Bob Levey (Barbara Tyroler)

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Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, Oct. 12, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT

"Levey Live: Speaking Freely," hosted by Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, appears every Friday. 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.

The transcript follows.

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, Levey Live fans. Pretty jittery times, aren't they--especially with the FBI warning us (without specifics) that more trouble may be on the way.
And yet, there's a bit to smile about.
I was mentioning to a colleague a few minutes ago that I had read a piece in another newspaper about America's reaction to Sept. 11. Apparently, sex is way up, binge eating and drinking are way up, binge shopping is way up.
As I told him, the only binge-ing I'm doing is binge napping on weekends.
Such is the life of the aging scribe who works 75 hours a week between Monday and Friday--and is somehow shocked to discover that he's tired as a result.
Anyway, enuf preamble. As always, all subjects are fair game. Let's get to cases.....

wiredog: I see that an NBC news employee has cutaneous anthrax, which is durn near impossible to get in urban environments. Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is enemy action. Looks like news operations are being targeted. The Post taking any precautions? Gotten any weird letters lately?

Bob Levey: The Post has begun to arrange the wagons in a circle. Just three minutes ago, we got an e-mail from the Big Boss, Len Downie, urging us not to open any letters whose return addresses we don't recognize. In my case, that's gonna be a problem, because 99.9 percent of my mail is from readers whose return addresses I don't recognize. I think I'm out of the mail business for a while--especially leters that are covered with fine dust.

Annandale, Va.: Bob,

Do you find it increasingly difficult to concentrate on your column these days, what with all the warnings and threats and news broadcasts of late? This is a general question, and not specific to any column you've written (please give my regards to Charlotte, by the way). Maybe the terrorism threat is finally sinking in for me, and it doesn't help that my wife and infant daughter are on a train to Connecticut as I write this. I'm not cowering in fear or anything, just very distracted.

Bob Levey: I find myself ruminating at odd times more than I did before Sept. 11. For instance, I missed my bus this morning because I was pawing at my cereal, not really interested in eating it, mulling what the future might hold, trying out scenarios that I might use to protect my wife and kids better. Once at work, I just lock in and block out. But I'm finding what you're finding before I get here, and also after.

Washington, D.C.: I, like many people here, alternate betwen driving and metro-ing, and I have to say in light of recent events, I don't get the sense that there is any type of hightened alert at the metro stations. Slapping orange vests on a couple people and letting them mull around the turn style does little for my sense of security.

your thoughts?

Bob Levey: As I wrote a few days ago, there is much more security in the Metro system. You just don't see it. No, they are not going to run a full body search on every passenger. But if you carry a suspicious package into a station, I will bget you a lot of money you're going to be stopped.
Just two hours ago, I boarded a Red Line train at Twinbrook. I was surprised to see an entire "pledge class" of rookie cops in the last car, being given a training spiel by some guy who looked like a Marine in a Metro cop's uniform. Obviously, Metro realizes it's a possible target

Germantown, Md.: Any idea when the recycle bins are going to return to Metro stations? I didn't notice they were gone until yesterday. It's one of those small changes that reminds us of how things have changed, I guess.

Bob Levey: They're gone indefinitely. Back when they can be, according to a spokesperson. When's that? Don't ask

SW Washington D.C.: About Charlotte -- my cat, Daphne, has exhibited similar behavior a couple of times, the last quite recently. Both times it turned out she had urinary tract infections. After receiving a series of antibiotic pills, she is back to her playful, litter-box-using self. Maybe Charlotte should be checked by her vet.

Bob Levey: Charlotte has been checked by a vet, and there's nothing mechnical wrong with her. Obviously, her psyche is fraying because of prolonged exposure to Leveys

Washington, D.C.: The Post is slower than every other media outlet today, it seems to me. I get a "breaking news" email from CNN at 12:08 PM that tells me that an NBC employee in NYC is reported to have been diagnosed with anthrax(!!). So, obviously, I go to the Post to read more. Well, the Post website hasn't been updated since 11:37, and there is no sign of the story anywhere. MSNBC, FoxNews, CNN... all these websites have a prominent link to the story. It's now 12:17, still no story on the Post website. What's the problem? The story is not hearsay, from what I have been reading on other websites. I trust you guys to get me the news! Where are you?

Bob Levey: It's there now--full details

Washington, D.C.: Is there a driver's ed course is the Distirct of Columbia, which reduces points (similar to defensive driving lecture in New York)? Thanks !

Bob Levey: Not one that reduces points, but one that will restore your suspended license faster than otherwise. They call it "traffic school." You take courses and endure lectures--four of them across a month, I believe it is.

12th Floor Metro Center: Hi Bob,
Speaking of the Post taking precautions against anthrax, I've been wondering ... what did you all do on Sept. 11? Obviously, the news reporters directly covering the tragedy stayed in the city, but what did other employees do?

Bob Levey: Stayed right here to put out not only the next day's paper, but that day's extra. Don't forget that, in newspapers, it takea a village. We scribes are only the advance guard. A newspaper won't be created without ad sales, circulation, many hundreds of others.

Portland, Maine: Bob, what is your opinion on how long the average person's resolve will last in this "war on terrorism"? I hate to say it, but I think the current generation lacks the willpower and attention span to pay attention for long. They are spoiled and never had hard times. They don't know how to do without as evidenced by our "plastic" society. Gimmie now and to hell with tomorrow. Since it didn't happen directly to most of them, I think the WTC emotional charge will soon pass. It's a me-first attitude that I don't see having much resolve for a long haul.

Bob Levey: This has worried me from the first instant. World War Two wasn't unfamiliar turf for a generation that had survived the depression. But this generation has never known anything very bad. Worst it has faced has been a battery that goes blooey in a cell phone. I'm not quite as doomsdayish as you are, because I believe Americans rise to the occasion--especially when the threat is real to them (as this threat clearly is). But check with me five years from now.

Alexandria, Va.: 75 hours a week? Could you break that down for your interested loyal flock? I count two online hours, an hour on NewsChannel 8, and an hour for each column. That makes 8 hours of work for Ro-bare. What about the other 67? Just curious.

Bob Levey: It's two online hours--and two more of reading to get ready for them. That makes 4.
It's three hours a week on NewsChannel8--and three more of reading (at least) to get ready for them. That makes 10.
There are an average of 500 e-mails and 150 phone calls a week from the public. I answer every single one of them. I'm guessing this at 20 hours a week altogether (although it's probably more). That makes 30.
There are five columns to write. That makes 35.
But there are five columns to get READY to write. That makes about 50.
There are interviews to hold and phone calls to make (as opposed to "phone calls to take"). That makes about 55.
There are public appearances--an average of two a week. Counting travel time, that makes 65.
There are free-lance projects (which now consist of a big piece I'm doing for the Post magazine and a novel). That gets us to 75, or perhaps beyond.
Hey, it used to be more before I lost my radio gig two weeks ago. I guess, in a sense, I should count my blessings.

Speaking of five years from now...: Will recent security upticks ever be lessened? Sure doesn't seem to happen with, say, the Secret Service's approach to protection the president. I mean, given the ambiguous and likely impossible goal of eradicating terrorism, is there really ever going to be a time when officials will say, "Okay, we're pretty much safe. Let's return the recycling bins to Metro, allow normal truck traffic to the Capitol, etc."

Bob Levey: Never.

Woodley Park, D.C.: Hi Bob,
I'm very concerned about the recent setbacks in the revitalization of downtown DC. The Discovery Channel store in the MCI Center just closed, as did Planet Hollywood and the Warner Brothers store. The Macy's deal for the Woodies building fell through, and there are tons of other vacant 1st floor retail spaces that haven't had a tenant in years. The situation improves greatly over by the Dupont Circle & midtown areas. Nobody in the city government seems to be addressing this problem with anything like tax credits or setting up a retail enterprise zone. The downtown BID is helpful, but doesn't seem to be doing any major self-promotion or lobbying with government leaders for tax breaks. What do you think of the situation?

Bob Levey: A major problem, and it's going to get more major given the mood since Sept. 11. There's only so much the mayor could have done, anyway, and now he is facing a huge falloff in tax revenues (because shopping and office occupancy will both be way down for the foreseeable future).

Washington, D.C.: Bob, I think you're on to something! Our goldfish has been acting REALLY weird the past month. His eyes are all glassy and he swims in reverse quite a bit. I thought I was going crazy, but then I read your column today. As always, you are the voice of reason. Thanks for such an insightful piece. I hope you are nominated for a Pulitzer!

Bob Levey: Sounds as if your goldfish is listening to far too much Howard Stern

Washington, D.C.: Bob, with all of this war stuff going on, many of us are totally consumed by your angst over buying a new car. Do you have an update for us?

Bob Levey: Still digesting the 300 or so responses from the public. Follow-up column coming sometime in the last full week of October.
By the way, I had to drive The Seriously Sick and Getting Sicker Eggplant downtown the other day. I parked it in a spiffy commercial lot on 15th Street.
The car in front of me was a Lexus. The car behind me was a Mercedes SUV (jet black, natch). The kid who handed me my parking ticket chuckled at the sight of Eggie! I told him he'd cry if he had to drive it.....

Washington, D.C.: Hi Bob,

I know that this war is not with Muslims, that they are peace loving, and their religion did not bring this upon us. I am also very glad that America is a diverse place, that many of these people have made homes here, etc. At the same time, I don't feel that I've seen much support for America, at the ground level, over in the Middle East. In fact, I'm beginning to think that much of the middle east and muslim community is indifferent if not supportive of what happened over here. I have a friend from Pakistan at work, who I know is considered an American apologist in Pakistan, but who I have had very vehement arguments with, of late, over American foreign policy. He's actually told me that he sympathizes w/ bin Laden's cause: reduced sanctions (b/c the US is responsible for the death of 1 million iraqi children); that we kind of deserve this b/c our acts of war and policies in the Middle East are the equivalent of terrorism and, in fact, we should be punished for our war crimes; etc. I think that this distaste for America is widespread, esp. considering how moderate and in fact out of touch he is considered in his own country. I just wonder whether Muslim opinion on these recent events is being accurately reported, if at all? B/c, really, I'm beginning to formulate the impression that many people in that region would prefer to be against us than with us.

Bob Levey: If you accept the premise that this is all about Israel, and always will be, then I think the silence explains itself. No Middle Eastern leader will ever say anything that might be read to mean that he's going soft on Israel. Many say in private that Israel does exist, has to exist, has proven that it will exist. But it would be political suicide to say this in public.

re: Gimmie now and to hell with tomorrow; Va: I couldn't disagree more. I am 24 and probably part of that generation you speak of. I have never been through anything even close to this. And while I have no family or friends who died during the attacks, there is a huge loss felt. I was teetering towards anti-patriotism before this incident; a general lack of trust for the government and the "American way of life". But after having it attacked and threatened, I can only imagine what it would be like not to have the American way of life, and I don't like it. There's an old cliche, "You don't know what you have until it's gone,"..well, I've learned a new one: You don't know what you have until someone threatens to take it away. I'm in for the long haul on this one, as I know all my friends are and family are.

Bob Levey: Way to go, my friend. Many millions of people are right there with you, of all ages.

Garrett Park, Md: A novel? Really? Please don't tell me it's about the misadventures of a gruff-but-lovable local newspaper columnist who grapples with raising two teenagers and 500 emails a week ...

Bob Levey: The novel does feature a gruff but lovable col-yume-nist. But the plot is far beyond Father Knows Best. It's part adventure yarn, part love story, part love affair with newspapers. I wish I could say, "Coming soon to a bookstore near you." All I've got to do is WRITE the %$#@& thing. easier said than done.

Generation Strife: I have to take some exception to the previous poster who wondered if the current (my) generation has the ability to fight a war. Sure, we never lived through a great depression, but we've lived through single parent homes, urban decay, rampant drug abuse, etc. I think that your average 20 year old today is far more worldly than your average 20 year old in 1941.

The one thing that might be problematic for our generation is that we don't trust power, for the most part. Most likely, we're going to want to know why before we charge the machine gun nest.

Bob Levey: I agree that you'll want to know why, and in this struggle, you already do. This isn't some murky business about upholding a corrupt government in some country named Vietnam. This is about your homeland, your home town.

State College, Penn.: Bob, isn't the FBI worried about the "boy who cried wolf" syndrome? It seems that every week we have a report about attacks very soon, but nothing to materialize yet. At what point does the FBI decide that an attack threat is credible enough to warn the public?

Bob Levey: This isn't a problem yet, and I doubt that it will be soon. But it is certainly a danger down the road.

Arlington, Va.: Bob, I've noticed some slowness on the part of the Post site, too, during these crisis times. However, I've chalked it up to a more rational, "get-the-whole-story-then-post" mentality there than the panic-stricken "must-be-first" mentality that happens at CNN and the other cable news networks. Besides, I'm finding myself spending beaucoup time on the Post, CNN and MSNBC sites these days, all day, so the way I see it, I'm getting my daily overload from somewhere all day long, and it matters less to me where each morsel of info hits me first.

That being said, while I realize the statistical probability of my being hit in a terrorist attack is much lower than that of me being hit by a car, I'm still scared. Don't know when/if that will go away. And I'm thinking about taking some time this weekend to do a couple of things:
1. Lay in some extra water, batteries, emergency supplies. It'll come in handy if there's snow this winter, too, so no big deal.
2. Pack a small overnight bag and send it up to my parents' house. They live a couple of hours from the city, and are my first place to evacuate to if need be.
3. Pull together a small bag of stuff I'd take if I'm home and need to evacuate. This bag will include my passport and other critical documents, as well as a few photos and other personal, irreplaceable items. Oh yeah--and copies of my computer files.

It's a small plan for making myself feel safer/more prepared, but I think it will make me feel better in the long run.

Bob Levey: Very sound steps to take. Please see my column of Oct. 19 (I was hacking it just before Levey Live began today). It's about similar steps I discussed with my son

Washington, D.C.: Hi Bob. I got stuck on the Metro because of the gas scare at Judiciary Square. We stopped at Union Station right at 11:30, and then after pausing for a few minutes, we left, and the conductor announced that we wouldn't be stopping at Judiciary Square or Gallery Place/Chinatown. So I had to cab it from Metro Center back to the Judiciary Square area. Big pain, but we have to accept those things as part of life in DC.

One report said that they smelled a gasoline smell. Another said it was a natural gas smell. Any idea which it was, or just general confusion?

Bob Levey: No reliable information yet. But as I said, jitters are everywhere, and this is just a sign of them

Argh, Metro: When will Metro learn how to close a station? Last night the Friendship Heights metro station was closed. No one would give a reason, the shuttle buses that were supposed to take us to the next stop never arrived, so people had to take regular buses (and pay for them) to the Silver Spring metro station. Can't Metro teach it's employees how to have an organized, informed, orderly evacuation? This seems to be the case every time they have to shut down a station.

Bob Levey: There was all sorts of information farther down the line (where I was trapped, and tossed out of the system at Cleveland Park). I agree that station managers are extremely poor at giving you the whole story (as opposed to just the headline). I also agree that the "bus bridges" are slow to form--but how can they get to the "trouble station" when the surface traffic is a mess (as it was at F.H. last night)?
What I always do in this situation is to wait for another train to saunter into the station where trains are being turned around. When the driver opens his cute little window, I ask him what "Central" is telling him. The driver always knows, even when the kiosk attendants don't.

Silver Spring, Md.: Bob, I am a regular Metro rider, but the past three days have given me pause. The Southern Avenue event (not the event itself but Metro's ill-prepared response), the gas smells of Wednesday, and yesterday took the cake. The fire at Friendship Heights caused Metro to offload literally thousands of people at Van Ness-UDC with far too few buses to handle the mess. Metro's emergency preparedness is woefully inadequate. I hate driving, but if this keeps up, I may change my mind.

Bob Levey: Do you think the roads are, were or will be any better? Come on. These are times of extraordinary nervousness, and extraordinary caution. Don't blame Metro. Blame the creeps who created Sept. 11.

Maryland: As a woman in her mid-twenties, I am more than a little insulted by your (and Portland's) low opinion of my generation. Just because we haven't had the hardships of the Great Depression or WWII doesn't mean we are just going to forget about the sudden deaths of thousands of Americans in a single day. In case you have forgotten, the men and women fighting this war are largely from my generation. You don't see too many fifty-somethings flying fighter planes. I think you (and Portland) are only seeing the worst of our generation. We'll stick with it as long as it is necessary.

Bob Levey: I believe that you will, and that fills me with hope and pride. Please understand that I'm not damning every single soul whose age begins with a 2 (and I don't believe Portland was doing so, either).

Arlington, Va.: Regarding one of your columns this week: Why would a parent leave an 11-year-old home alone?

Bob Levey: Because she had to run to the grocery for 25 minues. Big crime?

Arlington, Va.: Bob,

I know that Metro is attempting to do all that it can. However, a terrorist doesn't have to carry a suspicious package. I carry a backpack everyday. You could easily put a device/bomb inside a backback or briefcase.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't ride Metro. For a lot of us that isn't even an option. However, we all must realize that we can no longer be fully safe. You just have to suck it up and keep on going, just like the Israelis do whenever they get attacked (which is a heck of a lot more often than the US).

Bob Levey: Exactly. It's no comfort to anyone to say that there is no such thing as 100 percent safety. But that's the truth. We all have to resolve to push through our feelings of terror, and our squeamishness should some other horror happen. The race is to the tough

20036: My mother, who lives in Virginia, is very very very concerned about the fact that I live and work in DC. What should I say to convince her that she should not be?

Bob Levey: You might point out that this is the most heavily policed jurisdiction, per square mile, in the whole world.

Richmond, Va.: Is anyone but me miffed at the sob stories about reservists being called up for duty and having their lives upset? Does the media get off on this slant? What the hell are we as taxpayers paying them for all along? It was a choice they made expecting a gravy train at my expense. I don't need them to complain to me now that reality hits. What do they want, to take the money and no responsibility? What a life if we all could get it that way. Have these babies read up on the WWI,WWII, Korea, and Vietnam guys who were called without choice and never came back. [edited for space]

Bob Levey: Couldn't we at least pay them more than $50 a week? Couldn't we at least recognize that they are facing huge sacrifices, whether or not they volunteered as reserves? Where's your compassion, friend?

Washington, D.C.: True story. I was meeting a friend in Bethesda for dinner yesterday at 6:30. I blithely got on the train at Union Station at 5:40 p.m., sat down, fell asleep, and woke up and realized I was in the Bethesda Station. Bolted off the train. Checked the time and realized it was 6:25, so I knew there had been some kind of major delay while I was (clearly...soundly...) asleep. But it was not until I arrived at the restaurant (to the surprise of my friend, who had been watching the news at the bar and who assumed I'd never make it out of the Metro) that I found out what had happened. Apparently I slept through the whole delay. As far as I'm concerned, Metro did great--they didn't disturb me at all!

Bob Levey: Great! Thanks

MetroCenter: Hi Bob -

Submitting early due to business lunch.

Bob, are you or your family members buying gas masks? Or do you already have one? Sally Quinn had a panicky op-ed piece last week about her search for gas masks and a lack of info about which ones are the best. I personally do not know anyone who is looking to get a gas mask, but maybe we are being stupid. If Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn think gas masks are appropriate and they are as in the loop as is possible to be, then maybe they are right. Your thoughts?

Bob Levey: Gas masks just aren't in my picture. They wouldn't work, and I'm not sure I would even know how to don one. This from the guy who can't even turn on the TV set in his own house (he keeps looking for a button marked ON-OFF, but the bloody thing runs through the VCR for some reason...).
I thought Sally's piece was way, way off the deep end.

Arlington, Va.: I think one of the worst side effects of the increase in security is the retailing of virtually every small incident as part of a terrorist attack. There have been small fires and strange smells in Metro for years and, most interesting of all, was the report that a man in College Park had a bomb under his car which turned out to be a tracking device attached by a private detective, no doubt for marital reasons. I think we have to weigh each incident to see if it is "normal" before jumping on the Bin Laden did it again bandwagon.

Bob Levey: In six months, we'll be back to letting private detectives smoke out cheating spouses. For now, don't be surprised, and don't be chagrined.....

Washington, D.C.: I know that Metro monitors this discussion, so please let me rant a minute in their direction. When a train is crowded, the conductor announces that "another train is directly behind this one." Technically, this is true. What is annoying about this is that the next train may only be going out as far as Silver Spring. It would be more helpful to say "There is a Silver Spring train just behind this one."

Also, I've heard a lot of people suggesting that the clear partitions be removed from Metro trains. This is a great idea, to free up the doorways. Currently, riders lean up against them, hindering the entry and exit of others. If the goal is to get people into the train (and into the middle of the train cars), these partitions should be removed.

Bob Levey: To point one: Why lay this reponsibility on the poor driver? Can't those handy-dandy new electric signs in every station convey this information?
As to point two: This has been proposed for quite some time. Not sure where it lies in the labyrinth of Metro decision-making

Ballston, Va.: Hi Bob:

Re: Wednesday's Column and the unattended child. . .

Way back before answering machines (and just before touch-tone) my mom would leave me alone at home in NW DC when she had to run a quick errand. She always told me when answering the phone to -never- say I was alone, rather to say she was in the bathtub. I never found fault with this, and neither did she, until the one time she was gone a little longer than usual (almost 1.5 hours) and the same person called three times. Finally, exasperated, he told me to tell her to get out of the tub before she became waterlogged!

After that, she said just to say she was unavailable

Bob Levey: Thanks for weighing in on this. Of course, the bathtub excuse would never work today, because you'd have a portable phone, and you'd be able to carry it to Mama.

Alexandria, Va.: Why is everyone freaking out? The country is doing everything it can to prevent more terrorists attacks. Obviously, it may not be successful, and more people, including me, could die. But I'm not going to spend every minute worrying about this. I'm going to live my life and enjoy it, because who knows when it will all end?

Bob Levey: My philosophy before Sept. 11. My philosophy today. This has always been a very dangerous world (look around you on any roadway). The danger today is merely more of what we've already learned to live with

Cats and Sept. 11: My cat actually had a reverse reaction to the tragedy. As I came home Sept. 11 and watched the news coverage all day, I believe my cat sensed that something was wrong and jumped on the couch to comfort me. I petted her and she purred like mad. She actually was quite comforting to be around during that entire week. Now, however, my cat is back to her normal "leave me alone" stage.

Bob Levey: Are cats more attuned to humans, gang? Do any of you have dogs who have "read" us quite so well?

Bowie, Md.: Hello Bob,

I'm one of those guys who refuses to give up his seat just because a woman is standing. I started out giving up my seat but on the green line by the third or fourth stop I had to stand up for a woman everyday. They have this system where they all stare at you like you are a germ if you don't get up. The train is full with 80 percent woman riders so this practice was daily. I'm just as tired as they are and would like to relax and read my paper or book as they do. If you walked in without a cane you can stand. If not take the bus or drive.

Bob Levey: Do these women expect to be given a seat just because they're women? I understand "the look" if a woman is obviously pregnant, sick or injured. Not otherwise.

Bethesda, Md: Bob: I was SO not a Bush fan--Democrat and Gore supporter all the way. But I watched the press conference last night, and I must say he did a great job.

Bob Levey: You won't be surprised to read the following posting......

Arlington, Va.: Is it unpatriotic to point out what an adolescent performance our emperor put on last night?

Excuse me, I have to back to my job at the crop dusting place, you know, where crop dusters do what it is that crop dusters do.

Bob Levey: To balance the scales.....

Re: Metro electric signs: Hi, Bob. Love the chat. Hope you are having a good day.

In regards to your response to the person who "ranted" about telling passengers on a full car what the next train is. You stated they could check the electronic signs. But they can't. When a train is sitting in the station, the signs show "Red Line/Shady Grove" etc. They only show the next train status when the current train has cleared the station.

Bob Levey: Right, but my point was that the message system could be modified so we DO know the destination of the train immediately behind the one that's sitting in the station. Thanks, by the way, for the kind words.

College Park, Md.: So, are you happy for the Terps, Bob? Could we get your support?

Bob Levey: You've got it! Just amazing what this team is doing.
But may I please raise one point that I haven't seen anywhere?
The players who are stunning everyone were not recruited by Ralph Friedgen. They were recuited by Ron Vanderkelen (I know that's not how you spell it--he's so far out of mind that I can't remember what's correct!).
Friedgen is obviously a very good coach. But he didn't build the superstructure. Ron did.
Incidentally, are you as worried as I am about the coach's GIRTH?
I happened to tune in last night just as halftime began. ESPN zoomed in on him as he was running off the field. This man is DANGEROUSLY huge. I'd say he goes 375, easy. Is anyone beside me worried about his health?

Home alone: What's the problem with leaving an 11-year-old home alone? Nothing, depending on the 11-year-old. At that age I was a "latchkey kid" for two hours after school every day until my mom came home from work, and we never had a problem. I also baby-sat other people's kids when I was that age. So I think that one poster needs to think twice about condemning the mom from your column.

Bob Levey: I'm with you. Yet I've had a long e-mail exchange today with a juvenile court judge in Maryland who says that even leaving an 11-year-old home alone ONCE, for a mere 25 minutes, would be sufficient cause for the Mom to be brought up on neglect charges (!).
I always thought that authorities would have to show a PATTERN of neglect. Not so under the law, evidently (and frighteningly).
If you have a child, better not run out of milk unexpectedly, gang.

Washington, D.C.: re: dogs and humans
My sister told me recently she was in bed feeling awful, achy and feverish, looking at her lovable lunk of a golden retriever and thinking 'I wish you were allowed in the bed cause I could use some body heat'. A couple minutes later he walked around the bed, climbed in, and laid down long ways with his back along her back. 15 minutes later she was feeling warmed and much improved. She's convinced he just sensed she was ill. I've read they train dogs to sleep with people w/ different kinds of health problems who can sense if they're not breathing right and wake them up.

Bob Levey: As he old saying goes, they're woman's best friend. Thanks

Upper Marlboro, Md.: Hello Mr. Levey,

Just think. Two years ago when the terrorists were planning how to blow us up, Clinton missed getting bin Laden by one hour. The rest of the country was focusing on whether he had sex with Monica Lewinsky or not. All seems rather silly now doesn't it?

Bob Levey: Despite your flip-ness, there will surely be recriminations by the bushel about Sept. 11, and Bill Clinton will get plenty of them. Why such a lame attempt to "take out" bin Laden? Was it all about politics, and what Clinton thought the American poeple would stand for (zero casualties)? Sure looks that way.

Washington, New Columbia: For shame, Bob! Why were you DRIVING into our overly congested city rather than taking Metro? You berate others who drive (see earlier posts) and insist you only drive on the weekends (see Levey Live archives). Any defense of your apparent hypocrisy?

Bob Levey: I had an appointment after work in a part of town where Metro doesn't go. It was the first time I have driven downtown and parked in a commcercial lot since July. No hypocrisy, my friend. Just a day when it wouldn't all have worked any other way.

Laurel, Md.: How about a fearless prediction for the oh-so-exciting Redskins vs. Cowboys game for Monday?

Bob Levey: Gosh, one 0-4 team against another! I promise you I'll spend the evening with Charlotte the Wonder Cat and my Pat Conroy novel.
Dallas 21, Washington 17.
Closer, but not close enough.

Grammar Slammer: Bob, metro trains don't "saunter" into stations. They can glide, pull, chug, whatever, but they cannot saunter. ONly a human being can saunter, and to ascribe human qualities to inhuman objects is to engage in what T.S. Elliott labeled as the "pathetic fallacy." A self-described "scribe" such as yourself should know better.

Bob Levey: Hey, just having a little fun--and a little col-yume-nistic license. Lighten up!

Cathlamet, Wash.:

You're right, everybody's on edge. We had a scary false alarm right here (Longview--actually, 25 miles away). There were reports of a fine dust covering cars parked in downtown Longview. They closed downtown for 5 hours. There were numerous emergency vehicles and police choppers flying all over downtown. It turned out that that fine dust was merely harmless lime calcium; which may have blown from a nearby mill after heavy winds earlier.

Bob Levey: I can hardly wait for a windy day in NYC or DC

Cats and dogs: GREAT column today. I thought I was crazy wanting to tell people about how much pacing and yowling my usually mellow cat was doing Sept. 11. But he's very sensitive--he also came and sat with us all day; if to comfort us or himself I don't know. I think, to answer your question, that any animal that has a close bond with you will notice your stress, cat or dog.

Bob Levey: Many thanks. These pets are far more perceptive than we think, eh?

New York City: One thing that disturbs me is not so much the Muslim reaction in the Middle East (they're being spoon-fed lies and conspiracy theories by the dictators who need to deflect from their country's own deficiencies) but the Muslim reaction here in the U.S. -- the "it's awful, but..." syndrome.

I saw a piece in the NYTimes the other day about a bunch of Muslim kids, and they were all saying they would not fight against other Muslims, and that we had no right ot do anything to a Muslim country, that collateral damage was unacceptable (therefore any response is unacceptable), etc. No one mentioned that America has been a great helper of Muslims (Bosnia? Kuwait? Anyone hear of that?) and I get the feeling that AMerican Muslims aren't doing enough to root out and report the sort of radicalism that exists in their community. The terrorists, after all, spent a lot of time in Muslim communities in northern NJ, and there are plenty of seriously radical clerics in America. Your thoughts?

Bob Levey: This isn't a perfect analogy, but I was just discussing the Agency for International Development with a friend the other night. This was an important federal government agency for many years, and it directly implanted lots of help into the Third World--including many countries in the Middle East. But ehat we never did, once all the food and medicine and schooling was in place, was to try to emphasize our peaceful intent. yes, that would have politicized AID. But look at where we are now--behind the 8-ball with these countries because we haven't shown them that we are NOT the Great Satan.

Alexandria, Va.: I wanted to chime in on the 11 year old at home. Your Maryland judge should check in with Fairfax County. A couple years back, FFx Co. Dept of Family Services issued guidelines on leaving children at home. They distributed cards via their School-Aged Child care program in the public schools. As far as they are concerned, it okay to leave a 9 year home alone for under an hour during daylight. You might want to give them a call for their guidelines.

Bob Levey: I will. Thank you

Arlington, Va.: My point about leaving the 11-year-old alone is this: If the mother is worried that the kid can't handle a phone call, why would she leave this kid alone?

And just because other parents leave their kids alone and the house didn't burn down or they didn't get robbed doesn't make it okay.

Bob Levey: You're right. It depends on the kid. But kids have always surprised us, and always will. An 11-year-old is a one-year-old half the time and a 21-year-old the other half. Who knows which half is running the show at any given moment?

State College, Pa.: About gas masks. From other discussions we've learned that gas masks aren't very useful. Many chemical and biological agents would just as well attach to your skin as go into your lungs. Plus some are small enough to pass right through the mask's filter. So, unless you also want to buy a completely air-tight rubber suit, you'd be better off no wasting your money because of some journalist trying to make you watch or buy their paper.

Bob Levey: My take: I wouldn't want to live in a world where gas masks were needed--and because I wouldn't own or use one, I wouldn't.

Bob Levey: Thanks, all, for a lively hour. We'll do it again a week from today

washingtonpost.com: Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

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