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CLEVELAND - During his acceptance speech Thursday, businessman Donald J. Trump credited Christian evangelicals with helping him obtain him the GOP's 2016 presidential nomination.
At this moment, I would like to thank the evangelical and religious community because I’ll tell you what, the support they’ve given me, and I’m not sure I totally deserve it, has been so awesome and has had such a big reason for me being here tonight. True, so true.
Trump then focused on an issue evangelicals have conveyed to him as their top issue:
They have much to contribute to our politics, yet our laws prevent you from speaking your minds from your own pulpits.
An amendment which, by Lyndon Johnson, many years ago, threatens religious institutions with a loss of their tax-exempt status if they openly advocate their political views. I am going to work very hard to repeal that language and protect free speech for all Americans.
Earlier in the day Dr. James Dobson, of Focus on the Family fame, endorsed Trump and earlier in the evening prominent Trump supporter Jerry Falwell Jr of Liberty University spoke on Trump's behalf.
As a guest at the Republican National Convention I got to see quite a lot this week, including how sausage is made. But the most interesting spectacle thus far was Governor John Kasich’s performance at Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in downtown Cleveland.
This occurred on Monday evening before the major speeches of the night. Kasich came in to the restaurant to meet some of his supporters and delegates that he won in Illinois and proceeded to show just why he never engendered the passion necessary to win the nomination and be given the chance to lead our party and nation during these troubling times.
The greatest single external threat to America today is that of radical Islam. It is a national security issue with a political agenda that seeks worldwide domination. Therefore, it is curious that President Obama and his administration appear unwilling to take the threat seriously, as they have dodgeddefining even the most obvious acts of terrorism, such as the Fort Hood massacre, by labeling it “workplace violence.” instead. This is not the time for political correctness, because denying the truth emboldens our enemies while causing our citizens to be hesitant in reporting suspicious behavior. The San Bernardino terrorist attack highlighted that problem, as neighbors saw but did not report the perpetrators strange behavior.
A shocking poll indicated what U.S. Muslims think of U.S. laws. Data from a survey of 600 U.S. Muslims conducted by the respected political pollster Kellyanne Conway revealed:
51% agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Sharia laws.
Perhaps most frightening, 25% of those polled agreed:
[V]iolence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad.
CLEVELAND - Tuesday night with fellow Republicans at a RNC Convention bash, Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger was pulled in for a short performance with rock legend Rick Springfield. Springfield was wearing a "Not an Endorsement" t-shirt.
Kinzinger said on his Instagram photo that Springfield asked him to sing a line ...
"Maybe he thought I was Jessie and wanted my girl?" Kinzinger wrote.
Lori Gayne from Illinois' 5th CD - photo by Sun-Times Lynn Sweet
CLEVELAND - The convention credentials for an Illinois Republican were taken away Wednesday when under the surname of "whitepride" 5th CD Trump delegate Lori Gayne under a Facebook photo wrote:
“Our brave snipers just waiting for some “N—- to try something. Love them.”
The comment - using the abbreviation for a racial slur - was posted over a photo of snipers standing on the roof of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum where a Republican National Convention welcome party was held Sunday night.
Illinois Republican Party chairman Tim Schneider reacted sternly:
There are a lot of Republicans who are quite filled with rage over Ted Cruz's convention performance on July 20, 2016. Fox News says Cruz behaved without class. Conservative talk radio and TV personalities are apoplectic that Cruz was disloyal to the party. Party operatives are calling for Ted Cruz's head on a platter.
Sounds like a win for the RINOs to me. What's all the fuss about? All in all, members of the GOP are infuriated because Cruz failed to toe the company line at the podium on Wednesday, and instead elected to bite his thumb at the Trumpian fantasy sequence that is fermenting in Cleveland this week.
CLEVELAND - Thursday morning, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz met with Texas delegates and answered a woman's question why he broke his pledge to endorse.
"The day that was abdicated was the day this became personal ..." Cruz said. "I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father. And that pledge was not a blanket commitment that if you go and slander and attack Heidi that I'm going to come like a servile puppy dog and say, 'Thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father.'"
He did not mention Trump's personal attacks on himself.
KANSAS CITY - Despite a narrow, crushing defeat losing to Gerald Ford at the 1976 GOP brokered convention, the crowd demanded they hear from second place winner Ronald Reagan. He gave an impromptu speech that will long be remembered.
"Sure, there's a disappointment in what happened, but the cause goes on. Don't get cynical," he told his staff the next day.
Then he wrote on a GOP Convention ticket for one of his inner circle, "We fought, we dreamed and the dream is still with us ..."
CLEVELAND - Republicans were on their feet in Cleveland Quicken Loan Convention Hall when Indiana Governor Mike Pence accepted the RNC's nomination for vice-president Wednesday night, when another of the Trump Family - Eric Trump - told America why his father would be an excellent president, and when Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio both endorsed their former primary opponent.
But the most controversial speech of the night was in prime time, when U.S. Senator Ted Cruz congratulated Donald Trump as the RNC's nominee, but refrained from endorsing his former opponent.
Dubbed "Lyin' Ted" by Trump during the GOP primaries, Trump also mocked Cruz's wife as unstable, suggested Cruz's father was affiliated with Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and promoted outlandish tabloid stories that Cruz had been a sleazy philanderer.
Still, the New York delegation began calling for Cruz to "Endorse Trump!" as Cruz continued his speech with no endorsement.
In the end, Cruz said, "We deserve those who stand for principle, who unite us all behind shared values, who cast aside anger for love. That is the standard we should expect from everybody. And to those listening, please don't stay home in November ... If you love our country, and if you love your children as much as I know you do, stand and speak and vote your conscience - vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution."
The crowd did not applause, they booed the senator as he left the stage. Reports are that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli ushered Heidi Trump from the floor as delegates began shouting at her, and after the speech, GOP billionaire donor Sheldon Adelson blocked Cruz from a reception in his suite. Reports have also been confirmed that a Texas delegate had to be physically restrained from attacking Cruz.
Folks on both sides of the Cruz-Trump feud defend their positions, saying Cruz is breaking his word that he and all primary candidates gave to support the eventual contest winner.
Others say Trump is not a true conservative, he cannot be trusted to pick Supreme Court nominees that will uphold the Constitution.
The GOP Family feud that had appeared time to time in the convention's first two days and was visible with former GOP nominee John Kasich's refusal to appear at the convention held in his home state boiled to the top Wednesday night.
Is this evidence of an outright family war, or will this go away as the focus zooms in on the Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton?
What do you think? Did Ted Cruz do the right thing to withhold his endorsement of Donald Trump?
NEW YORK - Seventy or so words of Melania Trump's speech Monday night matched up with Michelle Obama's 2008 speech before her husband's nomination. Wednesday, the woman that assisted Mrs. Trump with her speech issued a statement saying she had offered her resignation, and the Trumps had rejected it.
The assistant, Meredith McIver, explained what happened:
SPRINGFIELD - While many forces that are demanding state income tax hikes for anyone taking home a salary - even a meager one - some of those same forces are demanding the Governor sign a sales tax cut for ... feminine products.
We kid you not. Planned Parenthood, says paying tax on feminine products is "unfair" and "expensive" because "feminine hygiene products are necessary to address biological functions that women can't control. Menstruation is a condition that happens every month for women. It's not a choice."
On Governor Rauner's desk is SB 2746, which amends the Use Tax Act, the Service Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act by exempting feminine hygiene products from taxation beginning on January 1, 2017. The bill applies to feminine hygiene products, including sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cups.
"Taxing these essential products is unfair and expensive. The taxes on feminine hygiene products add up over time. For those living in poverty, the cost of feminine hygiene products is significant," Planned Parenthood argues.
The question opponents ask are why not cut sales taxes across the board? Why cut "unfair" and "expensive" taxes on a few items?
When demands are being made for more budget cuts and vendors go months and months in arrears waiting for their compensation, why do these items get special exemption?
A much anticipated media announcement let the American people know that Donald Trump would not formally announce his vice presidential choice at a scheduled 11 a.m. news conference on Friday, July 15, but that it was postponed to Saturday, July 16, in light of the deadly attack in Nice, France on Thursday, July 13.
Meanwhile, for two days the media advanced the idea that Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year old Tunisian Muslim, was a "lone wolf" despite his shouts of "Allahu Akahu Akbar: (God is great in Arabic), before being killed in a clear suicide mission. Thelone wolf theory was discounted on Saturday, July 16, when the The New York Times reported:
The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for the Bastille Day attack on the seaside promenade in Nice, France, which killed 84 people and injured 202.
Not one to bow to political correctness,Trump promptly tweeted: "Another horrific attack, this time in Nice, France. Many dead and injured. When will we learn? It is only getting worse." Trump understands that radical Islam is the cause of the frequent terror happenings world-wide and of the urgency to defeat ISIS before they find their way to America.
CHICAGO - Despite hundreds of thousands of collected signatures that passed the Illinois State Board of Elections scrutiny, the chances dimmed Wednesday that a reform referendum would be on the November ballot.
The Independent Map Amendment effort was to open the way for legislative maps to be drawn by an independent panel, rather drawn by political party chiefs after the toss of a coin.
House Speaker Mike Madigan, who has dominated the Democratic Party and the Illinois House for decades, worked with legal allies to stop the Independent Map Amendment effort, and the court granted Madigan's complaint Wednesday morning.
The decision against the Fair Map Amendment was in the hands of a Cook County judge - those which for the most part are slated and approved for election by Speaker Madigan. Judge Diane Larsen, who makes $184,000 per year as a subcircuit judge, worked for the City of Chicago before being first elected in 2004 and then being retained in 2010.
The legal lead against the referendum was Michael Kasper, general counsel for Madigan's Illinois Democratic Party.
CLEVELAND - Tuesday night, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Donald Trump Jr. brought RNC Convention delegates to their feet on numerous occasions after New York businessman Donald J. Trump officially was nominated as the RNC's presidential pick for 2016.
Curiosity is stirred as to what exactly U.S. Senator Ted Cruz will say during his prime time speech Wednesday night. The brutal primary ended with Cruz and Trump as the last two competitors, and Cruz supporters are still carrying open wounds - will the once dubbed "Lyin' Ted" endorse the nominee?
Wednesday night's lineup includes:
Remarks by Florida Governor Rick Scott
Remarks by Laura Ingraham, radio host
Remarks by Phil Ruffin, businessman
Remarks by Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida
Remarks by Eileen Collins, astronaut
Remarks by Ralph Alvarado, Kentucky State Senator
Remarks by Darrell Scott, pastor
Remarks by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Remarks by Lynne Patton, Vice President, The Eric Trump Foundation
Remarks by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Remarks by Eric Trump, EVP of Development and Acquisitions, The Trump Organization
Remarks by Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Callista Gingrich, president of Gingrich Productions
Remarks by Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Vice Presidential Nominee
For the full Convention schedule, speaker’s bios, and live-stream video of the day’s events, download the RNC 2016: Official App from the Apple Store or Google Play store: http://convention.gop/official-app
The Republican National Convention program will focus on the following points Wednesday night:
CLEVELAND - Illinois Republican Party state chairman Tim Schneider announced the votes cast by Illinois delegates in the March primary - 54 for Donald J. Trump, 9 for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and 6 for Ohio Governor John Kasich.
CLEVELAND - Conservatives are happy with the social aspects of the Republican National Convention's 2016 Platform.
The conservative Liberty Counsel issued the following statement today:
This platform includes a strong affirmation of life, marriage, and religious liberty. The platform calls for the defunding of Planned Parenthood and the repeal of ObamaCare. It calls for the repeal of the 1954 Johnson amendment that seeks to prevent churches and pastors from endorsing candidates. The platform rejects the LGBT agenda and calls for action against activist judges," said Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel's Founder and Chairman. Paul Singer's attempt to push same-sex marriage and the LGBT agenda was soundly defeated, said Staver.
The 2016 GOP platform is clearly pro-life:
The Fifth Amendment
Protecting Human Life The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.
We oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood, so long as they provide or refer for elective abortions or sell fetal body parts rather than provide healthcare. We urge all states and Congress to make it a crime to acquire, transfer, or sell fetal tissues from elective abortions for research, and we call on Congress to enact a ban on any sale of fetal body parts. In the meantime, we call on Congress to ban the practice of misleading women on so-called fetal harvesting consent forms, a fact revealed by a 2015 investigation. We will not fund or subsidize healthcare that includes abortion coverage.
CLEVELAND - Tuesday night's program at Quicken Loan Center in Cleveland will feature House Speaker Paul Ryan and former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson.
Remarks by Dana White, President, Ultimate Fighting Championship
Remarks by Michael Mukasey, Former U.S. Attorney General
Remarks by Andy Wist, Founder and CEO of Standard Waterproofing Corporation
Remarks by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Remarks by U.S. House Speaker Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Remarks by Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey
Remarks by Tiffany Trump, Daughter to Donald Trump
Remarks by Donald Trump Jr., Executive Vice President at The Trump Organization
Remarks by Ben Carson, Retired Neurosurgeon
Remarks by Kimberlin Brown, Actress and Small Business Owner
For the full Convention schedule, speaker’s bios, and live-stream video of the day’s events, download the RNC 2016: Official App from the Apple Store or Google Play store: http://convention.gop/official-app
The smart thing to do would be to present the metaphoric head of Melania Trump's speechwriter to the media. Make it a "Game of Thrones" moment.
Just put it on a spike outside the Republican convention hall, let CNN and others jeer at the gaping face and sightless eyes, and leave it to the crows.
WHEATON - Times are tough for Obamacare, and they’re even tougher for Illinois families.
Last week, the state announced the imminent closure of Land of Lincoln Health, a taxpayer-funded co-op created under Obamacare as an alternative to traditional health insurance providers. Land of Lincoln becomes the 16th co-op to collapse, leaving only seven of the original 23 still operating across the country. This co-op’s failure alone leaves American taxpayers holding the bag for over $160 million and 49,000 Illinoisans without healthcare coverage.
U.S. Representative Peter J. Roskam, Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Oversight, is announcing his support for a proposal by Rep. Adrian Smith to provide an exemption from the individual mandate for the remainder of the calendar year for those who lose coverage because their co-op becomes insolvent.
Much of the left wing so called "main stream" media is obsessed today with Melania Trump and her possible plagiarism. I seem to recall another case of now Vice President Joe Biden, who admitted to plagiarizing.
CLEVELAND - Illinois' at large delegate from the 9th CD Marc Levine was interviewed by CBS News Monday night about the Rules uproar on the Republican National Committee Convention floor. (Updated)
"He got more votes than any Republican candidate in history in the primaries," Levine said about Trump and the Rule flak. "The Republican voters want him, so that's it. Let's not screw around with rules and things like that. He's our nominee."
CLEVELAND - No, Governor Rauner isn't in Cleveland for the Republican National Convention, but the people that take credit for getting him into the Governor's Mansion are there now, leading Indiana Governor Mike Pence's bid for vice-president.
Nick Ayers, who worked with twin brothers Mike and Chris Schrimpf on the 2014 Rauner campaign, was heading up Pence's re-election campaign, and now he's moved with Pence onto the national campaign level. Before the Rauner campaign, Ayers directed the Republican Governor's Association and Governor Tim Pawlenty's short-lived 2012 presidential bid.
Back in June 1987, Sen. Joe Biden announced he would be a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988. The only problem was that his speech was lifted almost word for word from a personal biographical speech made earlier by British Labor Leader Neil Kinnock. So Biden made it sound as if Kinnock's life story was Biden's life story.
Last night the Trump staff blundered again by giving a speech to Melania Trump that was almost a word for word copy of a speech given by Michelle Obama in 2008. Are these staffers too dense to realize that all these speeches are on video tape? Click Here to compare for yourself.
From RNC delegate Stephanie Holderfield's Facebook Page
CLEVELAND - Illinois' Republican National Convention delegates were not a part of the ten states that submitted petitions for a roll call vote on the Rules Committee's report - an effort that they hoped would allow delegates to vote their consciences rather than as the voters selected in their states' primaries and caucuses.
The states that submitted petitions according to various sources were Minnesota, Iowa, Washington, Colorado, North Dakota, Alaska, Virginia, Utah, Maine, Wyoming and non-state Washington D.C.
UPDATE X1: The RNC released the following points after the convention uproar Monday afternoon:
A majority of the grassroots delegates on the floor backed the rules that passed.
44 states and all of the territories were united behind the RNC rules package, only a small minority opposed passing the rules.
There just simply was not enough support to call a separate vote on the rules.
A majority of 7 states were needed for a roll call vote, but there wasn't enough support and the requirements under the rules weren’t met.
Those seeking a roll call only had the majorities of six states, and lost one of those states during the vote.
Many people were misled at breakfasts this morning and were asked to sign a piece of paper not knowing what it was. When they found out what it was, they removed their names.
There wasn’t even enough support for a minority report out of the rules committee which only required a handful of delegates to approve and they certainly didn't have enough for a voice vote.
The rules were printed in the order of business so everyone knew what was expected.
At the end of the day, an overwhelming majority support the rules and our nominee.
CLEVELAND - Ohio Governor John Kasich will not be attending the RNC Convention being held in his state, but he did visit with Illinois delegates at a nearby hotel Monday afternoon. According to ABC's Ben Bradley, Kasich did not voice support for Trump, nor did he encourage delegates to support the presumed nominee.
We learned a few interesting things in the weekend before the 2016 Republican National Convention… two particularly important things that had been suspected, but only now are proven.
1: In the Rules committee meetings, we learned that the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee leadership – commonly known as “the GOP Establishment” – are now happy warriors together, working hand-in-glove to manage a rubber-stamp convention.
2: In the preparations for the Rules committee meetings, we learned that the Trump campaign’s own internal whipping of the delegates indicates that they have fewer than 900 delegates who can stand Donald Trump. The suspicions of the #NeverTrump movement – that the vast majority of Republicans, and even the vast majority of the delegates, can stand him – are proven correct.
What does this mean to us, as we face the week in Cleveland?
Photo from 2016 Illinois delegate Stephanie Holderfeld's Facebook page
CLEVELAND – The 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC) begins today in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the next four days, the Convention will host approximately 2,470 delegates and 2,302 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories.
The Convention theme for Monday, July 18 is “Make America Safe Again.”
More than two dozen speakers will highlight the Republican Party’s commitment to protect our country and our citizens by strengthening our military, securing our borders, defeating terrorism, and supporting the people who safeguard our communities.
Headline speakers include Melania Trump, Lieutenant General (ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Jason Beardsley, and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Montana).
Delegates and the international audience following the RNC online will also hear from American heroes such as former U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and advocates for the reform of our nation’s broken immigration system. A list of today’s program speakers and their backgrounds follows.
The speakers below are part of the prime-time program, which will follow Monday afternoon’s Convention Business Session.
ORLANDO - Soon after 49 people were shot and killed and 54 shot and wounded at an Orlando gay club last month, top U.S officials such as the FBI director and U.S. attorney general described it as both a hate crime and an act of Islamic terrorism.
But largely unreported FBI findings now show that the massacre likely had nothing to do with the club clientele being gay.
“While there can be no denying the significant impact on the gay community, the investigation hasn’t revealed that he targeted Pulse because it was a gay club,” the Washington Post reports a U.S. law enforcement official said last week.
WASHINGTON, DC - Last week the House of Representatives passed 245 to 182 the Conscience Protection Act that protects health care providers and professionals, entities and health insurance plans from government discrimination if they decline to participate in abortions. The bill's chief sponsor was Tennessee Rep. Diane Black. It was drafted by Louisiana Rep. John Fleming in response to a recent California mandate that requires all insurance companies in the state to cover elective abortions.
The Conscience Protection Act would bar state and local governments from penalizing the objectors by making it clear they have a "right of conscience" without violating their sincerely held beliefs. Currently, if a health care provider, including insurance plans, refuses to provide abortions, the only recourse is to file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services. The Conscience Protection Act provides a right of action for victims of discrimination.
“Americans are facing a secular assault on their values and religious liberties and the government wants to force them to participate in human genocide,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “I applaud the House for its role in stopping this assault on human life, religious liberty and conscience and I pray that the Senate will quickly do the same,” said Staver.
To mark the first year since US Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage, the Christian Legal Society of Northern Illinois held a panel with four distinguished legal scholars to give their analysis on this past year’s events and their opinions on future directions.
The panel comprised of the Honorable Judge Thomas Donnelly of the Cook County Circuit Court, Professor Judith Schwartz Sherwin of Loyola University Law School (video currently unavailable), Professor John Breen of Loyola University Law School, and Michael J. Lotus of The Howard Law Firm (video currently unavailable). View videos below.
Recently, ABC 7 Eyewitness News anchor Terrell Brown interviewed Shari Runner, the president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League on the problems of black-on-black violence and the Black Lives Matter movement. Her predictable responses sound like she just returned from a White Privilege Conference and illuminate why “progressives” exacerbate rather than ameliorate inner city violence.
Brown: “Gun violence is still a big problem in the city, and it’s often gang-on-gang and it’s black- on-black crime….What do you do to stop it?”
CHICAGO - Up through this past weekend, in July 2016 alone, 30 persons were shot and killed in violence-ridden Chicago, 216 wounded, making a total of 246 shot. In the second week of July, 10 were shot and killed and 68 shot and wounded.
Thus far in 2016, 329 Chicagoans were shot and killed, 1888 shot and wounded and 2217 total shot.
The figures are breath-taking, but who are the victims and assailants, and how many have been arrested? Over 80 percent of the killings have yet to have a suspect charged - giving an impression to the killers that they are getting away with murder.
And if those numbers aren't stunning enough, the HeyJackass- Chicago website reports that over 77 percent of the victims in Chicago have been black.
What do Illinois Review readers like to read, share and want more of? We want you to know our readers' opinions matter. Your informed comments add to discussions and help us all to know that there are lots of like-minded conservatives in Illinois.
So what did you like best during the second week of July 2016?
Illinois Review readers' favorites this week centered around former IL GOP Party Chairman Pat Brady and his scathing comments about Donald Trump, followed by RNC Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte's response to Brady and Senator Mark Kirk's revelation of who he intends to vote for in November:
Based on the number of reads, likes and shares, here's this week's top stories that you don't want to miss:
CLEVELAND - As Republicans gather from around the nation in Cleveland next week, there will be signs of the times around the city sending messages about issues they'll be contemplating while nominating their 2016 presidential candidate.
In the skies above, the pro-life group CreatedEqual.org will have an airplane pulling around a sign urging the delegates to support life and end funding for Planned Parenthood.
Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel was a 31-year-old citizen of Nice, France, who was born in Tunisia. He broke Islamic law routinely and beat his wife. And yet he told relatives that he could not understand why she left him.
When he drove his truck into a crowd watching Bastille Day fireworks in Nice, he randomly killed 84 people including 10 children some as young as babies. Some confused writers on the Left sometimes claim they think random terror acts are morally equivalent to attacks by the west on Islamic targets in the Middle East. What they refuse to accept is that random terror attacks are by definition never moral at all when they target completely innocent civilians.
CLEVELAND - Next week, delegates will be voting to nominate the candidate the majority of Republican voters chose in their state primaries, the Rules Committee decided at the Republican National Committee meeting Thursday.
After several hours of behind-the-scenes dickering, so-called "NeverTrump" Republicans were outnumbered and their attempt to allow delegates to vote their consciences, rather than reflect their districts' preferences, failed. That one action effectively assured businessman Donald J. Trump his place as the RNC's 2016 presidential nominee.
Illinois' Republican National Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte and State Rep. John Cabello are serving on this year's Rules Committee, and DeMonte told Illinois Review she was honored to have been active in whipping the vote on the proposed "Conscience clause."
"There was a small number of us that worked on Mr. Trump's behalf on that decision, and that should be a plus overall for Illinois," she said.
"If Mr. Brady does not intend to vote for Donald Trump or vote Republican this fall, he should leave the party," DeMonte said. "Yes, he is a former state party chairman, but he left under a cloud. It's unfortunate that media goes to the disgraced former state chairman instead of talking to current leadership such as [IL GOP State Chairman] Tim Schneider, [IL RNC Committeeman] Rich Porter or myself."
DeMonte said that if Brady was still Illinois' RNC Committeeman, he would be ejected from his position for not supporting the party's chosen nominee.
BELVIDERE - Just outside of Rockford is a Fiat Chrysler plant whose workers received good news this week.
The Belivdere Illinois plant that makes the Dodge Dart small car and the Jeep Compass and Patriot models will switch over next year to making the Jeep Cherokee.
The company plans to invest $350 million in Belvidere, Illinois, the company’s FCA US unit said in a statement Thursday. The automaker plans to increase Belvidere's workforce by about 300 people.
CLEVELAND - "So now do you finally accept the fact that the ‘Never Trump’ is nevermore?" Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager asked in a telephone interview with the Washington Post as he was driven back to his apartment. "Period. End of sentence."
The Republicans that worked to overturn 14 million GOP primary voters' pick failed Thursday night in Cleveland, and Manafort explained his take on what happened to the Washington Post:
First of all, the fairness of the argument was persuasive to people. Secondly, we have a machine, a political organization that we’ve been telling you about. And three, to those people who were not part of 'Never Trump,' they realized the race was over. And to try and change the rules now would destroy the party. It was a combination of people who were for Trump, people who care about the party and people who were persuaded by the moral argument as well.
A terrorist attack occurred in Nice, France, but you would never know it from the American media. The New York Times called it a “mass casualty event” before MSNBC called it a “truck attack,” as if a truck, on its own, attacked people. Perhaps it was named Carrie.
This is a peculiar trend in the American media. If a white guy in the United States shoots up any place other than the Family Research Center, the American media quickly pounces and calls it a terrorist attack. But if an Islamic radical does it, it is a mass shooting or work place violence.
Cedric C. Keith’s “The Dying Fish: A Sojourn to the Source,” is a retelling of Keith’s 4,000-mile walk through the eastern wilderness prompted by his desire to save the Eastern Brook Trout. Keith's book was self-published in 2016. Born from an early childhood fascination with the Eastern Brook Trout, Keith’s journey would lead him to roads often left untraveled and tinged with rugged American spirit. His close witness to the resiliency of the environment would encourage Keith’s hope in regards to the recovery of the environment following centuries of human development.
This week the Office of Emergency Management along with the Chicago Police and Fire Departments held a series of mock drills at Wrigley Field. The drills involved three different scenarios including an a armed gunman running past the metal detectors creating havoc. Another scenario involved gas masks and a chemical attack.
SPRINGFIELD - Thursday, Governor Rauner's Office of Management and Budget Director Tim Nuding and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs Mitch Holzrichter released to the media a copy of a letter sent to all Republican members of the Illinois House and Senate.
The notice, entitled "Fiscal Year 2016 in Review – Holding Strong for Taxpayers," read as follows:
Illinois state government has been overspending and overpromising for years. Rather than confront the State’s deteriorating fiscal condition, prior governors and General Assemblies, controlled by Democrat supermajorities, just kicked the can farther down the road. They bandaged over our fiscal problems with unbalanced budgets, borrowed funds, and tax increases, resulting in record backlogs of unpaid bills and more than $100 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.
But during the last fiscal year, Governor Rauner and Republicans in the legislature changed the dynamic in Springfield by placing a renewed emphasis on the taxpayer as a key stakeholder in state government. From July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, Governor Rauner and Republicans in the legislature:
CLEVELAND - No Republican politicians from Illinois are scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention next week in Cleveland, according to a lit released by Jeff Larson, CEO of the 2016 Republican National Convention.
The convention’s theme, “Make America Great Again,” will focus on the core themes of Republican Presidential Nominee Donald J. Trump’s campaign: national security, immigration, trade and jobs.
So while the kids are out chasing Pokemon, adults that don't want to play may have a chance to enjoy some great book finds this summer. Here's some we've already tackled and encourage you to dive into:
INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Mike Pence is dropping his re-election bid in Indiana to become Donald Trump’s running mate -
UPDATE x4: Donald Trump himself confirmed Friday morning:
UPDATE x3: or maybe not - says Jason Miller, Trump's communications director:
Still, the IndyStar has confirmed that Trump will announce Pence as his selection for vice president, ending aweeks-long vice presidential casting call during which Trump vetted a handful of high-profile Republicans. A formal announcement is expected in Manhattan on Friday. The long-awaited decision upends the political landscape in Indiana and at least partially remakes the Trump campaign in Pence’s image.
UPDATE x1: Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk told Bloomberg Politics he was rooting for Pence to be Trump's pick - but then his staff re-confirmed that Kirk would not support Trump.
"I hope he gets the nod," said Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, a former congressman. "I love Mike. He was the leader of the conservatives and I was the leader of the moderates. And we had a mutual admiration society." (Kirk, who's up for reelection, said "we'll see" when asked if he'd reconsider backing Trump if Pence is chosen, but his spokeswoman later called to say he would not back Trump no matter who the running mate is.)
UPDATE X2: Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger met with Mike Pence before Kinzinger ran for Congress, so their relationship goes back several years. Kinzinger told WLS AM's Big John Howell he thought Pence "would be good for Trump."
It looks like he’s going to be the pick, I mean otherwise they’re really leading him on, it’s like going out on prom but he , at the end of the day, I think is going to end up being him and I think he would be good for Donald Trump,” Kinzinger said. “He brings kinda some government experience, which you have to have. There has to be government experience to run a government, so he can bring that.
But Kinzinger said he does worry that a Trump – Pence ticket doesn’t have enough foreign policy experience.
In Pence, Trump has added a social conservative who GOP strategists say will reassure rank-and-file Republicans that Trump can be trusted to pursue their interests. Veteran political observers say Pence, a former U.S. House member and chairman of the House Republican Conference, will provide a disciplined counter to Trump’s improvisational campaign style. Pence also brings fundraising power and credibility on a wide range of policy issues that are important to conservatives.
WASHINGTON - Thursday, 83-year old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg apologized for making nasty comments about presumed presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regret making them," she said in a statement. "Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect.”
One IR reader Tweeted a different take on Ginsburg's comment:
The investigations continue, and along with a review of their undercover videos, CMP said, "
One year later, all the best evidence shows that Planned Parenthood is even more guilty than we first realized: Planned Parenthood sold baby body parts for profit, conspired with StemExpress to do so, violated HIPAA and exposed private patient medical information in the process, and coerced patient consent though fraudulent paperwork.
My kingdom for an innocent distraction during this summer of escalating violence. I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for a silly diversion.
Pikachu to the rescue! Pokémon Go is here and gamers are quickly making this the "it" game of 2016. The interest in Go continues to outpace forecasts, and I predict that this game will ultimately attract a much wider demographic than Nintendo originally envisioned.
The Starkehaus kids, like many of their friends, have been playing Pokémon since grammar school, and they have grown through the various platform metamorphoses as the game adapted and evolved. Trading cards became Gameboys. Gameboys became the DS, the DS branched out into Wii, and now if you want to train and battle your legendary Victini, then Nintendo in cooperation with Niantic has an app for that.
Nintendo's purchase of the Niantic company and their app was by all accounts pure genius. The acquisition will revolutionize the look, feel and portability of gaming forever. Nintendo's giant leap in augmented reality is going to revitalize the Pokémon franchise and bring back former Pokémon players who were starting to age out.
Those two achievements alone would be enough to make this a blockbuster game.
WASHINGTON DC - Illinois Congressman Randy Hultgren (R) delivered a floor statement today in support of S. 304, the Conscience Protection Act of 2016, which prevents government discrimination against doctors, nurses, hospitals and other health care entities that refuse to participate in abortion. In addition, S. 304 will allow discriminated individuals and entities to have their day in court, instead of merely filing a complaint with HHS’ Office of Civil Rights.
