* “Snowtorious B.I.G.” knocked out my website’s ISP for a few minutes this afternoon. No biggie. I called over there and two people are holed up and constantly monitoring the equipment, so they knew it was down before I did.
My own power went off briefly here this morning, but the possibility of freezing rain is now making me wonder if I have enough fuel for my kerosene heater - and I’m questioning my own judgement for not shelling out the bucks for a decent generator. Oh, well. I’m pretty well stocked up on Jameson, though, so I should be OK.
Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun today offered a public apology to a little-known opponent she had called a crack addict.
The apology at an afternoon news conference came a day after Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins said Braun owed her one but she didn’t expect to get one.
“Patricia Watkins said she does not expect an apology from me. She is wrong,” Braun said today.
“I want to apologize to her, to the congregations and members of Trinity United Church and of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist church and all of the families and friends of those who are or who have been caught up in the tragedy of drug use. I meant no disrespect of the sanctuaries in which campaign tensions spilled over,” Braun said.
Just as with her tax-return kerfuffle, now that nearly all the damage has been done, Braun offered an apology of sorts at a news conference this afternoon
* While we’re on this topic, a new study released yesterday showed that blacks in Illinois were about five times as likely to be sent to prison for minor drug crimes as whites…
The disparity is even bigger in Cook County, where blacks charged with low-level drug possession were eight times more likely than whites to be sentenced to prison, according to the report from the Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission. […]
The divide stems in part from intense police activity in high-crime urban areas, where sales take place in open-air drug markets, making it easier to arrest dealers and buyers, said David Olson, chairman of Loyola University Chicago’s criminal justice department. […]
“Minorities aren’t necessarily more likely to use drugs than whites, but from the data that’s available and from the study, it’s evident that they’re much more likely to be apprehended,” Olson said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a policy of the police department to do that. I think it’s just an outcome of where they put their resources.”
The commission said providing alternatives to prison could cut costs and help get people off drugs. The alternatives include substance abuse treatment and educating offenders on the consequences of prison time, such as hurting their chances of getting a job.
Pam Rodriguez, president of the Treatment Alternative for Safe Communities, said she believes minorities often accept plea agreements that involve prison time instead of alternative sentencing. That might be because they don’t know about options other than prison, or poor communities may not have the money to offer alternatives. Difficulties hiring lawyers also may contribute to the disparity, she said. […]
[In a dissent] Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez said the report neglected to investigate why some people commit crimes repeatedly and others don’t. She said repeat offenders are more likely to end up in prison and that a larger percentage of minorities arrested are repeat offenders compared to whites.
State Rep. Dennis Reboletti, R-Elmhurst, joined in the dissent. He said variables such as gang affiliation were not taken into account, making it difficult to conclude that trends were based solely on race.
A state inspector says a supervisor at the Illinois Transportation Department pressured employees to give him gifts if they wanted good work assignments.
The executive inspector general says the supervisor accepted cigars, leather jackets and meals in exchange for handing out the best assignments.
The inspector is recommending that John Grana be punished, perhaps even fired.
Grana works at an IDOT maintenance yard in Schaumburg. He told investigators he did nothing wrong and that any gifts were simply exchanges among friends.
The question I guess I would have is whether Grana gave gifts in return that didn’t have anything to do with choice work assignments.
A watchdog group that fights government corruption in Illinois has received a $1-million gift to continue its advocacy efforts.
The donation to the Better Government Assn. comes from the Richard H. Driehaus Charitable Lead Trust. The trust wants other BGA supporters to follow suit and will match every dollar BGA raises up to $1 million.
Driehaus says government is in crisis and that the BGA can help achieve more fairness, honesty and accountability from public officials.
Dreihaus has been a major campaign contributor to Forrest Claypool, giving his campaign fund $350,000 over the years. He’s also contributed to Mayor Daley, Rahm Emanuel, Lisa Madigan and even some little contris to the 13th Ward Democratic Organization.
* Related…
* Illinois prof again nominates George Ryan for Nobel Peace Prize
* Sentencing may be delayed in death of Aurora World War II vet
* Basically, what this means is that everything with the capital bill is now status quo ante. Drivers service fees don’t have to be immediately refunded and projects apparently can carry on, at least until the Supremes rule otherwise (or not).
* What are the latest developments in your local (non-Chicago) mayor’s race or aldermanic (including Chicago) race? Fill us in as best you can, and tell us whom you are backing. Let’s avoid the Chicago mayor’s race. We’ve had plenty of posts on that already. Thanks.
* Gov. Quinn has activated over 500 Illinois National Guard troops to help deal with the blizzard. The troops will be deployed to rest areas on Interstate highways from I-70 north. Here are the units that have been called up…
· The 2/106th Cavalry Squadron based in Kewanee, with subordinate units from Galva, Dixon and Pontiac, which are being deployed to the northern part of the state.
· The 766th Engineer Company based in Decatur, the 1844th Transportation Company based in Quincy and the 3637th Maintenance Company based in Springfield, which are being deployed to the central part of the state.
· The 634th Brigade Support Battalion based in Sullivan and the 233rd Military Police Company based in Springfield, which are being deployed to the southern part of the state.
· In addition, an Illinois National Guard headquarters element is being drawn from the 65th Troop Command Brigade and 183rd Fighter Wing, both from Springfield.
I embedded with the 233rd in Iraq. Truly a great bunch of soldiers, but many are Springfield-area cops, so I hope this doesn’t detract from the capital city’s deployment efforts.
More from the press release…
Troops stationed along the highways will carry supplies such as water, snack bars and roadside safety tips to provide to stranded motorists. Guard members will also relay information regarding road conditions, vehicle accidents and stranded motorists to ISP officers working in the area.
They’re gonna give roadside safety tips to stranded motorists?
“Hi, I’m from the Illinois National Guard. I see you and your family are stranded and freezing. Here’s a list of things you should do. Oh, and here’s an energy bar. Enjoy.”
Let’s hope it doesn’t go like that.
Stay safe out there. And if you see anyone from the 233rd, tell them I said hey.
* Carol Moseley Braun was on Fox Chicago last night and said she went on the attack against Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins because she feared being portrayed as a “wimp.” I kid you not. Watch…
Braun is planning a press conference today at 1 o’clock. Should be fun.
* The universal reaction related by the media was one of disgust and anger…
On Monday, Braun supporters struggled to assess the damage from the ugly skirmish with Watkins.
“I’m not sure how much of it was fatigue. These campaigns tend to be physically draining, [but] I was very surprised. I don’t think it represented an ambassador of the United States government,” said Ald. Freddrenna Lyle (6th).
Another Braun supporter, who asked to remain anonymous, said the incident was “killing her out here,” particularly with elderly black voters.
“Seniors are very concerned about appearances. They think it was an embarrassment to have two educated black women out here cat-fighting,” the source said.
I don’t know if I quite believe yet that this incident knocks Braun out of second place. We’ll just have to wait and see. The “killer” snow storm, civil unions, Egypt, etc. are all big stories right now, so it’s competing with a lot of other stuff. I don’t completely agree with this assessment…
What can’t be overlooked is that Watkins and Walls will serve primarily in this election to shave votes from Braun, possibly keeping her from a runoff. I’m not saying that’s why they’re running, but that’s the effect.
From that perspective, a Braun-Watkins spat was unavoidable. The surprise is that it came on Watkins’ terms.
Keeping Rahm Emanuel below 50 percent is Braun’s best bet for getting into the runoff. All she’s doing with this craziness is pushing voters to him. Ignoring Watkins would’ve been the smart play. What Braun may have done, if anything, is help Emanuel avoid the runoff.
The nasty exchange between Carol Moseley Braun and Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins exposes the fault line in the African-American community with respect to the mayor’s race.
In a community fractured by class differences, it is nearly impossible for voters to unite behind a single black mayoral candidate.
Last time I checked, Watkins was polling at close to zero. So at least when it comes to black candidates, African-American voters do seem pretty unified.
* Notice, however, that the media has not even touched on Braun’s other claim. Here’s her full comment…
“Patricia, the reason you didn’t know where I was for the last 20 years is because you were strung out on crack,” Braun said. “Now, you have admitted to that. You also were in a cult. You have admitted to that.”
What’s this about a cult? I received a bulk e-mail yesterday with some iffy stuff in it alleging that Watkins’ church is a “cult.” Apparently, Braun believes that, too.
* As expected, Gov. Pat Quinn signed the civil unions bill into law yesterday…
“Here we are in 2011 on the eve of Abraham Lincoln’s 202nd birthday and I think this is very special,” Quinn said as 20 politicians joined him on stage and hundreds of supporters packed a hall in the Chicago Cultural Center. “We believe in civil rights and we believe in civil unions.” […]
The new law provides more than 650 spousal benefits and protections.
“If you enter a civil union, you can now visit your loved one in the hospital to make medical decisions and not be turned away. You can take time off to care for your partner and not lose your job,” Attorney General Lisa Madigan said. “You can build and protect your family.
* Just about everybody who was anybody in Illinois government was at the signing ceremony, including some Republicans …
Gov. Quinn then recognized State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, both Republicans who supported the bill. “Civil rights transcend political partnerships,” he said.
Rutherford was the last to address the crowd.
“I am from a small town in central Illinois and I am a Republican, and I am proud of it. As this bill move forward, I felt I just needed to do the right thing,” Rutherford said. “January 2009 I resigned from the Senate as the civil unions bill made its way through, and my very last bill of 18 years as part of the Senate was to vote yes on the civil unions bill.”
“I know that traveling all over Illinois that there are people who are uncomfortable but know this must go forward, I am proud to be from a small town, a Republican and to be here today.” […]
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago), Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Illinois) and state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) and a number of other dignitaries also attended Monday’s ceremony.
* Back in the mid-1990s, the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed legislation that outlawed gay marriage and prohibited the state from recognizing gay marriages performed in other states. Illinois’ new civil unions law means that old law is now no more…
Supporters included Cindy Savage and Julia Zayas-Melendez of Rogers Park, who spent much of the ceremony with their arms around each other.
The couple married last year in Massachusetts, but the union was not recognized in Illinois. Now it will be.
“For us it means our marriage will be recognized by the state of Illinois as something other than just living together and sharing a mortgage,” Savage said. “On a larger scale, it’s one more step toward equality.”
* So far, there doesn’t seem to be any public resistance from local county clerks…
The law means couples will receive many of the same Illinois rights as married couples, said Michael, whose office has received about four calls asking how to obtain the certificates that become available June 1. Civil unions are available to all residents, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Livingston County Clerk Kristy Masching has been asked about the fee structure. The county collects $30 for marriage licenses, with $5 going to a state fund to combat domestic violence. Clerks are waiting to hear if the same $5 fee also will apply to civil union certificates, she said.
DeWitt County Clerk Dana Smith also is waiting for proper forms and plans to consult with the county board on fees. Her staff is ready to help anyone who comes to the counter, she said.
“We won’t treat anyone any differently than anyone else,” said Smith.
In addition to Illinois, twelve states plus Washington, D.C. have laws providing an expansive form of state-level relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington D.C. provide marriage to same-sex couples under state law. New York and Maryland recognize out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages, but do not provide marriage licenses to same-sex couples in state. Five other states – California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington – provide same-sex couples with access to almost all of the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.
Colorado, Hawaii, Maine and Wisconsin provide gay and lesbian couples with limited rights and benefits, not all rights provided to married couples. An attorney general opinion and subsequent court ruling in Rhode Island resulted in limited recognition of out-of-jurisdiction marriages of same-sex couples. California recognized marriage for same-sex couples between June and November of 2008, before voters approved Proposition 8, which purports to amend the state constitution to prohibit marriage equality. Couples married during that window remain married under California law, but all other same-sex couples can only receive a domestic partnership within the state. The state will recognize out-of-jurisdiction same-sex marriages that occurred before November 5, 2008 as marriages and those that occurred on or after November 5, 2008 as similar to domestic partnerships.
