Common Sense

Last week started with a bang and continued with a frenzy. From music lessons to sports practices to family birthdays to recitals, every evening was full. Looking ahead, I realized that we would all be home together on Saturday evening. That's a good excuse for a special meal, don't you think? I selected a new recipe in my cooking magazine as one that would fit the bill quite nicely, so I planned to buy the ingredients Saturday morning. As I organized the grocery list, I thought about the amounts needed for each ingredient.

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things. " - From "Through the Looking Glass," by Lewis Carroll It's time the world had a serious think about etiquette. When it comes to which fork to use or what to do with our napkins, our parents know everything. As kids, we hear the inevitable from our parents: "Get your elbows off the table!" and "Chew with your mouth closed. You're not a cow. " We dismiss these words as nonsense - and sometimes forfeit dinner.

Washington County Commissioner candidate Walter C. Frazee, a Smithsburg resident and self-employed maintenance mechanic, said he hopes to bring some common sense to Washington County government. "A lot of citizens I talk to and other people, we all have questions about why things are the way they are," said Frazee, 52. "I get no answers, so I decided to get involved. " One of Frazee's concerns, he said, is a decline in community services. "It seems there is not as much happening for the citizens," he said.

By KERRY LYNN FRALEY Staff Writer Finding the perfect holiday gift for a faraway loved one is only half the battle. You still have to get it to its destination on time and intact. If you want to make sure your gifts arrive before Santa does, don't push the limits of normal delivery times and take care in packaging them, U.S. Postal Service officials warn. Although they believe only a small percentage of gifts arrive damaged because of bad packaging, they said the number could be even lower if customers followed some common-sense shipping guidelines.

Chief runs Halfway fire co. with 'common sense' By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI kimy@herald-mail.com The secret to the Volunteer Fire Co. of Halfway's success is no mystery, said Chief Jeffrey Ringer. "It takes communication and common sense," he said. CONTINUED With some area companies struggling financially and unable to respond to all calls, Halfway has been in the black since the fire company's rescue service started in 1995 and has never missed a call, according to company officials.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - Monday's sweltering heat did not bring the everyday life of Washington County residents to a halt. According to weather observer Greg Keefer's Web site - www.i4weather.net - the day's high temperature was 97.5 degrees, making it the hottest day of the year. How did workers and business owners cope with the searing heat? By taking breaks on the job, staying in an air-conditioned or shady area and drinking lots of water. "You've got to use common sense," said Art Cordell, who was doing on-site construction for an AC&T gas station.

HAGERSTOWN -- Chairs, traffic cones and even a velvet-rope crowd controller become part of Hagerstown's landscape after a big snow as residents attempt to claim the parking spots they cleared. Police this weekend still were dealing with disputes over parking spaces cleared after the major snowstorm of Dec. 19 and 20. "It's an ongoing problem," Sgt. Chad Woodring said earlier this week. The National Weather Service is calling for snow to begin early today, with a possible accumulation of 1 to 3 inches, so residents might have to deal with the parking space issue again.

BRYN MICKLE / Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A citizen's group opposed to Berkeley County's 911 road renaming process has filed a criminal complaint against the Berkeley County Commission. [cont. from news page ] Common Sense 911 claims the county has "willfully stalled and delayed" the group's efforts to obtain information on the address change process through Freedom of Information Act requests, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Common Sense group.

Editor's note: 10 candidates are running in the May 20 primary for the new District 7 District Justice seat in Franklin County, Pa. The top two vote-getters in the Republican and Democratic primaries will advance to the general election Nov. 4. Candidates provided the following information to The Herald-Mail. Cheryl Reed Age: 55 Address: 977 Anthony Highway, Chambersburg, Pa. Party: Republican, but cross-filed. Employment: Teacher and coach in the Chambersburg Area School District.

Andy Rooney for president To the editor: I am not in particular an avid reader of books. However, my wife handed me a copy of Andy Rooney's book, “Out of My Mind,” published in 2006. I would suggest for you avid readers to read this very down-to-earth and common-sense piece of literature. In his book, Rooney tackles just about everything that is wrong with our country and the world. For example, on page 102, he writes about the world's population.

The sordid results of Senate voting on April 17 reflect clearly the loss of common sense and the courage to stand up to the political clout of the National Rifle Association. When the vote count became public, two thoughts came to mind. First was the word “infamy,” which President Franklin Roosevelt used to describe the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The second word was “shame,” used in 1954 to describe the conduct of Sen. Joseph McCarthy for labeling all political opponents “commies.” Just as Dec. 7, 1942, was a “day of infamy” so was April 17, 2013.

Jefferson County Democrat Stephen Skinner was one of only four members of the West Virginia House of Delegates - all Democrats - who voted against a bill calling for the repeal of local gun control laws. The bill passed the House 94-4 with two members absent. Democrats siding with Skinner in opposition were three delegates who represent the city of Charleston, W.Va. Gun control laws in Martinsburg, W.Va., which ban guns on city-owned property, are similar to those of three other West Virginia cities the bill would affect.

Arts aren't the answer to ills of this world To the editor: I heard a local activities director on the news last week say that “the arts are the making of a community.” No offense to anyone, but I beg to differ with him. And in thus doing, may I ask him to consider the following questions, please: Have they stopped the bickering amongst the leaders at City Hall? Have they stopped the possible showing of favoritism among the leaders as well? Have they stopped the acts of lying, stealing, cheating, conniving, scheming, gambling, and people abusing their bodies with booze and tobacco products?

U.S. Rep. John Delaney, D-Md., told state legislators that he favors common-sense limitations when it comes to guns at a meeting of the Western Maryland delegation Thursday. Delaney, the newly elected Democrat who represents the 6th Congressional District, also said at the meeting that he favored restrictions on accessibility to violent video games, better monitoring of those with mental health issues and their access to guns. Delaney also said he supports drilling for natural gas, a process sometimes referred to as fracking.

“To the statement in the paper about the Bible and not judging people, from someone in Smithsburg: I know what the Bible says, but making a statement that's actually the truth about someone, I guess hurts some people.” - Hagerstown “You know, for my grandkids, I'm getting concerned about these elections, that people that they're electing to the high offices, they're on the fringe ... they're about half nuts, half of them. So I hope people will start using their heads and start voting for common sense people.” - Hagerstown “I went through (a drive-through)

Good logic is always something I try to embrace. She is usually filled with not only beauty, but a little common sense as well. Question No. 7 on this year's ballot deals with expanding gambling within Maryland. Probably some $50 million in advertising has been spent to convince you that it is the right thing to do. Besides, everyone else is doing it, why not us? If you have listened to some of the gambling proponents' rhetoric, they always use the notion that all money derived from your vote will go into “education” for the benefit of your kids.

During the primary phase of the 2012 presidential election, there has been a noticeable acceleration in the use of the term “American exceptionalism” by candidates and political writers. The obvious purpose was to inflate the image of the candidate as a certified patriot and to cast doubt on the opponent. Their patriotic cant was self-serving. Should we not be cautious in accepting the claim of special patriotism on the part of a candidate who is now known to be a party to avoidance of income taxes by secret banking in the Cayman Islands?