I was surprised to find myself thinking something nice about someone I always considered a bit of a weirdo.

Stevie Nicks.

Turns out ol’ Stevie is indeed a true patriotic American.

She goes to Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed, bringing along hundreds of iPods — which she pays for herself — downloaded with hundreds of songs.

When she gets to the hospitals, she says it is the only time she is “not in a hurry.” She takes her time, sitting on the beds of our young soldiers, and talks to them at length about how they got where they are, what their experiences were like, and she says that she now has a much clearer picture of what is going on in the Middle East, but will never share that information. She is their confidante.

She says that the patients she visits are very inspirational to her.

She didn’t do it once. She does it whenever she can.

Kudos to Stevie Nicks.

God bless her.

Hmm. Wonder if Sean Penn ever thought about doing something like that?

In other news, some Americans are shouting, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!”

John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou of KFI 640AM announced that they were going to be at the Slidebar Café in downtown Fullerton to protest California’s Prop. 1A.

They knew they would have people join in, but by no means did they anticipate the crowd of over 8,000 that showed up.

The main beef about this proposal is that it was originally meant to only be for two years, and it has now been extended to four.

It increases the state sales tax one cent per dollar, the state vehicle license fee will nearly double, and there will be an increase in personal income tax, which I have yet to determine by how much.

Well, these folks who showed up in force were pretty danged hot under the collar. They brought all kinds of Schwarzenegger memorabilia and smashed it to bits. They are upset with their dear Gubnah and the Republicans who represent them up in Sacramento.

They know they’ve got a tough row to hoe in getting some changes made, but they are determined. The DJs are calling it “Tax Revolt 2009.”

Hubs and I have talked about almost the same thing that the rest of Americans could do to let Washington know that we, as citizens, are not happy about the plans they have in store for us.

What would happen if Americans decided to not pay taxes in 2009? I mean, if they can create $20 trillion out of seemingly thin air, surely they can pull it off that money tree to supplement lack of taxpayer dollars.

Why not? What are they gonna do? Put us all in prison? Hey, Timothy Geithner didn’t go to jail. Neither did Tom Daschle. Why should any of the rest of us?

I read the history of the income tax, and it’s just mindboggling. One of these days I’ll go through it again and pare it down to understandable terms.

Needless to say, it is absolutely incredible the amount of money that taxpayers have to fork over … to the feds, to the state, and to local revenues. Un. Bee. Leevable.

Like TARP — Troubled Assets Relief Program — which the banks got and some now want to give back because there are so many strings attached. What it actually means, in case I haven’t mentioned this before, is Taking Away Retirement Pensions. That’s what it really boils down to.

And in case you missed it, that mileage tax that was proposed and the White House opposes? Still going strong. There are apparently some folks in Congress who want to tax you on the amount of miles you drive per year. Why is that, you ask? Because the gasoline tax isn’t indexed to inflation and hasn’t been raised since 1993. Well, I don’t think that’s true because states are always sneaking it in at the pump. Supporters say it would be a more reliable source of funding for road and bridge upkeep. But isn’t that what we pay “road taxes” for?

Environmentalists are pushing for it because they say it would make people drive less and create less pollution.

Think of Queen singing “I want to ride my bicycle ... I want to ride my biiiike...”

Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., thinks it’s a brilliant idea. Naturally. She’s an idiot.

James Oberstar D-Minn., says whether the White House wants it or not, they’re going to get it.

The reason they’re buying into it is because they feel that with the shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles, it will be increasingly difficult to rely on the gas tax to raise funds needed to improve and/or maintain the nation’s roads. So if you’re thinking you’re gonna help out by buying a fuel-efficient vehicle, they’re still gonna get you by taxing the number of miles you drive. You might as well just go on ahead and buy that gas-guzzling SUV you’ve got your eye on.

It’s either a mileage tax or a 10-cent per gallon tax increase … so, just when we thought we were through with the $4-plus a gallon for gas, right?

What will we be taxed on next? So far the only thing left that we aren’t paying for is the air we breathe. It’s probably a line item in the stimulus package, though. Bet on it.

And for you trivia buffs: March 8, 1965 — 3,500 Marines arrived in South Vietnam to defend the U.S. air base in Da Nang.

Wonder how they would feel about taking on Congress?

Semper Fi.