Pedalmania
Dear Pedalmaniacs:
For the past week, since the Post published an editorial
encouraging bicycling (“Pedalmania in the District,” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/15/AR2009081502327.html),
I’ve been wondering about the quotation with which the editorial
writer chose to begin: “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no
longer despair for the future of the human race,” attributed to H.G.
Wells. For several reasons, I don’t think this is a real quotation,
but an invented one. It appears in several different versions,
including, “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair
for the future of the human race,” “When I see an adult on a
bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race,” and “When
I see an adult on a bicycle, I have hope for the human race.” But the
variations are not a definitive argument against the genuineness of a
quote; many of the best quotations have been improved by misquotation.
The quotation also doesn’t appear in the forty or so works of H.G.
Wells that are searchable on the Gutenberg Library; but it could have
come from an article, a letter, or even a conversation by Wells. What
makes me more suspicious are two facts. First, of the dozens of uses of
the quotation that can be found on the Internet, not one cites a
published source for it. Second, not one use of the quotation seems to
date before 1975 or 1980 or so.
Wells was a bicycle enthusiast; there is no doubt about that. He even
wrote a novel about them, The Wheels of Chance, A Bicycling Idyll.
But Wells wrote that novel in 1896, about a decade after the invention
of the Safety Bicycle that made bikes a practical and relatively safe
method of transportation, and about halfway through the period of the
height of bicycle popularity, when they were still the last word in
getting around — after they became safe and relatively easy to use and
before practical automobiles were invented and displaced them. I doubt
that Wells, ever up to date and championing the latest thing, would have
written The Wheels of Chance in the 1920’s or 1930’s, when
bicycles were already an outdated technology.
The Post editorial, by the way, celebrated the great advances
of bicycling in the District, and boasted that the percentage of
District residents who commuted to work by bicycles had increased by
half in the last fifteen years — up to 3.3 percent. That tiny minority
probably represents the greatest number of adults who will use bicycles
for their daily transportation, but don’t try to convince bicycle
advocates of that. No, bicycles are not going to replace automobiles any
more than radios are going to replace televisions — what’s going to
replace automobiles is better automobiles with innovative engines and
fuel systems.
Leah Fabel’s article in the Examiner is well summarized by
its headline writer: “Enrollment in DC Schools Plunges as Students Go
Elsewhere” (http://tinyurl.com/mc9moq).
“By Monday’s first school bell, charters project at least 28,000
students, or about 2,400 more than last year, while DC Public Schools
expect about 45,000, or 2,000 fewer than in spring.” Chancellor
Michelle Rhee’s leadership continues to drive students away from DC
public schools and to shrink the public school system, and she continues
to escape public criticism for it. But she realizes that her Teflon
coating can’t last forever, so she also continues to make optimistic
predictions that stand little to no chance of coming true: “Rhee said
she expects regular public schools’ declines to level off by next year
and enrollment to creep up soon afterward.” One person who understands
the importance of keeping an urban school district’s enrollment
figures up is Robert Bobb, DC’s former city administrator and school
board president, who this year is in Detroit as the emergency financial
manager of its schools, trying to persuade and beg parents to keep their
children in the public schools (http://townhall.com/news/us/2009/08/22/robert_bobb_hits_streets_to_coax_students_back).
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Still Writing Tickets
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@mac.com
Parking enforcement is still writing tickets in front of Janney
school despite the fact that signs say parking is forbidden between the
signs when school is in session and that the yellow line is for a bus
unloading zone. The tickets I saw on Thursday afternoon were written
with the violation “Parking in a Fire Zone.” Anyone contesting these
tickets via mail (which takes six months) or via a hearing at the DMV
had better have photographic evidence showing where you were parked and
pictures of the wording on the signs. Those who have not produced that
evidence have had to pay the $50 fine with the admonishment that every
yellow striped curb in the city indicates a fire zone. They’ll keep
writing those tickets to help pay for the one hundred additional parking
enforcement folks. I have been told that there are twenty-six agencies
in DC authorized to write tickets.
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GLAA to ANC’s: Oppose Ballot Initiative on
Marriage
Rick Rosendall, rrosendall@starpower.net
Mr. Imhoff, I would love to have you explain in detail how everything
in GLAA’s letter [http://www.dcwatch.com/issues/ssm090814.htm]
is wrong. Or you could post it to themail and I can wait for Ms.
Pearson-West to respond with the same points she has made before, which
I refuted in detail to no avail.
You are as wrong as can be, but it seems clear at this point that
there is about zero chance that you will acknowledge how fundamentally
wrong it is for the majority to vote on the rights of an unpopular
minority. It makes me very sad, despite my confidence that equality will
win. I thought I had at least earned more respect than that after so
many years of activism in my native city, but it appears that no matter
what I do or say, to some I will remain just an uppity fag.
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Gary seems to argue that in a democracy, every decision should be put
to the people (“The Right to Vote,” August 19). That’s plain
foolish. We live in a democratic system in which representatives are
chosen to make decisions based on the perceived will of their
constituents. Sure, certain larger decisions can of course be left to
the public through referenda, but not every action by our democratic
representatives should require public approval. If that were the case,
democracy would be the single most exhausting form of government.
The same applies for gay marriage. Opponents argue that since the DC
council is somehow redefining an age-old institution, the people should
have a final say in whether that redefinition moves forward or not.
Wrong. In the eyes of government, marriage is a legal contract that
confers certain rights and responsibilities to those that enter into it.
Since it’s a contract, there is no rational basis to discriminate
against certain people — in this case, gay couples — who want to
enter into it. Moreover, we don’t demand referenda on every other
contractual arrangement that DC council votes on, so why suddenly this
one?
The actions that the DC council has taken and may well take in the
future does not redefine marriage. In the religious conception of the
word, marriage remains an arrangement between a man and a woman. The
District’s government is taking absolutely no action to force any
churches or other private institutions to extend the title of marriage
to gay couples. It is simply erasing discrimination that currently
exists in the granting of a legal contract.
There are of course ways in which our democracy can be improved, but
I hardly believe that not holding a referendum on the issue of gay
marriage in the District will somehow deny us all our democratic rights.
If you really hate that your councilmember voted for gay marriage,
organize a petition to get him or her voted out. But don’t try and
demand a referendum where there is absolutely no need for one.
###############
Gary, I’m not sure where you stand on same-sex marriage, i.e.,
marriage equality. This issue should not be about referenda or
initiatives, it’s about civil and human rights, in particular equal
protection guaranteed by the Constitution to all Americans, not only
heterosexuals.
The Bill of Rights and certain subsequent amendments are precisely
about protecting minorities from the tyranny of the majority. These
rights are not subject to the whims of the majority; god help us if they
were. These embedded rights are deemed so important they cannot be
denied period. Otherwise we’d be going back to Jim Crow and
segregation?
As long as gays engage in consensual acts and don’t bother others,
what the hell difference does it matter if they want to marry? Also,
marriage is not simply about sex, but about committed, loving
relationships. By now we all know of gay couples who have lived together
in harmony for many, many years. Is all they do have sex and think of
nothing else?
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Voting Rights Must Be Upheld
K. West, kap9082@aol.com
The voting rights of DC residents must be enforced and the will of
the people heard even when it comes to sensitive issues like the
definition of marriage and the urgency of a ballot measure. What really
needs to happen, though unlikely and probably prohibited, is a good
class action lawsuit that would remove some of the roadblocks
restricting the voice of the people on unsolicited, controversial ballot
measures. There should be some movement or change in legislation that
would require the council or mayor to advance an advisory referendum
based on a reasonable, pragmatic process that would be triggered by a
proportion of the 400,000 plus registered DC voters, Advisory
Neighborhood Commissioners, and/or possibly registered community groups.
It seems like the District currently has some sort of political
censorship whereby only a few things germane to the interest of the
general can make it to the ballot. It is bad enough that one has to
collect signatures, but one cannot even get to that point because of the
gatekeepers and any vested interest some official may appear to have.
Furthermore, the council can overturn people’s will at will, as was
done with the term limits initiative and the campaign contributions
limits initiative. Ballot measures are a great expression of the voice
of the people and can be expressed most ardently at the ballot box. In
the District of Columbia, one is dubbed a “bigot” if that person
wants to put a measure on the ballot that goes against the status quo,
though someone with another position is exalted and given free rein of
the political process. How many citizen-driven initiatives have been
filed, approved, and rejected? What criteria were used for the
controversial ballot measure that passed to eliminate guaranteed
housing, which dampened the city coffers tremendously when homeless
people gravitated to DC from everywhere?
The DC Board of Elections and Ethics guidelines state that “an
Initiative or Referendum may not appropriate funds, violate the Home
Rule Charter, negate a Budget Act, or violate the Human Rights Act.”
To enforce this, the Board is responsible for determining whether a
proposed ballot measure meets those requirements. As a result, the DC
Human Rights Act seems to have become the catchall defense, and if not
that, then the budget act. For example, because the DC Human Rights Act
is one of the most comprehensive in the country, with nineteen protected
classes and more to be added, many issues may be deemed inappropriate
and considered discriminatory. Maybe that is a good thing, or maybe it
is overreaching and problematic. The interpretation of the law is left
to certain individuals; consequently they determine who is heard. It
seems like the 21,000 people required to sign a petition to put a
measure on the ballot should have some say in what goes on the ballot
and what is appropriate. Additionally, the Act states that it is the
intent of the council to secure an end in DC to discrimination for any
reason other than that of individual merit, including, but not limited
to, discrimination by reason of race, color, religion, national origin,
sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities,
matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability,
source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, and
place of residence or business. This makes it a challenge to get
measures on the ballot and may require petitioners to take their cause
to court, hopefully not running into any activist judges.
It seems that there should be some focus and dialogue on what is
marriage for or why it exists in order to give better guidance on what
the definition of marriage should be. Was marriage designed to give
loving partners benefits? Is it to bring two friends together as a
couple? Was it designed to for the purposes of procreation through a
legal union? Does the Domestic Partnership law provide many of the
benefits that are argued that marriage provides that are not allowed to
those outside of legal marriage? Is marriage its way out? Will the legal
right be extended to others that define marriage differently than most
know? Once Pandora’s box is open, what else is subject to come? Can
polygamous groups pursue the same avenue to change marriage or can there
be a ballot measure that puts that aside?
The Board of Elections is made up of people appointed by the mayor
and confirmed by the DC council. Their independence may not be so
independent but they probably try to be. Most of the council and the
mayor appear to be ardent supporters of same-sex marriage, or at least
the media makes it appear that way. There isn’t a full contingent of
members on the Board. A councilmember testified against a referendum
regarding marriage and it was stated that it was quite unusual for a
councilmember to speak before the Board of Elections on an issue. The
powerful appointed Attorney General submitted a letter when the Board
announced additional time to get written testimony. The AG’s letter
spoke against the referendum. So just how would one get a controversial
issue on a ballot to hear the will of the people? At least one group has
praised the leadership’s actions and has distributed a letter to
elected officials (May 11, 2009) stating that they are arming them “with
arguments in response to any criticism you may receive for supporting
equality” in anticipation of the full marriage equality bill that is
likely to be introduced later this year. We wanted to arm you. According
to the letter, “there is little need for any Councilmember to worry
that he or she will lose a reelection bid due to the ill-informed and
misguided opposition of a small minority.” The letter states that a
“majority of the District’s gay population is black, extrapolating
from the fact that about 60 percent of the city’s population is black.
When the referendum on the Jury and Marriage Act (first presented by
and voted on by the DC Council as the “Disclosure to the United States
District Court Amendment Act of 2009”) to pose a question on whether
same-sex marriages should be recognized from other jurisdictions, Judge
Judith E. Retchin stated in her ruling (Case No. 2009 CA 004350 B): “Petitioners’
remedy is to pursue an initiative or to seek redress through the
political process by lobbying the council and by exercising their right
to vote.” All this is to say that citizens should be allowed to have
more opportunity to challenge the public policies of DC officials. That
challenge should be allowed through ballot measures such as referenda or
initiatives. A ballot measure should be allowed on the definition of
marriage and it should be on the ballot box in the General Election
2010. Both sides of the issue are confident that they would win if it
were on the ballot. However, some people are citing civil rights issues
that are angering many people that don’t buy those arguments or
appreciate the analogy. Many do not buy those comparisons to the plight
of African Americans and women in the civil rights movement.
To make it easy on all concerned, the DC council should approve a
measure to put on the ballot based on the authority granted them by
Title 3, Municipal Regulations, Chapter 19, Advisory Referendum Process.
But then, most of the councilmembers have already signaled which way
they are going on the issue and there is a stacked deck that would make
any public hearings at this point a sham or charade. There is a little
mistrust in the open accountable, transparent government brewing.
Jurisdictions all over the country are voting on the definition of
marriage and in the city that champions voting rights and professes that
it is ready to be a state and that it passes so much in taxes, elected
and public officials put up roadblocks to prevent ballot measures on
sensitive and controversial public policy issues. It’s time that the
people be given a chance to voice their opinions. Surely in the nation’s
capital the voice of the people should not be stifled or censored. Even
the President of the USA, in his healthcare debates, realizes that
public opinion and input matter. Democracy isn’t always easy, but it
is the best thing we’ve got in our nation. Democracy must be protected
and preserved, even in the District where there is no vote in Congress.
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Aussies (and Others) Make Up Bogus Facts About
DC
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot dot org
In the last issue, Ed Barron quoted an “interesting” letter from
an Australian firearms enthusiast magazine claiming that show that DC is
25 percent more dangerous than Iraq. One hardly knows where to begin. I’ll
start with the fact that the statistics in question are for monthly
deaths in Iraq versus annual deaths in DC. (It also seems to use the
total homicide figure — not just gun deaths — and from way back in
1990, when DC had 474 total homicides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Washington,_D.C).
The latest annual figure — 2007 — for all homicides in DC is
30.8/100,000 per annum, versus the 80.6/100,000 per annum quoted by Ed.
Thus, even putting aside all the other amateurish errors and fudged
numbers in the “Iraq is safer!” claim, we have a death rate of 720
per 100,000 per annum for soldiers in Iraq, versus 30.8 per 100,000 per
annum in DC — making one 2,238% [sic] more likely to be killed in
Iraq. Oops.
This “Pull out of DC!” canard has been kicking around since at
least 2005, when it was widely circulated in certain reality-challenged
circles to argue how swimmingly things were going in Iraq. (Note that
this makes the “past 22 months” statement in the letter facially
untrue, but I digress.) It took me all of seventeen seconds to find
innumerable debunkings of this and its many variants, including some
quite colorful (not safe for work) observations at http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2005/12/donald_luskin_s.html;
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/2080.html;
and http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/002846.html.
Be sure to read the comments as well as the posts themselves.
In the immortal words of Barbie, “Math class is tough!”
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Extreme Green Neighborhood Makeover Deanwood
Edition
Sylvia Brown, ANC7C04, 7c04@anc.dc.gov
Forty households (individuals and families) in Ward 7’s Deanwood
community have the chance to receive moneysaving home improvements like
an energy audit (worth $500), programmable thermostats, insulation
installation, CFL bulbs, and other minor (and some major) energy
overhauls totaling $1,000 thanks to CarbonFree DC’s Extreme Green
Neighborhood Makeover. All enhancements are free for participants. There
is no income verification. Call 398-5100 to receive an application;
leave name, address, telephone number, and time of call. We’re
continuing to put Deanwood and the greater Deanwood area on the map as
the “home of history and urban nature!”
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The InTowner August Issue Now Online
Peter Wolff, intowner@intowner.com
This is to advise that the August 2009 online edition has been
uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com. Included are
the lead stories, community news items and crime reports, editorials
(including prior months’ archived), restaurant reviews (prior months’
also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes from the
Past” feature (the accompanying images can be seen in the archived PDF
version). The complete issue (along with prior issues back to January
2002) also is available in PDF file format directly from our home page
at no charge simply by clicking the link in the Current and Back Issues
Archive. Here you will be able to view the entire issue as it appears in
print, including all photos and advertisements.
Special Note: We recently introduced a new way for visitors to our
web site to share their comments about our lead stories, the Scenes from
the Past feature, and the Publisher’s Desk commentary simply by
clicking the link at the bottom of each of those pages.
The next issue will publish on September 11 (the second Friday of the
month, as always). The complete PDF version will be posted by the
preceding night or early that Friday morning at the latest, following
which the text of the lead stories, community news, and selected
features will be uploaded shortly thereafter. To read this month’s
lead stories, simply click the link on the home page to the following
headlines: 1) “Historic Courthouse Restoration Seen As Completing the
Judiciary Square Ensemble”; 2) “Adams Morgan MainStreet Gearing Up
for Annual Adams Morgan Day Festival.”
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Edgewood Mural Dedication with Mayor Adrian M.
Fenty, August 24
Lisa Alfred, lalfred@wdchumanities.org
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’ Mayor’s Summer
Youth Employment Program (SYEP) employees were engaged in spaces where
the arts thrive in the city. From boardrooms to classrooms, dance
studios to main stages, these young participants danced under
spotlights, hosted openings in crowded city galleries and produced a
dazzling mural with DC nonprofit Albus Cavus, in the Edgewood Community
in northeast Washington, DC. On Monday, let’s celebrate the completion
of this 4,000 square foot mural designed and painted by the SYEP
participants, the Edgewood community, and some of the world’s most
renowned street artists! Monday, August 24, 4:30-6:30 p.m., 540 Rhode
Island Avenue, NE,
Edgewood Shopping Center Parking Lot.
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DC Media Makers Meeting, August 26
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
At DC Media Makers, we practice what we preach. (see http://tinyurl.com/nm66os)
The next meeting is Wednesday, August 26, at National Public Radio,
635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The meeting
room is right up the spiral stairs on your left as you walk in the main
door at NPR. These meetings are free and are open to anyone. Beginners
are welcome, although some of the conversation might be above their
head. Ongoing questions, answers, and announcements happen on the E-mail
list at http://tinyurl.com/klh4fw
You do not have to attend the meetings to participate in the E-mail
list.
If you get geeky, imagine the doors that will open to you in your
life. I can’t imagine why the DC government hasn’t adopted that as
our community’s slogan: Let’s Get Geeky.
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Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
August 27-28
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
August 27, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Parkview Recreation Center, 693 Otis
Place, NW. Parkview Community Clean-Up for all ages. This clean up day
is to focus on revitalizing our field house, repainting, clean-up and
picking up trash. For more information, call Jennifer Nguyen, Site
Manager, at 576-5750.
August 28, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Kenilworth-Parkside Recreation
Center, 4300 Anacostia Avenue, NE. Bravo Bingo and Smoothie Day for ages
55 and up. Seniors will enjoy cold fruit smoothies while playing bingo.
For more information, call Cassandra Brooks at 724-8934.
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Child Care Centers Are Closing, August 29
Parisa Nourizi, parisa@empowerdc.org
Attend a citywide action summit on DC’s child care crisis on
Saturday, August 29, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A-5 (Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro).
Free garage parking. Light refreshments. Thirteen DC Parks and
Recreation child care centers are to close; hundreds of DC residents in
Wards 6, 7, and 8 will lose their child care, and one hundred sixty
workers will be fired. Children with special needs are going unserved.
Get the facts and take action. Sponsored by Empower DC and Family Voices
of DC.
Adrian Fenty’s fiscal year 2010 budget eliminated funding for the
Early Childhood and Out of School Time programs operating out of
thirteen Department of Parks and Recreation sites, primarily in Wards 6,
7, and 8. The Department of Parks and Recreation has provided Early
Childhood Education services since 1974 and has achieved gold standard
accreditation for its centers. Nearly all of the families served in DPR
centers hold vouchers under the Child Care Subsidy Program. The Council
passed the 2010 budget without restoring the funds for these programs.
The programs are funded from Federal Head Start and Child Care
Development Block Grant monies — not local tax dollars — and operate
under an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Office of the
State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) and the Department of Parks
and Recreation (DPR).
The Mayor has stated his goal is to privatize the child care
services, and interim Parks and Recreation director Ximena Hartsock has
reportedly said that the Department should “not be in the education
business.” After recognizing the harmful impacts impending closures
would have on the community, Councilman Harry Thomas introduced and the
council passed emergency legislation that requires the Mayor to deliver
substantial analysis of what impact the closings and proposed
privatization would have on residents and workers. Councilman Thomas
also held a public hearing on June 29 at which DPR Director Hartsock
failed to appear, and continued the hearing on July 15, still with no
testimony from the Director. Subsequently, the Committee on Libraries,
Parks, and Recreation voted to support a resolution allowing for their
use of subpoena power to compel the DPR Director to appear, and to
continue its investigation of this issue over the course of the summer
recess. Director Hartsock finally testified before the committee on July
27. Video of the testimony can be viewed here: http://oct.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/channel13/july2009/07_27_09_LIBRARIES.asx/
The mayor and Director Hartsock have defied council legislation and
failed to deliver any analysis as required. Additionally, center
directors have been told to freeze enrollment, ready their resumes, and
prepare to close their centers. To get involved in the effort to save
DPR Child Care, or to RSVP for the meeting, contact Parisa Norouzi at
234-9119 or parisa@empowerdc.org.
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The American Quilt: Weaving the District’s
Future, deadline September 15
Lisa Alfred, lalfred@wdchumanities.org
Checkout http://www.theamericanquilt2009.com
to enter our virtual quilting competition. Submit your idea for a quilt
block. Write, draw, or illustrate your unique story and win fantastic
awards from the Textile Museum. This is very easy; you click on the
entries browser and upload your idea, and then ask your friends and
family to vote for you. The five entries with the highest votes will win
great prizes.
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