Abortion is a surgical procedure, one with physical and emotional ramifications. We would not deny a parent’s role in any other area of a child’s health care. That is why we were prepared to welcome the decision Wednesday of the state’s Medical Disciplinary Board, which did not extend a 90-day grace period on the parental notification law and cleared the way for its enforcement at long last. But it wasn’t to be.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon for Thursday, Nov. 5.

In May, I wrote a light-hearted column about swine flu. I said I felt silly for worrying about the virus and concluded that it was really nothing to be concerned about. And I think most of the world came to the same conclusion as I did. After the initial flurry of fear when the virus emerged in the spring, H1N1 faded from the spotlight over the summer as our national attention turned to more important things like Jon and Kate’s divorce.

The campaign finance reform bill passed last month is far from perfect, but it’s better than what lawmakers came up with during the spring session and better than what was suggested as the fall veto session started. Illinois deserves better. But considering we’ve gone from no limits to reasonable limits on everyone but party leaders during the general election, we think Gov. Pat Quinn should sign the legislation.

Months into this health care reform debate, and the disconnects with reality continue to confound. We are neither endorsing nor rejecting anybody's health care bill. What we wish to explore instead in this piece are the inconsistencies and contradictions that many members of the U.S. public and those they elect to represent them continue to espouse as Congress approaches this historic vote on just how universal health care ought to be in this nation.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon for Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Andy McKenna, one of the Republican governor candidates in the February GOP primary, is getting national exposure from his clever campaign commercial that talks about the culture of “the hair,” featuring everyone from babies to garbagemen wearing Rod Blagojevich wigs. No explanation is needed about what the culture of “the hair” means — it’s the corruption symbolized by Blagojevich’s dreaded locks.

The Free Flow of Information Act, the federal shield law for journalists, looks like it’s back on track after nearly being derailed by objections from the White House last month. The law would provide limited protection to journalists who receive information from government whistle-blowers and other anonymous sources.

The campaign finance reform bill passed by the Illinois General Assembly last week has been decried by some as “a crock,” “phony,” “a meaningless compromise” and “a farce.” The reform organizations that signed on were accused of being “bought out.” While recognizing that the bill failed to sever the financial umbilical cord between members and their leaders, we urge Gov. Pat Quinn to sign it.

Chris Britt's editorial cartoon for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

So the recession is over. Huzzah! And the peasants rejoice! If that sounds sour, it is. I'm not feeling recovered.

Before sentencing Ali S. al-Marri for committing the crime of aiding a terrorist organization in imperiling this nation, Federal Judge Michael Mihm explained Thursday - to the defendant and to America - that "I take very seriously this mandate of providing a just punishment. The weight of that decision stays with me after you leave." So in giving al-Marri the maximum prison time allowable, minus time served and a little extra for the harshness of his treatment while in confinement, did Mihm achieve his goal and meet his responsibility of administering justice?

Quick, who is the Illinois Lieutenant Governor? It’s a trick question, because at this moment the office is vacant. The state’s No. 2 executive post has been empty since January, and perhaps that is a point worth discussing. It’s a redundancy in our government that Illinois simply cannot afford in light of its ongoing state budget crisis.

State lawmakers wrapped up their annual fall veto session on Friday, and they certainly don't have much to show for their efforts. If anything, the last couple weeks have been an exercise in dodging tough choices in Springfield. So it should come as no surprise that certainly nothing was done to fix the still-imploding - and still woefully unbalanced - state budget and little was done to improve the ethical climate of Illinois.

The weeks before Halloween, the Little Man had whittled his list of costume ideas from approximately 3 million down to two: Spider-Man, which had been his costume for the previous two years, and Train Engineer.