Decorum

Three of Charlotte's finest came rushing down the slope with all the urgency that might accompany a hazardous materials leak. Within moments, one male spectator found himself being led away swiftly from the Quail Hollow Championship's 17th green. When the man's buddy stood up to complain, the other officers descended for a round of sharp conversation. "Do you want to give Charlotte a bad reputation?" one officer asked, cutting off the man's response to ask the question again.

The truth is that the only thing worse than a Republican is a Republican bully with an obvious anger issue. The reference is to Anne Arundel County Councilman John Grasso, who took some joy in berating some of the voters at North County High School who stood in line on Election Day ("Arundel councilman said to bully early voters," Nov. 14). Mr. Grasso, with all due respect, keep in mind that we live in a civilized society where juvenile behavior like yours is simply not acceptable.

MEMBERS OF Congress haven't been playing House nicely. That's the conclusion of a new Congressional Research Service report which not only details the drastic decline in decorum on the floor, but also suggests new House rules cracking down on partisan warriors.Leaders on both sides of the aisle say they're taking the comity breakdown seriously, but true to form in one of the most contentious Congresses in recent memory, the two parties can't agree on who's to blame.Democrats charge they are being gagged by a GOP majority intent on flexing its new muscle; Republicans insist that Democrats have poisoned floor debate by launching orchestrated attacks on Speaker Newt Gingrich, Republican of Georgia.

I am a supporter of the constitutional right of all citizens to redress their grievances by virtue of the guarantees for freedom of assembly. However, those rights don't trump the right of other citizens to have free access to their workplace and to not be harassed in their goings and comings. To not have commerce interrupted by demonstrations. Persons have a right to expect to have a clean and threat free area surrounding their business or home. Allowing this type of activity to go on unabated for days and weeks is bowing to threats.

IT'S HARD TO PASS BY A man in a bow tie and not hold your gaze a little longer than usual. The ultra-traditional look says that this man cares not so much about fashion as he does about real style. It also indicates, somehow, a gentleman's nature, a concern for courtesy, chivalry and proper decorum. WONDERING IF YOU WERE GLIMPSED? Check out baltimoresun.com / glimpsed for additional photos of fashion-forward locals and a critique by fashion writer Tanika White of the styles she saw around town.

The truth is that the only thing worse than a Republican is a Republican bully with an obvious anger issue. The reference is to Anne Arundel County Councilman John Grasso, who took some joy in berating some of the voters at North County High School who stood in line on Election Day ("Arundel councilman said to bully early voters," Nov. 14). Mr. Grasso, with all due respect, keep in mind that we live in a civilized society where juvenile behavior like yours is simply not acceptable.

Here is an excerpt of an editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published Friday.MARTHA STEWART is on a roll. For those of you who have not been keeping score, Ms. Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, went public last week on the same day as the World Wrestling Federation Entertainment.The initial public offerings of two very public companies -- with very different views of public decorum -- immediately turned into a bit of a contest in media coverage.Round One went to Ms. Stewart, whose company's stock began at $18 a share and shot up to more than $35 at close on Oct. 19.The WWF had a first day that would have been a success if Ms. Stewart hadn't been in the ring.

DALLAS -- Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson said he started wearing a tie last season so he could pull on it and remain calm when he got upset with officiating. This season, he knows he better hold on for dear life because of the stricter bench decorum rules in the Southwest Conference and tougher National Collegiate Athletic Association rules punishing unruly coaches."I am going to have to keep my mouth shut so I don't get thrown out of games," Richardson said."They are going to have to give coaches Valium before the games," Texas coach Tom Penders said with a chuckle.

I am a supporter of the constitutional right of all citizens to redress their grievances by virtue of the guarantees for freedom of assembly. However, those rights don't trump the right of other citizens to have free access to their workplace and to not be harassed in their goings and comings. To not have commerce interrupted by demonstrations. Persons have a right to expect to have a clean and threat free area surrounding their business or home. Allowing this type of activity to go on unabated for days and weeks is bowing to threats.

From suicide and scandal to Robert E. Bauman's coming out of the closet, Maryland's 1st Congressional District has had its share of eye-opening moments. But at least throughout the years, the various congressional candidates have maintained a reasonable decorum - until now, that is. Never before has a 1st District Republican primary had a greater and more repugnant ado about little more than the misleading mailings and TV ads that have plagued the electorate for months.

Three of Charlotte's finest came rushing down the slope with all the urgency that might accompany a hazardous materials leak. Within moments, one male spectator found himself being led away swiftly from the Quail Hollow Championship's 17th green. When the man's buddy stood up to complain, the other officers descended for a round of sharp conversation. "Do you want to give Charlotte a bad reputation?" one officer asked, cutting off the man's response to ask the question again.

T here was the Maryland judge who was accused of letting the air out of a janitor's tires. And the one who ordered a spectator to jail for 10 days because she had called out "love you" to her handcuffed brother. How about the judge who was found to have paid for sex with a prostitute in his chambers? Ostensibly, they are embodiments of probity, stern arbiters of right and wrong, evenhanded enforcers of the law. But sometimes the things judges say and do get them into as much hot water as the defendants awaiting judgment before them.

From suicide and scandal to Robert E. Bauman's coming out of the closet, Maryland's 1st Congressional District has had its share of eye-opening moments. But at least throughout the years, the various congressional candidates have maintained a reasonable decorum - until now, that is. Never before has a 1st District Republican primary had a greater and more repugnant ado about little more than the misleading mailings and TV ads that have plagued the electorate for months.

IT'S HARD TO PASS BY A man in a bow tie and not hold your gaze a little longer than usual. The ultra-traditional look says that this man cares not so much about fashion as he does about real style. It also indicates, somehow, a gentleman's nature, a concern for courtesy, chivalry and proper decorum. WONDERING IF YOU WERE GLIMPSED? Check out baltimoresun.com / glimpsed for additional photos of fashion-forward locals and a critique by fashion writer Tanika White of the styles she saw around town.

FIFTY-THREE OF US decided recently to pool our trash cash for a venture into the poor man's stock market. Maryland's Mega Millions was at $145 million, and we used our $2 shares of investment capital to garner 106 chances of being instant multimillionaires. That all of us were teachers, facing the drag days of the fourth quarter, only sweetened the plot. We joked and laughed at the naysayers who scoffed at our chances, advising that we had better odds of being struck by lightning while being attacked by sharks than of winning the millions in that pot of gold.

LONDON -- Compared with national elections in the United States, Britain's parliamentary contests have been relatively civil affairs, with issues debated more than personalities and attacks waged on policy proposals but rarely on candidates. This time around is different. As Prime Minister Tony Blair seeks a third term in Thursday's election, his Conservative opponent, Michael Howard, has gone on an attack as fierce as any in memory here, branding him a "liar" undeserving of a third term, which would be a record for a Labor Party leader.

NO ONE has yet asked me what I did in the Great War, but with all of the 50-year anniversaries of this or that turning point, perhaps one or another of our curious grandkids will get around to it. Allowing their be-ribboned merchant marine grandfather a priority on his deeds of valor, I can reveal that Grandmother, too, was active in the worldwide struggle.I'll show them the trappings of my fearless wartime calling -- badge, arm band, whistle, helmet and gas mask. I was an air raid warden.

FIFTY-THREE OF US decided recently to pool our trash cash for a venture into the poor man's stock market. Maryland's Mega Millions was at $145 million, and we used our $2 shares of investment capital to garner 106 chances of being instant multimillionaires. That all of us were teachers, facing the drag days of the fourth quarter, only sweetened the plot. We joked and laughed at the naysayers who scoffed at our chances, advising that we had better odds of being struck by lightning while being attacked by sharks than of winning the millions in that pot of gold.

The University of Maryland, College Park will not adopt rules to punish unruly fans but will instead encourage better behavior through initiatives such as T-shirt trade-ins and contests that reward non-profane signs, school officials said yesterday. But if students continue to chant profanities or act inappropriately at athletic events -- as they did during a nationally televised basketball game last winter -- the university will impose new disciplinary measures, officials said. "Students have the chance to police themselves," said Michael Lipitz, associate athletic director.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is mostly stupid and tasteless, which makes it no different from 98 percent of what passes for comedies these days. But it's also pointed and satiric. Best of all, one must hasten to admit, it's pretty funny. A slap at all things pompous and mean-spirited, Dodgeball takes a sport we all played as kids - admit it, you were one of the kids everyone else ganged up on, right? - and uses it as an equalizer, a chance for the downtrodden to emerge victorious, against both great odds and common sense.