Norman Finkelstein is a DePaul University political science professor who the Anti-Defamation League calls a holocaust denier.
Of course, Norman is a professor at DePaul University, the same Chicago college which suspended Thomas Klocek after defending Israel in front of some Muslim students last fall.
Finkelstein somehow got it in his head that internationally known attorney and Harvard university professor Alan Dershowitz is not the author of The Case For Israel. At least that what Alan says in this article from, let me take a deep breath here, Huffington Post.
From that post:
The University of California Press (UCP) and one of its authors are involved in a fraudulent charade designed to garner publicity for a trashy book by an anti-Semite whose main audiences are neo-Nazis in Germany and Islamic extremists in the United States. The author is someone you've probably never heard of. His name is Norman Finkelstein.
Regular visitors to Marathon Pundit know all about Norman Finkelstein. And DePaul. Thomas Klocek no longer is a professor there. Norman Finkelstein is.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wounded soldiers cycling from California to NYC in charity ride
Soldier Ride is more than half way done with their coast to coast bicycle ride across America. Yesterday the group passed through Chicago, stopping by Daley Plaza downtown. ABC 7 Chicago has the story.
Their goal is to raise $2 million dollars for soldiers wounded in the War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Some of the participants are wounded soldiers themselves, and some amputees are also riding.
If you are interested in riding, sponsoring a rider, or donating, click here.
When will Soldier Ride be in your area? Find out here.
Their goal is to raise $2 million dollars for soldiers wounded in the War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Some of the participants are wounded soldiers themselves, and some amputees are also riding.
If you are interested in riding, sponsoring a rider, or donating, click here.
When will Soldier Ride be in your area? Find out here.
Tale of the tape: East St. Louis vote fraud
From AP:
In convicting five people in East St. Louis on Wednesday of plotting to buy votes in last November's general election, a federal jury keyed on the cornerstone of the government's case secret recordings in which the five are heard discussing the scheme. Here's a sampling of some of their statements:
``Now what are you going to do with $5 a vote? I'm going to give them $2.'' Charles Powell Jr., head of the East St. Louis Central Democratic Committee.
``Give her ten. Give the girl, the one running back and forth, give her five. And there's a tall guy that voted early. Give him ten.'' Yvette Johnson, a poll worker.
``You pay 'em what you wanna pay 'em.'' Jesse Lewis, a Democratic precinct committeeman.
``We paid everybody.'' Sheila Thomas, a Democratic precinct committeewoman.
``I hear ya,'' Powell, when told by an informant that ``here's the bottom line: $5 a vote ain't gonna get it.''
``We've been doing this 30 years. People are expecting something and when they don't get something, they'll hold it against you.'' Powell.
In convicting five people in East St. Louis on Wednesday of plotting to buy votes in last November's general election, a federal jury keyed on the cornerstone of the government's case secret recordings in which the five are heard discussing the scheme. Here's a sampling of some of their statements:
``Now what are you going to do with $5 a vote? I'm going to give them $2.'' Charles Powell Jr., head of the East St. Louis Central Democratic Committee.
``Give her ten. Give the girl, the one running back and forth, give her five. And there's a tall guy that voted early. Give him ten.'' Yvette Johnson, a poll worker.
``You pay 'em what you wanna pay 'em.'' Jesse Lewis, a Democratic precinct committeeman.
``We paid everybody.'' Sheila Thomas, a Democratic precinct committeewoman.
``I hear ya,'' Powell, when told by an informant that ``here's the bottom line: $5 a vote ain't gonna get it.''
``We've been doing this 30 years. People are expecting something and when they don't get something, they'll hold it against you.'' Powell.
Saudi Arabia: Lingerie shops will soon employ women
Well, women still aren't able to drive in the Saudi Kingdom, but the Arab News reports that soon women will be able to work in lingerie shops there.
From the Arab News:
The (Saudi) Ministry yesterday announced a timetable for employing Saudi women instead of men in shops selling women’s clothing, underwear and other such items.
Many women’s shops in the Kingdom are currently staffed by men. Recently several women have written articles complaining about the irony of the situation in a country that does not allow women to drive or to be seen with a man who is not a relative.
From the Arab News:
The (Saudi) Ministry yesterday announced a timetable for employing Saudi women instead of men in shops selling women’s clothing, underwear and other such items.
Many women’s shops in the Kingdom are currently staffed by men. Recently several women have written articles complaining about the irony of the situation in a country that does not allow women to drive or to be seen with a man who is not a relative.
More on the East St. Louis vote fraud convictions
All from the Belleville News-Democrat:
ALL GUILTY
Timeline
GOP leaders say probe should continue
Jurors say tapes helped them decide fraud case
ALL GUILTY
Timeline
GOP leaders say probe should continue
Jurors say tapes helped them decide fraud case
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
East St. Louis "$10.00 per vote" trial verdict in: GUILTY!
From the Belleville News-Democrat:
A federal jury on Wednesday found five East St. Louis Democrats guilty of vote fraud.
The defendants were found guilty on all counts following a four-week trial in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.
Four of the defendants -- Jessie Lewis, Sheila Thomas, Yvette Johnson and former city official Kelvin Ellis -- were found guilty of conspiracy to commit election fraud and election fraud.
Democratic Party boss and former City Councilman Charlie Powell was found guilty of one county of conspiracy to commit election fraud.
The five were charged with paying voters up to $10 a vote to vote for Democratic candidates during the Nov. 2 general election.
The jury deliberated about five and a half hours before returning the verdicts.
"This is a wake-up call for East St. Louis," said juror LaMont Reed Jr. of East St. Louis. "I've seen this corruption all my life."
Judge G. Patrick Murphy, who presided over the trial, will set a sentencing date later.
Read here to learn more about this case.
A federal jury on Wednesday found five East St. Louis Democrats guilty of vote fraud.
The defendants were found guilty on all counts following a four-week trial in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.
Four of the defendants -- Jessie Lewis, Sheila Thomas, Yvette Johnson and former city official Kelvin Ellis -- were found guilty of conspiracy to commit election fraud and election fraud.
Democratic Party boss and former City Councilman Charlie Powell was found guilty of one county of conspiracy to commit election fraud.
The five were charged with paying voters up to $10 a vote to vote for Democratic candidates during the Nov. 2 general election.
The jury deliberated about five and a half hours before returning the verdicts.
"This is a wake-up call for East St. Louis," said juror LaMont Reed Jr. of East St. Louis. "I've seen this corruption all my life."
Judge G. Patrick Murphy, who presided over the trial, will set a sentencing date later.
Read here to learn more about this case.
Only in Illinois: State pays company to clean the inside of salt domes
Marathon Pundit received a press release yesterday from the Joe Birkett people. Joe, currently the DuPage County State's Attorney, is a possible Republican candidate for governor.
From that release:
The Associated Press reported this week that (Illinois Governor) Blagojevich's pay-to-play political machine has struck again--this time at Illinois Department of Transportation salt-storage domes.
"Once again, Rod Blagojevich is rubbing salt in the wounds of taxpayers," Birkett said Tuesday. "What's next, a contact for sandblasting Oak Street Beach?"
An expert quoted in the story said he had no idea why anyone would clean the inside of a salt dome.
The company that received the contract is PWS Environmental Inc, a firm that has donated $25,000 to Rod Blagojevich, in turn, PWS has received a total of $522,000 in state business.
The salt domes can be found throughout Illinois, from Arlington Heights in the north, to Fort Massac at the southern tip of the Prairie State.
Birkett's is offering contributors to his campaign fund honorary sponsorships of these salt domes. Click here if you'd like to be one of an honorary sponsor of a Blagojevich "pay-to-play" salt dome.
And today, AP reports that PWS Environmental Inc., the salt dome cleaning firm, is owned by William Mologousis, brother-in-law of Illinois Department of Transportation finance and administration director Robert Millette.
Only in Illinois.
From that release:
The Associated Press reported this week that (Illinois Governor) Blagojevich's pay-to-play political machine has struck again--this time at Illinois Department of Transportation salt-storage domes.
"Once again, Rod Blagojevich is rubbing salt in the wounds of taxpayers," Birkett said Tuesday. "What's next, a contact for sandblasting Oak Street Beach?"
An expert quoted in the story said he had no idea why anyone would clean the inside of a salt dome.
The company that received the contract is PWS Environmental Inc, a firm that has donated $25,000 to Rod Blagojevich, in turn, PWS has received a total of $522,000 in state business.
The salt domes can be found throughout Illinois, from Arlington Heights in the north, to Fort Massac at the southern tip of the Prairie State.
Birkett's is offering contributors to his campaign fund honorary sponsorships of these salt domes. Click here if you'd like to be one of an honorary sponsor of a Blagojevich "pay-to-play" salt dome.
And today, AP reports that PWS Environmental Inc., the salt dome cleaning firm, is owned by William Mologousis, brother-in-law of Illinois Department of Transportation finance and administration director Robert Millette.
Only in Illinois.
Jury deliberations begin in East St. Louis vote fraud trial
Entry two today of stories the New York Times won't cover. Jury deliberations have begun in the East St. Louis "$10 per vote" fraud trial. The latest is here from the Belleville News-Democrat.
And scroll here a couple of posts to learn more.
And scroll here a couple of posts to learn more.
Committee for Rep Lane Evans, D-IL, pays big fine to FEC
More stuff you won't find in the New York Times. From AP, via CBS 2 Chicago:
Democratic Rep. Lane Evans' campaign committee has agreed to pay $185,000 in civil penalties to settle accusations that it illegally used another committee to help fund the congressman's 1998 and 2000 campaigns.
In addition, Illinois' Rock Island Democratic Central Committee will pay $30,000 in civil penalties, according to the consent agreement signed Monday by a federal judge. None of the defendants admitted any wrongdoing in the settlement.
``We're very confident we would have prevailed (in court)'' Evans spokesman Steve Vetzner said. ``It's not worth the time and trouble.''
The Rock Island County Republican Party filed the original complaint with the Federal Election Committee in 2000. The FEC then filed a lawsuit last year in U.S. District Court in Rock Island.
The FEC alleged the Friends of Lane Evans Committee set up the 17th District Victory Fund as a separate entity before the 1998 election and then used most of the $500,000 that it raised to benefit the campaign, which was restricted by statutory limits on campaign contributions.
The FEC said the Victory Fund spent at least $330,000 on voter identification and voter drives that promoted Evans.
Tom Getz, Chairman of the Rock Island County Republican Party, said the alleged activities cost his party the election in 1998.
Officials with the Rock Island Democratic Central Committee did not immediately return calls Tuesday for comment.
Democratic Rep. Lane Evans' campaign committee has agreed to pay $185,000 in civil penalties to settle accusations that it illegally used another committee to help fund the congressman's 1998 and 2000 campaigns.
In addition, Illinois' Rock Island Democratic Central Committee will pay $30,000 in civil penalties, according to the consent agreement signed Monday by a federal judge. None of the defendants admitted any wrongdoing in the settlement.
``We're very confident we would have prevailed (in court)'' Evans spokesman Steve Vetzner said. ``It's not worth the time and trouble.''
The Rock Island County Republican Party filed the original complaint with the Federal Election Committee in 2000. The FEC then filed a lawsuit last year in U.S. District Court in Rock Island.
The FEC alleged the Friends of Lane Evans Committee set up the 17th District Victory Fund as a separate entity before the 1998 election and then used most of the $500,000 that it raised to benefit the campaign, which was restricted by statutory limits on campaign contributions.
The FEC said the Victory Fund spent at least $330,000 on voter identification and voter drives that promoted Evans.
Tom Getz, Chairman of the Rock Island County Republican Party, said the alleged activities cost his party the election in 1998.
Officials with the Rock Island Democratic Central Committee did not immediately return calls Tuesday for comment.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Closing arguments delivered in East St. Louis vote fraud trial
Well, very soon (see previous post) is right now. Closing arguments have been delivered in the East St. Louis "$10 per vote" trial.
From AP:
State records showed that tens of thousands of dollars were transferred from the county Democrats to the committeemen days before the Nov. 2 election. Party leaders said it was for legitimate expenses, including rides to the polls for people without cars.
Here, according to Saturday's Belleville News-Democrat, is the toughest obstacle for the defense to overcome.
The most incriminating seemed to be an exchange between McIntosh (an undercover operative) and defendant Charles Powell, the Democratic boss of East St. Louis.
"Five dollars a vote ain't going to get it," McIntosh is heard saying on the tape, and Powell answers, "I hear you."
McIntosh was referring to an allegation that more than $5 a vote was needed to ensure the traditional heavy Democratic majority in East St. Louis for then-St. Clair County Board Chairman candidate Mark Kern, a Democrat. McIntosh is heard saying that Kern, who is white, was viewed as a racist in the nearly all-black city.
However, I've studied this trial closely, and since many prosecution witnesses have given conflicting testimony, this case is not a sure thing for the prosecution.
From AP:
State records showed that tens of thousands of dollars were transferred from the county Democrats to the committeemen days before the Nov. 2 election. Party leaders said it was for legitimate expenses, including rides to the polls for people without cars.
Here, according to Saturday's Belleville News-Democrat, is the toughest obstacle for the defense to overcome.
The most incriminating seemed to be an exchange between McIntosh (an undercover operative) and defendant Charles Powell, the Democratic boss of East St. Louis.
"Five dollars a vote ain't going to get it," McIntosh is heard saying on the tape, and Powell answers, "I hear you."
McIntosh was referring to an allegation that more than $5 a vote was needed to ensure the traditional heavy Democratic majority in East St. Louis for then-St. Clair County Board Chairman candidate Mark Kern, a Democrat. McIntosh is heard saying that Kern, who is white, was viewed as a racist in the nearly all-black city.
However, I've studied this trial closely, and since many prosecution witnesses have given conflicting testimony, this case is not a sure thing for the prosecution.
Summary piece on the East St. Louis "$10 per vote" fraud trial
I've been keeping a good eye on this story, and closing arguments are expected very soon in this trial. Here's a good summary from AP:
THE CHARGES: The chairman of the East St. Louis Democratic Committee is accused of conspiring with three precinct committeemen and an election worker to buy votes in the Nov. 2 election using cash, liquor and cigarettes.
THE PROSECUTION: Saying secretly recorded conversations support the charges, the government argues that the defendants plotted to buy votes with money flowing from St. Clair County Democrats to their East St. Louis counterparts in an effort to elect certain Democrats.
THE DEFENSE: Calls the evidence flimsy and, among other things, accuses key government witnesses of lying and often contradicting each other.
THE CHARGES: The chairman of the East St. Louis Democratic Committee is accused of conspiring with three precinct committeemen and an election worker to buy votes in the Nov. 2 election using cash, liquor and cigarettes.
THE PROSECUTION: Saying secretly recorded conversations support the charges, the government argues that the defendants plotted to buy votes with money flowing from St. Clair County Democrats to their East St. Louis counterparts in an effort to elect certain Democrats.
THE DEFENSE: Calls the evidence flimsy and, among other things, accuses key government witnesses of lying and often contradicting each other.
Bayh says bye to "centrist" Democratic leadership post
Evan Bayh moves closer to the point where he'll announce a presidential run. He was re-elected as to his Indiana senate seat last year, and he's been moving to the left ever since.
From the Indianapolis Star, an excerpt:
Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is stepping down next month as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, which promotes centrist Democratic policies.Bayh, who has headed the group since 2001, will now have more time to devote to his exploration of a potential 2008 presidential bid.
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who is also considering a run for the White House, will take over the leadership when the group holds its national meeting in Columbus, Ohio, on July 25.
The Democratic Leadership Council was founded in 1985 by Al From, a South Bend native concerned that his party was losing touch with the mainstream.
From the Indianapolis Star, an excerpt:
Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is stepping down next month as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, which promotes centrist Democratic policies.Bayh, who has headed the group since 2001, will now have more time to devote to his exploration of a potential 2008 presidential bid.
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who is also considering a run for the White House, will take over the leadership when the group holds its national meeting in Columbus, Ohio, on July 25.
The Democratic Leadership Council was founded in 1985 by Al From, a South Bend native concerned that his party was losing touch with the mainstream.
Bloggers appear before FEC
From AP:
Bloggers who built their Internet followings with anti-establishment prose are now lobbying the establishment to protect their livelihoods from federal regulations.
Some are even working with lawyers, public relations consultants and a political action committee to do it.
"I like to think of myself as just a guy with a blog, but it's clear that 'just a guy with a blog' is different today than it was when I started three years ago," said Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of the Web log www.DailyKos.com. "One sign of having arrived is when government regulators start wanting to poke their fingers into what you do."
Moulitsas testified Tuesday at a hearing on a Federal Election Commission proposal that would extend some campaign finance rules to the Internet, including bloggers. He urged the FEC to take a hands-off approach.
I don't agree with Kos on a lot, but I agre with him here.
Bloggers who built their Internet followings with anti-establishment prose are now lobbying the establishment to protect their livelihoods from federal regulations.
Some are even working with lawyers, public relations consultants and a political action committee to do it.
"I like to think of myself as just a guy with a blog, but it's clear that 'just a guy with a blog' is different today than it was when I started three years ago," said Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, founder of the Web log www.DailyKos.com. "One sign of having arrived is when government regulators start wanting to poke their fingers into what you do."
Moulitsas testified Tuesday at a hearing on a Federal Election Commission proposal that would extend some campaign finance rules to the Internet, including bloggers. He urged the FEC to take a hands-off approach.
I don't agree with Kos on a lot, but I agre with him here.
Monday, June 27, 2005
PC police driving out Indiana professor?
Well, it seems that way. Hat tip to the Volokh Conspiracy, which has been very helpful in getting the word out on the Thomas Klocek case.
According to Ruth Holladay of the Indianapolis Star, William C. Bradford is a veteran of the first Gulf War and served also in Bosnia. He's a Silver Star winner and an Apache Indian.
Since 2001, Bradford has been an associate professor at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, and Holladay writes, "his expertise is international law, federal Indian law and national security/foreign relations law. He has four degrees, including one from Harvard Law."
But there are problems for Bradford in Indy. Again from Holladay's column:
But he's under fire, he said, because his ideas about the war on terror do not conform to views held by Professors Mary Harter Mitchell, 52, and Florence Wagman Roisman, 66.
It goes on...
Mitchell long has been an anti-war activist. She did not return three calls on Friday.
Roisman said she is a proud member of the left. "I am a person of very progressive politics," she said. "Everybody there would tell you I am the most to-the-left person (on the faculty.)"
In winter 2003, Roisman made news for objecting to a tree with ornaments in the school lobby. After it was removed, she successfully lobbied against a new display -- an Indiana winter scene.
I thought the Left liked art?
Back to Professor Bradford, from Holladay's column:
Bradford wrote a defense of the flag after 9/11 -- one that hung in the school lobby until some faculty objected.
He refused to sign a letter sent by Roisman defending Ward Churchill. He's the Colorado professor who called victims of 9/11 "little Eichmanns."
And as we all know, Ward is not a real Indian.
This is still a developing issue; the column points out that Bradford is still employed by the IU School of Law-Indianapolis, but has been called "uncollegial" in a review. Bradford says the two other professors mentioned in this post, Mitchell and Roisman, have consistently voted to deny him tenure.
I'll be keeping an eye on this story.
According to Ruth Holladay of the Indianapolis Star, William C. Bradford is a veteran of the first Gulf War and served also in Bosnia. He's a Silver Star winner and an Apache Indian.
Since 2001, Bradford has been an associate professor at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, and Holladay writes, "his expertise is international law, federal Indian law and national security/foreign relations law. He has four degrees, including one from Harvard Law."
But there are problems for Bradford in Indy. Again from Holladay's column:
But he's under fire, he said, because his ideas about the war on terror do not conform to views held by Professors Mary Harter Mitchell, 52, and Florence Wagman Roisman, 66.
It goes on...
Mitchell long has been an anti-war activist. She did not return three calls on Friday.
Roisman said she is a proud member of the left. "I am a person of very progressive politics," she said. "Everybody there would tell you I am the most to-the-left person (on the faculty.)"
In winter 2003, Roisman made news for objecting to a tree with ornaments in the school lobby. After it was removed, she successfully lobbied against a new display -- an Indiana winter scene.
I thought the Left liked art?
Back to Professor Bradford, from Holladay's column:
Bradford wrote a defense of the flag after 9/11 -- one that hung in the school lobby until some faculty objected.
He refused to sign a letter sent by Roisman defending Ward Churchill. He's the Colorado professor who called victims of 9/11 "little Eichmanns."
And as we all know, Ward is not a real Indian.
This is still a developing issue; the column points out that Bradford is still employed by the IU School of Law-Indianapolis, but has been called "uncollegial" in a review. Bradford says the two other professors mentioned in this post, Mitchell and Roisman, have consistently voted to deny him tenure.
I'll be keeping an eye on this story.
Bloggers out there...be careful!
This comes from WorldNet Daily. An Allstate employee wrote an article critical of gay rights and was fired, because, according to WND, a tagline on one Internet site that posted his article mentioned that he was an employee of the insurance giant.
I definitely think Allstate is wrong in terminating the employee, but my blogger friends out there, don't make things tough on yourself by mentioning who your employers is.
I definitely think Allstate is wrong in terminating the employee, but my blogger friends out there, don't make things tough on yourself by mentioning who your employers is.
File sharing, the symphony's final movement
Looks like the part is over for free music downloads, per the US Supreme Court unanimous decision today.
They kicked the case back to a lower court, but the song is almost over for downloading free tunes.
Rumor Dept: Oh, if you want to see what Noam Chomsky is up to, and you don't want to enrich him by purchasing one of his books, or if you're afraid that your neighbor could see you checking out one of his books at the local library, I've heard that some of Noam's audio books are available for download on those nasty free download sites.
This info comes to Marathon Pundit from anonymous, but reliable sources. Marathon Pundit does not advocate lawbreaking or copwright infringement.
They kicked the case back to a lower court, but the song is almost over for downloading free tunes.
Rumor Dept: Oh, if you want to see what Noam Chomsky is up to, and you don't want to enrich him by purchasing one of his books, or if you're afraid that your neighbor could see you checking out one of his books at the local library, I've heard that some of Noam's audio books are available for download on those nasty free download sites.
This info comes to Marathon Pundit from anonymous, but reliable sources. Marathon Pundit does not advocate lawbreaking or copwright infringement.
Lincoln Park Zoo rips Chicago alderman's elephant ban proposal--PETA alert!
Here is an update on this post from June 17.
From this morning's Chicago Sun-Times:
Lincoln Park Zoo is telling a North Side alderman that when it comes to her proposed ordinance restricting pachyderms, she needs to pack it up.
Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) is set to introduce an ordinance this week that would require any elephant in the city to have at least 10 acres of room -- 5 inside and 5 outside. The circus industry has criticized the proposed ordinance, but it would cover zoo elephants as well.
In a letter sent to Smith last week, Lincoln Park Zoo director Kevin Bell invokes Mayor Daley -- the lead bull of city government, as it were -- in knocking Smith's effort.
"Mayor Richard M. Daley a decade ago moved our zoo to private management in part to ensure that wildlife experts -- not government -- were making the decisions,'' Bell wrote. Smith's proposed space requirement is "not supported by any scientific evidence,'' he wrote.
Smith, who has been advised by animal-rights groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, thinks elephants need more space to roam to stay healthy. She noted the July Smithsonian magazine cover story detailing how experts, using global positioning satellites, have tracked some elephants in West Africa walking as much as 35 miles a day in search of water.
At zoo's Ald. Smith, water is brought to the elephants.
I'd like to add, although Smith's proposed ordinance does not ban elephants within Chicago per se, having 10 acres of open space per pachyderm is an impossibilty in Chicago, and Smith knows that.
From this morning's Chicago Sun-Times:
Lincoln Park Zoo is telling a North Side alderman that when it comes to her proposed ordinance restricting pachyderms, she needs to pack it up.
Ald. Mary Ann Smith (48th) is set to introduce an ordinance this week that would require any elephant in the city to have at least 10 acres of room -- 5 inside and 5 outside. The circus industry has criticized the proposed ordinance, but it would cover zoo elephants as well.
In a letter sent to Smith last week, Lincoln Park Zoo director Kevin Bell invokes Mayor Daley -- the lead bull of city government, as it were -- in knocking Smith's effort.
"Mayor Richard M. Daley a decade ago moved our zoo to private management in part to ensure that wildlife experts -- not government -- were making the decisions,'' Bell wrote. Smith's proposed space requirement is "not supported by any scientific evidence,'' he wrote.
Smith, who has been advised by animal-rights groups such as the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, thinks elephants need more space to roam to stay healthy. She noted the July Smithsonian magazine cover story detailing how experts, using global positioning satellites, have tracked some elephants in West Africa walking as much as 35 miles a day in search of water.
At zoo's Ald. Smith, water is brought to the elephants.
I'd like to add, although Smith's proposed ordinance does not ban elephants within Chicago per se, having 10 acres of open space per pachyderm is an impossibilty in Chicago, and Smith knows that.
Alan Dershowitz vs. Norman Finkelstein, cont'd
Steven Plaut has another interesting post at Moonbat Central about DePaul Professor Norman Finkelstein, who is the anti-semitic professor at DePaul who the Anti-Defamation League has called a holocaust denier.
DePaul, of course, suspended Professor Thomas Klocek for defending Israel in front of some Palestinian students.
Norman has a new book coming out, Beyond Chutzpah, which noted attorney and Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz says libels him
Go to the Moonbat Central link to learn more. Arnold Schwarzenegger even gets involved!
DePaul, of course, suspended Professor Thomas Klocek for defending Israel in front of some Palestinian students.
Norman has a new book coming out, Beyond Chutzpah, which noted attorney and Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz says libels him
Go to the Moonbat Central link to learn more. Arnold Schwarzenegger even gets involved!
Light blogging day
I'm in an all day training session, so there won't be much blogging from me until this evening. I have a number of interesting posts from Sunday, including one from the west coast's version of Jayson Blair, a Scientology post, and the latest on the troubles of Ron Gidwitz.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Scientology in the spotlight
Tom Cruise has brought Scientology into public discussion. His fiancee, Katie Holmes says she's excited to learn more about the religion.
Dan Flynn's Flynn Files has a post on Xenu. Belief in Xenu is a core belief to those who've advanced to the highest level of Scientology. This story is just too bizarre to excerpt--where does one begin?--so just click here to learn more about Xenu, the one time ruler of 76 planets.
From Dan's post:
All religions contain teachings that weird-out non-believers. Where Scientologists differ is that they try hard to obscure some of their stranger beliefs. Tom, believe anything you want, but c'mon: let your freak flag fly.
The Chicago Sun-Times' Shamus Toomey has an article today about Cruise, Holmes and Scientology.
You'll learn it can be pretty expensive to be a Scientologist. From that article:
Scientologists use several methods to get people started, including a device called an E-meter, said to measure stress and root out problems. There are also one-on-one sessions called "auditing."
"Auditing is basically a procedure Mr. Hubbard started to help a person locate problems and stress or pain and discomfort, to relieve themselves of unwanted emotions or sensations," explained Mary Anne Ahmad, director of public affairs for the Church of Scientology of Illinois.
A goal of the auditing sessions is to ultimately be "clear" of what is referred to as the "reactive mind," the part of the mind that is not under a person's control, that works on stimulus-response.
According to church teachings, during times of emotional or physical pain, the reactive mind takes over and records images -- called engrams -- which can later lead to problems that a person can't explain. To become a "Clear" is to erase the engrams and no longer be under control of the reactive mind or its ill effects.
But it's not cheap. Auditing can cost thousands of dollars when done by a professional auditor. Ahmad said costs can be reduced when local church auditors trade services. But members also pay for a series of courses and for literature. Some experts estimate the cost can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Yeah, I've heard that Scientology has indeed helped some people kick drug addiction. But in my opinion, there are safer, cheaper, and more spiritually uplifting ways to kick substance abuse.
Dan Flynn's Flynn Files has a post on Xenu. Belief in Xenu is a core belief to those who've advanced to the highest level of Scientology. This story is just too bizarre to excerpt--where does one begin?--so just click here to learn more about Xenu, the one time ruler of 76 planets.
From Dan's post:
All religions contain teachings that weird-out non-believers. Where Scientologists differ is that they try hard to obscure some of their stranger beliefs. Tom, believe anything you want, but c'mon: let your freak flag fly.
The Chicago Sun-Times' Shamus Toomey has an article today about Cruise, Holmes and Scientology.
You'll learn it can be pretty expensive to be a Scientologist. From that article:
Scientologists use several methods to get people started, including a device called an E-meter, said to measure stress and root out problems. There are also one-on-one sessions called "auditing."
"Auditing is basically a procedure Mr. Hubbard started to help a person locate problems and stress or pain and discomfort, to relieve themselves of unwanted emotions or sensations," explained Mary Anne Ahmad, director of public affairs for the Church of Scientology of Illinois.
A goal of the auditing sessions is to ultimately be "clear" of what is referred to as the "reactive mind," the part of the mind that is not under a person's control, that works on stimulus-response.
According to church teachings, during times of emotional or physical pain, the reactive mind takes over and records images -- called engrams -- which can later lead to problems that a person can't explain. To become a "Clear" is to erase the engrams and no longer be under control of the reactive mind or its ill effects.
But it's not cheap. Auditing can cost thousands of dollars when done by a professional auditor. Ahmad said costs can be reduced when local church auditors trade services. But members also pay for a series of courses and for literature. Some experts estimate the cost can reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Yeah, I've heard that Scientology has indeed helped some people kick drug addiction. But in my opinion, there are safer, cheaper, and more spiritually uplifting ways to kick substance abuse.
Meet Diana Griego Irwin: California's Jayson Blair
UPDATE: It has come to my attention that it's Diana Griego Erwin, not Irwin. Sorry!
Huge hat tip to Third Wave Dave!
Another big hit against mainstream media credibility, Diana Griego Irwin, former Sacramento Bee columnist, is the latest MSM serial plagiarizer. As the New York Times did with Jayson Blair, the Bee in investigating Irwin's columns, and his finding that she made up a whole lot of stuff.
From the Sacramento Bee (free registration is required.) Register just for this article, as this one is a must read. An excerpt:
From Jan. 1, 2004, until her final column on April 26, Griego Erwin wrote 171 columns. The Bee's investigation found 30 names in 27 separate columns that could not be verified during that time period. The people could not be found in voter registration rolls, property records, telephone books, identity databases or through scores of phone calls.
In light of those findings, the review expanded to include a sampling of columns spanning her 12-year tenure with the newspaper, and 13 additional cases in another 10 columns were found.
Many of the columns in question fit a template: essays, often with a surprising O. Henry twist, about a singular person who faces a challenge and surmounts it. Their stories frequently reflect a theme taken from current headlines - wildfires, for example, or prison brutality, school shootings, murderous road rage or a high-profile trial.
Oh, one more detail, Irwin is a Pulitzer Prize winner!
Huge hat tip to Third Wave Dave!
Another big hit against mainstream media credibility, Diana Griego Irwin, former Sacramento Bee columnist, is the latest MSM serial plagiarizer. As the New York Times did with Jayson Blair, the Bee in investigating Irwin's columns, and his finding that she made up a whole lot of stuff.
From the Sacramento Bee (free registration is required.) Register just for this article, as this one is a must read. An excerpt:
From Jan. 1, 2004, until her final column on April 26, Griego Erwin wrote 171 columns. The Bee's investigation found 30 names in 27 separate columns that could not be verified during that time period. The people could not be found in voter registration rolls, property records, telephone books, identity databases or through scores of phone calls.
In light of those findings, the review expanded to include a sampling of columns spanning her 12-year tenure with the newspaper, and 13 additional cases in another 10 columns were found.
Many of the columns in question fit a template: essays, often with a surprising O. Henry twist, about a singular person who faces a challenge and surmounts it. Their stories frequently reflect a theme taken from current headlines - wildfires, for example, or prison brutality, school shootings, murderous road rage or a high-profile trial.
Oh, one more detail, Irwin is a Pulitzer Prize winner!
Joliet Herald News Editorial: Even in Illinois, Gidwitz a bad choice
This is from Sunday's edition of the Joliet Herald News, an excerpt:
Illinois governors have come from all walks of life during the state's nearly 200-year history.
Some were soldiers. Some were farmers. Others were abolitionists. One was a doctor, another a pharmacist. Most were lawyers. A few were crooks.
And now that Ron Gidwitz has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2006 gubernatorial election, a new background could be added to that list: slum lord.
Gidwitz is the former president of cosmetics giant Helene Curtis and one-time head of the Illinois Board of Education. But in Joliet, he's better known as part-owner of Evergreen Terrace, the crime-plagued apartment complex that's been a festering sore on the city's near West Side for nearly three decades.
Joliet has tried for years to render this dinosaur of 1970s low-income housing extinct through ordinances, permits and the courts, but to no avail. The city council even once offered Gidwitz and Evergreen's anonymous owners a $2.5 million buy-out for the property. The owners' group didn't bother to respond.
And who can blame them? Under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Mark to Market program, the owners stand to squeeze more federal subsidies than ever out of this rotten apple.
This morning I listened to WBBM Radio "At Issue," Gidwitz was the guest. (The show is repeated tonight (Sunday) at 9:30pm, and is available via web cast here.
Eric Krol, political editor of the Northwest Daily Herald brought up Evergreen Terrace, and the core of Gidwitz' response to Krol's question was that the City of Joliet wants to "put 250 families out on the street, these people need affordable housing."
Which brings me back to this AP arcticle by Maura Kelly Lannan , who was also on "At Issue" with Krol:
"We don't make any money from this project. We happen to be providing, we believe, a service to the community. And it's clear that if we don't continue to supply this, these 250 or so families aren't going to have places to live in Joliet," Gidwitz said.
(Joliet Deputy City Manager James) Shapard disagreed.
"That's utter nonsense and Gidwitz knows it. We have demonstrated to HUD that there is plenty of available Section 8 rental housing in Joliet and the surrounding area," he said.
The city has offered to buy the complex but has not received a response, Shapard said.
Illinois governors have come from all walks of life during the state's nearly 200-year history.
Some were soldiers. Some were farmers. Others were abolitionists. One was a doctor, another a pharmacist. Most were lawyers. A few were crooks.
And now that Ron Gidwitz has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2006 gubernatorial election, a new background could be added to that list: slum lord.
Gidwitz is the former president of cosmetics giant Helene Curtis and one-time head of the Illinois Board of Education. But in Joliet, he's better known as part-owner of Evergreen Terrace, the crime-plagued apartment complex that's been a festering sore on the city's near West Side for nearly three decades.
Joliet has tried for years to render this dinosaur of 1970s low-income housing extinct through ordinances, permits and the courts, but to no avail. The city council even once offered Gidwitz and Evergreen's anonymous owners a $2.5 million buy-out for the property. The owners' group didn't bother to respond.
And who can blame them? Under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Mark to Market program, the owners stand to squeeze more federal subsidies than ever out of this rotten apple.
This morning I listened to WBBM Radio "At Issue," Gidwitz was the guest. (The show is repeated tonight (Sunday) at 9:30pm, and is available via web cast here.
Eric Krol, political editor of the Northwest Daily Herald brought up Evergreen Terrace, and the core of Gidwitz' response to Krol's question was that the City of Joliet wants to "put 250 families out on the street, these people need affordable housing."
Which brings me back to this AP arcticle by Maura Kelly Lannan , who was also on "At Issue" with Krol:
"We don't make any money from this project. We happen to be providing, we believe, a service to the community. And it's clear that if we don't continue to supply this, these 250 or so families aren't going to have places to live in Joliet," Gidwitz said.
(Joliet Deputy City Manager James) Shapard disagreed.
"That's utter nonsense and Gidwitz knows it. We have demonstrated to HUD that there is plenty of available Section 8 rental housing in Joliet and the surrounding area," he said.
The city has offered to buy the complex but has not received a response, Shapard said.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
The end of the Gidwitz for Governor campaign
Okay, yeah he's still in the race for the Republican nomination to face off against incumbent Governor Rod Blagojevich, D-IL, but it looks like Ron Gidwitz, former CEO of Helene Curtis and ex-Illinois State Board of Education chairman has virtually no chance to win next spring's Republican primary for governor here in the Prairie State.
And I'm writing this just four days after he officially announced his candidacy for the top job in the nation's fifth largest state.
So what's doomed his campaign so quickly? The Evergreen Terrace apartments in Joliet.
According to the Joliet newspaper Herald-News, Ron Gidwitz and his family own about 1 percent of Evergreen Terrace. These apartments have been described by one Joliet official as a "hell hole," according to AP.
Says Joliet Deputy City Manager James Shapard:
There are people that die there with great frequency. They die of bullet wounds, stab wounds. There are children who are raped there. There are young women who are raped there. There are older women who are raped there. There is a considerable amount of drug dealing going on," Shapard said.
Before you jump to conclusions and think that the attacks on Gidwitz come from Democrats (by the way, I have no idea what Shapard's political affiliation is), think again. From the same AP article comes these comments Peter Fitzgerald:
In October 2003, former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-IL, called the conditions at Evergreen Terrace "inhumane" and urged HUD to reject refinancing (of Evergreen). He said Joliet should be allowed to redevelop the property and place residents in better and safer living arrangements.
Fitzgerald said he toured the complex and was overpowered by the smell of urine, saw exposed wiring and broken elevators and heard from residents about problems ranging from rodents to rampant crime.
From the Joliet Herald-News, comes these remarks:
And Councilman Joe Shetina, a longtime Republican, does not believe Gidwitz will survive a GOP primary against any solid candidate, even without Evergreen Terrace hanging around his neck. The apartment complex will be an added drag on his campaign, Shetina said.
"It's a blight, and he's the cause of it," Shetina argued.
Fine, a reasonable person may say, Evergreen Terrace is a wretched place, but Gidwitz and his family only 1 percent of it. What of the other 99 percent?
From that same Herald-News article:
The (Illinois Housing Development) authority's report lists Gidwitz Associates, a limited partnership, as having a 1.01 percent ownership stake in Evergreen Terrace. And members of the family also have interests in Burnham Residential Venture I Corp. and Burnham Residential Venture I LP. The two entities hold a combined 1 percent stake in the complex, according to the state agency's report.
"The Gidwitzes have refused to identify the owners of Evergreen Terrace," said City Attorney Jeff Plyman. "We've asked for that information in a lawsuit, and we believe we're entitled to it. We'll do whatever is necessary to see who profits from this project."
Naturally, Gidwitz is working on damage control, according the Northwest Daily Herald.
Sunday at 9:30 am and pm (CDT) Gidwitz will be interviewed on WBBM-AM Radio's "At Issue." It'll be webcast, too.
And I'm writing this just four days after he officially announced his candidacy for the top job in the nation's fifth largest state.
So what's doomed his campaign so quickly? The Evergreen Terrace apartments in Joliet.
According to the Joliet newspaper Herald-News, Ron Gidwitz and his family own about 1 percent of Evergreen Terrace. These apartments have been described by one Joliet official as a "hell hole," according to AP.
Says Joliet Deputy City Manager James Shapard:
There are people that die there with great frequency. They die of bullet wounds, stab wounds. There are children who are raped there. There are young women who are raped there. There are older women who are raped there. There is a considerable amount of drug dealing going on," Shapard said.
Before you jump to conclusions and think that the attacks on Gidwitz come from Democrats (by the way, I have no idea what Shapard's political affiliation is), think again. From the same AP article comes these comments Peter Fitzgerald:
In October 2003, former U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, R-IL, called the conditions at Evergreen Terrace "inhumane" and urged HUD to reject refinancing (of Evergreen). He said Joliet should be allowed to redevelop the property and place residents in better and safer living arrangements.
Fitzgerald said he toured the complex and was overpowered by the smell of urine, saw exposed wiring and broken elevators and heard from residents about problems ranging from rodents to rampant crime.
From the Joliet Herald-News, comes these remarks:
And Councilman Joe Shetina, a longtime Republican, does not believe Gidwitz will survive a GOP primary against any solid candidate, even without Evergreen Terrace hanging around his neck. The apartment complex will be an added drag on his campaign, Shetina said.
"It's a blight, and he's the cause of it," Shetina argued.
Fine, a reasonable person may say, Evergreen Terrace is a wretched place, but Gidwitz and his family only 1 percent of it. What of the other 99 percent?
From that same Herald-News article:
The (Illinois Housing Development) authority's report lists Gidwitz Associates, a limited partnership, as having a 1.01 percent ownership stake in Evergreen Terrace. And members of the family also have interests in Burnham Residential Venture I Corp. and Burnham Residential Venture I LP. The two entities hold a combined 1 percent stake in the complex, according to the state agency's report.
"The Gidwitzes have refused to identify the owners of Evergreen Terrace," said City Attorney Jeff Plyman. "We've asked for that information in a lawsuit, and we believe we're entitled to it. We'll do whatever is necessary to see who profits from this project."
Naturally, Gidwitz is working on damage control, according the Northwest Daily Herald.
Sunday at 9:30 am and pm (CDT) Gidwitz will be interviewed on WBBM-AM Radio's "At Issue." It'll be webcast, too.
Iran's new president
Hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the new Iranian president. For freedom loving people, this is not good news. Of course, the presidential election in Iran was a farce.
Governments of Muslim countries offered cautious congratulations in response to the election, while several Western countries — including the United States — sharply criticized the vote Saturday. There were complaints that the candidates allowed to run for president were decided by the powerful Guardian Council, made up of clerics, who disqualified upward of 1,000 contestants, including 50 women.
For insightful commentary on current events in Iran, visit the blog Regime Change Iran.
If you're interested in sloppy reporting, twisted logic, and anti-Western as well as anti-Semitic ramblings, then you'll love the Tehran Times.
Governments of Muslim countries offered cautious congratulations in response to the election, while several Western countries — including the United States — sharply criticized the vote Saturday. There were complaints that the candidates allowed to run for president were decided by the powerful Guardian Council, made up of clerics, who disqualified upward of 1,000 contestants, including 50 women.
For insightful commentary on current events in Iran, visit the blog Regime Change Iran.
If you're interested in sloppy reporting, twisted logic, and anti-Western as well as anti-Semitic ramblings, then you'll love the Tehran Times.
Durbin apologizes to Illinois VFW members
This just in from AP, Durbin spoke with at VFW convention in Peoria.
``Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line,'' the Springfield Democrat said on Tuesday. ``To them I extend my heartfelt apologies.''
``Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line,'' the Springfield Democrat said on Tuesday. ``To them I extend my heartfelt apologies.''
Bong-wielding man attacks Wisconsin cop
From AP:
A 22-year-old man was wrestled to the ground in the Germantown (Wisconsin) Police Department Friday afternoon after threatening a dispatcher with a glass bong and a shotgun, police said.
The man walked into the department and handed a threatening note to the dispatcher at a her window around 5 p.m., police said.
Bongs hold a special place in the heart of Wisconsinites; there is the Bong Recreation Area just off Interstate 94 near Kenosha.
A 22-year-old man was wrestled to the ground in the Germantown (Wisconsin) Police Department Friday afternoon after threatening a dispatcher with a glass bong and a shotgun, police said.
The man walked into the department and handed a threatening note to the dispatcher at a her window around 5 p.m., police said.
Bongs hold a special place in the heart of Wisconsinites; there is the Bong Recreation Area just off Interstate 94 near Kenosha.
Defense asks judge for acquittals in East St. Louis "$10 per vote" case
We'll see how this plays out, once again from the Belleville News-Democrat.
U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy said he will review witness testimony in a three-week-old vote fraud trial this weekend to decide whether to acquit any or all of five defendants.
The defense, which rested its case Friday, contends the prosecution has failed to present enough evidence. Final arguments are set for 8 a.m. Tuesday. A verdict could be reached that afternoon or evening.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Carr told Murphy on Friday there is more than enough evidence, including several audiotapes made by two undercover operatives: Rudy McIntosh and his then-girlfriend Dannita Youngblood. The alleged vote fraud involved the Nov. 2 general election.
U.S. District Judge G. Patrick Murphy said he will review witness testimony in a three-week-old vote fraud trial this weekend to decide whether to acquit any or all of five defendants.
The defense, which rested its case Friday, contends the prosecution has failed to present enough evidence. Final arguments are set for 8 a.m. Tuesday. A verdict could be reached that afternoon or evening.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Carr told Murphy on Friday there is more than enough evidence, including several audiotapes made by two undercover operatives: Rudy McIntosh and his then-girlfriend Dannita Youngblood. The alleged vote fraud involved the Nov. 2 general election.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Karl Rove: No apologies
As blogged here on LaShawn Barber's excellent site, liberal Democrats are demanding an apology for recent comments by President Bush's political advisor, Karl Rove.
This is what Rove said, courtesy of AP:
Rove, in a speech Wednesday evening to the New York state Conservative Party just a few miles north of Ground Zero, said, "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Conservatives, he said, "saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war."
He added that groups linked to the Democratic Party made the mistake of calling for "moderation and restraint" after the terrorist attacks.
LaShawn sums it up nicely: Karl Rove said what is obviously true: Democrats are soft on terrorism.
Jan Schakowshy, D-IL, is one of the screaming liberals demanding an apology from Rove. Her statement is here.
Tuesday, as reported in the Illinois Leader and here on Marathon Pundit, Jan thought that Dick Durbin shouldn't have to apologize for his outrageous US=Nazis=GULAGS=Pol Pot comments. Of course, Durbin finally did apologize.
Here are Jan's comment on Durbin:
"The Bush Administration and Republican leaders are engaged in a pathetic attempt to make Senator Dick Durbin's condemnation of the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay an issue. As a result of the revelations of conditions at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, the Republicans owe the American people, our soldiers and veterans an apology for undermining American values such as the Rule of Law, putting our troops at greater risk around the world, and cutting veterans health care benefits when they come home."
(I added the bold-print for emphasis.)
I'm a Schakowsky constituent, so I faxed Jan a letter (identifying myself as a blogger and supplying her with my URL) asking if she stood by that statement, since Durbin finally did back away his controversial comments.
It's only been a little more than 24 hours since I faxed her DC office, so she still may get back to me. But other than receiving a standard form letter, I'm not holding my breath waiting for a response.
This is what Rove said, courtesy of AP:
Rove, in a speech Wednesday evening to the New York state Conservative Party just a few miles north of Ground Zero, said, "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Conservatives, he said, "saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war."
He added that groups linked to the Democratic Party made the mistake of calling for "moderation and restraint" after the terrorist attacks.
LaShawn sums it up nicely: Karl Rove said what is obviously true: Democrats are soft on terrorism.
Jan Schakowshy, D-IL, is one of the screaming liberals demanding an apology from Rove. Her statement is here.
Tuesday, as reported in the Illinois Leader and here on Marathon Pundit, Jan thought that Dick Durbin shouldn't have to apologize for his outrageous US=Nazis=GULAGS=Pol Pot comments. Of course, Durbin finally did apologize.
Here are Jan's comment on Durbin:
"The Bush Administration and Republican leaders are engaged in a pathetic attempt to make Senator Dick Durbin's condemnation of the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay an issue. As a result of the revelations of conditions at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, the Republicans owe the American people, our soldiers and veterans an apology for undermining American values such as the Rule of Law, putting our troops at greater risk around the world, and cutting veterans health care benefits when they come home."
(I added the bold-print for emphasis.)
I'm a Schakowsky constituent, so I faxed Jan a letter (identifying myself as a blogger and supplying her with my URL) asking if she stood by that statement, since Durbin finally did back away his controversial comments.
It's only been a little more than 24 hours since I faxed her DC office, so she still may get back to me. But other than receiving a standard form letter, I'm not holding my breath waiting for a response.
Defense rests in East St. Louis "$10 per vote" fraud trial
The defense in the East St. Louis vote fraud trial rested today, a day after (see yesterday's post) the prosecution rested its case. Closing arguments, according to the Belleville News-Democrat, will begin Tuesday.
The trial, a bumpy ride for everyone involved, has been going on for three weeks, so the defense attorneys must be pretty confident of an acquital.
Marathon Pundit will be closely watching the East St. Louis story.
The trial, a bumpy ride for everyone involved, has been going on for three weeks, so the defense attorneys must be pretty confident of an acquital.
Marathon Pundit will be closely watching the East St. Louis story.
Two charged with voting twice in Milwaukee
More voting trouble in Wisconsin, from AP:
A pair of cousins have been charged with casting two ballots each in the Nov. 2 election.
Federal prosecutors charged Theresa J. Byas, 48, and Brian L. Davis, 36, of Milwaukee, on Thursday, a day after another voter was accused of the same offense and two others of voting while serving parole or probation.
For all the whining from Democrats about the "theft" of Ohio last November, the same people have been oddly quiet about the numerous voting irregularities in Wisconsin last November.
Are you listening, Jim Lampley?
That's not all from America's Dairyland. Several Milwaukee Democratic party activists are facing charges for slashing the tires of vans rented by the Wisconsin GOP last election day. Two of the indicted individuals are adult sons of Democratic "big cheeses," one the son of a Milwaukee congresswoman, the other proud parent is a former Milwaukee acting mayor.
A pair of cousins have been charged with casting two ballots each in the Nov. 2 election.
Federal prosecutors charged Theresa J. Byas, 48, and Brian L. Davis, 36, of Milwaukee, on Thursday, a day after another voter was accused of the same offense and two others of voting while serving parole or probation.
For all the whining from Democrats about the "theft" of Ohio last November, the same people have been oddly quiet about the numerous voting irregularities in Wisconsin last November.
Are you listening, Jim Lampley?
That's not all from America's Dairyland. Several Milwaukee Democratic party activists are facing charges for slashing the tires of vans rented by the Wisconsin GOP last election day. Two of the indicted individuals are adult sons of Democratic "big cheeses," one the son of a Milwaukee congresswoman, the other proud parent is a former Milwaukee acting mayor.
Victor Davis Hanson on "the Hitler Card"
Essentially, according to columnist Victor Davis Hanson, those who feel the need to compare President Bush to Adolf Hitler only endanger the US and its citizens.
Read VDH's Chicago Tribune column here. Free registration required.
Read VDH's Chicago Tribune column here. Free registration required.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Indiana legislator slams Supreme Court's New London decision
Big things have small beginnings, and Indiana State Representative David Wolkins is the first elected official (at least that I've come across) who is urging action in favor of property owners' rights in light of today's bizarre Supreme Court decision in the Kelo case in New London, CT.
From AP:
An Indiana lawmaker is urging Hoosiers to call their legislators and ask them to restrain local governments' power to seize private property for development.
State Representative David Wolkins' comments come after today's US Supreme Court ruling giving local governments broad power to seize private property to generate tax revenue.
Wolkins, a Republican from Winona Lake, says the high court was ``absolutely wrong'' and the ruling ``eradicates'' the rights of homeowners.
Wolkins call for action should be heard loud and clear...in Indiana and beyond.
From AP:
An Indiana lawmaker is urging Hoosiers to call their legislators and ask them to restrain local governments' power to seize private property for development.
State Representative David Wolkins' comments come after today's US Supreme Court ruling giving local governments broad power to seize private property to generate tax revenue.
Wolkins, a Republican from Winona Lake, says the high court was ``absolutely wrong'' and the ruling ``eradicates'' the rights of homeowners.
Wolkins call for action should be heard loud and clear...in Indiana and beyond.
Prosecution rests case in East St. Louis "$10 per vote" fraud trial
The Belleville News-Democrat notes under "Breaking News" that the prosecution has rested it's case in the East St. Louis vote buying trial. Several Democratic Party operatives are on trial for allegedly cooking up a scheme to convince voters to choose the "right" candidate last November. At $10.00 per vote.
Need to know more? Here is a good place to start.
Need to know more? Here is a good place to start.
US Supreme Court: Bad decision in Connecticut eminent domain case
In a much anticipated ruling, the US Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, said it is okay for local governments to use the right of eminent domain to purchase (and then tear down) people's homes and businesses for to make way for private development. In short, in my opinion, the US Supreme Court is advocating government assisted land grabs. Very bad.
From AP:
A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in New London, Conn., and other communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights.
The 5-4 ruling, assailed by dissenting Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as handing "disproportionate influence and power" to the well-heeled in America, was a defeat for residents of the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex.
They had argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.
Shameful.
This of course is bad news for the Sportif, Ltd bicycle shop on Chicago's northwest side. Alderman Patrick Levar is trying to use the same tactic to tear down a property he claims is blighted, as blogged about here and here. A local developer wants the property so he can build condos there.
I've driven past that property, it is not blighted but is located in an economically strategic area: Two blocks from an interstate highway exit, three blocks from an "el" stop.
Is anyone's property safe?
From AP:
A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in New London, Conn., and other communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights.
The 5-4 ruling, assailed by dissenting Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as handing "disproportionate influence and power" to the well-heeled in America, was a defeat for residents of the Fort Trumbull neighborhood of New London whose homes are slated for destruction to make room for an office complex.
They had argued that cities have no right to take their land except for projects with a clear public use, such as roads or schools, or to revitalize blighted areas.
Shameful.
This of course is bad news for the Sportif, Ltd bicycle shop on Chicago's northwest side. Alderman Patrick Levar is trying to use the same tactic to tear down a property he claims is blighted, as blogged about here and here. A local developer wants the property so he can build condos there.
I've driven past that property, it is not blighted but is located in an economically strategic area: Two blocks from an interstate highway exit, three blocks from an "el" stop.
Is anyone's property safe?
Powerlineblog rips Sun-Times Durbin apologist Lynn Sweet
Lynn Sweet, liberal columnist and Washington Bureau Chief for the Chicago Sun-Times, is claiming that comments from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley forced Durbin to issue that second, tearful apology on Tuesday, as Powerlineblog points out.
This is from Lynn's column:
"Handling an attack from the White House, GOP senators and the rabid right wing was one thing for Durbin's team. A slam by one of the nation's most prominent Democrats -- the mayor of the largest city in Durbin's state -- was another.
This is from Powerlineblog:
Lynn, one more thought. I'm not sure whether you consider Hugh Hewitt a member of "the rabid right wing." You probably do. But you might be able to learn something from his Daily Standard column this morning: "The Durbin effect." You'll see he pays a little closer attention to the words spoken by Senator Durbin than you do.
More about Hugh (from me this time) later today.
This is from Lynn's column:
"Handling an attack from the White House, GOP senators and the rabid right wing was one thing for Durbin's team. A slam by one of the nation's most prominent Democrats -- the mayor of the largest city in Durbin's state -- was another.
This is from Powerlineblog:
Lynn, one more thought. I'm not sure whether you consider Hugh Hewitt a member of "the rabid right wing." You probably do. But you might be able to learn something from his Daily Standard column this morning: "The Durbin effect." You'll see he pays a little closer attention to the words spoken by Senator Durbin than you do.
More about Hugh (from me this time) later today.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Marathon Pundit cited on Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web"
A real honor! The slogan, "One Man with Courage Makes a Majority" comes from James Taranto's excellent daily summary.
Here is the post they cite.
Here is the post they cite.
Chicago White Sox sweep second straight series
As I've posted before, there seem to be dozens of political bloggers who are Boston Red Sox fans; it seems only Rich Miller of Capitol Fax and myself are political bloggers and White Sox fans.
The Chicago White Sox have the best record in baseball, and just got done sweeping the Kansas City Royals in a three game series. The Sox swept the Dodgers in three in their previous series.
Next up for the White Sox: The Chicago Cubs and for the second installment of the Crosstown Classic.
The Chicago White Sox have the best record in baseball, and just got done sweeping the Kansas City Royals in a three game series. The Sox swept the Dodgers in three in their previous series.
Next up for the White Sox: The Chicago Cubs and for the second installment of the Crosstown Classic.
East St. Louis "$10 per vote" trial drags on...
The latest on this vastly underreported story is here, from the Belleville News-Democrat. Once again, the judge for the trial had to ask the jury to leave the courtroom, after more "untrue" allegations were brought up in court.
Hey, for $15.00 a day, the jurors are getting a great physical fitness workout.
Several defendants, all St. Clair County, Illinois Democratic operatives, are on trial for allegedly running a scheme to buy votes last November.
But all good things come to an end, as the article stated:
The trial of the five defendants began three weeks ago, and (Judge) Murphy assured the jury the end was in sight.
Huffington Post contributor and elections expert Jim Lampley has yet to issue his opinion on the East St. Louis vote-buying case. He may be waiting for the New York Times to cover this exercise in grass-roots capitalism.
Hey, for $15.00 a day, the jurors are getting a great physical fitness workout.
Several defendants, all St. Clair County, Illinois Democratic operatives, are on trial for allegedly running a scheme to buy votes last November.
But all good things come to an end, as the article stated:
The trial of the five defendants began three weeks ago, and (Judge) Murphy assured the jury the end was in sight.
Huffington Post contributor and elections expert Jim Lampley has yet to issue his opinion on the East St. Louis vote-buying case. He may be waiting for the New York Times to cover this exercise in grass-roots capitalism.
Congresswoman Schakowsky: Bush Administration, not Durbin, should apologize
Some people still don't get it.
Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, is one of the most liberal members of the House of Representives. With Jan, time stopped in 1968. Here is her Dick Durbin statement, which comes to us from the excellent online conservative journal, The Illinois Leader. I believe this statement came out yesterday before Durbin's tearful, second apology.
"The Bush Administration and Republican leaders are engaged in a pathetic attempt to make Senator Dick Durbin's condemnation of the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay an issue. As a result of the revelations of conditions at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, the Republicans owe the American people, our soldiers and veterans an apology for undermining American values such as the Rule of Law, putting our troops at greater risk around the world, and cutting veterans health care benefits when they come home."
Ah, yes, once again, the evil Republicans are cutting veteran's benefits. Jan, your stealing your lines from the late Paul Wellstone's worn-out playbook.
Moron Schakowsky: Jan is married to Robert Creamer, who was arrested two weeks ago at a "privitization" of social securtity protest. His behavior was unwise, as he is awaiting trial for his involvement in a check-kiting scheme while head of the Illinois Public Action Council.
(Note Blogger.com is acting a bit funny today, the Creamer Marathon Pundit post is a June 16 entry.)
Why does Jan matter in this check-kiting case? As the MSM rarely points out, Jan was on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Public Action council while those Creamer checks were airborne.
Schakowsky, however, has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, is one of the most liberal members of the House of Representives. With Jan, time stopped in 1968. Here is her Dick Durbin statement, which comes to us from the excellent online conservative journal, The Illinois Leader. I believe this statement came out yesterday before Durbin's tearful, second apology.
"The Bush Administration and Republican leaders are engaged in a pathetic attempt to make Senator Dick Durbin's condemnation of the use of torture at Guantanamo Bay an issue. As a result of the revelations of conditions at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and Bagram prison in Afghanistan, the Republicans owe the American people, our soldiers and veterans an apology for undermining American values such as the Rule of Law, putting our troops at greater risk around the world, and cutting veterans health care benefits when they come home."
Ah, yes, once again, the evil Republicans are cutting veteran's benefits. Jan, your stealing your lines from the late Paul Wellstone's worn-out playbook.
Moron Schakowsky: Jan is married to Robert Creamer, who was arrested two weeks ago at a "privitization" of social securtity protest. His behavior was unwise, as he is awaiting trial for his involvement in a check-kiting scheme while head of the Illinois Public Action Council.
(Note Blogger.com is acting a bit funny today, the Creamer Marathon Pundit post is a June 16 entry.)
Why does Jan matter in this check-kiting case? As the MSM rarely points out, Jan was on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Public Action council while those Creamer checks were airborne.
Schakowsky, however, has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Actual Arab News headline: 40 Camel Jockeys Return to Pakistan
Marathon Pundit does not promote ethnic jokes or racial stereotypes, but that is the actual headline above, and this is the actual Arab News story.
Sad to say, the jockeys were all kids.
Sad to say, the jockeys were all kids.
Breaking News per Fox: Durbin apologizes for Gitmo comments
Must've listened to Mayor Richard M. Daley. This is all it says on Fox News.com:
Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Comments on Gitmo Guards
UPDATE 5:30PM CDT: Again courtesy of Fox News.
"More than most people, a senator lives by his words ... occasionally words fail us, occasionally we will fail words," Durbin, D-Ill., said.
"I am sorry if anything I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time. Nothing, nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy.
"I am also sorry if anything I said cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military ... I never ever intended any disrespect for them. Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line to them I extend my heartfelt apology," Durbin said, choking on his words.
Sen. Durbin Apologizes for Comments on Gitmo Guards
UPDATE 5:30PM CDT: Again courtesy of Fox News.
"More than most people, a senator lives by his words ... occasionally words fail us, occasionally we will fail words," Durbin, D-Ill., said.
"I am sorry if anything I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time. Nothing, nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy.
"I am also sorry if anything I said cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military ... I never ever intended any disrespect for them. Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line to them I extend my heartfelt apology," Durbin said, choking on his words.
Mayor Daley: Durbin should apologize for Gitmo comments
Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago has a son serving in the army. He's not pleased with Illinois' senior senator, Richard Durbin.
From CBS 2 Chicago:
“If you really believe those men and women in Guatamano Bay are Nazis, then you'd better rethink what America's all about,” Mayor Daley said.
From CBS 2 Chicago:
“If you really believe those men and women in Guatamano Bay are Nazis, then you'd better rethink what America's all about,” Mayor Daley said.
It's all Bush's fault....
Take away Cook County and Chicago, and Illinois is as much as a Red State as Montana. Outside of this northeastern corner of the state (where of course half of Illinois' population lives) there are a few blue splotches, and Champaign County is one of them. From there came Cory Zimbleman, who passed away earlier this month in Tucson, where he was residing.
His obituary is here, and this snippet is almost beyond belief:
He had strong political opinions and followed Amy Goodman's radio broadcast "Democracy Now." Alas the stolen election of 2000 and living with right-winged Americans finally brought him to his early demise. Stress from living in this unjust country brought about several heart attacks rendering him disabled.
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin.
Just think, if Cory only stayed in Illinois, he might still be with us. After all, he'd be a constituent of Richard Durbin.
His obituary is here, and this snippet is almost beyond belief:
He had strong political opinions and followed Amy Goodman's radio broadcast "Democracy Now." Alas the stolen election of 2000 and living with right-winged Americans finally brought him to his early demise. Stress from living in this unjust country brought about several heart attacks rendering him disabled.
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin.
Just think, if Cory only stayed in Illinois, he might still be with us. After all, he'd be a constituent of Richard Durbin.
Billy Corgan takes out full page Chicago Trib ad; he wants to reform Smashing Pumpkins
Billy Corgan, this week released his first solo album. After the break up of popular 1990s band Smashing Pumpkins, ex-frontman Corgan formed Zwan, whose only release was a commercial and critical failure.
After Zwan's implosion, Corgan went solo; today, his new album The Full Embrace was released. In an article with a Corgan interview that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times just two days ago, this telling (or so we thought) passage appeared.
The one thing fans should not expect (in Corgan's upcoming tour) is Smashing Pumpkins songs.
“What’s unfortunate about what we would call a second act of a career is that if you don’t continue to exploit your past or let them knock you around and turn you into what they think you should be, they basically stick their boot in the back of your neck,” Corgan said.
But in this morning's Chicago Tribune, Billy Corgan took out a full-page ad, where he states that he now wants to re-form Smashing Pumpkins.
Does any of this make sense? Probably not. Couldn't he have just e-mailed the ex-Pumpkins?
After Zwan's implosion, Corgan went solo; today, his new album The Full Embrace was released. In an article with a Corgan interview that appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times just two days ago, this telling (or so we thought) passage appeared.
The one thing fans should not expect (in Corgan's upcoming tour) is Smashing Pumpkins songs.
“What’s unfortunate about what we would call a second act of a career is that if you don’t continue to exploit your past or let them knock you around and turn you into what they think you should be, they basically stick their boot in the back of your neck,” Corgan said.
But in this morning's Chicago Tribune, Billy Corgan took out a full-page ad, where he states that he now wants to re-form Smashing Pumpkins.
Does any of this make sense? Probably not. Couldn't he have just e-mailed the ex-Pumpkins?
Monday, June 20, 2005
Follow up: Thomas Klocek free speech case discussed on the O'Reilly Factor
Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor is the highest rated news program on cable. As mentioned earlier this evening, the Thomas Klocek free speech struggle with DePaul University was discussed in the "Factor Follow Up Segment this evening" I taped it, replayed it, and I think I got the transcript right.
The Follow Up segment was about Ward Churchill, the embattled Colorado university ethnic studies professor, whose list of misdeeds are too numerous to mention. But if you need any reminders, then dive in here.
Show host Bill O'Reilly, like many people, is wondering why Churchill still is a professor at Colorado University.
As part of the discussion on the Churchill mess, one of O'Reilly's guests, David Harsanyi of the Denver Post, mentioned:
"But I want to point out there is some hypocrisy here. At DePaul, for instance, there is a professor named Thomas Klocek who was thrown out for saying some pro-Israel things to a Palestinian crowd."
Big night on the O'Reilly Factor.
A big thanks to David Harsanyi.
The Follow Up segment was about Ward Churchill, the embattled Colorado university ethnic studies professor, whose list of misdeeds are too numerous to mention. But if you need any reminders, then dive in here.
Show host Bill O'Reilly, like many people, is wondering why Churchill still is a professor at Colorado University.
As part of the discussion on the Churchill mess, one of O'Reilly's guests, David Harsanyi of the Denver Post, mentioned:
"But I want to point out there is some hypocrisy here. At DePaul, for instance, there is a professor named Thomas Klocek who was thrown out for saying some pro-Israel things to a Palestinian crowd."
Big night on the O'Reilly Factor.
A big thanks to David Harsanyi.
Methodist military chaplain Kent Svendsen discusses Gitmo on the O'Reilly Factor
Kent V. Svendsen, whose e-mail to the United Methodist Women was posted here yesterday was a guest on the O'Reilly Factor tonight. I just got finished watching it, and in short, he does not support Senator Dick Durbin's remarks, which Reverend Svensden called "very upsetting." Because of the Klocek case, I'm taping the O'Reilly Factor, hopefully, I'll find a transcript of tonight's show online.
Irony: Like myself, Kent Svensden is a Dick Durbin constituent.
Irony: Like myself, Kent Svensden is a Dick Durbin constituent.
Klocek case mentioned on O'Reilly!
On O'Reilly's Fox News show tonight, in conjunction with the Ward Churchill case, the Thomas Klocek story was was briefly discussed, according to a Marathon Pundit correspondent (actually, my mother). I'm working late tonight. O'Reilly followed up with this follow-up with a question on whether Professor Klocek was tenured.
More details to follow.
UPDATE 9:oo PM CDT: It was part of the Factor Follow Up Segment
Update on Ward Churchill
Guests: Craig Silverman, KHOW & David Harsanyi, Denver Post
Ward Churchill continues to hang on at the University of Colorado despite reports that he's committed plagiarism.
Look for a post later tonight, as I watch the late night repeat of the O'Reilly Factor and see what they say about the suspended DePaul professor.
More details to follow.
UPDATE 9:oo PM CDT: It was part of the Factor Follow Up Segment
Update on Ward Churchill
Guests: Craig Silverman, KHOW & David Harsanyi, Denver Post
Ward Churchill continues to hang on at the University of Colorado despite reports that he's committed plagiarism.
Look for a post later tonight, as I watch the late night repeat of the O'Reilly Factor and see what they say about the suspended DePaul professor.
Durbin FBI memo: "Fake, but Accurate?"
Myopic Zeal found this buried in a Fox News.com story.
“One knowledgeable official familiar with the memo cited by Durbin as well as other memos said the FBI agent made no such allegation and that the memo described only someone chained to the floor. Anything beyond that is simply an interpretation, the official said.”
Dan Rather meet Richard Durbin. And Michael "Flush" Isikoff.
“One knowledgeable official familiar with the memo cited by Durbin as well as other memos said the FBI agent made no such allegation and that the memo described only someone chained to the floor. Anything beyond that is simply an interpretation, the official said.”
Dan Rather meet Richard Durbin. And Michael "Flush" Isikoff.
The Conservative Voice on DePaul, Klocek & Finkelstein
Malcom A. Kline, Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia, has written on the Thomas Klocek free speech with DePaul a couple of times before.
Well, he's back with more--his latest editorial is in the Conservative Voice. An excerpt:
Essentially, Klocek was fired for making pro-Israel statements to students from two campus groups-Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)and United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA)-at a student activities fair. Asnear as we can determine, there are two competing sets of claims of what happened at the fair, those of Klocek and those of the students.
The school's administrators chose to believe the latter set of allegations. Problematic though such an approach may be, it would at least make clear the boundaries of free speech and acceptable conduct at the Catholic university, that is, if that standard were applied across the board. A look at available information from DePaul indicates that such a consistent benchmark is not in place.
Compare, for example, the school's treatment of Klocek with its defense of another resident academic at DePaul-Norman Finkelstein. Finkelstein,a political science professor at DePaul, has called Nobel laureate Elie Weisel the "resident clown of the Holocaust circus." Nonetheless, Finkelstein lectures with the full support of the school fathers at DePaul, although, like Klocek, his students' evaluations of his teaching are mixed.
"Seems like this guy is here just because DePaul needs a nationally known faculty member," one anonymous reviewer writes of Finkelstein on ratemyprofessors.com. "Unfortunately, he is known for all the wrong reasons." "Uses class to test out speeches he will make at some other university along side other radical professors."
Well, he's back with more--his latest editorial is in the Conservative Voice. An excerpt:
Essentially, Klocek was fired for making pro-Israel statements to students from two campus groups-Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)and United Muslims Moving Ahead (UMMA)-at a student activities fair. Asnear as we can determine, there are two competing sets of claims of what happened at the fair, those of Klocek and those of the students.
The school's administrators chose to believe the latter set of allegations. Problematic though such an approach may be, it would at least make clear the boundaries of free speech and acceptable conduct at the Catholic university, that is, if that standard were applied across the board. A look at available information from DePaul indicates that such a consistent benchmark is not in place.
Compare, for example, the school's treatment of Klocek with its defense of another resident academic at DePaul-Norman Finkelstein. Finkelstein,a political science professor at DePaul, has called Nobel laureate Elie Weisel the "resident clown of the Holocaust circus." Nonetheless, Finkelstein lectures with the full support of the school fathers at DePaul, although, like Klocek, his students' evaluations of his teaching are mixed.
"Seems like this guy is here just because DePaul needs a nationally known faculty member," one anonymous reviewer writes of Finkelstein on ratemyprofessors.com. "Unfortunately, he is known for all the wrong reasons." "Uses class to test out speeches he will make at some other university along side other radical professors."
Moron Durbin again
From Brainster comes this blogging from one-time central Illinois resident Third Wave Dave; TWD is a recent Marathon Pundit blogroll addition.
Dave contacted each member of the Illinois congressional delegation, not small task, as the Prairie State has the 5th or 6th largest state delegation in Congress.
Guess what? Each of the 21 Illinois members of Congress agree on one thing. They have no opinions on Durbin's "We're all Nazis, Gulag-ers, etc." comments.
The Illinois Congressional Delegation page is here.
(UPDATE: Thanks to Amy for the heads up, just 21 in the Illinois delegation.)
Dave contacted each member of the Illinois congressional delegation, not small task, as the Prairie State has the 5th or 6th largest state delegation in Congress.
Guess what? Each of the 21 Illinois members of Congress agree on one thing. They have no opinions on Durbin's "We're all Nazis, Gulag-ers, etc." comments.
The Illinois Congressional Delegation page is here.
(UPDATE: Thanks to Amy for the heads up, just 21 in the Illinois delegation.)
Commander Paul Galanti's letter to Durbin
Hat tip to Bill Baar's West Side.
Here's a little bio information on Commander Paul Galanti, for more information, click on the link at the bottom of this post:
Paul Galanti was a prisoner of war for nearly seven years in North Vietnam's infamous Hanoi Hilton complex. He not only maintained his sanity, he has managed, since his return in February 1973, to excel in several different fields. He maintains a positive attitude despite having been deprived of "what should have been some of the best years of my life."
"Not so," says Galanti, "the best years are here, now"!
Letter to Senator Durbin:
"As one who was held in a North Vietnamese Prison for nearly seven years and whose definition of torture and bad treatment is somewhat at variance with yours, I deplore your senseless comments about alleged "barbaric treatment" at our terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo."
Your remarks comparing Guantanamo to the regimes of Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot are outrageous. I tried to think of why a rational human being could make such an outlandish statement but I keep coming up short. I thought I'd seen it all when Howard Dean performed his infamous scream in Iowa but your diatribe yesterday eclipsed Dean's moment of Hannibal Lecter lunacy. And your moment of pique will be infinitely more damaging to members of our Armed Forces serving in harm's way."
I noted, when searching for your contact information, that the first item Google came up with was al Jazeera's joy at your comments. You, sir, for having aided and abetted the enemy in time of war, have been relegated in my mind to the status of Jane Fonda and your colleague, John Kerry as contemptible traitors."
I hope not too many of our valiant members of the Armed Forces have to suffer for your stupid comments. Shame on you."This is copied to to the Chicago Tribune's Letters Editor. It is blindcopied to my family members from Illinois and to several military blog groups to which I subscribe."
Sincerely,Paul E. Galanti
Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.)Richmond, VA
http://www.nampows.org/pgbio.html
Here's a little bio information on Commander Paul Galanti, for more information, click on the link at the bottom of this post:
Paul Galanti was a prisoner of war for nearly seven years in North Vietnam's infamous Hanoi Hilton complex. He not only maintained his sanity, he has managed, since his return in February 1973, to excel in several different fields. He maintains a positive attitude despite having been deprived of "what should have been some of the best years of my life."
"Not so," says Galanti, "the best years are here, now"!
Letter to Senator Durbin:
"As one who was held in a North Vietnamese Prison for nearly seven years and whose definition of torture and bad treatment is somewhat at variance with yours, I deplore your senseless comments about alleged "barbaric treatment" at our terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo."
Your remarks comparing Guantanamo to the regimes of Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot are outrageous. I tried to think of why a rational human being could make such an outlandish statement but I keep coming up short. I thought I'd seen it all when Howard Dean performed his infamous scream in Iowa but your diatribe yesterday eclipsed Dean's moment of Hannibal Lecter lunacy. And your moment of pique will be infinitely more damaging to members of our Armed Forces serving in harm's way."
I noted, when searching for your contact information, that the first item Google came up with was al Jazeera's joy at your comments. You, sir, for having aided and abetted the enemy in time of war, have been relegated in my mind to the status of Jane Fonda and your colleague, John Kerry as contemptible traitors."
I hope not too many of our valiant members of the Armed Forces have to suffer for your stupid comments. Shame on you."This is copied to to the Chicago Tribune's Letters Editor. It is blindcopied to my family members from Illinois and to several military blog groups to which I subscribe."
Sincerely,Paul E. Galanti
Commander, U.S. Navy (Ret.)Richmond, VA
http://www.nampows.org/pgbio.html
If only Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon had this Finnish line tool....
When Finland comes to mind, if it does at all, it means to most people Nokia and its tech-savvy cellular phones.
Up until the mid-1970s, however, to most people Finland meant: great long distance runners. Now Kenya reserves that great honor in most people's thoughts.
Paavo Nurmi was the greatest of the Finnish runners, winning an astonishing nine Olympic gold medals. Finland's streak of great runners came to an end, when Lasse Viren struck Olympic gold in the 5000 and 10,ooo meter runs in 1976 (repeating the same "double" he achieved in the 1972 games.)
This year, "old" and "new" Finland come together as the World Track and Field Championships will be held in Helsinki in August.
From Innovations Report:
When runners begin the marathon at the Athletic World Championships in Helsinki this August, they will have a high-tech edge, thanks to a Finnish start-up firm.
The race course has been recorded in detail and sent to competitors to help them prepare for the competition. The data was compiled by the FRWD Sport Performance Recorder, a strap-on gadget that measures race route, distance and speed using GPS technology, as well as an individual athlete’s heart rate, altitude and other data.
The accompanying software enables the user to move through two-dimensional or three-dimensional animations of the route, complete with a terrain profile.
“The IAAF has forwarded the FRWD file of the marathon to all participating national teams, so they can get to know the route profile in advance in every detail, including all the slopes, twists, turns and so on,” explains Mari Pajunen, Marketing Coordinator at FRWD Technologies. “This is the first time that an organising committee has ever offered such an opportunity.”
So tech-Finland and running-Finland have come together. Too bad the race director of last month's ill-fated Lakeshore Marathon didn't have this course mapping too, devoloped for the this year's track and field world championships. As blogged about here on Marathon Pundit, that race ended up being 27.2 miles, and official marathons are only supposed to be just 26.2 mile long.
Hat tip to the blog Running at the Mouth.
Up until the mid-1970s, however, to most people Finland meant: great long distance runners. Now Kenya reserves that great honor in most people's thoughts.
Paavo Nurmi was the greatest of the Finnish runners, winning an astonishing nine Olympic gold medals. Finland's streak of great runners came to an end, when Lasse Viren struck Olympic gold in the 5000 and 10,ooo meter runs in 1976 (repeating the same "double" he achieved in the 1972 games.)
This year, "old" and "new" Finland come together as the World Track and Field Championships will be held in Helsinki in August.
From Innovations Report:
When runners begin the marathon at the Athletic World Championships in Helsinki this August, they will have a high-tech edge, thanks to a Finnish start-up firm.
The race course has been recorded in detail and sent to competitors to help them prepare for the competition. The data was compiled by the FRWD Sport Performance Recorder, a strap-on gadget that measures race route, distance and speed using GPS technology, as well as an individual athlete’s heart rate, altitude and other data.
The accompanying software enables the user to move through two-dimensional or three-dimensional animations of the route, complete with a terrain profile.
“The IAAF has forwarded the FRWD file of the marathon to all participating national teams, so they can get to know the route profile in advance in every detail, including all the slopes, twists, turns and so on,” explains Mari Pajunen, Marketing Coordinator at FRWD Technologies. “This is the first time that an organising committee has ever offered such an opportunity.”
So tech-Finland and running-Finland have come together. Too bad the race director of last month's ill-fated Lakeshore Marathon didn't have this course mapping too, devoloped for the this year's track and field world championships. As blogged about here on Marathon Pundit, that race ended up being 27.2 miles, and official marathons are only supposed to be just 26.2 mile long.
Hat tip to the blog Running at the Mouth.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Rachel Corrie and the other Rachels
For those unfamiliar with her story, Washington State native Rachel Corrie was a pro-Palestinian activist who--sober minds concur on this issue--was accidentally killed in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah when an Israeli Defense Force bulldozer ran her over as she was protesting a housing demolition. Her death was an accident, albeit a tragic one, but accidental all the same. Since her death, Rachel Corrie has become a martyr for pro-Palestinian groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine.
Rachel was a member of the International Solidarity Movement, which, according to Front Page Magazine's Discover the Network:
1) (Is a) Radical, anti-Israel organization that recruits westerners to travel to Israel under false pretenses and obstruct Israeli security operations
2) Justifies Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians
At a student activities fair on September 15, 2005, the DePaul chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine was handing out flyers that most reasonable people would deem inflammatory. Suspended DePaul professor Thomas Klocek picked up one of those flyers, and regular visitors to Marathon Pundit know the rest of the story. If you don't know it, this is a good place to start.
At least one of those flyers was about the martyr-to-the-cause, Rachel Corrie.
But in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, there are other Rachels you may not of heard about.
In the May 23rd print edition of the National Review, this article appeared in the "This Week..." column:
You may recall Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American radical who was crushed to death when she jumped in front of an Israeli army bulldozer. (The bulldozer was trying to destroy a building suspected of concealing tunnels uses for terrorist weapons-smuggling; Corrie was part of a group that declared "armed struggle" a Palestinian "right.") Corrie has since become a hero of the international Left, inspiring ongoing protests against the bulldozer-making company Caterpillar and now, a play about her life, based on her diary, is being performed at one of London's most prestigious theaters. The British press, predictably, has gushed about the play, and about Corrie's passion and apparent self sacrifice. But as our friend Tom Gross points out, forgotten are the several other Rachels who have lost their lives in the Arab-Israeli conflict--all killed by Palestinian terrorists: Rachel Chari, Rachel Gavish, Rachel Levi, Rachel Levy, Racher Shaho, and Rachel Thaler. Rachel's death was unfortunate, but more unfortunate is a Western media and cultural establishment that lionizes "martyrs" for illiberal causes while ignoring the victims those causes create.
Rachel was a member of the International Solidarity Movement, which, according to Front Page Magazine's Discover the Network:
1) (Is a) Radical, anti-Israel organization that recruits westerners to travel to Israel under false pretenses and obstruct Israeli security operations
2) Justifies Palestinian terrorism against Israeli civilians
At a student activities fair on September 15, 2005, the DePaul chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine was handing out flyers that most reasonable people would deem inflammatory. Suspended DePaul professor Thomas Klocek picked up one of those flyers, and regular visitors to Marathon Pundit know the rest of the story. If you don't know it, this is a good place to start.
At least one of those flyers was about the martyr-to-the-cause, Rachel Corrie.
But in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, there are other Rachels you may not of heard about.
In the May 23rd print edition of the National Review, this article appeared in the "This Week..." column:
You may recall Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American radical who was crushed to death when she jumped in front of an Israeli army bulldozer. (The bulldozer was trying to destroy a building suspected of concealing tunnels uses for terrorist weapons-smuggling; Corrie was part of a group that declared "armed struggle" a Palestinian "right.") Corrie has since become a hero of the international Left, inspiring ongoing protests against the bulldozer-making company Caterpillar and now, a play about her life, based on her diary, is being performed at one of London's most prestigious theaters. The British press, predictably, has gushed about the play, and about Corrie's passion and apparent self sacrifice. But as our friend Tom Gross points out, forgotten are the several other Rachels who have lost their lives in the Arab-Israeli conflict--all killed by Palestinian terrorists: Rachel Chari, Rachel Gavish, Rachel Levi, Rachel Levy, Racher Shaho, and Rachel Thaler. Rachel's death was unfortunate, but more unfortunate is a Western media and cultural establishment that lionizes "martyrs" for illiberal causes while ignoring the victims those causes create.
E-mail from a Methodist army chaplain explaining what's REALLY going on at Gitmo
Major Kent L. Svensden is a Methodist minister from Ashton, IL, a small north-central Illinois town. He's also an army chaplain, and has taken issue with United Methodist Women--a sanctioned group within the United Methodist Church--and their initiation of a human rights campaign regarding War on Terror prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, aka "Gitmo."
Svensden sent the below e-mail to the United Methodist Women. Former Illinois State Representative and current Illinois Leader reporter Cal Skinner obtained this e-mail, which comes to us with a big hat tip (again) from Obiter Dictum.
But there is more: The United Methodist Church is not stopping at Gitmo. Already, they're dipping their toe into the divestment campaign against Israel, as this LA Times writer explains:
In addition, the Presbyterians and United Methodist Church have supported shareholder actions against Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. to end the use of its bulldozers in razing thousands of Palestinian homes. And both the Methodists and the Episcopal Church have launched studies of the divestment issue (against Israel) for possible action.
Dear Women's Division General Board of Global Ministries United Methodist Church
I understand that you about to start a campaign relating to among other things human rights protections and the detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
I can speak with some authority on the subject since I served as the chaplain to the Joint Detention Operation Group in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from May 2004 until March 2005.
As a United Methodist I have a keen sense of world justice and while serving in Cuba sought to be faithful to our social principles and their concern for social holiness.
So I am not speaking to you as a military chaplain but as an Ordained United Methodist.
I have a great concern for our news media sources today. There was a day when the truth and protecting our nation from harm took precedence over being the first to break a story. Now it seems that accusations, no matter how harmful, no matter the source, no matter the possible consequences, are enough to use them as weapons upon the innocent as well as the guilty.
I am also grieved that there seems to be not only an automatic assumption of guilt when the accusations are aimed at our military and our government, but that any explanation aimed at proving them innocent is also automatically viewed as a "cover up". And that when those who are guilty of violations are uncovered, prosecuted, and punished there is a tendency by some to want to use that as evidence that the violations were policy instead a violation of the standing orders and policy. What the new media and groups like the Woman's Division needs to understand is that accusations cause harm and create damage that a retraction and an admission of error later cannot repair. (I don't think we will ever really know exactly how many died after Newsweek made the false accusation of a Koran being flushed down a toilet.)
There are those who would use accusations such as those recently made against our military as weapons to gain political power. They count on the fact that people will believe something if its said enough times and said by people and organizations they respect. It was the case in the past that our nation's opponents tried to prevent our culture and news sources from reaching their people. After all, the ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality for all doesn't play well in some parts of the world. So since modern technology cannot be stopped and "world news" is now also news to the world there is now a new strategy. They use it to their advantage as a weapon against our nation.
The accusations are flying fast and furious. If your organization would be interested in knowing about my experience. (I cannot talk about the day to day activities in the camp but I can either verify or deny many of the accusations that are being made.)
Here's a list that might help you if your willing to listen to an Ordained Elder who knows the facts rather than accusations made based on speculation. I'll respond here specifically to some of the one's I've heard.
1. The detainees have direct access to the International Red Cross representatives contrary to the accusations that they have no outside contact. Also, all the detainees are allowed to write and receive mail from family.
2. The detainees have their food prepared according to Islamic guidelines. The call to prayer is broadcast for them to go to prayer. Each detainee has the direction to Meccah painted in their cell. They are allowed to practice their religion without interference and are given the religious items they need to do so. They are allowed to observe Ramadan.
3. There are strict guidelines and training concerning human rights protections. If a service member sees a violation they are to report it and if asked to violate someone's human rights they are to consider it as an unlawful order. Those who violate are subject to prosecution.
If you are interested in more information please contact me.
There is also an article about my work in Cuba which was published in the July issue of Esquire magazine.
Kent Svendsen, Chaplain (Major) USAR
Svensden sent the below e-mail to the United Methodist Women. Former Illinois State Representative and current Illinois Leader reporter Cal Skinner obtained this e-mail, which comes to us with a big hat tip (again) from Obiter Dictum.
But there is more: The United Methodist Church is not stopping at Gitmo. Already, they're dipping their toe into the divestment campaign against Israel, as this LA Times writer explains:
In addition, the Presbyterians and United Methodist Church have supported shareholder actions against Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. to end the use of its bulldozers in razing thousands of Palestinian homes. And both the Methodists and the Episcopal Church have launched studies of the divestment issue (against Israel) for possible action.
Caterpillar has been cast as a villain by the Far Left and anti-Israeli crowd because one of its bulldozers accidentally killed pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie. The Corrie incident has figured prominently into the Thomas Klocek free speech battle against DePaul University.
If you know any Methodists, please forward the below e-mail to them. And click here if you'd like to contact the United Methodist Church about their Gitmo and divestment stands.
FROM: Reverend Kent L. Svendsen, Ordained Elder, United Methodist Church / Northern Illinois ConferenceDear Women's Division General Board of Global Ministries United Methodist Church
I understand that you about to start a campaign relating to among other things human rights protections and the detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
I can speak with some authority on the subject since I served as the chaplain to the Joint Detention Operation Group in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from May 2004 until March 2005.
As a United Methodist I have a keen sense of world justice and while serving in Cuba sought to be faithful to our social principles and their concern for social holiness.
So I am not speaking to you as a military chaplain but as an Ordained United Methodist.
I have a great concern for our news media sources today. There was a day when the truth and protecting our nation from harm took precedence over being the first to break a story. Now it seems that accusations, no matter how harmful, no matter the source, no matter the possible consequences, are enough to use them as weapons upon the innocent as well as the guilty.
I am also grieved that there seems to be not only an automatic assumption of guilt when the accusations are aimed at our military and our government, but that any explanation aimed at proving them innocent is also automatically viewed as a "cover up". And that when those who are guilty of violations are uncovered, prosecuted, and punished there is a tendency by some to want to use that as evidence that the violations were policy instead a violation of the standing orders and policy. What the new media and groups like the Woman's Division needs to understand is that accusations cause harm and create damage that a retraction and an admission of error later cannot repair. (I don't think we will ever really know exactly how many died after Newsweek made the false accusation of a Koran being flushed down a toilet.)
There are those who would use accusations such as those recently made against our military as weapons to gain political power. They count on the fact that people will believe something if its said enough times and said by people and organizations they respect. It was the case in the past that our nation's opponents tried to prevent our culture and news sources from reaching their people. After all, the ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality for all doesn't play well in some parts of the world. So since modern technology cannot be stopped and "world news" is now also news to the world there is now a new strategy. They use it to their advantage as a weapon against our nation.
The accusations are flying fast and furious. If your organization would be interested in knowing about my experience. (I cannot talk about the day to day activities in the camp but I can either verify or deny many of the accusations that are being made.)
Here's a list that might help you if your willing to listen to an Ordained Elder who knows the facts rather than accusations made based on speculation. I'll respond here specifically to some of the one's I've heard.
1. The detainees have direct access to the International Red Cross representatives contrary to the accusations that they have no outside contact. Also, all the detainees are allowed to write and receive mail from family.
2. The detainees have their food prepared according to Islamic guidelines. The call to prayer is broadcast for them to go to prayer. Each detainee has the direction to Meccah painted in their cell. They are allowed to practice their religion without interference and are given the religious items they need to do so. They are allowed to observe Ramadan.
3. There are strict guidelines and training concerning human rights protections. If a service member sees a violation they are to report it and if asked to violate someone's human rights they are to consider it as an unlawful order. Those who violate are subject to prosecution.
If you are interested in more information please contact me.
There is also an article about my work in Cuba which was published in the July issue of Esquire magazine.
Kent Svendsen, Chaplain (Major) USAR
Saturday, June 18, 2005
New blog: Bloggers for Censure (referring to Durbin, of course)
Hat tip to Pam M. of Blogmeister USA.
Coloradan Mike Mikkelsen has started a new blog, Bloggers for Censure.
Says Mike:
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois has made some outrageous statements about the character of our very nation. Such statements from a sitting U.S. Senator are unacceptable. We the people have the right to hold him responsible by censure or resignation as a representative of this greatest nation on Earth.
Contact Mike at blogsforcensure@gmail.com
Marathon Pundit has a major softspot for Coloradans, as Patrick Brown of Denver founded Run for Bush, one of my "partners in crime" during Election 2004.
Coloradan Mike Mikkelsen has started a new blog, Bloggers for Censure.
Says Mike:
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois has made some outrageous statements about the character of our very nation. Such statements from a sitting U.S. Senator are unacceptable. We the people have the right to hold him responsible by censure or resignation as a representative of this greatest nation on Earth.
Contact Mike at blogsforcensure@gmail.com
Marathon Pundit has a major softspot for Coloradans, as Patrick Brown of Denver founded Run for Bush, one of my "partners in crime" during Election 2004.
Newt Gingrich calls on US senate to censure Durbin
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, in this press release available on US Newswire, is calling on the US Senate to censure Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL.
An excerpt:
By his statements equating American treatment of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay with the behavior of the evil regimes of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and Pol Pot's Cambodia, Senator Richard Durbin has dishonored the United States and the entire U.S. Senate. Only by a vote to censure Senator Durbin for his conduct can the U.S. Senate restore its dignity and defend American honor.
Senator Durbin's comparison, sadly, is despicable.
U.S. Senators should be clear about the gravity of Senator Durbin's comparison. Nine million innocent human beings were murdered in Hitler's death camps, nearly three million perished in the gulags under Stalin, and more than one and a half million were slaughtered in the killing fields of Cambodia at the hand of Pol Pot. And while not a single terrorist has died in detention at Guantanamo, Senator Durbin sees fit to liken our American service men and women to the terrifying murderers of three evil despotic regimes.
An excerpt:
By his statements equating American treatment of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay with the behavior of the evil regimes of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and Pol Pot's Cambodia, Senator Richard Durbin has dishonored the United States and the entire U.S. Senate. Only by a vote to censure Senator Durbin for his conduct can the U.S. Senate restore its dignity and defend American honor.
Senator Durbin's comparison, sadly, is despicable.
U.S. Senators should be clear about the gravity of Senator Durbin's comparison. Nine million innocent human beings were murdered in Hitler's death camps, nearly three million perished in the gulags under Stalin, and more than one and a half million were slaughtered in the killing fields of Cambodia at the hand of Pol Pot. And while not a single terrorist has died in detention at Guantanamo, Senator Durbin sees fit to liken our American service men and women to the terrifying murderers of three evil despotic regimes.
Petition demanding Dick Durbin's registration now online
A Lake Villa, IL resident has established an online petition calling for Democrat Dick Durbin's immediate resignation.
It reads...
On June 14, 2005, while speaking from the floor of the United States Senate in Washington D.C. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois unjustly compared the United States military forces in charge of Gitmo to the brutal, murderous, and barbaric regimes of Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot.
We, the undersigned, strongly disagree with Senator Durbin’s disgraceful characterization of our U.S troops. We believe that Mr. Durbin’s disparaging statements were patently false, and not representative of the overwhelmingly heroic and courageous behavior of our military forces at Gitmo, and elsewhere in the world.
We believe that our troops are the finest and the most courageous military force that has ever existed in the history of the world. Mr. Durbin, through his original remarks, and his subsequent refusals to modify his statements, or apologize to our troops, has committed a blatant act of treason in a time of war, is guilty of sedition, and has openly taken sides with the enemy combatants, with whom we are now at war, thereby endangering our troops, and emboldening the enemy that seeks to destroy our nation.
For all of these reasons, we the undersigned do hereby demand that Dick Durbin immediately resign from his position as United States Senator of Illinois.
It reads...
On June 14, 2005, while speaking from the floor of the United States Senate in Washington D.C. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois unjustly compared the United States military forces in charge of Gitmo to the brutal, murderous, and barbaric regimes of Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot.
We, the undersigned, strongly disagree with Senator Durbin’s disgraceful characterization of our U.S troops. We believe that Mr. Durbin’s disparaging statements were patently false, and not representative of the overwhelmingly heroic and courageous behavior of our military forces at Gitmo, and elsewhere in the world.
We believe that our troops are the finest and the most courageous military force that has ever existed in the history of the world. Mr. Durbin, through his original remarks, and his subsequent refusals to modify his statements, or apologize to our troops, has committed a blatant act of treason in a time of war, is guilty of sedition, and has openly taken sides with the enemy combatants, with whom we are now at war, thereby endangering our troops, and emboldening the enemy that seeks to destroy our nation.
For all of these reasons, we the undersigned do hereby demand that Dick Durbin immediately resign from his position as United States Senator of Illinois.
Ankle Biting Pundits posts powerful letter in favor of censuring Durbin
The letter is here and his a must read. Ankle Biting Pundits made it's weekly choice of it's "Buffoon of the Week," and of course it's Illinois' senior senator, Richard Durbin.
Follow up on the Chicago City Council attempted land grab
On June 6, I posted this message about Alderman Patrick Levar's overstepping his powers by abusing eminent domain to declare a Chicago bicycle shop "blighted," so a developer can tear down the bike shop, Sportif, Ltd., and put up expensive condos in its place
En route to a business appointment Tuesday night, I drove past Sportif, and discovered why the developer, Demetrius Kozonis, wants Sportif's property--of course at his price, not Sportif's.
1) Sportif is located just two blocks from the Lawrence Avenue exit ramp of I 90/94
2) Equally close is the Jefferson Park el train station
So, my initial response, I firmly believe, was correct. The developer, Kozonis, is using the alderman to muscle down Sportif's selling price; that is if indeed, the bike shop wants to sell .
Oh, Alderman Patrick Levar, a corpulent fellow, may want to visit Sportif and buy a bicycle. He could definitely benefit from a good daily workout. A cheap shot against Levar? Perhaps, but he's the bully here, not me.
This is not, the only idiocy that's been emitted from the Chicago City Council this month. Alderman Mary Ann "10 Acres per Elephant" Smith, as noted in a Friday post, essentially wants to keep Ringling Brother and Barnum & Bailey Circus out of Chicago forever.
I'll remember all of this nonsense the next time I drive into a pothole on one of Chicago's streets
Iranian presidential election may be headed for a runoff
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate (or so they say) candidate for president of Iran, has a slight lead as ballot counting is taking place there today. A hard liner (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and a reformer (Mehdi Karroubi) are in a close race for second.
Since it appears very unlikely Rafsanjani will get a majority of the votes, a runoff election will take place Friday, which will decide who will be the next Iranian president.
Real power, unfortunately, will lie with unelected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is a hardliner. The security apparatus and the courts are controlled by hardliners too.
Drop in on the bravest blog on the Internet, Regime Change Iran, for updates and analysis of the Iranian elections.
UPDATE: 8:45 PM CDT: According to the Tehran Times, next week's runoff will be between the so-called moderate , Rafsanjani, and the hardliner, Karroubi.
Since it appears very unlikely Rafsanjani will get a majority of the votes, a runoff election will take place Friday, which will decide who will be the next Iranian president.
Real power, unfortunately, will lie with unelected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is a hardliner. The security apparatus and the courts are controlled by hardliners too.
Drop in on the bravest blog on the Internet, Regime Change Iran, for updates and analysis of the Iranian elections.
UPDATE: 8:45 PM CDT: According to the Tehran Times, next week's runoff will be between the so-called moderate , Rafsanjani, and the hardliner, Karroubi.
Friday, June 17, 2005
FIRE's David French on Klocek's defamation suit against DePaul
FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, was one of the earliest supporters of suspended professor Thomas Klocek in his free speech struggle with Chicago's DePaul University. FIRE's president, David French, posted his thoughts on the Klocek case on the FIRE site this afternoon--below is that post in its entirety.
Thomas Klocek, the DePaul professor who lost his job without due process after arguing with several students about the Middle East at a student activities fair, has now sued DePaul. Much of the suit focuses on claims that DePaul defamed Klocek, in part by providing the public with false and misleading information about his health. Klocek also claims breach of contract.
In this case, DePaul has shamefully taken a single encounter where the facts are in dispute (the students and professor present radically different versions of the event), and has transformed it into a veritable festival of repression. First, DePaul suspended the professor without a hearing. Second, DePaul attempted to justify that suspension by attacking the professor's speech, not his conduct. When Klocek publicly protested his treatment, DePaul changed course, claiming that the problem was his conduct, not his speech. What mystifies me, however, is the absolute confidence with which DePaul is stating the facts of its (new) case when there never was a fact-finding hearing on the incident. How does DePaul know what Klocek did or did not do? Even more disturbing, in communications with other individuals, DePaul's president referred to mysterious "personal health issues that we discovered were impacting his effectiveness in the classroom."
Just to be clear, in earlier statements, a DePaul official told the student newspaper that Klocek had "'an otherwise positive career of 15 years,' and explained that he is a very well read, intelligent instructor who made an error in judgment.
There had been no previous student complaints regarding Klocek's conduct and he had a positive relationship with the university." So is this case about speech or conduct? Is it about in-class performance or an out-of-class incident?
DePaul must be held to account for its conduct. I look forward to seeing the university explain its changing stories to a judge.
Thomas Klocek, the DePaul professor who lost his job without due process after arguing with several students about the Middle East at a student activities fair, has now sued DePaul. Much of the suit focuses on claims that DePaul defamed Klocek, in part by providing the public with false and misleading information about his health. Klocek also claims breach of contract.
In this case, DePaul has shamefully taken a single encounter where the facts are in dispute (the students and professor present radically different versions of the event), and has transformed it into a veritable festival of repression. First, DePaul suspended the professor without a hearing. Second, DePaul attempted to justify that suspension by attacking the professor's speech, not his conduct. When Klocek publicly protested his treatment, DePaul changed course, claiming that the problem was his conduct, not his speech. What mystifies me, however, is the absolute confidence with which DePaul is stating the facts of its (new) case when there never was a fact-finding hearing on the incident. How does DePaul know what Klocek did or did not do? Even more disturbing, in communications with other individuals, DePaul's president referred to mysterious "personal health issues that we discovered were impacting his effectiveness in the classroom."
Just to be clear, in earlier statements, a DePaul official told the student newspaper that Klocek had "'an otherwise positive career of 15 years,' and explained that he is a very well read, intelligent instructor who made an error in judgment.
There had been no previous student complaints regarding Klocek's conduct and he had a positive relationship with the university." So is this case about speech or conduct? Is it about in-class performance or an out-of-class incident?
DePaul must be held to account for its conduct. I look forward to seeing the university explain its changing stories to a judge.
Durbin backs down...a little bit
Just off the AP wire:
On Friday, Durbin tried to clarify the issue. "My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration, which add to the risk our soldiers face," he said in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: Our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support."
In my opinion, three words: Not good enough.
On Friday, Durbin tried to clarify the issue. "My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration, which add to the risk our soldiers face," he said in a statement released Friday afternoon. "I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: Our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support."
In my opinion, three words: Not good enough.
PETA alert! Chicago alderman wants 10 acres per elephant in Chicago
When I lived in Chicago, Mary Ann Smith was my alderman. Too bad I'm no longer a constituent, because she'd be hearing from me.
Ald. Smith has been "working with animal rights groups," according to the Chicago Sun-Times, in developing an ordinance that would require any elephant brought into the city (that means by circuses) to give each elephant 10 acres of wandering space (half indoor, half outdoor). Smith tells the Sun-Times meeting this requirement would be "difficult." Many circuses have 10 or twenty elephants.
Chicago, obviously, does not have much in the way of open space. Cities with 3 million people tend to be that way.
Smith apparently doesn't have the guts to propose a bill banning elephants in the city. Doesn't matter. If the bill passes, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus will never put the Greatest Show on Earth on in Chicago again; they'll put the show on in the suburbs.
(Personal note: My eight year-old daughter and I got to see the circus last November and we had a great time. David, the star clown, called me onto the stage to participate in a comedy routine. The circus is great.)
PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hates circuses with animals, and of course is very supportive of Smith's backhanded way to keep elephants out of Chicago. PETA wants everyone to be a non-leather wearing vegetarian, too. And a whole bunch of other things. If you have to know, visit PETA's web site.
Ald. Smith has been "working with animal rights groups," according to the Chicago Sun-Times, in developing an ordinance that would require any elephant brought into the city (that means by circuses) to give each elephant 10 acres of wandering space (half indoor, half outdoor). Smith tells the Sun-Times meeting this requirement would be "difficult." Many circuses have 10 or twenty elephants.
Chicago, obviously, does not have much in the way of open space. Cities with 3 million people tend to be that way.
Smith apparently doesn't have the guts to propose a bill banning elephants in the city. Doesn't matter. If the bill passes, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus will never put the Greatest Show on Earth on in Chicago again; they'll put the show on in the suburbs.
(Personal note: My eight year-old daughter and I got to see the circus last November and we had a great time. David, the star clown, called me onto the stage to participate in a comedy routine. The circus is great.)
PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals hates circuses with animals, and of course is very supportive of Smith's backhanded way to keep elephants out of Chicago. PETA wants everyone to be a non-leather wearing vegetarian, too. And a whole bunch of other things. If you have to know, visit PETA's web site.
Must be the first name: 9/11 "artist" Kerry Skarbakka tries to spin his way out of a mess
I blogged on this yesterday morning about Chicago "artist" Kerry Skarbakka, who stages mock falls off buildings as some sick tribute to the September 11, 2001 WTC tragedy.
Well, according to NBC 5, Kerry, like his quasi-namesake Senator John Kerry, is singing a different tune, out of both sides of his mouth of course.
From NBC 5:
Skarbakka, 35, captures photographs of himself in mid-fall -- off of ladders, bridges, cliffs, and now, buildings. On Tuesday, he repeatedly jumped off the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago while wearing a harness under a business suit.
A reporter from New York thought Skarbakka's stunt paralleled 9/11.
Skarbakka, who lives in Brooklyn, said Thursday that his words were taken out of context.
"I'm sitting here reading forum submissions from people who hate me so badly, they want me to die the worst death ever. I've never received this before. These poor people that are suffering --their pain, their wounds that have been opened by something that was caused by a newspaper, not by me; I did nothing wrong. I was doing a performance piece that had nothing to do with 9/11."
But NBC 5 has "the goods" on Kerry S. This is what Kerry told NBC 5 Chicago reporter Amy Jacobson on Tuesday.
"The series really began as a response to the events of Sept. 11. This is really my way, as an artist, to respond responsibly to what I think is a really important change in our world," he said. "I'd like to say, and I'd like to be understood that the work resulted from that experience. The idea became ... it was born."
Kerry S. has been getting all kinds of nasty calls and e-mails, as well as death threats. That needs to stop. But Kerry S. needs to come clean as well, and stop being, well, Kerry-esque.
Well, according to NBC 5, Kerry, like his quasi-namesake Senator John Kerry, is singing a different tune, out of both sides of his mouth of course.
From NBC 5:
Skarbakka, 35, captures photographs of himself in mid-fall -- off of ladders, bridges, cliffs, and now, buildings. On Tuesday, he repeatedly jumped off the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago while wearing a harness under a business suit.
A reporter from New York thought Skarbakka's stunt paralleled 9/11.
Skarbakka, who lives in Brooklyn, said Thursday that his words were taken out of context.
"I'm sitting here reading forum submissions from people who hate me so badly, they want me to die the worst death ever. I've never received this before. These poor people that are suffering --their pain, their wounds that have been opened by something that was caused by a newspaper, not by me; I did nothing wrong. I was doing a performance piece that had nothing to do with 9/11."
But NBC 5 has "the goods" on Kerry S. This is what Kerry told NBC 5 Chicago reporter Amy Jacobson on Tuesday.
"The series really began as a response to the events of Sept. 11. This is really my way, as an artist, to respond responsibly to what I think is a really important change in our world," he said. "I'd like to say, and I'd like to be understood that the work resulted from that experience. The idea became ... it was born."
Kerry S. has been getting all kinds of nasty calls and e-mails, as well as death threats. That needs to stop. But Kerry S. needs to come clean as well, and stop being, well, Kerry-esque.
Durbin could've been Kerry's running mate?
I follow politics closely, especially in Illinois, and this is the first I've heard of this twist on Election 2004. From the same Chicago Tribune article referenced in the previous post.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was so impressed with Durbin's skills that he confided to a Chicago fundraising audience not long ago that he badly wanted to pick Durbin as his running mate but passed him over because he didn't think the nation could tolerate two Roman Catholics on the ticket.
Dick Durbin was never on any published "short list" of running mate choices that I saw. Okay, yeah, maybe Kerry was seriously considering Illinois' Durbin and never told anyone, but I'm pretty sure it's just another instance Nuance-boy's twisting of the truth.
And sorry Senator Kerry, America is long past the time where one, or even two Roman Catholic candidates on a presidential ticket is viewed as a negative.
Here are some more reasons why Kerry is probably lying:
1) Kerry was going to win Illinois anyway
2) Durbin (see previous post) like Kerry has no substantial legislative record to speak of.
3) Durbin is a drip
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was so impressed with Durbin's skills that he confided to a Chicago fundraising audience not long ago that he badly wanted to pick Durbin as his running mate but passed him over because he didn't think the nation could tolerate two Roman Catholics on the ticket.
Dick Durbin was never on any published "short list" of running mate choices that I saw. Okay, yeah, maybe Kerry was seriously considering Illinois' Durbin and never told anyone, but I'm pretty sure it's just another instance Nuance-boy's twisting of the truth.
And sorry Senator Kerry, America is long past the time where one, or even two Roman Catholic candidates on a presidential ticket is viewed as a negative.
Here are some more reasons why Kerry is probably lying:
1) Kerry was going to win Illinois anyway
2) Durbin (see previous post) like Kerry has no substantial legislative record to speak of.
3) Durbin is a drip
Moron Durbin
Or more on Durbin....(Brainster uses "moron" within this context a lot.)
The Chicago Tribune had an extensive profile on Democratic Senator Dick Durbin in today's edition.
If you're interested in learning about what legislation the Illinois Democrat has had turned into law, you won't find anything in this article about that. Could it be, just possibly, that Durbin has no legislative accomplishments?
Here is a telling excerpt from the Tribune article:
Durbin has spent most of his adult life in and around legislatures. During college and law school at Georgetown University, he worked for Sen. Paul Douglas of Illinois. Later, he became parliamentarian of the Illinois Senate, counsel to the state Senate Judiciary Committee and an aide to Lt. Gov. Paul Simon before winning election to the U.S. House in 1982.
Note no private sector experience. Oh, he may have worked at a law firm for a few years, but no, I hate to say it "real job." No real public sector CEO jobs either. No "Governor" or "Mayor" Durbin. He's in love with the process of the legislature, or stopping the process.
And he represents a party that has no concrete ideas, other than opposing the elected Republican majority.
In short, Durbin is worthless.
The Chicago Tribune had an extensive profile on Democratic Senator Dick Durbin in today's edition.
If you're interested in learning about what legislation the Illinois Democrat has had turned into law, you won't find anything in this article about that. Could it be, just possibly, that Durbin has no legislative accomplishments?
Here is a telling excerpt from the Tribune article:
Durbin has spent most of his adult life in and around legislatures. During college and law school at Georgetown University, he worked for Sen. Paul Douglas of Illinois. Later, he became parliamentarian of the Illinois Senate, counsel to the state Senate Judiciary Committee and an aide to Lt. Gov. Paul Simon before winning election to the U.S. House in 1982.
Note no private sector experience. Oh, he may have worked at a law firm for a few years, but no, I hate to say it "real job." No real public sector CEO jobs either. No "Governor" or "Mayor" Durbin. He's in love with the process of the legislature, or stopping the process.
And he represents a party that has no concrete ideas, other than opposing the elected Republican majority.
In short, Durbin is worthless.
Iranian presidential election today
This could end up being one of the big stories of 2005, as Iran seems to be on the cusp of revolution. (Very wishful thinking on my part, but the status quo there can't hang on forever.) Balloting is taking place now in Iran to choose the next president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The best blog out there to keep an eye on the election and its aftermath, is Regime Change in Iran. This blog is very likely the bravest blog on the Internet.
The best blog out there to keep an eye on the election and its aftermath, is Regime Change in Iran. This blog is very likely the bravest blog on the Internet.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
East St. Louis "$10 per vote" trial update
The East St. Louis vote fraud trial carries on. Votes were allegedy for sale at just $5 a head, but shrewd haggling got the bidding up to $10 per vote.
It's a crazy one, as one witness, a former ESL cop, claimed not to know what a "snitch" was. Months earlier, the same cop bragged on videotape that he was a snitch. That was yesterday.
Today, a prosecutor asked the judge for permission to declare one of his witnesses "hostile" because her in-court testimony didn't match earlier under-oath versions of what she says happened.
Last two links come to us from the Belleville News-Democrat.
There are other memory gaps in East St. Louis in regards to the votes-for-sale trial, as this post explains.
It's a crazy one, as one witness, a former ESL cop, claimed not to know what a "snitch" was. Months earlier, the same cop bragged on videotape that he was a snitch. That was yesterday.
Today, a prosecutor asked the judge for permission to declare one of his witnesses "hostile" because her in-court testimony didn't match earlier under-oath versions of what she says happened.
Last two links come to us from the Belleville News-Democrat.
There are other memory gaps in East St. Louis in regards to the votes-for-sale trial, as this post explains.
Durbin has no sense
Well, one of my senators is Richard Durbin. Best known, if known at all, outside of Illinois as an obstructionist.
When he came to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board in 2002 seeking the Trib's endorsement, they questioned the Springfield Democrat on his role in blocking the approval of President Bush's judicial nominees. His answer to the Trib was something along the lines of, "Well, that's what the Republicans did under Clinton." Some leader, the Tribune sarcastically retorted in it's op-ed endorsing his challenger, Republican Jim Durkin.
Some of those judicial nominees are just now getting getting approved by the senate.
Well, Durbin---what does he stand for, by the way? -- has joined the anti-Gitmo catcallers, by coughing up this quote, which the White House called "reprehensible."
If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime _ Pol Pot or others _ that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said.
On Fox & Friends this morning, E.D. Hill commented that she's shocked about the "lack of intelligence this man (Durbin) possesses. He has no sense of history."
I'd like to take a bit past that, and add, Durbin has no sense.
When he came to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board in 2002 seeking the Trib's endorsement, they questioned the Springfield Democrat on his role in blocking the approval of President Bush's judicial nominees. His answer to the Trib was something along the lines of, "Well, that's what the Republicans did under Clinton." Some leader, the Tribune sarcastically retorted in it's op-ed endorsing his challenger, Republican Jim Durkin.
Some of those judicial nominees are just now getting getting approved by the senate.
Well, Durbin---what does he stand for, by the way? -- has joined the anti-Gitmo catcallers, by coughing up this quote, which the White House called "reprehensible."
If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime _ Pol Pot or others _ that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said.
On Fox & Friends this morning, E.D. Hill commented that she's shocked about the "lack of intelligence this man (Durbin) possesses. He has no sense of history."
I'd like to take a bit past that, and add, Durbin has no sense.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's husband, already indicted, arrested at protest
I'm picking up on some odds and ends that I've been meaning to post, but I wanted to focus on the Klocek/DePaul case since the defamation suit was filed on Tuesday.
This comes to Marathon Pundit via Obiter Dictum:
The notorious Robert Creamer, husband of Jan Schakowsky and erstwhile IPAC (Illinois Public Action Council) head, was arrested last week on charges stemming from a "demonstration" at which he was present, protesting privatization of social security. He was detained over night after allegedly having crossed a police line and assaulted someone.
Terry Armour of the Chicago Tribune has more details here, as he writes that Creamer "charged officers as Bush's motorcade pulled up."
Creamer, for those who don't know, was indicted last year because he was allegedly kiting checks while serving as Executive Director of the Illinois Public Action Council. His wife, Congresswoman Jan, D-IL, does matter in this case--she was on the IPAC's Board of Directors while this hubby was running the show.
Jan, a Democrat from Evanston, is also known for her far-left views
This comes to Marathon Pundit via Obiter Dictum:
The notorious Robert Creamer, husband of Jan Schakowsky and erstwhile IPAC (Illinois Public Action Council) head, was arrested last week on charges stemming from a "demonstration" at which he was present, protesting privatization of social security. He was detained over night after allegedly having crossed a police line and assaulted someone.
Terry Armour of the Chicago Tribune has more details here, as he writes that Creamer "charged officers as Bush's motorcade pulled up."
Creamer, for those who don't know, was indicted last year because he was allegedly kiting checks while serving as Executive Director of the Illinois Public Action Council. His wife, Congresswoman Jan, D-IL, does matter in this case--she was on the IPAC's Board of Directors while this hubby was running the show.
Jan, a Democrat from Evanston, is also known for her far-left views
Chicago "artist" stages fall from museum roof, "inspired" by 9/11
From AP via CBS 2 Chicago:
A performance artist wearing a business suit and safety harnesses jumped repeatedly from a museum roof to create photographs that recall scenes from the World Trade Center attack, but his spectacle was scorned by some onlookers and victims' relatives.
Collaborating photographers snapped away as Kerry Skarbakka fell more than 30 times from the five-story Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesday. The photographs will be retouched to erase the pulleys and wires that kept Skarbakka from hitting the pavement.
Skarbakka, 34, said he started thinking about falling after watching on television as workers jumped to their deaths from the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
``I was so distraught, I needed some way to find an artistic response,'' he told the Chicago Sun-Times. Now, he says he sees falling as a metaphor for life.
And I see Kerry Skarbakka as a metaphor for bad taste and obnoxiousness. I'm not the only one to agree. From the same article:
In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it ``nauseatingly offensive,'' and some who lost family and friends at the trade center agreed.
``What kind of a sick individual is he? Tell him to go jump off the Empire State Building and see how it feels,'' Rosemarie Giallombardo, whose son Paul Salvio died in the terrorist attack, told the (New York) Daily News. ``He's an artist? Go paint a bowl of fruit or something.''
A performance artist wearing a business suit and safety harnesses jumped repeatedly from a museum roof to create photographs that recall scenes from the World Trade Center attack, but his spectacle was scorned by some onlookers and victims' relatives.
Collaborating photographers snapped away as Kerry Skarbakka fell more than 30 times from the five-story Museum of Contemporary Art on Tuesday. The photographs will be retouched to erase the pulleys and wires that kept Skarbakka from hitting the pavement.
Skarbakka, 34, said he started thinking about falling after watching on television as workers jumped to their deaths from the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
``I was so distraught, I needed some way to find an artistic response,'' he told the Chicago Sun-Times. Now, he says he sees falling as a metaphor for life.
And I see Kerry Skarbakka as a metaphor for bad taste and obnoxiousness. I'm not the only one to agree. From the same article:
In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it ``nauseatingly offensive,'' and some who lost family and friends at the trade center agreed.
``What kind of a sick individual is he? Tell him to go jump off the Empire State Building and see how it feels,'' Rosemarie Giallombardo, whose son Paul Salvio died in the terrorist attack, told the (New York) Daily News. ``He's an artist? Go paint a bowl of fruit or something.''
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
I posted this about a week ago or so, but here it is again, From the American Thinker:
Defend Professor Klocek
Several weeks back, we described the almost unbelievable situation surrounding De Paul Professor Thomas Klocek, who lost his job at the Catholic university for the "crime" of daring to argue with some Muslim and Palestinian students in a cafeteria about some inflammatory anti-Israel flyers the students were distributing.
So much for free speech rights for Professors at De Paul who dare to defend Israel.
Despite much commentary in the blogosphere about Professor Klocek's case, so far De Paul has offered nothing to Klocek in terms of restoring his position, back pay, health insurance. or even an apology for slandering his good name. A legal defense fund has been created for his lawsuit against De Paul.
You can contribute by sending a check to:
The Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
c/o Cole Taylor Bank
P.O. Box 88481
Chicago, Il. 60680
Defend Professor Klocek
Several weeks back, we described the almost unbelievable situation surrounding De Paul Professor Thomas Klocek, who lost his job at the Catholic university for the "crime" of daring to argue with some Muslim and Palestinian students in a cafeteria about some inflammatory anti-Israel flyers the students were distributing.
So much for free speech rights for Professors at De Paul who dare to defend Israel.
Despite much commentary in the blogosphere about Professor Klocek's case, so far De Paul has offered nothing to Klocek in terms of restoring his position, back pay, health insurance. or even an apology for slandering his good name. A legal defense fund has been created for his lawsuit against De Paul.
You can contribute by sending a check to:
The Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
c/o Cole Taylor Bank
P.O. Box 88481
Chicago, Il. 60680
Steven Plaut on Klocek, Finkelstein, and DePaul
Professor Steven Plaut of Israel has been extremely supportive Thomas Klocek and his free speech battle with DePaul. He's gone the extra mile, or should I say, kilometer, in exposing other serious problems at DePaul. Primary among them is the employment of Norman Finkelstein as a political science professor at DePaul. Finkelstein has been called a holocaust denier by the Anti-Defamation League, yet DePaul's president defends his free speech rights. (But not Klocek's).
From Professor Plaut's Moonbat Central post this morning:
DePaul has some bizarre notions of free speech. While its President Dennis H. Holtschneider publicly defends the employment of Finkelstein as a professor, defends the operation on campus of a Bash-Israel propaganda show dressed up as an art exhibit and the performance on the Catholic University campus of the "Vagina Monologues", he has repeatedly denounced Klocek and defended the firing of Klocek because Klocek expressed politically incorrect views.
For the entire post, click here.
From Professor Plaut's Moonbat Central post this morning:
DePaul has some bizarre notions of free speech. While its President Dennis H. Holtschneider publicly defends the employment of Finkelstein as a professor, defends the operation on campus of a Bash-Israel propaganda show dressed up as an art exhibit and the performance on the Catholic University campus of the "Vagina Monologues", he has repeatedly denounced Klocek and defended the firing of Klocek because Klocek expressed politically incorrect views.
For the entire post, click here.
AP covers Thomas Klocek defamation suit against DePaul
Yesterday, as noted in the previous post, Thomas Klocek filed a defamation lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago against DePaul University. Associated Press quickly picked up the story, 42 publicatios have run the article, including the Washington Post and the Guardian in the UK.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Marathon Pundit exclusive: Thomas Klocek files slander lawsuit against DePaul
This suit was just filed this afternoon in Chicago and is a Marathon Pundit exclusive story. Professor Thomas Klocek, who was suspended for defending Israel against the charges of some Palestinian students, has filed a slander lawsuit against DePaul University. More details to follow.
Here is the press release announcing Klocek's lawsuit against DePaul
Page 2- DePaul University Sued for Slander Against Professor
After meeting with Klocek, but not giving him a required hearing as is mandatory by DePaul’s faculty handbook, Dumbleton suspended Klocek with pay. Dumbleton then wrote a letter to The DePaulia that was published on October 8, 2004. In it she publicly criticized the content of Klocek’s comments to the students when she wrote, “No student anywhere should ever have to be concerned that they will be verbally attacked for their religious belief or ethnicity. No one should ever use the role of teacher to demean the ideas of others or insist on the absoluteness of an opinion, much less press erroneous assesertions.”
DePaul’s President Goes National With Libelous Statements Against Klocek
Rev. Dennis Holtschneider contacted media outlets across the country to publish his letter with statements about Klocek’s conduct and even publicly addressed Klocek’s health. In one instance, his letter was published in April 9, 2005 edition of The Rocky Mountain News, where Holtschneider wrote, “Last September, Klocek acted in a belligerent and menacing manner toward students who were passing out literature at a table in the cafeteria. He raised his voice, threw pamphlets at students, pointed his finger near their faces and displayed a gesture interpreted as obscene…. DePaul offered to give Klocek a spring quarter class assignment if he met with the students to apologize for his behavior and if the program director could drop by his class to ensure that the health issues that affected his teaching were resolved. He refused.”
According to David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which wrote to DePaul on Klocek’s behalf, “DePaul has unquestionably violated Professor Klocek’s due process rights, and the university did so because his statements were offensive to the students. While DePaul may now argue that the issue is one of professionalism, its public statements at the time of Klocek’s punishment make it clear that Klocek’s real crime was offending students during an out-of-class discussion of a controversial and emotional topic. Academic freedom cannot survive when professors who engage in debate on controversial topics are subject to administrative punishment without even the most cursory due process.”
- more -
Page 3 - DePaul University Sued for Slander Against Professor
Klocek’s attorney John Mauck said, “When Dean Dumbleton wrote in The DePaulia and characterized that Professor Klocek attacked students’ ‘religious beliefs and ethnicity,’ DePaul hung a Scarlet ‘R’ of racism on a loyal and much loved professor who has served DePaul University for 14 years without complaint. DePaul worked to ruin Klocek’s reputation because of the content of his comments, not his conduct.”
DePaul Case is Part of National Trend of Professors Who Express Views Outside the Mainstream
In recent years a number of cases across the country have surfaced where professors and students, who express views outside the mainstream or have challenged their universities’ speech and ideological policies, are becoming more vocal, including:
Albright College, PA: Assault of Academic Freedom to Criticize Administration
Bennington College, VT: Termination of Professor Without a Hearing
City University of New York, NY: Administration Attempts to Suppress Faculty Speech
Lakeland Community College, OH: Disciplining of Professor for Religion Speech
Rhode Island College, RI: Punishment of Professor for Refusal to Censor Speech
University of Colorado at Boulder, CO: Investigation of Professor for Controversial Essay
Washington University, MO: Mandatory University Viewpoint
According to a statement (complete version follows) released by Professor Thomas Klocek, “The draconian penalties to which I have been subjected are deeply distressing in light of the central issue here: free speech.”
NOTE: Complete suit is available upon request.
# # #
Statement from Professor Klocek
I should like to clarify some points regarding an incident on Sept. 15, 2004, between me and the Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP), at a Student Activities Fair on the Loop campus.
1. There was no shouting, throwing of papers nor threats by anyone.
2. I did not identify myself as a faculty member until one of the SJP students asked me as I was leaving.
3. I did not make an obscene gesture at any time.
4. The University has denied me due process as outlined in the Faculty Handbook by allowing Dean Susanne Dumbleton to suspend me without any hearing or written charges. She also insisted I not meet with the students, despite my offer to conciliate with them following the incident, stating that I was "too passionate" about the
subject(content?)
5. The University has insisted my case concerns conduct, not content. Yet Dean Dumbleton's letter to the De Paulia (Oct. 8, 2005) cites "erroneous assertions" as being sufficient reason to take action against me.
To which of these assertions, then, does she take exception:
a) my disagreement with a SJP student's statement comparing treatment of Palestinians by Israel
with Hitler's treatment of the Jews
b) my assertion that Christians in the Middle East have a right to live there in peace
c) the term Palestinian, prior to 1948, referred to anyone living in those territories, whether Muslim,
Christian or Jew, and that only later did that term become associated with Arabs alone
6. The President of the University has stated that I have hired a publicist because I am seeking a great deal of money from the University. The truth is that I have retained an attorney, John Mauck, to represent my interests. The amount of restitution sought is modest in light of my being called a racist and a religious bigot in print, with attendant adverse consequences for my academic career.
7. SJP was first to bring this matter beyond the University through an email sent by its President, Salma Nassar, on Oct. 5, 2004, to various university and student groups throughout the country.
8. The University now demands (but has not always done so)an apology as a pre-condition to further employment. My question: For what specifically? To date, I have received no written charges. An apology for the content of my speech? For what I said? It would be wrong indeed to censure the students for their ideas and beliefs. However, the University administration, realizing that apologizing for my opinions would amount to an unwarranted censorship of ideas, now asks me to apologize for conduct in which I have not engaged.
9. The draconian penalties to which I have been subjected are deeply distressing in light of the central issue here: free speech.
Thomas E. Klocek
Former Adjunct Professor, School For New Learning, DePaul University
To schedule an interview with Professor Klocek please contact:
Tom Ciesielka at
Thomas Ciesielka
TC Public Relations
333 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1020
Chicago, IL 60601
312-422-1333
Here is the press release announcing Klocek's lawsuit against DePaul
FREE SPEECH BATTLE AT DePAUL LEADS TO SLANDER LAW SUIT:
UNIVERSITY’S PRESIDENT NAMED AS DEFENDANT
Case part of national trend of campus battles regarding censorship and
“politically incorrect” speech
Chicago…What started out as a disagreement regarding the Middle East at a Student Activities Fair has led to a free speech battle that generated public interest from Israel to London, and now a slander law suit. Today a defamation suit was filed in Illinois’ Cook County Chancery charging that DePaul University and its leadership defamed Professor Thomas Klocek when DePaul publicly characterized arguments he presented to members of Palestinian and Muslim student groups as racist and bigoted. The suit seeks damages against DePaul for maligning Klocek’s integrity and professional competence. The defendants named include: DePaul University; Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, President of DePaul; and Susan Dumbleton, Dean of DePaul’s School for New Learning. The case was assigned to Judge David Donnersberger.
DePaul Sought to Silence Professor
On September 15, 2004 a Student Activities Fair was held at the DePaul Loop Campus. Among the student groups at the fair was the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). When Professor Klocek came to the SJP table, he took a handout that showed an Israeli bulldozer destroying a Palestinian house. A discussion began and Professor Klocek sought to inform the students that a third paradigm, neither Muslim nor Jewish, but Christian, should be considered. Later, one of the students likened the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians to Hitler’s treatment of the Jewish people. Professor Klocek took strong offense at that allegation and challenged it. He quoted an Arab source that concluded that although most Muslims are not terrorists, most of today’s terrorists are Muslims. After the incident, the SJP and United Muslims Moving Ahead complained to Klocek’s Dean, Dr. Susanne Dumbleton, Dean, School for New Learning.
- more -
UNIVERSITY’S PRESIDENT NAMED AS DEFENDANT
Case part of national trend of campus battles regarding censorship and
“politically incorrect” speech
Chicago…What started out as a disagreement regarding the Middle East at a Student Activities Fair has led to a free speech battle that generated public interest from Israel to London, and now a slander law suit. Today a defamation suit was filed in Illinois’ Cook County Chancery charging that DePaul University and its leadership defamed Professor Thomas Klocek when DePaul publicly characterized arguments he presented to members of Palestinian and Muslim student groups as racist and bigoted. The suit seeks damages against DePaul for maligning Klocek’s integrity and professional competence. The defendants named include: DePaul University; Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, President of DePaul; and Susan Dumbleton, Dean of DePaul’s School for New Learning. The case was assigned to Judge David Donnersberger.
DePaul Sought to Silence Professor
On September 15, 2004 a Student Activities Fair was held at the DePaul Loop Campus. Among the student groups at the fair was the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). When Professor Klocek came to the SJP table, he took a handout that showed an Israeli bulldozer destroying a Palestinian house. A discussion began and Professor Klocek sought to inform the students that a third paradigm, neither Muslim nor Jewish, but Christian, should be considered. Later, one of the students likened the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians to Hitler’s treatment of the Jewish people. Professor Klocek took strong offense at that allegation and challenged it. He quoted an Arab source that concluded that although most Muslims are not terrorists, most of today’s terrorists are Muslims. After the incident, the SJP and United Muslims Moving Ahead complained to Klocek’s Dean, Dr. Susanne Dumbleton, Dean, School for New Learning.
- more -
Page 2- DePaul University Sued for Slander Against Professor
After meeting with Klocek, but not giving him a required hearing as is mandatory by DePaul’s faculty handbook, Dumbleton suspended Klocek with pay. Dumbleton then wrote a letter to The DePaulia that was published on October 8, 2004. In it she publicly criticized the content of Klocek’s comments to the students when she wrote, “No student anywhere should ever have to be concerned that they will be verbally attacked for their religious belief or ethnicity. No one should ever use the role of teacher to demean the ideas of others or insist on the absoluteness of an opinion, much less press erroneous assesertions.”
DePaul’s President Goes National With Libelous Statements Against Klocek
Rev. Dennis Holtschneider contacted media outlets across the country to publish his letter with statements about Klocek’s conduct and even publicly addressed Klocek’s health. In one instance, his letter was published in April 9, 2005 edition of The Rocky Mountain News, where Holtschneider wrote, “Last September, Klocek acted in a belligerent and menacing manner toward students who were passing out literature at a table in the cafeteria. He raised his voice, threw pamphlets at students, pointed his finger near their faces and displayed a gesture interpreted as obscene…. DePaul offered to give Klocek a spring quarter class assignment if he met with the students to apologize for his behavior and if the program director could drop by his class to ensure that the health issues that affected his teaching were resolved. He refused.”
According to David French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), which wrote to DePaul on Klocek’s behalf, “DePaul has unquestionably violated Professor Klocek’s due process rights, and the university did so because his statements were offensive to the students. While DePaul may now argue that the issue is one of professionalism, its public statements at the time of Klocek’s punishment make it clear that Klocek’s real crime was offending students during an out-of-class discussion of a controversial and emotional topic. Academic freedom cannot survive when professors who engage in debate on controversial topics are subject to administrative punishment without even the most cursory due process.”
- more -
Page 3 - DePaul University Sued for Slander Against Professor
Klocek’s attorney John Mauck said, “When Dean Dumbleton wrote in The DePaulia and characterized that Professor Klocek attacked students’ ‘religious beliefs and ethnicity,’ DePaul hung a Scarlet ‘R’ of racism on a loyal and much loved professor who has served DePaul University for 14 years without complaint. DePaul worked to ruin Klocek’s reputation because of the content of his comments, not his conduct.”
DePaul Case is Part of National Trend of Professors Who Express Views Outside the Mainstream
In recent years a number of cases across the country have surfaced where professors and students, who express views outside the mainstream or have challenged their universities’ speech and ideological policies, are becoming more vocal, including:
Albright College, PA: Assault of Academic Freedom to Criticize Administration
Bennington College, VT: Termination of Professor Without a Hearing
City University of New York, NY: Administration Attempts to Suppress Faculty Speech
Lakeland Community College, OH: Disciplining of Professor for Religion Speech
Rhode Island College, RI: Punishment of Professor for Refusal to Censor Speech
University of Colorado at Boulder, CO: Investigation of Professor for Controversial Essay
Washington University, MO: Mandatory University Viewpoint
According to a statement (complete version follows) released by Professor Thomas Klocek, “The draconian penalties to which I have been subjected are deeply distressing in light of the central issue here: free speech.”
NOTE: Complete suit is available upon request.
# # #
Statement from Professor Klocek
I should like to clarify some points regarding an incident on Sept. 15, 2004, between me and the Students For Justice in Palestine (SJP), at a Student Activities Fair on the Loop campus.
1. There was no shouting, throwing of papers nor threats by anyone.
2. I did not identify myself as a faculty member until one of the SJP students asked me as I was leaving.
3. I did not make an obscene gesture at any time.
4. The University has denied me due process as outlined in the Faculty Handbook by allowing Dean Susanne Dumbleton to suspend me without any hearing or written charges. She also insisted I not meet with the students, despite my offer to conciliate with them following the incident, stating that I was "too passionate" about the
subject(content?)
5. The University has insisted my case concerns conduct, not content. Yet Dean Dumbleton's letter to the De Paulia (Oct. 8, 2005) cites "erroneous assertions" as being sufficient reason to take action against me.
To which of these assertions, then, does she take exception:
a) my disagreement with a SJP student's statement comparing treatment of Palestinians by Israel
with Hitler's treatment of the Jews
b) my assertion that Christians in the Middle East have a right to live there in peace
c) the term Palestinian, prior to 1948, referred to anyone living in those territories, whether Muslim,
Christian or Jew, and that only later did that term become associated with Arabs alone
6. The President of the University has stated that I have hired a publicist because I am seeking a great deal of money from the University. The truth is that I have retained an attorney, John Mauck, to represent my interests. The amount of restitution sought is modest in light of my being called a racist and a religious bigot in print, with attendant adverse consequences for my academic career.
7. SJP was first to bring this matter beyond the University through an email sent by its President, Salma Nassar, on Oct. 5, 2004, to various university and student groups throughout the country.
8. The University now demands (but has not always done so)an apology as a pre-condition to further employment. My question: For what specifically? To date, I have received no written charges. An apology for the content of my speech? For what I said? It would be wrong indeed to censure the students for their ideas and beliefs. However, the University administration, realizing that apologizing for my opinions would amount to an unwarranted censorship of ideas, now asks me to apologize for conduct in which I have not engaged.
9. The draconian penalties to which I have been subjected are deeply distressing in light of the central issue here: free speech.
Thomas E. Klocek
Former Adjunct Professor, School For New Learning, DePaul University
To schedule an interview with Professor Klocek please contact:
Tom Ciesielka at
Thomas Ciesielka
TC Public Relations
333 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 1020
Chicago, IL 60601
312-422-1333
More details on the accused fire books author/arsonist
The Chicago Sun-Times has more details on David Cowan, co-author (I had him as author in the previous post) of To Sleep with the Angels : The Story of a Fire and author in his own right of
Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped a City.
Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped a City.
Monday, June 13, 2005
"Backdraft" revisited in Chicago. Again. Author of fire books arrested for arson
Remember "Backdraft" the early 1990s Ron Howard film about firefighters? An arsonist firefighter was one of the villains. The movie was filmed and set in Chicago.
Well, sadly, a couple of people in Chicago were, shall I say, inspired by this film. Inspired to become arsonists.
This early Marathon Pundit post touches on the story of Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Jeffrey Boyle, who alleged set a whole bunch of fires in suburban Park Ridge and on the Northwest Side of Chicago.
AP is reporting tonight that last week, former suburban Bellwood firefighter and author of two books on fires, David Cowan, was arrested for allegedly torching a storage shed adjacent to St. Benedict's Church on Chicago's North Side.
Cowan's two books are To Sleep with the Angels : The Story of a Fire (about a 1958 Chicago school fire that killed 92 students and three nuns) and Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped a City. As of this posting, both are available for purchase from Amazon.com.
David Cowan might have a third book in his future, as he may soon have a lot of free time on his hands.
Well, sadly, a couple of people in Chicago were, shall I say, inspired by this film. Inspired to become arsonists.
This early Marathon Pundit post touches on the story of Chicago Fire Department Lieutenant Jeffrey Boyle, who alleged set a whole bunch of fires in suburban Park Ridge and on the Northwest Side of Chicago.
AP is reporting tonight that last week, former suburban Bellwood firefighter and author of two books on fires, David Cowan, was arrested for allegedly torching a storage shed adjacent to St. Benedict's Church on Chicago's North Side.
Cowan's two books are To Sleep with the Angels : The Story of a Fire (about a 1958 Chicago school fire that killed 92 students and three nuns) and Great Chicago Fires: Historic Blazes That Shaped a City. As of this posting, both are available for purchase from Amazon.com.
David Cowan might have a third book in his future, as he may soon have a lot of free time on his hands.
More Gary Jacko reaction
In this article, a hastily gathered group of people who live in Gary and claim they knew Jacko (who, with the rest of the Jacksons, bailed on Gary in 1968 or so) talk about the gloved one. From NBC 5 Chicago.
Don't click through to the link if you've just eaten.
Don't click through to the link if you've just eaten.
Gary, Indiana reacts to the Jacko not-guilty verdict
From AP:
Doesn't Gary, Indiana have enough problems?
People in Michael Jackson's hometown of Gary say they hope the pop star's acquittal today will prompt him to reconsider a connection with the city.
More....
In 2003, Jackson pledged to raise money for for a Michael J. Jackson Performance Arts Center in Gary, but so far nothing has come of the deal.
A spokeswoman for Gary Mayor Scott King says the city will pursue the creation of the performing arts venue with or without Jackson's help.
Hey, Mayor King! If you build the performing arts center, name if after someone else, or calll it the Gary Performance Arts Center.
Or how about this for a compromise? The Jacko Performing Arts Center.
Doesn't Gary, Indiana have enough problems?
People in Michael Jackson's hometown of Gary say they hope the pop star's acquittal today will prompt him to reconsider a connection with the city.
More....
In 2003, Jackson pledged to raise money for for a Michael J. Jackson Performance Arts Center in Gary, but so far nothing has come of the deal.
A spokeswoman for Gary Mayor Scott King says the city will pursue the creation of the performing arts venue with or without Jackson's help.
Hey, Mayor King! If you build the performing arts center, name if after someone else, or calll it the Gary Performance Arts Center.
Or how about this for a compromise? The Jacko Performing Arts Center.
John Edwards speaks at Rainbow/Push convention; Kerry, Clinton cancel
The annual Rainbow/Push convention continues to make news--maybe not the way Jesse Jackson and his followers had hoped for, but make news it did. This post from Sunday explains the latest goofiness from Howard Dean, from Day Two of the Rainbow/Push convention.
Bill Clinton and John Kerry were supposed to speak today, but neither showed up--Clinton claiming an emergency, and Kerry said he had a scheduling conflict.
As for Clinton's absence, according the ABC 7 Chicago's Hosea Sanders, that "made for some very, very disappointed people."
John Edwards did show up, and the multi-millionaire trial lawyer spoke on poverty issues.
So three big names were invited to speak at the Rainbow/Push convention, only one showed up.
Bill Clinton and John Kerry were supposed to speak today, but neither showed up--Clinton claiming an emergency, and Kerry said he had a scheduling conflict.
As for Clinton's absence, according the ABC 7 Chicago's Hosea Sanders, that "made for some very, very disappointed people."
John Edwards did show up, and the multi-millionaire trial lawyer spoke on poverty issues.
So three big names were invited to speak at the Rainbow/Push convention, only one showed up.
Blagojevich hypocrisy on display at Field Museum Thursday
Illinois' maestro of phony reform, Governor Rod Blagojevich, is at it again. From the Chicago Sun-Times:
At the same time Gov. Blagojevich pressed the Legislature to cap individual campaign contributions at $1,000, his political organization was mailing out invitations to an upcoming fund-raiser seeking individual donations as high as $10,000.
More on the Chicago Democrat:
An invitation to the Field Museum gala shows Blagojevich established a sliding scale for contributors. For a $1,000 contribution, a donor is characterized as a "sponsor." For $2,500, the designation becomes a "patron." For $5,000, a donor can be a "benefactor." And a $10,000 check earns a contributor the title of "co-chair."
UPDATE: In the print edition of the Chicago Sun-Times, the invitation lists the direct line to Blago's polictical office, which is (773) 404-2006. If you'd like to attend, give them a call, if you want to tell them what hypocrites the Blago-ites are, feel free to tell them that!
At the same time Gov. Blagojevich pressed the Legislature to cap individual campaign contributions at $1,000, his political organization was mailing out invitations to an upcoming fund-raiser seeking individual donations as high as $10,000.
More on the Chicago Democrat:
An invitation to the Field Museum gala shows Blagojevich established a sliding scale for contributors. For a $1,000 contribution, a donor is characterized as a "sponsor." For $2,500, the designation becomes a "patron." For $5,000, a donor can be a "benefactor." And a $10,000 check earns a contributor the title of "co-chair."
UPDATE: In the print edition of the Chicago Sun-Times, the invitation lists the direct line to Blago's polictical office, which is (773) 404-2006. If you'd like to attend, give them a call, if you want to tell them what hypocrites the Blago-ites are, feel free to tell them that!
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Howard Dean gives keynote address at Rainbow/Push convention
Those stalwarts of moderation in the Democratic Party, DNC Chairman and Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/Push, came together today in Chicago, as Howard Dean issued the keynote address for the annual Rainbow/Push annual convention this afternoon.
ABC 7 Chicago reported on this quaint event, and this tidbit comes from their online report:
Dean energized "this" audience of union workers and Rainbow-Push activists with his "ideas" and "inclination" to say it like he sees it.
"My view is FOX News is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party and I don't comment on FOX News," Dean said. That was in response to vice president Dick Cheney calling Howard Dean "over the top" on Fox News on Sunday.
Just keep talking, Howard....
ABC 7 Chicago reported on this quaint event, and this tidbit comes from their online report:
Dean energized "this" audience of union workers and Rainbow-Push activists with his "ideas" and "inclination" to say it like he sees it.
"My view is FOX News is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party and I don't comment on FOX News," Dean said. That was in response to vice president Dick Cheney calling Howard Dean "over the top" on Fox News on Sunday.
Just keep talking, Howard....
Chicago White Sox take two of three from Padres
Slow news day, so I've turned to baseball this evening. With this afternoon's extra inning victory over the NL West leading San Diego Padres, the Chicago White Sox have won seven of nine in interleague play this year.
As visitors to other blogs know, about half of all bloggers seem to be Boston Red Sox fans. As for the White Sox, only Rich Miller (Capitol Fax) and myself are blogger-White Sox fans. If there are others, kindly let me know.
The Chicago White Sox, by the way, have the best record in baseball.
The White Sox have some similarities with the Bosox:
Droughts? Last world series title, 1917 over John McGraw's New York Giants. Last league pennant, 1959.
Curse? The 1919 Black Sox Scandal.
As visitors to other blogs know, about half of all bloggers seem to be Boston Red Sox fans. As for the White Sox, only Rich Miller (Capitol Fax) and myself are blogger-White Sox fans. If there are others, kindly let me know.
The Chicago White Sox, by the way, have the best record in baseball.
The White Sox have some similarities with the Bosox:
Droughts? Last world series title, 1917 over John McGraw's New York Giants. Last league pennant, 1959.
Curse? The 1919 Black Sox Scandal.
Blagojevich, LaHood, run in Peoria's Steamboat races
I've not had the pleasure to particapate, but the Steamboat Races in Peoria are among the better regarded running races in Illinois, according to my informal network of local runners.
Two Illinois politicians, Governor Rod Blagojevich, who ran the 15K (9.3 miles), and Congressman Ray LaHood, who ran the 4 mile, were among the sweaty finishers in yesterday's edition of Steamboat, as reported in today's Peoria Journal-Star. (It was very warm and humid yesterday in Illinois.)
No word on how the 15k and the weather conditions affected the fabled hairdo of Blagojevich.
Blagojevich, as regular readers of the blog know, is the embattled Democratic incumbent. LaHood, a Peoria Republican, is expected to run for the Republican nomination for governor in the hopes of replacing Blago.
Two Illinois politicians, Governor Rod Blagojevich, who ran the 15K (9.3 miles), and Congressman Ray LaHood, who ran the 4 mile, were among the sweaty finishers in yesterday's edition of Steamboat, as reported in today's Peoria Journal-Star. (It was very warm and humid yesterday in Illinois.)
No word on how the 15k and the weather conditions affected the fabled hairdo of Blagojevich.
Blagojevich, as regular readers of the blog know, is the embattled Democratic incumbent. LaHood, a Peoria Republican, is expected to run for the Republican nomination for governor in the hopes of replacing Blago.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
A rotten artcle from the Tehran Times
But there is still reason for despair in regards to Middle Eastern media, specifically, The Tehran Times. The Times is to responsible journalism what the Flat Earth Society is to modern physics. A joke.
Here is an excerpted article, Foreign meddling in Lebanese election, from the latest Tehran Times.
The third phase of parliamentary elections in Lebanon was held on Sunday, although the political outlook for the country is still ambiguous.
My note: I'm blogging this post at about 0400 Sunday hours Lebanese time. I don't believe the polls have opened yet. No, Mitch Albom didn't write the article, some guy named Hassan Hanizadeh wrote this epic piece of journalism.
The constant interference of both regional and extra-regional powers in Lebanon’s domestic affairs, with the goal of influencing the parliamentary election, as well as the current disputes between the country’s Christian groups over how to hold the elections have made political analysts quite worried about the future of Lebanon.
In addition, the alliance of the Shia parties Amal and Hezbollah on one electoral list and the fact that they won all 23 parliamentary seats in southern Lebanon has aggravated the Zionists.
In an interfering response, the Zionist regime has once again suggested that the Lebanese Islamic resistance forces must be disarmed so that it can lay the ground for a renewed Israeli military presence in Lebanon.
It goes on and on....the same rant. Take tour--if you can stomach it--of the Tehran Times. If Israel is rarely mentioned by name by the Times, it's always, "the Zionist regime," Israelis are almost alway called "Zionists." At least they capitalize the "Z!"
This AP article does a better job, as they acknowledge that balloting in Lebanon hasn't started yet.
Here is an excerpted article, Foreign meddling in Lebanese election, from the latest Tehran Times.
The third phase of parliamentary elections in Lebanon was held on Sunday, although the political outlook for the country is still ambiguous.
My note: I'm blogging this post at about 0400 Sunday hours Lebanese time. I don't believe the polls have opened yet. No, Mitch Albom didn't write the article, some guy named Hassan Hanizadeh wrote this epic piece of journalism.
The constant interference of both regional and extra-regional powers in Lebanon’s domestic affairs, with the goal of influencing the parliamentary election, as well as the current disputes between the country’s Christian groups over how to hold the elections have made political analysts quite worried about the future of Lebanon.
In addition, the alliance of the Shia parties Amal and Hezbollah on one electoral list and the fact that they won all 23 parliamentary seats in southern Lebanon has aggravated the Zionists.
In an interfering response, the Zionist regime has once again suggested that the Lebanese Islamic resistance forces must be disarmed so that it can lay the ground for a renewed Israeli military presence in Lebanon.
It goes on and on....the same rant. Take tour--if you can stomach it--of the Tehran Times. If Israel is rarely mentioned by name by the Times, it's always, "the Zionist regime," Israelis are almost alway called "Zionists." At least they capitalize the "Z!"
This AP article does a better job, as they acknowledge that balloting in Lebanon hasn't started yet.
Excellent article from the Arab News
Yes, that's not something you see everyday, but here it is, courtesy of Dr. Khaled Batarfi, an excerpt:
When the “Voice of Arabs” radio told us triumphantly in the 1960s that Nasser’s Egypt had the strongest army in the region and could throw Israel in the sea if they choose to, we believed. When young, revolutionary, the Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi promised to be the unifier of the Arab world after the death of Nasser, we believed. When Baathists and Arab nationalists carried the “One Arab nation with eternal message” slogan, we believed.
Then came “Alnakbah” (the disaster) of June 5, 1967, when the one army of Israel destroyed not only the “mighty” Egyptian Army but also the Jordanian and Syrian. The Egyptian radio went on with the lies for days. According to the famous anchor Ahmad Said and his colleagues, the Israeli Air Force was losing tens of aircraft daily. This was when most Egyptian jet fighters were destroyed on the ground as though they were sitting ducks. The Egyptian media also claimed that American and British aircraft had joined the Israelis. Needless to say, all were sheer lies.
Many of us knew better afterward. Still, too many continued to believe, even today.
The Arab media kept telling us that all our troubles are due to Zionist conspiracies. They explained to us that we had to prepare for the liberation of Arab occupied lands. Sacrifices had to be made. Freedom, democracy, economic prosperity, good education and all kind of luxuries had to wait. Many believed. Many were skeptical. And as the wait got longer, the prison larger, the civilization gap with the rest of the world wider, more started to get skeptical. Resentment followed.
The new generation, born in a different world, was the most restless. They want to live like their peers in other parts of the world. Satellite TV, the Internet and other modern communication tools gave them an open, unfiltered window. They could see that what they lack others take for granted: Market-oriented training, secured, rewarding jobs, a wife and a home. Some expects even more: Travel, entertainment and (why not?) a car. They resent the military draft. They hate having to serve years in draconic conditions with little or no pay. It feels worse when they see that the rich and powerful can evade it.
When the “Voice of Arabs” radio told us triumphantly in the 1960s that Nasser’s Egypt had the strongest army in the region and could throw Israel in the sea if they choose to, we believed. When young, revolutionary, the Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi promised to be the unifier of the Arab world after the death of Nasser, we believed. When Baathists and Arab nationalists carried the “One Arab nation with eternal message” slogan, we believed.
Then came “Alnakbah” (the disaster) of June 5, 1967, when the one army of Israel destroyed not only the “mighty” Egyptian Army but also the Jordanian and Syrian. The Egyptian radio went on with the lies for days. According to the famous anchor Ahmad Said and his colleagues, the Israeli Air Force was losing tens of aircraft daily. This was when most Egyptian jet fighters were destroyed on the ground as though they were sitting ducks. The Egyptian media also claimed that American and British aircraft had joined the Israelis. Needless to say, all were sheer lies.
Many of us knew better afterward. Still, too many continued to believe, even today.
The Arab media kept telling us that all our troubles are due to Zionist conspiracies. They explained to us that we had to prepare for the liberation of Arab occupied lands. Sacrifices had to be made. Freedom, democracy, economic prosperity, good education and all kind of luxuries had to wait. Many believed. Many were skeptical. And as the wait got longer, the prison larger, the civilization gap with the rest of the world wider, more started to get skeptical. Resentment followed.
The new generation, born in a different world, was the most restless. They want to live like their peers in other parts of the world. Satellite TV, the Internet and other modern communication tools gave them an open, unfiltered window. They could see that what they lack others take for granted: Market-oriented training, secured, rewarding jobs, a wife and a home. Some expects even more: Travel, entertainment and (why not?) a car. They resent the military draft. They hate having to serve years in draconic conditions with little or no pay. It feels worse when they see that the rich and powerful can evade it.
Latest on the East St. Louis "$10 per vote" trial
No mistrial yet in East St. Louis, here is the latest on the trial of the alleged vote buyers:
From the Belleville News-Democrat:
Federal prosecutors unveiled the crux of their vote-fraud case against five Democratic Party leaders Friday, playing tapes made by undercover informant Rudy McIntosh.
The tapes show that ex-city council member Charles Powell Jr. and the four other defendants took part in a scheme to pay voters $5 to $10 apiece to elect Mark Kern, the St. Clair County Board chairman, and other Democratic candidates in the Nov. 2 election, according to McIntosh and prosecutors.
Kern called earlier testimony that claimed he participated in a conversation about vote buying "absolutely untrue."
Here is the "good stuff," from the same article:
In one tape, which McIntosh secretly recorded on Oct. 29, McIntosh met with Powell at Powell's house, 1714 Bond Ave.
As chairman of the city's Democratic Party, Powell approved Democratic precinct committeemen budgets for getting out the Election Day vote. The money would come from the St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee, based in Belleville.
But the amount of money Powell had previously approved for McIntosh's precinct -- $5 per vote -- was not enough because Kern, who is white, was perceived as a racist, McIntosh testified.
"Here's the bottom line," McIntosh, the city's former deputy police chief, is heard saying on the tape. "Five dollars a vote ain't going to do it."
Powell is heard telling McIntosh to pay voters $10 apiece, though the total amount McIntosh would receive from the party -- $2,000 -- would stay the same. That meant McIntosh needed to cut the number of votes he could buy -- from 230 to 100 or 150, McIntosh testified.
From the Belleville News-Democrat:
Federal prosecutors unveiled the crux of their vote-fraud case against five Democratic Party leaders Friday, playing tapes made by undercover informant Rudy McIntosh.
The tapes show that ex-city council member Charles Powell Jr. and the four other defendants took part in a scheme to pay voters $5 to $10 apiece to elect Mark Kern, the St. Clair County Board chairman, and other Democratic candidates in the Nov. 2 election, according to McIntosh and prosecutors.
Kern called earlier testimony that claimed he participated in a conversation about vote buying "absolutely untrue."
Here is the "good stuff," from the same article:
In one tape, which McIntosh secretly recorded on Oct. 29, McIntosh met with Powell at Powell's house, 1714 Bond Ave.
As chairman of the city's Democratic Party, Powell approved Democratic precinct committeemen budgets for getting out the Election Day vote. The money would come from the St. Clair County Democratic Central Committee, based in Belleville.
But the amount of money Powell had previously approved for McIntosh's precinct -- $5 per vote -- was not enough because Kern, who is white, was perceived as a racist, McIntosh testified.
"Here's the bottom line," McIntosh, the city's former deputy police chief, is heard saying on the tape. "Five dollars a vote ain't going to do it."
Powell is heard telling McIntosh to pay voters $10 apiece, though the total amount McIntosh would receive from the party -- $2,000 -- would stay the same. That meant McIntosh needed to cut the number of votes he could buy -- from 230 to 100 or 150, McIntosh testified.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Jesse Jackson Jr. lays down challenge to Mayor Daley
Lots of Illinois blogging today. But "the other" Jackson family that pops up in the news is of national concern. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., D-IL, is stong proponent of the proposed airport in Peotone, IL. 53 miles south of downtown Chicago.
From ABC 7 Chicago, an excerpt:
Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is making a political power play in his fight to get a new airport for Peotone. Jackson says if Mayor Daley will back the Peotone plan he may not run against Daley in the race for mayor.
Congressman Jackson is in the mayor's face every time another City Hall corruption scandal breaks, and Jackson is definitely considering a challenge to Daley in 2007. But Jackson says his top priority is to get a new airport built near south suburban Peotone, and he considers Daley an impediment. So, the congressman is offering the mayor a strategy for avoiding a showdown by doing something that makes political and economic sense for both of them.
"It doesn't have to be political. I would rather be building this airport. I would rather be providing jobs for people and not focusing on the political problems of the mayor," said Cong. Jesse Jackson Jr., (D)-Chicago and south suburbs.
The congressman is challenging the mayor to help him build a privately financed airport in the south suburbs by encouraging the governor to give the airport developers 4,200 acres of land.
Jackson says if the mayor supports a project that will provide Chicagoans with thousands of jobs and millions of economic development dollars he probably won't challenge Daley in the next election.
Mayor Richard Daley has taken a lot of hits lately over a lot of scandals. But if Jesse Jr. is in charge of America's third largest city, does anyone think Jesse Sr. will just stay in the background?
From ABC 7 Chicago, an excerpt:
Illinois congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is making a political power play in his fight to get a new airport for Peotone. Jackson says if Mayor Daley will back the Peotone plan he may not run against Daley in the race for mayor.
Congressman Jackson is in the mayor's face every time another City Hall corruption scandal breaks, and Jackson is definitely considering a challenge to Daley in 2007. But Jackson says his top priority is to get a new airport built near south suburban Peotone, and he considers Daley an impediment. So, the congressman is offering the mayor a strategy for avoiding a showdown by doing something that makes political and economic sense for both of them.
"It doesn't have to be political. I would rather be building this airport. I would rather be providing jobs for people and not focusing on the political problems of the mayor," said Cong. Jesse Jackson Jr., (D)-Chicago and south suburbs.
The congressman is challenging the mayor to help him build a privately financed airport in the south suburbs by encouraging the governor to give the airport developers 4,200 acres of land.
Jackson says if the mayor supports a project that will provide Chicagoans with thousands of jobs and millions of economic development dollars he probably won't challenge Daley in the next election.
Mayor Richard Daley has taken a lot of hits lately over a lot of scandals. But if Jesse Jr. is in charge of America's third largest city, does anyone think Jesse Sr. will just stay in the background?
Mistrial vote sought by defense in East St. Louis "$10 per vote" case
Well, we might have to wait a while for resolution of the alleged East St. Louis vote buying scheme organized by St. Clair county Democratic Party operatives. The defense is asking that a mistrial be declared.
Read this post and this post for more information on this underreported case. I'm sure elections expert Jim Lampley at Huffington Post is putting his finishing touches on his expose on the East St. Louis vote fraud story.
The whole article is story on the possible mistrial is here, again from the Belleville News-Democrat:
(Prosecution witness Dannita) Youngblood testified that Ellis had telephoned then-Belleville Mayor Mark Kern, the Democratic candidate for St. Clair County Board chairman.
Kern needed to pay the Democratic Party in East St. Louis up to $10 a vote to overcome an alleged perception among black voters that Kern was a racist, Youngblood testified.
The field report that Jimenez wrote up from that May 23 meeting does not mention that allegation involving Kern, while Youngblood admitted she had destroyed her notes from that day.
Bruce Cook, Powell's lawyer, held up a copy of the FBI field report.
"Why didn't you tell Mr. Carr that Kelvin Ellis stated to Kern 'We need to pay $10 to buy votes?'" Cook said.
"I stated that," Youngblood said.
"These things are supposed to be accurate," Cook said, raising the document upward. "That's the whole point here. Is this thing wrong? Has it left out something important?"
Youngblood refused to answer Cook's questions with a simple yes or no.
Read this post and this post for more information on this underreported case. I'm sure elections expert Jim Lampley at Huffington Post is putting his finishing touches on his expose on the East St. Louis vote fraud story.
The whole article is story on the possible mistrial is here, again from the Belleville News-Democrat:
(Prosecution witness Dannita) Youngblood testified that Ellis had telephoned then-Belleville Mayor Mark Kern, the Democratic candidate for St. Clair County Board chairman.
Kern needed to pay the Democratic Party in East St. Louis up to $10 a vote to overcome an alleged perception among black voters that Kern was a racist, Youngblood testified.
The field report that Jimenez wrote up from that May 23 meeting does not mention that allegation involving Kern, while Youngblood admitted she had destroyed her notes from that day.
Bruce Cook, Powell's lawyer, held up a copy of the FBI field report.
"Why didn't you tell Mr. Carr that Kelvin Ellis stated to Kern 'We need to pay $10 to buy votes?'" Cook said.
"I stated that," Youngblood said.
"These things are supposed to be accurate," Cook said, raising the document upward. "That's the whole point here. Is this thing wrong? Has it left out something important?"
Youngblood refused to answer Cook's questions with a simple yes or no.
Blagojevich signs budget that borrows from pension plans
Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich chose the easy way out in getting this year's budget approved:
From AP via the Belleville News-Democrat:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday signed what his aides say is a $54.4 billion budget that borrows heavily from pension funds for state employees to pay the state's current bills.
It goes from bad to worse...
But the public still doesn't know what deals were struck to make that agreement.
Blagojevich negotiated side deals with Democratic lawmakers contained in "memorandums of understanding" that still haven't been released.
Pork barrell spending, to be sure. And I fear, both in the private and public sector, the "S&L Crisis of the 1980s" will be replayed ast the "Pension Fund Crisis" of the 2020s.
I hope I'm wrong.
From AP via the Belleville News-Democrat:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday signed what his aides say is a $54.4 billion budget that borrows heavily from pension funds for state employees to pay the state's current bills.
It goes from bad to worse...
But the public still doesn't know what deals were struck to make that agreement.
Blagojevich negotiated side deals with Democratic lawmakers contained in "memorandums of understanding" that still haven't been released.
Pork barrell spending, to be sure. And I fear, both in the private and public sector, the "S&L Crisis of the 1980s" will be replayed ast the "Pension Fund Crisis" of the 2020s.
I hope I'm wrong.
Steinberg on Blagojevich
Interesting take from a segment of Neil Steinberg's Chicago Sun-Times column today:
Our embattled (Illinois) governor, Rod Blagojevich, is on everybody's minds and lips. His name came up in three very different conversations I had with three very different people one day this week. Since I am known as being a negative sort, I will present the bare facts behind the trio of comments without any kind of embroidery:
Time: 12 noon. Place: Back room at Gene & Georgetti's. Speaker: a well-respected, longtime Chicago editor:
"I've been watching politics for 40 years, and he's the worst governor we've ever had, bar none."
Time: 2:30 p.m. Place: Editorial board room of the Sun-Times. Speaker: a longtime state officeholder:
"He's missing in action and not paying attention."
Time: 5:30 p.m. Place: the Metra Milwaukee North Line. Speaker: a lady on a train:
"He's in over his head. He doesn't know what he's doing. I kinda feel sorry for him."
Our embattled (Illinois) governor, Rod Blagojevich, is on everybody's minds and lips. His name came up in three very different conversations I had with three very different people one day this week. Since I am known as being a negative sort, I will present the bare facts behind the trio of comments without any kind of embroidery:
Time: 12 noon. Place: Back room at Gene & Georgetti's. Speaker: a well-respected, longtime Chicago editor:
"I've been watching politics for 40 years, and he's the worst governor we've ever had, bar none."
Time: 2:30 p.m. Place: Editorial board room of the Sun-Times. Speaker: a longtime state officeholder:
"He's missing in action and not paying attention."
Time: 5:30 p.m. Place: the Metra Milwaukee North Line. Speaker: a lady on a train:
"He's in over his head. He doesn't know what he's doing. I kinda feel sorry for him."
Thomas Klocek legal defense fund set up
From the Arizona Thinker:
Defend Professor Klocek
Several weeks back, we described the almost unbelievable situation surrounding De Paul Professor Thomas Klocek, who lost his job at the Catholic university for the "crime" of daring to argue with some Muslim and Palestinian students in a cafeteria about some inflammatory anti-Israel flyers the students were distributing.
So much for free speech rights for Professors at De Paul who dare to defend Israel.
Despite much commentary in the blogosphere about Professor Klocek's case, so far De Paul has offered nothing to Klocek in terms of restoring his position, back pay, health insurance. or even an apology for slandering his good name. A legal defense fund has been created for his lawsuit against De Paul.
You can contribute by sending a check to:
The Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
c/o Cole Taylor BankP.O. Box 88481
Chicago, IL 60680
Defend Professor Klocek
Several weeks back, we described the almost unbelievable situation surrounding De Paul Professor Thomas Klocek, who lost his job at the Catholic university for the "crime" of daring to argue with some Muslim and Palestinian students in a cafeteria about some inflammatory anti-Israel flyers the students were distributing.
So much for free speech rights for Professors at De Paul who dare to defend Israel.
Despite much commentary in the blogosphere about Professor Klocek's case, so far De Paul has offered nothing to Klocek in terms of restoring his position, back pay, health insurance. or even an apology for slandering his good name. A legal defense fund has been created for his lawsuit against De Paul.
You can contribute by sending a check to:
The Thomas Klocek Defense Fund
c/o Cole Taylor BankP.O. Box 88481
Chicago, IL 60680
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Family feud continues, Mell to co-chair possible Blagojevich opponent's fundraising event
This comes to us from NBC 5 Chicago. Democratic state representative Jack Franks of northwest suburban McHenry County is having a fundraising event later this month. Although he's a member of the same political party, Franks is a bitter enemy of Illinois' Governor Rod "Testicular Virility" Blagojevich.
Richard Mell, Chicago alderman, father-in-law of Blagojevich--but now also an enemy of Blago, is co-chairman of Franks' fundraiser.
NBC 5 mentions the possibility that Franks' may oppose Blagojevich in the Democratic primary for governor next year.
Richard Mell, Chicago alderman, father-in-law of Blagojevich--but now also an enemy of Blago, is co-chairman of Franks' fundraiser.
NBC 5 mentions the possibility that Franks' may oppose Blagojevich in the Democratic primary for governor next year.
Alan Dershowitz opens web page on DePaul's Norman Finkelstein
DePaul University, the school that suspended Professor Thomas Klocek for standing up for Israel against ridiculous charges from Palestinian students at a student activities fair last fall, now has famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz to worry about.
Norman Finkelstein, a holocaust minimizer at best (the Anti-Defamation League calls him a holocaust denier), enjoys free speech rights as a member of DePaul's faculty that are denied to Professor Klocek.
From Front Page Magazine's Moonbat Cental and Steven Plaut:
Dershowitz has set up a site to "out" DePaul's Holocaust Denier. It is called 'The Committee to Expose Norman Finkelstein’s Close Connections to Neo-Nazism, Holocaust Denial, and His “Big Lie” of an “International Jewish Conspiracy.' (If that link does not open for you, try this one here. )
The document's name is a bit long, but its contents are definitely worth reading through. Dershowitz made the mistake of debating Finkelstein a couple of years back, giving Finkelstein some exposure and making him appear as a legitimate "alternative researcher," which he decidedly is not. . While Dersh wiped the floor with Finkelstein, the latter and his neonazi followers have been spreading the version that Finkelstein "won" that debate.
Now Finkelstein has crayoned a new "book" attacking in infantile terms Dershowitz' own fine book about Israel.
The entire post Moonbat Central Post is here.
Norman Finkelstein, a holocaust minimizer at best (the Anti-Defamation League calls him a holocaust denier), enjoys free speech rights as a member of DePaul's faculty that are denied to Professor Klocek.
From Front Page Magazine's Moonbat Cental and Steven Plaut:
Dershowitz has set up a site to "out" DePaul's Holocaust Denier. It is called 'The Committee to Expose Norman Finkelstein’s Close Connections to Neo-Nazism, Holocaust Denial, and His “Big Lie” of an “International Jewish Conspiracy.' (If that link does not open for you, try this one here. )
The document's name is a bit long, but its contents are definitely worth reading through. Dershowitz made the mistake of debating Finkelstein a couple of years back, giving Finkelstein some exposure and making him appear as a legitimate "alternative researcher," which he decidedly is not. . While Dersh wiped the floor with Finkelstein, the latter and his neonazi followers have been spreading the version that Finkelstein "won" that debate.
Now Finkelstein has crayoned a new "book" attacking in infantile terms Dershowitz' own fine book about Israel.
The entire post Moonbat Central Post is here.
Ward Churchill, not an Indian
The Chicago White Sox ended up winning that game (see previous post) last night over the Colorado Rockies, punishing them 15-5 in Denver.
More punishment is coming out of Denver, as today is the final day of the Rocky Mountain News series on Ward Churchill.
To get his professorship at Colorado University, Churchill parlayed his masters' degree from Springfield, Illiniois' Sangamon State University, by claiming he was had was part Native American.
Writes the Rocky Mountain News:
However, an extensive genealogical search by the Rocky Mountain News identified 142 direct forebears of Churchill and turned up no evidence of a single Indian ancestor among them.
Ward's a liar.
More punishment is coming out of Denver, as today is the final day of the Rocky Mountain News series on Ward Churchill.
To get his professorship at Colorado University, Churchill parlayed his masters' degree from Springfield, Illiniois' Sangamon State University, by claiming he was had was part Native American.
Writes the Rocky Mountain News:
However, an extensive genealogical search by the Rocky Mountain News identified 142 direct forebears of Churchill and turned up no evidence of a single Indian ancestor among them.
Ward's a liar.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Ward Churchill series, day three
It's raining tonight in Denver, and possibly north of there at Colorado University in Boulder, academic home, for now, of Ward Churchill. (I'm watching the White Sox-Rockies game, which is why I know about weather conditions in Denver.)
Maybe the sky is shedding tears over the Ward Churchill controversy. Tears of joy.
In today's installment, Ward seems to have mischaracterized the meaning of two obscure federal laws involving Native American issues.
From today's Rocky Mountain News:
Did Ward Churchill portray two federal Indian laws incorrectly? Our findings: His claims about daisy (1887), Indian Arts (1990) acts are wrong.
More tomorrow, the Rocky Mountain News has save the best for last. They'll be debunking Churchill's claims that he has Native American ancestry.
Maybe the sky is shedding tears over the Ward Churchill controversy. Tears of joy.
In today's installment, Ward seems to have mischaracterized the meaning of two obscure federal laws involving Native American issues.
From today's Rocky Mountain News:
Did Ward Churchill portray two federal Indian laws incorrectly? Our findings: His claims about daisy (1887), Indian Arts (1990) acts are wrong.
More tomorrow, the Rocky Mountain News has save the best for last. They'll be debunking Churchill's claims that he has Native American ancestry.
Lakeshore Marathon fiasco makes Sports Illustrated.com's "The 10 Spot"
This might be my last post on the subject first blogged about here eight days ago, the Lakeshore Marathon 27.2 miler. Marathons, of course, are just supposed to be 26.2 miles. And it made it to the top of SI's The 10 Spot.
1. The organizers of Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon have come under fire since it was discovered that the course for the Memorial Day Weekend race measured 27.2 miles, one mile too far. Several competitors were even more upset that they were tripped up just before the finish by Steve Bartman.
On a personal note, last night I had the pleasure of meeting Hugh Mainard, who was the driving force in getting this story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune--and "above the fold," too, last Friday. Mark Cihlar of the Lakefront Marathon may not agree, but Hugh's a real friendly guy. Here's that Chicago Tribune story, free registration may be required.
1. The organizers of Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon have come under fire since it was discovered that the course for the Memorial Day Weekend race measured 27.2 miles, one mile too far. Several competitors were even more upset that they were tripped up just before the finish by Steve Bartman.
On a personal note, last night I had the pleasure of meeting Hugh Mainard, who was the driving force in getting this story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune--and "above the fold," too, last Friday. Mark Cihlar of the Lakefront Marathon may not agree, but Hugh's a real friendly guy. Here's that Chicago Tribune story, free registration may be required.
Blogroll additions
Sorry for the light blogging, lots of little stuff going on. I've added a few blogs to the blogroll, including from Connecticut, Blogmeister USA, from Springfield, IL, onetime capital of Illinois (since moved--for now--by Governor Blagojevich to Chicago's 33rd Ward), Obiter Dictum, and from, I guess, the conscience of the Iranian people, Regime Change in Iran.
Wachovia has one less customer
Wachovia, the giant North Carolina based bank that is currently begging for forgiveness from the Chicago City Council because over 140 years ago some predecessor companies owned slaves, can count on not having Pam Meister of Blogmeister USA as a customer.
I blogged on this subject Sunday.
Here's Pam's take:
I bank with Wachovia. Not by choice in the beginning...a few years ago, they bought out First Union, whom I had been banking with since switching from People's...long story.
In any case, I'm leaving Wachovia. Not because I'm a bank-hopper, looking for the best interest rates on my savings account. Heck, right now my savings account is empty. No, I'm leaving Wachovia because they're the latest corporation to kiss up to the slavery reparations gang.
One member of the Chicago City Council, Alderman Patrick Levar, is pursing what I'm sure he feels is the high road by moving to closing down a bike shop by abusing the intent of eminent domain so a private developer can put pricey condominiums in the bike shop's place.
Read more on the previous post about worse troubles within Chicago city government.
I blogged on this subject Sunday.
Here's Pam's take:
I bank with Wachovia. Not by choice in the beginning...a few years ago, they bought out First Union, whom I had been banking with since switching from People's...long story.
In any case, I'm leaving Wachovia. Not because I'm a bank-hopper, looking for the best interest rates on my savings account. Heck, right now my savings account is empty. No, I'm leaving Wachovia because they're the latest corporation to kiss up to the slavery reparations gang.
One member of the Chicago City Council, Alderman Patrick Levar, is pursing what I'm sure he feels is the high road by moving to closing down a bike shop by abusing the intent of eminent domain so a private developer can put pricey condominiums in the bike shop's place.
Read more on the previous post about worse troubles within Chicago city government.
Fed allege Colombian heroin ring operated in Chicago city department
It's just getting worse and worse in Chicago....From AP:
CHICAGO - Federal prosecutors charged Wednesday that the Chicago branch of a Colombian heroin trafficking organization operated inside the city water department.
Eight people were arrested in Chicago and one was seized in New York on charges involving an alleged conspiracy to distribute heroin on the city streets.
Among those charged was Gerald A. Prado, a hoisting engineer for the city's water department and the leader of the distribution cell, according to federal prosecutors.
Also charged were Prado's brother-in-law, Anthony C. Ritacco, and Michael D. Hart, both identified as low-level employees in the city water department.
The water department is already awash in allegations that trucking companies received department business in exchange for payoffs.
Read here for the entire story. And beginning August 1, there will be no smoking at the Cook County Jail, how are these poor dears going to survive?
CHICAGO - Federal prosecutors charged Wednesday that the Chicago branch of a Colombian heroin trafficking organization operated inside the city water department.
Eight people were arrested in Chicago and one was seized in New York on charges involving an alleged conspiracy to distribute heroin on the city streets.
Among those charged was Gerald A. Prado, a hoisting engineer for the city's water department and the leader of the distribution cell, according to federal prosecutors.
Also charged were Prado's brother-in-law, Anthony C. Ritacco, and Michael D. Hart, both identified as low-level employees in the city water department.
The water department is already awash in allegations that trucking companies received department business in exchange for payoffs.
Read here for the entire story. And beginning August 1, there will be no smoking at the Cook County Jail, how are these poor dears going to survive?
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
John Kerry, "D" for Distinction
Remember Campaign 2004, when all we heard was how smart John Kerry was and how dumb President Bush was (and still is, to those same critics). Well it turns out Kerry's grades were, well heck, just see what AP wrote (from CBS 2 Chicago):
Kerry’s grade average at Yale University was virtually identical to President Bush’s record there, despite repeated portrayals of Kerry as the more intellectual candidate during the 2004 presidential campaign.Kerry had a cumulative average of 76 and got four Ds his freshman year—in geology, two history courses and political science, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.
It goes on:
“I always told my dad that D stood for distinction,” Kerry said in a written response to reporters’ questions.
Written response. During the Democratic National Convention, all we heard was about how brave Kerry was?
How about "D" for dodging reporters.
Kerry’s grade average at Yale University was virtually identical to President Bush’s record there, despite repeated portrayals of Kerry as the more intellectual candidate during the 2004 presidential campaign.Kerry had a cumulative average of 76 and got four Ds his freshman year—in geology, two history courses and political science, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.
It goes on:
“I always told my dad that D stood for distinction,” Kerry said in a written response to reporters’ questions.
Written response. During the Democratic National Convention, all we heard was about how brave Kerry was?
How about "D" for dodging reporters.
Cook County Jail to go smoke free August 1
Yes, Cook County (Chicago and half the suburbs), Illinois will have a smoke free jail soon. The infamous Cook County Jail, the Rikers Island of the Heartland, will go smoke free beginning August 1.
Cook County isn't all bad, this legendary album, BB King Live in Cook County Jail, was recorded there in the late 1960s
From NBC 5 Chicago:
Official: Health Concerns Outweigh Possible Confrontations
CHICAGO -- Sheriff Michael Sheahan says the Cook County Jail will become smoke-free before the end of the summer.
Sheahan said the health benefits of having a smoke-free jail outweigh a potential black market for cigarettes and possible confrontations between jail guards and inmates.
A Cook County sheriff's spokesman said about 10,000 inmates are smokers.
Beginning June 15, inmates will be limited to purchasing five packs of cigarettes a week. On July 1 that number will drop to three a week, and on July 15, inmates will only be able to buy only one pack a week.
On Aug. 1, the jail will become smoke-free.
The jail plans to offer counseling for inmates who experience nicotine withdrawal, but inmates will not be given nicotine patches or gum.
The inmates will be quite ornery without their cigs. How 'bout counseling for the guards?
Cook County isn't all bad, this legendary album, BB King Live in Cook County Jail, was recorded there in the late 1960s
From NBC 5 Chicago:
Official: Health Concerns Outweigh Possible Confrontations
CHICAGO -- Sheriff Michael Sheahan says the Cook County Jail will become smoke-free before the end of the summer.
Sheahan said the health benefits of having a smoke-free jail outweigh a potential black market for cigarettes and possible confrontations between jail guards and inmates.
A Cook County sheriff's spokesman said about 10,000 inmates are smokers.
Beginning June 15, inmates will be limited to purchasing five packs of cigarettes a week. On July 1 that number will drop to three a week, and on July 15, inmates will only be able to buy only one pack a week.
On Aug. 1, the jail will become smoke-free.
The jail plans to offer counseling for inmates who experience nicotine withdrawal, but inmates will not be given nicotine patches or gum.
The inmates will be quite ornery without their cigs. How 'bout counseling for the guards?
Kerry waffling on signing form SF-180
The restaraunt chain, Waffle House, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.
With that in mind, John Kerry, well know waffler, seems to be waffling when it comes to his signing form SF-180, the standard government form that authorizes the release to the public of his military records. Did he sign it before he didn't sign it? Only John Kerry knows for sure. American Spectator reports. The Spector notes that the Boston Globe has received his military file, but, says the Spectator:
However, sources familiar with the documents viewed by the Boston Globe and other media outlets said today those documents are not the complete file of Kerry's military service, and that further investigation is required.
Another Brainster hat tip.
With that in mind, John Kerry, well know waffler, seems to be waffling when it comes to his signing form SF-180, the standard government form that authorizes the release to the public of his military records. Did he sign it before he didn't sign it? Only John Kerry knows for sure. American Spectator reports. The Spector notes that the Boston Globe has received his military file, but, says the Spectator:
However, sources familiar with the documents viewed by the Boston Globe and other media outlets said today those documents are not the complete file of Kerry's military service, and that further investigation is required.
Another Brainster hat tip.
Ward Churchill, plagiarist
The Rocky Mountain News series on Ward Churchill continues again today. Tuesday's installment discusses credible charges the he plagiarized the work of writer Fay Cohen, as Ward "wrote" about Native American fishing rights treaties covering the Pacific Northwest. Read the latest here.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Chicago wants to use eminent domain to tear down bike shop, put up condos.
From the little I know of the concept of eminent domain, the governments legal ability to take over private property--after paying for it-- is supposed to be for public projects. Expressways, parks, airports and the like. Sports stadiums have been added to the list, although not everyone agrees with that.
Eminent domain has taken a nasty turn on Chicago's Northwest Side: Alderman Patrick Levar has declared a bike shop operating on the same site for 35 years, along with other stores next to it as "blighted," according to Paul Meincke of ABC 7 Chicago.
Says the bike shop's attorney:
"We don't think this property's blighted and if it is, then there's not a piece of property anywhere that isn't at risk of being condemned by the city."
Levar wants the stores out, so a private developer can put up condos. File under government-abuse-of-power.
Chicago is not Venice, there's still space to build.
Eminent domain has taken a nasty turn on Chicago's Northwest Side: Alderman Patrick Levar has declared a bike shop operating on the same site for 35 years, along with other stores next to it as "blighted," according to Paul Meincke of ABC 7 Chicago.
Says the bike shop's attorney:
"We don't think this property's blighted and if it is, then there's not a piece of property anywhere that isn't at risk of being condemned by the city."
Levar wants the stores out, so a private developer can put up condos. File under government-abuse-of-power.
Chicago is not Venice, there's still space to build.
Ward Churchill, fabricator
The Rocky Mountain News series on Ward Churchill started up again today. Our story picks up with the News presenting compelling evidence that the academic moonbat made up a tale, or tales , claiming the US Army, via blankets infected with the small pox virus, purposely tried to kill off Native Americans in what is now North Dakota.
Churchill does have" sources" for his research. One of the those sources contacted by the Rocky Mountain News, had this to say:
"My own view is Churchill probably just wanted to have something more to holler about," said the UCLA professor, Russell Thornton.
"I think it's just out-and-out fabrication. It depends on how you want to look at it, but in one sense, it's just making up of data, and that kind of thing shouldn't be tolerated in scholarship or science."
Thornton, the News points out, actually is a Native American. Ward's "Indian" heritage will be covered, or shall I say, uncovered, later this week.
Churchill does have" sources" for his research. One of the those sources contacted by the Rocky Mountain News, had this to say:
"My own view is Churchill probably just wanted to have something more to holler about," said the UCLA professor, Russell Thornton.
"I think it's just out-and-out fabrication. It depends on how you want to look at it, but in one sense, it's just making up of data, and that kind of thing shouldn't be tolerated in scholarship or science."
Thornton, the News points out, actually is a Native American. Ward's "Indian" heritage will be covered, or shall I say, uncovered, later this week.
Soldier on leave from Iraq breaks up Indiana robbery attempt
Some soldiers are always on duty. From ABC 7 Chicago and AP:
Man alledly tries to steal church collection money
June 6, 2005 (MERRILLVILLE, Ind.) — A soldier home on leave after fighting in Iraq captured a would-be robber who was trying to steal money from a woman who had collected it for her church.
Army Specialist Chris Williams of Crown Point was shopping at the Meijer store in Merrillville yesterday afternoon when he heard a woman scream. She said (quote) "Help, I'm being robbed. He's taking the church money."
Then the 22-year-old northwest Indiana man rushed to help. He says he put a choke hold on the 41-year-old Gary man. Williams and another man held the suspect until police arrived to arrest him on a preliminary charge of theft.
The victim told Williams the suspect had pushed her shopping cart with two children in it out of the way. He then grabbed her money from a bank counter and tried to escape.
Man alledly tries to steal church collection money
June 6, 2005 (MERRILLVILLE, Ind.) — A soldier home on leave after fighting in Iraq captured a would-be robber who was trying to steal money from a woman who had collected it for her church.
Army Specialist Chris Williams of Crown Point was shopping at the Meijer store in Merrillville yesterday afternoon when he heard a woman scream. She said (quote) "Help, I'm being robbed. He's taking the church money."
Then the 22-year-old northwest Indiana man rushed to help. He says he put a choke hold on the 41-year-old Gary man. Williams and another man held the suspect until police arrived to arrest him on a preliminary charge of theft.
The victim told Williams the suspect had pushed her shopping cart with two children in it out of the way. He then grabbed her money from a bank counter and tried to escape.
Chicago Marathon has NOTHING to the Lakeshore Marathon
This e-mail has been sent to everyone on the Chicago Marathon's massive e-mail list, including me. Again, the Lakeshore Marathon has no ties at all to the Lakeshore Marathon, the 27.2 version of the marathon. Marathon Pundit was one of the first bloggers to report on this troubled race.
From the Chicago Marathon's e-mail:
This October's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, one of the top running events in the world, has a carefully measured course that is certified by USATF and the IAAF. The highest standards are maintained when it comes to servicing runners, from water stations to state-of-the-art medical attention.
A report in the Friday, June 3 Chicago Tribune, described problems with the Lakeshore Marathon, held Monday, May 30. Other reports also have surfaced about this event, sometimes referring to the Lakeshore Marathon as the Chicago Marathon.
Please be assured that The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will continue to uphold the high standards you expect.
Marathon Pundit will be running in this year's Chicago Marathon. To read about my last marathon run, click here.
From the Chicago Marathon's e-mail:
This October's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, one of the top running events in the world, has a carefully measured course that is certified by USATF and the IAAF. The highest standards are maintained when it comes to servicing runners, from water stations to state-of-the-art medical attention.
A report in the Friday, June 3 Chicago Tribune, described problems with the Lakeshore Marathon, held Monday, May 30. Other reports also have surfaced about this event, sometimes referring to the Lakeshore Marathon as the Chicago Marathon.
Please be assured that The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will continue to uphold the high standards you expect.
Marathon Pundit will be running in this year's Chicago Marathon. To read about my last marathon run, click here.
Amnesty International backs off of "Gulag" claim
I blogged on this last month, about the Amnesty International annual report that bashed America, but had very little to say about such blatant human rights violators such as Cuba, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia.
AI called Gitmo the new Gulag. Well, they've backed off that claim, according a Chicago Sun-Times today.
From that article:
On "Fox News Sunday," host Chris Wallace asked William Schulz, director of Amnesty International USA, if he stood by the description of the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison. Schulz responded by saying, "Clearly, this is not an exact or a literal analogy, and the secretary general has acknowledged that."
"In size and in duration, there are not similarities between U.S. detention facilities and the gulag," Schulz said. "People are not being starved in those facilities. They're not being subjected to forced labor."
Last week, Ankle Biting Pundits gave Amnesty International its "coveted" Judge Elihu Smails Award as the week's biggest buffoon.
AI called Gitmo the new Gulag. Well, they've backed off that claim, according a Chicago Sun-Times today.
From that article:
On "Fox News Sunday," host Chris Wallace asked William Schulz, director of Amnesty International USA, if he stood by the description of the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison. Schulz responded by saying, "Clearly, this is not an exact or a literal analogy, and the secretary general has acknowledged that."
"In size and in duration, there are not similarities between U.S. detention facilities and the gulag," Schulz said. "People are not being starved in those facilities. They're not being subjected to forced labor."
Last week, Ankle Biting Pundits gave Amnesty International its "coveted" Judge Elihu Smails Award as the week's biggest buffoon.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Cleveland Marathon: The Directors Cut
Two weeks ago I ran in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon; I thoroughly enjoyed the city and the race.
Of course, when I told people my intention to run Cleveland, they asked "Why Cleveland." The short answer was that some friends of mine invited me to join them, and secondly, I wanted to run a spring marathon. So Cleveland it was.
Cleveland has a bad reputation, perhaps a very bad one, but it's greatly undeserved. And I'm not the only one who possesses these thoughts. On the very day I left for Cleveland, May 20, this article by Michael Gollust appeared in the New York Times travel section:
THE Cleveland of ''American Splendor,'' the 2003 Oscar-nominated movie, is a dreary 1980's town of thrift stores and shambling eccentrics, a place where you'd barely care to spend two hours, let alone a weekend. Today, Cleveland hardly feels like the same place. In the 1990's, public-private enterprise replaced center-city blight with new sports stadiums and the lakefront Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Meanwhile, downtown's revival spurred gentrification into forgotten enclaves along the Cuyahoga River. There's a thriving art scene in Tremont, and the retooled Warehouse District has become a place to be, rather than flee, after dark. Clevelanders remain, by nature, a self-deprecating lot. But before long, calling their town hip, cosmopolitan -- even splendid -- won't sound so ironic.
Cleveland's bad reputation comes from two things. The first is the 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire, which portrayed to the world a city as a living toxic waste dump. The second was the disastrous reign as mayor of Dennis Kucinich, when the city in 1978 became the first municipality to go into default since the Great Depression.
By the late 1970s, Cleveland became the poster-child for failed rust-belt cities. Quipsters called Cleveland "the Mistake on the Lake."
But the Cuyahoga River is pretty clean now, Kucinich is now a minority back-bencher in Congress, and besides, all this occurred over a quarter-century ago.
This posting will be mostly about the race, but since the marathon course winded through much of Cleveland, it will naturally be about the city as well.
Our group stayed at the Hyatt downtown, within walking distance of the race expo, the lake shore, Browns Stadium, and best of all, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We spent most of Saturday at the Hall, great because I'm a huge rock music fan, but best of all, I'm a huge Who fan from way back, and the current special exhibit at the Hall is Tommy, the Amazing Journey.
Only half of the exhibit was about Tommy, the Who's rock opera, the rest was about The Who in general, which was fine with me, especially since I consider The Who's lesser-know concept album, Quadrophenia, to be the superior work.
The bad news about our visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was that we were on our feet for hours. Not a good thing to do when running 26.2 miles the next morning.
No, I'm not making excuses for my performance the next day!
The gun went off at 7:00 am Sunday morning in downtown Cleveland. The course quickly brought us past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Browns Stadium onto Shoreway Avenue, where runners enjoyed a commanding view of Lake Erie. Shoreway brought us to Edgewater Drive and Edgewater Park, the western portion of Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Late in the race, the course traverses through the eastern portion of the state park.
And this point in the race, mile 5, I already have a tight calf and I'm feeling the humidity. That's not stopping me from enjoying the neighborhood of Lakewood, where there are plenty of large and beautiful homes, reminscent of Chicago's toney Edgebrook neighborhood--so Cleveland is not composed solely of run-down houses. A couple of miles later, I discover that Lakewood is not a Cleveland aberration, as I enter, tight calf and all, Ohio City. I guessed correctly that Ohio City was once a separate municipality, annexed by Cleveland many years ago. It's quaint and charming, yes, this is Cleveland, but quaint and charming Ohio City is. I even spotted a Victorian-era home operating as a bed-and-breakfast. Yes, a bed-and-breakfast in Cleveland!
At mile 12 and we're running past Gund Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and "the Jake," properly known as Jacobs Field, ballpark of the Cleveland Indians. Almost halfway done with the race!
That halfway point is within Cleveland Theatre District on Euclid Avenue. It's huge, and just for a moment, I thought I was in New York on Broadway.
In addition to the 10-kilometer run, there's also a half-marathon, and that's where a lot of our participants end their run. At this point the run becomes more solitary, and my writing style sticks to first-person.
Cleveland State University is the next landmark, my recollections of CSU, like most non-Clevelanders, consist of the occasions the men's basketball team plays local (for me) teams such as University of Illinois-Chicago or Loyola.
There's a long straightway after Cleveland State, Chester Avenue, where I encounter the Dunham Tavern Museum. The tavern was built in 1824, and was a stagecoach stop on the old Buffalo-Cleveland-Detroit Post Road. It's the oldest building in Cuyahoga County standing on its original site.
My calf is getting even tighter.
From Chester Avenue, the world famous Cleveland Clinic was within my sight. From there, I encounter my favorite portion of the race, mile 16 thru 19, Wade Park and University Circle and Rockefeller Park. It was a humid and sunny day, so I was enjoying the shade. And the sights.
The University Circle and Wade Park area is home to another world famous institution, the Cleveland Orchestra. Case Western University is also there, as well as a whole bunch of museums, including the Cleveland African American Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Natural History Museum.
So there is plenty to do in Cleveland. But at this point, I'm running a marathon, and the museums don't open until 10am on Sundays.
Rockefeller Park is one of America's greatest urban parks, in my opinion. And outside of the name "Rockefeller," I'm pretty sure not too many people are familiar with it. I ran under several beautiful brick arched bridges, and past many cultural heritge gardens. My wife, a native of Latvia, was pleased to learn that the Latvian section of the gardens was under development, right about at mile 18 of the course. In researching the posting I learned Rockefeller Park went into a period of decline in the 1960s, but now, Cleveland itself, it suffers unfairly from a bad reputation.
Shade gave way to the sun and Lake Erie at mile 20. For the next few miles, tight calf and all, I ran on a bike path along the eastern half of Cleveland Lakefront State Park, and then onto a frontage road along Interstate 90 back to downtown Cleveland.
At mile 24, my tight calf picked up an "evil twin," a suddenly acutely painful left knee. I'm in the Warehouse District, the place Michael Gollust of the New York Times calls, the "place to be, rather than flee, after dark." By this point, I wanted to be at the finish line, two miles away. Since by this point of the race, I'm running noticeably slower, I learned there's a lot going on in the Warehouse District, another area of Cleveland that the rest of the country needs to know more about.
But I did finish, I was in a lot of pain--I tried to hide that in these photos. (I could see the cameras clicking away.) You be the judge if I was successful in restraining my feelings of pain.
As James Thurber wrote, "you could look it up," 3 hours and 50 minutes, 20 minutes slower than I hoped for, and over a half hour slower than my effort in last fall's Chicago Marathon.
But I finished, and with the marathon, that's always the most important thing to accomplish, even after I've done it 26 times. Finishing.
So readers, some advice. If you're a runner, run the next Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon on May 21, 2006. And if you're not a runner, visit Cleveland sometime soon, before it's overrun with tourists. No, I'm not joking. Besides, there is a nice bed-and-breakfast place in Ohio City you may want to consider, but it's probably already booked Marathon Weekend.
Of course, when I told people my intention to run Cleveland, they asked "Why Cleveland." The short answer was that some friends of mine invited me to join them, and secondly, I wanted to run a spring marathon. So Cleveland it was.
Cleveland has a bad reputation, perhaps a very bad one, but it's greatly undeserved. And I'm not the only one who possesses these thoughts. On the very day I left for Cleveland, May 20, this article by Michael Gollust appeared in the New York Times travel section:
THE Cleveland of ''American Splendor,'' the 2003 Oscar-nominated movie, is a dreary 1980's town of thrift stores and shambling eccentrics, a place where you'd barely care to spend two hours, let alone a weekend. Today, Cleveland hardly feels like the same place. In the 1990's, public-private enterprise replaced center-city blight with new sports stadiums and the lakefront Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Meanwhile, downtown's revival spurred gentrification into forgotten enclaves along the Cuyahoga River. There's a thriving art scene in Tremont, and the retooled Warehouse District has become a place to be, rather than flee, after dark. Clevelanders remain, by nature, a self-deprecating lot. But before long, calling their town hip, cosmopolitan -- even splendid -- won't sound so ironic.
Cleveland's bad reputation comes from two things. The first is the 1969 Cuyahoga River Fire, which portrayed to the world a city as a living toxic waste dump. The second was the disastrous reign as mayor of Dennis Kucinich, when the city in 1978 became the first municipality to go into default since the Great Depression.
By the late 1970s, Cleveland became the poster-child for failed rust-belt cities. Quipsters called Cleveland "the Mistake on the Lake."
But the Cuyahoga River is pretty clean now, Kucinich is now a minority back-bencher in Congress, and besides, all this occurred over a quarter-century ago.
This posting will be mostly about the race, but since the marathon course winded through much of Cleveland, it will naturally be about the city as well.
Our group stayed at the Hyatt downtown, within walking distance of the race expo, the lake shore, Browns Stadium, and best of all, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We spent most of Saturday at the Hall, great because I'm a huge rock music fan, but best of all, I'm a huge Who fan from way back, and the current special exhibit at the Hall is Tommy, the Amazing Journey.
Only half of the exhibit was about Tommy, the Who's rock opera, the rest was about The Who in general, which was fine with me, especially since I consider The Who's lesser-know concept album, Quadrophenia, to be the superior work.
The bad news about our visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was that we were on our feet for hours. Not a good thing to do when running 26.2 miles the next morning.
No, I'm not making excuses for my performance the next day!
The gun went off at 7:00 am Sunday morning in downtown Cleveland. The course quickly brought us past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Browns Stadium onto Shoreway Avenue, where runners enjoyed a commanding view of Lake Erie. Shoreway brought us to Edgewater Drive and Edgewater Park, the western portion of Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Late in the race, the course traverses through the eastern portion of the state park.
And this point in the race, mile 5, I already have a tight calf and I'm feeling the humidity. That's not stopping me from enjoying the neighborhood of Lakewood, where there are plenty of large and beautiful homes, reminscent of Chicago's toney Edgebrook neighborhood--so Cleveland is not composed solely of run-down houses. A couple of miles later, I discover that Lakewood is not a Cleveland aberration, as I enter, tight calf and all, Ohio City. I guessed correctly that Ohio City was once a separate municipality, annexed by Cleveland many years ago. It's quaint and charming, yes, this is Cleveland, but quaint and charming Ohio City is. I even spotted a Victorian-era home operating as a bed-and-breakfast. Yes, a bed-and-breakfast in Cleveland!
At mile 12 and we're running past Gund Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and "the Jake," properly known as Jacobs Field, ballpark of the Cleveland Indians. Almost halfway done with the race!
That halfway point is within Cleveland Theatre District on Euclid Avenue. It's huge, and just for a moment, I thought I was in New York on Broadway.
In addition to the 10-kilometer run, there's also a half-marathon, and that's where a lot of our participants end their run. At this point the run becomes more solitary, and my writing style sticks to first-person.
Cleveland State University is the next landmark, my recollections of CSU, like most non-Clevelanders, consist of the occasions the men's basketball team plays local (for me) teams such as University of Illinois-Chicago or Loyola.
There's a long straightway after Cleveland State, Chester Avenue, where I encounter the Dunham Tavern Museum. The tavern was built in 1824, and was a stagecoach stop on the old Buffalo-Cleveland-Detroit Post Road. It's the oldest building in Cuyahoga County standing on its original site.
My calf is getting even tighter.
From Chester Avenue, the world famous Cleveland Clinic was within my sight. From there, I encounter my favorite portion of the race, mile 16 thru 19, Wade Park and University Circle and Rockefeller Park. It was a humid and sunny day, so I was enjoying the shade. And the sights.
The University Circle and Wade Park area is home to another world famous institution, the Cleveland Orchestra. Case Western University is also there, as well as a whole bunch of museums, including the Cleveland African American Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Natural History Museum.
So there is plenty to do in Cleveland. But at this point, I'm running a marathon, and the museums don't open until 10am on Sundays.
Rockefeller Park is one of America's greatest urban parks, in my opinion. And outside of the name "Rockefeller," I'm pretty sure not too many people are familiar with it. I ran under several beautiful brick arched bridges, and past many cultural heritge gardens. My wife, a native of Latvia, was pleased to learn that the Latvian section of the gardens was under development, right about at mile 18 of the course. In researching the posting I learned Rockefeller Park went into a period of decline in the 1960s, but now, Cleveland itself, it suffers unfairly from a bad reputation.
Shade gave way to the sun and Lake Erie at mile 20. For the next few miles, tight calf and all, I ran on a bike path along the eastern half of Cleveland Lakefront State Park, and then onto a frontage road along Interstate 90 back to downtown Cleveland.
At mile 24, my tight calf picked up an "evil twin," a suddenly acutely painful left knee. I'm in the Warehouse District, the place Michael Gollust of the New York Times calls, the "place to be, rather than flee, after dark." By this point, I wanted to be at the finish line, two miles away. Since by this point of the race, I'm running noticeably slower, I learned there's a lot going on in the Warehouse District, another area of Cleveland that the rest of the country needs to know more about.
But I did finish, I was in a lot of pain--I tried to hide that in these photos. (I could see the cameras clicking away.) You be the judge if I was successful in restraining my feelings of pain.
As James Thurber wrote, "you could look it up," 3 hours and 50 minutes, 20 minutes slower than I hoped for, and over a half hour slower than my effort in last fall's Chicago Marathon.
But I finished, and with the marathon, that's always the most important thing to accomplish, even after I've done it 26 times. Finishing.
So readers, some advice. If you're a runner, run the next Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon on May 21, 2006. And if you're not a runner, visit Cleveland sometime soon, before it's overrun with tourists. No, I'm not joking. Besides, there is a nice bed-and-breakfast place in Ohio City you may want to consider, but it's probably already booked Marathon Weekend.
Zay Smith on blogs, and in lame humor attempt, suggests how to address the Pope
Veteran Chicago Sun-Times reporter Zay Smith recently began covering the blog beat. By his own admission, when he dove into the blog-o-sphere, Zay didn't know much about blogs.
From this Eric Zorn (who knows a lot about blogs) posting in April. (Free Chicago Tribune registration may be required):
It’s a little baffling when a sentient news consumer doesn’t know what Web logs are – they’re written and talked about all the time in the media. But it’s completely confounding when someone (Zay Smith) whose main job seems to be culling the news wires for odd and amusing items “has no idea” what they are and requires more than five minutes to find a definition.
Today's Zay's weekly blog column discussed FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group that has been extremely supportive of Thomas Klocek and his free speech battle with DePaul.
Nothing about DePaul or Klocek in Zay's column today. But in his dogged research, Zay discovered the Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club site.
Sayeth Zay:
Take a bow
The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club elog at ratzingerfanclub.com correctly points out that mail to Pope Benedict XVI should be addressed to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican City State, 00120, Italy, and that e-mails should be addressed to benedictxvi@vatican.va, but fails, for some reason, to point out that any letter or e-mail to Pope Benedict XVI should close: "Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness and imploring the favor of its apostolic benediction, I have the honor to be, Very Holy Father, with the deepest veneration of Your Holiness, the most humble and most obedient servant and son (daughter)."
Which is why His Holiness receives so few postcards.
Not only does Zay not know much about blogs, he doesn't seem to know much about the sensibilities of his readership, many of whom are Catholic.
UPDATE: There are some grains of truth in Zay's article. From the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, in Italy when writing to the Holy Father.
According to the New Advent it's proper to end a letter to the Pope, "Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, I have the honour to profess myself, with the most profound respect, Your Holiness's most humble servant."
Not sure where the other stuff comes from. None of it comes from the Raztinger Fan Club site. In the New Advent Encylopedia, there are no specific ways in English speaking countries to address the Pope.
From this Eric Zorn (who knows a lot about blogs) posting in April. (Free Chicago Tribune registration may be required):
It’s a little baffling when a sentient news consumer doesn’t know what Web logs are – they’re written and talked about all the time in the media. But it’s completely confounding when someone (Zay Smith) whose main job seems to be culling the news wires for odd and amusing items “has no idea” what they are and requires more than five minutes to find a definition.
Today's Zay's weekly blog column discussed FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group that has been extremely supportive of Thomas Klocek and his free speech battle with DePaul.
Nothing about DePaul or Klocek in Zay's column today. But in his dogged research, Zay discovered the Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club site.
Sayeth Zay:
Take a bow
The Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club elog at ratzingerfanclub.com correctly points out that mail to Pope Benedict XVI should be addressed to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican City State, 00120, Italy, and that e-mails should be addressed to benedictxvi@vatican.va, but fails, for some reason, to point out that any letter or e-mail to Pope Benedict XVI should close: "Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness and imploring the favor of its apostolic benediction, I have the honor to be, Very Holy Father, with the deepest veneration of Your Holiness, the most humble and most obedient servant and son (daughter)."
Which is why His Holiness receives so few postcards.
Not only does Zay not know much about blogs, he doesn't seem to know much about the sensibilities of his readership, many of whom are Catholic.
UPDATE: There are some grains of truth in Zay's article. From the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, in Italy when writing to the Holy Father.
According to the New Advent it's proper to end a letter to the Pope, "Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, I have the honour to profess myself, with the most profound respect, Your Holiness's most humble servant."
Not sure where the other stuff comes from. None of it comes from the Raztinger Fan Club site. In the New Advent Encylopedia, there are no specific ways in English speaking countries to address the Pope.
Wachovia caught in slavery witch hunt
Wachovia, the big North Carolina bank, is likely to lose out on its limited role in a Chicago affordable housing project, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The Chicago City Council smells blood and is moving in for the kill.
From that article:
That was all the opening they needed to vow to punish the bank for claiming in January that it had not profited from slavery, then admitting earlier this week that its predecessor institutions owned at least 162 slaves and accepted hundreds more as collateral on loans.
In apologizing to "all Americans and especially to African-Americans and people of African descent," the bank also revealed that Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris -- a founder of a forerunner institution, Bank of North America -- started the bank with profits from the slave trade, according to a study performed for Wachovia by corporate researcher The History Factory.
Also, according to that article, J.P. Morgan Chase and Lehman Brothers have been "outed" by the Chicago City Council.
Of course, slavery was a terrible thing, and 140 years after the abolition of slavery, the negative social ramifications of this sin against humanity are still with all of us. But a witch hunt against companies that had--generations ago--investments in or profited from slavery achieves nothing, unless it's the ultimate goal of those identifying such companies to initiate reparations collections.
From that article:
That was all the opening they needed to vow to punish the bank for claiming in January that it had not profited from slavery, then admitting earlier this week that its predecessor institutions owned at least 162 slaves and accepted hundreds more as collateral on loans.
In apologizing to "all Americans and especially to African-Americans and people of African descent," the bank also revealed that Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris -- a founder of a forerunner institution, Bank of North America -- started the bank with profits from the slave trade, according to a study performed for Wachovia by corporate researcher The History Factory.
Also, according to that article, J.P. Morgan Chase and Lehman Brothers have been "outed" by the Chicago City Council.
Of course, slavery was a terrible thing, and 140 years after the abolition of slavery, the negative social ramifications of this sin against humanity are still with all of us. But a witch hunt against companies that had--generations ago--investments in or profited from slavery achieves nothing, unless it's the ultimate goal of those identifying such companies to initiate reparations collections.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Votes for sale elsewhere in Downstate Illinois and priced cheaper than in East St. Louis!
In East St. Louis, IL, as blogged here, votes are for sale for $5 to $10, in a scheme allegedly perpetrated by Democratic operatives in St. Clair County.
At the southern tip of Illinois in Alexander County, according to a civil suit filed in a neighboring county, just $3 will buy voters' allegiance in a Democratic Party primary election, so says the Southern Illinoisan. I'm not sure if $3 is the retail or wholesale price for votes in that part of Illinois chiefly known as the place where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers hook up, but I will report my findings here as soon as I get them.
From that article in the Southern Illinoisan:
Allegations surfaced in mid-February 2000, only days after absentee voting began in Alexander County, that people were being paid to vote for specific candidates. Several courthouse employees reported witnessing numerous absentee voters carrying small pieces of paper with four numbers - 35, 64, 83 and 104 - written on them. It was also reported that voters were being paid $3 to vote after they returned to a parking lot adjacent to the courthouse.
The four candidate names that corresponded with the numbers on the primary ballot were McGinness (83), Woolard (64), McRoy (104), and Smith (35). Smith was a candidate to be a delegate for Al Gore at the 2000 Democratic National Convention; the others ran for the offices indicated. All four were victorious in the primary.
After complaints were registered, the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Attorney General's office both conducted investigations prior to the primary election. The investigations centered on a political action committee that was operated through Laborers Local 773 in Cairo.
Absolutely sickening.
Hat tip: Rich Miller's Capitol Fax blog--deep in the comments.
At the southern tip of Illinois in Alexander County, according to a civil suit filed in a neighboring county, just $3 will buy voters' allegiance in a Democratic Party primary election, so says the Southern Illinoisan. I'm not sure if $3 is the retail or wholesale price for votes in that part of Illinois chiefly known as the place where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers hook up, but I will report my findings here as soon as I get them.
From that article in the Southern Illinoisan:
Allegations surfaced in mid-February 2000, only days after absentee voting began in Alexander County, that people were being paid to vote for specific candidates. Several courthouse employees reported witnessing numerous absentee voters carrying small pieces of paper with four numbers - 35, 64, 83 and 104 - written on them. It was also reported that voters were being paid $3 to vote after they returned to a parking lot adjacent to the courthouse.
The four candidate names that corresponded with the numbers on the primary ballot were McGinness (83), Woolard (64), McRoy (104), and Smith (35). Smith was a candidate to be a delegate for Al Gore at the 2000 Democratic National Convention; the others ran for the offices indicated. All four were victorious in the primary.
After complaints were registered, the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Attorney General's office both conducted investigations prior to the primary election. The investigations centered on a political action committee that was operated through Laborers Local 773 in Cairo.
Absolutely sickening.
Hat tip: Rich Miller's Capitol Fax blog--deep in the comments.
Rocky Mountain News on Ward Churchill--Bad news for the for the phony Indian
Hat tip to Erin O'Connor. Today the Rocky Mountain News started a series on Colorado University Professor Ward "Little Eichmanns" Churchill. I'm sure the moonbats will claim it's right-wing smear campaign against this victimized academic. Today's installment is here:
An excerpt:
He (Churchill) accused the U.S. Army of deliberately spreading smallpox among the Mandan Indians of the Upper Missouri River Valley in 1837 — but there's no basis for the assertion in the sources he cited. In fact, in some instances the books he cited — and their authors — directly contradict his assertions.
He published an essay in 1992 that largely copies the work of a Canadian professor. But the piece is credited to his own research organization, the Institute for Natural Progress. Churchill published that essay — with some minor changes and subtle altering of words — even though the writer, Fay G. Cohen, had withdrawn permission for him to use it.
He also published portions of an essay in a 1993 book that closely resemble a piece that appeared the year before under the byline of Rebecca L. Robbins. However, the News could not determine what occurred. Churchill said he initially wrote the piece and allowed Robbins to publish it under her name. Robbins did not return numerous messages left by the News.
The News also could not determine who actually wrote an essay published under the name of Churchill's former wife, Marie Anne Jaimes, who also goes by Annette Jaimes. A paragraph from that essay also was published in a Churchill essay.
He mischaracterized an important federal Indian law in repeated writings in the past two decades, saying that the General Allotment Act of 1887 established a "blood quantum" standard that allowed tribes to admit members only if they had at least "half" native blood. Churchill has accused the government of imposing what he called "a formal eugenics code" as part of a thinly veiled effort to define Indians out of existence. The News found that the law — while a legislative low point in Indian history that resulted in many tribes losing their lands — does not contain any requirements for Indian bloodlines.
In addition, the News found, Churchill similarly mischaracterized a more recent piece of legislation, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990.
He has repeatedly claimed to have American Indian ancestry, but an extensive examination of genealogical records that traced branches of both sides of Churchill's family to pre-Revolutionary War times turned up no solid evidence of a single Indian ancestor. In addition, the News found that DNA tests taken last year by two brothers prove that the father of Joshua Tyner — Joshua Tyner is the ancestor Churchill most often has cited for his Indian lineage — was not Indian.
During its investigation, the News also unearthed other evidence of possible research misconduct by Churchill that has not been taken to the faculty committee.
In one instance, the News discovered an obscure 1972 pamphlet written by activists in Canada that Churchill later began claiming as his own work.
And in at least three other cases, the News revealed Friday, he published works by others without their permission. Churchill credited authors Robert T. Coulter, Rudolph C. Ryser and Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, but didn't notify them that he was publishing their articles.
The Rocky Mountain News series starts up again Monday. It doesn't look good for Ward. In my opinion, it'll be just a matter of time before CU cans him. Look for Ward, though, to hit the lefty-lecture circuit, get an Air America gig, and become a hero to those who worship Noam Chomsky. In other words, he won't be forced to refinance his Boulder, Colorado sweat lodge to continue enjoying the six-figure lifestyle currently paid for by "the little Eichmanns" of the Centennial State.
Oh, somehow, this will be Bush's fault.
Henry Hyde's college basketball recollections of George Mikan
Years before he became an Illinois congressman, and of course well before he achieved national prominence as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee during the Bill Clinton impeachment hearings, Henry Hyde was a member Georgetown University's basketball team, and guarded the late George Mikan in the second half of the NCAA East Regional, holding the DePaul big man to just one point. The Hoyas won the game.
Hyde and Mikan faced off in Chicago area high school basketball games, too.
All of this is available in today's Chicago Tribune. Free registration required.
Hyde and Mikan faced off in Chicago area high school basketball games, too.
All of this is available in today's Chicago Tribune. Free registration required.
Shaquille O'Neal to pay for George Mikan's funeral
As noted Thursday, basketball legend George Mikan died Thursday. While he was with the Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal got to know Mikan, and when he heard the Mikans were suffering financial hardship, he offered to pay for the funeral. The Mikan family accepted the offer.
You're a good man, Shaq!
You're a good man, Shaq!
Friday, June 03, 2005
Wounded Iraq vets sample White Sox game
From ABC 7 Chicago:
Sixteen wounded Iraq veterans from all over the country were brought to Chicago Friday for a few days of special treatment and a show of appreciation. Friday night they were treated to a Sox game.
Iraqi war veterans and their families rode in style to US Cellular Field. Their limo bus pulled up right in front of the stadium. They made their way to watch the game from comfortable seats in a skybox, although some vets need a little more help. In all, 16 veterans from all over the country are getting star treatment this week, brought together by the Wounded Soldier's Program, which is footing the bill for all of their expenses.
The Wounded Soldier's Program's web site is here, the group was founded by Anna Sherony of Wadsworth, IL.
And the White Sox won tonight!
Sixteen wounded Iraq veterans from all over the country were brought to Chicago Friday for a few days of special treatment and a show of appreciation. Friday night they were treated to a Sox game.
Iraqi war veterans and their families rode in style to US Cellular Field. Their limo bus pulled up right in front of the stadium. They made their way to watch the game from comfortable seats in a skybox, although some vets need a little more help. In all, 16 veterans from all over the country are getting star treatment this week, brought together by the Wounded Soldier's Program, which is footing the bill for all of their expenses.
The Wounded Soldier's Program's web site is here, the group was founded by Anna Sherony of Wadsworth, IL.
And the White Sox won tonight!
East St. Louis vote fraud trial suddenly halted
This is still a developing story, but the trial discussed here has suddenly been stopped.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Judge G. Patrick Murphy:
....after excusing the jury and the witness, Dannita Youngblood, (Judge Murphy) told lawyers and a packed courtroom: "We have got a witness here who has testified to things under oath that everyone in this room knows are not true."
That's all I know now. My guess is that she gave testimony that contradicted her deposition. Again, just a guess.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Judge G. Patrick Murphy:
....after excusing the jury and the witness, Dannita Youngblood, (Judge Murphy) told lawyers and a packed courtroom: "We have got a witness here who has testified to things under oath that everyone in this room knows are not true."
That's all I know now. My guess is that she gave testimony that contradicted her deposition. Again, just a guess.
Chicago Tribune's take on the Lakeshore 27.2 mile marathon
Eric Zorn is not the only Chicago Tribune writer working on the Lakeshore Marathon "bonus mileage" race.
Julie Deardorff, the Tribune's Health & Fitness writer, has a front-page, above the fold article about the 27.2 mile "marathon." Apparently the half-marathon was a mess too.
Julie writes:
Adding to the chaos was the half-marathon, which also turned out to be too long and poorly marked. Some participants were so befuddled, they were running in circles.
The AP has a story on the race as well.
Julie Deardorff, the Tribune's Health & Fitness writer, has a front-page, above the fold article about the 27.2 mile "marathon." Apparently the half-marathon was a mess too.
Julie writes:
Adding to the chaos was the half-marathon, which also turned out to be too long and poorly marked. Some participants were so befuddled, they were running in circles.
The AP has a story on the race as well.
Ex-NBA player, "Flying Illini" star Kendall Gill now a boxer
According to the Chicago Tribune's Michael Hirsely, NBA journeyman Kendall Gill--also a member of the Illinois' 1989 "Flying Illini" Final Four team. According to the Tribune, Gill's debut fight--as a cruiserweight--will take place on June 25 at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Mark Cihlar of the Lakeshore Marathon speaks out
Well, the organizer of the Lakeshore Marathon, Mark Cihlar, has come out of hiding. Apparently, he's feeling the pressure from the message boards, the e-mails (mine weren't returned) and thephone calls to his office.
Chicago Tribune columnist and first-rate blogger has weighed in as well. Thank you. Eric.
Mark's apology letter is well written, but in my opinion, he needs to do a lot more if he--and the Lakeshore Marathon--have a chance to regain even a thread of credibility within the Chicago running community.
Chicago Tribune columnist and first-rate blogger has weighed in as well. Thank you. Eric.
Mark's apology letter is well written, but in my opinion, he needs to do a lot more if he--and the Lakeshore Marathon--have a chance to regain even a thread of credibility within the Chicago running community.
Votes for sale in East St. Louis
This comes our way from the Belleville News-Democrat, one of the best online news outlets. They regularly update their AP wire.
But this excellent article was written by one of their own reporters, George Pawlaczyck. I blogged about this yesterday, apparently votes are for sale in East St. Louis, IL.
According to Pawlaczyk:
During a telephone conference call heard by an FBI undercover informant, Mark Kern was told that the going $5 rate to pay voters might have to be doubled because black voters considered him a racist, according to testimony Wednesday in a federal vote fraud trial.
Kern, the former Belleville mayor and current St. Clair County Board chairman, said the testimony was "absolutely untrue." He is not accused of wrongdoing.
Dannita Youngblood, 30, testified during the trial of five Democratic politicians in East St. Louis that one of the defendants, her former East St. Louis city hall boss Kelvin Ellis, told Kern during the October call that the price to pay a voter would have to be increased. In October, Kern was the Democratic candidate for the chairman's job.
Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Carr, Youngblood was asked whether she was certain that Ellis talked to Kern about buying votes.
"Yes sir, he (Ellis) stated that," answered Youngblood, who said she was then considered to be a member of Ellis' political "A-team" and was not suspected of being a spy.
Click here for the entire article, click here for yesterday's East St. Louis blog posting.
But this excellent article was written by one of their own reporters, George Pawlaczyck. I blogged about this yesterday, apparently votes are for sale in East St. Louis, IL.
According to Pawlaczyk:
During a telephone conference call heard by an FBI undercover informant, Mark Kern was told that the going $5 rate to pay voters might have to be doubled because black voters considered him a racist, according to testimony Wednesday in a federal vote fraud trial.
Kern, the former Belleville mayor and current St. Clair County Board chairman, said the testimony was "absolutely untrue." He is not accused of wrongdoing.
Dannita Youngblood, 30, testified during the trial of five Democratic politicians in East St. Louis that one of the defendants, her former East St. Louis city hall boss Kelvin Ellis, told Kern during the October call that the price to pay a voter would have to be increased. In October, Kern was the Democratic candidate for the chairman's job.
Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Carr, Youngblood was asked whether she was certain that Ellis talked to Kern about buying votes.
"Yes sir, he (Ellis) stated that," answered Youngblood, who said she was then considered to be a member of Ellis' political "A-team" and was not suspected of being a spy.
Click here for the entire article, click here for yesterday's East St. Louis blog posting.
DePaul and Lakers legend George Mikan dies
As regular readers of Marathon Pundit know, I've been blogging about the (lack of) free speech mess at DePaul for three months now.
But there is some sad news for the DePaul community, as George Mikan has passed away. George was the first dominating big man in basketball, and he, I guess, "inspired" the college goaltending rule. Mikan later moved on to the NBA, where he led the Minneapolis (yes, that's right, Minneapolis) Lakers to five NBA championships.
But there is some sad news for the DePaul community, as George Mikan has passed away. George was the first dominating big man in basketball, and he, I guess, "inspired" the college goaltending rule. Mikan later moved on to the NBA, where he led the Minneapolis (yes, that's right, Minneapolis) Lakers to five NBA championships.
Lakeshore Marathon 27.2 miler
Courtesy of Marathon Guide.com, the results of Monday's Lakeshore Marathon are posted. The results page lists the distance as 27.2 miles, so at least they've owned up to the boneheaded error. More on the Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon here and here.
Some good news: One of my training partners, Eduardo Ledesma of Chicago, finished fourth overall.
The race organizer and presumed owner of the Lakeshore Marathon is Mark Cihlar. I've sent him two e-mails giving Mark his chance to explain what happened, he has yet to respond. Maybe you'll have better luck, Mark's e-mail is mark@lakeshoremarathon.com
East of Chicago the weekend before, I ran in very a well organized race, the Cleveland Marathon. My review of the race is coming. A quick preview: If you if you want to run a great spring race here in the Midwest, head to Cleveland.
The Green Bay Marathon, which is held on the same day as Cleveland each year, is also is a well done event, I ran it in 2003.
Some good news: One of my training partners, Eduardo Ledesma of Chicago, finished fourth overall.
The race organizer and presumed owner of the Lakeshore Marathon is Mark Cihlar. I've sent him two e-mails giving Mark his chance to explain what happened, he has yet to respond. Maybe you'll have better luck, Mark's e-mail is mark@lakeshoremarathon.com
East of Chicago the weekend before, I ran in very a well organized race, the Cleveland Marathon. My review of the race is coming. A quick preview: If you if you want to run a great spring race here in the Midwest, head to Cleveland.
The Green Bay Marathon, which is held on the same day as Cleveland each year, is also is a well done event, I ran it in 2003.
The Second City's Twin Academic Neonazis
...says Steven Plaut in Artuz Sheva. The Chicago area twins are DePaul's Norman G. Finkelstein and Northwestern University's Arthur Butz. It's an expansion of his Moonbat Central post from earlier this week, which was blogged here.
An excerpt:
In recent months DePaul University has become something of an international laughingstock. While retaining neo-Nazi Norman Finkelstein on its faculty, a person with no scholarly credentials at all and someone who has been accused by the Anti-Defamation League of being a Holocaust Denier, DePaul also fired Prof. Thomas Klocek because he dared to defend Israel to some fanatic campus jihadnik students. Among those who have denounced DePaul's neo-Nazi has been Alan Dershowitz.
Many people are comparing DePaul's employment of Finkelstein to the employment of another neo-Nazi and Holocaust Denier in the Chicago area, Arthur Butz, an Associate Professor at Northwestern University, and some wonder aloud what is wrong with having such people on the faculty if academic freedom is to mean anything. (We, for our part, wonder whether there may be something in the Lake Michigan water that produces these crackpots in the Second City!)
My note: The water is fine here, or at least the water doesn't effect me in a negative way.
It continues...
Northwestern - by the way - has been trying to dump Butz for years, by buying out his contract (he has tenure), but Butz has refused. Butz is an enormous embarrassment! But DePaul's chiefs, led by DePaul's President, Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Ed.D., are downright PROUD of their neo-Nazi, insisting that he is a serious scholar (even though no serious scholars consider him one). The people other than Father Holtschneider who take Finklestein as a serious researcher usually run Holocaust "Revisionism" web sites and worship David Irving.
An excerpt:
In recent months DePaul University has become something of an international laughingstock. While retaining neo-Nazi Norman Finkelstein on its faculty, a person with no scholarly credentials at all and someone who has been accused by the Anti-Defamation League of being a Holocaust Denier, DePaul also fired Prof. Thomas Klocek because he dared to defend Israel to some fanatic campus jihadnik students. Among those who have denounced DePaul's neo-Nazi has been Alan Dershowitz.
Many people are comparing DePaul's employment of Finkelstein to the employment of another neo-Nazi and Holocaust Denier in the Chicago area, Arthur Butz, an Associate Professor at Northwestern University, and some wonder aloud what is wrong with having such people on the faculty if academic freedom is to mean anything. (We, for our part, wonder whether there may be something in the Lake Michigan water that produces these crackpots in the Second City!)
My note: The water is fine here, or at least the water doesn't effect me in a negative way.
It continues...
Northwestern - by the way - has been trying to dump Butz for years, by buying out his contract (he has tenure), but Butz has refused. Butz is an enormous embarrassment! But DePaul's chiefs, led by DePaul's President, Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Ed.D., are downright PROUD of their neo-Nazi, insisting that he is a serious scholar (even though no serious scholars consider him one). The people other than Father Holtschneider who take Finklestein as a serious researcher usually run Holocaust "Revisionism" web sites and worship David Irving.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
East St. Louis vote fraud trial began today
In the last general election, some shenanigans seem to have taken place in St. Clair County, IL. East St. Louis Democratic Committe Chairman Charles Powell, Jr. and four others are accused, according to AP, of buying votes with cash, liquor and cigarettes. It's all here courtesy of the CBS 2 Chicago web site.
The push was to get Mayor Mark Kern, D-Belleville, elected chairman of the St. Clair County Board. According to AP:
State records showed that about $67,000 was transferred from the county Democrats to the (East St Louis) committeemen three days before the Nov. 2 election. Party leaders said it was for legitimate expenses, including providing rides to the polls for people without cars, and giving meals throughout the year to encourage people to vote.
Kern did win, but Charles Powell Jr. , at the time also an East St. Louis councilman, lost his re-election bid.
More from AP:
In March, committeemen Leroy Scott Jr., Lillie Nichols, Terrance Stith, and his wife, precinct worker, Sandra Stith, each pleaded guilty to a count of vote buying.
The four admitted in their pleas that they paid voters between $5 and $10 to favorably cast ballots during the Nov. 2 election. They also agreed to testify in future cases.
Cal Skinner, over at the Illinois Leader has a list of 51 East St. Louis residents who received "election expenses" cash from the ESL Democratic Central Commitee. A few got $400, most of the recipients received over $1,000. Cal's information comes from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
The push was to get Mayor Mark Kern, D-Belleville, elected chairman of the St. Clair County Board. According to AP:
State records showed that about $67,000 was transferred from the county Democrats to the (East St Louis) committeemen three days before the Nov. 2 election. Party leaders said it was for legitimate expenses, including providing rides to the polls for people without cars, and giving meals throughout the year to encourage people to vote.
Kern did win, but Charles Powell Jr. , at the time also an East St. Louis councilman, lost his re-election bid.
More from AP:
In March, committeemen Leroy Scott Jr., Lillie Nichols, Terrance Stith, and his wife, precinct worker, Sandra Stith, each pleaded guilty to a count of vote buying.
The four admitted in their pleas that they paid voters between $5 and $10 to favorably cast ballots during the Nov. 2 election. They also agreed to testify in future cases.
Cal Skinner, over at the Illinois Leader has a list of 51 East St. Louis residents who received "election expenses" cash from the ESL Democratic Central Commitee. A few got $400, most of the recipients received over $1,000. Cal's information comes from the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Joe Birkett adds Blagojevich "Corruption Watch" feature to his website
DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett, who is exploring a run for Illinois' governor, has, according to a press release sent to Marathon Pundit, has updated his website, adding a "Corruption Watch" feature.
According to the release, the updated web site "will allow ordinary Illinois citizens to participate in making Illinois great again."
It continues:
"Rod Blagojevich has run the most blatant pay-to-play governor's office in the history of Illinois," Birkett said. "The news media has uncovered blatant examples of contracts and jobs linked to contributions. We are asking the public to uncover other examples. Our goal is to continue exposing the stunning hypocrisy of a man who promised Illinois voters he was going to change the way we do business in Illinois."
According to the release, the updated web site "will allow ordinary Illinois citizens to participate in making Illinois great again."
It continues:
"Rod Blagojevich has run the most blatant pay-to-play governor's office in the history of Illinois," Birkett said. "The news media has uncovered blatant examples of contracts and jobs linked to contributions. We are asking the public to uncover other examples. Our goal is to continue exposing the stunning hypocrisy of a man who promised Illinois voters he was going to change the way we do business in Illinois."
More on the 27 mile marathon
Another heated discussion has broken out about Monday's Chicago Lakeshore Marathon. This appears on the Chicago Amateur Athlete message board.
Congratulations to all who PR'd on your Lakeshore 27.3 mile fun run. I can't believe people still put up with this. No other race could get away with as poor of quality event as this. The worst part is it gets worse every year instead of better or even staying the same. This event is a shame and reflects poorly on the whole Chicago running community. Can you imagine being that close to qualifying for Boston and finding out you ran an extra mile plus? I agree with everyone when they say this race needs to be stopped or turned over to someone who knows how to run a race and cares about the runners.
Ohio blogger Robb Kester weighs in on his Running at the Mouth site:
It's not just that a mistake like that is inconvenient, which it is, or bush league, which it also is. I mean, it's one thing to mismeasure a 5K or 10K. But to mismeasure a marathon, by over a mile to boot, is extremely dangerous. Those race organizers better thank their respective Gods every night that no one died.
Congratulations to all who PR'd on your Lakeshore 27.3 mile fun run. I can't believe people still put up with this. No other race could get away with as poor of quality event as this. The worst part is it gets worse every year instead of better or even staying the same. This event is a shame and reflects poorly on the whole Chicago running community. Can you imagine being that close to qualifying for Boston and finding out you ran an extra mile plus? I agree with everyone when they say this race needs to be stopped or turned over to someone who knows how to run a race and cares about the runners.
Ohio blogger Robb Kester weighs in on his Running at the Mouth site:
It's not just that a mistake like that is inconvenient, which it is, or bush league, which it also is. I mean, it's one thing to mismeasure a 5K or 10K. But to mismeasure a marathon, by over a mile to boot, is extremely dangerous. Those race organizers better thank their respective Gods every night that no one died.
SEIU union denies punishing its own employees---for trying to unionize
Good job to the Robert C. Herguth of Chicago Sun-Times for writing this story about the unionization efforts of employees of Local 880 of the Service Employee International Union. I'm a little disappointed in the decision by Sun-Times editors to put this embarrassing (for the union) story out on Memorial Day, when they know readership will be way down. We don't live in a perfect world.
From that article:
Workers were trying to unionize, and they wore buttons showcasing their cause.
Supervisors demanded the buttons be removed, and they disciplined a half-dozen employees who didn't listen.
The workers filed a complaint with the federal government, saying their rights were being violated. Dissidents also claimed later that three ringleaders of the organizing effort were let go because of their activism.
Employees trying to unionize often face resistance -- or retribution -- from bosses.
But the employees in this instance weren't working at some factory or warehouse. They're actually employed by a union. They're organizers and clerical staff for the fast-growing Service Employees International Union Local 880. And their bosses are Local 880 leaders, who deny anything underhanded.
From that article:
Workers were trying to unionize, and they wore buttons showcasing their cause.
Supervisors demanded the buttons be removed, and they disciplined a half-dozen employees who didn't listen.
The workers filed a complaint with the federal government, saying their rights were being violated. Dissidents also claimed later that three ringleaders of the organizing effort were let go because of their activism.
Employees trying to unionize often face resistance -- or retribution -- from bosses.
But the employees in this instance weren't working at some factory or warehouse. They're actually employed by a union. They're organizers and clerical staff for the fast-growing Service Employees International Union Local 880. And their bosses are Local 880 leaders, who deny anything underhanded.
Deep Throat Revealed
If Marathon Pundit is your sole source of news, then you need to know that the legendary anonymous source "Deep Throat," so pivotal in the exposure of the Watergate Scandal, has been revealed. It's Mark Felt.
If Marathon Pundit is your sole source of news, on the other hand, you really need to visit some of the links on the left, subsribe to a newspaper or two, and buy a TV.
If Marathon Pundit is your sole source of news, on the other hand, you really need to visit some of the links on the left, subsribe to a newspaper or two, and buy a TV.
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