Potomac Confidential

Marc Fisher (The Washington Post)

Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion of the latest news and a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

Read Marc's columns:

1 Screen, 2 Passionately Different Films (Post, Feb. 26)

One Community Finds Courage Against NIMBYs (Post, Feb. 24)

Avalon Tests Response To 'Passion' (Post, Feb. 19

A 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.

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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks. So much to ponder today, from the sacred to the corrupt, from animal to mineral. Sacred: The Mel Gibson movie and why it is both boring and offensive (see today's column.) Corrupt: Turns out many of those dollars Metro riders fork over for parking went right into the pockets of the parking lot cashiers. Animal: The National Zoo tries to right itself in the face of more damning evidence of negligence. And Mineral: The District continues its cluelessness about how to deal with the lead in the water.
This week's columns looked at "The Passion" and the passionate battle in Bethesda over Federal Realty's development of a new, pedestrian-oriented downtown.
All that and more, but first, let's call the Yays and Nays:
Yay of the Week goes to the keepers of the National Zoo, who finally realized that director Lucy Spelman had to go. The National Academy of Sciences' review of procedures at the zoo showed widespread failure in almost every area of zoo management. Why did the Smithsonian hang on to Spelman for so long? Will this usher in an era of serious attention to purpose and animal care?
Nay of the Week goes to Metro, which has the audacity to threaten riders with yet another rate hike even as the Post's Lyndsey Layton blows the lid off a truly remarkable scam in which millions of dollars were stolen by parking lot cashiers. Most amazing part: The company that runs the parking lots told Metro officials all about this FOUR YEARS AGO, and Metro did nothing. In fact, to this day, Metro has discussed this only behind closed doors, never in the public sessions where they tell us we have to pay more to ride. And Metro still refuses to release the audits that we as riders and taxpayers paid for. Can you spell arrogance?
Your turn.

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Farragut West, Washington, D.C.: As I was waiting in line to buy tickets yesterday to see LOTR, I overheard a conversation from two guys leaving "The Passion of the Christ." One of them says, "no wonder Hitler wanted them all dead", while his friend laughed. If you want to support someone's anti-Semitic and religious proselytization, you should definitely see Passion. It's very similar to the Confederate flag and the effect it has on African Americans and some white Southerners. One perceives the worst evils of racism and slavery while another only claims to see anything about southern heritage. Jews who've witnessed the Holocaust and years of persecution see this movie as more salt in the wound. Non-Jews should see it no differently.

Marc Fisher: Sounds right to me. I had a lovely note this morning from a minister who said he would urge his congregation not to see the movie for precisely the reasons you offer--he said he took one look at the way the Jewish priests are portrayed--hooknosed, deep-set eyes, hunched over, shifty demeanor--and compared that to how Jesus and his followers are depicted--lean, tall, lively--and he realized what Gibson was really up to.

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Derwood, Md.: You described "The Passion" movie as:
"It's painfully slow, has the thinnest of narratives and is as subtle as a thunderclap."

So, in other words, it is just like every other Mel Gibson film?

Marc Fisher: It did remind me of "Braveheart" in the relentless action with very little dialogue and not a huge amount of plot. But "Braveheart" was much more interesting than this one.

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Rockville, Md.: Interesting column this morning. I think this film is going to provoke thoughts on many levels. Now, after listening to a radio program this morning, I discovered another "thought." It turns out that two top Hollywood producers, Geffen and Katzeneberg, have said that they will never work with Gibson on a film again. They were referred to as "these people." Get my drift? I thought only the Jews in Europe would be the recipient of hate and anti-Semitism. Turns out that Hollywood people may also find anti-Semitism creeping into their everyday lives by people who are inevitably going to say that the "Jews run Hollywood."
I haven't seen the film and frankly have no intention of seeing it. No interest whatsoever. I think that all individuals are entitled to their own opinion. I think Gibson's film will incite anti-Semitism and more pointedly, anti-Jewish feelings. Thanks Mel. You've given more idiot people things to think about

Marc Fisher: Somehow, I don't think Gibson is weeping over not being able to work with Geffen and Katzenberg. I have no problem with Gibson going ahead and making whatever movie he wants to. He went out and got a distributor on his own and that's totally fine. Anytime someone works around the studios, that's a small victory for independent filmmakers. Of course, that doesn't mean anyone has to like Gibson's movie.

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Passion of Christ: I'm just shocked at the critique that this film is being criticized for its violence. Living in D.C., I've seen much worse violence live on the streets.

With domestic violence and child abuse still epidemic problems, too many children have been subjected to violent incidents from people they should trust the most.

Besides, if you believe the Christian faith, wasn't it neccessary for Jesus to endure this awful violence in order for the rest of us to be saved?

Don't take a toddler to the movie, but a pre-teen should be able to handle it

Marc Fisher: Sure, there's much worse violence on the streets--and that's real violence, not chocolate milk and red dye #3. And there's equally bad violence in many Hollywood flicks. But I have a hard time with the idea that the violence in The Passion is morally better than the violence in Kill Bill. In both cases, the extremity of the violence depicted on screen is a statement of inability on the part of the filmmaker to find more creative ways to tell the story.
As for taking kids to this movie, I cannot imagine anyone under the age of 16 seeing it. The gore is nonstop and truly revolting. The kids I know would have nightmares for weeks.

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Alexandria, Va.: Re: The Passion of the Mel -- I haven't seen the movie and don't plan to do so. To those who think this is some kind of evangelism I would ask -- do they charge full price for the tickets? Where does the money go? This is a commercial enterprise produced for profit. Also, if you saw this same sort of graphic violence in an R rated film about Caligula or Spartacus, would you be offended, or would you say that it is neccessary to the story?

Marc Fisher: I spoke to several folks after seeing the movie yesterday who really admired Gibson for making the picture and who felt that it spoke to their faith in an important way--but who nonetheless felt the violence was too graphic and detracted from Jesus' meaning and message. Of course, I also spoke to folks who thought the violence was necessary to get across the true extent of his suffering.

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Maryland: I have no intention of seeing the Passion of Christ but I was interested in one part of the movie. The crucifixion. In all plays I've ever seen they've shown Jesus dripping blood and seem to imply that he's dying of blood loss or something akin to that. I'm curious if that was also the approach taken here. I'd also like to point out that people die from asphyxiation when crucified because the body cannot hold itself up any longer for a person to continue breathing. Additionally, since the person stays impaled there wouldn't be much blood at all from the wounds.

Marc Fisher: It's not clear in the movie just what finally kills him. He simply ceases to breathe after having been beaten so horribly that that seems to be the primary cause of death. There is blood loss, but you're right, it doesn't seem to be the ultimate cause of death.

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Arlington, Va.: Virtually every Christian I have seen quoted says 'The Passion' tells them that all of humanity is to blame for Jesus' death and many add that anti-Semitism is wrong, a sin. Even Mel Gibson called anti-Semitism a sin. So if this movie is supposed to spark anti-Semitism, it seems to me to be a colossal failure. Why can't the Jewish leaders complaining about the movie acknowledge that their fears are, at least so far, vastly unrealized. As in, maybe they're wrong?

Marc Fisher: I have no idea whether Gibson's aim was to spark anti-Semitism. It's too early to say what its impact will be. There's this report in the Denver Post this morning: "The Lovingway United Pentacostal Church posted a billboard along South Colorado Boulevard proclaiming, "Jews killed the Lord Jesus ... Settled."" But perhaps that's an isolated case.

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Anonymous: Whoa -- this chat started off with a bang. Just wanted to say that I've seen The Passion, and it is hardly anti-Semitic. Everyone who's read the Bible or been taught the story knows that Jesus died for all sinners, and it was God's plan. Not man's. I think the anti-Semitism feelings are being fueled by the media, and probably from people who haven't even seen the movie.

Marc Fisher: Right--there was way too much reporting before anyone had seen the movie about just how wonderful or awful it was. Why people can't just wait to see what it is they are writing or complaining about is beyond me.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Marc,
Please promise us you will not spend this entire session discussing Mel Gibson's piece of tripe. There are real issues to discuss.
And what is with "the Christ"? Is that like "the Donald"?

Marc Fisher: Your wish is my command. We move on to other topics, but may come back to The Passion later in the hour, depending on chatter demand. As for "The Christ," I don't know enough theology to offer a good answer. Anyone?

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Metro Parking Scam: I haven't paid for parking at a metro station for 4 years (drive straight to work now), but I'm still darn annoyed about the millions of dollars that parking lot employees have siphoned off for their own gain. This is just incredibly poor (corrupt?) management. And Metro wants to raise parking rates? If I was still parking in those lots I'd be raising hell!

Marc Fisher: Metro Police Chief Polly Hanson is quoted in Lyndsey Layton's story today saying that "it's really tricky to catch people stealing in that kind of situation." Excuse me--Metro was tipped off four years ago to exactly what was happening! All they had to do was watch.

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Rockville, Md.: Marc,
I am submitting this WAY early so maybe, just maybe someone will look into this. Finally someone has found that some (though a very small amount) money was being stolen from Metro. I would like to see a public audit (Metro is of course public transportation no?) done on the system as a whole. I cannot understand why ridership keeps going up, service goes down, cars aren't properly repaired, escalators are off at many stations for weeks, Metro raises fares, and they STILL complain that they are losing so much money.

I am sure that money is also 'leaking' somewhere else. Before fares are raised (especially on buses) someone needs to seriously look into how Metro is being run. I of course would be willing to do this, but I have neither the authority, contacts or time. Your people (the media) need to figure out what is going on. At least the one person at The Post who thought Metro could do no wrong is finally gone ... Bob!

Marc Fisher: Metro remains probably the most pleasant mass transit system in the country, but you're right: its problems seem to be spiralling out of control, and when that happens in combination with increasingly frequent and exorbitant rate hikes, that could easily turn into a very scary situation. Metro knows that frequent rate hikes chase away riders, yet Metro continues on that path. If the public loses confidence in the system, ridership could drop significantly, and the impact that would have on the highways would be crushing to nearly everyone in the region.

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Vienna Metro: Anyone with half a brain would know that less honest types could make a killing at Metro lots. Since there are no parking tickets issued to drivers on the way in, obviously that means no way to track how much money should be there at the end of each day.

This is just another reason I never ride Metro.

Marc Fisher: I was with you til the last line. Why would poor management of the cash system at the parking lots make you decide not to take the train?

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Washington, D.C.: "The Christ" is actually a better translation. Christ means "the anointed" in Greek.

Marc Fisher: The question was why is the article "The" used in front of Christ? And I guess you're saying it is because he is "the annointed one." Makes sense.

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New York, N.Y.: "Christ" means "Anointed One." Just like when babies are christened, they're anointed with Holy Water. Jesus's title (not his last name) was "Christ" or "the Christ"--both uses are acceptable.

Marc Fisher: Thanks.

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Columbia, Md.: Never mind the movie. Gibson's movies from Braveheart to Patriot have always been simplistic portrayals of complex realities.
What we need to do is look at the Pontius Pilates in D.C!
WASA has behaved egregiously, from falsifying reports; non- reporting, firing a whistleblower and conspiring to bend EPA reporting to avoid having to upgrade it system. Yet Mayor Williams is washing his hands and saying there is no need to fire anybody and Carol Schwartz doesn't want to 'have heads roll in the middle of a crisis ..." and would "rather have people who know what's going on in charge."
The same people who ignored warnings? Falsified reports? Fired whistleblower?
Oh I give up.

Marc Fisher: Now there's a creative segue.
WASA has indeed behaved dishonestly and ineptly. But has the city government done any better? And where is EPA when it is needed? Shouldn't the feds step in and force the city to meet its standards? I like a little lead in my water as much as the next guy, but this is getting a bit too heavy even for my taste.
And why does it take WASA a month to turn around the tests that it is doing on city residents' water? The schools seem to have managed to do their testing within a few days.

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Washington, D.C.: Very little surprises me from this city -- they hurt the kids in their charge, mentally disabled, etc., but this lead water takes the cake. How could an individual NOT TELL I mean SCREAM about this -- knowing that children's lives are at stake? They should absolutely be fired. NOW. The zoo kills its animals and the director quits 7 months later -- the water people are hushing up poison in the water -- the Metro is stealing funds and asking for a hike in rates. Oh, even for this city, that's a lot.

Marc Fisher: Anyone want to bet lunch that the mayor will sack WASA's top managers by mid-March?
The mere fact that Williams said yesterday he is not ready to fire anyone "at this point" means those guys should have their resumes on the xerox machine today.

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Washington, D.C.: Mayor Williams, Delegate Norton and Chief Ramsey are upset that Sen. Hatch is proposing the reinstatement of Second Amendment rights to the District. As a D.C. resident, I support Senator Hatch on this.

Criminals own the streets of this city, and have for decades. The people need to be able to protect themselves like they can in Virginia and elsewhere.

When Chief Ramsey goes out on patrol without a gun, and Mayor Williams drops his armed guards, then I'll considering accepting being unarmed too.

Marc Fisher: Ok, you like having lots of guns on the streets, fine. But isn't that something for the District's residents to decide? Just as Virginians are mostly happy about their state's pro-gun laws, why shouldn't Washingtonians be allowed to set their own rules on guns, even if those rules do not produce a huge drop in crime?

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Crofton, Md.: Marc -- A different entertainment question -- How about the FCC's crackdown on "vulgarity"? I am not sure that the FCC represents me! I saw the story about the Howard Stern Show and how it has been taken off in 6 cities. The article also says that his show is always either the highest rated or near the top in every market they are in. It seems as though the people speak volumes when they listen to the show! If so many people listen, apparently it is not offensive to them. Those that it does offend, don't listen! I also reject the argument about protecting our youth. We count on the government to do way to much parenting for us> Any thoughts?

Marc Fisher: Today's action by Clear Channel, pulling the Stern show off six of the company's radio stations, is nothing but show biz, a meaningless little gesture by the nation's largest radio company to anti-smut activists in Congress and around the nation. Clear Channel owns 1,200 radio stations; they're pulling Stern off six. I tuned in to Stern's show this morning and heard half an hour of narration about a stripper pulling off her undies and displaying her wares to Stern's adoring sidekicks. Nothing will change, even if Don and Mike are temporarily banned from saying some of the naughty words ordinarily featured on their show.

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Tenleytown, Washington, D.C.: Marc: As a Tenleytown resident who actually supports increased mixed commercial and residential development along the Wisconsin Ave. corridor, I was interested in your column on Tuesday. However, we part ways on one significant issue, and that is the issue of parking spaces in developments near Metro. You endorse the idea that residential developments near Metro should have substantially reduced parking capabilities because there will be some people who will make do without cars. I have heard this theory bandied about a lot, but there is no actual proof that it works. Indeed, my understanding is that in developments in Arlington and Ballston near subways that provided less than one space per unit, the end result was that the surrounding neighborhoods were inundated with cars owned by those unable to win the parking lottery in their buildings. Flexcar and Zipcar will only go so far -- I used Flexcar for a while last year, and went without a car, as the chief time I wanted to use it (Sunday morning for church), was apparently a time in heavy demand. What support do you have for the idea that the number of cars will decrease if less spaces are included?

Marc Fisher: The best evidence for that argument is Manhattan. The denser the development, the more likely residents will not need a car every day, making it less likely that they will choose to own a car. Car ownership in the Dupont Circle area is much lower than in, say, Bethesda or Tenleytown, and that's as it should be. A Tenleytown resident needs a car for most basic daily activities. But if you built up the Wisconsin Avenue corridor dramatically, you'd be able to have the services and goods right there that would make car ownership a choice rather than a necessity.

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Bethesda, Md.: I'm a Bethesda urbanite -- I live in an apartment a couple of blocks from the proposed Arlington East development. From my point of view, the protests against residential development in downtown Bethesda raise a political question -- should people in communities surrounding my neigborhood continue to control the pace of development -in- my neighborhood? I think not.

Marc Fisher: Excellent point. The fact is that folks who live near a developing area will almost always, and quite naturally, oppose the disruption, noise and inconvenience involved in building. It's government's role to ignore those people and make development decisions based on what's right for the larger community and for the future of the jurisdiction.

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Arlington, Va.: Interested in your juxtaposition of Arlington's Columbia Pike Revitalization effort vis-a-vis NIMBYism in Bethesda. We have an investment condo in Arlington Village, and think with the effort that it's a strong investment. However, this will be truly terrible for affordable housing without aggressive County intervention. We'll vote for affordable housing in a heartbeat, but with so many Republicans moving into Arlington it's tough to keep that battle going.

Marc Fisher: Arlington and Montgomery have both been fairly aggressive, if occasionally wussy, about requiring developers to include affordable units in their apartment complexes. Too often, developers are permitted to pay for those affordable units to be built elsewhere, but in the case of the Bethesda Federal Realty project, the affordable units will be right on site, as they should be.

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Washington, DC: Marc, What is your take on the idea of a school superintendent? I was at a community meeting the other night with Jack Evans and he is very much in favor of this model because it has direct lines of accountability unlike the current system (and seems to have been used in other cities). For those reasons I am in favor.

After your good school coverage in the past can we expect another column from you on this topic?

Marc Fisher: I expect to have something in the paper on the new idea for D.C. school governance sometime next week. But in brief, I like the idea of hiring a superintendent who would have real authority. Is that possible in the current system of governance? Not likely. Will making the mayor the Education Czar help? God save us all. He's declared himself the Education Mayor so many times with so little result that I'd trust almost any other system first.

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Washington, D.C.: On the West Wing last night, they had the mayor of D.C. in and Congress gave him money for prvate school vouchers. Should D.C. have private school vouchers in real life?

Marc Fisher: Of course not. Vouchers are a cruel hoax, a false promise to parents that somehow their kids will be plucked out of the dysfunctional public system and given a snazzy private school education. That may well happen in a relative handful of cases, but the public's money and energy should be spent on two much larger goals: 1) Making the public schools better, and 2) Providing a real alternative, which we have in the charter schools, which are free to all comers, which may be run according to the visions of their creators, and which do not involve using tax money to pay for religious indoctrination.

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Ballston, Va.: I saw the Singing Korean for the first time, last week, on an Orange Line into Metro Center. Has the Post ever tracked him down and written about him?

Marc Fisher: Indeed. I wrote about him a few years ago, Christmas Day, 2000, to be exact. The story started like this:
I love to tell the story,

because I know 'tis true;

it satisfies my longings

as nothing else can do.

A Red Line train pulls into Union Station, and amid the morning rush of workers one man scurries unnoticed out of the middle car, a couple of steps down the platform and back into the very next car.

The bing-bong does its thing, the doors close, and just as the train begins to move, Fisher Yang, squarely in the doorway, one hand on a pole, the other holding his hymnal, loudly says, "Good morning, 'scuse me," and in a firm but scratchy, heavily accented voice, he begins to sing.

Most people refuse to react. They stare into nowhere, plow deeper into their paper, continue chatting. A few dare to look directly at Yang. Two men laugh out loud at him. A mother directs her son to watch and listen.

As the train pulls into the next station, Yang finishes his song of praise, barks a quick "Thank you, blessed day," and hurries off, only to scamper onto the adjacent car and repeats it all--same greeting, same song, same farewell, his timing always precise. Sometimes a few people applaud, sometimes a woman--it is almost always a woman--thanks him. Here and there, someone offers Yang money; he never accepts.

Just as often, people shout "Shut up!" or worse. "They try to take my book away, try to knock me down," Yang says. "But I am making some changes in this world. At first in a train, there are faces that are not peaceful. After I sing, some faces have love."

Fisher Yang, a 40-year-old Korean who came to the United States in 1992, does this Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., ranging around the Metro system. On other days, he stands outside Union Station, playing hymns on his trumpet. He has been singing in the subways for three years.

His two teens--he also has a 3-year-old--"were very negative in the beginning, very embarrassed to see their father outside singing," Yang says. But over time, he has persuaded them there is no shame in trying to bring joy to others. His daughter Hana, a junior at Falls Church High School, says she respects her father's work, even if it doesn't bring home any money. But she hopes instead to be a musician, like her mother, who earns a bit of money teaching piano.

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Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: So, Lulu (Spellman that is) announces she's going to resign, but will stick around through the year while the search is ongoing for her replacement. There are 2,600 animals now at the Zoo. How many do we think will be there when she finally leaves?

What an absolute mess that place is.

Marc Fisher: I don't know how long she will stick around. The question is whether the zoo can find someone with the right skills and integrity to put the place back on the right track--and that will require the Smithsonian making it clear publicly that it intends to be serious about quality of management and purpose.

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Washington, D.C.: Zoo Issues -- To all of the Spelman supporters out there I have two words: "falsified records"

Where is the outrage?
(a) records don't get falsified accidently, (b) this hurts animals currently receiving care, and
(c) as scientists examine records to provide better care in the future, it will hurt those efforts as well.

Don't resign because you are a "lightning rod" (i.e., takes no personal blame, but rather puts it on the media); resign because as a manager/administrator you failed miserably and took one of our great institutions and made it a national joke.

Marc Fisher: Sadly, we live in an era in which public officials are routinely permitted to resign under cover of nice little lies about why they are leaving, rather than having their superiors step before the microphones and spell out precisely how this person failed the public. Blame the lawyers.

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Arlington, Va.: A bigger question is what the H stands for in Jesus H. Christ. I always assumed it was Harold, but now I'm not so sure.

Marc Fisher: I have no idea. Anyone?

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Arlington, Va.: Marc, some of the people that are seeing The Passion are really scaring me. How "lucky" we are that Mel Gibson is "showing -society- how Our Savior suffered for us" and how "undeserving we are of his love." How it changed their lives! It's a movie, people! In a dead language at that! I just don't get it. Of course the media hype is just making it last longer ... can you imagine who would have seen this if it didn't make the news?

Marc Fisher: Well, having sat near lots of people who were really and visibly moved by this movie, I have to say that works of art really can change people. Of course, it helps if you are predisposed to believe in something. In this case, I think The Passion would have been huge even if the press had ignored it. The grassroots PR work done through thousands of churches nationwide has guaranteed the movie a huge following.

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Wheaton, Md.: Several of the recent critiques in the Post of the film have said that it doesn't emphasize enough Pilate's historically known cruelty. I don't think this is a fair criticism. While other historical sources may show him to have been a cruel individual, the gospel account of him, on which the movie is mostly based, is more ambiguous. I would say the average gospel reader is actually slightly uncomfortable with how well Pilate is depicted there. There is a line in Hardy's novel "Return of the Native," in which the author says of a particular unconventional character, she "had wondered if Pontius Pilate were as handsome as he was frank and fair." Here the character's unconventionality is shown by her having an impression of Pilate many gospel readers would secretly agree with, but most would like to avoid admitting.

Marc Fisher: Yes, there does seem to be considerable difference in various accounts of Pilate, but from what I've read, the consensus seems to be that he was a pretty tough fellow and ran a pretty strict shop. The movie makes him out to be a sweet, if conflicted, guy whose wife is a veritable Teresa Heinz Kerry or Laura Bush, charming and kind, pressing hubby to be more humane. Somehow, it seemed pretty phoneyed up.

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What the H: That sounds like a question better suited for Gene Weingarten's chat (unless it was he who submitted it here). Or perhaps a contest for the Style Invitational.

Marc Fisher: Harry? Horatio? Hero? Hebrew?

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The H: I once told a college roommate that it stood for Horatio. She was excited to finally find someone that actually knew the answer. Poor thing.

Marc Fisher: I think I met her once. She spoke very highly of you.

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Takoma Park, Md.: I laughed when I first read your comparison of "The Passion of the Christ" to "Kill Bill" -- both use violence to tell the story because their directors weren't creative enough to use another method of getting the point across. I was going to dismiss your comment because Tarantino MEANT for his violence to be campy and overstated; it was his film to have fun with, and he took it and ran. But then I got to thinking: what if Gibson was doing the same thing? I guess my main question is WHY he made this film, why he feels the need to put his portrayal of the story out there. I still think your original comparison is a bit of a stretch though, because without all that excessive gore, "Kill Bill" wouldn't have packed the same farcical punch. Thoughts?

Marc Fisher: Sure, Tarantino's stuff is a commentary on violence, but it's also heavily dependent on violence for its emotional wallop. So while it's convenient for a director to hide behind the idea that he's merely using violence as social commentary, the fact remains that the energy and punch delivered by that violence is what pushes his narrative and characters forward, and that seems too easy a crutch, both for Tarantino and Gibson. It would be much harder to make a movie that got across the essence of Jesus' teachings, but wouldn't that be a far more important and potentially moving piece of art to create?

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St. Mary's City, Md.: Marc, I find it reprehensible when my state's elected legislators use Orwellian terms like "defense of marriage." They're trying to manipulate the voters through fear, to convince straights that gays seek to destroy the family and convert all straight people. I'm a straight man who's been married for six years, and I don't feel one bit threatened by gay marriage.

Marc Fisher: Then you're not who the president and the GOP are after when they turn this into the top issue of 2004. But since many, if not most, Americans are threatened, annoyed or offended by the idea of homosexuality, it's easy political pickings for the right wing to take this issue and ride it hard, conveniently pushing more serious issues aside.

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Washington: People stick the H in Jesus H Christ so that, when used as an exclamation, they're not taking the Lord's name in vain.

Kinda silly, but hey.

Marc Fisher: Good, but why H? Why not T or, better yet, Q?

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Derwood, Md.: The H stands for Hellraiser. Duh!

Marc Fisher: Nice!

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Washington, D.C.: Jesus H. Christ? The H stands for Hallowed, of course. As in "Hallowed be thy name ..."

Marc Fisher: Excellent.

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Atlanta, Ga.: Let me offer another inaccuracy that gets overlooked in light of anti-Semitic concerns, not that they aren't valid. Jesus wasn't a "white" guy either. Maybe in the grand scheme (hooked noses, etc.) of things it's insignificant. Comments?

Marc Fisher: But in the movie, Jesus is the whitest of the Jews. Those who conspire against him are depicted as grey, brown or just shriveled and shifty, of unclear ethnic origin.

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Washington, D.C.: Frankly, I feel that both sides of the anti-Semitism question are missing a huge point. I consider myself an agnostic, and do not practice any religion -- but I thought it was, you know, a central point in Christian theology that Christ was sent to earth in ORDER to be killed and resurrected -- no one killed him; it was the point from the beginning.

If there is separate controversy over the stereotypical portrayal of Jews in this film, let's discuss that, but not tie it to this big fat red herring of an issue.

Marc Fisher: Good point, and sadly, one that the movie fails to make.

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Orem, Utah: I think what Clear Channel has done regarding Howard Stern is rank hypocrisy!(sp?)
And I hate Howard Stern. Does this mean that they're going to pull Elliott in the Morning off of DC-101 (Clear Channel-owned) the next time he curses on the air?

Marc Fisher: Clear Channel also sacked Bubba the Love Sponge, the Tampa-based shock jock whose stuff makes Stern look like he's running a PG-rated show. There'll be a bunch more such public sacrifices by the big media companies and then the hubbub over indecency will subside and then they'll go back to exactly what they were doing before. It makes a lot of money.

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Arlington, Va.: NIMBYs in Bethesda: For the life of me I can't figure out what grounds they have for objecting. If they moved there within the last 10-15 years it was quite apparent that the area was going to be developed. For those who moved to Bethesda many years ago, I have little sympathy. If you want to live in a quaint and quiet area, then sell your house for the small fortune it is worth and buy whatever you want somewhere else.

Marc Fisher: Exactly.
We're running out of time, so just a few quick ones before I sign off....

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Clarendon, Va.: Can I just ask us to be careful about who we call NIMBYs. In Clarendon, the General Land Use plan calls for a lower scale of development than in Rosslyn or Ballston (4-10 stories). Then the developers regularly come in and suggest projects way bigger: 14 stories or higher. When the single-family homes two blocks away say "dial it back to 8 stories, and while you're at it, how about some ground floor retail and on-site affordable housing" they are sometimes called NIMBYs because they won't support the biggest possible skyscraper near the transit station. When in fact, they're just asking for the medium-scale urban environment that is planned there.

Marc Fisher: Clarendon/Ballston seems to be good at getting this right. When you get off the main drags, you're in quiet residential neighborhoods where at least the folks I know seem very much to appreciate having all those goods and services within walking distance.

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Springfield, Va.: Hi Marc, I know this isn't the hot issue of the day, but I thought that Fairfax County did the right thing when they decided to spend the money on improvements to Ossian Hall Park in Annandale, rather than spend it on extra security to help curb gang activity in that area. I hope they look at other creative ways to fight gang violence.

Marc Fisher: Sounds like the right approach to me--getting kids to choose something other than gangs will always be more efficient than attacking the gang itself.

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Washington, D.C.: I love the outrage regarding the metro lot attendants skimming from the coffers. Come on, this kind of stuff is par for the course when you're hiring people in low wage jobs. It's why Wal-Mart has to lock folks in their store overnight, why clerks have to have plastic handbags, and why cameras are everywhere these days. That's just the reality and I bet it's happening right under the Post's nose over on 15th Street.

Marc Fisher: But as an earlier post said, this sort of corruption is relatively easy to prevent--making the cashiers give out receipts and then counting those receipts would be a fine start.

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Washington, D.C.: Considering that according to ABC News the NASCAR Dads reflect less than two percent of the electorate, will the Gay Dad (or Guy) be a bigger swing in this year's election?

Marc Fisher: No, because the Dems take the gay vote for granted and the GOP actively spurns it. So it's just not a swing vote.

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Alexandria, Va.: The abortion-rights group NARAL is going to be sponsoring a march in Washington on April 25. I am concerned that NARAL is going to be featuring my congressman, Jim Moran, at this event, and providing Moran with exposure that it will deny to Moran's Democratic primary challenger Andy Rosenberg.

What is the best way to let a lobbying group know that allying itself with a controversial, divisive figure like Moran will hurt them more than it will help them?

Marc Fisher: Write them, call them, have your friends do the same. If Moran had a real challenger, that candidate would be doing the organizing for you.

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Marc Fisher: Thanks for coming along, folks. Back in the paper on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, and back here next week, same passionate station, same passionate time.

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