What Isn’t in themail
Dear Omitters:
1) Only one person wrote anything about the general election, which
is now only three weeks away. Two major community newspapers, the
Current papers and the InTowner, have endorsed Carol Schwartz for mayor.
Two endorsements for a Republican, in this town. Isn't that worth
talking about, and isn't voting for Carol worth thinking about? 2)
Nobody has written anything about either the initiative or the advisory
referendum that are going to be on the ballot. Don't you want to be the
first to advise your fellow citizens how to vote on them? 3) Nobody
wrote anything about the sniper shootings. Aren't we worried; isn't one
random shooter affecting all our lives? Or do we think that we're pretty
much immune because all the shootings have been just off major highways?
If that's so, then why do we leave it up to the politicians to be the
only blowhards about the shootings? Can't we challenge the sniper and
call him a coward, too? Or is it easier to do that when you're
surrounded by a security detail? 4) Only one person took me up on the
challenge to write an amusing response to Frank Rich's put-down of DC.
Mark Eckenwiler's ditty is a first class message, but two people took
the trouble to say they weren't going to take the trouble to answer
Rich. Doesn't anyone else want to try?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Frank Rich, My Dear: I Don’t Give A Damn
Mark Eckenwiler, eck at ingot dot org
(As sung by Ray Bolger to music from The Wizard of Oz)
I could sing a sneering ditty
Compare dear New York City
To Potomac's vile stain
Yes, my past, it is checkered
Matters not to the Paper of Record
That I haven't got a brain
Oh, the transients and the tourists
They're purely DC's tsuris
Ones Manhattan would disdain
Yes, I much prefer the Hudson
Even if I am a putz 'n'
Drama critic with no brain
###############
New York Versus DC
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
I hope everyone ignores Gary's suggestions to write about why they
like DC better than New York. Do we have to play the same tired game
Frank Rich did in his Times piece? Obviously, when Mr. Rich visits DC,
he spends most of his trip sleepwalking and avoiding scary new
information. Obviously, Mr. Rich was happy to leave the place he grew up
and has an ax to grind. But who cares? The article will be forgotten
faster than you can say “lazy journalist.”
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Not Much to Say
Agate Tilmanis, atil@loc.gov
I will not write a paragraph about Frank Rich's unhappiness about
Washington, DC, not being like New York because I don't know what to say
about it. Washington is not like New York, true. Why does it bother
Frank Rich? There are many people like him.
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The Residential Permit Parking (RPP) system exists to stop commuters
from using residential DC streets as free all-day parking lots. Hence
the characteristics of the RPP system that City Council has imposed:
only residential blocks that are "impacted by commuter vehicles
between 7:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., on weekdays" qualify for RPP
zoning [DCMR 18, 2411.4(b) and 2412.2(a)]. Only residents of such RPP-zoned
blocks can get residential parking permits [DCMR 18, 2413.3]. A
resident's car must be registered in the District to get a permit [DCMR
18, 2413.5].
One consequence of RPP-zoning some blocks in a neighborhood, and not
others, is that the many residents who have their cars registered
outside DC move their cars permanently to the non-RPP blocks, and walk
home. In Mount Pleasant, on every non-RPP block you will find twenty to
thirty non-DC cars parked all day long. Though the RPP program is based
on daytime commuter parking, the residents allowed RPP stickers are
granted special nighttime parking privileges: after 10 p.m., parking
regulations are relaxed, e.g., one can park in a loading zone, or close
to an intersection -- but only if your car has an RPP sticker [DCMR 18,
2411.19]. Residents of RPP blocks can apply for an extension of the
hours of RPP into the night and into weekends, without limit, and with
no criteria to limit eligibility for such extended hours [DCMR 18,
2411.1(a)]. Our City Councilmember's staff is advising his constituents
that they can apply for RPP to be effective twenty-four hours a day, and
on Saturdays too. Then residents with RPP stickers will be able to park
anywhere they want at night, but residents of non-RPP blocks will be
prohibited from seeking overnight parking on RPP-zoned blocks.
The City Council has taken the program designed to deal with daytime
commuter parking and blindly tacked on provisions for evening and
overnight parking. If you live on a block that has a daytime commuter
parking problem, then you're granted special parking privileges at
night. Does that make any sense?
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Tired of Tony Williams’s Lies, Scandals, and
Broken Promises
Alan Goldstein, astein349@aol.com
Many voters in East of the River and working class communities of DC
are planning to skip our city's November 5th election, according to
media reports. I believe this would be a mistake. My family has been
active in Democratic Party activities for years. However, on November
5th we plan to vote for David Catania for At Lage Councilmember, as will
many of my Democratic friends. And as our protest against the
conservative policies of Mayor Tony Williams, we will write in former DC
Democratic State Committeeman Arthur Jackson for Mayor. He has more than
thirty years experience in Government, Elected a City Councilman at age
18 and is a progressive Democrats who cares about people, about
affordable housing and the corruption in District contracts and the
mayor's office.
As a member of the DC Democratic State Committee, Jackson led the
fight against the Williams administration's health plan, and he said,
“It will lead to abuse and corruption.” Review the Inspector
General's report released this week. If you can't vote for Tony
Williams, write in Arthur Jackson for mayor on November 5th, and tell
your neighbors, “Let's send a Message to Million Dollar Tony.”
###############
To the person who wrote regarding what appeared to be average
salaries of $161,000 paid to personnel on the Mercer contract to monitor
the Health Care Alliance: figuring salary costs is not as simple as
dividing the cost by the number of personnel. As anyone who has done
grants, or other budgeting, knows, on average the cost of an employee is
about 2 and a half times actual salary, or, put another way, only about
40 percent of what is budgeted as a per professional person personnel
cost is actually the salary part. The rest is fringe benefits such as
health insurance, vacation and sick leave, mandated costs such as the
employer's share of social security, workers compensation, etc., and
overhead and support costs, such as office space, equipment, human
resources, clerical support, and other administrative expenses. If I
were doing a budget to hire four professionals at $50,000 each in
salary, I would have to budget $125,000 for each, not $50,000, to cover
all the actual cost. I haven't seen the Mercer numbers, but if the per
person cost by simple division is $160,000, the actual average salary
may be only $64,000 — 40 percent of that.
###############
My Generation Thirty Years Later
Tom Berry tom@berrybest.com
Bryce Suderow raises a good point in the October 10 issue of themail.
The lack of comment in this forum regarding mass arrests of protesters
makes him question the spine of those who demonstrated against the
Vietnam War in the '60s and '70s. First, not everyone who participates
in this forum is from that generation, so, those too young to have
“questioned authority” or “not trusted anyone over thirty” may
have their own reasons for not responding or caring. I'll admit, I was
alive and kickin' back then. But, as much as I'd have preferred, I
wasn't able to participate in any demonstrations. My choices were simple
when my educational deferment ended: Canada or the military. In a fit of
moral integrity I chose the latter and I was too busy serving my country
(a requirement for young men that my generation eliminated several years
ago) on the Navy's oldest tin can in the Gulf of Tonkin while many of my
peers raised hell at home. My ship was lobbing 5" shells at
whatever while the homeland was in turmoil. The demonstrations were
“cool,” but of more importance were the assassinations of M. L. King
and Bobby Kennedy. What the hell was going on at home, I thought. Then I
came home and was too busy trying to make ends meet too far from any
major metropolis to get involved in protests. But I still sympathized
with the antiwar cause. What I did not sympathize with was any violence
in the form of protest. And I still do not condone it. So, as for the
recent mass arrests, I approve. Why? Unlike the Vietnam War, there is no
single reason to protest. There are disparate groups with a plethora of
agendas and causes who seem to find it convenient to mass together to
air their individual points. There is no unity. And these bands of thugs
who call themselves protesters have an ugly track record. Look at
Seattle a few years ago. (OK, blame “all” the violence on the
police.) And look at what some of these protesters publicly announced in
advance what they would do. The police had every right to peacefully
disassemble large groups before the situation turned nasty as, I'll say
it again, it did in Seattle. The police did an excellent job this time.
And the innocents rounded up with the masses? They knew what was going
on; they shouldn't have been there in the first place. You step in a mud
puddle, you get dirty.
As for Mr. Suderow's suggestion that my generation has traded in its
principles, I couldn't agree more. And it saddens me to say that. Our
mantra has turned into, not “expensive cars and homes,” as he
suggests, for that belongs to a younger generation, but “do good.”
Yep, we are the do-gooders of society. We are busy protecting ourselves
from ourselves. Let me give an example from 3,000 miles away, but what
still reflects the prevailing thought of the country. A friend recently
visiting from Washington State told me that there is a law in that state
that you can be fined $500 for not wearing a protective helmet while
riding a bicycle. Hey, it's OK to run a stoplight and total someone's
car and be fined far less, but don't leave home on your bike without
your cranial protective device, citizen. God Almighty, man, this country
needs fewer laws, not more. But my generation will assure that we get
more. That simple helmet law will someday mandate a bike rider to wear
total self-protective devices, such as shoulder pads, elbow pads, wrist
pads, hip pads . . . you get the picture here. To ride a bike you'll
have to dress like a football player. Why? Because my generation has
forgotten its cry for less big-brotherism in our lives and has decided
that it knows what's best for all of us. Whatever happened to
self-responsibility? We've forgotten to question authority. We now,
sadly for all, are the authority. Twenty-five years ago I followed a cop
through Farragut Square at noon as he strolled past a well-dressed man
obviously smoking a reefer on his lunch break. Today my generation has
assured that you can't even use marijuana for medicinal purposes in DC.
Haven't we come a long way? Mr. Suderow, is right: we have become our
parents. But I have sadder news; his generation will become its parents!
And DC will still be in the status quo.
###############
Three events prompted me to write my letter to themail about the
arrests of the protesters. The first event occurred in a chat room over
the weekend of October 4-6. A middle-aged Washingtonian man was
complaining about the demonstrators. He stated: “They're a bunch of
rich college students who think they know more about foreign policy than
their government.” This was exactly what my father said to me about
the anti-Vietnam War demonstrators.
Second, I was reading Robert S. McNamara's Argument Without End.
This book chronicles meetings he and other former American leaders and
officials held with Vietnamese officials in the mid 1990s, in which the
two sides discusses the mindsets that led to the War. On page 58
McNamara stated: “Was it true that the fall of South Vietnam would
trigger the fall of all Southeast Asia? Answer: Probably not. Hanoi's
overriding objective was to unify the country.” In other words, the US
Government made a mistake about the nature of Vietnamese communism that
led it to fight a war that caused to the deaths of 3.8 million
Vietnamese. Those are McNamara's figures, by the way. Could it be that
the policy of the World Bank and the IMF is based on mistaken
assumptions about the rest of the world, and that the young protesters
are aware of this? You bet.
Third, I have been disturbed by the reactions of my baby boomer
friends to the mass arrests. They think they are justified because they
preserve order downtown. It seems to me they are betraying the ideals
they fought for when they were young.
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In the recent demonstrations, the police trampled press freedom.
There are reports of numerous arrests of reporters. Some reporters
complained of being roughed up, and told stories of the authorities
deliberately smashing camera equipment. All claim they had camera,
microphone or pen and pad in hand, and were not interfering with the
police. Most had press passes, some even issued by the DC Police. Thomas
Jefferson felt so strongly about the principle of free expression that
he said, “If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a
government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I
should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” (Thomas Jefferson
to Edward Carrington, 1787. ME 6:57)
Press freedom is constantly under attack. Post September 11, police
increasingly see journalists, camera-in-hand, not as observers, but as a
threat. In Washington, DC journalists have been physically attacked by
police, their equipment smashed and many were arrested and jailed
without warning while simply reporting stories. Press freedom is easy to
take for granted if we live in the past. Past victories are easily
overtaken by current events. It’s time to stand up to defend the right
to access and freedom of information.
###############
Unwarranted Concern over Mass Arrests
Ed Dixon, jedxn@erols.com
People protesting against the World Bank/IMF policies should hope to
get arrested. In the tradition of Gandhi and King's passive resistance,
the powers that be will begin to question their policies when they have
to consider the unexpected cost of those policies. When decisions are
decided behind closed doors, there are only so many ways to add
uninvited opinion. The policies will change when the image or cost of
locking up huge numbers of peaceful demonstrators begins to eat away at
the moral ground of those in charge.
I take exception to a reader's suggestion that demonstrators in the
60's and 70's were not arrested or harassed by police. Frequently, this
abuse came from more than just the police. Need I mention the Freedom
Rides in Birmingham, Montgomery, or Jackson and police collusion? Also
police action against antiwar protesters in Greensboro, Kent State, and
the Democratic Convention in Chicago. It is at the hands of the strong
arm of the law that peaceful demonstrators gain the most sympathy. Over
time, if there is truth in the protesters message, reform will occur.
###############
Info on Protest Arrests
Sam Smith, ssmith@igc.org
The information concerning the handling of protest arrests about
which George Laroche wrote [in the last issue of themail] is now at http://prorev.com/dcprotest902.htm.
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In September, I filed a complaint with the FCC demonstrating that
American Tower Corporation violated the National Historic Preservation
Act by not initiating consultation with the DC State Historic
Preservation Officer prior to starting construction on the 756-foot
Tenley tower. The Tenley tower is located at the site of the former DC
terminal of the Western Union Telegraph Company (Art Deco/Moderne
building constructed in 1947), a property that appears not only to be
eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, but
also appears to qualify as a National Historic Landmark as part of the
nation's first private-sector commercial microwave system. In addition
to adversely affecting the former Western Union building, American Tower
also demolished a historic Washington Gas Light Company building to make
way for the tower's base.
The FCC currently is investigating the complaint. Under Section 106
of the National Historic Preservation Act, community members are
entitled to become consulting parties in the proceedings. In fact,
before American Tower Corporation started construction, the National
Historic Preservation Act required the identification and consultation
of interested parties/stakeholders. The Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation has information on how to become a part of the proceedings,
i.e., a “consulting party” (see http://www.achp.gov/usersguide.html
for information on the process). The only remedial action that is
appropriate (to mitigate the impacts introduced by the partially built
tower) is for American Tower Corporation to remove the tower and become
responsible stewards of the historic property the company acquired in
1997.
###############
The Tenley Tower was not being put up for cell phone use. The Tenley
Tower was being built for broadcast TV use, which requires a much higher
tower. There has been no evidence that any cell phone company had any
plans to use space on the Tenley Tower, which would have been much
higher and larger than cell phone companies need.
###############
What Was Wrong with the Tower
Ann Loikow, Cleveland Park, johnl@erols.com
Stan Wellborn asked “what did American Tower do that was against DC
laws and procedures that were in effect at the time of the
construction?” In fact, there were numerous problems with DCRA's
issuance of a building permit for the American Tower tower in Tenley.
First, under Zoning Commission Order No. 587 of Feb. 13, 1989, a new
tower in a C-2 district (such as Tenley) is only allowed as special
exception (a public hearing process before the DC Board of Zoning
Adjustment). In part because of a clerical error in codifying the order,
this was not done. Second, the tower exceeded the 1910 Congressional
Height Act and only the Mayor can waive the height limitations. This was
not done. Third, the environmental review required by the District's
Environmental Policy Act was not done. Fourth, even though the tower has
very deep footings and is right next to the Tenleytown Metro stop, WMATA,
according to the permit forms, did not review the application. In
addition, once American Tower was formally put on notice that the
District Government would revoke the permit, American Tower, saying it
was merely “securing” the tower, added approximately a third to its
height. The bottom line is that the more one looks into the process by
which this permit was issued, the more flaws one discovers. For those
who are interested, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit will hear
oral arguments on American Tower's appeal of the US District Court's
dismissal of its federal claims with prejudice on October 18 at 9:30
a.m..
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Making Lemonade from a Lemon
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom
The District should buy out the developer who owns the incomplete
“Eiffel Tower” on Wisconsin Avenue in Tenleytown and resell it to
another more adventurous developer. Perhaps the developer who negotiated
a great deal with the District for the Grand Prix auto races near
Redskins Park would be interested. It could be built a good bit higher
and become the Coney Island Parachute Jump of Dodge City.
Alternatively, it could be modified to have a viewing platform and a
rotating restaurant at the top for tourists to view the oh so lovely
Tenleytown. And don't forget that magnificent structure, the wonderfully
historic Hechinger's.
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Political Animal Mimicry
Kemry Hughes, KemHug@aol.com
FYI, the posters for the Eugene Dewitt Kinlow campaign were designed
by mid-July, ordered by August, and posted at polling sites by September
10th. From my best recollection the Catania posters came out after the
Kinlow posters. If there is mimicry, maybe both candidates see value in
the DC flag.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS AND MEETINGS
Stein Club Endorsement Meeting, October 14
Kurt Vondran, kvorn@nteu.org
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club will have its regular monthly
meeting on Monday, October 14th (Columbus Day) at 7:00 p.m. in Room
1030S, 441 4th Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro). Items on the agenda
will include: endorsements for ANC Commissioners; consideration of
endorsement for the second At-Large DC Council seat; a special
presentation by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) on
Senate races nationwide; a briefing by the Howard University student
whom the Stein Club helped send to Dade County to work on the referendum
there; and Councilmember Phil Mendelson may also be joining us to thank
the Club for our assistance in his campaign for re-nomination. If you
have any questions, please feel free to write gsdcwdc@aol.com.
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Leonard Garment Discusses Duke Ellington,
October 17
Myrna Sislen, middlec@erols.com
Lawyer and jazz lover Leonard Garment will be at Middle C Music
Store, Thursday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the just released
Blue Note recording of Duke Ellington's 1969 concert at the Nixon White
House, “Music: A New Revelation from the Nixon White House.” Middle
C is at 4530 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (just north of the Tenleytown Metro).
For more information, contact me at 244-7326, middlec@erols.com.
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Using Print on Demand and E-Publishing,
October 19
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org
There's been a lot of discussion about on-demand, short-run, and even
ultra-short-run printing. Is it really possible to print one hundred
books cost effectively? Ten books? What about one book? How about books
by the chapter or reprints on demand? Can entrepreneurs and consultants
make use of this rapidly improving technology as a tool in building
their businesses? Ken Chaletzky, president of Copy General Corporation,
will take us beyond the advertising hype, telling us a little of the
history of digital technology and what current digital technology can
and cannot do. He'll share with us information about the true cost of
on-demand and short-run printing, including back-end costs of taking and
processing orders.
Gather your questions, friends, and colleagues, and bring them to the
Saturday, October 19, 1:00 p.m. (check-in: 12:50 p.m.), meeting of the
Capital PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special
Interest Group (E&C SIG) at the Cleveland Park Library (Second Floor
Large Meeting Room), 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW -- just a block and a
half south of the Cleveland Park Metrorail station — half a block
south of the Cineplex Odeon Uptown movie theater. Meetings of the CPCUG
Entrepreneurs and Consultants SIG are free and are held each month. For
more information about this presentation, the speaker, CPCUG [a
501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization], and its E&C SIG, and
to register for this and/or future SIG meetings, visit http://www.cpcug.org/user/entrepreneur/1002meet.html.
###############
A mayoral forum will be held for the citizens of Capitol Hill and all
other interested parties on Monda,y October 21, at 7 p.m. at the H
Street Playhouse, located at 1365 H Street, NE. Doors will open at 6
p.m., at which time At-Large Candidates from throughout the city have
been invited to attend an informal meet and greet. The event will
feature the three leading candidates for the office of mayor in the
District of Columbia: Carol Schwartz, Republican; Tony Williams,
Democrat; and Steve Donkin, Statehood Green Party. Tom Sherwood, News 4
will serve as moderator.
This forum will offer citizens the opportunity to have their
questions answered by the candidates. Questions can be submitted in
advance by E-mailing them to mayoralforumdc@yahoo.com.
The mayoral forum is cosponsored by the Stanton Park Neighborhood
Association and citizens of PSA 106. For further details, please contact
Keith Jarrell, 332-4429 or via E-mail at: keith_jarrell@yahoo.com.
###############
“International Sensation” on Stage,
November 10
Robin Larkin, rlarkin@footlightsdc.org
Footlights, the Washington area's only modern drama discussion group,
has arranged for group-discount tickets to a performance of Ariel
Dorfman's “Death and the Maiden” (1991). An “international
sensation” (Washington Post), “Death and the Maiden” takes
place in a country that has just ousted a brutal dictatorship. A woman
who, under the former regime, survived torture while blindfolded,
kidnaps a man who sounds like the one who tortured her. But is he? The
performance takes place 3 p.m. Sunday November 10 at Theater J, DC JCC,
1529 16th Street., NW (Dupont Circle Metro). Tickets are $22 and include
a post-show discussion. Afterwards, theatergoers will gather for
continued discussion over dinner at an inexpensive nearby Persian
restaurant. Send your check, payable to “Footlights,” to Robin
Larkin, 5403 Nibud Court, Rockville, MD 20852 (301-897-9314 and rlarkin@footlightsdc.org).
For further information go to http://www.footlightsdc.org.
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CLASSIFIEDS — PETS
Turtles in Need of Home
Bill Starrels, Georgetown, mortgagecorp@hotmail.com
We have two red ear slider turtles that need a new home. They require
a large fish tank with a filter and daily feedings. They don't bark and
will never say hello. The perfect pet. Free to a good home. No chefs
need apply. Call 338-1450; ask for Bill.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
I will be doing research in London and Cambridge for a week in
November and am wondering about trying to arrange an apartment swap for
my place here in DC. Any advice, experience, or recommendations?
###############
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