These pages have spent the past few months arguing that San Jose's ethics laws are lax. We've contended that they create a culture of permissiveness at City Hall. Today, a Mercury News editorial page investigation reveals that council member Terry Gregory appears to have violated numerous state and local ethics laws, possibly including soliciting a bribe. And if he hasn't violated the letter of the law, he has made a mockery of the spirit of ethics regulations. This is the story: In the Fall of 2003, the city of San Jose threw in the towel in its efforts to take...