Speaking of crises in Chicago: [link]
Spike ,'Get It Done'
Natter 62: The 62nd Natter
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Blagojevich will (most likely) be the fourth governor since the seventies to do time.
One of the nice things about growing up in Wisconsin. You could always depend on Illinois politics for quality entertainment.
According to the New York Times, one of the candidates, referred to as "Candidate 5" approached Blagojevich with an offer of half a million dollars for the seat.
Any guesses?
Right. Wasn't there a bus/train accident?
Blagojevich will (most likely) be the fourth governor since the seventies to do time.
This keeps up, it could tarnish the image of Chicago politics.
ION, I made a lemon raspberry cake for my MiL's birthday yesterday. I recommend that flavor combination.
Any guesses?
Oprah?
The fact that children were killed is what got the whole Licenses-for-Bribes (its official name in the media) investigation rolling. Most Illinoisans shrug off governmental corruption, viewing it as part of the game that is politics, but innocents dying was the step over the line for us, or at least for me. When I heard that Sen. Durbin was petitioning W to give Ryan clemency, I nearly hit the roof. I sent him my first ever protest letter to a politician, asking him why he would do that when six children are dead.
Here's an editorial on the (reprehensible) effort to get Ryan released or pardoned that explains what happened:
ETA: and thanks for the reminder, Kathy - I need to write to Durbin as well.
My office is all abuzz with the news. We deal with politics all the time as part of the job, which means we're pretty much all wonks, so this stuff is a feast for us. The funny thing is that a lot of people are saying how glad we are that Blago got arrested, which is a rather sad comment that we feel relief that he got caught before he did any more damage.
They're saying that Candidate #5 is Jesse Jackson, Jr.