The Skinny recently observed that Republican David Gowan, who is seeking one of two House seats in Legislative District 30, is dumber than a bag of hammers. We also predicted that he'd soon be mailing a hit piece targeting Rep. Marian McClure, the Republican incumbent who is seeking her fourth House term in LD30. (Even Gowan isn't stupid enough to target the other House member, Rep. Jonathan Paton, who will soon be headed to Iraq for a tour of duty to fulfill his responsibilities as a member of the Army Reserve.)

Well, Gowan—who accused McClure of being "pro-sodomy" at a recent debate—has proved us right on both counts. He used his Clean Elections dollars to send off a hit piece targeting McClure on several issues. But he sent it not to Republican primary voters in District 30, which includes Tucson's east side, Green Valley and Sierra Vista. Instead, it landed in mailboxes in District 26, which includes the Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes and Oro Valley.

As Bugs Bunny would observe: What a maroon!

More to come in next week's Skinny.

As I type this, CNN.com's lead story is this, a piece on the JonBenet Ramsey case. The No. 2 story is this, about a judge finding the idiot warrantless NSA spying program unconstitutional.

Um, so a 10-year-old murder case takes precedence over a hugely important constitutional matter.

Other stories included on CNN.com's top latest news as I type: JonBenet's family knew cops were closing in; judge gives teens jail reprive to play football; J-Lo and ex want tell-all fight out of court.

God help us all.

It's Wednesday afternoon, and that means a new issue of the Weekly has hit the Internet!

Highlights this week include our cover story on the new UA prez, me explaining why we endorsed Gabrielle Giffords and not Jeff Latas (whose supporters are a particularly frothing devoted bunch), James DiGiovanna liking a movie and Stephen Seigel and Tom Danehy talking ... sex. Yes, really.

Look over to the right for all that savory goodness!

Ugh. Today, I had to drive around the city a bit for one of my other writing gigs and then meet a friend for lunch. Everywhere I looked and didn't look was a damn sign. Every politician has a sign posted here or there. Some are tall, and some are short. Some have a big bold font, and others remind me of an vision test. Signs leap from the bushes and lean on the curb.

And it's only going to get worse. To me, all these signs are as unsightly as graffiti. If you post a sign, you'd better be there whether you win or lose to take down the sign.

On the southwest corner of Speedway and Wilmot sits about 20 signs that say, "Vote for me." Instead, I feel like voting you off the planet.

I don't mind the Humanitarian Aid is Never a Crime signs. They have somehow silently popped up around the city though mostly in Midtown. It's unlikely you'd ever see those signs in Patagonia. I also noticed lots of for lease and vacancy signs, both commercially and for apartments. One sign said, "We love our residents." I wonder if they still love you when your toilet overflows?

I passed a short sandwich board sign that said, "Mongolian BBQ, now open." Hey, what's with that? It's been open for the last two years. Signs on power poles advertise lost pets and cheap labor. I've seen a few signs that say, "Real estate investor seeks apprentices." Yeah, right. That sounds like scam waiting to happen.

And then of course, my all time favorite—the weight loss patch which would only work for me if I put it over my mouth.

-- Gosh, this is depressing. Insurance companies often suck.

-- Wal-Mart's profits are down, but still freakin' insane.

-- There are so many things wrong with all of this that it makes my head want to explode. It involves Madonna, Germans and a cross. 'Nuff said.

-- Arizona home sales go down.

-- The number of immigrants goes boom.

-- Woolly mammoths come back?

-- And finally ... taking off your shoes at airport security only makes your feet cold.

Why can't our president be as cool as Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Seriously.

Our esteemed arts editor, James Reel, mentioned Uncyclopedia on his blog a while back, so he deserves partial credit for bringing this fantastic Web site to my attention. However, I read something about it somewhere that reminded me of it, and I just feel the need to share it with y'all, especially the fantastic Tucson entry.

C'mon, take five minutes and check this out. It's a gloomy-ass Monday, and you could use a break. I guarantee you'll chuckle at least once. If you don't, check yourself for a pulse.

-- If you're going to be flying anywhere commercially this week, things are getting better. However, you still need to check any bag that has liquid/gel toiletries in it. I got to O'Hare Airport three hours early for my flight back to Tucson, and made it through security in less than 10 minutes. I was stunned. But I was very happy when I actually made it home ontime.

-- The Sidewinders are struggling. Is there big but shrinking lead big enough?

-- And finally, the Star today gives a thorn to flood damage. I am sure Mother Nature will change her ways now.

I met with Gulf War veteran Scott Merk on Thursday at a local coffee shop. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease affecting the lumbar and sacral veterbrae in his spine, his knees, his wrists and his shoulders. Scott is unable to work; I saw that he moved deliberately with the help of a cane. He looked like he was in pain.

The Merks spend about $750 a month on health care that isn’t covered by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). They’ve explored other options, but he and his family find themselves in one of those “holes” in which they make too much to receive some benefits, and too little to receive others. His wife, Brenda, makes between $800 and $1,100 a month taking reservations for an airline.

"There’s a certain class of American citizen that can be completely told, ‘We can’t help you,'" Scott said. "I thought no matter how bad things got, there’d always be something there."

He said they’ve drained their savings and retirement accounts and sold most of their belongings to make ends meet. They've also tried to shield their son from the gravity of the situation. Come Tuesday, however, they’re going to be evicted from their home. The Merks have packed the few things they have remaining in preparation for that day, Scott said. He broke down in tears while telling me that he has tried to make lodging arrangements for his son while he and his wife are on the street.

Desperate and seeing no other options, Scott and Brenda set up a Web page asking for donations. You may not agree with this approach (and indeed, Scott says they’ve gotten plenty of "cruel" hate mail from people), but it’s worth a visit. You might feel motivated to donate some money or offer some other form of help.

The Weekly will run the coffee shop interview with Scott in the T Q&A section of the Aug. 17 issue, two days after the family stands to be evicted.