Monthly archives: June, 2008

Walter Jacobson says he’s innocent

June 20, 2008
Democratic News
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I like Walter Jacobson.  I’ll admit that.

He changed my opinion of Madonna years ago, after she gave birth to her first child.

He said, on the air, “I like Madonna,” after a brief assessment of Madonna’s entirely responsible opinions on raising children.

Jacobson was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, according to the Chicago Tribune:

Police got a 911 call reporting that a vehicle was seen swerving after hitting a parked vehicle. Police said they responded to the scene and, using a description of the striking vehicle and its license plate, found Jacobson, 70, who submitted to a field sobriety test.

“He was taken to the [Near North] District, where a Breathalyzer test was administered,” said police spokeswoman Monique Bond. “It was determined that he had exceeded the legal alcohol intake limit.”

I like Walter, but I don’t like people who drive under the influence.  A dear friend’s father is currently near death after being struck by a drunk driver, so I have no sympathy for those who drink and drive.

In all honesty, I hope Walter comes to terms with what he did, and doesn’t do it again.  If he’s in denial, then I hope the judge sees that, and takes his license.

It’s not worth it, Walter.  Stay off the road.  Don’t be “the guy” who strikes and kills the innocent.

Obama campaign raises $21.9 million in May

June 20, 2008
Barack ObamaElectionsHillary ClintonJohn McCainWhite House
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The NYTimes shares the good news:

Barack Obama raised $21.9 million in May, his campaign reported on Friday, a day after the Democratic candidate said he would reject public financing for his presidential bid.

The Illinois senator’s campaign said it had $43.1 million in the bank at the end of the month, with debts of about $304,000.

Astounding.  All of this is money freely given to the campaign by real Americans.  Ninety percent of his donors have given $100 or less.  The numbers are staggering.

But we’ve won nothing yet.  McCain could still win.

“The fierce urgency of now” dictates that we take nothing for granted.  This is the time to work.

Only hard work between now and November will result in victory.

Fun With War Crimes – Episode #2 – “9/11 Changed Everything”

June 20, 2008
HumorInternationalIraqPhilosophicalRepublicansWhite House
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Again, remember the “F-Bomb” shows up a couple of times. Hit play and enjoy!

Fun With War Crimes-Episode#1 “Heckuva Job!”

June 20, 2008
HumorPhilosophicalRepublicansWhite House
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Enjoy. If you’re in an office, they do drop the “F-bomb” once or twice, so mind the volume. Well worth clicking “Play.”

Why I’m Voting Republican!

June 19, 2008
Democratic News
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‘Unflappable’ Todd Stroger gets an angry earful

June 18, 2008
ChicagoChicagolandDemocratic News
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Cook County Board President Todd Stroger finally met with taxpayers in the northwest suburbs Monday, and it wasn’t pretty.  Some elected officials in the area had threatened to secede from Cook County in the face of Stroger’s $426 million tax hike.

The Chicago Tribune tells the story, and it must have been quite a scene, with a state Senator chiming in (He’s a Republican, but, these days, that doesn’t matter):

Many in the audience listened politely, but they were there to show their anger.

“We are now starting to feel that we are now starting to get gouged,” said state Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), who introduced legislation that would make it easier for Palatine to secede from the county. “Do you really understand the competitive disadvantage you’re putting the northwest suburbs to?”

Palatine is looking at seceding from Cook County.  The Chicago Trib. calls this a long shot, and I’m sure it is.  But, wow.  Talk of secession in Illinois merits attention, even in a state already inundated with so many overlapping governmental bodies that even the most radically liberal and staunch conservatives weep trying to figure out where respective jurisdictions begin and/or end.

Back to the Chicago Trib.:

The secession movement in Palatine was a long shot at best, but it illustrated a belief by some suburbanites that Stroger wasn’t serving them and didn’t understand the economic harm a sales tax creates in border towns where shoppers can cross into another county for lower rates.

At Monday’s meeting at Harper College, the crowd applauded when Nancy Golemba, 48, of Inverness, said, “I think Cook County represents the residents of Chicago.”

As someone writing from the south suburbs, I applaud Nancy Golemba’s comment.  We have lived in Chicago’s shadow for far too long.  The Cook County Board should represent, well, Cook County.  But all too often, Chicago gets the nod when it comes to the board defining policy.

Stroger, who remained unflappable, said “people don’t trust politicians . . . and that’s they way this job works.”

He also said people near a county or state line sometimes get pinched by a sales tax increase.

Easy for Todd Stroger to say.  Someone else gets “pinched” while Chicago grows.

Well, that’s been happening far too long already.

It’s not that we don’t trust politicians, President Stroger.  In fact, we elect them in our respective suburbs.

Many just don’t trust you.

Tales of the Brown Recluse

June 18, 2008
General
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Brown Recluse spider

I need to explain my lack of in-depth posts over the past week.  I had a wonderful start to summertime.  Apparently, about two weeks ago, I was bit by a Brown Recluse spider.

I’ll spare you the details.

It wasn’t pretty at all.  It was enough to land me in the hospital late last week for a little over twenty-four hours on IV antibiotics and treated to a surgeon — well, we’ll stop there.

Former Fox News Radio reporter tries to take gun to court

June 16, 2008
IraqStrange
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News from Pittsburgh:

A radio reporter was arrested this morning and accused of trying to take a loaded handgun into the Allegheny County Courthouse.

The county sheriff’s office said KDKA reporter Rob Milford was stopped at 9:25 a.m. after a .38 caliber snub-nosed revolver was found in his briefcase at a courthouse screening station. Mr. Milford said he didn’t realize he had put his gun in the briefcase, said Sheriff William P. Mullen.

Don’t you check your briefcase for snub-nosed revolvers before heading to court?

Mr. Milford, a morning general assignment reporter, arrived at KDKA in April 2006 after working for CBS Radio News and Fox News Radio. He reported from the Iraq war twice, once when he was embedded during the initial invasion in 2003.

The man’s a real war hero, another safely “embedded” journalist writing one side of the story from Iraq. Why bother interviewing Iraqis?

David Brooks is an idiot

June 10, 2008
Barack ObamaElectionsRant
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For some reason, I used to enjoy reading David Brooks in the New York Times. I don’t know why. He’s a smart guy. Perhaps it’s my liberal leanings that cause me to thirst for news from all perspectives, not permitting myself to be limited to one point of view.

Brooks’ mere presence in the NYTimes is proof they don’t pander to liberals.

But this one really takes the cake. I’ve watched Brooks give commentary on television. Whether it’s This Week with George Stephanolopous or the pages of the NYTimes, commentators want to tell you what to think as much as they tell you what they think.

Well, Mr. Brooks slipped this time. Regarding Barack Obama, Brooks said:

“Obama‘s problem is he doesn‘t seem like a guy who can go into an Applebee‘s salad bar and people think he fits in naturally there. He has to change to be more like that Applebee‘s guy and as he‘s done that he‘s become much more transactional. Much more, I‘m going to deliver this and this and this to you on policy.”

David, Applebee’s doesn’t have a salad bar. I know you know this by now. Face it, you looked downright silly on this one.

As someone who’s had the pleasure of meeting the Senator from Illinois on more than one occasion, I can say with confidence Barack’s a good guy.

You know, Barack Obama does look like someone who could go into an Applebee’s and have lunch or a good dinner.

You don’t.

Rezko’s Plan for a Third Airport

June 9, 2008
ChicagolandDemocratic NewsStrange
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Tony Rezko allegedly tried his hand at starting a “pay-for-play” third airport in Will County.

I had my doubts the first time I read this, but, knowing Rick Bryant, this report is accurate.

Bryant writes in eNews Park Forest:

Two years ago – before Rezko’s indictment and trial – the Congressman and I (as executive director of the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission) were invited to meet with state officials about the third airport, a project we’ve championed for 14 years.

At the time, the governor was running for re-election and facing angry south suburban leaders who were running a massive ad campaign criticizing Blagojevich for reneging on his promise to build the airport.

Feeling heat from his voter base, the governor agreed to have two of his top aides meet with Jackson and ALNAC.

At the last minute, however, there was a change of plans.  Instead of meeting with the Governor’s aides, we would be meeting with Tony Rezko.

So, on Sunday, June 25, 2006, at the Chicago Four Seasons Hotel, Rezko showed up by himself.  He said he could offer gubernatorial support for ALNAC’s airport plan – if the governor were allowed to make key appointments to ALNAC’s Board.

Wow.  It’s worth it to read Bryant’s entire commentary.

To be honest, I tire of the back-and-forth sniping between Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson.  Both are good people.  That’s not the issue.  But both, at times, have postured unnecessarily over the Third Airport, bringing each other down in the process.  Thankfully, Bryant, a top aide to Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., only takes a backhanded slap at Halvorson in this piece.

ALNAC’s model for building the airport comes with built-in accountability and ethics designed specifically to eliminate kickbacks and graft, thus creating 15,000 private-sector jobs at a low-cost airport that will attract low-cost carriers during this challenging economy.

Rezko’s model and the Senate bill would turn ALNAC’s innovative plan to construct a privately funded, publicly accountable, low-cost airport into a taxpayer-funded, pay-to-play, high-cost airport.

Bryant’s point, however, is clear enough: a third airport would be much less expensive and more accountable to the public under ALNAC.

I simply find it astounding that Rezko tried to put his finger in the third airport pie.