Marathon Pundit

Monday, February 04, 2013

Chicago: Judge found not guilty by reason of insanity

File this one under "Not from the Onion."

Three months ago when I came to the judicial retention page of my touch screen panel, I clicked "No" next to the name of Cynthia Brim.

The Chicago Tribune and several bar associations made that recommendation. But if we have too many low-information voters in the Chicago area.

Earlier today Judge Brim was found not guilty by reason of insanity by a fellow Cook County judge.

More from ABC 7 Chicago:

What came out of this one-day bench trial goes far beyond a verdict in a simple misdemeanor battery case. The testimony Monday revealed that criminal courts judge Cynthia Brim suffers from a serious mental illness that she has had for years.

Testimony indicated that it is treatable with medication, but that Brim has often stopped taking her medication, and at least five times since 1993 she has undergone extensive hospitalizations for schizo-effective bipolar disorder.

Brim shoved a sheriff's deputy 11 months ago at the Daley Center in what witnesses described as a bizarre incident in which Brim seemed dazed and irrational. She was charged with battery at the time.

Judge William Brennan ruled that Brim was not guilty by reason of insanity and based that on testimony by a psychiatrist that she was legally insane at the time of the incident. That doctor further revealed that Brim has undergone five psychiatric hospitalizations, four of them during her 18 years on the bench.

Wow. While I have sympathy with anyone who is ill, had this information about Brim been made public before Election Day, even the low-information voters here would have caught on--and taxpayers would no longer be paying Brim's $186,000 annual salary. She has been suspended--with pay of course--from her judicial duties for almost a year.

Last fall the Cook County Democratic Party recommended that all judges up for retention--including Brim--be kept on the job. They should be ashamed of themselves--but that of course is an impossibility in "Crook County."

Merit selection--not machine-controlled elections--should be used to pick judges in Illinois. At the very least the names of judges up for retention should be listed alphabetically, not by seniority, so enough well-informed voters can throw out the duds. B comes after A, so Brim would have been easier to find.

Last fall the Chicago Tribune gave many reasons why Brim belonged in the dustbin.

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Illinois

Democrats

legal

crime

Kirk: I'm an optimist now

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) suffered a major stroke 13 months ago. After a year of recovery, Kirk is now back on the job.

In yesterday's Washington Post, Kirk discusses his new outlook on life.

I’m different from what I was. My left leg and left arm might never work like they once did, but my mind is sharp. I’m capable of doing the work entrusted to me by the people of Illinois, but I am forever changed.

I’m an optimist now, grateful for every blessing. Bad things happen, but life is still waiting for you to make the most of it. I want my life to count for something more than the honors I once craved. I believe it will.

My faith is stronger. My humility is deeper. I know I depend on family and friends more than I ever realized. I know, too, that the things that divide us in politics are infinitesimal compared with the dignity of our common humanity.

Climbing the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 3 was one of the greatest moments of my life. It was a goal fulfilled and a message to all stroke survivors: Never, ever give up.

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chicago politics

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Greenest Super Bowl suffers blackout

Coal barge, Guttenberg, Iowa

The Department of Energy, which for the last four years has been led by a man who doesn't own a car, touted Super Bowl 47 as the greenest ever.

To make this the greenest Super Bowl, the New Orleans Host Committee has partnered with fans and the community to offset energy use across the major Super Bowl venues. The exterior of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome features more than 26,000 LED lights on 96 full-color graphic display panels, designed to wash the building in a spectrum of animated colors, patterns and images. The system draws only 10 kilowatts of electricity -- equivalent to the amount of energy used by a small home -- and the lights are expected to last for many years before needing replacement.

Of course as we know, there was a 34 minute delay in last night's game after a power failure.

While I'm not claiming that the greenness of the Super Bowl caused the blackout, such an occurrence could be preview of life in America. President Obama's radicalized EPA is forcing dozens of coal-powered energy plants to close.

Technorati tags: Democrats

Super Bowl

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A corpse, a corpse, my kingdom for a corpse: Richard III body found

"A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!
Richard III, William Shakespeare.

Sorry about that headline. But the remains of Richard III, the villain from Skakespeare's eponymous play and the King of England from 1483 until 1485, have been positively identified. They were discovered in Leicester last year.

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england

history

Richard III By Andersen, Richard (Google Affiliate Ad)

Sunday, February 03, 2013

(Video) Gibbs: Hagel "unprepared and unimpressive" at Senate hearing

Former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs through RINO Chuck Hagel, under the bus earlier this morning on Meet the Press.

Of his testimony in the Senate, Obama's choice for Secretary of Defense was "unprepared and unimpressive." Which is sadly ironic because America will probably be unprepared to defend itself with Hagel as SecDef.

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hagel

politics

news

current affairs

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IL lottery superintendent and lottery critic headed to London

Illinois' unemployment rate is nearly one percentage point higher than the national one. But that hasn't stopped the state's lottery superintendent from travelling to London for a gaming conference while he suffer in the cold and snow.

One of the lowlights of Michael Jones' tenure occurred last year--when the lottery bounced $159,000 worth of prizes checks to 85 winners.

Jones, who has been a critic of the Illinois Lottery, will speak at a session called Innovation for Lotteries. Will he talk about those NSF checks?

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illinois politics

A Succinct History of the Politics of Illinois from 1856 to 1884, by L (Google Affiliate Ad)

(Video) Harry Reid: We need more tax hikes

Appearing on ABC's This Week this morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that "without question" we need more tax hikes, although the Nevadan and his sycophantic interviewer, George Stephanopoulos, referred to them as "revenues."

Do they think we're stupid?

Revenues...

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Democrats

Turbo Tax Deluxe + State 2012 23663787 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Save the Chicago Reagan home update: Kendall appearing on Teri O'Brien Show tonight

Reagan home last month

Tune in to the Teri O'Brien's Show this evening to get the true story--not unsubstantiated rumors--about the efforts to save the only Chicago home of Ronald Reagan. Mary Claire Kendall, the acting president and CEO of Friends of President Reagan's Chicago Home, Inc, will be a guest on Teri's program.

O'Brien, the Original Conservative Warrior Princess, hosts a weekly show on BlogTalkRadio that runs from 4pm-6pm Central Time each Sunday.

The 102nd anniversary of Reagan's birth in Tampico, Illinois is Wednesday. "Dutch" is the only president who was born in Illinois.

Also appearing on the program will be Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America.

Within a day or so, the show will be available for download on iTunes.

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