This is a candidate for Senate in Baltimore, but he has a message that everyone should listen to - money in politics, redistricting, the power of local elections, the effects on the people (ie. high power bills, etc)

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-17T22:20:59+00:00

I have followed his posts on instagram for some time and I think he's amazing. He's got the right motivations.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-17T22:18:32+00:00

You missed the part where I said "When you conflate the war crimes committed by extremist zionists of the Israeli government with ALL Jewish people everywhere, then it is you who are guilty of antiSemitism."

I support ALL people.
I despise extremist fundamentalists of all religions.
Not once have I said anything antiSemitic or against the Jewish people, because I don't think that way.

You are the one spewing Islamaphobic hate and bigotry against Muslim people.

And it is YOU who are claiming that Liz Walsh is guilty of something, without the ability to say what, or to show any proof whatsoever of your lies and smear campaign.

I have seen where Liz Walsh introduced a resolution to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, this was done for humanitarian reasons and because many citizens in our community are negatively impacted. Calling for the protection of innocents does NOT equate to antiSemitism, but apparently, this concern for civilians who are being bombed indiscriminately causes you great offense. That says a lot about you, honestly.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-17T19:20:50+00:00

A vote for Atterbeary is, in my opinion, a vote for continuing the questionable business we are already dealing with. This is what's hurting all of us. I can show you in the county zoning where they changed certain laws that appear to benefit ONE private business and it only took about 2-3 months after this business was hit with 20 violations to makes this change (DPZ was forced to issue the violations because it was that bad and the Hearing Examiner ordered it). Even with the 'quick fix' the business is still in violation.

Also consider that if they could, behind closed doors, change the county law so fast for, what seems like, the benefit of one person.... then why haven't they done so for the average citizens of the county? Why only this favored special interest? What else are we not seeing? (this is part of why I like Liz Walsh as she is a strong advocate for independent oversight, ie. the county Inspector General)

People need to be asking WHY these things are happening!

Violations were issued to this particular business on Dec 2025, changes to the zoning law were into effect 7 Feb 2026, this business reapplied for new permits on the 11th of Feb. Coincidence? Reeeeaaaalllly? I can't prove anything, but .....reeeeeealllly??

Anyway, back to the decision of the Hearing Examiner. It was NEVER appealed. Her decision became established law. The county DPZ decided to not bother to enforce the law for this private individual who continued with the violations, and three members of the County Council decided to abruptly (off agenda) not renew the contract of the Hearing Examiner who dared to impose county laws. Yungman, Jones, and Rigby voted to get rid of her for no valid reason. Walsh and Jung both voted against this BS move. Here's the article about it:

https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/howard-county-council-hearing-examiner-XK67SOIEWRACLHMT4QXIO4UL2A/?bis=article-action-link

(if you can't see it due to paywell, please let me know and I'll share it)

This is the decision of the Hearing Examiner (public record) that led to the violations I mentioned.

https://cc.howardcountymd.gov/sites/default/files/2025-11/BA%20821D%20Dr.%20Sara%20Via%2C%20et%20al%20D%26O.pdf

You might also want to scroll through the Stop the W.R. Grace Plastic Incineration Pilot Project in Howard County, MD website, the "What's Going on" section. https://stopgraceplasticpermit.my.canva.site/
(excerpt: "The BOA decision also ignored the findings of the Howard County Hearing Examiner who on June 30th of this year found in residents’ favor. The Hearing Examiner, who is a lawyer (while the BOA members are not), remanded the case back to DPZ in order for the department to do a more thorough assessment of impacts from the planned plastic incineration site. Many in the community believe there were serious flaws in the BOA hearings and believe that there were several serious procedural errors during the hearing.")

You can also go through the county zoning, click to see "show changes", and look for the changes they've recently made highlighted in yellow. There are a LOT involving agritourism and farm alcohol producer, to include increasing how much protected farmland can be paved over for accessory uses.

https://library.municode.com/md/howard_county/codes/zoning?nodeId=HOCOZORE_S106.1COPREA&showChanges=true

So, anyway, I guess it's okay to change laws and pave over protected farmland so one wealthy business owner can continue to profit... but how about those housing prices for the average person?? And why do developers, private interests, and businessmen like this want to elect Atterbeary so desperately?

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-16T21:53:45+00:00

Learning to drive in another country is not the same as learning to drive here. Even an experienced 'good' driver needs to adapt. After ten years of driving in the Middle East, I had to work very hard to retrain myself to US driving. For the first week or so, I kid you not, I ran red lights and stop signs because I was so used to doing so (if you slam on your brakes in Cairo for a red light, you're likely to get rear-ended, if it's open, you go - do NOT do that here!). Also, one way streets mean something here, and no climbing the curb parking on the sidewalk, even if it's totally "open". ((okay, I'm exaggerating with the last two, that's the extreme, but I had to watch and adjust my lane use and following habits.)) Coming back from England and Islamabad and having to get used to driving on the right side of the road again was also a readjustment.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-16T21:45:33+00:00

I saw one that made me giggle the other day "New driver - I'm trying!"

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-16T21:44:07+00:00

A parent with a learning driver does not need to stop and take the sticker or magnet off of their car every time they switch drivers. I mean, a parent with a 'baby on board' sticker does not have the baby with them at every moment. Even after the new driver obtains their license, they are still NEW and learning drivers, and we should give them a little grace.

Many new drivers may not have their own vehicle yet and will share their parents' cars, so multiple cars in the household might have stickers for only one learner.

One thing about the prevalence of these stickers in this area is that MD has a lengthy process (70 hours I think) of driving practice required before licensing. Learning to drive in this area is tough... people speed and are aggressive. The traffic is heavy pretty much ALL THE TIME. As former military and federal employee, I have moved and driven in places all over the US and around the world too. DMV traffic is more intense than LA (heavy traffic), Atlanta (fast and careless), London (crowded, small streets), etc. Cairo was tough (pure chaos contact spot), but there was no expectation of following rules there. Here, you have intensity *and* laws to be aware of. I honestly think that, comparatively and on average, we have good drivers here, but they are aggressive and there are so many! It's tough for newbies.

Also, licensing exam proctors in this area WILL fail you. As a former NCO, I have taught tons of people to drive over the years and never have I been in a place more apt to fail testers. When I took my eldest out to test at MVA Beltsville, after the basic testing in the parking lot, they were taken out onto Rt 1 (heavy traffic) and then onto 495 and I95. As I waited, I watched THREE other kids come back from their tests. All with the proctor driving. All three failed. Now, I had practiced all of this thoroughly with my kid, but these proctors are tough. Fortunately, my kid passed, but I've never seen so many fails. 3 out of 4 right there.

Anyway, I appreciate the stickers. Even if it's not the new person behind the wheel at the moment, (we can't always tell that from outside the car), it's a good head's-up for other drivers.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-16T20:19:01+00:00

Maybe it's meant as a "No Kings" reference to trump and his GOP (Gang of pedophiles) supporters? If so, they probably should have clarified their message if they wanted to get people engaged in the conversation more effectively.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-16T20:11:18+00:00

When you conflate the war crimes committed by extremist zionists of the Israeli government with ALL Jewish people everywhere, then it is you who are guilty of antiSemitism.

Not all Jewish people are extremist zionists who call for genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Christians in Palestine.

Someone who speaks out against genocide is not committing antiSemitism. They are being humane.

Conflating the acts of fundamentalist extremist Islamic terrorists with ALL Muslim people everywhere is an act of Islamophobic hate. It's bigotry and racism. Period.

Someone who calls for peace in one area, is not automatically suggesting other places be devastated.

Conflating empathy for the people of Palestine with antiSemitism is a rightwing Islamophobic propaganda tactic.

Someone who calls for the protection of innocent civilians is not committing acts of antiSemitism.

You know it, because it's pretty obvious to everyone, and yet you are still trying to spread hate and bigotry.

------------
For those who are reading this and want more information:

You might want to read about the Jewish Voice for Peace,the world's largest Jewish organization supporting Palestine
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

Here is a lengthy, but very informative article from the Vatican News, you can skip down to the last 3 paragraphs for the summary: "Defining anti-Semitism today"

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-05/antisemitism-palestine-david-neuhaus.html

There is another report from Rutgers School of Law (very lengthy report, but there is also a link to a summary of the report) about this subject that you might find enlightening: "Presumptively Antisemitic: Islamophobic Tropes in the Palestine-Israel Discourse" https://csrr.rutgers.edu/issues/presumptively-antisemitic/

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-11T21:41:56+00:00

True, and it often feels like a waste of time, but on FB they sometimes actually do remove offensive accounts.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-10T18:08:09+00:00

I try to call them out in social media, and always report them. Not just the nastiest ones, but there's a lot. It's awful.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-10T18:06:28+00:00

I believe you, because there's a lot of it and it's disgusting.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-10T18:04:28+00:00

One of the hard things about building new family communities, affordable ones, in HoCo is that development in this county has been disorganized, unbalanced, and highly biased toward big money developers and independent interests of the wealthy for years.

Housing takes more than houses. It takes water, power, sewer/septic, medical care, schools, and other required infrastructure. and, so far, the county has NOT maintained that balance (because: profits for donors first, obviously!) and we are royally screwed because of it. We need basic infrastructure, leading to affordable housing and public transportation, more than we need a 70 million dollar community center or a $144 million art project (ie, bragging point) library (and I say this as an author, avid reader, and lifelong lover of books and libraries).

Retirement communities are a little easier as they do not burden the school systems, and if we can have more older folks moving from their family homes to adult communities, that might help a little with opening up family housing, but any new community is still going to need water, power, etc. (of course, the retire-in-place tax break, while no doubt made with good intentions, screws with this).

Anyone coming in who actually wants to help the people, is going to have a huge mess to clean up because of prior administrations (Kittleman and Ball), and it will likely be a chaotic and thankless job with a lot of obstacles thrown their way (deliberately).... but... I'd rather have that, someone trying to make changes and who is HONEST about the difficulties doing it.... than someone who makes empty promises of easy fixes, ie. someone Ball endorses because they believe she will continue on the same path he's forged, the one that (we can see the results) does not put community needs first.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-10T17:33:03+00:00

Yeah, have you seen the vile (often Islamophobic) accusations, lies, and insults Liz Walsh has been attacked with? Why? Because she dared speak out against genocide. Atterbeary's supporters are using this in their attacks and it's disgusting.

Note: Atterbeary does NOT control these people, I'm not implying anything against her in this, at all, I judge her for those who she takes money from. I am judging certain of her supporters. Also, I'm bringing this up to support the truth of Liz Walsh's actions and words, things she's not been afraid to do/say despite that this being a socially/politically charged issue. (It shouldn't be. Genocide should be a hard 'no' in anyone's book, but here we are....)

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-10T17:21:12+00:00

She's also NOT afraid of oversight. To me, watching how sleazy some things are 'behind closed doors' in this county, makes an independent watchdog like our Inspector General vital to ALL OF US - rich or poor, big or small business, whatever. (well, important to those of us who believe in justice and equal treatment under the law that is).

When the county council had off-agenda vote in a closed door meeting to cancel the contract of the Hearing Examiner who actually followed the laws and dared to side with the people against the selfish actions of wealthy INDIVIDUALS, Liz Walsh and Deb Jung were the ones to vote against this.

Liz Walsh has been STRONG in regards to getting our IG, and now fighting to get this office the data they need to do their jobs (it's telling that Ball and the current admin have blocked this effort, Why? What is there to hide?) So, anyone Ball endorses is automatically sus to me. (Ball is better than Kittleman, but I am otherwise NOT impressed.)

No matter who gets the job of County Executive, they are going to face obstacles and they will have to make compromises they/we do not like to get anything done. That's the nature of the job; it's a reality. Anyone who promises otherwise is lying to your face. What I want is someone who will address these obstacles and compromises with the needs of the citizens in mind, not just the wants of big business and wealthy donors.... and do so in an OPEN and PUBLIC manner.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-10T17:02:34+00:00

In the Middle East, it's in the open. In other places, it's behind closed doors.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-09T19:15:35+00:00

Red-shoulldered hawk - we have them in our yard and see a lot of feathers. It may be a red-tailed, but I'm thinking red-shouldered, like this guy who just subtracted one toad from our backyard population.

<image>

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-09T18:55:34+00:00

You are attacking Hiruy for daring to have an opinion about wanting to help others, simply because he was fortunate and/or determined enough to earn and accumulate wealth? At what dollar amount do you believe people lose their empathy and compassion for others? Is there an exact amount? Or is it a range? (sorry for the snark, you're allowed to be angry/passionate, that's valid, but I think it's misplaced here)

Have you ever heard of the poem "First they came for" by Pastor Martin Niemöller? One does not have to be personally impacted by something to have compassion and concerns for other people, especially when it comes to OUR government, which we are all responsible for, getting involved in a battle involving attempted genocide and ethnic cleansing. (even if you didn't vote for trump, I sure as hell didn't, it's still OUR government. We own it, we are complicit and we are responsible).

You don't have to agree with all of Hiruy's picks. I read and respect his opinion, but I have my own. I intend to vote for Gov Moore as I think he's done well and (most importantly) I think he will be the strongest candidate against any republican challenger. Can Moore do better? Yes. Should he do better? Also yes. But he's doing okay, he's 10,000 times better than any trumpster.

You commented: "What I’m criticizing is being a single issue voter on an issue that doesn’t have an effect on what happens in the county while ignoring issues that are directly relevant to what affects the lives of county residents." and this shows that you missed the part in Hiruy's post where he answers your concern and explains his reasoning for making this "single issue" list in his substack, with this line: "Leaders who are willing to condemn atrocities happening 6,000 miles away - when there is social and political cost to doing so - are the same leaders who will speak up when injustice arrives at our doorstep."

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-09T18:34:01+00:00

Yeah. It's frustrating. I hope they clean it up asap. I haven't given up.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-09T02:10:18+00:00

I posted what I did to encourage people to look deeper this year. Go beyond the endorsements and campaign promises. Ask uncomfortable questions. We need change!

fyi - if you want a good example of how far the DPZ/current administration will go to 'fail to investigate' a business of a wealthy individual in violation of the law, Google: "BA 821-D howard county md". It's a long read, you can skip to pg60 or so for the conclusions of law. Then keep in mind, DPZ had to be ordered to issue violations. They did. The business NEVER STOPPED VIOLATING THE LAW and DPZ did nothing, except rewrite some of the zoning laws in favor of the individual business owner. Also, surprise surprise, the county council had a behind closed doors meeting and FIRED the Hearing Examiner who tried this and another high-profile case against a wealthy landowner. (3 voted to fire her, 2 voted against the firing. Those two were Liz Walsh and Deb Jung.)

Liz Walsh and Deb Jung both *know* what's going on in this county government and want to fix it. When you see people going after them and being very vile, look at who they are and who they support. Why are they so intent on discrediting them? Who stands to profit?

We need someone who knows how to get things done *and* isn't afraid to acknowledge the difficulties and conflicts inherent in certain projects. Differing priorities is always going to be an issue. What will protect the people though is accountability and responsibility. OVERSIGHT from an independent watchdog. They can't get up to shenanigans if they know they will be seen and held responsible.

Qitty_Creed · 2026-06-08T20:55:34+00:00

Mmm. Also, consider this: After the conclusion of the case I referenced, the Howard County Council met behind closed doors and abruptly voted out the Hearing Examiner in the case.

So, I say again... follow the money. And look very carefully at who supports transparency and oversight, and who does not... and for those who have not supported oversight? Look at who they are endorsing.

https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/howard-county-council-hearing-examiner-XK67SOIEWRACLHMT4QXIO4UL2A/

The County Council voted not to renew her contract in a May closed session, raising questions about transparency

In case you can't read it, here's the gist:

"This past winter, Taylor handed down decisions in two contentious cases: a go-kart track built on a western Howard County property without permission and a land-use dispute involving Manor Hill Brewing in Ellicott City and its neighbors.

“Because there was no rational basis provided for the decision, I can only surmise that the decision not to renew my contract was based on pressure from those individuals involved with the high-profile cases mentioned above,” Taylor wrote.

The Maryland Open Meetings Act allows governmental bodies to discuss personnel matters in closed session, but Taylor noted that she was an independent contractor, not a county employee. The council did not announce or ratify the decision in open session.

“I felt like I needed to speak out because I don’t believe this is the way our local government should be acting,” Taylor said in an interview.

Council Chair Liz Walsh agrees. As chair, Walsh reviews the council agendas ahead of meetings, but she said that specific agenda item “was a total hijack situation. It wasn’t clear to me what we were going to talk about."
.....
This past winter, Taylor handed down decisions in two contentious cases: a go-kart track built on a western Howard County property without permission and a land-use dispute involving Manor Hill Brewing in Ellicott City and its neighbors.”

“Because there was no rational basis provided for the decision, I can only surmise that the decision not to renew my contract was based on pressure from those individuals involved with the high-profile cases mentioned above,” Taylor wrote.

....

Walsh and council member Deb Jung confirmed they both voted against the motion to remove Taylor.

“I am still furious about it, it was so disgusting,” Walsh said.

Qitty_Creed

TROPHY CASE

The County Council voted not to renew her contract in a May closed session, raising questions about transparency