Charen in other world

To the Editor:

Clearly, syndicated columnist Mona Charen is living in a parallel universe, one of bizarre, self-protective logic. Kathleen Parker is one of the three usual suspects, err, conservative columnists for The Southern Illinoisan - Charen, Parker and Ann C-- (as a religious principle, my keyboard refuses to type out Miss C--'s name) - recognized the pitfalls of Sarah Palin for the Republican Party, for McCain and for the country. In a column appearing in The Southern, she suggested Palin might resign. For her sin of logic, she reported, she reaped the whirlwind from her outrage-spitting, eyeball-bulging, threat-hurling, angry readers.

Charen's watchword, however, is "the war continues and the ticket was good." She further asserts that voters for Obama are merely race-conscious, conscience salvers who are part of a greater than 65 million-large bunch of toadying toads who put race above country.

Atta girl, Mona! Heaven forbid that Obama supporters, including the 11 percent of them who were Republicans (according to the Charlie Cook Report), actually did the scandalous deed because they felt Obama was the best candidate - or at least better than the Republican alternative ticket "at this time, in this place."

Mona, some people care more about country than party. Such a consideration obviously eludes you.

Stuart Fischoff, Ph.D., Carbondale

Work needed for legal reform

To the Editor:

The 2008 election is in the books and, for the most part last Tuesday was a fairly good day for incumbents because the balance of power in both the Illinois House and Senate did not change.

But moving forward, there will be some different individuals serving in important leadership roles in the Legislature because both parties in the Illinois Senate will soon be electing new legislative leaders. This change in leadership could have significant implications in legislative priorities, at least as far as the Illinois Senate is concerned.

One priority that is often ignored is the need for meaningful legal reform in Illinois. In recent years, common sense legal reforms have hit a stone wall in the Illinois Senate. So as Illinois' senators select the next leaders of their respective parties, they should consider where the various candidates for these leadership roles stand on civil justice issues.

After all, according to a recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Harris Interactive, Illinois is the fifth-worst state in the nation for legal fairness. Directorship magazine and the American Justice Partnership Foundation's 2008 Boardroom Guide to State Litigation Climates ranks Illinois' litigation climate dead last in the country.

Clearly, Illinois needs legal reform, but if our lawmakers do not hear from us, they will not act. It is time for concerned citizens to get involved at the grassroots level to bring common sense back to our courts. Log onto www.illawsuitabusewatch.org and join the fight to change Illinois' sue-happy culture. Standing together, we can and will make a difference.

Travis Akin

Executive Director

Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch, Marion