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Last night's odd encounter between Obama's Secret Service detail and Nation of Islam bodyguards will also be distorted by some irresponsible bloggers. Pamela Geller, for example. What a disappointment.
I used to be a fan of Pamela Geller. No more. Geller writes a very popular conservative blog called "Atlas Shrugs," and she posted this amazingly inaccurate headline on her blog today: "Atlas Exclusive: President Obama Skips Arlington to Spend Memorial Day with Louis Farrakhan amidst Nation of Islam Thugs." The only thing "exclusive" about that post, which draws on a pooled press report, is the way that Geller twisted the facts to conform to her hatred for Obama. Hey, I'm no fan of Obama, and I love to jab him on my blog. But I don't intentionally lie about him, as Geller did in her post.
Note to Geller: You do yourself no favors in the Credibility Department when you badly and intentionally distort facts. Obama did NOT "spend Memorial Day with Louis Farrakhan," as you wrote. As we see from the Jackie Calme pool report that you yourself quoted from, Obama was at a friend's home that happens to be near the Farrakhan house. Shame on you, Pamela Geller. In writing such hysterical distortions you do a disservice to all other conservative bloggers.
May 30, 2010 - There are bizarre reports coming out about weird encounters yesterday between Secret Service agents and Nation of Islam goons in the Chicago neighborhood where Comrade Barack Obama maintains his dacha. Da Prez is in Chicago for the Memorial Day Weekend, and of course the Secret Service and the press are keeping close to Him. Virtually nose-to-nose, the goons and the Secret Service agents have been engaged in a kind of standoff.
The Kenwood/Hyde Park neighborhood a strange neighborhood, to be sure, filled with community organizers, radical professors and other suspicious characters. One of those characters is Louis Farrakhan, Lord God King Boofoo of the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan - remember him? - lives in the Obamahood, and that's how the "Fruit of Islam" becomes part of the Obama homecoming story.
Byron York reports today in the Washington Examiner on the attempts by Farrkhan's minions to intimidate the Secret Service:"The encounter was written up — for distribution to the press, not necessarily for publication — by the New York Times’ Jackie Calmes. It began a little after 4:00 p.m. when Obama and his family walked to the nearby home of longtime friend Marty Nesbitt for a backyard cookout. It just so happens that Nesbitt lives across the street from Farrakhan."
The press and the Secret Service agents parked themselves across from the Nesbitt house - and right in front of Farrakhan's house. Back to York's dispatch:
A few hours after Obama went to Nesbitt’s home, the press pool, including Calmes, was waiting in a bus parked near 49th Street and Woodlawn Avenue, next to Farrakhan’s mansion. The reporters’ Secret Service minder allowed them off the bus to stretch their legs. As they stood on the sidewalk, some of the journalists inadvertently touched the grass next to the sidewalk, and that is when the encounter began. From Calmes’ report:
Immediately a polite man in jeans and T-shirt emerged to ask us to stay off the grass. Though this grass was the curbside city property, we obliged.But it turned out that simply staying off the grass was not enough to satisfy the man in the T-shirt. Calmes continues:
Soon, however, he was pacing and talking on a cell phone. He went inside the mansion’s black wrought iron fence, crossed the well-landscaped yard, lifted a water bucket behind rose bushes and, voila!, a walkie-talkie. He was heard to refer to “the CIA” once he began speaking into it.It might be assumed that an assurance from the Secret Service would be enough to satisfy any security-minded guardian of Louis Farrakhan. But not in this case.
Soon he approached our [Secret Service] agent, asking him to move the van and its occupants, though your pooler could not hear much else he said. But the agent said, “How is this a security breach?” And he asked if the house was a government property.
The man said something else and at that point the agent stuck out his and to shake hands and introduced himself as a Secret Service agent. He added, “Sir, I can assure you that we will do nothing to interfere with whatever is going on in there.”
The "showdown" finally ended after some benign intervention from Detroit. Abdon M. Pallasch of gives some details at the Chicago Sun-Times:
Rev. Gary Hunter, a Baptist minister in Detroit who writes and blogs for the Detroit Times, told reporter Jackie Calmes of the New York Times that he called Farrakhan and his son and asked them to have the Fruit stand down: "I told him you were good people . . . He said he didn't know you all were just waiting for the president.'' The Blackhawks won the first game of the series around 10 p.m. -- and Obama and his family were driven home at 10:43 p.m., the press bus in tow, ending the "stand-off.''It may seem easy to laugh at this encounter. To be sure, there is comedy here. But Byron York points out that there is a not-so-funny side to all of this:
Some observers will make light of the whole thing — just a little misunderstanding with those weird Nation of Islam guys — but the fact that Farrakhan’s security force is close to the president’s home is likely a matter of continuing concern to the Secret Service. And on Saturday night, the two forces ran into each other.Also See: Shame On You, Pamela Geller (Atlas Farts)
May 29, 2010 - This needs to be investigated by federal authorities.There is a new and disturbing development in our exclusive coverage of the way U.S. Census takers (enumerators) in Chicago have been getting shafted. First, the main points. Then, some details.
The Main Points:
Some, if not all, US Census workers in Chicago are not getting their weekly paychecks because of administrative errors in the central Chicago Census office.
Some of the administrative people were recently fired or laid off, allegedly because of incompetence.
Some US Census workers in Chicago are deliberately working as slowly as possible, on
the orders of some supervisors and, with the knowledge of those supervisors, padding their timesheets.
Some of the Census takers were fired for failing their background checks after they were hired.
The Details:
At least some of the Chicago Census takers remain under supervisors' orders to work slowly. That's screwing the taxpayers. Last week, many enumerators were told that their weekly paychecks will be delayed because of paperwork screwups "downtown."
On May 2 we reported that at least some of the U.S. Census Bureau's Chicago field operations did not have enough paperwork packets for their Census takers. As a result, some Census takers were ordered by supervisors to "work slow." On May 25, we updated that report to say that the Census takers are still under orders to work slowly even though the packet shortage was quickly resolved. 
In other words, the Census workers have been ordered to pad their timesheets. That is fraud.
Census takers in Chicago start at $18.25 per hour. They are paid for up to four days of training, but are then paid only for the hours that they are out knocking on doors of addresses known to have not responded yet to the Census.
Last week, Chicago News Bench learned that a number of people in the Chicago Census office were fired or laid off because they were not performing well enough. That might be the cause of the seeming inability to process their own employees' timesheets. (We want to stress at this point that we do not know how many Census employees know about the fraudulent time sheet padding.) Sometime in mid-May, a number of Census enumerators were let go because they failed their background checks - after they'd already been paid for training and had put in a few hours in the field.
This seems to be happening all over the country. James O'Keefe filed this report, "Undercover Census Fraud Investigation – New Jersey," at BigJournalism.com, along with the following video:
Will this be Comrade Obama's Watergate? This story is developing. It is really developing...
FoxNews, May 28: The White House asked former President Bill Clinton to talk to Rep. Joe Sestak about the possibility of obtaining a senior position in the Obama administration if he would drop out of the Democratic primary race against establishment-backed Sen. Arlen Specter, the Obama administration will say in a report to be released Friday morning, Fox News has confirmed. More...
Senate Republicans Thursday [May 27] called on the Justice Department to investigate whether the Obama White House offered Rep. Joe Sestak (D) of Pennsylvania a high-ranking job in the administration if he would drop out of the 2010 Democratic Senate primary race – if true, a felony. CSMonitor.com...
RELATED:
Source: Bill Clinton asked Sestak not to run FOX2now.com
White House Used Bill Clinton to Ask Sestak to Drop Out of Race New York Times (blog)
Clinton was the one who spoke to Sestak MSNBC.com
White House Used Clinton to Nudge Sestak From Senate Bid Wall Street Journal
Obama dodges, but Sestak questions won't go away Washington Examiner
Source: White House Used Clinton In Sestak Offer CBS 3
Disorganized White House Can't Even Get The Friday News Dump Right Business Insider
Karl Rove: Joe Sestak's lying or he's protecting a felon in Barack ... LA Times blogs
Bill Clinton spoke with Sestak to drop primary challenge against ...Thaindian.com
Ron Howard's new feature comedy "The Dilemma" ("Cheaters") will close off the 1100 block of W. Argyle Street in Chicago's "Little Chinatown" on the north side. Here are some photos taken today around 1:00 p.m. The film stars Jennifer Connelly, Jon Kinnas, Kevin James, Vince Vaughn and Winona Ryder. Update: The filming on Argyle Street ended on Friday night, May 28. Where will they be next? Also See: Photos of Cheaters Filming At Green Mill and Photos of "Cheaters" Shoot In Uptown, June 25.
| x | Electricians and carpenters get the set ready on W. Arglye on Chicago's north side. |
 | x | A view of Tank Noodle on W. Argyle. |
 | x | "Cheaters" crew members position a light onto Genie boom lift. |
 | x | The Genie boom lift, on Argyle Street. This will hold a light for filming near Tank Noodle (green awning). |
 | x | Tank Noodle (green awning, background) at W. Argyle and N. Broadway in Uptown, Chicago. |
 | x | A "Cheaters" film crew electrician works on a sign for a street scene at 1124 W. Argyle. The fake sign will say "Chi Thao Massage and Spa" (see next photo). The space is currently vacant and was leased by the film production company. |
 | xxx | "Chi Thao Massage and Spa" sign at 1124 W. Argyle. It's a fake business in what's really a vacant commercial space. (Get it? "Chi Thao," "Chi Town." Velly funny, huh?) |
 | x | A photo of 1124 W. Argyle, taken on Feb. 20, 2010 during the Chinese New Year Parade. |
 | x | A Chicago Streets & Santitation worker gets street blockades ready. The 1100 block of W. Argyle will be closed off from 6:00 PM tonight to 6:00 AM Friday morning. This will be repeated on Saturday and Sunday. |
 | x | Looking west along the 1100 block of W. Argyle Street from N. Winthrop. In the background is N. Broadway. |
With an Iowa chapter in trouble, Chicago's Guardian Angels have begun patrolling Chicago's northside lakefront between Fullerton and North. They will, of course, be wearing their trademark red berets and white t-shirts. NBC5 Chicago has an good report about the lakefront violence earlier this week.
WGN TV reports today that the Angels are already on the Chicago lakefront beat: Following eight arrests made Monday night along Chicago's lakefront and concerns about safety, the Guardian Angels began patrolling the area Wednesday night into this morning. Chicago police arrested six teens and two adults after responding to a fight, the assault of a jogger, and a gang-related shooting that happened Monday night in a span of three hours between North and Fullerton Avenues along the lakefront. The Guardian Angels began patrolling the lakefront last night between North and Fullerton Avenues, but said they'll respond anywhere problems crop up.
Legal trouble in Iowa: The Guardian Angels are, no doubt, sincere in their desire to curb violence, but are also happy for the good public relations in Chicago in the wake of the current controversy about one of their chapters in Iowa. Four members of the Davenport Guardian Angels were recently charged "in connection with an alleged assault of a Davenport man. Among his injuries, a broken arm snapped in three places," reports WQAD in the Quad Cities. The Davenport chapter is overseen by the Chicago chapter, and Chicago Guardian Angels are patrolling there, says WQAD, until new local recruits can replace them. More from WQAD with a video report...
RELATED:
Chicago Guardian Angels takeover Davenport chapter WQAD
Davenport Angels In Court KWQC 6
Guardian Angels Taken Off Davenport Streets The Right Perspective
Guardian Angels official site
UPDATE, May 27, 2010 6:12 PM, from Chicago Breaking News: Chicago police announced this evening that King Drakeford was located in Jefferson County, Wis., when he ran out of gas and was assisted by the Jefferson County Police. Drakeford has been reunited with his family.
Original post:
Chicago police are asking for your help in finding Mr. King Drakeford, 71 years olf, of the 1400 block of West 73rd Street. He has been missing since early Wednesday afternoon, May 26 when he did not pick up his wife as he regularly did.
He was probably driving a 2001 burgundy four-door Buick LeSabre with whitewall tires, silver trim on the doors, and bobble head dogs in the back window, according to Chicago Police, with Illinois license plate DEF149.
Chicago Breaking News notes that Mr. Drakeford was last seen wearing a beige cap, red, blue and white checkered short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and black shoes, according to police. He takes blood pressure medicine, police said.He is described as black with a dark complexion, 5-feet-8½, 147 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
Invitation and dinner details follow a message from Dan Patlak, Republican candidate for the Cook County Board of Review.
Dear Fellow Concerned Taxpayer,
We have been successful in a tough primary and are now setting our sights on defeating the Chicago Machine incumbent currently occupying the suburban Board of Review commissioner seat. It is expected he will spend in excess of half a million dollars to stay in power.
In order to be competitive, we need your help raising funds so we can spread our message of bringing professional competence and political balance to the Cook County property tax system. Please consider participating in our fundraising event as outlined below. If you are unable to attend, your contribution in any amount would still go a long way toward a victory for the taxpayers in November.
Sincerely,
Dan Patlak
http://www.electpatlak.com
Facebook Event Page - RSVP Here
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady together with Cook County Republican Chairman Lee Roupas Cordially invite you to a buffet dinner and wine reception honoring
Dan Patlak
Republican nominee for Board of Review Commissioner
Location: Grazie's Ristorante and Banquets, 1050 E. Oakton, Des Plaines 60018
Time & Date: Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 5:30-8:30pm
Individual Tickets: $100.00
Bronze Sponsorship: $500.00
Silver Sponsorship: $1,000.00
Gold Sponsorship: $1,500.00
If you would like to attend, you can pay at the door or
For more information, please call (847) 867-2375
Part of a building fell down today in a blighted part of Chicago's far northeast side. Howard Street in Rogers Park is dangerous enough with gang flashmobs and frequent gun fire. Now residents in this slummy area of Chicago's 49th Ward have to worry about buildings falling onto them as they try to dodge the bullets.
A building partially collapsed this afternoon in the Rogers Park neighborhood on the Far North Side, according to Chicago police. A Chicago police officer suffered minor injuries when responding to the collapse in the 1500 block of West Howard Street, but there weren't any indications of other people hurt, said Officer Daniel O'Brien, a police spokesman. More at Chicago Breaking News...
No injuries, but CBS2 says it was a close call. "An eyewitness said she saw a woman walking near the building, pushing a stroller, when the bricks started coming down, but luckily neither the woman nor her daughter were struck by any debris." The photo posted by CBS2 is fuzzy; see excellent photos at NHNA's website.
The City of Chicago's handgun ban might have caused the deaths of an elderly couple early this morning. Had the couple obeyed the city's ban, they would have been defenseless against an armed intruder and quite possibly killed. UPDATE: WLS 890 AM reports that the 80-yr old man used a handgun. (8:00 p.m., 5/26)
"An 80-year-old man shot and killed an armed man who broke into his East Garfield Park home this morning, police said," reports Chicago Breaking News today. "The intruder, who police believe had a gun, broke into the family two-flat in the 600 block of North Sawyer Avenue about 5:20 a.m., said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli." UPDATE: WLS 890 AM reports that the 80-yr old man used a handgun. (8:00 p.m., 5/26)
It is curious that none of the reports about this defensive shooting tell us what type of gun the 80-year old man used to defend himself and his wife. Was it a rifle? Many types of rifles are actually legal in Chicago, which is curious considering the ban on handguns. Was it a handgun? If so, that would be embarassing to Mayor Daley and supporters of the handgun ban. Did City Hall order the Chicago Police Department to suppress this information for political purposes? UPDATE: WLS 890 AM reports that the 80-yr old man used a handgun. (8:00 p.m., 5/26)
What if the elderly man had not had a gun with which to protect himself? Would a call to 911 have gotten the police to his home faster than the bullet could reach the intruder? Would he and his wife be dead today?
Chicago's Mayor Daley hates the Second Amendment so much that he maintains Chicago's unconstitutional ban on handguns despite overwhelming evidence that it does not prevent criminals from using them in their illicit endeavors. While Daley's own taxpayer-paid bodyguards carry handguns, we lowly serfs are not allowed to have our own equalizers.
"Chicago’s gun ban ordinance was enacted in 1982 to stem increasing use of firearms in crimes in the city," wrote Maureen Martin at HoumaToday. "From the beginning, the ordinance has been an utter failure in accomplishing that goal."
Martin continued with some stunning statistics. "The number of murders committed with guns has soared in Chicago since the ordinance was enacted, as has the share of all murders committed with guns. In 1983, the first year the Chicago ordinance was in effect, 290 murders (39.78 percent of the total) were committed with handguns. That rose to 513 murders (60.21 percent) committed with handguns in 1990. In 2003, 442 murders (73.54 percent) were committed with handguns, and in 2008, 402 handgun murders were committed (78.67 percent). In the 25 years since Chicago’s handgun ban was enacted, the number of murders committed with handguns dropped below 1983 levels in only four years (1984-87). All of these data are from the Chicago Police Department."
RELATED:
Chicago Mayor Snaps at Reporter Who Questions Handgun Ban FoxNews
Mayor Daley Threatens to Shoot the Messenger—Namely, Me Mick Dumke, Chicago Reader
Justices debate Chicago handgun ban CNN.com
We Need More Guns, Not Fewer Chicago News Bench
The More Guns the Better, and Here's Proof Chicago News Bench
A wise and measured statement from Tea Party Nation about the U.S. Senate race in Nevada. This was sent as an email to TPN members on May 21, 2010 (emphasis added):
Our friends at Tea Party Express a few weeks ago chose to endorse Sharon Angle in the Republican Senate Primary in Nevada. This morning, I read where they are now citing a poll, claiming that Danny Tarkanian, another great conservative candidate is in third place and calling for him to leave the race.
At Tea Party Nation, we have taken the position that where there are multiple conservative candidates, we should not make an endorsement. We should have the candidates endorse the Tea Party Movement.
At Tea Party Nation, we do not consider asking a conservative candidate to quit a race to be an appropriate thing to do. Especially when this comes from a national group. Nevada has many good Tea Party groups and any call for a candidate to withdraw should come from those groups who are familiar with local politics, not a national group.
The citizens of Nevada are fortunate to have a number of good choices to replace Harry Reid. These include Danny Tarkanian, Sharon Angle, Chad Christiansen, and Bill Parsons.
This statement should not be read as a civil war in the Tea Party Movement. The folks over at Tea Party Express are our friends. They were kind enough to invite Tea Party Nation to join them at the huge event in Searchlight, NV and we believe their hearts are in the right place, just not their strategy.
Our theme at Tea Party Nation, as we go into the convention, is unity. This movement must be united to win this fall. We do not think having a national Tea Party group come in and pick someone as “the tea party candidate” is the right way to go about this.
Let the people decide for themselves who is the best “tea party candidate” and once that decision is made, then we can all rally behind them in unity.
Visit Tea Party Nation's website.
Peter Roskam seems confused. He represents the 6th Congressional District in Illinois. He calls himself a Republican and he's running for re-election. Did he think it would be a wise move to support currently proposed legislation for a bailout of troubled union pension funds? In theory, the bill could add $165 billion to the of American taxpayers' already heavy burden. The bill is being introduced by Senator Bob Casey, (D-Pa.), who says it will save jobs and help people, and Roskam supports it.
The bill in question will essentially let multi-employer union pension plans, like the Teamster's plan that is currently causing UPS so much trouble, segregate out the workers of defunct companies and get the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp to pony up for their benefits. Media Matters says that the bailout won't cost $165 billion, and they're right; that's the total liabilities of the plan. Theoretically, it could cost $165 billion if every single employer went bankrupt, but that's not a very likely scenario. More at The Atlantic...
NetRightDaily reports that "Americans for Limited Government (ALG) has sent a letter to 9 House Republicans urging that they withdraw their support from legislation providing a taxpayer bail-out of labor union run pension funds. Among the union pension funds in critical danger are those run by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and more than a hundred other union-run funds." Roskam is one of the nine Congressmen to get that letter. Read more at NetRightDaily.com
Roskam has a reputation as a good conservative, so his support of Casey's union bailout bill seems bizarre. Roskam has a good "general favorability towards Republicans" according to National Journal Online's 2009 Vote Ratings with score of 76.0. That's "good," but it's far from perfect. (Compare it to Mark Kirk's 60.7 rating.) (Hat tip to TeaPartyElections.)
Fake passports have been found among some of the 158 dead victims of the May 22 plane crash in Mangalore, India as this terrorism, or simply the tragic exploitation of poor migrant workers? The black box was found on Tuesday (India time), but the cause is yet to be determined.
May 26, 2010, 02.50am IST - The Times of India - It now transpires that at least 10 passengers on-board the ill-fated flight may have been travelling on forged documents, which has complicated their identification and insurance claim.
The Times goes on to report that the tragedy "has brought into focus a thriving fake passport racket, known locally as 'Kasargod Embassy' in Kerala's northern district," and "Sources said discrepancies were noticed in the passport details of nine deceased and one survivor, indicating that there might have been something amiss. Some Malayalee travellers had Tamil Nadu addresses on their passports.... Kasargod Embassy, a term used for skilled forgers who manipulate passports by replacing the photo, first came to light in 1980s and has been thriving due to migrant workers' poverty and ignorance."
It's not the first time that the Kasargod Embassy has caught the attention of India's authorities. Keral Report blog reported that on July 6, 2008 "the Air Customs Intelligence, in a major operation, seized a number of forged documents from a Kasargod native. In the raid conducted the officials had seized 31 copies of Indian Passport, 15 copies of International driving License, 12 blank VISA and 10 blank Passport pages from Nizar Panalam, the Kasargod native. He was trying to transport it to Sharjah."
The investigation lost steam, however, "under the Malappuram Crime Detachment wing. The Air Intelligence wing that clearly indicated the hands of ‘Kasargod Embassy’ was verbally paid no heed hither to."
RELATED:
Forged passports make identification messier Daily Pioneer
GAO: Fake passports easy to get CNN.com
Kerala News : Drive on against fake passport rackets The Hindu
Uganda: Businessman Gets Three Convictions Over Forgery AllAfrica.com
Ukrainian man with forged passport removed from UK BBC News
Kingston, Jamaica - Jamaica's capital continues to be a war zone, as more than 1,000 police and soldiers "assaulted a public housing complex occupied by heavily armed gangsters defending an alleged drug lord wanted by the U.S., waging a major offensive in the heart of West Kingston's ramshackle slums." (Associated Press) The man they are after is Christopher "Dudus" Coke (photo).
Update: Siege in Kingston now "quieter," but continues. Could flare up again any moment... BBC video report (updated at 2:08 GMT, Wednesday, 26 May 2010 3:08 UK)
In another report, by AFP, hospital sources "said they saw more than 60 bodies, although police put the death toll at 27. But Prime Minister Bruce Golding warned the figures would likely rise, and police late Tuesday reported several murders."
Gunshots and large explosions can be seen and heard in the capitol city, and the violence is said to be spreading. The Kingston airport was closed intermittently yesterday and is reportedly closed again today. (Press TV)
Some excellent video reports to bring to your attention: The first, by CNN, posted today at 9:36 a.m. EDT. The others are posted at Jamaica News Network (JNN) Nightly News (via RadioJamaica). JNN has a series of reports posted, allowing you to see the history of this story as it developed.
The Jamaica Gleaner reports this morning that "The armed forces yesterday strongly repelled the relentless firepower of gunmen, allegedly from Fletcher's Land, who launched an assault on the Central Police Station in Jamaica's capital, Kingston.... The gunmen, apparently emboldened by the attacks on six police stations a day earlier, turned their venom on the Central Police Station. But alert crime fighters hit back with a vengeance, resulting in a fierce gun battle around the headquarters of Kingston CIB. A day earlier, the Hannah Town Police Station was attacked, pillaged and burnt. So too were the Fletcher's Land, Darling Street and Denham Town stations in western Kingston. The Spanish Town and Cross Roads stations were also fired on."
The Jamaica Observer gives a chilling reports that "criminal gangs aligned to the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) in the Maxfield Avenue area of Whitfield Town are being paid up to $100,000 per day to join in the.... resistance to the security forces' attempt to arrest Tivoli Gardens strongman Christopher 'Dudus' Coke."
This has frightening implications: If Coke can hire more criminals, and if the anti-government sentiment is flamed, this bad situation could become much worse. AFP reports that his supporters say Coke "is a local hero for helping residents pay bills, and even send children to school. Coke himself says he is merely a businessman. His supporters have stockpiled arms, attacked police and set up barricades around Tivoli Gardens, which is also the parliamentary district of Prime Minister Bruce Golding."
The U.S. Dept. of State has warned Jamaican officials that "The possibility exists that unrest could spread beyond the general Kingston area." The State Dept. also warns travelers to avoid Kingston and surrounding areas.
Jamaica's Ministry of National Security issued a statement on May 24:
This Joint Military/Police operation is aimed at executing a warrant issued by the Courts of Jamaica for the arrest of Michael Christopher Coke otherwise called "Dudus" as well as to restore the area to stability after three consecutive days of barricading by criminal elements and wanton attacks on the police force. Full Statement...
MiamiNewTimes reports that Dudus "has turned a Kingston slum into his own personal bunker to avoid extradition to the U.S, has forced his country into a state of emergency. To local law-enforcement officials, the situation appears all too familiar. Coke's ultra-violent cartel, called 'The Shower Posse' for its members tendency to indiscriminately shower enemies and bystanders alike, seized South Florida in the late-'80s."
A Chicago-Kent College of Law student is missing and last seen on May 18, 2010. The public is asked to help locate him If you have any information that might help, call the Chicago Police Belmont Area Special Victims Unit at 312-744-8266. He resides near Belmont and Southport in Chicago's north side Lakeview neighborhood.
Chicago police need the public's help in finding a law student from the North Side who hasn't reported to work or responded to voicemail or e-mail messages for several days.
Brendan Ross was last heard from on Tuesday, police said this afternoon. He may be driving a silver 2003 Honda Civic Coupe, possibly bearing Michigan license plates. More at Chicago Breaking News...
The recent furor over a proposed commercial development in Wrigleyville has spawned one of the most poorly worded petitions I've ever read. First let's look at the petition, by savewrigleyville.org, that is posted on their website. Then, of course, I'll rip into it.
We, the registered voters below, oppose the development of a new 8 story building demolishing current small businesses along the south side of Addison and the east side of the 3500 block of Clark Street. We believe it destroys a neighborhood of thriving local businesses in a struggling economy, and debilitates Wrigleyville's charm and history. For these reasons, we oppose this or any similar development. For these reasons we respectfully ask you to oppose the "Addison Park on Clark" proposal.
Don't get me wrong. I'd like to see the group succeed in stopping the proposed development. This petition, however, just won't cut it, and here's why: Did you get the part where they specify "8 story building?" Even if this petition was binding (it's not), all the developer has to do is change the plans to, say, 7 or 9 stories and suddenly the petition applies to ... nothing. Nothing at all. The petition would then refer to a non-existent project.
Perhaps the worst part of the petition is that part that asks signers to "oppose this or any similar development." That is so generic and all-encompassing that it could include ANY multi-story development in Wrigleyville. You want "similar?" How about ANY retail development? "Similar?" ANY hotel project. "Similar?" ANY commercial development. Think about it. A hypothetical four story development with space for several local retailers could be called "similar."
Believe it or not, I was told that this petition was written by an attorney. Wrigleyville's Alderman Tom Tunney must be laughing his ass off.
Kirk and Giannoulias are competing to replace Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat once held by Comrade Barack Obama.
Roland Burris promised to not run for that seat, didn't he? Yes, he did, back in July, 2009. So, then why does Burris have a 2010 Senate campaign website? Has Burris gone back on his word? Or is he just trying to scam campaign donations that will end up as personal income after paying taxes on them? Just asking.
Suppose a well known Black, loyal Democrat member of the U.S. Congress endorsed the White Republican candidate who's running for U.S. Senate. Why would he do that? And should the Republican welcome it?
"Now, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who did not endorse anyone in the Democratic primary, is flirting with the idea of backing Republican nominee Mark Kirk in the general election," writes Jonathan Allen at Politico.com.
If true, this would be earth shattering - and confusing - for Democrats and Republicans alike. Jackson, of course, is a Democrat. Kirk is (for the most part) a Republican. Kirk is running against Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. If Jackson does come out and back Mark Kirk, that will convince some Democrat voters to abandon Giannoulias. Consider the race factor here: Jackson is Black, Giannoulias is White. Black voters have no ethnic horse in this race, as both Kirk and Giannoulias are White. However, if a Black Congressman like Jackson were to endorse Kirk, it would carry some sway.
Kirk currently represents the 10th Congressional District in Illinois. Giannoulias is currently the failed Illinois State Treasure. Jackson has the stench of corruption about him with regards to the Blagojevich Affair. Additionally, more Republican voters would be turned off to Kirk. Many already are upset with him for his vote for Cap And Trade. In fact, some call him "Cap'n Trade." They also call him a RINO (Republican In Name Only).
“I like Alexi Giannoulias, but I have great respect for Mark Kirk and his service to the people of Illinois,” Jackson told Politico. Jonathan Allen points out in his article that Jackson and Kirk work together on the House Appropriations Committee, "on 
which both are senior members of the subcommittee that provides foreign aid."
Trojan Horse Endorsement: Jackson may be willing to take some heat for "endorsing" Kirk. Why? Consider the possible effects that I noted above. Consider that Jackson's endorsement would probably drive more voters away from Kirk than from Giannoulias, thereby helping Giannoulias to win. In other words, an endorsement by Jackson would be a kind of Trojan Horse, and it smacks of covert DNC marching orders.Kirk and Giannoulias are competing to replace Sen. Roland Burris, who was appointed by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the seat once held by Comrade Barack Obama. Roland Burris promised to not run for that seat, didn't he? Yes, he did, back in July, 2009. So, then why does Burris have a 2010 Senate campaign website? Has Burris gone back on his word? Or is he just trying to scam campaign donations that will end up as personal income after paying taxes on them?
As a service to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Comrade Barack Hussein Obama, US Atty. Gen. Eric Holder, that idiot Napolitano woman, and Democrats everywhere, here's the full text of Arizona's controversial and misunderstood immigration law:
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070s.pdf
Now, read it before you go mouthing off about it.
Then, compare it to the draconian immigration laws of Mexico:
http://www.oas.org/Juridico/MLA/en/mex/en_mex-int-text-const.pdf
RELATED:
Mexico's Glass House: How the Mexican constitution treats foreign residents, workers and naturalized citizens by J. Michael Waller, Ph.D. , Center For Advanced Defense Studies
Calderon Criticism of Arizona Law Overlooks Mexico's Tough Immigration Policy FoxNews
Two 6-year-old girls fell out of the window of a building this morning in the Rogers Park on Chicago's far north side, reports Chicago Breaking News. Just past 10:00 a.m., it is reported, the girls "fell from a window of a building that is located behind the United Church of Rogers Park, 1545 W. Morse Ave. The children were taken to Children's Memorial Hospital with leg injuries, but their conditions weren't immediately available, according to the Chicago Fire Department." The building from which they fell is in a portion of the United Church of Rogers Park that is leased to St. Mary's Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
They might just as easily have been injured walking up the steps to the Ashland Avenue entrance of the church. As you see in our photos here, those steps are in serious, long-term disrepair. In the photo to the left, a local mentally-challenged man attempts acrobatics on them with his bicycle.
In the photo below, members of the church walk down the unsafe steps. We reported on these unsafe conditions of the United Church of Rogers Park back in June of 2009, but here's a fresh report today:
Chicago Breaking News quotes a member of United Church's board as saying, "Two of the kids found their way to the stairwell and out of the eyes of their parents," and that the kids "unlocked a window on the landing where they were playing." He said the girls fell into a concrete courtyard.
There is a big sign on the Morse Avenue side of the church that says "This Congregation Rejects War." We dare say that more people have been injured in the United Church of Rogers Park by non-warfare incidents than otherwise.
RELATED:
Rogers Park Man Was Murdered ABC7 Chicago
Glenn Beck (and his chalkboard) explain the twisted world of ShoreBank.
Breaking! Aloha! The Democrats and the liberal Mainstream Media are freaking out tonight because of the stunning Congressional election win by Republican Charles Djou.
HawaiiNewsNow – Republican Charles Djou won the special election for Hawaii's First Congressional District. The Honolulu City Councilmember grabbed 39% of the vote. State Senate president Colleen Hanabusa came in second with 30% of the vote. Former US Representative Ed Case came in third, gathering 27% the vote.
Honolulu Star Bulletin - Djou won the special mail-in election with 39.5 percent of the vote in the first printout, released at 6 p.m. The first printout represented nearly all of the 170,312 returned by voters in the district, which stretches from Waikiki and downtown to Mililani. Democrat Colleen Hanabusa was second at 30.8 percent, with Democrat Ed Case third at 27.6 percent.
MORE:
GOP's Djou wins Hawaii special election for Congress Honolulu Advertiser
GOPer Djou Picks Up HI-01 House Seat Thanks To Split Dem Vote TPMDC (blog)
Republican Djou wins Hawaii special election, Hanabusa comes in second Hawaii News Now
Djou Wins Congressional Seat KITV Honolulu
Charles Djou, Republicans try to steal Hawaii House seat Washington Post (blog)
May 22, 2010 - Salt Lake City, Utah - A handful of libtards showed up for a little Coffee Party gathering, and I do mean "little." They got together downtown at the Federal Building to show their support for financial reform. Perhaps eight or nine people attended.
The NBC affiliate KSL TV 5 video report noted that this event was their "first public rally in Utah." KLS did not actually give a "crowd" estimate, but their video says it all: Virtually nobody showed up, and the weather looked pretty decent. Be sure to read the comments at KLS.com too, as they're hilariously funny.
RELATED:
Baxter Swilley, Astroturf Poster Boy Chicago News Bench
The Coffee Party: Try Not to Laugh -Part 1 Freedom Watch News
The Latte Party USA Facebook Group
This video is hysterical. It mocks the idiots in the Obama Regime for criticizing the recently passed Arizona immigration law (SB1070) even though they did not read the 10-page bill. Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer approved this video.
According to SecureTheBorderAZ:
"Governor Jan Brewer took President Obama to task for making Arizona's unsecured borders and illegal immigration crisis a laughing matter. However, since then, Washington's comedy of errors has grown far worse, with top cabinet officials admitting that they havent even read Arizonas new immigration law. Broken borders are not a laughing matter, but the failure by Obamas trusted officials to read Arizonas law before commenting and condemning it is laughable. Read the law for yourself at: www.SecuretheBorder.org."
Will American school children now be saved from textbooks filled with Leftist propaganda? Maybe, sort of, little by little, for a while anyway. Don't be overly optimistic about this news.
Last night, the Texas Board of Education made a historically significant decision. Robert Moon reports at Examiner.com:
In a stunning break from the standard public "education" protocol of relentlessly brow-beating children with leftist misinformation against America, white people and Christianity, Texas has forced the textbook industry to start including multiple sides of the story. Through intense negotiations and petty partisan bickering, the Texas Board of Education (which has a huge influence over how textbooks are written in the U.S.) has reversed the trend of erasing our Founding Fathers from the curriculum--a core part of the leftist agenda...
The Texas text book decision, however, will have minimal immediate impact nationwide. Even as the Texas Board of Education was meeting yesterday, there was a communist indoctrination happening on a Chicago Community Colleges (CCC) campus.
The "Social Justice Student Expo" was a brazen display of communist and socialist propagandizing and youth recruitment by the far Left, with the full blessings and accomodations of the CCC. Grade schoolers, high schoolers and college students were encouraged to attend.
So while it's nice that some text books will be brought back from the Leftist clutches, the real problem remains: Leftist teachers and professors will continue to spew their Leftist ideology in classrooms. Events like the "Social Justice Student Expo" will continue. The film and music industries will keep putting out Leftist messages. After decades of Leftist propagandizing in public schools and universities, there are already many millions of Americans whose political sympathies are closer to Mao and Stalin than to Jefferson and Franklin. The Texas Board of Education decision of May 20, 2010 is something to celebrate, but it isn't big enough to merit opening the champagne.
Beneath a “Revolucion” flag with the image of Che Guevara, a DJ played music for the kids in the big gymnasium. A hand made poster on the wall behind him said “Stop Raid Now Legalization.” Despite the bad spelling and grammar, the pro-illegal immigrant message was clear. These folks do not like America, and one of the best ways to bring down any nation is to destroy its borders.
This was part of a shockingly blatant day of communist indoctrination at a Chicago City Colleges (CCC) facility. Hundreds of Chicago students of all ages were invited into a day-long display of revolutionary communist propaganda at the “Social Justice Student Expo” in one of Chicago’s community colleges on the north side on Thursday, May 20. Presented by Chicago Youth Initiating Change (CYIC), it had the full blessing of CCC. (Click image above left to watch our video of the event.)
Communist and socialist literature and artwork were displayed and offered in the Dave Rowland Sports Center on the campus of Harry S Truman College, 1145 West Wilson Avenue in Uptown. Posters told students that “Without Mexicans America Ain’t Nothin” and praising Che Guevara were on the walls. Vendors sold stickers that were pro-Hugo Chavez (“Boycott ExxonMobil Buy Citgo”), anti-military (“Recruiters Lie Don’t Enlist”), and (believe it or not) stickers urging that we “Impeach Bush/Cheney.” Yes, it’s 2010, but they still want those impeachment hearings.
Many of us are aware of the decades-long efforts by the far Left to propagandize students of every age. We know that many others often do not believe us when we talk or write about it. Here, however, is proof that is undeniable.
No reasonable person could have walked through that expo without seeing it for what it was: Another attempt to indoctrinate young minds to be anti-American, anti-capitalist, and very pro-Communist. The CYIC even has a handy “Classroom Action Guide” for teachers posted at the expo’s website and also on YouTube.
CYIC describes itself, in part, this way:
“Chicago Youth Initiating Change (CYIC) is a grassroots organization that brings together youth and teachers from diverse racial, economic and geographic backgrounds to create an educational space to explore social justice issues and carry out social justice initiatives. CYIC is a student and teacher led organization comprised of a wide array of Chicago area public, private, alternative, and charter school members.” See their full “About Us.”
Other items included pro-illegal immigrant books, buttons, shirts and stickers. The book “No One Is Illegal” was for sale, right next to a book titled “The Communist Manifesto - A Road Map to History’s Most Important Political Document.” To CYIC and its supporters, this is all standard fare.
CYIC describes the expo as being “set up like a science or history fair, only students (with support from their teachers) present social justice work that they have done in their classrooms, after-school programs, or community youth organizations. For example, students may present research projects that they conducted in their classrooms on equity in education, gentrification, or environmental racism. Students may also present their work organizing in their schools or communities on issues such as the Iraq War and military recruitment, school closings, or affordable housing.”
Not a word about reading, writing or arithmetic. The reason is simple enough: The CYIC is really not about “education.” Rather, it’s all about furthering a far Left agenda by means of recruiting children into their cause. Their cause, from all appearances, is the destruction of American society as we know it and to replace it with a communist system.
Another table offered copies of International Socialist Review magazine. Another table displayed fliers urging students to “Build a Wall of Resistance - Don’t Talk to the F.B.I.” There were displays about the Atlantic slave trade (they just can’t let that go in Obama’s “post racial America”), gay power, and more.
A Malcom X display called him “The Liberator of Black Rights.” That odd phrase seems to ignore the fact that Malcom X liberated nothing whatsoever. It was Martin Luther King who brilliantly used a constitution created by white men over 230 years ago to bring full civil rights to Black Americans.
The Malcom X display ignores the fact that the 1964 Civil Rights Act was made possible not only by King’s insistent marching, but by the hundreds of thousands of white men who died in a civil war that brought down the Southern states’ slave economy. Lest we forget, the Civil Rights Act was pushed by President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, but was passed only because the Republicans in Congress supported it and outnumbered the many Democrats who voted against it.
But such is the memory of the communist and socialist crowd. The revisionism of history by the old bosses of the now-extinct Soviet Union is legendary. Those bosses, of course, were communists of the same mindset as those who presented the “Social Justice Student Expo” at Truman College on May 20.
On the night of May 20, the Texas Board of Education made a historically significant decision. Robert Moon reports at Examiner.com:
In a stunning break from the standard public "education" protocol of relentlessly brow-beating children with leftist misinformation against America, white people and Christianity, Texas has forced the textbook industry to start including multiple sides of the story. Through intense negotiations and petty partisan bickering, the Texas Board of Education (which has a huge influence over how textbooks are written in the U.S.) has reversed the trend of erasing our Founding Fathers from the curriculum--a core part of the leftist agenda...
Texas text book decision, however, will have minimal immediate impact nationwide. After decades of Leftist propagandizing in public schools and universities, there are already many millions of Americans whose political sympathies are closer to Mao and Stalin than to Jefferson and Franklin. Even with Texas-approved text books, socialist teachers and professors will continue to spew their Leftist ideology in classrooms.
The late Senator Joe McCarthy (R-WI) warned us about this. It’s too bad that McCarthy wasn’t more skilled at public relations. Perhaps enough of us would have listened to him back when it was still not too late.
Many others have tried to warn us as well. It's not too late to wake up, is it?
RELATED:
Truman College contact information
City Colleges of Chicago
Chicago Public Schools contact information
Chicago Youth Initiating Change (CYIC) on Facebook
Chinese Communists Supply California School With Teaching Materials
Multiculturalism's Real Agenda
Obama organizing for communism-and-youth corps in public schools
Grassroots student group follows in footsteps of activist teachers Catalyst-Chicago blog
Chicago Radicalendar
Joel Pollak is running against incumbent Jan Schakowsky for Congress in the 9th District of Illinois.
Famed attorney, legal scholar and author Alan Dershowitz is endorsing Pollak, the first Republican ever to get this stamp of approval from him. Dershowitz will join Pollak for a special lunch event in Chicago on June 16. Basic details below; more info at the Pollak for Congress website.
Where: Wildfire Restaurant, 159 West Erie Street, Chicago, IL 60610 When: June 16th. 2010 11:30-1:00 PM ~ For more info contact Peggy Shapiro at shapiropeg@gmail.com or 312-912-8110. * Kosher meals available upon request
Of course, you're just as dead no matter where you're killed. Chicago's Top Cop, however, thinks there's a difference. Why else would he create statistical categories for "indoor" and "outdoor" killings? The answer, of course, is politics. "This reeks of desperate statistical manipulation," writes Second City Cop.
Peter Bella pokes Jody Weis, the buffoon also known as the Chicago Police Superintendent. Despised and resented by many CPD officers, Weis is an overpaid tool of the local Democrat Machine. He's Mayor Daley's lap dog in a crisply press police uniform, but Daley is so pleased with his performance that he is "suggesting" that Weis take a pay cut from his current $310,000 annual salary.
Bella is a former police officer himself, so he's no stranger to this topic. He writes:
Weis, in his professional capacity as court jester, has determined there will now be two types of murder in Chicago. Insdide murder and outside murder- innies and outies. He must be reading those famed police publications, Sports Illustrated and the Victoria’s Secret catalog.
Fun with numbers, right?
These classifications will give the perception the murder rate is not as high as it actually is. The city is not as dangerous as it really is. Voila! Eureka! Brilliant! The people will sleep much better now, knowing there is no longer need for rough men to protect them. If you have the sad misfortune to be killed indoors, you can rest assured- and in peace- you are not the victim of a vicious human being. Nope. You were the victim of a statistical anomaly. Read Bella's full post at ChicagoNow...
Makes you feel better doesn't it?
Graduation! A time for young people to be hopeful and feel good about themselves. A good graduation speech will fire them up even more. "Go get 'em," a good commencement speaker will say, "there are challenges, but you're ready now to go take on this big world." Al Gore, on the other hand, might have a few University of Tennessee grads thinking about suicide. I mean, you listen to this speech and begin to wonder why you should even get up tomorrow morning. Hat tip to AFP Blog.
MAY 18, 2010: GE joins effort to save Chicago community bank (Reuters) Privately owned ShoreBank, a community development lender on Chicago's South Side near the home base of President Barack Obama and some of his top aides, is getting assistance from a consortium of Wall Street banks including Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), Citigroup (C.N), JPMorgan (JPM.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N), sources have said. Spokesmen for Citigroup and General Electric Co (GE.N) each confirmed $20 million investments on Tuesday, and JP Morgan previously said it was ready to inject $15 million. Another source said Goldman injected $20 million. However...
The Financial Times reported (on May 19, GMT) that "Two people familiar with the deal said the next test for the bank was whether or not it could raise an additional $70m from the federal government." That would be in addition to the money from Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and GE Capital.
The American Spectator is almost as suspicious about the bailout of ShoreBank as we are here at Chicago News Bench. On May 17, they wrote that "Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee want to find out if anyone in the Obama White House attempted to influence the financial bailout of a well-known Chicago-based 'community bank,' which faced FDIC closure last week, and which, going back to the Clinton Administration, has had close ties to ACORN and the leftist community-organizing world of Chicago. The story about the bailout attempt of ShoreBank first began breaking last Thursday night. The FDIC was demanding that the bank have $125 million in investments by Friday, but discussions to bail out the bank, which has close ties to both senior members of the Obama Administration, as well as the Clinton family, went deep into the weekend as Chicago politicians scrambled to save the bank." What? Last Thursday? Where the hell has American Spectator been?
It was two weeks ago, on May 5, that we posted "Failing ShoreBank, Cap-And-Trade and Jan Schakowsky." In that post, I wrote that "This story is about much, much more than just ShoreBank. It's about corruption, the $10 Trillion cap-and-trade scam, the continuing attempt by Schakowsky and the Democrats to seize control of America's energy policies, and more. It's about the Joyce Foundation, which is a major shareholder of ShoreBank and also a major player in the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). CCX trades in 'greenhouse gases.' Franklin Raines, George Soros, Al Gore, Goldman Sachs, Barack Obama and others are big players in this story. (At this point, I strongly suggest that you watch Glenn Beck explain the twisted story of the Chicago Climate Exchange and the Joyce Foundation.)Over the past decade, 'green' ShoreBank has become a shill and a front for the cap-and-trade crowd and those with a radical environmentalist agenda."
Fourteen days ago, we called out the corruption of the ShoreBank situation. We were certainly not the first ones to do so, by any means, but American Spectator makes it sound as though the connection was only realized when the FDIC was trying to rush through a bailout for ShoreBank. The stench surrounding ShoreBank, Schakowsky, the Clintons, the Obamas and many others wafts back years. The odiferous mess is only now getting the attention that it should have gotten long ago.
