Year: 2009

Gregory Robinson Died a Hero at 14

Posted on by TL

Fourteen years old, and Gregory Robinson is gone.

He sounds like someone you would have admired.

Hearing gunshots, Robinson tried to protect a 10-month-old and a 4-year-old, and was shot dead.

Greg was not the target, according to police.

I call once again for more funding for Ceasefire Chicago, the organization with the most comprehensive approach to ending the violence.

Why do we shoot each other?  We could debate endlessly.  For all our discussion, it happened again.

We need gun control.  No, not necessarily fewer guns.  We simply need to contol our  guns, control ourselves.

We have the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.  We have so much freedom in this country. Why can we not control ourselves?

I’m crying for this one.  From the Sun-Times:

Robinson’s cousin, Brandon Orange, who was in the front seat of the car, said he heard what sounded like 30 gunshots being fired at the Chevrolet Malibu as his sister, Brittani Orange, was making a U-turn to park in front of her family’s home.

Brandon Orange shielded his sister, while Robinson tried to protect Brittani Orange’s 10-month-old son, Antonio Porterfield, and 4-year-old goddaughter Sinyiia Bennett, who were with him in the backseat.

When he saw that his cousin slumped over in the back seat, Brandon Orange said, “I didn’t think it was real. Not Greg. He never said or did anything to anybody.”

Robinson suffered a gunshot wound to the back, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said. He was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn at 11:35 p.m.

No other passengers inside the vehicle were injured, Chicago Police said.

This young man died a hero in a city that SHOULD NOT HAVE THESE PROBLEMS.

Chicago wants to host the 2016 Olympics, but Gregory Robinson won’t see them.

Chicago gangs need to do the unthinkable, and talk to each other.  Someone out there reading this belongs to a gang, and must know that what happened to Gregory Robinson is wrong.  This needs to stop.

Twenty-eight Chicago Public School students have died this year.

“You’re going to see more of that unfortunately,” Mayor Daley said Saturday, speaking at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Why?

What’chu talkin’ about… Willis Tower?

Posted on by TL

The Chicago Tribune reports the Sears Tower will change its name to Willis Tower under the terms of a new lease signed by global insurance broker Willis Group Holdings.

Willis Group plans to consolidate five area offices and move nearly 500 Associates into Willis Tower, initially occupying more than 140,000 square feet on multiple floors.

Willis said its move to the new space, at $14.50 per square foot, will result in significant real estate cost savings, and that there is no additional cost to the company associated with renaming the building.

Willis Tower just sounds odd, for now, at least.

No, it just sounds odd.

Faux Democrat Anthony DeLuca Appointed State Rep

Posted on by TL

Bloom Township Democratic Committeeman Terry Matthews snubbed his nose at party members, naming Chicago Heights Mayor Anthony DeLuca to replace George Scully in the state House.

Anthony DeLuca is a Republican.  He always has been a Republican, but he’s willing to call himself a Democrat for the chance to travel downstate.

This is not the first time Matthews has favored his Republican buddies in Chicago Heights over real Democrats.  Matthews threw his political weight behind another recent convert to the Democratic party, T.J. Somers, who ran for judge in the Circuit Court 15th Judicial Subcircuit against lifelong Democrat Anna Demacopoulos.  What convinced Matthews that Somers was suddenly a democrat?  Somers told Matthews that he knew the Republican party in Bloom Township was finished, and he could only get elected to office as a democrat.

Talk about your ideological shifts.

Demacopoulos soundly defeated Somers and now serves as judge.

From the Southtown Star:

DeLuca’s past affiliation with the Republican Party makes him a Republican in some Democrats’ eyes. For his part, DeLuca embraced the Democratic label Friday in a speech following his appointment but warned that he would not shun Republicans.

“We must look beyond party labels in search of good ideas,” he said. “I look forward to being a proud member of the House Democratic caucus and I will reach across the aisle if I believe that it will benefit my constituents.”

Will County Democratic Party treasurer Tom Brislane distributed a tartly worded statement after the meeting questioning DeLuca’s Democratic bonafides.

“Just what was your come-to-Jesus moment?” Brislane asked. “Did you put finger to wind and sense the winds of change and did that help you in understanding of the righteousness of our cause?”

Brislane is right on.  DeLuca is no Democrat, but he is an opportunist.

Are there any Democrats left in Bloom Township, or are there only old friends who want to give each other jobs?

We all know the answer to that.

Civil Union Bill Passes Committee, Goes to IL House

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State Rep. Greg Harris posted a status update to his Facebook page:

Greg Civil Union bill HB2234 just approved by Committee 4-3. It now goes to the full House for a vote.

Harris adds that the Mormon churches have “pulled out all the stops” to fight passage of this bill.  “Illinois, it appears, will be the next national battleground after California.”

Peraica Tweets and Stroger Sounds Like Twit

Posted on by TL

Everyone has suddenly discovered Twitter.  The Inland Press Association recently profiled some journalists who are using the social networking site to tell the world what they’re doing, 140 characters at a time.

Pols are “tweeting” as well.  During President Obama’s address to Congress, many Republicans were caught tweeting, some sounding intelligent, some juvenile.

LOL.

Well, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica has discovered Twitter also.  With a bit more than 600 followers as of right now, according to the Sun-Times, Tony has taken up Twitter, tweeting from County Board meetings.

Last month, Peraica started posting short messages — called “tweets” — during board meetings about everything from contract votes and political bickering to his opinions and wisecracks in 140 characters or less.

With a few strokes of the keyboard, he’s part legislator, part reporter and part talk-show host.

“I think it’s important to keep the public informed about what’s going on with the board as it happens,” Peraica said. “This is a wonderful technology that enables us to keep in touch with 600 to 700 people who care about what happens at the meeting.”

Tweet away, Tony.  Tweet away.

What struck me about this particular account of Tony Tweeting was Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s response:

“I think it’s strange,” Stroger said. “It doesn’t sound kosher. He probably shouldn’t be typing while we’re doing business. Maybe that’s why he can’t remember how he voted on things two weeks ago.”

Doesn’t sound kosher, Todd?  Really?  Kosher?

Talk about your bad blood.  This just sounds silly.

We get it that the two of you don’t get along, but can’t you disagree on issues without being so disagreeable with each other?

Todd Stroger loses this round.  Who cares if Tony Peraica fires off 15 (the count at the last meeting) short sentences into cyberspace during a County Board meeting?  Who cares if any other commissioner tweets?  If 600 or more Cook County residents care enough to read, then that’s enough.  Why use the occasion to take a cheap shot at a colleague?

Cook County residents need a board that functions.

Talk about issues, and stop these juvenile digs.  Or Tweets.

Illinois State House to Discuss Civil Unions Bill

Posted on by TL

Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) does not advance legislation that doesn’t have a chance of passing.  So, with cautious optimism, we applaud his efforts to bring Civil Unions to Illinois.

From CBS 2 Chicago:

A bill on civil unions for same sex couples goes before an Illinois House committee on Thursday, and published reports say a downstate Mormon Church plans to fight the legislation.

The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, or HB 2234, would give same-sex couples the same protections and benefits as married couples.

The legislation was introduced in February by state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago). It supplants an earlier civil unions bill, HB 1834, which Harris introduced two years ago. That bill passed out of committee, but died at the end of the legislative session due to the impeachment of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The Mormon Church, always full of smiles, is fighting against the legislation.  However, as Harris says, their objections are “full of errors,” and used “exaggeration, distortion and lies.”

The California Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage.  If Prop. 8 is overturned, that bodes well for Illinois.

And perhaps all the Mormons won’t be smiling as much any more — except, of course, those Mormons who are gay.

Update March 5, 2009, 12:15 p.m. –  State Rep. Greg Harris posted a status update to his Facebook page:

Greg Civil Union bill HB2234 just approved by Committee 4-3. It now goes to the full House for a vote.

Harris adds that the Mormon churches have “pulled out all the stops” to fight passage of this bill.  “Illinois, it appears, will be the next national battleground after California.”

Good work, Greg!

Rod Blagojevich’s Last Campaign: Will You Buy His Book?

Posted on by TL

Rod Blagojevich, who former State Rep. now Judge George Scully said tried “to solve every problem by campaigning,” now wants to write a book and tell you about the “dark side.”

Yup.  This is Blago’s last campaign, the one where he either saves himself, or takes everyone he’s ever spoken with down with him.

The man has not had an unspoken thought since he was elected, and now, many of them have been recorded for posterity, and the jury.

From the Sun-Times:

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is vowing to expose “the dark side of politics that he witnessed in both the state and national level” in a book due out in October, his publicist announced today.

The publicist, Glenn Selig, said Blagojevich signed the “six-figure book deal” with Phoenix Books, “run by maverick publisher Michael Viner.” The working title is The Governor.

The Captain of the Dark Side has more to say, apparently. Will you be mentioned in Rod’s tell-all?

Selig described the planned book as a tell-all. The governor, according to a news release, will write about the discussions, the considerations and the factors involved in picking President Obama’ s successor to the U.S. Senate.

“The governor chose to go with a large independent company because he wanted to tell his story without any restrictions over content that might’ve come with a major publishing house,” Selig said in the release. “He simply did not want to accept constraints or conditions on what he could say in this book.”

Selig said Blagojevich won’t “pull any punches” and plans to “reveal information and provide insights that will at times be embarrassing to himself as well as to others.”

“There were some people in high places who didn’t want the governor to write this book and worked to try to squash a book deal,” Selig said.

Well, we’ll see about that.  Blago can say anything he wants, now.  The loosest cannon Illinois ever produced has is now spinning full-speed.

Rush Limbaugh is Praying for a Great Depression

Posted on by TL

No, this is not another Oxycontin expose — at least not this week.   Rush Limbaugh really, really wants America to fail.  A recession is not good enough.  He wants a complete and total economic collapse.  Rush Limbaugh wants another Great Depression.

Our friends at Media Matters for America want to make sure you hear Limbaugh loud and clear.  If Obama fails, unfortunately, America fails — and that’s exactly what Rush Limbaugh is calling for:

“The dirty little secret … is that every Republican in this country wants Obama to fail, but none of them have the guts to say so; I am willing to say it”

Really, Rush?  Why do conservatives worship this guy?

Here’s the beast himself:

Active Bomb Found Near Bar at Western Illinois University

Posted on by TL

From the Western Courier:

An active bomb was found Saturday near the beer garden of a Macomb bar frequented by Western Illinois University students.

According to a release by the Macomb Police Department, a suspected improvised explosive device, or IED, was found at the Change of Pace Bar, 301 N. Campbell St., at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Members of the state bomb squad came to Macomb and used its robotic bomb recovery equipment to secure the IED. It was determined device was an active bomb that had not yet been detonated. Bomb squad members destroyed the device at a secure location.

McDonough County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Chris Mason said the bomb was a small device with some shotgun shells hooked to it and a radio attached. He said this type of device could be sensitive to cell phone calls nearby.

There are no suspects at this time.  Very frightening.

Read full story here.