Elkridge Resident Posts from the Republican National Convention
O.P. Ditch says this is his third time attending a Republican National Convention.
Elkridge resident O.P. Ditch is in Tampa, FL, this week as an at-large alternate at the Republican National Convention.
The retired Air Force colonel has been posting updates from the Sunshine State on Twitter, including the following exchange with congressional hopeful Frank Mirabile, who is running for a seat in District 7, which includes parts of Howard County:
@OPDitch
hello frm Tampa to next Cong frm MD7 Go Frank #mdgop #md7@FrankMirabile
@OPDitch hello to the hardest working HoCo GOP American Patriot
Ditch, who posted on Twitter that this is his third time attending a Republican National Convention, is an "at-large" delegate, meaning he is one of ten delegates selected by the Maryland Republican Party to vote on its candidate for the 2012 Presidential election.
Since moving to Maryland from Virginia in 2010, Ditch is still making the adjustment to living in a Democrat-dominated state, according to The Baltimore Sun.
"My enthusiasm for Maryland politics has been building slowly," Ditch told The Baltimore Sun.
Ditch is an active member of the Ellicott City Veterans of Foreign Wars post and vice president of the Howard County Republican Club.
He has testified as an individual before the Howard County Council on issues like same-sex marriage and protested a birth control mandate on Ellicott City's Main Street.
This article was corrected at 4:25 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31, to indicate the protest on Main Street was regarding a health care mandate rather than birth control itself. Patch regrets the error.
See also:
Sign up for the Elkridge Patch newsletter. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for instant updates.
JaySmith
6:27 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Hey Liz Janney: Correction to your article.......Ditch didn't "protest birth-control'. He protested the mandate that requires health-insurance plans to cover and pay for all contraception methods. There's a big difference. People should pay for it themselves, as they should many things that have made 'health-insurance' ridiculously expensive.....AND.....if religious institutions have insurance plans that do not cover certain things like contraceptives.....they shouldn't be mandated by the freaking federal govt to cover such and such costs....like contraceptives. Did you miss the heated debate about that 4 months ago? It's another awful provision of Obama-Care that enlarged the power, scope and theft of freedoms by our federal govt. Perhaps that doesn't bother you, so you don't bother to describe what OP Ditch was protesting, accurately.
O.P. Ditch
11:34 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Thanks Jay, ms Janney misspoke ref birth control.... Big time!
Elizabeth Janney
4:27 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012
Hi Jay, Thanks for the comment. We've corrected the article. -EFJ
O.P. Ditch
11:41 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Out of all the 31 photos I posted on my facbook page of that event, why did she pick that one to show with this article? Why not this one? Is she trying to send a "party" message along with the so called "protest"? Why not this one? http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151383126778986&set=a.10151383124358986.570587.818823985&type=3&theater
NoPower
1:31 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Hey Jay, if that is the ancient way you think about women and their reproductive rights how about canceling your free or very inexpensive Viagra pills and
as far as ditch is concerned. There ARE at least 50 strip joints in Tampa!
JaySmith
7:09 am on Thursday, August 30, 2012
Hey NoBrainPower. I agree with you 100% on women's right to choose. I don't even think you understand the issue. The issue is whether the federal govt should force health-insurance plans to cover condoms, birth-control pills, other contraceptive devices, etc. I believe employers including catholic universities and hospitals et al, should not be forced to cover what they don't want to cover in their plans. This is contraception by God......is that something an unaffordable health-disaster that must be 'insured against' ? I don't even think you understand the issue. I am 100% pro-choice. Federal govt should not force everything under the sun to be covered. This is a recipe for fiscal disaster AND it takes away our freedoms. My 'ancient' beliefs are only that the federal govt should stay the hell away from our lives.......more often. They're intruding on everything now. I guess you don't mind that. Our kids are inheriting a national debt fiscal nightmare.
NoPower
9:41 am on Thursday, August 30, 2012
Typical repug. Not only do I have a working brain I use it unlike you.
Don't card you work. Women should be allowed to rake whatever prescriptions they desire. If men can usd and take Viagra to get it started then what's good for the goose should be good for the gander.
I don't know how old you are but watch out for your altar boy's and his flip-flopping puppeteer because you might be without Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security If these two clowns get elected (unless the bishop changes his mind again because he was for pro choice before and now HD isn't) Read H.R. 3 co authored by akin and ryan. We are going back to the Middlesbrough ages sheen it comes to women!
Brandie Jefferson
4:48 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
OP, I chose the pictures. I didn't want to post pictures with people whose names I didn't know. If you want to email me links and identify the people in the pictures, I'll post more!
NoPower
5:03 pm on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Brandie, don't bother. Your story is a good one and I think we have seen enough of this guy and Tampa.
JaySmith
6:42 am on Friday, August 31, 2012
Hey NoBrainPower: Your 9:41am posting yesterday is rambling, still doesn't 'get it' that I'm fully FOR women's right to choose (abortion or not), buy whatever birth-control desired. You just don't get it. Should health-insurance policies offered by employers be FORCED to offer Viagra for men? That's insane, but I guess you believe 'yes'. And no, Romney and Ryan will NOT try to take away the FICA system. You're not real good with details, are you? . I can't believe I'm emailing you. Adios.
JaySmith
7:15 am on Friday, August 31, 2012
Follow-Up on RNC last night: Clint's speech was great 'theater', 'talking to' Obama and asking him about specific broken promises. Rubio's speech was better. And Mitt's speech was best, summing it up with "It's Time to Turn the Page".
Boy, is it EVER ! Barry, you'll be going back to Chicago soon. Go ahead and try to "Organize the Community" again, and please try to do SOMETHING right. You even messed that up first time around. And DON'T try to become next mayor of Chicago.....that's beyond your capabilities.
Christopher George Dick
10:51 am on Monday, September 3, 2012
NO POWER WHAT DO YOU HAVE AGAINST OP?