Local Interest
Candidates for Illinois Governor & U.S. Senate Take On Chicago Style Politics
Submitted by anonymous on September 1, 2010 - 12:38amSEPTEMBER 1, 2010
Michael White for Governor Campaign
INFO@ILLINOIS2010.com
Mr. Michael White of Lindenhurst and Dr. Will Boyd of Greenville have filed suit against the Attorney General, Secretary of State and Chairman of the State Board of Elections
Springfield, IL September 1, 2010: The County of Sangamon Circuit Court has scheduled an Emergency Motion before Judge Graves in Courtroom 5D in the Sangamon County Courthouse on Wednesday at 10AM (September 1st).
The Illnois (and National) Paradox: Two-Faced Corporate Personhood -- Elected and Convicted
Submitted by anonymous on August 27, 2010 - 11:19pmProbably the best thing I've seen written on the (current, perpetual) problem of politics in this state and the nation...
Forgive me for being a tad confused. I am finding it difficult to understand why one person goes to jail for privately selling an appointment for elected office while others have a legal right to buy their elected positions. The U.S. Supreme Court says corporations are persons in terms of exercising free speech through political contributions. Other persons who behave more like corporations than persons are spending personal fortunes buying positions of power in the public sector.
Meg Whitman is working hard to buy the governorship of California. Rick Scott is doing the same in Florida. Millions and millions of dollars of their own personal fortunes have already been spent in their primary battles and both plan to spend "whatever it takes" to win. In both states, the good that could be accomplished with what these two corporate born and bred candidates are spending to win their elections points to how insane our election process has become.
Greg Koger Found Guilty and Currently Being Held in Cook County Jail
Submitted by Brian Dolinar on August 27, 2010 - 9:25am
Greg Koger was found guilty on three misdemeanor counts by a jury on Thursday, August 26, 2010. Charges against him were pressed by the so-called Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago and carried out by the Skokie police and a Cook County State's Attorney. After he was found guilty following a three-day trial, a judge immediately revoked his bond and sent him directly to the Cook County jail where he spent last night.
I met Greg in 2005 through the UC-IMC Books to Prisoners program. Greg was then an inmate in Pontiac Correctional Center and we became pen pals. In December 2006, Greg was released and has since lived in Chicago and held a job as a paralegal working for an attorney.
To hear of Greg's re-incarceration is crushing. Greg is no harm to society. His jailing is another sign of a cruel and inhumane criminal in-justice system.
Below is a statement from the Ad Hoc Committee for Reason and Dropping the Charges in support of Greg.
BD
That Mysterious Gun with a Mind of Its Own Lives On?!?
Submitted by anonymous on August 26, 2010 - 11:10amThe News-Gazette strikes again in its efforts to portray anything the police do as no worse than regrettable. In today's (Aug. 26, 2010) edition, a front page story by Patrick Wade continues the baffling stupidity of insisting that Officer Daniel Norbits didn't shoot Kiwane Carrington, his gun did!????
Interestingly, they are now able to admit it was a "police shooting" that killed the 15-year old in the first paragraph, but then return to their pattern of acting as if Norbits just happened to be there when it "discharged," killing Kiwane. With that sort of logic, since Chief RT Finney also was there when the trigger pulled itself, then why wasn't he also disciplined, since maybe he should also be failed with supervising Norbitts's gun? The newspaper can't bring itself to admit that it was Norbitts who pulled the trigger.
Bullying at school is a pervasive problem that affects millions of students every year.
Submitted by anonymous on August 26, 2010 - 10:33am
Affects of Bullying at School often Overlooked
While the US National Statistics will say the violent crimes are decreasing in public school, bullying, either as an act of verbal or physical abuse, is a problem that is not decreasing.
The Battle of Mahomet: A Reflection on the Strike
Submitted by Neil Parthun on August 23, 2010 - 8:40pm
MSEA Strike Picket
<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->Students and educators in Mahomet were back to class on Monday, Aug. 23 after the Mahomet Seymour Education Association (MSEA) and the school board were able to settle on a new contract on Aug. 20. The settlement marked an end to a two-day strike, the first strike ever in their union’s history.
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MSEA secured a one-year contract with 2.6% raise (step + .5%) for teachers, 3.5% (step + 1%) for aides and 3.5% for other support staff. Union president Joan Jordan commented on the two-day strike and the negotiations saying, “I’ve negotiated several contracts and this has been the most contentious process I have ever been through.”
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Building Up to ‘The Battle’
Mahomet Seymour Education Association Strike SETTLED!
Submitted by Neil Parthun on August 20, 2010 - 3:11pmThe Mahomet Seymour Education Association is claiming victory having settled a contract about 2:30 pm on August 20. This signals and end to the two day strike for MSEA.
More details and pictures will be forthcoming here at UCIMC later today.
FRATERNITY BOYCOTTS BLOOMINGTON’S MARRIOT HOTEL!!!
Submitted by anonymous on August 20, 2010 - 1:00pmFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRATERNITY BOYCOTTS BLOOMINGTON’S MARRIOT HOTEL!!!
SEIU and Campus Unions Hold “Chop from the Top” Rally on Move-In Day at UIUC
Submitted by Brian Dolinar on August 19, 2010 - 10:09pm
As students were moving into campus dorms along Florida and Pennsylvania Avenues in Urbana, the SEIU Local 73 and the Campus Labor Coalition held a rally to bring attention to the deepening crisis in public education. The union also held other pickets across campus throughout the day. At lunchtime, they marched in front of students and parents chanting “Students Move In! Tuition Hikes Out! Students Move In! Wage Freezes Out!”
As freshmen students return to campus this fall, they face a 9.5% tuition increase voted on this summer by the Board of Trustees. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is asking workers to accept wage freezes and recent hires among the Building Service Workers are recommended to take a 13.5% pay cut. Across the campus, empty faculty positions are not being filled, job searches are being cancelled, tuition waivers for graduate students in Fine Arts are being rescinded, and annual contracts for lecturers and instructors are not being renewed.
Mahomet Seymour Education Association on Strike
Submitted by Neil Parthun on August 19, 2010 - 8:08pm
MSEA Picket
The first day of school for Mahomet Seymour students did not happen today because the Mahomet Seymour Education Association (MSEA) has been out on strike since 7 am.
The union has had previous struggles with the school board over employment issues. The summer of 2009 was spent pressuring the district to bargain with MSEA about staff performing medical procedures like the insertion of catheters. The district board had refused to negotiate the matter and expected non-medical staff to perform medical procedures.
Illinois ACLU seeks end to prosecutions for recording public conversations with police
Submitted by anonymous on August 19, 2010 - 11:40am
Why Do Elephants Have Big Feet? To squash Illinois voter choice!
Submitted by anonymous on August 18, 2010 - 7:43am
“The Illinois Republican Party has always worked to ensure that candidates have a legal and legitimate right to be on the ballot and that the integrity of the process is upheld”
- Wes Bleed, Spokesperson Illinois Republican Party
Elephant dung translated - “ Chicago style politics”
Why is the Illinois Republican Party squashing a free and equal election process?
Could it be a . . .
- weak Republican Candidate pool?
- presumption that voters are not intelligent enough to make their own choices?
- lack of integrity?
The Republican Brady Boys (Bill and Pat) continue to hide behind a facade of protecting the “process” and the people of Illinois. The Brady Boys continue to say one thing and do another. They trumpet about breaking from business as usual in Illinois while employing the same progressive tactics as a former Democrat US Senator did to win his seat.
The End Justifies the Means / What does the Illinois Republican Party stand for?
Submitted by anonymous on August 9, 2010 - 8:18am
The End Justifies the Means
What does the Illinois Republican Party stand for?
The Illinois Republican Party, a party that claims to support “less litigation*,” retained attorneys and a private investigator to limit your choice in the November 2nd election. To block ballot access, they have attacked the candidates, the petition circulators and challenged the intention of Illinois voters.
After candidates and volunteers for the Constitution Party spent 4 grueling days analyzing thousands of individual petition signer entries at the Illinois Board of Elections in Springfield, the Board of Elections determined that at least 25,017 voter’s entries are VALID (exceeding the minimum requirement for ballot access).
'Clean Coal' Bottom Feeders: Chu Hands Out $1 Billion in Big Coal Welfare, Durbin Hands Out Cigars
Submitted by anonymous on August 9, 2010 - 12:30amThe demise of the climate and clean energy bill be damned! Welcome to Meredosia, Illinois, catfish capital of the world!
And now, home to the next installment of bottom-feeding Big Coal welfare -- a check for nearly $1 billion to retrofit a decrepit old plant from Energy Secretary Steven Chu for FutureGen 2.0, our nation's scandalous "clean coal" boondoggle.
As his prairie state's schools go down the drain in the current budget crisis, US Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is passing out cigars for the welfare check, and ludicrously claiming that FutureGen 2.0 will create more than 30,000 jobs in the next ten years.
My web site
Submitted by nvrqut2@aol.com on August 3, 2010 - 8:25pmPlease check out my web site: www.savingmychildren.com
Say What You Mean / Mean What You Say Calling Out The Illinois Republican Party
Submitted by anonymous on August 2, 2010 - 9:58pm
“I’m going to end the old politics and corruption in Illinois . . . , I’m not part of the insider deals. As Governor I‘m going to do what I’ve always done: Stand up for what I think is right.”
- Bill Brady, Republican Candidate for Governor
To secure ballot access in the November 2nd election, the Constitution Party obtained over 32,500* signatures only to be strong-armed by politics as usual when Republican attorneys filed objections to our nominating papers. The political and legal wrangling that ensued has accomplished nothing more than increase lawyer fees and waste Illinois taxpayer money. While the Constitution Party acknowledges the right of an individual to file an objection, we maintain that a voter’s right to choose a candidate is tantamount to a Free and Equal election.
An alternative for Illinois
Submitted by anonymous on August 2, 2010 - 3:22pm
Comment: Adam Turl
An alternative for Illinois
talks to Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for Illinois governor, about solutions to the economic crisis and the November election.
August 2, 2010
HARD TIMES are getting harder in Illinois.
The recession's wake has caused double-digit unemployment--10.4 percent statewide. According to the New York Times, Illinois is in the top 10 in the nation in home foreclosures. As ordinary people have been squeezed, the state government--which relies on a regressive tax system--has seen its finances thrown into chaos, causing yet more misery.
Congressional Candidate Dr. David Gill Endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America
Submitted by anonymous on July 29, 2010 - 10:44amJuly 27, 2010 --
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Joan Villa
217-552-5891
Communications Director
Summer Issue of the Public i Out Now!
Submitted by Brian Dolinar on July 27, 2010 - 7:15pm
New issue of the Public i is out on stands now with a report back on the US Social Forum by Sarah Ross, an article about the local film scene by Jason Pankoke, news about the Odyssey Project by Noah Lenstra, a story about the Odyssey Project by Kerry Pimblott, two articles about programming for local youth by Belden Fields, and more.
The cover image is of a brick dedicated to Grandpa Walfeldt, grandfather of the local progressive movement.
BD
