GOP furious November 8 ballot spots filling up

How does the DuPage County Republican Party resemble the old Communist Party? Simple. They don't like to see other party candidates on the ballot. Take their bizarre, three prong thrust to remove Christopher English from the ballot as Democratic candidate for DuPage County Clerk of the Circuit Court. English collected 1,773 signatures to get on the ballot as a post primary candidate, more than doubling the 844 needed by 929 votes . GOP folks did the math and voila, decided 941 of English's signatures were invalid, making him 12 votes short of the 844 target. As one deeply involved in the five week petitioning process for English, my outrage over this shabby attempt to subvert the will of 1,773 DuPage voters seeking choice November 8 is incalculable.

The other two arguments come straight out of The Twilight Zone. Dennis Reboletti, a former state lawmaker, no less, wants us to believe a teensy quibble over how the county clerk title was worded on the nominating petitions amounts to a gross miscarriage of election law. Not finished with Fantasyland, Reboletti contends that DuPage Democrats cannot form a nominating committee to designate post primary candidates; insisting they must marshal all 300 plus precinct committeemen to do that task. That is truly a strange way to simplify governing which is supposedly one of the GOP's favorite planks.

Maybe Reboletti and his anti voter minions are simply re-making The Exorcist, seeking to make DuPage voters heads spin around their necks trying to figure out their twisted version of democracy.

Roskam playing coy with racist, hatemonger Trump

My congressman Peter Roskam (IL 6) is riding the horns of a dilemma. He knows he can't in good conscience and with passion support his presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Yet, he knows the great majority of his Republican base in the 6th District either loves and voted for Trump, or will gladly support his disgraceful and destructive brand of hate and fear mongering he exploited to grab the brass GOP presidential ring.

What to do? For Roskam it's say nothing, nada, zilch. Pretend The Donald doesn't even exist.

I've called his office two days in a row and the voice from the office has no clue as to Roskam's thoughts on Trump or if and when he'll surface to reveal his decision.

Will Roskam follow fellow Illinois Republican Mark Kirk's principled stand to neither vote for nor support Trump's candidacy. Or will he reveal himself as an unprincipled supporter of the darkest side in main party presidential politics we've ever had the misfortune to experience. 

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn

Judge recall effort undermines judicial independence

Efforts by Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber to recall Judge Aaron Persky for the six month sentence given Aaron Brock for assault and attempted rape of an unconscious acquaintance are misguided and should be withdrawn. Persky is a wise and fair judge whose career and sentence in the Brock case is supported by his peers. 

"He is an absolutely solid and respected judge," said Santa Clara County deputy public defender Gary Goodman. "Persky made the right decision." Barbara Muller, a criminal defense attorney who works two weeks a month in Persky's court, says he "is definitely one of the fairest judges in the county. He considers all facts and is very thorough. He plays it right down the middle."

Law professor Dauber, a friend of the victim, should know better than to undermine a 13 year tenured judge with a rock solid reputation and no disciplinary record. Critics of Persky and Brock have gone berserk on social media, comparing white, affluent defendant Brock to poor black defendants receiving much longer sentences for lesser crimes. They're having apoplexy over the tone deaf statement of Brock's father. Neither of these side bar tales are relevant to the wisdom and justice of the sentence handed down: six months in jail, three years probation, and a lifetime slot on the nation's sex offender registry. Given all the circumstances of the defendant's background and all the circumstances of the crime, the sentence provides justice to the victim, society and the defendant. 

It's time to stop obsessing solely on excessive incarceration which endlessly and wastefully warehouses folks who are not deemed likely to offend again and are good candidates for re-rehabilitation. Brock fits that profile which is why the Santa Clara County Probation Office recommended the sentence which Persky agreed with and handed down. 

There are bad judges who hand down poor sentences; a majority, no doubt, excessive, to placate a vengeful public. Good judges like Persky must be free to dispense the wise justice so critical to both a safe and humane society. 

Can't outsource this USA made stuff

Last year US WMD makers sold $46.6 billion of the stuff to 96 countries. 40% of the stuff went to the Middle East, a sorrowful region we claim to be pacifying. Sales were up an unhealthy 35% from 2014 and represent a third of all war weaponry sold worldwide. Don't forget the home grown ordinance Uncle Sam uses to fight his seven criminal wars in the Middle East and Africa. Seven of the eight largest government contractors are pumping out deadly and dastardly firepower almost as fast as Uncle can fire it. Don't smile too smugly when you see your annual stock portfolio rise. A fair chunk of that new found wealth is drenched with blood.