The [Monday] Papers

By Steve Rhodes

Sometimes kids say the smartest things.

Death Paneling
"Let's see if we can have a reasoned discussion about end-of-life counseling," writes Charles Krauthammer today.

"We might start by asking Sarah Palin to leave the room. I've got nothing against her. She's a remarkable political talent. But there are no 'death panels' in the Democratic health-care bills, and to say that there are is to debase the debate.

"We also have to tell the defenders of the notorious Section 1233 of H.R. 3200 that it is not quite as benign as they pretend. To offer government reimbursement to any doctor who gives end-of-life counseling - whether or not the patient asked for it - is to create an incentive for such a chat."

Thank Blago For Choking
He made you breathe dirty air and drink tainted water to satisfy his own political grudge.

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From the original Tribune version by crack environmental reporter Michael Hawthorne:

"Records show the state EPA had determined in late 2007 that village officials had known for years the well was contaminated with chemicals related to a toxic dry cleaning solvent. But the agency chose to quietly negotiate a deal allowing Crestwood to shut off the well and avoid any penalties, which would have drawn attention to the violations.

"EPA officials also kept the attorney general's office out of the loop and failed to inform citizens that they had been drinking contaminated water for more than two decades. Crestwood residents didn't find out about the scheme until the Tribune published its investigation and prompted Quinn to order a review of the case."

Rough Justice
"Bernie Madoff Reportedly Dying of Cancer."

Perhaps he should be sent to Libya as an act of compassion.

Arne's Outta Here!
Arne Duncan has sold his Hyde Park townhouse for $525K.

A People's History of the Mainstream Media
Oh for the days when facts mattered.

Oops.

Social Petworking
A term I just heard on a morning news show. I really don't want to know more.

President Preckwinkle?
"For too long the Cook County Forest Preserve District has served as a dumping ground for County patronage hires, leaving the taxpayers to pick up the tab with property tax increases year after year," Toni Preckwinkle says in an e-mail her campaign just sent out, responding to this Sun-Times story.

Obama's Stealth Czar
"[Daschle] still speaks frequently to the president, who met with him as recently as Friday morning in the Oval Office. And he remains a highly paid policy adviser to hospital, drug, pharmaceutical and other health care industry clients of Alston & Bird, the law and lobbying firm," the New York Times reports.

"Friends and associates of Mr. Daschle say the interests of Alston & Bird's clients have no influence on his views. They say he sees no conflict in advising private clients on the one hand and advising the White House on the other, because he offers the same assessment to everyone: Though he has often said that he favors a government-run insurance option, the Senate will not pass it."

Same-old, same-old.

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"Hope's fading."

Olympic Bid Running Ragged
Chicago losing steam as facts emerge.

The Bobby Rush Show
Now including Chief Illiniwek.

Lolla-Mart
Jim DeRogatis conducts a fine interview (as usual) with an evil Lollapalooza co-owner.

Bulk Mail
The information packet for the old Chicago Main Post Office comes in three boxes and costs $500, Hedy Weiss notes.

Sneed Spies . . .
". . . Actor Jim Belushi at the Captain Morgan club at Wrigley Field recently."

That's about right.

There Are No Swans Here
"The adults in this world usually lack any redeeming qualities," our very own Connie Nardini writes in her review of Black Swan Green. "However, Jason often sees both sides of these prickly people who include his father and his friend's fathers. He describes one such dad who is known as an irresponsible drunk: 'Green is made of yellow and blue, nothing else, but when you look at green, where've the yellow and blue gone?'"

Bulging Beachwood
The Beachwood welcomes veteran sports radio reporter George Ofman to its burgeoning sports section today.

George's first offering is "A Soriano Saga," and I think you'll see why we're so excited to have him aboard.

Also in Beachwood Sports today:

* "While the Chicago media understandably focused on [Derrick] Rose, a Chicago native, the true significance of this story is not about a single player," Mike Conklin writes. "After all, the National Basketball Association basically requires all rookies to spend a season-in-training in college. It is much more about cowardly university athletic administrators enabling ego-maniacal coaches."

* Advice for new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, including hiring a team of loophole-savvy contract lawyers. In The Cub Factor.

* "Our collective devotion risks spiraling into a weird, Hawk Harrelsonian abyss of counterlogic and anti-cheering, and any season predicated on the idea of 'as long as they can be less bad' is surely doomed," Andrew Reilly writes in The White Sox Report.

* "The guy is a great, great quarterback and he is a Bear forever (they aren't going to screw up his next contract, I promise)," Jim Coffman writes in SportsMonday. "That fact still boggles everything."

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That Smell

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