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PUBLISHED: May 5, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com The United States Constitution was ordained by “We the People” on Sept. 17, 1787.  Emerging from the signing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, delegate and statesman Dr. Benjamin Franklin was accosted by intellectual socialite Elizabeth Willing. She inquired with animation, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin retorted, “A republic — if you can keep it.” Keeping it is hard work. Narcissistic sociopaths gravitate to politics. With rare exceptions to be counted on one hand with fingers left over, politicians are preoccupied with acquiring and retaining power for the sake of power. It provides them with artificial self-esteem to fill philosophically empty souls. Henry Adams observed, “Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.” The lust for power is insatiable. It never sleeps. Citizens must exercise eternal vigilance over their government servants to prevent the republic from degenerating into a de facto monarchy crowned with limitless power. James Madison, father of the Constitution, explained in Federalist 51: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government.” We the People are saddled with a duty to police elected officials not only on polling day but on all days in between. Citizen inertia or indolence is irresponsible. Under the First Amendment, we enjoy the right to petition government officials for a redress of grievances via mail, email, phone calls, text messages, in-person visits, marches, or demonstrations.  Do not underestimate your influence. I know.  I have served in congressional offices.  Members pay close attention to thoughtful and informed arguments and the actions of engaged constituents.  The landmark civil rights laws of the 1960s were more the handiwork of citizen boycotts and marching in the streets than trailblazing by Members of Congress.  The latter followed the lead of citizens, not vice versa. Republican government requires politically informed citizens. You must follow what your representatives are doing or saying via newspapers, the internet, C-Span, the Congressional Record or otherwise. In the Digital Age, there is no excuse for citizen cluelessness of their representatives. You should demand that they explain every vote in committee or on the floor of the House and Senate, and respond to any critique or questions you raise. They work for you, not the other way around.  You should demand town hall meetings to question your representatives in person, with no filters. You should consider running for office yourself after mastering the Constitution and the office’s duties and prerogatives. At present, the quality of elected officials is appalling. We desperately need candidates without ulterior motives but committed to keeping the republic. You cannot escape politics even if that is your hope. Pericles admonished, “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” If all candidates are objectionable, write in an alternative to show that you are politically engaged but are casting a vote of no confidence across the board. It will be a signal to would-be candidates to enter the arena to attract informed citizens. You should organize teach-ins led by expert speakers on what government is doing right and wrong and what alternate courses of action are available. As Mr. Madison advised, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” But where are we today?  An editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled “James Madison Weeps” (Sept. 19, 2017) recounted the epidemic of First Amendment illiteracy among college students. Among American adults, only a small fraction can identify the three branches of the United States Government. To be honest, at present, speaking to citizens about the Constitution is like reading Shakespeare to cows. “The government you elect is the government you deserve,” Thomas Jefferson maintained. When it comes to keeping the republic, the buck stops with us. And we are failing. The republic is on life support. Armstrong Williams (awilliams@baltsun.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. This column is part of a weekly series written from “The Owner’s Box.”

PUBLISHED: May 1, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com Baltimore will soon decide whether Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott deserves four more years. The decision could be swayed by a move Wednesday by former deputy attorney general Thiru Vignarajah, a late entrant in the Democratic primary. His is a tale of rare political selflessness. Some early dismissed Vignarajah as a featherweight candidate. But in just three short months, Vignarajah parachuted into the role of potential kingmaker. On Wednesday, he dropped out of the race, endorsing competitor Sheila Dixon in the process, providing her with a tailwind. It is a headwind for the incumbent Scott, who is nonetheless a formidable candidate. The mayoral race remains too close to call, with a recent poll by The Baltimore Sun, FOX45 and the University of Baltimore finding support for Scott and Dixon neck and neck at 38% and 35% respectively — within the margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 points. Vignarajah’s endorsement could make the difference. In the same poll, Vignarajah had 10% of the voters’ support, with his fans saying overwhelmingly that Dixon was their next choice. Whatever the outcome, Vignarajah has elevated the political discourse of the campaigning. The choice to exit was painful. Vignarajah speaks to the people of Baltimore with animation, eloquence and profundity. He expounds on universal pre-K, free college, slashing property taxes and opposition to Harborplace with signature clarity and persuasiveness. Two years ago, Vignarajah placed second in the state attorney’s race (edging out Marilyn Mosby) with 30% of the vote, winning a significant number of the city’s predominantly Black precincts. In the mayoral race, he significantly raised his profile and support among white voters, but displayed the courage and judgment to realize it was not yet his turn. Vignarajah has singlehandedly proven the viability of public financing in Baltimore, raising over $600,000 in just 12 weeks — more than his two main opponents combined. Notwithstanding his enviable political assets, he stepped aside for Ms. Dixon. He is a politician right out of central casting, like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He’s an immigrant and son of Baltimore City public school teachers. From local public schools, he attended Yale University and Harvard Law School. He was elected president of the Harvard Law Review and was a law clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court. With this pedigree, Vignarajah has had countless doors open for him. But, as he said on the campaign trail, Vignarajah returned home to serve. He was a formidable federal and city prosecutor, never lost a trial, and was named a deputy attorney general of Maryland in his mid-30s. Vignarajah then moved to the private sector as a litigation partner at DLA Piper (Baltimore’s oldest law firm and today one of the world’s largest), was later named CEO of one of the country’s largest community development financial institutions and now is managing partner of the Baltimore office of one of the nation’s largest civil rights firms. Despite his luster, Vignarajah’s prior political runs have been thwarted by well-financed ad hominem campaigns run by PACs and opponents. They screamed that he was an excessively demanding and abusive supervisor with poor judgment. In this race, Vignarajah acknowledged difficult times and real mistakes, but emphasized his growing maturity through professional development and personal counseling. To err is human. To confess error is divine. When he endorsed Ms. Dixon, Vignarajah explained that redemption is a journey not an epiphany. He discerned in her a public servant seeking redemption through public service. But his support for Dixon was a vote of no confidence in her resilient opponent. By suspending his campaign, Vignarajah exhibited the selflessness that Baltimore dearly needs.  Too many politicians are driven by ulterior motives. I am confident that with his many talents, Vignarajah will soon be back on Baltimore’s political stage with a second act more exciting and dashing than the first. Armstrong Williams (awilliams@baltsun.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.

PUBLISHED: April 29, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com At the American Music Awards In 2009, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z famously countered rapper 50 Cent, who had been taking public shots at him, with the now legendary words: “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t,” referring to his rival’s music sales. Numbers similarly discredit Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s crime reduction promises and assertions. Among other things, he pledged to slash homicides and shootings by 15% each year during his four-year term, a goal he met only once in his first three years. The question is: Are Mayor Brandon Scott’s misleading crime messages unwitting or intentional? During his first year, homicides and shootings increased. In the second year, the numbers remained flat. In 2023, his third year, numbers showed a plunge in homicides and shootings.  But who deserves the credit? Some say U.S. Attorney Erek Barron’s “Al Capone” style of prosecution on the federal level is responsible. Others credit State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who entered office promising prison terms for illegally possessing firearms. But only rank partisans credit Mayor Scott, who took office in December 2020.Moreover, while homicides and shootings fell in 2023, many other categories of crime jumped in neighborhoods across the city, according to my analysis of Baltimore City Police Department data, including rape, aggravated assault, auto theft and burglary. Baltimore residents do not feel safe, according to opinion polls — including one released this month by The Sun, Fox45 and the University of Baltimore — regardless of the rhetoric Mayor Scott and his cronies continue to spout. Baltimore police numbers show a jump in crime in 221 of the 278 neighborhoods that make up Charm City. Only 46 neighborhoods witnessed crime reduction, while crime remained level in 11. Auto theft in Baltimore rocketed 133% in one year alone.  Mayor Scott’s ballyhooed redevelopment area around the Inner Harbor hosted 2,154 reported violent and quality-of-life crimes in the past two years. In Scott’s backyard of East Baltimore, communities such as Belair-Edison saw a 109% increase in property crime over the past year, while neighborhoods such as Berea — a tight-knit African American community — witnessed auto thefts increase by 675%. Little Italy and other historic areas witnessed a 500% climb in auto thefts and a 118% hike in violent crime during the last year. No neighborhood is safe, including communities represented by some of the city’s most influential politicians.

PUBLISHED: April 28, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com The decay in American education is an alarming national security threat. Many high school or college graduates know little more than their sexual orientation or Taylor Swift’s juvenile lyrics and strutting. They are unable to write a single, succinct, evocative sentence, like the magnificence of a “rosy-fingered dawn.” They could not pass the civics test required for naturalization. They do not know the fundamentals of citizen duties, including informed voting and participation in politics, eternal vigilance over their government servants, and petitioning for redress of grievances. They do not know the majestic, inspiring gospel of the Declaration of Independence. They do not know the United States Constitution or the separation of powers, its crown jewel finding expression in judicial review. They do not know The Federalist Papers, the greatest assemblage of political wisdom in the history of mankind. They do not know President George Washington’s Farewell Address or President Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address, both warning against the bane of extreme partisanship. Parents should be complaining about what’s not in school libraries and classrooms more than what is there. They do not know the unhappy history of the Alien and Sedition Acts, the Missouri Compromise, the Trail of Tears or Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America.” They have not mastered the Bible, the Holy Koran, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucius, Seneca or Epicurus. They are clueless about Aristophanes, Sophocles, Homer, Virgil, Dante, Plutarch, Chaucer, Shakespeare, James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, John Donne, John Milton, Samuel Johnson, Balzac, Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass and countless other literary giants. Parents should be complaining about what’s not in school libraries and classrooms more than what is there.  Indeed, if education was made vastly more demanding in reading, writing and arithmetic, there would be no school time remaining to squander on obscenity or sexual orientation. The survival of the United States is more and more a race between education and ignorance. Many in the new generation are incapable of self-government. They do not understand the importance of process over personality.  They are easily swayed by demagogues because their cerebral faculties have left their innate hormonal urges undomesticated. They are lonely, feel worthless, lack faith and believe in little beyond themselves. They crave being part of a cult more than marching to their own drummers. and searching for truth without ulterior motives and acting accordingly. Thomas Jefferson advised, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” President George Washington’s first State of the Union address elaborated: “Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness. In one in which the measures of government receive their impressions so immediately from the sense of the community as in ours it is proportionably essential. To the security of a free constitution it contributes in various ways – by convincing those who are entrusted with the public administration that every valuable end of government is best answered by the enlightened confidence of the people, and by teaching the people themselves to know and to value their own rights; to discern and provide against invasions of them; to distinguish between oppression and the necessary exercise of lawful authority; between burthens proceeding from a disregard to their convenience and those resulting from the inevitable exigencies of society; to discriminate the spirit of liberty from that of licentiousness — cherishing the first, avoiding the last — and uniting a speedy but temperate vigilance against encroachments, with an inviolable respect to the laws.” We desperately need a new birth of education. No student should be permitted to graduate from high school or college without passing an exacting civics test and writing a lucid essay about the principles of natural law and government enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. During the regular school term, students should be required to devote at least eight hours per day to reading or writing. Debate contests should be preferred to athletics, the thinker to the armored knight. Parents should be required to visit teachers monthly and be tasked to encourage and monitor the study habits of their children. They should read with them at least one hour each evening an age-appropriate book. Self-government without education and critical thinking is a fantasy.  Aristotle advocated state-supported public education for all to foster good judgment and wisdom. But education should not end in the classroom.  It should be with us every moment of the day like inhaling and exhaling. It is our deliverance from an animal, hormonal existence. Armstrong Williams (awilliams@baltsun.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. This column is part of a weekly series written from “The Owner’s Box.”

PUBLISHED: April 24, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com As a career broadcaster and journalist, I’ve always believed that honesty wins a reader’s or viewer’s trust. Honesty may require confessing errors or reporting inconvenient truths. I am an unapologetic conservative. But I will never allow my political leanings to compromise my journalism. Edward R. Murrow is my model. As polarizing Trumpian politics was born, journalism took a hit on both sides. Opposition to Trump found expression in highlighting the allegations of Trump’s collusion with Russia but burying the conclusion that evidence disproved the allegations. Support for Trump found expression in giving prime time to hallucinatory claims of electoral fraud while ignoring 61 court decisions proving the contrary and the volumes of discovery that poured forth in Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation suit against Fox News that resulted in a staggering settlement. The media is now suspect across the board — megaphones for liberal or conservative bias. A lengthy essay published this month in The Free Press by Uri Berliner, a senior business editor at the taxpayer-funded news outlet, NPR, highlights this evil. Berliner was suspended following the publication of his piece, and he later resigned, writing in a letter to NPR’s CEO: “I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years. I don’t support calls to defund NPR. I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cited in my Free Press essay.” Berliner’s essay elaborates on NPR’s unusual reliance on Congressman Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and Trump’s greatest foe at the time of the Russian collusion investigation, as a major source for their reporting on the issue. Berliner counts around 25 Schiff interviews, and laments, “But when the Mueller report found no credible evidence of collusion, NPR’s coverage was notably sparse. Russiagate quietly faded from our programming.” The Hunter Biden laptop reveals a similar NPR bias. It contained credible evidence of Biden family influence peddling that was dismissed as Russian disinformation by relying on Biden intelligence poodles. NPR fumbled. It did no independent verification. Berliner writes, “During a meeting with colleagues, I listened as one of NPR’s best and most fair-minded journalists said it was good we weren’t following the laptop story because it could help Trump.” And finally, the COVID-19 lab leak theory — the supposed right-wing conspiracy theory that COVID-19 may have leaked from a lab in Wuhan and that it might not have had natural origins was similarly dismissed by NPR’s science team. According to Berliner, their reasoning was related to “the Bush administration’s unfounded argument that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, apparently meaning we won’t get fooled again.” Such journalistic malpractice is epidemic, whether about Russiagate, concocted claims of electoral fraud, Hunter Biden’s laptop or COVID-19. Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil about anything disturbing to a journalist’s liberal or conservative dogmas. Journalists were once a proud few who fought back against tyranny and the lies that governments told. Now, many of them have become party political agents ready to be summoned into service at a moment’s notice, weaponized to advance a partisan political agenda through propaganda. Whatever happened to the truth-finding philosophy attributed to Sgt. Joe Friday in “Dragnet”: Just the facts, Ma’am.

PUBLISHED: April 18, 2024 | www.nexttv.com Depression-era regulations won’t protect local journalism in the digital age “Lost at sea” is how the National Association of Broadcasters recently characterized the Federal Communications Commission in deliberating a proposal for priority application review and processing for stations that met certain local programming thresholds. The NAB emphasized that local journalism and programming can be best saved in the digital age by abandoning its obsolete, Depression-era broadcast-ownership rules. Armstrong Williams, manager and sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations (Image credit: Howard Stirk Holdings) That theme also echoed at this week’s NAB Show. Curtis LeGeyt, NAB’s president and CEO, explained that a top priority was the education of policymakers (i.e., the FCC and Congress) on the pronounced marketplace imbalance in the fight for advertising dollars and program content between local broadcasters and titans like Google, X, Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, TikTok, etc. None of these giants is handicapped by the FCC’s ownership restrictions. That needs to change. In his NAB Show main-stage appearance, LeGeyt added that he works daily “to make sure that local stations across the country have the resources that they need to go and deliver on [their] mission. And that means giving our broadcasters a little bit more scale, the ability to compete with big tech.” I am the sole owner of seven television stations and co-owner of the Baltimore Sun newspaper. I agree with LeGeyt and NAB. Unless the FCC wants the broadcast industry to follow the newspaper industry over the cliff, its rules should recognize that radio and television stations compete for ad and program dollars not just with other local stations, but with gigantic content and distribution platforms with capital resources hundreds of times larger than the largest broadcast operations. As LeGeyt noted, “Washington, D.C., pretends that [broadcasters] only compete against one another for advertising dollars and for audience.” As the extensive record developed over the last 20 years in the FCC’s Quadrennial Regulatory Review process shows, the digital disruption of the media marketplace has fundamentally altered competition for audiences and advertisers. Television broadcasters compete with innumerable online and multichannel outlets. But the FCC’s rules impede local stations’ ability to compete successfully by effectively serving viewers. They are like the horse and buggy in the age of motor vehicles. The FCC’s rules impede local stations’ ability to compete successfully by effectively serving viewers. They are like the horse and buggy in the age of motor vehicles.” The broadcast industry’s ability to function in the “public interest, convenience and necessity” (Section 309 of the Communications Act) requires economic viability. Ownership restrictions uniquely saddling local broadcast stations impair “economic viability” and the public interest. Eliminating the FCC’s anachronistic ownership restrictions will stimulate the development and production of new content more efficiently, technological upgrades, a reduction in redundancy and a streamlining of operations to slash costs and achieve economies of scale. Local broadcasters will then have the means to survive temporary downturns in the economy. At present, giant ad platforms and tech companies that compete directly with radio and TV broadcasters for audiences dominate the market. They own leading audio and video-streaming services (e.g., Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Spotify, YouTube Music) further providing a competitive advantage. They control the dominant consumer technologies (e.g., smartphones, smart speakers, connected-TV devices, etc.) used by hundreds of millions of Americans to access digital content. The FCC should write an epitaph to its backward-looking broadcast ownership rules. How can it ignore what all the world can see and daily experience in the marketplace for audiences and programming content in the digital age?

PUBLISHED: April 10, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com As he took office in December 2020, Mayor Brandon Scott boldly promised Baltimore residents a safer future, withhomicides plunging to less than 300 annually, a target unmet since 2014, when he was in his third year as a city councilman. Six months after his inauguration as mayor, Scott released a violence reduction plan that further promised to reduce all gun violence by 15% annually over the next five years. Scott’s promise was predictably broken before the year was out, with 338 homicides recorded in 2021 and 726 nonfatal shootings, both representing a slight increase from the year before. In 2022, homicides were essentially flat, at 334, and nonfatal shootings fell to 688 — a meager 5% drop. And last year, while homicides finally fell below 300, shootings decreased by just 7%. So much for 15%. The signature of Scott’s administration has been words over deeds. As chairman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee in 2017 and again in 2019, then-Councilman Scott also unveiled “comprehensive crime plans” meant to arrest the crime spiral that began in 2015, under the administration of his mentor and friend, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who left office in 2016. His hollow crime reduction rhetoric continued under the next two mayors. But instead of diminishing, annual homicides soared to record levels. During his first years as mayor, Scott remained mum about former disgraced State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s staggering incompetence and blindness to lawlessness affecting the community, including business owners. In contrast, current State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has honored his crime-fighting promises by creating a Citation Docket to end the folly of crime without punishment for quality-of-life offenses. Mayor Scott, however, has refused even the modest role of a supporting actor, with police under his administration failing to write more than a few dozen citations. This year, City Councilman Mark Conway scheduled several oversight hearings by the Public Safety Committee, which he chairs, to understand why the mayor’s police department habitually remained in their vehicles, refusing to issue citations as directed by the city’s top prosecutor. The hearings revealed the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement had not even signed a memorandum of understanding that had been sent over months earlier from the prosecutor’s office to provide the necessary wrap-around services to prosecute low-level offenders and juveniles. The mayor’s deafening silence to State’s Attorney Bates’ plea for collaboration persists. The state’s attorney tasked his Juvenile Division to work alongside his Major Investigations Unit to target a juvenile crime ring wreaking havoc on select communities across Baltimore. The unit uncovered a crime spree alleged to have been conducted by roughly two dozen juveniles between the ages of 12 and 17. The juveniles are accused of committing over 100 crimes in a two-month interval in 2023, including carjacking, armed robbery, assault and handgun violations. The youths allegedly operated in roving groups ranging from two to eight members and occasionally committed armed robbery and carjackings on an industrial scale. This investigation was fueled by multiple complaints about surging crime, including from Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson. It was assisted by a Baltimore Police Department task force endowed with the arrest powers that are key to success. Mayor Scott should be lauding State’s Attorney Bates, the BPD task force, Gov. Wes Moore and United States Attorney Erek Barron for ridding Baltimore of this criminal enterprise. Instead, the mayor touts his Group Violence Reduction Strategy knowing full well the bulk of the city’s prosecutions are the handiwork of Barron and Bates. Further, the mayor is clueless about attacking juvenile, quality of life, and violent crimes, with over 11,000  automobiles stolen in the city in 2023, hundreds of violent carjackings, and even more armed robberies. Mayor Scott has been AWOL in both state and local crime-fighting initiatives desperately needed for public safety. Has he overstayed his welcome? That is for the voters to decide. One thing is certain. This city would be on life support had it not been for Ivan Bates, Erek Barron and Governor Wes Moore. Mr. Mayor, public safety is about more than soundbites. People are scared. They are frustrated and fed up with your inaction, petty political maneuvers and false promises. If you can’t work collaboratively with proven and elected crime fighters, then move aside for those who will. Armstrong Williams (awilliams@baltsun.com) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. This column is one of two he writes monthly about culture and politics, in addition to his weekly Owner’s Box column.

PUBLISHED: April 8, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com Freedom is a concept as old as time itself. It’s something that resonates deep within the human spirit, and that manifests itself throughout history in countless struggles for liberation. But it is also fleeting and can be taken far more quickly than it can be given. As Ronald Reagan famously proclaimed, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Freedom, to me, is the right of self-determination and human dignity. It is a life free from the perils of bondage, both physical and mental, and from the fear of being punished by another for living autonomously. Freedom is a bird that soars above the constraints and limitations of oppressive governments and people. It symbolizes the limitless capacity of the human spirit when liberated from oppressive rule. Like a bird in flight, freedom propels itself forward with grace and vigor by harnessing the winds of hope. It is the driving force that inspires people to pursue their dreams. The United States is a country that has prioritized the ideal of freedom in its system of government. Its Constitution was drafted with liberty rather than restriction in mind. To ensure that there is always a balance of power and that no one branch of government, whether legislative, judicial or executive, can exert undue influence over the people, our three branches of government were established. Our great Bill of Rights does just that too, a document listing rights of the people, not restrictions. It lists our most fundamental rights, like the freedom of speech, the freedom to practice whichever religion you choose, the freedom to peaceable assembly, the right to bear arms, the right against self-incrimination, the right to a jury of one’s peers, and more. We are a nation that has survived world wars, that has fought back against foreign powers and emerged victorious, all in the name of freedom. Countless Americans have died defending our soil and the freedoms that it promises. We are a nation that endured the worst of racism, slavery, separate but equal accommodations, and more. But we overcame it to become a nation that judges people “by the content of their character” not the color of their skin, as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stated. When Ronald Reagan proudly proclaimed “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” it was in the name of freedom, it symbolized the victory over oppressive regimes. It was not just the physical destruction of a barrier, but the ideological triumph of liberty over authoritarianism. It is so fondly remembered because it reminds the American people of humanity’s power and inherent desire for freedom and self-determination. However, much of that has been lost on the American people. Today, freedom is a concept that has been long forgotten. The American people have unwittingly become mentally bound and subjected to the subconscious horrors that coincide with a lack of freedom. We forget what it was like to be oppressed, to be on the verge of losing all hope. New generations of Americans have no concept of what it means to be enslaved, to be forcibly divided by race, or to be oppressed by a foreign government. It is a past that we should never revert to, yet the concepts of freedom that were gained through struggle are ones that are being quickly forgotten. The American people have it really good, yet, in this comfort, there is a growing divide that threatens the very essence of what freedom stands for. The unity of the American people, which was once a marker of our prosperous nation, has now completely eroded as a result of highly partisan politics and has devolved into a show of “who can make the other side look worse?” We are not slaves any longer, but we have become enslaved to these divisions that are holding us back from allowing us to achieve the true potential of America. Americans must never forget the struggles that were endured by those who came before us to achieve the freedom that we have today, and we must never take our freedom for granted. The spirit of freedom should not just preserved in historical monuments or in the actions of famous leaders, it should be carried in the daily choices of ordinary Americans who believe in preserving a nation that values democracy, equality, and justice for all. Armstrong Williams (awilliams@baltsun.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. This column is part of a weekly series written from “The Owner’s Box.”

PUBLISHED: April 1, 2024 | cbsaustin.com The following is an editorial by Armstrong Williams. The conviction of James Crumbley and his wife Jennifer for their role in their son's mass school shooting in Michigan which resulted in the tragic murders of four and injuries of seven tells us one thing: if you are an irresponsible gun owner, you will pay the price if a crime is committed with your gun. It is as simple as that. Lock your gun up, keep it away from your children, and if you have a mentally unwell child, keep an even more watchful eye on your firearm. This was not done in the Crumbleys' case. The safety of our nation and our schools depends on responsible gun owners doing the right thing and keeping their guns out of the hands of their children. There are far too many mass school shootings because there are far too many mentally unwell students and far too many parents who are careless with their firearms. The parents of a young shooter have never been charged, so this is a precedent-setting case, but the clear negligence displayed by the Crumbleys went beyond the failure to secure the firearms; it was their clear and profound lapse in judgment despite the clear warning signs that their child was troubled. They may not have given their child the firearms and said go and commit a heinous crime, but not taking the necessary steps to secure the firearm or get their son the very clear and evident help he needed makes them culpable for his actions, which could've been easily avoided if they acted differently. It’s very possible that lives could have been saved were it not for parents who made excuses to excuse their son’s troubling behavior even though the school took clear steps, including talking to the parents about their child. The Crumbleys missed an opportunity to intervene and potentially prevent a catastrophe. When a child, under the care of adults, displays serious mental health issues, those warning signs must not be ignored. Proactive steps and measures should be taken to get that child the help he or she needs to avoid them not only harming other people, but even themselves. Mental health is a serious problem — but we know with help, you can often save someone. Ignoring the glaring signs of their child’s mental distress, while knowing he had access to a weapon in their home certainly makes them liable. It’s not enough to react to warning signs without taking proactive measures. Mental health issues require serious attention, understanding, and action—not just within families but also within educational institutions, healthcare systems, and through legislative measures. The Crumbleys' oversight is a tragic exam of what happens when the signs of mental distress are ignored or minimized, especially when combined with access to weapons. The conviction of James and Jennifer Crumbley should set a precedent for parents who ignore the warning signs of their child's troubling behavior and their responsibility to seek help. It also serves as a sobering reminder about the responsibility that comes with gun ownership and the safe storage of guns around children. I’m a strong believer in the Second Amendment and do not believe the government should encroach on Americans' constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. The conviction of James Crumbley and his wife serves as a somber reminder of the responsibilities that come with gun ownership. We have seen too many young people commit heinous crimes, from smash-and-grabs, and armed robberies in inner cities, to young kids in the suburbs shooting and killing their classmates, and one question I’ve always asked is: Where are the parents? We cannot continue to allow parents to allow their reckless and troubled children to wreak havoc on the rest of society without any consequences. The trial of Mr. Crumbley and the ultimate conviction followed by the trial of his wife should serve as a reminder for anyone out there with a troubled child and firearms in the home. Get your child the help they need and secure those firearms for your safety, the safety of the child, and those around them. ___ Mr. Williams is Manager/Sole Owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year.

PUBLISHED: March 31, 2024 | www.baltimoresun.com My infinitely warm and invaluable relationships with family and friends stand on rock-solid religious convictions.  They were instilled from my earliest days by my loving parents, James and Thelma Williams.  They have guided my voyage to business success beyond my wildest dreams. Faith and work ethic has consistently reminded me that a fool can burn down a building, but brains and industry are required to create one. It’s easy to be a critic. Imperfections are inescapable even for geniuses. John Milton’s acclaimed “Paradise Lost” has blunders. But critics leave nothing constructive to inspire. You can’t acquire this wisdom by books or reflection alone. You must attempt to create something original yourself through trial and error. There is no substitute.Too many wish to be doted upon or crave paternalism to escape responsibility. They live stunted lives, ignoring that the tortoise only makes progress by sticking its neck out. My faith has been as constant as the North Star every step of my journey. I have never questioned. I have never wavered. I have never doubted. Volumes have been written answering common questions: how to build companies, set up systems and processes or improve leadership.  But at the end of the day, the best book for success has been available to all for millennia: The Bible. This soaring guide to salvation is timeless like God. The Bible’s messages are for all time and for all places. The purpose of life is changeless. The Bible does not pause to fit today’s fashions. This understanding gave birth to America. No religion. No Plymouth Rock. No Pilgrims. No City on a Hill. Mankind is made of crooked timber. The Bible is like training wheels. It enables us to resist multiple occasions to sin. President George Washington’s time-honored Farewell Address celebrated religion as the wellspring of morality, “a necessary spring of popular government.” John Adams, Washington’s successor, advised that statesmen “may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.” The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune are many. They test your resolve and faith like Jonah and the Whale.  Living without adversity is a luxury. Faith is made of sterner stuff, as Jesus proved. Many cannot confront and grapple with reality. It is too grim. Suicide rates have skyrocketed, especially among youths who have not begun to live. Depression is an epidemic in the next generation. They squander time on social media in lieu of introspection culminating in comforting and enduring faith. The key to success lies with the faith within us. It inspires kindness, industry and every benevolent instinct of the human heart. An investment in faith yields far richer dividends than an investment in Apple or Amazon. Seasons change. Presidents and celebrities come and go with the regularity of the rising and setting of the sun. The choreography of our lives is in constant flux. But our lives following the Bible are as unchanging as the Rock of Gibraltar. Faith is like an anchor that can right your ship when the waters of life turn turbulent, and a shipwreck nears. Faith is that silent force that gives hope to patients afflicted with cancer or other life-threatening diseases. Critics and naysayers mock, ignore or dismiss faith. They are losing out on an unsurpassed source of resolve and strength.  According to their suboptimal way of thinking, something you cannot see, touch or prove does not exist. They do not acknowledge that our knowledge confronts limits. Can love be quantified or proven? Can it be seen? Of course not.  Love is more a mood, a way of life, than a provable fact like the force of gravity. So, too, with faith. Acts motivated by faith are the key to civilization. Without faith, the future is dark. But faith is the secret of productive, meaningful and enjoyable lives. Some may close their eyes to its blaze. But opening them at any time is always an option that promises deliverance. I can testify to the invaluable benefits in store. Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. This column is part of a weekly series written from “The Owner’s Box.”

PUBLISHED: March 28, 2024 | baltimoresun.com An enormous 95,000-ton cargo vessel commenced its 27-day, 9,000-mile voyage to Sri Lanka at approximately 1:27 in the morning from the Port of Baltimore. Not too long after it left the port, the ship then fell momentarily silent as the power was abruptly cut off. Then, suddenly, an audible transmission of a mayday call over the radio was heard by emergency dispatchers warning that a collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge was imminent. The Maryland Transportation Authority Police successfully closed the bridge in just two minutes, ensuring that not a single passenger vehicle crossed the span. The ship eventually collided with the bridge. “C13 dispatch, the whole bridge just fell down!” could be heard on an emergency channel. The level of coordination exhibited by the ship personnel, emergency dispatch, and law enforcement is astounding and worthy of admiration. However, despite this extraordinary feat of coordination, eight men were still present to repair potholes on the bridge at the time of its collapse. They all fell into the frigid 48-degree water below them. Two were rescued, one sustained serious injury. Two bodies were recovered. The other four are presumed dead. It is undeniable that efficient coordination saved a great number of lives on that day; however, even the loss of a single life is too many. As a result of this tragedy, six brave men who have made significant contributions to our community will be laid to rest in Baltimore. The coverage of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has been painful to watch. The horrific devastation has stirred up numerous discussions, namely the lackluster quality of American infrastructure and the questionable maintenance aboard the Dali, the cargo ship that caused this mess. Thankfully, on Tuesday, President Biden issued a statement confirming that the bridge repair will be funded by the federal government. Yet, if not fixed soon, there may be a cascading effect on the Baltimore economy. However, amidst conversations on structural integrity, ship maintenance, and the economic effects, what seems to be missing from the dialogue so far is the human cost of this calamity. We frequently engage in a blame game when tragedies of this nature transpire. There is a constant desire to assign blame and ensure that those responsible are held to account. Perhaps there is someone to blame in this instance. But let the investigators worry about that; when we get too caught up in who is responsible, we forget about the people who were harmed — here, the people who tragically fell from the bridge and the thousands of workers who will be out of work as a result of the port closing. Six men have all but certainly lost their lives. These are not just names on a list. Six families are currently contending with the indescribable burden of grief as a result of the loss of a loved one. Due to this tragic incident, fathers, sons, breadwinners, role models, husbands, and friends were all tragically lost. Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Dorlian Cabrera, and three others whose names have yet to be disclosed, were all immigrants who came to this country in search of a better life for themselves and for their families. They worked hard not only to provide for their families, but to ensure the safety of those who crossed that bridge, day in and day out. Their loved ones will eternally remember them as individuals who risked their lives by performing perilous labor in order to support their families. That is the highest possible gift a man can bestow upon his family. In a time when our nation is confronted by the peril of international conflict and internal divisions, we must come together and unify behind this tragedy and give aid where possible. Armstrong Williams (awilliams@baltsun.com) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun. This column is one of two he writes monthly about culture and politics, in addition to his weekly Owner’s Box column.

PUBLISHED: March 28, 2024 | www.creators.com The upcoming general election is going to be one for the ages. Political elections are divisive by their nature, with both sides attempting to do everything they can to defeat each other. However, the United States is gearing up for the rematch no one wants, with former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden embodying distinctly different visions for the future of the nation. Both candidates bring a unique set of strengths and weaknesses to the campaign, reflecting broader ideological, cultural and economic tensions that have come to define American politics. Trump's presidency was marked by commitment to an "America First" ideology, and his now-famous slogan "Make America Great Again" entailed an aggressive stance on immigration, skepticism toward multilateral trade agreements and international alliances, and a highly skeptical approach to government bureaucracy that has endeared him to many conservative voters. His ability to communicate directly and effectively with his base through social media and rallies is unparalleled, bypassing traditional media channels to rally support and mobilize voters. This direct line to supporters not only consolidates his base but allows him to set and dominate the political agenda in real time. However, Trump's tenure was also fraught with controversy and polarization. His four pending criminal trials in Florida, Georgia and Washington, D.C., are a serious risk to his reelection bid. Additionally, his approach to governance, often seen as divisive and confrontational, has alienated moderate and independent voters. The relentless pace of controversies, from impeachment proceedings to his handling of race relations and protests, has further cemented the perception of an administration mired in turmoil and conflict, eroding the sense of national unity. Biden, on the other hand, presents himself as a unifying figure, promising to restore dignity and integrity to the Oval Office and to bridge the deep divides that have emerged in American society. Yet the country is perhaps even more divided than before. With decades of experience in public service, including eight years as vice president, Biden offers a return to a more traditional, diplomatic approach to governance, emphasizing consensus-building and bipartisanship. His policy platform, while progressive, seeks to appeal to both the Democratic base and moderate Republicans disillusioned with Trump's presidency, advocating for a more equitable health care system, measured climate action and a restoration of America's alliances abroad. Nevertheless, Biden's campaign is not without its vulnerabilities. Critics argue his lengthy Washington career epitomizes the very establishment politics that voters rejected in 2016. A majority of Americans are concerned about his age; at 81, Biden is the oldest U.S. president in history. His age and occasional verbal gaffes have raised concerns about his capacity to endure the rigors of the presidency. Voters are concerned by immigration, the state of the economy and the rising costs of everyday goods, a result of persisting inflation. Despite his efforts to energize younger voters and progressives within the Democratic Party who are now rejecting Biden outright because of the Israel and Hamas conflict, coupled with the lowest approval rating of any president at this point in their presidency, the path to reelection doesn't look good for Biden at all. As the general election approaches, Biden and Trump face the challenge of broadening their appeal beyond their core supporters while navigating a profoundly changed national landscape, one shaped by rampant illegal immigration, expensive foreign conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, economic uncertainty and social unrest. Trump's strength lies in his ability to mobilize his base with a clear if contentious message and vision for America. Yet this same approach may limit his ability to attract undecided and moderate voters critical to securing a second term. Biden's promise of stability and unity resonates with many Americans yearning for a return to normalcy, but he must overcome perceptions of being a "status quo" candidate and articulate a compelling vision that speaks to the urgent needs and aspirations of a diverse, divided nation. As Trump and Biden head into the general election, their campaigns reflect a crossroads in American politics. The outcome will not only decide the immediate future of the nation but signal the direction of its political, economic and social evolution in the decades to come. Voters are tasked with a choice that goes beyond the two men themselves, grappling with fundamental questions about the values, identity and aspirations of America in the 21st century. Armstrong Williams is manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. To find out more about him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.