Zing! - What a way to end a column, Joan. She certainly knows how to paint John Silber -- the chancellor of Boston University who recently shut down the gay-straight alliance at an affiliated prep school -- in an unfavorable light.

Vennochi's column also points out one of the recurring features of the political scene -- father-and-son pairs who take opposites of the gay rights debate. (Son is invariably The Gay.) Such a shame to take the family tragedy of homophobia and turn it out into the public. Right, Pete?