Way To Go, Toni

I don't know how the heck I missed this, but thanks to Jocelyn at the Rogers Park Neighbor for heads up on local blogger Toni Duncan's (24/7 North of Howard Watchers) notice in the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, April 29. Keep up the good work, Toni. We're Number Five! We're Number Five! We're Number Five! So how should a resident feel when his or her neighborhood is declared to be Most Bloggy? Locally we can look to the gentrifying North-of-Howard section of Rogers Park, which on Monday was named among the 10 ... er ... bloggiest regions in the nation by Outside.in, a Web site that collects information about neighborhoods. FULL BLOGGY POST...

And This Guy Wants to Run for Congress?

Paul Vallas left the Chicago Public Schools system in a shambles in 2002. He now leaves the Philadelphia Schools in a financial mess. The good news for Philadelphia: Paul Vallas just quit his position as the city's schools CEO. Vallas quit after his political and popular support rotted, with increased school violence, a $73 million deficit, and the "fear that future budget cuts could undo recent academic gains." The bad news for Chicago: Paul Vallas is returning, and he wants to run for Congress in Illinois' 3rd Congressional District. Philadelphia - April 30 - School District officials shrugged last week when Chief Financial Officer Sade Olanipekun Lewis publicly acknowledged Fitch Bond Rating Service has Philadelphia School District bonds on a negative watch that could downgrade them to junk bond status in the next three-to-five months. FULL STORY... RELATED: Andrew Sharp and Paul Vallas: 3rd Congressional District Challenge School-budget crisis threatens 100 jobs Philly's Paul Vallas: Smiles for Academic Gains; Frustration in Finances, Violence

The Coming Immigration Super Storm

CBS-2 Chicago has a nice fluffy propaganda piece up today. Some excerpts: Eighty percent of area businesses will close for the day to show support.

Yah, right. They don't want the added burden of lawsuits and insurance hell in the event of employees or customers being injured by - God forbid - any trouble that might break out.

Marchers are also calling on Cook County Commissioners to pass an ordinance drafted by Roberto Maldonado. It would prohibit Cook County employees from asking about a person's immigration status during routine interactions, like traffic stops."We're telling our immigrant community we are with you; we support your contribution to our county,” Maldonado said.

That's what you're telling the immigrants who are not here legally. To those immigrants who are here legally, and to the rest of us, you're telling us you don't give a damn about unemployed black kids or about national security.

Board President Todd Stroger supports the measure."We're here to make sure people have what they need regardless of where they're from,” Stroger said.

Todd's looking out for you, baby. How about all the health workers and secretaries that Todd's fired since he was elected?

The CTA says 24 bus routes will be affected by the march Tuesday.

Are you an elderly person? Handicapped? Need to get somewhere in a hurry. Well, screw you, say the marchers and the authorities who are letting them get away with this.

The Ho Story

APRIL 27 -Two weeks after exonerating a trio of men charged in the Duke lacrosse case, North Carolina prosecutors today released a report detailing numerous "self contradictions" on the accuser's part as well as other investigative deficiencies in the case that led them to drop all criminal charges. FULL DEAL at SMOKING GUN...

I'll Have the Chicken

Poisson? Ou poison? Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS) is killing fish in the Great Lakes.

Scientists say that that an Ebola-like virus is killing all species of fish in the Great Lakes. Due to a lack of genetic resistance to VHS, fish populations could ultimately be damaged in the same way that the smallpox virus struck Native Americans and Dutch elm disease decimated elm trees, says Jim Winton, chief of fish health at the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle. FULL STORY...

ALSO:

There have been reports of wild fish mortalities associated with the emergence of VHS in various freshwater fish species in the Great Lakes. Until 2005, VHS was believed to be limited to natural infections of marine fish species on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America.

In 2005, mortalities appeared in the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario and Lake St. Clair. In 2006, VHS has been detected in an increasing number of freshwater fish in Lake Erie, in both Canadian and American waters. A fact sheet and frequently asked questions have been prepared to provide basic information about VHS to recreational anglers, commercial fishers and fish farmers to increase awareness and convey basic precautionary measures. MORE from NORTHERN ONTARIO AQUACULTURE ASSOCIATION...

Must-Read: Alderman's Confession, Rezko

Toni's got a hot one up at 24/7 - Carol Marin in the Sun-Times yesterday on the far-reaching influence of slumlord and influence buyer Tony Rezko. It's a must read.

Last week [4th Ward Ald. Toni] Preckwinkle was the only official -- elected or appointed -- willing to publicly talk about Antoin "Tony" Rezko. It's not that she enjoyed it. She didn't. But unlike senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama, Mayor Daley or city Housing Commissioner Jack Markowski, Preckwinkle demonstrated that now-quaint virtue of public accountability. And did so in full public view. FULL CONFESSION...

Druglords and Human Decoys

Mexican druglords seize control of people-smuggling routes SASABE, Mexico, 1:31 p.m. April 30 (AP) Mexican druglords are taking over the business of smuggling migrants into the United States, using them as human decoys to divert authorities from billions of dollars in cocaine shipments across the same border....

Demonizing Democracy, Murtha's Madness

A brilliant post by Part-Time Pundit today, in which he shows the dangerous path that Democrats are taking by criminalizing politics. PTP writes: Yesterday, Representative John Murtha had a rare moment of honest and told America what the impeachment drive is about. On CBS, Murtha said “What I’m saying, there’s four ways to influence a President. And one of them’s impeachment”. The impeachment drive was never about the Geneva Conventions, the war, or any other supposed crime. It is about criminalizing conservatism, or more appropriate, criminalizing any idea not accepted by Democrats. FULL POST...

GORDON'S COMPLAINT (PDF)

The full 12-page complaint (pdf) filed by Don Gordon against Joe Moore.

CLICK HERE

Get your free Adobe PDF reader

Liberty Belles

These chicks rock.

Muy Loco

It's not just people who LIVE here without legal status. Seems U.S. schools are providing free education to aliens who DO NOT LIVE HERE. This is insane. Thousands of Mexican children attending U.S. public schools 4/29/2007 2:14 PM By: Associated Press HOUSTON -- Thousands of Mexican children flock across the U.S. border each weekday to attend school. That's sparking a debate in towns along the border over whether U.S. taxpayers should have to bear the costs of educating them. The border crossing is so common in El Paso that officials opened a special lane just for students this month. The Houston Chronicle reports that more than 12-hundred people passed through that lane from Mexico on a recent morning. Some were college or private school students, but many were coming to attend public schools. THE WHOLE ENCHILADA...

Righteous Rant at Broken Heart

* Vandals Continue to Show No Respect by Craig over at Broken Heart highlights one of Rogers Park's less savory cultural aspects: Disregard for property, disregard for the look of the neighborhood, animalistic behavior.

Let's not mince words, folks. The "writing on the wall" is nothing more than a dog with hands pissing on a fire hydrant. It's frustrating to watch people wantonly tossing beverage cans and other trash out of car windows, people casually dropping garbage from their lazy hands onto the sidewalk. They do not care. The do not respect. They do not, therefore, deserve respect.

Al Gore's Canadian Smackdown

Nicely summed up by friend Crazy Politico in a post aptly entitled, "Bitch Slapping Al Gore." A fun excerpt: Al was complaining about the Canadian government's plan to reduce their current greenhouse emission by 20% by 2020; about 15% less than the Kyoto protocol would have them doing by 2012.... "In my opinion, it is a complete and total fraud," Gore said Saturday. "It is designed to mislead the Canadian people." Canada's Environmental Minister John Baird wasn't buying what Al had to sell, and in a wonderful smack down, replied:"The fact is our plan is vastly tougher than any measures introduced by the administration of which the former vice president was a member." In fact, in case Al needs reminding, the Kyoto Protocol Treaty has never been presented to the US Senate (over which he presided in 1998 when it was drafted). THE WHOLE CATFIGHT...

Roeser Rips Moore on Rezko, Abortion, Obama...

"...if Obama had been an alderman, he should be held accountable for receiving funds from a slum-lord-but Obama wasn’t: he was a state senator. The fact that Rezko’s unsavoryness was well known, that Rezko was a neighbor means nothing in the argument to Moore." ~ Tom Roeser, WLS AM WLS Radio (890 AM) talk show host Tom Roeser cut Alderman Joe Moore a new one on his Sunday, April 29 show. Roeser, who calls himself a conservative but usually licks Joe Moore's boots whenever he's a guest on the show ("the fastest hour in radio"), but he is uncharacteristically harsh with Uncle Joe in delicious post on his blog below (highlights are mine). Read the following, then check out The drip...drip...drip...of Tony Rezko. The WLS radio show last night saw me get a little exercised with my old friend and liberal advocate Joe Moore (49th ). First, he is very exercised about the cruelty that is being meted out to ducks and geese which was behind his ordinance that banned foie gras. At the same time, he is exclusively concerned with safeguarding the health of mothers in the partial birth abortion ban which was upheld by the Supreme Court. He keeps saying it’s between the woman and her doctor with no place reserved for unborn life…in contrast to a national poll which shows that 67% of Americans, now that they understand the horrific procedure, oppose partial birth abortion. Finally he says he favors keeping abortion safe, rare and legal. Why rare if an interrupted pregnancy is no more serious than removing, say, an appendix? And this: On the issue of Barack Obama and slumlord Tony Rezko which has been spotlighted by the “Sun-Times,” I have been on record as saying that this is standard operating procedure for many politicians…winking and pretending ignorance when unsavory people raise money for you or ask you to do legal business for them. If Joe had said this I suppose it would have passed muster. But he invented an entire new rationale with which to defend Obama who is his choice for president. He says that Obama doesn’t have to know the record of a person like Rezko and can be excused for knowing it because Obama was a state senator. Incredible as it sounds, if Obama had been an alderman, he should be held accountable for receiving funds from a slum-lord-but Obama wasn’t: he was a state senator. The fact that Rezko’s unsavoryness was well known, that Rezko was a neighbor means nothing in the argument to Moore. It sounded to me like if you’re a state senator…even one who campaigned for better housing for the poor in his district…if you’re a state senator you should be excused from responsibility of knowing all about Tony Rezko.

And there is much more fun. FULL POST HERE...

Female Bloggers Threatened

Disturbing story about people trying to silence the opposition. We in Chicago's 49th Ward have recently seen a female blogger harassed by supporters of Alderman Joe Moore. Someone in the Moore camp sent out pink postcards claiming to be from "Conservatives for Gordon." Not only was there no such group, the postcards had the blogger's home address as the return address. (More about that here.) Threats Quiet Female Bloggers (Washington Post) A female freelance writer who blogged about the pornography industry was threatened with rape. A single mother who blogged about "the daily ins and outs of being a mom" was threatened by a cyber-stalker who claimed that she beat her son and that he had her under surveillance. Kathy Sierra, who won a large following by blogging about designing software that makes people happy, became a target of anonymous online attacks that included photos of her with a noose around her neck and a muzzle over her mouth. FULL STORY...

TIME on China: "Brutally Coercive"

Two China stories jumped out at me from TIME Magazine. To any follower of China, these stories come as no surprise. Why Forced Abortions Persist in China Harrowing details have emerged in recent news reports of alleged forced abortions in China's impoverished Guangxi province. Earlier this month as many as 61 pregnant women were injected with an abortive drug after being dragged to local hospitals, according to media accounts. Human rights activists say actions allegedly carried out by family planning officials there are unlikely to be isolated. Along with forced sterilization and other coercive methods of birth control, forced abortion continues to be practiced occasionally by officials in remote parts of China despite it having been banned by the central government in Beijing. Report: China Human Rights Still Poor (BEIJING) — China has failed to live up to promises to improve human rights for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Amnesty International said in a report Monday despite the nation's reforms to the death penalty system and more freedoms for foreign reporters.

1985 Air India Bombing: Canada Was Warned (Updated)

Failure to act by Canadian police cost 331 people their lives in 1985. 

It remains Canada's deadliest mass killing.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Canada was warned of a plot to bomb an Air India jetliner months before the 1985 attack that killed 329 people, but police failed to act on the information, a hearing was told on Monday.

The June 23, 1985, bombing of Air India Flight 182 over the Atlantic Ocean was history’s deadliest bombing of a civilian airliner. 

Update, 2017: 

Canada frees man convicted for 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 people (The Guardian) 

Update, 2022: 

 A timeline of the Air India case, from the bombings to the death of an old suspect (CBC)

Inderjit Singh Reyat walks outside B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver
in this 2010 file photo. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

``You have betrayed the country that has given you every advantage in life''

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Five British Muslims were convicted today of plotting to carry out a deadly bombing spree across the U.K., ending the country's longest terrorism trial. Omar Khyam, the ringleader of the group, and four other men were found guilty on the London jury's 27th day of deliberations. The men were all given life sentences by Justice Michael Astill. ``You have betrayed the country that has given you every advantage in life,'' Judge Astill said during sentencing. The defendants, who have been on trial since March 2006, were charged with planning to use homemade fertilizer bombs on targets including London nightclubs, trains, and the gas and power network. Some of the suspects had close links with two of the four suicide bombers who killed 52 people in London on July 7, 2005, a fact that news organizations were barred by court order from reporting until today's verdicts... FULL STORY at BLOOMBERG...

RELATED:

Court declines to hear case on Guantanamo Bay prisoners

US Supreme Court won't hear Khadr's case

BREAKING: 700,000 Anti-Islamic Protesters in Turkey

"We don't want a covered woman in Ataturk's presidential palace," said Ayse Bari, a 67-year-old housewife. "We want civilized, modern people there." (AP) Some 700,000 Turks waving the red national flag flooded central Istanbul on Sunday to demand the resignation of the government, saying the Islamic roots of Turkey's leaders threatened to destroy the country's modern foundations. Like the protesters — who gathered for the second large anti-government demonstration in two weeks — Turkey's powerful secular military has accused Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of tolerating radical Islamic circles. FULL STORY... ALSO: Secular Turks Protest Government (WSJ)

Biking In Rogers Park

One of the Rogers Park Rangers bikes past Alderman Joe Moore's ward office and party room yesterday.

Special thanks to our Divine Leader Joe Moore for bringing all of this fine weather!

SEE related story!!!

Andrew Sharp and Paul Vallas: 3rd Congressional District Challenge

Chicago (RPB News) - Andrew Sharp (“The Irishman”) is still in Chicago and working on very big things, sources tell RPB, in addition to damage control for Alderman Joe Moore. A reader sent this tip to RPB:

Andy is still in town, and he is setting the stage for Paul Vallas' return to Illinois and immediate run for Congress. Paul Vallas is not going to run against Schakowsky (I wish!). Paul is going to run against [Congressman Dan] Lipinski. Paul grew up in the 3rd Congressional District and is setting up shop ASAP. If you saw Andy up north it is because he is tapping Lakefront and North Shore donors for early $. Please keep my name out of this and I will update as new info comes in.

Paul Vallas, you may recall, was the Chicago school czar until Mayor Daley canned him. In 2002 Vallas became the CEO of schools in Philadelphia, PA. He leaves a mixed legacy in Philly. Also this: The budget crisis hanging over the Philadelphia School District is threatening to claim 100 teaching positions next year, officials said yesterday. The revelation, which came during a School Reform Commission hearing on the district's proposed $2.18 billion operating budget for 2007-08, drew an angry response from the president of the city teachers' union, who accused schools chief Paul Vallas of mismanagement. Full Article... Now, apparently, Vallas wants to run for Congress in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. Mr. Vallas is definitely leaving Philadelphia, and it caught that city by surprise recently: Thursday, April 12, 2007 - Philadelphia - SCHOOL DISTRICT chief executive Paul Vallas last night confirmed to the Daily News that he will leave Philadelphia at the end of this school year, despite having a contract extension that could have kept him here until 2009. Vallas' decision stunned parents and district insiders alike, coming on a day in which speculation mounted by the hour that he had been tapped to become the next leader of the Hurricane Katrina-devastated New Orleans school district..... Instead, he said last night only that five years at the helm of the nation's eighth-largest school district was plenty, and that he, wife Sharon and their three sons would return to the family's Chicago hometown this summer. Full Article... Retired Congressman William Lipinski of Illinois' 3rd Congressional District retired in 2004. It is often said that he enabled his son Daniel to take the seat, but nobody crowned him. He was elected, after all. It is said that you really don't need to be pro-life to win in the 3rd District, but Dan Lipinksi has voted pro-life including against embryonic stem cell research. He voted “no” on allowing human embryonic stem cell research (May 2005) and “yes” on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (Apr 2005) No wonder, then, that Andrew Sharp and the DNC is involved in a campaign against fellow Democrat, Congressman Lipinski. RELATED: Illinois’ Third Congressional District

Moore News on Chicago's 49th Ward

Friend John Ruberry at Marathon Pundit is a Joe Moore watcher. MP is one of the top blogs on the planet and we are lucky to have him living nearby. John filed this excellent post today: Moore news on Chicago's 49th Ward I have a copy of Don Gordon's lawsuit against Alderman Joe Moore and the Illinois State Board of Elections Commissioners. Chicago's 49th Ward has 42 precincts, and Gordon, Moore's opponent in the April 17th run-off election, is challenging the results in 22 of those precincts. In those precincts, according to... FULL ARTICLE...

UFO "twice the size of a Boeing 737"

Pilot Sees Large UFO Over the UK (25 April 2007) - Captain Ray Bowyer, a commercial airline pilot, has reported spotting a stationary UFO "twice the size of a Boeing 737" while en route from Southampton to Alderney. Passengers on the plane and other aircraft also witnessed the phenomenon. The pilot said the objects were "bright like the sun" but didn't cause any eye pain when he looked at them. A former UFO investigator for the MoD said that pilots are less likely to misidentify ordinary objects as UFOs.... Full Story at BBC Hat tip: ShortNews

Treasure Hunt

Jocelyn captures some hidden gems in some unlikely places. "Hidden Treasures on Morse Avenue" Very nice.

Nature in Rogers Park

Rogers Park has some interesting wildlife, with bizarre animals and vegetation. RPB sent out an expeditionary team yesterday to capture some of it on camera. Here is their report.


Large primates can be seen sunning themselves at Pratt Beach. They seemed harmless and did not mind our being near them.










Several hundred SEIU members were spotted near a tree. They were protesting the unwillingness of the tree to allow them to organize.











Colorful land anemones hope to capture butterflies or clown fish as they pass by.
















Strange natural rock formations abound throughout the area.












This flesh eating carnivore was spotted at Pratt Beach in Rogers Park yesterday. At great personal risk, I was able to get close enough to snap this photo. The beast tried to take me down but my assistant shot it with a tranquilizer dart and we fled, scared for our lives.

CTA Red Line Hearings Monday

Red Line Meetings next two Mondays! Thanks to Jane for this heads up. The following is from Edgewater Development Corporation, but their web site seems to be having problems. So, here is the full article as written by Adam Burck. (Hmmm. When will we get hearings on the Loyola, Morse, Jarvis and Howard stations?) Whether you live in Edgewater or nearby, these hearing will be worth attending. This coming Monday, 4/30, and the following Monday, 5/7, we are holding the final meetings for the community to refine its vision for the Red Line Stations in Edgewater. At the last two meetings in March, 100 people provided input on what they want the Red Line Stations to be like when the Red Line is revamped. Come out and help finalize that vision as well as your vision for the retail districts adjacent to the stations. EDC has partnered with the UIC's City Design Center and Voorhees Center to create these charrettes, which are a form of community planning meetings. The results of the charrettes will be compiled in a final report that will be provided to State Representative Harry Osterman and our other elected officials to help them secure the funding to renovate the Red Line. We welcome and encourage all community members to participate in the second round of charrettes. There is no need to have participated in the first charrettes. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 and the charrettes will begin at 7 p.m. See below for the details: Berwyn & Bryn Mawr Stations: Monday, April 30th, 7 to 9 pm, St. Andrews Church, 5649 N Sheridan Rd Thorndale & Granville Stations: Monday, May 7th, 7 to 9 pm, Loyola University's Simpson Living & Learning Center, 6333 N Winthrop

62 Years Ago, Thunderbirds at Dachau

I was going to write something about the 62nd anniversary of Dachau, the former concentration camp of Hitler's regime located about 30 miles north of Munich in southern Germany. The story below is so good that I was humbled into just referring you to it. My father was a captain with a medical unit in the U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Division (the "Thunderbirds"), and as such he assisted with Dachau's liberation on April 29, 1945. He spoke to me about it once. Only once. It was too difficult to remember aloud. I know the sights and smells and sounds he heard during his days at the liberated Dachau haunted him until he died in 1993. I visited Dachau in October, 1974. It has been preserved as a memorial "park," and although I saw a cleaned up, sanitized version of the hellhole that was Dachau, the sense of walking where my father walked, of being in a place where pure evil once reigned, left a deep impression on me. Sure, I'd read about concentration camps and heard stories. But to walk through Dachau made it seem more viceral, more tangible. This wasn't a story in a book. It was the actual ground. Here is an excerpt from a story about the Thunderbirds. The story includes, but is not limited to, passages about the liberation of Dachau. It is important history. I hope you read it. I hope you take something from it. As the 45th Infantry Division completed its drive on Munich, the unit was ordered to liberate the Dachau concentration camp. On April 29, 1945, three U.S. Army divisions converged on the camp: the 42nd Infantry, the 45th Infantry, and the 20th Armored. When the three units arrived at Dachau, they discovered more than 30,000 prisoners in the overcrowded camp. Just days before, about 2,000 inmates evacuated on a death march from the Flossenbürg concentration camp had arrived at Dachau and the SS guards had forced almost 7,000 Dachau inmates to move southward. On April 28, the day before liberation, a train bearing about 40 or so railway cars arrived at the camp. It had left Buchenwald four weeks earlier on April 7 filled with more than 5,000 prisoners. With few provisions, almost 2,000 inmates died during the circuitous route that took them from Thuringia through Saxony to Czechoslovakia and into Bavaria. Their bodies were left behind in various locations throughout Germany. When U.S. troops arrived in Dachau on April 29, they found 2,310 additional corpses on the train. The 816 surviving prisoners were taken to barracks within the camp..... MORE

REVISED: Find The Deleted Posts!

UPDATE: Some of you are writing to say the red cached links below do not work, and you are correct. System weirdness does not like the cached URLs. However, the RPB Research & Development Dept. but together this ingenious solution:

CLICK HERE!!!

See if you can find the deleted posts from T. H. Westgard's sublog (morosehellhole.blogspot.com). These were written - and some deleted - in April, 2007. The list below is from this cache link.

Oh, and as an added BONUS, here is the entire month of March 2007 (cached, of course!). For extra fun, save these items as .mht files!

Dershowitz Cracks Open the Real Jimmy Carter

Alan Dershowitz, a former Carter supporter, shows us just how nutty the real Jimmy Carter is. Ties to His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and the LaRouchies, it's all a very chunky peanut butter indeed. Lots of nuts. Much to chew on. Get the full set of links over at Marathon Pundit: Dershowitz exposes the real Jimmy Carter...

And Your Little Dog Too

From the spineless, cowardly, always lurking "Anonymous," that multiheaded, no-brained monster that is so proud of its own opinion that it cannot bring itself to put its own name to it, we get the following recent entry. From: "Anonymous" To: rogersparkbench@yahoo.com Subject: [Rogers Park Bench] New comment on New AlderTrack Site "Monster". Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "New AlderTrack Site "Monster"": Mr. Mannis. It's your new friend Toto. I read your silly blog about zoning and it is indeed a Monster. The monsterous part about it is that such a well groomed conservative voice like yours wants to get on the anti zoning change bandwagon. Bad rhetorical form, imbecile. You don't write to somebody in the hope of convincing them of your viewpoint by insulting them in the first paragraph. "Silly blog," indeed. Look, three things, here: First, my blog is not "about zoning." Second, if you've seen me lately you'd know that I'm not terribly well groomed. Leaving the corporate world has allowed me the luxury of not shaving daily. Third, the posting that you "responded" to, "New AlderTrack Site 'Monster'," was NOT about zoning but about another website. As an example, one of the first zoning changes on your link referenced two flats zoned as residential in the 2700 block of N. Elston Avenue. Look, you brainstem, I didn't reference ANY zoning changes in that post, nor have I posted about zoning changes "in the 2700 block of N. Elston Avenue." Next. Blah blah blah blah blah blah... The courts look at the following factors when considering a zoning change: Blah blah blah blah blah blah... As a fellow conservative, I would hope that you would favor government acting with reasonable restraint in all laws, including zoning... Blah blah blah blah blah blah.... Hey, dummy, conservative or not, you're an idiot. Did it occur to you to actually read my blog before you started your protracted protestation about a subject on which I have not posted? It is certainly appropriate to object loudly when it appears zoning changes are made ... Blah blah blah blah blah blah... Huh? However, to get on the anti-zoning change bandwagon is bad news for investment...Blah blah blah blah blah blah... Most of Chicago's northside joined the residential downzoning bandwagon in recent years. The effect of downzoning so much residential property has in part led to ... Blah blah blah blah blah blah... So I would advise ...Blah blah blah blah blah blah... No, actually, you would not advise me. Please feel free to not write to me again. Oh, and stop harassing the other bloggers in the hood, too. You do know we're all laughing about you, don't you? Publish this comment. Reject this comment. Moderate comments for this blog. Posted by Anonymous to Rogers Park Bench at April 27, 2007 11:20:00 PM CDT

FREE Live Jazz this Sunday 4/29

Jimmy Bennington is a drummer extraordinaire, and will perform from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm this Sunday, April 29 at Ennui Cafe in Rogers Park, Chicago. No cover, but seating is limited so get there early. Have a pastry or tea or coffee. Good sandwiches too.

Read about Jimmy:
http://www.benningtonjazz.com/MeetJimmy.asp
http://www.oa2records.com/oa2/artists/artist.php?Artist_ID=7
http://centerstage.net/music/whoswho/JimmyBennington.html

Ennui Cafe
6981 N. Sheridan Road (at Lunt)
Tel: (773) 973-2233
http://centerstage.net/restaurants/cafeennui.html

Notes From the Underground

There are more conservatives in Rogers Park than most folks realize. Most of them are underground. They blend in. They get along. We know that persecution is just a politically incorrect chuckle away. I am grateful to the author of the following, and regret that I must keep her name unwritten. She deserves credit for this piece. Although it is short, it packs a punchI have edited it only as much as needed to preserve her privacy. She surely realizes, as do I, that it will be ridiculed. But then, that is addressed by her, too. Hi Tom, I would post on your blog that I actually attended the .... event ... week before last. However, because we live in the People’s Republic of Rogers Park, where the Thought Police brook no debate or even dialogue, well, I have to keep silent. Hello 1984. I’d also post that I’ve met Ann Coulter (I even have her email address) and that she’s a riot and a lovely person but, well, that would get me in almost as much trouble as admitting that I was within arm’s reach of Cheney and didn’t spit. Now, isn’t it a said state of affairs that an adult can’t publicly talk about an interesting event that they attended or fascinating people they’ve met because a segment of society has done a very good job of marginalizing a perfectly honorable political philosophy? One of these days you’ll have to come out from wherever you are hiding and meet the real radicals of Rogers Park. Dear X, You and I seem to be of very similar minds. I would respectfully say that the Thought Police win only if we let them, and to speak your mind is the best defense. Don't allow them to win. That said, may I publish excerpts of your letter anonymously? Kind regards Tom, I totally agree with you [that] the Thought Police winning.... [A writer] gave a talk at a CA University a couple of years ago and took a page out of Saul Alinsky and told the students that they had to grab control and not wait for permission. The more we keep quiet, the more we are driven underground which is EXACTLY everything I don’t stand for and, oddly, my friends used to be with me on this. They tell me I’ve changed but I as I see it, I’ve been remarkably consistent – at least insofar as I tend to swim against the tide....It’s a sad state of affairs. Yes, you may publish my comments anonymously.

Done. Keep the Faith, baby, and up the Revolution.

Free Wallpaper!

Aaaaaay! Enjoy this free wallpaper for your computer, courtesy of the Rogers Park Bench Art Department (me). Click for larger image. Right click to save to your hard drive. Meant to be centered. Take only as directed. Not available where prohibited. For topical use only, do not ingest.

Week Wrapup. Thank God it's Friday.

For those of you who do not live in Rogers Park's 49th Ward, this is a must read. You won't believe the weirdness of this neighborhood. But that's why we love it so. For those of you who do live in this part of Chicago's upper east side, well, you already know... Read Craig's hilarious review of the week that was: * 49th Ward - Week in Review

Jim Ginderske as The Fonz?

Be careful what you wish for... Standing at Lunt and Sheridan this afternoon and swaggering northbound was one Jim Ginderske, currently a member of the Moore gang. My first thought was, wow, there's a production of West Side Story somewhere nearby and here's one of the Jets gang members. But then I recognized him. It was Jim! Wearing shitkicker boots and a waist length leather jacket, fists balled up, ready to rumble.

"Hi Jim," I said. I guess I didn't really expect an answer. He did not disappoint me.

He gave me that cold, icy-blue eyed stare. Kinda like a husky dog, you know? He swaggered past me, not a word, paused at the Red Eye dispenser in front of Sonny's, then suddenly walked very quickly, continuing northbound. Weird. Really weird. Note to Jim: You worked very hard and spent a lot of people's time and money to become a public figure, pal. Deal with it.

The One Man Global Content Provider

For my readers who have never experienced the phenomenon that is Mark Steyn, here is a free sample of his intense writing and wit. Steyn is prolific, covering just about everything political and cultural in the entire anglosphere, primarily Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., but he is by no means limited to those areas. He is a "," and that's no exaggeration. His writing can be accessed at Steyn Online. Mark Steyn is addictive, very opinionated, and very fun to read.

Here is a short excerpt from a recent column by Steyn.

DE-BONING TURKEY

In the shrewdest observation to mark the EU’s 50th anniversary jamboree, Pope Benedict said: “One must unfortunately note that Europe seems to be going down a road which could lead it to take its leave from history.” It may be that an Islamified Belgium or Sweden will be a very pleasant place. Who knows? But that’s the crux of the matter: If you outsource your future, it will be determined by the fellows you give the contract to. FULL ARTICLE...

SEVERE WEATHER HITS CHICAGO AREA

UPDATED 6:20 PM

Severe Storm Hits Chicago Area (CBS-2 Chicago) - A powerful and violent storm tore through the Chicago area Thursday afternoon, setting off tornado sirens in a number of suburbs. Officials in northwest Indiana said a tornado touched down there, injuring a police officer.

Earlier:

Funnel Clouds Reported In Plainfield, Bolingbrook

PLAINFIELD, Ill. - 4:56 pm - Strong storms moving through the area have prompted tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, and reports of damage due to high winds. More info: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18337628/

Keep an eye on the sky and the weather, folks. Be prepared.

Bogota Blackout

BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's electrical grid collapsed Thursday, causing a nationwide blackout that briefly halted stock trading, trapped people in elevators and left authorities struggling to determine the cause. Full Story... Bogota Blackout. That'd be a good name for a rock band.

Illinois: One of the Worst for Lawsuit Abuse

We knew it was bad. Here's proof. The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) today announced that Illinois' legal climate has worsened, dropping one spot to number 46 in Lawsuit Climate 2007: Rating the States, an annual assessment of state liability systems conducted by Harris Interactive, a nonpartisan national polling firm. (Source: Institute for Legal Reform) The 2007 State Liability Systems Ranking Study was conducted for the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform among a national sample of in-house general counsel or other senior corporate litigators to explore how reasonable and balanced the tort liability system is perceived to be by U.S. business. The following table reveals the 2007 state rankings; click on a state name to view detailed ratings for each state... See Table and the Executive Summary ...

New AlderTrack Site "Monster"

New AlderTrack Site: "There's a monster at the end of this blog post, too. It's a link to a new, transitional AlderTrack site. It's horrifying. Close your browser now and walk away from the computer. "The site is filled with the City Council's April 26th Zoning Committee agenda items, geographically categorized by neighborhood with Cook County Assessor's Office property pictures and related news links. "In the coming weeks and months the site will include other advanced notice agenda items from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Chicago Plan Commission, and Community Development Commission monthly meetings. You might find the occassional MP3 and committee meeting transcript, too. It's a multifarious movement of municipal esoterica, and once it grabs a hold of you it might not let go."

Moving On - Not

Mick Dumke's piece "It ain't over in the 49th Ward" in Clout City (at The Reader web site) is worth the read, primarily for the absurdities of the pro-Moore comments. My own comment: "It is fascinating to watch people who still insist Bush "stole" the election in 2000 complain about Gordon v. Moore. Are you now willing to finally "move on" regarding 2000?" Moore said Gordon was "casting aspersions" on officials with the board of elections and the Cook County state's attorney's office. "I'm not surprised, given the scorched-earth campaign he ran," he said. "Don Gordon gives new meaning to the phrase 'sore loser.'" So, I reckon the hypocritical pro-Moore gang would just as readily call Al Gore a "sore loser" for delaying the swearing in of President Bush by two months? CORRECTION: Thanks to Hugh, who pointed out an error. President Bush was sworn in on Saturday, January 20, 2001. I should have said that the transition period was delayed by a month. The 2000 election was on November 12, but Al Gore did not concede until 8:56 p.m. on December 13. Historically, that month would have used by the current president and the president-elect to affect a transition; that is, the current president briefing the president-elect to get the successor up to speed. See timelines of the election: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/election/magtimeline.htm and http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/election/electiontime.htm)

Nazis and Other Icky Things, Oh My!

A reader wrote, "I would like to suggest that we collectively ban all references to Nazis off all Rogers Park blogs forever." First let me say that I respect the person who wrote the comment. I do not write this to pick a fight with her. Then let me respectfully say "no dice." Did you suggest that George Bush being called a Nazi be banned on Rogers Park blogs at any time over the past seven years? Should we never utter or type the word "Nazi" again? Really? That will make my upcoming posting about the liberation of Dachau on April 29 rather difficult. It would also make it difficult to counter the hideous slander that has been thrown up against Don Gordon. To ban "all references" to Nazis would make intelligent discussion of certain, occassional issues and topics either very cumbersome or outright impossible. Why don't we also "ban all references to Icky Things off all Rogers Park blogs forever" while we're at it? Let us never again refer to unpleasant things, such as Gangs, Drugs, Stalin, Lenin, Polio, The Great Depression, Darfur, the Rwanda genocide, any genocide, or anything else that may be disturbing. Or icky. You, madam, may refrain from "all references to Nazis...forever," but I respectfully and fiercely reserve my right - and obligation - to never forget. Related: Dachau Concentration Camp - Liberation April 29,1945 Timeline Dachau

Can You Trust the BBC?

Many of us have known for years that the BBC is not trustworthy. This is sad, because BBC was once one of the great voices of free and accurate information. No so today. This quick little video provides food for thought. Hat tip to "Britain and America," this video is located at PlayPolitical.

Harry Reid's Nice Quiet Sleep

Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) is an evil man. He is a modern Neville Chamberlain, but unlike that former prime minister, Senator Reid has bad intentions toward his own countrymen.

Reid is a traitor. He is worse than Neville Chamberlain, whose name is synonymous with “appeaser.” Chamberlain acted out of stupidity and naiveté. Harry Reid, on the other hand, is knowingly helping our enemies not in the naïve hope of achieving “peace for our time,” but for self-serving party politics. His are the politics of treason and betrayal.

In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain assured his nation that Adolf Hitler was no threat to England. On September 30, 1938 Chamberlain spoke to the people of England in a radio speech. After just returning home from the infamous Munich Conference, Chamberlain stood in front of #10 Downing Street and said the following to his nervous countrymen. (I have highlighted a few words and phrases.)

We, the German Fuhrer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for our two countries and for Europe.

We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.

We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe.

My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honor. I believe it is "peace for our time." Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.

Some of those phrases and words sound frighteningly familiar today. Neville Chamberlain, whose name has become synonymous with "appeaser," was not an evil man by intention. He was tragically stupid and naive, and later came to publicly regret and even apologize for his gullibility in his dealings with Hitler, a man the world already recognized as evil well before Chamberlain made his infamous "nice quiet sleep" speech.

Chamberlain’s willingness to look the other way allowed great evil, in the form of the German Third Reich, to spread its terror and mass destruction. Had Chamberlain been sharper, had he had a backbone, it is quite conceivable that Hitler might have been contained and stopped much earlier, thereby saving tens of millions of lives. But Chamberlain’s naïve quest for “peace with honor” only helped assure World War II.

The following account sums it up. (Again, I have highlighted words and phrases.)

Constant terrorist attacks as well as marches and rallies in the Sudentenland kept the Czech militia active. Again, while the government called for calm, that territory was anything but that. Using these attacks as a front, the German propaganda machine began to cry for justice for these so-called persecuted Germans in Czechoslovakia. It was expected that Britain would once again cede to the wishes of the Fuhrer. In June, Chamberlain spoke "off the record" that Britain favored turning over the Sudetenland to Germany "in the interest of peace." The League of Nations, it seemed, was dead as they failed to intervene. Chamberlain sent his representative, Lord Runciman, to Czechoslovakia to mediate between that country and the Sudeten Germans. Chamberlain had forced Runciman on the Czechs by warning of dire circumstances if they did not accept his coming. Runciman sought more and more concessions for the Sudeten Germans from the Czech president, Eduard Benes. Benes was rapidly growing tired of the whole affair.

Again, the haunting familiarity. “Terrorist attacks” were overlooked by Chamberlain, while the aggressor nation Germany loudly cried “for justice.” Chamberlain was will to allow Hitler to steal the Sudentenland “in the interest of peace.”

Echoes. We hear echoes.

Neville Chamberlain would have fit right in to Harry Reid's Democratic Party. But even The Great Appeaser Neville Chamberlain never betrayed his own nation intentionally, nor for quick, cheap political gain. He certainly never betrayed his nation’s own military personnel.

Harry Reid and other Democratic members of Congress have done just that, 62 years after a war that Chamberlain might have helped prevent or minimize. They have not learned, or do not care, and they will continue to betray our nation.

Aliens Among Us

With a special Glutenskenov lens, alien brain-controlling parasites from the Gluteus Maximus B1097 galaxy can be seen attached to the heads of Barack Obama and Chicago Alderman Joe "Arrest Me" Moore. The Glutenskenov lens allows certain waves of energy to be photographed as light that cannot usually be seen with ordinary cameras. The lens could be available in time for Christmas and is expected to retail for $1,499.

Gordon Video: It's Bigger Than Just This Election

Don Gordon had an outdoor press conference yesterday and there is a good report over at Broken Heart by CG, plus his own video of it. See his video here, then read Craig's report over by dere.

Andrew Sharp Still in Chicago

Chicago (RPB News) - Andrew Sharp, who also goes by the alias "Seamus," was seen this morning riding in a black Audi sedan with Illinois plates and "Autobahn" plate holders, was heading north on N. Sheridan Road in Rogers Park. A man known as "Bob" was driving. Sharp, a political consultant based in Alexandria, Virginia is in Chicago to help alleged criminal Joe Moore with public relations. Sharp, or "Seamus," has stalked at least one blogger in the embattled Rogers Park neighborhood. Residents are urged to be on the lookout for Sharp, and to let RPB know if he approaches you. If you see this man, report it immediately to rogersparkbench@yahoo.com.

He may be wanted for questioning in the near future.

CBS2 Can't See the Forest for the Trees

Perhaps Mike Flannery of CBS2 in Chicago hasn't read the complaint that Don Gordon filed against Joe Moore. If he did not, he might be forgiven. If he did read it, he either doesn't understand the most important aspect of the complaint (the civil rights violations) or he chose to ignore it. Not only that, his math is off. Flannery's report wrapped up this way:

“This is not about whether Don Gordon or Joe Moore is alderman,” Gordon said. “This is about whether we had a fair and clean election.”One problem for the Gordon camp: the precinct where they claim the woman voted illegally is a precinct Gordon won by about 60 votes. Toss that one out and Joe Moore's victory margin exceeds 300.

Gordon's complaint does acknowledge that "Moore’s apparent margin of victory, at this time, over Gordon is 247 votes." However, it goes on to say, "When all the votes in the foregoing precincts are discounted, the election is reversed and Plaintiff Don Gordon is the winner and Defendant Joe Moore is the loser because Gordon will then have 2,120 votes and Moore will have 1,574 votes, and Gordon will be the winner with a majority of 546 votes." As I mentioned, Flannery's math is off, but he missed the really big picture: The civil rights of Gordon and hundreds of voters in the 49th Ward were, allegedly, violated, and this case could set a precedent for Illinois. Flannery, in a hurry to meet a deadline perhaps, could not see the forest for the trees. See "Rogers Park: The Selma of Chicago" for the civil rights aspect of this story.

DYNO-MITE! Walker and Coulter!

Cute photo of the day, guaranteed to generate lotsa hate mail.

"While Coulter and Walker are not romantically involved, their diabolical press plan worked -- they were definitely noticed! Immediately following the show, Ann was helicoptered out of the venue and placed back under her rock."

Full Story...

Moore Headlines

Vote Fraud Charges Brought Against City Reformer (CBS-2 with video)
"...Ald. Moore declined our repeated requests for an interview."

Vote fraud alleged (Sun-Times)
"A week after losing the 49th Ward election by 247 votes, Don Gordon filed suit, saying the results should be thrown out because of alleged voter fraud that Gordon says helped incumbent Ald. Joe Moore win. The suit seeks to have votes tossed out in precincts where votes were cast from vacant buildings and elderly voters received too much help when casting votes."

49th Ward lawsuit follow-up, Gordon asks that election results be reversed(Marathon Pundit)
"Now Moore's supporters will quickly jump on someone like myself expressing support for Gordon's suit as a bit of phoniness. Or maybe a lot of it. What about Florida 2000, "Sore Loserman" and all of that? I'm a Republican, yes, but Gordon isn't."

Death Wish Hamas

I don't know what else to say. After 40 years of watching and hoping, I give up. They're lunatics. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells toward Israel on Tuesday and said they considered a five-month truce with Israel to have ended. The rockets fell after nine Palestinians were killed in fighting with Israel over the weekend. Most of the dead were militants, but Palestinians said at least two civilians, including a 17-year-old girl, were killed. FULL STORY...

Polish Guy Walks Into A Pizzeria...

...and adds an unexpected topping to the pie. O-My-God...

Rogers Park Fire Scene "Still Dangerous"

Chicago - The scene of the multiple-alarm fire that destroyed three businesses in Rogers Park yesterday still poses dangers today. Report from CBS-2 with video and slide show.

Aldermanic Challenger Files Suit

Tribune staff report
Published April 24, 2007, 2:30 PM CDT

The unsuccessful challenger in last Tuesday's 49th Ward aldermanic runoff has sued to have the election results reversed, arguing the votes in 22 precincts should be excluded.

Don Gordon filed a lawsuit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court asking that he be declared the winner and incumbent Ald. Joe Moore the loser in the April 17 contest. Gordon's complaint contends that because "the fraudulent votes cannot be separated from the honest votes" in 22 precincts, none of the votes from those precincts should be counted.

The suit names Moore as a defendant, along with Chicago and Illinois election commissioners.

INDIANA PRISON IN "FULL SCALE RIOT"

BREAKING: NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- Inmates were rioting at a state prison near New Castle on Tuesday afternoon, prompting the state to mobilize emergency squads and ask other police agencies to help, the Department of Correction said. FULL STORY... VIDEO from CBS-2: (CBS News) NEW CASTLE, Ind. A "full-scale riot" broke out Tuesday at a medium-security men's prison, according to the mayor, and pictures taken by a television helicopter owned by CBS affilliate WISH in Indianapolis, Indiana, showed at least three burning fires set around the facility.

Rezko Revealed: NBC-5

VIDEO: NBC5 Investigates Indicted Political Insider's Fortune Rezko Has Ties To Obama, Blagojevich NBC5 investigates how did a political insider's failing business got millions in taxpayer money.

And let's not forget the $5,000 that Rezko gave to 49th Ward Alderyutz Joe Moore.

Moore's Chief of Staff Resigns

49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore's chief of staff Kevin Cosgrove has resigned. RPB has chided Mr. Cosgrove in the past. He was, after all, one of the Dark Prince's minions. However, RPB wishes Mr. Cosgrove well in his post-Moore life. From all accounts, Mr. Cosgrove is known as a decent fellow, who was not truly within the inner Dante-esque circles of Moore's Inferno. Good luck, Mr. Cosgrove, and if you know anything that might be useful to a federal prosecutor, now would be a good time to step forward. Redemption is good for the soul. For Cosgrove's letter of resignation, see this story: * Cosgrove Resigns RELATED: 49TH WARD ELECTION: GORDON CHARGES FRAUD

The Lint in Rezko's Pockets

Joe Moore is a piece of lint in Tony Rezko's pockets. If you don't know Tony Rezko, you better read this. Rezko - and Moore - are gonna get a lot more press, and Rezko - and Moore - are gonna drag a lot of people down with them. Barack Obama's developer pal, Tony Rezko, is portrayed as what he is the second and final part of the Chicago Sun-Times series on the recently indicted political insider, as the paper reports: Yes, Rezko gave to Republicans, but the great majority of his campaign contributions went to Democrats. Although he held no position within the administration of Rod Blagojevich, until his indictment, Rezko wielded great power, especially in hiring decisions, with Illinois Democrat. Read the whole article at Marathon Pundit... Also today, from the Chicago Tribune, an amusing passage: U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Monday he never received complaints about poor living conditions from residents of deteriorated properties owned by one of his early and prominent political supporters, Antoin "Tony" Rezko.

Yah, right. Here in the 49th Ward, we recall our Alderman Joe "Prison Bitch" Moore saying that slumlord Jay Johnson hadn't done anything wrong. Hmmm. Moore AND Obama have Rezko on the soles of their shoes. Related: Top recipients of campaign cash

49TH WARD ELECTION: GORDON CHARGES FRAUD

The press release speaks for itself: 49th Ward Vote Fraud Release - April 24, 2007 For Immediate Release Contact: Michael Harrington 773-262-9473 ROGERS PARK RESIDENTS CHARGE FLAGRANT VOTE FRAUD IN 49TH WARD ALDERMANIC ELECTION Voting Rights Hijacked In Aldermanic Election: Votes Cast for the Elderly, Voters Registered At Abandoned Buildings, And Repeat Voters CHICAGO, April 24, 2007 – “Vote fraud has taken away the voice of our community and it hurts us all,” a group of 49th Ward residents said today as they announced a lawsuit to contest the results of last week’s aldermanic election.

“As citizens we have a right to fair and clean elections. The violations that happened last week profoundly impact every one of us. We are outraged by the dirty tricks and illegal campaign tactics that occurred in many polling places in our ward,” said community activist Eva McCann. McCann is a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with community residents Blane Roberts, Eileen Foxman, and 49th Ward Aldermanic Candidate Don Gordon. A lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court by the group on Monday cited numerous examples of vote fraud in the Tuesday, April 17, runoff election. They include elderly nursing home residents who were illegally assisted in voting, voters whose home addresses turned out to be vacant buildings, and voters who were issued two ballots instead of one. The group announced their lawsuit at 7724 N. Ashland Ave., an abandoned apartment building where a person identified as Delores Young claimed to be registered and was allowed to cast a ballot on April 17. “We have confirmed multiple cases of votes cast by people whose addresses turned out to be vacant buildings and by people from outside the ward. We have an obligation to uphold the voting rights of the citizens of Chicago whose honest ballots were potentially negated by fraud,” said McCann. She noted that voters’ rights to a fair election were also “hijacked” when polling place election judges in numerous precincts denied requests to verify questionable voters and “systematically ignored” election laws. Gordon, a 30-year community resident, said, “The mood in our ward has changed from concern over the outcome of the election to a more fundamental concern about getting a fair election in the first place. As a candidate, I didn’t sign up to lead a battle against violations of basic voting rights. But as a voter I will stand up for this.” He added: “Although an investigation will determine more facts about this election, we already know there is no doubt that its integrity is in question. I want to make sure that every voice is heard.” According to the Chicago Board of Elections, Moore received 4,019 votes to Gordon’s 3,772, a 247-vote difference. Co-plaintiff Roberts stated: “We have heard outrageous claims that our call to investigate vote fraud is racially motivated. That is simply not the case. Instead, the election has made us more aware than ever before of how race and class have been used to divide our community and keep us from focusing on real community issues.” The plaintiffs called on Alderman Moore, government officials, and Chicago’s civil rights leaders to support the lawsuit and join in the call for an investigation. “We expect people in public office to take a stand and help guarantee fair and clean elections. This is of far greater importance than a simple aldermanic election, and we call on everyone involved to join us in the investigation so that we can preserve basic voting rights for the future of all of Chicago,” Roberts said. “We would not be here were this a simple matter of election error,” said McCann. “We have considerable evidence that points to a pattern of conspiracy, and more evidence will be presented as we move forward with this investigation.” The residents, represented by Attorney Michael Lavelle, a former chairman of the Chicago Board of Elections Commissioners, are contesting the 49th Ward election results and seek an investigation into allegations of vote fraud violations and conspiracy to commit vote fraud. SUMMARY OF 49th WARD ELECTION LAWSUIT CHARGES 1. Elderly nursing home residents who were “assisted” in voting without formally agreeing to be assisted as required by law (in Lake Shore and Sherwin Manor nursing homes) 2. Polling place judges who refused to obey Chicago Board of Elections guidelines requiring that questionable voters be given provisional ballots (in Precincts #11, 34, and more) 3. Votes cast by people registered to vote at vacant buildings and vacant lots 4. Polling place electioneering (at Arbour Health Care Center, 1512 W. Fargo Ave.) 5. Precincts where more votes were cast than there were voter applications (in Precinct #11 and others) 6. Precincts where voters were given two paper ballots instead of one (in Precinct #5) 7. Voters who cast ballots during the Early Voting period and again on the April 17 Election Day. For additional information contact Citizens to Elect Don Gordon at 773-262-9473. # # #

MEDIA ADVISORY

MEDIA CONTACT: Mike Pilarz Phillips + Associates, Inc. Office: (312) 943-9100 mpilarz@sphillips.com MEDIA ADVISORY Attention: News Assignment Desk, Photo Desk 49th WARD RESIDENTS AND ALDERMANIC CANDIDATE DON GORDON ANNOUNCE LAWSUIT TO CONTEST RESULTS OF LAST WEEK’S ALDERMANIC RUNOFF ELECTION Plaintiffs cite glaring vote fraud during Tuesday press conference, including elderly voters illegally assisted with voting, double voting, and voters whose home addresses are vacant buildings. WHO: 49th Ward Residents Eva McCann, Blane Roberts, and Eileen Foxman, along with Aldermanic Candidate Don Gordon… WHAT: …will host a press conference to announce their lawsuit contesting the results of last week’s aldermanic election in the 49th Ward, citing multiple instances of voter fraud. WHEN: Tuesday, April 24 - 12 Noon WHERE: In front of 7724 N. Ashland Ave. (An abandoned building whose address was used by a voter during the aldermanic runoff election.) # # #

CHICAGO'S NORTHSIDE BLOGGERS RULE!!!

Thanks to John at Marathon Pundit and Anne at Backyard Conservative for the kind words about the nuttiest people in Rogers Park. That's right, those wacky bloggers. Strange goings on in Chicago's Rogers Park I thought it was just me who noticed all of these great Rogers Park bloggers, such as Rogers Park Bench, Rogers Park Neighbor, 24/7 North of Howard Watchers, and The Broken Heart of Rogers Park. But it shouldn't be a surprise. Just as Texas and Louisiana have been disproportionately producing great musicians for decades--from the interactions of a diverse population--new forms of music emerge. The same thing is happening in Rogers Park and similar communities in regards to blogging. For those who don't live in the Chicago area, Rogers Park is on the far-northeastern corner of Chicago, Evanston is on the north, Lake Michigan is on the east. Like the Uptown neighbhorhood a mile and a half to the south, it's dominated by apartments--the lack of single family homes are an impediment to the type of gentrification that has, based on your viewpoint or annual income, is either a curse or a blessing....

The Gordian Knot

Many people tried to undo the knot but all to no avail...

Obama Stinking to High Heaven

That stench comes primarily from the fetid Tony Rezko. From today's Slum-Times:

Obama has been friends with Rezko for 17 years. Rezko has been a political patron to Obama and many others, helping to raise millions of dollars for them through his own contributions and by hosting fund-raisers in his home.

Say, Joe Moore took money from Rezko! Hey, Obama endorsed Moore! Say, this is getting interesting. You don't think.... Nah, they're all to honest, right??? Hat tip to Marathon Pundit

Responding to Ron Nescafe

Geez. political hack noun a politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends [syn: machine politician] WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. machine cog Examples: Andrew Sharp, who is not registered to vote in the 49th Ward. Another example: Soviet machine cog, some cogs were a lot higher level and more powerful than others, but all of them effected and enabled and sustained the Soviet machine. The apparatchiks were what ensured the Soviet system's continuation...

49th Ward Double Overtime

RPB is now told that there will be a Gordon press conference tomorrow. However, the Donald himself says that they filed.

REPEAT: The press conference has been postponed, but the challenge has been filed.

Look, the filing and the challenge are the important things.

There are no secrets, just a very, very cautious legal team that does not want to rush into a hurried press release. You know what? That's a good thing. Be patient, 49'ers. We are in for a very interesting double overtime game.

Moore Scum Floats to Surface

A must-read from Hugh up north of Howard. Gee, Joe Moore took dirty money? Say it ain't so!

For more than five weeks during the brutal winter of 1997, tenants shivered without heat in a government-subsidized apartment building ... It was just four years after the landlords -- Antoin "Tony'' Rezko and his partner Daniel Mahru -- had rehabbed the 31-unit building in Englewood with a loan from Chicago taxpayers.Rezko and Mahru couldn't find money to get the heat back on. But their company, Rezmar Corp., did come up with $1,000 to give to the political campaign fund... FULL STORY!

UPDATED: ONE HURT AT FIRE AT LUNT & CLARK

UPDATED 6:20 pm
Latest as of 5:49 PM

Three Family-Run Businesses Destroyed (CBS-2) CTA is temporarily rerouting the No. 22 Clark and No. 96 Lunt buses in both directions as firefighters continue to battle the blaze, according to a CTA alert.
-------------------

Foam-Covered Clark St. Shut Down After Fire (MSNBC)
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Earlier (3:15 pm) CBS-2 report (with VIDEO): 1 Reported Injured In Rogers Park 2-Alarm Fire: (STNG) CHICAGO The CTA has temporarily rerouted two buses as a firefighters continue to battle an extra-alarm fire that has now reached three storefront businesses in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the Far North Side on Monday afternoon.Firefighters began battling the fire at 7014 N. Clark St. about 2:11 p.m. before it was upgraded to a still-and-box alarm minutes later, according to Fire Media Affairs Assistant Director Eve Rodriguez.

Craig Gernhardt has exclusive photos of the big fire this afternoon on N. Clark Street in Rogers Park. At Broken Heart... * Huge Fire on Clark Street (Updated)

2:45 pm - Rogers Park - Big fire at LUNT and CLARK... Craig Gernhardt (Broken Heart blog) on the way with a camera. I am at Lunt and Sheridan (7000 North Sheridan) and can smell smoke all the way over here.... DEVELOPING...

JOCELYN WROTE: I work right around the corner. There were more than half a dozen fire trucks out and streets blocked off all over the place. Word is it started in the bakery and spread to adjoining storefronts.