Rodricks gave voice to Baltimore transplants

I read with tears in my eyes the news that Dan Rodricks is leaving The Baltimore Sun (“Dan Rodricks: In Baltimore, a dream job and a wonderful life. Thank you.” Jan. 10).

Like Dan, I am a transplant, and one who never intended to remain here. My assignment was to last 60 days. It’s so funny how quickly 60 days can turn into 40 years.

The second person I met here was a co-worker who became my wife. She, too, is a transplant. Dan’s perspective of this town from that particular viewpoint was always prescient. He captured Baltimore as a city of great promise — albeit promise which always seemed just a step away. “Two more blocks” as my older brother would tell me when we walked.

Like Dan, I fell in love with Baltimore, the wonderful people, the great neighborhoods and the crab cakes. Transplants are greeted warmly here. It’s an embrace that you just can’t quite shake.

May the road rise to greet you, Dan.

— John K. Bacci, Baltimore

Oh, how Rodricks will be missed

It was with great sadness that I read the eloquent farewell letter from Dan Rodricks (“Dan Rodricks: In Baltimore, a dream job and a wonderful life. Thank you.” Jan. 10). His columns spoke Balmer-ese as any local would, his conversational way of weaving colorful details painted a picture for the reader to see and absorb.

Thank you, Dan, for enlightening readers with your bird’s eye views of Maryland whether the view was from a nearby Baltimore stoop or the more distant wild and scenic Youghiogheny River in Western Maryland. These perspectives will be missed by many.

Thank you as well for the annual “merely suggested month-by-month to-do list” and “memorable quotes” — just to name a few columns that have been both entertaining and endearing. They all invoke a range of reactions, some funny, others introspective but always worth reading.

And thank you for giving us two sets of things to do in 2025, hoping we would save some for the next year. Your “Nobody Asked Me” columns will be missed most of all. Some I have proudly hung on the refrigerator. These pieces are spot-on when it comes to possible solutions to Baltimore area problems. Maybe local politicians should have them posted on their refrigerators, too!

Dan’s column is what has kept the Sun subscription going in my home, making the paper seem a little less distant and syndicated. And so thank you, Dan! Wishing you the best in retirement. Enjoy the hikes, time with family and friends. Hope the fishing is good, the crabs hot and the beer cold.

— Jan M. Kohler, Joppa

Hey, Dan, how about four more years?

Nobody asked me, but I think Dan Rodricks should stick it out for four more years so he can retire his column on its golden anniversary — 1979 to 2029 (“Dan Rodricks: In Baltimore, a dream job and a wonderful life. Thank you.” Jan. 10).

We could really use his columns to brighten our days over the next four years like he has over the past 46 years. I’ve read Dan’s column from the first all the way to the last and it will be disappointing to see them go. It just won’t be the same.

Baltimore is losing one of the very best supporters that it ever had. We will all be sorry to see him go.

Enjoy your life, Dan.

— Jeff Rew, Columbia

Once again, immigrants scapegoated over crime

Because of the political rhetoric and the irresponsible media coverage about crimes committed by individuals who are unlawfully present in this country, many people have come to believe that immigrants are responsible for a high percentage of the crimes committed in this country (“Immigration a higher priority for Americans than it was a year ago, new poll shows,” Jan. 7).

There is no evidence to support this claim aside from sheer pronouncements from certain leaders who believe it helps increase their power.

My take on this issue is that the mass murders we have witnessed over the last 20 years have been done by homegrown white men. Shall we forget that these murders occurred in schools, theaters, churches, synagogues and other places that host large gatherings?

Another issue to remember is that the vast majority of immigrants who may have entered this country illegally over the last 20 to 30 years have lived here peacefully with most having worked and paid taxes and contributed economically to our country. It is easy to blame society’s ills on scapegoats. Today, it’s the undocumented. Next in line will be the Democrats.

— Angela Beltram, Catonsville