| Potomac Confidential
With Marc Fisher
Post Metro Columnist
Thursday, May 15, 2003; Noon ET Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion of the latest news and a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live. In his weekly show, Washington Post Metro columnist Marc Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. Busy day--Lee Malvo's lawyers want a change of venue, Chief Moose is going to court to try to save his book and movie deals, Virginia kills the idea of widening I-66 and planning an Outer Beltway, plus you've already sent in quite a number of posts about this week's columns: vouchers in the District schools, the sacking of Michael Jordan, and lots more on your minds, so let's get to it ...
Falls Church, Va.: Your Sunday column points to a rich legacy of Washington sporting success. What a laugh. With the exception of the 10 years of success Joe Gibbs brought here, Washington’s sports history is an unmitigated disaster. It’s a humiliation to be a lifelong fan of Washington sports -– getting out cheered at home by Detroit fans during the Caps’ one Stanley Cup finals appearance (in which they were swept, 4-0), the stench of an NBA franchise so putrid it can taint even Michael Jordan’s legacy, not even having a baseball team in the national capital. And sadly, with the creation of FedEx Field, the Redskins have now sacrificed everything that made them special: tradition, location, bringing diverse aspects of the community together. Maybe you think it’s great that the NFL wants to kick off its season here. I don’t, but that’s because I’m just a fan and I’m already envisioning having to leave home at 3 p.m. that Thursday afternoon in September to make it to the stadium in time for kickoff, where I will sit next to the Jets fans that have bought tickets from the agency to whom the owner of those seats sells 75 percent of his game tickets.
Marc Fisher: There's no doubt that there's a long and rich history of failure in Washington sports. But there's also the Terrapins -- national champions, if you'll recall not so many months ago -- and the Hoyas before them, as well as Redskins success within living history. Yes, this is a tough town for sports, and it will never be a full sports city until it regains baseball, but it's a whole lot better than most Sunbelt cities. I'd put us toward the bottom of northern, oldline sports cities and smack in the middle if you're looking nationwide.
Tenleytown, Washington, D.C.: Marc: What was up with printing those horrible pictures of Marion Barry in the hospital? I assume the Post had his consent, but still ... I have not been a Barry supporter, but I cannot see the news value in printing hospital pictures of an obviously sick (perhaps dying) man. Marc Fisher: The former mayor is looking quite gaunt, and obviously is in quite a bit of trouble with his health. I spoke to Barry yesterday at some length -- he called to chastise me for my writing in general and to compliment me on my columns on the Moten school [(Freed by Press, Cornered by D.C. Priorities (Post, April 29)] chess team -- and he sounded feisty and engaged, but also physically ill. Not dying by any means.
Those photos troubled me too--no one looks good in a hospital gown, but Barry didn't mind and sometimes photos are supposed to trouble us, even if they merely remind us of the fragility of the human body.
Alexandria, Va.: What do you think of His Royal Highness, King and Mayor For Life Marion I and his stay in the hospital? Is he suffering from crack withdrawal? Marc Fisher: Barry has pneumonia in both lungs, and anemia to boot. I have heard a number of his friends worry over the past year that he has lost too much weight, and some of them attributed this to a possible relapse into substance abuse -- recall the incident with the white powder at the park last year -- but there's been no report that the current health problems are related to that.
Arlington, Va.: Thank god the I-66 proposal got shelved! Mind you, I'm not a NIMBY but an AIMBYAIWKMBY (Already in my backyard, and I want to keep my backyard). Marc Fisher: Nice acronym. Rolls right off the tongue.
The widening of I-66 inside the Beltway was a non-starter, both because it would have meant government reneging on a deal made with Arlington decades ago, and because the NIMBY opposition would have been fierce. Also, it's not at all clear that the widening would have made much of a difference in the traffic. The congestion heading toward the third lane is just as bad as the inbound traffic squeezing into the two lanes.
washingtonpost.com: City That Loves A Winner Lacks The Right Boss(Post, May 11)
Segway: Marc: What's your take on the lady with the Segway on the Metro (from this Sunday's Post)? I was on her side for most of the article, but then I got to the part where she loses control of the machine and it goes careening, on its own power, into the tracks. The thing is 65 lbs. and can go up to 14 mph! On its own power, that could knock out a kid! Just curious as to your take. Marc Fisher: The story told the tale of a woman who drives her Segway (that upright scooter, the gyroscope thing) onto Metro, which the transit system thinks is probably a no-no. I'm with Metro on this one -- just as bicycles would take up too much room on the trains, particularly during the work week, Segways are just too bulky for the system to deal with, especially now that trains are more crowded than ever.
Washington, D.C.: Not one person is going to resign at NYT over Jayson Blair. Newspapers demand that government officials resign all the time. Heck, NASA forced out Ron Dittemore over the shuttle just this month. Some would say this is having it both ways. Marc Fisher: Well, the accounts I've read of yesterday's gripe session at the New York Times say that reporters indeed brought up the question of whether top editor Howell Raines ought to resign in the wake of the plagiarism scandal. Raines and his boss, the publisher, said no such move is in the offing, but it's a legitimate question to ask.
Clearly, there were huge warning signs about Blair's fraudulent behavior, and there was at least one senior editor at the Times who sent out one hell of an alarm, an email saying that Blair had to be stopped from writing for the paper, "right now."
But editors chose instead to look the other way, and assigned Blair ever more important stories. Someone should be held responsible for that, you're right.
washingtonpost.com: New Wheels Run Afoul of Metro (Post, May 10
Jayson Blair, undisclosed location: Do you need a research assistant? Marc Fisher: Har har har.
I was astonished to learn when I went overseas that New York Times reporters do indeed get researchers, young assistants who actually go out and do reporting for the esteemed correspondents. At real newspapers, we do our own reporting, he said with barely contained jealousy.
Theories about Jayson Blair: Maybe he was a conservative mole, working from within to destroy the "headquarters of the liberal media." Seriously, I'm a middle-roader politically, and I think it's funny to watch the conservative overreaction to the Blair story. They've had it in for the New York Times for years, and now they have the scandal of their dreams. I've worked as a writer myself, and I don't believe Blair received a pass because of his skin color. I think he simply had the Times editors dazzled with his abilities. Maybe those older men were reliving the dreams of their youth through Blair, whom they saw as the next Sy Hersh. Marc Fisher: I don't see where political ideology has much to do with this story. It's a story about one guy's warped mind and wild career greed, and about an institution that failed to stop him even when it was clear that he was causing lots of trouble. It is also a story about race, in that Blair was hired as part of an overt and laudable attempt to improve the paper's diversity in its reporting staff. That doesn't mean Blair wasn't qualified; he obviously knew how to write a compelling news story. It may, however, mean that editors eager to have a black star on the national reporting staff were not as cautious as they might be with a white reporter; it does no one any service to treat them with lower standards and call it affirmative action. Editors take chances on reporters all the time, regardless of race; the question here is whether the editors then failed to hold Blair to the same standards of behavior that apply to everyone else.
Metro: Just to clarify - Metro does allow bicycles on Metrorail during non-rush hours. Marc Fisher: Yes, and there are times when that can cause considerable crowding on midday trains. I like Metro's openness to bicycles during off hours. We'll just have to see how popular Segways become; a few wouldn't bother anyone, but picture 10 of those in a Metro car and you see what sort of problem this could become.
What happened?: The flag in front of my building and the one next to us, both government bldgs., are at half-mast. Anyone know why? Marc Fisher: Anyone?
Derwood, Md.: We can add one more job to Chief Moose's resume: litigant. I've lost count how many jobs this guy has. He is the commanding officer of a reserve unit, provides a consulting service, teaches college classes, is an author, etc., etc. When does he find the time to be Chief, a supposedly 24/7 job? Also, do you know if Montgomery County has been paying his full Chief salary while he's been called up in the reserves? Marc Fisher: Add to that the fact in today's story that Moose has already written several chapters of his book (the man works fast, sign him up!)
But I thought a police chief might honor the law a bit more -- he's been ordered not to publish that book. Yes, he's appealing, but wouldn't it be in the spirit of the law for him to hold off on his project until the matter is resolved?
Washington, D.C.: Moose should be allowed to write and sell his book, so long as he doesn't benefit financially from it. And if he were so concerned about free speech, he should donate every penny to the families of the sniper victims. What's the point of having a law against profiting from your government job if we start making exceptions? Marc Fisher: Quite right -- he's spinning this as a First Amendment issue, when it's really a question of workplace ethics. This is about whether a supervisor will be permitted to profit from the public service work he does, even as the officers and detectives who did the real work go about their lives, making a small fraction of the chief's pay.
Re: Half Mast Flags: Perhaps because of the bombing in Saudi Arabia? Marc Fisher: Could be. Anyone know anything for certain?
Forest Glen, Md.: As a lifelong Montgomery County resident, I've been disgusted by my local government at various times. However, nothing has been more horrifying than witnessing Chief Moose's insistence upon profiting from the victims of the snipers. I wish he would go away and just not come back. Marc Fisher: If he does go ahead with his book, going away would be at least a step in the right direction.
washingtonpost.com: Moose Appeals County Book Ban (Post, May 15)
Bethesda, Md.:
Yo Marc, Why do opponents of vouchers always say that vouchers would drain money from public schools as if the money was ever supposed to go to public schools? The money was always intended for education of children. The schools themselves are not to be serviced, it is the children who are to be serviced. I don't understand "Public School People" who think it's THEIR money. It's not their money; it's the kids' money. Actually, forget all that it's my money and your money. Uggh. Marc Fisher: Well, we could play all sorts of semantic games about whose money it is, but the point is that a certain chunk of tax money goes to pay for public schools. If we decide that the public schools are not providing the service they need to, and that they we don't know how to or aren't willing to fix them, then we can decide to spend that money elsewhere. That's how charter schools work -- for every child who attends a public charter school, the government provides a certain amount of money. We can pretend that that money is not coming out of the public school budget, but the fact is that politicians allot a certain amount for education, and it is indeed divided up. Adding vouchers to the mix would further split that pot.
But that's not why I oppose vouchers: Vouchers are wrong for two main reasons -- they offer false hope because they can be used by a tiny minority of kids, while the vast majority will remain in the public schools, and they use tax dollars to support religious education.
Alexandria, Va.: Marc, Here and in your column you have frequently pled the case of the D.C. schools, and we all know they can use the help. I was surprised to learn that your own children attend private school. I am not trying to be accusatory, but could you discuss this decision and tell what you think realistically can be done to change the system to persuade middle class parents to move into the city and to send their children to its schools? Attracting empty nesters and dinks is only a short term fix for the tax base. Build all the sports complexes you want, but until the schools become acceptable, no real progress will be made. Marc Fisher: You're right that improving the schools is essential to any large scale return of the middle class to the city. My family chose to stay in the city and use private schools because, as the mayor's new appointee to the D.C. school board said in today's paper, the public system is not adequate for our needs. I would like very much for the public system to be adequate, and like any taxpayer with or without children, I have a considerable investment in those public schools.
The level of frustration over the failure of school reform from the mayor, school board president and other officials is at an all-time high right now. The temptation is to embrace magic bullets like vouchers, but the real answers lie down a much more difficult path -- tighter management, dramatically better principals who have real authority to run their schools, solutions to the special education mess, and the removal of incompetents.
Washington, D.C.: Re: Half staff flags -- May 15 is Peace Officers Memorial Day. Marc Fisher: Ah, thank you very much.
Forest Glen, Md.: From the White House Web site, the President's remarks today: "Today, and every May 15th, the American flag flies at half-staff in grateful memory -- in grateful memory -- of thousands of fallen police officers. This year we pay special homage to 480 men and women whose names are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. We do so with enormous respect and appreciation for the courage and character of all who have answered the call to be a law enforcement officer." Marc Fisher: And to you as well.
Vouchers and public schools: An appropriate analogy here could be with trash services. If I don't like my city trash service, I am free to contract with a private provider. But the city still has to provide the service to everyone else, and I don't get a rebate for the variable costs associated with servicing just me. Marc Fisher: Right, and I don't think too many taxpayers would like it if the government started subsidizing that private hauling service for some taxpayers while making everyone else rely on the city trash pickups.
Far side of the Moon: Having digested the bile spewed out almost daily by the Reverend Moon's minions, I'm actually surprised that it's taken this long for France to protest the inflammatory and FALSE statements of the Washington Times. I have also noticed what would have to be a company policy by the POST not to attack the words of Moon's lackies, or, If I may use the TIMES language, the "cadre" of provocateurs within the bowels of the Moon Machine. Marc, am I off on this, or is France really an Evil Empire? Marc Fisher: Huh? From what I read, the French are protesting what they see as a conspiracy by the U.S. government to gin up anti-French copy in all sorts of American news outlets, not just one D.C. newspaper. Sorry, France, but we have plenty of fun going after the French on our own, without need for government-supplied story ideas.
But I love the fact that they're whining about this through official diplomatic channels. Isn't it sweet when folks live up to their worst stereotypes?
Laurel, Md.: From Wednesday, what's wrong with sports in the Washington area? My answer is: transportation in the Washington area. The D.C. area is five million people living in an area bounded by Fredericksburg, Culpepper, Front Royal, Hagerstown, Columbia and the Chesapeake Bay. Except for those lucky enough to live near MARC or VRE and who work downtown, Washington area transportation is automobiles and Metrorail. Metro is the greatest thing in the world if one happens to live inside the Beltway or in the I-66 or I-270 corridors. Otherwise, it's a park and ride system made necessary by the fact that few highways come into the city. Our area is bisected by a major river with six crossings near the city and no others for 40 miles in either direction. Do Virginians come to Merriweather Post Pavilion any more often than I go to the Nissan Center or Wolf Trap (which is once each to teach me never to do it again)? The Redskins and Kemper Open can be successful because those are events held principally on weekends and which people will devote all day to attending. Tuesday night at the MCI center? Maybe if you get to see Michael Jordan, your company lets you use its Capitals season tickets that night, or you're one of Washington's many career women who doesn't otherwise get to see major women's sports. But for most of us, it's an hour's dual-mode trip each way. The D.C. area is made up of six communities: inside the Beltway; and the I-66, I-270, Route 301, and two I-95 corridors. Anyone in a transportation-dependent business who thinks those are one market is dreaming.
Marc Fisher: Nice theory, but I'm not buying. I've never understood why people are as willing as they are to drive an hour or more to work, play, shop, attend sports events, go out to restaurants, etc., but they are, and if you look at the stats about where people drive from to get to Skins, O's, Terrapins, Caps or Wizards games, it's simply amazing to see the lengths to which fans will go. Sure, traffic is bad, but that doesn't stop people from wading in.
Kensington, Md.: Please comment/write about Montgomery County Council members 5-4 vote against a proposed impact tax to raise money for sorely needed school construction. The five pro-development members voted against it, thereby depriving children yet again of updated and upgraded facilities in which to learn. Despite overwhelming broad based community support for the tax (including M.C. Board of Education, MCCPTA, Town of Rockville, Town of Gaithersburg, Coalition of Kensington Communities, Solutions Not Sprawl, etc.), only two organizations (Chamber of Commerce and a lawyer for developers) testified against it. This begs the question who exactly are these elected officials representing? Marc Fisher: They're representing the End Gridlock voters who changed the face of the county council in the last election. The whole premise of building more roads is to boost development in the as-yet unpaved portions of the region; paying for the impact of that development -- such as the idea that families might produce children, who might need to be educated -- has never been high on their list.
Sierra Club Member: Now do you flesh eaters believe the seas are dying? What more will it take for people to adopt a vegan diet? STOP EATING ANIMALS NOW! Marc Fisher: Oh please. You need a good steak and you'll calm right down. Try a cigar with it. You might like it.
Arlington, Va.: So, if you were a public official in D.C. or Virginia, how much tax money would you be willing to put into a baseball stadium? Any at all? Marc Fisher: Depends on where the money comes from. It's hard to justify using general fund dollars for a baseball stadium, but a plan such as Mayor Williams' -- focusing on taxes on the players and on the largest businesses and those establishments directly in the area that would benefit from a ballpark -- makes a lot of sense.
Washington, D.C.: What is the current book you are writing about? Marc Fisher: Thanks for asking -- it's a history of radio from the advent of television to the present. To be published by Random House, probably late next year.
Derwood, Md.: Recently, the local freebie weekly D.C. newspaper argued that D.C. residents would be better off if the new baseball stadium were in Arlington instead of the District. That way, D.C. residents wouldn't have to deal with any of the negatives (how to pay for it, congestion, etc.), yet could still easily get to games. The author even pointed out that, thanks to Metro, D.C. residents would have easier commutes to and from games than Virginia residents. Is this "Let them pay for it, we'll enjoy it more" argument valid? Marc Fisher: I think their tongues were firmly planted in their cheeks, but yes, sure, it'd be a lot cheaper for the District to have the ballpark right across the water in Arlington, and vice versa. There's even a group of Arlington citizens who have started up a support campaign for baseball in the District -- cute idea. Some jurisdiction will have to take on the task of paying for a ballpark if baseball is to return to this region. Wouldn't it be great if NoVa and D.C. banded together in one bid? Sure, but there's almost zero incentive for them to do that, because only the jurisdiction that houses the ballpark will get the tax receipts once games are played.
Sierra Club Member's Post: is a riot!! Not all the fish are being caught to be eaten; some are being caught for sheer sport. Why not attack their lifestyle as well. Sierra's a vegan, but probably wearing leather loafers as s/he types. Marc Fisher: I knew I shouldn't have let this get started ...
Vienna, Va.: How does our Sierra Club caller reconcile the fact that in nature, many animals eat EACH OTHER? Marc Fisher: Let it out, let it all out ...
Alexandria, Va.: I think I'm going to go and have a nice Sierra Club member for lunch today. Marc Fisher: Ok, that's enough. We're moving on now, nothing to see here ...
Silver Spring, Md.: Marc, Hello buddy. I live in downtown Silver Spring/Wheaton near the Metro. There are some new town houses being built right at the Wheaton Metro stop, these homes started selling in the "High 300's" and when they are sold the 2nd phase homes will start selling for 450k and higher. What the hell is going on in this area where you have to pay almost a half million dollars to live in a run-down old place like Wheaton?! They also tore down the historic Tuesday Morning building ... I bought my 1st paper weight there many years ago. We need more antideveloper activism like that of the kind that saved the historic Sears Bldg. and Giant grocery store on Wisconsin Ave. in the District.
Too crowded. Marc Fisher: Sorry, but it makes sense to me that people would be eager to pay a premium to live near a Metro station. That said, it's the responsibility of government and developers to ensure that a significant piece of the profits from that sort of development go to support affordable housing.
As for historic buildings, I'm all for retaining important pieces of our past, but the definition of historic has gone completely batty--the Giant store on Wisconsin Avenue that Cleveland Park residents cynically fought to save on historic preservation grounds is every bit as much of a meaningless eyesore as the old Sears/Hechinger building in Tenleytown. Both were beautiful candidates for the wrecking ball and a good, thoughtful developer would have dynamited them at midnight.
Washington, D.C.: Don't blame the Sierra Club. Most of us are not nutballs. Marc Fisher: That's a point worth making -- the rest of you, cool it on the PETA stuff. We're fresh out of time and we're not going there.
Frederick Co., Va.: An open letter to law enforcement agencies around the area (in my case, the Virginia State Police and the Clarke Co. Sheriff's Office): The next time you investigate a fatal car accident and leave the body in the middle of the road, you may want to consider making sure ALL of the body is covered by the yellow tarp, and not just the top half. I saw the above situation outside of Berryville off of Rt. 7 a week or so ago and VERY clearly saw the victim's legs sticking out from the very small yellow tarp. I was reminded of the opening scene in "Platoon" when the new guys are marching on the tarmac after arriving in the 'Nam and see a row of bodybags: "Oh man, is that what I think it is?" Not pleasant. I told some co-workers about that and one mentioned he saw the same thing in Maryland with a motorcycle accident and his two young children were with him. Is there a reason why law enforcement cannot cover the entire body? Are they simply too cheap to buy a big enough tarp? I mean, c'mon, all it does is cause gawker's block, anger the deceased's relatives, and cause issues with parents trying to explain that to their children.
Marc Fisher: Ugh. Hope we don't ruin anyone's lunch, but that is a good message to send out.
For the Sports Fan: I'd just like to point out that the Washington area does have a winning sports tradition in both Soccer and Basketball: The Washington Freedom and the Washington Mystics are at the top of their game and the United were winners for a long time. The Freedom don't garner much coverage from the Post (and .com doesn't even list them as an option for customizing your sports coverage) but the games are inexpensive, a lot of fun and almost always end in victory for the home team. There's a game this weekend at RFK -- if you want to see a winning Washington team, check it out! Marc Fisher: Far be it from me to express pro-soccer views, but you're right that the local teams have had some success. But the Mystics? Sorry, they have been losers from Day One. We were season ticket holders for a few years and the WNBA is a fun show, but the Mystics show every sign of being a Washington Sports and Entertainment product -- perpetual losers.
District of Columbia - no state here!: Traffic -- D.C. vs. the 'Burbs. I don't understand it, people move to the 'burbs, then drive, drive, drive -- 20 mins. to the grocery store, 10 mins. to Blockbuster, 20 mins. to the cleaners, 20 mins. to Target, then 20 minutes back home and think NOTHING of the 90 minutes they just wasted in their car ... then they complain that D.C. is 15 minutes away ... good grief. Marc Fisher: The dirty secret for many commuters is that they relish that time alone in the car; for many, it's the only time of the day when they can be alone and think without the distractions of work, family, etc.
Washington, D.C.: Was Jayson Blair getting paid for travel expenses that he wasn't using? Marc Fisher: Not clear; I don't think so, or that would have been in the extensive piece the Times published last Sunday.
Alexandria, Va.: ... "he [Blair] obviously knew how to write a compelling news story." Not so obvious to me. What evidence do you have? Seems all his big stories were either plagiarized or made-up. Reminds me of Dr. Johnson's review of someone else's work that he found both original and good. "Unfortunately, the part that's original is not good, and the part that's good is not original." Marc Fisher: Sure, he stole a lot of material from other papers, but his stories, at least as published, read cleanly and often quite well. I'm obviously not vouching for his reporting, which may not even have existed, but his writing always seemed fresh and compelling. Those stories got on Page One because they were dynamic -- that they were made-up is criminal, but that doesn't negate that this was a real talent.
Jayson Blair: Any employer takes a chance on any employee, because you don't know how a person will function in any situation until they do (or don't). The Times did this to themselves, as you clearly point out, but it could happen anywhere. Marc Fisher: True, and any editor can tell stories about someone who had great clips, but turned out to have been rewritten by a great editor somewhere else. The question about the Blair case is really more a matter of how the paper handled him after they knew he was a problem than it is about his original hiring.
Kingstowne, Va.: Cheers to the statesmen who decided against the widening of I-66 and the construction of the Outer Beltway. We all know that creating more road capacity just creates more cars out of thin air. Thus, our esteemed leaders should now turn their sights on to stopping the expansion of Metro, which, as we know, only creates more passengers and more crowded subways. We just have too many people, and increasing their mobility, via road, transit or pedestrian path, will only encourage more of them! Pull up the ladder now! Marc Fisher: Or something like that.
We're over our allotted hour, folks, so we'll continue this conversation next week.
Many thanks for coming along -- write if you get work.
washingtonpost.com: That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.
© Copyright 2003 The Washington Post Company | 
