Justice Delayed

Dear Justice League:

In the last issue of themail, I wrote about the leisurely pace the US Attorney's Office in DC takes in politically sensitive cases. One prominent example is, of course, the massive embezzlement from the Washington Teachers Union, in which the principles have still not been indicted. This case became public knowledge over eight months ago, in December of last year, when the FBI's affidavit in support of its raids of WTU officers and others was made public (http://www.dcpswatch.com/wtu/021218.htm). But how long should such a case take? Can't US Attorney Roscoe Howard argue that this a reasonable period of time to take to prepare a case?

In Miami, Florida, a parallel embezzlement hit another American Federation of Teachers union local in late April of this year. There, Pat Tornillo, the president of the local, was accused of misspending $650,000 of the union's money for personal luxuries, small potatoes next to the more than $5,000,000 known to have been taken from the WTU. In Miami, as here in DC, the union local was intimately involved in and influential in Democratic party politics and political campaigns. But in Miami, although the United Teachers of Dade headquarters wasn't raided until April 29 of this year and Tornillo's home until July 2, the case has already been closed, with Tornillo's guilty plea and sentencing on Monday. Political influence doesn't have to delay justice.

Another thing that may well have been delayed is the appearance of your E-mail in themail. The Sobig worm hit my inbox hard last Wednesday, tapered off for the next six days, then hit hard again today. If you're having trouble sending your E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com, it's because I'm again getting two to three hundred infected messages an hour. Just keep trying.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Repeal the DC Gun Ban: Open Letter to Members of Congress
P. Jodi Miller, Community Association of Firearms Educators, paula.m.miller@baesystems.com

CAFE is a nationwide group of shooting sports enthusiasts and professional firearms instructors from a broad range of economic, social, and racial backgrounds who are dedicated to making communities safer through better access to firearms education and instruction. We currently have Association members in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, and California, and look forward to spreading our philosophy of responsible gun ownership and use across the country as we grow. We actively introduce the members of our Association to a variety of shooting sports -- from recreational shooting to Olympic competition.

The Community Association of Firearms Educators (CAFE) urgently requests your support of any and all legislation that promotes the right to possess and use firearms in all States, including the District of Columbia. It is our position that the DC law banning ownership of handguns is patently unconstitutional. Attempts to defend its Constitutionality by reliance on misinterpretations and misrepresentations of the meanings and legislative histories of the Second and Ninth Amendments must stop. How can the District government continue to rationalize its continuance of the gun ban on Constitutional grounds when all other States support the opposite reasoning in upholding the right of individual citizens to bear arms? The District government cannot and must not be allowed to continue to abuse and infringe the Constitutional rights of its residents. Simply because the District of Columbia is not a State should not preclude its residents from being afforded each and every Constitutional right that all other residents of the fifty States enjoy.

We encourage and urge you to support, through current legislative initiatives, the protection and preservation of District of Columbia residents' Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. The 1976 handgun ban in the District of Columbia has proven to be ineffective at reducing gun violence in our city. Instead, it has increased gun violence by allowing gun-welding criminals to act with brazen impudence in the commission of their crimes. These criminals know too well that their deadly force will be unchallenged by their intended victims. It is no wonder that DC ranks the highest of any US city in gun violence. Why? Because the criminals know they can get away with it.

As you contemplate legislation that would lift the gun ban in DC, bear in mind that ownership of firearms by honest citizens allows us to be secure in our person (4th Amendment). Presently, under the gun ban of 1976, no law-abiding resident of DC can be secure; not shop owners, not taxi cab drivers, not delivery workers, not homeowners. We are sitting ducks to the criminal elements of this city. CAFE members understand and teach that knowledge of firearms, and how to use them properly and safely, are responsibilities that accompany the right and the freedom to own and possess a firearm. We feel strongly that where firearms are concerned, knowledge is not just power, but it is also security and protection, whether through the use of one's own firearm or an unexpected situation involving another's use of a firearm. Our primary concern is for the education of anyone who owns, handles, or encounters a firearm.

While we encourage a repeal of the unconstitutional gun ban law in DC, we also recognize that the ownership and use of a firearm carries with it a serious responsibility to always use each firearm knowledgeably and safely. CAFE believes that anyone who safely and competently shares their experiences and understanding of the many shooting sports is an educator who is acting responsibly in the exercise and enjoyment of his or her Second Amendment Constitutional right Therefore, we encourage your vote for repeal legislation that also emphasizes the responsibility of firearms ownership. To that end, we urge you to support a repeal of the gun ban law and issuance of new legislation that calls for mandatory firearms education and certification, including longer waiting periods for purchase of firearms, and more thorough background checks. Although it is unequivocal that District resident's rights should be restored without reservation, these are reasonable compromises toward that restoration of the Constitutional rights of District of Columbia residents.

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Vouchers
Henry Townsend, henry.townsend@verizon.net

If opponents of vouchers would take the time to read the book The Economics of School Choice, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, they might think again. There are clear indications that school choice leads to better education, particularly for the students of the public schools, just as the original Brookings book (Chubb and Moe, Politics, Markets, and America's Schools, 1990) predicted.

The oddest thing to me is that so many opponents of choice who call themselves liberals or lefties ignore the fact that choice, which would break the tie between the cost of housing and excellence of schools, is clearly redistributive. It would make the choice of a better school more independent of one's income-constrained choice of house. Why on earth, aside from backing the national and local teachers unions, should DC turn down extra money available for schools which would be attended only by those who choose them? I have yet to see a rational argument not based on name-calling against a test of vouchers here in DC.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Auto Theft Prevention at Boys and Girls Club, August 30
Michael Gervais, mgervais@amskyline.com

The Metropolitan Police Department and the Boys and Girls Club of the District of Columbia team with American Skyline Insurance Company to provide free auto theft devices and theft prevention tips on August 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, DC, 4103 Benning Road, NE.

How does the District of Columbia react to the 24 percent increase in auto theft? Create a partnership with the police department; a youth organization, and an insurance company to help protect its neighbors and citizens fight auto theft. For more information contact Metropolitan Police Department, Sixth District, Public Relations, Sergeant Joe Gentile, 727-4383; American Skyline Insurance Company, Public Relations, Michael Gervais, 410-234-8240; and Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, DC, Public Relations, Nicole Brown, 301-562-2012.

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BikeDC 2003, September 20
Eric Gilliland, gill@waba.org

On September 20, join thousands of cyclists on a twelve or thirty mile car-free bike tour of the monumental spaces, riverfronts, and neighborhoods of Washington, DC. Giant Food BikeDC is a fully supported, family-friendly event open to riders of all abilities. Proceeds from the tour go to support the advocacy efforts of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). WABA has been working hard to make the Washington region a safer place to ride since 1972. The Food for Families Drive benefits the Capital Area Food Bank, a nonprofit organization, which provides food to the homeless and working poor community and educates area residents on hunger, poverty and nutrition issues. The Capital Area Food Bank’s network of 750 programs serves the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. For more information and registration please visit http://www.waba.org. Volunteers needed!

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TasteDC.com’s September/October 2003 Calendar of Wine and Food Events
Charlie Adler, wine@tastedc.com

1) September 9, Tuesday, “South Indian cuisine: six-course wine dinner at Heritage India.” 2) September 10, Wednesday, “Hot, hot, hot! Seven-course chili pepper wine dinner at Bangkok Bistro.” 3) September 15, Monday, “Cooking 101: Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! at Chef Geoff's (Downtown).” 4) September 16, Tuesday, “Wine Basics 101: DC's Most Popular Wine Class.” 5) September 18, Live flamenco show and four-course Spanish wine dinner, Sole Restaurant, 7-10:00 p.m., $67 all inclusive of Spanish wines, flamenco show, four-course dinner, tax and tip. 6) September 22, Monday, five-course wine dinner at Wazuri Restaurant. 7) September 20, Saturday afternoon, “Cooking 101 at B. Smith’s: Southern Cuisine Made Easy.” 8) September 25, Thursday, “Great Italian Wines Class: from Veneto to Sicily.” 9) September 30, Tuesday, Shrimp and Wine, Embassy of Australia, 1601 Massachusetts Ave., NW, 6:30-9:00 p.m. $68 all inclusive. If you love shrimp and wine, this embassy event is for you! Over thirty Australian wines to taste and order at special discounts! (Wines provided by Potomac Wine and Spirits of Georgetown.) Fantastic menu of great shrimp dishes: shrimp scampi sauteed for you at the Embassy, shrimp on the barbie grilled to perfection, authentic Louisiana shrimp gumbo, cold shrimp cocktail with a variety of sauces, a variety of cold salads, desserts provided by Patisserie Poupon of Georgetown. 10) October 7, Tuesday, “Live Italian Opera in 4-Courses at Tuscana West,” Tuscana West, 1350 I St., NW, 7-10 p.m., $69 per person, opera, wine, tax and tip inclusive. Extremely popular event at this lovely downtown Tuscan restaurant — live opera singers perform while you enjoy a four-course meal paired with Italian wines! 11) October 18, Saturday afternoon, “Cooking 101: Indian Cooking Basics.” Reservations: 1) secure web form at https://secure.tasteusa.com/cgi-bin/order/order.cgi?X_DC, 2) phone 244-3700 ($10 surcharge/person).

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CLASSIFIEDS — WANTED

Metal Kitchen Cabinets
Maureen Flanagan, Maureenflanagan@starpower.net

Metal kitchen cabinets wanted. Do you have metal kitchen cabinets you don't want? I will take them down, move them from your property, and pay you some if they are in good condition. I have good old metal cabinets in my kitchen that I am expanding and would like to find some more that I could paint to match.

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