The hearing featured a pretty predictable set of questioning, falling along partisan lines, with GOP Reps. Darrell Issa, of California, and Joe Walsh, of Illinois, asking the National Park Service to define "camping" and insisting that the department has been derelict in its duty by letting the Occupiers remain. (Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier, deputy mayor for public safety Paul Quander, and D.C. Department of Health director Mohammed Akhter also testified, though the District doesn't have jurisdiction over the park.)

Though Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis said the group is holding a 24-hour vigil—not camping—committee chair Trey Gowdy of South Carolina defined "camping" as "sleeping or preparing to sleep." He asked Jarvis, "Is there sleeping going on in McPherson Square?" (The answer was yes, obviously.)

If one thing is clear, it's that politics have something to do with the interest from Issa and his Republican colleagues in Occupy D.C. It's difficult to believe that they'd be quite so concerned if Tea Partiers or even this week's March For Life protesters claimed they were setting up a 24-hour vigil.

Meanwhile, Democrats Elijah Cummings of Maryland and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton lobbed softballs at the Park Service and drew analogies to the evolution of protest action from the civil rights movement. The Park Service largely stepped around the question of why they allowed the Occupiers to stay, chalking it up to "discretion." And at the conclusion of the hearing, Gowdy made one demand of the Park Service: "Enforce the regulation or change it."

Legally, of course, the Republicans are well within their rights to ask that Occupy get the boot (and sooner or later, they likely will). The regulations aren't being followed. But all the same, it's hard to muster up much sympathy for the Republicans on the committee, who spent time bashing one hundred or so people—none of whom were called to testify—in the name of concern for the wellbeing of the city. D.C. has its fair share of problems, maybe even more; Occupy D.C. isn't one.

The Post tabulated her personal wealth as $1,697,521 in 2009, good for 176th highest on the list of 518 current and former House members.

Norton's 2009 financial disclosure, obtained from Legistorm.com, shows that in addition to her $174,000 salary, she drew income from a "retirement fee" from Pitney Bowes Inc. (she served on its board of directors) and a teaching gig at the Georgetown University Law Center. She also reported several transactions made on a portfolio of mutual funds and bond holdings.

Pitney Bowes paid Norton $12,000. For her class at Georgetown, she received $10,200. In her 2010 disclosure, Norton again reported those income streams at the same levels, in addition to payments on a pair of individual retirement accounts totaling $8,793. Altogether, Norton earned $30,993 outside of Congress last year, according to OpenSecrets.org.

Among Norton's financial holdings are stakes in funds administered by a variety of wealth-management companies, including Blackrock, John Hancock, MetLife and Janus. She also holds positions in municipal bonds in San Diego, Illinois and Seminole County, Fla. OpenSecrets calculated her total assets as between $909,038 and $2,536,000 in 2009. (Disclosure rules only require members of Congress to write down ranges rather than specific amounts.) Based off her 2010 disclosure, which is posted at the bottom of this article, Norton's net worth was between $898,043 and $2,497,000, good for 147th among current House members.

So, $1,697,521 clearly puts Norton in the top tier of American wealth. Still, this number struck me as rather low, considering her level of educational attainment, age, and outside work. Meanwhile, the Post reports that Darrell Issa, the guy in Congress who's responsible for most meddling in District affairs, is the richest member of Congress, with a personal wealth of nearly $450 million.

And if, like me, you were curious about the poorest member of Congress, that would be Alcee L. Hastings, a Florida Democrat who owes $4 million in lawyer fees from various legal dramas dating back to the 1980s, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Independence Ave and New Jersey Ave, SW.  Dec. 16th © 2011 Matt Dunn

“As we predicted, the published list of post offices for study was preliminary, and now nearly half have been effectively removed from the list,” said Norton, a senior member of the committee and subcommittee with jurisdiction over USPS. “We will keep at it until we get the same result we achieved two years ago, when none of the D.C. post offices on the preliminary list were closed.”

In addition, to ensure that closings are not related to the expiration of leases, Norton requested and has received a list of six District post offices with leases expiring in the next year. USPS is finalizing the lease for one of those offices, Benning Station. The other five offices with leases expiring are the T Street Station (Feb. 29, 2012), Chillum Place Columbia Heights (May 16, 2012), Anacostia Finance Station (Aug. 4, 2012), Southwest Station (Dec. 31, 2012), and Palisades Station (Dec. 31, 2012). Nortonsays District residents must have convenient access to postal services and she will continue to insist that USPS finds new locations in the neighborhood before leases expire so residents are properly served without interruption.

But a note from a Mount Pleasant in this morning's D.C. Watch newsletter says that a huge part of the problem is fewer staff:

Our mail has been getting later and later, 8:00 p.m. became regular. Then Monday night the mail hit the door at 9:45 p.m. Since there was a certified letter I ran, and I mean ran, to catch [the mail carrier]. I found her at her truck parked next to an alley where the previous Saturday night we had several robberies at about the same time. I hadn’t previously met her but my husband had spoken to her a lot and I was struck by her youth, energy, and quite frankly her beauty. I felt compelled to tell her to be careful, and she laughed it off. I stopped and said, “No, I am serious,” and told her about my neighbor’s attempted robbery feet from where she was parked Saturday night and that the police had told her it was the ninth call that night.

What are we doing to our carriers that they have to work such long hours to diligently complete a route?

Photo by ElvertBarnes via Flickr/Creative Commons Attribution Generic 2.0 License

Norton is being challenged by a Republican candidate  and a Green party candidate. DCist notes she hasn't gotten less than 88 percent of the vote in any election since 1994.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Congressional meddling continues apace, as one Texas Republican introduced a bill that would change the memorial—currently the only local memorial on the National Mall—into a national World War I memorial.

"We have memorials for Vietnam, World War II, and Korea on the Mall, but we don't have a memorial for all of those who served in World War I," Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) said as he introduced the legislation.

Sure, so why not build one?

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is having none of this co-opting, however. In a statement, she says, "The brave men and women of World War I deserve national recognition for their unique contributions to our country, but not at the expense of the legacy of other veterans, and certainly not at the expense of District World War I veterans."

Photo by SchuminWeb via Wikipedia / GNU Free Documentation License

Reagan Airport, District of Reagan, Reagan States of Reagan: The fourth (and final) privately-funded Ronald Reagan statue to mark the 100th anniversary of the president's birth has been placed—this one at Reagan National Airport, where, at nine feet tall, it towers menacingly over passers-by. To commemorate the commemoration, WTOP checked in with travelers at the airport, many of whom just call it "National." Said Wisconsin's Kathleen Meehan: "I've never understood the people who feel he's such a beloved figure. My daughter refuses to call it 'Reagan.'" According to WTOP, "The only thing Meehan gave Reagan credit for was 'the destruction of the middle class.'" -2

Shooting Down Crime: Police Chief Cathy Lanier says that an arrest was made "within minutes" of the Georgetown shooting last night. Of course, adds Fox 5, "The police chief would not speculate whether that person will be charged in connection with the shooting of the teen." -1

Too Expensive Times 7: The District's most expensive condo costs $7,777,777. Chew on that for a while why we try to figure out what it's made of. Gold? Spider silk? Marble imported from the moon? Then again, Curbed says it has four parking spaces, which may make it worth that much money all on their own. -2

Not So Young and Hungry: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is taking a congressional challenge and living off of food stamps for a month. Norton has found it challenging, to say the least. According to Y&H, participants can only spend $31.50 a week, which breaks down to $4.50 a day. "What I'm really learning is that it's impossible to buy nutritious food for $31.50 a week," Norton told CNN. -3

Yesterday's Needle rating: 45 Today's score: -8 Today's Needle rating: 37

A three-judge panel ruled in a 2-to-1 decision that gun registration and bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are acceptable and constitutional. Mayor Vince Gray said it "upholds our government’s authority to pass reasonable gun laws."

Last year, Byron Tau explored the relationship between gun laws and congressional representation for the District:

Unlike previous proposals to fix the capital’s orphaned political status, this one required nothing more than passing a bill and getting the president to sign it. And just two days earlier, Congressional leaders had decided to do just that. They’d agreed to bring to the floor the long-dormant D.C. Voting Rights Act, a measure that would immediately invalidate the “Taxation Without Representation” slogan on D.C. license plates.

The catch? The bill would also disembowel the District’s gun laws.

For more than a year, nonvoting D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton had tried to delete the armament provisions. Congress’ pro-gun contingent, backed by the ever-influential National Rifle Association, was adamant about overturning the city’s gun restrictions as a condition of giving Washington a voting member of Congress.

The impending vote meant advocates were finally, publicly admitting that there was no way to separate the gun issue from the voting rights issue. Zherka and other supporters had made an unhappy peace with that reality —or so he thought.

The one factor that hadn’t been on their side was time. Democrats were poised to lose seats in the November elections. The delicate bipartisan compromise that would have given GOP-dominated Utah an extra seat to counterbalance heavily Democratic D.C.’s new vote was about to unwind: The 2010 census would likely give Utah another seat no matter what happened to D.C.

“I believed we could get our gun laws back, but we could never get Utah back,” says Norton. “It really was a now or never proposition.” The message she was getting from talking to the city government, to her constituents, and to the coalition of voting rights advocates, she says, was: “‘Don’t lose the only chance we have.’”

Read the rest.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is introducing a bill this week which, according to the release, would create jobs and increased tax revenue by encouraging insurance companies to set up shop in town. Just as they do in Bermuda, insurance companies would have to open offices and hire local employees to handle administration. Norton says there would also be a bump in tertiary employment as accountants, bankers, consultants and actuaries would be needed to support the companies. And taxes would still figure into the equation. The District can collect a "modest" excise tax from the companies, and the local banks holding the funds would also be taxed on them.

The only catch? The tax shelter plan may not make statehood advocates happy, since the law only works as long as the District stays a district. Federal income tax—the thing keeping these companies offshore—can only be done away with if Congress is in full control of a jurisdiction.

Zherka, who was speaking at an issue forum on District statehood at the Congressional Black Caucus's Annual Legislative Conference, was referring to the case of Bart Turner. Turner, a statehood activist who was charged for "unlawful entry" after he protested at the Capitol building requested a jury of his peers—other D.C. residents who more than likely support statehood—and today the case was dismissed.

The CBC—a group of 41 black, mostly Democratic representatives—has been holding their annual conference in the city this week. District Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton hosted the statehood forum, which featured a fiery speech from American Civil Liberties Union head Johnny Barnes. Barnes described plans to fight for statehood, including one argument that the federal government breached its contract with the city when it moved (high-paying, tax revenue-generating) jobs into the suburbs.

The forum coincided with the 165th anniversary of retrocession—which, as Michael Schaffer and Mike Madden described, forever changed the District.

Barnes took exception to Congress's micromanagement of the city. "Congress has debated whether dogs should be on leashes, whether the fire department band should march with the police department band," he said. "They put aside the great issues of the day to tell us how to live and tell us how to die."

But a statement released on Wednesday by Ed Jackson, the memorial's executive architect, insists there won't be any do-overs: "The inscription on the Stone of Hope comes directly from Dr. King’s words. Our goal is to help visitors learn about Dr. King’s central beliefs and commitments. We have no plans to alter the Memorial."

The quote in question appears on the north side of the sculpture and reads “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness,” instead of Kings more humbly wrought “Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.”

Jackson may seem confident at this point, but while people are unlikely to get behind major changes to the memorial, pressure for an inscription-do-over could easily mount. Angelou and Norton certainly have pull within a black community enormously invested in King's legacy—and a generation familiar with how to fight for change.

Photo by Lydia DePillis

One of the temporaries (Matt Bevilacqua)

Many a District resident is willing, on petitions and in online comment boxes, to voice support for D.C. voting rights. But does your passion run deep enough to ink it on your skin?

Several score of people gathered in Dupont Circle earlier this evening to prove they would go so far in demonstrating pride for their city. Flag Day in the Flesh saw dozens of die-hards showing off different variations on the D.C. flag permanently gracing their bodies (many more made due with temporary tattoos handed out at the event).

A few local politicos showed up, including Shadow Rep. Mike Panetta and former At-Large D.C. Council candidate Bryan Weaver, both of whom unveiled tattoos of their own last Saturday. Speeches were made, a DJ spun The Smiths and Slayer, and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton herself slapped on a temporary, proclaiming “Where else is there to be tonight?” (This story originally referred to Norton as a shadow senator.)

We’ve already told you about some of the less flattering ways to wear the stars and bars. But here are some photos of statehood activists and other concerned citizens who know how to rock it:

All photos by Matt Bevilacqua

"I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance": Success breeds imitation. The recent dance-protest at the Jefferson Memorial was such a hit—mostly because no one was arrested—that Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton wants to sponsor her very own dance-off. Norton has a permit for a dance on the Mall on July 30 as part of "National Dance Day." The idea is to promote more "people-centered activities" on the Mall (which sounds like a George W. Bush line gone wrong). No word on whether all the dancing will interfere with another Norton goal: keeping the grass on the Mall alive. +2

"She Went to Find a Jolley Hour on the Trolley": Building streetcar tracks on H Street NE was controversial enough—and the streetcar's actually going to run there. A new project in Georgetown is getting underway to replace old tracks that no trolleys have run on since 1960. The tracks from the old D.C. Transit 20 line will be rehabbed and replaced on O and P streets between Wisconsin Avenue NW and 35th Street NW. Older tracks that were asphalted over years ago will be pulled out and not replaced. Preserving District history is admirable; we just hope the Republicans in Congress don't find out about the plan, which ain't exactly government austerity in action. +1

"Sometimes I Wish I Was Tiger Woods": No matter how many times he cheated on his wife, Tiger Woods is still the biggest name in golf—the one duffer just about everyone knows about, even if they've never so much as napped through a single afternoon of CBS coverage. But Woods won't be joining the festivities in Bethesda this month when the U.S. Open comes to town; he announced today he's pulling out of the tournament due to a lingering leg injury. It's the first U.S. Open he'll miss since 1994. Gossip columnists around town may be more dejected than sports columnists. -1

"I'd Love to be an Oscar-Meyer Weiner": Bad enough for New York Rep. Anthony Weiner that the world has now seen his absurd Twitter penis shots and shaved pecs; now comes word he's been driving around D.C. with expired car registration. (Like most members of Congress, he kept his home-state registration, so the District's DMV doesn't have to worry about it.) A horde of media was staking out Weiner and his wife Huma Abedin's home near U Street NW on Monday, but Weiner's car troubles date to before his sexting: Roll Call had reported months ago that he owed $2,000 in unpaid parking tickets. -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 54 Today's score: +1 Today's Needle rating: 55

Who Needs a Vote?: The Tea Party's rallying cry all of last year was, "No taxation without representation!" So it's somewhat mysterious that among the first moves the Tea Party-powered Republican House did today was to strip D.C. of the mostly symbolic representation we get for our tax dollars, voting down a resolution by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton to retain a vote in the Committee of the Whole. Hey, at least they're taking care of the problems facing America by reading the Constitution out loud! -4

The Reagan Era is Upon Us: Speaking of Republicans, the last time the GOP ran things on Capitol Hill, Congress spent a good share of its time looking for things to name after Ronald Reagan, like airports (successful) and 16th Street NW (failed)—and he wasn't even dead yet. Now that we're in the 100th anniversary year of the late 40th president's birth, watch out; random Washingtonians may find themselves renamed Ronald by House resolutions. To commemorate the birthday, the National Archives is putting on an exhibit of Reagan's rare papers. Er, we mean, the Ronald W. Reagan National Archives. -1

Share This: Back in preschool, it was sometimes tough to learn to share with others; there was always one or two kids who simply didn't like the idea that everyone could take turns using toys, instead of each getting their own. Evidently, one of those kids, grown up, was in Mt. Pleasant lately. A Zipcar near Mt. Pleasant Street NW and Park Road NW was attacked earlier this week, its windshield bashed in and the Zipcar sign on the nearby curb dented. We just hope former DDOT czar and Zipcar honcho Gabe Klein is on vacation somewhere and didn't hear about this. -2

Mega Miss: The jackpot climbed to $355 million for last night's Mega Millions lottery drawing, but alas, the two winning tickets were sold in western Idaho and eastern Washington—the state, not the city. D.C. Lottery officials say the sales generated $200,000 for the city's general revenue fund, though, and local stores took in more than $33,000 in commissions. A total of 671,451 tickets were sold in D.C. since the last drawing on New Year's Eve. Better luck next time! -1

Yesterday's Needle rating: 65 Today's score: -8 Today's Needle rating: 57

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Jan. 2. © 2011 Matt Dunn