Old McDonald Had a Gun

Old Otis McDonald that is.

He's the lead plaintiff in the McDonald v Chicago lawsuit that just might bring down Shortshank's draconian and unconstitutional gun laws:

• "I know every day that I come out in the streets, the youngsters will shoot me as quick as they will a policeman," says McDonald, a trim man with a neat mustache and closely cropped gray hair. "They'll shoot a policeman as quick as they will any of their young gangbangers."

  To defend himself, McDonald says, he needs a handgun. So, in April of 2008, the retired maintenance engineer agreed to serve as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Chicago's 28-year-old handgun ban. Soon after, he walked into the Chicago Police Department and, as his attorneys had directed, applied for a .22-caliber Beretta pistol, setting the lawsuit into motion. When that case is argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 2, McDonald will become the public face of one of the most important Second Amendment cases in the nation's history.

And our two favorite comments following the story:

• Nationally, the murder numbers/rate dropped from 16928/5.6 to 16272/5.4 from '07 to '08.
  
  Illinois had a population of 12.85 million w/ a increased murder rate of 6.1/100K (790) in comparison to 5.9/100K last year.
  
  Chicago had 22% of the population of Illinois yet accounted for 64.5% of murders w/ a per capita rate of 18/100K. an increase in murders both raw and per capita.
  
  Cook County had 41% of the population of Illinois yet accounted for 73.9% of murders(584) w/ a per capita rate of 11.1/100K. It had a population drop yet an increase in murders due exclusively to Chicago.
  
  The Cook County murders in raw number/per capita increased 11.9 and 11/1% respectively while arrest numbers and rates decreased compared to '07.
  
  If Chicago were to fall into Lake Michigan, the Illinois murder rate would drop to 2.8 .
  
  Were the rest of Cook County to follow suit, the rate would drop to 2.72 .
  
  Yet instead we saw that increase. Now it's appearing that, in order to artificially reduce the murder rate from the disaster they saw in '08, they're increasingly classifying deaths as 'suicides'. All to continue to justify their ineffective gun ban.
  
  Then there's the % of murders by types of weapons used, 2008:
  
  Nationally: 66.9
  
  Chicago: 80.8
  
  Now tell me. Where are most guns restricted and/or banned? Where are they more common?
  
  
• For those who think that overturning Chicago's gun ban is going to increase violence in the city, it might be informative for you to look at what happened last year in Washington, DC after their similar ban was overturned. We all heard their police chief and other politicians, as well as the Brady bunch fear mongers and their blind followers all predicting the same old lame "wild west" BS they've been trotting out every time a gun control law is overturned or even challenged. Well, just like every other single time, they were wrong. In 2009, the first full year without the ban, DC had the lowest murder rate the city has seen since 1964.

Keeping our fingers crossed.

Chicken Little Again

The CTA has cried "wolf" a few too many times for anyone to care:

• The public clamor that erupted over previous transit "doomsday'' threats is amounting to little more than a whimper this time as CTA service cuts are set to take effect next Sunday, barring a last-minute breakthrough to solve a budget shortfall.
  
  Perhaps commuters and our state lawmakers who control the purse strings simply don't believe the cuts will go through after repeatedly hearing before that "the sky is falling."
  
  Rallies held to protest the service cuts have been organized mostly by CTA labor unions that face major layoffs in connection with the service cuts. Attendance at most of the rallies amounted to dozens rather than hundreds of participants.
  
  "It seems as if the CTA has cried wolf so many times, that it is finally getting what it deserves — a ridership that can't be shocked and a government that doesn't care,'' said Getting Around reader Ben Rutledge, of Chicago.

Count us among the "not caring" faction. The CTA has been a drain for years with its bloated middle management and treating riders like crap. We're of the opinion that it will have to be completely destroyed before it can be rebuilt into something that actually delivers proper service to its riders.

025 Bar Fight

Evidently, the rumors of hard drives and back-up drives running in the cars, even when nothing is logged on, have some merit to them:

• IPRA was at 025 all day Saturday pulling the hard drives from the Tahoes even though the cameras were never on. Remember the camera and mics are always running even if your not logged on. This should be interesting are the higher ups going to stand by their guys or will 025 midnights be thrown under the bus again???

All the reports say that 100 people or more were fighting, cops got jumped, numerous OC and Taser discharges were logged. But IPRA is pulling hard drives and, call us cynical, we don't think it's to have coppers' backs.

Alert Text Messages

Good idea?

• Chicago police now will be able to alert the public instantly about everything from child abductions to crime-related traffic jams via a cell phone text or an e-mail.

  The Police Department has signed up for Nixle, a free alert notification system that sends messages to registered users. The service in Chicago went live today at www.chicagopolice.org.

  "We're just trying to get as many ways out there that you can look at what's going on at the Police Department," Chicago police Superintendent Jody Weis said. The department's use of technology will continue to broaden, he said.

Half the battle is getting information out there in a timely manner. The highway signs are useless if you aren't driving by one when an alert goes out. But everyone has a cell phone. Now the challenge is getting folks to sign up for it.

This actually seems like a good move.

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Okaka, Benzema y algo más.

Well This Explains A Bunch

Two weeks ago, a number of people pointed out that there were no bid openings for transfers. That was rare enough to provoke some pointed commentary in assorted posts.

Friday, the transfer order came out - eleven pages of it. Just about all "Code F - not subject to bidding" transfers. At first glance, someone just got rid of a whole bunch of paperwork. A deeper look reveals that this might just eliminate a whole load of "double counting" that went on in Patrol Division. For non-CPD readers, that was when a District Commander could claim they had no openings and everything was up to strength without mentioning the 50 or 60 or more people Detailed Out to TRU, MSF, Gun Teams, Gang Teams, outside agencies, etc. Districts that were formerly "up to strength" suddenly have a bunch of openings.

It also gives lie to J-Fed's PAX 501 that was e-mailed out last week:

• TASK FORCE ASSIGNMENTS
  
  Over the past two years, I have worked hard to ensure that specialized assignments and opportunities are made available to all of our members and that they are filled with the most qualified and deserving applicants, based on open, fair and objective processes.
  
  Few things are as damaging to morale and operational effectiveness as an environment where officers feel that their performance, work history and attitude are less important than who they know.

This coming from an individual who spent 20 years in one of the most insular law enforcement organizations in existence. An organization that shows no loyalty to the individual, but revels in the cover up and ostracizes anyone who doesn't blindly support the organization. Remember Robert Wright?

• In keeping with this philosophy, I have directed that vacancies on any and all task forces be posted Department-wide. Postings may include a description of the Task Force, required abilities and preferred qualifications as well as information required to apply (i.e., resume, writing sample, etc.), timeline for application and where materials should be submitted, as well as any other information deemed relevant by the submitting bureau.
  
  This process is intended to ensure that opportunities are made available to all members of the Department, and that the most highly qualified and best-suited officers are selected for positions. Networking and an ability to work well in a team with supervisors, peers and subordinates are important aspects of any officer’s character. However, who one knows should not be the defining factor in selecting a person for a position. Each and every officer of the Department deserves to know that what really matters are qualities such as; leadership ability, exceptional performance, attitude, work history, dedication to training and education.

"[P]referred qualifications" is legalese for "we're still going to let that commander's kid, the alderman's nephew and the hot chick in." But based on this PAX 501, is it safe to assume that each and every name on the transfer order re-applied for their old jobs at all these "Task Forces" so the taxpayers of Chicago have only "the most highly qualified and best-suited officers" working to eliminate criminal behavior across our fair city?

Or is this yet another case of "don't worry, it's all legit....from this point forward. We swear!"

What Did They Tell Him?

Interesting:

• Sixteen hours before he was found dead, city School Board President Michael W. Scott got a Sunday-morning call from a top aide to Mayor Daley to schedule a meeting about questionable expenses that Scott and his staff had charged to board credit cards.

  Scott had a 13-minute conversation with mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard starting at 11:01 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, according to police reports obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times about Scott's suicide.

So Heard was tipping him off? Heard was doing damage control? Heard was delivering the bad news that Scott had a ticket to the #42 Mayoral Express and he better be under it, so the mayor could giggle like he does and say, "I didn't know nothing about no credit cards"?

How many other calls did Heard make like this? And if it was at the behest of the mayor, that would explain why Shortshanks looked so shell shocked for a week afterward.

Another Ribbon

Word leaking out from various e-mailers that another "Crime Reduction" ribbon is in the works.

It is being developed under two separate names:

• The J-Fed Junior G-Man Achievement Medallion with Oak Leaf Cluster and Shiny Silver Ribbon Things Around It;
• or more simply, "The Masters Medal"
  

All kidding aside, it really is in development. We certainly hope everyone can find room on their dress blues for it.

Is This a Bar?

What the heck is located over here?

• Seven people were arrested and several police officers were injured during an early Saturday morning street fight involving more than 100 people on the Northwest Side.

  Police responded to the large disturbance near the 5600 block of West Grand Avenue around 1:45 a.m., and several officers sustained “non-life threatening injuries” while trying to break up the fight, police News Affairs [...] said.

  Several of the suspects refused orders to quit fighting and verbally and physically assaulted officers responding to the disturbance, [...] said. Police also used tasers and pepper spray to quiet the disturbance, she said.

5600 West? That's Central Avenue, isn't it? There's some sort of municipal structure there, something built on a haunted Indian burial ground?

Well, at least it was a short trip to the lock-up. Get well soon officers.

Estudiantes 3 Arsenal 0

Clemente Rodríguez, Juan Sebastián Verón, Leandro Benítez, Marcelo Carrusca, José Sosa, Enzo Pérez, Mauro Boselli, todos con la misma camiseta, suena a robo, como si el pan y queso lo hubieran hecho un argentino y un nepalés.

A su vez, Clemente, Verón y compañía son lo que son por tener todos la misma camiseta, es decir, Estudiantes es un EQUIPO.

Esto lleva a Washington Cucurto a decir: "¿Y si ponemos al plantel de Estudiantes de La Plata en la selección nacional? No es una locura, queridos lectores, El Pincha, tiene todo lo que le falta al equipo de Diego. Orden, un sistema de juego, fantasía, un goleador en serio y un lanzador de primera línea, disciplina, un proyecto dirigencial y muchas cosas más..."

Lo resumo: Estudiantes tiene fútbol y oficio, tiene la corbata en el bolsillo del overol. Y así se presentó en la primera jornada de este Clausura 2010, goleando a Arsenal (3-0).

Washington se infla solo y fantasea: “Triplete de Estudiantes, Verón cada día canta mejor, Boselli es hermoso y no para de dar clases de poesía en el área; Enzo Perez, parece Enzo Francescoli; Sosa tiene la facha de Carlitos Monzón, Carrusca la rompe y Clemente es el tren del oeste; Orion estaba un poquito gordo... Nunca, pero nunca desde que tengo doce años, vi un equipo tan prolijo, tan lleno de poesía en todas sus líneas, tratan a la pelota como si fuese una imagen de la Virgen de Itatí.”

Bajando un poco al verde césped, Estudiantes tiene con qué. Tendrá que limar relevos y posiciones defensivas (los pelotazos profundos resquebrajan la última línea) para evitar la discusión sobre si es el mejor equipo de Argentina.

Carrusca (´40), y Boselli (´65 y ´70 penal) derrumbaron a Arsenal.

Name Names Ike

Save yourself!

• Chicago Ald. Isaac Carothers, 29th, is scheduled to plead guilty Monday to corruption charges, according to court authorities and records.
  
  Court documents previously filed in the case revealed Carothers has cooperated in the federal probe and indicated he has secretly taped other public officials. Carothers is charged with mail and wire fraud as well as bribery for allegedly accepting about $40,000 in improvements to this home.
  
  The government also alleged that Carothers accepted meals and tickets to sporting events in exchange for supporting zoning changes for a valuable piece of developed property in his ward.

So when do the feds reveal who and how many aldercreatures are on the tapes? How many State Reps and Senators? Maybe his sister and brother appear in prominent roles? Maybe even Shortshanks? We can only hope.

Questionable Endorsement

From an e-mail, a regular reader points out that in the newsletter, the FOP endorses Dan Gallagher for Circuit Court Judge.

We know that the FOP tends to endorse any candidate that shows up for the meeting, but if our e-mailer isn't mistaken, Gallagher was the public defender who succeeded in getting off the shooter of a Chicago Police Officer in the Rockwell Gardens complex. Gallagher spent his time in Judge Evelyn Clay's courtroom belittling and attacking the investigating detectives claiming that the confession given by his piece of shit client was (surprise surprise!) coerced.

Anyone from FOP want to explain this endorsement? Because we are kind of steaming right now that someone who spent time defending this asshole and attacking our detectives with baseless accusations somehow got endorsed in our names.

Osvaldo Soriano Football Club

Siempre decía: “los intelectuales detestan el fútbol”.

Una vez dijo: “El fútbol tiene la significación de una guerra sin muertos, pero con conflicto. Con drama, reflexión e ironía. Y amalgama a la familia, cosa que no consigue la política”.

Otra vez dijo: “Sin padres, sin infancia, sin pasado alguno, no nos queda otra posibilidad que afrontar lo que somos, el relato que llevamos para siempre”.

Y otra: “Los ideales son la única forma de saber que estamos vivos”.

Pero siempre decía: “los intelectuales detestan el fútbol”.

Y un día (de septiembre de 2001), un grupo de escritores italianos fundó el Osvaldo Soriano Football Club.

Si bien la sensibilidad futbolera de Soriano fue traducida a más de 30 idiomas, fue el italiano el que recogió el guante: corría el mundialista año de 1986 cuando el diario italiano Il Manifesto lo contrató para que escribiera cuentos sobre fútbol y cubriera notas de actualidad como el resto de los cronistas. Metió mano en sus cuadernos ajados y así fue la primera vez que publicó un relato sobre su pasión, cuando Maradona levantaba la copa del mundo en México.

El penal más largo del mundo y El campeonato Mundial del 42, entre otros, se destacaron en repercusión válida para renovar el contrato del diario para los tiempos del Mundial 90 jugado en la misma Italia.

“Lo amamos desde Pensar con los pies (libro que aquí se editó como Cuentos de los años felices), sobre todo por aquella historia del hijo de Butch Cassidy como referí en un partido de fútbol en la Patagonia, porque como dijo Armando Discépolo: “Hijo, si lo soñaste, es porque lo viviste” –dice Enrico Remmert (escritor), defensor del OSFC que usa la número 13.

Empezó como un equipo de amigos escritores que armaban picados quincenales para mover un poco las nalgas. Después se les ocurrió fundar la Writer´s League (Liga de Escritores) para abarcar Europa (los jugadores deben tener al menos un libro publicado).

Apenas fundado el OSFC, en 2002, la Gazzetta dello Sport publicó el “Schema libero” (Plan de apertura), una interesante colección de historias sobre el fútbol mundial escrito por los jugadores del club.

Sin sede propia y a casi una década de aquel primer partido, los jugadores del Osvaldo Soriano F.C. se reúnen una vez por semana para entrenar y vestir su camiseta azurra con el escudo del club (el dibujo que Daniel Paz hizo para la tapa de Página/12, el 29 de enero de 1997 cuando murió Soriano).

Desde 2006 compite en el torneo internacional de la Writer´s y durante 2009 se enfrentó – con resultados poco confesables – a equipos de escritores de Inglaterra, Hungría, Alemania y Suecia, siempre con fines benéficos (donación de libros a bibliotecas, hospitales y cárceles), de difusión lectora, intercambios literarios y eventos culturales de soporte.

“Tenemos un montón de libros sobre fútbol – sigue el número 13 - pero sus historias son las mejores de todas. Soriano es un gran escritor, sensible e inteligente. El nos habla de hombres y mujeres en la esquina del mundo, sobre el sol en los ojos de un niño, sobre balones y tonterías, sobre cosas que están lejos pero que las sentimos cerca, sobre el misterio de la vida y el paso del tiempo y sobre que poco sabemos acerca de todo”.

Este 29 de enero (2010) se cumplen 13 años sin Osvaldo Soriano, que siempre decía: “los intelectuales detestan el fútbol”.

NOTA: LAS DECLARACIONES DE ENRICO REMMERT FUERON PUBLICADAS EN MIRADAS AL SUR.

Defensores goleadores.

La IFFHS publicó la estadística sobre los defensores más goleadores de la historia hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2009.

Encontramos 4 argentinos en el top ten: Bauza, Albrecht, Rocchia y Daniel Passarella que queda segundo en el historial con sus (134) goles para Ríver, Fiorentina e Inter (no se computan los 9 goles que hizo en Sarmiento de Junín ni los 22 que hizo jugando para la selección argentina), atrás de los (193) goles de Ronald Koeman (Holanda) para Groningen, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona y Feyenoord.

Algunas particularidades:

Argentinos en el top 80: Enzo Trossero (15º) 76 goles en 518 partidos; Roberto Trotta (49º) 59 goles en 477 partidos y Jorge Olguín (71º) 53 goles en 477 partidos.

Único jugador activo en el listado: Roberto Carlos (29º) 67 goles en 591 partidos (1993-2009)

Una pregunta:

¿Who is Gary Lloyd?

Defensor central de la liga galesa que comenzó su carrera en el Stebonheath Park, pasó por el Hucknall Town y el Swanesa City para retirarse en el Llanelli AFC donde fue nombrado entrenador para colaborar y luego reemplazar a Andy Legg, el famoso récord mundial de 41 metros en saques laterales.

Police Shooting in Bronzeville

Officers OK; gun recovered:

• Chicago police shot a man who allegedly pointed a gun at officers late Thursday night in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.

  Details about what led to the shooting weren't readily available, but the man, in his 30s, was reported in serious condition this morning at Stroger Hospital after being shot in the neck, police said, adding that his gun was confiscated.

  The shooting happened about 11:20 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Michigan Avenue.

Cold as hell last night, too. Good job officers.

Recruiting From Oregon?

Shortshanks isn't only dumb, he's blind:

• Chicago has been playing defense lately because of the exodus of trade shows at McCormick Place. But it looks like Mayor Daley is preparing to make the switch to offense.

  Daley said Thursday he’s coming after businesses in the Pacific Northwest, emboldened by what he considers Oregon’s head-scratching decision to approve higher taxes on big corporations and big wage-earners.

• “I’ve always thought America stands for [rewarding success]. You finish high school. You work hard, go to college and you hope to succeed in life. I never knew it’s a class war—that those who succeed in life are the ones that have to bear all the burden. I never realized that. It will be a whole change in America that those who succeed and work hard [that] we’re gonna tax ‘em more than anyone else.”

  Daley said Oregon’s tax blunder spells opportunity for Chicago.

What exactly does Chicago have to offer? The tax rate difference? Even with Quinn and Hynes either promising or claiming tax hikes are inevitable? The weather? The chance to live in Comrade Shortshanks Worker Paradise? The opportunity to pay Daley's head tax? Our lovely real estate market?

We just don't see it.

Deja Vu

Another misstep in the Global War on Terror by the increasingly tone-deaf Obama administration. They wanted to hold the terror trials literally in the shadows of the Twin Towers in Manhattan. New York put on a brave face, but behind the scenes, a completely different story:

• The Obama administration on Wednesday lost its most prominent backer of the plan to try the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks in Lower Manhattan when Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said the trial should not be held in New York City.

  The mayor’s reversal was a political blow to the White House’s efforts to resolve a landmark terror case a few blocks from where Al Qaeda hijackers rammed planes into the World Trade Center, a trial that the president saw as an important demonstration of American justice.

That was Wednesday. Thursday, this:

• White House officials have told the Justice Department to consider other venues for the 9/11 terror trial that was to be held in lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.

Here's a bright idea being floated on the right side of the blogosphere:

• How about military tribunals? Maybe on an island base? Something just outside of the USA, maybe 90 or so miles? Remote, yet accessible to aircraft or even helicopters to bring in lawyers, witnesses, evidence, etc., but protected and secure.
  

Anyone know where we might have a facility like that? It would have to be better than transporting terror suspects halfway across the US on aircraft and vans.

Comment Issues

E-blogger is once again having some issues with their comment sections. If there seems to be a longer than normal delay in seeing your comments posted, it's being worked on.

Closed post for now.

Illinois is Broke

Now business leaders are getting involved:

• Chicago business leaders are launching a media blitz Friday to highlight the breadth of the state's dire budget problems under the theme "Illinois Is Broke."
  
  The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago says it's pouring about $1 million into a campaign through the November general election to mobilize voters and influence candidates to address the state's fiscal woes.
  
  The non-partisan committee wants the state to reform its method of paying for the massively underfunded state pension systems, including the enactment of a plan that would give lower benefits to new workers.
  
  In addition, the group called for scaling back overall spending. The state's pile of unpaid bills this year reached a record $5 billion.

Spending cuts aren't going to happen under democrats. They aren't going to happen under Illinois republicans either. The "Combine" has a death grip on Springfield and they aren't letting go unless voted out. They will almost certainly go for a two-tiered pension system before cutting any sort of spending.

Here's the IllinoisIsBroke.com website link.

W-2's

Should be arriving with the checks today. Don't panic.

Yet.

Open post in the meantime.

UPDATE: Whoops...misread the calendar. Checks Monday, W-2's today. Had to make a special trip into the station to get it, but it was there. Taxes will be filed and mailed tonight, refund should be winging it's way to us next week, and the money is already spent.

De Cáceres a Cabañas

El 31 de octubre (2009) recibió una bala en la cabeza después de un confuso episodio en el Gran Buenos Aires y entró en coma al hospital Carrillo. El 12 de noviembre el médico titular decía que “a Fernando Cáceres lo mantiene vivo su estado atlético”. El 15 de noviembre, “Ahora viene lo más complicado porque aparecen la fiebre y los gérmenes. No sabemos cómo serán los próximos días”. El 17 de noviembre ya movía las manos y parpadeaba. El 24 de noviembre le sacaron el respirador artificial, movía las manos y levantaba el pulgar para comunicarse. El 30 de noviembre empezaba a comer. El 17 de diciembre le colocaron una nueva válvula en la cabeza como drenaje de todos los líquidos infecciosos de las heridas. El 29 de diciembre le sacaron la traqueotomía y habló por primera vez.

Hoy, 28 de enero, aún con la bala en su cabeza, habló por primera vez con una radio ("Cada vez me encuentro mejor. Estoy retomando todo de nuevo. Llevo 20 días en el centro de rehabilitación. Ya puedo caminar. No termino de entender como seguí adelante") y envió una carta con la esperanza de que Salvador Cabañas pueda llegar a leerla:

Sé muy bien por lo que estás pasando. Algo similar me sucedió a mí. Y sin embargo, a 86 días de ese horrible accidente te escribo desde la clínica Fleni, en donde gracias a Dios me estoy rehabilitando. Te pido que luches con todas tus fuerzas: "se puede y existen los milagros". Lo vas a conseguir: lucha, lucha y no bajes los brazos. Todos estamos con vos y llenos de esperanzas para que te mejores pronto. Que tu familia, amigos y todos los jugadores sepan que, aun en la distancia, estoy con todos ustedes. En mi caso, el amor de mis seres queridos hace que hoy pueda escribirte. Espero que pronto podamos charlar y recordar estos hechos como pruebas que nos puso la vida. Un gran abrazo y toda la fuerza del mundo. 

Fernando Cáceres.

Un caño # 22

La tapa de UN CAÑO (Domenech) que saldrá en febrero próximo.

"Not Even Close"

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Giannoulias Bank Problems

Isn't this guy running for Senate? Shouldn't he, you know, have his own shit in order?

• (Crain’s) — Broadway Bank, the troubled Chicago lender owned by the family of Illinois Treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, has entered into a consent order with banking regulators requiring it to raise tens of millions in capital, stop paying dividends to the family without regulatory approval, and hire an outside party to evaluate the bank’s senior management.

  The Jan. 26 consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Illinois Division of Banking comes less than a week before Mr. Giannoulias — Broadway’s chief lender and then vice-president from 2002 to 2006 — must face voters in the Democratic primary for the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.

  He’s faced criticism, principally from former city Inspector General David Hoffman, who’s running against him, for his past role at the bank and the $70 million in dividends the family took out of the bank in 2007 and 2008 as the real estate crisis was becoming apparent.

We aren't in the business of endorsing democrats for office, but any vote for Giannoulias would be a vote for "business as usual" in Illinois' corrupt government practices. If you're pulling a democratic primary ballot, Hoffman looks like the better bet for US Senate.

And while you're voting for Hoffman, throw a vote at Stroger for Cook County Board President. He's the most beatable of the democrats so we might actually see a republican winner in the fall.

Animal Control Volunteers

Exactly how many criminals, parolees and ex-cons are working at Animal Control?

• Chicago is requiring more than 250 Animal Care volunteers to be fingerprinted, provide Social Security numbers and undergo criminal background checks in a crackdown that, some volunteers warn, could trigger a mass exodus of pivotal unpaid help.

  Human Resources spokesperson Connie Buscemi said criminal background checks have been "standard practice" for 110 volunteers in other city departments since "at least 2008."

  Somehow, the city's biggest group of volunteers -- 150 regulars and 100 part-timers at the Commission on Animal Care and Control -- slipped through the cracks.

• Sources said some volunteers are so livid about being fingerprinted and screened, they're planning to resign in protest, leaving the department's 68 full-time staffers in the lurch.

So if they have to submit to fingerprints and screening, they're going to be so pissed off that they're willing to send Fido and Fluffy to the gas chambers that much quicker?

They're unpaid volunteers - we really don't see a downside for Shortshanks. He'll either (A) get a whole new generation of dog walkers and cat tenders volunteering or (B) he'll close the entire operation and get a bunch of "no-kill" shelters to pick up the slack. Animal Care and Control is already patrolling the entire city with one truck most weekends and doing a damn poor job of it.

Prediger, Méndez y Giménez: las nuevas caras de Boca.

A horas de iniciarse el Clausura 2010 Boca sigue cerrando operaciones que parecen heridas lejos de cicatrizar en un negocio que cada vez es menos entendible.

Tras el último y uno de los pocos aciertos de la dirigencia xeneize, la venta de Julio Cáceres (u$s 800.000 por el 50% del pase) a Atlético Mineiro, se concretó el préstamo de Sebastián Prediger (vía Porto – Portugal) para ocupar la plaza vacante por Sebastián Battaglia (lesionado), como el tercero de los refuerzos para la mitad de la cancha.

Sebastián Prediger (23), 5 elegante de reciente y fallido paso por el Porto (Portugal) que pagó € 3.300.000 por su pase, fue ascendido a Primera División por Alfio Basile en Colón (2004) y su sueño es "jugar en Ríver".

Matías Giménez (27) llega por izquierda (volante) por u$s 2.500.000, después de remar el ascenso y saborear subcampeonatos (07-08) con Tigre para salir decididamente de Victoria después de que su familia sufriera amenazas de la barra brava.

Y Jesús Méndez (25) llega "llorando" del deshauciado Rosario Central después de pasar por el St. Gallen suizo (pagó su pase en u$s 1.200.000) y hacerse en un Ríver que no le dio cabida (20 partidos en 1º) por u$s 3.200.000. Ya los insultos primos empezaron a oírse.

Can You Hear Us Now?

Shortshanks cancels the third of July fireworks:

• The Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events has canceled the traditional July 3 fireworks celebration in Grant Park, instead opting to organize three smaller fireworks on July 4 at Navy Pier and on the north and south lakefront.

  "I would say we're doing it to be fiscally responsible, because we have to be," said MOSE director Megan McDonald at a City Hall news conference this morning.
  

  "I would say that we're also doing it to more effectively manage what happens at the Taste of Chicago, as well as citywide on an already busy holiday weekend. I think it is always challenging to manage a million, 2 million people in a very small space," she added.

Two words - no manpower.

A few more words - gangbanger wilding.

Here's the 2008 video that sparked some controversy:



Here's another featuring the helicopter:



And another:



And another:



And guess what? This year there were going to be at least 100 more videos. Shortshanks couldn't afford this type of video display going into an election year. And certainly not while the Academy has 86 recruits in training and Personnel has 300 retirement PAR forms on the front burner.

Now when will they cancel some other out-of-control events? The week long Humboldt Park festival and the August "Back to School" parade are two that come to mind.

Manchester United 3 Manchester City 1

Pudieron haber quedado en la historia futbolera de Manchester, pudo haber sido una breve mancha en la camiseta roja, pudo haber sido una oreja demasiado húmeda, pero Rooney se encargó de sacar las papas del fuego y dejar los gestos de Carlos Tévez en un perecedero gag mediático.

Por la segunda semifinal de la Carling Cup el United ganaba 2-0 en Old Trafford y vengaba la ida (1-2) entrando directamente a la final con la seguridad del que juega mejor. A los 76 volvió a aparecer el Apache (Carlos Tévez) con una pirueta de monoblock para descontar, igualar el resultado global 3-3 y forzar el alargue. Mancini batía palmas y asomaba su sonrisa tras la bufanda celeste y blanca. Carlitos gritó mirando a la tribuna roja... pero en el minuto 90, Rooney hizo estallar Old Trafford.

OFF TOPIC: VAN NISTELROOY DEJA MADRID

Cozzi Update

From the comments:

• OT---COZZI UPDATE--IMPORTANT
  
  I just got off the phone w/Bill and he said arguments on his appeal are beginning on Feb. 18.
  He and his lawyers do not have any idea how successful they will be, so everyone please pray.
  
  Bill also said that he is still in the process of writing everyone who wrote to him, and is able to get out 50-60 letters per week. He did not want to send a form letter, so he is writing everyone individually because he is so grateful to those of you who took time to write him.
  
  Bill is still EXTREMELY depressed, and keeps to himself and said he always has to have an eye open both ahead and behind him.
  
  As far as visiting, he said he does not want to jeopardize anyone coming to see him. He stressed that the part of the country he is in is crime-ridden and the people do not like northerners. He said he thinks it is too dangerous for anyone to make the trip, and he will not even let his family come to see him. He also said that the prison personnel treat northerners badly and he does not want anyone to have to go through that to see him.
  
  His lawyers are still working on getting him transferred closer to Chicago, but understandably are more occupied with his appeal.
  
  Bill said that although we tend to bad-mouth Chicago, since he considers himself 'at the gate of Hell,' that he still loves the city and the CPD.
  
  He said he has enough books and magazine subscriptions and he is grateful to the two persons who have arranged for him to get the Tribune. He said getting mail, reading the Trib, and going to bed are the only highlights in his day. I had been sending him news clippings, but the prison sent them back.
  
  I am thinking that Bill might like some photos, maybe of the old district, maybe a roll call, Chicago landmarks, anything funny, etc.
  
  Please keep sending cards and letters. He really can't receive much else.
  
  I will add another update next time I talk to him.
  
  Thanks,
  
  One of Bill's friends

Bill's address continues to occupy the upper right corner of the main page and it only costs 44 cents to mail a letter.

Pat Quinn for Senate!

Wait a minute - this seems crooked, even by Illinois loose standards:

• Even as he runs to hold on to his job in Tuesday's primary, Gov. Pat Quinn is still raising money for a U.S. Senate campaign he lost in 1996.

  The continuation of the "Pat Quinn for U.S. Senate" fund, 14 years after his Senate race was done, is unusual even in the heard-it-all world of campaign finance.

  Quinn has kept the fund alive by pumping in a series of personal loans and then soliciting political donations so he can pay himself back, at interest rates approaching 10 percent. The end result is that Quinn has made at least $24,000 in interest from the campaign fund he controls, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.

What the hell? How is this even remotely legal? No wonder campaign reform never gets anywhere around here. It's a side job!

Hooray! Jobs!

Good news:

• Ford Motor Co. plans to add 1,200 workers when it begins production of a new version of the Ford Explorer SUV at its Torrence Avenue plant on Chicago's South Side later this year.
  

But there's a catch:

• Those new union workers will be the first hired by Ford at sharply reduced wages, under a 2007 contract that allows Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to fill some jobs at about half the pay of what current workers made when they started, and with lower benefits, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

And there's another catch, too:

• As many as half of the new Chicago hires may come from a pool of laid-off Ford workers in southeast Michigan and Louisville, said Jim Tetreault, vice president of North America manufacturing.
  
  "Our workers that are on indefinite layoff right now, no matter where they are in the country, get first choice," he said. "We have approximately 600 people on layoff, so we expect some percentage of those employees will elect to take a position in Chicago."

So a mixed blessing we suppose. We thought SUVs were on the way out?

Just in Time!

This scandal appears to have been a long time coming:

• The credit cards of 89 Chicago Board of Education employees have been yanked in the midst of an investigation into questionable spending by the last two Chicago School Board presidents and their staff, officials revealed Monday.

  If employees at board headquarters want their credit cards back, they will have to justify their expenses dating back to June 30, explain why they need a credit card, and receive training on how to use it, Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond said. She said Schools CEO Ron Huberman canceled all credit cards on Jan. 19.

  The disclosure of the action comes after the Chicago Sun-Times revealed that an internal report by Schools Inspector General James Sullivan details what sources said was thousands of dollars in artwork, limousine rides, high-priced meals and liquor charged by former board presidents Michael Scott, Rufus Williams or their staff to the board's tab.

In fairness to the Hube, he inherited this disaster from a number of previous school administrations. But Shortshanks really has no excuse as he's been in charge of the schools for decades now and appoints the head of the board.

Argentina 3 Costa Rica 2

En un partido indescifrable, donde el sonido ambiente no lograba opacar los gritos de los entrenadores y el silbato del árbitro, una Argentina alternativa le ganó 3-2 a una Costa Rica alternativa mostrando pifias inverosímiles, estremecedores desacoples e inseguridades temerarias más la preocupante lesión de Matheu, el debut y despedida de Walter Ervitti, la lentitud de Campestrini, las ráfagas de Clemente Rodríguez, la categoría de Sosa, las limitaciones de Insúa, las dudas de Monzón, las ganas de Gaitán, la brújula rota de Mercier y el timing de Diego 60% cocinado Maradona ante las cámaras.

Colón 3 Universidad Católica 2

Insistimos en que la Copa Libertadores empeiza en los octavos de final. No obstante el calendario se inicia antes y esta vez Colón abrió el fuego ganándole de local a Universidad Católica 3-2 (Nieto, Fuertes y Bertoglio) para pasar el repechaje y ocupar una plaza en la fase de grupos (8) junto a Flamengo (Brasil), Universidad (Chile) y Caracas (Venezuela).

Venía bien el sabalero 3-1 pero a los 80, Morales complicó el panorama. Dos goles visitantes de los chilenos hacen que el 9 de febrero en Santiago, por la revancha, Colón ponga cerrojos en su arco.

¿Te acordás cuando la Libertadores era un torneo de campeones?

Shooting in 007

Cops fine:

• A 30-year-old man was shot and wounded by Chicago police this afternoon and three others taken into custody following reports of a group of men with guns in the city's Englewood neighborhood, officials said.

  Police recovered five weapons following the shooting in the 5900 block of South Sangamon Street.

Good job officers.

Clean the Damn Cars

We know many claim Dugan is a micro-manager. Lot's of people in positions of power are. But does he really have to send out a memo telling people to clean out cars and designate supervisors to check it out?

We know many have the attitude of "It's not my car - I didn't pay for it" and they treat that way. We've gotten into cars with under 1,000 miles and the steering wheel is cut, there's graffiti on the upholstery and all sorts of papers and garbage is on the floor. How much effort does it take to pull up to a garbage can and empty out the crap you brought into the car 8 hours earlier?

For the most part, all we leave in the car is the paper so the next watch has something to read. We understand there was that one incident where someone left a Styrofoam tray full of Maxwell Street cooked onions under the front seat on a warm summer night, but that was after they left the car on empty one too many times.

All kidding aside, cleaning out the car is a basic courtesy all too lacking lately, especially as there are no more "assigned" cars to specific beats. The city gives us crap equipment and shits on us constantly...do we really have to stick it to the next watch because we're too lazy to simply dump our own trash?

Happy Days?

We got to get us some of them:

• Mayor Daley today sloughed off a planned strike authorization vote by 2,000 Chicago truck drivers, saying he does not believe truckers would risk their "tremendous" jobs by crippling city snow removal, garbage collection and airport operations.

• "These are tremendous jobs. ... They realize these are great jobs. ... You get a great salary. You get a great pension. You get great health care. You get sick days. You get happy days. ... Every day you want, you get off," the mayor said.

We haven't had a strike that has the potential to drive Daley completely nuts in years now. You can see he's teetering on the edge. A Teamster strike could completely torpedo his re-election chances and give potential other candidates a wide open forum to trash his mismanagement of the city. Remember, the unions helped remove 10 aldercreatures last election. Who says they can't unseat a wounded mayor?

Lease the Tollway?

How about "No"

• Politicians who hope to gain traction with voters by urging that the Illinois Tollway be leased to a private company might want to rethink their strategy.
  
  By overwhelming numbers, Republican and Democratic voters alike oppose privatization of the tollway system and believe it would lead to higher tolls, according to a Tribune/WGN-TV poll.

How about paying off the bonds that were floated 50 years ago to pay for these things? Weren't they supposed to be freeways back around the 70's or 80's? The state wasn't supposed to create another huge bureaucracy with its own patronage army.

Cabañas baleado.

Octavio Muciño y Jaime López ya habían caído baleados en Guadalajara (1975) cuando el empresario Simón Charaf abrió el novedoso bar BAR como videobar y club privado (1984), apenas antes del Mundial mexicano de 1986 que lo convirtiera en EL sitio de fútbol sin sol, amigos, festejos y figuras. Derecho de admisión y una excelente ubicación (Av. De los Insurgentes 1854, México ciudad) continuaron elevando el nivel a la altura de David Copperfield, Bon Jovi y Madonna, sin salirse demasiado de la esfera futbolística: Diego Maradona, Hugo Sánchez, Rafa Márquez, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Jorge Campos y Enrique Ponce, entre otros, festejaron allí, en el lugar clásico, como solía hacerlo la selección mexicana o los planteles del América.

Si bien la ley de Establecimientos Mercantiles en el Distrito Federal (en vigor desde 2009) prohíbe a restaurantes, cantinas, bares, cabarets y discotecas vender bebidas alcohólicas después de las 2:30 horas y los obliga a cerrar sus puertas a las 3 de la mañana (incluso el artículo 39 establece que de domingo a miércoles el horario de funcionamiento y de venta de bebidas alcohólicas debe reducirse una hora, es decir, a la 1.30 de la mañana), Salvador Cabañas (29) recibió una bala en su cabeza a las 5 de la mañana de ayer en el baño del bar Bar.

Algunos medios publicaron su muerte, otros la foto sacada por uno de los paramédicos y otros ya discuten política.

Mientras se especula con la vida de Cabañas, el peso más o menos pesado de quien le disparó (se habla de un senador), se seguirán violando reglamentos laxos, seguirán llegando personas "influyentes" (y no menos prepotentes) que entren armados a los bares donde los jugadores (y no jugadores) seguirán asistiendo a festejar.

Los afiches veraniegos de Ríver a Boca.

Rollbacks?

This is the first we've heard of this practice. Can anyone verify? Here's a couple of comments popping up here:

• Vote a NO to the Rollback judges at 26th and California. He's guilty. Shes's guilty. Then.....when no ones around....weeks later....at the sentencing hearing...Ummm...hrumph...umm...after further review I find him and her ..not guilty. What? What happened? ( later on in the day the poor citizen and the police officer see the guy and girl they thought got five years out in the street.) What? What happened? ....John Kass where are you??????????????????????????This is a new column in the making!!!!!!
  
  
• This happened to me, too. 3 years turned into time served while I wasn't looking. Can't remember the judge's name, Room 600 26th and Cal is where it was in June 2009. Agg Batt to PO while on probation.
  
  The quip about this new thing about rollback judges is so true, especially in the last 6 months at 26th and Cal. My partner and I had thought we did a very good job getting all inventories and being present in court when notified. The ASA's congratulated us on a job well done after the defendant was found guilty in a bench trial in one of the 3rd floor rooms. The judges name escapes me now. But I distinctly remember the court room being in on the 3rd floor. Now the kicker is when I get my disposition paper it is signed by the ASA saying thanks for your help but the defendant got a finding of not guilty. I thought I had read it in error but nope. I called the ASA and when she called me back, she told me that this is becoming a frequent thing. I explained to her why? The ASA said she thinks that it could be a sign of the times with the jails being overcrowded. Well....I call another ASA that I knew well from another courtroom and ask him. That ASA informs me that he is seeing this happen more and more to in 26th and Cal and believes off the record that envelopes are being passed. Good grief......so now are all judges suspect? What is going on. The ASA's gotta know something. A new law enacted recently that we don't know about? One thing after another at that 26th and Cal for sure.

We have heard from a reliable source that judges are under orders to dismiss dope cases under 1 gram unless certain hurdles are met, and the hurdles are damn steep. Not surprising actually. We've even read that there's a judge that approves search warrants, then finds no probable cause at preliminary hearings on her own warrants - how fucked up is that? But this "rollback" sounds fishy in the extreme.

Of course, it wouldn't be the first time judges went to jail in Cook County. We can only hope for more to head that way.

Imminent Attack?

All sorts of rumblings the past few days if you're paying attention. The Brits up their terror warning level to "severe:"

• The British government has raised its terror alert level from "substantial" to "severe," the second highest level, but it's not divulging the exact reason behind the decision.

  Home Secretary Alan Johnson made the announcement Friday. He said it means his government considers an attack on British soil is likely and that security officials are heightening their vigilance. However, he stressed there is no intelligence suggesting an attack is imminent.

Well something certainly spooked them. Then bin Laden releases a statement referencing the failed Detroit bombing:

• Osama bin Laden endorsed the failed attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day and threatened new attacks against the United States in an audio message released Sunday that appeared aimed at asserting he maintains some direct command over al-Qaida-inspired offshoots.
  
  However, U.S. officials and several researchers who track terrorist groups said there was no indication bin Laden or any of his top lieutenants had anything to do with or even knew in advance of the Christmas plot by a Yemen-based group that is one of several largely independent al-Qaida franchises.

And a close analysis of the bin Laden statement is triggering increased alarm in certain intelligence circles:

• Osama bin Laden's word choice in the latest audio message attributed to him is seen as a "possible indicator" of an upcoming attack by his Al-Qaeda network, a US monitoring group warned Sunday.

  IntelCenter, a US group that monitors Islamist websites, also said that manner of the release and the content of the message showed it was "credible" that it was a new release from the Saudi extremist.

  "The Osama bin Laden audio message released to Al-Jazeera on 24 January 2010 contains specific language used by bin Laden in his statements in advance of attacks," IntelCenter said in a statement.

And what better time to launch an attack? The president is severely damaged domestically by the ObamaCare fiasco, Wall Street is under attack by elements of Obama's left wing and lost 500 points last week, the job market continues to lurch and the economy is lagging, most likely headed for a "double dip" recession. One successful attack inside our borders and we're in a tailspin worse than September 2001.

Anyone still think we should be treating terrorism as a "law enforcement" problem rather than a war?

Freebie

Suicide by Cop more than likely:

• A 39-year-old Glenview Township man was shot today by Cook County Sheriff's police after he allegedly charged at them with a sword after an hour long stand off, officials said.
  
  The man, whose identity is not being released by authorities because he has not been charged with a crime, was taken to Lutheran General Hospital where he was being operated after being shot in the chest, sheriff's officials said in a statement.
  
  [...] After more than an hour, the man came out brandishing a large sword and approached police in a "threatening manner,'' police said. The man was shot once in the chest by police, officials said. No other injuries were reported.

In any event, no police hurt. We've never yet seen a sword wielding head case beat a rifle.

Quién queda en Boca?

TAPA Nº 134

Ríver volvió a ganarle a Boca y se llevó la 2º Copa Desafío de Mendoza. Fue 1-1 pero la definición por penales puso a Ríver 3-1.

Sue the "Deep Pockets"

Hmmmmmm:

• A woman who says she was attacked by a homeless man and woman while leaving a Jewel Food Store is suing the store and her attackers.
  
  Jennifer Hall says that while she and her fiance were leaving the Jewel store at 1224 S. Wabash Ave. on Aug. 25, 2008, her 36th birthday, she was approached by Derrick King and Joyce Burgess. The two requested a cigarette and when Hall denied them, she was physically attacked -- losing most of her teeth and ending up with 85 staples in her head.
  
  King pleaded guilty to the crime last october and was sentecned to three years in prision. But according to state records, he was paroled just 18 days after pleading guilty to two counts of robbery for the attack on Hall..
  

First of all, the editor over at Breaking News ought to be fined for the errors in this story.

The victim's choice of targets for her lawsuit is interesting though. How much liability should Jewel have for homeless people who wander onto their property and beg, cajole, threaten, harass and beat citizens in an effort to get money? And if Jewel is liable, shouldn't they be able to protect their property by more than the usual means? Should we expect to see Jewel managers armed with Tasers, nightsticks and guns to protect their property? It would be entertaining no doubt.

Fake Cop

No, not the juvenile offender - someone else:

• A Lincoln Park man has been charged with impersonating a police officer after allegedly luring a couple into his car and robbing them, authorities said.

  [...] About 4:30 p.m. Friday, the suspect, driving a silver Chevrolet Impala, stopped the vehicle alongside a man and woman in the 4800 block of North Hamlin Avenue in Albany Park, police said. The suspect showed the couple a pair of handcuffs, a police scanner, and what they believed was a handgun.

  The suspect ordered the victims into the car, telling them he was an undercover office, and drove the two to a nearby alley, where he took their belongings, including cell phones, an iPod and an unreported amount of cash, police said.

  Albany Park district police officers were called to the scene and broadcast a description of the suspect and vehicle over the radio. Patrol officers later spotted and stopped the car in the 3400 block of West Leland Avenue and called the victims to the scene.

Nice job by the responding officers. Too bad we aren't allowed to execute these types on the street and leave their bodies in the gutter as a warning to others.

Ousted CFD Trying for the Bench

An ousted CFD Union leader is running for judge. And firefighters aren't too happy about it:

• In July 2007, John Chwarzynski was removed as president of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 by an internal panel that found him guilty of violating the union's constitution and bylaws.

  Eleven of the union's 13 executive board members had accused Chwarzynski of fraud, financial malfeasance and a host of other violations. Among other things, he was accused of filing a fraudulent expense report for an extravagant dinner for two at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

  Chwarzynski denied the charges, accused his union brothers of trying to "cover up their own acts of misconduct and payroll fraud" and filed a lawsuit against Local 2's executive board. The suit has since been dismissed.

  Now, Chwarzynski is one of 11 candidates running for judge in a subcircuit that takes in virtually all of the Northwest Side's 36th and 38th wards, portions of six other wards and parts of roughly 10 suburbs.

Former union boss and SCC reader Bill Kugelman is leading the charge. This doesn't seem like anyone we'd want to end up on the bench. Our north side readers might want to take note and find an alternate candidate to support.

Another Nail for Quinn

The Accidental Governor receives even more bad news:

• The Illinois seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December 2009 went up by two-tenths of a percentage point from November and is now at 11.1 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

  The three-month moving average also increased 0.2 percent to 11.0 percent. Slight increases and decreases in the unemployment rate are to be expected in a national recession, according to a release from IDES.

But the major problem no one is speaking of is that these jobs are leaving Illinois and they aren't coming back. The unfriendly business environment is making Illinois a difficult place to open and maintain any type of manufacturing job. Construction? Few and far between. Even politically connected road work is suffering and we see even bigger problems down the road as taxpayers get fed up with the Illinois Combine.