Mary Ann Akers, The Washington Post, May 10, 2007

Here in the nation's capital, irony sometimes takes a heaping spoonful of steroids and facts become stranger than fiction.

The latest example? Take a guess at who's headlining an upcoming political training seminar offering "explicit discussions of ethics."

The answer is Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader who resigned last year after being indicted on campaign finance abuses in Texas and who remains under federal scrutiny in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

DeLay, a.k.a. "the Hammer," is set to kick off a May 31 Campaigns & Elections seminar, where he will hawk his book, "No Retreat, No Surrender," and talk political strategy ... and, who knows, maybe even ethics. (After all, Michael Scanlon, a former top DeLay aide who pleaded guilty in the Abramoff lobbying investigation, delivered his graduate thesis on congressional ethics last year; so why shouldn't the Hammer be able to join in the absurdity of it all?)

A witty, lampoony e-mail invitation from Campaigns & Elections reads: "Due to strong language (e.g. going negative, oppo, scandal) and adult situations (e.g. networking, politics, education) the Campaigns & Elections political training seminar is not intended for everyone. Some programming will include former Congressman and DCCC Chairman Vic Fazio, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, political strategist Joe Trippi and gratuitous depictions of successful campaigns, explicit discussions of ethics and an extreme passion for politics."

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Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin, The Examiner, May 11, 2007 “All the stars are aligned against the Republicans in 2008,” Bob Novak told the assembled masses at the Americans for Tax Reform’s Wednesday meeting, causing a subtle gasp to leak out of the conservative faithful. “You’re breaking our rule on being cheerful, Bob,” ATR’s Grover Norquist responded. “Well, I am the Prince of Darkness,” Novak said, jokingly. And Novak is embracing his nickname: His latest book, due out in July, is titled, “The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years of Reporting in Washington.” Novak also weighed in on several potential ’08 candidates: Read More Here

Oh No! Not Chocolate!   Have you looked at the cost of chocolate lately? The 14 oz bag of chocolate chips no longer exists. It is now an 11.5 oz bag. This is essentially an 18% jump in price. Why? Sudden demand created by wild-eyed American women stuffing chips into their mouths with both hands? No. A gaggle of South American dictators tired of being ignored and so leveling vast coca plantations in preparation for nuclear power plants? Nope. Look around you at the store. It’s not just chocolate. Everything is going up in price (or being put in smaller packages – same thing). Why? It’s called inflation, children. Our federal government is still growing and needs more money to finance itself, this without raising taxes, so it’s printing more dollars. And the more dollars there are, the less each dollar is worth. This causes chocolate to go up in price.   Attention women of America! This has gotten serious – you are now going to have to pay more for your chocolate! Something must be done! The answer? Simple. Tie the income of the federal government directly to the economy. This way, when the economy suffers, bureaucrats and elected officials will feel pain, and when people prosper, they prosper. “All well and good”, you may say, “but exactly how does one directly tie the federal government to the economy?” Again, simple. Get rid of the income taxes and nstitute a consumption tax so that people pay taxes when they spend money, not when they earn it. If government gets its income from individual expenditures rather than from money torn out of paychecks, Washington D.C. will overnight become very interested in folks doing well. A federal government tied directly to consumers will automatically begin to cut waste and reduce spending so that people will have more money to spend. As the fortunes of individuals and families improve, the health of the federal government will improve in direct proportion. Our representatives will suddenly be wide awake and will push to kill inflation, stop deficit spending, and prevent recession.   Something must be done. The cost of chocolate and the emotional health of those who love it are at stake! Please actively spread the word about the consumption tax (also called the FairTax) as this will stop inflation, make for a small, efficient, transparent federal government, and, most importantly, stabilize the chocolate markets.   Grimgold