Bob Levey (Barbara Tyroler)

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Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, Oct. 26, 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: Hi, lunchtime loyalists. I have them old Friday afternoon blues--caused, in my case, by the fact that I haven't written my usual five columns this week. Only hacked four. That will mean a Sunday visit to these hallowed precincts on 15th Street, where I will do some catchup hacking. Believe me, it has happened before. Only good thing about it is that I can wear my sneaks and my goopy gray baseball cap and no one will give me any grief about it.
Anyway, to cases.....
The anthrax mess is open-ended and scary.
The tourism mess is, too.
But the weather? Now you're talkin'. High 50s is God's country, it says here.
Let's get cracking with your questions. As always, anything goes....

Longview, Wash.: Boy, what a full week it has been!

First, the Post's lead editorial on the anti-terrorism bill hits it right on the mark. It doesn't make any sense to take away freedoms to protect freedom!

Secondly, I am becoming increasing disturbed by some of the letters to the editor I see in the Post. Anyone who dares voice opposition to this war is told, "if you don't like what your government is doing, then leave the country." or something to that effect. No, if I don't like what my government is doing, I'll voice it and then try to vote a new one in in 2004.
It's ironic that so many who say they want to protect freedom want to silence dissent.

Finally, (both rants are over), are you yourself nervous about the anthrax scare?

(I'm sorry that I was so long-winded today.)

Bob Levey: Not nervous at all. But I'd be a lot more nervous if I'd visited the Brentwood Road postal facility in the last three weeks or so (which I haven't).
I agree totally about suspending rights to secure rights. Just wait for the clash between press and government when the shooting gets serious in Afghanistan (and elsewhere?). It makes me crazy to see any government official place restrictions on the First Amendment. It's the most beautiful concept we own. But a big collision is coming, and just as it did in the Persian Gulf in 1991, the citizenry will back the government.

Silver Spring, Md.: I'm increasingly worried over the apparent emphasis on having all charity events be devoted to the victims of the September 11 attacks. While there's no doubting many families suffered, and many may need financial support, what criteria are being used in the dispersal of the millions (billions?) or dollars? In general I'd say whatever people give to charities is their own business, but it appears that many charities that actually save lives and prevent future tragecies are suffering as a result of the attention on the terrorist attacks.

Bob Levey: This is a sleeping giant of a story, and Your Humble and Obedient Servant is working on a piece of it right now. Short answer: There are three large local tubs into which people tossed cash in the wake of Sept. 11, for the benefit of Pentagon victims' families. Many similar funds exist in NYC. The big curve ball is the $450 million that the Red Cross collected--far more than anyone else. How will they carve that up? They haven't said. Meanwhile, the entire non-profit community is ticked at the Red Cross for hoarding information about those donors (no other group hoarded). Perhaps this all has something to do with the resignation of Red Cross's chief executive this morning.

Boonies, Va.: The kid who wanted to dress up as Osama really burned me. Sadly, trying to convince him how unfunny, disrespectful or even dangerous it is would not work. With kids like that, the only argument that would penetrate their boneheaded brain is this: "I can guarantee that if you dress like Osama, every door will be slammed in your face and you will not get one piece of candy the entire night."

Bob Levey: Many readers wrote to say that they will not only fail to give an Osama-clad kid any candy, but they will give him a lecture. Think about it, Moms and Dads. Is this what you want to see your kids experience on Oct. 31, in the name of "fun?"

Arlington, Va.: There was a good piece in the New Yorker pointing out that the US faces the threat of a bio agent that is easily contracted through human contact and can be expected to claim 10,000 victims this year, who will die protracted, painful deaths. This bio-threat has a name: influenza!

The author modestly suggests that authorities take advantage of the current heightened awareness to public health issues by driving home the importance of getting your flu shot. The average person's chances of contracting the flu are infinitely higher than that of anthrax, a boring but sobering reality.

Bob Levey: Excellent point, made especially well in this morning's Post by Charles Krauthammer. The point is not just to protect yourself against flu. This year, it's also to protect the medical system from worrying that you have anthrax, and from wasting time, money and lab equipment testing you unnecessarily.

Ballston, Va: I recently visited NYC and was amazed at how much litter there was on the streets. Be it flyers for night clubs or pamphlets. I saw people finish a beverage and just drop/toss the bottle or cup on the sidewalk at their feet.

I'm not used to seeing this litter bug mentality in D.C., and I'm proud of it!

On a side note..
With the absence of trash cans in the metro, its starting to look like NYC (Va. Gov. Race pamphlets)

Bob Levey: I'm with you most of the way, with this exception....
I'm starting to see people pick up discarded papers in Metro, read them--and then take the papers with them as they leave the trains.
This makes me mega-nostalgic, because Little Bob Levey first fell in love with newspapers on the subways of New York. He'd find a veritable feast--discarded Posts, Newses, Journal-Americans. Great sports sections. Great local columnists (maybe it took?). And, yes, I always looked forward to the bathing beauty shot in the centerfold of the News. Normal American boy, and all that....
But the bottom line here in D.C. in 2001 is that people will pitch in by picking up trash. They don't always have to be begged or threatened.

Washington, D.C: Pssst, hey Bob. Sshhh, we've got to whisper here Bob.

Do our bosses know we dont' do anything at work? That we spend all day on live online. I look forward to the chats as the only reason to be at the office. sshhhhhh. I don't think they've caught on yet. wiredog has to watch out, he's in deep. erasurehead guy, make sure no one is watching. Reston 20191 you need to be more quiet too.

Bob Levey: Gosh, intrigue in Cubicle-land....
Don't worry, you slackers. Your secret (which isn't a secret) is safe with me.....

In regard to the freedom for freedom: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

Says it all, doesn't it?

Bob Levey: As we used to say on the sidewalks of New York, bee-YOO-ti-ful.

Washington, D.C.: I "discovered" Pat Conroy last week in this discussion and am now reading Beach Music. Was fine until the father and brothers danced "The Shag" with his daughter and totally lost it. Cried like a baby. I'm in love with literature once more. Thank you! Oh -- did you ever finish The Prince of Tides with dry eyes? It's next on my list.

Bob Levey: I'm out to about page 200 of Prince of Tides and my cry-total is five already. I even got sniffly one day in the Metro. Pretended that I got a piece of dust in my eye. An old NYC subway strategem. Don't say the Bobster never did nuthin' for ya.....

Washington, D.C.: Bob! This column is the best place to learn and gripe about good manners on the metro. Now I have my own 2 cents to add.

Some people rant about the foul smells and strong perfumes emanating from fellow metro riders. Well last night coming home on the Orange Line to Vienna I actually saw a woman pull out a perfume bottle and spray some on herself right there is a semi-crowded train! It landed on the man next to her who started coughing and moved away. I think it was eau de Pine Sol musk. My gosh. Was she en route to a date with a man who loves her lemon-fresh scent? With that lack of sense and consideration for others I wonder how a woman like that manages not to fall and hit her head more often.

This all comes back to the basic idea that you have to be considerate of those around you. It isn't asking too much to think before you act.

Bob Levey: I'm speechless. Which I guess is better than being breathless because of Eau de Whatever.
Only once have I seen worse aboard Metro: A guy trimming his nose hairs with a scissors, in full view of the rush-hour hordes.
But that was just disgusting. This took a stupid decision (to use that much perfume in the first place) and spread it onto innocents.

Washington, D.C.: Bob, I can't believe you're keeping your 11-year-old car. With all of the new emissions technology, safety advances, and zero-interest financing, you'd be downright silly not to get a new family sedan. You'll improve the safety of your family (the Saturn you mentioned, for example, is the first non-luxury car to offer side head airbags as an option), clean up the environment (most of today's new cars meet low-emmissions requirements AHEAD of government requirements), and you'll help the economy you claim to care so much about. How about it? I say, a new family car for the Levey brood!

Bob Levey: Here's how I look at this.
I'd love to spend $20,000 on a car, buy it on time and catch this zero-interest wave. That'll mean I spend $20,000 for my $20,000 car--and not $24,500, which I would have spent if I had to add in the usual "juice."
But who has $20,000? Not me, amigo.
My kid goes to college in the most expensive city in the world. Her father works in the least lucrative business in the world. These factors clash, you might say. No new car. Sorry.

A Week's Worth Of Columns In Advance?: Bob, doesn't that clash with the idea of "news"? How can you? After all of these years, have you gone lazy on us?

Bob Levey: I don't do "news" in the same way that the main sections do. I'm a feature col-yume-nist, which usually means I don't have (or have to have) a time element in my stuff.
I often write for the next day when the spirit moves me, or when the material demands it. But I decided on Day One (20.5 years ago) that I wasn't going to walk into the office every day with my stomach in knots about what I was gonna write that day. I try to stay four days ehad on average, for the greater glory of my stomach lining (yes, I still have one).

Laurel, Md.: Did you see that there was an ad in today's Post main section for a company selling gas masks and Cipro? Honestly, is it really necessary for the Post to print such an ad?

Bob Levey: We do try to sift ads for illegalities. I'd love to know how the Cipro-offerer obtained his stash of the drug.

World Series: Which will win: Yankees or Diamondbacks? And please don't say Yankees because it will help the city of New York. My heart goes out to New Yorkers, but I just can't stand to see the Yankees win another title.

Bob Levey: Very tough call. I have never seen a team rise to the occasion the way the Yanks have (and they keep doing it!). The home games at Yankee Stadium will be love baths. If I were a gambling man, I'd make the Yankees five-run favorites for each home game.
Having said that.....
Have you ever seen Schilling and Randy Johnson pitch? Even if they win only three of their four combined starts, that puts Arizona on the doorstep.

Laurel, Md.: I liked your comment Osama bin Laden costume column that said, "How about stepping in and being the kid's parent?" Something must have happened to parenting in just the last 10 years. My folks gave me plenty of yelling, discipline, and even a face slap now and then. And when my mother said, "No," she meant it. If I was a teenager today, my mother definitely wouldn't allow me to have a cell phone.

Now parents treat their kids with, well, kid gloves. They freely let their kids yell as loud as they can in stores and restaurants, buy them all sorts of stuff, and don't discipline their kids at all. I see it every day. Parents: simply tell your kid no. If they ask you for a reason, say, "Because I'm your mother, that's why!" I'm no fuddy-duddy (only 29), but kids are being treated much more differently than my folks treated me.

Bob Levey: All true--for the most part. Yet I can assure you that the word "No" is still in fine shape. The problem, I think, is parents who are so intent on avoiding screamy scenes that they won't do what's best for the kid in the long run.

Laurel, Md.: I say good for you for not buying a new car. You said that Eggie passed all her inspections, including emissions. So if you can't do it, why spend the money? My mother insists that I should buy a new car next year because it will be 5 years old and almost 100,000 miles. I say, "Why? It still runs well and I take good care of it." I'm hoping to have this car 10 years or more so I don't have to worry about car payments.

Bob Levey: The only counterargument that works for me is the idea that a car is much more likely to break down on a lonely road at night when it has 100,000 miles on it. A risk--but a risk I'm willing to run

Poolesville, Md.: Hi Bob,

I have a dilemma. I am trying to change careers and want to get into journalism after having spent my entire working life as a supply chain consultant(I have worked as an e-business consultant for the past 3 years.) How do I get started when none of my past experience has anything to do with journalism? I am taking some classes with the intent on getting into a master program part-time, but I'd like to start getting some experience with an internship or something. How do I get people in the field to give me an opportunity when I have had no experience and I'm not a student (yet) in an accredited university?

Bob Levey: Freelance. That means go cover things without being assigned and without expecting to be paid. Then become a pain in the butt. Hound editors mercilessly. Ask for critiques. Ask for experience. Ask for a chance. It really does work (at least some of the time). Of course, you'll need talent, drive, luck and a rich uncle, too.

Springfield, Va.: Bob - the more I read about Muslim/Islam, the more worried I get. Many of these people are extremely intolerant of anyone who doesn't think the way they do and they seem to condone killing someone who disagrees with them. I'm becoming convinced that at least 50% of the Islamic world wants a Holy War because they think their side can win. Convince me I'm wrong.

Bob Levey: I can't. My nightmare: A president who says he isn't contemplating a war against Islam being dragged into one.

Washington, D.C.: I just wanted to send a thumbs up to a Metro driver during yesterday evening's rush hour on the Red Line. Trains were a little backed up, and he was pleasant and humorous, good naturedly telling people, "Alright folks, looks like we've got company" so please move away from the doors (which people did!). He had people smiling and chuckling. During a rush hour backup!

Bob Levey: I've always said that that microphone can work wonders if it's used correctly.
Serious suggestion: Send all train drivers to voice school, so they learn how to speak in a relaxed, refreshing way. Some do this naturally (including the guy you heard). Others act as if they're doing you a favor by telling you which stop you're arriving at. Not to mention the many (TOO many) drivers who can't pronounce Judiciary, L'Enfant and Brookland.

Washington D.C. bikepath: Bob: I've been biking to work for about 10 years now, and I've never seen a squirrel season like now. They are all over the place. It is like the path is mined with squirrels. Do they know something we don't? Should we be gathering our nuts and packing up for a long winter?

Bob Levey: First it was deer, now squirrels. So much for the idea that overdevelopment has chased all of God's creatures out of their habitats , all the way to West Virginia.
Thanks for the steer on this. I'll investigate, and maybe col-yume-nize about it.

Washington, D.C.: Bob,
Your column today brought back so many fond memories of working during college at a bookstore which will go unnamed(the really big one at White Flint Mall). I can't tell you how many of those same type of situations I came across... too many to remember.. thanks for including those funnies in your column today!

Bob Levey: Hey, share! My in boxes are always available.

Winston-Salem, N.C.: Now that you're keeping Eggie, does that mean that's what Allie will learn to drive on next year? Poor Boy!

Bob Levey: Please, no pity for Bob and Jane's Baby Boy. He actually likes Eggie, and looks forward to driving lessons in/on/with her

Bloomington, Ind.: re your column today:

You know that ca 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia though the book was about them:

"Lee's Miserables"

Bob Levey: Cute! Any more, Web-sters?

Re: Poolsville: I'm currently writing for the student newspaper as a columnist. See if the school you attend has one. It's a good way to get used to the rigors of writing a column without having to write one every day like the Great Levey. I'm really enjoying myself and I'm not even a journalist major, I'm an engineer!

Bob Levey: Exactly my point. Get your feet wet in the lake without saying "I'm a swimmer and a swimmer only."
Many thanks. And thanks for adding that G word in front of Levey. It's accurate as to my girth. I'm trying to make it accurate in other ways, too.

Peoria, Ill.: I have a Cipro question maybe you can answer, since you cover an area affected by Anthrax right now. It is my understanding that Cipro is a prescription antibiotic. Yet, I know of a number of people nowhere near the affected areas that have gotten their hands on a supply "just in case". So, are pharmacies handing this stuff out without a prescription, are people getting this on the black market, or are doctors prescribing this for people who don't need it?

Bob Levey: The third--and this makes me crazy-and-a-half.
A lot of Cipro is being prescribed by docs who just don't want to listen to their patients whine about their anxieties. These docs are walking a touchy ethical line, if you ask me.
An even touchier line: docs who prescribe Cipro to patients who are among the Greats and Near-Greats. Washington is full of G's and NG's, of course--and full of docs who kowtow to them so they'll get invited to the right parties.

Herndon, Va.: I have very low opinions of these doctors that are pandering to stars and to hysterical people by prescribing Cipro when there is no threat of Anthrax. Several stars have done television interviews stating they already have their Cipro "just in case." I think this is medical malpractice and these doctors should be brought before the AMA. They are prescribing a very powerful antibiotic without cause.

Bob Levey: I suspect this will happen only when and if Mr. or Ms. Starlet has a bad reaction to Cipro (it's highly possible) and publicity follows.

Metro Center: Hi Bob,
So far, I've been pretty calm about the whole terrorist threat, but I just read that bin Laden may have nuclear material, enough to build one Hiroshima-strength bomb (it was reported in a British newspaper). That's a chilling thought - that they might be able to detonate such a bomb say, on a boat in the Potomac, killing hundreds of thousands and destroying our fair city and all our government/cultural institutions and treasured monuments. I live in DC and would probably perish, but who'd want to live in a post-atomic horror anyway. This though makes my normal progressive/left political leanings swing towards getting bin Laden and destroying al-queda at all cost, using all weapons available and ground troops taking heavy casualties. It's getting very War of 1812-like around here these days - feels like we're under siege? Do you have any thoughts on the bin Laden nuclear issue?

Bob Levey: Lots of thoughts--but I'm not going to spin them out because the one thing I don't have is any reliable information. Neither do you. Neither does W. Neither does anyone. We have been paying in a big way for our lack of intelligence about this shadow-world of bin Laden's, and I fear (as you do) that our paying has only just begun.

Washington, D.C.: Bob, when you had the car dealer on your show, you asked him to explain buying services, which he didn't really do. What are they?

Bob Levey: You join a club, basically. The club asks you to fill out a sheet, detailing what kind of new car you want--options, bells, whistles, color, price, everything.
Then a representative shops for you. No haggling, no hassling, no salesmen who smell of putrid after-shave. When the buying service rep has found the car you want for the lowest price, all you do is show up and pay for it.
Of course, this runs against the "rush" of buying a new car. It's no more thrilling than picking up a pair of pantyhose at the CVS.
But many people like it because they hate bargaining and they hate buying a car, only to feel five seconds later (and for five years hence) that there MUST have been a better price out there.

Arlington, Va.: Bob,
We are told that this is not a war against Islam, and that the vast majority of Muslims are with us and against the terrorists - but I sure do not hear much from them! Maybe this silent majority is not so much of a majority and is being silent for a reason.

Bob Levey: Just had a conversation about this at breakfast with an old friend. The problem, I think, is that in Islam, there's no chief religious figure. Catholics have a Pope. Jews have a chief rabbi (in each of the three chief strains). But every imam is as important in the eyes of Muslims as any other. So there's no voice that's louder and more prestigious.

Arlington, Va.: Can we repeat, to the masses, again, the great benefits of getting discount cards from Giant, Safeway and CVS (at least)?! Folks: Just get them. Period. Go to the store, sign up (it takes less than five minutes), and use them. You will save money. In fact, you will save lots of money. In fact, keep a record -- as I have and as many folks have -- and your eyes will pop at how much money you save. There is no other grand, dark, evil conspiracy behind this. The money you save will more than make up for the world-changing, horrific, catastrophic sacrifice of putting a thin, plastic card in your wallet. And the advertising fliers that are sent to you? I've heard that many folks will get those fliers in the mail whether they have a discount card or not. And even if you do have a card, and get the flier in the mail, you know what? The fliers save you money, too -- by alerting you to bargains. Bargains that you get by using your card! Folks, it's that simple! Sheesh!

Bob Levey: Well said. Let me add again the point I made in the column to which this submitter refers.
There is a big difference between a computerized record of the pretzels you buy, and some Big Brother knowing that you bought birth control pills or a book that some might deem objectionable.
The first is simply a record of a benign consumer tendency. The second is the basic freedom to have your privacy protected.

Washington, D.C.: Good job on discovering Pat Conroy. Ever hear of a guy named Ernest Hemingway? You might enjoy that, too.

Bob Levey: Did all of his a long time, smarty-pants.

9-11 Donations: Speaking of where all this money is going, I saw recently a report that the Red Cross announced a $29 mil improvement to their data systems and the implication was that it was being funded out of the flood of donations it has received since the tragedies. Then the story seems to have disappeared. I, for one, would like to see some serious follow-up to the overall question of how donations are being spent. And while I did contribute in the days immediately after the attacks, I'm saving some of my charitable monies for other local efforts. Food shelves, breast cancer ....

Bob Levey: Don't worry. Many reporters are on the case on this one....

Arlington, Va.: The real problem with the anthrax scare is that it has everyone on edge for anything that seems out of the ordinary. The management of my apartment building sent out a notice that the contractor cleaning the trash chute would be using a white powder and not to be afraid if we saw white poweder in the trash room. Also, Metro is closing down stations whenever any suspecious package is found.

Bob Levey: Better safe than sorry works for me, although it is testing our patience sorely--and will for a very long time.

Buy used?: Why not buy a used car? My dad, who could afford to buy new, always buys something a few years old from the dealer -- much cheaper, still certified, and you're not paying for the "new car" smell.

Bob Levey: In two years, when Eggie might look like a Model T (and run like one, too), I'm sure we'll do this.

La Plata, Md.: To the poster about bin Laden having a nuke. This is the least of our worries right now, a nuclear weapon is extremely difficult to build. However, I have heard that a so called "dirty nuke" is more dangerous at this point. All bin Laden would need is some left over nuclear material from a power plant (like in the old Soviet republics) and this could cause a lot of damage. However, we must remember how hard it is to deal with nuclear material without killing yourself, so I wouldn't worry that much.

Bob Levey: Quite so. There's no evidence that Bin Laden and his guys are educated as scientists or weapons manufacturers. Of course, Saddam has people who have been. And if the scientists have collaborated with religious maniacs who are willing to do another "good deed...."

Clifton, Va.: Bob,

Since so many people through out history have lost their lives either for a specific religion, or because they belonged to a specific religion, wouldn't the world be better off if everyone was an atheist? Makes it difficult to fight a war based on atheistic fervor. My not believing in God is stronger than your not believing in God. With tens of millions of people having lost their lives because of religion (holocaust, crusades, English Civil Wars, Armenian massacre, Sept. 11, Arab/Israeli conflict, Stalinist purges in the 30's, etc.) just something to think about -- would more lives have lost if there was no religion of any denomination on this planet?

Bob Levey: Easier said than done. Religion has been a basic part of human existence for longer than anything else--longer than any organized economy, religion, newspaper, TV program. Clearly, millions of people have lost their lives in religious wars. But that only proves how deeply felt religion can be.

Rockville, Md.: Would the mother who was considering letting her kid dress up as Osama bin Laden also let her kid dress up as Hitler? That's what I was thinking as I was reading your column on the Metro the other morning.

Bob Levey: Good comparison. I suspect the answer is no because Hitler wouldn't be quite so "au courant" among the boy's friends!

Arlington, Va.: If you keep every car you buy for at least 10 years, you will save an average of $400,000 over your life time (assuming you live as long as the average male in America). Not just pocket change, particularly for a journalist.

For the person looking to make the career change to journalism (wouldn't advise it myself--I left journalism 3 years ago so I could make a living wage), contact any associations or trade groups you belong to. Find out if they accept unsolicited work for their magazines/newsletters. Don't worry about getting paid as first, but also don't turn down money if it's offered! The important thing here to get published. That's what editors want to see. Doesn't matter if it appeared in Supply Buyers Weekly, circulation 500. And here you have the added benefit of being an expert on your subject. Makes it a lot easier to write about.

Bob Levey: Very nice advice. Many thanks. As for saving $400 Biggies across my lifetime, that sounds high. But maybe you're right.

I.T.B.: Bob, can you recommend any good recent nonfiction books? I'm in the market for something non-anthrax-related to read for a while. Also, what are your thoughts on fear of Olympics terrorism and what that could mean for our area's Olympics chances?

Bob Levey: I adore "From Beirut to Jerusalem," by Tom Friedman of the New York Times. A great look at a very troubled part of the world. I'm sure Washington-Baltimore went back two spaces because of the events of Sept. 11. But I'd say the local bid was so far ahead of all others that we'll still get the 2012 Games.

Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Last night at a money laundering dinner for the Republicans, the vice president said that the air war in Afghanistan has been a success. I know that the vice president has been away for a long time and probably has missed some briefing sessions. But given the Tabliban is still there and in control and we're not, that Congress has been in hiding, that Americans who don't work on Capitol Hill are still dying from terrorist acts, and that the Tommy twins can't sing in tune let alone assure us they can walk and chew gum, just exactly how does the current campaign measure up to any type of success? It mostly resembles Vietnam, at least to these tired Veteran eyes. Thanks much.

Bob Levey: In limited, highly pinpointed military terms, the bombing has been a success. We haven't lost a soul (except in a helicopter accident, and those happen at home, too). We have killed only a small number of civilians, all by accident. We have clearly unsettled the Taliban, and caused some defections. That sounds like success to me.
Why not broader success? Because we haven't tried to capitalize on the bombings yet. When we do try, your question will be asked again--and perhaps answered in a different way.

Freedom Isn't Free: The First Amendment is not absolute, as the Supreme Court has ruled countless times. Ever read any Oliver Wendell Holmes? You can't yell "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater for the same reason the Pentagon is correct to not let the enemy know, say, troop movements.

Bob Levey: The restrictions in 1991 went far beyond troop movements. It was all a reaction to Vietnam, when many in the top brass thought that The New York Times was losing the war by making the generals look like liars. In fact, they WERE liars. It's always useful to everyone to have a checks-and-balances system in place so that generals can't just say that green is blue. Without the press around, they'd rush to do so, especially if the truth would be unpleasant, and damaging to their careers.

Reston, Va.: A friend of mine is thinking of going to the halloween parties as a Klansman. He's black. Half of us (including me) think it is hilarious, the other half are appalled.

I was thinking of wearing a trenchcoat over boxers and going as a flasher, but it's too cold.

Bob Levey: Nothing funny about the Klan, any way you slice it.

Arlington: Bob-I bought my first Eva Cassidy CD last night. OH MY GOD! I was late to work this morning because I couldn't tear myself away from her music.

It's a real tragedy that she's dead. Glad she left some CDs behind.

Bob Levey: Many have recommended Cassidy to me, but I have never heard her. Give us a taste. Is she Bonnie Raitt? Janis Joplin? Judy Collins? A combination?

Falls Church, Va.: I agree with the idea of not automatically selling a car just because it gets a few years on it.

My current car is 10 years old. Previous one was 19 years old - WELL over 100,000 miles. I sold it only because it was getting very difficult to find parts for it.

I LOVE having no car payments!

Bob Levey: Amen. And what about not having to impress the Joneses? What a relief....

Arlington, Va.: Another option for the aspiring journalist is sites like Suite101.com and others where you can set up your own column. I write for that one (my column deals with living and playing in Washington D.C.), and my two columns a month net me a pittance, but it does cover my costs of Internet access. Also, they're easily accessible clips that I can email to editors. I'm a former journalist, so I'm not trying to get work that way anymore, but it's an option.

I actually got my first newspaper job after I saw a copy of the Annandale News and wrote three stories for them for free. Those three clips opened the door for me at a weekly, and the rest was history. So it doesn't take much, it just takes the drive to succeed, a knack for interviewing, and a good ear for the written word.

Bob Levey: Very sound advice. Thanks

Washington, D.C.: I don't have a problem with discount cards for stores, but I find the previous endorsement of them a little naive. Of course you save money with them. But if they didn't exist, stores would have these things called Sales, and you'd still save money. That't how things were before. The only thing that's changed is you have to have the card.

Bob Levey: Exactly. It's just the way it always was, except that you need a card to get the sale price. Is this an ominous threat to personal freedom? Heck, no. It's a different (and more efficient) way of offering a break to one's best customers. I can't see how that's the Impending End of the World.

Eva Cassidy Fan: She's fabulous! What a voice!

She's more like a Joan Baez. Folksy singing while she plays guitar.

Her rendition of 'True Colors' is haunting, simply haunting.

Bob Levey: Oh, gosh! I have a column to write, a TV show to do, etc......
You DID have to mention Saint Joan, especially when a CD store is only three blocks away.....
Never been a voice like that, before or since. I can close my eyes and hear it, from her first album.....
"Don't sing love songs/ You'll wake my mother/ She's sleeping here/ Right by my si-i-i-i-ide...
And many more.

Glebe: Once I went as a Christmas tree on Halloween, my mother sewed a costume for my sister and I inherited it. Iron-on ornaments, etc. Everyone thought I was a green Klansman. (At the time I didn't know the Grand Lizards or whatever wore green). So my constant refrain was, I'm a CHRISTMAS TREE! I guess they couldn't the ornaments too well in the porch lights.

Bob Levey: The trick is always imagination, and you've obviously got it. Congrats!

Washington, D.C.: Eva Cassidy crosses all kinds of borders: folk, jazz, blues, gospel. She was a local treasure, not recognized nearly enough at the time. Bob, you must listen. I highly recommend that you pick up her "Live At Blues Alley" CD as a starter, then move on to "Eva By Heart."

Bob Levey: This weekend, I promise..

Alexandria, Va.: Book titles: In junior high, a classmate gave a book report. I understood the title to be "Lame is Rob." Took me a while to figure out why he was talking about French prisons and all that!

Bob Levey: Wonderful!

Bob Levey: Gotta blast off, mes amis. See you next Friday, same time, same URL.

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