Mayor Bates has:

1) Committed theft of a thousand or so papers because they endorsed his political opponent.
2) Told his political allies, who conspired to keep quiet about it.
3) Lied about whether or not he did it.
4) Tried to keep students from reading something he disagreed with.
5) Only apologized when he was caught.

How can this be considered 'a strike against him?' This is a combination of larceny, lying, arrogance, and censorship. And yet his political allies are going to defend him, when anybody else doing this would've been hung from the highest tree.

Bates' strongest political ally in the run up to the election, Councilmember Kriss Worthington, called the newspapers' destruction "stupid behavior." But Worthington stood by Bates.

"Getting rid of the mayor because of this would basically be the same as capital punishment," Worthington said.

Way to be ideologically pure, Mr. Worthington. And bravo on the analogy. The hypocrisy of the Progressives in advocating Free Speech but standing behind their man is blatant. This is especially so in a Candidate who presented himself as an honest, nonpartisan alternative to the dirty, anything-goes battle of Berkeley politics.

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