Unlike the more common infrared emitters used by police cars and ambulances, the DC system will not automatically change red lights to green, but instead hold green lights several seconds to allow buses to pass. This allows buses to stop once, shortening travel times up to twenty percent along an entire line. As more receivers are installed in the District, more lines will adopt the new technology.

While the media focuses on the big changes in technology that will revolutionize transportation, in the real world small scale adjustments can make profound differences in the way we live. Little boxes filled with wires may ultimately do more for the environment than all the unfulfilled talk about exotic solutions that remain castles in the sky.

Aside from the ‘historic’ nature of both Democratic candidates, whether it’s a woman or an African American, the Republicans will naturally find a way to employ either of these factors in a detracting manner to the oppostition candidate. The ‘glass ceiling’ is not totally broken and racism is not dead in America. Both Democratic candidates represent a departure from the past, and it will be posited that we do not need this kind of change for the purposes of change only. Already we see both Democrats stressing the hope aspect that change is supposed to represent. However, the Republicans, in their usual politics of fear, will trump hope and demonstrate that just a change in direction is nothing more than pure hope without all the necessary precedent to really make progress in government happen.

The politics of fear that we are governmentally headed into uncharted waters at a minimum creates voter doubts. The potential exists for a real Democratic voter dilemma. The fear of the unknown preys on your mind while the hope supposedly raises the heart. In the end, if you can make a case for a voter’s heart and mind to be of two different persuasions, therein lies the dilemma.

For example, every spring the Folklore Society of Greater Washington sponsors a Folk Festival that is entirely free to attend. It is usually a cornicopia of just about every music style one can imagine. Some of the musicians and singers are unique to this area and you cannot hear them anywhere else. The Washington, DC metropolitan area also claims to be the ‘home’ of bluegrass music. Other cities have staked claims to music styles like New Orleans with its Jazz, and Nashville with its Country music. We believe the Washington, DC claim to ‘bluegrass’ music is a strong one.  Judge for yourself and visit the DC Bluegrass Union website. We also recommend you pay attention to the section on Area Open Jams. Musician jam sessions are usually free to attend with listeners welcomed. Many professional and semi-professional musicians regularly attend jam sessions.

Our modest proposal is simple. Burning or desecrating the U.S. Flag would defined as a misdemeanor and could never exceed this classification even after numerous convictions on multiple counts. A modest fine (never to exceed a maximum of around $25 or less at the judge’s discretion) seems appropriate per occurence. Additionally, one hour of ‘community service’ should be imposed for each occurence.

If you believe strong enough in whatever rationale has driven you or your group’s decision to desecrate one of our nation’s symbols, then you ought to be willing to give something in return to assist in making our country better over time. ‘Temporary insanity’ would be explicitly codified for this misdemeanor as a plea. If you can convince the judge that your belief was so politically compelling you had no rational choice but to desecrate the Flag, then the judge could wave the fine. After all, suppose the judge agrees, in principle, with your protest. However, we think it’s a good idea that the one hour of ‘community service’ still be imposed even after an accepted temporary insanity plea.

Take the major ongoing ‘improvement’ now taking place in the Springfield, VA area referred to by the media as the ‘mixing bowl’. Here we have the rejoining of the east and west loops and I-395, all converging together to head south. From a design point of view, this plan can only be characterized as ‘voodoo’ or ‘mumbo jumbo’ and so far it’s taken years with additional years to go until completion. We suggest a moniker change, it should be referred to as the ‘mosh pit’ instead of the ‘mixing bowl’.

The most important consideration to keep in mind about the ‘Bloatway’ is its consistent design shortcoming to anticipate the true traffic capacity needed for this span of highway. Maybe the designers find humor in the monumental gridlock’s that regularly occur. The reality is that these highway designers must have had a terrorist’s subconscious mind-set in place throughout the whole process of creating the ‘Bloatway’. We anticipate the following scenario.

Some summer Friday evening, when the majority of local DC area residents randomly decides to get out of town, and the regular crush of tourists is trying to get into town, a gridlock of galactic proportions occurs. While blythly sitting in their vehicles, drivers and their passengers with engines running to maintain air-conditioned comfort, blasting their radio’s, watching DVD’s to pass the time, talking to friends and family on cell phones, a silent-but-deadly situation is developing. So much carbon monoxide is building up along the route of the Beltway that a micro-climatic turning point is reached. Everyone within a few hundred yards of the route of the Beltway is slowly and silently asphyxiated. Now that’s terror.

We hope to attract writer’s that don’t care about the ‘box’ so they have no problem thinking inside or outside of it. Remembering the adage about the oldest profession, we want people to ‘prostitute’ their minds. This leads to the second oldest profession of ‘pimping’ and the “Washingtongue” will be there to assist you in pimping your prostituted minds.

Finally, the third oldest profession has to be ‘politics’. As soon as Adam and Eve had their first difference of opinion, politics was born. They must have had the future Washington, DC in mind, a place where minds are prostituted, pimped, and politicized to the fullest extent possible. We just want to join in on this endless public performance that regularly occurs in our Nation’s Capital. Maybe you will come along and play too.