69 Comments - just watching - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:01 am: Just curious, have any media or police reports indicated what type/model of weapon was used in the englewood shooting? - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:14 am: Sorry but when you allow your town to become a haven for drugs and violence you can expect to have these terrible incidents.Like all people I feel for your loss but when your community is listed as a no-fire zone on maps then it is time you and your leaders get off your arse and go after these criminals.Instead of trying to make the rest of us criminals with gun laws that nation wide are being put down.If you want these weapons from your neighbor pass a local ordiance. - Silas - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:25 am: uh oh…looks like the undecided 20% of African Americans will now vote against JBT. This sure will make news among the African American communities statewide - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:43 am: Downstate you are really a fool. If you think there are no drugs or crime downstate you are blind or stupid. Even towns like Watseka have bad drug problems. Clean up your own house first and then tell us about ours. - wndycty - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:52 am: Rich, your note about Judy’s quote is misleading, while she may have said “We will take him out with my little rolling pin known as the assault weapon.” It gives the impression that the Governor’s campaign is misusing her quote when in fact during a debate with her Republican opponents during the primary she said: “A rolling pin could be an assault weapon if you really wanted to look at it that way.” Source: http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2006/03/23/news/doc44233db22bf51585970234.txt Again your post is misleading, she may have made a reference to a rolling pin when talking to College Republicans, but she also may a more pointed reference during debates. I assume you were not aware of this. - So IL Gal - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:53 am: Skeeter, I couldn’t agree more. So Illinois wonders why they can’t build a relationship with our companions up North. Downstate’s attitude speaks volumes. The answers won’t come from snide comments. I hope God heard you, because that Mother up north needs all the blessings he can bestow. - Diversity of Thought - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:54 am: “…not only is help coming, I’m the sword of justice and I’m going to cut him to pieces. We will take him out with my little rolling pin known as the assault weapon. I will prove to him, indeed, it is an assault weapon.” Is anyone else absolutely confused by this quote? I actually don’t think she’s making cracks about assault weapons so much as I think she’s insane. “I’m the sword of justice”?!?!?! I can’t stop laughing. - Way Northsider - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:58 am: The callousness of some of these comments is chilling. It is ridiculous to blame the residents of the neighborhood for gunshots that kill a child celebrating her birthday inside her aunt’s home. If gang violence were conducted with rolling pins there would certainly be very many fewer innocent bystanders killed. To say guns have nothing to do with it is ridiculous. - Big W - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:07 pm: we feel for your loss, however, don’t ban weapons, ban criminals! lobby the general assembly for tougher penalties on criminals and also lobby the assembly for the right to conceal and carry your own firearm and protect Life Liberty and the Pursuit of freedom! Proven fact; crime rates go down in every state that has the right to carry a firearm…..Now Illinois is the only state in 50 that does not have some abbreviation of the right to carry inacted so now all the criminals can come to Illinois and feel very safe……. - anon - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:10 pm: Skeeter-We do have drugs down here. But were far from the murder capitol of America as Chicago is maybe because we have guns. I think it sad her child was killed. I think if families were able to protect themselves and your mayor and the govenor doesn’t think so they might also be safer. - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:11 pm: Reread what I said look at the no-fire zone in Illinois.We do not have no-fire zones here because we are tough on drugs and illegal guns.Our house isn’t perfect but it doesn’t have a no-fire zone on the mail box.Just what all of you anti-Judys need a wat to take the heat off from Blago and the birthday check.As far as callous I am not.Other neihborhoods have been cleaned up why not this one. - Cassandra - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:21 pm: This statement sounds rather Howard Dean-like. And we know what happened to Howard. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:26 pm: You guys, she meant to say, only as Judy can: “I never said rolling pin; I said Raul Ingpin, a Norweigan mariner famous for his triumph in the face of long odds. How do you get rolling pin out of that. It just amazes me.” I’m sorry, but JBT is not ready for prime time. Someone in that campaign has to be giving a lot of first time staffers the cold old Evil Eye as the heat intensifies. I would say she would she’s looking for a shoehorn right about now and it’s not for her shoes. - grand old partisan - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:28 pm: Cassandra, I don’t think Judy is really interested in serving as Party Chair again. - Lovie's Leather - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:29 pm: Instead of making criminals out of gun owners, maybe we should make victims gun owners. Take back the streets from random acts of violence and fire back… literally. Instead of average people fearing criminals, make the criminals fear average people. That is the only way to make these murders end. Criminals will still have assault weapons, because they are criminals. The only thing an assault weapons ban would do is take the weapons of protection from average citizens. To quote Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death.” In this case, the lack of liberty is a direct cause to the death. - Lovie's Leather - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:31 pm: to summarize… government isn’t part of the solution, it is part of the problem… as usual…. - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:35 pm: Downstate, I’m not sure what town you live in, but if you think you don’t have problems with drugs and guns then your head is wedged somewhere. Chicago has problems with drugs. Schaumburg has problems with drugs. Watseka has problems with guns. I’m sure your town has problems with drugs but you just can’t see it. All those towns are “tough on drugs.” You need a heck of a lot more than that to solve the problem. Your attitude of “We are superior here than in the big bad city” does not acknowledge the problems that you certaintly face, does not solve any problems, and frankly just makes you look like a fool. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:37 pm: Wait a minute, Andrea Zinga’s campaign manager, Charlie Johnston, had a great response for Judy: “that’s not what she wanted to say.” - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:38 pm: LL, To the point: The case in question involved an innocent girl sitting in her house when a bad guy opened fire on a row of houses. When the bad guy opened fire with his assault weapon and hit a row of houses, it would be your solution to have all of the people grab their own assault weapons in those houses and fire back? That is the way you want to solve the problem? - doubtful - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:39 pm: “This statement sounds rather Howard Dean-like. And we know what happened to Howard.” -Cassandra Yeah, he runs the Democratic National Committee. Are you suggesting Judy takes Ken Mehlman’s job? - DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:45 pm: Skeeter this has nothing to do with those little girls.It’s politics and a way to go after JBT.There is the problem.If the Brady’s care so much ask them to spend a month in Englewwod.I see the problems all the time including helping to search for drugs.These people are using these little girls to promote thier cause. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:45 pm: People, let’s drop the gun debate, eh? We’ve done that before. How about addressing what you think might happen as a result of JBT’s comments. - Ken in Aurora - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:49 pm: Way Northsider - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 11:58 am: … It is ridiculous to blame the residents of the neighborhood for gunshots that kill a child celebrating her birthday inside her aunt’s home… Uh, what? Are you saying that people drove in from, say - Centralia? - to shoot that poor girl? If course it’s the people in the neighborhood. No, strike that - it’s the *criminals* in the neighborhood! - Bill - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:49 pm: Doubtful, I suggest that Judy take Ken Mehlman’s job. She would be perfect! - Ken in Aurora - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:50 pm: Sorry, Rich - my comment was being composed while you posted that last one. - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:52 pm: In response to Rich’s question: Nothing. Everybody knows JBT is a bit wacky. This was wacky, but not offensive (as opposed to the Zinga comments about searching all middle easterners). The statement will not lose her any votes. At best, it may take some heat off the new Blago story, but that one has legs. It is isn’t going away for something like this. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 12:53 pm: I am appalled with this statement by Topinka and will not be voting for her for this reason among others. Why is it funny to joke around about assault weapons when they are killing innocent children? She has made a tactical error by trying to play both sides on the gun issue. Now both sides don’t trust her. Shame on Ms Baar Topinka. She makes me sick. - Walking Wounded - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:23 pm: First, before anyone wants to call me callous, I want to say I feel very badly towards the loss of Deanna Woods’ niece. Now, it appears that Woods has taken Topinka’s words way out of context (look up the word “Metaphor”). It seems the PC police are out in full force just to give Judy some bad press. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:23 pm: Ok. I’m going to try the first non-gun debate comment re: how this affects JBTs campaign: It wasn’t cute, it wasn’t homespun, it didn’t have kinda downstatesy wisdom that they thought they were shooting for, it DOES NOTHING to help and everything to hurt her; she showed herself to be a little different than your average bear (what a lot of folks call a Kaboob). ‘Quoth Topinka “nevermore . . .” Ok, Kaboobs unite. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:28 pm: that has nothing to do with Topinks statments. - Brady Exploitation - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:29 pm: The saddest part of this whole discussion has to be the fact that once again the Brady group has exploited a personal tragedy in an attempt to further their own agenda. This has not been the first time this group has stooped this level. I’m sure the Blagojevich campaign will go right along with this exploitation of using a woman in the midst of her personal anguish to further the governor’s political future. Topinka’s remarks must be taken in light of the audience to which she was addressing. In fact she has used a rolling pin analogy many times in the past to show how ridiculous the assault weapons ban wording actually is that Blagojevich is promoting. Her remarks will not actually hurt her chances to get elected because any person that makes a decision based on this would never have voted for her to begin with. Besides we hear Blagojevich make stupid remarks on an almost daily basis that his spokespeople have to clarify later. - Wumpus - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:32 pm: My apologies Rich. Can we say out of context here? Perhaps Ms. Woods should realize that Democrats have been in control of her city so long, why lash out at JBT? Was she promised a job? - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:37 pm: Walking Wounded, Are you really blaming the media for JBT’s screw up? You sound like Earl Bush: The media ought to write what Judy means and not what she says. That being said, you Republicans need to start taking responsibility for your own actions. Your candidate made a strange and dumb statement. Blame her, not the media. I thought you all claimed to be the party of personal responsibility. Apparently not. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:49 pm: B.E., you’re saying she wouldn’t take that comment back if she could? It’s interesting that while Rich is talking about the long term political ramifications of a stupid statement other members of JBT’s Justice Leage are going after poor James Brady. There’s just nothing worse than a candidate makes who makes a silly statement like that and then lets her blogposse dig an even deeper whole for her when they try to clarify what she meant. Listen to yourselves scramble to diminish the impact of her statement. If it wasn’t so bad why do JBT defenders seem to be so angry that we’re discussing it. For my part, a)she had a poor writer (few people I know use, “indeed,” like that unless they are rushing onto the battle field to challenge THE dragon or b) the campaign has simply given up trying to help her get her point across in a creative way. She sure can’t do it herself. - Silas - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 1:55 pm: This will put Blago over the 50% mark on the next poll. Telling it how it is. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:06 pm: Right, Silas: It’s either good for a point or two added to her unfavorability rating or for a couple of percentage points toward the Governor’s winning vote margin–or both! Ouch, ouch, ouch ouch. Really, ouch. - Bluefish - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:19 pm: Statements like this from JBT are going to start encouraging the large block of dissatisfied Dems (those of us who who have morals and cannot under any circumstances vote again for Blago) to vote for Whitney instead. She needs to focus on both convincing the undecideds that we cannot afford another 4 years of Blago and hammering away at “Public Official A” to peel away his seemingly soft support. Alas, her “not ready for prime time” supporting cast seems unable to rise for this challenge. Pity. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:34 pm: Democrats don’t like Topinka’s “rolling-pin” comment, and have been using it like a salt shaker on every gun issue. It is a deliberately over emotional response designed for political impact. Typical Democratic stuff; play the victim, pretend to be offended, attack those who question the offended victim as heartless gun-toting hillbillies. The whole thing is silly. Blagojevich’s friends reminds me of a bunch of pre-schoolers tattling on the kid that said a “bad word”. - Big W - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:41 pm: Anony; you were not going to vote Topinka anyway…..LOL - Walking Wounded - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:56 pm: Skeeter, I don’t know where you got the idea I was blaming the media….the PC Police a/k/a the Dems are looking for ways to bash Judy. People act like they’re offended by what she said because they want to be offended. Vanilla Man, thanks for making your point, it’s all political hub bub. - (618) Democrat - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:57 pm: Seams like a totaly heartless statement. No wonder only 29% of Illinois voters have a favorable view of Topinka. After that statement those numbers should go down. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 2:59 pm: Wait a minute VMan. Who’s acting like a victim here? I’m trying to stay on topic, but you have to admit the lady and her family WERE victims. Also, everyone of you JBT blogobots is acting like someone who saw their opponent do or say something stupid and then react in sheer horror like it was Rod’s fault she got caught. Own up guys. If we’re victims of anything here we’re victims of JBTs sense of humor or lack thereof (that joke ain’t gettin’ it Judy, but I’ll bet the business community was relieved that Justice was going to be done). You guys in Judy’s war room helped her dig a hole so deep not even the legendary Wukular could scramble out, eh BH? - True Blue - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:03 pm: Just because it makes her sound like an idiot, doesn’t mean the quote was taken out-of-context. Sometimes, she really does sound like an idiot, all on her own. The original context, as mentioned above, was in a primary debate where she was trying to dodge a question about banning assault weapons. To appease the gun nuts (I mean that in good way, of course), she opposed the ban, but to appease people who don’t hunt with assault rifles (everyone else), she added the rolling pin quip. Basically, you can’t ban “assault weapons”, she argued, because you can’t define what an assault weapon is — even a rolling pin could be an assault weapon! Sorry, but unless you sleep with your FOID card under your pillow, you know that’s an absurd comment. Blago’s ads have rightly slammed her for it. The correct answer for her would’ve been to move on and to never, never, never mention the words “rolling” and “pin” in the same sentence again. For some reason, she can’t help herself, and she’s invited yet another round of ridicule. She’ll never close the gap if she can’t keep her foot out of her mouth. - True Blue - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:05 pm: By the way, Rich, what’s it mean to “tube” a campaign?? Is that the lingo the kids are using these days? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:10 pm: Skarfeld, I think “Topinkabots” might be a better term. Tightens it up a little. As far as “tubing” a campaign, it means to kill it off, or thereabouts. It’s probably slang from my teens. - Way Northsider - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:16 pm: Walking Wouned - I can assure you I don’t “act like I’m offended”, I AM offended. Not everyone on this blog is a political hack looking to score points. Some of us are regular voters who happen to be interested in politics. I am no Blago fan but I can’t see voting for Topinka with or without this silly rolling pin statement. Glib comments about things like the difficulty of defining assault weapons just puts off average voters like me. Whether or not I was allowed to carry weapons around, I cannot conceive of WANTING to. In any altercation, two guns being involved can only be twice as bad as one gun being involved. - B Hicks - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:30 pm: I’m telling you people, her medication is out of whack. What a class act. Mad as a March hare. That’s right, the legendary Wukular at 50 whole chickens, feathers and all. One gulp I tell you. - Brady Exploitation - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:38 pm: Skarfeld – I guess you’re implying that it is bad for Judy to make a dumb statement occasionally but it is ok for your candidate Rod to do likewise. You must be quite overjoyed that you have a statement from Topinka that you can finally use to make a point. After all poor Rod makes these types of speaking gaffs on a daily basis so you must be extremely frustrated at always having to defend the words from his mouth and twist them around to a more favorable meaning. Both of the candidates have made less than favorable statements on various topics but it is how their opponents attempt to use them that shed light on the integrity of who you’re up against. Poor Jim Brady, as you refer to him, is no innocent bystander in this exploitation of the anguished mother whose daughter was recently killed. This group has been doing this for many years and then after they get their press releases they completely forget about the person that they have just used and move on to the next piece of exploitation fodder. Its not her statement that is so damning but the despicable way her opponents are attempting to use it against her by sacrificing the emotions of an anguished mother for purely political purposes. Does Topinka probably wish she hadn’t stated it in that particular manner? I would image the answer is yes. Is this one statement of paramount importance? Absolutely not, get over it. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:45 pm: Thanks, Rich. There seems to be an innate conflict in the use of that word in that context. And Way North Sider, let me let you in on a little secret you may not know: SHE doesn’t know it’s a stupid statement–there it is and there you have it. Gnawed off her own nose to spite her face on that one . . . Hicks, flip’er a quarter. - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:49 pm: BE: Please stop with the complete garbage about the mother being “exploited” as if the Democrats were somehow taking advantage of her. Was it the mother’s idea to allow these guns on the streets? Was it the mother’s idea to allow the manufacture of weapons capable of putting multiple rounds through walls of a house to kill her poor daughter? No, it was the dingbat gun nuts in the ILGOP and the ILNRA who prevented us from having reasonable gun control laws. Nobody is “exploiting the mother.” Instead, we have a bunch of blowhards here who will not allow a mother to express her views on the weapons that killed her daughter. If you don’t want to hear the cries of the mother, then do something to get rid of the weapons. Either way, stop claiming that a mother expressing her views about her own daughter’s death is somehow being “exploited.” - Skeeter - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 3:57 pm: Back to the topic: Another interesting point about JBT’s statement it that it is incoherent. What in the world is she talking about comparing a rolling pin to any gun? Seriously — What is she referencing? Does anyone have the slighest clue what she MEANT to say? - RAI - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:07 pm: Does anyone realize that these guns are already illegal in the ladies neighborhood? Nothing JBT does as Governor will change that. JBT is just saying she has the teticular fortitude to stand up to the Brady crowd. - Brady Exploitation - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:15 pm: Skeeter - Topinka was refering to how poorly written the assault weapons definition was written. To clarify your erroneous observations. I never once said the Democrats were exploiting the woman. I said the Brady group was doing the exploiting. Unless you assume all Democrats are anti-gun zealots like yourself. The Brady Bunch exploited her grief by actively seeking her out so she could lash out in her grief so they could use it to make their own point. The Brady group has shown this tactic time and again its nothing new or un-documented. Rich does not want us to argue pro or anti-gun platforms so I will refrain from enlightening you to the falicies of your ’rounds through a wall’ sentiments. We’ll leave that for another day’s blog topic. Have a wonderful afternoon. - Just a View - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:23 pm: From following this blog today it sure seems the Blago huggers are a bit touchy today. It must be because they’re always having to defend Blago’s misteps that it must be refreshing to finally be able to attack someone else. - A. Nony-Nony - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:24 pm: On the whole, probably a blip in the campaign, and unnoticed by most voters, but I don’t see how it’s going to win her any votes she doesn’t already have. Using a homespun example like rolling pin is “indeed” an evocative way to challenge a political opponent’s assault-weapons ban proposal; using it again after being ridiculed for it, though, risks giving your opponent’s supporters a handy visual symbol to display at political rallies, debates, etc., not to mention demonstrating somewhat of a tin ear for politics. Plus, threatening to defeat your political opponent using an assault weapon of any kind - even a rolling pin, let alone a sword - is probably not going to win over any on-the-fence voters. Maybe it’s time for Repubs to rethink the whole JBT candidacy and bring Alan Keyes back in an attempt to win some of that large black conservative vote…. - a friend - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:35 pm: just a view… the blago huggers are touchy? I thought just the opposite. the blagohaters are so used to the gov getting whacked that they got their panties all in a bunch because topinka’s taking some well deserved heat today — not that she hasn’t said some really stupid things before as well, but things haven’t stuck as easily to her before, which is why I assume rich posted this today. it should serve as a wake up call to her failed campaign. - Skarfeld - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:45 pm: Well, I accept your offensiveness, Brady Exploitation and find it O.k. that you approve my pointe. And upon my honour, nay, even mine ounst soule, wilst I say that the dragon was slain by yonder rolling pin and such splendor wast ne’er scene in the land of JBT. - a friend - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 4:50 pm: skarfeld… lol! - NoneOfTheAbove - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 5:59 pm: Good for the Brady anti-gun people! People on all sides of the gun debate can unite on the truth that Topinka is too nutty for office. I would say she embarrasses the 2nd Amendment people most of all. - Huh? - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 6:08 pm: Skeeter & Bill - nice to have you back. Keep up the good work. Too bad there isn’t very much that you write that makes sense. The anti gunners will try to make this into a big deal. It is nothing more than small ripples in a tea cup. By the way, people - look at the various websites that list murder rates and find out just what types of objects are used to kill people. You would be surprised what constitutes a murder weapon. Assault weapons is an inflamatory designation given to a type of rifle that has the appearance of a fully automatic military weapon. Possession of a fully automatic weapon is a federal crime. The average gangster isn’t going to have such a firearm. - anonymous - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 6:16 pm: forsooth! is that a dagger I see before me? nay, a rolling pin. I’m really alarmed at the prospect of the debates now. Absolutely no props should be allowed. If she really wanted to get downstate folksy she should have said”I’m going to warsh that varmint and hang him up by his ears with clothespins to dry” but do there really have to be separate messages for downstate voters? I know a lot of intelligent people who have grown up in these small parts, garshdawrnit - NoneOfTheAbove - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 6:40 pm: Imagine if George Bush said this, even about Osama Bin Ladin. Dems would be trying to force him into a padded cell: “I’m the sword of justice and I’m going to cut him to pieces.” Alan Keyes, we’re sorry. You weren’t so bad afterall. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 7:07 pm: College Republican - gangbangers don’t vote, and Democrats don’t have any sort of soft spot in their hearts for gangbangers. It’s our neighbors that are hit by those stray bullets. You think arming yourself is the answer? Great. Why don’t you and your frat buddies pack up the heat, move to Englewood, and we’ll see how long you last. I bet you wet your pants the first time you’re out after dark, concealed weapon or no. It’s easy to talk tough when you’re on a college campus 200 miles from the shooting gallery. Or 10,000 miles from Bagdad. - GOPJay - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 8:01 pm: You have got to be kidding me! 63 comments and counting on this non-issue? What next, a rape victim calling Blago on his testicular verility comment? Lets get to the issues. There are still 50% of Illinois voters who don’t realize yet another Illinois Governer is approaching indictment. - Driver - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 8:08 pm: You think arming yourself is the answer? Great. Why don’t you and your frat buddies pack up the heat, move to Englewood, and we’ll see how long you last. I bet you wet your pants the first time you’re out after dark, concealed weapon or not. You are right, pass all the restrictive firearm laws you want for the liberal cess pool Cook County, but leave the rest of us downstate folks alone with your gun grabbing laws.But that’s the problem, what you think is good for Cook County you also think is good for the rest of the state. And that my friend is wrong. - Anon - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 8:31 pm: Please someone tell me JBT does not have a FOID card or access to a weapon. The woman is loosing it, if she ever had it. - Jennifer from Brady - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 9:39 pm: As a survivor of gun homicide myself, and in response to “Brady Exploitation” who expressed concern that we at Brady exploit gun violence victims, I say, how little you understand gun violence victims. Those of us who are gun violence victims are merely allying with other victims and empowering each other and supporting each other in speaking out publicly in matters that we care deeply about and know more about that anyone else in the nation. Almost two-thirds of the state’s Brady chapter Million Mom March members are gun violence victims. Illinois’ own Jim Brady took a bullet meant for the President of the United States. When we express outrage about a social condition how can you, “Brady Exploitation”, question our common sense alliances with each other to express that? I have spent much of the past months with Deanna Woods, Siretha Woods, and the Reed families who we network with as fellow victims. They have asked for our help in their neighborhoods. And I have been at their side in their churches these last months, in their marches, in their school meetings, in their living rooms, at their gravesides, at their memorial events. Where have you been? How can you question the tears of frustration that little Siretha’s mother expressed to me this morning when she heard what Ms Topinka said. Her exact words to me “That really upsets me!” One should not joke about using assault weapons against people, and most especially not someone who wants to hold the highest office in our state in a campaign speech. This kind of humor is not funny at all, Ms. Topinka, and it shows a lack of good judgment to make jokes like this at victims expense. Deanna Woods threw her body over the children in her living room at the birthday party when the bullets came in her window, as she said, “they kept coming and coming” (I had to explain to her what a high capacity magazine was - one of the defining features of an assault weapon - the weapon in her case was a Tec-9 or similar weapon). She knows what it is to be under fire from these weapons. She wants to do whatever she can to rid her neighborhoods of these awful military style weapons. She is willing to re-live painful memories in order to do this. She is nothing but heroic for that. Please do not question her motives. Please do not question mine. It is beneath us all, just as Ms. Topinka’s remarks were. It would be best if Ms. Topinka would just apologize for making an insensitive remark. - the ole precinct captain - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 9:49 pm: If this does not get her campaign going south I am sure her future comments will. She cracked under pressure in the primary and certaintly will with the next barage. I would be shocked if she did not and unfortunately not get entertained by her comments. - NumbersGuy - Tuesday, Sep 12, 06 @ 10:30 pm: Jennifer, thank you for your thoughtful post and for your good work with the Bradys. Unlike most of the knuckleheads above, I’ve met the Bradys and know the sincerity and importance of their cause. I would agree that Treasurer Topinka owes an apology and I hope it is forthcoming. Perhaps someone could opine about the apparent failure of single party controlled courts, law enforcement, and State’s attorney’s offices in Cook County to make a dent in these hideous crimes in their decades of control, no offense to the hard-working street cops who are as big a target of these thugs as the residents… Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.