Bush still wants torture
The stench coming out of the White House is more nauseating than usual. For months, Bush, Cheney & Gang had fought tenaciously to kill U.S. Sen. John McCain’s bill to outlaw the U.S. government’s use of torture against prisoners of war. The Bush administration tried to cajole McCain into at least exempting the CIA from…
Reluctant witness
To a city fighting charges of racism, Rob Williams looked like the perfect defense witness. His career at the Springfield Police Department has been unblemished, his rise through the ranks meteoric. A deputy chief after less than 20 years on the job, he is the highest-ranking African-American at SPD, in charge of internal affairs, training…
Wired
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that John Wyma is lobbying for GTECH. The Illinois Lottery contractor will most likely operate the state’s proposed keno network. Gov. Rod Blagojevich wants to put electronic keno gambling games in 2,000 taverns and restaurants to help fund a construction plan for schools. Wyma was the governor’s chief of…
Classical class act
“An unfortunate side effect of being a classical guitar player is, you end up spending a lot of time in a room by yourself,” says Russel Brazzel, musician and co-founder of the Springfield Classical Guitar Society. In March 1998 Brazzel met with other local classical-guitar enthusiasts to encourage a regular gathering for social interaction. After…
The wedding crasher
It was, by all accounts, a lovely wedding. Some 300 guests gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to observe the nuptials of the happy couple — the beautiful bride a health-care provider, the handsome groom an up-and-coming public sector attorney. The bridesmaids wore black gowns with platinum accents and carried red roses —…
Rediscovering Kate Bush
Confession time: Until about a month ago, I hadn’t been listening to much Kate Bush, and I’m not sure why. True, she hadn’t put out a record in 12 years, and I tend to listen mostly to new releases, a hazard of the record-reviewing trade. But a quick inventory of my vinyl racks proves that…
People’s poetry
Just One More Day The morning air was chilly,It was before dawn.There was little talk in the changing shed,Each had his own thoughts before going down.Some by rail, others by the shaft,All going down.The corridor lights not yet reached.The helmet lamps not yet on. Darkness envelopes like a shroud.Each to his assigned station, In the…
Scapegoat
The blame game began as soon as New Orleans’ levees succumbed to Hurricane Katrina. First in the crosshairs: federal officials, who embarrassed themselves with their pitiful response to the unfolding tragedy. Soon after, city and state officials turned their ire on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which they accused of failing to maintain the…
Detective placed on leave
Another Springfield Police Department detective has been put on paid administrative leave. Detective Jim Graham, who had been transferred from SPD’s “major case” unit to general investigations on Oct. 4, surrendered his badge and gun Jan. 17. Chief Don Kliment declined to comment, citing SPD’s policy of not discussing personnel matters. However, SPD spokesman Sgt.…
Earth Talk
Dear “Earth Talk”: Someone told me that methane gas emitted by cows is a major contributor to global warming. I thought it was a joke, but is this true? — David Rietz, Goose Creek, S.C. Accumulation of methane in the Earth’s atmosphere has nearly doubled around the globe over the past 200 years. Scientists believe…
Closure
After Tuesday night’s meeting of the City Council, Ward 10 Ald. Bruce Strom’s smile was so wide, he nearly got his ears wet. The council finally approved an ordinance to ban all public smoking in Springfield by fall. The ban excludes hotel rooms, private cars, homes that do not contain daycare centers, nursing homes, stores…
Letters to the editor
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address, and daytime telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O. Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. PLENTY OF GAY FILMS HERE I was surprised and disappointed when I read Martha Miller’s opinion…
Take back the country
America is becoming a two-class society. Not since the age of the robber barons has the distribution of wealth and power been so polarized in America, and never in our history have average citizens been less important in the political progress. The class war that began with the Reagan revolution in 1980 has been brought…
Jacqueline Jackson
friendquotepoem #3 judy says you can save your smart classrooms just give me smart students © Jacqueline Jackson 2006
Mercury rising again
Citing cost concerns and a potential shortfall for the upcoming flu season, the Illinois Department of Public Health filed for a 12-month exemption to the Mercury-Free Vaccine Act, passed last summer to limit the use of vaccines containing mercury. However, child-health-care advocates who lobbied for the bill’s passage are upset by what they believe was…
Mega Watts
Fay Wray appeared in 96 feature films, but she is so closely linked to King Kong (1933) that the other 95 could be missing from her résumé. Naomi Watts may be following in Wray’s footsteps, but she is not likely to be overshadowed by the big computer-generated ape. Despite her recent rise to stardom, Watts…
Power (“Sorry, Sorry Night”) politics
They held no power They did not know how Perhaps they’ll hold some now Born in the late 1930s and early ’40s, wedged in between the Greatest Generation and the baby boomers, they are few — and Ike Eisenhower lied to ’em. Ike went on TV in 1960 and…
