Memorial

Dear Memorialists:

Have a good Memorial Day. Charles Krauthammer critiqued the symbolism of the World War II Memorial, and fairly summarized the controversy over its siting, in his Friday column, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61972-2004May27.html. In fairness, here's an architectural critic's positive review of the Memorial, from the Philadelphia Inquirer: “The new National World War II Memorial is the latest memorial that critics love to hate. It is built in a monumental style that makes many people uncomfortable in this age of irony and ambiguity. It somehow manages to come off as both self-important and self-conscious. It treads on the hallowed National Mall. And yet, it is neither thoughtless nor bombastic, as some have argued.’ (http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/8785579.htm?1c). The critic, Inga Saffron, then makes a good case for the design.

And, for you French readers, Le Monde published an article on the Memorial's dedication that surprisingly doesn't betray a trace of snideness, condescension, or anti-Americanism, http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3222,36-366747,0.html.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Transitions
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

During the past few weeks, several important personnel changes marked significant transitions for key government agencies. On May 10, Mayor Williams swore in Wilma Lewis to replace Ben Wilson as chair of the Board of Elections and Ethics. The hastily scheduled ceremony was called by the mayor's office in order to seat Lewis on the Board so that she, and not Wilson, would preside at a contentious May 12th Board hearing involving my accusations of more ethics violations by the mayor. Prior to the swearing-in ceremony, however, Lewis balked at the obvious manipulation of the process; she arrived at the Wilson Building with two attorneys and told Williams that she was unwilling to begin her tenure under such a cloud. Lewis and the Mayor negotiated an agreement that she would agree to be sworn in on May 10, but that the Mayor's resolution appointing her (http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/boee/040510.htm) would not become effective until May 24. Lewis will preside at her first BOEE meeting this Wednesday, June 2. On June 18, the Council's Committee on Government Operations will hold a confirmation hearing for Charles R. Lowery, Mayor Williams's nominee to replace Stephen Callas on the BOEE. With Lowery's appointment, Williams will have replaced the entire three-member Board that sanctioned and fined him in 2002 for his fraudulent nominating petitions.

On May 26, Mayor Williams signed a Mayor's order renaming the Office of Corporation Counsel as the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/occ040526.htm). The mayor's order is consistent with the 2002 advisory referendum on the establishment of an office of a district attorney that was approved by more than 82 percent of District voters. Robert Spagnoletti, the District's Corporation Counsel, will assume the new title of Attorney General, but his scope of authority and salary will not change.

Friday, May 28, was the final day in office for the District's US Attorney, Roscoe Howard. Attorney General John Ashcroft has named Kenneth L. Wainstein, chief of staff to FBI Director Robert Mueller as the interim US Attorney (http://www.dcwatch.com/courts/040528.htm). Wainstein is a resident of northern Virginia. It isn't clear whether President Bush will name a permanent replacement prior to the November presidential election or to what extent the White House will consult with Mayor Williams or Delegate Norton on the permanent appointment.

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Catania and Schwartz Defend Republican Values
David Reed, d.reed at mindspring dot com

I'm proud of Councilmembers David Catania and Carol Schwartz for standing up to an effort to stifle dissent by DC Republican Committee (DCRC) Chairman Betsy Werronen. Catania withdrew support for reelection of the President, because the President called for a constitutional amendment against gay marriage. This disagreement should be respected within the diversity of opinion among Republicans. No single candidate, not even an incumbent President, sets the limits of acceptable debate within our party. To restore her legitimacy as a Republican leader, Betsy Werronen must reach an accommodation with Catania and Schwartz that recognizes the DCRC as the voice of DC Republicans, not a mere instrument of the President's reelection campaign. Catania and Schwartz can get reelected without the DCRC, but the DCRC will become irrelevant if it does not embrace the only two people whom DC voters have ever elected as Republicans.

[Councilmember Jerry Moore, an at-large member of the council, was the first Republican official in DC to be elected during the home rule period. By the way, as of March 31, the latest available Federal Election Commission report, Catania and Schwartz are the only elected officials in the District to have made a contribution to any presidential candidate ($1,500 and $2,000, respectively, to Bush). Neither Mayor Williams, Delegate Norton, nor any other councilmembers have made any reported contributions, and the only Board of Education member to have contributed is Mirian Saez ($1,000 to Howard Dean), who is appointed rather than elected. This information is from http://www.fundrace.org,  whose Neighbor Search feature allows searching contributions by name and address. — Gary Imhoff]

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It Can Be Done
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

The May 31 issue of Newsweek magazine headlines "100 Percent Success" when it describes the success of the DC inner-city Seed School. This school, according to Newsweek, is sending 100 percent of its first high school graduating class to colleges, including Princeton, Georgetown, and the University of Pennsylvania. This is not an elite, selective admission school. The three hundred students in this charter school get into the school by lottery, and almost all of them are three years behind where they should be when they enter the seventh grade.

What's the secret? This is a boarding school where students spend their weekend nights at the school and they are tutored in the evenings by a second shift of teachers. The school year is ten months. It can be done. Too bad the DC administration can't get out of its own way and let the feds pour $13 million into DC for lack of a decent plan on how DC public schools would use those funds.

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Court Strikes Down Initiative Vote
Richard Layman, rlaymandc@yahoo.com

(Re: Killing All Initiatives, Michael Tacelosky, Smokefree DC, tac@smokefreedc.org; and RAMW Keeps Smoking Ban Off Ballot, Lynn Breaux, Executive Director, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, lynne@ramw.org, themail, May 26.) There are two aspects of this that bother me greatly, and that's not even including the fact that recent research in a small town out West found that banning smoking in public places resulted in a 40 percent decrease in deaths due to heart attack and stroke.

First, generally courts have let Initiatives stay on ballots and get voted yea or nay before deciding whether or not the initiative is legal. Second, if courts are going to lean in favor of denying citizen initiatives on referenda, this is one more instance where politics is increasingly gamed by people with money. In this case, the hospitality industry, is likely to have a lot more money to fight something they don't like, compared to the average citizen. By the by, if “a ballot initiative cannot be 'a law appropriating funds' — i.e., it cannot force the Council to allocate money,” then the same court should deny the proposal for a slot machine parlor being shepherded through the political and money circles by John Ray. After all, aren't laws and holdings supposed to be consistently applied?

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Wake Up and Smell the Infield Grass
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

Still tilting at windmills, Tony Williams continues to pursue the landing of a major league baseball team in Washington. As if Bud Selig (major league baseball commissioner) hasn't made it painfully clear, there will never be a major league baseball team in Washington as long as the Orioles stay in Baltimore. How many times does Selig have to hit Tony Williams upside the head with a fungo bat to get that message across?

A more realistic approach to having baseball in DC is to build a nice eight or ten thousand seat modern stadium, accessible by Metrorail and Metrobus, and attract a good minor league club. Minor league baseball games are great family draws, as attested by the number of fans who go to baseball games in Frederick and Bowie, MD. The hapless Frederick Keys, a listless Orioles farm club with a won-lost record of 8 to 32, get good crowds and provide a fun night for fans at a modest cost. We should emulate what a lot of cities are doing, including the Big Apple, which has two minor league clubs in addition to two major league clubs.

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Zero Hour on the Stadium and Anacostia Waterfront Initiative Has Arrived
Ed Delaney, profeddel@yahoo.com

The Post reports (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1420-2004May29.html) that “DC Council member Jack Evans has drafted legislation that would direct the city to acquire land, hire a developer and make other preparations to build a $383 million ballpark near the Mall,” specifically at Banneker Overlook near L’Enfant Plaza and Maine Avenue. The plan now is apparently to “link the stadium” — which figures to run well over the stated price tag, as it would require major work in conjunction with the project on the SE-SW Freeway and thus presents unprecedented architectural and engineering challenges — “to Mayor Anthony A. Williams's $8 billion campaign” known as the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. Given the mayor’s comments that a stadium project could be approved 45 days after getting awarded the team, it’s apparent that the baseball boosters are setting things up to bulldoze both the stadium scheme and the AWI scheme, both of which the public remains in the dark about, over a short period time with as little interference or even discussion with the public as possible.

The amendment in question is to the mayor’s proposal to create what the City Paper reported would be "a corporate entity, the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation" which would be "separate and independent from D.C. government" and thus not unlike the structure of the DCSEC, which of course has squandered tens millions of public dollars according to the city and federal investigations that were conducted on it. An entity of such design could enable whoever heads it -- with Andrew Altman rumored to be lined up by the mayor’s office for it — to steam roll any petty bureaucratic nuisances like funding accountability, adequate site studies and public opposition. The tenacity with which the mayor’s office has fought for the control that the AWC would give tips off how significant the power would be that they would have with it, with some suggesting that it could be used to escape a great deal of DC Council oversight. No wonder the AWC has found its way into the city’s baseball process, which long ago shed any pretense of being an open and accountable process. The Post reports “that measure is scheduled for a vote Tuesday in the council's economic development committee and could be considered by the full council within weeks.” After stonewalling for years on details for both the AWI and MLB projects, their boosters sure are in a big hurry right now!

The Post also reports that “the approval of [the amendment to be offered by Evans] would put the mayor and council on record in support of a plan to finance a stadium.” By this method, the baseball boosters hope to show MLB that the DC Council is on board for a stadium, one for which we still don‘t have anything but the vaguest of outlines for the financing deal, which Williams is pledging to MLB will be completely publicly financed. The baseball boosters figure they can leverage a conditional award out of that and then really be in the driver’s seat to stick through whatever stadium financing scheme from taxes to who knows what, all without ever having to let the public in on the discussions until it’s too late. This is not about liking or not liking all or part of the revitalizations proposed, though the AWI and baseball boosters are sure to couch it in those terms. What must be remembered and emphasized is that citizens might well support aspects of the AWI (though they certainly won‘t support the unaccountable nature of the Anacostia Waster-Front — a typo, but it fits — Corporation), but not on the fast-track, take-it-with-the-stadium-or-leave-it basis that the baseball boosters have schemed long and hard to set up. This is about stopping a flawed process in which the end justify the means, and which dodges public input as it risks getting to the end result. The public hasn’t been consulted or included in discussions on cost, length and scope of the AWI and MLB projects, possible disruptions caused by the projects, or even the vaguest details on anything like that.

Instead, it’s a few private concerns like Herb Miller, MLB, and the WBC, who are each staring at DC taxpayers like hungry dogs, who get access to DC government officials and not only are accorded that privilege by those officials but actually run the process! The WBC swoops in and is granted exclusive negotiating rights with the city that other ownership groups have had to pay millions for to other governments. Herb Miller not only initiates through Jack Evans more site evaluation work costing public money and time on a site passed over twice in extensive and expensive site evaluation studies that were supposed to including public input at their inception and throughout the process, but also is the private concern “whose attorneys drafted the amendment” in question that is to be submitted by Evans, according to the Post article. And of course MLB has been dictating their demands to DC like a boss to a stenographer, demanding DC jump at handing over hundreds of millions of dollars to them as well as prime real estate while DC keeps setting up private meetings with MLB to assure Selig et al. that DC — or at least the pocketbooks of its citizens and businesses — will jump as high as MLB demands.

The baseball boosters have finally made their move at the last possible moment in hopes of short-circuiting any public input into their steamroller job of a process. This cannot be allowed to stand, and citizens must demand to be heard on the AWI/AWC/MLB issues. Contact your DC Council member by phone, letter, fax, E-mail, and in person at whatever hearings allow public comment ASAP, and have everyone you know do the same who wants to have a say in this process and who wants to deal a blow to the machine that is being set up to leave DC’s citizenry out of sight and out of mind. Or sit back and let private concerns like MLB, the WBC and Herb Miller use their influence and steam roll projects through via entities designed for public unaccountability like the Anacostia Waster-Front Corporation do whatever they want whenever they want with your money and your neighborhoods.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Book Talk on James Rouse Biography, June 1
Matthew Gilmore, dc-edit@mail.h-net.msu.edu

Better Places, Better Lives: A Biography of James Rouse, a book talk by the author, Josh Olsen, at Olsson’s Book Store, Lansburgh/Penn Quarter, 418 7th Street, NW, 638-7610, on June 1, 7 p.m. The career of James Rouse, real estate developer and master planner, is the story of the complexities and contradictions of why and how America was built the way it was during the last half century. From affordable mortgages in the suburbs to inner-city urban renewal, from the suburban shopping mall to the downtown festival marketplace, and from a massive planned community for 100,000 people to individual homes for the poor, Rouse was there, leading the way.

Olsen’s biography touches upon these complexities and contradictions in Rouse’s life, from his boyhood in a rural Maryland town to his golden years in Columbia, the city he created from scratch. This is the first book to detail this trend-setting developer’s inspiration and to explore the ramifications, both good and bad, of his innovative projects, building what he believed to be a better America. Rouse’s main connection to Washington DC is urban renewal. He authored with Nathaniel Keith “No slums in ten years” (known as the Keith-Rouse report) in 1955. It was an influential work on renewal in Washington, particularly in Southwest. It served as the basis for the “workable program” of urban renewal followed for many more years. He also helped found what is now Jubilee Housing, a DC nonprofit housing developer. Olsen will speak on Rouse and his career, answer questions, and sign books. There are not a lot of seats, so you may want to call in advance.

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Fundraiser for Mt. Pleasant Children’s Festival Events, June 2
Annalisa Rosmarin, arosmarin@folger.edu

The twelfth annual Celebrate Mount Pleasant Festival will be held on Sunday, June 6, and the Mount Pleasant community is raising funds so that children's activities can continue to be offered free of charge. Neighbors and Mount Pleasant restaurants are combining forces for the benefit of the community. On Wednesday, June 2, after 6:00 p.m., Mount Pleasant's Tonic Bar and Restaurant, 3155 Mt. Pleasant Street, NW -- a true "neighborhood bar" as designated by one of two recent rave reviews in the Washington Post -- will donate 20 percent of drink proceeds to the Festival. Neighbors plan to gather for drinks and food at Tonic where they can not only enjoy the company of friends and a meal, but also help raise funds for science activities and amusements that are a traditional part of the Festival.

The Celebrate Mount Pleasant Festival is entirely volunteer run and is supported by the Mount Pleasant Business Association along with regular sponsors such as DC Lottery, Bank of America, and Chartered Health Plan. Over 10,000 people are expected to attend the Festival, and roughly one hundred vendors will offer international foods, information on local organizations, handmade crafts, artwork, and various kinds of merchandise. For more information contact Robert Frazier, Festival director: 255-2060.

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You’re Invited to a Film Fest, June 3-4
Simone Sneed, snsintern@yahoo.com

We invite you, your friends, and the members of your LGBTQ related organizations to the Reel Affirmations Pride Film Festival. One In Ten presents the Reel Affirmations Pride Film Festival, June 3-4, at the historic Lincoln Theater, 1210 U Street, NW. Passes for all four films are $25 and individual tickets are $9. Both passes and tickets can be purchased at http://www.boxofficetickets.com/oit. Passes also can be purchased at the Lincoln Theater and the Lambda Rising Bookstore. For more information, call One In Ten at 986-1119 or visit http://www.reelaffirmations.org/pride2004. Hope to see you there!

Film Schedule: Margaret Cho's Revolution, June 3, 7 p.m. Margaret Cho is back! One In Ten and the Sundance Channel presents a special advance screening of Margaret Cho's “Revolution,” her critically acclaimed one-woman show that tackles everything from the axis of evil to bartering sex for household chores. The film captures Cho's unbridled love for the darker side of life, whether it's Thailand's red-light district, the joy of bodily functions, or her world-famous mother. “Eating Out,” June 3, 9 p.m. Caleb is a hunky poli-sci major with an affection for aggressive girls. Gwen is an aggressive girl who falls for gay acting boys. It's a match made in therapy. In a plan hatched by his crafty gay roommate Kyle (American Idol gay hunk Jim Verraros), Caleb finds himself pretending to be gay to woo Gwen, but their scheme is thwarted when Gwen decides that Caleb would be the perfect catch for her own gay roommate, Marc, the object of Kyle’s affection. Caleb is faced with a confusing proposition. Gwen wonders if she'll ever find a straight guy. Marc can't tell why the new guy is so hot and cold. And Kyle watches the two loves of his life leave him behind.

“Saints and Sinners,” June 4, 7 p.m. This accomplished documentary enters the same-sex marriage debate from a unique perspective -- the desire for acceptance and affirmation from one’s faith rather than recognition by the state. Edward and Vincent, a devoutly religious couple, challenge Church doctrine in their search for a Catholic wedding. In the face of reservations by family members and rejection by one church after another, this loving couple pursues their goal, even seeking to become the first gay couple to have their wedding announcement published in the New York Times. “April's Shower,” June 4, 9 p.m. True love hits some stormy weather in the zany romantic comedy April's Shower. Bride-to-be April and her maid-of-honor Alex share a secret past. Although their closeted relationship is over, Alex carries a torch for her ex. As the guests arrive for April's wedding shower, tensions flare up, and Alex spills the beans about her feelings, surprising even April. With a shower like this, could there even be a wedding?

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Shepherd Park, NW, Community Yard Sale and Flea Market, June 5-6
Ralph Blessing, rblessin88@hotmail.com

Shepherd Park will hold its annual community yard sale on Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, from 9:00 to 3:00 both days, with more than fifty individual yard sales throughout Shepherd Park as well as a flea market at Shepherd Elementary School, 14th and Kalmia, NW. In addition, John Vecchiarelli of Tony's Tool Grinding Service will be at the flea market on Saturday, June 5, starting at 9 a.m. List of sales and directions can be found at http://www.shepherdpark.org and at participating yard sales. The yard sale area is north of Walter Reed between Rock Creek Park and Georgia Avenue. It is sponsored by the Shepherd Park Citizens' Association.

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Race for the Cure, June 5
Sean Tenner, Komen Champions for the Cure, stenner@mrss.com

As a voting rights advocate, I am always trying to find those rare opportunities where disenfranchised DC residents can impact Congressional policy that affects us. On Saturday, June 5, we’ll have a unique chance to get support for a Federal program that is saving lives in DC. Did you know the District of Columbia ranks higher than all fifty states in the percentage of women who die from breast cancer? Since there is no known cure for breast cancer, early detection is key to surviving the disease. The District’s Project WISH (Women Into Staying Healthy) provides free cancer education, screening, and diagnostic services to low-income District women with little or no health insurance (for more information visit http://dchealth.dc.gov/services/special_programs/breast_cervical/index.shtm).

Unfortunately, Congress has not yet reauthorized the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which provides funds to DC and other states and territories to run lifesaving early detection programs like Project WISH. We need Congress to act fast! On Saturday, June 5, over 60,000 people from across the country will be in town for the Komen National Race for the Cure. I am leading a volunteer effort to gather signatures on a petition to Congress asking them to reauthorize this program. Since people from all over the country will be at the race, we’ll be signing up people who actually have voting Representatives and Senators that can support this reauthorization. We need volunteers from 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 5. If you can spare a few hours to help fight breast cancer please contact me for more information at stenner@mrss.com.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

Aquarium
Trudy Reeves, trudyreeves@starpower.net

Aquarium, marine reef tank, 75 gallons with two-door pine stand. TOP Aquarium Series Light (three double tubes), Magnum 250 pump, Aquarium Systems protein skimmer, two under-gravel filters. Contains live rock, anemone, and clown fish. $300 or best offer.

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CLASSIFIEDS — DONATIONS

Help Beth’s Boobs Beat Bush/Cheney ’04
Jason Broehm, jason_broehm@hotmail.com

We all know that the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign is a fundraising juggernaut, but what about their National Race for the Cure team? With your help, “Beth's Boobs” can out fund raise team “Bush/Cheney '04.” To make your tax deductible contribution to our team, please go to http://www.nationalraceforthecure.org, then go to the team page and make an on-line contribution to team “Beth's Boob's” (team code BTH.)

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