Illinois HR1593 97th General Assembly Resolution Honors Richard Doyle's Life of Service!

Illinois State Representative John O'Sullivan's Resolution (HR1593 97th General Assembly) passed by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Governor Pat Quinn honors south side Vietnam Era Veteran, Windy City Veteran Director, Local 150 Illinois Operating Engineers member, Father Perez Council Grand Knight and Leo Alumni Leader Richard Doyle for a lifetime of dedication to America, Illinois, Labor, Special Needs Children, the Unborn, Veterans Rights, and Leo High School.

Before Friday's Leo Alumni Basketball Game between Brother Rice Crusaders and Leo's Lions, Leo President Dan McGrath read the resolution sponsored by Rep. O'Sullivan and issued by Governor Quinn to a crowd of hundreds.

Representative John O'Sullivan presented the resolution to Mr. Rich Doyle, Leo '65, American.

Jonathan Alter is a Howl! Bullied Weenies Become Political Assasins? Jonathan, Drop the Gun, Dude!

In this new Febreezed political climate, Newsweek's Pepe Le Pew, Jonathan Alter, the MSNBC resident nebish cheerleader for all things considered, presents American Assasins as bullied weenies.

A disproportionate number of assassins were bullied or excluded as children or young adults. “In junior high I was an object of pure ridicule,” Bremer recounted in the years before his 2007 parole. Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President James A. Garfield in 1881 after he refused to offer him an ambassadorship for which he had no qualifications, had earlier joined a utopian religious sect called the Oneida Community. But the perfect world its adherents envisioned didn’t include presumptuous oddballs like Guiteau, who was nicknamed “Charles Gitout.”

The rage this kindles sometimes can’t be contained. At 12, Oswald threatened his half-brother’s wife with a knife and struck his mother. A psychiatric assessment when he was young described his “vivid fantasy life, turning on the topics of omnipotence and power, through which he tries to compensate for his present shortcomings and frustrations.” At her sentencing, Sara Jane Moore, who fired at Gerald Ford, described her attempt as “a correct expression of my anger.” Schrader sees a pattern: “If you’re filled with feelings of anger and self-loathing, you want to blame someone else. And people in the public eye are the ones that touch you because they’re bigger than life. They’re your surrogate parents.”

Oh, yeah! " Hey, John Wilkes! Nice, Play Shakespeare! We going to kick your Coriolanus!"

Jonathan, bullied weenies and snitches don't become assasins - that requires planning, skills and will- they become MSNBC commentators!

Now, me and the guys are gonna toss your Dad 'N Lads up over the telephone wires, paint your rump blue and make you kiss Rachel Maddow!

Governor Pat Quinn Turned the Corner - From Activist to Statesman

Carol Marin is mad at Governor Quinn. That is a sure sign that the Illinois Governor has turned the corner from activist gadfly to Illinois Statesman.

Like Governors Altgeld and Dunne, Governor Pat Quinn has earned the ire of the fatuous and the glib celebrity dilettantes. Carol Marin tried to bully-rag Governor Quinn into a corner demanding that he sign the Death Penalty Abolition and receive the high Hosannas of the Carol and the Goo-gos who never run for political office but control the debate.

In today's column Carol howls "Memo to Quinn: We’ve thoroughly studied Illinois’ disastrous record on the death penalty for a decade. That includes the Ryan Commission on which noted Chicago attorney and author Scott Turow served from 2000-2002."

The Big Guns! Scott Turow! Shake that Mont Blanc Fountain Ink Squirter and Get to Signing, Guv! Scott Turow, the Illinois Charles Evans Hughes is backing Carol's Play!

I am being 'close-knit and ethnically' ironic. Dear me.

Governor Pat Quinn is governing. He will decide whether or not to sign the Death Penalty Ban. I hope that he does not. Consider the last Illinois Governor who did what Carol and Scott propose. George Ryan commuted the death sentences of 167 monsters in an act that a cynical person might think was a slight of hand during the very campaign Carol Marin helped lead to put Ryan in Terra Haute. The Goo-goos want what they want and always immediately.

When Gov. Ryan issued a blanket commutation to every man and woman on Death Row in Illinois, he knowingly spared the lives of some of the most vicious killers in the state's 185-year history. The governor acknowledged as much Saturday but said that fundamental flaws in the system necessitated his actions. Here are some of the most infamous killers saved by Ryan:

Danny Edwards
To make the point that he has been personally touched by the horror of murder, Ryan on Saturday described the murder of an old family friend, Kankakee businessman Stephen B. Small, in 1987, in a kidnapping plot. Danny Edwards, who at the time was a small-time drug dealer and electrician in Kankakee, was found guilty of burying Small alive in a wooden box. Edwards made an air hole in the box and apparently thought Small could survive for some time while he--Edwards--attempted to extort a $1 million ransom from Small's wealthy family. But Small died within four hours of being buried. While conceding that the evidence against his client was "overwhelming"--Edwards was seen building the box, and his fingerprints were found inside--defense attorney Thomas Allen expressed surprise at the quick guilty verdict, calling the jury "the coldest I've ever seen."

Henry Brisbon
Brisbon and three other men decided to rob somebody. When they couldn't find the right pedestrian to rob in Kankakee, they drove toward Chicago on Interstate 57. While riding along, they came up with the idea of robbing motorists by staging phony accidents. One of the killers tricked motorists out of their cars by asking them to inspect minor collision damage, then led them to Brisbon, who brandished the shotgun and robbed and shot them. Betty Lou Harmon, 29, of suburban Darien, was forced to undress at gunpoint. She ran away, but was caught by Sanders, who led her to Brisbon, who fatally shot her in a field. An engaged North Side couple, Dorothy Cerny and James Schmidt, both 25, who were returning from a family gathering in Matteson, also were shot to death by Brisbon after being stripped of their valuables. Brisbon told the couple to "kiss your last kiss" before firing shotgun blasts into their backs as they lay on the side of the highway. But Brisbon was not on Death Row for the I-57 murders. He was put there because he used a sharpened spoon to kill another inmate while in prison.

Fedell Caffey & Jacqueline Williams

Caffey and Williams decided they wanted a baby. So they stabbed to death a pregnant woman, Debra Evans, in her Addison apartment and cut her nearly full-term fetus from her body, according to prosecutors. To eliminate witnesses, they also murdered Evans' 10-year-old daughter, Samantha, and 8-year-old son, Joshua. Another child, Jordan, was spared in the 1995 murder--children under the age of 2 aren't likely to be good witnesses. And the newborn boy also survived. Fortunately, Jordan's grandfather, Sam Evans, says Jordan has no recollection today of the horrors he witnessed.

Gabriel Solache
In an eerily similar case, little 2-month-old Guadalupe Soto and her toddler brother Santiago had both parents ripped away by vicious killers who wanted to steal a baby in 1998. One of them was Solache, who agreed to help kill Jacinta and Mariano Soto and snatch the baby so Adriana Mejia could pretend it was hers. Mejia targeted the Bucktown family after seeing Jacinta with the children at a local health clinic. She followed them home on a bus to see where they lived. Early the next morning, Solache, Mejia and Arturo DeLeon-Reyes surprised the family, stabbing the parents more than 60 times as the sleepy toddler looked on. Mejia and DeLeon-Reyes got life in prison.

Luther Casteel
At JB's Pub in Elgin in 2001, Casteel was booted out for harassing female customers and employees. Roaring drunk and enraged, he shot straight home, shaved his hair into a mohawk and changed into military fatigues, armed himself with several guns and returned to the bar. Screaming, "I am a natural born killer," he shot bartender Jeffrey Weides and customer Richard Bartlett to death and wounded 16 others before being wrestled to the ground by bar patrons and employees. At his trial, Casteel almost dared a Kane County jury to impose the death penalty. "I'm not someone who asks for mercy or pity for my actions," he said during a stunning half hour of testimony. "I have absolutely no fear of anything anyone can put upon me."

Latasha Pulliam
In 1991, 6-year-old Shenosha Richard was playing in her South Side Chicago neighborhood when she was approached by Pulliam and Pulliam's boyfriend, Dwight Jordan. She went with them after they purchased her a bag of chips and promised to take her to a movie. At Pulliam's apartment, over several hours, Pulliam and Jordan sexually assaulted the girl with a shoe polish applicator and a hammer, and then used the hammer to pulverize her skull, according to prosecutors. Pulliam also beat and strangled the girl. Attorneys for Pulliam said she was drug-crazed at the time, but a court psychologist described her as "a female John Gacy" who got sexual satisfaction from hurting someone weaker than she.

& etc.

Pat Quinn was elected over Bill Brady, because real working families -skilled trades union families -hit the streets for Pat Quinn, when Brady signalled war on Labor. Brady painted with a very broad brush; he did not single out public sector monster activist unions and PACs like SEIU; Brady put Labor in the crosshairs.

Governor Pat Quinn stood up for Labor -real labor -as he continues to do for Veterans.

Quinn promised to raise taxes and to cut waste in Illinois government.

Governor Pat Quinn is doing Okay. Illinois is not doing so hot, but that is not Quinn's fault. I lay it at the feet of Goo-goos and pie-chart tax wizards like Ralph Martire whom the Goo-goos just love.

It will be nice to watch Governor Quinn over the next few months. Personally, I hope that he sheds Planned Parenthood, SEIU, Ralph Martire and the other Goo-goo play things. Perhaps, then Illinois will be able to work its way out its current jackpot.


http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/illinois.htm

Corinthian Me.

God help me, too often I really think that I am the most interesting man in the world -I can not understand why someone might not vote exactly as I do, weep when I demand that poverty vanish, wealth be redistributed - to me - genocide end everywhere, famine vanish, and Rawhide get its own dedicated television network - with an odd treat of Have Gun Will Travel now and then. I am an American! I am a Corinthian!

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sos'thenes,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.1 Corinthians 1:1-3

Today, is the first Sunday of Ordinary Time in the Catholic liturgical year. This 2011 secular year, started off as a real beaut - a tanked economy, a polarized government, two wars, understaffed police and fire departments, the reversal of Al Gore's warm planet, a mad man's slaughter of innocent people and the immediate libel of the facts by the media and political creeps.

Well, the liturgical year leads off with St. Paul's 1st Epistle to the Corinthians - Paul is said to have written four epistles to the folks in Corinth*, but only two are part of the orthodox canon. One is missing and the third letter to the Corinthians might be suspect.

Father Gallagher's homily at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on the south side of Chicago focused on Corinth. It was a luxuriously important port city on the peninsula that links Attic (capitol Athens) and Peloponnesian ( capitol Sparta) Greece in the Roman Empire of the Julio/Claudian Emperors. Corinth was a cross-road of cultures, commerce, criminals, cults, and courtesans - it was a port city and loaded with hookers: " Indeed, one of the Greek verbs for fornicate was korinthiazomai,a word derived from the city's name. Apparently this estimation was based on Strabo's report of 1,000 sacred prostitutes in the temple of Aphrodite on the Acrocorinth, an 1886-foot hill that rises above the city to the south." The Greek language was the lingua franca of the place and time and St. Paul was Greek speaking Roman Citizen Jew. He had the gold card of cultural and political authority.

Corinth was the San Francisco of the Roman World - anything went. The Emperor Cult dedicated to Nero was centered here and like our daffy dumbbells on MSNBC and the New York Times - the Chief Executive was worshipped as a Messianic Personality. The Cult of Personality and Celebrity was Corinthian before EXTRA and Vanity Fair. The Corinthians were chic and clever and wealthy - they had the universe by the short and curlies.

In fact, the Corinthians were much like Americans - they were "Well, who's to say-ers." American Jews and Christians since WWII, its seems to me, have been bending like pretzels to become Unitarians -nondescript secularists. Doctrine and tradition are too garlicky and Old World. We want to be Corinthians - Arugula eating Hep Cats.

We have turned our backs on Truths as being too "close-knit and ethnic" whether it be fish on Friday, same sex marriage, or the life of an unborn child. "Who's to say?"

I don't want to be a Corinthian, but I am often to cowardly to hand in my passport. I still believe that what I want is what matters. It ain't.

By the way, what did-in the ancient city of Corinth was a huge earthquake


* When Paul arrived in 51 CE, the Corinth he saw was little more than 100 years old, but was five times as large as Athens and the capital of the province. Ancient Corinth, the original Corinth, founded in the 10th Century BCE, had been the richest port and the largest city in ancient Greece. Strategically located guarding the narrow isthmus that connects the Peloponnesus (as southern Greece is called) to the mainland, it was a powerful commercial center near two seaports only 4 miles apart. Lechaeum, the western harbor in the Corinthian Gulf was the trading port to Italy and Sicily, and Cenchreae, the eastern harbor in the Saronic Gulf, was the port for the eastern Mediterranean countries. Periander (ca. 625-585 BCE) had constructed a five foot wide rock-cut tract (Gk. diolkos) for wheeling small ships and their unloaded cargo from one gulf to the other. By 400 BCE, a double wall ran from the city to Lechaeum to protect a two mile rock paved street, about 40' wide, leading to the port. . . .It's easy to see why Paul chose Corinth as headquarters for his mission to the west. The city was young, dynamic, not hidebound by tradition, a mix of dislocated individuals without strong ethnic identities seeking to shed their former low status by achieving social honor and material success. Paul was not intimidated by a big, bustling, cosmopolitan hub city, with no dominant religious or intellectual tradition, for Corinth shared many characteristics with Tarsus, his home town, and Syrian Antioch, his home church city. The heart of the city, the forum, was filled with temples and shrines to the emperor and various members of his family, built alongside temples to the older Greek gods such as Apollo. Apollo's son, Asklepios, the god of healing, had a shrine there as well as at Epidaurus, the ancient site of miracle healings, about 50 miles southeast.

Chicago Roots: Actor Michael Moriarty Jazz Man

Actor Michael Moriarty's grandfather, George, was born in Back of the Yards and played for the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs. Mr. Moriarty is an accomplished jazz pianist and vocal stylist.

Talented man from a talented blood-line in a tough town!

* George Moriarty

George Moriarty, former third baseman, umpired from 1917 to 1940

George Moriarty grew up in Chicago, where his immigrant father was a childhood friend of another Irishman, Charlie Comiskey. He reached the majors as a third baseman in 1906, having already earned a reputation as a fighter of the first rank. When he joined the Detroit Tigers in 1909, Ty Cobb challenged him to a fight. Moriarty handed Cobb a bat. “A fellow like you,” said the young third baseman, “needs a bat to even things up when fighting an Irishman.” Cobb wisely backed off.

In 1917, his playing career over, Moriarty joined the American League umpiring staff, remaining until 1940. A Sporting News poll in 1935 rated him the best umpire in the league. One day in 1932, he took a page from Tim Hurst’s book when he fought four Chicago White Sox (three players and the manager) all at once after a hotly contested game in Chicago. Moriarty emerged with a broken wrist, but managed to hold off all his assailants despite being nearly twice the age of the players involved.

Moriarty was so esteemed as a baseball man that he took a two-year hiatus from umpiring in 1927-28 to manage his old team, the Detroit Tigers. In fact, several Irish-American umpires interrupted their umpiring careers to manage major league clubs; others who did so were John Gaffney, John Kelly, Hank O’Day, and Tim Hurst.

http://www.wcnet.org/~dlfleitz/sabrpres.htm



Street-tough George Moriarty carved a career in baseball that spanned more than 50 years, as player, coach, manager, umpire, executive, and scout. As a player, Moriarty played with Ty Cobb on the Detroit Tigers, and used his aggresive baserunning to swipe home 11 times. He later succeeded Cobb as manager of the Tigers, after becoming an AL umpire. Moriarty spent two decades as an arbiter before joining the Al office as a public relations official. He later scouted for several teams, until his death in Miami in 1964.
Career Batting Stats
G AB H R HR RBI SB AVG SLG OBP OPS OPS+
1076 3671 920 372 5 376 248 .251 .312 .303 .616 95.9
Teams George Moriarty Managed
Detroit Tigers (1927-1928)
Born
George Joseph Moriarty was born on July 7, 1885, in Chicago, IL.

Died
April 8, 1964, Miami, FL

Batted: Right
Threw: Right

Major League Debut
9 27,

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1903
John Titus
Hans Lobert
Solly Hofman
Lee Tannehill
George Moriarty
Jake Stahl
Three-Finger Brown
Chief Bender
Red Ames

Post-Season Appearances
1909 World Series
Notes
Actor Michael Moriarty, known for his roles in the television show Law and Order, and the baseball movie Bang the Drum Slowly, is the grandson of George Moriarty.

A Hard Rahm's Not Gonna Fall

The estimable Arthur 'Moseley' Brown MSNBC political commentator's version of the Dylan classic

Oh, what did you see, my blue eyed son ?
And what did you see, my darling young one ?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin'
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin'
I saw a white ladder all covered with water
I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

B. Dylan

Well, Rahm Emanuel proves that a tough guy is the guy who can take it and he is one tough guy.

The race to replace Mayor Daley entered a new phase on Friday. You might call it, “Gang up on Rahm.”

During a joint appearance before the Chicago Tribune editorial board that was more like the first mayoral debate, Carol Moseley Braun, Gery Chico and Miguel del Valle were like a tag-team attacking Rahm Emanuel.

They hit the former White House chief of staff on everything from his abrasive personality and his proposal to reduce city pension benefits for existing employees to his support for curtailing teachers’ right to strike to his role as a roadblock to immigration reform.

They hammered him on his stint as a member of home mortgage giant Freddie Mac, which critics blame in part for the foreclosure crisis. Braun even accused Emanuel of throwing women “under the bus” by excluding abortion coverage from President Obama’s health care reform act.

Given the opportunity to question her opponents directly, Braun jumped on Emanuel for some of the take-no-prisoners antics that earned him the nickname, “Rahmbo.”

“It’s been reported — in fact I’ve had a conversation at one point — with the congressman to whom you sent a dead fish. And you’re reported in the New York Post as telling your workers to, `Take the Tampons out and get to work,’ “ Braun said.

Senator/Ambassador/Pitch-Gal Carol, I am toxically shocked! Such language! Such a Trope! Dead fish and tampons?

The race for mayor is a dilly. Out here in the hustings, the helots watch and wait to vote.

Rahm Emanuel, it seems to me, will outlast everyone but Carol Moseley Braun coming up to the primary.

Catholic League Sports X FIVE ( OTs)! Crusaders and Lions Never Quit!

Leo's tiny gym was packed with Leo and Brother Rice students, parents, Catholic League fans, and most of all Leo Alumni. Mike Holmes, '76, Jim Corbett, '52, Rich Doyle '65, Leo President Dan McGrath '68, Bob Sheehy '71, Bill Melligan '59, Jack Farnan '64, Mike Joyce '86 Clarence Topps '77, Mike Regan '70, Jack Sexton '68, and Leo Hall of Fame Basketball star Jack Schaller '43 joined hundreds of their Brother Lions to bear witness to a Catholic League Classic.

Pat Richardson's Brother Rice Crusaders and Noah Cannon's Leo Lions went at it on the hard wood over the length of the game and FIVE OVER TIMES!

Read this great Bob Hurst's great Tribune account: Click my Post Title

Here is a taste . . .

The question at Leo on Friday night was not when would it end, but whether it would.

After five overtimes, 113 free-throw attempts and eight players fouling out, it finally did. Leo defeated Brother Rice 107-101 in a memorable Catholic League matchup.

"It was one of those crazy games," Leo coach Noah Cannon said.

The Lions' Sean Moore Jr. made 9 of 10 free-throw attempts in the final overtime as the Lions finally pulled away.

This game is what it is all about! Proud night, Men!

N.B.

Key performers: Leo — Maurice Joiner, 28 points, 13 rebounds; Paul Beene, 26 points. Brother Rice — Sean Fitzpatrick, 18 points, 4-9 3-pointers; Alex Majewski, 15 points, 7 rebounds.

Player of the game: Sean Moore Jr., Leo, 22 points, 16-18 free throws. Bob Hurst

Memorial for Tim Sullivan Leo '39, The Leo Alumni Game Tonight & Pure Poetry

Tim Sullivan went to St. Brendan's Grammar School and then Leo High School and graduated in the Leo Class of 1939. Tim went to Watson Business School and then the U.S. Navy ( 1942-'46). After the war, Mr. Sullivan went to work for John Hancock Insurance Company in Chicago and Boston. He married the lovely Rita Rose and raised four great kids. Tim Sullivan returned to Christ on December 2, 2010 and was buried from Christ the King Church on December 6th.

This morning I wrote a letter to Mrs. Sullivan and sent a report on the memorial gifts in the name of Tim Sullivan - a total of $ 4,382.30 have been tallied . . .thus, far. Memorials are still coming in.

Mr. & Mrs. Sullivan had retired to Florida, but always kept n touch with the goings-on of Leo High School. Many families will get a boost of the financial load on their backs from Tim Sullivan and the thousands of Leo Alumni who pour dollars back to the school on 79th & Sangamon Street that boasts of its past and the work being done by young men today - Brendan Mahan,Leo '11 has been accepted at DePaul; Edward Vaughan, Leo '11 is deciding between The Ivy League (Yale & Columbia) or University of Illinois. These kids are backed by Tim Sullivan and the Leo Alumni ( Edward Vaughan is the Jack Howard Scholar - the late Jack Howard was the selfless leader of the Leo Alumni for many of its hardest years and worked with Bob Foster to keep Leo viable) a poor kid from St. Brendan's.

Tonight, the Lions of Leo face the Brother Rice Crusaders on the hardwood of the tight, 3rd floor gym and Frank McDermott, Leo '57 will get here around 2 PM - as he usually manages to do- and get a good parking spot. Snow is expected and many Leo Alums will park two and three blocks away and walk to the school and up the 90 degree angle ( it seems) stairs up three floors and cheer the Lions. Nothing keeps these guys from a game; in fact, about one hundred guys will gather at Father Perez Knights of Columbus on 111th and take a couple of buses here.

The snow will be light, but that always seems to be a factor when there is big game.

The Irish poet Lousi Macneice -an Orangman to be sure - wrote a wonderful poem about snow and posed one of my favorite tropes in literature - it speaks of our world - the world of Tim Sullivan taking so much from his experiences as a student at Leo and giving back to share that happiness with young black gents; the aging white Italian, Irish, Lithuanian, Polish, French, Belgian and German kids who ran up the stairs at Leo under the eyes of Jimmy Arneberg, Bob Hanlon, Brothers Finch, O'Keefe and Coogan wearing ankle weights and extra-sweats who come back to Leo and give back everywhere. The trope for this is "Incorrigibly plural."

This is wonderful!

The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-window was
Spawning snow and pink roses against it
Soundlessly collateral and incompatible:
World is suddener than we fancy it.

World is crazier and more of it than we think,
Incorrigibly plural. I peel and portion
A tangerine and spit the pips and feel
The drunkenness of things being various.

And the fire flames with a bubbling sound for world
Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes–
On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of your hands–
There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses.

Is there not?

President Opens Eyes in Jericho, AZ, or was it Tucson in Canaan?

Mark 10:46-52

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

And Lo . . .

After touching down under blue skies and a bright desert sun, Obama paid a surprise visit to victims recovering at University Medical Center, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head and remains in the intensive care unit.

A short time after the president left her room, Giffords, surrounded by her husband and three close friends from Congress - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) - opened her eyes and reached for her husband, showing a level of responsiveness that thrilled her loved ones.

"Gabby opened her eyes," said Obama, who was told about the incident by Giffords's husband during the short ride from the hospital to the arena. "And I can tell you she knows we are here, she knows we love her and she knows we are rooting for her"

The prepared text and delivery were quite good and fitting. This unTelpromptered ad lib set my teeth on edge. I ain't seeing it.
Jesus was a community activist and President Obama is something else! Mirabile Dictu!

Our I-Phone/Twittering/Texting World: A Child's Rape by Thugs Recorded on Cell Phone in Stickney: WGN's Nancy Loo's Great Report

Chicago Tribune Photo

STICKNEY, Ill. — Stickney police are accusing at least three teenagers gang-raped a 14-year-old girl and recorded the attacks on a cell phone.

A fourth person who is 22-years old is expected to be charged later today, according to sources who talked to WGN-TV News Reporter Nancy Loo. She reported that the male suspect was picked up by police Wednesday.

All are teens and all live in Stickney. They have been identified as Alex Picallo, 16, Majeed Khalifeh, 18, and Jonathan Leanos, 19.

Each was charged with two counts each of aggravated criminal sexual assault in the incident. Officials said the alleged assault happened at Leanos home Saturday.

The Cook County State's Attorney's office said Picallo was ordered held on $500,000 bail.

Khalifeh and Leanos appeared in court in Bridgeview on Wednesday and were ordered held in lieu of $600,000 and $750,000 bail, respectively,

Officials said Leanos met the girl on the Internet last summer, and met with her subsequent times before taking her to his home.

The victim is not from Stickney according to the sources Loo spoke with.

She talked to police Sunday. It's not clear if she came alone or with her parents.

This is horrific. We have every device, toy, gizmo loaded with APs and some people burdened only by time on their hands managed to diminish what it means to be a human being.

Nancy Loo is a pro.

I'm a Democrat - Here is Why Progressives Make Me Feel Like I'm Wearing Spun Glass LongJohns - Sen. Bernie Sanders!

Bernie Sanders - What Being an A$$hole is all about!~

There has been no shortage of individuals and institutions that have sought to capitalize on the shootings in Tucson. Add Vermont senator Bernie Sanders to that list.

This afternoon Sanders sent out a fundraising appeal, seeking to raise money to fight Republicans and other “right-wing reactionaries” responsible for the climate that led to the shooting.

He writes:

Given the recent tragedy in Arizona, as well as the start of the new Congress, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few words with political friends in Vermont and throughout the country. I also want to thank the very many supporters who have begun contributing online to my 2012 reelection campaign at www.bernie.org. There is no question but that the Republican Party, big money corporate interests and right-wing organizations will vigorously oppose me. Your financial support now and in the future is much appreciated.

Sanders lists several events as evidence that right-wing rhetoric led to the attacks, and then continues:

Lie Like a Dog

Last night, like most of us here in Chicago, I was plowing the snow on my walk, driveway and porch - every ten minutes - and decided to treat the neighbors and took the Old MTD Snow Blower north on Rockwell.

At 107th, the auger was packed with wet,icy chunks and not blowing snow out of the chute as it should. I shut off the machine and unclogged the blockage. I noticed a sign in the front window of one of the houses - TALKING DOG for SALE.

As it was about 7:30PM, I decided to inquire.

"You gotta talking dog?"

'What of it?'

"Nothing. I saw your sign."

'He's out back in his house. Hey do my drive.'

" No sweat."

I plowed the man's drive - sounds homoerotic, that.

In the fenced-in back yard was a beautiful Golden Lab.

"Hi, there handsome! You are a good boy."

'Don't patrionize me. please.'

I was Gobsmacked! "You Talk!??!"

' Is that a question or an exclamation? Yes, I talk very well. I have from the time I was a puppy. I speak Farsi, Arabic, Russian and Korean, as well as English. The lout who pointed you in my direction - who wants to be rid of me - has only had me for the last year. You see, I was placed in the Department of Defense and served with distinction in Desert Storm II - I listened to Al Qaeda and reported on their planned attacks. I was so effective that I was transferred to the Department of State and sent to pick information wherever the Nation needed me. I was retired, took a mate and went halves on three litters of pups and eventually sold to this Knot-head from Chicago.'

" Would you care to move down the block? My dauhter Clare would love you!"

'Proud to! Get his asking price.'

I knocked on the back door and the man answered, 'You do my drive?'

"I did. What are you asking for the dog?"

'Sawbuck ($10)'

"That's all for a talking dog? Here. . . here's a Jackson!"

'Take him! He's #$%^ing Liar! He never did any of that $hit!"

. . . And on I plowed. That lying dog stayed put.

With apologies to John Linehan Leo 1977!

How Governor Pat Quinn Can Explain the Tax Increase

There ain't that much booze in the world to make this Tax Jump in any way palatable - unless, of course, one is a Public Radio Zombie already. Open wide and swallow hard!

Nevertheless, Governor Quinn can present this tax for what it is . . .


Governor Pat Quinn should follow this script-rubric presented by Speaker Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown. This is the only common sense approach to explaining the run-away fiscal avalanche that Illinois created since Blago bought the governor's office . . .with alot of help.

In response to this question, "If you were the governor, how would you sell this income tax hike to the citizenry?"

Steve Brown wrote -

-

Steve Brown - Wednesday, Jan 12, 11 @ 7:47 am:

The easiest message is the truth. The budget reforms — including the tax increase — prevent a shutdown of vitally needed government services, payless paydays and bond defaults. It will also prevent derivatives traders from actions that might lead to same consequences we saw in the housing market.

The Illinois tax structure remain competitive with both surrounding states and states with the same quality of life as Illinois — two vastly different categories.BTW Rich’s newsletter contains a number of errors concerning Speaker Madigan and the gaming bill.

The Speaker recused himself on that bill early on because a client of the law firm could benefit from the bill. He took role concerning the bill and therefore was not involved in the decision to not move the bill.

Rich was asked to correct the incorrect information in the newsletter.

(emphasis my own)


Steve Brown earns every nickel he makes.



From Capitol Fax Blog -

From Anaheim, CA! Does Bill Maher Need Spell Check?

Bill Maher needs a spell checker on his spray paint can.

As long as our media is ramped up about the climate of political discourse, I thought this might get a glimpse from the news folks. Naw.

ANAHEIM – Police were called Tuesday morning to investigate a report that "Kill THE CATHLICS!" was spray-painted on a wall near the entrance of St. Boniface Catholic Church.
About 7:15 a.m., police were sent to the church at 120 N. Janss St. regarding the incident on the west side of the church, police said.
Parishioners attending mass this morning at Saint Boniface Catholic Church experienced a hateful message spray painted on the church's west wall. The graffiti read, "Kill THE CATHLICS!" BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
removed Wednesday. Parishioners have been asking what happened, said Maria Alcala, a secretary at the church.
Alcala said police took an incident report and will review surveillance video to determine when the incident occurred and to see if they can determine who did it.

Thanks to Patrick Madrid!

http://patrickmadrid.blogspot.com/

Heart Tugging Tale Tunester Ted Williams Tossed in L.A. Iron Hotel

What was the over and under on the comet collapse of Ted Williams?

Last week the media offered a terrific feel-good story: the sudden transformation of the so-called “Golden Voiced Homeless Man” from the streets of Columbus, Ohio to mainstream media star making appearances on Today and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (among other notable programs.) Some wondered if the sudden fame brought to the viral video sensation would be a storm that Williams could weather, or if he would soon end up in trouble. Well according to Mediaite’s sister site Gossip Cop, it appears that the good times may have already come to an end for Mr. Williams.

Gossip Cop reports:

The formerly homeless Williams, who has battled drug and alcohol problems, got into a heated argument with his daughter at the Renaissance hotel, say sources.

An LAPD spokesman tells Gossip Cop that the police “responded to a disturbance call at the Renaissance Hotel last night at about 9 p.m.” and two people “were transferred to the Hollywood station.”

The spokesman added, “The investigation is ongoing,” but “no one was booked, no files were charged.”

During his appearance on Today, host Matt Lauer asked if Williams was going to be able to handle the intense media scrutiny and attention. While it might be too early to say exactly, it appears that Mr. Williams might have his work cut out for him.

Dang! Flame out on Take Off? Who'da Thunk?

Is This The Face of American Political Discourse? Hell No! It is Jared Lee Loughner - A Murderer.

The Arizona nightmare is not owned by America. It is Owned completely by Jared Lee Loughner. It is not the fault of any politician, school, or person. This massacre of good and innocent people is on him alone.

This is a monstrously unbalanced man. This is not the face of political discourse in America. This is a whack job who was going to bring his nightmare to innocent people no matter what.

A cue tip could have set him off.

If you are looking to find safety in legislation, grow a backbone; it is not there.

Insanity is not like a Ken Kesey novel. Good living and happy life are the results of tough minded steps to meet our obligations as parents, relatives, and citizens.

Disgraceful Dick Durbin Tries to Make Arizona Tragedy the Reichstag Fire for the Lefties

As the landscape of American policing was being reshaped, the horrific abuses of Nazi Germany began to come to light. This reinforced American opposition to torture and other forms of cruel treatment.

One of the counts in the Nuremberg indictment of Gestapo officials detailed official orders approving the application of "third degree'' techniques, including "[a] very simple diet (bread and water)[,] hard bunk[,] dark cell[,] deprivation of sleep[,] exhaustive drilling[,] ..... [and] flogging (for more than 29 strokes a doctor must be consulted)'' as a means of obtaining evidence, or "information of important facts'' regarding subversion. One of the defenses raised by Gestapo officers was that such actions were necessary to protect against Resistance terrorism.

Senator Dithering Dick Durbin, (D, IL) on Senate Floor in 2004.

Watch Lamarr Alexander make coleslaw of the fatuous Durbin. The horrific slaughters in Arizona belong to the whack-job shooter. Dithering Dick is shilling to make this some type of Later-Day Reichstag Fire*.

Gee, maybe my last remark might be too incendiary.


*

After viewing the damage, an emergency meeting of government leaders was held. When told of the arrest of the Communist arsonist, Van der Lubbe, Hitler became deliberately enraged.

"The German people have been soft too long. Every Communist official must be shot. All Communist deputies must be hanged this very night. All friends of the Communists must be locked up. And that goes for the Social Democrats and the Reichsbanner as well!"

Hitler left the fire scene and went straight to the offices of his newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter, to oversee its coverage of the fire. He stayed up all night with Goebbels putting together a paper full of tales of a Communist plot to violently seize power in Berlin.

At a cabinet meeting held later in the morning, February 28th, Chancellor Hitler demanded an emergency decree to overcome the crisis. He met little resistance from his largely non-Nazi cabinet. That evening, Hitler and Papen went to Hindenburg and the befuddled old man signed the decree "for the Protection of the people and the State."

The Emergency Decree stated: "Restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression of opinion, including freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association; and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications and warrants for house searches, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property, are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed."

God Guide Governor Quinn and Illinois! Why Is Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey Absent from the P-20 Initiative Board?

Superintendent of Chicago Catholic Schools Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey speaks truth to power and succeeds. Here, she seems to have baffled CPS's Karen Lewis with common sense.


SPRINGFIELD – January 10, 2011. At 11 AM on Monday, IIS Radio will begin a live broadcast of the 2011 Inaugural Ceremony. Video and audio-only streams will be available. Follow the link above for more information.

God Bless, Governor Pat Quinn. He has tons of coal to shovel. One thing is certain, it this -all Illinois tax-payers will have a huge pile of that coal on their backs.

Illinois Public Education takes up a good portion of the weight. To that end, Governor Quinn formed the Illinois P-20 Initiative to study and advise on making Illinois school children from Pre-school through Graduate School ( that's the 20, as in years) competitive.

The P-20 Initiative's charter states,

The P-20 Council is a statewide coordinating body composed of government officials, business executives, university administrators, and other leaders in the education community. This diverse group is charged with the responsibility of making recommendations at all levels of education in Illinois. As the name implies, the Council understands that Illinois needs a framework to guide education policy and integrate education from Pre-Kindergarten through grade twenty.

As part of this effort, P20Council.Illinois.gov will serve as a central resource for all educational initiatives radiating from the P-20 Council. This site includes announcements, meeting agendas and minutes, research tools, and links to other agencies to facilitate the move toward efficient and accountable educational programs.

That would be Catholic schools, Governor.

Time magazine states -

Statistical evidence of the parochial system's success is striking. James Coleman, a University of Chicago sociologist, has found that Catholic high school students outperform their public school counterparts in reading, vocabulary, mathematics and writing. The dropout rate in Catholic high schools was less than 4%, he discovered, compared with more than 14% in public schools. Black or Hispanic students are three times as likely to graduate in four years as their public school counterparts. Some 83% of the graduates go to college, in contrast to 52% of those from public school.Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,973017,00.html#ixzz1AdaWYPjH

That is why the absence of the most successful education leader in Illinois, Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey Superintendent of Chicago Catholic Schools should have been appointed to the P-20 Council.

Here is the list of whom the Governor appointed -

P-20 Council Members
Name Membership Position Affiliation
Miguel del Valle Chair Clerk City of Chicago
Josh Anderson Member Executive Director Teach for America
Perry Buckley Member President CCCTU Local 1600
Ron Bullock Member Chief Executive Officer Bison Gear
Brad Burzynski Member Senator IL State Senate
Thomas Choice Member President Kishwaukee College
Deanna Demuzio Member Senator IL State Senate
Barbara Flynn Currie Member Representative IL House of Representatives
Ray Hancock Member President IL Community College Foundation
Fr. Dennis Holtscheider Member President DePaul University
Dr. Erika Hunt Member Project Director IL-SAELP Illinois State University
Dr. Michael Johnson Member Executive Director IL Assoc. of School Boards
Joyce Karon Member Former Director/ Former Member Barrington CUSD/ State Board of Education
Debra Kasperski Member National Board Certified Teacher Coal City School District
Maggie Laslo Member Campaign Director Service Employees International Union
John Luczak Member Program Director Joyce Foundation
Terry Mazany Member Chief Executive Officer Chicago Public Schools
Dea Meyer Member Executive Vice President Civic Committee
Jerry Mitchell Member Representative IL House of Representatives
Dr. Gary Niehaus Member Superintendant McLean County Unit School District
Jeffrey Owens Member President Advanced Technology Services, Inc.
Dr. Audrey Parsley Member School Psychologist Chicago Public Schools
Cynthia Plouche Member Portfolio Manager Williams Capital Management
Glenn Poshard Member President Southern Illinois University
Laurel Prussing Member Mayor City of Urbana
John Rico Member Chief Executive Officer Rico Computer Enterprises
Kathy Ryg Member President Voices for Illinois Chidlren
Audrey Soglin Member Executive Director Illinois Education Association
Robin Steans Member Executive Director Advance Illinois
Rick Stephens Member Senior Vice President Boeing Corporation
Debra Straus Member President IL Parent Teacher Association
Sharon Thomas Parrott Member Senior Vice President DeVry University
Andy Davis Ex Officio
Leadership Council Executive Director Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Chris Koch Ex Officio
Leadership Council Superintendant State Board of Education
Max McGee Ex Officio
Leadership Council President Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy
Geoff Obrzut Ex Officio
Leadership Council Chief Executive Officer Illinois Community College Board
Diana Rauner Ex Officio
Leadership Council Executive Director Ounce of Prevention
Warren Ribley Ex Officio
Leadership Council Director IL Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
Don Sevener Ex Officio
Leadership Council Interim Executive Director Illinois Board of Higher Education
Dr. Mike Baumgartner Leadership Council Executive Deputy Director Illinois Board of Higher Education
Lizanne Destefano Coordinator/ Leadership Council Professor, Director I-STEM University of Illinois
Karen Hunter Anderson Leadership Council Vice President Illinois Community Colleges Board
Elaine Johnson Leadership Council Vice President Illinois Community College Board
Deborah Meisner-Bertauski Leadership Council Associate Director Illinois Board of Higher Education
Susan Morrison Leadership Council Deputy Superintendent State Board of Education
Ginger Ostro Leadership Council Senior Policy Advisor Illinois Student Assistance Commission
David Smalley Leadership Council Assistant Director Illinois Education Research Council
Julie Smith Leadership Council Deputy Chief of Staff Governor's Office
Jeffrey Stauter Leadership Council Senior Policy Advisor IL Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
Kathleen Sullivan Brown Leadership Council Former Director Illinois Education Reseach Council
Jason Tyszko Leadership Council Deputy Chief of Staff IL Dept. of Commerce & Economic Opportunity

Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey leads the largest and the only tax-saving and success driven educational body in Illinois.

After the inauguration, Governor Quinn needs to amend the roster.

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/tribnation/2010/09/chicago-forward-education-the-video-pictures-and-livechat.html

Baptism and JUG

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he consented. Gospel of St. Matthew 3-13-15

Jug [dʒʌg]
n
1. a vessel for holding or pouring liquids, usually having a handle and a spout or lip US equivalent pitcher
2. Austral and NZ such a vessel used as a kettle an electric jug
3. US a large vessel with a narrow mouth
4. Also called jugful the amount of liquid held by a jug
5. Brit informal a glass of alcoholic drink, esp beer
6. a slang word for jail

I spent the better part of my freshman and sophomore years at St. Augustine Seminary in Holland, Michigan ( 1966-1967) in JUG. JUG was a mandatory sentence for any and all infractions of rules, common sense, and God's Law.

I was and remain, with some modification, an incorrigible.

Father John Gavin, O.S.A. was our Principal. Father Gavin taught Civics, History and coached everything. He was a fabulous athlete.

In my sophomore year, after serving JUG. I asked Father for the etymology of the term. "It generally means 'Jail," but some folks say it means "Juveniles Under Guard." That is not entirely accurate, Master Hickey. The term for your intents and purposes means Justice Under God. Hickey, you know how you always are?"

Yes, Father.

"Don't be that way. Go, and sin much less!"


Today, marks the Baptism of Christ by his cousin John The Baptist and signals the end of the Christmas Season. Next Sunday marks the beginning of the Ordinary of the Catholic Liturgical Year. Nothing ordinary about that.

You know how you always are? I do. Don't be that way . . .again.

Thomas James Dunn,46 -God, Welcome This Heroic Angel!

Thomas "Jim" Dunn is the son of Tom and Barbara Dunn and brother of Pat Dunn.

This wonderful family of giving people nurtured a hero*.

I taught and coached Jim Dunn at Bishop McNamara High School in the late 1970's. Tom Dunn once looked at the shabby state of the Fighting Irish Track uniforms and told Head Coach Jim Frogge and me that the boys looked like 'rag pickers.' The next day new uniforms were ordered - shorts, tops and sweats. Tom wanted no acknowlegement. Jim Dunn and Pat Dunn were weightmen -shot and discus heavers.

Barb Dunn volunteered and was a substitute teacher -without pay, I believe, at Mac. Barb and Tom bought tables at fund-raisers for the faculty and gave back every raffle they won. The Dunns are givers.

This giving attitude came into full fruition with the life lived by Jim Dunn - he was an auxiliary policeman for Bourbonnais, like his old man, and helped autistic children cope with life. Jim gave his life for one of the kids that he shepherded.

Jim Dunn is what being alive is all about.

God Bless a great family!

A guardian angel, perhaps. Dunn, 46, was killed Monday when he was struck by a bus during a trip with his student for a soft drink at the convenience store.

The teen, whose name has been withheld at his mother's request, told police Dunn was struck as he pushed him out of harm's way.

"They were constant companions. He just admired and looked up to (Dunn)," said the teen's mother, who also did not want her name published. "It's hard for anyone to deal with a loss like this."

At Dunn's home in Bourbonnais, family members on Thursday afternoon were setting up a Nintendo Wii and readying a cake for Dunn's daughter Brenna's 11th birthday party.

"We're trying to keep things as normal as possible for today," Dunn's mother, Barbara said.

Visitation for Dunn will take place Friday afternoon, with funeral services Saturday.

Dunn was well-known in Bourbonnais, where friends called him Jim and knew him as the son of Thomas Sr., owner of the Manteno Stone Quarry; as a 20-year veteran of the police auxiliary; as an animal lover who could always find a home for a stray; as a devoted single father of two children; and, as of Monday afternoon, a hero.

Police have only the Camelot student's account of Dunn's final act. The driver of the River Valley Metro Mass Transit bus that struck Dunn said he didn't see the collision, Interim Bourbonnais police Chief Greg Kunce said Thursday. Numerous witnesses at the busy intersection of North Convent and John Casey roads said they saw only Dunn and the student near the road, then Dunn lying on the pavement.

"I knew Jim. Putting others first was what he was all about," Kunce said.

*

Obituary & Life History
Thomas J. “Jim” Dunn Jr., 46, of Bourbonnais, died Monday (Jan. 3, 2011) in the emergency room at Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee. Visitation...

Thomas J. “Jim” Dunn Jr., 46, of Bourbonnais, died Monday (Jan. 3, 2011) in the emergency room at Riverside Medical Center, Kankakee. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home, Bourbonnais. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at Maternity BVM Catholic Church, Bourbonnais, where he was a member. Father Richard Pighini will officiate. Burial will be in Maternity BVM Cemetery. Memorials may be made for his children’s education. Mr. Dunn was an employee of Camelot School and an auxiliary policeman in Bourbonnais. He was born May 15, 1964, in Kankakee, the son of Thomas J. Sr. and Barbara Fanning Dunn. He was a graduate of Maternity Grade School and Bishop McNamara Catholic High School. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State
University and a master’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University. He was a member of the X-Line Sportsman’s Club, the Trapshooting Father and Son League, the Illinois State Rifle Association, and a third degree in the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed working on computers and was a
competition pistol shooter. Surviving are one son, Ian James Dunn, of Bourbonnais; one daughter, Brenna Kathleen Dunn, of Bourbonnais; his parents of Bourbonnais; one brother and sister-in-law, Patrick T. and Marissa Dunn, of Bourbonnais; three nieces, Alyssa, Kaitlyn and Anna Dunn; and one aunt, Beverly Bowers, of Greensboro, N.C. Jim loved being with his own children, his dog and working with other children. He was a loving father and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.