LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

– Bumper sticker of the week: Life is sexually transmitted.

– Quote of the week: "As people do better, they start voting like Republicans., unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing." Karl Rove, long-time Bush friend and advisor.

– Getting elected. The don’ts:

• Don’t think. Just nod.

• Don’t be anti-war, or anything other than...just nod.

• Don’t badmouth Republicans. Just tell them how important they are and nod.

• Don’t badmouth Democrats. Just spell out for them how important they are and nod.

• Don’t write a column that badmouths everything. Just write about how fine everything is and nod.

• In Galesburg, courting right-winged warriors would probably be worthwhile, but don’t. Losing is less painful.

• Just nod.

– Let’s see if I got this Right. We allow a President that we did not elect to blow up a country that did not attack us so that the President’s friends can rebuild it and make themselves a bundle? All in the name of democracy, freedom, and security. You got to be pretty dumb to buy that.

– GREDA scores big: You talk about taking over a country. How about a city? GREDA and the Chamber finally find a money source. And guess who it is? Watch these organizations grow as Galesburg withers. Watch our abilities to give tax breaks to businesses grow as our salary levels plummet. Unemployment will skyrocket, but they have a new playground to give tax breaks to the wealthy. Unions out, six-seven bucks an hour in. In Galesburg, it’s all in a day’s work for these people. And they’re good at it. And all the while the city council bobs their heads in total submission. All they need are grass skirts and a dashboard. Anyone who falls for the story that industrial park number one was a success is spending too much time in la-la land. The only people making out on these deals are the landowners, which takes us full circle back to the good old boys.

– Mark Wong should quit: If he had any level of integrity to begin with, Wong should muster up at least enough of it to step down as Knox County Clerk. While I’m sure he needs the money, it should no longer be ours that he gets. He should be using money from his defense fund, which, all things being equal, would also probably be illegal. Maybe the Republicans could give him money. After all, he was their great minority hope. Wasn’t Baker’s first name Mark? Just an observation.

– Blinded by the right: I thought I needed glasses. The eye doctor recommended I quit reading the Register-Mail and some of the letters to The Zephyr. I’m starting to see better already.

– Spring:

• I love the smell of spring. Something stunk so bad downtown the other day I thought they were remodeling again.

• I always get a haircut in the spring, whether I need one or not.

• There seems to be a good amount of building going on this spring. I wonder how much that’s costing us?

• Spring. A time for renewed hope. I’m hoping people wake up pretty soon.

– Maytag stockholders meeting in Newton, Iowa: Be there to protest corporate greed and excessive CEO and board compensation. (But behave yourself. Otherwise, The Register-Mail will be embarrassed.) This gives us all a chance to do something other than sit around and feel helpless and exploited. Let’s let them know what we think. Although it is rapidly becoming illegal to show your displeasure towards the government and corporate America, the Patriot Act Il has not been passed yet. So let’s give them something to remember us by. Non-violently, but perhaps not as politely as the Register-Mail would have us do. If you got an ounce of pride in you, every Galesburger should be headed west on May 8 to show the Maytag stockholders what kind of company they have invested in. At the very least, we need to make them uncomfortable.

– People bitch about my second—guessing, constant moaning and groaning and never—ending bellyaching and nonconformity. Yea, well, it’s fun.