¥ Bumper sticker of the week: Armageddon is not good foreign policy.

¥ Quote of the week: ÒAnd there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And IÕm sorry itÕs the case, and IÕll work hard to try to elevate it.Ó  George W. Bush, Jan. 29,2007

¥ Six levels of stupidity:

1. Common stupidity: You can see these people all around. Butchers, bankers, candlestick makers. Common stupidity is as widespread as the common cold, and just as hard to get rid of.

2. Ignorant: This person is unable to appreciate current, cultural and popular references.

3. Simple: This person does not like to think too much. This includes analyzing and abstract theorizing.

4. Anecdotal: This person derives all insight, bias, and perception from his or her past experience.

5. Dumber than a box of rocks: This would be like a lawyer turned politician. Such people are mired in the vastness of stupidity. And theyÕll stop at nothing to prove it. The funny thing is, they think they are smarter than the rest of us. ThatÕs how dumb they are.

6. Moronic: This person behaves in a stupid way that is almost completely irrational and impossible to chart. When you meet this person, youÕll stop arguing against abortion. They number one out of about every one-hundred. For some reason, they are usually in charge of something. An example would be someone who shoots himself in the foot and proceeds to bandage his nose.

¥ Current Peever boycotts:

¥ Wal-Mart: I havenÕt been to the new store yet. IÕve made a vow not to go. So far, so good. Bigger is not always better. In Wal-Marts case, bigger represents bullying. Arrogance personified. Bigger is how they intend on putting everyone else out of business. They are big-time anti-union and notorious for low pay and lousy benefits.

¥ Salvation Army: The worlds largest charity. I give them things, they sell them to the poor. Nice work, if you can get it. IÕve never cared for a charity fashioned after the military. Makes me nervous. Soldiers for Christ. An Army of Christians scares me.

¥ Galesburg City Council meetings: Too boring.

¥ McDonalds, KFC, Burger King: Too many calories, too much fat, not enough nutrition. These places are good for the corn industry, bad for the body. But people love this crap, especially the overweight ones.

¥ ExxonMobil: The number one benefactor of the Bush administrations Òlets help the oil industry,Ó domestic and foreign policies. World record corporate profits. They continue to refuse to invest in clean, renewable energy resources. They deny global warming and continue to want to drill for oil in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. This is one of the major companies moving the world towards extinction.

¥ Starbucks: (newly added) Reportedly radically anti-union and apparently they have reneged on their fair-trade agreement with coffee growers. Newly arrived in town, IÕm giving them their welcome. Shop for coffee locally. There are plenty of good, hometown places.

¥ GREDA withdraws $186,000 request: Apparently they didnÕt have enough votes to get it through. I hope the city council is ready to hear some bull. IÕm going to send the council members some bullshit protectors, cause itÕs about to start. If I were a council member, I would pull out the recent full-page ad they ran in The Zephyr and ask how many jobs all these ÒaccomplishmentsÓ add up to. Take the $186,000, put it in a CD at 5 percent, and believe me, youÕll be money ahead.

¥ Alchemy of positive doubt: I have always thought that being a conservative would be an awful way to lead oneÕs life. Conservatives have always struck me as people who are not very excited about the possibilities of life. They prefer things as they were. They are hesitant to try new ideas, new pathways, new ways of looking at old problems. They need everything written down in neatly displayed columns. No deviations. They prefer that old time religion, smacking with sexism and homophobia. I have never seen any conservative initiatives that would move things forward. They all go backward, towards Òthe good old days.Ó I have personally never felt that thinking conservatively would allow me to reach me greatest potential, which at a minimum is casting positive doubt on anything done in the name of right-wing ideology. Some alchemists try to change base metals into precious ones. I try to change the status quo into chaos.