Gadlies
Dear Gadflies:
Please don't be insulted that I call you gadflies. David Nakamura
called me a political gadfly today in his article on the proposed new DC
flag (“Flagging the Case for a Vote for DC,” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14043-2003Oct11.html).
I take that appellation as a compliment, even though the definition of a
gadfly is a persistently annoying and irritating insect or person.
That's because I know how the gadfly became a symbol of a critic of the
state, and I think it puts you and me in good company.
Socrates applied the term to himself during his trial, in his speech
defending his right to teach his political philosophy: “O Athenians, I
am far from pleading, as one might expect, for myself; it is for you I
plead lest you should err as concerning the gift of God given unto you,
by condemning me. If you put me to death you will not easily find
another of my sort, who, to use a metaphor that may cause some laughter,
am attached by God to the state, as a kind of gadfly to a big generous
horse, rather slow because of its very bigness and in need of being
waked up. As such and to that end God has attached me to the city, and
all day long and everywhere I fasten on you, rousing and persuading and
admonishing you. . . . Be not angry with me speaking the truth, for no
man will escape alive who honorably and sincerely opposes you or any
other mob, and puts his foot down before the many unjust and unrighteous
things that would otherwise happen in the city. The man who really
fights for justice and right, even if he expects but a short career,
untouched, must occupy a private not a public station.”
Now, have I been grandiose and self-aggrandising enough? For the
right position on whether to deface the DC flag and turn in into an
advertising banner, read Deacon Maccubbin's wise submission, below.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Flag Desecration
Deacon Maccubbin, [address removed at poster’s request]
To Councilmember Phil Mendelson: Today's Washington Post
article on the proposed adoption of a new DC flag leaves me dismayed.
The proposed flag design looks like a political poster, not a dignified
and powerful emblem of the District. It's ugly. I will never fly it. Our
current flag is beautiful. It's powerful. It's emblematic. It's just
about perfect as a symbol for DC. Don't ruin it or cheapen it with a
garish political argument, no matter how correct the argument may be.
Nearly a year ago, I offered what I thought was an ideal compromise,
one that not only preserved the current flag, but added the same
political statement in a meaningful and powerful way: mandate the
addition of a battle streamer to be attached just above the current DC
flag. That streamer would read “No taxation without representation.”
Legislate that this battle streamer be part of the official DC flag
display until such time as the District of Columbia has full voting
representation in the federal government. Once we win our full rights as
citizens, we could then retire the battle streamer part of the flag,
leaving our original flag intact.
Surely, it will be much cheaper to add such a battle streamer to
existing flags than it will be to junk all existing flags in favor of a
new one. And the streamer makes the political point much more strongly
and appropriately than just sticking some letters into our existing
flag. All of the benefits touted for a new flag design would still be
there, but wrapped in an esthetically pleasing, politically relevant
package. I urge you to consider this alternative suggestion carefully
and fully.
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Mums the Word on the Machine
Ed Dixon, Georgetown Reservoir, jedxn@erols.com
“This one incident neatly brings together the three leading centers
of scandal in DC today: the Washington Teachers Union, the Democratic
State Committee, and the mayor's office,” (http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2003/03-01-19.htm)
is what Gary Imhoff wrote in themail after listening to Phillip Pannell
on the Kojo Nnamdi Show last January. Of course, the incident refers to
Pannell receiving money from Gwendolyn Hemphill and Kelvin Robinson.
This is the same Robinson who burst into the Mayor's Office as Chief of
Staff the summer before the campaign kicked off. The same Robinson who
was given the authority to solicit, receive, and use gifts and donations
to support Citizen Summit II. The same Robinson who told government
workers they were expected to work for and contribute to the Williams
campaign.
Let's imagine. The mechanism, that Hemphill and Bullock enriched
themselves with at the WTU, was also feeding the Williams campaign. As
executive director of the DC Democratic Party, Hemphill wrote the
checks. Hemphill's son-in-law and DC government employee had set up a
bank account alongside the campaign's coffers at Independence Federal.
There, union chauffeur Leroy Holmes could cash checks. Holmes cashed and
delivered them. Cash was delivered to Hemphill or Robinson for the
campaign. The WTU money was invisible. As per the Office of Campaign
Finance, the Williams campaign did not receive a penny from the WTU.
This way the Williams campaign had a relatively bottomless slush fund
that would never show up on the books. Think petition scandal. Do you
believe it? More nonsense. The only promise Williams had to keep to
Bullock and Hemphill would be pay the 9 percent raise to the teachers so
the WTU dues would grow under their control. Legally, Doug Patton of
Holland & Knight has the Mayor covered as his attorney on the
campaign, and Thorn Pozen of Arnold & Porter has the Democratic
State Committee covered for any misdoings on its part. These two
attorneys, along with their mega-law firms, have given tens of thousands
of dollars to the Mayors campaign as well. With all the money these two
attorneys and their firms have made representing developers who have
rebuilt downtown (i.e., business with the city), Patton and Pozen will
hang tight. Bullock is on the way to jail and Hemphill is keeping her
mouth shut for now. Just imagine.
More than a year into his second term but still worrying about the
WTU, Williams has coerced the Board of Education to fund a 9 percent
teachers raise without adding a penny to the coffers of DCPS. By many
reports, with millions of dollars being cut from the school system to
support the raise, the public school system will continue to be
crippled. But as a result, the WTU is not talking election corruption
either. As Phillip Pannell pointed out in January, the process is
broken. Fewer people are voting and more money is being raised; enough
to buy every voter a steak dinner at Morton's.
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A neighbor's backyard was overgrown with enough weeds to constitute
rat harborage. In July, I called the Mayor’s Call Center about
four-foot weeds in the neighbor's back yard. In August, I called about
their six-foot weeds. In September, I E-mailed the Mayor’s Ward 2
Service Rep (Clark is one of the good guys.) about their eight-foot
weeds. On October 9, the weeds were cut for the first time this year.
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Discourse for the Public Benefit
Okonkwo Auten, waso2001@msn.com
Today's Democratic party politicians elected in the District of
Columbia are benevolent to two masters: personal prestige and campaign
contributors. The US Congress may have reasonable grounds for
maintaining jurisdiction over DC's government, to protect and maintain
accountability and, in a lesser sense, the rule of law. The Mayor
recently appointed a friend to the DC Board of Elections and Ethics. In
his prior electioneering, the Mayor's appointee was found in violation
of the DC regulation prohibiting electioneering, soliciting votes,
inside the voting facility. The Mayor's appointee challenged the rule
prohibiting soliciting votes; he lost at the DC BOEE, lost his court
challenge at DC Superior Court, his challenge at the Court of Appeals,
and his appeal to the US Supreme Court was denied. The root of inequity
today is disingenuous elected politicians and their appointees who
benefit through the use of illegal and improper election forgeries,
frauds, and voter coercion. Mayor Williams's pre-election promises to
improve government services were empty and untrue; Ms. Norton's
reelection dependence on votes and endorsements from DC school employees
included Hatch Act violations from the same school board and employees
whose leaders at the Washington Teachers Union embezzled union funds for
themselves. Her supporters, receiving government paychecks, improperly
used their government positions in support of Ms. Norton's reelection,
including both public solicitations of other government employees and
inappropriate, prohibited election and campaigning violations of DC
election regulations and federal campaign rules. Another grossly
ineffective mayoral supporter and appointee is Police Chief Charles
Ramsey. This city has the highest per-capita murder rate and one of the
highest per-capita unsolved crimes in the US. The recent acquittals of
murdering homophile drug dealers and armed robbers fall directly at the
feet of Mr. Ramsey's detectives' use of “informants” whom juries
found testified mistakenly or were lying to (in) support Mr. Ramsey's
department's lack of evidence (or for a commuted sentence by the U.S.
Attorney's office in exchange). Police Chief Ramsey was awarded an
additional $25,000 salary, with five more years employment to shield
Mayor Williams' unaccountability.
One factor overshadows these inequities, overwhelmingly virtually
every crime victim and perpetrator is African American. My question in
this discourse: is a victim's race prima facia or a byproduct through
Negrophobia (hatred of blacks) by government? I suggest we must look
beyond the DIC Democratic party, Congresswoman Norton, and Mayor
Williams, and find decent people determined to take back our city, its
agencies, and electorate for the benefit of our families and the public
good.
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DC Voting Rights Legislation
John Forster, JohnForDC@hotmail.com
The Committee for the Capital City is pleased to announce that we
have recently updated our website to include the draft of our “DC
Voting Rights Restoration Act of 2003.” This proposed legislation
would provide voting representation in the Senate and House for DC
residents. Readers of DC Watch may contact me directly by e-mail if you
have any questions about the legislation or our strategy: John Forster,
Activities Coordinator, Committee for the Capital City, JohnForDC@hotmail.com.
###############
Correcting the Corrections of the Record
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
As I predicted in the October 5 issue of themail, the city council
adopted an emergency bill authored by Councilmember Jack Evans, the
“Presidential Primary Petition and Filing Waiver Emergency Act of
2003” (http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-xxx.htm).
Under this bill, “the Board of Election [sic] and Ethics shall
announce the name [sic] of individuals it has determined to be generally
advocated for or recognized throughout the United States or the District
of Columbia as actively seeking the nomination of the Parties eligible
to conduct presidential primaries in the District of Columbia,” and
place them on the ballot unless they contact the Board and withdraw.
Evans' bill tries to state some vague criteria by which the Board will
judge who deserves to be placed on the ballot, but in reality the result
will be that the Board will have to place on the ballot anyone,
anywhere, who has expressed any interest in running for president or be
faced with numerous lawsuits. It is still conceivable that the Council
will also adopt legislation allowing for same-day voter registration and
for easing the rules and regulations regarding absentee voting, probably
without adopting any additional procedures to guard against increasing
voter fraud.
In the October 8 issue of themail, some people questioned my account
of the Committee on Government Operations hearing on these bills. Marc
Battle said that, “Those testifying at that hearing supported giving
nonresidents the right to vote in local elections only. Several in
attendance noted that federal law prevents non-citizens from voting in
federal (i.e., presidential) elections including January's non-binding
primary.” This is not quite accurate. In fact, more than one witness
testified in favor of giving non-citizens the right to vote in the
January 13 presidential primary; Lawrence Guyot spoke very forcefully in
favor of it, pressing Councilmember Orange very hard on the issue. That
is what prompted Councilmember Orange to raise the issue with Kenneth
McGhie, the general counsel for the Board of Elections, who testified
subsequently. It was McGhie who clarified the law, stressing that in
federal elections voting is a right of citizenship, limited to citizens
of this country.
Sean Tenner wrote that, “. . . Democratic front-runner Howard Dean
continues to campaign in the District. . . ,” but in fact
Councilmember Evans, who is the chairman of Dean's DC campaign
introduced his bill to waive the filing requirement because Dean, along
with other Democratic presidential candidates, does not want to offend
the national Democratic Party by taking any affirmative steps to
register as a candidate in the January 13 primary. And while Chuck Thies
wrote that there was no concern at all that the January 13 primary could
be an embarrassment to the District, Councilmember Evans himself said to
the Washington Post, “I'm worried that we won't have people on
the ballot. . . . Candidates are reluctant to make a sincere effort for
fear of offending New Hampshire, Iowa, and the DNC” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53363-2003Oct6.html).
###############
Why Public Education?
Erich Martel, ehmartel at starpower dot net
Do the schools exist “to address socioeconomic conditions in any
given jurisdiction,” as Ed Dixon argues (themail, October 5)? The
quote from WEB DuBois (themail, September 30) makes the point that the
schools can promote socioeconomic improvement when they do what they are
designed to do: successfully teach skills and knowledge. Ed Dixon
writes, “for public education to work, all levels of society have to
be held accountable. It cannot fully fall on a student, a teacher, a
principal, a superintendent or a school system.” As with any
institution, meeting its goals depends not on wishful thinking, but on
accountability structures.
Accountability is a systems or institutional concept that describes a
legal or contractual relationship between supervisor and supervised. The
Board of Education is accountable to the voters (the elected members)
and the mayor (the appointed members). They are responsible for holding
the superintendent accountable, who, in turn, is responsible for holding
his subordinates accountable . . . on down the line to the teacher in
the classroom. When one or more links in the chain of accountability
breaks, the result is the rate of academic failure we know all too well.
Since “all levels of society” doesn't run the schools, it cannot
“be held accountable.” To suggest otherwise allows those who are
legally accountable to deflect responsibility.
The existence of successful public schools serving socioeconomically
disadvantaged, urban students whose achievement rates resemble more
advantaged school populations is evidence that our public schools are
responsible for failing to carry out their assigned responsibilities.
The explanation lies in the breakdown of accountability.
###############
Ed Barron wrote about a few cultural entities in Baltimore, but
complained about parking being an issue on what is arguably the most
popular festival weekend all year as a simple excuse for not wanting to
live there. The same could be said for most neighborhoods in the
District. Has Ed tried to park on the U Street corridor on Saturday
night or in Adams Morgan on Adams Morgan Day?
I think that's disingenuous. I happen to be biased, however, as my
partner and I just purchased a five bedroom, 6000 square foot completely
renovated three story brownstone in a safe neighborhood with all new
systems, all within a fifteen minute walk to Penn Station, for oh, the
cost of a 650 square foot condo with two windows in the heart of Dupont
Circle. My small business may always be in DC, but my newfound quality
of life will be in Baltimore. My partner Greg muses that their
billboards should read: Baltimore: Its Cheaper!
###############
Comments on Postings in the October 8 Issue
Paul Dionne, news at pauldionne dot com
Scott McLarty raises a good point: if the non-binding primary is
about raising awareness then why does Jack Evans limit his bill to the
Democrats? Second, when will he be introducing a bill so that the Mayor
and all Council incumbents are automatically put on the ballot without
having to deal with pesky petitions? After all, petitions obviously
represent a very high bar for DC Democrats.
John Whiteside wants to know where the public parking facilities are.
Well, just wait until the city starts proposing locations. Everybody
will want them in everybody else's neighborhood.
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Thanks for the Donated Laptop
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Thanks are owed to a kind DC resident for the donated laptop that DC
LEARNs will be using for a prize for the eighth annual Women's History
Month Writing Competition, coming up in March 2004. This popular writing
competition focuses the energy of adult literacy students for several
months in the beginning of each year. To help motivate learners to enter
this writing competition, I've photos of the laptop up on the web at http://homepage.mac.com/pshapiro101/PhotoAlbum26.html
and at http://storymakers.net/dclearns2004.
DC LEARNs is still on the lookout for one or more donated Windows laptop
to give away, in case you hear of any friends or colleagues who are
upgrading to a newer laptop.
###############
Have you tried to figure out realistically just how much commuters
from the suburbs consume of DC's scarce local revenues compared to how
much they add to the kitty? Have you decided whether the mayor is making
any more progress with his side of DC's public education fiasco than the
School Board is with its side? Why is NARPAC pushing a new book showing
only the very best aspects of our nation's capital city? Check out the
October update of its web site at http://www.narpac.org/INTHOM.HTM.
Try a new approach to making DC better. Help keep it honest. Get
positively involved.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Tour of Renovated Capitol Hill Houses
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot dot org
The third annual Renovator's House Tour will take place on Capitol
Hill on Saturday, October 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. As in the past, the
tour showcases creative and affordable renovations of historic Capitol
Hill homes. This year, the tour's attractions include The Louise, a
historic rowhouse barely saved from demolition and now renovated from
the ground up after years as an empty shell.
All proceeds from the tour go directly to the Capitol Hill Cluster, a
group of three DC Public Schools (Peabody, Watkins, Stuart-Hobson)
serving the Capitol Hill community. Tickets cost $20, and may be
purchased at Randolph Cree Salon, 325 7th Street, SE, or at The Trover
Shop, 227 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. Additional information, including
details on how to purchase tickets using a credit card, may be obtained
by calling 547-3336.
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You're invited to attend a public education meeting hosted by the
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (WASA). Join us and learn
how you and your neighbors can help keep DC's waterways free of trash,
waste, and debris. For more information, please call 787-2200. The
meeting is being held on Wednesday, October 22, at 6:30 p.m., at Watha
T. Daniel/Shaw Branch Library, 1701 8th Street, NW, at Rhode Island
Avenue, NW.
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Shaw House Tour, October 26
Alexander M. Padro, PadroANC2C@aol.com
On Sunday, October 26, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Shaw Main Streets
will present the first ever Shaw House Tour, focusing on the area just
north of the new Washington Convention Center. Residents, businesses,
and institutions have been working for years to renovate
100-plus-year-old buildings, turning one of Washington's oldest
neighborhoods into the place to be in Washington, DC. Some of these
outstanding architecture and interior design efforts have been
recognized with feature articles in the Washington Post and Metro
Weekly.
Come discover some of DC’s best-kept secrets as you visit: one of
the oldest churches in the District, and its "secret garden";
three row houses that have been converted into a complex dedicated to
public service, including a remarkable chapel; a bed-and-breakfast in a
former mortuary; a former run-down rooming house that now boasts marble
floors and collection of local artists’ work; a former lumber yard
building converted into office space, featuring lots of elaborate
woodwork and skylights; full floor loft spaces in one of the oldest
surviving apartment buildings in Washington; and other newly-renovated
homes filled with surprises. Along the way, you’ll meet some of the
proud homeowners, entrepreneurs, organizations, architects, designers,
and developers that are helping to make Shaw’s renaissance a reality.
And also see some of the diamonds-in-the-rough that still await
restoration.
Tickets: $15.00 in advance, $20.00 on the day of the tour. To get
tickets, mail a check (payable to Shaw Main Streets) to Shaw House Tour,
Shaw Main Streets, 614 S Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, or purchase
tickets at the City Museum of Washington, DC Gift Shop and seventeen
other retail locations listed at http://www.shawmainstreets.com.
On Sunday, October 26, tickets will only be available at the Immaculate
Conception Roman Catholic Church, northeast corner of N and 8th Streets,
NW, during tour hours, and at the City Living, DC Style! Expo at the
Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, from 10:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.shawmainstreets.com.
###############
Lecture at the National Building Museum,
October 27
Briana Hensold, bhensold@nbm.com
Creating a New Old House, Russell Versaci, AIA, Monday, October 27,
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Architect Russell Versaci, AIA, principal of
Versaci Neumann & Partners, is known for his designs of new homes in
traditional architectural styles. To launch his book, Creating a New
Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home (The Taunton
Press), he will discuss his “Pillars of Traditional Design” as
guidelines for crafting homes for modern living that are rich in
architectural heritage. Following the lecture, he will sign copies of
his book at a reception sponsored by the Washington Chapter/AIA. Tickets
are $12 for museum members and students; $17 for nonmembers.
Registration required. National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW
(Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line).
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National Hispanic Heritage Month Event,
October 28
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov
In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Mt. Pleasant
Neighborhood Library is hosting a special program, Speaking of Identity,
on Tuesday, October 28, at 7:00 p.m. The evening will feature readings
by local poets Sami Miranda, Richard Blanco, Dahlia Aguilar, and
Milagros Teran. The writers, who represent the Nicaraguan, Chicano,
Puerto Rican, and Cuban heritages, will begin with a reflection on
Latino identity in their life and work, before sharing their words in
either English or Spanish. An open mic session will wrap up the evening
presentation. The Library is located at 1600 Lamont Street, NW.
This event is free and open to the public and is part of a new
library program, the Punto Vivo, a monthly series at the Library that
will include literature and music presentations, as well as workshops by
civic leaders on issues of interest to area residents, including
literacy and education, immigration, individual and family health, job
information and career development, and personal finance. The aim of
Punto Vivo, a play on the term “punto muerto” — Spanish for
deadlock, dead center and neutral gear — is to bring together area
residents to a central, living point where resources to meet their
personal and family needs converge with opportunities to enjoy the arts
and cultural events. Punto Vivo has been created by the Mt. Pleasant
Neighborhood Library’s first Writer-in-Residence, Naomi Ayala, who is
the author of Wild Animals on the Moon, (Curbstone Press). Ayala will
oversee and host the series.
For more information about Speaking of Identity or other Punto Vivo
programs sponsored by the Mt. Pleasant Library, contact Naomi Ayala at naomiayala@verizon.net
or 483-8513 or Maria Elena Nino at 671-0200.
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Wine Tasting at Women’s National Democratic
Club, November 6
Jessi Baden, jbaden@democraticwoman.org
The Woman's National Democratic Club (WNDC), in conjunction with the
Washington Wine Academy, will be hosting a wine seminar and tasting of
wines from around the world. This event is being organized by the WNDC's
Working Professionals Group and Educational Foundation and will feature
a lecture, sampling of a variety of white and red varieties of wine, and
discussion. Michael Franz will be the featured wine speaker. He is a
wine writer, educator, and consultant. He has served as wine columnist
for The Washington Post since 1994, and is also the wine writer
for the Post's on-line service, WashingtonPost.com. Franz also
serves as a judge at national and international wine competitions, and
has conducted over six hundred site visits and tastings at wineries in
Europe, South America, the United States, and Australia. He writes about
the world's finest wines, and is an avid student of viticulture and
oenology as well as commercial aspects of the international wine trade.
Additionally he is an accomplished cook with a keen interest in the
paring of wines with food. Michael is one of the most popular and
well-respected wine writers and lecturers. Michael's presentations are
dynamic and energetic. Join fellow Democrats in what should be a fun,
evening event at the historic Whittemore House, 1526 New Hampshire
Avenue, NW, near Dupont Circle, home of the WNDC! This event is on
Thursday, November 6, at 6:00 p.m. WNDC members, $25; nonmembers, $30.
Respond to Pat Fitzgerald, pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org,
232-7363, ext. 3003.
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CLASSIFIEDS — WANTED
Used men's bike wanted in good condition. Fancy or unfancy OK.
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CLASSIFIEDS — LOST
Generous reward for return of gold-color bracelet: geometric shapes
studded with multicolored rhinestones. Stamped “Pucci” on reverse.
Lost mid-September between Dupont Circle (P Street) and Cleveland Park.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Transportation for the Handicapped
Gary E. Rice, kardy@worldnet.att.net
I am searching for a reliable means of transportation for myself. I
am handicapped and use an electric scooter. I would like to use the MLK
Library, City Museum, and Library of Congress, as well as other
facilities in the area. I have friends who have used MetroAccess and
they tell me it is very unreliable. They have had to wait hours to be
picked up from home or other locations and the van either shows up late
or not at all. I live in NW Washington at the Armed Forces Retirement
Home and do not want to feel I am a prisoner in the city without being
able to use the great facilities available here to improve my mind as
well as to enjoy. I have been quoted prices such as $65.00 for a round
trip between my home and 9th and G Streets NW — a total of about two
and a half to three miles — which is a ridiculous price for such a
short trip. Any assistance would be appreciated. I am also a senior
citizen. Please respond by E-mail to kardy@worldnet.att.net.
###############
Heavy Landscaping
Nick Keenan, Palisades, nbk at gsionline dot com
I am looking recommendations for someone to do heavy landscaping in
my back yard -- grading and soil conditioning. It's a pretty large area,
and right now it's just construction leftovers, so it's a pretty big
job, probably requiring a bulldozer.
###############
Kitchen Contractor
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso-at-capaccess-dot-com
A friend is buying a condo in Bethesda but it needs work.
Specifically she's looking for someone to renovate her kitchen. If you
have suggestions, please post in themail or send directly to me.
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