The Night Owl Strikes Again

Honestly, I don't even know how to process the latest verbal gifts from my council member. In his celebratory speech Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, he managed to 1) slam an entire race and stir up racial unrest, 2) put up another mile of linguistic fencing that is keeping new business away from Ward 8, and 3) paint himself as something he most certainly is not.

First Point

We've got to do something about these Asians coming in, opening up businesses, those dirty shops. They ought to go, I’ll just say that right now, you know.

Barry ... brothaman ... these are business owners in your Ward. Yes, they are not "African-American businesspeople", but they are employers in your Ward. They may not be running the businesses you necessarily want, but they are the only businesses you have. It's bad politics to piss them off. You should be embracing them, including them as part of the community, and working with them to make our Ward a better place. Instead of hating anything and anyone who isn't black. Diversity is the lifeblood of a city.

I ... ugh ... I just cannot fathom what could be going through your mind that would make you spit out this divisive, racist crap.

Second Point

But we need African-American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too.

Mr. Council Member, you have basically told businesses, "Unless you are black, stay the hell out of Ward 8. I don't want you here." Tell me. Exactly how is that supposed to help put the people of Ward 8 back to work? How do you expect us, our Ward, to enjoy the growth and success that the other Wards have witnessed?

I know, I know. You're very concerned about "the G word" and you're afraid that, with growth, the downtrodden people you "so proudly fight for" will be pushed out. Well, you know what? Part of your job as our council member is to work with businesses, with developers, with new residents to find a way to include everyone in growth and success. Instead, you want to use inflammatory rhetoric designed to keep all but your vision of the ideal people out of Ward 8. The only thing that will accomplish is keeping everyone out and dooming Ward 8 to perpetual poverty and despair.

Which is, apparently, just the way you like it.

Third Point

And I defied the odds last night, didn’t I? I defied all the odds.

You "defied all the odds"? What odds? It most certainly wasn't the odds that you wouldn't get re-elected. Because, and let's be honest here, for as long as you want to run as council member of Ward 8, you will be council member of Ward 8. My fine neighbors are eternally blinded by what you have done for them in the past ... so much so that they cannot see that you no longer do anything for them now. You continually bring up your political history because history is all you have.

Show me one significant development or event or business that has happened in Ward 8 since you've been council member that you personally have made happen. Show me one tax credit, infrastructure allowance, or other such giveaway that you personally have extended to anyone to come in and make life in Ward 8 better for its residents.

Good things are happening here in spite of you not because of you.

Conclusion
I'm not surprised by your win. I long ago resigned to the simple truths that Ward 8 will not move forward and enjoy the good fortunes that the other Wards are enjoying as long as you are our council member and that you will be our council member for as long as you can draw breath. It makes me sad because I know what our Ward is capable of. I know what strengths we have and that we could be the place where everyone wants to live. I know that we have so much upside. But no one ... NO ONE ... in their right mind will come here and invest in us as long as you are around. You are divisive and lazy and a roadblock to progress. You want to keep your constituents down because as long as they're down they have to turn to you for help.

It's truly a shame that they can't see this about you. It's truly a shame that they can't realize that the best days of Marion Barry were left in his first term as mayor. It's truly a shame that we, the residents of Ward8, have to suffer through another term with you.

Building A Dynasty?

My faithful readers know that I have no love for Marion Barry, my current council member. He was elected to his position the same month that I moved into my condo. When I discovered that I was the newest resident in Ward 8, instead of Ward 7 where the apartment from which I was moving out resides, I was none too pleased. The man is a politician of the worst kind and we can't be rid of him soon enough.

But he doesn't want to go quietly into that gentle night. On the contrary, he is already scheming to cement his blight ... er, legacy ... in the District's history books.

Barry (D) has outlined plans to run for a third consecutive term as D.C. Council member for Ward 8 but serve only part of that time, backing his only son, Christopher Barry, to fill his seat.

Let us allow that to sit for one moment so that we may meditate upon those words ...

... okay.

This only son of The Night Owl has shown no interest in District politics on any level. He has largely stayed out of the limelight. He's already had a couple unfortunate brushes with the law in his short adult life. Having him serve on the council only prolongs The Elder Barry's (pun intended) stranglehold on the people of Washington D.C. in general and Ward 8 in particular.

Neighbors of Ward 8, we simply cannot allow this.

If Christopher Barry ever decides he wants to follow his father's footsteps into public service, let him do it on his own terms ... and prove to us, the voters, the he deserves our trust and confidence. Otherwise, let him live where he can battle and conquer his personal demons in quiet civilian peace.

Wake Up, Ward 8!

I've never been more ticked off at a politician than I am at my city councilmember, Marion "Night Owl" Barry. Drug use. Drug use again. Suspicion of drug use. Unpaid taxes. Stalking. Scandals and harrassments. Unpaid tickets. Race baiting.

And now driving a car with illegal tags.

The man is a stain ... a blot ... a cancer on our city. He preaches and lives "entitlement". He sees himself as above the law. He portrays himself as the eternal victim. He is a racist. And, Ward 8, he has done little-to-nothing for you.

In 2012, we will have the opportunity to rid ourselves ... to rid our Ward ... to rid our city ... of this charlatan. We will have the opportunity to elect someone who puts the people of Ward 8 over his/her own ego.

I don't know yet who that person will be. I urge you to look at all of the candidates and to weigh them carefully. I beg you to chose your next councilmember wisely.

That is, of course, unless you're quite happy with the way things are going.

One Turkey To Rule Them All

Just when all hope was lost. Just when there was no light left in the building. Just when I feared I would have to close the Diaries due to lack of interest, my Muse returned to remind me that I still have important things to say ... snarky things to say ... about the gall and the stupidity of people.

And for that, I truly thank The Night Owl (or, as I think I may have to start calling him, The Gift That Keeps On Giving).

Mr. Barry has been giving away turkeys at the Union Temple Baptist Church for the several years now. It's a very popular program in my Ward 8, which is the most economically depressed area in my fair city. You will not hear me breathe one bad word about this program. The holiday season is especially hard on those who are struggling and anything to help make their Thanksgiving better is alright in my book.

But I do have to call out incompetence.

Last year, the demand far exceeded the supply and Barry promised such an oversight would never happen again. This year, people who wanted a free bird had to sign up ahead of time to get one. Once all of the people listed got theirs, whatever was left would be handed out to whoever showed up. (Or at least that's my understanding of how this was supposed to have worked.)

Well, this year's giveaway hit another snag that left people frustrated and upset. All because that evil Giant wouldn't deliver the birds.

First of all, I must apologize to the Ward 8 community for Giant’s failure to provide timely support to the Community. It’s simply pathetic and incomprehensible to me that a multi-billion dollar corporation, like Giant, would take a position that would deprive children, seniors and other adults of food for the Thanksgiving holiday.

But, you see, the fact that the turkeys were a no-show wasn't Barry's fault. Except for that part where it was.

D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8), well known for his annual turkey giveaway in Southeast Washington, had no Butterballs available for residents Tuesday morning after he failed to pay Giant food stores $26,000 for their delivery.

In a news release, Barry said he had $17,000, falling short by $9,000, but promised Giant that the rest was coming. " ... Giant insisted that the full $26 thousand dollars be received by the store on Monday and that without full payment, the Company would not delivery the birds to Barry," a news release read.

Look, I know people are suffering. I know that some residents in Ward 8 depend on this annual event to put a decent Thanksgiving dinner on the table. But this whole mess could have been avoided. It's not like we don't know when Thanksgiving is going to happen from one year to another. (Not like that blasted Easter.) It's the fourth Thursday of November, for Pete's sake! Mr. Barry had plenty of time during the year to raise whatever funds he needed to ensure that his turkey giveaway would happen on time and without issue. The fault lies on him, not on Giant.

(Giant, by the way, did deliver some of the birds with the rest coming today, even though they still haven't been paid for them.)

I have a suggestion to my fellow Ward 8 residents. Stop putting your faith in Marion Barry. He will fail you constantly and consistently. Next year, if you need some extra help putting food on the table, make a trip out to Landover where you're far less likely to walk away empty-handed.

A True Shocker

It appears that The Night Owl didn't break any laws when he awarded his then-girlfriend a city contract. While innocent of criminal charges, the man is still sketchy.

Cecily E. Collier-Montgomery, director of the campaign finance office, wrote in an order dated Friday that Barry failed to follow the city's regulations for employee conduct, which should have guided him but that he did not violate the city's laws.

I can forgive an occasional and unintentional lapse in ethics, but Mr. Barry has made a career out of unethical behavior. If he truly wanted the best for his constituents, he would step down and out of the way.

More On Barry's Circus

From today's The Washington Post, Barry plans on making a payment of $4,250 on Monday toward his unpaid taxes. He also feels that "federal prosecutors are being unfair in asking a judge to revoke his probation for tax offenses".

"I just wish that the U.S. attorney will tell the truth," Barry said. "They keep saying that I haven't paid my taxes, but I am contributing to my tax bill every month. I take full responsibility for the past, but I have met every condition of my probation as it relates to taxes."

I'm no tax attorney, but I think missing paying last year's taxes isn't quite meeting "every condition". Barry is still whining about the disclosure of the exact amount of his back taxes.

Barry said in a statement Thursday that prosecutors had broken the law by disclosing the specifics of what he owes [...]

That's not an opinion that is universally held.

[...], but they are permitted to do so in criminal cases, especially when they are trying to show a defendant has engaged in a pattern of unlawful behavior.

[...]

Andrew C. White, another former federal prosecutor, said authorities justifiably disclosed Barry's debt to show the seriousness of his offense. "With the budget issues we are facing right now, they are trying to show that this is an absolute affront to hardworking taxpayers," White said.

You broke the law, Mr. Barry. Not once. Not twice. But eight times. Still, you believe that you are the one being unfairly treated. So go ahead and cry us a river, Mr. Barry. You're pretty good at playing the victim. Unfortunately for you, you are also pretty good at being the criminal.

Send Him To Jail Already

Anyone who knows me knows that I am no fan of Marion Barry. It makes my blood boil that he's still in "public service". He has singlehandedly done more harm to my city than possibly any other person or persons involved in politics. If it hasn't been his race-baiting and populist trickery, it's his "recreational activities". And if it's not that, it's his laziness as a citizen. The man should not be entrusted to "serve" the people.

Today, we learned how much Barry owes in back taxes ... over $277,000! What was his response? It was essentially "stop saying mean things about me".

If this were you or I (or even those hated Wall Street fat cats), we would be jailed quicker than you can say "tax cheat".

Hell, now that I think about it, the best way to get a "get out of tax-jail free" card is to be a politician.

That's My Coucilmember!

Marion Barry has once again failed to file tax returns. But this time the Feds want him incarcerated. It seems as though The Night Owl won't be able to snake his way out of this one.

I can't really blame Barry for his actions. He's used to living a life free of consequences (minus one minor hickup). Besides, it's not like the Federal government isn't full of role models for him to emulate.

No, the only failing I can find in all of this is that the Ward 8 Councilmember isn't part of the Obama administration.

This Year's Election

I have lost my faith in the ability of the American people to make sound decisions. If they had the capability, we would not be left with John McCain, Barack Obama, Bob Barr, and Ralph Nader as our choices for Presidential candidates. While Barr and Nader weren't voted into their positions (they more or less anointed themselves due to a lack of interest from anyone else in their respective parties), McCain and Obama were. And shame on you Republicans and Democrats. You had far better choices in your primaries than these two posers. But you were all too swept away by "change" and "experience" to notice the other better choices.

Aw well. We're in the shitter now, so it really doesn't matter who we elect. They won't have the power to right the Good Ship America in the span of four years anyway. Even if they had the gumption (and they don't), they have a strongly liberal Congress with whom to contend. Don't get too excited there, Democrats; remember that Bill Clinton didn't do too well when you all had both houses of Congress and the Presidency. Hell, even George W. Bush knows that one-party rule doesn't equate policy success. So it's looking like either we'll become a bankrupt capitalist nation or we'll become a financially solvent socialist nation. Either way, I fear that America as we know her is gone.

Our government has no business owning anything in the private sector. It shouldn't be in insurance. It shouldn't be in mortgage lending. It shouldn't be in health care. It shouldn't be in real estate. And it shouldn't be in banking.

But that's where it is and that's where it's going. Less freedom and choice for you, more power and control for Big Government.

I fear for the direction in which our country could head, regardless of who you people elect President.

...

Oh, all that and my Ward is going to re-elect Marion Barry.

Stupid Americans.

I'm Shocked. Are You Shocked?

"Remember all that stuff I said on Wednesday? Well, it wasn't exactly what I meant. What I meant was ..."

The Populist Mayor Comes Around

I would love to know what prompted this shift in position at the mayor's office. Don't get me wrong, I have been a supporter of this idea from the beginning and have always thought that it would be good for the city, for D.C. United, and for the residents of Ward 8. But Mayor Fenty had been so adamantly against using public funding for private stadiums ... well, it just makes me wonder.

The Man Gets No Respect

Poor Marion Barry. If he's not being targeted for embarrassment, he's being unjustly portrayed in the media.

It's so hard to be Marion Barry.