THE TRIBUNE'S VIEW
Thomas Eagleton
By HENRY J. WATERS III, Publisher, Columbia Daily Tribune
An old friend went his way last weekend. Sure, I call Tom Eagleton a friend. We literally grew up together in public affairs and politics, he as a world-renowned practitioner, I as a mere observer lucky enough to cross tracks with the budding achiever early in his career.

JOHN DARKOW CARTOON

Lobbyists’ gifts are a red herring
By J. SCOTT CHRISTIANSON
In Sunday’s Tribune, an article by Jason Rosenbaum outlined the gifts, meals and other perks state legislators regularly receive from Capitol lobbyists while the General Assembly is in session. The total spent by lobbyists is impressive. The gifts buy access - legislators are a captive audience while eating a free dinner or watching a Cardinals game from a Skybox. It’s smart politics on the part of the lobbyists and the modus operandi of our state legislature.

OPEN COLUMN
Rural areas need zoning to protect quality of life
Editor, the Tribune: I grew up on the family farm in Missouri and vividly recall the terrible smell and condition of a hog lot in winter. I’m sure that a modern hog operation is not as bad, but then again, we only had to deal with the feces and urine of several dozen hogs mixed in with the mud, not several thousand on concrete.

OPEN COLUMN
Arguments for math curriculum don’t add up
Editor, the Tribune: I have been concerned with the math curriculum in the Columbia Public Schools since my son, then a fourth-grader at Fairview Elementary School, failed to learn long division four years ago. Since that time, my husband and I have communicated numerous times with teachers and school administrators without a satisfactory resolution.

OPEN COLUMN
Pot bust shatters stereotype of black First Ward dealer
Editor, the Tribune: It is my earnest hope that this community seriously pays attention to the "biggest marijuana bust in the history of the Columbia Police Department."

Phone ranger on duty
By RANDY COHEN
Each day, people are more brazen and rude with their cell phones. My husband bought a device that can block the signals of cell phone users who annoy him, although he knows such gizmos are illegal. Isn’t his vigilante behavior worse than that of the rudest cell user?

Campaign finance laws take surprise out of elections
By GEORGE WILL
In the 1920s, the Brooklyn Dodgers finished in sixth place seven times in eight years. Late in that unfortunate period, a droll sportswriter, noting the team’s listless play, wrote, "Overconfidence may yet cost Brooklyn sixth place."

Congress should pass clean Iraq bill
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Congress is under new leadership, but its spending priorities are still out of whack.

U.S. gives away seat at the table
By CLAUDIA ROSETT
It would be wonderful to feel warm and happy about the diplomacy now breaking out all over.

It’s too soon to tell about Giuliani buzz
By PETER BROWN
The weathervane of conventional wisdom has radically shifted on Rudy Giuliani’s presidential prospects. That’s why his current surge in the White House futures market is worth taking seriously - and with a large grain of salt.

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