How many crimes does cash bail generate?

No tears from me for the end of cash bail this Sunday.

Avoiding jail awaiting trial should not depend on how much money you have to bail out. A bad guy with enough bread is out on the streets, possibly committing more crime. Meanwhile, some poor innocent can have his/her life ruined in the clink simply for lack of cash.

That begs the question. How many arrestees without sufficient cash have crimes committed on their behalf to pony up bail? Under the no bail system the incentive to commit those crimes goes away.

Haven’t heard this as another sensible reason to eliminate bail…but it should be factored into the ongoing discussion of the new no bail reform.

Republicans 30% solution won’t turn Illinois red

Far right downstate Republicans refuse to blame themselves for the massive Blue Wave which continues to wash over Illinois elections. Instead, they blame the moderate Republican ‘Left Flank’ based in Chicago, Cook and the collar counties of DuPage, Lake, Will and Kane.

Four downstate representatives, Chris Miller of Oakland, Blaine Wilhour of Beecher City, Dan Caulkins of Decatur and Brad Halbrook of Shelbyville, who speak for the far right ‘Eastern Block’ of downstaters, tout their huge Republican majorities there which turned downstate “Ruby Red.” They claimed, preposterously, if only that Left Flank had followed our lead, Dan Bailey and the entire Republican slate would have cruised to victory November 8.

While Republican gains downstate were notable, it represents a mere 30% of the Illinois electorate. Their vision of no funding of social programs, banning books and sex education in schools, fulminating about transgender rights and support, total control of women’s bodies, denying climate change may play well in Peoria, but very little northward were nearly three quarters of the voters seek progress, not regression.

DuPage, second only to Chicago’s Cook in population, had less blue than the sun when I moved there in 1975. By 2007, Democrats leaders with vision, energy and optimism, starting with Democratic Chair Bob Peickert and others, saw opportunity to turn DuPage blue. So they formed (drum roll) Turn DuPage Blue. During the ensuing 15 years DuPage became nearly as blue as the deep blue sea, dominating the County Board, state legislators, Forest Preserve, US Congresspersons, and giving big majorities to governor and president.

Their prescription for success was simple: real solutions to real problems with not a hint of fear, loathing or divisiveness.

And if those aforementioned Eastern Block folks ever lose their Illinois seat, they should avoid running for coroner. Death investigations, such as their bizarre analysis of the corpse of a once healthy state party, is a disqualifier.

“Too personal” Mr. Wilson? Then drop mayoral bid

Eight of nine major Chicago mayoral candidates released tax records in line with critically needed financial disclosure to vet candidates. Only the likely richest, Willie Wilson refused.

His response to the instant ‘Why not’ question was revealing, tho admittedly honest. “I think it’s too personal. That’s the way I think it. I’m not in office yet.”

Even worse, Wilson refused to agree to release his financials should he be elected. “I probably wouldn’t have a problem then. But I’m not in office now.”

Probably wouldn’t?

The public should be wary of any candidate for high office who refuses to take that most basic step of transparency. The last guy who did that nearly destroyed American democracy trying to overturn his re-election defeat with an organized insurrection.

Kissinger gets Peace Prize for making war; slammed or pitching peace.

During his century on Planet Earth, Henry Kissinger experienced a bizarre twist on the subject of war and peace. An architect of the Nixon Vietnam War strategy that got possibly a million or more Vietnamese and a third of America’s 58,000 needlessly killed, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Possibly out of guilt over his role in that carnage, or simply having become wiser with age, Kissinger is now promoting a negotiated settlement over continued US gasoline being poured on the fire which is the Russo Ukraine war.

He recognizes that Ukraine’s victory goals of retaking Crimea and the Donbas, then joining NATO are utterly preposterous and will never happen. Instead, they have enabled 300 days of relentless destruction of Ukraine as a functioning nation. Much worse, every day the war continues presents a new opportunity for it to go nuclear thru a simple miscalculation, a deranged combatant, or even another planned false flag, like Ukraine’s call for NATO intervention from an errant Ukraine missile killing 2 in NATO member Poland. Kissinger knows that direct US military involvement with Russia is becoming inevitable.

But poor Henry has received a firestorm of criticism for promoting negotiations, the path to peace in virtually every war other than the ‘unconditional surrender’ variety. From Kyiv to the DC Capitol, proponents of endless war are calling him an out of touch appeaser.

In Kissinger’s case, his good deeds get punished after his bad deeds got rewarded.

Zelensky puff peace adds no value to ending Russo Ukraine war

Henry J. Wilson’s letter ‘Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offers a reminder to America’ (Trib, Dec.23) sounds like it came straight from Zelensky’s press agent.

“Zelensky in all his shining glory”; “Zelensky’s speech was the most inspiring address I have heard from Capitol Hill in my 28 years of life as a proud American”; Zelensky a “combination of brilliant timing, the honesty of a world-class statesman and the bravery of a true warrior’.

Please.

An ‘inspiring speech’ does not reject negotiations to promote endless war that is destroying Ukraine as a functioning nation, especially when Zelensky could have avoided the war by implementing the 2015 Minsk II Accords that would have given autonomy to Donbas Ukrainians.

A ‘world class statesman’ does not make 3 years of war against his own people because they prefer to speak Russian and seek freedom from Zelensky led oppression. Nor does such a statesman risk nuclear war by demanding the US intervene directly with Russia.

A ‘brave, true warrior’ does not cave to ultranationalists who demanded he turn on the people in Donbas who elected him in 2019 on his promise to incorporate them into a unified Ukraine.

Mr. Wilson is simply promoting US unipolar dominance with its determination to keep Russia out of the European political economy, regardless of how much death and destruction it brings to Ukraine.

His letter offers no solution to keep the Russo Ukraine war from spinning out of control, possibly even going nuclear. That is the goal we must all focus on.