Rahm Emanuel's Listening Tour of Chicago Neighborhoods

WASHINGTON -- White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will kick off his Chicago mayoral campaign with a ''listening tour'' of the city's neighborhoods -- to start when he jumps into the high-stakes race over the weekend.. . .

Imagine hearing roughly the exact same thing in so many languages and tones?

Give ear, Rahm! (Old Cappy Hick says "Avast Thar! for Fun and Valuable Prices -translate these on Google, Mateys!")


Vypadněte odsud! Czech Grandpa on Peterson Ave.

Mušti jį, jūs trupiniai! -Lithuanian gentleman in West Lawn over by Midway

An raibh tú riamh a chloisteáil go bhfuil tú ar aghaidh nós saic de assholes?- County Armagh's Bernard at Keegan's Pub on South Western in Beverly

Two Worthies Up on Devon AvenueDrop Dead לך החטוטרת

انخفاض قتلى الحدبة لكWhat my Zionist friend said,

去死吧你驼峰 -Chinatown Fishmonger

Izaći iz Hegewisch - Unemployed Croatian 150 Operator Hegewisch's Club 81 Too

"Hey, it's Desmond TuTu! What up, Tiny Dancer?" - Mount Greenwood Grammar School Principal

"Rahm! Where you stayin'? Dog!" - Englewood Jobs Task Force Activist

Czy mogę wypić? Six Pack iść? Busha Cement Finisher at Noble and Augusta Avenues

" Hey, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ." A very long and menacing stare from one of the eight thousand Brackins in Canaryville.


I can not believe that George Bush is not in jail! Hyde Park Wit and Gadabout

A Lesson on American Catholicism by Archbishop Chaput: Listen Up, McNally.

Some Catholics are confused, because they have loopy priests who believe that they are Phil Donahue, or Louis Farrakhan. The poor folks at Ascension Parish in Oak Park are ministered by a fatuous goof, who wants to be somebody by proving that he does not believe in the religion that he was ordained to support. Father McNally of Ascension Parish is calling for the ordination of women -trendy, edgy, almost . . .dare I say it . . .Unitarian. Tres Hip!

This goof needs a trip to the Cardinal's woodshed, but he'll get a pass.

Ascension parishioners are crowding the pews at Father Tony Brankin's St. Odilo's in Berwyn.

Goofballs in stiff collars need to be schooled or shown the door. Imagine a teacher of English foregoing the text of Shakespeare's Othello for a graphic novel (Comic book)? Oh, that's right! Evanston Schools approved the further dumbing down of our kids.

Well, at least Denver's Bishop Chaput is in the game -read this history lesson about Catholics in America from Lair of the Catholic Caveman:

The archbishop noted the influences of the United States’ Protestant and Enlightenment roots. Catholics were largely absent from the American founding and have “always been strangers in a strange land.”

He also recalled the influence of the Roman Empire on early American colonists, saying that despite Rome’s flaws the Roman virtues of piety, austerity, courage, justice and self-mastery were “revered” by the American Founders.

“As with Rome, the fruits of American power now surround us,” he said. “But success has always its cost in personal and national illusions. As a people, we seem to become more foreign to our origins every year.”

A healthy civic life depends on “permanent virtues” rooted in God and not self-developed “values,” he continued.

Citing St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis and the political philosophers Leszek Kolakowski and J.L. Talmon, Archbishop Chaput warned that the self-evident truths spoken of in the Declaration of Independence are “not at all self-evident to the modern intellectual world.” Democracy, too, can become totalitarian.

“Unbelief – whether deliberate and ideological, or lazy and pragmatic – is the state religion of the modern world,” he commented. “The fruit of that orthodoxy is a compression and destruction of the human spirit, and a society without higher purpose. This is the logic of the choices that America is already making. But they can be unmade. And they can be redeemed.”

Well done Bishop! Click my post title for more.

Demographer Joel Kotkin Goes Global - The New World Order

I was introduced to Joel Kotkin years ago, by a brilliant history and political science teacher at La Lumiere School, Mr. Tracey Elliot.

Joel Kotkin studies trends in Demographics -where people live, why they live there and how they effect other groups. For example, In Chicago, Hyde Park and Lakeview have very different voting trends than Garfield Ridge or Mount Greenwood in Chicago, because the people indigenous to each set of neighborhoods hold vastly different values and conduct different lifestyles -

Married with children/blue collar home owners/ethnic/Catholic/Anti-Abortion/Fiscal and Social Conservatives dominates Garfield Ridge and Mount Greenwood Demographics

Childless or one child single parent, or unmarried/non-religious/professional or academic/transient/Progressives dominate Hyde Park and Lakeview.
The man is brilliant. Three years before Governator Arnold watched over California's implosion -Joel Kotkin warned that tax salaried monster groups like SEIU and AFSCME would torpedo that State's economy. It happened.

More importantly Kotkin gets at the root causes of historical shifts in the political and economic landscapes. Give this man you undivided attention.

Joel Kotkin is making sense of our world in this study - The New World Order.

For centuries we have used maps to delineate borders that have been defined by politics. But it may be time to chuck many of our notions about how humanity organizes itself. Across the world a resurgence of tribal ties is creating more complex global alliances. Where once diplomacy defined borders, now history, race, ethnicity, religion, and culture are dividing humanity into dynamic new groupings.

Broad concepts—green, socialist, or market-capitalist ideology—may animate cosmopolitan elites, but they generally do not motivate most people. Instead, the “tribe” is valued far more than any universal ideology. As the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldun observed: “Only Tribes held together by a group feeling can survive in a desert.”
. . .Broad concepts—green, socialist, or market-capitalist ideology—may animate cosmopolitan elites, but they generally do not motivate most people. Instead, the “tribe” is valued far more than any universal ideology. As the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldun observed: “Only Tribes held together by a group feeling can survive in a desert.”

Although tribal connections are as old as history, political upheaval and globalization are magnifying their impact. The world’s new contours began to emerge with the end of the Cold War. Maps designating separate blocs aligned to the United States or the Soviet Union were suddenly irrelevant. More recently, the notion of a united Third World has been supplanted by the rise of China and India. And newer concepts like the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) are undermined by the fact that these countries have vastly different histories and cultures.

The borders of this new world will remain protean, subject to change over time. Some places do not fit easily into wide categories—take that peculiar place called France—so we’ve defined them as Stand-Alones. And there are the successors to the great city-states of the Renaissance—places like London and Singapore. What unites them all are ties defined by affinity, not geography.
1. New Hansa
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden

In the 13th century, an alliance of Northern European towns called the Hanseatic League created what historian Fernand Braudel called a “common civilization created by trading.” Today’s expanded list of Hansa states share Germanic cultural roots, and they have found their niche by selling high-value goods to developed nations, as well as to burgeoning markets in Russia, China, and India. Widely admired for their generous welfare systems, most of these countries have liberalized their economies in recent years. They account for six of the top eight countries on the Legatum Prosperity Index and boast some of the world’s highest savings rates (25 percent or more), as well as impressive levels of employment, education, and technological innovation.

2. The Border Areas
Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, U.K.

These countries are seeking to find their place in the new tribal world. Many of them, including Romania and Belgium, are a cultural mishmash. They can be volatile; Ireland has gone from being a “Celtic tiger” to a financial basket case. In the past, these states were often overrun by the armies of powerful neighbors; in the future, they may be fighting for their autonomy against competing zones of influence.

3. Olive Republics
Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain

With roots in Greek and Roman antiquity, these lands of olives and wine lag behind their Nordic counterparts in virtually every category: poverty rates are almost twice as high, labor participation is 10 to 20 percent lower. Almost all the Olive Republics—led by Greece, Spain, and Portugal—have huge government debt compared with most Hansa countries. They also have among the lowest birthrates: Italy is vying with Japan to be the country with the world’s oldest population.

4. City-States
London

It’s a center for finance and media, but London may be best understood as a world-class city in a second-rate country.

Paris

Accounts for nearly 25 percent of France’s GDP and is home to many of its global companies. It’s not as important as London, but there will always be a market for this most beautiful of cities.

Singapore

In a world increasingly shaped by Asia, its location between the Pacific and Indian oceans may be the best on the planet. With one of the world’s great ports, and high levels of income and education, it is a great urban success story.

Tel Aviv

While much of nationalist-religious Israel is a heavily guarded borderland, Tel Aviv is a secular city with a burgeoning economy. It accounts for the majority of Israel’s high-tech exports; its per capita income is estimated to be 50 percent above the national average, and four of Israel’s nine billionaires live in the city or its suburbs.

5. North American Alliance
Canada, United States

These two countries are joined at the hip in terms of their economies, demographics, and culture, with each easily being the other’s largest trade partner. Many pundits see this vast region in the grip of inexorable decline. They’re wrong, at least for now. North America boasts many world-class cities, led by New York; the world’s largest high-tech economy; the most agricultural production; and four times as much fresh water per capita as either Europe or Asia.

6. Liberalistas
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru

These countries are the standard--bearers of democracy and capitalism in Latin America. Still suffering low household income and high poverty rates, they are trying to join the ranks of the fast-growing economies, such as China’s. But the notion of breaking with the U.S.—the traditionally dominant economic force in the region—would seem improbable for some of them, notably Mexico, with its close geographic and ethnic ties. Yet the future of these economies is uncertain; will they become more state--oriented or pursue economic liberalism?

7. Bolivarian Republics
Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Venezuela

Led by Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, large parts of Latin America are swinging back toward dictatorship and following the pattern of Peronism, with its historical antipathy toward America and capitalism. The Chávez-influenced states are largely poor; the percentage of people living in poverty is more than 60 percent in Bolivia. With their anti-gringo mindset, mineral wealth, and energy reserves, they are tempting targets for rising powers like China and Russia.

8. Stand-Alones
Brazil

South America’s largest economy, Brazil straddles the ground between the Bolivarians and the liberal republics of the region. Its resources, including offshore oil, and industrial prowess make it a second-tier superpower (after North America, Greater India, and the Middle Kingdom). But huge social problems, notably crime and poverty, fester. Brazil recently has edged away from its embrace of North America and sought out new allies, notably China and Iran.

France

France remains an advanced, cultured place that tries to resist Anglo-American culture and the shrinking relevance of the EU. No longer a great power, it is more consequential than an Olive Republic but not as strong as the Hansa.

Greater India

India has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but its household income remains roughly a third less than that of China. At least a quarter of its 1.3 billion people live in poverty, and its growing megacities, notably Mumbai and Kolkata, are home to some of the world’s largest slums. But it’s also forging ahead in everything from auto manufacturing to software production.

Japan

With its financial resources and engineering savvy, Japan remains a world power. But it has been replaced by China as the world’s No. 2 economy. In part because of its resistance to immigration, by 2050 upwards of 35 percent of the population could be over 60. At the same time, its technological edge is being eroded by South Korea, China, India, and the U.S.

South Korea

South Korea has become a true technological power. Forty years ago its per capita income was roughly comparable to that of Ghana; today it is 15 times larger, and Korean median household income is roughly the same as Japan’s. It has bounced back brilliantly from the global recession but must be careful to avoid being sucked into the engines of an expanding China.

Switzerland

It’s essentially a city-state connected to the world not by sea lanes but by wire transfers and airplanes. It enjoys prosperity, ample water supplies, and an excellent business climate.

9. Russian Empire
Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine

Russia has enormous natural resources, considerable scientific-technological capacity, and a powerful military. As China waxes, Russia is trying to assert itself in Ukraine, Georgia, and Central Asia. Like the old tsarist version, the new Russian empire relies on the strong ties of the Russian Slavic identity, an ethnic group that accounts for roughly four fifths of its 140 million people. It is a middling country in terms of household income—roughly half of Italy’s—and also faces a rapidly aging population.

10. The Wild East
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan

This part of the world will remain a center of contention between competing regions, including China, India, Turkey, Russia, and North America.

11. Iranistan
Bahrain, Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria

With oil reserves, relatively high levels of education, and an economy roughly the size of Turkey’s, Iran should be a rising superpower. But its full influence has been curbed by its extremist ideology, which conflicts not only with Western countries but also with Greater Arabia. A poorly managed economy has turned the region into a net importer of consumer goods, high-tech equipment, food, and even refined petroleum.

12. Greater Arabia
Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

This region’s oil resources make it a key political and financial player. But there’s a huge gap between the Persian Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the more impoverished states. Abu Dhabi has a per capita income of roughly $40,000, while Yemen suffers along with as little as 5 percent of that number. A powerful cultural bond—religion and race—ties this area together but makes relations with the rest of the world problematic.

13. The New Ottomans
Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Turkey epitomizes the current reversion to tribe, focusing less on Europe than on its eastern front. Although ties to the EU remain its economic linchpin, the country has shifted economic and foreign policy toward its old Ottoman holdings in the Mideast and ethnic brethren in Central Asia. Trade with both Russia and China is also on the rise.

14. South African Empire
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe

South Africa’s economy is by far the largest and most diversified in Africa. It has good infrastructure, mineral resources, fertile land, and a strong industrial base. Per capita income of $10,000 makes it relatively wealthy by African standards. It has strong cultural ties with its neighbors, Lesotho, Botswana, and Namibia, which are also primarily Christian.

15. Sub-Saharan Africa
Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Kinshasa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia

Mostly former British or French colonies, these countries are divided between Muslim and Christian, French and English speakers, and lack cultural cohesion. A combination of natural resources and poverty rates of 70 or 80 percent all but assure that cash-rich players like China, India, and North America will seek to exploit the region.

16. Maghrebian Belt
Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia

In this region, spanning the African coast of the Mediterranean, there are glimmers of progress in relatively affluent countries like Libya and Tunisia. But they sit amid great concentrations of poverty.

17. Middle Kingdom
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan

China may not, as the IMF recently predicted, pass the U.S. in GDP within a decade or so, but it’s undoubtedly the world’s emerging superpower. Its ethnic solidarity and sense of historical superiority remain remarkable. Han Chinese account for more than 90 percent of the population and constitute the world’s single largest racial-cultural group. This national cultural cohesion, many foreign companies are learning, makes penetrating this huge market even more difficult. China’s growing need for resources can be seen in its economic expansion in Africa, the Bolivarian Republics, and the Wild East. Its problems, however, are legion: a deeply authoritarian regime, a growing gulf between rich and poor, and environmental degradation. Its population is rapidly aging, which looms as a major problem over the next 30 years.

18. The Rubber Belt
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

These countries are rich in minerals, fresh water, rubber, and a variety of foodstuffs but suffer varying degrees of political instability. All are trying to industrialize and diversify their economies. Apart from Malaysia, household incomes remain relatively low, but these states could emerge as the next high-growth region.

19. Lucky Countries
Australia, New Zealand

Household incomes are similar to those in North America, although these economies are far less diversified. Immigration and a common Anglo-Saxon heritage tie them culturally to North America and the United Kingdom. But location and commodity-based economies mean China and perhaps India are likely to be dominant trading partners in the future.

This article originally appeared in Newsweek.

Legatum Institute provided research for this article.

Joel Kotkin is executive editor of NewGeography.com and is a distinguished presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University and an adjunct fellow with the Legatum Institute in London. He is author of The City: A Global History. His newest book is The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, released in February, 2010.

Irish -Top Number of American Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients

The other morning I posted an entry about Leo High school 1940 graduate John Peter Fardy, son of a Fireman and Housewife, who grew up at 8100 S.Calumet, attended Leo HS, joined the Marines in WWII and heroically on Okinawa.

John Fardy was an Irish American. Yesterday, I recieved an e-mail for Gerry Regan of Asotria,NY who is the publisheer of The Wild Geese. com. One of his researchers wrote an article about the Medal of Honor. The Irish top the list of Medal of Honor Recipients. He research was taken from the citations for each Recipient found at Home of Heroes.com -here is one on Chicago's Double Medal recipient John Joseph Kelly from WWI.*

http://www.homeofheroes.com/

Irish Dominate Medal of Honor List
By John J. Concannon
WGT Heritage Editor

"Brothers of Ireland" by Don Troiani depicts the 69th New York and 9th Massachusetts Infantry regiments in battle at Gaines Mill, Virginia, during America's Civil War. At nearby Malvern Hill four days later, Pvt. Peter Rafferty of the 69th and Lt. John Tobin of the 9th, both Irish-born, would win Medals of Honor.
By a stroke of good fortune, I became involved in an Irish/Irish American book writing project that is dear to my heart.

Since I was a youngster, I have been fascinated by heroes, men who have risked life and limb to save another human, or defied death to accomplish a perilous mission.

A colleague, the late Gerard F. White of Lindenhurst, N.Y., and I worked on an unfinished book that would, for the first time, tell the full story of Irishmen who have "won," that is, been awarded the Medal of Honor. The honor, bestowed in the name of Congress, is the top award that "a grateful nation can bestow" to recognize valorous acts in battle "above and beyond the call of duty."

White, who labored in the Medal of Honor vineyard for more than 36 years, was a military historian and former secretary of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In 1995, White and associates George Lang (a Medal of Honor recipient) and Raymond Collins compiled the premier book on the subject, a two-volume, 1,334-page history titled "Medal of Honor Recipients 1863-1994."

Although this book is out of print, it is available through Powells Books. Volume I covers the Civil War through the 2nd Nicaraguan Campaign. Volume II covers World War II through Somalia. To buy it now, click here: "Medal of Honor Recipients 1863-1994."
The books list the 3,401 men who had received the Medal through 1994, presenting the information in several categories. A "birthplace" listing provides the state and town of birth for those medalists born in the United States and the country of birth for those born abroad. Thirty-three countries are listed as birthplaces of medal recipients. And I don't have to tell you that Ireland is the country with the largest number of medal winners — by far — with 258. Germany/Prussia is second with 128 recipients.
Of the 258 immigrants who noted on their enlistment papers that they were born in Ireland, 134 also provided their county, town or townland of birth. Cork leads the honor list with 19 medalists, followed by Dublin and Tipperary with 11 each. Limerick has 10; Kerry eight; Galway seven; Antrim and Tyrone tied with six; Kilkenny and Sligo each have five.

We Irish can proudly note that five of the 19 fighting men who won a second Medal of Honor were born in Ireland. They are Henry Hogan from County Clare; John Laverty from Tyrone; Dublin's John Cooper, whose name at birth was John Laver Mather; John King; and Patrick Mullen. Three double winners of the Medal were Irish-Americans: the indomitable Marine, Daniel Daly; the U.S. Navy's John McCloy; and the fighting Marine from Chicago, John Joseph Kelly.

Over the years, the Ancient Order of Hibernians has had strong associations with the Medal. At least two AOH divisions have been named after Medal recipients, including Colonel James Quinlan Division #3 of Warwick, in Orange County, N.Y. Quinlan, a native of Clonmel, County Tipperary, was awarded the Medal for gallantry "against overwhelming numbers" while leading the Irish Brigade's 88th New York in the battle of Savage Station, Virginia, during the American Civil War.

Then there's the remarkable "super survivor," Michael Dougherty, from Falcarragh, County Donegal. Dougherty, a private in the 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry in the Union Army, won the Medal for leading a group of comrades against a hidden Confederate detachment at Jefferson, Virginia, ultimately routing it. The official report noted that "Dougherty's action prevented the Confederates from flanking the Union forces and saved 2,500 lives." Later, Dougherty and 126 members of his regiment were captured and spent 23 months in various Southern prisons, finally arriving in Georgia at the notorious Andersonville death-camp.

Of the 127, Dougherty alone survived the ordeal, "a mere skelton," barely able to walk. But he walked aboard the homeward-bound steamship "Sultana," crowded with more than 2,000 passengers, six times its designated capacity. The crammed steamship was slowly moving up the Mississippi River toward St. Louis, when, on the fourth night out, the boilers exploded, cracking the ship in two and tossing Dougherty and the other passengers into the Mississippi. Only 900 survived, including Dougherty, who somehow found the strength to swim to a small island, where he was rescued the next morning.

Finally, after an absence of four years, 21-year-old Union veteran reached his hometown, Bristol, Pennsylvania. That's why AOH Division #1 of Bristol, in Bucks County, is known as the Michael Dougherty Division.

Please contact John Concannon if you have any new information on Irish MOH winners, via e-mail at narrowback@thewildgeese.com.

(Emphases my own)

*

Medal of Honor citation
[edit] Army citation
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps, 78th Company, 6th Regiment, 2d Division.

Place and date: At Blanc Mont Ridge, France, October 3, 1918.

Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Born. June 24, 1898, Chicago, Ill. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919.

Kelly, John Joseph
Private, 78th Company
G.O. War Department No. 16, page 7, 1919

Private Kelly ran through our barrage 100 yards in advance of the front line and attacked an enemy machine- gun nest, killing the gunner with a grenade, shooting another member of the crew with his pistol, and returning through the barrage with eight prisoners.
[edit] Navy citation
Kelly, John Joseph
Private, U.S. Marine Corps
78th Company, 6th Regiment

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy at BLANC MONT RIDGE, France, October 3, 1918. Private Kelly ran through our own barrage one hundred yards in advance of the front line and attacked an enemy machine-gun nest, killing the gunner with a grenade, shooting another member of the crew with his pistol and returned through the barrage with eight prisoners.

The Late Lester Mukinfuch - Little Flower H.S. Class of 1970

I received this e-mail photo from my old pal Lester. Lester was the son of the late Tanczo and Muriel Mukinfuch and lived in the apartments above Wise's Five and Dime on 79th Street between Marshfield and Paulina.

Lester used to push the phalanx of unoccupied swing seats at Clara Barton School as hard as he could, close his eyes and try to duck them, like Napoleon Solo did with swirling razor sharp bladed on Man From Uncle,* well into his late teens. Lester would loudly gum out the base riff from MFU theme music (Dun,Dun,Dunt,Dunt -Dun, Dun, Dunt, Dunt,Dunt . . .) -Duck, pop up, and take the the quarter inch pine in the teeth.

Lester was a lovely guy. He recently retired from the faculty of University of Chicago where he had been a Distinguished Professor of Social Work and had been consultant for AFSCME and the SEIU, as well as Organizing for America.

Unmarried and childless, Lester had gone to Alaska on holiday and having become a great fan of the Bear Whisperer on the Animal Planet Channel, wanted to get close to Ursus arctos horribilis .

When I received this photo attached to the following e-mail from his Cingular camera phone at 7:55PM last night posted below, I notified Bob Sheehy, President of Sheehy & Sons Funeral Homes to expect a delivery from •Ketchikan, Alaska -

Hick!

Alaska is assume! The Woods Streets guys ud love it! Beers alot, but there'sbears out here. Look I foun on my table! Back on . . .

Ubi Sunt, the lads of my youth!

HT to Max Weismann of the Center for the Study of Great Ideas -Lester never met Max, nor a Great Idea.

FBI Probing SEIU Mandarin Andy Stern in Corruption Inquiry

Well, we do wonder why SEIU is not Standing in Solidarity with SEIU Local 73 Chief Steward Joe Iosbaker in the FBI Terror Probe! Hell, quick-quitting and vanishing SEIU Mandarin -former SEIU President Andy Stern - the Media's Main Guy, is being probed -God I hope so -by the FBI for Corruption! Corruption, Boys and Girls!

Mr. Class WarFare? Get This!!!!!! Give the Man his day in court . . .by all means!

FBI Investigates Prominent Labor Leader Andy Stern
WASHINGTON September 28, 2010, 09:29 am ET
People interviewed by federal agents report the FBI and the Labor Department are investigating prominent labor leader Andy Stern as part of a corruption probe involving the Service Employees International Union.

Two organized labor officials met with federal agents this summer to answer questions about Stern's role in approving money to pay the salary of an SEIU leader in California who performed no work and a book contract that Stern landed in 2006.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the investigation. The FBI and the Labor Department's office of inspector general declined to comment for the record.

Stern abruptly resigned as president of the 2.2-million member SEIU in April.

And, irony of ironies, I got this from NPR! Go figure!

Andy was up to his purple pockets in the Blagojevich scandal too, but then President Obama's guy to fix the National Deficit took a Murphy from the public view -most abruptly.

Some folks think that I am just a tad cynical.

Associated Press? Advocacy Press Rather. AP Shilling for SEIU and Anti-Israeli Activists in Illinois and Minnesota FBI Terror Probe

Tens of People have read Pat Hickey's novel The Chorito Hog Leg: A Novel of Guam in Time of War. Were I a member the SEIU the media and especially Associated Press ( AP) might say Hundreds of People Were Riveted and Pop-eyed Gob-Smacked by Hickey's Whacking Good Read!

Well here is the AP on yesterdays protest of on-going FBI Terror Probe that includes and leader of the Services Employee International Union (SEIU) Local 73 - Joseph Iosbaker.

MINNEAPOLIS — Hundreds of protesters gathered outside FBI offices in Minneapolis and Chicago on Monday, bearing signs and shouting chants condemning the agency's recent searches of homes and offices of anti-war activists in both cities.

About 150 people protested in Minneapolis, with signs reading: "Stop FBI harassment. Opposing war is not a crime." Roughly 120 people marched in Chicago, chanting, "Hey, hey! Ho, ho! FBI raids have got to go!"

HUNDREDS blares the the headlines and the lede " Hundreds of protesters gathered outside FBI offices in Minneapolis and Chicago on Monday!" Yet, by paragraph two the Arabic numerals total exactly 270 Protesters.

Let's see now Hundreds of protesters gather outside FBI offices in Minneapolis and Chicago. Hundreds at each? Nope. Several score might be accurate as would saying a hundred and change, but the Associated Press ( AP) is nothing more than Advocacy Press.

However, the AP did mention that FBI is investigation a Terror connection.

The FBI had searched five homes of anti-war activists in Minneapolis on Friday, plus the offices of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee. They also searched two homes of activists in Chicago. Agents confiscated computers, cell phones, large amounts of papers and financial records, the subjects and their attorneys said.

Agents were seeking "evidence relating to activities concerning the material support of terrorism," the FBI said. Chicago FBI spokesman Ross Rice declined on Monday to discuss what agents were looking for, citing an "ongoing criminal investigation." There have been no arrests.

Search warrants and subpoenas indicate authorities are looking for connections between the activists and groups including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Hezbollah. The U.S. government considers those groups to be terrorist organizations.

Absent were the clear, very public and long associations of the SEIU to anti-Israeli terror, but also the Columbian terror network FARC. Likewise no mention is made of SEIU Chief Steward Joseph Iosbaker's position in the ACORN sister association, nor SEIU itself. Why not make that connection?

Readers have long been jobbed by the Media, due to its Advocacy Agenda.

BTW - if you have not read my novel, take a look to right over by there and click on the cover buy HUNDREDS of Copies! Get both Every Heart and Hand: A Leo High School Story and save cash money!

South Side Pub Crawl Benefits -Infant Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy: Do It for Danny

Danny Stanton
My neighbors are the best. Any time an illness or death hits a family, the neighbors festoon the businesses, churches and schools with posters citing an event to bring people together and give that family financial, bit more importantly, spiritual comfort and support.

That south side spirit infected Chicago when Natalie McShane was savagely beaten and bludgeoned into a coma - 19th Ward neighbor and former Cook County Sheriff Mike Sheahan his brother Skinny put out the call and Local 399 International Operating Engineers offered its Hall and Apprenticeship School. It was magnificent.

Now, some neighbors are getting together raise funds for the Stanton's who lost their precious Danny to Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. I have a friend in Kankakee who nearly lost his daughter to the same affliction twenty years ago. This is a heartbreaking and soul shattering experience. There is nothing to match the anguish of losing a child.

The Southtown Star which is owned by south sider and veteran benefit goer Jim Tyree offers this wonderful story and opportunity to help out some very nice people.

On Oct. 9, the Western Walk pub crawl will benefit the Danny Did Foundation. The pub crawl features stops at four bars in Chicago's Beverly community. The schedule is:

• Noon to 1:30 p.m. McNally's, 11136 S. Western Ave.

• 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Dinger's Sports Bar, 10638 S. Western Ave.

• 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Keegan's Pub, 10618 S. Western Ave.

• 6:30 to 10 p.m. Cork & Kerry, 10614 S. Western Ave.

Registration is not required for the free event. Raffles will be held throughout the day, including a $5 raffle to win autographed Notre Dam memorabilia.

For information, call Erin Quinn at (630) 220-8236 or visit www.dannydid.org. Monetary donations may be sent to Quinn at 14545 Raneys Lane, Orland Park, IL 60462.

IF YOU GO ...

What: Western Walk Pub Crawl to benefit the Danny Did Foundation

When: Noon to 10 p.m. Oct. 9

Where: McNally's, 11136 S. Western Ave.; Dinger's Sports Bar, 10638 S. Western Ave., Keegan's, Pub, 10618 S. Western Ave.; Cork and Kerry, 10614 S. Western Ave.

Information: Call Erin Quinn at (630) 220-8236 or visit www.dannydid.org

Click my post title for the full and heartbreaking story of the Stanton's loss and their courageous fight to make sense of tragedy.

Leo High School's Medal of Honor Hero - Cpl. John P. Fardy

He was one of those kids that years later you say 'Oh, yeah! Nice quiet kid. Never did much.'

John P. Fardy was the son of Chicago Fireman Martin Fardy and housewife Mary Fardy and lived in St. Clothilde Parish at 8144 South Calumet Avenue (Telephone Radcliffe 5771)John Fardy attended Leo High School, then conducted by the Irish Christian Brothers and like nearly all of his clasmates was an Irish American Kid.

He was less than an exceptional student. His 1940 Class Rank was 138 out of 184 with an average cumulative precentage score ( contemporary method) of 77%. However, John Fardy was learning to be a hero - one of America's Saints -Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

John Fardy was not an school athlete and played on no teams. His only activity listed on his senior page is Public Speaking. After Leo, " He took a course in typing at the Fox Secretarial College the same year and entered the Illinois Institute of Technology the following year. He majored in mechanical engineering but left after the first year. He had been doing time study work previously, so he went to work at the Cornell Forge Company as a time study man and draftsman." Then came military service - America was attacked by Japan.

Inducted into the Marine Corps on May 8, 1943, he went through recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California, upon completion of which he was assigned to the Japanese Language School at his own request. He was promoted to private first class in July, about two weeks before the start of school. After one month of attendance at the language school at Camp Elliott, San Diego, PFC Fardy was transferred to the Infantry Battalion where he was trained as an automatic rifleman.

Private First Class Fardy joined the 29th Replacement Battalion shortly before the unit left the United States on October 28, 1943. He journeyed to Nouméa, New Caledonia, and was reassigned to the 27th Replacement Battalion, which was leaving to join the 1st Marine Division.

Attached to Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines upon his arrival at Goodenough Island, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, early in December 1943, PFC Fardy left with that unit about a week later for Nascing, Alatu, New Guinea. The stay there was a short one also, for the 1st Marines left Finschaffen on Christmas Day 1943, for their December 26 landing on enemy-held Cape Gloucester, New Britain. Within two months of the time he left his home shores, the former draftsman was involved in a battle for an enemy airdrome on an island rarely heard of before.

Following the Cape Gloucester operation, and the return of the 1st Marine Division to the Russell Islands for over three months training, the division left for Peleliu. After practice landings at Guadalcanal, the division landed on the coral-studded, shadeless Peleliu. PFC Fardy participated in the capture of the airport and the attack on the coral hills overlooking it before returning to the Russell Islands with his regiment in early October.

Promoted to Corporal on December 21, 1944, the veteran of two campaigns became a squad leader as the reorganized division started training for the next operation. The training ashore ended in February and the Marines embarked aboard the ships that took them for practice landings at Baniki (Russell Islands), Guadalcanal, and Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands. The landing on Okinawa occurred on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1945 and the division's sweep across the island up to the northern tip was accomplished with comparative ease. Later, Marines were moved south to help hard-pressed Army troops.

It was on May 6, 1945 when Company C was advancing against a strongly fortified, fanatically-defended Japanese position that Cpl Fardy's squad was suddenly brought under heavy small-arms fire. Cpl Fardy temporarily deployed his men along a convenient drainage ditch. Shortly afterwards, an enemy hand grenade landed in the ditch, falling among the pinned-down Marines. Instantly, the 21-year-old corporal flung himself upon the grenade and absorbed the exploding charge with his own body. Taken to a field hospital, Cpl Fardy died the next day.

The Medal of Honor was presented to Corporal Fardy's parents at ceremonies conducted by the Marine Corps League in Chicago, September 15, 1946.

Reinterment services for Cpl Fardy, with military honors by the Chicago Detachment of the Marine Corps League, were held on April 7, 1949, at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Medal of Honor CitationThe President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

CORPORAL JOHN P. FARDY
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Squad Leader, serving with Company C, First Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Islands, 7 May 1945. When his squad was suddenly assailed by extremely heavy small-arms fire from the front during a determined advance against strongly fortified, fiercely defended Japanese positions, Corporal Fardy temporarily deployed his men along a near-by drainage ditch. Shortly thereafter, an enemy grenade fell among the Marines in the ditch. Instantly throwing himself upon the deadly missile, Corporal Fardy absorbed the exploding blast in his own body, thereby protecting his comrades from certain and perhaps fatal injuries. Concerned solely for the welfare of his men, he willingly relinquished his own hope of survival that his fellow Marines might live to carry on the fight against a fanatic enemy. A stouthearted leader and indomitable fighter, Corporal Fardy, by his prompt decision and resolute spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death, had rendered valiant service, and his conduct throughout reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United Stated Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

John Fardy was not an exceptional high school student-athlete; however, he was an exceptional man. America is an exceptional country.


*

FARDY, JOHN PETER

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S Marine Corps, Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division.
Place and date: Okinawa Shima, Ryukyu Islands, 7 May 1945.
Born: 8 August 1922, Chicago, Ill.
Accredited to: Illinois.
Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader, serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Islands, 7 May 1945. When his squad was suddenly assailed by extremely heavy small arms fire from the front during a determined advance against strongly fortified, fiercely defended Japanese positions, Cpl. Fardy temporarily deployed his men along a nearby drainage ditch. Shortly thereafter, an enemy grenade fell among the marines in the ditch. Instantly throwing himself upon the deadly missile, Cpl. Fardy absorbed the exploding blast in his own body, thereby protecting his comrades from certain and perhaps fatal injuries. Concerned solely for the welfare of his men, he willingly relinquished his own hope of survival that his fellow marines might live to carry on the fight against a fanatic enemy. A stouthearted leader and indomitable fighter, Cpl. Fardy, by his prompt decision and resolute spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death, had rendered valiant service, and his conduct throughout reflects the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country

.

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/MoH_F-J.html#fardy

F.B.I. Probe of Terror is Not Intimidation: It is Uncomfortable.

Now, Old Billy Ayers has had a very warm and close relationship with UIC where SEIU Chief Steward Joe Iosbaker leads the cheers for Solidarity. Billy Ayers has had a very warm relationship with Hugo Chavez and has lectured on Bolivarista Agenda against Columbia. Billy Boy is a FARCer. You see FARC* is a terrorst group supported by and in Solidarity with SEIU. FARC is now linked to anti-Israeli Terror and some activists who call themselves Peace Activists. In Solidarity with the gutless Media of course.

Click my post titlefor many more photos from SEIU Local 73 Rally for Higher Education.

Also pictured at the Local 73 Rally is an old pal of Billy!
SEIU Pal Bill Ayers and the guy who hired him at UIC? Is that Stan Ikenberry? Stanley!

Some people are made uncomfortable to have their assumptions rattled. It was perfectly wonderful that the F.B.I. arrested a deranged goof who wanted to make the world a better place by putting a bomb in front of the Cubby Bear Lounge in Wrigleville.

However, when the same scrutiny into the network that actively supports terror in the name of Peace makes hand-wringers sad.

Two people, on an instructor at Wright College and her husband a Chief Steward for SEIU at University of Illinois at Chicago (UICC), has made some people with warm relations to the media most prickly - in fact they plan two days of protests.

Activists are gearing up for demonstrations against recent FBI raids on the homes of anti-war activists in Minneapolis and Chicago.

Maureen Murphy is a member of the Palestine Solidarity Group in Chicago. She and others met Sunday afternoon in what they called an ''emergency meeting'' to plan demonstrations today and Tuesday.

On Friday the FBI searched eight addresses in Minneapolis and Chicago. Warrants suggest agents were looking for links between anti-war activists and terrorist groups in Colombia and the Middle East.

But Murphy claims the government is trying to quiet activists.

Iosbaker and Weiner declined to discuss their relationship with any groups abroad, citing their upcoming testimony before a grand jury on Oct. 5.

Prickly, they are downright chilled. Brrrrr. Chilled in Post-Bush America?

You see, there are uncomfortable connections. SEIU, which is the twin of ACORN, is a Political Action Committee that the Media calls Big Labor. SEIU gives oodles of money to politicians who will tow the line. SEIU gives news copy and advertising to Media icons and outlets that tow the line. SEIU has wonderful ties to Academia, because its leadership grew, not from laboring men and women, but from Academia. SEIU leaders are fashionably schooled academics.

Skilled Trades Unions, real labor, is lead by Tradesmen.

SEIU is a Marxist/Leninist operative with ties to every leftist advocacy agenda in America.

This is not some mystery. SEIU hides in plain site. All it requires is for the Media do as it is bidden by SEIU.

The Media is more than compliant; it is positively in the tank.

"These raids, searches and grand jury investigations are nothing more than an attempt to intimidate us and to intimidate the anti-war movement," Iosbaker said. "We have done nothing wrong."

FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said Saturday that the bureau's investigations "are predicated on criminal violations, not First Amendment protected activities."

The spin provided by the Media for SEIU scrubs the association of an SEIU Leader to the FBI probe of terror that has linked anti-Israeli Terror to Columbia's FARC.

There was a great deal news concerning FARC and Bernardine Dorhn and Bill Ayers in Spring and early summer of 2008 - that was when "guilt by association" linking candidate Barack Obama to domestic terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. It got well scrubbed by the Media. Hey, it was in all the papers . . .for a little while.

Bill Ayers was denied emeritus statues bu University of Illinois following the impassioned statement by Chris Kennedy. Only hours later the FBI were searching the homes of people who just might be linked to terror. Odd that.

Bill Ayers and Joseph IosBakker of SEIU are comrades. Links to terror are not intimidation, but they will make many folks uncomfortable.

Now, that is an uncomfortable truth.

Let's get the Media to do its job and not what it is bidden to do by SEIU.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/2747598,CST-NWS-fbi27.article

http://www.seiu73.org/your_job/higher_ed/Default.aspx

*Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC
Description

Established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, the FARC is Colombia’s oldest, largest, most capable, and best-equipped Marxist insurgency. The FARC is governed by a secretariat, led by septuagenarian Manuel Marulanda (a.k.a. “Tirofijo”) and six others, including senior military commander Jorge Briceno (a.k.a. “Mono Jojoy”). The FARC is organized along military lines and includes several urban fronts.

In February 2002, the group’s slow-moving peace negotiation process with President Andres Pastrana's administration was terminated by Bogota following the FARC's plane hijacking and kidnapping of a Colombian Senator from the aircraft. On 7 August, the FARC launched a large-scale mortar attack on the Presidential Palace where President Alvaro Uribe was being inaugurated. High-level foreign delegations—including the United States—attending the inauguration were not injured, but 21 residents of a poor neighborhood nearby were killed by stray rounds in the attack.



Strength

Approximately 9,000 to 12,000 armed combatants and several thousand more supporters, mostly in rural areas.



Location/Area of Operation

Colombia, with some activities—extortion, kidnapping, logistics, and R&R—in Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador.



External Aid

Cuba provides some medical care and political consultation. A trial is currently underway in Bogota to determine whether three members of the Irish Republican Army—arrested in Colombia in 2001 upon exiting the FARC-controlled demilitarized zone (despeje)—provided advanced explosives training to the FARC.

Although the FARC-controlled safe haven, or "despeje" -- which is situated between two of Colombia's largest coca cultivation areas -- is not considered a major area for coca cultivation or drug trafficking, many FARC units throughout southern Colombia raise funds through the extortion ("taxation") of both legal and illegal businesses, the latter including the drug trade. Some insurgent units raise funds through extortion or by protecting laboratory operations. In return for cash payments, or possibly in exchange for weapons, the insurgents protect cocaine laboratories in southern Colombia. Some FARC and ELN units are independently involved in limited cocaine laboratory operations. Some FARC units in southern Colombia are reported to be directly involved in drug trafficking activities, such as controlling local cocaine base markets.



Activities

Bombings, murder, mortar attacks, kidnapping, extortion, hijacking, as well as guerrilla and conventional military action against Colombian political, military, and economic targets. In March 1999, the FARC executed three US Indian rights activists on Venezuelan territory after it kidnapped them in Colombia. Foreign citizens often are targets of FARC kidnapping for ransom.

Although the Colombian government has given the FARC political status and has attempted to negotiate with this terrorist organization to stop the recruitment of minors, the FARC has refused. The Colombian government's Family Welfare Institute estimates that at least 30 percent of the FARC's fighters are younger than 18, compared to about 15 percent a decade ago. However, international and Colombia agencies that track the use of child fighters now think the FARC's numbers may be higher. During recent skirmishes between the Army and a FARC column, 32 of the 77 fighters captured by army troops were under 18 years old, and 19 of those were 15 and under. Of the 46 FARC fighters who were killed in the skirmishes, 20 were children. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that there were about 6,000 minors serving in the FARC and AUC terrorist groups last year.

The FARC broke off negotiations with the government in October 2001, protesting government security measures around the zone and military flights over the territory. On 12 January 2002, President Pastrana gave the FARC 48 hours to come up with a new proposal for talks, or, he said, he would abolish the safe zone he had granted them three years earlier as a condition for talks. Colombian army units took up positions around the zone and many people here feared a major escalation of the war was imminent. That crisis was averted on 14 January 2002, when the FARC agreed to immediate talks, and dropped the complaint about government security measures. The resulting agreement on a timetable for talks represents the most significant advance toward peace in Colombia in nearly four decades of war.

On 20 January 2002 representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, signed an agreement with the government of President Andres Pastrana that sets a timetable for peace negotiations. Less than four hours before the deadline for an agreement set by President Pastrana was to expire, the rebels and government negotiators announced their timetable and plan for talks. The last-minute accord prevented what many feared would be an escalation of the 38-year civil conflict. The timetable included a number of target dates for completing discussions of such issues as a cease-fire, kidnappings and other action that harm civilians, and the dismantling of anti-rebel para-military groups. The timetable set 7 April 2002 as the deadline for reaching an accord on these issues.

On 12 February, 2003 a plane tasked to the program working on eradicating Colombia's coca plantations and flying on a routine reconnaissance mission, crash landed in FARC territory. The plane was carrying a Colombian sergeant and four American contractors. Once located it was discovered that the Colombian soldier and one of the American passengers had been shot by FARC rebels and the three other Americans were taken captive. The three American hostages were accused of being CIA spies and were used as bargaining leverage to negotiate a prisoner exchange with the Colombian government. As of July 2006, no exchange had been made. This event exemplifies the abduction and ransom tactics the FARC has used to extort money and power for their cause. The FARC are believed to be in possession of hundreds of kidnapping victims ranging from Colombian politicians, policemen and other prominent figures.

In 2004 President Uribe launched a large military operation called "Patriot Plan" involving 15,000 government soldiers who pushed into FARC controlled territory in an attempt to wrest part of the countryside from rebel hands and capture key Guerilla leaders. The plan was partially successful causing the FARC to retreat and lose territory they had controlled for decades. The Patriot Plan was limited in its success of capturing key FARC leaders producing few apprehensions and driving most of the group's top leaders into deeper hiding.

By 2005 President Uribe's efforts to increase pressure on FARC appeared to have some partial success, decreasing the intensity of attacks on Government forces. However, statistics demonstrated that while the intensity of attacks had decreased the frequency of clashes remained the same. There was a resurgence of violence in early 2005 when 50 Colombian soldiers were killed in the month of February. Also in 2005, 3 Irish Republican Army (IRA) members who were awaiting final sentencing for training the FARC on IRA bomb tactics fled Colombian parole and resurfaced in Ireland. They were detained and questioned by the Irish national police and released without charge. The Colombian government requested their extradition. Ireland does not have an extradition treaty with Colombia; the case remained under review and the three fugitives at large.

In August 2005, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) "spokesman" Francisco Antonio Cadena Collazos under an international warrant. In August 2006, the Government of Brazil granted him political asylum and denied Colombia's extradition request.

On 3 September and 25 October 2007, Colombian authorities announced the deaths of commanders Tomas Medina Caracas "El Negro Acacio," and Gustavo Rueda Diaz, “Martin Caballero,” respectively, noting that they represented serious blows to the FARC.

In November 2007, President Alvaro Uribe agreed to a request of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba, to act as intermediaries for a possible "humanitarian exchange" of FARC-held hostages for FARC prisoners in Colombian jails. The Colombian government-sanctioned effort ended in November after Chavez and Cordoba repeatedly failed to adhere to Colombia's guidelines. Nevertheless, Chavez continued his efforts to gain the release of hostages including a failed effort at year's end involving the promised release of three Colombian hostages (Clara Rojas, her son Emmanuel, and Consuelo Gonzales de Perdomo) to an international delegation that included former-Argentine President Nestor Kirchner. The Government of Colombia revealed that the FARC had turned over Emmanuel to a sympathizer, who had in turn placed the child in Colombian social services. Confusion over Emmanuel's whereabouts coupled with FARC allegations that the Colombian military was operating in the area led the FARC to temporarily call off the release. The FARC, under intense public pressure, eventually turned over Rojas and Gonzales to President Chavez.

In March 2008 Colombia forces mounted a raid against the FARC in Ecuador, leading to the capture of laptop computers and other intelligence. The raid resulted in an immediate regional crisis over the apparent Colombian violation of Ecuadoran sovereignty, with both Ecuador and Venezuela mobilizing military forces. The Colombian authorities intially suggested that the raid had been conducted with Ecuadoran approval, but later appeared to back away from this assertion. In return Colombian authorities claimed the intelligence recovered proved links between the governments of both Ecuador and Venezuela and the FARC. The crisis and potential military confrontation were later resolved, but an investigation continued into the allegations of regional support for the FARC.

Capture of Rodrigo Granda in Venezuela, 13 December 2004
The FARC found itself in late 2004 in the middle of a growing diplomatic crisis between Colombia and Venezuela. On 12 January 2005, Colombia's defense minister acknowledged that the Colombian government had paid bounty hunters to seize Rodrigo Granda, a member of the FARC, from neigboring Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela subsequently described the capture, which occured on the streets of Caracas, as a violation of his country's sovereignty and demanded an explanation.

The Colombian government refused to divulge any information pertaining to the capture. For weeks the government had claimed the capture had occured in the Colombian border city of Cucuta. Any details relating to who was involved in the operation and how much they were paid is still unknown. A Venezuelan lawmaker, Luis Tascon, claimed that the amount was $1.5 million-an amount the Colombian government later denied. Defense Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe has asserted that Colombian agents were not involved, while a close ally of President Alvaro Uribe has claimed that "Venezuelan agents" had carried out the operation.

Adding to the mystery was the detainment of four Colombian officers in Venezuela just days before the capture. The four officers were suspected of taking photographs of military installations in the central city of Maracay, but were later released without being charged.

In a 14 January 2005 communique, the Colombian government claimed "The United Nations prohibits member nations to provide safe haven to terrorists in an “active or passive” manner... Mr. Granda participated in a Bolivarian Congress held in Caracas on December 8 and 9 of 2004, in representation of the FARC."

Rodrigo Granda, a senior FARC member, was reportedly responsible for garnering international support for the FARC. This, in sum, could be described as the source of the current conflict between Colombia and Venezuela. Colombia has often complained about the lack of cooperation from the Chavez government in cracking down on leftist rebels.

On 16 January 2005, the Colombian government released this 9-point statement:

■1. The right of the people to be free of terrorists needs the efficient and resolute cooperation of all democratic governments.
■2. Colombia pays rewards to informants who allow the capture of terrorists. It does not bribe. Venezuela must present proof supporting the alleged bribe to government officials.
■3. We cannot be cynically deceived by the FARC which presents the capture of kidnappers like kidnapping.
■4. Colombia will present proof to the Venezuelan Government regarding the protection provided by officials of that country to Mr. Granda. The safe haven provided to terrorists violates the sovereignty of Colombia, an offended country, for it increases the risk of terror against its citizens.
■5. Colombia does not accept that representatives of terrorist organizations be admitted in a political event sponsored by official Venezuelan institutions. Political opposition is one thing, another very different one is terrorism.
■6. With surprise it is read in the Foreign Affairs Office in Venezuela communiqué, the intention of involving 4 Colombian police officers in the Granda case. The Venezuelan authorities timely new that it concerned another antinarcotics operation. They were investigated and released.
■7. Colombia has used the diplomatic and official channels. What is demanded is that such channels operate in an efficient manner. Once again, information will be delivered to that Government concerning the presence of Colombian terrorists on Venezuelan soil. The name of 7 high ranking terrorist leaders and the location of various camps will be included.
■8. The will of the Colombian Government to work in harmony with the Government of Venezuela is reiterated and according to the procedure defined by the Offices of Foreign Affairs.
■9. Terrorism cannot harm the unity of our nations.
As of 17 January 2005, the crisis between the two countries continued. President Hugo Chavez agreed to meet with President Alvaro Uribe in a bilateral meeting. By the end of January 2005 the diplomatic standoff between the two countries appeared to be improving. On January 28 representatives from Colombia and Venezuela met in Lima, Peru. Tensions with the countries reached even more serious levels, following a 2008 Colombian raid against the FARC in Ecuador, with President Hugo Chavez mobilizing military forces before a meeting with Alvaro Uribe appeared to defuse the situation. Major economic links between Colombia and Venezuela, as well as Colombia and Ecuador were said to be a factor in resolving the crisis.

F.B.I. Terror Suspects -The Professor and SEIU -Get Cover From Supine Media Before Investigation Complete.

Joe Iosbaker of SEIU Local 73 at a rally outside worker-occupied Republic Windows & Doors back in December 2008


Last week the F.B.I. targeted terror suspects in Illinois and Minnesota. In Illinois one of the suspects was a Wright College teacher and the other an SEIU leader.

Joseph Iosbaker is an SEIU Leader. The sheepish Chicago Media went weak in the knees when Mr. Iosbaker and SEIU used the closing of the Republic Windows factory several years ago as a forum for disgraced Governor Blagojevich. Now, Iosbake is being investigated in a terrorist plot.

The Chicago media is following the lead of what they are told and tasked. SEIU is disappearing from the news reports on Iosbaker and his wife Wright College instructor Stephanie Weiner. They may be linked to anti-Israeli and Columbian FARC terrorism and that is what the Federal Bureau of Investigation is . . .investigating.

I admire people who put their time, talent and treasure into good causes that help people lead better lives.

I detest sneaks. A sneak parses his or her actions - a thief becomes a Robin Hood and a murdering thug becomes a Hero of the Revolution.

What is worse happens to be advocacy journalism that erases facts to make the story fit an agenda. Joseph Iosbaker is a hero of SEIU and The Marxist/Leninist -click my post title.

Immediately, the spin in the media was "Cry Foul While "Peace" Activists Let Slip the Dogs of War.

Several months ago Israeli sailors were assaulted by Gaza Blockade Runners and immediately the hand-wringers cried foul. The Gaza run was a calculated set-up by Marxists and Hamas using the hand-wringers who are all too willing to play martyr. Kevin Clark, of the Solidarity Movement and a practiced applicant of good-hearted din-wits, was thickly involved. Kevin Clark was part of the Easter Sunday assault on worshipers at Holy Name Cathedral and used Rachel Corrie several years ago.
There was and remains no Chicago media inquiry into Kevin Clark's activities, because Kevin Clark is also a Gay Activist.

Now, there is an immediate circling of wagons around these two individuals -

CHICAGO — Two anti-war activists said Saturday that a 12-hour search of their Chicago home by the FBI was an attempt to intimidate them and silence the peace movement.
Joe Iosbaker and his wife, Stephanie Weiner, said the government targeted them because they've been outspoken against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. funding of conflicts abroad. They denied any wrongdoing.
The FBI said it searched eight addresses in Minneapolis and Chicago Friday. Warrants suggest agents were looking for connections between local anti-war activists and groups in Colombia and the Middle East.
Iosbaker and Weiner declined to discuss their relationship with any groups abroad, citing their upcoming testimony before a grand jury on Oct. 5.
"These raids, searches and grand jury investigations are nothing more than an attempt to intimidate us and to intimidate the anti-war movement," Iosbaker said. "We have done nothing wrong."
FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said Saturday that the bureau's investigations "are predicated on criminal violations, not First Amendment protected activities."
When reached Friday, FBI spokesman Steve Warfield declined to provide details of the searches, but said there was no imminent threat to the community and the agency wasn't anticipating any arrests "at this time." He said the FBI was seeking evidence related to "activities concerning the material support of terrorism."

Associated Press


Chicago - A Logan Square couple investigated for alleged ties to terrorist organizations, says they are victims of government intimidation.

But they are not afraid.

The home of Joe Iosbaker and his wife, Stephanie Weiner was raided by FBI agents yesterday.

The agents spent 12 hours collecting documents and carrying boxes to a van in the alley.

The FBI said it was part of an investigation concerning material support of terrorism.

Isobaker said today, "It's pretty hard to control the anger we feel. All we ever did was work against the US involvement with Colombia and Israel and we support the people for justice."

Isobaker and his wife held a news conference, along with several local peace organizations, dozens of people who have demonstrated against war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Isobaker says the agents took his children's art and poetry and put it into evidence bags.

When asked why they thought they were targeted, Stephanie Weiner said "I came from a family that marched against the Vietnam war. I'm proud that my children, as well, are organized."

While the raid took place in Logan Square, four Chicago- area college students allegedly were questioned by the FBI, according to one student activist group.

Kait McIntyre, of Students for a Democratic Society said, "These raids are meant to intimidate us, to silence us to evoke fear in the movement."

Isobaker and Weiner were not arrested. But they face a grand jury hearing October 5th.

Fox 32 News

This from last night's Chicago Tribune - scrubbed of any mention of SEIU association -

Joseph Iosbaker said he watched as FBI agents walked out of his house with his sons' artwork and poetry. He said the agents also confiscated pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

"They refused to stop their work, and we take moral guidance from their examples," Iosbaker said to about 40 activists huddled in his lawyer's Humboldt Park law office.

Iosbaker and his wife, Stephanie Weiner, who live in Logan Square, were among several activists targeted in home searches in Chicago and Minneapolis in an investigation into possible domestic links with alleged terrorist organizations.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/09/targets-of-fbi-search-speak-out.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm
Followed by this comment -

Comment by Robert M Kraus Sr on September 25, 2010 8:10 PM
Citizens, we are now living in a police state. The FBI had better not come knocking on my door.
rmk/akron

Really? I received this e-mail from another person:

This is interesting. I teach on a part-time basis at Wright and the divide between the full-time and adjunct faculty is a wide one. As such, I do not know Weiner.

What I can attest to is that:

1. Bill Ayers has been invited to address the students within the past four years as an extracurricular exercise.

2. One of the handful of student groups on campus is "Students for Peace and Justice" which promotes LBQT issues, hatred of Israel and a homeland of Palestine.

3. In recent months, various maps posted on campus have been defaced by pro-Arab students. The state of Israel was scratched off of the maps.

The Chicago Media is playing advocacy journalism. SEIU has a deep association with very dangerous anti-American and anti-Israeli groups up to their necks in blood, like the International Solidarity Movement -Kevin Clark.

Do your jobs and investigate the associations. Act like journalists and not sheep. Quit being spoon fed crap for hand-wringers.

Chicago's Best Vocalist - Marc Pompe and Guitarist Genius Andy Brown

Chicago Jazz Magazine • “Pompe Is Still On Fire”
By Randy Freedman • September-October 2009
Veteran Chicago vocalist/pianist/songwriter Marc Pompe knows his way around the Chicago jazz scene as well as anyone can, possessing a wealth of experience from which to draw. His recent performance at Katerina’s Supper Club as a trio stood out from his typical performances, because that night he stepped away from the piano. As a rarity, instead of being his own accompanist, Pompe got the chance to fully concentrate on his vocal skills and song selection, while leaving the musical driving in the capable hands of guitarist Andy Brown and upright bass player Doug Hayes.

At the height of his long career, Pompe was not only one of the more popular male jazz vocalist in Chicago, but was in-demand nationally, performing dates at- among other venues- the prestigious Jilly’s in New York. Pompe left he limelight behind for a while to pursue a quieter, more peaceful lifestyle in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Upon his return to Chicago, Pompe found (as did many others) that the music scene had changed, and that it was more difficult for his to find work. Pompe could not regain the full extent of his previous popularity with audiences and club owners, though certainly not for lack of skill or effort: changing times had taken their toll.

Today, an ironic side effect of the current worldwide economic slowdown and one that actually favors musicians like Pompe- is that although there is less work overall for musicians in Chicago, vocalist who can accompany themselves on piano are in relatively greater demand than before. Despite the poor economy, Pompe appears regularly behind the piano of venues like Maggiano’s on Clark, McCormick & Schmick’s and the Chambers in Niles.

The opportunities to appear in a concert-like setting with other musicians are fewer for him, and made this performance at Katerina’s a relatively unique opportunity for Pompe and his fans.

Music highlights from this performance included “What Am I Here For” (Ellington and Hendricks) and “Old Chair” (Pompe), the songs sharing a Pompe specialty- the use of what he calls “a busy lyric.” These lyrics are pre-written by Pompe, which he incorporates into an existing song while improvising melody and tempo in a manner similar to “scat,” but using real words and sentences with meaning. Pompe has the annunciation and poise required to do this in a way that lets the listener hear and understand every word clearly, no matter how rapidly they are delivered.

Brown demonstrated his guitar skill by staying with Pompe no matter where his improvisational stylings took him. Other highlights where “Two For The Road,” Flying Down to Rio” and “The Best Thing For You Would Be Me”- all of which all featured great bow work by bassist Hayes.

Some vocalists may experiment with a new song the first few times they perform it, but eventually settle on one interpretation which makes them feel comfortable and seems to please their audience. Pompe seems to regard each new performance of a song the way a great painter does a fresh piece of canvas, and seizes every opportunity to re-examine and re-interpret melody and lyrics as they sound at the moment, in that room, with those instruments and those musicians, and tweak them as he pleases. No two performances are the same, and a careful listener can always find something new and different each time they hear him.

Pompe is every inch an original. He has a breezy, don’t-take-me-too-seriously-unless-I-want-you-to style that suggest an earlier jazz era, but is relevant to the here and now. Pompe can swing hard or can bring you sensitive phrasing and tempo to highlight the beauty of a lyric. Sometimes he does both within the very same song. Few other artists can match his variety of musical skills and imagination.

Terror Web Includes "Peace" Activist and SEIU?

Glover gets Cuffed and Andy Stern Cheers -It's How SEIU Rolls, Brothers and Sisters!


SEIU is a PAC. It operates by loading its coffers from the dues of no skill and under skilled people who will remain life-long members of the Tax Dependancy Agenda.
SEIU gets its power through its web of associations with radical leftists cause agenda groups - be they Full Amnesty immigration,anti-Israel Palestinian Activists, LGBTQ Same Sex Marriage, America's Abortion Happy Dowagers, anti-Military Everything, anti-Religion, Pro Terrorist, or Anarchist.

The F.B.I. is investigating a terrorist web and strands of that web include self-proclaimed "Peace" activists and even an SEIU leader.

In Jefferson Park, neighbors saw FBI agents carrying boxes from the apartment of community activist Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network. In addition, Chicago activist Thomas Burke said he was served a grand jury subpoena that requested records of any payments to Abudayyeh or his group.

"The warrants are seeking evidence in support of an ongoing Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism," said Steve Warfield, spokesman for the FBI in Minneapolis, where six additional homes were searched Friday.

Warfield said no arrests had been made and that there was no "imminent danger" to the public.

Ross Rice, an FBI spokesman in Chicago, gave the two Chicago blocks where agents had searched homes Friday, but he declined to name the targets.

Melinda Power, an attorney for Weiner and Iosbaker and a longtime friend, said agents took about 30 boxes of papers dating to the 1970s, including a postcard from an old girlfriend of Iosbaker's.

"They said they would determine what was evidence later," Power said.

Weiner, who said she and her husband for years have been active in labor causes and the anti-war movement, complained the search was an attempt to intimidate her and other activists.

"We aren't doing anything differently than we have in 20 years," said Weiner, a teacher at Wilbur Wright College. Iosbaker is a staff member at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a union steward for Service Employees International Union Local 73.

(emphasis my own)

Progress Illinois of SEIU protests this Federal investigation by stating that the F.B.I. is targeting Anti-War Activists.

FBI Raids In Chicago Targeting Anti-War Activists?

Details are still sketchy, but the Associated Press says that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has raided two homes in Chicago and six in Minneapolis on terrorism-related charges. But activists in Minneapolis say the FBI is targeting anti-war protestors. One woman in Minneapolis whose home was raided served as a leader in protesting the Republican National Convention two years ago, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Less than Truthy, kids. The F.B.I. is targeting Terrorists. Is SEIU pro-Terror?
http://www.progressillinois.com/news/content/2010/09/24/fbi-raids-chicago-targeting-anti-war-activists

Labor for Palestine -

http://www.laborforpalestine.net/wp/founding-statement/

The One Nation, Working Together get out the vote movement is led by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), which started as an anti-war group, but has expanded its scope into promoting social justice, globalization, the plight of the Palestinian people against the “Apartheid policies of the government of Israel,” justice for the Iraqi people against the U.S. politicians who committed war crimes, and advocating the opinion that there is nothing more evil than American multi-national corporations.
“UFPJ will seek to strengthen our alliances and working relationships with other forces in the antiwar movement, as well as the movements for global economic, environmental and social justice. Our international work will be based on respect for the sovereignty of other nations and a commitment to human rights and international law. We will support and seek cooperation with our sister organizations around the world, and we will act in solidarity with progressive groups and individuals within the United States and the nations occupied by U.S. forces.”
The UFPJ’s Steering Committee is composed of people from Marxist, progressive, or communist groups including Code Pink, Institute of Policy Studies, Western States Legal Foundation, Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, Communist Party USA, Alliance for Community Trainers, American Friends Service Committee, Brooklyn For Peace, National Immigration Solidarity Network, Desis Rising Up and Moving, and US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation just to name a few. At least two of the groups, Solidarity and US Campaign to End The Israeli Occupation, also have a history of anti-Semitic activity.
The misreporting of the October 2 rally is not a matter of bias; it was caused by pure laziness. The assigned reporters read the press released and saw the possibility of a “food fight” between unions and tea parties and/or Glenn Beck. The October 2 rally has been is created and is being executed by organizations much more nefarious than simply counter-protesting a Glenn Beck or a Tea Party rally. Simple reporting would have enabled these news organizations to report the real story.
But that would be too much to ask.

http://bigjournalism.com/jdunetz/2010/09/05/lazy-media-reruns-press-release-calls-it-news-blows-real-story-of-socialist-le

Race for Mayor Is Going to Be Ugly - Really Ugly

Michael Sneed got a scoop of WHUP Ass for her Friday Column - the word that Terry Peterson will be Rahm Emanuel's Campaign Manager. Terry Petersen ran Mayor Daley's recent wildly successful stomping of candidates. I imagine that it knocked Tom Dart back on his pins a bit, but Dart is a smart tough guy, from tough stock and training.

Tom Dart worked under the only person that I can think of who did not make any money in public service - former Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan. Michael Sheahan was one of the very first recipients of the Axelrod/Emanuel school of Policy assault. They barely ruffled his whiskers, but since Sheahan retired they have honed their craft on Republicans, recalcitrant Blue Dog Democrats, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Ohio Plumbers.

The signing of Terry Peterson is a coup. Mayor Daley is sitting this one out? I think not.

Tom Dart had a great mentor in Mike Sheahan. He'll stand the blows, but they will shower down like rains of this past summer. Michael Sheahan stuck his neck out and helped Mayor Daley get elected as Cook County States Attorney and as Mayor.

Mayor Daley has hosted the National Democratic Convention, made Chicago look like Paris and act like Somalia, placed his close aides in positions of national power ( David Wilhelm, Bill Daley, David Pouffe, Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarret, Desiree Rogers, Arne Duncan and most importantly David Axelrod), brokered the ascent of President Barack Obama, and has retired.

Retired but obviously not out of game. Mayor Daley represents the triumph of Policy over Politics. I believe that Richard M. Daley eschewed Ward level politics for Policy in order to distance himself and his works from the people of Chicago.

I can not remember the last time Mayor Richard M. Daley set foot in the 19th Ward - one of the last powerful Wards along with the 47th, 11th, 13th, and the decimated 10th. These were the Politics Wards that gave Richard M. Daley the 5th floor.

All other Wards are mere geographic delineations of racial and ethnic boundaries, or centers of tourism. They are Policy Wards.

Policy Wards require State and Federal tax-dollars. They operate by dint of media propaganda and rallies of angry folks. Policy uses anger. Politics uses obligation.

Obligation is much more difficult, rather inconvenient.

For all of the mythology about the power of these Politics Wards ( 11th, 19th, 13th, 47th and the decimated 10th), they are little more than minor baronies of public service, until an election requires foot soldiers.

These Wards made Rahm Emanuel and Congressman, Mike Quigley a Commissioner and managed to keep County Government moving despite the daffy meanderings of Todd Stroger.

Like Mayor Daley, Rahm Emanuel does not to set foot in a Ward. He will operate out of treasury and via NPR, WTTW,Columnists, Chicago Magazine, Oprah, the BGA already stocked with Andy Shaw,SEIU National and Illinois, UNITE, home and away and our transient Agenda voters.

Unlike Mayor Daley, Rahm Emanuel will need Post-Shakman door bell ringers, shoulder punchers and back slappers, palm card hustlers and therefore is no doubt worming into the ears of Committeemen and disaffected, frightened non-Shakman City Workers. Mayor Daley retained Politics and political operatives for elections.

Terry Petersen is the key and, to my way of thinking, Daley's endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for a continuation of Government via Policy. CAPS trumps Cops, Wrought Iron and planters over snowplows and garbage trucks, Pritzker Pavillions over safe streets.

Tourists love the look of Chicago, until they leave a Bucktown bar at 2 A.M. and then it is the cops fault.

CPS pays for a day of Wilco tunes at Soldier Field and black males drop out of school.

Side Streets remain buried under snow and Pam Zekman is worried that there might be some guy who spent the previous 72 hours plowing main streets and ramps to the Dan Ryan catching a few winks in his truck! CBS Exclusive -wasted dollars! Over time robbers!

Let's Policy Up! Oh, let's do!

Well Policy it will be. Will Daley back Rahm?

But Daley has said publicly he will not support anybody, and I have been assured by those close to Daley that he will not change his mind.

Rose believes this is naive thinking for a race taking place in Chicago.

"Rahm is really looking to Daley to give him serious help," Rose said. "When Rahm won his congressional seat the first time, he did it with Daley's army. Daley says he's going to stay out of it, but what is important is not what Daley says, but what Daley does.

"Daley is Rahm's primary key, and Obama is Rahm's runoff key."

That is from MSNBC, POLITICO's jowely Roger Simon trotted out, no doubt, by Dave Axelrod. Posted by the always compliant Policy Drips of the Sun Times Editorial Board. If it bleeds it leads and if it concerns a cop send the cop to prison. Simple. Policy.

Daley chose Rahm. The Washington Boys, Rahm and Comb-Over Dave Axelrod will not and do not need to meet the Bushas at Bobaks, or glad hand the Gonzales Brothers at HopLeaf, or nail a few Pierogi and Cod with the Dumbrowski Brothers at Club 81 in Hegewisch, or spoon pasta with Nello and the helots of the 19th Ward. They will send e-mails, Twitters and winks out to the editorial boards, icon columnists, University think-tankers, and Coalitions Aplenty about Mike Madigan, Lisa Madigan, Tom Dart, Pat Quinn, Cardinal George, Tyra Banks, Eddie Money, Spoons Lanigan, or Lester Balick's smelly dog and destroy them!


Nothing personal; it's Policy.

It's Ugly - as ugly as a bathtub full of eels.