Comments on Weekend links: 10 years later - Greater Greater Washington

Comment by Greg

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:54:00 EDT

The Bush-Ehrlich-O'Malley administrations fast-tracked the $3+ billion Intercounty Connector (ICC) through a bogus environmental review process and onto construction under the equally bogus claim that this 18-mile road was essential to homeland security and emergency response. They did so despite providing no evidence of specific benefits.

In building the ICC, O'Malley has blown billions that could have and should gone to better uses, wiped out hundreds of acres of prime farmland, obliterated the headwater forests of Rock Creek and the Anacostia, cut dozens of communities in half, and seized and destroyed dozens of families' homes. He's laying down another piece of the Outer Beltway so ardently sought by the region's sprawl interests, and built a massive trigger for sprawl, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution emissions, and oil consumption. The ICC's cumulative impacts -- including induced growth and destruction of additional destruction of farms, forests, wet lands and flood plains -- are predicted to dwarf the highway's horrific direct impacts.

These types of impacts deeply undermine badly needed ecological, social and economic resiliency.

So much for Maryland's "green governor".

Feeling secure yet?

Comment by Jasper

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:53:59 EDT

@ Johnny:I don't think there would be a shortage of interest in taking to the water if it did.

You have a two rivers, a Tidal Basin, Great Falls and the Chesapeake Bay, and even an ocean within a few hours reach. And you complain about not enough opportunities for water recreation?

Comment by Jasper

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:51:56 EDT

@ Johnny:Kayaking through Rock Creek Park would be a much different experience than paddle boating with tourists in the Tidal Basin.

BTW, what's wrong with kayaking in Great Falls?

Comment by Jasper

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:51:07 EDT

@ Johnny:Kayaking through Rock Creek Park would be a much different experience than paddle boating with tourists in the Tidal Basin.

Oh, you want your own water for Washingtonians only. Yeah, that's always a good plan. Those pesky outsiders, damn them!

Comment by Johnny

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:10:50 EDT

Jasper- With all the potential drawbacks and hassles that would be involved with damming the creek, what jumped out at you was that there are other places to canoe? What kind of argument is that anyway? Kayaking through Rock Creek Park would be a much different experience than paddle boating with tourists in the Tidal Basin. It's not as though this would ever happen in the first place but I don't think there would be a shortage of interest in taking to the water if it did.

Comment by Jasper

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:33:28 EDT

@ Johnny: That would allow for recreation such as kayaking and canoeing.

You can do that now on the Potomac and Tidal basic... Are those overused?

Comment by Johnny

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:23:53 EDT

I always said it would be cool if a smaller dam was placed at the bottom of Rock Creek to just raise the level 5 feet or so. That would allow for recreation such as kayaking and canoeing. The creek was Navigable back in the day and it could be again. Also the dam could be hydro-electric and the water level could be controlled to prevent flooding.

Comment by D. Wolkoff

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 06:24:29 EDT

mch@ do you really believe the motivation for the covert operation on Sept. 11, 2001, to fly Commercial passenger jet planes into the WTC, The Pentagon and The US Capitol is hatred of our freedom? Last time I checked we are free to consume/waste all the resources we can. Please don't get carried away with our political or social freedom in the US. Do you know what the Middle Eastern group that carried out the assault, stated as grievances against the US? You might check out the US role in the middle east, just to see if it has any signifigance. That "they hate our freedom thing is ludicrous, take your head out of the sand my friend, is George Bush an authority on the hitory of US involvement in the Middle East. The United States has military bases in their countries, and has supported every bloody dictatorship that the people are throwing off at a terrible cost in lives and injury. Our policies and military aid helps Israel perpetuate the conflict with the palestinians. The illegal settlements and repression of palestinians. Do you know what it is like to live under Martial Law , a "state of emergency" for 40 years? To have no freedom and grinding poverty? Have you been tortured by your govt.? The US support for Saudi Arabia's govt. is a grievance, they are repressive, reactionary, dictatorship of a single family. We are about arming these monsters, and keeping them in power with brutality you cannot understand. As the mass uprising in the region progresses, the US is lucky the new govts have no choice but to have relations with us. Our role has been so dispicable in these countries, do you think Al Queda might have something to say we should hear.Are they simply "evil", is this a strategic analysis? The commemoration of Sept. 11 included almost no reference to the role of US military Aid to the regions dictators as we only think of ourselves as important,, a very racist self centered world view. The devastation of the incident on Sept. 11 2001 was horrible and criminal but there are reasons to be found. Tell me it is better when our missles incinerate innocent civilains in the middle East, in Pakistan,in Afghanistan, when NATO bombs civilians and pleads "it was a mistake" We know those people are only collateral damage, not equal to US citizens, as we ignore the daily reports of our bombing, is it brave to fly a drone into a village. I fwe are so courageopus and such heroes, why not go in with men and women? Fight fair?
We accept a US president who has intelligence fabricated to justify invading Iraq, which was false on the face of it, didn't need arms inspectors to tell us the truth. Mistakes? Racism? Trust me , if Guantanamo had germans, welsh, italians, and french in the cells and torture chambers you and other americans of european heratige would close it in a day.

Comment by canaan

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:38:22 EDT

So when are we supposed to be talking about, on a day that has absolutely no significance? Anyway, those pictures don't really do a good job showing the changes. Most of them seem fairly innocuous and it took me a while to even notice some of the differences. The most stark one was the one at the airport and that is a national issue rather than DC specific.

Comment by Jasper

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:53:10 EDT

@ mch: I find it disrespectful to write "paranoia"

I find it disrespectful to complain about free opinions on a day that many people are mourning the ~~deaths~~ murder of their loved ones. Murders committed by a bunch of nutcases that believe that freedom is no good. Nutcases that intended to create paranoia. Hell yeah we should be writing about well-intended but poorly worked-out paranoia.

Comment by Frank IBC

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:59:27 EDT

MCH - Pick up any Sunday paper today and you will see editorials about the legacy of 9/11, including the "paranoia" aspect. There is nothing in this discussion that dishonors the memory of those who died.

Comment by Frank IBC

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 15:55:55 EDT

Interesting about the proposal to dam Rock Creek just north of Georgetown.

I remember seeing another proposal to build a dam at Jones Bridge and create a lake winding around the south side of Kensington, from sometime between 1890 and 1930.

I also remember a much older proposal to just fill in the valley between Foggy Bottom/Dupont Circle and Georgetown, and just continue the urban fabric through there.

Comment by mch

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 13:24:50 EDT

"Since 2001, DC has suffered an explosion of barriers, checkpoints, and paranoia."

I find it disrespectful to write "paranoia" on a day that many people are mourning the deaths of their loved ones.

This is not the appropriate day for editorializing.

Comment by Matt Johnson

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:00:58 EDT

@Greg:
You're right. That is a big difference.

I've fixed the date.

Comment by Greg

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:44:52 EDT

The Rock Creek Park dam plan was in 1890, not 1980. Big difference...