The New York mosque controversy continues with a parody of the twitter account for the Mosque or Lower Manhattan Community Center project. The official site for the Mosque proposed and opposed near the 9/11 ground zero site in New York is twitter.com/park51. The parody site is twitter.com/park51PR

The operators of the real Park 51 site have warned readers of the fake twitter account. Among the most vile of the tweets from the parody site, according to Celese Katz of the New York Times is a tweet that says, “We would like to thank the media, who has been so friendly to our plight,” which includes a link to a video of the beheading of Daniel Pearl. Daniel Pearl was South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal when he was kidnapped near the Metropole Hotel, Karachi, Pakistan on January 23, 2002 and beheaded nine days later.

Video of protest of AFTAH by Gay Liberation Network at Christian Liberty Academy.

Gay Liberation Network organized a protest to an academy designed to train Americans on how to respond to ‘Gay’ misinformation during the opening night Thursday, August 5, 2010 at Christian Liberty Academy. The protest began with chants, banners and rainbow flags in a peaceful demonstration with speeches, notably by co-founder Andy Thayer and Eric Christopher Broad. Over 100 protesters, some who met at the Ogilvie Transportation Center and took a Metra train to Arlington Heights, gathered at the northwest corner of Euclid Avenue and Walnut Avenue at the foot of steps into Christian Liberty Academy at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Their chants and cheering could be heard up to one mile from the school according to neighbors.

Beginning August 5th, 2010 a group which calls itself Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) is organizing what they call an “academy” to “train young people (as well as older pro-family advocates) how to answer ‘gay’ activist misinformation and fight the homosexual-bisexual-transsexual agenda.”

The Truth Academy is being held at the Christian Liberty Academy August 5-7, at 502 W. Euclid Ave. in Arlington Heights, and includes a full schedule of 21 lectures and two panel discussions. Featured instructors include: Robert Knight, Prof. Rob Gagnon, Matt Barber, Prof. Rena Lindevaldsen, Arthur Goldberg, Cliff Kincaid, Greg Quinlan and Laurie Higgins.

Certainly one of the largest protests that’s probably ever been held out here in Arlington Heights. In spite of us standing in front of the Christian Liberty Academy — not exactly the most liberty-minded town perhaps — but over a hundred of you came out here tonight, and you gotta be proud of that.

– Andy Thayer (Co-Founder Gay Liberation Network)

Gay Liberation Network (GLN) describes itself as a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Direct Action Organization — recognizing the following categories: Same Gender Loving (SGL), Minority Sexual and Gender Identities (MSGI), Lesbian (L), Gay (G), Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), Bisexual (B), Intersex (I), Transgendered, Transsexual, or Transvestite (T), Queer or Questioning (Q), Gender-Queer (GQ), Unsure (U), Asexual or Allied (A), Straight Allies (SA), Omnisexual (O), and Pansexual (P).

While the group protested bigotry and hate, one of its male members and two females, or members of an anarchist group harassed The Cardinal videographer. The Christian Liberty Academy is the site of the former Arlington High School, which has maintained a good relationship with the Christian Liberty Academy for reunion, homecoming and nostalgia events. The Cardinal also maintains an interest in the welfare of the Christian Liberty Academy property as a landmark of the former Arlington High School. A protest of any type at the school is of interest to The Cardinal and its readers. After speaking with security personnel about the protest and an upcoming nostalgia event (a sale that includes old high school artifacts), an unidentified male asked The Cardinal videographer in a sarcastic tone: ‘Aren’t you supposed to be inside attending classes?’ The Cardinal videographer replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” because The Cardinal is not affiliated with AFTAH and did not have any details of the 3-day academy at that moment. The videographer continued to capture the speech of Andy Thayer and included a pan of the crowd which included the unidentified male. The unidentified male then took out his iPhone and began imaging the videographer, while maintaining a position less than two feet away. The Cardinal videographer, who immediately began to avoid the unidentified man even as he was taking out his iPhone, walked south but discovered that the man was still standing directly in front view — less than two feet. An unidentified female also stood directly in front of the videographer — taking stills or video images. The videographer asked, ‘Why are you standing two feet in front of me?’ The man replied, “Why are you standing two feet in front of me?” The videographer took advantage of a pick from an unwitting ‘Queer’ male dressed in a red negligee and a matching red bandanna over his face, and walked over to a police squad car with two police officers inside. The unidentified man followed saying he “wanted to clear up the discrepancy.” A fourth woman — who appeared to be some type of organizer and is not shown in the video — told the police that The Cardinal videographer was harassing the unidentified man. No further incident occurred.

No injuries and no incidents of property damage were reported at the protest.

Rights For Gays from Mike Krumlauf on Vimeo.

Pete Stark’s latest controversial statement about the Federal Government having the power to do what it wants to us ‘little people’!

Congressman Pete Starck says ‘the federal government can do most anything in this country.’

Fortney Hillman “Pete” Stark, Jr. (born November 11, 1931) is a liberal Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and has served since 1973, representing California’s 13th congressional district in southwestern Alameda County. Currently he is the sixth most senior Representative as well as 8th most senior member of Congress.

The 13th district includes Alameda, Union City, Hayward, Newark, San Leandro and Fremont, as well as parts of Oakland and Pleasanton. Stark lives in Maryland, although he maintains a townhouse in Fremont, California.

Lady Gaga riles up the crowd commenting on SB 1070 at The Monster Ball Tour in Phoenix, Arizona.

Lady Gaga: Protesting Arizona, “Because You’re a Superstar No Matter Who You Are or Where You Come From, and you were born that way. A posted video brought a multitude of angry comments on YouTube.com.

See also youtube.com/watch?v=p1-1Nt5qgqk

Rolling Meadows 12 Oaks Apartment will fly the Mexican flags slightly lower than the U.S. Flags after protest and action by unknown subjects that lowered half of the Mexican flags to half-mast. One pair of flags is visible from I-90. The apartment complex has received protest calls in the past concerning the equal height of the U.S. flag and the Mexican flag.

More on the story from the Daily Herald: Vandals lower Mexican flags at Rolling Meadows apartments

John Kerry interviewed in the field by FOXboston.com Joe Battenfeld and others over his yacht Isabel.

The yacht controversy stirred up following a report that Kerry docked the multi-million dollar yacht in Rhode Island , rather than Massachusetts to save $500,000 tax.

Three administrators whose huge salaries sparked outrage in this small blue-collar suburb of Los Angeles have agreed to resign, the City Council said Friday.

The city manager of Bell, California this year was paid about twice the salary of President Barack Obama. City Manager Robert Rizzo was earning $787,637 annually, which is twice as much as President Barack Obama. Police Chief Randy Adams was earning $457,000 annually, which is double the pay of LAPD Chief Charlie Beck. Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia was earning $376,288 annually.

Residents packed city hall for the meeting as tempers flared. They booed the city council and chanted, “Recall!”

Robert Rizzo, Police Chief Randy Adams and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia are still likely to get millions from their pensions during their retirement years.

Bell, California is a working-class city of 37,000 people with a median income is $40,000 per year. In 2010, about 17 percent of Bell’s residents live in poverty. More than half of the population is immigrant.

Protestors disrupted billionaire Bill Gates as he spoke to the International AIDS Conference. They asked him to support a “Robin Hood Tax” to fund global health initiatives.

We need more money for these global health activities, but the people who aere experts on financial systems in terms of — would it be enforcible … would it really work? And haven’t felt that it would.

– Bill Gates

Bill Gates and Bill Clinton called for a new emphasis on cost-effective strategies in the global fight against AIDS as governments scale back contributions that have significantly expanded access to treatment in the developing world.

Tamara Holder: Instead of bringing in main witnesses like Rahm Emanuel, Jesse Jackson, Jr.; Tony Rezco, they (the prosecution) just chose to play on the heartstrings (of the jurors).

Bill Cadigan: “The White House has to be embarrassed at least at the report they issued prior to the President being sworn in — contradicted in so many instance” … The Defense? “It’s going to be The Apprentice Part II. We’re going to see a lot more Rod Blagojevich in the next few weeks.”

Bill Cadigan is a Chicago-area attorney involved in health care law.

Tamara Holder is a Chicago-area criminal defense attorney, focusing her practice on clearing criminal records for people with convictions and criminal histories. She’s is a TV commentator (Fox/CNN) on legal/political issues. She contributes to The Huffington Post. In 2004 she was founder of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Push Expungement Clinic.

The Blagojevich defense begins to make its case Monday.

Congressman Pete Stark: Minutemen want to have something to say. Who you gonna kill today? Don’t go to Phoenix if you want to go home.

Video from Congressman Pete Stark’s Town Hall meeting last Saturday (June 26, 2010).

During questioning by citizens, Stark appears smug and sarcastic.

According to the videographer, Stark seemed medicated, had swollen ankles and could only sit on the edge of his chair for over an hour and a half.

When asked about the lack of security of the border and the proximity to Phoenix with its high kidnapping rate, Stark replied sarcastically, “Don’t go to Phoenix if you want to go home.”

TRAVEL CAUTION: SMUGGLING AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY BE ENCOUNTERED IN THIS AREA.

Earlier this month, Governor Jan Brewer sat in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama to discuss the critical issue of border security. The Governor personally related to the President the concerns of millions of Arizonans over the lack of security on Arizona’s southern border. During their visit, President Obama committed to present details, within two weeks of their meeting, regarding his plans to commit National Guard troops to the Arizona border and commit to spend $500 million in additional funds on border security.

Governor Brewer remains eager to receive the specific details of President Obama’s border security plans. She continues to extend an invitation to the President to visit with families living along the southwestern border and see the situation firsthand.

CIA Map of International Drug Smuggling Pipelines (Opium Poppy/Heroin – Red; Coca – Cocaine – Green).This image is a work of a Central Intelligence Agency employee, taken or made during the course of an employee’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

President Barack Obama fires McChrystal and nominates General Petraeus.

Krauthamer: Still not sure Obama is ready to bypass the impediment he has caused by the withdrawal date.
Unless the president dispels the impression that we begin leaving by clockwork automatically July 11, the Afghans from the president to the lowest peasant in Kandahar wonder if they should really give intelligence to Americans if they start leaving in 13 months.

In Grand Isle, Louisiana residents vent their feelings about the oil spill, BP and the government through artwork and signs. (June 18)

Caution Walrus Crossing (X-ing)

Cathy Funk about the signs: “Who are you going to get mad at? A little bit of tension release.”

Bobby Pitre: “Bobby Jindal or president:

FOXNEWS: Blagojevich phone tap conversations released, Judge Andrew Napolitano interview.

BLAGOJEVICH WIRE TAPE
Robert Blagojevich: It’s doable, but I need your (expletive) focus. Every time we get together we just don’t focus on it. You know, so, so it’s doable, it’s doable. But I’m just gues-, I’m, I’m glad you asked the question so you kinda know where in my head I am.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH: Well you gotta go over those lists and then find some more. Just find some people we can dcall and say hey look, can you send us five thousand, can you send us whatever. You follow me?

Robert Blagojevich: Yeah.

BLAGOJEVICH: Work those lists that, you know, of people who are falling through the cracks. PAC, people in PACs and see if we can just, you know, chip away and pick up another one hundred or two hundred …

12/06/2008

FY 2011 State budget comments from Senator Matt Murphy (Part 1).

FY 2011 State budget comments from Senator Matt Murphy (Part 2).

State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) has made comments available on video on the status of the Illinois budget through a YouTube posting. Illinois State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) discusses the FY ’11 state budget put forth by Governor Quinn.

North Carolina congressman Bob Etheridge has apologized for grabbing a young man who approached him on a Washington D.C. sidewalk with a video camera and asked if he supports President Barack Obama’s agenda. (June 14)

An angry Bob Etheridge confronts an interviewer and videographer (Rep. Bob Etheridge apologized in and said he regrets his reaction.)
Transcript:
Interviewer: Hi Congressman
Etheridge: Tell me who you are
Student Interviewer: Do you fully support the Obama agenda?
Etheridge: Who are you? Who are you? [Strikes camera, grabs wrist, swats and misses interviewer while holding interviewer's right wrist]
Interviewer: I’m just here for a project, sir.
VIdeographer: We’re just here for a project, sir.
Etheridge: Tell me who your are.
Videographer: We’re just here for a project.
Etheridge: I don’t care about that [with clenched teeth ... angrily holding right wrist of interviewer]
Etheridge: Tell me who you are.
Interviewer: I’m just a student, sir.
Eheridge: From? tell me who you are.
Interviewer: We’re just students. That’s all we are.
Etheridge: I have a right to know who you are.
Videographer: We’re on a public’s … way.
Etheridge: So am I. Who are you? Who are you?
Interviewer: Please let go of my arm.
Etheridge: Who are you? [Etheridge grabs the back of the interviewer's neck that turns into a one-arm bear hug]
Interviewer: Sir. Sir!
Etheridge: Who are you?

Bobby Ray “Bob” Etheridge (born August 7, 1941) is a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina, representing that state’s 2nd congressional district. Etheridge, a Democrat was first elected to the House in 1996.

Born in Sampson County, North Carolina, Etheridge attended Campbell University on an athletic scholarship and became the first member of his family to earn a diploma when he received a business degree in 1965. He served in the United States Army from 1965 to 1967. Etheridge has also done graduate work in the field of economics. A tobacco farmer and hardware store owner by trade, Etheridge served as a Harnett County commissioner from 1973 to 1977.

Bob Etheridge is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. He is active in Freemasonry and is currently the Grand Orator for North Carolina Freemasonry. Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around five million, including just under two million in the United States and around 480,000 in England, Scotland and Ireland. The various forms all share moral and metaphysical ideals, which include, in most cases, a constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being. Freemasonry has attracted criticism from theocratic states and organised religions for supposed competition with religion, or supposed heterodoxy within the Fraternity itself, and has long been the target of conspiracy theories, which see it as an occult and evil power.

Economist and former Reagan Economic Adviser Art Laffer argues 2011 tax hikes will cause financial disaster.

The Coming Tax Hikes — As of January 1, 2011

Highest federal personal income tax rate rises to 39.6%

Highest federal dividend tax rate rises to 39.6%

Capital gains tax rate hits 20%

Estate tax rate soars to 55%

Arthur Betz Laffer (born August 14, 1940) is an American supply-side economist who became influential during the Reagan administration as a member of Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board (1981–1989). Laffer is also known for the Laffer curve, an illustration of tax elasticity which asserts that, in certain situations, a decrease in tax rates could result in an increase in tax revenues.

In 2009 Laffer said on CNN: “If you like the post office and the Department of Motor Vehicles and you think they’re run well, just wait till you see Medicare, Medicaid and health care done by the government.”

Hearst News Service says longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas is retiring after controversial remarks on Israel.

Hearst News Service has retired Helen Thomas, who last weekend said Israel should get the hell out of Palestine and go home to Germany and Poland. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called her remarks offensive and reprehensible.

A local Washington D.C. high school also canceled her graduation speech at the school.

Helen Thomas regarding Jews: “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine.”

Rabbi Nesenoff broke this story on RabbiLIVE.com …
Rabbi David F. Nesenoff interviewed Helen Thomas on the White House Lawn on American Jewish Heritage Celebration Day, Thursday, May 27, 2010 at the White House. Helen Thomas also said that Palestine is a country of occupation, whose occupiers, Jews, should leave the region, returning to “Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else”.

Thomas was born in Winchester, Kentucky. Her parents, Mary (née Rowady) and George Thomas, were Lebanese immigrants from Tripoli, Lebanon. She was brought up in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Wayne University (now Wayne State University), graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1942. Thomas’s first job in journalism was as a copygirl for the now-defunct Washington Daily News, but shortly after she was promoted to cub reporter, she was laid off as part of massive cutbacks at the paper.

Thomas joined United Press International in 1943 and reported on women’s topics for its radio wire service. Later in the decade, and in the early fifties, she wrote their “Names in the News” column, for which she interviewed numerous Washington celebrities. After 1955, she covered federal agencies such as the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Thomas served as president of the Women’s National Press Club from 1959–60.

Thomas has served as an American news service reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps and author. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and, later, White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). Thomas has covered every President of the United States since the later years of the Eisenhower administration, coming to the forefront with John F. Kennedy. She was the first female officer of the National Press Club, the first female member and president of the White House Correspondents Association, and, in 1975, the first female member of the Gridiron Club.

Kneeling to pick up tar balls on an oil-fouled beach and listening to “heartbreaking stories” of loss, President Obama personally confronted the spreading damage wrought by the crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Breaking off from his three-day, Memorial Day weekend in his home city of Chicago, President barack Obama flew early Friday to the Mississippi delta, where fragile wetlands and nature preserves have become coated with crude oil since the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig disaster.

Obama visited Port Fourchon, La. and Grand Isle La., but did get up close to any residents.

“This is something that has to be dealt with immediately … not some time later”, said President Barack Obama in a television appearance.

“There is no change happening.”
– Julie McNeil, Grand Isle resident and wife of fisherman

McNeil put up a banner for the president that said “Welcome to Grand Oil” (instead of Grand Isle).

Other banners …
“BP Sucks”
“Save Our Marshes”

The latest negative comments about suburbanites come from Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Police Superintendent Jody Weis on today, who both suggest that suburbanites that use SMS text messaging to congregate at Chicago beaches are a major source of trouble at recent disturbances at lakefront beaches.

The comments come after a North Side alderman, Ald. Eugene Schulter, 47th, suggested to Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg in November that city residents get a 15-minute head start on suburban residents for pavilion seats at Millennium Park concerts. Schulter asked Weisberg to consider giving Chicago residents a 15-minute head start on claiming the 4,000 chairs in the pavilion before those from outside the city get a shot. A week earlier, City Clerk Miguel del Valle accused suburban Cubs fans of abusing one-day guest parking passes around Wrigley Field.

Are suburban teens and young adults less respectful toward city residents and facilities, when compared to city teens and young adults? Many believe suburbanites come in to the city of Chicago with an attitude of entitlement and disrespect. Others argue that the mayor and superintendent’s comments are narrow-minded in providing a solution to the management, prevention and resolution of disturbances.

Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, member of the national and local Democratic Party, and currently the Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. He was elected mayor in 1989 and reelected in 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. His 2007 re-election put him in position to become the longest-serving mayor in Chicago’s history, a record currently held by his father, the late Richard J. Daley, should he remain in office beyond December 25, 2010.

Daley was chosen by Time magazine in its April 25, 2005 issue as the best out of five mayors of large cities in the United States, and characterized as having “imperial” style and power, he has presided over a resurgence in tourism, the modernization of the Chicago Transit Authority, the mayoral takeover of the Chicago Public Schools, the construction of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city’s North Side, as well as the near South and West sides. He took over 70% of the mayoral vote in 1999, 2003, and 2007. According to a Chicago Tribune poll taken in late 2009, Daley’s approval rating was at an all-time low of 35%.

Prior to serving as mayor, Daley served in the Illinois Senate and then as the Cook County State’s Attorney. He also served as the 11th Ward Democratic committeeman after his father, Richard J. Daley, died until he passed the role on to his brother John P. Daley.

Jody Peter “J.P.” Weis is the Superintendent of Police of the Chicago Police Department. Weis was selected to serve as the 54th Superintendent of Police by Mayor Richard M. Daley. He replaced former Superintendent of Police Philip J. Cline. Superintendent Weis took office on February 1, 2008.

Weis’s previous experience included 22 years in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[1] Weis graduated from the University of Tampa in 1979.

On March 17, 2009, the Chicago lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police gave a vote of no-confidence in Weis.

On April 6, 2010, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Independent Police Review Authority received a complaint charging Weis with “failure to take proper police action.” The complainant, retired Chicago Police Sergeant John Northen, called Weis a “coward” who “cut and run” from a shooting incident where a man was killed, instead of responding to assist and support his officers. Weis was holding an outdoor press conference at an intersection in the crime-ridden Englewood District on a recent 26 hour period of violence in Chicago where 41 people were shot with four dead. Four blocks from the shooting incident, Weis abruptly left the media event and reportedly returned to headquarters after the shots rang out.

Gene Schulter (born November 14, 1947) is alderman of the 47th ward of the City of Chicago; he was first elected in 1975 when he was only 26 making — him one of the youngest aldermen to serve in the city council.

As alderman, Schulter has worked for license reform. Schulter is responsible for legislation that guaranteed equitable city wide cable services and set asides for minorities; he led the drive for more community input on parks; and sponsored the city’s Landscape Oridnance which requires the incorporation of landscape plans and planting of trees for every new residential, commercial, or industrial development.

Schulter highlights the Sulzer Regional Library as a major ward achievement. Also, he has worked to build a field house at Chase Park, fostered revitalization of Lincoln Square Mall, fought against negligent and delinquent landlords in the ward, and supported the development of the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor.

Currently, Schulter is chairman of the Committee on License and Consumer Protection. Additionally, he serves on six other committees: Budget and Government Relations; Finance; Committees, Rules and Ethics; Traffic Control and Safety; Zoning; and Parks and Recreation.

Schulter expends a portion of his aldermanic expense account as a salary for his daughter, Monica. The City ordinance governing aldermanic expense accounts prohibits the spending of expense funds for “the direct monetary benefit of any alderman or any of his or her relatives.”

Miguel del Valle is the current City Clerk of Chicago and the former Illinois State Senator for the 2nd district of Chicago, which he had served since 1987.

Del Valle was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the predominately Puerto Rican West Town and Humboldt Park neighborhoods of Chicago. He graduated from Tuley High School (now Jose de Diego Community Academy) in 1969 and went on to Northeastern Illinois University where he joined the Union for Puerto Rican Students and wrote for the Puerto Rican/Latina/o publication Que Ondee Sola. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Education and Guidance. He also holds an honorary degree from National Louis University.

In 2006, Miguel del Valle was appointed, by Mayor Richard M. Daley, as City Clerk after the elected sitting clerk was indicted on federal charges. Del Valle won election to the post in 2007, becoming the first Latino elected to city-wide office in Chicago.
City Clerk del Valle’s office is responsible for maintaining official city government records, distributing approximately 1.3 million vehicle stickers and residential parking permits, and issuing city business licenses.

Clerk del Valle is focused on bringing more efficiency and visibility to City Clerk services by providing greater access to public records, including web casting of City Council meetings, expanding community outreach programs, modernizing operations to expedite the sale of dog registrations, city stickers and residential parking.

Significant City Council transparency efforts include posting nearly 700,000 pages of searchable City Council records to the City Clerk website, www.ChiCityClerk.com. This includes every ordinance passed since 1981, the Bryne Administration, as well as city budgets and Mayoral Executive orders going back nearly 30 years. In addition, for the first time ever, City Council meetings can be watched live or on demand via a City Council video archive on the City Clerk website, www.ChiCityClerk.com.

Del Valle was previously a State Senator. Before becoming state senator, del Valle served as a Unit Director of Barreto Boys and Girls Club and Executive Director of Association House. He also worked for the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Pilsen-Little Village Mental Health Center.

He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Advance Illinois and was appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn as Chairman of the Illinois P-20 Council. Additionally he served on several non-profit organizational boards, including Josephinium High School, the Latino Institute and the Spanish Coalition for Housing. He has also served as Chairman of the Mayor Harold Washington’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, and taught a class at Roosevelt University called “Latinos and Public Policy.”

In 1987, del Valle was elected the first Hispanic Senator in the Illinois General Assembly where he served for 20 years. He was the Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois Senate, and he was the first Latino to hold that position. He served as an outspoken advocate for Latino representation in the legislative and judicial branches of government. He was the Co-Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and was the only Latino member of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. His leadership in redistricting cases in 1981, 1991 and 2001 led to the creation of Latino majority districts on the city, county, and state levels.

Del Valle sponsored legislation to protect homeowners by stopping the forgery of quitclaim deeds which is the process of transferring the title or deed of property to another individual or company. He has also sponsored legislation to provide harsher punishment for ATM crimes; provide Illinois with more Early Childhood Teachers; provide comprehensive health coverage for every child in Illinois; and increase funding for Advanced Placement courses in Illinois high schools.

Del Valle is the founder of the Illinois Association of Hispanic State Employees (IAHSE). He is the co-founder of several Latino organizations, including the Illinois Latino Advisory Council on Higher Education (ILACHE); the Alliance of Latinos and Jews; and the Illinois Hispanic Democratic Council (IHDC). He also developed the annual Department of Children and Family Services Hispanic Families Conference.

Del Valle is the former Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee, Co-Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Education Funding Reform and the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus. He also served on the Senate Executive Committee, the Senate Labor Committee, and the Higher Education Committee.

In the 2006 Illinois primary elections Del Valle received local media attention for his support of Ramon Ocasio III for judge over the preferred Democratic machine candidate, Ed Lechowicz, son of former Cook County Commissioner and Illinois State Senator Ted Lechowicz.

PALATINE, IL – State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) is inviting citizens to attend a Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Seminar on how to save money on phone bills.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their cell or landline phone bills to learn about possible monthly savings.

Senator Murphy and Representative Sidney Mathias are hosting the CUB Seminar at the Arlington Heights Public Library, 2nd floor, on June 3, 2010. The event starts at 10:00 am and lasts till noon. The library is located at 500 North Dunton Avenue in Arlington Heights.

For more information about this event, please contact Senator Murphy’s office at 847-776-1490 or by E-mail at SenatorMattMurphyATgmail.com.

President Barack Obama says the decision to boycott Arizona over its tough new law cracking down on immigration is for private citizens, not the president of the United States, to decide. “The time to get moving on this is now.”

Top cops reject the notion that police officers did not respond properly to a protest against Bank of America on a man’s property in a Chevy Chase neighborhood near Washington D.C.

A crowd of about 700 protesters converged outside bank employees’ houses on Sunday afternoon in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of Washington D.C. to demand banks stop lobbying against Wall Street reform. The protesters trespassed on private property — walking up steps to the front porch of the home of Gregory Baer, Bank of America deputy general counsel.

A teenage son was alone inside the Baer home when Gregory Baer and another son arrived home from a youth sporting event.

“Bank of America: bad for America!” shouted community leaders outside the house of .

Bank of America crashed our economy. We bailed them out. Now, they’re back to business as usual raking in huge profits and giving themselves record bonuses.

Video of protesters at Gregory Baer’s house from May 16, 2010 (YouTube.com/ShowdowninAmerica) …

The Chicago-based grassroots organization National People’s Action, in coordination with the SEIU, bused more than 700 workers from 20 states to Baer’s neighborhood, one of the wealthiest corners of Washington. The action kicks off several days of protests targeting K Street for lobbyists’ role in financial reform.

Nina Easton, a neighbor and Fox News Contributor, was upset at the mob action. As a journalist Easton enjoys a good protest, but only when that protest is a legal protest with a permit. Easton claims police in her town showed up with only three officers that were afraid their action would incite the protesters.

Reaction of people on the streets in Chicago to learning about the protests being carried out at someone’s house …

FoundingBloggers.com hit the streets of Chicago to get ‘Man on the street” reactions to the recent mob action protests organized by National People’s Action (NPA), SEIU, and possibly members of the Obama Administration.

See more reports on the Protest …
What’s really behind SEIU’s Bank of America protests? (FORTUNE/Nina Easton)…
Hit job: What Media Matters and the SEIU got wrong about Fortune’s Nina Easton (The Daily Caller/Mike Riggs) …
Class Warfare: Hundreds Protest Outside Bankers’ Houses In DC (Huffington Post/Arthur Delaney) …
DC Bank Protest: So, SEIU Now Owns the Cops Too? (BIGOVERNMENT/MIke Flynn) …
Nina Easton & the Bank Lobbyists: Too Close for Comfort (SEIU.org/John Vendeventer) …
SEIU Storms Private Residence, Terrorizes Teenage Son of Bank of America Exec (BIGGOVERNMENT/Liberty Chick) …

Chevy Chase is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. It borders Chevy Chase, Maryland, a collection of similarly affluent neighborhoods. The neighborhood is generally agreed to be bounded by Rock Creek Park on the east, Western Avenue (which divides D.C. and Maryland) and Tennyson Street on the north, and Reno Road to the west. Opinions differ on the southern boundary, where Chevy Chase meets Forest Hills, but many residents consider it to be Broad Branch Road between 32nd and 27th streets. The main roads leading in and out of Chevy Chase DC are Connecticut Avenue, Nebraska Avenue, Reno Road, Military Road and Western Avenue. The area is served by the M4, L1, L2, L4 E2, E3, E4 and E6 Metrobus lines. Chevy Chase is within walking distance of three Red Line stations: Van Ness-UDC, Tenleytown-AU, and Friendship Heights. The public schools that serve Chevy Chase are Lafayette Elementary, Ben W. Murch Elementary, Alice Deal Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson Senior High.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing about 2.2 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. SEIU is focused on uniting workers in three sectors: health care (over half of the union’s members work in the health care field), including hospital, home care and nursing home workers, public services (local and state government employees), and property services (including janitors, security officers and food service workers).

SEIU has over 150 local branches. It is affiliated with the Change to Win Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress. SEIU is based out of Washington, D.C., and has several internal divisions which include: Communications, Government Affairs, New Media, Organizing, Political, Global Strength, Pension/Benefits, Community Strength, Research, and Legal.

The union states that its top priorities are to stand up for working families to help bring economic relief to millions across the country, fix the nation’s broken health care system, and fight to guarantee workers’ rights on the job. SEIU is sometimes referred to as the “purple ocean” at political events because of the union’s easily recognizable purple shirts. The union is also known for its Justice for Janitors program and strong support for Democratic candidates.

National People’s Action (NPA) is a network of metropolitan, regional, and statewide organizations that build grassroots power. NPA works to build the collective political will to advance racial and economic justice. National People’s Action has over 135 organizers and support staff working in communities across the country. Headquartered in Chicago, NPA was founded by Austin neighborhood activist Gale Cincotta and professional organizer Shel Trapp in 1972 and was originally named “National People’s Action on Housing.”

National People’s Action conducted a series of “Showdown” events starting in October of 2009. The events, dubbed “Showdown In America,” “called for the end of corporate lobbying and too-big-to-fail financial institutions.” According to National People’s Action, it exists as a network to create a society in which “racial and economic justice are realized in all aspects of society, resulting in more equity in work, housing, health, education, finance, and other systems central to people’s well-being.”

K Street is a major thoroughfare in the United States capital of Washington, D.C. known as a center for numerous think tanks, lobbyists, and advocacy groups.

The K Street Project is an effort by the Republican Party (GOP) to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions, and to reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials. It was launched in 1995 by Republican strategist Grover Norquist and then-House majority whip Tom DeLay. It has been criticized as being part of a “coziness” between the GOP and large corporations which has allegedly allowed business to rewrite government regulations affecting their own industries in some cases (see Dick Cheney energy task force).

Shortly after the 1994 elections which gave a majority of seats to Republican candidates, DeLay called prominent Washington lobbyists into his office. He had pulled the public records of political contributions that they made to Democrats and Republicans. According to Texans for Public Justice, “he reminded them that Republicans were in charge and their political giving had better reflect that—or else. The “or else” was a threat to cut off access to the Republican House leadership.”

The project is named for K Street in Washington, D.C., where the largest lobbying firms have their headquarters. Lobbyists are, in some circles, referred to as the “fourth branch of government,” as some have great influence in U.S. national politics due to their monetary resources and the “revolving-door” practice of hiring former government officials. It is widely believed to be common practice for politicians to solicit money from lobbying firms in exchange for better access to officials, especially members of the United States Congress, and to buy favoritism in policies.

The White House on Thursday refused to say whether U.S. Rep Joe Sestak, the Democratic nominee for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, was ever offered a federal job if he would drop his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter.

President Barack Obama ratcheted up his criticism of Arizona’s controversial immigration law during a state visit by Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon. AP correspondent Julie Pace reports.

“You can imagine, if you are a Hispanic American in Arizona …” the president said Tuesday at a campaign-style appearance in Iowa [see 00:16], “suddenly, if you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to be harassed.” On the same day, Attorney General Eric Holder said he was considering a court challenge.

Recently Arizona is three for three defending its immigration management efforts:

In 2008, the state successfully defended its employer-sanctions law, which made it a state crime to knowingly employ an illegal immigrant.

In 2006, officials won a state-court challenge to Arizona’s human smuggling law.

In 2005, Arizona successfully defended Proposition 200 in federal court, which required proof of citizenship for voting and also restricted benefits to illegals.

According to Kris Kobach, law professor and former Bush Justice Department official who helped write the Arizona immigration law, the perfectly mirrors federal law.

Democratic Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal conceded he had ‘misspoken’ in claiming repeatedly that he served in Vietnam, dismissing the furor as a matter of ‘a few misplaced words.’

If this proves to be true, this will be negative factor in the race and I think it will hurt his chances.
– Senator John Cornyn (R) Texas

The Attorney General tells Jake Tapper he worries the Arizona bill will lead to profiling and cause people not to cooperate with police … even though the bill specifically prohibits profiling AND strictly prohibits police from asking about immigration status during a police investigation.

House Judiciary Committee/JKustice Department Oversight: C-SPAN coverage of Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) questioning Attorney General Eric Holder about his knowledge of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (commonly known as the Arizona Immigration Law).

TRANSCRIPT REP TED POE/ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER
POE: I understand that you [Holder] may file a lawsuit against the law (Arizona’s immigration law). Seems to me the administration ought to be enforcing border security and immigration laws and not challenge ‘em. And that the administration is on the wrong side of the American people. [TO Attorney General Eric Holder] Have you read the Arizona law?

HOLDER: Uh, I have not had a chance to … I’ve glanced at it … I’ve not read it … Um.

POE: It’s ten pages. It’s a lot shorter than the health care bill, which was 2,000 pages long. I’ll give you my copy of it if you would like to have a copy. Uh, even though you haven’t read the law, you have an opinion as to whether its constitutional?

HOLDER: Ah, I’ve not really … I’ve not been briefed yet, um. We, as I’ve said have had underway a review of the law. I’ve not been briefed by the people who have been responsible … who are responsible for that review.

POE: Are you gonna read the law?

HOLDER: I am sure I will read the law in anticipation of that briefing. I know that they will put that in front of me and I will spend a good evening reading that law.

POE: Well I’ve gone through it and it’s pretty simple. It takes the federal law and makes it … uh … and makes it an action in the state statue, although it makes it much more … uh … refined … that it actually says in one of the sections that no state or subdivision may consider race, color, national origin in implementing the requirements of any subsection of this law. It seems to outlaw racial profiling in the law … I know there’s been a lot of media hype about the legislation … uh … Do you see a difference in the constitutionality of a statute and the constitutionality of the application of the that statute. Do you see there’s a difference in those two?

HOLDER: There’s a potential for challenging a law on its face, and then challenging a law as it is applied. So there are two bases for challenging a particular statute.

POE: And uh … When do you think you will have an opinion as to whether the law is constitutional.

HOLDER: Um I’ve used this term a lot but I think this is accurate … I think relatively soon. Um I think that we have to uh … there’s been much discussion about this … uh … the review is underway — the Department of Justice along with the Department of Homeland Security is involved in this review and I would expect that our view of the law will be expressed relatively soon.

POE: You have some concerns about the statute and it’s hard for me to understand and how you would have concerns about something being unconstitutional if you haven’t even read the law. It seems like you wouldn’t make a judgment about whether it violates civil rights statutes, whether it violates federal preemption concepts if you haven’t read the law. So. Can you help me out there a little bit? … how you can make a judgment call on that, but you haven’t read the law and determined whether its constitutional or not.

HOLDER: What I’ve said is that I have not make up my mind. I’ve only made the comments that I’ve made on the basis thing that I’ve been able to glean by reading newspaper accounts, obviously looking at television, talking to people who are on the review panel … or on the review team that are looking at the law. But I’ve not reached any conclusions as yet with regard to … I’m just expressed concerns on the basis of what I’ve heard about the law, but I’m not in a position to say at this point, not having read the law, not having had the chance to interact with the people who are doing the review, exactly what my position is.

buz4gov

Joy Behar: We’re gonna judge you by how you look and throw you in jail.

Obama (April 27, 2010/Ottumwa, Iowa): If you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re gonna be harassed.

Olbermann: Mandate racial profiling.

Video of Code Pink activist attempting citizen’s arrest of Karl Rove, but being led of in handcuffs herself.

A woman is removed from a Borders book store Monday in Sacramento, California. The woman could be heard shouting: ‘Karl Rove is a war criminal! Karl Rove is a war criminal!’ as she was lead out of the Borders shop.

Prior to the book signing, Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans had said: ‘We are demanding accountability from Karl Rove who lied to get us into the war and outed CIA agent Valerie Plame.’

Similar incidents have recently occurred in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills. Last month, Jodie Evans attempted a citizen’s arrest on Rove at a book signing in Las Vegas – where she attempted to put handcuffs on him before she was removed from the site. A similar incident occurred in March in Beverly Hills, when Rove was heckled by protesters at a signing.

Governor Jan Brewer sparked a national debate on border security and illegal immigration when she signed SB1070. While Brewer has been celebrated by many for taking action to enforce laws that Washington has long ignored, those who oppose the law have chosen pithy punch lines over aggressive action. Far away from the border at the White House Correspondents Dinner, President Obama decided that Arizona’s unsecured borders and illegal immigration crisis are a laughing matter. Unfortunately, no one in Arizona is laughing (Released May 7, 2010).

TRANSCRIPT
Videotext from the governor:
In December 2008, the U.S. Justice Department said that Mexican gangs are the “biggest organized crime threat to the United State.”

In 2009, Phoenix had 316 kidnapping cases, turning the city into our nation’s kidnapping capital. Almost all of the persons kidnapped were illegal immigrants or linked to the drug trade.

Until January of 2009, any smugglers carrying under the threshold of 500 pounds of narcotics were often not prosecuted.

Narcotics prosecutions in Arizona have risen 202% in 16 months.

1,080 prosecutions will STILL be refused this year in the Tucson Sector alone.

What does President Obama have to say about Arizona doing the job Washington won’t?

Obama:
And we all know what happens [chuckle] in Arizona when you don’t have I.D. Adios, Amigos!
[Camera pans to Racquel Welch and Alec Baldwin laughing with crowd at White House Correspondents' Dinner]

Videotext from the governor:
President Obama, Broken Borders are not a laughing matter.

No one in Arizona is laughing.

Do your job and secure the border.

CBS threatening not to cover the campaign if Republican candidate for senator, Mark Kirk, continues to discuss the most damaging aspect of his opponent Democratic nominee, Alexi Giannoulias’ record.

Channel 2 Reporter to Mark Kirk: Channel 2’s made a decision. We’re really not going to cover the Senate race, if it’s consistently only in your terms, is about Broadway Bank. The bank’s been taken over by the government, Alexi’s been pilloried. Tell me, what is your campaign going forward? What are the issues you are going to tell the voters why they should vote for you?

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Businesses who are applying for development assistance programs through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will be able to avoid duplicative paperwork, thanks to legislation sponsored by State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine).

“This initiative will enable Illinois job creators to save time, money and energy by reducing redundant paperwork requirements for tax incentives administered by DCEO,” Murphy said.

House Bill 5230 will allow businesses who take part in multiple state development assistance agreements to file a consolidated progress report, rather than multiple, duplicative reports. .

“This common-sense legislation allows our businesses to spend less time producing redundant reports and more time on creating jobs,” Murphy said.

HB 5230 passed the Senate on May 4, 2010 and now heads back to the House of Representatives and potentially to the Governor’s desk.

Partial audio of Stephanie Miller show with Contessa Brewer interview

Contessa Brewer [TRANSCRIPT]
… the thing is … is that … and I get frustrated … and I … and I was … and there was part of me that was hoping that this was not going to be anybody with ties to any type of Islamic country because there are a lot of people who want to use … uhhmmm … terrorist intent to justify writing off people who believe in a certain way or come from certain countries or whose skin color is a certain way. They use it as justification for really outdated bigotry. And so, there was part of me that was hoping this would not be the case.

After Stephanie Miller’s interview with Contessa Brewer, Miller praised Brewer for her journalistic integrity — gracing her show. Prior to release of the news that a man of Pakistani origin was connected with the bombing attempt, Stephanie Miller had been predicting the New York car bomber connected with the Nissan Pathfinder was a ‘tea bagger.’ She made light that she was wrong.

Contessa Brewer was the host on MSNBC that mislead viewers to believe that a black man that was carrying a gun at an Obamacare protest in Phoenix in August 2009 was an example of a group of gun-carrying white people. The segment avoided showing a wide-angle shot of the armed man, which would have shown that he was a male/black, while the narrative described ‘white people showing up with guns strapped to their waist, or onto their legs’ (see The Cardinal MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer Brews a Race Issue with Image of Black Man’s Race Concealed).

Scott Lee Cohen has announced his independent candidacy for Governor of Illinois this morning.

“Everybody, everybody makes mistakes in their life. Everybody’s entitled to a second chance and everybody is entitled to redemption … Illinois needs honesty more than perfection,” Cohen said outside the state of Illinois building.

Scott Lee Cohen, a pawnbroker, held a tearful withdrawal announcement February 7, 2010 as nominee for Democratic Lieutenant Governor after word got out that he was accused of holding a knife to the throat of his then-girlfriend Amanda Eneman, 29, a convicted prostitute, in October 2005. Charges were dismissed after Amanda Eneman failed to show up in court.

Cohen is required to submit 25,000 signatures from registered voters on petitions by June 21 to get on the Illinois ballot.

A cheating scandal way back to 2004 between then Senate candidate Barack Obama and Vera Baker has come alive after the National Enquirer has confirmed the limo driver’s account of the secret 2004 rendezvous and has also learned that on-site Washington D.D. hotel surveillance video camera footage could provide indisputable evidence to the investigation.

Vera Baker worked hard to raise millions of dollars in campaign contributions for Obama’s Senate run. Obama’s victory was easy after news of a sex scandal broke during his opponent Republican Jim Ryan’s divorce proceedings with actress Jeri Ryan.

Court Documents revealing statements by Jeri Ryan
Jeri Ryan said her then-husband took her on three “surprise trips” in the spring of 1998 to New Orleans, New York and Paris, during which he took her to sex clubs. She said she refused to go in the first and went into the second at his insistence.

“It was a bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling,” she said in the court document, adding that her husband “wanted me to have sex with him there, with another couple watching. I refused.”

She said on arriving at the third club, in Paris, “people were having sex everywhere. I cried. I was physically ill. [He] became very upset with me and said it was not a ‘turn on’ for me to cry.”

[Jack Ryan admitted romantic getaways, but denied Jeri Ryan's versions of the trip.]

Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for United States Senate in 2004. His victory from a crowded field in the March 2004 Democratic primary raised his visibility, and his prime-time televised keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004 made him a rising star nationally in the Democratic Party. When Republican nominee Jack Ryan withdrew from the race after a scandal erupted involving the divorce of his wife, actress Jeri Ryan; Republicans approached former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka to run against Barack Obama. Mike Ditka declined the offer and Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 by the largest margin in Illinois history.

WHO IS VERA BAKER?
The following content on Wikipedia is being considered for deletion …
Vera Baker is a former political fundraiser. With Muthoni Wambu, she founded Baker Wambu & Associates in 2000. According to The Politico, Baker’s organization became a top fundraising firm for the Congressional Black Caucus. Baker was the Finance Director for Barack Obama’s 2004 Illinois Senate campaign and was identified by The American Prospect as one of the “rare” African-American major fundraisers. She also served as the Deputy Political Director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Baker was born and raised in San Francisco. She received dual Bachelor degrees in political, legal and economic analysis as well as African American studies from Mills College. She also worked toward a Masters of Art in political science from Howard University and a Masters of Art in African American studies.

After leaving political fundraising, Baker worked for Alta Capital Group, a municipal bond broker-dealer. She then launched Cape Caribbean, LLC, with offices in Fort de France, Martinique and Miami, Florida.

The NATIONAL ENQUIRER broke the story of Edwards’ love child scandal, when Rielle Hunter was pregnant and Edwards was considered a strong candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

SOURCE: OBAMA CHEATING SCANDAL: SHOCKING NEW REPORTS

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) has passed legislation on April 27, 2010 creating a Sunshine Commission to identify and eliminate wasteful government spending.

“Taxpayers expect us to be good stewards of their tax dollars,” Murphy said. “This commission will go through our state budget line-by-line, bureaucrat-by-bureaucrat and program-by-program to identify wasteful spending so we can focus our tax dollars on our real priorities.”

House Bill 4836 creates the Sunshine Commission to review functions of the Illinois Executive Branch and agencies within its control. The Commission is charged with examining relevance, efficiency and effectiveness and how those functions match with enacting legislation that created the corresponding agency.

Sunshine Commission recommendations must include one of three findings: elimination of obsolete or ineffective programs, consolidation, and or steps to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Commission members are to be chosen by the four legislative leaders and must have experience in the private sector. The members are prevented from having governmental contacts or contracts and will receive no compensation.

“We must do more to reestablish the public trust and confidence that their elected officials will take better care of their taxpayer dollars,” Murphy said.

House Bill 4836 now awaits the Governor’s signature.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A little-known legislative perk was discovered this week after an incident in Chicago and State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) is seeking to end legislative usage of state-owned vehicles.

“This is a small step to show our constituents that we respect their concerns about frivolous state spending,” Murphy said. “I know that removing a few state vehicles from legislative usage will not solve the state budget crisis, but it’s a small step to help.”

There are currently 14 vehicles assigned to the Illinois General Assembly for usage by the four legislative caucuses.

Murphy has introduced Senate Bill 3930, to prohibit members of the Illinois General Assembly from using state-owned vehicles. The bill would also require legislators who violate the act to reimburse the state at the current state mileage rate.

SB 3930 only applies to state-owned vehicles intended for legislative usage. Senator Murphy noted that the Auditor General’s office is beginning a statewide audit of the entire state-owned fleet.

The same number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined (113 for same time period) matches the number of people killed violently in Chicago, according to State Representative John Fritchey. In order to reclaim communities from deadly violence and murders, he and State Representative La Shawn Ford are pushing for the deployment of the Illinois National Guard to patrol streets and help reduce violence by working side-by-side with Chicago police officers.

The representatives are seeking the support of the idea from Governor Pat Quinn, Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis, who has concerns about the military, which would be under separate command. The plea was announced at a press conference on April 25, 2010.

More info …
John Fritchey State Representative 11th District (April 2010)
La Shawn Ford, State Representative 8th District (April 2010)

PALATINE, IL – As part of his ongoing efforts to protect Cook County property taxpayers, State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) has introduced legislation to ensure that second installment tax bills are mailed out no later than October 1, 2010.

“I am concerned about allegations of a politically motivated plan to delay sending out this year’s second installment property tax bills until after the November election,” Murphy said. “If these allegations are true, this would represent more of the unacceptable business-as-usual politics that have disgusted so many of our citizens. It also means residents would be required to pay this year’s second installment and next year’s first installment in just a few months’ time, putting undue pressure on family and employer budgets.”

Murphy’s concern arises from recently publicized allegations raised by Assessor Jim Houlihan that other county and state officials have hatched a plan to postpone the mailing of property tax bills until after November’s election so the majority party can avoid the voters’ wrath over the soaring taxes.

“With property taxes rising even while property values plummet, the least our county government can do is to provide the taxpayers adequate time to pay these bills,” Murphy said.

Senate Bill 2846 would strip Cook County of its share of state income tax receipts if second installment tax bills are not mailed by October 1. The legislation is awaiting consideration before the full Senate.

See also …
Illinois General Assembly Bill Status of Senate Bill 2846

Mayor Jerry Schweighart: If you’re not willing to produce an original certificate — birth certificate — then you’ve got something to hide. If he doesn’t have something to hide, produce it.

Champaign mayor Jerry Schweighart expressed doubt Thursday April 15, 2010 at a Tea Party gathering at West Side Park in Champaign about President Obama’s citizenship, saying, “I don’t think he’s American, personally.”

As reported in the 2000 U.S. Census, the city was home to 67,518 people. Champaign, Illinois held a special census in 2007 that showed that its population had grown to 75,254. Champaign shares the title of the holding the location of the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Urbana, Illinois. Mayor Gerald Schweighart’s term expires in 2011.

The Conspiracy of Birthers
Conspiracy theories about the citizenship of Barack Obama are ideas that reject the legitimacy of President Obama’s citizenship and his eligibility to be President of the United States. Some of these conspiracy theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, and that his birth certificate is a forgery. Others allege that Obama is a citizen of Indonesia, or that because he had dual citizenship at birth (British and American), he is not a natural born citizen of the United States, which is a requirement to be President of the United States under Article Two of the United States Constitution. Other conspiracy theories also exist. The conspiracy theories received attention in mid-2008 following Obama’s victory in the Democratic primaries, in late 2008–early 2009 with regard to the Electoral College vote and Obama’s inauguration, and again in mid-2009 following a lawsuit by Army reservist Stefan Cook.

FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania produced an in-depth summary of the conspiracy claims and assure readers that the conspiracy claims are reasonably refuted. June 2008, the Obama campaign released a digitally scanned image of his birth certificate to quell speculative charges that he might not be a natural-born citizen. But the image prompted more blog-based skepticism about the document’s authenticity. And recently, author Jerome Corsi, whose book attacks Obama, said in a TV interview that the birth certificate the campaign has is “fake.” The FactCheck.org article goes on to clarify and debunk the conspiracy claims

The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania developed FactCheck.org. Factcheck.org monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. However, the fair and unbiased reporting of FactCheck.org has come into question by those who point out that Barack Obama once chaired the Annenberg Challenge Project that involved a $50 million grant to match local private funds to improve schools. The relationship with the foundation was significant, and included combined work with William Ayers, who fought to bring the grant to Chicago. But according to Stanley Kurtz, a conservative researcher, the money went to radical community organizers instead of directly to schools when it was assigned to the Chicago area. The project shut down in 2003 after achieving “little impact on school improvement and student outcomes,” according to its own report. The chairmanship of the $100 million Annenberg board helped promote Obama from a South Side lawyer to political player.

CNN: Ayers and Obama crossed paths on boards, records show

FactCheck.org: Born in the U.S.A.