January 31, 2011 - Chicago - Karl Rove will be speaking at Loyoal University Chicago after all. Last July, conservative activists at Loyola University Chicago had planned to bring Karl Rove to their campus to speak in the fall semester. Loyola's administrators had other plans, however.

Jessica Reynolds reported the story for the Loyola Student Dispatch:

After months of controversy, Karl Rove will get his chance to speak at Loyola University Chicago. Rove, senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, and now a FOX News regular, will speak at the university on March 22. Full Story at Loyola Student Dispatch...

It's all part of Rove's book tour for "Courage and Consequence," of course.

For those of you who just can't get enough of Karl Rove, he will be the keynote speaker at the annual McKinley Club banquet on Feb 22, 2011 at the Niles McKinley Memorial Auditorium in Niles, Illinois. More info here.

January 21, 2011 - Dystopia - It's all about the "individual mandate," the part of Obama's "health care reform" that requires people to purchase coverage or be fined. That's the point which, again, was the main reason why Obamacare has been called unconstitutional.

The Atlantic Wire's Elspeth Reeve filed this late this afternoon:

A second federal judge has ruled President Obama's health care overhaul to be unconstitutional, following a similar decision from a Virginia judge in December. And like that judge, Roger Vinson of Federal District Court in Pensacola, Florida, said the law could remain in effect while the cases make their way through the court system.... Full Article at Atlantic Wire

To those of us who still honor and respect the Constitution, it is painfully obvious that the federal government cannot legally require us to purchase a product that we do not want. To many Democrats and most Liberals, of course, Judge Vinson's ruling has no meaning because they don't believe that the Constitution is valid. It is, after all, more than 100 years old.

RELATED:
Factbox: Lawsuits challenging U.S. healthcare reform Reuters
Cuccinelli, McDonnell praise Florida ruling striking down health-care law Washington Post
Obamacare and the Individual Mandate: Violating Personal Liberty and Federalism Heritage Foundation
Obamacare is Great... Well Unless You Are a Union, Then You Don't Have to Suffer Under it Publius' Forum

Must-See Video: What a way to start a new year. With the recent events in Tunisia, and now Egypt and Yemen, revolution seems to be a global contagion. Will it continue to spread? The person/s that posted this to YouTube, "tsmArchive," wrote this description of the video:

"This video shows 24 different countries that began 2011 with protests. The video shows the country location and news about the protest/riot. 2011 protests are increasing in quantity and support. Countries shown are Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Honduras, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela and Yemen."

January 27, 2011 - This sign in downtown Chicago was erected to let everyone know that there is work being done here. But -- where's the work?

It advertises that the American Recovery and Reinvestment is "Putting America to Work," but there is no work being done anywhere in sight. Not the kind that the sign refers to, anyway. (Click images to enlarge.)

The sign sits on a median strip in front of Harold Washington Library at 400 S. State Street in the Loop. As with so many of these signs across the country, it indicates work being done where this is none. For that matter, it implies that there is some kind of recovery happening. That can't be seen anywhere nearby, either.

January 26, 2011 - Chicago - With the February 22 aldermanic elections less than a month away, one candidate running in the 46th Ward has received a big endorsement from Chicago's police and firefighters. That candidate, Michael Carroll, is a Chicago police officer.

Some of the candidates running in the 46th actually have the dishonesty to claim that they are the only one who understands crime - or wants to do anything about it. Really? Can Molly Phelan, Befekadu Retta or James Cappelman honestly say that they are police officers? Can Phelan or Cappelman honestly say that they know more about police and crime issues than CPD Officer Michael Carroll?

The next time Phelan, Retta, Cappelman or any of the other contenders (full list here) claim to know more or care more about fighting crime than any other candidate, ask them how long they served as police officers. Ask them if attending CAPS meetings or even being a judge is the same as doing hazardous duty as an officer in the trenches of Chicago's mean streets. Then look them right in the eye and ask them if they really think they know more about crime and policing than Michael Carroll.

Mike Carroll sent this email today, announcing the endorsement:

I'm proud to announce that our campaign has been endorsed by all three first responder groups that work to protect our citizens by putting public safety first.

The Fraternal Order of Police - Chicago Lodge 7, Chicago Police Sergeants' Association, and Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 have each independently endorsed our campaign. These groups represent more than 20,000 hard-working Chicagoans combined.

These endorsements add to the momentum our grassroots campaign is seeing on the streets as we talk and meet with voters across our neighborhoods. You can build upon that momentum today by making a contribution of $50, $100, $250 or any amount that will help support our efforts.

We also need volunteers with the campaign, so please sign up to volunteer online or send us an e-mail letting us know if you can help. You can also join us as we spread the word about our latest endorsements and our plans to improve our neighborhoods by calling voters or knocking on doors this weekend on both Saturday from Noon to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Email us at field@carroll46.com if you are able to give a couple of hours of your time. We will meet at our campaign headquarters at the corner of Sheridan and Leland in Uptown.

As Alderman, I will work tirelessly alongside the police and firefighters and be their advocate on the City Council as we work to improve public safety and fight crime here in the 46th Ward and throughout Chicago. This will require us to put more police on the streets and target gangs, guns, and drugs block by block in our neighborhoods.

The Fraternal Order of Police agrees. “We are unanimously endorsing Michael Carroll as the best candidate to reduce crime in the 46th Ward,” stated Mark Donahue, president of the FOP. “His proactive plan for fighting crime and over seven years of experience as a Chicago Police Officer make him the right choice for voters”

Make your contribution today to help support our campaign to improve the 46th Ward by reducing crime, bringing in new businesses, and improving our schools and infrastructure.

Thanks for your support and let's continue the momentum this weekend.

January 25, 2011 - Chicago - This is a first: I'm agreeing with 49th Ward Alderman Joe Moore. He's sounding the alarm over the CTA's proposal to shut down the Jarvis station in Rogers Park. That would be bad. CTA wastes a hell of a lot of money elsewhere, so what's the reasoning? Attend a public meeting on Wednesday, January 26 to learn more. Also see details below in an excerpt written by Ald. Moore on his own website:

I just learned today that three of the six options the CTA is considering in its proposed "improvements" to the Red and Purple line include the permanent closing of the Jarvis el station. This is unacceptable.

As I reported to you last week, the CTA is hosting a series of "public scoping meetings" to discuss the proposals. I urged you to attend the 49th Ward meeting to join me in pushing for improvements to the Jarvis, Morse and Loyola stations. Little did I know that not only were improvements to Jarvis not contemplated, the CTA was in fact thinking about closing the station!

At this point, no funding for the Red Line improvements has been identified and the work is still many years away, but it's not too early to state loudly and clearly that the Jarvis el station must stay open.

Join me at the CTA's "public scoping meeting" TOMORROW (Wednesday, January 26th), 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at New Field School, 1707 W. Morse (at Clark). Tell the CTA you OPPOSE the closing of the Jarvis el Station. Instead, demand the CTA give our community a long overdue NEW Jarvis Station, as well as improvements to the Morse and Loyola stations. I apologize for the last minute notice, but as I indicate above, I just learned today that the CTA was contemplating the closing of Jarvis.

[Here is] a flier urging people to attend the meeting. Please feel free to make copies of the flier and distribute to your friends and neighbors: Save_the_Jarvis_El[1].pdf (115 KB)

Read more at Ald. Moore's website....

January 25, 2001 - Chicago - The game is over. The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but the bitterness seems to live on in Oak Lawn. This community of car dealerships and bridal shops is also home to some of Chicagoland's most enthusiastic Bears fans. Ironically, it's also home to many of the most avid Packers fans, living secret lives that some around here might think of as treasonous.

One of those local Packers fans is (was) a car salesman. He "was fired for sporting a Green Bay Packers tie at work," wrote Michael Zak, auto correspondent for AOL News. The Oak Lawn, IL car dealership is Webb Chevrolet at 9440 S. Cicero Avenue.

John Stone, it seems, is the victim of his own Packers enthusiasm. Zak noted that he "wore the tie out of respect for his 91-year-old grandmother, a devout Packers fan who had passed away just two days before the team's NFC Championship game against the Chicago Bears."

One question being asked is, "Will the car salesman sue the dealership?" Maybe, but probably not. Stone was quickly offered a job by another car dealership.

According to Oak Lawn Patch, Stone was quickly offered a job by Chevrolet of Homewood. Smart. As it turns out, the decision to hire Stone "has led to an unexpected boom in business. He already has a sale lined up." Patch quotes the dealership's general sales manager as saying that there is a “a gentleman in Milwaukee that wants to come down and buy a Tahoe from John.”

An interesting expert opinion of this saga comes from attorney Elie Mystal gives this opinion at abovethelaw.com:

"I just don’t see how this is a slam-dunk lawsuit waiting to happen," wrote Mystal. "Stone lives in enemy territory and wore Packer stuff to work anyway. His boss gave a direct order, five times, which he refused. Stone’s lucky he just got fired. I’m sure the Packers fan who wore team apparel in Philly after the Pack beat the Eagles hasn’t yet had a chance to tell his story to the newspapers because he’s still eating out of a straw."

Good point. Other Packers fans living "in enemy territory" should take heed. One couple in Oak Lawn was recently outed as "secret" Packers fans. Now that they're out of the cheese closet, they might consider moving to Wisconsin for their own job security. Of course, the lower taxes and better business environment are good reasons to leave Illinois, too.

January 25, 2011 - Chicago - What a difference a day makes. Yesterday morning, Rahm Emanuel was removed from Chicago's mayoral primary ballot. That was due to a ruling by the Illinois Appellate Court, which said that ballots must be printed without his name.

Late this morning, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Rahm's name must remain on the ballot. Heads are spinning.

"Looks like Illinois Supreme Court justices finally received their horse heads," wrote "Fector" on Twitter. Or, maybe, the justices each got a dead fish in their mailbox.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports today that the IL Supreme Court "has not decided whether to hear Emanuel’s appeal of Monday’s Illinois Appellate Court ruling that tossed him out of the race to replace Mayor Daley. But the Supreme Court granted Emanuel’s motion for a stay of the ruling."

Huh? The Appellate Court made a legitimate ruling but the Springfield Supremes just overturned it without even hearing the case for themselves. Granted, they just said that they will hear the case, but why not let the Appellate Court's ruling stand until the Supreme Court hears it? (Does this smell bad to you, too?)

This, and a hundred other things, have only convinced me that my profound and deepening dislike of Illinois is justified.

UPDATE, January 25: Emanuel, kicked off the ballot yesterday, is back on the ballot. WTH? More over here...

January 24, 2011 - Chicago - You've probably heard by now that Rahm Emanuel has been booted off of Chicago's mayoral primary ballot. Some of us aren't surprised, including a local law professor. Carol Felsenthal spoke with him today and wrote it up at chicagomag.com:

Weeks ago, when most people thought that the challenge to Rahm Emanuel’s residency status was a lost cause, Northwestern Law Professor Sam Tenenbaum dissented. He reminded me of that today when I called him for his reaction to the Illinois Appeals Court ruling that Rahm is ineligible to run for mayor because he does not meet the residency requirement of having lived in Chicago for a year prior to the February 22nd primary.

“I told you [the challenge] wasn’t frivolous,” said Tenenbaum, a clinical associate professor of law, whose specialty is civil litigation. Full Article at chicagomag.com...

Emanuel is also being called some very nasty things. Local liberal columnist and defender of Arab dictatorships Ray Hanania wrote last Friday that Rahm is a racist and religious bigot. Yes, he really did. Apparently, Hanania has no problem with racist bigots if they are autocratic royal rulers of Middle Eastern nations, but Rahm is just too extreme for his tastes. Hanania started his column with a truly idiotic paragraph:

"Everyone knows that the reason why Rahm Emanuel is in the race for mayor is that he has more money than any other candidate."

Hanania's logic is so twisted that the mind reels. So, one day Rahm was sitting around and thought, 'Golly, I've got all this money that I'm dying to piss away on a mayoral race that I care nothing about. In fact, the only reason I want to run is because I have more money than any other candidate!'

I'm no fan of Emanuel, but it's quite a stretch to believe Hanania's crazy hypothesis. What's even crazier, however, is that the often-crazy Hanania blunt called Rahm Emanuel a prejudiced bigot.

Hanania's first paragraph was merely stupid, but he get downright vitriolic:

"Emanuel is proving to be a vicious political animal who harbors hatreds and biases. He won’t talk to some people because of their race and religion. He won’t talk to some people because of their political views.... Chicago is a diverse city. The last thing it needs is a mayor who discriminates on the basis of race, ethnicity and religion as Rahm Emanuel does."

Hanania offers no substantiation of those serious charges, no examples or Emanuel discriminating against anybody based on race, ethnicity or relgiion. Has Ray Hanania learned nothing about making public discourse more civil? Apparently not, and the last thing Chicago needs is a columnist like Ray Hanania who makes such vile accusations without offering any proof.

Rahm is off the mayoral ballot, for now anyway. That means somebody else is the new leader in terms of having "more money than any other candidate." Will Hanania's declare that candidate to be in it just for that reason? Abracadabra, Hanania Banania.

RELATED:
Ray Hanania defends Arab dictatorships ikrahs.com
Ray Hanania Cancels His Daily Radio Show chicagoradioandmedia.com
Cowardly Ray Hanania Disappoints (Kind of) CNB

This is amazing video of what could be an incredible UFO sighting. It was reportedly recorded near Powhatan, Virginia (map) on Monday, January 17, 2011 around 3:30 a.m. The video seems to show several lights which might be on end points of a long triangular or pyramidal object. Powhatan is a western suburb of Richmond. More information below the video (language advisory)...



The videographer "GhostKnight81," wrote this description where it was posted on YouTube:

"This is my first UFO sighting in the 30 years of living here. I noticed 3 faint red lights in front of a blinking craft. At first I thought it was a single object until they flew overhead. You can barely see the red lights half way through the clip when I take the night vision away. Luckily I had just been out spotting deer with the night vision and camera. The red light in the middle is very dim at the start of the clip.Towards the end of the clip the middle light is much brighter. Sorry for the strong language but that was my natural reaction. This happened near Powhatan. VA around 3:30 in the morning January 17th. The sky is very quite at that time. In the UFO videos I have seen, they are always flying so I thought I could provoke them to land or at least turn around, but no such Luck. I probably get that from watching Ghost Adventures since they seem to provoke the ghost to do anomalous things. The blinking craft could be one of ours or one of them - the faint red lights were definitely not a craft of any sort - they were very faint with a see through appearance."

Hat tip: http://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/

MAYBE RELATED (BUT PROBABLY NOT):
Legal but potent hallucinogen rarely seen in Richmond area Richmond Times Dispatch

January 19, 2011 - Chicago - Does the International Brotherhood of Teamsters know that one of their trucks is allegedly being driving by a pervert who may be flashing people while playing with himself? They might want to read this report in Oak Lawn Patch today:

A man driving a black truck removed his clothes and pleasured himself while driving down 95th Street, an Oak Lawn police report said. Police responded to an “indecent exposure” call around 4 a.m. Jan. 9. A woman phoned police and reported a white male stripping off his clothes and flashing her. She was able to provide police with the license plate number, and police traced the registration to the Teamsters in Springfield. Full article here...

That would be the Teamsters Local 916. Perhaps Tony Barr, President of the local, could look into the situation. One has to wonder if the driver was on the clock, and if so, did he have permission from his union steward to strip naked while on the job. There is no confirmation to the rumor that the organization will be changing its name to International Brotherhood of Perverts anytime soon.

RELATED, KINDA:
Former Chicago Teamsters Business Agent Pleads Guilty to Election Fraud NLPC
Getting Their Dues? Top Union Boss Salaries in Illinois IL Policy Institute
Where Is The Flasher Located On A Chevy Truck? Snippets.com

Where was the Tea Party in January, 2011? In Illinois, they seemed to be asleep at the wheel in the days leading up to voting in the State Legislature for one of the worst tax hikes ever.

UPDATE, Feb. 2, 2011: Is This Any Way To Revolt? April 15 March on Springfield Will Last Only Two Hours

During his campaign last year, Governor Pat Quinn warned voters that he would raise taxes. Don’t worry, he assured us, it will be a very small increase. He repeated that publicly during his campaign, and enough voters either didn’t hear him, didn’t understand the implications of what he said, or are so ignorant of basic economics that they did not realize that any rise in taxes - especially at this crucial time in this economic crisis - might just actually be good for Illinois.

Those of us who did not vote for Quinn, of course, knew better. Now, of course, even the fools who voted for him know better. We all know, too late, that Pat Quinn lied. Pundits are now calling him “Quinnochio.”

Quinn promised that he would raise personal income taxes, but only by one percent. Instead, he backed a package that increased it by 66 percent (from 3 percent to 5 percent). The corporate income tax rose by 45 percent (from from 4.8 percent to 7 percent). The lawmakers in Springfield voted on these increases in the wee hours of the morning.

Judy Baar Topinka, the newly elected State Comptroller, pointed out that the combination of all taxes that businesses will now suffer makes Illinois the highest taxing state in the industrialized world. Combined with the rise in personal income tax, residents of Illinois will soon realize that employers will be even less reluctant to hire than they were last year. They will realize that some employers will have to go out of business, while others move operations out of Illinois, thus further increasing unemployment.

To add insult to injury, Quinn and his accomplices in the Legislature not only increased taxes massively, they even increased spending by two percent. All of this hurts not only taxpayers. Even the unemployed are badly affected by tax hikes, because it will mean high retail prices, higher rents, and so on.

We saw a lot of Tea Party speeches and rallies against Obamacare in the past two years, much of it here in Chicago where the Tea Party movement got its start. They argued, rightly, that Obamacare would be devastating to businesses, raise unemployment, and so on. The Quinn tax hikes will do the same thing, but with an important difference: The harmful effects will directly affect every employer and employee, every retailer and wholesaler, every retired and the unemployed person in Illinois.

Unlike Obamacare, some of the effects of which will not be felt for years, the Quinn tax hikes are a boot placed on our throats immediately. The people of Illinois are the victims of fiscal and economic gang rape. The Tea Party, coming off a two-year lather over national politics, has been virtually silent about Quinn’s taxes.

Surely, one would have thought, the Tea Party movement would have been in a fury in the days leading up to the vote to raise taxes. Certainly, one would have expected, Tea Party movement groups from around Illinois would have bused thousands of concerned sympathizers to Springfield to march and speak and peacefully protest. Undoubtedly, one may have hoped, the Tea Party movement would not sit idly by while Pat Quinn and Company were about to kick the living hell out of us. It didn’t happen.

Some Tea Party groups did call on their followers to make phone calls and send emails. That’s all well and good, and it’s a needed part of the overall strategy. It’s not enough, however.

The Tea Party movement’s magnificent efforts had an historic effect on the November 2010 elections, but in Illinois they seem to have missed the forest for the trees. Granted, the movement toppled many of those who violated their oath to uphold the Constitution and misrepresented their constituents. It successfully installed many who profess sympathy to conservative values and loyalty to the Constitution. Still, while all that was being done, elections within Illinois were given secondary attention.

Change came to Washington, D.C., but less change came to Springfield, Illinois. The “lame duck” Congress passed a few monstrosities before the 111th dissolved. The “lame duck” Illinois legislature did the same, including the obscene tax increase package championed by Governor Quinn.

What’s next? Last November is history. Since then, we have heard loud vocal warnings from Tea Party groups nationwide to the new crop of freshman members of Congress. “You better not disappoint us,” was the cry, “because we’ll be watching and taking notes.” That carried the implied threat of unseating those who don’t perform to the Tea Party’s expectations come the next election. But that’s about all we saw. When a Tea Party rally was needed more than ever in Springfield, it didn’t happen.

In Illinois, the Tea Party movement missed a huge opportunity in January. Satisfied with their nationwide effect on Congressional races, the movement has reclined and fallen into a kind of self-satisfied nap.

The rallies in public parks, on farms and in rented halls that we’ve seen over the past two years have served us well. They served to fire up the movement and to help recruit new membership. They will remain important for those purposes, but they are no longer enough. Rallies far and away from the centers of power and authority are now seen by the governing elite as mildly annoying events. They’ve gotten used to them, and they understand that a bunch of people politely listening to speeches in a park pose no challenge to their physical space.

This is where civil disobedience comes into play, and even becomes a necessary next step. Imagine a rally of a thousand Tea Party people covering the steps of the State Capitol, a couple of hundred who overflow into the building itself. Imagine those thousand people chanting loudly and in unison while the legislators are in session. Think about their reaction as they are forced to shoulder their way through the people to get in or out of the building.

Think of the 1960s, when “sit ins” were a non-violent way of “occupying” university administration buildings, city halls, state capitols, and so on. Suppose those protesters then had, instead, merely gathered in parks on the edge of town and uneventfully preached to themselves. How effective would they have been? What if Martin Luther King, Jr. had suddenly stopped organizing huge rallies, and had become content with merely sending out telegrams and making phone calls?

That’s where the Tea Party movement is today. The politicians, Democrats and Republicans, have become used to the idea that Tea Party events are distant. That is why we need to “get in their faces.” To be blunt, we need to make them nervous. We need to make them sleep less comfortably. They must be apprehensive every morning that they get up to go vote on higher taxes, increased regulation and more violations of our Constitutional and God-given rights.

Let me be clear: This is not a call to violence. To the contrary, it is a call to civil disobedience. Peaceful resistance is a respectable way to demonstrate displeasure with the government. A thousand people on the steps of the Capitol must be willing to resist requests and orders to disperse. Tea Party people must be willing to remain seated when told to move on, and even willing to accept the risk of being arrested. Imagine the headlines and videos as hundreds of peaceful Tea Partiers are arrested on the steps of the State Capitol, carried off in handcuffs for exercising their First Amendment rights.

Some Republicans in Springfield have hinted that they might try to overturn or repeal the Quinn Tax Hikes. They may or may not succeed. Should they fail, we can only hope that their failure is not due to a lack of effort on their part - or on the part of the Tea Party movement.

The Tea Party’s role in this is destined to be one of two things, whether it acts or not. If the Quinn tax hikes are not overturned, and the Tea Party did not stage a massive rally on the capitol steps in Springfield, we will always wonder how the outcome might have been different had a rally taken place.

On the other hand, what if the Republicans do manage to overturn the tax hikes without any Tea Party occupation of the capitol steps? There would be many who would then regard the Tea Party movement in Illinois as nothing more than a bunch of talkers, even as quitters. The Democrats would merely laugh us off.

Worse, however, the Illinois Republican Party would do the same. The leadership of the Illinois GOP, after all, views the Tea Party as a threat to its own power, sapping its membership and working against some of the GOP’s own anointed candidates. If the Tea Party movement in Illinois does not act, in a big, loud, physically present way, and do it before mid-February, it risks being written off by both political parties as a flash in the pan.

The Tea Party has no choice but to act and to act in a big way. The two most important reasons for this should be obvious: (1) to undo the suicidal Quinn tax hikes, and (2) to save the credibility and recover the momentum of a sputtering Illinois Tea Party movement.

The Tea Party must not let the politicians feel at ease just because the last election is over. It cannot let them get away with that which it has worked so hard to defeat. Tea Partiers must decide if they are armchair warriors or the real deal.

Here's a direct message to Tea Party people: I love you, and have stood by your side at rallies from the beginning. I've supported your efforts through many, many hours of blogging and editing of photos and videos. I am one of you.

But I must tell you this: You love to quote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Some of you call yourselves freedom fighters. Some of you even dress up like Revolutionary War heroes. That’s cute, but ask yourself this: Are you content to merely parrot the Founders and Framers and to perform impromptu street theater and ultimately meaningless imitations of them with your fake powdered wigs while you listen to speeches in a park? Do you think your digital rants shared with “friends” on Facebook, made from the comfort of your desk or the convenience of your iPhone, are accomplishing even one percent of what any one of the Founders did?

Are you ready to get off overtaxed duff and act as the real freedom fighters did in 1776? They did more than talk. They did not fear arrest. They marched, often into battle. They bled. They sacrificed. Many died.

I’m only asking you to march to Springfield to sit on the Capitol steps.

Are you in?

• The time for passionate talk is past


• The time for your polite rallies in safe, distant parks has gone by


• The time for your frantic Facebook posts and titillating tweets is over


• The time to get real, the time to truly engage is here


• It is time to get out of your swivel chairs, off of your couches, away from your keyboards and onto your feet
  
• It is time to march and time to take to the steps of government offices - and into the halls of the ruling elite


• It is time to step over the line and into the comfort zones of those who were elected to be our representatives but act instead as our overlords


• It is time to make the politicians feel uncomfortable in their own space


• It is time to replace digital rants and quiet meetings with physical action


• It is time to employ civil disobedience

Film maker and ignorant moron Spike Lee says that the United States is the most violent nation in the history of the world. I know that you are smart enough to know that this is utter bullcrap. Not only is history littered with examples of nations that were far more violent to other nations as well as genocidal toward large portions of their own populations, the same can be found today. Can somebody please send Spike Lee a one-way ticket to Venezuela? Please? Better yet, if anyone has a time machine, please send him back to Germany, circa 1940.

Wanna rock out and help support a great cause at the same time? Then the "JimiSix Rockin For Life" benefit concert is just what you're looking for.

Warning: The incredible lineup of local rockers promises to deliver a powerful punch of vocal and guitar power that just might blow the roof off of Bobby McGee's in Chicago Ridge at 10139 S. Harlem Ave. (see map; click flyer image to enlarge it).

The fun begins at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 16, (by which time the Bears should have clipped the Seahawks). Doors open at 2:00 p.m.

There will be a buffet table, silent auction and raffle drawings. It's all meant to help raise money for local rock legend Jim "JimiSix" Karones. Unemployed, he's in his second round of chemo and radiation treatments, battling Stage IV esophageal cancer. JimiSix is well-known in Chicagoland for his generous work helping others in need, and now it's time to give back to this great man. For more information about Jim, read "The Battle of Jimisix."

Here's the schedule:

Rough Boyzz 3:10-3:45
Lisa Matthews Band 4:00-4:35
Trainwreck 4:50-5:25
Reckless 5:40-6:15
Five Guys Named Moe 6:30-7:05
Three-Way Split 7:15-7:40
Wonder Years 7:45-8:15
GenHeX 8:25-9:00
All-band jam finale!

Admission is $20 per person for buffet meal and entertainment.
Advance ticket purchase special: Get two tickets for $35.
Advanced ticket orders can also be placed over the phone for the "Jimisix Rockin' for Life"...Jim Karones Benefit. Call: 773-405-0374. Bobby McGee's accepts Visa, Master Card, Discover, and Diners Club International.

Also See:
Bobby McGee's - Chicago Ridge on Facebook
Jim Karones (Jimisix) on Facebook

Michael Carroll's 46th Ward Aldermanic Campaign is getting ready for its first major canvass of of the new year. They invite you to help out by volunteering for a two or three hour shift on Saturday, January 15. (Also, please consider a making donation to Michael Carroll's campaign, even if it's only $5.00. Every bit helps!)

The campaign provides more details about Saturday's canvassing and absentee ballots:

The first opportunity to apply for absentee ballots begins Thursday, January 13, so we want to begin reaching voters in the 46th Ward as they decide who their next Alderman will be. We will be making calls at the office and going door-to-door in key neighborhoods to reach voters and let them know about my background and plans to reduce crime, create jobs, and improve our neighborhoods.

The canvassing begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 15 at our campaign headquarters (4700 N. Sheridan Rd.) and will last until 4 p.m. If you would like to learn more about the canvassing crew, please contact us at field@carroll46.com or call us at 773-627-1410.

Any amount of time that you can give to the campaign is greatly appreciated as we sprint toward Election Day. Please volunteer to help the campaign or request a yard or window sign, you can do so easily by signing up online today. We will have canvassing and call shifts during the week and every weekend through Election Day.

This year, you also no longer need an excuse to vote absentee. We have more information on how to sign up for an absentee ballot on our website. While there, you can also find an interactive Ward map and other information on registration and early voting under our new Community section.

We can stop it.......The Democrats don't have the votes yet to pass their economy crushing, job killing, freedom stealing 75% tax increase. Governor Quinn, House Speaker Madigan and Senate President Cullerton came to an agreement last week on the proposed tax increase, but they've been unsuccessful in convincing enough Democrat members of the House and Senate to support this man caused disaster. Here's what has taxpayers and businesses across Illinois looking up moving companies:

Your personal state income taxes will go up by 75%, increasing to 5.25% of your income. State corporate tax rates will increase to 10.9%, making the taxes on Illinois businesses the highest in the industrial world.

Cigarette taxes will go up by $1 to $1.98 per pack. Even if you're not a smoker, this will cause more people to cross the border into Indiana, Wisconsin and Missouri to buy their cigarettes (and other products while they're there), costing the state more revenue.

Keep in mind that Chicago is the state's largest border city. We have a structural budget gap in Illinois. The total budget gap is running at a staggering 40%, but the solution is not raising taxes by 75%. The only approach we can count on to solve Illinois' budget crisis is to stop spending. We need to tell our representatives that we want them to vote NO to tax increases, NO to more spending, NO to more borrowing and NO to new government programs.

Let's keep the pressure on these people:
There are three state representatives running for Chicago city office in February. They need to face the voters next month - we don't have to wait two years to send them a message at the ballot box. They are:

Susana Mendoza (D-Chicago). Phone 217-782-7752. Fax 217-782-8917.
Mendoza is running for Chicago City Clerk. Email her at staterepmendoza@gmail.com

William Burns (D-Chicago). Phone 217-782-2023. Fax 217-782-8569. Burns is running for Alderman in the 4th Ward. Email him at repwillburns@att.net

Harry Osterman (D-Chicago). Phone 217-782-8088. Fax 217-782-6592. Osterman is running for Alderman in Chicago's 48th Ward. Email him at hjo17@aol.com

Click below to find the phone and email address of your own:
State Representative or State Senator

Don't know the name of your state represenative or state senator? Click here to find out. If we can stop Illinois Democrats from raising taxes by the end of the lame duck session on Tuesday, January 11, then it may not happen at all.

Where you can find us:
Chicago - Illinois - National

This ought to be lively. Maybe, even, dangerous. America's Future Foundation (AFF-Chicago) will host an event that examines the question, "what's wrong with women?" They will be "discussing the tendency for women to vote for politicians and policies that reduce personal liberty and increase the role of the state. Some argue there's an essential difference between men and women. A recent study categorized statist modes of thinking as 'feminine,' and libertarian modes as 'masculine'."

However, notes AFF, the stereotypes may be inaccurate. Perhaps it's not a gender or sex thing, but simply a cultural influence. "This past November," says AFF, " for the first time in three decades, women were equally likely to vote for Republicans as Democrats. Four years ago, they backed Democrats by 12 points."

Where: Sullivan's Steakhouse, 415 N. Dearborn, Chicago (map)
When: Wednesday, January 12th, 6-8 PM
RSVP: chicago@americasfuture.org or on our Facebook Event page by January 10th.
Price: $10 per person (includes two drink tickets, payable at the door)
You can RSVP at AFF-Chicago's Facebook page.

January 20, 2011 - John DiLeo wrote a great post at Illinois Review about high taxation. He makes an analogy between the abuse dished out by the State of Illinois to business owners and physical abuse. (John's post reminds me of post that I wrote here last July, which use two imaginary burger joints to show the idiocy of higher taxes.) Here's an excerpt from John's post:

So, your boss – let’s call him Joe – is just sitting at his desk, diligently working on his computer… trying to see if his business can make it through another year of this painfully long recession without having to lay off any more people...

…when, all of a sudden, this guy in an ill-fitting suit walks in, plunks down his state ID, and starts punching Joe in the face. Not constantly, but regularly. About 10.9 times per hour. Finally, at the end of the day, at about 6 or 7 pm, Joe puts on his coat and goes home.

A different state employee is there waiting for him. He presents his state ID, and enters the house alongside Joe, and starts punching Joe in the face. Whatever Joe does – sitting in the dining room eating his cold dinner, sitting with his family watching television, dressing for bed, trying to sleep - that state employee is always there, regularly punching him in the face. You could set your metronome by the rhythm, as the punches land at a steady rate of 5.25 times an hour. Continue reading at Illinois Review....

Another must-read post on the subject of Illinois tax madness is by Keith Liscio at Chicago Conservative Examiner today. Keith's piece is titled "Illinois conservative groups united in opposition to lame duck tax increases."

January 7, 2011 - Chicago - Reports of a “bomb scare” at a rogue “tea party” group’s Christmas party last month were, to say the least, exaggerated. Unfortunately, a lot of bloggers ran the story without question. What many have called a “bomb scare” was nothing of the sort. Catherina Wojtowicz, leader of the “Chicago Tea Patriots,” made claims and statements about the event that would appear to be exaggerations or lies.

The event happened at Dugan’s Irish Pub on Friday, December 10. Dugan’s is a “cop bar,” popular among officers of the Chicago Police Department. Dugan’s is located at 128 South Halsted Street.

The Chicago Tea Patriots used to be part of the Illinois chapter of Tea Party Patriots until it was kicked out (see "Beware Chicago's Fake Tax Day Tea Party Event"). Hers is the group that gained national notoriety for mocking the grieving family of deceased woman at a town hall meeting in November, 2009. Wojtowicz is a known liar and has been convicted in court at least once in 2009 for telephone harassment. She is known for her threatening and vile emails.

Wojtowicz waited six days before she sent an email blast to supporters, bloggers and the media. Her December 16 email began with a screaming, all-caps headline that said, “Arson At Christmas Party -We Will Not Be Silenced!!” Under the headline, there was a “Statement from Chicago Tea Patriots founder Catherina Wojtowicz 12/16/10.” She did not post videos of the Dugan’s event until December 20, ten days later. (See the videos here.) UPDATE: A fourth video can be seen here.

All of the videos are difficult to watch because of the exceptionally bad alcohol impaired camera work by Wojtowicz. Fingers often cover the camera lense, which is aimed at the floor much of the time. Most of the fourth video gives the viewer several minutes of splendid views of the floor on seems to be a balcony, where Wojtowicz asks fellow smokers for a cigarette after just leaving the smoke-filled bar. Although Wojtowicz had plenty of time to do so, she did not give us a view of the source of the smoke.

“We were the target of an arson Friday,” she wrote, “at our Christmas Party.” The email was also posted on the group’s website, and went on to say that “At appromixmately [sic] 8 p.m. smoke began to fill the rooms of Dugan’s Irish Pub where we hosting our Christmas Party. The entire bar soon became engulfed with thick, heavy smoke and the bar was evacuated.” However, the smoke was light enough that the far ends of the bar can be seen without difficulty.

January 5, 2010 - Chicago - Was that really a "bomb" at a local tea party's Christmas party on December 10? Maybe, but we're doubting that -- and a whole lot of other crappy "information" that bloggers around the nation glommed onto without asking questions. Chicago News Bench examines this bizarre story of overblown claims and three of the lousiest videos we've ever seen. SEE THE STORY HERE: Tea Party 'Bomb Scare' All Smoke, No Fire ...

January 5, 2011 - Chicago - Salem may be a great radio network, but WIND in Chicago seems to be a weak link in the chain. Local conservative activist William J. Kelly has been removed from the station's lineup (he was on at 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays), but there's some good news here as well. Bill Kelly summed it up himself in an email today:

ACTION ALERT: Off the air on AM 560 WIND
Wednesday, January 5, 2011 2:07 PM
From: William Kelly
To: Chicago News Bench

Dear Friends,

Good news. Bad news. Good news first. Good news is that I am launching a 24/7 radio podcast on-demand at www.kellytruthsquad.com this Saturday, January 8th. It is me uncensored. All the things I have not been allowed to say. My team and I will be syndicating our message with stations across Illinois starting this Saturday at 6pm CST. You can listen and call-in live toll-free. Visit www.kellytruthsquad.com for information.

Now the bad news. There is a price for speaking the truth on the airwaves. Due to my opposition to Rahm Emanuel, it appears AM 560 WIND has caved to political and media pressure. As of last Saturday, I am off the air on AM 560 WIND.

If you’ve been listening, you know I’ve been routinely preempted or forced to do a recorded (not live) show. I know so many of you have been calling the station to ask them why they were trying to force me off the air. It is a good question. Why would a so-called conservative radio station take Rahm Emanuel’s side and force me off the air?

Let me clarify one thing: I don’t blame Salem Radio Network for this. They are a good conservative network. They may not be aware of what they’re Chicago station has been doing.

This station has made a lot of questionable decisions. They buckled under the pressure of the Chicago media when the Jay Levine story broke. They also allowed their so-called “conservative” morning show host, Amy Jacobson, to attack me every morning and did not issue an apology. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqlX6XNCP4c

Jacobson says she is a real journalist but she is primarily known for her backyard bikini interviews and her firing from NBC. She says I’m not a real reporter – but she is a phony conservative. She just wants the paycheck.

Enough is enough. I will not be censored any longer. Here is one of my shows talking about the pressure on AM 560 WIND. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nyP3I_vDAU

After playing with me, the station is now upset and worried about all the phone calls they’ve been getting from conservatives and tea party supporters. However, none of that would have happened had they acted the right way, the conservative way in the first place. They should have stood up with me. They should not have tried to censor me. They should have reprimanded or – better – replaced Amy Jacobson with a real conservative voice.

But we are conservatives and we will continue the fight. Yesterday, Rahm Emanuel won another round in court to stay on the mayoral ballot. The appeal is now headed to the Illinois Supreme Court who will have to decide whether to change the law in order to accommodate Rahm Emanuel.

I will continue to keep you posted and let you know of any action items as they come up.

Thank you for your tremendous support!

Faithfully,

William J. Kelly

Website: http://www.friendsofwilliamjkelly.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Williamjkelly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=106505343543&ref=ts
RSS Feed: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/kelly-truth-squad/atom.xml

January 5, 2011 - Chicago - Moving to another home can be very stressful. One of the hardest things in the process is finding a good moving serving. Chicagomovers.org can help folks in the Chicago metro area do just that, thereby eliminating at least some of the stress in your move.

On average, Chicagoans spend two and a half hours researching movers and getting moving quotes, and still feel unsatisfied they received the best deal. Chicagomovers.org solves this problem by allowing visitors to their website to fill out a short form and watch top-rated moving companies compete for their business. This can help people save over 30 percent on their move. (Plus, it sounds like fun.) There is no charge for price quotes.

"It is a simple concept that people appreciate when they are moving," says Kyle Burback, Co-founder of Chicagomovers.org. Burback continues, "There are a lot of movers that are hungry for your business, but often these movers don't realize how many quotes you are actually getting so they offer you a retail estimate that is greatly inflated. We solve this problem because the movers know up front that they will need to sharpen their pencil and offer a real deal to get your business."

Chicagomovers.org also tackles quality issues proactively by pre-screening movers. "Nobody has a problem with their mover early on, they all seem knowledgeable and friendly," says Burback, "The problems with movers usually start after you have committed to a mover and put down a deposit or on moving day when the mover doesn't show up on time. The movers we work with know that if they don't provide excellent customer service all the way through the moving process they will be cut off from a lucrative source of new business. They are extremely motivated to provide great value and service."

The website offers some great moving tips and packing tips.

Chicagomovers.org has a brick-and-mortar office at 1608 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60608. Their phone is 312-238-9210.

By the grace of God and the generosity of friends, I have been able to make it into the New Year. Some of you have asked that I post an update. I continue to look for work, and have been doing a little volunteer work at two local churches’ food banks. The job search has taken away from my conservative blogging activities, but I’m trying to keep that up as possible.

Today, I am still in urgent need of assistance. Once again, I need help. This time, however, I want to offer something to you in return. I will explain that offer further down (and this is retroactive for those who have already donated).

For those of you who have already given, I ask that you not give again, and I repeat my heartfelt thanks. I don’t want to abuse you. For those of you who have not yet contributed, well, I wish I did not have to ask for help, but I have no place else to turn. If you can help, please find the PayPal “Donate” button at the top right of my blog, http://www.chicagonewsbench.com/.

There is hope! As I was preparing to publish this post, I found this kind note in my email, from a man in South Carolina: “Hi Tom, I appreciate what you do with the Chi News Bench, we desperately need your voice! Quick question, would you be open to a sponsorship by our company? Let me know if you are interested. Happy New Year.” Of course I’m interested! Not only that, he made a $10.00 donation.

Sidebar: Please consider making a donation to iOwnTheWorld, too! They have a clever PayPal button that looks like a coin slot at the top right of their blog.

January 1, 2011 - Chicago - How very disappointing, but how sadly predictable: Danny Davis has dropped out of the Chicago mayoral race and thrown his support behind Carol Moseley Braun. Why? It's all about racial politics. Yesterday afternoon, I expressed faint hope that maybe - just maybe - Davis and Moseley Braun had put that nonsense behind them (see text of my original post below). Hours after posting that, word came that Davis had caved in to demands by Jesse Jackson, Sr. to drop out in order to form a unified Black front.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports today:

It was a push from black businessmen who’d wanted a single candidate to back, that had helped convince Davis late Friday to withdraw and back Braun. Braun ribbed Davis about giving her little notice Friday night, of his decision to endorse her, saying, “He gave me all of 25 minutes to get to his office to talk about how we could come come together to make the case for the people.” Full story here...

Shame on them all. Can you imagine a scenario in which white businessmen got together to form a united white front? People would be rightly accusing them of racism, and perhaps even crying out for boycotts of their businesses. Alas, Chicago is still a racist city. The irony of it all is that the most racist of them all are Black "leaders" who practice their racism openly and get slapped on the back for their bravado. Shame.

Posted December 31, 2010:
Are Danny Davis and Carol Moseley Braun new voices of racial rationality and reason for Chicago? Was I was wrong in my post on December 30? In that post, I said this:

Perhaps Chicago's Black mayoral candidates .... is willing to "look beyond race," certainly not on an issue as important as who is going to lead the city. Today we still have self-proclaimed "Black leaders" (such as the Reviled Jesse Jackson) constantly whining that race is a dividing issue. Perhaps that's due in no small part to the fact that they just won't shut up about it and because they insist - in a knee jerk, involuntary manner - on basing everything they do, say and think upon racial issues.

As to my first question above, the answer is "not by a long shot." The answer to the second question is, "Partially."

Both Danny Davis and Carol Moseley Braun deserve reserved kudos for refusing to go along with race baiter Jesse Jackson's latest ploy to play the race card and to perpetuate the artificially maintained, psychological racial divide in Chicago.

John Chase wrote a piece for Clout Street, which summed up the deal (my emphasis added):

Rev. Jesse Jackson brokered a meeting last night to try to settle on a single major African-American candidate for the Chicago mayor's contest, but neither former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun nor U.S. Rep. Danny Davis have budged.

The idea is to unify behind a single black candidate akin to 1983, when Harold Washington became the city's only elected African-American mayor.‬‪"They know it's going to be difficult to get two candidates through the race. There will be two losers and no winner," Jackson said today. "It's difficult to get one camel through the eye of the needle. It's impossible to get two."

Imagine a White reverend, priest or minister getting a group of White mayoral hopefuls together for the purpose of trying to "settle on a single major White-American candidate for the Chicago mayor's contest." Imagine the outcries of outrage, the indignant condemnations of such a boldly racist action. Imagine that, and ask yourself how that hypothetical would be any different in principle or offensiveness than what Jackson actually did.

I could suggest where Jackson should put that camel, but I won't. Instead, I'll just say that it's somewhat refreshing to see folks such as Carol Moseley Braun and Danny Davis refusing to play Jackson's insidious game of Divide and Conquer.

John Chase wrote this for The Chicago Tribune:

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun both insisted Thursday that they would keep running for Chicago mayor, despite renewed calls by black leaders to unite behind a single candidate who could improve the odds of an African-American winning the February election.

Good for them. Their decisions required a modicum of courage. They will take heat from some Black voters who will accuse them of putting self-interest ahead of a united racial political front.

I stand, then, by my December 30 statements about "Black leaders" such as Jesse Jackson. However, recent statements by Davis and Moseley Braun have forced me to rethink their status as mindless mongers of race-based voter sentiment. Of course, I am still inclined to think of them as mindless adherents to the same old tired Liberal and Progressive policies that have gotten the City of Chicago into the dire financial mess that they both promise to get it out of, albeit without the cracking veneer of racial identity.

This is not to say that most Black voters in Chicago will not cast their votes in February's election based on race. We know that Blacks, as a group, tend to vote Democrat about 90 percent of the time. Undoubtedly, most of Chicago's Black voters will vote for one of the Black candidates, such as Davis or Moseley Braun, rather than for that Jewish White guy or that Latino guy. Even so, having two prominent Black politicians tell Jesse Jackson to stuff it because they're running to be mayor of all citizens of Chicago, not just Blacks, is something of a start.

Gery Chico, a Latino candidate for mayor, "is steering clear of the notion their has to be a Hispanic candidate," WLS AM reported. WLS quoted Chico as saying, "My priority is to have the concensus [sic], most qualified candidate to be the mayor of our city."

Chico, of course, was not part of Jesse Jackson's meeting with Davis and Moseley Braun, but his statement sends the same between-the-lines message to Jackson: Shut up.

RELATED:
Braun vows to dump Weis Chicago Tribune
Braun, Davis reject calls for consensus candidate ABC7Chicago
Jackson: Clinton should stay away WGNTV
Rev. Jesse Jackson arm-twisting or persuading in the Mayor's race? WLS 890 AM