GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - November 29, 2008
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
-- Why Blagojevich feels ex-Gov. Ryan's pain - Carol Marin
http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1305598,CST-EDT-carol30.article
(THE COMMENTARY: OK, psychology majors, let's think about this. The governor of the state of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is arguing for mercy for the former and imprisoned governor of the state of Illinois, George Ryan. As FBI agents and U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald circle their wagons in Operation Board Games ever more tightly around the Blagojevich administration, suddenly this governor feels the pain of another. It wasn't always so. In the campaign of 2002, the one in which Ryan did not dare run for a second term given the federal heat, Blagojevich was relentless in referencing the corruption and scandals in Ryan's administration. "Pay to play" -- before it became the term of art to describe big Blago donors getting big contracts or board appointments -- was a term he weaponized to use against Ryan and the Republicans who ran against him, including former Attorney General Jim Ryan (no relation) and former state Treasurer Judy Barr Topinka. Now he sees his predecessor's agony. No doubt Ryan is suffering. And no doubt whatsoever that his wife, Lura Lynn, needs and wants her husband by her side. The scandal took just about everything away: his pension, his freedom, their savings, their life together. Blagojevich, who says he is convinced that the feds have nothing on him, sees a year in prison out of a sentence of 6½ as quite enough. You can understand why. Federal authorities have methodically marched across the alphabet, identifying Blagojevich friends, associates and appointees by a letter rather than a name as they press their investigation. Blagojevich, in court filings, is Public Official A. He has not been charged with any crime. Others have not been so lucky. Co-schemer A: Bill Cellini is the most recent indictee. He's a Springfield power broker, multimillionaire and bipartisan pal to the rich and powerful. Co-schemer B: Christopher Kelly has been a close Blagojevich advisor and top fund-raiser. He's facing gambling-related tax fraud charges. Stuart Levine: He's the Highland Park Republican who learned to love Democrats, raised money for both and used his connections on boards and commissions to rig real estate and other deals. Now singing like a robin in spring, Levine gave testimony that helped put away Tony Rezko. Tony Rezko: A fund-raiser to a wide and influential list of pols from Blagojevich to Barack Obama to John Stroger and Harold Washington. Guilty in one corruption trial, about to go to trial on financial fraud, he is reportedly ready to flip. The list is even longer, but the shortened version makes the point well enough. Prison -- beyond Ryan's plight -- must be very much on the governor's mind, given the growing list of people he knows who are ending up there. Anyone who has visited a prison knows the grim reality of that existence. Rather than argue for Ryan's reprieve, maybe Blagojevich should drive to Terre Haute to visit him. And talk about lessons learned.)
-- Does Cullerton's arrival signal a Springfield shakeup? John Cullerton is close to House Speaker Madigan, -- and that could tip the balance in any fight with the governor. - Dave McKinney
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/1305622,CST-NWS-cull30.article
-- What's the GOP supposed to do now? - Roger Simon
http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/1305161,CST-EDT-simon30.article
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The Chicago Tribune says "Be patriotic! Go shop." But sadly, the Chicago Tribune does not urge Americans to buy American nameplate vehicles.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-1129edit2nov29,0,2284547.story
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats crow over their success in bamboozling Black Christians
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-godsend_glantonnov29,0,7660180.story
DAILY HERALD
-- FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD IN DUPAGE EDITION: DIERSEN HEADLINE: Outrageously, without notifying DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 41 Republican Committeeman Herb Wehling -- the person who did the most to put them up -- the "DuPage County Veterans Memorial Inc." unceremoniously and dishonorably and outrageously cut down 22 3-foot high 2-foot-wide steel crosses at the DuPage County complex that honored DuPage residents who had died in military service since September 11, 2001. Everyone is outraged over this, including Wehling's 108 fellow Milton Township Precinct Committeemen. Schillerstrom says "We're trying to figure out exactly what happened and make it right. . .We want to honor the fallen, and we don't want anybody to have bad feelings about this."
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=254460
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: ANTI-AMERICANS OVERJOYED: Sava Matevich of Naperville has no problem with foreign countries, foreign organizations, foreign companies, and foreign individuals taking total control of America. Soon, America will no longer exist -- it will just be a bunch of junk owned by foreigners.
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=254126&src=
NBC5
-- Police Mull Charging Wal-Mart Tramplers (DIERSEN: How are the Democrats going to spin this story? According to the Democrats, we are in the middle of a full blown Republican-caused depression, all the stores are empty, no one is shopping for anything, and no one is buying anything. What does this story say about the typical Wal-Mart shopper? How many of the tramplers voted for McCain? How many of the tramplers voted for Obama?)
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/us_world/NATLPolice-Mull-Charging-Wal-Mart-Tramplers.html
(THE ARTICLE: Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify people who trampled on a Wal-Mart worker killed when a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down. Criminal charges were still possible, but identifying anyone in the store's videos may prove difficult, said Nassau County police spokesman Detective Lt. Michael Fleming on Friday. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said. At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours. It reopened shortly after 1 p.m. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. called the incident a "tragic situation" and said it had tried to prepare for the crowd by adding staffers and outside security workers, putting up barricades and consulting police. "Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred," senior Vice President Hank Mullany said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted." But Fleming said the store didn't have enough security. Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour of Queens, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion. "This crowd was out of control," said Fleming, who described the scene as "utter chaos." Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Witnesses said that even as the worker lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him. Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages." "When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, 'I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept shopping." The 34-year-old Damour was taken to Franklin Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined. Damour came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store, Wal-Mart said. The 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone. At least three other people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Suffolk County police said a shopper at a Wal-Mart in Farmingdale, about 15 miles east of the Valley Stream location, reported being trampled by overeager customers at around the same time Damour was killed. The woman suffered minor injuries but finished shopping before she filed the report, police said. Wal-Mart security varies by store. Officials wouldn't say how many security workers were at the Valley Stream location. The retail giant has rigorously resisted being unionized. But the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 termed the death "avoidable" and called for federal and state labor authorities to investigate. Union president Bruce Both said the store had failed to provide a safe workplace. The National Retail Federation, the industry's largest group, was unaware of any other store workers ever dying on the job in the post-Thanksgiving rush, spokeswoman Ellen Davis said. Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day stores broke into profitability for the full year. Many stores open early and stay open late on Black Friday. The Valley Stream Wal-Mart usually opens at 9 a.m. Items on sale at the Wal-Mart store included a $798 Samsung 50-inch plasma HDTV, a Bissel compact upright vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9. The store was crowded Friday afternoon after the store reopened, but shoppers were more subdued. It wasn't immediately clear whether there was additional security.)
-- 2 Killed in Black Friday Toys 'R Us Shooting 2 men with handguns shot and killed each other (DIERSEN: How are the Democrats going to spin this story? According to the Democrats, we are in the middle of a full blown Republican-caused depression, all the stores are empty, no one is shopping for anything, and no one is buying anything. What does this story say about the typical Toys 'R Us shopper? How many of Toys 'R Us shoppers voted for McCain? How many of Toys R' Us shoppers voted for Obama?)
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/us_world/2-Killed-in-Black-Friday-Shooting-in-Palm-Desert.html
(THE ARTICLE: Two men pulled guns and shot each other to death in a crowded Toys 'R Us store Friday after women they were with got into a bloody brawl for unknown reasons, witnesses said. Scared shoppers fled but no one else was hurt. The violence erupted on Black Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving start of the holiday shopping surge, but authorities indicated the shooting shortly after 11:30 a.m. was not prompted by shopping frenzy. Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the fight was not over a toy. He said handguns were found by the men's bodies. He would not answer a question about whether the shooting was gang-related. The victims were identified as Alejandro Moreno, 39, of Desert Hot Springs, and Juan Meza, 28, of Cathedral City. Witnesses Scott and Joan Barrick said they were checking out of the store when the fight began between two women, each with a man. The women were near the checkout area but the Barricks believed the women did not have purchases. One woman suddenly started punching the other woman, who fought back as blood flowed from her nose, Scott Barrick, 41, said. The man who was with the woman being punched pulled a gun halfway out of his pocket, then shoved it back in, he said. "He pulled his gun right next to me. I turned to look for my wife and she was already hiding," Barrick said. "I was scared," said Joan Barrick, 40. "I didn't want to die today. I really didn't want to die today and I think that's what we were all thinking." The other man pulled a gun and pointed it at the first man but forgot to cock it, Scott Barrick said. The first man tried to run but was blocked by the line of people, then ran back toward the store's electronics section as the other man fired his gun, he said. The first man reached a dead-end in electronics, turned around and ran toward an exit, pulling his gun and firing back, he said. "He went up to the cash register, he went to put his hand on the thing and he just went phoomp," he said, indicating the man fell. He said he did not see what happened to the other man. Immediately after the shooting, about 20 people rushed into the World Gym across the street from Toys 'R' Us. Sarah Pacia of Cathedral City says she was in the store with her two boys, ages 4 and 6, looking at coloring books when she heard a commotion in the next aisle. She thought it was people rushing to get a sale item. Then she heard three or four shots. She says she froze, and store employees calmly escorted her out of the store. Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson said police told him two men with handguns shot and killed each other and that there were 25 witnesses. Ferguson said he asked police whether the incident was gang-related. "I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toys 'R' Us?" he said in an interview. "I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper." City spokeswoman Sheila Gilligan said police told her the shooting broke out between "two groups of individuals that have a dispute with each other." Ray Turner, 20, said he was two aisles away when two women began shouting and screaming at each other and he had a clear view of the fight until a crowd clustered around them. Both women had children, he said. "We thought it was just a fight and then someone yelled, 'He's got a gun. He's got a gun.' You really couldn't see nothing because there was a crowd," said Turner. Rafael Gomez, 11, said he and his father had been in the store about 20 minutes before the shooting but were in a nearby Pizza Hut when they saw people pouring out of the store screaming. "We just saw them running and crying. I was kind of scared," Gomez said. "We got lucky." Toys 'R' Us issued a statement expressing outrage over the violence. "We are working closely with local law enforcement officials to determine the specific details of what occurred," the statement said. "Our understanding is that this act seems to have been the result of a personal dispute between the individuals involved. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to associate the events of today with Black Friday." The Barricks and others remained at the scene 120 miles east of Los Angeles long afterward because investigators would not allow cars to be taken from the parking lot until a crime-scene reconstruction was completed. Hours after the shooting yellow police tape was strung around the parking lot of the shopping center where the store is located. Police cars guarded each entrance and clusters of people, some with small children, sat on the grassy areas around the center. Traffic backed up for at least a mile in the area as other shoppers tried to make their way around scene. Ferguson said news of the shooting took him by surprise in the city in the desert resort region near Palm Springs. "Most years we have zero homicides," the councilman said. Immediately after the shooting, about 20 people rushed into the World Gym across the street from Toys 'R' Us, the gym's assistant manager Glenn Splain told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "They were crying, tearing and shaking," Splain said, adding that one woman came in cradling a baby.)
SOUTHTOWN STAR
-- 45,000 Illinois drivers have one or more DUI - Michael Tarm
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/1305414,112908DUILicensedDriver.article
HERALD NEWS
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The countries, organizations, companies, and individuals that drove the stock market down to elect Obama finally get around to driving it back up a little. When will they drive it down again?
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/1305101,4_1_JO29_STOCKS_S1.article
SOUTHERN ILLINOISAN
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: VERY SAD: Kathleen Parker demonizes and denigrates religious people and urges the Republican Party to dump them completely
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/11/29/opinions/guest_columns/26911466.txt
HARRISONBURG DAILY NEWS
-- Rev. Buie responds to Kathleen Parker: GOP Must Be The Christian Party
http://www.dailynews-record.com/opinion_details.php?AID=33618&CHID=32
ILLINOIS REVIEW
-- All I Want for Christmas is. . .an abortion? - Fran Eaton
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/11/all-i-want-for.html
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
-- Obama, Blagojevich, Rezko, Fitzgerald, Volcker, Summers and Santa: the long winding road, 2002 to Present
http://jeffberkowitz.blogspot.com/2008/11/obama-blagojevich-rezko-fitzgerald.html
THE HILL
-- Don’t let the auto industry die - Peter Fenn
http://thehill.com/op-eds/dont-let-the--auto-industry-die-2008-11-18.html
SCRIPPS NEWS
-- GOP needs return to limited government agenda - Star Parker
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/38686
NEW YORK TIMES
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: One of the Democrat Party's top priorities is to promote homosexual activity. Not surprisingly, Democrats blast those Blacks who do not promote homosexual sexual activity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/opinion/29blow.html?_r=1&hp
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: The New York Times draws attention to trucking industry problems and extensively quotes Chicago's G. David Gerrard who runs the largest truck dealership in the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/business/29nocera.html?ref=business
-- Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death - Robert McFadden and Angela Macropoulos
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/business/29walmart.html?em
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Liberal Paul Waldman argues that those who voted for Obama want America to dump conservative principles and to dump capitalism and to embrace liberal principles and to embrace socialism
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2008/11/30/waldmaned_1130.html
ONE NEWS NOW
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: All the religions of the world not only discourage homosexual but discourage the promotion of homosexual activity. Liberals promote homosexual activity and conservatives discourage homosexual activity. The Democrat Party exists to promote liberalism, and especially, to promote homosexual activity. The Republican Party exists to promote conservatism and that includes opposing the promotion of homosexual activity. People who cannot or will not promote conservatism or who cannot or will not oppose the promotion of homosexual activity should not be allowed to hold leadership positions in the Republican Party.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=334908
ASSOCIATED PRESS
-- DIERSEN HEADLINE: Illegals are furious. Illegals acknowledge that America's stock market and America's economy had to be driven down to elect Obama. But illegals argue that it was driven down too much.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbQvdqUns2PAUlkz7u5cKvzvPvWwD94O4H1G0
LIFE NEWS
-- Republican Party Chair Candidates Steele, Dawson: Keep Pro-Life View - Steven Ertelt
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4619.html
BAPTIST STANDARD
-- Huckabee says neglected ‘values voters’ are key to GOP future - Adelle Banks
http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8886&Itemid=53
AUTO BLOG
-- With GM on the brink, what will happen to the Corvette? - Jeremy Korzeniewski
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/28/with-gm-on-the-brink-what-will-happen-to-the-corvette/
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
-- In Milton Township, Wheaton voters showed the strongest support for Roskam - Dave Diersen
www.gopillinois.com
In DuPage County's Milton Township, Wheaton voters showed the strongest support for Congressman Peter Roskam in the November 4, 2008 election. Of Milton Township's 76,547 registered voters, 36,225, or 47.3% voted for Roskam. The percent of registered voters who voted for Roskam in the township's 109 precincts ranged from a high of 61.3% to a low of 21.3%. The range in the top 36 precincts was from 61.3% to 51.8% -- of those precincts, 30 were in Wheaton, 3 were in Glen Ellyn, 2 were in Winfield, and 1 was in Carol Stream. The range in the middle 37 precincts was from 51.3% to 45.9% -- of those precincts, 22 were in Glen Ellyn, 14 were in Wheaton, and 1 was in Winfield. The range in the bottom 36 precincts was from 45.6% to 21.3% -- of those precincts, 16 were in Wheaton, 13 were in Glen Ellyn, 3 were in Lombard, 3 were in Carol Stream, and 1 was in Glendale Heights. The Republican Party promotes conservative principles and the Democrat Party promotes liberal principles. It seems logical that if you favor promoting conservative principles and you are looking for a home to purchase in Milton Township, you would look first in those precincts that showed the strongest support for Republican Roskam -- Bill Opal's Precinct 25 was first with 61.3%, Heather Barilla's Precinct 57 was second with 61.1%, Joseph Caruso's Precinct 71 was third with 58.9%, Gary Muehlfelt's Precinct 106 was fourth with 58.9%, Barbara Intihar's Precinct 109 was fifth with 58.9%, Chris Levan's Precinct 61 was sixth with 58.8%, Julie Cuchetto-Livergood's Precinct 102 was seventh with 58.6%, Steve Muehlfelt's Precinct 37 was eight with 58.1%, Fred Bucholz's Precinct 107 was ninth with 57.5 %, and Gail Hinkle's Precinct 74 was tenth with 56.9%. Diersen's Precinct 9 in Wheaton was 31st with 52.6%. In my opinion, Precinct 9's ranking and percentage has dropped because as the precinct's older conservatives die or move into nursing homes, wealthy limousine liberals move in to take advantage of the prosperity and safety that conservatives created.
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