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Potomac Confidential
With Marc Fisher
Post Metro Columnist
Thursday, Feb. 27, 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: Coming to you today from icy Richmond, where I'm attending an FCC hearing on media ownership--the big question is whether radio and TV companies be allowed to own even more stations than they already do.
Despite the ice, we're open for your thoughts and questions on media ownership, today's column on slot machines in Maryland, Tuesday's offering on readiness for the big terror attack, and anything else on your mind. Including snow and all that, of course.
My favorite remark of the week so far is the D.C. public works official who went on TV Tuesday night to say that "We are finished with this event," meaning that no further effort would be made to clear traffic lanes and plow streets still piled high with the last storm's snow. Don't get me started.
So you start....
Alexandria, Va.:
R.I.P. Fred Rogers-
Can you say "We are all better for his
>efforts"? Sure, I knew you could.
Marc Fisher: Can you say "There'll never be another like him?" Very good. Sure, he was easily parodied, but it's hard to imagine a more influential and good hearted soul, and when you look at the raw sewage that pours out of our TVs--and from the public TV offerings for kids too--you see just how extraordinary Rogers' simple but compelling fantasies were.
Clifton, Va.:
Marc,
Are there any other professions where you can be wrong 80 percent of the time and still keep
your job which pays over $500K like Bob Ryan's? I should have been a TV weather person. Beats being a columinist, too.
Marc Fisher: I don't think the TV weather guys are wrong 80 percent of the time--more like 25 percent. But still, they do throw us for a loop from time to time, like yesterday morning. But I like the fact that with all our technology, we are still subject to the whim and unpredictability of nature. Forecasters wouldn't be very interesting if they were right ALL the time--just like columnists.
1st St. NE:
So I'm driving over to a friends house on Saturday, a little after noon. It's raining. Lots of rain. I turn on WTOP just in time to hear that the National Weather Service has issued a flood warning. Well and good. Then -- mid sentence the broadcaster is interrupted by the horrible buzz of the Emergency Broadcast System. Oh good god I think, here we go again ... White House bombed? Gas attack on the Metro?
It seemed like several minutes of listening to the proclamation that this is an emergency before they finally tell us ... there's a flood warning. I was so ticked.
The Powers that Be need to understand that 3 million hearts are going to stop every time they hear one of those emergency broadcasts and they need to be used accordingly.
Here are a few concrete suggestions. First, they need to tell you -- immediately -- what the nature of the emergency is. Second they should consider developing different emergency signals for different types of emergencies (even as simple as natural vs. manmade). Third, and perhaps most importantly, they should not use the system unless there is a genuine emergency.
Washingtonians have weathered attacks and rumors of attacks for month now with surprising grace and good humor. But people need to realize that "Code Red" no longer means excessive ozone pollution and that the threat of a flood no longer constitutes an emergency is quite the same way as it did 1 year, 5 months, 16 days and about 2 hours ago.
Marc Fisher: Good point--I know several people who had mini-cardiac events because of that activation of the Emergency Alert System, and who were enormously relieved to hear that it was just flash flooding this time. It wouldn't be too difficult to put the headline first, though all those disturbing beeps and buzzes do grab our attention.
20011:
My trash hasn't been picked up in weeks. My recycling is overflowing. And yet again, no trash pickup, no recycling pickup (Yes, yes, they claim they'll get trash from the curb. I have yet to see that happen, and I hate hauling it back and forth through the house.)
This is getting silly. When do the excuses stop?
Marc Fisher: Forget the excuses--how about the wildly contradictory instructions? Three times in the past week, we've been told put the trash in front rather than in the alley, then no, our trucks can get into the alleys so leave it out back, then just Tuesday night, another bunch of reports on the TV news saying the trash has to come out front.
But I'll say this for the garbage men in my neighborhood--they got through the alley and picked up the trash on time this week. Can't say that for the recycling trucks, which haven't been seen for more than two weeks.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Before you start on snow, I though you might be interested to know that some of the lights on the "Discovery" sign on its new building are already not working -- it's kinda like the "discov'ry" building.
Marc Fisher: They're just trying to say their name faster. I also like the neon on Mazza Gallerie, which for a couple of years advertised the General 'inema theaters. We don't want to go there.
Baltimore, Md.:
Agree with your slots column -- if the tracks can't survive on their own, well that's life.
What REALLY irks me about this slots business is Ehrlich's support for slots at Pimlico (poor black neighborhood in Baltimore) and PG County but not at race tracks in lily white Timonium or Ocean City -- and he has the nerve to accuse the Speaker of the House of playing the race card! If slots are fine in PG and Baltimore City then why not Baltimore County and OC?
Marc Fisher: Oh, the cynicism of this entire endeavor is really quite breathtaking. At this week's hearing, the head of the state lottery noted that 60 percent of the money pumped into the lottery comes from black customers. The expectation is that a similarly disproportionate amount of betting on slots would come from blacks--much of it from those who can least afford it. And the governor plays to this leaching of the poor by putting his slots palaces in predominantly black neighborhoods. It's really quite revolting.
Herndon, Va.:
Oh god, Marc. Please tell me you didn't end your column by suggesting we eat horses. Please, please tell me I read it wrong. You're going to get inundated by the PETA people.
Marc Fisher: You read it right. Being on the wrong side of those nuts is a beautiful place to be.
Rockville, Md.:
You are wrong, wrong, wrong about slots in Maryland. Slots have "saved" racing in Delaware and West Virginia. Even though there are not many people at the tracks, high purses made possible by slots revenue makes for attractive racing for simulcast and other bettors -- from which the local track receives revenue. As for making derelict gamblers out of poor, minoroty people -- an adult who has no sense of when to quit will find other ways to throw their money away.
Marc Fisher: You're absolutely right that slots have "saved" racing in our neighboring states. But let's examine why we have to put "saved" in quotation marks: Slots attract far more people than horse racing has for quite some years. But those folks are not coming to watch or to bet on the horses. They are there to play the machines. One thing has nothing to do with the other, except that the state has chosen this method to subsidize the horse industry.
Why pick this particular sport to subsidize? Why not dog or pig racing, roller derby, or any other failed sports? Games come and go; if it's horse racing's turn to fade, I won't like that, but that's the way it goes.
Tenleytown, Washington, D.C.:
Dear Marc:
I agreed with your thoughts on horse racing slowly fading into the sunset, although the thought of Trigger burgers as part of the new menu at Roy Rogers gave me some pause. My question is why is Ehrlich looking solely at slot machines? Why not just go for the whole shebang and build a casino, and put the horsies out to pasture? After all, what is the difference in logic between a full fledged casino and slot machines?
Marc Fisher: It's all a matter of image. Casinos connote Vegas and Atlantic City, strip joints and mobsters, crime and more crime. Slots somehow don't yet have that image, even though the new generation of slots palaces look exactly like Vegas casinos. Personally, I'd prefer casinos to slots halls--at least the table games involve some measure of skill, and they're much more interesting than plunking quarters into a machine.
But I don't see why the state should be encouraging any of this behavior.
Come Clean:
Have you really eaten horse? (Suspect you will receive a firestorm of complaints.)
I understand that it is available in France and Belgium, although not widely available.
Perhaps that explains their perfidy.
Marc Fisher: I have indeed, and I liked it--a bit gamier than beef, but with that same rich taste. I was going for the laugh and the shock value here, but I genuinely do recommend the meat.
Takoma Park, Md.:
Marc, if in your column today you're suggesting that the best alternative to horse racing is horse steaks, be prepared to be run out of town on a rail. I hope I misunderstood.
Marc Fisher: Run out of town on a rail? That would require Metro and Amtrak to overcome the elements, wouldn't it?
Anyway, are we stooping to the level of banishing those who expand the traditional diet? Are you going to ban folks who eat goat? They serve very intriguing duck tongues at a couple of my favorite haunts in Chinatown--want to toss them out of town too?
Washington D.C.:
Hi Marc -
Love the chats. This might be a little outside of your arena, but let's say it relates to homeland security. Did you see that Ashcroft sent out his minions to bust 55 people in three states for the heinous crime of - gasp!- manufacturing and selling bongs?! This reminds me of when they shut down a couple of cannabis clubs in California less than two months after 9/11. Regardless of what one thinks of our drug laws, I can't believe that anyone with even a shred of intelligence thinks that this is the best use of our limited federal law enforcement resources during these dangerous times. The DEA should be out busting heroin dealers, not messing with this piddly nonsense. What's up with that guy?!
Marc Fisher: I didn't know that selling bongs was a crime. There are anti-drug paraphernalia laws, but I would have thought that bong makers could argue some sort of hookah exception--maybe even cop a religious use plea. Anyway, it does seem an odd priority for law enforcement these days.
Like 1st St NE ...:
The same thing happened to me watching NBC nightly news on Channel 4 last night. Tom Brokaw was talking about something silly, then suddenly we got a big "BREAKING NEWS" banner, followed by a few seconds of silence, then "We are going live to Tom Brokaw to report on this breaking news event." Turns out it was the president's speeech! I know the national news is prerecorded, but it was still freaky! I stopped in mid chew!
Marc Fisher: The term "breaking news" has gone the full way from introduction to the language (around the time of the Gulf War) to meaninglessness in barely a decade. There are even cable channels that leave the Breaking News label up on the screen for hours on end, which pretty much defies any possible definition of the term. A simple "HYSTERIA" would suffice, and would fit more neatly in a corner of the screen.
Horse Flesh:
Do you realize this chat is up against Kim O'Donnell's Vegetarian hour?
Marc Fisher: I had no idea. I wonder if our expert producers at washingtonpost.com could give us running totals on comparative audience numbers? Rocci? Any chance?
Clarksburg, Md.:
NBC cut to a commercial in the middle of Bush's speech. The other channels broadcast until he was through. Was this done intentionally do you think, to save ad revenues? Or an oversight?
Marc Fisher: Most certainly no oversight. The march of commerce. This war is brought to you by....
Arlington, Va.:
Marc, although I don't think it would be a good thing for Murdoch to own even more media outlets, hasn't the expansion of cable given us far more alternatives. This could dilute a media monopoly except in the case where the major newspaper owned the major TV station.
Marc Fisher: The media industry argument is that yes, the expansion of cable and the Internet and DVDs and so on means that we have all the choices we could possibly want and we should just shut up and watch more TV. The opposition says that despite the huge increase in technologies and media outlets, the ownership of those outlets has consolidated to such a degree that there are fewer gatekeepers to information and entertainment than ever before. After all, 90 percent of the top 50 cable channels are owned by five companies. The real question is whether there is any link between diversity of ownership and diversity of programming.
Capitol Hill:
Hello Marc:
Serious question ~ WHEN it becomes time to evacuate Washington, D.C., where are you heading? Is there a safe place (with appropriate amenities) within a tankful of gas outside the Beltway?
Thanks!
Marc Fisher: If I'm at home, I plan to stay there. I far prefer that fate--even if it means being turned into a glow stick--to suffering the same fate while sitting in an eternal traffic jam.
If I'm at the office--all of three blocks from the White House--I figure I'm cooked anyway.
Who is panicking?:
I think the folks who panic when they hear the EBS alerts need some valium. Good God, people, look around you when you hear these things and remember what it's been used for in the past. Criminy.
What a bunch of Lemmings.
Marc Fisher: Okay, you've got more spine than some of us. But I'd bet that most folks are jittery enough these days that that sort of thing really is a bit unnerving. Doesn't mean we should necessarily do anything about it, but that's just how we're living right now.
Beeps, Buzzes, Colors:
The Onion has an excellent article about the whole warning siren thing, you should really check it out.
That being said, don't you think we're in for more minor cardiac arrests the first time we have a Code Red Ozone day and someone only hears parts of the broadcast?
Marc Fisher: Oh yes, the confusion over all our various color coded warning systems is going to make for some heightened anxiety--ozone, heat, terror, hospitals, everybody's got their own and different color codes.
Washington, D.C.:
Why did the schools let out early yesterday? And why did they start late today? What safety issues did this help?
Marc Fisher: Makes no sense whatsoever. Pure panic drives these decisions. Letting kids out early forced thousands of parents who had just struggled through hours of traffic to get up and turn around in a wild rush to get home to be with their kids--thereby probably causing more traffic and more accidents than would otherwise have happened.
Once kids are at school, they're safer than any foolish rush to let them out early could possibly make them. I could see EXTENDING the school day under such conditions, giving parents more time to safely make their way home. But shortening the day is pure selfishness on the part of school administrators.
Baltimore, Md.:
In regards to the race track in Timonium, they only run horses during the state fair (2 weeks) out of the year. That is probably why it was not considered by Gov. Ehrlich, not because of the predominent race of the area.
Marc Fisher: Indeed, that's the governor's excuse for Timonium, and for Ocean City, he notes the severe local opposition to slots. All of which seems just a bit too convenient, given that the remaining sites are in black neighborhoods. Of course, if you're a slots booster, you'd argue that that's good for those neighborhoods, that it will give them an economic boost. Sorry--that doesn't fly. Find me a single example of the economic boost provided by FedEx Field.
Washington, D.C.:
Marc, not only would I go to Maryland to gamble at casinos, but I'd go there to eat horse, too. Especially if Clydesdales -- the Alaskan King Crab of horse -- were on the menu. Mmmmm.
Marc Fisher: Bit hairy, though, no?
Bethesda, Md.:
In your defense, according to Ambrose in his book Unrivaled Courage the favorite meat of the Lewis and Clark expedition, after buffalo tongue, was horse meat.
Marc Fisher: I've not had the honor of trying buffalo tongue, but I have had buffalo meat--somewhat overrated--and buffalo cheese--quite tasty--as well as buffalo private parts--not a peak experience.
Southern Maryland:
Am I missing something about the slots debate? Most of the people I see going to the Delaware tracks are retirees with a little disposable income. And from what I've seen in the convenience stores, the poor and minorites are playing the lottery instead. If the legislatures are really concerned about gambling's impact on the poor, they should do away with the lottery instead.
Marc Fisher: I don't see the slightest evidence that the legislators are concerned about the impact of gambling on the poor. As you say, if such concern existed, we wouldn't see the state hawking its lottery games.
Washington, D.C.:
Hi there! I just wanted to mention that there will be a "Support The Troops" rally in D.C. this Saturday from 11 a.m.--2 p.m. It will take place at the Sylvan Theater, on the Washington Monument grounds. I'd like to encourage people to attend ... as our troops need this moral support more than ever after seeing and hearing of all the recent antiwar protests. How discouraging this must be for them.
Unfortunately, the press seems to focus solely on the antiwar protesters and their message, but there many people who stand on the other side of the fence on this issue -- who support the administration and the troops overseas who are ready to fight for freedom!
There ARE people who see the other side, and want to voice it!
Marc Fisher: And just to be balanced, we should note that there's an anti-war rally, same day, same times, a few blocks closer to the Capitol.
Weather permitting, I hope to be out there checking out both demos.
Washington, D.C.:
Marc, has The Post given up on reporting on local political issues? Other than your column on the primary there has been little on that and nothing on the commuter tax. Compare this to the Washington Times which has had at least two articles on each. Maybe The Post needs to remember its location?
Marc Fisher: Funny, I first learned about the proposal for a D.C. early primary in the pages of this newspaper, which has written about that issue on several occasions, both in the daily paper and in the District Extra. Same with the commuter tax.
No news organization in the region devotes as many reporters to covering the D.C. government as does the Post; I know some readers want much more coverage, and I as a reader always want more too. I encourage you to let our editors know about the kind of news you want more of. But while we certainly miss some stories and don't provide enough detail on others, you won't find more anywhere else.
Washington, D.C.:
Hey Bethesda: The Ambrose book is Undaunted Courage not Unrivaled Courage.
Marc Fisher: Thanks for the correction.
Palookaville:
I too was saddened by Mr. Rogers' death, hoping that he would have a long, happy retirement. As a second blow to kids everywhere, the guy who wrote "On Top of Spaghetti" passed away as well.
Marc Fisher: Hadn't heard about that one. Great song. Doesn't get nearly the radio play it deserves.
Takoma Park, Md.:
Thanks for the chat. I always enjoy it, but can't say I always agree with it, particularly today.
You wrote that it is wrong to put slots in poor neighborhoods. I assume you're not poor. Why should the likes of you be able to decree what poor people do with their own money?
If poor people want to gamble with their money, there's nothing wrong with that. That's their choice. It's a free country
Marc Fisher: I too have no desire to tell poor people or anyone else how to spend their money. My problem is with the government encouraging people of any income level to gamble, but I especially oppose the government encouraging the poor to gamble, because it is the government--and thus all taxpayers--who then have to bail out those people who gamble away all their money.
If poor folks want to get on a bus and go to Atlantic City, fine. But I don't want my city or state subsidizing the gambling industry.
Re: the support the troops rally:
Does the writer really believe that the antiwar contingent has been getting all the press?
Hello, the virtual media blackout on dissent (until the last two weeks) has been astounding. Must have something to do with the concentration of media owners . . .
Marc Fisher: Seems to me that the antiwar rallies have gotten way more coverage than any pro-war demos. That partly reflects the fact that the antiwar rallies have been larger and more frequent. But it also reflects a bias among reporters and editors who buy into the '60s construct of street demonstrations somehow automatically reflecting a larger popular viewpoint. That's not what the survey data shows. Americans are generally confused and uncertain about this war--that's by far the largest group. The hard core pros and antis are much, much smaller.
Follow up anti-troop:
Many antiwar protestors like myself are also pro-troop. I do not want to see our troops go die in an unjust war.
Marc Fisher: So you'll be going to both demonstrations?
Alexandria, Va.:
Did you get any brickbats from the Virginia baseball poobahs for revealing their secret stadium sites? (Thanks for doing that, btw -- I'd been wondering.)
Marc Fisher: Stony silence is all I've gotten from the lords of Virginia baseball. I hear from other reporters that the stadium authority is steamed that I let their secret out of the bag. I figure I've done them a service by evening the playing field with the District, which had already told the public where it might build a stadium, and that's what I hear from major league baseball too.
Washington, D.C.:
Marc-
What is the deal with Metro trains. First it was the big snow last week. Now, with an inch of snow yesterday, my train had "problems with the brakes." Then today the train in front of us had mechanical difficulties. And now they want a fare increase. I'm a propronent of public transport but it seems like Metro is in worse shape than it was five years ago. Thank you for letting me rant! And please tell the people standing by the doors to move to the CENTER of the car, rather than have me climb over them!
Marc Fisher: As our Metro reporters have written, the big problems with Metro and snow are both mechanical and managerial: 1) The older trains have exposed mechanical guts that get iced up way too easily. They've fixed that on the new cars, but there aren't too many of those, so we're stuck with that part of the problem. 2) Metro didn't take the steps it could have to save more of its cars from freezing up. They chose not to store more cars in the tunnels during the last storm. That's a management problem.
As for people refusing to move to the center of the cars, I vote for hiring some of those Japanese people-prodders to shove riders into the center.
Herndon, Va.:
Mr. F: As all the current madness swirls around us, let's take a moment to pay tribute to a truly fine gentleman, Mr. Fred Rogers. My children watched his program as they grew up, and it was a wonderful change of pace compared to most of the rotten TV programming aimed at kids. Mr. Rogers will be missed.
Marc Fisher: A lot of sad parents out there today....
D.C. Mr. Rogers neighborhood:
Boy wouldn't it be nice if the whole world could be as innocent and respectful as his neighborhood. What a loss of a true American hero.
Marc Fisher: A wildly overused term, but in this case, I think you're justified.
Antiwar protesters:
I loved the fact that the ground troops already in the Middle East have a special name for the antiwar protesters who plan to use themselves as human shields when (not IF!) we go to war: they call them "speedbumps."
Marc Fisher: Ouch.
The Hill:
Seems to me that the only people affected by yesterday's "virtual march" on Capitol Hill are the junior-level staffers and working-class phone technicians who have to deal with the nuisance of constant phone ringing and jammed circuits. I suppose this is the "virtual" equivalent of the latte protester set fulminating and spitting toward blue collar cops trying to keep the peace during marches?
Marc Fisher: As I've explained far too many times, political demonstrations are a spring sport. "Virtual march" is just a cutesy, tech-savvy way of saying "We don't want to march outside; it's cold and wet."
Washington, D.C.:
Does anyone else notice that traffic reports here focus on the roads coming into the city mostly and not the roads IN the city? Traffic inside D.C. has been nothing short of a complete nightmare. It gets worse and worse with the weather, even after 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. It took me an hour to travel two miles this week from Georgetown to West End. Others feel the same?
Marc Fisher: Absolutely right about traffic reports, and that's because it's the suburban jurisdictions that have cameras posted over the major highways and other arteries, so that's the info the traffic reporters have.
To report city traffic, they must rely much more heavily on reports from individual drivers, and those are neither reliable nor verifiable.
Alexandria, Va. :
"On Top of Spaghetti" - Dick Biondi, WLS, Chicago, late 50's to mid-60's, used to sing that all the time. Was he the writer? Brings back the memories of long summer days on Lake Michigan.
Marc Fisher: Dick Biondi--legendary Philly and Chicago disc jockey! I never heard of him being connected to Top of Spaghetti, but who knows? Anyone?
Long Beach, Calif.:
In terms of Horse Meat, the larger
draft horses fetch the lowest prices, as their meat is hard and fibrous. The French
developed a taste for horses during WWI,
when that's all that was on the menu.
Are we more popular than the Vegatarian chat yet? Do we need more A-1?
Marc Fisher: We may never know, but if I get any numbers, I will pass them along.
We're out of time--I'll toss in a couple more posts for spice....
Broad Creek, Md.:
"Something chills in the hearts of men when they loose touch with the land." (Roman Emperor Nerva.) Maryland Ag Department's Jan. 03 survey shows the horse industry (pleasure horse owners primarily, with a strong race horse segment) is one of MD's three major industries. Horse farms are the only form of agricultural/open space that's even remotely economically feasible and environmentally acceptable in our suburban counties. The Roman Emperor was right, agricultural use of the land -- focused on animals (unlike biking or team sports on a playing field) -- deeply enhances our humanity. Pleasure horse owners/breeders like me depend on a viable (yes, subsidized) race industry to provide the economic infrastructure for our operations. MD's modern equestrian industry isn't equivalent to yatchers. It's folks who are middle class. American society can make a choice to subsidize and keep industries that are good for the soul of our country. In Britan, the struggle to kill off the "country lifestyle" in favor of London/urban sprawl is nearly over. Their loss is irreversable.
Marc Fisher: Pro-horse. And the other side:
Washington, D.C.:
I liked your column today until you made the joke about turning retired racing horses into steaks.
Not funny.
Marc Fisher: Oops, also pro horse.
Washington, D.C.:
I saw Metro's director on the news the other day. He had the chutzpah to defend Metro's dismal performance of the last two weeks by claiming the system is designed to handle only up to 12" of snow. If this is the case, can we expect normal service if the snowfall is no greater than 11 15/16"?
Marc Fisher: We're about to find out. I wouldn't bet big money on it.
Thanks for coming along everyone. More next week. Tiem to go play in the ice.
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
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