Illinois Review

Quotable Kirk Dillard

Ever wonder what a frustrated machine Republican, who realizes the base of his Party will never elect him to anything higher than State Senate, sounds like? Our guess is he would sound a lot like Kirk Dillard.

And here are a few quotes from Kirk just this week!

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Dillard - a delegate for GOP presidential candidate John McCain in last year's general election - still plays down the controversy over his Asama commercial for the Democratic primaries. 'My letters from Republicans are literally a thousand-to-one in support of my 10-second cameo appearance vouching that Sen. Obama...was easy to work with in Springfield,' Dillard said this morning."

ABC 7 Chicago: "I am blessed and feel free very proud that I got to work with this very exceptional gentleman long before the crowds got to know him," said State Sen. Kirk Dillard, (R) Naperville. 

Southern Illinoisan: ''It's important to show and remind the world that Illinois produced Adlai Stevenson, Abraham Lincoln and now Senator Obama, our next president, that we have had tremendous political leaders come from our state,'' said state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Vestment.

The Media: Nah, They're Not in the Tank for Obama

by Matt Gauntt

If you go to the CNN store (click here), you can now purchase a series of T-shirts with recent headlines on them. Well, as long as they are not conservative headlines.

Nice headlines like:

• "Obama fever goes global as hopes rise"
• "McCain installed in Hall of Also-rans"
• "Lovey-dovey first couple melts hearts" and my favorite
• "Obama raises hand, lifts a nation"

Can I have some Kool-Aid??

Incompetent Jim

They say when lawyers can't make it in the legal profession they enter politics. In Jim Thompson's case it seems to be the reverse. And even in that he's incompetent.

Having lost the trial of his client George Ryan, he sought commutation from Republican President Bush for his disgraced fellow Governor. Having failed to achieve that, he's now seeking Ryan's release from Democrat President Obama.

Of course when you think about it, Thompson always had more in common with the Democrats than the Republicans. Heck, destroying the Illinois GOP was about the only successful thing he's ever done.

Moment of silence is too religious, judge says

Illinois' new law requiring public school students to set aside a moment every day for silence was thrown out by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman yesterday. Too worried about the concept of prayer being introduced to students, the judge said. 

Forget about sex obsessions being forced onto kids under the guise of AIDS education, behavioral tolerance and even American literature. Forget about the theory of evolution being taught in science and anti-patriotic lessons being taught in history and civics classes. That's free-thinking and educational. It's a moment of silence and the possibility that that time could be used to pray that threatens academic freedom.  

The AP reports:.

The "teacher is required to instruct her pupils, especially in the lower grades, about prayer and its meaning as well as the limitations on their 'reflection,'" Gettleman ruled.

"The plain language of the statute, therefore, suggests and intent to force the introduction of the concept of prayer into the schools," he said.

Sponsoring State Senator Karen Lightford (D-Chicago) says she hopes Attorney General Lisa Madigan will appeal the judge's ruling. 

No one wants to mention that  embattledGovernor Blagojevich vetoed this legislation in 2007, and the General Assembly overrode it. 

Blago Spends $1.3 million on Attorneys

by Cal Skinner

Paying off $750,000 to former Governor Jim Thompson's law firm, Winston & Strawn was the biggest legal expenditure of soon-to-be former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Now, the Governor owes nothing.

Blagojevich wrote his criminal law firm, Genson & Gillespie,a half a million dollars.

A much smaller amount, $13,620, went to Hinshaw & Culbertson.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

The Lack of Class Comes From the Top

By Mark Rhoads

Many years ago most parents taught their children not to kick someone when they are down.  Apparently the lack of class shown by some people at the Obama Inauguration toward the tradition of a respectful transition from one president to another finds its inspiration with leaders of the mob starting with Barack Obama himself.  Obama clips on You Tube famously show his immature and too-cute-by-half one-finger salutes during the campaign, one to Hillary Clinton and one to John McCain.  Harvard Law School, what classy guys.  Barry boy, you are the president now and you are forty-seven years old, its time to grow up.  Now The San Francisco Chronicle reports this gem from that good-natured advocate of nonpartisan goodwill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

"Pelosi said one of her favorite moments from Inauguration Day was when Marine One lifted off the Capitol grounds, signifying former President George W. Bush's exit from Washington. 'It felt like a 10-pound anvil was lifted off my head,' she said."  Does anyone ever remember President Bush making anything other than the most generous and gracious statements to Speaker Pelosi in public from the time she became the first woman Speaker in January 2007?  I don't either.

Imagine the Potential

Loyal Opposition

by Ken Blackwell, candidate for RNC Chairman

Now that the Inauguration has ended, it’s time to govern. President Barack Obama has been chosen by the American people to lead. The Republican Party will work to find common ground with the new President, and to support him whenever possible. But Republicans cannot sacrifice principles to do so. If the President wants bipartisan support for his policies, he must find solutions that do not involve asking opposition leaders to violate their core beliefs.

The most powerful nation in the world swore in its 44th president in a peaceful transfer of awesome power. America continues to show the world how democracy works, and how far America has come in its pursuit of a more perfection Union.

But now that the parties have ended, the work begins.

LIFEHQ Organizes Massive 'Virtual March for Life'

Hundreds of thousands of people will take to the streets of Washington, DC on January 22 for the March for Life, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court in 1973, and LIFEHQ plans to bring hundreds of thousands more together online.

The effort is centered around www.lifehq.org, a site where people can sign up to be "virtual" participants in the March for Life. Hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates have been contacted via email, and those who sign up will create the nucleus of a new, online mobilization of supporters of every human being's right to life.

The Abortion Effect

by David E. Smith, Illinois Family Institute

Today we observe the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in which our Supreme Court declared a new so-called "right" (even though it is not in our U.S. Constitution) -- the "right" to kill our children. Sad.

For those of you who think that Pres. Barack Obama may be good for America, I ask you to please think about the fact that Obama's pro-abortion agenda will make the destruction of human life easier and more prevalent. What is good about that? What could compensate for such evil?

Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) spoke yesterday about the effect of abortion on women and the Positive Alternatives Act:




Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) spoke yesterday on the abortion agenda in the new administration:

RE-RUN: Medical personnel's religious freedoms first to go under Obama

RE-RUN:  We're going to run this post again today just to continue yesterday's important discussion.  We find the comments of some IR readers to be nothing less than bone-chilling and causes us to ask who will be there for us when our firmly-held beliefs are the next to be assaulted?

Not surprised about this, but it appears the Obama administration has stopped in their tracks several Bush moves to protect religious freedom rights.  Over the first 100 days, Americans will finally figure out exactly what Barack Obama's interpretation of civil rights is. 

As of yesterday's early actions we know that to Barack, civil rights means it's perfectly acceptable to extinquish politically-incorrect civil rights in order to further politically-correct civil rights.  A Reuters story lists some of Obama's very first CHANGES he's making to rules Bush made in the last few weeks:

Lake Co Young Republicans to host area lawmakers Thursday night

LIBERTYVILLE, IL - Lake County Young Republicans will hear from area Republicans state lawmakers Thursday night about the current status of the governor's impeachment and then talk about the future of the IL GOP.  All Republicans are encouraged to come join in the discussion and have their voice heard. The Lake County Young Republicans will be hosting an event with Senator Matt Murphy, Senator Dan Duffy, Representative Ed Sullivan, Representative Sandy Cole, Representative Suzie Bassi and many more elected officials.

American Reputation: Shallower Than a Kiddie Pool

by David Hendrickson

On January 20th, 2009, people watched all over the world the inauguration of the first black President of the United States of America. This event, apparently, has spiked the reputation of the United States around the world. In a span of 24 hours, we've gone from tyrannical fascists, to saviors of the universe.

Here's the kicker: WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING OVER THOSE 24 HOURS EXCEPT WRITE ONE MAN INTO OFFICE. We didn't save the people of Darfur, cure cancer, stop carbon emissions completely, or see the second coming of Christ (although some might debate this). We put into political office, a black man. One whose ideals are not new, one whose tagline of Hope and Change has been used a hundred times before, and one whose skin color is supposedly not something that should be judged.

However, Obama is being judged by his skin color. Activist groups, minorities, and even white people, are making a huge deal about his skin color.

USA TV Audience of 37.8 million for Inauguration

By Mark Rhoads

Here is a little data to give perspective to the Obama media hype from an era before cable news was prominent.  A.C. Nielsen TV Ratings service is reporting there was a huge TV audience for the Obama Inauguration ceremony in the USA of 37.8 million including time-shifted viewers.  That is no where near the 73 million who watched the Sarah Palin v. Joe Biden debate but it is still an impressive number and one can easily add perhaps two million people in DC who watched on the Jumbo Trons set up on the cold Mall. 

The overseas TV audience would be hard to calculate since ratings are not available for some countries with state-run TV stations.  But it was also huge and another media service estimated the coverage of the Obama Inauguration amounted to 35,000 stories compared to the second Bush Inaugural in 1985 of 1,000 print stories.  

Clearing the air on Obama and conservative hope for his success

by Eric Kohn

While even in the midst of celebrating the inauguration of their personal political Messiah, some of the Left couldn't resist acting like petulant school children:

The crowd packed on the west side of the Capitol grounds serenaded President Bush in mocking fashion when he took to the inaugural stage alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Nah nah nah nah, hey hey, good-bye," a section of the crowd chanted.

IL GOP National Committeeman endorses Steele for RNC Chairman

Newly elected Illinois Republican National Committeeman Pat Brady today endorsed former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele for Chairman of the Republican National Committee in the election next week in Washington, D.C.  Brady will also serve as a member of Steele’s “whip” team as they gather support for his candidacy.                  

"In the race for the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele stands out among the field as the candidate best positioned to lead the party of Lincoln at this critical time," Brady said.  "I believe the Party needs a leader with the skills, temperament, experience and conservative principles to regain our status as the Party of ideas. "

"I'm a liberal. What else should a reporter be?"

Saying despite her political views, she was never accused of being biased in her copy, Helen Thomas opens up in a recent interview.

Conservative Republicans need to understand liberals will never give up their ideological attack nor be gracious to those who differ ... although Thomas says she has to be tolerant.

New Illinois Sign

By Matt Gauntt

A buddy sent this to me today, so I can't take credit - but find it hilarious.

Fox in charge of the hen house

The Democrats are right. The rich are getting richer. Or at least the rich on their side of the aisle. And no wonder. They don't pay taxes!

And even when they get caught all they have to do is say "sorry" and they become Treasury Secretary. What an administration this is going to be. A tax cheat in charge of the U.S. Treasury.

Democrats lack of class

Democrats - classy as always. Here:

And here:

Celebrate the Inauguration Free Market Style

America's Future Foundation of Chicago will be meeting tonight, and tonight's roundtable will be to discuss free market responses to Obama's economic plans.  Three economic experts will be featured, starting at 6:30 PM at Sullivan's Steakhouse.  For more info, contact tim@americasfuture.org.

Thomas, Obama had similar paths

In today's Southtown Star's "Always Right" column entitled "Thomas, Obama had similar paths" , I write about another black American leader who's endured obstacles twice as high as Barack Obama has endured:  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.  From the piece:

Thomas' obstacles have been twice as high as Obama's. He's endured both racial and ideological bigotry. Because Thomas rejects the liberal notion that government can and should fix all problems, he's scorned by those of his own race. Because he believes the theory that enforcing the Constitution is what our founding fathers' intended, he is treated with disdain.

Liberals despise Thomas so much, they sometimes forget he's black and spout off without realizing the bigotry they spew. When Thomas was suggested as a possibility to replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, now Senate majority leader, called Thomas "an embarrassment to the Supreme Court."

Clarence Thomas was among those justices who witnessed Obama's oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States yesterday.  I couldn't help but wonder just what he was thinking.

(Photo from BusinessWeek)

Where's the music?

Dana Summers

The Gathering of Mafia Dons

By Mark Rhoads

Forty-eight years ago President Jack Kennedy nearly single-handedly destroyed the male haberdashery business in America.  He refused to wear hats even on very cold days.  One of the very few times he was photographed wearing a hat was coming out of the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago during the Cuban Missle Crisis of October 1962.  The idea was to make the press think he had a head cold so he would not have to fully explain his fast return to Washington, DC.  Yesterday, the late president's brother, Sen. Ted Kennedy, before his collapse at lunch, showed up for the Obama oath ceremony wearing a very broad brimmed black fedora of the style that some Mafia dons used to wear back in the 1930s.   Vice President Dick Cheney was wearing the same hat and so were dozens of others, all black and all sinister-looking.  Was this an accidental fashion statement or a sign that 1930s clothing of the New Deal is coming back in American politics? 

Is Our Country Ready For This???

by Eunice Conn

Just got word today that six Illinois Catholic Hospitals plan to close if FOCA is passed.

That’s ONLY Illinois folks.

And there are a LOT more than six Catholic hospitals in Illinois!

Whether you’re pro-life of not, that should wake you up!

Pepsi's Obama Connection

by Cal Skinner Hard to tell if Pepsi-Cola will change its logo permanently, but on Inauguration Day this was the bottom half of a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune.

I've always like Coca-Cola products myself.

Posted first at McHenry County Blog.

God Bless the USA

CatholicVote.com Aims New Ad at African-Americans

Illinois Review welcomes Brian McDaniel to our growing list of generous contributors.

Good advertising begins with a good message; great advertising knows how to target the message.

This morning CatholicVote.com, a national grassroots group dedicated to educate and inspire Catholic voters, will take its pro-life message directly to an audience that has been ravaged by abortion policies in the United States. CatholicVote.org has created a new television commercial supporting life and has purchased advertising time on BET, Black Entertainment Television, to air it. BET has dedicated much of its program content to covering the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. Industry analysis expects African-Americans to watch BET's coverage disproportionately to other news channels today.

God Bless America

Final scene from The Deer Hunter

"Here, and no further"

From the United Republican Fund:

As the millions of Americans who voted for "change" last November celebrate today's inauguration of Barack Obama - we must use this event as a launching pad for the restoration of our Republican Party in Illinois.

After all, Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate as a result of the infighting and backbiting that has plagued our party for far too long.

And today's event comes on the heels of the arrest of our governor - a corrupt, unpopular politician who was re-elected in a landslide over the feckless, uninspiring candidate fielded by the Republicans in 2006.

Today is the day that we draw the line in the sand and say "here and no further." 

One of America's Finest Hours

Talk about it: Are we waving a white flag?

COMMENTARY -- Today is a day long anticipated by Obama followers, and one the media, Hollywood, liberals, leftists have sought to celebrate since the November 2000 election.  For eight years, with ultimate revenge on their minds, liberal Democrats worked to make America discontented and angry with Republicans.  Shamefully, Republicans gradually began aiding and abetting their political enemy, rather than stay true to principles that made our country and the movement great.  We allowed greed, pride and arrogance to erode public support as some within our ranks foolishly became convinced of their own importance and invincibility. 

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

Back to The Future: Reagan's Inaugural Address 1981

Some things never change

Paul Aplington, a school teacher from Pontiac, Illinois, pays his respects to the guv on a recent teacher's field trip to Springfield.

h/t: IR reader

Ayers denied entry into Canada

Check out the story here. As one of our readers noted:

"Canada has the good sense to deny entry into their country to this piece of trash, and in Chicago he’s a tenured professor at one of our public universities."

We couldn't say it better.

Will you watch the inauguration?

Yes, it's history... No, it's nauseating...some, I don't want to miss anything.

Tell us...

Wham Bam Thank You ... Voters

by Andy Haaf

I am very ashamed to admit as a resident of Kane County, specifically in Batavia, I have absolutely no idea who most of my elected officials are let alone what they are up to. I know, very sad. But even more sad is I am actually one of the few people, like you who read this blog, who are relatively informed compared to most.

I try to subscribe via email and RSS to this and that. I try to watch Fox News each evening. I tune into WLSAM 890. I attend Republican groups and so on. But despite these attempts I am still relatively naive and disconnected. The election process is easy. Nearly everyone is engaged and politicians want and need your attention. However, it is the political process between elections I am concerned most about.

Change is Good

Thinking long-term is not what St. Louis does best

by Eric Kohn

St. Louis can be a befuddling place sometimes:

A busy St. Louis street will be renamed Barack Obama Boulevard in honor of the soon-to-be president.

Aldermen approved the measure Friday. A stretch of Delmar Boulevard will still be known on maps by its original name. But signage will name the street after the 44th president.

Sponsoring Alderwoman Kacie Starr Triplett says she wanted to acknowledge Obama even before his inauguration next Tuesday, calling him "one of our nation's truly transformational leaders."

A truly transformational leader?  I'm sorry, but have I been caught in some kind of time lag?  He's not President until Noon tomorrow.  And they certainly can't be talking about his half-term in the US Senate, as he spent much of it campaigning for President.  I don't really know what in that is "transformational".

Bush Commutes Border Patrols Compean and Ramos' sentences

Fox reports HERE.  More to come...

Not going to the inaugural? Try this Chicago GOP event

by John Ruberry

The Chicago Tribune has good news for those of you who will not be traveling to tomorrow's Barack Obama inauguration. There are other events out there, and I want to focus one taking place in Chicago for people who aren't in lockstep with Obama.

Well, you're in luck, because Joe Birkett will be the featured guest at the Chicago Young Republicans' Inaugural After Party, which runs Tuesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Dugan's on Halsted (128 S. Halsted St.; 312-421-7191; $50, $20 for Young Republicans, free for Chicago Young Republicans paid members).

"This is meant not as an anti-Obama event. It's meant as a pro-Joe Birkett event," said Dan Curry, spokesman for the former prosecutor currently weighing a run for governor or attorney general. "It's just a gathering, a get-together, to watch some of the inauguration festivities and launch a loyal opposition to Democratic rule in Illinois."

The New Revolution in Washington D.C

By Ceasar I. LeFlore III

A great black political figure is emerging in January 2009 to potentially assume what could be years of dynamic leadership in Washington D.C. This marks a historic new day – a time of hope and change – and it’s coming with the establishment of national black political leadership in America that is both unprecedented, and long overdue.

Even though this great man insists that he does not want to be recognized because of his race, but says “… I am not running …because of my race — I am running because of my principles and my vision, and I believe that I have the most experience and the best plan…” - one cannot ignore just how significant this change in the political landscape will prove to be for race relations in America.

I’m speaking of the emergence of Ken Blackwell, former Ohio Secretary of State and presently a candidate for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

MLK: "I Have a Dream"

August 28, 1963

Blagojevich: a two-term bad apple

It took the inauguration of an Illinoisan to the presidency to distract from Illinois' embarrassing political drama, writes Kevin McDermott in today's Post-Dispatch.  Barack Obama is the fourth president who spent any substantial length of time in Illinois.  The other three were  Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Ronald Reagan -- all three left indelible marks on U.S. history.

But we get  a sniff of how the Dems are preparing to smooth over this nasty segment of Illinois' history:  Blagojevich is a political aberration  (although he was elected governor twice)... Obama is Illinois Democratic normalcy (although he was elected U.S. Senator once).

The Blagojevich drama has involved primarily the state's ruling Democrats, who have been fervent critics of their own party's governor in the last two years. Democratic lawmakers now are eager to characterize Blagojevich as a political aberration, and Obama as more representative of the state's political legacy.

Blagojevich "was a bad apple in the barrel, and we're getting that bad apple out," said state Rep. Thomas Holbrook, D-Belleville. He said Obama's ascension, meanwhile, "speaks to what a quality state we really are."

Will the Republican response be, "At least George Ryan was a one-term bad apple"?  What should be Republicans' response to this Democratic spin?

LaHood no belle at IL Society ball

While giving a pass to the Treasury Secretary nominee for forgetting to pay $34,000 in taxes as a "hiccup" and the Secretary of State nominee for finding millions of foreign government funds in the family bank account, looks like the Dems are finding it necessary to clamp down on Transportation Secretary nominee former Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood (R-Peoria). 

The Galesburg Register-Mail reports today that LaHood won't be attending the prestigious Illinois State Society's Inaugural Ball tonight in DC because the ball is paid for by not only $500/person tickets, but donation from lobbying interests.  Since LaHood's background includes millions of Congressional earmarks and ties to Blagojevich-tainted deals with Springfield's Bill Cellini, Obama's transition team is focused this week on LaHood's party habits.

The Galesburg Register-Mail lists donations to the Illinois Society Inaugural Ball ranging from $55k from Motorola and Exelon Corp to thousands from state universities (often poor-mouthing and asking for more state funds) and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co (didn't they get bailout funds?).  

Truth be told, environmentalists don't like LaHood's low voting scores on environmental issues and don't like the fact that he was considered a conservative-leaning, Hastert-linked Congressman while in the U.S. House. In other words, LaHood's not a shoe-in, although he will be attending the Obama home states' ball Tuesday night.  His nomination hearings were postponed last week, awaiting "more documentation" and were re-scheduled for later this week.  This is one hearing where Democrat-generated sparks may fly.

US Troops commence Iraq withdrawal, before Obama's watch

Sunday, Temple Texas' Daily Telegram reported on Saturday's homecoming for our son-in-law's 4th Infantry division staff return from Baghdad to their Ft. Hood U.S. Army home base.  

If this was an Illinois military base, you could bet Barack Obama would somehow be given credit for this. The new commander-in-chief promises to pull US troops out of Iraq in "an orderly way."  Fact is, it's something that was already in the works months before Obama was elected.  From the Telegram's report:

Barack's Bailout for Trial Lawyers

by Phyllis Schlafly

The jobless rate just hit its highest level in 16 years: 7.2 percent, which means more than 11 million Americans are unemployed. So the Democratic House responded by passing two bills making it more costly to hire workers.

In case you don't have HBO...

Here's some photos from Sunday afternoon's Obama "We are One" inaugural event at the Lincoln Memorial in DC. From the Presidential Inauguration Committee's website:

America, the Beautiful -- Ray Charles, 1991

What an emotional up and down weekend we're all living ... the beginning of more to come, most certainly. No matter what comes in the days ahead, we must remember that America is beautiful and we pray that God will shed His grace on us...Sit back and enjoy one of the best ...