Fever Mystery Solved.
Remember not long ago when I was hospitalized while physicians probed the cause of a mysterious fever…which began promptly at 4 p.m. every afternoon with chills and continued until bedtime where, as I slept, the fever passed and I would awake drenched in sweat? It was like the TV series “House” as everyone from infectious disease specialists to general practitioners to interns reporting on the symptoms for their med school exams, to nurses who volunteered to guess, to medical residents who took notes…all these things. But all they could do for me practically was to pile more blankets on me when I trembled with the cold and take them off one by one as I perspired. Where, I prayed, was Dr. House?
I was finally discharged and directed to go to a physician who would take a bone marrow specimen which might possibly point to leukemia among other things. But on the day I appeared in his office, my blood test was normal and the bone marrow deferred. Now, what caused it all? And who discovered the cause of the mysterious fevers?
What caused it was my internal reaction to a medicine given me weeks earlier—to bolster the iron content in my blood as I am incorrigibly anemic. And who discovered it was Lillian Roeser, my good wife. ..who has no medical degree but a bachelor’s in English (with honors) from Loyola—which she earned after raising her children and becoming a grandmother. No medical detective but an observant wife, she deduced that I did not have these periods of freezing and sweating until I was on the iron regimen. Doctors at the hospital discounted it but on her insistence took me off the pill. Days later after the dastardly effect wore off, I was okay: the first day being when I visited the guy for the bone marrow. Specifically, what I was allergic to was Red Dye #40 with which the tablets were impregnated.
We are negotiating with Fox for Lillian to do a series of cameos on the show for big-big bucks—which will allow me to live a life of luxury with her that I knew I was always meant for. Our children and grandchildren now call her “Dr. House.” Just shows you the perspicacity of wives…especially after they have been married to a medical specimen for almost 50 years.
Memo Addendum on Bernardin.
Two of my readers deduced that…in my coverage of Alderman Burke and his fictitious eulogy of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin…I had him dying of AIDS. One in fact gave me a distinct version of hell by declaring that I am in need of repentance. In fact I never wrote this: The ex-seminarian Steven Cook did die of AIDS but where and how he contracted it is anyone’s guess. What I did was to quote Paul Likoudis who reported quite correctly that…contrary to myth…Cook did not repudiate his earlier testimony but that after prolonged negotiation with archdiocesan lawyers averred that he did not trust his memory—after which settlement the records were sealed. Bernardin did visit Cook in a highly publicized event and “forgave” him…similar to the visit made by John Paul II to his intended assassin, Mehmet Aci Agca, in jail and forgave him.
Quinn’s Intended Tax Hike?
There is little doubt that (a) Gov. Pat Quinn will massage the media with dire tales of Illinois red ink…seemingly changing for the worse by the day…that he will be pictured as being “forced”—utterly “forced”—to recommend an income tax hike. While the media’s symphony strings quiver in the background trembling with the notion of the poor who will be turned out in the snow, it is obvious he’s going to ask for it. But now the rumor has started…not by the pro-Quinn media certainly…that (b) he will ask for a “progressive income tax,” and putting the matter on the ballot, so as to underscore his populist credentials.
Presumably legislative Republicans to a person will oppose…although I’m not sure about that…but Democrats, of course, will be expected to go along with few exceptions. Anyhow, the media serenade will largely support the proposal originally recommended by Karl Marx (to the distaste of today’s liberals) “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”—the argument that has colored liberalism since the days of Franklin Roosevelt.
Illinois being such a stridently Democratic state, the predictions made by those who see advantage for Lisa Madigan in this, may not come to pass. Her almost belligerently aggressive stage poppa is reported to think that Quinn will be maimed by asking for the tax hike and that, by opposing him in the primary, his dimpled darling can capitalize on it. I dare to think otherwise. If Lisa doesn’t endorse the tax hike, she will not do all that well in a Democratic primary which is so inured to justify them in behalf of “social needs” etc. etc. If she does, there will not be any difference between her and Quinn. Her only hope…if she enters the primary at all…is that Quinn will have encountered rocky times as governor (corruption, misfeasance et al) to which she will show a bright contrast. At least that’s how I see it. But what do I know? All I know is her father’s golden rule: Do unto others before they do you.
In summary, I think you can count on Quinn proposing a “progressive” income tax.
Burris and the Race Card.
Roland Burris hired the adroit and smooth Del Marie Cobb as his p.r. maven: an almost certain indication that this aggressively, unrealistically egotistical little man with the elevator shoes that cause him to rise to 5-foot-six will do what Burris has done for a living: run-run-run. Cobb will work in tandem with him as the duo plays the race card. On “Chicago Tonight” hosted by the feminist Carol Marin and attended by the limp, liberal Jim Warren, formerly of the “Tribune” but not now, thank God…
…the high point of his service as Washington columnist being that he criticized Cokie Roberts for compromising her journalism by accepting speaking honoraria: a criticism that Warren dropped after he got some speaking offers himself. He is now fittingly situated on clown-buffoon Chris Matthews’ MSNBC (you remember Matthews, whose latest escapade was exclaiming “oh God!” on mike when Bobby Jindal appeared to answer Matthews’ unmanly-appearing love, Obama whom he earlier said caused a tingle to run up his leg).
Under patronizing non-examination by Marin and Warren, Cobb got away with a good deal that was unchallenged…including the stated reason that Burris lied because he has been out of public life for a few years and so doesn’t understand about 24-hour all-news cable: as if that’s a rationale for his failing to tell the impeachment committee he lobbied aggressively for the job and offered to raise money for Blago in an intended quid-pro-quo which didn’t work because Blago was too toxic.
Cobb zinged Dick Durbin (nothing wrong with that on general principles but for the one thing he probably shouldn’t be accused of) for “blindsiding” Burris—as if Burris hasn’t blindsided himself…which to Cobb meant Durbin telling the media that Burris should resign (a novel definition of “blind-siding”). Of course Cobb was un-contradicted specifically by Marin and Warren.
Take this down as gospel: Burris will not leave the Senate voluntarily. The only way he can leave is to be ejected by vote of the body as was Republican Billy Lorimer of Illinois in 1911—and the Senate is far too concerned about being called racist to do this. So Burris will stay and Burris will run for election. The duo that runs Democratic politics in the state, Mayor Daley and Speaker Madigan, are aiding the candidacy of Cheryl Jackson of the Urban League so that she can siphon off black votes from Burris. This possible train-wreck can bode well for Republicans if for no other reason than Illinoisans might be heartily sick of the Democratic party’s inability to govern. My candidate is Peter Roskam but I imagine he will not run since he is inured to being a lifer in the House (and is pleased with his membership on Ways and Means). I think it’s pretty clear that Mark Kirk will try it.
Fortunately, you cannot libel the dead.
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