Can't chop off Joe's head; already gone

When Tea Party Republican and emotionally unbalanced congressman (IL 8th) Joe Walsh lost his re-election bid to Tammy Duckworth in 2012, I thought we were done with him. Sadly, he landed a gig on local right wing radio where he's been spewing his hateful venom for several years now. This week he again made national headlines over his rhetorical lunacy when he called for the beheading by terrorists of CNN and MSNBC correspondents who refused to display scatological cartoons of Charlie Hebdo on their shows. Walsh is one person who never has to worry about being beheaded. He lost his years ago.

Sanguinetti auditioning for title role in 'The Invisible Woman'?

Back in July, I posted on the disappearing act of candidate Bruce Rauner's pick for Lt. Governor, Wheaton's very own, Evelyn Sanguinetti:
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Novice candidate for high office, Evelyn Sanguinetti, Republican Bruce Rauner's running mate for Lt. Governor, has a lot to learn about politics. In an interview for Hola America TV, Sanguinet...ti said she'd be Rauner's partner "and whenever he's not, I will be able to make decisions in his stead." The only problem with that statement is the Lt. Governor has no gubernatorial decision making powers. Then, Sanguinetti's Facebook profile page suddenly disappeared. One reason may be that Sanguinetti "liked" the movie '2016: Obama's America," a scorched earth irrational attack on President Obama. She also "liked" the page 'I will NOT vote for Obama in 2012' containing childish, gratuitously insulting posts about the president. Sanguinetti may already have worn out her welcome with the Rauner campaign which likely encouraged her to get off Facebook and gave her a crash course on the duties of the Lt. Governor. No such controversy surrounds Paul Vallas, Governor Quinn's running mate who has a long, distinguished and scandal free record of public service. We know Paul Vallas, and it's apparent that Evelyn Sanguinetti is no Paul Vallas.
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Turns out Sanguinetti never surfaced in the following 6 months. Here's what Daily Herald op ed writer Jim Slusher had to say this morning about Sanguinetti's disappearing act:

"At an inauguration event at the Old State Capitol Monday, Sanguinetti said she is not yet answering reporters' questions but will 'very soon'."
Slusher laments that Sanguinetti's reticence in discussing her being a heartbeat, or felony conviction away from the governorship, both troublesome and worrisome. He's also frets about the apparent fierce control that Rauner has shown throughout the campaign and now into his governorship.
He shouldn't worry. The fuss over Sanguinetti's disappearing act is simply Rauner's attempt at a core campaign theme: transparency. Apparently, in the case of Sanguinetti, it's invisibility.

McCain writes himself wrong epitaph

One of the more distressing, even catastrophic results of the GOP Senate takeover is the elevation of Sen. John McCain to chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. As overseer of the American military and the nation’s defense policy, McCain will have the ultimate Senate role in promoting a more bellicose foreign policy. And McCain loves bellicose and murderous military incursions, whether bombing innocents to smithereens from 35,000 feet, as he did in Vietnam in the 1960's, to cheerleading our failed and criminal Iraq war in 2003, that slaughtered hundreds of thousands including 4,489 GI's that he claims to revere. Friends don't let friends die in senselessÿ war.

Tragically, McCain never learned from his murderous mistakes. He loved the smell of death in Vietnam and never broke with the dead enders who consider it a noble war. He not only championed the Iraq war throughout, he calls it a victory, in part because he promoted the phony 'surge' which was nothing but a publicity stunt to prevent an American rout instead of the failed stalemate it became. That surge sentenced thousands more to needless death.  After Iraq, McCain has careened from one idiotic and murderous military incursion to another. He supported the bombing of Gadhafi's Libya, which killed thousands and turned that forlorn land into a failed state. He absolutely lusted to bomb Syria's Assad; then went ballistic when President Obama sensibly demurred. In a truly disgusting, even traitorous move, he sallied forth to Ukraine to foment illegal, immoral civil war against the elected government. He plans to use his new criminal war bully pulpit to demand sending arms the coup leaders' new government. He's demanding more troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria to counter the Islamic State gains there he is, in part, personally responsible for creating.

McCain is considered by millions of know-nothings as a patriotic hero. He glories in their adoration. At 78, and keenly aware of his approaching mortality, he's even written his own epitaph: "He served his country". In typical McCain fashion he's wrong again. More appropriate would be: "Don't mourn boys; bomb".

Roskam to scientists: Don't advise Science Advisory Board

When visiting Illinois 6th District schools, my congressman Peter Roskam loves to inspire impressionable students to serve government and society with their youth and idealism. You can do anything you want with the right spirit and motivation, he opines. What Roskam doesn't tell them is that if they want to combat global warming, which he adheres to the GOP playbook that it's a hoax, they better not study science. That's because Roskam voted with 224 other Republican House members to pass HR 1422, The EPA Science Advisory Reform Act of 2014. The SAB advises the EPA on environmental issues from a scientific standpoint. Least you think the 'reform' portion of the bill will strengthen the SAB and improve efforts to save the planet, think again.

HR 1422 should be retitled The EPA Science Advisory Board Emasculation Act of 2014. It REDUCES the influence of scientists while INCREASING the influence of fossil fuel company employees in advising the EPA. Yet the Board's only reason for existing is dissemination of science, not fossil fuel industry lobbying for less regulation of the industry destroying our planet for short term wealth. This disgraceful bit of anti environmentalism is underwritten and championed by the guys with the money to buy congressman to do their dirty work.

House Democrats got it mostly right: 190 of 194 voted for science and trying to keep Mother Earth alive a bit longer. The House GOP assault on science has no chance of becoming law with a president committed to environmental sanity. But all Illinois Sixth District school administrators should take note. Congressman Peter Roskam has no place defiling your sacred places of learning drumming up future votes based on false claims he's truly interested on making the world better for their generation

Rauner begins trek up Brownback Mountain to Illinois fiscal cliff

When billionaire Bruce Rauner decided to buy the Illinois governorship last February, he looked westward for inspiration. Sadly, for Illinois, he didn't look far enough.

Rauner's gaze beheld Brownback Mountain, a.k.a. Kansas, governed by Sam Brownback, the most fiscally irresponsible governor in America. In 2012, to ensure his re-election two years hence, Brownback cut taxes on small businesses and partnerships, to zero. That's right, not one red state cent. "Tax revenue will actually rise", cried Brownback. That reminds me of the parable where Jesus used a couple of fishes and loaves of bread to feed the multitude. Two years on Kansas is broke and in violation of its balanced budget law. Brownback's solution? Borrow money from public employee pension funds. If that don't work, take more from health and environment, at a time when a Kansas court chided Brownback for already underfunding K through 12 education.

Rauner's Illinois version of Brownback Mountain consisted of eyeing the $6 billion Illinois budget shortfall and promising cutting personal and corporate taxes by a total of $6 billion. That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it. And further channeling his new mentor on Brownback Mountain, or maybe it was Jesus, Rauner promised to increase funding for education and other critical services.

Today, when Bruce Rauner ascends to the Illinois governorship, he should rue the day he stopped his westward gaze at Brownback Mountain. He should have extended his vision to California where another Governor Brown, as in Jerry, closed a $25 billion budget deficit in 2010, with sensible spending cuts and tax increases.

Fasten your seat belts, Illinoisans. We may be seeing a replay of Brownback Mountain turning into Brokeback Mountain.