Case of the buried lead and other mysteries

Even columns have leads, and I am pleased to report I found Mark Brown's today in Sun-Times.  It took some digging, but there it was, at the very end: " . . . the citizens of Cook County deserve to be kept completely informed about [county board president Stroger's] health in the coming days."  (Nice going, Jim! For finding it)  There it was, 'way at the bottom, coated in vanilla, and nicely stated as to "completely informed," not partially.  Brown was lied to by relatives, and the rest is blah blah blah spelling it out in no certain terms the people's right to know the health of elected officials

 

Meanwhile, the long arm of Middle East terrorism reached Urbana yesterday when the Daily Illini editor was fired for running anti-Muslim cartoons.  Not 3,000 New Yorkers in a tall building the victims this time, just the First Amendment.  No problem, U. of I. trustees or publisher's board.  We feel your pain, you stinking cowards.

 

And Atty Genl Lisa Madigan, who may or may not still belong to the gov's love-hate commission, wants no part of controlling a public-complaint mechanism she devised.  She's worried about AG's to come who might screw up how complaints are registered or questions asked about open meetings and using freedom of info.  She gets lots of complaints as things stand, and wants to keep it that way.  Does she mean the boxed form on her web site that I used two days ago to ask if she's on the love-hate commission?  Nothing yet from her, by the way, and I have some Jewish voters waiting to hear.  Maybe even some non-Jews, who knows?

 

Finally, it's quite interesting that in the wake of recent fatal South Side shootings, there's no outcry (screaming headlines) about (a) gun control -- though "delusional" Mayordaley II apparently made some customary noises about it -- and (b) root causes of gang criminality.  Sun-Times did have "Instant Messages" emailed from readers that touched on the former but also had the two items that in this blog's opinion matter most in these matters: 1. Decriminalization of recreational drug use and 2. draconian law enforcement. 

 

The former would require a change of heart mostly of white libs, the latter of them and the affected, afflicted community, which would have to permit cops to get tough.  Since this would mean jailing neighbors' sons, among other things (deport gang-bangers, said one letter writer!) , I bet on decriminalization happening before any unleashing of cops.  Oh, another -- yes, better -- idea was for parents etc. to take back the sidewalks by standing on the corners watching all the drug customers drive by.  Is this affected, afflicted community up to such unanimity?  Not so far.