Holy Cow! "Harry Caray bandit" robs bank

Yes, a bank-robber apparently dressed as the late baseball play-by-play announcer Harry Caray, whose catch phrase was "Holy Cow" robbed a bank Wednesday in Palos Heights, Illinois.

(Coincidentally, I grew up in Palos Heights.)

Baseball season starts on Sunday, with the Cleveland Indians visiting the world champion (Oh, enjoyed typing that) Chicago White Sox.

Go Sox!

Incidentally, Harry Caray, before he took on the Chicago Cubs job, was the voice of the White Sox for ten years.

Technorati tags: Harry Caray Palos Heights baseball Chicago Cubs Chicago White Sox White Sox mlb crime

John Dean: Bush worse that Nixon

Now that was a hard headline to write. I'm so accustomed to hearing how President Bush is worse than Hitler....

I'm surprised John Dean wasn't asked about a Hitler comparison.

John Dean (must be something about that last name that gives people BDS Syndrome) testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee today, arguing in favor of some sort of reprimand against President Bush over the alleged domestic spying abuses.

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) wants the Senate to censure Bush, something John Dean, a convicted Watergate conspirator, feels could be an over-reach.

From AP:

Nixon White House counselor John Dean, testifying on behalf of a Democratic resolution to censure President Bush, asserted Friday that Bush's conduct in connection with domestic spying exceeds the wrongdoing that toppled his former boss from power.

I feel compelled to mention this seemingly unrelated side note: Martin Sheen played John Dean in the made-for-TV movie Blind Ambition.

Technorati tags: Feingold Bush Censure Wisconsin Martin Sheen Watergate

Denmark to have first hijab-clad TV talk show host

Lately best known for the brouhaha over the Muhammad cartoons, Denmark is back in the news again, and yes, it involves Islam.

Asmaa Abdol-Hamid, pictured on the left, will co-host a Danish TV-talk show with Adam Holm. She told Islam Online.net that she's "seeking to project a good image about hijab-clad Muslim women in Denmark."

Technorati tags: Denmark Tegniner Jyllands-Posten Mohammed

Sharon Stone bombs twice

Basic Instinct 2, Sharon Stone's new film, is out today. The New York Times review comes this way from Ed Driscoll via Allahpundit/Michelle Malkin:

It should come as no surprise that "Basic Instinct 2," the long-gestating follow-up to Paul Verhoeven's 1992 blip on the zeitgeist screen, is a disaster of the highest or perhaps lowest order. It is also no surprise that this joyless calculation, which was directed by Michael Caton-Jones and possesses neither the first film's sleek wit nor its madness, is such a prime object lesson in the degradation that can face Hollywood actresses, especially those over 40. Acting always involves a degree of self-abasement, but just watching trash like this is degrading.

Sharon Stone is headed to Chicago next month for a fundraising Jan Schakowsky fundraising event. Jan is a far-left congresswoman from Evanston, I'm one of her unfortunate constituents.

From Lynn Sweet's Chicago Sun-Times blog:

Sharon Stone, the sexy star of the sizzler "Basic Instinct 2,'' which opens today, hits Chicago next month to headline a fund-raiser for Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

Stone will be featured at Schakowsky's "Ultimate Women's Power Lunch'' at the Chicago Hilton. Some 1,500 attended last year, when Jane Fonda was the marquee draw.

Stone and Schakowsky became friends during the 2004 presidential campaign, when they were part of a "Women on the Move'' drive for Sen. John Kerry that paired female pols and stars.

"We got a chance to really bond and become friends,'' Schakowsky said.

Sizzler?

Well, maybe her co-worker Roger Ebert liked it. Let's find out.

"Basic Instinct 2" resembles its heroine: It gets off by living dangerously. Here is a movie so outrageous and preposterous it is either (a) suicidal or (b) throbbing with a horrible fascination. I lean toward (b). It's a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. I cannot recommend the movie, but ... why the hell can't I? Just because it's godawful? What kind of reason is that for staying away from a movie? Godawful and boring, that would be a reason.

Not a sizzler. Better than Jane Fonda's Monster In Law? It wouldn't take much to top that stink bomb.

Technorati tags: Sharon Stone basic instinct 2 Jan Schakowsky Chicago Chicago

Tony Blair: Gone by Christmas?

Even during last year's parliamentary campaign there was rampant talk British Prime Minister Tony Blair wouldn't serve very long as the nation's leader.

According to London's Telegraph, Blair may step down before Christmas.

Tony is having an annus horribilis, the peerages-for-loans scandal in Blair's Labour Party is having a demoralizing effect on the ruling party in Britain.

If Blair does step down, look for President Bush to be blamed for the resignation by the mainstream media.

Technorati tags: Tony Blair UK Labour House of Lords bush

Scalia gives "dismissive" gesture that DePaul prez thinks is obscene

Pat Curley of Brainster e-mailed me a Boston Herald article this afternoon about the growing controversy over a gesture made by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia inside Boston's Holy Cross Cathedral.

It just happens to be the same gesture former DePaul Professor Thomas Klocek made to those thin-skinned Muslim students in the fall of 2004 that led to his dismissal.

Scalia, in a letter to the Herald insists the gesture, shown above, is not obscene. His explanation pretty much matches what Klocek said: "I'm outta here." Scalia says it means "I could not care less."

Here's what Steven Plaut has the skinny-on-the-chinny in the Autonomist Blog:

(Oh, thanks for the graphic!)

In the "minds" of the administrators at DePaul "University," using this same dismissive gesture is considered an unforgivable act. DePaul's president, Fr. Dennis Holtschneider, wrote the following words regarding Klocek's firing:

"...while students were passing out literature at a table in the cafeteria, Mr. Klocek confronted them in a belligerent and menacing manner. He raised his voice, threw pamphlets at students, pointed his finger near their faces and displayed a gesture interpreted as obscene." (Emphasis added)

DePaul was looking for any excuse to fire the conservative Klocek, whose only real transgression was that he dared defend Israel to some leftwing campus radicals.

Technorati tags: DePaul Academic freedom free speech SCOTUS Scalia Illinois Thomas Klocek Boston Israel ישראל

College Republican group counters PC-think in California

And it was inevetible that some of these people pushed back...
Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, 1950.

From Bruce Thorton of the the Jewish Press:

Hats off to the University of California at Riverside College Republicans. They recently hosted a program that contrasted the vile anti-Semitic slander that saturates the Muslim media with the cartoons of Mohammed that sparked riots throughout with Muslim world. Of course this exercise in constitutionally protected free speech was noisily protested by the campus Muslim group, the same people who, when they’re not squealing about "hate speech," host speakers like Amir Abdel Malik Ali, who recycles the standard catalogue of anti-Semitic lunacy repackaged as "pro-Palestinianism" and "anti-Zionism."

Here is my favorite part:

Given the craven careerism of the typical college provost, dean, and president, then, and given the left-wing prejudices or lazy indifference of most of the faculty, it’s up to students to make their university live up to its role as protected space for what Matthew Arnold called "the free play of the mind on all subjects." This doesn’t mean that university officials should censor or limit any speech, but rather that they should encourage and insure through their control of facilities and funds that speech is balanced, that as many points of view as possible are available, and that no point of view is allowed to be intimidated or in turn to silence others.

Hat tip to Steven Plaut.

Technorati tags: Ray Bradbury California Riverside Muhammad cartoons College Republicans UC Republican

Best Buy may lay-off employees

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Best Buy Co. may lay off some workers as the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer looks to rein in spending, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

A memo from Best Buy President Brian Dunn this month asked managers to find spending to cut, Best Buy spokeswoman Susan Busch said.

It's very hard for the retailer to find places to cut without overlooking its payroll. Best Buy's stores likely have long-term leases. In the competitive arena of consumer electronics, it's difficult to imagine them extracting meaningful price cuts from its suppliers. They've probably squeezed them pretty hard already.

In an e-mail to me, Marshall Manson of Edelman Public Relations points out to that Wal-Mart, on the other hand, plans to add 100,000 jobs this year. Yet the AFL-CIO and others on the left continue to crusade against the retail giant as "anti-worker."

Best Buy stores are non-union.

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart WalMart Best Buy AFL-CIO union

Another voice on DePaul's hypocrisy

This one goes back a couple of months, but Penraker gives DePaul a good Fisking, and I'm a bit jealous since I didn't think of it first.

And this little Gulag even says this on its website:

Diverse: Motivated by a deep respect for the God-given dignity of each person, we believe that tolerance and understanding stem from honoring different viewpoints.

Oops - another lie.

But they immediately reveal why they can't stand free speech:

You’ll find multiculturalism everywhere, from the faces of our employees and students to the dynamic nature of our classroom discussions.

Oh, I bet those classroom discussions are simply scintillating - all of the kids have been carefully taught to answer in proper manner - or be charged with "harassment". I bet they even have a "Room 101", complete with head-cages and a few lab rats.

With more than 200 student organizations, you’ll also find others who share your interests, from social activism and professional groups to intramural sports and cultural clubs.

You know, it used to not even be "social activism" if the college encouraged it; this sort of takes the fun out of it.

As FIRE notes, DePaul disciplined a teacher last year for engaging in a heated discussion with Muslim Students - who obviously have been taught to play the system and use it to terrrorize those who date to stand up to them.

Here's more on the that teacher, fired Professor Thomas Klocek.

Technorati tags: DePaul Academic freedom Free Speech Chicago Fisking Klocek Thomas Klocek

Welcome Pajamas Media readers

The Ronald Reagan post is here.

Technorati tags: Pajamas Media Blogs blogging

Ex-Gov George Ryan's big shot law firm finding out nothing is free

Winston & Strawn is the law firm that is defending former Illinois Governor George Ryan in his corruption and racketeering trial. "Clout heavy" is the best way to describe the firm; its CEO is Jim Thompson, one of Ryan's predecessors as governor.

Dan Webb, former US Attorney for Northern Illinois is Ryan's chief litigator.

Winston & Strawn is defending Ryan for free. It could be called pro-bono, the Ryan, although not rich, is certainly not poor. On Winston & Strawn's web site, there's a page dedicated to the firm's pro-bono work, curiously, the Ryan case is not among those proudly listed by Winston & Strawn.

The business section of the Chicago Tribune has an article about how expensive the free defense of George Ryan is for the firm.

Free registration may be required:

The cost of devoting Dan Webb, the firm's top litigator, and a small army of other lawyers to Ryan's criminal defense reportedly has cost Winston & Strawn almost $20 million. The tab stood at $10 million in November, the firm said. Indirect costs, such as a loss of new clients, are impossible to measure.

The decision to defend Ryan on a pro bono basis already has created serious dissension in the firm as partners fret that their share of the firm's profits has been dented by the cost, a source close to the case said. If Ryan has to be retried, the simmering discontent could turn into vocal resistance, the source said.

Webb, according to the Tribune, reportedly charges $750 an hour for his legal work.

Technorati tags: George Ryan Illinois Winston & Strawn Law pro bono Jim Thompson

Political correctness at Chicago's Adler Planetarium

How low will the forces of political correctness stoop?

Well, all the way down to the basement of Chicago's Adler Planetarium, that's for certain.

I took Litte Marathon Pundit there Tuesday afternoon. She's on spring break from school this week, and her third grade class is spending a lot of time discussing astronomy.

The planetarium underwent a major expansion in the 1990s, I hadn't been there since the project was completed.

My daughter liked our day-trip a lot, and that was enough for me. Almost.

My probing eye picked up some frightening political-correctness in the astrolobe section of the planetarium. Astrolobes were devices commonly used, prior to the invention of the sextant, for navigation. However, these instruments were also used to predict star positions, and in the Islamic world, they were utilized to find the precise direction of Mecca so a Muslim could pray in the right direction.

Hence the Muslim interest in astrolabes.

The text pictured appears above the Adler astrolabe collection, it reads:

In the Middle Ages, the Islamic from Seville (Spain) to Samarkand (Uzbekistan). The position of each astrolabe on this map shows where it was made.

Non-Muslims, such as Jews and Christians, prospered under tolerant Islamic rule. (Emphasis mine.) Throughout this vast area, people studied the sky using tools created in the great Islamic cities.

Huh? What does the (alleged) Muslim toleration of Jews in Christians in the Medieval Muslim world have to do astrolabes?

In my opionion, absolutely nothing.

According to numerous sources, including Robert Spencer's The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades):

The astrolabe was developed, if not perfected, long before Muhammad was born.

As for the Muslim tolerance of Jews and Christians that the Adler display referred to, it was not any type of tolerance that a multi-cultural society would recognize.

Jews, Christians and members of other faiths living in Muslim lands during the Middle Ages were forced to pay a jizya, a poll tax to the Muslim rulers. Conversion to Islam would get them out of that responsibility. Death or slavery could be the fate for those who didn't pay up--or convert.

Have you heard of the Janissaries? No?

From Wikipedia:

The first Janissary units comprised war captives and slaves. After the 1380s Sultan Selim I filled their ranks with the results of taxation in human form called devshirmeh. The sultan’s men would conscript as a form of tax in-human-kind a number of non-Muslim, usually Christian, boys – at first at random, later, by strict selection – and take them to be trained. In later centuries they appear to have favored essentially Greeks and Albanians (who also supplied many gendarmes). Usually they would select about one in five boys of ages seven to fourteen but the numbers could be changed to correspond with the need for soldiers. Later they would extend the devshirmeh to other Balkan countries. Local residents could hardly be expected to appreciate the custom, although there is evidence that some Christians sought to have their children recruited as a way to gain social advancement. In some cases bribes were given and ages were lied about.

Then there are the Corsairs from what is now Algeria, as Bernard Lewis writes in What Went Wrong? : The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East:

...the Barbary Corsairs from North Africa were raiding the coasts of England and Ireland and even, in 1627, Iceland, bringing back human booty for sale in the slave-markets of Algiers.

St. Vincent de Paul, the founder of the Vincentian Order was perhaps the most famous slave captured by the Barbary pirates.

(Chicago's DePaul University, a subject much blogged about here, takes its name from him.)

Let me return to that statement above the Adler's astrolabe exhibit:

Non-Muslims, such as Jews and Christians, prospered under tolerant Islamic rule.

Simply put, that statement is a lie.

Thanks for the link: Dearborn Underground

Technorati tags: Adler Planetarium Chicago Illinois Astronomy Islam الإسلام الرسول Dhimmi jizya ذمي science politically correct DePaul

March 30, 1981: Ronald Reagan shot in Washington

It was twenty-five years ago today that John Hinckley nearly ended the nascent presidency of Ronald Reagan-- but the Gipper pulled through. Three other men were wounded that day, most notably White House Press Secretary Jim Brady, who never fully recovered from a gunshot wound to his head.

From Reagan's autobiography, An American Life:

Monday - March 30

I put on a brand-new blue suit for my speech to the Construction Trades Council. But for some reasons I'll never know, I took off my best wristwatch before leaving the White House and put on an old one Nancy had given me that I usually wore only when I was doing chores outside at the ranch. My speech at the Hilton Hotel was not riotously received - I think most of the audience were Democrats - but at least they gave me polite applause. After the speech, I left the hotel through a side entrance and passed a line of press photographers and TV cameras.

I was almost to the car when I heard what sounded like two or three firecrackers over to my left - just a small fluttering sound, pop, pop, pop. I turned and said, "What the hell's that?" Just then, Jerry Parr, the head of our Secret Service unit, grabbed me by the waist and literally hurled me into the back of the limousine. I landed on my face atop the armrest across the back seat and Jerry jumped on top of me. When he landed, I felt a pain in my upper back that was unbelievable. It was the most excruciating pain I had ever felt. "Jerry," I said, "get off, I think you've broken one of my ribs."

Technorati tags: Ronald Reagan Reagan Hinckley

Five Muslim groups call for end of boycott against one Danish firm

Danish Dairy company Arla Foods is reporting an easing of the Muslim boycott against its products. Its products, not other products, according to this Arla press release.

The notorious Danish Muhammad cartoons of course inspired the boycott.

The Arab News reports that five Islamic groups have urged Muslims to end the boycott against Arla, but the it's apparently still on other Danish firms.

From that paper:

"We decided to exclude the products of Arla Foods since the company has not only condemned the sacrilegious caricatures but it had also supported our constructive action against the publication of these questionable cartoons," said Soliman Hamad Al-Buthi, spokesman from the Riyadh-based International Committee for the Support of the Final Prophet (ICSFP). "This action demonstrates that we are prepared to extend a hand of friendship with anyone who respects our religion."

No word on if Arla spoke up for the Danish companies still being boycotted.

Technorati tags: Danmark Islam Arla Muhammad cartoons Denmark الإسلام الرسول Jyllands-Posten

Ryan trial: No quick verdict

Deliberations started again this morning in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan.

There will not likely be a verdict today, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The forewoman of the jury sent a note to the trial judge asking her "to determine the court holidays if any" in the month of April.

Marathon Pundit back in good graces with Technorati

Hey, after weeks of my complaining-including drama queen posturing--Marathon Pundit is finally being picked up by the internet search engine Technorati again.

The only difference in the equation I can think of is that Technorati has a new home page design.

Technorati tags: Technorati Blogging Blog tagging

Nation of Islam hate crime panel member says Ill. governor knew of her Farrakhan ties

Last month, as I posted here, a major story in Illinois was the disclosure that Ill. Governor Rod Blagojevich appointed Claudette Muhammad to the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes in 2005.

Muhammad is the minister of protocol for Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.

Stung by that revelation, and further embarrassed by the resignation of four Jewish members of the hate crimes panel, the governor claimed to reporters he was unaware of Muhammad's membership in the controversial group.

Not so, says Muhammad, who told the Chicago Tribune that Blagojevich did know that she was part of the Nation of Islam.

From the Chicago Tribune, free membership may be required:

In a March 2 letter to Blagojevich, commission member Claudette Marie Muhammad said she was "very, very, very disappointed" that the governor told reporters he was only recently aware she was on his Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. Blagojevich made the remarks earlier while refusing to dismiss Muhammad in the wake of a controversial speech by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Five Jewish leaders quit the panel in response.

"Mr. Governor, your comment stating that you were unaware of my religious affiliation and the fact that I was a top aide to Minister Farrakhan is not true," wrote Muhammad, who did not return telephone calls about the letter recently obtained by the Tribune. "You and I spoke. We took pictures ... I have written to you numerous times, all the letters of which were on our Nation of Islam stationery and, when I signed my name, I always indicated `Chief of Protocol to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan' as my title."

As is usually the case with Blagojevich when faced with a difficult question from the media, he handed the task to an aide, who still claims Blago didn't know, wasn't aware....

Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat running for re-election, undoubtedly hopes that this whole mess will fade away. As I've written before, he can't afford to lose any part of Illinois' large black vote.

The dilemma for Blago is more acute now, because State Senator James Meeks, an African-American with close ties to Jesse Jackson and his congressman son, began circulating petitions last week to run as an independent for governor this fall.

Blogroll addition: Wall Street Cafe

Blogger La Ventanita, who is blogs at Wall Street Cafe, describes himself as a "Cuban American - Born in exile raised with Cuba in my heart."

Naturally his blog focuses on Cuban issues, but he blogs about all kinds of other issues as well.

Click here to visit his blog.

Ryan trial uproar may lead to criminal background checks for jurors

Criminal background checks for jurors could become widespread. Privacy advocates will of course be against such attempts by state and federal courts to screen out lying jurors.

What I've learned is that the trial of former Governor George Ryan is just the latest incident of jurors lying about criminal records when filling out their pre-trial questionnaires.

Here is what AP found:

A year ago in Florida, a judge sentenced a 19-year-old high school dropout to four months in jail for not mentioning his arrest record when he was called for jury duty. The juror said he didn't intentionally try to hide anything when called for jury duty, saying he had problems reading a questionnaire that asks whether prospective jurors have a criminal background.

In 2004, the judge overseeing Massachusetts trial courts said that state needed to do a better job of screening jurors for criminal backgrounds that might bias their consideration of a case. Robert Mulligan spoke out after three jurors were dismissed and a mistrial declared in the case of a man accused of killing a 10-year-old girl. The jurors allegedly lied about not having criminal records.

According to that article, the state's attorneys in two southern Illinois counties routinely screen potential jurors for past criminal indiscretions.

Here is the scary part:

Los Angeles-based jury consultant Phil Anthony, chief executive of DecisionQuest Inc., said rigorous juror selection would weed out what his industry calls the "stealth juror" -- someone willing to hide their background or biases to get on a high-profile case for notoriety, profit or "to make a statement." Nearly one in five would-be jurors fall into that category, "an accelerating trend," he said.

And the trial of a former governor is just the type of trial to attract that kind of juror.

I must be old-school. I though people looked for ways to not serve on a jury, particularly for months-long trials. However, the influence of television shows such as "Law & Order," as well as the cable TV network Court TV are showing their influence on society.

From a John Grisham novel? Ryan trial to continue for now, judge does not rule out mistrial

Just a few minutes ago, Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer ruled that the corruption trial of former Ill. Governor George Ryan will continue. Two alternates will replace the two jurors who were dismissed for lying about their run-ins with the law in their juror questionnaires.

Deliberations were halted after a week when the Chicago Tribune alerted the chief federal judge in Chicago about the two jurors and their questionable backgrounds.

But there still could be a mistrial, as CBS 2 Chicago reports:

U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer refused a defense motion for a mistrial but said she would entertain such a motion if she later came to believe the deliberations were not continuing fairly with the two new jurors.

Conspiracy theorists are enjoying the bizarre turn of events the Ryan trial has taken.

Among that ilk is the belief that the feds tipped of the Tribune on the shady backgrounds of the two jurors, because the deliberations were not going the prosecution's way.

The dismissed jurors are under a gag order issued by the Judge Pallmeyer. This hasn't stopped Marvin Brown, the adult son of dismissed jury member Evelyn Ezell from commenting to an ABC 7 Chicago reporter, "My mom feels sorry for George Ryan because now no one is on his side."

Suspicions are also being cast on the motivation of Winston & Strawn, the clout heavy law firm run by one of Ryan's predecessors in the governor's mansion, Jim Thompson.

That firm is defending Ryan--for free. Estimates are that the firm has spent $10 million dollars defending former Governor Ryan, who was Thompson's lieutenant governor until 1991.

Does loyalty alone explain Winston & Strawn's reasoning to agree to "comp" George Ryan's legal bills?

Other Chicago lawyers are openly hoping for a mistrial, stating the behemoth law firm "deserves" having to take Ryan as a client for free in a second trial.

Amazing as it is, the one-term Republican from Kankakee is being pushed to the background of the case as the unusual turn of events in the juror deliberations have ignited the imagination of those following the case.

As for his co-defendant, lobbyist Larry Warner, he's been for the most part been ignored in media reports about the trial.

Ryan and Warner are on trial on various corruption, racketeering, and mail fraud charges, including contract rigging and sweetheart deals.

Does this like it comes from a John Grisham novel? Yes, but the trial isn't over yet, and we're headed into uncharted territory.

Oh, that's what an eclipse is!

I found this Associated Press headline on Duluthsuperior.com:

Eclipse tomorrow will blot out the sun

Intrigued? The total solar eclipse (when the moon blocks the sun) will cover a large swath of the planet, from Mongolia to Brazil.

And if Marathon Pundit happens to be your sole source of news, I have to point this out:

Don't stare at the eclipse!

Or the non-eclipsed sun, either.

Chicago Tribune names two dismissed Ryan jurors

The one media outlet that has been kicking butt in covering the trial of former Ill. Governor George Ryan, particularly the disastrous jury deliberations, is the Chicago Tribune.

Today the Tribune (free registration may be required) named the two dismissed jurors. Robert Pavlick of Buffalo Grove is the man who presumably lied about his driving-under-the-influence conviction and other behind-the-wheel transgressions during the time when Ryan was in charge of the office that oversees driving-related concerns.

The other dismissed juror, Chicagoan Evelyn Ezel, apparently was charged but never convicted on drug and other charges.

Both jurors checked off "no" on their juror questionnaire in September:

Have you, or has any close friend of relative ever been charged with or accused of a crime?

In a separate article, the Tribune explained to its readers how the uncovered the information on the two jurors. Routinely in high-profile trials, reporters will retrieve background information on jurors and use that information to "flesh out" the jurors as the reporters note the motivations of the panel members who reached a verdict.

And the reporters discovered the two bombshells. They forwarded their findings to a top federal judge in Chicago.

Friend-of-the-blog Eric Zorn has the story-behind-the story.

The Daily Herald has a long profile on Pavlick. He works for Home Depot, and does a lot of volunteer work. The mayor of Palatine, Illinois called Pavlick "the nicest guy on earth" a while back.

But the Daily Herald also reports on a previously undisclosed incident from his troubled past:

Pavlick’s most recent brush — on July 24, 1996 — was on a much different matter.

Apparently distraught by the death of a relative, he was holed up with a weapon at his Buffalo Grove home, 94 W. Forest Place. Buffalo Grove police and local SWAT teams cordoned off a two-block radius around his home and negotiated with him for three hours until he surrendered and was taken to Northwest Community Hospital for an evaluation.

Police confiscated two 12-gauge shotguns from his home. He pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and having no firearm owner’s card and was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge, a type of light probation.

Fatina Abdrabboh: Missing Boston Marathoner

Last year Harvard grad student Fatina Abdrabboh wrote what Michelle Malkin called the stupidest op-ed ever, and a this ridiculous piece of tripe.

The New York Times published that op-ed, in which hijab-adorned Fatina describes working out in a Cambridge gym, feeling depressed because people stare at her because she wears a hijab, and that America is mean because of the Patriot Act. Really Mean. But her faith in America is renewed when some kind American picks up the keys she dropped and hands them to her.

And it just happened to be Al Gore in the gym who found the keys.

Undaunted by the inauspicious start as a newspaper guest columnist, Fatina reached another millstone with this Christian Science Monitor op-ed

In that article, Fatina describes the horror she experienced when a woman rolled up the driver's side window of her car when Fatina asked her for directions to Cambridge. Fatina automatically assumed it was because the woman in the other vehicle was repelled by her hijab.

Possibly. But then, maybe the other driver didn't know how to get to Cambridge.

Here is the paragraph from her Monitor op-ed that interests me for this post:

Why is my stance on terrorism my only defining feature? Casual conversations at the grocery store, the gym, the dry cleaner all seem laser-guided, by the way I look, to Islam and terrorism - and never to those everyday conversations that might revolve around other aspects of my life like how I like my Harvard classes, my training for the Boston Marathon, or my recent obsession with my stock portfolio.

A ha! The Boston Marathon. The 110th edition of the world's greatest running race takes place in three weeks. And Fatina hasn't registered for the race.

The Boston Marathon is the one race where runners have to run a pretty elusive qualifying time to be eligible to run in it. And Fatina, according to Marathonguide.com, hasn't run a marathon within the Boston qualifying period that began in September 2004.

Yes, the race organizer, the Boston Athletic Association, does have a back-door entry method for runners raising money for charities.

But one thing is for sure. Fatina isn't entered in the 2006 Boston Marathon.

The BAA is still accepting applications, but I ran with a group of guys yesterday who were running their final 20-miler in preparation for the Boston race.

What are you waiting for, Fatina?

Ms. Abdrabboh is a winner of Ankle Biting Pundits coveted "Buffoon of the Week" award.

A peril of talking in your sleep: A divorce

Interpretations vary widely on this issue, but among some Muslims, it's believed that if the husband utters "I divorce you" three times in succession to his wife, she is then an ex-wife.

Women in Islam don't have the same rights in dissolving marriages.

According to Islam Online, a man uttered "I divorce you" three times in his sleep. Local Muslim clerics told the couple, who have been married 11 years and have 3 kids to separate.

They haven't. And other clerics say they aren't divorced.

It's been commented by many within and outside of Islam that the faith needs a reformation. The divorce laws might be a good place to start.

Ryan trial judge: Trial may not be able to continue

As you can see on the previous posts, Federal Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer dismissed the two jurors from the George Ryan panel because they apparently lied about their criminal records when filling out their juror questionnaires last fall.

Two alternates will join the jury. But the judge is unsure the trial can continue.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

Pallmeyer said pointedly that there had been "a very significant investment both public and private" in the trial that by any yardstick has cost millions of dollars to hold.

"If we can proceed with this case fairly, if we can continue and continue with the jury and for them to deliberate fairly, that's what my goal would be," Pallmeyer said. "If I can proceed in a process that makes me comfortable, then that's what I intend to do."

She said however that to get deliberations going again, she would have to replace the dismissed jurors with alternates -- something defense attorneys say would violate Ryan's rights.

George H. Ryan is the former Governor of Illinois. A Republican from Kankakee, Ryan, along with lobbyist Larry Warner, is on trial for various corruption and racketeering charges.

Before he was governor, Ryan was secretary of state. Dozens of SOS employees were convicted of various graft charges, mainly for selling drivers' licenses to unqualified applicants. Several secretary of state leases and contracts were later to be discovered to be sweetheart deals. Ryan allegedly received free trips from wealthy campaign contributors, which he didn't report as income.

Of course, Ryan is probably best known as the man who commuted all 167 death sentences in Illinois to life-in-prison. That deed got George an appearance on the Oprah Show shortly after he left office, as well as international renown for his deed.

Illinoisans, particularly Republicans, have a less fond recollection of the one-time Kankakee pharmacist.

Without a doubt, George Ryan made the Illinois Republican Party what it is today.

Ex-Gov. Ryan objects to substitution of jurors

From ABC 7 Chicago:

The two jurors said on questionnaires before the start of the five- and- a- half month trial that they had never been charged with, or accused of a crime. However, public records have since shown that one of the jurors was convicted of drunk driving in the mind 90s and the second juror has a history of drug-related arrests, although she was never convicted.

Two of the alternates on the Ryan-Warner jury were seen entering the Dirksen Federal Building Monday morning. It is not clear if they will be seated on the jury.

Here is the former Illinois' governor statement:

Defendant George H. Ryan, Sr., by and through his attorneys, respectfully objects to the substitution of alternate jurors in the event the Court finds that one or more jurors are unable to perform or are disqualified from performing their duties. The substitution of alternates at this stage of deliberations would violate Ryan's Sixth Amendment right to trial by a fair and impartial jury, would therefore constitute an abuse of the Court's discretion under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure ("Rule") 24(c)(3). That Rule has never been, nor was it ever intended to be, employed under circumstances such as those present here, where jurors have had the case under deliberation for two and a half weeks, during which time there have been numerous notes, questions, and indications of deadlock, all against the backdrop of pervasive media attention. Even if an alternate juror were able to avoid the substantial press and publicity surrounding deliberations, it is simply not possible or reasonable to expect that he or she could engage in meaningful, constitutionally required deliberations with jurors who have already spent two and a half weeks deliberating the case in detail."

My take? Ryan and his lawyers are bluffing.

George Ryan trial jurors not deliberating today

The jury--or what's left of it--was sent home by the judge in the trial. The defense attorneys for the former Ill. governor are meeting with that judge now.

Ryan is getting free legal counsel--$10 million worth--from the prestigious Winston & Strawn law firm.

Do you think the firm wants a retrial?

George Ryan jury deliberations to resume this morning

Well, that's the plan, anyway. There are no indications that the judge, Rebecca Pallmeyer, will declare a mistrial.

Scene from a 20 mile run

I took this photo this morning on the Chicago Lakefront Running Path at 39th Street with my Motoroa V3 RAZR phone. I was 14 miles into my 20 mile run.

North Side Chicagoans tend to look down on the South Siders, but one thing is for sure: The best view of Chicago's skyline is from this spot.

Much of my run this morning parallels the course of the Gay Games Marathon, a subject I will visit this week.

Moron Prince Charles

Wow, here is an Associated Press article that really hammers a good point home.

And I don't write stuff like that very often. I have a lot more about Prince Charles and his appeasement tour in the following post.

An excerpt from the AP story:

Prince Charles took his message of religious tolerance Saturday to an Islamic university that follows Saudi Arabia's strict Wahhabi school of the faith, but he made no mention of the lack of religious freedoms in the country.

Because of the strict segregation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia, Charles and his wife Camilla had to carry out separate functions on Saturday. Camilla visited the first women's charity to be set up in the kingdom, admiring traditionally embroidered dresses and watching a trainee give a haircut to a colleague.

Wow, she watched a woman give a haircut to another woman! I'm sure her mind wandered to the good old days when she was the mistress to the Prince of Wales. All fun, no boredom. Well, I'm sure there was some pre-marital boredom with Charles.

Here is the exclamation point of the AP article:

In its annual Report on International Religious Freedom issued in November, the State Department listed ally Saudi Arabia and Iran as countries of "particular concern" for their hostility to any religion other than their versions of Islam. Every citizen of Saudi Arabia must be Muslim, the report said, and religious freedom is neither recognized nor protected under Saudi law.

Let's hope the notoriously feisty British press slugs Charles hard over his recent comments made in the Middle East--or lack of comments.

Steyn is fine as always, Prince Charles a twit

Via Michelle Malkin's blog, I found the latest Mark Steyn column in the Orange County Register. I'm accustomed to finding it first in the Chicago Sun-Times.

I thought I was the only one to catch this item, but Steyn, in a column mostly about Afghan Christian convert Abdul Rahman, found great irony in the recent comments by that famous English twit, Prince Charles.

My post Thursday post on the subject is here.

Here's is Steyn's take on Charles:

As always, we come back to the words of Osama bin Laden: "When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse." That's really the only issue: The Islamists know our side have tanks and planes, but they have will and faith, and they reckon in a long struggle that's the better bet. Most prominent Western leaders sound way too eager to climb into the weak-horse suit and audition to play the rear end. Consider, for example, the words of the Prince of Wales, speaking a few days ago at al-Azhar University in Cairo, which makes the average Ivy League nuthouse look like a beacon of sanity. Anyway, this is what His Royal Highness had to say to 800 Islamic "scholars":

"The recent ghastly strife and anger over the Danish cartoons shows the danger that comes of our failure to listen and to respect what is precious and sacred to others. In my view, the true mark of a civilized society is the respect it pays to minorities and to strangers."

That's correct. But the reality is that our society pays enormous respect to minorities - President Bush holds a monthlong Ramadan-a-ding-dong at the White House every year. The immediate reaction to the slaughter of 9/11 by Western leaders everywhere was to visit a mosque to demonstrate their great respect for Islam. One party to this dispute is respectful to a fault: after all, to describe the violence perpetrated by Muslims over the Danish cartoons as the "recent ghastly strife" barely passes muster as effete Brit toff understatement.

Unfortunately, what's "precious and sacred" to Islam is its institutional contempt for others. In his book "Islam And The West," Bernard Lewis writes, "The primary duty of the Muslim as set forth not once but many times in the Quran is 'to command good and forbid evil.' It is not enough to do good and refrain from evil as a personal choice. It is incumbent upon Muslims also to command and forbid." Or as the Canadian columnist David Warren put it: "We take it for granted that it is wrong to kill someone for his religious beliefs. Whereas Islam holds it is wrong not to kill him." In that sense, those imams are right, and Karzai's attempts to finesse the issue are, sharia-wise, wrong.

Charles' suck-up tour took him to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, as the Arab News informs us.

Meanwhile on the Charles front, since 2003 Daniel Pipes has been keeping a running log entitled, Is Prince Charles a Convert to Islam?

My take? Probably not. An apologist for Islamic intolerance? Yes.

Leaders of the Baltic States denounce Belarus elections, look for "our Reagan"

The three Baltic States, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, are EU and NATO members. So it should be no surprise that the leaders of these nations have condemned the recent Belarus presidential elections. The Balts suffered terribly during the decades of Soviet rule there.

The countries remember tyranny, they're enjoying freedom now.

Latvia and Lithuania both border Belarus.

From the Baltic Times:

Leaders of all three Baltic states expressed their strong disapproval of the Belarusian presidential election, which resulted in the incumbent Aleksandr Lukashenko mustering 82 percent of the vote. Baltic politicians slammed the poll as undemocratic and non-transparent.

President Valdas Adamkus was quoted in a press release as saying, "Just like the rest of the world, I was surprised by the number of detained election campaign participants, the monopoly on the media and intimidating statements by representatives of the administration. Is that how state leaders should be elected in Europe in the 21st century?"

Here's what one Lithuanian member of parliament had to say:

MP Egidijus Vareikis opined that, while playing by Lukashenko rules, it was not worth considering that any other candidate would win. He drew a parallel to former U.S.-president Ronald Reagan and his strong stance toward the Soviet Union.

"But where’s our Reagan in this case?" he asked rhetorically.

More breaking news in ex-Gov George Ryan trial: Questions surrounding 2nd juror

Honey, I shrunk the jury!

Well, I might be premature with that statement, but the Chicago Tribune is reporting tonight that a cloud is developing around a second juror on the panel of the George Ryan trial.

The former Illinois governor is on trial, along with lobbyist Larry Warner, for various corruption and racketeering charges.

See the posts below this one on the problems facing another member of that jury.

From the Chicago Tribune (free registration required):

Further record searches Friday linked the name of a female juror to an alias. The woman with that alias faced felony drug charges, as well as misdemeanor child neglect and assault charges, records show. She was not convicted of these charges, the records show.

The female juror linked to that alias stated on a jury questionnaire before the trial that she had never been charged or accused of a crime.

A number of public records -- from bankruptcy filings to land transactions -- appear to show that the juror and the woman with several arrests are the same person.

It is unclear what impact the revelation of a second juror apparently shielding past brushes with the law would have on the deliberations in the 5-month-old public corruption trial.

Judge Pallmeyer has promised to reveal the results of her investigation in regards to the other juror, who made his life much more complicated by apparently answering "no" to these queries on his juror questionnaire:

Have you had any good of bad experiences with the Illinois Secretary of State's Office or any other state governmental agency?

Have you, or has any close friend of relative ever been charged with or accused of a crime?

Previous posts on this subject:

Ryan trial DUI juror update

Breaking news: Gov. Ryan trial juror hid '95 DUI conviction

George Ryan case: Mistrial?

This will be the major story next week in Illinois. Nationally it'll be big too, considering former Ill. Gov. George Ryan is well known for his commuting all Ill. death penalty to life-in-prison in 2003.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

The allegations against the juror are that he lied on a questionnaire about whether he or a close friend had ever been convicted of a crime, and as CBS 2’s Mike Parker reports, the fallout from that allegation has thrown the trial into an uproar.

There is a question of whether defense attorneys might now ask for a mistrial. They cannot comment on the subject due to a gag order in the case, but defense attorneys were overheard saying the word "mistrial" as they went into a closed-door meeting Friday.

But juror consultant Theresa Zagnoli said, "I think the safest thing the judge can do is dismiss the juror."

Ryan’s defense attorneys are extremely upset that a juror apparently lied to the court during jury selection about convictions of felony drunken driving conviction and weapon possession.

Bring back the punch card ballots?

Tuesday there was a primary election in Illinois. About 40% of Illinois' population lives in Cook County, as do I.

Cook County debuted it's new voting machines for this election. For the last thirty years, voters in America's second-most populous county used the punch card system to exercise their franchise.

After the 2000 punch card ballot debacle in Florida, Cook County began exploring replacing the punch card system.

(Here's a little-known fact: portions of the 2000 Cook County ballot even used a butterfly ballot, the type of ballot that caused enormous confusion in Palm Beach County, Florida.)

Six years after the 2000 election, Cook has new voting equipment. Not just one type, but two: touch screen and optical scan.

When I presented myself to the election judges on Tuesday at Morton Grove's 99th precinct, I told them I wanted to use the touch screen ballot. (The optical scan ballots reminded me too much of stressful exams I took during my school days.)

Sorry, Mr. Ruberry, it's not working. You have to use the optical scan ballot.

So I did, the judge handed me the necessary voting pen, and I was done in five minutes.

The vote counters in Cook County are not done. Three days after the voting ended, only 88% of the ballots have been counted. As far as I can gather, the missing 12% won't sway results enough to change the projected winners in Cook County of the rest of Illinois.

A disgraceful situation.

According to media reports, the primary cause of the tabulation snafu is the inability of election judges to combine the totals of the optical scan and touch screen machines.

Cook County Clerk David Orr, who is in charge of suburban Cook's elections is blaming the vendor, Sequoia Voting Systems. Sequoia is blaming inadequate training of judges.

The County has the upper hand in this battle, since it has paid Sequoia only $8 million of a $26 million contract.

Hopefully in the next seven-and-a-half months before the general election, all the bugs will be worked out with the new equipment. If not, did the County throw away all those punch card machines?

Back to Florida and that refrain we heard in 2000:

But the first thing we need to do is count all the votes!

Ryan trial DUI juror update

The Chicago Tribune has a lot more this morning on the "DUI juror" in the trial of former Ill. Governor George Ryan. Based on this latest story, it's impossible to believe that the juror forgot about his behind-the-wheel convictions. His license was revoked six years ago, that revocation is set to expire next year.

Free registration may be required:

Court records that match the juror's name show an arrest for drunken driving on Nov. 7, 1994, in Palatine. There was a guilty plea on July 25, 1995, in that case and a sentence of 60 days in jail and 30 months of probation imposed, according to the records. It was unclear if any time was served in jail.

In February 1996, the same man was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and with violating probation, records show.

In October 1996, those charges were reduced to misdemeanors, and the judge did not impose a jail term.

The Tribune has learned of three other drunk driving arrests by this juror.

From 1991 to 1999, George Ryan was Illinois' Secretary of State. That office issues driver's' licenses--and revokes them.

Breaking news: Gov. Ryan trial juror hid '95 DUI conviction

From my last Ryan post:

It looks like there is a developing story in the George Ryan trial.

And it will be developing into who knows what later today.

The Chicago Tribune has a great scoop tonight in its online edition. Yes, free registration may be required.

A federal judge launched an investigation into a juror in the George Ryan trial Thursday hours after the Tribune reported to court officials that public records appear to show the man had hidden a felony DUI conviction from the court during jury selection.

The revelation cast a shadow over the historic prosecution of the former governor, and could potentially lead to a motion for a mistrial or form grounds for the juror's dismissal with deliberations already underway.

Court records matching the suburban juror's name and other identifying information show a conviction for aggravated drunken driving-a felony-while Ryan was secretary of state in 1995.

In a sworn questionnaire filled out by potential jurors before the trial's start last September, the juror answered "no" when asked if he, a close friend or relative had ever been charged or accused of a crime.

The Tribune also reports that someone with the juror's same name had his driving privileges revoked or suspended several times during Ryan's tenure as Secretary of State.

In Illinois, the majority of what the Secretary of State's office is responsible for is what the Department of Motor Vehicles does in many other states.

The Trib isn't naming the juror since doing so would place the newspaper directly on an ethical landmine, but his name will quickly get out, you can be assured.

And he'll be regretting not marking "yes" on his juror questionnaire when asked if he, a relative, or a close friend had ever been accused of a crime.

Wal-blogging: Sushi, expensive wine, and sales tax revenue

This article appeared in yesterday's Chicago Tribune. I've been meaning to do a post on it since then, but Tuesday's local primary election and its fallout have preoccupied me.

Free registration may be required to view the Tribune article.

Plano, Texas is a well-to-do town north of Dallas. And a new Wal-Mart store opened there this week.

And the new store is offering more than "Always Low Prices."

From the Tribune article:

In its boldest effort yet to target upscale shoppers, the nation's largest retailer is opening a new store this week with an expanded selection of high-end electronics, more fine jewelry, hundreds of types of wine ranging up to $500 a bottle, and even a sushi bar.

Wal-Mart says it won't duplicate this format anywhere else. But if plasma TVs, microbrewery beer and fancy balsamic vinegar sell in Plano, those items could be added to stores in other affluent communities.

Time for Macy's to get nervous?

Oh, I'm sure the new Plano store sells a lot of stuff you can find at traditional Wal-Marts. There certainly is a music section, and after a trip to the sushi bar, a shopper can head over there, and purchase the Best of The Tubes 1981-1987, and groove to such tunes as Sushi Girl.

Su-su-sushi (sushi girl)
Mushi-mushi (sushi girl)
Cherry blossom (sushi girl) and rice
Su-su-sushi she’s so nice

Su-su-sushi don’t you cry
Take you to the sushi bar and buy you some
Fillet and claw
Clam and tuna
Gonna eat it raw
She’s my my abaluna

Marshall Manson of Edelman PR sent me this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (No he didn't send me the Tubes lyrics.)

The southern suburbs of Atlanta have some poverty stricken areas. And rather than block Wal-Mart from entering the area, the residents of DeKalb County south of Atlanta are embracing the retailing giant.

From the Journal-Constitution:

DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones said new Wal-Mart's location off I-20 will also attract shoppers from outside the county, putting sales-tax revenue in county coffers.

Jones also believes people in the community should welcome the new supercenter, especially because of what it replaced.

"I think it's obvious what people would like, if they have a choice between a dilapidated, crack-infested old building with no jobs versus a thriving retail box with supporting retail shops, providing jobs and services and improving the property value," he said. "I think it's a no-brainer."

About sales tax revenue: It was this Marathon Pundit post that brought my blog to the attention of Edelman.

24,000 Chicagoans apply to work at suburban Wal-Mart
And Chicago has just one Wal-Mart. Two years ago, Chicago's city council turned down a plan to allow a Wal-Mart to open on Chicago's South Side, not too far away from the store that will open Friday in adjacent Evergreen Park. That suburb, not Chicago, will reap in significant sales tax revenue.

Unions, Jesse Jackson and the usual suspects chased away the South Side Wal-Mart. Ordinary Chicagoans seem unfazed by the "boogey-man" reputation the Left has heaped on Wal-Mart, according the Chicago Sun-Times.

According to John Bisio, regional manager of public affairs for the retail giant, there were 24,500 applicants for positions at the new Wal-Mart. All but 500 listed a Chicago home address.

Obviously, these Chicagoans don't care about the High Cost of Low Price.

The final link goes to the hit-job of a movie about Wal-Mart that came out last fall.

Rob "Meathead" Reiner liked it, though. He also liked Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

Californian held in bizarre Bolivian bombing case

A presumably very troubled man from the small northern California town of Placerville is being held by Bolivian authorities for allegedly setting off bombs at several hotels in the South American nation.

At first glance, the accused, Triston Jay Amero--also known as Claudio Lestat--would be able to supply enough material for a weeklong conference of psychiatrists. At second glance, perhaps a month's worth.

From the Sacramento Bee, (free reg. required):

Bolivian police were puzzling Thursday over the possible motives of a former Placerville resident accused of killing two people and wounding at least seven by setting off bombs in Bolivian hotels. He described himself as a Saudi Arabian lawyer, a pagan reverend, even a vampire, having adopted the name of the main character in Anne Rice’s dark novels.

Triston Jay Amero, 24, ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the El Dorado Union High School District Board in 2002. Amero, who listed his occupation with the El Dorado County Elections office as a "Clergyman/process server," lost during the June 2002 election, having only garnered 5.56 percent of the vote, according to Bee archives.

In Bolivia, Amero said he was running from the law in California, where he served time in juvenile prisons, and has tried for years to renounce his U.S. citizenship while wandering around South America on a shoestring, looking for women - and getting into more trouble. He said he was jailed in Argentina where authorities said he tried to bomb an ATM machine.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's also revealed that Amero/Lestat also has an interest in the criminal career of Ted Kacyzinksi.

Hat tip to our man in Northern California, Third Wave Dave.

UPDATE 8:05PM CST: Dave has a picture of Lestat on his site, linked above. Wall Street Cafe points out the power of blogging by directing me to this Chilean newspaper site, which published a picture, a more frightening one, of Amero/Lestat.

George Ryan trial judge investigating juror on personal matter

It looks like there is a developing story in the George Ryan trial.

From the Chicago Tribune (free registration required):

The federal judge presiding over the trial of former Gov. George Ryan announced this afternoon that she is investigating a personal matter involving a juror in the case.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer declined to reveal anything about the investigation but said she dismissed the jury, in its eighth day of deliberations, to pursue the matter.

Pallmeyer stressed that the investigation is not related to two notes she received from jurors this week that stated they are having personal difficulties with deliberations.

The judge is keeping the subject of the investigation under seal, but what it's all about will be revealed "no later than Monday morning."

Ill. 6th District Dems: Don't Rahm candidates down our throats

Previous posts on this subject:

Congressional race to watch this fall: Illinois' 6th District
Durbin on election night on Bush, Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth's candidacy

Chicago area residents tend to be clannish and suspicious of outsiders. And more so than other people, they don't like to be told what to do. Or how to vote.

Tammy Duckworth, an Iraqi war veteran and double amputee barely won Tuesday's primary for the Democratic nomination to run against Republican Peter Roskam in Illinois' 6th District.

Duckworth doesn't live in the district, and had a lot of outsiders, such as John Kerry, Hillary Clinton--as well as nationally known Illinoisans such as Dick Durbin, Barack Obama, and Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel promoting her candidacy.

Rahm Emanuel is the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; in short he's in charge of getting more Democrats elected to Congress.

Duckworth received 44% of the vote, followed closely by Christine Cegelis, who came close to defeating longtime 6th District Congressman Henry Hyde in 2004.

Lindy Scott finished third on Tuesday.

Don't look for a Rahm Appreciation Day in Chicago's western suburbs any time soon.

From the Chicago Tribune (free registration may be required):

The close primary reflected Cegelis' many supporters who had stuck with her since her first race and bristled at Duckworth's late entry and massive push from leaders such as U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

York Township Democratic Party Chairman Doug Cole said the 40 or more precinct committeemen in his township who supported Cegelis or Scott may vote for Duckworth in the fall because "we can't stand Roskam," but they're unlikely to work for her campaign.

Duckworth lives in the neighboring 8th District, and her campaign was the product of "top-down politics as foisted upon us by Rahm Emanuel. Not only do they not need us, they don't want us, so we'll take the message," Cole said.

Scott wished Duckworth well Wednesday but said he was "disappointed by the uneven playing field" in terms of money and media attention that confronted him and Cegelis.

Day 8 of deliberations over in George Ryan trial--still no verdict

Another day and no verdict in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan. The jurors won't reconvene until Monday. They have a lot of soul searching to do. Not only do they need to reach a verdict, but they have to begin getting along with each other. And they need, I guess, to behave as proper jurors.

The judge for the trial, Rebecca Pallmeyer, released to the press the statement she gave to the 12 jurors.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

Dear Jurors,

You 12 are the jurors selected to decide this case. In your deliberations I expect you to treat your fellow jurors with dignity and respect.

As I understand from your notes, you may be having some difficulties during your deliberations. As I told you earlier you have two duties as the jury.

Your first duty is to decide the facts from the evidence in the case. This is your job and yours alone. Your second duty is to apply the law that I give you to the facts.

You must follow these instructions, even if you disagree with them. Each of the instructions is important, and you must follow all of them.

Finally, I remind you that any deliberations in this case must be conducted only in the jury room among all of you.

Private discussions about this case outside the jury room among any smaller groups is a violation of your sworn duty.

Yours Truly,
Rebecca Pallmeyer

German state might quiz potential Muslim immigrants on holocaust, will show racy film

Last week the Netherlands announced that would-be Muslim immigrants to Holland would have to watch a film showing topless women and two gay men kissing each other.

If they viewers can't tolerate the images, they don't get into Holland.

According to Islam Online.net, the southern German state of Hessen is proposing to expand on the Dutch idea, by adding a question and answer session to its immigration screening process including queries about Israel and the holocaust. The Hessen proposal, still awaiting approval from Berlin, may be adopted by other German states.

From Islam Online:

"What do you know about the Holocaust? Define Israel's right to exist? Are you offended when you see two homos kissing one another?"...etc. These are some of the questions in a racy test would-be immigrants in Germany may have to sit in for, also including watching sex scenes.

More...

"Some Muslim countries apply death penalty over aspects in day-to-day life that we consider normal," said Stephan Mayer, member of the CUP (Christian Union Party).

He cited short skirts and homosexual acts in public as examples of normal behavior in Germany.

Norbert Geis, a fellow party member, echoed a similar stance.

"Bathing naked in public may draw criticism. But something like this should be accepted (by immigrants) in Germany," Geis said.

There is a smattering of opposition about the immigration proposal from all over the German political map in Germany, particularly about the sex stuff.

There have been calls in the West for Europe to stand up and be proud of its heritage and its immeasurable contributions to civilization. I'm pretty sure showing DVD clips of topless babes to Muslims was not what those voices had in mind, but hey, it's a start.

March Madness at FrontPage Magazine

FrontPage Magazine is having its own March Madness tournament to decide who is America's worst professor.

Free registration is required.

Michael Bérubé, an English professor at Penn State University (he was formerly at my alma mater, the University of Illinois) is leading the pack, and the strength of his effort has vaulted Penn State into first place in the teacompetitionon.

Good news for Penn State, since it's usually a bystander in that "other" March Madness.

Regular visitors to Marathon Pundit will recognize quite a few of the names in the elite field of awfulness.

Among the profs I've blogged about in the tournament are Noam Chomsky, Ward Churchill, Sami al-Arian, Bill Ayers and his wife Bernardine Dohrn, Ron (Maulana) Karenga, and Mark LeVine.

Chicago's DePaul University, one of my favorite blogging subjects, has two entrants in the tournement: Norman Finkelstein and Aminah Beverly McCloud.

Good luck. And may the worst professor win!

George Ryan trial update: Impasse

The jury in the George Ryan corruption trial resumed deliberations about a half an hour ago.

There is some sort of impasse, and of course rumors that the trial will end up with a hung jury are growing.

The disagreements among the jury seem to be based on personal issues, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune (free registration required).

From the Trib:

On Tuesday, a TV producer stationed outside Pallmeyer's courtroom overheard a juror tell other jurors as they boarded a public elevator that the name-calling had to stop.

There was a "Fitzmas" sighting yesterday, as the Tribune reported:

The seriousness of the impasse was apparent when U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald and First Assistant U.S. Atty. Gary Shapiro waited outside the courtroom for a lengthy period as lawyers in the case met privately in chambers with the judge for more than an hour.

Teleconference Thursday on how public relations people can tap the blogosphere

Three weeks ago I had a long post on how Wal-Mart's public relations firm was seeking out bloggers it viewed as sympathetic to the retail giant--including this blogger--and tipping them off to new stories they can blog about if they wish.

On Thursday Bulldog Reporter's PR University will have a teleconference on how public relations professionals can utilize the blogosphere to get their messages out.

From their website:

What to do when a blogger sandbags your company, news or CEO? What's the smartest--and most fruitful--way to build long-term relationships with bloggers in your space? How can you best track what's being said about you or your company online--and what are the "new rules" for reaching and influencing blogs read by the stakeholders you want to reach? Join Bulldog Reporter's PR University for an exclusive panel of top media bloggers and the PR experts who successfully pitch them to earn the answers to these and many more critical questions designed to demystify the blogosphere. You'll walk away with practical tools and tactics for successfully incorporating blog outreach into your communications strategy.

Your Presenters:
Shel Israel, Co-Author, "Naked Conversations"
Alice Marie Marshall, Owner, Presto Vivace, Inc
Tom Foremski, Editor, Publisher, founder, Silicon Valley Watcher
Jeremy Pepper, Group Manager and Online Communications Specialist, Weber Shandwick
Moderator:
Brian Pittman, Director of Content, Bulldog Reporter's PR University

Why you--and everyone on your team--should attend this PR University training session:

Many in PR still haven't figured out how to approach blogs--much less tap their awesome power and influence. Simply put, many communicators seem reluctant to approach these online pundits--and with good reason: An influential blogger could derail your company news, product launch or expert's credibility without so much as a second thought.

On the other hand, a favorable review in a key blog could give your idea the stamp of approval traditional media often needs to see before it can take the story to mainstream America. The bottom line is this: Internet buzz is critical to protecting your brand--and blogs represent an often overlooked (yet key) component of making sure your online strategies support the reputation you've worked so hard to create.

Audio Conference at a Glance
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2005
Time: 1PM EST; Noon CST; 11AM MST; 10AM PST
Place: Your telephone or speakerphone
Cost: $279 per dial-in site (unlimited attendance per dial-in site)
To register: Click here or call 1-800-959-1059

The good news: You can now leave the guesswork behind and confidently incorporate advanced--blog relations--into your arsenal of communications tools. Join our exclusive panel of top bloggers and cutting edge PR pros who successfully pitch bloggers day in and day out for a practical training session designed to demystify the blogger mindset, today’s best blog-pitching practices and turn you and your team into blog PR experts.

Don't waste your money on this one.

For starters...

There is this sentence:

An influential blogger could derail your company news, product launch or expert's credibility without so much as a second thought.

I'm sure the public relations staff at DePaul University would disagree with me, but I try to be very fair in my criticism. So do other bloggers who give a damn. Coincidentally, the responsible bloggers have the highest readership. Why is that? Bloggers who mislead their visitors soon have fewer site hits.

Only two of the four presenters are bloggers, and only Foremski's blog Silicon Valley Watcher is any good.

As opposed to $279, here is my 2 cents. A business that does something stupid, unethical, or illegal should beware of the bloggers. If you get caught, confess and move on.

And treat bloggers with the same respect you'd give to a mainstream media reporter.

Please deposit your 2 cents in my PayPal account.

Lesson over.

Juror removed from Lodi terror trial

Apparently there is another high profile case experiencing difficulties. (See previous post.) The big trial I'm referring to is Hamid Hayat's terror case in Lodi, CA.

Dave Logan, aka Third Wave Dave reports that juror Andrea Clabaugh has been removed from the panel because she disclosed that years ago she dated a deputy sheriff.

No big deal....

But this is what Clabaugh told the Sacramento (free registration required) Bee:

Beyond a reasonable doubt hasn't been proven at this point," Clabaugh, 39, said in a hallway interview with reporters.

The government is nearing the end of its case.

Prosecution of the 23-year-old Hayat is built primarily on a videotaped admission to FBI agents that he attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan and initially lied about it when questioned by agents, and on secretly recorded conversations he had with Naseem Khan, an FBI informant.

"I felt like he was being badgered" by FBI agents, Clabaugh said of the confession. "I felt like he was giving them information because they refused to believe he didn't know anything. It seemed like he was fed names by the agents. It didn't seem like Hamid actually volunteered anything."

The most surprising revelation of the trial has been the testimony by Khan that al-Qaeda's second-in-command, erstwhile pediatrician Ayman Al-Zawahiri, lived in Lodi in the 1990s, although the defense disputes that allegation.

Ryan trial: Jurors having "difficulties"

The jurors in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan have been deliberating for eight days. According to the Chicago (free registration may be required) Tribune, jurors sent a note to the trial judge explaining they're having "difficulties" during the deliberations. The judge did not say what those difficulties were.

In short, don't look for a verdict today.

Congressional race to watch this fall: Illinois' 6th District

Longtime Republican Congressman Henry Hyde, best known for his role as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee during the Bill Clinton impeachment hearings, is retiring after 32 years representing his suburban Chicago district.

In 2004, Hyde's Democratic opponent got 44% of the vote, the highest a Hyde challenger ever achieved.

Naturally the Democrats view the 6th as a good possibility to win a new seat for their side this fall. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin recruited Tammy Duckworth to run for the Democratic nomination in the 6th District. Tammy is an Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs in action while co-piloting a Blackhawk helicopter. Her right arm was also shattered.

In addition to Durbin, Senators Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton came out for Duckworth in the primary.

Expect a lot of big names visiting Chicago's suburbs this fall stumping for Duckworth.

But Duckworth won't be expecting a cake walk. Her Republican opponent, Peter Roskam, has a $1 million war chest. Duckworth has some baggage--she doesn't live in the district. The epithet "carpetbagger" was tossed at her during the campaign.

UPDATE 8:46PM CST: Brainster has his own insightful analysis of the Duckworth contest.

Topinka gets GOP nod

Judy Baar Topinka will face off against incumbent Democrat Rod Blagojevich in the race for Illinois' governor this fall.

It'll be an entertaining contest, both candidates are known to make unusual comments on a regular basis.

Topinka gives pep talk, Oberweis more reserved

Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka just gave a speech, not a victory speech, really more a pep-talk. The Riverside Republican I thought did a good job, but the Fox 32 staff panned her.

It looks like Judy is going to win, but it's a bit early to know for sure.

Jim Oberweis gave a speech about 15 minutes later. He didn't sound too confident.

Joe Birkett, who I've had the pleasure of meeting, will be the Republican Candidate for Lieutenant Governor, he defeated State Senator Steve Rauschenberger.

Results are coming in slow tonight. The new voting machines being used in Cook County, where Chicago is, are getting the blame.

The power of blogging: Rich Miller on Fox Chicago.

Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax Blog just appeared on Fox 32. He noted that he's been publishing his Capital Fax newsletter for years, but it was his blog that got him noticed by Fox Chicago--and so he got his first election night analysis gig tonight.

Lincoln and Churchill defeated in 8th District Republican primary

I couldn't resist the headline. David McSweeney is the winner in the Northwest Suburban 8th Congressional District. He'll face first-term rep Melissa Bean in November.

From the Daily Herald:

With 73 percent of precincts reporting the vote totals were as follows:

• 38 percent for McSweeney

• 30 percent for Kathy Salvi

• 25 percent for Robert Churchill, a state senator.

• 4 percent for Aaron Lincoln, a Wauconda attorney

• 2 percent for Gurnee anti-tax activist Ken Arnold

•1 percent for James Mitchell, a former Lake County Board member

Oberweis is optimistic

West suburban dairy businessman Jim Oberweis is doing--so far--better than expected tonight in his quest to become the Republican Party's nominee for Governor of Illinois. Judy Baar Topinka, the state treasurer, is the favorite tonight.

J. Matt Barber was just on Fox 32 Chicago talking up Obi, he's Oberweis' press secretary.

Barber's best known outside the state as the man who lost his job last year allegedly because of a column he wrote critical of the homosexual lifestyle.

Matt has since filed suit against Allstate.

Durbin on election night on Bush, Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth's candidacy

Heard this on WLS-AM radio just now. Senator Dick Durbin, responding to a question about the president's press conference today.

"...he virtually has no plan to stabilize Iraq and no strategy for getting our troops home."

Durbin, along with other prominent Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Illinois' other senator, Barack Obama, have endorsed Iraqi war veteran Tammy Duckworth in her bid to become the Democratic nominee in Illinois' 6th Congressional District. Republican Henry Hyde, who has represented the area for over 30 years, is retiring.

If Duckworth wins, expect an enormous amount of national attention to be focused on this contest.

It many ways, a fall race with Duckworth as the Democratic nominee will parallel last year's Ohio contest between Iraq War veteran Paul Hackett, a Democrat running in a Republican district. Hackett lost a close election.

Illinois' 6th District is not as conservative as it once was, but it's still viewed as a Republican district.

Republican State Senator Peter Roskam is running in the Republican primary in the 6th Congressional District.

Election night Illinois

Results are starting to trickle in. The big story is the low-turnout.

From Eric Zorn's Change of Subject blog:

Former Gov. Jim Edgar was just interviewed on WGN AM 720 and struck a very pessimistic note about tonight's prospects for the gubernatorial candidate he is backing, Judy Baar Topinka.

Edgar theorizes that the hardcore conservatives, who have coalesced around Jim Oberbweis, will benefit. The red-meat conservatives--yes, we have them in Illinois, typically vote no matter what the conditions.

I'm watching Fox 32 Chicago, where Rich Miller of the Capital Fax blog, is scheduled to contribute to the coverage.

David Horowitz and Ward Churchill to debate

Hat tip to Atlas Shrugs, another Pajamas Media blog.

When I saw this story, I thought this was a hoax. But it's true. The first debate between David Horowitz, whose latest book is The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America, will debate Ward "Little Eichmanns" Churchill in a series of debates. The first one is next month George Washington University in Washington D.C.

The entire press release is here.

After 7 days of deliberations, still no verdict in George Ryan trial

Well, after a six month trial, a quick verdict shouldn't be expected.

The 12 jurors in the trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan have gone home for the night. They'll be back on Wednesday to resume deliberations.

Ryan, along with former aide Larry Warner, is on trial on various corruption and racketeering charges.

Prince Charles rips Danish cartoons

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne--as well as the future head of the Church of England--gave a speech today at an Islamic university in Egypt mentioning that Islam, Christianity, and Judaism have the same origin, but went a step further and commented on the recent controversy about those Danish Muhammad cartoons.

From Islam Online:

The recent ghastly strife and anger over the Danish cartoons shows the danger that comes of our failure to listen and to respect what is precious and sacred to others," Prince Charles told an audience of some 3,000 people at Al-Azhar University, Islam's most ancient seat of learning.

"I think of the experience of Muslims living in Europe who are subject to varied and continuous expressions of Islamophobia."

He asserted: "The true mark of a civilized society is the respect it pays to minorities and to strangers."

What a maroon. Surely Prince Charles religions other than Islam are banned in Saudi Arabia.

If the Prince wants to learn more, he can read this Marathon Pundit post:

Iran and its lack of respect for other religions

Or he can review the case of Abdul Rahman, the Afghan who may be executed for converting to Christianity, as Michelle Malkin reports.

Election Day in Illinois

I just got back from voting at Edison School in Skokie, where I took this picture. Punchcards and chads are gone from Cook County, I used an optical scan sheet for the first time while exercising my franchise.

Turnout will undoubtedly be lower in Central Illinois, the snowstorm that wreaked havoc in the Plains is doing the same thing there.

Judge scolds Chicago for trying to seize Englewood church

The Chicago media has been extensively covering the tragic killings last week of two girls from the impoverished Englewood neighborhood. In separate incidents, the girls were killed while inside their homes by stray bullets that came from alleged street gang crossfire.

On Saturday, there was a neighborhood march in Englewood calling for an end to the violence. Mayor Richard Daley and Governor Rod Blagojevich participated in the march.

Two days later, Daley's law department got a scolding from U.S District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan because of the City's attempt to seize the Beth-El All Nations Church for unpaid taxes. The tax bill and the notice of a hearing on those taxes was sent by the City to the wrong address.

Beth-El All Nations Church claims the City has its hungry eyes on the property for redevelopment.

Judge Der-Yeghiayan was hard on the City of Chicago, as the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

Der-Yeghiayan ruled that the church did not have reasonable opportunity to pay the taxes or even attend the hearing because the notices were sent to the wrong address. "One wonders how the city could not know the address of a church that is located within the city’s own municipal limits, a church the city is attempting to possess," he wrote in his ruling.

He wrote that the City admitted to "being derelict in its duty to give proper notice" and has "ought to keep the allegedly unlawful title to the church by hiding behind technical arguments concerning the passing of limitations periods ..."

The judge said the ceasing of operations of the church could cause "severe harm" to the church and result in “losses to the community that could not be quantified in dollars and cents . . . In fact, it is entirely unclear why the City would desire such an asset to the community to cease its operations and move elsewhere,” Der-Yeghiayan wrote.

John Mauck, the attorney who representing the church, commented Beth-El All Nations is the kind of place that "might keep a gang-banger from shooting a little girl."

Marijuana smuggled into US through porous border--into North Dakota

If pot can be easily smuggled into North Dakota from Canada, terrorists can step across the border without being noticed.

From the Canadian Press:

Canadian criminals continue to use the barren Manitoba-North Dakota border to smuggle marijuana into the United States, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says.

"Canadian drug organizations from Vancouver and Manitoba use the wide North Dakota border with Canada," the agency said in a release.

"The bulk of the marijuana is destined to areas outside North Dakota."
More police should be assigned to crack down on hydroponic grow operations.

Ex-CIA agent: US could destroy Iranian nukes in two days

One more person agrees with Richard Perle about our ability to quickly wipe out Iran's nuclear facilities--former CIA agent Gary Bernsten.

From the Jerusalem Post:

Gary Berntsen, the former senior CIA operative who led the search for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in late 2001, believes the United States has the ability to easily destroy Iran's nuclear facilities. He said the US could use bunker-buster bombs and other weapons to carry out the operation.

"We can dig those things out. We can destroy them," he told The Jerusalem Post in an interview.

"We can take care of it in a couple of days with air strikes and they wouldn't be able to stop us," he added. "It wouldn't be difficult to plan. They'd be some dangers but I think the United States can do it." Berntsen, who left the CIA in June last year after more than 20 years of service, believes it will be difficult to persuade Iran to stop its nuclear program.

"I know the Iranians. I've worked against the Iranians for years. They are determined to get this no matter what, and they will lie and cheat and do whatever they have to do to get themselves a weapon," he said.

Jury concludes fifth day of deliberations in ex-Gov George Ryan trial

And there still isn't a verdict. As noted here previously, the former Illinois governor is on trial for various corruption charges.

Ryan, a Republican from Kankakee, is best known outside the state as the man who commuted all Illinois death penalty sentences to life-in-prison.

Welcome back Pajamas Media readers

The Sarandon/Sheehan post is below.

Susan Sarandon to play Cindy Sheehan in movie

I heard about this story this morning on Fox News Live. The San Francisco Chronicle is likely the source of that report.

Actress Susan Sarandon, known for her dedication to left-wing causes, will portray anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan in an upcoming movie.

Politically, it's a perfect match.

And the music? Well, nothing in the media reports about the soundtrack for the project, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bush-basher Bruce Springsteen contributes a track, as he did for the Sarandon film Dead Man Walking.

Technorati tags: Susan Sarandon Bruce Springsteen Cindy Sheehan

Primary election day in Illinois on Tuesday

I'll be doing some live blogging tomorrow, as will the Chicago Tribune's Eric Zorn.

Rich Miller, who runs the Capitol Fax Blog and oversees Illinoize (where I occasionally contribute), will be appearing on Fox 32 Chicago offering election night analysis.

School district considering Afrocentric classrooms

Evanston in Illinois is what Berkeley is to California.

From the Chicago Tribune, free registration required.

Evanston/Skokie District 65 officials will vote Monday night on whether to launch an African-centered curriculum at two elementary schools where almost half the pupils are black.

The proposal for the pilot project has been controversial because some parents say it would segregate children by race. Supporters, however, maintain that the program could help close the achievement gap between white and black pupils.

Most of the seven board members declined to speak on the record about the issue or how they planned to vote at Monday's meeting.

"It will likely result in single-race classrooms in a city that has a long history of integration," board member Mary Rita Luecke said.

But board member Jerome Summers said the program, which could begin in the fall, is the best way to help underachieving black students stay in school.

My belief concurs with Ms. Luecke's.

Technorati tags: Evanston Skokie Illinois schools

Internet to get "xxx" domain

ICANN will soon add a dot xxx domain for adult web sites, according to India's DPA news agency.

I don't know if this development is related to the proposed legislation by Senators Baucus and Pryor to wall off all adult sites to an "xxx" domain that I reported on last week.

This is what DPA says:

The global internet governing body ICANN is expected to sign off on the proposal, which will add dot xxx to other domains such as dot com and dot net next week at a meeting in New Zealand, Radio New Zealand reported.

It quoted the applicant for the domain, Stuart Lawley of ICM Registry based in Florida, as saying dot triple-x could help clean up the online industry by signposting pornography for parents.

He claimed it would help parents who wanted to prevent the exposure of porn sites to their children and would screen out child pornography.

Some sites will ward "xxx" as a badge of honor, of course.

Technorati tags: ICANN Web domains

Bradley Braves blogging

It's hard to believe, but this is my third Peoria post in less than a week. Yesterday my beloved Fighting Illini were knocked out of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. But Illinois still has a team in the tourney, the Bradley Braves.

Peoria Pundit has a whole bunch of posts about Bradley and their proud presence among the sweet 16 teams in the NCAAs, as well as other timely information about the Peoria college.

Technorati tags: Bradley University Peoria Illinois NCAA March Madness

Ill. governor calls Peoria "a little piece of Indiana"

Tonight the Bradley Braves of Peoria are celebrating another upset win in the men's NCAA basketball tournament. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich made a tortured attempt to hop on the Bradley bandwagon by referring to Peoria as "a little piece of Indiana."

That comment will not play in Peoria. Or the rest of Illinois.

On the positive side, Blago did defend Bradley's effort to keep its politically incorrect nickname, the Braves.

Poll watchers accused of steering voters in Illinois

There is a primary election Tuesday in Illinois, and this year the state is experimenting with early voting.

In Cook County, where Chicago is, you may have heard there is a tradition of crooked elections. So there should be no surprise that for some people, early voting means earlier opportunities to commit vote fraud.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Cook County officials said Saturday that two poll watchers at nursing homes in the south suburbs allegedly tried to steer elderly residents into voting for certain candidates and threatened an election judge who tried to stop them.

Cook County Clerk David Orr said two poll watchers working for Robert Shaw allegedly urged elderly residents of a Burnham nursing home to vote for Shaw, a candidate for the Illinois general assembly running in Tuesday's Democratic primary, and for Cook County Board President John Stroger. Poll watchers are not allowed to interfere with the voting process or campaign at polling sites, officials said.

One of the poll watchers allegedly threatened an election judge after being told to stop passing out literature urging the residents to punch certain numbers on the ballot, Orr said.

Mining votes from the elderly is a traditional sleazy tactic of Cook County Democrats.

Shameful.

But at least the Sun-Times carried the story. It belongs on the front page of the paper, not in the back pages.

Sadly, voting shenanigans in Illinois and Cook County are so commonplace, such occurrences are not major news stories.

New National Review Online blog: Phi Beta Cons

Spring is coming soon, and with spring comes new growth. National Review Online is in the spirit, they've added yet another blog to its Blog Row. The new one is Phi Beta Cons. It's called Phi Beta Cons--subtitled The Right Take on Education.

Regular National Review contributor and author John J. Miller is one of the bloggers. John wrote the National Review article about the Klocek-DePaul case.

Technorati tags: National Review DePaul Academic freedom Free Speech Thomas Klocek

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati, Day 27

Okay, maybe it's a Blogger.com/Blogspot problem.

As reported elsewhere, two Blogger.com sites, Betsy's Page and Viking Pundit disappeared for a couple of days. Both are finally back online, but VP is still missing his archives.

My posts stopped being picked up by the Technorati blog search engine almost four weeks ago.

Blogger.com? Technorati?

Peoria Pundit wrote about my situation in his blog:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Friends do not let friends use Blog*Spot. If you are a serious blogger, you cannot continue to use Blog*Spot.

I plan to contact Blogger.com next. And that Technorati trouble ticket number is 26396. Technorati can be reached at feedback@technorati.com. My problem with Technorati is a Blogger.com issue, I'll post it here. Still, Technorati isn't off the hook, as they've kept me in the dark for three weeks now.

Technorati tags: Technorati Blogging blogger

Anti-war rallies flat

I'm sure the liberal blogs are singing a different tune, but this AFP story, in Al-Jazeera of all places, tells an interesting tale:

Few Americans have taken to the streets in anti-war protests marking the third against the US-led invasion of Iraq, despite rising public opposition to the war.

Demonstrations were held globally, but in the US, a country with a population of 298 million, the events drew only about 1000 people in major cities.

Yet anti-war sentiment in the US is at an all-time high and the popularity of George Bush, president, the architect of the war, has plummeted.

The low US turnout was mirrored in anti-war protests in most other countries.

According to that article, only about 1000 attended the Times Square anti-war rally in New York.

Oh, Bush isn't Clinton--he isn't obsessed about poll numbers.

The Chicago anti-war rally is still going as I write this post. Numbers vary according to this CBS 2 Chicago report, which first claims "thousands" marched, then a couple of paragraphs later it's only 2000, who are outnumbered by "thousands" of police officers. The Chicago Police Department has about only 10,000 active duty officers--I find it pretty hard to believe that "thousands" of cops are out there.

My prediction? Look for the Chicago anti-war rally attendance estimate to trickle down to about 1000.

UPDATE 10AM CST March 19: Pajamas Media has more on the anti-war rally busts.

Chicago media is reporting 7,000 protesters were at the local rally. I still standby my preditiction that the attendance will trickle down.

Technorati tags: Bush Iraq Chicago Illinois anti-war al-jazeera

Welcome Pajamas Media readers

The Cuba post is just below this one.

Cuban dissidents mark anniversary of 2003 crackdown UPDATED!

On Saturday, protesters around the world will rally to denounce the three year anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

Expect the Bush-is-Hitler crowd, such as Code Pink, to be their irrational selves.

What would really be unexpected if any of that ilk will know that Saturday also marks the third anniversary of a 2003 Cuban crackdown on dissidents.

Yes, it's true. Not everyone in the "socialist paradise" in the Caribbean is enthralled with the leadership of Fidel Castro.

From AP:

Cuban dissidents and their supporters on Friday commemorated the crackdown that jailed 75 opponents of the government three years ago, asking the world not to forget them.

Saturday marks three years since the March 18, 2003, crackdown was launched, prompting governments and rights groups around the world to condemn Fidel Castro's communist government. Cuban officials said the roundup was needed to protect the nation from "mercenaries" paid from abroad to undermine the socialist system.

Sixty of the 75 people rounded up remain jailed. Fifteen were released on medical parole.

"This isn't just any anniversary," veteran Cuban rights activist Elizardo Sanchez said Friday. "This marks the third year after the most intense wave of repression against political prisoners in many years--not only in Cuba, but in this hemisphere."

Back to Code Pink:

You'll find this hard to believe, but they like Cuba. A group of them traveled there after Christmas last year.

From their web site:

December 27-January 3, Cuba, Spend New Years in Havana and assert your right to travel

Join a group of fun-loving and freedom-loving Americans to break George Bush's ban on travel to Cuba. Join co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, together with Academy Award winning producer Paul Haggis, as we visit with farmers at their co-ops, doctors at their family clinics, dancers at the National Folklore Group, and young people at the ballpark. Don't miss this historic chance to dance salsa, drink mojitos, and visit beautiful beaches--all while defending our constitutional right to travel! For more information and an application please email dana@codepinkalert.org or visit the Friendship delegation page at the CODEPINK website.

Of course, the Code Pinkos will call that AP story a Bush-lie churned out by the Halliburton PR office.

And did that group of "fun-loving and freedom-loving Americans" stay at one of those tourist hotels on the island where Cubans--unless they work there--are banned from the premises?

Just wondering.

UPDATE 7PM CST: Wall Street Cafe informs me that the Code Pinko Cuban fiesta was quashed by the US Treasury Department. It doesn't mean they like Cuba any less.

Technorati tags: Cuba Castro Code Pink Iraq Iraqi Freedom Medea Benjamin Jodie Evans

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati, Day 26

No real updates. I may be one of the last to report on this story, but Betsy Newmark's blog, Betsy's Page, has essentially vanished from the internet. Betsy uses (used?) Blogger.com.

I've heard Betsy is back online, but at 10:30 pm CST, all I get is a white screen when I type in her URL.

Brainster reports that Eric of Viking Pundit had some problems with Blogger.com, too.

Apparently both Viking Pundit and Betsy's archives are for at least now, gone.

So are my Technorati problems Blogger.com issues? Dunno.

The story so far: The most popular internet search engine is Technorati. It's been over three weeks since a post from Marathon Pundit has been picked up Technorati fish nets.

Technorati can be reached at feedback@technorati.com

My trouble ticket number is 26396. Guide to Midwestern Culture is having the same problem, that blog has two tickets, 27577 and 27578. And as far as I know, Brainster's blog is still being overlooked by Technorati.

Technorati tags: Technorati Blogging blogger

Legendary DePaul coach Ray Meyer dies at 92

There is some sad news from the DePaul community this afternoon. Ray Meyer, who coached the Blue Demon basketball team for an incredible 42 years, died this afternoon in Chicago.

He was succeeded as coach by his son, Joey Meyer, who coached well into the 1990s.

DePaul's surprise run in 1979 into the NCAA Final Four (joined by Magic Johnson's Michigan State and Larry Bird's Indiana State) is remembered in Chicago as one of the greatest local sports stories.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Despite my Anglo last name, I'm an Irish-American.

From John Dwyer in today's American Thinker:

According to The History of the Irish Race by Seamus MacManus, the following is the sacred prayer or hymn chanted by Patrick and his missionaries as they were marched to Tara to face the pagan king there. He wrote it, the first such work in Gaelic.

It worked. Before the king, his Druids and the assembled multitude, Patrick spoke and preached. He converted them all, save the king. But the monarch gave Patrick freedom to preach throughout his realm. Down through the years, the Irish have used Patrick’s prayer of protection in times of trouble.

I bind to myself today

The power of Heaven,

The light of the sun,

The brightness of the moon,

The splendor of fire,

The flashing of lightning,

The swiftness of the wind,

The depth of the sea,

The stability of earth…

God’s power guide me,

God’s wisdom teach me,

God’s eye to watch over me,

God’s hand to guide me,

God’s shield to shelter me,

God’s Host to secure me…

Against everyone who

Meditates injury to me,

Whether far or near,

Whether the few or the many.

DePaul Conservative Alliance demands apology from school president for smear

I received this press release yesterday. This Marathon Pundit post from two days ago summarizes the latest anti-free speech atrocity by the DePaul University administration.

I'm pleased to learn that the DePaul Conservative Alliance is taking up the cause of Thomas Klocek, too.

The chair of the DePaul University Board of Trustees, John Simon, can be reached here: jsimon@jenner.com

Today, The DePaul Conservative Alliance (DCA) called on the president of DePaul University to repent for actions inflaming racial tension and hate speech against them. In a seven-page letter, the DCA responds to attacks by DePaul’s president against them for holding an affirmative action bake sale.

The DCA letter is in response to an e-mail sent by DePaul’s president on February 15th. The president’s letter was apparently broadcast to all DePaul students and faculty indicating the DCA had been “censured” and “sanctions have been applied” because they held a “bake sale” in satirical protest of affirmative action. The DCA states that while DePaul’s president asserted, “I support DCA’s right to hold a protest on the topic of affirmative action”, his explanation of DePaul’s policy is incoherent and hypocritical, and his assertion that DCA “intentionally misrepresented” its bake sale insulted and slandered the DCA and its student members.

Among the demands in the letter to DePaul’s leadership are:

1. Publicly issue a written apology to the leaders of DCA for cancellation of the bake sale and allow the bake sale to be held at the same location;

2.Revoke the censure of DCA or censure and impose identical sanctions on the Students for Justice in Palestine and United Muslims Moving Ahead for their statement during the Thomas Klocek affair. Those students asserted that the Israeli treatment of Palestinians is like the Nazi treatment of the Jews. That statement was untrue, hurtful to Jews, Christians and others pursuing truth in that important dialogue;

3. Rescind the Student Organization Policy giving DePaul censorship rights to the content of what students hear and say;

4. Show that DePaul’s president really favors free speech by broadcasting through e-mail the DCA response to all the recipients of his February 15 email regarding the censure of DCA email;

5. Communicate these matters fully with DePaul’s Trustees and the Faculty Council.

Technorati tags: thomasklocek DePaul Chicago Illinois Free Speech McCarthyism

Two senators propose bill to give all porn sites an "xxx" domain

File this one in your "Things that won't work" paperwork.

From KARK-TV Little Rock:

Senators Mark Pryor and Max Baucus Thursday introduced legislation to require Web sites with adult content to have an xxx domain that only adults can access.

Pryor said he believes a separate domain on the Internet for pornography will help parents filter their children's access to inappropriate materials. Pryor and Baucus' legislation, the Cyber Safety for Kids Act, would require the Secretary of Commerce to negotiate with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to develop a special domain name for websites containing adult content. ICANN, an international Nongovernmental Organization, is charged with selecting domain names, such as .com, .org, .net, edu, and, .gov. Under the legislation, companies that fail to register with the new domain within 6 months would be subject to civil penalties.

Max Baucus, pictured on the left is a Montana Democrat. On his right is fellow Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

It's almost impossible to keep track of every web site. Secondly, the porn-peddlers will just use domains such as .co.uk (United Kingdom), .ne. (Netherlandsds), .com.au (Australia) if they're somehow stymied in the US.

Eliminating porn from the internet is analogous to ridding a large city of its rat population. Rats always find a way to survive. As do cockroaches.

Oh, sorry to dissapoint you with the photo of Baucus and Pryor. For those fake Britney photos, well, you can find them elsewhere.

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati, Day 25

Still no reply from Technorati on my trouble ticket #26396. Tee bee at Guide to Midwestern Culture has two trouble tickets of her own, 27577 and 27578.

Technorati can be reached at feedback@technorati.com

Brainster, who's blog like Tee bee's and mine, is being overlooked by Technorati's blog search engine is suggesting bloggers use the Truth Laid Bear site.

TTLB is a Pajamas site too.

Ex-Gov George Ryan's fate up in the air until next week

Jurors in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan get a three day weekend; they concluded their fourth day of deliberations without reaching a verdict and they get tomorrow and the weekend off.

The upcoming week will be a very interesting one in Illinois. There is a primary election in the Prairie State on Tuesday. And some sort of decision--or non-decision--should come out next week. Right?

George Ryan Illinois Chicago corruption 2006 Elections

Jay Ambrose on DePaul, campus McCarthyism

Scripps Howard's Jay Ambrose was the first mainstream media columnist to take up the cause of Thomas Klocek, the fired DePaul University professor who made the politically-incorrect mistake of defending Israel from ridiculous charges made by some Muslim students there.

Here is a March 1 Marathon Pundit blog-ography of the Klocek case.

Ambrose's latest column, Leftists in control on campus, hits a lot of home runs.

It begins this way:

Right-wing fanatics are trying to eliminate free speech in American colleges and universities, say some professors, and, oh dear, it is so frightening, so like the McCarthy era in which the innocent were hunted down and fired. Isn't it?

Sorry, but no. What's on exhibit here is the addled whining of leftists who have very nearly hegemonic control over higher education and don't like it one little bit that some conservatives are beginning to fight back. They need not worry too much, though, because it is their side that is doing the purging.

Jay then mentions the Klocek case, which is correctly points out, hasn't gotten much mainstream media attention.

I am speaking of Thomas Klocek, a non-tenured professor of 14 years' standing at DePaul University, who got into an argument outside the classroom with some pro-Palestinian Muslim students making defamatory remarks about Israel. Despite the fact that he was denied a hearing the university's standards require, he was ordered to apologize and submit to classroom-monitoring if he wanted to keep teaching. He did need the meager income, but felt he had done nothing wrong and was in effect fired.

Klocek's career was ruined because he was not politically correct. To be part of the gang at many universities these days, you are supposed to be anti-Israel and certainly not tread on the feelings of Muslim students by disagreeing with them, and he got it wrong. Funny, but Lionel Lewis, a professor at the State University of New York, Buffalo, did not mention Klocek in a typical hand-wringing op-ed piece last month about people being mean to professors because of their politics.

Ambrose hit home runs with his column, Lionel Lewis whiffs.

I'll show some mercy, even though Lewis' columns is worthy of a thorough Fisking.

Let's take a look at this excerable excerpt from that column:

The biggest threat to academic freedom today, however, may be David Horowitz.

Mr. Horowitz and the organizations he founded - Students for Academic Freedom and Campus Watch - repeatedly have alleged political bias in all aspects of academic life, most specifically in hiring and promotion (those right-of-center are "systematically excluded," discriminated against or punished). As Mr. Horowitz sees it, professors are often more involved in political indoctrination than in teaching students, and their message is always the same: "America is guilty; America is to blame."

Horowitz is right, Lewis is wrong.

Oh, Campus Watch is a wonderful site, one that I'm sure Horowitz has bookmarked on his computer. But Daniel Pipes, not David Horowitz, founded that site, however.

I'll conclude with a sales plug: Horowitz has a new book out, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America.

Technorati tags: thomasklocek DePaul Chicago Illinois David Horowitz Jay Ambrose Free Speech Israel McCarthyism

March snow in Illinois

I took this picture this afternoon in Morton Grove from the Milwaukee Road railroad bridge with my Motorola V3 RAZR camera phone. The body of water is the North Branch of the Chicago River.

Oh, about the snow: We got maybe two inches. But to hear the way the local media carried on about it, you'd think the Greenland glacier was headed here.

Technorati tags: Chicago River Pictures Morton Grove Illinois Chicago

Latvian Legion march results in 60 arrests

Here's a follow-up on the post I did yesterday about the Latvian Legionnaires' march in the Latvian capital this afternoon.

From AFP:

Around 60 people were arrested in the Latvian capital as police thwarted a bid by extremists to hijack Legionnaire's Day, when veterans of Latvia's Waffen SS unit remember their fallen colleagues.


"Around 60 people have been detained. We didn't ask them if they were nationalists or pro-Russian radicals. They were detained because they did not follow police orders," police spokeswoman Ieva Zvidre told AFP.

Right-wing Latvian nationalists have in the past used Legionnaires' Day to honour soldiers who fought in a unit of Nazi Germany's Waffen SS in World War II, while left-wing, pro-Russian groups decry the controversial day as the glorification of fascism.

Rogue nation update: Iran and Zimbabwe pleased with each other

It should be no surprise to any rational thinker that Iran and Zimbabwe like each other. But then again, both should be careful, as there is no honor among thieves--or rogue nations.

From the Iranian news agency Mehr:

In his visit on Wednesday with the Zimbabwean ambassador to Tehran, Iran’s Minister of Cooperatives Mohammad Nazemi Ardekani expressed satisfaction over the support Iran and Zimbabwe give each other in the international arena.

"We feel political, cultural and social affinities with Zimbabwe and this could be used as a basis for expanding trade relations between the two countries," the Persian service of IRNA quoted him as saying.

Referring to the conclusion of agreements on cooperation between the Islamic Republic and this south Central African country, the Iranian minister said, "both nations have signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MOU) on agriculture, industries and mines, energy, trade, tourism, building power plants and technical services.

Daily Illini Editor fired--he published the Danish Muhammad cartoons

Acton Gordon, the Daily Illini editor-in-chief who, with his opinion editor, made the decision to publish the controversial Danish Muhammad cartoons, was officially fired Tuesday night by the Illini Media Company.

Although closely tied to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (my alma mater), Illini Media is officially separate from the college.

It's all in Acton's blog, Gortreport.

As of 7:09 pm, March 14, 2006, I have been officially terminated by the Board of Directors of the Illini Media Company, owner of The Daily Illini.

Acton,

The board of the Illini Media Company has decided to terminate you
from the position of editor in chief of The Daily Illini, effective
immediately.

Sincerely,
Mary Cory

The opinion editor of the Daily Illini who was suspended with Gordon, Chuck Prochaska, has been invited back.

Hat tip: Peoria Pundit.

Technorati tags: Daily Illini muhammed cartoons Illinois

DePaul prof skewers his president for smearing campus conservative group

I reported on part of this story a week ago.

Racist graffiti found at DePaul: Univ. spokesperson cites conservative group for creating "politically charged" campus

I left out one detail that was not in the media reports. It was told to me by a couple of people very close the story. Since this was (and still is) a police matter, I didn't see any point having something I blogged about messing up a criminal investigation.

The jackal who used permanent marker to write the "N" word and swastikas also scrawled "DePaul Conservative Alliance" in the public areas of a DePaul dormitory.

Obviously this was a set up by some nut, or a cunning, yet cruel attempt to discredit the conservative group. I know most of the members of the DCA. They are not racists.

Nor were they ever suspected by the police in regards to the recent vandalism in that dorm.

Father Dennis Holtschneider, the President of DePaul is fully aware of all the details of the case. As are Denise Mattson and Robin Florzak of DePaul's public relations office.

Jon Cohen, a math professor at the Chicago school covers this incident and more in the American Thinker.

What has occurred has been another example of political correctness run amok at DePaul. A small group of students engaged in a relatively innocuous public protest of affirmative action and as a result they were investigated for a possible case of harassment, had their organization censured and penalized by the university, were tricked into being subjected to a two hour public bashing at the hands of several faculty members and in front of about a hundred jeering students, were publicly scolded for the bake sale by the university president in an email to every member of the DePaul community, were the victims of a crude attempt to falsely brand them as the perpetrators of a nasty incident of racist graffiti and when it they were cleared of this charge the school administration, knowing that this was a hoax, suggested to the media that their bake sale had contributed to the atmosphere that led to the graffiti.

You can't make this stuff up. Perhaps it is my mathematical training but it seems that one way to overcome political correctness is by a kind of proof by contradiction. You simply assume the usual politically correct assumptions of victimization and oppression and then see how it leads to a series of bizarre and cruel conclusions. The sane person then is forced to question the assumptions. At DePaul, thanks to the initiatives of some courageous and idealistic students we are making progress but we are not there yet.

Below is my January post on the DePaul Conservative Alliance's affirmative action bake sale:

There they go again: DePaul U clamps down on conservative free speech rights

And a February follow up:

DePaul's president responds to the "affirmative action bake sale"

For starters, the administration of DePaul needs to apologize to the DePaul Conservative Alliance.

The DePaul Conservative Alliance site is on the Marathon Pundit blogroll. Visit it!

Technorati tags: DePaul Academic freedom Liberals in Academia Free Speech Chicago Illinois

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati, Day 24

Well, I have something new to report. Tee Bee with the Guide To Midwestern Culture blog is noticing the same problem with his site--Technorati is overlooking his blog. He wrote an e-mail to the Technorati folks--a very well written one--that he blind copied me on. Brainster's not getting picked up by Technorati too.

The three of us use Blogger.com.

But Freedom Folks use Blogger, and they get captured by the Technorati net.

My ticket number is 26396. As soon as I get ticket numbers from the other blogs, I'll post them here.

Technorati tags: Technorati Blogging search

George Ryan trial: Three days of deliberations, no verdict

The jury in the federal corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan concluded deliberating this evening. No verdict has been reached.

Light blogging today

But the world of telecommunicatins is better for it.

Urban violence watch: Riga, Latvia on March 16

The annual march of the veterans of the Latvian Legion, a Waffen SS unit which fought against the Soviet Union in World War II, will take place tomorrow in Riga, the capital of Latvia.

Several dozen ethnic Russians were arrested while protesting last year's march. The march has been a troublesome rite of spring in Latvia since 1992.

Last month Riga Mayor Aivars Aksenoks warned of unspecified "terror acts" that may disrupt tomorrow's march.

The distinction between good and evil was very murky in Latvia during World War II. Latvia and the other Baltic States, Estonia and Lithuania, enjoyed a standard of living that was among the highest in Europe--until the Soviet Union took invaded in 1940. After a year of brutal repression, the Nazi army routed the Soviets from Latvia.

The Nazis in turn--with Latvian help--almost completely exterminated the Jewish population there during the three years of German occupation. In 1944, the Soviet Union recaptured Latvia, and it remained part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

March 16, 1943 marks the day the Latvian unit first saw action against the Red Army.

The annual controversy over the legionnaires' march is a perfect metaphor for the strife within contemporary Latvia. Ethnic Latvians make up only 57% of Latvia; Russians make up the second largest ethnic bloc, consisting of about 30% of the population. Before the Second World War, independent Latvia was 75% Latvian. Deportations to Gulags and emigration of Latvians, followed by Russian migration into Latvia, came close to achieving the Soviet goal of having Latvians become a minority within Latvia.

Relations between the Russian Federation and Latvia are tense. Russian residents of Latvia for the most part are not citizens of Latvia--passing a stringent Latvian language proficiency test is the main stumbling bloc in allowing Russians to achieve citizenship.

Also, the ability to speak Latvian is a requirement for all public sector, and many private sector jobs.

Consequently, Russians claim widespread discrimination in Latvia.

As for the other side of the disagreement, the Latvian government is asking from Moscow acknowledgement that the 1940 Soviet invasion of Latvia was illegal. Two generations of Latvians were taught in Soviet schools that Latvia "invited" the Red Army in their nation, and they "requested" to join the Soviet Union.

Just as the potato famine is the defining tragedy of Ireland, the Soviet invasion and the repression that followed serves the same role among Latvians.

There is also a border dispute between Latvia and Russia. The Abrene region, which is northeast of Latvia, was part of the pre-1940 nation. Very few Latvians live in Abrene, it's likely that the Latvian government is using the region as a bargaining chip to in negotiations with the Russian Federation.

And tomorrow the Latvian Legion march in Riga will take place.

Or if you prefer, tension on parade. Or perhaps worse.

Technorati tags: Latvia Latvija Russian Russia World War II

No George Ryan verdict yet

It's after 9pm in Chicago, and the jury has not signaled that it has a verdict in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan.

Maybe tomorrow.

Gay Games blogging

Cal Skinner up in Crystal Lake, Illinois has done an excellent job reporting on the controversy involving the Gay Games having its rowing competition in the McHenry County suburb of Chicago.

After two public meetings, the Crystal Lake Park Board approved the Gay Games proposal for those rowing events last week.

This was a big news story in the Chicago area. Opposition to the Gay Games by Crystal Lake residents brought forth some charges--not all unwarranted--that homophobia was the catalyst for the drive to keep the games out of the suburb.

I have some issues with the Gay Games, and they don't involve homophobia.

For starters, the Gay Games are taking place this July. The Chicago organizers have had two years to find locations for the many sporting events. Are there any other competitions where the venue is "to be determined later?"

Are there any other surprises in store?

I'm going to send the Gay Games an e-mail with some other questions I have about the the events that they will hopefully will answer.

Oh, if they blow me off, I'll blog about it anyway. But I'm giving them a chance to tell their side of things.

Technorati tags: Gay Games Chicago Illinois Crystal Lake

Backyard Conservative, Bill Baar are back from Chicago's "Support Denmark" rally

And they have pics. Anne's Backyard Conservative post is here, Bill Baar's West Side post is here.

UPDATE 7:45PM: Michelle Malkin has a post on the subject, and Freedom Folks have their photos up. Want more pics? Here from Chicago Free Speech, and Under No Illusions

Technorati tags: Chicago Denmark Cartoons Danmark

Odd choice to lead Portland State anti-semitism forum

Another human hangover from the 1960s is at it again. The selection of Michael Lerner to lead a recent anti-semitism forum at Oregon's Portland State University is bizarre.

Hat tip to Steven Plaut at the Autonomist blog.

David Horowitz said that there are thousands of Ward Churchills in academia, Lerner is in that crew of crazies.

On Hurricane Katrina, Lerner writes in his Tikkun Magazine:

It didn't have to happen. And it didn't have to result in so many deaths and social chaos. This is the playing out of cosmic karma for ecological, economic and social irresponsibility. Unfortunately, as always the poor deserve it least and suffer most.

Jews, Dr. Plaut, informs the reader, do not believe in Karma. Yet Lerner says he is a rabbi. He's a make-believe rabbi, a Ward Churchill rabbi.

From Discover the Network:

Though Lerner identifies himself as a duly ordained rabbi, many of his critics dispute that claim - on grounds that he was given a controversial private rabbinic ordination by "Jewish Renewal" rabbis, whose ordinations are recognized only by those within the Jewish Renewal community and Reconstructionist Judaism. Orthodox Judaism, the Reform movement's Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the Conservative movement's Rabbinical Assembly all consider such ordinations invalid.

Back to Lerner and Hurricane Katrina:

But this is a classic case of the law of karma, or what the Torah warns of environmental disaster unless we create a just society, or what others call watching the chickens come home to roost, or what goes around come around.

Sound familiar? From Ward Churchill's Justice of Roosting Chickens:

On the morning of September 11, 2001, a few more chickens--along with some half-million dead Iraqi children--came home to roost in a very big way at the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center. Well, actually, a few of them seem to have nestled in at the Pentagon as well.

Churchill says he instructed Weather Underground terrorists in the craft of bomb making.

Lerner has a soft spot for the Weather Underground too. Once again from Discover the Network:

Lerner's radical politics and counterculture mindset were nourished during his years at Berkeley and have remained with him ever since. At his wedding reception, the wedding cake was inscribed with the words, "Smash Monogomy," a slogan popularized by the Weathermen terrorist group that rose to prominence in 1969. During the marriage ceremony itself, Lerner and his bride exchanged rings fashioned out of metal extracted from a downed U.S. military aircraft. Shortly after the birth of the Lerners' first child, the couple separated - the mother and son going to live in Boston, and Mr. Lerner returning to Berkeley. When asked why he had chosen to move so far from his young son, he answered without hesitation, "You don't understand. I have to be here. Berkeley is the center of the world-historical spirit." (Sha'i Ben Tekoa Israel National News - "Deprogram Program" June 4, 2001).

Lerner, when he's not blaming America for the problems of the world, he's hard at work blaming Israel for the problems in the Middle East.

From Steven Plaut in Conservative Truth:

Since Lerner can be counted on to support the Arab position on the Middle East with perfect consistency, he has become the darling of much of the anti-Israel liberal media. He regularly writes Israel-bashing Op-Eds for the Los Angeles Times and for other outlets and has appeared in the New York Times, where he complained about being victimized by a witch-hunting anti-progressive conformist Jewish community. Naturally, Lerner sticks to the line that he is only opposed to Israel's current policies, not to its existence, and if he happens to "understand" and rationalize the mass massacres of Israeli civilians by Arab terrorists, this has nothing to do with him wishing Jews harm. The campus protesters who took to the streets to support bin Laden also claimed that they possessed not a smidgen of anti-Americanism.

Here is the syllabus of the Portland State University course, Participating Democracy--Lerner's participation was earlier this month. The course guide is a Moonbat's delight; clearly this course is an indoctrination tool of the far Left.

Technorati tags: Oregon Portland Portland State Michael Lerner JINO Israel Judaism Ward Churchill

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati: Day 23

Okay, it's now 23 days since a Marathon Pundit post was picked up by the internet search engine Technorati. Brainster informs me that Technorati isn't picking up his blog, either.

My being-ignored Technorati trouble ticket is 26396.

Their e-mail address is feedback@technorati.com

Help out a fellow blogger!!!

Jericho raid: IDF uses Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer

The Israeli Defense Force raided a Palestinian prison in the West Bank town of Jericho today.

And for those who are wondering what terrorists look like in their underwear, here's your opportunity, courtesy of the Jerusalem Post.

It'll take a few days for this to find its way to Illinois and Peoria, but at least one Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer was used in the attack. Caterpillar's headquarters are in Peoria, and the tractor and heavy vehicle manufacturer is one of Illinois' largest employers.

It was a Caterpillar bulldozer that ran over International Solidarity Movement protester Rachel Corrie three years ago in Gaza. That incident, which clear thinking people view as an unfortunate accident, put Caterpillar at the top of the PC Left's list of companies to divest stock from shortly after Corrie's death.

Hat tip to Steven Plaut.

Technorati tags: Caterpillar Israel Peoria Illinois

David Horowitz says you should know about Bernardine Dohrn and William Ayers

Kathryn Lopez of National Review Online interviews author David Horowitz in his FrontPage Magazine today. The subject of course is Horowitz' latest book, The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America.

Do you think Ward "Little Eichmanns" Churchill is an academic anomaly? Horowitz doesn't, he makes the claim that there are "thousands of Ward Churchill's" on American college campuses.

Two of them are within a short drive from my home: Bernardine Dohrn, a law professor at Northwestern University and her husband, University of Illinois Chicago professor William Ayers.

From the FrontPage Magazine article:

Lopez: Who should be a household name but isn't?

Horowitz: Professors Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers, leaders of the WeatherUnderground; convicted torturer and inventor of Kwanzaa, Professor Malauna Karenga; and oh so many others.

Information I have on Karenga is inconsistent. He's listed as either a former of current professor at California State University, Long Beach. It hasn't been updated in five years, but this page from the college's web site lists him as the head of the Black Studies Department.

Technorati tags: Northwestern University Northwestern UIC Illinois Bernardine Dohrn William Ayers

CAIR in the National Review: Crying wolf

The latest copy of the National Review showed up in my mail box yesterday. CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, which fashions itself as something like the NAACP for Muslims, got a well-deserved thrashing in Daniel Mandel's article, Crying Wolf. Mandel refers to CAIR's 2005 civil rights report and discovers that CAIR seems to be "crying wolf" quite a bit.

An excerpt:

Fabricated incidents and frivolous complaints have abounded in these reports and others like them. For example, no fewer than five cases of arson or vandalism of Muslim businesses appear to have been the result of attempted insurance fraud on behalf of the business owners, In two cases, CAIR protested on behalf of those alleging hate crimes, Mirza Akram and Amjad Abunar, demanding investigations--and then was struck dumb when each man was charged with arson. Other incidents reported by CAIR cannot be substantiated.

Later in the same paragraph, the author cites a Springfield, MA mosque fire. The arson committed was not a hate crime, but a crude attempt to hide evidence of a burglary.

It's not online yet.

Technorati tags: CAIR Islam Muslims Massachusetts

Al-Zawahri in Lodi in the 1990s

Just about a year ago,
I set out on the road,
Seeking my fame and fortune,
Looking for a pot of gold.
Things got bad, and things got worse,
I guess you will know the tune.
Oh ! Lord, Stuck in Lodi again.

Having never been to Lodi, California, I have no idea if the bars there have karaoke machines with the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Lodi" loaded in it. If they did, a bearded pediatrician sipping kiddie-cocktails named Ayman al-Zawahri just may have been crooning that tune.

Big hat tip to Third Wave Dave.

From the Los Angeles (free registration may be required) Times:

Naseem Khan, a convenience store manager turned government informant, said he told the FBI in late 2001 that he spotted Zawahiri at a Lodi mosque in 1998 and 1999.

"Every time I would go to the mosque, [Zawahiri] would be coming or going," Khan said, according to the Sacramento Bee on Monday on its website. Khan, who said he lived in Lodi at the time, testified that he spoke to Zawahiri, but never had a conversation with him.

"He would quietly come to the mosque and leave," Khan said.

The former mosque president denies it, however.

As Wikipedia states, the erstwhile pediatrician was clearly a terror-plotter back then:

In 1996, he was considered the most credible threat and a highly lethal terrorist who could strike against the USA. A warning issued at the time specified suicide bombing as the likely form of attack. In late 1996 he was detained in Russia for six months by the FSB after he apparently tried to recruit jihadists in Chechnya. According to the FSB spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko, "He had four passports, in four different names and nationalities. We checked him out in every country, but they could not confirm him. We could not keep him forever, so we took him to the Azerbaijani border and let him go." In 1997 he was held responsible for the massacre of around sixty foreign tourists in the Egyptian town of Luxor, for which he was sentenced to death in absentia in 1999 by an Egyptian military tribunal.

On February 23, 1998, he issued a joint fatwa with Osama bin Laden under the title "World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders", an important step in broadening their conflicts to a global scale.

Uh, if this is true, how the heck did he get in this country. And of all places to live, why Lodi?

Technorati tags: ايمن الظواهري Lodi California al-Zawahri al-Qaeda

Chicago rally in support of Denmark at noon Tuesday

Hat tip to Justin of the Chicago Protest Warriors.

From Winds of Change:

"Solidarity with Denmark, Death to Fascism" were the words leader Christopher Hitchens closed his speech and rally with in Washington DC in front of the Danish Embassy. If you favor Free Speech, show your support by rallying in solidarity with Denmark in front of the Danish Consulate in Chicago on March 14th at noon. . . . Please be outside the Consulate of Denmark, 211 EAST ONTARIO ST. (by St. Clair St.), between noon and 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 14. Quietness and calm are the necessities, plus cheerful conversation. Danish flags are good, or posters reading "Stand By Denmark" and any variation on this theme . . .

Hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans work within walking distance of the Danish Consulate. Let's make the Danish proud of Chicago!

Iranian holocaust cartoon contest receives 200 entries

The Iranian newspaper Hamshahri is sponsoring a holocaust cartoons contest in response to the uproar over the Danish Muhammad cartoons pictured on the left.

According to The Scotsman, 200 artists have submitted entries. The mullahs of Iran will undoubtedly be pleased by creative output of the artists, if this entry is typical, which I bet it is:

One cartoon submission reflects the opinion of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who drew international outrage last year when he said that the Holocaust was a myth.

The cartoon, by Firouzeh Mozafari, an Iranian, shows nine Jewish men continuously entering a gas chamber that shows a counter reading "5,999,999," implying that Jews have inflated the number of Holocaust victims.

The contest goes on until May 15.

Technorati tags: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Iran anti-semitism Holocaust Denial Danmark Denmark

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati: Day 22

This blog is still not getting picked up by the blog search engine Technorati.

My being-ignored trouble ticket is 26396.

Their e-mail address is feedback@technorati.com

Day one of deliberations over: No verdict in George Ryan trial

The big story in Illinois this week will be the verdict--assuming there is one--in the trial of former Ill. Governor George Ryan. The jury deliberated for six-and-half hours--no verdict was reached yet.

Jamaica, yo problem, part three: The island by car, continued

Missed parts one and two? Don't worry, they're here:

Jamaica, yo problem, part one: The island by foot
Jamaica, yo problem, part two: The island by car

Crossposted on Pajamas Media.

Having miraculously survived the drive to Negril and back, my wife, daughter and I headed out to Ocho Rios from Montego Bay, a distance of 67 miles for our second day of Jamaica behind the wheel.

It couldn't take too long to get there, could it?

We managed to drive about five miles from "Mobay," before a policemen, backed up by a second cop with an M-16 rifle draped over his shoulder, motioned us to pull over.

I later found out such random stops are common, but who knows? Maybe I damaged a curb while driving the day before?

We stopped on the side of the road, the first cop looked at us, asked us where we were going, then said we could continue on. But he told us "to be careful."

After what I went through during my drive the day before, I intended to do just that.

Just as on the way west to Negril, the roads were pretty awful at least until the town of Falmouth. There, the North Coast Highway became an American style multi-lane highway. Perfect.

But that just lasted just a few miles. Then the North Coast Highway became a gravel road--a graded surface awaiting asphalt--but still unpaved.

It's not done yet. Then road "improved" to a pothole pocked ribbon of (mostly) concrete...then it was a gravel again with an occasional blessing of a patch or two of real highway.

You won't find any mention of the poor road conditions in the Jamaica tourism books, such as the one I purchased, Frommers' Jamaica, but the bad roads of the island are a primary concern of tourists, as well as Jamaican citizens.

While we were in Jamaica, there was a convention to pick the successor to retiring Prime Minister P. J. Patterson

Here's what Jamaica Gleaner columnist Dawn Ritch had to say about Patterson:

Patterson said roads would be his legacy. Yet, he has been building a northcoast highway for several years that is way over budget by about three times, and way behind schedule. A pregnant woman recently had to be taken to hospital in a wheelbarrow from Cascades, because the access road broke away two years ago and the Government couldn't bother to fix it. Roads will have to be the legacy of somebody else, not the Most Honourable.

That's not the only problem Patterson's successor faces, as Ritch continues:

In a sham policy to bolster the net international reserves and to spend on massive public sector projects, the Prime Minister and his Finance Minister have borrowed overseas at commercial rates. This was done in order to avoid the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank which lend at much cheaper rates. Only profligate governments borrow at commercial rates. Institutional support at cheaper rates is always available for developing countries, but it comes with restraints.

Jamaica, yo problem!

A quick flashback to Montego Bay: During a walk to the end of Gloucester Street, "the Hip Strip," I met a man who said he lived in Philadelphia for 16 years, he called himself the "King of America." After I told him I was from Chicago, he said he'd been there and visited Louis Farrakhan's mosque at 73rd and Stony Island on Chicago's South Side. (He got the address right.) He offered to give me a personal tour of the "slums of Jamaica." He said to look for him at the Pork and Knockers II bar, his hangout, to finalize the arrangements. I had planned to take "the King" up on the offer, but after two days of driving on Prime Minister Patterson's North Coast Highway, I could only imagine the decrepit condition of the "slum roads."

East of Falmouth, we met Cornell Benton and Brenton Neisch, pictured here. As with the towns west of Montego Bay, the individuals we met east of there were much friendlier, and not interested in trying to "hustle us," as they do in Mobay.

We had two goals in Ocho Rios. The first was to visit Dunn's River Falls, the second was to fulfill a promise to our daughter: A swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Cove.

Because it took us almost three hours to travel the 67 miles to Ocho Rios, we decided to head to Dolphin Cove first.


"Little Marathon Pundit" had her dolphin swim, and as you can see, she had a blast. Unless you're a PETA member, I highly recommend it. (But the cost of the swim is steep: $185 US.)


Dunn's River Falls closes at 5:00PM, we got there at 4:50PM--they wouldn't let us in so close to closing time.

Time to head back to Montego Bay.

That's Discovery Bay at twilight on a cloudy day. It's where Christopher Columbus, the first European explorer to reach Jamaica, anchored in 1494. There's a small park there honoring the famous Italian. But the legacy of Columbus is viewed differently in Jamaica than it is in the United States.


From Frommers' Jamaica:

In 1513 the first African slaves reached Jamaica, and in 1520 sugarcane cultivation was introduced. In the 1540s the Spanish Crown grudgingly offered the entire island to Columbus's family as a reward for his service to Spain. Columbus's descendants did nothing to develop the island's vast potential, however. Angered by the lack of immediate profit (abundantly available from gold and silver mines in Mexico and Peru), the Spanish colonists accomplished very little other than to wipe out the entire Arawak population. Forced into slavery, every last Arawak was either executed or died of disease, overwork, or malnutrition.

Night came for us, and it began to rain. Then the road disappeared. Well, it seemed that way. Even the finished portions of the North Coast Highway seemingly have no drainage system. The old portions of the highway, and of course the gravel sections of the roadway certainly don't have one.

It was raining hard. At least we were in a car. Jill Dolan, a friend-of-the-blog from Park Ridge, Illinois told me she and her husband rented motorcycles and got caught in a rainstorm on that same highway. They took shelter in a church, a structure with two and a half walls and a few boards for a roof. The "pastor" demanded cash from them for use of the shelter.

Since I couldn't see the road--there was too much water--it was a struggle to stay on the road. By some miracle, I avoided driving into one of those car-eating potholes I viewed on the way to Ocho Rios, but I did find myself driving--against traffic--on the right, that is the wrong side of the road--during the deluge. I couldn't find the left side in the muck, so I honked the horn like a maniac--and the oncoming traffic yielded. A very close call.


Finally, we made it back to Montego Bay. The streets of Mobay had turned into small rivers from the rain--with rocks, mud, and garbage sprinkling the streams. If Montego Bay has a street drainage system, it doesn't work too well.

We made it back to our hotel safe and sound--and without smashing our rental car.

My nerves and blood pressure still may not have recovered from the experience.

Now I know why street "ganja" sales are so prevalent in Montego Bay. The sellers are only trying to calm the nerves of tourists.

In part one of Jamaica, Yo Problem I wrote of the increasing popularity of the all-inclusive resorts on the island, such as Sandals. Resort shuttle buses take the guests around--tourists don't have to drive. Considering the roads, and the persistent haggling--as well as the "Mobay hustle--that occurs in Montego Bay, the appeal of the all-inclusives are is clearly obvious.

As I stated several times before, the goal of this series is to ignite a "Travel flogging" boom. I hope it happens.

Technorati tags: Jamaica Vacation Caribbean road trip Ocho Rios Montego BayTravel Christopher Columbus

Senator Russ Feingold wants to censure Bush

Forty-five miles north of me is Russ Feingold's turf, Wisconsin.

Senator Feingold wants to have President Bush censured because of his disagreements with the president's domestic eavesdropping program involving non-US citizens.


(Oops, that last part, the non US citizen part, somehow failed to make it into this AP story.)

Only one president has been censured, Andrew Jackson. One of his quotes graces the banner of this blog.

Bush won't be censured--it's a big waste of time. But it does get Feingold's name in the media, and helps along his 2008 presidential hopes.

Michelle Malkin has a lot more on this story.

Technorati tags: Feingold Bush Wisconsin Eavesdropping

Alan Dershowitz speaks out on Summers' departure from Harvard

Lawrence Summers' recent announcement that he is resigning as Harvard University's president is, sadly, becoming a forgotten story in the battle of the political-correctness against the world.

Richard L. Cravatts of the American Chronicle wrote a thoughtful article about the Harvard situation. Below is an excerpt quoting Harvard Professor Alan M. Dershowitz, someone I find myself agreeing with more and more.

Alan Dershowitz, Harvards' prolific law professor and a supporter of Summers' achievements as president, saw through the protestation of dissenting faculty who paraded the notion that their problem with Summers was merely over his autocratic leadership style. The real issue, according to Dershowitz, is that Summers' articulation of controversial stands on current issues violated the intellectual sensitivities of the left-leaning professors. "Many of the same people who correctly insist on greater 'diversity' based on gender, race and ethnicity seek homogeneity of viewpoints," said Dershowitz. "They want more colleagues who share their ideologically fixed positions. The last thing they want is diversity of viewpoint, especially on issues of gender, race and politics."

Hat tip to Steven Plaut.

Technorati tags: Dershowitz Harvard Massachusetts Liberals in Academia

Another brick from a Wal-blogger

Bob over at Crazy Politico Rantings has a couple of great analytical pieces about the New York Times vs. the Wal-Mart bloggers on his site.

This snippet is one for the ages:

I even got a new quote for my sidebar from Lone Wacko:

"I never thought I'd read the phrase Crazy Politico's Rantings in the NYT. I'll bet they never thought they'd print anything like that phrase either."

Read 4 Sides Of The Story, Pt. 1 here, and Pt. 2 here.

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart WalMart Public Relations

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati: Day 21

Here we go again...

Hopefully the Technorati are using the excellent Google blog search available on Blogger.com to find these posts. For three weeks now, Marathon Pundit blog postings are no longer being picked up by Technorati.--

And I'm still pounding away on the Technorati manual ping feature.

My Technorati trouble ticket is 26396. Feel free to drop them a line here: feedback@technorati.com on my behalf. Remember, 26396.

Technorati Blogging I/'m not dead Please find me

The long green line

I took this photo of these thirsty Chicagoans about 45 minutes ago outside Durkin's, a popular North Side bar. They're in line for shuttle bus rides to this afternoon's South Side Irish Parade. Yesterday was Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade, that takes place downtown.

Both parades, but particularly the South Side Irish Parade, are known for ample consumption of "liquid."

Next Tuesday there is a primary election in Illinois, expect a lot of politicians on parade on Chicago's South Side this afternoon. Let's hope for their sake the people in attendance aren't too, shall I say, "spirited."

Technorati tags: Chicago Illinois St. Patrick/'s Day Irish irishblogs

Coming next week: Jamaica, yo problem part three, the island by car, cont'd

In this final chapter, the Marathon Pundit family strikes out again from Montego Bay, with Ocho Rios our destination, traveling on the destined-never-to-be-completed North Coast Highway.

Once again, the goal of this series is to do to travel reporting what blogging has done to political writing.

We all go on vacations, right?

The story so far:

Jamaica, yo problem, part one: The island by foot
Jamaica, yo problem, part two: The island by car

That's my wife and daughter with a eight year-old girl from Negril named Abigail.

Technorati tags: Jamaica Vacation Carribean

George Ryan jury deliberations begin Monday

The big happening in Illinois next week will be the verdict--assuming the jury doesn't end up being deadlocked--in the corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan. A former Ryan aide, Larry Warner, is also on trial.

The trial lasted six months--not a good thing for the prosecution. The jury will begin reflecting on what they've endured for half a year Monday morning.

This will be the story I'll be keeping a very close eye on next week. If Ryan is found innocent, his stock for receiving a Nobel Peace Prize for his emptying out Illinois' death row will skyrocket.

Another point of interest: U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald's office is prosecuting the Ryan/Warner case. Fitzgerald is best known nationally for his serving as the special prosecutor in the "Plamegate" case.

Technorati tags: George Ryan Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald Fitzmas PlameGate

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati: Day 20

Here is today's update: There is no update.

As I've posted a few times in the last week, my blog postings or no longer being picked up by Technorati--for almost three weeks now.

I'm still pounding away on the Technorati manual ping feature.

My Technorati trouble ticket is 26396. Feel free to drop them a line here: feedback@technorati.com on my behalf. Remember, 26396.

Technorati Blogging I/'m not dead Please find me

Massive illegal immigration march in Chicago yesterday

The local news here is dominated by the huge rally organized in opposition to House bill H.R. 4437, legislation touted by its supporters as a "get tough" measure against illegal immigration. Of those at the rally who know of it, their legislation of choice is a quasi-amnesty bill sponsored by Senators John McCain and Edward Kennedy.

Drudge mentioned the rally on his site. The estimate on the number of people at the rally vary, but 100,000 is what the Chicago Police said, and that's what I'll go with here.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Governor Rod Blagojevich, and Senator Dick Durbin were among the politicians in attendance.

As was "The Bald Chick" from Freedom Folks. She took that picture, and reported on Friday's events in an eloquent fashion. She's got more pics, too.

Hey, did you know that the World Can't Wait (Drive out the Bush Regime) people were there, too. Surprised? You shouldn't be.

Technorati tags: World Can/'t Wait McCain Kennedy Chicago Illinois Durbin Richard Daley Blagojevich

Slobodan Milosevic dead

The "Butcher of the Balkans" died not with his boots on, but in his prison cell bed, AP is reporting this morning.

Apparently he died of natural causes. Expect rumors of suicide to pick up steam, since both of Milosevic's parents died at their own hands.

Milosevic Serbia Balkans

Press release from the DePaul Conservative Alliance on graffiti smear

The DePaul Conservative Alliance has spoken out on the smear (see below posts) delivered by the DePaul public relations office.

Now a representative from the DePaul Conservative Alliance (DCA) wants to set the record straight and clear its name from the negative inferences DePaul has made against it, "The DePaul Conservative Alliance had absolutely no involvement whatsoever in the reprehensible acts of vandalism that occurred at DePaul University. The DCA finds the statements made by student Corey Holmes and DePaul spokesperson Denise Mattson highly disingenuous and categorically untrue. The DCA did not incite the events that were an affront to DePaul's values and it’s ridiculous and insulting to imply we are to blame. Based on facts we have been informed of which the University and police have yet to reveal, we believe that the graffiti was actually a slur against us accusing us of racism. On February 15, President Holtschneider attacked the DCA in an email to the entire DePaul community which implied that our group’s satirical protest ‘bake sale’ was motivated by racist attitudes. If anyone should take responsibility for inciting this racist attack on the DCA it is the Vicentian Priest President of DePaul who insults the students he should be defending. We will reply in detail next week to the Feb. 15 letter and the administration’s duplicity," said Joe Blewitt, Nicholas G. Hahn III and Michael O’Shea of the DePaul Conservative Alliance.

I don't know who Corey Holmes is.

Check back here for more on this story.

DePaul academicfreedom affirmative action illinois

Must read for holocaust deniers

Great friend-of-the-blog Third Wave Dave sent this to me this morning. It's the touching story of Leo Dunst, a holocaust survivor now living in San Diego, and Bob Persinger, one of the soldiers who liberated him. Persinger lives in Loves Park, Illinois, a suburb of Rockford.

Does anyone have the e-mail address of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the holocaust-denying Iranian president?

Technorati tags: Iran Rockford California San Diego Illinois Holocaust Denial Holocaust

Marathon Pundit muzzled by Technorati: Day 19

As I've posted a few times in the last week, my blog postings or no longer being picked up by Technorati--for almost three weeks now. Traffic is still good here, though. Anyway, I'm getting tired of being ignored by them, so I'm turning up the volume.

My Blogger.com settings are almost certainly correct. Tee Bee of Guide to Midwestern Culture suggested I send manual Technorati pings, which I've done.

My Technorati trouble ticket is 26396. Feel free to drop them a line here: feedback@technorati.com on my behalf. Remember, 26396.

Technorati tags: Technorati Blogging blogger

Atheist DePaul student sells his soul on eBay

Normally I pass on stories like this, but once I saw DePaul was involved, I couldn't pass it up.

Hemant Mehta is a 23 year-old graduate student at Chicago's DePaul University, a school that Marathon Pundit regularly blogs about.

An atheist, Mehta put his soul up for auction on eBay. The winning bidder was not Satan, the Devil, Old Scratch or whatever you want to call him. Former Christian minister, Jim Henderson, of Seattle won out. But all he wants from Mehta is to critique several church services to find ways to make them more interesting, as
CBS 2 Chicago reports.

Mehta keeps a blog, eBay Atheist. It's draws a lot of comments.

Technorati tags: Atheism DePaul Chicago eBay Illinois

DePaul reply to my post from yesterday

Note: The WBBM story was not online when I made Thursday evening's post:

Both UPI and you omitted the last line of the WBBM report, which quoted Denise Mattson saying there was NO indication of a link between the vandalism and the bake sale or the organization that staged it. See the full report below. We hope you will share this with your readers.

WBBM-AM

CHICAGO (ssmiller@cbs.com) -- Racist graffiti and swastikas were found on walls and buildings on the Lincoln Park campus of DePaul University Wednesday.

Political tension has been high since an incident on campus less than two months ago.

The graffiti was found inside a residence hall and on the outside of buildings.

DePaul University spokeswoman Denise Mattson said it is an assault on DePaul's values.

"We found swastikas as well as some racial epithets. We had the 'n-word,' coupled with the phrase 'go home,' and the phrase 'whites only'," said Mattson

Mattson said the campus has been politically charged since Jan. 17 when a new organization called the DePaul Conservative Alliance had an event called an "affirmative action bake sale," where blacks were charged less than whites.

"That certainly created some dialogue about affirmative action policies and practices about minorities on campus," Mattson said.

Mattson said there is no indication of a link between the vandalism and the bake sale or the organization that staged it.

Police are investigating the graffiti incident at DePaul.

David Horowitz coming to Chicago to debate prof who called air force cadet a "baby killer"

This will be good. Hopefully, I can attend. St. Xavier University is on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Huge hat tip to Anne over at Backyard Conservative.

On Wed., March 29th, David Horowitz will be in Chicago to debate Prof. Peter Kerstein of St. Xavier University, who is in the book. Professor Kerstein is infamous for a post Sept. 11th emailed rant personally attacking an Air Force cadet and calling him a baby killer. See WSJ.

I was getting worried about St. Xavier. Here's is a previous post of mine about the school.

Cindy Sheehan coming to Chicago's St Xavier U Feb 16

Racist graffiti found at DePaul: Univ. spokesperson cites conservative group for creating "politically charged" campus

Yesterday, someone found some racist graffiti at a dormitory at DePaul's Lincoln Park campus. There were swastikas found, the 'n' word, the usual hateful stuff that mental midgets scrawl. The Chicago Police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

So far so good.

But leave it to DePaul further muck up the waters. Denise Mattson, DePaul's Assistant Vice President for Public Relations, is alluding that, surprise, conservatives, specifically, the DePaul Conservative Alliance contributed to the incident.

From UPI:

DePaul University spokesperson Denise Mattson told WBBM Radio the incident was an assault on the university's values.

Mattson said the campus has been politically charged since late January when a new campus organization, the DePaul Conservative Alliance, conducted an "affirmative action bake sale" at which blacks were charged less than whites.

"That certainly created some dialogue about affirmative action policies and practices about minorities on campus," Mattson said.

Let me reiterate: Mattson is an official DePaul University spokesperson, and she is spewing this stuff. Shameful.

Courtesy of FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, here are some recent misadventures of DePaul:

DePaul University: Professor Suspended for Expression Without Due Process
DePaul University: Censorship of Student Group Protesting Ward Churchill
DePaul University: Shutdown of Affirmative Action Bake Sale Protest

Technorati tags: DePaul Chicago wardchurchill Academic freedom free speech illinois

Dubai ports deal sunk

Well, if Marathon Pundit is your sole source of news, then it's important for me to report that Dubai Ports Worldwide is backing out of the deal to manage some U.S. ports.

But don't feel bad for Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates. It's a prosperous place, pretty much the Las Vegas, sans the casinos, of the Persian Gulf.

There's plenty to do there: Shopping at the many luxury malls, night clubs, and yes, prostitution. Also there a couple of Disney type theme parks.

Since there are night clubs, there is the availability of alcohol. Or other "substances."

So the people of Dubai, as they let the news sink in, can just kick back, relax, and smoke a Dubai.

As always, Michelle Malkin has a lot more.

Technorati tags: Dubai UAE Ports

Iran and its lack of respect for other religions

The nation of Iran erupted with predictable shrillness last month over the Danish Muhammad cartoons. Through the ugliness, one of the messages being sent by Iranian protesters was that the West--the non-Muslim West--needed to respect Islam.

In Iran, converting from Islam to another religion is a capital offense.

However, as Amnesty International mentions here:

Conversion to another religion is an internationally recognized right, laid down in Article 18 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a State Party

Then there is the sad story of the Baha'i faith. Founded in Iran in the 1840s, the ruling mullahs or Iran consider the Baha'is dangerous heretics. Since Muslims consider Muhammad the last prophet, the Baha'i faith is especially troubling to the Islamic republic, sinceBaha'iss believe in a post-Muhammad message.

Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran is essential reading for anyone interested in Iran's 1979 revolution and the repression that followed. Nafisi writes movingly of a character she dubbed "The Kid," who was denied entrance into an Iranian medical school because he of his faith.

He passed the entrance exam with a first, only to be denied a place because he was a Baha'i. During the Shah's reign, the Baha'is were protected and flourished--one sin for which the Shah was never forgiven. After the revolution, their property was confiscated and their leaders were murdered. Bahai's had no civil rights under the new Islamic constitution and were barred from schools, universities, and workplaces.

Nafisi then writes about the death of The Kid's grandmother:

There were no burial places for Baha'is; the regime had destroyed the Baha'i cemetery in the first years of the revolution, demolishing the graves with a bulldozer. There were rumors that the cemetery had been turned into a park or a playground. Later, I found out it had become a cultural center, called Bakhtaran. What were you supposed to do when your grandmother died and there was no cemetery?

Bad as that was, it could have been worse for that cemetery, as Nafisi tells the reader in the next paragraph.

It's amazing, this obsession with taking possession of not just the living, but the dead. At the start of the revolution, the revolutionary prosecutor bulldozed Reza Shah's grave, destroying the monument and creating a public toilet in its place--which he inaugurated by pissing in it.

Technorati tags: Iran Islam Muhammad cartoons Azar Nafisi Baha/'i

Minnesota prof censored for posting Mohammed cartoons

This story may have an unhappy ending for Karen Murdock, an adjunct professor at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Like DePaul's Thomas Klocek, who also didn't have tenure, Murdock is in trouble for offending Muslim sensibilities. For the PC police at Century, placing the Danish Mohammed cartoons behind a curtain with a warning sign wasn't good enough for them.

From a FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, press release:

The uproar over cartoons of the prophet Mohammed may be fading in some places, but not at Century College in Minnesota. After repeatedly encountering censorship of her display of the cartoons on a hallway bulletin board, Professor Karen Murdock finally posted them behind a curtain so that passers-by would not be offended. Yet even after assuring Murdock and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) that free speech is valued at Century, administrators allowed censors to tear down the hidden cartoons and insisted that she not put them back up.

Technorati tags: Censorship Century College Muhammad cartoons mohammed cartoons Minnesota

North Korea's Kim Jong-Il commissions love songs

Crossposted on Pajamas Media.
In the days of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven, European kings and emperors commissioned composers to write symphonies. Clearly, according to News.com Australia, North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il is looking to the past as a way to inspire his desperately poor nation.

He's commissioning love songs. Is the world, outside of the captive audience of North Korea, ready for tunes such as these?

I Am a Front-line Soldier's Wife

A Girl Innovator Dashing Like a Steed

Song of Coast Artillerywoman

One thing is for sure. These songs will get plenty of airplay in North Korea. Now, if North Koreans get reliable electrical power in their homes, maybe the songs have a chance to become popular in the Stalinist state.

Technorati tags: North Korea Kim Jong Il communism music

CBS 2 Chicago: Blagojevich "breaks silence" over hate crimes panel controversy

Mike Parker of CBS 2 Chicago made that claim tonight. Here's what he wrote:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich briefly broke his silence on the hate crime commission controversy Wednesday night.

One member’s ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan have resulted in the resignation of five members.

More...

But as he arrived for a $250 a ticket fundraiser Wednesday night in a downtown high rise, the governor would not talk about the issue or those resignations.

“Things are going forward, and we’re all about encouraging people to work together,” he said, but did not respond when the fifth resignation was brought up.

That's what Parker calls breaking silence? It's not as if Francisco Franco made those comments.

Technorati tags: Nation of Islam louis farrakhan Blagojevich Illinois

Howard Kurtz goes long on Wal-Mart, bloggers, and the New York Times

Howard Kurtz' online Washington Post column discusses at length Michael Barbaro's New York Times article about Wal-Mat's relationship with bloggers.

I thought it was a very fair piece--and Kurtz of course is going to be more receptive to the sentiments of bloggers since, well, in a broad definition of the term, he's a blogger too.

His column opens this way:

I knew a few days ago that the New York Times was planning a piece on big companies like Wal-Mart using friendly bloggers to get their message out.

The reason I knew this, of course, is that some of the bloggers posted preemptive pieces after the paper contacted them for comment. (I have very mixed feelings about that, since no reporter wants to get scooped on his own story because he's trying to be fair by calling people. Welcome to life in the blogosphere.)

More...

What's not in dispute is that what was once dismissed as a pajama-clad brigade is becoming increasingly influential, to the point that giant companies have to worry about what they say. Dell got tarnished, for example, when it dealt shabbily with Jeff Jarvis over his lemon of a laptop. And as I reported the other day, the Pentagon has created a unit to seek good coverage and knock down bad coverage among bloggers.

The better bloggers are going to have to figure out their own standards for dealing with corporate and political flacks, and those who blindly carry water for outside groups will probably lose credibility over time. But I expect them to be in the minority.

Once again, I have to reiterate, my main interest in writing about Wal-Mart is in the irrational demonization of the retailer from the Left--particulary unions.

Crazy Politico and Iowa Voice get quoted extensively in Kurtz' article.

Brian of Iowa Voice has had his fill of talking the media about the story, as you'll read here.

Kurtz' Post article has a glaring omission: Tula Connell of the AFL-CIO blog still has not explained this statement she made Monday:

We know Wal-Mart has no shame. And here's more confirmation.

Apparently New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro is working on a story detailing the corporate behemoth's attempts to buy good PR by paying bloggers to write sympathetically about the world's largest employer of low-wage workers.

Barbaro's article never made such a claim.

Crazy Politico has similar thoughts about Tula.

Oh, Marshall Manson of Edelman PR sent me this article...but I would've found it anyway.

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart WalMart AFL-CIO Howard Kurtz Washington Post New York Times

Technorati green still blue

Marathon Pundit is still a blank in the eyes of Technorati. I was hoping all the attention the blog got yesterday with the New York Times/Wal-Mart posts would attract their gaze. No such luck.

Technorati tags: Technorati Blogging Internet

Fifth Jewish person leaves hate crimes panel over NOI member

More headaches for Illinios Governor Rod Blagojevich. A fifth member of the Governor's Commission on Discrimination resigned today, in protest of the presence of Nation of Islam minister of protocol Claudette Marie Muhammad on that panel.

Spellman this afternoon became the fifth Jewish member to quit the commission.

AP reports:

Alan Spellberg, a supervisor in the Cook County State's Attorney's office, said he hand-delivered his resignation letter to the governor's office, but he would not comment further.

Spellberg's letter states that he can "no longer participate in good conscience" on the panel.

"Recent events have demonstrated to me that the commission's ability to address issues of bias and discrimination has been damaged beyond repair," Spellberg said in the letter.

Iran: Talking trash

Well, the mullahs are trash-talking. Unfortunately, the vicious regime can back it up with bombs--possibly nuclear:

From AP:

Iran threatened the United States with "harm and pain" Wednesday for its role in hauling Tehran before the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program. But the United States and its European allies said Iran's nuclear intransigence left the world no choice but to seek Security Council action. The council could impose economic and political sanctions on Iran.

Check in tonight or tomorrow here, I'm going to give them some trash back, and tie it into those cartoons, too.

NewsMax Magazine has article about FIRE, mentions DePaul

NewsMax.com has a magazine edition. The March issue has an in-depth article about FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

FIRE is a college and university free speech watch dog.

And DePaul gets a mention, over its mishandling of the Ward Churchill protest last fall.

FIRE also recently exposed a move by DePaul University to forbid its College Republicans group from posting flyers protesting a speech by University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill--the man who notoriously called the 9/11 victims "Little Eichmanns."

"Just at DePaul was free to invite Ward Churchill to speak, so should its students be free to object to that invitation, (FIRE President Lukianoff) said.

Chicago's South Side remembers Kirby Puckett

Baseball hall of famer Kirby Puckett died yesterday, he was just 44. He spent his entire career playing for the Minnesota Twins.

He was a native of Chicago's South Side, and South Siders remember Kirby.

From NBC 5 Chicago:

Chicago students and community leaders gathered Tuesday afternoon to remember Puckett. They held hands and prayed near the former site of the Robert Taylor Homes -- the housing project where Puckett lived as a child.

A poster paid tribute to his success on the baseball field, NBC5 reported.

Community leader Ziff Sistrunk said the Chicago Black Baseball League will be renamed for Puckett, as will a community food program.

Johnie Butler -- who was athletic director of Calumet High School when Puckett went there -- says athletes like Puckett set an example for today's young people

Technorati tags: Kirby Puckett Baseball Minnesota Twins Chicago

Defense begins closing arguments in George Ryan trial

Dan K. Webb, the former US Attorney for Northern Illinois is the lead defense attorney for former Illinois Governor George Ryan, and Webb began his closing arguments today in Chicago.

Ryan has been charged with racketeering and fraud.

The trial began in September. It will end one day.

Technorati tags: George Ryan Illinois corruption

Nation of Islam hate crime panel member speaks out

Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, minister of protocol for the Nation of Islam, spoke publicly for the first time regarding the controversy surrounding her membership on the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

Governor Rod Blagojevich, unaware of her leadership role in Louis Farrakhan's group, appointed Muhammad to the panel last summer. Four Jewish members have left the commission to protest her being on it. Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat, won't fire her. He's up for relection this year, and he's probably afraid that the black vote won't turn out for him in heavy numbers if he removes her from the hate crimes commission.

This morning, Muhammad was interviewed on friendly territory, WVON-AM, a talk-radio outlet with a heavy African-American audience, CBS 2 Chicago reported.

Here are some quotes from Muhammad.

"For those who try to condemn me because of the honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan's remarks ... which were perceived by some as anti-Semitic, it's ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous."

And she portrayed herself as the victim:

Please know I am not the victimizer here, OK, but instead I am the victim.

And she won't repudiate Farrakhan or his comments:

He is my minister of whom I love and respect, and he will remain my minister until Allah decides differently.

The Anti-Defamation League has a Louis Farrakhan page on its website focusing on some of the hateful things the minister has said. The comments below come from his Saviours' Day speech nine days ago:

These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength--It's the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting Lesbianism, homosexuality. It's wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!

I perceive those comments as anti-semitic.

Technorati tags: Farrakhan louis farrakhan Nation of Islam anti-semitism Jews Illinois Blagojevich

Welcome Pajamas Media readers

The Wal-Mart post is below. As of this writing, no retraction has come from Tula Connell of the AFL-CIO regarding her claim that today's Michael Barbaro article in the New York Times would state Wal-Mart is paying bloggers to write positive things about the retail giant.

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart Current Affairs Weblogs New York Times

New York Times story up....bloggers NOT paid by Wal-Mart, awaiting AFL-CIO retraction

Oh, I sure as heck stand behind my previous post, since AFL-CIO blogger Tula Connell wrote:

Apparently New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro is working on a story detailing the corporate behemoth’s attempts to buy good PR by paying bloggers to write sympathetically about the world’s largest employer of low-wage workers.

That’s according to the Marquette Warrior, a blog sympathetic to Wal-Mart and apparently on Barbaro’s list of paid bloggers. The blog, run and written by John McAdams, is not officially associated with Marquette University—a good thing, because he stands against most issues the Jesuit-based university (my alma mater).

Michael Barbaro's New York Times story is up, and he does not make the claim that bloggers are paid by Wal-Mart. Hat tip: Bob the Crazy Politico.

The article ends like way:

In a sign of how eager Wal-Mart is to develop ties to bloggers, the company has invited them to a media conference to be held at its headquarters in April. In e-mail messages, Wal-Mart has polled several bloggers about whether they would make the trip, which the bloggers would have to pay for themselves.

Mr. Reynolds of Instapundit.com said he recently was invited to Wal-Mart's offices but declined. "Bentonville, Arkansas," he said, "is not my idea of a fun destination."

No one invited me!

There are accusations in the article that the bloggers just cut-and-paste stuff sent by Wal-Mart's PR contact, Marshall Manson.

Barbaro is reinforcing the stereotype of bloggers are only cut-and-paste practioners. The e-mails I received, and I hope to continue to receive, consisted of a few links.

Here's what Barbaro wrote about Manson:

The author of the e-mail messages is a blogger named Marshall Manson, a senior account supervisor at Edelman who writes for conservative Web sites like Human Events Online, which advocates limited government, and Confirm Them, which has pushed for the confirmation of President Bush's judicial nominees

Damning stuff: Marshall Manson is not an enlightened New York Times liberal!

I get a few tips now and then. Some of the stuff is worthless and I don't use. Most of the time I have to keep the source anonymous, since I write about controversial and heated subjects such as Islamic terrorism and holocaust denial. I correspond regularly with a few anonymous bloggers.

Wal-Mart is a good company. Do I agree with them on everything? No. Then again, I don't agree with my wife on everything either, and that goes both ways, as she posted a critical comment today (see the Autonomist blog post) about what I wrote about George Clooney.

Technorti tags: Wal-Mart WalMart New York Times AFL-CIO Tula Connell

Tomorrow's New York Times today: Wal-Mart pays bloggers: UPDATED

I received a solid tip this afternoon that Michael Barbaro of the New York Times will have an "expose" on Wal-Mart and the retail giant's relation with bloggers.

According the to AFL-CIO blog, Barbaro's story will detail "the corporate behemoth's attempts to buy good PR by paying bloggers to write sympathetically about the world's largest employer of low-wage workers."

Wal-Mart is ahead of pack in recognizing the importance of blogs. Yes, I'm one of those bloggers who has received news tips from sources close to Wal-Mart. As a medium-sized blog, I'm interested in finding stories that aren't well-reported. How did they find me? They came across a Marathon Pundit blog entry they liked.

The demonization of Wal-Mart by unions and other leftists reminds me of "Bush derangement syndrome," the irrational hatred that goes far beyond simple opposition to the president.

Wal-Mart supplies products at an inexpensive prices. Since the poor benefits the most from cheap goods, Wal-Mart is helping those at the low-end of the economic pyramid.

Yes, I buy stuff from Wal-Mart--Look for me at the Niles, Illinois location on Touhy Avenue.

Oh, back to Barbaro's New York Times story. John McAdams of the Marquette Warrior blog has posts upon posts about it.

I have a hunch that Barbaro is a little jealous of the bloggers. From MSNBC's Clicked blog:

New York Times reporter Michael Barbaro is being scooped by bloggers on his own story. Apparently he's working on a piece about Wal-Mart writing directly to supportive bloggers with more pro-Wal-Mart tid bits and stories, so he's contacting some of the bloggers on Wal-Mart's mailing list. One of the bloggers in question pre-empts the Times article with transparency of what Wal-Mart has been sending. It's an interesting tactic by Wal-Mart. I wonder how many other companies do the same. I get occasional mail from Firefox and the odd book publicist.

Crazy Politico offers more insight:

After I posted someone from the NY Times visited my site, finding it via a Technorati search. Getting scooped on the Scott comments from a bunch of bloggers in Arkansas and Virginia couldn't be sitting well with the folks in New York (who use a New Jersey ISP). I'll assume the someone was Mr. Barbaro, as I received an e-mail from him a short time later, as did other bloggers, like Arkansas Family Coalition.

I am very intrigued by your postings about my story today in The New York Times (about Lee Scott, of Wal-Mart) and wanted to chat with you if you have a moment. Can you give me a call or give me a number where I might reach you?

Many thanks,
Michael Barbaro
The New York Times

I'm not one of the bloggers whom Barbaro contacted. I've only posted a few items on Wal-Mart, besides, my mysterious problems with Technorati probably prevented Marathon Pundit from being "outed" by Barbaro.

Oh, I've not received a dime from Wal-Mart, nor any free trips, gift cards, not even a blue Wal-Mart vest.

But gee whiz...just where did that "solid tip" on this story come from?

I'll leave the last words to Tula Connell of the previously mentioned AFL-CIO blog:

...Marquette Warrior, a blog sympathetic to Wal-Mart and apparently on Barbaro's list of paid bloggers. The blog, run and written by John McAdams, is not officially associated with Marquette University-a good thing, because he stands against most issues the Jesuit-based university (my alma mater) supports, seemingly even free speech.

The last refuge of the leftist is classifying ideas they don't agree with as being against free speech.

UPDATE 7:30PM CST: Brian at Iowa Voice has a similar post. He didn't get paid, either.
UPDATE 8:10 PM CST: I just received an e-mail from Crazy Politico. On the money issue, "Second verse, same as the first." Nada.
UPDATE 8:30PM CST:James Joyner of Outside the Beltway. Not paid.

Once again, the story hasn't come out yet. I sent my post to Ms. Connell of the AFL-CIO blog, who, as I quoted above, made the claim about "the corporate behemoth's attempts to buy good PR by paying bloggers to write sympathetically about the world's largest employer of low-wage workers."

UPDATE 9:15PM: Here is the January Marathon Pundit post that attracted the attention of Wal-Mart's PR firm.

And Crazy Politico has a new post tonight about his role in tomorrow's New York Times story. And yes, Bob, it is okay to talk to the New York Times! Your names is not mud in the blogosphere.

Technorati tags: Wal-Mart WalMart Media Bias blogs Technorati AFL-CIO Union

Barbra Streisand: Honor student

That's what it says in her web site biography: "An honor student at Erasmus High School in Brooklyn..."

Here are the, make that here is the Erasmus Hall Alumni site, with loads of e-mail addresses. It'd be interesting to see if her former classmates agree with that statement.

It's been reported on Drudge's site, Brainster, and by Rocco DiPippo on the Autonomist Blog (Rocco takes on the role of an angry rhetoric teacher in his post), that Barbra Streisand a week ago, posted a rambling statement on her site highly critical of President Bush. She mocks him as a 'C' student. Or C student (no quotes), as Babs phrased it. (Grammar is somewhat subjective, and one could argue "C" is correct, but I like the look of 'C' better.)

The magnificent, multi-talented Streisand's Bush-bashing missive contains not just multiple spelling errors and repeated words, but also awkwardly constructed sentences, even one with conflicting tenses, as DiPippo points out.

Her messy statement was on her site for almost a week. Until this afternoon, Streisand, or more likely one of her henpecked staffers, finally put her hate-rant through a spell and grammar check. There still are some errors. It's Congress, not congress, for instance, Babs, when referring to the United States Congress.

Spelling and grammar checks are good computer tools, but they are not substitutes for having an honor student-caliber education.

Technorati tags: Barbra Streisand Democrats Brooklyn left wing moron

Closing arguments underway in ex-Gov. George Ryan trial

The trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan is coming to an end after six months of testimony. The Kankakee Republican is accused of various graft charges while he was Illinois' secretary of state. Ryan is best known nationally as the man who emptied the state's death row in the closing days of his single term in office.

The prosecution got into the batter's box first:

"You've heard of the 12 days of Christmas? This was 12 years of Christmas for Mr. Ryan, his family and his friends," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel R. Levin said as closing arguments got under way after five months of testimony in Ryan's racketeering and fraud trial.

Levin said that the 72-year-old Republican who served one term as governor practiced "concealment, deception and lies" on a regular basis to cover up "dirty deals" in which he steered state contracts and leases to a small circle of friends and their lobbying clients

Technorati tags: George Ryan Death Penalty Illinois corruption Kankakee

My toes are numb from running

Time for an obligatory running post. My last post about running, outside of one of my Jamaica entries, was in late January. I had three posts about Pakistan's Lahore Marathon--an historic event. The riots that led up to the race were the first recorded public disturbances involving a running race.

When I started this blog, there were supposed to be more running-related posts. So here is today's news: I ran 15 miles today in the snow. It snowed yesterday in the Chicago area, and the two inches of accumulation from Sunday turned into slush, so my feet got wet and cold.

Today's distance was the most I've run since last year's Chicago Marathon.

Okay, back to politics!

Technorati tags: running Marathon Lahore Marathon Pakistan Chicago Marathon الإسلام

Welcome Pajamas Media readers

There SCOTUS/Military recruiting post is right below this one.

Breaking: Military recruiters get big win in SCOTUS decision

Cross posted on Pajamas Media.

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously, yes, unanimously this morning that colleges and universities that accept federal funds must allow military recruiters on campus, AP is reporting.

FAIR, The Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, was formed in response to the 1995 Solomon Amendment and revised versions of that law that allowed the federal government to withhold federal funds from the Department of Defense and other agencies for universities and colleges that ban the military from recruiting there. FAIR sued, and the case the Supreme Court ruled on was FAIR vs. Rumsfeld.

Universities began banning military recruiters in large numbers in the mid 1990s, in response to the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military regarding homosexuals in the armed forces.

A list of law schools who were willing to be publicly acknowledged as part of FAIR is here.

And wouldn't you know, DePaul University is one of them. Marathon Pundit has dozens of posts on the misadventures of DePaul, to learn more, type "DePaul" in the search engine box on top of this blog.

Technorati tags: gay SCOTUS Supreme Court academia DePaul military

College faculty member fired for plagiarism

No it's not Ward Churchill. But Argosy University's Chicago campus is adjusting to life after Bindu Ganga. An Argosy student discovered the plagiarism, and the university did the expected--harassed the student.

Argosy is a for-profit venture run by the Education Management Corp.

Last month the Chicago Sun-Times began pursuing the story, and Argosy responded predictably--it attacked the Sun-Times.

As the Chicago Sun-Times reports this morning, Ganga got canned last Friday. Her clinical psychology degree--also from Argosy--was taken away from her.

It's unlikely Argosy has a tenure system in place, but her dismissal is good news for those in the world who live their lives in an honest fashion.

As for Professor Churchill, here is the Rocky Mountain News report on Ward's alleged plagiarism.

Technorati tags: Ward Churchill Argosy University Plagiarism education

George Clooney, "Good Night and Good Luck"

Here's an interesting comment from Jon Stewart's opening monologue on tonight's Academy Awards broadcast about George Clooney.

Speaking of Clooney, Stewart said, "Two of his nominations are for 'Good Night and Good Luck,' which is not just Edward R. Murrow's sign-off,