Less than the Minimum
Dear Defenseless Citizens:
I promise this is the last time I’ll write about this subject until
there are further substantive developments, but the city council passed
emergency gun registration legislation yesterday, and on Monday the
Metropolitan Police Department released its emergency and proposed
registration regulations (http://www.dcwatch.com/issues/gun.htm).
You can start to register guns that you already have starting Thursday
(there is an amnesty for illegal firearms you already own), but you won’t
be able to buy a gun for a long time, until the zoning roadblocks that
prevent gun shops from opening are resolved, undoubtedly with “all
deliberate speed.”
The procedures to register a gun that are outlined in the legislation
and the regulations are about as burdensome and as time-consuming as
they could possibly be. Registering a gun will require three trips to
the MPD and two waiting periods of an undetermined and unlimited length.
Yet, at yesterday’s legislative session, councilmembers proposed
adding future requirements to make it even more difficult to purchase
and own a gun, including the possibility of making gun owners go through
the registration process annually.
A requirement in the current legislation that is probably
constitutional, but that is impractical and useless, is that all guns be
tested ballistically before registration. Most states don’t have that
requirement. In Maryland, which does, the Maryland State Police asked
the state legislature nearly four years ago to stop funding the program
because it hasn’t been useful in a single criminal case (http://doubletap.cs.umd.edu/~purtilo/ibis.pdf).
Maryland, by the way, requires manufacturers to provide a ballistics
test with a new gun; if DC did that it would save the cost and the delay
of having the MPD do the testing of new guns.
Among the requirements that defy the Supreme Court’s decision and
invite lawsuits are the limitation that an individual can register only
one gun; the prohibition of almost all semiautomatic handguns, which DC
defines as machine guns; and the prohibition of shotguns with barrels
shorter than twenty inches, when many common shotguns have eighteen-inch
barrels. In addition, two provisions not only flout the Supreme Court’s
decision but also protect violent, aggressive criminals from victims who
would attempt to defend themselves: the requirement that guns in a home
for self-defense must be kept in an inoperable condition and the
limitation that guns can be used for self-defense only after an intruder
has already entered the house. (If a home invader is breaking down your
door or smashing your window, you have to wait until he is fully inside
your house before you start to assemble and load your gun. This is the
government’s way of providing fair play for felons.)
In the city council discussion of the gun legislation, Ward Six
Councilmember Tommy Wells denigrated the Second Amendment as an
antiquated part of the Constitution that should be repealed, and not a
single member of the city council spoke in favor of and in defense of
the Bill of Rights. But in the end all the councilmembers agreed with
the Fenty administration that they would do only the minimum — or much
less than the minimum, until they were forced by future lawsuits to do
the minimum — to respect the Second Amendment rights of residents of
the District of Columbia.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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WMATA and Council Accountability
Dino Drudi, dino.drudi@bls.gov
[An open letter to Councilmembers Vincent Gray and Jim Graham] On
Monday, I had to go home from the office for a medical appointment. I
arrived at the northbound 80 bus stop at North Capital Street and
Massachusetts Avenue just before noontime and learned some passengers at
the bus stop had been waiting since 11:20 a.m. Two 80 busses that were
past due had not yet come. At noontime, when the third bus was due, two
busses came back to back.
This message’s purpose, though, is not to rail about poor service
or report a specific example of it (I often send WMATA comment cards),
but to suggest that WMATA’s service is so bad because of poor
administration and lack of accountability associated with the WMATA
Board. (In my testimony against the fare increase and my most recent
comment card, I urged that the general manager be dismissed and/or the
WMATA Board resign).
The WMATA Board is structured so as to shield itself from
accountability. The DC council is represented on the WMATA Board by a
ward councilmember. Because I am from a different ward, if I am
unsatisfied with WMATA’s performance, I cannot vote him out. He only
has a compelling political need to respond to constituent complaints
about WMATA from residents of his ward. In former times, the norm was to
choose an at-large councilmember, who answers to the entire city, to
serve on the WMATA Board, such as the late, esteemed Hilda Mason, or
David Catania, instead of a ward councilmember.
If I wish to hold someone accountable in the primary or general for
WMATA’s poor performance, I am forced to hold the council chairman
accountable because, as chairman, he is ultimately accountable for the
council’s policy, and he presumably chose a ward, rather than an
at-large, councilmember for the WMATA Board. This kind of indirect
accountability reduces representative government to a sham.
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Professionals in the City just released Washington, DC, for Singles:
A Guide to Singles’ Events and Dating in the Nation’s Capital. To
download a free copy, please visit http://www.washingtondcforsingles.com.
This guide includes such information as Twenty Best Places to Take a
First Date in DC, Ten Hottest Clubs or Lounges to Meet Singles in DC,
Ten Best Happy Hours for Singles in DC, Ten Best Places to Find People
After Midnight, Ten Romantic Spots in DC, and more.
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Summer Pleasures, Part 2
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
In Sunday’s issue of themail, I wrote about a few of the summer
pleasures Gary and I enjoy in DC. Here are some additional things that
make warm weather a pleasure:
The Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife
Georgia Avenue’s Caribbean parade and festival
Picnicking on the lawn at a Wolftrap concert
Barbecue at home or at Urban Bar-B-Que in Rockville or Silver Spring
The DC Council goes on summer recess
Mule-drawn boat rides on the C & O Canal in Georgetown
The outdoor seafood buffet at Phillips Restaurant on the southwest
waterfront
Thursday evening concerts in Farragut Square Park in May and June
Taste of Bethesda, even though it occurs after Labor Day (October 4 this
year)
Blockbuster movies at Bengies Drive-In in Baltimore (http://www.bengies.com)
Brown bag lunches, and sometimes even lunchtime concerts, in our city’s
downtown urban parks and green spaces — Franklin Square, McPherson
Square, Dupont Circle, the Georgetown waterfront, the plaza at the
Ronald Reagan Building, Freedom Plaza
Your additions to this list are welcome.
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[Reply to “Summer Pleasures,” themail, July 13] Please, please
check out the hundreds, maybe thousands, of lotuses and water lilies at
Kenilworth Gardens in northeast. It’s a national park, with many more
visitors from out of state than from DC. The flowers usually hit their
peak around the second or third week in July. It’s a nice area for a
picnic, too.
[Another correspondent who wants to remain anonymous suggests both
Screen on the Green and jazz in the Sculpture Garden at the Hirshhorn
Museum on Friday nights. — Gary Imhoff]
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I suggest that if the mayor wants to eliminate the requirement for
multiunit dwelling developers to provide sufficient parking, he should
also eliminate the right of residents of those buildings to be eligible
for Residential Parking Permits. Owners of buildings must affirmatively
inform new purchasers or tenants that they cannot get RPP’s. Those new
homeowners or tenants could then make an informed decision about living
in that building. Maybe they don’t need parking. Problem solved.
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Against Cars or for a Balanced System?
Harold Goldstein, mdbiker@goldray.com
On the matter of balance between the auto and public transportation,
Gary argues that the people have spoken and that the people prefer their
cars. Well, that is not quite true, because in this country we have
never had a level playing field. We have overly subsidized the
automobile and made its use so much more convenient than public
transportation so that no other outcome was possible.
Most European cities have a level playing field, and you’ll find
the modal splits there reflect that. If we had a true balanced public
transportation system that was convenient and easy to use, then the
people would use it in more significant numbers. Our Metro system is not
a convenient system in that it only serves well for a small fraction of
potential trips.
Finally do not blame planners for everything. The planner is not a
decision maker and often has his hands tied.
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Car Talk
Gabe Goldberg, gabe at gabegold dot com
Mark Eckenwiler said [themail, July 13], “We need to drive
ourselves, our kids, and our elderly relatives plenty of places and at
plenty of times when and where Metro isn’t an option. But I fail to
see why we should continue to bear the burdens imposed by inconsiderate
and at times dangerous drivers from the suburbs.”
I live and work between Falls Church and Annandale (that’s in
Virginia, for you DC residents who consider the suburbs too dangerous
and inconsiderate to visit). I’m about a twelve-minute drive from the
Dunn Loring Metro stop, whose parking lot is full by 8:00 a.m. on
weekdays. So Metro works when I need to be downtown early, but it is
iffy (and, as always, pricey) for midday trips. I’m also about
eighteen minutes from DC driving on Route 50, so that’s appealing.
If Metro doesn’t work because its parking lot is full or likely to
be full, and DC makes it unpleasant to drive downtown, I’ll come
downtown less. And I’ll stop being inconsiderate and at times
dangerous, by spending money in DC and supporting DC companies,
businesses, and organizations. It’s not DC’s fault that there’s
inadequate parking at suburban Metro stops. And I’m told that six
hundred fifty spaces will be added to Dunn Loring — which will likely
delay its filling until maybe 8:30 a.m. But DC is at the center of the
region and should support the regional infrastructure by allowing people
to visit for business and pleasure. Calling this obligation, “[bearing]
the burdens imposed by inconsiderate and at times dangerous drivers from
the suburbs” seems a bit . . . provincial.
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I agree with Gary (themail, July 13). If you make it difficult to use
cars, how do you expect to have rescue vehicles reach people on
congested streets? If it is difficult for the cars to move, how can they
get out of the way when an emergency vehicle sounds an alarm? Those who
would like for the city to become one giant pedestrian way better hope
that bicycles can be made big enough to carry people on a gurney to a
hospital, or perhaps a personal jet pack will do. Any attempts to
curtail cars will certainly curtail any and all sorts of means of
providing transportation or services by vehicles. Perhaps the same
planners who are dreaming up these scenarios against cars are the same
ones who were in the forefront of eliminating streetcars in the city.
Causing obstructions to slow the influx of cars into or around the
city would make terrorists salivate at such a big juicy target. People
would be caught like rats in a barrel, unable to escape and unable to
seek shelter. Placing curbs on cars would be harmful to the livelihood
of people. Restaurants, hotels and motels, stores, food stores, sporting
arenas, etc., would all be highly affected. In fact, they would be out
of business because they could not get what they needed to conduct
business in a timely fashion.
What is really needed is solid planning and thinking on ways to
control the amount of cars into and about the city, not curtailing cars
by creating congested roadways. Parking enforcement, garages, stopping
government from providing free parking, and improving both inter- and
intramodal transportation all have to be thought through with planned
improvements. Then and only then will this city enjoy traffic controlled
as it should be.
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I agree with Gary’s assessment of the Fenty Administration’s
efforts regarding cars, city planners, and DC residents. Its stick seems
to be more prevalent than its carrot. Over the last decade, the District
government has emphasized attracting couples with dual incomes and no
kids, and single, young professionals by enabling the construction of
new high-end condo buildings and condo conversions of single family
homes, along with a proliferation of coffee shops. The city appears to
have lost sight of families that were already here.
Imagine a parent having to shop for groceries for a family of five
without a car and having to rely on buses or the subway for round trip
travel from a home that is blocks from the nearest transit stop. That
parent would need to do that routine two or three times per week because
a person can only carry so many grocery bags on crowded public
transportation.
Or picture the economic choice for a family of five considering
riding Metro to its DC destination. The cost would be fifteen to
twenty-two dollars, versus zero to fifteen dollars for driving and
parking on the street or in a garage. Without kids, it’s a simple
economic choice — catch Metro. With kids, you have a dilemma because
you end up driving in circles trying to park on the street. If the Fenty
administration were truly family (and DC resident) friendly, it would
model itself after the revitalized downtown Silver Spring. It would
build centrally located parking towers with parking meters inside at
sites like the old DC convention center. A parking tower there would
ease the congestion of cars driving around looking for affordable
parking downtown and in Chinatown. Moreover, parking meters add direct
revenue to the city, and revenue seems to be a great driver of
transportation decision-making for the District government. However, I
believe there’s a greater chance of a commuter tax getting passed —
after which the Administration would probably begin tearing apart
neighborhoods to expand roads and increase tax revenue.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Fun Family Films Under the Stars, July 18-20
John A. Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
The District’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will hold
“Fun Family Films Under The Stars,” its 2008 Family Movie Night
Season, this summer. “Fun Family Films Under The Stars,” which
continues until late-September, will afford residents of all ages and
families of all sizes the opportunity to enjoy viewing the free,
family-oriented films in DPR’s outdoor settings. As in previous years,
viewers are invited to bring their own snacks, chairs, and blankets.
This year, District residents will have a greater selection of viewing
locations. Movies will be shown from 8:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Community members who arrive early enough for each screening will
have the opportunity to place a vote between two movies that may be
shown that evening. The movie that receives the most votes will be
shown.
Friday, July 18, Brentwood Recreation Center, 2311 14th Street, NE
Friday, July 18, Kelly Miller Recreation Center, 601 49th Street, NE
Saturday, July 19, Langdon Park Recreation Center, 2901 20th Street, NE
Saturday, July 19, Bald Eagle Recreation Center, 1801 MLK Jr., Avenue,
SW
Sunday, July 20, Florida Park, 1st Street and Florida Avenue, NW
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National Building Museum Events, July 25
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
Friday, July 25, 6:30 p.m., Special Dance Performance Day 1: Mortar
and Muscle: Animating Architecture. Participate in a dance-based “scavenger
hunt” and watch Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and guest performers in
site-specific, choreographed dance pieces that are inspired by the
Museum’s shape, meaning, and history. Free. Registration required. 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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Limb Labs: Getting Amputee Soldiers Back to
Work After World War I, July 24
Tim Clarke, Jr., timothy.clarke@afip.osd.mil
Join a discussion about early efforts to standardize and construct
affordable prosthetic arms and legs for amputee soldiers by orthopedic
surgeons in America and England during World War I. Speakers: Beth
Linker, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, University of
Pennsylvania; and Jeffrey Reznick, Ph.D., Honorary Research Fellow in
the Center for First World War Studies at the University of Birmingham
and Director of the Institute for the Study of Occupation and Health,
AOTF.
Thursday, July 24, 2:00-3:30 p.m., in Russell Auditorium, in the
National Museum of Health and Medicine/AFIP, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW,
Building 54, on the campus at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Parking
available; photo ID required. Free; coffee served. For more information,
call 782-2200 or visit http://www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum.
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Author Talk on the Evolution Debate, August 6
John Umana, jumanabeth@aol.com
Author and trial attorney John Umana will discuss his book, Creation:
Towards a Theory of All Things, concerning the debate between Darwinism
and Intelligent Design, and whether aspects of these theories are
reconcilable. He will also discuss whether there is life on Mars or
other worlds. Wednesday, August 6, 7:00 p.m., at Watha T. Daniel-Shaw
Interim Library, 945 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, telephone 671-0267.
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CLASSIFIEDS — DONATIONS
Support the American Heart Association
Bruce Johnson, bjohnson@wusa9.com
You know that years ago I had a massive heart attack and survived
only after the incredible efforts of my cameraman in the field, the
staffs at Greater Southeast and the Washington Hospital Center. Everyone
knows someone affected by heart disease or stroke. For those I love, I
will be walking in this year’s Start Heart Walk. I have set a personal
goal to raise funds for the American Heart Association and need your
help to reach my donation goal. We are raising critical dollars for
heart disease and stroke research and education.
You can help me reach my goal by making a donation online. Click on
http://heartwalk.kintera.org/dc/bjohnson?faf=1&e=1799854808 and you
will be taken to my personal donation page at the American Heart
Association, where you can make a secure online credit card donation.
The American Heart Association’s online fundraising web site has a
minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you prefer to donate less, you can
do so by sending a check directly to me.
Your donation will help fight our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers
— heart disease and stroke. You are making a difference. Thank you for
your support.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Litigation Assistant
Jonathan L. Katz, jon at markskatz dot com
Highly rated criminal defense lawyer in the news seeks litigation
assistant with minimum one year successful private law firm litigation
experience. Rewarding and excellently compensated work and career growth
for first-rate work. Silver Spring, near Metro station. Please see http://markskatz.com/jobs.htm
or full details. Please apply immediately with one-page resume, targeted
cover letter and salary and benefits history to Jon Katz, jon at
markskatz dot com.
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