Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
Good morning, Washington. Well, alright, that's not quite right: it's a terrible morning. The news is filled with shootings, homicidal arsons, hardships for the disabled community and, perhaps most astoundingly, the revelation that the Virginia DMV is trying to forbid customers from smiling. I expect to get a press release announcing the cancellation of this year's Christmas any minute. Oh yeah, and it's never going to stop raining. It's all pretty terrible. Here's hoping that tomorrow proves to be a spectacularly great Friday.
More On Holocaust Museum Shooting: As you might imagine, today's news is filled with continued attempts to discover what happened during yesterday's fatal Holocaust Museum shooting, and why it happened. The Post does a good job recounting the specific events that led to the death of security guard Stephen Johns. Via WTOP, the AP focuses more on the accused shooter, reiterating and adding to what we know of James von Brunn's personal history by detailing his lack of success as an artist, recounting his odd attempt to menace the Federal Reserve Board, and briefly mentioning that he spent time in Idaho, potentially in the company of a hate group. The Post's piece on von Brunn has quotes from the man's ex-wife, neighbors and fellow white supremacists. It's still not known exactly how von Brunn, a convicted felon, was able to obtain the .22 caliber rifle used in the shooting. There've been no reports of a change in von Brunn's medical condition since yesterday when he was in critical condition, although the Post reporting adds the detail that von Brunn was shot in the head.
Va. Primary Analysis: The Post has a thorough followup to yesterday's Virginia election results, including separate articles on what doomed McAuliffe, why Moran floundered and what's ahead for candidate Deeds.
WMATA Tries To Rein In MetroAccess Costs: The Examiner reports on Metro's efforts to control the rapidly-growing costs of providing service to the disabled. Among the ideas on the table: reducing the area serviced to the minimum required by law; raising fares; and placing further restrictions on who can use the service and under what conditions they can use it.
Briefly Noted: Tysons somehow manages to become even more objectionable... Man, three teens charged in misdirected revenge arson... Loudoun police ticket cyclists on charity ride... Apparent inmate suicide in Frederick... Fatal shooting in Columbia Heights, despite police presence...
This Day In DCist: One year ago Fatburger announced its plans to come to D.C..
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user Funkstein
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A Morning Roundup before 9AM...holy crap!!1!
Posting at 8:30 lets you take a nap for 2 hours.
I sincerely wish Mr. von Brunn a speedy recovery. No need to provide a martyr to the thousands of patriotic Americans who advocate shooting up museums because the Federal Reserve is banging their ex-wife with their guns or something.
And where the f**k is Fatburger? Did that ever open? Or Counter Burger for that matter? Here we sit with the burger-lovingest President since James K. Polk and the private sector has yet to capitalize on this phenomena? And why can't we get that Hawaiian $h!t they sell at Big Kahuna Burger? That is one tasty burger. If you like hamburgers, give 'em a try sometime. Me, I can't usually eat 'em 'cause my girlfriend's a vegetarian. Which more or less makes me a vegetarian, but I sure love the taste of a good burger. You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in France?
Then there's the In-and-Out Burger on Radford. Those are good burgers, Walter.
Shut the fuck up, Donny
SEE WHAT HAPPENS, RUKASU? THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FIND A STRANGER IN THE ALPS.
The In-N-Out Burger is on Camrose. I'm just gonna go find a cash machine.
Check out the big brain on Monkey!
That is an awesome photo. Much better than the usual closeup of ugly people eating cupcakes.
Or feet.
Or vegetables. What the hell am I saying?!?
Well, on the bright side, Screen on the Green is coming back.
God, as if working at the Holocaust Museum weren't depressing enough. It reminded me of that old Onion article.
I hope that bastard survives, just so he can spend the last years of his miserable hate-filled life in a DC jail "getting acquainted" with the rich diversity of the human family.
I wonder if he would live a long healthy life in a Prince Georges jail ... just saying.
Onion link FTW
I know the cyclists were out for a great cause, but it makes my day to see them get ticketed. Their wreckless arrogant attitude on the road never gets called out. Slam on your brakes and swerve into oncoming traffic...just don't drive onto a biker's red carpet.
Have you got any indication -- any at all -- that these cyclists were behaving "wreckless"ly?
Sorry. I know I shouldn't feed the trolls. But enough already.
I don't know about the rest of you, but at least in DC, I see cyclists doing stupid, reckless things on their bikes more often than I see them riding safely and with courtesy. Same with motorists and dumb ass jaywalking pedestrians, now that I think about it. So it's not hard to assume the worst.
Amen. I see them every morning blowing through the stop signs on the CCT - you know, the ones that are actually on the trail and are intended for cyclists, runners etc. It always astounds me when a polite reminder that there is a stop sign is met with profanity and threats of violence. For the last time: (a) you're not Lance Armstrong; (b) you're not impressing any women; and (c) if you need a workout, go somewhere else.
I stop at stop signs (and, fwiw, have in the past been hit for my trouble). I can't say I'm crazy about yet again being lumped in with the allegedly irresponsible masses of cyclists terrorizing the city. I suggest you spend some time riding near cabs before making judgments about where the deadliest menaces on asphalt are. Or hell, just consult some fatality statistics.
Also: people aren't supposed to use the CCT for exercise?
Go back to bed, Mr. Lee. It's not worth it.
@ CTO: *wreckless* ... interesting misspelling twist!
Cabs drive terribly...this is true. As a motorist that has been in several altercations with bikers I am now paranoid when I get within 50 ft. of one and stay as far away as I can. As a pedestrian I find myself dodging handlebars so as not to be struck in the balls. I applaud bikers' green approach to transportation, but I feel they should take on a more courteous demeanor with those that they share the road with. As soon as they get on that bike its like they’re instantly royalty, or two years old.
Huzzah to the classy Loundon County cops! Maybe now they can take care of all those times I see lines of cars drive through stop lights following some sort of a weird limousine-looking car. And they all have their lights on!? Come on people, it's day-time!
Also puppies. I think Loundon County cops should kill a bunch of puppies.
Well, there's your urban gridlock solution right there. Everybody gets a weird limousine-looking car escorted by a bunch of maniac bikers hurling obscenities at everyone in the street.
This rude pedestrian/biker/cabdriver situation will improve dramatically once everyone has a jetpack and a pair of ass chaps.
Andy by "dramatically" I mean "hilariously."
Please share any DC area statistics you have regarding inattentive or even scoff-law bicycles injuring or killing innocent bystanders.
The people who support this care nothing about cyclist or driver safety. The cyclists who slowed to one mile an hour were ticketed. Never mind that coming to a complete stop on a bicycle, detaching a cleat from a pedal, half dismounting, and then attempting to reattach cleat to pedal while riding in traffic is about a hundred times more dangerous than slowing to one mile an hour at a stop sign. What is important to these people is that people on bicycles follow laws that are designed for motorized vehicles in the exact same manner, even if the following of said laws is more dangerous.
I think from now on I am going to follow the law a written and ride my bicycle in the middle of the lane, wait patiently at all red lights, and when they turn green all the drivers behind me can wait while I slowley power up to 12 mph. Oh wait, that's right, they only want me to follow the laws when it doesn't inconvience them. And when I treat a red light like a stop sign I'm not actually making their life easier for everybody by making it easier for them to pass me (and therefore makeing the road safer for me), I'm getting "getting away" with something they cannot, and therefore, I am evil.
from one biker to another: wearing cleats in traffic is a pretty dumb move to start with.
Speedplay's exit easy :)
Yeah, it sounds to me like you should just take the bus.
Virginia is for Losers, as cycling is statistically safer than driving, perhaps you should be cycling or taking the bus yourself.
Although taking the bus itself is perfectly safe, standing stationary and waiting for a bus in the city is suicide.
Fatkidspecial, I would use Portland values and practices as a positive example, but then I'd be a p**sified Northwesterner with inoffensively homogenized tree hugging granola eating progressive politics. No thanks. ;)
I think I may blow everyone away with a local truth: 99.9% of local drivers are perfectly courteous towards cyclists. Sure, there are the red eyeballed douchbags that want to kill babies the second they see a bicycle on the road, which they've decided are only meant for cars, but for the most part I've found that that more defensively I ride, the more courteous cars are to me. Riding safely involves learning skill sets, and skillfully treating red light like a stop sign when you know it is safe is more often than not the safest and most courteous option for yourself and the surrounding motorists. Not that there is anyway to convince the douchbags of that, but they're not really interested in listening anyway. They're too busy raging about how the world is unfair to them.
@Guest Guest -- You sound a lot like one of the biking assholes that's part of the problem.
I'm not saying I'm a saint that comes to a 2 second stop at every stop sign but a lot bikers here in DC completely ignore all signs/lights. If you come to a stop sign and a vehicle is already there, you should yield - something a lot of bikers do not understand.
One thing i've seen that works reasonably well - In the Pac NW they've created 'stop boxes' for bikes at lights on streets with bike lanes and also created traffic patterns more suited to bike riding - side residential streets listed as bike routes with speed humps/circles but fewer stop signs.
Fatkidspecial, "You sound a lot like one of the biking assholes that's part of the problem." You seem to presume a lot without very much information. I always ride defensively, I've never "blown through" either a stop sign or a red light, in my entire life. The options I choose on the street are always the safest and most courteous option available. It is just that oftentimes, the letter of the law on the road and the safest and most courteous option for a cyclist are not in sync, as the laws are written specifically for motorized vehicles.
If I did follow the letter of the law and came to a complete stop at red lights and forced the drivers behind me to wait while I powered up to an average speed of 12 mph, I probably would have been murdered by a road rager a long long time ago.
fatkidspecial, "hahaha.
just giving you a hard time. nofin' but love.
speedy detective werk."
all is good. ;)
also, if you're cleated you can do the 'hop, hop, go' routine much easier...
I'm very glad you stop for stop signs. Hurray for you!
It's very simple. The stop sign is for everyone. And everyone needs to obey the rule. Break the rule - get a ticket.
FYI I cycled across DC from Columbia Heights to NE for years (back when Columbia Heights was nothing but burnt out buildings and crack addicts) so don't lecture me about walking a mile in my neighbor's moccasins, mister twenty-something. I know that cabs are a menace, but cyclists thinking they're descended from the sun god and that mere mortal traffic rules don't apply to them doesn't help matters.
And yes, the CCT is for exercise. And commuting. Not time trials for the Tour De France. There's a posted 15mph speed limit and if you're too important or too clumsy to unclip your genie shoes from your widdle bikie then don't use it.
big surprise LRon made an anti-cyclist comment. He spouts his hate all over the internet.
The bikers/drivers/taxis/buses/etc. are all at fault. Everyone here is so uber important that they can't respect basic laws or have the patience for people in other forms of transportation. Having lived in Portland, OR where everyone drivers/bikers/man/fish coexist in relative peace, i know it can be done - just not in DC.
I rarely ever ride my bike through traffic here because i've had way too many close calls. Too many obnoxious idiots driving to fast or not giving bikers any room. Bikers here are just as bad, a majority don't play by the rules. I've almost hit several bikers who view stop signs, stop lights, etc as being for cars only. Also, seeing bikes on sidewalks and going the speed limit in the left hand lane is pretty annoying. (i think both people from the Gawker story yesterday acted like a-holes, tho one much more so).
Basically, I'm not on either side. I think everyone drives/rides/walks/whatever in a 'me first' way that only furthers tensions between the various modes of transportation.
Also, Tom didn't you hit a cop with your bike once? ;-)
But skateboarders are still cool, right?
I did! Brendan! Hey!
Well, I sort of did. The officer accelerated into me from a stop, but although the situation was exacerbated by some sightline-blocking construction in the road, the fault was basically mine. I was fifteen, I think, and have to admit that I was not yet as safe a user of roads as I should've been.
But the incident I alluded to above happened more recently, at a three way stop (two way street + a one way). I came to a complete stop, allowed a car stopped on the road perpendicular to me to proceed, then took my turn and was smoothly driven through by an apparently half-blind motorist. I wasn't seriously hurt (though my bike was), but it was still not very fun.
hahaha.
just giving you a hard time. nofin' but love.
speedy detective werk.
So we've got the douche trifecta of drivers, bicyclists, and the Northwesterners. Now, where are the rock throwing teenagers? Help me out, people. We haven't had a 100+ thread in quite a while.
Best way to attain that goal is to say that you're holding an MS13 hostage and are forcing him to watch reruns of "She's the Sheriff" with his eyes pried open Clockwork Orange style, and wait for the "America Hates El Salvador" contingent to come running.
Or post a pic of cucumbers.
The CH Rock throwing thread was EPIC.
Oookay, so do we need to start having the FBI watch every German-named failed artist? It seems like they all go Jew-hating after they don't sell any art.
So is that like a "reverse Godwin" when Hitler's art is worse than yours?
"perhaps most astoundingly, the revelation that the Virginia DMV is trying to forbid customers from smiling."
What's the point? Has a Virginia driver smiled since they outlawed riding in the back of pickups and open containers?
ba-zing
Lack of Va. Roots Doomed McAuliffe's Bid
No, being Terry McAuliffe doomed McAuliffe's bid. Unless Deeds turns out to be the product of a careless time-traveler stepping on a butterfly several million years ago, I think it's safe to say VA dodged a bullet.
All I can say is that this election proves Virginia voters have higher IQs than the backwoods New Yorkers who elected Hillary into the Senate.
Too bad you ripped that photo and ruined it.
So no sooner has the nanny state moved to ban Jumbo Slice, now the FDA is moving to regulate flavored tobacco. For the sake of the children, of course, who are dropping like flies from massive pina colada blunt intake. Nonsense. This is racism of the worst kind. Because I have yet to meet a single white person who smokes menthols.
We're on a slippery slope here, people. Because once they get rid of the flavored tobaccos, you know where they're headed next. That's right: flavored potato chips. Their fresh flavors, bright colored packaging, and hiphop street cred are irresistable to the younger people. And before you know it, you're hauling your morbidly obese diabetic lardass down the sidewalk in a motorized buttwagon with a three-liter Diet Coke jug. You heard it here first.
I doubt the DMV's new policy will affect anyone, as neither Virginia nor the DMV are places where one is inclined to smile naturally.
I do hope they allow one to smirk.
Hey, it worked for Dick Cheney in his official portrait, so why not?
DMV Agent: Please stand in front of the blue sheet. And no smiling.
Customer: So I had a wife, beautiful, like you, who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks... Look at me! One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again, hm? I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So... I stick a razor in my mouth and do this...to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!
+1
No photo for you Mr. Napier
Thanks. This stuff writes itself.
alexalexalex, I disagree. Although I do keep traditional pedals on my city bike, that's more about being able to walk in and out of stores or whatever.
I was exaggerating my point above about the complete stop, sort of. 99% of cleated cyclists have the skill sets to come to a complete stop for 2 seconds without decleating, but who is to say that a police officer isn't going to ticket you for not coming to a complete stop because you didn't dismount? Cleats are not dangerous in an urban environment. Clips are.
There are times when I leave the city for a long ride, and when I do that I use the cleated cycle, and as the only way I have to get my bicycle from the city to the country is by bicycle, cleating in the city is my only option, which is perfectly save anyway.