Hey Cap, good to see you on the GA board!! (GA is my second home, btw). I seriously doubt the under-35 crowd will *ever* get off their asses, since civics, personal responsibility, and a genuine understanding and appreciation of the Constitution aren't taught well in the public schools anymore. Instead, it's my belief that as long as coming generations of kids are brainwashed into believing that issues of safety and protection are to be left soley to the government, they will continue to forfeit their Consitutional rights to powergrabbing politicans of both political parties for hte sake of "safety" and "protection of their children". By nature I'm a strong libertarian -- I believe that BOTH the GOP *and* the Dems have caused MAJOR damage to the protection of our Constitutional rights in this Republic, by turning almost every issue into a democratic Majority Rules vote, rather than respecting the rule of law above and beyond what an insistent Majority demands.

As to the House GOP takeover after 1994: Having worked on the Hill for a long time (for both Dems and GOP Members), I can say with complete certainty that *all* politicians guard their turfs very jealously. That includes state reps and state senators, who have *never* appreciated Members of Congress meddling in the affairs of state gov't. Those very same state governments have only recently been trending (slightly) GOP -- the Dems having held the majority of state legislatures and governorships throughout the 90's, when the crackdowns facilitated by state and local police began. Add to that that most city governments are still Dem party strongholds, and I can comfortably say that anti-gay crackdowns have been egged on over the years by city, county and state politicans of *both* parties. They're not answering the call of Congress -- they answering the call of insecure, panicky parents who can't control their kids's web surfing habits, further fueled by the media hype generated by the 6 o'clock news ratings-whores hyping and exaggerating stories of dirty old men lurking in public bathrooms and parks. I refuse to surrender myself to the dictatorship of nervous parents and, as if we're ALL somehow responsible for babysitting their kids 24/7.

I also have little, if any, respect left for party politics and the politicians of both major parties -- out of principle I brand myself a Libertarian, as I refuse to surrender my rights (as much as I can resist it) to either the conservative bible thumpers *or* the liberal big government nannies -- both have done major damage to our Constitutional rights, and the dumbing down of education these days will ensure that little protest will ever likely follow as more and more Americans feel they need to somehow be 'taken care of' and 'protected' by the government.

BTW, it's bitchin' to see I'm not the only Eagle troublemaker! I definitely agree with you regarding the two (or more) wacky worlds that haunt the mind of the Eagle's owner. A truly (and sadly) messed up dude. It's too bad that the city is going through an EXTENDED anti-fun/anti-cruise/anti-bar period -- the DC Eagle *NEEDS* competition; Competition is a GOOD thing, and keeps the bar owners on their toes. As long as that half-baked dude sits (and shits) on the only game in town, the Eagle will continue its slide into the toilet.