Illinois Review

Citizen journalist David Daleiden faces continued legal jeopardy

David Daleiden (third frm right) with Thomas More Society's Peter Breen (r) Tom Brechja (2nd r)

CHICAGO - The shocking Planned Parenthood undercover videos that hit the Internet last fall were the center of attention in Houston Friday, as videographer David Daleiden's attorneys argued for the reversal of a preliminary injunction barring Daleiden from publishing videos he took at the National Abortion Federation's 2014 and 2015 annual meetings.

"The government will respond within two weeks to our motion, and the court will convene a status on the motion May 25, in Houston," one of Daleiden's attorneys Peter Breen told Illinois Review. The hearing will be sometime during the summer.

Daleiden’s appeal, filed last week by Chicago-based Thomas More Society counsel, assails the lower court’s decree as a "blatantly unconstitutional 'prior restraint' on free speech, based on repeated Supreme Court precedents that condemn such gag orders, most notably the famous Pentagon Papers case in which the Justices refused the federal government’s plea to stop publication of top secret files discussing the Vietnam war which had been leaked to the New York Times and Washington Post. 

Elizabeth Warren endorses Duckworth for U.S. Senate

Big announcement from the Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate campaign Saturday: Leftist U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed the congresswoman today in her bid to unseat the unpopular incumbent Republican Mark Kirk. 

Once again emphasizing to frustrated Illinois conservatives that they have no viable choice in that race in November:

Tennessee makes it legal for counselors to practice religious beliefs

While other states like Illinois are moving away from allowing religious beliefs to guide their citizens' consciences and business activities, some states are clinging to traditional beliefs by allowing their citizens religious freedom. From the Conservative Review:

This week, Tennessee signed into law a major religious freedom act that allows therapists to refuse clients if their lifestyle and life goals violate their “sincerely held belief(s).”

According to BuzzFeed (via WND), Tennessee’s Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, signed the bill into law Wednesday, allowing therapists and other mental health professionals to refuse clients without fear of being sued.

The law was bitterly protested by LGBT groups as well as the American Counseling Association.

In addition, the state legislature made the Holy Bible Tennessee's official book earlier this month.

From Conservative Review

Where's Weyermuller? With Ozzie at Special Olympics 2016 kickoff

By Mark Weyermuller -

The weather was a little cold until the sun miraculously came out Friday morning as 5000 athlete, supporters and volunteers gathered at Soldier Field on the Chicago Lakefront for the 48th Annual Special Olympics Chicago Spring Games 2016's opening ceremony. One of the themes this year is "Anything is Possible." 

Di Leo: Bound and Unbound - A Convention under Attack

By John F. Di Leo - 

While Albert Einstein’s greatest scientific achievement is the very complicated General Theory of Relativity, his most famous quotation is a very simple one.  It’s his common-sense definition of Insanity – doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.

We can apply that definition to the current battle for the Republican nomination for the presidency.  The candidates will likely all go to Cleveland with some number of delegates shy of the required 50% mark of 1237.  Perhaps Trump walks in with 1150, Cruz with 910, etc., or something along those lines.

On the first vote, nobody gets to 1237.  So they have more votes, and gradually delegates become unbound over the successive ballots.  Under the normal, traditional way that conventions work, unbound delegates either stay with their original candidate, or coalesce around another candidate in the running who’s both winnable and generally in line with their district’s desires, or they start looking for a dark horse to arise who is both winnable and similarly in line.

This is normal, and proper, as it’s the party itself that has the right and responsibility to select its champion for the fall campaign against the opposition party’s champion.  All the candidates accept this process, and always have… except for Donald Trump, who has been screaming that it is a “corrupt process” for months now.

But what is the alternative?   Try to follow the logic of Donald Trump’s argument that “the votes he won” are his forever. 

If Trump or Clinton in November, 1 in 4 will stay home or vote 3rd party

Nearly one-in-four voters say they will stay home or vote third party if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the major party presidential candidates, a new poll says.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds Trump and Clinton tied at 38% each. But 16% say they would vote for some other candidate if the presidential election comes down to those two, while six percent (6%) would stay home. Only two percent (2%) are undecided given those options.

Still, the picture appears to be improving for both candidates.

Hastert's annual $28,000 state pension to continue despite prison sentence

Former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert | Chicago Tribune photo

By Amy Korte - 

Former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert will continue receiving pension payments from the Illinois General Assembly Retirement System, or GARS, despite having been sentenced to prison April 27 for a financial crime stemming from Hastert’s cover-up of his sexual abuse of high school wrestlers he coached, according to Reuters.

Disbarred Illinois lawyer gets four years in federal prison for mortgage scheme

CHICAGO ― A disbarred Illinois lawyer has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for her role in a mortgage fraud scheme that bilked lenders and vulnerable homeowners out of more than $725,000, the Northern Illinois U.S. Attorney's office announced Friday.

Avalon Betts-Gaston contrived fraudulent real estate transactions to defraud homeowners and financial institutions.  She and a co-defendant, Dimona Ross, arranged for the submission of materially false information on mortgage loan documents in four Cook County real estate transactions worth more than $725,000. 

Thorner: Heartland Institute Panel: Vaping as a Public Policy 'War' - Part 2

By Nancy Thorner -  

Public Health England last in August of 2015 became the first national government agency to endorse e-cigarettes as safer options for current smokers. Its report also dispelled several bogus anti-tobacco claims.  Why is it that e-Cigarettes are seen as life-savers by the UK Government, but condemned by the US?  Find out why by checking this recent article of Wednesday, April 13, 2016.

Brian Foitik, guest speaker at The Heartland Institute's event about "The Vaping War" on Wednesday, April 20 (see Part 1), linked the "war" on vaping to a happening 52 years ago when the Surgeon General recognized tobacco as a health issue, where upon tobacco was taxed at all levels of government.  It was easy to levy a tax on tobacco because of the limited of individuals who smoked at the time.  Nevertheless, even after a 52-year campaign of educating the public about smoking and related health issues through word-of-mouth, negative advertising, and marketing restrictions, there are still 40+ million smokers in this nation.  450,000 will die every years from tobacco-related illnesses.  Although 70% of smokers want to quit; a majority have tried to quit but weren't successful.

Governor proclaims May 5th a day of prayer in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - With the state in the midst of a crippling budget crisis and little hope of agreement on the horizon, this week Governor Bruce Rauner issued a proclamation for May 5th to be recognized in Illinois as the 65th annual National Day of Prayer.

"...Millions of men and women unite to exercise the freedom to gather in prayer with thankfulness while seeking guidance, provision, protection and purpose for the benefit of every individual and our state as a whole," the proclamation says.

Where's Weyermuller? Hearing how Tim Tebow's mom chose life

By Mark Weyermuller - 

I stopped by a benefit for TLC Pregnancy Services located in Elgin, Illinois this week. They operate a clinic with a variety of services including free ultrasounds for pregnant women who may be considering an abortion. When women see a live baby inside their body, they often reconsider having an abortion, and choose life.

Veterans served cockroaches on dinner tray at Hines VA, whistleblowers report

CHICAGO - This week, Tori Richards of the Conservative Review broke a story about veterans being served cockroaches at Hines VA Hospital:

“It’s been like this for years, ever since anyone can remember,” one whistleblower said in Richards' story. 

Dietetic technician Kelvin Gilkey has been a VA employee for 33 years. He recounted how PTSD-traumatized veterans in the mental health unit were served cockroaches on food trays on three different occasions last year. One veteran, in his 20s, became enraged and started swearing in disbelief, demanding to be discharged. But he would languish there another 28 days, sickened every time he had to eat a meal.

“I apologized and said I would provide him with a special tray but he refused to eat,” Gilkey said. “He went hungry for a couple of days until I convinced him to eat. He even refused to come out of his room and socialize with anyone. I told him I would take care of him.”

Thorner: E-Cigarettes a Healthy Way to Quit Smoking, Heartland Institute panel says

By Nancy Thorner - 

Cigarette smoking has become significantly less popular in the U.S. over the past decade, it still remains a public-health scourge.  Smoking accounts for more than 480,000 deaths every year in this country, or about one of every five death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while an additional 16 million Americans live with a smoking-related disease.  Clearly more needs to be done to get Americans to quit smoking.  

Some say electronic cigarettes can help wean smokers off tobacco, as little risk to their health.  For others, both of those assertions are false.  A 2011 appellate court decision confirming that e-cigarettes were to be regulated by the FDA was really a victory for American smokers.  Why?  1. The decision guaranteed that e-cigarettes would remain on the market.  2. It assured that e-cigarettes would be subjected to general controls that would promote the marketing of safe and quality-controlled products.  3. It allowed pharmaceutical companies to develop more satisfying nicotine medicines that could be used as recreational (and low risk) alternatives to cigarettes. 

Zo-Nation to appear Thursday night at College of DuPage

DUPAGE - Thursday night, a shocking black perspective on Democrats will be presented by Alfonzo Rachel and local conservative favorite Babette Holder at the College of DuPage.

Shocking? Well, their views are certainly something that you may not expect. Watch this: 

Details below the fold: 

Planned Parenthood pro-abortion meme backfires

NEW YORK - Planned Parenthood produced a circulated a meme blasting Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina's team forming as "the most loathsome pair of anti-abortion extremists in America."

And here's how the meme backfired:

Rhoads: Push Back on Vulgar Language

By Mark Rhoads - 

As a student of English, I realize as well as anyone does that the common definition of words can change over time with slang usage replacing formerly correct usage.

For example, In the time of my grandparents, the word "gay" usually meant happy and free of care. The decade of the 1890s was often called "The Gay 90s" to reflect the happy ragtime music of the period. 

But in the last 25 years the slang usage of meaning a homosexual lifestyle has almost completely replaced the original meaning for people under the age of 45. But just because a slang word emerges into common usage is no excuse not to resist the general trend to more vulgar language.

I have to refer to a once very vulgar word I do not like that is all too common among teens and even younger children.  The word "sucks" was in my teen years considered to be pornographic and offensive.  But in recent years the word has sadly emerged as a synonym for anything that is bad or undesirable.  But I still have strong objections to adult parents caving in to vulgar language by teens, no matter how commonly used.

Cruz announces Fiorina as 2016 running mate

As of this afternoon, the above image appears on TedCruz.org - Ted Cruz, who is running second to businessman Donald Trump in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, announced former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina as his VP running mate.

"Just like Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina is a fighter," the site says. "She fought her way to the top: from a secretary, to the first female CEO of a Fortune 50 company, to a 2016 Republican vice presidential candidate."

Fiorina ran as the only woman among 17 GOP presidential candidates in 2016, dropping out in February.

UPDATE x2: Hastert sentenced to 15 months in federal prison followed by 2 years supervision

UPDATE x1 CHICAGO - Wednesday morning, federal judge Thomas Durkin sentenced former U.S. House Speaker Denny Hastert to 15 months in federal prison followed by two years of supervision, referring to him in the sentencing statement as a "serial child molester."

NBC NEWS: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison in his hush-money case by a judge who called him a "serial child molester" and ordered him to enroll in a sex-offender treatment program.

Hastert, 74, was accused of abusing four boys between the ages of 14 and 17 when he was a coach at Yorkville High School decades ago. One of them broke a lifelong silence to testify about his private torment at the hearing.

The onetime Republican power broker was not charged with any sexual crimes because of the statute of limitations, but he pleaded guilty to making illegal cash withdrawals to pay off one of his accusers.

UPDATE x2: Congressman Randy Hultgren, who now represents the 14th CD that Hastert once represented reacted to the sentencing today in this way: 

In his autobiography, Speaker Hastert recalled that a favorite coach of his taught him ‘a lesson I’ve tried to remember ever since: There’s never sufficient reason to try to strip away another person’s dignity.’

Today, from his own mouth,  Speaker Hastert confirmed his abominable sexual abuse of innocent, vulnerable children in our community —stripping away their dignity while he was in a position of trusted authority and a respected community leader. His decades-long cover-up is over.

My heart goes out to the victims, survivors and their families. I am in awe of the strength and courage of those who stood up, broke their silence, faced their abuser and said enough is enough. My prayers are with the survivors and my fellow residents in Kendall County as they continue their journey of healing.

Roger Simon, Politico's chief political columnist, reported from the courtroom:

Cleveland re-elected as Chicago GOP Chairman

CHICAGO -- Chris Cleveland, Chicago's 43rd Ward Republican Committeeman, was re-elected Chairman of the Chicago Republican Party Tuesday night. The Republican ward committeemen in Chicago gathered in a conference room of a Loop law firm to select a chairman for a four-year term.

Cleveland won easily with 94% of the weighted vote, up from 74% when he was first elected a year ago to fill the unexpired term of his predecessor Adam Robinson.

Sitting in the Dark: An Open Letter to the Illinois Republican Party

By Harvey Bluedorn - 

Well, here we are again sitting in the dark. The Illinois Republican State Convention is rapidly approaching, and nobody knows what’s going on.

Has anybody heard anything about the three things which make it a convention in the first place: 1) the credentials – how to become a voting delegate; 2) the standing rules – how to get things done; and 3) the agenda – what’s on the menu to be decided?

Weyermuller: When did Drake U turn against conservatives like Turning Point USA?

By Mark Weyermuller - 

While at Drake University back in the 1980's, I was a member of the College Republicans. We worked on campaigns, promoted conservative ideas, and even drove as volunteers in presidential motorcades. Today at my school located in Des Moines Iowa, the trend seems to be changing.

Mark Weyermuller (L) meeting with Governor Robert Ray in 1981 at Drake University 

Last week at Drake, Turning Point USA was trying to start a local chapter. They were denied. Here is the story on Hypeline: "Drake University: Conservative views are hateful."

Rhoads: The Hastert Sentencing Mess

By Mark Rhoads - 

It is very difficult to separate the issue of child abuse from the issue of violation of banking regulations and lying to federal agents in the sentencing phase of the case against former Speaker Dennis Hastert. But it is still necessary for Judge Thomas Durkin to try to keep the issues separate.

The reason is that Hastert was never charged with child abuse of four former students and he did not plead guilty to charges like that even though covering up the abuse was the reason Hastert agreed to pay money to Individual A who was a victim of abuse many years ago. Hastert did plead guilty to the felony of violating banking regulations and that is what he is being sentenced for.

Abbott workers, author Michelle Malkin protest H-1B visa program in Chicago

Attorney Sara Blackwell, conservative author Michelle Malkin |Christine Dittmar Chalkey photo

By Hank Beckman - 

Conservative author Michelle Malkin minced no words last Friday night when speaking about the abuses associated with the H-1B visa program.

"The American worker was born in 1776, but murdered by Beltway Crapweasels," she told about 50 people at Flanagan's Restaurant in North Chicago.

Some in attendance were among the 150 workers let go by nearby Abbot Laboratories in a recent outsourcing move.

Malkin and co-author John Miano, recently published Sold Out, a devastating indictment of a program originally enacted to supply skilled workers to companies unable to find American talent, only to be distorted by corporate lobbyists and Congress mostly willing to overlook the fact that H-1B had become nothing more than an outsourcing scheme that replaces American workers.

Biga: The Eloi Arrive a Tad Early

By Frank J Biga III - 

George Orwell is probably best known in political circles for 1984, his classic fictional account of a future dystopia. Orwell wrote this book in 1948 and feared at the time that a totalitarian and omnipresent super-state would emerge just 36 years later. This prediction did not happen of course, but given current technological trends he may just have been a little early in his prediction. But another famous epic novel about “the future” by H. G. Wells, The Time Machine, may be late in its forecast about the future- about 800,000 years too late to be exact.

In The Time Machine the protagonist Time Traveler insists at a dinner party that time travel is indeed possible and then develops his time machine. It goes out of control and sends him 802,701 years in to the future. In this future world, the Time Traveler meets the Eloi, a fair-haired race of young people. He quickly determines that this race is completely ignorant and interested in only one thing – playing. Sound familiar?

Deace: Donald Trump the Wolf Removes the Sheepskin

By Steve Deace - 

"Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15

The scam is now complete.

Donald Trump, one of the biggest stars of the reality show era, finally showed his true colors to Republican primary voters after spending months pretending to care about our issues in order to build (his) ratings and forge alliances.

GOP Survivor 2016 is now down to its final two contestants, and what was long clear to some of us is now completely out of the closet.

Trump isn't one of us. He's really one of them, and he's not even trying to hide it anymore.

Robling: The sleazy way the Combine launched Denny Hastert's congressional career

By Chris Robling - 

On a blisteringly hot June afternoon in 1986, Denny Hastert was nominated by a convention of Republican committeemen at the Illinois Math and Science Academy gymnasium to succeed the ill U.S. Rep. John Grotberg.

Hastert, a state representative, lived outside the expansive 14^th Congressional district. Just weeks earlier, he was politically unknown beyond a remote corner of the 14th, which overlapped with his legislative district. He had served in Springfield first by appointment to a vacancy, followed by two elections in a Republican district.

Hastert’s elevation began a series of events that culminates Wednesday morning, when U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin will pronounce sentence on the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, head of the legislative branch of our federal government.

In one of his last acts of self-defense, Hastert has provided Judge Durkin with 40 letters of support from friends and fellow former public officials. None address acts now in the public record when he was a wrestling coach and high school teacher.

Since Hastert’s 2015 indictment for financial and related charges over hush money payments to a child sex abuse victim when he coached wrestling in Yorkville some 35 years ago, attention has focused on his victims’ stories and Hastert’s recent behavior that brought federal investigators into his life.

No one has discussed how he became a Congressman. Until now.

Their View: Innovative tax Incentives provide solutions to state's unemployment woes

By Mark Denzler, Steve Rauschenberger and Bill Gibson - 

Illinois’ unemployment rate rose again last month to 6.3 percent -- the fourth highest in the nation and well above the national average. Unfortunately, we’ve heard this news before, but at least we know the solution: a stable and predictable business climate.

That’s why a diverse group of industries have come together urging lawmakers to support a series of tax incentives that will help reinvigorate the state’s manufacturing sector and provide businesses the certainty they need to invest and create jobs: it’s called the Advance Illinois Manufacturing (AIM) Coalition.

An opportunity exists with bipartisan support to rally around manufacturing by supporting the modern and permanent extensions of four critical tax incentives including the R&D tax credit, reform of the Manufacturers Purchase Credit (MPC), modification to the graphic arts sales tax exemption and a permanent coal, aggregate exploration, mining and off-highway sales tax exemption.

Masters of Manufacturing: Ace Metal Crafts’ Jean Pitzo and Deb Benning

Award-winning Ace Metal Crafts’ V Pres of Sales & Marketing Deb Benning with CEO Jean Pitzo

BENSENVILLE - Besides making customers happy and meeting deadlines with high quality products, at Ace Metal Crafts in Bensenville, “It’s all about the company culture," says CEO Jean Pitzo.

“We’re culture people, we’re all about the people that work for us,” Pitzo said during a recent company visit. “We can talk about metal fabrication, or we can talk about our company culture, whichever you want.”

Not only is Ace Metal Crafts’ culture unique, so is the fact that while the vast majority of manufacturers struggled to get through the 2008-2009 recession, Ace Metal Crafts nearly doubled.

“We grew 70 percent in the last recession,” Pitzo said.

Emergency funds on the way to state colleges, universities

SPRINGFIELD - Emergency funds are on their way to state colleges and universities after Governor Rauner signed SB 2059 into law Monday.

“This legislation doesn't solve our budget crisis or help our economy grow, but it does represent a first step toward compromise between Democrats and Republicans," the governor's office said in a statement. "Now is the time to build on this bipartisan momentum and focus on enacting a truly balanced budget for Fiscal Years 2016-2017 alongside meaningful reforms that create jobs and free up resources for education, social services and infrastructure.”

Although Illinois is nearly eleven months without a state budget and those expenditures being met are because of court mandates, the Illinois legislature agreed last week that they needed to allocate state college and universities' immediate needs.

More at Illinois Review's  "Illinois legislature agrees on higher education funding bill" 

 

Democrat bill would set new limits on solitary confinement

CHICAGO - Legislation is moving through the Illinois House that would require prisons to allow the most dangerous inmates four hours a day outside of solitary confinement. State Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) also want the law changed to limit strictest confinement to no more than five consecutive days and five total days during a 150-day period.

Six shot and killed, 90 shot and wounded in Chicago last week

CHICAGO - Beautiful spring weather this weekend, and to Chicagoans, that means gangland shootings. 

It's April 25th, and thus far this month 28 persons were shot and killed, 229 shot and wounded. Last week alone, six were shot and killed, 90 - yes - 90 were shot and wounded. In one week.

That brings the totals to 160 shot and killed, 914 shot and wounded since the first of 2016.

Yet the biggest thing on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's mind appears to be getting the Lucas "Star Wars" Museum downtown.

Stats from HeyJackass.com

Democrats aim to destroy America's coal industry

Knight Hawk Coal Mine in Percy, Illinois

Republicans want to save the coal industry, and that fact alone could pull betrayed middle-class Democrats to the right, said Stephen Moore in a Washington Times op-ed, "The Death of American Coal" last week: 

There was a time in America — and it wasn’t even so long ago — that liberals actually cared about working class people. They may have been misguided in many of their policy solutions — i.e., raising the minimum wage — but at least their heart was in the right place.

Then a strange thing happened about a decade ago. The radical left wing environmentalists took control of the Democratic Party. These are crazies who care more about the supposed rise of the oceans than the financial survival of the middle class. The industrial unions made a catastrophic decision to get in bed with these radicals and now they — and all of us — are paying a heavy price.

The latest evidence came last week when another coal giant in America, Peabody Energy Corp., declared bankruptcy. This is the same fate suffered by Arch Coal Inc., Alpha Natural Resources Inc. and other coal producers that have filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors.

This isn’t a result of free market creative destruction. This was a policy strategy by the White House and green groups.

They wanted this to happen. This was what Clean Power Plant rules from the Environmental Protection Agency were all about. The EPA set standards by design that were impossible to meet and even flouted the law that says the regs should be “commercially achievable.” This was a key component of the climate change fanaticism that pervades this White House.

The rest is HERE.

Rhoads: Obama's Nonsense Cliches from Left World

By Mark Rhoads - 

Conservatives who attack President Obama's motives often miss the point. The president cannot help being who he is because like all of us he was shaped by his youth and education.

The problem is that for all of his pretenses to broad erudition, in fact, Obama had a very narrow formal education limited to fuzzy extra-legal and anti-constitutional contortions and social sciences dominated exclusively by Left-Wing teachers and role models.

Moreover, he was never even exposed to any alternative intellectual tradition in all of his schooling and he never was curious enough to explore alternatives for himself because he correctly understood that his teachers would only reward him for his total compliance with their group think.

Masters of Manufacturing: Superior Joining Technologies’ Teresa Beach-Shelow

For Superior Joining Technologies' Teresa Beach-Shelow, it’s all about manufacturing’s future

MACHESNEY PARK – Teresa Beach-Shelow was busy volunteering with two daughters’ activities and developing a career in banking when her husband Thom launched a new business in their garage.

That year – 1992 – spelled dramatic change for the whole family.

Thom’s knowledge of precision welding and laser technology matched up with Teresa’s skills in business and finance, Superior Joining Technologies took off, and the Shelows haven’t looked back.

Reick: Here’s How Jack Franks Keeps You in the Dark About His Legislative Record

By Steve Reick - 

On April 20, the McHenry County Blog posted a story about a bill (H.B. 5529) which, according to Tim Dwyer, an attorney who successfully brought a tax protest suit against Harrison School District in Wonder Lake:

“This bill allows school districts to transfer money via intra-fund transfers between the Educational Fund, the Operations and Maintenance Fund and the Transportation Fund. It can be found at Section 5/17-2A of the School Code.

Originally adopted in the 1960’s, the Intra-fund Transfer Section originally provided for a one-time intra-fund transfer for unforeseen, non-recurring expenses.

In 2001, it was amended to allow any transfer for any reason until 2003. Since that time (2003), it has been extended five times. H.B. 5529 seeks another three-year extension and passed through Committee unanimously (22-0, with 7 members absent).”

Further quoting Attorney Dwyer:

Fossil Fuels: The Greenest Energy

To make earth cleaner, greener and safer, which energy sources should humanity rely on? Alex Epstein of the Center for Industrial Progress explains how modern societies have cleaned up our water, air and streets using the very energy sources you may not have expected--oil, coal and natural gas.

IR Commenter Quote of the Week

Illinois Review loves our commenters, who add color and depth as they interpret and react to the news. Here's one we think deserves special attention.

On the proposal to mandate expanded taxpayer-funded contraception, commenter "Live Free or Die" wrote: 

Breen: Things to consider before eliminating LG post

Evelyn Sanguinetti (L) would be Illinois' last lieutenant governor if HJCR 5 succeeds

SPRINGFIELD - There are good reasons for Illinois to remain among the 45 states that have lieutenant governors to assist and succeed elected governors, State Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) argued on the Illinois House floor Friday afternoon.

Although the floor debate on the constitutional amendment sponsored by State Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington) started out surprisingly contentious, it settled down as Breen offered the reasons for his opposition to McSweeney's effort. 

Campbell: Living a joyful life that originated in rape and incest

By Karen Campbell - 

All of my life, I had sensed that my own birth story held a secret.

There was never a day that didn’t know I was adopted. My wonderful parents had always been very open with me, assuring me that I was God’s gift to them, giving me what little non-identifying information they had from Crittenton Home in Peoria, Illinois. 

My birthmother was 14, there was no mother in her home, there were four younger half-siblings, and she had been a ward of the court. In my mind, I had imagined all sorts of romantic scenarios, but as I grew older and considered the circumstances, I wondered if my mother had been the victim of rape or incest.

Where's Weyermuller? Attending the Republican Women of Park Ridge Event 2016

By Mark Weyermuller - 

Leslie Munger, the Illinois State Comptroller was the keynote speaker at Republican Women of Park Ridge Annual Meeting. They are a grassroots organization advocating for a conservative agenda while promoting candidates, discussing issues, stressing good public policy, and getting out the vote. 

Trump's abortion exception interview further muddies Schlafly support

NEW YORK - There are many things that can be said about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but there's one thing both his critics and his supporters agree upon: the man says what he thinks, and thinks what he says. 

Or does he? 

Thursday morning in an interview on the Today Show, co-host Savannah Guthrie asked Trump,

"The Republican platform every four years has a provision that states that 'the right of the unborn shall not be infringed,' and it makes no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. Would you want to change the Republican platform to include the exceptions that you have?" 

"Yes, I would ... absolutely ... yes, I would...for the three exceptions ... I would," Trump said. 

Illinois legislature agrees on higher education funding bill

Northern Illinois University to get $26 million in emergency funding 

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield lawmakers from both sides of the aisle agreed to a provision for budget-devastated higher education Friday, and Governor Rauner reacted positively in a statement issued from his office, conveying hope the cooperative mood would develop.

“By passing this bipartisan agreement, lawmakers in both chambers put aside political differences to provide emergency assistance for higher education, ensuring universities and community colleges remain open and low-income students can pay for school," said Governor Rauner's press secretary Catherine Kelly. "We are hopeful the General Assembly will build on this bipartisan momentum in the weeks ahead as we negotiate a balanced budget with reform for Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017.”

Republican state lawmakers agreed with the governor.

ACU to honor Hultgren for conservative voting record

WASHINGTON - Only one member of Illinois' congressional delegation had a legislative voting record in 2015 conservative enough to receive an award from the American Conservation Union Foundation (ACU): Congressman Randy Hultgren (R-14). 

Thorner: Cato Scholar Presents Insight About New Direction for Supreme Court

By Nancy Thorner -  

America's Future Foundation held an intimate briefing with a leading Supreme Court expert, Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Supreme Court Review, on Monday, April 18, 2016, at the University Club of Chicago. 

Illinois House passes expanded insurance coverage for contraceptives

SPRINGFIELD - After a lengthy debate over an array of issues concerning the beginning of life, contraception, abortifacients and whether employers should be required to provide insurance coverage for all forms of prescription contraceptives, the Illinois House voted to pass HB 5576 with a 61 to 52 Thursday morning.

The sponsor and supporters pointed to the insensitivity of "white men" who opposed the legislation in House committee testimony because of the costs HB 5576 would add to employers' health care requirements. Both the state's Chamber of Commerce and several insurance companies opposed the legislation.

"Insult to injury came along when a panel of white men came along, saying how important it is to manage the costs of being inside my uterus," said openly-gay State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago.) "It was jarring, quite frankly, that we are here in 2016, and I am still being told by a panel of white men what belongs in my body."

Starkehaus: Trump v Clinton and other Apocalyptic visions

By Irene F. Starkehaus - 

For the record, I did reread Revelation just to clarify our current position, and it would seem there are zero references to Trump Tower and personal email servers in the Holy text. Obviously, I am being facetious in calling Trump v Clinton the path to Armageddon, although it's as interesting considering the possibility as it is sad that I have to point out that I'm being facetious.

While I'm not in charge of the official decisions, there's a good chance it's not the end of the world that the two most ethically ambivalent characters available in this space and time are now leading contenders in the presidential election of 2016. Don't be counting on Doomsday to bail you out of this mess. Nothing is that easy.

Woodworth: It's Undemocratic, and that's Good

Laws, statutes, rules, regulations ... they're all restricting, and at times, frustrating. But the American system of government is based on those laws, rules and regulations that take effort and consensus of many to change.

As Benjamin Franklin told a woman as he was leaving the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in September 1787 when she asked what type of government they had established. “A republic, madam, if you can keep it,” he said.

Thus, the Founding Fathers set up a system of governing not based on the whims of the governed, nor on public policy polling - but on laws.

McConchie sworn in as new senator for 26th District

Senator Dan McConchie was sworn in Wednesday night | Photo by Barbara Hinks Babbey

BARRINGTON - With the unanimous support of GOP county and township chairman in the 26th District, attorney Dan McConchie was sworn in Wednesday night to succeed state Senator Dan Duffy. He will begin serving his district Thursday.

“For too long our politicians have ignored the people and simply done whatever benefited them and the special interests who support them. This has to come to an end,” McConchie said.

UPDATE X1: Chicago Teachers Union President says governor is "the new ISIS recruit"

Karen Lewis made some harsh comments about the governor at the City Club |Mark Weyermuller

CHICAGO - At today's City Club of Chicago's luncheon, Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis referred to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner as "the new ISIS recruit," tweeted Miles Kampf-Lassin, community editor of "In These Times":

Lewis has been saying all week long that there's a "100 percent chance" that there will be a Chicago Teachers Union strike this year.

Governor Rauner has been working to "Turnaround Illinois" by demanding concessions from Democrats concerning policies that he says negatively affect businesses in order for him to agree to budgets Democrats are sending him. 

The Chicago Teachers Union are rejecting the most recent contract offered to them which they say would stifle pay hikes and require teachers to contribute more towards their pensions.

UPDATE X1: It was brought to our attention that this isn't the first time Karen Lewis publicly slammed the governor. At the April 1st CTU one day strike rally, Lewis called Rauner "a terrorist." 

"How the world has changed!" she told the crowd of striking teachers. "We're outside the state of Illinois Building. Why? Because the governor of this state has decided to hold everybody hostage. He's a terrorist! And he calls me names!" 

Pro-abortion Schakowsky to lead Dems on panel investigating Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON DC - A member of Illinois Democrat delegation has been appointed to act as ranking member of a congressional committee to investigate Planned Parenthood. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) is leading the Democrats' effort.

Despite receiving over $11,000 in campaign contributions from the group she's investigating,  Schakowsky has not publicly declared a conflict of interest.