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Janis Joplin once said, “If you ever need a drink, it’s on Sunday, man.” Councilmember Mike Knapp (D-Germantown) seems to agree, with a new proposal that would open the MoCo Liquor Stores on Sunday. Tired of me bitching about parking meters? Then maybe this can get your revenue on.

According to The Examiner, Knapp says the county could raise an additional $1.5-2 million a year. Sure it’s a drop in the bucket, but every bit counts. Plus, hey – booze on Sunday. Not that I’m saucing it up so much, but there have been several occasions when I get a hankering for a martini on the deck Sunday afternoon and I’m fresh out of Hendrick’s. Of course, the effort has its detractors:

The Rev. Wade Martin, senior pastor at Montgomery United Methodist Church, said Sundays are meant to be days focused on one’s faith and families, not for drinking.

“Alcohol can take us away from the intent of what Sundays are all about,” Wade said.

I understand and appreciate the sentiment, but if you want to focus on one’s faith and family, there’s a simple answer: Don’t go to the liquor store on Sunday. Plus it’s a bit of a narrow-minded statement considering the large Jewish population in the area. I have fallen off my Episcopal roots and subsequent training to stock up on Saturday. This is indeed the answer.

I’m hoping that this may lead to other bans being lifted. Something like, say, beer and wine in the grocery stores? Direct wine shipments to the state of Maryland? I’m keeping my fingers crossed but not holding my breath.

Cheers!

In yesterday’s mail, I received a letter addressed to me (or “Current Resident”) with no return address and a red rubber stamp imprint that said “Important Tax Information Enclosed” where the return address should have been.  Of course I opened it. This is what I found:

The basic gist is asking people to support the addition of “a size restriction to the TMX zoned properties.” For all intents and purposes, it’s an anti-Wal-Mart bill solicitation. Take what you will from the photo, because I won’t repeat the text here. They don’t deserve it.

My beef is this: I have no idea who sent this. Did anyone else get this? I want to know who these people are and how I got on this list. If they identified themselves and their agenda, I might be more than happy to get behind their cause. The fact that they didn’t fess up makes me think I might have to fight them.

Step forward and claim responsibility or I will be forced to use this bully pulpit to destroy you. That is all.

Ed. note: Those are clumps of cars at the top of the letter, but now that I look at the image in the actual post, it looks more like women with rollers in their hair.

UPDATE: I got a postcard in the mail today with the same messaging. The return address simply says “Germantown Residents for Smart Growth.” Sorry, but don’t these big box stores belong in farther out suburbs? Places like, well, I dunno, GERMANTOWN? Discuss.

Short answer: NO.

My friendly neighborhood East Siver Spring Community Association (ESSCA) listserv had en email announcing next month’s meeting for March 16. Evidently, Preservation Maryland has been invited to speak about the “pros, cons and process for being designated an historic district.”

My initial reaction: You’ve got to be frakking kidding me, right?

Read on, and the email says, “This is one of several ideas we would like to explore in order [to] be  proactive in protecting our homes from future attempts to rezone or tear them down.”

My next reaction: Over my dead body.

I’ve heard some pretty stupid ideas in the neighborhood, but this one is one of the best in recent memory. No way am I going to be accountable to some neighborhood board before I add on to my house, tear down a tree, or put up a basketball goal in my driveway. It seems that the people who want this sort of action fear change more than the radiation they claim comes from the downtown WiFi signal. And yes, that *has* been mentioned on the listserv in the past. I understand their sentiment, but there is no way I’m going to let this happen.

It reminds me of a great X-Files episode called “Arcadia,” where Mulder and Scully move into a community where the rules include:

• No front lawn decorations
• No one to be outside after 6:00pm
• No pets that weigh more than 16 lbs.
• No basketball hoops

The penalty? Death. My first reaction (and Mulder’s)? Install a basketball hoop.

I’ve found out that in order to run for office in ESSCA, you have to live in the area, attend at least half the meetings over the past year, and paid your dues. Right now I’m one for three. But elections are in May, and you can be damned sure that in May 2010, I’m going to push for a slate of candidates that represent the REAL East Silver Spring – not a bunch of preservationsists that speak as the vocal minority in this community. And I know I have a LOT of people in the neighborhood on my side.

Get ready to step aside, old-timers. You’re in for one helluva ride. And in the meantime, I’m going to come to as many meetings as possible and make for some entertaining dialogue.

Did I hear that number correctly on the radio yesterday? I know times are tough and cuts need to be made, but I’m going to quote a fictional character with an overture that I couldn’t agree with more:

Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little changes. We need gigantic, monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be making six figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That’s my position. I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet.

I’d be willing to drive on crappy roads and take a hit or two on economic development offers to pull some of this money back. I hope it gets back in when all is said and done and our current economic crisis is subsiding. And I hope and pray Nancy Navarro wins the District 4 seat on the Council.

In other news…

The Murray Horowitz Era is Over
Reports are out that Murray, one my my favorite locals, was let go as COO of AFI Silver Theatre late last week. My wife was one of his biggest fans. I hope that when we finally get TATV (Thayer Avenue Television) on Public Access, Murray will still be able to join us for one of our highly-anticipated programs, “Mondays with Murray.”

I still haven’t heard details of what happened and where he’s going, so please send them along if you have them.

Dangerous Steps Ahead
I know the ICE enforcements announced by our boneheaded venerable County Executive are much less than in some nearby counties, but I think it’s a bad idea and sends the wrong message for where the county should position itself in terms of immigration reform.

Question: When was the last time you looked at a map of Maryland’s 4th Congressional District? After some recent posts where I lamented the downfall of bipartisanship that cost Al Wynn his seat (not that I was a huge fan of his), I realized that I didn’t know what the district boundaries looked like. All I knew was that I liked Chris Van Hollen in my old district.

This was a surprise. I knew the district extended down into Prince George’s County, but I had no idea it had been gerrymandered so badly. That’s an awful lot of ground to cover when you could really use more federal funds for crime prevention and gang control.

Anyway, that’s my election day fodder for all you taking the time to read. Now get out there and vote. And don’t forget – Democrats vote today, Republicans vote tomorrow.

Here’s to cautious optimism…

Them Slots-Wantin’, Sarah Palin-Lovin’ Lees
I’ll speak specifically of Blair this time – the CEO of Lee Development Group. Silver Spring, Singular had a reference in a recent post about an article by Blair Lee in the Gazette (pronounced ‘guh-ZET-tee’) last month espousing the greatness of Sarah Palin – which I’m disappointed I missed the first time around. I encourage you to read it, but here are some great excerpts:

“As a governor [the media said] Palin lacks foreign relations experience (a question never raised of Governors Carter, Clinton and Reagan)… .” Really? No one ever raised that? That’s difficult to believe. And this one: “You aren’t a woman unless you belong to NARAL and listen to NPR while driving your Volvo to your personal trainer appointment.” Classic. And I thought *I* went too far with the hyperbole sometimes. Of course, he’s interpreting (the Democratically-controlled) media comments, but that’s fine.

Now we have a new column from Mr. Lee about the Maryland slot machine referendum in this week’s edition of the Gazette. It starts like this: “On Nov. 4, more than a million Marylanders will wait in line to cast their meaningless votes for president.”

First of all, screw you. My vote counts as much as the next one. As does yours. Yes, Maryland will be blue. Deal with it. Maybe you and your neocon patsies across the country will stay home on election day and make it a landslide. Second, everybody should go to the polls if for no other reason than to VOTE NO ON THE SLOTS REFERENDUM. A good column from Allan Lichtman about the rationale of a “no” vote is on the Gazette Web site as well.

And with that, I’ll end the political diatribe for the time being.

Zombie Walk: 18 Days and Counting
That’s some transition, isn’t it? Things have been busy lately with the bathroom remodeling (check out the transformation!) and relatives in town, but I’m hoping to have the informational Web site up soon with plans, directions, maps, and tips on making yourself one with the undead.

Our Silver Spring Zombie Walk Facebook Group currently has 83 members (woohoo!), so sign up for updates if you haven’t already.

Buy Local Silver Spring
There’s an initiative afoot to get communities to put more dollars back into businesses that are locally owned and operated. The fledgeling Web site for the project is up and running at www.buylocalsilverspring.com, and there will be more information coming in the next few months. In times like these (which is a phrase that I hated almost as much as “now more than ever” in the post-September 11 days), we need to make sure we support our neighbors around us.

I’ve gotten a lot of flak for backing the proposed Harris Teeter at Falkland Chase, and perhaps I should clarify some things.

I used to live down in Crystal City, and Harris Teeter was the bomb. Moving to Silver Spring several years ago left me with supermarket options that were sorely lacking in good produce, manageable check-out aisles, clean floors, and a friendly staff. I’m not counting Whole Foods in this equation because A) it’s more expensive, and 2) I can’t buy normal toilet paper, Kraft Singles, and Diet Coke there. Sure, Giant and Safeway have produce, but nine times out of ten it goes bad within a day or two of purchase. The Giant up in Wheaton is passable, but we’ve taken to larger grocery trips up to the Giant in Rockville at Randolph and 355. They have a great gourmet foods aisle, good organic produce, and a wide selection of ethnic foods – all at prices more affordable than Whole Paycheck. I’d still shop with the hippies (especially since they reinstated my much beloved cinnamon-cardamom olives at the olive bar – w00t!), but we need an alternative better than the current options.

Ultimately, I don’t want to drive up to Rockville for groceries. If the corporate stooges at Safeway could see it in their hearts to rehab the Thayer store into something new and exciting, I’d be happy without the Harris Teeter at Falkland Chase. Or redo the Giant by the Blairs to incorporate a better selection of the aforementioned food items and – for the love of God – increase the staff to open more registers so the lines don’t run halfway down the aisles.

But that brings us back to (a Harris Teeter-less) Falkland Chase. Eddie Izzard had a good bit (mentioned here before) about history in the United States. He was watching a show about a hotel in Miami where they said, “We’ve restored this hotel to the way it looked over 50 years ago.” No! Say it isn’t so! 50 years? You can’t do that!

Teet or no, I support more dense development at Falkland Chase. I want it to include a good percentage of MPDUs (the *real* and permanent kind – not a temporary fix to satiate the powers that be only to be turned into something else on down the road). And I don’t think Falkland Chase deserves to be saved in its entirity. Don’t want to give up 9 of the 23 acres? Fine. Give them 7. And add some good ground floor retail. Whatever.

I appreciate the efforts of some to save things in the community that deserve to be saved. Moving Tastee Diner was good. Trying to save the Golden House because it used to be a Little Tavern was insane. The bungalows on the 900 block of Thayer were nice, but they were out of place in the development. Still a shame I couldn’t ransack the property for parts, though (most of which had probably been urinated on by that point).

Between the preservationists and the progressives, I think we can find a happy medium – don’t you?

Tonight we have the final primaries in the race for the Democratic nominee for president. Last up: South Dakota and Montana.

<ul> <li><a href=”http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/primaries/”>2008 presidential primary and caucus results</a></li> <li><a href=”http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/delegates/d/”>Democratic super delegates pledged to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama</a></li> <li><a href=”http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/delegates/r/”>Republican delegates</a></li> </ul> <p>
It’s been great having these on Tuesdays, as it (happily) coincides with Tuesday night Martini Night at Olazzo. I had to miss the last one (or two) due to other commitments, but I plan on being there tonight. I encourage you to go, if you’ve never been.

A confluence of events has led me to believe Silver Spring has much bigger problems than a purple line, pee in a bottle, or the potential for rampant folk music.

Recently, Silver Spring, Singular has wondered aloud at the history of UFOs flying over our fair (unincorporated) city, and last week, a Denver man proposed an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission – 18-member group that would form a strategy “dealing with issues related to the presence of extraterrestrial beings on Earth.” 54-year-old Denver resident Jeff Peckman has to get 4,000 signatures to get his proposal on the ballot for the Colorado-based commission.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to be your Jeff Peckman.

As our yearning County Council feedback has looked to the mundane – public transit, saving dilapidated buildings because of their “historicality,” and whether Joni Mitchell or White Lion could fill a Silver Spring music club faster – I think it’s time we look to the future.

We are but passengers on this third stone from the sun, subject to the whims of the universe and, potentially, alien overlords. What’s our plan? If they come, where will they go? I’d be happy to accompany them to the current Final Cut of Blade Runner at AFI. But I would think they’d have bigger plans.

While I’m sure our esteemed federal government has a plan, I feel it’d be rife with violence and overblown Department of Defense contracts. We need real people in a real place to show these visitors what life is really like here, and I think getting the motion in front of the County Council is just the way to go.

Who’s with me?

I like wine. You probably do, too. If I were to have some shipped from my favorite winery in Northern California, I would theoretically have to ship it to my wife’s work address in DC and have her drive it across the border into Maryland. But I, of course, would never do that. It might be illegal. Because Maryland has anachronistic laws that prevent direct to consumer shipping

Thirty-five states now allow licensed wineries to ship directly to consumers, representing 81% of US wine enjoyment, and the laws in these states are based on the same language now being proposed in Maryland. It’s time for Maryland’s wine lovers, not wholesaler middle men (or our stupid Montgomery County lawmakers), to decide what wines you can purchase and enjoy, and from whom.

Our very own Delegate Tom Hucker (tom.hucker@house.state.md.us) is one of the primary sponsors of House Bill 1260, and I urge you to contact the members of Maryland House Economic Matters Committee to ask them for their support as well. I’ve also written to Delegates Hixson (sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us) and Mizeur (heather.mizeur@house.state.md.us), but have not received a response, so I’m not sure what their opinions are.

Here is some sample email text and some contact info for you to support this measure. But HURRY – testimony will be heard starting Monday, February 18.

———-

Dear Delegate [INSERT NAME HERE],

As an adult voter of Maryland, I strongly urge you to SUPPORT direct-to-consumer wine shipping by passing House Bill 1260.

Thirty-five states now allow for legal, regulated winery-to-consumer shipments for personal enjoyment. But Maryland’s outmoded law prevents me from purchasing many of my favorite wines for personal enjoyment.

House Bill 1260 provides the solution. The bill includes regulations already working successfully in the majority of US states. The bill will improve choice in wine for me, create a new revenue source for the state, and satisfy regulatory concerns.

I believe that wine lovers like me, rather than the wine wholesaler middlemen, should decide which wines to purchase, and how we purchase them, from a winery, retailer, online, etc.

Please let me know how you will vote on this important consumer issue.

Sincerely,
[NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[CITY], Maryland [ZIP]

———-

Members of the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee:

Chair: Davis, Dereck E. (D), District 25
e-mail: dereck.davis@house.state.md.us

Vice-Chair: Rudolph, David D. (D), District 35B
e-mail: david.rudolph@house.state.md.us

Delegates:
Braveboy, Aisha N.
email: aisha.braveboy@house.state.md.us

Burns, Emmett C., Jr. (D), District 10
e-mail: emmett.burns@house.state.md.us

Feldman, Brian J. (D), District 15
e-mail: brian.feldman@house.state.md.us

Haddaway, Jeannie (R), District 37B
e-mail: jeannie.haddaway@house.state.md.us

Harrison, Hattie N. (D), District 45
e-mail: hattie.harrison@house.state.md.us

Hecht, C. Sue (D), District 3A
e-mail: sue.hecht@house.state.md.us

Impallario, Richard K. (R), District 7
e-mail: rick.impallaria@house.state.md.us

Jameson, Sally Y. (D), District 28
e-mail: sally.jameson@house.state.md.us

King, James J. (R), District 33A
e-mail: james.king@house.state.md.us

Kirk, Ruth M. (D), District 44
e-mail: ruth.kirk@house.state.md.us

Krysiak, Carolyn J. (D), District 46
e-mail: carolyn.krysiak@house.state.md.us

Love, Mary Ann (D), District 32
e-mail: maryann.love@house.state.md.us

Manno, Roger (D), District 19
e-mail: roger.manno@house.state.md.us

Mathias, James N., Jr. (D), District 38B
e-mail: james.mathias@house.state.md.us

McHale, Brian K. (D), District 47A
e-mail: brian.mchale@house.state.md.us

Miller, Warren E. (R), District 9A
e-mail: warren.miller@house.state.md.us

Minnick, Joseph J. (D), District 7
e-mail: joseph.minnick@house.state.md.us

Stifler, Donna (R), District 35A
e-mail: donna.stifler@house.state.md.us

Taylor, Herman L., Jr. (D), District 14
e-mail: herman.taylor@house.state.md.us

Vaughn, Michael L. (D), District 24
e-mail: michael.vaughn@house.state.md.us

Walkup, Mary Roe (R), District 36
e-mail: mary.roe.walkup@house.state.md.us