Scorn is back!

Spokane mayor Jim West

After making an abrubt depature in the feel-good '70s, scorn has made a comeback in a big way in the new Millenium.

Some say it started with the eleciton of George W. Bush in 2000, but with the rise of reality TV in the past few years, the fine craft of derision reached a new plateau.

Finger-wagging made a splash in the great Northwest last month, when Spokane, Washington Mayor James West was accused of child molestation. And tsk-tsk-ing rose to a cacophonous crescendo when it was reported West attempted to bribe men he met online with government jobs.

"This man -- whether he's straight, bisexual, or gay -- deserves nothing but scorn," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C. "He needs to resign immediately."

Thanks, James. We forget how much fun it was to judge people!