The Flub column is very difficult for me to write, not because there is ever a scarcity of Flubs, but because there are so many that are worthy of mention.

John Ashcroft, U.S. Attorney General, made a serious move to obtain mention in this month's Flub by suggesting that U.S. citizens deemed ''enemy combatants'' be held in camps and summarily stripped of their constitutional rights and access to the courts. This is what is currently passing for democracy. This guy invented the word Flub.

The judicial system is another Flub mired steadfastly in our new democracy. One in every thirty two adults is either behind bars, on parole, or on probation. That amounts to 6.6 million people! The criminal justice system has become our way of handling social injustices. If you are a young black or Hispanic, you can expect to do some time. Welcome to Bush World.

And then there was W. George's answer to the rash of forest fires out West. ''Let my rich, corporate buddies log more.'' Immediately, the environmentalists, who take their trees very seriously, confronted him in Oregon and California. This guy is such a dumb politician; he actually says what he means, which is generally speaking, always flubbish.

On a more local level, the city council voted to continue their support of enterprise zones, without so much as a discussion. This renews their flubbing ways in the arena of economic development. While there is no evidence to suggest that enterprise zones, or TIF districts, have in any way, shape, or form, helped the Galesburg economy, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it is we, the taxpayers, who must pay for this Chamber of Commerce folly. They should be ashamed of themselves, and flubbed, for their lack of due diligence.

All four of the above have been past recipients of the Flub-A-Dub Award. All four once again share August's flub. In a world full of flubs, these guys keep surfacing as the best. Congratulations!