NOTE: The Community Word did not publish last month, as planned. But Roger Monroe was kind enough to submit a column anyway. Enjoy.
ANOTHER SCOOP
I love it when we scoop the Peoria Journal. Three months ago this column announced that Illinois Central College would soon begin operating a new radio station once all of the red tape obstacles were overcome. Good friend, Steve Tarter, confirmed the news in his Sunday, July 4th column. As reported in April, the station is FM 90.7. Good luck ICC.
MORE MEDIA NOTES
The re-runs of “Golden Girls” on the Hallmark channel are still funny. In one program, Rose, played by Betty White, is hired as a news reporter to cover a dog show. During the judging, there’s a robbery, but Rose, hiding under a table, continues to talk about the dog show. I was reminded of that funny scene as I watched WEEK-TV reporter Josh Simon cover sports Saturday night, July 3.
The big news in baseball that day was Jim Thome’s two home runs for the Minnesota Twins. He tied and then passed Harmon Killebrew for 10th place on the home run standings.
Remember, Thome is a local guy, another reason to headline this amazing accomplishment. However, Rose, I mean, Josh, covered first the Cardinal game, then the Cubs, then the White Sox, and finally, Thome’s home runs.
I’m enjoying the WMBD-TV promos branding “31.” Clever approach using children, adults, individuals, teams and groups. My favorite is Bradley president Joanne Glasser and Congressman Aaron Shock. They looked like they had fun doing the taping.
Comcast, now known as Xfinity, continues its irritating policy of jacking up the sound when running commercials. I’m told new Sony TV sets have a “stay-level” system that over rides the increased volume. Unfortunately, the Sony I bought two years ago from a store where the faces change every week, doesn’t have the system. Steve Tarter invited readers to offer new names for Comcast prior to the change to Xfinity. My suggestion was Compost. Just kidding.
Does anyone still believe the national media is unbiased? The left-wing, liberal, bigotry was never more obvious with the death of Senator Robert Byrd. Here was a man who was a Klu Klux Klan leader and as recent as 2001 was caught using the “n” word. Yet, in the many eulogies, little, if any, mention was made about his past racial bigotry. When another southerner, Strom Thurmond, died, the headline in the liberal NY Times mentioned h was an opponent of integration.
Byrd was a Democrat, Thurmond a Republican.
And then there’s General David Petraeus who served under President George Bush. He successfully led the surge in Iraq that was opposed by then Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Joe Biden, among others, including Hillary Clinton. Many remember Clinton’s scathing and personal attacks on the much decorated General. Thanks to Democrats, their “house organ,” The New York Times, called him General Betray-us. Lo and behold, Obama appoints him to head military forces in Afghanistan and now he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.
POLITICS
Chicago politics, as in Democrats, continue to dominate the news. Former Governor Rod Blagojevich and his “lovely speaking” wife, Patty, apparently spent $400,000 for clothes.
This was revealed during Rod’s trial on corruption charges. But the big news is Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias claiming a personal loss of $2.7 million when his family’s Broadway Bank went into the federal toilet. And this guy was elected as state treasurer of Illinois? Figures.
PALINITIS
The term, “itis” refers to infection. Unfortunately, too many in the media have Sarah Palin-itis. They’re so infected with a dislike, perhaps even hatred, for this talented and highly regarded woman, some look for every opportunity to launch an attack. A friend handed me a recent Journal editorial attacking her for misspeaking about where President
Ronald Reagan attended Eureka College. Big deal for the leftists at the Journal. To be fair and balanced, I thought I would list some of President Obama’s famous goofs that you’ll never read on the editorial page:
While attempting to make a case for government run health care, Obama said, “UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.” (8/11/09) The last time I checked, the government was running the postal service.
While in Beaverton, Oregon, he said, “I’ve been in 57 states– I think one left to go.” Duh.
“In case you missed it, this week there was a tragedy in Kansas. 10,000 people died—an entire town destroyed.” Actually, 12 were killed by the tornado.
While speaking in Kansas City, Missouri, Obama said, “I’m here with the Girardo family in St. Louis.”
Appearing on the Jay Leno Show, Obama talked about bowling a 129, and then said,
“It’s like—it was like Special Olympics,” insulting the disabled.
Of course, there was his false claim that he was born after his parents participated in the Selma, Alabama, march. As was later revealed, he was born in 1961. The march took place in 1965.
Two other marvelous gaffes took place when he referred to the “Austrian language,” in a speech in France in 2009, and then this year said, “The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries.” They speak German in Austria and I think the Middle East is a region. Now who’s “clueless?”
However, if the Journal wants to make fun of a woman, try Nancy Pelosi and her now famous, but dumb quote: “We have to pass this (health care) bill so we can find out what’s in it.”
DISTRICT 150 RACISM?
The District 150 board, by a vote of 4-3, re-elected school secretary Debbie Wolfmeyer as president. The current board continues its “policy” of ignoring African-American member Martha Ross. Ross, who holds a Masters degree, has been on the board for close to ten years. She has watched as first, newcomer David Gorenz, leap-frogged over her and then Wolfmeyer. I say leap-frogged because Gorenz, new to the board, had not served as vice president, once a requirement before becoming president.
The board, in a close vote, changed that rule. Gorenz was president, say some critics, when district finances really tanked. Wolfmeyer then became president and led the charge to close Woodruff which Ross adamantly opposed. Another bad decision. The question remains, why won’t white board members like Jim Stowell vote for African-American Martha Ross? She sure is qualified as much as, if not more than, Wolfmeyer.
HOORAY FOR GUN RULING BY SUPREME COURT!!
In a slap to the face of Richard Daley, mayor of the city crime capital of the nation, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially ruled the Chicago ban on guns illegal. Under Daley’s ban, violent crime and deaths by criminal guns, has sky-rocketed, Flanked by Father Pfleger, the Colonel Klink of the Kloth, Daley said he would develop the most restrictive gun law in the country. Of course, the restrictions apply to honest citizens who want to arm themselves, but not to thugs, gangs and murderers. Meanwhile, Illinois and Wisconsin remain the only two states without concealed gun rights.
A LOCAL MEDIA FIRST?
My days of watching TV go as far back as when Chuck Harrison was News Director at WEEK and Gordon Joyner did sports. At WMBD there were names like Joe Rex and Tom Kelly. In all of my years of TV viewing I’ve never seen a member of the news anchor team show up late until the 6:00 p.m. news on Channel 31 Saturday, July 10. Kurt Pegler was so late that news anchor Bret Lemoine had to start reading sports until an Pegler arrived on the scene. That had to be a first.
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
Leave it to the Journal Star. After a front page story announcing plans to construct a huge Bass Pro Shop in East Peoria, the local newspaper then wrote another front page piece critical of the national chain for alleged failures to deliver on promises in other cities. I’ve been to Bass Pro Shops elsewhere and they’re big attractions. The store will be an asset to central Illinois and its struggling economy. At least it’s not another restaurant.
One wonders why the hit piece. It didn’t any good as city officials approved the exciting plans despite objections from a competing business in Bartonville.
Meanwhile, the Gettysburg National Military Park is under attack. This is the land, including cemetery, where over 46,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded during the intense, three day battle, July 1-3, 1863. Four months later, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the greatest speeches ever by a president. Most of our generation remembers memorizing the Gettysburg Address as a student. The park is hollowed ground, but not to gamblers and profiteers. Mason-Dixon Resorts is seeking to build a casino just six blocks from the park. They’ve tried before and were defeated. Hopefully, Americans who value our history and the sacrifices of both the North and South will again beat back the attack.
SPORTS TALK
I love sports, all sports. Well, just about all. Whoever decided that playing poker is a sport is beyond me. Maybe it was Joe Stowell. Anyway, watching poker on umpteen cable networks is about as exciting as having root canal surgery. Ditto for billiards.
As predicted two months ago, the Cubs are dead. And this prediction is easy, too. Manager Lou Piniella will be gone after this season. Hopefully, so will GM Jim Hendry.
He’s made more bad trades than shoppers years ago at Louie Korn’s Pawn Shop in the 400 block of South Adams.
GET IT RIGHT!
It’s so sad to bring this up again, but I wish reporters at the newspaper would get it right. The north side of the city is not the North Valley. Hell, PJS is even confused about what’s the East Bluff. At least the editorial staff gets it right. In the same issue a reporter called a robbery on North Adams taking place in the North Valley, an editorial referred to things around Woodruff on the city’s north side. A friend told me, “One thing about the Journal is they are consistently inconsistent.” Amen. Last year, Woodruff sold blocks of wood with a drawing of the school. On the back it states, “E.N. Woodruff High School. Pride of the North Side.” By the way, the Journal Star building sits on a hill on the city’s north side, or would they say the hill is in the north valley?
A GREAT PLAN
With all of the terrible shootings, citizens feel unsafe in Peoria. There was a time when I felt comfortable driving in any area of the city. Shoot, uh, I mean heck, many a night I went down to Proctor Center to watch a fast pitch game between Palmer House and Al’s Radio until 10:00 p.m. Now I wouldn’t drive in that neighborhood at night in a tank. Years ago Quincy, Illinois, faced the kind of crime threats and challenges Peoria is experiencing. Quincy police started setting up safety road blocks late at night checking driver’s licenses. The checks uncovered a lot of bad people, people who later decided to leave town. I’m so happy to see Peoria police planning to implement the same strategy in high crime areas. Who knows? They just might discover a lot of people carrying guns. I remember several years ago I was late for an alumni meeting at Woodruff and saw the flashing red lights on North Perry. I thought for a moment to avoid the road block by turning down a side street. At the last second, I changed my mind. Good thing I did. Police were waiting on the side street for anyone entertaining the same thought. While some worry about the constitutionality of the plan, the majority worry about their safety.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“A man’s life is what his thoughts make of it.” —Marcus Aurelius
A ROYCE ELLIOTT JOKE
An older man walked into the nursing home dining room. He was immediately surrounded by several female residents one of which inquired, “You’re new here aren’t you?” He explained, “Yes, I just got out of prison after serving 40 years for murdering my wife.” Another woman quickly said, “So you’re single!”