Bob Levey (Barbara Tyroler)

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Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, April 6, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT

LIVE!

"Levey Live: Speaking Freely," hosted by Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, appears every Friday at 1 p.m. EDT. It is a live, open-agenda discussion offering washingtonpost.com users around the world the opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics of their choice with Bob.

Fearless Bob takes your questions about virtually everything, from sports and politics (there's a difference?) to world events, Metro area traffic and issues raised in Bob's columns.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Bob Levey: Good afternoon, spring-lovers. Mother Nature made us wait long enough, didn't she? How good to read stories about the cherry blossoms blossoming, instead of stories about cherry blossoms being blown to smithereens by a strong, February-like west wind. Maybe it's a sign of things to come--the Orioles in the pennant race, an end to road rage. Hey, when they make dreams illegal, what do we have left, eh?
Anyway, to your questions/rants/vents/comments. As always, anything goes.....

Capitol Hill Phil: Welcome Back, Bob !!
Got your Critic's hat on? Okay. How was "Tom Sawyer" on Broadway? How was Chris Smither at Birchmere?

Bob Levey: Man, you're living The Bobster's life!
"Tom Sawyer" had moments in both directions. I think the script is excellent (mostly because Mr. Twain's was pretty darn good). But the music isn't all that memorable, and the production lacks the one big dance number that rocks you forward onto the edge of your seat.
Chris Smither is the biggest talent on the blues landscape today. If you haven't heard him, Phil (and if any of you ladies and gentlemen haven't), run-don't-walk to a CD vendor. He wrings sounds out of his guitar that others only imagine--and he's so relaxed about it. One of those people who's just as good in concert as he is on a recording. He blew me to smithereens, to coin a phrase.

Orange, Virginia: Hey, could you use your influence on the comic pickers at the Post and get them to reinstate "Liberty Meadows" ASAP. Next to your column, it's the best thing about the back pages of Style, and I can't believe the comic powers that be are once again trying to evict one of the most original strips I've read in years. Do we really need yet another "Hi and Lois" clone?

Bob Levey: I studiously avoid comix-page controversies because no one can win them--not the readers who feel passionately either way and not The Post. Even if the newspaper caves and reinstates this strip (as it has in the past when it faced cascades of criticism for pulling a strip), feelings remain rubbed raw.
By the way (can you keep a secret?), I don't read the comics. Never have. Yes, even though my pearls appear on the comics page. No time.

Wondering: Hey, Bob, what do you think being in Al Gore's journalism class is like? Does he grade papers, advise students, etc.?

Also, do you know anything of a Heather Nuart who is a "political analyst" on Fox News Network? She is apparently in Gore's class - I wonder what credentials she has to be a political analyst. Thanks.

Bob Levey: If Gore is as soporific a teacher as he was a campaigner, I predict a short career for the Al-ster in the academy.
Remember that students do instructor evaluations. They have french-fried far better teachers than Gore.
Don't know Heather Nuart, and have never seen her on Fox. However, she wouldn't need any credentials to be a political analyst--not in this day and age. All it takes is an executive who'll stick you in front of a camera.

Laurel: Bob,

Knowing that you're "Mr. Transit" how do you get into NYC? Ferry, PATH, bus? Drive in and then abandon the car until the return trip?

Bob Levey: Generally by train--then we walk, subway, cab, whatever works easiest. This time, we drove (much against my better judgment) because we needed to carry some stuff to NYC and other stuff back from NYC. That decision cost us a cool $90 for three days in a commercial lot. That's three times the one-way bus fare, for those of you keeping score.

How does a Republican President get Democratic D.C. to vote for him?: Bring back baseball to Washington!

If the Washington Senators could play ball in 2004, maybe Bush will be competive in D.C. that November.

Bob Levey: But I suspect Bush wants to bring it to Northern Virginia. Don't forget that the NoVa ownership group is way better developed than the one in D.C. Also, Bush's bosom bud, Jim Gilmore, has appointed a stadium search commission, which has been trolling for years now.

Confused in Chevy Chase: Hi Bob,

I'm submitting this a bit early...maybe you can help me understand.

On Friday afternoon, I parked my car at 22nd and I where there were no signs saying I couldn't park there during rush hour. The next evening, I come to find my car is missing. Frantic, I call the cops thinking it's been stolen. Turns out it was towed for "parking illegally," despite the lack of signage. Woman on the phone tells me the car is parked at 12th and Penn, NW. Hail a cab, find the car parked in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! There is a flat median marked by white paint and that's where my car was. Not only did I get a $100 ticket for rush hour parking but I got a $20 moving violation for having my car on the median.

Does this make sense? A moving violation for some tow truck parking my car in the middle of the street? I'm going to fight the tickets. I just don't understand.

Bob Levey: Sometimes they haul cars away if they're parked near a place where the President is about to appear--even if the signs say it's legal. Fear of car bombs, ya know.
This happens routinely around the Marriott Wardman Park and the Omni Shoreham in Northwest Washington. One very good reason I don't live in that neighborhood any more (although I often wish I did--so comfortable--so convenient).
Anyway, you absolutely should fight the ticket. Go back to 22nd and Eye and take pictures of the parking signs. Then grit your teeth and prepare to spend an entire day at traffic adjudication. However, it will pay dividends. Many times, magistrates are impressed by those who come in person (at large personal inconvenience) to fight tickets. You may beat it. At the very least, the fine will probably be reduced.

Beltway: Bob, my good man -

Do you know where I can contact the Comics Dep't to register my complaint about (temporarily) pulling Liberty Meadows, drawn by a fellow U of MD grad?

Bob Levey: She will glare at me for the next three years for telling the world this, but.....
The comics page editor is Shirley Carswell. Her e-mail address is carswells@washpost.com.
I would give you her phone number, too, but I am hoping to live to a ripe old age.

Philly, Pa.: You strike me as the kind of guy who spreads the Sunday funnies out on the table Sunday morning with a bunch of waffles/pancakes/eggs benedict/etc. on top?

And you don't read 'em.. This takes a lot of that "grandfatherly" luster off you, Bob.

Bob Levey: You know, I'd do it at least some of the time IF THE FUNNIES WERE FUNNY!
They aren't.
Sorry to de-luster myself, but for me, Sunday mornings are usually spent with Outlook, a book, the laundry I didn't get done during the week.
And if I ever ate eggs benedict, my cardiologist would smack me upside my head.

Washington, D.C.: Bob, wouldn't it be great if the Post printed some kind of etiquette guide for tourists this week or next? Things like standing to the right on Metro escalators if they're not walking, reining in the kids on the subway, advice to avoid Metro during rush hour, etc.

Bob Levey: It would be greater if Metro did it.

Jacksonville, Fla.: Bob,

Wouldn't miss your column, even when travelling. two weeks ago you indicated that The Post was still working on a follow-up story concerning the police officer suspended for giving another officer a valid ticket. Did I miss it, or has your reporter also been on vacation? Still not even a no comment quote from the chief? Surely in the coverage given to the e-mail scandal someone from The Post could have asked the chief about the string of incidents that show some D.C. officers think they are above the law? Do you agree that The Post -- ah-la the Redskins -- fumbled what should have been a great story?

washingtonpost.com: Stories:
Federal Probe Begins on Police E-Mails (Post, April 5, 2001)
Racist E-Mail Spurs Change (Post, April 1, 2001)
Editorial: Uncouth Cops With Computers (Post, March 30, 2001)

Bob Levey: Don't know what has happened with this. I'll check again

Bowie: Bob,

We had a good discussion yesterday with Mark Fisher about the Techway and the need for better inter-suburb commuting options.

What do you think of making one lane of every local limited-access road, and some other important thoroughfares, Exclusive Bus Lanes (XBLs) so buses could travel at the speed limit since they wouldn't have to fight traffic? Most local employment centers would have pretty good road access if they weren't filled with cars.

Bob Levey: It's a great idea, doomed to fail because of a rampant Washington illness, Taxpayer Whine-itis.
Take the HOV lanes, for instance.
A brilliant idea. A critical piece of the rush hour puzzle. But if you ask a solo commuter about it, you'll get the standard speech:
"I paid for that concrete and I oughta have the right to use it."
Totally disregarding the fact that he shouldn't be on the road all by himself in the first place.
It would be awfully hard to find the politician who would propose this, much less get seriously behind it.

Laurel, Md.: Something in an earlier Post chat disturbed me. People have been complaining about tourists on the Metro and how annoying they are, how much space they take on the escalators, how their kids are running roughshod all over the place, etc...I understand all of these concerns and I know that they should be dealt with.

I know that Washington is a me me me and a get-out-of-my-way-I'm-more-important-than-you city, but I think we can dispel this notion. When tourists wonder how they can get to the White House and Capitol via Metro, I always tell them to take so-and-so a line, transfer here, and get off that station. I always make sure that tourists know how to get downtown safely. Most tourists aren't likely city folk and don't know how to navigate Metro and its maps. I also help people at the farecard machine; they are confusing to tourists. I think if more people did this, instead of being so exasperated and shouting "Move to the right please!" while bumping them over, then people wouldn't think that Washingtonians are a rude bunch.

This is likely a pipe dream, isn't it? Just doing what I can to make this more inviting to our visitors.

Bob Levey: Not a pipe dream to this Metro regular. Just yesterday, I explained to a family from Florida that Metro Center was the place to transfer if they wanted to get to Arlington Cemetery. You could see it in their eyes: "This guy actually went out of his way to help us? And we heard that Washington was the big, bad, evil city!!!"

Beltsville, Md.: What happened to your editor from Bethesda that disappeared last year? Last I heard, they thought it was an Internet "romance" thing.

Bob Levey: I have no idea about the Internet romance thing. But she was declared legally dead a couple of weeks ago.

Kensington, Md.: Greetings and Hallucinations, Bob:

I'm generally a pretty easy-going guy. Don't get upset about too many things, go with the flow....

a. Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp are somehow "celebrities?" No problem....

b. Some Congressmen want to rename my condo unit "The Ronald Reagan Memorial Apartment #302 in Kensington, MD"? Sure, bring Nancy in for the ceremony.

c. Creepy Michael Douglas marries Catherine Zeta-Jones while women I meet find flock to me with the same enthusiasm as a rancher to foot-and-mouth disease? I can deal.

But what -really- gets me postal is the flocks of tourists that invade the Metro during Cherry Blossom season. There they are, in herds of dozens, blocking my way down the escalators like cholesterol cells in the artery of life. Blocking the doors of the train as I try to enter while performing their "Is this blue? Is this orange? Is this blue? Is this orange?" mambo.

I grew up in Hawaii (a tourist mecca), so I know that tourists can drive eratically, seem ignorant, talk loud, dress funny, and be oblivious to anyone else around them. But please....can't we have a modicum of Metro manners?

Bob, I'm a victim of Metro rage.

-Sigh] Feel much better after that rant. Thankx.

Bob Levey: They aren't all lost ducks. Some even walk at the same pace as everyone else. And they are hardly the only ones who block the doors.

Chicago: Being a midwesterner, and having spent 4 years of school in D.C., I feel that this reputation that the midwest has for being so polite is just a big lie.

Bob Levey: Can you supply a little chapter and verse?

Laurel, Md.: So is Metro going to change both Farraguts to Levey West and Levey North, or just Farragut North? Surely you're a worthy Washington icon to have your name on both stations!

Bob Levey: Yeah, I was trying to be a little modest. But I will definitely accept my name on both stations.
By the way, Metro is studying a walkway that would link these two--very busy at just about every hour of every day. Maybe they'll name the walkway for me, too.

EG, DC: Bob, any thoughts on the Dan Rather fundraising brouhaha? No, I won't give you the old saw about the "liberal media," but, still, this doesn't look good.

Bob Levey: It looks awful. Full airing coming at 4 this afternoon on my NewsChannel8 chat show, "NewsTalk."
In case that won't work for you...
I see this as a case where Dad got blinded by Daddyism. His duaghter asks him to do her a favor. He obliges, even though he'd never march into such a lion's den under any other circumstances. Being a Daddy myself, I can understand his fervor. But you should never, ever lose sight of the values you represent if you're a huge fish like Rather.

Woodley Park, D.C.: Hi Bob,
Regarding the potential new planned Metro route over the new Wilson Bridge into Virginia: what is wrong with those misguided, short-sighted politicians in Alexandria who stated that they would be unequivocally opposed to any Metro stations in their city and near Old Town?
Do they prefer ever-increasing hordes of automobile traffic?
It seems to me that a Metro line through heavily-populated south Alexandria makes more sense than locating it further out along the beltway, simply because more people could walk to/from the stations rather than driving! Old Town could use a metro stop closer to the action than the King Street station, which is a LONG walk from the waterfront. I'm glad the MD politicians didn't react in the same knee-jerk way.

Bob Levey: I agree if Old Town's problems were being considered in a vacuum. What I don't understand is why Metro thinks this proposed line will be heavily travelled.
The Belle Haven neighborhood of Alexandria and the slab of PG along the river are two of the thinnest-density places in the Washington area. If the idea is to begin the Purple Line around the Beltway (and the pols say it is), why not connect the two loops of the Red Line in Montgomery County first? A piece of Purple between Bethesda and Silver Spring would be an instant smash hit.

Virginia: Bob - About the College Park incident... Today's Post reports that a junior was arrested for stoking one of the fires. Further down in the article, it says that the police say they didn't make arrests because they thought it would lead to more rioting/violence.

Does that sound odd to anyone else? They let the students riot, set fire to things, and be vandals, and they didn't take action to stop it because there might be fires set, things vandalized and rioting? What?

I think the College Park police dropped the ball there, big time, at least for the off-campus incidents.

Bob Levey: Police always have to make judgments under the gun in situations like the one last Saturday, so I'm not entirely comfortable with criticizing them.
Still, if the College Park cops were concerned about being overwhelmed, or about touching off more violence, they could have lined up reinforcements before moving in. Among the state police, for instance. Cops the world over use this approach.

Falls Church: Bob - I am as nice as pie to the tourists on the Metro. I have even ridden the extra stop to Metro Center to help folks transfer lines. No, really, I have.

The real problem is METRO'S - it's failure to educate tourists. Metro is happy to take their money, but it won't accept the accompanying responsibility to both tourists and regular commuters to educate them on matters of safety and courtesy. Let's put the blame squarely where it belongs.

Bob Levey: Amen all the way. The signage in Metro is horrible even for those of us who live here. Has it ever occurred to the Metroids that big, legible signs--many of them--would make it unnecessary for a tourist to stop at the head of the escalator to consult his map?

Washington, D.C.: When can we have Bob Barker back? He was the best! All subsequent guests have paled in comparison (especially that guy who thinks he knows how to run a hockey team).

p.s. Buffalo Sabres rule!!!

Bob Levey: How about next fall, when TPIR celebrates its big anniversary?

Falls Church, Va.: I have to jump in on the midwestern politeness comment. I'm also from the midwest, and people are almost universally more polite, as a result of being more laid-back. The flipside, of course, is that midwesterners in general are less well-informed and a good bit less savvy, but whatever...

Bob Levey: You must not have spent time in Chicago. If people there are less well-informed and a good bit less savvy, it's news to me.

Overseer: On a chat here at the Post.com earlier this week (I think it was Marc Fisher's Potomac Confidential) Chief Ramsey wrote in to say that he had overruled the advisory board and had un-suspended the officer. IMHO, the Chief seems to be a good guy doing a great job.

Bob Levey: Thanks, and dittoes for your comment about Ramsey

Fourth Cherry Blosoom tree on the left: Bob, I am utterly dismayed at my alma mater the University of Maryland and the insanity of the students there after the school's NCAA loss.
I am hoping that the students responsible are held accountable, made to reimburse the community for loss cable service and property.
However, the police response of just standing by and watching the kids burn property is just as disturbing. If you're outnumbered, you call in reinforcements. What is the National Guard for anyway?

Basketball should be banned for a year on the campus, then maybe when it returns the students there will acknowledge it as a privledge and not a right to destroy property and endanger lives.

Bob Levey: Here's how likely it is that UMd will abandon basketball:
Two days after the College Park burnings, the president of the university issued a routine statement of regret.
The next day, he issued a statement praising the basketball team and calling them a team for the ages.
This for a team that didn't win!

Silevr Spring, MD: In response to your comment on the Purple Line, I totally agree! It's a PITA to get to the fine restaurants etc in Bethesda by crowded, dangerous E-W Highway. A metro line beginning in Bethesda and arcing around MO Cc. and into PG Co. would be a great start to the purple line... WOuld make it easy to get to College Park from SS, too. Has anyone taken that trip on 410 in awhile. Aaarg!

Bob Levey: Of course, one reason why this obvious idea has been snagged for more than a decade is the right-of-way question.
There's an abandoned train line that runs from SS to Bethesda. Perfect for a subway, you say? It'd be just as perfect for an expanded, improved bikeway and walkway. Montgomery officials keep batting this one around like a ping pong ball--and neither idea takes flower.

Catholic University: I am very disappointed in the behavior of the College Park students and other students across the country. I think that there should be actions taken against those students. Isn't there video of the students adding to the bonfire and destruction? The campus police should have at least sent some officers to help when the call went out instead of waiting for the neighborhood to burn. I admitt that there were other fires, but the university has its own fire and police departments. Will we see a reform of procedures AFTER the problem, similar to the presidential elections? Imagine what could happen if they go even farther in the tournament or even if they win? I am glad that I live a couple miles away. Another question, why does the Division I champions get a large crystal trophy, while Division II and III champions get a relatively small, wooden plaque? Just because a university/college is in a different division doesn't mean they deserve a different trophy. Catholic doesn't play the University of Maryland and neither does Kentucky Wesleyan, who won the Division II title.

Bob Levey: The short answer is that Division One brings in more than enough money to afford the glitzy trophy, while D2 and D3 don't.
However, I'd say readers of The Post certainly got the point about Catholic U. and its D3 champs. By my count, the team got page-one coverage for four days in a row, followed by an aw-gee photo of the coach's two-year-old the day the campus held a celebration. Plus, every story emphasized the fact that CU students actually read books, and actually graduate. Who needs a shiny trophy when you've got PR like that?

State College, Pa.: Bob, about the Md. riot. I believe the cops acted well down there. Up here at Penn State, we had a few thousand students chanting and having fun after our Sweet 16 loss. Then the cops moved in and began pepper spraying everything. That caused a panic. But I still believe that the 20 or so students arrested for vandalizing the area should be thrown out of school once found guilty.

Bob Levey: I certainly hope they will be. But I've seen this sort of situation swept under the rug many times, and I suspect you have, too.

Northeast DC: I live about six blocks from the Capitol, and have noticed a recent influx of SUVs with Bush/Cheney stickers, many with out-of-state plates. Living on the Hill, I expected this in January.

My gripe? These Bush-stickered SUVs seem to ignore all parking rules, particularly late at night when parking is scarce. They are so big that they can't squeeze into the smaller spots (that's good for me and my little car, at least) but they tend to park at the end of streets, blocking the view to oncoming traffic at certain intersections.

Maybe I'm just bitter about the election results and SUVs on city streets, but this is really bothering me lately. What is it about Bush supporters and illegal parking?

I've always said that if I were president, I would outlaw tall vehicles from parking on corners. Sadly, I am aware that Bush will never pass this bill, since his staffers or supporters are the culprits. Perhaps I should seek counseling to deal with my parking rage.

Bob Levey: I think you'd better appear on Oprah, who will treat you with practiced sympathy.
What's keeping you from alerting a cop? Last time I checked, illegal parking was illegal parking, regardless of whose name is stickered to your bumper...

Alexandria, Va.: Well, Maryland choked AGAIN! They just can't seem to do it the whole way, can they?

The behavior of the Maryland students just reinforced why they will all be working for Duke grads some day. Nope, didn't go to either school. G'town, 1991.

Bob Levey: You forgot to mention that University of Chicago graduates will dominate the worlds of ideas and scholarship....

WDC 20007: Bob -

I was out of town last week (aaah, sunny Florida) and was APPALLED that ticket agents at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, and again at Altanta Int'l referred to my destination as "National Airport" and not by its proper and full legal name. How can I get in touch with Bob Barr immediately to rectify this horrible problem?

Bob Levey: 202-224-3121 and ask for him. Tell them Nancy's calling. They'll put you through faster.

Calif.: Bob-

When my boyfriend was in law school at NYU a couple years ago, I drove to NYC many weekends and ALWAYS found free parking on the street in the Village - no problem. If I had something in the car I wanted to secure, there was a lot across from campus that charged $18 for every 24-hour period. $90 for three days? You got ripped off.

Bob Levey: No kidding. But we wanted the car to be in one piece when it was time to drive home. If you park on the street in the Village, who knows?

Dupont Circle: Bob!

Do you have -any- idea why a few mornings a week (sometimes 3 am) there's a helicopter circling or hovering right over my apartment? This started happening within the past few months, and I have a hard time believing that there are that many fugitives or traffic jams. It wakes me up and keeps me up every time. Do helicopter people have to train or something, and they're playing a cruel joke on us Dupont citizens?

Bob Levey: When it happens elsewhere, it's usually either a police investigation or part of a security detail (could be for Bush, for Cheney, for Powell, someone of that horsepower).

Washington, D.C.: Hey, Bob! I like the new pic of you!
Referencing your column this am, I do have to admit I did break up with a guy because of his laugh...he laughed like the donkey from Hee-Haw and did it at the worst times, like affectionate moments. The timing was horid and cooled things quickly and embarrassed me in front of my shocked parents.

I have to agree that I have learned how to evaluate prospective partners and finally got a winner that I've been married to for eight years! When picking up a date at their house or going to their house for a night-cap, you know that they were expecting you and probably cleaned all day. Show up without announcement periodically and see how they truly live.

If you can survive the results of what you experience, you have a winner. I did this often and found one date was hiding his dirty dishes under the sink and under furniture instead of cleaning (I stopped over and decided to make a special lunch for us). That one had to go!

Bob Levey: I'm never going to disagree that a little research into the True Habits of one's beau is a good idea. I still wonder how I won the heart of Miss Jane, since my car at the time (it has since been sent to Alberta for disinfecting) had about four inches of junk on the back seat. Must have been my personality, shining through.
Thanks for the kind words about the photo. It was shot by Barbara Tyroler, a pal and one of the most talented lenswomen I have ever seen. How she concealed the spreading bald spot on the right side of my head, I don't know...

Plano, Tex.: What are the diplomats saying about President Bush off the record? The Tronoto Star had a report of the Canadian Prime Minister complaining that he had to tell Bush where Prince Edwards Island was, even though it was involved in a dispute between the countries. The European Papers are filled with statements of contempt. Does the world consider the USA to be leaderless? Will the next President be able to restore some of the USA's world leadership or we now considered just a powerful and stupid bully? Is it time for Trent Lott to act to remove this embarassment in the eyes of the foreign leaders?

Bob Levey: They are saying the same thing they are saying on the record: That this is the Bush-Cheney-Powell-Rumsfeld Administration.

Germantown: Actually, Bob, the Metro IS trying to inform tourists of Metro etiquette. The signs say to avoid rush hour, etc. I know they have them at Gallery Place and L'Enfant stations. One employee even said something to me as I entered L'Enfant at the end of the workday. I guess I looked like a tourist, since I had changed into jeans in order to ride my motorcycle home. Its a great idea too. Whenever friends/relatives come to visit I always advise them to either stay in town until after 6pm or leave before 4pm and to look for a Metro Station if they get lost.

Bob Levey: Thanks for that report from the front. I can't wait for those extra cars that are on order, can you?

Re: Unfunny funnies: Dont you even like "Doonesbury" "The Boondocks" and "Zippy"?

Bob Levey: Sorry, I don't.
The only comic I ever found funny was "Archie," and that was because of Jughead. Man, the dialogue they gave that guy! Great stuff! Today, though, he'd be played by Adam Sandler--who's enough to depress me even on the sunniest day. What a no-talent!

Tourist Town: I read in another washpost discussion that the Metro manager (sorry, his name escapes me at the moment) does not want to put signs near escalators about standing to the right, walking to the left because he thinks walking on escalators is dangerous. Is there any truth to this? If so, is there any way that we can convince him that this is not true?

Bob Levey: Technically, it is illegal to walk on escalators. Of course, we all do it. But it is very dangerous, as I discovered first-hand (or should I say first-behind?) one day in February.
It had snowed a little the night before, and the escalator's steps were wet. I slipped while walking briskly down to the trains and fell very hard, right on my can, right on the edge of a step. My rear end is still (!) sore, and still discolored.
The only good that came of this was a suggestion from my son.
After two days, my entire rear was the color of a bowl of blueberries.
He offered to take a picture of it and use it as his screen-saver.
Using my customary good judgmnt, I declined.

Reston, Va.: Don't know what all the racket is about concerning the Purple Line. We can't get Metro to Dulles and everyone wants that to happen. Maybe another $1 Million study needs to be done.

Bob Levey: I had a senior VP from AOL as my guest on NewsChannel8 this week. He claimed that AOL (and the rest of the mega-employers in the Dulles corridor) are very committed to public transit there.
So why don't they build it themselves? heaven knows they have the bucks.
If we wait for some governor of Virginia to see the light, the entire corridor will be at a standstill.

Alexandria, Va.: I work in Old Town, and live near by, and I just can't understand why they allow tour buses on King Street. You can barely fit a car on that street. I'm not looking to ban tour buses from Old Town--there's tons of tour bus only parking near the river. Of course, I've also noticed that buses have taken to parking in the middle of the street (luckily, not right on King), and severely screw up traffic.

Bob Levey: It would be awfully tough to ban one class of vehicles and not others. I can see the lawsuits flying now....

Germantown, Md.: Bob,
You're telling me I have no right to drive to work alone? That's crazy. I live in Germantown and work in Bethesda. Bethesda is too expensive for me to live in the kind of place I'd like to, so I'm further up 270. The HOV lanes are a completely idiotic exercise in government foolishness. Better than half the cars in them only have 1 driver. It's time to put that terribly 80's idea out to pasture.

Bob Levey: You have a perfect right to do it--if you enjoy wasting time and money. But don't tell me we as a region have no stake in car-pooling.
If we don't get serious about the HOV lanes, the next thing you'll hear will be cries that we need more lanes on 270. Yeah, sure, build a few lanes and that'll solve ALL the problems.

Somewhere, USA: Mr. L.,

Welcome back!

I seem to remember Tony Kornheiser writing that his daughter is going to the Tisch School, too. Are you going to have your superstar show her the ropes? And how was she (your superstar) doing up in NYC?

Bob Levey: Ms. K is going to the hotel school at Cornell, I believe.
Ms. L is doing so well at the Tisch school that I often pinch myself. A great fit for a great kid. Thanks for asking.

Formerly College Park: To clarify this College Park situation:
There are no College Park police at all. There are University (Campus) Police who have no jurisdiction in the town of College Park. Otherwise, the town depends on the PG Police Department to quell the masses. This has been a big issue: localized police force vs. tax increase. I think the yokels will take a different vantage after this incident.

Bob Levey: Amen and thanks for straightening this out

Mt. Rainier: Bob, your always-good numbers must be shooting through the roof today. Your competition is a politico whose mantra is 'on message...on message...on message...'

Bob Levey: I wish I could claim that I arranged it this way. I'm not smart enough.

Midwest Schmidwest: (This is my 3rd attempt at submitting this. I kept receiving server errors, and apologize if this is the 3rd one that's arrived!)

I don't typically like to blame things on race, but I don't think the same Midwest Goodwill is expressed to me and my family (African-American) when we drive through the midwest. (We have family in Omaha, Nebraska.) At the malls in Nebraska, you can feel an undercurrent of racial tension -- you rarely see any interracial groups. It's kind of disconcerting coming from a diverse place like D.C.

Bob Levey: Thanks for submitting this. I've always said that racial discrimination declines whenever whites see blacks in every facet of everyday life. The "ohmigosh factor" disappears.
That's what has happened in the Washington area. We have black teachers, black politicians, black bus drivers, blacks wherever there are whites. So it's no big deal for whites to see a black face. In Omaha, it obviously still is.

Bowie: How to unclog Virginia roads? Double the car tax!

Bob Levey: Gilmore, get back to work...

Adams Morgan/Dupont Circle: Hey Bob,

Yeah! I want to know about the helicopter too. Dupont Circle's right, it's happened increasingly over the past 6 months. I don't think it is just some big wig flying in from out-of-town because it hovers in one general area for upwards of an hour. Any other ideas? It's really loud, and it keeps happening more and more frequently late at night.

Bob Levey: One more possibility: security for big-deal events at the Washington Hilton?

Re: Liberty Meadows.: Rather then bothering the nice lady in charge of the comic, is there a phone number to call to register my dismay? Liberty Meadows was a bit uneven, but at least Frank Cho was willing to try new things. Unlike some artists I could name...

Bob Levey: There's no catch-the-comix-complaints number, and I doubt that there ever will be one again. The last time we set one up, it attracted so many calls that the voice mail kept filling up. Why make a reader mad twice?

D.C.: Hey Bob, a question for State College, from a concerned and disgusted Penn State alum: didn't the police move in AFTER bottles were being thrown, and AFTER a car's windows got smashed, AFTER road signs got torn down, and AFTER there had been talk of a riot after the game, win or lose? The cops moving in didn't start a panic, the cops moved in to break up a disturbance.

These kids have no idea how outraged we alumni are over what happened up there.

Bob Levey: And outraged is exactly what you should be. The cops are not the issue in situations like this. Out-of-control kids are.

Arlington: Re: NCAA trophies

Actually all NCAA trophies for all sports in all divisions are those ugly wooden plaques. I believe the men's Division 1 winner also gets a trophy called something like the Sears Trophy which is sponsored by the company and is the crystal thing. More naming rights I guess and a chance for them ti hitch their wagon on to the biggest moneymaker the NCAA has.

Bob Levey: Yeah, pretty soon you'll see a Burger King decal on one backboard and a Sprite decal on the other

D.C.: That helicopter hangs out here in Petworth too! Arggghhhh!!! to helicopters in the middle of the night (especially in the summer, as I have no a/c, and so, sleep with the windows open!)

Bob Levey: This is why God made a city council--and a telephone. Go to it.

Beltsville, Md.: As an alum of the big blue Tourmobiles you see around the Mall (which are another issue entirely), I always have an instinct to help out tourists. It's very clear to see when they're lost and if I can help them figure out that the big domed thing isn't the White House, I'm happy to do so.

But, as a Metro commuter, I also struggle with their slow ambles as they make their way across platforms downtown. Metro Center has been horrible all winter - overcrowding, pushing, etc. - and I cringe at the thought of the warm weather tourist times in coming months who really don't have anywhere to be but I have a million chores to get home too.

I read today that Metro is advising tourists to stay off the system 4-6pm during rush times, that's a good start. Is there anything else they can do (encourage using the BUSES, for instance?) to ease the overcrowding that's only going to intensify come June?

Bob Levey: As a guy who takes Metrobuses about 20 times a week, I second the motion. They are excellent transportation--in some cases better than the subway.
But you will never get substantial numbers of tourists to try it. The routes are too confusing; the age-old American resistance to buses is too great. Do you know that some people refuse to ride buses because they think the people on them smell? As if no one else does...

Germantown, Md.: Bob,
You missed my point completely about the 270 HOV lanes. The point is there are next to no "HOV"'s in them. The original idea behind HOV was to reduce traffic congestion by getting people to carpool, thereby removing some cars from the road. In theory this speeds up traffic for everyone. In practice, nearly no one carpools, and many of those driving in the HOV lanes are doing so alone, against the law. It's been proven that they don't work, so why keep them? Making it a normal traffic lane would speed up traffic for 95% of the people on that road.

Bob Levey: They'll work fine if people will car-pool--and if we had enough cops to bust all the solos who use the HOVs despite the laws.

Waldorf, Md.: Re: The helicopter

Is there any construction going on in the helicopter's area? Sometimes companies find it easier to hoist things using the helicopter then having to build a crane. I've seen it down here a couple of times.

Bob Levey: This wouldn't explain a copter at 3 a.m.

Burke, Va.: Re: adjudicating parking violations. There is no need to waste a day going in person to court. You can adjudicate by mail--instructions are on the ticket. And, before you say it won't work, I used it and successfully got the violation waived.

Bob Levey: You're lucky as the devil. I've had magistrates tell me that the act of physically showing up improves your chances of beating a ticket about 400 percent

Falls Church:
People really need to ease up on the complaints about tourists. Why not a little patience? How can insiders expect tourists to automatically know the lay of the land? We all knew it would be crowded this time of year; it always is. Geez...

Bob Levey: Well said. A deep breath and a little sympathy, huh, gang?

Bob Levey: No more time for any more, troops. A good hour. Thanks very much. We'll do it again one week from today, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

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