Down at city hall in Thousand Oaks the other night, like Dickens said, it was the best of times and the worst. And if the ghost of the remarkable Ed Masry was lingering in the wings to watch the selection of his replacement on the city council, he must have been fully outraged.

Earlier in the day the longtime people's advocate had been laid to rest, with hundreds of friends and relatives from every walk of life attending his funeral services at Calvary Community Church. It was an inspiring tribute not only to an extraordinary American, but to the American way and the democratic process Ed Masry always held close to his heart.

But that night the glow of Masry's numerous accomplishments on behalf of the average Joe was sadly and callously diminished by the selection of a local good ol' boy to take his place on the council--instead of an individual who shared Masry's commitment to the rights of the common man as opposed to those of the narrow and exploitive local corporate elitists and their toadies on the council.

In the carefully orchestrated Kabuki dance performed by the council's rightist majority, scrupulously scripted to demonstrate their good intentions to the public and their adherence to due process, the council interviewed some 32 applicants for the Masry post.

Coming forth from the public sector, a cross section of well-meaning applicants stepped up to the plate without fully realizing the political sham that they were participating in. Highly qualified to represent the community, schoolteachers, businessmen, PhDs and even a genuine rocket scientist pledged to continue Ed Masry's commitment to slow growth and the restraint of the community's pervasive "Clutter Crunch" being perpetrated by the town's special interests.

Watching these civic-minded individuals step to the podium and express their heartfelt and sincere dedication to the ideals of this country's democratic process was both inspiring and heartwarming, especially at this holiday time of the year and on the heels of Ed Masry's passing.

But knowing they were simply being used by the council majority in a public charade leaves one with an emptiness, a sense that everything that this country purports to stand for, everything that is good and right in this crazy world, was besmirched, fouled, brazenly tossed out the window in a callous and unthinking display of partisan politics.

And so, like Dickens and his ghosts, Ed, you have every right to be outraged. They spat upon the Stars and Stripes the other night, the flag that we love and owe our allegiance to.

But just remember, my friend. On whatever level it might occur, the fight for truth and justice against the tyrants of this world is an ancient and noble cause. We do not tilt with windmills and the dream is never impossible.

And all are welcome to join this noble crusade, in the name of Jesus, Allah, Buddha and the all-embracing Creator. Chuck Kuenstle Thousand Oaks