Embarrassing Oneself

Dear Treasures:

One of readers' most rarely acknowledged pleasures is our deliciously malicious enjoyment when a writer writes something so completely wrongheaded, so stupid, that he reveals himself as a fool, when his own words condemn him. Marie Harris Aldridge, the president of the DC Public Library Board of Trustees, gives us that delight today on the Close to Home page of the Washington Post, in her article, “Reasons to Shelve a Library” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38440-2003Feb6.html). If Ms. Aldridge is right that her views are shared by “nearly every member of the board,” the article could more accurately be titled, “Reasons to Shelve a Library Board.”

The library trustees have been entrusted with a handsome treasure, the Martin Luther King, Jr., central library designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, that they have disgracefully neglected. They have let the building deteriorate — Ms. Aldridge admits that the “building has deteriorated so much that it would have to be gutted.” The roof leaks; the restrooms are always out of order; the elevators don't work; the air circulation system is so badly maintained that several reading rooms had to be closed for days on end this fall. They have also let the library's collection deteriorate. Its reference books are by and large out of date; its periodical collection is spotty; its new book purchases are inadequate. And they have allowed services to the public to deteriorate. At any one time, only a small portion of public computers or Xerox machines or microfilm readers are in working order. They have allowed relations with the library's staff to become so poor that the staff is on the verge of mutiny. They have not spent the library's allocated funds wisely, and for years they have not campaigned for the additional money that the library has needed. And now, rather than advocate the renovation that the MLK library needs, Ms. Aldridge argues that the city should instead build a new, smaller, and more expensive central library on the site of the soon-to-be abandoned old Convention Center — and she argues that the greater cost of the new building could be offset by “reusing” the current library site, which may or may not include demolition of the building. “Others can champion the preservation of an architecturally significant building, but that is not the library board's mission,” Ms. Aldridge argues. If she truly believes that it is not the mission of a public board of trustees to honor the trust of the public whose finest assets have been temporarily placed in its hands, she should resign.

The Library Board answers to Mayor Williams and to Councilmember Kevin Chavous, who chairs the City Council's Committee on Education, Libraries, and Recreation. If the Library Board doesn't have the sense of responsibility to preserve the architectural gem in its care, it is the Board, not the building, that needs to be replaced. And Mayor Williams and Councilmember Chavous should make it plain that they do have that sense of responsibility — if indeed they do.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

Bush's budget item for DC school vouchers will create a real uproar with DC school and administration leaders. Why complain if the Feds will provide monies that will help in the education processes that will benefit the kids in DC? Students who seek a better education than they can get in the DC public schools should be entitled to seek other options. And, if the Feds will help make those options and choices possible, then we will all benefit from that help.

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Washington Teachers Union Update
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

On Tuesday, February 4, attorneys at Wilmer, Cutler, and Pickering filed an amended complaint on behalf of Nathan Saunders, a DC teacher who had filed a civil lawsuit in the ongoing Washington Teachers Union scandal. In addition to Barbara Bullock, Gwendolyn Hemphill, James Baxter, Esther Hankerson, and the Executive Board and Board of Trustees of the WTU, the amended complaint adds several new defendants and charges them with negligence and/or breach of fiduciary duty: Independence Federal Savings Bank; the American Federation of Teachers; Edward J. McElroy, the Secretary-Treasurer of the AFT; and James Goosby, WTU's tax preparer. The amended complaint is filed "derivatively on behalf of the Washington Teachers Union," which in effect turns the complaint into a class-action suit, so that any decision by Judge Emmit G. Sullivan could benefit all WTU members. The prayer for relief section of the amended complaint seeks the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the actions of George Springer, the administrator appointed by the AFT over the WTU. It also seeks restitution of all dues paid to the AFT over the past seven years and compensatory damages from all defendants.

Legal maneuvering over the Saunders lawsuit is also taking place outside of the courthouse. The initial filing of the lawsuit on December 27, and the possibility that the judge would appoint a receiver to run the local, is what precipitated the AFT's unprecedented suspension of the local and appointment of Springer as its administrator. Since then, AFT's attorneys, Bryan Cave, LLP, have agreed to use AFT grant funds to reimburse WTU members by March 1 for the improper dues overcharge that occurred last year. AFT's administrator, Springer, has agreed to hold five open meetings with WTU members over the next thirty days. The AFT has agreed to enhance the WTU web site to make it more interactive with members, and the AFT has agreed to establish advisory committees of WTU members on a host of issues, including future elections. The next hearing before Judge Sullivan is scheduled for February 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the US District Courthouse.

In the coming months, Congress will also focus on the WTU. Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has indicated that he will hold a hearing on the WTU scandal and the need to improve union reporting requirements to the US Department of Labor.

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Once a Crook
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

Just back from three weeks in Italy and am catching up a bit. I see where the chauffeur for Bullock, Holmes, has pleaded guilty to taking teachers' union funds and will implicate the others. That's a good start. The Bullocks and Hemphills, et al., are very likely to have been crooks all their adult lives. Some investigations should be made into their previous places of work to find out just how much they made off with in earlier years. People don't suddenly become crooks. If they are honest people in earlier life, they will be honest people all their lives. If these folks had the opportunity to steal before it is most likely that they did (perhaps on a much smaller scale). They may have even actively looked for jobs in which they could steal. Let's hope that charges will be brought against these folks who stole from their own brothers and sisters, union members, who are, for the most part, grossly underpaid for the services they provide.

[Source documents in the Washington Teacher's Union case, including Leroy Holmes' statement of offense and guilty plea, are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/schools. — Gary Imhoff]

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Help! Robbery!
Malcolm L. Wiseman, wiseman@us.net

Mr. Mayor, no, I personally haven't been robbed (lately). But my neighbors who live on Georgia Avenue and other “snow emergency routes” around the city were this a.m. It seems every snowfall is a windfall of revenue for our city government, particularly in the manner in which the law is enforced and the $250 penalty applied. You are extremely efficient at deploying the trucks to tow and ticket cars on the avenues. Yet the side-streets, where the ersatz car thieves dump their booty, are sometimes never themselves plowed of the “emergency” snow.

These actions can be seen as nothing but those of a predatory government. To move a car from one place in the snow around the corner to another place in the snow and then to impose a fine which to a minimum wage worker is more than a week's pay is a robbery, a heist! A more responsible, reasonable administration would first announce the “emergency,” by police bullhorn if needed, then plow the avenues and the side-streets while people moved their cars, THEN tow the remaining cars. But nooooo! You have to get greedy and really stick it to 'em! Your opponents should remember this oppression come next election and remind your voters how they were treated by this government during snowstorms. I'll remember, and I'll help them to do likewise. And no, I'm not the usual grouser of DC government who complains about everything in our city. I only yell when you have your sticky hands on my wallet!

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Give Chuck a Raise
John Aravosis, john@safestreetsdc.com

According to WUSA Channel 9, “observers say the [police] Chief could see a pay raise of thirty to forty thousand dollars.” The following has just been posted anonymously to the bulletin board on http://www.safestreetsdc.com.

Sing to the tune of “If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands”

If the MPD's a mess, give Chuck a raise!
If the officers are distressed, give Chuck a raise!
If the murders are unsolved,
the 911 lines are all clogged,
just pretend calls didn't get logged and
Give Chuck a raise!

When the statistics don't add up, give Chuck a raise!
If the crime rate's really up, give Chuck a raise!
When the citizens keep calling
and complain, “Hey — Crime's not falling!”
Just continue with your stalling and
Give Chuck a raise!

If the Graffiti's out of control, give Chuck a raise!
Turn a blind eye to it all, give Chuck a raise!
If the protesters are frisky,
(to hell with civil liberties)
tie them up so they're not risky!
And give Chuck a raise!

If you can't find where your officers are, give Chuck raise!
If your squad cars are in disrepair, give Chuck a raise!
When the citizens get shot,
And it happens quite a lot,
Hold a press conference on the spot and
Give Chuck a Raise!

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City Hall Says Clean Gang Graffiti Yourselves
John Aravosis, John@SafeStreetsDC.com

Adams Morgan ANC Chairman Alan Roth has let City Hall have it for their attitude that DC residents, and not the city, are responsible for cleaning up the horrendous gang graffiti that is plastered all over our homes and business districts across the city. Of particular concern to Roth is the epidemic of graffiti that hit Adams Morgan's 18th Street stores and restaurants over one month ago, and which the city has yet to do a thing about. You really need to read the recent E-mail exchange between Roth and a city official to fully understand why our neighborhoods are falling apart — including the city's incredible assertion that we the residents are responsible for paying $150/hour to clean gang graffiti!

Here is an excerpt of what Roth wrote the city: “When all of you, together with Chief Ramsey and the Mayor, are ready to start a serious effort to wring order out of chaos here, I'll be ready to work with any of you. Until then, I'm gonna keep on hectoring you, hassling you, and telling anyone who'll listen that this Administration is full of baloney when it claims to 'care' about our neighborhood or any place other than downtown. Until recently, Adams Morgan was a good and improving neighborhood to live in; increasingly, the business corridors are turning into eyesores and hellholes, meaning that the residential streets can't be far behind. You want 100,000 new people to move into DC? You'd better start working on these quality of life issues first — and fast.” You can the entire E-mail exchange between Roth and the city official here: http://www.safestreetsdc.com/subpages/roth_sueiro.html. And you can take your own tour of Adams Morgan's graffiti here: http://www.safestreetsdc.com/subpages/graffiti.html.

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Police Protection and Sensitivity and Security
Judy Walton, jrwalton@howard.edu

Last year, I remember going out into my backyard several times over a period of several months finding syringe needles. Not only were there syringe needles in my backyard, they were also in the alley and in another neighbor's yard. For me, finding needles in my yard was a wake-up call of more serious things, i.e., drug activity and drug users using our property for their drug injections. I called the police for help and guidance and solution. What did I get? When the police arrived and observed the needles, unbelievably, they asked me if there were any diabetics in the neighborhood or if any of my neighbors were diabetics. The implication, to me, was that I should have gone door to door asking my neighbors if they were diabetics and if they had thrown the needles into our yards and the alleys. I asked the police if they would make a police report; they said no. I asked why not. I asked how do the police keep records so that they can build a case, if they do not take a report. No response. I asked why did they come if they do not take reports. No response. They left. And I picked up the needles and discarded them into the trash can. Within a few months, there were no more needles; I suspect the drug user either moved away or died.

As to the visibility of the police in our neighborhood — well, they are visible, visibly speeding down the street. We see the police in their scout cars going faster than the 25 mile speed limit. Their speed, to me, would keep them from seeing/observing much of anything. There is no slow observant riding by the police. As to the latest in police presence — this new “slow” flashing of lights will do little to foster a sense of security and protection. Pretty soon , the lights won't mean anything — we will get use to them, and the lights will be neutralized.

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Flashing Lights Are a Good Idea
Matthew Kessler, matthew@stand.org

I seldom post to this listserv. I find it one of the most negative that I have ever been on. That is besides the point. I just wanted to give kudos to the new policy of the MPD using flashing lights all the time. I work in Columbia Heights, which while it has come a long way still is full of crime (I have been mugged twice). Many times I stand and wait for the bus 15-20 minutes late at night. Since this new policy has been implemented I feel a little safer. Even if the police are around the corner or down the street where normally I wouldn’t know they were there unless I saw the cruiser itself, I now know they are there because I can see the lights from around the corner or a little further down the street. I have read about this policy in Israel and it is very successful. (Please! I read four newspapers a day and watch news 24/7. I know what is going on in Israel. Do not send me a barrage of E-mails saying, “How can you say it is successful with all of the bombings and such?”)

I have seen a few postings where people have complained because they think, as a driver, it is confusing to them. They do not know whether to pull over or not. Perhaps I am a little biased (I do not have a car, but I do manage to get behind the wheel one or two times a year, the first for 2003 being last week). I found it very obvious (both as a pedestrian and a driver) when a police cruiser is responding to a call or simply riding around with lights flashing for awareness. For presence they simply use two little lights, one blue and one red. When they are responding to a call there are a number of red lights, more blue lights, flashing white lights, headlights flashing, taillights flashing, fog lamps flashing, not to mention the loud annoying (but necessary) ear drum breaking (at times) sound of a siren. Perhaps those drivers complaining need to turn down Eminem or Tina Turner or Captain and Tennille (whichever your preference . . . I don’t know).

People complain when the MPD spends thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars implementing a system or buying equipment whose ultimate goal is to make the District of Columbia safer (and yes there are things they have done that I disagreed with). They implement a policy that will cost absolutely nothing and people still complain. You know what, that is incorrect. I will admit when I am wrong; we may need to spend a little extra on light bulbs.

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Red Lights
Ron Linton, rml.ch@verizon.net

The main thing that flashing lights on top of police cars do is warn the bad guys that they're coming.

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The Police, 911, 311, and 4D
Peter J. Stebbins, studiohouse.walbridge@verizon.net

Sadly, on January 3, a friend of mine began an incredible psychotic episode that seems to have lasted several days. I can say with confidence that this was a psychotic episode because I found out from DC Mental Health (so much for confidentiality) that he had a history and then learned from a dear friend of his that he was picked up at Dupont Circle Starbucks a few years ago, spent a weekend in jail, and at arraignment was sent by a judge for psychiatric evaluation and finally committed to the John Lafayette Building for the Criminally Insane at St. Elizabeth's. On the morning of January 4 my car was stolen. I later learned that my friend had the car. It seemed odd; however I had a 4:30 sound check in Manhattan and a rental van to pick up at 11:00, so there was no time to waste. Later I learned that my friend, in addition to taking my car, took my dog and wardrobe. He even spent the weekend filling my house with people, planning parties, visiting artists and other people he didn't really know. When I came back to Washington and discovered all of this, I was angry. Then I saw this person and could only feel pity. But things got worse. Over the course of the next week I received more than a dozen harassing and threatening phone calls. My house was broken into more than five times. Property and the building were vandalized. Property was stolen. There were more than three physical assaults on women. Several people received the same incredible verbal lashings. Another dog was stolen. The list goes on.

That week I make more than ten 911 calls. I got a cop once. He claimed he would make a report. He never did. I made more than ten 311 calls. Rarely was I able to complete my sentences. Typically, I was interrupted two or three times and then hung up on. When I called the Fourth District directly, once I reached a woman who was very helpful. She listened to me and offered that I needed to report all these crimes. Duh! Sadly, no officer came over. When I called back the next day to reach this woman, all I could get out of the 4D telephone answerer was that there was just one woman working at 4D. But he refused to give his name or the name of the woman, and then he hung up on me.

Officers Nguyen and Watson of 4D did come to my house early in the episode with the psychotic individual. He apparently had told the police I was physically abusing him and that he lived in my house. Despite the fact that all of the people in the building (at that time there were five people here) told the police this wasn't true, that the psychotic individual did not have his own keys, never received mail there, never paid any rent, had a Virginia drivers license, and so on and so forth, the cops would take no action. Stupidly, I let these guys in thinking I could reason with them. The person did actually have a plastic laundry basket and a couple of work outfits in my house. But the cops allowed him to take a lot of my property with him. They simply said, “This is a civil matter. If he takes any of your property then it becomes criminal and you should press charges.” The story goes on and on and on and on, sadly. I got some incredible lines. Like Officer Nguyen telling me that only a property owner could report a crime. And there's Officer Watson telling me that stolen keys and other property is a civil matter and not a criminal matter. Then there's the stolen car. Apparently in the District it falls under “unauthorized use.” Finally, after sixteen days of calling and pleading for help, I got an officer who seemed to want to pursue something. It has been three weeks now, though, and nothing has happened. Oh wait a second, that's not true, my house was broken into three more times this week and a prescription for Lorazepam was stolen. What did the cops say? “Add that to your log of events that occurred.”

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Traffic Cameras
Al Jirikowic, chiefike@earthlink.net

[In London, traffic cameras are now being equipped with facial recognition software, supposedly as an anti-crime and anti-terrorism measure.] http://www.observer.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,892001,00.html.

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Teens
Bob Levine, rilevine@cpcug.org

I read recently in COMMUNIT-E that teens are harassing seniors in Tenley; that's not quite all. I just got through a scene that was out of the wild west. Teens out of Duke Ellington School had taken over Wisconsin and Q Street waiting for Metro to take them out of the neighborhood. I'm sure they are good individual kids, but this was a mob. They were harassing passers by, the owner of the 7/11 couldn't conduct business, and they basically had four blocks to themselves. I happened to be off with the flu today and just wandered into this mob scene while normally I would have been at work. In a normal city there would be some police in attendance or some crossing guards there. This looked like a bad movie. I'm not a senior, I'm a 50-year-old male who can take care of myself, and I definitely felt under threat. Of course there was a police car with its lights on rolling by, not stopping and doing nothing. What a wonderful city this is turning into.

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A Different Tenleytown Metro
Greg Betor, gbetor@netscape.net

I live in the same building as mrscalabash and use the Metro on a daily basis. I usually board Metro as the Wilson students are arriving for their morning classes . . . and can only presume that mrscalabash uses a different “Tenleytown” station than do I. Of course the students are noisy . . . there are large numbers of them and the volume of voices carries as it bounces off the concrete and tile.

I have never felt threatened by the students; nor have I heard language any more objectionable than that of many adults in the station. I have often been greeted with a “Good Morning” and a smile from students. An occasional “how are you.” But then I often say “Good Morning” to students with whom I make eye contact. I seldom get the same treatment from senior citizens, even some who are my neighbors! I would suggest that our senior citizens try a smile and a good morning . . . it works wonders and not only with the Wilson students!

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Where the Metro Money Goes
Susan Ousley, SLOusley at aol dot com

For several years, winter or summer, a Metro Access car has arrived to pick up someone on our block. The car arrives 1-2 hours before the rider comes out. It idles, while the driver sleeps. We've reported it three times, through Councilmember Graham, through the Metro chief, through Metro Access. No change. That kind of failure is why we are getting a fare increase.

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Taxation Without Misrepresentation
S.C. Payne, SusannaPayne@aol.com

I am delighted to see that Ambassador Cooper can find time in his busy schedule to respond to my concerns over the taxation of Maryland citizens to provide free emergency service for his neighborhood. Although it would be a great comfort to see this alleged champion of human rights take a more complete interest in the human condition of the District of Columbia, Cooper reveals his arrogance when he takes issue with my residency, and attempts to use race once again to defend his indefensible positions. As his reaction is not surprising, it is, however, most disappointing.

I quoted Cooper's statement before the UN quite accurately, and I take issue with his attempt to imply his new cause of presidential primary dates, and the inequality of medical services for citizens of DC are “mutually exclusive issues.” Just as Cooper finds justification for his own involvement with human rights in China, so should he welcome others outside his own community to correct an injustice to his fellow citizens. And, although I am sure this Ambassador fancies himself somewhat of a savior for the nation's capitol, as of this writing I don't think he's yet perfected turning water into wine. However, I must admit, no one can conjure up a full course meal out of a single sound bite like the illustrious Tim Cooper.

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DC Needs Visibility and a Presidential Champion
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com

David Sobelsohn wrote, “We face a major hurdle in securing equal voting rights: most Americans think we already have them. What effect will increasing visibility for one of the few chances we have to cast a meaningful vote have on our effort to teach other Americans about our lack of the right to vote?” The possibility of increasing confusion is an important consideration. However, if officials and those who speak focus on the main messages again and again when there is national attention, the advantages of having a first-in-the-nation DC Presidential primary will far outweigh the disadvantages. Although the majority of Americans are not aware that DC permanent residents do not have equal rights, when Americans are told about the issue in just a few short sentences, three quarters agree that DC should have equal rights. A major problem, however, is achieving national visibility to put the issue on the agenda. For the most part, the national press corps considers DC inequality to be a local, not a national, issue, so they do not cover the story. Without media coverage or without a very large advertising budget DC will not make progress in raising awareness and support for action. In every statement made by officials about moving the DC primary, and during the actual primary, they must explain what DC does not have but what DC needs: equal voting rights in the Senate and the House, and control over its local budget, laws, and judicial system.

Recall that DC won the right to vote in Presidential elections in 1961 after a struggle that lasted more than a century and a half. The President continues to appoint DC's local judges and its local prosecutor. The Presidential election is DC's only opportunity to vote in federal elections. But DC has not leveraged this resource adequately. Between the first primary and DC's primary in May, the decisions have already been made and the candidates do not bother courting DC residents or getting to know its neighborhoods and people. Voter turnout is low. DC's primary has been a lost educational opportunity. With DC's primary at the fore, DC residents can ask candidates if they care about DC political equality or not, and if so, what remedy or remedies they would support when elected. There was an excellent article entitled “Opening Shot” by David Morton, with a fine illustration by Robert Ullman, in Washington City Paper (Feb. 7, page 19).

If you support moving the presidential primary, there is a petition you can sign at http://www.letsfreedc.org. The Council will hold a hearing on Councilmember Jack Evan's legislation, “Presidential Primary Election Act of 2003,” to move future DC Presidential primaries from the first Tuesday in May to the second Saturday in January. The hearing is scheduled for February 19 at 10:00 a.m. at the seat of the DC government, the John A. Wilson Building. Currently, there is complete bipartisan support among DC's elected officials, but significant bipartisan opposition among DC's political party officials who fear losing their seats at their respective conventions.

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Presidential Primaries vs. Primary Health Services Revisited
George S. LaRoche, laroche@us.net

It's always unfortunate when a discussion is pulled gutter ward with unmerited characterizations such as Mr. Cooper's opening reference (in themail, February 5) to an earlier message (from one Ms. Payne) as a “screed” and his charge of “race baiting.” At most, this appears to be a case of one very prolific pot calling a rather reticent kettle black (speaking, myself, as one of the more prolific pots). Further, Ms. Payne doesn't really commit any of the sins Mr. Cooper attributes to her — at least other than getting his current “title” wrong, which even I don't know, for I've heard him use so many over the years.

The substance of Ms. Payne's piece has merit. As a longtime supporter of the Statehood Party and as its ad hoc legal counsel for various matters at various times, I can attest that many members of the statehood movement are aware of these problems and are quite unhappy with the current state of affairs. This arrangement with BCCRS certainly does not comport with statehood aspirations; worse, it raises interesting questions (albeit largely academic, at this stage) about the "exclusivity" of congressional jurisdiction over the District (see the District Clause). In short, it smacks of incremental retrocession of authority (which, by the way, comports with historic wishes sometimes expressed especially in Ward 3, of all places).

Mr. Cooper is correct that, “[t]he DC equal rights movement has always been and always will be about building bridges among races and across the many groups and neighborhoods of DC.[,]” but it goes much further than that, to “building bridges” to all Americans, so Mr. Cooper's characterization of Ms. Payne's questions and observations is deeply troubling. It doesn't matter whether Ms. Payne lives in Maryland or not, since she points out problems which anyone who wishes to see DC as the fifty-first state simply MUST address. Damning the messenger and sweeping the issues under the carpet only seems to reflect frustration and embarrassment.

[Comments may now return to the wisdom or foolishness of the policies themselves. — Gary Imhoff]

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When Planners Aim Low — and Miss the Target
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net

How does WMATA's new ten-year Capital Improvement Plan compare with its own exhaustive studies of its future requirements? Is there any correlation between DC's existing “Comprehensive Plan” and its “Transportation Vision Plan,” both dating back to the mid '90s? Does either of them lead to the WMATA plan? How should they be changed now that they're up for grabs? Does anyone seem to care? Why is NARPAC waving Maggie's drawers? NARPAC's answers can be found in the February update of its web site at http://www.narpac.org/INTHOM.HTM. Try a new approach to making DC better. Get positively involved.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Community Building Bazaar, February 22
Parisa Norouzi, dcparisa@aol.com

Help create permanent affordable housing in Columbia Heights! Join the Ella Jo Baker Intentional Community for a Community Building Bazaar, Saturday, February 22, from 1-4 p.m. at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th Street, NW. Free music and performers, and yard sale, bake sale and silent auction! Contact Parisa Norouzi, dcparisa@aol.com, 588-5255.

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Library Hosts Starr, Clift, Carville, O'Connor, February 25
Lois Kirkpatrick, lkirkp@fairfaxcounty.gov

Judge Kenneth W. Starr, Newsweek Contributing Editor Eleanor Clift, political analyst James Carville, and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will all appear live for the Fairfax County Public Library's Perspectives series at the Alden Theater of the McLean Community Center. All four events are free, and tickets will be available at the door at 6:00 p.m. on the evening of each program (limit two tickets per person). Ken Starr kicks off the series on February 25 at 7:30 p.m. with a discussion of his book First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life. For details, call 703-790-0123 or go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.

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Fair Budget Coalition, March 7
Parisa Norouzi, dcparisa@aol.com

The Fair Budget Coalition of DC invites you to attend a conference entitled, “From Service to Justice: Realizing a Vision for a Just, Inclusive, and Caring DC.” The conference will take place Friday, March 7, from 9 to 5 at All Souls Church at 1500 Harvard Street, NW. In this era of budget shortfalls and an increasingly frayed social safety net, simply doing direct service is not enough. Join service providers, community leaders, advocates, labor, artists and others in exploring ways to work for structural change as well as preserve essential services. Our ultimate goal is to transform DC into a more just city, one that puts human needs first.

The cost is $10 for individuals, $5 for Fair Budget Coalition members; $30 for organizations (up to three staff people), $15 for coalition members. Additional staff members may be added at the individual rate. No one will be turned away due to their inability to pay. To register contact Julia Gordon at 906-8025, or E-mail jgordon@clasp.org.

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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED

Contract Bookkeeper/Bookkeeping Service
Jon Katz, jon-at-markskatz-dot-com

Downtown Silver Spring law firm seeks efficient, can-do bookkeeping service or contract bookkeeper for all the firm's bookkeeping needs. 10-15 hours per week. Significant experience assisting law firms is preferred. Please fax your credentials and letter of interest designating "bookkeeper position" to Jon Katz, Marks & Katz, LLC, 1400 Spring St., Suite 410, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Fax: 301-495-8815. Please do not send E-mail attachments. For more information, visit http://www.markskatz.com/jobs.htm.

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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Chime
Dorothy Marschak, chime-dc@erols.com

CHIME is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters in a CHIME Big Music Mentors program. Information about the program and application forms are on our website, http://www.chime-dc.org. The next orientation will be held on February 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the DC office of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Prospective mentors will go through the same BBBS screening and matching process as regular Bigs. Current Big Brothers and Big Sisters are also invited to come to the orientation — they can become CHIME Bigs by agreeing to take their Littles to at least one musical performance a month. Please RSVP if you would like to attend the orientation meeting to info@chime-dc.org. 

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