Title set for Rauner gubernatorial history

It's still early in Bruce Rauner's one and only term as Illinois governor, but if the middle class, the infirm, the students, the unemployed, the neglected elderly, the caring citizens of Illinois were writing a history of his tenure, it would be titled:

        THE GRINCH THAT STOLE ILLINOIS

A Trump in the crowd

No need to tune in talking heads to gain any insight into the Donald Trump presidential phenomenon. Just watch the 1957 flick 'A Face In The Crowd' in which director Elia Kazan told us all you need to know about Trump and the dull, fading imitations of him now mimicking his lunacy to inspire the boobocracy cheering him on.

Senate Torture Report almost gets Manning tortured....again

The difference between we true patriots in the peace party and the false patriots of the war party is this: They tortured former Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning for a year and then sentenced her to 35 years for disseminating information on our criminal Iraq and Afghan wars. We would give Manning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, possibly even the Nobel Peace Prize for essentially giving up her freedom for decades to publicize criminal governmental war conduct.

But Uncle Sam isn't through punishing Manning, threatening to send him to solitary confinement, considered by many in the criminal justice system as torture, for get this, possessing and reading the Senate Torture Report which identified systematic torture practiced by the US government and military. That is bizarre beyond all comprehension, but when it comes to defending and covering up war crimes, nothing is too bizarre and too despicable for the war party. If the Senate Torture Report was too thin a reason to put Manning in solitary, there were other grievous transgressions; a copy of Vanity Fair featuring fellow transgender Caitlin Jenner, and a tube of expired toothpaste. Fortunately, Manning, though denied counsel in the hearing on her violations, benefitted from world wide public outrage and was merely sentenced to three weeks loss of privileges in the library, gym and exercise yard.

Meanwhile, the real traitors who lied us into criminal war getting hundreds of thousands killed and splintering Iran into smithereens; Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld, live in splendid luxury with their millions garnered from fealty to the war party.

To sum up in seven words: Free Manning; jail Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld

Harper, COD Boards paved Breuder's path of gold

Reading the timeline of current College of DuPage president Robert Breuder's career at Harper College from 1998 through 2008 and at COD from 2009 through, possibly, March, 2016, would make the strongest taxpayer cry. At both schools Breuder alienated faculty, achieving the dubious distinction of garnering a faculty 'No Confidence' vote at two consecutive college presidencies, possibly a record unmatched in American academia. He ...provoked a 12 day strike at Harper in 2002, and dragged along faculty contract negotiations at COD for 15 months in 2011-2012. During his tenure at COD, valued programs, such as the Buffalo Theater Ensemble, were cut; investment guidelines were ignored to spike earnings, only to result in losses; millions were squandered on a vanity restaurant and outrageously expensive landscaping and unneeded buildings; and enrollment figures were inflated to justify increased state aid. Cynical manipulation of the governor was revealed, causing the governor to rescind an unneeded $20 million grant. Oh yes, tuition went up year after year to pay for these goodies and inflate Breuder's image as a business mogul, not an educator. 
  

As bad as Breuder leadership was at both colleges, the real onus for his academic and financial mismanagement rests with the Boards of Trustees. Both the Harper and COD Boards handed Breuder fabulous compensation packages and contract extensions that gave him financial leverage to negotiate swollen severance should either Board tire of his shenanigans. And Breuder cashed in handsomely, extracting $508,000 from Harper and $762,000 from COD when the Boards could no longer ignore faculty, student and public pressure. Breuder even negotiated a super majority of 5 instead of simple majority of 4 COD Board members to fire him. Then, regardless of cause, he negotiated a 45 day period to fix any fireable offences. His seductive influence over the old COD Board was so great he was even able to get a majority to censure the one Board member willing to both privately and publicly criticize his pathological, out of control rule. Instead of doing the faculty, student and taxpayers' business, the Board was basking in the glow of a Xanadu like campus and inhaling free stuff at the vanity restaurant.

Hopefully, the voting taxpayers have learned their lesson. They are showing up at COD Board meetings in droves and dumped two incumbents who dared seek re-election after such negligent tenure. A reform majority is in place and functioning, but holdover Breuder apologists and dreadful presidential contracts weigh down prompt, corrective action, such as the termination proceedings against President Breuder announced yesterday.

Months, maybe years from now, and millions of dollars later, we may finally get a COD that truly serves the students, the faculty and the public.

U of I should do right and rehire Professor Salaita‏

As one who painfully watched my Glen Ellyn neighbor, College of DuPage, squander millions during and cleaning up after the six year reign of president Robert Breuder, it's like Deja vu to see the University of Illinois embark on the same wasteful path.

I refer to the enfolding scandal that may yet cost a million or more over their illegal firing of professor Steven Salaita and near illegal withholding a $400,000 retention bonus to retiring chancellor Phyllis Wise.

Salaita is the Native American studies specialist who gave up a tenured position at Virginia Tech and moved his family to Urbana to begin a prestigious post at Illinois' best. But before starting he was illegally fired by Wise and VP of Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre for exercising his First Amendment rights to criticize Israel on Twitter for their July 8, 2014, Operation Protective Edge pounding of Gaza which left 2,000 Gazans dead, including 400 children. As one who also exercised my First Amendment rights to publically criticize Israel for what I believed were war crimes in their disproportionate bombing of civilian areas, I'm disturbed that our venerated state university would shred free speech, stifle academic freedom and disgrace the aims of education to placate wealthy, pro-Israeli donors who essentially said, 'Dump Salaita or lose our six figure dough.' Now the meter is running on the tab we taxpayers will have to pay for the cowardice and stupidity of administrators Wise, Pierre and the Board of Trustees who allowed themselves to be duped into carrying water for special interests who will trash our most cherished democratic principles to prevent criticism of Israel, regardless of its validity.

 

I suspect if Professor Salaita were teaching in 1930's Germany, he'd be the sort of patriot who would speak out against Nazi anti-Semitism. Of course, that would have ended his academic career just like his Twitter posts did to him here. But just because 21st century academia didn't send him to a gulag and an early death, doesn't excuse the wrong done and the likely legal and settlement bills that will be sent to every Illinois taxpayer by the taxman.

 

Come on, University Trustees, give Steve Salaita his job back. You'll be improving Native American studies at U of I. You will be saving us beleaguered taxpayers from paying for your folly. You will be enhancing, not disgracing free speech and academic freedom. Let Salaita Twitter away...and stop being twits.