They call this time of year the political silly season, and we see why as we "flASHback" on the week’s news that amused and confused:

» Gov. Neil Abercrombie doesn’t face re-election for three years, but he got an early start with a fundraising dinner that drew 1,500 people and collected an estimated $850,000. He thinks of it as his New Day Pay Day.

» The governor is hinting that he’ll have no choice but to ask for tax increases next year. It’s the same logic that left the Big Bad Wolf with no choice but to eat Grandma.

» U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa told supporters she’ll run for re-election and skip a U.S. Senate race after she "heard every voice and considered every opinion." The most persuasive voice was the pollster with the opinion that she’d get her clock cleaned.

» U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said the Honolulu transit authority should be transparent on the $5.3 billion rail project, urging, "If something goes haywire, say so." Just when they printed all the stationery that says, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

» City Councilmembers Stanley Chang and Ann Kobayashi claimed the raw sewage sludge traveling around Oahu in city trucks can be turned into clean energy. I don’t know about that, but here’s betting they find a way to turn it into campaign donations.

» The Hawaii State Teachers Association answered criticism from other unions that it has brought "unnecessary drama" to its labor dispute by vowing to "fight with every ounce of energy we have." They may never get the contract they want, but that clinches a Daytime Emmy.

» A bare-breasted woman protested in Waikiki for the right to go topless on the beach, saying it’s a matter of equality. I couldn’t agree more. It’s about time we balanced all the political boobs on public display with some worth looking at.

» The SETI Institute is struggling to find funding to continue its search for extraterrestrial life. Perhaps they could narrow the search by following our state legislators back to their home planets during the off-session.

» Circuit Judge Edward Kubo disqualified himself from an animal cruelty case because of his wife’s pet-sitting business, even though he said his spouse’s opinions are of no consequence to him. Such a short trip from sitting on the bench to sleeping on the couch.

And the quote of the week … from Inouye on political fortitude: "I’ve been in this political business for over half a century, and I find that it’s very easy to oppose. It’s much more difficult to be for something, because you gotta stand up and take a lot of crap." He salutes the city’s sludge trucks for giving it back.

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.