Lunchline: The debate over Chief Ike

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Wednesday, March 21, 2012 I wanted to attend last night's At Large D.C. Council debate at Black Cat, but I was too under the weather to attend. So I stayed home and watched VH1's "40 Greatest TRL Moments," which I found in the recesses of my TiVo. So glad that was there. When the design plans for a future Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial came out last year, they seemed innocuous enough. Sure the mockups were a bit grandiose, but what monument isn't? Turns out, the family is extremely unhappy about it, evoking the names of Hitler and Lenin in disparaging the plans. In addition, the strife within the architecture community about it is fascinating. The Post's Phillip Kennicott explains the squabble over the building set to be dedicated to Chief Ike. The recent rash of hate crimes in the area is beyond disturbing. And last night, hundreds of people decided to speak up about it, without in fact saying a word. Police Chief Cathy Lanier and three D.C. Council members joined a crowd of 600 in a silent walk from the IHOP in Columbia Heights, where one of the incidents occurred, and past various crime scenes on their way to a Dupont Circle fundraiser. The Post's Robert Samuels reports on the march to protest the brutal acts of hatred. Some cities have incredible neighborhoods surrounding their ballparks. The District is not quite there yet. But things are getting closer. And yes, we've heard this talk before, but then the economy tanked, leaving a couple of giant holes in the ground for some years. These days, things are on the come up. Bakeries, more burger joints and even a sushi spot are apparently on the way! The Post's Jonathan O'Connell reports. Heck, at this rate, I just might move down there. I respect a good, old-fashioned police raid. Assuming all things are done legally and correctly, every time I hear of one I get flashbacks to "The Untouchables" with Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness and their crew taking fireaxes to wooden boxes. Things are a little more modern now, and illegal slot machines are the rage in Prince George's County. The Post's Paul Schwartzman and Matt Zapotosky report on the busts that turned up mini-casinos in bodegas and laundromats. Here's a simple breakdown of the past week in Wizards land: They got rid of two knuckleheads, stuck an out-of-shape bum on the bench indefinitely and told another overpaid underperformer to take a seat. In the meantime, they brought in Nene, a professional basketball player in the real sense of the term. He plays his first game with the team tonight. That aside, The Post's Jason Reid thinks that GM Ernie Grunfeld needs to take a hike along with Javale McGree and Nick Young. Extra Bites • I'm not sure how I feel about WUSA-9 airing a video of a fatal car crash from the perspective of someone inside a car driven by a drunk driver. What exactly are we learning here? • Michael Bay is trying to mess with my childhood. He wants to make the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aliens in his next movie. Um, bad idea. • This has become my newest obsession: Calligraffiti. So dope. Check out my Facebook fan page, my Twitter feed, or e-mail me at clinton.yates@wpost.com. Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2012 The Washington Post Privacy Policy