def removeParens(oneKey):

    print " in removeParens ... "

    origUniqList = []
    newUniqList = []

    newKey = []
    for aLabel in oneKey:

        if (aLabel not in origUniqList):
            origUniqList += [aLabel]

        if (aLabel.find("(") >= 0):

            print " --> found open paren ... at %d in <%s> " % (aLabel.find("("), aLabel)

            bLabel = ""
            copyOn = 1
            for ii in range(len(aLabel)):
                if (aLabel[ii] == "("):
                    copyOn = 0
                if (copyOn):
                    bLabel += aLabel[ii]
                if (aLabel[ii] == ")"):
                    copyOn = 1

            if (bLabel.startswith("_")):
                bLabel = bLabel[1:]
            if (bLabel.endswith("_")):
                bLabel = bLabel[:-1]

            newKey += [bLabel]
            if (bLabel not in newUniqList):
                newUniqList += [bLabel]

        else:

            newKey += [aLabel]
            if (aLabel not in newUniqList):
                newUniqList += [aLabel]

    print origUniqList
    print newUniqList

    if (len(newUniqList) == len(origUniqList)):
        print " --> removing parenthetical strings "
        print origUniqList
        print newUniqList
        return (newKey)
    else:
        print " NOT removing parenthetical strings "
        return (oneKey)