Blagojevich Entering the Courthouse
ArchPundit
Now
2010
Cook Rates IL-11 Tossup
While I’ve heard the poll Kinzinger was passing around exaggerated the size of his lead, it’s pretty clear toss up is a good way to view it right now.
And Mea Culpa
My predictions from last week are obviously way off the mark.
Something Is Happening in Blagojevich Trial
No official word, but the lawyers are headed to the courtroom and the press is active. See here for the WGN feed. While I was positive last week, I don’t think this is a good sign and has a very different feel than the day George Ryan’s verdict was handed down.
Brady’s a Blithering Idiot
Pat Quinn isn’t much of a prize, but jeebus this is amazing:
* Sen. Bill Brady said today that he won’t know how he can cut 10 percent out of the state budget until after Auditor General Bill Holland helps him identify specific cuts. But Brady also said he would “demand of every agency that they come back with a budget of 90 percent – show us what your priorities are with that 90 percent.”
Asked if he was saying that he wouldn’t talk about details of that 10 percent cut until after he was elected, Brady said, “I think I’m pretty precise. A dime of every dollar is pretty precise.”
When it was pointed out that ten percent only gets him maybe about a quarter of the way there, he said, “No it doesn’t.”
“I didn’t say it’s going to be easy. And I didn’t say all of it will come from rooting out corruption, fraud waste and mismanagement. Much of it will. Much of it will. Look at the Department of Corrections.”
Rich has good video and more as well.
“No it doesn’t.”
The only response to this is something akin to my twins fighting, “Yes it does.”
Brady has been in office for 15 years since 1993 and yet he cannot identify significant budget cuts. Claiming to want to rely on Howland for budget cuts misses the point of the office of the Auditor General. The Auditor General doesn’t make policy choices, he evaluates adherence to the law and regulation by state agencies and programs. He can offer excellent advice in terms of efficiency and streamlining in some cases, but it’s not his job to make the value judgment required to cut budgets. That’s the point of the office actually–to provide quality audits on the performance of state agencies and programs in regards to practices and accounting.
This is why Howland is so useful. He doesn’t engage in political nonsense (other than defending himself from Blagojevich the once). He issues fact based reports. Some savings can be found from his reports, but nothing near what needs to be done to create a sustainable budget for the State of Illinois. Cuts and tax increases are going to be required whether Bill Brady can admit it or not. He is using this supposed strategy to avoid having to answer important questions about value judgments and where Brady would cut the state budget to pull off his promise of not raising taxes. Cuts are going to have to come from programs that serve people and before anyone votes, the citizens of Illinois deserve to hear what Brady would prioritize in his reductions. If he can’t do that, what good is all of his experience in the State Lege?
Pat Quinn hasn’t been honest on the budget either, but does at least acknowledge the need to raise taxes as well. His answer on how much and how changes depending on the moment you ask, but it is much closer to reality. Then again, Pat Quinn’s mouth tends to answer all questions differently from moment to moment.
Excellent for Alexi
He supports the Park51/Cordoba House development:
Giannoulias says the world is watching how America responds and
says “Are we going to talk about tolerance, talk about freedom of
religion or are we actually going to practice it?”
I actually think support is the wrong word for much of this. After all, I’m Presbyterian–do I support a Mosque? I don’t know how to answer that. I certainly respect and celebrate the right to build a religious and community facility and practice their faith, but support is a strange verb given the context. In a sense, I do support this endeavor on the issue that it is meant to foster tolerance, but often the question seems to be whether one supports or does not support a religious center.
As I mentioned the other day, I disapprove of the Church of Scientology templewhateverthehelltheycallit in my neighborhood primarily because the practitioners seem to drive poorly and create more problems than most drivers and they keep bugging me with the annoying IQ flyers. The Guy Fawkes masked protesters are a plus however. Yet, it’s besides the point whether I disapprove of them. They are there and it’s part of life and I’m glad they have that right.
Stupidity in Pictures The Hallowed Ground the Cordoba House Will Be Joining
Take a visual tour of neighborhood that the Cordoba House Islamic Community Center will be.
Backdoor Blind Date is obviously a hallowed piece of literature at the, ahem, gentleman’s book store.
We are now up to asking Senators from Illinois what they feel about a zoning issue in Manhattan. Do you know what Chicagoans would say if New Yorkers tried to tell them how to zone a property?
Just for my own sanity, let me just say again, which is utterly pointless to my readers–Al Qaeda does not represent all Muslims. Blaming all Muslims for 9-11 is silly. The strength of America is that we invite all faiths to practice freely that is part of the reason for Al Qaeda hating the United States. Practicing our values instead of Al Qaeda’s is a far better strategy for maintaining our freedoms. Of course, our values are freedom and liberty.
Joe Berrios Dot Com
I clearly went into the wrong business. Apparently you can run for office and be involved in machine politics and not be smart enough to get your own name as an IP address.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you JoeBerrios.com. Brought to you by Forrest Claypool.
Actually
Newt Gingrich plays the Nazi card: “You know, Nazis don’t have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There’s no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center.”
Pretty much they do. There’s this case called National Socialist Party of America versus the Village of Skokie that Newt might want to familiarize himself with.
I hate Illinois Nazis, but…that’s besides the point. Even asshats have rights and they are some of the biggest asshats around.
All that said, the larger problem with Newt’s analogy is that the Cordoba Initiative would be more like Social Democrats who lost power to the Nazis and their allies. The Cordoba Initiative is the opposite of Al Qaeda and the good part of that opposite.
Or as one Facebook update who I don’t want to name because I’m not sure if it’s public–what’s the difference between this and not allowing a mainline Christian church in Nauvoo? Do we revoke the rights of mainline Christians because they persecuted Mormons at the site?
The Evils of Tolerance
The punchline to the morons protesting a Muslim Community Center, known as the Cordoba Center, near the World Trade Center site, is that it’s a group based on interfaith understanding. Seriously:
The programs at Cordoba Initiative (CI) are designed to cultivate multi-cultural and multi-faith understanding across minds and borders. In the ten years since our founding, the necessity to strengthen the bridge between Islam and the West continues to prevail. Cordoba Initiative seeks to actively promote engagement through a myriad of programs, by reinforcing similarities and addressing differences.
What does Cordoba Initiative Do?
Thought
- Advising policy makers and thought leaders on urgent Muslim-West issues
- Bringing new perspectives to familiar debates
- Providing expert knowledge of Islamic Law and other technical subjects for use in the public square
Action
- Building a network of young Muslim leaders to lead the drive for change in future generations
- Responding to Muslim-West crises
- Advocating for human rights, including higher standards for the treatment of women
Outcomes
- Raising the bar of Islamic governance in Muslim-majority countries
- Changing perceptions of the other in both the Muslim World and the West
- Fostering cooperation between governments, civil society organizations, media, academics and business leaders in the Muslim World and the West
.
These folks are the best of America and exactly who Osama bin Laden hates the most. The most powerful weapon against a reactionary lunatic like bin Laden is a celebration of diversity and tolerance of all.
Frankly, I wish the Scientology temple wasn’t in the neighborhood by me (they are awful drivers besides pestering me while walking to take some IQ test), but they have every right to be there. As do the Guy Fawkes masks once a month. It’s America, enjoy it.