— Bumper sticker of the week: Make jobs, not war.

— Quote of the week: “Some people think they’re worth a lot just because they have money.” Fannie Hurst

— The New Seven Wonders of the World:

1.That Bush could have ever possibly won a fair election. I still wonder.

2.You got to wonder: Who in their right mind would hinder or make a religious issue out of stem-cell research.

3.I’ve often wondered if anyone has had sex in outer space? With someone else?

4.I wonder if the Democrats will be able to do any better than the Republicans?

5. I still wonder how the TV works? Where do all those people come from? And how do they get in that box?

6. You can’t help but wonder if Andrea Zinga will follow in Mark Baker’s footsteps and try for a third time. That’s to become a U.S. Representative.

7. I get to wondering about all the stories being played out in all the houses that I pass by while driving down the countryside. All the triumphs, the sorrows, the celebrations, the kindness, the hatred, the hopes, the dreams, the despair, the graduations, the divorces, the births, the deaths, the sleepless nights. I wonder about that a lot. That, and whether or not they bought my first book.

— For Mr. Lee: What is a liberal? (With a little help from Geoffrey Stone)

• A liberal is interested in individual freedoms.

• A liberal is not hesitant to raise questions about the government. I call this having positive doubt.

• I liberal is tolerant and respectful of differences. This is why I am so nice to right-wing Republicans.

• A liberal believes that the government is us. It’s not a flag or a motto or a patriotic song. It is how we live our lives, how we get along, how we work together to make everyone’s lives better, not just the chosen few.

• The government exists, at least in part, to help those less fortunate.

• The government should never involve sectarian faith.

• The courts are responsible for protecting individual liberties and upholding the constitution. It does not set social policy or promote political ideology.

• The government has a duty and obligation to protect us and provide safety and security for the people, without sacrificing our constitutional values and personal liberties.

• Liberals, until recently, have for too long put up with a lot of right-wing, Republican crap. I

suppose it was out of our sense of compassion and mercy. Perhaps wimpiness. But not any longer. That has all changed.

— Well, I see one of the county board members woke up. I’m impressed.

— A moment of gloating: The Peever doesn’t miss any of his election prognostications. 100%. Fox Network called wondering what my secret was. I told them it’s my crystal ball. That and the fact that I pick just the opposite person they would. I think they wanted to hire me, but that blew it. Anyway, if anyone deserved a beating, it was the Republicans. Never take up the cause of a lame, lame-duck. Right-wing politics will never prevail in the United States. Never for any length of time. People aren’t that dumb. At least not a majority of the people. I celebrated down in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where the Democrats also kicked butt. I had roast duck, followed by an elephant ear. What a meal.

— Having just returned from Hot Springs, I can testify to the fact that the most expensive gas between here and there is here. Yeah, go ahead and tax us some more.