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Message from the Keyes campaign
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller
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Too funny
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller Just moments before the ABC-7 TV crew arrived to film the story about allegedly lax security at the James R. Thompson Center, security guards magically showed up at their posts.
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More on the security situation
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller The governor’s director of homeland security, Carl Hawkinson, e-mailed a few minutes ago: I am advised that all floors At JRTC are covered by Security JRTC is the James R. Thompson Center. But the type of security coverage at the JRTC is unnerving to some, including Secretary of State Jesse White. “We have some concerns.” said White’s spokesman Dave Druker. “No disrespect to Mr. Hawkinson, but I don’t think we have seen that,” Druker said about security covering all floors. The security guys aren’t stationed at specific spots checking identification, like they were before, and that may be creating a hole in the system. “The problem,” Druker said, “is that peple can really move around the building unnoticed, without checking in at any location.” White’s concerns were so great that he, “brought a security guard to cover our area on the 5th floor.” Other constitutional officers without their own police forces aren’t so lucky. “It is unbelievable,” said a top aide to one CO. “You go up to (the governor’s) office and there is a metal detector and guards and everything. We are completely exposed.”
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Security complaints
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller State workers arrived to the James R. Thompson Center this morning to discover that the security guards were missing. Considering the shooting at the Statehouse last month, the election is tomorrow and Osama bin Laden just cut another videotape, some people were a bit freaked out. It doesn’t help morale, either, that the governor still has guards standing in front of his office while the other offices are exposed. Here’s an explanation from within the governor’s office (I just got back from the dentist and cannot talk, so this was via e-mail. More tomorrow): “The contract with the security company ended last week and ISP (the Illinois State Police) is going to take over. For now, ISP has officers detailed to every floor and others who are roaming the building.” The coppers aren’t very visible, however, which is what seems to be upsetting so many people. The previous security guards were at their stations (and they’re still at their stations in front of the guv’s office), so people could see them. Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s press spokesperson had this to say: “At a time when most government buildings are evaluating their security and becoming more secure, it concerns us that a level of security in the Thompson Center has been removed. It is critical that the public be able to access our offices, but it is also critical that the state employees who work here feel secure. We expect and want people to be able to come into our offices, but that requires taking some common-sense steps on our part.” Translation: We’re not happy about this. UPDATE: A friend of mine who works at the Thompson Center claims she hasn’t seen any state cops today.
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Oops
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller The Alan Keyes campaign really knows how to target its limited funds. Over the weekend, Keyes placed inserts in at least two downstate papers that I know of (Peoria and Belleville) which included absentee ballot applications. The application deadline has long past.
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A bit much
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller Not content with attempting to defeat Democrat Gordon Maag in the Supreme Court race, the Illinois Civil Justice League now wants him to lose his appellate justice job (as referenced in this morning’s Capitol Fax): The Illinois Civil Justice League is urging Fifth Judicial voters to vote “no” on Judge Gordon Maag’s effort to be retained to another term on the Appellate Court, in addition to voting against him in the race for the Supreme Court. Those ICJL guys are so pleasant.
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Hotline
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller From a Common Cause IL press release: Common Cause Illinois (CC/IL) in conjunction with national Common Cause has set up a toll-free “hotline” for Illinois voters to locate their polling place as well as to be able to report problems they may incur on election day while attempting to vote.
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I don’t even want to think about it
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly’s blog reminds us that a lot of states were close during the presidential election four years ago, and then predicts lots of lawyers in the nation’s very near electoral future.
And he finishes with this: The only reason the bottom three states weren’t litigated was because Bush didn’t need them. This year, my guess is that everything will be in play.
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Monday morning wrap-up
Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - Posted by Rich Miller The Rockford Register-Star takes a big whack at Governor Rod Blagojevich today for promoting his prescription drug import plan while the state’s public schools are left to rot: Across the state, school boards and district administrators are feeling sick. All that red ink they face in their budgets is enough to make them ill. Indeed, some districts are fighting for their lives. That’s a very good point. The governor loves to paint himself as fighting courageous battles while big problems are allowed to burn in the background. Everybody seems to run stories about Alan Keyes saying he might just stay in Illinois after the election is over (God forbid). Here’s the Sun-Times version: Republican Alan Keyes opened up with both barrels Sunday, blasting Democratic front-runner Barack Obama for taking “the wicked and evil position” on issues such as abortion and vowing to stay in Illinois to rebuild the tattered Republican Party — whether he wins or loses Tuesday. No, Alan, you are history. Scat. Here’s a bit from the Tribune’s story: “Any Roman Catholics who vote for Barack Obama are committing, in the opinion of the pope and the Holy See [Vatican City], a mortal sin,” Keyes told reporters after a Crusaders Ministries service on the South Side. “He stands for the destruction of innocent life. He stands against the respect for the male-female family. On embryonic stem-cell research, on all the key issues of conscience, he stands for the position that has been identified by the Catholic Church as objectively evil. And the State Journal-Register runs an AP story with this Obama reaction: “That’s sort of his schtick, and I don’t think it’s playing particularly well here in Illinois, and I suspect that after Tuesday he’ll be taking his show on the road.” Meanwhile, the Alton Telegraph has a story about medical malpractice legislation in the upcoming veto session. Crain’s Chicago Business has a (subscription required) story about another possible pension borrowing scheme. And the State Journal-Register has a story about payday loan regulations that could be introduced next spring.
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