Unknown Chicago is now at WBEZ...

So historian John R. Schmidt has made his transition from Tribune owned Chicago Now to WBEZ-Chicago Public Radio. Today's post at John R. Schmidt: Chicago History Today is entitled: "Selling Senate seats? A Chicago political tradition". Should be interesting, but it almost feels like a rerun. This posting seems familiar, but perhaps only to share stories that were seen at Unknown Chicago.

Previous post: No more Unknown Chicago...

AP: Cuba's Black Market Thriving in Face of Reforms

[VIDEO] Cuba inching towards capitalism but you still need a license and buy some supplies and goods from the Cuban government. It's demonstrated by this male named Roberto who doesn't want to show his face. He makes sodas and while he claims he buys his sugar on the free market, he gets his CO2 and sells his sodas on the black market.

Here's a description:

Despite economic reforms in place in Cuba, many still turn to the black market to get necessary items as well as luxury goods.

Instapundit: They told me that if we elected Barack Obama...

Well I was thrown off by this red mail box, but this post over at Instapundit is about what a local group in Tennessee is offering to help people dispose of their old US flags. Place it in this box shown to the left and then twice a week they empty this box and then destroy the old flags.

Also via Instapundit, links to three things to promote liberty, Instapundit's (Glenn Reynolds) ideas on constitutional reform and an update with Ed Morrisey's comments at Hot Air. I'd be interested in the promoting liberty thing but I don't have time for it right now!

Marathon Pundit: America's Independence Day celebrated in Denmark

John Ruberry writes about Demark's celebration of our Independence Day and the history of this event in that Scandinavian nation. The idea from a Danish immigrant to Chicago was to donate some land in his home nation to further Danish-American relations.

I hope everyone is having a happy and safe 4th of July! 

This is what I could put on my iPad and hopefully for free!

I don't know when I started compiling a list of readings in the sidebar. Some of the readings listed are of literature that are in the Public Domain. Those that are in the public domain have links to where you can actually read them online.

One link I have is only to another post about a book I checked out at the library. That book is The South Side: The Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood by Louis Rosen.

Anyway I just wish there was a way to create an app where you can access those readings. Therefore it's possible to be able to read these works which mainly would include two books by economist Adam Smith, Second Treatise of Government by John Locke, On Liberty by John Stuart Mill, The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass, and finally Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. So these books involve some Black history, political philosophy, even classical economics.

This would make getting an iPad or similar device much more worthwhile! :P

Daily Caller - Outrage: Inner city parents protest NAACP, teachers’ union

[VIDEO] This is very interesting. Check out the video above of a union member mother fighting the teacher's union for her childrens' education:

In New York Monday, charter school parents staged another of several rallies to voice opposition to a lawsuit brought by the UFT and NAACP against the New York City Department of Education. If the organizations are successful with their suit, it would prevent enrollment or re-enrollment in 17 charter schools and stop the closure of 22 public schools.

The UFT and NAACP’s decision to sue has roiled inner city parents who depend on charter schools to ensure their children get a good education.

On Monday a slew of parents appeared before UFT headquarters to protest. Nearly a month earlier the NAACP felt their wrath when another estimated 3,000 people showed up at State Administrative Building in Harlem, carrying signs reading “NAACP don’t divide unite,” to protest the NAACP’s involvement.

“I am the product of the public school system that allows 70 percent or more of its black men to not graduate from high school,” said Candido Brown, a charter school teacher at May’s rally. “I could barely believe my ears when I found out that the NAACP was trying to shut down some of the most successful schools serving black and brown children in our city. NAACP, do not take away this awesome education from our children.”

Dr. Wolf on Obamanomics

This is a column worth reading. Dr. Milton Wolf just so happens to be President Obama's cousin and he has a blog at Wolf Files.

Mr. Obama, abandoning any pretense of economic literacy, has placed the blame for unemployment squarely on America's archenemy: the ATM. The jobless rate remains high, according to the president, because - it's hard to make this stuff up - "when you go to a bank you use the ATM, you don't go to a bank teller." Other Democrats share his ignorance. Recently, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. claimed that Apple's iPad was "probably responsible for eliminating thousands of American jobs." Mr. Jackson, an iPad owner himself, adds hypoc-risy to ignorance.

Mr. Obama, meet Ned Ludd. In the early 1800s, the Luddites - named for Ned Ludd, an alias used to conceal their leaders' true identities - sabotaged factories for fear of new technology. Their mistake was a belief that jobs themselves are prosperity when, in fact, it's the products and services of those jobs that create prosperity. The government could hire people to dig holes and other people to fill them back in, but America would be poorer for the wasted effort. In reality, new technologies, from the advent of the wheel to today's nanotechnology - including the ATM and the iPad - increase efficiency, which frees people for more important endeavors. This is the precise mechanism that improves mankind's standard of living.

I'm looking forward to the next music video from Russ Roberts & John Papola throwing this in their lyrics. :P

BTW, I heard about Congressman Jackson's comments about iPads, but I would like to know what lead him to that conclusion. How are iPads costing Americans their jobs?

Via Instapundit!

No more Unknown Chicago...

John Schmidt is calling it quits at his ChicagoNow hosted blog. Hopefully we will see his Chicago history posting elsewhere.

Former Illinois governors awarded pen names

It appears that the Chicago Reader is taking a page from The Onion when they give new names for Illinois' prisons. Even potential new majors at Governors State University:

Also, Governors State University announced it will be adding majors in bribery, conspiracy, perjury, and fraud. The school is retaining its motto (“unlimited opportunity”).

And even still changing many of Illinois' state symbols and slogan. Man this is what happens with such a high profile corruption case. Even a corrupt Chicago Alderman can't hold a candle to Blago.

Ousted governor is guilty...

Watching coverage of this case on TV right now. Former Governor Rod Blagojevich has more guilty verdicts beyond the the one charge he already has over him from the first trial. So it's guilty on 17 counts with one count not guilty and 2 counts where there was no decision:

Blagojevich was convicted on all 11 counts on the sale of the U.S. Senate and all three counts on the shakedowns of Children’s Memorial Hospital and a racetrack executive.

The jury acquitted him on one count and deadlocked on a second count accusing him of shaking down a construction executive. It also deadlocked on the one count alleging Blagojevich shook down then-U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

This marks the second time in less than a year that the 54-year-old Blagojevich, the onlyIllinois chief executive ever impeached and ousted from office, had been convicted of a crime. The jury at his first trial last summer found him guilty of lying to theFBI, though that panel deadlocked on all the other counts. That impasse set the stage for a retrial.

This time the verdict was unequivocal, with the jury of 11 women and one man finding Blagojevich guilty on 17 criminal counts he faced, including charges of wire fraud, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy. The marquee charge in the case involved an attempt by Blagojevich in late 2008 to cash in on his power to name a replacement in the U.S. Senate for newly electedPresident Barack Obama.

C-Span: Q&A about John Maynard Keynes and Frederick Hayek videos

[VIDEO] I'll post the Keynes-Hayek music videos after after the brief write up to introduce this C-Span program. Russ Roberts is an economic professor at George Mason University and hosts a weekly podcast EconTalk. He joined with filmmaker & entertainment marketing executive Russ John Papola to produce two music videos featuring actors representing economists John Maynard Keynes and Frederick Hayek.

Most of us are familiar in some respects with Keynesian economics which is more interventionist. That is government must intervene in certain aspects of the economy. While Hayek represents Austrian economics or mainly he basically defends classical liberalism and free-market economics.

The tune of these videos are catchy and you may need closed captioning to catch up to what they're saying in this video. Also it's more than time for me to consider reading up on economic thought. My first exposure to Austrian economics was not through economics courses at Morehouse but by a friend who more than introduced me to the subject. Videos are below!

Republicans courting the black vote...

field negro makes a statement that should apply to all Republicans courting the Black vote.

I see that Newt is courting the black vote for the "grand old party" these days. Memo to Newt: If you want to get black folks to vote for your party, tell us what you will do for us that will uplift our condition, not how bad Obama has been for us.

OK, I can understand that. Although there are those out there who just think we shouldn't cater a platform to one particular group.

What can the Republicans offer the Black community that the Democrats can't? Don't just think this is all about more welfare or anything like that. If Black folk has had it bad in this country and the "Great Society" and its successors didn't solve the issues it's time to think outside of the box!

Let's talk about guns...

Before the Illinois General Assembly ended their regular session last month one of the items considered was concealed carry. Alas, Illinois is home to Chicago which just so happens to be the state's largest city by a mile. Many of this state's most powerful politicians hail from the Chicago area. At that, many of those politicians are loathe to see conceal carry in this state.

There is a continued push for it and we can see how well that'll go in the future. Gov. Quinn who said he would veto any conceal carry legislation said recently he had little problem with Illinois being the only state in this union without any provision for conceal carry. Wisconsin recently adopted a law that allows dairyland citizens to conceal carry.

This time around in Illinois the push is to allow individual counties to decide whether or not they should allow for conceal carry.

Republican state Reps. Bill Mitchell of Forsyth, Adam Brown of Decatur and Chapin Rose of Mahomet held a news conference Thursday in Clinton about their proposed legislation. They also made stops Thursday in Decatur, Tuscola, Monticello and Mahomet.

The trio criticized Chicago politicians, especially Democrat House Speaker Mike Madigan, for blocking the passage this spring of House Bill 148, which would have allowed people to carry concealed weapons throughout the state.

The new proposal is the same as HB 148 except it would give each of the state’s 102 counties the authority to decide.

“Our ultimate goal is to have conceal-and-carry throughout the state,” said Mitchell.

He said he doubts the new bill will come to the House floor before January, however.

The law which failed in the recent legislative session was due to the fact that it would've restricted the regulatory powers of municipalities. Thus in the state legislature a "super-majority" is needed to pass a statewide conceal carry law.

In other news our new Chicago Police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, is making his rounds in our fair city. McCarthy a former NYPD officer and the former Newark Police Director was at St. Sabina Catholic Church (do I have to say who is the pastor of that church?) to talk about how gun laws are racist:

The pervasion of illegal guns in America's black and Latino communities is a result of "government-sponsored racism," akin to "slavery, segregation, black codes [and] Jim Crow," Rahm Emanuel's new police chief, Garry McCarthy, told parishioners at St. Sabina's Church earlier this month.

"This is sensitive. You know, because everybody’s afraid of race. Have you noticed that? Everybody’s afraid of race. I'm not afraid of race," said McCarthy, who told of growing up in the Bronx with guns, gangs and drugs plentiful.

"Let’s see if we can make a connection here. Slavery. Segregation. Black codes. Jim Crow. What, what did they all have in common? Anybody getting scared? Government sponsored racism."

"Now I want you to connect one more dot on that chain of the African American history in this country, and tell me if I’m crazy: Federal gun laws that facilitate the flow of illegal firearms, into our urban centers across this country, that are killing our black and brown children," he said.

WOW! OK well I don't necessarily disagree with him. Well there is an argument out there that suggest that during the time of Jim Crow and segregation and all attempt to keeps Blacks as 2nd class citizens one thing to do was to control their ability to own guns.

I wonder if it was OK to say this at an infamous Catholic Church in Chicago. I also wonder if the people either gasped at this assertion or believed it. Hopefully some of them will do some research on the history of racism and gun control and come to their own conclusion. Now in taking a shot at how illegal guns are coming into "minority" communities he takes a shot at gun-rights advocates.

Didn't McCarthy say that there needs to be a middle ground on the issue of guns? To me that means we can't keep honest citizen's away from guns no more than we need to gun-nuts to use over the top messaging to advance their cause.

So does McCarthy's statements help the cause to allow citizens in Chicago - especially in Black or Latino communities - to be able to own a gun for their own protection?

ajc: Historically black colleges discuss their role, challenges

I'm a graduate of Morehouse College and this article will concern not only the Atlanta University Center that hosts Morehouse, Spelman College & Clark Atlanta University but other HBCUs around the nation:

As the president of Clark Atlanta University, Carlton Brown knows the problems plaguing the nation's historically black colleges and universities.

Like other public and private colleges, these institutions, known as HBCUs, struggle financially because of drops in endowments, cuts in state funding and increased demand by students for financial aid. They also face unique challenges as black students enroll elsewhere and are recruited by colleges that once barred them.

Brown and five other college presidents spoke Thursday about these challenges and also the opportunities before them as universities work to reach President Obama's goal to have the world's largest share of college graduates by 2020. To reach that target colleges must reach out to students who think college isn't for them. HBCUs have long provided students with a nurturing environment and often teach those who are the first in their families to go to college, Brown said.

"Yes, we're going after the same high-quality students as Georgia Tech and Georgia State, but the beauty of higher education in this country is that there is an institution for everyone," Brown said in an interview. "Part of college is being somewhere other than where students have always been. For some students, we are the largest collection of black students they've ever seen. But some students says they've never seen so many white folks."
...

When HBCUs opened, they were the only option for black students. In 1960, 65 percent of black students attended historically black colleges. Today, only 12 percent do, although HBCUs award 30 percent of the baccalaureate degrees earned by all black students, federal data shows.

Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, said there is potential to have a greater reach but HBCUs must be more aggressive in setting the country's college completion agenda. The colleges must be "on the offensive" by explaining and substantiating their success, said Kimbrough, who graduated from Atlanta's Mays High School.

To play a critical role several college presidents said they must convince governments and philanthropic groups to invest in their schools.

Historically black schools tend to have lower endowments than other colleges, making less money available for scholarships. This money is critical as the colleges serve many low-income and first-generation students who need more financial aid and academic support if they are to graduate.

Well other than filling a niche in the higher education realm, what should be the product put out by HBCUs? Are they still necessary in the 21st Century? Can they compete at the same level as many of the more mainstream universities in the nation?

My hope is that an HBCUs such as Morehouse can and should compete with other universities and for the top caliper student possible.

Detroit governance....

DDOT Directors Driving Shiny New Hybrid SUVs: MyFoxDETROIT.com

On this evening we're taking another virtual trip to Detroit with a hat-tip to Instapundit for this story.

Dealing with budget shortfalls, cuts to the Detroit Department of Transportation include laying off bus drivers, mechanics and cutting bus routes.

How is it then that DDOT directors get to drive home brand new hybrid SUV's and have the insurance and gas paid for them?

How is that DDOT employees 1300 people, but only 700 of them are drivers or mechanics, what do the rest of the employees do?

 Detroit is a struggling city as we know. How can they afford to get these new vehicles and yet be forced to reduce services that people depend on. Especially public transportation that can get people to where they want to be.

Chicago Tonight: Phunny Business

[VIDEO] This 11 minute interview on Chicago Tonight featured owner comedy club owner Raymond Lambert and John Davies who directed this documentary Phunny Business: A Black Comedy. It was the story of a Black-owned comedy club that once operated in Chicago's South Loop called "All Jokes Aside" that featured mainly Black audiences being entertained by Black comedians.

It was very successful while other comedy clubs in Chicago were closing for business. One thing that put this club on the map were the comedians who eventually went on to Hollywood such as Jaime Foxx or Steve Harvey. Will there be another incarnation of "All Jokes Aside" in the future?

It was mentioned that this film was screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center on the Saturday after this program aired on June 16th. I would've liked to check out this documentary!

Capitol Fax: Maybe one day

You know I sympathize with libertarians on some issues. The philosophy of libertarianism is to let things be. This post by Rich Miller (probably a long way from libertarian) makes sense to me. He writes about those people who are vehemently opposed to video gaming then turns to talking about drugs.

Basic argument with both, if you legalize video gambling and illegal drugs you may well take away the danger illegal element. The organized crime won't be as interested in video gambling when it's legal because while it's illegal they'll want a cut of the money. The same goes for drugs organized crime will do what it takes to makes its money.

Alas when either of these "vices" were legalized you have those who will insist it's bad. If video gambling is legal organized crime will really have a field day. If illegal drugs are now legal to consume it will be a public health nightmare.

Well I don't know about video gambling. As for legalizing those drugs that are currently illegal I do support legalizing the sale and consumption of some drugs. For example I have little issue with legalizing marihuana. And Miller is right when he says that "it’s a pretty darned safe bet that Walgreen’s and CVS employees aren’t going to be shooting at each other if their employers are the ones selling pot".

Perhaps the sale of marihuana is safer in a store than on a street corner. At that it's also safer if grown by a reputable producer of marihuana. If an honest producer wants to become weathly - and legally - quality control would have to be the key, right?

One day the public will understand the lessons of the prohibition era of the 1920s.

Prisons equals traffic accidents

[VIDEO] Well if you ran highways where you told people where to start and how fast they're supposed to go you are likely to get more traffic accidents. Stephen Cox says this about prisons and most of us have the same idea about prison about how tough prison is. If you designed general society that way perhaps there would be trouble. Posted here because it's a new thought to consider.

Can Obama's presidency be saved?

I suppose on a similar track to an earlier article from The American Interest. This could be a sequel to whether or not Obama is the next Herbert Hoover:

The President of the United States has two jobs: he is the head of government and the head of state. In British terms, he must do the jobs of both the Prime Minister and the Queen. The Queen sprinkles pixie dust; the Prime Minister does the dirty work of legislative sausage making. Presidents (like Ronald Reagan and FDR) succeed when they fill the job of head of state so well that they accumulate political authority which they can then use to run the government. The pixie dust they sprinkle makes the sausage look good. Presidents who fail to establish themselves as national leaders and symbols (like Jimmy Carter) end by losing their political authority as well.

President Obama started off with great advantages in the pixie dust department. As the first African-American president, he embodies important American qualities simply by being himself. Young, energetic, blessed with a stylish wife and a vibrant family, he holds Kennedy-class cards when it comes to touching enduring American themes and ideals. He was (and can still be) an ideal representative of America to itself and to the world, a symbol of hope for national and global reconciliation and renewal.

But the President has failed to meld that image and the symbolic weight of his office to a compelling policy vision. He takes strong individual stands — from support for health care reform to the bombing of Libya — but between the moves and the counter moves, the rhetorical claims and the policy reversals, the President’s image has become fuzzy and perplexing. Did he abandon the concept of stimulus and cast himself as a deficit cutter because he believes it, or was the shift a tactical calculation? What does he really believe will get the economy going again?

In particular, he has said nothing memorable about the crisis that is shaking the global economy and undermining the American middle class. The meltdown of the blue social model is the great and inescapable fact of our time. In what many voters will feel as a sign of financial apocalypse, the AARP has dropped its opposition to cuts in Social Security benefits. At home, Democrats like Andrew Cuomo and Jerry Brown are slashing budgets and attacking the perks of public sector labor unions almost as industriously as Republicans like Scott Walker and Mitch Daniels. Abroad, Socialists like Greek Premier George Papandreou is cutting as hard as the Conservative David Cameron. Germany has passed a balanced budget amendment; France is debating its own version. Economic turmoil is shaking the political foundations; rising food prices helped set off the Arab Spring, the price of gold has gone through the roof, and China and other foreign creditors are increasingly skeptical about the long term value of their dollar-backed assets.

President Obama’s predecessor made many mistakes, but something is at work here that is much bigger than the faults of the Bush administration. It is not just a US domestic problem, because we see it in the more-regulated European countries as well as in the less-regulated US.

I posted that "Progress" image by Shepard Fairey for a reason. His art worked for Obama's campaign in 2008. Well there is the more common "Hope" message as opposed to "Progess", but something was promised then. Many American's aren't seeing a whole lot of progress from that unfortunately despite the promises of an Obama presidency.

Well if the GOP fails to offer a solid message and candidate for 2012, what will make Obama's message and candidacy solid?

Via Instapundit!

FuturePundit: Olive Oil Cuts Stroke Risk?

Well I won't excerpt this one, but this is worth sharing. Cutting stroke risks is one thing, but I saw a news story on TV years ago that suggest that consumption of olive oil staves off some of the worse effects of aging. In fact this story had a 77-year-old man who said that he had taken up roller-blading. I just hope that we can all be so lucky and you out there as well!

Via Instapundit!

Obama, the new Herbert Hoover???

This article I'm sharing with you in in fact entitled "Is Carter a Best Case Scenario?":

I am not convinced that the President’s political goose is cooked — yet. For one thing, luck can never be discounted. Recessions don’t last forever, anymore than booms do, and American capitalism is strong enough to stage a recovery in the face of poor policy. But luck aside, the President can still avoid the great mistake that finally wrecked Hoover: the failure to learn.

President Hoover brought some convictions with him to office about how the economy worked, how government worked, and what his role as President should be. As the Depression deepened, he did the best he could within those limits, but nothing seems to have made him reconsider the mix of progressive ideas that he brought with him to the White House. As months of failure and disappointment grew into years, he doesn’t seem to have questioned those core ideas or to think about ways in which the economic emergency might require steps that in normal times would not be taken. He not only failed to end the Depression; he failed to give people a sense that he understood what was happening. Over-optimistic forecasts issued in part to build confidence came back to haunt him. To the public he seemed fuddled and doctrinaire, endlessly recycling stale platitudes in the face of radically new economic problems.

That’s beginning to sound a little like the current President’s predicament. Unless Lady Luck should emerge from retirement to sprinkle some growth dust on the economy, the President could find himself looking more Hooveresque by the day. Worse, President Obama faces problems that Hoover did not have — notably the five shooting wars on his hands in Afghanistan, tribal Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and now, apparently, Yemen.

At least Hoover in the beginning didn't have to deal with the Great Depression from the jump. Of course the Depression didn't just happen surely there were warning signs before the Stock Market Crash a few months into Hoover's Presidency. Obama on the other hand well the recession started just before he became President.

I made the comparison but only judging on how Obama dealt with the recession. He took a beating in the congressional elections last year. We'll see if the Republicans can give the nation what the Democrats had been able to in 1932. Hoover didn't have the charisma Obama does, that may make the difference. Perhaps we can see the Republican answer soon.

Crain's: 'Superman' summons extra actors for Chicago-area filming

By Alex Ross

Perhaps I should for my way onto the casting call for extras. It would be very cool to be part of the filming of the Christopher Nolan produced Superman movie that is to be filmed in Chicago.

“We're looking for all ages, all types,” said James McKay, background casting assistant in the studio's casting office in Aurora. “We're looking to meet as many people as possible.”

Warner Bros. is looking for men, women and children, particularly infant twins, and “military/athletic types,” according to an announcement of the casting call. The studio said it is looking for “paid extras, stand-ins and photo doubles.”

The film, with an estimated budget of $175 million, promises the Chicago area an economic boost like it got from last summer's filming of “Transformers 3” and the Batman movies shot here in recent years.

There will be an open casting call at the DePaul University Naperville Campus on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by another one at the Chicago Academy for the Arts on June 25 during the same hours. The notice said, “Drop in anytime during these hours.”

A casting call for Plano residents only will be June 22 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Plano High School.

Directed by Zack Snyder, who also directed “300” and this year's “Sucker Punch,” the film is anticipated to reinvent the Superman genre.

It would be cooler if this was a Nolan film but he still has to direct the next Batman movie to start filming in Pittsburgh. Perhaps Pittsburgh will be made to look like Gotham like Chicago looked like Gotham in Batman Begins!

Two pictures of Amtrak locomotives

I was walking along Roosevelt Road and just so happen to see this Amtrak locomotive sporting an interesting livery. Then I saw the years 1971 and 2011 on the side of the locomotive with Amtrak's old logo. It hits me that Amtrak has been around 40 years already.

It was such a sight I only wish that Amtrak could have locomotives like this all the time. The current livery isn't as colorful but then again I do really like Amtrak's new logo. Still a fan of the old one and used to draw it all the time, but the new logo since the last decade is a really nice touch.

Let's hope Amtrak lasts another 40 years in some way!

GOP presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman hits town

Interesting that Republicans still do come to Chicago to tout their respective Presidential campaigns:

Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China, has scheduled a reasonably full day of get-together events, including a noon luncheon at the Casino Club, a Near North Side restaurant, with corporate CEO types. (I don't have a list yet, but am promised names after.)

Perhaps more significant, he's signed up one of Illinois' top GOP fundraisers, Lori Montana, which at least in theory gives him the ability to pull serious coin here.

Mr. Huntsman, 51, has a reputation for being a relative moderate, though like other GOP contenders he's recently moved to the political right, for instance backing off his support for a cap-and-trade pollution control system.

But as governor, he was known for slashing taxes and attracting jobs, while simultaneously backing gay civil unions and making it easier to get a drink in the heavily Mormon state. And he actually said some nice things about Barack Obama when the president named him ambassador — not a big plus with many Republicans, but potentially a bipartisan lure for independents.

Anyhow, Mr. Huntsman's name recognition has to be in the low single digits. But he's starting to attract some media attention, and it's shaping up to be a strange GOP race.

Well it's still early yet. No one has become the candidate to watch so far. Maybe we'll know by the time of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries.

Gov. Huntsman says that the President is beatable...

[VIDEO] In this video we hear from former Utah Governor John Huntsman discuss his potential bid for President of the United States. It's that time again to talk about who might be in the running against President Obama. Alas I see no one standing out this time around, but there's some time yet to emerge.

I wonder about why he thinks China can beat America as far as economic output, but that's it's unlikely they can beat this nation economically per capita. If anyone can explain I would appreciate it. BTW, Huntsman under Obama was the Ambassador to China.

Huntsman thinks Obama can be beaten based upon the economy right now. There isn't a lot of traction with regards to growth and Huntsman said there is no plan. Let's hope that he can come up with one and other GOP candidates who want to run against Obama.

What do you think about Huntsman?

Looking at the BlackBerry Bold 9900

[VIDEO] Already it's time to start thinking new phone. My BlackBerry is a good device, however, there are some limitations. Especially as far as what I currently use it for which is to surf the web and check e-mail. So it's time to find a new device more to my liking.

I've even considerd an *gulp* iPhone. I hear the iPhone is a better device to surf the web, but  I don't want to fall into that iPhone craze. Who knows by the time the next version is available for consumption the iPhone 4 would be a much cheaper option than the "iPhone 5". :P

So this upcoming BlackBerry Bold 9900 has just kept BlackBerry in the game right now. A touch screen and much thinner this phone appeals not only to my own technical aspects but for style. I just as easily like a phone for what I want it for, just as much as how it looks.

The video above takes a look at the 9900 and compares it to a phone similar to mine the Bold 9780. It's a little wider and yet much thinner than the 9780. Hopefully this phone will get a trial in my hands at an AT&T store near me!

Well thankfully that decision won't be made for another year at least. That gives me time to evaluate not only the type of phone that I'd like, but also to determine the right price for the device.

Why Minimum Wage is Keeping You from Getting a Job

[AUDIO] First and foremost I don't oppose the minimum wage. My idea about the minimum wage is that politicians want to raise it every so often just to say their thinking very much about the working people. When they do raise it to score political point I just wonder if they're only hurting working people, especially the unemployed ones.

This is what this high school seminar out of Chicago courtesy of Mises Institute seeks to answer. Not that I believe minimum wage in and of itself keeps you from getting a job, but continuing to raise it will do the trick. Near the end of this half-hour presentation the lecturer, Walter Block, asks why the minimum wage isn't $700/hr as opposed to $7/hr?

Via Newsalert!

Capitol Fax: I’m just sayin’… He’s guilty

Rich Miller's Sun-Times column. He discusses why Blago's defense of his machinations were all just talk is bunk. Ousted governor's defense team had just wrapped up their case this week and the jury now has the case. Although his defense are still attempting to try for a mistrial!

AP: Mississippi Delta Farmers Suffer in Wake of Flood

[VIDEO] Well I know that there's been flooding along the Mississippi River although this video has little to do with covering the Mississippi. It mentions the Yazoo River especially! Here is an article on the Delta region of Mississippi!

Illinois Supreme Court denies former Sen. Burris' appeal

It would've been very messed up if this had actually went through. In fact while following a little bit the legal drama around Pres. Obama's old Senate seat I really thought it was settled when Mark Kirk won not only the special election to fill President Obama's full term, but also the general election for a full six-year-term. Had little idea former Sen. Burris wanted to overturn it all:

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the petitions of two former elected officials from Illinois in a legal fight spawned by the appointment of a replacement for President Barack Obama's old Senate seat.

After hearing the case in September 2010, the 7th Circuit rejected U.S. Sen. Roland Burris' bid to appear on the ballot in a special election for Obama's seat.

The fight stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Illinois voters Gerald Judge and David Kindler.

Shortly before the Chicago-based federal appeals court issued its ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Burris' bid to stop the special election from taking place without his name on the ballot.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich had appointed Burris to fill Obama's vacant Senate seat until the state Legislature ordered a special election. That order never came, prompting the lawsuit in May 2009.

A federal judge ruled that the appointment was temporary, and that Burris would serve as Obama's replacement until the winner of the general election takes office on Jan. 3.

None of the articles I have seen so far had truly explained the issues of the case I was going to use this brief AP blurb that alerted me to this story:

Months after Illinois' new senator took office, the Supreme Court says it will not consider overturning the election of President Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate.

The high court on Monday turned away an appeal from former Illinois Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed to the seat but did not get chance to run for a full term. The justices also refused to hear an appeal from state officials who objected to a court order to hold a special election as well as a regular election for Obama's old seat

When I first heard about this special election I was perturbed. I pretty much said let Burris serve out the rest of Obama's old term. It would simply be easier that way. And we also see how much time it takes for the courts to make a decision. It would've been terrible to overturn (if possible) what the people had chosen for the next 6 years.

I say all this with the idea that Blago appointing our former state Comptroller and Attorney General was a mistake and it was unfortunate that Bobby Rush latched onto this like it was the only chance we had to keep a black in the US Senate. No one seemed to scream when Burris wasn't going to be able to complete Obama's term.

Well that being said, I look forward to the future. A Black can be elected to the Senate one day. Two more serious candidates tried last year one here in Illinois didn't quite make it out of the Democratic Primary and the other in Florida lost last November. Hopefully we can find one who is not only electable but is able to maintain that seat.

I broached this subject once before, but it's time for an expansion of that particular subject.

American Artifacts Preview: Charleston, South Carolina in 1865

[VIDEO] Courtesy of C-Span a photo exhibit of this southern US city taken near the end of the Civil War. While part of the collection at the Library of Congress, the curator here notes the technical process to clean up some of these images. In addition they talk about they preserve them so that these photographs can be exhibited.

Prosecutors question Blago about convicted fundraiser Rezko

Like I said already I haven't really paid attention to our Ousted governor's retrial since it commenced. I just got to say this part of the trial which was before federal prosecutors cross-examined Blago was just bizzarre:

Defense lawyers are trying to thread a needle in their questioning of Rod Blagojevich, portraying him as at times extremely shrewd and at other times a loose cannon when plotting strategy to appoint a successor to Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

“Did you discuss the idea of appointing yourself (to the Senate) and going to Afghanistan to hunt down Osama Bin Laden?” Blagojevich was asked by his attorney, Aaron Goldstein.

Blagojevich managed to answer yes before prosecutors could object and U.S. District Judge James Zagel sustained the objection. But the point was made for jurors: Blagojevich often rambled about ridiculous things when discussing the Senate vacancy.

Well that's what I wanted to get at in this post. As far as reading what happened at Federal Court in downtown Chicago, I need some time to digest this looooong report from the Tribune!

Illinois Democrat Slugs Republican on Senate Floor

Found out about this via Gateway Pundit. You know I never thought of the Illinois State Senate as a place for legislative fisticuffs. Here's another story that describes what happened:

State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, accused state Sen. Mike Jacobs of "using profanity and pointing his finger before he punched me with his fist in my chest" following a heated debate.

McCarter said he gave a statement about the incident to the Secretary of State police.

Jacobs, D-East Moline, brushed off the incident as an emotional outburst common at the end of a legislative session when big issues are being debated and tempers are flaring.

At issue was electric utility rate hike legislation being pushed by Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois.

The measure was sponsored by Jacobs, whose father, former state Sen. Denny Jacobs, also is a lobbyist for ComEd.

During the debate, McCarter highlighted the family ties, which triggered Jacobs to later walk across the aisle to confront McCarter.

There is no video of this incident, well unfortunate for those of you who want the entertainment, but FOX Chicago was contacted by the Illinois Secretary of State Capitol Police to request a copy of the aired story.

Report: Over a third of students entering college need remedial help - Chicago Sun-Times

Report: Over a third of students entering college need remedial help - Chicago Sun-Times

Ages ago my first intro to college was a placement test that taken twice to see where I would be placed at the City Colleges of Chicago. As it turned out the first time around wasn't a charm, I had qualified for some remedial classes. Took it again and well I did much better but not enough to avoid taking some remedial course that wouldn't count towards either college credit or graduation.

Back then I didn't take that very seriously. The first time around was when I was still in high school and my expectation by the time of my graduation wasn't to attend a city college. So my score sat at another city college (Kennedy-King) until it was time to enroll at a different city college (Harold Washington). Then my task was to transfer it to the other school except that well it was below what I expected it to be and at that had little idea as to how to interpret the placement test.

With all that said and done at the time I took intermediate algebra which wouldn't count for graduation at the city colleges, however, once I got passed that hurdle then college level mathematics was straight ahead. English well I could take college level English, however, there was a component with that course that I had to register for. So it was like a "hand-holding" English course.

The "fried chicken rebellion" at the state house???

Apparently state house Speaker Michael Madigan doesn't want people to eat at their desks on the floor in the House of Representatives chamber and there are some members who wants to change that rule according to Ward Room:

On Saturday, though, one hungry politician rose to condemn that rule. Every year, Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, caters a fried chicken lunch for the entire Capitol. Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica, wanted some of that chicken. But the House was in session, and being a conscientious legislator, he didn’t want to leave the floor for the designated chicken-eating room behind the chamber. So instead, he rose to make what is known as a “point of personal privilege” to criticize Madigan’s “Hey, this isn’t a diner” policy. The Speaker instituted the no-eating rule six years ago, after the House chamber was renovated.

“In the Illinois Senate, if you’re hungry and someone provides chicken, you bring it into your place and you sit down and you eat it like the grown adults each and every one of us is,” Sacia shouted, to the applause of his colleagues. “This is not a partisan issue. We all worked hard to get here. We go into the finest restaurants, and they don’t stuff us into a little room in the back and tell us, ‘Sit down and eat.' This is a shame, Mr. Speaker, when one non-elected person makes the rest of us act like children who can’t even handle a spork and dribble out of both sides of our mouth. This is a beautiful chamber. We should be allowed to eat in here.”

Sacia is correct. Senators are allowed to eat at their desks. I have personally witnessed Sen. Emil Jones III stuffing his face with something out of a white paper bag. I think it was popcorn.

Madigan’s spokesman, Steve Brown, says the Speaker is only trying to enforce the same standards as the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate, which also ban eating.

“There’s no reason to turn this into a mess hall,” sniffed Madigan spokesman Steve Brown to The Dome Blog.

Hard to argue with having the same standards at the federal counterparts in Washington. It shouldn't be that much of a problem to allow legislators during the course of a session to eat at least once at their desks in their respective chambers.

Happy Memorial Day...

2011, is the 150th anniversary of the US Civil War so in honor of that conflict a painting of the 54 Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This army unit was portrayed in the film Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Cary Elwes.

Well the weekend is already off to a wet start. Hopefully this day will allow you to take part in any outdoor plans on Memorial Day!

Crossposted @ The Sixth Ward

The year 1999 as shown in the year 1966!

[VIDEO] How about a little fun today?

This video was made in 1966. It seems there were a lot of films made back then to depict the future. And surely those who made such films saw the year 2011 as a different world. Of course if some of those film makers were put into our current year it probably would be the same world as theirs. Of course I can only image how the year 2111 would look. That just has to be a different world right.

Of course, this video strikes me as not very liberating towards women. It still assumes that the man pays all the bills. Although for some out there passing the bills off to someone else would be very liberating now would it?

So the wife does her shopping on a PC (well the 1966 version) and in addition to that she checks the monitors around the house in keeping with her domestic duties. The husband is more of a geek here as he has three screens to look at. Also it appears he uses a stylus to write an "e-mail" to be sent to anyone around the world.

Of those three screens the husband uses he uses one of them to check his account information. So he's looking at his wife's bills as she went shopping "online". I'm not sure the husband was happy as he printed off his information.

Well some aspects of this video was off, but in concept, it was dead on!

So Blago really is human?

I'm reading this article from the Sun-Times. Blago took the stand in his own corruption retrial and it comes off showing that he's aware of what he's doing. A long way from my own thoughts of how he views himself:

Rod Blagojevich called himself a “narcissist” and an “effing jerk,” admitted he was on academic probation in college and didn’t learn anything in law school, and acknowledged he flunked the bar exam.

Then, on his first morning on the witness stand at his trial on federal corruption charges, the former governor of Illinois grew emotional when asked to talk about the woman he met when he was in his 20s and struggling with a fledgling legal career.

He looked across the room at the woman, who is now his wife, and pointed to her — but choked up and apparently became too emotional to say her name.

U.S. District Judge James Zagel quickly called a lunch recess.

Across the room, wife Patti Blagojevich burst into tears, lowering her head, her brother passing his hand over her back.

The exchange capped a morning that largely featured a personal history lesson on Rod Blagojevich, who, in intimate detail, described what he believed to be landmark moments in his life.

Blagojevich took a moment to apologize for the profanity on the now infamous secretly recordings of him while in office, saying his teenage daughter told him this morning to watch his language when she wished him good luck on the stand.

“When I hear myself saying that on tape, I’m an effin’ jerk, and I apologize,” he said.

Throughout his narrative, Blagojevich kept to key themes: that he dreamed big, like his father, and often strayed from reality.

That last line is believable for certain. It may have often showed during his time in public life.

This testimony as reported is interesting especially for someone like myself who largely hasn't been paying much attention. Especially since on this blog I went after him because I thought of him as a terrible politician. Hence how he found himself where he is today.

For some reason my own expectations wasn't that he displays this self-awareness on the stand. Never thought he would display that. It could be a good defense ploy who knows.

BTW, yesterday Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was on the stand in his trial and really didn't spend a lot of time as a witness. Indeed he said nothing earth shattering. Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. however spent more time on the stand and did mock Blago on the fact that he wouldn't appoint Jackson's wife, a Chicago Alderman, to a position within state government.

I had to find an article on this...

About Obama's state dinner hosted by British Queen Elizabeth. He was attempting to toast her and continued to do so while the British anthem was playing. I can certainly believe no one briefed him on protocol at this event. It was certainly painful. Here's an article from CBS:

But the president's most awkward moment was at the state dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

As Mr. Obama toasted the Queen and palace guests, the orchestra mistook a poignant pause for the end of his speech, striking up "God Save the Queen" early. The president continued over the music and lifted his glass, a gesture ignored by the Queen until the end of the song.

Mr. Obama president later joked with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg that the mishap was "out of the movies," a phrase that could be used to described much of the president's European adventures.

Yeah it was noted here that Obama's limo was stuck in a driveway in Ireland at the start of his European trip. I also heard about his attempts to mimic an Irish accent. Here's the state dinner moment that was quite painful to watch [VIDEO]

BTW, I can trust this was an honest mistake. I'm not an Obama supporter and there are plenty who are making big hay of this and pointing fingers at the President and his team. This only because they may not like the man for whatever reason. I won't make a big deal about it that much, but to be sure this doesn't look like a trip to be proud of!

It's OK to reminisce about 2008

Entirely another issue if you still think the year is 2008...

President Obama is in "jolly old" England today and wrote this note above in a guestbook at Westminster Abbey in London:

It is a great privilege to commemorate our common heritage, and common sacrifice.

Barack Obama

24 May 2008

The link above is to NY Mag which further confirmed inspite of the more European dating used in that written note that this was in fact written by the President.Via PJ Tattler

Mary Shmich on The Chicago Code...

Watching The Chicago Code right now, found this column via Sloopin. She noted a couple of fans who have started their own campaigns to save the show. But the excerpt are Shmich's comments:

When "The Chicago Code" premiered in February, I was not an instant fan. The writing was better than average, the plots were ambitious, and Chicago, even in the broken neighborhoods, looked as gorgeous as a tourist brochure. Still, something was slightly off in the pace, the dialogue, the tone.

But week by week, like a stiff new shoe that loosens up, the show has gotten better.

The story, centered on a corrupt alderman played by the riveting Delroy Lindo, tightens like a blood pressure cuff. The annoyances — constant references to the Irish mob, some bad Chicago accents — have either diminished or I've gotten used to them. I've turned into a big fan and think there's an untapped audience for the show.

When word got around Tuesday that I was writing this column, I started hearing from fans from all over.

Several Chicagoans said the show has introduced them to parts of the city they didn't know existed. Out-of-towners said it made them want to visit. Some noted the jobs it brought to the city and the exposure it gave Chicago talent.

And all of them raved about the good acting and uncommonly intelligent, adult plots. Sadly, those credentials don't rival the allure of the show's usual 8 p.m. time-slot competitor, "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC.

Yet Ford and her fellow fans reach for crumbs of hope. Monday's ratings were up 12 percent among viewers 18 to 49. And was it a happy omen that the come-on for next week's show referred to the "season finale," not the "series finale?"

Next week's finale, by the way, is called "Mike Royko's Revenge." I knew Mike, the late, great Tribune columnist, well enough to believe he would have liked "The Chicago Code."

And he'd have let the genius TV executives know just how dumb it was to let such a good show die.

I mistakenly referred to this week's episode as the "season finale" on my Twitter page. As noted in the quote that episode will in fact premiere next week.

Hmmm, another book to add to the book list in the sidebar, Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago by Mike Royko. I need to find it and read it however

A comment in an old post...

Well "The reality of war" post where I posted a picture from Andrew Sullivan's blog - The Daily Dish, formerly at the Atlantic and now at The Daily Beast. It's a disturbing picture as we see a dead little girl buried in rubble and it almost looks like her head was dismembered.

may Allah swt take revenge on those Jews

That post is a little over two years old and the issues that this little girl is caught up are still out there.

As for whoever posted that comment, it's very hateful. Rarely, thank goodness, does this blog run into such comments. If it got more readers it could get worse but once in a blue moon is easy to deal with.

I just make note of them as I come to them and you won't see it in the comment feed. Of course some comments because blog post in and of themselves.

BTW, what's with this talk of Israel going back to their 1967 boundaries. Speaking of issues their still fighting over in the Mideast about a two state solution and whether or not Israel should give back some territory that they've grab during the various wars they have fought. It seems like there will be some unresolved issues over there no matter how much Israel would even want to concede. It strikes me as well there are those who are against Israel for as long as it exists.

Perhaps, that might be where this comment comes from.

Survey: Recent college grads wising up about Obama

Hot Air provides something of an answer as to whether or not Obama can capture those same voters who voted for him in 2008. That is the college student especially the ones who had graduated some time after he became President:

A recent informal survey of 500 post-grads primarily between the ages of 22 and 28 — 83 percent of whom voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 — found just 27 percent of Obama’s previous youth supporters plan to vote for him again, The Daily Caller reports. That’s a drop of almost 60 points.

In contrast, of those who voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008, a vast majority — 80 percent — said they would vote GOP again. An 80 percent majority of those newly disillusioned by Obama said they would consider voting for a Republican in 2012, too.

Well the reasoning in the Hot Air post ranges from the more real world to the philosophical. The philosophical being that being more "conservative" is noncomformist to being "progressive". That is currently it could be argued that progressive thought dominates the culture.

Let's stick to the real world however. It should resonate as the hope & change college students voted for in 2008 have only given way to disillusionment when you had to get out here and find a real job. Unfortunately it's difficult to find a job to pay off the debts incurred in college. Not that President Obama can be blamed for that.

Besides it was once theorized that angry baseball fans came out to vote because Bill Clinton was unwilling to intervene in a baseball strike that cost fans a World Series in 1994. Thus those fans came out to vote and ushered in a first Republican majority US Congress in forty years. Then President Clinton couldn't be blamed for that either. :-/

United sorry for reviving Sept. 11 flight numbers

Noted in this AP article, Flight 93 had crashed in Pennsylvania & Flight 175 has crashed into one of the twin towers on 9/11. United Airlines attempts to explain what they call a technical error:

Spokesman Rahsaan Johnson blamed the reuse of flight numbers 93 and 175 on a "technical error." He said the airline has taken steps to have the numbers removed from its computers.

"We apologize for the error," Johnson said in an interview. "The numbers were inadvertently reinstated."
...
Johnson said he didn't know when the flight numbers went back into use, but it was probably just in the past few days. The airline stopped using the flight numbers shortly after Sept. 11.

A notice posted Tuesday on the airline schedule website Airlineroute.net said United planned to reactive the two flight numbers Saturday, but that Continental Airlines would operate the flights in a code-sharing arrangement. A code share allows one airline to book seats on a flight operated by a second airline. Often the flights operate with the name of the airline that did the booking rather than the airline operating flight.

United and Continental recently merged and become United Continental Holdings Inc., but are in the process of combining their operations. Under the merger agreement, the combined airline will fly under the United name.

The notice on Airlineroute.net said the new flight 93 would fly from Houston to San Jose, Calif., and that flight 175 would operate from Boston to Newark.

The original flight 93 flew from Newark, NJ to San Francisco and the original 175 flew from Boston, MA to Los Angeles.

The Meaning of Socialism: Q&A with National Review's Kevin Williamson

[VIDEO] This Q&A is courtesy of reason:

What's the real definition of socialism? How is it distinct from regulation and a social welfare state? Why are intellectuals still enamored of a system that brought us Stalin, Hitler, and more recently Hugo Chavez and Kim Jong-Il? And what can the United States learn from Sweden about free enterprise and capitalism?

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Kevin Williamson, who is deputy managing editor of National Review and author of a new book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism, to discuss the meaning of socialism in history and the current moment.

About 5.30 minutes.

Camera by Jim Epstein and Anthony Fisher; edited by Epstein.

At least I have a better idea of "socialism" namely centralized planning of the economy.

VIDEO: Common In Da Wizzy Hizzy

[VIDEO] Alonzo Rachel talks a lot about messaging between Conservatives & Liberals. He especially takes aim at this controversy about Common who appeared at a White House event last week. Mainly about some lyrics he has used in some of his songs.

Ron Paul would not have voted fort he 1964 Civil Rights Act

[VIDEO] So last year Texas Congressman Ron Paul had a son - US Senator Rand Paul - who successfully ran for US Senator from Kentucky. Now Sen. Paul during last year's Senate race made it known that he wouldn't have supported the 1964 Civil Rights act. Sen. Paul was forced to retract his comments.

In any cast father and son Paul as you see in the video argued against the Civil Rights Act not merely on supporting discrimination, but on the grounds of respect for property rights. Basically should a business be able to discriminate against potential customers and say I don't want no blacks or Mexicans or women here?

What Ron Paul points out in his interview with Chris Matthews (recorded by Talking Points Memo) is that Jim Crow was discrimination not by private business owners but by law. So the fact that there had to be Black only washrooms, Blacks had to move to the back of the bus, or even Blacks had separate entrances from Whites at restaurants or theaters was mandated by law.

I wouldn't be opposed to some business putting up a sign that kept me from entering their establishment. It would be one less place for me to want to do business with them. If my money is no good for them then they lost out and perhaps lost out on more than I could ever provide that particular establishment.

I know however, that there are many who wouldn't see it that way and would actually for that business to not discriminate. And there are people who would seek publicity to change that policy, private property rights be damned!

FOX cancels "The Chicago Code"

I was just starting to get into the show. Read a comment at the Entertainment Weekly article that this show should go to FX. There should be a campaign to get this show a second season somewhere on the TV dial. This really is a good show that should've been renewed. Especially since it was a bit of a midseason replacement.

Besides FX was the home of another creation of Shawn Ryan, a little known show that ended it run within the last two years called The Shield. There's got to be room on FX for another cop drama!

Immigration Program Pits U.S. Against Illinois - Chicago News Cooperative

Immigration Program Pits U.S. Against Illinois - Chicago News Cooperative

I have some basic ideas on the issue of immigration, but generally haven't entirely thought a whole lot about this issue. Except to say that I don't think it's unreasonable to document those people who are not citizens, to also expect some documention to say that this person is here legally, and especially send a person who has trouble with the law here in this country back to their own where ever they came from.

Of course I recognize that it isn't this simple. Hence the arguments back and forth:

Though Gov. Patrick Quinn last week made significant efforts to publicize Illinois’ withdrawal from the controversial Secure Communities program, federal immigration officials are continuing to recruit local law enforcement agencies to participate and insisting the program is mandatory even for states such as Illinois that do not want to participate.

Quinn’s defiance of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is being seen as a bellwether for other states and municipalities nationwide that oppose how ICE is carrying out the program. The federal Secure Communities program is meant to deport undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes but has in reality targeted mostly people with misdemeanor convictions or no criminal record, according to ICE statistics. Critics nationwide have said the program makes immigrants distrustful of law enforcement.

Even so, Quinn’s move may be largely symbolic since state officials have little power to force ICE to deactivate the program in Illinois, and Secure Communities basically expedites ICE obtaining information that the FBI can share regardless of whether Illinois approves.

The Chicago News Cooperative reported in March that ICE officials conducted a campaign to try to force Chicago and Cook County to participate in Secure Communities, despite city and county ordinances that prohibit local officers from enforcing the immigration law.

After Quinn formally declared Wednesday that Illinois will no longer participate, ICE director John Morton on Friday called at least one Illinois county sheriff seeking his continued participation. Lake County sheriff Mark Curran, who had spoken out against Secure Communities, said he told Morton he would consider continuing if ICE officials ensure only people convicted of serious crimes are deported.

“We will see if it can accomplish its intended goal which is to remove a dangerous element from society, not just out-of-status offenders,” Curran told the Chicago News Cooperative.

Like I said not that simple. They quoted a state legislator who just so happens to be related to a current powerful Chicago Alderman:

A bill passed by the state House on Friday would mandate that Secure Communities only target people convicted of serious crimes, and would give counties permission to opt out of the program. Southwest Side Rep. Daniel Burke (D-Chicago), the lead sponsor, called it “outrageous” that counties are not allowed to withdraw from the program even after local, elected officials conclude they disapprove of it.

Local police officers object to the program, Burke said. “They made it perfectly clear this is counter to their ability to engage with their community, do their job, enforce the law, conduct investigations,” he said.

OK that makes sense to me.

Well we do need to enforce immigration laws that I can agree. What about the ones who are here to work in this country and aren't documented? I would say we need to cut them a degree of "slack". The ones who are always in trouble with the law well we definitely need to so something about them.

The main thing is doing what we can to insure that people aren't able to sneak into this nation. Whether or not they jump the border or they merely just are able to sneak into the nation in a cargo container.

One thing is for certain, I have a lot to learn about this immigration issue. I hope I wasn't proposing amnesty which certainly will cause belly aching amongst those who want to get tough on immigration.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver announce separation

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver announce separation

Well this was a bit surprising to be honest:

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, have separated, with Shriver moving out of their Brentwood mansion while the two determine the next step in their 25-year marriage.

Shriver has been residing apart from the actor-turned-politician for the last few weeks. The former first couple confirmed the separation in a joint statement released Monday after questions from The Times.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," the statement read. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship.

"We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives. We consider this a private matter and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment. We ask for compassion and respect from the media and the public."

If you don't know much about the background Schwarzenegger is a Republican. Shriver on the other hand is a member of the Kennedy family her mother is the sister of President John F. Kennedy and his other brothers Bobby and Ted Kennedy.