— Bumper sticker of the week: Privacy is history.

— Quote of the week: Average payout, in dollars, to the families of innocent Afghans killed by Marines: $2,000

Average payout, in dollars, to 9/11 victims and victims families: $1.7 million.

— Imagine: Responsible companies protecting the environment as though there is a tomorrow, and they view worker knowledge and the companyŐs reputation as their greatest assets.

Imagine individuals and countries settling their differences by negotiation, mediation, and compromise. War and fighting are seen as primitive and unthinkable.

Imagine that anyone sick and/or in need of medicine can get treatment without spending their life savings. As a citizen of America, you are entitled to health-care.

Imagine no one in the world hungry. Or homeless. Or alone. ItŐs easy if you try.

— Speaking of the environment: Talking about change is one thing. Doing something is another. I try to think of myself as an environmentally responsible person, but thatŐs pretty much a joke. Chemicals on the lawn, buying cheap crap from Wal-Mart that is usually disposed of after one use, hopping in my car to go to the donut shop, four blocks away, plane rides to Reno, Florida, buying vegetables trucked in from California, rather than local. The list goes on and on. Every day I should be weighing my decisions on what to buy, what to eat, where to shop, what clothes to buy, against the impact those decisions have on the Earth. I continue to live in denial. Denial that I, and I alone, can make a difference. That it has to be me who changes, not everyone else, or anyone else. ItŐs easier to turn my head and forget about future generations. When did I buy this bill of goods telling me that the now is more precious than the future?

— Nearly 70 percent of the goods sold by Wal-Mart, the largest corporation in the world, are imported from China.

— The popular vote should rule in America. And with every elected position should come the ability of the public to recall that person if they are deficient in their duties. Or screwing the secretary. Or making passes at other men in the john. Or....

— We, the citizens of Galesburg, by the powers invested in us by the U.S. constitution, do hereby petition whoever, to secede from the City of Galesburg. We would like to start our own city, called Peever. We need jobs, and big business can save a bundle in tariffs and shipping if we start Peever right here in the U.S. If we agree to work for nothing, I am confident that we can get our jobs back from China and Mexico. So please, sign and send in this petition to The Zephyr. We need 51 percent of the people who voted in the last election, which comes to 34 signatures. I think we can do it.

I, _______________, support secession from Galesburg, Illinois, to form a new city called Peever, Illinois. I agree to work for free for any corporation that is willing to come to Peever and screw us to their heartŐs content. I realize corporations now rule America, and am willing to acknowledge that by supporting the above, aforementioned secession and agreement.