Bill Gleason Dies at 87

Bill Gleason, one of the great old-school sportswriters from Chicago's South Side, died today at 87. He was the star of Sportswriters on TV, the old Sportschannel show that was the best of its kind. Along with Bill Jauss, Bob Verdi, and Jerry Holtzman (I would also throw Mike Royko in there), Gleason was one of the models I had when I moved to Chicago as what a sportswriter should be. Rip. The photo is from the Chicago Reader. This is a YouTube clip with the Sportswriters on TV.

Are Chicago Trubune's News Pages "Straight, Down-the-Middle"?

Ray Long, the Chicago Tribune's Political Correspondent, Springfield Bureau, asks on his Facebook page: "Will the opinions of editorial board--which are separate from the straight, down-the-middle news pages--make any difference to you?"

Today's Tribune has a front-page editorial, and it is labeled as such. I don't have a problem with newspapers having editorials. But the Tribune has ever since the change in ownership become less like a "straight, down-the-middle" newspaper and more of a crusading newspaper. The balance in the news pages seems to be more fleeting than in years past. I think that this has been a business decision to move its coverage closer to the partial, partisan press seen both in the newspaper industry's past and current news coverage present, and away from impartial, objective coverage that most newspapers in the recent past had striven for. And, I will say, impartiality is what the better newspapers in the country still strive for.

Having an editorial on the front page, however, is a bad idea. And they have done this several times recently. The small label of "Tribune Editorial" at the top doesn't convey the fact that this is something that belongs on an editorial page. It is inside baseball that blurs the line that should be fairly bright when it comes to news coverage and editorial opinion. Coupled with the crusading tone the newspaper has taken, it throws all pretense of objectivity out of the window.

In today's overheated, Fox News "There's One Sides to Every Story" lack of reporting balance, the Tribune would have been better served to work to become a better newspaper, not a crusading one.

Reasoned, Reasonable Approach to Fighting Terrorism

David Brooks, the conservative columnist for the New York Times, wrote a nice piece regarding having people be a little reasonable regarding terrorist attacks.

"We seem to expect perfection from government and then throw temper tantrums when it is not achieved. We seem to be in the position of young adolescents — who believe mommy and daddy can take care of everything, and then grow angry and cynical when it becomes clear they can’t."

He also said that we should takes steps to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks.

"All this money and technology seems to have reduced the risk of future attack. But, of course, the system is bound to fail sometimes. Reality is unpredictable, and no amount of computer technology is going to change that. Bureaucracies are always blind because they convert the rich flow of personalities and events into crude notations that can be filed and collated. Human institutions are always going to miss crucial clues because the information in the universe is infinite and events do not conform to algorithmic regularity. Resilient societies have a level-headed understanding of the risks inherent in this kind of warfare.

"Much of the criticism has been contemptuous and hysterical.... Dick Cheney argues that the error was caused by some ideological choice."

Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune also had some comments regarding Cheney:

The case of Reid, who tried to bring down a jetliner by detonating his shoes, is instructive as we evaluate the remarks of former Vice President Cheney. ... Cheney said Obama "seems to think if he has a low-key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won't be at war."

Low-key response? That's gratitude for you. Cheney gives Obama no credit for how closely the new president's military actions and policies mirror those of the administration he replaced -- even when actions like Obama's troop buildup in Afghanistan have outraged much of his left-progressive base.

President George W. Bush was on vacation during the shoe-bombing attempt as Obama was during the attempted underwear bombing. Bush took six days to respond to Reid's attempt. The Obama White House issued a background statement on Christmas calling the underwear bomb incident an "attempted terrorist attack," which was more specific than Team Bush's early statements.

Cheney also failed to mention how a key figure in al-Qaida's Yemen movement, which has claimed responsibility for the attempted underwear bombing, was released from Guantanamo by the Bush-Cheney administration.

Cheney fumes about Obama's avoidance of Bush's cherished term "war on terror," as if there was no problem with Bush-Cheney's obsession with war metaphors. In fact, "terror" is a tactic, not the enemy. Fighting terrorists calls for a smart combination of military, counterintelligence and international police work, whether the cases end up in civilian courts or military tribunals.

In fact, "the Bush administration sent a very similar case, so-called shoe bomber Richard Reid, to civilian courts."

We need a reasoned approach to defeating al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations who are our enemies.

Who Says There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch?

I am part of a grassroots group called the Tenth Dems, who are dedicated to helping Democrats from all levels of government get elected from the 10th Congressional District in Illinois. Tomorrow, they are hosting a lunch for prospective interns. They have a great track record with their interns, and it should be a good time. Here is the info:

Join Young Tenth Dems (along with former and future interns) on Saturday, January 2nd, at the Silo at 1 pm in Lake Bluff for free pizza and soft drinks. Help us usher in the new year with a new group and a new perspective!


Tenth Dems is a grassroots political organization that helps elect Democrats to all levels of political office throughout the 10th Congressional District.

Date:	Saturday, January 2, 2010
Time:	1:00pm - 2:30pm
Location:	Silo Restaurant in Lake Bluff
Street:	625 Rockland Road

Young Tenth Dems is a youth-led organization, sponsored by the Tenth Congressional District Democrats, whose aim is to connect like-minded young people in Illinois' 10th Congressional District. Young Tenth Dems promotes Democratic ideals, connecting students, schools and communities. In short, Young Tenth Dems provides an avenue for young people to make a difference here and beyond.

If you are still in school, are a former or prospective intern, or are under 30 years old and want to help elect Democrats, come for a free lunch, and learn more about how you can be involved and make a difference.

Tenth Dems is currently accepting applications for spring and summer internships. Upon completing the program, many interns have gone on to internships in Washington, to college majors in political science or law, or paid political and nonprofit positions locally and in Washington.

The 10th Congressional District includes all of the North Shore from Wilmette through Waukegan and extends as far west as Libertyville, Vernon Hills, and Buffalo Grove in Lake County, and Wheeling, Arlington Heights and Palatine in Cook.

For more information or to RSVP to Saturday's lunch, contact Stephen Ark at (847) 970-8068 or email info@tenthdems.org.

To learn more about Tenth Dems' spring and summer internship program, visit: http://www.tenthdems.org/index.php/20

(photo from: http://101tees.com/blog/index.php/democrat-party-t-shirt-from-loiter)

Outback Bowl Is a Game for the Ages

Northwestern continued to battle back again and again after Auburn was leaving them in the dust in today's Outback Bowl. But Auburn also continued to battle and won in overtime, 38-35. Chris Spielman kept harping on the fact that Auburn had two celebration penalties to give Northwestern short fields. Northwestern's quarterback, Mike Kafka, kept throwing interceptions. Five, in total. Kafka was 47-for-78 for 533 yards and four touchdowns ... and five interceptions. Dang. It was a great game. Auburn should have won it several times and couldn't close the door on the Cats. The image is from Athlon.