To Vote or Not to Vote
Dear Voters:
Long issue; short introduction.
In response to my introduction to the last issue of themail, about
how DC government makes it difficult for small businesses to open and
operate in this city, Richard Layman sends a link to a 2005 article on
his web site. He writes, “You will find this article to be of
interest; it has a link to an interesting piece from the libertarian
Claremont Institute about the barriers to entry for opening small
businesses in cities, and how this privileges (not their word, that’s
the word a sociologist would use) chains: http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2005/10/its-hard-to-open-retail-businesses-in.html.”
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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According the minutes of a March 15 meeting of the Cleveland Park
Citizen’s Association, Councilman Phil Mendelson said that the gun
amendment to the DCVRA “took everyone by surprise.” This is utter
nonsense, of course. Most observers agreed that this move was all but
certain given previous Congressional action and the council’s
petulance in complying to the Heller decision. Unfortunately, it seems
now that the council, the mayor, and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton seem
content to let slip the best chance we’ve had for voting
representation in thirty years. Even DCVOTE, whom I commend for moving
the ball forward this far, seem to be moving beyond their mandate by
focusing on the unrealistic goal of removing the gun amendment rather
than looking for solutions that will actually make House representation
a reality.
There is a solution, however, that would enable DC to achieve
representation, recognize the Second Amendment rights of DC citizens,
and give political cover to both Republicans and Democrats. It is a long
shot and would require yet-unseen political leadership, but it is
possible. What we need is the following course of action that basically
brings DC regulations for registering handguns in line with the long gun
registration process that has served DC well for more than thirty years.
Step 1: rescind the council’s “December surprise” gun regulations.
The council made two attempts at bringing DC in compliance with Heller.
The September regulations, while still viewed as onerous by some, had
the best chance of passing further court challenges. However, for
reasons known only to them, Phil Mendelson and Mary Cheh pushed forward
an additional set of regulations that any reasonable person must
conclude are unconstitutional in light of Heller. Space does not permit
me to pick apart all the things that are wrong with this legislation,
but at the very least consider that the gun that was at the center of
Heller, a Colt Buntline 22 revolver, can no longer be registered in DC;
you are now required to take a training course that includes an hour of
shooting a pistol on a firing range, just to own a shotgun (which is
like requiring a motorcycle driving test to get a license to drive a
car); and although you can register a semiautomatic rifle that is either
30" or 34" long, one that has a stock that can be extended
from 30" to 34" is considered an “assault weapon.” It
should also be noted that, despite the posturing about DC’s
controlling its own gun laws, the December legislation basically
abdicates decisions about what guns are allowed in DC to the state of
California.
Step 2: introduce and negotiate a new amendment to the DCVRA that
covers only the interstate sale of handguns. This is important in order
to secure the support of pro-gun Democrats and Republicans in Congress,
as it would allow them to cast a pro Second Amendment vote. It would
also prevent DC from using its powers to prevent any gun stores from
opening in the District as a back door means of restricting citizens’
rights. (Currently, there is one Federal Firearm License holder in DC,
who must be used to transfer all handguns, at a cost of $125 each.)
Again, all that the above steps would do is make the process for
registering a handgun the same as the long gun registration process that
DC has had in place for decades. By taking these steps, DC would
maintain control of it gun laws and be better positioned to stave off
court challenges, and it could achieve its goal of voting representation
in the House. All parties involved could claim political victory.
If such action is not taken, it is likely that the current DCVRA will
die, and the gun amendment will be attached to other legislation or DC’s
current legislation will be struck down in court. DC pols will be
outraged, but it we will still not have the vote. When it comes to fair
representation for DC, moral indignation is not enough. Leadership is
needed.
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Eliminate DC Government’s At-Will Employment
Debra Daniels, debra21756@aol.com
Many District of Columbia residents citywide have read and heard
stories about Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s and his cabinet members’
highly questionable, malignant, malicious, and politically motivated
abuse of power and authority through arbitrary and capricious
termination of DC Government Management Supervisory Service (MSS)
employees from their jobs. And many, many more MSS employee termination
stories will be reported and discussed. So, how are the punitive
termination actions possible?
In 1997, with the DC Financial Control Board’s strong urging and
pressure placed on the District’s mayor, the DC city council Committee
on Government Operations and the Environment, chaired by Kathy
Patterson, passed the “Omnibus Personnel Reform Amendment Act of 1997”
within which the MSS and MSS Law was created that authorizes DC
Government MSS employment appointments “at-will” and terminations
“with” or “without cause,” and required DC Government Career
Service employees to transition to the MSS. Oh, and to no great
surprise, Congress approved it. While I believe it safe to say that
former DC Mayor Anthony Williams didn’t abuse employees via the MSS
Law, the Fenty administration is another story. It is important to note
that most of the terminated MSS employees and Career Service employees
whose lives Adrian M. Fenty has effectively bullwhipped by pushing them
out of their DC government jobs — and many also into home foreclosure
due to unemployment — are African American native and longtime DC
residents of a certain age with education and many years of professional
experience in their chosen fields, many years of DC government service
with excellent and outstanding management performance evaluations, many
with years of Federal or other state government and private sector
experience, and who have in one way or another expressed professional
opinions of what improvements in the public interest should be made in
the District of Columbia government or opposed taking actions that they
considered to be illegal prior to being terminated.
Given the Fenty administration’s abusive terminations of hundreds
of MSS and Career Service employees, it is abundantly clear that
employment “at-will” and terminations “without cause” in the
District government leaves a huge window open for blatant political use,
abuse, corruption, and retaliation against government employees that is
certainly not in the best interest of the District of Columbia. The
Fenty administration is also replacing terminated MSS employees with new
employees of considerably younger age and shamefully less experience.
Just think what kind of success would the United States have if
President Barack Obama had the mindset that his cabinet and the Federal
government should be primarily comprised of people under age forty.
[Complete post at http://www.dcwatch.com/dcwatch.com/themail/2009/09-05-27b.htm]
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In 2009, why are we burning gas to heat pool water? For an outdoor
pool? If the water truly needs warming, beyond passive heating of the
water by the sun’s rays, then Parks and Recreation should use some
stimulus money to put in solar pool heaters. This is a proven technology
that has been in use for thirty or forty years.
But since most DC pools have a very short season, apparently because
of staffing and budget limitations, I suggest spending to lengthen the
pool season for all pools during warm, sunny months, before spending
money to extend the season at just one outdoor pool into colder months.
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DDOE Arsenic Scare — An Anniversary Alert
Donald Oakley, donoak@gmail.com
Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of the reopening of Fort Reno
Park following an abrupt two-week closure in May 2008 due to the
suspected presence of arsenic. After failing to notify the National Park
Service for five months in 2008 that the Park might be contaminated, the
DC Department of Environment and the US Geological Survey triggered the
closure on May 14, 2008, by releasing an aerial image of arsenic
contamination in northwest Washington, http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2008/08-06-22.htm.
As if on cue, DDOE has just announced their intention to deliver more of
the same failed technique — the identification of “stressed
vegetation” in aerial images to measure arsenic in the environment.
DDOE’s James Sweeney made this announcement at an oversight hearing on
Spring Valley cleanup issues, May 11, that was convened by Councilmember
Mary Cheh, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Government Operations
and the Environment. Video links to Part 1 and 2 of the hearing are at
http://tinyurl.com/pqn8pp; DDOE’s testimony begins at 3:12 of Part 1.
Observations from Spring Valley ANC Commissioners begin at 1:27 of Part
2. Two issues that are reminiscent of the 2008 Fort Reno closure were
discussed at the hearing, and both issues affect neighborhoods beyond
Spring Valley.
First, ANC 3D Commissioner Tom Smith testified on current
difficulties in obtaining Spring Valley cleanup information from DDOE.
Smith added that he was discouraged by DDOE from inviting subject-matter
experts to accompany him to meetings. Smith’s current experience is
similar to the lack of public access to DDOE staff and information
during the May 2008 Fort Reno closure, when DDOE and USGS staff withheld
knowledge of potential arsenic contamination for five months. When Fort
Reno reopened, Mayor Fenty and DDOE Director George Hawkins promised a
full accounting of DDOE’s failure to inform the public. To date, there
have been no explanations from DDOE. The second concern is with DDOE
James Sweeney’s May 11 response to Cheh’s inquiry on the need for
additional DDOE work at Spring Valley. Sweeney stated that “stressed
vegetation may need follow-up” and that DDOE will “use information
on stressed vegetation to decide where to go next.” This may sound
familiar to those who followed the Fort Reno events of May 2008.
Beginning in 2007, misinterpreted USGS aerial images and erroneous USGS/DDOE-interpreted
ground measurements of “stressed vegetation” led to the false
identification of arsenic contamination in Ward 3 neighborhoods beyond
Spring Valley. Besides Fort Reno, the erroneously identified locations
included Turtle Park, Glover-Archbold Park, Wilson HS, and many other
smaller areas.
Any DDOE plan to create another Ward 3 arsenic exploration deserves a
documented review by competent, non-conflicted peers. It would be wise
to provide full public access to proceedings of the peer review. Why?
DDOE has not demonstrated competence to manage such an experiment
(aerial hyperspectral imaging analysis of “stressed vegetation”), or
to recognize severe limitations of the technique when it is applied in a
non-laboratory environment. To make matters worse, DDOE staff has
consistently failed to communicate openly and credibly on public health
aspects of arsenic in neighborhoods beyond Spring Valley.
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Brookland Heartbeat
May/June Issue Now Available
Abigail Padou, brooklandheartbeat@yahoo.com
The May/June issue of Brookland Heartbeat is now available.
The lead headline in this issue is, “Councilmember Thomas Gave Support
to Controversial Development after Developer Promised Payment to Thomas’
Organization.” The day before Mr. Thomas wrote a letter of support for
the project to the DC Zoning Commission, the developer revised its
proposal to include a $40,000 payment to an organization newly formed by
the councilmember. Mr. Thomas did not disclose this to the DC Zoning
Commission or to the parties involved.
Additional articles and features in this issue include: “Ward 5
Bypassed in Mayor’s $230 Million Plan,” “Michael Brown Visits Ward
5 and Tests Waters for 2010,” “Brookland Cafe Applies for Liquor
License,” “Ward 5 ANCs Show Variation in Spending and Saving,” “Dance
Place Celebrates 22nd Annual DanceAfrica DC.” To receive a copy
electronically, send your E-mail address to brooklandheartbeat@yahoo.com.
Brookland Heartbeat is also on the web at http://www.brooklandheartbeat.org.
Brookland Heartbeat is mailed to more than 9,500 homes in the
greater Brookland area. Brookland Heartbeat is a nonprofit,
all-volunteer community newspaper.
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Cash Cab
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
There’s a video game show on the Discovery Channel (5:00 p.m.) that
takes place in a New York City taxicab. Riders are asked general
knowledge questions as the cab proceeds to their destination. Very
clever show and lots of fun to watch. Some riding groups get a couple of
grand on a forty block trip. Miss three questions and you are
unceremoniously dumped out of the cab wherever you are. You have two
chances to ask for outside help via a “street shout-out” or a “mobile
shout-out.” Amazing how many times the street shout-out results in the
right answer to an obscure question. It would be nice to have a local
Cash Cab here in DC.
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Many condemn gay marriage because of what is said in Mark Chapter 10;
however it can also be used as a justification for gay marriage, if the
words are made gender neutral. To paraphrase the Gospel, “For this
reason a man shall leave his Father and Mother (and be joined to his
spouse) and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two,
but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human must
separate.” This passage is not about sex, it is about law. When you
are an unmarried person, your parents and siblings make decisions for
you when you are incapacitated and dispose of your body and your
property when you die. When you marry, you are no longer of one flesh
with your family, instead you are one flesh with your spouse, no matter
what gender your spouse is. Unless the opponents can find some rational
justification for treating gay spouses differently from straight
spouses, the question of marriage is a matter of rights rather than one
of public social mores decided by the democratic process.
While it is certainly preferable for this to come through
legislation, ultimately the rights of the gay spouse over the family are
a matter of right and do not depend on the democratic process. Indeed,
Proposition 8 will likely be overturned because restrictions on gay
marriage do not pass the rational basis test above (or the underlying
truth of the Gospel for that matter), and it will be subject to a
federal challenge which it would not win. The only possible problem with
a DC marriage recognition or gay marriage in DC is that it does not
conform with the Defense of Marriage Act, as DC is considered a creature
of Congress. If DC marriage recognition is overturned on those grounds,
it will surely also provoke a federal challenge, which the opponents of
marriage equality will lose.
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Proposition 8 Is Coming to DC
Richard Urban, richardurban [at] ultrateenchoice.org
Yes, the voters must speak on the issue of whether or not marriage is
between a man and a woman only. A referendum should definitely be added
to the ballot in 2010, and the DC council should not move to introduce
any legislation recognizing same sex “marriages” prior to that. The
current legislation, Bill 18-066, that recognizes same sex unions from
other states should not be enacted either. Congress should vote yes on
the DC Defense of Marriage legislation recently introduced in the US
House of Representatives to block it until the voice of all District
residents can be heard.
While I believe in self-determination for District Residents, as K.
West has pointed out [themail, May 24] there has not been an open and
transparent process in the District. For example, as she points out the
language of Bill 18-066 is serpentine and hard to understand, and the
title “Domestic Partnership Judicial Determination of Parentage Act of
2009” plus the bill itself does not make it readily clear at all that
same sex marriages are being recognized. Furthermore, the fact that 92
percent of the councilmembers voted for this bill can not credibly be
put forth as a statistic that accurately represents the number of
District residents who support same-sex unions.
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Same-Sex Marriage
Franklin E. Kameny, fekameny@webtv.net
[Re: K. West, themail, May 24] If you disapprove of same-sex marriage
(SSM) then you have an absolute right not to enter into such a marriage
in your own, individual, personal life. But your rights stop dead at
that point. You do not have a valid right even to attempt to impose that
disapproval upon others who do not disapprove. You do not have the valid
right to say that because you disapprove, I may not enjoy. Regardless of
demographic or electoral statistics, to subject this to the outcome of a
referendum represents an attempt to impose a tyranny of the majority. It
represents the creation of an American Taliban. The majority does not
have a valid right to impose its will in this matter — or even to
attempt to impose its will..
There is no valid requirement that we all live identically, without
difference in behavior and lifestyle. There is no reason why those
Americans, and those Washingtonians who desire opposite-sex marriages
should not enter into them, while those who desire same-sex marriages
should not enter into those. Each to his or her own. They do not
interfere with each other. There is no valid requirement for the
uniformity which you would impose. The Declaration of Independence tells
us that our America and its basic Americanism are defined by the
guarantee, as an inalienable right — inalienable — to the Pursuit of
Happiness. If your happiness includes opposite sex marriage, so marry
and more power to you. But if mine includes same-sex marriage, I have an
equal American right so to marry and more power to me. That is our
America. Cease trying to alienate the inalienable happiness of gay
Washingtonians.
To the extent that you rest your case upon anything at all (and you
don’t, really), you seem to rest it, in major part, on an appeal to
tradition. But anything which has lasted long enough to have become
traditional has lasted long enough to have become at least potentially
outworn, outmoded, archaic, obsolete, and otherwise invalid. Limitation
of marriage only to opposite-sex couples certainly has become so. You
have not presented a single rational, credible, persuasive, substantive
argument against same-sex marriage. Not one!! Absolutely nothing! You
have provided no reasons at all for opposing SSM or for limiting
marriage to opposite-sex couples. Your entire commentary is totally
devoid or even a semblance of reason or logic. It amounts to nothing
more than ranting and raving expressive of your desire to cram your
ideas down our throats and to force uniformity upon all of us. We gays
are Washingtonians, too. This is our city fully as much as it is yours.
There is no valid basis for consigning us and our relationships to the
“back of the bus” — or off the bus altogether, as you would do. We
and our relationships are not second-class, and we need not tolerate
your anti-American efforts so to render us and them.
It is clear that you have not a clue as to what America and
Americanism are truly all about. Your sole interest seems to be a
fascistic desire to eliminate personal differences, and to impose
uniformity upon us all, willy nilly. That is not the America for the
preservation of which I fought in front-line combat in World War II. You
badly need to do some rethinking on this issue. A good course in basic
Americanism would help you no end. Gay marriage is good, godly, and
American. You are not.
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No Marriage Referendum Needed
Richard J. Rosendall, rrosendall@starpower.net
K. West (themail, May 24) writes, “Whether you are for same sex
marriage or against it, a referendum in the nation’s capital is a
must.” Why exactly does this and only this issue demand that we set
aside our system of representative government? West’s paranoid ranting
about “carefully, brilliantly, and strategically organized ward
political meetings to push the Marriage Equality or same-sex clause”
amounts to a staggering double standard by which the most civil gay
advocates are sinister, while members of the Missionary Baptist
Ministers’ Conference (which excludes women pastors on biblical
grounds, for those of you who thought misogyny had died) are given no
criticism for packing the Ward 5 meeting with hostile people making
anti-gay catcalls.
No one is stopping West from organizing more discussions of the
marriage issue. As it happens, however, the twelve DC councilmembers
whom West reviles were duly elected by the voters of the District. It is
bizarre and obnoxious to suddenly deny the legitimacy of our
representative form of government because you don’t like the result in
one case. And running to Congress to overturn the District’s own
decisions is a betrayal of self-government and of all those who
struggled for the full enfranchisement of the people of this city. How
much public discussion would have to occur before West would even
acknowledge that it has happened? Anyone who thinks there has been no
public discussion on the issue should visit the Washington Post
web site and search on “gay” or “marriage.”
West writes: “Too many people and leaders make light of citizens’
concerns about the traditional worldwide (with some exceptions)
definition of marriage as well as their convictions, belief systems,
cultures, and religions.” West, spare us the phony victimhood and try
honestly addressing the arguments of marriage-equality advocates. As
GLAA says in its talking points on marriage, the claim that marriage has
remained unchanged for millennia is preposterous. New York’s Empire
State Pride Agenda points out, “Marriage is a dynamic institution that
has evolved throughout history to meet the needs of society. In fact,
much of what was associated with marriage in the past would today be
incomprehensible to the majority of Americans. This includes arranged
marriages, payment of a dowry, the legally inferior status of women in
the marital relationship, polygamous marriages, and royal and
aristocratic marriage between relatives, such as first cousins.”
[Complete post at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2009/09-05-27c.htm]
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Department of Parks and Recreation Events, May
29-30
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
May 29, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Kennedy Recreation Center, 1401 7th
Street, NW. Pre-Summer Kickoff Community Day. In anticipation of the end
of the school year and summer’s arrival, let’s celebrate with a day
of community fellowship. Join us for a day of games, recreational
activities, music, light food and a lot of fun! For more information,
call Freddie Brown at 671-4794.
May 29, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Coolidge High School Gymnasium, 6315 5th
Street, NW. Citywide Cheerleading and Pom-Pom Competition. Teams from
different sites in all Wards will compete for the championship trophy
and city title. The ages of the cheerleaders range from 4-18 but event
attendance is all ages and is open to the public. There will be a charge
for this event. $10/person (five and under free). For more information,
call the office of Athletic Programs at 671-1700.
May 30, 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Turkey Thicket Community Center, 1100
Michigan Avenue, NE. Jeff Green Memorial Boxing Tournament. This event
is sponsored by the Office of Athletic Programs Administration. It is a
cross generation, coed, multi-class amateur boxing event. Primary
coordination of boxing-related matters will be handled by Marshall
Cunningham, Daryll Tyson, and Anthony Hardy in conjunction with
Associate Director Maria Barner. For more information call Mark
Williams, Site Manager, at 576-9237.
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Gregorio Luke, an expert on Mexican and Latin American Art and
Culture will lecture on the friendship between Abraham Lincoln and
Benito Juarez, the president of Mexico, on Saturday, May 30, 2:00 p.m.,
at Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, Auditorium A5, 901 G
Street, NW. In celebration of Lincoln’s Bicentennial, the Library
presents a multimedia presentation on the friendship and the
similarities between President Lincoln and President Juarez. Both
stewarded their countries through pivotal moments in history. Lincoln
led the Union forces in the Civil War. Juarez expelled French forces
during the French Intervention. In addition, both presidents came from
humble beginnings and were known for their personal integrity.
Luke was director of the Museum of Latin American Art. He also served
as first secretary of the Embassy of Mexico. In 1995, he was awarded the
Irving Leonard Award by the Hispanic Society of the Library of Congress.
For more information, contact 727-1183.
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National Building Museum Events, June 1
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
June 1, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Deborah Berke: Local Knowledge. For over
twenty-five years, Deborah Berke, FAIA, has designed buildings grounded
in the conviction that architecture is not an end in itself, but a
setting that is enhanced by its use. Principal of the New York-based
firm Deborah Berke & Partners Architects, she will discuss her
award-winning residential work, and larger-scale projects including the
Irwin Union Bank, the Yale School of Art, and the Marianne Boesky
Gallery. At the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary
Square stop, Metro Red Line. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
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DC Women’s Agenda and the DC Employment Justice Center present “Job
Training Programs for Self Sufficient Wages” on Tuesday, June 2,
1:30-3:30 p.m., at Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G
Street, NW, Room A-5 (near Metro Center (Blue, Orange and Red Lines) and
Gallery Place/Chinatown (Green, Yellow, and Red Lines)). DCWA will team
up with the DC Employment Justice Center to host speakers from numerous
job training programs that train in the fields of: construction,
business, medicine, building maintenance, technology, culinary arts, and
more! This is a great event for those seeking job training and direct
service providers.
There will be speakers from the following organizations: So Others
Might Eat (SOME) Center for Employment Training, University of the
District of Columbia Workforce Development Program, DC Central Kitchen
Job Training Program, Washington Area Women in the Trades (WAWIT)
Program, Beyond Talent, Byte Back, and the Department of Small and Local
Business Development.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Debbie Billet-Roumell,
Coordinator of the DC Women’s Agenda, at 464-1596 or DBRoumell@wowonline.org
or Courtney Chappell, Advocacy Manager for the DC Employment Justice
Center, at 828-9675 or cchappell@dcejc.org.
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At the request of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, the
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Issues and the District of
Columbia will hold a hearing on Wednesday, June 3, at the Rayburn House
Office Building, room 2237, at 2:00 p.m., on the proposal of the Army
Corps of Engineers to conclude its cleanup of chemical weapons,
unexploded ordinances and other chemicals in Spring Valley, a Formerly
Used Defense (FUD) site in Northwest, a neighborhood in the District.
The Congresswoman has worked with the residents of Spring Valley, the
Army Corps, and the Department of Defense (DOD) on the cleanup for more
than fifteen years. The Army Corps proposes to destroy the chemical
weapons and to declare the FUD site completely cleaned within the next
two years, but Congress has not been consulted. The Congresswoman said
that, because Spring Valley is the only FUD site in a US residential
community, the Corps should not cease its activities without
congressional oversight and the appropriate assurance that this area is
free of contamination.
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Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers, June 5-6
Doc Powell, malcolmxdd@yahoo.com
Friday, June 5, 7:00 p.m., Sounds of Hope presents The Malcolm X
Drummers and Dancers at Potter’s House, 1658 Columbia Road, NW. For
more information go to http://www.pottershousedc.org
and http://www.myspace.com/soundsofhope.
Saturday, June 6, 2:30 p.m., catch a live performance of the Malcolm
X Drummers and Dancers at Dance Place, 3225 8th Street, NE. For more
information, call 269-1600 or go to http://www.danceplace.org.
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Should Bush Officials Be Investigated?, June
10
John Campbell, jcampbell@geofinity.com
Spark! Speaker Series presents Crime and Punishment: Should Bush
Officials Be Investigated, featuring a debate between Jeremy Rabkin and
Ivan Eland. Wednesday, June 10, 7:15 p.m., at the Washington Ethical
Society, 7750 16th Street, NW. Cost, $15 for general audiences, $12 for
senior citizens, free for college students who present a current college
ID. RSVP to wes.rsvp@gmail.com
is suggested; arrive by 7:00 p.m. Please RSVP by Tuesday, June 9.
Are there moral and legal obligations to investigate members of the
Bush Administration? Would investigations irresponsibly divert us from
addressing critically urgent national issues? Would investigations
uphold the Constitution or lead to political witch-hunts — or both?
Jeremy Rabkin is a professor of law at George Mason University and was
confirmed by the US Senate as a member of the Board of Directors of the
US Institute of Peace. Ivan Eland is Senior Fellow and Director of the
Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute and author of
the books Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace,
Prosperity, and Liberty and Partitioning for Peace: An Exit
Strategy for Iraq. Together they will discuss and debate the many
issues surrounding proposals to investigate Bush officials.
The Spark! Speaker Series continues with programs presenting
provocative themes and controversial social issues in a civil and
respectful forum. Previous topics have included immigration policy, US
engagement with Iran and separation of church and state. The Washington
Ethical Society is a humanistic religious community of four hundred
adults, youth, and children with a proud, progressive sixty-year history
in Washington. To learn more about the philosophy and values of Ethical
Culture, visit our web site, http://www.ethicalsociety.org.
Attendees are invited to stay after the event for an informal reception
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Hine/Eastern Market Development, June 10
Lynne Fitzhugh, ldfitzhugh@yahoo.com
Friends and neighbors of Eastern Market, development of the Hine
School property will have a dramatic and permanent impact on Eastern
Market and its open-air flea markets, as well as neighborhood density,
traffic, parking, and character. The last opportunity for meaningful
public input on development of this site is Wednesday June 10, 6:00-8:00
p.m., at Tyler Elementary School, 10th and G Streets, SE, when the six
developers who have met the criteria set forth in the city’s fall
Request For Proposals (RFP) will present their plans for public review.
The response of those who attend can impact the city’s choice of
winning bid. We urge all who value the Eastern Market environment to
attend.
The group “Eyes on Hine” (EOH) has been advocating
neighborhood-sensitive development of this site for the past year. We
have primarily been concerned that most of the open space used by the
weekend flea market be retained and improved as a “village square.”
We have also pressed for low height and density buildings consistent
with the historic character of the neighborhood, and minimal impacts on
traffic, noise, and parking. And we have been working with the city and
police to monitor security of the now-vacant school, and will be closely
monitoring the environmental impacts of demolition and construction.
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Hine School Development, June 10; Safeguard
Public Property, May 29
Wendy Blair, wblair@npr.com
The Hine Junior High School, at Eastern Market and Pennsylvania
Avenue on Capitol Hill, will soon be razed. Neighbors and citizens
interested in the development of this public land are urged to attend a
meeting at which competing developer proposals will be presented, at the
Tyler School, corner of 10th and G Streets, SE, Wednesday, June 10,
6:00-9:00 p.m. Capitol Hill neighbors of Hine have been active for
months, trying to influence plans for the site, with limited results so
far. Our requests for low density housing, similar to the existing
streetscape; open space; and concern for added traffic congestion did
not make it into the city’s Request for Proposals — despite promises
from our councilmember. We need your input and support if you care about
your neighborhood.
Selling public owned land and green spaces to developers for building
dense, high-rent condos, and high-end shops may add to our city’s tax
revenues. However, we pay the price in drastic transformation of our
liveable/walkable quality of life and in our own pocketbooks as the
taxes and rents escalate. The development of Hine School, just
beginning, is only one of dozens of projects overseen by the Office of
Planning and Development. All others have been characterized by
processes that ignore extensive citizen input, fail to provide reliable
cost estimates or timelines, and do not even publish land valuations.
The result is that we are virtually giving away our public assets
without our neighborhood priorities being met. Please consider attending
this important hearing on Councilman Harry Thomas’s bill to safeguard
public property from a citywide effort to sell off public assets without
citizen input at the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
#500, this Friday, May 29, at 11:00 a.m. To testify, call 724-8062 or
E-mail abenjamin@dccouncil.us.
If you cannot attend, please send a message to your councilmember, as
well as Kwame Brown (Economic Development), kbrown@dccouncil.us;
Mary Cheh (Government Operations), mchech@dccouncil.us;
Tommy Wells (Ward 6), twells@dccouncil.us;
and Mayor Adrian Fenty mayor@dc.gov;
as well as Harriet Tregoning (Planning Office), harriet.tregoning@dc.gov;
and Robin Eve Jasper (Office of Property Management), robin.jasper@dc.gov.
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Simplicity on the Hill: “Menu for the
Future,” June 11
Pope Barrow, mpb56054@yahoo.com
Across America, a movement is growing of people determined to live
life more simply. “Simplicity” means consciously reducing stress on
ourselves and on our environment. The movement traces back to Henry
David Thoreau and Walden Pond. In “simplicity circles,” people share
strategies for simplifying their lives. On June 11, at 7:30 p.m., in a
retired diplomat’s Capitol Hill living room, a DC simplicity circle
will launch a seven-session discussion of the workbook “Menu for the
Future,” all about food, stress, and the environment. The group
welcomes newcomers. Participation is free. But you must make a
reservation. The group plans to stay under twenty. When that maximum is
reached reservations will close. Before each session participants should
read the relevant chapter in “Menu for the Future.” To RSVP and
arrange to get a copy of “Menu,” call 546-3933 or E-mail mpb56054@yahoo.com.
For background information, go to http://www.simplicity-matters.org.
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