The pressure from the Northwest Herald newspaper ad, the protesting on a very cold Saturday in front of State Rep. Jack Franks' Route 47 office, the YouTube video of lament and anger, the letters from Cardinal Francis George and Bishop Doran and countless individual contacts between constituents and the two McHenry County legislators must have gotten to them.
On the day the expand-abortion-rights-bill-as -as-Personal-PAC-could-image was temporarily aborted, both Franks and State Rep. Mark Beaubien withdrew their names as co-sponsors of House Bill 2354. (Click to enlarge.) That's what I first read on Illinois Review.
They both understand that intensity counts in politics.
Beaubien may be able to beat an underfunded pro-life challenger, but not having a primary opponent is a lot less stressful and cheaper than having one.
And, if you can see and hear intensity in this YouTube video, you are tone deaf. Be alert and you may even see someone who would be willing to run for state representative motivated by this issue.
I still think Franks is posturing to run for statewide office, but he might be trying to minimize the cost to his local base of support--just in case he doesn't decide to run for attorney general, just in case Lisa Madigan decides for run for re-election, rather than for governor against Pat Quinn.
At last weekend's services at Catholic Church services in the Chicago Archdiocese a letter from Cardinal Francis George was distributed in church bulletins.
And, today, McHenry County residents delivered multiple messages via a YouTube production by Michael Brown of Testimony Pictures to House Bill 2354 co-sponsors State Representatives Jack Franks and Mark Beaubien.
The Cardinal also speaks to House Bill 2354, the bill which stimulated McHenry County pro-lifers to run an ad urging the withdrawal of support from the two.
And also stimulated the demonstration in front of State Rep. Franks' Route 47 office.
Cardinal George emphasizes the removal of “the right to conscientious objection to abortion and related procedures for all health care workers.”
Rarely has the Catholic Church been this fully engaged in Springfield politics.
But as often happens when zealots take complete control, they try to push through legislative language which activates the other side. In this case, the rabidly pro-abortion Personal PAC overplayed its hand. Now it has the Catholic Church's hierarchy with which to contend.
The bill “will make it impossible for Catholic hospitals to continue to be places where life is always respected, where no one is deliberately killed,” the Cardinal explains.
He evokes Abraham Lincoln's 1844 defense of Catholics' “rights of conscience,” even though his Whig Party is described as “often anti-Catholic.”
The entire entire letter follows:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
In the midst of Lent, with its drama of sin and grace, of evil and good, I write about a threat to our freedom to practice our religion in our State.
Before the Illinois General Assembly there is a proposal (HB 2354, the “Reproductive Health and Access Act”) that would remove the right to conscientious objection to abortion and related procedures for all health care workers.
Thirty years ago, we were told that abortion is a rare but necessary tragedy and that abortion providers should not be legally punished.
Today we are being told that abortion is a human right and that those who qualify it in any manner or who will not provide it should be legally punished.
This proposed law will drive Catholic doctors and nurses from health care and will make it impossible for Catholic hospitals to continue to be places where life is always respected, where no one is deliberately killed.
In our country, we recognize conscientious objection to war, even though defending one’s country is a noble and moral act.
We recognize the conscientious objection of those doctors who will not cooperate in administering the death penalty, even for terrible crimes.
Why do some Illinois legislators want to take away conscientious objection to abortion?
The enemies of human life and religious freedom in Illinois are well funded.
Pressure on legislators is great and is increasing.
I ask you to contact your Representative this week to express your dismay that the Illinois legislature, elected democratically, would debate a bill that removes freedom of conscientious decision-making for health care workers as a condition of their employment.
If, as we are told, the State should not come between a doctor and a mother, then surely all can agree that the State should not come between a health care worker and God.
We have, unfortunately, had to get used to the fact that our laws no longer protect unborn human life; now we are to get used to the fact that our laws will no longer protect conscience.
In 1844, Abraham Lincoln broke with his own party, the often anti-Catholic Whigs, and proposed:
“Resolved, that the guarantee of the rights of conscience, as found in our Constitution, is most sacred and inviolable, and one that belongs no less to the Catholic, than to the Protestant; and that all attempts to abridge or interfere with these rights, either of Catholic or Protestant, directly or indirectly, have our decided disapprobation, and shall ever have our most effective opposition.”
Illinois HB 2354 betrays the legacy of Lincoln in his home State.
This proposed law will rend the already fragile garment of our civic unity and further alienate many from our government. Catholics and all people of good will should work to ensure its defeat. I also ask you to thank those legislators who are courageously opposing HB 2354 and to pray for those who are supporting it. To contact your legislator, please go to www.ilga.gov, or call 312-368-1066.
Thank you and God bless you.
Francis Cardinal George, OMI Archbishop of Chicago
Friday, Crain's Chicago Business political reporter Greg Hinz wrote a story that certainly sounded as if State Rep. Mark Beaubien was proposing taxing pensions.
Since Beaubien represents the mid-eastern part of McHenry County, I posted a story on McHenry County Blog. Right up front, I even admitted my self-interest--having a generous pension after 20 years as an elected official and 4 in the state bureaucracy. (I thank you Illinois taxpayers.)
Monday morning Beaubien called to vehemently deny that the pension tax hike idea was his and state that he did not endorse it. Naturally, I put up his reaction.
I note that Hinz, not someone whom anyone would confuse with a conservative, found “financial experts” to support the idea of raising
“about $900 million a year by taxing retirement payments above $50,000 and pensions paid to any one who retires before age 65.”
Beaubien was telling Hinz the idea is being discussed.
Combined with a 67% income tax rate hike (from 3 percentage points to 5 percentage points), that would cut retirement income by 5%--about $3,500 for me.
I imagine there are a lot of retired teachers that might be interested in the idea.
I further predict that, if passed, a lot of retiree pigeons will fly the Illinois pension tax coop. No way for the General Assembly to close that door.
Maybe a legislator will push for making the pigeon the state bird. It would be more appropriate than the cardinal.
Read more...
Now, last fall's opponent to State Rep. Mark Beaubien (R-Barrington Hills), Rich Garling has been arrested for battery.
The Northwest Herald reports Gina Meeks, the wife of David Meeks, whose village trustee petitions were disqualified by an electon board on which Garling sat, said,
“Good job, stupid.”
"He took his hand and hit me on my back as hard as he could," Mrs. Meeks told the Island Lake Police, according to Sarah Sutschek's article.
The article notes the charging of former Republican Mayor Charles Amrich and Village Clerk Christine Becker with misconduct, but missing Hyde's more recent arrest in the internet version of the article.
= = = = = Of strictly historic interest, Garling told me that his father was beaten by a young Bill Cellini for Streets Commissioner in Springfield, Illinois.
category is the Legislative Information System's failure to post the roll call on the CTA/RTA bailout bill last night.
Even this morning when I called to ask why, it wasn’t up.
There was an asterisk next to the notation, but there was no note below. (Click below to enlarge the image.)
The person I talked to said that there had been a motion to reconsider by State Rep. Gary Hannig.
“So what?” I thought.
A vote was taken and it wasn’t put on postponed consideration.
Well, as I write this, it’s 11 o’clock in the morning and the roll call has magically appeared.
I believe it is worth noting that newspapers and radio stations without someone on the scene would not be able to report this morning how local legislators voted.
All three of McHenry County’s delegation—Jack Franks, Mike Tryon and Mark Beaubien vote against the measure.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross, whose idea was the guts of the bill voted “Present.”
Maybe he was thinking how people in Kendall County would react to his proposal to force each man, woman and child to subsidize the Chicago Transit Authority and Regional Transportation Authority $30 this year.
But this vote was a test between current pro- and anti-abortion forces in Illinois and pro-abortion Personal PAC, Planned Parenthood and their allies lost.
State representatives having constituents in McHenry County split 3-2.
Republican Mark Beaubien of Barrington Hills and Democrat Jack Franks of Bull Valley voted in favor of the weaker notification standards. Republican Mike Tryon stood in support of current law by voting, "No."
Caprio said that Family-Pac had initiated 33,000 grassroots calls to parents in eleven districts where House members were undecided prior to the vote.
And McHenry County Right To Life leader Irene Napier was certainly involved in stimulating calls in several districts.
“I understand that the pro-abortion lobby is threatening to launch a $250,000 campaign against members who voted with parents against HB317" Caprio continued. "
"Such a campaign of intimidation and misinformation against members will be met by Family-Pac with a massive grassroots response by parents:
'Bring it on.'”
The bill was sponsored by Chicago Democrat John Fritchey.
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The pressure from the Northwest Herald newspaper ad, the protesting on a very cold Saturday in front of State Rep. Jack Franks' Route 47 office, the YouTube video of lament and anger, the letters from Cardinal Francis George and Bishop Doran and countless individual contacts between constituents and the two McHenry County legislators must have gotten to them.
They both understand that intensity counts in politics.
