EDITORIAL / OPINION Jack Evans Report
New Flight Paths Are Disruptive BY JAC K EVAN S
A Unusual NFL Sunday Those rallies, they do something to President Donald Trump. They do something to the United States of America, too. They make them less united. That’s what happened Friday, when the president, apparently chafing after days of being in presidential mode, let loose at a campaign rally in Huntsville, Alabama, for U.S. Senate candidate Luther Strange. He let loose against the National Football League and, especially, Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco quarterback who, in the summer of 2016, knelt during a pre-game rendition of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” protesting racism and police killings of black men. President Trump said anybody who took a knee was being disrespectful of the flag, the national anthem, police and the military. The most memorable Trump quote from that rally in Alabama? “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners — when somebody disrespects our flag — say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!’” The next day, the president suggested that team owners fire any player that took a knee in protest. A barrage of tweets along similar lines followed. With all that was said, it made for an unusual NFL Sunday. In a startling show of unity as well as diversity, the NFL — players, owners and coaches — took visceral umbrage to the president’s words, attitudes, tones and suggestions. Trump’s outburst seemed to come out of nowhere. Kaepernick’s protests, and those by other players on other teams, took place last year. Though they continued to some degree, things had quieted down, and Kaepernick, who had become a free agent, was not picked up by any team. Many saw this as unspoken blackballing. Everything changed with the Trump explosion. Almost every team in the NFL reacted in some way or another, blasting, criticizing and protesting against the president’s comments, gathering together, linking arms on the field, staying in the locker room or, at times, kneeling or sitting. This was mostly a sharp rebuke of Trump — but it was also an uptick in Kaepernick-style protesting. The Washington Redskins, who were
The cover of the Oct. 3 issue of Time Magazine. playing a Sunday-night game, finally gathered on the field, arm in arm, owner Dan Snyder included. Even Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, a Trump friend who contributed a million dollars to his campaign, sharply criticized him. In stadiums across the country, fans let their feelings be known too, some booing the players, some cheering them. So, what was at stake here? We’re thinking it was freedom of expression, tolerance of other peoples’ opinions, the right both to give respect and to earn it. These are what our most treasured national institutions — including the flag and the national anthem — symbolize. These things have meaning. They touch the heart with no false sense of patriotism. The president, who has a gift for dividing not uniting, managed to bring an entire sport together in, mostly, outrage. Nobody was fired that day. Trump chose to spark a firestorm — amid his dangerous “Little Rocket Man” feud with the leader of North Korea, amid an ongoing and devastating tragedy in Puerto Rico, which he did not address — when there was no reason or need for one. We think “The Star-Spangled Banner” is an occasion for unity. It was written by Georgetowner Francis Scott Key during times that questioned our unity. Our national anthem is a way to celebrate all our cherished rights, including the one that should allow us to protest silently by taking a knee — and, yes, the right to protest that protest.
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8 September 27, 2017 GMG, INC.
If you’re a District resident and you’ve noticed more noise from airplanes, you’re not alone. In 2016, there were 36,653 noise complaints made to the Metropolitan Washing ton Air por ts Authority. Increased noise complaints are a result of the Federal Aviation Administration changing airplane f light paths into and out of National Airport several years ago. The District hired Freytag & Associates to conduct a noise assessment over the past several months to determine what impacts noise from airplanes are having on District communities. The findings will be used to develop recommendations to revise air traffic procedures, the goal being to minimize noise impacts. Last week, the District Department of Energy and Environment hosted a meeting to discuss the 2017 DCA Airplane Noise Assessment. Georgetown and Palisades residents packed the room to listen to the findings of the report and make their voices and concerns heard. As the Council member representing these neighborhoods, I have heard from many residents regarding the growing noise levels along flight paths to DCA. I was encouraged by the turnout and to know that residents are as concerned as I am.
MWAA conducted a noise assessment prior to changing the flight paths, but only looked at noise levels within 1.5 miles of the airport. Based on that, the recommendation was to move flights east to mitigate noise over Virginia. This is what caused the noise issues in the District. Noise monitors that Freytag put inside homes along the new flight paths showed that residents had a 34-percent chance of being awakened by airplane noise during nighttime hours and that, in addition, the noise was disturbing students inside classrooms. Another interesting fact was that flights out of DCA are kept much lower at takeoff than at other airports, and that contributes to the noise. Also, almost every flight takes off to the north, again impacting District residents. How do we fix this growing problem? To start, I reached out to MWAA and demanded that the FAA restore flight paths to their original pattern prior to the change, in an attempt to decrease noise pollution in Ward 2 and in other parts of the city. My hope is that the FAA will initiate changes based on the study’s findings. However, I will remain persistent in my calls to the FAA to change the flight paths and lessen the effects of airplane noise on constituents’ lives and sanity. Jack Evans is the District Council member for Ward 2, representing Georgetown and other neighborhoods since 1991.
Dear Melania: Please Attend BY STEPH AN IE GR EEN Dear Mrs. Trump, You need to go to the Kennedy Center Honors in December. As a loyal supporter of your husband’s administration, I have no compunction about giving you unsolicited advice, especially when it’s this well-intentioned. When I read that the president would be declining to attend the program, bucking a decades-long tradition, I didn’t blame him. The behavior of the honorees has been petulant and, to use a common Trumpism, “sad.” When you accept such a prestigious award, you agree to attend all of the events, not just the ones you find politically comfortable. Otherwise, decline the honor altogether. Norman Lear should learn from Barbra Streisand, who gamely greeted President George W. Bush in 2008, though she had been blogging vociferously against him. At the ceremony, the two even kissed! “I found him warm and completely disarming, even though I think he was kissing me hello, and I was kissing him goodbye,” Streisand wrote about the meeting, tongue in cheek. This, of course, demonstrates the power of the arts, especially the American arts, which define our culture in so many ways. Without diving into too many clichés here, if there is anything that can bring us together these days, it’s our collective love for our music, films and television shows.
This is where you can make a major power play, and outclass them all. Sure, your husband ducked out, rightly, to relieve the tension of the situation. But by attending you will send a much-needed message: the Trump administration stands with artists, even those who disagree with the president. You will go and, wearing a fabulous dress, smile warmly to the crowd. You will shake the hands of the honorees and turn Lionel Richie into a pile of jelly with your disarming elegance. As a journalist who has covered the Kennedy Center Honors many times, I’ve seen how this event brings a certain détente to our community, even after vicious campaigns. Presidents and their wives always make time to attend, sitting through the often interminable ceremony. You have a penchant for saving the day (as you have so many times) and are on track to be the true gem of your husband’s presidency. Your United Nations speech advocating for children and your quiet grace provide the perfect antidote to our sometimes very ugly world. This is yet another opportunity for you to be an ambassador for American beauty. You have referenced many times on your Twitter feed #thepowerofthefirstlady. Now is your chance to use it, big league. Stephanie Green is a freelance journalist and writer, who has lived in Glover Park since 2001.