Mike Fagan’s response to criticism of the language in that e-mail is that he was not expressing himself as a city councilman; rather, he was expressing himself as a tax-fighting activist.

That raises a question: Is a councilman, or any elected official, ever NOT in his official capacity? There may have been a time when a bright line separated the official with the personal, and even a president’s personal foibles weren’t subject to public scrutiny. But that time predates the Hula-Hoop.

But a council position is supposedly a part-time job, and Fagan was a political activist before he was an elected official. So giving him the benefit of the argument, the issue may boil down to this: Is there a time when it’s OK for a political activist to call a governor – any governor – “a lying whore”?

Feel free to enter an opinion by clicking on the comment link.

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