Does Anyone Here Know How to Play This Game?
Dear Gamers:
Does anyone here know how to play this game? Does anyone remember how
any US territories got statehood? The last states admitted to statehood
were Alaska and Hawaii, in 1959, so the answer may be that no one does.
Certainly no one playing the game in DC has studied statehood movements
that were successful in any territories.
Let me give a hint. No territory seeking statehood ever won it by
trying to organize mass demonstrations against the US federal
government, or by alienating members of Congress, or by making an enemy
of a major national political party. No territory ever advocated for
statehood by trying to show at every turn that its political values were
far out of — if not actually diametrically opposed to — the American
mainstream.
On the contrary, every territory that successfully joined the
American union of states demonstrated its public’s love and affection
for the union, made friends with members of Congress of both major
political parties, and showed either that it would be competitive
politically for both parties or that it could be successfully paired
with another territory seeking statehood so that the current political
balance would be preserved. Every territory showed that it had the
capability of being self-sustaining, even prosperous, on its own. Every
territory proved it was able to govern itself well — as Alaska did by
writing what was universally considered a model state constitution while
it was seeking statehood.
The politicians and groups involved in the statehood and
self-governance movement are heavily influenced by the civil rights
movement in the 1960’s and by the South Africa, antiapartheid movement
led by TransAfrica in DC in the 1980’s. And the tactics that they use
today — protests, rallies, civil disobedience — are the same tactics
used by both earlier movements. But nostalgia for the good old days of
protest movements or jealousy at having been too young to have
participated in the landmark causes of earlier generations is no excuse
for using tactics that are inappropriate, or in fact counterproductive,
for today’s cause.
DC’s political leaders and the leaders of its statehood
organizations consider it demeaning to behave well, to build good
personal relations, and to practice good government. They believe DC
doesn’t need to do these things because DC is owed statehood. So they
would rather demonstrate against the US government, have sit-ins, and
indulge in charades of public disobedience where they will be arrested
by police officers who will be sure to be deferential to them and book
them on the smallest criminal charges. They’ll be celebrated for their
“bravery,” while they neither achieve anything nor put themselves at
risk — a friend pointed out to me today that none of the
councilmembers who practice law (Catania, Cheh, and Evans) risked their
livelihoods by getting arrested themselves. And they can pull off stunts
like this repeatedly, because they’ll be in no danger of achieving the
statehood that they claim to be their goal.
David Weigel, “You’re Under Arrest,” Slate, http://www.slate.com/id/2291028/
Eric Gislason, “A Brief History of Alaska Statehood:
1867-1959,” http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/bartlett/49state.html
History and Cultural Studies, http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=138
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Meeting at the Foxhall Community Room Monday night, a coalition of
neighborhood groups and associations, united in their opposition to
American University’s Campus Expansion plan, voted to extend their
thanks to City Council Chair Kwame Brown for his strong support of their
position. On April 7, Brown wrote a letter to Anthony Hood, Chairman of
the DC Zoning Commission, emphasizing the taxpaying residents’
concerns about the many objectionable conditions that would result from
the Expansion Plan. He urged the Zoning Commission not to consider the
American University Campus plan until the residents had been seriously
heard and taken into account in the plan.
Chairman Brown himself paid a site visit to Westover Place on March
30 and met with representatives from Tenleytown Neighbors, Tenley Campus
Neighbors, Wesley Heights Civic Association, Tenleytown Historical
Society, Foxhall and Westover Place Homeowners Association, and noted
firsthand how placing 770 students in several five-story dormitories on
AU’s current Nebraska Avenue parking lot, just forty feet away from
the backs of existing homes, would horribly impact the taxpaying
residents of those homes. Arriving at the meeting late due to gridlock
on Massachusetts Avenue, he also got to experience at first hand one of
the major concerns of the neighbors — increasing pedestrian and
vehicular traffic feeding into Ward Circle, already a choke point to
north-south Massachusetts traffic and east-west Nebraska Avenue traffic.
The AU plans for development on both Nebraska Avenue and Tenley Circle
will effectively encapsulate Nebraska Avenue, making it the main road
through its campus, and virtually a pedestrian walkway during certain
times of the day as 770 students cross over and back from their proposed
dorms and food establishments.
Other objectionable conditions cited by the residents included
density, crime, parking, and quality of life issues. Said David Fehrmann
of Westover Place, one of the representatives who met with Brown, “Over
the past eighteen months we have met with the DC Office of Planning, the
Dept. of Transportation, the local ANC’s, Ward 3 Representative Mary
Cheh, the candidates running for the Council-At-Large seat and AU. The
urgent concerns of the neighbors have been expressed at multiple joint
meetings. So far AU has turned a deaf ear. Maybe this will help them to
listen and act upon those concerns.” For further information, contact
Susan Farrell, 422-2261, or Mary Ellen Fehrmann, 237-8774.
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[I prepared this testimony for the April 11 city council hearing on
oversight of the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration, but I was
unable to attend it because of an urgent family matter.] To begin, I
would like to thank some of the great people that work at Alcoholic
Beverage Regulation Administration and that serve on the Alcohol
Beverage Control Board. Specifically, ABRA Director Fred Moosally, the
ABRA professional staff, and ABC Board member Mike Silverstein are true
public servants that deserve to be recognized for their commitment to
representing the citizens of the District of Columbia. And thank you,
Chairperson Graham, for supporting these individuals.
However, I share the concerns that were expressed by ANC Commissioner
Charles Reed at the most recent Committee hearing on ABRA. In brief, I
am concerned that the leadership of the ABC Board has made questionable
legal decisions invalidating voluntary agreements and expanding
operations of problematic establishments. Furthermore, I am distressed
that the disposition of the ABC Board’s leadership has changed
drastically under Mr. Brodsky and that he has adopted a confrontational
approach to neighborhoods and an inappropriately defensive approach to
applicants. The reports on WTOP and other media sources that allege that
Mr. Brodsky has used his position to benefit his private business are
quite disturbing. I am relieved and grateful to hear that Mayor Gray
will not reappoint Mr. Brodsky.
In order to restore the tarnished faith in the ABC Board, it is
necessary that Mr. Brodsky’s replacement be a person who can bring a
renewed respect for ANCs, neighborhoods, ethics, and the rule of law.
Mr. Graham, I would ask that you work with ANCs citywide and
particularly the ANCs that have been negatively impacted by Mr. Brodsky’s
behavior to find a suitable replacement. Furthermore, I believe that the
Federation of Citizens Associations and Federation of Civic Associations
can provide valuable input. Chairperson Graham, in closing I would
respectfully ask you reconsider your position on first time liquor
license applications. You have stated that your preference is to give
first time applicants “the benefit of the doubt” by allowing them to
have the full hours for which they apply. In practice, this policy has
allowed for certain operators to take advantage of the system by opening
new venues under new companies. The real impact of this policy is that
owners do not have to be responsible for their previous bad history in a
given neighborhood by forming new organizations. I am eager to work with
your Committee on any of the issues discussed in my testimony. Thank you
for considering my views on ABRA and the ABC Board.
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Taxis, Medallions, Bike Lanes, Etc.
Richard Layman, rlaymandc@yahoo.com
You can be in favor of bike lanes, bike sharing, and other programs
such as bag “taxes” for a variety of reasons. Bike lanes and bike
sharing programs make a lot of sense in terms of congestion management,
active transportation practices which promote health, etc. Regardless of
what Qawi Robinson writes [themail, April 10], it’s a distraction and
a mistake to link these kinds of policies with the specter of the
creation of a taxi medallion system. There is no connection. None. And
if he wants to succeed in opposing the proposed taxi medallion system,
he and others need to be hyper-focused on that fact.
Frequently, I lament that DC doesn’t have a master transportation
plan comparable in scope to that of Seattle or Arlington County. Such a
plan should include coverage of the taxicab industry. If you look at the
Taxicab Commission web page, it is very glaring that there is no overall
plan for the taxicab element of DC’s transportation system. The
proposed taxicab legislation should not be approved in advance of the
creation of an overall transportation plan for this industry. It’s
worse than we think, because the reality is that the proposed taxi
medallion system is a form of political entrepreneurism, where the
proponents convert a license costing a few hundred dollars every couple
years to a permanent license which for all intents and purposes can’t
be revoked, into an asset worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, where
the value of the asset is not reaped by the citizens/DC government, but
by those who have the privilege of being licensed.
This legislation isn’t about creating and supporting a free market,
it’s about taking public assets and privatizing them, where all the
monetary rewards of an increase in the value of the asset are solely
reaped by the licensee. Right now, the city has few barriers to entry to
taxicab licensing. It’s true that this makes it hard for drivers to
make a living because supply tends to be greater than demand as a
result. This problem has been accentuated by the change to a meter-based
system, which no longer allows multiple trips per run, unlike the old
zone system. (Carrying multiple riders should be encouraged, as it is a
more efficient use of the taxi.) However, this can be addressed without
monetizing the value of the licenses and making various taxicab
interests wealthy as a result of legislative diktat. The meter system
can be adjusted so that taxicabs can carry multiple fares. A ceiling on
the number of cabs could be imposed and adjusted annually. Quality
standards can be imposed.
A plan could also provide other incentives/concepts/methods to ensure
service in underserved neighborhoods such as shared taxi
services/jitneys, running regular routes, and maybe with some
transportation subsidy (such services operate in many communities, even
in Montreal, which has three times the population of DC, where it isn’t
cost-effective to provide bus service). Similarly, concerns about the
cost of the MetroAccess system could also be addressed, and the taxi
industry could be involved in providing rides at less cost — further
providing support for taxi service in underserved areas. In short, a
plan for the taxicab industry and its operation in DC should be the
first order of business, and the situation evaluated, before the city
council enacts substantive change to how the industry is operated.
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DPW to Observe Emancipation Day
Kevin B. Twine, kevin.twine@dc.gov
The DC Department of Public Works will observe Emancipation Day,
Friday, April 15, which will affect how certain sanitation and parking
enforcement services will be delivered. Friday’s trash and recycling
collections will be made on Saturday, April 16. Street sweeping will be
suspended on Friday and resume on Monday, April 18. Parking enforcement,
including ticket writing for residential parking, expired meters, street
sweeping, and rush-hour violations will be suspended on Friday and
resume on Saturday, April 16. The Ft. Totten Transfer Station will be
open both Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16. The transfer station is
open to District residents Friday between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., and
on Saturday it is open to residents between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Directions to Ft. Totten, 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE: travel east
on Irving Street, NW, turn left on Michigan Avenue, turn left on John F.
McCormack Road, NE, and continue to the end of the street.
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White House Response to DC Riders Is Tone Deaf
Adam Barr, DC for Obama, info@dcforobama.com
During the 2008 presidential campaign, DC for Obama grew to an
organization of nine thousand members and mobilized a third of its
membership to knock on doors for Barack Obama in early primary states
and battleground states. During the final two months of the general
election, we knocked on one hundred thousand doors in Virginia, helping
to secure a historic win there. Our sixteen thousand members are some of
the President’s earliest and most loyal supporters. Today we are
saying we’ve had enough. We are outraged, and we are pledging to
withhold our support until President Obama does right by the District of
Columbia.
The White House response on the issue of the DC riders included in
the FY11 budget bill has been opaque at best. Tough choices had to be
made? The President had to do some things he didn’t like? He fought
for Planned Parenthood, but he chose not to fight for the women of DC.
It has now come to light that other riders were also included in the
bill, namely the removal of the gray wolf from the endangered species
list. This is coming from the President that promised to bring science
back into the White House. The fact that DC residents and defenseless
animals were singled out in this deal is disappointing, though not
surprising. Both have no representation in Congress, and both are being
treated as expendable. We expected more from President Obama, and we
hope he rectifies these mistakes before it is too late.
The President may think he can win reelection without DC voters, but
he will have his work cut out for him to win the state of Virginia
without DC volunteers. We urge the President to reconsider. Our support
is not unconditional.
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We Need More Anger, Not Less, Over Attacks on
Home Rule
Bill Mosley, billmosley@comcast.net
Gary Imhoff has it exactly backward [themail, April 10] when he slams
Delegate Norton’s “inflammatory” and “counterproductive”
rhetoric in criticizing Congress for imposing school vouchers and
banning DC funding for abortions as part of the deal to prevent the
government from shutting down. We all should be angry at being used as
pawns in the budget negotiations, and especially at the willingness of
our so-called “friends,” President Obama and Senator Harry Reid, to
throw us to the wolves in order to get their deal done (“John, I will
give you DC abortion,” Obama told House Speaker Boehner, according to
the Washington Post). Two hundred years of playing nice has
gotten us nowhere. DC residents need to show some anger about our rights
being trampled in order to get the attention of Congress and the rest of
the country.
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Playing Nice Gets You Nowhere
Malcolm Wiseman, Petworth County, mal@wiseman.ws
I applaud our non-representative in Congress! For several years or
more I’ve been down on Delegate Holmes Norton for what I think are a
softball approach in general and IMHO her misguided efforts and
priorities in support of voting rights in lieu of DC statehood
legislation. Well, she redeemed herself with me in that TV interview
last Friday evening. I don’t remember if she mentioned “statehood,”
but she sure was chewing on the essence of DC statehood. The odious easy
riders open up and illuminate the heart of the tyranny.
If you think how slimy, random, and, yes, even cowardly is this bill,
how can you not be angry? Visibly self-restrained, the Delegate still
sharply delivered her message, making bold in her stance, making the
case. It was a great job of “non-representing!” http://tinyurl.com/3c8sj2a
Also, the cameraman does a good job for her. Thank you, Eleanor!
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Tuesday’s demonstration that supposedly became caught up in the
passion of the moment that then resulted in the arrest of DC elected
officials was one of the more irresponsible and disrespectful acts in
recent memory. Those officials who shook their fist at the capitol dome,
embraced plastics restraints placed on their wrists by non-hostile
police, and who then secured release before the sun came up may have
experienced a feel good moment, but at what cost to DC, and to
integrity. They may believe it played well with DC residents, but I have
a different view. It was a mockery of those who suffered beatings,
broken bodies, imprisonment, and death to secure freedom. Who among
those arrestees paid that price? Who among those arrestees would dare
engage in such pretend conduct, if they faced the real cost risked and
suffered by the martyrs to freedom. A real charlatan moment.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Protest the WaPo’s Education Fraud, April 15
Nathan Saunders, President, Washington Teachers’ Union,
Nsaunders@wtulocal6.net
On Friday, April 15, at 10:30 a.m., educators, parents, and the
community will protest at the Washington Post headquarters, 1150
15th Street, NW, because: 1) the Washington Post ownership of
Kaplan Higher Education, a US education profitmaking firm, creates their
own conflict of interest on education policies; 2) the Washington
Post has buried the truth about education reform in DC; and 3) the Washington
Post endorses IMPACT (test-score centered teacher evaluation) at any
cost. It has consistently discounted the credentials, abilities and
performance of hardworking DC public school professionals while
secreting its own multi-billion dollar defrauding of the Federal
Department of Education loan programs. Kaplan’s revenues, which are
the primary sole of the Post’s survival, fuel the yellow
journalism of the editorial board’s JoAnn Armao, et. al.
Its education stories have been uniquely biased against traditional
public education and labor unions, creating a worse situation. Their
agenda has been about profit, not the people of Washington, DC, or
children. No firewall exists at the Washington Post because its
executives read financial statements and know that, absent Kaplan Higher
Education, they are out of business. Real education reform concepts,
such as the broader, bolder reforms have been banished, while Michelle
Rhee and those who teach to the test are unabashedly embraced. It took USA
Today and other independent investigators to break the test cheating
scandals and fraud stories. Profits motivates them, not education. All
are invited to this rally, designed to speak truth to power for working
people.
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UDC Sustainable Agriculture Conference, April
16
Joe Libertelli, jfl@udc.edu
The University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) College of
Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES)
celebrates Earth Day by hosting the inaugural “International Urban
Sustainability Summit.” The 2011 theme is “FOOD — Sovereignty,
Security, and Justice.” The Summit will take place on Saturday, April
16, from 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m., on UDC’s Van Ness Campus. The
International Urban Sustainability Summit is timely, as it will bring
together experts, grassroots leaders, and members of the community who
are interested in exchanging information and finding out more about fair
and equal access to healthy food options in the urban environment. The
day-long event will feature a collective of diverse speakers,
presenters, and workshop leaders who will provide a broad understanding
of urban sustainability issues. Additionally, the venue will feature “Green”
exhibitors providing information on cutting edge resources, best
practices, community involvement, and the latest Green products. The
event will provide for great networking and it will inform, engage, and
empower attendees to act.
The featured keynote speaker for the occasion is “Green”
innovator and 2008 MacArthur Fellow, Will Allen, founder of Growing
Power — a model urban sustainability program. Will Allen is an urban
farmer who is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of
healthy foods to underserved urban populations.
For more information, including a complete schedule, and to register
for the event, go to http://www.law.udc.edu/events/event_details.asp?id=135905#moremore
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Andrea Cochran at National Building Museum,
April 19
Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org
The National Building Museum celebrates landscape architecture month
with a spotlight on design lecture with landscape architect Andrea
Cochran. The founding principal of California-based Andrea Cochran
Landscape Architecture, Andrea Cochran, FASLA, discusses her firm’s
recent residential and large-scale work, including Curran House and
Allegheny Public Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Cochran’s work is
typified by geometric designs and a seamless integration of landscape,
art, and architecture. Following the lecture, she signs copies of Andrea
Cochran: Landscapes (Princeton Architectural Press). National
Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line).
$12 museum, ASLA, and National Museum of Women in the Arts members; free
students; $20 nonmembers. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in
registration based on availability. To register, visit http://www.nbm.org
or call 272-2448. Tuesday, April 19, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
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Amy Goodman at WPFW Town Hall Meeting, April
21
Ingrid Drake, ingridnatasha@yahoo.com
The WPFW Local Station Board is hosting a town hall meeting next
Thursday, April 21, from 7:00-9:00 p.m., at the Silver Spring Civic
Center at 1 Veterans Place in downtown Silver Spring. To kick it off,
Amy Goodman will provide an update on the attack on public broadcasting.
The purpose of the town hall is for our listeners to tell the board and
station management how your community radio station is meeting your
needs.
The Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, is a
short walk from the Silver Spring metro stop and is accessible from
several bus lines. Parking is free after 6:00 p.m. at the Wayne Avenue
Garage (Garage 60), 921 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring. This activity is
not sponsored by, associated with or endorsed by Montgomery County
Government. For more information, E-mail ingridnatasha@yahoo.com
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Spring Flight Artists Bazaar, May 5
Lionel Thomas, lionellt@artspg.org
The Prince George’s Arts Council (PGAC) is pleased to invite local
artists and artisans to participate in the upcoming Annual Spring Fling
Artists Bazaar on Thursday, May 5, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event
will take place at the University Town Center, Metro Center 3 Building,
Lobby Atrium, located at 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD. The bazaar
will feature original artwork, handmade crafts and other vendors. To
download vendor application, go to http://princegeorgesartscouncil.org
and click on SPRING FLING. The vendor application fee is $75.00. For
more information, please call 301-277-1407 or write to E-mail at elewis@artspg.org.
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