Illinois Review

Chicago GOP on CPS Leadership: “Basic Decency is now beyond them.”

CHICAGO - The Chicago Republican Party is outraged by the recent announcement by Chicago Public Schools that the mixing of sexes within school bathrooms is now optional.

According to an email sent to parents, Chicago Public Schools has enacted a new restroom policy. All bathrooms are now to carry signs that say "Girls+ All who feel comfortable are welcome to use this restroom" and "Boys+ All who feel comfortable are welcome to use this restroom".

In other words, boys are now welcome to use the girls' restroom if they feel "comfortable" doing so. An eighth-grade boy could walk into a Girls+ bathroom with a third-grade girl, and he would be “welcome".

Thorner: Why Would the FDA Need 55 Years to Release Data for COVID Jab?

By Nancy Thorner - 

Aren't two of the cardinal tenets of science open inquiry and peer review?

The FDA shamelessly attempted to stop a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to release Pfizer’s data on their experimental COVID-19 jab.

 

Mercola adds: In September 2021, a group called Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (PHMPT) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FDA to obtain the documentation used to approve Comirnaty.  When, after a month, the FDA had not replied, the PHMPT sued.

 

In their FOIA application, the PHMPT asked the agency to expedite release of the documents — a reasonable request, considering we have no raw data and the shots are being pushed on children as young as 5 years old. FOIA guidelines include two conditions upon which a request may be expedited. One is “if the lack of expedited treatment could reasonably be expected to pose a threat to someone’s life or physical safety,” which one could easily argue is the case here. The second condition is “if there is an urgency to inform the public about an actual or alleged federal government activity, if made by a person who is primarily engaged in disseminating information. This too is clearly applicable."

Biggest Budget Myths Advanced by Progressives

When Joe Biden claimed that his “Build Back Better Agenda costs zero dollars,” the Washington Post gave him Two Pinocchios. Yet if you get your news from the New York Times editorial page or from CNN or MSNBC, you might be inclined to agree with Biden.

In fact, one definition of a liberal is someone who sees the benefits in every progressive program but ignores the cost of all of them.

More HERE

Rossi: The Best Argument Against Abortion

By Randy Rossi - 

This picture below is of a 15 week old fetus in the womb of its mother. Look carefully at its face. Now you know why 78% of women who want an abortion and are shown a sonogram of their baby change their minds and don’t have the abortion. After seeing this sonogram, they realize that they would be killing a human baby! Look at this picture and consider the fact that 62 million human babies like this have been killed in the U.S. since Roe V. Wade.

This picture also explains why 95% of the countries in Europe do not allow abortions after just 12 weeks except to save the life or health of the mother. Roe v. Wade made abortion a woman’s right until “viability” (defined as 23 weeks) which back then was before sonograms and modern science in 1971, 50 years ago. Now thanks to new technology, any rational human being can see from this picture that killing this infant would be killing another human being. Yet many states in America allow abortion up to the moment of birth. That is clearly murder.

Big Tech's Censorship Rose Sharply in 2021

The year was 2019, and Democrats in the United States Senate, led by then–Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), stood before the Supreme Court to announce they were backing Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.)'s proposal to amend the First Amendment.  As our Founding Fathers rolled in their graves, Schumer and Udall made it abundantly clear they did not approve of the First Amendment's text.

Specifically, they called attention to "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech."  The senators expressed their disdain for this restraint on their power and thus their attack on Americans' right to free speech was launched.

More HERE

Stossel: Fact-Blockers

By John Stossel -

I’ve reported how Facebook censors me.

Now I’ve learned that they also censor environmentalist Michael Shellenberger, statistician Bjorn Lomborg and former New York Times columnist John Tierney.

Facebook’s “fact-checkers” claim we spread “misinformation.”

In my new video, Tierney argues that the “people guilty of spreading misinformation are Facebook and its fact-checkers.”

He’s right.

More HERE

Shapiro: An ‘Abundance of Caution’ Mentality Leads to Tyranny

By Ben Shapiro -

This week, governments around the globe spun into full-scale panic thanks to the revelation of the so-called omicron variant of COVID-19. As of this writing, we know that omicron is likely more transmissible than prior variants. We have no evidence, however, that omicron is more deadly. To the contrary, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, chairwoman of the South African Medical Association, explained that the symptoms associated with omicron were “mild,” explaining, “we don’t see severely ill patients.”

Were that true, that would make omicron a cause for optimism. That’s because delta is already highly infectious and herd immunity seems to be a pipe dream — which means that if someone has the choice between an omicron infection and a delta infection, one would wish for the omicron infection. If omicron was to crowd out a deadlier variant, that would be a positive development for global health.

Yet the reaction from our institutional leaders has been completely unhinged. We have been told by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that every American above the age of 18 ought to get a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, despite scant evidence that boosters lower the hospitalization and death rates from COVID-19 for the young (they certainly do for those over age 60).

More HERE

Di Leo: Where in All the Oceans is our Sea Freight?

By John F. Di Leo - 

As this terrible year of supply chain disruptions continues to worsen, we struggle to understand certain impossibilities.

Why pay higher prices for worse service?

Why can’t we end this crippling dependence on Chinese goods?

And today’s question: how is it that there are more ships in the Pacific than ever before, but less capacity, so the cargo we need still doesn’t move?

The Biden/Harris regime is proposing all sorts of illogical ideas, usually based on fines and surveys… because if penalties and questions are the things that politicians fear most, then surely penalties and questions can magically double the size of our ports and rail yards to ease the congestion at our many sea freight bottlenecks. Right?

Well, actually… No. 

UPDATE x1: State Rep Niemerg reaffirms religious rights in vaccine choice with proposed Freedom Act

UPDATE x1: State Rep. Adam Niemerg went on record with Illinois Review Friday morning - the audio is below. 

DIETERICH IL - Discriminating against anyone for their refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine would be illegal under legislation State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) has introduced.

“Our leaders are using the pandemic as an excuse to strip Americans of their rights,” Niemerg said. “We cannot allow this abuse of power to continue.”

The Freedom Act (HB 4239) makes it unlawful for any person, public or private institution, or public official to discriminate against any person in any manner because of such person's refusal to obtain, receive, or accept a COVID-19 vaccination contrary to his or her beliefs. The legislation also prohibits a public official, guardian, agency, institution, or entity to discriminate based on vaccine status and the measure allows an individual to file a lawsuit in the event their religious rights are violated.

“The rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution are not conditional,” Niemerg said. “They are innate. I wish that House Bill 4239 were not necessary. I wish that our state’s leaders would respect our rights as citizens but sadly that is not the case. My legislation is necessary and is essential for the preservation of our Right of Conscience. I need the help of concerned citizens to put pressure on the leaders in the House and the Senate to do the right thing by passing the Freedom Act.”

Those who've signed onto the bill include Rep. Adam Niemerg, Joe Sosnowski, Chris Miller, Brad Halbrook, Dan Caulkins, Blaine Wilhour, Paul Jacobs, David Friess, Andrew S. Chesney, Randy E. Frese, Thomas Morrison, Dave Severin and Dan Ugaste -  all Republicans.

House Bill 4239 has been introduced and awaits assignment to a legislative committee. Rep. Niemerg encouraged Illinoisans concerned about the Freedom Act to call their state lawmakers.

Rep. Niemerg spoke with Illinois Review and answered more questions we had ... a short 5 minute interview here: 

IR Interview with St. Rep. Adam Niemerg

The Center Square: Working-age Illinoisans continue to flee state

(The Center Square) – Working-age Illinoisans continue to relocate to other states.

An analysis by the University of Illinois Extension looked at demographic trends and revealed the number of people aged 25 to 39 in Illinois decreased, one of the few states in the country to see a decline. Illinois also lost population in the 40 to 59 age group.

“The U.S. population actually grew in the prime working age, young adult age cohorts, 25 to 29, 30 to 34 and 35 to 39 year olds,” said Zach Kennedy, community and economic development state specialist for the U of I Extension.

Kennedy said possible reasons for the age group to leave are job opportunities, Illinois’ high taxes, weather, and something he calls “brain drain.”

India and China Set Aside Differences to Resist Carbon Imperialism

India and China have come together to resist the common enemy of carbon imperialism despite a sour relationship that has included a deadly border skirmish.

At the COP26 climate meeting in Glasgow, leaders from the developed West were hellbent on imposing on developing nations harsher measures to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. However, India and China, with the support of few other lower-to-middle-income countries like Iran, successfully resisted the pressure. The reason for their dissociation is simple: The energy reality of the countries demands more, not less, burning of fossil fuels.

While the COVID-19 pandemic dominated global headlines during 2020-21, the 2.6 billion people of India and China were engrossed in border news. In June 2020, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops. China revealed that four of its soldiers died during this medieval-style fight between 500 soldiers involving traditional gear like spiked clubs, iron rods, and batons wrapped in barbed wire.

More HERE

Di Leo: Willie Horton and the Democratic Party's Greatest Fear

By John F. Di Leo - 

Reflections on Willie Horton and Michael Dukakis, Darrell Brooks and the city of Waukesha, and the modern Democratic Party's campaign to eliminate public safety once and for all...

At seventy years old, Willie Horton is serving multiple lifetime sentences in a Maryland prison.  His case was once famous enough that we can be reasonably certain that this recidivist monster will never again be released to commit another crime.

The nation is safe from Willie Horton.  

But the Democratic Party should not be.

More HERE, in the American Thinker. 

(photo: Darrell Brooks, the alleged perpetrator of the Waukesha Christmas Parade attacks)

 

 

 

 

Could hyperinflation become the new normal?

A few months ago, when prices began to spike throughout the U.S. economy, Americans were told not to worry, it was just a temporary blip.

On several occasions, President Biden and high-ranking officials in his administration claimed the current bout of inflation was “transitory” and would subside sooner rather than later.

Yet, as the months tick by, inflation is getting worse, not better.

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In October, the rate of inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, reached a 30-year high of 6.2 percent.

Unfortunately, the rate of inflation is likely to remain on an upward trend, based on current fiscal and past monetary policies.

More HERE

Parker: Build Back Better — Wasting Trillions

By Star Parker -

As Democrats regroup to try to pass their $2 trillion Build Back Better Act, pressure grows for shining the light of fiscal responsibility on all this.

Given President Joe Biden’s crashing approval ratings, there is some hint that the American people smell a rat.

One sign of the smell of that rat is the alarming escalation of the rate of inflation to where it hasn’t been in over 30 years.

Let’s start with the announcement from the Treasury Department a week ago that the revenue measures built in to finance the $2 trillion in spending will not only not add to the nation’s existing fiscal deficit but will reduce it.

The headline from the Treasury department reads “Preliminary Estimates Show Build Back Better Legislation Will Reduce Deficits.” The document shows an estimate of $2.151 trillion in revenue raising measures against $2 trillion in spending.

However, the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business has its own model, overseen by a professor with extensive experience in the Congressional Budget Office and the Treasury Department. According to the Wharton model, Build Back Better will add $500 billion to the federal deficit.

Treasury says the Build Back Better cuts the deficit by $151 billion. Wharton says it increases it by $500 billion. Not exactly a trivial difference.

Who do we believe?

More HERE

These 10 Defensive Gun Uses Undercut NY’s Logic on Restrictive Firearms Laws

The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month in a major Second Amendment case challenging New York’s restrictive framework for approving concealed carry permits.

During the arguments in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood defended the fact that officials more strictly apply the discretionary framework to residents in urban areas of the state, who receive carry permits at disproportionately far lower rates than residents in more rural areas.

Underwood explained that this was a perfectly reasonable display of discretion, as residents in more densely populated urban areas enjoy a greater police presence than those in less-densely populated rural areas.

Chief Justice John Roberts cut right through Underwood’s logic, saying: “If the purpose of the Second Amendment is to allow people to protect themselves, then it’s implicated when you’re in a high-crime area. It’s not implicated when you’re out in the woods. … How many muggings take place in a forest?”

Roberts is correct: The Second Amendment is premised on the natural right of self-defense, the need for which is greatest where the risk of crime is highest.

More HERE

Fisher: Analyzing What Could Be a Historic Supreme Court Term

By Paul Fisher - 

The Supreme Court is hearing the most important Second Amendment case in a generation.

The Supreme Court term that began in October promises to be one of the most significant terms in many years. Below, I describe the most significant cases. In coming weeks, I will go into more detail about each of these cases and the impact and implications these cases have. As the Court issues its opinions, I will discuss the opinions and any concurrences and dissents.

More HERE

Federal Judge Halts Biden Shot Mandate for Health Care Workers

UPDATE x1: November 30, 2021 - A federal judge in Louisiana temporarily halted all healthcare worker vaccine mandates throughout the nation.

More information to come ...  from Liberty Counsel - Biden’s Shot Mandates Continue to Bite the Dust - Dec 1, 2021

This week, three federal judges have blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 unlawful shot mandates for federal contractors and health care workers. 

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction yesterday against Biden’s shot mandate regarding federal contractors for three states. U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove blocked the order at the request of the three attorneys general of Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The states sued Biden arguing that the mandate for companies that do business with the U.S. government violated the U.S. Constitution. 

In his ruling Judge Van Tatenhove stated, “The question presented here is narrow. Can the president use congressionally delegated authority to manage the federal procurement of goods and services to impose vaccines on the employees of federal contractors and subcontractors? In all likelihood, the answer to that question is no.”

More HERE.

Here's what happened earlier this week: 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Health care workers in 10 states who don’t want to take the COVID-19 shot will be pleased with a federal judge’s ruling in a lawsuit brought by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. St. Louis-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp halted implementation and enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 shot mandate for thousands of affected health care workers.

Judge Schelp granted a preliminary injunction that applies to certified providers of Medicare and Medicaid and suppliers in each of the suing states: Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

17th CD GOP candidate Esther Joy King releases "Battle-Ready" campaign ad

See whole map at fivethirtyeight.com  

EAST MOLINE - With hopes of winning a Trump-favoring central Illinois district in 2022, 17th CD GOP candidate Esther Joy King released her first campaign ad for next year's election. The incumbent - Democrat Cheri Bustos - has announced she's retiring, so the 17th CD seat will be open in 2022 in a conservative district with likely strong headwinds for Republican candidates. 

“With less than a year to go until the midterm elections, Illinois Democrats just put the final seal of approval on their corrupt, gerrymandered maps drawn for one purpose: to protect the Left's control of Washington and Illinois," King said in a statement.

"The Corrupt Springfield Democrats' desperate power-grab changes nothing. Since Day One, my campaign has been about fighting for the people of Northern, Central, and Western Illinois and protecting our communities from the radical Left-wing agenda. As a battle-ready leader, I am ready to double down for our generation's fight against socialism and keep America strong and free.”

The newly-drawn 17th congressional district includes much of the northwestern part of Illinois - an area considered "highly competitive" by political prognosticators. 

Davis to run for Congress again in 2022

TAYLORVILLE -- Despite political rumors that he might run for Illinois governor in 2022, Rodney Davis, a Republican from Taylorville, announced Tuesday he is choosing to run for re-election to Congress in the newly-drawn 15th Congressional district, which includes his home in Taylorville and much of the district he currently represents. He is the only incumbent member of Congress who resides in this district following the Congressional redistricting process.

Davis' announcement leaves only Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller as not yet announcing her re-election plans for 2022. The newly-drawn districts place her in the Democrat-intended situation of having to challenge a Republican US House colleague in a 2022 primary.

“My family and I are excited to announce that I am running for re-election to Congress,” Davis said in a statement. “I’ve been proud to fight hard for and work on behalf of central Illinois families in this district for many years, both as a member of Congress and as a staffer to my good friend and mentor, former Congressman John Shimkus.”

Thorner: Why Is Vermont, the most vaccinated state, grappling with another Coronavirus surge?

By Nancy Thorner - 

Keep in mind that you’re not considered “fully vaccinated” until two weeks after your second injection. If you got your second dose a week ago and end up in the hospital with COVID symptoms, you’re counted as "unvaccinated."

The case rate in Vermont is FAR higher now than it was in the fall of 2020, when no one had gotten the “vaccine.”  Vermont health commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says the surge is occurring primarily among unvaccinated people in their 20s and children aged 5 through 11 — which is obviously another ruse, given that the shots are just now being rolled out for 5- to 11-year-olds. 

Dr. Levin also tries to blame the delta variant, but delta has been around for months already, first case of delta in Vermont was identified in mid-May 2021.