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Mark Grant of Fresno responds with a couple of his own protests to my skewering of Alan Autry's decision to forgo a suit and tie until lawmakers put Gov. Schwarzenegger's water bond on the ballot.

Here's Grant's "the list is endless!" e-mail: "I'm not reading your column anymore until Pat Hill gets the 'Dogs into a BCS bowl . . . I'm not paying my city taxes anymore until the Genesis house across the street from me is sold to an honest non-profit organization."

Thanks, Mark, but I bet you keeping reading my column. Giving it up is harder than mothballing a brown suit.

Update: Gary Sellers chimes in with his protest.

"Add me to your list of local protests. We are staffed at 38 to 1 here at Roosevelt HS and regularly have 40+ in classrooms sooooooooooooooooooo -- I REFUSE TO GRADE ANY MORE PAPERS UNTIL FUSD REDUCES CLASS SIZES AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL. Whew! That's better. If you need me I'm playing 18 holes at the local muni. Go Bubba!

Brian Baker, professor and librarian at San Joaquin College of Law, was in Portland recently and wrote this must-read opinion piece. Like me, Baker is an avid cyclist.

"I'm writing this from Portland, Ore., where I'm attending the American Association of Law Libraries annual convention. I've never done more in Portland than drive through on my way somewhere else. For years I've heard wonderful things about the city, but I never made it a priority to visit.

"I'm certainly glad I did this time.

"I see a lot of Fresno in Portland. More accurately, I see a lot of what Fresno could become in Portland -- assuming mistakes can be corrected, and future mistakes avoided. The single biggest thing that Portland does exceedingly well, and that Fresno does miserably, is public transit.

"Portland's interlocking systems of light rail, streetcars, and buses, should be a model for the future of the Fresno and Clovis communities. In a large swath of the downtown area this public transportation is free as well.

"With the cost of gasoline skyrocketing and pinching the wallets of most, the Fresno and Clovis areas must start looking to providing better public transportation options. Such options would reduce the economic strain on many citizens, and provide an infrastructure appealing to future business growth in the area.

"What I envision is light rail from Old Town Clovis to downtown Fresno, via the airport, train stations and Convention Center. In addition, I would suggest streetcar lines on many of the major north/south arteries, and well-coordinated bus routes on the east/west arteries. This type of grid would put most local citizens within easy reach of the service.

I"f you then add in areas of free public transportation -- Fresno's downtown and Tower District as examples -- and the whole light rail line from the major transportation/entertainment areas to the two downtowns, and you have an innovative project that would go a long way to reducing the impact of the economy on many people in the local area, as well as impacting, for the good, the region's air quality issues. It would also be a strong enticement to businesses for potential relocation to the area.

"Portland's downtown is thriving. Much of that seems to be because of the ease of access and the free public transportation options in their downtown. This type of system could do the same for Fresno's downtown, too.

"Many people might think that this type of system is more appropriate for Portland because they think Portland is a bigger city. It's not.

"According to Wikipedia.com, Portland's population is estimated at 568,380. The combined estimated population of Fresno and Clovis is 578,385.

"Now is the time for the Fresno and Clovis politicians to come together, with the help of regional, state, and federal planners and dollars, to develop a plan like this and implement it immediately.

"The citizenry needs the help now. The costs will only rise. To not act now would be imprudent, at best.

On the net: The tabloid New York Post has the scoop on how Michael Phelps will really strike gold.

It's nearly 11 minutes long, but you have to check out Keith Olbermann's rant on John McCain's campaign. It ends with Olbermann imploring McCain to "grow up."

Laugh of the Day: "John Edwards, presidential aspirant and author of the famed claim that there are two Americas, was apparently only faithful to his wife in one of them. Apparently he didn't realize that the National Enquirer had reporters stationed in the other America, where he was, in fact, banging his videographer." -- Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show"

Quote of the Day: "Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."
-- George Washington