The Community Word

Mayor Jim Ardis was a recent guest on WOAM’s “Breakfast with Royce and Roger.” In an exclusive interview with us, Jim said he has not yet decided whether to seek re-election. “My wife and I have discussed the subject, but no decision has been made,” he stated. The mayor explained that others will have a major influence on whether he runs again. “We have an excellent city council. I enjoy working with everyone,” said Ardis. “If people like Bob Manning and Bill Spears decide not to seek re-election, I would have a hard time returning. They’ve played a significant role in the progress city government has made,” he added. Time will tell whether he will or won’t run for re-election.

SOME POSITIVE NEWS

ABOUT NEW MUSEUM

In last month’s column I was bemoaning the lack of continued progress in funding and building the proposed downtown museum on the former Sear’s block. Supporters for the museum have been re-energized with the help of their planned neighbor on the Sear’s block, Caterpillar, along with city officials and community high rollers. They might also want to read the July issue of Smart Money. There’s an excellent article about the popularity of museums.Writer Renee DeFranco reports “American Museums will greet some 850 million visitors this year; that’s more than the turnout for major league sporting events and theme parks combined.” The leading museums include the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Don’t expect the Peoria museum to compete with them, but it does illustrate if you build a good one, “they will come.”

NEW PRESIDENT

William “Corky” Robertson has been seated as President of the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. He’s just the second official head of the sports organization after board members held only the second election in over 25 years. The date for the annual awards banquet has been set for Sunday, March 1, 2009, at the Peoria Civic Center. Congratulations, Corky!

SOME MORE GOOD NEWS

Our good friend Pete Vonachen, Mr. Baseball, is home recovering from surgery that left him without part of his left leg below the knee.

The amputation was necessary because of diabetes, a medical condition he’s battled for years. While in OSF Saint Francis and later Proctor where he underwent rehabilitation, Pete received phone calls from friends like Ron Santo, Pat Hughes (the voice of the Chicago Cubs), Joe Girardi, “Dutchie” Caray and so many other celebrities. Thanks to his close friend Jim Maloof, listeners to “Breakfast with Royce and Roger” mailed numerous get well cards and letters. Maloof appeared on the WOAM morning show urging everyone to let Pete know he was in their thoughts and prayers. And they did!

CHRISTMAS SING CHANGED

Speaking of Jim Maloof, he’s always thinking. He has another good idea.

I’ve learned that Maloof has suggested this year’s Peoria Journal Star’s annual Christmas Sing be held inside. Phil Jordan, the creative marketing and public relations genius at the Journal, liked the idea and so did officials at the Peoria Civic Center. So this year’s Christmas Sing will be held Thursday, December 18, inside the lobby of the Civic Center. Weather will no longer be a challenge or an obstacle. It will be warmer and more comfortable with the possibility of chairs for older citizens who haven’t been able to attend for years due to the threat of snow and cold weather. Great idea, Jim. And congratulations to Phil and the Civic Center for their cooperation. I’ve been told the Civic Center will not charge for use of the facility and will provide free parking.

POLITICAL GOOFS

Someone once termed election campaigns the “silly season.” There sure have been some silly comments. Democrat Vice Presidential candidate

Joe Biden’s recent gaffe might well win an “Oscar” as the worst. Speaking at a rally, Biden praised a state Democrat legislator, Chuck Graham, and then said, “Stand up Chuck!” Trouble was, Chuck is confined to a wheelchair. He couldn’t stand up. It was embarrassing for poor Senator Biden.

Speaking of embarrassing, Democrat Barack Obama suggested one way for Americans to reduce reliance on oil is for them to inflate their tires. Now that’s presidential! I started checking for lines at service station air hoses. I’ve yet to see anyone inflating their tires. I did see a few liberals checking the air in their heads though.

Boy, did Democrat Colleen Callahan ever back track after she gave a speech suggesting we re-institute the draft. The candidate seeking Ray LaHood’s House seat later explained she really meant a draft for, ahem, national public service. However, when one speaks of the draft we know they’re referring to the military, as in World II, Korea and Vietnam.

No doubt she was taken to the political woodshed for suggesting the draft. Actually, I like the idea of a military draft for 12 to 18 months following high school graduation. Forget public service. So many of our young people need to learn discipline and respect. Mandatory military service with some good old fashioned “basic training” will do wonders.

After Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin gave her memorable speech at her party’s convention, the media reminded everyone that she didn’t write it. They obviously forgot to mention the same thing for Obama and Biden. Then again, maybe that was due to the fact that no one cared. One of her great lines was comparing Obama’s work as a community organizer with the work of a Mayor and Governor where “people actually have responsibilities.” Some goofy people on television claimed Obama was a community organizer just like Jesus Christ. Poor souls. Jesus was a carpenter and Saviour of the world.

Obama is neither.

I HATE JOURNALISM

Tragically, we’re seeing the worse side of people in this year’s election. As a veteran of 22 years in public office and a participant in numerous campaigns, I’ve never seen such hate. I blame the media. As an example, the Peoria Journal allows people to send in unsigned emails and then prints some of these hate-filled and downright stupid messages. On television nightly, so-called comedians with leftist views, spew out hate filled comments about Sarah Palin, her daughter and Down’s syndrome child. Channel 19’s “The View” features daily radical statements from Poopie Goldberg and Chitty Chase. A recent skit on a late night show on cable was so filthy and obnoxious about the Palin family that I wondered about the mental stability of those who wrote and acted on the program. We have a lot of sick people who unfortunately have a forum in today’s age of communication.

THIS AND THAT

Much has been made of the confrontation between Bradley students and City Council member Barbara Van Auken and soon-to-be County Board member Andrew Rand. I know both. I believe they honestly were trying to correct a situation that was creating a neighborhood problem. While it would’ve been better for them to make a complaint with university and city police and stay home, both apparently decided to play the part of enforcers, too. Bad idea. But, let’s not make it a page one story and a column feature a la the National Enquirer.

Another local story not worth getting excited about is the vote of no confidence for Police Chief Steve Settingsgard by his officers. I never understood such votes, especially when made public. What’s the purpose? Inflame the community? Imagine if you will, employees taking a vote at Methodist or Proctor or Saint Francis about the top administrator or CEO. Or a vote by employees at J.C Penney or Bergner’s or WMBD. It’s the tail trying to wag the dog.

Mentioning WMBD gives me a chance to talk about the anger Sean Hannity fans express daily about how the 1470 station cuts Hannity’s program off after the first hour. At 3:00 p.m., WMBD moves to local programming and Hannity listeners scramble to pick him up on a Galesburg station. Those conservative listeners may want to start listening to another conservative, Michael Medved. He can be heard loud and clear in central Illinois on WIND, 560 on the AM dial. Medved is interesting, informative and entertaining from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Indeed, the programming on the Chicago station is all top notch. The clever Dennis Miller is heard from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon followed by another radio talent, Mike Gallagher until 2:00 p.m.

Popular comedian Ron White came to Peoria and reportedly “charmed” a crowd of more than 1,000 at the Civic Center, not once, but twice. Arrested in Florida for possession of some serious drug making and inhaling material, White still drew in Peoria. PJS reporter Danielle Hatch even went so far as to say, “No harm done. In fact,” said Hatch, (the arrest) “may have endeared him even more to his fans.” I guess that’s because some of them smoke pot or inhale whatever addicts inhale or sniff. Boy, how life has changed in America and not for the better.

Gary Sandberg has done it again. Though he was quiet when President Bush came to town weeks ago, he dramatically now announces the city should be reimbursed for protection services. And, of course, all the Bush bashers see this as another opportunity to vent their hatred or political opposition. Even the normally sane Bill Spears jumped in weeks after the Presidential visit and claims since it was a fund-raiser, the city should be repaid. Folks, it was political. So has been every visit by former Presidents and other nominees for the White House. When and why did some folk suddenly decide, “Oh, since it was a fund-raiser, the city should be reimbursed?” This is pure politics and needed to be discussed before, not after the President appeared in Peoria. Aaron Shock should tell Sandberg and company to go jump in the flooded Illinois River. But I like Shock’s studied response: “When Senator Obama pays for his visit to Springfield, I’ll pay for President Bush’s visit to Peoria.”

PETA nut cases? Did you see that the folks at PETA, the animal crazies, want ice cream makers to begin using breast milk instead of cow’s milk? Yeah, they claim milking cows is cruel treatment to the animals. I expect them to hold a news conference and have one of those clowns announce he’s able to talk to Bessie and she told him that it hurts. I think the people at PETA are udderly crazy.

General Downing International Airport. I like the sound and it’s short. Local airport commissioners approved naming the facility after the late General Downing and then apparently quibbled over the lengthy official title, the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport. Commissioner Rita Kress worried about its length. This isn’t rocket science folks. Just call it General Downing International Airport and use the lengthy name for official documents. Besides, some bozo in the hills of Hope, Arkansas, might think the General’s name was Wayne A. Downing Peoria. Airlines will still use the acronym PIA. More importantly, we’re honoring and remembering a great American.

Senator John McCain won the debate. Forget the politics and the political bias of viewers and focus on the questions asked and the answers made by John McCain and Barack Obama. As a former judge of debates, in my judgment, McCain was the clear winner. He stayed on point and answered the questions. Too often, Obama didn’t respond directly to the questions moderator Jim Lehrer presented. As an example, Lehrer asked Obama three times what he would give up to pay for the proposed $900 billion economic bailout plan. Each time the Illinois senator ignored the question giving only memorized campaign rhetoric. McCain, on the other hand, said he would cut spending, oppose ethanol subsidies, freeze government agency budgets, and better control spending by the Defense Department. McCain even illustrated his skill by pointing out he saved the government $6.8 billion by scrutinizing a defense contract. McCain’s responses demonstrated he is far more experienced especially when it comes to foreign relations. He knows the people and the history of the Middle East, the hot spot in the world today. While Obama engaged in inflammatory attacks, a no no in academic debates, McCain basically avoided such non-productive verbage.

Earlier in this column I commented on the hate letters and statements made by too many people. A friend of mine was angry after reading in the PJS the remarks of what he called “a 24 year old air head.” After the debate the young woman said, “McCain looked like an idiot…” Unfortunately, that’s what too many people say about our military veterans, including men like John McCain who was tortured while a prisoner of war. Shameful that a person would not only think such a thought about a former prisoner of war, but would be quoted in the newspaper.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared with what lies within us.”

—Oliver Wendell Holmes