No doubt Elmo had good intentions. The Muppets have filled our homes with plenty of good laughs and good times over the years. The Muppet movies are worth investing the 90 minutes of time to watch the illustrious Kermit the Frog and friends seek a life of fame and fortune. 

The seemingly never ending efforts to keep Donald Trump from regaining a return to his temporary residence at the White House got personal in Illiinois this week. The Chicago Tribune alerted us that Cook County Judge Judge Tracie Porter has ruled that the former president should have his name struck from the March 19 Illinois Republican primary ballot.

Under the guise of protecting the “civil rights” of students, the Biden administration unveiled a new regulation purporting to force government schools nationwide to bow before all the invented “gender identities” and sexual perversions that now dominate the “education” system. The rule would also purport to overturn state laws banning males in girls’ sports. 

Movie buffs will recognize the title of this article as also being the title of a movie from 1993 starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. The two aging retirees were next-door neighbors. Living in Wabasha, Minnesota, the two feuded constantly. While living alone, they seem to find joy in ice fishing, trading insults, and playing practical jokes on each other. 

Residents in cities across the United States are justifiably upset that their recently closed facilities are now being used by illegal immigrants at no charge to the immigrants. Adding to the frustration, these taxpayer-funded schools, health care clinics, and community recreation centers in low-income neighborhoods have been shut down largely because of city leaders’ fiscal irresponsibility.

“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound-that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost but now am found. . . .” These opening words from John Newton’s famous gospel song acknowledge the reality of our lost condition without Jesus Christ.

February has some interesting distinctives. Back in the olden days (when I was growing up), we celebrated TWO presidential birthdays this month: Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s. Now we celebrate only one—a generic President’s Day for our Monday holiday benefit. 

A recent news story by Chicago’s WGN9 is titled “Illinois is Failing Children of Color.” It examines  “Race for Results” –a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation which found that children of color face several “inequities” in Illinois.

Why are local elections so uninteresting to voters? Local elections in Illinois generally draw about 16% of registered voters. This is compared to the average turnout over the last 20 years for presidential elections in Illinois of 63% and the average turnout in the off-year elections of 44%.

Being the Speaker of the House of Representatives puts you into the credibility circle. This important role, as with any political leader, gives rise to all sorts of questions exceeding the focus of the job at hand. Often, such questions come with an agenda.

Perhaps you’ve never heard of Allie Phillips. She is one to keep your eye on. Her story may help determine the fate of babies in Tennessee and elsewhere. 

In part one of this article,, we looked at a brief recently filed by 21 attorneys general from around the country. The attorneys general are urging the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to strike down a commonsense Idaho law that would keep boys out of girls' bathrooms, and among the brief’s signatories is Illinois' own Kwame Raoul. One sentence in the brief stood out in particular, as it compared "transgender" youth to their "cisgender counterparts."

How we spend our time and money reveals what we care about. That principle applies not only to individuals, but to groups, to corporations, to governments. What people say means very little. It’s what they do that counts.

Illinois, your attorney general is trying to defeat an Idaho law that would keep boys out of girls' bathrooms.

It's been about 18 months since Dobbs was handed down, and I still remember the elation mixed with near-disbelief that I felt when I first heard the news. As with many of the most important memories in life, I even remember where I was when I was told—standing in the dining room of a summer retreat center on a sunny June day.