WEEKEND MEMOS

'Weekend memos' give our editorial writers a chance to express their own opinions, comment on topics they have been writing about, or take a lighter approach. The opinions in 'Memos' do not always follow the Enquirer's editorial positions.

Palo Alto, Calif. is known for its gorgeous weather, high-tech economy and university research. But soon it may also be known for a silly attempt to take away some Americans' freedom of expression - literally.

If Palo Alto City Council member Judy Kleinberg gets her way, her colleagues no longer will be allowed to display facial expressions - especially those registering disapproval - during public meetings. That's right. No smirking, grimacing, eyebrow-raising, frowning, eye-rolling, scowling or, presumably, grinning.

The council has been known to bicker, so a committee Kleinberg heads has drafted 44 rules of behavior. One reads, "Do not use body language or other nonverbal methods of expression." Kleinberg told reporters she doesn't want any "tsking" or saying "Oh my gosh!" or eye-rolling while someone else is speaking.

Is this a city council or a kindergarten class? Why not just have the council swearing-in ceremony followed by botox injections all around?

The whole idea is "bizarre," Burdette Loomis, a University of Kansas expert in political civility, told the San Jose Mercury-News. "You'd be thinking all the time, 'What expression do I have on my face?'

"When is someone frowning? Maybe that's their ordinary look."

I second that notion. Often at work, colleagues think I'm angry when I'm just concentrating. Should that be a misdemeanor demeanor offense?

Imagine how Kleinberg would fare in Cincinnati, with its un-civil council meetings and even (gasp!) rude hand gestures. She might wish it otherwise, but democracy is not pretty, and the rough-and-tumble of debate - even rancorous disagreement - serves us best, thank you. If you remove someone's facial expressions, you remove some of their power to persuade. If you can't even exchange looks, how can you exchange views?

One Palo Alto native told the Mercury News it's typical of the "Palo Alto mind-set" to focus on "unbelievable minutiae." How PC. How California.

If Palo Altoans really want to keep council from bickering, they could use our system's sure-fire remedy - an election. Or they could give up and rename the town Deadpan Alley.

Ray Cooklis