This is the season for the city council elections in our town. It's about neighbors stepping up to serve and making this a better place for all of us. There's no discussion about whether the candidates are Democrats, Republicans, Greens or Libertarians. And campaigns are run on a shoestring with door-to-door campaigning, neighborhood coffees and "vote for" signs on the front lawns. No attack ads. And the televised city council meetings are civil even though members often have different views. In our town, we are all neighbors. Nice feeling.

Barbara and I are from Chicago, and both of us are cradle Democrats since most folks in our neighborhood voted the Democratic ticket. But there were enough Republicans around to stir up heated political debate in the kitchen or barroom. Talking politics was a seasonal sport, right up there with expert takes on what was wrong with the Chicago Bears.

My Chicago buddy Ken was best man at our wedding and a cradle Republican. It's been several decades since we've had a heated political slugfest verbally. Think it was in the mid-60s over a six pack of Burgie beer at his home in Pasadena. It wasn't until Hillary went to the Senate that Kenny started sending me blast-Hillary e-mails, which he thinks are "hillaryious." Since we now live at opposite ends of the state, it's not possible to have an eyeball-to-eyeball debate; it's now an e-mail-to-e-mail contest. Hillary blasts are met with pass-along Bushie barbs picked off the Internet. Nasty but funny stuff. Face-to-face debates end with a handshake, but this e-mail stuff goes on forever, fresh material by the hour. And it's starting to get ugly.

Ken and I played clarinet in the grammar school marching band. And we had many a one-on-one game in the park, workouts that helped Ken hone his skills enough to play college basketball. And he's the guy who suggested I join the Coast Guard Reserve. Smart move. Kenny and I have been friends for more than six decades but this e-mail debate is testing that relationship. Ken wants a truce. He'll abandon the Hillary blasts if I give up on the Bush jabs. Gotta think about it. Those Bushie pass-alongs really are funny. Hope that doesn't make me a terrorist sympathizer. Heaven forfend.