Weapons-grade comedy.

• Author: Durst, Will
• Position: Off the Map - Brief Article

Comedy is defiance, a snort of contempt in the face of fear and anxiety. It's laughter that allows room for hope to creep back on the inhale. When Mel Brooks first wrote The Producers, there was a lot of handwringing over perceived sacrilege, to which he patiently explained that mocking Adolph Hitler was the ultimate insult, cutting an unfathomable ogre down to a manageable size. When the jokes work, they're a cathartic release. Still, it might be a while before we see a full-flung production of Springtime for Osama.

As President Bush said, we all have our job to do, and mine is rooting out the items emanating even the faintest ironic aroma. To wit:

* The scariest part of the Pentagon bombing is leaving the Pentagon in control of estimating its own damage repairs.

* Some airlines have announced a plan to save money by ending meal services in coach, so some good has come out of this tragedy.

* They're still asking the same stupid questions at the airport:

"Has anyone unknown to you given you an object to carry aboard?"

"Yes, Osama bin Laden gave me this.... Oh, you clever Americans with your piercing questions."

* San Francisco, where the fears of a terrorist strike have abated since it is thought planning would be severely thwarted by the fact that there's no friggin' place to park.

So, let's review. Congress cautions us to remain calm: "Don't panic. There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

Then they ditch the Capitol en masse like rats on fire leaving a sinking oil tanker with grenades strapped to their chests. Thanks, fearless leaders.

They proceed to test the dogs patrolling the Capitol grounds before agreeing to test the postal workers in the infected area. The Postmaster General pipes in long enough to tell us: "There are no guarantees in life." Well, there seem to be some guarantees, sir, and one of them is our leaders will treat us like mushrooms, keeping us in the dark while continuing to feed us crap.

** Minneapolis, where they celebrate autumn by digging deep into the freezer, pulling out the last of the mosquito filets and firing up the Weber. I like them cajun-style.

Bush's approval rating has hit 90 percent, the highest ever recorded for a...