OUTRAGE: Corruption's Double Standard

I still can't get over the extent of news media bias against Republicans when it comes to scandal. I think it is worth repeating the most recent glaring example. GOP Congressman Mark Foley vs. the late Democrat Congressman Gerry Studds.

Foley sends out salacious emails to underage male pages (certainly outrageous, but so far no one is saying illegal). He immediately resigns in the face of certain censure and getting booted out of Congress. He apologizes and seeks treatment. (Granted, the latter is probably a public relations ploy.) He is scorned in the national press. Front page headlines demonize him, stirring up a public frenzy of disdain. There even are calls for the Speaker of the House to resign. Foley is grist for the talk show mills. Pundits pick at the bones of his political career.

Gerry Studds actually f&#ks (sorry for the not-so-disguised word, but his action deserves no euphemism) a 17 year old male page when times were even less tolerant of gayness. He refuses to apologize, and claims he did nothing wrong. His Massachusetts colleague, Barney Frank, also gay, makes minimizing jokes of his behavior. The Democrat party leadership (in control of Congress at the time) does nothing -- not even a note home to his parents. Instead he goes on to being an "honorable member" of the House for 16 more years.

Oh … were this just a rare example.

OP ED: Senator Reid lucky to be a Democrat

You may have missed the latest example of media bias, or how Democrats get away with murder. (Okay, only Senator Kennedy really gets away with murder, but you get the idea).

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been found ethically challenged, and perhaps criminally culpable, for a very large real estate transaction in his home state. Seem "Dirty Harry," as he is aptly named, invested $400,000 in a land deal in 1998. He then turn around and sold it off to a lobbyist friend three years later. Now this could raise some eyebrows. Was the transaction a real market deal, of was there some hidden profits from his lobbyist friend for "services rendered?"

But wait! THAT is not the deal.

Seems like three years AFTER Dirty Harry dumped the land, the lobbyist sold it for $1.1 million. That must have made the lobbyist really happy, and Dirty Harry sorry he did not hold on to the land. But nooooooo. Because Dirty Harry got the money.

Confused? Let me repeat. Three years AFTER he sold the real estate, the Democrat leader of the U.S. Senate was gifted with $700,000 in "profit" by a lobbyist.

The Senate did not investigate his behavior because Dirty Harry, who was a member of the ETHICS COMMITTEE at the time, did not note the transaction on his ethics statement. Yep! Forget. An honest mistake. Anyone can forget $700,000 here and there. Besides, we was very busy holding press conferences accusing Republicans of corruption.

Sure there was s small drivel of publicity about this outrageous, unethical and arguably illegal behavior. But not enough to suggest anything close to balanced reporting. Not enough to create a public outcry. Not enough to motivate an investigation.

So, where are the media calls for an investigation? Where are the headlines and editorials demanding explanation? Where is the demand for a Senate internal investigation? What was the land deal that turned $400,000 to $1.1 million in so short a time?

Once again Democrats show an extraordinary immunity to scandal. Maybe it is because the public sees Democrat corruption as normal. God knows, there is enough of it. And someone besides God would know if there were balanced responses.

REACT: Madonna and Child (and not the Christmas story)

Pop Singer Madonna and her hubbie, Guy Ritchie, recently adopted a child through some sort of African express lane. It was more like picking a child off the shelf than a traditional adoption process.

Now it is all shaping up to be a scandal. While other potential parents wait years for sluggish bureaucrats to run a kid through the process, Madonna was able to get instant results based on her celebrity. Ergo, the scandal.

Well, this is surly a first class scandal. Shocking. Disgusting.

Oh! I am not condemning Madonna. No ... no ... no! What is scandalous, shocking and disgusting is “the normal process” that can delay an adoption many months (years), while anxious patents wait and needy children languish.

I am not speaking theoretically. My own adopted daughter was determined to adopt her Jamaican nephew after the separate tragic deaths of her brother-in-law, then sister. It was an uncontroversial adoption. Troy was 13 at the time and more than willing to be with his aunt. No other relatives objected. There were no estate issues. There were no official problems. Just a needy kid and a loving aunt.

Just following normal bureaucratic procedures delayed his happy arrive into our family by four years. Troy was 17 when he strode across our threshold for the first time. He had been denied 4 years of loving security and stability by "the normal process."

Aren't these public official and bureaucrats aware of time? This was a maturing teenager in need of his family. He was denied this by nothing more than "the normal procedure."

Many worry that prospective parents are finding ways ... legal and illegal ... to short cut the system. Well, if the "system" was not so damned heartless and obstructionist, there would be no need to bypass it.

So let’s keep the horror of scandal where it belongs, on the heads of those who find ways to slow down adoptions -- and not those who find ways to speed them up. I am so weary of the so-called do-gooders claiming the system is there to protect the child. That is utter nonsense. One reason children remain institutionalized is that they are little money magnets for the institution.

I say, good for Madonna. I don't care if she went around ... under ... or over ... “the normal procedures” because “the normal procedures” suck.

LMAO: Obama, say what?

In view of the Congressman Mark Foley's emails to young male pages, and remembering former Congressman Dan Crane's and the (as of late) late Congressman Gerry Studs' turning over a page or two, themselves, I had to laugh when I read Senator Barak Obama's evaluation of a run for president. He said, "We have a long and vigorous process. Should I decide to run, if I ever decide to, I'll be confident that I'll be run through the pages pretty well."

Someone should tell the Senator that pages are not a presidential perquisite. They are CONGRESSIONAL fringe benefits. INTERNS are presidential job benefits. You would think he would know this stuff.

OP ED: Iraqi: Violence for Votes

As the election closes in, the level of Iraqi violence against Americans and American partisans increases. American military deaths and injuries peak. Innocent Iraqis are rounded up by the scores and beheaded by maniacal butchers. Bombs bursting at public gathering places.

The coming U.S. election and the increase in violence is no coincidence. It only takes a little common sense to know that the international terrorist want to put Democrats in control of Congress. They want to undermine Bush’s determination to destroy the cabal of international murderers. They want the soft policies of the left wing appeasers to gain favor. They want the national media to continue to propagandize against the White House. They want the American people to surrender to world terrorism.

Killing soldiers and innocent men, women and children is the Jihadists’ way of campaigning for a Democrat victory. They are doing their part of convince the American electorate to abandon the war by abandoning the President.

As we lose our resolve to defend ourselves, and the free world, the sadistic killers increase their determination to destroy us. They are now winning the most important battle of the war – the very will to win.

REACT: Greeley off the mark

Andrew Greeley’s animosity toward Republicans overcomes his theology and intellectual integrity. He recently explained why the GOP is likely to retain both the U.S. House and Senate. Most notable of his flawed rationales was his contention that scandals impact harder on Democrats than Republicans.

Hmmmm. GOPer Jack Ryan was forced out of a Senate race merely for having salacious thoughts. Mark Foley recently resigned in disgrace though there is no current evidence that he had sex with underage pages. So far, no one can even tell whether his obnoxious and offensive behavior is illegal.

Now consider the recently departed Gerry Studds. As a Democrat congressman, he had sex with an underage male page. Refusing to apologize, he continued to serve many more years as a “respected member” of Congress. About that same time, Republican Congressmen Dan Crane had sex with an underage female page, and his political career ended.

Consider Democrat Barney Frank. He placed his male prostitute friend on the payroll as an “aide” while his paramour was running tricks out of the congressman’s apartment. He is still serving as a “respected member” of Congress.

Then there is the granddaddy of them all, the “respected” Senator Ted Kennedy. He caused the death of a young lady in a late-night, post-party accident, fled the scene (some medical evidence suggest he left her to die), and produced a Kennedy-scale cover up. Later on, tabloids exposed his bloated naked body on the deck of a yacht during a “pleasure cruise.” He remained a “respected” colleague among his Democrat peers and the press.

Of course, Nixon was forced from office for his cover up – which did NOT include perjury. Media coverage forced him into seclusion. Clinton remains the darling of press and the Dems after endless indiscretions, felons and cover-ups. He could even wind up back in the White House.

Following a term in jail, Illinois Republican Attorney General William Scott was sent off to oblivion. Former Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski is released from prison to be a “respected” television commentator, press pundit and a “must invite” on the social register.

And the list goes on. Whatever one’s partisan position might be, or one’s opinion of any of these guys, the record is clear. The GOP takes a much harder hit on scandals than the Democrats. Greeley needs to relay more on grey matter than bile.

OP ED: Obama: Boom or Bomb

Poor Barak Obama.

It would appear that I am the only one in America … in the world … who feels sorry for Illinois’ junior Senator Barak Obama.

One would have to have been in a coma for the past couple years not to know of the guy. His every action is the subject of ubiquitous uncritical media hype. From the recent cover of Time magazine to the daily reports of his every breath. His omnipresence in virtually every media outlet – from national news providers, Internet blogs, gossip columns, trade publications, society pages, to the most local weekly newspaper – is devoid of even the modest criticism. He is the most renowned and flattered political figure of his day. (He even gets more publicity than the camera crazy Jesse Jackson – which must be a source of great pain to the good reverend.)

What makes Obama’s “coverage” so remarkable is that it surpasses his office, his accomplishments, his power, his almost anything. He has not broken any racial barriers. He is not the first black senator in modern times. That feat goes to former Senator Ted Brooke of Massachusetts. Obama is not even the first black senator from the Land of Lincoln. Carol Mosely Brown gets that honor.

He seems to generate endless puffy publicity because the press loves him. He is lionized and canonized by the leaders of the fifth estate. He is catapulted into the national limelight for things others do without notice. He is reported simply because he is. In that, he is the Paris Hilton of politics – only with a lot more charm and brains.

To be sure, Obama seems to be a very fine person. Maybe THAT is the news angle … a “very fine person” in politics. Hmmmmm. Not something you see every day. He is charismatic to be sure. I sense he is a very honest person – intellectually, morally and ethically. (Another political departure?) You cannot help but like and admire the guy.

So, why the pity for Obama?

Because, there will come a time in the future when the highly inflated and over exposed senator will have to re-enter the real world. As he gets more serious about a future in the White House, it will take more than a fab smile and charming talk to carry the day. In fact, the bigger than life image will turn into a detriment, as it has for those who traveled the rarified air of unbridled publicity before him.

I recall another senator from Illinois who machetted the path now being taken by Obama. Charles Percy, a very ambitious presidential aspirant, was a 29-year-old corporate wunderkind with the looks of a movie star. He too gave a speech at the national convention of his party (Republican, in his case) that set the political world abuzz. He was the most talked about “future president” in America. The likes of Senator Ev Dirksen flatly predicted that “just call me Chuck” Percy most certainly would be sitting in the Oval Office one day – and not as a guest.

Percy was grist for the media mill on a daily basis – and yes, there was even that September 18, 1964 Time magazine cover. He too had a picture perfect family – bright and beautiful. (His one twin daughter is now the wife of Senator Jay Rockefeller. Sadly, the other twin was tragically murdered.)

Percy was young enough to be a presidential prospect for maybe six or seven quadrennial national elections. He had it made, but he never made it. He never got close to being president. Not even a nomination – not even for vice president.

If history repeats itself, the intense exposure that highlights all Obama’s fine points will eventually draw attention to the chinks in his armor. Interest in his personality will give way to interest in his political views. The universality of his appeal will wane. He will find it impossible to live up to his glorified reputation. Disappointment will set in -- disappointment proportionate to the level of past adoration.

Then there is the nature of presidential politics. It is not a process that appreciates those who gain early favor. Initial front-runners almost always fail. There are too many vicissitudes to ensure that ambition and careful planning will result in success. At the moment he is universally beloved by his Democrat peers – largely because his only current role is to raise money. Once he starts to stand in the way of the ambitions of other titans of the donkey party, even his partisan choir will start singing a different tune.

Obama should enjoy the media joy ride for its ego satisfaction. But, if he is serious about the presidency, he should to into hiding for a while. Cool down the klieg lights. Of course, to tell a politician to withdraw from such fawning publicity is like telling an alcoholic to close his lips while submerged in a barrel of beer.

My prediction. Obama gets to the Oval Office only as a guest.

REACT: Daley's Olympics is just so much Greek mythology

In the latest round of “let’s pretend were going to have an Olympics,” Chicago Mayor Daley has selected a site for a new stadium, gone to Washington to urge the Illinois congressional delegation to cheer on the idea (duuuuuh!), and announced that his Olympics will not require any taxpayer funding. (<-- Yeah! He really said that.)

I guess if you are going to talk about a fantasy Olympic bid, you can make it as fictional as a Michael Moore documentary.

Of course the stadium idea only reminds us (again) of the fiasco at Soldier’s Field. Now Mayor Green Space is thinking of tearing up a great park for yet another stadium. And who will use the new stadium after the Olympians go home? Well, not to worry. There will be no Olympians here anyway … ergo no new stadium.

Nice PR move though … going to Washington to get the Illinois delegation endorsing his fantasy. I mean, what would you expect an Illinois legislator to say … “please, please do not give Chicago the Olympics?”

Of course, it is a lot more pleasant answering hypothetical questions about a theoretical event than to deal with inquiries regarding the level official corruption that is lapping political effluent at the door of Hizzoner’s office.

Private funding? No taxpayer money? Geez, even fantasies have to maintain some credibility. First of all, if I were one of those deep pocket business leaders who got hog snaggled into paying for Millennium Park, with all its cost overruns, I would be petrified with fear to guarantee a multi billion dollar spectacle like the Olympics.

And, if any one believes that an Olympic bid can be successful without HUGE amounts of taxpayer money, I have some old Enron stock I would like to sell to you. Support services alone will require hundreds of millions in additional spending. Just making an Olympic bid will cost the taxpayers millions. I mean, who paid for the PR luncheon and press conference in Washington?

OBSERVATION: Rosie news versus real news.

The press is abuzz with the “news” that Rosie O’Donnell is causing all sorts of trouble as the new seat warmer on Barbara "Waa Waa" Walters television show, The View. So … who cares?

I often argue that the press only delivers what the public wants. I no longer believe that. I think the fall off in readership, listenership and viewership is the direct result of the news barons pushing what THEY think is news. Thank God for cable television and the Internet.

OP ED: When does America get attacked again?

Virtually everyone is convinced that the international terrorists will make another strike on United States soil. How can we best protect ourselves from such an attack? Are we safer in the hands of Republicans or Democrats?

Or course partisans will argue for their own team, but common sense will provide a better answer. We are safer under Republicans. Despite the blame game going around political circles, it is clear that the terrorists will see Democrats as softer. History and current rhetoric provide ample evidence – and an election victory for the party of appeasement will confirm the terrorist view.

I suspect that within six to twelve months of a Democratic takeover of either house of Congress, the terrorists will to test America's declining resolve in a major way. Once they see American resolve evaporating, they will intensify their worldwide campaign of terror with American in the bullseye.

I do not anticipate a major terrorist attack on America before the election, because terrorist leaders know that such an event would strengthen Bush in the polls. Bin Ladin and company are most certainly rooting for a Dem victory to embolden their legions. This is not to say the Dems are intentional allies of the terrorists, just that their political positions have mutual appeal. Emboldening the terrorists is just an inevitable outcome of a Democrat victory.

Some note that we withdrew from Vietnam and the world situation did not worsen. Of course the GOP would argue, with some credibility, that the end of the Vietnam War was managed by a Republican administration, which also opened friendly relations with North Vietnam's powerful backer, China. Later Republican administrations adroitly brought down the "evil empire" of the Soviet Union. In other words, our major adversaries of the cold war were transformed into allies of sorts by remarkably well developed and executed diplomacy.

The terrorists do not operate like the Vietnamese leaders, however. They are maniacal radicals who see mass murder and genocide as primary missions. The do not seek land or political power as a primary goal. They are not driven by the defense of a culture. Rather, they are motivated by an obsession to murder. There only victory is the annihilation of unbelievers. There can be no negotiated peace.

The liberal view of appeasement is doomed to failure, and America will suffer even greater losses to the extent the pacifists are successful.

Think it through ....

REACT: What Does Mayor Daley Know? And When Did He Know It?

Recently, Mayor Daley was asked if city services are tied to elections, and if people get more services closer to Election Day – as political favors. He replied, “No. None whatsoever.”

You can now add this to the long list of common, well-known practices of the Democrat machine of which Mayor Daley is clueless. Where did this man grow up? Who is he trying to fool? (Oh yeah, the U.S. Attorney.)

As a young Republican precinct captain in the old 36th ward, I was once successful in bringing in a GOP majority in an election. That winter, I recall watching the city workers shoveling the front porch of the ward committeemen. When a ploy reached our precinct, the blade was lifted and the truck drove past our homes, leaving only its tire tracks in the snow. When I requested that a curb repair for a neighbor, the alderman bluntly told me that the department (Streets and Sanitation) would not be responsive to requests from our precinct until there was a better election result. My neighbors were unable to get free garbage cans offered through the ward committeeman’s office.

We all knew how city work schedules are arranged to provide maximum service, and minimum disruption, near elections. Street paving is done after elections because it tends to tie up traffic and anger motorists. Free trees for the parkway and new curbs take place closer to elections. The boys at Streets and San laugh about this kind of stuff over brewskis in local taverns.

That mayor of ours sure has a way with good old fashion Irish blarney. He should join the boys from Streets and San at the corner pub. Maybe he would learn something of how the city is run.

REACT: Senator Lieberman Defeat Good for Conservatives

The strident America-is-always-wrong anti-war movement is salivating over the defeat of Senator Joseph Lieberman in the Democrat primary. And well they should. They focused their national resources on the myopic effort to make Iraq the deciding issue, and to demonize Lieberman for a modicum of independent thinking. It was their intent to send a message to the donkey party – that the extreme left as heft.

They now have bragging rights in claiming that the neo-libs have more influence in the Democrat party than they did a few weeks ago. I agree. I am thrilled with the outcome. But, if I am thrilled, shouldn’t the lefties be less than thrilled?

The praising press, the pleased pundits and the pat-themselves-on-the-back partisans seem to have forgotten that they only won a PRIMARY. All that talk about what message the “public” is sending is bad or biased analysis. It is only a fraction of a faction that brought about the Lieberman primary defeat. It appears at this moment that Lieberman will prevail in the general election among the broader range of voters not shackled to the politics of the fuzzy-headed fringe. The tactics of moveon.org and the tens of millions of dollars being spread around on every anti-American cause by gazillionaire George Soros will not be nearly as effective in November.

Since the Dems need to move to the right to get more traction with the public majority if they are to again become the governing party, the Lieberman outcome is good news for the GOP. The more the Dems look like the party of Kerry, Kennedy, Durbin, and Dean, the more they marginalize themselves. Even Hilary Clinton is starting to look like a moderate in the neo-lib dominated party.

Right now, the public is giving the Republicans the equivalent of a spanking in the popularity polls. It is not at all assured that they are ready to throw them out of the house. This would not be the first time the media reported a grim future for the GOP only to have the voters prove them wrong. In fact, that is almost become an American election tradition. The problem with media bias is that it tends to produce wishful thinking as opposed to clear-headed reporting. (Remember when they predicted a big GOP loss in the House and Senate, and the pachyderm party actually made gains in both. And, of course, they virtually gave John Kerry the 2004 election, only to have to curb their enthusiasm as George Bush and Company rolled to a convincing victory.)

I think the public will eventually go with the American vision of George Bush over the very un-American vision George Soros. I suspect mainstream American will trump moveon.org, as has been the case in the past. Perhaps, moveon.org should do just that.

OBSERVATION: Can Undercurrents Sweep Away Chicago's Mayor?

Chicago Mayor Daley may flash that sly and impish Irish grin, but it seems to be there to draw attention from the sweat on his brow. As a former prosecutor, he well knows the serious of the trouble in which he finds himself. As the quintessential politician, he surely knows that his public support is crumbling. As the chief mechanic of the political machine, he knows better than anyone (despite his incredible public denials) how his convicted political team has long operated. His careful nurturing of the Hispanic community is being undermined by newly aggressive opposition from guys like Congressman Louis Gutierrez. His hold on the black community is being dismantled by the likes of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and The Reverend State Senator James Meeks. The candidacy of Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown may be yet another sign of African-American dissention. The Mayor’s mishandling and feeble excuses over the police torture cases creates more serious disenchantment in the African-American community.

The white community is not exempting Da Boss from the crass and arrogant bequeathing of Cook County government from the stricken senior Stroger to his scion, Stroger-lite. The odds of a Republican taking over the reigns of Cook County government (inconceivable a few months ago) is looking like a real possibility.
Former Governor George Ryan “pay to play” activities were linked to the highway deaths of six children because the responsible truck driver was given his license in return for political work and contributions. Ryan could not shake the public’s belief in his culpability in the tragedy. Though the mainstream press does not hold Democrats to the same moral and ethical standards as Republicans, the parallel culpability is being advanced by some in the case of Tiara Woods. She is the 9-year-old who fell to her death because the politically connected city inspector falsified his inspection report on the porch construction. It will not help that Daley’s administration inexplicably rehired the politically connected inspector. The passage of the “big box” ordinance over Daley’s objections, and the enactment of what he refers to as “silly” legislation, in the case of the ban on pate de foie gras, suggest a rise in city council independency inversely proportionate to the perception of a weaker mayor.

The mayor, who once led the business community like a nose ringed bull, is experiencing public disenchantment over taxes and other business issues.

The once sycophantic press is suddenly shows signs of objective and criticism. The mayor no longer owns the editorial boards, or controls the news editors, as he once did.

And most of all, politicians and the public await the work of the U.S. Attorney. No one believes that the mayor of Chicago is now untouchable. In fact, many insiders speak of "when" the mayor gets indicted, not "if."

Now when the Mayor Daley gives us that Irish grin, I think of the words to that song, "Smile though your heart is breaking ..."

REACT: No Olympic Gold Medal for Chicago

This is one of those situations where I may have to eat my words, but I will take that risk. Here goes.

There is no way ... nada ... that Chicago will be selected to host the 2016 Olympics. The current "effort" is little more than a well understood charade to stoke a bit of civic pride and divert attention from the increasing ominous clouds of scandal that are gathering over City Hall.

Why no Olympics for Chicago?

First and foremost, the city will not, and cannot, afford it. The mayor's budget is developing more shortfalls in revenue against heightened expenditures. This trend will only get worse in the future. Chicago does not have the facilities for the many Olympic venues. New monstrously expensive arenas will be needed -- including a domed stadium.

(Should I be so rude as to remind the geniuses at City Hall that they approved an open-air renovation of Soldiers' Field? Stupidity tends to catch up with people. And not to mention the monstrosity that Chicago’s icon stadium has become.)

After the cost overruns and financial fiasco that beset Millennium Park, the business community is not likely to write blank checks to underwrite the Olympic project. A few shekels in support of the mayor's public relations is one thing. Tens of millions for actually implementing the plan is quite another.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is not even sure they will nominate Chicago to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). USOC President Peter Ueberroth has already offered a chilly shoulder in his assessment of Chicago’s bid.

Despite the prestige of the Chicago Olympic booster committee, they have produced an amateurish plan lacking in essential details -- such as just how and where they plan to build the venues. Ueberroth said the Chicago plan would need significant alterations and improvements to even come under serious consideration. The plan did nothing to convince the USOC or the IOC that Chicago even comprehends the task, much less has the human resource skill sets to accomplish it.

Another major factor is stability. The international folks are fully aware that Chicago's leadership is corrupt, and that the future of the mayor is in doubt. Unlike cities that experience leadership transitions as a matter of form, dictatorships tend to fall into chaos when the strongman falls. At the peak of his power, Mayor Daley may have had an outside chance to pull it off. Today, however, the mayor is losing his grip on the reigns of power -- and may eventually have them wrested from his fingers by more than public opinion. In any event, it is not likely Daley will be at the helm of city government ten years from now, but he could be “da mare” for a good portion of the critical planning period. The prospect of some significant level of political instability between now and 2016 is more “when” than “if.”

Finally, Chicago is just not good at attracting top-level world events. The gay games and the restaurant shows are one thing, but an Olympic hosting is quite another. To see the future of this project, you need only review the history of Chicago's most recent bid for Worlds Fair.

Undoubtedly, the work of Daley's Olympic booster committee will create news releases and social events for the months ahead. The press will trumpet every turn of events and announcements. But as the Bard of Avon put it, it is "much ado about nothing."

OBSRVATION: Who Will Die for Political Gain?

I have often said that public opposition to the war in Iraq by the ever present anti war claque, and the politicians who would rather govern a weakened America than allow others to govern over a strong America, will undermine our efforts, create international disunity, embolden the murderous terrorists, and … bottom line … kill a lot more American and allied soldiers, and innocent civilians.

This is not a futuristic view. It is happening. The weakened leadership that America and President Bush deal with in the world today is more the result of homegrown disloyalty than any policies coming out of Washington. We will never know who might have lived had the mass murdering terrorists been seen as the enemy instead of our own leaders. But, we can know for sure that there are many.

One can forgive the well intentioned, albeit misguided, activists, who think Cindy Sheehan is a heroine. There is no reason, however, to forgive the likes of Senators Kennedy, Kerry, Durbin, Schumer, et al, who would advance their career ambitions over the bloodied bodies of so many good people.

REACT: She’s Baaaaaaaack!!

Cindy Sheehan is back in the news.

I was thrilled to have her in Europe selling her unique brand of anti-American drivel to the left-over lefties or the Old World. But alas, she has returned to the United States to the every ready publicity of the Fifth Estate.

The fact that polls show little support for her obsessive antics and extreme rhetoric does not tone down the press reports. Even anti-war activists have turned to critics on the basis of her outrageous statements. They fully understand that the more exposure Sheehan gets, the more the public sees her manifest madness. (I have to confess, I now am all in favor of giving her lots of publicity.)

Of course, those who know her best, her family, have abandoned her. Her husband divorced her, and other family members hardly speak to her at all – and when they speak of her, it is not very complimentary.

Once the mourning of her dead son was seen as an act to gain sympathy and publicity, Sheehan’s popularity plummeted. Even now, polls show an overwhelming percentage of the population find her more of an annoyance. While some say she has created the modern anti-war movement, most seem to think she has made it more unpopular.

In her ego driven need for attention and self worth, Sheehan seeks the public spotlight by standing on the gravestone of her heroic and honorable son, who scarified his life for America’s good cause. She is shameless. She is a civic masochist who finds her justification for being in the punishing derision and criticism of the public.

There is only one true hero in the Sheehan family, and it is not Cindy.

REACT: Mayor Daley: What does he know, and when did he know it?

Recently, Mayor Daley was asked if city services are tied to elections, and if people get more services closer to Election Day – as political favors. He replied, “No. None whatsoever.”

You can now add this to the long list of common, well-known practices of the Democrat machine of which Mayor Daley is clueless. Where did this man grow up? Who is he trying to fool? (Oh yeah, the U.S. Attorney.)

As a young Republican precinct captain in the old 36^th ward, I was once successful in bringing in a GOP majority in an election. That winter, I recall watching the city workers shoveling the front porch of the ward committeemen. When a ploy reached our precinct, the blade was lifted and the truck drove past our homes, leaving only its tire tracks in the snow. When I requested that a curb repair for a neighbor, the alderman bluntly told me that the department (Streets and Sanitation) would not be responsive to requests from our precinct until there was a better election result. My neighbors were unable to get free garbage cans offered through the ward committeeman’s office.

We all knew how city work schedules are arranged to provide maximum service, and minimum disruption, near elections. Street paving is done after elections because it tends to tie up traffic and anger motorists. Free trees for the parkway and new curbs take place closer to elections. The boys at Streets and San laugh about this kind of stuff over brewskis in local taverns.

That mayor of ours sure has a way with good old fashion Irish blarney. He should join the boys from Streets and San at the corner pub. Maybe he would learn something of how the city is run.

REACT: The Chicago Alderman have put themselves in a box … in a BIG box.

So eager to punish Wal-Mart for doing nothing more than being a very successful company that proves the superiority and benefits of our free market system, Democrat alderman passed an incredibly ridiculous ordinance that can only cost the city much need jobs, cause the lose of significant tax revenues, terminate further hope of economic and community improvement is some of the neediest neighborhoods, provide bargain prices for every one, and incur a bunch of legal fees to defend its dubious constitutionality. In passing this ordinance, the majority of the council joined the ranks of anti-capitalists and bashers of corporate America who would lead our nation in the direction of excessive government regulation – a concept that has failed all over the world.

Of course, they knew from the experiences of other communities that a war on Wal-Mart alone is unconstitutional. So, the city legislators crafted the ordinance so that a few more retailers, such as Target and Sears would fall under the living wage scheme. Many observers think this will also fall because of the “equal protection” clause of the Constitution.

It is ironic that the first time the otherwise compliant City Council has defied the strongman mayor, it does so with a sudden burst of stupidity.

So determined are the arch-liberals to bring down Wal-Mart that they will defy the Constitution and common sense. No one better personifies this liberal thinking than 46^th Ward Alderman Helen Shiller. She could not bring herself to even vote on the measure because it did not single out Wal-Mart. And, the ordinance could imperil the Target tentatively scheduled for her ward. Target was not her target. Wal-Mart was her target. That annoying United States Constitution prevented her from singling out the world’s successful retailer. So, the Honorable Shiller ducked and ran. Now Target has dropped plans for two future stores in Chicago, and the store in her district she hoped to protect may join the exodus.

Time for our good municipal legislators to think outside the box.

REACT: The Case of the Paranoid Professor

According to newspaper reports, a University of Wisconsin instructor, Kevin Barrett, has come under criticism from Republican legislators for teaching a course on Islam: Religion and Culture which professes that 9/11 was produced by the U.S. government as a pretext to war. That the accused terrorists did not have sufficient skill to fly the plans (despite the cell phone reports of many on-board victims). That the buildings were felled by pre-planted demolitions. Etc. Etc… Etc.

Several things struck me about that story … apart for the overriding absurdity. His neo-Muslim religious affiliation is not enough to explain his sudden allegiance to lunacy.

How does a person so demented get a job as an instructor? Hmmmmm. (Okay, I think I have answered my own question. Having spent a lot of time on college campuses, the out-of-reality ratio is quite high in academia. And of course, campuses incubate a large share of our low self-esteem antiestablishment feelings. This guy, however, is on the linty edge of the liberal fringe.) Amazingly, WU’s Provost Patrick Farrell defends the hiring. He issues the old clichés about academic freedom, and the course will get students thinking. Personally, I am thinking that Provost Barrett is not.

My second observation was the comparison to the teaching of a creation theory. If you cannot offer up a creation alternative, then what concept of academic freedom covers Barrett’s outrageously idiotic theories? Whatever you think of evolution vs. creation, there is a lot more scientific validity to the creation theory than Barrett’s paranoid 9/11 creation.

Finally, I was struck by the opposition of “Republican legislators.” Weeeell … I do know that newspapers like to spin anything that would suggest Republicans to be anti intellectual Neanderthals (and some are). Inadvertently, however, the newspaper appears to have made the unmentioned Democrats look bad. I mean, WHO would not be outraged that a major academic institution getting tons of taxpayer dollars should employ this guy. (We do have to cut a little slack since we are speaking of the University of Wisconsin – which institutionally is a bit off kilter anyway.) Is the inference to be drawn that the donkey party legislators support this guy? I would not even believe that of the most die-hard left-wing Dems. Okay… maybe John Kerry and Al Gore. But certainly not the good Democrats of the heartland.

REACT: PETA and the Dog Days of Summer

A local Chinese government has come under criticism for killing more than 50,000 dogs to curb rabies. In the most extreme cases, dogs were taken from owners on the streets and clubbed to death on the spot. Well ... I am not going to defend the method or even the killing of dogs that could have been inoculated. Of course, the People of Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is up in arms ... or up in paws, as the case may be.

It is more than a little hypocritical for the rabid animal extremists to bare their fangs since a goodly amount of PETA's funding comes form their killing off unwanted pets. Yeah! Your reading it right. One of the main "services" of PETA is to roam the back roads of America in mobile Nazi-style gas chambers and kill off thousands of God's lesser creatures.

Of course, PETA spokeshumans say they dispatch the furry four-legged animals in a "humane" fashion. Humane ... like you would, or should, treat humans. The last time we treated humans like that, we called it a holocaust.

PETA got in a bit of trouble for their good work. Seems like some of their killing teams were dumping the lifeless carcasses in private dumpsters and trash cans. Well, can you hardly blame them? How high can you pile up a bunch of dead dogs on the back of a pick-up truck and still have room for a gas chamber.

Speaking of PETA. They have this promotional campaign where activists go naked in public with the claim that they would rather their bare skin that some animals skin. I first wonder why lunatic fringe liberals always seem to think going naked is an effective means of protest for everything from wars to Oreo cookies. (Personally, I think nakedness and Oreo cookies has some real possibilities ... but my thoughts are definitely of civil disobedience.)

I would also suggest to the hard-core PETA activists, "You look much better in a nice floor-length mink than you do in your wrinkled, sagging human skin. They only prove that au naturale can be au nauseous. Naked animal activist, except for the hopelessly blond movie star types, give me doubts about the perfection of God. Putting a naked Pam Anderson next to a bare-it-all PETA regular is just another version of Beauty and the Beast.