Let Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9) know how disgusted you are with the Democrats' attempts to force Americans to buy sub-standard, government run health insurance. Tell her how upset you are that she and her party have been secretive about the 2,000+ pages-long health "reform" bill, their lack of transparency, and their strongarm tactics and lies.

To help you get in the mood for that phone call to Schak's D.C. office, first read the propaganda email being sent across the nation by Obama's "Organizing For America." (If you don't live in the 9th Cong. District of Illinois, the email will have your congressman's name instead of Schakowsky's. Click here to find contact info for your Senators and Congressmen.)

How to contact Schakowsky's offices:
2367 Rayburn Hob, Washington, DC‎ - (202) 225-2111‎
5533 N. Broadway Street, Chicago, IL‎ - (773) 506-7100‎
820 Davis Street # 105, Evanston, IL‎ - (847) 328-3409‎

Now to the email, dated November 6, 2009, complete with lies and distortions:

This is it -- the House of Representatives will vote on health insurance reform tomorrow. All signs point to it being incredibly close, possibly coming down to a small handful of representatives or even a single vote.

The health insurance industry and their lobbyists are doing all they can to stop reform -- and your representative, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, and the rest of Congress, is under tremendous pressure. Right now, your voice could make all the difference.

Call Rep. Schakowsky at 202-225-2111 today and click here to report your call back to us.

(Not your representative? Click here to look yours up.)

Tell the staffer who answers that you're counting on Rep. Schakowsky to stand strong and vote for reform -- because that's what the voters back home depend on. And if they're working for reform, tell them you'll stand with them and thank them for their hard work on this issue.

Here's just a few of the ways the House Bill would directly help people in Rep. Schakowsky's district [1]:

• 79,000 uninsured individuals would gain access to high-quality, affordable health insurance;

• Up to 13,600 small businesses could receive tax credits to provide coverage for their employees;

• 6,500 seniors would avoid the donut hole in Medicare;

• This bill is fully paid for and will not increase the deficit, while ensuring 98.4% of taxpayers in the district will not pay a dime more in taxes because of reform.

After decades of false starts, we may be mere hours away from passing comprehensive health insurance reform through the House of Representatives. But the insurance company lobbyists will stop at nothing to block reform and we can't stop fighting now.

President Obama is visiting the House tomorrow to call for reform, and I hope you'll add your voice to his right away. If you haven't called before, now is the time. And if you have recently called, thank you -- now please ask friends, family members, and co-workers in your district to join you.

http://freedomedium.com/2009/10/organizing-for-america-promotes-fascism/

Everything we're fighting for comes down to moments like this.

Thank you for stepping up,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

RELATED:
Chicago News Bench: Did Jan Schakowsky Have Lesbian Spy Affair?
YouTube - Rep Jan Schakowsky pushes single payer healthcare
Chicago News Bench: OFA Astroturfing Big Time for Schakowsky
That 1990-page Democratic health care bill? It's longer now ...

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Regular visitors to Chicago News Bench may have noticed a new gizmo here: The groovalicious new toolbar at the bottom of our site. Powered by Wibiya.com, and in an invitation-only beta stage, the features are splendid. It's one of the best software betas I've ever had the pleasure to test.

Starting on the left, you'll see a Search box. You can toggle between searching only on Chicago News Bench or on Google. Next, you'll find Translate, powered by Google. (Note that while this is handy and works well, I already have a translation bar just under the banner at the top with many more languages to choose from.)

Moving on, to the right of Translate is a nice Recent Posts slider. Self explanatory, so let's look at the next function, a whimsical random post finder appropriately called "Random." It's a bit like the "I Feel Lucky" search on Google. Click it and a random post on Chicago News Bench appears.

To the right of Random is a favorite: Games offers hours of free fun for you. To the right of Games is a long blank area, where Wibiya will be adding new features in the future, probably after they're out of beta. Continuing on, after the blank space, is a nice RSS button, where visitors can subscribe to Chicago News Bench in a number of handy - and free - ways.

To the right of the RSS button is Share, where you can share a post on Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, MySpace and more social media. Note that you should allow popups from Chicago News Bench for this to work. Also, to share a specific post URL, rather than our home page URL, you should click the post title first, then click Share.

Next we see the Facebook button. That takes you to my Facebook page; click on "Go to Fan Page" in the popup window. To the right of Facebook is the Twitter button, which opens a very cool interface of two panels. The left panel allows you to "Join the conversation about: Chicago News Bench," showing the most recent references on Twitter to "Chicago News Bench." The right panel shows the most recent tweets from ChiNewsBench, which is me on Twitter.

Finally, the chevron symbol on the far right allows you to toggle the entire bar on or off. It doesn't really go off, but you can minimize it, then quickly bring it back to full size with another click.

All in all, Wibiya's tool bar is a fun addition that I am enjoying immensely. I hope you like it, too.

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The next big Tea Party in the Windy City will be one mile away from Midway Airport, in the Wentworth Park neighborhood (map). It's over by dere...

DETAILS:
On Saturday, November 7, Noon - 2:00 p.m.
Wentworth Park, 5700 S. Narragansett (map) (at W. 57th Street)
Hot coffee, hot chocolate and bottled water will be available.

Contact: Catherina Wojtowicz, (312) 662-8666,
ChicagoTeaPatriots@Gmail.com and ChicagoTeaPatriots website

Jim McMahon writes, "We have a great line up of speakers and entertainment. We will also host an open mic session so if you have something you would like to share, please feel welcome! We will be convening in the heartland of Congressman Dan Lipinski's district -- the ONLY democratic congressman in the state of Illinois who is poised to vote NO on socialized medicine!"

RELATED POSTS:
Anti-ObamaCare Tea Party Saturday on Chicago's Southwest Side
COUNTDOWN TO TAKING BACK OUR COUNTRY...
Chicago Tea Party 11/7/09

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Andy McKenna, candidate for Illinois governor, hopes I'll give myself to him for free. I'm not that kind of boy, though, and I charge for what the Andy McKennas of the world want from me. So today, I told McKenna to pay up or give up.

As politicians of all stripes gear up for the 2010 elections, many of them are already spending big money on campaign advertising. They are also cluttering up the inboxes of many a blogger with press/media releases. The Old Media have always gotten press releases, and in fact they welcome them because many are well written and provide free text with which to fill, for example, a newspaper. For TV and radio, press releases provide filler too, allowing a station to keep their talking heads talking for the full length of a news show without asking their own writers to actually, you know, write.

I confess that I sometimes publish a press release, in full even, if it is well written and informative. I always make it obvious that it is a press release, unlike some who unscrupulously make it look as if they wrote "that brilliant story." I will publish a press release if I think it provides interesting or useful information to my readers in a well written manner, regardless of whether it's commercial or nonprofit. I'm especially partial to small businesses, whether they are for-profit or non-profit. It can give me a good post quickly and effortlessly.

Ah, but political ads are different. Those guys are throwing obscene amounts of dough around and never ask for anything tangible in return, except - ultimately - votes, then bribes, then kickbacks. Now, I try to sell advertising on this blog, same as a newspaper or broadcaster. I'm a lot cheaper, of course, because I only have hundreds of thousand of readers, not the dozens that the bankrupt Chicago Tribune must have.

Many bloggers are trying to sell advertising. Andy McKenna is one of many people running for a number of different offices for the 2010 Illinois elections. McKenna, like other politicians, sends a number of press releases to me every week, hoping that I will either publish them in full or re-work them; either way, it is hoped that I'll help get their message "out there."

Look, even though I would never vote for a faux-Republican RINO like Andy McKenna, I would shout his message from my blog, you betcha, if it's in the form of a paid advertisement. Perhaps that makes me a mercenary of sorts; I don't look at it that way. I'm simply willing to publish an ad, even one that might not necessarily represent the views held here. I reserve the right to refuse certain ads, of course. I would refuse any ad from hateful organizations such as the KKK or the Democrat National Committee.

However, if any Democrat wanted to pay me to place a campaign ad on this blog, for example, I'd accept it, with the understanding that it would not prevent me from continuing to call them out as greedy, corrupt, amoral, opportunistic, pseudo-collectivist lice. Same goes for RINOs (Republican In Name Only). I would, however, give them honest service and what they pay for and in a timely fashion and with a forced half-smile. That's better than what they give the voters, who end up paying their salaries. So, really, they're getting one helluva a bargain by advertising here. After all, they buy ads with Big Media, many of which are critical of them. Fair is fair, even in Illinois. By the way, I'm willing to take a check or PayPal deposit from a RINO. Democrats: I'll want cash in advance or we don't talk.

Oh yes, Andy McKenna... I wrote back to the nameless McKenna flunky/ies that send/s email press releases to me and let him/her/them know that if he/she/they think I'm giving it away, he/she/they are wrong.

To: press@mckennagov.com

Dear McKenna for Illinois:

Thanks for all the press releases. I see that your campaign is spending plenty of money for radio, television and print advertising. This blog, Chicago News Bench, accepts advertising just as they do. I would gladly run any message you wish on this blog, as long as it is in the form of paid advertisement. You can easily place an ad on Chicago News Bench by going to Blog Ads at this link.

You'll find our rates to be very reasonable. We look forward to serving your advertising and publicity needs. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Cordially,

Tom Mannis

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(Photo: CNB file image of N. Broadway and W. Wilson, taken August 2009; click to enlarge)

An odd incident occurred at Alderman Helen Shiller's office, 4533 N. Broadway in Uptown, happened at 11:18 a.m. Police removed a homeless man from the ward office without incident, but Shiller's staff refused to say why the police were called to handle a man thought to be homeless. (See related post, "Cops Called to Ald. Shiller's Office, Staff Mum.") Shiller's chief of staff, Denice Davis, told Chicago News Bench that it was "none of your business" why an emergency call was made to the police.

Despite Shiller's staff's reluctance to discuss an emergency call for help at an elected official's public service office, Chicago News Bench has obtained confirmation that the incident did in fact happen. A Chicago police officer with the 23rd District sent this message by email on the morning of Nov. 4:

"On the 3rd at 1118 Hrs 23rd District units were dispatched to Ald. Shiller's office to handle a disturbance. The tactical restored peace and left. The disturbance is alleged to have involved a homeless male....That is the information available on our call system."

THE SECOND INCIDENT happened in mid-afternoon. Trustworthy sources in Uptown told Chicago News Bench today that Alderman Shiller herself is believed to have phone 911 around 3:00 p.m. Our source, who heard the afternoon calls go out on a police scanner, told us that "a couple of Hispanic men" were reportedly harassing people in Shiller's ward office. CORRCTION/RETRACTION, Nov. 5: Upon further investigation, we have determined that our source was mistaken about the so-called second incident, said to have happened on the afternoon of Nov. 3. We regret any confusion.

One of the peculiar things about Shiller's ward office is the baseball bat openly displayed just behind the front desk. Unless the staff is always ready to play an inning of ball at a moment's notice, there is probably only one reason for that bat to be there: Defense. Shiller's office is located in a very rough part of a rough neighborhood, plagued with violence. In fact, it was only last week, on Thursday, Oct. 28, that a shooting occurred across the street from Shiller's office.

"A mid-afternoon shooting in Uptown sent pedestrians near the corner of Broadway and Wilson diving for cover, and bullets smashing into the windows of the Wilson-Broadway Currency Exchange at 4599 N. Broadway," according to Lake Effect News. According to reporter Lorraine Swanson, "Twenty-third District police swarmed the scene around 2:15 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses said that four males began shooting across the Broadway and Wilson intersection with no regard for traffic or pedestrians at a person standing near the currency exchange. A mother and her three children dove for cover on the sidewalk, as bullets slammed into the currency exchange’s windows, witnesses said."

(Photo: Lake Effect News)

The October 29, 2009 shooting is by no means the first shooting at or close to the intersection of Broadway and Wilson. A smart gambler would bet that it won't be the last. Alderman Shiller tried to downplay the 2:02 p.m. October 29 shooting, insisting that the gunmen were not shooting at anybody in particular. That's not only a ridiculous statement, it is patently untrue. Chicago police officers told the Beat 2311 CAPS meeting on Nov. 3 that the shooters "were shooting at each other." The officers said that another shooting happened about two hours later in the course of a narcotics-related chase and arrest in Clarendon Park, about half a mile east of the currency exchange shooting. The officers said they did not know whether the two shooting incidents on Oct. 29 were related.

Shiller's staff is typical of Shiller herself. Reluctance to discuss crime and violence, even that which occurs inside of and across the street from her own ward office, for example. Shiller's dismissal of the October 29 shooting as nothing more than harmless hijinx is also in character. At last night's CAPS meeting, Shiller's chief of staff (Denice Davis) tried to shout me down as I asked the police for information about the 911 call to Shiller's office that morning. This is the behavior and attitude - indeed, the mentality - that has cost Shiller so much support in her 46th Ward. Her virtual silence on the issue of violence is deafening. Uptown's silent scream of frustration, however, will be given a loud voice in late summer of 2010, when the aldermanic campaigning will reach a crescendo. After 22 years in office, it's now widely believed that Helen Shiller cannot win another term.

RELATED: Cops Called to Ald. Shiller's Office, Staff Mum (Updated)

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Chicago Model City Exhibition Extended Through November 2010
Chicago Architecture Foundation Enhances Detailed Model of Chicago
Chicago Architecture Foundation Media Release
Photos courtesy Chicago Architecture Foundation (click to enlarge)

Chicago – November 5, 2009 – The Chicago Model City exhibition has drawn a vibrant band of locals and tourists who linger over the city in “miniature” every day since it opened in June. Originally scheduled to close in November, the exhibition has been extended through November 2010 with some upgrades and additions. Free and open daily, Chicago Model City, is at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S. Michigan. New additions to the exhibition will include an audio tour, an expanded schedule of free bi-weekly gallery talks, new adult and family programs, family programs, and a Flickr page where visitors share photos of the model and exhibition.

“The popularity of Chicago Model City demonstrates the desire for greater understanding of Chicago and all cities,” said Lynn Osmond, Chicago Architecture Foundation President and CEO. “Many people recognize that the design of architecture and infrastructure is key to achieving livable communities.”

The centerpiece of Chicago Model City is the first and only large-scale city model fabricated using the cutting-edge rapid prototyping manufacturing process called stereolithography. Chicago Model City appeals to all ages by allowing visitors to get up close to the model which spans four sq. miles from Lake Michigan to Halsted and from Oak Street to 16th Street . It has 1000 highly detailed buildings in 400 city blocks. The scale is 1 inch to 50 feet, making the Sears Tower nearly three feet tall! The lighting simulates June 21st, the longest day of the year, going from morning to night every 15 minutes.

“This exhibition really ties into the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours,” said Jason Neises, Chicago Architecture Foundation VP of Tours. “People like retracing their steps and can really see the path of the river cruise and many of our walking tours.”

Chicago Model City explores how a region as vast and complex as Chicago takes shape. The exhibition highlights the goals of the people who influence urban life, and it examines the intended and unintended consequences of their actions. By focusing on landmark planning events that have been adopted or avoided in cities everywhere, the exhibition explores why Chicago is a model city.

Chicago Model City encompasses five sections:

Beautiful City Plan of Chicago
To planners, beautification is a way to achieve wealth, efficiency, and harmony.

Global City O’Hare International Airport
International transportation networks are the foundations of Chicago ’s financial and creative wealth.

Connected City The ‘L’
Chicagoans’ ability to travel throughout the region encourages urban growth; drives real estate development; and contributes to quality of life.

Green City Chicago Climate Action Plan
Chicago’s dense population, commerce and industry, and complex infrastructure are ingredients for a green or a dirty city. How will planners tip the balance in favor of a productive and healthy environment?

New City Remaking the South Side
Some planners’ solution is to demolish neighborhoods and build anew.

The Chicago model will be a permanent legacy for the city. The Chicago Architecture Foundation plans to continue enhancing and expanding the model, which will become the focus of its new facility, planned for 2012.

Corporations including DSM Desotech, Baxter International Inc., and Molex Incorporated worked with Columbian Model & Exhibit Works by donating staff, technology, and materials to fabricate the model.

Leading support was provided by Baxter International Inc., DSM Desotech, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity / Bureau of Tourism, Allstate Corporation, Bank of America, The Burnham Plan Centennial, Feldco, Molex Incorporated, Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, and Structural Engineers Association of Illinois. Additional support was provided by Altman Lighting, Chicago Bears Football Club, Chicago Sun-Times, Color Kinetics, HOK, Intelligent Lighting Creations, Inc., Illinois Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Lightswitch Architectural, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, and Zumtobel Lighting, Inc.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and design. The Chicago Architecture Foundation pursues this mission through architecture tours, exhibitions, panel discussions, and youth and adult education programs. The Chicago Architecture Foundation is located at 224 South Michigan Avenue , Chicago , Illinois 60604 . For further information visit http://www.architecture.org/ or call 312.922.3432.

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UPDATED: Also see: Shiller's 922 Calls, a Baseball Bat and Silence

First, Ald. Shiller's staff tried to deny that the police were called. Then, the alderman's chief of staff tried to shut me down at a CAPS meeting. Shiller is a public, elected official whose public service office had just requested emergency services from the police, -- and her staff told me it was none of my business why.



At 11:18 a.m. on Nov. 3, 2009, a call came over the Chicago police radio that Helen Shiller's aldermanic ward (46th) office called to report a homeless man causing trouble. The staff keeps a baseball bat at the reception desk - just in case. The police radio indicated that it may be an assault in progress. Several squads responded by radio that they would respond. I arrived at Shiller's office at 11:28 a.m.

A police car was still on the street, in front of the office, as I walked in and asked why the police had been called. Shiller's staff was evasive, refusing at first to even acknowledge that the officers had been there even as they were still visible through the front window.

(Update, Nov. 5:) Here is confirmation of the incident as provided by the Chicago Police Department: "On the 3rd at 1118 Hrs 23rd District units were dispatched to Ald. Shiller's office to handle a disturbance. The tactical restored peace and left. The disturbance is alleged to have involved a homeless male....That is the information available on our call system." ~ CPD officer, 23rd District, email to Chicago News Bench, 11/4/09.

Later, I attended the 7:00 p.m. CAPS meeting for Beat 2311 in Uptown, just around the corner from Shiller's office. During the questions portion of the meeting, I asked the police officers if they knew what happened at Ald. Shiller's office this morning. Shiller's chief of staff, Denice Davis, interrupted me by loudly shouting "You don't have to answer that!" I responded back to her, "The officers have the right to not answer, but I have the right to ask the question, and you have no right to stop me from asking it."

Shiller, a Democrat, is widely known to be unresponsive to the high crime in her Uptown neighborhood. Shiller is the alderman who was chased from a public meeting by an angry crowd last summer.

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Part of the November 4 protests in Iran.

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Steven M. Cohen wrote a brilliant op-ed at GetLiberty.org, posted today. Cohen writes about how the Obama Administration "and its congressional acolytes have in similar fashion attacked citizens who have exercised their free speech rights at the numerous health care town meetings held all over the country" and more. It is a must-read. Here's an excerpt:

As Americans continue their dalliance with redistribution and collectivism—policies now being reversed or even shunned in other parts of the world—the process takes on the aura of a car wreck, an out-of-body experience seemingly taking place in slow motion. Yet the pace at which we are surrendering our fundamental rights is not a protracted deterioration but instead is breathtakingly quick, considering the fundamental damage visited upon our democratic system by the Obama administration in its brief tenure of less than ten months. Never have so few wreaked so much havoc on so many in so little time. Full Article...

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