Here's a thought.

By Jerry McConnell

Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL, the 2nd highest ranking Democrat in the U. S. Senate spoke on the evening TV news about how wonderful it is going to be to bring the Guantanamo prisoners of war to the United States for their trials and possible imprisonment. He emphasized that his great state of Illinois, the state with all those "different" politicians (my comment, not his) would be very happy to have them reside there.

As he spoke I had a very strong bipartisan wave come across me and felt I should show this very high ranking liberal Democrat that as a very low ranking conservative that I could support his plea for these wonderful Islamic, peace-loving prisoners to reside in his state while they were in this country; if, in fact, we MUST do it at all as the president insists.

Please know that this endorsement of Durbin's heart-felt plea to house these prisoners in the great state of Illinois, and hopefully in the pristine city of Chicago home of the country's "different" politicians, is not an approval of bringing them anywhere within 500 miles of our borders. No, I feel that Gitmo, as Guantanamo is known, is an ideal place which has been completely renovated and designed as a virtual shrine for an Islamic peace teaching vista, and I would prefer that they remain there. But president Obama feels that the integration of these gentle, pleasant, clean-cut, souls would be good for the United States.

So in the interests of bipartisanship I pass this along and ask each and every one to agree that if these prisoners MUST come to this country and there is no way of stopping it, then allow them ALL to be housed in Illinois, under the caretaker status of Senator Richard Durbin, the Majority Whip of the United States Senate.

I feel sure that the other 49 states will be happy to allow their share of any of these prisoners to be taken care of by the great and wonderful state of Illinois and Senator Durbin.

So let this message go to all of our wonderful United States for approval from the residents therein to give up the honor and privilege of housing these people in deference to the State of Illinois in the interests of bipartisanship.

All those in agreement are asked to show their name and state below and pass it on to as many people as you know within your own state and on to friends in other states with the hope that the last State will be those generous Illinoisians.

Jerry McConnell,

Jerry McConnell is a long time New Hampshire resident, a Marine veteren of Iwo Jima, and a published novelist. He resides in Hampton New Hampshire