Happy Thanksgiving from The Georgetowner! November 23, 2011

November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our online readers! Thank you for helping us to be a greener, more interactive, and more effective news source.

In celebration of the season we have some last-minute turkey tips for you. The most convenient places in Georgetown to pick up your dinner?s centerpiece are: Dean & Deluca, for a gourmet choice; Whole Foods, with several organic selections; and Safeway, which brings you a bargain bird.

**Dean & Deluca** offers up its Heritage Turkey from the Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch, where breeds that are free-range, vegetarian and antibiotic free are raised. The turkeys are sold frozen at $11 per pound and range from eight to 25 pounds.

**Whole Foods** carries several varieties of turkeys, including organic ($3.99 per pound), kosher ($3.49 per pound), free range ($2.49 per pound), Heirloom ($3.49 per pound) and brined ($2.79 per pound). Size varies.

For store members, **Safeway** is selling eight to 25 pound turkeys at 58 cents per pound with an additional $25 purchase. Go to [WeeklySpecials.Safeway.com](http://www.safeway.com/IFL/Grocery/Weekly-Specials?cmpid=kw_corp_swy_sav_wsp_1101) for more information and for more savings.

And don?t forget to read our latest [Across the Cutting Board](https://georgetowner.com/articles/2011/nov/16/across-cutting-board/) column with Chef Ris Lacoste for inspiration on what to do with all the leftovers!

Herman Cain’s Arrested Development

November 21, 2011

I’m a 70-year-old white feminist liberal who would never vote for Herman Cain but I cannot silently watch him fall victim to the arrested development of the American public via the defamation of his character by the American news media.

Let’s get a few things straight: I do not endorse Herman Cain. I will not vote for Herman Cain. The thought that Americans would elect Herman Cain as the next U.S. President makes me glad to be 70 and not 17. And my opinion is strictly based on his policies and has nothing to do with the scandal he’s immersed in at the moment.

I am a product of the 60’s, just like a lot of hardcore GOP voters out there. The exception is that I remember what it was like back then. Herman Cain is being attacked for sexual harassment and lying to the public about it, and the media is portraying this as if it is something that Americans should be shocked about. But the only surprise I have towards the scandal is the notion that people over the age of 50—MY GENERATION—should be or would be shocked by the whole ordeal.

Really? Has the Internet made us so accustomed to instant information that we can no longer remember what happened just a few short years ago? At the same time Cain was trying to eat at the chef’s table Clinton was hiding cigars with Monica Lewinsky. While investigating Clinton’s affair, lead Republican of the investigation, Newt Gingrich, was himself having an affair with a staffer over 20 years younger than he was.

I’m not condoning Mr. Cain’s acts. But I’m not shocked by them either. In fact, I’m not even that shocked that most of America is making such a big fuss about it, because the truth is that America could care less! The news and media are the ones responsible for the scandal part of the scandal. Granted, Cain has yet to own up to it—he’s barely acknowledging it. But this is a perfect example of a tool that the politicians have been using for years: PERCEPTION IS REALITY.

When 40 different newscasters and commentators repeat the same information over and over throughout the day, throughout the week, using the same words, that information become implanted in our minds whether we realize it or not. It’s called “perception setting.” Have you ever noticed how certain phrases seem to pop up in every news report when a story drops? These information gateways are experts at crafting, delivering, and reiterating a message and making sure that you get that message and log it in your mind to serve as reference for when you have to develop an opinion or an attitude about the subject at a later date.

So I don’t think Herman Cain is being rightly treated in this matter. We live in a country where men of power use sex and, sometimes, women use sex for power. This behavior is older than mythology itself! In other countries, France for example, this kind of behavior wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow. But in America’s prudent and prurient society we have to once again use this as an opportunity to hold Mr. Cain, a presidential nominee, to a standard that we like to pretend we ourselves live by. Will we ever grow up and start to be honest?

Dr. Dorree Lynn, PhD, is a practicing psychologist and life coach with more than 40 years of experience. She is the founder of the website FiftyAndFurthermore.com, and is AARP’s Media “Sexpert” wit her own segment, “On the Couch” on AARP TV. Dr. Dorree’s latest book is Sex for Grownups: Dr. Dorree Reveals the Truths, Lies, and Must-Tries for Great Sex After 50. Facebook.com/DrDorreeLynn. Twitter.com/DrDorree

Our Educational System: Trick or Treat?

November 16, 2011

Answer my history question and get a treat. Or miss it and get a treat. But learn a little along the way.

As Executive Director of a historic foundation, I was handing out treats in front of a 200-year-old building at a Halloween Fun Fest.

Hundreds of kids dressed like ghosts and Spider-mans and princesses stood in line a block long, holding out their pumpkins or bags saying, “Trick or Treat.” Like Santa Claus, I love talking to kids, so I’d ask, “How old are you?”

If younger than five or six, I’d say, “You’re right!” and give them a handful of treats.

But, at age eight or nine, the “trick” questions became more difficult. Mostly, I asked, “Who was the first President of the United States?” Behind me in the window of our shop was a life sized cut out of President Washington. And there I was, dressed like George Washington.

With my long blue coat, tan pants tucked into knee high black boots, a gold buttoned vest, a jabot – that white lace collar I’ll never wear again – and especially my snow white wig, I was the spitting image of our first president. Well, eight inches shorter and no wooden teeth. But close enough. It was Halloween.

When a child said, “I don’t know,” I’d say, “Oh, come on. Who do I look like?” or, “Who is that guy in the window?”

Some shrugged their shoulders, said “I don’t know,” and began to walk away. I chased them down and gave them some candy anyway.

Some kids said, “Lincoln?”

Lincoln? He was tall, slender, and had dark hair and a beard. I’m short with light grey hair and barely need to shave my blond whiskers daily.

Or “Ben Franklin?” OK, my coat looked a little like Ben’s. But I’m not bald.

Some turned to their parents with an expression begging, “Help me out.” Most parents whispered, “Washington,” but a few shocked me, “Don’t ask me. I don’t know.”

Occasionally when a child was excitedly right, I’d ask, “Who was the second President?” A few guessed “Lincoln?” but not one said “John Adams.”

The funniest answer was a nine-year old boy who proudly announced, “Garfield. I’m studying the Presidents.”

“Garfield was the first?” I asked. He corrected himself, “Oh, Washington.”

My daughter, dressed truly prehistorically as a dinosaur, was helping and estimated that 40% of the kids missed. She’s prone to exaggeration, but not much.
Occasionally, I asked, “Do you read every day?”
Some said they did, but too many said, “No,” looking at me with an expression that said, “Can I still have some candy?” They got their handful.

The answer that shook me out of my boots was a child who said, “I don’t need to. I’m home schooled.” That stumped me – surely that’s not indicative of home schooling – so I gave him a handful of candy and scooted him along.

I don’t know what’s wrong with our educational system, but something is. I wasn’t out to do a social experiment. Maybe the kids were just too excited to think. I expected everyone to indignantly blurt out “George Washington” without hesitating.

The canvas is larger than this Trick or Treat episode. It touches the core of what we are as a nation.

The country is agonizing over the loss of and the lack of jobs. One of the drumbeats out of Washington is that the “market” is the only engine of job growth. Markets are competitive. The US must have a smart economy to grow, and employers want smart employees. Twenty-five years ago, when I worked for a large consulting firm, we couldn’t find enough business students to fill our positions, so we decided to hire the smartest graduates from any field with the idea that we could train smart people to be good consultants.

Our national debate about immigration policy is missing the point. Immigrants are banging on the doors of our universities and most innovative companies. They want to live here and pay taxes, but we make it difficult for them to come here and difficult for companies to hire them. We invite foreign students to study here, provide them with our most valuable resource, and usher them out of the country. We, a country built on the work ethic of immigrants, limit legal immigration of the best and the smartest from other countries, people who start companies and create jobs. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have begged Congress for more immigrant permits. Congress said, “No,” so Microsoft and Apple built facilities in Asia.

We blame illegal immigrants for our national woes. Somehow, they seem to find work here while American can’t. Or won’t.

The cost of college educations is rising faster than inflation. Federal, state, and local governments are reducing spending on education. Performance is declining. The US education system, once the best in the world, is now far from it.

Something isn’t working.

Maybe knowing the first president or reading every day isn’t that important.

Call me old fashioned. I think it is.

Trick or Treat? These tricks are really bad.

In God We Trust…ROLL TIDE!


In a political pissing contest with President Obama, who recently mistakenly referred to “E Pluribus Unum” as the slogan for America (changed to “In God We Trust” in 1956), the Republican-led House of Representatives voted 396-9 to reaffirm “In God We Trust” as the nation’s motto.

This waste of time and resources to prove a point, combined with recent and ongoing misbehavior throughout the government, has led me to justify a hopeless goal full of hopeful desires for America. If the national motto is up for debate, then I propose changing it to the rally chant from the University of Alabama: ROLL TIDE!

If you want to learn about the true Christian values we claim this country was built upon, then you have to go to a place where time passes slower and change in culture lags 10 to 20 years behind the rest of society. Travel deep enough into the farmland and you will find dial up Internet and, believe it or not, original Christian values: treat others as you want to be treated and let the Lord work.

When you look at the message behind the ROLL TIDE chant you get a better understanding of what it used to mean to be an American. Fight for what is right, never give up, never surrender, take pride in yourself, take pride in those who stand among you, and give the respect you expect from others…ROLL TIDE!

At least once in your life, spend a day at a BAMA game. In the parking lot you will find diehard fans in high-end and low-end motor home game-mobiles. You will see hairspray loving women holding those plastic-but-looks-like-porcelain plates sitting in a camouflaged folding chair in front of a red tent with a plastic chandelier hanging from the apex. Inevitably she’ll be yelling at her underage daughter, “Hay! Why are you drankin’ out of that Styrofoam cup? Put it in plastic and stop actin’ like you ain’t got no class!”

Extreme analogy, yes. But the fact of the matter is that ROLL TIDE isn’t about the win or the loss, or even the game of football itself. ROLL TIDE is about recognizing that we are all members of the same community, and that we ultimately all want the best for one another. ROLL TIDE means pushing yourself to exceed what you’re capable of because it is possible and not settling for anything less simply because you can get away with it.

I am not a fan of football, or Alabama for that matter, but I have spent enough time in the southern farmland and river swamps to know how to survive off of the land, and enough time in the city to know that there are differences in cultures and communities throughout the world.

I will own my bias. I was raised in the south and brought up with “core southern values.” But I have also traveled the country enough to know that the same rules that apply in Alabama do not apply in New York. Some laws in Nebraska are pointless in Florida. There are times when we are fifty states and there are times when we are one country, but that does not mean that we have to be a huge collective of societies and communities that all believe and support the same ideas and theologies. That itself would be a little anti-American!

Being isolated as a country has further hindered our ability to develop into a better civilization. Geographically speaking, America is like Europe, except instead of independent countries, America is composed of interlaced states. However, while European countries like Germany, Italy, France and England competed to be better than one another, our American states began as equals. We Americans never had to compete against one another to improve our cultural philosophies or further technology and standards of living.

I am not suggesting that the United States should dissolve its union or start trying to be like Europe. Instead, I am proposing that we Americans start living up to our own potential. I propose we pledge to live our own teachings, to hold ourselves accountable for our actions equal to that of our neighbors. We should strive to take pride in all that we do, speak with conviction and stand up for what is right for all people regardless of their station in life.

We are at a cultural crossroads where the differences between what Christians claim the Bible says is right and wrong and what modern society claims is acceptable or unjustifiable intersect. It is unfortunate that neither side seems willing to work towards an agreement that would allow both sides to live harmoniously together, but more so that neither side seems to remember that we are all on the same team to begin with.

Our fights as Americans, between the left and right, Christians and Gays, blacks and whites and Hispanics….these fights we have with one another are pointless. We are all AMERICANS! We are on the same team. And we need to be capable and willing to stand toe-to-toe and shoulder-to-shoulder with one another as countrymen in whatever fight or battle we find ourselves in order to make our country—our collective—a better place for all Americans. ROLL TIDE!

Bring Back Our Bus Route


On Nov. 9, the ANC2E Commissioners released a joint motion to reinstate two Circulator bus stops in Georgetown: the M St., NW stop between Wisconsin Ave. and 31st St., and the P St. stop on Wisconsin Ave., both northbound and southbound. District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has recently cut these stops to save time on its Circulator routes. To those of us in Georgetown, cutting a thirty-second bus stop does not amount to much time saved, and of greater concern is the tremendous benefits these stop afford local businesses and community members. The stop helps to draw shoppers to the area and encourages the use of public transportation in Georgetowners.

The P St. bus stop was a popular one for business along Wisconsin. As locals know and visitors quickly discover, the walk up and down Wisconsin can be a deterring one. Meanwhile, the P St. intersection is an oasis of small and local businesses, including The Phoenix clothing, The Lantern Bryn Mawr Bookstore, Marvelous Market, Thomas Sweet, Café Bonaparte and Wedding Creations & Anthony’s Tuxedo. A petition was signed at the beginning of the month by 30 small and local business owners around the area to reinstate the bus stops, as a noted decline in business has been noticed since their removals. It also poses an inconvenience to nearby residents that use public transportation, who have lost convenient access to the Circulator.

According to Ed Solomon, owner of Anthony’s Tuxedo’s, local residents have voiced their concerns to business owners in the area, and a few even spoke out in support of reinstating the bus stops at the Nov. 1 ANC meeting two weeks ago.

The M St. stop between Wisconsin Ave. and 31st St. is simply too much of a focal point to cut. It is the nucleus of Georgetown’s M Street territory and retail district, and its removal is confusing pedestrian traffic that much more by overcrowding the streets at the stops nearest by.

What DDOT and city officials really ought to focus on is evaluating alternate methods to expedite traffic in this area of town. We live in one of the most heavily trafficked areas in the country, and it houses the city’s most vibrant retail district. On an average day, it takes easily over 30 minutes to navigate the stretch of road between K St. and M St. Buses are a part of this congestion, but in an urban environment they are all but mundane inevitabilities, and decreasing the number of stops on a route by one cannot possibly have any significant impact on the efficiency of the bus route or the easing of surrounding traffic. Whether bus lanes at certain times of day should be in discussion, or alternate HOV restrictions applied to promote the use of public transportation, we are not here to say. What we are here to say is that the current solution is not the answer.

We greatly appreciate DDOT’s efforts in Georgetown, specifically their opening access to the harbor and movie theater on K St., and we hope they will reinstate these stops. At a previous ANC2E meeting this year, DDOT representatives said they would seriously consider input from the community since they changed the bus routes. If they want to address community concerns, now is their chance.

Charles Harting Percy: 1919 – 2011

October 19, 2011

Former Senator Charles Percy died Saturday at the age of 91, succumbing to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease at a local hospice.

In the media much was made of the fact that Percy, who was elected to the Senate from Illinois in 1966 and served three terms, was once seen as a man of enough gravitas and appeal to be a presidential candidate, and that he was a rare breed amongt politicians today, almost invisible to the naked eye, a moderate-bordering-on-liberal Republican.

Even after he was defeated in a grueling bid for a fourth term in 1985 by Democrat Paul Simon, Percy was always referred to as Senator in greetings, meetings and walkabouts in Georgetown, where he and his wife settled happily when he first came to Washington.

Senator Percy had several careers and achievements outside the Senate. In addition to heading up a Washington-based trade and technology investment-consulting firm after his departure from the Senate, he also took on another role, one in which he took great pride. Percy became the good citizen of Georgetown, a role which he embraced with ardor, decency, and a commitment to the idea of community—an ideal that permeated all his efforts, whether working with the nation, a major business, or a self-described village in Washington, D.C.

For Georgetown, Percy provided leadership for the drive to create a livable, viable, ecologically sound and beautiful Waterfront Park. The $24 million, 9.5 acre park, a joint project of the National Park Service, the Friends of the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the District of Columbia, opened officially September 23, even as Senator Percy lay dying, giving the occasion an atmosphere of deep and mixed emotions amidst the celebration.

The occasion showed that a man’s life—even a Senator and presidential candidate—is not lived in one arena, one place and with one heart. Percy’s life was a classic story: he was a World War II veteran as an ensign in the U.S. Navy, he had a newspaper route, and he was a lifelong Republican who believed in the American success story and the virtues of American entrepreneurship that existed in his youth. Small wonder—in 1947 at the age of 29, he had risen to the president’s chair of Bell & Howell, one of America’s largest firms.

He first entered politics in a failed but close attempt to unseat Democrat Otto Kerner, Jr. for the governorship of Illinois. He defeated the venerable Paul Douglas for the Illinois Senate seat in 1966 and won two more terms, before being defeated his fourth term run.

As a Senator, he became what was then called a Rockefeller GOP liberal: pro-business, but moderate-to-liberal on social issues and, unlike many fellow Republicans, skeptical about the war in Vietnam. He called for an independent investigation of the Watergate scandal, going against a Republican president. For this, he had the honor of making Nixon’s Enemies List.

Time Magazine put him on their cover and, as a handsome, articulate and appealing bipartisan spokesman, he was often talked about as a presidential candidate. In an interview with the Georgetowner over a decade ago, he admitted that he had thought about it seriously but refused to challenge Gerald Ford for the nomination. In this, as in many things, he was different from future president Ronald Reagan. He was proud of having created legislation that created NPR, and even more proud of his daughter Sharon, who not only married a Rockefeller, but became president of WETA.
However, tragedy struck at the height of Percy’s success when, during his first Senate campaign, his 21-year-old daughter Valerie, twin to Sharon, was found murdered in her bed at the family home in Kenilworth. The murder was never solved.

“No one would have loved more to be here front and center [than my father],” said Percy’s daughter Sharon at the park dedication. “He would have been thrilled to see this magnificent setting. It is his fondest and last best work.”

A plaque in his honor at the park reads, in part: “Senator Charles H. Percy was pivotal in the creation of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. Senator Percy—a Georgetown resident, lover of the waterfront, and supporter of local high school rowing—chaired the Georgetown Waterfront Park Commission that was so instrumental in the park’s creation.”

Georgetown architect Outerbridge Horsey remembered going to Percy downtown with the late architect Bill Cochran to ask Percy to take on the leadership role in the waterfront project. “He was very amenable and agreeable,” Horsey said. “And he wasn’t just a figurehead with a famous name. He chaired every meeting in the early years until he resigned, and he had that voice and bearing of authority which got people to work together. He was very much a good citizen and member of the Georgetown community.”

He was also a regular and often vocal presence at CAG meetings, once famously calling a meeting to order with an ear-piercing whistle, which, like Percy’s moderation, is a disappearing skill. Sometimes, he would set himself down and start playing the church piano before meetings.

If Alzheimer’s is a disease that robs its victims of memory, then let us remember now Charles Harting Percy, father, husband, Senator, businessman, moderate Republican, philanthropist, and good citizen of Georgetown.

The Fewer Terrorists, the Better


When the virulent and high-ranking al-Qaeda leader Anwar Al-Awlaki was killed in target drone strike in Yemen last week, most Americans applauded the action, figuring it was another top terrorist out of the picture and no longer plotting terrorist operations against the United States.

There seemed little opposition to the strike, approved by President Barack Obama, and planned by the CIA. Al-Awlaki was considered a key strategist, as well as motivator, for al-Qaeda, calling repeatedly for Jihad or holy war against the U.S. and for the killing of Americans.

He was a key figure in the U.S. war against terrorism, and as such almost as much a prime target for American military and intelligence efforts as Osama Bin Laden, who was killed earlier this year.

Yet Republican Congressman Ron Paul condemned the killing and charged that because Al-Awlaki was born in the United States and therefore was a U.S. citizen, he had been denied due process and a trial. Later, he hinted that President Barack Obama could and perhaps should be impeached for the decision to kill Al-Awlaki. Another GOP presidential wannabe, Herman Cain, suddenly hot after winning a couple of straw polls, also questioned the killing as did some legal scholars and politicians.

But in general, and especially in the ranks of the GOP, the strike was applauded as necessary and successful.

Speaking as someone who’s been opposed to the death penalty most of my life and who’s not too keen on previous attempts by the U.S. to topple governments (Chile comes to mind), or take out political leaders (Lumumba comes to mind), I can only say, due process for what? Al-Awlaki had inspired and worked with bombing suspects, three of the 9/11 terrorists, and helped plan numerous operations. He clearly believed in the holy war against the United States and was an active and prominent player in terrorist plots against the U.S.

Furthermore, while this organization has insisted that it is at war against the United States, sometimes presuming to speak and act for or work with the radical elements in the Middle East, it is not a state. It is a very dangerous, damaged, and violent terrorist organization. Eliminating Al-Awlaki when the opportunity arose—like killing Osama Bin Laden and other high-ranking members of al-Qaeda over the years, was necessary and in the interests of the United States. It would have been irresponsible not to act on the hopes that we could capture him at some time in the future, leaving him free to plot and implement more acts of terror.

It seems to me that Al-Awlaki, with his status as a high-ranking al-Qaeda member, has forfeited any rights given by U.S. Citizenship. He has forfeited his status as a citizen by acting against his country.
Was the killing cold-blooded, brutal and less than admirable? Sure. But let’s consider this: we were all dancing in the streets when Osama Bin Laden was killed, in less than glorious fashion. Should we have given Osama Bin Laden an opportunity at due process?

One might question the use of drones and missile strikes for this sort of thing. In war, all sorts of horrible things happen. Drone strikes, to me, seem to distance us from the seriousness of our actions, and the brutality of our acts. We all recall the use of blockbuster bombs—boom and more boom not to mention shock and awe—in our attempts to kill Saddam Hussein at the beginning of the Iraqi war. Missile strikes are rarely as clean as this one was—there’s always what we so euphemistically call collateral damage.

But this particular act probably saved the lives of American soldiers and may have prevented any number of future terrorist acts.

The less terror, the better. The fewer terrorists there are in the field, the better.

Why Age 65? How About 85?


Why is age 65 the retirement age?

Legend has it that when Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany in the 1880s, proposed the world’s first retirement insurance program, he asked his advisors, “How long do people usually live?” When told the average life span was 45 or 50 years, he said, “Then, let’s give a pension to everyone at age 65.”

Myths rarely line up with reality. Germany set that first retirement age at 70, certainly no budget buster.

By 1935, when Congress was considering Social Security, Germany had lowered its retirement age to 65. Many states and some large US companies had pension plans with retirement ages ranging from 65 to 70. By then, the average life expectancy was 60 years.

Congress adopted age 65, apparently anticipating that it would not cost much, especially since most people wouldn’t live long enough to receive it.

Thirty years later, Congress passed Medicare. By then, average life expectancy was 70 years.

To offset the cost of these programs, Congress created taxes to be shared equally by employers and employees. Social Security taxes were expected to cover the cost. In 1965, medical expenses didn’t consume 17 percent of the economy as it does today. So, when Congress enacted the Medicare tax, it only covered approximately 14 percent of costs. No tax was enacted to cover Medicaid costs.

After Medicare and Medicaid were passed, federal government spending on health care jumped to 5 percent of total spending.

Today, the average citizen lives to be almost 80. Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs consume more than 25 percent of all federal spending and with projected increases of 10 percent per year, health care will consume 30 percent of the federal budget within five years.

The average cost to insure a family now exceeds $15,000 per year, more than a minimum wage worker earns in a year.

Yes, some of that increase is related to the new health care law. It’s 1 percent of that increase, mostly from allowing children to remain on their parents’ policies until they are 26 years old. The other 9 percent is the inexorable, uncontrollable creep of costs.

The harsh reality is that taxes dedicated to covering health care cover less than 10 percent of the federal government’s costs.

As a nation, we have to ask ourselves: How much longer can we bring in a dime and spend a dollar?
With the average citizen living almost 20 years longer than in 1935 and with 80 million baby boomers over or approaching age 65, ignoring the cost of social security and health care is like following Thelma and Louise – right over a cliff.

The political irony is that both political parties want the same thing: something for nothing. Republicans refuse to consider any new revenue source. Democrats draw the line at changing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The need for compromise is painfully obvious, but the political cost is equally obvious. Compromise means facing the wrath of voters.

Are there any solutions? No easy ones.

Regulate profits in the medical sector the way utility company profits are regulated by the government. (That’s going to make some enemies.)

Universal health care contains costs in other countries. The U.S. spends double on health care what other countries spend, yet US life expectancy ranks about 40th in the world. Apparently, American citizens prefer to die sooner as long as the government stays out of health care.

Or, take a page from Bismarck’s playbook: Provide benefits for those who outlive the average person by, say, five years. That’s what Congress did when it started Social Security. In other words, with life expectancy approaching 80, begin providing benefits at age 85.

As ridiculous as that sounds, consider that It would be consistent with Social Security’s “original intent.” It would balance the budget. It might even lower life expectancy. And that would further reduce budget pressures.

Is it any more ridiculous than refusing to face the reality that retirement and health benefits for 80 million baby boomers can be provided without a revenue source, without any government regulation, and without a meaningful change in the retirement age?

And, most importantly, without compromise?

Jam-packed NOLA Visit Serves Up Many Lessons


Four days in New Orleans to work the exhibitor booth, to attend some seminars and speeches, to take in the sights and sounds of this city along the Mighty Mississippi and to meet clients and a great, old friend, David Roffman, retired editor and publisher of The Georgetowner. Too much? Hey, it’s N’awlins, baby. “Laissez les bon temps roulez,” and let’s find the time to greet and to eat.

It was Mitchell Davis of Broadcast Interview Source, Inc. and the Yearbook of Experts, who invited Roffman to the combined journalists’ convention – the Radio, Television and Digital News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists – at the Sheraton on Canal Street. A Georgetown University alum, Davis worked for The Georgetowner more than 30 years ago as a photographer and was delighted that Roffman had given him a darkroom back then.

On Sept. 25, while others stopped to speak with us, Roffman drove into the city from the Gulf shores of Alabama, got his convention badge and met us in the hall, ready to work. But this was more a learning rather than selling show, packed with speakers, sessions, book signing, critiques and receptions. Our retired publisher could simply relax, enjoy the show and explore the city.

We listened to Soledad O’Brien of CNN explain her work in documentaries, balancing family life, while admonishing newbie journalists to solve problems for themselves and their bosses, creatively and without complaint. Jeff Fager, CBS News chairman, proudly showed off “60 Minutes,” advising writers and producers not to cover too much but to focus and tell a story.

During the RTDNA awards ceremony for Lara Logan of “60 Minutes” and Linda Ellerbee of Nickelodeon’s Nick News, the room fell silent after the video introduction for Logan showed a base in Afghanistan and then Tahrir Square in Cairo, site of her brutal rape. She looked away from the screen and then spoke about how the attack seemed easier to live with then than now. “I am the model of imperfection,” said Logan, who lightened the mood and talked about the New York office. “If you are looking to go corporate, this is not the place for you,” the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News said. “The same old offices have housed ‘60 Minutes’ for years. The diligent Logan said she strove for a good story at the end of the day and would ask herself: “How can I not f–k this up?”

On her recovery, Logan said she had felt “broken into one thousand pieces” but was “grateful for letters from people across America” and had expected more push back about the assault. “What we stand for as a Western society and America is free speech,” Logan said. “There is a war around the world against free speech. We are fighting for the survival of our civilization.”

Longtime TV news reporter and anchor Linda Ellerbee, now reporting the news to children with Nick News, showed she was a seasoned keynoter, tossing out such punch lines as “A journalist is an out-of-work reporter.” After double knee replacement on Sept. 15, she stood at the podium with her signature red Converse sneakers and admitted she could “get lost following a river.” Before she moved to her first TV reporting job, she was asked, “Have you ever done TV?” Ellerbee replied: “No, I’ve seen it.” Any job advice? “Don’t confuse change with motion.” “If you shove a microphone in someone’s face to convey tragedy, you’re a moral dwarf.” Her writing, she said, is the same for kids as when she wrote for the networks.  “I’ve morphed into some kind of raggedy-assed big bird,” Ellerbee said. “I love it. It’s good to laugh any time you can.”

Also available were training sessions on freelancing, videotaping, backpack journalism, Google, social media ethics, Facebook and journalism, transformational newspapers and narrative form in the age of tweets — not to mention the tour of post-Katrina levees or volunteering at the Second Harvest Food Bank. Was it too much? Of course, it was. And perfect to be in New Orleans, where print and electronic journalists and other media types were getting a handle on the changes all around them.

DC: Racism Redefined?

October 7, 2011

By Deklan

One of the oldest and most defended characterizations of human nature is our innate desire to be hateful for no reason. Racism has been woven into the fabric of our culture, of our upbringing, and has long worked its way into our daily lives. And while racism still rules in smaller cities and communities throughout this great country, in larger, more culturally diverse cities like D.C., the nature of our diversity disproves the beliefs that racism is founded on. Right?

Admittedly, D.C. has long been a city where racial lines run deep enough to tear the city into pieces. But racism, by definition, is the belief that there are differences in people based on race and skin color. The fact that there are so many colors, so many cultures, and so many characters in D.C. makes it impossible to be racist. Sure, you can hate a group of people based on the color of their skin, but the only thing you can prove that they have in common is the color of their skin, and even that isn’t the same from person to person.

Which brings up racism’s brother and sister: prejudice and stereotyping. Prejudice takes racism to a new level, allowing an opportunity to hate someone for whatever reason you can come up with: sexual orientation, obesity, homelessness, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. And our prejudices are often based on stereotypes that we inherit and develop through environmental situations, first-hand experiences, TV and social influences.

As a culture, prejudices and stereotypes will always exist. Attributing them to other people is part of our human need to make sense of the world around us. But it doesn’t have to be negative. George Carlin said about racism that it isn’t the words we use that are bad, “it’s the racist who’s using it that you ought to be concerned about.”

That being said, is it possible to make prejudices and stereotypes funny? For example, when you see an Asian person parallel park, do you watch to see if they can do it on the first try? Are you ever shocked when your North African cab driver doesn’t drive like he’s being shot at? Or have you ever said “Hola” to a Latino person and they reply “Hey, how ya doin’?” in plain English? What about a white man who rushes past a crowd to get to the door first, only to hold it for everyone else?

On another level, D.C. has generally two types of residents: those who live here because they live here, and those who live here because they work here. Still, it often seems like everyone here is on his or her own mission. But with D.C.’s high rent, high gas, high cost of living and horrible traffic problems, who has time to hate, really? Granted there are some nice paying jobs in this city, but seriously . . . most of us are working two jobs (or more) just to pay rent and buy food. Then again, the stress from that can cause anyone to lash out I suppose. Even then, our frustrations and aggression need not be taken out on others.

As Washingtonians, we should be working to set an example to the rest of the world on how cities can function. D.C. has the ability to break stereotypes based on color and ethnicity and race. This city teaches us that we’re all different in ways that should be celebrated instead of degraded. D.C. gives us an opportunity not to judge a book by its cover, a person by his or her skin color, or cultures by the people who represent them—because just when you think you’ve got it figured out, someone will come along and prove you wrong.

Deklan is a writer & photographer living in D.C. by way of the BP oil spill.