Remember in January, when a Republican political group mailed out "SEX OFFENDER NOTIFICATION" postcards announcing that "This violent predator lives in your community"?

As it turned out, the man pictured on the cards lived in Gig Harbor, not in Vancouver, Walla Walla or the other far-flung cities where scared residents pulled the cards from their mailboxes.

The group behind the mailing -- The Speaker's Roundtable -- said it was merely trying to make a point about how certain (Democratic) lawmakers weren't voting for tough sex-offender penalties. But as livid Democrats lined up in front of TV cameras to publicly blast the mailing ("despicable", "digusting", "bomb-throwing", "fear-mongering", "a cheap shot", "a new low", "a smear campaign" etc.), Republican lawmakers took pains to distance themselves from the group.

"What they do, they do," said House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt who, if the GOP had had a majority, would have been the very "Speaker" after which the committee is named.

What they also do, apparently, is golf. On Friday, at McCormick Woods Golf Course in Port Orchard, the Speaker's Roundtable will hold its Fairway Fundraiser. The $200-a-person game includes cart, balls, a steak-and-salmon dinner and the presence of Republican lawmakers, including DeBolt. The cash goes to, yes, the House Republican Caucus.

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