It’s amazing. A couple of years ago, the Peoria County State’s Attorney had some cops arrested and changed with police brutality. The arrest was based on a YouTube video taken immediately after a nighttime race through Peoria’s streets. The convicted drug dealer suspect claimed he was horribly beaten by Peoria police who were trying to get him out of his vehicle after the chase. The video did not clearly show any abuse. Those officers were arrested, suspended and put on trial. Charges were dismissed only after it became apparent that no jury would even convict them based on such flimsy evidence. So today, I am watching another YouTube video of a cop grabbing a female OccupyWallStreet protester by her hair and pulling as hard as he could. I watched a different YouTube video of a cop nonchalantly whipping out a can of pepper spray and discharging it into the faces of sitting Occupy protestors.

Last months close to 400 people joined in an “OccupyPeoria” protest at the corner of Main and University. Last week, I drove past less than a dozen protestors outside the U.S. Federal Courthouse downtown. So, I guess you could say the Occupy movement in Peoria has run its course: A lot of excitement and energy at first, then people stay home to watch college football.

So, a university did a study and found that regular watchers of Fox News knew less about world affairs than people who got their news from other sources. They were 18 percentage points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government, and 8 percentage points less likely to know that the Syrians were unsuccessful in overthrowing their government. I have no problem believing this. What do events in Egypt or Syria have to do with proving that President Barrack Hussein Obama is a foreign born commie plant, anyway?

Speaking of conservative talking heads, how long will WMBD 1470 continue to air Rush Limnbaugh?

So, I’m watching “Live with Regis and Kelly” on Friday. Regis Philbin, this old Irishman, is pretty sentimental. But as I’m watching this show, I’m thinking “Boy, this guy cannot wait to get out of here.” I’m thinking he’s sitting back, weighing offers and is not missing chatting with the perky Kelly Rippa one darn bit.

Speaking of Regis, I’m watching clips from past shows, and BOY was this guy all over his female co-hosts. The perv.

I’ve been doing a lot of blogging from the counter at Starbucks at Campustown. And by “Starbucks at Campustown,” I mean Bradley University’s unofficial off-campus study center. I’m pretty sure that BU gives students free wifi, so WHY are all the tables at Starbucks taken up by laptop wielding Bradley students? One customer, I swear to GOD, brings in his desktop computer and monitor and sets it up on a table. Slumming, I guess. I wish they would all leave and give me room to blog. Which is as it should be.

Andy Rooney died a month after retiring as commentator at CBS’s “60 Minutes.”’ Is retirement fatal? Or do people just tend to retire when they are close to death? As people are living longer and longer, people are going to have to learn to find something to do with themselves for years. Or they die. My advice? Quite your job and retire while you are young.

Speaking of “60 Minutes,” anyone else remember “Point/Counter Point” where conservative and liberal took opposite points of view about the issue of the day? Frankly, I remember the spoof “Saturday Night Live” did of the segment more than I do the original. “Jane, you ignorant slut.” Indeed.

After months and months of debate and public discussion, the City of Peoria decided to keep its cumulative voting system for electing at-large council members. This is because they wanted to give members of minorities a chance to win election.  Because it’s done so WELL over since the city settled the lawsuit. My two cents: White or black, the cumulative voting system does a pretty damn good job of electing people from the Fifth District. Which is why they kept it.