Party Poopers

Tom Shafer, local muckraker, gun nut, talk-show host, and all-around Renaissance man, has been attending the Blagojevich impeachment hearings since they began. At the SCRA meeting Monday night, he reported on those hearings (If you listen to Lars Larson's national show, you've probably heard Tom reporting for him, too) and shared a few glimpses of how silly life has really gotten. For one thing, he describes being searched and having his briefcase searched each time he enters the hearing room. He also told us the tale of the printed rules passed out to everyone who enters, including such paraphrased gems as:

*Do not laugh or cheer loudly during the impeachment hearings.
*Do not dance or make other physical displays during the impeachment hearings.
*Do not display signs, placards, projections or television screens during the impeachment hearings (we're looking at you here, Shafer.)

Should people really have to be told not to cheer and dance at an impeachment hearing? Well, emotions run close to the surface when it comes to Blagojevich.

In other news, it appears that I'm going to have to admit that I was wrong. I underestimated Roland Burris' desire to put his name on the list of Illinois Senators at any cost. The man is willing to throw his reputation away to get there, and that's what he's done. It looks like it's going to work. The Democratic leadership in the Senate has switched from talking about Blagojevich and his taint (hey, they said it, not me) to claiming that it's a simple paperwork matter--Burris simply doesn't have the certification he needs from Secretary of State Jesse White. Since it seems White will have to provide that sooner or later, it looks like they're laying the groundwork to say "Well, we're still not happy, but what can we do?" and let Burris take his seat.