March 2010

There is?

Bill Brady, the gift that will keep on giving:

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBDDoU0P03k[/youtube]

 

Poor Cross and Radogno.  Notice Cross’ face stays emotionless, while Radogno looks up in surprise.  I imagine by the end of this cucle she’ll learn.  Cross seems to have been checking out his Blackberry the entire time.

 

about 3:15 in…

Press:  There’s a list on line.

Brady:  There is? We have asked the Governor’s office for a list of the backgrounds.

 

If you look at the Corrections Department list from the MGT Push program, there is no Jonathan Phillips listed

 

The AP article–incredibly well done so kudos to them, points out how off base Brady is:

 

Brady questioned whether Phillips was eligible for meritorious good time because of his crime.

State law indicates the credit does not apply when a judge finds that the victim of vehicular hijacking suffered great bodily harm. Such felons must serve 85 percent of their sentences, which Brady suggested should have applied to Phillips.

But the Cook County state’s attorney’s office told the AP in January there was no finding of great bodily harm in Phillips’ case.

The law is worded in a way that could be read to deny meritorious good time for everyone convicted of vehicular hijacking. But criminal defense lawyers contacted earlier by the AP generally said the law appears to have been properly applied in Phillips’ case.

Brady said that even if Phillips was eligible for time off for good behavior, he should not have received it.

“The mistake was that they released someone who shouldn’t be released who (later) committed murder,” Brady said. “We’re not suggesting that the governor broke the law. We’re saying he made a misjudgment. He put violent offenders on the streets.”

Brady also proposed legislation requiring Corrections to maintain a public list of all prisoners released before serving 100 percent of their sentences. That would cover nearly every inmate.

The department already provides a service that lets taxpayers register to be notified about the status of specific inmates.

Phillips, 21, and his cousin, Antonio Phillips, 20, were indicted last month on charges they robbed and murdered Suggs, who was found dead inside his car Dec. 10 near Lincoln and Mossman avenues.

At this point then, Brady has a dispute primarily with the law allowing such releases, but this has nothing to do with the programs that are controversial.  If Brady disagrees with the practice then Brady should introduce a bill strengthening the Truth in Sentencing  law.  While he’s at it, he can tell us where the magical money tree is going to come from to keep more prisoners incarcerated. I’m sure he can look to California for ways  to do that.

At this point, it appears the entire Brady campaign is about finding a magical unicorn to make his policies realistic.

While I don’t really have a problem with the bill he’s introducing to give people more information about prisoner’s being released, the list is pretty easy to use–simply use the search in Acrobat and you can find only one Phillips–not Jonathan.  I’d be happy to show him how it works….

 

Update:  fixed the title

In Addition, I’m a Smartass

Not that there’s anything wrong with that:

 

1.  Why are you a Democrat? Who said I was?

5.  Please list any organizations or elected officials that have endorsed your candidacy for
lieutenant governor. No one, I’m just an every day regular guy. No wealth to speak of, no
network of business connections, and most importantly, NO one I owe any favors to. I don’t
have a bunch of skeletons in my closet, or people trying to dig up dirt to damage my reputation.
I can be a bit of a devils advocate on occasion but that is merely to provoke  a response usually
(and hopefully a thought process or two). I’m my OWN man. I think formyself, with an eye to
see things as they are, not how some media pundit would have me see them. I am a family man,
I have been married for 20 years and have a 17 year old daughter who is the joy of my life. An
honor Student, a CNA at one of the area nursing homes (her mother is a Physical Therapist), and
she will be starting college this summer after she graduates from Metamora Township High
School.

 

There’s a lot of pride in the fact that the applicants are in no way connected to state government or politics.  I’m pretty sure that’s not an effective argument when wanting to be second in line to running the state government.

Quite the Qualifications

Hermit seeks job with no experience or social skills:

 

4.  What strengths would you bring to the ticket? I am an unknown, no experience and with NO
TIES TO ANYONE! I will accept nothing with strings attached. I have no skeletons in my closet.
Consider Scott Lee Cohen and what he accomplished. I think the people want someone to
represent THEM for a change, not some fancy lawyer (sorry but that is what is happened). This
may sound stupid but MY CHECK BOOK IS ALWAYS BALANCED, IS THE STATES?? That’s my
strength.

 

Who Can Turn Away From a Trainwreck

I’m not linking to the specific documents, but just taking excerpts out of random ones I find amusing:

 

I am a Native American, enrolled as such with The Southern Band of The Cherokee
Nation; I worked for the Sangamon County Sheriff and have been in law Enforcement
for over 40 years. I know a lot of people on both parties. My mother’s ancestry goes
back to General John Sevier who was a Brigadier General under George Washington
and the first Governor of the State of Tennessee. My ancestors have been involved in
every war or conflict since the American Revelation with the exception of the Middle
East Wars.
I think I would make a good candidate for Lieutenant Governor because I have never
been a person to kiss butt and have always put the American People First.

 

This kind of stupid ass stunt is something the Illinois GOP specializes.  Apparently stupid is contagious.

March Madness Continues

And in the Northeast Bracket, we have Betty Loren Maltese’ lawyer:

 

A criminal defense attorney who represented former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese has joined the growing list of Democrats who want to succeed Scott Lee Cohen as the party’s lieutenant governor candidate.

Another 25 political newcomers submitted their names to the state Democratic Party, bringing the total to 69. Two potential candidates who submitted their names already have dropped out of consideration.

 

My favorite from the form is from someone else though:

 

5.  Please list any organizations or elected officials that have endorsed your candidacy for
lieutenant governor.  None yet, but I bet I could get my NSDAR (National Society of the
Daughters of the American Revolution)  Chapter to endorse me.  Who knows who else.  I know
lots of little people.

 

What a great idea the Dems put together her.

Daily Dolt: Blagojevich

Sounding like Rush:

 

Blagojevich, a Northwestern alum, who married his wife, Patti, on the campus 20 years ago, revealed the feds have subpoenaed his grades and student information from when he attended 30 years ago.

He invited the FBI to also look at his law school performance at Pepperdine Law School in Malibu, Calif.

“If they look at those grades they’ll see — I obviously never cheated on an exam,” Blagojevich said to much laughter.

Blagojevich spoke to a skeptical student body, who didn’t cut him much slack. They laughed when he plugged his book and drew parallels between his case and the war in Iraq.

Blagojevich won chuckles when he said there was “nothing ethically wrong,” with wanting to meet Sarah Palin.

He was booed when he likened U.S. Senate leaders to southern segregationists for initially not allowing his pick for senator — Roland Burris — into the U.S. Capitol last year.

“Shame,” someone from the crowd shouted.

“You don’t like Burris?” Blagojevich asked.

“No — you,” he responded.

“My friend, I have love in my heart for you,” the ex-governor said.

 

Like soughern segregationists?  Really?

More likely, the story about the student records subpeona is bogus.  Not that it matters, but he lies about silly stuff like that for sport.

Damn, They Didn’t Lose the Password to the Illinois Dems Web Site

They actually updated it with the names of those who want to be Lieutenant Governor.  But they forgot the brackets for the March Madness edition.

 

You too can apply by downloading the form.  Some even have references!

 

And yes, I would, but that Missouri address makes it out of the question.

I do want to give credit to the Party and Madigan’s people for doing this–even if it’s a horrible way to go about this–that’s not fully in their court, but I am very impressed they are using the web site and doing so productively.  Just don’t lose the password to the site for another couple years