Don’t undercut Maryland’s liquor stores

I am writing in support of local liquor stores (“Moore backs selling beer, wine in grocery stores,” Dec. 11). Our local liquor store owner makes wine recommendations when consulted and, I’m sure, carries a broader selection of wines than you would see on grocery store shelves. Who is going to make those recommendations in a grocery store?

I am also pleased with the selection of local Maryland wines that he carries, supporting our Maryland wine industry. He does the same for local breweries, by the way.

Last year, the owner was able to get my husband a bottle of a highly-regarded Blanton’s bourbon (you know, the one with the horse and rider on top of the cork) for a special occasion birthday of mine. The owner went above and beyond to do that for us and we are very appreciative.

Try getting that service in a grocery store!

— Denise Lutz, White Marsh

Why so much fuss over Mosby’s one year of home detention?

Ever since U.S. District Court Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby handed down a truly lenient sentence to Marilyn Mosby for the crimes she committed, Mosby has sought on several occasions to get her sentence overturned or reduced in one fashion or another. Her latest attempt was recently outlined in your paper (“Marilyn Mosby seeks permission to travel to Texas for business trip,” Dec. 11).

Federal Public Defender James Wyda has filed motion after motion with the court to allow Mosby to travel in conjunction with her new job, whatever that may be. Isn’t “work from home” a very normal and satisfactory way of conducting business in this day and age? Why does Wyda continue to litter the court with motion requests? And why is he even representing Mosby? Do you mean to tell me that she does not have the financial wherewithal to hire private counsel?

In addition to all the motions filed with the court, Mosby recently formally requested President Joe Biden to pardon her. Will this saga ever end? Is a one-year sentence of home detention so oppressive and onerous that such measures need to be taken?

— Morton D. Marcus, Baltimore

Admission to Naval Academy should be about merit alone

The judge got it wrong and so did the Baltimore Sun Editorial Board (“If diversity is good for Naval Academy, why not for all college admissions?” Dec. 11)!

Having served eight years in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve as enlisted, and 25.5 years in the U.S. Navy as an officer, I can assure you that merit is the most important quality on a battlefield and not skin color.

Your editorial regarding the recent ruling of a U.S. District Court judge in response to a lawsuit brought by Students for Fair Admissions also fails to recognize the political nomination aspect of most of the military academies (excluding the U.S. Coast Guard Academy). A political nomination letter must be obtained from a U.S. senator or member of the U.S. House of Representatives and this is where race and gender are heavily factored in as a political consideration.

The Naval Academy admissions process should be the internal control to make sure only merit rises to the top.

As a student of military history, I can tell you that our winning wars record stands at 8 to 1 and somehow that record was based on merit and not the skin color of the officers winning those wars.

— William H. Roberts Jr., Gaithersburg