If common sense is applied, however, this is the dumbest idea of the week. This is like a murderer’s family moving next door to the victim’s family. It is insensitive and political correctness run amuk. I could not believe the statement from Mayor Bloomberg that somehow this is going to help us with the terrorists. He thinks this makes some kind of positive statement to the world.

I do think some statements should be made. A statement coming from the Mayor or city council is meaningless. There are some statements that could be made, but they would all come from the Muslem community that will be using this facility. I would like to hear these statements:

Statement One: We are citizens of the United States and support the freedoms espoused by this country and will fight any agressor trying to destroy those freedoms.

Statement Two: We abhor the events of 9/11. We fully reject the teaching and violence of Al Quaeda and all other Islamic extremist groups. None of those teachings will be tolerated in this building.

Statement Three: We will gladly submit any evidence to the authorities, that show these facilities as being used to recruit people to terrorist causes.

Statement Four: We love America and desire to use these facilities to make our community and the world a better place through the peaceful teachings of the Koran.

If I heard these statements I would feel better. One of the issues for me is not hearing the condemnation of Muslim extremists from other Muslims.

Here is what I have noticed about Muslim extremists – they hang out with each other, attend mosques, hate America, and adhere to a lifestyle based on the Koran. Obama is guilty of joining and attending  a Christian church for over 20 years, hung out with 60′s radicals, and belonged to liberal organizations. Does evidence even matter to the people making these accusations?

Why can’t we just disagree with Obama’s philosophy without trying to destroy the man and his family? He believes that the government is the best solution to social problems. So the government is getting bigger by the minute. He thinks professors make the best decision makers. So there is not much common sense being used to handle the nations problems. He is not a big believer in capitalism, but he does take a lot of nice vacations. The bottom line – not exactly the philosophy or lifestyle of Bin Laden.

Get a grip people. Stop attacking the man’s character and began offering common sense solutions to our problems. And by the way, help the economy by working harder and spending more.

Only in politics and the press is racism the supreme issue of the land. I am really getting sick of it. I am not saying that there is not a problem with race, there is, and always will be as long as people are different. Race has now become the lens that every issue is viewed through.

If one disagrees with Obama it is because of race. If an illegal immigrant is arrested it is because of race. The NAACP declared officially a couple of weeks ago that the Tea Party was racist. If this trend continues our country will never return to it’s greatness.

We need to change the tone and direction of the race discussion. I have a suggestion on where to start. Take race out of the census. The only question asked about the people living in a household was what color they were.

A final suggestion for everyone is to grow a spine. If the worst thing that happens is someone calls you a derogatory name, then life is really pretty good. It wasn’t that many generations ago that there were lynchings and slavery. This is no longer happening. Progress is being made toward reducing race discrimination with education and toleration continuing.

The most racist thing that can be done today is this – point your finger at another person or group and call them racist.

The following  is the recipe for military disaster and defeat. Never shoot first. Don’t shoot if there is a risk of collateral damage. Make a law against assassinating an evil leader of another country. Never torture a war prisoner, even if they have information that will save thousands of Americans lives. Do battle in a way that will make Americans be seen as kind and merciful to all the other countries in the world. Allow the press complete access to all military planning and actions. And of course, it is not fair that we have all those nuclear bombs.

I read the comments by the guy who tried to blow up Times Square with 3 bombs. He proudly pled guilty and called himself a Soldier of Islam and would kill as many American people, including children, as he could. This appears to be the feelings of a lot people around the world. Almost 10 years after 9/11, Bin Laden still spews his venom from the Pakistani mountains about destroying America.

What the hell is wrong with us? We won and ended WWII by dropping two atomic bombs that destroyed men, women, and children by the tens of thousands in Japan. Game over and maybe lives saved in the millions.

You don’t have to go back in history very far to see what happens when evil rulers declare death and destruction to other cultures. They usually start killing their own people before moving outside their borders. My question for every anti-war person – exactly, how many people must die before we act?

We are spending about $1 million per soldier in Afghanistan right now. And they are being taught to not shoot. A bill is in congress to offer a military award for standing down and not shooting. This is an award that will have to go to a lot of families, since the soldier will not be around to receive it.

Those wanting Americans to become more like Europeans are about to have their wishes come true. Our economy stinks, our military sucks, and our mantra will soon be surrender. The things that made America great are despised, and weakness is favored over strength.

America has a real enemy. For those still in denial, it is Militant Islam or whatever you want to call it. It is Al Qaeda, Hamas, Jihad, and a zillion more splinter groups all over the world. It is Iran. Their goal is unified and simple – world domination and the destruction of America and Israel. Listen to the sermons in the Mosques and you will get all the education you need.

Congress should make it official, declare war on our enemies that want us dead. Go back to the rules of engagement practiced during our last real military victory – WWII. No one wants collateral damage, but it is an ugly fact of war. Ending the war quickly will save more lives than our soldiers fighting with rubber bands in panties.

Some might question my criticism of the military. I am sick of hearing people say they support our soldiers just not the wars. It’s hard for me to take pride in a military that chooses to play nice rather than play to win. This may not be the soldiers choice, but it is reality.

Listening to the news, the big lesson from the BP oil spill is that humans hold the life or death of the earth in their hands. If we consume less, use  energy saving light bulbs, and switch from sprays to roll-ons, we could save the planet. Like Al Gore, I am not a scientist, but I believe this whole “save the earth” thing is a joke. It’s not that the believer’s are not sincere, it’s that they are mistaken.

I would compare the impact of humans on the earth to the impact of make-up on the face. We can make it look a little better, but we really don’t have a lot to do with the health and longevity of the earth. Whether you are a believer in a big God or the big bang, there is not much evidence that the destiny of the earth is in our hands.

I cringe when I hear people call the planet “Mother Earth”. If she is our mother then someone needs to charge her with child abuse. She is more destructive to mankind than anything mankind can do to her. Think of the hurricanes, volcanoes, floods, heat, cold, tornados, tsuamis, and the rest.

The oil spill in the gulf is a terrible tragedy to the people of the gulf but it will barely be a burp in the earth’s system. There could be a million oil spills in the gulf and it would still only be like a speck of oil in a glass of water.

If you really want to worry about the earth’s future, get a telescope and watch for a meteorite twice the size of earth heading for us on a collision course. Fear that gravity will fail us and we will fall off the perfect rotation around the sun. Or how about aliens from another world coming to suck out all the earth’s natural resources? Man using up the fossils for energy is just not going to do it.

I am for a cleaner earth. I want to do my share in reducing pollution, having beautiful white beaches, and picking up litter. The government should lead us to conserve and beautify not mandate behavior with laws and taxes. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) should not stand for Environmental Pain in our A_ _.

All hands on deck to stop the BP oil spill and do a total clean-up of the gulf region affected. Let’s use this as a chance to demonstrate once again how great this country is by meeting the emergency needs of it’s citizens. Do not use this as a chance for political posturing and bigger government.

The battle over the land of Israel or Palestine is nothing new. The entire Old Testament in the Bible is mainly about the land. God promised the land to Abraham, called Moses to lead the people to the land, and had King David establish Jerusalem as the capital of the nation and Jewish religion.

Israel’s history turned really sour when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Iraq today) captured the country and enslaved it’s citizens. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the beautiful Temple of God that King Solomon had built. This all happened over 2,500 years ago! I find it interesting that after the Persians (Iran today) had taken over Babylon, King Cyrus allowed the Jewish people to have their land back and rebuild their temple. the book of Ezra tells this story.

Have you ever heard of Jesus? Yeah, he was a Jew. After that little story of his death, burial, and resurrection the Jewish nation was destroyed and scattered the final time by the Romans. For 2000 years the Jewish race survived without a national home. Throughout their history their enemies have done everything they can to kill them all. Remember Hitler? So Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran, is not the first to call for the complete destruction of Israel.

The Old Testament foretold of the scattering of Israel and the ultimate return to the land in Ezekiel 37-39. On May 14, 1948 this prophecy was fulfilled, with the blessing of the United Nations, Israel declared their independence and ownership of the land. The Palestinians and other Arabs have battled them to this day.

Politically, Israel is our greatest ally. They have a democratic form of government and a free market economy.

The Bible has another prophecy about this area of the world – there will never be peace until Jesus returns. The last battle Armageddon will be fought there. This all  makes Helen Thomas and her comments seem a little small. Feel free to deny all this Bible stuff, but it is all pretty amazing.

George W Bush was the first president to suggest the two state solution for Israel and Palestine. This may happen some day but it will never solve the problem. The Arab world is determined to destroy Israel, regardless of any political solutions.

There are 25 Arab countries with their distinct religion and race. There is one small Jewish country with their own religion and race. Forget the religion thing, it seems logical that American would continue to support Israel.

Both the Christian and Islamic religions were birthed out of the Jewish faith. Christians are instructed to love their enemies and try to save all people. Muslims are instructed to kill their enemies. Makes one wonder why liberals are more supportive of Arab position.

I think I want to stay on Israel’s side.

BP employs over 80,000 Americans and has already lost $75 billion in value on the stock market. The cost of the clean-up with the inevitable parade of civil lawsuits is going to lead them into financial hell and maybe even bankruptcy. Why does Obama want to prosecute on top of the coming lawsuits?

I think the real issue here is that BP represents what the political left hates the most – a big oil company making big profit. With the ridiculous number of laws on the books, the government can punish whoever they choose. 40% of Americans will enjoy watching BP being punished.

Should their crime be compared to a drunk driver killing a kid on a bicycle, or getting a ticket for rolling through a stop sign? Will the government seek to imprison BP executives or just confiscate their money?

We can certainly expect less drilling and higher oil prices in the future. Other big oil companies should fear the long arm of the law as the government will be coming for them, too. 40% of the drilling in the gulf is done by foreign countries, including China and Cuba. I wonder if Obama will go after them?

The left will brag about how great it will be to run our cars on algae and electricity, while the economy goes the way of BP. Whether we like it or not, our economy is an oil based economy. Giving up oil is tantamount to giving up our way of life. Some even celebrate that possibility.

The government is doing it’s best to outlaw all accidents turning personal tragedy into goldmines for the lawyers. This may all come down to something as small as a 6 inch bolt being used in place of a 3 inch bolt. The bolt broke under unrealized pressure from being under a mile of water. One of the men who died on the rig may have put the bolt there thinking everything was fine.

Do you believe the executives sitting in a boardroom in London are actually agreeing to reduce oil drilling safety and standards to make more money? The government is utterly incompetent in dealing with this. At this point, it would not surprise me to see the government take over BP.

I believe in a free market. BP will have to face customers, shareholders, and lawsuits as part of the capitalist system. This will be the best response to any guilt that BP may have.

It’s time for cooler heads to prevail.

I will never forget how Elian was removed from his relatives house in Miami by gunpoint. The scared to death 6 year old kid was deported back to Cuba by the heavy hand of the United States Government. This was one of Janet Reno’s more famous actions while head of the Justice Department.

To refresh your memory, Elian was traveling with his mother and 13 others by a rickety boat from Cuba trying to get to Miami illegally. The boat sunk drowning 11, including Elian’s mother. The other 3 were rescued and Elian was given to his extended family in Miami. The family was able and desiring to take care of Elian. He was returned to his estranged father in Cuba after causing a huge stir.

Thinking about this and the current immigration crisis raises some questions. Is there a different immigration policy for Cuba and other countries as opposed to Mexico? If it was so important and lawful to return the 6 year old to Cuba, why is it so wrong to quickly deport any illegal from Mexico? Is there any application of the Elian ruling that would apply to our current Arizona mess?

Based on my recent traffic violations it would be easy to deport most illegals quickly. It is obvious that traffic violations is a great source of revenue for the government and they are really coming after us hard. In the last couple of months I have been given a violation for wearing headphones that cover both ears (In Illinois the law says you can have only one ear covered), not coming to a complete stop at a traffic light, and for not wearing a seatbelt. In each instance I was required to produce papers, my drivers license and proof of insurance.

I wonder what is happening when illegals are stopped for traffic violations? They don’t have paperwork and it is obvious that law enforcement in most states do not want to deport them. Do they still have to pay fines or are they free of that too? When I got my seatbelt ticket I was told it was mandatory. How do you give a ticket to a guy that does not have paperwork? Do you really think he is going to show up at court?

It angers me to get these ticky tack tickets and then hear the Officer say, “I’m sorry, but it is the law.” Then I say start enforcing whatever laws are on the books regarding illegal immigrants.

I propose a three step plan to solve the illegal immigration problem.

Step One – When stopped for traffic violations or other laws, arrest them if they cannot produce paperwork.

Step Two – Determine their citizenship status and if they are here illegally do the next step.

Step Three – If they are criminals from their country of origin, send them back right away. If they are law abiding and desirous to stay in the US, register them and provide an easier path to citizenship. Mainly, don’t expect them to come up with so much money.

By the way, I would have left Elian with his family in Miami.

For background, I made a legal right turn on red, but I did not completely stop at the white line. This infraction was caught on camera. The Illinois law says you should stop and then “creep” forward. I guess you would also be guilty if you hopped or jumped forward. Here is my letter to the mayor:

Mayor Pradel –

I attended the administrative hearing for red light tickets Saturday. I don’t know the best word to describe it – pathetic, disgraceful, or shameful. The city did well by raking in over $10,000 in one sunny afternoon. Imagine the number of people who just paid the fine by mail. I watched every video and it was clear that no one jeopardized safety, no one ran a red light. All were guilty of not coming to a complete stop at the white line. Even though the Hearing Officer compared the infraction to a parking ticket, the fine is $100.

I broke the law at Ogden and Aurora. I go through this intersection 10 times a day or more. It is the closest intersection to my house. I buy gas at Speedway, I rent cars at Enterprise, I use the Post Office, I will be seeing my dentist (Dr Lakota) Tuesday, his office is next to Jewell where I buy groceries. The car I was driving was purchased new at Gerald Nissan just north of the light (you could see it in the video). In the 15 years of my residency I would estimate I have been through that intersection over 25,000 times. I have purchased State Farm Auto Insurance for 37 years and have never had an accident. You could send me to bankruptcy if you fined me for every time I failed to completely stop at that white line.

I was initially in favor of the red light cameras. Many traffic fatalities are caused by someone running a red light. The government has turned a valid safety issue into a cash register. I should have known the government would abuse their authority to get more money. Throughout this recession I have said that government is not in economic crisis. They will not be in crisis until the citizens are out of money.

This is not a safety issue. I’ve read the stats about how red light cameras have reduced accidents, injuries, etc. I don’t trust those stats. I think $4 per gallon gas had more to do with reduced traffic patterns than cameras. Hopefully, the council will honestly debate those questions.

You voted for this system. Maybe, like me, you see it was a mistake. Many towns are taking these cameras down. I ask you to do the same.

I will quietly pay my fine if you will lead the council to remove these abusive instruments. If not, I will take the following steps:

1. Stop purchasing products/services in Naperville and encourage others to do the same.
2. Inform the businesses at the Ogden/Aurora intersection of this decision and enlist their support.
3. Create a blog and further promote the issue through social media.
4. Vote against the politicians who maintain support of red light cameras.

This is a small issue but it’s reflective of a larger one. This country was founded on the principle of limited government. If you are willing to film citizens at red lights, what is next? I have always read about local politics and voted, but now I will be more active. It is clear why the tea party movement is growing.

You have been a wonderful Mayor through the years. I hope you will do the right thing. I welcome your response and thanks for listening.