--- a/.elisp/settings/40.modes.el
+++ b/.elisp/settings/40.modes.el
@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@ point."
 (add-hook 'c-mode-hook          'af-tab-fix)
 (add-hook 'sh-mode-hook         'af-tab-fix)
 (add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'af-tab-fix)
+
+;; disable whitespace cleanup in modes sensitive to whitespace
 (defun af-no-clean-whitespace ()
   (make-variable-buffer-local 'af-cleanup-whitespace)
   (set-variable 'af-cleanup-whitespace nil))
 (add-hook 'rst-mode-hook 'af-no-clean-whitespace)
-(add-hook 'makefile-mode-hook '(lambda ()
-                                 (af-no-clean-whitespace)
-                                 (add-hook 'font-lock-mode-hook 'show-ws-highlight-tabs)))
+(add-hook 'makefile-mode-hook 'af-no-clean-whitespace)
 
 (autoload 'js2-mode "js2" nil t)
 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.js$" . js2-mode))
@@ -45,11 +45,9 @@ point."
 (add-hook 'django-html-mode-hook '(lambda ()
                                     (local-set-key (kbd "RET")
                                                    'reindent-then-newline-and-indent)))
-
 (defun af-python-mode-hook ()
   ; highlight tabs in Python
   (make-variable-buffer-local 'font-lock-mode-hook)
-  (add-hook 'font-lock-mode-hook 'show-ws-highlight-tabs)
   (make-variable-buffer-local 'python-indent)
   (if (and buffer-file-name (string-match "melange" buffer-file-name))
      (set-variable 'python-indent 2))