Examiner cartoonist pays tribute
Re: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” editorial cartoon, Dec. 21
When I saw Nate Beeler’s cartoon, I thought he was plagiarizing. So I went to my copy of “Up Front” by Bill Mauldin. Sure enough, there on page 114 was the original.
Then I saw the words “After Mauldin” and realized that Beeler had seen the original, thought it was funny, so he adapted it to a different subject.
It’s interesting that even after 56 years, the jeep is still recognizable and the drawing is still funny.
George Cross
Fairfax
District needs top-level public safety official
Re: “What about D.C.’s fiscal crisis?” Dec. 19
Jonetta Rose Barras misses the point when she suggests that the Gray administration save money by not appointing a deputy mayor for public safety.
More than most localities, the District has the responsibility to coordinate the multiple complex organizations collectively responsible to make sure our residents are safe, including six police forces and numerous intergovernmental organizations. The mistake the previous administration made was not having someone at the deputy mayor level to coordinate their efforts.
We need an individual at the highest level of government whose main responsibility is to focus on everything from correct reporting of crime statistics to making sure that we are as prepared as we can be for any potential disaster or attack. Not having this position would be, as the saying goes, penny wise but pound foolish.
Peter D. Rosenstein
Washington
District should just demolish tent city
Re: “Adams Morgan restaurants push tougher rules for street vendors,” Dec. 9
It is clear that the reporter missed the most pertinent issue, which is that public parks are not designated for use by any particular person or group. Parks are for the entire community.
This article implies that some type of agreement has been established among the city, the Office of Latino Affairs, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Councilman Jim Graham, D-Ward 3. But none of the aforementioned can unilaterally or collectively grant permission to anyone to use a park for any use other than for established purposes such as recreation.
Your article further suggests that a compromise is possible between the established brick-and-mortar businesses and the tent city in Unity Park. This is erroneous. The only option is dismantling the tent city and returning to the status quo.
Tony DePass
Washington
