Watch CBS Channel 2 - 6 Time IHSA Track Champs Leo High School Practicing on Leo's All Weather Track on the 2nd & 3rd Floors of Leo High School

After a spirited Leo Advisory Board meeting, a trip to Greek Town's Pegasus Restaurant for octopus salad with an absolutely splendid woman, a sinkful of my son's post-shift skillets and sauce pans detritus awaiting Old Dad's pot-walloping, a sound sleep and an earlier than usual rising to the day, I am about to head over to the hallowed halls of Leo High School welcome the crew of Channel 2 CBS.

This morning at 4:00 AM, or there abouts, Chicago's CBS will arrive to film and interview Coach Ed Adams and the sprinters, hurdlers, harriers and weight men of six time IHSA Track Champions Leo High School. President Dan McGrath and I will be around to sic and fetch.

The first teasre shot goes off on Channel 2 News at 5:15 AM and the feature will broadcast all morning.

This legendary school is the Alma Mater to many of the Midwest's most successful and giving leaders in every vocation: Bishop John Gorman, philanthropist Tom Owens, Chrystler Magnate Bill Koloseike, retired Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court Tom Fitzgerald, one of the men who turned Egypt's economy around in the 1970's Frank Considine, ubiquitous civic, sport, religious, business and educational leader Andy McKenna, Boeing leader General George Muellner, U of I Educator Dr. Stafford Hood, Middleweight boxing pro Irish John Collins, Heavyweight boxing pro Thomas Hayes, Leo Coach Mike Holmes, Chicago Bulls execitive Curtis Cooper, Elevator Magnate Ken Mason, Comics, John Caponera, Bill Campbell, Kenny Howell and the great Paul Kelly, NFL stand-out Jason Jefferson, Leo Lion Bob Foster, attorneys of the damned Tom Durkin and Joe Power and Fathers Tom Mescall, John Sullivan and Bubbles McFarland.

Leo is not only the only Catholic school to win any track title in Illinois history, but also the only private school to so -and six times at that. Leo has no track.
Since 1926, Leo Track men have run, hurdled and vaulted on the marble floors of Leo High School's 2nd and third floors - not to mention the very vertical four floors of stairs recalled by every disciple of Brother O'Keefe, Brother Coogan, Brother Finch, Jimmy Arneberg, Bob Foster,Tom 'Malley, Jack Fitzgerald, Mike Holmes and Ed Adams. Walking them is a bitch and half, for this old fat boy. Sprinting them is the gradus to greatness.

Turn on tube this morning and watch some splendid young men work to beat the world.

I'll post the video, meself, ASAP.

Now, to 7/11 and on to Leo!

There had better not be a thing in the sink when I return, or I'll do them again. I mean it!

Sun Times Columnist Steve Huntley Nails It on ObamaCare

Steve Huntley is a gentleman and a thoughtful citizen; and he is also a columnist -rarissimo avium On this first day of United States Supreme Court deliberations on the constitutionality of Obama Care, Steve Huntley offers the core problem with this very bad legislation.

No matter where you may stand on President Barack Obama’s controversial health-care law, one point is indisputable: It is an expansion of the power of the federal government into our everyday lives.

That is the fundamental issue in next week’s arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act, a k a Obama­care, and its individual mandate ordering every person to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. Now, you can argue that’s a good thing in that uninsured people will eventually get sick and the costs will shift to the rest of us, either through higher insurance premiums or taxpayer-funded care.But this mandate is not about catastrophic insurance, meaning coverage that would protect an individual from bankruptcy-inducing medical charges — and the rest of us from being stuck with that bill. No, Obamacare is about the government influencing all aspects of medical coverage. That, as we’ve learned in recent weeks, includes the government managing details such as ordering church-affiliated hospitals and charities to provide free contraceptives, which cost a few hundred dollars a year, even if that violates the dictates of their conscience and religious beliefs.

Well done, Mr. Huntley!

No Fear Here - Americans v. Journalists. Scaroin? Really?

Initium sapientiæ est timor Domini Proverbs 9:10/Pslams 111:10/Acts of the Apostles 17:11

Well, four years ago you’d never heard of hopium, either. Then my colleague John Kass identified it as the drug being peddled by then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama — a mellowing narcotic named for Obama’s relentless though unoriginal invocations of hope; a powerful political sedative that obliterated cynicism and left voters blissfully optimistic about the power of one man to transform and unite our nation. . . . Scaroin has nearly the opposite effect.

It’s not smoked, snorted, inhaled or injected. Rather it’s transmitted via stump speeches of Republican presidential candidates, notably the passages in which they attempt to scare voters with dystopian visions of the crumbling fascist nation that will be the United States of America if Obama is re-elected.

Eric Zorn

Fear is a now a political trope for the motivation to oppose goofy policy. Goofy is a very subjective adjective, don't you think? However, what adjective is not?

According to too many columnists and far too many 'reporters' subjectivity is the order of the day. Instead of considering the facts, they play at being little John Deweys in the Global Lab.

The template today is fear. One is fearful, timorous, vicious, superstitious, and foolish if one believes that it is murder to kill an unborn child, that sex, procreation and the ultimate expression of love is merely a lifestyle, that success is predetermined by race, inherited wealth, and never by achievement. One is timorous and quaking with rattles of terror unless one is a Progressive Secularist.

Well, Call me scared stiff!

BTW - Hopium was a hit because it is a true, accurate, and a very witty reflection of an original thought concerning a very hollow man in public life - President Obama. Nice suit; nothing inside.

Scaroin? It is to laugh, Eric. A lame racehorse ain't a Triple Crown contender.That said, I am afraid that I need to get to the barbershop. Could stand a trim.

Obama's Boring Rhetoric - Flat Earthers and Herring Chokers

Punching Above His Weight and Beyond His Pay Grade

I was underwhelmed by Barack Obama years ago, as a candidate for Congress, State Senator, South Side Irish Parade-walker, and he has lived up to my expectations as President.

Barack Obama always struck me as someone who told the same story, over and over and over and over. Jim Bowman, a Chicago newsman of great repute, posted this Danish observation about President Obama's Boring Rhetoric, once termed soaring rhetoric.



That boxing trope reminded me of the time I was handling the Illinois State Senator Barack Obama at the Lexington House at an amateur boxing night. My task was to bring celebrity trophy presenters to the square ring after a bout in order to award the pugilists. Senator Obama asked me, "Where's the gate?"

No, Senator, you climb through the ropes.

" I see."

Me too.

Man, even the herring chokers ( Swedes, Danes, Norwegians and other Vikings) know a flat fish when they catch one.


By the way, Yanks, how many times have you heard the "flat-earth" yarn these last two weeks?

The poor man has the personality of a dial tone.

I'm With Rahm! Don't Blow Town -Send the Kids to Catholic Schools

Mayor Rahm snug with Leo Catholic High School Heroes!

“Don’t head for the doors when your kid’s in fifth grade or sixth grade — for the suburbs — because the city of Chicago is going to give you a high-quality life with a high-quality education for your children,” said Emanuel, speaking in his office and flanked by Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard.

Chicago's mayor wants Chicago's middle class to stick around and fears they are hitting the road south, west and north out of town because CPS stinks.

The middle class ( cops, firemen, CTA drivers,Postal Workers, UPS folks & etc.) will never come up with the scratch to go to Chicago Lab, Francis Parker, Latin School, or even St. Iggy. Most Catholic Schools are not as expensive as St. Ignatius and are affordable. Leo High School's student body is comprised of kids from low-income families and every senior soon graduate has been accepted into a college program.


I agree with Mayor Rahm and Jean Claude, stick around, but send the kids to Catholic Schools -Chicago is packed with Catholic Schools -that is unless Obama gets his HHS Mandate shoved down our throats.

There's Catholic Schools aplenty. The cost of re-locating is brutal. There is as much crime in Hill Crest, Country Club Hills or Orland Park as there is in Englewood, or Scottsdale these days - did you read about motorcycle goof?

Chicago Public Schools stink on ice, Mayor Rahm and Jean Claude just admitted as much, Catholic schools (grammar and secondary) outperform CPS hands down at a fraction of the cost it takes not to have a kid graduate from high school, much less read above a 5th grade level.

Chicago is a great town! Stick around and send the kids to Catholic Schools - they'll get educated and learn not to do wildings and flash mobs at Rock & Roll McDonalds.

What sort of education do you want for your child? What sort of future do you want? It isn’t easy to answer those questions, but the answers really matter. And the school you choose can make a real difference.

Our schools provide many things that other schools don’t or can’t. We invite you to take some time to see what we believe in, see what we believe is important, and visit some of our schools before you make a decision.

We look forward to meeting you, welcoming you, and introducing you to the faith, focus, and achievement that Catholic Schools offer.

If you would like to speak with Catholic school parents near you to hear how their children are benefiting, fill out this form and we'll make that connection for you.

Chicago Media Follow Orders - No Coverage of Religious Liberty Rally Yesterday

Obama 2012 Campaign is deathly afraid of these people.


There were no less than a thousand people in Federal Plaza Protesting the Obama HHS Mandate.
One estimate had the crowd at 2,000, but I believe that it was a bit shy of that.

There was absolutely no Chicago Media coverage - yesterday or today; by that I mean the two big news dailies - The Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun Times.The Obama 2012 Campaign hopes to spend a billion dollars to get President Obama re-elected - the Chicago media is invested.

Both papers dutifully reported on a small march to protest the death of a Florida kid, whose tragic and horrific killing is no less soul-sucking as the daily gang-banger slaughters of babies and cops, but is now the national template for scab-pulling. The Obama regime has declared war on religious liberty and the media have eaten up its narrative. Obama is embarrassed and frightened by his very actions and intent and it seems to me, wants the issue clouded and quick. President Obama is the Federal government.

The Catholic Bishops and many, many other relligious leaders understand the threat that is the HHS Mandate and called for people of faith to rally against it. Rally they did, without any support or coverage from the Chicago Media.

The Federal court building cut the power to the stage and most of the speeches were given over bullhorns. Then the US Post Office offered electrical power. Fair enough.

The real story about the Rally for Religious Liberty is the Chicago Media going Syria on the truth.

The Media fills the buffet of bullshit that the public is invited to dine upon. It is heaping board. The Chicago Media has been flat out in support of Barack Obama from 2008 through his first term. What has Chicago, much less Illinois, benefited from an Obama Presidency? FEMA won't fund storm damaged Illinois towns. Chicago has the highest gas prices in America. Real Labor, not SEIU or their coalitions of low and unskilled workers unions, is hobbled. Property taxes are in the stratosphere. Black and Hispanic kids are gunned down in Chicago streets hourly and Police are sued by Obama lawyers. But, Obama is President.

I believe that Dave Axelrod and his cadre of spin-merchants and bundlers gave the Trib and the Sun Times orders to lay down. And lay down they did.

The Truth is the first casualty in war. The Mandate, The Obama Regime, and the compliant media stand proof of that fact.


Americans can handle the truth; it would be soul-stirring if the news media would provide even the most basic of facts: like, a rally was held in Federal Plaza on March 23rd at noon to protest the HHS Mandate and rally for religious liberty.

Not too tough, that.


https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gl=us&tbm=nws&q=religious+liberty+rally+chicago&oq=religious+liberty+rally+chicago&aq=f&aqi=d2&aql=&gs_sm=12&gs_upl=2019l2019l0l3199l1l1l0l0l0l0l35l35l1l1l0

Obama 2012 Campaign Obeyed - No Report That More Than 1,000 People Rallied At Federal Plaza Today

Not Breaking News, Not Metro, Not Chicagoland. Nada, Zip, Nothing.

Dave Axelrod scares more Chicago newsies than Rahm without his breakfast, evidently.

I can almost hear Comb Over Dave's quietly petulant admonition to Bruce Dold and Thom McNamee -"President Obama will not be embarrassed by Catholics, Jews, Lutherans or other nutbags. Remember G-8? You too can be as gone. No protest because it did not happen; no coverage because it never took place. Now that is Coverage Mandate you can believe in! Now, scat!"

Did happen. Happened big, and thousands of Chicagoan saw it.

Religious Liberty Rally Draws a Thousand and Change in Chicago Today

The Yellow and Black Balloons are part of a Rosary chain built by the students from St. Cantius Catholic Church for the Religious Liberty Rally in Federal Plaza today.

With a complete media blackout and absolutely zero pre-event announcement whatsoever, more than a thousand citizens (I estimated the crowd in Federal Plaza at between one thousand and twelve hundred)stood in the rain to stand up against the HHS Obama Mandate.

Speakers included United States Congressmen Democrat Dan Lipinski (3rd) and Republican Joe Walsh (8th)as well as the head of B'nai 'Brith Chicago Joe Morris -President and General Counsel of The Lincoln Legal Foundation.

This was a respectful and polite throng of very angry people. The anger is palpable, because the respect is purely one-sided. President Obama has made it clearly evident that his will be done and religious people can keep their mouths closed, much as he and his script writers told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Here are some photos of this afternoon's rally, which had its power shut off by the Federal Building, only to have power restored by the US Post Office, in Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams from Noon - 1 PM today.

The Great Communicators: History Without Parsing

President of the United States # 40 - Tear Down This Wall

Arriving in Berlin on June 12, 1987, President and Mrs. Reagan were taken to the Reichstag, where they viewed the wall from a balcony. Reagan then made his speech at the Brandenburg Gate at 2:00 p.m., in front of two panes of bulletproof glass protecting him from potential snipers in East Berlin. About 45,000 people were in attendance; among the spectators were West German president Richard von Weizsäcker, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and West Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen. That afternoon, Reagan said,

"We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! ”

President of the United States # 44 -Take Down The Crucifix, Crosses, and the IHS

The White House acknowledges that it asked Georgetown University, a Catholic institution, to cover up prominent Christian symbols for President Obama's economic speech this past Tuesday. The symbols, the letters "IHS" which stands for Jesus Christ, and a cross, are engraved on a pediment that stands behind the stage from which Obama delivered his address. Both the cross and the symbolic representation of Jesus' name were not hidden by the background drapes that the White House wanted for the event, and so the Administration asked the school to cover them.

"Decisions made about the backdrop for the speech were made to have a consistent background of American flags, which is standard for many presidential events. Any suggestions to the contrary are simply false."

Hilaire Belloc Explains Things to Planned Parenthood's President OBama on His HHS Mandate

There wholly escapes you the character of the Catholic Church .... You are like one examining the windows of Chartres from within by candle‑light but we have the sun shining through . . . . For what is the Catholic Church? It is that which replies, co‑ordinates, establishes. It is that within which is right order; outside the puerilities and the despairs. It is the possession of perspective in the survey of the world .... Here alone is promise, and here alone is foundation. Those of us who boast so stable an endowment make no claim thereby to personal peace; we are not saved thereby alone .... But we are of so glorious a company that we receive support, and have communion. The Mother of God is also our own. Our dead are with us. Even in these our earthly miseries we always hear the distant something of an eternal music, and smell a native air. There is a standard set for us whereto our whole selves respond, which is that of an inherited and endless life, quite full, in our own country. You may say, “all that is rhetoric.” You would be wrong, for it is rather vision, recognition, and testimony. But take it for rhetoric. Have you any such? Be it but rhetoric, whence does that stream flow? Or what reserve is that which can fill even such a man as myself with fire? Can your opinion (or doubt or gymnastics) do the same? I think not! One thing in this world is different from all others. It has a personality and a force. It is recognized and (when recognized) most violently hated or loved. It is the Catholic Church. Within that household the human spirit has roof and hearth. Outside it is the night.

Hilaire Belloc

Chicago News Embargo - No News on Tomorrow's "Stand Up for Religious Liberty" Rally at Federal Plaza

There is a news blackout in Chicago. You will not find a clause, much less an article about tomorrow's rally in defense of religious liberty and against the Obama HHS Mandate anywhere in the Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Southtown Star or anywhere else.

No matter how many thousands of people attend the rally tomorrow it will be reported as a few score. That's because the Chicago media is invested in the Obama Campaign 2012. Dave Axelrod, Terry Cosgrove and the 2012 Team have poisoned this well and well they have. You see the Path to 2012 Obama Victory runs right through Illinois and blocking the way is Francis Cardinal George.


On March 1,2012, Cardinal George told me to get myself to Federal Plaza at 50 West Adams before noon, if I wanted to stand with him and thousands of other folks against religious bigotry and the Obama HHS Mandate.

We were talking about that Mandate which forces Catholic and other religious institutions to pay for contraception and abortifacients, only months after Obama told St. Xavier Univeristy that 'it was no longer a Catholic University,' because Obama's NLRB needed to unionize part time employees.

The Obama Mandate will force the American Catholic Church to close schools, hospitals and orphanges. However, Obama's script writers demanded that the issue be framed as a Catholic War on Women. Nope, it is a war on liberty -religious liberty.

Well, the dude abides, Cardinal.

I vote. Did so the other day. I write checks to Miserecodia, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, Special Olympics and to Sacred Heart Church. I write on this blog as has been my practice since I was a baby teacher in 1975, back then I used a Big Chief Notebook. I sin like I know what I'm doing and try to reconcile those sins through Confession.

Cardinal George holds to prnciple and clings to our Faith and takes many, many, many insults and threats from Carol Marin, Michael Sneed and other Vichy Catholics. After our chat, I saw a parade of Catholics thank Cardinal George and one Greek Orthodox Woman thank him for his defense of religious freedom and asked him for his blessing. The Cardinal should hang out with the hoi poloi more often. Catholics were appreciative of their pastor. Our Faith has been to be Roman Catholic and each Sunday, or Saturday night, Catholics say these word:

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages. light of light, true God of true God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven. And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and the third day rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spoke by the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen."
(emphases my own)

We believe that the Lord and Giver of Life ( not the Obama White House, Dick Durbin, Pat Quinn, or Terry Cosgrove) did just fine without an additional Mandate from Kathleen Sebelius at the direction of the folks who script President Obama.

HBO notwithstanding, life begins at conception. Always has done so. Religious liberty demands that what we believe be unshackled by Neo-Nuremburg Mandates.

The Cardinal George told me to show up tomorrow, if I really believe in all of the words I mouth or put to paper.

I think I'll drive.

Here are some other places where you can stand up for religious liberty.

Illinois

Chicago
Federal Plaza
50 W. Adams Street

Freeport
Lincoln-Douglas Debate Square
114 E. Douglas Street (Parking Locations)

Peoria
Peoria Courthouse
324 Main Street (Map)

Rockford
Holy Family Parish
4401 Highcrest Road (Map)
Mass preceding Rally at 11 a.m.

Sterling
Grandon Civic Center
310 E. Park Avenue (Map)
Mass at 11 a.m. Prior to Rally

No Chicago News -

https://news.google.com/news/more?hl=en&gl=us&q=stand+up+for+religious+liberty+chicago&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=d3FCFRuVi1WBpFMjMknwbks1RLHNM&ei=XgdrT77cE4uWtwfvvPC0Bg&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQqgIwAA

Abortion - De Profundis - Out of The Depths I Cry Unto You, O Lord!

2011 IHSA Track Champions of Leo High School and an elected official.

Imagine if these kids were choiced out of existence.

This is a sculpture by artist Martin Hudáčeka”


De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuæ intendentes
in vocem deprecationis meæ.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus:
Speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israël in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israël ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
Out of the depths, I have cried out to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, were to mark iniquities, who, O Lord, shall stand?
For with you is forgiveness; and because of your law, I stood by you, Lord.
My soul has stood by his word.
My soul has hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch, even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.



I am taking four Leo Men to Harry Caray's for lunch with Attorney, Fox Television Legal Analyst and Leo Board Member Tamara Holder.

Masters Williams and Calhoun are freshmen and bigger than Maytag refrigerators; Masters Harris and Hampton are sophomores and lithe of frame - each Man Jack of them is a scholar/athete. Mr. Harris will be a fine sports journalist in five years and is a frequent contributer to the Leo High School Oriole News site -http://www.leohighschooloriole.org/

Not one of these gents have every dined north of 63rd Street, let alone on the Near North Side. Since September, Leo President Dan McGrath and I have been taking two, three or four of our men out on town -they are the best marketing gift this school could dream to possess. Whether with journalists, big shots, donors, Alumni, or waitressess Leo Men never let this school down. Guys with GPAs that reflect my own past performance as a young swine . . . . swain, as well as world beating over achievers go to lunch.

Leo High School is a Roman Catholic high school. The Roman Catholic Church is the only institutional faith to oppose abortion and as such is under attack by the media and government at all levels. Though most Leo guys are not Roman Catholic, all respect the foundation in core values that begin with conception. Life leads to Leo and Leo flourishes because of the gents we take to lunch.

These are young men from low income neighborhhoods. They are the babies Planned Parenthood wants dead - as a matter of Choice. Their Moms and Dads heroically shoved such criminal but legal idiocy away.

I can not imagine this great school without the contributions of any one of our guys.

Abortion is the wrong turn America took in 1971. Abortion can not be called back.

Meet the Winners of the 2012 Illinois Democratic Primary - Personal PAC Boss Terry Cosgrove and Fred Eychaner

Terry Cosgrove's Personal PAC can now get more dollars out of fitness dowager Jane Fonda - Fabulous!


Only one person ( Okay, it was two: Terry and Fred Eychaner)
won the Illinois Democratic Primary - Personal Pac Boss Terry Cosgrove. Here he is in an all-too rare live public exchange with a reporter on video.



Power loves anonymity . . .well, sort of. Coalitions need money. Power uses money. Coalition Power fuses LGBTQ, Green Everything ( hence LGBTQ pol Deb Shore on Water Reclamation), Public Education, Election Reform, ACLU and SEIU. Remember the Democratic Part? Used to be something. Got its money from trades unions, cigar chomping saloon keepers and low-life rascals like Joe Kennedy. Thank, Dewey; it's Progressive now.

Progressive Illinois is powered by abortion and sexual prefernces of any and all manner as a Civil Right , with the odd nod to freeing all of the prisoners, keeping black women on the welfare rolls and hordes of unskilled workers on the government's dime and suing anyone.

Personal PAC shopped for a Federal Judge and did great.

Springfield, Ill. — A federal court Tuesday overturned part of Illinois’ recently passed election finance law, just a week ahead of the state’s primary election.

U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Aspen struck down a 2009 law that limited how much an individual can donate to a political action committee, or a PAC, which spends money in an election but doesn’t coordinate with a candidate.

The “Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit speak clearly: the First Amendment prohibits governments from limiting contributions to independent-expenditure-only PAC(s),” Aspen wrote in his opinion.

Personal PAC, a pro-choice lobbying group, initiated the case when it sued the Illinois State Board of Elections over the limits in early February.

Unlike PACs that spend money to influence how a lawmaker might vote by donating directly to their war chest, Personal PAC spends most of its money to get pro-choice candidates elected through advertising blitzes.

Personal PAC - Illinois depends upon very wealthy individuals who want to change the political landscape - read Fred Eychaner*.

Personal PAC, like SEIU and other tax-dollar salaried monster unions helped make President Obama's transformational first term a reality.

Here in Illinois Personal PAC controls who will get on and stay on a ballot.

Speaker of the House Mike Madigan is the media strawman for outrage over what Thundering Dick Simpson calls Illinois Corruption.

Not so. Real corruption and political rot starts at the head of the Illinois Carp - Planned Parenthood's Personal Pac. Personal PAC destroyed the chance to preserve the independence of the Illinois Supreme Court with its new found dollars by doing a Brady on Aurelia Pucinski in the final days before the primary. It worked just fine.

Personal PAC controls the Governor, much of the media, Chicago's Water Reclamation District, the Supreme Court and the Illinois Legislature.

Terry Cosgrove, never seems to get microphone time on Television, or the radio, but he dominates the printed media. Therefore, he remains a name. Terry Cosgrove controls the wealth that controls the ballot process and the information needed by voters to make an informed choice - not an abortion.

*

. . .Rarely interviewed and adamant about not being photographed, Eychaner lives a remarkably frugal life, with the notable exception of his multimillion-dollar home in Lincoln Park.

The fortresslike structure, made of glass and concrete, has hosted Bill Clinton three times. Mayor Richard M. Daley, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and other notable Democrats have also come to pay their respects to someone who is the state's top individual political donor and one of the city's richest men.

But as Eychaner, 60, lives a public life of saving old buildings, running a media company and trying to elect presidents, what he seeks most is anonymity, something that sets him apart in the ego-laden cultures of politics and philanthropy.

The perfectly smooth, gray concrete walls inside his home hold not a single image of Eychaner smiling next to a politician, say those who have been there, even though there have been many opportunities to have such trophy photos taken. He almost never asks for special tickets to political events and rarely attends the golf outings and cocktail parties designed to woo big donors.

"He is very reclusive, in every sense of the word," said Lewis Manilow, a friend and Democratic fundraiser from Chicago.

Eychaner (pronounced Eye-can-er) earned his wealth from mass media, first in printing and then radio and television.

In his latest move, he is mixing business and politics. With the introduction of WCPT-AM 850 ("Chicago's Progressive Talk") in May, Eychaner has used one of his nine area radio stations to bring the liberal Air America radio network back to Chicago airwaves.

Although he is a student of politics, those who know Eychaner say his giving is driven by a desire to change the world rather than win clout. One former employee even said he was once scolded for using Eychaner's name in a business letter to a politician.

In 2004, Eychaner gave at least $3.2 million to Democratic causes and candidates, while his private foundation contributes twice that much in any given year to more than 200 charities, researchers and arts groups.

An openly gay man, Eychaner has long been involved in gay rights issues, and he has been a generous donor for AIDS research and treatment.

"He really believes he can make the world a better place," said Michael Bauer, a Chicago lawyer and gay rights activist.

While he has mostly managed to maintain his philanthropic anonymity, Eychaner's role in national politics has grown more prominent in recent years. Consistently ranked among the top 20 Democratic donors nationally, Eychaner is routinely listed among such names as billionaire investor George Soros and billionaire movie producer Steve Bing.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2005-06-07/news/0506070274_1_gay-rights-activist-politics-fred-eychaner

Vote - Do It for the Cop Shot Protecting Our City

A Chicago Police officer was shot in the chest area and seriously wounded during a foot chase on the South Side Monday night and sources said a "person of interest'' is being questioned. . . . The officer, 47 and on the force about eight years, was shot at about 10:45 p.m. in the 8400 block of South Kingston Avenue after responding to a "juvenile disturbance," police said, citing preliminary reports.

When officers tried to stop four curfew violators on the 8500 block of South Kingston, for a field interview, one of them fled into an alley, according to a statement from police News Affairs.

An officer pursued the offender into a front yard, where the suspect fired shots, striking the officer in the upper body, the statement said.

Another Chicago Police Officer was shot in the line duty responding to a 'juvenile disturbance' here on the south side.

On the way into Leo High School I listened to a recording of ABC's Ben Bradley on how to stop the violence - Ben talks to Tio Hardiman of Ceasefire so the State can pump more dollars back to him and also have the public safety dependent upon a secure computer center of targeted policing in the bowels of some headquarters.

When there is trouble on the streets, it's tracked in this room. Officers track gang shootings and quickly push that information out to beat cops who try to diffuse retaliatory violence that is at the heart of Chicago's gang culture.

Tio Hardiman has worked to diffuse gang conflict for decades. He says it will take more than quick-acting cops, even ones armed with information, to solve the problem.

"Just like you and I get up every morning and go to work, these guys get up every morning and think of who they're going to shoot today," said Hardiman. "So if you don't work on the behavioral change it's going to be hard to just fix this over night."

You can not make this stuff up. Ben Bradley must have Tio Haridman on speed dial.

Like Ceasefire, this compu-cop nonsense is a panacea, sugar pill, boondoggle where crime statistics get motherloded into an APPLE, or MAC, or some other gizmo so cops can respond after a crime takes place. Makes Sense? Not to me.

The Chicago Police Officer was 'responding' to a 'juvenile disturbance' and those scamps tried to murder the Officer. The Media, which is joined at the heart and lungs to political hacks and tax-dollar opportunists do not want the police to do its job. They are first responders, when cops cuff bad guys. They get busy performing triage on our wallets with policy programs that import old hippies to have gang summits, marches, and future tax-funded programs, not to mention the bones tossed to Lawsuit Lotto Lawyers.

I stopped for coffee. Dunkin Donuts at 104th & Western was loaded with Police Officers -some were returning from Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn where their brother s being treated, others were detailed to Poll Investigations. Today is Primary Election Day.

If you have voted, as I did, let's pray our efforts match the need. If you have not voted and glance at this, do so. Make your Vote today be a part of your prayer for this Officer's recovery.

Vote against every person who helps perpetuate the idiocies that are policy. You know what does not pass the BS test. You know which names on the ballots are there because they help perpetuate our problems from bad schools, green energy shell-games, and who is no the Water Reclamation District only to help bring about Gay Marriage in Illinois. Vote your instincts. Trust yourself. Have Faith in your church, neighbors, and those who help others. Punish the dopes, liars, and hypocrites. Vote hard.

Do it for a Chicago Police Officer who gave his blood responding to a 'juvenile disturbance.'

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8586907

Pro Life and Pro Labor - Vote Tony Martin: Abortion is the Original Hate Crime

Why any 19th Ward Candidate would accept the blood money from Personal PAC much less the marching orders for Personal PAC's Boss Terry Cosgrove plum evades me. Get a load of this posturing bully, Terry Cosgrove:





My State Representative for years was Kevin Joyce, who demanded that his successor to his seat be Anti-Abortion. Kevin Joyce was replaced by Billy Cunningham who is exchanging that seat for Ed Maloney's vacancy in the Senate.

Fran Hurley is running for Kevin Joyce's seat, but has accepted the endorsement of Illinois power broker, Boss Terry Cosgrove and Planned Parenthood's shady but wealthy Personal PAC. That is a head-scratcher to me.

How in God's name, anyone wanting to be Representative for this 35th Legislative District that includes much of the 19th Ward and Worth Township - Home to the South Side Irish Parade and fierce families of union people who detest Abortion - is beyond me.

That said, Anthony Martin is running for the seat. Mr. Martin is pro-real labor and anti-Abortion. People bad-mouth Mike Madigan like they actually had a clue about him, but remain hushed up about Terry Cosgrove's control of political power. Tony Martin, a family man, anti-Abortion, traditional marriage Catholic and Chicago firefighter seems like a Kevin Joyce-like candidate.

Illinois is not broken, it needs to be managed better. My name is Anthony Martin, and I’m running for state representative of the 35th District here in Illinois because someone needs to step up and face the challenges confronting our state. I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself and why I’m asking for your support.

As a husband, father of four, lifelong Mt. Greenwood resident, a Chicago Fire Lieutenant, and member of Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 for over 23 years, nothing is more important to me than ensuring our state government runs efficiently, fulfills its obligations to our community, and plays a role in putting people back to work. As a former president and current four-term trustee on the Chicago firefighter’s pension fund, I confronted challenges created by an under-funded pension system. Every month, families in our community stick to a budget to make ends meet. As your State Representative, I’ll make sure Springfield does the same. I’ll fight for the people of this state by facing our challenges in an efficient and responsible manner, cutting fraud and waste, and finding effective solutions to Illinois’ challenges.

Is Abortion a litmus test for public office? Yes. It sure should be. The real vetting process will conclude tomorrow.

What are the powers that be in the 19th Ward thinking? Oh, that's right - no one asked me. Well, I sure have no idea, but I used to.

April 1, 2012 - City Garbage Collection Grid Begins - Say Goodbye to Ward Accountability

Last year, while choking on Mayoral Election Hopes and Dreams ( all came true BTW), WTTW - Chicago's Window to Taking Whatever ?- the garbage collection debate snored through the Chicago City Council and onto Chicago Tonight.

While Chicago debates the decision to privatize recycling, Chicago Tonight takes a look at what other major cities across the U.S. are doing to ensure that their recyclables are picked up:

San Francisco: The city of San Francisco has partnered with private company Recology to provide curbside removal of recycling, trash and compostable material in three different bins. Residents pay Recology directly for their services. Ordinances passed in San Francisco make it mandatory for the city to recycle 75 percent of all waste after 2010 and 100 percent by 2020.

Los Angeles: According to their website, the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation collects over 240,000 tons of recyclables annually. The city operates the largest residential curbside recycling program in the United States, offering services to 530,000 single family homes and 220,000 small multi-family units. In 2009, Waste & Recycling News reported that Los Angeles had the highest recycling rate out of the 10 largest U.S. cities.

New York City: The city Department of Sanitation Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling runs New York’s recycling program. They offer services ranging from curbside collection to leaf and Christmas tree collection, as well as chlorofluorocarbon (C.F.C.) evacuation. While most businesses in New York use a private recycling company for their waste, the city collects between 366,000 and 423,000 tons of mixed paper recyclables per year from residents alone. In 2009, Waste & Recycling News reported that New York’s recycling rate ranked third out of the 10 largest U.S. cities.

Indianapolis: The Department of Public Works will remove curbside recycling for a monthly fee that residents may pay, or they may drop off their own recyclables at locations all over the city. Private recycling company Abitibi Bowater collects paper at many local grocery stores and donates some of the proceeds to a tree-planting fund in Marion County, Indiana.

Houston: The Solid Waste Management Department offers curbside and automated recycling, as well as removal of yard waste in compostable bags. According to their website, 19,000 homes participate in the curbside recycling program, and an additional 70,000 homes receive curbside recycling service from automated vehicles. In 2009, Waste & Recycling News reported that Houston’s recycling rate ranked ninth out of the 10 largest U.S. cities.

Seattle: The city of Seattle organizes free curbside recycling for its residents, with pickup every other week. By law, recyclable items like glass bottles and paper are forbidden from being part of garbage removal. Larger recyclable items like tires and yard waste may be dropped off at sites around Seattle.


Portland: The city Bureau of Planning and Sustainability hired 20 different waste removal companies for curbside recycling service. The city sets the fee per pickup, and each resident is given a green cart for yard waste and a blue cart for recyclable materials.

For more information on Chicago’s recycling history, check out the Chicago Recycling Coalition’s website.

Would you pay a monthly fee for citywide recycling? Sound off on our discussion board!

You see Chicago is a big city and we can't have that, no, no, no.

Chicago is so much a mirror of San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, New York and yes, dare we say it, Indianapolis. Look at our Golden Gate! Gander in awe at the Fjords and Tall Timbers! Gape like Barbary Apes at our island communities, Borough by Borough!

Chicago's urban sprawl takes in . . .neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are where breeeders and their disgusting children live. These Breeders operate all of those City of Chicago Department big blue garbage trucks, water services, and street repair vehicles. These Breeders share neighborhoods with cops, firemen, white-collar City, County, State and Federal office workers, teachers, nurses and those skilled tradesmen who make $20 an hour.

WTTW wants Chicago to be a Big Bean Ci. . . Urban Center. Pritzker Parkways and Lettuce Entertain You Trains! Symphony Centers and BikePaths Forward! Stopping progress are Chicago's neighborhoods. Neighborhoods are not Communities. Communities are geographical land masses dependent upon government largesse (Somebody else's money), grants, TIFS, and T-shirt give-aways. Neighborhoods are toxic to Urban Centers.

Neighborhoods are places where Planned Parenthood does not take hold. The key to Chicago's evolutionary path to Urban Center Citizenship requires that Breeders and their spawn depart for . . .anywhere else. The rub, is that the Breeders are paying the taxings on their properties and everything else because they have jobs with the City, County, State and to some extent the Federal government.

These other urban centers know that the key to becoming an urban center is the route taken by garbage collection.

Take garbage out of the City's Wards and watch the Breeders depart.

This April Fools Day is the beginning of Garbage Grid Chicago. This April Fools Day, ask your Alderman about the Garbage Collection Grid. Ask exactly how long before the lay-offs of all of the Blue Truck Breeders and jolly Snow Plow Men. Will laid off City Streets and Sanitation people be 'absorbed' into Waste Management?

I'll bet he will say, "Hey, not my problem anymore."

Vote Aurelia Pucinski - Stop Boss Cosgrove's Personal Pac Control of Illinois Supreme Court

Boss Cosgrove Explains his mastership of Illinois to Personal Pac Pal Jane Fonda.


Personal Pac's Boss Terry Cosgrove follows up Aurelia Pucinski's press conference to counter the smear of Planned Parenthood to her campaign for Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald's seat on the Illinois Supreme Court.

Terry Cosgrove is the man who tells Governor Pat Quinn what Illinois must do.

Theis said that when she was appointed in 2010 to replace the retired Justice Thomas Fitzgerald, it was the culmination of her life's work.

Records show Theis' campaign received donations from Chicago names such as former congressman and judge Abner Mikva and author Scott Turow.

This week, Pucinski criticized Theis for a mailing sent out by Personal PAC, which donates to candidates who it believes support abortion rights. Theis said she did seek the endorsement of the group, but was careful to tell the organization she would not comment on any issue that could wind up before the court, such as parental notification of abortion.

The group has spent tens of thousands of dollars on three glossy mailings touting Theis' experience and suggesting Pucinski is unqualified.

Pucinski contends she is qualified, particularly citing her time in circuit court handling domestic violence cases, and said the mailing amounts to an issue-advocacy group injecting itself in a campaign for a post that is supposed to be above politics.

Both Brendan O'Sullivan of the Theis campaign and Terry Cosgrove, president of Personal PAC, said there has been no coordination between the organizations on the mailing.

For all of the hand-wringers worried about what to do about Illinois corruption, watch the video and then vote for Aurelia Pucinski.

If Personal PAC Says So, Vote For Aurelia Pucinski for Illinois Supreme Court Justice

I'm not even an active Catholic but I do know that abortion is murder. That doesn't make me a Catholic. It makes me a sane human being. Michael Moriarty

We all know that Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood's Illinois Political Money Muscle, and Boss Terry Cosgrove give Governor Pat Quinn his marching orders.

Governor Quinn quakes before the power and majesty of Abortion's Bishop Terry, while he dismisses the Catholic Bishops of the faith into which he was baptized with a toss of the head and a boast of his Christianity. That is a matter of very public record.

Personal Pac is the most powerful political machine in Illinois. A federal District Judge appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Marvin Aspen, ruled that Personal PAC could use more power. Abortion is not a health initiative, it is home-plate for political power.

Personal PAC targets Aurelia Pucinski as dangerous to Abortion. Abortion provides the money and political muscle that gave Illinois the Religious Liberty and Civil Union Act and is now boiling up bucks for the Gay Marriage Law that the ever compliant Governor Quinn will sign. Abortion lends support to the power of the Teachers Unions, to SEIU and other tax-dollar-dependent grass roots shouters. Abortion helps International Solidarity Movement find aid and comfort for Hamas.

If Aurelia Pucinski is dangerous to Abortion, vote for Aurelia Pucinski to replace the vacancy of Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald.

I did.


Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies.

Planned Parenthood CEO Exposed . . . Himself. Now Out of the Pokey, Planned Parenthood Judge Shopping?

Abortion is everything that is wrong with society. How can I say? Easily.

Abortion and everyone associated with it -Planned Parenthood, Personal PAC Illinois -just seems to put me off my feed.
Here is another Planned Parenthood Patriot from Lubbock, Texas.

Meet Tony Ray Thornton -CEO of Planned Parenthood:

Tony Ray Thornton, the President and CEO of the Lubbock, Texas Planned Parenthood affiliate, was released from custody Tuesday morning following his arrest Monday for indecent exposure.

Thornton was arrested at the baseball fields inside Lubbock’s Mackenzie Park at 3:25 Monday afternoon after exposing himself, according to KCBD-TV11.

The 56 year-old Planned Parenthood CEO was booked at the Lubbock County Detention Center and released Tuesday morning at 11:05 after posting a bond of $750.

According to the Texas penal code, indecent exposure is a Class B misdemeanor.

“A person commits an offense if he exposes his anus or any part of his genitals with intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person, and he is reckless about whether another is present who will be offended or alarmed by his act,” the law reads.

Thornton has worked for Planned Parenthood for several years, according to local news reports.

During the weekend, Thornton participated in protests against Texas’ decision to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood through the state’s Medicaid Women’s Health Program — an action which has resulted in the Obama administration cutting off all federal funds to the Texas program.

Despair not, Tony Ray! Planned Parenthood always attracts just the . . .most interesting folks. More so, Planned Parenthood always manages to shop for judges, just right judges, like here in Illinois, Tony Ray. Soon you will known as a Little League Fan, Fresh Air Aficianado, Gypsy Rose Lee Reenactor, or Freebird His Own Bad Self!

Tony Ray. . .you are a Lulu!

R.I.P. Luther Rawlings - Leo Man and Mentor

Our kids at Leo High School are blessed. Yesterday, two freshmen had lunch with author and retired Chicago Fire Commissioner James T. Joyce and retired Deputy Chief and CFD Legend James Corbett - the greatest left-hand quarterback in Leo High School history.

Every day, at this Catholic high school in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood great men let young young men know that they are cared for and watched over. Catholic Charities Volunteer John Arevetis, Leo 1969, delivers food to Catholic Charities at 79th & Racine a few blocks west of this school and he always makes a point strolling the halls and talking to the young Lions.
On any given day, one might find retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Fitzgerald, Emanuel Steward, Dick Ecklund, Gordon Marino, Kevin Rooney, Tamara Holder of Fox News Television and Leo Advisory Board, Dr. Stafford Hood, or comic genius Kenny Howell mixing with the guys.

I take two Leo Men every week or so out for lunch with the like Chief Corbett, Commissioner Joyce, Journalist James Bowman and etc. It is important for the guys to meet the people who are backing their efforts to be great men themselves through sacrifice, study and serious attention obligations.

For years, it was my honor to welcome Herman Mills and Luther Rawlings, two great boxers from the 1940's and '50's who helped coach and mentor our many boxers.

Herman went home to Christ a few years ago and he was joined by Luther last week.

Yesterday, Maureen O'Donnell of the Chicago Sun Times wrote this beautiful story about a beautiful man to whom we will say goodbye later this day.

In 1949, before the rules and safeguards that govern boxing today, a powerful punch from Luther Rawlings tragically killed a man in the ring.

But fight experts, family and friends say he was a gentle man who mentored hundreds of aspiring boxers at the Chicago Park District and Leo High School, often carrying his Bible and underlining passages before his workouts.

Mr. Rawlings, a professional boxer at both the lightweight and welterweight levels, died March 7 at Little Company of Mary Hospital from complications from
Alzheimer’s disease. He was 82.

During his seven-year career, he fought 65 times — “seven of them against world champions or future titlists,” Pete Ehrmann wrote in The Ring magazine.

He also owned Luther’s Lounge, a South Side club that stayed open late, attracting VIPs like Congressman “Big Bill” Dawson; pugilists Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson; Olympic runners Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe — who would go on to become a congressional representative — and Frank Sinatra, said Mike Joyce, boxing coordinator for Leo High School.

Mr. Rawlings’ wife of almost 56 years, Georgia, whose bathing-suited beauty was featured more than once in Jet magazine, is said to have so thoroughly entranced legendary singer Sam Cooke that she inspired him to write the song “Only Sixteen.’’

Georgia and Luther Rawlings raised three children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild, “all educated, and none of them have ever been in trouble,” Joyce said.

“Luther was among a handful of ex-professionals who have been gracious enough to come and box with our kids,” said Dan McGrath, president of Leo High School. “He always made the kids feel comfortable; never gave them more than they were ready for.”

Marvin Carey is tough, but he said Mr. Rawlings “showed me the definition of a tough man.” Sgt. Carey, a Chicago native and member of the All-Army boxing team, just fought in the 2012 Armed Forces Boxing Championships. He has completed two tours of Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

“He never complained about being in pain. . . .he got up and trained us every day,” Carey said. “All he wanted to do was teach us and see us do good. I wish I could have had more time with him, because he knew so much.”

“He used to get in the ring and help me out and watch me and give me pointers,” said Chicagoan Montell Griffin, a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic boxing team. “He had a lot of patience.”

Luther Rawlings was known as Lucius Minor in the early 1940s, when he rode the rails from Memphis to Chicago to visit his mother, who was in town visiting her sister. Lucius accompanied a friend named Rawlings who was supposed to fight in a local bout, Joyce said. But when the other fighter saw the pair, he said: “I don’t want to fight Rawlings — I’ll fight his little brother” — who was actually Lucius Minor.

Lucius was only 13 or 14 at the time, but he decided to try his luck in the ring. “So, he ‘became’ Luther Rawlings,” Joyce said.

He grew up in Bronzeville and attended DuSable High School and Wilson Junior College.

“He was like a straight-up boxer, a good jab, very rangy, a good right hand,” said James Kitchen, a former boxing champ with Chicago’s Catholic Youth Organization.

In 1949, Talmadge Bussey died from a brain hemorrhage after a ninth-round knockout by Mr. Rawlings. It was the eighth boxing death of 1949, an era when “referees didn’t stop fights early enough,” Joyce said. And back then, boxers fought far more often than what is medically allowable today.

A few years later, a manager made the mistake of arranging for Mr. Rawlings to battle world lightweight champion Jimmy Carter in a non-title bout. But Mr. Rawlings did so well, he “convinced Carter to never get that close to Rawlings wearing boxing gloves again,” and a title match never happened, according to The Ring .

Mr. Rawlings, a teetotaler and non-smoker, eventually wanted a break from the nightclub scene and its imbibing, smoking and gambling. He owned a clothing boutique and a furniture store and worked as a manager at Aronson Furniture.

In addition to his wife, he is also survived by his daughters, Roslyn Rawlings-Thomas and Renata Robinson; his son, Ronald, and his nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A wake is scheduled at noon Wednesday at W. W. Holt Funeral Home, 175 W. 159th St., Harvey. His funeral will follow at Holt’s at 1 p.m.

“People are not boxing like they used to,” Griffin said. “We’re losing the teachers in the gyms who’ve been around, the old guys with the gray hair and the beards — ?they got a knowledge.”

Thank you, Ms. O'Donnell!