A report on Fox 2 this morning briefly explained new charges being filed against a member of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's staff, allegedly for accepting a bribe of $10,000 as part of the sale of a piece of property owned by the city.

The newscaster used the phrase, "to move the sale forward," in describing the reason for the alleged payoff.

Now, that's the best description and truthful analysis of Kwame's repeated mantra of "moving the city forward." 

I hope politicians stop with the "move the city forward" promises, as it is completely bogus and says nothing at all. I've been hearing a lot of it about Pontiac, and I'm not buying it.

Readers are intensely interested in the tragic death of a store security officer at the Kmart in Waterford Township last week, continuing the debate on stories about the couple who was arrested starting their journey through the courts.

Many debate whether this couple — Samantha Lorraine Lomasney, 20, and James Dean Woodworth, 39 —should face first-degree murder charges. 

Some people point out if the victim, Greg Wainio, 36, had not chased after them, there would have been no death. He grabbed onto their escaping vehicle and was injured when it struck objects in the parking lot, killing him.

Sorry, that logic (that they shouldn't face murder charges) doesn't work here.

This case is exactly why the felony murder statute exists.

Generally, first-degree murder requires an intent to kill, a plan or at least the intention to kill. Getting inside the mind of someone (perhaps who is in a rage) is a tricky thing for a jury. They can debate first-degree or second-degree murder and sometimes even look at manslaughter. The difference is huge for a defendant and for society. Is there a chance at release from prison?

But society does not want thieves who kill, even if they did not intend to kill. To eliminate those threats and also to discourage such behavior, many states like Michigan have implemented felony murder statutes.

For certain crimes, such as unarmed robbery, we do not need to know the intent when the homicide occurred.

And that is a good thing.

So first-degree felony murder is the charge the couple from Pontiac faces, and if convicted, they will receive the mandatory life-without-parole sentence. They will not get out of prison, even if their plan was only to steal some CDs and score some heroin, as police have said they indicated.

That's why you shouldn't commit felony crimes, because someone might get hurt.

And Wainio was a man who valued his job and had enough self-respect to try to do a good job. His duty was to protect the property of Kmart, and he was trying to do just that when he was killed.

Society should not tolerate a man like him being killed like this, and it looks like Oakland County will not tolerate it.

I like Sarah Palin going to Fox News, not because I'll watch, but
because I think it'll be the start of a beautiful friendship.
It's not a coincidence that news also crossed the wire later Monday
that Simon Cowell was leaving Fox's 'American Idol.'
This first year on Fox News is merely a test run, an audition, for
the real gig. Sure it only lasts a couple or few months of the year,
but American Idol brings in 30-plus million viewers a show, twice a
week.
Palin is a star, that's undeniable.
Why aim for the presidency? That world of politics only brings out
her flaws because she has to play nice with others and she's not all
the friendly and open. (She could use some lessons from L. Brooks
Patterson on getting in front of stories and using the humor both to
deflate criticism of her and to bolster her criticism of others; she
seems completely humorless.)
However, that would be perfect for replacing snarky Simon on American
Idol, and it could give what might be a dying show a fresh outlook
and legs to dominate late into the decade.
It's either that or late night show for her and that would be oh so
tiring.

I've heard of 'roid rage, the uncontrollable anger that steroid
abusers apparently may experience over time.
But, judging from the interview excerpts I've endured since
yesterday, I now wonder do steroids turn one into a crybaby, or cause
some similar emotional problem.
My, my, I'm trying to say anything about growing a pair.
I must say that calling the admission the hardest thing he has ever
done makes me wonder, would Mark McGwire rather have kept the lie going?
Someone had to have told him he has to come clean and admit what
apparently everyone else has known for a long, long time — that the
one-time home run king was a fraud.
Seems like if he was really coming clean, then admitting it would
lift the great weight of guilt off his once hefty shoulders.
But no, the former St. Louis Cardinal hates to admit what he did
because he can no longer even lie to himself that what he did on the
field was great or worth anything.
If living with this lie for more than a decade or two was easier than
admitting it, then it looks like steroid abuse can also cause delusions.

OK, at least the former governor of Illinois admits it, but still, I can't believe it.

Disgraced and ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared himself "blacker than Barack Obama."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, apparently discussed Obama's skin color and accent in assessing the then-candidate in a private discussion, something that has come up in a book.

Nowadays, letting anything about race come out of your mouth is a bad idea, so I'm not saying Reid was right. 

However, in terms of stupidity, I think the former governor wins this one, partially giving him the victory based on his prior problems and figuring that saying such a thing makes him more reality TV personality than a true political player.