Weekly Washington: But the dank, Moe? The dank!
Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 2:03PM 
photo uploaded to flickr by QuickLunarCopJ. Freedom du Lac, besides having one of the best names in journalism, had a good write up of the tour guide license lawsuit. Constitutional scholars are mixed on the merits of the case, which, of course, is why Constitutional scholars have jobs. My favorite part: plaintiff in the case and Segs in the City co-owner Tonia Edwards refers to the Old Post Office as "the second-tallest building in Washington." Except, it's not.
It's WAY too detailed to go into here, but DC has split the baby in half in the long running debate as to whether it's Meridian Hill or Malcolm X Park. Whatever, don't sweat it, but go check it out if you're in town. It's one of the city's great urban parks. (Prince of Petworth)
I'm looking forward to checking out the One Life: Katherine Graham exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. It opens today and runs through March 31st. Katherine Graham was the longstanding publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, most notably through the Watergate and Pentagon Papers years. (Around the Mall)
A tour bus returning to Pennsylvania from a school trip to the National Zoo crashed Wednesday. The driver was the only fatality, and it appears that his heart attack caused the bus crash.(TBD/ABC7)
The Brickskeller for sale! To be turned into a boutique hotel?!?! What the crap? All the criticisms in the comments are valid and I don't care. They better not touch one bit of the dank. (DCist)
16th ST, DCRA, Portrait Gallery, bus tours 
Reader Comments (3)
Tonia Edwards proudly says she has broken D.C. laws over tour guides and laughs she can be jailed for 90 days. If they don't fine her now, the enforcement rules are a joke. She's proudly admitting to breaking the rules and deserves to be shut down until licensed.
Second, Edwards' lawsuit is a joke because it misses the point. It's not that she can't talk to people about the city. That would violate the First Amendment. The regulations say anyone who charges to give tours must be regulated. So if Edwards wants to give free tours, go right ahead. This lawsuit is a pure joke.
the Brickskeller for sale. First place I ever drank say it not so.
The issue in the tour guide lawsuit is simply money. Segs in the City pays its unlicensed people low hourly wages. Licensed tour guides usually will not work for what Segs is willing to pay. The whole "freedom of speech" business used by the libertarians is simply a red herring for the root of what is at stake here: Low wages for Segs in the City's employees. Certainly, DC should now fine Segs and all the named plaintiffs in the suit. That might, however, be seen as retribution (in light of the fact that, to my knowledge, no one has ever received a ticket for "guiding without a license") and DC will not retaliate.