Group Protests Police Brutality, But Where Are Conservatives?

A small group of protesters gathered at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago from Noon to 2:00 p.m. today to call attention to police brutality and killings. The event was called "No More! Rally to Demand an End to Police Violence!" and was organized by "Illinois Campaign to End the New Jim Crow." Occupy Chicago was also involved. Sadly, there were no Tea Party people there. This is something in which Occupy Chicago, Socialists, Tea Parties and everyone else should be united. 

"No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him." ~ Thomas Jefferson

Some of you reading this will be tempted to dismiss these folks - and me - as a bunch of radical nut jobs. There were a few nutters at this little rally, to be sure, but all were sincerely concerned about abusive police and the tragedy that can result. Some of the people in attendance have suffered the loss of children and loved ones at the hands of overzealous police officers. There were family members of "police murder victims, Chicago police torture victims, and concerned community members." One of the victims highlighted by the protesters was young Stephon Edward Watts, a 15-year old with  Asperger’s Synbdrome (a type of autism).Stephon Watts was shot to death by two Calumet City police officers earlier this year.

Let me remind you that I am a conservative, as are most of my readers. So I ask you: As conservatives who oppose an abusive government, how can we not also be vocally opposed to police brutality?

"We will not stand for the daily abuse and racist harassment of our brothers and sisters at the hands of the police," say the organizers of the protest. Who can disagree with that statement?

Some of the protesters suffer from emotional distortion of facts. I do not, however, mean that as harsh criticism. Their children were killed, and I imagine that such an experience would have such an effect. Nevertheless, a number of the protesters insist that the Chicago Police Department "is the biggest gang out there."

The CPD is not a gang, of course, and while there have been some wrongful and questionable deaths caused by CPD officers, it pales in comparison to the ongoing slaughter committed by civilians who are gang members. Currently, CPD has approximately 9,600 officers. In comparison, there are  more than 68,000 gang members running free in the streets of Chicago by some estimates.

A large banner (photo, right) held at the rally showed 22 people killed by police in Chicago from 2007-2011. Just one is too many, of course, but compare that to the number killed by non-police civilian gangsters: On Friday, July 27, Chicago achieved its 300th homicide for 2012. At least six more have died since Friday night, and only God knows what the final toll for this weekend will be by the time we hear the morning news on Monday.

Listening to family members speak passionately about loved ones who died as the result of police actions is certainly moving. It's emotional. While I am not so gullible as to believe every parent who insists that their child was wrongly killed and did not pose an imminent danger to cops, I am also not so cynical as to not believe that there are cops out there who commit acts of brutality and even kill because they get overzealous, panic or act out of frustration and even hatred.

All Americans - regardless of political affiliation - must be concerned about this. Cops are human, and like any other group of people there are good ones and bad ones. I firmly believe that the good ones greatly outnumber the bad, but even one bad one is one too many. One wrongful death is one too many too - regardless of whether it was caused by a cop or by a criminal.

As a group that opposes governmental abuses, this is a natural for conservatives. However, I saw none at this event. I've never seen any at similar events. But why not? I don't know the answer, but I can guess: A lack of empathy, a lack of sympathy, and a disdain for the victims who are, far too often, people of color who are poor.

Is that a racist assumption on my part? As a poor white conservative who supports his local Tea Party and has battled socialists since 1976, I'd say not. It's just a fact. If I was wrong, there would have been at least a few people representing one or more local Tea Parties at this rally/protest. There was not. There never is. That is tragic.

While some conservatives freak out about "Obama's drones" spying on them domestically (I share their concern to a point), there are people across the U.S. being wrongly brutalized and even killed accidentally - or intentionally - by errant or rogue police officers.

Finally, consider this: Conservatives are blowing an opportunity to reach out to their fellow Americans. Many of the people who have been victimized by police brutality turn to radical socialist revolutionary groups such as the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA (revcom.us) because they feel that they have nowhere else to turn. Many of those who do so were not politicized before they or their family member was harmed by police. Radical leftist groups swoop in and offer support. Conservatives? Absent.

"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." ~ Thomas Jefferson

I'm not sure why conservative groups do not get as riled up about this form of abuse by government as they do about anything else. I truly don't. Causing wrongful physical injury and even death is a violation of one's most fundamental Constitutional rights. Isn't that what conservatives love to say they would die to defend? Damned right it is, but getting up off the couch and going to a protest is just too much work.

Occupy Movement Not The Same As Tea Party Movement

Let's flashback to October, 2011. Obama The Dunce said that the Occupy "movement" is pretty much the same as the Tea Party movement.

“I understand the frustrations being expressed in those protests," the First Imbecile told ABC News's Jake Tapper.

"In some ways," Obama said, "they’re not that different from some of the protests that we saw coming from the Tea Party. Both on the left and the right, I think people feel separated from their government. They feel that their institutions aren’t looking out for them,” he said.

REALLY?

What Obama misses in saying such a stupid thing is this: Just because two very different groups have a common complaint does not mean that "they're not that different" from each other. You only need to look at present-day Europe to see what I mean.

Take Greece, for example, where extremists on both the Left and the Right are very unhappy with the present leadership. That mutual dissatisfaction with the sitting government is hardly reason to say that the communists in Greece are "not that different" from the fascists there.

Except for the use of anarchy tactics, rape, public urination and defication, constantly shouting obscenities, blatant and unabashed anti-Americanism, destruction of storefronts and so much more, perhaps Obama is right.

In the second video here, you'll see and hear Occupiers in Chicago using foul language. That's what many of them use in place of intelligent argument. The video, by Marathon Pundit, shows behavior that is simply never displayed at Tea Party meetings, rallies and gatherings. For the liberal Occupiers, it is normal speech.

UPDATED: ANDREW BREITBART DEAD AT 43 OF NATURAL CAUSES

Andrew Breitbart at Right Nation 2010
Chicago News Bench photo (c) T.H.Mannis

March 1, 2012 - Conservative commentator, former liberal, political warrior and internet publisher Andrew Breitbart has died of natural causes.  Breitbart was pronounced dead at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center "about midnight" according to the Los Angeles Times.

Reuters reports that Breitbart's time of death was 12:19 a.m. Breitbart was taken to the hospital after collapsing while taking a walk near his home in L.A. Reuters hints at the possibility that Breitbart died of a heart attack, but that has not been confirmed. ABC News notes that Breitbart had history of heart problems.

"He collapsed on the sidewalk," Reuters was told by Breitbart's father-in-law, actor Orson Bean, "and the paramedics were there very quickly and they couldn't revive him." Bean spoke to Reuters by phone.  An autopsy may be performed as early as tomorrow.

The International Business Times (IBT) says that Los Angeles Coroner told them via e-mail Thursday morning that the Breitbart's cause of death was not yet known and an examination of the body was still pending. "Craig R. Harvey, chief coroner investigator and chief of operations for the Los Angeles Coroner's Office confirmed Andrew Breitbart's time of death as being 12:19 a.m. Thursday at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles," says IBT.

Breitbart and his team of citizen journalists have broken ground by highlighting stories that most or all other media ignored. 

The Anthony Weiner scandal ("Weingergate") of 2010 is one example, as are the exposes of ACORN. He was a giant figure in the world of Internet journalism, helping get both the Drudge Report and the Huffington Post off the ground.

The NY Daily News gives this capsule history of Breitbart:

He was the "adopted son of a restaurant owner and a banker — was raised in a liberal, Jewish household in Los Angeles. He said his political outlook shifted after the Clarence Thomas hearings, in which the future Supreme Court Justice was grilled by Senate Democrats over Anita Hill's accusations of past workplace sexual harassment.... The Tulane graduate got his start in the online news world as an assistant to conservative news aggregator Matt Drudge in the 1990s. He helped turn the struggling Drudge Report into one of the most influential websites on the Internet, read daily by opinion makers and power brokers.

Breitbart friend Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group released this kind statement today:


I was asked many times this morning for my thoughts on what Andrew meant to the political world, but all I can think of at the moment is what Andrew meant to me as a friend, starting from when we worked together -- his passion, his exuberance, his fearlessness. And above all, what I'm thinking of at the moment is his amazing wife Susie and their four beautiful young children. My love and thoughts are with them right now.

Predictably and sadly, the conspiracy theorists are already wondering aloud whether Breitbart's death was really natural. Some are saying Brietbart might have been assassinated. More on that later, although I do not wear that tinfoil hat.

Andrew Breitbart's websites are: BigGovernment, BigJournalism, BigHollywood, BigPeace, BreitbartTV and Breitbart.com.

Video - Herman Cain Assaulted By Tea Party Mob

Video Below - Here's Herman Cain was assaulted after standing up to hundreds of yelling conservatives and Tea Party members on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011 on the steps of the state capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. Cain, a dark African-American Black Man, is running for the Republican Party's nomination to be their presidential candidate in 2012. This often forces Cain to brave mostly-white mobs of Tea Party members. The rabid conservatives drowned out some of Cain's words as they loudly clapped and cheered for him repeatedly. After he finished his speech, Cain managed to get away from the evil white Tea Party patriots without injury, although many of the Tea Party people assaulted him by slapping his shoulders and patting his back as he walked through the crowd. Even more of the crazed reactionaries assaulted Cain by grabbing his right hand and repeatedly shaking it, uttering words of praise and admiration for him. "He was just damned lucky to get out here alive," said an anti-Tea Party woman standing across the street. "Me and a few of my union brothers were ready to kick the hell out of that Cain douchebag, but those damned fascist tea baggers got in our damned way."

Black Conservative Says Black Liberals Racist If They Voted For Obama Just Because He's Black

That guy is the great patriot Kevin Jackson. The title of this video is "Racists That They Are, Blacks Voted For Obama Because He's Black, Not Because He's Qualified." Got that? Good. Now watch the video. Read more about Kevin Jackson, and check out his own great web site, "The Black Sphere."

Herman Cain Ties Palin In Iowa Straw Poll

Raisin' Cain! To all of the ignorant leftists out there who believe the Tea Party movement is racist, well, watch this video. Then, explain how it is that today we learn that Herman Cain is tied for 2nd place in a new poll of Iowa Republican primary voters.

Is This Any Way To Revolt? April 15 March on Springfield Will Last Only Two Hours

This is nice, but it would have been nicer to see this kind of effort back in December or January before the Quinn tax hike became law. Well, let's move forward with this march on the Illinois capitol, shall we? It'll be a nice little outing. Here's what the invitation says on the Tea Party's Facebook page: "This is your chance to express yourself and your voice regarding the outrageous tax hikes imposed by a Lame Duck Legislature and Democrat Governor." Okay, that's great -- but what if the Tea Party had a thousand or more people camping out on the steps of the Capitol Building before the tax hikes were imposed? Uhm, wait minute - the "revolt" is scheduled to last only two hours? What the hell kind of "revolt" is that?!? Will there be biscuits and scones served at this timid tea party? The title of their Facebook page is "Statewide March on Springfield - THE ILLINOIS STATE WIDE TAX REVOLT." Wait a minute. "Revolt?" Come on, Tea Party, get with the program. You don't "revolt" by politely scheduling a brief, two-hour outing. Nope, you need to stir things up a bit, as I called for last month. Seriously, how far do you think George Washington and his compatriots would have gotten with these milque toast tactics?

Tea Party Next Move? My Call For Civil Disobedience (Updated)

Note/Update, June 29, 2012: In light of yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the mandate in Obamacare, I feel that this post is more relevant than ever. I wrote it with Illinois in mind, but the idea applies to the whole nation.
***
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

You Can Stop The Illinois Monster Tax Hike

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

Joel Pollak's Historic Q&A Session (Video)

Tweet - CHICAGO - Joel Pollak, rising conservative superstar, was defeated on Nov. 2, 2010 in his bid for Congress by Jan Schakowsky (D-IL). The video below shows Pollak answering questions at a small gathering of Tea Party Patriots in downtown Chicago after an incredible 10-minute speech (see the full speech at "Pollak Tells Tea Party To Stay The Fight..."). The video doesn't look so great, but the sound is good and the words are clearly heard -- and they are words for the ages. Also see these two recent articles by Joel Pollak: "Schakowsky Invokes Anti-Orthodox Stereotypes" at American Thinker, and "Why The Tea Party Is Here To Stay" at BigGovernment.com.

(Video) Pollak Tells Tea Party To Stay The Fight; Accuses Schakowsky Of Ethics Violations

Chicago - November 5, 2010 - He lost his election bid against Rep. Jan Schakowsky, but Joel Pollak will not fade away. On the day after the election, Joel Pollak spoke to a small gathering of Tea Party activists in downtown Chicago. He packed a lot into a 10-minute speech, including multiple accusations of bad behavior by Schakowsky (a shorter version can be seen here). He also said that the Tea Party movement is indispensable and must remain vigilant in its battle for openness and fiscal responsibility by our elected officials. Although Pollak lost the election, still win for having him around and ready to carry on the fight. The full speech is in our own video, below, with excerpts following underneath. Tweet Excerpted Remarks: "Schakowsky told her email subscribers that her victory represents a victory over the Tea Party, and they're not going to let the Tea Party take root in Illinois. She obvioiusly doesn't know the Tea Party started right here in Chicago, a few blocks away. "She is a public official that is going to be followed, people are going to watch everything she does. And by the way, that process is not over. You heard some of the stories about things that happened in the precincts, we have evidence that she was electioneering at some of the polling places. More than that, we think we have grounds for ethics complaints going forward about some of the things she did to try to win the election, like helping contributors and all their friends get relief from foreclosures from their banks, like getting last minute funding for a school in Norrigde that had been asking for the funding for soundproofing for ten years and finally, seven days before the election, they got it. "We have evidence we have gathered that we are going to pursue, and the next two years are not going to be easy for Jan Schakowsky because we just can't stand for that anymore. And, this is not ending here. It's not ending in our district and it's not ending in the rest of the country." "There's a new book out by Stanley Kurtz ["Radical In Chief"] that documents President Obama's early years in the Chicago far Left. That has some very interesting things to say not just about President Obama but Jan Schakowsky and some of her connections as well. "I want to congratulate everyone in this room because the Tea Party volunteers in this city did what nobody across the nation had been able to do when it came to Shorebank. We stopped Jan Schakowsky from bailing out Shorebank with a single penny of federal taxpayer dollars. The bailout stopped here. [applause] "And now that the bailout has stopped the investigation has begun. The Inspector General of the FDIC is now looking into Schakowsky and Sheila Bair, the head of the FDIC, and the Obama Administration to find out how it was that this particular bank got all this attention, how it was that Jan Schakowsky and others were able to twist Wall Street arms and make them deposit - I believe it was 150 million dollars - so that this old team of managers who drove the bank into the ground could buy up the good assets and leave the taxpayers with the bad assets. It's never happened before and the Inspector General is looking into it. Partly because of an lllinois member of Congress, Judy Biggert. She was the one who really took up our cause, and that's because of the pressure that you applied. The bailouts stopped here. It started with Rick Santelli but it also started with you."

So Long For Now, Joel Pollak, And Thank You

The following is a "final" message from Joel Pollak, his "thank you" note to voters and supporters in his battle against Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Illinois's 9th Cong. District. Pollak is a class act and ran a brilliant campaign. Unfortunately, Joel Pollak lost. Less than one in three voters in that district, apparently, are rational enough to understand how radically socialist Jan Schakowsky is, or how destructive her policies have been. UPDATE, Nov. 5, 2010: (Video) Pollak Tells Tea Party To Stay The Fight; Slams Schakowsky That said, we look forward to Pollak's next political move (I'm betting there will be one). He's established himself as a first-rate campaigner, a deep thinker with a firm grasp of the issues, and one helluva nice guy. So while Joel Pollak has written us a "thank you" note, it is we who owe him a debt of gratitude for having the courage to take on a battle that he must surely have known he had little chance of winning. We thank Joel Pollak for speaking truth to power, challenging the status quo, shaking up and waking up a lot of the voters in the 9th District, and for the opportunity to know that young people of his quality and stature walk the land. Thank you, Joel Pollak, for giving us hope. Joel Pollak's "Thank You" message, followed by his concession speech: This morning, I woke up early to meet commuters at the train station, as I have done for the past five months. My wife Julia joined me at the Park Ridge Metra--not to ask for votes, but to thank everyone for their support. It was wonderful to see familiar faces, and share smiles and hugs. I am so proud of what our campaign has done for the people of our district. Winning would have been sweeter, but running has been a great blessing! I never imagined that by standing up to Barney Frank last April at Harvard that I would have the chance to stand up for the people of our district, and for so many Americans. Our campaign has given courage to those who were once afraid to raise their voices. We have not just been part of a national movement; we helped create it and push it forward. I am so grateful for what we have achieved--and for what is yet to come! I want to thank each and every person who has helped our campaign--going door to door, making phone calls, stuffing envelopes, hosting coffees, putting up signs (and now taking them down again), and just being there for us. I also want to thank all those who donated to our campaign, and made it possible for us to provide the strongest and best alternative for our community. You gave so generously, and our democracy is stronger for it! There are a few regrets--aside from the result. This morning, the hosts on WIND 560 AM asked me how my conversation with Jan Schakowsky went last night. The truth, I told them, was that I hadn’t spoken with her at all. Our campaign called hers twice, then I left a message conceding the election. There was no return call, no acknowledgment of the choice made by over 50,000 people in the 9th congressional district. It was, unfortunately, a fitting end to Schakowsky’s campaign. I respect the choice made by two-thirds of the voters, and I respect the effort made by my opponent to earn their trust. Yet I do not respect--nor should we tolerate--the means by which she sought it. I am less concerned about the false and negative mailings, the last-minute funding for long-neglected local needs, and the behind-the-scenes political maneuvers than I am about the clear ethical violations she committed in this election. In September, Schakowsky claimed credit for saving Devon Avenue from “going dark” by stopping foreclosures by United Central Bank. The reality is that she intervened at the behest of influential political contributors who were responsible for multiple loans, few of which involved property on Devon. In my view, Schakowsky violated the ethics rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. I will continue to pursue that complaint. Yesterday, Schakowsky electioneered inside several polling places inside the district, handing out candy to election judges and greeting voters inside the “campaign free zone.” She even discussed helping an election judge obtain a congressional internship. That is simply unethical, and possibly illegal. Her behavior did not swing the result, but showed a clear disregard for the integrity, privacy, and fairness of the electoral process. Then there is the ShoreBank scandal, which reinforced the idea that Chicago politicians exist to reward their political cronies and contributors. Our campaign succeeded in stopping a federal or state bailout of ShoreBank, but not an insider buyout by Wall Street firms under pressure from Schakowsky. The Inspector General of the FDIC is already investigating, and I intend to provide whatever assistance I can to the inquiry. These ethical concerns remain, even after all the votes have been counted. In the days ahead, as we wind up our operation and prepare for the next challenge, I will continue to fight corruption, to stand up for the people of the 9th congressional district, and to be a voice in support of the new leadership our country has elected. We have not brought about a fresh start--not yet--yet we have given our country a fighting chance at renewal. Below, I have included the published version of my concession speech from last night. Thank you to all who stayed to celebrate with us, even after a long day and a difficult outcome! I have not yet made a decision about running in 2012, yet I have decided to keep our campaign’s infrastructure going. We will stay in touch, and we will let you know when we have decided to take the next step, as well as what that next step will be. For now, I wish to offer my deepest thanks once again for your devoted help and friendship throughout this wonderful campaign! And for the many political struggles that lie ahead, here and elsewhere, I offer a passage from the Bible that has given me strength and comfort often throughout this campaign: “When...you see horse and chariot--a people more numerous than you--you shall not fear them, for the Lord your G-d is with you...” (Deuteronomy 20:1) With best regards, Joel *** *** *** *** *** *** Concession Speech - Joel Pollak - November 2, 2010 - Skokie Holiday Inn Ladies and gentlemen: Thank you all for all that you have done. Tonight’s result is not what we hoped to achieve, but this campaign has been all--or almost all--that we hoped to create. I have called Rep. Jan Schakowsky to congratulate her on her victory. She campaigned hard, and worked to earn the trust of our district for another term. I did make clear that I objected to some of her tactics. That is a subject for another night. Tonight, across our state and our nation, voters are repudiating the radical agenda that this Congress enacted. That struggle is not over. We cannot allow our government to keep expanding its control of our economy. We cannot allow our government to spend our nation into financial collapse. We cannot allow our government to undermine the security of our democratic allies by attempting to appease our authoritarian enemies. There are many hopeful candidates throughout America that are celebrating tonight. There are many that join us in our disappointment. But we have all been part of an historic effort by the American people to restore the values of our Constitution and the institutions of our democracy. We have elected new leaders who will represent the people to Washington, and not Washington to the people. That is cause to celebrate. We have much to celebrate in our own campaign as well. We smashed all previous fundraising efforts in our district, by nearly 10 to 1. We recruited more volunteers and built a bigger online campaign than any campaign had done here before. Most of all, we provided a real choice to the people of our district--and a real voice. We spoke directly to the people of our district, when the local media would not convey our message. We showed that there is a political cost to siding with radical organizations like J Street. We exposed corruption across Chicago and prevented a bailout--the only campaign to have done so, anywhere in America. We listened to people who had never been heard before--and we helped them hold their representative accountable. This campaign was not a contest of personalities, but a contest of ideas. I am proud of it--and proud of you. I am so grateful to the many thousands of people who contributed to our effort and lent a hand. I would especially like to thank Alan Dershowitz, Paul Ryan, Vivica A. Fox, Tevi Troy, and Gary Sinise for lending their voices to our effort. I would like to thank the many volunteers who worked so hard alongside us each and every day. And I would like to thank my outstanding, inspiring campaign staff. You have honored yourselves tonight. Most of all, I would like to thank my parents, Raymond and Naomi, and especially my wife, Julia. This campaign involved so many sacrifices, and she bore them with strength and courage. She is my Airman--always ready to face the greatest challenge to defend the greatest principles. She is true to the heroism of her Hebrew namesake, Yael. Thank you again, to all who fought alongside us for the fresh start that our district deserves .

Another Threatening Email From Catherina Wojtowicz

LANGUAGE ADVISORY As promised, here is the followup (below) to the threatening email sent by Catherina Wojtowicz that we published in "Chuckie The Clown" Wojtowicz" on Tuesday, October 5. Wojtowicz is the organizer of a shunned Tea Party group in the Chicago area, called "Chicago Tea Patriots."

Wojtowicz was found guilty this summer of committing telephone harassment and is currently under court supervision. Wojtowicz works in the campaign office of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

In our Oct. 5 post, we saw the first threatening email sent by Wojtowicz to a Tea Party leader in Illinois. She sent that one at 1:29 AM on July 13, 2010. Not satisfied with the amount of venom she had already spewed, Wojtowicz blasted off another hateful email less than 30 minutes later. The full text appears below.

The July 13 emails are not connected to the guilty verdict in the telephone harassment case but indicate a pattern of disturbing behavior.

Note that "Chicago Tea Patriots" should NOT be confused with the Chicago Tea Party (aka, Tea Party Patriots of Chicago), which is part of Tea Party Patriots of Illinois. Chicago Tea Patriots were booted out of Tea Party Patriots of Illinois for, among other offenses, some particularly vile behavior (see "Rogue "Chicago Tea Party Patriots" Must Be Shunned").

Here is the second email, sent to "Maria" (not her real name). As with our previous post, we have left intact all of Wojtowicz's misspellings, poor grammar, and twisted logic.

From: catherina6429@gmail.com To: [9 known recipients; unknown if any were bcc'd] Sent: 7/13/2010 1:56:28 A.M. Subj: Misguided TEA people...so sad 

One more thing, you lunatic. For the record, your problem with me was pure jealousy. You feared that I was a threat upon your perceived power base. Don't worry, doll, I never wanted ANYTHING you have! You are a failure at what you do -- why would I want to be associated with you? And this isn't my opinion, it is that of many, Maria. Now that we have the Illinois Tax Day Tea Party there's competition in your eyes, but you needn't worry, we live worlds apart. We are doers, you are a bunch of bullshitters. Seriously, answer the million dollar question, "What have you done?" ASIDE FROM CONFERENCE CALLS. I am now done and have vetted you as a CERTIFIABLE WASHED UP LUNATIC!! I respectably dedicate this song to you, Maria. Remember, when they laugh at you, all respect is lost. LADIES AND GENLEMEN, WELCOME TO MARIA’S LIFE! VALLEY OF THE DOLLS!! A WASHED UP, BITTER SUBURBAN MOM, WITH ONLY DREAMS TO HOLD ONTO BECAUSE HER PRESENT IS SO FUCKING DEPRESSING. Don't be scared, Maria, your life could always be more pathetic... I think.... 

NOTE: It's interesting that Wojtowicz wrote, "You are a failure at what you do -- why would I want to be associated with you?" The primary reason for her hateful emails was precisely because she did, in fact, desperately want to be associated with Tea Party Patriots of Illinois. When they kicked her out, she reacted as we see in her emails. It's a bit like a rejected lover who suddenly sees the former object of their affection as something to be hated. In a fit of spiteful rhetoric, the jilted lover falsely screams, "I never loved you anyway!" They did, of course, but the rejection sends them over the edge, and sometimes they end up boiling rabbits.

RELATED: Beware Chicago's Fake Tax Day Tea Party Event

"Chuckie The Clown" Wojtowicz

Recently, I published a post about the organizer of a rogue Tea Party group called "Chicago Tea Patriots" who is currently under court supervision after being found guilty in June, 2010 of committing telephone harassment in 2009. (See "Exclusive: Chicago Tea Patriots Organizer Found Guilty") Her name is Catherina Wojtowicz. She works in Bill Brady's campaign office in Oak Lawn. Since I posted about her guilty plea, Wojtowicz has been "defending" herself by calling me a liar and making outrageously false allegations about me and others.

For those of you who doubt that Wojtowicz is a menace, have a look at an email that she sent to a Tea Party coordinator in July, 2010. I have changed names to protect those people's privacy, but will say that one of the 10 recipients of this email was Adam Andrzejewski (he had nothing to do with this email except that he received it). Some of the email has been omitted for the same reasons. (It should be noted that this email is not part of the harassment case in which Wojtowicz was found guilty.) Have a look inside the mind of Catherina Wojtowicz. To paraphrase Jim Morrison, her brain is squirming like a toad. (Wojtowicz's spelling, grammar and logic errors have been left intact; my emphasis added.) READER ADVISORY: LANGUAGE From: catherina6429@gmail.com To: 10 recipients; unknown if any were blind copied Sent: 7/13/2010 1:29:33 A.M. Subj: Misguided TEA people...so sad Maria, You gotta be fucking kidding me... Do you really want to take ME on? Let's make this official... I am taking several roads. #1 I am going to talk to my boyfriend's sister. She's a brilliant nerd who practices law for [a well-known Chicago law firm] and if I have a case, I am going to sue your white, trash, suburban ass. #2 I am going to the media on this... Already did -- sort of... Listen, Maria, you are a great sexy story,... #3 I am going on the frontal attack on you and my attacks will be relentless. I will make scud missles look mild. I will not give up whatsoever. I will be your Chuckie the Clown. Where ever you go, I will be fucking you up. These I promise. WTF are you thinking...? During the primaries all you did was blush about how big of a fan you were of Adam's. What did you do to show him your support? Fuck all. And now you CONSTANTLY THROW HIS NAME AROUND AS IF YOU TALK TO HIM REGUALRLY. Maria, that is a top rule in politics -- don't use people's name -- you'll get caught. Adam, she's done jack for you. You know it. Oh wait... She sent her mules, John and David to MY tea party where Walesa appeared and they totally made idiots of themselves by jumping the stage and talking about Illinois Tea... It was so bad and just so plain nuts that I had to ask one of my neighbors who was a cop on duty to take John to the side and threaten his ass with arrest!!! And what does Maria do while she sits her ass at home, she steals the youtubes and puts them on her web site as is she was involved. Once again, Maria, as usual, had nothing to do with the Lech Walesa tea party as she has nothing to do with anything good and positive. So this is my recommendation. Quit your fucking whorish slumming and talking trash about all of us who don't work with you. We have nothing to do with you for a real. YOU ARE FUCKING QUACK!!!! Back the fuck off. You best pray I can sue you becausae otherwise I will even the score the South Side way and it won't be nice.... Either way, I best not find any of you using my name. See you in court, if I have my way, bitch. >>> Wojtowicz sent a followup email about an hour after this one. SEE THAT ONE HERE: Another Threatening Email From Catherina Wojtowicz

Black Tea Party Attendee Blames Democrats For Destruction Of Black Communities And Much More

(Video below) His name is "Paul" and he was the hit of the Bloomington-Normal Tea Party Patriots event on Sunday, September 26. Watch Paul, a plain-spoken Chicagoan, stun the group with his powerful words. Here is a Black American speaking to a group that happens to be mostly White, and he is warmly welcomed. His message is right in synch with their patriotic values. Paul is the kind of Black voter, newly awakened, that has the Democrats scares witless, not only because he refuses to follow them blindly but because he represents the growing number of non-White Americans who are joining the Tea Party movement. CNN, MSNBC and others don't talk about guys like Paul because it would destroy the false racist myth of the Tea Party that they love to perpetuate. Diane Sroka Benjamin is an organizer of the BNTPP and shared this video with me on Facebook with this note: "Tom - do you know this guy? He spoke Sunday at my TEA Party and blew the crowd away!" I wrote back that I don't know "Paul" but I think he's awesome. We need more Americans like Paul regardless of ethnicity or background. Paul is a free thinking, freedom loving citizen who sees through the B.S. and tells it like it is. If this man runs for Mayor of Chicago, let me know. He's got my vote.

Monster Tea Party in St. Louis on 9/12 (March to the Arch)

Chicago Tea Party's huge 9/12 Rally on Sunday in Morton Grove, IL promises to attract people from all around northern Illinois and even parts of Southern Wisconsin. But what if you're in the southern part of Illinois or over in Missouri? You should consider getting over to the "best Tea Party evah!" in St. Louis. It will begin at Noon at the Gateway Arch and end there at 4:00 p.m. They have absolutely incredible lineup of speakers and entertainers. For full information including directions, schedule and more visit www.recyclegovernment.org/stlouis. Note: There will be a "March to the Arch" at 11:00 a.m. Check stlouisteaparty.com/9-12-tea-party for last-minute updates.

Tea Party Starfish, Republican Spider

The video below offers a brilliantly simple insight into the organizational structure (or lack of one, really) of the Tea Party movement. Like the starfish, the Tea Party movement has tremendous powers of regeneration. The video is a little lesson in current events, politics and biology all wrapped up in a 2:35 video. Hat tip to The Atlantic Wire. Those who speak of the Tea Party movement as though it is a single political party are completely wrong. Chicago News Bench and many, many other bloggers have been saying this for over two years. It is that lack of understanding by many people, I think, mostly on the Left, that is at the root of the misinterpretation of the Tea Party movement. Many in the Republican Party have trouble understanding this simple fact, too. We, the Tea Party movement, have no central authority. There is nobody calling the shots or giving orders. There are no required membership cards. Everyone in the movement understands this. Indeed, we like it that way. Tea Party groups on the local level send out invitations to join a rally or some other event. But, unlike the Democrats and Republicans, they have no precinct captains to issue marching orders. It's why a Tea Party rally is truly grassroots. Compare that, say, to an event by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) or many other Democrats. There union patrons, such as the SEIU, order members to show up. Some are actually paid to attend rallies. The next time you hear a Democrat or a liberal talk about "the Tea Party," ask them which of the hundreds of groups they are referring to. No two are exactly alike. All share a core of national and international issues about which they are concerned, but there is occassional disagreeement. Each group also gets involved with issues of interest only to their city, county and/or state, as well. There are leaders, but they are local or regional. You don't like the local Tea Party group? Start your own. Democrats and liberals who speak of "the Tea Party leaders" simply don't know what they are talking about. But then, you already knew that. RELATED: The Tea Party movement's Chicago roots and beyond Marathon Pundit

Remember Who We Are, Krista Branch Video

I love this woman. More about Krista Branch here...

Tea Parties Offer Free Campaign Activist Training

In this free, two-hour training session, you will learn how to be an effective part of the election process. The training is sponsored by the Cook County Tea Party, DuPage Tea Party, Homer/Lockport Tea Party and Lemont Tea Party. Although they're calling it "Election Volunteer Training," a more accurate name is "Campaign Volunteer Training." It's a good way to learn how to help support those candidates that you want to win in November! The event will take place at the Westmont Public Library, 428 North Cass Avenue in Westmont, Illinois (map here). The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 7, 2010. Although the event is free to attend, please fill out this attendance form (by Anyvite.com) so they can know how many people to expect. Everyone is welcome, including high school and college students. Their invitation gives more details: There are proven procedures and techniques that win elections, such as educating votes through door knocking, phone calling and letter writing. You will also learn how to make your volunteer hours productive by targeting conservative and independent voters. Attend the class and learn how you can become an effective volunteer in the weeks leading up to the election on November 2. Together we can take back our country and state. Course Outline: 1. Introduction and overview of the class 2. Level of Involvement: a. Phone calling, faxing and/ or visits to congressmen and other elected officials regarding issues b. Petitions: (rules) Petitioning for candidates and/ or issues c. Election activities: election judging, poll watchers, bringing people to the voting venues. Voter registration. 3. Get out the Vote strategies: a. phone calling b. robo calls c. Door knocking statistics. 4. Door Knocking Strategies that work. Come learn how to make a difference... 6:30 p.m. - Check In 6:45 p.m. - Prompt Start! Library closes at 9:00 p.m. For more info, contact Laurie Hellmer of Cook County Tea Party: CookCountyTeaParty@gmail.com or phone 312-342-6988.

RISE UP, PATRIOTS (Two Great Videos)

Jeremy Hoop is a powerful singer/songwriter, as demonstrated by this song from Tea Party - The Documentary Film. Hoop's website is powerful, too. Watch his "Rise Up" video here, then watch the other video just below it, which is a trailer for "for the upcoming Restoring Honor Rally in Washington DC on 8/28/2010."