Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
EXCLUSIVE Photos of the new Five Guys and Georgetown Cupcake storefronts on Bethesda Avenue on my photos page at www.RobertDyer.net!
Monday, October 19, 2009
FREE COOKIE
THIS MORNING!
If you stop at the marked stop signs on Springfield, Ridgefield, etc., this morning from 8:00-8:30 AM, you will receive a free cookie!!
It's the annual Springfield "I Stop for Safety - and Get A Cookie" event, this morning.
I wonder how many free cookies the well-connected people gave the state to get the right turn onto Westbard from River Road shut off...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
FULL "DISCLOSURE:"
WASHINGTON POST
COLUMNIST TOUTS
POTENTIAL NBC-U,
COMCAST DEAL;
FAILS TO MENTION
POST HAS
FINANCIAL
RELATIONSHIP
WITH BOTH
The Washington Post's Tom Shales wrote a feverishly favorable column endorsing the idea of a takeover of NBC-Universal by cable monopoly Comcast. One problem there: the Post has a long-standing financial relationship with both NBC/Microsoft and Comcast. Shales failed to "disclose" that major conflict of interest in another blatant disregard for ethics at the failing Post. The same Post that has failed to cover the early voting site scandal here in Montgomery County.
PLEASE STAND
BY
Internet service issues are making it difficult to upload videos and large photos this week. I apologize for the slowdown in new content. In the meantime, enjoy the tons and tons of videos and photos already there on www.RobertDyer.net!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Apparently, a Pepco transformer exploded at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Sangamore Road yesterday afternoon, temporarily knocking out the traffic signals there. I'm not sure what the extent of the power outage was for nearby residences. I wasn't there, but got a report from someone who was.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Watch me being chased by a killer bee (or was it a Swarmin' Hornet?) at the Celebrate Damascus parade this past July on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net!
Monday, October 12, 2009
FIVE GUYS &
GEORGETOWN
CUPCAKE INCH
CLOSER TO
BETHESDA ROW
OPENINGS
This past Saturday, I stopped by Bethesda Row to check on the progress of the soon-to-open Five Guys and Georgetown Cupcake storefronts.
Neither one is opening tomorrow, but Five Guys will open sooner. I predict that because the permanent sign has already been installed outside. And a paper taped to the storefront says they are now hiring for the Bethesda Row location.
Georgetown Cupcake isn't quite that far yet, but I could hear people working behind the blacked-out storefront.
I have exclusive photos which you will see very soon.
~ + ~
The temperature is falling outside, so I have a new video from the vaults - from the Celebrate Damascus parade this past July 10. Watch it now on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net. I'd hoped to have more stories from the history of Damascus for you today, from yesterday's event at Damascus ES. But even though the Gazette article suggested there would be historical speakers and exhibits, I did not find any, and left shortly after arriving. To make up for that, enjoy the previously-mentioned new video from a past event.
There was one interesting historical note in last week's Gazette: the owner of the 50-year-old Richard gas station was once the projectionist at the historic Druid Theater.
Another bonus: a new photo of a Case JX95 tractor! Find it on my photos page at RobertDyer.net.
Friday, October 09, 2009
COUNTY
DOES SLOPPY
JOB ON
SPRINGFIELD
SPEED BUMPS
Middle Bump on Ridgefield Violates
Maryland State Law Prohibiting
Speed Bumps on Steep Hills
I went personally to Springfield and Ridgefield Roads to examine the results of the World's Fastest Placement of Speed Bumps in history.
The results were about what one would expect from a rush job.
On the block of Springfield between Ogden and Parkston, the new Speed Bump 15 MPH signs are blocked by trees. That is a major traffic engineering blunder.
And about that 15 MPH, that's slower than the regular 20 MPH bumps you find elsewhere. That's ridiculous. 15 in a 25 MPH zone? Again, terrible traffic engineering. Just terrible.
Aside from the ugly, ugly aesthetics of the bumps, the 2nd bump on Ridgefield is illegal under Maryland state law - you cannot place a speed bump on a steep hill.
That one has to go, unless the county is above the law.
And the rush job made a mess of streets, and maybe even peoples' cars. There are wet asphalt tire tracks going in all directions from the bumps, as the workers did not allow them to fully dry. At least one sign is crooked - on the day of installation! That same sign has an ugly black paint smear across the top, too. This is how things are done in the 20816 zip code? Probably not after next November's election.
Why the rush job? Aside from the well-connected residents who ordered these up, the pending controversy over the Cromwell bumps probably created an urgency to get these down before new guidelines went into place. But we all knew there weren't going to be any changes to the rules.
I think it would have been smarter to place the bumps in a careful manner, because this county council is 100% in favor of speed bumps. They have totally ignored any other opinion brought to them, and anyone who has heard a presentation by Tracy Wroe, the county's "bump engineer," knows how passionate he and the county are about placing these obstacles down everywhere.
In a time when special needs kids are being cheated by the budget, and low income senior citizens are having their subsidized dentures being taken away by the county council, these bumps are monuments to wasteful spending and immoral priorities.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
SPEED BUMP
RUSH JOB
ON
SPRINGFIELD,
RIDGEFIELD
County contractors are placing speed bumps on Springfield and Ridgefield Road as I type this.
I thought the county had no money? Somebody is working under a lot of political pressure in this particular instance. These are being put down lightning fast - literally. There are some inside political strings being pulled in this case, especially in light of the controversy in the Springfield neighborhood over the issue. If only government worked this fast on everything else!
Watch an exclusive video of the Germantown Volunteer Fire Department's Super Water Cannon (Tower 729 in technical terms) this morning on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net. Did I mention it's exclusive?
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
7 DAYS LATER,
WASHINGTON POST
FAILS TO
REPORT ON
EARLY VOTING
DECISION
The countdown continues...
Seven days after 3 Democrats on the county Board of Elections approved a list of early voting sites provided by the Democratic Central Committee and all-Democrat County Council, the Washington Post has failed to print a word about it.
The Post is a journalistic embarrassment. This is a major story in county politics, the Post's coverage of which has gone from one-sided to almost nonexistent.
Monday, October 05, 2009
FARM ISSUES
ON THE
BACKBURNER
AGAIN
Did you know that the Farm Aid concert was held yesterday? Probably not, as it was not covered by the mainstream media.
You have heard about the wonderful farmers' markets, local produce, and wonerful, wonerful, wonerful things the state (and the county, using state money in a shell game) is doing for farmers ad nauseum, however.
How can that be?
Easy. They don't want the people of Montgomery County, Maryland, or the United States to know about some of the real farm stories out there. The ones that don't make limousine liberals feel good as they check-out with their reusable (a.k.a. germ-contaminated) cloth shopping bags at Whole Foods. And the ones that reveal the embarrassing record of our elected officials - at all levels - on farm issues.
So let me share with you the letter written by Farm Aid organizer, Willie Nelson:
Dear Friend,
Before I ever picked up a guitar, I was picking cotton in a small town in Texas. And no matter where my music career has taken me, I’ve never let go of my love of the land and my respect for the proud people who farm it.
Family farmers love the land they work, and they take the best possible care of the soil and water because they eat the food they produce and drink the water beneath their fields. They make decisions around a kitchen table, not a boardroom table far from the fields.
I started Farm Aid in 1985 as a way to help keep family farmers on the land. While the struggles have changed over the years, farmers still aren’t getting a fair chance to make a living.
That’s why I’m asking for your help today. For more information on how you can help the cause, please visit www.farmaid.org. You can support Farm Aid’s hotline for farmers in crisis and provide emergency assistance to farm families who are on the verge of losing their land, their homes, and their livelihoods.
Thanks for your time and thanks for helping to support America’s family farmers.
Stay strong and positive,
Willie Nelson
~ + ~
And you can watch the many farm-related videos on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net right now.
There's a new one today - your invitation to join a "Pig Club." What's that? You'll have to watch to find out...
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Watch a medical helicopter take off from the roof of Johns Hopkins Hospital right now on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net. Exclusive video!
Friday, October 02, 2009
COUNTDOWN
OF SHAME FOR
WASHINGTON POST
It turns out my blog entry on the Montgomery County Board of Elections' early voting decision was an exclusive. There is no news report anywhere else on the internet, according to Google and Google News. Just one of many exclusive stories I have broken over the last few years.
Now, let's start a countdown until the Post prints the results of the board's vote:
DAY 3
In the meantime, have you ever seen a lawn tractor pit crew in action? Watch now on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
RobertDyer.net
SCOOPS
WASHINGTON POST
AND GAZETTE...
...AGAIN!
Yesterday's Washington Post and Gazette editions contained ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the Montgomery County Board of Elections vote selecting 5 Early Voting sites chosen by the county Democratic Central Committee and Democrat politicians. The meeting ended long before the deadline for either paper's printing.
Neither paper's website had the story either. Remember a few weeks ago when I said the Post no longer covers Montgomery County politics? I am vindicated again. Let me get this straight... neither newspaper covers major votes by the county's Board of Elections?
You read the full story here on RobertDyer.net yesterday.
Today you can watch a new video of a talking goat on the Robert Dyer Channel at www.RobertDyer.net. He's making more sense than the Powers-that-Be in Montgomery County.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
DEMOCRATS
ON
BOARD OF
ELECTIONS
DENY EARLY
VOTING SITES
FOR DAMASCUS,
POOLESVILLE
5 Sites Chosen Discriminate Against Rural Voters
Yesterday afternoon, the Montgomery County Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines to select five early voting sites recommended by the county's Democratic Central Committee.
The sites selected were:
- Bauer Community Recreation Center, Rockville
- Germantown Recreation Center (substitute for Blackrock, which declined use)
- Marilyn Praisner Community Recreation Center, Burtonsville
- County Executive Office Building, Rockville
- Silver Spring Civic Building
Three alternate sites were designated at:
- Long Branch Recreation Center, Silver Spring
- Mid-County Community Center, Silver Spring
- Upper County Community Center, Gaithersburg
Robert Dyer, a member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, released the following statement in response to the highly partisan Board decision:
"The sites selected by the Democratic majority on the Board of Elections constitute a blatant attempt to suppress early voter turnout in Damascus and Poolesville. Neither town has convenient access to an early voting site.
Furthermore, the three Democrats on the Board selected a site - the County Executive Office Building - that is not easily accessible to disabled voters over the Damascus Recreation Center, which has convenient access for the disabled.
The Executive Office Building also lacks convenient parking in general, again in contrast to the Damascus site, which has ample parking.
The Democrats also selected a facility that has not even been constructed yet - the Silver Spring Civic Building - over the established Damascus Recreation Center. Board staff warned the Board members that the Silver Spring facility will not likely be ready in time for the September 2010 primary.
Board President Jerrold Garson dismissed the need for early voting in Damascus, stating that "only 13,000 voters" would be excluded.
I could not disagree more with Mr. Garson's statement. To discriminate against, or discourage, 13,000 voters or just one voter is completely unacceptable.
The Board's decision was strictly partisan. All three Democrats on the Board simply approved the five sites recommended by the county Democratic Central Committee and Democratic County Council members. Site recommendations I offered, and the official recommendations of our Republican Central Committee, were entirely ignored.
It is well known that our rural areas are underserved by mass transit. The Board knows this, and proceeded ahead with its partisan plan anyway.
Several Democrats touted the ability to vote on a Saturday, and on Labor Day. Damascus voters who do not drive will not have access to early voting on either day. The county eliminated weekend and holiday service on the Route 90 Ride-On bus in April 2009. Route 90 is the only bus serving the town. This discrimination is outrageous.
I believe voters in Damascus and Poolesville will hold the Democratic Party responsible for their lack of access to early voting in the 2010 elections."
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Breaking News:
ROBERT DYER
DEMANDS EQUAL
ACCESS TO
EARLY VOTING
FOR
DAMASCUS AND
POOLESVILLE
2010 Early Voting Site Selection Process
Discriminates Against Upcounty, Rural Areas
I am at this moment at the Montgomery County Board of Elections, about to testify in support of voters in the Poolesville and Damascus areas. Voters in those areas deserve equal access to early voting, and the current site proposals threaten to discourage turnout of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians... all voters.
Read my speech as I am delivering it live!:
*** ***
I’m Robert Dyer, an elected member of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, and a registered voter.
I’m here today to represent myself, and the voters of Poolesville and Damascus.
It’s unfortunate that 99% of voters don’t even know this issue is being decided right now. And that some races in the 2010 elections may be decided in this room this afternoon.
Examining the State Board’s selection formula and criteria, it is clear they were devised to discriminate against rural areas in Montgomery County, and statewide. Agricultural areas are, by nature, low density, and underserved by transit. Farms are large, and septic systems require lower density residential areas.
5 sites is an arbitrary number. What is magic about the number 5? And if we were to have 5 sites, why would they not be spread evenly throughout the county in Rockville, Poolesville, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Damascus?
We first have to establish that early voters are a new set of voters. That was the supposed logic behind early voting. By expanding the number of days one could vote, we were told, those who found Election Day or absentee ballots too inconvenient would finally be able to vote.
If early voters are not new voters – but rather, voters who would vote anyway, even if early voting was not available – then early voting is a complete waste of the taxpayers’ money. Money itself is an issue. If the county and state do not have the funds to execute early voting in a fair and just manner, they have no business offering early voting.
Now, the question is, who among this group of new voters will be encouraged to vote, and who will be discouraged? If early voting is all about convenience, and convenience is the draw for this new type of voter, then making early voting inconvenient in rural areas would suppress turnout among that population.
Why should Silver Spring and Gaithersburg determine a close election, and not Damascus and Poolesville?
Why is it acceptable for a Poolesville resident to have to drive to Gaithersburg to vote, but not for a Gaithersburg voter to drive to Poolesville?
I reject this notion that those of us who do not reside in Rockville, Gaithersburg, or Silver Spring are somehow children of a lesser God.
Robert Dyer thinks the voters of Poolesville, Barnesville, and Beallsville are important. This Board will show its opinion of those voters by its actions regarding a Poolesville early voting site. I realize the state guidelines make that difficult.
What will not be difficult for you, however, is to designate the Damascus Recreation Center as a site. With all due respect, you must have a site in Damascus. I’ve been in the center. It is an outstanding facility, with plenty of parking.
The Damascus site will allow the voters of Damascus, Clagettsville, Clarksburg, Etchison, Laytonsville, Cedar Grove, and Hyattstown to exercise their early voting rights.
Another compelling reason for the site, is that a majority of Montgomery County’s police officers and firefighters live in the Damascus area. They work long shifts at all hours, and deserve to have convenient access to early voting.
The voters of Montgomery County will recognize that any action of this Board will, by default, be decided by the Democratic members’ votes. As a result, voters will hold the Democratic Party accountable for any disparity in early voting accessibility.
So I respectfully ask you to join me in calling for a fair and equitable early voting site plan.
Join me in standing up for the voting rights of residents in our rural areas.
Join me in supporting the men and women of our police and fire departments who live in the Damascus area.
Join me in unequivocally supporting the Damascus Recreation Center voting site.
Thank you for your consideration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)