Two Americans slain Wednesday and few noticed

A disgruntled man aimed his gun at two young Americans Wednesday, pulled the trigger, and blew them away. But very few noticed because America's sensationalized, reality based media saw no ratings potential from their deaths. So the senseless killing of Capt. Matt Roland, 27 and Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley, 31, in Afghanistan, were largely ignored by our war weary media. Instead, we get 24/7 coverage of the senseless killing of two ...young TV reporters in the grotesque daily slaughter made possible by our insane gun culture and lack of national mental health care. But the killings of Roland and Sibley are arguably more senseless and worthy of national debate and outrage because they occur with numbing regularity by a militarized and war obsessed government putting tens of thousands in harms way to promote empire and war profiteering. Until we unite to defeat war monger Senators like John McCain, Mark Kirk, Lindsay Graham, Bob Menendez, Tom Cotton and their band of war loving brothers in the House, the revenge killings of American soldiers defiling war torn lands far away will continue apace. Even worse, we meekly condone the governmental slaughter of untold thousands of innocent civilians abroad under the false claim of national security. 
 

That is The Shining City on the Hill in 2015: trillions for weapons of mass killing overseas; hundreds of millions of domestic guns to weed out the innocent at home.

Rauner's prison depopulation reform goes to pot

Gov. Rauner apparently blinked when short sighted members of his base balked at reforms to our dysfunctional marijuana laws by reducing liberalization for small amounts of pot. Now just 10 grams or less, not the legislated 15 grams, get's an offender a fine instead of a ride to the hoosegow. Rauner also upped the fine from a $55 minimum to $100. Rauner appears terrified at the prospect of actually doing something positive to meet his stated goal of  reducing Illinois' bloated prison population by 25%. His reason: 'Can't go to fast on this....wouldn't be prudent' is nonsense. Making matters worse, Rauner is reducing the trial period for Illinois' medical marijuana project from 48 months after first dispensary opens to just 32 months from next Monday, a drastic reduction which will greatly hinder success of this vitally needed medical help to countless sufferers.

Gov. Rauner has the backbone to attack unions, teachers, state workers while withholding help from the needy to protect his fabulously wealthy base. But when faced with something simple and wise to reform our insane War On Drugs while reducing prison inmates, Rauner's spine turns to jelly.

Too bad he couldn't amend the medical marijuana law to include on the list of maladies pot could alleviate the dreaded RAF: Rauner Austerity Fatigue.

 

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn

Tony Marchione and the B-32 Dominator

Ten years ago I flew on the last flying B-24 Liberator Bomber, 'Witchcraft', of 13,000 built. I passed on the B-17, also flying that day out of the DuPage Airport in West Chicago. About a dozen B-17's are still flying of the 11,000 copies, so I figured I'd have plenty of opportunities to ride the 'Flying Fortress' before they were all retired. Seeing two of the three 4 engine WWII bombers (only the B-29 'Superfortress' was missing), I figured, was a coup. 

But just recently I learned of an obscure 4 engine giant whose last flight in the Good War was significant on several levels. The B-32 Dominator was developed by Consolidated Aircraft concurrent with Boeing's B-29 Superfortress as a backup in case the B-29 failed to pass muster. The early B-29's were a mess, prone to fires and engine failure which required overhaul after every few missions. But the B-29 was improved, resulting in 4,000 built including Enola Gay and Boxcar which dropped the 2 A-Bombs. The B-32, meanwhile was worse than the B-29. Only 118 were built with a handful seeing service against Japan starting in May, 1945.
  
Japan accepted peace terms on Aug. 14. All military ops ceased on both sides. On Aug. 17 Gen. MacArthur sent up a couple of B-32's to test the cease fire. One of the B-32's suffered damage when attacked by several renegade Jap fighters, but no one was injured. Next day, Aug. 18, MacArthur sent up 4 more B-32's to verify the incident was isolated. It wasn't. Two of the breakdown prone B-32's aborted the mission. The other two were again attacked by renegade pilots. On one, Pvt. Tony Marchione, 20, was pierced by a 20 mm canon shell and bled out, the last American serviceman killed in action, four days after the official ceasefire. MacArthur ended all such flights and required the Japanese to remove the propellers from all remaining fighters, something he didn't need a dead serviceman to order.

The last American killed in action likely died a needless death, flying in a giant bomber so rare most folks today, even Warbird fans like me, didn't even know existed.

Yemen war good business opportunity for US war party

The American war party loves the criminal, murderous war our best Middle East buddies (after Israel), Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are perpetrating against the hapless Yemenis. Over 4,000 are dead, including 1,000 civilians, since those two US backed states began bombing Yemeni Houthi rebels who over through Yemen leader Abed Mansour Hadi.  Human Rights Watch has called a recent Saudi bombing of two buildings, killing 65 civilians, a war crime. Last month the UN termed the fighting and resulting famine overwhelming Yemen a Level 3 Human Emergency, their highest such designation.

While our government and mainstream media have placed a virtual blackout on news of American logistical and intelligence support we're giving these thuggish allies perpetrating this atrocity, the war party is quietly accelerating sales of WCD (Weapons of Civilian Destruction) to the Saudis and to UAE. Last year, these two bully nations gobbled up 88% of the $60 billion in WCD sales to the Middle East.

Not an atrocity is overlooked when committed by fake national threats like ISIS whom we need to keep our bomber pilots and drone joy stick boys sharp dropping bombs on civilians. But Uncle Sam and his media lackeys utter not a peep against good military customers committing war crimes and inflicting famine on a pathetic land with no supporters in The Land of The Free.

That is a deplorable tragedy that needs correction.

Move forward...with Breuder termination inquiry

The Daily Herald editorial "Unless there's cause, COD should drop Breuder firing inquiry" is so replete with poor editorial insight, absence of journalistic integrity and obscure, sloppy reasoning a detailed rebuttal is warranted.

Would the Herald editorial have dared utter the following quote if the Board Chair's first name was Kyle instead of Kathy?

'It was a gentle question. But Hamilton recoiled as if her side had been nudged with a hot poker. With face reddening and lips thinning, she snapped: "Dr. Breuder does not represent the college." You had to be there to appreciate the abrupt shift in emotion.'

Of course not. Such language is sexist, unnecessarily prejudicial to Hamilton and has no place in a serious editorial. Using the single word quotes 'exaggerated' from Interim President Joe Collins and 'political' from Hamilton, similarly shed no light on the serious allegations that have resulted in multiple investigations of Breuder by local, state and educational accreditation agencies. The fact you conveniently overlook is that since being placed on administrative leave April 30, while being investigated, Dr. Breuder does not represent the college

Not content with your initial character assassination, you expand on editorial excessiveness by dismissing a majority Board vote, not to fire Dr. Breuder, but merely to start an inquiry into determining cause for termination, as 'something obsessive and oddly venomous about Hamilton's fixation with Breuder's destruction. Not satisfied with removing him from the stage, she seems bent now on exacting her pound of flesh.' That piles on your initial sexism against Hamilton and denigrates the studied reasoning and support of three intelligent and articulate public servants, who, with Hamilton, have the support of most faculty and much of the COD community. But even Bernstein, Napolitano and Mazzochi get the Daily Herald gratuitous insult treatment with this gem: 'Sadly, her trio of rubber stampers on the COD board seem inclined to follow her off the same cliff of vengeance.'

It's curious that your editorial strongly implies Breuder is guilty merely of being a 'strong personality' and accepting the old Board's largesse. That is an insult to the process of properly investigating the avalanche of serious charges that have already cost hundreds of thousands just to investigate. Offering not a shred of substance, you dismiss there being anything beneath the surface against Breuder by quoting Breuder's strongest supporter throughout this two year long saga, Diane McGuire, who 'suggests there isn't.'

And why does the Herald, in defending Breuder, casually toss off this snarky and inexplicable innuendo at Faculty Association President and strong Breuder critic Glenn Hanson. 'It's hardly incidental that Breuder played point in tough contract negotiations, and it's more than ironic that Collins has now given union chief Hansen a promotion and a raise.' A first year journalism student would blue pencil that bit of gratuitous nonsense if given the editing chore.

It's clear the Herald has either failed to examine or consciously overlooked the serious allegations against Dr. Breuder including manipulating the governor to grant COD $20 million for an unapproved building; possibly inflating enrollment to spike state aid; possibly authorizing risky investments in violation of established fiduciary policies, and violating policy regarding use of alcoholic beverages at school functions, among others. They and others we may not be privy to should be carefully and thoroughly examined to determine if termination is warranted. Meanwhile, the Herald's Editorial Board should put down the 'hot poker' they apparently prodded themselves with when they wrote this hit piece on new Board majority.