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Next on Comedy Central: Stephen Colbert Interviews Pat Davis

The article "Night of the Living Port Commissioners" by Geov Parrish was superb. As noted, this fiasco goes much further than the third runway. The $97.2 million is only the tip of the iceberg.

I can't help but think that this situation involving a federal criminal investigation of the Port should be elevated to the national media level, especially since millions of federal dollars were wasted. That would help to put more pressure on the Port.

Thanks again for a great story; I have been following this situation closely.

Regards,

--Chuck, via e-mail

Dr. Paul Not Perfect?

Sometimes, when I have a political question that I can't get answered anywhere else, I turn to the writers at Eat the State! for satisfaction. Reading Geov Parrish's op-ed about Congressman Ron Paul in the last edition [BackTalk, Jan. 24] was a somewhat different experience--I came away with more questions than answers.

Mr. Parrish accused Dr. Paul of consorting with and being influenced by the worst sort of people (racists, homophobes, NASCAR fans, et al.), yet he offered not a single name or example. Are such ad hominem insults what passes for political research at ETS! these days?

GP also wrote that Dr. Paul does little but appeal to "greed and self-interest." I have followed Dr. Paul's speeches and writings for about 20 years; the best of his many qualities is his ability to explain how abstract projects like currency reform, deficit reduction and military downsizing will improve life for retirees, students, farmers and the poor. Has the pundit in question ever listened to and/or read Dr. Paul or did he just parrot back unfounded rants from hostile bloggers?

Finally, the Sage of 12th Avenue solemnly warned us all that "Ron Paul is not perfect." Okay, Geov, did you mean he is not perfect like Hillary and Rudy or not perfect like Mitt and Obama?

--Matt McCally, Renton, WA

G.P. replies: Matt--who, interested readers might want to know, is the former chair of the Libertarian Party of Washington State, as well as an old friend of ETS!--apparently didn't read the original letter, where the letter-writer himself referred to Paul as "not perfect." I was just referencing the phrase, as well as having some fun with the letter's rhetorical style. Obviously, none of the remaining candidates is "perfect," or even close to it, but, to paraphrase Orwell, some are less "not perfect" than others.

Finally, Matt, yes, I've listened to Dr. Paul. I lived in his district in Texas for several years, when he had Tom DeLay's old seat. That means I not only heard what he has to say, which, to his credit, hasn't changed much in 30 years--and what viable candidate for president isn't capable of saying what he thinks people most want to hear?--but I also saw who he'd bring with him to the White House and how his beliefs play out in the real world. Despite his admirable stands, that makes him considerably more "not perfect" than many progressives, including last issue's letter-writer, would like to believe.

New Voter Questions Huckabee Amendment

If I can remember correctly from my sophomore history class, in the early 1600s Europeans were desperately paddling over to the New World to escape the Church of England and seek religious freedom. Human nature being what it is, the early Puritans proved to be nothing but hypocrites when they quickly started punishing those who would not live the Puritan way. It was with this in mind that the founding fathers were so careful to build our country on a strong foundation that separates church from state, later clarifying in the Bill of Rights that each individual possesses an inalienable right to freedom of religion.

To this day, Europe, which gave all new world immigrants an image of a priest holding a whip in one hand and a bible in the other, barely touches on religion in its politics in comparison to America. Here, we are preaching separation of church and state, but also cultivating potential leaders like Michael Dale Huckabee. "Forget the ideals of America's Founding Fathers! Heck, they're dead, what they don't know won't hurt 'em!" Of course these are surely not the exact words of Huckabee, but I can safely assume his thoughts are of this nature. What he really did say, however, was, "... that's what we need to do ... amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards." As an upcoming first-time voter, these words scare me, a lot. Was not America created to be the land of the free? Our founding fathers held our best interests to heart. Some amendments have been greatly necessary as they unlocked chains binding this country's true promise. However, this amendment presidential candidate Huckabee mentions would only twist the arm of liberty and send non-Christians into frenzy, building ships to hastily paddle their way back to Europe.

--Jenny Predmore, University Place, Curtis High School Senior and first-time voter

Edible Sports

The University of Washington is asking taxpayers to split costs for repairing and expanding Husky Stadium. U-Dub has allowed the stadium to deteriorate in ways that there are safety concerns that should be dealt with, but not as an excuse for stadium expansion that would involve ripping up the existing football field with its expensive drainage system, removing the track and re-building it elsewhere, digging a big hole, and hoping drainage will work after replacing the football field lower in the local water table, all to add more seats for football that would be used only half a dozen or so times a year.

--Tony Formo, Seattle

No One Knows Who Ayn Rand Was, Or What She Was Doing, But Her Legacy Remains, Hewn Into The Living Rock Of Fox News

I read your Nov. 8, 2007 edition. This was the first time I had even seen "Eat the State!." It was given to me by a very liberal patient of mine, who thought he would annoy me with it. In truth, I enjoyed it very much.

At one time I also was "shamelessly biased,'" wanting to end all of the miseries you have listed in the "Tiny Print" column. Then I woke up and realized that my desires were pipe dreams never to be realized.

No matter the politics, Capitalism, Communism, Socialism ... you name the "ism," you are going to have all of those evil realities that you list--poverty, militarism, racism etc.

Your end goal is akin to rebuilding the human psyche, and here is news for you--it is not going to happen. Mankind will always fall prey to its inborn evils, and all the Liberal claptrap is not going to change it. Man is a defective animal which preys on its fellow man. Just ask Stalin, Hitler, Mao or Pol Pot. Power corrupts and all that pragmatism.

Please however keep up the fine writing. It was fun to see the other side, no matter how lonely it may be over there.

--J. L. Kane, M.D., J.D., Las Vegas, Nevada

Dr. Kane, I can't speak for the rest of the ETS! kitchen crew concerning such delicate matters, but as for me personally, in light of the epiphany you've so kindly and Buckleyesquely provided me with, our readers will hereby please be advised that, effective immediately, I'll be taking a sabbatical from ETS! in order to read "Atlas Shrugged" in its entirety, upon the completion of which I'll be joining Dr. Kane, as well as David Horowitz and other such folks, on the Fair-Weather-Trotskyite-Turned-Old-Reactionary-Fart circuit (coming soon to a liberal-infested college near you!). I expect to emerge from the aforementioned ideological cocoon with an inspirational, if not lengthy, and publishable account of personal and political transfiguration, just in time for our April Fools 2008 issue.