Tag: amendment

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Suggestion for the Trump campaign – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

I suggest that the Trump campaign ASAP issue a suggested draft Republican state party platform for state Republican parties to consider.

Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Democrat Party exists to defend and advance liberal principles. The Republican Party exists to defend and advance conservative principles. While Trump was President, he did more the defend and advance the Republican Party platform than either Bush. But in Illinois, far too many Republican party leaders, elected officials, candidates, major donors, political consultants, fundraisers, pollsters, etc. talk and/or act like they reject many, most, if not virtually all of the planks in the Republican Party platform. Most commonly, they talk and/or act like they reject its individual responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. Ever-increasingly, they paint themselves as being “Democrat Lite” if not anti-conservative. Ever-increasingly, they act like the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) has stricken the aforesaid planks from its platform.

I served on the IRP State Convention Platform and Resolution Committee representing the 6th Congressional District on that committee in 2008. The platform was changed little in 2012, 2016, and 2020. Now, 16 years later, I will again serve on that committee at the IRP State Convention in Collinsville May 24 and 25, this time representing the 3rd Congressional District.

In my opinion, the new IRP platform should focus on:

— Promoting personal responsibility, that is, opposing the promotion of dependency on government and charity,
— Promoting traditional marriage and family, that is, opposing the promotion of LGBTQ,
— Promoting right to life, that is, opposing the promotion of abortion,
— Promoting legal immigration, that is, opposing the promotion of illegal immigration,
— Promoting the avoidance of vice, that is, opposing the promotion of booze, gambling, pot, and other vices,
— Promoting Second Amendment rights, that is, opposing diminishment of those rights, and
— Promoting equal opportunity, that is, opposing race and gender based preference giving, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination.

Again, I suggest that the Trump campaign ASAP issue a suggested draft Republican state party platform for state Republican parties to consider.

NBC NEWS
— The looming battle over the Democratic platform – Mike Memoli and Alex Seitz-Wald (FROM THE ARTICLE: The Democratic Party platform will reflect President Biden’s vision for how we can move our nation forward. . .Now, Biden has overwhelmingly won renomination, and, the source noted, it is typical for the party platform to reflect the agenda of the incumbent president.)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/looming-democratic-platform-battle-politics-desk-rcna147469
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Progressives gear up for a platform fight on Israel at the Democratic convention. Activists at odds with President Joe Biden over his handling of Israel’s war with Hamas are planning to shift the focus of their pressure campaign from the ballot box to the Democratic Party platform at this summer’s nominating convention in Chicago. The Biden campaign is bracing for the effort, which could extend a bruising, and divisive, political battle over several months to the Democratic National Convention, according to multiple activists and party insiders. Progressive Democrats already have identified a list of issues where they hope to influence the party platform, including calling for filibuster reform in the Senate, declaring a national climate emergency and ending private funding of elections. But the war in the Gaza Strip and potential conditions on future U.S. military assistance to Israel is poised to be the most contentious issue as Democrats prepare for their convention on Aug. 19-22. “We’re gearing up for a fight and we’re drawing a line in the sand, though we hope it doesn’t come to that,” said Joseph Geevarghese, the executive director of Our Revolution, which spun off from Bernie Sanders’ first presidential campaign. “We’ll negotiate out as much agreement as possible beforehand so that we can avoid large-scale fights,” Geevarghese added. “That being said, if there needs to be a fight on important issues, we’ll do it.” The Democratic National Committee has not yet publicly outlined its process for developing the 2024 platform. A DNC spokesperson said the party “will engage diverse voices from across the Democratic coalition.” “The Democratic Party platform will reflect President Biden’s vision for how we can move our nation forward,” Hannah Muldavin, the spokesperson, said in a statement to NBC News, citing domestic issues as well as “advancing safety and security at home and abroad.” The divide between Biden and a growing number of progressives could set up a clash that Democrats haven’t had at a convention in decades, according to Geevarghese, who noted that Chicago was the site of the Democrats’ infamous 1968 convention when left-wing anti-war protesters clashed with police. “It’s in the re-election campaign’s interest to minimize disruption and outside protests and the only way to do that is meaningful policy shifts” on Israel, he said. So far, a loosely organized coalition of progressive Democrats has largely aimed to voice their opposition to the president’s Israel policy by pressing Democratic primary voters to support “uncommitted” or other similar ballot options across the country. These progressives made an initial splash in Michigan’s February primary, garnering more than 100,00 votes for “uncommitted,” or about 13.2% of the vote. It was enough to earn their movement a pair of convention delegates. A similar protest vote in Democratic primaries was sufficient enough for them to gain uncommitted delegates in Minnesota, Hawaii, Washington state, and Missouri. NBC News projects so far there will be at least 26 uncommitted delegates at the convention, along with three delegates representing Jason Palmer, a relatively unknown candidate who won the primary in American Samoa. Those are a fraction of the more than 3,300 delegates Biden has so far won, however, which means the platform fight over Israel will be an uphill, two-step battle. The activists aren’t even guaranteed a seat at the table, for instance. Positions on DNC standing committees like the one that writes the platform are appointed and the process will be entirely controlled by Biden’s team. “The fix is in,” said Jim Zogby, a former longtime DNC member, leader of the Arab-American community and former Sanders strategist. “All the Platform Committee people are going to be picked by the campaign and the White House.” Zogby, who has led what minor skirmishes have taken place previously over language on Israel in the platform, is not hopeful that activists will be able to do much this year. Sanders had enough delegates to force a confrontation in 2016, and Zogby doubts the “Uncommitted” movement will hang onto the few delegate slots they’ve won. But others on the left are more hopeful and think they can influence the platform by applying pressure from the outside, if not the inside, in ways that will force the Biden team to avoid a public fight. As the war situation in Gaza evolves, so too could any potential platform battle. Biden is currently pushing for the weeks-long ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages, and his administration hopes that would lead to a permanent end to the war. But as the president struggles to achieve such a deal, pressure has grown within his party beyond the activist base. Just months ago, Sanders was a lone voice in the Senate calling on the administration to stop sending offensive weaponry to Israel for what he called its “illegal, immoral war against the Palestinian people.” In one private discussion at the White House in late February, he also pressed some of Biden’s top advisers, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, to take new steps to deliver humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Now a growing chorus of congressional Democrats, including close allies of the president such as Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., have expressed openness to withholding some future military assistance if it proceeds with a major ground offensive into Rafah. Party platforms are often a forcing mechanism for party officials to confront rifts between its presidential nominee — or in this case, the incumbent president — and party activists. In 2012, the DNC members debated taking steps toward including language endorsing same-sex marriage before President Obama had taken that position publicly, though he ultimately did that well before the convention. In 2016, Sanders leveraged his significant tranche of delegates to pressure Hillary Clinton on a wide range of progressive policy priorities, from climate change to student debt to international trade treaties, resulting in the most progressive platform in the parties’ history. Sanders’ forces had their most significant impact, though, on party rules, especially in a reform that largely disempowered so-called super delegates. Defending those reforms will also be a top issue for his allies this year. The biggest revision to Democrats’ 2020 platform from their 2016 language was to reflect former President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The final paragraphs of the 2020 Democratic platform on Israel in 2020 reiterated the party’s belief that “a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States.” It declared that the party’s “commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, [and] its right to defend itself” is “ironclad,” but also called for a negotiated two-state solution “that ensures Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized borders and upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own.” In 2020, the Biden team largely headed off a platform fight by creating so-called Unity Task Forces, composed of both Biden and Sanders surrogates, which produced draft language for the party platform signed off by both camps. Those recommendations ultimately telegraphed a more robust, progressive policy agenda that went beyond what Biden had proposed in his primary campaign. A source close to the White House noted that the 2020 platform process was built to reflect Biden’s desire then to bring the party together after a contentious primary. Now, Biden has overwhelmingly won renomination, and, the source noted, it is typical for the party platform to reflect the agenda of the incumbent president.)

CATHOLICISM
— President Trump Was Elected on a Platform Promising Federal Action on Abortion
https://catholicism.org/president-trump-was-elected-on-a-platform-promising-federal-action-on-abortion.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With President Donald Trump’s April 8th announcement on Truth Social that abortion legislation should be left to the states, some conservatives are attempting to re-write history. Members of the conservative commentariat, like Kurt Schlichter of Town Hall and Martha MacCallum of Fox News, are now claiming that Republicans sought to repeal Roe v. Wade, so that the issue could be returned to the states, that state sovereignty on abortion has been the Republican Party position, and that the President’s recent announcement is consistent with that position. That assertion however, is a manifest falsehood. Donald J. Trump ran for President on a 2016 Republican Platform promising far reaching federal initiatives to oppose abortion. The Republican Party platform in 2016 stated “We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.” It went on to say that “We urge all States and Congress to make it a crime to acquire, transfer, or sell fetal tissues from elective abortions for research, and we call on Congress to enact a ban on any sale of fetal body parts.” The Platform then called upon Congress to ban abortions based upon sex selection and disability, to ban dismemberment abortions, and to enact a Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. It also commended the House of Representatives for passing Born Alive legislation. Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “Any political figure in America today can be expected to alter or reverse his positions on issues of public controversy, even matters of supreme moral import. His supporters however, have no right to lie about it.” “What happened Monday was an abandonment of five decades of Republican promises of federal opposition to abortion. The pro-life movement needs to recognize, lucidly, that we have suffered a major defeat, one of the worst in the movement’s history.” “We need to determine what our response will be, and we need to ask President Trump, candidly — or as the Soviets used to say, in a frank and comradely manner — what if anything, he intends to do for the pro-life cause if he is elected to a second term.”)

NEWSWEEK
— Trump’s New Position Is Not Pro-Life – Lila Rose
https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-new-position-not-pro-life-opinion-1888994
— Video of Oprah Audience Learning O.J. Simpson Verdict Goes Viral (COMMENT: I happened to watch this video live. It had a big impact on me.)
https://www.newsweek.com/oj-simpson-oprah-trial-murder-nicole-acquitted-1889652

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT LEANING SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE IN THE NAPERVILLE SUN: Iron Gate Motor Condos scraps residential development in favor of new garage storage space – TESS KENNY (COMMENT: My wife and I have owned a unit in Iron Gate since 2020.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/11/naperville-city-iron-gate-motor-condo-car-garage-storage/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD IN NAPERVILLE SUN: Gun arrest No. 14 since September made at Naperville’s Topgolf venue. – TESS KENNY
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/04/10/naperville-topgolf-arrest-gun-police/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— O. J. Simpson’s murder trial exposed America’s great divide. Simpson’s death won’t bring an end to debate over his acquittal on murder charges. – Mary Mitchell
https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/2024/04/11/o-j-simpson-death-race-debate

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— As measles worries rise, schools are asked to draw up lists of unvaxxed students – Jon Asplund
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/measles-worries-prompt-school-officials-list-unvaccinated-students
— Illinois awards another $25M to build EV chargers – John Pletz (COMMENT: Why should those who drive gasoline vehicles be forced to pay to promote electric vehicles?)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/transportation/illinois-awards-another-25m-build-ev-chargers
— Illinois awards first abortion training grants – Jon Asplund (COMMENT: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion.)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/illinois-awards-first-abortion-training-grants

WGN9
— Lawsuit filed against CPS alleging pattern of neglect in continued sexual abuse of 15-year-old student. – Shannon Halligan, Eli Ong
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/lawsuit-filed-against-cps-alleging-pattern-of-neglect-in-continued-sexual-abuse-of-15-year-old-student/
— To be inclusive is to exclude those who are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, Protestant, Italian American, German American, those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time, citizens of America, etc. My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes are inclusive.
https://wgntv.com/daytime-chicago/xchange-chicago-first-of-its-kind-inclusive-tech-training-and-jobs-center/

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
— Migrants welcome in Winnebago County, bills for housing, health care are not. – Paul Arena
https://www.rrstar.com/story/opinion/columns/2024/04/12/your-turn-migrants-welcome-housing-health-care-costs-are-not/73278897007/

STATELINE
— Illinois spending $2M to train abortion providers to meet out-of-state demand – John Clark (COMMENT: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion.)
https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/illinois-spending-2m-to-train-abortion-providers-to-meet-out-of-state-demand/
— Democrats ramp up attacks on Republicans over abortion ahead of election, but ask themselves if it is enough.
https://foxillinois.com/news/beyond-the-podium/democrats-ramping-up-attacks-republicans-abortion-election-is-it-enough-biden-trump-voters-poll-ads-political-2024-race-economy-immigration-border-security-issues

NPR ILLINOIS
— White-sounding names get called back for jobs more than Black ones, a new study finds. – Joe Hernandez (COMMENT: “Diersen” sounds Swedish. What do you say to those who have advised me to pretend to be Swedish national origin? I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes who stress that I am 100% German national origin. I would focus on those who also stress that I was baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-04-11/white-sounding-names-get-called-back-for-jobs-more-than-black-ones-a-new-study-finds

WAND TV
— Illinois Senate unanimously passes bill banning use of medical debt in credit reporting – Mike Miletich (COMMENT: What has helped you avoid medical debt? For me, it has been my always having health insurance. Because always having health insurance has always been a top priority for me, I have taken and kept many bad jobs that my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes would never stoop to take.)
https://www.wandtv.com/news/illinois-senate-unanimously-passes-bill-banning-use-of-medical-debt-in-credit-reporting/article_47ba38cc-f86f-11ee-a8a5-03adf5c2a183.html

WSIL TV
— A near-total ban on abortion has supercharged the political dynamics of Arizona, a key swing state – AP
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/national/a-near-total-ban-on-abortion-has-supercharged-the-political-dynamics-of-arizona-a-key/article_4a07fd26-911b-5157-b3ef-cec99e23c7be.html

SOUTHSIDE WEEKLY
— Democrats ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://southsideweekly.com/dispensary-disparity/

WEDNESDAY JOURNAL
— Contentious Oak Park meeting reflects global tensions over Israel-Hamas war. Village board meeting erupts in anger after some community members ask trustees to back a ceasefire resolution. – Luzane Draughon
https://www.oakpark.com/2024/04/11/ceasefire-resolution-israel-hamas-war/

PATCH ILLINOIS
— 2 Illinois Billionaires Among Richest Americans: New Forbes List. The 2 richest people in Illinois are among the Forbes 400, but the Chicago area is home to even more billionaires. Here’s the list. – Shannon Antinori
https://patch.com/illinois/across-il/2-illinois-billionaires-among-richest-americans-new-forbes-list

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Democrats ever-increasingly use abortion to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/04/12/arizona-abortion-laws-ripple-effect-00151933

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2024/04/12/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-267/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2024/04/11/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-68/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT LEANING SOURCES

WEST CENTRAL REPORTER & EAST CENTRAL REPORTER
— Growing Costs of Non-Citizens on Illinois Taxpayers
https://westcentralreporter.com/stories/657658899-growing-costs-of-non-citizens-on-illinois-taxpayers
https://eastcentralreporter.com/stories/657662469-growing-costs-of-illegal-immigrants-on-illinois-taxpayers

JOHN KASS
— What is your national origin? How are those who share your national origin stereotyped? What they blamed for? I am 100% German national origin. I should write about that. In my defense, a) all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s, that is, before Germany existed, b) they have always lived in northeast Illinois, c) my grandfather on my father’s side fought the Germans in WWI, d) my uncles on my mother’s side fought the Germans in WWII, and e) my father would have fought the Germans in WWII if he had not been 4-F. Further, according to Ancestry at http://dna.ancestry.com , my ancestry is 33% Europe West, 28% Scandinavia, 24% Great Britain, 11% Ireland, 2% Europe East, 1% Finland/Northwest Russia, and 1% Italy/Greece.
https://johnkassnews.com/reparations-h/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Bruce Johnson to Head Algonquin Township GOP (COMMENT: Jeff Castle is the new chairman of the Milton Township Republican Organization.)
https://mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/04/11/bruce-johnson-to-head-algonquin-township-gop/
— $2 Million Promotion of Abortion with Tax Dollars
https://mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/04/11/2-million-promotion-of-abortion-with-tax-dollars/
— Two Days after Being Called Out for Leftwing Bias by Senior PBS Editor, Reported Interviews Gunowners of America Spokesperson
https://mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/04/11/two-days-after-being-called-out-for-leftwing-bias-by-senior-pbs-editor-reported-interviews-gunowners-of-america-spokesperson/
— Top Grade Health Insurance for State Employees, Retirees, Enhanced by Additional General Assembly Mandates, Drives Up Cost (COMMENT: Since 1966 when I was 18 years old, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my health care insurance premiums, and since 1997, also for my wife.)
https://mchenrycountyblog.com/2024/04/11/top-grade-health-insurance-for-state-employees-retirees-enhanced-by-additional-general-assembly-mandates-drives-up-cost/

CITY OF WHEATON
— Wheaton Police Department seeks individuals who want to make a difference in our community by becoming a Wheaton police officer. (COMMENT: Few want to be IRS Revenue Officers because of the tremendous hatred against IRS employees. The Democrats who ran IRS in 1971 when I was 22 years old offered me a GS-7 (currently $54,728/year) Revenue Officer job and I took it. They offered me that job because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job. I had a) passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination, b) earned a bachelor’s degree in business from NIU in August of 1970, and c) worked for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights as its Retail Sales Manager since then. While I worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, I a) earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, b) almost completed the requirement for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, and c) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. IRS promoted me to GS-9 (currently $66,942/year) in 1972, GS-11 (currently $80,994/year) in 1973, and GS-12 (currently $97,079/year) in 1974. I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes who have used the aforesaid against me the most. I would focus on my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates. I would focus on past and present a) leaders of the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Illinois Republican Party, b) Republican leaders of Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct and their political consultants, major donors, fundraisers, pollsters, campaign managers, campaign staff, and campaign volunteers, d) conservative leaders and activists, e) religious leaders and activists, and f) those who I have sued.)
https://wheaton.il.us/837/Police-Officer-Recruitment

DOUG IBENDAHL
— Next month the Illinois GOP will decide if it wants to be relevant again. The only reason to attend the Illinois Republican State Convention next month is to restore direct elections for the Illinois Republican Party’s governing board: the state central committee. (COMMENT: I will vote for direct election as a member of the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Convention Platform and Resolution Committee representing the 3rd Congressional District at the IRP State Convention in Collinsville May 24 and 25.)
https://dougelstonibendahl.substack.com/p/next-month-the-illinois-gop-will
https://ibendahlonpolitics.com/2024/04/11/next-month-the-illinois-gop-will-decide-if-it-wants-to-be-relevant-again/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In my view the only reason to attend this state convention next month is to restore direct elections for the Illinois Republican Party’s governing board: the state central committee. That’s how we innovate. That long past due reform is a game changer. Illinois law already allows us to do it. The authorizing language is found in 10 ILCS 5/7-8(a), which provides: “A political party may, by a majority vote of the delegates of any State convention of such party, determine to return to the election of State central committeepersons by the vote of primary electors.” The way it would work at the Convention next month is that a resolution to restore direct elections would first have to be approved by the Platform & Resolutions Committee on Friday of the Convention, May 24. Each of the 17 state central committeepersons picks one member for that committee. If the Platform & Resolutions Committee approves it, then it goes to the floor of the Convention on Saturday when all delegates assemble for the first time. If a majority of the delegates vote to approve the resolution you get your vote back in your state party. The one-page flyer HERE has a simple summary on restoring direct elections. I invite you to check it out and share it far and wide. Keep in mind, all we’re talking about is restoring a vote which never should have been taken away from Republicans in the first place. When we had direct elections for our state central committee the Illinois Republican Party routinely won statewide races. Republicans held a substantial majority of the congressional seats. Illinois was a reliable Red State. But then in 1985 a handful of party bosses decided to consolidate their power by taking our vote away. There was no credible reason for taking our vote away. It was just a selfish power grab. Illinois has been getting Bluer every year since. But that’s what happens when you disenfranchise 99.99% of your constituents. Republicans had forced down their throats our current cockamamie system for picking the state central committee and all it has done is torpedo Republican party building and invite Democrat infiltration (see for example the Richard Irvin historic debacle of 2022). With the rank-and-file disenfranchised and out of the picture, our state party has become beholden to rich guys on vanity tours. And we’re running out of those in Illinois. The last 2 rich guys the state party sold its soul to, Bruce Rauner and Ken Griffin, took all their marbles and moved to Florida when their vanity tours crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. Good riddance I say. Neither was ever particularly Republican in the first place, and both are Never-Trumpers. We’re now down to the scrubs with people like Don Tracy allowed to play big shot for a while as long as he and his family keep ponying up some of their inherited wealth to keep the state party lights on. This is where disenfranchising Republicans has gotten us. Illinois Democrats kept direct elections for their state central committee. Every Democrat gets a vote for their state party leadership—just like we used to have. We can sit around and whine about the Democrats in this state and their awful policies all day long—but the inconvenient truth is they do listen to their voters. It’s silly to deny it. Democrat officials are advancing the agenda their voters want every single day while they run circles around the Illinois Republican Party and a hapless Don Tracy who is no doubt being advised by his ridiculously overpaid consultants even as speak on how to keep the rank-and-file disenfranchised and powerless. (Accountability is murder on the gravy train.) Making our state central committee accountable to ALL Republicans again, instead of to just a small handful of lower level party officials will be a huge advance. People will be amazed at what the Illinois Republican Party can accomplish once it starts respecting Republican voters again. The Illinois GOP will guarantee still more disastrous elections for itself if the message that comes out of the Collinsville convention next month is that Republican voters shall remain second class citizens when compared to every Illinois Democrat. You want the serfs to spend their time ballot harvesting and poll watching on elections you’re going to lose massively anyway, but you don’t think they deserve the same vote every Democrat in Illinois already enjoys? Yeah well, good luck with that. Restoring our vote is long past due. Let’s finally get it done. Let’s be second class citizens no longer. I’ll have more updates on this subject in the coming days and weeks. Please keep checking back. And if you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact me: doug.ibendahl@mail.com .)

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— “Don’t Mess With Our Kids” Grassroots Movement Urges Parents to Pray at State Capitols Nationwide on Saturday
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2024/04/dont-mess-with-our-kids-grassroots-movement-urges-parents-to-pray-at-state-capitols-nationwide-on-saturday.html
— Chicago GOP Chair Steve Boulton Endorsed a Never Trumper in 2016 and Compared Trump to Hitler, Now Trying to Facilitate a Trump Visit, Secure Campaign Money
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2024/04/chicago-gop-chair-steve-boulton-endorsed-a-never-trumper-in-2016-and-compared-trump-to-hitler-now-trying-to-facilitate-a-trump-visit-secure-campaign-money.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT LEANING SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Biden cancels $7.4 billion more in student debt through relief program under legal assault – Jeff Mordock (COMMENT: What percent of delinquent student loan borrowers are Democrat minorities and/or Democrat females? How much pressure from Democrats have lenders been under to give loans to students because they were Democrat minorities and/or Democrat females?)

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/apr/12/joe-biden-cancels-74-billion-more-in-student-debt-/
— Nearly 90% of feds’ office space in D.C. going to waste, government report finds. Public Buildings Reform Board is 2nd agency to confirm federal HQs have become ghost towns. – Sean Salai
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/apr/11/government-report-finds-just-12-of-federal-offices/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Taxpayers shouldn’t be funding the State Department’s DEI pseudoscience – Simon Hankinson (COMMENT: The Democrats who run the federal government have always used DEI a) to not hire Republicans, b) to not retain Republicans, c) to not promote Republicans, and d) to get rid of Republicans.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/equality-not-elitism/2962319/taxpayers-shouldnt-be-funding-the-state-departments-dei-pseudoscience/
— Illegal immigrants would be banned from boarding commercial flights under GOP bill – Anna Giaritelli (COMMENT: Remember September 11, 2001.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/2962772/illegal-immigrants-would-be-banned-from-boarding-commercial-flights-under-gop-bill/
— Harvard crawls back to the SAT and ACT – Jeremiah Poff (COMMENT: I doubt that UIC would have admitted me in 1966 if I had not gotten an ACT score of 24.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2962605/harvard-crawls-back-to-the-sat-and-act/
— Reparations racket is a progressive scheme that compels us to make a false confession about our nation. – David Harsanyi (COMMENT: Those who promote reparations ever-increasingly promote more hatred against America. They especially promote more hatred against Americans like who are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine-lead-stories/2958920/against-the-reparations-racket-this-progressive-scheme-compels-us-to-make-a-false-confession-about-our-nation/

NEW YORK POST
— Number of Hispanic Americans who support border wall, deportation rises as crisis escalates. – Melissa Koenig (COMMENT: Illegal immigration harms legal immigrants big time.)
https://nypost.com/2024/04/11/us-news/hispanic-american-support-for-border-wall-deportation-rises-poll/
— Two-thirds of US colleges, universities require DEI classes to graduate – Josh Christenson (COMMENT: Democrats have always used DEI to get rid of Republicans.)
https://nypost.com/2024/04/11/us-news/two-thirds-of-us-colleges-universities-require-dei-classes-to-graduate-report/
— Shameless lefties from New York to California free sex criminals and other monsters to defend open borders – Editorial
https://nypost.com/2024/04/11/opinion/free-sex-criminals-and-other-monsters-to-defend-open-borders/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Morning Greatness: House Republicans Move to Terminate ‘Rotten’ DEI Programs – Liz Sheld
https://amgreatness.com/2024/04/12/morning-greatness-house-republicans-move-to-terminate-rotten-dei-programs/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Denver Set to Defund Police, Firefighters to Pay for Illegal Aliens – Jake Smith (COMMENT: Denver today, your municipality tomorrow.)
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/04/11/denver-set-to-defund-police-firefighters-to-pay-for-illegal-aliens/

FEDERALIST
— White Leftists Cry ‘Racism’ To Win Political Battles — Even When Nonwhites Oppose Them – STEPHANIE LUNDQUIST-ARORA (COMMENT: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes pander to those who are liberal/moderate, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Independent, Green, RINO, minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time. I should write a book about those who pander the most.)
https://thefederalist.com/2024/04/11/white-leftists-default-to-cries-of-racism-to-win-political-battles-even-when-minorities-are-opposed/

FOX NEWS RADIO
— Illegal Immigrants for Biden/Harris
https://radio.foxnews.com/2024/04/11/illegal-immigrants-for-biden-harris/

FOX NEWS
— Chicago business leaders slam council’s Gaza cease-fire action amid worrying rise in antisemitic incidents. Antisemitic incidents rising in Chicago since Oct 7 Hamas massacre in Israel. – Beth Bailey
https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-business-leaders-slam-councils-gaza-cease-fire-action-amid-worrying-rise-in-antisemitic-incidents
— Proposed bill in Congress to combat illegal immigrants squatting would make practice a deportable offense. It comes after a Venezuelan migrant urged others on TikTok to illegally take over homes across the US. – Louis Casiano (COMMENT: How many vacant buildings and homes are there in your county, township, municipality, and school district?)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/proposed-bill-congress-combat-illegal-immigrants-squatting-practice-deportable-offense

GOPUSA
— Sen. Kennedy Suggest Ulterior Motive Behind Border Crisis While Questioning Mayorkas (COMMENT: Democrats have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat army.)
https://www.gopusa.com/sen-kennedy-suggest-ulterior-motive-behind-border-crisis-while-questioning-mayorkas/
— States File Suit To Block Biden’s Student Debt Forgiveness Plan (COMMENT: What percent of delinquent student loan borrowers are Democrat minorities and/or Democrat females? How much pressure from Democrats have lenders been under to give loans to students because they were Democrat minorities and/or Democrat females?)
https://www.gopusa.com/states-file-suit-to-block-bidens-student-debt-forgiveness-plan/
— Chronic Absenteeism In Public Schools A National Crisis (COMMENT: Democrats run education in America.)
https://www.gopusa.com/report-chronic-absenteeism-in-public-schools-a-national-crisis/

MRC TV
— Say Their Names! ABC/CBS/NBC Skip Victims Killed By Illegals – Geoffrey Dickens
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/geoffrey-dickens/2024/04/11/say-their-names-abccbsnbc-skip-victims-killed-illegals

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Illegal immigration: An Open, Bleeding Wound – PETER KIRSANOW
https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/an-open-bleeding-wound/

NEWSMAX
— Most US Colleges Require DEI Courses to Graduate – Jim Thomas (COMMENT: Democrats have always used DEI to get rid of Republicans.)
https://www.newsmax.com/us/us-colleges-universities/2024/04/11/id/1160684/

PJ MEDIA
— Forget ‘Fundamental Transformation.’ Today’s Dems Want to End America. – CHRIS QUEEN
https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2024/04/11/forget-fundamental-transformation-todays-dems-want-to-end-america-n4928088

TOWNHALL
— Of Course People Are Already Insisting the Francis Scott Key Bridge Name Be Changed – Rebecca Downs
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2024/04/11/of-course-people-are-already-insisting-the-francis-scott-key-bridge-name-be-changed-n2637568

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT LEANING SOURCES

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Ukraine’s parliament passes a controversial law to boost much-needed conscripts as war drags on. – SAMYA KULLAB AND ILLIA NOVIKOV (COMMENT: I was 1-A for the Vietnam War draft even though a) I could not run because I had a bone disease, b) my eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20, and c) I had partial red/green color blindness.)
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-parliament-recruit-army-russia-war-5b7d9f58bb398b4ad1296311b8130b92
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The law — which was watered down from its original draft — will make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country, where many have dodged conscription by avoiding contact with authorities. Under the law, men aged 18 to 60 will be required to carry documents showing they have registered with the military and present them when asked, according to Oksana Zabolotna, an analyst for the watchdog group Center for United Actions. Also, any man who applies for a state service at a consulate abroad will be registered for military service.)

MSN
— Two-thirds of US colleges, universities require DEI classes to graduate – Josh Christenson (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careers/two-thirds-of-us-colleges-universities-require-dei-classes-to-graduate-report/ar-BB1ltrIy

NBC NEWS
— Civil rights groups push to rename Baltimore bridge because of namesake’s links to slavery. They are recommending the bridge be renamed after the late U.S. Rep. Parren J. Mitchell, the first Black Marylander to be elected to the House of Representatives. – Emi Tuyetnhi Tran
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/groups-push-rename-baltimore-bridge-francis-scott-keys-links-slavery-rcna147224

NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats ever-increasingly crow about their success in putting Trump on trial. To get rid of me, my Democrat superiors in the federal government a) disallowed my sick leave requests in 1968 and 1969, b) disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, c) disallowed my education deductions in 1978, d) forced me to suffer a $22,996/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, and e) forced me to take their early retirement “offer” when I was 49 years old in 1997. My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have absolutely no problem with the aforesaid. In fact, the applaud the aforesaid. I should write a book about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/nyregion/donald-trump-trial-what-to-know.html
— NPR in Turmoil After It Is Accused of Liberal Bias. An essay from an editor at the broadcaster has generated a firestorm of criticism about the network on social media, especially among conservatives. – Benjamin Mullin and Katie Robertson
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/business/media/npr-criticism-liberal-bias.html

WASHINGTON POST
— While he was President, Trump did more to defend and advance the Republican Party platform than either Bush. RINOs do not care about that because RINOs reject most if not virtually all the planks in the Republican Party platform.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/12/biden-trump-immigration-economy-inflation-abortion/474e9f7e-f881-11ee-9506-c8544e5c9d86_story.html
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion. Why are there so many unwanted pregnancies?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2024/abortion-pill-experience-stories/
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/12/immigration-jobs-economy-wages-gdp-trump-biden/a1b5baec-f8b3-11ee-9506-c8544e5c9d86_story.html

USA TODAY
— In striking reversal, low-paid workers saw biggest wage growth during pandemic years – Daniel de Visé (COMMENT: In today’s dollars, I earned $12.41/hour washing dishes 1964-1966 and I earned $18.99-$20.25/hour delivering mail 1966-1969.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/04/09/wage-growth-largest-low-paid-workers-pandemic/73242662007/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Hourly pay rose by 12.1% in those years for low-wage Americans, from $12.06 to $13.52, boosted by policy decisions that aided those workers during the pandemic, according to a report from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.)
— Residents of this state (New Jersey) pay $987,117 in lifetime taxes. Guess which one? – Daniel de Visé
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/04/11/which-states-cost-the-most-in-lifetime-taxes/73279496007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Pope Francis Shuts Down the Cafeteria. The pope affirms that Catholics can’t pick and choose between life and social ethics. – Raymond J. de Souza
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-shuts-down-the-cafeteria-dignitas-infinita-church-sex-gender-9d9c72b8
— Latino and Black Voters Could Elect Trump. Even a modest racial realignment would provide the margin of victory for Republicans in November. – Patrick Ruffini
https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-and-hispanic-voters-could-elect-trump-minorities-election-fcabeeb3
— Biden Loses Support Among Black Men. New survey of seven battleground states also shows some Black women are weighing other options. – Cameron McWhirter, Joe Barrett, Joshua Jamerson (COMMENT: Even though Democrats run America, Democrats ever-increasingly shout at minorities, at females, at younger people, and at everyone else that Republicans cause all the problems that minorities, females, young people, and everyone else have.)
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/biden-trump-black-men-support-election-2024-poll-a7d9da22
— Climate Pledges Sought From MBA Candidates – Yusuf Khan (COMMENT: Loyola admitted me for its MBA program when I was 23 in 1972. But I doubt that it would admit me if I was 23 today.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-pledge-that-is-getting-future-business-leaders-to-commit-to-climate-action-b8d19abf
— The IRS Is Here to Help With Direct File. Oh No. The tax man wants to file your taxes for you. What could go wrong? – Editorial (COMMENT: I should write a book about why the Democrats who ran IRS in 1978 disallowed my education deductions.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/irs-direct-file-taxes-elizabeth-warren-joe-biden-aa7c214d

FORBES
— Harvard Brings Back SAT, ACT Requirement For Undergrads—Latest School To Reinstate Standardized Tests – Cailey Gleeson (COMMENT: I doubt that UIC would have admitted me in 1966 if I had not gotten an ACT score of 24.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/caileygleeson/2024/04/11/harvard-brings-back-sat-act-requirement-for-undergrads-latest-school-to-reinstate-standardized-tests/

NATIONAL LAW REVIEW
— Illinois Expands its Secure Choice Mandatory Retirement Savings Program – Kent Maze (COMMENT: I started paying 7% of my salary into the Civil Service Retirement System in 1966 when I was 18 years old.)
https://natlawreview.com/article/illinois-expands-its-secure-choice-mandatory-retirement-savings-program?amp

EMPLOYEE BENEFIT RESEARCH INSTITUTE
— Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion . . . and Student Loan Debt (COMMENT: What percent of delinquent student loan borrowers are Democrat minorities and/or Democrat females? How much pressure from Democrats have lenders been under to give loans to students because they were Democrat minorities and/or Democrat females?)
https://www.ebri.org/docs/default-source/point-of-view/pov_3-deistudentloan-8dec22.pdf

RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— Voters Don’t Think Biden Has United the Country (COMMENT: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly divide Americans. Ever-increasingly Democrat leaders divide those who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and those who ancestors have not been in America for a long time AGAINST those who are conservative, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and those who ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/biden_administration/divider_in_chief_voters_don_t_think_biden_has_united_the_country