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August 19, 2009

The Right to Vote

Dear Voters:

DC doesn’t allow initiatives or referenda that have a fiscal impact, so in this city we couldn’t put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the bag tax (five cents per plastic and paper grocery bag) that the city council recently passed. But in Seattle, where the city council passed a bill to tax plastic and paper grocery bags at twenty cents each, there was a referendum the rescind the tax (see links to news articles at http://tinyurl.com/mpw9p2). The referendum won, and the tax lost, by 58 percent to 42 percent. In the same election, the incumbent mayor of Seattle, who was known nationally as a proponent of “green” policies, ran third behind his two challengers, who will be the candidates in a runoff election. Seattle is a very liberal and ecologically conscious city, but its citizens’ patience was tried by an overreaching city government. The difference from DC is that in Seattle citizens had an avenue of redress.

The greatest danger to a democracy is when government officials overstep their bounds, ignore the wishes of the citizenry, pursue policies that are directly contrary to their opinions, and then make it impossible for citizens to enforce their will, or even express it. A five-cent bag tax won’t enrage the citizens enough to vote out incumbent politicians (although a twenty-cent tax seems to have been enough in Seattle), but more controversial issues may well do it. In DC, the city council passed a bill recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, and then the Board of Elections and Ethics denied the citizens the right to have a referendum vote on the issue. The city council is likely in the next few months to pass another bill legalizing same-sex marriages performed in DC. On August 18, longtime DC political activist Bob King, now an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward 5, sent a letter to all elected officials, including ANC Commissioners, proposing a citizens’ initiative on the definition of marriage in the District of Columbia, and seeking their support for it. For more information, write to King at grassrootsdc@gmail.com. It is likely that the Board of Elections will again find that a citizen-driven initiative on the definition of marriage is not a proper subject for an initiative, but if the city council were to vote to place a marriage definition bill (either defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman or defining it as the union of any two people, regardless of sex) on the ballot itself, the Board of Elections would not be involving in screening it. But if the council and the Board of Elections blocks an initiative, and if the city council then passes a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, the message that it sends to DC residents — and to the federal government — will be that the people of DC are not ready for full citizenship, that the District of Columbia is not ready to exercise the vote. The city council and the mayor, after all, would be saying that they do not trust the people they represent to vote; they believe that the citizens of DC are not enlightened enough to vote on important issues; they fear and are contemptuous of the will of the people. The only recourse of the people, then, is to vote for politicians who will respect them. More than education, or crime, or taxes, or the economy, more than any of the usual issues that define an election, the right of the people to vote — if it is denied by the city’s politicians — may be the defining issue of the 2010 DC election.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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A Day in the Life of Miriam’s Kitchen
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com

I happened upon this informative YouTube video about Miriam’s Kitchen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pFlX8VQbqM Worth watching.

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Aussies Evaluate DC
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom

An interesting letter in the Australian Shooter Magazine this week, which I quote: “If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the past 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

“The firearm death rate in Washington, DC is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period. That means you are about 25 per cent more likely to be shot and killed in the US capital, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the US, than you are in Iraq.”

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Petworth Neighborhood Researchers and Historians
Jerry A. McCoy, Special Collections Librarian, sshistory@yahoo.com

The Washingtoniana Division of the DC Public Library (Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, Room 307) is pleased to announce the availability to researchers/historians of copies of the monthly publication, The Petworth Citizen: Official Organ of the Petworth Citizens’ Association. Available issues are: December 1927 (Vol. 1, #1) to 1938, 1940 to 1943. 1946 to April 1948, and January to March 1951.

If anyone has information on the run of this publication, or knowledge of the availability of missing issues, please let me know, http://dclibrary.org/washingtoniana/index.html

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District Reissues Senior Wellness Centers Grants
Darlene Nowlin, darlene.nowlin@dc.gov

The Office on Aging has extended the deadline for nonprofit and for profit entities to apply for grant funds to operate Senior Wellness Centers for residents aged sixty and older in the District. Senior Wellness Centers promote healthy lifestyles, sound nutrition, exercise, and general wellness among the aging population in the District. This grant seeks organizations to operate Senior Wellness Centers in Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. For fiscal year 2010 there is a total of $1,354,780 contingently available for the Senior Wellness Center Grants. Funds have been provided to the Office on Aging from federal and District appropriated funds.

The Senior Wellness Center NOFA is available for review on the DCOA web site and the RFA is also available. The grant application deadline is Tuesday, September 1, at 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact Eric Manuel, programs and grants manager, or Tiffanie Yates, public health nutritionist, at 724-8821.

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Straw Men and Speaking for the Residents
David Alpert, alpert@ggwash.org

When Greater Greater Washington was getting started, many commenters and even some contributors kept referring to neighbors opposed to certain projects as NIMBYs. Many others decried this name calling as lowering the quality of debate, and I put a stop to this and other childish attacks. That makes it particularly disappointing that Gary Imhoff and some of the frequent writers to themail have started to engage in the same tactics in the last few issues. In his July 29 editorial, Mr. Imhoff tossed out the word “extreme” with extreme frequency, and claims that cars make me “angry” (which is completely untrue, as I explain here: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=3192). Thomas Hardman [themail, August 12] extrapolates one blog post by one person into a broad claim that all bloggers “want to turn the world into one giant apartment building.”

These arguments grossly mischaracterize what many Smart Growth advocates believe. And this kind of mischaracterization is hazardous, as we can see from Denise Wiktor’s letter in the August 12 issue of themail. Ms. Wiktor, please understand this: nobody (or almost nobody) is actually pushing for a city “without cars.” In particular, people with disabilities, such as yourself, need to use cars. Some of the proposals around parking, for instance, actually aim to make it easier for people who need to drive, such as yourself, to find spaces where today it is virtually impossible. I have a car. It doesn’t make me angry. However, we don’t have room in DC for more cars and more traffic. We need to find ways to grow that enable our new residents to drive less, and in many cases live without cars. But advocating for “low-traffic growth” doesn’t mean anyone is trying to take cars away, especially not from anyone with a disability or otherwise less able to use other modes of transportation. Unfortunately, Mr. Imhoff’s constant straw man characterization of Smart Growth, complete with “scare quotes,” only reinforces a completely misleading perception.

I don’t actually agree with Matthew Yglesias’ specific post about parks [themail, August 9]. Greater Greater Washington has always been supportive of more parks, though we have also made the point that DC’s parkland is generally poorly located, with most of it far from most residents. Local neighborhood parks within walking distance of people’s houses are the best mechanism to give people valuable green space and recreation. It’s saddening that Mr. Imhoff and Mr. Hardman took one very intelligent writer’s single post, one that perhaps didn’t make its argument in the clearest or most accurate way, as evidence of some kind of secret conspiracy by everyone else to justify their worst fears. In the August 16 issue of themail, Mr. Imhoff compares the situation to a family hiring an architect, who then insists that the family build a large family room despite wanting larger bedrooms. The situation seems more analogous to a family asking the architect to include space for the family computers, only to see one family member angrily denounce the plans because when he was growing up, people only did research in encyclopedias, and what’s wrong with kids these days?

My point is that the ideas Mr. Imhoff dislikes are not being foisted upon the populace by a small group of professional planners. I am not a professional planner, for example. These are ideas coming from a large segment of DC residents of all ages and races. Residents do deserve a strong voice in the shaping of our city. But just because some longtime activists have generally spoken for “the residents of DC” for a long time does not mean that everything they believe represents the true voice of residents, and anyone who disagrees must be some kind of special interest. It appears to frustrate Mr. Imhoff, Mr. Hardman and a few others that there is a large and growing group of residents and activists who agree with them on some issues but disagree on others. I’m sorry they find that so frustrating. It’s not going away, however. Most likely at some point other blogs will crop up that advocate for some policy proposals I disagree with. I hope I shall react to them with more grace than Mr. Imhoff has.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Ward 3 Republican Cookout, August 22
Paul D. Craney, pauldcraney@yahoo.com

Last year a group of Ward 3 Republicans held a cookout in McLean Gardens and we plan to do it again this year.

Please join us on Saturday, August 22, at 4:00 p.m. in McLean Gardens at the corner of Porter and 39th Streets for a Ward 3 Republican cookout. This event is not sponsored by McLean Gardens but is a great opportunity to invite fellow DC Republicans to come out and meet each other.

Please do not hesitate to the DC Republican Party with any questions or comments at 289-8005 or E-mail info@dcgop.com.

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Department of Parks and Recreation Events, August 21-24
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov

August 21, 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Upshur Recreation Center, 4300 Arkansas Avenue, NW. Camp Closing for ages six through twelve. Participants enrolled in the summer camp program will enjoy a day of fun and games. For more information, call Deyanne Nicholas at 576-6842.

August 21, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Trinidad Recreation Center, 1310 Childress Street, NE. Summer Camp Closing Program for ages six and up. Camp counselors and staff will prepare a cookout meal for the campers for their last day of camp. For more information, call Anthony Higginbotham, Site Manager, at 727-1293.

August 21,4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Ferebee Hope Recreation Center, 3999 8th street, SE. Camp Closing Program for ages six through thirteen. Youth will engage in summer closing program with fun, games and a cookout. For more information call Gregory Poag, Site Manager, at 645-3917.

August 22, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Harry Thomas Sr., Community Center, 1743 Lincoln Road, NE. Back to School Rally for ages five through sixteen. School age children will receive school supplies while enjoying music, food, and games. The program will include support by World Mission Extension Center, Peacemakers, MPD, Department of Health, Public Library, North Capitol Collaborative, and Edgewood Civic Association. For more information, call Tameka Borges at 576-5642.

August 22, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Ridge Road Recreation Center, 800 Ridge Road, SE. Positive Choice Health Fair for all ages. The staff at Ridge Road will host a Health Fair that includes representatives from DC Fire and EMS, Department of Health and DC Department of Parks and Recreation. The fair will include several football games for entertainment and an abundance of information from the above mentioned agency on health. For more information, call Sonny Hicks at 645-3959.

August 22, 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Emery Recreation Center, 5801 Georgia Avenue, NW. Soldiers Tailgate Party for ages eight and up. To celebrate the beginning of the football season, participants, family, and friends will gather for fun, food, and fellowship. For more information, call Sherman Nelson at 576-3211.

August 22, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., North Michigan Park Recreation Center, 1333 Emerson Street, NE. Back to School Day for ages six through eighteen. Kids in the community will be provided with school supplies and participate in tutorial activities and games. For more information call Joe Clark, Site Manager, at 541-3522.

August 22 and 23, 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Anacostia High School, 1601 R Street, SE. DC Pop Warner Football League Kickoff for ages five through nine. Join DPR and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington for the kick off of the DC Pop Warner Football League season for the Tiny-Mite and Mitey-Mite divisions, for youth athletes ages 5 to 9 years old. The Kickoff event will feature a parade of athletes, US Army fitness challenges, and a half-time cheerleading performance. There will be eleven games per day. For more information, call DC Pop Warner Football League at 673-2032.

August 24, 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Lafayette Recreation Center, 5900 33rd Street, NW. Welcome Back Program for ages five through eighteen. After-School Recreational Access Program and the Supreme Teen Club will bring in the start of a new school year with programs and activities. For more information, call Mike Thompkins at 282-2206.

August 24-28, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Camp Riverview, Scotland, MD, Senior Fun Camp for ages 55 and up. Senior Fun Camp is about getting away and having fun. Activities include dance and exercise, arts and crafts, fishing, games, and entertainment. The Senior Services Division is including partners to incorporate more wellness programming other forms of exercise such as yoga and Tai Chi, healthy cooking, blood pressure and diabetes control. For more information, call Sorrell Greene at 671-4794.

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