“Bob’s Last Art Show” will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Cozy Drive-In, 2935 S. Sixth St., Springfield. Mounted color prints and T-shirts with Waldmire’s art will be for sale.
If you don’t know who Bob is, you’ve really missed out. Learn something by clicking here.
Friday, Nov 20, 2009 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
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* Conservative GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Proft has received yet another endorsement from a Republican township organization…
Last night the Southern Will County Republican Organization (SWCRO) which comprises six rural townships in Will County endorsed conservative Republican candidate Dan Proft for Governor. ]…]
“By endorsing my candidacy, the Southern Will County GOP joined the Republican organizations of Schaumburg Township, New Trier Township and Niles Township in voting for policy revolution.
The Plainfield Township Republican Party has endorsed rival conservative GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski.
It’s becoming obvious that several suburban township organizations have moved far to the Right - at least at the endorsement sessions. New Trier’s GOP organization endorsed Bob Dold over Rep. Elizabeth Coulson and other candidates in the 10th Congressional District. In the past, that would’ve probably been a lock for Coulson. Elk Grove Township also went with Dold, and nobody got enough support in Northfield Township for it to make an endorsement.
Looking for a sign that the conservative ascendancy in the New York special election may be making other moderate Republican candidates across the country antsy?
State Rep. Beth Coulson, one of the most moderate Republican candidates running for Congress, will be meeting with Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele [today] in Illinois to discuss her campaign – and the need for Republicans to have a big-tent party so it can compete in Democratic-minded districts.
Notably, she telegraphed her scheduled meeting with Steele and Republican party leaders in Illinois in a press release. It’s fairly uncommon for a candidate to announce a meeting with party officials, especially when it’s closed to the press.
It’s only uncommon when it hurts the candidate. More…
From Coulson: She “will join Illinois’ House Minority Leader Tom Cross and Senate Minority Leader Chris Radogno, as well as Illinois Republican Chairman Pat Brady in the meeting with the chairman to talk about the upcoming midterm elections in Illinois and how to keep the 10th Congressional District in Republican hands.”
The GOP leaders believe that Coulson is the best shot at holding onto that seat. But she has to get through the primary first. Coulson, for her part, is trying hard to move right…
Coulson campaign spokesman Joe Woodward said that she’s against President’s Obama’s stimulus, cap-and-trade energy legislation and would have voted against the health care bill that narrowly passed through the House.
Brady said he believes a good model for selling the tollway would be what Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels did in leasing that state’s 157-mile I-90 tollway for $3.8 billion.
The 75-year lease allowed the company to almost immediately double tolls for cash payers while raising rates subsequently at least 2 percent a year. Drivers using an electronic payment system, like Illinois’ I-PASS, have been granted a break on the hikes until 2016.
So, he’s apparently writing off some of the suburban vote.
* Back to Gitmo we go. Congressman Peter Roskam is upset that Democratic US Senate candidate Alexi Giannouolias received some sort of briefing by National Security Council staff on moving the Gitmo prisoners to Thomson. From a press release…
“Given Mr. Giannoulias’ disclosure that he received a NSC briefing on possibly moving Guantanamo to Illinois, I urge the Obama Administration to eschew the increasingly political nature of this situation. Moving terrorists to Illinois will have tremendous security and economic implications, and now this situation has been tainted by the appearance of political favoritism given that a Democrat U.S. Senate candidate received a NSC briefing while elected Members of Congress have not. The people of Illinois will be best served by a process that forgoes the behind-closed-doors political approach and instead provides for open and transparent consideration.”
Giannoulias’ campaign says they believe the NSC staffer who did the briefing was the same person who briefed officials at Thomson earlier that day. Doesn’t seem to be a big deal.
The Giannoulias campaign also has a new list of endorsements…
State Senator Edward Maloney
State Senator John Sullivan
State Representative Deborah Graham
State Representative John D’Amico
Alderman Carrie Austin
Alderman Lona Lane
Alderman Bernard Stone
Alderman Joann Thompson
Alderman Howard Brookins Jr.
City of Chicago Treasurer Stephanie Neely
Peoria County Democratic Chairman Billy Halstead
Marion County Democratic Chairman Zach Roeckeman
Lawrence County Chairman Joe Weger
Des Plaines Mayor Martin Moylan
Maine Township Regular Democratic Organization
Maine Township Democratic Committeeman Laura Murphy
Associated Firefighters of Illinois
* Peraica involved in 3 signature challenges: Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica challenges signatures in two races and is challenged in one.
* Gubernatorial candidates weigh in on education in Illinois
* Exposed to a Tea: But your screamfest Saturday at Oak Lawn Community High School exposed you as nothing more than a small but vocal gang of disgruntled white suburbanites who are ticked off at … well, appear to be ticked off at just about everything.
* It’s Official: Dunkin to Face Schroeder in February Primary Election: The Chicago Board of Elections rejected a challenge to the candidacy of David Schroeder for the State House of Representatives today. This clears the way for Schroeder to appear on the ballot facing incumbent Ken Dunkin, the first time Dunkin will face a Democratic challenger since he was elected in 2002.
* Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is the epitome of a gentle soul. But his public demeanor may just be a Clark Kentian cover. Check it out…
A state senator from Peoria says he fought off an armed robber who interrupted him while he was doing some remodeling at his business.
Democratic Sen. Dave Koehler says he was painting Thursday night when a man with a gun appeared and demanded money. Koehler says he gave the robber what was in his pocket and told him to leave.
The man demanded Koehler’s cell phone next, but the senator says he instead knocked the man against a wall and took the gun.
* I’m glad to see that the state’s GOP congressional delegation is finally starting to act like grownups…
Illinois’ Republican congressional delegation attempted to tone down their rhetoric Thursday over housing detainees from Guantanamo Bay at a state prison by issuing a series of questions to Gov. Pat Quinn.
“As we move forward with a dignified and precise discussion regarding the cost, security and legal issues…,” the delegation’s letter begins.
The letter is in stark contrast to one the delegation sent to President Barack Obama over the weekend that raised the specter of such a move inviting a local terrorist attack.
“If your Administration brings al-Qaida terrorists to Illinois, our state and the Chicago Metropolitan Area will become ground zero for Jihadist terrorist plots, recruitment and radicalization,” the first letter read.
That first letter, of course, was drafted by Congressman Mark Kirk. It prompted a huge backlash in the media which continues to this day. This, for instance, is the Southern Illinoisan’s “Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down” for today…
THUMBS DOWN! To the amount of hysteria stirred up by politicians who don’t want detainees from Guantanamo Bay housed at a prison facility in Thomson. Gov. Pat Quinn is attempting to sell the prison to the federal government. The facility would house a lot of federal prisoners and possibly a few hundred detainees from the Guantanamo prison. Closing Guantanamo is a legitimate political issue for Congress and the federal government. But many politicians are making it sound like Al-Qaida operatives will be roaming the streets. There’s always room for reasonable political discussions, with the emphasis on reasonable.
Kirk jumped the gun and assumed several facts not in existence and twisted other facts to the point of no recognition. Here’s one of his more egregious false assumptions from this week…
“Once here, federal law mandates these terrorists have a right to visitors,” Kirk said. “Federal policy allows up to 10 followers or family members per prisoner. With 215 coming to Illinois, that would be over 2,100 Al Qaeda followers and family members connected to Jihad coming to Illinois, likely connecting through O’Hare airport.”
Except, the prisoners won’t be allowed visitors other than pre-approved legal counsel.
Let’s hope things start to calm down. But the damage to Congressman Kirk’s reputation will not heal any time soon. Instead of waiting for the facts and asking sane questions, he went completely off the rails and started screaming about how we were all gonna die if we allowed these prisoners to be sent to Thomson.
…Adding… Related…
* E-poll shows support for housing Guantanamo prisoners in Illinois: A straw poll of 541 voters in state Sen. Susan Garrett’s 29th District indicates 52 percent of respondents are in favor of moving prisoners from the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to an idle Illinois prison. Another 35 percent were opposed, and 13 percent said they were undecided. She received responses from 541 constituents in the poll e-mailed two days ago.
Friday, Nov 20, 2009 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
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* Perhaps the dumbest report I’ve seen in years was former Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman’s “analysis” of the city’s parking meter lease deal. According to Hoffman’s report, if the city had just increased parking meter rates on its own, it would’ve reaped twice the amount of money of leasing the meters.
The report was silly because of the political facts on the ground. Cook County’s one percentage point sales tax hike has practically created a revolution - or at least a revolution in the Tribune editorial board’s collective mind. The county board has once again voted to roll back half the tax, and Ald. Toni Preckwinkle promised yesterday that she will eliminate the rest of the tax increase if she is elected county board president.
For good reason, there is little to no enthusiasm in the Democratic-dominated Illinois House to increase the income tax, and the House GOP has pledged to unite against any such move. Every Republican running for governor is promising not to increase taxes, with Dan Proft actually pledging to cut taxes.
My point here is that if Mayor Daley and the city council had actually voted to double parking meter rates on their own, the outcry would have been so loud and intense that by now those rate hikes would assuredly have been rolled back. If not, lots of aldermen, and even the mayor, would be in extreme danger of losing their jobs.
I’m going over all this again because the first “scoop” of the New York Times’ Chicago Media Cooperative focuses on some revelations about the deal…
After a rocky start hurt their bottom line, Chicago’s new parking meter operators are raking in more than $1.1 million a week and expect even more revenue next year, according to internal company documents obtained by the Chicago News Cooperative.
The parking meter company projects total revenues of more than $75 million and net income of about $58 million in 2010, after a second round of rate increases go into effect across the city on Jan. 1. In the first 10 ½ months of operation ending Dec. 31 of this year, the company expects $32.7 million in net operating profit, for a 70 percent profit margin.
According to the meter deal’s income statement for May 2009, revenues for the month were about 20 percent below projections. At the same time, expenses were far over budget, mostly for “supplemental staffing.”
The rest of the story is mainly about how parking rates will rise next year and the private company will make more money. Nothing really new there.
Illinois, the fifth largest U.S. state by population, postponed selling $3.46 billion of municipal bonds to fund state pensions because of a delay in appointing a new official to oversee debt sales, said Kelly Kraft, spokeswoman for the state budget department.
Great. The budget spokesperson essentially confirmed that Quinn’s dithering on replacing his Blagojevich hand-me-down caused serious problems.
Sean Sebold, president of Sebold Capital Management and a member of the chamber’s board of directors, said businesses produce jobs, not government and he called an income tax increase a “job killer.”
“You think someone is going to bring a business out of a state to our state with a 4.5 percent income tax?” he asked. “What it will also do is drive retirees out of the state.”
The income tax would still be on the lower side, and retirees do not pay taxes on pension income. The Daily Herald didn’t note that, however.
And this quote, also from that DH story, is why Dan Hynes is having such a tough time knocking Quinn off his perch…
John Schmitt, president and CEO of the chamber, said he was not prepared to comment specifically on Quinn’s income tax proposal but that the chamber doesn’t typically support tax increases. But he was glad the business community had a chance to share its concerns and called the visit productive.
“He seems to be open minded and progressive,” Schmitt said of Quinn. “Because of what his predecessors did to the office of governor he has a tough battle but he’s working to restore confidence in the office and I think he’ll do it.”
Voters want Quinn to succeed, understand he was put in an impossible situation and are willing to overlook the glitches to date. If this attitude survives next year, it’ll be tough for Republicans to beat him as well. But there’s no guarantee of that, of course.
* 10:24 am - Read the Senate Ethics Committee’s report on Roland Burris by clicking here.
From the report, which is technically a “Public Letter of Qualified Admonition”…
The Committee found that you should have known that you were providing incorrect, inconsistent, misleading, or incomplete information to the public, the Senate, and those conducting legitimate inquiries into your appointment to the Senate. The Committee also found that your November 13, 2008 phone call with Robert Blagojevich was inappropriate. Although some of these events happened before you were sworn in as a US Senator, they were inextricably linked to your appointment and therefore fall within the jurisdiction of this Committee.
More…
Your sworn affidavit and sworn testimony before the Illinois House of Representatives were inconsistent, incomplete and misleading.
The letter goes on to claim that Burris’ “shifting explanations” about his sworn statements “appear less than candid.” And that his November, 2008 phone call with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s brother Rob was “inappropriate,” but that it did not rise “to the level of an explicit quid pro quo.”
Burris’ response…
After months of investigation into the circumstances surrounding the appointment and seating of Senator Roland W. Burris, the Senate Select Committee on Ethics has closed its inquiry and cleared the Senator of any legal wrongdoing.
In a ‘public letter of qualified admonition,’ the Senate Ethics Committee outlined the specific areas of concern that it investigated, and conclusively found no “actionable violations of the law” occurred.
Earlier this year, Senator Burris was also investigated and subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney in Springfield, Illinois.
“I am pleased that after numerous investigations, this matter has finally come to a close. I thank the members of the Senate Ethics Committee for their fair and thorough review of this matter, and now look forward to continuing the important work ahead on behalf of the people of Illinois,” said Senator Burris.
In recent months, Senator Burris has emerged as a key member of the Democratic caucus as they seek to piece together the critical 60 votes needed to pass President Obama’s health care legislation through the United States Senate. He has become a strong voice for the inclusion of a strong public option, and his vote is seen as vital for final passage.
* 10:41 am - ABC7’s headline is “Burris cleared by ethics committee.” Apparently, somebody at ABC7 just skimmed through Burris’ press release.
Taking aim at a loophole used to exclude academically weak 11th-graders from state testing, Illinois education officials said this week they want to create a single standard to determine when students are counted as juniors and therefore must take the exam.[…]
Nearly 10,000 students now in their final year of high school — about 7 percent of all Illinois 12th graders — skipped the two-day Prairie State Achievement Exam last spring for no apparent reason, according to a new state analysis.
These students didn’t qualify as juniors in May, and their districts chose not to test them, state records show. But months later in October they were listed as 12th graders — seemingly skipping 11th grade.
Because these low-achieving students did not take the rigorous exam, their home high schools were never held accountable, allowing them to skirt a central tenet of the federal No Child Left Behind law.
Tucked into the county’s approximate $3 billion 2010 budget that was approved Thursday night is another $13 million in cuts for the health system, a tough blow to withstand, said Bill Foley, the health system’s chief executive. […]
The system also has slashed 1,350 jobs by eliminating about 700 vacant positions on top of layoffs, according to health officials.
But this week, county commissioners sliced in half the controversial sales tax increase that took effect nearly 18 months ago, meaning about $32 million less in sales tax income during the new budget year.
On Thursday, commissioners passed a measure requiring any department that did not cut its budget by 5 percent, as they were asked to do, to take a 3 percent hit. That includes the health system, which would lose about $13 million.
Waiting until Monday’s veto deadline, Stroger tells the Sun-Times, will give the county’s residents a chance to call their elected leaders and tell them to reconsider the half-penny on the dollar giveback. He has long said the lost revenue stream would decimate the county’s healthcare system.
“I do want to give them time — I want to give the constituents time to talk to their commissioners,” Stroger said.
His only hope of beating back an override, unlikely now even though he’s done it three times before on the issue, is for Cook County residents to speak up.
* Chicago City Council uses stealth payroll for family, operatives, those with heat
Shadowy $1.3 million payroll helps them get around ban on patronage hiring
Operating without scrutiny, one alderman hired the mother of a former top mayoral aide later convicted of rigging city hiring. Another hired a city worker ousted for sexual harassment allegations. Several others hired relatives.
“All of us (aldermen) have family members on the payroll,” said Ald. Isaac Carothers, 29th, who has paid a relative more than $30,000 since January 2008. “That’s nothing new.”
The revelation comes as Mayor Richard Daley prepares to ask a federal judge to end decades of court supervision over City Hall’s clout-heavy hiring practices, arguing that illegal patronage is dead. But the city’s hiring compliance officer told the Tribune he didn’t know about the payroll of about $1.3 million a year.
Mayor Daley on Wednesday re-appointed his nephew and former campaign finance chief to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority mapping plans for a retail development near U.S. Cellular Field.
Peter Thompson helped his uncle raise more than $7 million in less than three months — after Daley took a four-year break from fund-raising in the wake of the Hired Truck scandal — on the mayor’s way to a sixth-term landslide.
Now, Thompson will keep his unpaid seat on the agency that built and improved U.S. Cellular Field through Jan. 1, 2012.
Chicago’s City Council has approved a settlement to claim some land near O’Hare International Airport. The City of Chicago finalized its negotiations with Bensenville earlier this week to take over more than 500 houses as part of an expansion project at O’Hare. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says it’s a good deal for the northwest suburb.
DALEY: All the property in and around O’Hare Field is always - all those suburban areas deal with future developments - it’s very important for them, for their tax base and their jobs.
Daley says transportation is a major economic engine for Illinois. The City of Chicago settled with Bensenville for $16 million after years of legal challenges.
Two dozen Illinois employers connected to public-safety infrastructure face a federal audit of their hiring records. Immigration officials say they have reason to believe the companies are hiring illegal immigrants.
Four months after Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced the destruction of about 200 graves, Burr Oak’s heavy new wrought iron gates opened to the public Thursday.
This month, 1,800 people waited in line at the annual Energy Assistance Fair at Thornton Township Hall in South Holland. Some people waited in line for hours, and the turnout was more than five times greater than last year’s attendance of about 350.
“It’s the Great Depression all over again when you see it up close,” said Robert Storman, who heads community relations for Thornton Township.
Nearly 800 people at the fair qualified for direct donations — ranging from about $200 to more than $1,000 — from Thornton Township to help cover heating costs. Others met with representatives from Nicor, ComEd and other utilities to resolve problems and work out payment plans.
* Earlier today, I showed you a video of Gov. Quinn nodding off during a question asked by a woman whose pregnant daughter-in-law died because she had no health insurance.
Well, the Quinn campaign has countered with a video of their own. Apparently, the governor approached the woman after the event and told her she had given a “beautiful, beautiful speech,” adding “If I can help in any way, I’m the governor and I get around. I want to help tell Jenny’s story.” Class move.
The governor also hinted that he might help her with a call to the Chicago police since she may have been harassed at home by “the teabaggers.” Take a look…
From the governor’s campaign…
Yesterday, at the Campaign for Better Health Care forum, Governor Pat Quinn heard Midge Hough tell the heartbreaking story of Jenny, her 24-year-old daughter-in-law, who died nine weeks ago – along with her unborn child – because Jenny and her husband did not have health insurance.
While listening to Midge’s story, Governor Quinn took notes, looking down as he did so, as a deceptively edited video clearly shows. […]
To learn more about Midge Hough, Jenny’s needless death, and the reasons that Governor Pat Quinn believes that access to affordable, quality healthcare is a basic human right, please take a moment and watch this video from the Campaign for Better Health Care.
We all commend Midge Hough for her extraordinary courage and her indomitable belief that this personal tragedy may ultimately serve to help millions of other people, like Jenny and her baby, who still do not have health care coverage.
He nodded off. They should’ve either ignored that or admitted it. Either way, he clearly nodded off.
Unemployment in Illinois jumped to 11 percent in October of this year, the highest it has been in 26 years.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security said the unemployment rate for October was 11.0 percent, up from 10.5 percent in September, and up from 6.8 percent in October of last year.
“While the slowing pace of job loss and other leading economic indicators bring with it cautious optimism, they are of little comfort to those seeking meaningful employment during this national recession,” department Director Maureen O’Donnell said in a news release. “Past economic recoveries suggest the nation will begin to benefit from a growing economy before unemployment rates in Illinois begin to retreat.”
Progress Illinois has a chart showing how Illinois’ unemployment has tracked with the national rate. Ours is higher, but fairly consistent with national trends…
* Sen. Bill Brady thinks the GOP gubernatorial race is a two-person battle…
Jim Ryan “is really the only competition we see in this race,” Brady said.
But then goes on to make two points about why Ryan can’t win…
“His name ID is good and bad, and we all know why,” Brady said. “Two people for every one think he was George.” […]
“Who’s most electable in the general election? It’s a downstate businessman who’s not tied to the past,” Brady said. “Let’s face it: Republican voters are smart enough to realize that Jim cannot disassociate himself from George.”
In response to Channel 7 investigative reporter Chuck Goudie’s report last night concerning the cost of operating the state fleet of 16 aircraft, Republican candidate for Governor Adam Andrzejewski says he would ground the aircraft, and then sell the $22 million fleet with the exception of the two helicopters and specific planes used by the Illinois State Police. (Story Online at http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/iteam&id=7126679)
Andrzejewski re-emphasized his plan to conduct a forensic audit of the state’s expenses. He pointed out that Channel 7’s report indicated that state employees are using the planes regularly at a cost of $3,000 per hour totaling $4 million per year.
* We have two very interesting legislative stories of note today.
The first is about a couple of apparent put-up candidates out south. Rep. Jim Brosnahan (D-Evergreen Park) is retiring, and he and Speaker Madigan are backing Michael Macellaio to replace him. Macellaio was up against just one candidate, Kelly Burke, president of the Evergreen Park Library Board, until the last day of filing when two other women with Irish names filed within moments of each other. Kristen McQueary takes it from there…
So the Democratic Party quickly rounded up two other Irish gals to siphon votes away from Burke - Angela McMahon, of Evergreen Park, and Karen Sullivan Casey, of Oak Lawn.
Neither of them circulated a single petition sheet herself nor gathered signatures from neighbors or even their husbands. Most of the folks who got McMahon and Casey on the ballot live in the 13th and 23rd wards of Chicago, home to Madigan and his allies. […]
The idea is to dilute Burke’s chances, and confuse voters, by having two other women on the ballot with Irish names.
“Yeah, I’m angry,” Burke said Wednesday. “I just worked my tail off to give people a choice and get on the ballot, and I’m against somebody backed by outsiders of the district. It galls me that this is happening.
* Our second is a bit ooky, but it’s out there, so we should take a look.
The coverage of Rep. Deb Mell’s primary race has generally focused on two things. First, Rep. Mell’s nominating petitions are being challenged and she might be kicked off the ballot.
The other item of note that the major media has touched on is that both Ms. Mell and her opponent, Joe Laiacona, are gay. For instance, the Tribune ran a blurb not long entitled “‘Gay primary’ will be no big deal,” which included this graf…
But don’t expect the fact that Mell is a lesbian — the first openly gay woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly — to be an issue. Laiacona is also openly gay. And neither candidate mentions it in online campaign bios.
CBS2 noted that Laiacona is also an amateur genealogist, and linked to a Windy City Times interview for backup evidence. Also in that story was this tidbit about Laiacona…
You have worked for a gay publication [as columnist “Jack Rinella” for Gay Chicago magazine] .
As I’ve told subscribers, Rinella/Laiacona is a BDSM and “leather” expert. He has written books including “Becoming a Slave” and has his own website, which is probably not safe for work, unless you work out of your home, like me - but there’s still the issue of my wife coming upstairs and seeing what I’m doing, so I probably won’t keep that site open for long.
Anyway, the Chicago Reader has a cover story about Laiacona this week. “A Kink in the Campaign” includes this quote from Laiacona…
“I live an honest and authentic life, and I’m not ashamed or guilty about anything I’ve done in that regard,” he says. “I’ve written about healthy sexuality of a consensual adult nature, and I don’t believe the government has a role in my bedroom. That’s the end of the discussion.”
And…
As part of his fund-raising efforts, Laiacona is reaching out to fellow sadomasochists. He hasn’t said what he would do specifically for the community if elected, though he has referred to “antiquated laws” that, if enforced, could be used against it. But he says he raised $1,800 at one leather party, and he pitched members of the Next Generation Chicago, a pansexual BDSM group for the 18-34 set, at one of their meetings at the Leather Archives & Museum in Rogers Park. He’s also used his column to enlist supporters by drawing parallels between being a reformer and a practitioner of sadomasochism.
Rep. Mell is as blunt as Laiacona…
But Deb Mell wonders how effectively Laiacona can work within the state legislature given his kinky past. “We can’t get a civil unions bill passed and here’s a guy who’s . . . into bondage and sex slaves?” she says. But she also accuses Laiacona of “hiding” his ties to the kinky community. “It’s a conservative bunch out here in the 40th District, so it probably works in his favor not to mention it.”
Even some people in his own community are debating Laiacona’s political viability. In the inaugural edition of DungeonPlace.com’s FetishCast podcast, after a segment on whether sadomasochists should be considered experts on military torture, hosts Meow, Gryphon, Goddess, Tutivillus, and DarlingEvil discussed his campaign and what impact his work might have on his bid for state representative.
“This is a man that’s been open in the community,” said DarlingEvil. “[I]s the mainstream . . . going to look at that and say, ‘Is this someone we want representing us in our government?’”
Let’s try to watch ourselves in comments, OK? I don’t want things getting outta hand or I’ll have to crack the whip. Oh, wait. I shouldn’t have said that. Nevermind.
A Cook County judge today set a Dec. 18 date for Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone to learn the name and address of the person who allegedly made nasty — and anonymous — comments about Stone’s teenage son on the Daily Herald’s Web site.
But an attorney for the online poster, listed as “John Doe” in legal proceedings, vowed to appeal Judge Jeffery Lawrence’s ruling.
Experts and attorneys are keeping a close eye on this modern-day First Amendment case in which Stone filed legal papers asking the Herald’s publishers for the identity of the commenter known as “Hipcheck16.” The online poster made a series of unflattering comments on the Herald’s Web site earlier this year as Stone was running for trustee and just before she took office.
In his six-page ruling issued last week, Lawrence said the poster’s name and address can be turned over to Stone, but she is not permitted to distribute the information publicly. Lawrence had asked Stone’s attorney, Stephen Tyma, to write an order specifying how to carry out his ruling, which was presented today in court.
* The Question: Should people be allowed to compel news websites to turn over the names of anonymous commenters in these sorts of instances? Let’s exempt cases where the commenters may threaten someone’s life or limb. So, this would apply only to allegedly defamatory comments. Explain.
* Gov. Pat Quinn appeared to nod off several times during yesterday afternoon’s debate with Dan Hynes while a woman explained how her pregnant daughter-in-law died because she didn’t have access to health insurance. The Hynes campaign sent me this video which they call “Asleep at the Wheel.” Have a look…
Not good at all.
* Progress Illinois has a short video compilation of some of yesterday’s afternoon debate between Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes. Have a look…
More from PI’s coverage…
Because he knows the consequences of bad budgeting, the comptroller emphasized “his obsession with financial responsibility.” As governor, he said he would push to make the higher reimbursement rate for Medicaid, which was established under the stimulus, permanent and continue to push for stem cell research at the state level (as he did in Illinois when President Bush eliminated federal funding). Quinn repeatedly reminded the audience of his 2001 walk across the state with Dr. Quentin Young, an ardent public health advocate. Quinn also suggested that voters look at his record fighting for the All Kids and Veterans Care programs as well as his veto this summer of a budget that would have eviscerated social service programs throughout the state.
HYNES: There’s something wrong in the state of Illinois when the comptroller’s wife gets a collection notice from her physician because the state hasn’t paid them on time.
Quinn in turn charged Hynes with ducking hard decisions, and played up a record of leveraging federal money.
QUINN: We were able to get the legislature to pass some legislation that will allow us to get over a billion dollars of new health care money from Washington.
* The candidates had two debates yesterday, the first was early yesterday morning…
Responding to an audience member’s questions about how it is “really painful” to watch the [TV ads run by both candidates], Hynes said his commercials were meant to “educate” Illinois voters about the main difference between the two Democratic candidates for governor.
“The ads we’ve run have been based on the central issue in this campaign — the budget and how to deal with it,” he said.
Hynes added that Quinn’s ads have targeted his family vacation over the July 4th weekend and his salon-quality haircut.
Quinn responded that Hynes was trying to “demonize” him and his proposed income tax increase in his campaign ads.
“I think it’s important to defend yourself if you’re attacked,” Quinn said.
“Really painful”? Heh. Wait until January. And I dunno about demonizing the governor himself. And his tax hike is what it is.
The two traded shots on budget policies. Hynes accuses Quinn of “using the same gimmicks” that got the state in the financial mess it’s in now. But Quinn says Hynes’ plan doesn’t have much to stand on.
QUINN: The comptroller is $3-4 billion short. It’s not a plan. It’s a blank piece of paper.
When it comes to free rides for seniors and funding the Chicago Transit Authority, Quinn says he’s worked out a careful agreement with the CTA. But Hynes says major cuts are still on the table.
HYNES: You didn’t solve the CTA crisis. You came in, offered borrowing on top of borrowing to avoid a fare increase for two years to get through the election.
Quinn, who inherited the governor’s job in January when Rod Blagojevich was ousted from office, called Hynes a latecomer to the progressive tax idea.
“All of a sudden when he’s running for governor he’s found the faith. Oh happy day,” Quinn said.
Sometimes, the governor really can be a funny guy. “Oh happy day.” You gotta chuckle at that. Too bad he has trouble staying awake in the afternoons.
* Related…
* Dillard walking narrow middle ground in GOP gov race: Similarly, he not only defends but brings up himself his vote for a series of sales-tax hikes last year that kept public transit running and helped fund public safety and other operations in DuPage County. While conservatives groaned, “We kept millions of people going to work every day,” Mr. Dillard says.
* Rep. Jim Sacia (R-Pecatonica) represents Thomson, Illinois. Sacia pens a regular column for newspapers in his district, but I thought you might like to read his latest work, which, of course, is about the proposed sale of the Thomson state prison to the feds…
At the request of Governor Quinn, I, along with Senator Bivins, arrived at Thomson Prison on Monday to find a daunting number of reporters, heads of local municipalities, law enforcement officials and others with a need to know more about the proposed plan to sell the prison to the federal government. We were immediately ushered to the front of the briefing to join Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley and my good friend State Representative Pat Verschoore (D-Milan).
The briefing itself lasted about two hours. It was impressive and thorough, and it answered much of the “coffee shop spin” that was already gripping Northwest Illinois. It was conducted by the Governor’s Chief Operating Officer Jack Lavin, Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle, Jonathon Monken the Director of the Illinois State Police, Harley Lappin the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Phil Carter U. S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs.
Without this briefing, there would still be far more questions than answers. Several very important considerations have influenced my strong stand in favor of the state of Illinois selling the Thomson Prison to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
First, the 1600-bed maximum security facility in Thomson has sat nearly vacant since its completion in 2001, breaking the hearts and dreams of those in the surrounding community who invested their life savings and all they could borrow into businesses to support the anticipated opening of the prison. Many are now bankrupt.
Second, as a state legislator I have no control over President Obama’s decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GITMO). If the detainees now housed there are coming to American soil, I’m all in favor of housing approximately 100 at Thomson and filling the remainder of the facility with maximum security federal prisoners. Both Mr. Carter and Mr. Lappin assured us that the GITMO detainees would never be co-mingled with other federal prisoners. They would have their own segregated wing under the control of the U.S. military.
A fact not known to many of us before the proposed sale of the Thomson Prison is that there are already 340 former GITMO detainees currently being housed in federal prisons in the United States, 40 of them at the federal facility in Marion, Illinois. It wasn’t made clear this week how many may be housed at other federal Illinois facilities in Greenville, Pekin and Chicago. It appears the transfers of those prisoners weren’t newsworthy because they weren’t tied to the closing of GITMO.
No, the transfer of detainees here won’t result in the creation of terror cells in Northwest Illinois. Detainees are not allowed visits from anyone other than clergy, lawyers and the Red Cross. Other prisoners at Thomson would retain normal visiting privileges.
Please remember folks, we are not breaking new ground here. Our federal facilities already are housing 340 of the worst of the worst with no problems. Thomson would simply fall in line, but of course, it is tied to the closing of GITMO, so the politics have gotten out in front of practical reality. This is an opportunity for up to 3200 new, direct and indirect jobs - many of them federal law enforcement positions. There will be local hires and transfers from the state system to the federal system. The facility will have an $85 million per year operating budget. - that’s money pumped back into our local economy.
Thomson prison is new, it’s practically vacant and our state can’t afford to fully open it. Yes, you can make an argument that we need it open. I, along with the citizens of Thomson have been making that argument for eight years. It’s time to plow new ground.
Thoughts?
…Adding… Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk were both on Fox News one right after another in a pretty fascinating interview. Watch it…
* The late Chicago School Board President Michael Scott had gunshot residue on his left hand (he was left-handed), his own gun was found under his body, his money clip - with his cash, ID and his credit cards - were found in the water of the Chicago River, yet some folks continue to insist he didn’t kill himself…
Many, in fact, questioned whether he killed himself at all and challenged the medical examiner’s conclusion.
“We are not going to rest until we find out what happened to him,” said community activist Harold Davis.
Davis was joined at the Starlight Missionary Baptist Church on the West Side by Chicago ministers and others activists who called for a state or federal investigation into Scott’s death.
According to ABC7, the ministers believe that Scott was murdered…
“We believe it was a murder, and we are saying to all the brothers that are out there on the street, we need your eyes and ears because we are going to get to the bottom of this.”
Asked who would have murdered Scott, they said they don’t know because he didn’t have enemies.
“This looks like a murder, and then trying to make it look like a suicide,” said fellow community activist Harold Davis, who said he shares that view with one of Scott’s wired-in City Hall friends, Phil Krone.
So, the ministers believe Scott couldn’t have possibly killed himself, and he also didn’t have any enemies, so he must’ve been murdered.
Grandstanders. Plain and simple.
If you really want to see something disgusting, and I don’t think you do, try looking at some of the comments that the Tribune has allowed to be posted on the death. Morons.
* Mayor Daley went off on a reporter yesterday who brought up the ministers’ allegations…
The mayor’s news conference after Wednesday’s City Council meeting took a bizarre turn — and came to an abrupt end — when a TV reporter [Tera Williams of Fox Chicago] quoted the ministers as claiming that the mystery surrounding Scott’s death would have political fall-out for Daley.
“What? Death? It’s a personal thing. That has nothing to do with my public career. That’s an insult to me,” Daley said.
“My son died …’Cause someone that you love dies, that changes your public career? …What a silly question to ever ask anybody. If your mother died, does that change your life? What’s wrong with you people? Don’t you have any respect for people anymore? I know you want to make a lot of money. You want to be on TV. You want to ask me a lot of questions. But, do you have any respect for anyone? I guess you don’t. It’s kind of a sad comment. You owe me an apology.”
I have walked past the spot where Scott’s body was found a number of times, around 2 or 3 a.m. when my old job called me in due to problems with the computer system. Not once in 15 years did I fear being by myself so late at night. Of course I was cautious, but I never saw the spot as dark and isolated. The railroad bridge where Scott’s body was found faces two huge apartment buildings, as well as a smaller group of condominiums whose backside are composed of floor-to-ceiling window areas.
That likely refers to a John Kass column from earlier this week which claimed the area was dark and unnavigable. Some of his commenters took him sharply to task for that column, but there’s been no retraction as of yet.
Any stupid tinfoil hat comments will be deleted here. Don’t push your luck.
