April 9, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Protesters who rallied in Federal Plaza are demanding more from Congress. Meanwhile, those with direct ties to Iran say a ceasefire announced Tuesday still does not mean peace for Iran so long as the regime is still in power.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-iran-war-news-iranian-americans-chicago-fear-relatives-safety-says-civilization-will-die/18853593/

CBS2
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/new-sign-solidifies-little-palestine-community-in-bridgeview-illinois/

WGN9
— Students at Kenwood Academy signed their names and pledged to never take part in the teen takeover trend.
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/cps-high-school-students-say-no-to-teen-takeovers/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois House passes youth voter registration bill and limits new immigration detention centers near homes
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/illinois-house-passes-youth-voter-registration-bill-and-limits-new-immigration-detention-centers-near-homes/
— ‘Mixed Marriage Project’ charts decades of Black-white marital unions in Chicago
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/mixed-marriage-project-chicago/
— Is newly minted CPS CEO Macquline King really resisting CTU’s May 1 day of protest? She should.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/editorial-macquline-king-may-day-protest-chicago-teachers-union/
— Lynwood shuts down roller rink to prevent teen takeover
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/08/lynwood-roller-rink-teen-takeover-fear/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinoisans push state leaders for more affordable housing options. DD: HUD made the new townhome that I bought in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) when I was 24 in 1972 affordable. I could not have afforded to buy that townhome if it had cost more. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $89,100. Sadly, that says worlds about real estate values in University Park.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/04/03/illinoisans-poll-affordable-housing-crisis-rennt-state-legislature-rich-miller
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly glorify and praise their noncitizens.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/08/chicagos-migrants-face-scams-sky-high-rents-and-squalor-in-search-for-housing
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/04/09/snap-food-benefits-refugee-families-supplemental-food-assistance-program-asylum

WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly glorify and praise their noncitizens.
https://www.wbez.org/health-medicine/2026/04/09/refugee-families-latest-group-to-face-snap-food-benefit-cutoff-supplemental-food-assistance-program-asylum

DAILY NORTHWESTERN
— Evanston’s Black population shrinks as city looks to address housing affordability
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2026/04/09/city/evanstons-black-population-shrinks-as-city-looks-to-address-housing-affordability/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Democrats keep doing better in elections since Trump returned to office
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-04-08/democrats-keep-doing-better-in-elections-since-trump-returned-to-office
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After giving Republicans control of the White House and Congress in the 2024 presidential election, voters have continued to swing their support toward the Democratic Party in races held since then. In Tuesday’s elections, that shift was on display for key races in Wisconsin and Georgia, where results saw a shift of nearly 20 percentage points away from GOP margins in 2024.)

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— In criticism of the war in Iran, some conservatives focus their ire on Trump himself
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2026-04-08/in-criticism-of-the-war-in-iran-some-conservatives-focus-their-ire-on-trump-himself

WEEK
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more abortion.
https://www.25newsnow.com/video/2026/04/08/illinois-pursues-abortion-coverage-people-with-little-or-no-insurance/

CWB CHICAGO
— CPD calls hundreds of murders ‘cleared.’ In most cases, nobody was ever charged.
https://cwbchicago.com/2026/04/cpd-calls-hundreds-of-murders-cleared-in-most-cases-nobody-was-ever-charged.html

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Illinois GOP launches membership program in bid to rebuild fundraising base. The program seeks to convert one-time and infrequent small dollar donors into recurring contributors.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/illinois-gop-launches-membership-program-in-bid-to-rebuild-fundraising-base/

DAILY LINE
— Public safety committee to hold hearing on dispersal declaration ordinance aimed at ‘teen takeovers’
https://www.thedailyline.com/chicago-city-council-public-safety-committee-preview-april-2026-dispersal-declaration-ordinance-hearing-alderman-brian-hopkins-teen-takeovers

ILLINOIZE
— So Far, Bailey’s General Election Strategy Looks Familiar
https://www.theillinoize.com/articles/baileys-general-election-strategy-looks

POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/04/09/rainbow-push-taps-yusef-jackson-to-lead-in-new-era-00864991

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/04/08/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-499/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

THOMAS DEVORE
— These State Central Committee races will shape the future of the Illinois Republican Party for the next four years, and likely a generation!
https://www.facebook.com/thomas.devore.92/posts/the-future-of-the-ilgop-these-state-central-committee-races-will-shape-the-futur/27257492320505056/

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois gun owners plan rally April 15 in wake of Supreme Court order. DD: Anticipate/expect that under the Democrats, Illinois will ever-increasingly take more Second Amendment rights away. Democrats want to abolish the Second Amendment. Democrats want to disarm Republicans.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/illinois-gun-owners-plan-rally-in-wake-of-supreme-court-order/ar-AA20i4rb

CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— The Chicago Sun-Times Hits Rock Bottom. Neil Steinberg turns a murdered Loyola student into a prop for his immigration sermon — and calls it journalism.
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/chicago-sun-times-hits-rock-bottom

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Pritzker Calls for Trump’s Removal Over Iran: Hours Later, Ceasefire Deal Undercuts Criticism
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/04/pritzker-calls-for-trumps-removal-over-iran-hours-later-ceasefire-deal-undercuts-criticism.html

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— The following is an initial rough draft of a precinct letter that I am considering hand-delivering to the 140 voters in my precinct who cast Republican ballots in the March 17, 2026 primary: Thank you for casting a Republican ballot in the March 17, 2026 primary. You are one of the 140 (39%) of the 361 registered Republican voters in our precinct who did that. In the contested U.S. Senate race, Don Tracy got 61 votes, Jeannie Evans 39, Pamela Long 11, Cary Capparelli 10, Casey Chlebek 4, and Jimmy Lee Tillman 4. Tracy won statewide. In the contested Governor race, Ted Dabrowski got 66 votes, Darren Bailey 32, James Mendrick 27, and Rick Heidner 11. Bailey won statewide. In the contested Secretary of State race, Diane Harris got 76 votes and Walter Adamczyk 48. Harris won statewide. In the Treasurer race, Max Solomon got 5 write-in votes. He will be on the November 3, 2026 ballot. In the contested Sheriff race, Sean Noonan got 72 votes and Eddie Moore 61. Noonan won countywide. In the contested Judge of the Appellate Court Third Judicial District race, Jason Helland got 71 votes and Mark Senak 47. Helland won districtwide. In the uncontested races, Grant Eckhoff was the high vote getter with 129. The Milton Township Proposition got 187 no votes and 147 yes votes. The proposition lost townshipwide. The November 3, 2026 general election will be here before we know it. Early voting starts on September 24, 2026. My job as your Republican Precinct Committeeman is to maximize the number of votes the Republican primary winners get in the November 3, 2026 general election. Please help me do that. Displaying yard signs for the candidates is one way of doing that. Please consider contacting the candidates’ campaigns and volunteering to help. Please visit https://dupagegop.com/2026-candidates/ and https://miltongop.org/. To keep up with political and government news and commentary of interest to Illinois Republicans from a conservative perspective, please visit my GOPUSA ILLINOIS website at www.gopillinois.com. I put together and send out a GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletter every morning, and often in evenings too, and I post a copy of it on that website. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter. Subscriptions are free, they contain no advertising or donation requests, and I share your email address with no one. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— America needs ICE. Agency protects the vulnerable; its would-be dismantlers just pretend to.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/8/america-needs-ice/

NEW YORK POST
— Eligible young men will automatically be registered for US military draft later this year
https://nypost.com/2026/04/08/us-news/eligible-young-men-will-automatically-be-registered-for-us-military-draft-later-this-year/
— NYC’s top private schools gathering for woke DEI-focused ‘diversity symposium’ aimed at kids as young as 4
https://nypost.com/2026/04/08/us-news/nycs-top-private-schools-gathering-for-woke-diversity-symposium-aimed-at-kids-as-young-as-4/

AMERICAN ACTION FORUM
— DD: My critics/opponents were furious when I started earning $19.57/hour in today’s dollars as a part-time postal employee when I was 18 in 1966. They saw that my postal salary enabled me to a) buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967, b) buy a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968, and c) graduate debt-free from NIU owning that Charger in 1970. Those who were most furious were Democrat veterans because I had avoided the Vietnam War draft with student deferments 1966-1970, a financial hardship 1970-1971, and a high draft lottery number. They blamed 1-A Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War.
https://www.americanactionforum.org/insight/the-2026-state-minimum-wage-increases-and-their-potential-costs-and-consequences/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— NYC Mayor’s ‘Racial Equity Plan’ Would Direct City Resources to ‘Black and Brown New Yorkers’
https://amgreatness.com/2026/04/08/nyc-mayors-racial-equity-plan-would-direct-city-resources-to-black-and-brown-new-yorkers/

DAILY CALLER
— US Is One Of Few Countries With Birthright Citizenship. DD: To takeover America, anticipate/expect that more and more and more countries will send their pregnant citizens to America to give birth.
https://www.aol.com/articles/jonathan-turley-says-insane-us-140339882.html

FEDERALIST
— Worst Thing GOP Could Do For Midterms Is Embrace Amnesty, So Of Course They’re Doing That
https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/08/worst-thing-gop-could-do-for-midterms-is-embrace-amnesty/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: America is either a nation with defined borders and laws, or it’s not. There is no in-between. You almost have to admire how far some Republicans are willing to go to lose the 2026 midterms — and ultimately, the country. Throughout their recent two-week vacation, several GOP lawmakers have been making the media rounds to tout “bipartisan” legislation they claim will finally solve America’s broken immigration system. There’s just one teensy-weensy important detail that somehow gets brushed aside: The bill would allow millions of illegal aliens to continue living in the United States. Sponsored by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and other lawmakers, the so-called DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act permits “certain long-term undocumented immigrants to earn legal status, without amnesty or a path to citizenship” so that foreign nationals who broke U.S. immigration law can have an “opportunity,” according to a Salazar press release. The measure would notably create a “Dignity Program,” which the Florida congresswoman’s office described as a “7-year earned legal status program allowing undocumented immigrants to live and work legally, with renewable status based on good conduct and restitution.” The revived push to pass the bill appears to be part of sponsors’ recently announced “Dignity Tour” to rally support for the measure and get it through Congress. It’s bad enough that the legislation’s sponsors felt compelled to give it a deceptive (and dumb) name like the “DIGNIDAD Act.” But it’s even worse that its promoters like Salazar are trying to gaslight Republican voters into thinking that the measure is anything but one giant amnesty package. America is either a nation with defined borders and laws, or it’s not. There is no in-between. But rather than fulfill their 2024 campaign pledges to ensure the former, it’s clear some Republicans are content with handing out amnesty to foreign lawbreakers like candy on Halloween. Such a proposal isn’t just asinine because it cripples America’s sovereignty and long-term survival as a nation. It’s also incredibly moronic from a political standpoint. Aside from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that they never effectively sold to voters, Republicans have virtually nothing to show for their congressional majorities. The Senate GOP still hasn’t passed the SAVE America Act, rogue judges continue to go unpunished, many of Trump’s executive orders haven’t been codified into law, and other conservative priorities remain untouched. So, exactly what are voters — including those who identify as Republicans — supposed to vote for this fall? Amnesty? More GOP obstruction of the conservative policies they were promised but are now told aren’t possible with Republican majorities? The Grand Old Party doesn’t have an answer — and it shows. The headwinds Republicans are facing this fall became evident on Tuesday night, when Democrats continued their domination of special and off-year elections since the 2024 contest. In Wisconsin, leftists easily expanded their majority on the state Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Democrats in Georgia significantly overperformed in the special House race to fill the seat left open by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. The dynamic at play is one that’s existed for decades. While voters punish Democrats for abusing power when they have it, they punish Republicans for never using it to begin with. Shilling for amnesty is not going to give the GOP a fighting chance this fall. And neither is repeatedly stonewalling the policies they campaigned on. Only implementing a conservative agenda that addresses the needs of the electorate will. Should Republicans ignore this reality and decline to act on it, they should prepare to be demolished at the ballot box this November. And by every measure, they’ll have deserved it.)

FOX NEWS
— Residents alarmed after teen violence erupts in Washington, DC neighborhood. Mayor Muriel Bowser compared removing the youth curfew to taking ‘a band aid’ off ‘an active wound.’
https://noticias.foxnews.com/media/residents-alarmed-after-teen-violence-erupts-washington-dc-neighborhood

INSIGHTS & ISSUES
— 5.4 Million People Have Migrated To Pro-Trump Counties Since 2020 As The Great Divorce Continues
https://issuesinsights.com/2026/04/08/exclusive-5-4-million-people-have-migrated-to-pro-trump-counties-since-2020-as-the-great-divorce-continues/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— DD: How bad are your demographics? Ever-increasingly, to get more votes from those who have demographics that vote for Democrats and for RINOs, Democrat and RINO leaders a) promise to give more preference to those who have demographics that vote for Democrats and for RINOs and b) dump those who have demographics that vote for Republicans. Demographics that vote for Democrats include liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, poor, non-Protestant, non-German American, and have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. Demographics that vote for Republicans include conservative, White, male, older, married, heterosexual, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-demographics-of-democratic-candidates/

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
— Veteran Unemployment Rates. DD: According to Democrat leaders, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, poor, non-Protestant, non-German American, and have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/latest-numbers

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEWSWEEK
— MAGA Erupts as Republican Pushes to Offer Path to Undocumented Migrants. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.newsweek.com/maga-erupts-republican-pushes-legalize-undocumented-migrants-11801468

MS NOW
— DD: The mainstream news media exists a) to elect and reelect Democrats and b) to advance the Democrat Party platform.
https://www.ms.now/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-news-media-cpb-public-broadcasting-rcna223500

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use the Iran War against all Republicans, and especially against Republicans who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/us/politics/trump-war-goals.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use the Iran War against all Republicans, and especially against Republicans who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/08/trump-iran-war-strait-hormuz/

USA TODAY
— DD: The more of the following that you are, the more that you should anticipate/expect that you will be forced to retire early: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, heterosexual, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/04/04/retirement-age-in-america-social-security-medicare/89439716007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Where the GOP’s Future Is on the Ballot. Four upcoming races will be early signals of how the 2028 free-for-all could play out.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/where-the-gops-future-is-on-the-ballot-d7d149ff
— Trump Team Explores Punishment for NATO Countries That Didn’t Support Iran War
https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/trump-weighs-punishing-certain-nato-countries-over-lack-of-iran-war-support-a2361995

NATIONAL NEWS DESK
— Teen ‘takeovers’ spark chaos in US cities, fueling debate over response
https://thenationaldesk.com/top-videos/teen-takeovers-spark-chaos-in-us-cities-fueling-debate-over-response-washington-dc-jeanine-pirro-chicago-hyde-park-crime-theft

BOSTON TODAY
— NYC Mayor Mamdani Proposes Tax Hikes on Wealthy Whites to Fund ‘Black and Brown’ Political Machine. Mamdani claims higher taxes are needed to address ‘decades of neglect and discrimination’ against minority communities.
https://nationaltoday.com/us/ma/boston/news/2026/04/09/nyc-mayor-mamdani-proposes-tax-hikes-on-wealthy-whites-to-fund-black-and-brown-political-machine/

HENRY COUNTY ENTERPRISE
— DD: Did the American Dream motivate you? It certainly motivated me. To achieve the American Dream, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 28, and a job-related professional license when I was 32. But if I was young today, would I have that motivation? I doubt it very much because of my bad demographics. Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, everyone is under ever-increasing pressure to give more preference to those who do not share my demographics: liberal/moderate, Democrat, RINO, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://henrycountyenterprise.com/american-dream-remains-out-of-reach-for-many-professor-says/

WTOP
— DD: Democrats run the federal government. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats. Federal employees who are Republican and who are the following have no Civil Service protections: conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Because I am all of the aforesaid, I would not have survived working for the federal government for almost 30 years and my ending salary would not have been $154,682/year in today’s dollars if I had not a) earned three job-related master’s degrees, b) earned six job-related professional certifications, and c) earned a job-related professional license.
https://wtop.com/government/2026/03/how-the-schedule-policy-career-plan-could-reshape-federal-agencies/

VATICAN NEWS
— DD: Were it not for America’s military strength, there would be no Christianity, there would be no Catholicism, and there would be no Pope.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-04/pope-leo-peace-appeals-easter-holy-week-darkness-conflict.html

PEOPLE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://people.com/bettina-anderson-wants-traditional-marriage-don-trump-jr-exclusive-11944649

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— DD: I got better test scores because I followed conservative principles. But according to my critics/opponents, I got better test scores because I benefitted from discrimination against those who do not share my demographics.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2026/04/09/new-study-shows-broad-approval-test-optional-policies

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Performance prioritized over seniority. DD: When I started working for the Democrats who ran IRS when was 22 in 1971, my Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious when I brought with me almost 3 years of full-time federal seniority that I had earning working part-time for the Post Office 1966-1969. When I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were even more furious when I brought with me that almost 3 years of federal seniority and almost 9 more years of federal seniority that I had earning working for IRS 1971-1980. I had 25 years of federal seniority when I was 45 in 1993. I lost 34 months of federal seniority September of 1969 – June of 1971 because my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign. The aforesaid federal seniority gave me lots of vacation days much sooner. It enabled me to get a preferred corner office at GAO in 1990. It gave me the “option” of taking a $25,000 buyout and early retirement when I was 45 in 1994. Of course, my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious about the aforesaid. According to them, federal jobs were only for Democrats, and especially for Democrats who were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/03/performance-seniority-proposed-rif-rule-osc/412095/

POLITICO
— ‘We lose the midterms’: Republicans worry Iran might have already cost them Congress
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/08/republicans-fear-iran-will-cost-them-the-midterms-ceasefire-or-not-00864697

POLITICO & NPR
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use the Iran War against all Republicans, and especially against Republicans who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/08/us-not-won-iran-war-00864337
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/08/nx-s1-5771492/iran-war-goals-unmet-ceasefire-strait-hormuz-trump

ATLANTIC
— DD: Because those who have demographics that vote for Democrats get lower test scores than those who have demographics that vote for Republicans, Democrat leaders want those who have demographics that vote for Democrats to always get preference.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/pete-hegseth-military-diversity/686734/

COMMUNIST PARTY USA
— May Day: Take to the streets for workers’ power. DD: How soon will the Democrat Party officially change its name to the Socialist Party?
https://cpusa.org/article/may-day-take-to-the-streets-for-workers-power/

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.