Up and atom. (Photo by dbking)

“Councilmember Barry Continuing to Irradiate Federal Tax Liability.”

So stated a press release from Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) today in the wake of a lien against the former mayor filed in September by the Internal Revenue Service.

The filing, which was reported yesterday by The Washington Times, says Barry owes $3,200 in federal income taxes for 2010.

Barry pleaded guilty in 2006 to failing to file his taxes over a period of several years, but apparently his repayment still has a ways to go.

“Since I did not have the ability to pay the entire amount I owed to IRS at once,” he says in the press release, “I entered into an orderly process to establish a payment plan which is permitted by law. The repayment plan is on schedule and working. The only thing new is this latest lien and it too, shall be taken care of.”

That’s a fair explanation for a press release, we suppose, but the use of the word “irradiate” in the headline is a bit odd. To irradiate something is to expose it to radiation—in this case, outstanding tax liability. It seems with this latest lien, Barry has in fact irradiated himself. Perhaps his office meant to say “inoculate” or, better yet, “decontaminate.”

Or does Barry actually mean to say he’s the radioactive force and his tax burden is being zapped with gamma rays? If he ever visits with Barry as requested, Spike Lee may want to bring a hazmat suit.

Oh, well. Context can be tricky.