Illinois Review

Superman Movie Disses The American Way

By Mark Rhoads

Back in 1972, the Chamber of Commerce in Metropolis, Illinois persuaded both DC Comics and the Illinois House of Representatives to declare that Metropolis was the bona fide "hometown" of Superman even though he was born on Krypton and was raised in Smallville.  The fiber glass statue of Superman in the Metropolis town square carries the famous legend at its base, "Truth, Justice, and The American Way."

In July, when a new Superman Returns movie comes out from Warner Brothers, the phrase will be replaced, this is not a joke, by the line read by actor Frank Langella playing the part of The Daily Planet editor Perry White: "Truth, Justice, and all that stuff."  The great filmmaker and American patriot Jack Warner, co-founder of Warner Brothers, will be spinning in his grave tonight if he is not already.  This is an unbelievably sad commentary on the ultra Left Wing values of Hollywood in 2006 vs. the values of most Americans. The screen writers are quoted at length in today's Washington Post.

Another Day ... Another Industry Targeted by Blago

By Thurlow Weed

He chased more than 20,000 truckers out of Illinois by hiking their "fees" ... now he's set his sights on Illinois' mom-and-pop dry cleaning businesses.

The Chicago Tribune reports that a group representing almost 1,400 dry cleaners in Illinois is concerned because the Blagojevich administration wants to triple their fees -- after draining about $300,000 from the Illinois Drycleaner Environmental Trust Fund.

The administration is planning to hike the minimum licensing fee for dry cleaners from $500 to $1,500.

Is any Illinois employer safe from the Blagojevich Administration?

Illinois Hall of Fame: L. Frank Baum

By Mark Rhoads

Lyman Frank Baum was born near Syracuse, New York in 1856.  HIs father worked as a barrel maker but later became wealthy in the oil business.  In the 1870s as a young man, Baum's father put him in charge of managing some theaters and in 1881 he wrote and published a successful musical play called The Maid of Arran.  He married Maud Gage in 1882 whose mother was a major figure in the campaign for woman's suffrage and was a friend of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.  He tried to be a newspaper publisher but his early ventures failed, including a newspaper in South Dakota.  Frank often struggled with poor health.  He moved to Chicago in 1891 to work as a reporter for the Chicago Evening Post.

School Choice...It Isn't Just For Big City Kids Anymore

The Institute's Collin Hitt explains how rural school choice can work in today's SJ-R.

It's a good read.

Link: SJ-R.COM - Choice-based reforms can help rural schools thrive.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Arthur J. Goldberg

By Mark Rhoads

The life of Arthur J. Goldberg was a classic rags to riches story in the tradition of Horatio Alger.  He was born in 1908 on the west side of Chicago.  Arthur was the youngest of eight children of Russian Jewish immigrants.  His father was a peddler who delivered fresh produce in a horse-drawn wagon until his heart gave out in 1916.  After their father's death, the seven older children quit school to go to work in order to support the family.  But as the youngest at only 8, Arthur was encouraged to continue his education.  Starting at the age of 12 after school and on weekends he worked odd jobs wrapping fish, selling shoes, and selling coffee to Cub fans at Wrigley Field.

Have You Had Enough Yet?

From the Tony Peraica for Cook County Board President campaign:

With last night's announcement that John Stroger will remove himself from the ballot for November's General Election - and will instead push for his son, 8th Ward Alderman Todd Stroger, to assume his place on the ballot - even a blind man can see the priorities of the Democrat Machine: politics takes precedence over governing.

John Stroger is reported to have decided to resign his position on the ballot and from his south-side County Commissioner seat . even as he remains in place as Cook County Board President. Even after much county business has grinded to a halt, Stroger and the Machine are content to leave Cook County government paralyzed under an absentee landlord, without direction and without leadership.

Opportunity Lost ... Again ... and Again ...

By Thurlow Weed

Well, the bad news continues for the Illinois business climate.  The latest:  Honda chooses Indiana over Illinois to build a new assembly plant. 

Should this come as any surprise?  The Blagojevich Administration has done its level best to destroy the state's business climate.  From raising more than 300 taxes and fees on Illinois employers (and chasing the trucking industry out of the state in the process), to blocking meaningful lawsuit reform, Blago should not be surprised that our state continues to shed good manufacturing jobs -- and, apparently, repel new ones.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Michel & Shriver

By Mark Rhoads

This article was based on a picture that I did not know was copyrighted by Corbis and therefore I have had to delete it.  The picture showed former Congressman Bob Michel (R-Peoria), (above) who served as Minority Leader of the U.S. House, and former Merchandise Mart President R. Sargent Shriver (below), who was the 1972 Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States.  They are shown in 1994 at a White House ceremony honoring winners of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Both men were active members of the nonpartisan Illinois State Society of Washington, DC in the 1960s and Michel was president of the society 1966-1967.

Bob Michel was born in Peoria on March 2, 1923 and attended Peoria public schools.  He served as a combat infantryman with the 39th Infantry Regiment in World War II from 1943 to 1945.  Michel saw service in England, France, Belgium, and Germany.  He was wounded by German machine gun fire and was awarded the Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, and four battle stars.  He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest on the German-Belgian border.  The bitter battle in severe winter weather raged from Dec. 16, 1944 to Jan. 25, 1945 and engaged more than 1,155,000 British, American, and German troops.  It was the largest single battle for 600,000 American soldiers since the combined Union and Confederate armies faced each other in 1863 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War.

Obama is a dangerous man

by Fran Eaton

Barack Obama is a dangerous man. 

He's dangerous because he's smart, cunning and daring.  He demonstrated it once again today when he urged fellow Democrats in a Washington DC conference to tap into the energy and passion that drive churchgoers. 

Associated Press reports:

Obama said millions of Christians, Muslims and Jews have traveled similar religious paths, and that is why 'we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse. ... In other words, if we don't reach out to evangelical Christians and other religious Americans and tell them what we stand for, Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons will continue to hold sway.'

Then Illinois' junior U.S. Senator spontaneously shared his own soul-awakening experience a few years ago:

"Kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt I heard God's spirit beckoning me," he said of his walk down the aisle of the Trinity United Church of Christ. "I submitted myself to his will and dedicated myself to discovering his truth."

There is no doubt that Barack Obama has been searching for years.  He was an independent young man when he challenged Bobby Rush in a Democratic primary.  He appeared thoughtful when asking questions in the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee.  He touches the hearts and souls of a troubled community when he calmly and soothingly responds. 

Therein lies the danger.  You expect him to be as obnoxious as Dick Durbin or as abrasive as Hillary Clinton,  but he's neither, despite the fact he is right on track with their radical leftist agenda.  Obama's strength is the manner in which he presents himself.

Shortly after he won his U.S. Senate seat in 2004, Obama returned to his Springfield stomping grounds to do a victory lap and thank all those who supported him.  He was walking alone along the rail, and I reached my hand out to congratulate him on winning the race against his Republican opponent Alan Keyes.   

Previously, he and I had had a few discussions about the Born Alive Infant Protection Act he so adamantly opposed in the Illlinois Senate.  It had been a hot topic during the 2004 U.S. Senate debates.  But with some agreements and some amendments (which I am sorry to say weakened the legislation) it appeared that the Illinois General Assembly would soon be passing the bill into law, with Governor Blagojevich's signature.  An agreement had been reached because Planned Parenthood and the pro-abortion lobby were assured protecting newly-born babies would not infringe upon abortion in any way.

"Senator, this year Illinois is going to pass a law protecting babies born alive," I told him.  I waited for a reaction.  In a split second, he continued to shake my hand and said, "I know, and I want you to know I've encouraged the Democrats to support that legislation. . ."

Obama's good.  He's very, very good.  He will do what it takes to win.  It's what makes him so dangerous.

I suppose it's only a matter of time before Obama, like Blagojevich, will have some Illinois conservatives helping him, too.  After all, he at least recognizes the need to reach out to churchgoers, right? 

Another conservative joins the Blago campaign

by Fran Eaton

Yesterday, conservative columnist and talk show host Tom Roeser joined the Topinka Tattler in promoting Rod Blagojevich for Governor.

Now before I get sliced and diced for the headline above, please read these words from Mr. Roeser's latest entry:

Thus I can say that of the two candidates running, I support neither but prefer that the governor win because (a) I cannot believe Ms. Topinka will take anything but the most opportunistic course which would involve the speedy selling-out of any stands to which she has earlier adhered and (b) most important, believe that were she to win, she would consign the Republican party-using all the levers of the governorship at her whim-to further demobilize its ability to act as an independent vehicle for change in government, serving the Combine to which she has been so faithful a steward.

Tom Roeser prefers Blagojevich.

I'm beginning to wonder if Rod Blagojevich isn't one of the luckiest politicians in Illinois history.  It amazes me that he beat out several serious, thoughtful Democrats in 2002 to run against a bruised up and weakened Republican Jim Ryan, only to become Governor of one of the nation's key states.

After four years, he's facing federal investigations, he's plagued with scandal, he's chased business out of Illinois, he's end-runned the state legislature with executive orders that slapped Catholics and evangelicals' religious convictions, he's spent the state into being one of the nation's poorest, and used that money to entice constituents with socialistic universal health care and universal preschool programs.

But even with that, he may be re-elected with the help of the staunchest conservatives in the state.

Who would have ever thought we would have come to this?

Flag Amendment Fails by One Vote

By Mark Rhoads

Since the post below was published, on Tuesday night the US Senate failed by just one vote to pass an Amendment to the US Constituion that would allow Congress to enact legislation to protect the American flag from desecration.  Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama both voted against the amendment.  The measure received 66 affirmative votes, one short of the two-thirds affirmative vote required by Article V of the Constituion for Congress to propose an amendment, already passed by the House, that would then be sent to the fifty state legislatures for debate and votes on ratification.

I don't know if the amendment could have resulted in successful prosecutions that were nullified by a 1989 Supreme Court case called Texas v. Johnson.  As a practical matter, maybe its true that the amendment would be difficult to enforce through legislation to implement it.  But that is why it only empowered Congress to pass laws on this topic.  It would not by itself reverse Texas v. Johnson, but would give Congress the opportunity to fashion a new law that would not be overly broad and might meet the court's objections.

Old Glory deserves our honor, our respect and our protection

The U.S. Senate is likely to vote this week on a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow Congress the power to prevent the physical desecration of the United States flag.

Magenta Illinois

"Illinois isn't a blue state, it's magenta. . .or so says centerdem today on his Daily Kos diary.

Liberal-leaning blog Daily Kos is in a bit of a tizzy today, worried about how much damage the Green Party slate could do to Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich's re-election in November.

While eyes were focused on Rev. Meeks'  elusive challenger threat, the Greens got the job done. They accumulated over 25,000 signatures, enough to survive a petition signature challenge, and are now ready to rumble. 

Evidently there's concern that there must be some very discontented Democrats looking for another voting option. 

"A vote for the Green Party is a vote for Judy Baar-Topinka," one hysterical commenter wrote.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Dr. Mae Jemison

By Mark Rhoads

As a young girl growing up in Chicago, Mae Jemison loved to watch the original Star Trek TV series (1966-1969).  Mae says that her role model was actress Nichelle Nichols who grew up in Robbins, Illinois in south Cook County. Nichelle played the role of the communications officer on the Star Ship Enterprise, Lt. Uhura.  Nichelle started her career as a singer for the Duke Ellington Orchestra before she auditioned for Star Trek. Robbins was also the hometown of Janet Harmon Bragg, an aviation columnist for The Chicago Defender, who was the first African-American woman to earn a commercial pilot's license in 1943 to fly passengers and cargo.  And Janet's role model was aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman of Chicago who was the first African-American woman to earn an international pilot's license for a single engine plane in 1921.

IR Q of the day: Did the NYTimes tell too much?

How much information is just too much?

U.S. Congressman Peter King (R-NY) is looking for a way to prosecute the New York Times for doing a story over the weekend that reveals an intelligence operation that was tracking terrorist financial transactions.  When Vice President Dick Cheney was in Chicago last week, he blasted the media for aiding the enemy with the story. 

What do you think?  Does the American public have a right to that information?  Or are there some things we are better off not knowing? 

Could the NYTimes story revealing covert operations backfire and actually harm the American public?

Should we be accessing foreign banking information because terrorists may be involved?

Discussion around the IR cooler this morning . . .

Three more join the governor's race

Today the last day for independents to file for candidacy, three new challengers filed to run for governor . . . Randy Stufflebeam for the Constitution Party, Rich Whitney of the Green Party and James (Shinn) Blaine of the Independence Party.

Although Stufflebeam did not reach the minimum number of petitions signatures, he could remain on the ballot if they were not challenged.  The possibility of such a development is very unlikely.  Stufflebeam told McHenry County Blogger Cal Skinner that he expected the Republican Party to challenge his signatures.

Stufflebeam, a staunch conservative prolifer, would be the only gubernatorial candidate holding pro-life, pro-traditional family values positions. Both Stufflebeam and Whitney filed as part of a slate. 

Whitney and the Green Party submitted more than 25,000 signatures, they claim. 

The Independence Party candidate did not file as part of a slate as required by law, and is likely to be tossed off the ballot as well.

Hat tip: McHenry County Blogger Cal Skinner

Ozzie's Critics Calling Kettle Black

by Scott Thomas

Ozzie Guillen, manager of my beloved World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, said a really stupid thing.  Ozzie Guillen was insensitive.  Ozzie Guillen was offensive.  When Ozzie Guillen called Chicago Sun Times columnist Jay Marriotti a "f-----g fag", he offended not only homosexuals, but thousands of grown adults who've learned to express themselves in ways that show an intelligent command of language.  Ozzie Guillen was flat out wrong.

Are Earmarks Really a Big Deal?

By Mark Rhoads

I used to edit a newspaper for Citizens Against Government Waste (www.cagw.org) which was then chaired by J. Peter Grace who also chaired the Grace Commission under President Reagan.  That commission 22 years ago made hundreds of recommendations to reduce government waste and while some were adopted, many were not. Few conservatives and some liberals don't like government waste. I read General Accounting Office (GAO) reports which I thought were well researched and I praised inspectors general who found waste and corrected it.  CAGW continues to offer a yearly pork report called The Pig Book and has recently praised Members of Congress such as Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) for offering practical amendments to reduce pork in several department budgets.

Like most people, I look down on "pork barrel" spending and special projects that Members of Congress promote that have only a local appeal and may not be needed at all from a national perspective.  But if you sense the word "however" in the near future here it is.

However, compared to so many different ways that the federal budget can get out of control, I wonder just how much pork barrel spending or "earmarks" by Members of Congress contribute to the budget deficit compared to say, a clerical error in calculating the so-called "automatic" cost of living increase for social security payments.

IN FOCUS: Michael Powers, GOP candidate for Third Appellate District – Part 1

By Fran Eaton, IR editor

Some people get into politics to pick fights.  Others prefer cultivating peace.

Will County Associate Judge Michael Powers says he wants to be elected to Illinois’ Third Appellate District because he enjoys the challenge of peacefully settling legal disputes.

“When I was in private law practice, I worked as an arbitrator and was requested often to be the lead on three-person arbitration panels,” he told Illinois Review recently during an interview at his downtown Joliet office.  “I was told I did a good job in that role.  I enjoy the resolution of disputes.”

Appointed in 2003 to serve as a Will County associate judge, Powers is in the middle of his first political campaign and is discovering the challenges of running for an office that restricts him from personally soliciting campaign donations or openly expressing his opinions on topics that may come before him at the Appellate Court level.

[Judge Michael Powers is pictured above right of State Senator Ed Petka (R-Plainfield)]

Illinois Hall of Fame: Everett Dirksen

By Mark Rhoads

Everett McKinley Dirksen straddles the line between history and legend.  The most famous quote attributed to Everett cannot be documented by scholars at the Dirksen Congressional Center.  The quote is often presented as "A billion here, and a billion there, pretty soon you're talking about real money."  It sure does sound like a Dirksen quote.  But while a version of the first part of the sentence was said by Dirksen in 1962, the "real money" part was not part of it.  But because Ev Dirksen had a good sense of humor and great style, the dubious quotes and anecdotes live on.  He could be eccentric, as when he campaigned to make the Marigold the national flower.  Another story told about Dirksen may also be a legend that cannot be documented.  This one said that he was campaigning outdoors in front of a court house in Tazwell County when a local union organizer heckled him.  "Dirksen you're a bum, I wouldn't vote for you if you were St. Peter." the man hollered.  Dirksen supposedly replied, "Sir, if I were St. Peter, you wouldn't be in my district."

"Judy Baar Topinka - What's She Thinking"

Does that strike anyone as a tinged sexist?

"They're short - generally just 15 seconds. Most use Topinka's own words against her, pointing out that she said raising the minimum wage would be a government "giveaway" or that she has praised unpopular politicians.

They're negative but rarely heavy-handed. The tone is almost one of regret that any politician could be so misguided, summed up by the frequent closing line: "Judy Baar Topinka - what's she thinking?" (emphasis mine)

IR Q of the day: Does it matter?

Both Governor Rod Blagojevich and Republican gubernatorial challenger State Treasurer Judy Baar-Topinka marched in Chicago's 37th Annual Gay Pride parade Sunday.

Does the fact they both marched in the Gay Pride Parade make any difference as to how you will vote in November? 

Does it matter to whom a candidate reaches out?  Does this mean both Topinka and Blagojevich have both rejected the conservative, pro-traditional family values constituency?

Let's discuss this at Illinois Review's cyberspace water cooler . . .

IR Star Conservative of the Week

This week's IR Star Conservative of the Week is one of the most effective grassroots activist leaders in Illinois -- Quincy's Holly Rich.

A member of Concerned Women for America-Illinois' steering committee, a local Adams County Republican, a cable tv talk show host and faithful traditional family values' leader, those who are in the political know wisely tap into Holly's energetic and powerful local grassroots network.

IR PHOTO GALLERY: Senate GOP raise funds to regain majority

ARLINGTON HTS --- Senate Republicans gathered at Arlington Race Track last Friday to raise funds for a sure-to-be-expensive effort to protect several GOP seats and work to win three additional ones to regain the GOP majority lost in 2002.

To view IR photo gallery of the event, click here.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Legends Of The West

By Mark Rhoads

Illinois has seldom been associated with the folklore of the Old West.  Neverthless, two of the most famous legends of the west were born in Illinois and both were pioneer lawmen.  One was James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickock (pictured at right) who was born in the very small town of Troy Grove south of Mendota in La Salle County on May 27, 1837.  Troy Grove is still there, with a population just over 300, near the crossroads of US Highway 52 and Interstate 39.  At the age of 18 In 1855 Wild Bill left his father's farm to work as a stage coach driver at different times on the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail.  In his twenties, he was a town constable in Nebraska when the Civil War started and he went to work as a scout for the Union Army.  After the war, Wild Bill worked as a U.S. Marshall but at other times listed his profession as gambler, gunfighter, and Indian fighter.  In fact, some historians think that one of the first gunfights of the Old West involved Wild Bill when he killed Davis K. Tutt, Jr. in Springfield, Missouri on July 21, 1865 over a gambling debt.  In 1873, he was working in a stage play with Buffalo Bill Cody that was a forerunner to Cody's famous Wild West Show.  He met and became friends with Martha Jane Cannary-Burke who was better known as "Calamity Jane."  She later claimed to be his girl friend but since he was newly married this claim was likely a publicity myth of her invention.  On Aug. 2, 1876, Wild Bill was playing poker at Saloon Number Ten in Deadwood, a small mining town in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory, when he was fatally shot in the back by Jack McCall.  According to poker and western legends, at the time he was shot Wild Bill was holding two pair--aces and eights-- which from that day to this has been called "the dead man's hand."

Next week on IR

Watch for two upcoming IR interviews -- one with 2006 GOP primary gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis and another with Third Appellate Court GOP nominee Judge Michael Powers.

We asked Jim Oberweis:

• What's going on with Jim Oberweis these days? 
• Will he endorse fellow Republican Judy Baar-Topinka for governor?

We asked Judge Powers:

• How can voters know how to vote for judges?
• Has he ever had a case overturned by the same Appellate Court he hopes to join?

Answers coming next week . . . don't miss them.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart

By Mark Rhoads

Action movie star Harrison Ford was born in Chicago in 1942.  He grew up in Morton Grove and Park Ridge and graduated from Maine East High School in 1960.  Former First Lady and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton also graduated from Maine East in 1965 as did pioneer children's TV actor Hugh Brannum (aka "Mr. Green Jeans" on Captain Kangaroo) in 1927.  Harrison Ford's grandfather had worked in vaudeville and his father was an advertising executive and a part-time "voice over" actor who recorded some radio commercials in Chicago.  Harrison attended Ripon College in Wisconsin but did not finish the credits needed for a degree.  After some acting in summer stock plays, Harrison tried hard in the late 1960s to support a family and to make a living as an actor in Hollywood but with limited success.  He quit acting for four years to work as a carpenter before making a successful new start in films in 1973 when George Lucas hired him for a small role as the hot rod driver Bob Falfa in American Grafitti.  His major films have included the Star Wars series, the Indiana Jones movies, Force Ten From Navarone, Patriot Games, Air Force One, and The Fugitive which was filmed almost completely on locations in Chicago and southern Illinois.  He was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for his role as John Book in Witness.  Harrison Ford now lives most of the time in Wyoming when he is not making movies. 

Ford's fiance Calista Flockhart was born in Freeport, Illinois in 1964.  Her father worked for Chicago-based Kraft Foods.  While she considers Freeport her hometown, she also lived in other states before college studies at Rutgers University in New Jersey.  She acted in TV soap operas such as Guiding Light and had some small roles in films such as Quiz Show.  She played the daughter of Illinois-native Gene Hackman in The Bird Cage which also starred Illinois-native Robbin Williams.  Gene Hackman is from Danville and Robbin Williams was born in Chicago.  Calista won the 1998 Golden Globe Award for best comedy address on TV in her role as Ally McBeal.  Since leaving that TV series, Calista has enjoyed success in Chicago, on Broadway, and in other cities in legitimate theater productions.  She won critical good notices for her performance in New York in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Managerie.  Various news wire stories reported on June 19, 2006 that Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart are planning to be married in the fall.

Over the weekend . . .

To feed your politics addiction over the weekend, don't miss three of IR's favorite "don't miss" political talk shows each Sunday on Chicago's WLS AM 890.  (They're all after church . . .)

• IR Contributor Teri O'Brien (noon to 3 PM).
• Bruce DuMont's "Beyond the Beltway" (6 to 8 PM). Bruce often features IR Contributor Lee Newcom, this week he'll feature political insider Dan Proft
• Tom Roeser's "Political Shootout" (8 to 9PM).  Conservative veteran Tom Roeser will feature 6th Congressional District GOP candidate Peter Roskam and Democratic Chicago attorney Frank Avila.

Sit out on the patio, kick up your feet,and enjoy listening to the bantering.  It's quite entertaining and often very informative.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Milton Friedman

By Mark Rhoads

Professor Milton Friedman was born July 31, 1912 in Brooklyn, New York to a working-class family of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine.  He earned his BA at Rutgers and his MA in economics at the University of Chicago in 1933 and a Ph.D. from Columbia in 1946.  Friedman then taught economics at the University of Chicago for the next 31 years from 1946 until 1977.  He is considered to be the founder of the "Chicago School" of economists who specialize in free-market theory and applications.

New Powers Web Video Up

By Thurlow Weed

The Powers Campaign has a new Web video up on its blog:  Powers to the People: On the Trail.  It's pretty good.  Check it out and let them - and us - know what you think.

Cheney in town today

Vice President Dick Cheney will be in Chicago today, first speaking about the economy at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at 10:45 PM and then raising funds for 8th CD candidate David McSweeney.

This finishes up a good news week for McSweeney.   While the race remains very tight, the DC insider political newsletter, The Evans-Novak Report, moved McSweeney's district challenge of incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean back into the "leans Republican" column.   

Sears Tower Might Have Been a Target

  By Mark Rhoads

Many news organizations on Thursday night were reporting that US Attorney General Albert Gonalez will hold a news conference on Friday presumably to talk more about the arrest in Miami of seven suspected terrorists investigated over the last year by an undercover FBI agent. Reports say the agent posed as a radical Islamicist who took the al Qaeda oath and became part of a domestic cell.  The Chicago angle is that the Miami cell may have been planning an attack against Sears Tower and other sites in south Florida.  Sears Tower stands at 110 stories and 1,450 feet is still the tallest building in America.  For 25 years from  1973 until 1998 the Sears Tower was also the tallest in the world.  It was surpassed in 1998 by Petronas Towers, only 33 feet taller than Sears, in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and that building was passed in 2004 by The Taipei 101 on Taiwan which is now 1,670 feet.  Before 9-11-2001, few people would have looked at the Sears Tower as vulnerable but it is even more vulnerable than the World Trade Center.  It is a very easy target against the skyline of Chicago for an air attack and a very tempting target due to its status as tallest in the US.  This post is just a restatement of the obvious, Chicago continues to have a big stake in always improving homeland security procedures.  Sensible vigilance continues to be necessary.

What's it worth to teach in Chicago?

by Scott Thomas, AM 1160 WYLL afternoon talk show host

According to an article in the Chicago Sun Times State Senator Rev. James Meeks is pushing the Chicago Board of Education, through pressure on Mayor Daley, to use the proposed new funding generated by Gov. Blagojevich's latest Illinois gambling scheme (the direct result of Senator Meeks threat to run for Governor) to pay a $50,000 incentive to bring the best teachers to Chicago's worst schools.  Responding to reports showing Chicago Public Schools having, overall, the worst teachers in the state, Meeks said, "The worst schools are getting the worst teachers...We can't keep letting that languish."

The solution Meeks proposes is to find top-notch teachers, pay them an immediate $25,000 signing bonus, and an additional $5000/year for 5 years to come and teach in the worst schools.  Well, I'm against the Blagojevich funding scheme in the first place.  But, if he gets it through, I think this free-market approach to hiring teachers is at least worth discussing.

"No Child Left Behind" In Illinois? It Would Be Nice

By  Greg Blankenship

Is the No Child Left Behind Act working in Illinois?  Most say no.  Collin Hitt of the Illinois Policy Institute we can't know until someone actually enforces it.  The Feds audited ISBE on No Child Left Behin and told Illinois to get their act together.  What we see, apparently, is that has yet to happen:

Illinois Hall of Fame: The Marx Brothers

By Mark Rhoads

Sam and Minnie Marx moved their family from New York to Chicago in 1909.  In 1910 and 1911, Chicago City Directories list them in an apartment at 4649 South Calumet Avenue.  In 1912, they had moved to a large house at 4512 South Grand Boulevard (now called Martin Luther King Boulevard).  The house is still there.  After war was declared on April 6, 1917, the family moved to a farm south of La Grange described by Groucho as being north of Joliet Road (Route 66) and East of La Grange Road (locally called La Grange Road or Fifth Avenue in that era, or Route 45 or Manheim Road elsewhere).  The area is now part of Countryside.  Apparently Sam and Minnie thought that "farmers" would be exempt from military draft if war came to America as it did in 1917.  The boys were supposed to be in school and spent little time farming in any case.  But they spent a great deal of time playing hookey from school and taking the Chicago, Burlington, and Qunicy train to Chicago to attend White Sox and Cubs games and vaudeville matinees.  As it turned out, the latter activity was thier version of formal schooling for their profession in vaudeville.  They learned their craft from master vaudeville performers and writers.

IN FOCUS: GOP candidate for 17th CD Andrea Zinga Part 2

by Fran Eaton, IR Editor

Andrea Zinga, Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in the Quad-Cities area, is facing several formidable competitors during her second run for Congress. 

One is her 17th Congressional District Democratic opponent Phil Hare, another is fellow Republicans vying to fill open seats in more Republican-leaning districts and yet another is GOP incumbents struggling to retain the seats they now hold.   

The War in Iraq, gas prices at over $3.00 a gallon and a Republican President whose approval ratings are in the low 30s will make it tough to flip the 17th from Democrat to Republican this time around.  The western Illinois district's illogically-drawn boundaries cause it to lean Democratic.  Analysts say that in the current political climate, Republicans will be happy not to lose Congressional seats, as well as the majority. 

So while Zinga appeals to constituents for votes, in this tight-fisted climate she finds herself reaching outside of the district for financial support.  Such an attempt brought her to Chicago recently, where she had a chance to discuss issues with Illinois Review. . .

Former Marine opines

by George Dienhart, guest contributor

As a former Marine I am keeping a watchful eye on the sevem Marines and one Navy corpsman that are being held at Camp Pendleton. To say that I have some mixed emotions on how this is being handled would be a gross understatement. It angers me to think that a United States Congressman would use this situation to push an ultra left wing defeatist agenda.

Obvious signs of impending doom

At last . . . a campaign with sense of humor . . . and willing to turn it on themselves, even, tongue-in-cheek. 

Bill Pascoe and Dan Proft, one time campaign counsel to U.S. Senate candidates Jack Ryan, then Alan Keyes, are now principals in Urquhart Media, currently contracted with the Peraica campaign.

Palos Township GOP Chairman responds to IR critic

Earlier this week, IR hosted a discussion of a guest column written by Worth Township Committeeman Maureen Murphy in the Daily Southtown. 

One of the respondents to "Murphy's Law Applies in Cook County?" took to task a committeeman recently elected in Palos Township, 23-year-old Lee Roupas.  Mr. Roupas asked for the opportunity to respond to his critics.

In the spirit of providing discussion at IR's conservative crossroads, Mr Roupas replies:

Hall of Fame: Billy Graham in Illinois

By Mark Rhoads

Rev. Billy Graham is the most famous Christian evangelist of the last century.  He has been a friend and spiritual advisor to ten American presidents and has been called America's Chaplain.  Billy was born in North Carolina in 1918 and his residence has mostly been in that state when he was not traveling on crusades.  But at the very start of his ministry, he spent five important years of his life studying and preaching in Illinois and on Illinois radio stations.

If not Rod, if not Judy, if not Jim or Randy, then who?

by Fran Eaton

I guess I owe the Topinka Tattler an apology for being confused.  It's absurd to suggest he or she (or both) is promoting Blagojevich for governor. 

The fact is, TT writes that neither Republican Judy Baar-Topinka nor Democrat Rod Blagojevich are acceptable as gubernatorial candidates:

Mr. Governor, Honor Your Airport Promise

Signs calling on Governor Blagojevich to "honor your airport promise" are currently being displayed on Country Club Hills lawns. 

The reverse side says "Abraham Lincoln National Airport: 15,000 jobs."

The signs are credited to Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr's ALNAC (Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission), based in south surburban University Park.  Jackson and his co-horts claim Governor Blagojevich backed ALNAC's plan and believe he should follow through with his support for a state-funded land lease upon which to build the proposed airport.

Hall of Fame: Lindbergh in Illinois

By Mark Rhoads

Charles A. Lindbergh was born in Michigan in 1902 and raised in Little Falls, Minnesota.  His father Charles August Lindberg, an immigrant from Sweden, represented Minnesota as a Republican Member of Congress from 1907 to 1917.  Just before he became famous, Charles the pilot worked more than a year on several Illinois jobs.  Lindy was only 23 years old In 1925 when The Chicago Tribune hired him to fly to Murphysboro in downstate Jackson County to pick up negatives of tornado damage.  But a reporter for a competing Hearst newspaper went to the airfield and gave Lindy blank glass plates to prevent a Tribune scoop.  That dirty trick angered Lindbergh and feuled his lifelong dislike of reporters.

Coulter and the Dixie Chicks

Latest from Chip Bok's Akron Beacon-Journal collection . . .

You've got to chuckle at the image of Ann Coulter and the Dixie Chicks.

Logic Eludes the Dems Once Again

by John Ruskin

The Chicago Tribune reports today on yet another election year initiative of left-wing Democrats designed to make everyone think they're solving problems. Problems which they have, in fact, either created or inflated simply to advance their Potemkin politics. See story here.

Murphy's law applies in Cook County?

Murphy's Law is, of course, anything that could go wrong . . .will.

Apparently, former Cook County Republican Party Chairman Maureen Murphy believes that principle.  But not only is Maureen Murphy Worth Township GOP Chairman, she's a member of the Cook County Board of Reviews and IL GOP's 1st Congressional District's State Central Committeman.  She's a long time leader in Illinois' GOP ranks.

Today Maureen writes a column in the Daily Southtown telling us why Republicans can't win and why it's a waste of time and money to invest in Republican races.

Is she right or is she wrong?  Let's hear what you're thinking here. . .

I'll share my thoughts later today. . . maybe.

A Consensus On Immigration

By Greg Blankenship

Udate: Apparently the link to the letter and accompanying studies isn't working.  Here it is.

The Independent Institute has released an open letter on immigration addressed to the President. Over 500 scholars and social scientists (including me) signed on:

You can also find this at Spontaneous Solutions.

Blog World unites conservatives, spews liberal hate

Karl Rove told Victory New Hampshire recently about liberal blogs versus conservative ones (like Illinois Review):

Peraica calls again for succession resolution

Armed with yesterday's agreeing legal opinion Cook County States Attorney Richard Devine, Tuesday morning Cook County Commisioner Tony Peraica (R-Lyons) will once again propose to the Cook County Board a resolution to find out who should be and who is minding the shop. 

Cook County Board Chairman John Stroger has not been seen or heard from publicly since his debilitating stroke before the March 19 primary.  There is confusion about not only who is currently at the county's helm, but  how the situation should be legally handled, should Stroger not be able to continue as Cook County Board chairman.

Peraica, a Republican challenging Stroger in the November election, has been calling for several weeks for more information about the ailing chairman's condition, to no avail.

Illinois Hall of Fame: Mahalia Jackson

By Mark Rhoads

Although she was born in New Orleans and did not move to Chicago until she was 16, the Windy City area became her home for the rest of her life.  Mahalia Jackson was probably the best loved and most famous Gospel singer of the 20th Century with fans all over the world.  She was a member of the Salem Baptist Church in Chicago for 45 years while she recorded many great albums for Decca, Appollo, and Capitol Records.  Among her most popular albums was one recorded with Percy Faith at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival that became a smash hit on regular, not just Gospel, charts.  She died in January 1972 at her home in Evergreen Park at the age of 61.  Mayor Richard J. Daley joined 6,000 mourners at her funeral service held in the Airie Crown Theater at McCormick Place.  Mahalia Jackson was both a great artist and a fine human being and another reason to celebrate the rich heritage of Illinois history.