More on Funk

In the comments to my post about Funkhouser's refusal to go along with Kay Barnes' decision to stick him in an ugly car, several commenters have chosen to ignore the attempted humor and act like this minor flap is full of portent for the next four (or 8!) years. In the funniest hissy fit, one anonymous commenter wrote: "I voted for the man twice and as Roberto de Vicenzo said 'what a stupid I am.'" When I expressed my amusement at his fickle support, he elaborated: "It's not just the car. The car is old news, as far as I'm concerned. It's the special treatment he requested for Ed. It's the fact that he thinks he has a mandate even though he only won by 850 votes. It's the whole inauguration issue, not wanting to use the ballroom. It's the paranoia. It's the salaries he's paying his people."

I'm responding with a front page post because Funk's performance as mayor-elect is a legitimate topic of thoughtful conversation, beyond whether he should ditch the car idea entirely and fire up a Harley . . .

First off, I think my anonymous commenter and people like him are awfully quick to throw up their hands in worry. He's not even in office yet! The car thing is a silly diversion, and it's a silly diversion brought on by Kay Barnes waking up the morning after the election when her candidate lost and deciding to make an autocratic (pun intended) decision messing with Mark. The fault is on Barnes. Same thing with ballroom - Kay wanted it to be her party, and Funk wanted it to be the people's.

Anyone who wants to question Mark's choice of Ed Wolf for Chief of Staff doesn't know Ed Wolf. He is the best man for the job. Period. If you'd rather have the sort of mayor who would fail to do what is best for city government because he is afraid to change an ordinance, I don't understand why you voted twice for Funk.

Finally, as for the mandate - what do you propose? I agree that the margin was slim, but he's the mayor. He's not mayor 51% - he's our mayor 100%. Do you think he should govern as if he didn't really win? Whether he won by one vote or one hundred thousand votes, he's not going to govern effectively if he is afraid to make decisions or is filled with self-doubt. And he's not - in the times I've seen him since the election, he has seemed strong, confident, and purposeful. He's exactly who I knew him to be and exactly what this city needs right now. The margin of the last election is yesterday's news - after four years of better services and a stronger city, I predict his margin for reelection will set records.

Finally, a word about the "paranoia" label. It started with Glorioso, and that fact illustrates its absurdity. It may be impossible to be sufficiently paranoid when Glorioso is involved. He is the Jeff Roe of the backroom democrats - the subclass of the party that prefers to cut deals in smokey rooms and make sure the current elite stays on the inside. He'll manipulate and spin anything to make his side (the side that has made city hall into a hog trough) retain power. Anybody who wants to change things in Kansas City cannot be too paranoid of Steve Glorioso.

See you at the inauguration party!

Look Away, Vegetarians

Yesterday was the 47th birthday, celebrated by dinner at Jack's Stack on the Plaza. Yes, you can get good, authentic Kansas City barbecue on the Plaza these days, if you walk past the soul-less chain restaurants that infest it.

I'm ashamed of my gluttony, but let me tell you that the Three Rib Platter does not consist of a platter with three ribs. No, we're talking three different rib varieties, from three different animals. A lamb, a pig and a cow (sounds like the beginning of a clean joke) gave their lives for my feast last night, and the smokers at Jack's Stack made sure their sacrifice was honored with the incense of hickory.

Normally, I'd balk at $4.75 for a pint glass of beer, but not when they fill it with Grimbergen, one of the world's best Belgian ales. Every other place I've ordered this amazing beer, it's come in one of those little goblets that is the size of a wine glass. But when you order up a Grimbergen here, you get a tall glass full of world-class dubbel. While it will come to you way too cold to fully enjoy, take your time and let it warm up for one of the great beer bargains in Kansas City.

Great meal, great beer. Not bad for an old man . . .

Mayor Said "Son You're Gonna Drive Me To Drinkin' if You Don't Start Drivin' that Hot. Rod. Lincoln."

Buying a car is personal. In our car-centered culture, what you drive is a statement to the world about who you are. My lovely wife just got a new car (Beetle Convertible), and I would never have dreamed of picking the color, the options, or anything other than the radio presets. And I've been married to her for 25 years this June, and the car is officially half mine. Even though it's "our car", we both know it's "her car", and she ought to be able to pick out her own car.

But Kay Barnes (who I doubt has even made out with Funkhouser, much less been married to him) decided she should make the choice of what kind of car Mark Funkhouser will have as mayor. And she screwed it up royally. Faced with the prospect of riding in the "silver birch" Lincoln Town Car she picked out for him and paid $700/month for ($100 over the car allowance - but money's no object for Country Club Kay), he said "no thanks" and has opted to keep on driving his 10 year-old Corolla.

Things might have gone differently if she had chosen a cooler car. Maybe a Crossfire like Glazer drives. Or maybe she could have used her big business contacts to hook him up with one of those new Camaros GM has planned. Sweet. A Mustang Convertible would have been a fine sled for the Funk, especially if she tricked it out with a fine sound system and thumping bass. Personally, I would have picked out a mini-van with tinted windows for the Mayor, driven it down to the Crossroads, and told the artists down there to make that vehicle into a statement. Yeah, that's how I'd make Mark roll.

But a freaking Lincoln Town Car?! Silver Birch? Did she really think a guy who answers to "Funk" would want to ride around in a geriatric jalopy like that?

Personally, I think it was pay-back. Kay hated Mark throughout the election, and did her best to get him defeated. Despite (or maybe because of?) her slander and frothing attacks, though, he won. So, the day after the election, she tried to score some revenge by sticking his lanky ass into the lamest car she could possibly find in the metro area. I'll bet she even made them put curb feelers on it, and special-ordered a mono sound system that only gets AM radio.

Hurrah for Funk's telling her to take her car and shove it. He'll face enough challenges as Mayor without having to ride around in a car picked out by someone who hates him.

New to the Blogroll

It's been a while since I've added to my blogroll, and several new and noteworthy blogs have started up in the meantime. If I've overlooked your blog or one of your favorites, drop me an email at dan@gonemild.com. Anyhow, new to the blogroll:

Freshmeat: Senator Jolie Justus' refreshingly direct blog about her freshman year in Missouri's legislature. Justus is drawing attention for taking prinicipled stands in Jefferson City, and such bizarrely aberrant behavior is causing the Republicans in our Capitol to attack her and her district. Some are questioning whether she should have buckled when they threatened to take away funding for UMKC. I'm sticking with her, though - it was her lack of enthusiasm for compromise that won my endorsement of her in the first place. Even if you disagree with her politics, though, I think you'll find her blog to be a unique insight into the life of someone living through the sausage-making process . . .

Just Cara: Funny, topical, varied - Just Cara represents what most of us are striving for in a blog. Her political views are refreshingly unpredictable, and she dislikes being a lawyer. What's not to like?

KC Blue Blog: While Just Cara wins props for her political variability, KC Blue Blog is one of my favorite local progressive voices because of its dependably liberal take. We don't always agree, but it's a smart, well-written site, updated regularly.

Blue Girl, Red State: More politics - I first noticed this blog during the recent city elections, though it has been around for a few years (I guess I need to spend more time reading blogs . . .). She's been featured on the Salon Blog Report - it's good to have talent like hers in our community.

Toellner Tells It: The upside of mission creep. This blog claims to be focused on " advertising, media and marketing with some personal stuff thrown in," but it has evolved into a forum for thoughtful, thought-provoking items, such as a four part series on what to do about our schools. This is some serious, great stuff - better than you will find anywhere in our print media here in Kansas City. Kansas City's best thinking is now being published on blogs, and Toellner Tells It is one of the best of the best.

Viable Third: This is more of a "cause site" than a blog, but I am linking to the Journals section, so it gets listed . . . Robyne Turner and Airick Leonard West have launched this site to encourage people to pledge to spend their money in the Third District of Kansas City. Simply stated, these people get it. We vote with our ballots occasionally, but we vote with our dollars daily. If we want economic development in our poorer communities, we have to get off our butts and spend some money down there. Go, read, think, apend . . .

The Kansas City Post: Mark Forsythe could have sulked off the scene after losing his election bid, but, instead, he has created a forum for policy discussion focused on Kansas City. Mark's a policy wonk with a ton of knowledge about a lot of issues. This is not the place to go with a bumper-sticker mentality - Mark and his guest writers are serious and thoughtful.

The Flogging of America: I thought this was already on my blogroll . . . News and views with a snappy, smart delivery. This blog takes on all comers - its recent smackdown of the Pitch was a masterpiece of how blogs can outdo the traditional media on important issues.

The Rest: I know I've forgotten some important voices - don't sit there sulking about it - email me and let me know what I missed . . .

Chemlawn?!

There is a Chemlawn truck down the street spewing chemicals onto a neighbor's yard. Why would anyone ever spend money to have a Chemlawn? Do they buy by Dioxinfood and Poisonmeds?

Malkin and the Unhinged Right: Calling Our Troops "Losers"

I was disgusted to see Rhymes with Right, one of the right-wing blogs I visit and generally enjoy, call our troops "losers". I was even more disgusted to see that he got his marching orders from the Queen of Concentration Camps, Michelle Malkin.

I know, I know, that they think they are humorously twisting Harry Reid's position, but it's simply sick and despicable for the Keyboard Kommandoes to sit stateside and call our troops names. Have they no decency whatsoever? Is there nothing so slimy and putrid that it would repulse even them in their attempts to score some pointless political point? To what, if any, debased rhetorical means would they not resort to support this optional war?

Do you think they will ever look back on their work and hang their heads in shame?

Funniest Saturday Night Live Skit Ever

The funniest Saturday Night Live skit ever was Jimmy Stewart on Sprockets. Here's the transcript - consider it my gift of mirth after a long, long week. Happy weekend, everyone!

Here's an excerpt to give you the flavor:

Dieter: Mr. Shtewart. Critic Graus Greck, in the latest issue of "Verdkunst," described your book as an asylum, vhere man meets his Creator and screams.

Jimmy Stewart: Well, uh, thank you, Dieter. That's, uh... Y'know--y'know, Gloria and I are big fans of YOURS.

Dieter: In your poem, "Old Rocking Chair," you write: "You sit in the corner/Old rocking chair/It makes me feel good/To know you are there."

Jimmy Stewart: Yeah...

Dieter: I feel emotionally obliterated.

Jimmy Stewart: I'm glad--glad--glad to HEAR that, y'see, good poetry is about DESTRUCTION.

Dieter: Under vhat conditions does a man experience such raw truth?

Jimmy Stewart: Well, Dieter, it's no picnic, I can tell you that right now. I was holed up in a Mexico City slum. I hadn't eaten in weeks, and what few pesos I had, I'd spent on alcohol. Some cheap crap called chocho. I was down and out. That's when I wrote "Good Old Rockin' Chair." You see, you've gotta go through the PAIN.

Why I Missed the Meet-Up

The recent local blogger meet-up sounded like a great opportunity to meet some of the Kansas City bloggers I don't know, and have a beer with those I do know. I was looking forward to it.

From Sunday through Wednesday, though, we had a guest from India living with us. She was here as part of a Rotary exchange program, and, since our children are away at school, we offered a spare bedroom. Because our visitor is a journalist with a huge newspaper in India, I expected that she would like to check out the blogger scene.

Fortunately for us and for Ancillary Adams, she had better plans! Perhaps inspired by the wine poured at Pierpont's elegant bar, she offered to cook for the four of us.

Ancillary Adams' wife spent the afternoon scouring the Indian markets for necessities like ground raw mango powder. The four of us then cooked for around 4 hours, some of us more involved than others, but everyone participating.

She made two naan-like things - one with a potato filling (dipping sauce = yogurt) and one with a cheese filling (dipping sauce a cilantro chutney). Then there was a chicken curry that she was not happy with - but to us was great, rich with layers of spices.

There was a spicy lentil mixture on top of garlicky rice that had been infused with cumin seed.

There was this onion, cilantro, spice mix that was shaped with some flour and deep fried.

There was a sweet with sauteed vermicelli and sweet milk, flavored with cardamom.

The spices she used were soooo good - toasted cardamom seeds, lemons, lots of little chilis, cumin, coriander, garam masala, tumeric, cinnamon, chili powder, toasted coconut . . . It added up into food that was hot but irresistible.

After dinner, she talked to us about Hinduism and led us in a meditation accompanied by incense she brought from India.

I hated to miss out on the blogger meet-up, but it was quite a memorable evening . . .

Please Give it a Rest

The Virginia Tech killings prove that we must restrict access to weapons that have no purpose other than to kill people.

No, they don't. They prove that the students should have been allowed to carry concealed weapons.

Wait, I heard that the killer was an Islamic Asian - this is terrorism.

No, I heard it started as a domestic problem - this shows we need to pay more and better attention to domestic violence prevention.

. . .

33 people, most of whom are the age of my children, just had their lives cut horribly short. I understand that fitting the tragedy into the framework of our political prejudgements is a form of trying to make sense of it. Sadly, I even understand the temptation to seize this tragedy as evidence to support your side of whatever argument you want to make.

But I urge you to hold off for a second. Simply feel the loss. Simply feel the tremor that the death of 33 people ought to cause. Don't allow yourself to chase the feeling away through placing it in a package of preconceptions. Think about their parents walking into their bedrooms back home. Think about their friends who were planning to have lunch with them. Feel the absence.

Our opinions cannot fill the absence, and ought not to try.

Kurt Vonnegut, Glorious Subversive, 1922 - 2007

"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved."

- Cat's Cradle

Has Kit Bond Lost his Mojo?

A couple years ago, I would have thought that Kit Bond was as safe as anyone in the Senate (a pretty safe place for incumbents) could be. Except for when he ran against Jay Nixon, he hasn't faced a truly strong democrat in any of his four races. I even voted for him when he ran against Geri Rothman-Serot (one of those annoying St. Louis Democrats who think the world ends outside of the I-270 loop).

Bond has always been a tolerable Republican. Where many Missouri Republicans fit better into the John Ashcroft mold of crazy religious zealots, Kit Bond is a classic country club Republican. Raised at an east-coast prep school, he has dulled his once-sharp intellect with lobbyists' booze and high-living of the type most of us associate with Hugh Hefner and Ted Kennedy. When you meet most Missouri Republicans, you sense that they want to lecture you about how you should go to church and save your soul. When you meet Kit Bond, you sense that he wants to tell you about the strip clubs in DC.

His tolerability goes beyond the fact that he is not a sanctimonious pain in the ass - he has also brought home the bacon like a champ. The political elite of both parties like Kit Bond because he delivers more pork than McGonigles in the week before the American Royal BBQ contest. Politicians of all stripes like spending tax dollars, and Kit Bond has been the secret Santa of Missouri for over 20 years.

But I'm announcing here that Kit Bond will not win another term.

He's up for a race in 2010, and he's lost his mojo. It's been fun, but it's over.

As a member of the minority party, his bacon won't come in slabs anymore. He's going to have to fight for every strip. The Dems who have liked him as Candy Man are going to walk away when he can't deliver. And without the money, why should they tolerate one of only 9 Senators who voted to support torture and one of only two senators who voted to support the conversion of the US Attorney's office into a political attack dog?

On top of that, his own party's going to savage him, because he's not really a Missouri Republican. He's a Deerfield Academy, Princeton, University of Virginia east coast elite who came back to Mexico, Missouri only to launch a political career. He hasn't done the real work of attending all the confederate rallies, cross-burnings and church socials where grassroots work is done in certain Missouri Republican circles. Most of his party suspects that the last time he saw a Bible was when he stumbled across a Gideon's Bible while trying to call the front desk for more ice. He's not really one of them.

Bond may wind up not even trying. He'll be 71, and he's not going to be having much fun as a non-influential minority member of the Senate for the next 3 years. When the lobbyists dial down their level of attention, Kit Bond is likely to figure out that he can have more fun elsewhere, without the occasional scrutiny of the press. It might even be worth paying for his own Alaskan junkets.

Gonemild says that Kit Bond is finished in 2010.

More Than Tulips on Troost

Durwin Rice is one of the sparkplugs behind the renaissance of Troost Avenue. I've been told he is revamping his paper shop into more of an arts and antiques space and will be hosting a show of art by Barbara Biel. It opens with a reception this Friday, April 13, from 5 till 9, at the space at 5516 Troost.

While you're there, check out the tulips that survived the cold snap. They're survivors, about to make Troost better than it already is.

Feeling Kind of White

I'm white. I'm middle-class. I'm middle-aged. I'm straight. Shit, I've even returned to organized religion.

When stuff like the Imus flap comes up, what legitimacy can I find? I've read and thought fairly deeply about issues like white privilege and the foundational aspects of racism in today's America. I'm aware of the 360 degree aspects of discrimination, and that Hispanics, Asians, women, and dozens of other identifiable groups of people face daily snubs and subtle hindrances that prevent them from participating as fully in society as they ought.

So, when Imus calls a bunch of talented young women - girls my daughter's age - "nappy headed hoes", I feel the anger, and I can pile on like everyone else.

I can also sit back in my intellectual easy chair and distinguish this mob scene from an attack on free speech, and mock those who are somehow trying to make this about how hard it is for rightwing hatespeakers to get along in this confusing world. Yes, there are plenty of blatantly stupid people I can play with. It's a simple and kind of pointless diversion.

But I don't think that I can jump in with stuff like Jason Whitlock did this morning:

I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?

When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.

No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.

It's not my role to write stuff like that, but I can quote it and admire it.

I know some people think it's all about race. They're wrong. It's about power, and class, and money, and gender, and every little thing about who we are as a society and as individuals. It is all so mind-bogglingly complex that when you have an over-privileged asshole who calls talented young basketball players names, it's a joy to know exactly how to react.

I can do that, but I don't feel as comfortable taking on BET or Mencia or Chris Rock. I don't want to be that patriarchal defender of the status quo quoting approvingly from Cosby because he blames "those people".

Stupid people like Imus give us the clear case, where our outrage can be full-throated and pure. It's a frustratingly gray world. Was service slow because the patron was black? Maybe, maybe not. Did the white guy get the job because he "comes off more professional"? Maybe, maybe not. But there's no maybe about Imus this time.

Imus is kind of a scapegoat. I don't know what to say or think about rap music and gangsta culture. I don't always know where to draw lines between being open-minded and tolerating wrong-headed misbehavior. I don't even think I necessarily get to draw those lines. But I know that I can beat on Imus, and feel pretty good about it. By focusing all the attention on Imus, the rest of us can kid ourselves and think we've taken a stand against racism, while ignoring the thousands of petty discriminations we see (or choose not to see) every day.

As a middle-class, middle-aged, white, straight male, I look at it all and I hear a racially tinged song by the Refreshments in the back of my head:

Everybody knows
That the world is full of stupid people
Well I got the pistol so I’ll keep the Pesos
Yeah, and that seems fair

Seem fair to you?

Protecting Your First Amendment Right to "Managed Civil Dialogue"

Some half-wit named Tim O'Reilly (is there something about that last name that causes brain damage?) is proposing a set of "guidelines" for civility on the internet. I've chosen to be uncivil to him because I'd rather have him and his ilk leave the web in a hissy fit than earnestly starting us off on the slippery slope toward "managed civil dialogue."

No, that "managed civil dialogue" phrase is not my sarcastic adoption of Orwellian phraseology - it comes straight from Mr. O'Reilly. I kid you not - here's what he said - "That is one of the mistakes a lot of people make — believing that uncensored speech is the most free, when in fact, managed civil dialogue is actually the freer speech.”

Please read that quotation until you vomit. Free speech is freer when its managed.
This kind of "nice guidelines" crap demands aversion therapy. Aversion therapy may be strong enough to prevent idiots like Tim O'Reilly from using your best instincts against yourself.

I've got nothing against niceness, but I have a HUGE problem with proposals to legislate, however informally, good manners. I generally try to be nice and civil, but I enjoy my occasional outbursts, and look forward with anticipation to the day I unleash the profane coinage my wife forbids me to type. Sites like The Rude Pundit bring joy to my life.

The last thing the internets need is some egghead scumbag trying to make money from blogging to show up in the New York Times of all places to tell us how we ought to behave. Generally, we're behaving pretty well, and, when we're not, cry me a river. If language frightens you, you might want to avoid blogs, and stick with the rigidly edited New York Times.

Local Blogger Meet-up

Well Hell Michelle has called for a local blogger meet-up:

Tuesday, April 17th
Happy Hour until ????

Harry's Country Club
(Harry's in the River Market, NOT Harry's in Westport)
112 Missouri Ave
Kansas City, MO 64106

Where else can you get a fried bologna sandwich, an excellent Belgian ale, and the company of people who think their opinions are worth publishing to the world?

I mean other than my house . . .

Wordsworth's Birthday

It's Poetry Month, and if you enjoy poetry, send a blank email to sub_knopfpoetry@info.randomhouse.com and sign up for a poem a day from Knopf. Good stuff.

Because it's poetry month, and Wordsworth's birthday, I'm sharing one of my favorite poems, written 201 years ago, and it still describes the world as I see it some days when I'm in my car boxed away from a beatiful morning.

"THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US; LATE AND SOON"

THE world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Worst Movie Title Ever?

I understand the impulse toward pretension and self-importance (not that I ever suffer from either), but I got the giggles in the theater yesterday when the great-looking movie about Ireland's title came on at the end of the trailer - "The Wind that Shakes the Barley".

Perhaps the giggles were brought on by the unintended cinematic references to Christopher Guest's "A Mighty Wind" and Spinal Tap's immortal "Break Like the Wind".

Either way, it looks like a movie I'll enjoy, even if I must stifle giggles over its awful title.

Life's Tribulations

Seems like people I know and love are facing a bunch of bruises and abrasions lately, while things are going well for me. Makes me think of Holden Caulfield -

Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around - nobody big, I mean - except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.

Hang in there people - let me know if I can help.

Cards are On TV Tonight

I bleed Cardinals red.

In other news, there will be people selling newspapers tomorrow, and the money all goes to help kids. Go ahead, buy one or two, and pay what you can afford. Oh, and don't bother looking away and refusing to make eye contact if you don't want to buy one. Really, it's alright. Smile. Baseball season has opened.

How Do You Define Tyranny?

Two of the three Republican front-runners were asked a simple question - do you think the president should have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens with no review?

By any rational standard, this should be a simple one to answer, right up there with "Do you support the US Constitution?" and "What's your position on mom and apple pie?" The answer to this one is a clear and easy, "Hell, no - that's not the way our country is set up, and, as long as I can draw a breath, I'm not going to see us slide into an abyss of totalitarianism!" Other acceptable answers would be, "Are you out of your freaking mind?" or "Do I look like Stalin?".

But that's not the answer we're getting from the Republicans. Rudy Guiliani "said that he would want to use this authority infrequently." Infrequently?? Presumably, that means he would only use it when political enemies really, really deserved it.

Mitt Romney's answer was less clearly a rejection of our country's core principles. His merely showed the utter lack of a moral compass - "Romney said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind." Isn't that comforting - the fate of our democracy would be decided by a couple guys in suits, playing a verbal game of rock, paper, scissors?

There was a day when Republicans really did stand for something. Men like Jack Danforth, Bob Dole and Gerald Ford knew that the US Government was not to be trusted, and that power entrusted to it will inevitably be abused. Even with the fresh news of how the Bush administration has abused the Patriot Act to play politics with the US Attorney's office and to spy on Americans through the FBI, Giuliani and Romney think we ought to go ahead and trust them with the power to throw anyone in jail, without review.

Folks, you can't be any more wrong than that.