Potomac Confidential

Washington's Hour of Talk Power

It's a post-election extravaganza on Potomac Confidential, a chance to weigh in on all the results in Maryland, Virginia and the District.

Post Metro columnist Marc Fisher was online Thursday, Dec. 7, at Noon ET to look at what happens to the U.S.-born children of deported illegal immigrants, the D.C. government's effort to evict a mentally disabled man, and the slow-growth movement in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs.

Check out Marc's blog, Raw Fisher.

In his weekly show, Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

Archives: Discussion Transcripts

A transcript follows.

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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, folks.

Lots of reaction to this week's columns on the District's efforts to evict a mentally disabled man from a group home for all the wrong bureaucratic reasons, and on the dilemma posed by the case of an illegal immigrant who is about to be deported, but has young children who are U.S. citizens. How far are we willing to go to make it clear that illegal immigrants are not welcome--far enough that we take on the cost of an untold number of children who might become wards of the state?

On to your many comments and questions, but first, the Yay and Nay of the Day.

Today, breaking format, both the Yay and the Nay go to the same winners, the suburban taxpayers who pressured elected officials in Prince William, Loudoun and Montgomery counties this week to move toward freezes on development as a way of slowing growth and sending a message to state legislators that they ignore Washington-area problems at their peril.

The Yay goes to those who've taken a hard line on growth because it's long past time that legislators, especially in Richmond, understand that they can no longer pretend that congestion and other growth issues will just go away. But the same folks get a Nay because there's a reactionary undercurrent to these moves, a statement by those who've moved to new suburbs most recently that they want to close the door behind them and deny others the same benefits that they enjoy. More important, much of the opposition to growth is really opposition to density, and density is the most crucial tool planners have to assure that there be some affordable housing in the futures of fast-growing communities.

Your turn starts right now...

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Vienna, Va.: Good blog today. Immigration is a very hard issue. I am sympathetic with the family in question, in particular the kids. It's generally not a good idea for government to break up families, unless it's absolutely necessary. Thanks to the way government works, kids who become wards of the state all too often end up becoming adults who are wards of the state, specifically the criminal justice system.

I don't blame the woman for trying to seek a better life for herself. But there's something wrong with her message of "I broke your laws to come here, but now that I am here you should ignore your laws." Laws matter. A nation really can't be a nation if it can't control its borders or enforce its laws (and maintain a unifying culture).

Economic reality is fueling the migration. Until that dynamic changes, the people will keep coming. So we need to make a new national policy that acknowledges this fact, yet also provides effective border protection while ensuring that new immigrants will assimilate.

washingtonpost.com: Deporting a Model Noncitizen ( Post, Dec. 7)

Marc Fisher: Sure, laws matter, but they matter most when they reflect a consensus in society about how to handle a particular issue, and in the case of immigration, we are very far from any consensus. Instead, we're riddled with contradictions. A lot of us want the gov't to get tough on illegals, but at the same time, we're happy to wink at illegals who work for us either directly or indirectly. As long as we have that contradiction, we won't get any significant control over the situation.

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Washington, D.C.: Your article on a "model non-citizen" is fraught with inaccuracies and half truths. It's amazing you call yourself a journalist. What are we, Marc, if we don't accept the rule of law? We become anarchists.

Try applying your logic of not following the rules and laws of this country in rearing your own children. Stop enforcing the rules you use to teach your children right from wrong, good behavior from bad. What you're asking society to do in the case of Ms. Alvarez is no different which is to turn a blind eye towards illegal behavior.

Should we release murderers and rapists because they have children back home to raise? What about drug dealers? I'm sure they have nice families at home too. Where in your estimation does the rule of law begin? When it's convenient to you?

washingtonpost.com: Deporting a Model Noncitizen ( Post, Dec. 7)

Marc Fisher: I'm not advocating that Alvarez or anyone else break the law; I'm simply stating what we all know is the fact: People like Alvarez can be deported, but if they are compelled to be here, whether for economic or family reasons, they will risk their lives to get on the next bus to San Diego, and then the process starts all over again. Is the current effort to halt that process a good use of our tax dollars?

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Bethesda, Md.: Thanks for your thoughtful column today examining both sides of the illegal immigrant issue. Of course, the question occurs, where is the father of the two children and the father of the one Ms. Alvarez was carrying? Were they illegal, too?

In any event, may I suggest you look at the illegal-immigrant drunken driver in Howard Co., who killed a young Marine and his date at Thanksgiving? That's the true scandal, how a person was able to get a driver's license in Maryland without proof of citizenship and kills two young people. Was there insurance to help the families of the deceased? Why is Maryland one of only nine states that does not require proof of citizenship to get a license? This issue will blow up in 2008 with the federal Real ID Law, and Marylanders will suffer.

washingtonpost.com: Deporting a Model Noncitizen ( Post, Dec. 7)

Marc Fisher: Excellent question, and I tried to address that briefly in the column: The father in this case is wholly absent, gone from the area, out of the kids' lives. Would the state have easier access to him to force him to contribute to the kids' upkeep if he were a legal resident? Probably.

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Laurel, Md. : Your opinion piece was extremely disturbing. Personally, I don't think her being here is a "big deal" -- I am certainly extremely liberal when it comes to this. But I do understand that there must be limits. Having said that, given that she will be deported -- is it absolutely necessary that the kids are reduced to only one day per month to see their mother? That, to me, seems harsh, severe and immoral.

washingtonpost.com: Deporting a Model Noncitizen ( Post, Dec. 7)

Marc Fisher: The visiting hours at the detention facility do seem very harsh, but of course that's not nearly as harsh or expensive as deporting the mother and leaving the children behind. While I support the idea of deporting someone who so cavalierly ignored the laws of this country, I am stopped short by the idea that these kids could become wards of the state and cost U.S. taxpayers many tens of thousands of dollars each year.

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Washington, D.C.: I've always liked your column, but the last few weeks have been particularly impressive. Washington finally has the city columnist we deserve -- or perhaps we need. Of course, you still occasionally come off as a pig-headed blowhard (How can you have never smelled smoke from another apartment? Even if you haven't, just asking around would have opened your eyes, if not your ears.), but it works well as part of the total package.

Marc Fisher: Could work as a new ad slogan for the column: The only pig-headed blowhard you'll ever need.

Thank you. Oink.

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Washington, D.C.: I've got another instance of particularly egregious bureaucratic bungling on the part of the D.C. government. Like your situation with the group home, it may benefit from some sunshine and phone calls from everyone's favorite Metro columnist. Details are too long to go into here -- is there an e-mail I could use to contact you?

Marc Fisher: Sure--marcfisher@washpost.com

I can't get to all the many good stories that readers tell me about, but I try to push into the best of them as often as I can, and some of the others get into the paper in other forms.

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Derwood, Md.: Marc,

Any idea how soon Bobby Haircut will be able to finally get around to mowing my lawn and trimming my hedges for me?

Marc Fisher: Do you have any time this afternoon? I hear he's available. (Also available for security guard duty, if you happened to catch Gov. Haircut's cameo on HBO's The Wire this week.)

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Alexandria, Va.: Did you read the article on the water cafe ?

Man, I am just getting to be an old fogey I guess but what is up with that? First of all, if it's some kind of response to decreasing water quality, why are they serving three kinds of water? I mean they have mostly clean, very clean and super clean, as near as I can tell. Why not just super clean? And super clean means distilled water. Did you ever drink distilled water? You would never choose to do that unless you are some kind of germophobe.

washingtonpost.com: How'd You Like Your Water? ( Post, Dec. 7)

Marc Fisher: I can't wait to get out there to try the stuff. Some readers may recall that a few years back, I conducted a semi-scientific taste test out on the sidewalk in front of the Post, asking passersby to judge the taste of bottled water, distilled water, tap water from various local systems, and swimming pool water.

You'll never believe what won.

Perhaps Rocci can find a link....

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Alexandria, Va.: What's the best stop to get off of to go to the Christmas Tree lighting at the White House tonight? None of them look that close.

Marc Fisher: McPherson Square is probably your best bet--it's just a few blocks from there.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Your column Tuesday about John Cook and Eugene Sampson made my blood boil. Is the D.C. govt. still living under the legacy of the incompetent bureaucrats who owe their jobs to the Barry years ("Bureaucrats for Life" appointed by the Mayor for Life), or does each administration perpetuate the incompetence that characterizes this city?

Do we dare hope for better from the Fenty administration?

washingtonpost.com: The District Bureaucracy Bears Down On a Dream ( Post, Dec. 5)

Marc Fisher: Now is the time to hope for better. Can Fenty's emphasis on energy and accountability make a difference in some of the agencies that are most deeply set in old and cynical ways? I hope so, and I think it's fair to expect so in some parts of the government. Some other parts have proven fairly impervious to reform--the schools bureaucracy being the chief example. But nobody thought the motor vehicle bureau could be tamed, and yet Williams did that. Health is a tougher task, but so far, Fenty has been hiring almost uniformly impressive people.

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Arlington, Va.: Thanks for taking my question, Marc. Related your article on the district's bureaucracy creating problems for a mentally disabled group home, do you think Mayor Williams made any progress in reforming some of these unnecessary bureaucractic hurdles that citizens must contend with. Will Mayor Fenty be more effective in this area?

Marc Fisher: Mayor Williams made a good deal of headway in reforming some of the more difficult agencies in town, but Consumer and Regulatory Affairs remains a bit of a tangle, and some, such as Fire, are in truly sorry shape.

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Falls Church, Va.: Marc, a little city vs. suburb question/consideration. I was at the Skins game this weekend and overheard the guy next to me explain to his kid what all the flags were on the other side of the stadium. There were the P.G. County, Md., U.S., Va., and D.C. flags all flying above FedEx. It got me thinking of the chances that the suburbs would be recognized at the new baseball stadium (they aren't at RFK). Somehow I think the city government isn't as warm to the idea of recognizing the areas where close to 90 percent of our region's population lives as vice versa.

Marc Fisher: Interesting question--I share your skepticism that such a welcome would come naturally to the city administrators who run the stadium project, but my bet is that the Nats' owners would very much want to make that sort of gesture, so my bet is that you will indeed see something along those lines.

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Frederick, Md.: Derwood, do you really want Haircut to trim your hedges? What if they turn out looking like his cut?

Marc Fisher: Lots of folks like that highly manicured look for the hedges. Me, I'll take the Tony Williams/Michael Steele approach for any hedges I might ever own--mow em down, go for the clean cut.

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Ballston, Va.: I'm no fan of The Post for a variety of reasons, but I must give credit where credit is due. The stink The Post raised about Fairfax County's inane decision to insert itself into the volunteer safety net that's looking out for the homeless is worthy of kudos. The County's foray into nannyism gave way to a momentary return to sanity in large measure because of the Post's scrutiny. So bravo, y'all did something good for a change.

Marc Fisher: Grudging thanks are often more rewarding than steady support, so your words are most appreciated and I will pass them along to the reporters on that story. Fairfax certainly made a quick 180 on that one, and rightfully so. What a boneheaded notion, and all dressed up in faux-righteousness about a class distinction that doesn't exist: Everybody likes a home-cooked meal, whether rich or poor.

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Alexandria, Va.: Why do so many people get obsessed over process rather than the actual decision? The perfect example of this is Mayor-elect Fenty's decision of Cathy Lanier as Police Chief.

Of course it is too early to know if this was a wise decision, but these sort of decisions is what Fenty was elected to do. Instead, we read story after story of how people were upset with the process.

Marc Fisher: In the early days of any administration, everybody's hunting for signs of how the new guy will do business, so it's natural that folks examined the process behind the choice of Lanier as police chief. I like that he picked someone very well respected from within the department; she seems feisty and tough.

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Stanton Park, Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc,

Do you have any reaction to the D.C. City Council railroading approval of this demolition of the Capital City Market at Florida Ave., NE without any input from residents or business owners?

All I can say, is good riddance, Vincent Orange. I'm glad you're gone from the council and calling it a "blight" shows you've never visited the place.

And I hope the new council will re-evaluate this.

Marc Fisher: I'm very worried about the potential loss of some fabulous businesses in the food market there, including my favorite Italian sub within 40 miles of here. I don't like the idea that the city can take over a collection of thriving businesses and declare them to be failures just so it can give a big fat contract to some highly connected developer. That said, that is a fast-changing part of town that could use a lot more density and street life.

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washingtonpost.com: Taking the Waters ( Post, July 11, 1996)

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Boston, Mass.: Just as a clarification to your recent article. Say a group home for the disabled were to burn to the ground one sad day and it came to light that there were more people residing there then their permit allowed. Would you support the city or the residents families in the inevitable lawsuit?

Marc Fisher: Depends on what the real cause of the fire were, right? Obviously, no one wants 30 disabled folks crowded into a facility equipped for five. This case was wildly different: Five clients in a house that could easily handle well more than that; the city knew this, yet did nothing even after one of the most responsible care agencies on the planet repeatedly and persuasively made its case. That it took the publication of a newspaper column to push the city to do something is not remotely encouraging.

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Shady Grove, Md.: Marc, you really stirred up the nut farm with the gun in parks blog. Children love to play amongst the trees but if guns are allowed in parks, the parents would have to prohibit them from doing so due the fear that someone would shoot at anything that moves in the woods!

washingtonpost.com: Your Handy Gun Guide: Libraries No, Parks Yes ( Raw Fisher, Dec. 6)

Marc Fisher: I thought that at least here might be a place where gun fans might agree that people deserve some respite from weapons, but no, the religion of the individual right to bear arms requires that there be no exceptions to that mythical right. Still, I thought the discussion on the blog was quite revealing and I'm grateful that folks on both sides hashed things out with a nice mix of rhetorical savagery, reason and emotion.

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You made a typing error ...: You typed the following.

"A lot of us want the gov't to get tough on illegals, but at the same time, we're happy to wink at illegals who work for us either directly or indirectly."

Now it may have just been quick chat shorthand, but I think you meant to type ...

"A lot of those stinky working class peons want the gov't to get tough on illegals, but at the same time, I and my social circle of connected six-figure plus income pundits, bylined WaPo reporters, etc. ... are happy to wink at illegals who work for us either directly or indirectly, as they provide us with cheap kitchen remodels and nannies which would be priced out for us hiring domestic working class peons. As long as that contradiction exists, I and my social circle will continue to mostly get our way because we have all the money and connections."

Marc Fisher: My fingers must have slipped. Thanks for the correction.

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Chevy Chase, D.C.: There are so many people in my life that echo the Alvarez story to me. Hard-working, tax-paying folks for Honduras and San Salvador, to name two countries I am particularly aware of. I don't know if they are legal or not (and I have no intention of asking) ... but I think they deserve to stay. It is these kinds of people that have made America the country that it is. They provide the life blood to an aging complacent population. I really think we need this sort of people more than they need us.

Marc Fisher: I don't know that we need such people--I'd far rather that some of those jobs go to people who were born here who have been displaced from jobs that have been shipped overseas. But to the extent that our economy has always depended on new immigrants and that many natives are not willing to do the often-difficult physical labor that immigrants handle, I see your point.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I am literally a Mayflower descendant, and can prove it if you are interested, but I really and truly wish all those opposed to undocumented immigrants had been born into those immigrants' situations. They would have a very different view of the situation.

Marc Fisher: Send me the proof, you illegal you.

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Washington, D.C.: Good afternoon, Marc. I have two questions about Ira Mehlman's position as expressed in your column "Deporting a Model Noncitizen." According to your column, Mr. Mehlman "suggests scrapping the law that grants citizenship to anyone born on our soil." First, did Mr. Mehlman give any indication of whether he wanted to "scrap" the whole Fourteenth Amendment, or just the clause granting citizenship to anyone born in the Unite States? Second, Mehlman sounds like a German name. If we do scrap the automatic-citizenship clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, should we start by deporting Mr. Mehlman?

Marc Fisher: Just the part that guarantees citizenship to anyone born on our soil. That seems to me a position so extreme that it calls into question the rest of his stances on immigration; eliminating birthright citizenship would certainly make things easier for the government, but it would so drastically change the nature of American citizenship that our identity in the world, already diminished, would suffer terribly. What keeps this country a leader in innovation and higher education is the hope that we extend to folks who come here knowing that their children will be Americans.

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Immigration: Surely a dilemma, but I'm curious about what wasn't mentioned in your piece. Why wasn't she more vigilant about checking on her hearing date? Seems to me that should have been paramount to her. Maybe not checking every day or even every week, but once a month? If getting to stay legally in the U.S. is her priority, is it too much to ask that she keep on top of that?

Marc Fisher: Right--that's the big flaw in her argument. If she were really intent on doing the right thing once she got here, she'd have made it her business to follow the immigration procedures by the book.

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Gainesville, Fla.: Hey Marc,

I'll be back home over the holidays and plan on going by the Florida Avenue market. Where is this suprememly delicious Italian sub sold there?

Marc Fisher: A. Litteri, a glorious bit of Italy tucked away in the D.C. wholesale market--very much open to all, not just wholesalers.

http://www.litteris.com/

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washingtonpost.com: Deporting a Model Noncitizen ( Post, Dec. 7)

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Your Wreaths for Veterans' Cemeteries article...: was wonderful, Marc. Thank you so much for letting me and thousands of others know about it. I e-mailed copies to friends across the country and will send hard copies with my Christmas card to older relatives with no computer access.

Could your producer post a link so that anyone who missed it the first time could also enjoy it.

washingtonpost.com: 'Rest easy, sleep well my brothers. Know the line has held, your job is done.' (Post, Dec. 3)

Marc Fisher: Thanks very much--huge reaction to Sunday's column. Should be quite a crowd of volunteers out there next week at Arlington.

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Annapolis, Md.: Here's hoping the D.C. Council takes notes on the Annapolis Market House debacle before it destroys a working market. After bravura displays of managerial incompetence, we now have a market house with half the number of vendors and double the prices. Now,it is literally the same cost to sit down in a neighboring restaurant and eat lunch as it is to buy in the market house. Maybe you guys will get something equally useless.

Marc Fisher: Thanks--sounds like it's worth a visit if only for some instruction on how not to do it.

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Arlington, Va.: Just to let you know, the neighbors who still had their Halloween lights up took them down after you posted my comment! Now I'm waiting to see if they put up Christmas lights at all and if they put them up, how long they stay up.

Marc Fisher: We aim to serve.

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Stupidity aloft: The story about the flight from DCA to DFW that had to make an emergency landing because a passenger was striking matches just floored me. Each time I think I have seen the ultimate in stupidity, something like this happens and leaves my jaw hanging open. That woman should get a bill from the airline for the extra fuel, the landing fee at BNA, and whatever additional costs were incurred.

The fact that she was not charged also leaves me amazed. Since when is stupidity a "get out of jail free" card?

washingtonpost.com: Lit Matches Prompt Emergency Landing ( Post, Dec. 7)

Marc Fisher: You're right, she should receive an invoice in the mail, but at the very least, some good public shaming is in order, so spread that story widely.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc -- Once again we have another tragic accident and death involving a teenager driving an SUV. When are these stupid parents going to realize that an SUV is just too much vehicle for an inexperienced 16-year-old to be driving? Yes, I've heard all the arguments about different kids having different driving skill levels and "I know what's best for my child". Once again, the parents were obviously wrong. Your thoughts?

Marc Fisher: I have to move into pig-headed blowhard mode on this one: I don't think there's any possible excuse for 16-year-olds driving, period. I say this as the father of a 15 year, 11-month old who isn't going near a steering wheel for many months to come. The only reason we let 16 year olds on the road is for the convenience of parents who are sick and tired of shuttling their kids around, and that is a really lame excuse.

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Washington, D.C.: I think the article about the group home and the immigrant mother both are issues about government employees following the law (which is better than we had before Tony Williams). Immigration spokesman Dean Boyd seems pretty happy to say he's just following the law because he can overlook the fact that he's ruining, absolutely destroying the family's lives.

Those local D.C. officials felt like they, too were following fire laws and regs.

But it's the holiday season, and if you can't stop seeing the letter of the law and see the larger impact, you are truly blind.

Marc Fisher: One word: Discretion.

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Arlington, Va.: I am saddened and outraged by Marina's story. Thank you so much for bringing this to the public's attention. I know that rational, compassionate immigration reform will take time (let's hope the new Congress will show some courage next year), but what I want to know is how we can help Marina and her family NOW. Do they need financial support? In-kind contributions? More representation for her appeal? Connections with higher-ups who have a heart and don't just recite simplistic legal codes? Please let us know. Thanks!

Marc Fisher: I've had a number of requests for info on how to help Marina Alvarez; since she's in detention, it's hard to communicate with her, but I'm asking her lawyer for information on that and hope to have an answer for you shortly.

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Crystal City, Va.: Marc, you wrote "... many natives are not willing to do the often-difficult physical labor that immigrants handle ..." This is false! Many natives are not willing to do these jobs for sub-minimum wages, but if the supply of cheap and illegal labor is restricted employers will be forced to raise wages to realistic levels.

Marc Fisher: I hope you're right about that, but I'm not yet persuaded.

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washingtonpost.com: A. Litteri, Inc.

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19th and L St., NW, Washington, D.C.: Re the comment from the Mayflower descendant: I know that hundreds of thousands of these illegals come from abhorrent situations, but I hold that it is not up to the United States to solve the sins and shortcomings of the rest of the world. For two examples of why this is a bad idea, I give you Vietnam and Iraq.

Marc Fisher: I'll agree that many of our foreign adventures are foolish in concept or failures in execution, but I think the evidence is pretty good that the immigrants we get out of those adventures do generally wonderful things for our country--the Vietnamese are an excellent example of that phenomenon.

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Bowie, Md.: Regarding the illegal immigrant's children. You said they will become wards of the state, but can't she take her children with her? She said she did not want to, but in the absence of her giving custudy to someone in the U.S., why can't the gov't have her take her kids with her? And when the kids are old enough, to come back to the states.

Marc Fisher: Of course she could take her kids with her, but she says she won't do that, because they wouldn't get a decent education in Salvador, because they don't speak Spanish and because they are Americans, born and raised in this culture, this language, with friends and so on here. So the legal distinction between mother--illegal immigrant--and children--U.S. citizens--means a real dilemma for the rest of us.

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Maryland: I lived south of the border for three years and had the opportunity to observe Latin American culture up close. What sticks in my mind the most is that the rule of law in many of those countries is inconsistently applied, if at all applied, and corruption, graft, and use of one's official position for personal enrichment the commonplace, if not the norm. Could it be that so many illegals come here with little or no respect for the rule of law, since they've never seen it operate equitably or honestly in their native lands, and therefore regard it as something to be ignored or disregarded?

Marc Fisher: Makes sense to me. That doesn't relieve them of their obligation to learn and follow our laws and expectations, but it perhaps explains some of what we're witnessing.

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N.W. D.C.: Marc -- I have a question concerning steam vents downtown. Why -- outside the FBI Building and near Judiciary Square (but on the Penn Ave side) -- do the steam vents in the street exhale evil smelling steam?

I'm just suspicious as it seems a bit curious this happens around distinctly federal or city buildings, but none of the private office buildings seem affected?

Marc Fisher: Now you want sweet-smelling steam emerging from the bowels of the big city's underground? Demanding crowd, huh?

If stuff is going to come up from the underworld, I want it to be foul, vile, revolting stuff--preferably slime green.

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McLean, Va.:"That seems to me a position so extreme that it calls into question the rest of his stances on immigration; eliminating birthright citizenship would certainly make things easier for the government, but it would so drastically change the nature of American citizenship that our identity in the world, already diminished, would suffer terribly."

The U.S. is relatively unusual in granting citizenship to (almost) all children of foreign nationals on U.S. soil, so I doubt our reputation would suffer too much. Outside the Americas in fact, 'jus solis' citizenship is quite unusual.

I am adamantly opposed to changing the 14th amendment, though.

Marc Fisher: But it's exactly that unusual status that helps define us as a country apart from others, as a place with higher ideals, a beacon of hope. Don't we need more of that, not less?

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Madison, Wisc.: In the corporate world we usually try to solve for a problem across an operational horizon of some number of relevant years. If we applied that kind of thinking to our immigration conundrum, we would have to account for the fact, for instance, that we will need immigrants to attend our aging population. It would be instructive to those in the "Deport Them All" camp to visit and elder care facility to see who is caring for our seniors.

Marc Fisher: Very interesting--though again, it would be nice to think that that growth slice of the economy could provide work for native-born Americans displaced by technological change and globalization.

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Downtown: Marc,

Are you sitting near Gene Wang? Tell him to answer my fantasy football questions (pick on of Rhodes, Jacobs and D. Williams). It's important. Seriously. And what's up with all the Gene's at the Post anyway? You never meet any in real life.

Thanks for your help.

Marc Fisher: Due to budget cuts, all of the Genes at the paper have been merged. You will therefore find somewhat sluggish response to your comments made to Weingarten, Wang, Robinson and others. Please be patient with us as we merge some of our bylines for your future reading pleasure. The Bob project is slightly delayed because of the size of the endeavor.

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Devil's Advocate, Va.: About Fairfax County's brief ban on home-cooked meals distributed at shelters.

It's easy to find stories about rather disturbed individuals who are discovered to be keeping dozens, or hundreds of animals in their homes. Usually, the animals are in awful shape, the house is covered in critter-droppings, and it's a bad situation for everyone involved.

Now, suppose one of these "pet-collectors" decides to do something nice for the homeless this holiday season and prepare a nice, home-cooked meal for the folks at their local shelter.

I think I can see where a problem might arise here.

Marc Fisher: And you think that isn't already happening at some of the top-dollar restaurants in town?

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Chevy Chase, D.C.: Sorry I signed on late today. RE immigration issues:

I lived in El Paso ten plus years ago. Every nanny and yard man in town was an 'illegal' who walked across from Juarez every day. The reason? They were willing to work for a lot less than U.S. citizens to mow lawns and mind kids and clean toilets. And lots and lots and lots of upstanding citizens happily employed them -- and I'm sure still do, although post-9/11 I'm sure things are tougher to just come across the bridges every day. But the bottom line is: as long as there is a demand for illegal immigrants generated by low-wage work, they will come. We have met the enemy and it is us.

Marc Fisher: Yup.

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Lost Springs, Wyo.: Looking forward to reading "Something in the Air." Why is Random House waiting until Jan 7 to release the book? There would have been holiday sales, no? Of the 100 interviews, did you hit Weasel? He was right in the middle of arguably the last great radio lineups -- 1980s WHFS. BTW, "Something in the Air" was a great early '70s rock anthem by Thunderclap Newman with Pete Townsend producing and playing bass. Good luck with the book!

Marc Fisher: Many thanks--you may be able to find some early copies of the book slipping into stores ahead of the pub date for those last-minute holiday gifts, but the idea was to avoid the mass of nonfiction published in the fall of an election year and get a fresh start for the book in the new year. Apparently, it's a strategy that's worked well in the past. We shall see.

Weasel's not in the book, sorry to say, but there are some deejays' stories from around the country that very much track the HFS experience of a station that captured the imagination of a generation of listeners and then vanished into the maw of corporate radio.

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Washington, D.C. Cab: Hi Marc,

Any idea how the metered taxi "trial" is going? Will Fenty finally take this ball and run with it?

Marc Fisher: No idea--I'll put that on the list of things to check--thanks.

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Alexandria, Va.: I'm posting late, but I think the mom is to blame. Honestly, she knew her status, and she knew that it could catch up with her someday. She had no right to have kids if she didn't consider the fact that she might have to make this decision some day.

Too bad. She broke the law. She's had this consequence hanging over her head since the day she crossed the border.

It's like the kids who are brought to the country young, brought up as Americans but end up in trouble and get deported to their home countries. They made the decision to get in trouble. The possible consequence was deportation. Get over it.

And I vote the straight Democratic ticket in every election.

Marc Fisher: I like your hard line, but you don't deal with the cost to taxpayers of taking care of those kids if she leaves them behind.

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Oakton, Va.: Better slogan:

Marc Fisher may be a pig-headed blowhard, but he is our blowhard.

Marc Fisher: I'm touched. Really.

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Marc Fisher: That kicks things in the head for today--thanks for coming along, folks. Sunday's Listener column looks at why the "progressive talk" radio format has failed to fly in Washington. More online every day on the big blog, Raw Fisher. Stay warm--watch for flurries, everybody's favorite weather phenomenon.

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