Posted on 03/05/2005 10:41:17 AM PST by RWR8189
When I heard that President Bush was being blamed for not caring if federal judges lived in fear, just 72 hours after the mother and husband of federal Judge Joan Lefkow were found slain, I wondered if I had time.
Time to call detectives and tip them to this explosive new angle about White House insensitivity so soon after the terrible tragedy. Instead, I thought I'd write a column.
Lefkow has said she believes the killings may have been a deliberate hit in retaliation for her rulings. The slayings shocked the city, all federal judges and anyone with a heart.
Unfortunately, there are certain time-honored protocols when it comes to public killings. One is speculation, which is natural. The other, which should be unnatural and shocking but isn't, because we're so used to it, is political grandstanding.
Politicians sometimes capitalize on tragedies to leverage newspaper ink and TV face time. Some do it to push an agenda.
Which brings me to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, the liberal Illinois Democrat, and her letter to Bush, in which she lectured him about not doing enough to protect judges and their families.
She sent her letter. Then she put out a press release to make sure reporters wouldn't miss it. Then she held a news conference at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, in case reporters missed the press release.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
---just sounds like a standard Illinois Demotraitor---
Great Article!
If Rep Schakowsky had an (R) by her name this question of timing would be asked on the front page of the NYT.
Interesting article. Good reporter.
That is some weird story.
Thanks Illinois, you make New Jersey look if not good, at least not uniquely bad.
Okay ... okay ... besides Zell Miller.
"Which brings me to U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, the liberal Illinois Democrat, and her letter to Bush, in which she lectured him about not doing enough to protect judges and their families.
She sent her letter. Then she put out a press release to make sure reporters wouldn't miss it. Then she held a news conference at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, in case reporters missed the press release."
Chief Justice Renquist established a committee in March 2004 to examine ways to cut costs as the judicial budget was headed for a crisis. They made their report at the September 2004 Judicial Conference. Among other recommendations, they included SECURITY and LAW ENFORCEMENT as areas where savings could be made.
see http://www.uscourts.gov/Press_Releases/Judconf904A.pdf
and http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/sep04ttb/exemption/index.html
In December 2004, they asked GSA Administrator Perry to reduce the rent that the courts pay:
found at: http://www.uscourts.gov/ttb/feb05ttb/rental/index.html
SNIP
When they visited Perry in December 2004, Judicial Conference Executive Committee chair, Chief Judge Carolyn Dineen King, Judge Jane Roth, chair of the Conference Committee on Security and Facilities, and Mecham urged Perry to promptly approve a partial rent exemption of $483 million per year from the Judiciary’s more than $900 million yearly rent bill.
SNIP
GSA uses this money for a variety of things such as maintenance, lights, heat, and SECURITY. This is in addition to the money allocated to the US Marshall's Service for courtroom security.
Note that the Chief Justice sent a letter to both Congress and the President, not just the President, for getting sufficient funding. This congresscritter should be asking herself, "What did I do about this?"
She is one of those politicians that needs to literally run out of office.
Since a large number of them don't - they don't need to be protected, but need to be FIRED.
I have to be picky here. Indicted or unindicted?
The DemocRAT party is a criminal enterprise.
You're right. I should have been more specific.
I'll withdraw the question, and the jury will disregard that remark.
She forgot to mention that Robert Creamer was indicted last year on federal charges of kiting millions of dollars worth of checks and cheating on his income tax, while running the liberal, aggressive good-government group Illinois Public Action.
Creamer was also alleged to have written an "operating manual" for his employees, detailing the steps they should take to prevent the bad checks from being detected. He maintains his innocence.
With her concern about the welfare of federal judges and their families, you think she might have mentioned that Creamer is scheduled to stand trial May 31 before one of those federal judges.
Jan Schakowsky also didn't bother to disclose that Robert Creamer is her husband.
Hmmmm? Some of the media is starting to get it.
Ben Nelson? Ed Koch?
Up three floors.
Very interesting! But it's the same old...same old. Bush is to blame! Good grief! When are these people ever going to grow up and act like adults?
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