The council originally voted to not invite Santa.
I think the most ridiculous part of the story is that one of the people who complained about Santa doesn’t appear to have a problem with government-sponsored religious displays. She’s been fighting to get a mennorah added to the Christmans tree display for several years.
I was willing to give some credit to a person for fighting against any government-sponsored religious displays, but she ain’t one of them.
As a Jew by birth (I’m female, my mom’s Jewish, my grandma’s Jewish, etc., ad israeleum), I have to step in and say…
“FUCKING Jew? Best kind!!”
You may now continue with your discussion of Santa Claus, in whom my jewish/pagan/agnostic children believe with all of their little hearts.
Though I think the OP issue has pretty much been resolved with the report that sense seems to have prevailed in Kensington, the nitpicky, detail-oriented part of me couldn’t let this slide, especially coming from such an enthusiastic defender of our fair state.
Er, um, no. Actually it has 23 counties. And the City of Baltimore, which is not part of Baltimore County. So actually 24 sub-state-level political divisions. Ergo, Montgomery Co. represents something like 1/24 of the population (probably a bit more since the Eastern Shore, Garrett & Alleghany Counties, and the far northern bits of the Central Maryland counties aren’t that densely populated). Say 5% of Marylanders.
Also:
Um, the City’s smack-dab in the middle of the state Well, maybe slightly south of center. And Baltimore County surrounds it on all sides not on the water. I was a bit confused, therefore, by your statement.
Sorry about the nitpicks since I actually agree with the general sentiment of your and especially WeirdDave’s comments re the OP. Non-residents should remember that Maryland’s a very regional state, and folks in Montgomery County (Southern Maryland) sometimes consider themselves more to be part of Washington DC. Central Marylanders, Western Marylanders, Southern Marylanders, and Eastern Shore folks are all doing their own thing, and those of us who don’t live in the county in question roll our eyes just as much as non-Marylanders at what goes on down there. (Banning Santa? Because TWO families complained? Oh puh-lease!) You really can’t make state-wide generalities based on the noteworthy antics of a few. And I suspect that’s just as true for the other 49 states as well.
Oh, and re: expensive gas from another Maryland-bashing thread, I got gas on Tuesday (last time I filled up) for $0.99/gal (actually 98.9 cents…that 9/10ths thing drives me nuts). I heard the state-wide average this week is $1.13/gal. Probably really high in Montgomery Co. and cheap as anything on the ES. It really varies.
Cheers
Michele
Jeepers, Cranky, where do you think little baby Jews come from?
Well, except for that one particular baby Jew. 
WJLA says the same thing.
I think the mayor trying to cover her ass. From my previous link:
Herself. No firefighter, cop, or postal worker.
Michele, my dear, please consult your map of Maryland. B’more is more towards the upper right of the state. While Balt. Co. does surround B’more City on the west, north and east, we know that it’s the western side that is most important (sorry Dave). The northern and eastern sides of the county are merely to act as a buffer zone so PA and DE expatriots get bored on their immigration into Baltimore and turn around.
Montgomery County is pretty much due north of Washington and CANNOT be considered southern Maryland. For the record, Souther Maryland is considered to be the group of St. Mary’s, Charles and Calvert Counties.
Spritle says
OK, I did consult a map and I still think (given the very odd shape of the state…am I the only one who thinks it looks like a gun?) that it’s as darn close to center as you’re going to get without being in the Bay. When you say “west side of the state” I think Hagerstown, Frederick, or Cumberland.
No, no…you’ve got it a bit backwards. The WHOLE county is really a buffer zone to protect those of us in Harford, Carroll, and Howard Counties from the forays of city dwellers. :). And, personally, I like the east side of the County better, though I may be a bit biased since I have a Kingsville zipcode (though I actually live in Harford Co and not Balto…it’s rather confusing).
Now, here, you got me…
Argh–you’re right! The dividing line between Central and Southern Maryland seems to be between Montgomery and PG/Anne Arundel Counties and not between Howard and Montgomery as I thought. (and you missed PG and AA in your list…no, really, I checked this time: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/smaryland.html)
I think I was confusing “Baltimore Metropolitan Area” with Central Maryland. Mea culpa. I’ll go back to lurking now…
Michele
And what holidays would you consider non-religious?
The shame the horror!
I’m sorry about the 26 mistake. I had to memorize all that stuff in sixth grade, and my brain just pulled up 26. I didn’t bother to double check, but you know, a lot of facts have gotten jumbled up in there in the past 10 years.
As for the western thing, I just said that to distinguish Baltimore from the Eastern coast. It’s just how I describe where I live to people not familar - on the western side of the Chesapeake, as opposed to the eastern, because everyone knows those Eastern Marylanders are a bunch of…well, you know. 
Baltimore is indeed right smack in the middle of the state, on the Western half.
Elliot in the Morning on DC101 was ranting on the Littmans. He was leaving messages on their answering machines and having callers leave messages too. He even tried to get some people to go to the house and find out if they were home or not. Jewish or not, Elliot should be commended for this.
Hey Michele,
You only live about 15 miles away from me, up Rt 1 to Bel Air and then across on 22, how come you’re not coming to my Christmas Dopefest?
That’s a bad approximation. It is more like 16.5%. See this site:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/24000.html
Monkey county is the most populated county in the state. However, this isn’t really about the county, it’s about the town of Kensington.
Everybody sing! The Key is D-minor
Welllllllllll.
Welllllll… Littmans a bitch, they’s a big fat bitch. They’s the biggest bitch in the whole wide world. They’s a stupid bitch,if there ever was a bitch. She’s a bitch to all the boys and girls…
(well, at least that’s what it sounds like when my dog is barkin’ his head off)
AT ANY RATE, HERE’S THE LATEST RELEASE FROM TOK.COM
damn, I meant tok.org
[hijack] Oh yeah hey, fuck the EMT’S who put it on the line at the WTC, Pentagon and Pennsylvania sites. Let’s all step back and let the mail carriers take a moment. We all know what an immense effort they put out when America got attacked on September the 11th.
WHAT THE FUCK ??? Lemme tell you, Maryland County- don’t fucking show your face in NYC any time soon. Don’t get hurt. Don’t fall down. Don’t get sideswiped by a taxicab. Don’t need an ambulance, because according to YOUR fucking politicians, your needs would be MUCH better served if we sent a mail truck.
Fuckers.
Are we a wee bit tired of being shit on? Yep.
[/hijack]
What the fuck, indeed? Where are the grief counselors complaining about not being invited? The media, too, who were there all day and all night separating fact from rumour? Hell, Kensington didn’t invite neither Mayor Guiliani nor President Bush! Those commie heathens!
Give me a break.
I live in the same county as Kensington, MD (it’s actually two minutes from my old apartment), it’s called Montgomery County, not “Maryland County.” Yes, the same county that almost fined smokers whose smoke disturbed their neighbours. Yes, the same liberal county that continuously elects a Republican to Congress. Am I not invited to NYC? I’d love to take my wife there to visit, it’s been a dream of her’s for a long time. But, I guess I’m not welcome. 
Cartooniverse, I’m currently compiling the Yes stuff you’ve e-mailed me about. Heaven forbid I think about personally delivering it, just because I’m from “Maryland County.”
:rolleyes:
Sofa I never really paid any attention to your post, I have been oblivious to all of them truth be told.
This one post has been the fuuniest damn post I have read in a long long LONg time.
You sir are a minor deity
Of course, my opinion really is not worth a shit anyhow.
Let’s see…
New Years Day
Memorial Day
Fourth of July
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Thanksgiving
Those are major ones.
Want some minor ones?
No, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties are not considered part of Southern Maryland. By common use, St. Mary’s, Charles, and Calvert Counties are Southern Maryland. It’s like the term “Northern Virginia.” It doesn’t mean you draw a line going east-to-west that bisects Virginia and call the top portion Northern Virginia. In practice, Northern Virginia is that part of the state that’s within 50 miles of Washington.
And would you people stop going on about the anti-smoking law? The county executive vetoed it and some council members announced that they had changed their mind about it, so his veto won’t be overridden. The proposed ban is dead.