Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Registering Latinos in DuPage

Illinois Review’s unpaid (and, formerly Illinois Leader’s not-paid before she quit) editor Fran Eaton could be putting bread on the table by working at Kohl’s or Starbucks.

But, since she is more interested in the political process than stocking shelves or scalding herself making lattes, she is being paid to set up voter registration drives in west suburban churches.

She has called all sorts of churches and has good relationships with numerous Catholic ones.

So, it was nothing out of the ordinary for her to have contacted the office of St. Isidore’s Catholic Church in Bloomingdale and dropped off a packet of registration information at the church office

Eaton offered her assistance in setting up a voter registration drive.

That afternoon, Eaton received a phone call from a woman who said she said she was an employee of St. Isidore’s.

She said she “and 22 others are working full-time from Waukegan to the South Suburbs registering voters through churches and she found it interesting that I was doing something similar.”

She told me she was working for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

She asked me, “Could we work together?’

Eaton replied that it made sense to work together and not duplicate efforts.

“She agreed to call me if she needed my assistance and that’s the way phone call ended,” Eaton said.

“I did a piece on Illinois Review that talked of my concerns about how one verified whether a person being registered is a U.S. citizen,” she continued.

“And, I called the DuPage County Board of Elections to ask if I would be held responsible for registering non-legal residents using the motor voter forms.

“She (the woman at the Board of Elections) said all I could do is accept their statements, that I had no way of verifying whether or not people are legal.

“On August 14th, I wrote an article about the situation for Illinois Review.

“I think the questions I raised in my piece disturbed them,” Eaton said, “because the next thing I know they had a (last) Saturday press conference and issued a press release accusing me of trying to infiltrate their organization. At least that’s what the Daily Herald reporter told me Saturday.

“They said they have asked for an investigation by (DuPage County State’s Attorney) Joe Birkett.

“I am not a secret agent. I’m just trying to register voters.

“I invite an investigation by (Joe Birkett and I hope the ICIRR will welcome an investigation of their work as well.

“Personally, I think ‘they doth protest too much.’

“Oh, yes. La Raza (the Spanish language newspaper) interviewed me this morning and I expect a story tomorrow.”

Maybe the investigation should be conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Coalition's press release can be accessed at McHenry County Blog.

14 comments:

Skeeter 11:50 AM  

Taking names and addresses and then checking to see if they are legal?

Sounds pretty sleazy to me, but it is just what I would expect from Eaton. She sure doesn't like immigrants and will do whatever she can to get rid of them.

Incidently, when she registers white people, does she worry about whether they are here legally?

Anonymous,  1:21 PM  

Who would clean Jack Roesers plant?

Who would clean up after the Oberweiss ice cream?

Illegals helping hypocrtical conservatives make money

Anonymous,  3:44 PM  

Each name needs checked if not the Democrats will let as many illegals vote as possible.

Bill Baar 3:47 PM  

Skeeter / Abe,

Cal and Fran have gone right over your heads.

However I do sell bridges.

Go Birkett.

Skeeter 4:38 PM  

I hear Eaton's next post on her blog will be:

"If We Can Just Get Rid of the Brown People All Our Problems Will Be Solved"

It will be followed by a three part series on:

"Why Won't Latinos Vote Republican? We Like Them SO MUCH. Why Don't They Vote For Us?"

That series will blame Rich Daley and Bill Clinton.

And then people wonder why Illinois is the bluest of the blue states.

Bill Baar 5:39 PM  

Skeeter,
so you favor lose voting rules... make it easy for illegals to vote?

That's what this is all about.

I'm faily liberal on immigration, but geez... this is a little extreme.

Anonymous,  10:57 PM  

Let Fran's mentor Jack Roeser come clean on illegal immigration.

If Fran is such a Christian why does she encourage Doug "I worked for George Ryan as the party lawyer" Ibendahl and Cathy "I was a liberal Democrat my whole life" Santos live in sin and destroy family values.

Skeeter 8:34 AM  

Actually, Bill, it has nothing to do with the rules for voting

I just want to know why an immigration opponent who claims to be moral would round up Hispanic names to check them to see if they are legal.

When she shows great concern over the status of white people in Wheaton then she can talk.

Until then, Eaton's actions are nothing more than the dishonest acts of someone who doesn't like brown people.

Bill Baar 7:00 PM  

I just want to know why an immigration opponent who claims to be moral would round up Hispanic names to check them to see if they are legal.

To see if they're legal to vote. It seems perfectly moral and something one could support regardless of what they think of current immigration laws.

I'd allow anyone in who has a legit job offer. Stay and work long enough, and meet all the other reguirements, they can become citizens.

But non citzens, not to mention non citzens here illegally... shouldn't be able to vote; or encouraged to vote.

That seems a no brainer.

Skeeter 7:16 PM  

Baar,

Are you claiming that there are no Irish illegals?

No Polish illegals? Ever been to the Northwest side of Chicago?

Your GOP friends spend a lot of time wondering about the brown people. When they see white people they don't ask those questions.

What do Republicans have against brown people?

Why do Republicans assume that all brown people are illegal but assume all white people are legal?

Hang it up, Baar. Fran Eaton is at least a closet racist and the post proves it. You have no way to win this one.

Bill Baar 7:24 AM  

of course not Skeeter...

But before you call Fran a bigot here... remember she's offering help to the good folks at St Isadores who are setting the targeted communities here for voter outreach.

If they seem inclined towards outreach towards Hispanics; rather then Poles or Irish -who as you note can also have many illegals- then you really need to throw the charge at St Isadore.

Fran's just offering to lend a hand here... to the noble cause.

Skeeter 8:12 AM  

Bill,

Answer the question:

Why does Fran Eaton get very concerned about the immigration status of brown people but not white?

Do you really think that all the Polish on the northwest side of Chicago are here legally?

Was this the first voter registration project that she has been involved in? In others did she worry about status?

Your defense of her is interesting. I am starting to conclude that you share her views.

You sound like "Birth of a Nation" when you talk about the "noble cause." Fran Eaton is concerned about the cause of white people everywhere.

You claim to be a formal liberal. Too bad you now side with the worst of the racists who see a white person as good American but see a brown person as a probable illegal alien.

Bill Baar 10:32 AM  

Because the people she's outing are only targeting illegal Hispanics to vote.

It's what's happened to Liberalism. They target groups to use... kind of like old plantation politics.

Skeeter 10:59 AM  

Please provide any evidence that "illegals" were being targeted.

Why do you assume that all brown people are illegal?

Why do you believe that when someone tries to register Hispanics they are "targeting illegals" but when they try and register Poles they are not?

Tell me more about that plantation, Bill. You are starting to sound like one of those people running the plantation.

Seriously -- You've lost this one, Bill. You and Fran assume that all brown people must be illegal but don't raise questions about white people.

That's racism, Bill. No wonder you are not a liberal anymore. You now sympathize with those who see brown skin and assume felon.

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