Hall of fame
The National Sailing Hall of Fame sails off to Newport, Rhode Island — yikes. What an unsailorish thought to contemplate.
There has always been a rivalry between the two East Coast sailing capitals. One-upmanship is the norm.
But for Annapolis to lose the NSHOF to our archrival would be akin to swamping a sailboat on the final tack of the Governor’s Cup.
Since its inception, the NSHOF has struggled with its identity locally. Absent a suitable venue, the “hall of fame” component of the organization’s charge has been largely absent.
However, the origination’s board of directors and executive director have staked out a much more meaningful role within the Annapolis sailing community: that of sponsoring or hosting a veritable fleet of classic sailing vessels, as well as working hard to make sure that the sport of sailing is accessible to a wide range of potential sailors across the socioeconomic spectrum.
I know: There’s the little thing about money. Nine-and-a-half million dollars isn’t chump change, even for the well-heeled sailing community. And 13 years is a long time to chase a goal.
But the lure of a ready-made 11,000-square-foot facility on Newport’s waterfront may be too much to ignore.
I challenge the powers that be of our fair city to put their heads together and figure out how to help the NSHOF stay in Annapolis. They should dream big. Maybe $9.5 million isn’t nearly enough to put together a world-class sailing experience on the waterfront.
The viability of a well-conceived sailing attraction on our waterfront is certainly as worthwhile as a Ferris wheel.
Come to think of it, why not kill two birds with one stone: Give Market House to the NSHOF.
Now that’s an idea to put wind in your sails.
CRAIG LIGIBEL
Annapolis
Lack of wisdom
Donald Trump’s recent comments about intelligence testing go back to the controversy created when his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, reportedly called Trump a moron. Trump turned this around, as he does every negative comment, and challenged Tillerson to an IQ contest. Trump really was using IQ as a way to do what he most enjoys — brag about himself.
Intelligence quotient was originally as a way of objectifying the intelligence test developed at the beginning of the 20th century. In the classic formula, mental age – defined as the average intelligence attainment of a child of a set age, so that an average 6-year-old would have an MA of 6 – was divided by chronological age and multiplied by 100. However, the results seemed to break down as the child entered adolescence, and by adulthood IQ was really just speculation at best.
However, what we really need in an important elected official is not just intelligence but wisdom. Wisdom can be defined in many ways, but for this letter I define it as the ability to see future results in present actions.
Unfortunately for him and for us, Trump has little of that. Instead he is trapped in the same trap many of his followers seem to be. This is the trap that referred to by the British psychologist R.D. Laing: “If I don’t know I don’t know, I think I know.” Trump’s lack of wisdom and abundance of narcissism are dangerous for him and the country.
JACK SHILKRET
Arnold
Wasteful lawsuits
On the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, the state attorney general is a day late and is wasting a lot of dimes.
He has involved the state in another lawsuit. What a waste of time and our money. It is time to dismantle this effort and return any unused money allotted to the attorney general for his lawsuits against the duly elected president.
If he is looking for something to do, he should use his time to look into the legality of letting illegals vote in College Park.
JOY NORTHAM
Friendship
Climate change
I write in support of Gregory Bush’s letter headlined “Climate change” (The Capital, Sept. 26). How refreshing it is to me to read the voice of real science in this miasma of climate change hysteria. Thank you, Gregory Bush.
DOUG DILLNER
Riva