Commentary

Three gents, who care deeply about the place, are taking us on a hike today, into the woodlands of Oregon Ridge Park in Baltimore County. They want us to see what they consider a problem in the hilltop forest: Not enough oaks, too many deer; not enough birds, too many thorns. Now, you say, that’s fine, and it might even be interesting. But don’t we have much bigger problems? Of course. The big picture — I mean, the really big picture — is that the planet is in trouble, and we, that is, the 8 billion of us who inhabit Earth, are not doing enough to slow climate change. The three main greenhouse gasses (methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide) have hit record levels in the atmosphere, according to the United Nations, and that’s more bad news.

I am extremely saddened, although unfortunately not surprised, to read the recent article highlighting the failure to meet the needs of children across Maryland. As a child psychiatrist and as president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt — Maryland’s largest nonprofit provider of behavioral health services, including those provided to children and adolescents — I have too often seen the negative clinical consequences of policy choices that have led to the underfunding of our behavioral health system and a lack of needed programs and services to help our youth.

Democracy is not just an idea. It is an action. It is also a stiff neck, a sore bottom and a parched throat. As a first-time election judge in a Baltimore City precinct on Election Day, I was actively “democracizing” — as in, practicing democracy while exercising. For roughly 13 hours straight, I welcomed and checked in nearly 1,000 voters, alongside two strangers who fast became my friends.

Local journalism is a cornerstone of democracy and a vital source of information for communities across the country, with newsrooms covering local politics, high school sports, local business openings, cultural events and other matters that help a community remain vibrant and connected. But the industry is facing an existential crisis because of the unyielding power of Big Tech platforms such as Google and Facebook.

Changes in the past week have been abrupt. A neighbor takes down her flowers. Migrating birds glean berries from the trees. Squirrels pick through the last fruits and treasures in lawns in stop-action screen freezes — scurry, dig, pause. Seasons are changing. The inevitability of the cycle is a reassuring counterpoint to headlines about the onrush of climate change in fires, floods and shifting shelves of polar ice.

For Maryland Republicans, there is likely little comfort in the thought that the drubbing they took in statewide contests Tuesday was to be expected. From U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s easy reelection win over perennial (yet-still-little-known) candidate Chris Chaffee to Del. Brooke Lierman’s historic victory over Harford County Executive Barry Glassman to become Maryland’s first woman to be elected state comptroller, Maryland voters showed a distinct preference for Democrats in 2022.

In the very first episode of ABC’s new hit drama “Alaska Daily,” a mother is having a frustrating conversation with a reporter. And she doesn’t trust her. Who can blame her? Sylvie doesn’t believe her. “Are you going to do what you always do?” Sylvie asks. “One sad story, and that’s it?” I have never been to Anchorage, where the occasionally uneven but increasingly excellent “Alaska Daily” is set, more than 71 hours and 4,267 miles from Baltimore. Still, I felt a rush of uncomfortable recognition at this scene, as a journalist, a Baltimorean and as a Black woman.

One of the most sobering statements from President Joe Biden’s speech this month on protecting democracy was one that might well have gone unnoticed by many who heard it or read about it. In the speech, Biden pointed out, “The remarkable thing about American democracy is this: Just enough of us, on just enough occasions, have chosen not to dismantle democracy but to preserve democracy.”