The death of Chicago School Board President Michael Scott was ruled a suicide this afternoon by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, officials said. That was fast. Did they have the death certificate already filled out? And no need for those pesky toxicology reports that always take weeks to come back ...
When police found his body early this morning, Scott was face down in a foot of water along the Chicago River downtown, a .380-caliber handgun under his body, a source said. Gun under water = no fingerprints. My compliments
The 60-year-old Scott, Mayor Daley's go-to-guy for years, had a gunshot wound to his left temple. Just wondering, was he left handed?
He left behind his cell phone on a ledge overlooking the river on the west side of the Apparel Center, 350 N. Orleans. But he left no note, a source said. So his phone is on the ledge and he's in the water. But only a foot of water. And the gun is under him. I know the area. The ledge is indeed some dozen feet up from the water. So he shoots himself on the ledge and falls into the puddle keeping the gun under him. Difficulty factor 3.8. And I thought the Olympics weren't coming to town!
Scott, who was reported missing by his family Sunday, night had apparently plunged about 15 feet from the ledge into the shallow water. His car -- a blue Cadillac -- was found about 30 feet from his body, a source said. Police found the body at 3:15 a.m. It was taken to the department's Marine Unit headquarters and then transported to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
As details continued to emerge about the stunning death of the head of Chicago's school board, family, friends, colleagues expressed their sadness. An ashen Daley said he saw no indication that his close friend was troubled, saying Scott's death "is a shock for everyone." "No, no. None whatsoever," Daley said when asked if he sensed Scott was struggling with personal issues. "Mike was always helping people with troubles."
Daley said he has known Scott for 30 years and said his friend "knows more than anyone else about the school system." Alarm bell #1
"He was truly a Chicagoan," Daley said. "Born on the West Side, loved the West Side of the City of Chicago. Helped an enormous amount of people. He could diffuse issues at all time with his personality." Daley was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a conference in Michigan today but abruptly canceled his plans when he heard the stunning news about his longtime friend. Sources said the mayor had to pull himself together before making a personal visit to the home of Scott's widow, Diana Palomar Scott. He also met with Scott's two children and brother this morning.
"He's not just the mayor's school board president, he is his friend of more than three decades," said mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard. "He was a reliable partner -- someone who unquestionably cared about Chicago neighborhoods, the West Side, and cared about children and people who were down on their luck." Scott's family, in a prepared statement, said it "deeply appreciates the outpouring of support during this time of unimaginable grief. Our personal loss is also shared by many throughout Chicago, the home he loved so much. We will miss him greatly." Arrangements for a public memorial service will be announced shortly, the family said.
Scott was reported missing from his home in the Monroe police district on the Near West Side in Chicago Sunday, sources said. He had just visited his sister at a nursing home. Fire crews arrived about 3:20 a.m. to recover the body in the loading dock area of the Apparel Center, which houses the Chicago Sun-Times among other businesses. Ah, the docks - or "dadocks". Murder on the waterfront? Absurd!
A Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman did not return calls for comment. Belmont Area detectives are conducting a death investigation.
A stunned Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up at the scene Monday morning after hearing about Scott's death on the news. He said he spoke with him last week -- and Scott sounded normal to him. "Everyone thought Michael was their guy," Jackson said. "People are so very sad. .. . The suddenness of it all -- midday has become midnight. The sun has been eclipsed." Jackson described Scott as someone equally comfortable working with Chicago's poorest children or sitting courtside at a Bulls game.
"That's why I think the mayor leaned on Michael the most," Jackson said. Alarm bell #2
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the former CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, issued a statement saying he was "shocked and saddened." "Michael cared passionately about public education and made many courageous decisions as President of the Board," Duncan said. "He gave his time, energy and talents to improving the life chances of children. Chicago has lost a great leader and the city's schoolchildren have lost a devoted champion. I extend my deepest condolences to his wife and family."
Friends say Scott was extremely distraught recently about the death of his first wife, Millicent, the mother of his children.
Ron Huberman, who replaced Arne Duncan as schools CEO, was at Scott's Near West Side condominium this morning to offer condolences to family and friends. He was joined by schools spokeswoman Monique Bond and Rev. Jackson, who was offering prayers. Huberman, in a statement, said: "We are heartbroken and saddened by the unspeakable tragedy. Our immediate thoughts are with Michael's family and everyone who was touched by him. Michael Scott's commitment to Chicago Public Schools, and especially to our school children, was longstanding. On behalf of his CPS family, he will be greatly missed."
Huberman was among a stream of well-wishers who arrived at the North Ada condo. Many had tear-streaked faces. Some brought bags of food.
Chicago aldermen were stunned by the news of Scott's death. Calling Scott an "eternal optimist" and a consummate problem-solver, some of them refused to believe he had taken his own life.
"No matter what the situation was, Michael could come up with a solution for you. He was too much of a problem-solver to say, 'I'm gonna end my life because of some indiscretion. What could have been so tragic in his life that he'd say, 'The hell with it. I'm gonna end it all.' I just don't see that being Michael," said Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chairman of the City Council's Budget Committee. "How did you get a person out of the river and just automatically say he committed suicide. Without any investigation at all you just come to that conclusion?" Be careful, Carrie. You never know when someone might take you down by the river
Austin said she has known Scott for more than 25 years and he has been a constant source of encouragement for her during some of the lowest moments of her life. The cheerleading started with the death of Austin's husband, Ald. Lemuel Austin (34th). "Michael said, `You can get through this. Lemuel wants you to get through this. When he found out I was in line for the appointment, he told me, `Carrie, hold your head up now. You can get this. I was like, `I have so many drawbacks. I've got kids.' And he said, `You can work all that in. You did it when Lemuel was alive. You can do it now," Austin said.
Cook County Board President Todd Stroger issued a statement through a spokesman Monday morning offering his condolences. "My wife and I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Scott," Stroger said. "Mr. Scott was a strong advocate for education. His contributions to the minority communities of Cook County will be sorely missed. In particular, his love for the upward mobility of residents from Chicago's West Side where he spent his life."
Scott was Daley's long-time go-to guy but raised eyebrows earlier this year when he disclosed to the Sun-Times that he had been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating how students were selected for the system's elite selective-enrollment high schools. Bing! There goes that alarm bell again
Scott insisted he had done nothing wrong, but the system responded with a massive crackdown on college prep principals' ability to handpick up to five percent of their seats outside the normal selection process. An aide to Scott had requested such a pick at Whitney Young High School, but later withdrew the request at Scott's insistence, sources said at the time. This has been a quiet scandal. Ev'ryone knows that Chicago has two public school systems: the usual one for the poor kids and the 'magnet' schools for the middle-class kids. Your kid could test well and get into a magnet school, but it's a lot easier if you know someone, you know?
The furor emerged after Daley had appointed Scott to serve a second stint as school board president. Scott had recommended that sports agent Rufus Williams succeed him in that job, but Williams ruffled so many feathers that he resigned under pressure and Daley re-installed Scott to head the school board and oversee the city's public schools -- a top Daley priority.
Daley said Monday that Scott was not bothered by the federal subpoena. "That didn't bother him," Daley said. Did it bother you, Mayor Daley? And just how much? Wonder how Richie knew that Scott wasn't bothered. And did he take Scott's word?
Scott was an activist president, meeting on his own time with local residents, and even recently visiting troubled Fenger High School to personally observe an effort to bus kids from Altgeld Gardens to Fenger in the wake of the murder of Fenger honor student Derrion Albert. He was a calm and steady leader at sometimes raucous School Board meetings, often diffusing angry outbursts from the audience or speakers.
Scott, a West Side resident, also had served on the Mayor's 2016 Olympic committee and as former head of the Chicago Park District. Ding! Ding! Ding! Funny but I don't think he had a degree in education ...
In August, he was forced to answer questions about his involvement in a development proposal near the the proposed Douglas Park Olympic site. He insisted he would not profit from the deal."I would not profit . . . not at all," Scott told reporters at a Chicago Board of Education press conference. That would make you the only Chicago pol who wouldn't
He was responding to a published report contending he was "potentially positioning himself to cash in" if the Olympics come to Chicago because he was helping a group of ministers try to turn some city-owned lots across from what could have been an Olympic site into affordable housing. Chicago eventually lost out to Rio de Janiero, which will host the 2016 Summer Games.
Scott noted at the time that the ministers, whom he said he has known for years, came to him with their development idea in the summer of 2006 -- a year before he was appointed to a committee that has been trying to bring the Olympics to Chicago. Scott said he agreed to advise the ministers on how to put the deal together, navigate city departments and train people on how to sell affordable housing. But everyone knew that Chicago was gunning for the Olympics since at least 2004, and they knew Da Mayor's preferred site; King and 31st where the old Michael Reese Hospital is now being torn down. The west side of King Drive has lots of 'property' that could be 'developed', if only one had the right expertise and friends ...
Any profits were to be split among the ministers because "I have no monetary interest,'' Scott said. "These people are my friends. They asked for my help and I helped them on a part-time basis.'' Yeah, we believe that. Pure as the driven snow.
The city has shown no interest in the idea for two years, said Scott. "The city has no formal plan or deal for any lots to be sold or conveyed for any amount of money for this proposal,'' Scott said. This kind of plan doesn't get written down. Or spoken of in public But strangely understood by everyone who speaks the right dialect. It's almost like Esperanto ...
Scott owns Michael Scott and Associates, a real estate development firm. Real estate development? Ding! Ding! Ding! Told you he didn't have an education degree ...
West Side Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th) praised Scott on Monday, saying "he was a great individual who added value to every position he served" in city government. Carothers -- who was indicted in May for allegedly accepting $40,000 in home improvements, meals and sports tickets from a West Side developer in exchange for zoning changes that netted the developer millions -- spent a year secretly recording public officials and real estate developers for the feds, the Sun-Times disclosed earlier this year.
On Monday, Carothers cut off a conversation with a reporter when asked whether he had recorded any conversations with Scott. He would only say, "He was just a great friend and a great individual. My heart goes out to his family. It's just a tragedy." "I ain't saying nuthing, see!"Carothers said he has known Scott for "15-to-20 years, at least."
"He was a great negotiator, a great facilitator," the alderman said. Bing! Bing! Bing!
Pressed further about any business dealings he might have had with Scott, Carothers said, "All I have is what I gave you." He then hung up the phone. A source said Carothers did not record any conversations with Scott. Yup, he recorded conversations ...
Marilyn Stewart, Chicago Teachers Union president, offered her condolences. In a statement, she said she spoke with Scott on Saturday about an upcoming Board of Education meeting. "He recently told me he didn't think he was going to be around for long and saw his appointment as president being an interim one," Stewart said. She added that "his death leaves a huge void to fill at a time when the Board desperately needs stability in its leadership."
Posted by: Steve ||
11/16/2009 14:37 ||
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yep - shot himself in the head and then wiped the prints from the gun and then falling directly on it. Ima satisfied, Quicey
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/16/2009 18:05 Comments ||
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Interesting to see if the feds get involved. Look for data sharing or a subpoena for any of the traffic cameras records in the area - Chicago is littered with them, and even at night they'd likely show the number of occupants in a car.
For that matter, there are likely cameras along that portion of the river - it's hardly the old days of Goose Island and Division street - this was basically at the loop.
CHICAGO -- The president of the Chicago Board of Education reportedly shot himself in the head along the Chicago River Monday morning, MyFoxChicago.com reported. Police found what was believed to be the body of Michael Scott floating in the river hours later, the Web site reported. He shot himself in the head, then jumped in the river. Dat's the Chicago way!
Sources say a gun was recovered by the body. They also said that cops used Scott's cell phone to locate the body and blue Cadillac, the Chicago Tribune reported. I guess the gun and phone were floating in the river nearby. Everyone knows that guns float, right?
"My wife and I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Scott," Cook County Board President Todd H. Stroger said in an e-mail statement released Monday. Stroger called his friend of nearly 25 years a negotiator held in high esteem, MyFoxChicago.com reported.
"Mr. Scott was a strong advocate for education," Stroger said in the e-mail. "His contributions to the minority communities of Cook County will be sorely missed. In particular, his love for the upward mobility of residents from Chicago's West Side where he spent his life."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson arrived on the scene at about 7:30 a.m. local time Monday morning. Jesse can sense a TV news crew setting up in his sleep.
"Everything is just so wrong," Jackson said, according to MyFoxChicago.com.
Jackson said he spoke to Scott last week, as the former Chicago Public School Board president continued to deal with the brutal death of a Chicago student.
Jackson said Scott did not display any signs of emotional trouble recently, MyFoxChicago.com reported.
Scott reportedly disappeared from his Chicago home Sunday. Emergency responders pulled the body out of the river at 4:30 a.m. local time Monday, after receiving a tip, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Joe Roccasalva told MyFoxChicago.com. Wonder if he called in his own death too?
#3
I don't pretend to know what goes on in a persons mind leading up to a suicide, so I guess a person could walk into a river to shot themselves, but I can't for the life of me figure out why the hell they would.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
11/16/2009 13:37 Comments ||
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At first look, the headline read President of Chicago Board of Ed Repeatedly Kills Himself.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/16/2009 14:30 Comments ||
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If I were the superintendent of a dysfunctional school system like Chicago's, I might want to end it all, too.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/16/2009 14:39 Comments ||
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West Texas style is to shoot yourself in the head several times with a single shot small caliber rifle. Finding a river in West Texas is harder though.
By JAMES ROSEN
Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican known for his efforts to block influence domestic immigration and health-care issues, has scored a foreign-policy coup by helping to compel the Obama administration to shift its stance on strife-ridden Honduras.
After demanding for months that deposed Honduran President Mel Zelaya be restored to power, senior State Department officials now say they'll accept the outcome of Nov. 29 elections in the Central American country even if Zelaya doesn't reclaim his post.
Confused Palm Beach County voters helped thwart Al Gore's 2000 bid to become president of the United States, but he was introduced as "president of the planet" when he returned here Saturday night to deliver an environmental lecture.
The former vice president spoke on climate change at the Mizner Park Amphitheater to a crowd of about 800. More than 200 protesters gathered across the street from the event, and their boos and chants could be heard inside the amphitheater as Gore began his presentation.
Gore lost Florida, and the White House, by 537 votes to George W. Bush in a 2000 as many Palm Beach County Democrats said they mistakenly voted for conservative Pat Buchanan because they were confused by the county's "butterfly ballot" design.
After losing the presidential race, Gore became arguably the world's most famous advocate for curbing carbon emissions, gaining eco-celebrity status with the film An Inconvenient Truth and winning a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
"It's an interesting twist of fate here in our own backyard that former Vice President Al Gore has taken on a new platform and is now a catalyst for world change," said Marci Zaroff, an "eco-entrepeneur" who introduced Gore.
"So, in essence, he's president of the people. He's president of the planet. And the work that he's doing is more important than any other work that could possibly be done."
Tickets for the event sold for $44 to $339, with proceeds going to the nonprofit Alliance for Climate Protection that Gore chairs.
Gore began his remarks by calling climate change "the most dangerous problem we've ever faced. But it is also a tremendous opportunity for us to solve problems that have been neglected for a long time."
Organizers allowed the media to cover only the first few minutes of Gore's presentation.
In addition to his nonprofit advocacy, Gore is a partner in a venture capital firm that finances "sustainable" and alternative energy businesses, prompting some critics to accuse Gore of promoting environmental policies that will fatten his bank account.
"Cap & Tax -- Don't Be Fooled: Al Gore Will Make billions," read a sign carried by Alan Tudor, who drove from Tampa to attend Saturday's protest.
"Gore's Favorite Green Product? Your money in his pocket," said another sign.
Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider said Gore's investments are consistent with positions he has held for decades.
"Former Vice President Gore has made long-term investments in 'sustainable' companies, the vast majority of which are not directly involved with efforts to solve the climate crisis. He has also invested in some companies that have attempted and will continue to help solve the climate crisis. These are a reflection of his values," Kreider said in an e-mail.
"If he did not invest in technologies that he supported, these very same people would accuse him of being a hypocrite," Kreider said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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but he was introduced as "president of the planet"
"High Humongousness of the Universe".
Posted by: ed ||
11/16/2009 2:01 Comments ||
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I was wondering whether 800 was considered a big crowd or not. According to the Mizner Park web site:
Former Vice President Al Gore has confirmed a trip to South Florida in November to speak on the climate crisis and environmental sustainability in the City of Boca Raton. This "green solutions" event will be held at The Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park Amphitheater on Saturday, November 14th with approximately 3,000 in attendance.
So...no.
(That link will probably disappear in time, as would any link about an event already over.)
Mayor Gavin Newsom is deluged with requests to appear at events, and his staff gives him a list of recommended shindigs to stop by and others to brush off. But Newsom is full of surprises these days, his guest appearances included. (Witness the appearance at a reading at the Bayanihan Community Center on Mission Street last weekend.)
Thursday night's gala at the Opera House honoring Rev. Cecil Williams' 45th anniversary at Glide Memorial was a must-attend for the mayor. And he was there - for five minutes, long enough to rush in the side door, greet Williams, pose for a couple of photos, ignore reporters and rush back out.
We tried to ask him what his plans are for the rest of his term, hoping he'd give some indication of big initiatives he'll unveil or whether the rumored shake-up of his staff is true.
He refused to say and darted for a side door. Unfortunately for him, it was locked. "How do you get out of here?" he asked before finding an open door and disappearing. And yet he told Examiner columnist Ken Garcia the notion he's been ducking the press since dropping out of the governor's race Oct. 30 and disappearing to Hawaii without telling his staff is "delusional." Hmmm...
Wednesday night, he surprised organizers of "Call to Hope," a fundraiser at the St. Francis Yacht Club to benefit A Good Idea, a nonprofit that's trying to build a residential high school for homeless teens in the city. His staff had told the group Newsom couldn't attend - but the mayor isn't telling his staff much about his plans these days.
Jared Paul, founder of A Good Idea, said Newsom arrived alone - without even his security staff - and stayed for about an hour.
"He seemed really, I don't know, like he was in different spirits," Paul said. "In a good mood, but just kind of maybe a little humbled or something."
Officially, the mayor has no public appearances for this weekend, next week or anytime in the future. But clearly, he's going to keep us guessing so let us know if you see him!
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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His job is to make the Board of Supes look relatively sane by comparison.
The Obama administration will propose that the federal government take over safety regulation of the nation's subway and light-rail systems, responding to what it says is haphazard and ineffective oversight by state agencies.
Under the proposal, the U.S. Department of Transportation would do for transit what it does for airlines and Amtrak: set and enforce federal regulations to ensure that millions of passengers get to their destinations safely. Administration officials said the plan will be presented in coming weeks to Congress, which must approve a change in the law.
The proposal would affect every subway and light-rail system in the country, including large systems in Washington, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Administration officials said they are responding to a growing number of collisions, derailments and worker fatalities on subways -- and in particular to the fatal June 22 crash on Metro's Red Line and failures in oversight that have surfaced in its wake. Those failures have been the subject of an ongoing investigative series in The Washington Post.
"After the [Metro] train crash, we were all sitting around here scratching our heads, saying, 'Hey, we've got to do something about this,' " Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in an interview. "And we discovered that there's not much we could do, because the law wouldn't allow us to do it."
Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the agency had not seen details of the proposal. "The bottom line is we welcome additional safety oversight with open arms," she said.
LaHood said he expects the proposal to be welcomed on Capitol Hill, but some Republicans said Saturday night that more federal oversight might not be the answer.
"The administration is right to raise this issue, but federal regulation should only apply to systems that cross state lines," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who had not been briefed on the plan.
Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) said the proposal sounded like a credible way to fix a broken oversight system. "Without seeing the details, it would make sense," Wolf said. "Some states have done a good job, while others have not. There needs to be consistent safety enforcement."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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Right. These are public agencies, not run by the states. Most of their funding for construction comes from the Feds. Many of the accidents come from organized employees smoking dope (Chicago), or more recently, texting (LA) while on the job.
If there is anything that make enforcement haphazard, it's local politics. So, obviously, substituting national-level politics will be much better.
"We've got to do something about this"?
Ya, but first, we gotta make it legal. [gag]
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/16/2009 6:36 Comments ||
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Um, do subways travel inter-state? If not what possible basis in our FEDERAL system is their for Washington to get involved?
#4
AlanC, Some of the electricity that powers them came across state lines so clearly the subways are under Federal jurisdiction. And even if it didn't, it would be replacing electricity that COULD have crossed state lines, and that alone is good enough for federal jurisdiction. Get with the program!
The VRE goes from VA to DC
MARC goes from MD to DC
Metrorail serves VA, DC and MD
NJ Transit serves NY
RTA serves IL and IN
etc.
and the passengers are engaged in Interstate Commerce
If you don't like the policy it must be killed on the grounds that it is bad policy, not on constitutional grounds.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/16/2009 9:25 Comments ||
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since when does the constitution matter too the Obama admin.
Posted by: chris ||
11/16/2009 10:30 Comments ||
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Who came up with this idea? Forrest Gump? Stupid is as Stupid does?
Ray LaHood is a special case of stupid. "Golly gee, I want to do something about all these rail crashes but I can't because there is no law to allow me, a political nit wit, to undergo safety compliance assurance."
Where the hell do we get these people who only want to add their own Federal incompetency to the local and state bureaucratic incompetencies?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/16/2009 11:18 Comments ||
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Safety is our No. 1 priority when it comes to planes, trains and automobiles," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Sunday. "It only makes sense that we should be looking out for passengers who ride subways, too."
So now we're going to federalize the whole roadway system, along with GM and Chrysler?
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/16/2009 12:54 Comments ||
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We have to Federalize everything as our first step to pure communism! Power to the People!
Two nonprofit corporations created by three legislators in 2006 have received hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars but have yet to undergo a required state audit.
The two groups created in 2006 have so far received $800,000 in state coal severance money, according to the Alabama Department of Finance.
A legislator who created one of the groups said money has been sent to schools and volunteer fire departments, but he could not immediately produce a record of how the public money going to their nonprofit has been spent.
In spring 2006, the Alabama Legislature approved a bill that took a portion of the state's coal severance tax revenue and gave the money to various organizations.
The new law dictated that Marion County Community Development Association Inc. and West Alabama Development Association of Fayette County Inc. would each receive $100,000 a year of the tax revenue. But those two groups didn't exist at the time the law was passed, according to secretary of state incorporation records.
Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, and two members of the House of Representatives, Mike Millican, D-Hamilton, and William Thigpen, D-Fayette, created the two nonprofits five months later, according to incorporation records.
Repeated efforts to reach Bedford by phone and email and Millican by phone were not successful.
In September 2006, Bedford and Millican incorporated the Marion County Community Development Association Inc. Bedford, Thigpen and Fayette County Probate Judge William Oswalt created the West Alabama Development Association of Fayette County Inc. in September 2006. According to state incorporation records, the purpose of both nonprofit groups is to strengthen their respective counties and the surrounding area through "economic and community development projects."
Although both groups were incorporated as nonprofits, neither has received federal tax-exempt status, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Oswalt referred questions to Thigpen and Bedford about how the Fayette County group has spent the money it has received. "I think we've given some (money) to schools, to volunteer fire departments, for some road work, but you need to talk to the other two," Bedford and Thigpen.
Thigpen said the group had sent money to schools, volunteer fire departments and "other things." He referred questions to Oswalt, who he said serves as treasurer of the group. Thigpen said decisions about who or what got money form the nonprofit were usually made over the telephone.
"It takes a vote of two of the three of us to approve any spending, and we usually do that over the phone," Thigpen said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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(CBS) The ability of America to try terror suspects was itself on trial today, as a Democratic Senator (and former prosecutor) argued the sentiments of a Republican Congressman who believes a courtroom is no place for an avowed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., said putting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terror suspects on trial in a federal court in Manhattan, as was announced this week by Attorney General Eric Holder, is a bad idea, tantamount to " ideology run wild.
"We're going to go back into New York City, the scene of the tragedy on 9/11. We're now going to rip that wound wide open, and it's going to stay open for, what - two, three, four years, as we go through the circus of a trial in New York City?" Hoekstra said today on CBS' "Face the Nation."
He said the defendants and their lawyers will "bring every motion forward that they can" to drag the trial out so they can be at center stage, and that their objective is to make the trial a propaganda show. "Obviously our Attorney General, our legal system, will try to keep it dignified and civil and bring some respect to it," Hoekstra said. "That's not what KSM is going to try to do. They'll do everything they can to disrupt it to make it a circus and allow them to use it as a platform to push their ideology."
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, however, believes that putting those charged with attacking the United States on trial is the best way to show the world the strength of America.
"I think that Eric Holder, our Attorney General, is right; I think the president is right in holding the trials of these murderers in New York City," Leahy told Schieffer. "What we're saying to the world is, the United States acts out of strength, not out of fear.
"I was a former prosecutor. I'd like to just see them prosecuted, in the same way which we prosecuted Timothy McVeigh. We're not afraid to do that. We're the most powerful nation on Earth. We have a judicial system that is the envy of the world. Let's show the world that we can use that power."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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We have a judicial system that is the envy laughingstock of the world.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The death of Chicago School Board President Michael Scott was ruled a suicide this afternoon by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, officials said. 
CHICAGO -- The president of the Chicago Board of Education reportedly shot himself in the head along the Chicago River Monday morning, MyFoxChicago.com reported. Police found what was believed to be the body of Michael Scott floating in the river hours later, the Web site reported.
Confused Palm Beach County voters helped thwart Al Gore's 2000 bid to become president of the United States, but he was introduced as "president of the planet" when he returned here Saturday night to deliver an environmental lecture.
(CBS) The ability of America to try terror suspects was itself on trial today, as a Democratic Senator (and former prosecutor) argued the sentiments of a Republican Congressman who believes a courtroom is no place for an avowed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. 
