Chicago -
By Steve Rhodes
A brainwashing battle for your mind. Including: The Chicago Oscars; The Political Odds; How Rahm Did It; National Media Malpractice; The Super Lies Of Rahm’s Super PAC; Deb Mell Wins Patti Blagojevich’s Endorsement; and Bruce Rauner Attempts Murder.
Posted on February 22, 2015
Otherwise Known As The Beachwoodies
And the Beachwoody goes to . . .
Best Actor: Rahm Emanuel, as someone who cares.
Best Actress: Toni Preckwinkle, as someone who just wants to finish the job at County.
Best Supporting Actor: Rahm Emanuel’s bankroll, in a close win over Luis Gutierrez, Bobby Rush and the city’s editorial boards.
Best Supporting Actress: Susana Mendoza, as one of two Emanuel campaign co-chairs (with Gutierrez) who just happen to have Hispanic names.
Posted on February 22, 2015
By Steve Rhodes
The case against this generation’s greatest media reporter and his pals – and what it says about the way we think about journalism. Plus: Adults continue to behave badly in the wake of the Jackie Robinson West scandal – including Rahm, Sneed, Kass, Jesse and Pfleger. And: Why J schools are important.
Posted on February 15, 2015
By Steve Rhodes
Watch the Tribune and Sun-Times pretend the script isn’t already written! Plus: Chicago Whines; Fire Brian Williams; Journalism Under Attack From The Inside; The Lyingest Administration In Chicago History; and Me And My Medicaid.
Posted on February 9, 2015
By The ACLU
“We will never know the names of so many of the CIA officers who spoke out against torture. They were among the brave men and women throughout the government who challenged the brutality approved at the highest levels of government, and they are responsible for bringing to light what so many wanted to keep in the shadows.”
Posted on February 9, 2015
By Michael Golden
Clay Hunt was a 28-year-old U.S. Marine veteran who served his country in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In Anbar province, under ambush, Hunt watched more than one of his friends die on the battlefield – images that would replay over and over in his mind’s eye through countless sleepless nights. In 2007, a sniper’s gunshot narrowly missed Hunt’s head, wounding him in the wrist instead. He was treated for the injury in California and also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet after recovering, in 2008 this brave soldier returned to the fight – this time in southern Afghanistan. There he watched two more of his friends lose their lives.
When Clay Hunt came home, he began another courageous fight. He started working with other service members to help them try to defeat the mental demons that he, himself, knew all too well. Hunt lobbied Congress on behalf of veterans and appeared in public service messages geared toward educating Americans about mental health and the unseen wounds of war. But in the end, the depression and guilt he felt for having survived when so many others did not, proved to be just too much. Clay Hunt shot himself to death on March 31, 2011. On the wall inside his apartment in Sugarland, Texas, he left behind a shadow box with photos of the four friends he’d lost in the wars, and the medals he’d earned fighting for his country. Clay Hunt is far from alone. Every year, thousands of proud yet tortured U.S. veterans suffer the same, suicidal fate.
Posted on February 8, 2015
By Ryann Grochowski Jones/ProPublica
Last week Uber revealed another way the ridesharing service is revolutionizing travel: Cities that use Uber see a reduction in drunk driving accidents among young people, a company report showed.
“When empowered with more transportation options like Uber, people are making better choices that save lives,” the company declared.
David Plouffe – President Obama’s former campaign manager who is now filling the same role for Uber – e-mailed millions of users to share the astounding news.
Posted on February 4, 2015
By Steve Rhodes
White-on-white crime is out of control. Starring Ernie Banks, Hub Arkush and Laura Washington. Plus: More false frames! And: Pretenders and contenders take on Rahm. Finally: The Super Bowl is a circus on Mars!
Posted on January 31, 2015
By The Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has won its four-year Freedom of Information Act lawsuit over secret legal interpretations of a controversial section of the Patriot Act, including legal analysis of law enforcement and intelligence agency access to census records.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday filed a motion to dismiss its appeal of a ruling over legal opinions about Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the controversial provision of law relied on by the NSA to collect the call records of millions of Americans. As a result of the dismissal, the Justice Department will be forced to release a previously undisclosed opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) concerning access by law enforcement and intelligence agencies to census data under Section 215.
Posted on January 30, 2015
By The Heartland Alliance
By many accounts, Illinois should be a national leader on addressing poverty: Illinois is the fifth largest state, has a rich mix of industries, is home to world-class educational institutions, and has a state economy larger than that of many independent nations. But when it comes to the well-being of its people, particularly those at the bottom of the economic spectrum, Illinois is not stepping up to be the leader it should be.
While there are some bright spots, on the whole, Illinois has plenty of room for improvement:
Compounding Illinois’s poor showing on these various indicators is the mounting state budget deficit and a tax structure that demands proportionately more from those who have less.
Posted on January 29, 2015
