The Drew Peterson Show

The media is making a big deal out of Drew Peterson's flip side, as he tosses jokes around about his new bling (handcuffs).

Whether you think he's guilty of two murders or not, the point missed by most reporters is the dark humor of some cops who have had to deal with matters that the general public will never encounter. It's sometimes referred to as "gallows" humor. Whether the cop is a patrol officer or a homicide detective, there are situations they regularly have to deal with that are impossible to "leave at the office", when they go home at the end of a shift.

The newspapers have tried and convicted Peterson. And then today's Associated Press article throws in the 2-cents' worth of a defense attorney who is reported to have represented Rush Limbaugh (was Rush accused of murder?) and William Kennedy Smith (most will remember the accusations of rape against him; fewer may remember that he was acquitted on all charges).

Defense Attorney Roy Black is quoted. "People are going to think this is a very bizarre person, who's more likely to have committed murder than someone who is in mourning."

I wonder whether that's a current quote that the AP reporter got from Attorney Black, or if it's one he dug up out of files somewhere. Surely, the "mourning" part doesn't apply. If Peterson thinks his fourth wife ran off with another man, why would he be in mourning?

Did Peterson make a mistake by not adhering to the rights that he must have read to hundreds over his cop career? You know the one... "You have the right to remain ______." "Anything you say, can and will be ______."

Need a little motivation?

Feel like you are dragging a little? Need a little "pick-me-up"?

Check out this short clip by Jim Cathcart at http://youonyourwebsite.com/Cathcart/Acorn.htm

and then ask yourself this question, "How would the person I'd like to be, do the things I'm about to do?"

Thanks to Joe Sabah in Denver for sharing this with me. Like to know more about Joe? Check out http://www.joesabah.com/

Viruses, vaccinations and treatment

Yesterday I heard an interesting talk by Dr. Mayer Eisenstein at a healing arts fair in Elgin. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak, don't miss him!

He touched on many different subjects: vaccinations, flus, homebirth, autism, home-schooling, and he even mentioned that the new head of the CDC had something to do with passing out condoms to students with the logo of New York on them!

In 15,000 home births, babies delivered by his clinic had no ear infections, very low asthma rates, and I think he said there was only one case of autism. He is not a proponent of vaccination, and he explained how parents can avoid the "order" of a school district for their children to be vaccinated.

Dr. Eisenstein sponsors a series of free webinars. This Wednesday, May 20, you can join in at 8:00PM Central Time by visiting www.homefirst.com and registering; remember; it's free. Dr. Eisenstein is a graduate of the University of Illinois Medical School, the Medical College of Wisconsin School of Public Health and the John Marshall Law School.

Expect your belief system to be challenged. You may want to read his books, two of which are Don't Vaccinate Before You Educate and The Home Birth Advantage.

The following information is from his website: "Homefirst® sponsors "The Dr. Mayer Eisenstein Radio Show" live every Saturday on XM radio #170 9 a.m-10 a.m central time and live in the Chicagoland area on WYLL AM 1160 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. central time. Homefirst® also sponsors the Homefirst® Autism Recovery Clinic Homefirst®

Protecting City Hall

WAR ZONE MCHENRY - In a Letter to the Editor of the Northwest Herald today, writer Deb Wilson of McHenry questioned the placement of new concrete flower boxes in front of entrances of the City of McHenry Government Center.

She wrote that, when she inquired about the purpose of them, she was told that they had been placed "for our protection"; i.e., for the protection of the occupants of the building.

Hello? Where do they think they are? Baghdad? Washington, D.C.?

I agree with Deb Wilson! Those planters are not going to stop any terrorist. Surely, the City of McHenry didn't have that in mind, when they put them there. Or did they? I couldn't find out today. A police dispatcher wisely suggested I call tomorrow.

Someone intent on ramming and destroying the McHenry Government Center in a SmartCar or a Scion might be stopped; at least, from ramming the building. But someone in a U-Haul truck loaded with fertilizer and a few other additives?

But maybe Deb was misinformed. Some of the flower boxes in front of the Court Entrance are still empty. Maybe they are really for the bodies of people leaving Traffic Court, after they hear the amount of the court costs on top of their fines...

Let's hope that this idea doesn't catch hold and spread to other communities. Be on guard, folks.

No emergency, but what if?

Fair Diddley. Sunday, May 17. A beautiful day. Dry, not too hot. Perfect weather.

But what about parking?

At mid-morning near the Square there were many vendors' vehicles and huge trailers, hogging street parking places that would be better left available for customers who will spend their hard-earned money (and then have to tote their purchases many, many blocks to their cars).

Some of those cars are parked in the 300 and 400 blocks of South Jefferson Street, lining almost the entire length of the east side of the street, which is a no-parking zone from Fremont Street to South Street. (For a closer look at the parking problem, click on the image. Then click on the Back button on your browser to return to this story.)

South Jefferson Street is not designed for parked cars on both sides of the street. That's why parking is prohibited on the east side of the street. But is the number of signs sufficient to warn motorists not to park there? Not hardly.

And did police give a pass today to all the drivers who did park there illegally? Can you just imagine the howls, if police had ticketed every illegally parked car in Woodstock today?

Better not make the visitors mad. They might not come back. But it's okay to ticket residents who park illegally, and police do - to the tune of $3,000-6,000 every month.

And what if there had been an emergency on South Jefferson today? Could two-three fire trucks have arrived promptly and been able to pull right up to a house? Or what about a police response to a domestic violence call? (Or, worst of all, what if a Comcast truck was trying to get to a house to repair someone's cable TV service???)

The 300 block of Fremont Street was a mess, too. When cars park on both sides, two-way traffic is eliminated.

How many years has Fair Diddley been in Woodstock? Does it get bigger every year?

Doesn't anyone do any advance traffic management and parking planning? Why not install temporary no-parking signs to supplement the insufficient number of fixed no-parking signs on South Jefferson and on Fremont Street from Madison Street to Dean Street?

Why not plan ahead and direct the vendors not to hog street parking near the Square? Steer them to the Public Works parking lot past Dairy Queen and have the Fair committee shuttle drivers back and forth.

Put up some "Park Legally or else" signs. I watched one mom park by City Hall blocking the door to the old fire station (and the driveway) and leave her car, clutching the hand of her small daughter as they ran toward the Square.

What do the merchants on the Square think of Fair Diddley? Do they do a lot of extra business on this day? Or does their business drop, because their own customers can't get to their stores and Fair Diddley visitors only shop the visiting vendors and then leave the Square?

Is the Chamber of Commerce or the Woodstock Downtown Business Association doing a survey of downtown businessowners during this coming week to learn their views? After all, these are the people who are here year-round and who pay enormous rents to operate their businesses on the historic Woodstock Square.

MHB Public Hearing - Tomorrow

The annual public hearing for the McHenry County Mental Health Board will be held tomorrow - Monday, May 18, 2009, at 7:00PM in the conference center of the McHenry County College.

The public is invited - more than "invited" - requested to attend to learn about the needs for good mental health services in McHenry County, to learn what services are offered in the county, and to express any ideas, suggestions, viewpoints and/or concerns related to mental health services, including developmental disabilities, substance abuse and traumatic brain injury. American sign language and Spanish speaking interpreters will be available.

If you wish to speak at the meeting, arrive early (6:15-6:50PM) and register to speak. If you wish to submit your comment in writing, email it to biehl@mc708.org

Swine Flu Reports - Sat.? Sun.?

Has the swine flu fallen off the radar screen at the CDC?

The CDC had been issuing daily reports on swine flu numbers, including reports last Saturday and Sunday (a week ago). I began keeping a spreadsheet on May 6, when the CDC reported 642 total confirmed cases.

On May 15 the CDC re-titled the column of numbers as "Confirmed and Probable Cases", and on Friday there were 4,714 reported cases. The percentage increase in number of cases slowed considerably in the past few days, and the CDC issued no reports yesterday or today.

Some states have reported fewer numbers of cases than in previous days, before the category was changed to include "Probable Cases." For example, on May 9 Ohio reported an increase of six cases (to a total of 12), and on the following day it cut its number back to six.

And Georgia increased its number of reported cases from 8 on one day, to 36 the next day, and then cut the number back to 18 on the next day. It seems to me that a case would become "confirmed" only after a positive lab test. What was going on with tests in Georgia?

Are the tests reliable? Are there really 4,714 cases in the U.S.?

Pretty quickly people were saying that the threat was overblown. Any thoughts about that?