Howdy Doody
Dear Peanut Gallery:
My earliest clear memory, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who has
read themail over the past several years, is of the day that my parents
had their first television set delivered. I was three years old, and
when the set was turned on and tuned in the first picture that I saw was
magic and entrancing: Howdy Doody and Mr. Bluster, engaged in one of
their many arguments. Since in those long-ago golden days children were
not expected to waste their youths going to preschool and kindergarten,
for the next three years I was able to spend my afternoons productively,
watching Howdy and Kate Smith and half-hour Veg-A-matic commercials. I
fell in love with Princess Summerfall Winterspring, cheered on Howdy,
and laughed at Clarabell’s pratfalls.
I’ve been watching Howdy Doody DVD’s recently, and seeing things
that I missed as a child. Dayton Allen, who provided the voices for
several puppets and also played several human characters, had an antic, non
sequitur sense of humor, and his ad libs would frequently
bring Buffalo Bob Smith to the edge of breaking up during the show.
Once, as Flubadub, the indescribable puppet made of mixed animal parts,
Allen invited another character to join Howdy and him for a campfire
dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, “either rare or without asparagus.”
You either find that hilarious or you are baffled by it; there’s no in
between. I’ve also come to realize that Howdy Doody shaped not just my
sense of humor, but also my understanding of politics. Phineas T.
Bluster, the blustering, self-important, scheming, ill-intentioned
character who was Howdy’s nemesis, was in fact the mayor of Doodyville;
his plans always benefited himself at the expense of the residents of
Doodyville, and his intrigues and machinations were always so
transparent that even the youngest kids in the front row of the peanut
gallery could see through them.
Here’s a joke for you that is worthy of Dayton Allen. As you know,
Congress has passed a bill proposed by Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton
that exempts the government of the District of Columbia from the
provisions of the federal Hatch Act as soon as the city passes its own
version of a Hatch Act. The “Prohibition on Government Employee
Engagement in Political Activity Act of 2009,” Bill 18-460, has ten
councilmembers as cosponsors. The act pretty closely follows the federal
Hatch Act except for Section 3(b), which says, “This act shall not
apply to employees of the District of Columbia Courts, Members of the
Council, or the Mayor.” While the wording of this provision may seem
ambiguous, it isn’t being interpreted ambiguously; it’s being
interpreted as exempting not just councilmembers and the mayor, but
also as exempting employees of councilmembers and the mayor, from its
provisions. In other words, under the District’s new Hatch Act,
councilmembers and the mayor will be able to employ staff members to run
their political campaigns and collect campaign funds for them, and they
will be able to force their employees to do political work for them as a
condition of their jobs. It’s not a Hatch Act at all; it’s a sham
that could have been hatched by Mayor Bluster himself.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Washington is one of the few large municipal jurisdictions in the
United States that doesn’t have an office or set of laws to protect
and advocate for consumers effectively. The one exception is in the area
of utilities. Since 1975, the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC) and
independent agency of the District government, has served as an “advocate
for consumers of natural gas, electric, and telephone services in the
District” (http://wwww.opc-dc.gov).
Currently serving her sixth three-year term as the People’s Counsel,
Elizabeth “Betty” Noel has been a highly regarded civil servant who
has worked tirelessly to educate, protect, and represent DC utility
ratepayers (http://www.opc-dc.gov/about/meet-the-peoples-counsel).
Currently, for example, OPC is opposing Pepco’s $51.7 million rate
increase request before the Public Services Commission; OPC is calling,
instead, for a decrease in current Pepco rates of $10.4 million. In
October, OPC and Washington Gas reached a $2.8 million settlement
agreement in which the utility will replace aging sections of its
service lines, which have been identified as susceptible to potential
leaks.
It is against this backdrop of success that last week Mayor Fenty
sent the nomination of Vicky Beasley as People’s Counsel to the
council (PR 18-579), to replace Noel. Beasley is currently a corporate
attorney with the law firm of Patton Boggs and has no knowledge or
expertise in administrative law, utility regulation, or consumer issues.
According to her biography (http://www.pattonboggs.com/vbeasley),
her area of practice is business (financial services and products,
private capital, and investment funds), mergers and acquisitions, and
real estate. The law firm’s web site states that Beasley, “advises
clients on financial service matters involving corporate acquisitions
and divestitures, including mergers, stock and asset transfers,
corporate reorganizations, venture capital transactions and joint
ventures.”
Footnote: on Saturday, the Office of the People’s Counsel and the
DC Department of the Environment held an Energy Expo at the Convention
Center. Beasley attended, but would only speak with the exhibiting
vendors. She refused Noel’s offer to introduce her to the OPC staff,
and she refused to speak with me regarding her nomination. She did
indicate that her confirmation hearing has been scheduled by
Councilmember Muriel Bowser, a Fenty ally and Chair of the Committee on
Public Services and Consumer Affairs, for November 20, although that
hearing does not appear on the council calendar and no notice of it has
been given to the public.
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DC Public Property Reform in the Balance
Dave Mallof, mallof@verizon.net
Public property reform is a litmus test for whether the currently
insulated and incorrigible elected leaders in the Wilson Building should
continue to govern the District of Columbia. Every year DC “surpluses”
hundreds of millions of dollars of precious DC public facilities and
land, yet it’s been nearly two years since Councilmember Harry Thomas
first introduced his Public Property Reform Bill to provide for real
community input, and to require more businesslike and thoughtful
analysis by the Executive in a fully transparent manner before
surplusing and disposal of DC’s generational assets takes place. Then-Councilmember
Carol Schwartz promised reform in 2006 and again when Councilmember
Thomas introduced his bill last year, but quite intentionally let it all
die along with her elected office in 2008. She certainly lost some
pivotal votes from many residents like me specifically because she
stalled promised reforms.
This year Mr. Thomas proposed his legislation again as Bill 18-76.
Since then, Councilmember Mary Cheh has frequently promised that her
Government Operations Committee would bring about true reform in 2009.
After a May public hearing on the Thomas bill, in September her
committee belatedly gave it a big buzz cut, and weakened it excessively.
EmpowerDC, your and my impressive and honorably guileless hometown
grassroots advocacy group for the non-elites who call DC home, attempted
to revive the bill’s meaningful reforms in October with limited
success. EmpowerDC still is requesting added amendments to bring the
bill back as true and effective reform. Last week, the Federation of
Citizens Associations of DC, of which I am first Vice President, and the
respected Committee of 100 for the Federal City sent a joint letter to
the council endorsing the current Cheh Bill together with all the
proposed EmpowerDC amendments.
The pivotal markup of the bill is now tentatively rumored to
occur at 2:00 p.m. this coming Thursday, November 19. It is imperative
that citizens turn out in force by phone, E-mail, and in person to
demand the reform bill now with no further delays or dilutions. In
particular, it is imperative that public notice of the intent to dispose
of public facilities and land be adequate and prior, and that the
Executive must provide an analysis and the reasons why disposal into
private hands is justified rather than continued alternate public use(s).
Councilmember Wells is rumored to be against this. I wonder why. The
bill must include a private right of action for citizens to seek relief
in court if the executive does not hold a required public hearing, or if
the executive does not disclose the required analysis. If it’s good
enough for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal statutes to
protect the public and moderate an incorrigible legislature and
executive, then this is good enough for DC. (Of course, sunset or repeal
is acceptable once Wilson’s ways are mended and the new law’s
procedural modus operandi takes hold.)
The role of a Master Facilities Planning Committee, which has long
been in the current law but never constituted by the DC government, has
been clarified and must be constituted, especially in light of
the continuingly flimsy, even laughable, analysis for facilities
planning and long-range priorities coming from the Executive. All told,
the required fiscal impact of the bill is rumored to have been
calculated by the Chief Financial Officer’s staff to be a pittance: an
incremental cost of $30,000 per year, in stark contrast to millions in
property disposed of without notice, sometimes on an “emergency”
basis. When was the last time you saw anything considered by the council
that had so few zeros? Yet last week we began are hearing surreal
comments emanating from Wilson that that the fiscal impact of the bill
somehow must be zero in order to pass it. This is absurd governance
logic — or cynically much worse — coming from our repeatedly
spendthrift, usually analytically lazy, and frequently opaque elected
leadership. The council should be very careful about continuing to such
absurd and manipulative rhetoric this week. Reform in the management,
use, and disposal of DC’s valuable public assets can wait no longer. I
suspect those in Wilson who do not step up substantively by year end
face electoral peril in 2010.
###############
It seems that few people are choosing to submit any items for themail
recently, for whatever reason. Perhaps that could be a topic for
discussion. Secondly, it appears that no one gives a c**p about whether
DC is providing the basic services needed by those most in need of them.
There have been no responses to either my inquiry about the problems
with HIV/AIDS services in DC or my comment about cutbacks in services
for the homeless — though I do see that HUD is threatening to withhold
its money for HIV/AIDS services in DC due to the problems with the DC
programs. Very discouraging.
###############
HIV/AIDS Prevention Education Training Must
Become Systematic at HASTA
Samuel Jordan, Health Care Now!, samunomas@msn.com
It’s been three years now since Health Care Now! submitted an
unsolicited proposal containing a series of recommendations to what was
then the DC Department of Health’s HIV AIDS Administration (DOH HAA),
now called HIV/AIDS STD and Tuberculosis Administration (HASTA). The
proposal advised the agency to: 1) determine the nature and quality of
the HIV/AIDS training received by agency staff and that of the staff of
the agency’s partner community based organizations (CBO); 2) require
successful completion of standardized, certified basic HIV/AIDS
prevention education for all agency staff and the staff of partner CBOs
found to lack such training; 3) maintain accurate records of training
and professional development of agency staff scheduling periodic
refresher programs assuring that staff are current in latest
developments in HIV/AIDS prevention methodologies; and 4) grade all
partner CBOs on the number/percentage of staff with required training
making agency grants and program participation also dependent on their
staff training grade.
HAA refused to respond, not once but twice, to the proposal or to
adopt and implement the recommendations using in-house staff. Simple in
its concept and execution, the proposal may be more critical now than
ever. The DC HIV/AIDS epidemic has not abated, although the state of
community knowledge on HIV/AIDS prevention has been improved somewhat by
the work of numerous CBOs, including those targeting teens and former
inmates. However, recent news reports suggest the HIV/AIDS programs in
DC public and public charter schools are inconsistent and often of poor
quality in their content and effectiveness in translation to the
language of young adults. In addition, HASTA can’t yet boast of
superior or systematic programs being conducted in or by faith
communities, seniors’ programs (seniors represent an explosive
demographic infected by HIV), for out of school youth in community
settings and young women of childbearing age (African American women,
teenaged to late twenties, exhibit the highest rates of new
infections.).
While the responsibility for public HIV/AIDS education should be
undertaken by all DC agencies having any contact whatever with the
general public including DOH, schools, criminal justice for youth and
adults, even transportation, DMV and DOES, HASTA is charged most
directly and must employ the very best practices. These practices should
insure that all HASTA staff and those of its community partners are on
the same page and capable of the most accurate and informed
communication of the HIV/AIDS prevention message. While comprehensive
and insightful, even the recent DC Appleseed Center’s Fifth HIV/AIDS
Report Card (August, 2009) did not promote a systematic, same-page
HIV/AIDS training program for HASTA, other DC government staff, and
community partners. Such training is assumed and therefore easily
overlooked.
Two years ago, Health Care Now! developed and conducted a program
called PeerSafe in an area high school. The PeerSafe project was founded
on the premise that the best mode of communication among youth is by
word of mouth — from peers. Every two weeks, the program trained eight
to twelve students, lured by pizza and juice, to enter, then rapidly
disengage from informal groupings of their peers after expressing three
basic principles of HIV/AIDS prevention: what is HIV and how is it
transmitted, how HIV infection can be prevented, and where to get
tested. A few tried and succeeded. They used the language of their
communities and school to enter and exit settings where they were not
invited. Such a setting occurred when a PeerSafe student overheard a
group of his school mates planning a really stupid party after a coming
basketball game. The PeerSafe intervenor left the PeerSafe message with
some apprehension but dared to do so anyway. The moment was triumphant.
That HASTA must step up its education efforts beginning with its own
staff and that of its community partners was brought home to me with
great urgency during the PeerSafe experience. One young man in the
program was quite generous in the tips he offered to make our goals
easier to accomplish. He insisted with irrepressible, teen-aged
self-assurance that, “You can’t catch AIDS if you keep your mouth
shut while having sex.” His continued commentary was most chilling:
“I’ve tried it and it works.” Profound ignorance is the beating
heart of an avoidable epidemic.
###############
Do Red Light Cameras Reduce or Increase
Accidents?
Thomas Grahame, tgrahame@mindspring.com
This article, based on research by the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles,
looks at the issue in Los Angeles, and finds red light cameras increase
accidents, http://cbs2.com/goldstein/Red.Light.Cameras.2.1301941.html.
Apparently, any decrease in accidents due to fewer people running lights
is countered by a larger increase in accidents when people slam on their
brakes when they see the cameras, and then get rear ended.
Keep in mind, this article doesn’t analyze the effects of cameras
looking at speeding violations, versus red light cameras.
###############
November InTowner Content Now Available
Online
P.L. Wolfe, intowner@intowner.com
This is to advise that the November 2009 on-line edition has been
uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com. Included are
the lead stories, community news items, 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). Effective with this issue the Selected Street Crimes feature
is no longer included in the print edition but instead is available
exclusively on our web site by clicking the Street Crimes button
directly below that for Community News. A particular advantage for
readers is that these reports are being archived in that section back to
July 3, 2009. It should be noted, however, that at the time this
advisory circulates uploading of the most recent reports may not have
been completed, although we expect that it will be within approximately
48 hours.
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 & Back Issues
Archive. Here you will be able to view the entire issue as it appears in
print, including all photos and advertisements. The next issue will
publish on December 11th (the 2nd 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) “Logan Circle Holiday House
Tour to Feature an Eclectic Mix of Homes from Contemporary Condo to
Adaptive Re-use to 19th Century”; 2) “Ambitious Proposal for 14th
Street Improvements Face DC Development Office Uncertainty.”
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An Important Electoral Policy Issue
George Ripley, grassrootsunity@juno.com
In his recent post, “Incrementalism and the Responsibilities and
Purview of DC’s Attorney General” [themail, November 11], Richard
Layman disagrees with Councilmember Mendelson’s recommendation for the
AG position to be elected at the same time as the mayor, saying “I
would prefer that the election for this office be held in the off-mayor
election year, in order to boost interest in an election cycle that
typically sees lower voter participation.”
I totally agree with his position. Furthermore, and perhaps more
importantly, this would make it more difficult to politicize the role of
the Attorney General, for instance, by linking it to the election of a
powerful mayor and old buddy. Issues like this can matter a great deal.
I hope enough citizens, knowledgeable and determined, are beginning to
watchdog and act on this sort of thing.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Art Salon: Poetry in Motion, November 18
Lisa Alfred, dcchaevents@gmail.com
Join the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for Art Salon:
Poetry In Motion. This month we explore the worlds of poetry and motion
graphics. Poetry — strict or free flowing, breathing words through
rhythm and meter — has the power to make us laugh, cry, or start a
revolution. On November 18, four talented poets will present their works
against a backdrop created through motion graphics. Poetry, one of our
most ancient forms of communication, and motion graphics, one of our
youngest, join together at our next Art Salon to have a conversation.
Art Salon is modeled after the Paris salons of the late nineteenth
century to inspire and provoke the minds of the creative community.
Each month, we gather at a different location. This month, we invite
you to converge at Long View Gallery, 1234 9th Street, NW, on Wednesday,
November 18, 7:00-9:00 p.m., for an event featuring poets Kyle Dargan,
Tala Abu Rahmeh, Abdul Ali, and Sami Miranda and graphic art courtesy of
the Motion Graphics Festival ’09. For more information and to RSVP,
contact: dccahevents@gmail.com.
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Homeschool Day at the National Building
Museum, November 18
Sara Kabakoff, skabakoff@nbm.org
November 18, 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Homeschool Day. Join us for the
Museum’s first ever Homeschool Day! Individual students are invited to
participate in interactive programs like Green by Design that complement
curricula in math, science, social studies, language arts, music, and
art. Come explore the built environment by becoming city planners,
designers, and engineers. $10 per child, per program. Prepaid
registration required. At the National Building Museum, 401 F Street,
NW, Judiciary Square Metro station. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
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Department of Parks and Recreation Events,
November 17-20
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
November 17, 10:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Old Post Office Pavilion, 1100
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Feed to Serve Food Drive for ages six and up.
Community Unity in partnerships Metropolitan Area “Feed To Serve
Annual Food Drive,” sponsored by WHUR-FM. For more information, call
Raphael Marshall, Site Manager at 698-3075.
November 17, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Sherwood Recreation Center, 640
10th Street, NE. The “56ers” Teen Council — Caring Hearts Harvest
Meal for ages thirteen and up. Patrons from local shelters will gather
to enjoy a harvest meal with the 56’ers and the Supreme Teen Club. For
more information, call 673-3075.
November 19, 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m., Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601
Connecticut Avenue, NW. Ward 3 Holiday Potluck. Staff will bring a
variety of delicious dishes. For more information, call Ralph Wright at
282-2204.
November 19, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Lamond Recreation Center, 20
Tuckerman Street, NE. Thanksgiving Feast for ages six and up. The
community will come together for the Thanksgiving season to enjoy food
and music. For more information, call Kim Campbell at 576-9541.
November 20, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., Takoma Community Center, 300 Van
Buren Street, NW. Senior Luncheon for ages and up. Seniors will enjoy
lunch and fellowship for the Thanksgiving season. For registered
participants only. For more information, call 576-7068.
November 20, 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Volta Park Recreation Center, 1555
34th Street, NW. Thanksgiving Basket Food Drive for all ages. The
Supreme Teen Club, along with the community, will drop off nonperishable
food to needy families. For more information, call Shirley Debrow or CM
Anderson at 282-0380.
November 20, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Bald Eagle Recreation Center, 100
Joliet Street, SW. Lights Fashion Action Show for all ages. Bald Eagle
will host the first ever adult fashion show. Light refreshments will be
served. For more information, call Margie Robinson, Site Manager, at
645-3960.
November 20, 2009, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Langdon Park Recreation
Center, 2901 20th Street, NE. Skate Party for all ages. Kids will enjoy
a skate party with friends. For more information, call T-Jai Farmer,
Site Manager, at 576-6595.
November 20, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Lafayette Recreation Center, 5900
33rd Street, NW. After School Recreation Access Pot Luck for ages five
through thirteen. Youth enrolled in the After School Recreation Access
program will participate in a potluck to celebrate the Thanksgiving
Holiday. For more information, call Mike Thompkins at 282-2206.
November 20, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Douglass Community Center,
Frederick Douglass Court and Stanton Terrace, SE. Lets Give Thanks for
ages twelve and under. Youth will share food and give thanks. For more
information, call Barbara Jones, Site Manager, at 645-3980.
November 20, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Benning Stoddert Recreation Center,
100 Stoddert Place, SE. Thanksgiving Banquet Dinner Celebration for all
ages. Benning Stoddert Staff will host an Annual Thanksgiving and Sports
Banquet dinner, to honor youth and adult sports participants, dancers,
and volunteers. For more information, contact Richard Evans at 698-1873.
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DC State Board of Education Meeting, November
18
Beverley Wheeler, beverley.wheeler@dc.gov
The DC State Board of Education (DCSBOE) will hold a public meeting
on Wednesday, November 18, at 5:30 p.m., at 441 4th Street, NW, in the
District of Columbia State Board of Education Chambers, located on the
lobby level of the building. It will receive two presentations from the
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). OSSE will
provide a briefing on the District of Columbia’s “High Risk”
Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and the Common Core College and Career
Readiness Standards. The State Board will also vote on a resolution
designating December as AIDS Awareness Month in the District.
Constituents who wish to comment at the meeting are required to
notify the State Board of Education in advance by contacting the
Executive Director, Beverley Wheeler, by phone at 741-0884 or by E-mail
at Beverley.Wheeler@dc.gov
before the close of business Monday, November 16. Please provide one
electronic copy and bring fifteen copies to the hearing for the State
Board members to view. The meeting will air live on District Knowledge
Network (DKN) Comcast Channel 99 and RCN Channel 18.
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An Overview of Free Open Source Software,
November 21
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org
As personal computer hardware gets cheaper and cheaper, the cost of
the software to get our work done becomes disproportionately high. But
if you’re suffering those expensive-software blues, you can find
relief! Free open source software (FOSS) can be a viable alternative to
commercial products. Information Technology Consultant Tom Gutnick will
lead a discussion of the pros and cons of using FOSS, and will spotlight
some useful FOSS packages. No technical expertise is needed — just
bring your good business savvy.
Gather your colleagues, friends, and neighbors, and your questions,
and bring them to this Saturday, November 21, 2:30 p.m., gathering of
the Capital PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special
Interest Group (E&C SIG). These monthly events are free and open to
all. This month’s event is at the Cleveland Park Branch Library (first
floor large meeting room) at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW (between Macomb
and Newark Streets), just over a block south of the Cleveland Park
Metrorail Station on the Red Line. For more information about the
seminar, the speaker, and CPCUG (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational
organization), visit http://entrepreneur.cpcug.org/1109meet.html.
To RSVP, send an E-mail to bconn@cpcug.org.
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