Weekly Washington: Truthiness Restored!

photo uploaded to flickr by Ethan.KStephen Colbert and John Stewart announced last night that they will hold competing rallies on October 30th on the National Mall. You may recall that I asked my Congresswoman about this very topic this weekend. John Stewart is asking everyone to bring their indoor voices to his Rally to Restore Sanity in the shadow of the Washington Monument, while Stephen Colbert will March to Keep Fear Alive, thereby protecting Liberty and Freedom. I'll be honest, I don't make it many rallies, even one's I agree with. I'll probably be breaking that tradition this October, assuming the National Park Service manages to be more effective than the DMV. (TBD)

The whole Tour Guide license thing being unconstitutional thing keeps plugging along. Matthew Yglesias has a great discussion of it on his blog, from a Libertarian perspective. Channel 7 ran a story on it last night, although they incorrectly the test is "new" (it's been around for decades). And my original post has now been cross posted to Greater Greater Washington.

Two blogs I enjoy reached the 1000 post mark this week. Around the Mall, the Smithsonian's foray into social media, and my hometown Capitol Hill (neighborhood, not big white building), blog, The Hill is Home, which I also contribute to, both climbed to four digits. 

J. Freedom du Lac of the Washington Post had a excellent discussion of the mid-Centruy Negro Motorist Green Book, a tourist guide book for, among other places, Washington, DC with special descriptions of places where African-American's were welcome (and where they were not). My personal favorite, S&W Liquors of 9th and P ST NW, whose current owner had no idea about the historic nature of his store.

Come on, Arlington National Cemetery. Pull it together! (DCist)

Attention: visitors to Ford's Theater! The Peterson House (where Lincoln died) will be closed starting Spetember 26th so that the National Park Service can rehabilitate it (including a long awaited climate control system). Expect it to reopen Spring of 2011. (Ford's Theater Society)

And, oh yeah, we had an election here in DC. Vince Gray beat out incumbent Adrian Fenty in the Democratic Primary (and de facto DC election. So looks like we got a new mayor. Very complicated and divisive election, but let me just say for those of you from out of town, most of the national press on the issue has been misleading. (DCist, WCP)