July 5, 2006

Today, we offer a tasty stew of politics: the federal jury deliberating the City Hall hiring scandal, what the Cook County Board has in common with Syria, and a recipe encore for delectable smoked peppers. Mmmm! Thanks, readers.

The verdict in the City Hall patronage trial will be Not Guilty! How else can it be with a union member and the father of a fire captain on the jury? You do not get these jobs without clout--either your own clout or your parents'. S.G.

Dear S.G.--You forgot to mention the juror who lives and works in the 11th Ward. And you've got company among readers who worry. Since Illinois is a cesspool of corruption, such skepticism is natural. But I wouldn't disparage any of the jurors, and I think you're wrong about them. They paid attention through a long trial. They took notes. And the evidence put on by the federal prosecutors was simply outstanding. Despite what some City Hall apologists are saying, the evidence was detailed and exhaustive, proving the Daley administration rigged job tests and interviews, willingly, to violate federal court orders to build the new patronage machine. A guilty verdict would terrify City Hall, because a guilty verdict may allow prosecutors to invoke racketeering laws and go after the real architects of all those big political/government deals that were ignored years ago. These architects needed field officers, and those officers are being judged today in the federal building. I don't know what the verdict will be. Prosecutors and the FBI have done a remarkable job. And I figure the jurors will do their jobs too.

I can't help but see similarities between the issue surrounding John Stroger and the death of Generalissimo Franco in 1975. Is Mr. Stroger really still alive? The next historical analogy can only be to Bashar Assad's ascendance to the presidency of Syria upon the death of his father. If this weren't such serious business, it would be fodder for Second City. Haven't the powers that be any sense of dignity or of doing what is in the taxpayers' interests? R.B.

Dear R.B.--To your last question, the answer is no. As to the rest, I'm no expert in who runs patronage in Madrid or Damascus. Does the 11th Ward reach that far?

I was reading your column on the mooselesters on the way to work, and the cabdriver thought I was nuts. Then we passed the anatomically correct Moose statue itself, and I started to think of other names for the Moose. There may even be a Christmas song for this moose. Think "Silver Bells," almost. J.L.

Dear J.L.--Sorry, but I couldn't print the other names. Sing as you please, but please don't touch.

Isn't it about time for an independent candidate to start talking about running for mayor? And I don't mean Jesse Jackson Jr. or some other toady. Well, just asking. B.D.

Dear B.D.--I wouldn't mind maintaining Chicago's tradition of electing proud Americans of Irish descent to the 5th floor of City Hall, as long as it's Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick Collins, and he'll need to keep his federal job too. Or, why not throw out another name just for the heck of it: Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th)? She has integrity, she's African-American, a Hyde Park liberal, reasonable. The others would try to eat her alive. Unless, of course, she asked U.S. Atty. Patrick Fitzgerald to double-dip as her acting purchasing agent. Second City would have fun with that one.

It seems only just that the Democratic Party's nominee for president of the Cook County Board should be Commissioner Forrest Claypool, regardless of the personal feelings of the 80 Democratic committeemen who will decide the party's next nominee. J.C.

Dear J.C.--Only one problem. The 80 Democratic committeemen don't have much to say. This is Chicago, and Rich Daley is the boss. I wanted to reconsider Claypool, since he was so opposed to waste and corruption under Stroger. But he never once opened his mouth about all the waste at City Hall during the years when he was Daley's chief of staff and head of the Park District. Perhaps he did and I missed the news conference.

John, your Dragon Turd recipe was among the best recipes I have ever tried. I made 50 Dragon Turds and fed them to my friends at the Indiana Harbor Yacht Club. I almost burned the place down from the heat, and we quaffed quite a bit of beer. Also, you have me looking to buy a smoker. Thanks. B.G.

Dear B.G.--Is there anything more sublime on the tongue of man than a Dragon Turd and a cold beer? A jalapeno pepper cored and seeded, stuffed with spicy sausage, wrapped in thick bacon (secured with toothpicks) and set on a wood smoker, to be cooked low and slow, a chunk of hickory on the coals. But the credit does not belong to me. It belongs to Chicago's professor of ribs, Gary Wiviott. He introduced me to this delight. You can pay him a visit and learn about using a wood smoker at wiviott.com.

jskass@tribune.com