Roy Rogers
Dear Pardners:
From the earliest silents through the 1950's, which was the golden
age of western movies, most westerns were set in a bygone, historical
era, the last half of the nineteen century. In the beginning, that
historical distancing may have been as little as twenty or thirty years,
but the combination of time and the frontier sufficed to create a
setting that was very different from the world in which the audience
lived. Most of the modern conveniences of the twentieth century were
absent. The frontier had timely connections to the rest of the world
only by the railroad, the telegraph, and mail delivery by the Pony
Express, and many westerns centered on the introduction of one of these
technologies to a new area of the West. The frontier's isolation created
dangers, the isolation and the danger together engendered self-reliance,
and that self-reliance and independence were the hallmarks of the
western hero.
Roy Rogers made some historical westerns in which he played
characters other than himself, but he was almost unique in that in most
of his movies he played a version of himself as a contemporary cowboy.
Roy Rogers starred in movies set in the present, so that his primary
audience of young boys could dream that they were not born too late to
be cowboys -- to work on ranches, ride horses, and ride from town to
town fighting bad guys, righting wrongs, and romancing pretty
schoolmarms and ranch owners' daughters. All the modern conveniences —
electricity, telephones, radios, and automobiles — existed in Roy's
movies, connecting even remote ranches to the modern world. (Only movie
theaters and television sets were largely absent or ignored.) The main
streets in Roy's modern western towns had hitching posts for horses next
to the parking spaces for cars — and the good guys riding horses could
always out race the bad guys driving cars by taking shortcuts over the
hills. (Roy was almost, but not entirely unique. Gene Autry occasionally
made westerns with a modern setting, most notoriously the very weird
science fiction/western serial The Phantom Empire.)
The settings of the Roy Rogers movies were unusual, but their plots
were the same as western movies set in more distant historical periods,
and those plots are all that date his movies today. The stock plots were
the same — lawmen unable to protect the townsfolk from marauding
gangs, or even in cohoots with the gangs themselves; owners of
transportation lines bypassing the poor areas or jacking up fares
unreasonably; a town threatened by an unreliable or even poisoned water
supply because of the misdeeds of the water's monopoly owners;
unscrupulous land speculators and greedy developers conspiring with
dishonest politicians to foreclose on the poor peoples' property and
drive them out of town. Who today could imagine making movies based on
such outdated plot lines?
Thanks to all the people who encouraged their friends to subscribe to
themail, and to all the AOL subscribers who wrote to let me know whether
or not they were having trouble receiving themail — and special thanks
both to Sondra Cunningham and Sara Cormeny, who pointed out that AOL's
new spam controls include an option to accept mail only from those in
the recipient's address book, and that some AOL subscribers may need
either to add themail to their address books or to deselect that option.
Thanks also to Darrell Duane and Benjamin Slade, who made other very
useful suggestions about resolving the delivery problem. And happy
trails to you.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Publicly Funded Discrimination
Kenneth Lyons, President AFGE Local 3721, kendu256@aol.com
It is truly unfortunate in this day age that we find that a
government agency under the watchful eye of Mayor Anthony Williams and
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Margaret Kellems, still
refusing to acknowledge right from wrong. The District of Columbia Fire
and Emergency Medical Services Department, under the leadership of Fire
Chief Adrian Thompson, seems to believe that breaking local and federal
law is part and parcel of doing business in the District of Columbia.
The ongoing lawsuits against this department have a common thread of
discrimination, cover-ups, and of pointing the finger toward the victims
instead of addressing the underlying problem. DCFD is unable, incapable,
or unwilling to move outside of a system fraught with discrimination,
cronyism, and nepotism, a system that it has grown increasingly
comfortable with.
The women of the agency, specifically those within the Emergency
Medical Services Department, have been the unfortunate recipients of
policies and behavior reminiscent of “Jim Crow.” With the
announcement that the Department of Justice is jumping into the fray,
the Council and the citizens of the District should be asking themselves
one very important question, "How much longer can we continue to
support a segregated system with public dollars?"
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In the March 1st edition of The New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert
writes an article about Mayor Bloomberg that discusses his new 311
call-in line. According to Kolbert, the New York City Mayor always
wondered what an average citizen could do about routine city problems
that needed fixing — potholes, large trash removal jobs, etc. So, as
Mayor, one of his first acts was to establish the 311 hotline, which
residents can phone the city government with routine problems and
complaints. Now, after a year of operation, complaints are routinely
logged and addressed. And the call center contractor tracks calls by
department on a regular basis, so that the Mayor can review and assess
the performance of various NYC departments.
As a twenty-year DC resident, I cannot imagine a DC mayor ever
establishing such a call line under pressure, to say nothing of doing so
voluntarily. Then, would a DC mayor use the data it generated to enforce
any kind of accountability on city bureaucrats? When has that ever
happened? What does my reaction to the article say about Washington and
our culture of complacency? A few years ago, I seriously considered
writing in Giuliani for Mayor of DC. Mike Bloomberg, anyone?
[Mayor Williams will say that 727-1000 already operates this way, and
that routine problems are addressed and tracked efficiently through this
number. What has your experience been with reporting routine problems
and complaints to 727-1000? — Gary Imhoff]
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Representative Tom Davis, at the March 5 oversight hearing of the
House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform titled “Public
Confidence, Down the Drain”: “I am concerned about he potential
magnitude of this public health crisis. It is also worrisome that there
is no comprehensive list of properties that exceeded limits [on lead in
the water] — the fact that we cannot pinpoint the affected areas is
worrisome. This has an effect on whether people buy homes in the
District. In addition, many people commute to work and visit the
District. We're on the verge of the tourist season in the nation's
capital. What message are we sending to potential visitors from around
the world if the water is unsafe to drink and what impact will it have
on our tourism industry? What are Members of Congress supposed to tell
the American people — come to Washington but don't drink the water?
The US government is the biggest user of DC water. Even the White House
and Pentagon tested their water.”
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, at the same hearing: “The stakes
for one million residents in the District of Columbia and Virginia could
not be higher. However, the direct implications for jurisdictions
throughout the country are already apparent, even in what we have
learned thus far about the DC Water and Sewer Authority crisis, about
Environmental Protection Agency regulations and monitoring, and about
the Corps of Engineers' practices in purifying the water here. Although
Washington is the political capital in the midst of a politcal season,
people here wake up looking not for the latest poll or primary results
but for the day's tally of lead in the water. What is most troubling
about what has occurred is that, 1) mistakes in judgment and procedure
were apparently made at every important juncture, as those involved now
concede, and 2) any one of the three agencies could have caught the
problem much earlier. All deferred to one another, creating an
appearance of collusion and suppression of information. The response
that there was no such intention may well be true, but it will not be
sufficient to restore the confidence of the public and the Congress in
the DC Water and Sewer Authority EPA, and the Army Corps of Engineers
Aqueduct operation. Therefore, this hearing must be primarily concerned
with the measures all three must take to restore the needed confidence
so that residents, commuters, and visitors will not need to ask the
quesiton they typically ask when they visit a developing country,
namely, 'Is the water safe to drink here?'”
WASA General Manager Jerry Johnson, announcing that WASA has hired
Eric Holder to investigate its own actions, on March 4: “I welcome the
investigation. We believe we have acted responsibly with our customers,
honestly with the federal agencies that regulate us, and openly with
local government agencies. I, too, look forward to Mr. Holder's findings
and believe that facts will overcome fear.” Johnson, in an interview
with Adrienne Washington, reported in her Washington Times column
on March 2: “The water in the pipes and flowing through the system is
lead-free . . . it's quality water.”
###############
Have 65 Percent of Lead Service Lines Already
Been Replaced?
Kenneth Nellis, nellisks@aol.com
It has been widely reported recently that there are 23,000 residences
in the city with lead service lines. I'm looking at a January 29, 1987, Washington
Post front-page article, “City May Replace Lead Pipes,” that
says there were 71,000 such residences. I would expect, had the city
actually replaced 46,000 service lines, nearly 65 percent of them, that
we would have heard about it. Did I miss that story?
###############
My neighbor was just told that he could not get a test kit from WASA
because their records showed he had a copper service line. Excuse me,
their records showed? This is the same set of records that WASA admitted
is only an estimate? Yet my house and the house next to me were given
tests. Apparently the city and WASA believe that they don't need to test
everyone who requests it. The following is from the Frequently Asked
Questions on lead section of the DC government web site:
“How does lead get into drinking water? Lead contamination
generally occurs from corrosion of lead service pipes that connect homes
and buildings to public water mains under the streets or from corrosion
of pipes in the homes plumbing system. Even in homes not served by a
lead service line, corrosive water may leach lead from lead pipes, lead
solder and brass fixtures in the home plumbing system.” In other
words, it's not just lead service lines that are the problem. Note that
it says nothing about who is responsible for that “corrosive water.”
“What is WASA doing to address the elevated levels of lead that have
been detected in some District homes? WASA has replaced over 500 lead
service pipes and is identifying others for replacement. If WASA's
records show that a house is connected to the water main by a lead
service pipe, WASA will provide a free kit that residents can use to
test their tap water for high levels of lead. WASA will pick up the kit,
analyze it for free and notify residents of the results within 30
days.” In other words, it doesn't matter that the problem may be more
than the lead service lines, we are only going to test those we think
have lead services lines — based on a data base that we have already
admitted is faulty.
When is WASA going to stop denying responsibility and downplaying the
problem? All the facts show that something happened a little over two
years ago to cause lead levels to spike. What changed? The lead pipes
have been here for awhile. Consumers did suddenly not change their
drinking habits. The reasonable conclusion is that the problem is not
simply the existence of lead service lines. Yet WASA continue to act
like that is the only issue — and that it is not their fault. The Washington
Post editorial on February 28 said, “The performance of WASA, the
District government and the US Environmental Protection Agency has been
far below what citizens have a right to expect from their public
officials.” That is beginning to look like a gross understatement. The
WASA policy of “we only test if we think you have a problem” is the
worst kind of arrogance and displays their continued disregard for the
health of DC residents. A start to showing that they understand the
seriousness of the problem would be reversing this policy of “we will
test who we want to test” and make testing available to everyone who
asks. Now!
###############
Effect of Lead Service Lines on Market Values
Lorie Leavy, lorie.leavy@usps.gov
I've been notified by the city that my house is probably among those
with a lead service line. I'm awaiting test results from water samples I
provided to the city, but tests performed last year by an independent
laboratory showed lead levels of 33 ppb. Now that the new property tax
assessments have arrived, I'm considering filing an appeal on the
grounds that the lead problem, which must be reported to potential
buyers, will reduce the market value of my house. I should note that
lead service lines are rare elsewhere in my neighborhood. Has anyone
done any research on this issue — i.e., how to quantify the reduction
of market value due to the presence of lead? Alternatively, can anyone
point me to any good information sources? I would be happy to work with
others in a similar situation.
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Lead Water
Michael Bindner, mikeybdc at yahoo
Two more comments on lead in the water, before this topic gets too
old. First, there is a third source of lead in the water system, the
reservoirs (some of which have been dredged). There is lead in these
from the days when lead was in gasoline, then the air, and then the
water system because of rain. Second, the discovery of lead in the water
on the Virginia side shows this is not a DC incompetence issue, merely a
reflection of the fact that both sides of the river have old water
systems. The question is, how much of a rate increase are DC and
Virginia residents willing to pay to get rid of the problem? I seem to
remember a bit of water bill increase aversion in themail a few months
back. Does the discovery of lead change this view?
###############
Contrary to prior reports, my water meter is in the tree box; it was
moved there by WASA and I have copper service lines. Still not good, but
certainly it's not absolute safe to assume that a water meter in the
tree box equals lead service lines.
Get your water tested. Get water filters. Get everyone in your home
blood tested. Finally, complain, complain, complain. This is a major
public health problem that was avoidable. I can't bring myself to pay my
water bill. I'm so very angry!
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Anyone Communicating Via E-mail with a DC-Area
Doctor?
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
I'm curious to hear if anyone on this list is communicating with his
or her DC-area doctor (or HMO) via E-mail -- and is comfortable sharing
that fact publicly. (You don't necessarily need to name your doctor, if
you are.) It seems to me that the quality of healing is closely
connected with the quality of communication that goes on between doctor
and patient. While it's to be expected that doctors do not have the time
to be answering a lot of patient E-mail, I would expect them to have
time to be answering some E-mail — especially routine kinds of
questions that could advance healing. Perhaps rules and guidelines need
to be developed for patients to be sending E-mail to doctors so that
doctors don't get swamped with added burdens. An outright prohibition of
this communication channel seems foolhardy, though. If healing is the
highest priority, does it make sense for patients to be leaving messages
with nurses who relay the messages to doctors who end up playing phone
tag with patients? That's not healing.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Whitman-Walker Gay Men’s Health and Wellness
Program Benefit, March 15
Peter Stebbins studiohouse.walbridge@verizon.net
Thirty years ago in a church basement in Georgetown, volunteers of
the Washington Free Clinic started an STD treatment program for gay men.
Gay men deserved the right to have access to health care without fear of
discrimination or condemnation, a right that was not readily available
and a right many of us take for granted today. This was the beginning of
Whitman-Walker Clinic. A benefit cocktail reception and auction for the
program will be held on Monday, March 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at
Buck’s Fishing & Camping, 5031 Connecticut Avenue, NW. Buy your
tickets today, at $50 per person, at https://rightsofspring.kintera.org/AutoGen/Register/ECReg.asp?ievent=46439&en=okKTL4NNK8LNK5PNIbKNJbM0IoIXJbPPJmK6KcPNKkKXJ9NUKkIZKpI.
Due to the generosity of Buck's Fishing & Camping, the entire amount
of the ticket price is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
For more information contact Twanna Clark, tclark@wwc.org.
###############
Envisioning Architecture Lecture, March 22
Julia Neubauer, jneubauer@nbm.org
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has been collecting architectural
drawings for almost 70 years, acquiring nearly 1,000 drawings by the
most eminent architects of the 20th century. Matilda McQuaid, curator of
the exhibition Envisioning Architecture and editor of its catalog, will
discuss the history of MoMA's collecting efforts and how the focus has
shifted from collecting documentary support material to original works
of art at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW (Judiciary
Square Metro, Red Line). After the lecture, McQuaid will sign copies of
the catalog. Monday, March 22, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets, $12 for
museum members and students; $17 for nonmembers. Registration required.
For more information, contact Brie Hensold, Public Affairs Office,
272-2448, x3458 or bhensold@nbm.org.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SPACE
Office space to share in Cleveland Park. Sunlit large room
overlooking garden. Ideal for psychotherapists, body therapists, and
writers seeking solitude. Reasonable rates. Call 997-1920.
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