I used to live there.

Springfield, IL... currently the scandalous center of the world used to be my home. Yep.
I even brushed shoulders with
THIS MAN once.











Just before I left the deeply corrupted state of Illinois I was working for the Auditor General's office part-time. About every other day we delivered thousands of pages worth of reports to representatives, officers and then Governor Rob Blagojevich's office (and yes I can pronounce his name correctly). We were just inside the security doors in the basement of the Capitol picking up items from the print shop when "Blago" stepped in. He smiled, winked, waved and even shook a few guys hands (not mine) as he passed by us on his way in for the day. That was my one encounter with the newly ousted fellow. I did hear him speak at the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum as well but that day he was greatly overshadowed by then President George W. Bush and a Freshman Senator from Illinois with great ambition by the name of Barack Obama.

So there ya go. I've encountered the guy who's been impeached by an ALL to NONE vote in the Illinois Senate. This Chicago Tribune write up calls it a historic impeachment vote. With all the history of late, I'd hardly like to credit Mr. Blagojevich with making history at all. I do hope, however, in all of this he is humbled and sees the pain he's caused his family and the emberassment he's brought to his state. But at current I believe he still holds that he did nothing wrong.

May we all continue to learn the dangers we will encounter if we live our lives in secret, planning and scheming for our own promotion. I would love to see our government become more transparent like our new President promises. Even more so, I'd like to see it happen among neighbors, friends and families.