October 2023 – Gary Bennett Publishing

The lure of Bass Nation: Maryland fishing group serves paralyzed vets

By Gary Bennett

Cover of November 2023 “Prime Time” magazine with my friend, Dick Brown, on the cover.

This article appears in the November 2023 issue of Frederick News-Post’s “Prime Time” magazine.

Longtime Frederick resident and insurance executive Dick Brown is a dedicated fisherman who has taken his passion and turned it into service for injured veterans.

The organization he belongs to, Maryland Bass Nation, is one of many state affiliates of the national Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society, which has approximately 24,000 members and is dedicated to conservation, youth activities and promoting the sport. Brown is the first vice president of MBN.

Each spring, Paralyzed Veterans of America holds the Capital Clash Bass Tournament in conjunction with MBN to bring injured and paralyzed veterans together with experienced fishermen for a peaceful yet competitive weekend on the water for bass fishing.

Brown has put his heart and soul into organizing this tournament for 16 years now as the tournament committee chairman for the Capital Clash event. He has been involved in some capacity since 1997. Last year they celebrated their 25^th anniversary of the PVA B.A.S.S. Tournament Series. Fishermen ranre in age from 18 to 80.

Characteristically humble, Brown said, “I just kind of said I’m going to do this. The guy that got me involved was an old drill sergeant who just treated me fantastically. He was one of the best small-mouth bass fishermen in the country, and I wanted to learn from those guys. At first, PVA did 98% of it [the tournament], and I just took people out in my boat. It took off from there.”

Dick Brown (left) and PVA colleague preparing for touney.

A Logistical Challenge

Despite running a busy insurance agency and managing Type 1 diabetes and disk problems in his back, Brown and the Capital Clash committee spend most of the year organizing the tournament, including all fundraising and logistical activities.

Brown and his committee of eight fundraise to purchase and distribute T-shirts, tackle, lures and other supplies for the vets. Everyone gets a new, fully-packed tackle box and a new rod and reel.

“If they come with nothing, they’ll still be able to fish, but they usually already have equipment. Most of us have a tackle store in the boat – it’s an addiction! We want the vets to get out on the water and enjoy themselves, the camaraderie and the therapeutic aspect of that,” Brown said.

Where’s My Captain?

A big part of the organizing effort is to find enough boat captains to take the veterans out on the water. Brown needs anywhere from 30 to 90 boats, depending on attendance and demand.

“You have to find guys who have bass boats big enough to go out on the bigger bodies of water, who can keep the fish alive, because they are released back into the river and are able to donate their time, ability, gas, and oil, which is not cheap,” according to Brown.

Brown says the captains assist the paralyzed veterans as much as they can. They are not allowed to cast for them unless the veteran is unable. The captains also cannot set the hook or reel in the fish, but they can net the fish for them when it is reeled into the boat.

“Sometimes I’m short 10 or more boat captains the night before,” Brown said. “Only if we have to will we put more than one disabled vet in a boat. If someone wants to fish, we’ll find a spot for them.”

“You should have seen the one that got away!”

Not Just for Fun

The tournament is not just for camaraderie and relaxation. There are real championships and prizes at stake.

“We have a couple of donors who say they want every injured soldier to get something,” Brown said. “PVA supplies prizes to the top 10 fishermen, and MBN steps in and supplies prizes to all the others.”

Championships are measured by a point system. For each tournament you weigh your five biggest bass, and whomever has the most weight wins the tournament.

Some are novice fishermen, but because they have a national tournament trail, some have become very skilled. PVA developed this tournament trail for those who would like to fish nationally.

A First-Rate Operation

Generally, the two-day tournament begins on Friday evening at the American Legion in LaPlata. Registration is held while a picnic-style dinner is served of hamburgers, hot dogs and potato salad.

Names go into a computer, and the vets and boat captains are matched randomly, almost always one to one. In keeping with the rules, the tournament is a total “blind-draw.”

Brown explained it’s done that way so no one can pick their vet or boat captain ahead of time. “There’s always a different match made each year. It can be very competitive.”

Often these matches foster lasting relationships.

A typical fishing excursion lasts for eight hours. Vets and captains arrive at Smallwood State Park, near LaPlata, at 4 am. Saturday and are on the water by 6 am after a flag-raising ceremony. They mostly fish in the Potomac River near LaPlata and the creeks on both the Maryland and Virginia sides. They only fish for bass.

There is a separate bank division tournament. These anglers fish from the river banks if they’re not able enough to get on a boat, “a tourney within the tourney,” as Brown put it, and they also get prizes. They fish for anything, not just bass.

Vets Love It

Many anglers come from all over the country to participate. “I see huge smiles and get huge thank-yous,” Brown said. “Just getting away from their daily grind and out into nature is so great. The nice thing is the vets from this area just go 20 or 30 miles south of D.C., and it’s like you’re in Florida on some of these creeks.”

Brown is proud of the fact that it is inspiring to hear participants exclaim that they are “already looking forward to next year” as they say their goodbyes.

“One of the things that gets overlooked sometimes is that veterans who are injured would not have this chance, 25, 30 years ago, and they’re back here enjoying life – such as fishing – and not complaining. They’re out there having wheelchair races and having fun, and that’s what made me realize this is important,” Brown said.

Many paralyzed vets hear about this opportunity through the rec department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. PVA also reaches out to local military bases and hospitals, such as Fort Belvoir, Joint Base Andrews, Quantico, and the Baltimore and Winchester VA hospitals.

A Fishing Tourney Lifer

Brown insists he’ll keep doing this as long as he is able.

“It’s totally a labor of love,” he said. “If I were in their shoes, I would love to have this available to me. It’s my hobby anyway, which I don’t get to do very often.”

“The very first time I did this, it changed me,” he went on. “Some days I don’t feel well because I’ve got Type 1 diabetes. But what some of these vets have to endure just to get out of bed each day and to just function at all is amazing. What do I have to be upset about? I would do it if I were in the organization or not. As long as I’m breathing and able, I’m going to participate.”

Brown considered the service out of high school but was disqualified. “’You’re flat footed and legally blind in your left eye’ was what they told me.”

It was disappointing because he was very fast and athletic and had been a hunter all his life, able to hit any target. He sees the tournament as a way to give back.

You Can Help

Anyone who wants to help with the tournament can contact Brown at dickbrown@4myinsurance.net.

There are several ways to volunteer, such as distributing supplies and lunches, helping with parking and weigh-ins, and many other tasks.

If you know someone who is injured or disabled and wants to fish, veteran or not, they may qualify to fish in this tournament and are encouraged to contact Brown. For more information, see pva.org/adaptive-sports/bass-tournament-series.

The next PVA Capital Clash Tournament is set for June 7 to 9, 2024, in Waldorf.

And yes, Brown has been working on logistics for months already.

How did we get in this affordable housing mess?

By Gary Bennett and Hugh Gordon

This article appears in the October 21, 2023, issue of the Frederick News-Post.

As members of the Affordable Housing Council in Frederick County, we spend lots of time looking at houses on Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and The Frederick News-Post.

This is no news to anyone, but we can assure you that houses are more expensive than ever. Here in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., region, it’s shocking.

In Maryland, according to Zillow, more than half of all buyers in June 2023 paid above list price for their home. Buyers are paying, on average, 1 to 2 percent above asking price now.

That may not sound like a lot, but on a $500,000 home, that may be another $10,000. One Realtor friend told us that for one of her listings, there were 32 offers, all above asking price. That means 31 unhappy, unsuccessful home seekers.

Renters have it no better.

In Maryland, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has found that a renter working 40 hours per week and earning Maryland’s minimum wage of $13.25 per hour must work 79 hours each week to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment and not be cost burdened (not spending more than 33% of income on housing costs).

But it’s not just Maryland and the D.C. area. The lack of affordable housing is a nationwide problem. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen housing prices reach a level they’ve never reached before.

According to the National Association of Realtors, the median price for a house in America is now $414,000. That is the second highest median price recorded, after June 2022.

In Maryland, it’s worse. Maryland Realtors, a nonprofit membership organization, reports the average sales price in Maryland is up more than 3 percent from last year to over $486,000. Our proximity to Washington, D.C., has a lot to do with this.

That price may not sound like a lot for this region, but keep in mind it includes all areas of Maryland, rural and urban. Those prices make rents more expensive and home ownership unobtainable for millions of Americans.

How did this happen, and how can we fix it?

We can think of today’s exorbitant housing prices as a result of a supply and demand problem. The housing supply isn’t matching demand.

On the demand side, there has been a generational shift in who is buying homes. Millennials are now the largest generation in American history, and they are aging into their prime home-buying years.

On top of that, until recently, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages were at an all-time low, which meant it was relatively cheap to borrow the money to buy a house. That enticed people to buy if they could, making demand for houses even greater.

Over the last two years, interest rates rose past 7 percent, but because of low inventory, that has yet to substantially cool demand in the housing market.

From 2010 to 2019, there were fewer homes built in the U.S. than in any decade since the 1940s. In particular, the construction of smaller, entry-level homes, for first-time home buyers, has dropped more dramatically.

In the 1980s, those “starter” homes made up about 40 percent of homes built. Today, it is closer to 8 percent.

Currently, the National Association of Realtors says the U.S. is down anywhere from 5.5 million to 6.8 million starter homes needed to satisfy demand.

Moreover, according to Pew Research in 2021, 55 percent of adults under age 30 said the lack of affordable housing is a major problem, up from 39 percent in 2018.

This housing shortage drives a big part of the problem for renters and prospective homeowners. It is worse where demand is highest, such as near good jobs, transit and schools like Frederick.

One straightforward solution is to simply build more affordable homes in desirable places. For years, however, there has been one big obstacle — builders aren’t allowed to.

Zoning or local regulations that decide where things can be built overwhelmingly favor single-family homes over multifamily homes. Zoning boards have banned the ability for anyone to build anything other than a single unit of housing on that land.

In many towns, zoning boards exclude all types of multifamily housing from their neighborhoods.

And not just large apartment buildings. Things like duplexes and fourplexes are illegal on most residential land in many American cities.

Single-family housing is the law in 70 percent of Minneapolis, 75 percent of Los Angeles, and 84 percent of Charlotte, N.C., to name a few. This is a huge determining factor for the housing shortage in the U.S.

We need states to step in and preempt municipalities from enacting and enforcing land-use restrictions that raise housing costs. Land-use control is constitutionally guaranteed to states, not municipalities.

States often delegate the authority to municipalities. But they can and should take it back when cities don’t use it for public benefit.

Gary Bennett and Hugh Gordon are longtime Frederick County residents and members of Frederick’s Affordable Housing Council.

All I Have to Do is Dream: Best Classic Rock Songs about Dreams

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the September 28, 2023, issue of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment insert.

I had a dream last night.

I realize this probably doesn’t sound unusual to you. But, to me, it was. I hardly ever dream. At least I don’t think so.

Scientists say most people dream but don’t remember them. I probably fall into that category. Scientists also say the purpose of dreaming is to “help analyze and consolidate memories, a process where recent, learned experiences are converted into long-term storage.” I guess that that makes sense but still doesn’t explain the sensation of falling out of an airplane, showing up at work naked or snake monsters.

Naturally, last night’s dream got me to thinking about classic rock songs about dreaming. Why? Because I love classic rocks songs and because popular music tends to cover all the esoteric feelings and experiences we all share. If listening to love songs can help make you a more loving or romantic person, which I believe, why can’t songs about dreams make you a “dreamier” person?

Unfortunately, it seems that most songs about dreams are not really about dreams at all, at least not in the sleeping sense. No, they are more about conscious dreaming and trying to reach your full potential.

Still, I think I’ll give it a try tonight by listening to my top ten classic rock songs about dreams and see if I can repeat last night’s performance.

10. “DAYDREAM BELIEVER”
The Monkees, 1968
Tuneful, repetitive song about the sweet boredom of suburban life delivered up by the fun loving boys of ‘60s bubblegum rock.
“Cheer up Sleepy Jean, Oh, what can it mean, To a daydream believer, And a homecoming queen?”

9. “DREAMS”
Fleetwood Mac, 1977
Haunting melody and cryptic lyrics by Stevie Nicks poking fun at her cheating boyfriend and bandmate at the time, Lindsey Buckingham.
“Thunder only happens when it’s raining, Players only love you when they’re playing.”

8. “YOUR WILDEST DREAMS”
The Moody Blues, 1986
Thoughtful lyrics and upbeat groove exploring whether a lost love ever thinks about you “in their wildest dreams.”
“Once upon a time, Once when you were mine, I remember skies, Reflected in your eyes.”

7. “BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS”
Green Day, 2004
Moody, reflective song covering heartbreaking loneliness and lost dreams.
“I walk this empty street, On the boulevard of broken dreams, Where the city sleeps, And I’m the only one, And I walk alone.”

6. “ENTER SANDMAN”
Metallica, 1991
These heavy metal rockers serve up a terrifying lullaby with an unforgettable guitar lick. Have to blast this one full volume for the best effect.
“Say your prayers little one, Don’t forget, my son, To include everyone, I tuck you in, warm within, Keep you free from sin.”

5. “#9 DREAM”
John Lennon, 1974
A soothing, haunting, spiritual song that reportedly sprang from a real dream. One of his best.
“Dream, dream away, Magic in the air, Was magic in the air?, I believe, yes, I believe, More I cannot say, On a river of sound.”

4. “DREAM ON”
Aerosmith, 1973
This timeless masterpiece with the unforgettable opening chords implores us to live for today because tomorrow is not promised.
“Every time that I look in the mirror, All these lines on my face getting clearer, The past is gone, It went by like dusk to dawn.”

3. “CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’”
The Mamas and the Papas, 1965
A lovely call and response song with impeccable harmonies about longing for something you can’t have.
“All the leaves are brown, And the sky is gray, I went for a walk, On a winter’s day, I’d be safe and warm, If I was in LA.”

2. “DAYDREAM”
Lovin’ Spoonful, 1966
A carefree, feel-good song about being so much in love, it’s like a daydream. Terrific tenor vocal from John Sebastian.
“I’ve been having a sweet dream, I been dreamin’ since I woke up today, It’s starring me and my sweet dream, ‘Cause she’s the one makes me feel this way.”

“ALL I HAVE TO DO IS DREAM”
Everly Brothers, 1958
This sweet, classic song extols the virtues of dreaming to be reunited with the one you love. Impeccable harmonies introduced America to this classic duo.
“When I want you in my arms, When I want you and all your charms, Whenever I want you, All I have to do is dream, dream, dream.”

Honorable Mentions:
Jim Croce’s “Dreamin’ Again,” Crowded House’s ”Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Bobby Darin’s “Dream Lover,” The Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Heart’s “These Dreams,” Billy Joel’s “The River of Dreams,” Gordon Lightfoot’s “Summertime Dream,” Kenny Nolan’s “I Like Dreamin’,” Billy Ocean’s “Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” Elvis Presley’s “If I Can Dream,” The Romantics’ “Talking in Your Sleep,” The Talking Heads’ “Dream Operator,” and Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver.”