. But one thing about this show of support which makes it far more obvious than a boycott is the number of people who packed the parking lot and restaurant. And there wasn’t a lick of trouble or complaint from those who had to wait.

Naturally there will be some who call me a “hater” and spew nasty comments because I joined in this one-day movement, and of course this will be the sort of day which may create record business for Chick-fil-A at the expense of other restaurants. But it seems like the idea behind those who condemn the Cathy family for having Christian values and standing up for the traditional family was to shame them into conforming with their idea of “inclusion” – a idea which seems to welcome everyone but the group who still believes in the values that made our nation a “shining city on a hill.”

Unfortunately for the truly intolerant people, the show of support expressed today will likely give Chick-fil-A greater resolve than ever. Don’t back down now.