AFTER TWENTY-SIX YEARS, WHAT'S ANOTHER TEN?

When serial sexual psychopath killer Brian Dugan offered to confess to the Jeannine Nicarico murder back in 1985, in return for a life sentence instead of the hangman's noose, the state was getting far better in the bargain.

Giving up a chance to engage in the barbaric practice of state sponsored homicide on Dugan would most importantly free two innocent men, Rolando Cruz and Alejandro Hernandez, who had been recklessly sentenced to die in one of he worst cases of prosecutorial abuse in Illinois history. By rejecting Dugan's offer, the wheels of injustice would grind along for another ten years before Cruz and Hernandez were freed. Secondly, millions of dollars would have been saved, including the three that DuPage County had to pay the two designated executees for wrongful prosecution. Finally, closure could have been given to the Nicarico family just two years after their tragic loss instead of the current twenty-six, with another ten to go while the Dugan death watch lumbers along during the appeals process.

DuPage County States Attorney Joe Birkett and his staff no doubt engaged in proverbial if not actual "high fives" upon the death sentence verdict. If so they and the dwindling number of DuPage citizens whose bloodlust for death has not yet been tempered by the quality of mercy are the only ones who have something to celebrate in this endless saga of murder and its twisted aftermath.

GET ME MY BIG RED WAGON

The Glen Ellyn News November 5 photo of Cong. Peter Roskam grimacing under the weight of the 2,000 page health care bill not only speaks volumes about his public relations genius, but also his complete disregard of solving the health care crisis. As priceless as the Congressman's grimace is, a better picture would be Roskam staggering under the weight of the thousands of unpaid medical bills of the thousands of uninsured constituents in the Sixth District. If he did try to carry all that paper, he would need a Radio Flyer wagon.

Originally published in the Glen Ellyn News, November 11, 2009

A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW IN THE BIG EASY

Until this morning, I never heard of Anh "Joseph" Cao, US Congressman from New Orleans, but after his principled action yesterday I will never forget him.

Cao was the only one of 177 Republican Congressman to vote for the House version of health care reform that passed with but two votes to spare, one of which was Cao's.

"I listened to the countless stories of Orleans and Jefferson Parish citizens whose health care costs are exploding - if they are able to afford health care at all", was Cao's explanation for his vote, which couldn't have been better said by a Democrat.

Republican House Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, who boasted no Republican would vote for the House bill, will sure have a hard time explaining Cao's courageous vote from the Big Easy.