Tolerance

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bob Dole amplified yesterday his proposal to change the Republican Party platform on abortion in a way that surprised his own advisers and infuriated the leading conservatives who only days ago had praised his effort to smooth over internal party fractures on the issue.Dole said in a television interview that he would argue for the prominent display of a "declaration of tolerance" he proposed last week, in a move to appeal to elements of the party that support abortion rights without alienating anti-abortion groups.

Howard County's "worst hate crime" in recent memory may have proved to be a fraud, but it still illustrates how the county's struggle with racism has not gone away.Howard police say a North Laurel woman now admits staging the April racial attack to collect insurance money. But the community's unquestioning outpouring of support for the alleged victim suggests that residents -- while surprised by the incident's apparent viciousness -- have little trouble believing that racial divisions exist in the county.

Baltimore schools chief Robert Booker announced last night that the system will assume a "zero-tolerance" standard for disruptive student behavior.Booker hopes the new policy will help rein in Southern High School -- where violent and unruly students and nonstudents have made the school year chaotic -- and prevent other schools from losing control.The rules, Booker says, will be simple:Start a fire, and you're out.Assault a teacher or another student, and you're out.Destroy school property, and you're out.Disruptive behavior will automatically be met with suspension, assignment to an alternative school or expulsion.

This is an especially happy church. Laughing congregants arrive in jeans, clutching small children and gigantic coffee mugs. When the children are comfortable and the coffee finished, and the rock band that opens the Sunday morning service finds its groove, the swaying people reach their hands upward, as though expecting a high-five from on high. At the very least, they might get a bear hug after the service from Brian McLaren, the man at the center of Cedar Ridge Community Church's ebullience, and, some would say, one of the most powerful evangelical preachers in America today.

The U.S. public and the government have shown great tolerance toward Muslims after the 9/11 attacks perpetrated by Islamic extremists. However, the other side of the coin is the necessity after a terrorist attack to identify the culprits, determine their reasoning and bring them to justice. Contrary to 9/11, the current situation in Boston does not appear to be an organized assault on our citizenry and culture, as the motive behind it is yet unknown. However, initial indications are that the action was perpetrated by two Muslim brothers, one devout and the other younger and a follower.

Pollsters detect a roaring trend away from Republicans based on budget capers, also a flaming tax rebellion against Democrats. One of these trends is an illusion. Prove your tolerance. Take an incumbent to lunch.

DISAPPEAR FEAR The band disappear fear -- featuring folk musician Sonia -- is a trio dedicated to promoting tolerance through its music. It will play Broken Heart Cafe, 217 N. Washington St., Havre de Grace, Wednesday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 and are available at the cafe. For more information, call 410-939-2021.

HOMICIDE MAP--Search an interactive database that plots all of Baltimore's 2007 killings by location. baltimoresun.com/homicidemap ALSO ON BALTIMORE.COM How 'bout the weather? Early sales may have deflated some enthusiasm for the traditional post-Thanksgiving bargains this year, weakening shoppers' tolerance for long lines, clogged parking lots and early-morning crowds.

We have the uneasy feeling that City Councilwoman Sheila Dixon may have done herself a regrettable but lasting disservice with her dramatic gesture with her shoe last week. As has been amply reported, Dixon took off her shoe to dramatically underscore her statement, which was ominous enough in its own right: "You've been running things for the last 20 years. Now the shoe is on the other foot. See how you like it."By "you" she meant her white colleagues on the Baltimore City Council. Dixon's sense of indignation is, no doubt, rooted in demonstrable injustice in the past.

The student: Kiran Harding, 13 School: Clarksville Middle Special achievement: First-place winner in the Young Authors writing contest sponsored by the State of Maryland International Reading Association Council for his poem "The River of Faith," which explores issues of multiculturalism, religion and world peace. His inspiration: Reading a newspaper article about Pope John Paul II's visit to Israel in March 2000, Kiran says, he became fascinated with the idea of religions being at odds with one another in the Holy Land.