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Voice Mail
October 2003
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The Takoma Voice welcomes all correspondence. We remind
readers that the opinions expressed here are those of
the writers. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.
While we strive to print every letter, we reserve the
right to refuse any which we deem inappropriate for
a community forum. Name, address, and phone number must
be included.
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Send correspondence to:
The Takoma Voice
P.O. Box 11262 Takoma Park, MD 20913
fax: 301-891-6747
e-mail:
voice@takoma.com
Get your facts straight
Mr. Carson ["Garage
project needs more community proicess," Voice Mail,
September 2003]: With all the time you seem to have, why can't
you find out the facts? Is it too much effort or a lack of
responsibility to do the RIGHT THING?
Mr. Carson, did you know that the land to be developed and
the existing parking lot will be donated by Urciolo Properties
for the use if the city which will receive all the monies
from the meters? I guess not!
Did you know that the reconstruction to be done is being
paid out of Mr. Urciolo's pocket— and all the shops leased
through him and others will gain?
Mr. Urciolo's heart has always been for the development of
the business district, and it shows in looks and services.
Did you know that plenty of people have been parking in his
lot and do not use the center's services but go to the other
shops? How about Mr. Urciolo starts towing poachers so his
own center would have proper parking? Let the poachers park
in your driveway if you really care.
Or maybe let's not do anything about getting the parking
lot situation on the way and you, Mr. Carson, can go to Silver
Spring or Bethesda for services and shops!
Find me another landlord who is not bottom-line driven but
a partner with his shop owners and Takoma Park.
— Greg Moorin
Takoma Park, MD
Bush's foolish defiance
President Bush's defiant speech to the United Nations on
Tuesday did nothing to heal the rifts and improve the United
States image to the world.
Bush–after advocating a "go it alone" policy
in invading Iraq and mocking, berating and cutting off relationships
with nations who did not support him in the war–is now
asking for United Nations help.
I agree, we need the United Nations' help, and many presidential
candidates–especially Sen. John Kerry–advocate involving
the United Nations in the rebuilding and government of Iraq.
However, defiant and politically charged speeches like Bush's
will do nothing but strain relationships with our allies even
further. We need to improve our standing worldwide and Bush
is not the man for the job.
—Bryan Thompson
Lisle, IL
No price too high
I believe in careful spending and balanced budgets, but I
believe stronger in a safe and free America. That is the heart
of the issue behind the President's request for 87 billion
dollars.
To someday have strong and free democratic Iraq demands that
we commit today everything it takes to make that a reality.
In turn, it will mean a safer and freer America. How much
are we willing to pay for freedom? I believe no price is too
high.
—Kyle L. Allen
Takoma Park, MD
Like it or leave it
Sir: This is the first time I have read your publication.
Though, on the whole, I found it quite interesting, I do have
one exception; I might add, I am writing this to you as I
do not find the e-mail address of the Abby Bardi (whose article
is that which I am taking exception to).
Ms. Bardi: In regard to your article "Security,"
appearing in the September 2003 issue of Silver Spring Voice,
I am taking umbrage at both your and that which you profess
to be your husband's comments while visiting overseas. Quite
frankly, as an American citizen I am ashamed of you and your
attitude(s) while visiting various countries which profess
to be our allies. My opinion is that if you feel that this
country is so wrong–which I don't remember hearing your
opinion while you were in this country–why don't you
just leave it and continue criticizing from afar? It appears
there isn't anything (manner of speaking) which is pleasing
to you—in this country.
A disappointed reader.
—David Peller
Silver Spring
Dog attack
I've just buried my cat after she was attacked by a Doberman
11 days ago. It broke away from its owner, ran up the front
steps of our house on Poplar Avenue, near Spring Park to chase
Daisy who was sitting just outside our front door. The dog
was determined. To get Daisy, it had to go up three sets of
stairs, chase her around the backyard and then again to the
front before finally getting its jaws on her. I was forced
to make the difficult decision to put Daisy to sleep after
she failed to recover from having her stomach and intestines
shredded.
I cannot begin to express the misery my family and I feel
at the loss of our pet. Daisy, who was only six years old,
didn't deserve to die like this. It was totally avoidable
through the simple process of training the animal, educating
the owners and the use of a muzzle.
Living in Takoma Park gave us an expectation of a level of
security we didn't have in Adams Morgan (we moved here a year
ago). There are lots of families with young children, lots
of dogs and cats. It's an active community that demonstrably
cares about the safety of the neighborhood. There are stop
signs at nearly every corner and an active neighborhood watch
group. And yet there's also someone in this community who
thinks that keeping an untrained Doberman as a pet is a feasible
option. This fully grown animal ignored all standard voice
commands and was clearly beyond control. It ran up to where
my children sit and play. I have no doubt that it wouldn't
have stopped had my daughter been sitting there.
The owner has been fined, has agreed to cover the sizable
vet bills and "feels just awful." He also is keeping
the dog inside or in its yard, for now. That's fine, but do
the owners know that a Doberman is an animal whose instincts
are to attack other animals? Did they think they could just
treat it nicely and it wouldn't behave ‘badly'? Or did
they really think at all before acquiring this dog?
There's a strange silver lining to this story. My sister
described to me how to get an attacking dog to let go of its
prey, "just in case this happens again." After Daisy
was put to sleep, I took her home and put her in a box so
my 2 and 4 year old daughters could see her before we buried
her.
I had to pick up my youngest from a friend's house in Takoma,
DC. While there, her dog Fluffy was attacked by the pit bull
next door. Fortunately, I knew what to do and after "persuading"
its owner to put the dog down (this while Fluffy was dangling
and screaming from the pit bull's locked jaw) I picked up
its back legs. This throws the dog off balance and its reflex
response is to open its mouth.
Fluffy the dog will apparently recover. I'm grateful I knew
what to do and that Daisy's death probably saved Fluffy's
life! (Poor Daisy, however, didn't like Fluffy at all–so
I doubt she will appreciate the up side of this.)
My messages: 1) Think about the type of animal you buy and
whether you are prepared to do what is necessary to enable
it to safely co-exist in a community of other animals and
people; 2) if it's too late and you have a doberman, pit bull
or rotweiller, muzzle it and keep it on a short leash when
you're out or prepare to feel "just awful" later
on; and 3) if a dog has something in its mouth that it won't
let go of, put its front paws on the ground and pick up its
back paws till it lets go.
I'd like to thank all those neighbors and friends who intervened
during the attack and enabled me to get to Daisy. Without
your help, she would have died of her wounds in agony and
alone.
—Susanna Kemp
Takoma Park, MD
Another dog attack
Our cat was attacked and killed on our front porch today
by a neighbor's dog who "got away" while being walked.
The neighbor acknowledged that this dog is a "hunter"
who likes to chase and kill squirrels, and she has also witnessed
and been confronted by us about a previous attack by her dogs
on another cat of ours in the past.
Now she feels terrible about this latest attack and our loss
of our pet, and she says she never thought the dog would kill
a cat, despite having attacked them in the past. Does the
hunting dog discriminate between squirrels and cats? No, just
between active challenges and not-so-fun dead cats. The only
thing apparently preventing the dog from ripping our cat apart
was that the cat stopped presenting a fun challenge when the
initial attack was fatal, leaving the dog to stand over it
looking mystified at the premature end of the "game".
We live on Elm Avenue on the dog-walk thruway to Spring Park,
and this is not the first time our cats have been attacked
on our porch by dogs being walked past our house on their
way to the Park. The dog owners always insist that they are
completely taken by surprise that their dogs would do such
a thing, sometimes implying that if our cats dare to be on
their own front porch and attract the attention of the dogs,
we and the cats are actually responsible for the attack.
I've had it with this attitude and with dog owners' potentially
fatal thoughtlessness. Unfortunately, we now have no pets
left, and to dare to get another would be to risk its life
in a similar tragic incident. We're aware that dog walking
is a pleasant social activity for both dogs and dog owners,
and it's nice that Spring Park provides a place for them to
play and socialize. However, it's time for dog owners to recognize
that their indulgence of their own pets can put the lives
of other people's pets (sometimes even people) in danger.
I have been "charged" in Spring Park by unleashed
dogs with potential for doing serious harm. Even if their
owners' insistence that they pose no danger is accurate, that
doesn't negate the fact that I have no way of knowing it and
am subjected to a sometimes terror-inducing experience. My
experience, in fact, is that dog owners often underestimate
or minimize their dogs' destructive capabilities.
I have noticed a few things which might be taken into account
by dog owners serious about maintaining control of their dogs
and preventing further deadly incidents. Dogs walked with
other dogs tend to be more excitable and prone to attack than
dogs being walked alone with their owners. In addition, dog
owners chatting with friends as they walk their dogs together
are less attentive to what's happening and less likely to
react effectively if and when their dogs suddenly try to break
away to attack another animal or a person. If you like to
enjoy the socialization with other dogs and owners, be aware
that you need to exercise extra caution in keeping the dogs
in line.
For those dog walkers who take their dogs to Spring Park
along Elm Avenue, we no longer have cats to entice your dogs,
but we would appreciate your taking another route if you don't
feel a need to keep your dogs under control and out of our
yard. While most people have come to at least keep their dogs
on leash, a few do not, and even dogs on leashes can make
a sudden break and wreak havoc, as we have just been reminded.
We know you love your pets, but we did too.
—Janet Lee
Takoma Park, MD
Isabel not the real source of power failure
Dear Mr. Duncan: Thank you very much for sending me (no doubt
at my expense as a taxpayer) a copy of a letter that you sent
to the governor inquiring about root causes of the delays
in restoring electricity following Tropical Storm Isabel.
Frankly, I think that your letter is ill-timed and inappropriate.
The root cause of the delay in restoring power (ours was
restored yesterday afternoon Tuesday, September 23, so I am
able to read your electronic message) was a massive storm
that destroyed a substantial portion of the electrical lines
in Montgomery County and the rest of the mid-Atlantic region.
The root cause of the need to rebuild electricity lines is
that we have a highly centralized system of power distribution
that requires transmission of energy over long distances as
opposed to a local decentralized system that would rely on
local collection of energy through mechanisms like rooftop
solar collectors, wind turbines, cogenerators and other distributed
sources. You put the blame on the utility companies without
considering the real root causes.
I find it a real disservice to the thousands of electrical
repairpeople who are still working more than 10 hours a day
in dangerous conditions (at least three workers have been
killed on the job) to restore our infrastructure for you to
be sending this letter at this time. I do not know why you
think that the utilities should be able to repair the massive
storm damage in a matter of a few days. Perhaps you ought
to spend some time with the crews and see the care and effort
that is necesssary that the job be done properly. Electricity
is not a right. It is a benefit that we should appreciate.
I do not see why you or anyone else should be frustrated.
We should be grateful to the servicepeople who are putting
themselves at risk to provide us with electricity.
It seems to me that rather than calling for investigations,
you ought to provide leadership in helping Montgomery County
citizens to get off the electrical grid through tax credits
for solar energy and other local systems.
I suggest that you become familiar with the work of Amory
Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute who has written extensively
about our vulnerability (including to terrorist attacks) because
of our dependence on long-distance transportation of energy
through centralized systems. Montgomery County could become
a national leader in true energy independence. I challenge
you to provide that leadership rather than sending fingerpointing
letters.
—David E. Blockstein
Takoma Park, MD
Disappointed in Progressive Maryland
The article on Progressive Maryland [PM] versus the Linda
Schade campaign struck a chord with me ["Will
the real progressive please stand up," September
2003].
I used to be a member of PM and I was an active volunteer
on the Schade campaign. I moved to the area four years ago
from Madison, WI, where I was active in the New Party chapter,
Progressive Dane, a practical third party winning local offices.
The New Party at the time was running living wage campaigns
around the country, including Montgomery County through Progressive
Montgomery (PM), an affiliate. The New Party was trying to
use this community organizing to build visibility for a viable,
rooted third party movement and gain momentum for issues like
living wage.
However, PM refused to raise the New Party flag, not wanting
to rankle Democrats that formed its core, yet all the while
using New Party money that was supposed to serve the purpose
of party-building.
Then PM disaffiliated from the New Party. I wanted to continue
to be involved in building a third party movement through
realistic achievable goals, not wasting energy on the frivolous
campaigns I saw some left parties running at that time, so
I had nowhere to turn and I stuck with PM because of the good
community organizing they do. This despite the fact that they
had a shaky endorsement process that had even led to endorsing
a Montgomery county council candidate whose support for a
living wage excluded all nonprofits.
Coincidentally, PM didn't pay some of their own workers a
living wage, though a couple years later, a PM board member
assured me "they are working on it", and I don't
know if they might pay a living wage now.
I was assuaged by meetings when PM was forming a Progressive
Prince George's chapter and several key leaders stated that
the vision was not partisan, the vision for Progressive Maryland
was of an independent political entity which would support
progressive issue and candidate campaigns both inside and
outside the Democratic Party. But has PM ever followed that
vision?
When Linda Schade ran a serious campaign with a real impact,
a possibility of winning, and no chance of playing a spoiler
role, an opportunity for the Green Party to show it can be
viable and in touch with people on issues, and a chance to
elect a true progressive, of course I jumped in. This was
the most exciting development in the entire state!
And then PM jumped in too–hiring people to try to defeat
the only candidate in District 20 who carried their agenda!
There was no risk that a big-money corporate Republican candidate
would have enough support to win from a split vote between
Democrats and Greens, nor was the Democratic majority in the
House of Delegates threatened. What could possibly be the
reason to actively campaign against the only candidate supporting
clean elections, one of PM's top issues, and even conducting
one herself?
If, as Hucker says, her campaign wasn't viable, then why
waste PM's resources fighting it? Or, when it did become viable,
developing a groundswell of supporters and touching people
with innovative yet sensible approaches to issues like health
care and family care that personally affect everyone, why
didn't PM then support it to have a real ally in the legislature?
Now that "Progressive" Maryland has been decloaked,
they should not expect any support from me until they live
up to their name and act with integrity, but I will continue
to be active on issues and where our paths lead in the same
direction I will be happy to work cooperatively.
Meanwhile, I will definitely remain involved in Linda's Campaign
for Fresh Air and Clean Politics.
—Stephen Jascourt
Greenbelt, MD
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