"Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too." I can't believe Nixon said that...

I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed finding out Mark Felt was Deep Throat. I'm not disappointed that it happened, I'm disappointed that it seems like I'm the only person under the age of 30 that even cares. To quote my wife: "You mean, the porno movie?" Nah, I mean the most important investigative story of the last 50 years.

And, I don't care what G. Gordon Liddy says, Deep Throat did what he did cause he had to did what he had to did. (In fact, if Mr. Liddy were an African-American, not only would he not have his own radio show right now — he wouldn't even be allowed to vote. You know, that's what happens when you're a convicted criminal.)

Watergate — and, by proxy Deep Throat — is the shining example of what good can come from freedom of the press. And, coincidentally, is exactly why the last 10 years have worried me terribly. And, not surprisingly, it concerns me that more people my age don't understand — nay, care — about this issue.

They should.

You know why? It's cause Watergate couldn't happen now. Deep Throat couldn't happen now. Thanks to Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh, your average American is already distrustful of the president — based upon which oversized windbag they listen too — and, not coincidentally, already distrustful of the source.

If Clinton or Bush had done somethig as bad as Nixon and CRP, people would've screamed LIBERAL BIAS! RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY! Now, I'm sure The Washington Post got some of that back in the 70s, but it's so prevelant now, that you can't avoid it.

People get their news now from sources that agree with them and their point of view. Which is dangerous. And, if the news doesn't agree with your viewpoint ... well, then obviously the source of this news is biased against you. It's simple as that. Say you don't like Fox News. So, whenever they say something positive about Bush — or negative about a Democrat — then obviously they are biased against liberals and pro-conservatives. This works in both directions. And both sides are guilty.

Sadly, this is what would happen today if something as serious as Watergate were to happen today. In fact, it already has happened — twice. Whitewater and the WMD.

It's too bad more people didn't have the strength and resolve of Mark Felt. It's too bad people want to label him a traitor. Cause, I'm sure, if Deep Throat would've gone through traditional channels, Watergate would've been solved — eventually. The fact of the matter is, the information Felt leaked was information the FBI already had. So, if the FBI had all of this information and didn't act on it to indict Nixon and his cronies ... anyway, perhaps they couldn't — or were stopped.

That much we may never know, and, thankfully, because of Mark Felt, we won't have to.

If it weren't for my sense of style, I'd have absolutely no cents at all ...

Forget for a moment that living in a metro area — really, in the core of the metro area — has tons of perks. Nightlife, great places to eat, the ability to walk wherever you want, no dependence on a car, etc. Forget all of that. And remember, that the worst part of downtown living is dealing with the people.

First, the up-tight professionals who drift in for their shift and speed out when it's done. You know, the ones that tie up all the streets, take all of the good parking places, rush all of the restaurants en masse and then go home to suburbia and complain about every aspect of downtown. It's crowded, it's tied up, it's slow, it's poor. They go home and forget that those problems are created in part by a commuter culture. On Saturday, I can park wherever I want, wait 2 minutes or less for my food and basically get the run of the entire city for as long as I'd like.

Second, the people who live downtown. You know, the ones with the false sense of entitlement. The ones that think: "Hey, when all you suburbanites leave, us yuppies can do whatever we want." They are the ones who pay $250,000 for a one-bedroom apartment beside the railroad tracks just so they can say they live in the heart of the city. The ones who say "I've always supported the inner-core." Say what you want about the 'burbs, but at least you're congenial with your next door neighbor. I've lived in the same place for 10 months, and I haven't spoken a word with any of my 8 neighbors. I've said hello in passing and have done my best part to be considerate and what not. But, to no avail. I've spoken to one person in this building at length ... and I work with her.

Third, the out-of-town visitors. You know, the ones that wouldn't speak one word to me — nay, look me in the eye in passing — until they can't find the convention center. The ones with Kansas license plates that roll up their windows air-tight in fear of being car-jacked. The people who come downtown cause they want to experience the life — in the daylight, of course. Kansas City being the largest city in the area, we attract a fair number of curiosity seekers. But usually just before 6 p.m. That's when the "gays" come out and it's time to leave the den of sin.

Fourth, the homeless people. You know, the ones that spark the fear of God into the three types of people listed above. They are why the commuters don't live downtown. They are why the yuppies don't talk to anyone else. They are why the visitors roll up their windows and lock their doors. And for what? 50 cents? Is there anything in the world more stupid? Being afraid of giving someone something that you don't even think about until you need to suck down some carbonated beverage, is ridiculous. And, what happnes if that guy happens to be African-American ... forget it. That guy? He's not out to get 50 cents, he wants your wallet and will resort to violence to get it. He's got to feed his apparent crack addiction. Obviously. Forget his alcohol dependency and total disregard for outward appearance. That guy? He's what could happen to all of us.

Fifth, the person who hates all of the above people because he's afraid he could become anyone of them at any moment in time without any warning.

Forget all of that.

We are all part of the problem.