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Today's editorial in the Fresno Bee (brace yourself):

City Hall's sandbox
Duncan's childishly offensive e-mail is part of a larger problem.

(Published Saturday, August 16, 2003, 6:05 AM)

The recent eruption over offensive e-mail exchanges involving some Fresno City Council members sets up a tug-of-war between outrage and apathy.

Outrage, because the content of some of the e-mails is so abhorrent -- particularly one from Council Member Jerry Duncan wistfully musing that with "one dirty bomb ... I could eliminate all the liberals in Fresno at once."

Apathy, because such childishness has become so commonplace at City Hall that it's harder and harder to summon the energy to object.

Duncan shrugged it off as an attempt at humor, and issued one of the emptiest apologies in recent memory for the comment. But less well-placed people around the country have gone to jail for making such threatening remarks.

Duncan's role at the center of this flap should surprise no one. His behavior as a member of the council has ranged from arrogant to boorish to sophomoric. That's sad, because he is capable of insights that could help the city, if he didn't have such a problem playing well with the other children.

Some of those other children on the council need to straighten up themselves, including Brian Calhoun, Duncan's playmate in some of the recent offenses. And one of those egregious e-mail offenses was committed by one of Calhoun's aides -- though it's hardly surprising to see subordinates mimic the behavior, however distatsteful, of their bosses.

But it starts at the top, and the people in the districts these "leaders" were elected to represent deserve better. All of Fresno deserves better.

Duncan and Calhoun are by no means the only culprits on the council, despite the fact that some of their colleagues have met this latest farce with unconvincing protestations of innocence.

The entire council is capable of the most astounding pettiness and narrow-mindedness, at a time when Fresno needs the qualities of vision and leadership as much as it has in its entire history.

Will it ever get better, or are we condemned to watching these and subsequent "leaders" plumb ever greater depths?