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There’s Something About Mary

There’s Something About Mary

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The Death of Privacy In America

The Death of Privacy In America

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America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

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When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

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Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

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A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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Mary, Covered In Roses

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Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

Police Detectives Charged With Lying About Bar Fight In North Wildwood

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    The Death of Privacy In America

    The Death of Privacy In America

    America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

    America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

    Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

    Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

    When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

    When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

    Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

    Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

    A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

    A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

    Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

    Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

    There’s Something About Mary

    There’s Something About Mary

    End Of An Era

    End Of An Era

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      The Death of Privacy In America

      The Death of Privacy In America

      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

      Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

      Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

      End Of An Era

      End Of An Era

      Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

      Death And Taxes: The Right’s Last Stand

      Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

      Rep Jeff Van Drew Calls For Fencing To Be Removed Despite Threats To Capitol

      Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

      Democrats Look To Regain A Foothold in Middle Township With Quanette Vasser-McNeal

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      There’s Something About Mary

      There’s Something About Mary

      Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

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      Middle Police Arrest Suspect In Connection With Stolen Guns in Cape May Court House

      South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

      South Jersey’s Sanctuary City Designations Are A Haven For Violent Extremists

      New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

      New Jersey Man Steals Police Car, Fatally Shot After Chase

      “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

      “This Political Climate Got My Brother Killed”: Officer Brian Sicknick Died Defending the Capitol. His Family Waits for Answers.

      Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

      Florida Man Who Went Viral For Stealing Podium Identified

      Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

      Defund The Police Was A Raging Success And Everyone Missed It

      Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

      Non-Violence Isn’t A Just Moral Imperative, It’s A Superior Strategy

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      The Future Of The Supreme Court

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      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

      Your Objections To Development Are Counter-Productive

      Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

      Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

      The Power Of The People

      The Power Of The People

      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

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        Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

        Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

        New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

        New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

        Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

        Jackson Park Project A Threat To Clean Water

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        Fixin Things Till They’re Broke

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          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

          Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

          A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

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          Gold, Lies, And Genocide In The New World

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          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

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          Why I Don’t Worry About My Kids Falling Behind

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          Any Plan To Reopen Schools This Fall Is Irresponsible And Negligent

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          Code Blue Is No April Fool’s Joke

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          Let the Voters Decide

          Cape May’s Untouchables

          The Cost Of Homelessness in Cape May County

          The Cost Of Homelessness in Cape May County

          The Myth Of American Justice: Falling Through The Cracks Part Two

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          Falling Through The Cracks: Part One

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          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

          There’s Something About Mary

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          The Shocking Kindness Of Ted Lasso

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          Award-Winning Children’s Author Greg Pizzoli Planning A Virtual Visit To Cape May

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          New Female Snow Leopard Arrives In Cape May County

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          Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

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              America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

              America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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                The Death of Privacy In America

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                America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

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                Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

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                A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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                There’s Something About Mary

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                  The Death of Privacy In America

                  The Death of Privacy In America

                  America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                  America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                  Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                  Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

                  Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

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                  A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

                  When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

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                    Strong Grassroots Opposition Continues To Plague NESE Pipeline’s Fifth Attempt

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                      Book Banning Is Only The Tip Of The Spear

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                      A Push to Remove LGBTQ Books in One County Could Signal Rising Partisanship on School Boards

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                      America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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                      Your Misplaced Loyalty Is Hurting Your Business

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                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

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                          Get Vaxxed If You Want To Play Indoors

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                          There’s Something About Mary

                          byDavid Todd McCarty
                          6 months ago
                          inCulture, Health, Housing, Justice
                          Reading Time: 5 mins read
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                          There’s Something About Mary

                          “Mary” by David Todd McCarty.

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                          On this day of Thanksgiving, we can no longer turn a blind eye to those who lack everything simply because we feel blessed by God.

                          by David Todd McCarty | Thursday, November 25, 2021

                          A few months back, I wrote a story about a woman who I called Mary. She’s a middle-aged woman with a history of trauma who suffers from a multitude of mental handicaps, including paranoid schizophrenia, which has led her to a life on the streets. 

                          Originally from Montana, she became homeless when her mother died. She was put on a bus to Atlantic City by some enterprising local official who wished to be rid of her; from there, she found her way to Cape May which is where she’s been, in some form or another, ever since. 

                          Despite a great deal of attention by mental health professionals, advocates, law enforcement, and county officials, she remains on the street. 

                          “There’s nothing we can do,” they say. “She’s not a danger to herself or others.”


                          In 1863, at the height of the civil war, President Abraham Lincoln addressed the nation with a proclamation of Thanksgiving. 

                          “The year that is drawing towards its close,” he wrote, “has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.”

                          From that moment on, Americans have joined together, as a nation, on the third Thursday of November “with humble penitence to…commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged….”


                          Mary has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old. If you ask her a direct question about whether or not she intends to harm herself or others, she will say no. This seems to be the extent of the analysis and evaluation. 

                          But if she were really an eight-year-old, sleeping out of doors on nights when it drops below freezing, among men who might not have the best intentions towards her, refusing housing and help, we would conclude that she was a danger to herself and in desperate need of intervention. 

                          Instead, as a society, we have concluded that even though we don’t think she can make rational choices or care for herself, we seem fine with her choice to risk life and limb because that’s easier and cheaper for us. 


                          Regardless of the troublesome mythology concerning the supposed origins of the first Thanksgiving, on the face of it, it was about celebrating abundance by sharing. It was a feast designed to be shared, not hoarded. 

                          America is the wealthiest nation in the history of the planet. We are the epitome of abundant bounty. But on this day, where we claim to give thanks to God for all His blessings upon us, we turn our backs on the people who need our help the most. We are not acting as good Samaritans. We are the preacher and the teacher, too busy to be bothered. 


                          A lot of people have tried to help Mary. But she’s what is known in the business as a runner. The moment they find her a suitable place to live, such as a motel room, she takes off again. Now it’s gotten to the place where she refuses to be anywhere but Cape May, and since they don’t want her there, she lives on the street. 

                          A few days ago, she walked into a house in Cape May, sat on the sofa, took her shoes and socks off, and informed the homeowners that she was spending the night. Of course, they called the police, who took her to the hospital, where she was evaluated by the psych team. Even though she has been diagnosed as an unmediated paranoid schizophrenic, Mary was released onto the streets once again.

                          “She’s not a danger to herself or others,” they said.

                          But what are they basing that on? Because she told them so? What happens when she walks into the wrong house at the wrong time? What happens when she’s once again hit by a car because she doesn’t see well and crosses the street regardless of traffic. If it weren’t for scores of volunteers and well-wishers, she’d starve to death. But all we’re doing is postponing the inevitable. 

                          Recently someone left her a gift: a pair of expensive pajamas. While a nice gesture, perhaps, you have to wonder what she’s going to do with pricey pajamas when she’s sleeping in the bushes of the First Presbyterian Church. 

                          The range of outcomes on Mary’s future horizon are not good. Unless someone comes forward and does right by her, getting her into a group home that can watch over her and care for her, she’s going to end up in a bad place—dead or worse. 


                          Imagine finding a small tribe of sick and starving Europeans on your shores, and instead of trying to help them, you say to yourself, “Well, it’s their choice. I guess that’s how they want to live.” How can this be who we are as a people? Are we really that callous, that aloof? Are we that fearful, greedy, and self-righteous? 

                          Gandhi once observed that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

                          Not to quibble with the Mahatma, but I think he was wrong about this. It’s not our treatment of animals that exposes our lack of greatness, but our indifference towards what Jesus called “the least of these.” No people can be considered great that leave its most vulnerable to die from neglect.

                          “While the angels are singin’ his praises in a blaze of glory,” sang Patty Griffin. “Mary stays behind and starts cleaning up the place.”


                          Follow David Todd McCarty on Twitter@davidtmccartyand The Standard@capemaystandard

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                          Tags: Cape MayCape May CountyHomelessHomelessnessMental HealthMental IllnessNew JerseyNJ
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                          David Todd McCarty

                          David Todd McCarty

                          David Todd McCarty is a writer, director, photographer and designer. You can follow him on Twitter @davidtmccarty.

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                          You Are Not Welcome Here

                          You Are Not Welcome Here

                          August 13, 2020
                          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                          Social Distancing Fails At Ocean City High School

                          September 9, 2020
                          Trump, Chauncey Gardiner, And America’s Accidental Presidency

                          Trump, Chauncey Gardiner, And America’s Accidental Presidency

                          January 29, 2020
                          Open Letter To South Jersey Committee Chairs

                          Open Letter To South Jersey Committee Chairs

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                          The Left’s Purity Dilemma, or Don’t Get Fooled Again

                          The Left’s Purity Dilemma, or Don’t Get Fooled Again

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                          Let the Voters Decide

                          Let the Voters Decide

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                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          The Death of Privacy In America

                          May 4, 2022
                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          America Sits At The Nexus of Fear, Rage, and Despair

                          May 3, 2022
                          Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                          Who Was Responsible For Fake News?

                          March 9, 2022

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