(Letter to Editor)

Chicago, IL – Organizers with the Coalition Against the NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda (CANG8) will attend the Public Building Commission (PBC) of Chicago meeting on Tuesday, December 13.

 CANG8 members have applied to speak during the public comment section of the commission meeting being held in the 2nd floor Board Room in the Daley Center. Before the start of the PBC meeting, CANG8 and leaders of local unions, faith based groups and other supporters will gather for a press conference to demand their First Amendment right to have a permit to assemble and protest the NATO and G8 summits in May 2012.

The press conference will be held today, Tuesday, December 13, at 2:00 p.m., at the Daley Center, Randolph Street entrance, Chicago.

Back in June, one day after President Obama announced the NATO/G8 summits for next year, Joe Iosbaker of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), an affiliate of CANG8, submitted permit applications to assemble at Daley Plaza for two dates of family friendly rallies in May.  After not communicating to Iosbaker for 20 weeks, MB Real Estate Services, which manages Daley Plaza, sent an email that stated that they are not approving any permits for Daley Plaza for the publicized dates of the NATO/G8 meetings.

MB Real Estate is a contractor working for the PBC, which controls Daley Plaza.  The Chairman of PBC is Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The blanket denial of permits for Daley Plaza – one of the few public spaces in downtown Chicago that can accommodate large gatherings – illustrates a
pattern of actions demonstrating contempt for First Amendment rights by the Emanuel administration and its allies.The press conference and public comments will deliver a message to the PBC that a “no permits restriction” for Daley Plaza during the NATO/G8 summits is unreasonable and a violation of their own regulations. Further, they will demand that the city respect the right to protest against war & austerity. Demonstration organizers will be also available for comment immediately after the meeting with the PBC. For more information,
email cangate2012@gmail.com or visit cang8.org

(From the Illinois Republican Party)

info@ilgop.org 

Last Friday, Pat Quinn signed into law the new Congressional map for Illinois, capping off the legislative redistricting process in the same manner that it began: disingenuous and non-transparent – the opposite of what Quinn promised on numerous occasions.

On November 6, 2010, Quinn said: “I think the process should be open.”

Highlighting the fact that the process was anything but open, Quinn, House Democrats and Senate Democrats chose, in almost every instance, Friday afternoons to inform the public about the new map that will shape the political future of Illinois for the next decade:

·         The House redistricting map was released on Friday afternoon, May 20

·         The House & Senate redistricting maps were passed late on Friday, May 27, the day before Memorial Day weekend

·         The Congressional redistricting map was released late on a Friday, May 27, the day before Memorial Day weekend

·         Quinn signed into law the House & Senate redistricting maps late on a Friday, June 3.

·         Quinn signed into law the Congressional redistricting map last Friday afternoon, June 24.

“The fact is that Governor Quinn and Springfield Democrats know just how closed and unfair this process has been,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady.  “Why else would they strategically release critical information under the cover of the weekend at every opportunity?”

(From Citizens for Lisa Madigan)

(Reprint from Chicago Tribune, June 21, 2011)

Last month, as the Illinois General Assembly’s spring session rushed to a close, ComEd, Ameren and their army of lobbyists were able to muscle a bill through the legislature that will mean a decade of higher prices for consumers if it becomes law. That must not happen.

Governor publicly said at least 3 times that redistricting needs to be fair – Brady

Chicago, IL - Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady called on Governor Pat Quinn to veto the Democratic Congressional redistricting proposal that has passed the Illinois State Senate and House.

“Governor Quinn claims to be an independent reformer,” said Brady. “Now is the time for him to prove that.”

Brady noted that Quinn on several occasions has made at least three public statements condemning Illinois’ redistricting procedures:

“I just think the best way to have redistricting is to set up competitive districts that are not gerrymandered to make sure the people have the best representatives. Too often this is an exercise of protecting incumbents of both parties. I don’t think that’s healthy. I’ve always felt that redistricting has been way too political in our state, by both parties. So if I’m governor I’m going to try and be the person who makes sure we do it right for the people and not for the politicians.” -Gov. Quinn – Chicago Tribune – April 29, 2010

“I believe in competition, so I want competitive districts. I think the process should be open.” – Gov. Quinn – Chicago Tribune – Nov. 6, 2010

“It is important that the remapping and redistricting lines be done in a fair way. And that’s what this law is all about: to make sure there are hearings and all kinds of fairness because how you draw the lines of districts and wards and maps in Illinois makes a great deal of difference to the success of our democracy. I do, as governor, intend to emphasize to the members of the General Assembly that openness and fairness is the order of the day. The procedure of redistricting is always very emotional and controversial. I think it is important that it be done fairly. That’s my only objective – fairness. I think if it is done openly that enhances fairness – so people feel that it’s an honest and fair process.” – Gov. Quinn – WBEZ Radio – March 7, 2011

“I truly hope that Governor Quinn remembers his words and proves that he’s a Governor for all of Illinois – not just the Democratic Party of Illinois,” said Brady.

Governor needs to be in State Capitol more

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady called on Governor Pat Quinn to spend more time in Springfield, in light of recent news reports showing he had only been in our state’s capital city 12 days while spending 70 days in Chicago since his inauguration in January.

“Governor Quinn is following in the footsteps of Rod Blagojevich,” said Brady. “When he became Governor, he promised us that, unlike Blagojevich, he’d live in the Executive Mansion in Springfield. Twelve days just doesn’t cut it.”

Brady said that he understands that the Governor should travel around the state to meet with residents but that ultimately decisions are made in the capitol with legislators from across the state.

“There’s more to Illinois than just Chicago,” Brady said. “This is one of the reasons that the Governor is out of touch with the common-sense concerns of Illinois residents and business owners.”

  By Pat Brady, Chairman, Illinois Republican Party                                   

 The Illinois General Assembly recently passed a measure to purportedly make the redistricting process more transparent. Legislators are now required to hold public hearings, where interested voters can add their input to the map. Governor Pat Quinn hailed the hearings as a true effort at transparency.

However, no proposed map will be presented at the hearings as the new legislative districts are a secret kept within the walls of the Speaker Mike Madigan’s Office in Springfield. This begs the question: how can there be substantive dialogue about a map that is only known to a few Democrat insiders?

The reality is that the hearings are a sham. They are a tactical maneuver by Speaker Madigan to make the process appear open and transparent and create the impression that citizen input will have an impact in formulating the new legislative map. Nobody, including the leadership of the Republican Party will see the map until the 11th hour, and it is a certainty that it will be drawn reflecting the political interests of Speaker Madigan. The citizens of Illinois are going into the second decade of Speaker Madigan abusing the legislative redistricting process to further consolidate his stranglehold on power in Illinois. Not coincidentally, the State is on the brink of financial collapse.

The only one who can stop the charade and force real transparency is Governor Quinn. He can veto the map and demand real fairness and transparency. Governor Quinn has publicly stated that he wants a competitive political map. This will be his opportunity to demonstrate whether that is truly his belief or whether he wants to continue as a pawn for Speaker Madigan.

Editor’s Note: A list of redistricting hearing locations can be found at:
http://www.weareillinois.org/connect/newsDetail.aspx?newsID=11582 

(A Message from Tom Sharpe, 46th Ward Democratic Committeeman)

I wanted to make sure you knew that you could vote early for 46th Ward Alderman any day except Sunday between now and March 31st.  The 46th ward’s early voting location is Truman College at 1145 W. Wilson in Chicago — voting hours are 9 AM to 5 PM. Please bring a government issued photo ID with you to vote early.

As we prepare to elect a new Alderman, the stakes have never been higher for the 46th ward.  James Cappleman is the only progressive candidate in this race and the clear choice to fight crime and create businesses and jobs.

James was recently endorsed by IVI-IPO, one of Illinois’ largest and most respected clean government groups, Equality Illinois PAC, an organization championing equal rights for LGBT residents, and the Chicago Teachers Union, representing our city’s educators.  He also received a stirring endorsement from the Chicago Sun-Times:

“In the runoff, we’re backing James Cappleman, a former teacher and social worker with deep roots in this fiercely independent ward. Cappleman has a broad and detailed vision for attracting businesses to the ward, fighting crime and giving residents a greater say in ward decisions. Cappleman and opponent Mary Anne “Molly” Phelan, a real estate and tax attorney, don’t differ significantly on the issues but do in experience…we prefer Cappleman because we believe he would be more independent. Cappleman already has many long-standing, constructive relationships in the ward and has displayed a willingness to reach out to those with whom he disagrees.”

James also has the endorsements of the 46th Ward Democrats, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, State Senator Heather Steans and other respected Democratic leaders.

As a testament to the fact that James can build bridges with many communities, a number of James’ former competitors from the first round of voting are hosting a fundraiser for him on Sunday:

You’re Invited To A Unity Fundraiser For James Cappleman
When:  Sunday, March 20, 2011
Where: Holiday Club, 4000 North Sheridan Road
Time: 6:30 PM
Suggested Contribution: $50

The Unity Fundraiser is being hosted by former aldermanic candidates Scott Baskin, Emily Stewart, Andy Lam, Befekadu Retta, Caitlin McIntyre and Diane Shapiro. 

The Host Committee has pledged to match dollar for dollar the first $1250 raised to support James Cappleman in his bid to become the next Alderman of the 46th Ward. 

Come out and learn why James has garnered the respect and support of so many former aldermanic candidates.

To learn more about James, visit www.JamesForChange.com, call 312-725-8683, or e-mail Info@JamesForChange.com

Thank you for your time – and please remember to vote early!

Since 2007, Mark Kirk has made a big deal out of his opposition to BP’s plans to increase the pollution from its Whiting, IN refinery as part of a plan to switch to a dirtier source of oil – Canadian tar sands.

Most recently, he touted his “stopping” and “beating” BP twice in Wednesday’s debate with Alexi Giannoulias.

There’s no question Congressman Kirk joined many other leaders, including Senator Durbin, Mayor Daley, Pat Quinn, then-Congressman Rahm Emmanuel, and many others who joined Sierra Club and the environmental community in protesting BPs proposal to increase pollution. To be fair, Kirk certainly didn’t go soft on the rhetoric. Here he is from the House floor in 2007:

“We cannot allow new dumping by BP. Later today we will meet with the head of BP North America, and given the legislative tsunami we are preparing, we should simply be discussing BP’s terms of surrender on their lake-dumping plan. BP, millions spent in the ‘Beyond Petroleum’ campaign, but we know it stands for ‘Bad Polluter.’ Hopefully, BP will back down and be a better partner in protecting Lake Michigan.”

To hear Kirk tell it, you’d think he won that battle, and Lake Michigan is safe from the pollution we all protested. You’d be wrong.

Trouble is, nobody stopped BP. Indiana went right ahead and issued BP the permit for the increased pollution. All the protests, including those from Kirk, did net a verbal commitment from BP that they would “review” whether it “could” avoid more pollution; but Indiana’s decision to allow the pollution was not reversed. BP was not “beat” or “stopped.” They refused to relinquish the permit, and Indiana maintains that the permit, which Kirk called “their lake-dumping plan” is valid. When BP’s conversion to dirty “tar sands” oil is complete in 2012, they will be within their right to dump all the pollution we all fought back in 2007.

Kirk apparently reads history a little differently. His campaign website says:
“Fact: Mark Kirk stood up to Big Oil when he stopped BP from polluting Lake Michigan.”

In a press release from is Congressional office October 17, 2009,:

‘Two years ago, we scored a major victory after BP agreed to back down from its plan to dump more ammonia and industrial sludge into Lake Michigan,’ Congressman Mark Kirk said.

On February 2nd, his campaign put out a press release including:

“In Congress, Kirk stopped BP’s plan to pollute Lake Michigan”

In May, Mark Kirk approved this campaign commercial, entitled “Distract”, that claims “Stopping British Petroleum’s pollution of Lake Michigan…” as an accomplishment.

Then, June 2nd on Springfield talk radio, Kirk asserted:

“We were successful in stopping that plan because it would have been the first new dumper in the great lakes in 10 years and that’s the source of 95% of North America’s fresh water and where 30 million people pull their drinking water from.”

On July 6th, Kirk said at a press conference:

“Let’s be clear on what we fought and what we won on. We beat a new IDEM permit.”

Q: Didn’t they actually issue the permit?

“They absolutely did.”

Q: Has it been cancelled?

“I don’t think it has.”

Q: How can you say you beat it?

“We beat it because BP then decided to build a water treatment plant, adding over $20 million in cost to their Whiting facility.”

No one that I’ve talked to involved in the case has any idea what Kirk is referring to with that $20 million figure. In fact, there is no evidence that BP has changed their “lake dumping plan” at all.

If Kirk’s recollection of the past seems off, it’s even less clear where he stands on BP’s Lake Michigan pollution proposal now. In fact, he seems to actually support BP’s move to dirtier gas at Whiting:

“No one argues against the need to expand production capability at the Whiting facility, but there should be zero tolerance for releasing deadly poisons into our air and water.’” Crain’s Chicago Business, 6/4/09

Tar sands oil is dirty from start to finish – it takes more energy to extract, uses more water and creates more pollution to refine into gasoline, and is dirtier when we burn it in our cars. That makes Kirk’s support for tar sands and apparent opposition to BP’s pollution irreconcilable.

It also makes this particular verbal assault on BP quite ironic:

“I think BP now stands for bad polluter…They need to be called out on their corporate hypocrisy.” Daily Herald, 7/20/07

I agree with Kirk that those who talk a good game on the environment, even if the facts don’t back it up, “need to be called out.” It’s time for Mark Kirk to stop exaggerating, and be honest with the public about the risks still facing our Great Lake, and about the incomplete nature of the “victory” he is so very proud of.

Jack Darin
Director
Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter

Letter to Editor

 We first met Gov. Pat Quinn on March 3, 2005. That was the day our
son, Corp. John T. Olson USMC, was buried. John died at the young age
of 21 and served three tours of duty in Iraq. Then-Lt. Gov. Quinn
came, all by himself, to pay his respects. As he gave us his
condolences, Pat (as we fondly refer to him) asked us what he could
do. Our response: Don’t let our country or our state forget John and
all the fallen.

We can tell you Gov. Quinn has not failed us. For many years before he
was governor, and still today he has attended nearly every wake or
funeral for the fallen in Illinois. He is involved with Gold Star
Mothers and The Illinois Freedom Run among countless causes. He is the
biggest advocate of veterans, their families and Gold Star Families,
and his genuine support of our military brings us true comfort.

Being governor is tough, especially with the state of affairs Illinois
was in when he inherited the job. And right now, everyone is talking
about the economy that is a major priority. But every day, we live
with the loss of our son, and that is our private battle.

We as a state need Gov. Quinn because he has made the hard decisions
to put us on the right path, but also because he has not forgotten
about you and me. He hasn’t forgotten the millions of everyday people
and our struggles, and he has never, ever forgotten John.

Just like John, Pat loves his country and serves with honor and
dignity because he knows he can make a difference. What Illinois needs
is an honest, hardworking, compassionate governor. We cannot forget
that we already have that in Gov. Quinn.

John and Diana Olson