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Dear Kropotkin,
Is it true that some group called the Lambs Club has convinced the Department of Transportation to spend a million dollars on a road to speed their access to peace and justice events at the Community Church?
Shocked, Chapel Hill

Dear Shocked,
Sorry, not even Joe Straley has that much clout. The proposed $1.2 million road, built to serve the fat cat sports boosters of the Rams Club, will actually connect US 15-501 with the Club's private parking lot serving the Smith Center.

Your heart really has to go out to these folks who bear the burden of the seemingly endless demands of greed. It is not enough to have the best seats in the Dean Dome and deluxe parking. A special road is required as well. And, unfortunately, unlike the fabled mermaid whose largess to the fisherman eventually reached a limit, the State of North Carolina provides an endless trough for these pigs.

Rest assured, however, that rumors that the DOT has scrapped plans for high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in favor of rich-occupancy vehicle lanes are so far unfounded. But, in North Carolina, the "good roads state," who knows...

Dear Kropotkin,
Speaking of roads, what's up with Eno Drive?
Driver, Durham

Dear Driver,
Each summer, tens of thousands gather at the Eno River Festival to support the preservation of the Eno River and to establish parklands around it. Meanwhile, a small clique of cronies gather in Raleigh in an imposing building with the word "Highways" engraved in big block letters on the front. There, they plot to build Eno Drive to despoil the river and the sensitive lands around it.

Does this sound like the set-up for a Tom Cruise thriller? Are you concerned that wildlife around the Eno will experience days of thunder as 18-wheelers rumble by? Do you worry that breathing the air in north Durham will soon be risky business?

Stopping the Eno Drive is not mission impossible. Far and away the best course of action is to contact the Eno River Association (620-9099) or No-Build Alternative (477-8102). These groups can definitely use a few good men (and women) in their efforts to educate the DOT that green is more than the color of money.

Dear Kropotkin,
Why does the band Sha-Na-Na want to tax RTP?
Curious, Durham

Dear Curious,
The reader has apparently confused Durham County Commissioner Joe Bowser with the front man for the legendary retro-rock band. Sha-Na-Na, as the only Woodstock performer to make the transition to prime time television, is said to embody the true meaning of the sixties (although sentimentalists argue that the Beatles, the Stones, or even the Beach Boys deserve that honor).

Bowser (Joe, that is) believes that Durham should get some recompense for hosting the highly profitable Research Triangle Park. Unfortunately, in today's political climate, he'll bring more dollars to the County's coffers by organizing a sock hop or a battle of the bands. While TV's Bowser may have been known for his pratfalls, Durham's Bowser has yet to learn that the proper attitude of an elected official toward RTP is to present one's tush in a distinctly different posture.

Note: The NC Clean Elections Act, correctly described as "on hold" in the last issue, has since been revitalized and is now moving forward and needs your support.

(Send your questions to Ask Kropotkin, PO Box 16025, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516)

("Kropotkin" refuses to reveal whether he is inspired by Peter Kropotkin, the Russian anarchist prince, or by Kropotkin the Village Idiot, a character in the Woody Allen film "Love & Death," or if it makes any difference.)