Commentary

It was a good news, bad news deal for the OC Air Show this week. First, the event date change from mid-June to late-August is a major negative. The event will not be as successful and well received late in the season as it has been held in June for every year except 2020. The 2024 air show will likely be held the same week as the annual Jeep event, raising some logistical concerns with the daily beach parades, although the “Jeeps and Jets” marketing opportunity exists.

Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Plan is failing even with infrastructure improving upgrades being introduced and reduced speed limits due to driver misbehavior. Risky behavior changes for drivers that were emulated during the pandemic, which include violating traffic regulations and clown driving, continued afterward.

Conventional wisdom suggests Americans know little about foreign policy and care about it even less. Opinion polls regularly show that international issues take a back seat to topics more prosaic (economics, education) or provocative (culture wars, gun control). Next year’s presidential election, however, might be a bit different. Continued international crises could focus attention on the benefits and burdens of American global leadership, and our polarized politics may turn on battles and events far from home. We might experience the rare phenomenon: a foreign policy election.

Coach probably won’t make it to Foxborough on Saturday. That’s a shame, because U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville would learn something important by attending the 124th Army-Navy game. He could have learned the same lesson at Pearl Harbor remembrances in Annapolis and Baltimore on Thursday, but he’s a former football coach who brandishes his old job title as a sign of wisdom.

Since 2012, the requirements for being appointed to serve on Frederick County’s boards and commissions have included residency in the county and being registered to vote. The requirements were repealed in September because they had been enacted during the time when the county was governed by a Board of County Commissioners.

As a child raised in the video-on-demand era who also spent the first half of his life as a Walt Disney World pass holder, my 10-year-old Brooks was pretty clear on the specifics of the “Cinderella” story before we saw ArtCentric’s live version at Baltimore Center Stage last week. When it was over, I asked for a recap. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was coming for my job as a cultural critic.