August 26th, 2008 02:00pm
Chuck Sweeny
The Illinois Legislature passed a comprehensive reform measure to bring ethics to all areas of state government. For the most part, it ends pay to pay politics, which has caused all manner of corruption in Illinois.
But on the last day before the bill would have become law automatically, Governor Baloneyvich vetoed it, substituting instead an executive order that he said would do much the same thing.
However, this is a total sham. The executive order won’t take effect until AFTER the election, and it won’t cover state departments or branches that are not under the governor’s control.
Plus, there are no penalties for breaking this order. So, the governor couild ignore his own ethics executive order and he could not be punished. Nor could anyone else. Plus, executive orders aren’t laws, they can be changed or abolished by whim.
Legislators have vowed to override his veto. They should do so, and as soon as possible. No mor shams from Governor Flim Flam Man.
August 25th, 2008 10:52pm
Chuck Sweeny
So, where was Barack? In the video vignette at the end of the Democratic Convention’s monday evening performance, Michelle had just delivered her speech. She brought their two kids out to wave to daddy on TV. But where was Barack? He didn’t seem to know. First he said he was with a family in Kansas City. Then he said he was in St. Louis. Then he said he was in Kansas City.
Can we all agree that at least he was in Missouri? Not me. He’ll have to Show Me.
August 25th, 2008 10:45pm
Chuck Sweeny
I don’t comment a lot on international relations, but I’m concerned greatly about the utter distortion by the Bush regime and the mainstream media about what’s going on in South Ossetia, a province of Georgia that is not culturally connected to that country and wants to be independent, as a first step to becoming part of Russia.
With either the benign approval or the active encouragement of Bush and his neoconservative empire builders, Georgian strongman Mikheil SAAKASHVILI sent his army into the breakaway province to reassert Georgian control. This did exactly what the neoconservatives hoped for when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin counterattacked with Russian tanks. Voila! a new Cold War was proclaimed, exactly the message the neocons wanted to send: Only John McCain has the experience and fortitude to put the Bear back in his box.
Now that Bush has come around to the Obama position on ending the Iraq war and bringing the troops home by 2011, his neocons need desperately to create another conflict in order to keep Americans shaking in fear so that the Republican version of Big Government can protect them by taking away their freedoms in the name of Homeland Security.
If this all sounds very Orwellian to you, it does to me, too, and I’m not one of the black helicopter believers. I do think, however, that the neocon belligerants in Washington are the most dangerous people we have in this country, because they intend to keep us in a constant warlike state to force western-style democracy and no-tariff markets on the nations of the world, whether they want it or not.
Because they have been invaded from the west, first by Napolean, then by Hitler, Russians have historically sought a buffer zone to protect themselves. Yet the Americans and the EU have moved into that border area and sought to bring those post-Soviet republics into NATO. The US has also sought to put defensive missles there. The Russians say “defensive against who?”
I’m not clear why our government (remember how Bush said he wasn’t into nation building?) wants to flaunt its power around the globe, with 10 or 12 aircraft carrier groups and a $10 billion a month war in Iraq. But if we continue to let the neocons control foreign policy, we’ll be spending twice that much and be sending our sons and daughters to an endless series of battles to protect “Free Trade,” better defined as making it easy for American big box store chains to sell cheap stuff from China all over the world.
And meanwhile, the national debt continues to grow, soon to pass $10 TRILLION.
August 23rd, 2008 01:26pm
Chuck Sweeny
SPRINGFIELD — It’s 1:14 p.m. as I start this entry. I’m sitting in the shade behind some massive risers for the international TV corps here at the Old State Capitol, where the world is waiting for Barack Obama and his running-mate, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.
I’m listening to some Japanese reporters right now, and before that the BBC, which is staffing this event heavily, with TV and radio crews.
I’m actually in front of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices at the corner of 6th and Adams, where Abe Lincoln practiced law. It was convenient for him — the federal courthouse was downstairs of his second floor offices. From out his window, Lincoln could see the county courthouse, the better to sign up clients who’d come to town to go to court.
In front of the historic law offices, which you can and should tour, stand about 14 satellite TV trucks — there could be more assembled since I counted at 9 a.m., It’s an odd juxtaposition of mid 19th century architecture and 21st centruy technology. But I think Lincoln would have approved.
Media were required to be here before 9 a.m. We had to put our equipment inside the work area, then we had to leave. We couldn’t get back in until 11 am.
As I look up, I see Illinois state police in combat uniforms on top of every building, including the Old State Capitol itself. Things sure have tightened up since the primary campaign.
We’re told the “event” is to begin at 2 p.m. Yeah, right. And it’s getting very, very hot. Not to worry though: The Obamanians are selling water for $2. With ice!
August 23rd, 2008 12:28am
Chuck Sweeny
Now it’s official: Biden is the pick.
August 23rd, 2008 12:25am
Chuck Sweeny
Now it’s 12:32 a.m. and The New York Times is leading with “Obama chooses Biden as running-mate.”
August 23rd, 2008 12:06am
Chuck Sweeny
It’s about 12:15 a.m. and CNN reports that “Democratic sources tell CNN” that Obama has picked Biden.
August 22nd, 2008 11:50pm
Chuck Sweeny
It’s 11:52 p.m. Friday night and still no word from the Obama camp, or should I say Camp Obama, about the vice-presidential nominee. However, ABC’s Jake Tapper reports that the Secret Service has been sent to Joe Biden’s home in Delaware.
That should be the tip-off. I said in a recent blog that i thought Biden should be the veep nominee; he’s a Senate veteran, first elected in 1972, he has experience on the foreign relations committee and the judiciary committee, and he’s run for president twice,. most recently this year.
Now, he did say back in the Democratic primary days that Obama lacks experience to do the job, a sound byte that will be repeated by the mcCain campaign, I’m sure. He also said last year that Obama is “clean and articulate,” which raised some eyebrows.
Yes, Biden will be fun to cover. We’ll know for sure in the morning, when Obama is set to text message his choice to his supporters cel phones, and send e-mails to their computers. High tech hits the campaign trail.
The speech in Springfield will be the veep nominee’s official roll=out. From there, the pair will go on a tour of battleground states on their way to Denver. WNTA talk show host Bruce Butler, who broadcasts from Eau Claire, Wis., said on his show Friday that Obama is supposed to be coming to that northwestern Wisconsin city Sunday afternoon. And Wisconsin definitely will be a battleground state.
August 21st, 2008 02:50pm
Chuck Sweeny
I saw this bumper sticker the other day and laughed so hard I had to park the car for a minute. Here it is:
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it’s all about?
August 21st, 2008 02:41pm
Chuck Sweeny
This is from today’s Politico.
“For the first time in a dozen years, a majority of Americans believe that churches and religious institutions should “keep out” of politics, according to the annual Pew Religion and Public Life Survey.
“It’s the highest level of public concern with faith’s effect on politics since Pew began asking the question in 1996.
“The rise in Americans’ desire to separate religion and politics – from 44 percent in 2004 to 52 percent today – appears due to a surprising increase in conservative distaste for mingling the institutions – from 30 percent in 2004 to half of conservatives expressing the view today.
Among white evangelicals, 36 percent want religious groups to stay out of politics, a dramatic rise from 16 percent four years ago.
“The findings come in the wake of the Saddleback Civil Forum Saturday, when in unprecedented fashion both presidential candidates – Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama – joined popular evangelical leader Rick Warren at his mega church for their first back-to-back campaign appearance. “
I think this is especially interesting. I’ve always defended the church’s role in the political discussion, and our leaders’ personal convictions and beliefs are considered so important in the USA that the first forum showcasing the two candidates took place at Rick’s Church Americain. (Everybody goes to Rick’s.)
The Pew poll reflects what I’ve seen here in Rockford: The evangelical movement is changing. Evangelicals are realizing that over the past two decades they’ve been essentially rolled by the Republican Party; courted and flattered by the elephant men to get their votes, then largely ignored after the elections.
The Republicans are not the social conservative party. The Republicans are the “green” party.
Warren’s church is but one of example of how evangelical churches are acting out their faith commitment in a “boots on the ground way.” Look at how Heartland volunteers are quietly rehabilitating Rockford’s public schools, three at a time. Warren’s church is heavily into a Rwanda reconciliation and rebuilding project, and Pastor Rick is pushing orphan relief and poverty issues without making overt and obnoxious political pronouncements about what he’s doing.
The attitude of these Christians is more Bono-esque than Dobson-diatribe. The thinking really is, “What would Jesus Do? ” instead of “Which Republican would Jesus elect to enact His program on earth?”
It is dawning on evangelicals that His kingdom is not of this world.
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