Chicago Daily Observer

The list of Afrocentric “educators” whom Reverend Jeremiah Wright has invoked in his media escapades since this Sunday is a disturbing reminder that academia’s follies can enter the public world in harmful ways. Now the pressing question is whether they have entered presidential candidate Barack Obama’s worldview as well.

Some in Wright’s crew of charlatans have already had their moments in the spotlight; others are less well known. They form part of the tragic academic project of justifying self-defeating underclass behavior as “authentically black.”

The Commerce Department reported economic growth of .6% in the US for the last quarter. A growing economy by definition, is not in a recession, yet we read:

The Chicago Tribune hopes one still comes along Slow economy: Not a recession yet

The Balitimore Sun tells us to ignore the facts and cherish the feelings of the media with It still feels like a recession

The London Times is just wrong US growth stalls for second consecutive quarter

The AP is downright defiant of the facts not blinking at their own wrong predictions over the last 6 months in Economy grows by only 0.6 percent in first quarter

CBS Marketwatch wants to redefine recession to justify their gloom US could have recession without drop in GDP

With this type of irresponsible and inaccurate reporting, is it any wonder that ... Read More...

When Barack Obama made his Philadelphia speech which many heralded, I was a dissenter because I saw the impossibility of his being able to mediate between the ranting racist raves of Jeremiah Wright and reason. Impossibly, Obama decided to do just that. He announced that he could no more repudiate Wright that he could the black community. That nonsense became a total disaster. For one thing, Obama was implying that the black community was joined at the hip with this demagogue!

I said that the prudent thing for Obama to have done is to blame himself for not becoming aware of Wright’s intransigent racism earlier but now that he has become aware, he was severing connection with Wright and the congregation. That is unconventional politics but for Obama it would have been the only prudent course to follow. He would not lose many votes doing this and the statement would ... Read More...

I went to see “Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed” the new Ben Stein Documentary, last Friday.

But this isn’t about the movie, though it is well done. (The purpose of the film is to show how utterly closed the scientific community is to any notion of “Intelligent Design.”)

This is about the fact that I apparently took a big risk in going to the theater to see it with my kids in tow.

Why? The movie was rated “PG” for thematic material, some disturbing images. . . and “brief smoking.”

Brief smoking? Yes, be prepared for what any little eyes might see. Two clips of Edward R. Murrow from the 1950s are included in which he is, well, actually smoking a cigarette.

Now, let the record show I don’t smoke, and for the most part I think people who do are kinda kooky. (Though for me, as bad as the health ... Read More...

It was a typical political tease. A proven administrator with boundless energy leaps up to the rostrum and executes an enthusiastic stream-of-consciousness about his goals and objectives. He was greeted with a standing ovation and when he completed his breathless talk, the audience arose to its feet again. Midway in the talk he gave a gentle slip…which was not a slip really but was intended to be such…that if he talked too long he would “lose votes” in the future. Everyone applauded and nodded while he softly declaimed and said it was a slip of the lip. This was Paul Vallas, a friend of mine, at the City Club of Chicago of which I’m chairman. Jay Doherty, City Club president who has instilled energy and vision into the Club had been deeply involved in Vallas’ prior campaign in 2002 for the Democratic nomination—which he lost by inches.

Probably the most ... Read More...